It’s often a challenge for me to parse UK newspapers, unlike USA media many don’t maintain even a pretense of objectivity. Reading the first sentence of this article by The Mirror it would sound dire.

“Poor Sombo has been forced to pound the pavements for 30 years after being captured and tortured by communist rebels.”

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/editors-picks/2012/01/12/campaign-to-save-sombo-the-elephant-from-her-agony-115875-23695049/

A few days ago there was a more nuanced article by The Phnom Penh Post, followed by a TravelFish summary.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012010653829/Lifestyle/whats-sambos-future.html
http://www.travelfish.org/blogs/phnompenh/2012/01/phnom-penhs-elephant-sambo/

It’s pretty clear that Sambo’s owner is aware of the situation and would be happy to see she gets care.
It’s hard to find someone in Phnom Penh who isn’t a Sombo fan.
http://alisonincambodia.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/sam-bo-for-president/

The real challenge is that Sombo’s mahout, Sin Sorn, will lose his main source of income. So to retire an elephant, you’ve pretty much got to ‘drop the mahout‘.

It’s easy to sympathize with a symbol like Sombo. Like many Cambodians, she is a survivor of the Khmer Rouge time, and has health injuries originating from that horrible time. Many of my older Cambodian friends suffer from fairly preventable health issues such as bad teeth, high blood pressure, and stress-related illnesses. There is a lack of access to diagnosis, medicine and treatment.

Let’s heal Sambo. And while we’re at it, she can serve as a reminder of a larger concern facing the citizens of a relatively poor country.

Petition:  http://www.change.org/petitions/retire-sambo-ban-elephants-in-phnom-pehn
(As of this writing? 3,183 signatories.)

(If you’d like to read more about health issues in Cambodia, I highly recommend ‘Diapers and Durians‘.

Together
We can help Vann Nath the famous Cambodian painter

Solidarity night & exhibition
Bophana Center
Friday, May 07 at 6 pm

Limited printings series of Vann Nath’s painting will be available to purchase.
All proceeds from the sale will go to Vann Nath’s family to alleviate his medical expenses.

Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center
64 street 200 (Okhnia Men), Phnom Penh
Tel: 023 992 174 / 092 605 127
www.bophana.org
info@bophana.org

Solidarity night and exhibition: Together we can help Mr. Vann Nath, the famous Cambodian painter next Friday, 07th May at 6pm at Bophana Center.

The Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center is very pleased
to invite you to the solidarity night and the exhibition opening:
Together we can help Mr.VANN NATH,
the famous Cambodian painter!

Friday, May 07 at 6 pm
Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center
#64, St 200, Okhnia Men, Phnom Penh
With the presence of Vann Nath’s children
Limited printings series of Vann Nath’s painting will be available to purchase. All proceeds from the sale will go to Vann Nath’s family to alleviate his medical expenses.

Vendredi 07 mai, 18h
Centre de ressources audiovisuelles Bophana
#64, rue 200, Okhnia Men, Phnom Penh
En présence des enfants de Vann Nath
Des reproductions photographiques de qualité seront mises en vente et tous les fonds récoltés seront reversés à la famille de Vann Nath et qui serviront à financer les frais médicaux.

Vann Nath’s Site: http://www.vannnath.com

Tags: cambodia,khmer,news,tribunal

Last evening: The newly rebranded Overseas Press Club of Cambodia had their first do at the Himawari hotel, presenting four journalists who’d worked in Phnom Penh up until the 1975 revolution.

A huge crowd turned up demonstrating great interest in the ‘old hacks’ as they’d dubbed themselves. In addition to the four journalists featured, Tim Page, Al Rockoff and Elizabeth Becker could be spotted as well.

This was the culmination of a reunion of sorts, during prior days these old Cambodia hands explored old haunts and met friends from decades ago.

Earlier in the day, a memorial was dedicated to members of the press corps at Wat Po in Kompong Speu, a site where several reporters had been lost.

Knowing how much journalists love to cover their own, I’ll provide links to much better photos and coverage.

Memorial: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010042337818/National-news/honouring-fallen-comrades.html

PP Post Editor Michael Hayes on Flynn, Stone and Tim Page: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010042337821/National-news/lost-but-not-forgotten-the-ongoing-search-for-two-of-the-missing.html

‘Old Hack’ Perry Young‘s blog:  http://delicious.com/slugdog/oldhackscambodia

Pictures from Overseas Press Club Talk: http://www.opccambodia.org/events/oldhackspanel/oldhackspanel.html

Informed Cambodia enthusiast Andy Brouwer:

http://www.andybrouwer.co.uk/blog/2010/04/survivors-reunion.html

http://www.andybrouwer.co.uk/blog/2010/04/talk-shop.html

Further multimedia coverage is promised at the Post. As for the Overseas Press Club, they’re going to have to figure out how to top this event!

Postscript: Yet more coverage courtesy Details are Sketchy.

Tags: cambodia,khmer,news,reportage

As with many historic sites in Cambodia, old legends are overlaid with newer stories and juxtaposed with recent events. One grim reminder of the not so distant past are the mountain’s caves which contain the bones of Khmer Rouge victims, whose demise is depicted in the painting below.

Below: tally of donations.

To avoid disturbing the bones they are now locked away in wire cages, and there is a small stupa at the bottom of one cave.

Generally the dead are cremated in Cambodia, but the remains of KR victims often are given a different treatment.

Tags: cambodia,khmer,battambang,tourism,khmer rouge

More at www.nouhachjournal.net and www.ourbookscambodia.org.

Happy Khmer New Year, everyone!

Tags: cambodia,comics,literature,khmer