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 ดังนั้นเป็นที่ชัดเจนแล้วว่า LG ได้เลือก Series คำว่า Optimus ให้เป็น Android ทั้งหมด เหมือนกับที่ Samsung มี Galaxy ที่เป็น Android ทั้งหมด แต่ว่าตอนนี้ยังไม่มีการยืนยันอย่างชัดเจนว่า ทาง LG จะใช้ Series นี้กับ Windows Phone 7 ด้วยหรือไม่ แต่ว่าตอนนี้มีแต่ Android ก็ต้องยกให้เค้าไปก่อน อย่างไรก็ตาม ดูเหมือนว่า LG กำลังทุ่มเทมากกับ Tablet ตัวใหม่นี้ แต่ว่าเรื่องรายละเอียดของ Spec ยังไม่มีการประกาศออกมาแต่อย่างใด แต่คาดว่าตัวเครื่องน่าจะบางและเบากว่าคู่แข่ง (iPad, Galaxy Tab) และน่าจะเข้ามาเป็น 1 ใน Tablet ที่น่าซื้อในตลาดได้ถ้า Spec ดี แต่เรื่องแบบนี้ต้องรอดู ถึงตัว Tablet ใหม่ของ LG จะดูบางและเบากว่ารุ่นอื่นๆแต่ว่า ความบางและเบานั้นส่งผลไปถึงการลดขนาดแบตเตอรี่ ดังนั้น การใช้งานอาจจะไม่ได้ยาวนานเหมือนของคู่แข่ง อย่าง iPad ก็เล่นไปซะ 10 ชม. ส่วน Galaxy Tab ก็น่าจะไม่น้อยหน้า iPad ถึงแม้เป็นแบบนั้น LG ก็หวังอยู่ลึกๆว่าการที่ตัวเครื่องเบาและบางกว่ารุ่นอื่นๆ อาจจะได้เปรียบก็ได้เหมือนกัน |
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
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Friday, August 27, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Kok Sap's Commentary: NOT Acceptable, Hun Sen Abuses UN
(Photos: The Phnom Penh Post)22/6/2010
By Kok Sap
Originally posted at http://khamerlogue.wordpress.com/
All know the UN Human Rights Envoy meeting appointment is planned and scheduled ahead and in plenty of time. For the unexplained reason Hun Sen canceled it at the last minute. For normal business behavior, either the meeting will be rescheduled or carried on as planned with an alternative attendant. But to the surprise, with ten deputy prime ministers on duty yet Hun Sen can't delegate one to attend the meeting for him. For Hun Sen usual misinformed habit, the mishandling appointment is unimportant and an irritation to him. But in real world it reflects the national leader image and unreliability. For that alone it's an embarrassment for the entire nation.
In honesty, Surya Subedi can be Hun Sen helpful ally and personal messenger to the world diplomacy and UN General Secretary office. Unfortunately Hun Sen wrongly takes it personal in misinterpreting Surya Subedi statement to the press as disappointed for unable to meet with the Cambodia owner. It's opportune for Hun Sen to rattle on someone of his unchecked and crude remarks to impress the stupid ones. Apparently he can't see how important to delicately and discretely handle his personal crisis. This man loves to hear his own voice on stage,all the times.
To the dismay, Hun Sen shall apologize for his own shortcomings and inability to delegate an able deputy to welcome and meet with UN Envoy to ask for reschedule. In the educated society, Hun Sen behavior leaves room for bad impression and misinterpretation that Cambodia leader is seriously lack of competence and diplomatic cordiality.
In 1991 Paris Peace Accord stipulates UN Secretariat will monitor and report Cambodia human rights to the UN mission and its appropriate council. It is made UN responsibility to ensure the annual report be as accurate and transparent on Cambodia human rights. However, as one of the signatories Hun Sen seems to show his unbecoming and uncooperative nature as the Cambodia leader and lawful UN member.
Obviously the responsibility is not entirely on Hun Sen alone. To the observers, Cambodia legislative and judiciary shall bear the burden and responsibility to the nation image and representation. In this episode, the national assembly is totally unaccounted for its role to scrutinize and call on Hun Sen improper official action. Worst, Hun Sen incessant quarrel and insolences toward the previous UN human rights envoys seemed escaping the national assembly attention span and responsibility. Hun Sen has become a fixture of the Cambodian government incompetence and incivility.
Past records show often Hun Sen has been personally rude and confrontational to the volunteered UN human rights officials whose mission was to look out for Cambodia citizen interests. Conclusively in spite of time in premier office and role Hun Sen remains not an ideal advocate and voice in modern world diplomacy for the weak and poor Cambodia. The national assembly needs to reflect and uses its spine to stop Hun Sen from dehumanizing Cambodia.
In all, yet the national assembly must not allow Hun Sen to deprecate Cambodia honor and dignity when his personal is inconvenient to his duty. To the outside world it appears Cambodia has not many people who can lead the nation in decency and dignity. In that notion, if the national assembly does not correct Hun Sen habitual abuse of power and defeatism then it is a mere rubber stamp for a handsome compensation paid by donors. It is an insult and unacceptable to the nation and human intelligence in allowing an inferior and defeatist mentality like Hun Sen to stay in power and above the law too long
In honesty, Surya Subedi can be Hun Sen helpful ally and personal messenger to the world diplomacy and UN General Secretary office. Unfortunately Hun Sen wrongly takes it personal in misinterpreting Surya Subedi statement to the press as disappointed for unable to meet with the Cambodia owner. It's opportune for Hun Sen to rattle on someone of his unchecked and crude remarks to impress the stupid ones. Apparently he can't see how important to delicately and discretely handle his personal crisis. This man loves to hear his own voice on stage,all the times.
To the dismay, Hun Sen shall apologize for his own shortcomings and inability to delegate an able deputy to welcome and meet with UN Envoy to ask for reschedule. In the educated society, Hun Sen behavior leaves room for bad impression and misinterpretation that Cambodia leader is seriously lack of competence and diplomatic cordiality.
In 1991 Paris Peace Accord stipulates UN Secretariat will monitor and report Cambodia human rights to the UN mission and its appropriate council. It is made UN responsibility to ensure the annual report be as accurate and transparent on Cambodia human rights. However, as one of the signatories Hun Sen seems to show his unbecoming and uncooperative nature as the Cambodia leader and lawful UN member.
Obviously the responsibility is not entirely on Hun Sen alone. To the observers, Cambodia legislative and judiciary shall bear the burden and responsibility to the nation image and representation. In this episode, the national assembly is totally unaccounted for its role to scrutinize and call on Hun Sen improper official action. Worst, Hun Sen incessant quarrel and insolences toward the previous UN human rights envoys seemed escaping the national assembly attention span and responsibility. Hun Sen has become a fixture of the Cambodian government incompetence and incivility.
Past records show often Hun Sen has been personally rude and confrontational to the volunteered UN human rights officials whose mission was to look out for Cambodia citizen interests. Conclusively in spite of time in premier office and role Hun Sen remains not an ideal advocate and voice in modern world diplomacy for the weak and poor Cambodia. The national assembly needs to reflect and uses its spine to stop Hun Sen from dehumanizing Cambodia.
In all, yet the national assembly must not allow Hun Sen to deprecate Cambodia honor and dignity when his personal is inconvenient to his duty. To the outside world it appears Cambodia has not many people who can lead the nation in decency and dignity. In that notion, if the national assembly does not correct Hun Sen habitual abuse of power and defeatism then it is a mere rubber stamp for a handsome compensation paid by donors. It is an insult and unacceptable to the nation and human intelligence in allowing an inferior and defeatist mentality like Hun Sen to stay in power and above the law too long
Thank You Note from the Cambodian Reconciliation Committee
Dear Sir/Madam,,
The Cambodian Reconciliation Committee, Inc. would like to express our gratitude for your generosity by helping the 10th Annual of the High School Commencement banquet, which was hosted by our community at the Sal Mosqueda Community Center on June 19, 2010.
We appreciate your thoroughness in supporting the graduates and their families to have a great time. Without your help, this event may not be as successful as it would be.
Again, thank you so much and we look forward to working with you in the near future.
May God bless your warm heart.
We appreciate your thoroughness in supporting the graduates and their families to have a great time. Without your help, this event may not be as successful as it would be.
Again, thank you so much and we look forward to working with you in the near future.
May God bless your warm heart.
Best Regards,
CRC Team
Mr. Sopheaktra Nou
Executive Director
Cambodian Reconciliation Committee, Inc.
Non-Profit Organization
P.O. Box 1682
Fresno, CA 93717
Tel. (559) 255-9241
Website: www.crcfresno.org
Bringing the tastes of Cambodia to Fairfax
Annandale resident and author of the book "A Taste of Cambodian Cuisine," Demaz Baker is teaching cooking classes each month on how to prepare traditional Cambodian meals. (Shamus Ian Fatzinger/Fairfax County Times)Cooking teacher, author shares her passion for exotic cuisine
Wednesday June 23, 2010
by Alexandra Greeley | Special to the Times
Fairfax County Times (Virginia, USA)
Perhaps the least known of Asian cuisines, Cambodian food has been a rarity in the Washington, D.C., metro area. But cooking teacher Demaz Baker of Annandale hopes to change that.
According to Baker, no Cambodian restaurants exist in the District or its surrounding suburbs, making it a challenge for interested foodies to go out and taste the culture's traditional flavors. That doesn't make it impossible, though, says Baker, who is also an amateur chef and author of two Cambodian cookbooks -- such as "A Taste of Cambodian Cuisine," which is available on Amazon.com. With monthly classes at the Arlington County Adult Education Center and a little patience, anyone can learn how to master the culture's sweet and savory flavors.
Although it shares many similarities with Thai cuisine, Baker says Cambodian cooking is "lighter and less spicy in taste," with less reliance on coconut milk and chilis.
A U.S. resident since the mid-1970s, Baker has held daytime jobs with the Department of Defense. But in her spare time, she has indulged her passion for Cambodian food by learning the traditional recipes from her homeland and then cataloging them in her two self-published cookbooks. This has certainly been a labor of love, for Baker admits she never learned how to cook as a child in her parents' home.
"I have always liked cooking, but I never learned it in Cambodia," she said. "My aunts are really the experts in Cambodian food. I even registered in cooking school when I was a student in Australia, but I only studied there for two months."
As a newcomer to the area, Baker longed for the sweet and savory delicacies from her native country. Finding no restaurant that offered the food she craved, Baker set about learning the basics of the cuisine by calling friends and relatives all over the world.
"I gathered recipes from whomever had the expertise," she said.
Top on her phone list were two friends in Los Angeles and others in France and Canada, but because Cambodians usually never write down measurements, reconstructing the recipes required experimentation and tasting.
After gathering stacks of recipes, Baker turned to trying them all, tasting what worked and discarding the rejects.
"This was a labor of several years," she said. "But now I know how to cook properly."
As a result, Baker wrote her first cookbook, "Cambodian Cuisine," in 1999 and issued her second, "A Taste of Cambodian Cuisine," in 2009. A full-color volume, the book is available online at Amazon.com and also at Barnes & Noble.
As a complement to her culinary hobby, Baker started teaching Cambodian cooking at the Arlington County Adult Education Center, offering a month's worth of classes each semester.
"I would teach once a week for the month," she said. After eight years of offering adult education classes, Baker decided to simply teach cooking in her own home. This switch has worked out well, she says, noting that many of her former students signed up and have now formed an informal cooking club, though all newcomers are welcome to join in.
Held one night each month, the classes require student participation supervised by Baker. Afterward, all sit down to a feast.
"A typical menu includes a main-course soup and two side dishes, one with vegetables and often one with fish," she said, adding that the usual Cambodian meal includes fish, since the Mekong River running through the country is a rich source of freshwater fish. There may also be a chicken or beef curry, which is a norm here in the U.S. but is a luxurious meal back home in Cambodia, where chicken and beef are expensive for the average household.
Participants learn three dishes per class, and classes cost $55 each.
Her students are so enthusiastic about Baker's food that they have been urging her to open a restaurant. After all, she notes, all her siblings own a restaurant in Quebec. But Baker's response is simple: No way, she says.
"In my opinion, for a small restaurant to be successful, it has to be run by family members," she says. "Besides, you have no other life if you own one."
For more information, contact Demaz Baker at www.CambodianCooking.webng.com.
Recipe: Saraman Chicken
Serves four
Demaz Baker explains that Cambodian cooking is very similar to Thai cooking, which is evident in this rich chicken curry. To simplify the long and arduous process of pounding ingredients for a curry paste, the basis of all Thai and Cambodian curries, Baker uses commercial curry paste, making the preparation of such dishes relatively fast. All ingredients are available in Asian markets.
According to Baker, no Cambodian restaurants exist in the District or its surrounding suburbs, making it a challenge for interested foodies to go out and taste the culture's traditional flavors. That doesn't make it impossible, though, says Baker, who is also an amateur chef and author of two Cambodian cookbooks -- such as "A Taste of Cambodian Cuisine," which is available on Amazon.com. With monthly classes at the Arlington County Adult Education Center and a little patience, anyone can learn how to master the culture's sweet and savory flavors.
Although it shares many similarities with Thai cuisine, Baker says Cambodian cooking is "lighter and less spicy in taste," with less reliance on coconut milk and chilis.
A U.S. resident since the mid-1970s, Baker has held daytime jobs with the Department of Defense. But in her spare time, she has indulged her passion for Cambodian food by learning the traditional recipes from her homeland and then cataloging them in her two self-published cookbooks. This has certainly been a labor of love, for Baker admits she never learned how to cook as a child in her parents' home.
"I have always liked cooking, but I never learned it in Cambodia," she said. "My aunts are really the experts in Cambodian food. I even registered in cooking school when I was a student in Australia, but I only studied there for two months."
As a newcomer to the area, Baker longed for the sweet and savory delicacies from her native country. Finding no restaurant that offered the food she craved, Baker set about learning the basics of the cuisine by calling friends and relatives all over the world.
"I gathered recipes from whomever had the expertise," she said.
Top on her phone list were two friends in Los Angeles and others in France and Canada, but because Cambodians usually never write down measurements, reconstructing the recipes required experimentation and tasting.
After gathering stacks of recipes, Baker turned to trying them all, tasting what worked and discarding the rejects.
"This was a labor of several years," she said. "But now I know how to cook properly."
As a result, Baker wrote her first cookbook, "Cambodian Cuisine," in 1999 and issued her second, "A Taste of Cambodian Cuisine," in 2009. A full-color volume, the book is available online at Amazon.com and also at Barnes & Noble.
As a complement to her culinary hobby, Baker started teaching Cambodian cooking at the Arlington County Adult Education Center, offering a month's worth of classes each semester.
"I would teach once a week for the month," she said. After eight years of offering adult education classes, Baker decided to simply teach cooking in her own home. This switch has worked out well, she says, noting that many of her former students signed up and have now formed an informal cooking club, though all newcomers are welcome to join in.
Held one night each month, the classes require student participation supervised by Baker. Afterward, all sit down to a feast.
"A typical menu includes a main-course soup and two side dishes, one with vegetables and often one with fish," she said, adding that the usual Cambodian meal includes fish, since the Mekong River running through the country is a rich source of freshwater fish. There may also be a chicken or beef curry, which is a norm here in the U.S. but is a luxurious meal back home in Cambodia, where chicken and beef are expensive for the average household.
Participants learn three dishes per class, and classes cost $55 each.
Her students are so enthusiastic about Baker's food that they have been urging her to open a restaurant. After all, she notes, all her siblings own a restaurant in Quebec. But Baker's response is simple: No way, she says.
"In my opinion, for a small restaurant to be successful, it has to be run by family members," she says. "Besides, you have no other life if you own one."
For more information, contact Demaz Baker at www.CambodianCooking.webng.com.
Recipe: Saraman Chicken
Serves four
Demaz Baker explains that Cambodian cooking is very similar to Thai cooking, which is evident in this rich chicken curry. To simplify the long and arduous process of pounding ingredients for a curry paste, the basis of all Thai and Cambodian curries, Baker uses commercial curry paste, making the preparation of such dishes relatively fast. All ingredients are available in Asian markets.
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons Masaman curry paste
- one (13.5- ounce) can coconut milk
- 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar or palm sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups pearl onions, peeled
- 4 to 5 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and quartered
Cambodians must fight for rights
Mu Sochua (First row, center)"I am troubled by the ... narrowing of political space for critical debate in society, due to the disproportionate use of defamation, disinformation and incitement lawsuits against journalists, human rights activists and political opponents," Subedi said. "My position as an international lawyer (is that) nobody should be sent to prison for exercising freedom of expressions."
Do you think Sen and his ruling Cambodian People's Party care?
June 23, 2010By A. Gaffar Peang-Meth Pacific Daily News (Guam)
Egyptian sociologist and democracy activist Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a distinguished visiting professor at Drew University, wrote in the June 15 Washington Post that, "Most Americans may not miss (George W.) Bush, but a growing number of people in the Middle East do."
"Bush's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan remain unpopular in the region, but his ardent support for democracy was heartening to Arabs living under stalled autocracies," Ibrahim wrote. Reform activists in Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait and elsewhere "felt empowered" to press for greater freedoms during the Bush years: "The methods through which Bush pursued his policies left much to be desired ... his persistent rhetoric and efforts produced results."
Ibrahim cited 11 contested elections in the Middle East from 2005 to 2006 -- "not perfect, but the advances sparked unprecedented sociopolitical dynamism and unleashed tremendous pent-up desire for democratic choice."
Democracy and rights activists in the Middle East who "listened with great anticipation" to President Obama's "promises of change when speaking in Cairo last June" found Obama "has retreated to Cold War policies of favoring stability and even support for 'friendly tyrants.'"
"Today, Egyptians are not just disappointed but stunned by what appears to be outright promotion of autocracy in their country," Ibrahim wrote. "Just as we hope for a clear U.S. signal on democracy promotion, we must hope that the Obama administration will cease its coddling of dictators."
Ibrahim's article takes me to Cambodia's June 2 events: U.S. representatives joined a group of donor countries in Phnom Penh that collectively pledged $1.1 billion in aid to the regime of Premier Hun Sen. Rights groups complained of "rampant cronyism and corruption."
On that day, Sen's Supreme Court upheld the lower courts' ruling against lawmaker Mu Sochua, who filed a defamation suit against Hun Sen. Yet the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights charged in its legal analysis that Sen's courts failed to uphold Sochua's right to a fair trial and ignored her right to Cambodia's Constitution-guaranteed freedom of expression. Sen's armed riot police blocked Sochua and her followers from a peaceful march to the "donor conference."
Sen told the nation not to be "ignorant," that the donor countries have their own projects planned that will account for the $1.1 billion -- so there is no "cronyism and corruption." On the other front, Sen's lawyer pushed for action (imprisonment) against Sochua for refusing to pay a fine associated with her failed legal action.
In an e-mail, Sochua wrote, "What I am doing now is nothing more than standing up while so many people are sitting down and feeling paralyzed by this regime." She feels alone and helpless. She keeps telling the people to condition themselves not to fear. Their votes count.
As a political scientist, I understand the usefulness of peaceful protests and petitions guaranteed by law. I am not a fan of petitioning a foreign leader to help in circumstances where Cambodians themselves must be the ones to act. The only petition I signed was to ask Premier Sen to stop land-grabbing and evicting the poor from their land and homes.
Last week, an online petition to President Obama rapidly picked up signatures from Khmers and non-Khmers. It speaks of the United States' "responsibility" as an aid donor "to denounce the court's decision (on Mu Sochua) as a threat to freedoms of speech and expression and the rights to fair judicial process, transparency, and legal representation."
The petition states: "We urge you, Mr. President, to make a strong statement against the recent Cambodian Court's ruling, in defense of our democratic values that serve to empower so many around the world."
Yet, Sochua wrote, "what difference does (the petition) really make?" She knows all dictators love the U.S. "strategy of engagement" that legitimizes them and their rule.
Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are unlikely to refrain from expressions of concern for democracy, justice and human rights. But as the United States continues to provide aid and assistance to the Cambodian government, it is abundantly clear that concern for the lack of civil rights in Cambodia won't override U.S. interests in maintaining relations with Cambodia's tyrants.
Cambodians need to fight to attain those rights for themselves. As no foreign government wants to replace the devil it knows with one it doesn't know, opposition Cambodians must present themselves as credible alternatives to those in power. The image of divided and conflicting opposition forces that lack a common strategy doesn't inspire confidence.
Last Thursday, United Nations rights envoy Surya Subedi -- mandated by the U.N. Human Rights Council to report on human rights in Cambodia -- criticized the country's land-grabbing by the powerful, cited the courts' failings in the delivery of justice for all, "especially the poor and the marginalized," and reported that some judges simply were not interested in upholding the laws.
"I am troubled by the ... narrowing of political space for critical debate in society, due to the disproportionate use of defamation, disinformation and incitement lawsuits against journalists, human rights activists and political opponents," Subedi said. "My position as an international lawyer (is that) nobody should be sent to prison for exercising freedom of expressions."
Do you think Sen and his ruling Cambodian People's Party care?
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam, where he taught political science for 13 years. Write him at peangmeth@yahoo.com.
"Bush's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan remain unpopular in the region, but his ardent support for democracy was heartening to Arabs living under stalled autocracies," Ibrahim wrote. Reform activists in Lebanon, Egypt, Kuwait and elsewhere "felt empowered" to press for greater freedoms during the Bush years: "The methods through which Bush pursued his policies left much to be desired ... his persistent rhetoric and efforts produced results."
Ibrahim cited 11 contested elections in the Middle East from 2005 to 2006 -- "not perfect, but the advances sparked unprecedented sociopolitical dynamism and unleashed tremendous pent-up desire for democratic choice."
Democracy and rights activists in the Middle East who "listened with great anticipation" to President Obama's "promises of change when speaking in Cairo last June" found Obama "has retreated to Cold War policies of favoring stability and even support for 'friendly tyrants.'"
"Today, Egyptians are not just disappointed but stunned by what appears to be outright promotion of autocracy in their country," Ibrahim wrote. "Just as we hope for a clear U.S. signal on democracy promotion, we must hope that the Obama administration will cease its coddling of dictators."
Ibrahim's article takes me to Cambodia's June 2 events: U.S. representatives joined a group of donor countries in Phnom Penh that collectively pledged $1.1 billion in aid to the regime of Premier Hun Sen. Rights groups complained of "rampant cronyism and corruption."
On that day, Sen's Supreme Court upheld the lower courts' ruling against lawmaker Mu Sochua, who filed a defamation suit against Hun Sen. Yet the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights charged in its legal analysis that Sen's courts failed to uphold Sochua's right to a fair trial and ignored her right to Cambodia's Constitution-guaranteed freedom of expression. Sen's armed riot police blocked Sochua and her followers from a peaceful march to the "donor conference."
Sen told the nation not to be "ignorant," that the donor countries have their own projects planned that will account for the $1.1 billion -- so there is no "cronyism and corruption." On the other front, Sen's lawyer pushed for action (imprisonment) against Sochua for refusing to pay a fine associated with her failed legal action.
In an e-mail, Sochua wrote, "What I am doing now is nothing more than standing up while so many people are sitting down and feeling paralyzed by this regime." She feels alone and helpless. She keeps telling the people to condition themselves not to fear. Their votes count.
As a political scientist, I understand the usefulness of peaceful protests and petitions guaranteed by law. I am not a fan of petitioning a foreign leader to help in circumstances where Cambodians themselves must be the ones to act. The only petition I signed was to ask Premier Sen to stop land-grabbing and evicting the poor from their land and homes.
Last week, an online petition to President Obama rapidly picked up signatures from Khmers and non-Khmers. It speaks of the United States' "responsibility" as an aid donor "to denounce the court's decision (on Mu Sochua) as a threat to freedoms of speech and expression and the rights to fair judicial process, transparency, and legal representation."
The petition states: "We urge you, Mr. President, to make a strong statement against the recent Cambodian Court's ruling, in defense of our democratic values that serve to empower so many around the world."
Yet, Sochua wrote, "what difference does (the petition) really make?" She knows all dictators love the U.S. "strategy of engagement" that legitimizes them and their rule.
Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are unlikely to refrain from expressions of concern for democracy, justice and human rights. But as the United States continues to provide aid and assistance to the Cambodian government, it is abundantly clear that concern for the lack of civil rights in Cambodia won't override U.S. interests in maintaining relations with Cambodia's tyrants.
Cambodians need to fight to attain those rights for themselves. As no foreign government wants to replace the devil it knows with one it doesn't know, opposition Cambodians must present themselves as credible alternatives to those in power. The image of divided and conflicting opposition forces that lack a common strategy doesn't inspire confidence.
Last Thursday, United Nations rights envoy Surya Subedi -- mandated by the U.N. Human Rights Council to report on human rights in Cambodia -- criticized the country's land-grabbing by the powerful, cited the courts' failings in the delivery of justice for all, "especially the poor and the marginalized," and reported that some judges simply were not interested in upholding the laws.
"I am troubled by the ... narrowing of political space for critical debate in society, due to the disproportionate use of defamation, disinformation and incitement lawsuits against journalists, human rights activists and political opponents," Subedi said. "My position as an international lawyer (is that) nobody should be sent to prison for exercising freedom of expressions."
Do you think Sen and his ruling Cambodian People's Party care?
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam, where he taught political science for 13 years. Write him at peangmeth@yahoo.com.
Anti-genocide slogans to be hung in Cambodian schools
THE THREE BELOW ARE ALL
FORMER KHMER ROUGE CADRE-KILLERS
FORMER KHMER ROUGE CADRE-KILLERS
An example of anti-genocide slogan?PHNOM PENH, Tuesday 22 June 2010 (AFP) - Anti-genocide slogans encouraging youngsters to study the legacy of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime are to be hung in high schools across Cambodia, organisers of the project said Tuesday.
The Documentation Centre of Cambodia, which collects evidence of Khmer Rouge atrocities, said it would start hanging the government-approved messages in 1,700 schools from January.
"This is to remember and to study daily ... so that the students know we have this history," said the centre's director, Youk Chhang.
Referring to the communist movement's name for their 1975-1979 regime, one of the slogans reads: "Learning about the history of Democratic Kampuchea is to prevent genocide."
Even though five Khmer Rouge leaders are being held by a UN-backed genocide court, many young Cambodians are unaware that up to two million people died through overwork, starvation and execution under the brutal regime.
More than 70 percent of Cambodia's 14 million people were born after the Khmer Rouge were ousted in 1979 and, as the topic is sensitive among elites who were involved with the regime, little about it has been taught in schools.
Last year Cambodia unveiled its first textbook about the Khmer Rouge regime and began distributing about half a million copies to high schools.
The genocide court in Phnom Penh is scheduled to deliver its first verdict on July 26, in the case of former prison chief Duch -- the first Khmer Rouge leader to face international justice.
Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died in 1998. The joint trial of four other senior regime leaders is expected to start in 2011, while the court is considering whether to open cases against five other former Khmer Rouge cadres
The Documentation Centre of Cambodia, which collects evidence of Khmer Rouge atrocities, said it would start hanging the government-approved messages in 1,700 schools from January.
"This is to remember and to study daily ... so that the students know we have this history," said the centre's director, Youk Chhang.
Referring to the communist movement's name for their 1975-1979 regime, one of the slogans reads: "Learning about the history of Democratic Kampuchea is to prevent genocide."
Even though five Khmer Rouge leaders are being held by a UN-backed genocide court, many young Cambodians are unaware that up to two million people died through overwork, starvation and execution under the brutal regime.
More than 70 percent of Cambodia's 14 million people were born after the Khmer Rouge were ousted in 1979 and, as the topic is sensitive among elites who were involved with the regime, little about it has been taught in schools.
Last year Cambodia unveiled its first textbook about the Khmer Rouge regime and began distributing about half a million copies to high schools.
The genocide court in Phnom Penh is scheduled to deliver its first verdict on July 26, in the case of former prison chief Duch -- the first Khmer Rouge leader to face international justice.
Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died in 1998. The joint trial of four other senior regime leaders is expected to start in 2011, while the court is considering whether to open cases against five other former Khmer Rouge cadres
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