May, 2012

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Posted by: | Posted on: May 31, 2012

In a reflecting study: Khmer Hero Bhikkhu Hiem Chiev and Venerable Luon Sovath at the present

Op-Ed: Engaged Buddhism

Biography of Achar Hem Chiev, a National Hero – ព្រះបាឡាត់ឃោសនាគ ហែមចៀវ វីរបុរសជាតិ

ឆ្នាំងបាយលោកសង្ឃ គឺនៅនឹងប្រជាជន បើប្រជាជនវេទនា អត់បាយ ប្រជាជនគ្មានសិទ្ធិសេរីភាព បើប្រជាជននៅក្នុងឋានៈ ជាខ្ញុំកញ្ជះគេ លោកសង្ឃក៏ទទួល អំណោយផលអាក្រក់ដែរ។ ដូច្នេះ លោកសង្ឃមានភារៈ ប្រោសសត្វលោក គឺត្រូវស្តីប្រដៅ ធ្វើឲ្យមនុស្សមានស៊ី មានស្លៀក មានសេរីភាព ក្នុងប្រទេសឯករាជ្យ និងសន្តិភាព ដ៏បរិបូណ៌។

ទឹកភ្នែកប្រជារាស្ត្រ គឺទឹកភ្នែកព្រះសង្ឃ

– ទឹកចិត្ត ព្រះអាចារ្យ ហែមចៀវ –
—–
The monks’ rice pot remains with the people, if the people are miserable, have nothing to eat, if they have no freedom, if they live as slave, monks will also feel the hardship pinch. Therefore, monks whose duty is to save the humans, must teach and encourage people to find food to eat, to find clothes to wear, to find freedom for their country, to find independence and total peace.

Tears of the people are those of monks.



– View by Preah Achar Hem Chiev –

——–

Biography of Achar Hem Chiev
 Posted originally by M. P.

Hem Chiev was born in 1898 to a modest farmer family in Oudong. At the age of 12, his father took him to study at Wat Ounalom under the guidance of Monk Chuon Nath who is one of his father’s friends. Young Hem Chiev studied well while serving monk Chuon Nath until the age of 16. Under his parents request, the young Hem Chiev decided to take the vow and became a monk at Wat Ounalom where he further expanded his knowledge of Buddhism under the guidance of monk Chuon Nath still.

At the age of 20, monk Hem Chiev was ordained as Bikkhu at Watt Langka. He then went on to pass the exam to enter the Buddhist Institute in Phnom Penh.
According to Martin Stuart-Fox (2006), “[t]he Buddhist Institute did encourage Buddhist studies, but it also stimulated wider studies into culture and history, folklore and language, which rekindled cultural pride that fed into the rising tide of nationalism. The failure of France to protect either Laos or Cambodia from losing territory to Thailand in 1940-41 had a similar effect. Monks took the lead in opposing clumsy French attempts to introduce romanised forms of Cambodian and Lao scripts. In Cambodia, the monk Hem Chieu, a leader in this opposition movement …”
Achar Hem Chiev encouraged his students to study hard to liberate themselves from the yoke of the French colonial rule. He also started the movement to preach Buddhism in Khmer rather than in Pali.
As a member of the French opposition, Achar Hem Chiev kep contact with other Khmer nationalists at the time, among them: Pach Chhoeun, Son Ngoc Thanh, Chum Moung, Nuon Duong, and Sim Var. They all worked to find ways to free Cambodia from the French rule.
Meanwhile, Achar Hem Chiev kept on his Buddhist preaching, among the most notable principles he preached are:
  • Do not be a man of burden to the world (i.e. be useful in life).
  • We must bring well-being to the present first because if we now have well-being, there will be well-being in the future as well.
  • You must work, do not wait for fate.
  • You can cross hardship only if you are determined.
  • You can only depend on yourself (i.e. self-reliance).
  • You must not frequent bad friends, you should not frequent friends with low life, you should frequent good friends, you should frequent people with high ideals.
  • Unintelligent people will bring you actions that should not be brought up, they always bring you chores that are not of concern, they are people who are difficult to teach and bring back to the right path, when they are told about good behaviors, they become angry, they do not know about rules, if you do not meet them, or see them, it is best that way.
  • You should not depend on someone else to feed you in life.
Posted by: | Posted on: May 30, 2012

Yellow vine and the forest of ecstasy of Cambodia

There is an alert on the cause led to the cold-blooded murdering of green forest activist Chut Wutty, these two videos shed us some light on that.



Posted by: | Posted on: May 30, 2012

Facts about Commune Election 2012 in Cambodia 23 May 2012

Facts about Commune Election 2012 in Cambodia

23 May 2012


  • Date: Sunday, June 3, 2012; from 7:00am to 3:00pm. It is the third communal election since 2002
  • Eligible voters: 9,203,493 registered (Population: 14,2 million)
  • 1,633 communes (increased from 1,621 communes in 2007)
  • Female candidates increased by 4.29%: Cambodian People’s Party (CPP): 22.47%, Sam Rainsy Party (SRP): 20.75%, Norodom Ranaridh’s Party (NRP): 30.33%, Funcinpec (FCP): 30.68%
  • Cost: USD 19.5 million estimated; government would cover 76% and asks donors to support the rest (24%)
  • Election campaign: from 18.05. to 01.06.12. Each party has 12 minutes campaign time daily on television and radio, 2 six minutes spots per day: 6 minutes video spot and six minutes debates organized by National Democratic Institute (NDI).
  • Registration: 10 parties participated for 11,459 seats,
  1. CPP: candidates in all 1,633 communes (100%)
  2. SRP: candidates in 1,615 communes (99%)
  3. FCP: candidates in 1,413 communes (87%)
  4. HRP: 1,070 communes (66%)
  5. NRP: in 1,029 communes (63%)
  6. Khmer Nationality Party: 225 communes (14%)
  7. Democratic Alliances Party: 164 (10%)
  8. Khmer Anti-Poverty Party: 23 communes (1%)
  9. Republican Democratic Party: 9 communes (1%)
  10. Democratic Movement Party: 2 communes (0.1%)
  • 10.6 million Ballots printed
  • Observers from the (10) parties: 118,810 persons and 10,000 observers from 16 NGOs
  • Polling stations: 18,107
  • 180,000 staff members employed
  • Organized by the National Election Committee (NEC), dominated by the ruling party members.

For comparison:

Election results in 2002, 8 parties participated, only four gotCommune Council members (11,261 seats):

  1. CPP: 7,703
  2. FCP: 2,211
  3. SRP: 1,346
  4. Khmer Democratic Party: 1

Election results in 2007, 12 parties participated, only five got CC members (11,353 seats):

  1. CPP: 7,993
  2. SRP: 2,660
  3. NRP: 425
  4. FCP: 274
  5. Hang Dara Democratic Movement Party: 1

(Source: NEC, Phnom Penh Post, The Cambodia Daily, Reasmey Kampuchea Daily and Kampuchea Thmei Daily newspapers)

Source: https://trustbuilding.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/facts-about-commune-election-2012-in-cambodia/

Posted by: | Posted on: May 22, 2012

More reliable evidence of the cause of the death of Chut Wutty

Chut Wutty was one of Asia’s leading environmental activists, tirelessly working to prevent illegal logging in Cambodia.

But on 26th April, he was gunned down in mysterious circumstances in the protected Cardamom Forest.

When David O’Shea unravels the story behind his death for Dateline, he finds allegations of corruption and cover-up, with government investigators giving several conflicting accounts of what happened.

So who’s really behind Chut Wutty’s death? And was there something the activist knew that his killers didn’t want revealed?

WATCH – Click to see David’s report.

EXTRA – Read more about Chut Wutty’s life and the tributes that have been paid to him by following the links on the right-hand side of the page

Read More …