Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Convocation addresses rights in Cambodia

Students, Fellows, and Cambodian refugees discussed the infringement on rights and freedoms in Cambodia. (Glenn Lutzky / Herald)
Monday, November 8, 2010
By Fei Cai
Senior Staff Writer
The Brown Daily Herald (Brown Univ., USA)
"We want power. We want to write and we want to criticize, but we do not just want to please the government." - Kho Tararith, Cambodian poet, short story writer and activist against social and economic problems in Cambodia
Lounge Monday night for the opening convocation of the 10th annual Southeast Asian Heritage Week. The week, titled "Re(RIGHT)ing What We SEA," is sponsored by the Watson Institute, the Program in Literary Arts and the Third World Center and will feature events including a traditional activity night, a debate on the Burmese elections and a cultural performance titled "Legends of the SEA" by a Balinese dancer.

"In order to value the students and value the faculty at Brown, we need to make note that we are here in the community," Rujapak Sutiwisesak '12, one of the coordinators of the event, told The Herald.

The opening convocation consisted of a welcome by co-coordinators Sutiwisesak and Sharmala Narasingam '13, both international students from Southeast Asia, reflections by seniors on their experiences as Southeast Asian students and a talk with Visiting Fellow in the Watson Institute Kho Tararith and translator Sokvann Sam.

"Geographically and historically, Southeast Asia has been situated between China and India. There has been a growing importance placed on this region," Sutiwisesak said to the audience.

But Sutiwisesak acknowledged that there are still many problems in the area.

Tararith, a Cambodian poet, short story writer and activist against social and economic problems in Cambodia, addresses many of the problems of Southeast Asia in his work. He became a fellow in August after being invited to be part of the Watson Institute and literary arts graduate program's International Writing Project.


Tararith spoke about many contemporary issues in Cambodia, emphasizing problems with land rights. He cited the ongoing Shukaku Inc. sand-pumping issue in the Boeung Kak Lake area of Cambodia as an example.

Shukaku Inc., owned by the Cambodian People's Party Senator Lao Meng Khin, began pumping sand into the lake as part of a redevelopment project, according to a Nov. 8 article in the Phnom Penh Post, an English-Cambodian newspaper. Over 3,000 families live in the area, and the pumping has resulted in the flooding and destruction of more than a dozen homes, Tararith said.

"English is a language of universal communication," Tararith told The Herald. Because many Cambodians do not speak English, they cannot obtain news from outside the country and most of the media within Cambodia is controlled by the government, he said.

Writers cannot write what they wish if they want to receive support from the government, he said during the talk. "Everything is spied on by people who have ranking."

Writers who have tried to fight back by criticizing the government are either put in prison or mysteriously murdered, he said. "We want power. We want to write and we want to criticize, but we do not just want to please the government."

Sam, a refugee from the Khmer Rouge rule, also spoke about his experiences in Cambodia and in the U.S. "The Cambodian government pays no attention to the people's cry," he told the audience.

Interested students suggested bringing outside news to Cambodians through the Internet, but Sam answered that not all Cambodians have the luxury of the Internet. "It is very rare," he said. "Only the city people can get access to the Internet, and the government checks all the lines."

"People abroad can express, but how many people can read?" he added.

In the face of this bleak outlook, one student asked why people like Kho and Sam continue to resist.

"We have to show (the Cambodian people) what is good," Kho answered. "I try to show them what is right about human rights and democracy that I see because I can come abroad."

"There is so much potential in this region that is always forgotten," Narasingam said. "We are survivors."

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hanoi killed Moslems and took Champa.
Hanoi killed Khmers Krom and has controlled.
That is Viet’s nature as thieves and crocodiles.
That is Viet’s nature as thieves and crocodiles.
Down Vietnamese expansionism!
Vietnam will be wiped out by hurricane!
by Volcano!
by earthquake!
by tsunami!
and by….!
Vietnam will be wiped out from the map!
Vietnam will be wiped out from the map!
Vietnam will be wiped out from the map!
Vietnam will be wiped out from the map!
All Moslems wake up then be united to take CHAMPA back!
Vietnam will be wiped out from the map!
All Moslems wake up then be united to take CHAMPA back!
Vietnam will be wiped out from the map!!
All Moslems wake up then be united to take CHAMPA back!
Vietnam will be wiped out from the map!!
All Moslems wake up then be united to take CHAMPA back!
Vietnam will be wiped out by hurricane! by Volcano!
by earthquake! by tsunami waves ! and by….
LONG LIVE CHAMPA !
LONG LIVE KHMER EMPIRE !
LONG LIVE CHAMPA!
LONG LIVE KHMER EMPIRE!

Anonymous said...

LONG LIVE VIET NAM...

KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA
Province of Viet Nam

Nation Religion KING..

1. You idiot khmer have no nation it is all belong to vietnam now.. we run your country and our brothers and sisters are all over your country and in every level of government.

2. You have no religion becuase look at you even your own country to betrayed look at Hun SEn- CPPP we control thme -- how can they have religion becuase soon will be vietnam province

3. KING what KING-- he can not beg us to keep him there-- so he have to bring his mother which she work for our interested with hun sen and cpp.. then his father to beg us for keep him...

what a loser race. you all should dies and wishes you will never born.. better born as vietnamese you might be a little smarter and maybe love your own kind ans country better..

LONG LIVE VIET NAM.

more money from china is good for our vietnamese brothers and sisters
that hold every level of officials in cambodia that control cambodia.. will use this money to further control cambodia... it is us that the king of cambodia to to beg us the viet nam to keep him there.. good work hun sen-cpp.now we have more money from china

Anonymous said...

Very well done Tararith!!!!!!

Big Congratulation from the Khmer loving literature team.
We wish you the very best of luck in your endeavor to your achievement.

Anonymous said...

it's called empowerment. empowerment is a way to heal, to grow, to be civilized, etc, etc...

khmer people should be encourage to write, read and study our rich khmer heritage like in khmer literature, poems, musics, arts, tradition, culture, custom and etiquette, khmer way and identity, etc, etc... all of these have some kind of empowerment as they were set forth by our wised ones before us from long time ago. take study khmer literature, folklores, talisman, etc, etc... god bless cambodia.