Monk's Got Talent
Sokha tells crowd not to turn to small parties
Speaking to hundreds of members and supporters in Phnom Penh’s Thmar Koul village, Sokha said the party must stand united if it is to win the 2018 national election.
“Do not break our forces; do not break our spirit to argue with this one or that one,” he said. “I would like to call for us to meet on only one battlefield [so we can] win to lead the country in the upcoming election.”
In his remarks, Sokha told supporters to steer clear of grassroots political aspirant Kem Ley, League for Democracy Party leader Khim Veasna, and Mam Sonando, who recently revived his Beehive Social Democratic Party.
“If we turn to Sonando a little bit, Kem Ley a little bit, Khim Veasna a little bit . . . forget a big battlefield, [we] would lose one more time,” he said.
The CNRP saw considerable gains in the 2013 national election, winning 55 of the National Assembly’s 123 seats.
But, Sokha said, if dozens more opposition parties are created before the 2018 election and the CNRP’s members do not remain loyal, it will be impossible to take power from the Cambodian People’s Party.
Sonando, however, said yesterday that people are losing confidence in the CNRP.
“I do not pay attention to Kem Sokha or Sam Rainsy. I am paying attention to people’s needs,” he added.
Political analyst Ou Virak said CNRP supporters were likely to remain loyal for the upcoming election.
“I think it’s a given that it will be a two-party race in 2018,” he said. But, he added, if the CNRP is unable to gain the seats needed to take power in 2018, its future beyond that looks bleak.
“I don’t think the CNRP, as it is today, could continue,” he said, explaining that support for the party would likely drop and divisions heighten.
CPP spokesman Sok Eysan said his party was confident it will win the next election with a simple strategy of “making people happy”.
“If we do good deeds people will support and vote for us,” he said.
Meanwhile, in his speech yesterday, Sokha said he hopes to see a CNRP governor in Phnom Penh in the future. He announced plans for a congress in 2017 to reform the voting system in the hopes of making this happen.
PM denies revealing price tag for stadium
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday denied a senior sport official’s $100 million cost estimate for a new national stadium, although he confirmed it will be China footing the bill.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony on Koh Pich, the premier said that he had approved the building’s design but distanced himself from the nine-figure tally for its completion.
“I did not say China gave $100 million to build this stadium; where did The Phnom Penh Post get this from? I did not say it,” he told more than a thousand graduating students. “I just approved a design from the [two designs presented] for approval.”
‘Satisfied’
While Hun Sen did not address the stadium’s cost on Monday, National Olympic Committee secretary-general Vath Chamroeun pegged it at $100 million on the same day in a follow-up interview with the Post.
Though he insisted that the final estimate had yet to be tallied, Hun Sen yesterday confirmed the source of its funding.
“My negotiation is that China will give it, but how much it will cost has not been estimated,” he said. “Our Chinese friends just say that, whatever the cost, they will cover all, and Cambodia and Prime Minister Hun Sen are satisfied with that.”
The Morokot Decho stadium, which is located on the outskirts of the capital and intended to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Southeast Asia Games in 2023, saw ground broken in April 2013, with Hun Sen in attendance.
Speaking to the Post yesterday, Chamrouen still insisted that the Cambodian technical team’s evaluation of the main stadium’s construction cost would be about $100 million.
It’s not a number he feels will be a problem for the Chinese.
“China doesn’t care how much it costs, but we estimated it would cost about $100 million for the construction of this main stadium alone,” Chamroeun said.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony on Koh Pich, the premier said that he had approved the building’s design but distanced himself from the nine-figure tally for its completion.
“I did not say China gave $100 million to build this stadium; where did The Phnom Penh Post get this from? I did not say it,” he told more than a thousand graduating students. “I just approved a design from the [two designs presented] for approval.”
‘Satisfied’
While Hun Sen did not address the stadium’s cost on Monday, National Olympic Committee secretary-general Vath Chamroeun pegged it at $100 million on the same day in a follow-up interview with the Post.
Though he insisted that the final estimate had yet to be tallied, Hun Sen yesterday confirmed the source of its funding.
“My negotiation is that China will give it, but how much it will cost has not been estimated,” he said. “Our Chinese friends just say that, whatever the cost, they will cover all, and Cambodia and Prime Minister Hun Sen are satisfied with that.”
The Morokot Decho stadium, which is located on the outskirts of the capital and intended to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Southeast Asia Games in 2023, saw ground broken in April 2013, with Hun Sen in attendance.
Speaking to the Post yesterday, Chamrouen still insisted that the Cambodian technical team’s evaluation of the main stadium’s construction cost would be about $100 million.
It’s not a number he feels will be a problem for the Chinese.
“China doesn’t care how much it costs, but we estimated it would cost about $100 million for the construction of this main stadium alone,” Chamroeun said.
ONE straw-weight belt on line
Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke will face Roy Doliguez for the
inaugural ONE straw-weight belt at ONE: Warrior’s Quest at the Singapore
Indoor Stadium tonight, as ONE lightweight champion Shinya Aoki puts
his title on the line against number one contender Koji Ando in the main
event.
Singapore flyweight Stephen Langdown faces veteran Chinese mixed martial artist A La Teng Hei, while Ariel Sexton and Eddie Ng in a lightweight contest. Amir Khan and Shannon Wiratchai meet in a much anticipated matchup.
Amnuaysirichoke, of Singapore’s respected Evolve gym, is a Muay Thai world champion currently undefeated in MMA, with four victories. He has received the highest accolades in Muay Thai, being a three-time Lumpinee Stadium champion, Thailand’s national champion and the Omnoi Stadium champion, and he holds a 282-65 record in the discipline.
Muay Thai is one of the most widely used skill bases in modern mixed martial arts.
Known as a technical fighter with quick hands and lightning feet, Amnuaysirichoke has some of the most unique and creative striking combinations in Muay Thai. His transition to ONE Championship gave him an opportunity to potentially achieve as much success in mixed martial arts.
He burst onto the scene last year and finished all four of his opponents convincingly. Amnuaysirichoke now drops a division to strawweight with the opportunity to be crowned the champion in the division.
The Philippines Roy Doliguez boasts riding a 6-1 record. Considered one of the best strawweights in Asia, Doliguez strengthened that postion by avenging the only loss of his career. Doliguez is also a professional boxer with more than 40 professional boxing bouts.
This bout will feature two contrasting striking styles and it will be interesting to see who triumphs and walks away with the ONE strawweight belt.
Stephen Langdown, with two wins and one defeat, is a pro fighter from Singapore. One of the brightest prospects in the country, Langdown has proven his success inside the ONE Championship cage. Tonight he gets to showcase his skills once again in front of 12,000 fans in his home town.
A La Teng Hei Li is a Chinese mixed martial artist. He hails from inner Mongolia and grew up wrestling. A veteran of China’s mixed martial arts scene in, Hei Li now gets the opportunity to pit his skills against some of the best in the world in ONE Championship.
Hong Kong’s Eddie “The Magician” Ng is a lightweight with a 7-2 record who has dazzled in his multiple appearances in the ONE Championship cage. Ng has won four of his five bouts in ONE and returns to action after a one-year layoff determined to continue his ascent. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt, Ng has never gone to a decision in his professional mixed martial arts career thanks to his exciting style.
Ariel “Tarzan” Sexton (9-3) is a Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt with an impressive record of eight wins and three losses. Born in Canada, he now lives in Costa Rica. His grappling skill have been evident in his victories, finishing opponents with a variety of submission moves.
Singapore’s Amir Khan (3-1) is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt who has trained under the legendary Relson Gracie and has competitive wrestling and Muay Thai experience. With more than seven years of combat sports experience under his belt, Khan now takes on Thailand’s Shannon Wiratchai, who also has a 3-1 record.
Wiratchai has showcased an aggressive, brawling style every time he has stepped into the ONE Championship cage, making him a favourite among fans, and tonight is sure to be no different. A practitioner of the Chinese martial art of Baguazhang, Wiratchai will once again look to exhibit the discipline in the thick of the MMA action.
The full card ONE: Warrior’s Quest will be shown this evening at the Irish Place #119 Street 110 from 6:15pm.
Singapore flyweight Stephen Langdown faces veteran Chinese mixed martial artist A La Teng Hei, while Ariel Sexton and Eddie Ng in a lightweight contest. Amir Khan and Shannon Wiratchai meet in a much anticipated matchup.
Amnuaysirichoke, of Singapore’s respected Evolve gym, is a Muay Thai world champion currently undefeated in MMA, with four victories. He has received the highest accolades in Muay Thai, being a three-time Lumpinee Stadium champion, Thailand’s national champion and the Omnoi Stadium champion, and he holds a 282-65 record in the discipline.
Muay Thai is one of the most widely used skill bases in modern mixed martial arts.
Known as a technical fighter with quick hands and lightning feet, Amnuaysirichoke has some of the most unique and creative striking combinations in Muay Thai. His transition to ONE Championship gave him an opportunity to potentially achieve as much success in mixed martial arts.
He burst onto the scene last year and finished all four of his opponents convincingly. Amnuaysirichoke now drops a division to strawweight with the opportunity to be crowned the champion in the division.
The Philippines Roy Doliguez boasts riding a 6-1 record. Considered one of the best strawweights in Asia, Doliguez strengthened that postion by avenging the only loss of his career. Doliguez is also a professional boxer with more than 40 professional boxing bouts.
This bout will feature two contrasting striking styles and it will be interesting to see who triumphs and walks away with the ONE strawweight belt.
Stephen Langdown, with two wins and one defeat, is a pro fighter from Singapore. One of the brightest prospects in the country, Langdown has proven his success inside the ONE Championship cage. Tonight he gets to showcase his skills once again in front of 12,000 fans in his home town.
A La Teng Hei Li is a Chinese mixed martial artist. He hails from inner Mongolia and grew up wrestling. A veteran of China’s mixed martial arts scene in, Hei Li now gets the opportunity to pit his skills against some of the best in the world in ONE Championship.
Hong Kong’s Eddie “The Magician” Ng is a lightweight with a 7-2 record who has dazzled in his multiple appearances in the ONE Championship cage. Ng has won four of his five bouts in ONE and returns to action after a one-year layoff determined to continue his ascent. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt, Ng has never gone to a decision in his professional mixed martial arts career thanks to his exciting style.
Ariel “Tarzan” Sexton (9-3) is a Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt with an impressive record of eight wins and three losses. Born in Canada, he now lives in Costa Rica. His grappling skill have been evident in his victories, finishing opponents with a variety of submission moves.
Singapore’s Amir Khan (3-1) is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt who has trained under the legendary Relson Gracie and has competitive wrestling and Muay Thai experience. With more than seven years of combat sports experience under his belt, Khan now takes on Thailand’s Shannon Wiratchai, who also has a 3-1 record.
Wiratchai has showcased an aggressive, brawling style every time he has stepped into the ONE Championship cage, making him a favourite among fans, and tonight is sure to be no different. A practitioner of the Chinese martial art of Baguazhang, Wiratchai will once again look to exhibit the discipline in the thick of the MMA action.
The full card ONE: Warrior’s Quest will be shown this evening at the Irish Place #119 Street 110 from 6:15pm.
Kenny, Nau combine to win pro-am tennis tournament
Cambodia's Davis Cup pivot Bun Kenny inspired his teammate from
Cambrew, Soursdey Nau to win the doubles title in the first ever pro-am
tennis tournament at the National Training Center yesterday.
The Kenny-Nau combine edged out Doeum Samsocheaphearun and Chheang Sowann 7-6 (7-5) in a final where both teams represented Cambrew Ltd, one of Tennis Cambodia’s long time partners.
Thus it came as no surprise that Cambrew also took the team honours overall in a tournament that saw national players and coaches of the federation play as pros. The amateur side was filled by sponsors and supporters of Tennis Cambodia. Cambrew won 17 matches in all ahead of CCC with 12 wins
Each amateur would pair with a pro to play out a doubles event which was a round robin affair on Saturday, rounding off this unique event with a master style draw.
The four sponsors who pitched in four players each for the 16 pair pro-am were ANZ Royal, Angkor Beverages, Ezecom and Cambodian Country Club with 12 overall wins. ANZ were one short in third place while Ezecom ended up last with eight wins.
On the pro side were Davis Cup non-playing captain Tep Rithivit, technical director and head national coach Braen Aneiros, Cambodia’s number one player Bun Kenny, Chea Samsocheaphearun, who made his Davis Cup debut this past March, and other National Team members Chheang Vannasak and Long Samneang, who both recently returned from Palembang, Indonesia after winning a Bronze Medal in the Islamic Solidarity Tennis Championships held from May 10 to 18.
The Kenny-Nau combine edged out Doeum Samsocheaphearun and Chheang Sowann 7-6 (7-5) in a final where both teams represented Cambrew Ltd, one of Tennis Cambodia’s long time partners.
Thus it came as no surprise that Cambrew also took the team honours overall in a tournament that saw national players and coaches of the federation play as pros. The amateur side was filled by sponsors and supporters of Tennis Cambodia. Cambrew won 17 matches in all ahead of CCC with 12 wins
Each amateur would pair with a pro to play out a doubles event which was a round robin affair on Saturday, rounding off this unique event with a master style draw.
The four sponsors who pitched in four players each for the 16 pair pro-am were ANZ Royal, Angkor Beverages, Ezecom and Cambodian Country Club with 12 overall wins. ANZ were one short in third place while Ezecom ended up last with eight wins.
On the pro side were Davis Cup non-playing captain Tep Rithivit, technical director and head national coach Braen Aneiros, Cambodia’s number one player Bun Kenny, Chea Samsocheaphearun, who made his Davis Cup debut this past March, and other National Team members Chheang Vannasak and Long Samneang, who both recently returned from Palembang, Indonesia after winning a Bronze Medal in the Islamic Solidarity Tennis Championships held from May 10 to 18.
Trade talks aim to boost quota
A Chinese trade delegation due to arrive in Cambodia next week
has added to the hopes that the Kingdom’s rice export quota to China
will be drastically raised.
The three-day visit, which will be led by China’s Vice Minister of Commerce Gao Yan, begins on Monday and will discuss strengthening trade ties with Cambodia, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
“This time, the visit will discuss the possibility of expanding trade cooperation between Cambodia and China. A rice deal and the possibility of exporting more agricultural products from Cambodia to China will also be on the agenda,” said Ministry of Commerce spokesman Ken Ratha.
Cambodian Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol sent a letter to Gao Yan in April seeking to double Cambodia’s rice export quota to 200,000 tonnes for the period between May 2015 and April 2016.
“It is expected that there will be detailed discussion of Cambodia’s request to double the rice quota to China to 200,000 tonnes,” Ratha said, adding, however, that no agreement or memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed.
Hun Lak, vice president of the Cambodia Rice Federation, said yesterday that he has high hopes for a positive response due to the successful implementation of the previous 100,000-tonne rice quota between the China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO) and the Cambodian state-owned Green Trade Company.
“[COFCO] ordered 100,000 tonnes and we successfully delivered it to them. It shows that we can supply on time,” he explained.
Lak added that the doubling of the Chinese rice export quota would help Cambodia diversify from the European market
“Although the other markets we supply now are doing well, especially the EU, we should not be too reliant on the EU market. We should expand the market in Asian countries, [and] China is a huge market for Cambodia.”
Export figures released by the CRF showed that China was the biggest importer of Cambodian rice for the first three months of 2015, importing 36,081 tonnes, followed by Malaysia and France.
Thanks largely to a boost in shipments to China, the Kingdom increased its exports to 75,867 tonnes overall in March, more than doubling the 37,676 tonnes exported the month before.
China is also looking to import more of Cambodia’s other agricultural products such as corn, bananas and mangos.
Agriculture and mining are other sectors that China is eyeing in Cambodia, said Lim Heng, vice president of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce.
Cambodia’s rich natural resources, agricultural products, cheap labour costs and investment incentives are significant attractions for Chinese investors to choose Cambodia over neighbouring countries, he said.
“We have always encouraged Chinese investors to invest in agricultural processing in Cambodia as the country has high demand for this kind of investment,” he added.
In late 2012, China and Cambodia pledged to increase bilateral trade to $5 billion by the end of this year.
The three-day visit, which will be led by China’s Vice Minister of Commerce Gao Yan, begins on Monday and will discuss strengthening trade ties with Cambodia, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
“This time, the visit will discuss the possibility of expanding trade cooperation between Cambodia and China. A rice deal and the possibility of exporting more agricultural products from Cambodia to China will also be on the agenda,” said Ministry of Commerce spokesman Ken Ratha.
Cambodian Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol sent a letter to Gao Yan in April seeking to double Cambodia’s rice export quota to 200,000 tonnes for the period between May 2015 and April 2016.
“It is expected that there will be detailed discussion of Cambodia’s request to double the rice quota to China to 200,000 tonnes,” Ratha said, adding, however, that no agreement or memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed.
Hun Lak, vice president of the Cambodia Rice Federation, said yesterday that he has high hopes for a positive response due to the successful implementation of the previous 100,000-tonne rice quota between the China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO) and the Cambodian state-owned Green Trade Company.
“[COFCO] ordered 100,000 tonnes and we successfully delivered it to them. It shows that we can supply on time,” he explained.
Lak added that the doubling of the Chinese rice export quota would help Cambodia diversify from the European market
“Although the other markets we supply now are doing well, especially the EU, we should not be too reliant on the EU market. We should expand the market in Asian countries, [and] China is a huge market for Cambodia.”
Export figures released by the CRF showed that China was the biggest importer of Cambodian rice for the first three months of 2015, importing 36,081 tonnes, followed by Malaysia and France.
Thanks largely to a boost in shipments to China, the Kingdom increased its exports to 75,867 tonnes overall in March, more than doubling the 37,676 tonnes exported the month before.
China is also looking to import more of Cambodia’s other agricultural products such as corn, bananas and mangos.
Agriculture and mining are other sectors that China is eyeing in Cambodia, said Lim Heng, vice president of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce.
Cambodia’s rich natural resources, agricultural products, cheap labour costs and investment incentives are significant attractions for Chinese investors to choose Cambodia over neighbouring countries, he said.
“We have always encouraged Chinese investors to invest in agricultural processing in Cambodia as the country has high demand for this kind of investment,” he added.
In late 2012, China and Cambodia pledged to increase bilateral trade to $5 billion by the end of this year.
Cambodia, Thailand to discuss raising border-crossing quota
Cambodia and Thailand will begin discussions next month to
increase the number of buses and trucks crossing the border – currently
40 crossings a day – in a bid to spur tourism and increase the transport
of goods, according to an official at the Ministry of Public Works and
Transport.
The two countries will discuss a bilateral transport agreement in Bangkok on June 5 that will increase the number of border crossings to 500 a day in the next three years and open up more
border crossings to ease the flow of vehicles, announced Vasim Sorya, director general of administration at the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation.
“Cambodia and Thailand have been in discussions for a bilateral transport agreement for some time now. This time, Thailand has requested for a high-level meeting to discuss a bilateral transport agreement with Cambodia, hoping that an agreement could be reached this time,” he said.
Thailand has proposed increasing the quota of vehicles to 150 a day in the first year, to 300 in the second year and by another 200 in the third year, taking the quota up to 500 vehicles a day. According to Sorya, the Asian Development Bank will assist the two countries in reaching an agreement.
As per the current agreement, under the Greater Mekong Sub Region Transport Agreement, authorised vehicles have no limits on trips made between the two countries, but can only cross via the Aranyaprathet-Poipet and Khlong Yai-Koh Kong international checkpoints.
While welcoming the proposed increase in border crossings, Sok Chanmony, president of the Cambodia Bus Association, said the agreement will likely benefit Thailand more than Cambodia, given that the bilateral trade balance tilts in favour of Thailand currently.
“Cambodia will not use up the quota in the agreement as the country has fewer goods to transport to Thailand,” Chanmony explained.
“The agreement can benefit local [bus] operators only if Thailand is willing to allow more buses from Cambodia to travel freely in their country, like Thai buses do in Cambodia. Also, Thailand needs to be more open to Cambodian bus operators entering the Thai market,” he said, speaking on the impact for the tourism sector.
Srey Chanthy, an independent economic analyst, said Thailand was looking to replicate Vietnam’s expansion of a transport agreement with Cambodia, which resulted in an increase in the export of products, such as vegetables, sea foods, construction materials and oils, to Cambodia.
“Recently, Thailand’s export to other markets has had some difficulty after the takeover by the military. So Cambodia could be a market for its export now,” Chanthy said.
“Cambodia may continue to have a trade imbalance with Thailand, but that is not too bad as long as Cambodia can export to high-end markets to offset that, and also attract more tourists from and via Thailand, strengthening tourism-related sectors,” he added.
The two countries will discuss a bilateral transport agreement in Bangkok on June 5 that will increase the number of border crossings to 500 a day in the next three years and open up more
border crossings to ease the flow of vehicles, announced Vasim Sorya, director general of administration at the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation.
“Cambodia and Thailand have been in discussions for a bilateral transport agreement for some time now. This time, Thailand has requested for a high-level meeting to discuss a bilateral transport agreement with Cambodia, hoping that an agreement could be reached this time,” he said.
Thailand has proposed increasing the quota of vehicles to 150 a day in the first year, to 300 in the second year and by another 200 in the third year, taking the quota up to 500 vehicles a day. According to Sorya, the Asian Development Bank will assist the two countries in reaching an agreement.
As per the current agreement, under the Greater Mekong Sub Region Transport Agreement, authorised vehicles have no limits on trips made between the two countries, but can only cross via the Aranyaprathet-Poipet and Khlong Yai-Koh Kong international checkpoints.
While welcoming the proposed increase in border crossings, Sok Chanmony, president of the Cambodia Bus Association, said the agreement will likely benefit Thailand more than Cambodia, given that the bilateral trade balance tilts in favour of Thailand currently.
“Cambodia will not use up the quota in the agreement as the country has fewer goods to transport to Thailand,” Chanmony explained.
“The agreement can benefit local [bus] operators only if Thailand is willing to allow more buses from Cambodia to travel freely in their country, like Thai buses do in Cambodia. Also, Thailand needs to be more open to Cambodian bus operators entering the Thai market,” he said, speaking on the impact for the tourism sector.
Srey Chanthy, an independent economic analyst, said Thailand was looking to replicate Vietnam’s expansion of a transport agreement with Cambodia, which resulted in an increase in the export of products, such as vegetables, sea foods, construction materials and oils, to Cambodia.
“Recently, Thailand’s export to other markets has had some difficulty after the takeover by the military. So Cambodia could be a market for its export now,” Chanthy said.
“Cambodia may continue to have a trade imbalance with Thailand, but that is not too bad as long as Cambodia can export to high-end markets to offset that, and also attract more tourists from and via Thailand, strengthening tourism-related sectors,” he added.
Hundreds of pre-Khmer Rouge urns uncovered at Wat Lanka
In a hidden alcove at Wat Lanka, some 100 ornate funeral urns
have been left unclaimed for more than 40 years. Now, after being
rediscovered, they could be reunited with their owners.
Youk Chhang, the executive director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, found the urns on Sunday. He believes they were left at the Sihanouk Boulevard pagoda during the chaos before the Khmer Rouge took over the city in 1975.
Urns containing cremated ashes – known in Khmer as kord – are usually kept in relatives’ homes or in a stupa to show respect for the dead.
“People probably took them there because they thought that a pagoda was less likely to be shelled than their homes,” Chhang said this week.
Made of stone, clay, and bronze, some are in glass boxes with photos of the deceased, while others are wrapped in decaying white cloth. A few have labels with the name and date of death of the remains inside, while others contain a note with the information inside.
While the monks at the pagoda say a handful of people have come seeking their relatives’ remains, many went away empty handed.
Keng Menglong, 41, a former monk now a taxi driver, moved to Wat Lanka in 1991 to study.
“During that time, the country was peaceful and some people came to Wat Langka in order to find their family, and relatives’ urns,” he said.
“I was a young monk and my monk teacher took me to find the people’s urns in the underground place in the pagoda. We took a light to see the names stuck on the urns, but some urns didn’t have any name or date of death. Among 100 urns, perhaps only 10 were discovered by their family.
“Those that did see the name of their family and relatives’ name, they were crying so hard, reminded of their memories.
“Unfortunately some of them could not find their relatives because it was impossible to guess who was their family without clear information.”
Many of the labels have deteriorated so as to be unreadable and it’s believed to be bad luck to open another family’s kord.
Some of the urns may have been deposited in the alcove after the Khmer Rouge because the families had nowhere else to put them, Menglong added.
Chhang, who has been spending time at the pagoda following the death of his sister, discovered the 3m x 3m alcove behind a door blocked by a Buddha statue in a room behind the temple’s main hall.
Many of the urns’ owners must have died before they could reclaim them or tell their children where they had been secreted, Chhang said.
He now plans to look in the urns and publish any names he can find in an attempt to reunite the remains with their surviving relatives.
“I want to publicise them and find their families because they should not stay down there – it looks like Hell,” said Chhang.
Youk Chhang, the executive director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, found the urns on Sunday. He believes they were left at the Sihanouk Boulevard pagoda during the chaos before the Khmer Rouge took over the city in 1975.
Urns containing cremated ashes – known in Khmer as kord – are usually kept in relatives’ homes or in a stupa to show respect for the dead.
“People probably took them there because they thought that a pagoda was less likely to be shelled than their homes,” Chhang said this week.
Made of stone, clay, and bronze, some are in glass boxes with photos of the deceased, while others are wrapped in decaying white cloth. A few have labels with the name and date of death of the remains inside, while others contain a note with the information inside.
While the monks at the pagoda say a handful of people have come seeking their relatives’ remains, many went away empty handed.
Keng Menglong, 41, a former monk now a taxi driver, moved to Wat Lanka in 1991 to study.
“During that time, the country was peaceful and some people came to Wat Langka in order to find their family, and relatives’ urns,” he said.
“I was a young monk and my monk teacher took me to find the people’s urns in the underground place in the pagoda. We took a light to see the names stuck on the urns, but some urns didn’t have any name or date of death. Among 100 urns, perhaps only 10 were discovered by their family.
“Those that did see the name of their family and relatives’ name, they were crying so hard, reminded of their memories.
“Unfortunately some of them could not find their relatives because it was impossible to guess who was their family without clear information.”
Many of the labels have deteriorated so as to be unreadable and it’s believed to be bad luck to open another family’s kord.
Some of the urns may have been deposited in the alcove after the Khmer Rouge because the families had nowhere else to put them, Menglong added.
Chhang, who has been spending time at the pagoda following the death of his sister, discovered the 3m x 3m alcove behind a door blocked by a Buddha statue in a room behind the temple’s main hall.
Many of the urns’ owners must have died before they could reclaim them or tell their children where they had been secreted, Chhang said.
He now plans to look in the urns and publish any names he can find in an attempt to reunite the remains with their surviving relatives.
“I want to publicise them and find their families because they should not stay down there – it looks like Hell,” said Chhang.
Photographer’s blog aims to chronicle the rebuilding of nation
Fox started the original blog, Found Cambodian Family Portraits, just over a year ago, uploading a photograph each day with minimal captioning. He quickly garnered a healthy following mainly of researchers into Southeast Asia, fellow photographers and other Cambodia obsessives.
“The blog was a really useful way of starting the project, but it was never a fulfilling way of presenting the work,” Fox said this week. “There was this pressure to put pictures up, and I didn’t feel I was making the selections I wanted to make.”
Yesterday he launched a new website, Found Cambodia, which allows for a more curated presentation, with longer captions that explain the stories behind each image.
One important new feature of the website is that the time period has expanded to include pre-Khmer Rouge images. This, combined with the fact that photographs are now divided into time period, reveals a narrative of social and technological as viewers click through the images.
A 1973 photograph shows village children posing in the black uniforms of the Khmer Rouge, which the photographer’s owner told Fox were a coveted item of clothing for villagers long before they became obligatory. In 1982, it’s indoor sunglasses that mark sophistication, while in 1987 a whole family takes turns posing beside their new motorbike for portraits.
A photo from 1974 altered using rudimentary manipulation techniques shows the contributor’s uncle and aunt. PHOTO SUPPLIED
Fox said that there was a certain element of the exotic in his appreciation of the photos.
“If you imagine it set in the UK, a series of photos of quite mundane things wouldn’t be that interesting. I suppose it would be [because of] our cultural proximity to them,” he said.
But he said that the post-Khmer Rouge context made the images particularly engaging. “The simple things like buying a motorbike, or having a family portrait taken, they become really interesting processes of how society rebuilds itself, and how it documents that through photography,” he said, “so the mundane actually becomes fascinating.”
One running theme that becomes apparent when browsing the website is Fox’s fascination with the quirks of image manipulation. “I love the way the pictures are embellished or super imposed,” he said. In some cases, the result of DIY Photoshop is humorous: one 1974 portrait shows a couple who appear to be standing atop a giant tortoise. In other cases the effect is poignant, such as the woman who paid to get a black-and- white portrait of her parents from 1954 recoloured, bringing the father who died fighting the Khmer Rouge back to life in vibrant hues.
Fox said his appreciation of the archive format dates back to the beginning of his career, when he worked as a researcher in a photography archive “with white gloves and everything”.
These days he relishes the project as something utterly different from his day job working behind the lens. “There’s something about an individual allowing you to see important parts of their personal history and sifting through their images . . . It’s a really personal experience,” he said.
“As a photographer, I wasn’t here to document these things, but people were documenting it for themselves through these photos. I just love it.”
American peace fellows meet with Khmer Rouge survivors
A group of 10 American peace fellows from Chicago head home
today after participating in an exchange hosted by the Peace Institute
of Cambodia that saw them meet survivors of the Khmer Rouge.
Since arriving on April 4, the young Americans – activists participating in Jane Addams Hull-house Museum’s Cities of Peace program – have taken part in team discussion, story-telling, a study tour, cooking, building a “memorial kitchen” and performance sessions.
The exchange is about giving activists, scholars and NGO workers the opportunity to learn different approaches to peace and conflict resolution and foster cultural awareness and understanding, said the Peace Institute’s Long Khet.
Moses Williams, 24, one of the peace fellows from Chicago, said he was interested in learning about discrimination in different parts of the world in order to find solutions to common problems.
Williams said he wanted to learn from the Cambodian experiences and bring Cambodian peace fellows Chicago so they could learn from the US experience.
Khmer Rouge survivor Soy Sen, 59, at the Kraing Ta Chan Community Peace Learning Center shared experiences of living during the Democratic Kampuchea era.
“I found that they really concentrated to listen to my sharing with other survivors,” Sen said.
“I told them about my life when I was in prison since 1974 until 1978. I have a long bad experience because I needed to work hard and got less food.
“I told them about the situation at that time such as how we live, how we eat and how we got tortured and they asked questions. Although I felt unsafe, I still want to share to other next generation.”
A delegation of 10 Cambodian youth fellows are set to visit Chicago for the second leg of the exchange in July.
“I want to develop my knowledge about peace and understanding of Cambodian and US history,” said Hout Hongsea, 22, a Cambodian peace fellow. “I also want to build more networks of peace fellows in Cambodia and Chicago.”
Since arriving on April 4, the young Americans – activists participating in Jane Addams Hull-house Museum’s Cities of Peace program – have taken part in team discussion, story-telling, a study tour, cooking, building a “memorial kitchen” and performance sessions.
The exchange is about giving activists, scholars and NGO workers the opportunity to learn different approaches to peace and conflict resolution and foster cultural awareness and understanding, said the Peace Institute’s Long Khet.
Moses Williams, 24, one of the peace fellows from Chicago, said he was interested in learning about discrimination in different parts of the world in order to find solutions to common problems.
Williams said he wanted to learn from the Cambodian experiences and bring Cambodian peace fellows Chicago so they could learn from the US experience.
Khmer Rouge survivor Soy Sen, 59, at the Kraing Ta Chan Community Peace Learning Center shared experiences of living during the Democratic Kampuchea era.
“I found that they really concentrated to listen to my sharing with other survivors,” Sen said.
“I told them about my life when I was in prison since 1974 until 1978. I have a long bad experience because I needed to work hard and got less food.
“I told them about the situation at that time such as how we live, how we eat and how we got tortured and they asked questions. Although I felt unsafe, I still want to share to other next generation.”
A delegation of 10 Cambodian youth fellows are set to visit Chicago for the second leg of the exchange in July.
“I want to develop my knowledge about peace and understanding of Cambodian and US history,” said Hout Hongsea, 22, a Cambodian peace fellow. “I also want to build more networks of peace fellows in Cambodia and Chicago.”
Singer Demi Lovato wows Koh Pich
A roar of adulation from thousands of Cambodian “Lovatics” went up as their idol took the stage in one of the Kingdom’s largest concerts to date.
With several thousand turning out for the free event, the US performer’s show proved to be a high watermark for the Kingdom’s nascent entertainment industry.
“I’m very excited, because we have never had a foreign artist come here on a world tour before”, said Prak Kimleng, a 17-year-old high school student in the crowd just prior to the show.
MyTV prank draws anger
But the emotional moments leading up to the reunion turned out to be the setup for a bizarre Mother’s Day prank that has been met with outrage on social media and left the producers promising to make an on-air apology.
Autumn, a singer who has performed on television several times before, was invited onto a special Mother’s Day edition of the MyTV variety show Penh Chet Ort (Like It or Not) and told her “dream to meet her mother would come true”. Wiping away tears, Autumn told the presenters of her only memories of her mother, who stayed in the US when Autumn was brought to Cambodia by her father.
“She held me and kissed me and told me that she would always love me,” she said.
But after a drawn-out build-up, it was cross-dressing comedian and Penh Chet Ort judge Chuop Rolin that emerged from backstage instead of the young singer’s mother.
“What are you thinking, did you think it was real?” one of the presenters then asked the girl.
“I don’t know,” Autumn replied, giggling.
How to mark money online on youtube?
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