Tuesday, September 08, 2009

A matter of civil rights

Monday, 07 September 2009
Olivia Jaimee
Letter to The Phnom Penh Post


Dear Editor,

The government has no business imposing its will on citizens' freedom of movement. This would definitely be an infringement of civil rights. My question to the governor is where, exactly, is Cambodia headed right now?

Firstly, not too long ago, a senior official voiced their concern about the scantily clad Cambodian women pictured in a certain magazine. Almost immediately, all copies were removed from the shops and the magazine office was shut down.

Secondly, the recent banning of the Miss Landmine pageant also has me scratching my head. Now, a curfew on underage girls? Whatever's next?

Democracy in Cambodia is slowly and surely buckling under pressure from the elite few and their "Yes, Sir!" cronies. This trend threatens to roll Cambodia back to its darkest day in recent history.

Olivia Jaimee
Phnom Penh

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

You hit the nail on the head Olivia. Thanks for noticing and concerns for the oppressed.

Anonymous said...

i think in this case, it's not so much of gov't oppression or suppression of the freedom, it's more of a society thing where this is new to cambodia to have clantily clothed women on cover of magazine, etc... i think it will take time in cambodia due to pass isolation, not to mention the predominantly conservative, buddhist society. unlike thailand and the philipines which always opened up to the world, cambodia will need more time for its people to adapt to new phenomenon this naked ladies dancing in the bars, openly gay pride, etc... i think the key for all of this in cambodia is to introduce this new or strange culture step by step or gradually over the years as society and its people are not that used to it, really! that said, it doesn't mean khmer people aren't tolerant about it, it just mean, they are very conservative in their demeanor about it. maybe, people can help to educate that age appropriateness and designated areas for these kind of establishment would help. khmer people just don't want this to be a free for all . in other words, there ought to be a discretion, a discreet, respect for local customs and etiquette such as temples, gov't establishment, public areas, etc... i think it's fair to only do it in an area that designated for it, just like they do it anywhere in the world, for that matter. that's all. please don't politicize this. it's really a society adjustment issue, not gov't oppression, infringement, suppression and what have you! think about it. appropriateness in an appropriate areas and discretion is a required. so, don't be so ignorant about it. after all, this is cambodia and khmer people have the right to request appropriateness, proper discretion, etc... that's all.

do it at the light red district, not anywhere and everywhere, ok! be discreet when in cambodia!

Anonymous said...

Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:

Tortures
Executions
Massacres
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Overwork to Death
Slavery
Rapes
Human Abuses
Assault and Battery


Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:

Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leader of the Free Trade Union
Attempted Assassinations on Chea Vichea and Sam Rainsy
Attempted Murders on Chea Vichea and Sam Rainsy
Executed members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders members and activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Killings
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and others military official on board.
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Remove Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity

Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leader of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice. 

Anonymous said...

well, every country in the world have a red light district for this kind of establishments, etc..., cambodia is no exception either. please respect local culture, etc by only do it in the designated red light district. and if cambodia doesn't yet have a red light district, well, i suggest request a license for one in cambodia so those of you who like to have this variation of fun could do so there. just don't go do it near temples, school, public park, public market, etc... in fact, people should have the freedom to go to a red light district for whatever reason, so, request license in cambodia to create a red light district like they have in bangcock, manila, etc... it's called being discreet and appropriate, right on!

Anonymous said...

it's people's money to do whatever they like with it. they can go to a red light district if they so disired. who to preach to them not to do so, as long as they break the law or whatever! it's their freedom as well as yours! this is what makes the world a beautiful place, to be able to have freedom to go places and see things they like, ok! is that too much to ask?

Anonymous said...

to 3:07 AM, this is just an excuse for your cpp party. if you really read in to khmer history deebly you will see combodia woman is a head of house hole, combodia women have more free dom than other country so women in combodai can have sex with any man she want when her husband do not want her .

look at Angkor What Scapture on the wall and other things else women can express themself freely. not like you said respect local culture that is fuck you for common 3:07Pm you are misleading about combodia history dude.history of women in combodai culture as same as women in Unit States and other european now adays.

because men want to control women that how you fucking saying" respect you stupid local culture of viet yourn and chiness people not combodai culture" dumm ass.

Miss or Mr Olivia Jaimee you should look at Angko Watt,scapture that is how women combodia in the past, Combodia women have half body naked, this is our culture.

women in combodia is head of house hold not men. do not listen to common 3:07pm dumm head this is a lier becaue they want to contole women,local culture now a day is not combodia culture is a vietnamese and chinese culture.

because most combodia in combodia right now not a full blood combodia and the majority of combodia living in combodia is not combodia people they are vietnamese and chinese. get it you stupid common 3:07pm. stop lie to the out sider when you are stupid.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for speaking out, ms. olivia jaimee.

You are so right. The "yes, sir." cadres of current cambodian govt. are the same group of people from the khmer rouge era.

Anonymous said...

The question is when people need something to eat now, what they want?

Yeah, CPP is corrupt, CPP is dictacted by a man, former KR, former VN client,.....whatever you wanna call..But what has the opposition done? Can they win the election by just calling the CPP as Youn? ..or labelling CPP as brutal and corrupt? and then they just do nothing?

What that Youn client has done? Yeah his party is corrupted, pro-youn,..but they used that corrupt money to build irrigation system, to help build school and they could make the GDP growth in double digits for 10 years..So they are paid off by winning every election..

Opposition should change strategy..not just curse the govt..Now people wanna hear is not just to hear that current govt. is Pro-Youn, corruption, family-biased.. People all know that those CPP leaders are all like that..no need opposition to tell them..but why they vote for those corrupted people? coz those corrupted and youn people have something to share and something to say more than the opposition can do..

It is simple like that..

Anonymous said...

2:59 AM, .. and 6:25 AM,

Thanks for a clarification. BUt I also think it is good that Olivia stood up for what she thinks need to be known.

Anonymous said...

6:25
What the hell you talking about who win the election. Prince Ranarith won in 1997 people elected him. The same day Hun Sen used tanks and military to coup him. 40 of Funcipec was torture before murder. How many terms is people suppose to run for PM in Scambodia anyway? I know dictator like Saddam Hussen, Fidel Castrol and even your Scambodia PM Hun Xen is going to run the country for live and pass it on to its relative just like Cuba.
Do you want proof? Take a look at the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlmF6TDrDGQ&feature=channel_page

Anonymous said...

This is a view expressed by a Cambodian government official "cronies".

I thank Ms. Olivia Jaimee for her candid view. I think in the society, the one who dictate the rules of the game are the one who have the upper hands.

There are flaws in Cambodia, just as there are flaws in any other countries. Otherwise people would live in peace.

The problem is that people try to apply the same rules to different people or having different rules to the same people. Therefore, the society is not fair.

Just simple rules: in NGO, IO and UN agencies there are two salary scales, one for expats and the other for Cambodians. When the Khmer Rouge were around, nobody wanted to work hard to promote democracy. Only when they were gone, then the pro-democracy movement has emerged like mushroom. This can go on and on. You see, because of that society and their rules are flawed, we will continue to suffer from wars.

For the Ms. Landmine: maybe you are not a handicap. People suffer, why we want to show this suffering. Some people with disability understand that they already suffer. They don't want other people to make use of other people suffering even for the Ms. Landmine project. Off course in a democracy you can have different opinion.

I think Ms. Olivia Jaimee, while expressing good views, should work to improve the rules both in her own country, before you show superiority in Cambodia.