Click on the article in Khmer to zoom in
New Khmer Book “Dictionary of Securities Market, 2nd Edition” is now available
New Khmer Book “Dictionary of Securities Market, 2nd Edition”
in Khmer and English Languages (100 pages)
in Khmer and English Languages (100 pages)
Researched By: Mr. Hash Veasna, MBA
Published Date: November 2009
ISBN-13: 978-99950-896-7-2
Dictionary of Securities Market, 2nd Edition; the book was revised and added some words and phrases, it is a small dictionary which was prepared with collection of all related words and phrases using particularly in Securities Market, Stock Market, Bond Market and financial instruments trading, from different trade, business, finance, accounting and baking dictionaries, Cambodian related capital market laws, sub-decrees and internet sources. The securities terminologies are really new for Cambodian people. This publication is part of the first step toward the development of securities market in Cambodia. We believe that the book will contribute to the growing need of the use of words and phrases in Khmer Language from students, researchers, bankers and other interested people who are working related to the securities market.
You can also find the related stock market books by the same researcher as follow:
Please see also the picture of the book above.
MyBestConsult (MBC)
#2A, Street 294,
Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Phone: +855 (0) 11 51 33 42
+855 (0) 12 88 00 95
+855 (0) 12 95 87 65
+855 (0) 16 43 66 52
E-mail : mybestconsult@gmail.com
Website: http://www.mybestconsult.com
Published Date: November 2009
ISBN-13: 978-99950-896-7-2
Dictionary of Securities Market, 2nd Edition; the book was revised and added some words and phrases, it is a small dictionary which was prepared with collection of all related words and phrases using particularly in Securities Market, Stock Market, Bond Market and financial instruments trading, from different trade, business, finance, accounting and baking dictionaries, Cambodian related capital market laws, sub-decrees and internet sources. The securities terminologies are really new for Cambodian people. This publication is part of the first step toward the development of securities market in Cambodia. We believe that the book will contribute to the growing need of the use of words and phrases in Khmer Language from students, researchers, bankers and other interested people who are working related to the securities market.
You can also find the related stock market books by the same researcher as follow:
- What is Intermediaries of Securities Exchange? in Khmer and English Languages (119 pages)
- Dictionary of Securities Market, 1st Ed. (In Khmer and English)
- What is Bond Market? (In Khmer and English)
- What is Stock Exchange? 2nd Ed. (In Khmer and English)
- Toward the Establishment of Stock Exchange in Cambodia: Achievements and Challenges (In Khmer and English)
Please see also the picture of the book above.
MyBestConsult (MBC)
#2A, Street 294,
Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Phone: +855 (0) 11 51 33 42
+855 (0) 12 88 00 95
+855 (0) 12 95 87 65
+855 (0) 16 43 66 52
E-mail : mybestconsult@gmail.com
Website: http://www.mybestconsult.com
Vietnam assumes Asean chairmanship [-ASEAN action? You shouldn't hold your breath for it to happen!]
01/03/2010
INQUIRER.net (The Philippines)
MANILA, Philippines — Vietnam has assumed the revolving chairmanship of Asean, taking over from Thailand and effective until the end of 2010.
As Asean chair of the year Vietnam would focus on working with the nine other Asean member-states to speed up the implementation of the regional bloc’s various agreements, plans, and programs, particularly the Asean Charter and the Roadmap for an Asean Community (2009-2015).
Vietnam’s theme for its chairmanship on the 15th year of its accession to Asean is: “Towards the Asean Community: from Vision to Action.”
Asean Secretary General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan said Vietnam has prepared well for its new role, readying annual sectoral plans that outline a detailed work program for each ministerial body with clear objectives, activities, goals, and targets in accordance with the two mentioned documents.
These would be handy for stakeholders, who would know what support to provide and how to mobilize resources, the Asean secretary general said.
“The new chair has a clear set of priorities and agenda which are useful as an implementation and support guide for Asean member states, the ASEAN Secretariat, Asean Dialogue Partners, and other external parties,” he added.
The Asean chief also thanked Thailand for its “excellent chairmanship in 2009 and welcome Vietnam as the new chair for the year ahead. My colleagues at the Asean Secretariat and I look forward to working closely with Vietnam.”
Asean, which groups together Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, has reached a highlight in its history when on January 1 the Common Effective Preferential Tariffs for Asean Free Trade Area took effect. This means that six of its members—Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand can import and export almost all goods across their borders at no tariff.
As Asean chair of the year Vietnam would focus on working with the nine other Asean member-states to speed up the implementation of the regional bloc’s various agreements, plans, and programs, particularly the Asean Charter and the Roadmap for an Asean Community (2009-2015).
Vietnam’s theme for its chairmanship on the 15th year of its accession to Asean is: “Towards the Asean Community: from Vision to Action.”
Asean Secretary General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan said Vietnam has prepared well for its new role, readying annual sectoral plans that outline a detailed work program for each ministerial body with clear objectives, activities, goals, and targets in accordance with the two mentioned documents.
These would be handy for stakeholders, who would know what support to provide and how to mobilize resources, the Asean secretary general said.
“The new chair has a clear set of priorities and agenda which are useful as an implementation and support guide for Asean member states, the ASEAN Secretariat, Asean Dialogue Partners, and other external parties,” he added.
The Asean chief also thanked Thailand for its “excellent chairmanship in 2009 and welcome Vietnam as the new chair for the year ahead. My colleagues at the Asean Secretariat and I look forward to working closely with Vietnam.”
Asean, which groups together Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, has reached a highlight in its history when on January 1 the Common Effective Preferential Tariffs for Asean Free Trade Area took effect. This means that six of its members—Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand can import and export almost all goods across their borders at no tariff.
Cambodia-flagged ship rescued, arrives in Russia's Far East port [-Another ship flying Cambodia's flag of "shameful" convenience]
VLADIVOSTOK, January 3,2010
RIA Novosti (Russia)
Cargo ship with 24 Russians on board stranded in Sea of Japan
The Cambodia-flagged cargo ship with 24 Russians on board, which had been stranded in the Sea of Japan, arrived in Russia's Far East port of Vladivostok on Sunday, a local sea rescue center official said.
The MV Victor freighter carrying a shipment of Japanese-made cars transmitted a distress signal shortly after leaving the Japanese port of Otaru for Vladivostok on Thursday.
On Friday, two Russian tugboats arrived at Victor's location about 40 nautical miles from the Russian coast to tow the ship in distress to the nearest port.
A Russian coast guard patrol vessel earlier arrived in the area to monitor the ship's condition and to ensure the safety of 19 crew members and five passengers.
A rescue operation was successfully carried out despite high waves and a severe snow storm, which swept over the Sea of Japan.
"On Sunday, at 9:30 a.m. local time (23:30 GMT, Saturday), the Victor arrived in the port of Vladivostok," the spokesman said.
The Cambodia-flagged cargo ship with 24 Russians on board, which had been stranded in the Sea of Japan, arrived in Russia's Far East port of Vladivostok on Sunday, a local sea rescue center official said.
The MV Victor freighter carrying a shipment of Japanese-made cars transmitted a distress signal shortly after leaving the Japanese port of Otaru for Vladivostok on Thursday.
On Friday, two Russian tugboats arrived at Victor's location about 40 nautical miles from the Russian coast to tow the ship in distress to the nearest port.
A Russian coast guard patrol vessel earlier arrived in the area to monitor the ship's condition and to ensure the safety of 19 crew members and five passengers.
A rescue operation was successfully carried out despite high waves and a severe snow storm, which swept over the Sea of Japan.
"On Sunday, at 9:30 a.m. local time (23:30 GMT, Saturday), the Victor arrived in the port of Vladivostok," the spokesman said.
Appeal to Chinese government over missing asylum seekers
3 Jan 2010
By Agency reporter
Source: Ekklesia (UK)
Amnesty International has called on the Chinese authorities to reveal the whereabouts of 20 ethnic Uighur asylum-seekers who were forcibly deported from Cambodia to China on 19 December 2009.
The group, which includes two very young children, may be at risk of torture or even execution since their forcible deportation at the request of the Chinese government.
Since 2001, Amnesty has documented cases in which Uighur asylum seekers or refugees who were forcibly returned to China were detained, reportedly tortured and in some cases sentenced to death and executed.
"The 20 should either be charged with recognizably criminal offences or released," said Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Director Sam Zarifi in a letter to the Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Buzhang.
"Their trials should meet international fair trial standards, and under no circumstances should the death penalty be imposed.
"Our concerns are heightened by the fact that the Chinese authorities have already executed nine people and sentenced eight others to death in relation to the July 2009 unrest in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region," said Sam Zarifi.
Amnesty International has also urged the Chinese government to provide the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) with immediate access to the 20 individuals to monitor their well-being.
The group, which includes two very young children, may be at risk of torture or even execution since their forcible deportation at the request of the Chinese government.
Since 2001, Amnesty has documented cases in which Uighur asylum seekers or refugees who were forcibly returned to China were detained, reportedly tortured and in some cases sentenced to death and executed.
"The 20 should either be charged with recognizably criminal offences or released," said Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific Director Sam Zarifi in a letter to the Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Buzhang.
"Their trials should meet international fair trial standards, and under no circumstances should the death penalty be imposed.
"Our concerns are heightened by the fact that the Chinese authorities have already executed nine people and sentenced eight others to death in relation to the July 2009 unrest in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region," said Sam Zarifi.
Amnesty International has also urged the Chinese government to provide the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) with immediate access to the 20 individuals to monitor their well-being.
Human rights abuses in Cambodia on the rise in 2009: Civil Society
Cops surrounding opposition MP Mu Sochua in an attempt to prevent her and her supporters to march in protest01 Jan 2010
By Keo Nimol
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Komping Puoy
Click her e to read the article in Khmer
Human rights organization officials and workers estimate that, in 2009, the number of human rights abuses in Cambodia increased when compared to the same period in 2008.
Am Sam Ath, an observer for the Licadho human rights group, said that in the past year, there was an increase in the number of abuse perpetrated on numerous important human rights cases, such as land dispute, forced evictions, injuries inflicted, impunity – i.e. violations of the law – children and women trafficking.
Am Sam Ath said: “In general, there is no decline in human rights abuse. If we look at rape cases, the number of cases is increasing.”
Am Sam Ath indicated also that the reason there was an increase in human rights violation was because legal resolutions were not possible: the rich use their money to hide their misdeeds, and a number of government officials do not fulfill their duties properly as prescribed by the law, they only think about their personal interest.
Ou Virak, President of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), said on 01 January 2010 that there are difficulties in clearly evaluating human rights violations, however, based on the number of court cases, it is observed that they are on the rise, and also the ruling (CPP) party had openly violated the rights of the opposition party, etc…
Ou Virak said: “If we look at the court cases, we believe that their number increased in 2009. Lawsuits brought against human rights activists and the opposition party are on the rise in cases involving political rights and citizen rights.”
Ou Virak recognized that the ruling party attempted to strengthen the respect of human rights in a number of cases, but that it still fell short to the needs of the general public: “In truth, I see that there are some positive points also.”
Phay Siphan, the secretary of state and mouthpiece of the Council of Ministers, said that a number of issues raised by human rights organizations can be welcomed, however, a number of other issues cannot be accepted.
Phay Siphan said: “What they talked about is report tendencies, but they lack truthful democratic basis and human rights respect. As I said, the Cambodian government is continuing to strengthen both its policy and the institution for the protection of the people’s human rights.”
In 2009, the government issued its human rights report to the Geneva-based UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR). Member countries that attended the Geneva meeting paid close attention to the forced eviction cases in Cambodia and they also questioned the Cambodian representatives on this very hot topic.
Cambodian politician ordered arrested
PARIS, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Opposition leader Sam Rainsy says he will let the Cambodian government try him in absentia on charges of racial incitement and destruction of property.
Cambodia's Svay Rieng provincial court ordered Rainsy's arrest Friday after he failed to appear for a hearing on charges he uprooted border markings between Cambodia and Vietnam in October.
In a story published Saturday, Rainsy told The Phnom Penh Post the border markers were illegally placed by Vietnam and encroached on the land of Cambodian farmers.
"I can resolve my own problems, but justice (must be had) for the farmers who lost their rice fields," Rainsy said, speaking with the Post by telephone from France.
Cambodia and Vietnam are three years into a six-year process to demarcate their shared 800-mile border.
Rainsy accused the Cambodian People's Party of pressuring the provincial court to order his arrest and revoke his status as a parliamentarian, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Saturday.
Cambodia's Svay Rieng provincial court ordered Rainsy's arrest Friday after he failed to appear for a hearing on charges he uprooted border markings between Cambodia and Vietnam in October.
In a story published Saturday, Rainsy told The Phnom Penh Post the border markers were illegally placed by Vietnam and encroached on the land of Cambodian farmers.
"I can resolve my own problems, but justice (must be had) for the farmers who lost their rice fields," Rainsy said, speaking with the Post by telephone from France.
Cambodia and Vietnam are three years into a six-year process to demarcate their shared 800-mile border.
Rainsy accused the Cambodian People's Party of pressuring the provincial court to order his arrest and revoke his status as a parliamentarian, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Saturday.
Sam Rainsy’s reaction to his arrest warrant
01 Jan 2010
By Kuoch Kuntheara
Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Komping Puoy
Open Letter to Theary C. Seng
Re: What is Success? - "One, it was liberation (thank you) through invasion (not "volunteer humanitarianism")"
Happy New year, Theary!
Academically, you may have joined the rank of those thinkers such as Dr. Tith, Dr. Gaffar, Dr. Lao Mong Hay, Sihanouk protector/defender and protege's Keith Hangsa of Kambuja.org, freelancer such as Khemara15, an incognito of Khmerwitica, a humble man known as Kenneth So, a pro-Viet known as Virgule of LesjeunesKhmers.com, Seun nmott of Khmer-network.com, and a few more...
If you have a couple minutes to spare, may I impose on you to elaborate on what you meant by the reference above please?
Thanks a million in advance.
Very truly yours,
At Keo,
North Carolina, USA
Kem Sokha calls for unity during the 2010 New Year celebration
01 Jan 2010
By Ly Meng Huor
Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Komping Puoy
On 01 January, Kem Sokha, President of the Human Rights Party, called for all democratic and nationalist parties and politicians to unite in the form of a federation or a new political party in preparation for the upcoming 2012 commune election and the 2013 general election.
In his open message for the New Year, Kem Sokha indicated that the HRP considers the union of democrats and nationalists based on democracy as a necessary goal that cannot be delayed any longer.
In his open message for the New Year, Kem Sokha indicated that the HRP considers the union of democrats and nationalists based on democracy as a necessary goal that cannot be delayed any longer.
Hun Xen: Under this era, 5-star generals are reserved only for the three samdachs (aka operetta generals)
24 December 2009
By Meng Chhay
Cambodia Express News
Translated from Khmer by Komping Puoy
During the inauguration for the construction site of the largest fertilizer in Cambodia in the morning of 24 December, Hun Xen indicated that: “Don’t you seek 5-star at all. Under this era, there will be only 3 [people who will hold] the 5-star rank. This, I tell you in advance for the 4-star [generals], in case you want to ask for a 5-star promotion, don’t dream about it! Just because you saw your chief get a promotion, don’t you dare want the same promotion also. This is a special case!”
Along with his speech, Hun Xen added that he will wear his 5-star insignia the day he will wear his military uniform and when he will go to visit the troops along the border. Right now, Hun Xen’s uniform, which in past bore the 4-star insigniwa, has been modified to include the 5-star insignia already.
Hun Xen said that he will never forget his gratitude to King Norodom Sihamoni for granting him the topmost general ranking with 5 golden stars. The same promotion was also granted to Chea Xim and Heng Xamrin on 21 December 2009.
07 January 1979: Triumph of Vietnamese Neo-Colonialism
Click on the announcement in Khmer to zoom in
Unofficial translation by Tola Ek
07 January 1979: Triumph of Vietnamese Neo-Colonialism
Conference – Debate
On the Invasion, Occupation and the Colonization of Cambodia by “socialist” Vietnam
On the Invasion, Occupation and the Colonization of Cambodia by “socialist” Vietnam
Dear Compatriots, Dear Friends,
If, as some claimed, 07 January 1979 was the “liberation” day of the Khmer people from Pol Pot’s regime by communist Vietnam, then that day would have been engineered and thought out in 1930 when Ho Chi Minh was creating the Indochinese Communist Party! The historical truth must be reminded: 07 January 1979 was, first and foremost, the triumph of Vietnamese neo-colonialism in Cambodia.
The ad hoc Committee, consisting of representatives from the following associations: Cambodia’s Border Committee (CBC), SRP-France, HRP-France, Cambodian League for Human and Citizen Rights (LCDHC) and members of the Khmer Community in France, is organizing a Conference-Debate
The main subjects that will be discussed include:
------
CHERS COMPATRIOTES, CHERS AMIS,
Si, comme certains l’affirment, le 7 janvier 1979 était le jour de la «libération» du Peuple Khmer du régime Pol Pot par le Vietnam communiste, alors ce jour-là avait été pensé et préparé depuis 1930 lorsque Ho Chi Minh créa le Parti Communiste Indochinois ! La vérité historique doit être donc rappelée : le 7 janvier 1979 est, avant tout, le triomphe au Cambodge du néocolonialisme vietnamien.
Le Comité ad hoc, composé de représentants des Associations Comité des Frontières du Cambodge (CFC), PSR-France, PDH-France, Ligue Cambodgienne des Droits de l’Homme et du Citoyen (LCDHC) et des membres de la Communauté Khmère de France, organise une Conférence-Débats:
Les principaux sujets traités seront :
If, as some claimed, 07 January 1979 was the “liberation” day of the Khmer people from Pol Pot’s regime by communist Vietnam, then that day would have been engineered and thought out in 1930 when Ho Chi Minh was creating the Indochinese Communist Party! The historical truth must be reminded: 07 January 1979 was, first and foremost, the triumph of Vietnamese neo-colonialism in Cambodia.
The ad hoc Committee, consisting of representatives from the following associations: Cambodia’s Border Committee (CBC), SRP-France, HRP-France, Cambodian League for Human and Citizen Rights (LCDHC) and members of the Khmer Community in France, is organizing a Conference-Debate
When: Sunday 03 January 2010, at 2PM
Where: Espace Maison Blanche, 2 Avenue St-Exupéry, 92320 Chatillon
3rd Floor (in front of the Darty store, at Metro station: Chatillon Montrouge. By car, use exit Porte de Chatillon, and take the Petit Clamart direction, located about 2km from the Peripherique Freeway).
Where: Espace Maison Blanche, 2 Avenue St-Exupéry, 92320 Chatillon
3rd Floor (in front of the Darty store, at Metro station: Chatillon Montrouge. By car, use exit Porte de Chatillon, and take the Petit Clamart direction, located about 2km from the Peripherique Freeway).
The main subjects that will be discussed include:
- Political differences to the war between communist Vietnam and the Khmer Rouge’s Cambodia.
- The Vietnamese conquest of Cambodia and the war loot.
- The immediate annexations of Cambodian land and maritime domains by Vietnam.
- The Vietnamese political and administrative control of Cambodia.
- The Vietnamese colonization of Cambodia since 07 January 1979.
------
7 JANVIER 1979 : LE TRIOMPHE DU NEO-COLONIALISME VIETNAMIEN
CONFÉRENCE-DÉBATS
sur l’invasion, l’occupation et la colonisation du Cambodge par le Vietnam «socialiste»
sur l’invasion, l’occupation et la colonisation du Cambodge par le Vietnam «socialiste»
CHERS COMPATRIOTES, CHERS AMIS,
Si, comme certains l’affirment, le 7 janvier 1979 était le jour de la «libération» du Peuple Khmer du régime Pol Pot par le Vietnam communiste, alors ce jour-là avait été pensé et préparé depuis 1930 lorsque Ho Chi Minh créa le Parti Communiste Indochinois ! La vérité historique doit être donc rappelée : le 7 janvier 1979 est, avant tout, le triomphe au Cambodge du néocolonialisme vietnamien.
Le Comité ad hoc, composé de représentants des Associations Comité des Frontières du Cambodge (CFC), PSR-France, PDH-France, Ligue Cambodgienne des Droits de l’Homme et du Citoyen (LCDHC) et des membres de la Communauté Khmère de France, organise une Conférence-Débats:
Le DIMANCHE 03 JANVIER 2010, à partir de 14H00, à:
Espace Maison Blanche, 2 avenue Saint-Exupéry, 92320 Châtillon - Salle au 3e étage - (Face au magasin Darty. Métro : Châtillon Montrouge. En voiture: sortie à la Porte de Châtillon, direction du Petit Clamart, à 2 Km de la Périphérique)
Espace Maison Blanche, 2 avenue Saint-Exupéry, 92320 Châtillon - Salle au 3e étage - (Face au magasin Darty. Métro : Châtillon Montrouge. En voiture: sortie à la Porte de Châtillon, direction du Petit Clamart, à 2 Km de la Périphérique)
Les principaux sujets traités seront :
- Des Différends politiques à la Guerre entre le Vietnam communiste et le Cambodge des Khmers Rouges.
- La Conquête vietnamienne du Cambodge et le Butin de guerre.
- Les Annexions immédiates par le Viêtnam des terres et des domaines maritimes cambodgiens.
- La Mainmise politique et administrative viêtnamienne du Cambodge.
- La Colonisation vietnamienne du Cambodge depuis le 7 janvier 1979.
Persecuting Cambodia’s defenders
Op-Ed by Khmerization
1st January, 2010
“To put it bluntly, the court case against the land owners and Mr. Sam Rainsy is a case of persecuting and prosecuting border defenders, while awarding traitors with plum positions within the government.”
The arrests of the two farmers and the issuing of an arrest warrant against Mr. Sam Rainsy is another classic example of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) using the court as a political tool to crackdown and persecute victims and its political opponents.
At a glimpse, the court case against Mr. Sam Rainsy seems like a legitimate legal remedy to settle legal issue, but on the outset it is just a political tool and a front that hides behind the real motives to settle old scores, persecute patriots and crackdown on opponents of the ruling CPP. The case itself, if anything at all, is a political witch-hunt and a sheer attempt by the ruling CPP and Mr. Hun Sen to silence their critics in order to whitewash their failures and their incompetence to defend Cambodia’s borders and territorial integrity against foreign encroachments.
My rationale above was based on the irregularities in the court proceedings. The court, labelled by Mr. Sam Rainsy as the kangaroo court, was too hasty in issuing arrest warrant against Mr. Sam Rainsy without considering a delay request lodged by Mr. Rainsy’s lawyer or given time for appeal. Two farmers, the land owners whose lands were encroached by the border markers, were arrested immediately after they appeared in court, adding insults to injuries after their lands had been encroached by the border markers.
These irregularities have made the court vulnerable to accusations of acting as a political tool and a front of the ruling CPP to crackdown on dissenting voices and its opponents. The Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) went further by accusing it of acting as a state apparatchik to terrorise the population into stop exposing the traitorous border policies of the ruling CPP and any other issues that is embarrassing for the government and the ruling party itself. To put it point blank, Mr. Rainsy and the arrested farmers are the perfect scapegoats for the CPP’s and Mr. Hun Sen’s failed border policies.
The sheer injustices had been blatantly shown in this case. The two arrested farmers and the three farmers who went into hiding, were not only defending their rice-fields, but they were also defending the territorial integrity of Cambodia against foreign encroachments. On top of losing their lands to foreigners, like rubbing salts on top of an open wound, they have been further victimised by a jail term. To put it bluntly, the court case against the land owners and Mr. Sam Rainsy is a case of persecuting and prosecuting border defenders, while awarding traitors with plum positions within the government. My premonition is that we could see Mr. Sam Rainsy’s political career end here if there is no external pressures to find a political solution to this farcical legal show trial in order to facilitate his return home to Cambodia.
The border works are problematic from the start. Mr. Hun Sen and the ruling CPP have not been transparent in its border negotiations and border demarcations, particularly with Vietnam. The negotiations and demarcation works have been done in secrecy. Members of Parliament and journalists have been prevented from obtaining information and documents pertaining to border works and from visiting the demarcation sites.
Despite its denials, the government has for the first time publicly admitted that Vietnam had actually encroached on Cambodian territories. Mr. Var Kimhong, chairman of the Cambodian Border Commission, admitted in a meeting recently that Vietnam had violated Cambodian borders. He also said that Vietnam's unilateral decision to dig a canal to use as a borderline, after it invaded Cambodia in 1979, had violated the real locations of the borderlines between the two countries. "One more complicated issue is Vietnam's decision to dig a canal along the borders in 1979 that did not respect the real borderlines drawn on the maps. (Now), the local people who live on both sides of the canal must consider the dike and the canal as the real borderline between the two countries", Mr. Var Kimhong said.
If the government has already admitted that the border encroachments by Vietnam are real, then why did it persecute and prosecute Cambodian border defenders like Mr. Sam Rainsy and the poor farmers? There are several motives behind the court case against Mr. Rainsy and the farmers.
There are possible two aims here: First, to end the political career of Mr. Sam Rainsy and to destroy the SRP. Secondly, the government and the ruling CPP is trying to absolve its responsibility on border failures and to whitewash its traitorous border policies, in particular its policies toward the Vietnamese borders. The main aims of the CPP, and Mr. Hun Sen in particular, is to prevent the return of Mr. Sam Rainsy to Cambodia in order to weaken the SRP and eventually engineer its break up that will see the eventual demise of the SRP as has been seen in the case of other parties in the past.
A possible scenario is that the fate of Mr. Sam Rainsy’s party will be similar to the fates of the Son Sann Party and Funcinpec Party, if Hun Sen has successfully prevented Mr. Rainsy from returning back to led his party.
1st January, 2010
“To put it bluntly, the court case against the land owners and Mr. Sam Rainsy is a case of persecuting and prosecuting border defenders, while awarding traitors with plum positions within the government.”
The arrests of the two farmers and the issuing of an arrest warrant against Mr. Sam Rainsy is another classic example of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) using the court as a political tool to crackdown and persecute victims and its political opponents.
At a glimpse, the court case against Mr. Sam Rainsy seems like a legitimate legal remedy to settle legal issue, but on the outset it is just a political tool and a front that hides behind the real motives to settle old scores, persecute patriots and crackdown on opponents of the ruling CPP. The case itself, if anything at all, is a political witch-hunt and a sheer attempt by the ruling CPP and Mr. Hun Sen to silence their critics in order to whitewash their failures and their incompetence to defend Cambodia’s borders and territorial integrity against foreign encroachments.
My rationale above was based on the irregularities in the court proceedings. The court, labelled by Mr. Sam Rainsy as the kangaroo court, was too hasty in issuing arrest warrant against Mr. Sam Rainsy without considering a delay request lodged by Mr. Rainsy’s lawyer or given time for appeal. Two farmers, the land owners whose lands were encroached by the border markers, were arrested immediately after they appeared in court, adding insults to injuries after their lands had been encroached by the border markers.
These irregularities have made the court vulnerable to accusations of acting as a political tool and a front of the ruling CPP to crackdown on dissenting voices and its opponents. The Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) went further by accusing it of acting as a state apparatchik to terrorise the population into stop exposing the traitorous border policies of the ruling CPP and any other issues that is embarrassing for the government and the ruling party itself. To put it point blank, Mr. Rainsy and the arrested farmers are the perfect scapegoats for the CPP’s and Mr. Hun Sen’s failed border policies.
The sheer injustices had been blatantly shown in this case. The two arrested farmers and the three farmers who went into hiding, were not only defending their rice-fields, but they were also defending the territorial integrity of Cambodia against foreign encroachments. On top of losing their lands to foreigners, like rubbing salts on top of an open wound, they have been further victimised by a jail term. To put it bluntly, the court case against the land owners and Mr. Sam Rainsy is a case of persecuting and prosecuting border defenders, while awarding traitors with plum positions within the government. My premonition is that we could see Mr. Sam Rainsy’s political career end here if there is no external pressures to find a political solution to this farcical legal show trial in order to facilitate his return home to Cambodia.
The border works are problematic from the start. Mr. Hun Sen and the ruling CPP have not been transparent in its border negotiations and border demarcations, particularly with Vietnam. The negotiations and demarcation works have been done in secrecy. Members of Parliament and journalists have been prevented from obtaining information and documents pertaining to border works and from visiting the demarcation sites.
Despite its denials, the government has for the first time publicly admitted that Vietnam had actually encroached on Cambodian territories. Mr. Var Kimhong, chairman of the Cambodian Border Commission, admitted in a meeting recently that Vietnam had violated Cambodian borders. He also said that Vietnam's unilateral decision to dig a canal to use as a borderline, after it invaded Cambodia in 1979, had violated the real locations of the borderlines between the two countries. "One more complicated issue is Vietnam's decision to dig a canal along the borders in 1979 that did not respect the real borderlines drawn on the maps. (Now), the local people who live on both sides of the canal must consider the dike and the canal as the real borderline between the two countries", Mr. Var Kimhong said.
If the government has already admitted that the border encroachments by Vietnam are real, then why did it persecute and prosecute Cambodian border defenders like Mr. Sam Rainsy and the poor farmers? There are several motives behind the court case against Mr. Rainsy and the farmers.
There are possible two aims here: First, to end the political career of Mr. Sam Rainsy and to destroy the SRP. Secondly, the government and the ruling CPP is trying to absolve its responsibility on border failures and to whitewash its traitorous border policies, in particular its policies toward the Vietnamese borders. The main aims of the CPP, and Mr. Hun Sen in particular, is to prevent the return of Mr. Sam Rainsy to Cambodia in order to weaken the SRP and eventually engineer its break up that will see the eventual demise of the SRP as has been seen in the case of other parties in the past.
A possible scenario is that the fate of Mr. Sam Rainsy’s party will be similar to the fates of the Son Sann Party and Funcinpec Party, if Hun Sen has successfully prevented Mr. Rainsy from returning back to led his party.
What Is Success?
First published in February 2008 in The Phnom Penh Post as part of the Voice of Justice columns. We go from one year to another, since our nation's new birth as a democracy in 1993, with the hope that our "leaders" would learn from the past and provide us opportunities to also learn from the past and move away from it. But each year, we are more and more dismayed as they perpetuate the fear, violence and poverty of the past, and believe we should take it with a grateful smile because they "put an end to the Khmer Rouge".
Let us put an end to this revisionist history and get two things clear:
One, it was liberation (thank you) through invasion (not "volunteer humanitarianism"). With physical occupation for the next decade (leading to international sanction and the radical K5 Plan - a brainchild of General Le Duc Anh - killing unknown, unremembered tens of thousands; arrested by the collapse of the Soviet Union) and mental occupation to this day. (Why the chicanery and obfuscation surrounding the pulling out of a few illegal border posts in the middle of rice fields of Khmer farmers leading to the breathtaking measure of re-stripping the opposition leader of his parliamentary immunity, his arrest warrant, and the draconian arrests of innocent Svay Rieng villagers only trying to protect their homes? Why Vietel, owned by the Vietnamese military, is given arguable treasonous privileges in the sensitive telecommunications sector? Is it true Vietel bypassed the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications? Why call it a national airline when it's really owned and controlled by Vietnam?)**
Two, the Khmer Rouge regime has ended, yes, but not the KR mentality of leadership. If so, then please, do not obstruct the work of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal to try the additional very reasonable 6 more suspects.
** A word of caution to us Cambodians with regards to our ugly language toward each other, the Vietnamese people and others: They want to live peacefully just like you and me. Please stop the ugly language. Their condescension and racial slurs against us cannot, do not justify similar treatment. Also, the ugly language makes it more difficult for individuals like Sam Rainsy, Rong Chhun, Son Soubert and other human rights activists to raise serious legitimate concerns on the very real problem of territorial encroachments and the deep grievances of landless villagers. Our anger should be directed at our "leadership" and the policies which have created this oppressive environment, not at the innocent people who are only trying to live. I am deeply proud to know that my parents gave refuge to their Vietnamese neighbors during the pogroms of the early 1970s, most shamefully ordered by General Lon Nol. (I intentionally chose this photograph to accompany this column because I've been told I look 'Vietnamese' and I think Vietnamese women are beautiful - so, thank you for the compliment!) Remember how we felt when we were mistreated as refugees; let us not perpetuate the same madness. We should follow the example of Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."
In this culture where we worship money, brute power, materialism, where form, posturing and external appearance pass for dignity and meaning, it should not be surprising then if society defines "success"—through words or action—as the pursuit and obtainment of these things.
However, permit me to be a social contrarian and posit alternative, less glamorous perspectives.
Success is the ability to see things in their true light. It is to know that one's worth derives not a cent from another's derision and even less from another's praise. To accept the latter is to accept it at the full venom of the former. Clarence Darrow states it another way: one shouldn't take either gratification or disappointment too seriously.
Rather, success is the realization of one's inherent value as drawn solely, completely in being made in the image of God. It is the ability to discern strength in gentleness and kindness and the courage to pursue them.
Success is the integrity to stand up to injustice and say "Enough!" at the expense of one's reputation and well-being. In speaking truth to power, mental poise shields one from the spin doctors and all other machinations of character assassination because one's actions are not guided by the opinions of the fickle and gossip-prone public; rather, a reasoned conscience directs one's path.
Success is longsuffering. It is a virtue that is obtained only through the actual experience of waiting. Amidst the waiting hope dwells. Twinned to long-suffering (or patience) is forbearance, the ability to show mercy and love amidst being wronged.
St. Augustine, in The City of God (Book I, Chapter 9) speaks of suffering. "... the fire which makes gold shine makes chaff smoke; the same flail breaks up the straw, and clears the grain... Thus, the wicked, under pressure of affliction, execrate God and blaspheme; the good, in the same affliction, offer prayers and praises. This shows that what matters is the nature of the sufferer, not the nature of sufferings. Stir a cesspit, and a foul stench arises; stir a perfume, and a delightful fragrance ascends. But the movement is identical."
Success is the refusal to succumb to one's circumstances. But success is more than the refusal to succumb. It is living with passion, with exuberance, with meaning.
Success is to let go of the past, to live in the present, and to build for the future. Certainly, it is important to know and learn from history. However, I see Cambodians' inclination to dwell on the past counter-productive in two ways.
First, we Khmers euphorically and intently focus on the glory of the Angkor period and pay scant attention on working in the present and future. Don't misunderstand me; I am first among Khmer admirers. But let us not be trapped by past illusions; there's much work to be done presently that requires our full mental exertion.
Second, we Khmers are psychologically scarred by the evil unleashed by the Khmer Rouge. Let us face this dark period of history straight-on—by seeing it for what it is, dealing with it privately, and holding the perpetrators to justice publicly. Let us not see ourselves as victims of past evils to justify our present state of malignity; we need not be the products of our environment; the ability to love is always within us. We need to want it, to reach for it. It hurts my ears to hear the oft-repeated justification for corruption, "In Cambodia, one must learn to flow with the meandering river in order to survive and get anything done."
Success is to be sure-footed and not wince in the face of intimidation. It is to realize that intimidation is nothing other than insecurity disguised as authority. Success is freedom of the soul. It is to chip away at that overwhelming sense of hopelessness imposed by poverty, by tradition, by social expectations, by institutions, by history, by unjust laws, by one's own self.
Life functions on two levels simultaneously, on a social and an individual plane. On the social level, institutions and laws proscribe our activities. Individually, our mind proscribes our limitations.
It is disingenuous to think that our individual choices are not informed by societal laws and institutional constructs, in particular, as beneficiaries of these laws. Alternatively, it is as disingenuous to ignore the uniqueness and ability of each individual to make choices and be held accountable for his choices.
We must be held accountable for the choices we do make, but we must also be mindful that not every choice has the same quality.
Theory must be tempered with reality, justice with mercy.
This should be a sobering reminder to all of us who too easily believe that we have achieved all by our own individual merit.
This said, the external environmental factors do shape the development of one's mind, but they do not necessarily have to be proscriptions absent the individual's permission.
Freedom of the soul finds root in this mental poise.
Success deletes from one's thinking that 'philosophy of the stop sign'. No. Don't. Can't. Yield.
Success moves one from self-pity and envy to gratitude.
Success is the training of the mind to meditate on what is praiseworthy, excellent, right, true, pure, lovely, admirable, and noble.
It is to understand that the pursuit of these qualities takes place .in the shadow of appearances, posturing, and the aggressiveness of every day commonalities.
Because things are not what they seem, generosity of spirit and love must be present at all times, but they must exist within a definite boundary. Growth of character corresponds with the ability to ever expand this boundary. Let others call it naiveté, but naiveté functions in ignorance with no boundary. At some point in time, enough is enough and it must be called.
Success is to know and not care whether someone else knows that you know. It has no room for pride.
Theary C. SENG, former director of Center for Social Development (March 2006—July 2009), founded the Center for Justice & Reconciliation (www.cjr-cambodia.org) and is currently writing her second book, under a grant, amidst her speaking engagements.
Let us put an end to this revisionist history and get two things clear:
One, it was liberation (thank you) through invasion (not "volunteer humanitarianism"). With physical occupation for the next decade (leading to international sanction and the radical K5 Plan - a brainchild of General Le Duc Anh - killing unknown, unremembered tens of thousands; arrested by the collapse of the Soviet Union) and mental occupation to this day. (Why the chicanery and obfuscation surrounding the pulling out of a few illegal border posts in the middle of rice fields of Khmer farmers leading to the breathtaking measure of re-stripping the opposition leader of his parliamentary immunity, his arrest warrant, and the draconian arrests of innocent Svay Rieng villagers only trying to protect their homes? Why Vietel, owned by the Vietnamese military, is given arguable treasonous privileges in the sensitive telecommunications sector? Is it true Vietel bypassed the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications? Why call it a national airline when it's really owned and controlled by Vietnam?)**
Two, the Khmer Rouge regime has ended, yes, but not the KR mentality of leadership. If so, then please, do not obstruct the work of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal to try the additional very reasonable 6 more suspects.
** A word of caution to us Cambodians with regards to our ugly language toward each other, the Vietnamese people and others: They want to live peacefully just like you and me. Please stop the ugly language. Their condescension and racial slurs against us cannot, do not justify similar treatment. Also, the ugly language makes it more difficult for individuals like Sam Rainsy, Rong Chhun, Son Soubert and other human rights activists to raise serious legitimate concerns on the very real problem of territorial encroachments and the deep grievances of landless villagers. Our anger should be directed at our "leadership" and the policies which have created this oppressive environment, not at the innocent people who are only trying to live. I am deeply proud to know that my parents gave refuge to their Vietnamese neighbors during the pogroms of the early 1970s, most shamefully ordered by General Lon Nol. (I intentionally chose this photograph to accompany this column because I've been told I look 'Vietnamese' and I think Vietnamese women are beautiful - so, thank you for the compliment!) Remember how we felt when we were mistreated as refugees; let us not perpetuate the same madness. We should follow the example of Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."
WHAT IS SUCCESS?
In this culture where we worship money, brute power, materialism, where form, posturing and external appearance pass for dignity and meaning, it should not be surprising then if society defines "success"—through words or action—as the pursuit and obtainment of these things.
However, permit me to be a social contrarian and posit alternative, less glamorous perspectives.
Success is the ability to see things in their true light. It is to know that one's worth derives not a cent from another's derision and even less from another's praise. To accept the latter is to accept it at the full venom of the former. Clarence Darrow states it another way: one shouldn't take either gratification or disappointment too seriously.
Rather, success is the realization of one's inherent value as drawn solely, completely in being made in the image of God. It is the ability to discern strength in gentleness and kindness and the courage to pursue them.
Success is the integrity to stand up to injustice and say "Enough!" at the expense of one's reputation and well-being. In speaking truth to power, mental poise shields one from the spin doctors and all other machinations of character assassination because one's actions are not guided by the opinions of the fickle and gossip-prone public; rather, a reasoned conscience directs one's path.
Success is longsuffering. It is a virtue that is obtained only through the actual experience of waiting. Amidst the waiting hope dwells. Twinned to long-suffering (or patience) is forbearance, the ability to show mercy and love amidst being wronged.
St. Augustine, in The City of God (Book I, Chapter 9) speaks of suffering. "... the fire which makes gold shine makes chaff smoke; the same flail breaks up the straw, and clears the grain... Thus, the wicked, under pressure of affliction, execrate God and blaspheme; the good, in the same affliction, offer prayers and praises. This shows that what matters is the nature of the sufferer, not the nature of sufferings. Stir a cesspit, and a foul stench arises; stir a perfume, and a delightful fragrance ascends. But the movement is identical."
Success is the refusal to succumb to one's circumstances. But success is more than the refusal to succumb. It is living with passion, with exuberance, with meaning.
Success is to let go of the past, to live in the present, and to build for the future. Certainly, it is important to know and learn from history. However, I see Cambodians' inclination to dwell on the past counter-productive in two ways.
First, we Khmers euphorically and intently focus on the glory of the Angkor period and pay scant attention on working in the present and future. Don't misunderstand me; I am first among Khmer admirers. But let us not be trapped by past illusions; there's much work to be done presently that requires our full mental exertion.
Second, we Khmers are psychologically scarred by the evil unleashed by the Khmer Rouge. Let us face this dark period of history straight-on—by seeing it for what it is, dealing with it privately, and holding the perpetrators to justice publicly. Let us not see ourselves as victims of past evils to justify our present state of malignity; we need not be the products of our environment; the ability to love is always within us. We need to want it, to reach for it. It hurts my ears to hear the oft-repeated justification for corruption, "In Cambodia, one must learn to flow with the meandering river in order to survive and get anything done."
Success is to be sure-footed and not wince in the face of intimidation. It is to realize that intimidation is nothing other than insecurity disguised as authority. Success is freedom of the soul. It is to chip away at that overwhelming sense of hopelessness imposed by poverty, by tradition, by social expectations, by institutions, by history, by unjust laws, by one's own self.
Life functions on two levels simultaneously, on a social and an individual plane. On the social level, institutions and laws proscribe our activities. Individually, our mind proscribes our limitations.
It is disingenuous to think that our individual choices are not informed by societal laws and institutional constructs, in particular, as beneficiaries of these laws. Alternatively, it is as disingenuous to ignore the uniqueness and ability of each individual to make choices and be held accountable for his choices.
We must be held accountable for the choices we do make, but we must also be mindful that not every choice has the same quality.
Theory must be tempered with reality, justice with mercy.
This should be a sobering reminder to all of us who too easily believe that we have achieved all by our own individual merit.
This said, the external environmental factors do shape the development of one's mind, but they do not necessarily have to be proscriptions absent the individual's permission.
Freedom of the soul finds root in this mental poise.
Success deletes from one's thinking that 'philosophy of the stop sign'. No. Don't. Can't. Yield.
Success moves one from self-pity and envy to gratitude.
Success is the training of the mind to meditate on what is praiseworthy, excellent, right, true, pure, lovely, admirable, and noble.
It is to understand that the pursuit of these qualities takes place .in the shadow of appearances, posturing, and the aggressiveness of every day commonalities.
Because things are not what they seem, generosity of spirit and love must be present at all times, but they must exist within a definite boundary. Growth of character corresponds with the ability to ever expand this boundary. Let others call it naiveté, but naiveté functions in ignorance with no boundary. At some point in time, enough is enough and it must be called.
Success is to know and not care whether someone else knows that you know. It has no room for pride.
Theary C. SENG, former director of Center for Social Development (March 2006—July 2009), founded the Center for Justice & Reconciliation (www.cjr-cambodia.org) and is currently writing her second book, under a grant, amidst her speaking engagements.
Colorful band from Philadelphia - A report by R. Visal
All photos by myphl17, Philadelphia - January 01, 2010
Sources: myphl17, Philadelphia - January 01, 2010
The Mummers Parade
Philadelphia's New Year's Day Tradition
Philadelphia's New Year's Day Tradition
New Year’s Day is about celebrating. At the Philadelphia’s Mummers Parade, a 109-year-old tradition in which 10,000 men and women dressed in colorfully lavish costumes twirl, sashay, pirouette and strut up one of the city’s main streets. An unforgettably wild ritual, the parade and subsequent performances are all family-friendly, yet exciting enough to entertain everybody.
Mummers are men and women of all ages who belong to one of 44 social clubs that make up the organization. The clubs, split into four divisions — Comics, Fancies, String Bands and Fancy Brigades — function mainly to stage their playful performances on New Year’s Day. But Mummers do perform at other events throughout the year, and for many Philadelphia-area families, Mummery is a tradition that spans generations.
The day’s highlight is the parade itself, which begins in South Philadelphia in the morning and winds its way up Broad Street to City Hall approximately eight hours later. Each division knows its role: the Comics, often dressed as wenches, satirize issues, institutions and people; the Fancies impress with their glamorous outfits that rival those of royalty; the String Bands gleefully play banjoes, saxophones and percussion instruments; and the Fancy Brigades produce tightly choreographed theatrical extravaganzas.
By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
01 January 2010
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Friday he would abide by a court summons and return to the country if authorities release two people arrested in December over the alleged destruction of border markers in Svay Rieng province.
Sam Rainsy has had his parliamentary immunity suspended and has a warrant out for his arrest, following failure to appear in Svay Rieng court on Dec. 28.
He is facing charges of racial incitement and the destruction of property, for allegedly leading a group of villagers to uproot border markers in Chantrea district. Villagers there say they are facing the loss of farm land from Vietnamese encroachment.
Speaking to VOA Khmer by phone from France, Sam Rainsy said he would return to Cambodia “when the Khmer authorities release two farmers who have been in jail on Dec. 23 and return the land to those people.”
“I’m responsible for everything,” he said. “I pulled out the border markers. It does not involve those people.”
Sam Rainsy said the border issue was a political case that needed to be solved politically. “I will try to find a solution from the international community,” he said.
Koam Chhean, head of the Svay Rieng court, said Friday authorities had to hold the two farmers. “The law is the law,” he said. “Sam Rainsy understands the law too. Why did he say like that?”
Sam Rainsy has had his parliamentary immunity suspended and has a warrant out for his arrest, following failure to appear in Svay Rieng court on Dec. 28.
He is facing charges of racial incitement and the destruction of property, for allegedly leading a group of villagers to uproot border markers in Chantrea district. Villagers there say they are facing the loss of farm land from Vietnamese encroachment.
Speaking to VOA Khmer by phone from France, Sam Rainsy said he would return to Cambodia “when the Khmer authorities release two farmers who have been in jail on Dec. 23 and return the land to those people.”
“I’m responsible for everything,” he said. “I pulled out the border markers. It does not involve those people.”
Sam Rainsy said the border issue was a political case that needed to be solved politically. “I will try to find a solution from the international community,” he said.
Koam Chhean, head of the Svay Rieng court, said Friday authorities had to hold the two farmers. “The law is the law,” he said. “Sam Rainsy understands the law too. Why did he say like that?”
Khmer support Khmer products!
"Made in Cambodia" products are attracting the attention of Cambodian consumers (Photo: Vannara, RFI)01 Jan 2010
By Ky Soklim
Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Komping Puoy
Both vendors and consumers indicated that “Made in Cambodia” products are attracting customers’ attention as each day goes by. This situation was never seen before in the past decade.
In the past, the majority of Cambodian consumers tend to be attracted by foreign products.
Click here to listen to Ky Soklim report in Khmer
Small Muslim Sect Worries Over New Influences
By Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
01 January 2010
Toothless and balding, Bhann Tes sat on a wooden bed, writing Cham script in a handheld notebook outside a mosque on Udong mountain, some 30 kilometers from Phnom Penh.
The mosque, which looks more like a Buddhist temple, might not be recognizable to more orthodox Muslims. Nor would the practices of Bhann Tes, who belongs to a rare sect of Islam whose members say is in decline.
Bhann Tes, who is 76, travels to the mosque from his home, 20 kilometers away in Kampong Chhnang province, just once a week to pray. This was required by Allah to maintain a good mind, he said. To pray five times a day, as other Muslims do, was not necessary, he said.
“Allah did not tell us to physically pray five times a day, but only to keep our minds clean of bad thoughts, like wanting to steal others’ property, telling lies, or cheating others,” he said.
Bhann Tes belongs to the Imam San sect of Islam, better known as Jahed, who comprise an estimated 37,000 Cham Muslims and whose beliefs merge the teachings of the Quran with older traditions and customs like ancestor worship.
The small group is now facing a new threat, as money and influence from other Islamic groups, including those in Arab states, have begun drawing the Jahed under their influence.
“They consider us out of their group, but we follow the same holy book,” said Kai Tam, a revered Jahed elder. “They pray with body movement, and we just pray without it.” (Women, he said, are not required to pray at all.)
“I am worried that we may lose our customs and identity in the future, as some of our members have already lost their self-identity to join with the other groups for money,” Kai Tam said in an interview at his home in Kampong Chhnang’s Kampong Tralach district.
However, Sos Kamry, who leads the majority of Cambodia’s Muslims as a mufti, denied Jaheds were being lured by material gain or money.
“Those who have joined our group did it on a voluntary basis, especially after they returned from overseas studies or pilgrimages in some Arab states, where they witnessed the true practices of Islam,” Sos Kamry said. “They call themselves Muslims, but they worship our Lord a bit differently. They may not yet know how to do it fully, but when they understand it better they follow [us] because their practices exist nowhere else in the world.”
Emiko Stock, a French anthropologist who has studied the Cham for nearly a decade, said leaders of the Imam San community often refuse aid from other Islamic sects for fear they might lose their identity.
“For instance, if they accept aid from Arab states or other countries, they said they are worried that the way of practicing their religion would be changed, such as the observance of Mawlut ceremony and the prayers for their ancestor.”
Although Cambodia’s two sects of Islam practice the same religion quite differently, no clashes or mishaps have been reported in the Buddhist-dominated country.
Min Khin, the Minister of Cults and Religion, and Senate President Chea Sim each said separately at a Buddhist conference this week that Cambodia would maintain freedom of religion.
For worshippers like Bhann Tes, the differences make no difference.
“We are all walking toward the same light,” he said. “It’s just that the way we are taking is different. Who will reach the light first, let’s just wait and see.”
The mosque, which looks more like a Buddhist temple, might not be recognizable to more orthodox Muslims. Nor would the practices of Bhann Tes, who belongs to a rare sect of Islam whose members say is in decline.
Bhann Tes, who is 76, travels to the mosque from his home, 20 kilometers away in Kampong Chhnang province, just once a week to pray. This was required by Allah to maintain a good mind, he said. To pray five times a day, as other Muslims do, was not necessary, he said.
“Allah did not tell us to physically pray five times a day, but only to keep our minds clean of bad thoughts, like wanting to steal others’ property, telling lies, or cheating others,” he said.
Bhann Tes belongs to the Imam San sect of Islam, better known as Jahed, who comprise an estimated 37,000 Cham Muslims and whose beliefs merge the teachings of the Quran with older traditions and customs like ancestor worship.
The small group is now facing a new threat, as money and influence from other Islamic groups, including those in Arab states, have begun drawing the Jahed under their influence.
“They consider us out of their group, but we follow the same holy book,” said Kai Tam, a revered Jahed elder. “They pray with body movement, and we just pray without it.” (Women, he said, are not required to pray at all.)
“I am worried that we may lose our customs and identity in the future, as some of our members have already lost their self-identity to join with the other groups for money,” Kai Tam said in an interview at his home in Kampong Chhnang’s Kampong Tralach district.
However, Sos Kamry, who leads the majority of Cambodia’s Muslims as a mufti, denied Jaheds were being lured by material gain or money.
“Those who have joined our group did it on a voluntary basis, especially after they returned from overseas studies or pilgrimages in some Arab states, where they witnessed the true practices of Islam,” Sos Kamry said. “They call themselves Muslims, but they worship our Lord a bit differently. They may not yet know how to do it fully, but when they understand it better they follow [us] because their practices exist nowhere else in the world.”
Emiko Stock, a French anthropologist who has studied the Cham for nearly a decade, said leaders of the Imam San community often refuse aid from other Islamic sects for fear they might lose their identity.
“For instance, if they accept aid from Arab states or other countries, they said they are worried that the way of practicing their religion would be changed, such as the observance of Mawlut ceremony and the prayers for their ancestor.”
Although Cambodia’s two sects of Islam practice the same religion quite differently, no clashes or mishaps have been reported in the Buddhist-dominated country.
Min Khin, the Minister of Cults and Religion, and Senate President Chea Sim each said separately at a Buddhist conference this week that Cambodia would maintain freedom of religion.
For worshippers like Bhann Tes, the differences make no difference.
“We are all walking toward the same light,” he said. “It’s just that the way we are taking is different. Who will reach the light first, let’s just wait and see.”
Sam Rainsy’s condition: Release the jailed Cambodian farmers and return back their rice fields in exchange for his showing up in court
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy (Photo: Sovannara, RFI)31 December 2009
By K. Nearadey
Free Press Magazine Online
Translated from Khmer by Komping Puoy
Click here to read the article in Khmer
“I, Sam Rainsy, is not important. I dare exchange my life, but [those Khmer farmers] must be released from jail, and their rice fields must be returned back to them…”. That was what Cambodia’s opposition leader Sam Rainsy indicated to the Cambodian people in his telephone interview from Paris with the Candle Light Radio on Thursday afternoon.
Sam Rainsy indicated that the border delimitation between Cambodia and Vietnam was conducted without transparency. In particular, the planting of border posts under the aegis if the 1985 treaty that was conducted by the Hanoi puppet regime is simply illegal because the 23 October 1991 Paris Peace Accords already stipulated that all these treaties are null and void.
According to Sam Rainsy, the planting of border posts by the Cambodian and Yuon governments led to the loss of several hundreds of square kilometers of Khmer lands into Yuon hands. Furthermore, not only the Cambodian government did not protect Cambodian lands that were lost, it also inflicted sufferings on any Cambodian citizens who dare protest the loss of their land, and it even sent them to jail.
Sam Rainsy was summoned by the Svay Rieng provincial court after two Cambodian villagers, Mrs. Meas Srey and Mr. Prum Chea, were ordered arrested on 24 December for their involvement in the uprooting of wooden stakes marking a border post.
Following a vindictive questioning from a caller asking his why he does not have the courage to come and clarify the court, Sam Rainsy replied: “I am not scared. I can go any time, however, I ask for the release of the villagers arrested and that their rice fields be returned back to them. As for me, Sam Rainsy, it is not important.”
Nevertheless, under this condition, Sam Rainsy chose to lead his political fight from overseas for now. He said that he does not want to entertain the lackey court. Sam Rainsy indicated that “if the CPP leadership under Hun Xen, Heng Xamrin, Chea Xim … was capable, why didn’t they confront the Khmer Rouge regime [on their own]? Why did they ask for help from the Yuons?”. Sam Rainsy indicated that it was through an external political fight that former king Norodom Sihanouk succeeded with the conclusion of the Paris Peace Accords on 23 October 1991.
Sam Rainsy indicated that the border delimitation between Cambodia and Vietnam was conducted without transparency. In particular, the planting of border posts under the aegis if the 1985 treaty that was conducted by the Hanoi puppet regime is simply illegal because the 23 October 1991 Paris Peace Accords already stipulated that all these treaties are null and void.
According to Sam Rainsy, the planting of border posts by the Cambodian and Yuon governments led to the loss of several hundreds of square kilometers of Khmer lands into Yuon hands. Furthermore, not only the Cambodian government did not protect Cambodian lands that were lost, it also inflicted sufferings on any Cambodian citizens who dare protest the loss of their land, and it even sent them to jail.
Sam Rainsy was summoned by the Svay Rieng provincial court after two Cambodian villagers, Mrs. Meas Srey and Mr. Prum Chea, were ordered arrested on 24 December for their involvement in the uprooting of wooden stakes marking a border post.
Following a vindictive questioning from a caller asking his why he does not have the courage to come and clarify the court, Sam Rainsy replied: “I am not scared. I can go any time, however, I ask for the release of the villagers arrested and that their rice fields be returned back to them. As for me, Sam Rainsy, it is not important.”
Nevertheless, under this condition, Sam Rainsy chose to lead his political fight from overseas for now. He said that he does not want to entertain the lackey court. Sam Rainsy indicated that “if the CPP leadership under Hun Xen, Heng Xamrin, Chea Xim … was capable, why didn’t they confront the Khmer Rouge regime [on their own]? Why did they ask for help from the Yuons?”. Sam Rainsy indicated that it was through an external political fight that former king Norodom Sihanouk succeeded with the conclusion of the Paris Peace Accords on 23 October 1991.
Miss Landmine Cambodia 2009 : Mission accomplished
Dear friends Khmer and far :-)
For reasons of security we have been waiting a while with sharing this information, but we now regard it as safe enough for all parties involved to happily announce that on December 4, Dos Sopheap (19) was crowned Miss Landmine 2009 in a secret ceremony inside Cambodia.
Her half-finished 1st prize titanium leg was fitted and personalized, and will be taken back to Norway for building its exterior before she receives the finished prosthesis later this spring.
Sopheap says the new prosthesis feels like having a new leg again. She also received a cash prize of 1000 USD earmarked her future education as an economist.
On the same trip, director Morten Traavik travelled around Cambodia and managed to meet up with 10 of the Miss Landmine candidates in their home villages. Due to the governmental ban on Miss Landmine and the deteriorating human rights situation in Cambodia, the candidates were not told about our visit in advance and were naturally both surprised and delighted to see us again and to hear about the global attention their stories and pictures have received since we saw each other the last time. They also received a press pack with selected newspaper clippings from the international coverage, and were shown video footage from the Cambodian final-in-exile in Norway on November 14.
All candidates also received a cash prize of 300 USD each for their brave and beautiful contributions to the Miss Landmine project, enabling them to invest in household goods or set up a small business in their home villages.
With this ends this year愀 Miss Landmine.
We thank you all for your support in the bygone year - every vote mattered! -
and wish you a 2010 filled with challenges and rewards.
On behalf of the 20 candidates and the whole team that has made
Miss Landmine 2009 possible,
For reasons of security we have been waiting a while with sharing this information, but we now regard it as safe enough for all parties involved to happily announce that on December 4, Dos Sopheap (19) was crowned Miss Landmine 2009 in a secret ceremony inside Cambodia.
Her half-finished 1st prize titanium leg was fitted and personalized, and will be taken back to Norway for building its exterior before she receives the finished prosthesis later this spring.
Sopheap says the new prosthesis feels like having a new leg again. She also received a cash prize of 1000 USD earmarked her future education as an economist.
On the same trip, director Morten Traavik travelled around Cambodia and managed to meet up with 10 of the Miss Landmine candidates in their home villages. Due to the governmental ban on Miss Landmine and the deteriorating human rights situation in Cambodia, the candidates were not told about our visit in advance and were naturally both surprised and delighted to see us again and to hear about the global attention their stories and pictures have received since we saw each other the last time. They also received a press pack with selected newspaper clippings from the international coverage, and were shown video footage from the Cambodian final-in-exile in Norway on November 14.
All candidates also received a cash prize of 300 USD each for their brave and beautiful contributions to the Miss Landmine project, enabling them to invest in household goods or set up a small business in their home villages.
With this ends this year愀 Miss Landmine.
We thank you all for your support in the bygone year - every vote mattered! -
and wish you a 2010 filled with challenges and rewards.
On behalf of the 20 candidates and the whole team that has made
Miss Landmine 2009 possible,
Morten
www.miss-landmine.org/cambodia
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