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)

Together, We Can!

TOGETHER, WE CAN!

April 02, 2008
Op-Ed by Justin Sok

I just wanted to capture a precious moment of everyone’s attention. Since I was among the individuals living in the community and had also raised issue relating to the upcoming annual Cambodian New Year Cultural parade, I wanted to express my thoughts with every one on the issue in the hopes of bringing this matter to a close. It is by no means my intention to reiterate and/or harangue about the issues as a personal memoir. However, I feel that it is important to share the issue out in the open so that the public would have an opportunity to witness how the issue was raised and how it would eventually affect the outcome of our annual Cambodian New Year Cultural parade.

They say, “Every barrel always has a few rotten apples.” It would not be a controversial issue if this were about a few rotten apples. But the issue raised was clearly about a few community organization leaders who, without having consult with their associates and without giving the public an opportunity to share their opinions on the issue, were quick to execute their plans in which they had hoped that their status would shine. Among the goals and objectives they have proposed to add on to the original ones were to “invite a dignitary from Cambodia” to participate in the annual Cambodian New Year Cultural parade, which will be held on Sunday, April 6, 2008. However, since the issue of the “invitation” appeared to be somewhat sleight-of-hand and surreptitiously undertaken by the few so-called community organization leaders, it would defeat the whole purpose of our solidarity and damn our democratic principles. The issue of “inviting” a high-ranking Phnom Penh government official was clearly the focal point of our argument, and if the proposed issue were allowed to stand, it would surely prove foreseeable future detrimental.

Despite the relentless pursuit for dialogue made by concerned individuals and groups of Cambodian and Cambodian-American people from our community, to clarify the invitation issue, it is encouraging to hear from Mr. Peter Long, Cam-CC. Mr. Long issued a public statement, which he had claimed to have “misunderstanding” among the few so-called community organization leaders. The Cam-CC had been informed that “Deputy Prime Minister Sok An will not attend the annual Cambodian New Year Cultural parade,” he added. Although the public statement was not scrupulously stated, nor was intended as “public apology” for having caused such an upheaval in the community, it has significantly calmed our Cambodian and Cambodian-American people in the community. I had hoped that the recent controversial issue could always be rectified. I would personally like to commend Mr. Long for his fervently taking the actions to reassure the public with the limited information he had to offer. I am quite confident that Mr. Long’s gestures were meant to reach out and try to cement the relationship among the Cambodian and Cambodian-American people in our community and as well as the Cambodian people overseas.

The law required that business corporations and organizations should always have stipulated their internal policies and procedures on how to appropriately conduct their business with the public. For instance, one of the rules would be a disciplinary action, which it adhered to would specifically state the procedures and rules on how to handle the member/employee(s) who has violated that rules. Frankly, I would like to make a fair generalize statement that the public would like to leave this action in the hands of the community organization leaders and their members to decide what would be appropriate action to take for the few individuals who were identified within the organizations that had made this monumental and inexcusable mistake.

On the other hand, I would hope that the community leaders and the organizations would process this and take the issue raised by our Cambodian and Cambodian-American people in the community as an educational learning opportunity. I wish that the community organizations, the Cambodian and Cambodian-American people in the community, and as well as, the Cambodian people overseas would come to the conclusion that “it is always best to make room for improvements.”

While we are trying to put this matter in the rear mirror, let’s hope that in the future the organizations and community leaders would pay more heed to the community, focus more on responsibility, accountability, and be more transparency about the hair-splitting public matters, which would help prevent from causing friction and misunderstanding among the people in our community. The public has given a voice and that voice has indeed needed to be honored.

The importance of civility, reminding us of the difficulty of the tasks, and saying that we ought not to be surprised that we were struggling and that these struggles reflected our seriousness, and that nothing less than an open and honest discussion of issues was suitable to the tasks we faced. It has been historically proven that when people pull together and roll up their sleeves to work together on a particular issue, they can achieve anything. Together, I believe we can!

I wanted to take this window of opportunity to thank all the Cambodian community organizations, leaders, and their members for their commitment, diligent, and meticulous work for the New Year Celebration. Through their work, I am confident that the New Year Celebration will be a success. I would also like to offer my sincerely acknowledgement and thank the individual concerned citizens (you know who you are), the associations, and the concerned citizens as a whole for being the eyes and ears of the community. Lastly, I would also like to extend my deep appreciation and gratitude to the Cambodian and Cambodian-American people living in our community, and as well as, the Cambodian people overseas for their courage in standing up for what they believe is just, and for added their voices of encouragement and support.

For this New Year Celebration, wherever you are, I wish each and every one of you a shower of good health, happiness, prosperity, and a Happy New Year! May this New Year and the years a head of you be much brighter than you could possibly guess! Happy New Year!

Thank you.

Justin C. Sok
April 02, 2008

Public Notice for Protest Against Sok An in Long Beach, California

Click on the text in Khmer to zoom in

Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Notice for
Protest Against Sok An

In the event that Sok An shows up his face at the ribbon cutting to inaugurate Cambodia Town and participates in the Cambodian New Year Parade which will take place on 06 April 2008, I have the honor to inform our beloved compatriots that, on Monday 31 March 2008, the Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine had already issued us an authorization to hold our protest.

There will be two locations where the protestors can gather:

1. Along the sidewalk in front of the Monorom Restaurant, and
2. At the corner of Walnut Street and Anaheim Street where there is an empty lot.

Paper banners not attached to any pole which could be used as a weapon are allowed, however, loud speakers, weapons (including eggs, tomatoes, rocks), alcoholic beverages, etc… are not allowed. Similarly the use of racist and sexist language is prohibited. The protest will be non-violent.

To the contrary, if Sok An is not present during this occasion, our compatriots will have the opportunity to enjoy themselves during the ribbon cutting ceremony inaugurating Cambodia Town or during the Cambodian New Year Parade.

Thank you,

Ly Diep
31 March 2008

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

Cam-CC, LB Parade organizer, now blames 2 of its member organizations for inviting Sok An ... Does Cam-CC know what it is doing at all?

Those who invited Sok An, from left to right: Peter Long, Gary Ung, Richer San, Sok An, Edward Tan and Evan Braude (Photo: Sok An's office)

Message from Peter Long of Cam-CC

To Whom It May Concern:

Cambodian Coordinating Council (Cam-CC) is the organization that heads two main cultural events in celebration of Cambodian New Year - the parade and El Dorado Park festivities. We are planning our festivities to relay a positive theme that aligns with our current theme, “Cambodia Town for Diversity,” and we are saddened that there has been controversy within the community surrounding the New Year’s celebration events.

There has been confusion of an invitation that was made to the Office of Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, Royal Government of Cambodia. Cam-CC is made-up of 21 member organizations. Two of our member organizations invited the Deputy Minister Sok An to participate in the Cambodian New Year Parade this year. Cam-CC has been informed that the Deputy Prime Minister Sok An will not attend the Cambodian New Year Parade.

We hope this settles any misunderstanding. 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. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Peter Long, President
peterlongbeach@aol.com

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.

Now, it’s the Cambodia Town delegation’s turn to deny having invited Sok An!

Will Sok An lose his face?

07 March 2008
By Ly Diep
Angkor Borey – Khmer Voice Overseas

Click here to read the article in Khmer (PDF)

At 10:00 AM this morning (07 March 2008), both sides in the case of the presence of the Sok An in Long Beach, met face to face at the CCEJ (California Conference for Equality & Justice) office. Peter Long and Borann Heam represented Cam-CC, and the opposing side was represented by Navy Phim, Socheata Has, and Ratana Lim.

The discussions took place during 3 hours. The main point was when Peter Long asked: “Where did the opposition learn that Vice-Prime Minister Sok An will come to preside over the Cambodia Town ribbon cutting, and participate in the New Year parade in Long Beach?”

The opposition activists replies: “We found this information on Sok An’s website which stated that a 15-person delegation of Cambodia Town, representing 4 organizations (the Cambodian Coordinating Council represented by Mr. Peter Long, the Long Beach-Phnom Penh Sister Cities represented by Mr. Richer San, the Cambodian American Chamber of Commerce represented by Mr. Edward Tan, and Laywer Evan Braude, the representative of the Mayor of the City of Long Beach) invited him and he accepted this “official” invitation already.

The report from Sok An’s office stated: “His Excellency Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in charge of the Council of Ministers, accepted the “official” invitation, as the representative of the Royal Government of Cambodia, to participate in the ribbon cutting of Cambodia Town and the yearly Cultural Parade in Long Beach City, California, USA, during the upcoming Cambodian New Year.” (sic!).

Peter Long replied: “This information is “false”!! In reality, the ribbon cutting took place since October (2007). Therefore, I will ask Mr. Sok An’s office to make the correction.” (sic!)

o O o

Gee… how could this be so fast!!?? Maybe he shouldn’t go too fast!!

We want to know which side is “wrong”: Mayor Bob Foster, Mr. Richer San’s, Mr. Evan Braude, or Sok An’s office?? Which side is wrong??

We believe that this is a “dangerous and suicidal move” policy conducted by Cam-CC and Cambodia Town, Inc. Prior to Peter Long’s assertion, he should have read the report from Sok An’s office first, and he should have read Greg Mellen’s article in the Long Beach Press Telegram first. It looks like Cam-CC and Cambodia Town, Inc. are in need of good and experienced advisors to help them, could this be the case?? The walkout of Cambodia Town’s advisors and founding members came about because of disagreements with its leadership that only unilaterally considered its own opinion as being of importance, could this push the event into such situation??!!

In the Long Beach Press Telegram article dated 26 December 2007, Evan Braude said that there was indeed an “open” invitation made. On his side, Richer San claimed: “an invitation was made, formal or not, and Sok An accepted.” This means that Sok An’s office did not publish “false” information, because two members of the Cambodia Town delegation did raise this issue of invitation letter.

Therefore, if Peter Long said that he “will ask Mr. Sok An’s office to make the correction,” there will surely be reaction from Sok An back, because as the Vice-Prime Minister and the Minister in charge of the Council of Ministers of the Royal Government of Cambodia, he will not be able to accept such “losing face” situation. The small Cambodia Town Inc. cannot stroke the head of the tiger to play and then spit of the tiger’s head in this manner. Reactions will come. Proof will be revealed to the public that Sok An’s office did not lie to anybody.

Then, “the truth” will float up to the surface…

Cambodian parade rift to get an airing

Community activist Socheata Has addressing the Long Beach City Council to oppose the presence of Sok An in Long Beach (Photo: Angkor Borey)

Justin Sok's so-called "thick-faced political buffons" who insist on inviting the controversial Sok An (Photo: Sok An's office)

Moderators to meet with both sides in dispute over official's invitation.

03/06/2008
By Greg Mellen, Staff writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

LONG BEACH - Community members on both sides of a controversial decision to invite the deputy prime minister of Cambodia to participate in the annual Cambodian New Year parade will meet today to discuss their differences.

About 30 members of the Cambodian community attended Tuesday's City Council meeting. They presented the council with a petition comprising more than 1,000 signatures opposing a plan to have Cambodian leader Sok An ride in the April 6 parade.

There has been considerable confusion about who issued the invitation and whether it was properly made.

Mayor Bob Foster said at Tuesday's meeting that he never invited anyone to the parade - period.

Although the city provides support for the parade in certain areas, the City Council has no official role in the decisions the parade committee makes.

"It's not our parade," said 6th District Councilman Dee Andrews, in whose district most of the parade is held.

Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal said she was distressed at the emotions the dispute has dredged up.

"People expressed outright fear and trauma," Lowenthal said, adding that the city must do what it can to assuage that.

Melissa Morgan, the city's human dignity officer and Rene Castro from the California Conference of Equality and Justice, will moderate the meeting between parade organizers, who support Sok An's participation, and opponents.

Morgan and Castro said their roles are to facilitate dialogue but it is up to two factions to resolve differences.

"I'd like to see them just listen to each other and find out where we go from here," Morgan said. "They may not come to an agreement but I just hope they hear each other."

"What I hope to achieve by bringing the parties together is the increased understanding," Castro said. "There are no easy solutions."

There is a possibility that the point will be moot. There is considerable speculation that Sok An has decided to forgo the parade.

Parade organizer Richer San said Sok An has not confirmed that he will attend but that the invitation remains.

At Tuesday's City Council meeting, a half-dozen opponents of Sok An's participation spoke to the council.

They cited Cambodia's dismal human rights record, corruption and other problems among their complaints.

Opponents also said the invitation violated the parade's own entry rules, which say entrants must be noncontroversial and should not advocate a political candidate.

Each side has met with CCEJ separately.

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

Excerpt From Long Beach City Council Meeting's [-Evan Braude is not a representative of the mayor's office]

Transcript
Meeting held on March 4th, 2008

Councilwoman Uranga: Who invited the gentleman [Sok An]?????. That's why I had concerns in the establishment of Cambodia Town, it is not in my eyes a governmental agency. ??..If it came from the city then it's appropriate for you to come here and ask us to take that back. If it didn't come from the city, then we need to figure out where it came from. ?? If there was a representative from the mayor's office, or no, then we need to clear that up.

Socheata Has: The Press Telegram story named representatives from Cambodia Town, from the Cambodian Coordinating Council, Long Beach Sister Cities, and also named Mr. Evan Braude, uh?? as, I don't remember the exact wording, but it lead me to believe he was a representative of the city.

Mayor: Let me clarify that: he was not and is not a representative of the mayor's office. No representative of the mayor's office was on that trip. I've made this very clear to everybody.

Socheata Has: I understand, thank you sir.

Councilwoman Uranga: Can we make it clear if it was anybody from the vice-mayor's office?

Mayor: I don't believe that it was anybody from the vice-mayor's office either.

Socheata Has: I'm so sorry, our problem also: we have been trying to understand where the invitation comes from because when we heard about it we thought we would go the source and speak with them but we have been unable to get answers, so I'm just as confused.

Mayor: We'll try to help you find out where this invitation came from and then sort that out because it certainly didn't come from here, at least not to my knowledge.

Socheata Has: Sir, regardless of where the invitation came from, we present a petition to the city council, to the mayor, the vice-mayor, we basically are seeking help from any source that can help us on this.

Mayor: I understand, and I think it's pretty clear what your position is and why so I certainly will take a look at it and the council will as well.

Socheata Has: Thank you very much and I also presented the clerk with copies of our petition signatures and supporting documents.

Mayor: I really appreciate that and thank you, and thank you for the manner in which you all testified as well.

Mayor: Thank you all for testifying and thank you for the respect which you've shown as well.

Sok An's office: "Official" invitation received to attend Long Beach events from Cambodian delegation

Respected KI-Media Readers,

In view of the confusion generated by our posting of the unofficial English translation of the article published by Mr. Ly Diep of Angkor Borey (click here to read the original article in Khmer), we understand that Mr. Sok An's office claimed that it received an "official" invitation for him to attend the events in Long Beach (see article below). This "official" invitation was delivered to him by a Cambodian delegation from Long Beach, California, which also included Lawyer Evan Braude, the representative of the Mayor of the City of Long Beach.

On 04 March 2008, during a Long Beach City council meeting, Mayor Bob Foster dismissed that he officially invited Sok An to come to Long Beach, and he offered to find out further who handed this invitation to Sok An. Justin Sok reported that Mayor Bob Foster called on city staff to act as mediators for the purpose of bringing together the two groups to clear the air at the special meeting, which will be on this Friday, March 7, 2008.

While there was no official invitation from the City of Long Beach, the invitation for Sok An has not yet been withdrawn, as of today.

KI-Media apologizes for any confusion on this issue, in spite of the fact that the article posted by Mr. Ly Diep was factual.

Thank you,

KI-Media Team
-----------

Royal Government presence and participation in the ribbon cutting (inauguration) of Cambodia Town and the yearly Cultural Parade in Long Beach City during the upcoming Cambodian New Year

Posted in Khmer at: http://www.pressocm.gov.kh/index.html
Website of the Cambodian government Office of the Council of Ministers
Unofficial translation from Cambodian to English
(Originally posted by Angkor Borey)

Left to right: Peter Long, Gary Ung, Richer San, Sok An, Edward Tan and Evan Braude (Photo: Sok An's office)

The Long Beach delegation taking a picture with Sok An (Photo: Sok An's office)

His Excellency Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in charge of the Council of Ministers, accepted the invitation, as the representative of the Royal Government of Cambodia, to participate in the ribbon cutting (inauguration) of Cambodia Town and the yearly Cultural Parade in Long Beach City, California, USA, during the upcoming Cambodian New Year. The declaration of this acceptance to the official invitation was made during an audience held between His Excellency and the Cambodian delegation from Long Beach, USA.

The delegation provided a report about its effort and success in the official registration and formation of Cambodia Town in Long Beach, California, USA. Mrs. Sithea San, the director of Cambodia Town and the leader of the delegation consisting of 15-person group representing 4 associations and organizations, and the representative of the Mayor of Long Beach city, as follows:

1. The Cambodian Coordinating Council represented by Mr. Peter Long,
2. The Long Beach-Phnom Penh Sister Cities represented by Mr. Richer San,
3. The Cambodian American Chamber of Commerce represented by Mr. Edwards Tan,
4. Lawyer Evan Braude, the representative of the Mayor of the City of Long Beach.

Besides recounting to His Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister about the experience in the formation of the Cambodia Town which was officially registered on 03 July 2007, and the experience acquired by other nationalities to form their towns in the USA, in order to protect and provide cultural, economic, social developments, and to show and protect their respective national culture, the Long Beach delegation expressed their thanks and gratitude to the Royal Government for providing moral and political support in the formation of this unique Cambodia Town in the world. His Excellency Nguon Nhel, Vice-President of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia, also intervened to support the formation of Cambodia Town at the Long Beach City Hall during His Excellency’s visit to the western United States.

The delegation also received the assurance for the cooperation between the Royal Government of Cambodia and Cambodia Town in Long Beach, a Cambodian center, not only to serve the interest of Cambodian people living in this US region, but it can also turn into a gate leading to cultural, economic and administration center representing the interests of Cambodians living in the kingdom of Cambodia as well. Cambodia Town which is a center representing Cambodian culture, Cambodian pride, and is also a market for Cambodian agricultural products, as well as a center for information helping in the coordination for financial loans between the USA or other nations that want to loan funds to the Kingdom of Cambodia.

His Excellency Sok An hopes that other overseas Cambodians will follow the path for the formation of Cambodia Towns in their respective countries of residence also, in order to participate in the exchange of political and economic opinions for the Cambodian edification both overseas and inside the country. The Cambodian culture can also be propagated through Cambodia Town using Cultural Parade activities with the participation of other nationalities living in their respective regions. The fourth yearly parade which is participated by tens of thousands people, is a historical event for overseas Cambodians to show their Cambodian identity, Cambodian culture, Cambodian pride, because Cambodia used to an empire during the Angkor Wat historical era.

During this meeting, an memorable and historical exchange of souvenirs took place between the delegation and His Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister, following an interest shown and a detailed explanation on the current policy and economy. What was of interest, were two topics raised by His Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister which also attracted the interest of the delegation: “We are proud of our past, and we are proud of and extremely happy with what we currently have.” Another point was the fact that the Royal Government is proud of the progress made in the political situation led by the Royal Government under the smart leadership of Samdech Akak Moha Senabadey Decho Hun Sen, which, in addition to bringing 2 digits economic growth, received the international concurrence in the formation and the administration of the tribunal in charge of judging the former Khmer Rouge leaders along with the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia (ECCC), and this tribunal has been recognized as:

1. Providing a judgment through the tribunal by spending as little as possible, in comparison to other international criminal tribunals. The Cambodian tribunal will spend only $56 million during its 3-year operation planned.
2. The judgment will take a short duration of 3-year period only, in view of the old age of the suspects (i.e., Khmer Rouge leaders).
3. Displaying the cooperation goals between the country where the incident took place and other international countries, in order to secure the sovereignty of the Nation which represents the interest of the victims, and the universal international standard (by the co-judges).
4. What is the universal exemplary benefit is the representation by national and international co-judges under the formula where there are 3 Cambodian co-judges and 2 international co-judges, but that all decision must be based on a positive vote by 4 judges, in order for the decision to be accepted. This is exemplified by the actions at the ECCC which took place in the past.
5. Transparency and participation of the population in the judgment, this means that, in the questioning and actions that take place in the court chambers, they are available for public viewing on TV and by the public (friends of the court).

The audience ended in a cordial and highly fruitful atmosphere. The same delegation will receive the authorization for an audience meeting with Samdech Akak Moha Dhamm Pothisal Chea Sim, the representative of the King and President of the Senate, in the afternoon of 09 December 2007, as well as with His Excellency Nguon Nhel, the Vice-President of the National Assembly, the delegation will express its greeting, its thanks and its gratefulness to the Parliament institution, and the King who supported and cooperated with Cambodia Town.

“Quid pro quo”

March 6, 2008
Opinion by Justin C. Sok

All it takes is a few snowflakes to start the avalanche. It was crystal clear that they were the ones, with their lapse of judgment, which caused all the commotion in the Cambodian and Cambodian-American community and Cambodian people abroad for the past months.

Someone had asked me, “Was I surprised about the whole issue?” At first I thought it was so odd to hear such a ridiculous rumor. But once I learned about whom these people were, I was not surprised at all. It’s so pathetic and disgraceful for the Cambodian people, the City of Long Beach, and the Cambodian people around the globe. It is quite clear to the public that, in fact, they have had their own hidden agenda. As a matter of fact, they are the political buffoons with their thick-faced, who would love to ingratiate and grovel at someone’s feet for better shade. These are the kind of people, which can be called the “Basking in reflected glory” – by associating with other high-ranking people, they hope that some of their glory will rub off on them, too.

I was present at the City Council meeting to offer my support for our Cambodian and Cambodian-American community. I would like to briefly give a scenario for the public to see what went on in the City Council Chamber. It was the last item on the City Council Agenda: Public – Immediately Prior to Adjournment. After the speeches presented about the “invitation issue” by an agglomerate of intellectual Cambodian-Americans, Mr. Mayor Bob Foster threw in the towel to signify that he and the rest of his City Council members have heard enough about the issue. Ironically, the atmosphere in the Council Chamber was even more appalling when Mr. Mayor Bob Foster yielded motions to get responses from the City Council members if any of them and/or any city staff had heard or were involved with the “invitation issue” claimed to be made by the Cam-CC representatives. Every City Council member had no firsthand knowledge apropos of the “invitation issue”. Mr. Mayor Bob Foster then offered his support for our voices and yielded the motion to further investigate the “invitation issue” to be made by the designated city staff and to be the mediators for the purpose of bringing together the two groups to clear the air at the special meeting, which will be on this Friday, March 7, 2008.

I learned that if you were to make such grave accusations, you would be better damn certain. Let’s put it on the record, the Cambodian and Cambodian-American people were cleared certain that the accusations they had made were true. The facts are objectively real, while the truth must conform to the facts. So if you can’t find the facts, you can never prove the truth. Guess what? The people found the facts, and they had proved the truth. Therefore, to the so-called Cambodian Community Congress delegates, just when you think you got the world by the neck, you find out the world has got you by the head and tail. Just remember, the best place to put up a show of a pile of dirt SANds is at somewhere else and not on Anaheim street corridor.

My hat is off to the group of our Cambodian and Cambodian American people who had the courage to stand up before Mr. Mayor Bob Foster and the City Council members to contest for our good cause. You are the backbone and the bulwark of law and order to fight against the injustice made upon the weak. Our objective about the whole issue was not to show the world about the “Us against them” or vice versa. But it was clearly about the benefits for the majority, and that’s how democratic principle works.

Thank you and have a wonderful day.

Justin C. Sok
March 6, 2008
California

Political Cartoon: Long Bitch BBQ, 2008

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Long Beach Mayor dismissed Sok An’s invitation

Socheata Has addressing the Long Beach City Council (Photo: Angkor Borey)
Arun Thach addressing the Long Beach City Council (Photo: Angkor Borey)
Paline Soth addressing the Long Beach City Council (Photo: Angkor Borey)
Navy Phim addressing the Long Beach City Council (Photo: Angkor Borey)
Frank and Ratana Lim addressing the Long Beach City Council (Photo: Angkor Borey)

04 March 2008
By Ly Diep
Excerpt from Angkor Borey – Khmer Voice Overseas
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

In the evening of 04 March 2008, at the meeting room of the Long Beach city council, under the presence of a group of about 30 Cambodian-Americans who oppose the presence of Mr. Sok An at the inauguration for the opening of Cambodia Town, Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster clearly indicated that his office did not issue any invitation letter to “anyone” in Cambodia to participate in any event taking place in Long Beach.

Mayor Bob Foster made this declaration after 5 community activists (Socheata Has, Arun Thach, Paline Soth, Navy Phim and Frank) addressed the city council about the displeasure of Long Beach Cambodian-Americans, as well as other Cambodians from all over the world, to the opportunistic use of “Cambodia Town,” which has just been officials recognized by the city of Long Beach on 03 July 2007, to serve to spread the political influence of the Hun Sen government, and in particular, to spread the influence of the Cambodian People Party (CPP) among various Cambodian communities overseas.

In the name of Cambodian-American activists who oppose Sok An, Ms. Socheata Has handed over a petition bearing more than 1,100 signatures to the city. Tonia Reyes Uranga, District 7 councilwoman, asked the question to the mayor about this invitation. Dee Andrews, District 6 council member, also asked: “If the mayor (did not issue the invitation), could it be that his deputy did?” (Dee Andrews wanted to point to Bonnie Lowenthal, District 1 city councilwoman and the deputy of the mayor. Everybody knows that she is a close friend of lawyer Evan Braude, a member of the Cambodian Town delegation who met with Sok An in Cambodia). Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal immediately answered that she did not invite such person.

Therefore, it is still unknown who was the person who actually made the invitation. However, Mayor Bob Foster promised that he will find the truth on the event that took place, as well as the misuse of his name (to make the invitation).

It should be noted that, during the Long Beach council meeting, I (Ly Diep) asked Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga to help arrange for a request for a city authorization to hold a demonstration against Mr. Sok An’s inauguration of Cambodia Town and his presence of the Cambodian New Year parade. She ordered one of her employees to take me to meet Mr. Phil T. Hester, Director of the Department of Park, Recreation & Marine. Mr. Hester told me that there was no problem, he will make the arrangement to issue this authorization to me.

Long Beach City is home to the largest group of Cambodian political refuges overseas since 1975, after Cambodia turned into a savage “Killing Fields” in the world at the end of the 20th Century. In addition to other surrounding cities, the number of Cambodian refugees amounts to more than 100,000. Along Anaheim Blvd, which divides Cambodia Town in two, there are several Cambodian shops and restaurants which attract customers from all over the place. If one were to drive along this street, one feels as if it is located inside a small Phnom Penh also.

The idea of forming “Cambodia Town” came in 2000 by Mr. Lee Bunny (Harrison Lee), a former Cambodian Air Force pilot, and 2-3 of his close friends. In 2001, Mr. Lee Bunny decided to hold a meeting to obtain the public opinion. The result of the meeting indicated overwhelmingly that the Cambodian community has reached a point where it wanted its own town, just like other nationalities (Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Japanese, etc…) who immigrated here. Chinatown, Little Saigon, Thai Town, Korean District, Little Tokyo all existed already, with the exception of Cambodia town. At the beginning, there was opinion exchange about the selection of the Cambodia Town name, a number of Cambodian people asked to choose the name Little Phnom Penh, but the majority asked to select Cambodian Town instead, as it stresses on the country rather than the capital.

We take this opportunity to thank and to praise Mr. Lee Bunny (Harrison Lee) who came up with this idea, and who put a lot of effort, such as going door to door with his wife, going store to store, to collect more than 4,000 signatures to form “Cambodia Town.”

At the official recognition of “Cambodia Town,” Mr. Lee Bunny became an Advisory Council member of the “Cambodian Town, Inc.” organization. In the past few weeks, he expressed his displeasure on the executive committee of “Cambodia Town, Inc.” which took action opposite to the original idea for the formation of Cambodia Town, and he resigned from his position as Advisory Council member of “Cambodia Town, Inc.” (In fact, among the 10 founding members of this organization, 8 have already resigned, and more recently, Mr. Phillip Thong, “Cambodia Town Inc.” first vice-chairman, also asked to resign from the board of directors also) because of internal dissension. According to Mr. Lee Bunny, the original idea for forming Cambodia Town was to push for the development of the Cambodian community in Long Beach, in terms of commercial and cultural developments, similar to other minority groups. There was no intention of pushing “Cambodia Town” into the political arena in any way shape and form.

A Fraction of the Whole

February 2008
Op-Ed by Justin C. Sok

The news regarding the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister Sok An to participate in the upcoming annual Cambodian New Year Cultural parade and the ribbon cutting for Cambodia Town has caused great concern in the Cambodian and Cambodian American communities across the United States, Cambodian people living abroad, as well as, the Cambodian people in Cambodia. For the past few weeks, the news has continued to spread like wild fire. This invitation issue can result in deep resentment in the Cambodian community if the so-called the Cambodian Community Congress delegates do not call off the invitation.

It is with great honor to learn that the Honorable Mr. Joseph Mussomeli, U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia, has made recommendations to have the “Cambodian-Americans engage the Cambodian government more, the delegation extended invitations to all government leaders to attend the New Year Parade”. The Cambodian public owes an enormous debt of gratitude to you for your dedication and continues support in helping push for democracy, respect for human rights, and to pass anti-corruption laws in Cambodia. The Cambodian and Cambodian American people have raised the inivitation issue not because we wanted to create any controversy nor we would like to cause any friction among our Cambodian people. It is mainly to express what we feel is fair and just for our Cambodian and Cambodian Americans in general.

The logical points for the argument, however, is that the “decision about the invitation had already made by the Cam-CC representatives without giving the Cambodian community an opportunity to express their opinions on this issue”. The Cambodian public would like to make a public request to those so-called claimed representatives of Cambodian community to be more sensitive, accountable, and transparent in the way they are handling issues regarding the annual Cambodian New Year Cultural parade and the Cambodia Town, Inc., especially, any issue that deals with the public should require that the people to have a say.

The fundamental rule of democracy, simply put, is the “rule of the majority”. It is clearly understood that there are certain decisions on the particular issues, which the Cam-CC and its representatives have executed without having sought for public opinion. But again, the issue of the invitation is of great concern for the Cambodian people. It is with our heartfelt concern that the so-called Cambodian Community Congress delegates finalized their decision without asking for public inputs. Thus, it is certainly a grave error. The judge cannot obtain justice without the skill of lawyers who present him with the facts; the parent cannot form a successful child without the love of the child; and the boss is powerless to achieve production without the respect and aid of his employees. Likewise, the annual Cambodian New Year Cultural parade and the Cambodia Town, Inc. would not be born without the “collective efforts” from the Cambodian public, local Hispanic community, the African American community, local businesses, and the community organizations.

I would also like to take this opportunity to share my political point of view, which I thought is worth noting for the Cambodian public to carefully examine this invitation issue. First, Long Beach has the largest Cambodian populations in the world outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The Cambodian people are the survivors of the “Killing Fields”. We were here not because we had chosen to but because of our so-called leaders, which had sworn to us to be the almighty, godlike, omnipotent had miserably failed to protect us. Like prison, where bad things happened, the whole country was shut out from the world and kept its secrets buried within. We were oppressed, tortured, starved to death, persecuted, executed, enslaved, forced to do hard labor, faced sadistic guards, and were cheated and lied to, and the list was endless and pathetic. They had left us at the bottom of a hill with a long climb to recover. They had crushed our souls and spirits. Psychologically, emotionally, and physically, we are still traumatized by the holocaust. We, the survivors are the living voices of the dead and ourselves. We are here to rebuild our lives, to educate ourselves, and to teach our children about our past mistakes. At the same time, we want our younger generations to learn the importance of their constitutional rights and to worship democratic principles. We don’t want any of those so-called claimed leaders represent the way the past leaders had led our parents’ lives to hell.

Second, any event we hold, such as our annual Cambodian New Year Cultural parade, for instance, is always reflection on us of who and what we are as people, nation, religion, and culture, etc. The Global Witness, as well as, the international community have vehemently uncovered the Phnom Penh government in their corruption, environment abuse, government squandering of money on their hobnobs, human rights violations, land grabbing, and the injustice suffered by the weak and oppressed. If the Cambodian and Cambodian-Americans living in Long Beach and across the United States, and abroad were to allow Deputy Prime Minister Sok An to participate in the parade, the world’s largest magnifying glass will be focused on us as being a hypocrite. We embrace the regime, in which the international community has relentlessly condemned the Phnom Penh government for committing gross human rights violations upon our innocent Cambodian citizens. More importantly, we would give false hope to our people in Cambodia and dishonor the millions innocent Cambodian people who were killed during the Black-Clad Order, Inc.

Third, the Cambodian general election is coming up in July 2008. If we were to allow Deputy Prime Minister Sok An to participate in the parade, will it show to the world that we are also supporting him and his political party (CPP)?

Thank you for reading and wishing you all have a wonderful day.

In response to the article in the Downtown Gazettes

On Monday, February 25, 2008, the Downtown Gazettes published an article entitled, Controversy Surrounds Cambodian Parade

Below are 2 letters to the editor in response to it:

Dear Editor,

I want to thank you for including an article about the controversy over Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister’s Sok An appearance in the upcoming Cambodian New Year Parade. I would like to respond to a few of the comments in it. First is a comment by Heam that “Cam-CC has done its best to answer Phim’s questions and address her concerns.” After CAM-CC invited us to a closed-door meeting, my colleague sent an email asking that the meeting be open to the community and that a town hall meeting would be more appropriate. I also responded to the email on February 5 and asked three basic questions, 1) What organization and/or person issued the invitation? 2) If it is Sister Cities of Long Beach, who within that organization issued the invitation and what is the requirement and procedure for approval? 3) Was there a discussion within the Board of Cam-CC and the New Year Parade committee before the invitation was issued?

CAM-CC never responded to or acknowledged our emails and to date, has not answered those questions. For Heam to say that they have done their best is very sad indeed when their best is to ignore and pretend that it is only a handful of people who are creating this controversy.

The controversy over this invitation was raised by members of the community even before I knew about it and a petition was already being circulated before I posted the online petition. Beside myself and a group of my colleagues, there are many different Cambodian organizations, such as the Cambodian Veterans and the Killing Fields Memorial Center that are against it. Members from these organizations alone would surpass the few handfuls that Heam mentioned.

In addition, this invitation appears to be in direct violation of the parade committee’s own parade entry rules:

1. All entries should have a positive theme which respects diversity, is non-controversial, and does not advocate any political candidate.

Mr. Sok An’s participation in the parade (in an election year—2008 Cambodian elections) is the very definition of a political and controversial entry, as evidenced by the community response.

The delegation that went to Cambodia took it upon themselves to issue this invitation without discussing it with the community first even though the New Year Parade is a community event. There are board members within CAM-CC who are against this invitation and are embarrassed by it.

One of the objectives of CAM-CC as stated in their bylaws is (b) To provide community leadership through consensus building activities, needs assessments, and effective programming. There was no consensus with this invitation at the board level or at the community level.

After violating their own parade entry rules and their objectives, they continue to disregard the community by refusing to rectify it.

Sincerely,

Navy Phim

-----------------

Dear Editor,

Mr Heam side tracked the issue by stating “I don’t think he [Mr. Sok An] is a controversial figure.” It is the hast, unsound decision of the Cam-CC delegation to Phnom Penh to invite officials of a corrupt and oppressive government that stirs up the controversy within the Cambodian community in Long Beach.

I find it excruciating to read Heam’s statement “These are speculations of human right violations?” when there are over decades of reports on Cambodia from multitude of sources. I guess it is ignorance like Heam’s statement within the Cam-CC leadership that leads to controversy and division within the Cambodian community like the 2005 parade where Cam-CC unilaterally charged ahead with April 17 despite repeated warning from elder members of the community that it should be a mourning date to commemorate love one and fallen veterans. Now, like the April 17 date in 2005, the Cam-CC board still charged ahead with their unsound decisions without regard to the community.

Sincerely

Ratana Lim

Opposition of Sok An Invite Met With CCEJ

Click here to sign the petition to oppose Sok An's appearance in Long Beach

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Navy Phim
navyphim@yahoo.com

OPPOSITION OF SOK AN INVITE MET WITH CCEJ

Long Beach, CA – Members of the opposition of the Sok An invite met with human relations organization California Conference for Equality and Justice to present their concerns.

A group of Cambodian residents who oppose the Sok An invite, including activist Paline Soth, author Navy Phim and Angkor Borei News editor Anthony Ly, met with CCEJ and a representative of the Long Beach’s Human Dignity program on Friday, February 22 to present their concerns. This fact finding meeting is the first step of a mediation attempt to seek the resolution to the controversy surrounding the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Sok An in the Cambodian New Year Parade and the ribbon cutting ceremony in the inauguration of Cambodia Town coming up this April.

The group asked that the Sok An invitation be withdrawn due to its violation of the parade committee’s first entry rule, which forbids political and controversial entries. Mr. Anthony Ly and Ms. Navy Phim presented CCEJ Programs Vice President Rene Castro with the parade entry rules and with documents of human rights violation report on Cambodia, which highlights the oppressive and abusive nature of the current Cambodian government, of which Mr. Sok An is a key figure. The group also asked for more accountability and transparency within the organizations involved in the invitation, which includes the Cambodian Coordinating Council and Cambodia Town, Inc, that these committees become more aware and responsive to the voice and sentiments of the community they are serving. The group also requested that Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster be the personage to cut the inaugural ribbon to officiate Cambodia Town.

CCEJ will next meet with representatives of CAM-CC on February 29th to hear their side of the issue and both sides will come together with CCEJ for a mediation meeting scheduled for March 4, 2008.

Controversy Surrounds Cambodian Parade [-Cam-CC Borann Heam: "I don’t think (Sok An) is a controversial figure" -sic!-]

Feb. 25, 2008
By Carla M. Collado
Staff Writer
Downtown Gazette (Long Beach, California, USA)

For additional info, visit: www.StopSokAn.com
Click here to sign petition to block Sok An's appearance in Cambodia Town

Plans for its largest annual celebration this April have Long Beach’s Cambodian community divided.

At issue is a scheduled appearance at the Cambodian New Year Parade by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, who some in the community say they feel represents (and works for) one of the most corrupt governments in the world.

“He’s representing a government that is very corrupt, that oppresses people and violates so many human rights,” said Navy Phim, a resident who is leading the charge to rescind Sok An’s invitation and is circulating a petition protesting his appearance. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to put this person in a celebration.”

According to Borann Heam — vice president of the Cambodian Coordinating Council (Cam-CC), which organizes the parade — the decision to invite Sok An was part of an effort to start an open dialogue with the Cambodian government. With the United States continuing to do business with Cambodia, and with Long Beach’s Cambodian community being the largest outside of Cambodia, it is beneficial to establish that kind of dialogue with the country’s leaders, Heam said.

The delegation of local groups that visited Phnom Penh in December 2007 — including members of Cam-CC, Long Beach/Phnom Penh Sister Cities, Cambodia Town, Inc. and some Long Beach City Council members — first met with U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph Mussomeli, Heam explained. At Mussomeli’s recommendation that Cambodian-Americans engage the Cambodian government more, the delegation extended invitations to all government leaders to attend the New Year Parade, he added.

“This is an open invitation to anyone in the Cambodian government,” Heam said. “We’re not excluding any one party.”

When delegation members ran into Sok An, they personally invited him to the Long Beach event and he accepted, he said.

Phim said that Sok An’s participation in the parade also makes Long Beach appear to be taking sides in Cambodian politics, as it is a parliamentary election year in Cambodia (July) and Sok An is running for reelection in the ruling Cambodian People’s Party. She is now pushing for Cam-CC to organize a town hall meeting so residents can express their opinions on Sok An’s visit.

“It’s very important for everyone to express their concerns, not only in Cambodia Town but in all of Long Beach,” Phim said. “It (his visit) reflects on everybody in the city.”

Phim said she has gathered about 1,000 signatures through her online petition protesting Sok An’s visit (the petition is addressed to Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster and Cam-CC), and that there are other Cambodian groups circulating petitions as well.

She said she voiced her concerns at a Jan. 31 meeting of Cam-CC’s parade planning committee, but that committee members told her she was simply trying to make Sok An seem controversial when he’s not. Phim later was invited to speak at Cam-CC’s Feb. 10 board meeting and allowed to bring four people total, but declined the invitation.

“Four people don’t represent the whole community,” she said.

Heam said Cam-CC has done its best to answer Phim’s questions and address her concerns, and added that he understands why some Cambodian residents are worried about Sok An’s participation in the parade.

“There are speculations of human rights violations and a lot of corruption is linked to his name,” Heam said. “I don’t think he is a controversial figure. It’s just very sad that a few people are taking this opportunity to label certain figures controversial.”

Heam said Cam-CC encourages residents to express their opinions, as long as it is in a peaceful and nonviolent manner.

“We respect everyone’s opinion in the community,” he said. “People have the right to freedom of speech and if they feel that he is a controversial figure, then that’s okay. We encourage the community to engage with us.”

However, Cam-CC currently does not feel that it needs to revoke Sok An’s (or anyone else’s) invitation to the parade, and the community needs to respect that decision, Heam added.

Heam explained that Cam-CC has public meetings every month to update the community on plans for the New Year Parade and celebration, as it is the community’s largest event of the year. He said if residents organize a town hall meeting, the group would gladly attend to hear concerns.

He stressed the fact that Cam-CC has not decided whether Sok An will do more than just ride in the parade, and assured that the Cambodian leader will not get any special treatment.

The Fourth Annual Cambodian New Year Parade will take place April 6 along Anaheim Street (from Junipero Avenue to Orange Avenue), and the Cambodian New Year Celebration will take place April 12 at El Dorado Regional Park. Each event draws about 15,000 visitors.

To voice concerns over Sok An’s participation in the parade, e-mail Cam-CC at board@cam-cc.org. To sign Phim’s petition, visit www.stopsokan.com.

Announcing "StopSokAn.com" - Say No to Sok An's appearance at Long Beach New Year Parade

Click here to access StopSokAn.com

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