United We Stand! - A Poem by Yim Guechse

Poem by Yim Guechse (on the web at http://KamnapYimGuechse.blogspot.com)
Illustration by Sacarava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Big lineup expected for Cambodian parade today [-Parade organizers sneak in Hun Sen's regime officials in the parade]

04/05/2008
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

LONG BEACH - The final nails are being pounded into floats and the last VIPs are being added to the lineup as the fourth annual Cambodian New Year Parade prepares to set off from the corner of Junipero Avenue and Anaheim Street today.

Parade organizer Richer San predicts the annual celebration, which annually brings thousands of visitors to the Cambodian Town area, will be the largest to date.

As of Friday, the parade had 87 official entrants, the most yet, with a few more stragglers expected.

San said three of six floats were still under construction and nearing completion near Sophy's Restaurant on Anaheim Street.

"I think we all feel great," San said.

This year, there are five grand marshals for the parade. They are 1st District City Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal, 6th District Councilman Dee Andrews and local Cambodians Charles Song, Sweety Chap and Michael Sar.

A new wrinkle this year is participation in the parade by representatives of Cambodia's ministries of tourism and culture and fine arts, plus the Council of Ministries.

Deputy Prime Minister Sok An had been invited, but in in the wake of a torrent of community dissent, his name was withdrawn.

San says that from 2 to 5 p.m. tourism officials will offer workshops at the Mark Twain branch library on tourism business opportunities in Cambodia.

The library will also be open to display some of the more than 1,000 books and items purchased by library officials on a recent trip to Cambodia.

The parade will begin at 9:30 a.m. with an interfaith celebration. The parade route runs along Anaheim Street between Junipero and Warren avenues. After the parade, a celebration with entertainment will be held at MacArthur Park, 1321 E. Anaheim St.

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291

Furor over Long Beach New Year parade calms

04/01/2008
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

LONG BEACH - In the wake of an apparent resolution to the latest flap that threatened the Cambodian New Year Parade, the stage is set for the fourth annual event to proceed without hindrance Sunday.

This year, a furor arose when an invitation was extended to Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An to participate in the annual parade.

News of the invitation brought an emotional response by community members who oppose the government of Hun Sen, which has been linked to a variety of human rights abuses.

Opponents launched a petition asking that the invitation be rescinded and claimed to have gathered more than 1,100 signatures.

Peter Long, president of the Cambodian Coordinating Council, which organizes the parade, released an announcement saying his organization had been told the Cambodian official will not participate.

"We hope this settles any misunderstanding," the statement read. "The Cambodian New Year Parade and El Dorado Park festivities are intended to be enjoyed by participants, spectators and the community. We hope you will join us this year."

Anthony Ly, editor of Angkor Borei News, who helped lead the protest, said he had received permits for his group to protest should Sok An decide to attend.

Ly said there is speculation Sok An is visiting Southern California and he plans to be prepared.

If Sok An does not attend, "We'll just enjoy the parade and celebration," Ly said.

"I think since (Sok An's) not showing up, I hope people will put their belief in us and learn what this is all about," Long said.

Before there was a Cambodian New Year Parade there was controversy. The date of the first parade had to be changed after there was uproar when the inaugural event was scheduled to be staged on April 17, 2005, the 30th anniversary of the date the Khmer Rouge rose to power and began their bloody reign that left 1.7 million Cambodians dead.

On Sunday, the parade will begin at 10 a.m. with an interfaith blessing. It will proceed west along Anaheim Street from Junipero Avenue to Warren Avenue at MacArthur Park.

In conjunction with the parade, the Mark Twain Library will be open for residents to peruse some of the more than 1,000 Khmer-language books and materials acquired on a January book-purchasing trip to Cambodia.

As of Tuesday, the parade had 72 community, cultural and performing groups entered with several more expected.

This year's parade theme is "Cambodia Town For Diversity," in honor of the city's official designation of the Cambodian area of Long Beach.

The parade will be followed by cultural presentations and entertainment at MacArthur Park. In addition to the standard post-event music and entertainment, Long said there would be a presentation of a traditional Cambodian play on the outdoor stage at MacArthur Park.

Cambodian New Year is typically a three-day celebration that falls in mid-April. This year will be the Year of the Rat.

The Long Beach festivities will continue the following weekend with the annual Cambodian New Year Celebration at El Dorado Regional Park on April 12.

On the heels of what organizers say was their best-ever year in 2007, they hope to receive even more visitors this year.

The all-day event at the park is more traditionally Cambodian and features religious ceremonies, New Year games, cultural performances and music by well-known Khmer singers.

Admission tickets are sold to cars parking at El Dorado for $20 per vehicle if purchased in advance. Tickets will be available at a number of Cambodian businesses throughout Long Beach.

Information about both events is available by calling the Cambodian Coordinating Council at 562-833-6128 or online at www.cam-cc.org.

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291

The Parade Objectives As of Today

Observation by Navy Phim
Originally posted at http://navyphim.com/blog/

The Cambodian New Year Parade objectives have seemed to change right before our eyes. Thanks to web archives, we are able to see what it used to be.

http://web.archive.org/web/20070701232029/
http://www.cambodiannewyearparade.com/Objectives.htm

Parade Objectives

• Highlight Cambodian Culture
• Focus on the Community and businesses on the Anaheim Corridor
• Spotlight on "Cambodia Town", the largest Cambodian Community outside Cambodia
• Improve community relationships among people of different backgrounds
• End the isolation and begin the participation of Cambodian-Americans in mainstream events
• Show unity in Cambodian community

As of today, the parade objectives have been changed to coincide with the invitation that was given to Deputy Prime Minister Sok An. I am not sure when exactly that change took place, but it must be very recent.

http://www.cambodiannewyearparade.com/Objectives.htm

Objectives of the Cambodian New Year Parade

The New Year Parade committee maintains a strict policy of non-discrimination regarding participation in the parade. The parade's main objectives are to promote Cambodian culture, harmony among diverse local communities, area businesses and neighborhoods, and particularly Cambodia Town USA. Political slogans and election campaigns are strickly prohibited.

In reference to the democratically-elected and internationally recognized Cambodian Government, we follow the official policy as defined by the U.S. Department of State. We believe past parade made positive impressions on participating Camboidan officials: they observed the joy and pride of the Long Beach Cambodian-Americans and the personal freedoms enjoyed by all citizens under the United States law.

Official Cambodian delegations participating in past parades and celebrations have included: H.E. Than Pok (Former-Secretary of State of Ministry of Education), H.E. Vora Kanthoul (Secretary of State of Ministry of Foreign Affairs), H.E. Sin Neung (Former-Parliament Member), H.E. Song Chhang (Former-Senator and current Advisor to the Royal Government), H.E. Dr. Widhya Chem (Former-Ambassador to UN and current Ambassador to Germany). Also participated from the economic and nongovernmental sectors, Mr. Sokha Kem (Former-Director of NGO Center for Human Rights), and Representatives from Cambodian Rice Miller Association and Small and Medium Size Enterprises.

While we acknowledge the current Cambodian government is not perfect, we follow the example demonstrated by Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, promoting constructive dialogue and advocating change through peacefull means.

Regardless of the Cambodian government's political party affiliation, we will continue to invite official Cambodian delegations to participate in the parade. We promote freedom, democracy, and free trade activity in Cambodia by presenting the best of the American value system in action.

We welcome all participants who believe in our objectives. We will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on race, color, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion or political affiliation. We also prohibit discrimination based on any other factor prohibited by federal, state or local law.

By the People, For the People

Op-Ed by Justin C. Sok
February 2008

Last year, I had the opportunity to join with thousands of spectators to witness the Cambodian New Year parade. The parade was on the Anaheim street corridor, Long Beach, California. It stretched between Junipero Avenue and Orange Avenue.

Under the cloudy and gloomy sky, the weather at the moment was somewhat chilly with light winds. The sky was masked in thin dark clouds that appeared to linger, which was an ominous sign of impending rain. As the clock was ticking closer to the commencement of the parade, the Buddhist monks were chanting loudly with Pali and Sanskrit languages (Sot-thor) became more persistent. The Buddhist monks chanted, prayed, and began using a brush-like item, made from tree branches and leaves to splash the holy water at the committee members, staff, and volunteers and blessed them with good luck and prayed the parade to be a success. The Buddhist monks chanted to commemorate and prayed farewell to the old Thevada for having brought the people in the city through out the year in good spirits and prosperity. In addition, the Buddhist monks were also chanting to welcoming the new Thevada for the New Year hoping that the Thevada for this New Year would bring people good luck, prosperity, harmony, and unity.

Fortunately, a change in the wind had pushed off the haze and the sky became clear, which allowed the radiance of sun to shine through to instill people with warmth and hope. All of the sudden, we could hear people effervesced into cheers, which signaled that the parade would soon to begin.

Like drawing hummingbirds to flowers, the parade had brought thousands of diverse ethnic groups of people from within the city and as well as from other communities. The parade was lined with thousands of spectators cheering from both sides of the street. The people were pleasant and greeted one another. Some were sitting down, some were standing, and some people were slithering through the crowd in search of friends and families. Some small children were on their fathers’ shoulders for bird’s eyes view, and some other small children were sound asleep in their strollers, awaken once in a while to the loud cheers of the crowd. Some teenage children were trying to work their way through the crowd to the front for a better view of the floats. The peddlers were pacing back and forth on the street, yelling out selling their candies and toys, and promotional products such as New Year t-shirts, umbrellas, mats, paintings, and flags (American and Cambodian).

At the parade announcement booth, sound systems were blaring out Khmer music – Rom Vong, Saravann, Lam Leov, Rom Kbach, and some other Khmer New Year songs, etc. The parade was spectacular and the people were enthusiastically cheering as each float slowly passed by. I held the American flag in one hand and the Cambodian flag on the other. The flags were fluttering in the light wind, which symbolized the hope and dream for Khmer solidarity. Some people were waving their flags at the floats and screaming out, “Happy New Year!” and some people were dancing along with the music.

There were many community organizations from diverse ethnic groups that participated in the parade. The parade had over seventy floats. The Cambodian floats were decked out superbly with Khmer fabrics – Silk, Hol, and Pa-moung, and variety of colorful flowers. Each float had it own distinctive Khmer style. I enjoyed them all, especially, a group of Khmer men dressed up in the Khmer Angkorian era, Khmer women dressed up in traditional Khmer Sarong attire (Chong Pong), wearing leis, and carrying clay pots on their waists. A group of Khmer men dressed up in shorts were playing kick flying birdie game (Tort Sey). A group of Khmer elders dressed up in traditional farm attire and carried a bamboo sticks on their shoulders balancing bamboo buckets of palm juice on both ends.

As I watched the floats slowly passed by, my mind was also slowly reeling back into the past. I ruminated and reminisced about Cambodia and had flashbacks. It was not long ago that our Khmer people were living in a dark abyss. Although I was a young child, but I still have a vivid memories about the atrocities committed during the four years and eight months under the claws of the Black-clad Orders, Inc. It was not a dream or like in an animated movie. It was real. For centuries, Khmer people had suffered enormously. Our hopes, dreams and spirits were once shattered by carpet bombings, the Viet Cong, the invasion by the South Vietnamese, the Black-clad Orders, the invasion by the Hanoi government, the torture of our people in Thailand, and the civil war up to the late eighties. It happened so sudden that before I realized, I found tears filling my eyes and flowing down on my cheeks. I soon realized I was also one in among the survivors of the deadly storm, “The Killing Fields”. The parade had captured the attention of the world. It was a moment that we had spruced up of our Khmer culture image and to strut off of our Khmer pride.

I would like to take this window of opportunity to thank community organizations such as the Long Beach-Phnom Penh Sister Cities, the Cam-CC, the Cambodian American Chamber of Commerce, the committee members and their staff, the Cambodian student organizations, volunteers, the Hispanic community, the African American community, the Hmong community, the Long Beach Police Department and the Long Beach Fire Department, the Long Beach City council members, and the Honorable Mr. Bob Foster, Mayor of the City of Long Beach, for their continued support, dedication, and commitment for the annual Cambodian Cultural Parade. Most importantly, I would like to thank our Cambodian and Cambodian American people who are residing in Long Beach, and as well as the Cambodian people around the world, for their wholehearted cooperation and deep debt of gratitude to them for all their support, patience, and whose enthusiasm that provided the foundation for our voices.

The time is winding down and the Cambodian New Year is once again, fast approaching, and the spirit of our Cambodian New Year Celebration is here. I, and as well as, our Cambodian people that are living here and abroad, are anxiously anticipating for our big Celebration. Yes, the Cambodian New Year Celebration of April 13, 14, and 15! We are filled with excitement and anticipation.

I am optimistic that the annual Cambodian New Year Cultural Parade this year will sure to proceed as planned. But it would not happen without to wade through a horn of dilemma. After an officially approved and registered Cambodia Town in July of 2007, there was an avalanche of speculation and tidings that there were some committee members, with their own hidden agenda, that had gone overboard to invite His Excellency Mr. Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in charge of the Council of Ministers, as the Representative of the Royal Government of Cambodia, is scheduled to participate in the Cambodian New Year Cultural Parade and the ribbon cutting (inauguration) of Cambodia Town in April 2008. There have been rumors circulating in the Cambodian community that some committee members had exercised poor judgment when they invited His Excellency Mr. Sok An to participate in the Cambodian New Year Cultural Parade. The small lapse of their judgment has, indeed, amplified a tidal wave of disapproval from the Cambodian American community and as well as the Cambodian people around the world.

To my knowledge, it is a fair generalization to state that the annual Cambodian New Year Cultural Parade and Cambodia Town was established by the voices of the Cambodian and Cambodian American people that are residing in Long Beach. And we have the strong support of the Hispanic and African American communities, the local businesses, and other community organizations. The Cambodian New Year Cultural Parade and Cambodia Town was not established by a few Cambodian Community Congress delegates who claimed to represent Cambodian people living overseas. In the spirit of cooperation and fairness, this issue is being presented here for our concerned public and it is indeed, a thorny issue, which the public should be aware of. It is also fair to say that the Cambodian public, in general, would neither oppose any of the objectives of the annual Cambodian New Year Cultural Parade nor would we object to the proposal of inviting of any dignitary to participate in the inauguration of Cambodia Town. We, the Cambodian and Cambodian American people would want to embrace cultural diversity and would want to contribute to any possible action to help make the quality of life here in the city of Long Beach better (safe and secure, attract tourism, encourage cultural diversity, and economic and social development). More importantly, the Cambodian and Cambodian American people would want to make informed decisions about our heritage, cultural values, and ethnic pride.

However, it is outrageous and despicable to learn that the CCC delegates had made a decision to invite His Excellency Mr. Sok An to participate in the inauguration of Cambodia Town without an attempt to issue any public statement and/or hold any formal community forum or Town Hall meeting to open this issue for discussion and to receive input from the community. It is crystal clear that the delegates had undermined the people’s power and had completely disregarded the importance of the public opinion of the Cambodian community.

In late January 2008, a group of Koun Khmer intellectuals led by Ms. Navy Phim had attempted to create a dialogue with the board and/or committee members. Ms. Phim and her associates were invited to a meeting and they were not well received, however. The meeting was brief and the discussion was like “passing around the hot potato.” No one knew or could explain and/or elaborate about as to who had initiated the idea on the issue of the invitation. Instead, some committee members were steadfastly denied and provided a sketchy explanation. The verbal-knife throwing arguments started when Ms. Phim pressed the issue of the invitation, human rights violations, and corruptions of the Cambodian government. The next thing Ms. Phim and her associates realized was, they had gone frog-sticking without a light. The committee members refused to discuss the matter further and invited Ms. Phim and her associates to leave. When Ms. Phim and her associates did not leave, they left, turned off the lights, and closed the door. How selfish, unprofessional, and uncivilized they were!

It is may be to the few that shared the same umbilical cords and have political affiliations to the Phnom Penh government but this is America. As the citizens of this country, Ms. Phim and her associates, the Cambodian public, and I, have our constitutional rights to participate and to have our voices heard. The parade will go on but the floats will set sail in high winds and uncharted waters. The Cambodian public is rightfully demanding a public hearing on the issue of the invitation and is planning to hold a peaceful demonstration if requested is ignored.

For additional info: http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2008/02/pursuing-dialogue.html

Parade Controversy 2008

December 31, 2007
Op-Ed by Navy Phem
A Writer's Journey - Blogging Reflection

Please post your comments on the author's blog by clicking the link below:
http://navyphim.com/blog/?p=144

There is yet another controversy surrounding the Cambodian New Year parade in Long Beach. In 2005, it was because the chosen date happened to be April 17, which marked the 30th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge victory. People who opposed the date protested, held candle vigils and attended the city council meetings to request a date change. Even though, I did not protest the chosen date, I attended the meeting to listen to the opposition and tried to understand their views. The discussions that took place during the conflict were heated and many things could have been handled differently. The community was divided on the issue but the people who opposed the date organized themselves and made their point known. In the end, it was resolved and the community was able to come together to celebrate New Year and made the parade a success.

This year, the controversy is surrounding the invitation that was given to Sok An, a corrupted official in the Hun Sen government, to attend the parade by a delegation from Long Beach visiting Phnom Penh recently. The delegation included representatives from Cambodia Town Inc., Long Beach Sister Cities, the Cambodian Coordinating Council and the Cambodia New Year Parade.

The article can be read on the Press Telegram Website.

It was also posted in KI-Media and you can also read the comment on it.

I first read about it here and it is also being discussed.

Some years ago, after I was over my initial shock that there are Cambodian-Americans who supported the Hun Sen government, I tried to understand why. One of the answers is that it was a lesser evil than the Khmer Rouge regime, but evil is evil whether something else is more evil than it. I also noticed that some of the supporters have relatives in Cambodia who are government officials or rich individuals who greatly benefit from a government that exploits the poor. There are also those who values power and wealth at all cost whether it was obtained through corruption or exploitation. They are opportunists who will turn a blind eye to the suffering of others as long as they benefit. They support high-ranking officials in Cambodia and brag about staying at five-star hotel and how they know people with big mansion who are driven around Cambodia in limousine with bodyguards surrounding them at all times. It never occurred to them that those individuals are the destroyers of Cambodia and many of us do not admire who they know and what they do in Cambodia when we see them as blood-sucking leech.

As for the present conflict in Long Beach, it is providing the Cambodian community an opportunity to voice their opinions and inform our so-called community leaders who they represent. As individuals, if they support the Hun Sen government and want to kowtow or kneel down in front of Hun Sen and their cronies, they have the right to do it. They should do it in the privacy of their own house or when they are visiting Cambodia. In term of inviting them to the parade, this should be a community decision. These representatives should have taken the time to understand the people they represent and know how many of us would appreciate (or not appreciate) seeing members of Hun Sen government at our event. The community leaders may know someone personally and think the person is an inspirational figure, but the greater community may not and in those instance, they should also refrain from forcing these so-called inspirational figure on us.

The invitation has been given but with the petitions being circulated, we will know too how many of us do not want Sok An to be at our event. After seeing the result of the petition, I hope these leaders will amend their actions and listen to the people they represent.

I would be surprised if there is a higher number of people who would condone having Sok An at the parade. We’ll find out. For those who oppose, please sign the petition.

Petitioners say “Not the Cambodian deputy prime minister!”

Who Will Attend 2008'S Cambodian New Year Parade?

Thu. December 27
Theo Douglas
The District Weekly (Long Beach, California, USA)

Petitioners say “Not the Cambodian deputy prime minister!”

The 2008 Cambodian New Year Parade isn’t until some time in April–so far off that folks in the Mayor’s office say they haven’t even set a date. But already tensions are mounting over plans by Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister Sok An to attend the parade.

According to Greg Mellen in this morning’s Press-Telegram, some people in Long Beach’s Cambodian community oppose the current Cambodian government for its human rights violations, corruption and other “misdeeds.”

They’ve launched a petition to protest Sok An’s appearance–copies of which will be printed in the Jan. 31 edition of the Angkor Borei News, its editor Anthony Ly told Mellen.

Ly also said the petition has more than 20 signatures to date–and he called Sok An “the most corrupt man in [Prime Minister] Hun Sen’s government.”

So now the question becomes: who invited him?

Former councilman Evan Anderson Braude was part of a Long Beach delegation which visited Phnom Penh, the country’s capital, earlier this month–and extended what Braude characterized to Mellen as “a general invitation to anyone who wanted to attend.”

“There was no specific invitation to a specific person,” Braude is quoted as saying. But Sok An accepted.

And if the Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister decides he wants to actually be in the parade, Mellen reports that he’ll be “provided with a car to ride in, and banners identifying him.”

No matter where you stand on the issue, it should make the three months leading up to the parade exceedingly interesting.

Cambodian's planned visit draws protest

Photo of those who went to meet Sok An (Photo published by Angkor Borei News)

Richer San and Sithea San, his wife. Richer San claims that he will provide a car for the corrupt Sok An to parade in the Cambodia Town's 2008 Cambodian New Year parade.

Deputy prime minister plans to appear in New Year Parade in Long Beach.

12/26/2007
By Greg Mellen, Staff writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (Long Beach, California, USA)

LONG BEACH - A planned appearance by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An at next year's Cambodian New Year Parade in Long Beach has stirred controversy and is threatening to open old wounds in the Cambodian community.

In his home country, Sok An is the right-hand man of Prime Minister Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian People's Party. Earlier this month, he accepted an invitation to attend next year's New Year celebration from a delegation from Long Beach visiting Phnom Penh. The contingent included representatives of several ethnic and civic groups including Cambodia Town Inc., Long Beach Sister Cities, the Cambodian Coordinating Council and the Cambodia New Year Parade.

News of Sok An's planned attendance has brought emotional response from members of the Cambodian community in Long Beach who oppose the Hun Sen government.

In an effort to stop the visit, a petition has been launched protesting the deputy prime minister's appearance.

Anthony Ly, editor of the Angkor Borei News, which will print copies of the petition in its Dec. 31 editions, says he hopes to meet with Mayor Bob Foster in January to present the signatures.

There was confusion about whether Foster formally invited Sok An to attend the parade.

Evan Braude, an attorney and former Long Beach city councilman who was part of the delegation, said that wasn't the case.

Braude said he had been asked by Foster to extend greetings in general to groups the delegation met. Foster had planned to go on the trip, but had to bow out because of an eye infection.

"There was no specific invitation to a specific person," Braude said. "It was just a general invitation to anyone who wanted to attend. That's the main thrust."

Braude added that formal invitations to visiting heads of state and their representatives are handled by the federal government, and the visit by the Long Beach delegation wasn't even an official city visit.

However, Richer San, a Long Beach delegate, confirmed that an invitation was made, formal or not, and Sok An accepted.

He added that if Sok An decides to join the parade, he will be provided with a car to ride in and banners identifying him.

Braude noted that in past years other political figures have been part of the parade, including Pok Than, a former minister of education in Cambodia with ties to Long Beach.

Opponents say bringing someone of Sok An's stature, however, ups the ante.

Ly, who said he already has 20 to 30 signatures, called Sok An "the most corrupt man in Hun Sen's government."

He added that local residents oppose the deputy prime minister's involvement because of the Cambodian government's long history of human rights violations, corruption and a laundry list of other misdeeds.

As an example, Ly pointed to a recent visit by United Nations human rights envoy Yash Ghai. After Ghai's contentious 10-day fact-finding mission, the BBC reported the envoy said, "Cambodia's government was not committed to human rights, and power had been too centralised (sic) around `one individual,"' referring to Hun Sen.

The BBC reported that Hun Sen responded by calling Ghai "deranged."

San says Ly was an opponent of the New Year Parade since its inception. While he supported Ly's right to hold a different opinion, he said Cambodian Americans need to put homeland politics aside.

Although he sought to remain somewhat neutral and removed from the controversy, Cambodian activist Paline Soth said many residents see Sok An as representing an oppressive regime and will see his appearance as extending the reach and influence into Long Beach.

"They believe they fled the country to leave an oppressive government and be independent and be subject to the law and order of Long Beach," Soth said.

About his own feelings, Soth says he believes it is OK for Cambodians to attend the parade as private citizens, but adds, "I would be critical of anyone using the parade for their own agenda."

Braude, who hopes to diffuse any tension, said, "We're not here to play politics, right or wrong."

However, homeland politics and old hurts and alliances still simmer just below the surface in Long Beach's Cambodian community.

This was never more evident than in 2005, when Cambodians divided sharply and bitterly over the inaugural New Year Parade. Initially scheduled for April 17, the date Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge rose to power and unleashed the Killing Fields reign of terror that left about 1.7 million Cambodians dead, the parade issue gashed the community along old party lines.

Although Hun Sen and his Cambodian People's Party have been democratically elected in recent years, since the coup he led in 1997, the prime minister is still a lightning rod of dissent stateside.

Soth is among those who fear that an appearance by Hun Sen's top aide could be disastrous.

"There's a silent majority out there watching," Soth said, "and at the snap of a finger, this is an issue that could ignite them."