SOAS Cambodia Society

The Cambodian Society of the United Kingdom (www.casunik.org) Have kindly invited all members of the Cambodian Society and its supporters to join them for their Khmer New Year celebrations. With such a small community of Cambodians living in the UK I think it is fantastic for us all to have chance to meet with them and help them to celebrate this special time of year. I hope you will all consider going along.

Jessica

We wil be celebrating our traditional forthcoming Chaul Chhnam Thmei (New Year) on Saturday 17th April 2010 All Day at
VLC COMMUNITY CENTRE

Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Community Centre
151 Whiston Road
Haggerston
Hackney
London
E2 8BN
Tel. 0207 739 3650

Direction:
Bus from Liverpool Street Station 149, 242, 243 & 67 – 5/6 Stops – opposite the Hospital on Kingsland Road

This is to let you know that the members of the SOAS Cambodia Society are cordially invited to participate in this celebration.
The more the merrier! Hope to see you there. All good wishes

Mr Moeng Phok
Vice-PresidentCASUNIK

Soo-Sa-Dai!

The menu for Saturdays Khmer food tasting is:

-Crunchy Summer Spring Rolls
-Grilled Pork Meatballs with Peanut Dipping Sauce
-Caramalized Chicken Wings with Ginger
-Aubergine and Okra Curry with Coconut Milk
-Spicey Fish Cakes
-Khmer Curry & Rice
-Sweet Rice Dumplings in Ginger & Honey Syrup
-Pumpkin pudding in Banana Leaves
-Seasamee Cake
-Other Khmer Snacks 

Recipes for all dishes will be available for you take away and try at home!

The Cambodia Society will be giving out information and seeking support for the WWF Campaign to protect the few remaining Tigers in Cambodia.
We will have footage of real life Tigers in Cambodia for you all to enjoy.

Plus photos, music, dancing and much more Khmer wonders!

Hope to see you all there to enjoy Cambodian culture and cultures from all over the world whilst supporting the aid efforts in Haiti.

Global Gathering: JCR & BAR, SOAS: 2pm – 6pm + drinks in the bar afterwards!

Arkun Charan!

Jessica Borham

Dear members!
 
 I hope you are all looking forward to the break over reading week. Before then there is a fantastic event happening at SOAS that i’m sure you will all enjoy!
 
SOAS is holding the Global Gathering on the 12th and 13th of Feb and the Cambodian Society will be taking part.
 
On Saturday 13th of Feb from 2 -6pm we will be hosting a stall in the SOAS Bar. We will have LOTS of free Khmer food for you to try, photos and videos of Cambodia to share, information about important issues to pass on and lots of time to answer your questions and hear your experiences of Cambodia.
 
Come along to support the SOAS Cambodian Society, to enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of our wonderful world and have a great time.
 
Check the details of the entire event below and I will hope to see you all there!
 
All proceeds go towards the Haita Relief Effort. http://soasunion.org/events/  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=462790170267&ref=ts#!/event.php?eid=462790170267&ref=ts
 
Jessica Borham (Society President)
 
p.s Contact me if you have anything wonderful and Khmer to share at the event and we will include it on the stall! 
 
 
Live Bands – Food for Celebration – Society Stalls – Specialised Speakers & Film Screenings – Musical & Artistic Workshops

”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””

- Musical & Artistic Workshops (G2) -

An opportunity to learn and experience different cultures.

- Specialised Speakers & Film Screenings (Khalili Lecutre Theatre) -

A supplement to the understanding of the history of Haiti as well its current situation. Screening one film and two short documentaries focusing on the themes of the right to self-determination and religious bigotry.

- Society Stalls (Junior Common Room – Bar) -

A chance to introduce a new society as well as a chance to be reminded of others!

- Food For Celebration -

Selection of home-cooked & home-cared food!

- Live Bands (G2 & JCR) -

Music from so far played so close. Best come with groove shoes.

”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””

::[[:: SCHEDULE ::]]::

Friday Launch Party – 12.02.2010 – G2

Doors open at 19:30

Live Latin Music – Italian & Vegan Food – Ethiopian Beer – ‘Love is a Human Right’ SOAS Amnesty Exhibition & Stall -

20:00 /^;^/ Reverso /^;^/ Latin Rock

21:00 /^;^/ Khantara /^;^/ Colombian Roots

22:30 /^;^/ Wara /^;^/ The International Salsa Ensemble

23:00 – 01:00 /^;^/ Cal Jader /^;^/ Movimientos Dj

”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””

13th: Global Gathering: SOAS World Fesitval – G2, G3, KLT, JCR/Bar, B104

Provisional Schedule.

Have an idea for the day? Send a message to one of the admin and we’ll try and find a space!

”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””

- JCR -

12:00 – 17:00

// Khazak Tea // Ethiopian Coffee // South American Mate // Origami Classes // Face-Painting // Re-Freshers Fayre //

17:00 – Late /^;^/ Jam Session / Open Mic

…………………………………………………………………..

- Bar -

12:00 – 17:00 /^;^/ Re-Freshers Fayre

…………………………………………………………………..
- G2 -

12:30 – 13:00 /^;^/ How to make a Pizza with Italian Society

13:15 – 14:45 /^;^/ Life Drawing Session

15:00 – 16:00 /^;^/ Hare Krishna Music Lesson

16:15 – 17:30 /^;^/ Belly Dancing Lesson

…………………………………………………………………..

- G3 -

12:00 – 13:00 /^;^/ Yoga

13:15 – 13:45 /^;^/ Harp playing

14: 00 – 15:30 /^;^/ Lost & Love Experience

…………………………………………………………………..

- KLT -

13:00 – 14:30 /^;^/ Dr. Helen Yaffe on the role of medics and investment in Haiti

14:45 – 15:30 /^;^/ Still Standing Colombian Documentary made by SOAS Student with Q&A

15:45 – 17:00 /^;^/ Peter Hallward (Middlesex Univeristy) Aristide: Damming the Flood

17:15 – 17:45 /^;^/ Forgotten Bird of Paradise (Director Q&A to be confirmed) A documentary shot undercover in 2009 and smuggled out of Indonesia that shows the fight for Self-Determination in West Papua caused by an economy that demands increasing amounts of natural resources.

18:00 – 20:00 /^;^/ La Ultima Cena a Cuban film about religious bigotry

…………………………………………………………………..

- B104 -

London Basque Solidarity Campaign Film Premier and Talk

15:30 /^;^/ Sea Daughter (Itsasoaren Alaba english subtitles) EU Premier

”””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””

Festival Ticket: £3 all earnings go to Haiti Fundraising Projects

By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Cambodia’s largest labour union warned Friday that it would launch a nationwide strike unless authorities arrests those responsible for the slaying of their prominent leader six years ago.

Chea Vichea, 36, founder and president of Free Trade Union of Workers, was fatally shot in front of a newsstand in Phnom Penh on Jan. 22, 2004. He was known for his outspoken efforts to organize garment workers and improve working conditions in Cambodia.

Two men were convicted in the deaths and sentenced to 20-year prison terms, but many people believed they were framed for the crime and the country’s Supreme Court has ordered a retrial.

Chea Mony, the slain leader’s brother and current leader of the union, marked the sixth anniversary of the killing by leading a march of nearly 100 workers and a dozen opposition legislators to the spot where the shooting took place. The march was held under heavy security but was peaceful and no one was arrested.

“Today, I wish to send a message to the government that it is time to arrest the real murderers,” Chea Mony said. “If the government continues to ignore our appeals, then we will hold a one-week, nationwide strike,” he said, adding that the strike would come some time this year.

In December 2008, Cambodia’s highest court provisionally released the two men convicted in the Chea Vichea slaying – Born Samnang, 24, and Sok Sam Oeun, 36 – and ordered further investigation in preparation for their retrial.

The court did not give a reason, but the decision came after widespread protests over the convictions.

We will be watching “One Evening After the War” by Rithy Panh on Thursday 3rd Dec @ 17.30pm in the JCR.

Hello everyone!

I hope the cold misery and wet despair hasn’t crept into your hearts and souls just yet. Winter may be upon us, but good times can still be had.
Let us take a moment to imagine we are sitting on Serendipity Beach, Sihanoukville, sipping from a fresh coconut and basking in the sun!

The Cambodian Society has the perfect cure for the winter time blues. We will be hosting a Film Night this Thursday, 3rd December @ 17.30 in the JCR.

I will be starting the event with a brief update on the issues being highlighted by the Cambodian Society and would like to take the opportunity to tell you all about one of the Charities we hope to support this year.

We can then kick back and watch a movie with some drinks and snacks and have a good chat afterwards. It will be a fantastic chance for us all to meet each other properly.
Come along with woolly hats, gloves, scarfs and even a duvet if you like, leave the cold outside and enjoy the warmth of the Cambodian Society.

To summarise: FREE FILM & FREE FOOD: 17.30pm, Thursday 3rd Dec @ JCR, SOAS.

I hope to see you all there on Thursday.

Jessica Borham

Society President

To Mr. Kep Chuktema, Governor of the Municipality of Phnom Penh:

We write to you to express our deep concerns about recent developments affecting residents of the Boeung Kak Lake area in central Phnom Penh. Some residents near the lake have been forcibly evicted, while others are facing eviction amid rising water levels, and threats and harassment. Government officials and company workers have threatened residents in and around Boeung Kak Lake and NGOs supporting them, when they have campaigned against the filling of the lake and imminent eviction. Heavily armed police, including military police, frequently harass community leaders and NGO workers and block access to the area. Journalists face intimidation when reporting about the developments, including on 27 November 2008 when police took reporters in for questioning about their coverage of the situation.

As you know, in February 2007 the Municipality of Phnom Penh entered into a 99-year lease agreement for US$79 million for 133 hectares, including Boeung Kok lake and surrounding land, with a private developer, Shukaku Inc. According to the government, the company will turn the area into “pleasant, trade, and service places for domestic and international tourists,” including by filling in 90% of the lake. On 26 August 2008 a company began filling the lake, which has worsened flooding and caused the destruction of some houses.

The development will lead to the eviction of almost 4,000 families, despite many of the affected families having strong legal claims to the land under the Land Law. Without prior meaningful consultation, affected communities are currently being made non-negotiable offers of compensation or houses in a relocation site on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. The compensation offered is insufficient for families to obtain comparable alternative housing. Housing at the relocation site is not adequate: infrastructure is poor, basic amenities including clean water is lacking, and access to work opportunities is very limited given the distance from the city. Moreover, offers include no formal security of tenure for those agreeing to move.

Residents have sought to halt the filling of the lake which is gradually destroying homes, and have requested more compensation. However, the Municipality has told residents that they do not have the right to demand anything more than the offered compensation.

We also note with concern the prevalence of forced evictions in Cambodia. Forced evictions are evictions that are carried out without adequate notice, consultation with those affected, legal safeguards or assurances of adequate alternative accommodation. They violate Cambodian law and Cambodia’s international human rights obligations.

The development of the lake breaches Cambodian law. According to the 2001 Land Law, the lake itself is inalienable state land (so-called state public property), and as such cannot be leased for longer than 15 years, during which time the function of the property must not change. In August 2008, a sub-decree reclassified Boeung Kak Lake into private state land, in what appeared to be an attempt to validate the lease.

The agreement also appears to breach other domestic law and implementing regulations as the environmental impact assessment has not been made widely available to the public or to the affected communities, and because no open bidding process preceded the agreement.

As noted above, the development of the Boeung Kak lake breaches Cambodia’s international human rights obligations. According to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Cambodia, as a state party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), is obliged to ensure, before any planned evictions, that all alternatives are explored in consultation with those affected by the eviction. Evictions may only occur in accordance with the law and in conformity with international standards, including genuine consultation with those affected; adequate notice and information on the proposed eviction, and provisions of legal remedies for those affected. Evictions may only occur if they do not render individuals homeless or vulnerable to the violation of other human rights.

We therefore call on the Municipality of Phnom Penh to ensure that the rights of the residents of Boeung Kak lake are respected and protected, and that victims of forced evictions are provided with effective remedies, including restitution of housing, land or property. We also request that arbitrary arrests, intimidation and restrictions of the right to peaceful protest be stopped immediately.

Recent research by Amnesty International and local partners indicates that 150,000 people in Cambodia are living under threat of forced eviction, including up to 70,000 in Phnom Penh alone. The government should end forced evictions and introduce a moratorium on mass evictions until the legal framework and relevant policies are in place to ensure that evictions are conducted only in accordance with Cambodia’s international human rights obligations.

The evictions taking place to pave the way for the development of Boeung Kak are emblematic of a broader problem of violations of the right to adequate housing in Cambodia. The Cambodian government has an obligation under international law to protect the population against forced evictions. Everyone — whether owners, renters or unregistered settlers — should possess a degree of security of tenure which guarantees legal protection against forced eviction, harassment and other threats.

We sincerely hope that you will take into consideration our concerns. In this regard we would like to request a meeting with you and relevant officials to discuss Boeung Kak lake and related matters.

Yours sincerely,

Souhayr Belhassen, President, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
Salih Booker, Executive Director, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE)
Brad Adams, Asia Director, Human Rights Watch
Sam Zarifi, Director, Asia-Pacific Programme, Amnesty International.