Some Thais couldn't fathom that their own soldiers shot their own people

Thai soldiers charge and shoot in the air, in the direction of Thai supporter of exiled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (not in photo), in Bangkok on April 13. Thai troops fired warning shots and tear gas in clashes with petrol bomb-hurling protesters in Bangkok Monday, leaving 70 injured as the government launched a crackdown to enforce a state of emergency. AFP / Getty Images / Nicolas AsfouriCambodians and BurmeseThursday, 20 May 2010Originally posted at http://thailandtrouble.blogspot.com/2010/05/cambodians-and-burmese.htmlCambodian mercenaries were manning army positions protesters told me at Bon Kai and Din Daeng during the...

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Cambodian and Burmese accused of involving in Bangkok bloodshed and arson

An army soldier stands guard over anti-government "red shirt" supporters detained at a Buddhist temple in central Bangkok May 21, 2010. Troops manned razor-wire roadblocks and searched vehicles for weapons in Bangkok on Friday, two days after they ended anti-government protests that descended into the worst violence in modern Thai history. They also swept through the capital's posh central shopping area, searching for weapons and explosives in the now-deserted battleground. REUTERS/Sukree SukplangBy Sokhoeun PangOriginally posted at The Son of The Khmer EmpireThe war between the Redd shirts and the elite Bangkok last week did not...

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Thai spread rumours that Khmer mercenaries among the red shirts

A Thai shows Khmer Sak (Khmer Tattoo) on his back during Thai Tattoo FestivalBy Sokhoeun PangOriginally posted at The Son of The Khmer EmpireThe Irish Time published an article on Siamese recent bloodhed titled :Mop-up operation in Bangkok under way, which described the situation in Bangkok during the past, present, the damage, the rebuilding Siamese society, etc., and especially about the RED shirts violence which has again something related to Khmer. Read the article below.Rumours swirl in the capital. Many say the Black Shirt hardcore rioters were made up of Khmer mercenaries from Cambodia. I witnessed one fighter with elaborate...

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Cambodia Remembers Victims of Khmer Rouge

Cambodian students re-enact torture executed by the Khmer Rouge to mark the annual "Day of Anger" at Choeung Ek, 20 May 2010. (Photo: VOA - R. Carmichael)Robert Carmichael, VOAPhnom Penh Friday, 21 May 2010 "Cambodian people respect the people who were killed in the Pol Pot regime," said Pa Socheatvong. "Pol Pot betrayed the country by using the people's blood as capital, so people [are] very angry with the Pol Pot regime."In Cambodia, May 20 is known as the Day of Anger.Each year on this day, hundreds of Cambodians head to the Chhoeung Ek killing field site on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. There a ceremony is held and a play put...

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Speaking through songs [by Laura Mam]

Wednesday, 12 May 2010 By Tharum Bun Phnom Penh PostMy dream “is to write meaningful and original Khmer and English music that is relevant to the soulsearching of the next generation of Khmer people all over the world,” said 23-yer-old Laura Tevary Mam, a Khmer-American whose music has been reaching the Khmer diaspora through the internet. “I want to bring Khmer music back to life.”Laura’s presence on YouTube, beginning in April 2008, has attracted millions of views, as she has used the site as a stage to perform for fans across borders and continents. She is finally beginning to receive attention...

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Dengue Fever brings Cambodian rock back to Phnom Penh

FEVERISH: Native Cambodian Chhom Nimol and her band play in Phnom Penh. (Dave Perkes, /Dave Perkes)The L.A. band, whose sound was inspired by the Cambodian pop of the '60s, rocked the home country with originals and favorite covers.May 23, 2010By Dustin Roasa, Special to the Los Angeles TimesReporting from Phnom Penh, Cambodia - On a muggy evening last week, a crowd of thousands gathered around a temporary outdoor stage in this city's Cambodian Vietnamese Friendship Park. As with most nights, the manicured grounds had a carnival atmosphere, with mobile vendors selling sweets wrapped in banana leaves, and rows of middle-age women...

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Reach for the sky

A street of new housing in Phnom PenhThe city’s Canadia TowerMay 21 2010By Elaine Moore Financial Times (UK)Above the tumultuous streets of northern Phnom Penh, the new Canadia Tower reaches 30 storeys into the sky, dwarfing the palaces and temples that grace the rest of the city’s skyline. The glass-fronted tower is now the highest building in Cambodia and marks the start of an ambitious plan to attract increased foreign investment to this small Asian market.Known as the “pearl of Asia” in the early 20th century, Phnom Penh has suffered years of civil war and a repressive communist regime, but its architecture of golden-tipped...

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"Baby Hor Banh-chor Global Witness" a Poem in Khmer by Sék Serei

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"Yuon Puon Tumpear Srok Khmer" a Poem in Khmer by Yim Guechsè

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"Yuon Puon Tumpear Srok Khmer" a Poem in Khmer by Yim Guechsè

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Earthy and aromatic Cambodian flavors top their Thai counterparts

Fried tilapia (All photos: Hugo Kugiya)Num banh chukTola Kruy behind the counter at Queen's DeliMay 20, 2010By Hugo KugiyaCrosscut.comEating on the Edge: At the family-owned Queen's Deli in White Center, let trust and curiosity be your guides.The day I ate Cambodian food for the first time also happened to be the day of White Center Spring Clean 2010. Volunteers wearing purple T-shirts spent a Saturday in May cleaning and beautifying the streets and public spaces in the transforming, unincorporated neighborhood on a hilltop south of downtown Seattle.Part of neither Seattle nor Burien, the two cities that border it, White Center...

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Seeking Inspiration From Cambodian History [-Keep up the good work, Laura! Thank you!]

Cambodian-American singer-songwriter Laura Mam shares her soulful sound with NPR's Tell Me More. (Ryan Coquilla)May 19, 2010 National Public Radio (USA)Click here to watch other video clips by LauraYou would not tell from her sweet-as-honey voice and gentle lyrics that Laura Mam's family history has been one of pain and struggle.Her parents managed to escape the brutal regime of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge, but many of their family members were less fortunate. Mam's father lost both of his parents and four of his five brothers. Throughout Mam's life, he refused to talk about the painful memories. Yet, despite the silence she was able...

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