Who is the insolent one ? តើអ្នកណាមួយព្រហើនកំរោលចូល?

This news was happened last week. I try not to have any opinion and wanted to be neutral. But I couldn’t help to stay away from it. I have to get it off from my chest.

I am quoting from PM Hun Sen in response to RFA reporter’s question on terminating position of Tourism Minister who was currently held by a member of FUNCINPEC party. PM Hun Sen then appointed his own CPP party to the position post. The reporter was questioning if this act would end the relationship between the two parties.

PM Hun Sen shot back in fiery anger and pointed a finger straight to the reporter:
“From the name ‘RFA’ when asking questions, let me use one word to describe and go ahead broadcast it ! The name ‘RFA’ not only the radio station itself but also its reporter who asking question is ‘insolent’…I’ve seen your RFA station is very insolent and far beyond. Moreover, its reporter asking questions also very insolent ! “

RFA reporter by his pen name Keo Nimol now is in hiding for fear of his life after he asked the question to the prime minister. He was so afraid. PM Hun Sen bodyguards were circling around him.

The reporter was just merely asking the question. PM Hun Sen is appeared as the insolent one. He should control his temper answered the question calmly.

Angkor Wat will not make to the new 7 wonders

The New7Wonders Web site was conducted and the result is to be announced on 7 July 2007. The latest top ten result has: Greece's The Acropolis, Mexico's Mayan city of Chichen Itza, the Colosseum in Rome, Paris' Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, Peru's mountaintop city Machu Picchu, Jordan's desert city of Petra, the mysterious statue of Easter Island, Britain's Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal in India.

I think this internet campaign of choosing the seven wonders of the world is bogus. It is not fairly represented. To those who voted, do they actually have visited ALL OF THE PLACES ? To me the whole Angkor complex is a wonder by itself. It cannot be compared to any others.

Khmer Karaoke- សុំពេលវេលា កាត់ចិត្តពីអូន

បទចំរៀងនេះខ្ញុំចូលចិត្តខ្លាំងណាស់ ខ្ញុំសូមសរសើរដោយស្មោះដល់អ្នកនិពន្ធ ហ្វៃសំអាង របស់ក្រុមហ៊ុន SSB។ កាព្យចំរៀងសរសេរបានល្អ ហើយមាន អត្តន័យមែនទែន ឯខាងបច្ចេក ទេសថតវីដេអូ និង សំដែងធ្វើអោយខ្ញុំ ជក់ចិត្តតែម្តង ។

ខ្ញុំឆ្ងល់មួយចំពោះបទភ្លេងនេះ មិនដឹងជា ហ្វៃសំអាង ចំលងយកមកពីសៀម ឬ ក៏គាត់សរសេរបទភ្លេង ដោយខ្លួនឯង? ទំនាក់ទំនង បទភ្លេងនេះគឺ ដូចជាបទសៀមតែម្តង ប៉ុន្តែខ្ញុំក៏មិនដឹងជាក់ច្បាស់ដែរ ប្រហែលជា ហ្វៃ សំអាង មានទេពកុសលខាងនិពន្ធតែងភ្លេងចំរៀង ឬ ក៏គាត់មានទេពកុសល ខាងតែលួចចំលងពីបរទេស?
OK, I really like this song. I would like to give high praise to the song writer/producer Vai Som Ang of SSB Production. The lyrics are very good and meaningful. As for the technique in the video and the acting make me addicted to this song even more.

I’m wondering if Vai Som Ang copied the music from the Thai or he wrote the music himself. I’m not so sure, although the music sounds like Thai’s. Perhaps Vai Som Ang could be a talented song writer or he just talented in stealing and copying from others.

Khmer Unicode ខ្មែរ យូនីខូដ installation

កុំព្យូទ័រខ្្ញុំចាស់មែនទែនហើយវាច្រើនតែខូច ពេលវាខូចម្តងៗខ្ញុំត្រូវតែ install Windows XP សារជាថ្មី។ដល់តែinstalled Windows រួច ខ្ញុំឡើងវង្វេងវីរកនឹងខិតខំinstall អក្សរខ្មែរ យូនីខូត យើង។ខាងក្រោមនេះគឺជា instruction ខ្ញុំសរសេរ ដើម្បីងាយស្រួលក្នុងការinstall អក្សរខ្មែរ យូនីខូដ។ I have a very old PC and it crashes very often. Every time it crashes I have to reinstall Windows XP operating systems. After I installed Windows, I have a very hard time and confused of how to install our Khmer Unicode fonts. Below is the the step by step instruction I compiled. So now installing our Khmer Unicode is as easy as 1-2-3-4. That's it .

ចុច image នៅខាងឆ្វេង នឹងតផ្ចាប់ទៅខ្មែរ យូនីខូដ installation site.


(A) Folder C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox doesn't have USP10.DLL



(B) Folder C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox has USP10.DLL

Figures (a) and (b) were taken from http://www.librarything.com/profile/thomvanak using Mozilla Firefox browser.

1) Go to http://www.khmeros.info download file either
KhmerUnicode1.3.0 or Khmer Unicode1.2.5FindUsp. Install the file onto your PC.

2) Installed Windows Office 2003 so that Word could be used for typing our Khmer Unide fonts

3) File USP10.DLL should be present in
C:\Program Files\Khmer Unicode 1.3\ USP10.DLL
Copy USP10.DLL by hold the Ctrl key drag USP10.DLL and drop into respective folders:
-> C:\Program Files\Common Files\ Microsoft Shared\OFFICE11\ USP10.DLL

-> C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\ USP10.DLL (If Mozilla Firefox is your browser)

-> C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\ USP10.DLL (If Internet Explorer is your browser)

4) Set your browser to view Khmer Unicode:

For Internet Explorer browser
->Tools->Internet Options
->General (tab)
->Appearance (bottom section)
->Fonts
->Language Script
->Choose Khmer->Khmer OT

For Mozilla Firefox
->Tools
->Options
->Content
->Default Font: Khmer OS System (size 16)

The above steps worked for me all of the time. You may also refer to this webpage for more details:
http://www.sbbic.org/en/install-khmer-unicode-windows

-vanak

My Election Reaction

I hadn't post my blog for the past weeks. Partly because I was so sad. It was the saddest week I've gone through. And another thing there was so much anticipation for the past week of our national commune election. My reaction of this election it was not good. I still think our Prime Minister Hun Sen (CPP) party is controlling the NEC (National Election Committe) . People from my village said when (1) they're corrupt and (2) as power hungry as they are and (3) they're in control of the country, and (4) has Yuon Hanoi as their boss, they could easily manipulate the election result in their favour. Now CPP party are holding most chief positions in the commune villages and districts throughout the country.

I'm not totally all pessimistic. On the brighter side we Cambodians can vote. That is so important. The election rules must follow the western standard. The western countries have proven democracy worked! Just look at their countries, they are so advanced. Now all what we Cambodians must do is copy what's working and what not working from them and learn from them. We must humble ourselves. Don't be too proud and hard headed (Kbal reung).

កោះត្រឡាច Koh Tralach

Click the yellow cover page on the left to download this complete book. The book is in Khmer. Sorry its not in english :( But, even if you don't read Khmer, download it for your reference. It's a great book.

កោះត្រឡាច "Koh Tralach" has stuck in me. After I read Khmer book "គុក នយោបាយ Kuk Noyobai--Political Prison" by Bunchan Mol, I was even more curious where "Koh Tralach" is. Thanks to today internet, information can be retrieved at our finger tip.

កោះត្រឡាច Koh Tralach, also known as Poulo Condore, is an archipelago with 16 smaller islands surrounding one large island. It is located in the South China Sea with the distance 230 km from ក្រុងព្រៃនគរ Krong Prey Nokor (Saigon). Koh Tralach always belongs to Khmer. In 1954, the French turned over to the Vietnamese.

Koh Tralach was made into a peniteniary (prison) during the French colonial time. The French sent those who they were suspected to revolt against them for independence to this island.

Excerpt taken from introduction of the book គុក នយោបាយ.

The book I recently read was "Kuk Noyobai" -- Polical Prison by Bunchan Mol written in 1971 is an excellent book to dig into the history. It is a biography journal of the author Bunchan Mol under the French colonialism which he accounted from 1936 to 1945 the end of World War II. Through this book I was so moved how our peaceful, beautiful island of flora and fauna with pristine beaches was made into a living hell under the French then sadly was lost to the Vietnamese.



I highly recommend this book. I just uploaded electronic version (pdf) to my webpage at Esnip. Please click yellow cover page image above to download the complete text. The book is in Khmer. Sorry its not in english :( But, even if you don't read Khmer, download it for your reference. It's a great book.

Like the rest of Cambodia provinces, the Vietnamese have been trying so hard to eliminate any traces of Khmer origin. Koh Tralach these days is called by Vietnamese name 'Con Dao' or 'Con Son'. No matter how hard they're trying, just likeកោះត្រល់ Koh Tral or Koh Trol (Phu Quoc), កោះត្រឡាច Koh Tralach is always in the heart of every Khmer.

ខ្ញុំ វណ្ណះ
ភ្នំពេញ-ស្វាយរៀង

ខ្មែរក្រៃលែង--Episode 2 Wat Phnom វត្តភ្នំ

ខ្មែរក្រៃលែង-Extreme KHmer -Episode 2 Wat Phnom វត្តភ្នំ

Encrochment of Thai On Cambodia Soil

European Cambodia Watch Group requested Royal Thai military coup government to immediately stop their own agenda on encroaching onto Cambodia soil.

Men Nath, the leader of the watch group in Christensen, Norway spoke openly on 07 March 2007 that Thailand has the agenda to continue to intimidate on the line of border between the two countries.

The encroachment from the Thai occurred to the Cambodia side of the border in region of O Kror-ngoogn near the proximity of Pol Pot’s burial place at Anlung Veng. The Thai knowing the place will be becoming a tourist site that could attract visitors to see Pol Pot’s grave, they has sent their elite black uniform soldiers crossing into Cambodia side to put up warning signs prohibiting Cambodian landowners building homes in their own village.

For further details please continue on the reading in Khmer. -- ខ្ញុំ Vanak

Hun Sen: Don't ask for any more schools to be built, if I loose election

កាលពីគ្រាមុនខ្ញុំ បានសរសេរលើប្លក(blog)ស្តីអំពីចំងល់របស់ខ្ញុំថា ហេតុអ្វីបានជាអ្នកកាន់អំណាចធំៗនៅស្រុកខ្មែរយើង ដូចជាលោកនាយករដ្នមន្រី្តហុនសែន សាងសង់ សាលា សួនច្បារ ស្ពាន ហើយចូលចិត្តដាក់របស់ ទាំងនេះជាឈ្មោះ របស់គាត់ ហាក់ ដូច ជា គ្មានការខ្មាស់អៀនទាល់តែសោះ ...Earlier I have written on this blog of the big powerful people in Cambodia such as Prime Minister Hun Sen who built schools, gardens, bridges. Then he named them after himself. It seems like he has no shame at all. The daily publication of Sralanh Khmer News 06 March 2008 reported PM Hun Sen warned yesterday at Kompong Thom speech that if CPP [his own party] looses the upcomming election, "do not come to beg for Hun Sen or Chea Sim or Heng Samrin for more schools [to be built]”.

Shame on you, Mr. Prime Minister! Improving people's lives by building schools, hospitals, bridges, libraries, roads are the government obligation, sir.

Please continue on reading the rest of the article.

Practical Uses of the GPS in Cambodia

Global Positioning System(GPS) receiver is a hand held device that could tell you exact location anywhere on earth. Suppose I am in the middle of my rice field, the GPS could tell the exact coordinate of longitude and latitude I am standing at. This technology really amazed me. If I’m to travel in the open sea, desolate desert or deep in forest I will never get lost.

What GPS is used for in Cambodia? I read in a Khmer language newspaper up in Banteay Mean Chey province, the rich and powerful who has connections with the ruling party did utilize the GPS. They used it for land grabbing from the poor. I could picture they just came to the villagers’ lands, pulled out GPS receiver and started to lay fences around the perimeter. According the news article the villagers got so mad they protested against them. They got a hold of the GPS equipments smashed and burned them in a pile of fire.

I love to have a GPS system, but I personally wouldn’t know what I could practically use it for in Cambodia. I am not a big person who has any connection with PM Hun Sen. Therefore I couldn’t possibly grab any lands from the villagers. Well, even if I’m a big person, I have a conscience not to selfishly do corrupted things. But, one thing I know our Cambodia government could use the GPS for: Border demarcation.

A Portable handheld GPS -- picture obtained from the internet.

Our border is very important for every Cambodian. We have our own land and home we must protect from Yuon to the east, Siamese to the west, and the Leov to the north. Currently our incompetence government does very little to clearly demarcate the border. Every time I pick up our Khmer newspapers I occasionally saw article on border dispute with the two greedy neighbours, mainly Vietnam and Thailand. We have maps to go by. Then now we should use the GPS to mark where our border line should be. What is there unclear about it? GPS can point to accuracy of physical marking of our border within 1.5 to 2 meters. This is one of the issues I hope our Phnom Penh government to resolve soon.

ខ្ញុំ​ Vanak.
Svay rieng (eastern border)

My uploaded music-- Enjoy !!

I played around with the media player. I'm able to have multiples songs onto the player. Here are ten of my favourites I just uploaded. I especially love the 2nd last from the bottom "REY09_16 Kantret tret heuy" កន្រ្តេតត្រេតអ្ហើយ!. The up-down of the music tune and lyrics are so fun! I hope you're able to listen to them OK. If you like them , Click here will take to the folder where I stored these songs. You can download them one by one to your computer. -vanak

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ឃាតករប៉ងសំលាប់ពៅបញ្ញាពេជ្រ Gun Men Shot Pov Panha Pich

Pov Panha Pich,23, one of my favourite singers was shot on the morning 23/02/2007 at around 6:35am by two gun men. She was rushed to Calumette Hospital, then taken to Vietnam for further intensive treament.

Press PLAY on Esnips player below to hear Pov Panhapich's song "Anna"

Anna_PovPanhaPich....

Pov Panha Pich not only has a great voice, but also very pretty. I remember when I first saw she performed on her song "Anna".

The police must act quickly to find who the assasins were and who really behind this attempted killing.

Most importantly, I wish and hope for Pov Panha Pich speedy recovery.

Vanak
=====Please continue reading below=====
(The article and pic are from Agence France Presse (AFP)
Fri Feb 23, 2:15 PM ET

PHNOM PENH (AFP) - A Cambodian pop singer was critically wounded Friday when unknown gunmen shot her twice as she arrived at an English-language school in the capital Phnom Penh, police said.

Pov Panhapich was shot in the stomach and throat and later evacuated to Vietnam for treatment, city police chief Touch Naruth said, adding that he did not think it was a case of robbery.

"When she got out of her car, the two offenders immediately shot her," he said. "It is not a robbery case, it is some other dispute. But we cannot conclude what the dispute stemmed from. We are investigating."

The 23-year-old is a popular fixture on the weekend concert circuit, and news of her attack quickly spread through Cambodia via SMS text messages and phone calls between distraught fans.

She is the third well-known local celebrity gunned down in recent years in Cambodia, where young performers are sometimes taken as mistresses by powerful businessmen or government officials.

Singer Touch Sreynich remains paralysed in the United States after being shot in the face and neck in 2003, while movie star Pisith Pilika was shot dead in 1999.

Several other lesser-known pop stars have also been attacked, sometimes by having acid thrown in their faces.

The Cambodia Watchdog Council, a local rights group, called the attacks against young female performers an emerging trend of intimidation, especially against women.

"(The attacks) show the weakness of the Phnom Penh authorities and Cambodian government to crack down on killers," it said in a statement, demanding that the international community also pressure authorities to rein in rising street crime.
.
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អូនរាំសមទេ?​​Upbeat Khmer song for the soul

The past week has been a very hectic schedule for me. I missed using computer and internet so much. It seemed like I was away from the civilisation. Beside reading books and newspapers, internet is another window to the outside world for me. I would read global news from all over. Google search on topic I don't understand. Interacting with Khmer students from all over the world. Read and post my comments on our Khmer fellows' blogs. I feel so free to express my opinion. I don't know if I could live without the internet.

I just uploaded a "Saravann" song. This song is one of my favourites! "Oan ram som tay?" . It's appropriate, since our Khmer New Year is around the corner. I don't know duets who sing this song. I'm guessing the guy's voice is Chhom Bunyong. But for the girl's I don't know whose voice might belong to. I need you expert out here to identify the female vocal is, because she sounds soooo good !!! Listening to these kind of upbeat songs always make me happy. The lyric is proper, yet flirtatious.
Press PLAY on Esnips player below to hear "Oan Ram Som Tay ?"

Oan_ram_som_te.mp3

Over the week I had a chance to finish my reading "The Garden of Eden" by Ernest Hemingway. I didn't like the book at all. I wrote a brief review over at my
LibraryThing.
My review: "Garden of Eden"
The story is the about David a writer with his newlywed wife Catherine on vacation in the south of France and Spain. Catherine then fell in love with another girl Marita. Catherine brings Marita into David life.

In the story, it's the most conversation between a husband and wife I ever read about. Pointlessly on most part, they talk incessantly about everything and about nothing. I gave 1 1/2 stars because there's no point of climax in the story at all. What they did was drink, have sex, drink, go swimming, have haircut, meet another girl, drink more, Catherine drives to town alone and ended unfinished. There's no more to read. Whew! I sighed and scratched my head.

I can't relate to the story line.It just doesn't apply to an average person who is an amateur writer where the wife doesn't work spent such a lavish vacation, then they hook up with another girl involve with a love triangle. I wasted my time of reading the whole 245 pages of this Hemingway and learned not a single thing from this book. I just didn't get it. I am sorry I felt short on the psychology of what Hemingway was trying to portray. This book is off from my shelf.

Vanak,
Cambodia
21 February 2007

សៀវភៅដែលខ្ញុំអាន Books I Read

Here are some of my books I manually uploaded to LibrayThing. My own personal library! (Click on the picture will take to the site)

I remember when I was at a very young age the only book my mother read to me was from Khmer Folks Tales & Legends ប្រជុំ រឿងព្រេងខ្មែរ. That was the beginning when I started to like reading.
Now I am quite an avid reader of newspapers and books. Through much readings I've learned new vocabularies and grammar. Subsequently, my writing both in English and Khmer have been improving gradually.
I have discovered website that keeps track of all books I have or have read. This site is very nice. It's like my very own personal library. Each book I read, I can write review and comment then rate the book from 1 to 5 stars depend on my liking of that book.

I have uploaded few of my Khmer language books up there. Some of these books I haven't give a rating yet. As of today (10Feb2007) including English books, I have recorded a total of 26 books. Please browse the 2nd page to see them. I will try to periodically update as often.

ខ្ញុំ វណ្ណះ
Vanak,

PM Hun Sen's Vulgarity

On recent event, Prime Minister Hun Sen has just received a honourary PhD degree in Education from Hanoi National University . Professor Nguyen Viet Thinh from Hanoi awarded him the certificate at the Ministry of Foreign Affair in Phnom Penh .

I’m wondering how many PhD’s has PM Hun Sen received? I know at least one university in the United States also gave him the PhD. I can’t remember what's the name of university and in what year they awarded him.

Now since Dr. Hun Sen is highly educated, he should at least behave and speak like one. I’ve noticed he’s so vulgarly contemptuous in his language almost every time I saw him on TV. He yells with words a mafia thug would choose to use. (Refer to the Khmer caption/picture). The language Dr. Hun Sen uses is beyond my translation’s capability into English. You just have to know Khmer language/culture in order to understand a deeper meaning. For example, calling or addressing people as 'ah' is very condescending and very rude.

One time I posted onto one Khmer blogger webpage saying something like " នៅស្រុកខ្មែរ អាណាមានលុយ អាណាមានអំណាច គឺអាហ្នុងឈ្នះ Noev Srok Khmer, ah nah mean luy, ah nah mean om-nach, ah nung chnass -- translation: In Cambodia, whoever has money, whoever has power that person wins". I felt very bad for I chose Khmer word "ah" អា​ rather than "neak"​អ្នក. I wowed not to use this kind of language ever again.

In a civilised world no matter how educated or not educated we are, we don’t need be vulgar in our language. Dr. Hun Sen needs to be civilised himself. As a leader, he should tone down his choice of wordings to the respectable level of a prime minister.