Showing posts with label Cham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cham. Show all posts
Monday, September 03, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Cambodia’s frustration with Thai treatment of Khmer Muslims soothed
BANGKOK, Aug 24 – A senior Thai military officer on Thursday brushed aside Cambodia’s dissatisfaction over the thorough inspection of Cambodian Muslims entering Thailand, insisting that the measure is necessary as far as national security is concerned.
Maj-Gen Dittaporn Sasa-smit, spokesman of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), said the inspection enables the authorities to know the background of the Muslim arrivals in case of untoward incidents.
“We need to immediately supply them (the Cambodian authorities) with necessary information if asked for,” he said.
Gen Dittaporn said Cambodian Muslims have been entering Thailand at border checkpoints in Sa Kaew province but there has been no report of their involvement in terrorism.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Cambodian Muslims go South [of Thailand]
 |
| A group of Cambodian Muslims show their passports at Khlong Luek border pass in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo. Authorities fear Muslims from Cambodia may join insurgent groups in Thailand’s restive deep South. TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD |
Many Malaysia-bound, 'not interested' in strife
27/08/2012
Wassayos Ngamkham
Bangkok Post
Despite being closely monitored by Thai security authorities, Cambodian Muslims continue to enter Thailand through the Khlong Luek border pass in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo.
Most of them travel further to the southern border provinces of Thailand and enter Malaysia there. Thai immigration police know a number of Cambodian Muslims do not return to their homeland by the same route and likely stay in Malaysia as illegal workers.
Some Thai authorities are concerned about Cambodian Muslims' entry and wonder if they might get involved in the insurgency in the far South.
Most Cambodian visitors say, however, they pay no attention to the violent conflict in the southern provinces.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Cambodia rejects allegations about Muslims' joining insurgent networks in Thailand
22-08-2012
PHNOM PENH, (Xinhua): Cambodia on Wednesday rejected Thai allegations that some Cambodian Muslims have joined violent insurgent networks in Thailand's far South, saying the allegations are groundless and unacceptable.
"The allegations are absolutely groundless and unacceptable," Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Wednesday. "They are innocent people. Thai competent authorities should find out the fact and real evidence before making such baseless allegations."
The spokesman's reaction was made after the Bangkok Post online quoted Thai army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha as saying on Tuesday that some Cambodian Muslims have joined violent insurgent networks in Thailand in the far South.
Prayuth warns of Cambodian Muslim threat [-Bangkok Post's article is in contradiction to the Nation's report]
22/08/2012
Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post
Some Cambodian Muslims have joined violent insurgent networks in Thailand in the far South, said army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday.
The army chief has asked authorities to closely monitor Cambodian Muslim immigrants to ensure they return to their country when their one-month entry permits expire.
According to Gen Prayuth, not all have returned to Cambodia.
The army is asking the Immigration Bureau and the Customs Department about the whereabouts of Cambodian Muslims, he said.
The army chief said most Cambodian Muslims who entered Thailand are travelling through to neighbouring countries, particularly Malaysia, to find work.
Cambodian Muslims not involved in South violence: [Thai] Army chief
 |
| Prayuth Chan-ocha |
THE NATION
Most Cambodian Muslims living in the deep South of Thailand have no connection with insurgents in the predominantly Muslim region, and are simply job-seekers who have fled poverty in search of better lives, Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said yesterday.
Prayuth's statement contradicted Deputy Prime Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha's earlier comment that many Muslims from Cambodia did not return home after travelling to the deep South, suggesting that they might be involved in the ongoing violence there.
Prayuth said only some 30-100 Muslims from Cambodia entered Thailand monthly. The figure varied according to the season, he said. Larger numbers entered during months when religious activities took place, such as Dahwah missionary work, he said. Some Muslims from Cambodia entered Thailand during other periods in search of work, he said.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Muslims from Cambodia under watch [... in Thailand]
20/08/2012
Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post
Immigration police have been instructed to keep a close watch on Cambodian Muslim people travelling into Thailand as tourists, Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa said on Monday.
Gen Yutthasak, who is in charge of security affairs, said nearly 1,000 Cambodian Muslims were arriving in the country each day.
Apart from the necessity for immigration police to keep them under watch, the Cambodian government would also be asked to provide information about them, he said.
On the new command centre for solving problems in southern border provinces, which has yet to be officially set up, Gen Yutthasak said it would not duplicate the work of other security agencies but would instead facilitate their operations.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Cham Writing Founders Under Malay, Arabic
Cham script (Photo: Wikipedia)By Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
13 January 2010
Bhann Tes carefully opened a thick holy book, whose pages have turned brown with age. He fetched a small notebook from a shelf and began writing, copying the work line by line.
“These are Cham scripts, which look like Khmer Pali scripts,” the 76-year-old Muslim said recently, sounding out the religious texts in his single-room him in Samaki Meanchey district, Kampong Chhnang province. “I try to copy the scripts so that they will stay on after I pass away.”
Despite the efforts of men like Bhann Tes, researchers say Cham scripts are likely to disappear in the next few decades if they continue to be ignored as they are now.
Emiko Stock, a French anthropologist who has studied the Cham, a minority Muslim group in Cambodia, for the past decade, said only a few elder Chams can still read documents written in the Cham language.
“Now there are just a few old Cham literates left,” she said, “so it is a great concern that in the next five to 20 years, there will probably be no one who can read or understand poems, history or other documents in Cham.”
Cham illiteracy could result in the loss of Cham tradition, history and culture as a whole, said Stock, who speaks Khmer fluently.
Cham scripts are still in use by Cham people in Vietnam, who are mostly Hindu. Cambodia’s half a million Cham, who fled the fallen kingdom of Champa in today’s Vietnam, tend to use Arabic rather than Cham.
Stock said the trend of globalization has put Cham scripts in danger, as young Chams rarely learn their own writing.
Matt Roshat, 26, said he never learned Cham writing, even though he speaks the language. Instead, he learned Arabic and Javy, a mix of Arabic and Malay.
“We don’t know why we should learn Cham scripts when we can use Javy to demonstrate Cham pronunciation and Arabic to read and understand the Quran,” said Matt Roshat, a university graduate who works for a local non-governmental organization in Phnom Penh.
Matt Roshat is a member of a larger and more orthodox Islamic community in Cambodia, which prefers Islamic practices with Arabic or Malaysian touches.
The smaller Muslim sect, called Imam San, is the guardian of Cham scripts and culture. Imam San leader Kai Tam said the reason more and more young Chams prefer Arabic to their own scripts is that they are attracted by materialism.
“At the moment, they prefer learning from the other side, because that side has money, and we don’t,” Kai Tam said, referring to the larger Muslim community. However, he still writes and compiles the Quran in Cham for distribution and does whatever he can to preserve the Cham scripts.
“I am teaching the scripts to youths and villagers in their homes, in mosques and in any place I can teach, so that our Cham traditions, customs and culture will live forever,” he said in a recent interview at his home in Kampong Tralach district.
Sos Kamry, a mufti for the larger Muslim community in Cambodia, said any tradition affecting or in contrast with Islam must be abandoned or forgotten.
Emiko Stock said that any tradition or culture that does not change at all ultimately will die, so they need modernizing. However, she said the preservation of scripts is also needed for a tradition’s survival.
“When the young do not want to learn their own scripts today,” she said, “tomorrow there will be no one to be able to read books or anything left behind by their elders.”
“These are Cham scripts, which look like Khmer Pali scripts,” the 76-year-old Muslim said recently, sounding out the religious texts in his single-room him in Samaki Meanchey district, Kampong Chhnang province. “I try to copy the scripts so that they will stay on after I pass away.”
Despite the efforts of men like Bhann Tes, researchers say Cham scripts are likely to disappear in the next few decades if they continue to be ignored as they are now.
Emiko Stock, a French anthropologist who has studied the Cham, a minority Muslim group in Cambodia, for the past decade, said only a few elder Chams can still read documents written in the Cham language.
“Now there are just a few old Cham literates left,” she said, “so it is a great concern that in the next five to 20 years, there will probably be no one who can read or understand poems, history or other documents in Cham.”
Cham illiteracy could result in the loss of Cham tradition, history and culture as a whole, said Stock, who speaks Khmer fluently.
Cham scripts are still in use by Cham people in Vietnam, who are mostly Hindu. Cambodia’s half a million Cham, who fled the fallen kingdom of Champa in today’s Vietnam, tend to use Arabic rather than Cham.
Stock said the trend of globalization has put Cham scripts in danger, as young Chams rarely learn their own writing.
Matt Roshat, 26, said he never learned Cham writing, even though he speaks the language. Instead, he learned Arabic and Javy, a mix of Arabic and Malay.
“We don’t know why we should learn Cham scripts when we can use Javy to demonstrate Cham pronunciation and Arabic to read and understand the Quran,” said Matt Roshat, a university graduate who works for a local non-governmental organization in Phnom Penh.
Matt Roshat is a member of a larger and more orthodox Islamic community in Cambodia, which prefers Islamic practices with Arabic or Malaysian touches.
The smaller Muslim sect, called Imam San, is the guardian of Cham scripts and culture. Imam San leader Kai Tam said the reason more and more young Chams prefer Arabic to their own scripts is that they are attracted by materialism.
“At the moment, they prefer learning from the other side, because that side has money, and we don’t,” Kai Tam said, referring to the larger Muslim community. However, he still writes and compiles the Quran in Cham for distribution and does whatever he can to preserve the Cham scripts.
“I am teaching the scripts to youths and villagers in their homes, in mosques and in any place I can teach, so that our Cham traditions, customs and culture will live forever,” he said in a recent interview at his home in Kampong Tralach district.
Sos Kamry, a mufti for the larger Muslim community in Cambodia, said any tradition affecting or in contrast with Islam must be abandoned or forgotten.
Emiko Stock said that any tradition or culture that does not change at all ultimately will die, so they need modernizing. However, she said the preservation of scripts is also needed for a tradition’s survival.
“When the young do not want to learn their own scripts today,” she said, “tomorrow there will be no one to be able to read books or anything left behind by their elders.”
Friday, April 17, 2009
Malaysia To Help Cambodian Muslims
KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 (Bernama) -- The 'Majlis Muafakat Dakwah Malaysia-Kemboja' or MMDMK council will help to enhance the socio-economic status of Muslims in Cambodia by setting up several special institutions for the purpose.
MMDMK chairman, Datuk Mohd Nakhaie Ahmad said for a start the council will help the Selangor International Islamic College (KUIS) to open a campus branch in Cambodia which would be known as Cambodia Islamic College by the end of the year.
He said an organisation that functions like Tabung Haji would also be set up soon to help Muslims in that country to contribute and be able to perform the 'haj'.
Nakhaie said also given focus was having 'halal' certification for canned food from that country.
"Our efforts will be easier as the Cambodian government allows Muslim communities in other countries to aid Muslims there," he told reporters after receiving a 10-member delegation headed by the Cambodian Muslim Development body headed by Othsman Hasan who is also Cambodia's minister for vocation and labour.
Nakhaie said three memoranda of understanding on economics and education were signed.
Meanwhile, Othsman thanked Muslims in Malaysia for their continued support.
He said his organisation was trying to change the mentality of Muslims there, who were about 40 years behind Muslims here, so that they could easily respond to swift development.
"The Champa community which is still leaving on raft-houses will be moved to permament places to do farming and be more competitive.
"We will use all expertise, including in agriculture and fisheries, contributed by Malaysia and help Cambodian Muslims get out of poverty," he said.
The Muslim community is a minority group in Cambodia with about 700,000 people or four per cent of the population.
MMDMK chairman, Datuk Mohd Nakhaie Ahmad said for a start the council will help the Selangor International Islamic College (KUIS) to open a campus branch in Cambodia which would be known as Cambodia Islamic College by the end of the year.
He said an organisation that functions like Tabung Haji would also be set up soon to help Muslims in that country to contribute and be able to perform the 'haj'.
Nakhaie said also given focus was having 'halal' certification for canned food from that country.
"Our efforts will be easier as the Cambodian government allows Muslim communities in other countries to aid Muslims there," he told reporters after receiving a 10-member delegation headed by the Cambodian Muslim Development body headed by Othsman Hasan who is also Cambodia's minister for vocation and labour.
Nakhaie said three memoranda of understanding on economics and education were signed.
Meanwhile, Othsman thanked Muslims in Malaysia for their continued support.
He said his organisation was trying to change the mentality of Muslims there, who were about 40 years behind Muslims here, so that they could easily respond to swift development.
"The Champa community which is still leaving on raft-houses will be moved to permament places to do farming and be more competitive.
"We will use all expertise, including in agriculture and fisheries, contributed by Malaysia and help Cambodian Muslims get out of poverty," he said.
The Muslim community is a minority group in Cambodia with about 700,000 people or four per cent of the population.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Not All Chams To Make Mecca This Year
By Win Thida, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
08 December 2008
Original report from Phnom Penh
08 December 2008
The closure of Bangkok’s international airport earlier this month cost Cambodia millions of dollars and crippled Thailand’s tourism sector. It also thwarted the pilgrimage to Mecca of nearly 200 Cambodian Muslims.
The pilgrimage, or hajj, is an annual rite for many Muslims, a tenet that the faithful should make the trip to Mecca, a holy city in Saudi Arabia, at least once in a lifetime. It can cost thousands of dollars for travel and accommodation.
“I have never been there before, and now it was canceled,” said Mary Ya, a Cham who missed her chance this year due to delays in Thailand. “Now I have to wait for the next opportunity.”
At least one travel guide said the failure of some Chams to reach Mecca this year was due to the high number of people wanting to go.
“This year I felt a lot of regret,” said Halgi Sakariya Suleu Mana, who has been a travel guide for many years and never seen this kind of problem. “I was not successful with this, not because the Thai airport was closed, but this year there were too many people who wanted to travel.”
The pilgrimage, or hajj, is an annual rite for many Muslims, a tenet that the faithful should make the trip to Mecca, a holy city in Saudi Arabia, at least once in a lifetime. It can cost thousands of dollars for travel and accommodation.
“I have never been there before, and now it was canceled,” said Mary Ya, a Cham who missed her chance this year due to delays in Thailand. “Now I have to wait for the next opportunity.”
At least one travel guide said the failure of some Chams to reach Mecca this year was due to the high number of people wanting to go.
“This year I felt a lot of regret,” said Halgi Sakariya Suleu Mana, who has been a travel guide for many years and never seen this kind of problem. “I was not successful with this, not because the Thai airport was closed, but this year there were too many people who wanted to travel.”
Friday, August 24, 2007
[US Marines] Unit builds bonds during civil assistance project
Lance Cpls. Bentley Martin and Derreck Moore, both combat engineers with Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, measure and cut boards Aug. 15 during an engineering civil assistance project at the Ma'Ahad El-Muhajirin Islamic Center in Cambodia's southern province of Kampot. The project is part of the Cambodia Interoperability Program, which is intended to build on the relationship between the U.S. and Cambodian governments and develop interoperability between U.S. forces and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. (Photo by Sgt. Ethan E. Rocke).
Sgt. Bradley Wood, a combat engineer, finds a curious bunch of boys anxious to help as he fills a generator with fuel at the Center. (Photo by Sgt. Ethan E. Rocke).Unit builds bonds during civil assistance project
By Sgt. Ethan E. Rocke
US Marines in Japan
KAMPOT PROVINCE, Cambodia (August 24, 2007) -- In a modest, peaceful compound deep in the rural, southern farmlands of Cambodia's Kampot Province, August 15 was a day for smiles.
Residents of the Ma'Ahad El-Muhajirin Islamic Center had reason to smile as they warmly welcomed Marines and sailors from 1st Marine Aircraft Wing's Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, who came to complete several renovations during a two-week engineering civil assistance project.
The detachment of mostly Marine combat engineers also consists of medical and dental personnel who will provide medical care and preventive medicine training for residents during the project.
The engineers will make several infrastructure and cosmetic improvements at the center including rewiring and improving the electrical equipment that powers the center, installing ceilings in classrooms and ceiling fans in the center's mosque, and painting.
The center is an Islamic school for high school graduates from Cambodia's Cham, an ethnic group of Islamic people in Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.
The project is part of the Cambodia Interoperability Program, which is intended to build on the relationship between the U.S. and Cambodian governments and develop interoperability between U.S. forces and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
Nasiet Ly, an English teacher at the center, welcomed the American humanitarians during a small opening ceremony.
"We are very thankful for the help, and we hope to build on the warm relationship between the U.S. and Cambodian people," he said.
Gunnery Sgt. Kirk Taylor, staff noncommissioned officer in charge of the project, followed Ly's remarks, echoing his message of goodwill.
"We're excited to be here helping the Cambodian people," he said. "We hope the friendships we build here will last for generations to come."
The project marks the second time in two years that MWSS-172 has conducted a civil assistance project in Cambodia. In October 2005, the unit completed construction on the Kompong Chhnang Friendship Clinic, a medical clinic in Kompong Chhnang Province that is staffed by local medical personnel.
A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia relayed a message from Chargéd'Affaires Piper A.W. Campbell, praising the Okinawa service members for their role in enhancing the relationship between the two countries as well as the Muslim community.
"Providing assistance to Cambodia's Muslim population is an important part of the United States government's outreach efforts here, and we sincerely appreciate the significant contributions MWSS-172 has made to this ongoing commitment," Campbell said.
Residents of the Ma'Ahad El-Muhajirin Islamic Center had reason to smile as they warmly welcomed Marines and sailors from 1st Marine Aircraft Wing's Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, who came to complete several renovations during a two-week engineering civil assistance project.
The detachment of mostly Marine combat engineers also consists of medical and dental personnel who will provide medical care and preventive medicine training for residents during the project.
The engineers will make several infrastructure and cosmetic improvements at the center including rewiring and improving the electrical equipment that powers the center, installing ceilings in classrooms and ceiling fans in the center's mosque, and painting.
The center is an Islamic school for high school graduates from Cambodia's Cham, an ethnic group of Islamic people in Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.
The project is part of the Cambodia Interoperability Program, which is intended to build on the relationship between the U.S. and Cambodian governments and develop interoperability between U.S. forces and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
Nasiet Ly, an English teacher at the center, welcomed the American humanitarians during a small opening ceremony.
"We are very thankful for the help, and we hope to build on the warm relationship between the U.S. and Cambodian people," he said.
Gunnery Sgt. Kirk Taylor, staff noncommissioned officer in charge of the project, followed Ly's remarks, echoing his message of goodwill.
"We're excited to be here helping the Cambodian people," he said. "We hope the friendships we build here will last for generations to come."
The project marks the second time in two years that MWSS-172 has conducted a civil assistance project in Cambodia. In October 2005, the unit completed construction on the Kompong Chhnang Friendship Clinic, a medical clinic in Kompong Chhnang Province that is staffed by local medical personnel.
A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia relayed a message from Chargéd'Affaires Piper A.W. Campbell, praising the Okinawa service members for their role in enhancing the relationship between the two countries as well as the Muslim community.
"Providing assistance to Cambodia's Muslim population is an important part of the United States government's outreach efforts here, and we sincerely appreciate the significant contributions MWSS-172 has made to this ongoing commitment," Campbell said.
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