Tharum Bun
Stories
July 20th, 2008
Cambodian and Thai Bloggers on Disputed Preah Vihear Temple
· 14:15 · East AsiaRising serious tension between Cambodia and Thailand started when UNESCO, on July 7, 2008, declared temple of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site. The 11th century temple has long been a subject to dispute between the two nations; in 1962, Hague-based International Court of Justice ruled that the ancient Hindu temple belonged to Cambodia, a decision opposed by many Thais.
As the news of the inscription of Cambodia's 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple announced by the World Heritage Committee early this month in Quebec, Canada, a large number of text messages were sent via cellphone to share the exciting news during the midnight (Phnom Penh time).
People of the two countries witness the power of pride and nationalism, again, particularly at the time that Cambodia heading to national election on July 27 and that Thailand is struggling with her own internal politic.
Not surprisingly, as the world is more connected, at least virtually, Thai and Cambodian citizens begin their discussions on the Internet for the first time. A post of link with title “Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia,” appeared on Global Voices Online on June 24, attracted 70 comments (at the time of writing this post).
Nationalism versus Rationalism
Somongkol Teng, a former Fulbright scholar, proudly announced the official news of the newly inscribed temple on his blog, which has attracted a number of comments from his readers, including people in neighboring country Thailand.
A comment left by a Thai citizen, who identifies as Tavorn Kamboonreang, on Somongkol's blog post, has led to a long, heated discussion.
On July 10, 2008, Tavorn commented:
Dear Khamen(Cambodian) Neighbors,
You think you win the Preah Vihear World Heritage now but soon you will see that you lost because UNESCO will send 7 nations including Thailand to “invade” your country. UNESCO ripped our two countries apart by siding with you and your foxy politicians. You know where you belong. Look at Phnom Penh which was built to model after Bangkok by King Narodom who lived and worked in Bangkok under Thai Royal Patronage for years. Rejoice now but be prepared to get back to be under Thailand’s protection again because you need to be where you belong. I am your Thai neighbor and it’s my duty to help you get back to your good sense. Remember who help you when your country was under the Khmer Rouge-Pol Pot and your refugees had nowhere else to run to but Thailand. Please take care and be grateful.
Does an individual opinion reflect the Thai society in general? Thai native Isriya Paireepairit, a technology columnist for a number of Thai newspapers and magazines, wrote a post on the issue in Thai language (he also provides translation here) that:
I quoted the follow up article by Dr. Charnvit Kasetsiri. He stated that Preah Vihear is definitely belonged to Cambodia from both historical-archaeological and legal. The Thai claim (geological) has never been supported by World Court.
Another blog post of his deals with one of his friends, who lives in the United Kingdom. Isriya asked an interesting question in response to a campaign running by his friend who wants to claim back Preah Vihear temple for Thai citizens.
I quoted my conversation with my Thai friend (I'm living in UK at the moment) to demonstrate the general public's view on this incident. This friend now wants to “bring back Preah Vihear” to Thai people. I question them as ‘is Preah Vihear really belonged to us? (So we can
get it back). I also quote Thongchai Winichakul, a famous Southeast Asian History Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He wrote an article about nationalist. The title can be translated as “Preah Vihear will be yet another racism timebomb”
Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Several thousand people gathered at Wat Phnom to celebrate the day. Savada Khmer [in PDF], a song composed by Samdech Sangha Raja Jhotañano Chuon Nath (1883 -1969).
Savada Khmer translated into English
All Khmers, please remember the root and history of our great country
Our boundary was wide and well known
Others always thought highly of our race
And always placed our race as the elders.We have great heritage and culture
Which has spread far and wide in the Far East.
Religion, arts and education,
Music, philosophy and strategies are all that we have spread.All Khmers, please remember our roots and history
Which speaks of the grandeur of our great race
Make up your mind and body and try hard to rebuild
In order to lift the value of our nation
To once again rise to the greatness that we once had.
Is the power of nationalism as strong as the power of love? So far, at least two public events organized in the Cambodian capital to celebrate the important event as well as to reclaim the so called ‘unity' for the country. Donations have been made, largely by Phnom Penh-based business people, to help military at the Cambodian-Thai border. Cambodian journalism lecturer Moeun Chhean Nariddh takes a look at the history of nationalism used in the mainstream media to fight against French colonialism, then the Chinese and Vietnamese dominance. The opinionated media trainer wrote an op-ed to a daily newspaper that:
…Nevertheless, the media’s role in promoting nationalism is not new. The pioneer of Cambodian media started the first Khmer-language newspaper in 1936 with the explicit mission to promote nationalism and engage in Cambodia’s struggle for independence from French colonial rule. A nationalistic Cambodian press appeared first to challenge French rule, then the Chinese and Vietnamese dominance in Cambodia’s economy and politics, and also American “imperialism,” until the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975.
Richard, an observer and blogger at Connecting the Dots, wrote a blog post that the current Thai government, under-fired for it first supported Cambodian government in getting the temple listed, which it later withdrew due to an injunction issued by Thailand's Administrative Court to suspend any move endorsing Cambodia's bid to list the ancient temple as UNESCO's World Heritage site:
Although the court ruled against Thailand, many Thais never accepted the ruling in their hearts. As a result the signing of the documents between Thailand and Cambodia was all it took to set this off. Thailand’s ruling party the People Power Party (PPP) is under attack for a variety of reasons, this signing became just another avenue of attack. The signing was ruled to be in violation of the Thai constitution in that parliament was excluded. The reputation of the PPP of not caring about laws, rules and the Thai people and now also being seen as very possibly giving up Thai soil to Cambodia has set this nationalism movement in motion. This has lead to escalation of conflict ant the site of the temple with both Thai and Cambodian military on the scene. There is no doubt to outsiders that the temple issue is being used as leverage to force this apparently useless Thai government out.
In an article appeared in Bangkok-based Prachatai, an independent online newspaper, Harrison George discusses the history (including what led to an anti-Thai-riot in 2003) of the two countries, both are members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
And now our ignorance of Thailand’s history is threatening relations with Cambodia. We’ve seen this before. In 2003, in the run up to Cambodian elections, actress Suvanant Kongying was falsely reported in the Cambodian press (possibly by a rival company to the Mistine cosmetics she was fronting for) as saying that Angkor Wat should be given back to Thailand. ‘Given back’, because it had been stolen from Thailand by the Cambodians.
The Khmers, whose schoolbooks seem to be as nationalistically one-sided as everyone else’s, got understandably irate about this. But so did the Thais. When the news was breaking I was told by 2 Thais who had the benefit of a university education, that Suvanant’s alleged statement was so obviously untrue it must have been fabricated. I asked what they meant. Cambodia couldn’t have ‘stolen’ Angkor Wat from Thailand, they explained, because Thailand had never occupied it.
Live update from Preah Vihear province:
I've just received an update from Geffrey Cain, our Contributing Author, who is currently is Preah Vihear province to cover the news. Here is his message sent to me on July 20, 2008:
58 comments · »»Writing from the Thai-Cambodia border where I'm covering the dispute. Needless to say, things out here are incredibly tense. Yesterday we had a major stand-off between Thai and Cambodian soldiers at a pagoda, where they raised their guns at each other and threatened to fire. Today the Thai military has deployed cannons facing our position.
June 26th, 2008
Cambodia: Riding the Wave of Change
· 04:01 · East AsiaIn a country where men tend to have more privileges in family and society, a new wave of change is about to begin.
Sopheap Chak is another urban woman with initiatives and ambitions. The 23-year-old, originally from Kampong Cham province, is a prominent human rights activist. When she talks about changes she believes in it's as if she's a new hopeful inspirational leader.
Sopheap Chak, with the computer notebook on her lap, at Cambodia's first Blogger Summit at Pannasastra University
Photo courtesy of David Sasaki
Sopheap holds two Bachelor degrees; one in International Relations from University of Cambodia; and the other one in Economics from Pannasastra University of Cambodia.
In just a few days Sopheap is leaving Cambodia to continue her study in Japan. The blogger is awarded to pursue Master Degree in International Relations at International University of Japan, where she will focus on International Peace Studies. Japanese Grant Aid Scholarship—JDS has made it possible for a number of Cambodian students to have academic research opportunities at Japanese higher educational institutions.
I communicated with gentle Sopheap via email, asking her some questions about her study, work, and blogging.
You are leaving Cambodia for Japan very soon, how do you feel at the moment?
Honestly, since I was a child, I wish to continue my higher education abroad, through scholarship program; and two countries that I want to visit most is the U.S. and Japan. Regardless this commitment and uncertainty of how to achieve this dream, I set plans by working hard on my study to get high grade point average (GPA) plus English language skills to be able to apply for any scholarships. It is very fortunate and excited as it is my first scholarship application and it seemed that my dream have come true. Also, I set plan B if I would had not passed. Finally, I got it and I will be leaving Cambodia for Japan on June the 30th, 2008. Yet, I feel that I mixed up with both exciting and challenging emotion for leaving my family, friends, and be ready to live in new environment.
Could you describe what have you done so far (both education and work)?
I started my first job as soon as I completed high school in 2002 to self-finance and to gain work experience in civil society. I worked for Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP), a non profit organization working to conduct a series of conferences on social issues, such as democracy, election, poverty reduction, and in pursuit of research and publication. Two years later, I worked for University of Cambodia. I was also an Advocacy Officer at Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), a non-profit public benefit organization devoted to human rights and democracy. In my perspective, I strongly believe that peaceful civil society movement is a powerful instrument to advocate policy changes for social development. With regard to my educational background, I have a bachelor's degree in International Relations at the University of Cambodia, which I earned since 2006. At the same time, I hold another bachelor's degree from Pannasastra University of Cambodia, where I majored in Economics. Beside that, I initiated a voluntary youth network called Youth Network for Change, which has a mission to work closely with people in rural communities; the network hopes to equip disadvantaged Cambodian children and youth with practical knowledge, skills, and goals to empower their life decisions. I believe in a concept of “We all can make a change”.
How did you prepare yourself for this to be awarded?
Set a goal and seek how to achieve is my secret. As mentioned, I dream of continuing my master's degree study in abroad; Either Japan or the U.S. is my hopeful country. Therefore, I had set my own destination by paving the way to reach that goal at the same time. To study hard, to have English language skills improved, and to graduate my bachelor's degree with high GPA, so that I can be a prospect candidate for scholarship applications.
To access to scholarship information or any programs available to get familiar with the them, and to grab such opportunities is very crucial. We have to get opportunity instead of waiting for opportunity coming to us. Last but not least, confidence and commitment are the key to success.
Any thoughts and advices for younger Cambodians to prepare for such a significant advancement?
Put your desire into action. Simply put, everyone does have his/her own life destination, yet to what extend they want to achieve it or not is a question. Thus, keep up our desire and plan to achieve it. Access to information and opportunity. We should catch up with latest news and updates so that we can be aware of social trends and we will be always ready for any upcoming opportunities. Like a slogan goes saying that “Before everything else, getting ready is a secret of success”. Be socialized. No person can be isolated. It is not just getting to know each others, but we may need other’s help, in some case, or they can indirectly or directly impact our life. Be confident and positive toward yourself and others.
Let's talk about blogging in Cambodia. When did you start blogging? Why?
I began to blog in May 2007. A friend of mine, Chantra Be, gave me a quick introduction to blogging when he promoted how to create and maintain blog during my youth network camping program. I was enthusiastically interested in the tool and found it useful as I like dialogue and debate on social topics, mainly to focus on politics and good governance. Of course, I have attempted to learn more from others, and through self-searching to have create my own blog; it is now online under title “Three Dimension of Life”.
What do you like most about blogging?
From a perspective of a Cambodian, Cambodia's democracy is still young with restricted freedom of expression and media control; I do feel that blog is one of the most exciting and innovative technological tools to exercise the right to expression as well as other fundamental rights. We can share news, express our opinions, communicate with other fellow bloggers for any campaign purposes through blog. It's a great tool in use even in a situation that other means of communications are restricted.
What do you blog about mostly?
My blog is “Three Dimensions of LIfe”, focuses on politics, economy, and social arena, topics crucial in every people everyday life. Mostly I post my opinion analysis on politics, economics, and social-cultural issues in order to express my idea as well as to get other comments on those issues.
What is your most memorable blogging experience?
The first comment from my friend on my blog post makes me to understand that people are communicating with me. Also, other people have written something related to or about me on their blogs, and I feel I got introduced to people to the outside world. In Cambodia Blogger Summit in September 2007, I was invited to be moderator to discuss “Gender and Blogging”. It sounded a little funny for me to be invited at that time since I have just created my personal blog, and that I possess little technical knowledge of blogging, and that I was asked to join with other skillful bloggers.
What do you think about blogging/bloggers in Cambodia?
There is an increasing number of people, both men and women, blogging and creating more networks for bloggers to get to know each others through blog or online community. It is a remarkably positive trend for gender equity since men are considered to dominate in many aspects of life, especially in Information Technology works. Also, the more they interact and keep informed about world events, the higher self-esteem and development they obtain.
Through technology and blogging I think Cambodia has integrated with the world, or the world can now be seen, at least virtually, as a global village. Let me raise a Burma case as an example. I think there would be impossible for a global mobilization for freeing Burma from rights abuse earlier without new technologies such as blog, the Internet, or cellphone. Then, we could see people from different nations had a mutual commitment wearing red color shirt and standing silently in front of Burmese Embassy in their respective countries. Another interesting case is a recent Pakistan political situation that I have learned the news of Mrs. Buddho’s killing from radio, TV, and commentaries on blogs. Thanks to the new technology inventors.
What are your favorite blogs?
http://www.vuthasurf.com/
http://ki-media.blogspot.com/
http://beth.typepad.com/
As a blogger, what's your dream?
8 comments · »»I do hope that there will be no restriction on blog or online communication as it plays influential roles in advocating for change in attitudes and sharing information as well as to build more networks. Bloggers will use blog in useful ways, not for only her/himself, but her/his communities as a whole. Let's use blog for change and development!
May 31st, 2008
Cambodia: Freedom of Flying
· 08:40 · East AsiaEducated in France to be an engineer, Santel Phin spent two years in Paris, one of the most romantic cities in the world.
In Cambodia, the 31 year-old Santel presently works at Phnom Penh International Airport for he likes terminal and pace of busy people.
Born in Kratie, the first province overtaken by Khmer Rouge forces, Santel, in recent years, writes mostly about literature and history. Much known as Khmerbird, he's a prolific writer who has gained attentions from visitors to his Weblog for his short stories, written in local language, Khmer. In 2005, Santel won the 2nd prize of the Nou Hach Literary awards for his 25-pages short story ‘Katouch'.
“Khmerbird is not simply a pen name, but it's also a freedom symbol for me. I dream of becoming a Cambodian independent writer, wrote Santel.”
from right: Santel Phin (much known as ‘Khmerbird')
Here's my email interview with Santel. He discusses how uses Weblog to publish his love fictions and to connect with his readers.
Is Khmerbird your pen name or nickname?
Khmerbird is not simply a pen name, but it's also a freedom symbol for me. I dream of becoming a Cambodian independent writer. I found Khmerbird would be the only pen name that I could use in all my writing. If people really want to find out who I am, there's always a way. I have my personal profile at http://khmerbird.com, so people can find out who really I am.
When did you start blogging? Why?
I started blogging a few years ago, maybe since 2006. The first reason is to publish my writings and share my interest in literature, books, movies, and music on the Web. When you got passion in anything particular, you always want to share it with the rest of the world; I guess I am not the only one. I also start to know people, especially bloggers in Cambodia. It's always fun to share our daily life activities. So you might find many other topics more than my writings at khmerbird.com.
What do you like most about blogging?
A blog, when comparing to the old day, is a diary. So when something comes to your mind, you blog about it. What I like most about blog is that we share information: news, events, party or anything else with our friends as well as other bloggers. They can always come around and find something new whenever they have time.
What do you blog mostly about?
I like reading books and watching movies; beside my short stories, I share my views on new films and new books, not to mention photos from my trip and party. I blog mostly about everything; anything that matters to me I'd blog about it.
What is your most memorable blogging experience?
When I want to move my blog on wordpress.com to a new web host server. It was a nightmare. I could no longer stay on wordpress.com, there's no freedom; when your blog grows up, the room becomes too small. But when you have your own self-hosted WordPress blog, you start from scratch. You are on your own. I spent a lot of time to launch khmerbird.com; it took two weeks of delay, the site was completely down. Yet I'm not satisfied with the current version. I want to have a section for Cambodia related news; I might need to set up customized news feeds and display them on my blog sidebar.
What do you think about blogging/bloggers in Cambodia?
Blog is a basic platform to share information. In the last couple of years, a lot of new Cambodian bloggers (also known as Cloggers in Cambodia) are joining, and it's a positive way of keeping in touch among Cambodian people. There are many young talented people using their blog to discuss all issues, from social problems to personal stuff. It's a way to express idea. And it's good to see Cambodian people starting to express their ideas.
What are your favorite blogs?
Blogs I usually visit are:
http://kalyankeo.blogspot.com/
http://www.xwanna.com/
http://jinja.apsara.org/
http://tharum.info/
http://ijajaja.com/
http://boran.wordpress.com/
http://naraths.wordpress.com/
http://naryphing.wordpress.com/
http://www.khmerlyrics.com/
As a blogger, what's your dream?
I want my blog more sophisticated to provide more useful information to visitors from around the world, and to have it as a new Cambodia face. My dream is to have more visitors, 1000 visitors per day.
You're an engineer by education and profession, but you also write short story. What inspires you?
There's always something disturbing me. Everyday I see a traffic policeman takes money from a truck driver or a motor driver when I'm on my way to my office. At hospital I see doctors and staff only take care of patients who give them money; school teachers sell candy to schoolchildren in class to get extra money… I usually write about something that disturbs me. So what I have in my story is recreation of those things and change them to a different way. Sometimes I shock people in an insane way (in a dramatic way), so that after people read my story I could give them a flash of light, making them to see what they don't really see or care about.
Among all your short stories, what's your favorite one? And why?
5 comments · »»I like my latest short story, ‘Malai - Story of my secret lover'. It is a well-organized short story, comparing to the previous ones. The story title is a touching one, and it is very difficult to find a simple way to describe it. It's an insane story. How could a virgin girl come to you and give you her virginity without asking?
So I began to find way to tell the story. The first draft has only 4 pages. People who read the first draft will throw the papers into the bin. It's a trash. It's insane and not realistic. I always work hard when I write the story because I want it realistic. I kept working on the first draft as I started adding things, creating the events, and inviting more characters. There had been a lot of changes from the first draft to the final one. The story is still the same, but everything started to make sense to people. And I paid attentions to arrange the conversation, so that people know who is speaking, and what are the character modes, not to mention their reactions when they're talking. I've never paid such attention in my previous works.
I like the story when every character in the story got their reason and responsibility for what they are doing, and in this one, I have tried my best. And I've learned so much when I was writing this story. I hope people will love to read it.
May 11th, 2008
Cambodia: Advertisement that Attracts
· 17:26 ·In a recent opinion letter to one of Cambodia's newspapers, Chak Sopeap, 23, voices her concern over a commercial television advertisement, which she believes affect the nation's culture.
Sopheap praises the government for the improved press rights and freedom of expression, but wants Ministry of Culture as well as Ministry of Information to ensure that all commercial TV ads should be properly monitored before going on air.
It's not the first time for the young human rights activist expressing her opinion through Op-Ed. But it was until last year when she joined Cambodia blogger community that all her letters (one of which is about Khmer Rouge tribunal), published in English-language daily newspaper The Cambodia Daily, can also be found on her personal Weblog.
In the controversial ads, it appears that several Cambodian sexy women in attractive clothes embracing promotional motorbike Suzuki Viva 2009.
I noticed a recent advertisement for Susuki Viva 2009 is problematic. This advertisement appears to target on sexy girls rather than on the Motor; its content is not consistent and affect the Khmer Culture and disvalue the woman.
Offending or not, Thomas Wanhoff, a German national commented on Sopheap's expressed opinion that:
If Cambodia wants to be part of the global markets, its has to accept one of the oldest rules in advertising: sex sells. But not only that: The whole pop culture in Cambodia is just a copy of what we now from Thailand. Where is the real culture? Look how especially girls are dressed up. Why are a lot of karaoke bars, casinos, night bars, named it. The reality is far from what you decribed not consistent.
This debatable point also appeared in a Cambodia related discussion board, and that a long-time American resident wrote an email saying that
I might suggest you try to get a picture of the offending ad - it doesn't have to be the worst part, or a good picture but it will support your argument. (I wonder if it is on YouTube?) Also, what station is running it?
Not surprisingly, Cambodia has introduced a number regulations and bans in attempt to improve social order as well as morality. Early this year, a song titled “I’m asking for one part of your heart” was requested not to be replayed on TV by the country's First Lady.
In 2006, fear of widespread of pornography among cellphone users, Cambodia blocked some features of sending digital video on 3G network service.
A year later, based on a request from National Election Committee, mobile phone text messaging was blocked during a weekend of 2007 local elections to avoid political unrest. ‘Details are Sketchy,' a blog about all things Cambodia, has a response to the news article:
3 comments · »»For starters, Khmer fonts for the average telephone are virtually unheard of. But, really, that’s besides the point. The fact is, an overwhelming majority of the Cambodian population is illiterate. And poor. So in practice such a ban would only effect registered voters who also own a telephone and can read English. That’s a pretty small group. Significantly less than 1% of the population. It is, however, exactly the kind of people that vote for Sam Rainsy. Still, it hardly seems worth the effort.
September 21st, 2007
Cambodia: Blogging from Siem Reap
· 21:19 · East AsiaSeam Reap, The small charming gateway town to the world famous heritage site of Angkor temples has a lot to offer - colonial and Chinese style architecture, Apsara dance performances, the fishing villages and a bird sanctuary near the Tonle Sap Lake. As the number of tourists flocking in to visit ancient Angkor Wat grows every year, the tourist hub is also getting more exposed to outside influences. In this city a young fellow finds himself embarking on a life journey that is both bumpy and rewarding.
Last year, Vireak began a weblog called ‘A Cambodian blog by a Khmer guy from Siem Reap!‘. In his very first post titles -'Got away with crimes!,' Vireak described how he encountered his old schoolmates and how he failed to recall their names. Vireak admitted that it is a crime against humanity. A confrontation happened at a wedding ceremony, a childhood friend first smiled at Vireak and told him that he has changed a lot. Vireak, however, couldn't recollect his name.
Like many young Cambodians, Vireak left his home town Siem Reap to look for better education in the largest and capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh. He studied Common Engineering at Institut de Technologie du Cambodge in Phnom Penh for two years, Vireak was awarded a scholarship to continue his education in Electrical & Electronics Engineering at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
In a crowd of some hundreds of bloggers here in Cambodia, where blogging is touted as a popular activity among the young people, Vireak has his own way of express about himself and his ideas. He doesn't see himself as a blogger, though he enjoys receiving comments from his friends and readers who regularly visit the weblog.
Here is my email interview with Vireak. He talked to me about his motivations for starting his blog and what he often writes about.
Q: Why do you have a blog?
- I thought it was cool. I started out with a personal flash non-interactive site back in 2003. Back then I found flash fascinating; so I thought “let's see how far I can go”. But I lost interest in flash about a year or so later. Then I saw what I could do with WordPress, I thought of giving another go. But it's not until 2006 when I finally got the right time and frame of mind to do so. Thus Vireak.net was born.
Q: What do you usually write about?
- I'm very selective of what I'm writing. I usually write about somethings that readers especially Khmer youth can relate to, somethings that are timeless without an expiry date tagged to them, where people can still find relevant without saying “hey, this thing is old crap”. So most of things I write are non-event based. You won't get to read what am I doing or where am I going over the weekend; you're more likely be reading what I've got in my head while digging my nose.
Q: For a couple of reasons, you don't consider yourself as a blogger. But what do you see yourself in the next several years when more Cambodians find blogging as a norm in their Internet activities?
- To be honest, I don't really care whether blogging will be a norm in Cambodia or not. I don't see myself writing online for too long.
Q: Do you encourage your friends to start blogging and/or keep blogging?
- Not really. It's not like I'll make their lives happier if I ask them to come online and start blogging or keep blogging. I'm not a believer in online life. To me, the happiest form of life exists off line.
Q: You hope that, with blog, you can maintain contact with friends and to make some new ones. How many new friends have you made so far? Can you pick one story as an example?
- I got to know quite a few although never get to see any of them yet. Can't pick a story and elaborate on that…:-p
Q: Lots of people say blogging is taking off in Cambodia. Do you think so?
- In one of early post of 2007 http://www.vireak.net/2007/01/05/2007-predictions/, I made a bold prediction that blogging bubble in Cambodia will burst in 2007. Like many things that become popular, it will soon fade off. I'll stick with my prediction. I don't know. My instinct told me so.
Q: What's your thought on blogging for Cambodians?
- It's like a khmer pop music to the ears. You get to like when it first comes out. Before long it gets old.
Q: Last May you began publishing your first episode of a fictional romantic story, ‘Operation Heart Hunter'. Can you tell our readers about it?
- What it comes to story involving romance and emotions, you can't just make it gel without putting your heart into it. So it wouldn't feel right if I myself am not a character of the story. That's why. Then again, I got asked whether the story is true…Sorry, can't tell you that.
Q: As an Arsenal fan here in Cambodia, what do you do to support the Gunners?
- Let's talk about Cesc baby
Let's talk about Van-Per-sie
Let's talk about Theo Walcott, Ade-bayor, Rosicky
Let's talk about Cesc
(to the tune of “Let's talk about Sex”)
July 30th, 2007
Cambodian Blogger on Blogging
· 13:35 ·Borin Ly is an Information Technology specialist. Just like some other university students who are computer and the Internet enthusiasts, Borin also has a weblog. Borin grew up in Sihanoukville, a well known beach town in Cambodia. The 26-year-old computer geek is currently doing his master degree in Business Administration at Economics and Finance Institute, a program of Charles Sturt University.
Borin Ly - Cambodian blogger. Borin blogs at www.borin.ws
Borin uses his Internet-capable mobile phone with his laptop to get online. Boring joins hundreds of Cambodian bloggers on the Web to have his say and to discusses a range of issues - poverty, poor education, corporate social responsibility, food safety and the hight cost of telecoms.
Q: Why do you have a blog?
Borin: At first, my blog is not about Cambodia, it was about web hosting, design, and website promotion. The motivation is revenues from Google Adsense, of course. But after some failures, I shift my blog focus to talk about Cambodia. The motivations are to share knowledge, to express myself, and to exercise my freedom of expression.
Q: What do you write about?
Borin: Most of my blog posts are inspired by everyday experiences. For example, I write my recent post on food safety, because having breakfast with my mother, I started to look at the food and thought “Is it healthy?” then the problem of food safety came in to my mind. I’ve heard many complains from friends about chemical that are not suppose to be in food. Seeing my family, and friends consume those food everyday makes me sad, I have to say some things about it, my blog is a tool to say it out loud and clear. The second type of my post is, sharing knowledge, for example “how to download YouTube video”. Some of the posts are in my field of study: business and economics. Some of my post are responses to blog posts by others in Cambodian Blogosphere.
Q: Which blog software do you use? Why?
Borin: I use WordPress. The reason is availability of professional designed themes. I can download one of them, customize it for my own blog. Another reason is my current hosting account has a Fantastico feature that allow me to install & update WordPress easily. To make things easy, I also publish my posts using Microsoft Word 2007, which has a feature to publish a blog post directly from the program.
Q: How many hour online do you spend a day?
Borin: Well, I spend the average of 5 to 6 hours a day. To make it easy I use internet with 3G mobile phone. For blogging, spending time online is not as important as spending time writing contents.
Q: How do you find new blogs?
Borin: I find them by blogrolls in those blogs I’ve already known. Some of them are found by blog search engine such as Technorati, Google, and of course Global Voices Online, using keywords such as Cambodia, Phnom Penh…
Q: What is your advice for new Cambodian bloggers?
Borin: Here are my advices:
1) Write whenever you want. Do not care much about your English, as long as reader can understand that’s ok. Blog doesn’t have to be perfect. But also edit your writing before hit the publishing button.
2) Write even if there’s no reader. It takes time before reader come to your blog regularly.
3) Viewing writing is a kind of entertainment, not work. Enjoy it, writing will improve after a period of time.
4) Most new bloggers tend to focus more on website design, but the true success of blog comes from content. So spend more time on writing rather than designing.
May 1st, 2007
Internet Use Shaping Cambodia
· 19:24 · East AsiaWith more than 50% of the population of almost 15 million people younger than 25, the future of Cambodia's internet as well as the youth lifestyle looks vibrant.
Thousands of people - Internet users, IT professionals, computer enthusiasts and bloggers will gather at an event taking place at Raffles Hotel Le Royal, the premier hotel in the Cambodian capital on 19th and 20th May. In cooperation with Mobile Phone Magazine, Internet solution provider Manich Enterprise expects to host about 5000 attendees for an exhibition on all things Information Technology. The exhibition is called ‘Internet Party and this is the second time the event is being organised. The organizers are offering participants some exciting and entertaining sessions including an Internet Queen contest. Like previous year, vibrant Phnom Penhers are hoping to enjoy the social networking event.
In schools, talking about the latest mobile phone, fashion, or even car is a now a trend. The excitement is not because they are catching up with the rest of the world but they are glad to embrace and use what they can afford. Many Phnom Penh residents know too well that they were left behind some other nations in the region in terms of living a trendy life. However, after the rapid change in last couple of years, globalization and the nation's free market has made its effect felt, particularly among those who are living in the urban areas.
Some years earlier, doing business in IT sector was a challenge due to small consumer market and low demand etc. In 1997 when the Internet just arrived in Cambodia, sending a message cost $0.15 per kilobyte(about 150 characters of text). It cost a news reporter US$160 to receive an email with a 400K graphic file attachment from his friend at that time.
In early 2003, the Asia Foundation partnered with USAID and Microsoft and established a network of Community Information Centers in 22 provinces and municipalities across Cambodia. The Internet-enabled Information Centers across the country provided greater access to news and information for provincial citizens. And that led to the first-ever blogging training in some provinces of this small South East Asian nation.
A practice session after an Introduction to Blogging workshop at a computer lab of Pannasastra University of Cambodia. Image from Chantra's Flickr.
Following the first large-scale effort to bridge the digital divide through the establishment of Community Information Centres, on April 24, GTZ (the German Technical Cooperation) working in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the German software firm net-Com AG and the Royal Government of Cambodia launched two Khmer-language web sites. The sites provide business information on Siem Reap, the country's most popular tourist destination and Battambang, the second-largest city of Cambodia. The sites also hope to offer local citizens useful information on the work and organisation of the district administration. Other offering is the One Window Service Office that includes services like fees, processing times, downloadable forms, etc. The site also serve as a source of information for local and foreign visitors and investors. Local businessmen can advertise on the site to increase visibility and to develop new clients.
Several key players are creating new markets with the support of government agencies. In April, Phnom Penh hosted the Digital & Electronics World Expo 2007. This event was supported by the Office of the Council of Ministers, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunication, Ministry of Commerce Phnom Penh, Municipality of Phnom Penh, and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Cambodia. The three-day event saw resellers, distributors, and dealers of big-names brads promoting their products to a large number of potential users.
Last year the country also saw the arrival of WiMAX, a broadband wireless service. Media Ring, a Singapore-based VoIP company, officially launched its Angkor Net ISP in Cambodia. Angkor Net is the first ISP in the country to offer WiMAX wireless broadband services. WIMAX allows the new-startup Internet Service Provider to offer broadband internet speeds without installing telecoms infrastructure.
In many Phnom Penh Internet cafés one can find foreign tourists behind flat screen monitors and sitting next to them are Cambodian university students spending half a dollar for an hour for the net access. The next big thing for many Phnom Penhers is probably accessing internet at home.
As part of its Information and Communication Technologies policy, the Cambodian government hopes to embrace and exploit ICTs to increase the quality of peoples' lives and also to fight poverty, disease and illiteracy in the country.
6 comments · »»April 6th, 2007
The adventures of Phatry Derek Pan in Cambodia
· 19:24 · East AsiaNow settling in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, without close relatives to accompany him, where unlike his Seattle home there is no local McDonald’s, Phatry Derek Pan adapts to a new pace of life. Slim and charming Phatry speaks fluent English and holds an American passport. Wearing a T-shirt and Khor Chev, (long pants popular among Cambodian farmers), and speaking broken Khmer, the 27-year-old does not look foreign to Khmer people, and he doesn’t see himself as a foreigner amongst Khmer. Phatry is an extrovert young man. He makes friends easily and gets to know people from every walk of life. To finance his three-year stay in Cambodia, the home country of his parents, he earns a living through his story-telling talents, mainly writing. In the United States, some of his friends and people he encountered nicknamed him ‘Mr. Khmer-connection,’ because he is famous as an American skilled at Khmer communications.
In 1979, at the largest Cambodian/Thai border refugee camp, Kao I Dang, Phatry was born to a well-to-do family, where he spent his early years before his family migrated to the United State via Philippines to escape from a prolonged nightmare. Phatry, at age 4, was raised, educated, and acquainted with American children as well as other Khmer refugee families growing up in a small town named Kelso before moving to Seattle, Washington, when he was 18. There, he learned Khmer from older neighbors, but couldn’t catch up easily. His father, once a businessman in agricultural productions, thought his young son rather learn English than Khmer. When he was a teenager his curiosity grew tremendously for his parents' native country, which his father seldom spoke about. In college, he began to learn the Khmer language, traditions, and history, in particular. Studying Cambodia as an American student, was probably the most fascinating thing for him, says Phatry. His family held one thing in common with other Cambodian-Americans: Cambodia is their history; the U.S. is their future.
In which Phatry journeys home
It took the Cambodian-born American two and a half decades before visiting his parents' home for the first time. Phatry believes his three-year residency in Cambodia will enable a first-hand understanding regarding his immediate ancestry rooted in a land known for its contradictory and tumultuous history of cultural glory and ethnic peacefulness until most recently, Pol Pot's violent genocidal chapter scarred and still shadows present-day Cambodians.
“I have waited for more than 25 years,” said Phatry, “Today, I will set foot for the first time on the soil of my parent's home province of Battambong.” In response to family, friends, and former girlfriends in the States, he claims that “…life in Cambodia has blessed me with the opportunity to travel more— to see the beauty and darkness that fills every corner of my country.” Staying in Cambodia by himself, even at his age, concerns Phatry's parents because he is the youngest son in the family of seven children. Not only is this his first time venturing into a foreign, post-war country— additionally, he has no living local relatives to ask for support, especially in emergency.
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March 13th, 2007
Cambodia: Blogger evangelists urge youngsters to share knowledge and experience
· 02:20 ·Since its inception in last year, blogging training aka Personal Information Technology Workshop has introduced basic use of IT skills to more than 2000 students from 10 Cambodia's universities.
A personal information technology workshop in session. Image from Kalyan Keo's blog.
After a few months of preparation, the workshop of Personal Information Technology has come to the stage. The first one was held at International University (IU) on Aug 21 with some 50 participants and the second was at Pannasastra University of Cambodia (PUC) with more than 400 students…
In August 2006, Mean Lux, the blogger advocate who introduced the term Clog and Clogger for Cambodia blog and Cambodia blogger, launched a workshop named Personal Information Technology to provide training that include several sessions such as: how to use email, browse the Web, and more importantly how to create and maintain blog. Up till now, more than 2000 university students participated in the organized workshops.
In the largest and most vibrant Cambodian city, Phnom Penh a large percent of people speak English and have access to computer and the Net at Internet café. The workshop organizers and their sponsor are optimistic that they can play an active role in conducting the workshops for participants from as many higher education institutions as possible. The blogging workshop has been made possible with technical assistance from one of the Internet Service Providers, CityLink. Besides providing the cost of producing training materials, the ISP also make the Internet connection available at every practice session.
Mean Lux, his four other blogger evangelists (Kalyan, Virak, Chantra and younger Kalyan) are able to run the workshop with the recognition and appreciation of university lecturers who reserve conference hall for over one hundred attendees as well as some computer desktops that connect to the CityLink’s internet link. At Build Bright University in Siem Reap, about 200 student attendees took the course.
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February 14th, 2007
Re-writing the history of Cambodia
· 07:32 · East AsiaCambodia’s most prominent literary scholar Keng Vannsak lately unveiled a shocking finding of the life of twelfth-century King Jayavarman VII. As a Buddhist ruler of the Khmer Empire, the sage king who governed the kingdom during its most glorious period in the history, is regarded with great respect and widely known for a potent symbol of national pride for present day Cambodians.
Image from Wikipedia article on King JayavarmanVII
In a series of interviews aired on Khmer Radio Free Asia, Keng Vannsak, now in his 80s, claimed the ancient king was “an utterly ruthless monarch; and that it was he who caused the downfall of the Khmer empire by building too many temples.” A young poet, who often quotes the literary works of the scholar, was astonishingly disappointed by the claims as he expresses that
7 comments · »»“As a well-respected scholar, Mr. Vannsak should know which source is worth quoting or analyzing. In this case, however, he shows a complete disregard for academic standards. And it serves him nothing but to weaken his credibility.”
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