Srolanh Oun 1dong teat barn te?

It is a cool song...For those that are in love..

Plieng Tleak Nik Bong

Call Mok Bong Pel Bos Bong Oun

You have chosen someone else..but I am trying to find my sanity and will always wait for you. I want to let you know that I will always be yours...

Missing you always...

Human Trafficking in Cambodia

How can we help to end this kind of oppression and cruelty that is happening in our own home?

Join in the fight to end this cruelty once and for all!!

Sex Trade in SE Asia - Untold Story

It is sad and tragic and at least one women with many others are taking the fight head on to end this menace.

Pop Som Nang - A Beautiful Song

How fortunate can I be?  This song captivates the essence of the spirit of those that are falling in love.  It is magical when you have these feelings of being fortunate and being the chosen one....Obviously, I am in my dream world.

Grave Consequences - The Fear Factor of Cambodia

Grave Consequences

 In 1992, the United Nations Transitional Authorities took over the control of all functions of Cambodian government and Cambodian civil society. White trucks clearly marked with black UN insignia dominated the scene throughout Cambodia. It was one of the UN’s largest mission in recent history. Over sixty countries were involved with a budget of over US$2 billion.  In addition, there were massive military hardware, personnel, volunteers and administrative professionals deployed to help rebuild a land known in contemporary history only war, hunger, killings and mass graves.

It was after all Cambodia’s last hope for sustainable peace. The collective undertaking entrusted to the UN workers was to bring three major political factions together to organize a democratic election in hope of a sustainable peace, freedom and prosperity through infrastructure re-construction and skills transfer.

The reconciliation between three political factions was achieved and the first democratic election was held.  Some observers may disagree on the legitimacy of the result; but many countries involved in the efforts seemed to be satisfied with the outcome.  The re-construction efforts had a significant jumpstart due to the sizeable finances and people expertise committed.  Ironically; one tragic thing that is often forgotten that the UN workers left behind was a deadly time bomb (AIDS) that will gradually pierce the hearts and souls of Cambodia and her people.

It is said by the local Cambodians that “It is better to have AIDS than not have any thing at all”. AIDS is often the most feared subject discussed in every day’s life in Cambodia; but given the economic situation, the subject of AIDS is polarized and ignored. Economic survival and livelihood become more imperative over all else.

It was reported by the World Health Organization that Cambodia only had seven cases of AIDS in the entire nation before the UN mission there in 1992. It is with such irony that good deeds and the contrasting mischievous behaviors of those involved could turn out to be so ruinous to the hope and dreams of a nation that had endured human suffering and losses that were beyond imagination.

It is not a blame solely place on the UN and its workers but merely an illustration to show that international efforts with much good intentions failed to predict the worst possible outcome.

Poverty-stricken nation such as Cambodia will always be a haven for sexual predators to prey on the weak and the innocence.  Sexual predators will exploit and germinate sexually transmitted diseases and other diseases because they are simply heartless animals.

Cambodia is gradually becoming one of Southeast Asia’s biggest time bombs because no concrete plans are in place to curtail the problems of HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases.

Deteriorating family values, economic insufficiency, and lack of jobs forced many Cambodian women from many farming communities around the country to find work in the big cities.

Once in the cities, the young women become sexual prey to the rich locals and foreigners with cash and power who often prey on them purely for sexual pleasure. Many of the women are misled to the promises of good paying jobs. Often times, the harsh economic realities put the women in an extremely tempting situation to make life’s decision that will forever changed them.  Moral values and the definition of right and wrong can easily get muddled up. Once money exchanged hand, human beings are bought and sold like commodities to perform heinous sexual acts.

It is estimated that 150,000 Cambodian women are employed as garment workers. It is typically the passage way to more cruelty than just economic survival. Low monthly  wages coupled with the harsh working conditions lead many young women to look for faster routes to make extra dollars. It is the dirtiest route imaginable, but a woman is able to earn up to $30 dollars in exchange for sexual services per night.  In contrast, factory work pays an equivalent of $30 per month.

Many young women are bought and sold like animals not knowing why, when and how they ever regain their freedom. Once in the brothel, they are easily sold for quick sex at the cost less than a cheeseburger.

Most sexual slaves would be required to serve up to fifty men per day. If refused, they would be gravely punished by foods deprivation, isolation, or extreme form of beating. In many instances when a woman is able to pay off her debt, she would be released and given her freedom. For the unfortunate ones, the compounded debts incurred by family members forced them to forever serve as sexual slaves.

For some that managed to regain their freedom; they are tormented physically and mentally and.  The experiences of degradation will often lead them to believe that they are useless and no longer accepted by the mainstream society. They would normally resort to jobs as promoters for beverage, liquor or cigarette companies. Their survival instinct is to be able to flirt and exert themselves artificially beyond what is considered culturally appropriate. They would learn to drink and smoke in order to be presentable. They learn to put on flirtatious faces and ready for sexual services. The end game ultimately is to strike a sexual date for the night in order to earn the extra income which is normally better than their normal work.

Many women often resort to becoming escort girls in night clubs, karaoke joints, massage parlors catered specifically for the rich locals and foreigners alike whose ultimate aim is to prey them for a night or an hour of sexual entertainment.

In the many encounters that I had with the victims of sexual slavery through out Cambodia; many of them expressed extreme self-doubt because they are forever tainted and frowned upon for being unfit and an ailment to society.

For many unfortunate ones; a point of no return has been reached. Their only hope is to be at their best so that one day that “knight of shining armor” would come and rescue them from the harsh reality of this world. They become overtly promiscuous and display their false sense of confidence in themselves.

For Pisey, a lovely girl whom I came to know and admired for her courage was met with much more wretchedness. She became a very rich and powerful person’s mistress. Living life lavishly and was in the midst of reclaiming her dignity by opening a beauty shop. She told me that owning her own beauty shop was her lifelong dream.

Before she got there, she had been petrified for life. She was sold in to a brothel at age of twelve because her family was poor and needed $230 to reclaim farm land taken by the ruthless military. At the age of sixteen, she was sold to a Malaysian man as his sex slave on board of a cargo ship.

One night, on her eighteenth birthday, she jumped off the ship in an attempt to escape and was rescued by a fishing boat off the coast of Thailand. She was then sold into a nude bar in Bangkok, Thailand for $1,000 dollars. There she met two other Cambodian girls and decided to escape and return to Cambodia.

Pisey returned to Cambodia penniless. She vowed to never return to her family because of what they had done to her.

A friend introduced her to a new karaoke club catered to the rich and famous in Phnom Penh. After an intense competition, she was finally accepted to be one of the many hostesses to provide sexual entertainment to the rich and influential local men and foreigners.

Life for Pisey greatly improved with a nightly tip allowance of about twenty dollars just for sitting down with a couple of guests. During some nights, an extra income would be earned if she decides to go beyond the call of duties.

A relationship with a man three times her age grew into something extraordinary. It was dream come true. He was compassionate and come to appreciate her for who she was and demonstrated to her the first time in her life true love and care. She soon became his casual date, a companion and as an alternative sexual partner for the man in replacement of his ailing wife.

In truth, Pisey was willing to confide with any body  that wanted her. She was very aware that she was sleeping with somebody’s husband, a love triangle. Her conscience could only tell her that it was just a survival scheme.  Pisey’s only aspiration is a better life.

One late afternoon, whilst she was walking down from a snooker center with a couple of friends; all hell broke loose. All Pisey was able to recall was a woman in rage with a gallon of liquid acid in her hand. The woman did not express any thing in words, but in the spur of the moment threw liquid acid straight on to her face and body. Pisey could immediately feel the burning flesh coming loose from her face, body and arms. Her clothes, skin and flesh began to melt as she screamed copiously for help until she finally went into shock then became unconscious.

I immediately rushed to the hospital after I heard about the incidence. Pisey was disfigured beyond recognition. Her beautiful face and smile were now things of the past. Her dreams completely shattered. After many plastic surgeries, Pisey was still disfigured beyond repair. The scars on her face caused by the acid burn were so severe that her total facial structure had to be re-constructed with skin graft from her buttock.

While at the hospital, Pisey also found out from her doctor that she had been infected with HIV/AIDS. She feared going to the hospital because HIV/AIDS was some thing that she dreaded the most. She had seen many of her friends died because of this deadly disease.

Three months after multiple surgeries, she was finally allowed to go home. From time to time, I would run into Pisey at the market. Her only gesture to me was always in tears of regret because she could not be her lovely self any longer. She also expressed ill-will to survive. In her on-going internal struggle, life has become meaningless. She told me that she had tried many times to commit suicide; but never managed to slit herself deep enough. Nine months later, Pisey was found dead from a drug overdosed.

In this true story of one person’s extreme experience; sad and unfortunate as it may seemed, AIDS continues to spread at an alarming rate. Human trafficking, prostitution, sexual slavery, sexual promiscuity, the lack of respect for laws and the lack of accountability remained the many problems facing contemporary Cambodia.

The remnant of the UN will have a lasting impact on Cambodia’s future development. The UN has brought peace, relative stability, and identifiable government; but the trade offs are immeasurable.

As a Cambodian, I feel obligated that these ongoing problems deserve no scapegoat. If Cambodia is to have a lasting peace then she must empower her people to value and respect life, nation, and embrace religion. Cambodians must learn to love themselves and do more to solve their own problems, and build their own nation. The international community must realize this endemic which will plaque not just Cambodia, but the peaceful world. More international efforts on generating awareness and educate people about prevention and intervention measures. More research in finding the cure for HIV/AIDS must be in place to rid this gruesome disease.

In a recent statistics, it is estimated that more than 170,000 Cambodians are infected HIV/AIDS. That is one in every seventy Cambodian. The number will continue to rise if nothing more is done to resolve this immense problem.

HIV/AIDS is a ticking bomb that will eventually cripple and have lasting effect on many nations, including Cambodia. It does not require an Al Queda force or weapon of mass destruction; but this forgotten epidemic will spread endlessly. The sheer speed of its infection on the world population has been faster than any one of us could ever imagine.

The devastating effect has left many people dead. The legacy of the young left orphaned by the diseased parents and loved ones greatly traumatized and forced many of them to live lives of neglect and uncertainties. Their future will become considerably bleaker when they know that nothing is done to help resolve the problem.

I Think I love You...

Beongkok Lake - A Disaster (Part 2)

I am very much in agreement of what people said about Boeungkok lake being a haven for criminals, thugs, and packers who frequent different places for drugs and other criminal elements.

In all fairness, it is the responsibility of the authorities whether they be the district police and other authorities who have jurisdictions in and around Beoungkok lake to clean up and provide the necessary security to its citizens living near and the surrounding areas.

My opinion on preserving the lake is merely based on the fact that Phnom Penh dwellers will find its useful in terms of its use as recreational park, place where children can go fishing, biking, running and do all sort of things...Imagine, preserving and beautifying it so that it becomes a place of gathering for families on weekdays as well as on weekends?

It adds value to our livelihood...How much value can a couple hundred millions of dollars add to our society? In the short run, it is good only to those who get direct benefits from the deals that were made.

The suffering and development compromise are our future generations and the impacts are immeasurable. The lake will be long gone after a year or two from now...It is essentially wipe off from our future map...and to me that is an irony in our contemporary history. To these ends, I plead that decisions that were made be reversed for the sake of our children.

Neavea Chivit - The Journey

Life is what we make of it.  From conception to life after our birth, we live only to the tell that life is nothing more than a journey through time and space.  

What we do through time and space are remembered as experiences.  As each one of us journeys through our lifetime; we live to tell stories of what have occurred and able to be recalled.  Most often, the good stories are told; and the not so good ones are left buried under our own sub-conscience.  

Each one of us are taught by design to recall the good times.  For most tragic moments, we tend to remember not-so-well and often told in the most exaggerated ways.  We, humans tend to trap our psyche in the most emotional and traumatic experiences; so that others may feel sympathy and much forgiving toward the inner-self. 

The journey often regarded as "Neavea Chivit" is told and passed on for generations.  Most of the journey are told through spoken and written stories, verses, poems, lullabies, inscriptions, carving on stone walls and of course musical folklores.  For the most parts, they are told to illustrate traditions, norms, values, ways of life, love, passion, lust, greeds and compassion. Most importantly, they are told to teach us about our pasts, to give us strength and future prosperity. 

Our journey as Khmer people dated back to hundreds of years.  We are descendants of many great civilizations; from triumph, glorious and to tragic pasts; yet our journey forever continues.  

Our sense of pride of who we are as people are embedded in our minds since the first day we are born to the day of our death.  It is in this journey that our lives must be forever fulfilled with experiences that shall be told over and over again.  

Life without journey is life that is meaningless.  To these ends, we shall live lives as we imagined them to be.  

It is in the journey "Nivea Chivit" that we may find peace, harmony, creativity and procreation so that our sense of who we are in flesh and blood are carried on for many generations to come.

The Fields of Dreams

Dark cloud, cold wind and drizzling rain hang over my head.  Is it a sign that wintry days are coming?  Squirrels piling wood chips and carrying branches in their holes underneath the pine trees..Could it be that they know something is coming ahead?  I also begin to notice that grapes are ripening, plums are already picked, oranges are beginning to turn yellow, lemon grass are fully grown...it may just be that it is a sign of changing time...

As I sit here, gazing through my window to opened plain and vineyards nearby; I begin to miss those days when I am all there with my parents, brothers and sisters...playing board games like Pictionary and Monopoly with my siblings and enjoying those Saturdays and Sundays, home-cooked meals, typically kuy teov or chicken curry which are obviously my mother and sister's favorite dishes.

Yet those days are over now....

Serenity and loneliness set in...Yes, I know that I have grown of age and I am not like I once used to be.

I am alone facing the world.  I catch plane rides like riding the bus to school and that is apart of what I do...I hop from one country to another to sell things that may cause harm...may cause chaos in the world...Yet I do it in the name of a safer world...Can I be just so selfish or can I be just paranoid of what could happen if these things are getting into the wrong hands?

Nevertheless, I realize that without them...our world is unable to deter threat for we know that evil is in what every men do...I shall not let it be...but it is my mission in life to ensure that global peace is ensured with the might of arsenals and diplomacy. It is after all, a reality..nothing more..nothing less.

Rain drizzling and fog sets in ...I can no longer see the fields of my dream...I am dazzled by the strong wind splashing rain drops on my window...I could only imagine how strong it is outside my house and in the fields...I sit upright...and could only imagine those days when I was a child riding my bike to go fishing...it was  cold and numbness would set in on my my extremities - hands and toes....barely making it home on an old bike with a couple of friends...

Till this day, I have always wondered about those younger years....nothing more and nothing less...Young and wild...carefree..hanging out with the boys...jumping in the water from the cliff naked. in the nearby lake ..not having to worry about any thing..but only to enjoy those moments in time....I just love the thoughts of going back through those moments and time.

I remember those days when I first fell in love with my best friend, Angel.  I never knew what love was..but had these inkling feelings about her that she was very special and different from other girls.

I used to have sweat on the palm of my hands just talking to her.  I stuttered just answering simple questions...And always so happy just to see her on the bus and I would lurk to sit behind her seat just to get that awesome aroma coming out of her...It was the age of the innocent and first love..Those were my high school years.

Angel actually asked me out to the movie after school one day..It was like a dream that came true.  We had our first kiss in the movie theater and that was the moment that changed my life forever.  Her love and affection for me made me work so hard in life to achieve things that I never once ever dreamed of achieving.

She was the foundation of my loneliness and my source of pride...yet years of separation and my wish to pursue my ambitions tore us apart.  Now, I could only realize that we were not meant to be together...despite how hard we have tried....

The rain now subsides...over hanging clouds are clearing and I can once again see the vast farmlands.  It is beautiful out here..I can only wish what it must have been like 50 years ago before the housing and other industrial developments.

It must have been so peaceful for the Native Americans before all of the land grabbing and force eviction which led to the "trail of tears" for the American Indians....Those were the days.

One can only hope that things can be the same again...Yet time and man often times are very contradictory....I can only hope that our future will bring happiness and enduring hope for our generations and many more generations to come.

A Prisoner of My Own Conscience

Day in and day out..again and again!  I wonder why things have to be this way?  It is what I have done in life that now have completely control my life.  The last thing that I want in life is to be unhappy for me, my family and my friends to laugh at for who I have become as a person.

It has been over ten years now since I have embarked on a Journey of Transition; but the me that I used to know is not really me any more.  What have I become? A grown man, mature, yet become engulfed with so much of the worldly things that I totally forgot who I really was?  Was it worthwhile?

The question now is whether decisions made were really worthwhile?....I have tried to be true to myself yet Not Honest with my inner self.  I have grown to be somebody that wanted a sense of self-worth, inner pride, wanted to be rich at the price of others....Is this what I want?  Have I grown mad with the habitual things that have engulfed me and my soul?

Obviously, there is self-doubt of who I really am? Yet one thing that is still true is that I still have my head held high with much hope and dreams. It is today that I am beginning the change process.  For I know that it will not be an easy road ahead; but if I am to be me again, I shall fight and persevere.  And I know that my conscience will at the end prevail.

The question of when and how are left to be said and known.  They are apart of a change process.  The question of who I want to be remains a mystery because I yet realized Who I Want To Be...If the Conscience is right, then the need to Want To Be is already written in my sub-conscience.  I only need to uncover the mysteries of those lost souls...Once, they were there...Maybe, they were just forgotten...

A beautiful path is long and treacherous.  Precise planning must be thought through.  Any miscalculations or mis-steps will hinder my hope to recover and will lead me off the course. It is extremely difficult to be going through the process again and again...Yet I know that my ultimate goal and objective are so near YET seems so very far indeed....

I am a Prisoner of My Own Conscience...

(Johnny Chuon, Sunday @10/24/10)

Rain Here Comes the Rain...

The most beautiful Sunday morning!...Cool breeze touches my face as I sit and contemplate on what life has to offer...the smell of orange blossoms, red roses mixed with nature's own music of bird chirping in the trees...seemed as though life is serene and at peace...nothing more..nothing less...Will it be always be like this, I wonder?

Rain here comes the rain...dark and gloomy...sleepy tide...cool wind gusting through my windows...slept I did for a couple hours..Now awake and refreshed....nothing feel better than this...and it is still raining...Have not seen the rain for more than 8 months....

I bet the birds, bees, squirrels, and white tail deers are so happy to see this blessed on them.....Nothing is more precious than the gift of life - rain and water...

They dance and rejoice in the midst of the falling rain...

A sign of changing time, a time to rejuvenate and a time of inner reflection...

For they know that in this valley, it is not until another 8 months before we get another big one like this...how sad it may be?...yet it has been like this for centuries...They learned to adapt to the scarce resources they have around them.  

But it is human beings that created canals, waterways, dams to catch and conserve the falling rains and the melting icecaps in the Spring and mid Summer months so that this once dessert lands...now is an oasis that is green all year around.

Clouds come floating into my peace, carrying with it the rain, ushering the storm, and adding colors to my sunset sky. How my heart lingers and wants to see her beautiful face again....I could only imagine how she feels about me in day like this?

A reflection of this beautiful Sunday....(October 17, 2010)

Beongkok Lake - A Disaster

It is my hope that Samdech Decho will reconsider the magnitude of this particular decision that will impact many generations to come. It is not just the ecological and environmental impacts, but the human impacts not just the residents that have to be evicted from the nearby areas; but the whole city of Phnom Penh city.

Saving the lake and preserving it to be our pride and joy for the city would be much more than a just cause decision, but a decision that will be meaningful and remembered for generations.

IT Polices and Programs to help excel Cambodia's 21st Century Development

It is with great pride and joy that Samdech Decho has done so much in terms of various initiatives to improve the nation's infrastructure; but much more is need to ensure sustainability and future developments.

Dysfunctional programs and the lack of understanding on how IT can support and help to bridge the digital divide are two imperatives that must be understood and resolved at a national level. Much attention is needed now because complacency will leave us behind if we are to compete regionally and globally.

Policies and programs related to IT education must be re-evaluated and re-engineered to meet the needs of current development model. Parallel and competitive growth can only happen if we are prepared to make changes and have forward thinking on how our younger generations are preparing themselves to lead at home, the region and the world.

Facilitating Importation of Goods - Problems with Custom Services

If private enterprises are to be encouraged to do businesses in a just and fair manner; one area to make necessary changes is the custom services that currently rendered.

It is probably the most bureaucratic entity that Cambodia has ever had. Clearing of goods requires so much paper works, time, frustration and most notably unnecessary charges. New systems are in place to reduce time and money - reduce corruptive acts; but much more has to be done because those in practice are complacent and worst yet seem to ignore the issue completely.  They cling on to their old ways of doing things because it is their source of livelihood - their rice bowl.  Who are directly involved? One can only speculate.

Do people ever notice how many Land cruisers, Prado and other brands of nice cars parked in front, on the side of the Custom House on Preah Norodom Boulevard directly opposite of the National Bank? 

It is only fair to the people and other civil servants that these continued corruptive acts must be stopped once and for all.

If we are going to encourage private enterprises to thrive, increase potential foreign investments into our country and most importantly reduce cost to our consumers; ultimately will result in enhancing economic growth...Something worthwhile must be done quickly and methodically.  Most importantly, it is to ensure that customers  (meaning those that are using custom services) are fully protected and given the benefits that they so deserved.

Playgrounds for Our Children in Phnom Penh and Elsewhere

Children are our future. Given the rapid economic growth in Cambodia, increase in housing development and others in the city; we all must not forget that our children still need their playgrounds. If investing in our children's future means more than immediate bucks that we get from selling those public lands to private entities, we must think twice because at the end, it is our children that will curse us for what we make of them in the nearest future.

In modern city such as Singapore and other Asian cities around the region; there are much efforts put in place to ensure that public parks and recreation centers are preserved. It is only in human nature that humans like animals need places to come out to relax and enjoy for the benefits of the mind and body.

Yes, we have preserved public places such as the ones near Victory monument, Royal Palace, Ministry of Defense, and along the river front...and that is awesome in terms of effort. What I am proposing are places that are in the neighborhood, close to the homes and in district centers.

I believe that some philantrophic efforts by our rich and famous Khmer people should be set aside in building these parks and recreation centers. To say the least, private companies are ready to pitch in as long as there are some collateral benefits coming back to them...

Libraries for Our People

Like a Negro's college fund slogan "A mind is a terrible thing to waste". The success of our future depends very much on an educated populace. Accessibility to education regardless of where it maybe must be understood and valued.

Libraries are fundamental in providing open access education regardless of age, sex, religion or creed. Since our pagodas are often regarded as a place of education since the beginning of time in our culture; Ministry of Cult and Religion & Ministry of Education should team up to provide spaces either within the pagoda or spaces close to the pagoda that will be equipped with internet connection, resource materials and books that people of all ages can enjoy. 

Modus of operandi can either be privately owned and operated. Books can be rented out for a small fee or checked out for free, similarly books can be donated or subsidize by the gov't or local or international donors. Other initiatives should be considered where by the pagodas can be directly involved - after all, the added values of having people frequenting pagodas can only be positive and could be translated into other income generating ideas...more membership means more resources...

Internet providers stand ready to provide technical expertise, equipment and connection at free of charge if gov't proposes and as long as it is for a good cause..It is also very good for marketing as well. Computer peripheral companies also stand ready to donate necessary equipment as long as gov't has necessary proposals which deemed appropriate and for a good cause.

Notion of Happiness

To laugh, cry, fear, think, desire, love and hate; they are only human concepts that we have adapted ourselves...To blame it on anything..there isn't much..yet each one of us has choices to make....These choices are values we place on these concepts.

Yearning to Be Loved Again...

O what has happened to you, my dear, dearest Thearny?

0 what has happened to you, my fearful Thearny?"

"I have been in love; Johnny, am filled with fright, For I had a frightful nightmare in sight. "

"0 what do you mean, my dear, dearest Thearny?

0 what do you mean, my fearful Thearny?" "

I have been appalled and disheartened, Johnny, am filled with fright, 'For love is kinds yet painful in my sight. "

"0 what did you experience, my dear, dearest Thearny?

0 what you experience, my fearful Thearny " "

I have seen everything; Johnny, am filled with fright, For I have gone through heartache and despair in my sight. "

"0 can you describe what it is like, my dear, dearest Thearny?

0 can you describe what it is like, my fearful Thearny?" "

It was joyful yet painful; Johnny, am filled with fright, For love is blind that is still fresh in sight. "

"0 can you give in details of what it is like, my dear, dearest Thearny?

0 can you give in details of what it is like, my fearful Thearny?

 For love is lust; am filled with fright, first was sweet, creamy as pies then sour as tamarind soup. "

"0 are you well awake, my dear, dearest Thearny?

0 are you well awake, my fearful Thearny? "

"0 yes, I am; am still filled with fright. For in my memory of lost love that is fresh in sight. "

Yet I yearn to be loved again...Lolz