Sam Rainsy's Return: 9 November 2019

CNRP announcement: Sam Rainsy will return on 9 November 2019.

Sam Rainsy's historic return from exile on 19 July 2013 when a million Cambodians came out to greet him forming a human Mekong from the airport to Democracy Square (now dismantled) near the US Embassy and Wat Phnom. Many were crying tears of hope and joy that I witnessed firsthand sitting in the back of Sam Rainsy's pick-up truck. My photos of that day

រង់ចាំ សម រង្ស៊ី, មូរ សុខហួរ និងអ្នកដឹកនាំ ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ ដទៃទៀត ត្រឡប់មក កម្ពុជាវិញ។ រូបថត ១៩ កក្កដា ២០១៣, ខ្ញុំ អាវ ពណ៌ក្រហម, នៅខាងក្រោម ផ្នែកខាងឆ្វេង នៅក្នុងរថយន្ត ដែលដឹក សម រង្ស៊ី)

Anticipating Sam Rainsy’s, Mu Sochua’s and other democratic leaders’ return to Cambodia. The turn-out will triple his euphoric return on 19 July 2013 (pictured, me in red at bottom left) in truck carrying Sam Rainsy).

International solidarity with Sam Rainsy in his return to Cambodia

US Congresswoman Lori Trahan with Cambodian opposition leaders Sam Rainsy and Mu Sochua on Capitol Hill declaring her support for democracy in Cambodia via the most recently adopted bill in the House.

លោកស្រី ឡូរី ត្រាហាន (Lori Trahan) សមាជិកសភា អាមេរិក គឺ ជានិសសិត ជាមួយខ្ញុំ នៅសាលាសេវាកម្មបរទេស នៃសាកលវិទ្យាល័យ ចចតោន (GU’s SFS), មានសិស្ស ប្រហែល ២៥០ នាក់ ពីឆ្នាំ ១៩៩១-១៩៩៥។

Lori was my classmate at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service of about 250 students from 1991-1995.

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From Eehhyy!! to Bamboo Shoots

See my commentaries

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A Reminder That 'Fake News' Is An Information Literacy Problem - Not A Technology Problem

Forbes | 7 July 2019

Beneath the spread of all “fake news,” misinformation, disinformation, digital falsehoods and foreign influence lies society’s failure to teach its citizenry information literacy: how to think critically about the deluge of information that confronts them in our modern digital age. Instead, society has prioritized speed over accuracy, sharing over reading, commenting over understanding. Children are taught to regurgitate what others tell them and to rely on digital assistants to curate the world rather than learn to navigate the informational landscape on their own. Schools no longer teach source triangulation, conflict arbitration, separating fact from opinion, citation chaining, conducting research or even the basic concept of verification and validation. In short, we’ve stopped teaching society how to think about information, leaving our citizenry adrift in the digital wilderness increasingly saturated with falsehoods without so much as a compass or map to help them find their way to safety. The solution is to teach the world's citizenry the basics of information literacy. ...

To truly solve the issue of “fake news” we must blend technological assistance with teaching our citizens to be literate consumers of the world around them.

Societies must teach their children from a young age how to perform research, understand sourcing, triangulate information, triage contested narratives and recognize the importance of where information comes from, not just what it says.

In short, we must teach all of our citizens how to be researchers and scientists when it comes to consuming information.

Most importantly, we must emphasize verification and validation over virality and velocity. ...

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Canada turns 152!

Getting ready at Open Arms, a salon and massage spa employing young women emerging out of very, very difficult backgrounds. I love this place ever since introduced to it by my Brazilian friend Maira who works in slums in and around Phnom Penh. She has several women whom she has helped moved out of the slums into this classy, clean, spiritually and physically healthy environ. Near Psah Tuol Tumpong (Russian Market).

More photos on Facebook here.

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ព្រះយេស៊ូ ​ទត​ឃើញ ​មហា‌ជន​ទាំង​នេះ, ព្រះ‌អង្គ​ យាង​ឡើង​ទៅ​លើ​ភ្នំ, រួច​ព្រះ‌អង្គ​ គង់​នៅ​ទី​នោះ។ សិស្ស នាំ​គ្នា​ ចូល​មក ​គាល់​ព្រះ‌អង្គ; ព្រះ‌អង្គ​ ក៏​មាន ​ព្រះ‌បន្ទូល ​បង្រៀន​គេ​ ថា៖

More video clips here.

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Evangelicals Are Supporting Trump Out of Fear, Not Faith

David French / TIME | 27 June 2019

[…]

Part of the explanation is undeniably basic partisanship and ambition. White evangelicals are largely Republican, and they’re generally going to vote for Republicans. And proximity to power has always had its attractions for religious charlatans of all stripes. But I’d suggest the real reason for the breadth and depth of evangelical support is deeper and–perversely–even more destructive to its religious witness.

That reason is fear.

Talk to engaged evangelicals, and fear is all too often a dominant theme of their political life. The church is under siege from a hostile culture. Religious institutions are under legal attack from progressives. The left wants nuns to facilitate access to abortifacients and contraceptives, it wants Christian adoption agencies to compromise their conscience or close, and it even casts into doubt the tax exemptions of religious education institutions if they adhere to traditional Christian sexual ethics.

These issues are legally important, and there are reasons for evangelicals to be concerned. But there is no reason for evangelicals to abandon long-held principles to behave like any other political-interest group.

Instead, the evangelical church is called to be a source of light in a darkening world. It is not given the luxury of fear-based decisionmaking. Indeed, of all the groups in American life who believe they have the least to fear from American politics, Christians should top the list. The faithful should reject fear.

This is made plain to young Christians from the early days of Sunday school. There, many millions of young believers are taught the biblical verse: “For God gave us not a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

But in 2016, something snapped. I saw Christian men and women whom I’ve known and respected for years respond with raw fear at the very idea of a Hillary Clinton presidency. They believed she was going to place the church in mortal danger. The Christian writer Eric Metaxas wrote that if Hillary won, America’s chance to have a “Supreme Court that values the Constitution” will be “gone.” “Not for four years, not for eight,” he said, “but forever.”

That wasn’t faith speaking. They were the words of fearful men grasping at fading influence by clinging to a man whose daily life mocks the very values that Christians seek to advance.

But why? The American evangelical church isn’t so weak that it needs Trump’s version of secular salvation. The early persecuted church would be stunned at the modern American church’s immense political strength. It has become so strong that it exercises veto power over the political prospects of any Republican nominee.

Yet the church is acting as if it needs Trump to protect it. That’s not courageous. It’s repulsive. And so long as this fear continues, expect the church’s witness to degrade further. In seeking protection from its perceived enemies, the church has lost its way.

It’s time for evangelicals to exercise their political veto power. America’s conservative people of faith should seek a primary challenger to Trump and send a message to the GOP that it will not compromise any longer. And it should do so from a position of confidence–and faith.

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Hypersonic Missiles are unstoppable and they're starting a new global arms race

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Assault on Truth

"Third World";

"Economic GROWTH"

vs.

"Economic DEVELOPMENT"

Economic GROWTH without economic DEVELOPMENT | កំណើន សេដ្ឋកិច្ច ដោយគ្មាន ការអភិវឌ្ឍ សេដ្ឋកិច្ច

(The Lord Hun's Kingdoom of Wonder)

"By 'development,' therefore, we shall understand only such changes in economic life as are not forced upon it from without but arise by its own initiatives, from within. Should it turn out...that the economy...is dragged along by the changes in the surrounding world...that the economy continuously adapts itself to them, then we should say that there is no economic development."

- Joseph Schumpeter

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Releasing doves in solidarity for peace in Mindanao. Here with the Sultan of Marawi City and other civil society leaders at KM 0.0 on the 2nd anniversary of the Marawi siege, 23 May 2019.

Images from a peace delegation I participated in, organized by the Initiatives for International Dialogue, to the war-torn Marawi City in Mindanao of the Philippines, here with the winsome Sultan of Marawi and other civil society leaders at KM 0.0. I was there to listen, learn, and be in solidarity with peacemakers, mainly my brothers and sisters of the Muslim, Christian, and Indigenous Peoples (IP) communities of Mindanao.

We took the Cebu flight from Manila NAIA to Laguindingan Airport, about 5-year old with 2 medium-sized baggage claims, on the northern shore of Mindanao. From there, our caravan of 2 vans made our way along the windy scenic road with view of the sea and tall coconut trees for most the 40-km, almost 1.5 hour drive into Iligan City. Martial law in northern Mindanao is light. Military checkpoint into the city and curfew at midnight were the extent of what we encountered.

The next morning, our convoy of 7-8 vehicles made the mountainous ascent toward Marawi City. Again, it was a 1.5 hr of beautiful, verdant scenery of valleys and the ubiquitous, elongated coconut trees.

Mindanao comprises of 28 (?) provinces of which 5 are the Bangsamoro (formerly the Autonomous Region of Muslims in Mindanao) composed of some 10 million Muslims. The IP communities are dispersed all over Mindanao, including the autonomous region of the Bangsamoro, and are caught in the war not of their making between the government and the extreme elements within Islam there in the Philippines.

I’m still processing my trip to Mindanao but initial impressions which I’ve already conveyed publicly to my new Muslim friends:

1. The Chinese should not be allowed to bid for any construction contract in the Bangsamoro, particularly in light of what we know of China’s treatment of the Uighers. For long-term peace, Muslims and Christians and IPs must unite on this point and make it a prima facie bad faith if the government allows for the Chinese to bid for any reconstruction contracts in the Muslim communities of Mindanao.

2. There must be condemnation FROM WITHIN the Mindanao Muslim community against any killings of innocent civilians, e.g., Christians and homosexuals. Or else, they will continue to face not only state firepower but also the public image problem in their silence. This silence will block out any narratives of historical injustices and grievances they have for the outside world to hear and hopefully understand. I didn’t expand but I told them how my homeland was bombed and how I lived under the Khmer Rouge. (I have always been very, very conscious to condemn the Khmer Rouge even as I condemned US bombings pre-KR and Vietnamese Occupation post-KR.)

Mogbara (mass grave) Memorial

23 May 2019

The "Most Affected Area" ("Ground Zero" to Mindanao residents) of war-torn Marawi City

Military led our convoy in the most affected area or "Ground Zero" on the 2nd anniversary of Marawi siege, 23 May 2019. It’s Syria in the "Islamic City of the Philippines" (Marawi City). Here, during our tour through the restricted Most Affected Area led by a military truck, we can see the group of reporters.

More images with captions on Facebook, here and here.

A politically savvy Muslim leader who did not deny the existence of extremist elements and blame everything on government conspiracy, who took seriously the public image problem facing peace-loving, moderate Muslims in Mindanao. Very charismatic and well-spoken. The winsome Sultan of Marawi City.

The military had a separate commemoration and press briefing for the media from civil society organization.

Colonel Brawner is very, very impressive. After an emotionally-charged, informative full day and a half with civil society leaders--an emotional, somber commemoration at the Mogbara (mass grave), touring the Most Affected Area and listening to townhall discussions and being caught up a bit in that echo chamber--it was good and necessary to hear another perspective.

Col. Browner immediately disarmed us with his professionalism and approachable personality. He is the chief commander of all the 4 battalions of 2,000 soldiers of martial law. After a long day of commemoration, meetings with the media, and high-ranking government officials, in addition to the high-security alert on the emotionally-fraught day of remembrance, and after much back-and-forth direct communication with our organizer and a couple of other civil society leaders, the colonel waited for us for the 7 pm security briefing (we were running at least half an hour late) in a hall in the military compound we had briefly been in earlier that day but this time came through the back entrance). He stated clearly what we can expect of the time we had with him: first, the showing of the ISIS recruitment video in Mindanao; second, the military video of the Marawi siege; and third, Q&A.

The ISIS recruitment video was triple XXX-rated in terms of raw executions and violent language. The military video had a warning in the beginning of the graphic violent scenes in it. We had seen the destruction; now, we’re seeing the actual war that produced that destruction. It was the best of the Hollywood war movies but it was far from entertainment; the room was hushed, absorbing the intimacy of the misery and suffering, knowing that real blood were shed, real lives were taken--on both sides. As my mind wandered to earlier testimonies of survivors whose lives had been turned upside down, my heart cannot but also ached for the soldiers who were killed, wounded and witnessed. And their families. War is pain. War is misery. It is and must be the last resort. The images were Hollywood-like but the sensation numbing and intimate, pulling us into the drama of this massive human misery. It was a much needed reminder to me that we must be careful not to fall into the trap of pitting the soldiers against the civil society leaders and vice-versa; that would be counter-productive, unhelpful toward peace-building.

After the sobriety of the films had settled somewhat, I posed the first question: How much truth to the rumor that the rebuilding of the city has been given to a Chinese construction company. Rather than deflecting the question, the colonel answered: the Chinese companies failed the first 2 rounds of bidding. Throughout the Q&A, he quietly and seriously listened to each and every question and answered it, without deflecting or hurrying us through despite the long day and the late night. Despite the fact he works for such a reprehensible leader, this colonel is winsome.

We did not meet with the chief (secretary?) of the  reconstruction program where I felt most of the immediate concerns were directed.

Mindanao State University

Marawi City, Mindanao

One of the most beautiful university campuses I’ve been to, in one of the most scenic cities (nature—lake, elevation, vegetation—minus decimation). Mindanao State University in Marawi City.

It will take some time for me to process what I heard and saw at the Most Affected Area or “Ground Zero”. Most if not all Western embassies and donor institutions warn their staff and citizens not to go to Mindanao which is under martial law, definitely not Marawi City, THE “Islamic City of the Philippines” where 95% of the 500,000 inhabitants are Muslim.

Transitional Justice in Southeast Asia

Quezon City, Philippines

19-22 May 2019

Prof. Mucha was the first person I met upon arrival for the TJ seminar, an unplanned blessing, in Quezon City. She opened my eyes and heart to a part of history and to a belief I am ignorant of. Now, I’ve developed a greater interest in learning about southern Philippines, e.g., Mindanao. I was struck by how the world closed its eyes to the total decimation of Zamboanga, where unlike Marawi, it has no concrete (literally) structures and residues to remind us of its past.

- Theary, 1 July 2019

Wall of Heroes, Quezon City. Adding my maternal grandmother Yi Hao among the heroes.

How nice that the sash given to each speaker perfectly matches my dress!

Being introduced to make my presentation on transitional justice in Cambodia: "Peace or Justice? The Cambodian Experience"

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