War crimes court extends Khmer Rouge detention center head's sentence to life

In this handout released by Extraordinary Chamber in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), Kaing Guek Eav, also known as 'Duch,' stands in the courtroom on February 3, 2012 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Eav who appealed his 35 year sentence handed down by the UN-backed Khmer Rouge trial had his appeal rejected and his sentence increased to life imprisonment. (Photo by Extraordinary Chamber in the Courts of Cambodia via Getty Images)

02/07/2012
By Greg Mellen Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

The former head of a notorious Khmer Rouge detention and interrogation center in Cambodia will now spend life in prison after a war crimes tribunal appeals court in Phnom Penh extended an earlier sentence to the maximum allowed under Cambodian law.

Though delayed by more than a year, it is a decision that should bring some sense of solace and justice to Cambodian refugees in Long Beach.

When Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, was first sentenced to as little as 19 years in prison after his 2010 conviction, many Cambodian elders were outraged.

Long Beach Cambodia Town signs recognize ethnic neighborhood

Long Beach Cambodians gather at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Anaheim Street for the unveiling of the first Cambodia Town sign. After the first attempt to unveil the sign failed when the fabric covering the sign didn't move, residents watch as the second attempt is successful with some help from public works employees. (Scott Varley / Staff Photographer)

Long Beach Cambodians gather at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Anaheim Street for the unveiling of the first Cambodia Town sign. One of the Cambodian monks on hand for the blessing pauses to photograph the event as he leave. (Scott Varley / Staff Photographer)

Long Beach Cambodians gather at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Anaheim Street for the unveiling of the first Cambodia Town sign. City Councilman Dee Andrews has a good laugh as he points to the sign after the first attempt to unveil the street sign failed when they pulled on the rope and the sign cover remained. Public works employees removed some tape which allowed the second unveiling attempt to be successful. (Scott Varley / Staff photographer)

07/16/2011
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram

LONG BEACH — It's a simple sign, but it took almost a decade to get there.

On Saturday, about 100 residents and dignitaries gathered to officially unveil one of two signs that proclaim the Cambodia Town area of Long Beach on the southeast corner at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Anaheim Street.

"This has taken a long time," said Councilman Dee Andrews, in whose 6th District most of Cambodia Town is located. "This is long overdue, long overdue for a little small sign."

Also on hand were leaders in the Cambodian community, from Richer San and Sithea San, the outgoing head of Cambodia Town Inc., to Kimthai Kuoch and Sara Pol-Lim, who head up the Cambodian Association of America and United Cambodian Community, respectively.

Long Beach Cambodians want to be counted

Sara Pol-Lim discusses a the census count during the Cambodian Complete Count committee s regular meeting in Long Beach on Tuesday. (Jeff Gritchen / Staff Photographer)
Ron Sok puts pins a map showing where certain demographics are in a hard to count area during the Cambodian Complete Count committee s meeting on Tuesday. (Jeff Gritchen / Staff Photographer)

09/30/2009
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

LONG BEACH - On the day the U.S. Census released poverty numbers showing 21 percent of Asians in Long Beach lived at or below the poverty line, the Cambodian Complete Count Committee met determined to do something about it.

The bleak numbers underscored the importance of making sure the community is adequately represented.

Cambodians have typically been what's called an "underserved" community, in part because they, like many impoverished and ethnic communities, prefer anonymity.

Finding such invisible populations is a challenge, particularly in efforts such as the dicennial census, which ramps up in January.

This is important because the federal government distributes hundreds of billions of dollars each year to states and communities based on census numbers. Simply stated, the more people, the more money. The more money, the better the funding for programs, including those in so-called "underserved" communities.

Census monitoring and outreach groups estimate each uncounted person can cost a state between $1,000 to $2,000 per year in federal funds.

"We have been undercounted for the last three decades," says Sara Pol-Lim, executive director of the United Cambodian Community, talking about Cambodian refugees who began flooding into Long Beach in 1979 in the wake of the genocide in her home country.

The 2000 U.S. Census placed the Long Beach Cambodian population at about 17,000, second among Asians to Filipinos. Pol-Lim says that figure is grossly low.

Informal estimates from local groups put the number closer to 50,000, although many say that is high.

Wherever the truth lies, it's worth 10s of millions of dollars to the community annually.

In the 2000 Census, Pricewaterhouse Coopers estimated more than 500,000 people

in California were uncounted, including more than 175,000 in Los Angeles county.
Pol-Lim and the seven other members of the committee who met Tuesday want to change that.

"It's about challenging our community (to respond to the survey)," she said. "I've said before, it's our community to lose, or to gain."

In past counts, Cambodians were notorious for not responding due to difficulties with language and heightened fear of government and authority.

The key to Pol-Lim is finding a message that resonates within the community.

"If you trigger the right message," she said, "they're going to come up." That message would include family and respect.

As part of its outreach, the count committee is considering slogans such at "Stand up and be counted," "Respect yourself, be counted," "Count me in" and "Yes, we can in 2010."

The group also wants to be sure the messages translate well into Khmer.

Chan Hopson, of the Khmer Parents Association, wanted to make sure that youth were consulted and that the message reach them as well.

The group also began work on an asset allocation map, that looks at community services in Long Beach and where they are located, particularly within areas the census says were grossly undercounted.

"We need to look at who we're missing on the map," said Lian Cheun, program director of Khmer Girls in Action and the committee chair. "The next step will be to identify an action plan."

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

UCC awards celebration heralds community's 32nd anniversary

09/08/2009
By Greg Mellen
Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

LONG BEACH - The United Cambodian Community celebrates its 32nd anniversary Thursday with a dinner and awards celebration.

The organization, which offers an array of social services to residents of the Central Area and greater Long Beach, will honor State Assemblyman Warren Furutani; Chan Hopson, executive director of the Khmer Parents Association; Onelegacy, a nonprofit transplant donor network; Verizon, for its corporate support; and the Cambodian Coordinating Council.

UCC was once the largest provider of social services for Cambodians in Southern California. Although it has gone through fractious times in recent years and teetered on the brink, the organization has been able to rebuild itself and Executive Director Sara Pol-Lim says it is well on the road to recovery.

In July, UCC received a $120,000 grant from the California Wellness foundation for, among other things, health services that help fight poor diet and nutrition, high rates of diabetes, cervical cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease and other maladies among Cambodian immigrants.

The dinner and awards ceremony will be at the Best Western Golden Sails Hotel, 6285 Pacific Coast Highway. A reception is at 6 p.m., the dinner and awards presentation begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person. Information is available by calling UCC at 562-433-2490.

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

Long Beach nonprofits receive grants [... including the United Cambodian Community]

Sara Pol-Lim, UCC Executive Director

06/30/2009
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

LONG BEACH - Two Long Beach social service organizations got exciting news this week. Centro Cha, earned a three-year $150,000 grant and the United Cambodian Community received a three-year $120,000 grant, both from the California Wellness Foundation.

This is the first time Centro Cha has received a grant from California Wellness and comes at a critical time in the face of the economic downturn and the loss of several grants due to budget cuts.

Similarly, the grant fills a big void for UCC, which will finally receive some grant money for services it has provided for years without funding.

The grant to Centro Cha is to pay for core operating costs and to continue to allow it to provide employment and case management to prevent violence.

Jessica Quintana, executive director of Centro Cha, said it was particularly gratifying to see the foundation "recognize the importance and strength of minority-led grassroots organizations that work at the forefront of reducing violence at its root causes."

Centro Cha works with at-risk, former gang and previously incarcerated youth in Long Beach. It offers free social and legal counseling, education, and job training and placement in attempts to steer youth to become contributing community residents.

The organization was created in 1992 to address the causes of gang violence - poverty, lack of education and opportunity and as the group says "perhaps most importantly, a lethal absence of hope."

United Cambodian Community has been providing social services to Long Beach's Cambodian community for more than 30 years.

The California Wellness grant is for core operations and for health services.

"We are so thrilled," said Sara Pol-Lim, executive director of UCC. "This allows us to continue to promote a healthy community and close the health disparity gap."

Cambodian immigrants have suffered from poor diet and nutrition, high rates of diabetes, cervical cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease and other maladies since moving to the United States.

The problems are exacerbated by an unwillingness of many to seek care.

Pol-Lim said in addition to offering referrals and information to residents on an informal basis, UCC has created a women's health focus group, without extra funding.

The new grant, Pol-Lim says, is her group's biggest and will allow UCC to do an even better job in offering services.

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

Cambodian group set on bridging gaps

04/30/2008
By Joe Stevens, Staff Writer
Long Beach Press Telegram (California, USA)

LONG BEACH - A Cambodian band blared its folk music in front of 11 veterans dressed in uniform. Some senior citizens and teenagers sat together, enjoying Cambodian iced tea, brownies and egg rolls.

With the United Cambodian Community's doors open to the community, one of the organization's goals was visible for all to see - to bridge the gap between old and young. The UCC is a group designed to help people with any problem they might encounter, and its open house on Wednesday helped get out that message.

"The mission of the UCC in the last 30 years has been to bridge the gap between the Cambodian community and mainstream culture," UCC executive director Sara Pol-Lim said. "We're bringing the Cambodian community into the larger community, and we're giving the community of information out there so they get what they need and make better decisions for their families."

Pol-Lim has been the UCC's executive director for the past 14 months, following some turmoil within the organization. The previous executive director, Dianne McNinch, was dismissed by the organization's board of directors. There also were internal power struggles before that, and the UCC was swindled out of more than $500,000 by John Durocher, who was sentenced to six years in jail last year.

During Pol-Lim's tenure, the UCC appears to have finally put its internal woes behind it and has been focusing on the community's needs.

"We've had our ups and downs, but whatever happened before is over," UCC board member Pichanary Chem said. "Now, the community is back behind us, and we're here to help, especially with programs and activities for youth."

Helping guide youth is one of the UCC's missions, but it also will help anyone, Cambodian or not, in need. It has helped senior citizens with limited English fill out necessary paperwork to get Social Security. It has helped those with mental illness or marital problems seek help, and if it cannot help a particular person, it will direct that person to the appropriate agency.

The UCC also is trying to be the catalyst for Cambodians to integrate into the mainstream community. At the open house, many non-Cambodians attended, including Raymond Chavarria, the UCC's associate/project director.

Chavarria, 48, has a lengthy resume of political and social work in Long Beach. He was hired by the UCC after a recent battle with prostate cancer that made him lose 100 pounds.

"I feel like I have a second life," Chavarria said. "I'm so grateful to be here, learn this culture and experience this beautiful culture. I love what I do. I like to help people, and in Long Beach,

I've helped so many groups, including the black community, gay and lesbian community and Jewish community."

While the Cambodian community has some unique problems, many of their problems are universal. The UCC's members urge the community to go to its headquarters on Anaheim if someone needs help, and the community apparently is responding to the organization.

"It's my duty, but more importantly, my honor to congratulate the UCC on its rebirth," Long Beach City Councilman Patrick O'Donnell said. "This is an anchor on Anaheim, and the community is fortunate to have this organization."

The UCC office is located at 2201 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach. It is open from Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. To 6 p.m. Call 562-433-2490.

joe.stevens@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1281

A fresh start: New UCC director is best of both worlds

Sara Pol-Lim, the new executive director of the United Cambodian Community, discusses the challenges and opportunities facing the Cambodian community. (Steven Georges / Press-Telegram)

03/23/2007
By Greg Mellen, Associated Press
Long Beach Press Telegram (Long Beach, USA)

LONG BEACH - As the new executive director of the United Cambodian Community, Sara Pol-Lim may just bring the right blend of East meets West sensibility to succeed at the helm of the star-crossed nonprofit organization.

The first Cambodian woman to head the UCC, she also brings a singular perspective.

A survivor of the Cambodian genocide who three times escaped execution lines, the 40-year-old mother of two has first-hand understanding of the struggles and psychological scars of the Cambodian community.

Schooled in the United States, she brings Western education and a can-do American spirit to the post.

"We as a culture, we Cambodians tend to carry everything based on the past," Pol-Lim says. "Granted, we lived through (the Killing Fields), but we don't have to live in the past. When we live in the past we tend to live reactively instead of being proactive."

Pol-Lim will need to unleash that proactive spirit to lift the UCC out of its malaise.

UCC's rise and fall have been well documented, from its ascension to the dominant local Cambodian social service provider, with a $3 million income and 60 employees, to its current precarious position, where it can only afford to pay its executive director to work 25 hours a week.

Pol-Lim is the third director of UCC in just over a year. She replaces Dianne McNinch, who resigned in February.

When Pol-Lim accepted the job, her family asked her why she joined that "crazy" organization. But Pol-Lim says an organization is only a reflection of the people who run it. She plans to turn things around.

"There's nothing we can do to control what other people say," Pol-Lim says. "All we can do is project a positive attitude that we're here as a public service organization."

In a sense, Pol-Lim is coming full circle. In 1998, after earning her master's degree in human resources from Chapman University, she became the director of a youth program at UCC that had a $600,000 budget and seven staffers. She left shortly after, she says, because of philosophical differences.

Most recently, Pol-Lim worked for the Los Angeles County Registrar's Office, specializing in Cambodian voter registration.

Pol-Lim says "never in my imagination" did she consider returning to UCC, that is, until she heard about the latest opening.

Since taking the job early this month, Pol-Lim has been trying to mend relationships and reach out to diverse groups. She says she has also recruited graduate students from UCLA and other colleges to work at UCC. One is in the process of helping her write grant proposals.

Pol-Lim is also using connections at Verizon and the Department of Public Social Services to develop income streams and clients for UCC programs.

Pol-Lim hopes that as a younger survivor of the Khmer Rouge atrocities, she can bridge the gap between the older survivors and younger Cambodians who know of Pol Pot only from history books.

On Friday morning, the UCC offices reflect a youthful vibe as several volunteers chat and munch on doughnuts, while an older couple drops in for help with paperwork.

Whether it will be enough to save the foundering organization remains to be seen. The organization is still trying to recover from a 2005 business agreement with a convicted felon, John Durocher, to own part of a medical spa that resulted in a $500,000 loss. Durocher is in Orange County Jail awaiting trial on multiple fraud charges.

That business deal forced the organization to sell its only tangible asset - an apartment building on Temple Avenue - but cleared much of UCC's debt.

Pol-Lim won't say what her salary is or how much funding the organization is pulling in, and still being resolved is an issue over missing financial records from when James Dok was executive director in 2005.

In the wake of the seismic shake-ups at the UCC in recent years, Pol-Lim is creating a marketing plan to reach out to a doubtful community.

"There are so many skeptics," Pol-Lim says. "There are so many spectators waiting to see what we'll put in. I think as Cambodians, you should take pride in the organization and step up a notch."

Greg Mellen can be reached at greg.mellen@presstelegram.com or (562) 499-1291