I've just read a piece of article in somebody's xanga. He said Hong Kong needs a newspaper like the Apple Daily because it has a "constructive" and "accurate" reporting.
There is no genuine complete independence in media. Media is always influenced by various parties - publishers, investors, advertisers, pressure from the government and the mass audience. Then probably no report is "accurate" or "objective" enough to tell everything happen in an incident.
Maybe we all tell the truth, but what makes different is the way we interpret it. Nobody is really wrong, otherwise we are blamed or said to commit defamation. If we want to see the truth, perhaps we have to see ourselves. Find the truth ourselves, look at all the things with our eyes; otherwise you have to consider very much the articles you are reading.
Certainly journalists get the first-hand information, yet when the audience read/watch/hear the report, it is SECOND-HAND.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
Another piece of news about KRT
Here is another piece of news about Khmer Rouge Tribunal
Khmer Rouge 'butcher' Ta Mok dies
| | |
Nicknamed "The Butcher", he was the regime's military commander and linked to many atrocities of the 1970s.
About 1.7 million people died under the Khmer Rouge, through a combination of starvation, disease and execution.
Ta Mok was expected to be one of the first people tried for genocide and crimes against humanity at UN-backed hearings due to start next year.
He was one of only two surviving Khmer Rouge commanders in detention, and with most of the remaining figures from the regime in poor health, some analysts question whether the trials have been left too late to see justice served.
Brutal legacy
"Ta Mok passed away this morning," military doctor Tuoth Nara told reporters. "He was an old man and died of natural causes, given his poor health and respiratory problems."
| | We are saddened by his death Morm Mol, Ta Mok's nephew |
Ta Mok, who was in his 80s, had been unwell since last month, suffering from high blood pressure and tuberculosis, and slipped into a coma last week.
"We are saddened by his death," said his nephew, 33-year-old Morm Mol, as he announced the news to reporters outside the Phnom Penh hospital.
Of all the Khmer Rouge leaders, Ta Mok was regarded by many as the most brutal, the BBC's Guy Delauney reports from Phnom Penh.
He played a key role in a series of massacres and purges, which started even before the Khmer Rouge took power.
Ta Mok was in charge of the forces which destroyed the former royal capital Oudong in 1974, expelling civilians and killing officials and government soldiers.
Later he instigated purges as the Khmer Rouge went to war with itself.
He eventually became the overall leader of the organisation in 1997, but he was captured two years later and spent the rest of his life in jail.
Evading trial
Ta Mok's death leaves a Khmer Rouge prison boss, Kaing Khek Iev, more commonly known as Duch, as the group's only surviving leader in detention.
| | |
Pol Pot died in his jungle hide-out in April 1998 from an apparent heart attack.
Many Cambodians fear they will never get a chance to see justice, because ageing Khmer Rouge defendants are dying before they face trial.
Earlier this month, judges and prosecutors from both Cambodia and other nations were sworn in for the UN-backed tribunal, which is due to start in 2007.
A spokesman for the tribunal, Reach Sambath, said on Friday that a "key resource of information" had passed away.
When he heard of Ta Mok's death, Youk Chhang, the director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, an independent group researching the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge, said: "It's sad news - it's outrageous."
"Some people may be happy with this, but not the victims who have been waiting for justice for a long time," he told the Associated Press.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/5201770.stm
Published: 2006/07/21 04:56:25 GMT
© BBC MMVI
-----
On one hand the retired king questioned the necessity of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal (KRT); on the other hand one of the most important criminal, I would say, Ta Mok passed away this morning.
I was told in this morning by my former colleague, and I was not happy with his death because he just passed away naturally. In my mind he should be put in judge finally and get his punishment before he's gone. Now he just rests in peace and I am not satisfied at all.
I know the KRT in fact is not going to heal people's pain, but at least the people who suffered deserve justice. Everybody deserves so why do they have to wait for this long time and can only look at all the important Khmer Rouge people died peacefull?
There only remains Duch now, and I really wish he would not have gone so soon before he faces the trial. It is hard to accept that if he would have gone like Ta Mok.
I am still loving this country, notwithstanding all of these frustrating facts.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Little thought over a piece of news
First, read this piece of news.
Cambodia's former king questions necessity of Khmer Rouge tribunal
The Associated Press (apwire)
Cambodia's former king said a U.N.-backed tribunal for former Khmer Rouge leaders will cost too much money and questioned whether it was worth it since the aging officials could die before a verdict.
Former King Norodom Sihanouk said some consider the tribunal to be ''necessary, indispensable and beneficial'' because it will bring the surviving leaders to justice and help victims find peace.
But Sihanouk, 83, said he believes the cost of the ''super luxurious life of the judges'' of the tribunal could easily exceed the US$56 million (euro45 million) budgeted for the trials.
Also, by the time a verdict is reached, ''there will probably be only one or two ... living Khmer Rouge leaders,'' he said in a letter dated July 15 posted on his Web site.
The former monarch said last week that he opposed the tribunal because it will target too few of those responsible for the group's extremist policies, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people during its 1975-79 rule.
Earlier this month, judges and prosecutors from Cambodia and abroad were sworn in for the long-awaited U.N.-backed trials of the former Khmer Rouge leaders on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Prosecutors have begun gathering evidence for the trials, expected to begin in 2007.
Sihanouk stepped down as king and was replaced by his son, Norodom Sihamoni, in 2004. He is widely respected, but his opinion is unlikely to affect trial preparations.
The Khmer Rouge were ousted in 1979 by invading Vietnamese forces. In 1982, Sihanouk became president of a Western-backed coalition government in exile that included the Khmer Rouge and fought the Vietnamese-installed government until a 1991 U.N.-sponsored peace agreement.
Sihanouk also said in his letter that he doesn't think the tribunal would ease the suffering of the regime's victims.
He said he objected to genocide memorials that display victims' skulls and bones, an apparent reference to a site often called the ''Killing Fields'' just outside the capital, Phnom Penh.
At least 14,000 Khmer Rouge victims were buried at the site, which is frequented by foreign tourists.
Sihanouk said that exhibiting the skulls and bones was done ''for the pleasure of tourists,'' and did nothing for the ''wandering souls'' of those killed, and that their bones should be cremated in accordance with Buddhist custom.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia
2006-07-19 18:01 (KST) ©2006 OhmyNews
For me it revealed the stupidity and the lack of wisdom of the high-ranking people in Cambodia.
At least I do not understand why he could say ''super luxurious life of the judges''. Based on what he could make this statement? I really doubt that. Trial always takes a long time and a complicated procedure and consideration, so it is almost no doubt that it would cost a huge sum of money. As a retired king I suspect his motive to speak about the tribunal. He should have known his influence over the kingdom's politics.
Then, I cannot agree with the point he questioned the necessity of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. If there was no trial against the wrongdoers, where would have been the justice? People are punished when they commit even only a comparatively small crime like theft, so how could he question when the Khmer Rouge leaders ordered to kill over ten thousands of people? Certainly I agree that the tribunal might not be able to heal the pain as it was too huge and deep inside, but to show the justice and to show Cambodia is facing the history it is obviously needed to have this fair, transparent trial.
I have been to the killing fields, and I think it is there because it is always reminding people the terrifying history that should not be repeated again. I wonder how the retired king in this country know the feeling of the tourists when they are wandering. At least I do feel very sad and sorry to the people during the Khmer Rouge period, particularly when this kingdom had once been a very great and intelligent one.
This is not the first time I feel sick with the politician or the high-ranking people in this country, and this time I think this retired king is ridiculous. God bless his intelligence.
Cambodia's former king questions necessity of Khmer Rouge tribunal
The Associated Press (apwire)
Cambodia's former king said a U.N.-backed tribunal for former Khmer Rouge leaders will cost too much money and questioned whether it was worth it since the aging officials could die before a verdict.
Former King Norodom Sihanouk said some consider the tribunal to be ''necessary, indispensable and beneficial'' because it will bring the surviving leaders to justice and help victims find peace.
But Sihanouk, 83, said he believes the cost of the ''super luxurious life of the judges'' of the tribunal could easily exceed the US$56 million (euro45 million) budgeted for the trials.
Also, by the time a verdict is reached, ''there will probably be only one or two ... living Khmer Rouge leaders,'' he said in a letter dated July 15 posted on his Web site.
The former monarch said last week that he opposed the tribunal because it will target too few of those responsible for the group's extremist policies, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people during its 1975-79 rule.
Earlier this month, judges and prosecutors from Cambodia and abroad were sworn in for the long-awaited U.N.-backed trials of the former Khmer Rouge leaders on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Prosecutors have begun gathering evidence for the trials, expected to begin in 2007.
Sihanouk stepped down as king and was replaced by his son, Norodom Sihamoni, in 2004. He is widely respected, but his opinion is unlikely to affect trial preparations.
The Khmer Rouge were ousted in 1979 by invading Vietnamese forces. In 1982, Sihanouk became president of a Western-backed coalition government in exile that included the Khmer Rouge and fought the Vietnamese-installed government until a 1991 U.N.-sponsored peace agreement.
Sihanouk also said in his letter that he doesn't think the tribunal would ease the suffering of the regime's victims.
He said he objected to genocide memorials that display victims' skulls and bones, an apparent reference to a site often called the ''Killing Fields'' just outside the capital, Phnom Penh.
At least 14,000 Khmer Rouge victims were buried at the site, which is frequented by foreign tourists.
Sihanouk said that exhibiting the skulls and bones was done ''for the pleasure of tourists,'' and did nothing for the ''wandering souls'' of those killed, and that their bones should be cremated in accordance with Buddhist custom.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia
2006-07-19 18:01 (KST) ©2006 OhmyNews
For me it revealed the stupidity and the lack of wisdom of the high-ranking people in Cambodia.
At least I do not understand why he could say ''super luxurious life of the judges''. Based on what he could make this statement? I really doubt that. Trial always takes a long time and a complicated procedure and consideration, so it is almost no doubt that it would cost a huge sum of money. As a retired king I suspect his motive to speak about the tribunal. He should have known his influence over the kingdom's politics.
Then, I cannot agree with the point he questioned the necessity of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. If there was no trial against the wrongdoers, where would have been the justice? People are punished when they commit even only a comparatively small crime like theft, so how could he question when the Khmer Rouge leaders ordered to kill over ten thousands of people? Certainly I agree that the tribunal might not be able to heal the pain as it was too huge and deep inside, but to show the justice and to show Cambodia is facing the history it is obviously needed to have this fair, transparent trial.
I have been to the killing fields, and I think it is there because it is always reminding people the terrifying history that should not be repeated again. I wonder how the retired king in this country know the feeling of the tourists when they are wandering. At least I do feel very sad and sorry to the people during the Khmer Rouge period, particularly when this kingdom had once been a very great and intelligent one.
This is not the first time I feel sick with the politician or the high-ranking people in this country, and this time I think this retired king is ridiculous. God bless his intelligence.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
- continued -
Sihanoukville is a completely different place from Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. It is a coastal, hilly town. It is located at the South of Cambodia.
There are six beaches in this town, which I cannot remember all the names of those beaches. Very few people, less than 200,000 are living in this quiet town. The long beaches are of fine sand and clear water. There are not many tourists or westerners, mostly are the Cambodian people. There are many relaxing restaurant on the beach, with some beach chairs. I ordered a mixed fruit shake, just US$1, and then I could lied on the chair for a whole afternoon or morning. Being told by the motorbike driver, there are usually parties at night. I did not go as it was always raining. It is the rainy season.
Tourism has not yet developed very well, although there are many guesthouses and hotels. I think the biggest business there should be the port. There is a big port, and then of course many containers and trucks. Yet in the coming future digging oil will be another big business since the oil reserve was discovered in 2004 and some companies invested it.
Sihanoukville in fact is a small town. Green is everywhere. There is forest as well. Going into the forest you can find waterfall. The waterfall is not a huge one, but still you can feel the power of the nature. Particularly did I because I went there when it was pouring. It did stop but the water volume was huge. I stood very close to the waterwall, and heard the sound of the water pouring down like some kind of roars. There were some children and they jumped into water, which seemed very exciting. Some people took picture when they stood in the stream. It was not very developed, so it was still very natural that one should not miss it. There was a crocodile pond as well, but I did not look at it carefully.
Spending there is more expensive than Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, but the reason is not clear to me. I stayed there for two days, absolutely not enough. I went to all the beaches, and one of them was very quiet without people. I went into the sea and enjoyed the silence. The beach was likely mine.
The rock there is very awesome. It is a special kind of rock which I could not recall the name. That makes me want to study geography again. It is really an interesting subject. It is like a kind of shale with some layers, or a kind of sendimentary rock along the coast. They are gorgeous. Besides you can find the power of sea water erosion. The water was stroking the rock and finally erode the stones. I always love to see all of these things.
Something to add is I went there by bus for four hours from Phnom Penh. The bus fare is inexpensive as US$4. It is worthwhile to go to this small town.
There are six beaches in this town, which I cannot remember all the names of those beaches. Very few people, less than 200,000 are living in this quiet town. The long beaches are of fine sand and clear water. There are not many tourists or westerners, mostly are the Cambodian people. There are many relaxing restaurant on the beach, with some beach chairs. I ordered a mixed fruit shake, just US$1, and then I could lied on the chair for a whole afternoon or morning. Being told by the motorbike driver, there are usually parties at night. I did not go as it was always raining. It is the rainy season.
Tourism has not yet developed very well, although there are many guesthouses and hotels. I think the biggest business there should be the port. There is a big port, and then of course many containers and trucks. Yet in the coming future digging oil will be another big business since the oil reserve was discovered in 2004 and some companies invested it.
Sihanoukville in fact is a small town. Green is everywhere. There is forest as well. Going into the forest you can find waterfall. The waterfall is not a huge one, but still you can feel the power of the nature. Particularly did I because I went there when it was pouring. It did stop but the water volume was huge. I stood very close to the waterwall, and heard the sound of the water pouring down like some kind of roars. There were some children and they jumped into water, which seemed very exciting. Some people took picture when they stood in the stream. It was not very developed, so it was still very natural that one should not miss it. There was a crocodile pond as well, but I did not look at it carefully.
Spending there is more expensive than Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, but the reason is not clear to me. I stayed there for two days, absolutely not enough. I went to all the beaches, and one of them was very quiet without people. I went into the sea and enjoyed the silence. The beach was likely mine.
The rock there is very awesome. It is a special kind of rock which I could not recall the name. That makes me want to study geography again. It is really an interesting subject. It is like a kind of shale with some layers, or a kind of sendimentary rock along the coast. They are gorgeous. Besides you can find the power of sea water erosion. The water was stroking the rock and finally erode the stones. I always love to see all of these things.
Something to add is I went there by bus for four hours from Phnom Penh. The bus fare is inexpensive as US$4. It is worthwhile to go to this small town.
- continued -
There is a "must" sight-seeing spot in Cambodia - Angkor Wat.
Angkor Wat is located at Siem Reap province, which includes over 600 buildings. They were built by the great Angkor dynasty since 9th century for over 400 years. Wat means temple. The ancient Cambodian worship the Buddist and so they built all these wats, believing the god would protect them and maintain their prosperity. Certainly they did not help, yet they made Cambodia, one of the poorest countries in Asia, a cultural-rich place.
Since the rainy season lies from April to September, it is the low season of tourism in Cambodia. From October to March, the sunset and sunrise in Angkor Wat is very beautiful. They would absolutely kill the film in your camera.
You need to be a good walker if you want to walk around Angkor Wat. The steps are very steep and narrow. There are so many wats as well that make you confused. Sometimes they look all the same. There are one-day pass, three-day pass and one-week pass. People usually choose three, but if you are getting bored with the wats you better not do that.
A lot of souvenirs can be bought in Siem Reap. However most of them are not made in Cambodia but Thailand as they did not develop their own outstanding art besides the buddist and Angkor.
Reading a magazine after I came back to Hong Kong, I was told there was a tour provided if people want to see how poor the Cambodians are. I feel pathetic because it should not be the way that people try to raise the public concern or make money by exhibiting their poorness. Yet I know it is just under the pressure from reality. No one can stop this.
Siem Reap has developed into a tourist province, which is completely different from most of the other provinces in Cambodia.
I truly miss this country.
Angkor Wat is located at Siem Reap province, which includes over 600 buildings. They were built by the great Angkor dynasty since 9th century for over 400 years. Wat means temple. The ancient Cambodian worship the Buddist and so they built all these wats, believing the god would protect them and maintain their prosperity. Certainly they did not help, yet they made Cambodia, one of the poorest countries in Asia, a cultural-rich place.
Since the rainy season lies from April to September, it is the low season of tourism in Cambodia. From October to March, the sunset and sunrise in Angkor Wat is very beautiful. They would absolutely kill the film in your camera.
You need to be a good walker if you want to walk around Angkor Wat. The steps are very steep and narrow. There are so many wats as well that make you confused. Sometimes they look all the same. There are one-day pass, three-day pass and one-week pass. People usually choose three, but if you are getting bored with the wats you better not do that.
A lot of souvenirs can be bought in Siem Reap. However most of them are not made in Cambodia but Thailand as they did not develop their own outstanding art besides the buddist and Angkor.
Reading a magazine after I came back to Hong Kong, I was told there was a tour provided if people want to see how poor the Cambodians are. I feel pathetic because it should not be the way that people try to raise the public concern or make money by exhibiting their poorness. Yet I know it is just under the pressure from reality. No one can stop this.
Siem Reap has developed into a tourist province, which is completely different from most of the other provinces in Cambodia.
I truly miss this country.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Cambodia
Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Siem Reap
Basically Cambodia is one of the Mekong Delta countries - others are China, Laos and Vietnam. The kingdom is also the member of ASEAN. From Mekong, Tonle Sep to the sea, Cambodia composes of a huge piece of land facing the Pacific Ocean. Hilly relief is found along the coast, while a large piece of green land is in the offshore area.
The history of Cambodia is a melancholy. The great dynasty of Angkor in 14th century was likely passed forever. It suffered from a long violence, chaos and wars. One particular part of the tragedy is the Pol Pot regime and the Khmer Rouge during 1975-79. People are now still conducting a tribunal. Many people died at that time inhumanly.
Usually the one who treat you the worst is you.
Corruption, bureaucrazy, insufficiency transparency are the characteristics of the Cambodian government. Cambodian People Party (CPP) and the FUNCIPEC party form the coalition government, while the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) led by Sam Rainsy remain the biggest opposition group. Nonetheless the SRP yet sometimes has interest conflict involved CPP. In our acknowledgement Sam Rainsy is one of the corruptive people as well, yet he was awarded as a recognition of a fighter for independence and freedom - it is irony.
There are two English papers in Cambodia - the Cambodia Daily and the Phnom Penh Post (PPPost). I started to be an intern reporter in PPPost on 15 May, and ended on 29 June, which is around 7 weeks. The PPPost is published bi-monthly, and most of the readers are foreigners and international subscribers. I've done two big story about the garment industry and the license system of Cambodia's tourism.
Weird things happen everywhere in Cambodia, regardless of the government or local people. However it is still very interesting to stay in Cambodia, particularly because the people there are kind and agreeable. Certainly there exist a lot of bad people. A distinguishable difference can be found there.
It is well-known that Cambodia is a less development country. People are poor and many of them are homeless. The government is poor due to severe corruption. The education remains weak that it could be said that an degree does not mean anything at all. The state also lacks technology to develop various production, even though the country has tremendous potential.
The popular currency in Cambodia are the US dollar and Riel. A rough exchange rate between the US dollar and riel is 1:4000. The living standard there reveals a great difference between the rich and the poor, and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows the expensive living in this country. The unemployment is unclear because the statistic is hardly found to be convincing, which is varied from 4% to 50%. Nevertheless it is obvious that job is scarce.
The main transport in Cambodia is motorbike. Motorbike taxi is found everywhere, and also the tuktuk. Tuktuk is similar to the transport of dukduk in Thai. The carriage is capable of carring 4 people, and tightened to a motorbike. Cars could be found but most of the luxurious vehicles are owned by the government officials or high-ranking people in society. Related to the transport gasoline is an essential element. It is very expensive for the Cambodian people and much of it is smuggled. Corruption happens in the price of the gasoline imported. Therefore the transport in Cambodia is expensive.
- to be continued -
Basically Cambodia is one of the Mekong Delta countries - others are China, Laos and Vietnam. The kingdom is also the member of ASEAN. From Mekong, Tonle Sep to the sea, Cambodia composes of a huge piece of land facing the Pacific Ocean. Hilly relief is found along the coast, while a large piece of green land is in the offshore area.
The history of Cambodia is a melancholy. The great dynasty of Angkor in 14th century was likely passed forever. It suffered from a long violence, chaos and wars. One particular part of the tragedy is the Pol Pot regime and the Khmer Rouge during 1975-79. People are now still conducting a tribunal. Many people died at that time inhumanly.
Usually the one who treat you the worst is you.
Corruption, bureaucrazy, insufficiency transparency are the characteristics of the Cambodian government. Cambodian People Party (CPP) and the FUNCIPEC party form the coalition government, while the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) led by Sam Rainsy remain the biggest opposition group. Nonetheless the SRP yet sometimes has interest conflict involved CPP. In our acknowledgement Sam Rainsy is one of the corruptive people as well, yet he was awarded as a recognition of a fighter for independence and freedom - it is irony.
There are two English papers in Cambodia - the Cambodia Daily and the Phnom Penh Post (PPPost). I started to be an intern reporter in PPPost on 15 May, and ended on 29 June, which is around 7 weeks. The PPPost is published bi-monthly, and most of the readers are foreigners and international subscribers. I've done two big story about the garment industry and the license system of Cambodia's tourism.
Weird things happen everywhere in Cambodia, regardless of the government or local people. However it is still very interesting to stay in Cambodia, particularly because the people there are kind and agreeable. Certainly there exist a lot of bad people. A distinguishable difference can be found there.
It is well-known that Cambodia is a less development country. People are poor and many of them are homeless. The government is poor due to severe corruption. The education remains weak that it could be said that an degree does not mean anything at all. The state also lacks technology to develop various production, even though the country has tremendous potential.
The popular currency in Cambodia are the US dollar and Riel. A rough exchange rate between the US dollar and riel is 1:4000. The living standard there reveals a great difference between the rich and the poor, and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows the expensive living in this country. The unemployment is unclear because the statistic is hardly found to be convincing, which is varied from 4% to 50%. Nevertheless it is obvious that job is scarce.
The main transport in Cambodia is motorbike. Motorbike taxi is found everywhere, and also the tuktuk. Tuktuk is similar to the transport of dukduk in Thai. The carriage is capable of carring 4 people, and tightened to a motorbike. Cars could be found but most of the luxurious vehicles are owned by the government officials or high-ranking people in society. Related to the transport gasoline is an essential element. It is very expensive for the Cambodian people and much of it is smuggled. Corruption happens in the price of the gasoline imported. Therefore the transport in Cambodia is expensive.
- to be continued -
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