Wednesday, October 08, 2008

People Who Are Making a Difference in the World: Theary Seng

Theary Seng

These people may not be famous. But they are making the world a better place by helping others. Excerpt from transcript of radio broadcast:

07 October 2008
VOA


VOICE ONE:

I'm Bob Doughty.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today we tell about five individuals around the world who are making a difference. They are making the world a better place by helping people in special ways.

...

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Theary Seng is a human rights activist working to heal her country, Cambodia. As a child, she lived through the rule of the Khmer Rouge during the nineteen seventies. During four years in power, the Khmer Rouge was responsible for the deaths of at least one million, five hundred thousand Cambodians. Theary Seng's parents were among those killed. After the fall of the Khmer Rouge, she escaped to Thailand and then went to the United States. She attended law school and became a lawyer.

VOICE ONE:

Now, Theary Seng is back in Cambodia, supporting human rights as the head of the Center for Social Development. She is a critic of corruption and abuse wherever it exists -- in Cambodia and around the world. At a recent demonstration in Phnom Penh, she attempted to leave flowers to honor those killed in the civil war in the Darfur area of Sudan. But Cambodian government officials prevented her from doing so.

VOICE TWO:

Theary Seng takes a special interest in the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. The court is starting to take legal action against former Khmer Rouge leaders for their crimes. She serves as an official representative for the victims.

She also has a television show. It seeks to find the country's next generation of young leaders. Theary Seng says her work is not to do anything big but to be a common citizen in her homeland where she suffered in the past.

THEARY SENG: "And now, I'm taking that suffering, and shaping it into hope, and trying to work with individuals who had not the time and space to heal that I've had."

...

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program was written by VOA correspondents and adapted by Shelley Gollust. Our producer was Mario Ritter. I'm Bob Doughty.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. You can download audio and read scripts on our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are really well paid Miss Theary Seng and Your work is quite easy by just sit and talk..Many people in Cambodia are hard to find job that could be paid only 10% of your salary..Their problem is that they can speak Khmer better than you but they can't speak english better than you..

It is quite simple in Cambodia. Some people are so easy to earn money. For example, Senator, MP, Oknha, Ministers, Prime MInisters,...and moreover, Head of a NGO...Of course, they are outspoken because they have superpower behind them and they are paid to do so...Talking is a good way to make money now, considering other people working hard everyday but their payment is not appropriated..

Anonymous said...

8:12 AM

Good point, dude. We usually forget reason why these people like to criticize. Maybe they get paid to do it lol? I've seen her talk on youtube and she seems arrogant and kinda a bitch. Also maybe conceited and self-righteous as well. I might be wrong but I am a pretty judge of character. Just youtube her and see how she talks. I kinda want to slap her sometimes lol because of how she talks haha. Nothing with what she says but just the way she says it.

Anonymous said...

Theary Seng loves to bask herself in the media spotlight. She loves to talk about how much she knows about the Khmer culture/history when infact she's only been continuously exposed to Cambodia for just a few years, and on top of that she's a Christian and possibly dating a white man. These qualities are so anti-Khmere--the cause of so much resentment among her peers. The last time I checked she could not even read the Khmer language. So much about being an expert on Cambodian culture. Not much substance in the way of healing the Khmer people as she relentlessly claims--just noise-- alot of noise. She is also the reason behind the recent dissolution of one of Cambodia's long standing NGOs. Way to heal your own people, Theary!

Anonymous said...

SHe criticize government's officials but she has nothing differents from them, CORRUPTION.

Anonymous said...

so then you admit. There is CORRUPTION in the government.

Good thing you got that straight.

Anonymous said...

10:16 AM

Find a government on this planet where there is no corruption. That is not to justify any wrongdoing on Khmer parts but just to enlighten some closed minded genius that the problems that exist in Cambodia exist elsewhere. Even the US has a long list of corrupted officials.

To be honest, I am also corrupted on the fact that I have cheated on test, lied, etc... I can say that because I know I am a human and I am not perfect but at least I realize that but some self-righteous people never do realize their own mistakes and shortcomings but they see a mountain of problems when it comes to other people. Just another trait of human kind, HYPOCRISY.

Anonymous said...

Love her! praise her! her job may look easy, but it isn't. She is risking her life everyday just to get the voice of the weak and the poor be heard. To those of you that try to fool everyone else, go right ahead, but you can fool the real one and you're lame!lame! and lame!. Terry, you're the saint and the winner! They can just go and eat their livers out.

Anonymous said...

10:31 Like geniuses always do, let me point something out to you.
The word CORRUPTION is capitalized. No one argues of petty corruption which plague every country in the world. Only someone as naive as you would jump to the conclusion of other people's "closed-mind". WHOOPS, look like you should watch out for your intelligence meter before you respond next time.

Anonymous said...

8:50 AM

You probably want to bent her over too hah, LOL

Anonymous said...

11:15 AM

I don't need to watch my intelligence meter since I never claimed to be an intelligent person. Fyi, petty corruption? lol You live in the US? Ever heard of corporate scandals? Millions of dollars of normal people's savings and investments go into private pockets of a few individuals. Enron might ring a bell if you're familiar with the US corporation and business world. I call that capitalist corruption. People lost jobs, houses, etc... What do you call that huh? petty corruption? Don't try to make Cambodia out to look like the worse place on Earth. Every place has its problems, big and small. Read some world news and you'll see what's up and compare that to Cambodia's. Only then, you see for all the shit Cambodia has, it is such a bad place as you make it out to be.

Anonymous said...

11:26 AM

Hell yea lol! I like fiesty women. They are freaks in bed, yo. I like it rough and I know I won't be disappointed with a Westernized girl like her. I'm not a sexist but just expressing how I feel :). I know the rest of you feel the same too. Take a number huh?

#1

Anonymous said...

11:29 AM

Correction*

It's not such as bad place. lol Glad I read what I just wrote or else I look like an idiot :)

Anonymous said...

10:31 AM I admit that there is no country that is not corrupt in the world, all are corrupted but not as corrupted as Cambodia. Cambodia is fucqken corrupted to the stage that they don't care about their country is in danger or their fellow countrymen die from hunger. You check every bank account of the leaders in government all have at least 7 digits number. You are trying to justify corruptions else where to corruptions in Cambodia to make people accept it the way it is…….you are wrong and wrong……you maybe rich, just put yourself in the beggars' shoe for one day, sleep on the street of Phnom penh then you'll know how those people feel.

Anonymous said...

Theary Seng,

Keep up the good work!

Anonymous said...

11:42 AM

If I'm rich, I wouldn't be on here writing things. I would have better things to do with my time, don't you think? Fyi, my family is middle class now but I can remember times when I used to beg for grilled chicken like a dog from these Canadian people who rented the house next door. You've seen the footage of kids with foreigners throwing food at them? That's the image you can imagine when I was like 8 or 9 in Phnom Penh. I'm not saying my family is dirt poor but I can some way feel those really poor people. What about you? I'm sure you are pretty better off yourself or else you'd not be on here.

Go back to read my comment where I said this is not to justify for any wrong doings by the Khmer official but to point out the problems inherent with everyone else besides Khmer. Maybe you need to read everything I said instead of taking things out of context.

Anonymous said...

There are different between corruption in the u.s and in cambodia. In the u.s those who are corrupted were arrested and put on trial and send to jai. In cambodia the corrupted persons are still continued to corrupt, rob, steal murder cambodians.
I've never met Teary Seng but from what I read and heard about her. She has been a very brave woman dare to speak and fight for what she believe among the corrupted aminal of cambodian government.

Anonymous said...

To all, I don't disagree for those who say she is brave and geniuse..But we should talk in Cambodia's context. I know most of you guys here are from a society where 1000-2000$/month is just a couple of bucks. Pls try to think in our country where only a CEO of Lehman Brother's type could be paid around 2000$/month.

You have many graduates who are willing to work the ass up for just to get around 200$/month. But in the same time, you have some people who only can speak sth against the govt and can get paid more than 10 times.

Ppl said her work is very dangerous, I can ask a question HOW MANY FOREIGN FUNDED NGO's LEADERS were killed because of they speak against the government? There are some threats against LOCAL NGO LEADERs..NOne of the FOREIGN FUNDED NGO's was killed because they have foreign backing..they have super power backing...

What I am saying is that there are many things that NGO should go to Health Care, Education, Agriculture...Not only democracy, corruption, human right...

It is better if they can go to educate ppl how to grow better rices or they can set up project to educate ppl how to increase productivity....ect..And those NGOs should be better paid then those of Ms Theary Seng's NGO..

Anonymous said...

What a nonsense article? The US hooker didn't do nothing for anyone but to spread HIV/AIDS and kill people.

Anonymous said...

How come this is so special to the only one. I am against Seng Theary. However, there are a lot Khmer activists working in Cambodia even harder than her. Show off!

Anonymous said...

They, just want to overshadow Khmer culture with infidel so that everyone will worship infidel. How else will you accomplished this without making her looks like some sort of God.

Anonymous said...

cambodia needs more brave people, men or women, like ms. sieng theary and others to get things going in cambodia. god bless her.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I think we need more brave people, but this young lady is a bit something I can't really find the word to say, that she is a bit out of track of what she supposed to be a NGO staff. A bit of show off without thinking what her limit is. lol

Anonymous said...

I support any body that against government CPP.
Without NGO and Human right group this CPP will
do anything they want and poor Cambodians have no
place to live and no food.

Remember Cambodia is not a safe place to stay and work,
Cambodia is the lawless country.

Anonymous said...

well, some of us do need refresher training in ethical behavior. it doesn't hurt to help to remind her of professional ethics training or something. thank you.

Anonymous said...

2:36 AM, it is not safe to work and live in Cambodia? So you mean that all 14 millions in Cambodia are in grave danger?..My ass...pls open your eyes and see sth reality..

From what you mean ppl should go to work by wearing helmet and bullet proof vest....Oh man...pls be real...

And that bitch is living in a 1000$/month apartment and going anywhere with a driver in a luxury car, while the other local NGOs and union leaders who are working up their ass to serve the interest of workers, farmers...can only survive in a 50$/month apartment and travel with old motorcycle...