April 17, 1975 !

http://youtu.be/rI8JZ4U9gTI

Khmer Prediction..The Rising of Angkor!

Khmer Prediction..The Rising of Angkor!

For those who understand Thai and Khmer...

Human Rights or Wrongs?

Picture from the Phnom Penh Post          See full story here: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/activist’s-facebook-firestorm

Human right or wrongs?

Virak's comment drew barrage of attacks from many individuals on Facebook. Some attacks are very blunt and quite heinous by calling him all sort of names and painting him with a broad brush. Ou Virak is a brother of Ou Chanroth and Ou Chanrith, both are now higher-ranking members of CNRP. I know both of them.

Whether we agree with Virak or not, Cambodians should exercise our restraints so that we don't go too far... as far as to character assassinate this brilliant young man who has served Khmer interests for many years.

I would encourage all of our friends to become brothers and perhaps we should dig for reasons to applaud rather than to scratch for excuse to gossip or to hate. I don't believe that Virak has any tiny bone in him that he would hate Cambodia or Cambodians. All of us, especially Cambodian political leaders, must tone down their rhetorics during this challenging time. Thinking before saying is better than saying before thinking. Maybe we should bite our tongue more often and taking the time to praise those who dare to do good for Khmer people regardless which side they belong to.

Virak may have a few points…on the Thais and the Vietnamese issues:

Politicians should show the world that they can work with the Thai and the Vietnamese, not against them. The United States are dealing directly with Vietnam now. UNTAC somehow tainted and established the word Yuon as racial. The Opposition needs to watch what they say, how they say and stop instilling and inciting fears into Khmer people’s mind about the Vietnamese issue. Fears feed more fears. Racial connotations should be tuned down and toned down. Teaching the people to understand our history and to help stop illegal immigration does not have to include racial attacks and or painting people with the same brush.

Bigger nations like the United States and other democratic nations that deal directly with Thailand and Vietnam won’t be able to help us much if we are perceived as racist. Even if Sam Rainsy is the Cambodian Prime Minister, he will have to work with the Thai and the Vietnamese. These two nations will still have major influences over Cambodia regardless of who runs it.

Remember, " it’s the economy stupid?" The world now is different.

Thank you.

On the Demonstration at the U.N. : Do the protesters know that the UN can't get involved?

On the Demonstration at the U.N. : 

Do the protesters know that the UN can't get involved?

On Monday August 19, 2013--a beautiful sunny day-- hundreds of people of all ages came from different parts of New York and many other states mostly the East coast of the United States.  They came by cars, buses, and train a well as by air. 

On a sidewalk nearby the park, as I was walking of 1st Avenue toward the crowd, a couple American bystanders asked me what were the protesters doing [protesting about]? I told them it was about the results of the Cambodian election. They asked me why did they protest at the U.N? I smiled and walked on.  

In the crowd, a young lady who was standing beside me in the front line among the deafening and cheering crowd repeating a slogan aloud, " We need Yuon, We need Yuon, We need Yuon"....

When I teased her why did she say she needed Yuon? She said with a smile, “We need Yuon." And of course she meant "U.N." But, when she said it so fast, U.N sounded like "Yuon." :-)

As I looked at the enthusiastic crowd I wondered if they all knew that their voice would fall on a deaf ear. Not that the United Nations is heartless, but it just cannot not get involved in Cambodia's internal affairs without Cambodia's request. And for now, Cambodia is under Hun Sen's leadership. Many local and regional leaders including the leader of China, Vietnam and Thailand seem to favor the results projected by the Cambodian National Election Committee.

The protest was supposed to be held to request the United Nations and internal community to find ways and means to help investigate the alleged fraudulent electoral processes of July 28th, but unfortunately, many protesters also strongly expressed their anger directly toward Premier Hun Sen and his government.

Many protesters shouted, "Hun Sen Must Go!" or must step down and others scolded him with strong vocabularies and adjectives. The demands went beyond the protested theme of "election fraud" presumably committed by the NEC.  

Although it was an exciting moment, the activities went a bit too far that could stain the image of the event. At one point, the police had to tell us to remove all sticks and poles from the crowd and to adjust the sound system that was too noisy and many sound system were not supposed to used.  

Whether it was initially indented or not, this incident could also happen to the so-called widespread protest in Cambodia if such a protest is not carefully planned and controlled properly.  

Nevertheless, the small NYC Park on the corner of 47th St and First Avenue is a memorable place where many Cambodians have been using to vent out our frustrations over various issues for at least 30 years.

What will the protesters in New York and elsewhere expect from this special event?

Besides coming back to cheer each other up about the instant serge of democracy in Cambodia and to vent out their frustrations at the same playground, most of them left New York City with a high hope and anticipation. The hope that one of these days justice will come to their country--Cambodia.

In reality, because of the restrictions, the U.N. may not be able to help, but at least the messages will get to Cambodian leaders on both sides that what ever they do, they are being observed and assessed not just by Cambodians inside Cambodia but in the world.

Today these people may not be happy with Premier Hun Sen's regime and about the elections; tomorrow it will be about something else.

Although the current Opposition leaders may enjoy hearing about the demonstration to support them, they must also realize that such supports will disappear if they break their promises and their words. 

Funcinpec used to experience the same level of supports in the past, but this party has shrunken or self-destructed from 58 seats to 43, 26, 2, and 0 in this past election. 

 Will the fate of CNRP be the same as FUNCINPEC?  Only time can tell.

On widespread protests: Prevent violence is a better choice!

On widespread protests: Prevent violence is a better choice!

It is almost certain that if the widespread protests were to happen, violence would follow.

The violence is likely to happen not because the leaders want it to occur, but because the leaders cannot control the situations in which the emotions of hatred, anger, revenge, fears and jealousy, etc.… are high among the participants. Such emotions have been instilled in people’s heart and mind for quite some time. Mostly are from careless using of political rhetoric.

When you put an angry person by himself to yell and scream on the street, the effect of his anger is small and less harmful; however, when you place thousands of people who are hateful, angry, revengeful, fearful and jealous in the same place, you will multiply the harmful effects by thousands times. It is likened to pouring thousands of gallons of deadly fuel onto a small fire. The negative emotions are high and all you need is a little spark of fire to detonate. 

It is the Universal law. Negative attracts more negatives and they just cannot produce positive results.

Cambodia has gone through such situations many times in the past. That is one of the reasons why its populations have been reduced to where they are now. They have killed each other from within with such negative emotions and attitudes that are not well analyzed and understood.

Cambodians have spoken their mind on the 28th of July. They had chosen to go to voting booths to use the ballots because they wanted peaceful solutions to their many challenges in life. There is no reason political leaders cannot do the same—using all peaceful means to help those who voted for them.

Help fulfill their dreams rather than break their heart and trust. Stop the rhetoric and prevent violence while you still can.

It’s a better choice.

Peace!

Timothy Chhim

New York 08-08-13

Positive Suggestions for The Opposition

For the OPPOSITION!

Here are some positive suggestions:

On the election:
If you join the election, join it!
Threatening to boycott the election is a rusty, old and dull chisel. Declaring the election process as unfair, not free and yet participating in it anyway is another weakness that makes the world getting whacked. The CPP knows this well and use it to its benefit. If you join the election, join it. Ask the world to come in and help monitor the election. Don’t stop them. Why the fear? When you find that the election is rigged and unacceptable, prove it and show it to the world and help correct it with positive attitude. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.

On your Opponent:
Learn from your Opponent!
The Opposition needs to learn from the CPP. Many CPP ‘s Opponents are blinded by their hatred, anger, revenge and are biased to the point that they do not want to learn from what the CPP has been doing to keep on winning. They resort to personal attacks. When they watch Hun Sen’s speeches, they only see the bad remarks that he makes and don’t bother to realize that Hun Sen does not speak to “the world” but to those who speak the same language as he does—the average Cambodians. They should realize that the world don’t and can’t vote, but the average Cambodians do and can.

On your image: 
Arrogance is destructive!
The Opposition leaders need to stop being arrogant. One of the behaviors that the Opposition needs to change is to stop looking down on the CPP leaders as monkeys, an ignorant bunch, animals, criminals, traitors and all other negative adjectives that if people of the world really know what they mean they will view the Opposition as extremists. Such destructive expressions and behaviors will repel not only voters at the grassroots levels mostly controlled by the CPP, but they will make the “International Community” think twice. Remember, birds of a feather flock together.

On the Vietnamese issue:
Work with the Vietnamese, not for them or against them!
Show the world that you can work with the Vietnamese, not against them. The Opposition needs to stop instilling fears into Khmer people’s mind about the Vietnamese issue. Fears feed more fears. Racial connotations should be tuned down and toned down. Teaching the people to understand our history and to help stop illegal immigration does not have to include racial attacks and or painting people with the same brush. Bigger nations like the United States and other democratic nations that deal directly with Vietnam won’t be able to help you much. Remember, it’s the economy stupid. The world now is different.

On your organizational structure:
Help close all leaks in your organization, morally, financially and materially! 

Organize your mind first and close all leaks of your good morality if you have it. If you need help, get help to gain or regain your good moral conducts. There are plenty of institutions that can teach you and some of them are for free---good Buddhist temples. However paying someone to help you and your organization is better, because you will value it more. But, the best person who can help you most effectively is YOU. 

Don’t trade your integrity with the immoralities found in the current society that you want to change. Keep your ethical conducts checked if you want to give your life to the public and if you want to make a living from serving the people. Your mind is the ground for all things. Therefore your outside organization is only as good as your inside one. 

If you fail to clean your mind then you won’t be able to have a clean and uncorrupted organization. If your organization is corrupted, your political life or public life will also end sooner or later. In addition, you will not be able to challenge others about their weaknesses because you also have your own. Two wrongs can’t be right. Two rights can’t be wrong. So, be on the right side. You are in the business to save our country, don’t mess up our country with your immoral activities. 

Good morality is the most important. Once you apply it, others will follow. It begins with your admission that your own past is imperfect but don’t use this “no one is perfect” reason as an alibi to continue doing the same things. 

Tell everyone in your organization that you and everyone will start it freshly and get him or her involved in special training for political and professional ethics and moral principles. Once your members at all levels improve their morality, you will see less corruption inside your own organization. You will save money, time and effort. This can be translated into more votes. And even if your opponents wrongly attack you, the whole world will know, especially your own little world will judge you appropriately. 

For now, as I can see it, your organization is like a Swiss cheese with holes, close them holes. Begin it now with the correction of your morality. 

You may tell us the “it’s easy said that done” jingle and use it as an alibi not to correct your mental attitude, but remember this: You are in the business to do the hardest thing for our country. If it were easy, someone else would have done it long before you. 

Just do it.

Timothy Chhim
June 24, 2013

A lesson from the past: Homeland’s call lures candidates

A lesson from the past

http://phnompenhpost.com/2013053165989/National/homeland-s-call-lures-candidates.html

Five years ago, In 2008 Campaign for a change, some of my close friends from inside and outside of Cambodia told and teased me I was a piece of the "Three-layer Pork Meet" or "sach chrouk bei choan" for the local politicians. :-)

I din't know what they meant and didn't believe what they said until some $70,000 later. A great lesson to learn.

So guys, I mean professional politicians, if you want to change Cambodia, you need to change your ways of thinking and your ways of doing things to help her. Change your morality.

If you are thinking or doing the same things---like what you have done previously-- you will get the same result. Worst of all, you will destroy the future of Cambodian oppositions of the next generations.

Khmer people from abroad are naive and mostly honest. They use their heart to think and not their head. A few are greedy, many are hopeful of course, but they don't know much about your tricks or treats.

They trust you wholeheartedly with their life and hard-earned money. Not every Cambodian here in the US earns $10,000 dollars a month. Many get less than that per year...but with the excitements, incitements and mostly fears about the future of our beloved country, they sacrifice their time, money and life.



So have your morality checked! Wear your honesty hat. Be truthful to them. Give innocent people like Mr. Pin a chance to serve Cambodia. And, yes, you can do it. He is not your piece of the "Three-layer Pork Meet."

Timothy Chhim

"Silence is not necessarily golden"

Youth and Wisdom

Youth and Wisdom

When Professor Surya Subedi, The UN special envoy on human rights to Cambodia, was under verbal attacks by young students in Phnom Penh, he did not react. He responded with kindness.

It's better off to respond rather than to react in any situation.

Why didn't Surya react, but responded?

Wisdom only comes to us when we trade it in with our age--time. We gain our wisdom by trading our youth away. Both youth and wisdom rarely occupy us at the same time.

Surya gains his wisdom through time and experience that he has given.

All Khmers regardless of our political affiliations must learn from Surya and help him to help us. Some of us decided to react with violent words.

Violent words are harmful.

This is one of the reasons why the CPP will do everything to stay in power. Violence will be met by violence.

Violent words are dangerous and they can come back to hunt those who use them. They create fears on both sides and fear (the opposite of faith) is one of the negative emotions that destroys human development.

There is a saying that, "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

We should find a better reason or reasons why we should or should not need the UN... and not to condemn, threaten or label those who have opposing views.

This is one of the weaknesses that Hun Sen's opponents fail to realize.

On the one hand they cry for the UN to help, on the other hand, they violate the very principles that the UN preaches. They make it harder for the UN to do their job.

Only good can win over evil.

Timothy Chhim

The Cambodian Oppositions and their Negative Campaigning Are they the forces of positive changes?

The Cambodian Oppositions and their Negative Campaigning

Are they the forces of positive changes?

The oppositions should be the forces of positive thinkers for positive changes and should avoid being too negative to the point that they can be called extremists.

Most philosophers agree that only positive thoughts can attract positive people and yield positive outcomes or results.  Positive thinking has been accountable for all major accomplishments in the world. Negative thinking or stinking thinking rarely or never yields positive results.

From time to time I check into KI-Media. Blogspot.com, the Khmer Intelligence blog that is widely believed to belong to Sam Rainsy’s supporters or even Sam Rainsy’s Party (now the newly formed Cambodia National Rescue Party.) 

Although some cut and pasted articles are useful and informative, the majority of written and posted articles, caricatures, perverted pictures and commentaries are ferocious, deceitful and distasteful.

Those who oppose Hun Sen's regime and Hun Sen's supporters may not like top Cambodian monks and label them as terrorists, but there are millions of Cambodians who do respect them as their religious leaders. Offending their religious leaders maybe counterproductive.  

From Ki-Media.blogspot.com

Poems, responses as well as comments expressed by readers and by those who are allowed to post their postings are extremely offensive and violent.  Such contents and languages really make Hun Sen’s ruthless tongues as by far more reasonable indeed.

I personally understand the anger, frustration and resentment that many Cambodians have with the CPP, it’s leaders and their Vietnamese ally, but I disagree with the languages used by those who claim that they are much better than Hun Sen and his team. Especially, those who have been groomed or schooled and trained in the West or in the United States.

They should have higher moral standard than those whom they believe as evil in a third world country like Cambodia. Such languages, displays and presentations are beyond being humorous or amusing. They represent hatred and profanity. How do  they expect to get help from other "good leaders"of the world? 

From Ki-Media.blogspot.com

I believe you should be able to bring your messages to the world in civilized manners without resorting to cursing, blaspheming, and using vulgar languages. Negative and extreme languages only attract negative and extreme people and negative individuals repel good and decent people.  Any misinformation or wrongful accusations can only damage your very own reputation.

From Ki-Media.blogspot.com

I realize that many people believe that the only way to change the country is to "curse" its leaders out or to prove them devilish. Those dictators maybe evil in certain individual's mind, but may not be in all Cambodian people’s mind. 

From Ki-Media.blogspot.com

If and when you are being labeled as a group of extremists, you are finished. I assume that KI’s business is to help the oppositions to succeed in their quest—to win the next general election.  Otherwise, you are only doing Hun Sen a favor by making him as a more reasonable man.

Be the forces of positive changes!

If you want to be a force of positive thinkers who want to bring positive changes to Cambodia you should change the way you think, speak and act.  There is no need to kowtow or bow down to Premier Hun Sen or to agree with his leadership ability, but you need to earn respects from the world community and from Cambodians at large.

One way to earn admirations from the Cambodian people is to become calm, cool and collected. There are plenty of words that describe our feelings that will yield positive outcomes.

One of the great advices from our Cambodian forefathers is,” Samdeiy Sar Jeat, Mearyeat Sar Pouch” or “your words represent your nationality (or who you are) and your characters represent your origin.” 

To defeat our adversaries or opponents we need to really"focus"on winning not to curse with anger and hatred. We need to think accurately. Accurate thinking and controlled attention cannot be done when we possess negative emotions. Be the forces of positive changes!

There are many ways to skin a cat, but don't do it when you are angry or when you are out of your mind.

Timothy Chhim
New York
3-27-13

NEGATIVITY AND COMPLAINING ROT YOUR BRAIN

http://www.talentsmart.com/articles/How-Negativity-and-Complaining-Literally-Rot-Your-Brain-1719177667-p-1.html

http://www.tom2tall.com/Travis-Bradberry-Negativity-and-Complaining.html

Silent Killer: Do Cambodians commit massive suicide everyday?

Silent Killer: 

Do Cambodians commit massive suicide everyday?

You would think that drinking is the only bad habit that destroys people’s life including the life of the individual drinker. 

But, smoking is another destructive addiction that once it gets to you, it will lead you to try out other bad habits, such as doing drugs, drinking, gambling and buying sex, etc.

I have seen many young Cambodians smoke and they do smoke a lot of cigarettes. Thousands more are addicted to drugs.

According the statistic that was done in 2006, some 48 percent of Cambodian males over age 15 smoke and about 4 percent of Cambodian women light up.

Smoking destroys Khmer society in many ways. 

First, it costs Cambodians more money to treat diseases affected by smoking and second handed smoking. 

Secondly it costs Cambodians a big chunk of their annual income to burn cigarettes.  Some people sell their land little by little to smoke (and to drink.)

Next, smoking destroys Cambodian mental capacity to think clearly. 

Cigarettes break down the power of persistence; destroy the power of endurance; destroy the ability to concentrate, reduce the imaginative faculty in the mind.

All of the above factors definitely keep Cambodians from using their mind effectively.  

It should be a good reason for Cambodians to do something to help stop cigarette smoking and or to slow it down to help save Cambodian lives. 

Sometimes Cambodians are busy fighting over things that are less important. 

 We forget that there are silent killers in our society that kill our people en mass.  Some of the killers are our loved ones, including our friends, relatives and family members.

So next time before you light up, THINK if you CAN.

These articles below should at least raise your eyebrows, if they do not choke you up:

http://toh.adracambodia.org/statistics/statistics.htm

http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/87/12/08-058917/en/index.html

http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/5/1/66.full.pdf

All pictures are from Google.com

Timothy Chhim

New York

March 25, 2013

Can Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Angkor and the Kingdom affect your life?

Drinking and Driving:

Can Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Angkor

and the Kingdom affect your life?

Three main things that cause deadly collisions are:

1-Roadway conditions

2-Vehicle conditions (equipments)

3-Human conditions-drivers (human errors)

Out of the three conditions, human errors, motives and mental attitude are accountable for most accidents.

In Cambodia today, roadway conditions and vehicle conditions need to be drastically improved.

But at this time what need to be improved first and more than anything else is the human conditions—the people’s attitude toward their overall safety.

Drinking and taking or using drugs (legally or illegally) and driving are the formula of death or serious injuries. There are thousands of lightweight vehicles (motorcycles, scooters, tricycles, bicycles, etc.) on the roads every minute in Cambodia. When they collide with heavier vehicles like cars or trucks, the results are deadly.

Stop drinking or drinking responsibly will help reduce traffic death and injuries! 

If you have blood alcohol content (BAC) of .05, you are considered impaired. A BAC of .08 or higher you are actually intoxicated.

Consuming one can of beer like the "Angkor" beer will raise your BAC to .02. Two cans will raise it to .04 and more than two cans you will become impaired and 4 cans you will be intoxicated. Will you resist an additional drink so that you and your fellow countrymen can come home safely to hug their loved ones?

However, drinking is a habit formed by Cambodians themselves with the help of heavy advertisements on radios, televisions, billboards and other forms of commercials and infomercials.

Immortal Beer

What is more interesting is that today's Cambodians have been [proudly] introduced to consume what they have never seen and heard before in the past decades.

All of Cambodian famous and sacred symbols and names are being used as powerful forms of advertisement to lure more Cambodian drinkers.

Angkor: The famous name of Khmer National Symbol now has become the name of beer that has ABV equal to more than 5%.

ABV: alcohol by volume (abbreviated as abv or ABV) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in an alcoholic beverage...

Cambodia Drinks

 Phnom Penh: The name of Cambodian Proud Capital City has also become the name of alcoholic drinks.

Cambodia: The name of the country of which Cambodians are proud of has now become the name of an alcoholic beverage.

Kingdom: Usually is a symbol of Respected Khmer Monarchy, a part of Cambodian National Motto, is now a symbol of Cambodian beer breweries...

What have happened lately to Cambodians and Cambodia, a Buddhist Nations ingraved in the country's  National Constitution?  

The answerer remains unknown, but what is known thus far is the destructive habits and behaviors formed by more and more Cambodians by ways of drinking, taking illegal drugs, gambling, sex trading, etc. The habits were warned more than two thousands years ago by the very person that Cambodians bow to every day--Lord Buddha.

Stop drunk drivers and help save Khmer lives!

Timothy Chhim

NY 03-23-2013