I am very impressed by the humanitarian and philanthropic work of many non-Cambodian individuals in extending their compassionate hand and dedication for Cambodian children. For those foreign entities, their help generally becomes a good return on their investment of time and treasure as they help build the foundation for this ravaged country by providing choices and opportunity for orphaned and vulnerable Khmer children and young adults. Among those entities, Mr. Rob, a Hawaii resident, has dedicated his time and energy for orphanage children in Cambodia, along with the group he founded, eGlobal Family. (www.eglobalfamily.org) While serving in Cambodia his beloved wife of 31 years passed away suddenly in Hawaii and he was unable to be with her during her last breathe ..this is sadness that is indescribable!
As I have concerned and learned a lot on philosophy of leadership, adversity and agony enable people to see the light of Enlightenment…this has happened with Mrs.Nuon, Phally (see video) who has turned all her past painful memory into humanitarian and philanthropy. She is reflective for many Cambodian people who have walked in the same path like her. However, there are many Cambodian people whose troubled lives experienced in this past tragedy have still deteriorated their present progress having often fallen into the trap of exploitation from others.
Posts in category Culture
Impressive movie clip from the Future Light Orphanage in Cambodia
Cambodian authority and Decho must use the prowess of Dhamma or law, not the prowess of personality, to protect Cambodian citizens
Op-Ed: luonsovath.blogspot.com
It is a tragedy while the government and their leaders have been bragging on economic growth, national development, peace and prosperity after the dark cloud of civil war and brutality ended, many bottom-line people like the residents of Borei Keila have continuously been humiliated by such “development rhetoric”. Listen to the video clip below, a woman said “is this the development in the age of Decho?”. It is shameful for Decho to be heard like this. Hence, this plague has happened every where around the world, not only Cambodia, if the top leader is not having proper conduct and moral attitude in the Dhamma. Dhamma means rule of laws, not rule of personality. As our observation remarked, our Decho has always proliferated his personality to judge and decide all issues happening in Cambodian society.
Buddha has been known as an Enlightened personality, but Buddha has never claimed himself as the central personality in deciding and determining any controversial issues. Dhamma and Vinaya which have been well promulgated for public use is the guideline, the tool for proper decision making and substantial rule for every one regardless of their status, entity or tendencies etc. However, Cambodian Buddhists are sadden and sad when their top leader has been using personality to judge and make a decision with all things. Recent public talk of Decho about ordering his Ohna colleague to arrest the violators inside his company who shot innocent protesters in Kratie because of their curiosity on the land grab, is not right on the proper practice of the Dhamma or the rule of law. Decho must follow the rule of law, he couldn’t use his prowess to overlapped or undermine the existing law.
Cambodian law has solemnly condemned and punished those who committed violence and perpetrated illegal activities. Cambodian authority and Decho must use the prowess of the Dhamma/law, not the prowess of personality, in order to stop humiliating our own race and innocent Cambodian citizens.
Cambodian children are the young seed of Cambodia whom need special care and nurturing
To celebration the end year of 2011, Mr.Sophoan Seng, Khmer Youth Association of Alberta, CanCambodia, team-works and generous members, have initiated to help kids at two places in Cambodia in Siem Reap Province of Angkor Wat the Great.
First group of photos are illustrating Mr.Chanroeun Pa and his teams are distributing 
note-books, scarfs, shampoo, soap, detergent, dry Mii Yeuong noodles, study tools and cash to many kids who have been survived by the rubbish dump. Their living condition has been affected by rubbish environment which is located in remote area: no school, hospital and other amenities. Many kids and families have been moving here in hope for the career of SCAVENGING. Many generous, journalists and NGOs have stepped in to help them release suffering. Some donations offered, wells dug, and we hope that many other plans are on the row. If you wish to spare your heart and love, please do that…the location is following: Phum Tropaeng Thom, Tropaeng Thom Commune, Prasat Bakong District, Siem Reap Province.
Another group was led by Mrs. Chann to distribute note-book, pencil, pen and 500 riel cash to
500 students of primary and secondary school in Phum Dong-het, Khum Kok-thlok Krom, Jikrieng District, Siem Reap province. The school has located in the middle of four villages: Phum Dong-het, Phum Konsaeng, Phum Robieng and Phum Anlong Tro-orn at about 7 km north of national road number 6 at the Domrey Chlong point. During the civil war, this location was ravaged by the factional fighting between the Khmer Rouge armies and Vietnamese armies. The typical career of people here are farmers.
Thank you very much for your kind sharing and hospitality. We expect to receive your extending heart and love for those kids more in the future!!
Near Cambodia’s Temple Ruins, a Devotion to Learning
Tear seems drop down unconsciously while I was reading this article. My life has come through what those individuals in the interview are breaking-through. The belief in higher education and persistent struggle for it is really honorable. Each time, when I looked at the great ruins and sandstone structures, it reminds me of education and ingenuity of Khmer ancestors to master on those architectures. Somdech Song Pang-Khat preached that if you look at the stones of Angkor Wat and other temples, you must communicate with the stones!
By THOMAS FULLER
Published: January 24, 2012
SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA — Millions of tourists come here every year to visit the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat, an influx that has helped transform what once resembled a small, laid-back village into a thriving and cosmopolitan town with thumping nightlife and more than 10,000 hotel rooms.
Adam Ferguson for The International Herald Tribune
Students at Build Bright University in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
But the explosion of the tourism industry here has also done something less predictable. Siem Reap, which had no universities a decade ago, is now Cambodia’s second-largest hub for higher education, after the capital, Phnom Penh.
The sons and daughters of impoverished rice farmers flock here to work as tour guides, receptionists, bartenders and waitresses. When their shifts are over, they study finance, English and accounting.
“I never imagined that I could go to university,” said Hem Sophoan, a 31-year-old tour guide who is now studying for his second master’s degree. “There’s been so much change and opportunities for young people.”
Cambodia needs to see real change
Thank you very much Dr. Peang-Met for raising up this very important controversial debate. In Cambodia as people have been embedded by non-independent mass media including the unalienable traumatic past of war and genocide, the group of stability and stomach need, has been conveyed by majority. However, Buddhists who have learned and experienced deep understanding of the teachings see that the highest goal of Buddhism is “liberty”, not “the four necessities”. In practice, Nama (liberty) and Rupa (four necessities) must be equal and in balance.In Vipassana meditation, practitioners cannot get into the Dhamma stream if one cannot balance Nama and Rupa. Socially and politically observing, Cambodia is not in the stage of any thing identical to these three stages. Scandals of non-independent judicial system, economic development through poor evictions, non-independent mass media, rampant corruption from tops to bottoms, political autocracy, favoritism and cronyism etc. have been lingering on the murky stage…do we see Cambodia is in the pathway of engineering in development and stability, engineering in creating liberty, or engineering in balancing of both social commodities?
Jan. 25, 2012Cambodia needs to see real change
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
Many readers emailed me following my series of articles on replacing Cambodia’s dictatorship with a democratic form of government. As many emails contained similar concerns, I have grouped those with similar themes and will use this column to deal with two.
The political battles continue over the anniversary of January 7
The game of the Khmer Rouge is a zero-sum game for Cambodians and their nation. 33 years have already passed; the Khmer Rouge regime will never come back again as the world is fast moving forwards.
It is a priceless lesson to learn in order to move forward and not dwell in the tragedy of the past, only to learn from it, as it was arranged to be the two crickets fighting against each other.
Click here to read the whole Lift Issue of 104 dated January 11, 2012
Seven January arrived and split
again the political parties
of Cambodia. While the Cambodian
People’s Party (CPP) wouldn’t
hesitate to call January 7 the day of
liberation from the brutal Khmer
Rouge, the opposition Sam Rainsy
Party (SRP) claimed it as the day
Vietnam invaded the Kingdom.
The CPP has never been reluctant
to emphasise the brutality of the
Khmer Rouge regime, painting the
Vietnamese troops as the life-savers
of the Cambodian people. For the
SRP, however, the arrival of the Vietnamese
troops in Cambodia marked
an invasion, as Vietnam violated
both international and domestic
law by crossing the border into the
country.
Non-violence struggle on the footstep of Mahatma Ghandi
All Koun Khmers must watch this video clip. It is a struggle of non-violence by prominent leaders such as Ghandi and Luther King. Non-violence is a struggle against the Leviathans whose political culture is using power and violence. Non-violence means to counter-strike but counter-strike by using the mean of non-violence.
Clarification on the film “Bringing Down A Dictator”: The film was not the work of Popovic’s Center for Applied Action and Strategies (CANVAS), but the work of a small, independent company in Washington, D.C., with funding from the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict. The film, translated into about a dozen languages, has a broad impact on nonviolent movements in the past decade. On the work of the company producing the film, log on to www.aForceMorePowerful.org. Two segments of “A Force More Powerful” have been translated into Khmer and the company has downloaded them to YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV_rdWsl9To&feature=plcp&context=C3674762UDOEgsToPDskIkoecUwF0ukf5qw-6qu_ve
Readers are urged to see the film in Khmer.
Gaffar Peang-Meth