A very dangerous holiday in Cambodia
In December 1978, under the spectre of an imminent Vietnamese military invasion, the ultra-secretive Khmer Rouge leadership did something fantastically out of character - it cracked the curtains ever so slightly and let three foreigners inside. Only two would leave alive.
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Introducing Jaguar Skills: ninja master of the mix
Bastardising music is nothing new. From the jazz tradition of reinterpreting standards to the DIY ethic of punk, the art of assembling new songs from purloined elements of existing tracks has been around since music was first recorded. But a certain breed of DJ is jacking up the creative bar – and then some.
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MUMMY, I’M BORED!!!
How many times have you heard that perennial whinge during the school holidays? Yet, as all expat parents will know, there is a natural limit to the number of child-friendly distractions even the most resourceful of us can conjure up in and around our beloved Phnom Penh.
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Vote buying in Cambodia? What about lobbying in the USA?
The Phnom Penh Post had reported on 31 January 2012:
A Cambodian People’s Party member found guilty of attempted vote-buying in last Monday’s Senate election had been let off too lightly with a fine and should face legal action, an opposition Sam Rainsy Party councilor said yesterday.
At a hearing of the Battambang Provincial Election Commission last week, CPP member Cheam Pe A was fined US$1,230 after he was caught on tape offering SRP Tuol Ta Ek commune councilor Mok Ra $700 to cast his vote for the ruling party.
Vote buying is bad – hardly anybody will defend it openly, though it is probably being done a lot – and not only in Cambodia.
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Dancing with Dictators: a very problematic publisher
“Jinxed” is how the Australian media described Dancing with Dictators, a documentary film about Southeast Asia’s most controversial newspaper man, when it was canned at the 11th hour during last year’s Sydney film festival.
When Phnom Penh Post and Myanmar Times publisher Ross Dunkley agreed to allow filmmakers to follow in his footsteps for an exposé on how the foreign media fares under one of the world’s most repressive regimes, few outside his immediate circle could have imagined what was to come.
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An artist rises from the ashes
Srey Bandaul has come a long way since he first picked up a paint brush at the SiteTwo Refugee camp on the Thai border. Spooked by personal experience of fleeing the murderous Khmer Rouge, the 38-year-old has turned memories of a traumatic past into a promising artistic future.
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Christie’s to hold first art auction in Cambodia
One of the world’s most esteemed auction houses is poised to stage its first ever event in Cambodia.
Christie’s, founded in London in 1766, is synonymous with fine art and today boasts offices around the world, including in London, New York, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Dubai, and Hong Kong.
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18 January shooting – Prime Minister's interventions bringing changes?
This is to document events related to the shooting of villagers on 18 January 2012 who saw their land getting lost – until finally the Prime Minister intervened on 31 January 2012, ordering decisive action to be taken. But new reports on 2 February 2012 do not show that the atmosphere has changed.
Land disputes happened in increasing numbers since many months. Some cases of violent evictions had received also wide international attention – like the destruction of the settlement in Dey Krahom - the continuing conflicts around the Boeng Kak lake (the lake has by now completely disappeared, it has been filled with sand) – and the struggle of a final group of residents evicted from the Borei Keila area.
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Council of Ministers and UN Special Expert - continued
The following items are added as follow-up to the previous posting here: Council of Ministers Spokesperson Censured UN Special Expert on 26 January 2012.
On Friday, 27 January 2012, The Cambodia Daily reported:
In a letter addressed to Mr. Scheffer dated yesterday, Mr. Siphan said his comments on the meeting were misinterpreted. According to Mr. Siphan, he had only said that Mr. Scheffer "understood" Mr. Sok An's position "that the Royal Government of Cambodia cannot overturn the decision of the Supreme Council of the Magistracy."
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Music scene opens up to next generation of listeners
Family friendly gigs “a big part of cultural education”, says host
Finding something to keep the kids entertained in a concrete jungle such as Phnom Penh can prove challenging. It’s precisely this that prompted Philippe, of Le Jardin, to organise an unprecedented series of ‘family friendly gigs’.
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