CITA Press Release on Fainting Children

After Japan Quake, the Search for a Survivor

Friday, March 18th, 2011
Soeung Sophat (Washington, D.C.) and Bun Tharum (Phnom Penh)
blogs.voanews.com

When an earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, Cambodian students in Japan found themselves in a frightening situation. But through social media and other communications, most students were able to check on each other during and after the quake.

When the shaking ended, all of the students were accounted for. Except one. Tea Seang Houng. The search for Tea Seang Huong by her friends demonstrates the important role social media and the Internet have come to play for Cambodians around the world.

Tea Seang Houng, who had been in Japan since March 2010 and was studying to be a translator, left Tokyo on March 9 to visit her host family on the northeast of the island of Honshu. Before she left, on March 7, she updated her Facebook profile, telling 309 friends, in Chinese (according to Google Translate): “A couple of days I can go to Sendai. Unfortunately, this is not holding the mood to travel. Anyway, hope this trip will be harvested [fruitful] in Sendai.”

On March 8, a friend replied, in Japanese, “You be careful!”

Seang Hourng's message in Chinese language for her Facebook friends, telling them about her visit to Sendai.

At 2:46 pm on the afternoon of March 11, a massive earthquake began off the northeast coast of Honshu—130 kilometers east of Sendai city, which sits on the eastern edge of the Eurasian Plate, whose geological collision into the Pacific Plate triggered the earthquake.

Sendai is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture

Cambodian Students Shaken, But Unharmed in Quake

Soeung Sophat, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Monday, 14 March 2011

“We were not allowed to use the elevator. I was terrified as Hell.”

The massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan Friday was the strongest in the country’s history. Among those caught up in the disaster were Cambodian students currently enrolled in various Japanese universities, who were frightened but otherwise unscathed.

“I was so terrified that I ran downstairs barefoot,” Chea Poleng, an economics student in Tokyo, told VOA Khmer shortly after the quake. “We were not allowed to use the elevator. I was terrified as Hell.”

Chea Poleng said she had lived in Japan for two years, and though she had felt earthquakes before, they were small in comparison.

Friday’s main quake, off the northeast coast of Japan near the city of Sendai, reached 8.9 on the Richter scale and triggered a 10-meter-high wave that swept people away amid cars, ships and homes. Fatalities are estimated in the thousands.

Three students claim prizes at Hong Kong maths contest [-Congratulations to the three students!]

From left, Leang Eng Se, Ngo Peng Hok and Sokhonn Reny after their win. Photo by: OU MOM

Monday, 24 January 2011
Ou Mom
The Phnom Penh Post

THREE young Cambodian students have won the country’s first international prizes in an Asia-Pacific maths competition in Hong Kong.

Four hundred students from eight nations across the region took part in the competition, including a team of 11 from Cambodia.

The grade 11 and 12 students were from Bak Tuk and Preah Sisovat high schools. Khemarak University chose them to represent the country in its first international maths competition from among 70 applicants nationwide.

It was a proud moment for Dr Sok Touch, director of Khemarak University. “For 31 years, Cambodia has never before attended this event and I myself never thought that Cambodia would have such marvellous students who won third-place prizes among hundreds of students in the Asia-Pacific examination.

Singapore provides scholarships for Cambodian students

Saturday, July 21, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The Singapore government provided scholarships to 4 students to continue their studies in Singapore. The ceremony honoring the 4 recipients was held on 19 July 2007 in Phnom Penh, under the presidency of Kol Pheng, the minister of education, youth and sports, and Mrs Tan Yi Van, the Singapore ambassador to Cambodia. The four students will leave to study in Singapore at the end of July and they will pursue a bachelor degree for 3 to 4 years in various universities in Singapore. Since Singapore decided to provide scholarships to ASEAN students to continue their studies in Singapore, a total of 400 scholarships were awarded to good ASEAN students. 29 Cambodian students were recipients to such scholarships.