CIVIL RESISTANCE


My TREASON & INCITEMENT MASS TRIAL (Initial Page on Trial Matters)     TUESDAY, 14 JUNE 2022 VERDICT ANNOUNCEMENT Court Statement: Concluding Remarks ការការពារ ផ្លូវច្បាប់ របស់ខ្ញុំ  [ ... ]


CIVIC EDUCATION


Theary Seng
Theary Seng, Dec. 2011


I believe this commie regime "prematurely" arrested lawyer Choung Chou-Ngy by one or two days... They must have felt forced to do something this Dec. 29 morning rather than wait till late afternoon of Dec. 30 or beginning Dec. 31 as then all of us are preoccupied with New Year Eve's plan and would not should up in full force (despite the holiday season of having most away) as we did today and we were/are active in getting the information out!!! So now, HE IS FREE! Details to be pieced together tomorrow...

- Theary, 29 Dec. 2011 aqt 10:30 p.m.

 

Yesterday, we forced this commie regime to write and re-write its narratives in its uncreative, comedic, commie manner re lawyer Chou-Ngy, so that in the end lauk Chou-Ngy is FREE and safe, and hopefully negotiated hard politically for his SRP. Now this cowardice, uncreative, commie regime is spinning the blame on the trustworthiness of human rights monitors and media in our 'exaggeration'.


Hey commie regime, we the free, the democrats, have you figured out, but you in your fearful paranoia can never understand what it means to be free, particular freedom from fear and free thinking! It's like the sane can understand insanity but the insane/looney/coo-coo cannot comprehend what it means to be sane/normal.


For example, we can understand how looney/coo-coo is Kim Jong-un, but he can never understand how to be normal. Same with this Kew-Kew commie regime so steeped in its fears and paranoia that it cannot understand freedom and peace as in shalom (absence of conflict and presence of justice). Funny also that it blames me particularly yesterday ;) .


- Theary C. Seng, Facebook posts, 30 Dec. 2011


Choung Chou-ngy to hold a press conference at the SRP headquarters

10 AM on 30 Dec 2011

 

Rhetorics from DAP-news, the CPP mouthpiece, on Choung Chou-Ngy's press conference

DAP News, Friday, 30 Dec. 2011

I really think Ms. Seng Theary could give a fart about what this commie regime spins/twists against her.  This regime is so anachronistic and so beyond reasonableness that Ms. Seng could give a fart about the lies and shenanigans this idiotic, commie regime could cook up.  Let the commie, idiotic regime come and arrest her.


They are the minority, the tool of Vietnamization.


The majority Cambodians love dignity, love justice, side with Ms. Seng, including those in power who have yet to realize their role for dignity and love of nation.

. . .


Lawyer Choung Chou-ngy is under pressure; He can't say much but promised he would follow the path of dharma

Cambodia Express News, 30 Dec. 2011


SRP Lawyer Choung Chou-ngy claimed that there was indeed a pursuit to arrest him

Free Press Magazine Online, 30 Dec. 2011


. . .

 

FREE AT LAST!

After a harrowing day of excruciating waiting from 7:30 AM till 7:30 PM of no concrete news of lawyer Chou-Ngy's whereabouts, we received trustworthy confirmation that he is safe and FREE!!  Have been celebrating with his nieces and nephews who are staying with me.  No details, which we hope to glean tomorrow.  GOOD night!!!

- Theary, Phnom Penh 10:30 PM, Thursday, 29 Dec. 2011

 

ARRESTED!!

Shortly after 7:30 A.M. Thursday, 29 Dec. 2011


Lawyer Chou-Ngy mysteriously left Phnom Penh for Kampong Chhnang province at approx. 6 a.m.  He called his niece in Phnom Penh at approx. 7:30 to say that he's being followed and about to be arrested.  When I called his two mobiles at 9 a.m., they were turned off.

News spread that he was secretly taken to the Kandal Provincial Court (20-30 min. drive from Phnom Penh city center) through the backdoor.  All the opposition SRP parliamentarians, human rights monitors and media went to the Kandal court, only to be disappointed with no Mr. Chou-Ngy.  I arrived at the Kandal court around 11:45 a.m. to see traffic police, military police, a few human rights monitors and media lingering for concrete news; most court officials have left.

Around 12 noon, I received news that lawyer Chou-Ngy is currently detained at the Criminal Unit of the Ministry of Interior under the heavy-handed police chief MOK Chito, the feared henchman of this commie regime who has been associated with every known political killings and other violence of this commie regime since time immemorial.


As of 1:30 p.m. this dark Thursday, the update is that lawyer Chou-Ngy will be transferred to the Kandal Provincial Court at 2 p.m.  Let's see...


Hey Commie Regime -- WHAT'S THE CRIME????  WHY THE PARANOIA???? THAT YOU SHOULD BE SO BLATANT IN THE VIOLATION OF ALL KNOWN LEGAL PROCEDURES????


- Theary C. Seng, 1:35 p.m. Thursday, 29 Dec. 2011

 

KI-Media updates

 

. . .

 

Pending Arrest of my lawyer friend

CHOUNG Chou-ngy

on trumped-up charges

Wednesday, 28 Dec. 2011

Choung Chou-Ngy
Sacrava, 28 Dec. 2011

Choung Chou-ngy
Meet with Mr. Choung Chou-ngy at my home to discuss his case

Wednesday, 28 Dec. 2011



23 Sept. 2011 (approx. 12 noon): lawyer Choung Chou-ngy defends his client Meas Peng (popular opposition deputy commune chief in Kien Svay, Kandal province) before prosecutor Ouk Kimsith and judge Lim Sokuntha at Kandal Provincial Court, arguing that the court has no right to detain his client in the provincial prison without an arrest warrant.  By this time, his client has been led away to prison, without an arrest warrant and without a detention order, both required documents which the court refused/failed to produce for lawyer Choung Chou-ngy and his client.

 

23 Sept. 2011: After leaving the Kandal provincial court, lawyer Choung Chou-ngy went with 2 opposition parliamentarians to pick up his client at the Kandal provincial prison.  Meas Peng left the prison with opposition parliamentarian Chan Cheng.

 

3 Oct. 2011: Lawyer Choung Chou-ngy filed a complaint to the Council of Magistracy.

 

7 Oct. 2011: Judge Lim Sokuntha filed a complaint against lawyer Chou-ngy to the president of the Bar Association, Mr. Chiv Song Hak, with copies of the arrest warrant and the detention order dated 23 Sept. 2011 (back-dated, as the judge failed to produce for lawyer Chou-ngy during the Sept. 23 questioning).


SRP Lawmaker, Lawyer

Implicated in "Escape"

The Phnom Penh Post, 28 Dec. 2011

Re-published in KI-Media

 

“We charged them on Friday last week. We charged three persons. Meas Peng was charged with escaping from prison, parliamentarian Chan Cheng and lawyer Choung Choungy were charged with aiding and abetting his escape,” Kandal’s prosecutor, Ouk Kimsith, said.

 

“It is not difficult for judges to issue the warrant for detention,” Lim Sokuntha told the Post. “When I decide to detain in the questioning room, if the suspect runs out of the room right then, they are still a detainee, even though I have not signed a warrant.”

 

In its haste to doctor and backdate the arrest warrant and the detention order the Kandal provincial court missed changing to the right year (2010, instead of 2011) and whited-out and inked in "3" in two places on one document... Hey commie Regime, can you be any more commie and pathetic?

 

My video interview with Mr. Choung Chou-Ngy at my home office yesterday from 5-7 P.M. (Wednesday, 28 Dec. 2011)

. . . . .


For immediate release


Cambodia:

Revise or Abandon Draft NGO Law


Donors Should Insist on Protections for Civil Society


(Bangkok, December 22, 2011) - Donors, who provide approximately half of Cambodia's national budget, should make clear to the Cambodian government that the fourth draft of the Law on Associations and NGOs (LANGO) must be revised to protect civil society or be withdrawn, a group of concerned international human rights organizations said today. Any revisions should involve meaningful consultation with civil society organizations and aim to support their activities instead of creating a legal framework allowing for arbitrary closure of organizations or the denial of registration.


The groups involved are Human Rights Watch, Global Witness, Freedom House, Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Article 19, Southeast Asia n Press Alliance (SEAPA), Civil Rights Defenders, Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada, Cent re for Law and Democracy, Protection International, and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (a joint program of the International Federation for Human Rights - FIDH, and the World Organisation Against Torture - OMCT).

 

Full Press Release...

 

 

. . . . .

CIVICUS Cambodia logo

CIVICUS: Center for Cambodian Civic Education

a partner of The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights

conducts

Curriculum Courage Without Borders

(Speak Truth To Power, based on book by Kerry Kennedy)


Training Workshops for Educators and Monks

in 20 Provinces/Municipalities


 

[Letter from CIVICUS Cambodia founding president Theary Seng]


Dear Colleagues and Friends who are Teachers/Educators—our unsung Heroes:


This is your book! We created it with you in mind, as the shapers of minds. We know of some of the challenges you face in present-day Cambodia and we empathize. More power to you.


We believe greatly in the importance of this curriculum because we believe deeply in this virtue—COURAGE. We believe it is a virtue that can be practiced more and more by everyone, especially the young people.


Courage is defined as “mental or moral strength to persevere and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty,” something that all of us (as Khmer—in the NGOs, in the government, in the opposition, in business, in Mondolkiri, Kampot or wherever, holding different religions or beliefs, rich or poor—as well as foreigners—French, African, Chinese, no matter the background) can and do believe in.


As with any other disposition, courage is only fixed in us through practice. As Aristotle notes in the Nicomachean Ethics almost 2,400 years ago, we become brave only by doing brave acts: "By being habituated to despise things that are terrible and to stand our ground against them we become brave, and it is when we have become so that we shall be most able to stand our ground against them." Moreover, when we encounter obstacles, let us be reminded that they are only invitations to courage. Fear destroys a person's spirit whereas courage builds a person and in turn society.


Everyone everywhere in the world, anytime throughout history believes in the significance and practice of this virtue, COURAGE.


Thus, our deep admiration for you, who are in the frontline in instilling this virtue via this curriculum in our children.


Of course, we would like very much for this curriculum to be included as part of the official educational curriculum. We are engaged and will continue to engage the relevant government officials to make this happen. Before this happens, however, it is necessary that we all are familiar with the content. Naturally, this takes time.


But we are making a good beginning. For example, we are pleased to have H.E. Om Yentieng’s recognition of the importance of the Speak Truth To Power project (as expressed to Kerry Kennedy over a dinner he hosted in February 2011). We continue to count on his Cambodian Human Rights Committee as a vehicle for the dissemination of this material. We believe in the universality of this virtue; we believe in the government’s courage to take this on and we will do everything to work with ALL partners, who believe in EDUCATION.


I would like to give you a bit of background as to how we went about producing this Courage curriculum:


First, the drafting of the Khmer curriculum in the English language is based on extensive discussions between CIVICUS Cambodia in Phnom Penh and RFK Center in Washington, D.C., with comments and ideas from Kerry Kennedy after her visit to Cambodia in February 2011.


Among all the 51 defenders featured in Kerry Kennedy’s book Speak Truth To Power, we decided to focus on eight individuals whose works and issues resonated with the current situation in Cambodia: Elie Wiesel (Genocide), Marina Pisklakova (Domestic Violence), Juliana Dogbadzi (Slavery/Trafficking), Vaclav Havel (Free Expression), Muhammad Yunus (Right to Credit), Desmond Tutu (Reconciliation), Ka Hsaw Wa (Corporate Social Responsibility), Kailash Satyarthi (Child Labor).


Second, we had the English-drafted curriculum translated in Khmer which took several phases. We put a lot of energy into this process, as we know ultimately it is the Khmer version which must be understandable and readable. Those who have worked with translation from the English into the Khmer language can appreciate the process—the content quality of making sure the Khmer language makes sense; preserving the spirit and meaning of the original English content; the technical difficulties of typing Khmer, with associated problems transferred to the layout process, etc.


We employed some of the best translators in the country who did the initial translation for us. Toward the middle and the end of the translation process, I meticulously scrutinized the Khmer version line-by-line, with the English text for content integrity and comprehensibility, with my dedicated assistant Ms. Sivnin Eam typing in the changes as well as providing the sounding board for my explanations and my constant, recurring questions: Is it understandable to a 13-year-old? Is there a simpler, more common word in usage? Tell me what you think this word or phrase or sentence means.


As important as preserving the spirit of the content, we were very concerned that the Khmer translation flows smoothly and is understandable to the larger population. Simply put, we focused on clarity and common (vernacular) usage for UNDERSTANDING. We preferred the common vocabulary to the highly technical ones, if we could avoid them. It was not uncommon for Sivnin and I to be engaged for half an hour, for example, over one phrase or one sentence. We consulted the available dictionaries, with great reliance and value given to the works of Venerable Chuon Nath.


During this process, we also engaged some of you, the educators who will actually be teaching from this curriculum. We met in person at three consultation workshops with approximately 40 of you, senior educators, from four northwest provinces of Siem Reap, Battambang, Banteay Meanchey and Kampong Thom as well as you, senior educators, from Phnom Penh and Kandal Province. You assisted us tremendously with your comments and feedback, especially on the readability, usage and spelling of certain words. We included as much as we can of your feedback. (Thank you so much!)


Finally, we worked with a layout designer, a very able young woman Ms. Rany Song, to put everything together as suggestions and comments gleaned from the consultation process (workshops and private review of drafts) continue to stream in.


I ask for your good will, magnanimity and patience with any mistakes (e.g. spelling) you may find or preferences (e.g. usage of commas) you may disagree with. We accept full responsibility for the content in this curriculum but we ask for your help in providing us your feedback for future printing.


I pray you will find this Courage curriculum inspirational not only for your students, but for yourselves as well. Peace and courage be with you.


_____________
Theary C. SENG
Founding President
CIVICUS: Center for Cambodian Civic Education
Phnom Penh, Sept. 2011

 

_____________

 

Kampong Chhnang Training Workshop

Aranh Pagoda, Sunday, 9 Oct. 2011

Kampong Chhnang Training Workshop, 9 Oct. 2011

More info and photos...

. . .


Training Workshop in a Takeo Pagoda

Sunday, 16 Oct. 2011


Head monk at Ompor Wanaram Pagoda

More info and photos...

. . .

 


Training Workshop in a Kampot Pagoda

(including educators from Kep)

Monday, 17 Oct. 2011


Students from next door view skulls and bones from Khmer Rouge era (Wat Stung, 17 Oct. 2011)

More info and photos...

. . .


Training Workshop in Kandal Province at Sa'ang

Courage Training Workshop in Sa'ang, Kandal Province, 9 Nov. 2011
Mr. Man Kee (who we teased as our "little monkey", a dynamic, courageous, dedicated teacher from Kandal province who was orphaned by the Khmer Rouge and obtained his education living in a pagoda), is reading for the group the section on "Chronology of Human Rights".  Despite the local authorities communistic tactics in intimidating (e.g. sending military police) and paying teachers $5 each not to attend our training workshop, nonetheless we had 80+ participants (our target is 80-100 teachers per training).

Theary Seng trains at Sa'ang, 9 Nov. 2011
Theary Seng explaining the Chronology of Human Rights at Sa'ang, Kandal Province (Independence Day, 9 Nov. 2011)

 

More info and photos...


. . .


Courage Training Workshop in Kampong Thom

Sunday, 5 Dec. 2011

Theary Seng training in Kampong Thom, 4 Dec. 2011
Theary Seng introducing Speak Truth To Power project (translated into Khmer as Courage Without Borders) in Kampong Thom, 4 Dec. 2011


Theary Seng listening a teacher-in-training expressing his appreciation for the Courage curriculum and at the same time the frustrations of being a teacher in Cambodia, to a group of 90 other teachers and 30 monks.

More information and photos...

 

 



 

Theary's BLOG

Published Articles of Vietnamization

Vietnamization: Military Occupation - Present
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 Francois Ponchaud, a French Jesuit who had diligently chronicled the destructiveness of the Khmer Rouge in his book "Cambodia: Year Zero," maintained that the Vietnamese were conducting a [ ... ]


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