Hun Sen's cops may have to arrest US Ambassador Mussomeli who will be attending the Symbolic Darfur Olympic Torch Relay in Tuol Sleng also

MEDIA ADVISORY

Contact:

• In Cambodia: Saing Soenthrith, +855.12.947.499 and Rany Pen, rany@csdcambodia.org, +855.17.702.763
• International: Jonathan Freedman: jf@groupsjr.com / +1.212.751.3326 (US code)

MIA FARROW LIGHTS SYMBOLIC OLYMPIC TORCH IN CAMBODIA, UNITING GENOCIDE SURVIVORS IN A CALL FOR AN END TO THE DARFUR CRISIS

Special Plea to China, as host of ’08 Olympics: “Bring the Olympic Dream to Darfur”

What: Symbolic Olympic Torch Relay to be passed among Cambodian survivors of genocide and Darfur advocates.

Who:

• Mia Farrow, actor and human rights activist who has travelled to the Darfur region 7 times
• Van Nath, Khmer survivor and artist at the Toul Sleng prison
• Jill Savitt, Director of Dream for Darfur, which runs the Olympic Dream for Darfur campaign
• Theary Seng, Khmer survivor, author, Executive Director of the Center for Social Development
• Omer Ismael, Sudanese from Darfur and human rights advocate
• Freddy Mutanguha, Rwandan survivor and director of the Kigali Memorial Center
• Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli, US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia

Where: Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Press Conference to follow inside the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum.

When: January 20, 2008: Torch lighting ceremony at 9.30am, Press conference to follow at 10am.

Why: The Toul Sleng Genocide Museum is a former high school that was used as a security prison (called S-21) and torture center by the Khmer Rouge. Dream for Darfur is holding a torch lighting ceremony there both to commemorate past victims of genocide and to remind us what happen when the world looks away, as is happening in Darfur currently. In particular, the torch relay will call attention to the constructive role that China could play in the Darfur crisis. The symbolic Olympic Torch Relay is urging the Chinese government as both Olympic host and Sudan's strongest political and economic partner, to use its special influence with the Sudanese government to ensure a robust civilian protection force in Darfur before the Games begin.

Cambodia is the sixth stop on an international symbolic Olympic Torch Relay that began in August near the Darfur border and continued to Rwanda, Armenia, Germany and Bosnia & Herzegovina over the last five months. For video and photos of past torch lightings:
www.dreamfordarfur.org

Background:

Dream for Darfur, is a US based advocacy group that is organizing the Olympic Dream for Darfur torch relay. The Cambodia torch lighting is being co-hosted with the Center for Social Development that has been conducting grassroots dialogues with victims and perpetrators all over the country. In solidarity with the global Olympic Torch Relay, there have been relays organized in several other countries, including a US relay that traveled through over 60 cities. The relays seek to use the Olympic ideals of peace and international cooperation to raise awareness about Darfur and as a step toward growing an international anti-genocide movement. The campaign does not support a boycott of the Olympics and does not advocate withdrawal by any nation from this essential forum.