PRETTY GIRL

Khmer performers pull out all the stops

14-04-2009
VNS (Hanoi)

TRA VINH — The Anh Binh Minh Traditional Art Troupe of the southern province Tra Vinh has lined up a range of shows to celebrate the Khmer New Year, Chol Chnam Thmay, from April 13 to 15.

Dozens of its artists have fanned out around Tra Vinh, Soc Trang and Ca Mau provinces for performances based on the culture and lifestyle of the Khmer.
Dressed in traditional ethnic clothes, young and veteran performers sing and dance, but also perform serious plays focusing on the religion, traditional customs, and arts of the Khmer people.

"Our performances showcase the beauty of the Khmer spirit," said Meritorious Artist Kim Thinh, head of Anh Binh Minh, one of the province’s leading art troupes.

"We hope our shows enable young people to improve their knowledge about tradition, understand the greatness of their country’s rich culture, as well as learn useful lessons about love, life and people," he said.

In Ca Mau, Thinh and his colleagues have visited remote districts like Thoi Binh, Tran Van Thoi, and U Minh, performing in front of several thousands of people.

"We’re not looking to make a profit from these shows but we hope to encourage young people to love their culture more," said Thinh, who often travels with his staff by boat to remote areas to meet their fans.

"Chol Chnam Thmay is a time for people, especially youth, to celebrate after a year’s hard work and studies," Phan Huu Hung, a farmer in Thoi Binh District, said.

"We love to see Anh Binh Minh artists because their shows are quality and feature our Khmer culture," he added.

As in past years, the troupe along with many others is putting up free performances during the festival.

There are nearly 1.3 million Khmers in the Mekong Delta, chiefly in Soc Trang and Tra Vinh.

Local residents and visitors have flocked to participate in music programmes, traditional games, and sports competitions launched at the beginning of this month by local authorities.

Khmer performers pull out all the stops

14-04-2009
VNS (Hanoi)

TRA VINH — The Anh Binh Minh Traditional Art Troupe of the southern province Tra Vinh has lined up a range of shows to celebrate the Khmer New Year, Chol Chnam Thmay, from April 13 to 15.

Dozens of its artists have fanned out around Tra Vinh, Soc Trang and Ca Mau provinces for performances based on the culture and lifestyle of the Khmer.
Dressed in traditional ethnic clothes, young and veteran performers sing and dance, but also perform serious plays focusing on the religion, traditional customs, and arts of the Khmer people.

"Our performances showcase the beauty of the Khmer spirit," said Meritorious Artist Kim Thinh, head of Anh Binh Minh, one of the province’s leading art troupes.

"We hope our shows enable young people to improve their knowledge about tradition, understand the greatness of their country’s rich culture, as well as learn useful lessons about love, life and people," he said.

In Ca Mau, Thinh and his colleagues have visited remote districts like Thoi Binh, Tran Van Thoi, and U Minh, performing in front of several thousands of people.

"We’re not looking to make a profit from these shows but we hope to encourage young people to love their culture more," said Thinh, who often travels with his staff by boat to remote areas to meet their fans.

"Chol Chnam Thmay is a time for people, especially youth, to celebrate after a year’s hard work and studies," Phan Huu Hung, a farmer in Thoi Binh District, said.

"We love to see Anh Binh Minh artists because their shows are quality and feature our Khmer culture," he added.

As in past years, the troupe along with many others is putting up free performances during the festival.

There are nearly 1.3 million Khmers in the Mekong Delta, chiefly in Soc Trang and Tra Vinh.

Local residents and visitors have flocked to participate in music programmes, traditional games, and sports competitions launched at the beginning of this month by local authorities.

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Original report from Cambodia 10 April 2009

Prime Minister Hun Sen will return from an Asean summit in

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Original report from Cambodia 10 April 2009

Prime Minister Hun Sen will return from an Asean summit in

Friday, 20 March 2009
Written by Brendan Brady and Cheang Sokha
The Phnom Penh Post

Rights workers say group was trucked out of Thailand after UN officials previously intervened to secure release of others

FOLLOWING the release Monday of 19 Khmer Krom refugees from a Bangkok prison, the seven remaining in detention were abruptly expelled from the country under suspicious circumstances, according to local rights activists.
Ang Chanrith, head of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Human Rights Organization, said seven Khmer Krom political refugees were shuttled to the Poipet border crossing in Banteay Meanchey province in the middle of the night Thursday.

The original group of 19 Khmer Krom, who hold refugee documents from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), were released after the UN office petitioned Thai officials to recognise them as legitimate asylum seekers, he said. Ang Chanrith has been working on the case with UN officials in Bangkok and Phnom Penh.

Members of the group released Monday had contacted him early Thursday morning to warn of the departure of the seven left in detention, who were recent arrivals to Bangkok and therefore had not yet been registered with the UNHCR, he said.

"We are concerned they could be taken back to Vietnam," he said.

Escaping the past

Ang Chanrith said all 26 people had fled Vietnam after they feared imprisonment at the hands of authorities there following public demonstrations against limits on their freedom of culture, religion and speech.

Rights groups and Khmer Krom activists have accused the Vietnamese and Cambodian governments of engaging in a persistent and often violent campaign to stifle the rights and distinct identity of the Khmer ethnic group originating from what is now Vietnam's southern Delta.

Hun Hean, provincial police chief of Banteay Meanchey, said he had not heard about the incident, adding that between 100 and 200 illegal Khmer immigrants were turned over by Thai authorities at the border each day.

Suong Sopheap, a program officer with the Cambodian Women's Crisis Centre in Banteay Meanchey, said his staff had attempted to track the whereabouts of the group without success.

"We have staff remaining in Poipet who are continuing to monitor the situation," he said.

Christophe Peschoux, head of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights in Phnom Penh, said his office was following the case but had not been in contact with the group.

"It's a very tricky situation for Khmer Krom in Cambodia," he said. "Even if the government gives them citizenship, if they agitate from Cambodia it could create tension between the Cambodian and Vietnamese governments; and Cambodia could be pressured to prevent it or hand them over to Vietnamese authorities."

The government has said all Khmer Krom are entitled to Cambodian citizenship, but Khmer Krom activists and rights groups say their status as Cambodians is ambiguous and can be stricken at the whim of the state.

Samuth collections 61

M-Production CD Vol.01