បណ្ណសារចំណាត់ក្រុម៖ About me
Australian Media Request
A week ago, I got an unexpected message from ABC Radio National, ABC standing for Australian Broadcasting Corporation, located in Sydney. You can listen to its broadcast on 101.50 MHz. Ok, back to business. The e-mail was from its producer named Mr. Gary Bryson. He informed me that he was making a series of programs discussing about independent media and news media, including blogging and social media, in four countries. They are Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and guess what; our Cambodia is also one of them! The purpose of these series is to focus on the health of each of the four countries’ democracy and whether freedom of free expression is being respected.
They’ll be arriving in Phnom Penh on the 25th this month and stay here for six days. During their stay, he told me, they would like to request an interview with me as a Cambodian blogger. I accepted their request and sent them my number as suggested. The funny thing is they actually tried to contact me via my phone number, but every time they called I was never near my phone. When I was back, I saw missed calls from a number 001, so I wondered, ‘Who the hell has a number 001?’, and then I totally ignored it. Only later did I realize myself that it is an international number! Haha. They’ve only tried two times so far. Maybe they’ll try again. Hope I will be near my phone when that time comes. 
So, have any of you guys received any e-mails from ABC Radio? Because I think I’m not the only one they’ve contacted via e-mails or any other means. Ok, have a jolly super nice day! 
Blogging Around the World
Bloggers are providing a global voice for Cambodian youth. Tivea Koam asked some Cambodian bloggers around the world to explain why they blog, how they connect to the world and how their words are contributing to the globalisation and development of Cambodia.
Chak Sopheap,
25 years old
Started blog in 2006
Living in Phnom Penh
Blog: sopheapfocus.comI have found it useful to have my own blog, as I like communication and debate on social topics, mainly with a focus on politics and good governance. As democracy in Cambodia is still young, with restricted freedom of expression and media control, I feel that blogging is one of the most exciting and innovative uses of technology for implementing the right to expression and other fundamental rights. We can share news, express our opinion, communicate with each other and campaign through our blog. It’s a wonderful tool for moments when other communication channels are restricted.
I get a lot of comments from outsiders who are foreigners and Cambodians living abroad. Some people express their appreciation for my sharing, while others debate the articles that interest them. From this kind of discussion we can learn a lot from each other.
If everyone thinks a voice cannot make an impact, then there will be no voice at all. We can learn from each other and understand different views. This will contribute to the exercise of freedom of expression and ultimately lead to the improvement of Cambodia.
Kien Forcefidele
17 years old
Started blog in 2008
Living in Phnom Penh
Blog: kienforcefidele.wordpress.comI blog because I want to share my ideas with people around the world. I want to share things that they haven’t known before, and I also want to discuss opinions in order to come to an agreement acceptable for everyone. Besides, blogging is fun. It helps you stay connected with everyone, even if they live on different sides of the world.
One interesting thing about blogs is that there are comments so that people can give out ideas and discuss topics freely. I have learned a lot of things form other blogs. Some blogs talk about math and science, which I find very useful to my studies, and other blogs talk about general knowledge and their experiences in life, which are often very inspiring.
If Khmer people start using blogs to talk about social problems rather than personal ones, we can share ideas and opinions about many important issues that are happening nowadays. Moreover, if there are a substantial number of bloggers who have a common interest in developing Cambodia, we can form an online association where people can speak their minds without fear, and this might be able to bring about change to the development of Cambodia! Who knows?Seang Sopheak
Pursuing a master’s degree in Thailand
Blog: sopheak.wordpress.comMy blog is my online diary. I write my personal story, my daily activities and what is happening around me like culture and even politics.
By blogging I learn about different perspectives when people comment on specific posts, and I learn news ideas and exchange knowledge.
If people blog in Khmer, more and more resources will be available on the internet and it helps create opportunities for future learning for the next generation, but if people blog in English, it will help foreigners understand more about Cambodia. [...]
Article by Mr. Tivea Koam
CSAJ Essay Contest 2010: Done!
Hooray! Finally I got my essay submitted to the judges of CSAJ Essay Contest of this year. The deadline was on the 1st of July, and I sent my writing in the evening of 30th of June. Well, it was nearly late, and I thought maybe it wouldn’t be accepted. However, it got through. The next day I got a reply from one of the judges saying they got my essay. The shortlist will be announced on Friday, July 30th, and ten essays will be selected. If I get my name on the shortlist, I will have to make a presentation of my essay on the 28th of August. Let’s not think about that now.
Sadly, this time I think my essay isn’t as good as I hoped since I couldn’t do any research besides searching the Internet, and most of what I found is out-of-date. Anyway, here is my essay for you guys to read and feel free to give any recommendations. Oh, by the way, here’s the topic the essay I chose:
“What are the main problems in Cambodian Education System? What should we do to solve those problems?”
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Kafka on The Shore: A Review!
Kafka on the shore is one of Haruki Murakami’s masterpieces, and it sure has been a bestseller since its first publication, and even in the present time his works are recognized worldwide. Sure enough, I also like his works. So far I have finished one of his books, Kafka on the Shore.
This book tells about a fifteen-year-old boy who ran away from home in order to escape from his dark life and find a new light and happiness. I think this 
book is mostly philosophical, and in it the characters brought up many great quotations. One of them I still recall is, ‘Life is a Metaphor.’ It’s kind of like a weird story, if you ask me, for there are some complicated scenes that are pretty much unrelated to the main story. It’s sort of like an incomplete and complete story at the same time, telling two different but somehow relevant lives of two people, but there’s something in there that keeps me reading on and on. Besides, I think the protagonist in the story also has some characteristics like I do. Perhaps that’s why I like reading it. Who knows?
What’s more, there are some sexual scenes as well. So, this book is not suitable for children and young teenagers since it’s too much for them to understand. Even I didn’t understand some parts of the story, but I get the main points, so it doesn’t matter much. Now I’d like to continue reading another one of his works, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles. Don’t know when I will finish it. Maybe I won’t be able to, but I’ll try to cover as much as I can.
I genuinely recommend this book to everybody who is fifteen or older; IT’S A GENIUS WORK!
Find a Book…
Can anybody tell me where to buy the book “Beyond Democracy in Cambodia” here in Phnom Penh? Well, my father has longed to read it, so I thought it would be a good idea to lend a hand. It’s sort of a political book, I suppose. Anyway, if any of you knows where this book is sold, please be kind enough to inform me. I’d very much appreciate it. Thanks.
My CSAJ Essay
Now that the deadline of CSAJ Essay Competition was due, I wonder if any of you guys had already
submit your individual and original essays to the committee. As for me, of course I had. Of the three topics, I chose the first topic – that is, what are the grave problems Cambodian youth are facing nowadays and what can you contribute in order to solve these problems? I wrote it rather long – 8 pages, that is. Well, I didn’t get to be in the top ten, but I’m not sad about that. More importantly, I just want to express as many of my points of view as possible in the essay I wrote, so no wonder I might have violate the rule…a little. However, it’s all my writings, no copying or any cheating.
Here are the list of the top ten candidates who are to be selected and narrowed down to three on August 30th 2009.
I don’t think there is anything to hide from you readers anymore, so here is my essay. Please let me know what you think of it no matter what it may be. I’ll be glad to accept all of your recommendations.
Download it here: My Essay
