Chhang Song, ex-Lon Nol regime minister, ex-CPP senator, renominated as CPP advisor in 2007 (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)Cambodian diplomat sidelined with health problems in Long Beach
07/09/2010
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram
LONG BEACH - Song Chhang had hoped to be celebrating this weekend in Washington D.C.
He certainly didn't expect to be in a bed in a nursing facility considering his life and wondering what the future holds.
"I still have so many things to do," the 72-year-old says wistfully.
There are stories yet to tell. He wants to see how things turn out in his Cambodian homeland. But now, he just doesn't know.
Chhang is a prominent if rather low-key Cambodian in Long Beach. He is French and American educated, the former Minister of Information for Lon Nol's government during the Cambodian civil war. In the United States he helped craft the legislation that paved the way for 150,000 refugees to flee Cambodia after the fall of Pol Pot's brutal Khmer Rouge regime, under which upwards of 2 million Cambodians died.
He returned to Cambodia around 1994 and was part of the Cambodian People's Party until he was ousted in the late 1990s.
This weekend, Chhang had looked forward to speaking at a special dinner among diplomats and fellow Cambodians to recognize the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and the United States.
The actual date of the beginning of Cambodia-U.S diplomatic ties was in July 15, 1950. That year, the U.S had sent its first ambassador to Cambodia to recognize its impending independence before the country's final separation from France in 1953.
Although relations have been rocky at times and even severed, in recent years the relationship has improved.
Later this month, there will be events in Cambodia to mark the anniversary, including a performance by Long Beach resident Sophiline Shapiro's Cambodian classical dance troupe of "Seasons of Migration."
Although he'd love to take it all in, instead, Chhang will have to hear second-hand from his bed at the Regency Oaks Skilled Nursing Care facility.
Initially, Chhang thought he suffered a stroke, but he says doctors are still doing tests.
Chhang traces his health problems to overextending himself in a recent visit to Phnom Penh for a reunion of war correspondents, or the "old hacks," as they called themselves. Before his ascension to Minister of Information, Chhang was a press liaison.
At the reunion, Chhang helped oversee the installation of a small memorial to the 37 journalists who died covering the civil war between 1970 and 1975. He was also part of a group that traveled south of Phnom Penh to plant a tree in memory of an NBC team killed there.
Chhang says he wrote and made eight different speeches over the reunion events.
Now he hopes to get out of his bed and do whatever he can to help his country. He had planned a speech about refreshing sometimes rocky relations between the U.S. and Cambodia before his country falls too much under the sway of China.
And he wishes to see a day when a more "spiritual leadership" comes to his country. That's would make the old man happy.
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
He certainly didn't expect to be in a bed in a nursing facility considering his life and wondering what the future holds.
"I still have so many things to do," the 72-year-old says wistfully.
There are stories yet to tell. He wants to see how things turn out in his Cambodian homeland. But now, he just doesn't know.
Chhang is a prominent if rather low-key Cambodian in Long Beach. He is French and American educated, the former Minister of Information for Lon Nol's government during the Cambodian civil war. In the United States he helped craft the legislation that paved the way for 150,000 refugees to flee Cambodia after the fall of Pol Pot's brutal Khmer Rouge regime, under which upwards of 2 million Cambodians died.
He returned to Cambodia around 1994 and was part of the Cambodian People's Party until he was ousted in the late 1990s.
This weekend, Chhang had looked forward to speaking at a special dinner among diplomats and fellow Cambodians to recognize the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and the United States.
The actual date of the beginning of Cambodia-U.S diplomatic ties was in July 15, 1950. That year, the U.S had sent its first ambassador to Cambodia to recognize its impending independence before the country's final separation from France in 1953.
Although relations have been rocky at times and even severed, in recent years the relationship has improved.
Later this month, there will be events in Cambodia to mark the anniversary, including a performance by Long Beach resident Sophiline Shapiro's Cambodian classical dance troupe of "Seasons of Migration."
Although he'd love to take it all in, instead, Chhang will have to hear second-hand from his bed at the Regency Oaks Skilled Nursing Care facility.
Initially, Chhang thought he suffered a stroke, but he says doctors are still doing tests.
Chhang traces his health problems to overextending himself in a recent visit to Phnom Penh for a reunion of war correspondents, or the "old hacks," as they called themselves. Before his ascension to Minister of Information, Chhang was a press liaison.
At the reunion, Chhang helped oversee the installation of a small memorial to the 37 journalists who died covering the civil war between 1970 and 1975. He was also part of a group that traveled south of Phnom Penh to plant a tree in memory of an NBC team killed there.
Chhang says he wrote and made eight different speeches over the reunion events.
Now he hopes to get out of his bed and do whatever he can to help his country. He had planned a speech about refreshing sometimes rocky relations between the U.S. and Cambodia before his country falls too much under the sway of China.
And he wishes to see a day when a more "spiritual leadership" comes to his country. That's would make the old man happy.
greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291
24 comments:
Wishing you good luck Mr. Song but when you feeling better making sure do some exercise too. It the best for your health Sir.
I wish him well, too. At the same time I wish he'll stop working for Hun Sen. This guy held a high ranking job with the CPP. Unfortunately, he got kicked out a few years later. I hope he'll learn a lesson.
What made Song joined the CPP's regime in 1994 and why he was outed in 1990, and then re-enter in 2007? Song could has had advised to the CPP about building international standard hospital so he and other khmers don't have to travel to the U.S for health treatment. Instead of talking about U.S/Cambodia's relationship, Song should talk about how to build his country a better place for his family and all khmers.
Why joining the CPP? He is ah Sen Khvak crony. Why do we need to listen to his speech about his boss Youn. No way, he should be focusing on meditation or going to retreat when he leave this world his mind would be more at peace than chaos.
Chheam Khmer
Chhang Song is the Khmer Republic traitor! He's one of khmer Republican' power hungry to joined his enemy CPP vietminh vietcong.
Beside Chhang Song....
How Many Khmer Republican have joined CPP so far? does any body know?
I Can not believe this intellectual (បញ្ញវន្ដ) sold his brain to serve a 5th grader and a blind khmer Rouge person.
Chhang Song is a Cheapest individual, cheap as dirt !!! dirt Cheap person!!!
1:21pm.
You don't know what you're talking about. He was ousted by Yuon Hanoi because Chhang Song wanted to change the form of the government.
Why are you still under illusions about the flattery? How long are you going to understand the Yuon politics in Cambodia?
chhang song he not a real politic ,he sould open a khmer republican in US instate go to work with a communish or he is from china spy during LON NOL regime? that why he go to work with HUN SEN ( HA CHHANG SONG I BELIEVE communish put the poison drug on your food and did you know how many khmer democratic that live in us had been kill by china ? chang song not the right politic at all
2:03pm.
You cannot write English and how can you want readers to understand your delusions?
Typo>
2:03pm.
You cannot write English and how can readers understand your delusions?
I HOPE HE REALIZE AND LEARN A LESSON FROM CPP. HE SHOULD LEARN THE MENTALITY OF KHMER ROUGES NOW. WE NEED ALL KHMER TO STAND UP AND HELP Mrs. Mu Sochua IF A DICTATORSHIP ARREST HER. AND MILLIONS CAMBODIAN INSIDE MUST RISE UP.
lose some weight, mr. chhang song, so you can feel better, healthwise. the key is in the diet. watch what you eat helps a lot, really! to lose weight, eat lots of fiber based diet plus fruits and vegetables. use fatty food sparingly, meaning as little as possible; and limit sugar and salt and alcoholic beverages helps too. talk to a dietician, they can advice you more on how to control weight and diet, etc... god bless.
One thing about this fat useless dude. He is a CPP slave! This fat dude is so useless even he himself does not take care of his ugly self. He is a dirty pig.
3:02 PM You're my Khmer brother!
He's a traitor!
before: Republican of Cambodia
today: Corp. of Private Party
I wish Ah CHHANG SONG to be die as soon as possible because before Ah CHHANG SONG was a good Khmer patriotic, now he's Ah Hun Sen's slave. With some money of Hun Sen, He sales his mind, helps Yuon to destroy our Khmer Nation, in collaboration with Yuon and ah Hun Sen. Ah CHHANG SONG has no BRAIN.
Ah CHHANG SONG has no contry ! His real contry is MONEY ( DOLLARDS).
Ah CHHANG SONG sales his Brain-Republicain to Yuon and ah HUN SEN
for juste MONEY FOR HIS FAMILY'S SURVIVAL in the Unites States.
His SSI check to play Sap Sam is less than CPP money from srok Khmer.
I Can not believe this intellectual (បញ្ញវន្ដ) sold his brain to serve a 5th grader and a blind khmer Rouge person.
Chhang Song is a Cheapest individual, cheap as dirt !!! dirt Cheap person!!!
some yuon spies like 12;36 pretend to be khmer attack chhang song before chhang song even publishes his diary to share with us khmers.
chhang song was an infiltrator sent by US to help and changed cpp.
Mr Chhang Song is a true Cambodian republican, but a strong Sihanouk hater. He joined the CPP saying to help Cambodia. But after meeting Mr Sean Peng Se Hanoi saw a danger of keeping Mr Chhang Song as a Cambodian senator. So he was sacked.
The job of advisors offered by the CPP to many former Cambodian generals and officials is a way to silence possible opposition to Hun Sen's submissive policy toward his foreign masters in Hanoi.
hanoi always study about its enemy and everyone hanoi knew all about. chhang song is from the old administration and his relation with the us worried hanoi. he too lost like mu sochua. sihanouk's hater of chhang song didn't help him to get ahead. i think new generation from all political parties should try to work with cpp instead of working for.
'working with' & 'working for' is different meaning.
Wondering why his doctor did not tell him to lose weigh?
Lon Nol regime screwed up everything in cambodia...Lon Nol created Khmer Rouge Killing Field in cambodia!
All of events happened from 1970 to 1975 in Cambodia were created by Chineses, Yuons and Americans.
Republican Cambodians were just a band of excited Cambodians who were waiting for death.
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