By Khmerization
A new website launched by the Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Saturday has caused a stir in the Cambodian local media as well as among top officials.
The website at the centre of the controversy, ilovethailand.org, claimed that parts of today's Cambodia were in fact Thai territories.
The website's claims make headlines in most major newspapers in Cambodia. Khmerization was the first site that has opened the debate on this controversial website when it received an email from Mr. Dith Nimol alerting the website's claims relating to Thai "lost territory".
Reaksmei Kampuchea newspaper picked up Khmerization's report. Then Khmer Sthapana, Deum Ampil and Khmer online website, everyday.com.kh, have all reported the Thai PM website's controversy extensively.
The major English daily, the Phnom Penh Post, reported that Cambodian officials are scurrying to investigate the claims. It quoted Mr. Phay Siphan, spokesman for Council of Ministers, as saying that "They (the Thais) are twisting the facts of history. It is completely exaggerated."
According to Phnom Penh Post, in 1794, Thailand - then known as Siam - annexed Siem Reap and Battambang provinces from the declining Khmer kingdom, but the territories were returned following a March 1907 treaty between Thailand and France.
And, according to historical records, other Khmer territories annexed by Thailand in the late 18th centuries include Kauk Khan (Sisaket), Surin, Sakeo, Nokor Reach (Korat) and many more provinces.
Sunday, 12 July 2009
How could Thai LIE to the world ? Did THAI PM feel ashame of publishing this fake video??
Beat to get louder
Cultural dance program receives $10,000 corporate grant to expand
By Heather Ross
Record Staff Writer
July 12, 2009
STOCKTON - Eight young girls wrapped in red cloth and gold belts dance gracefully across the stage at the Park Village Community Center as their instructors weave among them, correcting postures and straightening costumes.
A group of curious children takes a break from a game of "steal the bacon" to watch from the floor.
The Rhythmic Quilt Dance Program, run by Stockton's Asian Pacific Self Development and Residential Association, teaches children at the Park Village Apartments traditional Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, Filipino, and Vietnamese dances.
The General Mills Foundation's Champions for Healthy Kids Program has awarded a $10,000 grant to APSARA to expand the Rhythmic Quilt program along with the health and nutrition education classes they offer as part of Park Village's after-school tutoring program.
The Champions for Healthy Kids program is a collaboration between General Mills, the American Dietetic Association and the President's Council on Physical Fitness. General Mills recognized that APSARA is an "underrepresented, high-need" group, with a unique take on physical education.
"We felt that they had a solid program and a good cultural spin with the Cambodian dance. They've really integrated culture into their program," said Adrian Jordan, program manager for General Mills.
The Park Village Apartments are resident-owned and provide housing for many low-income families and refugees of Southeast Asian descent. APSARA is Park Village's governing body, which also oversees their children's programs.
"The plan is to keep the rhythm going and keep kids interested in their culture and the music," said Vanna Prasit, assistant director of APSARA.
The Rythmic Quilt dancers are members of the Peace, Love and You multicultural arts network, which sponsors performances by Stockton-area groups that celebrate the city's ethnic diversity.
"We have several age groups that we teach Cambodian dance to. Some of them are older college students who went back to Cambodia to learn more about their culture, and they came back to teach the younger kids," said Sovanna Koeurt, director of APSARA.
Sophanary Sok is one of those students. Two years ago, she visited Cambodia, where the dance techniques she learned at APSARA were refined and corrected.
"I used to be a dancer as well, but now I'm older and it's time to pass it on," Sok said.
Sok hopes that the grant money will allow the Rhythmic Quilt group to travel, purchase new costumes and hire a more experienced dance teacher.
"We haven't performed out of the city or out of the state - only locally," Sok said.
"Maybe we can get a better instructor - someone who can tell us the history of the dances."
In addition to expanding the dance program, the grant money will help to promote chronic disease prevention among the families of Park Village through health and nutrition education for children.
Park Village's existing after-school tutoring program will be augmented by having participants split into two groups for part of each afternoon. The groups will rotate between tutoring and a healthy living class, taught by a registered dietician. APSARA hopes to have this program implemented by the start of the new school year in August.
Contact reporter Heather Ross at (209) 943-8576 or at hross@recordnet.com.
By Heather Ross
Record Staff Writer
July 12, 2009
STOCKTON - Eight young girls wrapped in red cloth and gold belts dance gracefully across the stage at the Park Village Community Center as their instructors weave among them, correcting postures and straightening costumes.
A group of curious children takes a break from a game of "steal the bacon" to watch from the floor.
The Rhythmic Quilt Dance Program, run by Stockton's Asian Pacific Self Development and Residential Association, teaches children at the Park Village Apartments traditional Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, Filipino, and Vietnamese dances.
The General Mills Foundation's Champions for Healthy Kids Program has awarded a $10,000 grant to APSARA to expand the Rhythmic Quilt program along with the health and nutrition education classes they offer as part of Park Village's after-school tutoring program.
The Champions for Healthy Kids program is a collaboration between General Mills, the American Dietetic Association and the President's Council on Physical Fitness. General Mills recognized that APSARA is an "underrepresented, high-need" group, with a unique take on physical education.
"We felt that they had a solid program and a good cultural spin with the Cambodian dance. They've really integrated culture into their program," said Adrian Jordan, program manager for General Mills.
The Park Village Apartments are resident-owned and provide housing for many low-income families and refugees of Southeast Asian descent. APSARA is Park Village's governing body, which also oversees their children's programs.
"The plan is to keep the rhythm going and keep kids interested in their culture and the music," said Vanna Prasit, assistant director of APSARA.
The Rythmic Quilt dancers are members of the Peace, Love and You multicultural arts network, which sponsors performances by Stockton-area groups that celebrate the city's ethnic diversity.
"We have several age groups that we teach Cambodian dance to. Some of them are older college students who went back to Cambodia to learn more about their culture, and they came back to teach the younger kids," said Sovanna Koeurt, director of APSARA.
Sophanary Sok is one of those students. Two years ago, she visited Cambodia, where the dance techniques she learned at APSARA were refined and corrected.
"I used to be a dancer as well, but now I'm older and it's time to pass it on," Sok said.
Sok hopes that the grant money will allow the Rhythmic Quilt group to travel, purchase new costumes and hire a more experienced dance teacher.
"We haven't performed out of the city or out of the state - only locally," Sok said.
"Maybe we can get a better instructor - someone who can tell us the history of the dances."
In addition to expanding the dance program, the grant money will help to promote chronic disease prevention among the families of Park Village through health and nutrition education for children.
Park Village's existing after-school tutoring program will be augmented by having participants split into two groups for part of each afternoon. The groups will rotate between tutoring and a healthy living class, taught by a registered dietician. APSARA hopes to have this program implemented by the start of the new school year in August.
Contact reporter Heather Ross at (209) 943-8576 or at hross@recordnet.com.
American Experts Praise the Khmer Rouge Tribunal while It Is Notorious for Corruption – Saturday, 11.7.2009
Posted on 12 July 2009
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 620
http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 620
http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/
“Despite allegations that there is corruption in the structure of court officials, hearing former Khmer Rouge leaders from the Cambodian side, two experts from the United States of America said that this court offers many positive points to establish a model for the judicial system of Cambodia, which is now seen as having no independence and no integrity.
“These experts said that the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia will become a model for the creation of other tribunals around the world to seek justice for victims suffering from similar crimes.
“Mr. Gregory H. Stanton, is the founder and director of Genocide Watch, the president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the founder (1981) and director of the Cambodian Genocide Project at the Yale University of the USA, and the founder (1999) and chair of the International Campaign to End Genocide, and in 1999 [when he worked at the US Department of State] he drafted many resolutions for the United Nations to create the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
“Mr. Gregory H. Stanton told a foreign radio station in the USA that at present, the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia can be taken as a model for other tribunals, as it is a court that uses local law as the basis to charge the accused, and local procedures are the basis of this court, modified by international procedures.
“Mr. Gregory H. Stanton said, ‘This tribunal has influence beyond its limits; that means that participating judges will bring their experiences for future use. Therefore, I think it is a model for other tribunals. A problem of the other international courts is that they do not leave a heritage, but as for this mixed court, it will leave a heritage in the country.’
“Another expert said that the model of arrangements for this tribunal is really as positive as mentioned by Mr. Gregory H. Stanton. He added that this model was implemented after international hearings from around the world, and they have experience in international legal systems.
“That expert went on to say that the person who initiated to form this hybrid tribunal to be started in Cambodia can offer this model also for other places.
“These international experts expressed such praise, while the hearings of the former Tuol Sleng, or S21 Prison chief Duch continue, where victims of that regime recount the savage activities of Duch.
“Also, the director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, Mr. Chhang Youk, expressed an opinion similar to the two experts above. He said that the Cambodian-international hybrid court has four special and important characteristics: first, it involves participation by citizens, because it is established within the country. Second, it consumes less expenses compared to the international courts in The Hague, but it can lead to the same justice just as at that court. Third, it is created within the country, facilitating the arrests of the accused. Fourth, it eases the use of evidence, which can be found almost everywhere around the country, without the need to transport it to other countries.
“He added that, moreover, this court is a model for the judicial system in Cambodia. Mr. Chhang Youk said, ‘This court is special and essential, as it serves as a basis for countries that suffered from genocide, to achieve reconciliation by teaching students and resulting in discussions about the freedom of expression. This court provides functions at a higher standard of justice that the courts at present can achieve. Thus, this court shows that Cambodia can move ahead and has an existing model, materials, and recourses, that can be used.’
“He added that these characteristics overcome the present deficiencies and it helps to build a state of law for Cambodia’s future.
“Also, a judge of the Cambodian Supreme Court, experienced in the judicial system in Cambodia, Mr. Mong Chakriya, hopes that the Khmer Rouge Tribunal will provide many benefits – beyond offering justice for the victims of the worst regime that existed, the regime of ‘Democratic Kampuchea,’ but also creating a model for the judicial system of Cambodia.
“The Khmer Rouge Tribunal, which suffers from corruption allegations and a lack of funds, is praised by two US experts and the keeper of documentation for the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, as having many positives points, useful for the creation of courts to try criminals in other countries.”
Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.3, #444, 11.7.2009
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Saturday, 11 July 2009
Thailand urges Fiji to arrest former PM Thaksin
People's Daily Online
July 12, 2009
Thailand has requested the Fijian government to temporarily arrest ousted former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra after learning he is now in the South Pacific island country, according to Thai News Agency report on Saturday.
Office of the Attorney-General's international affairs department had communicated with the Fijian government through Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry earlier this week, requesting the Fijian side to temporarily apprehend Thaksin, said Sirisak Tiyapan, executive director of the department.
Thaksin was ousted by the military coup in September 2006 in accusation of corruption, and kept in exile since then. Thaksin returned to Thailand in February 2008 to face corruption charges, but he later fled into exile again and was convicted in absentia.
The Dubai-based former premier was reportedly to have visited the South Pacific nation, seeking asylum in the country. However, Thaksin denied the reports.
Thailand has no extradition treaty with Fiji. Consequently the possible application of an extradition request depends on the voluntary cooperation given by that country, Sirisak said.
Source: Xinhua
July 12, 2009
Thailand has requested the Fijian government to temporarily arrest ousted former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra after learning he is now in the South Pacific island country, according to Thai News Agency report on Saturday.
Office of the Attorney-General's international affairs department had communicated with the Fijian government through Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry earlier this week, requesting the Fijian side to temporarily apprehend Thaksin, said Sirisak Tiyapan, executive director of the department.
Thaksin was ousted by the military coup in September 2006 in accusation of corruption, and kept in exile since then. Thaksin returned to Thailand in February 2008 to face corruption charges, but he later fled into exile again and was convicted in absentia.
The Dubai-based former premier was reportedly to have visited the South Pacific nation, seeking asylum in the country. However, Thaksin denied the reports.
Thailand has no extradition treaty with Fiji. Consequently the possible application of an extradition request depends on the voluntary cooperation given by that country, Sirisak said.
Source: Xinhua
Cambodians may get floating toilets
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, July 11 (UPI)
Cambodia's high infant and child mortality rate can be fought by improving hygiene in river communities, a resource development charity said Saturday.
Lien Aid, a Singapore-based non-governmental organization, is developing a toilet that can be used in river communities where homes are constructed on floating platforms and moved seasonally.
Currently, residents use the river rather than latrines, Resource Development International - Cambodia told the IRIN news agency. This practice contributes to many deaths from waterborne diseases, a Resource Development spokesman said.
Waterborne diseases account for 74 percent of all deaths in the country, the organization said.
Lien Aid says its "River of Life" project works to prevent waterborne illness. Their designers are working on a toilet built on a floating platform and attached to river homes. The toilet is still being tested, Sahari Ani, the head of Lien Aid, said.
The prototype separates urine from feces and allows dry soil, ash or wood chips to be added to the feces to reduce odor and pathogens. A secondary storage chamber completes decomposition and pathogen destruction.
Cambodia's high infant and child mortality rate can be fought by improving hygiene in river communities, a resource development charity said Saturday.
Lien Aid, a Singapore-based non-governmental organization, is developing a toilet that can be used in river communities where homes are constructed on floating platforms and moved seasonally.
Currently, residents use the river rather than latrines, Resource Development International - Cambodia told the IRIN news agency. This practice contributes to many deaths from waterborne diseases, a Resource Development spokesman said.
Waterborne diseases account for 74 percent of all deaths in the country, the organization said.
Lien Aid says its "River of Life" project works to prevent waterborne illness. Their designers are working on a toilet built on a floating platform and attached to river homes. The toilet is still being tested, Sahari Ani, the head of Lien Aid, said.
The prototype separates urine from feces and allows dry soil, ash or wood chips to be added to the feces to reduce odor and pathogens. A secondary storage chamber completes decomposition and pathogen destruction.
Thailand wants to bolster co-operation with Vietnam
Nhan Dan
http://www.nhandan.com.vn/
http://www.nhandan.com.vn/
July 12, 2009
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva affirmed his wish to bolster co-operation with Vietnam in economy, security, education, transport and agriculture.
The Thai leader made the affirmation while answering questions from the host country’s media in Hanoi on July 10.
The PM said that in terms of education, the two countries would boost the exchange of students and the teaching of the Thai and Vietnamese languages. In transport, they would focus on developing a network to link them through Laos and Cambodia.
Congratulating Vietnam for its socio-economic achievements in recent years, Abhisit Vejjajiva said that not only Thailand, but also the world, could see Vietnam’s potential.
Vietnam was even able to make marked economic progress despite the global crisis, he emphasised.
Thai investors are paying close attention to Vietnam and seeking investment opportunities in the potential market, he said.
About co-operation in ASEAN, PM Abhisit Vejjajiva wants the two countries to continue to work together to build a strong ASEAN community and boost the effectiveness of co-operation in the Mekong sub-region and on the East-West corridor, among other areas.
He said that the two countries and others in the Mekong region needed a shared understanding of how best to use and protect the river for the benefit of all countries involved and for the common sustainable development in the area.
PM Abhisit Vejjajiva stated that Thailand will transfer know-how and share experiences as it lends its support to Vietnam in assuming the ASEAN presidency in 2010.
On rice export co-operation, he said, as the world’s leading rice exporters, the two countries should tighten co-operation to help each other and take the initiative in solving problems.
Food plays an important role in ensuring social welfare throughout the region, so co-operation is necessary to build rice reserves between the two countries, he added.
(VNA)
Special Report: SE Asian countries share water worries
The Jakarta Post
http://www.thejakartapost.com
http://www.thejakartapost.com
Sat, 07/11/2009
Singapore hosted the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) for the second time, June 28 to July 2. With the theme "Sustainable Cities -Infrastructure and Technologies for Water", the event invited various groups interested in achieving water sustainability, including municipal leaders and businesspeople. The event comprised of an expo, leaders' summit, conventions and business forums. To promote the event in Indonesia, the event committee invited The Jakarta Post's Triwik Kurniasari. This is what she learned.
Many problems persist in providing potable water in most country's in the Asia-Pacific region, as the development of water sources is not keeping pace with population growth and projected demand.
Strong economic growth in the region and population pressures, compounded by increased urbanization, have led to a sharp rise in the use of treated water. Pollution and climate change meanwhile pose ever present threats to the precious resource.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) reported that in 2004, 635 million people in the Asia-Pacific region did not have access to safe drinking water. These are some of the 1.86 billion people that currently do not have access to adequate sanitation.
The huge number of slum areas in the region complicates the problem.
According to the ADB's latest data, the Asia-Pacific region has 554 million slum dwellers: 64 percent of the global total. At least 40 percent of these people also lack access to piped water or sanitation services.
"This demographic requires investment and infrastructure and service deliverance in resource management," said Anthony Jude, director of energy and water division of ADB's Southeast Asia Department.
"From a regional perspective, I can tell you that urban and rural water supply and sanitation are priority areas for the ADB in Southeast Asia."
The forum was attended by delegations from a number of Southeast Asian nations including Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR).
In Indonesia, the ADB works hand-in-hand with the government to develop metropolitan sanitation infrastructure and projects that will improve public health, reduce pollution and better the lives of the people. They also work to improve wastewater collection, sanitation services and treatment and solid waste management.
Mayor of Palembang Eddy Santana Putra, who represented Indonesia at the forum, said the capital of South Sumatra lacks the technical assistance and technology needed to improve water services.
"We currently provide 85 percent of our residents with clean water, but we need more trained experts to improve our water management," he said, adding that the administration hopes to increase supply to 95 percent of residents by 2012.
He said that during the SIWW, members of the Palembang administration received training from Singapore's Public Utilities Board on how to control water revenue and detect leaks.
The administration, Eddy said, is in the process of installing new water pipes to expand capacity and reach new areas.
"Although we have plenty of water, we are encouraging people to save more water, consume it wisely and efficiently, and keep water resources *rivers* clean, because we might face water scarcity in the next five or 10 years. We will never know," he said.
He said that he aimed to lessen the rate of water consumption, which stands at 200 liters per person, per day.
Meanwhile, sewage and sanitation systems remain a major problem, with septic tanks being the predominant method of waste management in Palembang.
"Palembang and other big cities in Indonesia, including Jakarta, are behind in sewage systems," said Eddy. "We should learn from other countries about how to manage the wastewater and treat it properly."
Cambodia, which has an area of more than 181,000 square kilometers, also struggles to supply water to its 13 million citizens.
Ek Son Chan, general director of the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority, said that as of 2005, 68 percent of Cambodia's urban population and 30 percent of its rural population had access to clean water.
"We have set a target of increasing the number to 74 percent in urban areas and 40 percent in rural areas by 2010," he said.
In a bid to achieve this goal, the Cambodian government has set aside US$70.4 million to achieve a production capacity of 10,000 cubic meters per day and lay 195 kilometers of pipes by the end of this year.
"In 2015, we will undergo the second project with a production capacity of 130,000 cubic meter per day and 195 kilometers of distribution networks," Ek said.
The Lao PDR is meanwhile aiming to provide clean water to its 5.8 million people.
As of 2008, Sommad Pholsena, the Minister of Communications, Transportation, Post and Construction, said the country supplied more than 83 million cubic meters of clean water to serve 825,500 citizens, or nearly 140,000 households in 54 towns and villages.
The country, he said, has 61 water treatment plants. In urban areas, 51 percent of the population is served.
"We target to increase the availability of safe and piped water to 80 percent of the urban population by 2020," Sommad said.
He said that the Lao government had plans to expand services, with a focus on poor areas, in cities across the country, including the capital of Vientiane, secondary towns like Pakse, Kaysone, Thakhek and Luangprabang, as well as small towns that do not have piped water.
Brunei Darussalam, which supplies safe, potable water to 100 percent of its 385,000 citizens, is nonetheless also building infrastructure including dams, treatment plants, reservoirs, pipe mains and storm drains and improving technology to cater for growing demand.
The ADB is working to assist governments in the Asia-Pacific region to provide clean water through the Water Financing Program 2006-2010, which is expected to provide more than 95.5 million people access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation.
ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda encouraged governments in Asia and the Pacific to continue to invest in water infrastructure in spite of the economic crisis lest they face fundamental threats to economic growth and social development.
Kuroda said economic recessions could present opportunities, noting that a shortage of public funding for water sector infrastructure could be filled by the private sector.
Woman Hears Call, Responds, Raises More Than $2,600 For The ‘Silent'
By PATRICK BUTLER
Religion Editor
The saga of how area kindergarteners raised $680 to assist children sold into slavery in another country is a story worth telling repeatedly as an encouragement to those wanting to "do something," said an area children's minister.
Missy Zivney, children's minister at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, helped raise more than $2,600 in July for the locally based nonprofit For The Silent.
The story starts in January, when Missy Zivney, a mother of four, went to see the child sex-slave traffic rockumentary "Call + Response." The depiction of abused children "gripped my heart," she said. She left the Times Square Cinema, which showed the film in cooperation with local churches, feeling bewildered and almost paralyzed.
"The problem of sex trafficking children is so pervasive and so overwhelming, you can get paralysis from the analysis," said the Whitehouse mother of four. "It's a temptation to just want to shut it out, and have it be 'out of sight, out of mind.' For awhile, I was wondering what one person could even do."
But not for long. During a benefit concert in May at Rose Heights Church with Paul Balouche, she heard more about For The Silent, a local nonprofit featured in the Tyler Morning Telegraph during the sold-out "Call + Response" showings. For The Silent founders Kenny and Julie Rigsby, 27 and 25, respectively, said their effort focuses on poverty stricken Cambodian children sold into slavery. The children have few or no advocates and almost no resources to help them escape a dismal life of servitude in seedy brothels.
"At the concert, I heard Kenny speak about this horrible and heinous crime on their bodies that these kids experience, and it gripped my heart all over again," Mrs. Zivney said. "After the concert was over, I saw all these For The Silent donation envelopes on the floor and in the pews. I sent two of my children to gather them all up, and I said, 'Lord, I'm going use these somehow.'"
She wasn't sure just how until a meeting at Pleasant Hill weeks later to form a church day camp for her young charges.
"That's when it hit me like a lightening bolt," Mrs. Zivney said. "We would structure our whole day camp around For The Silent. I didn't want to just have a fun day camp where the focus is just having a good time. I wanted to issue a challenge to get them to go out and do something, something with a meaningful basis, something to do with ministry."
Getting some church teens to help with the approximately 160 kids from dindergarten to sixth grade who came to camp each day June 29 through July 3, Mrs. Zivney set up a crafts fair. The children made and painted birdhouses, rocks, paperweights, picture holders and colorful tiles to be used as trivets in kitchens.
Then they sold them from 50 cents to $ 1.
"I'm telling you," Mrs. Zivney said, "the response was overwhelming. Parents sent in $20 $50 and $100 checks for a $1 item. They got so excited and behind this ministry that the kindergarten-age camp class alone raised $680."
The grand total from the entire camp was $2,600. When Kenny Rigsby heard the total raised, he was momentarily speechless.
"It's completely incredible to see kids helping other kids going through some of the worst things imaginable," he said, "and area kids having a positive impact on children they'll never know or see. It's always cool to see young kids caring about what God cares about."
The money will go toward purchasing a vehicle for a Cambodian After Care ministry that desperately needs a vehicle to transport children rescued from the slave trade, Rigsby said.
"That's hugely important in Cambodia," he said, "because vehicles cost so much there and there is little money to buy them. The center needs safe transportation for the children to go to school, visit the doctor and to see their families. We take transportation for granted here, but there it makes a tremendous difference."
And making a difference is what the children of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church did for some children in Cambodia.
Rigsby said, "What Missy did is what we always ask people; do what they already know how to do to make a difference in the lives of these children. She used her camp and influence to extend her reach into families. She did Day Camp For The Silent and look at the result."
Mrs. Zivney said, "Our kids got T-shirts that read, 'Go Win With Jesus For The Silent.' What better way to minister to those children in need than through our children?"
Donations of about $10,000 are still needed to purchase the vehicle for the After Care ministry. To donate online, visit www.forthesilent.com, or send donations to For The Silent, P.O. Box 998, Tyler, 75710. Call 903-530-4931 for information.
Religion Editor
The saga of how area kindergarteners raised $680 to assist children sold into slavery in another country is a story worth telling repeatedly as an encouragement to those wanting to "do something," said an area children's minister.
Missy Zivney, children's minister at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, helped raise more than $2,600 in July for the locally based nonprofit For The Silent.
The story starts in January, when Missy Zivney, a mother of four, went to see the child sex-slave traffic rockumentary "Call + Response." The depiction of abused children "gripped my heart," she said. She left the Times Square Cinema, which showed the film in cooperation with local churches, feeling bewildered and almost paralyzed.
"The problem of sex trafficking children is so pervasive and so overwhelming, you can get paralysis from the analysis," said the Whitehouse mother of four. "It's a temptation to just want to shut it out, and have it be 'out of sight, out of mind.' For awhile, I was wondering what one person could even do."
But not for long. During a benefit concert in May at Rose Heights Church with Paul Balouche, she heard more about For The Silent, a local nonprofit featured in the Tyler Morning Telegraph during the sold-out "Call + Response" showings. For The Silent founders Kenny and Julie Rigsby, 27 and 25, respectively, said their effort focuses on poverty stricken Cambodian children sold into slavery. The children have few or no advocates and almost no resources to help them escape a dismal life of servitude in seedy brothels.
"At the concert, I heard Kenny speak about this horrible and heinous crime on their bodies that these kids experience, and it gripped my heart all over again," Mrs. Zivney said. "After the concert was over, I saw all these For The Silent donation envelopes on the floor and in the pews. I sent two of my children to gather them all up, and I said, 'Lord, I'm going use these somehow.'"
She wasn't sure just how until a meeting at Pleasant Hill weeks later to form a church day camp for her young charges.
"That's when it hit me like a lightening bolt," Mrs. Zivney said. "We would structure our whole day camp around For The Silent. I didn't want to just have a fun day camp where the focus is just having a good time. I wanted to issue a challenge to get them to go out and do something, something with a meaningful basis, something to do with ministry."
Getting some church teens to help with the approximately 160 kids from dindergarten to sixth grade who came to camp each day June 29 through July 3, Mrs. Zivney set up a crafts fair. The children made and painted birdhouses, rocks, paperweights, picture holders and colorful tiles to be used as trivets in kitchens.
Then they sold them from 50 cents to $ 1.
"I'm telling you," Mrs. Zivney said, "the response was overwhelming. Parents sent in $20 $50 and $100 checks for a $1 item. They got so excited and behind this ministry that the kindergarten-age camp class alone raised $680."
The grand total from the entire camp was $2,600. When Kenny Rigsby heard the total raised, he was momentarily speechless.
"It's completely incredible to see kids helping other kids going through some of the worst things imaginable," he said, "and area kids having a positive impact on children they'll never know or see. It's always cool to see young kids caring about what God cares about."
The money will go toward purchasing a vehicle for a Cambodian After Care ministry that desperately needs a vehicle to transport children rescued from the slave trade, Rigsby said.
"That's hugely important in Cambodia," he said, "because vehicles cost so much there and there is little money to buy them. The center needs safe transportation for the children to go to school, visit the doctor and to see their families. We take transportation for granted here, but there it makes a tremendous difference."
And making a difference is what the children of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church did for some children in Cambodia.
Rigsby said, "What Missy did is what we always ask people; do what they already know how to do to make a difference in the lives of these children. She used her camp and influence to extend her reach into families. She did Day Camp For The Silent and look at the result."
Mrs. Zivney said, "Our kids got T-shirts that read, 'Go Win With Jesus For The Silent.' What better way to minister to those children in need than through our children?"
Donations of about $10,000 are still needed to purchase the vehicle for the After Care ministry. To donate online, visit www.forthesilent.com, or send donations to For The Silent, P.O. Box 998, Tyler, 75710. Call 903-530-4931 for information.
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