Happy Women’s Day March 8, 2010

On this auspicious occasion I would like to express my deep regards, to ALL women in Cambodia as well as in the world.

MP Mu Sochua (Justin Mott:NYT)

Especially, to those prominent women in Cambodia like Neak Ming Mu Sochua, Neak Ming Kek Galabru, Neak Ming Chea Vannat etc. whose roles and sacrifices mean alot to Khmer people and nation.

Lastly, I hope that all  Khmer men will value our  Khmer women to the level of equal status as men  in our society and to those men who still cling to  the prejudice against our respected women as below please give it up:

The Indian-Khmer contacts in Ho Chi Minh City

Originally posted at: Khmerization

Dear Mr. Madhusree Chatterjee,
( e-mail: madhu.c@ians.in)

I am writing in regard to your article in which you claimed that South Indians had contacts with the Vietnamese in Ho Chi Minh City 2000 years ago. Your article, which you quoted Mr. Sheetesh Sharma’s book about the Indian-Vietnamese relations, erroneously claimed thatties between India and Vietnam date back to more than 2,000 years when Hindu traders from the Bhagalpur region established the ancient Champa kingdom in central Vietnam. I would like to draw your attention to the following:

First, 2000 years ago, Vietnam and the Vietnamese have not made their presence in the location of today’s Ho Chi Minh City. 2,000 years ago, they had inhabited the most northerly territories near present Hanoi City.

The regions described in the book, Ho Chi Minh City and the kingdom of Champa (central Vietnam), were inhabited by the Hindu population known as the Chams, who later had all converted to Islam. The areas where present Ho Chi Minh City is located was a Khmer territory 2000 years ago known as Prey Nokor. It was only annexed by the Vietnamese ruler in 1698.

I wish to set the record straight here. Mr. Sheetesh Sharma had made serious historical errors in his book as he failed to properly research the topic.

The areas of Ho Chi Minh City and below were Khmer territories 2000 years ago and were populated by the Khmer people. The areas were only annexed by the Vietnamese rulers in 1698, therefore the South Indian traders whom you were talking about had contacts with local Khmers, not the Vietnamese. Today, the region below Ho Chi Min City, even still controlled by Vietnam, is known as Kampuchea Krom (lower Cambodia) and are still populated by millions of ethnic Khmers.

You had also erroneously claimed that the “Vietnamese adaptation” of Ramayana, ‘Ms Sita’, is woven around the lives of local prince Po Liem, a local version of king Rama and his wife Sita. The adaptation of the Ramayana you are talking about is not a Vietnamese adaptation. In fact it was a Cambodian version of the Ramayana known as Reamker and was performed by the Khmer Krom people, ethnic Khmer people who still inhabited the former Khmer territories known as Kampuchea Krom. The name Po Liem is a Khmer name and is a mispronunciation of Preah Ream (King Rama) and Demon Riep was actually Vay Riep, a Khmer name for Ravana, Sita is called Seda and Hanuman is still called Hanuman like the Indian version.

SAM RAINSY IN RADIO CALL-IN SHOW ON ANTI-CORRUPTION LAW

March 7, 2010

On Tuesday, March 9, Member of Parliament and SRP leader Sam Rainsy will take part in a radio call-in show on the required measures to combat systemic corruption in Cambodia.

The call-in show will take place on the eve of the debate on the government-sponsored Anti-Corruption Law at the National Assembly scheduled for March 10.

The question-and-answer session with listeners will be broadcast live nationwide on FM 93.5 MHz, from 06:00 pm to 07:00 pm Phnom Penh time, in the framework of SRP-sponsored Candle Light radio program.

SRP Cabinet