Showing posts with label Lowell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lowell. Show all posts
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Monday, April 16, 2012
Lowell Cambodia Town Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
The following video is from the historic Lowell Cambodia Town Ribbon Cutting Ceremony that took place on April 15, 2012 at Clemente Park, Lowell, Massachusetts. The video was taken by Khmerican staff photographer Kenith Oun. (Copyright Khmerican 2012).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3G4u-NALF8
Sunday, April 15, 2012
New Video: New Year Reception for Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy
New Video: A New Year Reception for Hon. Sam Rainsy, Member of Parliament in Cambodia, Opposition Leader, President of the Sam Rainsy Party, Former Minister of Finance and Economics, and son of the late Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Sam Sary, in Lowell, Massachusetts United Staes of America, Saturday the 1st Waning Moon of Citta B.E.2555, April 7, A.D.2012 Year of the Rabbit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRodQwzdcw8
Thank you for watching.
Templenews TV
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
An Exclusive Interview with Hon. Sam Rainsy on Cambodia
An Exclusive Interview with Hon. Sam Rainsy on the current political situation, rights to publish and receive news, human and religious rights in Cambodia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPBez01nQzI
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Sunday, February 05, 2012
In Lowell, true Cambodian fare
February 05, 2012
By Kathleen Pierce
Boston Globe Correspondent
By Kathleen Pierce
Boston Globe Correspondent
Simply Khmer
26 Lincoln St., Lowell
978-454-6700
Open daily, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
All major credit cards accepted
Handicapped accessible
Living in Lowell, the question often arises: “Where should I go for Cambodian food?’’ Until now I’ve not had a surefire answer. The city is awash in Southeast Asian restaurants that lump Cambodian cuisine with Vietnamese, Thai, and Laotian. A true Cambodian restaurant that doesn’t serve pad Thai or pho takes some sleuthing.
On a tip from a gallery owner, I visited Simply Khmer and found my answer. Flavorful soup, perfectly wrapped nam chow, endless pots of jasmine tea, and the savory, sweet and sour essence of this faraway land come into play with each freshly prepared dish. It’s been a while since a meal was this invigorating.
Tucked away on Lincoln Street, between downtown and the Highlands neighborhood, Simply Khmer is not suffering from its off-the-grid location.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Century old tradition lives on through Lowell volunteers
By Dahnie Tran
Originally posted at http://bit.ly/lowell-water-festival
LOWELL, MA – Once a major American industrial center in the 19th century is now home to one of the largest Cambodian populations in the world and the host of a century old Southeast Asian tradition. The Water Festival or Bonn Om Touk in the Khmer language celebrates the significance of water as a source of food, transportation and livelihood. In Cambodia the festival marks the reversal of the Tonle Sap River, which kick starts the end of the rainy season and the start of the fishing season. But in Lowell, the festival is packed with cultural activities, music entertainment and boat racing. The 15th Annual Lowell Water Festival will be held on Saturday, August 20th from 10 AM to 4 PM.
Organized by the Southeast Asian Water Festival (SEAWF), the full day event has been hosted in Lowell for 14 years. The event brings not only Cambodians but the larger Southeast Asian American communities together. Starting in 1997, Samkhann Khoeun, then Executive Director of the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (CMAA), spearheaded the movement to bring the event to the community. It became such a success that by 2002 it had expanded to include other Southeast Asian communities, namely Lao, Burmese, Vietnamese and Thais. The event symbolized the unity of Lowell’s rich ethnic diversity.
The SEAWF is celebrated every third Saturday in August, unlike Cambodia, which annually celebrates the festival for three days in early November. An estimated 50,000 to 60,000 people from all over America and even from other countries come to take part in the festivities, which include the monks’ blessings, Southeast Asian cuisine, one-of-a-kind arts and crafts, performances such as traditional dances to modern musical routines and the highly anticipated boat races.
Thursday, April 07, 2011
‘Little Cambodia’ Under Development in Lowell
 |
| Bernard Lynch, far left, Lowell city manager, and five other city officials addressed about 100 Cambodians to ask for their participation in the project. (Photo: by Pin Sisovann) |
Lowell, Massachusetts Wednesday, 06 April 2011
“I’m delighted with the city plan and the fact that they came to listen to our ideas."
Cambodia-Americans in Lowell, Mass., are working with city officials to develop a “Little Cambodia,” which they hope will improve businesses and bring more jobs.
On March 31, representatives of the city met with members of the Cambodian community to present an idea for an area that would include businesses, an association and other services.
Suggested names for the area include “Little Cambodia in Lowell,” “Khmer Town in Lowell,” or “Khmer Cultural Village in Lowell.”
Bernard Lynch, Lowell city manager, and five other city officials addressed about 100 Cambodians to ask for their participation in the project.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Sadi Thann first Cambodian Miss. Massachusetts contestant: Good Luck, Sadi! We are VERY proud of you!
 |
| Courtesy Sadi Thann |
November 11, 2010
By Simone Shenney
DailyCollegian.com (U. Mass., USA)
As most college students do, Sadi Thann was struggling to find ways to pay for college. One day in early September, Thann was researching scholarships and found herself looking into the Miss Universe Pageant.
Before long, Thann was accepted. The 21-year-old University of Massachusetts senior will compete in the 2011 Miss Massachusetts Pageant on Nov. 26-28 at Lowell Memorial Auditorium as the first 100 percent Cambodian woman, and the first ever UMass student, to compete in the pageant.
“I was having a bad day, and I realized there were very few Cambodians in the pageant. It’s time for one of us to be in it,” said Thann.
The primary application was simple, requiring a headshot or photo. “There are a lot of myths of who can’t be in a pageant; for example, you have to be tall, ten out of ten in a bathing suit, or a certain age and weight. Pageants rate you on who you are as an overall woman,” Thann said.
Eva Longoria started her career in a pageant and is only 5’1’’, Thann noted.
Thann was born in Cambodia and was rescued from a refugee camp in Thailand when she was just an infant. She eventually found a home in Amherst, Mass. where her adoptive parents live.
The pageant will be held in Lowell, Mass., which happens to have the second largest Cambodian population in the country.
The first day of the competition is the interview. The judges learn about the success and talents of the delegates, and focus on the women’s poise and communication.
The second day is the swimsuit competition. The judges focus on self-confidence and the beauty of the women’s face, body and overall physical fitness.
The third and final day is the evening gown competition. The women choose a gown, and the judges focus on the ladies’ self-confidence and the beauty they bring forth. Overall, the judges will be looking for women who can be role models and learn from a year in a position of leadership.
In the time leading up to the pageant Thann has a lot of preparing to do. She hired a personal trainer to get in shape and has made appointments with pageant “gurus.”
Some of Thann’s interests are dancing, fishing, camping, hiking and knitting. Thann volunteered at the Survival Center in Amherst and the Series Community Center. She is also part of Project 2050 and has been since age 11. She was also a dancer on her high school dance team.
Currently, she is involved in the Cambodian Students Association and will be participating in community service activities leading up to the pageant. If she were to be crowned, there would be a lot more charity work to do. She would have to take a semester off and she would also move onto the Miss USA pageant.
Thann’s two sponsors for the pageant are bastardfishing.com and Hypnosis Works.
A legal studies major as well as BDIC for Class, Gender and Sexuality, Thann wants to become a professor – but if she is successful in the pageant, she said that she might pursue a career as a television hostess.
Thann, who has no prior background in pageants, plans to compete again if she does not make it this time.
Simone Shenny can be reached at sshenny@student.umass.edu.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Lowell hopes to put ‘Little Cambodia’ on the map
Chi Kong (left) and Vong Choum said a blessing last month before a meal at Lowell’s Glory Buddhist Temple. (Erik Jacobs for The Boston Globe)Campaign would promote ethnic quarter as tourist destination
February 15, 2010
By Sarah Schweitzer
Boston Globe Staff
LOWELL - In this city, long a magnet for immigrants, the Cambodian neighborhood has been just one more ethnic quarter, a place where, like the Irish and Dominicans before them, Cambodians labored to navigate the ways of American life.
But with Lowell’s Cambodians numbering more than 20,000, the second-largest Cambodian population in the United States after Long Beach, Calif., city officials have begun to wonder whether they are overlooking a cultural commodity. Working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the city is exploring ways to make the neighborhood a tourist destination, mimicking the successes of Boston’s North End and Chinatown.
“When you think of Boston’s North End, it’s known, you get that feeling of another world. You get that when you go into Chinatown,’’ said Bernie Lynch, Lowell’s city manager. “The same could be done here.’’
Authenticity would be the draw, Lynch and others say. After 30 years of Cambodian influx, the Lower Highlands neighborhood is a vital community. It is a place where the likeness of Apsara, a fabled dancing spirit bedecked in jeweled headdress, hangs on shop walls, and where the elaborate script of the Cambodian language, Khmer, is ubiquitous. Clemente Park, where Cambodians play fierce volleyball games, is now also known as Pailin Park, in refer ence to the Cambodian province where legend holds that rain washed diamonds down the mountainsides.
City officials are considering a number of ideas to boost the neighborhood’s public profile, including the building of an arched entrance, a la Boston’s Chinatown; placing signs on highways pointing visitors to the neighborhood; giving the area a name like Little Cambodia; decorating lampposts with banners showing Cambodian themes, such as the silhouetted figure of a boy flying a kite; and sponsoring additional festivals and fairs. (The city hosts an annual Southeast Asian Water Festival in August.)
City officials are concerned about dressing up the neighborhood so much that it loses the authenticity that makes it attractive.
“What I don’t want to do is create something that is created for the purpose of just being a tourist zone,’’ said George Proakis, the former city planner who spearheaded the branding move. “We don’t want to turn it into a Disney-fied version.’’
Many Cambodians, though, are enthused without reservation.
“Long Beach has one,’’ said Vanny Ngor, owner of the Red Rose restaurant, referring to the strip of Anaheim Street in Long Beach designated Cambodia Town in 2007. “We need our East Coast version of it.’’
Pailin Plaza could be a natural destination for tourists, said Sayon Soeun, executive director of Light of Cambodian Children Inc., a nonprofit that provides after-school programs.
“There are signs pointing to the Tsongas Arena, to UMass Lowell,’’ he said. “There should be a sign pointing visitors to Pailin Plaza’’ as a hub of Cambodian culture.
Cambodians began arriving in significant numbers in Lowell in the early 1980s soon after the collapse of the despotic Khmer Rouge regime. Lowell was one of dozens of American cities that received funding to resettle Cambodians, taking in about 2,000, said Martha Mayo, director of UMass Lowell’s Center for Lowell History.
Others followed, drawn by manufacturing jobs. Also important was the early opening of a Buddhist temple and ample and affordable housing in neighborhoods such as the Lower Highlands.
“You’d see women wearing sarongs and flip-flops coming out of grocery stores carrying 25-pound bags of rice,’’ said George Chigas, a political science professor at UMass Lowell who formerly headed the Cambodian Genocide Program at Yale University.
Lowell’s Cambodians have shed traditional wear but for some English remains a second language, and a visit to Pailin Plaza, a red-roofed strip mall considered the focal point of the Lower Highlands, is an experience in cultural immersion.
Popular videos at a Cambodian import store are montages of the Cambodian countryside, lush rice fields fringed by palm trees - wistful reminders of a country left behind. The last-minute pickup items banked near the grocery store’s checkout counters are not Snickers bars or Cheerios, but boiled peanuts, shrimp snacks, baby duck eggs, and sticky rice pouches wrapped in banana leaves. The breakfast and lunch of choice for many at the Red Rose is noodle soup, slurped while Cambodian karaoke plays on a flat-screen television.
Along with worrying about maintaining authenticity, city officials are also concerned about offending other ethnic groups who live in the Lower Highlands, including Thais, Dominicans, Sierra Leoneans, and Laotians, such as Dayle Khamvongsa, who operates a convenience store. Khamvongsa said that while he doesn’t oppose a Cambodian district, he would prefer a more inclusive one that also highlights the neighborhood’s other Southeast Asians.
“To designate it as only Cambodia seems a little unfair,’’ Khamvongsa said.
City officials say all ideas are up for consideration.
“If we can give this neighborhood a special identity, it will help promote the city,’’ Lynch said. “Done right, this could give the city a whole other area in our promotions.’’
But with Lowell’s Cambodians numbering more than 20,000, the second-largest Cambodian population in the United States after Long Beach, Calif., city officials have begun to wonder whether they are overlooking a cultural commodity. Working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the city is exploring ways to make the neighborhood a tourist destination, mimicking the successes of Boston’s North End and Chinatown.
“When you think of Boston’s North End, it’s known, you get that feeling of another world. You get that when you go into Chinatown,’’ said Bernie Lynch, Lowell’s city manager. “The same could be done here.’’
Authenticity would be the draw, Lynch and others say. After 30 years of Cambodian influx, the Lower Highlands neighborhood is a vital community. It is a place where the likeness of Apsara, a fabled dancing spirit bedecked in jeweled headdress, hangs on shop walls, and where the elaborate script of the Cambodian language, Khmer, is ubiquitous. Clemente Park, where Cambodians play fierce volleyball games, is now also known as Pailin Park, in refer ence to the Cambodian province where legend holds that rain washed diamonds down the mountainsides.
City officials are considering a number of ideas to boost the neighborhood’s public profile, including the building of an arched entrance, a la Boston’s Chinatown; placing signs on highways pointing visitors to the neighborhood; giving the area a name like Little Cambodia; decorating lampposts with banners showing Cambodian themes, such as the silhouetted figure of a boy flying a kite; and sponsoring additional festivals and fairs. (The city hosts an annual Southeast Asian Water Festival in August.)
City officials are concerned about dressing up the neighborhood so much that it loses the authenticity that makes it attractive.
“What I don’t want to do is create something that is created for the purpose of just being a tourist zone,’’ said George Proakis, the former city planner who spearheaded the branding move. “We don’t want to turn it into a Disney-fied version.’’
Many Cambodians, though, are enthused without reservation.
“Long Beach has one,’’ said Vanny Ngor, owner of the Red Rose restaurant, referring to the strip of Anaheim Street in Long Beach designated Cambodia Town in 2007. “We need our East Coast version of it.’’
Pailin Plaza could be a natural destination for tourists, said Sayon Soeun, executive director of Light of Cambodian Children Inc., a nonprofit that provides after-school programs.
“There are signs pointing to the Tsongas Arena, to UMass Lowell,’’ he said. “There should be a sign pointing visitors to Pailin Plaza’’ as a hub of Cambodian culture.
Cambodians began arriving in significant numbers in Lowell in the early 1980s soon after the collapse of the despotic Khmer Rouge regime. Lowell was one of dozens of American cities that received funding to resettle Cambodians, taking in about 2,000, said Martha Mayo, director of UMass Lowell’s Center for Lowell History.
Others followed, drawn by manufacturing jobs. Also important was the early opening of a Buddhist temple and ample and affordable housing in neighborhoods such as the Lower Highlands.
“You’d see women wearing sarongs and flip-flops coming out of grocery stores carrying 25-pound bags of rice,’’ said George Chigas, a political science professor at UMass Lowell who formerly headed the Cambodian Genocide Program at Yale University.
Lowell’s Cambodians have shed traditional wear but for some English remains a second language, and a visit to Pailin Plaza, a red-roofed strip mall considered the focal point of the Lower Highlands, is an experience in cultural immersion.
Popular videos at a Cambodian import store are montages of the Cambodian countryside, lush rice fields fringed by palm trees - wistful reminders of a country left behind. The last-minute pickup items banked near the grocery store’s checkout counters are not Snickers bars or Cheerios, but boiled peanuts, shrimp snacks, baby duck eggs, and sticky rice pouches wrapped in banana leaves. The breakfast and lunch of choice for many at the Red Rose is noodle soup, slurped while Cambodian karaoke plays on a flat-screen television.
Along with worrying about maintaining authenticity, city officials are also concerned about offending other ethnic groups who live in the Lower Highlands, including Thais, Dominicans, Sierra Leoneans, and Laotians, such as Dayle Khamvongsa, who operates a convenience store. Khamvongsa said that while he doesn’t oppose a Cambodian district, he would prefer a more inclusive one that also highlights the neighborhood’s other Southeast Asians.
“To designate it as only Cambodia seems a little unfair,’’ Khamvongsa said.
City officials say all ideas are up for consideration.
“If we can give this neighborhood a special identity, it will help promote the city,’’ Lynch said. “Done right, this could give the city a whole other area in our promotions.’’
Friday, August 14, 2009
US-Cambodians Ready for August Festivals
By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
13 August 2009
Original report from Washington
13 August 2009
Cambodians in the US should mark their calendars for Aug. 15, no matter where they are, with events planned on the east and west coasts.
Cambodians are preparing for a forum on cultural, civilization and social issues to be held Aug. 15 in Takoma, Washington, aimed at building solidarity, relationships and a chance to exchange experiences among Cambodians in the US.
Organizers expect many participants from neighboring states, along with Washington state lawmakers, and they plan to have several guest speakers knowledgeable in religion, culture, tradition, education, law, history and deportation issues.
One of those guest speakers, Ros Darachan, said she was planning to discuss parenting skills, which can be quite different between the US and Cambodia.
Cambodian parents usually advise their children to respect their siblings, parents and elders and to speak morally, while they rarely show love to their children, worrying they may misbehave, she said.
“American parents like to encourage and show love to their children, so that children will show love back to their parents,” she said.
The Cambodian cultural forum will also present a photo slideshow of Cambodian traditions, such as the delivery of a child, first-year baby photos, and wedding and funeral ceremonies.
Washington state has the third-largest population of Cambodians, after California and Massachusetts.
“We hope and believe that all our brothers and sisters will learn from each other, understand each other and travel into the future together, with strong solidarity and a good alliance,” Yon Saray, a participant in the forum, said.
Meanwhile, the Cambodian community in Lowell, Mass., plans to have its own festivities Aug. 15, with a boat festival that has been running since 1997. The festival will include exhibitions, classical dance and traditional modeling.
The Lowell boat festival sees participants of many nationalities, with competitors from Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and the US joining the Cambodian hosts. But while participants and onlookers from many states usually attend, Cambodia has failed in recent years to field any boats. Many people say this is because of a lack of care.
Cambodians are preparing for a forum on cultural, civilization and social issues to be held Aug. 15 in Takoma, Washington, aimed at building solidarity, relationships and a chance to exchange experiences among Cambodians in the US.
Organizers expect many participants from neighboring states, along with Washington state lawmakers, and they plan to have several guest speakers knowledgeable in religion, culture, tradition, education, law, history and deportation issues.
One of those guest speakers, Ros Darachan, said she was planning to discuss parenting skills, which can be quite different between the US and Cambodia.
Cambodian parents usually advise their children to respect their siblings, parents and elders and to speak morally, while they rarely show love to their children, worrying they may misbehave, she said.
“American parents like to encourage and show love to their children, so that children will show love back to their parents,” she said.
The Cambodian cultural forum will also present a photo slideshow of Cambodian traditions, such as the delivery of a child, first-year baby photos, and wedding and funeral ceremonies.
Washington state has the third-largest population of Cambodians, after California and Massachusetts.
“We hope and believe that all our brothers and sisters will learn from each other, understand each other and travel into the future together, with strong solidarity and a good alliance,” Yon Saray, a participant in the forum, said.
Meanwhile, the Cambodian community in Lowell, Mass., plans to have its own festivities Aug. 15, with a boat festival that has been running since 1997. The festival will include exhibitions, classical dance and traditional modeling.
The Lowell boat festival sees participants of many nationalities, with competitors from Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and the US joining the Cambodian hosts. But while participants and onlookers from many states usually attend, Cambodia has failed in recent years to field any boats. Many people say this is because of a lack of care.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Shooting of US-Cambodian Teen Angers a Town
By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer Original report from Washington
21 May 2009
The shooting death of a Cambodian-American girl last week in Lowell, Mass., has caused one community to demand prevention of violence in the future.
Choeun Tavaryna, a 17-year-old high school student, was shot while driving in a car, in what police say was an attempt to kill the driver in gang-related violence.
The United Teen Equality Centre on Tuesday prepared a rally to commemorate the victim’s death at Lowell City Hall.
“Young kids really put it together, to really speak out against the violence that happened last week,” Cregg Croteau, executive director of UTEC told VOA by phone on Tuesday. “We got a young girl, Tavaryna, 17 years old, shot and killed and she was left at the side of the road. So young people will stand up and speak out, that this is considered something that is not OK to have in the community.”
Choeun Tavaryna, a Lawrence high school student, was shot to death by a suspected gang member while she was riding in the front seat of a car with two friends, a male and a female, around the night of May 12.
The attorney general of Middlesex district, Gerry Leone, was quoted by the local media saying that her male friend, who drove the car, had a gang conflict with the alleged perpetrator.
The shot was aimed at the driver but hit the girl when the other vehicle occupants ducked, according to media reports. The police found Choeun Tavaryna’s body at 10: 14 pm, after her friends reportedly pushed her out of the car.
Three days after the shooting, Lowell police arrested a suspect, Ron Srey, 25, at a friend’s home.
Lowell has seen armed violence on the streets in the past, due to gangs and the drug trade.
Cregg said his center and the police are trying to establish programs to prevent young people from being swept up in street violence among gangs.
Vong Ross, president of the Cambodian Mutual Assistant Association, in Lowell, said he had seen similar shootings five or six times already.
In order to prevent violence, his group plans to ask for financial support from the government to create programs to draw youths away from gangs.
“Sometimes we can use knowledge together,” he said. “OK, you know you want to create a computer program, OK, now we can help each other create a Web site to teach other young people.”
Skills of one can be transferred to another, but there has to be incentive, he said.
“If they do their work, we should give them some pay for their work, $7 to $8, then the kids will come to work and stay away from the gangs,” he said.
His association is also preparing a commemoration ceremony for Choeun Tavaryna on June 6.
Choeun Tavaryna, a 17-year-old high school student, was shot while driving in a car, in what police say was an attempt to kill the driver in gang-related violence.
The United Teen Equality Centre on Tuesday prepared a rally to commemorate the victim’s death at Lowell City Hall.
“Young kids really put it together, to really speak out against the violence that happened last week,” Cregg Croteau, executive director of UTEC told VOA by phone on Tuesday. “We got a young girl, Tavaryna, 17 years old, shot and killed and she was left at the side of the road. So young people will stand up and speak out, that this is considered something that is not OK to have in the community.”
Choeun Tavaryna, a Lawrence high school student, was shot to death by a suspected gang member while she was riding in the front seat of a car with two friends, a male and a female, around the night of May 12.
The attorney general of Middlesex district, Gerry Leone, was quoted by the local media saying that her male friend, who drove the car, had a gang conflict with the alleged perpetrator.
The shot was aimed at the driver but hit the girl when the other vehicle occupants ducked, according to media reports. The police found Choeun Tavaryna’s body at 10: 14 pm, after her friends reportedly pushed her out of the car.
Three days after the shooting, Lowell police arrested a suspect, Ron Srey, 25, at a friend’s home.
Lowell has seen armed violence on the streets in the past, due to gangs and the drug trade.
Cregg said his center and the police are trying to establish programs to prevent young people from being swept up in street violence among gangs.
Vong Ross, president of the Cambodian Mutual Assistant Association, in Lowell, said he had seen similar shootings five or six times already.
In order to prevent violence, his group plans to ask for financial support from the government to create programs to draw youths away from gangs.
“Sometimes we can use knowledge together,” he said. “OK, you know you want to create a computer program, OK, now we can help each other create a Web site to teach other young people.”
Skills of one can be transferred to another, but there has to be incentive, he said.
“If they do their work, we should give them some pay for their work, $7 to $8, then the kids will come to work and stay away from the gangs,” he said.
His association is also preparing a commemoration ceremony for Choeun Tavaryna on June 6.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Lawrence teen, 17, shot in Lowell, dies
Tavaryna Choeun, 17 - Paul Bilodeau / Courtesy photoMay 14, 2009
By Bill Kirk
bkirk@eagletribune.com
The Eagle Tribune (North Andover, Massachusetts, USA)
LOWELL — A Lawrence teen who was shot and pushed out of a car on a street in Lowell Tuesday night died early this morning, her family told The Eagle-Tribune today.
Tavaryna Choeun, 17, who lived with her family at 184 Abbott St. before moving out of the house several months ago, was shot in the back of the head by unknown assailants, her body dropped on the side of Suffolk Street where she was found by Lowell police at 10:16 p.m. Tuesday.
She was taken to Lahey Clinic in Burlington and was on life support before succumbing to her injuries at 2 a.m. this morning, said her mother, Sophal Choeun, 45.
"I pray to God they find who did this to my daughter," said Choeun, a Cambodian immigrant who lives with her family, including three other children and her mother on the second floor of an Abbott Street multi-family house.
"I'll go see her in Boston today at 1 p.m.," she said quietly, her children and mother sitting by her side.
Choeun said her daughter had never been in trouble, and Lawrence Police Chief John Romero confirmed yesterday that she had never been arrested in Lawrence.
However, she said her oldest daughter was in the custody of the Department of Social Services because she kept dropping out of school.
"I didn't want her to drop out," she said.
The victim's sister, Maryanne Choeun, 18, said Tavaryna had dropped out of Lawrence High School in her freshman year and was a chronic runaway. She had run away from her foster home and was most recently living with her boyfriend in Lowell, a 20-year-old man, she said.
Tavaryna's father lives in California and is traveling in Cambodia, Maryanne Choeun said.
Aside from her mother and sister Maryanne, Tavaryna has a younger sister, Susan, 16, and brother, Peter, 7, and grandmother, Chy.
Maryanne Choeun told the Lowell Sun she hadn't talked to her sister in several months, but that she is a shy and quiet girl, who had no enemies and no problems with her boyfriend.
"We just want to know who did it," Maryanne Choeun said. "I can't believe they did this kind of stuff to my sister."
Lowell Police Capt. James McPadden said the investigation is ongoing and is being handled by District Attorney Gerard Leone's office.
A spokesman for Leone, Corey Welford, could not be reached for comment this morning.
Anyone with information is asked to call Lowell police at (978) 937-3200 or Crimestoppers at (978) 459-TIPS (8477). Callers may remain anonymous, but can receive up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.
Tavaryna Choeun, 17, who lived with her family at 184 Abbott St. before moving out of the house several months ago, was shot in the back of the head by unknown assailants, her body dropped on the side of Suffolk Street where she was found by Lowell police at 10:16 p.m. Tuesday.
She was taken to Lahey Clinic in Burlington and was on life support before succumbing to her injuries at 2 a.m. this morning, said her mother, Sophal Choeun, 45.
"I pray to God they find who did this to my daughter," said Choeun, a Cambodian immigrant who lives with her family, including three other children and her mother on the second floor of an Abbott Street multi-family house.
"I'll go see her in Boston today at 1 p.m.," she said quietly, her children and mother sitting by her side.
Choeun said her daughter had never been in trouble, and Lawrence Police Chief John Romero confirmed yesterday that she had never been arrested in Lawrence.
However, she said her oldest daughter was in the custody of the Department of Social Services because she kept dropping out of school.
"I didn't want her to drop out," she said.
The victim's sister, Maryanne Choeun, 18, said Tavaryna had dropped out of Lawrence High School in her freshman year and was a chronic runaway. She had run away from her foster home and was most recently living with her boyfriend in Lowell, a 20-year-old man, she said.
Tavaryna's father lives in California and is traveling in Cambodia, Maryanne Choeun said.
Aside from her mother and sister Maryanne, Tavaryna has a younger sister, Susan, 16, and brother, Peter, 7, and grandmother, Chy.
Maryanne Choeun told the Lowell Sun she hadn't talked to her sister in several months, but that she is a shy and quiet girl, who had no enemies and no problems with her boyfriend.
"We just want to know who did it," Maryanne Choeun said. "I can't believe they did this kind of stuff to my sister."
Lowell Police Capt. James McPadden said the investigation is ongoing and is being handled by District Attorney Gerard Leone's office.
A spokesman for Leone, Corey Welford, could not be reached for comment this morning.
Anyone with information is asked to call Lowell police at (978) 937-3200 or Crimestoppers at (978) 459-TIPS (8477). Callers may remain anonymous, but can receive up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
New Cambodian consulate .. or new CPP-money-making consultants? Ou Sovann the CPP spy in Lowell?
Cambodian consulate office, Lowell, Massachusetts.Opposition Worries Over New Consulate
By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
04 May 2009
With the new consulate in Lowell, Massachusetts, open just a week, opposition party supporters in the US said they were concerned the facility would not provide enough services for Cambodians and could be used instead to serve the ruling party.
Un Sokhom, an activist for the Sam Rainsy Party in Lowell, said the consulate was likely going to be used to open doors for businesses that would earn money for the Cambodian People’s Party.
“The establishment of the Cambodian consulate in Lowell is a chance and to open a door to suck the Cambodian and Cambodian-Americans’ money in order to support the ruling party in Cambodia,” he said.
Visa fees for foreign tourists are $20, business visas $25 and fees for pilots and crew $15. No visa fees are collected from diplomats, non-governmental organization staff, children under 12 and returning Cambodians. The consulate also earns money from passports and certificates of birth, marriage and death.
Un Sokhom said the consul-general, Ou Sovann, who was once a member of the Sam Rainsy Party, could be sending information on opposition supporters back to the CPP.
“Sam Rainsy Party activists both new and old are strongly concerned that Ou Sovann, consul-general, could report about people’s biographies who have political leanings to the opposition party in Cambodia, and he could report about Sam Rainsy’s activists activity in America,” he said.
During the run-up and aftermath of last year’s national election, the Sam Rainsy Party saw a raft of supporters declare allegiance to the CPP, which handily won the election.
Ou Sovann said he would work as consul under guidelines from the Cambodian government, and he denied prejudice of people or political parties.
“I don’t discriminate who is who, or any political party, at all, but only need to complete my duties as an official for Cambodian consulate affairs,” he said.
Another Sam Rainsy Party activist in Lowell, Long Chamreun, told VOA Khmer that he supported the establishment of the Cambodian consulate, but he suggested that the Cambodian consul and the Cambodian ambassador in Washington needed to accept protesters’ demands and report them to the Cambodian government.
“It is good because there are many Cambodian people living” in Lowell, he said. “But we have seen so far that in every protest in front of the Cambodian Embassy in Washington, DC, the Cambodian ambassador has never come out to meet the protesters or brought their appeals and demand letters to the Cambodian leader. I think if they dare to report this, the government in Cambodia would withdraw them from their positions in the US. I think to open this consulate is good so that we can do the protests in the future, because we have full freedom for demonstration.”
Sam Rainsy Party’s president for North America, Chea Kimly, told VOA Khmer that his party does not oppose the Lowell consulate or the defection of Ou Sovann, but he wants to see the new consulate work without political discrimination.
“There is nothing wrong if they really serve the people, but we want to see that service without political discrimination and without service only to some individuals or only one specific political party,” he said.
The Lowell consulate opened April 26, and Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said at the opening ceremony the government hoped to have another, in Long Beach, Calif., in the near future.
Un Sokhom, an activist for the Sam Rainsy Party in Lowell, said the consulate was likely going to be used to open doors for businesses that would earn money for the Cambodian People’s Party.
“The establishment of the Cambodian consulate in Lowell is a chance and to open a door to suck the Cambodian and Cambodian-Americans’ money in order to support the ruling party in Cambodia,” he said.
Visa fees for foreign tourists are $20, business visas $25 and fees for pilots and crew $15. No visa fees are collected from diplomats, non-governmental organization staff, children under 12 and returning Cambodians. The consulate also earns money from passports and certificates of birth, marriage and death.
Un Sokhom said the consul-general, Ou Sovann, who was once a member of the Sam Rainsy Party, could be sending information on opposition supporters back to the CPP.
“Sam Rainsy Party activists both new and old are strongly concerned that Ou Sovann, consul-general, could report about people’s biographies who have political leanings to the opposition party in Cambodia, and he could report about Sam Rainsy’s activists activity in America,” he said.
During the run-up and aftermath of last year’s national election, the Sam Rainsy Party saw a raft of supporters declare allegiance to the CPP, which handily won the election.
Ou Sovann said he would work as consul under guidelines from the Cambodian government, and he denied prejudice of people or political parties.
“I don’t discriminate who is who, or any political party, at all, but only need to complete my duties as an official for Cambodian consulate affairs,” he said.
Another Sam Rainsy Party activist in Lowell, Long Chamreun, told VOA Khmer that he supported the establishment of the Cambodian consulate, but he suggested that the Cambodian consul and the Cambodian ambassador in Washington needed to accept protesters’ demands and report them to the Cambodian government.
“It is good because there are many Cambodian people living” in Lowell, he said. “But we have seen so far that in every protest in front of the Cambodian Embassy in Washington, DC, the Cambodian ambassador has never come out to meet the protesters or brought their appeals and demand letters to the Cambodian leader. I think if they dare to report this, the government in Cambodia would withdraw them from their positions in the US. I think to open this consulate is good so that we can do the protests in the future, because we have full freedom for demonstration.”
Sam Rainsy Party’s president for North America, Chea Kimly, told VOA Khmer that his party does not oppose the Lowell consulate or the defection of Ou Sovann, but he wants to see the new consulate work without political discrimination.
“There is nothing wrong if they really serve the people, but we want to see that service without political discrimination and without service only to some individuals or only one specific political party,” he said.
The Lowell consulate opened April 26, and Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said at the opening ceremony the government hoped to have another, in Long Beach, Calif., in the near future.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
'Shared Suffering' Forum Highlight Trauma, History
By VOA Khmer, Im Sothearith
Original report from Washington
24 December 2008
Original report from Washington
24 December 2008
A "Shared Suffering, Shared Resilience" forum was held in Lowell, Mass., earlier this month, the second of ten such fora to be held targeting Cambodian-Americans, many of whom suffer from post-traumatic stress following experiences under the Khmer Rouge.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is caused by war, terrorism or natural disasters, and affects all nations, communities and individuals,directly or indirectly. In 2005, 162 million people worldwide were subjected to experiences that could lead to PTSD, according to the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress. Nearly 30 percent of Cambodians suffer from the disorder, according to research by the World Health Organization.
The "Shared Suffering" forum in Lowell, held by the Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia, sought to address the issue, and,despite poor weather that caused a change in venue, around 100 people participated.
Dr. Nou Leakhena, founding director of the institute, said her research showed that 33 years after the Khmer Rouge, Cambodian communities still struggle with feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, which lead to damaging behavior such as gambling,alcoholism and domestic violence.
The "Shared Suffering" fora are meant to help Khmer Rouge victims share their experiences and to help prevent future genocides.
"They are a talking testimony of history, and their stories are valuable not only to history, but to policy-makers and lawmakers to ensure this kind of atrocity never happens again," she said. "Not only in the context of Cambodia, but worldwide.
"Teddy Yoshikami, director of program development at the institute,said the forum helped communication and a process of healing.
Victims needed "to communicate more of this story, and all the suffering that happened...and then the healing process begins," she said.
The forum also helps educate Americans about world events and immigrant communities.
"For us, that's important work," said Dr. John Kuo Wei Tchen, founding director of the Asia/Pacific/American studies program at New York University, which supports the forum. "It can educate the American public about ongoing issues, Asian Americans in this country and[reduce] stereotypes of people that we often have.
"The forum can also help as testimony for the Khmer Rouge tribunal, now underway in Cambodia and set for its first trial, of prison chief Duch, next year.
"This is a rare opportunity, in which those who have left Cambodia will have a chance to talk about what happened to them and to give testimony," Tchen said. "So this forum is a way of preparing for the actual testimony that people will be giving at the tribunal.
"Chhan Touch, a Khmer Rouge victim and forum participant, said he was honored to testify so that a younger generation would be aware of Cambodia's history.
"Khmers, both those in the United States and those in Cambodia, need to share," he said. "Khmers in the United States have also been through difficulties under the Khmer Rouge. Although we are now in America, our voices can be heard in Cambodia, so this can be evidence for the Khmer Rouge tribunal.
"Most of the organizers of the forum did not experience the Khmer Rouge, but they remain committed to holding the forum not only for the victims, but to confront a universal problem.
"Well, it's a cultural and moral obligation for me, as a Cambodian woman, as a Cambodian, as a Cambodian academic," Nou Leakhena said."It is my responsibility to use my academic status as a medical sociologist, as a faculty member of a university, to help promote greater understanding about the Khmer Rouge's history as it has impacted our communities.
"Yoshikami, who is Japanese and was born in concentration camp during World War II, said she is well aware of the suffering and denial of rights faced by victims. Her parents, like many Cambodian parents, do not talk about their traumatic experiences, she said.
"When you know the reality of what has been happening, it is so muchmore important now than ever to really begin to support each other globally and to maintain human rights and justice around the world,"she said. "Otherwise, we are going to destroy ourselves.
"The next "Shared Suffering" forum will be held in Portland, Oregon, in June 2009.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is caused by war, terrorism or natural disasters, and affects all nations, communities and individuals,directly or indirectly. In 2005, 162 million people worldwide were subjected to experiences that could lead to PTSD, according to the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress. Nearly 30 percent of Cambodians suffer from the disorder, according to research by the World Health Organization.
The "Shared Suffering" forum in Lowell, held by the Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia, sought to address the issue, and,despite poor weather that caused a change in venue, around 100 people participated.
Dr. Nou Leakhena, founding director of the institute, said her research showed that 33 years after the Khmer Rouge, Cambodian communities still struggle with feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, which lead to damaging behavior such as gambling,alcoholism and domestic violence.
The "Shared Suffering" fora are meant to help Khmer Rouge victims share their experiences and to help prevent future genocides.
"They are a talking testimony of history, and their stories are valuable not only to history, but to policy-makers and lawmakers to ensure this kind of atrocity never happens again," she said. "Not only in the context of Cambodia, but worldwide.
"Teddy Yoshikami, director of program development at the institute,said the forum helped communication and a process of healing.
Victims needed "to communicate more of this story, and all the suffering that happened...and then the healing process begins," she said.
The forum also helps educate Americans about world events and immigrant communities.
"For us, that's important work," said Dr. John Kuo Wei Tchen, founding director of the Asia/Pacific/American studies program at New York University, which supports the forum. "It can educate the American public about ongoing issues, Asian Americans in this country and[reduce] stereotypes of people that we often have.
"The forum can also help as testimony for the Khmer Rouge tribunal, now underway in Cambodia and set for its first trial, of prison chief Duch, next year.
"This is a rare opportunity, in which those who have left Cambodia will have a chance to talk about what happened to them and to give testimony," Tchen said. "So this forum is a way of preparing for the actual testimony that people will be giving at the tribunal.
"Chhan Touch, a Khmer Rouge victim and forum participant, said he was honored to testify so that a younger generation would be aware of Cambodia's history.
"Khmers, both those in the United States and those in Cambodia, need to share," he said. "Khmers in the United States have also been through difficulties under the Khmer Rouge. Although we are now in America, our voices can be heard in Cambodia, so this can be evidence for the Khmer Rouge tribunal.
"Most of the organizers of the forum did not experience the Khmer Rouge, but they remain committed to holding the forum not only for the victims, but to confront a universal problem.
"Well, it's a cultural and moral obligation for me, as a Cambodian woman, as a Cambodian, as a Cambodian academic," Nou Leakhena said."It is my responsibility to use my academic status as a medical sociologist, as a faculty member of a university, to help promote greater understanding about the Khmer Rouge's history as it has impacted our communities.
"Yoshikami, who is Japanese and was born in concentration camp during World War II, said she is well aware of the suffering and denial of rights faced by victims. Her parents, like many Cambodian parents, do not talk about their traumatic experiences, she said.
"When you know the reality of what has been happening, it is so muchmore important now than ever to really begin to support each other globally and to maintain human rights and justice around the world,"she said. "Otherwise, we are going to destroy ourselves.
"The next "Shared Suffering" forum will be held in Portland, Oregon, in June 2009.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Trauma Conference Set for Lowell
By Im Sothearith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
10 December 2008
Original report from Washington
10 December 2008
US-Cambodians will be give a chance to testify to their trauma under the Khmer Rouge and gain access to work by experts on the regime and Cambodian history during a daylong forum in Lowell, Mass., on Saturday.
“Shared Suffering, Shared Resilience,” organized by the Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia, will focus on testimonials from first- and second-general survivors, scholarly work on the hybrid Khmer Rouge tribunal, history, films, and open dialogue between participants.
The forum “is the first step towards overcoming the long-term effects of the Khmer Rouge genocide,” said Nou Leakhena, found of the Applied Social Research Institute. Such forums help Cambodians “increase their sense of belonging to a supportive community [while] encouraging and supporting future projects.”
Teddy Yoshikami, director of program development for the institute, also stressed the importance of the forum.
Nov Leakhena’s research “ has found that almost all Cambodians, regardless of where they live or where they may be anywhere, they’ve been affected by the Khmer Rouge,” including both the first and second generations, she said. “Those effects are important to bring about and learn more about.”
Discussions allow people to share binding experiences, helping pass on lessons and understanding to children and leading to a “real healing process,” she said.
Created in affiliation with the Asian/Pacific/American Institute of New York University, the forum was first held in Long Beach, California, in March. It will open Saturday at the O’Leary Auditorium in Lowell, from 9 am to 7 pm, and will continue to other cities in the US.
“Shared Suffering, Shared Resilience,” organized by the Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia, will focus on testimonials from first- and second-general survivors, scholarly work on the hybrid Khmer Rouge tribunal, history, films, and open dialogue between participants.
The forum “is the first step towards overcoming the long-term effects of the Khmer Rouge genocide,” said Nou Leakhena, found of the Applied Social Research Institute. Such forums help Cambodians “increase their sense of belonging to a supportive community [while] encouraging and supporting future projects.”
Teddy Yoshikami, director of program development for the institute, also stressed the importance of the forum.
Nov Leakhena’s research “ has found that almost all Cambodians, regardless of where they live or where they may be anywhere, they’ve been affected by the Khmer Rouge,” including both the first and second generations, she said. “Those effects are important to bring about and learn more about.”
Discussions allow people to share binding experiences, helping pass on lessons and understanding to children and leading to a “real healing process,” she said.
Created in affiliation with the Asian/Pacific/American Institute of New York University, the forum was first held in Long Beach, California, in March. It will open Saturday at the O’Leary Auditorium in Lowell, from 9 am to 7 pm, and will continue to other cities in the US.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
US Cambodian Boatmen Lose Will to Race
By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Massachussetts
19 August 2008
Original report from Massachussetts
19 August 2008
Every third week of August, in the city of Lowell, Massachusetts, Cambodian, Laotian, Thai and Vietnamese residents celebrate a boat racing festival. This year, six racing groups used two boats to compete, without the Cambodian teams.
The race included two American groups, two Laotian and two Thai. Cambodian-Americans were represented by traditional dancers, but no racers.
"I am so sad, you know," said Souen Sayon, who leads a Cambodian boat racing program. "Since 2005 Cambodian boat racing groups do not care anymore to join the competition."
Souen Sayon had tried many times to encourage boat racers, "to keep our culture and tradition alive."
Each attempt met with failure, he said. "They don't even want to preserve our Cambodian reputation and civilization."
The boat-race festival began in Lowell in 1997, and, held in the summer month of August, has slowly gained in popularity.
"There were around 3,000 people participating in the boat racing festival during the start of this event, but now there are more and more people who come and are aware of this event," said Khoeun Samkhan, former head of the Cambodian Mutual Assistant Association. "Some people are from many different states, and some are from other, neighboring countries."
Chea Bun Heak an out-of-town visitor from Takoma, Washington, said he'd learned about the festival from relatives in Lowell.
"I have so much fun down here," he said. "I am so proud that our Cambodian people are able to celebrate this wonderful event."
The race included two American groups, two Laotian and two Thai. Cambodian-Americans were represented by traditional dancers, but no racers.
"I am so sad, you know," said Souen Sayon, who leads a Cambodian boat racing program. "Since 2005 Cambodian boat racing groups do not care anymore to join the competition."
Souen Sayon had tried many times to encourage boat racers, "to keep our culture and tradition alive."
Each attempt met with failure, he said. "They don't even want to preserve our Cambodian reputation and civilization."
The boat-race festival began in Lowell in 1997, and, held in the summer month of August, has slowly gained in popularity.
"There were around 3,000 people participating in the boat racing festival during the start of this event, but now there are more and more people who come and are aware of this event," said Khoeun Samkhan, former head of the Cambodian Mutual Assistant Association. "Some people are from many different states, and some are from other, neighboring countries."
Chea Bun Heak an out-of-town visitor from Takoma, Washington, said he'd learned about the festival from relatives in Lowell.
"I have so much fun down here," he said. "I am so proud that our Cambodian people are able to celebrate this wonderful event."
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Invitation for 2nd World Convention of Khmer M'chas Srok in Lowell, Mass.
Khmer M'chas Srok
P O Box 460 Lynn Massachusetts 01905
Website: www.khmer-mchas-srok.org
e-mail: Khmer.mchas.srok@gmail.com
P O Box 460 Lynn Massachusetts 01905
Website: www.khmer-mchas-srok.org
e-mail: Khmer.mchas.srok@gmail.com
INVITATION
(2nd WORLD CONVENTION of KHMER M'CHAS SROK)
Saturday, August 30, 2008
(2nd WORLD CONVENTION of KHMER M'CHAS SROK)
Saturday, August 30, 2008
We, the Executive Board of the Khmer M’Chas Srok (KMS) cordially invite you to participate in our 2nd World Convention wich is honnored by the presence of Dr. Sakhonn Chak, the General Representative
Khmer M'Chas Srok is the National Union Movement of all Khmer people having the common goal of reaching Real Peace in Cambodia.
The Real Peace for the Khmer people means that they can live peacefully, freely and supremely, in prosperity and in harmony with their culture and their civilzation in their country.
This Real Peace has been lost for several decades, due to foreign domination, which has interfered in the Sovereignty, the Independence, Territorial Integrity and Inviolability of Cambodia.
This foreign domination is characterized by some principle activities of “Puppet Government” in Cambodia, which:
Khmer M’Chas Srok
Khmer M'Chas Srok is the National Union Movement of all Khmer people having the common goal of reaching Real Peace in Cambodia.
The Real Peace for the Khmer people means that they can live peacefully, freely and supremely, in prosperity and in harmony with their culture and their civilzation in their country.
This Real Peace has been lost for several decades, due to foreign domination, which has interfered in the Sovereignty, the Independence, Territorial Integrity and Inviolability of Cambodia.
This foreign domination is characterized by some principle activities of “Puppet Government” in Cambodia, which:
- has opened the borders and allowed millions of illegal settlers in to Cambodia, and diverted the richness of the country to benefit the new settlers, and
- disregarded the well being of the Cambodian people, and
- failed to defend the territorial integrity and inviolability of Cambodia, etc.
EVENT INFORMATION
- WHAT: Khmer M’Chas Srok 2nd World Convention
- WHEN: Saturday, August 30, 2008
- WHERE: DoubleTree Hotel, 50 Warren Street, Lowell, Massachusetts
- TIME : 12:00 PM (Noon time) to 5:00 PM (17:00)
- Mr. Masavang Sean: 33 6 07 95 53 66
- Mrs. Vera Tith : 617 717 9117
- Mrs. Deborah Biv: 781 913 2297
- Mr. Kosal Nou : 781 883 6666
- Mr. Sem San : 781 738 6293
- Ms. Sinath Peou: 978 239 9944
- Mrs. Sopor: 781 820 3452
- Mr. Hong Sokheang: 617 548 7727
Khmer M’Chas Srok
Click on each page to zoom in
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Lowell celebrates its Southeast Asian influence
05/07/2008
By Kirk Boutselis
Lowell Sun Correspondent (Massachusetts, USA)
By Kirk Boutselis
Lowell Sun Correspondent (Massachusetts, USA)
LOWELL -- For many, it was war, oppression and genocide that mobilized groups of Southeast Asians to leave the land of their fathers and mothers and travel across an ocean and a continent to settle in Lowell.
When they first started to arrive in the late 1970s, the immigrants and refugees from war-torn parts of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam faced a society, culture and language that were all but alien to them.
Lan Pho, 67, director emerita of the Center for Diversity and Pluralism at UMass Lowell, said these immigrants -- herself among them -- were walking on a "one-way street" where they simultaneously taxed the city's schools and resources without contributing much to the fabric of the community.
Now, 30 years later, that same group of nervous but hard-working immigrants are spinning a new thread to the patchwork quilt that is the Mill City. They number about 20,000 -- nearly one-fifth of the city's population -- and have become educators, civic leaders and businessmen. Lowell has even become the city with the second largest concentration of Cambodian immigrants in the nation after Long Beach, Calif.
"Now it's a two-way street," Pho said. "Now they offer something that the city never had before and we hope that other cities will look at Lowell and have the same experience as Lowell."
Pho was one of more than 100 residents last night who gathered at the Mogan Cultural Center for a celebration of the Southeast Asian community's 30-year contributions to Greater Lowell. It was also an opportunity for Pho, who now lives in San Diego, to promote her new book, Southeast Asian Refugees and Immigrants in the Mill City, which she edited with UMass Lowell professor Jeffrey Gerson and Sylvia Cowan of Lesley University.
"No matter how much I love the weather of California, I miss the spirit of Massachusetts," she said. "And the spirit is not so much with the place as it is with the people."
Cowan, who heads the intercultural-relations program at Lesley University, said the book collaboration with Pho and Gerson was an opportunity to tell the stories that may never have been told. Inside is a series of essays and studies about the resettlement of Southeast Asian immigrants to Lowell and its toll on regional economics, politics and community psychology.
"They brought a lot of vitality to the community," Cowan said of the Southeast Asian immigrant population. "It has made the city much richer in terms of cultural diversity."
Also attending last night were former Gov. Michael Dukakis and his wife, Kitty, who was one of nine community leaders and refugee advocates to receive special awards.
Dukakis, whose parents were Greek immigrants, said the influx of Southeast Asian culture to the area is one of the reasons for the Lowell "miracle."
"The strength of this city, the strength of this state, and the strength of this nation is bound up in the immigrant experience," he said.
When they first started to arrive in the late 1970s, the immigrants and refugees from war-torn parts of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam faced a society, culture and language that were all but alien to them.
Lan Pho, 67, director emerita of the Center for Diversity and Pluralism at UMass Lowell, said these immigrants -- herself among them -- were walking on a "one-way street" where they simultaneously taxed the city's schools and resources without contributing much to the fabric of the community.
Now, 30 years later, that same group of nervous but hard-working immigrants are spinning a new thread to the patchwork quilt that is the Mill City. They number about 20,000 -- nearly one-fifth of the city's population -- and have become educators, civic leaders and businessmen. Lowell has even become the city with the second largest concentration of Cambodian immigrants in the nation after Long Beach, Calif.
"Now it's a two-way street," Pho said. "Now they offer something that the city never had before and we hope that other cities will look at Lowell and have the same experience as Lowell."
Pho was one of more than 100 residents last night who gathered at the Mogan Cultural Center for a celebration of the Southeast Asian community's 30-year contributions to Greater Lowell. It was also an opportunity for Pho, who now lives in San Diego, to promote her new book, Southeast Asian Refugees and Immigrants in the Mill City, which she edited with UMass Lowell professor Jeffrey Gerson and Sylvia Cowan of Lesley University.
"No matter how much I love the weather of California, I miss the spirit of Massachusetts," she said. "And the spirit is not so much with the place as it is with the people."
Cowan, who heads the intercultural-relations program at Lesley University, said the book collaboration with Pho and Gerson was an opportunity to tell the stories that may never have been told. Inside is a series of essays and studies about the resettlement of Southeast Asian immigrants to Lowell and its toll on regional economics, politics and community psychology.
"They brought a lot of vitality to the community," Cowan said of the Southeast Asian immigrant population. "It has made the city much richer in terms of cultural diversity."
Also attending last night were former Gov. Michael Dukakis and his wife, Kitty, who was one of nine community leaders and refugee advocates to receive special awards.
Dukakis, whose parents were Greek immigrants, said the influx of Southeast Asian culture to the area is one of the reasons for the Lowell "miracle."
"The strength of this city, the strength of this state, and the strength of this nation is bound up in the immigrant experience," he said.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Photos of Sam Rainsy's visit to the USA and Canada
Dinner reception in honor of Messrs. Sam Rainsy and Cheam Pea, Lowell, Massachusetts, April 18, 2008 (All photos: SRP USA)
Dinner reception in honor of Messrs. Sam Rainsy and Cheam Pea, Lowell, Massachusetts, April 18, 2008
Public Meeting with Cambodian-Canadian in Montreal, Canada, April 19, 2008
Public Meeting with Cambodian-Canadian in Montreal, Canada, April 19, 2008
Dinner reception in honor of Messrs. Sam Rainsy and Cheam Pea, Washington, DC, April 23, 2008
Dinner reception in honor of Messrs. Sam Rainsy and Cheam Pea, Washington, DC, April 23, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
