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Footscray shop owner Kuan Pung miraculously survived the brutaility of Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Pictures: Marco De Luca
08 Nov, 2011 Moonee Valley Weekly (Victoria, Australia) Excerpt
As the ‘Arab spring’ ferments civic unrest, arrests have led to torture, reminding the world of recent conflicts where the dirty work of despots has been revealed by the survivors. Inevitably, many of them, as refugees or fare-paying migrants, have made their way to Melbourne’s western suburbs. Daily, they struggle to come to terms with their past. Anthony Loncaric met some of them. His story contains some graphic descriptions.
THE nightmares have finally stopped. Kuan Pung no longer dreams about anything.
It’s been 32 years since he was freed from the clutches of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, responsible for the deaths of about 2 million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979.
The 60-year-old Avondale Heights resident remembers all of it, starting with being forced to leave his home in Phnom Penh to work in a village in the country’s north.
His job was to make fertiliser using human faeces, which he would collect from holes dug in the farmland’s soil where the captives did “their business” because there were no toilets.
Some days he was told to carry bodies of captives who had died from illness or starvation.
CambodiaWatch Team took an initiative to organise a food supply distribution after a team member returning from Cambodia had witnessed the devastating effects of flooding.
With a small group of friends and support network, and in collaboration with expat friends in Phnom Penh, we were able to successfully deliver supplies to a number of flood affected families.
"I saw families who ate nothing more than donated rice and vegetable grown in nearby rice fields. I saw young children in constant hunger as they sat next to their mothers waiting for their meal."
Below is an account from our friends in Cambodia who took their time off work to meet those in need, and spent the past week organising the logistics. We couldn’t have assisted those in need without their supports. For that, we thank them wholeheartedly, and we are looking forward to working together again on the next projects.
_______________________
Flood Victims of Tram Klar Village, Tbeng Commune, Kampong Svay District, Kampong Thom Province, Cambodia - 29 October 2011
Like many families who lived in Kampong Svay district of Kampong Thom Province, the population of Tram Klar Village of Tbeng commune which comprised of about 300 families had been severely affected by flood waters around mid September 2011, just a few days before Pchum Ben holiday. The situation got worse soon after Pchum Ben.
Those who were only able to afford to construct houses at ground level were the most affected as their dwellings and possessions were quickly inundated. They found they had nowhere to stay and their rice crop and village plantations were soon under water. The families who were well-off generally constructed houses on stilts higher up which provided better protection against flooding, and they were relatively safe. It had now been around 5 to 6 weeks since the flood.
The local school in Tram Klar village was also inundated, with initially one of the children reported drown, and 2 more were reported on 29 October.
With the support of the local Red Cross, around 140 families were evacuated to Toul Chan Prum, about 2 kilometres away. Toul Chan Prum is located at a higher elevation near a National Highway, so it was a logical site for temporary accommodation for the victims.
Images of Cambodian flood victims in temporary shelters at Prey Pros, Kompong Svay District (Kompong Thom)
The Red Cross provided communal tents, which I believe were donated by the Japanese Government. Each tent is estimated to be 6m x 3m and was shared between 5 families, with women and children stayed in the tent at night and the men remained outside. Some men returned to the village when possible, to safeguard their possessions which were left behind. Other necessary items provided by the Red Cross were manually operated emergency pumps to extract clean drinking water.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGw4RJ1H6rY
Since their arrival at the relatively safe site in Toul Chan Prum on 21 October, each family received one plastic water container and 2 kilograms of rice.
Natural disasters are known to have the greatest impact on the poorest of the poor, and this is heartbreaking.
I’ve returned from Australia to live and work in Cambodia since 1992 and, at my friends’ request, agreed to take a trip to the site to learn of the situation first hand. While the assistance received from the Red Cross was most appreciated by the flood victims, it was limited in quantity, and much more supports were needed.
The hardship was severely felt by the elderly and families with young children, those who were least able to fend for themselves. I saw families who ate nothing more than donated rice and vegetable grown in nearby rice fields. I saw young children in constant hunger as they sat next to their mothers waiting for their meal. The sights of hungry children were hard to bear as I had firsthand experience of being in constant hunger myself during my time with the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979.
After confirmation with my friends in Australia about the date of distribution and the types of foods to be donated, we purchased 2,800 kilograms of rice, 840 bottles of fish sauce, dozens of water bottles, plus sweet and biscuits for young children.
On 29th October, we travelled for 3 hours from Phnom Penh to Kompong Thom City, then we shipped our supplies to Toul Chan Prum, which is 16 kilometres north of Kompong Thom. We finally arrived at 10:30am and distributed foods to 140 families, with each family receiving 20 kilograms of rice and 6 bottles of fish sauce. The cost of supplies provided to each family was about $16 (including transport from Kompong Thom City), which was a small sum of money that made a great difference to their well-beings. Sixteen dollars could provide emergency sustenance for a family of 5 for up to 10 days, which meant a lot when one was in dire straits and had no means to earn an income for an extended period of time. About 150 children were also very happy that same morning as biscuits and water bottles were shared all round.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IZfjb_xzyk
As I walked through the camp an hour after the distribution I could see hundreds of smiling faces. Everywhere, there were greetings and thanking gestures with hands put together, and the words “thank you, thank you, thank you, and thank you, thank you...!” As volunteers on site, we were happy to witness that moment but we also knew that they would be facing further hardship for several months to come. Then a woman in her mid 30s who had many small children with her lowered herself to the ground with her hands together and said with gratitude “thank you for bringing us rice.” She said it with such sincerity that it was heartbroken to hear it, knowing that her family had been without adequate food for quite some time now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdsI4d3mHDA
Our donor friends in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, should be proud of their initiative. They are among those few who decided to donate to help the poorest of the poor. For me, they are the role models for the other Cambodians across the globe and, indeed, for individuals in Cambodia who have the capacity to assist those less fortunate. As we found out, it takes very little to ease the suffering of others.
The Hon. Kevin Rudd MP
Minister For Foreign Affairs PO Box 6022 House of Representatives Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600
Re: Seeking the Australian government to help pressure Cambodian government to respect the rights of the oppositions.
The Honorable Minister,
I would like to bring to your attention of an alarming deterioration of the democratic system in Cambodia.
The leader of the Cambodian main opposition Mr. Sam Rainsy was sentence to 10 years by the Cambodian municipal court in Phnom Penh on Thursday 23rd September 2010.
The Cambodian government accuse Mr. Sam Rainsy of disinformation and falsifying of public documents because he displayed a map that had a different border between Cambodia and Vietnam.
The Cambodian Ruling Party uses the corrupted court system as the tool to suppress their oppositions. Political intimidations, illegal arrests of political activists and other scrupulous acts by The Cambodian Ruling Party are on the increase as the 2012 Commune Election is fast approaching. The Cambodian Ruling is undermining the principle of democracy by repeatedly abused freedom of expressions and human rights.
We Cambodian -Australian are concerned by this latest political motivated sentencing of the leader of the main opposition Mr. Sam Rainsy. We seek the Australian government to help pressure Cambodian government to respect the rights of the oppositions. We strongly believe the Australian government can play a more active engaged role in Cambodia as Australia is one of the major aids donors to Cambodia and also a regional power.
On behalf of Cambodian-Australian community I would like to thank you for your assistants regarding this political motivated sentence of the Cambodian leader of the main opposition.
Visal Um survived a hit-and-run accident and has started school.Picture: NICK ANDREAN
17 Feb 10 By Carleen Frost Fairfield Advance (Australia)
VISAL Um was all set to start high school with his friends on January 28.
Like most nervous year 7 students, the 12-year-old had his books packed and his uniform ready weeks in advance.
Sadly, Visal spent what should have been his first day at Cabramatta High School in hospital after being hit by a car on Australia Day.
The Cabramatta resident was dragged 20m behind a car after being knocked off his bicycle in a hit and run at Sackville St, Canley Vale.
After two weeks in the intensive care unit at Westmead Children’s Hospital and still covered in cuts and bruises, the brave youngster was finally able to start classes at Cabramatta High School on Monday.
“I’m not sore but am still feeling tired,” he said.
Visal and his family have only been in the country for two months, after immigrating from Cambodia before Christmas.
The youngest of three brothers, Visal said he never wanted to ride a bicycle again.
He doesn’t remember the accident, but he knows it left his bicycle and helmet completely crushed.
“My parents have been helping me a lot,” he said.
“They help me go up and down stairs, they bring me to school and carry my bag for me.”
Police are still looking for the motorist involved in the incident on January 26.
Witnesses have described the car involved as a black Toyota Hilux ute.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
When: Thursday 16 August, 2007 Time: 12pm Where: In front of Parliament House, Canberra
Cambodian Buddhist monks and over fifty protesters will be conducting a demonstration in front of Parliament House in Canberra on 16 August 2007 to appeal for Australia's intervention to help secure the release a defrocked monk jailed by Vietnamese authorities in Vietnam for a crime allegedly committed in Cambodia.
Former Abbot of the Phnom Den temple, Takeo province, Venerable Tim Sakhorn was effectively disrobed on 30 June 2007 by Cambodia’s Head monk, Tep Vong and the Hun Sen government. He was deported to Vietnam for alleged crime of undermining the relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia.
Human rights groups attempting to halt the defrocking were baffled by his disappearance and it was only a month later that Vietnamese borders official claim to have captured the ‘disappeared monk’.
Initially the Government of Vietnam accuses the former monk of entering Vietnam illegally while at the same time claiming Tim Sakhorn is a Vietnamese citizen. He is now are highly likely to face prison for allegedly stirring unrest in Cambodia and Vietnam.
The protestors are requesting intervention of the Australian government to help return the defrocked Cambodian monk, Tim Sakhorn back to Cambodia to face trials.
The Australian Government, through its national organisation, AUSAID has contributed to over $81 and $33 million dollars to Vietnam and Cambodia respectively to help establish trade links and improve the standard of living between the countries. The human rights situation in Vietnam and Cambodia, however, appears to have improved little despite the significant contributions.
Reports of recent religious oppression, in particular against indigenous minorities such as the Khmer Krom and the Montagnards, displays a sharp contradiction to the human rights and religious freedom Vietnam attempts to portray to the world.
Recently, five former Khmer Krom Buddhist monks from the Mekong Delta region were sentenced to between two to four years imprisonment for organising a peaceful demonstration in Soc Trang province, Vietnam.
The Khmer Krom people are the indigenous peoples residing in the rich fertile lands of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, but are ranked amongst the poorest people of Vietnam by the World Health Organisation.
Protestors from Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne will be appealing to the Australian government to bring human rights and religious freedom issues to the forefront in its future consultation with Cambodia and Vietnam.
They also urge the Australian government to exert pressure on Cambodia and Vietnam to adhere to its international obligations and treaties.
The protest in Canberra is the first of a series of global demonstrations expected to be held in various cities across Cambodia, Europe, Canada and United States of America on the same day.
Contacts Media officer: Miss. Sothy Kien. Email sothy.kien@khmerkrom.org
Persons for interview
Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation Delegations, an indigenous organisation representing the Khmer Krom people.
Thach Ngoc Thach - President Giap Tran - Treasurer
Dr. Joshua Cooper, Director of the Hawaiian Institute of Human Rights
Protest details
Thursday 12pm. In front of Parliament House, Canberra
For more information on the situation, please visit:
