Showing posts with label Cambodian-Americans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cambodian-Americans. Show all posts
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Friday, June 24, 2011
US-Cambodians Begin Signing Landmine Petition
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer | Washington, DC
Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer | Washington, DC
“He does wonderful work, and for those of us with both hands and legs, indeed, he hasn’t asked us for anything but our signatures.”
Cambodians living in the Seattle, Wash., area have begun putting their names on a petition asking the US to join an international landmine treaty.
Organizers of the petition, including a Cambodian landmine victim and Nobel Prize laureate, Tun Channareth, say they want to collect 1,000 signatures before sending the petition to US President Barack Obama.
According to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, 156 countries have signed an international mine ban and 108 have signed a convention against cluster munitions. Neither the US nor Cambodia are among them.
Henry Ung, a manager at the World Financial Group in Seattle, said he met with Tun Channareth and decided to support the cause and sign the petition. “I support him 100 percent in this field,” Ung said.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Please help sign this petition to ask US Congress to provide the proper funds to assist Khmer community
Tell Congress: Victims of War Trauma Still Haunted by the Genocide
Overview Letter Targeting: The President of the United States, The U.S. Senate, and The U.S. House of Representatives
Started by: Talaya Sin
"The soldiers dragged out a pregnant woman and slit open her belly. A witness who was personally tortured for his political activism in Congo is more haunted by that image than his own pain." It's not just a Cambodian issue, it's all victim of war trauma.
The 300,000 survivors of the Cambodian holocaust and their families living in the United States bear the physical and psychological scars of war, torture, and genocide. They also sustain the economic burdens of a community that has lost at least one-third of its people; inlcuding over 90% of its doctors, lawyers, teachers, civil servants and clergy. There is no prehistoric precedent for a community rebuilding after such a massive loss of its citizenry and resources.
The National Cambodian American Health Initiative (NCAHI) is a membership organization of Cambodian leaders founded in October, 2003. NCAHI's mission is to improve and preserve the health of survivors of the Cambodian holocaust and their families through research, health education, model programs and advocacy. Members come from 16 states and service area, representing more than 75% of Cambodians living in the United States.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sam Rainsy warns of a new revolution in Cambodia
 |
| Opposition leader Sam Rainsy speaking in Falls Church, Virginia, on 24 February (Photo: Yun Samean, RFA) |
By Yun Samean
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by KhmeanKlach
Click here to read the article in Khmer
During a meeting with Cambodian-Americans in the US, opposition leader Sam Rainsy discussed about the protests in the Middle East, saying that this situation could also happen in Cambodia if the Cambodian government is not able to resolve the issues of joblessness, corruption and land disputes.
In the evening of Thursday 24 February, opposition leader Sam Rainsy warned the Cambodian government leaders, telling them that a revolution could explode in Cambodia if the ruling Cambodian leaders of almost 30-year continue to hold on to power in the future.
Sam Rainsy’s prediction took place during a discussion forum with about 50 Cambodian-Americans in Falls Church, Virginia.
Sam Rainsy, who is currently living in self-exile in France, added that the revolution that will come to Cambodia is a revolution that will demand for a resolution on the issues of joblessness, land-grabbing, poverty and corruption.
He added that the Jasmine revolution in Tunisia, Egypt and the latest situation in Libya led people in the world to see that a revolution to replace dictatorial regimes is a necessity.
The people of Tunisia and Egypt won in their revolution and the leaders of these two countries had to step down from power.
Sam Rainsy added: “What are the people protesting in these countries for? What do they want? Why are these people hurt? It’s the same [in all countries]: the number 1 problem is poverty. When people talk about development in a country, for whom is the development for? For the powerful people? To make the super rich even richer? That’s not what the people want, they want development for all the people, in particular so that the poor people can benefit from the development also. If the poor remain poor, of course there will be protest…”
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Decades On, Southeast Asians Struggle in US
.jpg) |
The two-day conference, organized by the National Association for the Education and Advancement of Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese. (Photo: Im Sothearith) |
Washington, DC Wednesday, 27 October 2010
“Actually, Asian-American students don't do well. They have high rates of drop out and low access to higher education.”
Researchers and educators from Southeast Asian communities in the US met over the weekend to discuss the ongoing challenges immigrants from the region face in America.
Cambodian-Americans face social, cultural and economic difficulties, along with similar communities from Laos and Vietnam.
The two-day conference, organized by the National Association for the Education and Advancement of Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese, brought together 35 years of research and was sponsored for the first time by the National Education Association.
“We have lived here for 35 years and have been making our demands every ten years, five years, or yearly, but our voices have not been heard,” NAFEA President Chhany Sak-Humpry told VOA Khmer.
That's because there is a perception in the US that Asian-American students don't need help, said Bouy Te, director of the NEA's quality schools program. “Actually, Asian-American students don't do well. They have high rates of drop out and low access to higher education.”
The annual NAFEA meeting, which reviewed Southeast Asian education from kindergarten through grade 12, is a good chance to remind policymakers the needs of such students in schools, budgeting and curriculum, Bouy Te said.
Although the conference included a number of Cambodian-Americans with advanced degrees, the majority lag behind.
Cultural and language barriers, added to family problems and poverty, can lead to low self-esteem, said Nou Leakhena, a professor of sociology at California State University in Long Beach.
“Some parents don't understand their children, especially those who were born here,” she said. “They cannot communicate with their children.”
Trauma from the Khmer Rouge is another problem, along with gambling, violence and neglect, she said.
“Therefore, children who grow up here feel abandoned,” she said. “They don't have money to go on to university or [other] higher educations.”
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Q&A: Cambodian deportee’s wife talks about moving back to her homeland
.jpg) |
| Marley Dang, the 3-year-old son of a local Cambodian awaiting deportation. (Photo: Vyreak Sovan) |
Posted by Holly Otterbein
Philadelphia CityPaper (Pennsylvania, USA)
Last week, I wrote about Mout Iv, a Cambodian refugee, Olney denizen and American permanent resident for the last 24 years, who was awaiting deportation — and other local Cambodians like him, who have been deported recently because of criminal convictions (a fact that fits squarely into President Obama's immigration policy aimed at deporting more people with criminal backgrounds, regardless of how old their convictions are or whether they're refugees, apparently).
After the story went to print, I interviewed a Cambodian refugee named Lynn, who lived most of her life in Philadelphia, until her husband, Saul, was deported to Cambodia in 2007 for a crime he committed 10 years prior. His crime was theft by stolen property; according to Lynn, he bought a stolen car from a friend. Saul came to the U.S. when he was 3 years old, and Lynn was 4 months old when she landed here. They now live in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Lynn told me, "I am not very good with details or my feelings," but still agreed to talk. This is my interview with her:
City Paper: Why did you decide to move to Cambodia with Saul? Not every wife does.
Lynn: My husband was deported on June 24, 2007 … a couple weeks later my daughter was born. I never really thought that he was going to get deported because there were rumors that Cambodia wasn't accepting people back and then when it happened, I was kind of in shock. During his deportation process, I already knew I was coming to Cambodia. In January 2008, my children and I arrived in Cambodia. I moved to Cambodia because I wanted my children to be with their father, and I wanted my husband and daughter to meet each other.
CP: More than 30 percent of Cambodians live below the poverty line. Have you found work there?
Lynn: There are not many jobs opportunities here. It is hard for my husband to find a job. I can find one easier than him because of my passport. There is a lot of poverty. Majority of the people is trying to make it through the day. The government doesn't give assistance.
CP: During your husband's deportation process, did you find your lawyer helpful? And what about the lawyer your husband dealt with during his '97 conviction?
Lynn: [During his trial], he pleaded guilty to get a lesser sentence and his [public defender] didn't explain to him that it can get him deported. … After his back judge gave him early parole, immigration picked my husband in December 2003 and took him to York. There we hired an immigration lawyer who took our money and didn't do anything for us. The lawyer told my husband that if he signed out and they don't deport him within six months, they will release him, so my husband signed out. He had to report to ICE once a month. To make a long story short, ICE picked him up on January 2007 and started his deportation process.
CP: Do you speak the language?
Lynn: We speak enough Khmer to communicate with the locals. Sometimes they have trouble understanding us and we have trouble understanding them.
CP: After living in Philly for so long, what has Phnom Penh been like?
Lynn: Living here is different. My first couple of months, I experienced culture shock and it can get pretty lonely without family and friends. The life here is really slow-paced so we get to spend more time with each other. My feelings toward living here is Cambodia is [it's] a fun country to visit, but to live here is a whole different story — especially if you have family somewhere else. Both of our immediate family is still in the states. Our parents, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and his kids from his previous marriage.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Daughter who survived mother's fatal rampage recalls tragic day
The Cambodian grandmother who killed three family members before turning the gun on herself a week ago wore the eerie expression of a "smiley face" as she stalked relatives through their West Seattle home, her daughter recalls.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
By Lynn Thompson
Seattle Times staff reporter
The Cambodian grandmother who killed three family members before turning the gun on herself a week ago wore the eerie expression of a "smiley face" as she stalked relatives through their West Seattle home, her daughter recalls.
Thyda Luellen Phan, who was shot twice but survived, said that her 60-year-old mother could barely walk, but during the deadly rampage, "was running so quick nobody can stop her."
The only explanation the family could give for the killings was that Saroueun Sok was possessed.
"It wasn't her. I can tell from her face. It wasn't her," said Phan, 42.
Phan and about two dozen family members gathered at Khemarak Pothiram Buddhist Temple in Seattle's South Park neighborhood Tuesday evening for a prayer vigil. They have prayed daily since last Thursday's shootings and will continue until the funeral and cremation of the three victims and Sok on Saturday, family members said.
Three members of Phan's family — her husband Choeun Harm, 43, and two daughters, Jennifer Harm, 17, and Molina Phan, 14 — were killed. The three died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the King County Medical Examiner's Office.
Sok died from a single gunshot wound to the head, the Medical Examiner's Office said.
Two of Phan's other children managed to escape from the home after Phan's mother opened fire.
Tuesday outside the temple, Phan, still in pain from the two gunshot wounds, recalled her mother's struggle with mental illness, the family's history in Cambodia and the day of the shootings.
She said her mother rarely spoke of her experiences in her native Cambodia, but Phan said that two of Sok's children died there, likely of starvation under the deadly Khmer Rouge regime. Sok's parents were also killed and she fled with her husband and surviving daughter.
The family spent almost five years in a Thai refugee camp and another year in the Philippines before being relocated to Philadelphia, where Phan met her husband and had their first child.
Phan and Harm separated for four years and she said she had three sons with a new husband in Seattle. But that marriage failed and her second husband won custody of the boys. Phan said her mother's mental illness began after Phan lost custody of her children.
"When my ex took the kids, she lost her memory. She sit and cry," she said.
Phan and Harm reunited and had five children together, she said.
Phan said her mother enjoyed the children, often spending time with them before bed, watching television and laughing as they sang to a karaoke machine.
Sok never got mad at her, she said.
A year ago, Sok was hospitalized for a month with symptoms of schizophrenia and depression, her daughter said. In the previous weeks, Sok told family members she could not tolerate colors, that she only wanted to see white. She began wearing all white, Phan said.
In the Buddhist religion, white is associated with purity. It is also the color family members wear to a funeral, she said.
When she was released from the hospital Sok's health seemed restored. "She went back to color," Phan said. Her mother and father moved in with the extended family.
At the end of August, the extended family was forced to move from their home in White Center to the three-bedroom home in West Seattle. Eleven members of the family lived on three floors. Phan said that her mother became upset that some of her possessions had been lost in the move. She thought the television was talking directly to her thoughts. She said that nobody liked her, that someone would try to kill her.
On the afternoon of the shooting, Phan, who worked the night shift at a nearby bowling alley and casino, had just awoken and showered. Her husband, Choeun, and her son, Kevin, 16, returned home from mowing lawns and were planning to go fishing.
Sok, dressed completely in white, came downstairs with a check for her son-in-law to take to the bank. Choeun teased his mother-in-law, Phan said, saying she should give the money to him. Then he turned to tie his shoes.
Sok pulled a handgun from her jacket pocket and shot him in the head.
Phan said she thought some fireworks had gone off. But Kevin then began screaming that his father was shot.
Phan ran to her mother and tried to grab the gun. Sok shot her through the shoulder, then took aim at Kevin and two younger sisters on the living-room couch, but missed. She tried to load another clip. When the gun jammed, Sok ran upstairs to retrieve another handgun.
A cousin said that before she opened fire, Sok told her to stay in an upstairs bedroom. The grandmother, speaking as though talking about a stranger, said, "someone has come to kill my daughter and kill her kids."
Downstairs, Phan and her older daughter, Jennifer, crowded around Choeun. Phan was on the phone to 911 when her mother returned and shot her and Jennifer. Sok was smiling, as if "she was playing a game," Phan said.
"She not even care. She [was] not even there. It was not her face at all."
Sok stalked the children into the basement. Several escaped through a window, but Sok circled the house and shot through a window, hitting Molina where she stood over Jennifer, who had collapsed on the floor.
At the hospital, Phan said she asked family members: "Where is Daddy? Where are Jennifer and Molina? Are they here at the hospital, too?" Until, finally, a social worker told her they had all been killed. She left the hospital after only a day, and family members have been dressing her wounds.
On Tuesday, at the temple, family members stroked Phan's arm and held her as she knelt at an altar on which incense and candles burned before photos of her mother, daughters and husband.
A family friend, Sean Phuong, said the family prayed and chanted for forgiveness for Sok, and for the release of the others' spirits from their bodies so they could be reborn into new lives. He said that in the Buddhist cycles of birth and death, someone who kills cannot be reborn as a human. But Phan said the others could return, perhaps even to their own family in the form of a new grandchild or nephew or niece.
"I hope they come back," she said.
Lynn Thompson: 206-464-8305 or lthompson@seattletimes.com
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
By Lynn Thompson
Seattle Times staff reporter
The Cambodian grandmother who killed three family members before turning the gun on herself a week ago wore the eerie expression of a "smiley face" as she stalked relatives through their West Seattle home, her daughter recalls.
Thyda Luellen Phan, who was shot twice but survived, said that her 60-year-old mother could barely walk, but during the deadly rampage, "was running so quick nobody can stop her."
The only explanation the family could give for the killings was that Saroueun Sok was possessed.
"It wasn't her. I can tell from her face. It wasn't her," said Phan, 42.
Phan and about two dozen family members gathered at Khemarak Pothiram Buddhist Temple in Seattle's South Park neighborhood Tuesday evening for a prayer vigil. They have prayed daily since last Thursday's shootings and will continue until the funeral and cremation of the three victims and Sok on Saturday, family members said.
Three members of Phan's family — her husband Choeun Harm, 43, and two daughters, Jennifer Harm, 17, and Molina Phan, 14 — were killed. The three died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the King County Medical Examiner's Office.
Sok died from a single gunshot wound to the head, the Medical Examiner's Office said.
Two of Phan's other children managed to escape from the home after Phan's mother opened fire.
Tuesday outside the temple, Phan, still in pain from the two gunshot wounds, recalled her mother's struggle with mental illness, the family's history in Cambodia and the day of the shootings.
She said her mother rarely spoke of her experiences in her native Cambodia, but Phan said that two of Sok's children died there, likely of starvation under the deadly Khmer Rouge regime. Sok's parents were also killed and she fled with her husband and surviving daughter.
The family spent almost five years in a Thai refugee camp and another year in the Philippines before being relocated to Philadelphia, where Phan met her husband and had their first child.
Phan and Harm separated for four years and she said she had three sons with a new husband in Seattle. But that marriage failed and her second husband won custody of the boys. Phan said her mother's mental illness began after Phan lost custody of her children.
"When my ex took the kids, she lost her memory. She sit and cry," she said.
Phan and Harm reunited and had five children together, she said.
Phan said her mother enjoyed the children, often spending time with them before bed, watching television and laughing as they sang to a karaoke machine.
Sok never got mad at her, she said.
A year ago, Sok was hospitalized for a month with symptoms of schizophrenia and depression, her daughter said. In the previous weeks, Sok told family members she could not tolerate colors, that she only wanted to see white. She began wearing all white, Phan said.
In the Buddhist religion, white is associated with purity. It is also the color family members wear to a funeral, she said.
When she was released from the hospital Sok's health seemed restored. "She went back to color," Phan said. Her mother and father moved in with the extended family.
At the end of August, the extended family was forced to move from their home in White Center to the three-bedroom home in West Seattle. Eleven members of the family lived on three floors. Phan said that her mother became upset that some of her possessions had been lost in the move. She thought the television was talking directly to her thoughts. She said that nobody liked her, that someone would try to kill her.
On the afternoon of the shooting, Phan, who worked the night shift at a nearby bowling alley and casino, had just awoken and showered. Her husband, Choeun, and her son, Kevin, 16, returned home from mowing lawns and were planning to go fishing.
Sok, dressed completely in white, came downstairs with a check for her son-in-law to take to the bank. Choeun teased his mother-in-law, Phan said, saying she should give the money to him. Then he turned to tie his shoes.
Sok pulled a handgun from her jacket pocket and shot him in the head.
Phan said she thought some fireworks had gone off. But Kevin then began screaming that his father was shot.
Phan ran to her mother and tried to grab the gun. Sok shot her through the shoulder, then took aim at Kevin and two younger sisters on the living-room couch, but missed. She tried to load another clip. When the gun jammed, Sok ran upstairs to retrieve another handgun.
A cousin said that before she opened fire, Sok told her to stay in an upstairs bedroom. The grandmother, speaking as though talking about a stranger, said, "someone has come to kill my daughter and kill her kids."
Downstairs, Phan and her older daughter, Jennifer, crowded around Choeun. Phan was on the phone to 911 when her mother returned and shot her and Jennifer. Sok was smiling, as if "she was playing a game," Phan said.
"She not even care. She [was] not even there. It was not her face at all."
Sok stalked the children into the basement. Several escaped through a window, but Sok circled the house and shot through a window, hitting Molina where she stood over Jennifer, who had collapsed on the floor.
At the hospital, Phan said she asked family members: "Where is Daddy? Where are Jennifer and Molina? Are they here at the hospital, too?" Until, finally, a social worker told her they had all been killed. She left the hospital after only a day, and family members have been dressing her wounds.
On Tuesday, at the temple, family members stroked Phan's arm and held her as she knelt at an altar on which incense and candles burned before photos of her mother, daughters and husband.
A family friend, Sean Phuong, said the family prayed and chanted for forgiveness for Sok, and for the release of the others' spirits from their bodies so they could be reborn into new lives. He said that in the Buddhist cycles of birth and death, someone who kills cannot be reborn as a human. But Phan said the others could return, perhaps even to their own family in the form of a new grandchild or nephew or niece.
"I hope they come back," she said.
Lynn Thompson: 206-464-8305 or lthompson@seattletimes.com
Sunday, May 09, 2010
US Cambodians Urged To Join Census
Sok Khemara, VOA KhmerWashington, D.C Friday, 07 May 2010
“That’s why we are working hard to make all our brothers and sisters understand the importance, especially those elderly who have received money [like welfare and social security] since they came to the US.”As the US completes a new national census, one group in California is working to have more Cambodian-Americans participate and gain the benefits of better representation.
Sara Pol-Lim, executive director of the United Cambodian Community, a group based in Long Beach, told “Hello VOA” on Thursday Cambodians can benefit politically, economically and socially by taking part in the census.
An estimated 300,000 Cambodians live in the US, but only about 100,000 show up on the census, she said. That means they lose a voice within their communities and government.
For instance, the US government looks at the numbers of immigrants from different countries when it determines budgets, and having more people on a census can also mean better representation in the House of Representatives, she said.
A more accurate census can lead to more jobs and attract businesses and investment targeted to specific communities. In California, that can mean benefits for a high percentage of Asians, from China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam, as well as Cambodia.
“That’s why we are working hard to make all our brothers and sisters understand the importance, especially those elderly who have received money [like welfare and social security] since they came to the US,” she said.
The United Cambodian Community has been operating since 1977, when it was formed to help Cambodians adjust to life in the US.
The US Census Bureau says 72 percent of households participated in the 2010 census, but census-takers are now going door-to-door to retrieve responses from households.
Sara Pol-Lim said now is the time to return forms to the census-takers if they have not been sent in already. She also said the census-takers are not to be feared, as they will not ask for confidential information. People should remember to have an ID ready, she said.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Young children witnessed [Cambodian-American] father’s shooting
Lim ChheaBy ROBERT NAPPER
Bradenton.com (Florida, USA)
MYAKKA — A 7-year-old girl and her 5-year-old brother witnessed their father being shot to death by their grandfather, and after the shooting the girl handled 911 calls with responding deputies, according to Manatee County Sheriff’s Office reports released Wednesday.
Sheriff’s reports also detailed an ongoing argument between 77-year-old Lim Chhea and his son-in-law Wilson Ngov, 43, that ended with Chhea shooting his son-in-law in the family’s kitchen.
The men lived with their wives and Ngov’s two children in the Myakka home where the shooting took place, in the 44000 block of State Road 70 East.
The dispute between the family members, who are of Cambodian descent, sparked over the handling of the family dogs, sheriff’s reports state. Chhea believed one of the dogs may have killed a goat in the area, and wanted them tied up.
Sheriff’s reports released Wednesday said Ngov disagreed and he argued with his father-in-law over tying up the dogs. On Tuesday, when Ngov left the home, Chhea told Ngov’s wife he “wanted to shoot” his son-in-law, she later told detectives. When Ngov came back home that afternoon, the warning turned into reality.
Ngov heard his father-in-law arguing with his wife and became angry, leading Chhea to get a handgun and shoot his son-in-law in the back in front of his wife and two kids, according to sheriff’s reports. Ngov’s wife wrestled the gun from Chhea, but he also grabbed a knife and tried to cut Ngov’s throat. She also wrestled the knife from him, according to reports.
At 4 p.m., sheriff’s dispatch received a 911 call from Ngov’s 7-year-old daughter and deputies responded to the home, where the first deputy to arrive told the girl over the phone to “get as many people out of the house as she could,” the deputy’s report stated.
The deputy then got on a loud speaker and directed the children out of the house and to the patrol car. Both children made it to the car and ducked behind the vehicle. Inside, deputies found Ngov shot to death, Chhea and both men’s wives.
Ngov’s children later told detectives that they saw their grandfather shoot their father “in the tummy,” according to sheriff’s reports.
Bristow confirmed Ngov was shot twice, but declined to go into detail about where on his body. He also declined to discuss the dispute over the animals, saying the case is still under investigation.
On Wednesday, Chhea appeared before a judge for a first appearance on a murder charge, but the elderly man could not hear a Cambodian translator that called in by telephone to conduct a translation of the proceedings.
County Judge Douglas Henderson postponed the hearing 24 hours in order for a Cambodian translator to be found who can conduct the proceeding in person. Chhea will be held in the Manatee County jail without bond until that hearing.
Sheriff’s reports also detailed an ongoing argument between 77-year-old Lim Chhea and his son-in-law Wilson Ngov, 43, that ended with Chhea shooting his son-in-law in the family’s kitchen.
The men lived with their wives and Ngov’s two children in the Myakka home where the shooting took place, in the 44000 block of State Road 70 East.
The dispute between the family members, who are of Cambodian descent, sparked over the handling of the family dogs, sheriff’s reports state. Chhea believed one of the dogs may have killed a goat in the area, and wanted them tied up.
Sheriff’s reports released Wednesday said Ngov disagreed and he argued with his father-in-law over tying up the dogs. On Tuesday, when Ngov left the home, Chhea told Ngov’s wife he “wanted to shoot” his son-in-law, she later told detectives. When Ngov came back home that afternoon, the warning turned into reality.
Ngov heard his father-in-law arguing with his wife and became angry, leading Chhea to get a handgun and shoot his son-in-law in the back in front of his wife and two kids, according to sheriff’s reports. Ngov’s wife wrestled the gun from Chhea, but he also grabbed a knife and tried to cut Ngov’s throat. She also wrestled the knife from him, according to reports.
At 4 p.m., sheriff’s dispatch received a 911 call from Ngov’s 7-year-old daughter and deputies responded to the home, where the first deputy to arrive told the girl over the phone to “get as many people out of the house as she could,” the deputy’s report stated.
The deputy then got on a loud speaker and directed the children out of the house and to the patrol car. Both children made it to the car and ducked behind the vehicle. Inside, deputies found Ngov shot to death, Chhea and both men’s wives.
Ngov’s children later told detectives that they saw their grandfather shoot their father “in the tummy,” according to sheriff’s reports.
Bristow confirmed Ngov was shot twice, but declined to go into detail about where on his body. He also declined to discuss the dispute over the animals, saying the case is still under investigation.
On Wednesday, Chhea appeared before a judge for a first appearance on a murder charge, but the elderly man could not hear a Cambodian translator that called in by telephone to conduct a translation of the proceedings.
County Judge Douglas Henderson postponed the hearing 24 hours in order for a Cambodian translator to be found who can conduct the proceeding in person. Chhea will be held in the Manatee County jail without bond until that hearing.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
More Tribunal Complaints Sought in US
By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
28 August 2009
Original report from Washington
28 August 2009
Efforts to bring Khmer Rouge survivors in the US to file with the UN-backed tribunal in Cambodia are continuing, as the deadline for filing approaches.
“The trials that are going on in Cambodia right now are very unique that they allow victims to participate,” Audrey Redmond, a legal advisor for the Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia told VOA Khmer, as she distributed flyers encouraging people to participate in a session organized for Sunday. “So in addition to helping Cambodians heal by telling their stories, we hope to use this for educational purposes and hope to use it for the court.”
Civil parties and witness statements are an integral part of the UN-backed court, with lawyers sitting in on hearings and testimony used in the trials, in the hopes of providing some national reconciliation to the process.
Through its Cambodia Diaspora Victims’ Participation project, Applied Social Research and the Asia/Pacific/American Institute at New York University have organized several meetings for Khmer Rouge survivors, to help them share their experiences, as well as properly file for the tribunal.
The next one, on Sunday, will be held at Puthikaram pagoda in Maryland.
“Getting together to talk about Pol Pot’s regime is very important to have mental healing, because the experiences from going through that time will traumatize us for life,” said Him Chanrithy, author of “When Broken Glass Floats.” “This is the first step for Khmers who never talk about the regime to get healing.”
The Khmer Rouge tribunal is currently undertaking its first trial, for former prison chief Duch, but it is still receiving complaints from witnesses in its next case, against four senior-most leaders of the regime: Noun Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith. The deadline for filing complaints in that case is the end of 2009.
The tribunal has received 4,000 complaints, 67 of which have come from overseas. Applied Social Research has collected nearly 50 complaints, but has not submitted them yet.
“If there are people who wish to participate in the tribunal process, our unit here will always welcome them,” said Kassie Neou, coordinator for the tribunal’s outreach team in Phnom Penh.
“The trials that are going on in Cambodia right now are very unique that they allow victims to participate,” Audrey Redmond, a legal advisor for the Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia told VOA Khmer, as she distributed flyers encouraging people to participate in a session organized for Sunday. “So in addition to helping Cambodians heal by telling their stories, we hope to use this for educational purposes and hope to use it for the court.”
Civil parties and witness statements are an integral part of the UN-backed court, with lawyers sitting in on hearings and testimony used in the trials, in the hopes of providing some national reconciliation to the process.
Through its Cambodia Diaspora Victims’ Participation project, Applied Social Research and the Asia/Pacific/American Institute at New York University have organized several meetings for Khmer Rouge survivors, to help them share their experiences, as well as properly file for the tribunal.
The next one, on Sunday, will be held at Puthikaram pagoda in Maryland.
“Getting together to talk about Pol Pot’s regime is very important to have mental healing, because the experiences from going through that time will traumatize us for life,” said Him Chanrithy, author of “When Broken Glass Floats.” “This is the first step for Khmers who never talk about the regime to get healing.”
The Khmer Rouge tribunal is currently undertaking its first trial, for former prison chief Duch, but it is still receiving complaints from witnesses in its next case, against four senior-most leaders of the regime: Noun Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith. The deadline for filing complaints in that case is the end of 2009.
The tribunal has received 4,000 complaints, 67 of which have come from overseas. Applied Social Research has collected nearly 50 complaints, but has not submitted them yet.
“If there are people who wish to participate in the tribunal process, our unit here will always welcome them,” said Kassie Neou, coordinator for the tribunal’s outreach team in Phnom Penh.
Friday, May 15, 2009
US-Cambodians [Cambodian-Americans] To Discuss Tribunal Options
By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
14 May 2009
Original report from Washington
14 May 2009
Cambodians living in the US who feel they are victims of the Khmer Rouge will gather in Arlington, Va., later this month to discuss their right to file testimony at the UN-backed court in Phnom Penh.
The Khmer Rouge tribunal has mechanisms built into it that allow victims to file suits and have representation at proceedings as “civil parties.”
The tribunal is currently undertaking its first trial, of the regime’s chief torturer, Duch, while four other senior leaders remain in detention and await their own atrocity crimes trials.
Organizers expected up to 30 participants from Washington and neighboring states as far away as Pennsylvania.
“Some people will attend this event for the first time because their past suffering is too deep to bear any more,” Yap Kimtung, president of Cambodian Americans for Human Rights and Democracy, told VOA Khmer by phone. “They will have to speak out and give it as a testimony to let the outside world know.”
The gathering in Virginia is one of those initiated by the Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia and the Asian Pacific American Institute at New York University.
At each meeting participants discuss searching for indigenous conceptions of justice and reparation, contextualize psycho-emotional consequences of Khmer Rouge trauma, and hear explanations about Khmer Rouge tribunal procedures.
“The main purpose of our workshop is to encourage the Cambodian community in the US and outside of Cambodia to participate in and understand the Khmer Rouge [tribunal] process, and to encourage them to demand justice,” Leakhena Nou, founder of the Applied Social Research Institute, told VOA Khmer.“It has now been 34 years, and they should not be quiet about what they have been through. According to my research, Cambodians overseas and in the country have mental wounds and need healing.”
She said she felt compelled to help because there have been no efforts by the Cambodian government to involve overseas participants.
Khmer Rouge tribunal officials say the court has received more than 3,000 complaints and civil party applications—a relatively small number compared to the number of victims of the regime.
The Khmer Rouge tribunal has mechanisms built into it that allow victims to file suits and have representation at proceedings as “civil parties.”
The tribunal is currently undertaking its first trial, of the regime’s chief torturer, Duch, while four other senior leaders remain in detention and await their own atrocity crimes trials.
Organizers expected up to 30 participants from Washington and neighboring states as far away as Pennsylvania.
“Some people will attend this event for the first time because their past suffering is too deep to bear any more,” Yap Kimtung, president of Cambodian Americans for Human Rights and Democracy, told VOA Khmer by phone. “They will have to speak out and give it as a testimony to let the outside world know.”
The gathering in Virginia is one of those initiated by the Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia and the Asian Pacific American Institute at New York University.
At each meeting participants discuss searching for indigenous conceptions of justice and reparation, contextualize psycho-emotional consequences of Khmer Rouge trauma, and hear explanations about Khmer Rouge tribunal procedures.
“The main purpose of our workshop is to encourage the Cambodian community in the US and outside of Cambodia to participate in and understand the Khmer Rouge [tribunal] process, and to encourage them to demand justice,” Leakhena Nou, founder of the Applied Social Research Institute, told VOA Khmer.“It has now been 34 years, and they should not be quiet about what they have been through. According to my research, Cambodians overseas and in the country have mental wounds and need healing.”
She said she felt compelled to help because there have been no efforts by the Cambodian government to involve overseas participants.
Khmer Rouge tribunal officials say the court has received more than 3,000 complaints and civil party applications—a relatively small number compared to the number of victims of the regime.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
KR Victims in the US demand for “true justice”
19 April 2009
By Sary Rath
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Click here to read the article in Khmer
By Sary Rath
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Click here to read the article in Khmer
Witnesses still alive and relatives of the victims who are currently living in the US are demanding that the KR Tribunal (KRT) provide a trial that is fair and acceptable by the victims and their relatives who are still alive.
During a candle vigil to commemorate the victims of the KR genocide which was held in front of the White House in the evening of 17 April, Koh Bun Kon and his wife from San Jose, California, as well as others who participated in the vigil, called on the Cambodian government to push for a fair trial for the KR leaders.
Koh Bun Kon said: “Today, on 17 April, I am joining with other Cambodian friends and relatives to commemorate our relatives, our parents and the 1.7 million others who died during the Pol Pot era. May the spirits of our parents and relatives come to join us to push the KR Tribunal to speed up the trials. Today, I am very moved to meet a large number of our compatriots. Everybody, including myself, we used to live under the Pol Pot regime for almost 4 years, we were very hurt, extremely hurt, I still remember everyday because my parents, my siblings, my nephew died, they died by the hundreds. Therefore, I can only pay respect to their spirits, and I am asking the Cambodian government to complete the KR trials and to provide justice for us so I can have some peace.”
Tung Yap, President of the Cambodian-Americans for Human Rights and Democracy (CAHRAD), said that besides holding this meeting to commemorate the spirit of the victims, his organization, along with the International community, called for an international prevention of new genocide in the world.
Regarding the trial of the former KR leaders in order to provide true justice, Tung Yap indicated that the alliance led by Dr. Leakhena Nou will gather witnesses of the KR regime who are still alive in the US to provide testimonials to the ECCC in the near future. Tung Yap said: “We are pleased to support Dr. Leakhena Nou who gathered Cambodian-Americans to provide testimonials for the trial of the KR.”
In 2009, the International community has set the month of April as the genocide prevention month. Savage events in Germany, Rwanda, Bosnia, Armenia, Cambodia, as well the current event in Darfur, Sudan are reminders of this issue.
Genocide researchers indicated that the genocidal regime in the 6 countries above all savagely took power in the month of April.
During a candle vigil to commemorate the victims of the KR genocide which was held in front of the White House in the evening of 17 April, Koh Bun Kon and his wife from San Jose, California, as well as others who participated in the vigil, called on the Cambodian government to push for a fair trial for the KR leaders.
Koh Bun Kon said: “Today, on 17 April, I am joining with other Cambodian friends and relatives to commemorate our relatives, our parents and the 1.7 million others who died during the Pol Pot era. May the spirits of our parents and relatives come to join us to push the KR Tribunal to speed up the trials. Today, I am very moved to meet a large number of our compatriots. Everybody, including myself, we used to live under the Pol Pot regime for almost 4 years, we were very hurt, extremely hurt, I still remember everyday because my parents, my siblings, my nephew died, they died by the hundreds. Therefore, I can only pay respect to their spirits, and I am asking the Cambodian government to complete the KR trials and to provide justice for us so I can have some peace.”
Tung Yap, President of the Cambodian-Americans for Human Rights and Democracy (CAHRAD), said that besides holding this meeting to commemorate the spirit of the victims, his organization, along with the International community, called for an international prevention of new genocide in the world.
Regarding the trial of the former KR leaders in order to provide true justice, Tung Yap indicated that the alliance led by Dr. Leakhena Nou will gather witnesses of the KR regime who are still alive in the US to provide testimonials to the ECCC in the near future. Tung Yap said: “We are pleased to support Dr. Leakhena Nou who gathered Cambodian-Americans to provide testimonials for the trial of the KR.”
In 2009, the International community has set the month of April as the genocide prevention month. Savage events in Germany, Rwanda, Bosnia, Armenia, Cambodia, as well the current event in Darfur, Sudan are reminders of this issue.
Genocide researchers indicated that the genocidal regime in the 6 countries above all savagely took power in the month of April.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
US-Cambodians Watch as Obama Takes Office
By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
26 January 2009
Original report from Washington
26 January 2009
Americans watched Barrack Obama become the 44th president of the United States last week, and some of them said they had new hopes for the US economy, as well as national and global security.
Jeffrey Sdoeung, a Cambodian-American from the state of Rhode Island, said he traveled for 10 hours in the bitter cold to watch the Jan. 20 inauguration.
"Our country is facing difficulty now, including money and jobs," he said. "It is all very difficult, but after I heard Obama's speech, I have a lot of hope, because now we have one wonderful president, who can help people and other countries around the world."
Sdoeung said he was attending his first inauguration and was surprised to find millions of people from across America gathered on the National Mall in front of the US Capitol building.
"I have never seen as many people as this," he said. "On the morning of Inauguration Day, I traveled from my friend's house in DC by Metro train to the National Mall…and I saw so many people filling the train, it was amazing."
Grant Quinn, another Cambodian-American, from Washington, had not traveled as far as Sdoeung, but he said he too had more confidence in the US economy after hearing Obama's speech.
"Now the American people have lost a lot of jobs, but I think that Obama has his own program to provide more jobs to people," he said.
He had not attended the inaugurations of former president George W. Bush, he said.
"When I was young, I went to see the inaugurations of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Sr., and Bill Clinton," he said. "But I did not go to see George W. Bush's inauguration, because I didn't like him."
Vutha Chinn, who lives in Philadelphia, said he felt happy on behalf of Khmer refugees who had come to a land of opportunity and were now able to participate in events such as the inauguration.
"I am very grateful to be able to participate in and applaud Obama's inauguration and support his success in becoming American's president," he said.
Jeffrey Sdoeung, a Cambodian-American from the state of Rhode Island, said he traveled for 10 hours in the bitter cold to watch the Jan. 20 inauguration.
"Our country is facing difficulty now, including money and jobs," he said. "It is all very difficult, but after I heard Obama's speech, I have a lot of hope, because now we have one wonderful president, who can help people and other countries around the world."
Sdoeung said he was attending his first inauguration and was surprised to find millions of people from across America gathered on the National Mall in front of the US Capitol building.
"I have never seen as many people as this," he said. "On the morning of Inauguration Day, I traveled from my friend's house in DC by Metro train to the National Mall…and I saw so many people filling the train, it was amazing."
Grant Quinn, another Cambodian-American, from Washington, had not traveled as far as Sdoeung, but he said he too had more confidence in the US economy after hearing Obama's speech.
"Now the American people have lost a lot of jobs, but I think that Obama has his own program to provide more jobs to people," he said.
He had not attended the inaugurations of former president George W. Bush, he said.
"When I was young, I went to see the inaugurations of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Sr., and Bill Clinton," he said. "But I did not go to see George W. Bush's inauguration, because I didn't like him."
Vutha Chinn, who lives in Philadelphia, said he felt happy on behalf of Khmer refugees who had come to a land of opportunity and were now able to participate in events such as the inauguration.
"I am very grateful to be able to participate in and applaud Obama's inauguration and support his success in becoming American's president," he said.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
In US, Cambodian Businesses Hurting
By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
06 January 2009
Original report from Washington
06 January 2009
The economic downturn has begun hurting the US businesses of many Cambodian-Americans.
“The clients won’t come, if there are a lot of layoffs in their work,” U Makara, who runs a sushi restaurant in the state of Michigan, said recently. “Sushi food is kind of an expensive food.”
People who had come in to eat two or three times per week were now coming only once a week, he said, adding that he had yet to lay off his own staff.
U Makara has 15 sushi branches throughout big groceries store in Michigan. Making them work during an economic crunch meant having twice-weekly sales.
He is not alone.
Im Sonith, a Cambodian living in the state of Alabama, owns two grocery stores. His businesses have been hit by the crisis as well, though he too is weathering the storm by putting his goods on sale.
“I have discounted some of my grocery products,” he said. “The grocery companies have increased their product price, because the gasoline price had increased, so they continued to increase the price of goods. I dare not increase the price like them because people do not have very much money to spend. I sell just to break even.”
Since the middle of 2008, many US businesses have been on the decline, with major banks declaring bankruptcy and many people unable to afford houses they purchased. Lately, restaurants, bars, grocery stores, supermarkets, car companies and furniture stores are quiet and empty. At least 2 million Americans have lost their jobs, and the auto industry is facing major problems.
Mouy Chomreun, who has lived in America since 1975, has three businesses: cars sales, car maintenance and taxi rental. His car sales and repair businesses have fallen off 80 percent over last year, he said.
“Compared to last year or the year before, my businesses for renting cars and taxis is normal, but my auto mechanic business and my car sales business have decreased so much,” he said, adding that he planned to stop selling American-made cars and start selling those made in Japan, such as Toyota.
“Now people are afraid of paying for their rent, rather than fixing their cars,” he said. “For my old customers, who always came to my garage, when I tell them that the repair cost will be between $400 and $500, they are afraid of the cost. It is not like before.”
“The clients won’t come, if there are a lot of layoffs in their work,” U Makara, who runs a sushi restaurant in the state of Michigan, said recently. “Sushi food is kind of an expensive food.”
People who had come in to eat two or three times per week were now coming only once a week, he said, adding that he had yet to lay off his own staff.
U Makara has 15 sushi branches throughout big groceries store in Michigan. Making them work during an economic crunch meant having twice-weekly sales.
He is not alone.
Im Sonith, a Cambodian living in the state of Alabama, owns two grocery stores. His businesses have been hit by the crisis as well, though he too is weathering the storm by putting his goods on sale.
“I have discounted some of my grocery products,” he said. “The grocery companies have increased their product price, because the gasoline price had increased, so they continued to increase the price of goods. I dare not increase the price like them because people do not have very much money to spend. I sell just to break even.”
Since the middle of 2008, many US businesses have been on the decline, with major banks declaring bankruptcy and many people unable to afford houses they purchased. Lately, restaurants, bars, grocery stores, supermarkets, car companies and furniture stores are quiet and empty. At least 2 million Americans have lost their jobs, and the auto industry is facing major problems.
Mouy Chomreun, who has lived in America since 1975, has three businesses: cars sales, car maintenance and taxi rental. His car sales and repair businesses have fallen off 80 percent over last year, he said.
“Compared to last year or the year before, my businesses for renting cars and taxis is normal, but my auto mechanic business and my car sales business have decreased so much,” he said, adding that he planned to stop selling American-made cars and start selling those made in Japan, such as Toyota.
“Now people are afraid of paying for their rent, rather than fixing their cars,” he said. “For my old customers, who always came to my garage, when I tell them that the repair cost will be between $400 and $500, they are afraid of the cost. It is not like before.”
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Cambodians in US Ponder Election Lessons
By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
07 November 2008
Original report from Washington
07 November 2008
As Cambodian-American took stock this week following the Nov. 4 presidential victory of Barack Obama, many said that “win or lose,” the elections were a good democratic example for the world.
Path Suykry, who runs the National Cambodian Republican Coalition from Minnesota, said he was disappointed with the result, but felt a closer connection to fellow Republicans.
“Any candidate, they don’t wait for too long, when they know they’ve lost, to just make a call to immediately congratulate the winner,” he said. “And the winner will say how to gather together, to work together, and also they say even though they don’t have the other side’s vote, they understand what they want.”
Sen. John McCain, following his failed bid for the presidency, welcomed Obama’s win as a “historical victory” and urged his supporters to find compromise, “bridge our differences and help restore prosperity.”
Prak Sereyvuth, vice chairman of the Khmer Krom Federation, in New Jersey, said the US election set a good standard of cooperation among rivals.
“Elections should be a political contest,” Prak Sereyvuth said. “There should not be a war when it is finished.”
Even though he had voted for McCain, he said, he praised Obama’s policies.
Both Obama and McCain had offered to help one another, as Obama, the first black president in US history, prepares to transition into the White House in January.
Chanly Kuch, who lives in Maryland, said she was happy to see a minority when the presidency.
“Our Cambodians should learn a significant lesson to evolve Cambodian history, by giving possibility, giving freedom, and rights to any Cambodian who has the real ability and can serve the interest of the people, the interest of the nation, to be a leader without special-status, such as the relative of a high official or significant party member,” he said.
Chanly Kuch had voted for Obama, he said, whose win served as an important example to small countries around the world.
Tung Yab, from Virginia, said US politics allowed honor to both winners and losers.
“I see they did good work, and I appreciate that the loser made a telephone call to the winner,” he said. “But I see one point that is different from Cambodia: they contested fairly. That’s why the loser, who tried so hard but lost, admired the winner. And that’s the difference from other countries, including Cambodia.”
Path Suykry, who runs the National Cambodian Republican Coalition from Minnesota, said he was disappointed with the result, but felt a closer connection to fellow Republicans.
“Any candidate, they don’t wait for too long, when they know they’ve lost, to just make a call to immediately congratulate the winner,” he said. “And the winner will say how to gather together, to work together, and also they say even though they don’t have the other side’s vote, they understand what they want.”
Sen. John McCain, following his failed bid for the presidency, welcomed Obama’s win as a “historical victory” and urged his supporters to find compromise, “bridge our differences and help restore prosperity.”
Prak Sereyvuth, vice chairman of the Khmer Krom Federation, in New Jersey, said the US election set a good standard of cooperation among rivals.
“Elections should be a political contest,” Prak Sereyvuth said. “There should not be a war when it is finished.”
Even though he had voted for McCain, he said, he praised Obama’s policies.
Both Obama and McCain had offered to help one another, as Obama, the first black president in US history, prepares to transition into the White House in January.
Chanly Kuch, who lives in Maryland, said she was happy to see a minority when the presidency.
“Our Cambodians should learn a significant lesson to evolve Cambodian history, by giving possibility, giving freedom, and rights to any Cambodian who has the real ability and can serve the interest of the people, the interest of the nation, to be a leader without special-status, such as the relative of a high official or significant party member,” he said.
Chanly Kuch had voted for Obama, he said, whose win served as an important example to small countries around the world.
Tung Yab, from Virginia, said US politics allowed honor to both winners and losers.
“I see they did good work, and I appreciate that the loser made a telephone call to the winner,” he said. “But I see one point that is different from Cambodia: they contested fairly. That’s why the loser, who tried so hard but lost, admired the winner. And that’s the difference from other countries, including Cambodia.”
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
US-Cambodians Feel Bite of Financial Crisis
By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh
03 November 2008
Cambodians living in the US say they are starting to feel the US economic crisis. They are counting on the next US president to help.
Merrith Chhang, a retiree in Washington state, said commodities, food and entertainment were all getting more expensive.
“It affects my family a lot,” he said. “For example, I used to buy a package of cereal that cost $3; now it costs $4. The price of chicken and other foods have also increased. It no only affects my family, but it also affects all the people in America.”
Merrith Chhang said he has reduced the number of times he visits his children in other states, thanks to the high price of gas. He has also stopped eating in restaurants.
“The reality is that I don’t spend so much on food, but I spend so much on medical care, such as going to the dentist,” he said. “Medical care in the US is extremely expensive. I am old, so I always check my health. I spend so much on medical. It’s about 50 percent of my spending.”
Larry Seng, another Washington state resident, who works at the aerospace and defense manufacturer Boeing, said had cut back on entertainment expenses with his family, which includes a son and a daughter.
“When I don’t have so much income, we can’t spend [money] on the things we want to,” he said. “When the economy is down like this, we don’t have so much to do, so we have to reduce our spending. It’s kind of hurting a lot.”
The economic crisis began when many Americans failed to pay back loans on homes that had lost much of their value, leaving many banks and other lending agencies holding the debt and leading to a string of bankruptcies. Financial panic spread to world markets, where there is now a shortage of money and credit, while demand from American consumers dropped.
Some companies have already begun cutting jobs, as Americans reduce their spending on products.
Rong Sourn, director of the Cambodian Association, in Philadelphia, Penn., said she hoped the government would provide more opportunities to small businesses, despite the crisis.
“The government should allow small businesses to be comfortable,” she said. “The government should make the economy grow by allowing small businesses to get some loans to make their business more sustainable.”
David Seng, who also lives in Philadelphia, blamed the Republicans for the decline of the economy.
“We have lived with the Republican regime for eight years already,” he said. “During the era of [president] Bill Clinton, we had a surplus, but now we don’t even have money and our economy is seriously falling down. The number of wars has also increased. So much money spent on war. I think the Republicans sing the same song over and over.”
Merrith Chhang, a retiree in Washington state, said commodities, food and entertainment were all getting more expensive.
“It affects my family a lot,” he said. “For example, I used to buy a package of cereal that cost $3; now it costs $4. The price of chicken and other foods have also increased. It no only affects my family, but it also affects all the people in America.”
Merrith Chhang said he has reduced the number of times he visits his children in other states, thanks to the high price of gas. He has also stopped eating in restaurants.
“The reality is that I don’t spend so much on food, but I spend so much on medical care, such as going to the dentist,” he said. “Medical care in the US is extremely expensive. I am old, so I always check my health. I spend so much on medical. It’s about 50 percent of my spending.”
Larry Seng, another Washington state resident, who works at the aerospace and defense manufacturer Boeing, said had cut back on entertainment expenses with his family, which includes a son and a daughter.
“When I don’t have so much income, we can’t spend [money] on the things we want to,” he said. “When the economy is down like this, we don’t have so much to do, so we have to reduce our spending. It’s kind of hurting a lot.”
The economic crisis began when many Americans failed to pay back loans on homes that had lost much of their value, leaving many banks and other lending agencies holding the debt and leading to a string of bankruptcies. Financial panic spread to world markets, where there is now a shortage of money and credit, while demand from American consumers dropped.
Some companies have already begun cutting jobs, as Americans reduce their spending on products.
Rong Sourn, director of the Cambodian Association, in Philadelphia, Penn., said she hoped the government would provide more opportunities to small businesses, despite the crisis.
“The government should allow small businesses to be comfortable,” she said. “The government should make the economy grow by allowing small businesses to get some loans to make their business more sustainable.”
David Seng, who also lives in Philadelphia, blamed the Republicans for the decline of the economy.
“We have lived with the Republican regime for eight years already,” he said. “During the era of [president] Bill Clinton, we had a surplus, but now we don’t even have money and our economy is seriously falling down. The number of wars has also increased. So much money spent on war. I think the Republicans sing the same song over and over.”
Thursday, September 04, 2008
US-Cambodians Urged to Vote for President
US Presidential candidates: John McCain (L) and Barack Obama (R)By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Massachussetts
03 September 2008
As the US presidential race heats up, Cambodians in the US say they are ready to vote, and urged their fellow expatriates to do the same.
"The election in America this year is very important, because it can not only change the domestic economy but the world's," said Uong Rithy, who served three terms as a city councilman in Lowell, Mass. "It is also important that more Cambodian-Americans participate in politics so they can draw the attention of American politicians to Cambodian communities and Cambodian issues."
The US presidential election, which will be held in November, pits US senators John McCain and Barrack Obama in a race of historical importance.
Obama is the first black candidate for a major political party, and the election comes as the US economy is faltering and a war in Iraq continues.
Teng Vanak, a US-Cambodian from Lowell and supporter of the Democratic Party, said recently she has registered to vote for the past ten years. A win for Obama will be a good sign for US diversity, she said.
"If he wins the election, it will be a green light for other diversity groups, including Cambodian-Americans and Latino-Americans born in the US, to compete for the presidential position," she said. "Here is a land of hope and a land of opportunity. I wish for many Cambodian-Americans to come out to vote more this year, so that we can empower our Cambodian community in Lowell and other places in America. I think it is very important."
Another Cambodian in Lowell, Chea Vicheavy, who supports the Republicans, said she hoped a win for McCain would draw more attention to Cambodian issues.
McCain is a veteran pilot of the Vietnam War who was a prisoner of war.
"I think that if John McCain succeeds in the election competition, he will be interested more in Cambodian issues, because he used to go to Cambodia and he used to fight in the Vietnam War," Chea Vicheavy said.
Not all Cambodians in the US will be able to vote. Livan Yary, a recent immigrant to Lowell, said he did not yet have the right to vote, but he said the elections in the US were much different than Cambodia.
"I always see the election campaign in Cambodia mixed with violence and cheating," he said. "It is not a kind of standard of democracy. But the election campaign in America is not like that. The election in America is safer and has more democratic standards. The election in Cambodia is just cheating international eyes."
"The election in America this year is very important, because it can not only change the domestic economy but the world's," said Uong Rithy, who served three terms as a city councilman in Lowell, Mass. "It is also important that more Cambodian-Americans participate in politics so they can draw the attention of American politicians to Cambodian communities and Cambodian issues."
The US presidential election, which will be held in November, pits US senators John McCain and Barrack Obama in a race of historical importance.
Obama is the first black candidate for a major political party, and the election comes as the US economy is faltering and a war in Iraq continues.
Teng Vanak, a US-Cambodian from Lowell and supporter of the Democratic Party, said recently she has registered to vote for the past ten years. A win for Obama will be a good sign for US diversity, she said.
"If he wins the election, it will be a green light for other diversity groups, including Cambodian-Americans and Latino-Americans born in the US, to compete for the presidential position," she said. "Here is a land of hope and a land of opportunity. I wish for many Cambodian-Americans to come out to vote more this year, so that we can empower our Cambodian community in Lowell and other places in America. I think it is very important."
Another Cambodian in Lowell, Chea Vicheavy, who supports the Republicans, said she hoped a win for McCain would draw more attention to Cambodian issues.
McCain is a veteran pilot of the Vietnam War who was a prisoner of war.
"I think that if John McCain succeeds in the election competition, he will be interested more in Cambodian issues, because he used to go to Cambodia and he used to fight in the Vietnam War," Chea Vicheavy said.
Not all Cambodians in the US will be able to vote. Livan Yary, a recent immigrant to Lowell, said he did not yet have the right to vote, but he said the elections in the US were much different than Cambodia.
"I always see the election campaign in Cambodia mixed with violence and cheating," he said. "It is not a kind of standard of democracy. But the election campaign in America is not like that. The election in America is safer and has more democratic standards. The election in Cambodia is just cheating international eyes."
In US, Cambodians Celebrate Community
By Sivon Brahm, VOA Khmer
Original report from Virginia
03 September 2008
Original report from Virginia
03 September 2008
This year's Cambodian Community Day, celebrated in Alexandria, Va., featured a mohori ensemble, classical and folk dances, and a showcase of Cambodian livelihoods, including an open market, rice mill, palm-tree climbers, traditional wedding, cooking show and the making of silk flowers.
The festival, held in Alexandria's Ben Brenman park on Sunday, was co-sponsored by the Alexandria Department of Recreation and the Cambodian Community Day committee, among others.
Sophia Tep, chairman of the Community Day committee, welcomed guests, who were able move under several tents to see traditional Cambodian daily life.
Tropical fruit was available in the market, and visitors watched as a groom carried traditional gifts in a procession for his bride. Music for the procession was provided by a master of classical music, Chum Ngek.
A woman named Pha Ngin showed her skills at making silk flowers and cook Demaz Tep had on offer sweet rice with fresh lobster, beef salad and green mango salad for visitors.
Proceeds from the event went to supporting Cambodian culture and higher education in the US.
The festival, held in Alexandria's Ben Brenman park on Sunday, was co-sponsored by the Alexandria Department of Recreation and the Cambodian Community Day committee, among others.
Sophia Tep, chairman of the Community Day committee, welcomed guests, who were able move under several tents to see traditional Cambodian daily life.
Tropical fruit was available in the market, and visitors watched as a groom carried traditional gifts in a procession for his bride. Music for the procession was provided by a master of classical music, Chum Ngek.
A woman named Pha Ngin showed her skills at making silk flowers and cook Demaz Tep had on offer sweet rice with fresh lobster, beef salad and green mango salad for visitors.
Proceeds from the event went to supporting Cambodian culture and higher education in the US.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
US-Cambodians Expand Republican Effort
By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
02 September 2008
Original report from Washington
02 September 2008
As the Republican Party convention gets underway, US-Cambodians in Minnesota are expanding their work, finding an additional role in forming a coalition with other minorities, such as Somalis, living in the US.
"Somalis are the same as Cambodian-Americans, in that they understand [Republican Sen.] John McCain can help promote freedom and democracy in other countries," said Path Suykry, president of the National Cambodian Republican Coalition. "So they are happy to do this, and we will continue to meet together."
The convention is being held between Sept. 1 and Sept. 4, ahead of the November US presidential election.
US-Cambodians have contributed to the Republican effort through fundraising and campaigning in pagodas, churches and across Cambodian communities in the US.
Satri Huoch, a Cambodian living in Minnesota, said he supported the Republicans as a party that can help minorities benefit from democracy.
"I believe in him as other Cambodian-Americans and other minorities support him," Satri Huoch said.
"Somalis are the same as Cambodian-Americans, in that they understand [Republican Sen.] John McCain can help promote freedom and democracy in other countries," said Path Suykry, president of the National Cambodian Republican Coalition. "So they are happy to do this, and we will continue to meet together."
The convention is being held between Sept. 1 and Sept. 4, ahead of the November US presidential election.
US-Cambodians have contributed to the Republican effort through fundraising and campaigning in pagodas, churches and across Cambodian communities in the US.
Satri Huoch, a Cambodian living in Minnesota, said he supported the Republicans as a party that can help minorities benefit from democracy.
"I believe in him as other Cambodian-Americans and other minorities support him," Satri Huoch said.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
