Cambodian Independence

    

After Angkor, Cambodia remained an important and powerful state up until the eighteenth century. From the thirteenth century on, however, it had to defend itself against two nations that gradually grew more and more powerfully, Thailand in the west and Vietnam in the east. By the nineteenth century, these two powers competed with each other to control Cambodia. To make matters worse, problems within the Cambodian royal family caused a number of civil conflicts with opposite sides going to Thailand and Vietnam for protection.

During the eighteenth century, Cambodia became involved with another nation, France. When King Norodom asked the French for protection in 1863, it was not because he preferred submission to France rather than to Thailand or Vietnam, but because he regarded France as a less dangerous alternative, being so far away. At the same time, he hoped France could be used as a screen to protect his country from those that threatened it.

Thus for ninety years the Cambodian people suffered under French protection. In order to free their country, many famous Cambodian heroes fought for independence. Eventually, on November 9^th, 1953, King Norodom’s great-grandson, King Norodom Sihanouk, achieved independence with peace. Since then Cambodia has been an independent nation. 

At the centre of the city, at the intersection of Norodom Boulevard and  Sihanouk Boulevard, stands the Independence Monument (Vimean Ekareach) which was built as a national symbol when Cambodia gained its freedom from foreign rule in 1953. It was designed by the renowned architect, Vann Nolyvann and officially inaugurated in 1958. 

The monument now also serves as a monument to Cambodia’s war dead. It represents Cambodia’s cultural achievements in the past as well as the nation’s hopes for the future. Also, it is the site of celebration and services on holidays such as Independence Day and Constitution Day.  

The Second National Workshop on Draft Law on Peacefull Assembly

On October 27, 2006, the second national workshop was held at Hotel Le Royal in
Phnom Penh which was organized by Community Legal Education Center (CLEC) and supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through East-West Management Institute and Program on Rights and Justice (PRAJ).

 

    

The whole day workshop on Draft Law on Peaceful Assembly was presided over by H.E Nuth Saan, secretary of state of Ministry of Interior (MoI) and many representatives of civil society and various foreign embassies. After welcoming remarks by Mr. Yeng Virak, executive director of CLEC, three crucial guest-speakers were invited to present their speech:-

1.      H.E. Nuth Saan, secretary of state of MoI presented the opening speech and the development process of draft law and position of the royal government.

2.      Ms. Erin Seto, mission director of USAID/Cambodia presented the enacting the peaceful assembly law–a concrete step in democratic development in
Cambodia.

3.      Mr. James Tupin, human rights officer of United Nation High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) presented the international standard for maintaining public order.

      

Students’ Movement for Democracy (SMD) was one of civil society participating in the workshop and sent her two representatives to participate 1). Mr. Moa Veasna, president. 2). Mr. Hing Soksan, Sport and Education Program Officer.

 

Be notified that the Small Group Discussion, Group Presentations, and Press Conference were put into workshop’s agenda. 

 

Students’ Movement for Democracy (SMD) Disseminated Democracy to Soccer Players

Students’ Movement for Democracy (SMD) conducted a training course to educate its soccer players of SMD UNITED Team on living democracy. The two-circle morning training was held on Oct 15, 2006 and Oct 22, 2006 at Reusey Keo high school. 35 soccer players (students and non-students) who are former drug users participated in the training and they age between 14-24 years old.

  

The two topics were commented in the training 1). Good Citizens and Tolerance. 2). Youth Participation in a Democracy. The NGOs’ representatives working with democracy were invited to attend as guest speakers in order to comment each above topic.

   

The training facilitator, Mr. Hing Soksan, also gave instruction on experiences and lessons of youth activism in Cambodia and worldwide. Moreover, he developed a code of conducts in the training course so that they can apply in their everyday lives. The typical youth’s codes of conducts developed and approved by participants include:-
• Be hard working students and obey school regulations.
• Respect each other and obey the laws of the nation.
• Protect and preserve environment, public properties,
   culture/tradition of nation.
• Protect and preserve public properties.
• Respect human rights, democratic pluralism and tolerate to
   each other.
• Actively participate in all activities to promote democracy.
• Share information on democracy/human rights with other
   people.
• Obey the advice of parents, teachers and the elderly.
• Protect Cambodian integrity and land.
• Do not join gangs or associate with gangsters.
• Do not use violence to solve any kinds of conflict. Solving all
   kinds of conflict by peaceful way.
• Do not discriminate against other nationalities or political and
   religious belief.
• Active participate in community development and in all advocacy works.
• Do not use guns and do not play all kinds of gambling.
• Do not use drug and do not gamble.
• Help the homeless or street children.
• Register and vote in the elections.
• If qualified, stand as candidate for the elections.

SMD celebrated its 8th Anniversary

The 8th anniversary of Students’ Movement for Democracy (SMD) was held on September 07, 2006 at its head office in   Sangkat Boeng Keng Kang I, Khan Chamkamon, Phnom Penh which participated by more than 50 people, including students, monks, NGOs’ staffs and a lawmaker.

The purposes of this event is to mark the eighth anniversary of SMD and remember the deaths of democracy lovers who died during a brutal crackdown by the government forces on peaceful demonstration led by students and monks against fraud election result in 1998.

 

At the beginning, participants sang national anthem and followed by short presentations on the activities and background of SMD by Mr. Mao Veasna, SMD President and Mr. Sorn Sarath, SMD General Secretary respectively.

H.E. Keo Remy, MP, said that he has strongly supported this movement since its inception in 1998 because the movement has always tried its best to protect our homeland and find justice for ordinary people.

After received some blessing from the monks, participants offered foods and other materials for the monks in hoping that the spirits and souls of those who died during demonstration against unfree and unjust 1998-election would live in peace and harmony.               

The anniversary was finished after participants went on to lay the wreath and pay respect at the memoral site in front of Cambodiana Hotel where dozen of students and monks were gunned down by the govenment forces.

 

Finally, Mr. Sorn Sarath made an interview with journalists about the position of SMD on the border issue and human rights situation in Cambodia.

See below for the names of people who donated for this event:

1. Mr. Saro Sivutha, Former President of SMD    100$
2. H.E Keo Remy, Member of Parliament            200,000R
3. Mr. Ir Channa, Former Sec-Gen of SMD         50$

SMD’s Representative in Pakistan

Mr. Ok Amry, a BoD member of Students Movememt for Democracy (SMD), was successful in participating with the Fourth Leaders Conference of Young Liberals and Democrats of Asia (YLDA) on the Promoting Progressive Education and the Role of Asian Youth. The YLDA Annual General Meeting (AGM) was also organized in order to make some constitutional amenments and elect YLDA new president, secretary general and other three members of executive committee. 

The conference and the AGM, which sponsored by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and hosted by the Future Youth Group-Pakistan (FYG), was taken place in Lahore, Pakistan from August 11-16, 2006.

As the result, the Liberal Educational Policy (LEP) is adopted and supported by the participants. LEP will represent majority of young’ s liberal ideology on education to interchange their experiences and views. Participants also have learned a wide variety of topics and shared their knowledge on educational systems in Asian, obstacles in the region and confrontations to those challenges. Predominantly, participants realized how significant use of technology like Blog to communicate each other.

                               

We committed for better Cambodia

It’s not different from other countries, Cambodian youth is considered to be not only the future of a nation, but also present important work forces for the development of the country. Youth can help their country in many ways, for instance, organizing youth groups or movements to enable young people to get involve in the social activities in order to enhance democracy and improve human hights condition in the country.

Students’ Movement for Democracy (SMD) has been trying to seek for the interest of youth and student as many ways as it can. SMD has actively participated in mobilizing young people to promote democracy and social justice since its inception in 1998. One important event that is still bearing in mind of many Cambodian is the massive and non-violent demonstration against national election in 1998. SMD had gathered thousands of students and youth from various educational institutions in Phnom Penh to hold peaceful demonstation against the fraud election result in 1998.

Besides focusing on improving democracy, SMD is also focusing on border issue which have been the sensitive issue among Cambodian both inside and outside country. SMD has launched many compaigns to lobby those who hold the decision-making power not to recognize the 1980s-treaties made under the control of Vietnam which all Cambodian considered as illegal treaties and gave a lot of advantage to Vietnam side. As a result, dozen of SMD activists were threatened and some of them were exiled abroad. Luckily, they were granted polical asylums in other countries. 

Eventhough we have been confronting those challenges, we still have a strong commitement to struggle in order to bring a genuine democracy to Cambodia. Hopefully, our achievement will be appreciated by our next generation so that they will follow our stance in order to find justice for disadvantaged and marginalized people and subsequencely lead to improve the quality of life and social justice.