LIFT – Page 3 – Saoyuth's Blog

CAMBODIA – Kingdom of Wondering about how new laws will change our lives

January 26, 2011

Born in Kandal’s Ponhea Leu district, this young man decided to leave home for Phnom Penh in 2009 to get a better education. Chan Sokneang, 22, is now a sophomore in English literature at the National University of Management.

Staying independently in Neakvon Pagoda, Chan Sokneang is struggling to make a living as an intern at an organisation in the city, hoping to gain some experience for his future goal as an NGO staff member after graduation. He hopes to land his dream job so he will not have to follow in his parents’ footsteps and become a farmer.

“I am very concerned about job opportunities that NGOs provide since the draft of the NGO law might affect their recruitment,” said Chan Sokneang.

Released on December 15, 2010, the draft law on Associations and Non-governmental Organisations aims to “set out formalities and conditions for forming, registering and operating associations, domestic non-governmental organisations and foreign non-governmental organisations in the Kingdom of Cambodia”.

Chan Sokneang said he was worried that the law would decrease the number of NGOs, which could cut down his opportunities to work for an NGO in the future.

In Samrithy, the Executive Director of NGO Education Partnership, said the new law constrained the cooperation between national and international NGOs, but it will not lessen NGOs’ careers. Instead, the law would make the recruitment process more complicated.

He added that this law did not attract donors to provide funds to Cambodia. He said: “If the donors stop funding Cambodian organisations, many NGOs staff will be laid off,” he said, adding that the law should be made to attract donors rather than to discourage them from helping Cambodia.

However, the concern of not having many NGO job opportunities is not the real issue in Cambodia’s job market. Sandra Damico, the Managing Director of HR Inc Cambodia, said NGOs do not provide the overwhelming majority of jobs in the market. It was the small and medium enterprises sector that employed the most people with sectors such as garments, tourism, finances, telecoms etc providing the most formal and documented employment.

She said: “I don’t think that the law will have a significant impact on creating employment opportunities – the private sector is the sector that will and does generate the most employment.”

Although the law does not greatly affect the job opportunities of young Cambodians, it may act as a barrier in framing NGOs’ activities.

Associations and NGOs draft law sample

There are 11 chapters with 58 articles in the draft law. Sok Samoeun, an executive director at Cambodian Defenders Project, said the government tends to control and limit NGOs and association’s activities by using the law.

“At the start of each month, they have to draft and send their activities to the government and also at the end of the month they have to do activities and financial reports to the government, which seems like they have to report everything,” Sok Samoeun explained.

According to Article 6 of the law, an association and non-governmental organisation or alliance of associations or local non-governmental organisations which are not registered or do not have a memorandum signed in accordance with this law shall not be allowed to operate any activity in the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Sok Samoeun said the registration should be the right for NGOs and associations.

On January 21 this year, there was a meeting to discuss the draft law at the Ministry of Interior between the government and NGOs representatives including Cooperation Committee for Cambodia, NGO Forum, Medicam, Adhoc and Oxfam.

People who attended the meeting said the new law is going through a process and it is very important to understand each side so the law will work for all after being implemented. They said the law was not being made to violate anyone’s rights.

“If any NGO or association feels that any point in the law is violating their rights, please raise the specific article so that we can discuss it with each other,” said Try Sokheng, who was at the meeting.

Try Sokheng said the law was not being made to close any NGOs or associations down, but the government just wanted all NGOs and associations to register at the ministry of interior within 180 days of the law pass being passed.

“It depends on them. If they don’t want to continue, they can close and if they want to continue, they have to register,” said Try Sokheng, adding that some NGOs and associations that don’t have clear goals might not be able to exist anymore.

By: Dara Saoyuth & Tang Khyhay

This article was publish on LIFT, Issue 55 published on January 26, 2010

You can download this draft law in English by CLICKING HERE

Can Cambodian TV news be trusted?

January 12, 2011

Dara Saoyuth

Feature Story, LIFT

3 Comments

Cover of LIFT Issue 53

According to a census taken of Cambodia’s population in 2008, 58.41 percent of households own at least one television set. News programmes are what every station cannot do without. Cambodia’s television stations present a variety of both national and international news to their audiences and also produce some other programmes including live reports and news analysis.

Huot Kheangveng, the deputy general director of the Bayon station which is owned by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s daughter, said his station tries to cater to its audience’s needs, adding that the audience likes news which impacts their lives and is a bridge between the government and the people.

Pen Samithy, the president of the Club of Cambodian Journalists and editor of the Raksmey Kampuchea newspaper, said that developing a variety of news for television was good for the people and the country as a whole since people can learn what’s happening around them. He said, however, there were not very many local television programmes and they were not updated.

Information Minister and Government Spokesman Khieu Kanharith said making shows for TV is a big expense, and added that just to get a good camera like the ones being used at TVK costs about $30,000 to $40,000.

He said that privately-owned television stations have to make money, so they are not able to have lots of people capturing the news from all over the country.

“Most of the news focuses on the government’s achievements and is positive,” said Pen Samithy. “I just want all the news that impacts the people.”

Lift conducted a survey of 100 university students in Phnom Penh and the results showed that 65 percent said the news is biased towards the government.

However, Huot Kheangveng said his television station carried both the positive and negative points of the government to let people know about its achievements and also to constructively criticise government.

“We have references, real sources and our reporters do it professionally. We disseminate the truth only,” he said.

Launched in March 2003, the Cambodian Television Network, or CTN, is the most popular station in Cambodia and is now broadcasting news for seven hours each day. Its programmes include the morning news, which has been running for the past year.

“Any bad news has already been reported by some radio stations and newspapers, so we don’t have to follow because it’s not good,” said Som Chhaya, CTN’s deputy director general and news editor, explaining that the market for news is very small and they cannot survive on news shows alone.

“As you can see, some newspapers are still printed in black and white and have not changed to colour printing like the others.”

Som Chhaya also said there are some obstacles he and his crews face in getting news. Getting information is sometimes difficult for him because some departments and ministries don’t have any spokesperson, so he has to try to contact other relevant sources who sometimes cannot be reached.

Now most television stations produce news programmes and analysis, which Som Chhaya
compares with having a meal that is delicious after adding the seasoning, more meat and more vegetables, meaning that news analysis provides more detail for the audience to better understand a situation.

Soy Sopheap, a news analyst at Bayon TV, said he always recaps and analyses the important news of the week, but acknowledged that “it’s not correct all the time, but we say what is true and adhere to our profession as journalists”.

However, Khieu Kanharith stressed that news analysis is not news but opinion.

“They have the freedom to express their opinions,” he said, adding that some people are not very professional in their analysis, but the majority of them are.

By: Dara Saoyuth & Sun Narin

This article was publish on LIFT, Issue 53 published on January 12, 2010

Internet is expanding. What does it mean for us?

January 5, 2011

Dara Saoyuth

LIFT, Personal Interest/Experience, Technology

Student Blog Page

News is very important for people — it keeps them updated with what’s happening or going to happen in their area and around the world. These days Cambodians can get their news on the internet, which provides both local and international news.

They can get a variety of news on the internet, some of it written by professionals and some by those who simply created a website or blog. If you cannot read English, don’t worry. You can still follow the daily news on the internet through an increasing number of Khmer websites and blogs. The news varies from lifestyle to political discussion, and everyone can have their voice heard.

Most people think that the internet is a totally free world since anyone can write or post something for others to read. However, it is not free when a government tries to censor the internet and restrict the information. In Burma, according to the Wikipedia website, the military government restricts internet access through software-based censorship which limits the material citizens can access and it blocks some websites.

Will this happen in Cambodia?

As far as I know, there aren’t any websites blocked by the Cambodian government, so we are able to read things critical of the government like KI-media. However, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights said on December 17 that it was concerned government officials were going to start censoring websites after a report by Radio Free Asia that Var Kimhong, Cambodia’s senior minister in charge of border affairs, had spoken out against KI-media: “I asked the government to shut down this website on December 31,” he said.

If the government starts censoring internet content, it would.

By: Dara Saoyuth

This article was publish on LIFT, Issue 52 published on January 5, 2010

Meeting Cambodian politicians on the internet (saoyuth.wordpress.com)
Saoyuth gives voice to BarCamp Phnom Penh 2010 (saoyuth.wordpress.com)

Reflections on a different of the Kingdom

December 22, 2010

Dara Saoyuth

LIFT, Personal Interest/Experience

Sunset in Mondulkiri / by: Dara Saoyuth

The eight-hour trip on the bus to Mondulkiri was the longest journey of my life. To reach the final destination of our class trip to one of Cambodia’s most beautiful places we passed through Kandal, Kampong Cham and Kratie provinces. It wasn’t going to all fun on the trip, as my classmates at the Department of Media and Communication at RUPP and I were divided into groups to do class projects about eco-tourism, however, we were sure to find plenty of time for fun on the trip.

Being used to watching never ending traffic and looking at buildings that reach high into the sky, I really enjoyed the view along the way to Mondulkiri, filled with various types of trees, expansive fields and rolling mountains. Once the long trip was finally over we were dropped off at the city centre, where we checked out the central market and surrounding parks. The market was small and unimpressive and the park was filled with dust instead of flowers, so we weren’t anxious to stick around.

Since 80 percent of the population was comprised of ethnic minorities, making me think it would be rural and lack a lot of modern influence, I was surprised to see there were plenty of guesthouses and karaoke bars nearby. It seemed there were very few differences between life out here and back in Phnom Penh.

But, after talking to some of the native people I began to notice a gap between Cambodians in the city and ethnic minorities in the country side. The indigenous people often live alongside nature and make a living by farming and growing vegetables. Among other things, living deep in the forest or far away from civilization makes it harder for ethnic minorities to get to school and receive a proper education.

Development in Mondulkiri / by: Dara Saoyuth

Now that industry is beginning to get started in the province, people are able to move about more and even start their own businesses in the area. We saw an example of this two nights during a party at Angkor Forest Guesthouse, where we were staying, when people were invited to dance to Khmer music and indigenous music from local minority population.

The hardest part of staying in the northern forest of Cambodia was the cold weather in the evening and especially in the morning. I had to cover myself with two blankets just to sleep, and wear a sweater whenever I left my room. Beyond that, I liked everything in Mondulkiri, especially the natural tourism sites. I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to say yes if anyone asked me to go there again.

By: Dara Saoyuth

This article was published on Lift, Issue 50 published on December 22, 2010

You can also read the article on Phnom Penh Post website by CLICKING HERE

Study Tour to Mondulkiri (saoyuth.wordpress.com)

Getting work done

December 8, 2010

Dara Saoyuth

Feature Story, LIFT

A girl is testing some tools during a seminar

Most students strongly agree that a university education is crucial for their future. After graduating from high school, they enter university to pursue their studies by choosing majors, or subjects, they prefer such as law, information technology, economics, management and so forth. They pay some school fees for their bachelor’s degree over a four-year period.

Those who cannot afford to go to a university or are not interested in getting an education at a higher level are able to attend vocational training, which is traditionally non-academic and focuses on a particular skill, such as sewing or making technical repairs.

There are vocational training centres throughout the country, teaching people how to repair motors, electronics, hairdressing and make-up, clothing and cooking.

Kong Kolline, a master craftsman and also a trainer at the Socheat Beauty School where students’ studíes include steaming, styling hair, skin polishing and nail decorating, said her students were a mix of people from the countryside and those who live in the city.

“They cannot catch up with school lessons and some think they only have to spend a little time doing vocational training and they can earn a living by opening their own business,” said Kong Kolline.

This idea was echoed by Chhun Chhea, 26, who came to Phnom Penh from Takeo province to learn how to become a mechanic and fix cars. Chhun Chhea said he had spent one year at university and he stopped to learn how to repair cars and then started working in this field after studying for one year.

“I quit studying at university because I didn’t have enough money and my brain seems not to be designed for studying,” said Chhun Chhea, who explained that he faced some challenges because he had never had to use his mechanical skills before, but he had adjusted and now loved this job.

He said that after getting vocational training it was easy to earn good money, not like working in an administrative office job where people earned little money.

“I just repair a small part which doesn’t take long and I get $5 to $6 or more than that,” he said, adding that completing a university course takes a long time, but people who join the workforce also have to learn new skills, and he is now on his way to opening his own garage.

The Vimean Tep Technical School opened more than 20 years ago and has more than 200 students now studying there. It is a vocational training center in Phnom Penh where students can learn skills that include how to repair cars, motors, phones, televisions, radios, electronics and air-conditioners.

Chab Siphat, a director and trainer at Vimean Tep Technical School, said the number of students studying at his school keeps increasing because people see that their graduates are getting jobs. “Vocational subjects are easy to earn money from, take little time, cost less money and can help you earn a living for life, the same as those who go to study at university,” said Chab Siphat, who added that those who cannot read or write can still learn skills, although it gets hard for them to remember things if they cannot write things down or read.

At Vimean Tep Technical School, students can learn how to repair motors by spending only US$120, or they can spend $350 and learn how to repair telephones.

Lao Heum, the director of the department of Technical and Vocational Education and Training at the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, said vocational training is a good way to reduce unemployment and poverty in the country because vocational training enables youth to gain enough ability and capacity to enter the work force.

“We need only one or two engineers if we want to construct a building, while we cannot hire only one or two construction workers or technicians to build it, so we need a lot of vocational workers in the country,” said Lao Heum.

According to the Labor and Social Trends in Cambodia 2010 report from the National Institute of Statistics, with support from the International Labour Organisation, the Kingdom “desperately requires” skilled labour – such as mechanics, electrical technicians and workers in the hospitality industry – that is where the bulk of employment is being created.

“Most young people in Cambodia are studying majors such as accounting and management, which is also good, but if more and more people go into these fields, finding jobs will become more and more difficult,” said Tun Sophorn, a National Coordinator for Cambodia at the International Labour Organisation.

“I want the media as well as the relevant institutions to help broadcast the fact that parents should guide their children to study skills according to the marketplace and not just follow one another so they will not face problems in finding a job,” said Lao Heum.

By: Dara Saoyuth and Touch YinVannith

This article was published on Lift, Issue 48 published on December 08, 2010

You can also read the article on Phnom Penh Post website by CLICKING HERE

Related Articles:

Seminar on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) (saoyuth.wordpress.com)
The Value of Trade and Technical Schools to Students Eager to Start Their Careers (otctech.wordpress.com)

យុវជនកំពុងប្រើប្រព័ន្ធអ៊ីនធឺណិតដើម្បីផ្សព្វផ្សាយសំឡេងរបស់ពួកគេទៅកាន់ពិភពលោកទាំងមូល

December 2, 2010

Dara Saoyuth

LIFT, Personal Interest/Experience

Image representing Facebook as depicted in Cru...

Image via CrunchBase

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នាងមានប្រសាសន៍ថា៖ «នៅពេលដែលខ្ញុំបើកចូលក្នុងគណនេយ្យរបស់ខ្ញុំនៅព្រឹកថ្ងៃកើត ហេតុ ខ្ញុំឃើញមិត្តភក្តិរបស់ខ្ញុំបានធ្វើការជជែកពិភាក្សាពីឧបទ្ទវ ហេតុនេះតាំងពីពេលដែលវាចាប់ផ្តើមកើតឡើងភ្លាមៗមកម្លេះ។ កញ្ញាបានបន្តថាការដឹងព័ត៌មានខ្លះពី Facebook នេះជំរុញឱ្យនាងបន្តធ្វើការស្រាវជ្រាវ និងអានបន្តនូវអត្ថបទដទៃទៀតទាក់ទងនឹងព្រឹត្តិការណ៍នេះដើម្បី ស្វែងយល់បន្ថែមពីអ្វីដែលកើតឡើងពិតប្រាកដចំពោះជាតិខ្មែរ។

កញ្ញាសេង សូលីដែត ក៏មិនខុសគ្នាពីប្រជាពលរដ្ឋខ្មែររាប់រយនាក់ផ្សេងទៀតដែរ ដែលបានផ្លាស់ប្តូររូបរបស់នាងនៅក្នុងFacebook ទៅជាផ្ទាំងខ្មៅមួយផ្ទាំងដែលមានអក្សរជាភាសាអង់គ្លេសពណ៌ស មានន័យថា «ពួកយើងកាន់ទុក្ខនៅថ្ងៃ២២ វិច្ឆិកា ២០១០»។ នាងផងដែរបានសរសេរនៅក្នុងផ្ទាំង Facebook របស់នាងជាភាសាខ្មែរមានន័យថា៖«ក្នុងនាមជាកូនខ្មែរមួយរូប ខ្ញុំសូមចូលរួមរំលែកទុក្ខចំពោះជនរងគ្រោះដែលបានបាត់បង់ជីវិត នៅក្នុងសោកនាដកម្មដ៏សែនរន្ធត់នេះ»។

លី ទីណេត ជាជនជាតិខ្មែរម្នាក់ទៀតដែលកំពុងតែបន្តការសិក្សាផ្នែកសេដ្ឋ កិច្ច ជនបទ និងសង្គមវិទ្យា នៅក្នុងប្រទេសវៀតណាម បានឱ្យដឹងថាគាត់ទទួលព័ត៌មានពីព្រឹតិ្តការណ៍ដ៏សោកសៅនេះតាមរយៈ គេហទំព័រ www.khmerlive.tv ដែលបានធ្វើការផ្សាយផ្ទាល់ក្នុងរយៈពេលបីថ្ងៃនៃព្រះរាជពិធី បុណ្យអុំទូក។ បន្ទាប់ពីទទួលដឹងព័ត៌មាននេះលី ទីណេតក៏បានផ្លាស់ប្តូររូបសម្គាល់ខ្លួននៅក្នុង Facebook ហើយក៏បានសសេរជាសារខ្លីៗទាក់ទងនឹងព្រឹត្តិការណ៍កោះពេជ្រដាក់ នៅ លើផ្ទាំង Facebook របស់គាត់ផងដែរ។

លី ទីណេត បានឱ្យដឹងថា៖ «ខ្ញុំធ្វើការផ្លាស់ប្តូររូបភាពក៏ដូចជាសរសេរអ្វីផ្សេងៗទាំង នេះ គឺចង់ចូលរួមរំលែកទុក្ខជាមួយនឹងក្រុមគ្រួសារជនរងគ្រោះ នឹងដើម្បីបង្ហាញថាប្រជាជនខ្មែរតែងតែចេះជួយគ្នា និងយកចិត្តទុកដាក់ចំពោះគ្នានៅពេលដែលមានរឿងហេតុអាក្រក់កើត ឡើងម្តងៗ»។

ក្រៅពី Facebook អ្នកទាំងអស់គ្នាអាចរកឃើញអត្ថបទជាច្រើន ត្រូវបានសរសេរឡើងដោយជនជាតិខ្មែរ និងបង្ហាញនៅលើប្លុកផ្ទាល់ខ្លួនរបស់ពួកគេក្នុងទម្រង់ផ្សេងៗ គ្នា។ ចំពោះអ្នកមួយចំនួន ពួកគេគ្រាន់តែអានព័ត៌មានដែលធ្វើការចុះផ្សាយតាមរយៈស្ថាប័នពត៌ មានផ្សេងៗរួចធ្វើការសង្ខេបព័ត៌មានទាំងនោះសម្រាប់ដាក់ក្នុង ប្លុករបស់ពួកគេតែម្តង។ ចំណែកអ្នកខ្លះបានព្យាយាមបង្ហាញនូវទស្សនៈ ក៏ដូចជាការប៉ាន់ស្មានទៅលើអ្វីដែលបានកើតឡើងចំពោះព្រឹត្តិ ការណ៍នេះ។

ម៉ៅ ពិសិដ្ឋ ជាម្ចាស់ប្លុកឈ្មោះ កំណត់ហេតុពិសិដ្ឋ (http://mpsinfor.wordpress.com ) ហើយលោកបានសរសេរអត្ថបទចំនួនពីរផ្សេងៗគ្នាទាក់ទងនឹង ព្រឹត្តិការណ៍កើតឡើងនៅកោះពេជ្រ។ ម៉ៅ ពិសិដ្ឋ បានឱ្យដឹងថាគាត់ចូលចិត្តសរសេរប្លុកដោយសារតែ ប្លុកចំពោះគាត់គឺសម្រាប់ជាកំណត់ហេតុផ្ទាល់ខ្លួនផង និងអាចមានជាប្រយោជន៍ដល់អ្នកដទៃដែលបានអានផងដែរ។ នៅក្នុងអត្ថបទទាំងពីររបស់គាត់ ម៉ៅ ពិសិដ្ឋ បញ្ចេញនូវទស្សនផ្ទាល់ខ្លួនដើម្បីបង្ហាញនូវការបារម្ភ និងដើម្បីជួយឱ្យអ្នកដែលបានអានគិតឡើងវិញនូវរាល់ពាក្យចចាម អារាម ផ្សេងៗដែលទាក់ទងនឹងសោកនាដកម្ម។

ម៉ៅ ពិសិដ្ឋមានប្រសាសន៍ថា៖ «ខ្ញុំគិតថាអ្វីដែលបានកើតឡើងនៅកោះពេជ្រមិនមែនជារឿងធម្មតា នោះទេ ព្រោះមនុស្សម្នានៅតែបន្តកាន់ទុក្ខចំពោះអ្នកដែលបានស្លាប់បាត់ បង់ជីវិត»។ លោកបន្តថាគាត់មិនចង់ឱ្យអ្នកដែលនៅរស់រានមានជីវិតកាន់តែមាន ការភ័យខ្លាចជាមួយនឹងពាក្យចចាមអារាមផ្សេងៗនោះទេ ហេតុនេះទើបគាត់សរសេរទាក់ទងពីកត្តាទាំងអស់នេះដាក់ ក្នុងប្លុករបស់គាត់។ អត្ថបទភាគច្រើនរបស់ ម៉ៅ ពិសិដ្ឋ ត្រូវបានសរសេរជាភាសាអង់គ្លេស ប៉ុន្តែសម្រាប់រឿងទាំងពីរនេះត្រូវបានសរសេរជាភាសារខ្មែរដោយមាន បកប្រែជាភាសាអង់គ្លេសនៅពីខាងក្រោម។

ម៉ៅ ពិសិដ្ឋបានឱ្យដឹងថា៖ «ខ្ញុំព្យាយាមសរសេររឿងទាំងនេះជាពីរភាសា គឺដើម្បីឱ្យអ្នកទស្សនាទាំងជនបរទេស ទាំងជនជាតិខ្មែរអាចអានបាន។ បុរសអាយុ ២៦ឆ្នាំរូបនេះបានបន្តថា ចំពោះអ្នកដែលមិនមានពុម្ពអក្សរយូនីកូដ ពួកគាត់ក៏អាចអានជាភាសាអង់គ្លេសបានដែរ។

ទាក់ទងនឹងការដែលថាតើ អត្ថបទទាំងអស់នេះនឹងត្រូវបាន ផ្សព្វផ្សាយទៅដល់អ្នកទស្សនា បានច្រើនប៉ុណ្ណានោះ ម៉ៅ ពិសិដ្ឋ បានឱ្យដឹងថាគាត់មិនធានាថាវាអាចទៅដល់មនុស្សច្រើននោះទេ តែបើតាមស្ថិតិក្នុងប្លុករបស់គាត់បញ្ជាក់ថាវាបានទៅដល់មនុស្ស ច្រើនគួរសមដែរ ហើយបើយ៉ាងហោចណាស់ក៏ពាក់កណ្តាលនៃ មិត្តភក្តិរបស់គាត់ជាង៧០០នាក់នៅក្នុងFacebook បានអានអំពីវាដែរ ព្រោះ តែគាត់បានចែករំលែកវានៅក្នុង Facebook ផងដែរ។

បើទោះបីជាព័ត៌មានដែលចេញមកពីបណ្តាញសង្គមទាំងអស់នេះត្រូវ បាន គេចាត់ទុកថាជាព័ត៌មានក្រៅផ្លូវការដោយសារតែមិនមានអ្នកត្រួត ពិនិត្យមុនពេលបោះពុម្ព យ៉ាងហោចណាស់ក៏វាបានផ្តល់នូវព័ត៌មាននិងសាវតានៃរឿងទៅដល់ អ្នកដែលមិនទាន់បានដឹងសោះពីព្រឹត្តិការណ៍ណាមួយនោះដែរ៕

By: Dara Saoyuth

This article was published on Lift, Issue 47 published on December 02, 2010

You can also read the article on Phnom Penh Post website by CLICKING HERE

Telling the story of a tragedy

December 2, 2010

Dara Saoyuth

LIFT, Personal Interest/Experience

Relatives blessing for the deceased / by: Dara Saoyuth

Having come to Phnom Penh to pursue higher education from my home in the province, it is rare that I have a few days off to visit my family. So, rather than joining the millions of people who came to Phnom Penh, I made the opposite trip and went home for the festival weekend.

I was sound asleep in my parents’ house, enjoying the comforts of familiar places, when my parents woke me up. I was rather annoyed, seeing that it was 2am, but once I understood what they were telling me, questions began to come to my mind, which was having an impossible time accepting that hundreds of people have actually died on the Koh Pich bridge.

Most of the questions involved the status of my friends still in the city and I frantically dialed numbers and sent out messages to find out if people were okay. Some of my friends had a similar reaction to mine upon being woken up – annoyed – but it was worth it to me to hear their voices.

I left the province at 7am, with few of my initial questions answered. As soon as I finished my lunch upon my return to the city, I hurriedly put my camera, recorder, notebook and a bottle of water into my backpack and rushed to the Phnom Penh Post office. I was asked by my editor to help another reporter, who was from America, to shoot a documentary about the event. After being so far away from the event earlier in the day, I was anxious to find out what really happened in my nation.

The Cambodian -Russian Friendship Hospital was teeming with crowds of victims’ relatives as we arrived. I immediately became overwhelmed by sadness, but this was the truth I wanted to see. For those involved in the stampede, desperation was the only emotion there was in the days after the stampede. We spent almost an hour walking around the hospital and nothing like tiredness even crossed my mind. I was too filled with sympathy and pity to consider anything else.

There were two big boards with victims’ photos stuck on either side. Some people burst into tears when they saw photos of their relatives lying dead. I couldn’t imagine. My friends and family were okay but I was still barely able to look at the rows of photos.

I talked with a girl who was among the many family members roaming the halls and tending to their kin. I talked to a girl who said her aunt was still alive in a nearby room, but was unable to move any part of her body. She said a few more words, but then stopped. As her eyes filled with tears, I couldn’t bear to ask any more questions or push her to talk more. My heart truly ached for her and all the others in her situation.

The fact that I was carrying a camera bag and a tripod, along with a fixed camera hanging around my neck, didn’t exactly make me inconspicuous; and as I walked by, I heard people whisper that another foreign journalist was there to cover their tragedy. I was proud that I looked like a professional to these people, but I also felt like I should put down all of this stuff and help calm people who were crying, carry coffins into the truck, or care for those still suffering. This was the first time I had been assigned a story like this, and it made me realise how difficult it must be for journalists to balance their duty to tell the story of terrible events and help the desperate people around them.

I wanted to separate my job that day from my feelings, but I simply couldn’t. This is my country and these were fellow Cambodians suffering around me. I kept imagining how terrible it would feel just to find out that someone I know was among the people who died that night on the bridge. If it was someone I truly loved I can’t imagine how bad it would hurt.

I arrived home with an overwhelming sense of sadness hanging on me. I called my friends who also helped report the story and they were also unable to shake the depression and fear that the day’s events had inspired. I thought about how the water festival has always been a happy time for Cambodian people, and whether that would ever be true again.

By: Dara Saoyuth

This article was published on Lift, Issue 47 published on December 02, 2010

You can also read the article on Phnom Penh Post website by CLICKING HERE

Water Festival Ends in Tragedy (saoyuth.wordpress.com)
Photos in the aftermath of Koh Pich accident (saoyuth.wordpress.com)
Cambodia stampede: ‘Bodies stacked upon bodies’ in Phnom Penh tragedy (guardian.co.uk)

What’s New (Shopping cheap at Sakura Japanese thrift store)

November 24, 2010

Dara Saoyuth

LIFT

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If you are a savvy shopper in Phnom Penh, you have likely encountered many shops that sell second-hand clothes. You are sure to find some great deals at these shops, located in markets or along the street, but it is quite obvious that you are having a gander at used goods. This is not the case at the new Sakura Japanese thrift store located on St. 271 not far from Chea Sim Samky high school in the capital.

The one floor shop is well designed, with clothes that are so stylish that you wouldn’t know they were used unless you looked at the sign on the way in that says “Sakura Used Japanese Products.” As the name suggests, all of the products are imported from Japan, and the shipments contain more than just clothes, you are likely to find a bunch of stuff from furniture to toys, accessories and appliances.

The shop is open from 10am to 10pm, and I strolled up during the early afternoon on my lunch break from my studies at university. I was surprised at how many cars and motor-bikes were parked outside and once I walked in I saw that most of them were driven by students, who were still in their uniforms, also taking advantage of their midday break for some budget shopping.

The store is well lit and fans keep the airflow going, however there is a certain smell that only comes from used clothes, and despite the aesthetic appeal of the threads at Sakura, the old clothes smell still required a brief period for acclimation. Once we got used to smell my friends and I were able to stroll up and down the aisles and focus on finding the true gems within the racks packed with clothes.

Looking at the prices of the goods on display, we noticed another differences from the second hand shops we were used to: there was a much wider variety of prices. Some things were only 1,000 riel while other prized-pieces cost over US$300. In general things were still way cheaper than they would be at Pencil or Sorya.

People seemed quite interested in the shoes and household items at the shop, but I noted few clothes being tried on. I suspect it is because of the overflow of sweaters in the shop, which most Cambodians would only buy if they were planning a trip to Japan or a place with a comparably cold climate.

A few things jumped out at me while we pursued the offerings at the second-hand shop. There was a pair of shoes that were beautiful and looked nothing like any footwear I had seen before. I think a tear might have streamed down my face when I tried them on and they were a bit too tight for my foot. There was also a gorgeous kitchen set complete with a tea pot, plates and cupboards. My friend was moved to buy a teapot for his father but the price proved prohibitive and he gently set it back on the shelf.

Near the end of our hour-long browse we noticed a room with a sign that said employees only. Inside were piles and piles of clothes, toys and hundreds of other objects that would soon be on sale. Some brave customers went in anyhow but their time was fleeting as staff members soon asked them to get out. I heard them muttering about how many attractive and cheap goods they saw in the forbidden room.

Sakura has just about everything you could want, especially if you have the time to look around for a while. If you are a style snob who only wears the newest brand name stuff, perhaps this isn’t your spot, but for everyone else, you owe it to yourself to at least stop by.

By: Dara Saoyuth and Touch YinVvannith

This article was published on Lift, Issue 46 published on November 24, 2010

Meeting Cambodian politicians on the internet

November 17, 2010

Dara Saoyuth

LIFT

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Picture of notebook screen with Facebook / Image via Wikipedia

The internet has turned the world into a global village where people from different places can get to know each other and gain easy access to information, and this has prompted some Cambodian political parties to make their web presence known to reach a much bigger audience.

In most cases, these websites contain information such as political background, principles, activities and party contacts and are readily available on each party’s official website.

The Cambodian People’s Party, the current ruling party in the Kingdom, has its own website in both English and Khmer.

Cheam Yeap, spokesperson for the CPP, said having an official website can help people connect with political parties and learn about its background.

The internet has played a crucial role in delivering accurate news to Cambodians, said Yim Sovann, a spokesperson for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party. This was the main reason the SRP launched a website in 2000.

“The internet has helped us get a lot of support, especially from activists and people living abroad,” he said. “It’s a means to deliver truthful information by uploading documents and promoting our activities on our website.”

We are now living in a world of electronic democracy where people can communicate directly with their leaders using the internet. Therefore, a website on its own isn’t enough; some politicians have started to engage in social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote their political parties and expose themselves to a young, interested audiences.

There aren’t any official studies, but any young person can confirm that Facebook is one of the most popular social media outlets in Cambodia and it is used in different ways depending on the person. Everything from normal communications to political discussions to multi-user video games take place on the site. Many of the political parties have pages on Facebook, where they post updated party news and get instant feedback when people click on the “like” icon to show their agreement or post a comment if the like button doesn’t express their feelings.

The Human Rights Party has had a website since they formed in July 2007. The next year they won 6.62 percent of the votes in national elections. The party stepped up their online engagement by creating a Facebook page last year. In Cambodia, HRP leaders said that programmes on radio FM105 were the best way to reach people, but in order to reach supporters abroad, the internet is invaluable.

“The HRP depends completely on the internet in order to communicate with people who live abroad,” said Kem Sokha, the HRP president.

Khieu Kanharith, the government’s Minister of Information, said he had used Facebook for two years and before that he used several other social networks including hi5. His online savvy is obvious since he usually replies to online messages within a few days if not a few hours. Yet he is not a complete convert of online communication.

“I think oral communication works better than comments via social networks,” he said. “On Facebook, we cannot post everything – for example, policies that contain thousands of words cannot be condensed to two or three sentences. That is simply not enough to promote a policy.”

Sites like Facebook also provide a space for people to distribute false or damaging information without censorship or accountability. If someone is offended by something online, they can easily return the insult by posting messages on walls or message boards. Lift asked Khieu Kanharith if such threats have concerned him in more than two years of participating in similar forums. He said he’s not worried since people can differentiate real and fake information.

Nil Vandeth, a 19-year-old student at the Royal University of Law and Economics, has used Facebook to have his ideas heard and comment on other people’s inspirations.

“Politics is part of our general knowledge and people will know more about it when they start sharing their ideas,” he said. Cambodian people, particularly the young, are starting to take an interest in politics, he added, “because of the internet”.

By: Dara Saoyuth, Sothea Ines and Ouk Elita

This article was published on Lift, Issue 45 published on November 17, 2010

You can also read the article on Phnom Penh Post website by CLICKING HERE

Watching a new Cambodian film, Kiles

November 14, 2010

Dara Saoyuth

Inform, LIFT, Personal Interest/Experience

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If you read LIFT issue 44, you’ll know what a reporter wrote for this week in what’s new section. No wonder, it’s a review of a Cambodian drama film, Kiles (literally translate as Passion), written by Mao Ayuth, the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Information.

After reading the review, I was so eager to watch the film. Fortunately, I received a free ticket from one of my friends, so Saturday afternoon was my second time I went to lux cinema watching films.

I don’t remember my first time in this cinema, but for this time, one thing I’ve noticed is that most of the audiences are teenagers who mostly walk in with their partners and some were still wearing school uniforms as if they were entering classroom. Before the film started, I was on my seat trying to fathom out the reason why there are small number of adults in the theater. Unfortunately, the film had started before I could find the answer, so let me give you a floor to come up with the answer to my doubt.

Below is the original review of the film written by Tet Chan, a LIFT reporter. Cheers,

Kiles poster

Perhaps you have heard stories about life in Cambodia during French colonization. Maybe you are even an expert on the period, but I’m certainly not. Hoping to learn more about postWorld War II Cambodia, I went with my friends to see Kiles, the newest movie to hit Cambodia’s theatres, and the first production by the Cambodia Film Commission, a government- funded initiative meant to raise the standard of Cambodian film.

The sounds of chanting plays over the opening scene as an old rich man named Kiles is lying in bed, lonely and weak. It doesn’t look like he has long to live, but, as luck would have it, the frail fellow recovers and returns to live with his four wives and countless servants.

The news keeps getting better for the geezer when one of these servants reads his palm and tells him that his fifth wife will be a beautiful young woman. Kiles isn’t a man to wait around for fortune to find him, so he tells his future-seeing househelp to track down someone who owes him money and demand that they give him their daughter’s hand in marriage to clear their debt.

The unfortunate and indebted man who the servant finds conveniently has a beautiful daughter named Teuy. Her devoted boyfriend Plok is a cremator, and he has been taking the golden coins from the mouths of corpses to save for their wedding. When the servant comes knocking he has 99 of the 100 coins needed to get engaged.

Close doesn’t cut it for Teuy’s father, who predictably agrees to marry her off to erase his debts.

It’s not long before old man Kiles and young beauty Teuy are preparing to be married. I’m not a movie-spoiler, so I’m not gonna tell you what happens next. I’ll say that it’s not as predictable as the plot I described thus far.

In some ways the movie seemed to sugggest it would be a sad love story, but that’s not how it was recieved. My friends and I laughed with the rest of the audience during much of the movie, especially a series of scenes showing Plok trying to commit suicide, once by taking a bowl, filling it with water and immersing his head in an attempt to drown. His efforts are so obviously futile that moviegoers don’t have to worry about his pending death. Plok isn’t a complete coward though, in another scene he puts his life on the line to steal his woman from the decrepit dude who stole her away … I’ll let you find out what happens when you see the movie. Feel free to thank me later.

While some of the scenes were silly, others were quite beautiful; with music and gorgeous Cambodian scenery that made me feel a bit of nationalistic pride while being entertained. It was refreshing to see a Cambodian movie with decent acting and voices that are actually recorded during production.

I was quite happy with my decision to spend an hour and half immersed in scenes and stories from Cambodia’s past. You too will have a new perspective on our history, and although some parts of the plot and character development were a bit thin, I walked out of the theatre optimistic about the future of Cambodian film.

Kiles is a unique type of filem in Cambodia these days. It was enjoyable to watch.

“I was happy having spent 90 minutes immersed in scenes from Cambodia’s past.”

14/11/2010

You can also read the article in LIFT, the Phnom Penh Post website by CLICKING HERE

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