Occupy Central for Hong Kong Democracy

July 1, 2014

(Hong Kong) Thousands of protesters marched through busy bustling Hong Kong’s streets to demand full democracy from the Chinese central government and marked the 17 anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China.

The group, which was organized by local activists group, Occupy Central with Love and Peace, was gathered at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay early this afternoon before marching toward Central District.

“Say no to fake democracy,” one of the pro-democracy protestors said from the group’s platform in Central. “President Xi Jing Ping, this is the message that want to send: ‘we want the real democracy’.”

Hong Kong’s activists and local groups recently claimed Chinese central government has increasingly put greater pressure on Hong Kong democracy and press freedom.

Archive Could Help Provide Answers to Khmer Rouge Mysteries

Neou Vannarin/VOA Khmer

October 01, 2015

Phnom Penh—Chhang Youk, the head of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, was busy last week unloading box after box of declassified material, donated by the former personal assistant of late King Norodom Sihanouk. He says that the documents hold answers related to atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge nearly two decades ago.

Julio Jeldres, who was Norodom Sihanouk’s biographer, donated his archive to the Documentation Center, which researches Khmer Rouge atrocities, to help researchers now and in the future understand the regime.

Chhang Youk says the documents are an important part of Cambodian history, helping people understand how Cambodia’s ethnic majority Khmer turned on one another in one of the worst atrocities of the 20^th century.

The archive has documents from the time Cambodia gained independence from France, in 1954, through the civil war, the rise of the Khmer Rouge, and its fall, in 1979. Its subjects range from secret papers concerning the contentious Preah Vihear temple, on the Thai border, to the Khmer Rouge’s relationships with North Vietnam and China. It also includes films written and directed by Norodom Sihanouk.

“Yes, all of the documents are of the confidential kind,” Chhang Youk says. “Telegraphs, documents, communications between heads of state, such as China, Australia, Indonesia, North Vietnam and Korea, which talk about the politics and situations in our Motherland, especially the relationship between China and the Khmer Rouge in the last stage.”

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More than 1.7 million people died under the Khmer Rouge, in less than four years. The root cause of so much violence remains much a mystery to many Cambodians. Chhang Youk says he hopes the documents will help fill in the gaps in existing research.

A Writer Returns to Preah Vihear Temple

Neou Vannarin/VOA Khmer

August 13, 2015

Preah Vihear Temple, Cambodia—Preah Vihear temple, which sits on a high cliff near the Thai border, has been the centre of confrontation between Cambodia and Thailand for years.

These days, quiet—and tourists—have returned to the temple. John Burgess, a former Washington Post reporter who has written a book about the temple and the conflicts over it, revisited the site recently to learn where things now stand.

In an interview at the temple with VOA Khmer, Burgess said both governments may find it difficult to create lasting peace near the temple, because it has emotional significance to both Thai and Cambodian groups.

Erected on the cliff of the Dangrek Mountains, the 11^th-century Preah Vihear temple was once located at the center of Khmer empire.

“This this temple is very unusual among the Khmer temples,” Burgess, author of “Temple in the Clouds,” said. “It’s on top of a large natural mountain, and it was built by several kings. It’s laid out from north to south and along a linear design, rather than a square design.”

Phnom Penh Bus Service

Neou Vannarin/VOA Khmer

October 22, 2015

Phnom Penh—the  public bus system in Phnom Penh continues to grow in popularity, one year into its reestablishment.

City officials said on Facebook the three lines of the city serve around 6,200 people, a small proportion of the 2 million people living here, earning around $100,000 per month.

Residents say they are growing to appreciate the bus lines, which can ease traffic congestion in the crowded capital. On a recent weekday, one bus line was in good use by residents who paid about 1,500 riel, or $0.35, per ride. (Read more here)