The Water Festival 2007

This year, 2 million people were expected to go to the riverside to see the boat race and the huge exhibition in Phnom Penh. Too crowded? The water festival is celebrated every year for three days in November in remembrance of the naval armies who devoted for Cambodia and of the great usefulness of water which has always played a significant role in raising crops like rice, corn and the like. Without water, no life exists. Hurray! The water festival!

Good steps from the government this year were conducted. In order to keep the city from extremely congested traffic, the traffic police were commanded to prevent big cars from coming into the cities. Even tuk-tuks were banned in the city during the water festival. Even walking was really hard at the riverside and around the town center.

Ohhh, how about the rubbish? Hmm, I noticed still people like the sellers and customers threw rubbish away carelessly ( I must say). Who’s gonna pick up all the rubbish? I hope you will exclaim, “Don’t tell me the rubbish will be kept there.” Haha, no no no. I have heard that some young people (students) and kids from the riverside kid organization will volunteer to pick up the rubbish. What a relief?

Water festival 2007

First Khmer Rouge Pre-Trial Chambers

Today is the day that the pre-trial chambers of the courts of Cambodia started to judge Duch’s case.

Ka Savuth and Francios Roux are persisting to legally get Duch out of the ECCC’s prison or detention based on the legal reason that Duch was abused in the military prison without being found guilty. Duch has been detained for 8 years, 6 months and 10 days in the Cambodian military court and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), without being tried.

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the gate of the extraordinary chambers in the courts of Cambodia

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ECCC

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very well-guarded as well

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the line of waiting observers

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on a hot tuesday morning,one could tolerate the heat when something was worth it