0		Cambodia, Google, blogging,

A prominent, anonymous blogger reported today that a Cambodian Internet Service Provider has started blocking Google's Blogger.

It's yet unclear whether more ISPs will follow this critical step taken by teleSURF, one of the earliest broadband service providers.

'Details are Sketchy' wrote: "Access to blogger.com and blogspot.com appear to be restricted by at least one ISP (hi Telesurf). Both of these sites have been unavailable for several days. Requests to these servers time out."

Until now there is no mutual agreement and mechanism to censor any Internet sites, although the Ministry of Posts & Telecommunications has commented recently on a planned blocking policy that will crack down on anti-government websites and obscene content.

One of Cambodia's most visited blogs (ki-media.blogspot.com), online since 2005, has been a hub of news articles and discussions of sensitive issues about Cambodia. Its owner(s) remain(s) anonymous, in the hope of avoiding self-censorship and legal action that may be taken by registered newspapers.

Herdict, a project of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, provides a useful tool to keep track of the accessibility of websites.

In 2003, giant search engine Google acquired Blogger from Pyra Labs, a company co-founded by Evan Williams. The American entrepreneur is currently with Twitter, the world's most popular micro blogging site, as a pioneer.

 

	0		cambodia, woman, fulbright, somaly mam, khmer

• Dany Vinh, 27, a Fulbright scholar
• Sidaroth Kong, 28, an Australian Leadership Awards holder
• Keo Kalyan, 25, a former Fulbright scholar
• Sopheap Chak, 25, a scholar at International University of Japan
• Somaly Mam, 39 or 40, a human rights activist
• Khmer woman in focus
• Making moves in the media: Ung Chan Sophea,26, a Radio France International correspondent; Yung Khemara, 23, a radio presenter

 

 

 

	0		photoblogger, blog, cambodia, khmer

Cambodian newspaper Phnom Penh Post has a story on Cambodia photobloggers. In this post, you can find some of Cambodia's most prolific photobloggers who chronicle life and society with still photographs. The photobloggers, mostly in their mid twenty, may help journalists, if not historians, in some way with what they do now. The four fellows (links below) have invested their time and money to do what they like: go out and shoot with their digital single-lens reflex camera. The passionate photobloggers capture and publish some of the most beautiful moments and changes that have taken place in Cambodia as if they're documenting some of the first draft of the country's history.

Chea Phal (since 2006)

http://tumnei.wordpress.com

Sophal Chek (2007)

http://limbiz.blogspot.com/

Borin Ly (2007)

http://www.borin.ws

Borei Sylvann (2010)

http://spikroom.blogspot.com

	1		Fulbright, scholar, Dany Vinh, Cambodia, education

I have another good chance to do an email interview with Dany Vinh, a former Pannasastra University of Cambodia student, who has been lately awarded one of the world's most prestige scholarships for her study in Economics/Sustainable Development in the United States. The 27-year-old has a lot to say here as her years of effort has come to a point that people call life-changing moment. Aside from talking with her about how she made it through to the final stage of Fulbright scholarship program, I also asked for her thoughts on women in education as well one of the major issues facing Cambodian human resources today, quality that has not readily been assured.

Photo courtesy of Dany Vinh

Question. How many attempts you took before you're awarded this Fulbright scholarship?

I tried to apply for a few other scholarships (The World Bank, Endeavor, and Australian Development Scholarships), but I failed all of them. In the beginning I felt very discouraging. Then I have learned that I failed because each scholarship has its own specific criteria that make me less competitive comparing to other candidates. Therefore, I decided not to give it up easily. I continued to look for the one until I got Fulbright.

Q. Which university are you going to study?

Not yet been informed by the Fulbright.

Q. What are you going to major in?

Economic/Sustainable Development.

Q. How did you feel at that very moment when you got news of the scholarship award?

It was a day after the interview when I received a phone call saying that “Dany, you made it through the Fulbright Scholarship.” At that very moment I felt as if I were FLYING! I kept smiling for a week or two, and I still could hardly believe myself that it was REAL. Some friends of mine kept teasing me when seeing me smiling alone most of the time, and accountants might even think I was crazy. However, I just could not hide my feelings and so I would just be am!

Q. What area are you going to contribute to upon your return? And will you prefer be in non-profit or business or government?

I see myself in a research institute involved in issues at the grassroots level. My research interests would be on issues related to economic/sustainable development. Besides, I will strive to set up a Student Loan Program with low/no interest to serve low-income Cambodian students who deserve a chance to pursue their studies. I believe that education is one of the primary driving forces to move oneself out of poverty. Thus, in the long run I will also see myself as a social entrepreneur.

Q. As a woman, did your parents encourage you in your education? What did they say knowing that you will be a Fulbright scholar?

My parents always highly value education. When I was a little girl, I remember that my family was so poor that we could hardly have 3 times of meal per day. However, they still sent all their children to school regardless of gender. They told us one proverb that “For one year of prosperity, sow grain. For ten years of prosperity, plant trees. For one hundred years of prosperity, educate people.” My parents are very proud of my achievements to date and will always keep their eyes on me through thick and thin.

Q. What do you think about Cambodian higher education?

Frankly speaking, I came from one of the most reputable universities, yet its quality is still limited. Its course outline does not really fit its major, and a few professors are not accountable for their jobs. There are also other universities, which are not very well-known like mine, but their qualities are still better in a way. In short, Cambodian higher education can be competitive only if it’s a quality oriented rather than too much profit oriented.

Dany can be reached via email at: dany_vinh [@] yahoo.com.

 

	0		Fulbright, Australian Leadership Awards, Cambodia

It takes more than 6 years for 28-year-old Kong Sidaroth (nicknamed Da)  to shape her English skills in hope of going abroad to study. The determined, hopeful Cambodian woman recently had to choose one of two prestigious scholarships, Fulbright to study in the United States or Australian Leadership Awards (ALA). After her graduation from Cambodia's Royal University of Phnom Penh in early 2000s, she has been working and studying hard to improve her language skills and gain experience in management.

In the next few months, she'll be in Australia to pursue a Master of Development Studies with a specialization in Development Management for two years at the University of Melbourne.

Photo courtesy of Kong Sidaroth

In an email interview recently, Kong Sidaroth wrote:

"I expect to gain an in-dept knowledge of global development, to improve my leadership skills, and to link closer tie between Cambodia and Australia."

Asked why she decided to go for Australia, not the U.S., she responded that:

"Making a decision about Australian and Fulbright scholarship was a very tough one. There are several important factors contributed to my decision. 

"The first factor is that ALA is also very competitive and reputable among other scholarships offered by the Australian government. 

"The second factor is that on top of the scholarship for the master degree, ALA awardees are mandatory to participate in the “Leadership Development Program” at which they will be equipped with leadership competence. 

"The third factor is that graduates from Australian scholarships are as knowledgeable and competent as those graduated from Fulbright. 

" The fourth factor is that I have all clear information regarding to which university I will study and where I live during the scholarship, and I can choose these by myself which is not possible with Fulbright. 

" The fifth fifth factor is that I know all support and benefits packages that will be offered during the scholarship period. This type of information is very limited with Fulbright."

Kong Sidaroth, who holds a bachelors degree in Computer Science from the Royal University of Phnom Penh, maintains a personal blog at http://daroth.wordpress.com/. She's a leading advocate in e-learning in Cambodia, a country where the number of Internet users is starting to grow rapidly.

	0		cambodia, vietnam, thailand, sam rainsy, sophal ear

While much attention goes to Preah Vihear temple in northern Cambodia and Thailand, opposition party leader Sam Rainsy’s use of ‘yuon’ as a term to describe the Vietnamese has sparked heated discussions on the Web, although with less media coverage.

Early this month, in a virtual rhetoric talk from France via video-conference, Mr Sam Rainsy said (as quoted in this Phnom Penh Post news article): '“This is the first time in history that the yuon have withdrawn from Cambodia,” he added, using the racist epithet for the Vietnamese.'

In late January, "a Cambodian court has sentenced opposition chief Sam Rainsy in absentia to two years imprisonment for uprooting border markers on the frontier with Vietnam."

Many Cambodians have been outraged, and written their letters to the Post editor.

On February 5, 2010, Los Angeles-based Patrick Chum wrote: “I’ve been a loyal Phnom Penh Post reader for more than 10 years because of your ethics in news reporting. You care about our community and report news as is and unbiased. In reference to the article “Sam Rainsy declares border victory” (February 2, 2010), I am very offended by Meas Sokchea’s description of the word yuon as a racist word.” Read the full text here: “A good paper makes a bad decision about the meaning of yuon.”

Following this, more letters have continued to discuss the term ‘yuon’ with historical facts and how it’s commonly used in everyday life.

“Is the use of the term yuon constructive?” asked Phnom Penh resident Michael Hansen, while Peter Starr, Independent Journalism Foundation Resident representative, suggested: “Yuon may be neutral, but it’s not diplomatic.”

Currently in Australia, Cambodian born Bora Touch said: “Objectors to yuon have been hypnotised by foreign ‘experts’”

The Post claimed here when a number of readers accused its reporter, Meas Sokchea, for the word manipulation.

Editor’s note: The decision to characterise the term yuon as a racist epithet when used to describe the country of Vietnam or its citizens in the story ‘Sam Rainsy declares border victory’ (February 2, 2010) by Meas Sokchea was made by the editors of The Phnom Penh Post. We invite all readers to register their opinions on this issue and urge them to direct their comments to the editors of the newspaper and not individual reporters, who played no role in determining editorial policy on this matter.

A few days later, the local English language newspaper retrieved and reposted a comprehensive analysis on the controvserial issue, co-authored by Sophal Ear and Kenneth T So.

“Yuon: What’s in a xenonym?” was discussed at length by the well-respected assistant professor of national security affairs in Monterey, California, and the engineer and Khmer historian.