Cambodian parade rift to get an airing

Community activist Socheata Has addressing the Long Beach City Council to oppose the presence of Sok An in Long Beach (Photo: Angkor Borey)

Justin Sok's so-called "thick-faced political buffons" who insist on inviting the controversial Sok An (Photo: Sok An's office)

Moderators to meet with both sides in dispute over official's invitation.

03/06/2008
By Greg Mellen, Staff writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

LONG BEACH - Community members on both sides of a controversial decision to invite the deputy prime minister of Cambodia to participate in the annual Cambodian New Year parade will meet today to discuss their differences.

About 30 members of the Cambodian community attended Tuesday's City Council meeting. They presented the council with a petition comprising more than 1,000 signatures opposing a plan to have Cambodian leader Sok An ride in the April 6 parade.

There has been considerable confusion about who issued the invitation and whether it was properly made.

Mayor Bob Foster said at Tuesday's meeting that he never invited anyone to the parade - period.

Although the city provides support for the parade in certain areas, the City Council has no official role in the decisions the parade committee makes.

"It's not our parade," said 6th District Councilman Dee Andrews, in whose district most of the parade is held.

Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal said she was distressed at the emotions the dispute has dredged up.

"People expressed outright fear and trauma," Lowenthal said, adding that the city must do what it can to assuage that.

Melissa Morgan, the city's human dignity officer and Rene Castro from the California Conference of Equality and Justice, will moderate the meeting between parade organizers, who support Sok An's participation, and opponents.

Morgan and Castro said their roles are to facilitate dialogue but it is up to two factions to resolve differences.

"I'd like to see them just listen to each other and find out where we go from here," Morgan said. "They may not come to an agreement but I just hope they hear each other."

"What I hope to achieve by bringing the parties together is the increased understanding," Castro said. "There are no easy solutions."

There is a possibility that the point will be moot. There is considerable speculation that Sok An has decided to forgo the parade.

Parade organizer Richer San said Sok An has not confirmed that he will attend but that the invitation remains.

At Tuesday's City Council meeting, a half-dozen opponents of Sok An's participation spoke to the council.

They cited Cambodia's dismal human rights record, corruption and other problems among their complaints.

Opponents also said the invitation violated the parade's own entry rules, which say entrants must be noncontroversial and should not advocate a political candidate.

Each side has met with CCEJ separately.

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291

Long Beach gets ready for Cambodian New Year Parade

Apr. 2, 2007
Parade Celebrates Arrival Of Year Of Pig

By Heidi Hatch
Staff Writer
Gazette Newspapers (Long Beach, Ca., USA)

In the Cambodian community, the Year of the Pig is set to begin and signifies wealth, prosperity and plentiful food. The New Year will be ushered in at the Third Annual Cambodian New Year Parade, scheduled to step off on Anaheim Street Saturday, April 7.

Traditionally, the Cambodian New Year is celebrated over a three-day period, which this year falls from April 13 to 15. Parade organizers decided not to schedule events that weekend because many people in the community were planning to go the temple and pray during the traditional new year.

Peter Long, chairman of the Cambodian Coordinating Council, said he believed there would be more community participation if events took place on an alternate weekend.

“We’re hoping it’s going to be a big event,” Long said. “We’re expecting 10,000 to 15,000 spectators. We’re hoping that we can highlight the Anaheim corridor and make it a tourist attraction, where people can come and enjoy different types of ethnic foods and shops.”

An interfaith ceremony will precede the parade, kicking off the day’s events at 9:30 a.m.

“Religion is an important part of our culture,” Long said. “We want to encourage everyone from Christians to Muslims to Buddhists to pray for peace and a happy new year.”

The parade steps off at 10:30 a.m. at Anaheim Street and Junipero Avenue, and continues west down Anaheim, ending at MacArthur Park, at Anaheim Street and Gundy Avenue. Approximately 65 to 70 groups are expected to participate in the parade, including dancers, musicians along with several colorful floats. This year’s theme is “Building the Bridge to the Future Together.”

“We’re thankful to call Long Beach our home and we want to share our culture with other ethnic groups in the community,” Long said. “It’s a cultural show. We have Hmong people, Filipinos, Chinese, Turkish — we have several different ethnic groups participating.”

Afterwards, from 1 to 3 p.m. a stage will be set up in MacArthur Park for those who would like to perform traditional cultural dances. Anyone can sign up, but performers should register in advance.

The heart of the Cambodian community in Long Beach is centered along Anaheim Street, also known as Cambodia Town, and is the largest Cambodian community in the United States.

“I hope that people will appreciate the rich culture that Cambodia has and that we can all share it together,” Long said.

Two weeks from the parade, on April 21, Cambodian New Year celebration events will continue from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in El Dorado Park, 7550 E. Spring St. The day’s activities will include religious ceremonies, youth activities, face painting, stage performances, food and live music. More than 20,000 people are expected to attend. Admission tickets in advance are $20 per vehicle, or $30 per vehicle the day of the event. Additionally, a $6 fee per car will be charged by park staff to enter park grounds.

For more information, call 607-9261 or log on to www.cam-cc.org.