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CIVIC EDUCATION

Since Feb. 2010

Sam Rainsy's Virtual Omnipresence

one month leading to commune elections

Selecting only the posts rich in content (rather than ones showing mainly campaign rallies, images)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

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HUGE GAINS FOR THE CNRP AT THE 4 JUNE 2017 COMMUNE COUNCIL ELECTIONS

Sam Rainsy, 8 June 2017

[excerpts]

The gap between the scores achieved by the ruling and opposition parties has never been so narrow (48% versus 45% of the popular vote, representing about 200,000 votes only). For the first time the CNRP collected more than 3 million votes (for an electorate of 7 million voters in 2017).

The above results are a solid base for a CNRP victory at the legislative elections in July 2018, given that the opposition will more fully benefit from the potential votes of over a million migrant workers (presently living in Cambodia and Thailand) at an election considered more important and more decisive, therefore mobilizing more voters.

Besides, between 2017 and 2018 -- as every year over the last five years or so -- over 300,000 young people (in a population of 15 million) will reach the voting age and will likely take part in next year’s national elections. We all know that, in their vast majority, young voters tend to support the opposition, which explains the continuous surge of the CNRP.

Cambodia's political momentum is in one direction only.

...

Then 18-year-old CNRP youth darling Thy Sovantha, CIVICUS president Theary, CIVICUS manager Laura (Phnom Penh, Feb. 2014)

Why

"in spite of Kem Sokha..."

Theary C. Seng, 6 June 2017

The virtual omnipresence of the legitimate opposition leader, Sam Rainsy, officially exiled by Hun Sen's CPP, permeates the hearts and minds of the Cambodian people and instills fear in the autocrats and democracy spoilers alike, so much so that even Kem Sokha, aided and abetted by Hun Sen in an internal coup to "president" of the CNRP, had to offer a rhetorical promise to the voters that if the CNRP wins, Sam Rainsy can return. Duh!

It is immeasurable, incalculable how much Kem Sokha and his daughter Mona have retarded the progress of the democracy movement and put in jeopardy the lives of human rights and political activists as a consequence of their recklessness and insatiable appetite in feeding their political ambitions, and in recent time, how they have put the youth vote at risk. Think Mona and the breathtaking dismissal of then-CNRP youth activist, the insanely popular, 18-year old Thy Sovantha and the unthinkable measure of using Yim Sovann's signature stamp without his knowledge and permission on a CNRP letterhead to kick Thy Sovantha out of CNRP out of envy of her popularity and Kem Sokha's approval of his daughter's brazen, incredible act of sabotage with the simple, imperial because "I AM THE acting president." Thy Sovantha told me that Yim Sovann called her to apologize. Related, Thy Sovantha's transformation took some months, with all the venom initially directed only at Kem Sokha. It was not till she was already too deep in the CPP camp that she included Sam Rainsy as a target.

Yes, this is the same Yim Sovann who is one of the original founders with Sam Rainsy of the democracy movement in 1995. And yes, this is Mona a political novice of mediocre educational background, no work experience, whose father propelled her all at once to member of CNRP (1) executive committee, (2) standing committee, (3) permanent committee and (4) CNRP deputy director of public affairs at times elbowing the veteran, highly respected Mu Sochua, (whose immense loyalty to Sam Rainsy Mona cannot fathom except that "she is deeply in love with him", as Mona told me on several occasions, an infantile spin that could work with others in an infantile environment and with ears already willing to believe). Up till then and some days after, all she can think to have on her Facebook cover and profile is simply, "Daughter of Kem Sokha".

Millions of viewers and listeners tuned in and continue to tune in to Sam Rainsy's content-rich messages, strategically timed and honed in for maximum effect. With many other "Sam Rainsys" defiantly singing his praises across all the provinces, what's a physical presence before a crowd of several thousands at a time in comparison to an audience of millions at your fingertip, feeding on a constant flow of rich fare not confined to location and autocratic strictures?

See:

Ex-CNRP Activist Thy Sovantha Completes CPP Defection

Cambodia Daily | 2 June 2017

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Re: Rainsy: So far but oh so near

Phnom Penh Post | 2 June 2017

A regular audience of millions tuning in to Sam Rainsy's messages and videos of rich content, timely and strategically focused.

I was perusing just now Sam Rainsy's Facebook posts on the commune elections, not less than 20, each with tens of thousand VIEWS (probably not including the views generated by the thousands upon thousands of SHARES).

The article here speaks of Sam Rainsy's Skype presence but it is his overall virtual presence and the powerful messages from these posts, strategically honed in, that moved the voters.

- Theary, 6 June 2017

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I've voted!

Go, CNRP!

Sunday, 4 June 2017.

The young, female CNRP candidate Kem Tola won the Treng Tayeung district of Kampong Speu province, of which Village 3 (where the Kirirom orchard is located) is a part.

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Kapok (Kor) Cotton Trees

Feels as luxurious as silk!

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Congratulations to my nephew Gabriel on the occasion of his high school graduation!

Michigan, 25 May 2017

Peaceful Children's Home

Sre Ambil, 28 May 2017

I rode out to Sre Ambil with Te, the young man in the blue shirt. He's the godson of Lauk Pou Son Soubert.

I first met him in 1995 when I first visited this children's home.

At the age of 7, in 1994 less than a year after the first UNTAC elections when hundreds were hunted down by the CPP-Vietnamese security forces, Te witnessed 2 men kill his father at their home in Battambang; it was a political murder of a man they been hunting down for some years now, at one point imprisoned at T3 for 6 months.

Te's father had went into the forested jungles to hide but was lured by his friend a CPP police chief to out of hiding. His father was a political operative from Kampuchea Krom (21 Cambodian provinces, now southern Vietnam since 1945) who had joined the resistance led by Lauk Ta Son Sann along the Thai-Cambodian border.

Catching up with a friend Deb over coffee.

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VOTE CNRP!

Kem Sokha's Facebook, 20 May 2017

970,017

He took over as CNRP president in the internal coup with the aid of Hun Sen.

I will vote CNRP this June 4 IN SPITE of Kem Sokha in a lesser-evil decision as a matter of triage.

I greatly encourage everyone to do the same; it's the SMART AND RIGHT thing to do in light of the harsh reality.

Do not give up; do not sit out; do not vote to split the democratic voices; we cannot be purists in these situations.

Sam Rainsy's Facebook, 20 May 2017

3,981,438

Sam Rainsy -- the only person Hun Sen and Vietnam fear -- was forced to resign to save the party from dissolution from an amended Law on Political Parties, with the understanding the seat of president to be left vacant till a year from now.

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"When I hear 'the ASEAN Way' I hear 'the Strongman's way', an innocuous-sounding euphemism to mask the personal, political agendas of the ruling elites. In light of the rapid-paced globalization leaving a yawning gulf of inequality, what IS the ASEAN Way?"

The BBC Global Questions at the World Economic Forum on ASEAN had me pose the first question to start the program and gave me the last words to close the hour-long program. Will air this Saturday and Sunday.

Zeinab Badawi: ...Are you satisfied?...

Theary: "I hear a lot of diplomatic niceties... I'm mildly satisfied...

"If the people's voices are genuinely represented by these beautiful sounding phrases, then why the clampdown on freedom of expression--across the region, for sure here in Cambodia? Why the imprisonment of opposition politicians and human rights activists, now totaling almost 30, many of them my friends?

"I believe that these beautiful sounding phrases--'the Asean way', 'people-to-people connectivity'--are often used in response to criticisms of democratic deficit or human rights violations here in Asean."

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Repeat Offenders:

Vietnam's persistent trade in illegal timber

Environmental Investigative Agency, London

May 2017

“Vietnamese state involvement in multimillion-dollar transnational organized timber crime simply cannot be accepted by the international community and absolutely must not be ignored by the EU,” states Wadley.

...

Catching up with Dr. Amrita Cheema of Deutsche Welle, a friend I met in Bonn a few years back. How absolutely wonderful to run into her at the BBC Global Questions at the World Economic Forum on ASEAN in Phnom Penh. It's her 7th WEF.

...

To make Cambodia understandable for Americans

(in terms of temperament, intelligence, communication skills):

Hun Sen is Trump;

Kem Sokha, Sarah Palin;

Sam Rainsy, Barack Obama.

Of all the thrones in this series "Kem Sokha and The Thick Wooden Throne", I find this the most disturbing as I imagine the different scenarios that led to this meal seating.

As it's inside, the plastic chairs had to be intentionally sought out and brought in from the outside or back corner somewhere for the plebeians to use rather than just pulling the similar chairs within reach already there; King Sokha made a huge effort to distinguish his chair from those of the visiting plebes coming to pay their respects (and tributes?).

A reflection of the smallness of a man who came to power in an internal coup aided by Hun Sen that I find extremely unsettling, to put it mildly.

Kem Sokha and The Thick Wooden Throne Series - Part 20

Kem Sokha is often seen seated alone in a thick wooden throne on stage, something that you hardly or never see Sam Rainsy doing. The more vacuous a person, the more props he needs to fill the emptiness. - Theary C. Seng, March 2017

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Eric Raisina Private Fashion Show

at the French Ambassador's Residence

Deep in thought in an Erica Raisina's

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Catching up with HRH Norodom Sirivudh (brother of King Father Sihanouk)

A Prince for Peace

China Daily | 5 June 2017

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Newly-elected Vice-President of Liberal International

២០ ឧសភា ២០១៧ / 20 May 2017 - International conference in Andorra

ថ្ងៃនេះ នៅក្នុងសន្និសីទអន្តរជាតិមួយ នៅប្រទេស អង់ដរ (Andorre) ទ្វីបអឺរ៉ុប។ គណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិ ជាសមាជិកពេញសិទ្ធិ នៃអង្គការសេរីនិយមអន្តរជាតិ (Liberal International) ដែលប្រមូលផ្តុំគណបក្សនយោបាយសេរីនិយម មិនឆ្វេងមិនស្តាំ គឺនៅកណ្តាលឆាកនយោបាយ ក្នុងប្រទេសនីមួយៗ ទូទាំងពិភពលោក។ ខ្ញុំទើបតែបានជាប់ឆ្នោតជាអនុប្រធានមួយរូប នៃអង្គការសេរីនិយមអន្តរជាតិនេះ។ ក្នុងចំណោមអនុប្រធានដទៃទៀត មាននាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រីប្រទេស ប៊ែលហ្សិច លោក Charles Michel និងនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រីប្រទេសកាណាដាលោក Justin Trudeau។

Today at an international conference in Andorra. The CNRP is a full member of Liberal International (LI), a world's grouping of like-minded center-oriented liberal political parties. I have just been elected a vice president of LI. Other vice presidents include Belgium's prime minister Charles Michel, and Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau.

...

"This secret recording

is really a blessing in disguise

for the CNRP

because now the destructive deadweights

are publicly revealed"

Theary Seng, 5 March 2017

Yes, I woke up this Sunday morning to the taped conversation between Hun Sen and Kem Sokha lasting 21:32 minutes.

Yes, I believe it is their real conversation: a servile Sokha sounding like a trapped, wounded animal and a very dominant Sen sounding completely in control of the conversation, steering Sokha to confess or agree to damning information, that Hun Sen helped establish the Human Rights Party and that Sokha and his daughter Mona have been scheming the internal coup, "Give it [Sam Rainsy] a hard slap... Can you do that? ... Just simply go on Facebook."

One of the many manifestations was Mona's public assault mocking Sam Rainsy as Peter Pan which drew such a public outrage against her that she and the father had to slither back; once again for the sake of a united CNRP, Sam Rainsy bailed them out.

Unlike the foreign press that lives in a parallel universe, the Cambodian democrats have always had strong suspicions of Sokha and his Human Rights Party, that it was established with Hun Sen's help to split the democrats' votes and sow confusion. And knew that he and Mona were at every turn undermining Sam Rainsy. Unfortunately, we are proven right on both counts.

If Kem Sokha doesn't want to be the most hated man and has ANY decency left, he should (1) dismiss his daughter Mona from all CNRP leadership positions, (2) resign and allow for the CNRP to hold a genuine extraordinary congress and nominate Kong Korm as presidential candidate to be voted on. I put forward again my formula of Kong Korm, Mu Sochua, Yim Sovann and Yem Ponhearith (where I had Sokha here before).

Sokha and Mona have been not only deadweights but destructive forces. If they want to salvage any of their ill-gained wealth and respectability, they should resign.

This secret recording--only to Sokha and not to Sen-- obvious from how Sen steered the conversation and his use of language in setting the trap--is really a blessing in disguise for the CNRP (minus Sokha and his unreformed minions within) because now the destructive deadweights are publicly revealed.

People will continue to vote CNRP IN SPITE OF Sokha as I had said earlier, now made easier because he's been outed.

I will vote CNRP and encourage everyone to do so as well--whatever Sokha's decision--because once CNRP wins, the voters will put Sam Rainsy in leadership once again.

Read the exchange on Facebook

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"Inspirational" messages of pure "eloquence" from the Kem Sokha camp in response to Theary Seng's analysis of new CNRP leadership

Facebook, 2 March 2017

Sothy Ren, whose personal defamatory attacks of me as responses to my comments re the new CNRP leadership, likes and sounds like Samathida Kem, the person "he" reposts almost exlusively. And from "his" Facebook page, "he" is very accomplished.

When manipulative nice fails to appease... (sorry for posting this with inappropriate language)

All the ugliness in response to my earlier analysis on CNRP new leadership. And this "Josh Mc" whose "colorful" messages -- generously looking after my emotional health and sex life -- is one BRAVE, COURAGEOUS "fella" hiding behind a pseudonym and even thinks I have supernatural powers to write invisible messages to unknown "girlfriend" in the ether world. (Again I apologize to those tuning in for not deleting "his" posts for the inappropriate language.)

BTW, if this is their reactions to Ms. Theary C. Seng's simple analysis of "Kem Sokha as CNRP president is too vulnerable, a hostage to Hun Sen/CPP" and expressing her concern for the opaque CNRP new leadership selection process, adding that "If the CNRP wins, it will be IN SPITE OF Kem Sokha as president, because of the pure revulsion for Hun Sen and the CPP", we are quite curious if we will be treated to another round -- or several -- of more poetic missives of equal eloquence when/if Ms. Theary decides to elaborate as she had hinted. We anticipate with bated breath!

....

...

SAM Rainsy is the only person

Hun Sen and Vietnam fear.

As reflected in the extraordinary measures Hun Sen's CPP took in amending the Law on Political Parties that forced the opposition leader Sam Rainsy to resign and paved the way for the dissolution of the opposition party.

...

Want to Make a Lie Seem True?

Say It Again. And Again. And Again

Wired | 11 February 2017

As the article relates to Cambodia:

"...Yuon, a term for Vietnamese most consider derogatory" -- despite the fact:

(1) the term is neutral;

(2) has only been propagandized to be "racist" during the Vietnamese occupation;

(3) many Cambodian scholars and leaders have formally responded to its neutral meaning, reminding us all the distinction between what is "politically correct" and what is "offensive" (derogatory);

(4) it is the same term Yuon / Yuan that the Thai have for Vietnamese but it's a non-issue there as it should be a non-issue anywhere;

(5) only written "most consider derogatory" a stock phrase in the English-language papers -- mainly written, all edited by non-Cambodians AFTER OCCUPATION; the use of the term was never or rarely called out as "derogatory" prior to occupation; and

(6) whereas "most" Cambodians do not consider it derogatory, save the CPP for obvious reasons and the one or two non-CPP loners because they want to be politically correct with their foreign friends and interviewers.

All speak to foreign hubris, particularly this last one dismissing the bulk of the Cambodian population and giving credence only to themselves the guests

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Sam Rainsy Resigns