You are cordially invited to participat​e Khmer Pchum Ben Festival on Saturday, 24 Sept. 2011 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada

See link http://www.cambodianview.com/news.htm and attached programs

Note that Pchum Ben Festival is very important for Cambodian people domestically and internationally to accumulate merits by paying gratitude to ancestors, to develop peaceful mind through good deeds and prayers, and to preserve the Khmer culture. Part of the Festival, there will chanting and preaching in the evening of Sept. 23 and offering food to the monks and seniors in the morning of Sept. 24. Beside this, the participants can enjoy the night concert entertaining by the popular singer from Cambodia, the live Khmer band and dance with Khmer dance-styles in unison.

Happy Pchum Ben Day!

Regards,
Sophoan

"Hun Sen is a murderer and a traitor": Cambodian-Canadian Demonstrators in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

23 October 2010

Cambodian community in Canada organize the 19th anniversary of the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement  in front of the Parliament Hill, Ottawa.This manifestation is to call for a reconvening of the Paris Peace Accord of 1991 as guarenteed by all the signatories.

CHUOP Samnang

Montreal, Canada

Cambodian demonstrators in front of the Canadian Parliament building in Ottawa, Canada (All Photos:  Samnang Chuop)

"Hun Sen is a murderer" reads the sign held by this Cambodian-Canadian lady

Buddhist monks and several children also attended the demonstration

"Hun Sen is a traitor" can be read behind these Chhayam drum players

Family shattered in an instant

Lim Taing, the father of crash survivor Pho Taing expresses his pain after losing his daughter-in-law and granddaughter in a collision with a suspected drunk driver. (Lucas Oleniuk/Toronto Star)

Immigrants who persevered over war, separation and disease grapple with losses in fatal car crash

Wed Oct 21 2009
Jennifer Yang
Staff Reporter
Toronto Star (Canada)

The Taings survived war, sickness and poverty. But a speeding BMW shattered the family forever.

"In one minute. In one minute. Two die in just one minute," wept 72-year-old Lim Taing, his face covered with both hands.

His son, Pho Taing, was driving a minivan on Saturday night when it was sliced in two by a speeding BMW near Finch Ave. W. and Tobermory Dr.

Pho Taing's wife, Hon To, 44, and their 24-year-old daughter, Khan (Christine) Taing, were ejected from the minivan and killed instantly. Christine's godmother was also killed.

Pho Taing, 42, and a family friend, 36-year-old Hon Tran, were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

The speed limit in the area is 60 kilometres an hour and police estimate the 1999 BMW 540 was travelling at 200 km/h.

Roman Luskin, 21, faces numerous charges, including impaired driving and failing to take a breathalyzer.

Pho Taing has since been released from hospital and is staying with family in the Jane and Finch area. On Tuesday, he was too grief-stricken to speak about the tragedy and spent much of the day lying in bed, a table of pills and tissues at his side.

"He wishes he could have died with her," said Lim Taing, speaking through a translator.

"He lived only to get more pain. All night long, all day long, he cries all the time and becomes sick and pained."

Lim Taing said he was worried about his son, a man who loved his family deeply and had already survived many hardships.

Originally from Cambodia, the Taing family lived through the Cambodian civil war. In 1979, they were forced to flee following the Vietnamese invasion. Lim Taing said he and his wife went to Thailand while Pho, his second-eldest child, wound up at a refugee camp in Vietnam.

The two men wouldn't see each other again for nearly 20 years. Lim Taing eventually moved to Canada with his wife but he continued searching for his son, posting ads in newspapers and asking friends and acquaintances.

Father and son eventually reconnected in the early 1990s and in 1995, Pho came to Canada as a refugee. He brought with him a new wife, Hon To, and their young daughter, Christine.

"I was very happy," Taing remembered, closing his eyes.

But the family faced hardship once again when Hon To fell ill, about 10 years ago. She was diagnosed with cancer and doctors gave her five years to live, Taing said.

Pho quit his factory job to care for his ailing wife and the family began to live off government assistance. But Hon To, a devout Buddhist, fought the disease and ultimately outlived her grim prognosis by five years.

Meanwhile, Christine enrolled in nursing studies at the University of Toronto. She was set to graduate in March.

"One of the reasons she wanted to take medicine is because she wanted to take care of her mother," Lim Taing said.

Taing said his granddaughter was an "extraordinary child" who respected her parents deeply. She was so studious she would even avoid dating, he added.

Only recently, Lim Taing had been bragging to friends about his granddaughter, he said, expressing pride in her achievements. Days later, Christine and her parents were returning home from visiting a local temple when the BMW slammed into their car.

"(Pho) told me that he completely didn't see it coming," Lim Taing said.

When Pho awoke in the hospital, he didn't know his wife and child had died, Lim Taing said. On Sunday, he insisted on leaving the hospital to see them and only then did he learn of their passing, Taing said.

Lim Taing said he feels "only pain" when thinking of the tragedy. As for the other driver, he said his fate is now for to the courts to decide.

"Why (drive) like that? Why 200 kilometres an hour?" he asked, grimacing in anguish. "It's too much."

Luskin faces three counts of impaired driving causing death, three counts of criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide a breath sample.

On Tuesday morning, the Russian immigrant appeared in court wearing a white bandage around his left hand, with visible scrapes along the right side of his head. He was remanded in custody until Oct. 30, when he will return to court to set a date for a bail hearing.

Luskin has faced other charges in the past and in 2007, he was charged with failing to provide a breathalyser sample, possessing tools for the purpose of forgery and fraud, and a court order violation. The charges were stayed or withdrawn, although the record did not state why.

That same year, Luskin also pleaded guilty to five charges related to the placing of an electronic information "skimmer" on an ATM at a Kingston Scotiabank branch, according to a story in The Kingston Whig-Standard. He was given a six-month conditional sentence to be served in the community.

With files from Brendan Kennedy, John Goddard, Denise Balkissoon, Rosie DiManno and Jesse McLean

Cancer survivor among 3 killed in horrific crash

BMW doing 200 km/h on Finch Ave.

Mon Oct 19 2009
Carola Vyhnak and Thandiwe Vela
Staff Reporters
The Star (Toronto, Canada)

Forty-four-year-old Hon To appeared to be winning her two-year battle with bone marrow cancer. Her 24-year-old daughter, Khan (Christine) Taing, who was helping nurse her back to health, was poised to reach her goal of becoming a nurse.

Returning home from prayers at their local temple late Saturday night, the two women were killed in a horrendous car crash on Finch Ave. W. at Tobermory Dr., victims of a suspected drunk driver who police estimate was travelling at 200 km/h in his BMW in a posted 60 km/h zone.

Moments before the impact, the westbound BMW flew past a police cruiser heading east on Finch, said Sgt. Tim Burrows of Traffic Services, adding the officers saw the crash in their rear-view mirror.

According to the officers, Burrows said, the BMW was "out of control."

After slicing the Honda Odyssey minivan in half, the BMW travelled another 100 metres or so, police said, coming to rest near a bus shelter and close to the foot of a sign warning motorists of a pedestrian crossing ahead.

A female friend who was a passenger in the family's minivan driven by To's husband, Pho Taing, was also pronounced dead at the scene.

A fourth passenger, a woman in her 30s, was in critical condition in hospital.

The 21-year-old driver of the BMW, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, was charged with three counts of impaired driving causing death, three counts of criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide a breath sample.

Seasoned investigators were stunned by the wreckage from the impact, which tore the minivan apart, throwing the three victims from the eastbound vehicle as it attempted to turn left onto Tobermory Dr. from Finch.

"Everything is lost," To's grief-stricken brother-in-law, Yun Ho, said at Sunnybrook Hospital, where Taing, 43, was grappling with the loss of his wife and daughter while being treated for serious injuries.

"He is in a deep depression now. He keeps crying all the time. I am heartbroken for so many people," Ho said.

Things had been looking up for the family, which came to Canada from Cambodia more than 10 years ago, he said.

To, who was diagnosed with cancer two years ago, had already lived beyond doctors' expectations.

"Now she was much better, her condition was getting better recently," Ho said, recalling how her husband had quit his job as a factory worker to look after her.

"She could walk slowly without help."

The couple's daughter was in her last year of nursing studies at the University of Toronto, said Ho.

"She was still young and just about to start work in her profession, almost reaching her goal and now it's all gone."

Christine was "very sweet, very hard-working, a great girl" who spent all her time studying, caring for her mother or working at part-time jobs to pay her tuition and help support the family. They often went to a nearby temple to pray with other members of the community, he said.

"They were very friendly. They would get together to pray and share their love and caring for each other."

Taing usually drove friends and family members there to worship. He had dropped off another relative at her home just before the crash, Ho said.

While the extent of Taing's injuries was still unclear Sunday evening, Ho said he had a broken collarbone and was experiencing chest pains.

Ho shook his head in bewilderment over the tragedy.

"He (Taing) is not a drinker. He never drinks. We only drink tea and coffee."

Jenny To, one of a large group of friends and family members gathered at the hospital, said Christine was "a bit of a social butterfly."

"Any time we felt lonely we would just call each other," she said.

The destruction caused by the collision shocked police, who said it was the kind seen occasionally on highways but not on a Toronto street.

Hours after the collision, the front of the minivan lay on grass between the sidewalk and road, wires and metal protruding from its open end.

Firefighters at the scene cut one piece of the van apart and removed its contents.

"All in all, this was an absolutely atrocious night on our roadways," Burrows said, adding that at least half a dozen other drivers were arrested for drinking and driving offences.

"Drinking and driving is a no-brain issue," Burrows said. "Once you've added alcohol to your system, driving should be out of the equation."

With files from Stephen Smysnuik and The Canadian Press

Alcohol suspected in high-speed crash that killed 3 [Cambodian-Canadians]

Three people are dead after a BMW with a suspected drunk driver at the wheel crashed into a minivan on Finch Ave. W. at Tobermory Dr. (Oct. 17, 2009) (Photo: DAVID COOPER/TORONTO STAR)

Police estimate car was travelling at 200 km/h

Sun Oct 18 2009
Carola Vhynak and Thandiwe Vela
Staff Reporters
Toronto Star (Ontario, Canada)

A family originally from Cambodia was returning home from temple late Saturday when a BMW, going up to 200 km/h with a suspected drunk driver at the wheel, hurtled into their minivan, cracking it in half and killing three people.

Hon To, 44, and her 24-year-old daughter Khan (Christine) Taing were pronounced dead at the scene of the horrific crash just before midnight on Finch Ave. W. at Tobermory Dr., said family member Yun Ho.

Taing was studying nursing at the University of Toronto, he added.

The other minivan passenger pronounced dead at the scene was a female family friend and fellow worshipper about to be dropped off at her home, Ho said.

To's husband, Pho Taing, 43, is in hospital in critical condition, as is a fifth passenger of the Honda Odyssey, a woman. Police said this afternoon that one of them is in "grave" condition while the other suffered less serious injuries, but wouldn't identify them.

The three dead were all thrown from the cracked-open minivan. Traffic officers were stunned by the wreckage, saying it's the kind of destruction seen occasionally on highways but not on a Toronto street. The van was turning when it was hit.

Jenny To, a friend of the 24-year-old victim, told the Star this afternoon that Taing was a "social butterfly."

"Any time we felt lonely we would call each other," she said.

The 21-year-old driver of the BMW suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is in police custody in hospital. Police say he will be charged in the crash.

Moments before the impact, the westbound BMW flew past a police cruiser heading east on Finch, said Sgt. Tim Burrows of Traffic Services. The officers witnessed the crash in their rear view mirror, he added.

The BMW was "out of control" and continued about 100 metres after smashing the minivan in two, Burrows said.

Police believe the BMW's driver had been drinking. The man has been investigated for drinking and driving in the past, Burrows said, though he could not confirm any prior convictions.

"All in all, this was an absolutely atrocious night on our roadways," Burrows said, adding that at least half a dozen other drivers were arrested for drinking and driving offences.

"Drinking and driving is a no-brain issue," Burrows said. "Once you've added alcohol to your system, driving should be out of the equation."

This afternoon, the front of the minivan lay on grass between the sidewalk and road, wires and metal protruding from its open end. Firefighters cut one piece of the van apart, removing its contents.

Finch was closed between Sentinel Rd. and Driftwood Ave. as police investigated.

With files from Stephen Smysnuik and The Canadian Press

Call to provide help to Khmer Krom Monk Tim Sakhorn

15 August 2007
By Moeung Tum
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

A meeting held by members of Committee No. 4 of the Cambodian National Assembly to discuss on a plan to visit former Monk Tim Sakhorn in his jail cell in Vietnam, took place one day after numerous Khmer Krom people have agreed with the Khmer Kampuchea facilitating committee to issue an official joint statement, on 13 August, addressed to the Royal Cambodian Government, the Cambodian supreme patriarch (Tep Vong), Cambodian government ministers involved with local and international civil society affairs, asking them to help intervene to find legal justice for Monk Tim Sakhorn.

The Khmer Kampuchea Krom facilitating committee in the world views and considers the actions taken by the Cambodian and Vietnamese governments which defrocked Monk Tim Sakhorn by force, deported him by force to Vietnam, and arrested and jailed in Vietnam, are illegal actions both from laymen and from Buddhism point of views.

Cambodian-Canadians call for pressure on the Vietnamese government
The Alliance of Cambodians in Canada which includes representatives from Buddhist associations and organizations, civil society organizations regrouping 12 organizations in Canada, has cooperated to issue a statement date 14 August calling the International community to exert pressure on the Vietnamese government, forcing it to unconditionally agree to the release and the dismissal of charges brought against Monk Tim Sakhorn, and forcing it to guarantee the safety of Monk Tim Sakhorn, as well as his return back to Cambodia.

The Alliance of Cambodians in Canada is concerned by the actions taken by the Cambodian and Vietnamese authorities in the case of Monk Tim Sakhorn. The Alliance considers these actions as a threat and an intimidation on Cambodian monks and Cambodian people so that they are scared to practice their freedom rights and their religious freedom rights which are protected by national and international treaties.

Khmer Krom in Australia plan to hold a demonstration to demand the release of Monk Tim Sakhorn

In Australia, Khmer Krom people living there plan to hold a demonstration tomorrow, in front of the Vietnamese embassy in order to demand the release of former Monk Tim Sakhorn.

The demonstration is planned to take place in Canberra, on Thursday, with the participation of Mr. Thach Ngoc Thach, the leader of the Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF) who is currently visiting Australia to seek for intervention help to exert pressure on the Vietnamese regime so that it releases Monk Tim Sakhorn.

Thach Ngoc Thach said: “On 16 August, our Khmer Krom brothers and sisters, as well as our Cambodian brothers and sisters will demonstrate in Canberra, Australia, in front of the Vietnamese embassy. This is a plan set up by KKF because I have to attend a meeting in Sydney on Saturday and Sunday, the demonstration was organized on Thursday, one day before the agreed upon date. Demonstration will be held in Cambodia and in Washington DC on 17 August, and the demonstration in France will take place on 19 August. One week later, a demonstration will also be held in Ottawa, Canada.”

Up until now, no Vietnamese embassy officials have reacted to the demonstration plans organized by Khmer Krom people all over the world.