ជិវិត នៃ ជិវិត - Life of my life

Life of my life

By Kong Bunchhoeun

Translated from Khmer by Soy

In my whole life, I don’t want anything more than freedom to write
If I write as I am ordered to, it is tantamount to sewing shut my own mouth.
The value of my writing lies on the truth. I fear no jail.
If I see fire, but claim it to be smoke, then I betray not only my readers, but myself as well.
I’d rather be poor. I will not depend on money. I will not sell my writing for villas and cars.
I will not bend down and allow my head to be used as a hearth. I’d rather die without ever see Angkor Wat again.
Should I insist on living in my country with my mouth shut and my eyes closed, should I be a willing to live as talking parrot,
or should I become a drumstick for their drums, then future generations will surely spit on my grave.

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KI-Media Note: Kong Bun Chhoeun (Cambodia), novelist and songwriter, has been writing prolifically since the 1950s but stopped and became a farmer while the Khmer Rouge were in power. If he had revealed his identity during their regime, it is likely he would have been killed. Cambodia is now moving toward democracy, but powerful people continue to ignore the law. The plot of his last book, The Destiny of Marina, or Acid-Laced Vengeance, published in 2000, bore many similarities to the 1999 scandal of a karaoke singer who was attacked with acid by the jealous wife of a government official. The book details the problem of official impunity in Cambodia. After publication, Kong Bun Chhoeun received death threats from the husband of the woman who had mutilated the singer. In November 2000, he fled to Thailand. Kong Bun Chhoeun is also Marina's uncle.

Sacrava's Katilauk Comic: In this day and age, we use the law, if you don't know, don't jump!

Click here to read the entire comic in English and Khmer

"In this day and age, we use the law, if you don’t know, don’t jump!": A tale from the "borderless" kingdoom

Click here to read the cartoon story on the
Free Press Magazine Online website

01 September 2009
Story by Author Without Border
Cartoons by Cartoonist Without Border (aka Sacrava)
Translation from Khmer by Translator Wihout Border (aka Heng Soy)
Originally posted by The Free Press Magazine Online

Cartoon 1:
Reports about the successful repressions of the opposition and government critics through the judicial system came to be known by the chief of a faraway village.

The village chief, who is not too happy with his constituents who tend to protest against his orders, started to put to work the strategy of legal threatening against the villagers, just like what the country leader is doing. One day, the village chief summoned all the villagers for a meeting.

Cartoon 2:
Village Chief (vCPP): Sanh, you must stop talking about the tree logging I am conducting in the forest north of the village from now on, otherwise, I will sue you for defamation… Don’t you know that in this day and age, we use the law? If you don’t know, don’t jump!

Sanh: Yes, older brother village chief, I do not dare talk about it. My wife and kids will not have anything to eat if I am jailed.

Cartoon 3:
vCPP: Good that you understand like this. Sao! It’s the same for you also. If you dare talk to anybody about me raping Ah Phes’ wife last year again, I will sue you and send you to jail for violating the rights of a private individual. Don’t you know that in this day and age, we use the law? If you don’t know, don’t jump!

Cartoon 4:
Sao: Yes, older brother village chief, I do not dare talk about it anymore. If I am jailed, it would be very miserable.

Cartoon 5:
vCPP: Sok! You shouldn’t allow Sam to raise another political party’s sign in front of your house. If you don’t listen to me, and you allow him to raise the sign again, I will sue you and send you to jail for abetting party traitors. Don’t you know that in this day and age, we use the law? If you don’t know, don’t jump!

Sok: Yes, older brother village chief, I will tell him to take down the sign right away. Why would I want to go to jail?

Cartoon 6:
vCPP: Soy, it is the same for you also. If you dare investigate the 5-hectare of community land that I sold last dry season, and if you dare write this story for news publication, I will sue you and send you to jail for disinformation. Just look at Ta Hang Chakra and you will know! He was sent to jail for one year and he must pay 9 million riels in fine also. Don’t you know that in this day and age, we use the law? If you don’t know, don’t jump!

Cartoon 7:
Soy: Yes, I will quit being a reporter from now on so that you don’t have to jot down the lawsuit.

Cartoon 8:
The village chief looks very pleased, he couldn’t stop smiling when he saw that all the villagers fear him and his power.

vCPP: This is what I call people who learn without wasting the rice they eat!

Cartoon 9:
Suddenly, Say, who was setting down to sit, inadvertently let out a loud farting noise. All the villagers could not hold and burst out in laughter: Ha! Ha! Ha!

Cartoon 10:
The village chief became very angry and he shouted: “Say, how dare you fart during a meeting? I will sue you and send you to jail for looking down on the meeting and for polluting the environment. Don’t you know that in this day and age, we use the law? If you don’t know, don’t jump!

Cartoon 11:
Say became all pale because she fears the village chief’s lawsuit power. But the villagers continue to laugh even louder because they couldn’t believe that the village chief would issue an order to end farting and he also could sue and send someone to jail just for that.

Carton 12:
The village chief’s face turns all red.

vCPP: How do you dare laugh and mock me? I will sue you all for looking down on a public figure. Don’t you know that in this day and age, we use the law? If you don’t know, don’t jump! I will call the cops to come arrest you and send you to jail so the mosquitoes can bite you one whole night long, then you’ll see how it is!

Cartoon 13:
Just then, a group of cops and a judge arrived at the scene.

Cops: There’s no need to call us! We are already here to arrest you, the village chief

Cartoon 14:
Villagers: Sathuk! Sathuk! (Pray Buddha!) In this day and age, we use the law. If you don’t know, don’t jump!

Judge: The laws that you used, they were all taken by Pol Pot to his grave since long ago!

Khmer Comic Book: The Snake & The Monkey

Click here to read the comic book in Khmer

Click here to read the comic book in English

Cartoons by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)
Story by Author Without Border

Khmer Comic Book: "The Elephant and the Fruit-Fly"

Written by: Author Without Border from North Pole
Illustrated by: Sacrava from South Pole (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Click here to read the comic book in Khmer