Sophan, all I ask of you is for you to get your sources straight. I hope you can do just that? After all, you were once a monk, right? Thanks in advance.
The so-called temple (sala char tien) was built in the late 2006. Before it was built, I appointed a temple committee. Before and after the temple was built, I was asked by most community members to be the president of the temple. I denied this request and also had no interests in the position as I have many other things on my plate. I only wanted to help out and did not want to hold any position. A year after the temple was built, I encouraged the appointed committee to hold a general election and invited all Khmer people to participate. The day of the election, I announced that I will step aside and will not hold any responsibility for the temple related issues in the future. Again, one of the reasons was I have so many things on my plate and wanted to pursue other things. Most importantly, I felt the newly elected committee was able to continue the progress without my guidance anymore. The newly elected committee consisted of the same people I appointed a year before. Where were you during these processes? You had just arrived in Hawaii not from another state but from Canada. You were new to the island/country. You were a student. You didn't have a means of transportation. From your school to the temple the trip took at least an hour to get there each way. You lived in the dormitory at school. If I was disappointed or mad at you as you stated, wouldn't I have taken the president position as it was offered to me or at least not stepped aside? Therefore, I was not 'disappointed' or 'mad' at you I just wanted to distance myself from you. One thing is certain. The temple was built way before the temple's website! It took a team work effort to get the temple started--there were many community members, including myself, involved in its creation. You might have created the website for the temple and probably called yourself a founder or whatever but please give respect and value to those that volunteered months and months built tirelessly before you came into the mix with the temple. Presently, what is the status with the temple? Any progress? Hmm, last I heard was that the temple does not exist anymore. Why? Because the most recent committee conducted illegal functions on the premise. The temple is now demolished and the land has been turned into farm land. It is left with only a name and website. This will be my last email regarding these issues with you or anyone else. Again, please give credit to those who deserve it--you are not the founder of the temple. Don't lie to others or to yourself. Most people who were involved with the temple in Hawaii know that. SC HNL, HI On Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 4:35 AM, S. Sophan <[email protected]> wrote: > *Please see text and the below link to read my letter to the Phnom Penh > Post* > A plea from afar > Wednesday, 06 January 2010 15:02 Sophan Seng > [image: > E-mail]<http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/component/option,com_mailto/link,aHR0cDovL3d3dy5waG5vbXBlbmhwb3N0LmNvbS9pbmRleC5waHAvMjAxMDAxMDYzMDY1My9OYXRpb25hbC1uZXdzL2EtcGxlYS1mcm9tLWFmYXIuaHRtbA==/tmpl,component/> > [image: > Print]<http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010010630653/National-news/a-plea-from-afar/Print.html> > [image: > PDF]<http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/pdf/2010010630653/National-news/a-plea-from-afar.pdf> > > Dear Editor, > > Reading your article “Three more sought in removal of post at Svay Rieng > border” (January 4) broke my heart. > > The villagers should be congratulated and taken care of by the government > for their courage in publicly claiming their ownership of the rice paddies > and denouncing the violation of their territory by Vietnamese authorities > who have mismanaged the process of demarcating the border. Instead, as > unbelievable as it may sound, these five farmers face a terrifying fate and > the loss of their status as “good” citizens. > > There have been different interpretations of this story within the media, > but at the end of the day, no one can deny the truth: Cambodian people > living along the borders with Thailand, Laos and Vietnam no longer dare > voice their concerns about neighbouring countries encroaching on their > territory and stealing their land for fear of reprisals. > > On one hand, the government may have good reason to accuse opposition > leader Sam Rainsy of acting as a provocateur in bringing news of Vietnam’s > mismanagement of border posts to the public. But on the other hand, the > government is following a course of action that could rob Cambodia of its > strength as a nation and destroy the immunity of every parliamentarian. > > At the grassroots level, Cambodian people living along the border will no > longer dare to stand up and protest against the theft of their land by > neighbouring countries. At the national level, parliamentarians – both > government and opposition – will lose confidence in their abilities to serve > the genuine interests of the people. > > The government must evaluate the situation fairly if it is to effecctively > represent the nation’s interests. I would like to appeal to the government > to restore the prowess of elected parliamentarians and allow them to fulfil > their duties, which are more important than those of the lower court of Svay > Rieng. I would also like to appeal to the government to drop all charges > against the five farmers – Prak Chea, Neang Phally, Prak Koeun, Meas Srey > and Prom Chea – and release them without condition. > > Sophan Seng > University of Hawaii > > Full link: > http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010010630653/National-news/a-plea-from-afar.html > > Thanks a Million! > > Cheer! > > S. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. > This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. > Thank you for your understanding. Peace among us and in Cambodia. > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/camdisc > Learn more - http://www.cambodia.org >
-- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. Thank you for your understanding. Peace among us and in Cambodia. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/camdisc Learn more - http://www.cambodia.org
