Cambodia, annonymous, blogger

"The good thing about a blog is that it can be anonymous and you still can be contacted," says Gary Kawaguchi, a digital media trainer at Royal University of Phnom Penh, Department of Media and Communications. 

Here's an email interview with Details are Sketchy (DAS) the blogger, who started blogging anonymously since June 2006. The prominent blogger prolifically weighs in on issues ranging from arts to politics to the World Bank's controversial issues.

Tharum Bun: How long have you been in Cambodia?

DAS: More than 10 years. I arrived in early 1998.

Q: Why did you start blogging?

DAS: When I started writing, there wasn't much thought-provoking blogging about Cambodia. I wanted to try and provoke some informed debate. And also, I wanted to learn more about this 'blog' thingy that all the cool kids were talking about.

Q: Why do you choose to blog about Cambodia?

DAS: Cambodia is where I live. And, again, I wanted to try and raise the quality of the online conversation.

Q: In your blog, you seem to prefer talking about the opinions of local bloggers more than expats or tourists. Why is this?

DAS: My guide has always been to write about things that exists online -- basically, i just riff off other people's idea. The Cambodia Daily was the lone exception. For a while I would read the Cambodia Daily for material, and comment about the news in that paper. But then my schedule changed, and I wouldn't get the paper until after lunch, so I had to look elsewhere. All along, I wanted to try and create a place for debate and informed comment on Cambodia. So in commenting on posts by other bloggers, I was hoping to lure them into the conversation. I wanted to pump the Cambodian bloggers, and hopefully help contribute to the growth of Cambodian blogs in general. I commented on and linked to bloggers like ThaRum, Lux Mean, Kalyan (Keo), Dee Dee (the other Kalyann), Mongkol, Vireak, Kounila Keo (KK) and others in the hopes that people reading me would read them too, and that maybe those readers of other blogs might come and read me. I am not too sure how well that worked out, though. Few Cambodians ever commented regularly on my site. In the end, I think I probably made them more nervous then curious.

Q: What do you think about blogging scene here in this country?

DAS: The blogging scene here is still small, but like the country itself, it's extremely vibrant. I think it was a Global Voices post that said Cambodia had a comparable number of English-language bloggers as did its neighbors Thailand and Vietnam, even though those countries have populations much, much larger. That's amazing. And I think it speaks to the determination of the younger generation.

Q: How is it like being an anonymous blogger?

DAS: Well, it means I don't have to worry about someone hitting me on the head with a coconut. But also, I think -- or at least I hope -- the ideas that were put forth on the blog were evaluated on their merits, good or bad. It was not possible to attack the author.

Q: Some of your blog readers say that your blog is lack of accuracy, and it’s largely guesswork and gossip. How do you respond to this?

DAS: Please respond in comments. They are open to everyone, and they do not require any identifying information. I am certainly not perfect. I do get things wrong. When I know about it, I always make corrections. At the same time, it's a blog. Not a newspaper. Most of the material there is opinion. Feel free disagree. That is the whole idea.

Q: The Cambodia Daily publisher intends to file a lawsuit against you. What do you think?

DAS: Really? ROFLMAO [Rolling on Floor Laughing My Ass Off].

Q: A little about about yourself.l Are you a man or a woman? Which country are you from?

DAS: The United States.

			Thailand, Cambodia, Hun Sen, Thaksin, Abhisit

Now Thailand's fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra has resigned as economics adviser to the Cambodian government, will diplomatic relations between Bangkok and Phnom Penh improve?

Agence France-Presse's journalist Suy Se reported that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva indicated Monday that they could reinstate the diplomats in light of Thaksin's departure, describing it as a "good sign", adding that "If relations return to normal, it is good for both countries to have ambassadors".

Cambodia last year appointed Thaksin Shinawatra as the personal advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen and advisor to the government in charge of economy. Although Thailand responded to the hiring of its most wanted former premier as "an internal matter" for Cambodia, ties between the two neighboring countries continued to be low.

In fact until now tensions between the nations remain unsolved. PM Hun Sen's calls on the United Nations and ASEAN chair Vietnam to help in the Cambodia-Thai border dispute were rejected by the current Thai Prime Minister, who continuously rejects multilateral talks to solve the row.

"Hopes rise as Thaksin quits post" was the top news headline on The Bangkok Post news website today.

In a news report by local media, Cambodia said Thaksin had stepped down "because of personal difficulties in fulfilling his role completely".

			Crime, news, the, most, read, Cambodia

Most news stories that fill Cambodian newspapers are about crime. Probably the worst crime Cambodia has ever witnessed in years is, according to a news report today in an English language newspaper, "a Cambodian man killed five family members and injured three others after they prevented him from raping his 16-year-old sister-in-law". The crime took place on Wednesday in Svay Rieng, a province that shares its border with Vietnam.

A local newspaper, Kampuchea Thmey, published this crime news story  yesterday along with photographs taken at the scene.

A blogger wrote recently that "It’s common practice of local newspapers [of course, written in the Khmer language] to publish bloody pictures of corpses, injured victims from traffic accidents or murder."

			Cambodia, Thailand

Guest contributor Eisel Mazard at New Mandala wrote a blog post: "Cambodia is not a Province of Thailand: the Modern Myth of Suvaṇṇabhūmi". The Pali language scholar takes a quick look at history, nationalism, and propaganda of Cambodia and Thailand.

“Suvaṇṇabhūmi” is not just the name of an airport: it has been an important part of Thai propaganda for over 100 years.  Today, the myth of “Suvaṇṇabhūmi” is used to propound the claim that all of Cambodia, Laos and even Vietnam were formerly part of Thailand, but were later “lost” in a series of wars (with the details normally left up to the imagination).

This article traces the myth of Suvaṇṇabhūmi from its origins through several stages of transformation, down to its recent re-packaging by the Taksin-era Thai government, and its peculiar role in the still-ongoing border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia.

While tension between Cambodia and Thailand remains high and the war of words continues between Phnom Penh and Bangkok, Eisel Mazard concluded in his academic piece that:

My optimism, however, is not based in these facts, but merely in my experience of spending long periods of time on all sides of the borders that the current generation must cope with.  Simply put, the peoples of rural Isan, Laos, and Cambodia, don’t want another war.  As bad as current conditions may be, they’re still much better than what most of the residents became accustomed to over the last 50 years.  They have demonstrated to all of us that they can both cope and thrive in the midst of some of history’s greatest tragedies.

 

 

			cambodia, youth arts festival, phnom penh,

More than 500 people will gather this week at Phnom Penh's Chaktomuk theater "to generate arts renewal through the sharing and learning of a variety of traditional and contemporary art forms," says Song Seng, who manages this year's Cambodian Youth Arts Festival.

For the first time since its inception in 2004, the 2010 festival takes place in the Cambodian capital. Previously, artists worked together to celebrate the annual event in Siem Reap and Battambang province. Festival manager Song Seng says "The Cambodian Youth Arts Festival will unite masters, teachers, and students of Cambodian arts as well as youth, international artists and arts organizations from different places throughout Cambodia and the world." He added "The festival is contributing to the re-birth of this country through its resilient arts and culture."

According to the official event website,  "it is the keystone of a movement to revitalize Cambodia through the arts... The festival is also a way to encourage and honor Cambodian artists by recognizing their accomplishments and building hopes for the future."

A local media report says "The diverse performers, who include ethnic minorities from Ratanakkiri and disabled artists from Kampot–use different styles, ranging from traditional Khmer to modern pop."

The five-day arts festival, from August 7-11, 2010, is spearheaded by Cambodian Living Arts (CLA), a non-profit organization that supports arts education and mentorship. The organization has been utilizing its Facebook page to communicate with local and international supporters. CLA hopes its Facebook page will be the first in Cambodia to reach 3000 fans+.

 

1			Khmer Rouge, documentary, film, Nuon Chae, Cambodia

A decade-long effort to document the life of Cambodia's Brother Number Two, Nuon Chea, by Cambodian investigative journalist Thet Sambath has been praised by international news outlets. Documentary film 'Enemies of the People' is now available for public audience as Cambodians and observers talk about the first verdict given by the United Nations-backed tribunal.

The New York Times's Stephen Holden writes:

"The heart of the film, a collaboration by Mr. Thet Sambath and the British documentarian Rob Lemkin, consists of meticulously cataloged interviews conducted during nearly a decade with perpetrators of the mass execution, many of them rural farmers living in northwest Cambodia."

Jared Ferrie at The Christian Science Monitor says:

"Even if this version of history brings the viewer closer to the truth, Thet [Sambath] is careful to point out that none of this absolves Nuon of killing innocents. In the film, Nuon admits publicly, for the first time, that he ordered the killing of thousands of political opponents, which is probably evidence enough to convict him for war crimes – if he ever makes it to trial."

Found on CNN, here's the trailer of the film: