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Friday, September 4, 2009Clash of Pm: Hun Xen’s cronies
Kong Triv (Photo: KT Pacific Group)
Clash of Pm: Hun Xen’s cronies: Suy Sophan (aka Yeay Phan) vs CPP Tycoon-Senator Sy Kong Triv
Friday, September 04, 2009
DAP news
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
In the morning of Thursday, Mrs. Oknha (honorific title bought for $100,000 by rich tycoons) Suy Sophan (aka Yeay Phan, one of Hun Xen’s cronies and owner of the questionable Phanimex company) showed up at the Phnom Penh municipal court to protest the court order to prevent the sale, the pawning, the changing of title ownership, or the gifting of a piece of real estate property registered as PP 11379 (Kh20244), dated 03 September 2008, as well as 4 row-houses located in the Borei Keila block, 07 Makara commune. In the past, the land and the row-houses were sold to Oknha Sy Kong Triv (aka CPP Tycoon-Senator Kong Triv, another one of Hun Xen’s cronies), and the latter brought up a lawsuit in this case because the previous owner (Yeay Phan) plans to sell the land and the houses to somebody else [again], that was why Kong Triv sued to prevent the sale.
A source indicated that Chey Sovann, the investigating judge of the Phnom Penh municipal court, issued an injunction on 29 July 2009 against Yeay Phan, preventing her from selling the land and houses described above. It was because of this injunction that in the morning of Thursday, Yeay Phan came to court to protest the court decision. However, a source revealed that the court may not accept her protest because the land and the houses were sold to Kong Triv since 5 December 2007, and the sales paper are in order, and the payment for the purchase has almost been completed already.
A source indicated that on 05 December 2007, Kong Triv bought the land and houses above from Yeay Phan for $4.9 million, and he paid the purchases through a revolving credit term. The source added that, after the purchase, Kong Triv almost paid off all the amount owned to Yeay Phan, save for an amount of about $100,000 only.
The source indicated that when Kong Triv heard that Yeay Phan planned to sell the land and the houses to someone else, he decided to ask for a court injunction. This injunction indicated that Yeay Phan who now lives on 134 Street No. 330, Boeun Salang commune, Tuol Kok district, may not sell, rent, change ownership title, or give as a gift the real estate property registered on the property title no. PP 11379 (Kh20244), dated 03 December 2008, and the 4 row-houses located in the Borei Keila block, Veal Vong commune, 07 Makara district. The real estate property includes: (1) 2 plots of lands abutting the road to the north, Sala Ta Triv to the south, Che Pum’s land to the east and Ta Chan’s land to the west, (2) 2 plots of land abutting Kha’s land to the north, Phu Kim Chi’s land to the south, road pass to the east, Che Pum’s land to the west. This is a temporary injunction until the court issued its decision.
On Thursday morning, when Yeay Phan came out from the court, DAP news reporter approached her and asked her: “How were Lok Chumteav’s results?”. Yeay Phan replied: “It’s just a small dispute, don’t write about it,” she then climbed into her car which sped off. Regarding this injunction, judge Chey Sophan could not be reached over the phone to provide his clarification. The court clerk involved in this lawsuit case replied over the phone that he “didn’t know about it.”
Read more!
A source indicated that Chey Sovann, the investigating judge of the Phnom Penh municipal court, issued an injunction on 29 July 2009 against Yeay Phan, preventing her from selling the land and houses described above. It was because of this injunction that in the morning of Thursday, Yeay Phan came to court to protest the court decision. However, a source revealed that the court may not accept her protest because the land and the houses were sold to Kong Triv since 5 December 2007, and the sales paper are in order, and the payment for the purchase has almost been completed already.
A source indicated that on 05 December 2007, Kong Triv bought the land and houses above from Yeay Phan for $4.9 million, and he paid the purchases through a revolving credit term. The source added that, after the purchase, Kong Triv almost paid off all the amount owned to Yeay Phan, save for an amount of about $100,000 only.
The source indicated that when Kong Triv heard that Yeay Phan planned to sell the land and the houses to someone else, he decided to ask for a court injunction. This injunction indicated that Yeay Phan who now lives on 134 Street No. 330, Boeun Salang commune, Tuol Kok district, may not sell, rent, change ownership title, or give as a gift the real estate property registered on the property title no. PP 11379 (Kh20244), dated 03 December 2008, and the 4 row-houses located in the Borei Keila block, Veal Vong commune, 07 Makara district. The real estate property includes: (1) 2 plots of lands abutting the road to the north, Sala Ta Triv to the south, Che Pum’s land to the east and Ta Chan’s land to the west, (2) 2 plots of land abutting Kha’s land to the north, Phu Kim Chi’s land to the south, road pass to the east, Che Pum’s land to the west. This is a temporary injunction until the court issued its decision.
On Thursday morning, when Yeay Phan came out from the court, DAP news reporter approached her and asked her: “How were Lok Chumteav’s results?”. Yeay Phan replied: “It’s just a small dispute, don’t write about it,” she then climbed into her car which sped off. Regarding this injunction, judge Chey Sophan could not be reached over the phone to provide his clarification. The court clerk involved in this lawsuit case replied over the phone that he “didn’t know about it.”
Soth Thailand In Pictures
A suspected militant, still holding his weapon in hand, lies on the ground after he was shot dead by police in a jungle in Thailand's Yala province, about 1,084 km (674 miles) south of Bangkok September 2, 2009. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom
A suspected militant lies on the ground near a rubber tree after he was shot dead by police in a jungle in Thailand's Yala province, about 1,084 km (674 miles) south of Bangkok September 2, 2009. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom
Soldiers stand guard at the scene of an attack near a restaurant during lunchtime in southern Thailand's Pattani province September 3, 2009. More than 20 people were injured in two bomb attacks in Thailand's deep south of Pattani on Thursday. The first bomb was detonated in front of a grocery store. After the first bomb went off, the second bomb, planted in a gas cylinder attached to a motorcycle, was detonated in front of the restaurant, police said. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom
Police officers inspect the scene of an attack near a restaurant during lunchtime in southern Thailand's Pattani province September 3, 2009. More than 20 people were injured in two bomb attacks in Thailand's deep south of Pattani on Thursday. The first bomb was detonated in front of a grocery store. After the first bomb went off, the second bomb, planted in a gas cylinder attached to a motorcycle, was detonated in front of the restaurant, police said. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom
Police officers inspect the scene of an attack near a restaurant during lunchtime in southern Thailand's Pattani province September 3, 2009. More than 20 people were injured in two bomb attacks in Thailand's deep south of Pattani on Thursday. The first bomb was detonated in front of a grocery store. After the first bomb went off, the second bomb, planted in a gas cylinder attached to a motorcycle, was detonated in front of the restaurant, police said. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom
Police and soldiers inspect the scene of an attack near a restaurant during lunchtime in southern Thailand's Pattani province September 3, 2009. More than 20 people were injured in two bomb attacks in Thailand's deep south of Pattani on Thursday. The first bomb was detonated in front of a grocery store. After the first bomb went off, the second bomb, planted in a gas cylinder attached to a motorcycle, was detonated in front of the restaurant, police said. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom
Thai soldiers examine the site where a bomb exploded outside a row of open-air shops and restaurants in the city of Pattani Province Thailand Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. Eight people were killed in a string of drive-by shootings and at least 25 were wounded in a bomb blast in Thailand's insurgency-plagued south, in what the army said Thursday was a 'unusually high' number of attacks in the restive region. (AP Photo/Sumeth pranphet)
Thai people help out injured people from a bomb explosion of a motorcycle parked outside a row of open-air shops and restaurants in the city of Pattani Province in Thailand Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. Eight people were killed in a string of drive-by shootings and at least 25 were wounded in a bomb blast in Thailand's insurgency-plagued south, in what the army said Thursday was a 'unusually high' number of attacks in the restive region. (AP Photo/Sumeth pranphet)
Thai soldiers carry injury from a bombing explosion of a motorcycle parked outside a row of open-air shops and restaurants in the city of Pattani Province in Thailand on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009. Eight people were killed in a string of drive-by shootings and at least 25 were wounded in a bomb blast in Thailand's insurgency-plagued south, in what the army said Thursday was a 'unusually high' number of attacks in the restive region. (AP Photo/Sumeth pranphet)
Thai bomb squad units inspect the site of an explosion at a restaurant in Pattani province. The blast injured at least 27 people. Eleven people were shot dead and a powerful bomb wounded at least two dozen others as violence intensified in Thailand's Muslim-majority south during the holy month of Ramadan, police said (AFP/Tuwaedaniya Meringing)
Beggars choose to take the easy way out
Friday September 4, 2009
TAKE a walk around the city or any of its suburbs and you are almost guaranteed to run into a beggar. These beggars are usually disabled, old or very young and they sit along the pathways waiting for a handout.
Those who beg tend to frequent places with high traffic like night markets or outside banks or gambling outlets in commercial areas.
A trader at the SS13 night market in Subang Jaya said he had seen various individuals, including handicapped children and adults, old folks and mother-and-child pairs begging at the night market almost every week.
TAKE a walk around the city or any of its suburbs and you are almost guaranteed to run into a beggar. These beggars are usually disabled, old or very young and they sit along the pathways waiting for a handout.
Those who beg tend to frequent places with high traffic like night markets or outside banks or gambling outlets in commercial areas.
A trader at the SS13 night market in Subang Jaya said he had seen various individuals, including handicapped children and adults, old folks and mother-and-child pairs begging at the night market almost every week.
Asking for sympathy: A mother and child seen begging at the SS13 night market in Subang Jaya.
The trader, who identified himself as Lam, believed that the beggars are part of a syndicate as his friend, who is a trader at the Kepong night market, has also seen the same faces.
“Someone will drop them off at the designated night market and they will find their way in before sitting down in the middle of the path to beg.
“I have actually seen the beggars wear old and torn clothing while begging, only to change into something cleaner before boarding a special taxi that comes to take them home,” he said.
Lam, who has been trading at the SS13 night market for three years, suspects that the beggars are mostly foreigners from countries like Cambodia and China and are attached to a syndicate that brings them around Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia to beg.
Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) Licensing Department director Ismail Salim said the council could conduct joint operations with the Social Welfare Department (JKM) in an effort to tackle the beggars.
In plain sight: A badly scarred individual seen begging at the Section 17 night market in Petaling Jaya.
Noting that there were also beggars in other public places like mosques and food courts, Ismail said that it was public sympathy that encouraged the beggars to continue looking for a handout.
“They will continue coming back as long as people give them money. If they genuinely need aid, they can always contact the JKM,” he said.
Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun echoed similar sentiments by saying the public should stop sympathising with beggars and donating money as it offered them an easy way to earn money.
“What the public needs to do if they spot any beggar is to call the Talian Nur or report to the nearest JKM office. There are more than 100 JKM offices located in each district office in Malaysia,” she said.
Chew said the Talian Nur operators would note the callers’ information and refer them to the relevant authorities and let them know what they should do.
High traffic: The beggars choose places where there are a lot of passers-by to maximise their gains.
To address the begging syndicate issues, Chew said the JKM conducts scheduled operations once or twice a week at areas with lots of street beggars, as well as joint operations with various agencies like the local councils, Immigration Department, National Registration Department, National Anti-Drugs Agency and hospitals.
“If a child (aged under 18) is found during the operation, then the Child Act 2001 will be used,” she said.
(Section 32 of the act states: Any person who causes or procures any child… allows that child to be on any… place for the purposes of begging, receiving alms, whether or not there is any pretence of… performing or offering anything for sale; or carrying out… illegal activities detrimental to the health and welfare of the child, commits an offence and shall on conviction be liable to a fine not exceeding RM5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or both.)
“The JKM protection officer will rescue the child and place him or her in a welfare home within 24 hours,” Chew said.
“A court order will be obtained from the magistrate’s court to place the child in a welfare home for the next 30 days while the officer prepares a report.
“If the child is found to have a family member or relative who can care for them, we will send them back.
“Putting them in a welfare home is the last option as we believe it is best for the children to grow up in a loving family environment.”
If they are to be put in a home, Chew said, the children would be placed in an orphanage or Rumah Tunas Harapan, a home that is run by couples with their own children.
The Ministry provides allowances for the relatives or Rumah Tunas Harapan families to care for the children.
Meanwhile, if adults are found during the operation, they would be rescued under the Destitute Person’s Act 1977.
“They will be placed in a welfare institution within 24 hours and a 30-day court order will obtained while the officers investigate their case,” said Chew.
“If a family member or caregiver cannot be found, they will be placed in a welfare home for three years. Those aged above 60 will go to the Rumah Seri Kenangan old folks’ home, while those under 60 will be placed in Desa Bina Diri workshops to learn soft skills.”
She stressed that welfare organisations and charities cannot use children to solicit donations.
“If an association wants to solicit donations in commercial or residential areas, they will need to get permission from the JKM and a police permit,” she said.
Talian Nur’s number is 15999. For a list of JKM locations and contacts, visit www.jkm.gov.my (search under directory).
Laos seeks to attract more visitors to boost economy
Asia Pacific News
By Channel NewsAsia's IndoChina Bureau Chief Anasuya Sanyal
Posted: 05 September 2009
LUANG PRABANG, Laos: Laos is aiming to expand tourism, with help from neighbouring countries and an emphasis on its natural beauty.
However, the country faces twin challenges of rapid development and the global economic slowdown.
In the northern town of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the old ways are preserved for all to enjoy. Nearby, nature's bounty - such as waterfalls - is on display.
Long seen as less developed than some of its neighbours, Laos has been welcoming visitors for about a decade.
By 2010, the country aims to attract over a million visitors a year to boost the economy, which has few exports or industries.
Critics said a greater influx of tourists could destroy the peacefulness the country is known for. But authorities said they are mindful of the situation.
Soukaseum Bodhisane, vice chairman, Laos National Tourism Administration, said: "We have to preserve and develop, but we have to maintain some conditions.
"First, we have to share the benefit for the people at the grassroots level, and second we have to help share the benefit for the community. Third, we have to have benefit for the tourists also. And (lastly), we have to preserve biodiversity."
Despite its growing popularity, tourism is expected to take a hit from the global economic downturn.
Regional cooperation could be the answer, with Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam coming together to showcase the various attractions each country has to offer.
Soukaseum Bodhisane said: "We, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, try to organise Three Countries, One Destination (concept)... So we would like to cooperate. That is what we try to do now... and we will discuss this in detail when we attend the ITE (International Travel Exposition) in HCM (Ho Chi Minh) in October - how to realise this dream."
The three countries also intend to upgrade infrastructure, facilitate border checkpoints and establish better air links between World Heritage sites. - CNA/ms
Read more!
LUANG PRABANG, Laos: Laos is aiming to expand tourism, with help from neighbouring countries and an emphasis on its natural beauty.
However, the country faces twin challenges of rapid development and the global economic slowdown.
In the northern town of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the old ways are preserved for all to enjoy. Nearby, nature's bounty - such as waterfalls - is on display.
Long seen as less developed than some of its neighbours, Laos has been welcoming visitors for about a decade.
By 2010, the country aims to attract over a million visitors a year to boost the economy, which has few exports or industries.
Critics said a greater influx of tourists could destroy the peacefulness the country is known for. But authorities said they are mindful of the situation.
Soukaseum Bodhisane, vice chairman, Laos National Tourism Administration, said: "We have to preserve and develop, but we have to maintain some conditions.
"First, we have to share the benefit for the people at the grassroots level, and second we have to help share the benefit for the community. Third, we have to have benefit for the tourists also. And (lastly), we have to preserve biodiversity."
Despite its growing popularity, tourism is expected to take a hit from the global economic downturn.
Regional cooperation could be the answer, with Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam coming together to showcase the various attractions each country has to offer.
Soukaseum Bodhisane said: "We, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, try to organise Three Countries, One Destination (concept)... So we would like to cooperate. That is what we try to do now... and we will discuss this in detail when we attend the ITE (International Travel Exposition) in HCM (Ho Chi Minh) in October - how to realise this dream."
The three countries also intend to upgrade infrastructure, facilitate border checkpoints and establish better air links between World Heritage sites. - CNA/ms
Art as armor: Cambodian soldiers believe certain tattoos can protect them from bullets and landmines
REUTERS/Chor SokuntheaCambodia Major General commander Srey Dek, right, arm wrestles with Thai Major General Kanok NetraKaveysana, left, during a joint lunch at Koe sekhakirisrarak pagoda near Preah Vihear temple April 5, 2009.
By John Maloy
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Magic tattoos begin with a magic man. Typically a Buddhist monk or adjar (essentially a deacon) and known for great piety, this Khmer magic man can draw scripts and images into another's skin, granting with them supernatural armor against all kinds of harm. Understandably, such body art became popular with soldiers.
Reut Hath is one such magic man. He first learned the art of inking magic from his father, a farmer and martial arts trainer in northwestern Cambodia who was himself a "powerful magic man," according to the 52-year-old former soldier.
"Many people came to [my father], so he gave some of the work to me," Reut Hath said. "So, I had to learn magic."
Wherever Cambodian soldiers cluster, charms and amulets abound, from cloths scrawled with protection spells to bags of Buddha figurines to boar tusks — anything to gain a magically endowed edge over the enemy. And there is perhaps no more explicit display of belief in mystical powers than magic tattoos, geometric patterns of written spells and images that crisscross the bodies of many older soldiers.
The list of powers that supposedly come with the tattoos is long and includes: imperviousness to bullets, anti-landmine protection, invisibility, an amplified voice to address troops and "great gravity" magic to make one's fists into heavier, deadlier weapons. The intricate arrangements of some tattoos and the folk-like quality of others are often beautiful artworks in their own right. However, it's also a fading art, a system of belief that is disappearing from a military looking to recruit younger soldiers in place of aging veterans of the country's recent decades of civil war.
Reut Hath started tattooing soldiers in 1977 after himself fleeing executioners from the murderous Khmer Rouge to join the resistance against the Pol Pot regime. (In its effort to create a Maoist agrarian utopia, that regime was ultimately responsible for the deaths of more than 1.7 million people. In early 1979, the Vietnamese military toppled the Khmer Rouge government, sparking a 20-year civil war in Cambodia.)
Reut Hath joined the Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF), one of the main resistance groups that battled it out with the Vietnamese-backed Phnom Penh government throughout the 1980s. It is mostly former fighters from resistance groups like the KPNLF that have the magic tattoos.
The method
Magic men punch tattoos into the skin by hand, using a thin handle about 30 centimeters long with two syringe needles at one end. According to Reut Hath, any old ink will suffice, but during the civil war, when ink was often in short supply, he would create his own by mixing the material inside alkaline batteries with rice wine.
It only takes a few seconds to punch a single letter into the skin, though some soldiers have veritable essays written on their bodies, which require days of painful prodding.
Casting the spell
The spells are written in two ancient Indian languages — Sanskrit or, more commonly, Pali, which is the liturgical language of Cambodia's dominant religion, Theravada Buddhism. Reut Hath admits he can't actually understand any of the spells because they aren't written in his native tongue of Khmer.
"I cannot read the Pali, but I know what letter is what letter, so I know what to write according to the formula," he said. "I learned it, but even I don't understand why the magic is so powerful."
The soldiers' stories
Sgt. Maj. Boung Thoeun is covered from head to toe in protective tattoos, his arms almost black from the dense web of Pali spells running up and down them.
The 50-year-old soldier, a former KPNLF captain, said that his tattoos twice saved him from landmines, which merely fizzled when he stepped on them. He also recalled getting caught in a nighttime ambush that should have meant certain death, but he came away unscathed.
"The enemy sprayed a lot of bullets at us," he said. "It was a dark place but there were so many [tracer bullets] flying about that it looked like the daytime." Cambodian army Maj. Gen. Lay Virak, formerly a KPNLF senior commander, said he knows of magic that prevents a person from getting lost in the forest. He also met a monk who knew magic that allowed one to walk through fire.
"During the war, we believed in the magic. We knew a lot, including magic that prevents you from being tied up or hurt by torture," Lay Virak added.
With so much power supposedly at their fingertips, it would seem like a half-dozen tattooed soldiers could take on an army. But when it comes to magical tattoos there's still a catch — several, actually.
"It is a question of your belief, your nationalism and your devotion to the rules," said Reut Hath of how one keeps their magic potent.
The basis of belief
These rules are typically based on morality and religiosity: Do not murder, do not steal, do not commit adultery, regularly burn incense and pray, recite magical mantras, etc. The rules establish a Buddhist grounding for the magic, taking what could be thought of as a selfish act to empower oneself and changing it into a promotion of moral behavior and faith. Of course, to the more cynical-minded, the rules also provide reasons why a man covered in protection spells might be killed on the battlefield: "If only he hadn't been so forward with his neighbor's wife," for example.
However, some of the rules might appear more arbitrary. Reut Hath forbids the men he tattooed from eating dog meat. In addition to dog, Lay Virak must also shun snake, turtle and pork, and in perhaps the most unusual limitation, he will sacrifice his protection if he urinates and defecates at the same time.
In addition, former resistance fighters say, the end of warfare in Cambodia has done much to reduce both the strict morality and magical potency associated with the tattoos — with easy living comes temptation.
"During the fighting, most of the fighters were powerful — the magic worked," Reut Hath said. "But with peace, many came to the cities and starting drinking, sleeping with girls and the magic has faded away."
This perceived decline in morality has driven Reut Hath to vow to never tattoo anyone ever again. "I decided to stop giving the tattoos because I cannot trust the young people these days. If they had tattoos they'd probably fight. Before, we thought about the liberation of our country. We had a good spirit."
He said he does know of some magic men who continue to tattoo people, but their numbers are dwindling. "Many soldiers have [tattoos] but they don't know how to pass them on," he added. Though not in any way prohibited, tattoos are now an increasingly rare sight in the Cambodian military. Even among those who fought in the 1970s and '80s, it was only in the resistance groups based along the Thai border that it remained a prominent tradition. Resistance fighters who joined the military after the war have also typically found themselves relegated to positions with little authority or influence.
"Usually it's the fighters from the border that have tattoos," said Maj. Gen. Chap Pheakdei, commander of Brigade 911, the army's elite paratrooper unit, adding that few of his soldiers have sought the protection of magical body art.
"On the Phnom Penh side during the [civil] war maybe two out of 100 would have [tattoos]," said one Brigade 911 officer who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press. "Some guys go out with tattoos all over them and get killed, and a guy with nothing comes back fine — I believe in luck, not magic."
"But maybe," he added, "that's because our side has tanks."
Heart Diseases Are the Leading Cause of Deaths in Cambodia – Friday, 4.9.2009
Posted on 4 September 2009
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 628
http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 628
http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/
“Phnom Penh: Heart disease is considered to be a disease that causes the highest cause of deaths for Cambodian citizens, compared to other diseases.
“An official of the National Institute of Public Health, Dr. Chao Darapheak, said that according to a preliminary report from 14 provinces and cities in Cambodia, the mortality rates from cancer, heart diseases, and liver diseases have all increased among people over 40 years old. But heart diseases are the leading cause of deaths, as 19 out of 100,000 people die from heart diseases, followed by liver diseases with 8 deaths among 100,000, and cancer with 7 deaths among 100,000 people.
“Dr. Chao Darapheak added that the study about mortality rates in Cambodia was conducted from April to August 2009 by using already existing data. Fourteen provinces – Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Kandal, Kep, Kompong Cham, Kompong Chhnang, Kompong Speu, Kompong Thom, Oddar Meanchey, Pailin, Preah Vihear, Siem Reap, and Stung Treng, and Takeo – had sent reports to the National Institute of Public Health. Other provinces will send their reports later.
“He said that the study will be finished in October 2009. In Cambodia, the life expectancy of men is 54-55 years, and of women it is 58.”
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #2040, 4.9.2009
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Friday, 4 September 2009
Student volunteers go around the globe
Student volunteers teach in a classroom in Cambodia. By Chang Ha-eunInternational programs gaining popularity
September 05, 2009
“Gaeul ga-e, olchangi han mari...”
In a small schoolhouse, a group of Nepalese children were singing the olchangi (tadpole) song in Korean for the first time in their lives. Just a few hours ago, they had not even known the language existed. Now, their voices resounded with joy at the new sounds they were making. At the front of the classroom, the teacher was brimming with enthusiasm, ready to continue.
What may seem odd about this is that the teacher was a Korean high school student doing volunteer work.
“Although the weather, the food, the shelter and pretty much everything was unsatisfactory, I was happy that the children learned a lot with us,” said Cho Min, a high school senior who was part of a 15-member team that went to Nepal. “My volunteer group also had to build a house for a homeless Nepalese family,” Cho said. “We worked on that for a whole two weeks. At first, I was just tired and frustrated. However, as time passed, I think I got a glimpse of the true meaning of volunteer work. That’s why my teammates and I signed up in the first place, anyway.”
More and more high school students are traveling overseas for their volunteer assignments, according to Cho and other volunteers.
“I’ve gone on several service missions overseas, and I know many friends who have an interest in volunteer work. Although nobody wanted to go abroad before, it seems that everybody wants to do public service overseas these days and do something worthwhile for a change,” Cho said.
Korean high school students are required to complete 20 hours of community service every year for their graduation and college admission. Some find the task unnecessary. But more and more students are signing up to give their time overseas.
Lee Bo-hyung, a high school freshman, said that a lot of students want to do something that actually makes them feel good about themselves.
“To teach art, we made the necessary teaching materials by hand,” said Kim Hyun-ji, a high school junior. “We taught [the children] about Korea using maps, traditional fans and cultural brochures.”
Kim had signed up with Copion, a service organization, to work in the village of Svay Tour, Cambodia, where she went earlier this month.
“I stayed there for 11 days. The lodging facility was literally something out of the Discovery Channel, what with all the bugs and lizards in the sleeping quarters.” said Kim. “There were four teams, but some people had to stay behind in Korea, because so many signed up.”
Volunteer organizations such as Copion and Global PeaceMakers have definitely noticed the increase in interest among young people. According to a worker at Global PeaceMakers, an organization that targets high school and college students, there has been a 30 percent increase in the number of students who signed up this year.
Countries like Nepal, Cambodia and China welcome the increase in foreign teenage volunteers, who build houses and teach children in remote villages in developing countries.
This kind of community work is not a one-time thing, however. All the students interviewed said that they wanted to take part again, with most saying they planned to do so after graduating high school.
“Because I’ve had a personal experience with the needy, my sympathy for them has developed into empathy. That’s why I want to go help them again. I also want to encourage this kind of public service.” said Chang Ha-eun, a high school freshman who volunteered in Cambodia early last month.
*This series features articles written and reported by high school students participating in the JoongAng Daily’s summer internship program. All articles were written with the guidance of our staff reporters.
By Lee Doh-yun [enational@joongang.co.kr]
Police Shoot One in Domestic Violence Response
By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
04 September 2009
Eye witnesses and a human rights official said Friday one villager was shot and injured by police as they responded to a domestic violence case in Kampot province.
Chhor Vanak, 23, a farmer in Chhouk district’s Prich village, was shot twice by a commune policeman, Chhin Duol, 43, after he threatened the officer with a knife.
Em Sokha, police chief of Boeung Nimol commune, said the shooting took place as police were trying to prevent domestic violence. Chhin Doul was arrested and is being detained at the communal police post.
Try Chhoun , Adhoc coordinator for Kampot province, said she was investigating the case.
Read more!
Original report from Phnom Penh
04 September 2009
Eye witnesses and a human rights official said Friday one villager was shot and injured by police as they responded to a domestic violence case in Kampot province.
Chhor Vanak, 23, a farmer in Chhouk district’s Prich village, was shot twice by a commune policeman, Chhin Duol, 43, after he threatened the officer with a knife.
Em Sokha, police chief of Boeung Nimol commune, said the shooting took place as police were trying to prevent domestic violence. Chhin Doul was arrested and is being detained at the communal police post.
Try Chhoun , Adhoc coordinator for Kampot province, said she was investigating the case.
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