Khmer Radio North America & Khmer Community in Toronto Canada will welcome SRP MPs Mu Sochua and Tioulong Saumura

Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Source: http://www.ckn-media.blogspot.com/

We're Hosting our MP. Madam Mu Sochua. MP. Madam Saumura Rainsy.to celebrate Canada days with us. from June 30 to July 1st, 2012

Khmer Community of north America we would like to invite all our Khmer to Joins us. and given a warm welcome to our leadership for democracy in Cambodia.

June.30th.2012 Meeting all day 11 Am -11Pm

at # 198 Beanburton line, L38-3C4 Newmarket On.

July.1st. 2012 We celebrate Canada day from 9.30Am-7.00Pm

at the Hamilton Centennial Park.on beach . Hamilton On.

We thanks to all for your Supported.

For more Information please contact:

• Mr: Kim Horn (647) 268-4238
• Mr: Saram Chhum (416) 451-5419
• Mr: Song Kimsoung (416) 580-3430
• Mr: Pheng Kry (647) 272-5970
• Mr: Sek Sereth (905) 967-4141
• Mr: Mat Phat (289) 500-4555
• E-mail chansaryoum@yahoo.ca

Cambodian Organizations Join Together for ‘Healthy Community’ Plan

The crowd is watching a traditional dance during the Cambodian Culture Festival at MacArthur Park, Long Beach, California. (Photo: VOA Khmer)

Tuesday, 12 June 2012
Cheang Sophinarath, VOA Khmer | Long Beach, California

“Within LA County, there are 88 cities and about 40,000 to 60,000 Cambodians, but we only have about 4,000 of them registered to vote.”

Five organizations in Southern California have joined into an umbrella group in an effort to better address the needs of Cambodian-Americans in the city of Long Beach.

The United Cambodian Community, the Khmer Parents Association, Khmer Girls in Action, the Cambodian Association of America, and Families in Good Health will meet frequently to discuss a “healthy community” initiative in the state.

Members met last week to discuss potential development projects.

Asian-American Week: Bronx House Provides Cambodian Community With A Place To Pray

21 May 2012
By: Shazia Khan
Bronx.NY1.com

To mark Asian-American Heritage Week on NY1, the station revisits communities it has covered over the past two decades. NY1's Shazia Khan filed the following report on Cambodian New Yorkers in the Bronx.

On a residential block in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx, a two-story house serves as a house of worship. The Khmer Buddhist Society is a home away from home for many Cambodian-American Buddhists living in the borough.

"We live in the Bronx and we want to meet each other in the Bronx," says worshipper Davin Hun.

Cambodian rallye at the Canadian Parliament

Created with flickr slideshow.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dankuy/sets/72157627980650264/

Cambodian rallye at the Canadian Parliament and in front of the Viet embassy in Canada

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Pb0TchBSWw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5-xEFLfAWM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_xujeOQa90

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EayEk3ixdJw

Cambodian Community Seeks Help from Canada

Protesters from Canada's Cambodian communities in Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto gathered on Parliament Hill Monday asking the Canadian government to intervene in what they describe as Cambodia's deteriorating human rights situation. (Matthew Little/The Epoch Times)

Oct 24, 2011
By Matthew Little
Epoch Times (Canada)

“On the contrary, forced land evictions have forced hundreds and thousands of families from their homes,” said Pretty.

PARLIAMENT HILL—Waving banners warning of an end to democracy in Cambodia, a group of protesters marched on Parliament Hill on Monday asking the Canadian government to step in.

Sunday marked the 20-year anniversary of the Paris Conference where Canada, along with 17 other countries, the UN, and Cambodia’s main political parties, signed an agreement that was to chart a path forward.

But according to the crowd of approx 100 that gathered, that hasn’t come to fruition.

“They signed that agreement to help Cambodia but nothing can help Cambodia,” said Sarom Om, a Cambodian woman who came to Canada with her family when she was 5.

Conference for Southeast Asian American education looks to future

Originally posted at http://bit.ly/nafea-2011

LONG BEACH, CA – The National Association for the Education and Advancement of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans (NAFEA) held its annual national conference at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) on October 7th and 8th. The gathering was an opportunity for educators, community leaders, and other interested parties to share their various endeavors while focusing on the future of Southeast Asian American students in the new education era.

Dr. Channy Sak-Humphry, president of NAFEA and associate professor at theUniversity ofHawaii, Manoa, led the organizers of the conference. In a letter of welcome, she called upon those attending to unite in a “communication network [that] will help build and reinforce the best quality education for our generation and future generations.” Indeed, sessions during the two days addressed a variety of relevant issues, such as funding sources for language education, policy recommendations, and even Cambodian-specific discussions–a forum specifically devoted to Cambodian issues/advocacy and an account of the process of achieving the official Cambodia Town designation just a few miles away from the conference site.

Sitting in during the Cambodian advocacy forum, titled “One Message, Many Voices: Strategizing for More Effective Community Advocacy,” offered a lively conversation concerning topics education-related and beyond. The forum moderators were an accomplished set of Khmer professionals: Dr. Khatharya Um of UC Berkeley, Bouy Te of the National Education Association, Dr. Connie Mom Chhing of Clark County, Washington’s Department of Community Services, and Dr. Vichet Chhuon of the University of Minnesota.

US-Cambodian Group Prepares Lobbying Effort

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Tuesday, 10 May 2011

“We will educate the members of Congress about what the Cambodian people are facing.”

A Cambodian-American advocacy group has begun a lobbying campaign in the US Congress for hundreds of thousands of Cambodians living in the US.

“We will educate the members of Congress about what the Cambodian people are facing,” said Theanvy Kuoch, founder of the National Cambodian American Health Initiative.

Cambodians who survived war and made it to the US are not well understood, she said. “We work together in the United States to meet congressional members and educate them who Cambodians are. If not, they don’t know us.”

About 15 US-Cambodians will talk to lawmakers May 24 and May 25 to discuss issues ranging from diabetes and high blood pressure to mental trauma and psychosomatic conditions, she said.

Rights activists must support communities

MONDAY, 19 JULY 2010
OU VIRAK
Letter to The Phnom Penh Post

Dear Editor,

In the article “UN backs economic diversity in rural areas” (July 1, 2010), The Phnom Penh Post reported on the recent United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) report that advocates for the decentralisation of development. The report notes how a “‘localised’ policy approach could be [a] method to stimulate countryside economic growth, therefore raising populations out of poverty”. The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) believes that this approach to development should be applied to human rights.

The human rights field in Cambodia has at times been marked by NGOs taking a top-down approach to human rights advocacy, with communities and smaller community-based organisations led rather than empowered. Article 35 of the Constitution of Cambodia provides for “the right to participate actively in the political, economic and cultural life of the nation.” Civil society is not a small collection of national NGOs based in Phnom Penh; rather, it is all those people who seek to exercise this constitutional right, individually or as part of an organisation or informal group, making up society but distinct from the state.

As the UNCDF notes that the “current mainstream policy approach to rural development … [is] not sufficient to promote local economic development”, the CCHR posits that centre-led initiatives to promoting human rights can often suffocate civic-driven change. In the past, ‘one size fits all’ initiatives have been developed and applied to communities throughout Cambodia, with local conditions and needs often ignored. This approach has often failed to improve respect for human rights.

Similar to the development approach advocated by UNDCF, CCHR supports the localisation of human rights advocacy to give rise to nuanced local approaches that reflect the differing needs and priorities of communities throughout Cambodia. Communities and local organisations will not always have the skills and resources to undertake this localised advocacy. There is therefore an important role for national NGOs to play in empowering and assisting these communities where requested. For example, CCHR trains communities on human rights in the context of localised conflict; we train community- and sector-based organisations on monitoring and documenting human-rights violations in their localities or according to their area of focus; and we secure resources for human-rights defenders under threat, to empower them to help their own communities. Meanwhile, aside from implementing initiatives to empower, there will still be an important role for larger national [effort] to undertake research and develop policy as a basis for evidence-based advocacy for policy, structural and legislative changes. CCHR sees these approaches as key to the future of human rights advocacy in Cambodia.

Ou Virak, president

Rupert Abbott
Director of development, CCHR
Phnom Penh

Backstage - by Stephane Janin

Originally posted at http://stephanejanin.com

Click here to watch Stephane's slideshow

Once again, the Cambodian American artists from the Washington DC area are on the road. On May 8, they traveled to Richmond, Virginia, to perform at a fundraising event. For the artists who were born in Cambodia, it’s another routine, performing a classical dance they have surely performed hundreds of times before. For the younger ones, born in the US, it’s a sort of maiden voyage, as this time they are performing a folk dance on their own. They have made the trip to Richmond by themselves, without the elder ones, carrying a legacy that was passed from generation to generation. Little fish growing bigger…

CRCI's invitation to attend the 10th Annual High School Graduation Commencement

Click on the announcement in Khmer and English to zoom in

US Cambodians Urged To Join Census

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, D.C Friday, 07 May 2010

“That’s why we are working hard to make all our brothers and sisters understand the importance, especially those elderly who have received money [like welfare and social security] since they came to the US.”

As the US completes a new national census, one group in California is working to have more Cambodian-Americans participate and gain the benefits of better representation.

Sara Pol-Lim, executive director of the United Cambodian Community, a group based in Long Beach, told “Hello VOA” on Thursday Cambodians can benefit politically, economically and socially by taking part in the census.

An estimated 300,000 Cambodians live in the US, but only about 100,000 show up on the census, she said. That means they lose a voice within their communities and government.

For instance, the US government looks at the numbers of immigrants from different countries when it determines budgets, and having more people on a census can also mean better representation in the House of Representatives, she said.

A more accurate census can lead to more jobs and attract businesses and investment targeted to specific communities. In California, that can mean benefits for a high percentage of Asians, from China, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam, as well as Cambodia.

“That’s why we are working hard to make all our brothers and sisters understand the importance, especially those elderly who have received money [like welfare and social security] since they came to the US,” she said.

The United Cambodian Community has been operating since 1977, when it was formed to help Cambodians adjust to life in the US.

The US Census Bureau says 72 percent of households participated in the 2010 census, but census-takers are now going door-to-door to retrieve responses from households.

Sara Pol-Lim said now is the time to return forms to the census-takers if they have not been sent in already. She also said the census-takers are not to be feared, as they will not ask for confidential information. People should remember to have an ID ready, she said.

Khmerlive.tv Raymond Kin's rebuttal to SRP-NA

Friday, April 23rd 2010

[To:] Sam Rainsy Party of North America
The Secretariat of SRP-NA
P.O. Box 414
North Attleboro, MA 02761
USA

Dear Secretariat of SRP-NA,

This letter is to answer your press release dated April 22nd, 2010, more particularly in response to the following quote:

"We have seen a new game being deployed behind the cultural and religious scenes with a certain political inclination in order to try to promote the CPP’s popularity abroad. For a fact, a fund raising event was held to help Haitian quake victims was purportedly presented on Khmer TV Live by one of the CPP’s friend pretending that Cambodian-Montreal were celebrating January 7, 1979 which it wasn’t to start with. It caused enormous resentment in the community and those who showed up for the good cause they believed in. Was the CPP is trying to present to the donors’ nations and the free world that it has solid supports abroad while in reality it has very little, if any? Or is it simply loosing trust among Cambodian mass inside the land due to its long corrupted policies and practices? The jailing of farmers in defending of Vietnam’s planted poles deep inside Cambodia’s territory does not help the CPP-led government’s own image or argument, but rather damaging for good."

"We have seen a new game being deployed behind the cultural and religious scenes with a certain political inclination in order to try to promote the CPP’s popularity abroad."

The CPP party is not associated with my website. The main objective of the website www.khmerlive.tv is to unite the Cambodian people worldwide, regardless to their political trend. The television channel broadcast on the website, Cambodia’s national channel TVK, may perceive that I am for the ruling party (CPP). In fact, I am not bound to any Cambodian political party. On the other hand, I have the utmost respect towards all political parties, associations and foundations working for the development and the prosperity of our country and for Khmer communities around the world. It will be a pleasure to broadcast other live Khmer TV channels, as well as various cultural and political activities of all political parties, including yours, as long as I have the permission to publish it. Up to now, only TVK and event organizers authorized me to publish on my site.

"For a fact, a fund raising event was held to help Haitian quake victims was purportedly presented on Khmer TV Live by one of the CPP’s friend pretending that Cambodian-Montreal were celebrating January 7, 1979 which it wasn’t to start with. It caused enormous resentment in the community and those who showed up for the good cause they believed in."

This assertion is false and unfounded. First, I express my sincere apologies for inconvenience caused to those who came to the event and now feel regret. It has never been mentioned that the event was to celebrate the festival of January 7th, 1979, either before, during or after the event. No political party was attached or mentioned with regard to this event, which is organised by La Chambre de Commerce Cambodge-Canada. The fundraising for the Haitian Relief was held on February 7th 2010. You can view the video diffusion of the event at http://www.khmerlive.tv/liveevent/FundraisingForHaiti/ . The objectives of the team of KhmerLive.TV was to show the solidarity of the Cambodian community in Montreal area towards a country that urgently need help, and to test the live diffusion of video stream in preparation to the song contest taking place on April 10th 2010.

"Was the CPP is trying to present to the donors’ nations and the free world that it has solid supports abroad while in reality it has very little, if any? Or is it simply loosing trust among Cambodian mass inside the land due to its long corrupted policies and practices?"

The initiative to bring live television, and this, completely free to all Khmer community abroad reveals only from the team of KhmerLive.TV based in Montreal and not of the government, nor of the CPP party. Up to now, we only got the permission of the government to be able to rebroadcast TVK live online. Initially, we rebroadcast CTN Channel, which has refused any cooperation with our initiative.

"The jailing of farmers in defending of Vietnam’s planted poles deep inside Cambodia’s territory does not help the CPP-led government’s own image or argument, but rather damaging for good."

Let me emphasize that I fully support your actions to have raised funds through MS-SRP (Moronak Sangkruos-SRP) for the villagers in Svay Rieng. On several occasions, I even announced on my site Sokha Ly’s effort to have risen over $1,100 for these villagers.

Thru this letter, let me take the opportunity to solicit you to invite me to live broadcast various activities and celebrations of your political party throughout my website’s technology. It is with great pleasure to show the various activities of all Cambodian communities and political parties to the large Cambodian community worldwide.

Yours most sincerely and respectfully,

Raymond Kin
KhmerLive.TV
info@khmerlive.tv
www.khmerlive.tv

P.S. My response is available in PDF format in
-French at http://www.khmerlive.tv/20100423_KLTV_Press_Release_FR.pdf
-English at http://www.khmerlive.tv/20100423_KLTV_Press_Release_EN.pdf

Updates from Stéphane Janin's Khmer Abroad website

Survivors’ Voices

Far from their native country, few Cambodian Americans have a full understanding of how the Khmer Rouge trial works in Cambodia, and about the possibility to file a complaint to be addressed to the court, as witness or victim of physical, material psychological injuries. A Professor of Sociology at California State University has founded an [...]

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Dear Cambodian friends and friends of Cambodia,

I would like to share with you some important updates on my web site with multimedia slideshows about the Cambodian Americans. You can see that at this link:

http://www.stephanejanin.com/

If you have time, please have a look and listen to stories shoot these last months in the DC area and Long Beach. The most recent one tells about a workshop organized in Virginia by Prof. Leakhena Nou from Cal-State University to help survivors from the Khmer Rouge regime bring their stories and testimonies and file complaints to be addressed to the ECCC-Khmer Rouge trial in Phnom Penh.

Hope you have a good visit on the site,

With my best regards,
Stephane Janin