Phnom Penh Reunion -- Daily Report.

[Carl Robinson]

Greetings from Phnom Penh where the reunion has unofficially begun with the arrival in town last night of Sylvana Foa from her home in Israel.  Chhang Song was on hand to welcome her back to Cambodia at Pochentong Airport.   Meanwhile, another small contingent was gathering at Old-Hack-in-Residence Jim and Milly Pringle's lovely Monivong Mansion for drinks and snacks to welcome the two daughters of our late departed and highly-esteemed colleague Philip Jones Griffiths, Fanny and Katherine, into our little circle.  Elizabeth "Beth" Becker arrived a few days ago and was an early arrival at our little session.   (I certainly recognised her but so far i'm not scoring too good in the recognition stakes!)   Others were Roland Eng, first Cambodian Ambassador to DC, and Karen, photographer Tim Page and his long-time friend and founder of the PP Post, Michael Hayes, and Richard Linnett, who's written a couple books, including one on the famous Eagle Mutiny which took place just before the March 1970 coup against Sihanouk.  

Meeting Philip Jones Griffiths' two lovely daughters, both in their early 20's, and the publisher of his books (Gigi) made for a pleasant contre-temps as Beth, a regular visitor since 1978 and that rare interview with Pol Pot on the eve of the Viet Invasion, and other newer-old hands like Mike Hayes got way ahead of my knowledge base on what's happening in today's Cambodia.   (We'll be on a very steep learning curve here, folks, and the contemporary tales of intrigue, incompetence and flagrant corruption - even killing of journalists - quickly turns you into a fly on the wall.   What else is new?  At least there's no more war.)   Fanny and Katherine couldn't help feeling a bit awed out -- as we have always been of their father's incredible photographic heritage.   (There is a charity to help photographers in developing countries and they're consolidating Philip's huge archive for what'll be a years-long project of further publications and most likely exhibitions too.)   I do hope among the attending Old Hacks that we can tell them more of the Philip whom we knew and respected although I always remember him as the ultimate loner off doing his own thing.   But the daughters are on their own very special mission, too.  When Philip died two years ago, he asked that his ashes be scattered in three locations -- in his beloved Wales, Vietnam and Cambodia -- and this morning at first light, which is roughly around 5:30 am, they were venturing out into the middle of the Four Arms, that huge body of water where the Mekong River divides in three directions off the city, to scatter his ashes.   A moving moment, I'm sure, and which only highlights the serendipity that's surrounded this entire reunion.   We will no doubt be recalling not only those who died then -- but in more recent times during our reunion.

With their departure for an early start, the hard-core then got serious about tracking down Sylvana whose first wish straight off the aircraft was for some Cambodian Fried Rice.  So, tuk-tuk'ing -- as one does all over this town -- down into what's called NGO Alley for all its small eateries, mostly Cambodian, in pleasant open-air and garden-like settings, we caught up with a new heavily perspiring Sylvana (from all that chilli!) in a flurry of hugs and hand-shakes.  (No, Carl, I wouldn't have recognised you walking down the street!  But she's quite changed too, more than Beth.)    These two are old friends from way back and with their much catching up to do I switched into Observer Mode and marvelled at our little scene -- the dim candle light, whopping overhead fans, speedy & helpful staff, and a table spread out in classic cambodian dishes.  I punched Chhang Song in the arm.   Well, this is it.  We're underway.   His Dream.  And now it's happening and we don't start officially for another couple days.    More Old Hacks are flying in today, including Jeff Williams and Kurt Volkert.   And as I haven't heard further from ex-Reuters and now renowned archaeologist Peter Sharrock in London where a huge volcanic cloud has grounded flights for days, I only hope his prayers to the Cambodian Goddess of Volcanoes has cleared a path for him.   We're counting on him for a expert tour of the Cambodia Museum on Day 2 !

To keep up my routine -- and stamina -- I ventured out of our hotel (i move to Le Royal later today) early this morning for a brisk walk over past the Victory Monument and the Phnom Penh waterfront.   Quite simply, much of the old relaxed feeling of Phnom Penh is gone with its wide streets full of traffic and the city-scape now dominated by new high rises buildings and modern shops.  (Can't say much for that huge Naga World casino & hotel complex though!)    But thankfully the grassy parklands, flowering trees, monuments and lovely wats are still here -- and nothing will change the exquisite beauty of the Royal Palace.    The parks and footpaths were full of early morning walkers and exercisers looking forward to the last day of what's been a week-long celebration of Cambodia New Year.   And yesterday's anniversary of Phnom Penh's fall to the Khmer Rouge 35 years went thankfully totally unnoticed -- or even remarked upon.

As I strolled along that incomparable waterfront, dawn broke majestically over the Four Arms where the Mekong divides into the Tonle Sap, Bassac and the northernmost branch of the main river.  And somewhere out in that watery expanse, Philip Jones Griffiths remains were being scattered.  Go well, dear friend.  

Following are a couple scenes from along the waterfront.  Water is dramatically low now at the end of the Dry Season. 

Regards,

Carl



      

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[Peter Hickman]

I never knew Phillip Jones Griffiths, but I know the Quatre-Bras, and am glad he is at rest there. 
 

---

Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:54:45 +1000
Subject: Phnom Penh Reunion -- Daily Report.
From: robinso...@gmail.com
To: vietnam-...@googlegroups.com

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[Peter Hickman]

I never knew Phillip Jones Griffiths, but I know the Quatre-Bras, and am glad he is at rest there. 
 

---

Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 13:54:45 +1000
Subject: Phnom Penh Reunion -- Daily Report.
From: robinso...@gmail.com
To: vietnam-...@googlegroups.com

---

The New Busy is not the old busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. Get started.

--

[Wayne Corey]

Car:  Your messages are deeply appreciated by those of us unable to attend the PP reunion.  And, please convey my greeting to Sylvana Foa if she doesn't see this message.

 

Our paths didn't cross in PP although I knew of Sylvana's fine work there.  We did meet often in Geneva later when she was the chief spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.  She was superb at doing that job too.

 

Best, Wayne Corey

----- Original Message -----

From: Carl Robinson

To: Vietnam Old Hacks

Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 8:54 PM

Subject: Phnom Penh Reunion -- Daily Report.

[jon swain]

Hi Carl and all friends already in Phnom Penh. All a bit last minute
but fortunately I was able to escape the volcanic ash cloud covering
Europe and so am flying early on Monday morning from San Francisco to
arrive in Phnom Penh on Tuesday morning. Can't wait. Can you please
hold me a room in the Hotel Le Royal, if that is okay.

A bientot

Jon

[matt franjola]

CDR: Have Sylvana and Beth found an acceptable replacement for Madame Chum's yet? You were a regular there. Is there a 21st cenury version in PP? Not my cup of tea but I liked the araoma it left on the ladies hair and clothes.

 

Matt

[matt franjola]

CDR: Laptops - I have a macbook pro. Is there Wi-Fi in hotel?  Should I bring it or use local internet cafes. If I bring laptop do I need converter/ charger for 220 volts? what about cellphone calls back to USA? I'm still running a business and would like to be in touch.

 

Matt

 

 

On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 11:54 PM, Carl Robinson <robinso...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Derek Williams]

Matt: check your Apple power-supply/charger. It should say if it's multi-voltage. Most of them are. And there is internet in the hotel. Not sure if there's wi-fi in every room so bring an ethernet cable just to be sure.

cheers

Derek

[Chanda, Nayan]

Lovely report, Carl. Thanks a million.

 

Please tell Philip’s daughter that I had the privilege of traveling with their father  through devastated Cambodia in 1980 and see it through his eyes. The considerations and thought that went behind each shot he composed was something awe-inspiring to witness. We came upon a cave on a hill top near Battambang where shriveled bodies of several dozen victims  were piled high in front of a serene reclining Buddha. It was a horrific site but the semi-darkness of the cave did not allow for the kind of photo Philip wanted. Ever in a hurry I used a flash. Philip returned there the following morning trudging up the hill with assurance from our guide that  the morning sun did illuminate part of the cave. He needed more reflected to give the place enough depth for the photo he composed in his mind. The amazing shot that resulted from his expedition formed the centrepiece in his Cambodia album.

 

Philip was a lion-hearted man and a delightful company. He is sorely missed.

 

---

From: vietnam-...@googlegroups.com [mailto:vietnam-...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Carl Robinson
Sent: Saturday, April 17, 2010 11:55 PM
To: Vietnam Old Hacks
Subject: Phnom Penh Reunion -- Daily Report.

 

Greetings from Phnom Penh where the reunion has unofficially begun with the arrival in town last night of Sylvana Foa from her home in Israel.  Chhang Song was on hand to welcome her back to Cambodia at Pochentong Airport.   Meanwhile, another small contingent was gathering at Old-Hack-in-Residence Jim and Milly Pringle's lovely Monivong Mansion for drinks and snacks to welcome the two daughters of our late departed and highly-esteemed colleague Philip Jones Griffiths, Fanny and Katherine, into our little circle.  Elizabeth "Beth" Becker arrived a few days ago and was an early arrival at our little session.   (I certainly recognised her but so far i'm not scoring too good in the recognition stakes!)   Others were Roland Eng, first Cambodian Ambassador to DC, and Karen, photographer Tim Page and his long-time friend and founder of the PP Post, Michael Hayes, and Richard Linnett, who's written a couple books, including one on the famous Eagle Mutiny which took place just before the March 1970 coup against Sihanouk.  

[Peter Hickman]

There will always be "a" Mere Chum's, but never another one. 
 

---

Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 08:30:03 -0400
Subject: Re: Phnom Penh Reunion -- Daily Report.
From: coloni...@gmail.com
To: vietnam-...@googlegroups.com

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[Carl Robinson]

Matt:   We've got direct line here at Le Royal but with wireless downstairs.   (Funny last crummy place had WiFi!)   No probs with phone cards and stuff either.   Very modern.  They've even got 7/11's now.   Cheers,  Carl

[don kirk]

Matt:
I made a big decision to leave my lap top behind -- internet cafes are all over the place in both Saigon and PP. Right now I'm in Saigon using free PC in lobby of hotel. No problem.
Best,
Don

---

From: matt franjola <coloni...@gmail.com>
To: vietnam-...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sun, April 18, 2010 7:33:34 PM

Subject: Re: Phnom Penh Reunion -- Daily Report.

[Carl Robinson]

It's Monday in Phnom Penh and the city -- and entire country, I'd imagine -- is waking up from the week-long turpour and browse of the Cambodia New Year.  I moved up-town to Le Royal -- the Raffles Hotel Le Royal, as we should refer to our generous hosts -- yesterday (sunday) afternoon and entered a Class Act World i haven't experienced for some time.   They've done great job bringing the hotel up to date and one has little time to reflect back on when we knew this Grande Dame with now only fragments and the odd angled glimpse to remind of those days.   Just enough.   The management cannot do enough to help us out and are treating this reunion as a special, even historic, occasion, even if not e'one is staying here.  

Yesterday, more Old Hacks arrived -- and the deluge will come later today and tomorrow.  An absolutely delightful catch-up during the Elephant Bar's Happy Hour last night -- used to be Studio 1 and 2, i'd say -- with Jeff Williams ex-AP and later CBS and Kurt Volkert, former CBS cameraman who did so much to account for our nine dead & missing colleagues at Wat Po on 31 May 1970.  For Jeff, his first return since 1972 and for Kurt not since 1992 when JPAC had done the dig and accounted for all but one, Ishii.  (The news too of Horst Faas' extreme disappointment at not making our reunion; but he's hale & hearty with spirits high and following us closely.  Hi, HF!)  Today, they were making their own pilgrimage to the site, roughly 60 kms sw of PP, and to refresh Kurt's memory so he can lead our own journey down there on Thursday where we'll pay our respects to them and all our missing colleagues.    (Memorial dedication is in PP upon our return.)    Others, as noted earlier, are Beth Becker and Sylvana Foa.  Tom Cheatam, ex-UPI in VN in 67-68, also arrived and was last heard of connecting with Jim Pringle whose villa is not far from Le Royal.   

In keeping with the "soft opening" of our Phnom Penh Reunion, Tim Page and Co are organising an exhibition this evening of The Requiem photos -- all nicely framed and thank you very much (payment details to come!) -- and an unofficial world premier of Richard Linnett's documentary entitled "The Disappearance of McKinley Noland," a black GI who fell in love with a southern Cambodian (Khmer Krom), deserted and sought refuge in what became the heart of Khmer Rouge Country just over the Tay Ninh border.   (He was later executed by the KR and the story is of JPAC's finding of his remains and his life story.  Doco is produced by the actor Danny Glover.)   For those in town, this is at Meta House starting at 6 pm.   (Come early and help Tim hang the pix if you can.)   Address of Meta House is Street 264, Number 7 near Wat Patum.  

Okay, I'll try to avoid name-dropping here, folks, even if we do luck out and see King Sihanouk himself.   But after Jeff & Kurt disappeared for their early start yesterday evening, I wandered into town -- all those Chinese shops along the Tonle Sap are now full of tourist restaurants, travel agencies etc -- where the Cantina was opening up especially for us, basically Tim & Co.   I wandered in to meet the actor George Hamilton -- remember him? -- who is on our list of Attendees at the Reunion and who is making a special visit to remember his childhood friend Sean Flynn.   (They both grew up in Palm Beach and kept in touch off-and-on for years.)   Coming in the wake of the recent excavator antics of those aussie adventurers who claim to have found Sean's body, his long-planned visit has taken on a particularly poignant meaning.   And what an entertaining conversation. We had an instant bond of mutual friendship as Sean and I were also very close, including his being best man at Kim Dung and my wedding in 1969.    George is going to be great company.  He has even prepared a four-page statement explaining why he's here that we'll get him to read out !    

[Carl Robinson]

And late apologies from ex-Reuters and now archaeologist Peter Sharrock who couldn't leave London because of the Iceland Volcano Crisis.  Most sad, but Jon Swain is enroute via US.   Also apologies from Derek Williams and AP's Denis Gray who are covering the Red-Yellow War in Bangkok.  Cheers, Carl

[Carl Robinson]

Here is latest Agenda for the Reunion:

 

AGENDA FOR PHNOM PENH REUNION – 20 to 23 April 2010

Updated: Monday, 19 April 2010

 DAY 1: Tuesday, 20 April 2010

17:00 – Welcome Drinks and Reunion Check-In at Elephant Bar of Le Royal Hotel

19:30 – Welcome dinner by Minister of Information at Sokha Hotel, Norodom Blvd

 

DAY 2: Wednesday, 21 April 2010

07:30 – Visit Royal Palace in the morning cool air

09:00 – Arrive at National Museum, conducted by Museum Curator

10:30 – Stroll along the riverbank through the city’s “art corridor” and then early lunch at

riverside restaurants

Afternoon free time to rest up and take a siesta, or continue your sightseeing

19:30 – Dinner, courtesy of SEA Television

 

DAY 3: Thursday, 22 April 2010

09:00 – Visit to Wat Po – tour briefing (bus provided by the Documentation Center of Cambodia)

Noon – Return from Wat Po: Lunch –Buffet at Tonle Sap Restaurant, courtesy of Club of Cambodian Journalists

17:00 – Official Dedication of Memorial to Journalists, West of Wat Phnom

19:30 – Public Open Forum and opening of photo exhibition at Himawara Hotel on the river

Book stall with books by “old hacks” run by Monument Books. Refreshment, Sponsored by

Overseas Press Club of Cambodia (OPCC)

 

DAY 4: Friday, 23 April 2010

08:30 – Tour visit to the Killing Fields  (Toul Sleng, Choeung Ek), followed by book signing by

Elizabeth Becker at Toul Sleng (bus provided by the Documentation Center of Cambodia)

11:00 – Lunch, courtesy of Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia

17:30 – Reception at US Embassy

 

Farewell Touch:

19:00 – Open house with drinks and snacks at the home of Hack-in-Residence, James Pringle and his wife Milly, 34 Monivong across from Calmette Hospital.

 

Contact:  Carl Robinson, Le Royal, 23 981888, Room 225 or on Mobile number 068-437992, or Chhang Song on 012-384 619.  

[stubbs]

Hi, Carl --

You, Chhang Song and Jamie are due much praise for all your work in
putting the reunion together. I would have been there if smoke hadn't
stopped me from flying. Cigarettes, not volcanic ash. While sitting
around the pool at Le Royale, please raise a glass on my behalf to all
gathered, but especially to you three organizers, and to Sylvana,
Beth, Al, Jon, Jeff, Derek, and any others who might have tolerated
the Embassy flack. And, oh yes, to the Snake Lady, if she might be
reincarnated there amongst you. Al Rockoff will understand.

Have a great reunion!

Bill Stubbs

[Peter Hickman]

Stubbs,  "Snake Lady" sounds familiar..should it?  (Go ahead; the statute of limitations--whatever there may have been of one--surel has long run out.)
 
Hickman
 
> Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:34:43 -0700

> Subject: Re: Phnom Penh Reunion -- Daily Report.

> From: yaj...@gmail.com
> To: vietnam-...@googlegroups.com

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[Carl Robinson]

Okay, sorry I went a bit slack'o there and missed a daily report on Phnom Penh.    The rest of Monday -- when I filed my last report -- and then all day Tuesday was a total blur as more and more Old Hacks arrived in town.   The Meta House thing on monday night could've been better attended but is more fringe to our own reunion, plus Chhang Song & I had to disappear for a "management meeting" with our ever-helpful elves from the Club of Cambodian Journalists.  Quite simply, this reunion wouldn't be happening without all their mostly behind-the-scenes assistance and they look upon Chhang Song -- and we Old Hacks -- with great respect.  (In fact, a side show to the reunion is to spend time with local journalists and hear of their own current-day issues, basically give them a leg-up in sometimes trying circumstances.)   Anyway, we all need a crash course in Cat Herding -- especially after last night's opening.  (Damn, I shoulda' brought a megaphone!)  

But then yesterday, Tuesday, turned into a rather long and magical day as our own numbers rose -- and one table after the other was added onto the breezeway outside the Cafe Monivong, the modern replacement of our era's La Cyrene.   Located at the street, or parkland, end of a totally new two-storey wing that runs across the property through the old car park (parking lot) and where the bungalows all once stood, the Monivong offers an absolutely stunning breakfast spread -- part of our tariff, of course -- which I haven't seen for years and then a lunch-time buffet or a la carte and for which most people were opting.   (Buffet's $24 and a Salad Nicoise is $12 to give you an idea of prices. So t'aint' cheap.)   Some of us had barely finished a late breakfast when newcomers arrived from around town as Cat Herder maneuvered tables and made introductions and got the conversations going.     Perry Deane Young was an early arrival along with Alice Smith, a long-time friend of Dana Stone's younger brother Tom who joined the Army (82nd AB) not long after he & Sean's disappearance and while with VT National Guard on his 3rd tour in Afghanistan in 2006 was killed by 'friendly fire'.  He'd been a medic (He & PDY had linked up a while back and Alice has lived & worked  here in PP for ages, mostly in speech therapy including cleft palates and totally charming.)    Dan Southerland, fresh late night before from Seoul, was quickly down for a chat along with Tom Cheatam, ex-UPI.  Although they'd never met, Mike Morrow of Beijing was soon down to join the PDY spread.  Some even started ordering food.    Tim Page and his cameraman man Ian White showed up and his girlfriend/partner Marianne Harris, who we all call "Mau", showed later.  But super-guest of honour was Johnie Webb outa' JPAC in Hawaii who was sent down her especially after that recent Sean Flynn Body Fiasco with instructions to hang out with us.  And what a great guy.  Got to bird colonel and now a civvie doing public affairs.   Visited the two sites last weeka and got the work started but rains are coming and e'thing's off until later in the year.  Plus, there's total security -- and you can bet those two grave-robbers ain't going anywhere near that or any other possible grave sites for a long time who were last seen bunkered down in Sihanoukville.  Fresh off his plane out of the US after he couldn't get back to London -- and the run eastwards to Cambodia and Vietnam,  Jon Swain rolled up off a west coast flight.   And so the day meandered.

The official opening of the reunion began at Le Royal's Elephant Bar at 1700 yesterday (Tuesday) evening with Old Hacks rolling up nicely over the next hour or so.   A subdued enough affair.  But Cambodia's Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith -- one of the reunion's original supporters -- was hanging out for us to join him for an early drink for an "official" 1930 dinner at a city hotel's rooftop restaurant and my mobile was bombarded with urgent demands for our immediate presence.   (Hardly the stuff to put you in a good mood, i tell 'ya!)    And talk about "herding cats" !!!   One under-sized bus and so two trips, right?  Who'd ready for the first one ?   Duh !   Somehow our two busloads we got there -- quaintly proceeded through Phnom Penh's traffic-clogged streets by a police motorcycle escort with a siren and red light -- to be greeted by the minister, his coterie and all the local media.    This was an "event" that we hadn't realised was going to be one.    Speeches were quickly made -- a welcome from Chhang and myself -- and the minister.  And ever-gallant Chhang also wanted our two favourite ladies to say a few words too, Elizabeth Becker and Sylvana Foa.  Then the crowd of over 100 dived dived into the huge spread of cambodian and other delicacies of seafood and fish, steaks and salads.    The music started up and led by two young dancer-singers whom, i swear, looked Italian, or were trying to from their pumped up chests and long eyelashes and stunning red and blonde hair.    So lovely to hear those so distinctive and lilting sounds of cambodian music again, even with its modern touches,  the lovely high-pitched voices and beat that just makes you want to dance.   And it wasn't long before Sylvana Foa led us out onto the dance floor once again.    Chhang Song even managed a few shuffles and Jim & Milly couldn't get enough Old Hacks out there.   But overall kinda' subdued just relaxing and getting back into things again.  A nice mood.  I hope a picture of two will do night right and I'll try filing again later. 

Best,

Carl

[Robert Pisor]

Carl,

What a wonderful account of OPening Day! Thanks for sharing it with
Old Hacks who did not make the trip. You're making me feel I was five
years too soon on my return to Vietnam.

<Perry Deane Young, Dan Southerland, Tom Cheatham and Mike Morrow.
Phnom Penh 19 April 2010.JPG><Chhang Song & Jon Swain..JPG><L to R,
George Hamilton, Mau Harris and Johnie Bell of JPAC..JPG><Our Singers
- but the musical was all traditional..JPG><In a blur of Cambodian
Song & Dance. Chhang Song & Sylvana Foa. 20 April 2010..JPG>

[Carl Robinson]

Day 2 of our reunion was always planned as a day for Old Hacks to immerse themselves -- more formally as it were -- into Cambodian history and culture.   But with recent day-time heat wave conditions, we thought an early cool-of-the-mornin' start would be a great idea -- and then let Old Hacks rack out the mid-day sun in a pleasantly cool lunch and/or siesta.   Remarkably, everyone was up nice & early and enjoying the hotel's breakfast buffet when word came that the Royal Palace, first object in our wanderings, did not open until 0800, not 0730 as the brochure said.    So, that gave folks some precious time to down another croissant or two, or some of that delicious tropical fruit (the cambodian mangoes as incredibly delicious as ever) before loading up our two little buses.   And, folks, that police escort wasn't just a one-night stand from the previous evening function's connection with Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith.  Sounds terribly elitist, I know, but there's nothing quite like having your own police motorcycle with red light flashing and siren blaring to get you around Phnom Penh in morning rush hour.   (The siren you're hearing is actually your own!)   As we came up to intersections, police and soldiers stopped traffic on the sidestreets as we just kept cruisin' along and giggling like children.   We even showed up at the Royal Palace five minutes early!

The trick was to give the Royal Palace -- which I don't believe any of us actually visited during the war from 1970 to 1975 -- a quick once-over and then hop over to the National Museum next door by 0900 and an official welcome by Hab Touch, Director-General of the Ministry of Culture & Fine Arts, followed by a personalised tour of its fabulous collections.    So, some face was riding on this one, all the more as Peter Sharrock, ex-Reuters and now archaeologist at London's School of Oriental and African Studies, was volcanoed off the Reunion at the last moment.   His friend Touch hadn't been informed of his cancellation and I was to saddle up and apologise profusely on the spot.  But as back-up there was supposed to be a tall statuesque blonde blue-eyed academiciene and associate of Peter's -- too good to be true, no?! -- who would give us a personal tour.  Few of the Old Hacks knew this detail -- only that Cat Herder really had the whip out on Day 2.   

So, the activities took all my skills as a "tour leader" developed running small tours into Vietnam from Australia over the past 10 years, starting with jumping the waiting ticket queue -- a process that would've taken a good half hour given the size of our group, or about 50 people -- and shoving e'one onto the grounds and then collecting the money as we strolled around.   (Worked a charm, except for the entry fee coming at $6.50 -- and what's that change in Riels again ?!)    The Palace is a truly magnificent place and we could've spent hours there.   Just inside the entrance and outside the main pavillion or throne room was practicing for a royal ceremony scheduled to Siem Reap in a few weeks time and the picture opportunities there from the start.    But we could sure have used a breeze out of the bright blue sky and nearby Mekong River as we were soon feeling heat in our dress-coded long trousers and sleeved shirts for the boys and similarly subdued for the girls.    The sweat was literally pouring off us as we made our way through the throne room and then over to the Silver Wat or Temple next door with its Emerald Buddha and huge collection of silver objects, many of them Buddhas, and a section of flooring made of silver tiles.   (The attached group photo is from outside the Silver Temple.)  The ban on pictures didn't stop Jim Pringle from snapping that he sent of me last night -- and which was sparked more by my Buddhist reverence in the simply magnficent setting, even if mine is actually from Vietnam's Mahayana branch next door.  I did pray to protect our reunion though.  (As we left, the question on everyone's mind was how the Khmer Rouge didn't flog this place, or at least sell off some of the silver.)  

Pushing 0900, the heat was becoming stiffling as we strolled past the long painted mural on the walls of the shaded walkway around the temple grounds -- and out through a lovely courtyard where we were greeted by the unusual and fragrant blooms of the rare and magnificent Sal or Shala Tree, or Shorea Robusta Roxb.   Originally from India, the deciduous hard-wood is regarded as the Hindu god Vishnu's favourite tree and by Buddhists as the tree under which the Gautama Buddha was born.   Time enough to enjoy a cool drink and then once again onto the buses for a quick run to the nearby Museum.   The Old Hacks had done a great job herded into this position.   We were only a half hour late.  But if there was a welcoming committee waiting for us not long before,  none of the staff seemed to know a thing.    Instructing the Old Hacks to head on into the museum without paying an entry fee -- and yup feel free to take pictures too! -- Milly Pringle & I scrambled up the steep stairs to find some actual Authority.   No luck.   No one knew who we were.   We finally sorted things out -- but not before setting off a guard or two with our photography.  (Oops! sorry.)   That calmed, we had a most pleasant personal guide through what is quite a lovely and very open-air and high-roofed setting that stunningly displays Cambodia's long cultural and religious heritage.    Both destinations are definitely worth more relaxed visits -- especially the Cambodian Museum but perhaps on a cool and rainy day instead.  The tour ended with everyone relaxing in easy chairs, enjoying a cold drink and looking over the inner garden with its lush greenery and statuary.   The rest of the day was free for Old Hacks to explore around nearby downtown or head back to the Royal or other places on their own.    For many, it was a time to catch up on e-mails.   But with intense media interest in our reunion, a handful were kept busy with a round of interviews for foreign and local media, including TV and a newspaper from Vietnam.    It's great to see such interest even if I hadn't realised I'd also signed on as "media officer" for this reunion !

Meeting up at the Elephant Bar, our real headquarters I'd say, we headed off for dinner -- only one bus and no more escort this time! -- to a nearby non-touristy Cambodian restaurant,  the Seven Brights Two (yes, correct) for a private dinner and our first real opportunity to all mix together in a more quiet atmosphere.   The music was a mixture of 70's favourites and cambodian music.  Regrets were read from those who couldn't make it -- Sydney Shanberg and Haney Howell among others -- and conversation lively, although not nearly enough mixing around between tables, i reckon !    Latest arrivals, only early that day, were Matt Franjola and then Martin and Elizabeth Stuart-Fox who'd lingered on in Siem Reap for an extra day after Simon Dring and Fiona headed to Phnom Penh.   But the buzz was great and everyone was very relaxed with Sean Flynn's childhood friend George Hamilton clearly an honorary old hack.  Attending Old Hacks -- and others -- will be pleased to hear that the extra money we made from dinner has all gone to help the Tim Page Requiem Frame-up Project.    This exhibition will be on show at tonight's Public Open Forum.

Today is our Day of Pilgrimage.  After breakfast we head down to Wat Po where we honour our nine colleagues who died there on 31 May 1970 with Kurt Volkert, who was on the 1992 team which determined their final fate, acting as our esteemed guide.

More later then.

Best regards,

Carl

    
 

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[Carl Robinson]

Here is a report from Kyodo on today's moving ceremony at Wat Po sw of Phnom Penh.  Pictures are from Martha & Steve Northup.  Yoko Ishiyama, widow of Kyodo's Koki who died in early 1974, was a particularly strong link to our dead & missing.   Memorial Dedication in Phnom Penh is taking place shortly.   Amazing Day.  Best, Carl

Former war correspondents mourn slain colleagues in Cambodia 

         By Puy Kea

     WAT PO, Cambodia, April 22 KYODO - A group of over two dozen former war correspondents held a solemn ceremony Thursday to mourn the loss of their colleagues who were killed or went missing while covering the war in Cambodia more than three decades ago.
     The ''Old Hacks,'' as they call themselves, gathered at a remote spot 63 kilometers southwest of Phnom Penh where eight fellow journalists and a Cambodian driver were killed by the Khmer Rouge in May 1970 and where the bodies of four of them were dug up and recovered in 1992.
     The slain media workers are among 37 who were killed or went missing in Cambodia between 1970 and 1975, including 10 Japanese, eight French, seven Americans and five Cambodians. Others were from Switzerland, West Germany, Austria, Netherlands, India, Laos and Australia.
     Carl Robinson, 67, a former Associated Press correspondent who co-organized the first-ever reunion of war correspondents in Cambodia, said their visit to the remote site, located down a dirt track more than 2 km off the main road, was ''like a day of pilgrimage.''
     ''It was a very moving ceremony with a few tears shed,'' he said. ''To use an overused word, it was like a 'closure' for a lot of people to actually be able to visit and to pay their respects here today.''
     The ceremony began with the chanting of Buddhists monks and local villagers amid the burning of incense, which was followed by the reading of the names of all 37 journalists.
     They then held a moment of silence and planted a Bodhi, the tree under which Buddha found enlightenment, on the side of the road, which the monks of the local temple promised to take care of.
     ''The memorial as such is the Bodhi tree,'' said Robinson, who was based in Saigon from 1968 through 1975.
     The Old Hacks, mostly former journalists in their late 60s or early 70s who had worked for Western major news organizations, arrived in Cambodia on Tuesday for a reunion which also involves a public open forum, a photo exhibition, a visit to the notorious ''Killing Fields'' and the installation of a more formal memorial in front of the Le Royal Hotel in Phnom Penh where many correspondents stayed and worked while covering the war in this country.
     Among participants in Thursday's ceremony was the widow of Koki Ishiyama, a Kyodo News correspondent slain in Cambodia in 1974.
     Kurt Volkert, 73, a former CBS cameraman who was instrumental in mapping where executed journalists were buried and who returned in 1992 to help a U.S. military team recover the remains of some of them from the bank of a river, said he regrets Ishiyama's body was never found despite the ''heroic effort'' put into the search by diggers, who had to dam up the river to dig.
     ''We were not close friends but I respected him and it's infinitely sad that he's still here somewhere, swept away by the waters,'' he said. ''He just didn't get to go home.''
     Volkert said he visited Ishiyama's wife in Tokyo later that same year to deliver her a little silver box containing soil from the digging site where the bodies of two other Japanese, one Frenchman and one American were found.
     Robinson said the number of journalists killed in Cambodia was much higher than in Vietnam during the Vietnam War because in the latter case, ''journalists could count on the U.S. military to take them to wherever the fighting was'' whereas in Cambodia journalists had to basically take a taxi ride to the war zone.
     To make matters worse, he said the Khmer Rouge policy then was to ''smash'' or execute all perceived enemies, including journalists.
     The Old Hacks have held three reunions in Vietnam for those who covered the Vietnam War and they are slated to hold their fourth next week.
     ''But this is the first time we've ever had one in Cambodia so it's been a wonderful experience, a really nice and wonderful feeling,'' Robinson said.
     At the same time, he said, feelings are mixed. With some Old Hacks not having been back to Cambodia since the early 1970s, ''it's been quite an emotional return for a lot of people.''
     ''You enjoy it but you can't help remember the sadness as well.''
==Kyodo

April 22, 2010

[tmarks]

Thanks for passing along the Kyodo report;  it sounds like a very moving ceremony the Old Hacks held.  Koki Ishiyama was a great guy, and a gentleman.  Since I had lived and worked and Japan, we had gotten to know each other.  I am glad that his widow was able to visit the site.  Kudos to Kurt Volkert for his efforts to help his family find closure in his disappearance.   I am sure his widow's presence at the ceremony yesterday was an important part of that closure. If possible could you send me her address so I can send her a condolence note. Many thanks.  Ted Marks

Ted Marks
Tel: 207-389-2620
Cell 860-307-0005

-----Original Message-----
From: "Carl Robinson" <robinso...@gmail.com>
Sent 4/22/2010 5:13:52 AM
To: vietnam-...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Phnom Penh Reunion -- Daily Report.

[John Burgess]

Old Hacks who were at the National Museum earlier this week will want to read this fascinating piece about how the place got started.

http://www.devata.org/2010/04/cambodia%E2%80%99s-national-museum-marks-90th-anniversary/

Thanks for the updates and photos from all of you. Many people are following this from afar.

John

----- Original Message -----

From: Carl Robinson

Sent: 04/21/10 07:30 PM

To: vietnam-...@googlegroups.com

Subject: Re: Phnom Penh Reunion -- Daily Report.

Day 2 of our reunion was always planned as a day for Old Hacks to immerse themselves -- more formally as it were -- into Cambodian history and culture.   But with recent day-time heat wave conditions, we thought an early cool-of-the-mornin' start would be a great idea -- and then let Old Hacks rack out the mid-day sun in a pleasantly cool lunch and/or siesta.   Remarkably, everyone was up nice & early and enjoying the hotel's breakfast buffet when word came that the Royal Palace, first object in our wanderings, did not open until 0800, not 0730 as the brochure said.    So, that gave folks some precious time to down another croissant or two, or some of that delicious tropical fruit (the cambodian mangoes as incredibly delicious as ever) before loading up our two little buses.   And, folks, that police escort wasn't just a one-night stand from the previous evening function's connection with Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith.  Sounds terribly elitist, I know, but there's nothing quite like having your own police motorcycle with red light flashing and siren blaring to get you around Phnom Penh in morning rush hour.   (The siren you're hearing is actually your own!)   As we came up to intersections, police and soldiers stopped traffic on the sidestreets as we just kept cruisin' along and giggling like children.   We even showed up at the Royal Palace five minutes early!

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[Carl Robinson]

First of all early this final morning of our Phnom Penh Reunion, there was a rather serious error in the Kyodo wire story yesterday on events down at Wat Po and which I'd used as a stop-gap to brief Old Hacks as I knew it'd be a terribly long day yesterday and I'd be unlikely to "file" myself.     I just regret not spotting it before I crashed in a bit of heap last night.   (Fyi, i've also alerted Kyodo as I know what a nightmare these sort of corrections can become.)

The confusion is between two Japanese.    The correct name of the Japanese colleague whose body was not found in the 1992 JPAC search at Wat Po is Tomoharu Ishii, a CBS cameraman.   A total of nine (9) from CBS and NBC were killed during or shortly after 31 May 1970, the worst such day of the war.    The story confuses his case -- and Kurt Volkert's role in the entire dig and repatriation -- with the later disappearance of Kyodo correspondent Koki Ishiyama in northwestern Cambodia in late 1973 and whose death occurred in early 1974.    

One of the most touching aspects of this week's incredible Reunion has been the presence of Yoko Ishiyama, Yoki's widow, at our reunion, along with Kyodo former Saigon bureau chief Atsuo Kaneko.   She was specially acknowledged at our Welcome Dinner last Tuesday and has been a wonderful companion.   When she was asked to light up a large bundle of incense sticks at the start of the Wat Po Ceremony yesterday, you can easily imagine the powerful emotions suddenly unleashed in her -- and the overall group.  A few shared tears there, believe me.     She has thanked us so many times for what we've done here.   But we truly thank her for coming.   Yoko has provided a perfect touch.   

It was only early last year that Yoko -- and her husband's former colleagues at Kyodo -- determined his final fate in a region northwest of Phnom Penh.   Kong Vorn, who was with Koki the day of his disappearance and later escaped the Killing Fields to Japan, was very instrumental in that search.   And yesterday, Kong Vorn read the names of our Cambodian colleagues at our afternoon Memorial ceremony. 

Here is Atsuo Kaneko's explanation to me of a few weeks ago when we were first in touch.                

    　I  really apprreciate your concern with Koki and it is nice to tell you that we, Koki's family members and some former Kyodo journalists group, finally reached the place Koki died and buried in Jan. 2009, fourteen months ago. It was our third  tour looking for Koki following ones of Jan.2008 and of July 1981.  More than thirty six years have passed since he disappeared and we begun to find out what happened with him.

 

       It was one of Kmer Rouge guerrilla camps at a skirt of a mountain called by local people Mt.Kchoul where Koki was staying for about two months with guerrillas of Ta Mok and passed away suffering from a ferver, probably malaria. He was burried at the cemetary near the camp together with other six guerrilllas who died in the fightings. 

 

       Yoko and Kenkichi, their son and now a journalist working for the NHK, and we refrained from trying to recover Koki's body.  We thought it is not appropriate to dig out all seven people's remains and carry them to Phnom Penh or Tokyo to confirm which ones are Koki's.    

       
        This camp was located deep into mounntain area west of Amlean, Ta Mok 's strong hold, 120 kilo-meters northwest of Phnom Penh, Komponspoe province. It took us several hours by 4WD car to the nerarest village to the monutain. and then about one hour of bicycle-ride and walks.  

 

         This is the outline of a story about Koki we obtained from these local people who guided us to the place.  Some of them, messenger boys at that time, witnessed from time to time ”an Oriental” lying onａ bed in the hospital ( of course just with the palm roof and bamboo beds ). The cemetary was a small open space in the thick jungle on the mountain foot. 

 

         The story about final days of Koki was a confirmation of an information we got in the summer of 1981. The Kyodo took advantage of the short lived lull of the civil war at that time and send an investigative team for Koki. which, I headed, consisted of Koki's mother, elder brother, Yoko and some Kyodo reporters. 

 

        We happened to meet a woman in one village on the way to Amlean ( where we could  not reaach ).  She told us she was working at the guerrilla camp at the foot of Mt.Kchoul and took care of "Ta Japon "and he died and  buried in "fighters tomb."  We took  her story credible and concluded that Koki died.  Then we waited for eighteen years until we finally arrived at his "tomb".

 

Thanks a lot for taking your time for a long story.

Looking forward seeing you ｓｏｏｎ in Phnom Penh.

 

Atsuo Kaneko

( for Yoko Ishiyama ) 

[Carl Robinson]

We always knew that yesterday -- Day 3, Wednesday 22 April -- was going to be a bit of a roller-coaster and just as well we'd rested up for it.    The day was certainly the highlight of our reunion which, for the record, has attracted 27 Old Hacks from around the world.  Why, we've even found two Cambodian Old Hacks no one was sure about.   Keo Sithan, who worked for many western news organisations, and Kong Vorn who worked with Kyodo.   Also drifting out of the mist of the past was the widow of Chim Sarath, the Cambodian driver and guide of Terry Reynolds (US) and Alan Hirons (AUS) who disappeared near Neak Luong in April 1972.  She'd only heard of our presence in town -- and the unveiling of a Memorial -- through her American husband's reading of the local newspaper.   Her sudden and terribly distraught appearance at the late afternoon official dedication of the new memorial to our fallen colleagues outside Le Royal was particularly poignant.   We still know so little.   Heavy emotions still drive our efforts.

Old Hacks would've seen the Kyodo story -- plus my correction -- and the main addition here is what a powerful experience Wat Po was for our group.    You plan these things but nothing prepares for the reality, plus it's best in life never anticipating too much.  If anything, I'd pictured something really simple.   The drive down in a couple buses -- preceded out of the crowded city by that motorcycle cop who is our new-best-friend in Cambodia --  took about an hour and a half with ex-CBS cameraman Kurt Volkert providing the commentary, starting with the now totally unrecognisable point where CBS's George Syvertsen, Gerald Miller and Ramnik Lekhi were ambushed and killed on 31 May 1970.   We continued further down Route 3 -- now under reconstruction but generally good -- to the turn-off down a two-kilometre dirt road to Wat Po where the others in the now the mixed group of CBS and NBC journalists, including correspondent Welles Hangen, were brought and then executed over the next couple days.   Over the mobile phone, we knew the planned ceremony had attracted curious villagers.  But this wasn't just a couple dozen, but more like 200 or 300 locals who crowded around a colourful pavillion set in the bend of a muddy tropical river where the saffron-robed monks patiently awaited our arrival.   (Their time was limited, however, as soon would be their mid-day meals and meditations.)   A huge media contingent was also present -- local, foreign and even a couple Vietnamese news crews -- and now making us Old Hacks the story and putting us on show.   Scrambling down off the roadway and down into the pavillion, we were soon in positon and the traditional Buddhist ceremony began -- and totally emotionally too as the widow of Kyodo's Koki Ishiyama, who died in '74 and fate determined only last year (see other story) lit a large bundle of incense.  Gifts were offered.  The village men initiated a chant which was responded to by the monks and continued for some minutes, most of the Old Hacks sitting cross-legged on colourful Cambodian mats with their hands clasped together, their eyes closed or open -- and thoughts no doubt all over the place.   Tears too, especially as Elizabeth Becker read the names of all our fallen colleagues.  At the other end of the pavillion, women and children formed a heavy crowd taking in every detail.   The ceremony ended -- in many ways all too soon -- and we wandered outside where Kurt's attempts to explain the digging and where the five other bodies, minus that of Ishii, were found by JPAC and himself in 1992, turned into a virtual media interview.   Finally, we held a moment of silence.  We then made our way back up to the roadway where the Club of Cambodian Journalists -- who've been so helpful to us -- had stood up a medium-sized concrete culvert and we now planted a Bodhi Tree inside it as a local memorial.     One by one, Old Hacks -- and anyone else who wanted to -- came up and scrunched bundles of dry soil into the culvert or poured in a bit of water to get the this Tree of Eternity off to a long life.   (In legend, Buddha found enlightenment under this tree.)    The nearby Wat -- as in Wat Po -- promised to care for our tree.  

The late afternoon dedication of the memorial in Phnom Penh was another surprise, especially as the whole idea has gone all over the place and we were never sure -- even at the very end -- just what to expect.    (I've certainly learned a lot about the wisdom of not interfering and just letting the Cambodians do their own thing!  E'thing does seem to work out fine.)    Located to the east of the hotel entrance in the middle of where the parkland outside Le Royal meets a cross-street, the Memorial will be a simple marble structure with the names of the Cambodians on the eastern side and foreigners on the west.    And yesterday was the ground-breaking ceremony for an on-going project including a bit of fund-raising to have our colleagues' names carved.     Again, Buddhist monks -- this time cheerily tossing flowers over a couple Cambodian government representatives, Chhang Song, Sylvana Foa, Beth Becker and myself -- began proceedings.   In a last-minute switch, the minister of information had sent a replacement.   Matt Franjola read the names of all the missing from 1970 to 1975 followed by ex-Kyodo's Kong Vorn reading those of the Cambodians, a list that continues to expand. Chhang made a short speech of welcome and thanks.  But then just as the minister's replacement was about to read the speech, Khieu Kanharith made a sudden and most fashionably-late appearance out of his four-wheel drive.   Wreaths were then laid at the foot of a mocked-up wooden version of the memorial followed by individual lotus flowers from all the Old Hacks.  (I'd thought a couple piles of sand and shovels would make a nice western touch, but most were pleased simply dropping the flowers and bowing.)   Compared to the morning's ceremony, there was a less somber and emotional air to proceedings, even a sense of celebration as Old Hacks lingered on and on way way past the departure of all the plastic chairs and other ceremonial gear.  The sun was setting behind what was once the Roman Catholic Cathedral but now a giant telecom tower and the mood magical as we stood together for souvenir pictures and clustered in small groups, happy simply just to be here for this special moment.  

The evening's Public Open Forum down at the Himawari Hotel -- located on the river next door to the Cambodiana which we knew only as an impromptu refugee camp -- was an incredible and again unexpected ending to our amazing day.   The plan was for a panel of Old Hacks to talk about the war days with a bit of Q&A along with a photo exhibition of specially-printed Cambodia War pictures from The Requiem, the showing of David Bradbury's documentary on Neil Davis "Frontline" and a stall selling book by Old Hacks.    Working with the fledging Overseas Press Club of Cambodia, we'd been pretty casual and relaxed in the planning thinking the night would pull in maybe 80 to 100 locals and expats, plus the odd backpacker tourist or two.   And, damn, if between 500 and 600 didn't show up.  Some were even standing out on the balcony overlooking the river.    We'd been totally overwhelmed by the public interest.   No seats for the Old Hacks, panelists crying out for water and a public address system that simply didn't work. Speaking to the "time line" of the war, our panelists were Jeff Williams, Sylvana Foa, Dan Southerland, Jon Swain and Matt Franjola.  A bit of time for some Q&A -- and that inevitable question comparing our war to the more contempary ones in Iraq and Afghanistan.   After the usual anti-imbed and flag-draped coffin cliches, I reckoned my old AP colleague Matt Franjola summed it up best.  "Every generation has to learn its own mistakes in wars.   Iraq and Afghanistan are no exception."    Everyone seemed happy and I'm sure would've loved to hear even more about those old days.    But I was starving and so KD & I left early for a feed along the touristy waterfront.   There sure wasn't much chance of that last night at the up-market Himawari with that incredible crowd.   

Today, we visit the Killing Fields.    

When I get a break, I'll try to provide proper captions at some stage here.   But in group shot here, that's Keo Sithan on the left and Kong Vorn on the right.    Others t/c.

Best regards,

Carl

[Lance Woodruff]

Good morning John,

 

It's wonderful to hear from you after some years. Where, physically, on the planet might you be found? 

 

I am in Phnom Penh 'with the old hacks', but since I'm working full-time online for Thai News Agency (while Thailand is melting down), and here on special assignment with the Phnom Penh Post, advising an NGO sector review that will be published in another week. I'm on heavy deadlines and don't have much time to breathe.

 

We are moving to Philadelphia in July and I am working on a retrospective -- 44 years of Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and India, plus a few Africa-oriented years.

 

Peacefully,

 

Lance

 

 

Lance Woodruff <lance.w...@gmail.com>

Editorial Advisor, Cambodia NGO Sector Review Phnom Penh Post, Level 8, Building F, Phnom Penh Centre, Corner Sothearos & Sihanouk Blvds, Phnom Penh.

Web: www.phnompenhpost.com

Mobile: +855 (0) 15-300-154, +855 (0) 15-419-670  

 

Lance Woodruff Development Communication

54/38 Soi Yen Akat, Bangkok 10120

Mobile: 087-070-0594 Home: (66) 02-671-1512

Email: lance.w...@gmail.com

--
Lance Woodruff
MCOT-Thai News Agency
http://www.mcot.net/EnglishNews (presenting Thailand to the world)
Mobile: +66 087-070-0594
Email: lance.w...@gmail.com

[Carl Robinson]

So y'all can get your heads around what the Old Hacks attending the Phnom Penh Reunion look like these days, here is a caption for the picture filed on Day 2 -- the group picture at the Royal Palace and which is repeated below:

Left to right (roughly-speaking):  Kurt Volkert (rear); Hong Nguyen (KD's grand-niece); Atsuo Kaneko (ex-Kyodo SGN buro chief); Yoko Ishiyama, widow of missing Yoki; Katherine (rear), daughter of Philip Jones Griffiths & friend; Alice Smith, long-time friend of Dana Stone's younger brother Tom who works with NGO in PP;  Gigi, PJG's publisher; Fiona McPherson and her partner Simon Dring; Jeff Williams (rear) with Perry Deane Young in front; Ken Wagner;  David Terry (at front) with Don Kirk (red shirt behind); Carl & Kim-Dung Robinson; Mike Morrow (rear) and Jon Swain (front); Leslie and Jacques Leslie (in floppy hat); Sylvana Foa in red; Steve Northup; Elizabeth Becker; Martha Northup; Jim and Milly Pringle, John Giannini and Terry Wolkerstorfer.

Matt Franjola arrived in PP as we were making this tour.

Best.

[Yates, Ronald E]

Thanks Carl….everybody has changed. Of course, I haven’t. And if you believe that I have a place called Angkor Wat that I can sell you.

 

Ron Yates

 

Contact Information:

(E-mail) rya...@illinois.edu                           
Ron Yates Website: http://www.media.illinois.edu/journalism/yates/

Ron Yates Blog:  http://j-hawker.blogspot.com/

Link to me at LinkedIn.com: http://www.linkedin.com/

or AlwaysIllinois.org:  http://www.uiuc.edu/alwaysillinois/

 

From: vietnam-...@googlegroups.com [mailto:vietnam-...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Carl Robinson
Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 3:47 PM
To: vietnam-...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Phnom Penh Reunion -- Daily Report.

 

So y'all can get your heads around what the Old Hacks attending the Phnom Penh Reunion look like these days, here is a caption for the picture filed on Day 2 -- the group picture at the Royal Palace and which is repeated below:

[Carl Robinson]

We've wrapped up the Phnom Penh Reunion 2010 and scattering to all corners today.    (Atseo and Yoko left yesterday afternoon and Sylvana last night.)  Some are heading on to Saigon next week but not all.    For those heading there are a few days of leisure heading up to Angkor Wat (Perry Deane Young), heading leisurely down the Mekong (Northups & Stuart-Foxes) or down to the Gulf of Thailand at S'ville and Kampot (Franj & Ken Wagner.)    Kim-Dung and I head up an advance party to Saigon by bus in another two or three hours.    (I'd have loved to stay longer -- but there will definitely be a next time now that I can look at Cambodia "square in the eye" again.)    It's been quite a time -- and lots of fun too.    I've felt very privileged -- as Chhang Song too -- having brought so many here for this reunion and we both appreciate the many compliments too.  It's been our pleasure !

Yesterday was our day to see first-hand what happened after 1975 with the Khmer Rouge take-over.   Sobering and depressing stuff starting with the so-called Genocide Museum at Tuol Sleng located in the southern part of Phnom Penh.   Also known as Former Office S.21, this was the former high school that served as the KR's torture and interrogation centre.  20,000 went through.  Only six survived of whom three are still alive -- and one of whom was there to greet our party.   Grim stuff indeed starting with interrogation rooms and then on through room after room of B&W portraits of victims, exhibits of torture instruments,  others of those horrible times, a potted history in old photos.  The stifling heat added to the general depression and sadness of the place.   We received a special tour which could have gone on for hours but had to be kept short.    (Tuol Sleng is on the regular tourist circuit and a definite must-see.)   

From there, we travelled about 15 kms southwest of Phnom Penh to Choeung Ek or what's called the Killing Fields, the largest grave site in the region where those who passed through S21 were executed, often with a blow by a hoe to the back of the head, and their bodies filling one mass grave after the other.  Guards spent their days digging holes and nights executing the victims.  But as the KR turned on their own, the executions took place virtually round-the-clock.   Even now human bones and clothing seep up through the mud.  A huge tower containing thousands of skulls marks the site and there is a good museum on the grounds.  As at Tuol Sleng, our guides were well-informed and spoke almost too calmly of those horrible days.    I don't know about the others, but this is real "choking-up" stuff.    We then travelled on for a briefing and lunch at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, or the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, a huge complex somewhere way out there in Phnom Penh's now sprawling suburbs.   A rather dry briefing on their slow and tedious work to bring some sort of justice to that period in modern Cambodian history.  Only one trial so far -- and this will go on for a while, folks.  Importantly,  it's helping people -- and hopefully the new generations -- to look back.

After a bit of time-out, we rolled up around 1730 at the residence of US Ambassador Carol A. Rodley's for a special reception in our honour.    (Yes, i know some would be horrified too!)   But we've all got to move on and we couldn't have asked for more from our one-time antagonists.    Amb Rodley had wanted to host something from the moment she first heard about our reunion last year -- via Dan Southerland who was visiting -- and this was it.  Lots of drink and food -- and great conversation with embassy staff, even other diplomats such as the ambassadors of the UK and Australia.    A speech or two, of course, and an opportunity for Chhang and I to say goodbye -- at least over a microphone -- to the assembly of Old Hacks.   

Then our very last police-escorted bus trip up town for the Farewell Touch -- an open house at Jim & Milly Pringle's up Monivong across from the Calmette Hospital.    They'd laid on a roast pig, a slab of cheese and french bread and plenty of drinks.   A perfect ending.   We thank them too.  Our Old-Hack-in-Residence.

When others catch up a bit, it'd be nice to hear from other attending Old Hacks on how the reunion went.   

Best regards,

[Perry Deane Young]

Dear Carl and Chhanh Song:  What an utterly amazing incredible overwhelming week it's been.  Awesome! as the kids say.  And none of it would ever have happened without the very hard you two have been putting in for months.  This has been one of those life-changing experiences, especially for a poor simple country boy from North Carolina.  I simply cannot imagine my life, the rest of my life, without having been a part of all this.  You have provided the vehicle that brought us all together; and what a very special group we all were--and are!  I am forever grateful to you both and to all the wonderful old hacks who bear that very special label, friends.  What a delight it's been to meet so many people I knew only through legends before...and, how amazing at my age to be able to meet up with friends I truly thought I might never see again. 

 

Carl and Chhanh Song, you are the greatest.  Much love and thanks to you especially Carl.  And, as I told you, We all fully expect the Saigon events to surpass what you did here in PP.  devotedly, old friend, yr. own pdy.

---

From: Carl Robinson <robinso...@gmail.com>
To: vietnam-...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Fri, April 23, 2010 7:32:56 PM

Subject: Re: Phnom Penh Reunion -- Daily Report.

[tmarks]

Carl and Chhang Song:  the reunion sounds like a huge success, and I'm only sorry I had to miss it.  Carl (and others): your reports were excellent. I only hope that one of you writers/photographers can publish a longer, more in-depth piece on it, focusing on all the political/economic/military (even spiritual) issues I'm sure you all discussed. Complete with photos, of course (complete with captions).  To both of  you, congratulations on a job that sounds like it was very, very well done.
Ted Marks, Phippsburg, Maine

Ted Marks
Tel: 207-389-2620
Cell 860-307-0005

-----Original Message-----

[Elizabeth Becker]

Dear all,
Besides Carl's fine daily reports, there were many great articles
about the reunion in the local Khmer and English language papers as
well as foreign outlets. Some can be searched on the web including
this piece from the Phnom Penh Post, which is illustrated by a
pensive shot of Kurt.
We missed you all. Elizabeth

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

Honouring fallen comrades
Friday, 23 April 2010 15:02 David Boyle and Mom Kunthear .
Kampong Speu Province



Photo by: Rick Valenzuela
Kurt Volkert, seated in the foreground, weeps Tuesday at Wat Po as the
names of fallen journalists are read aloud.A T the site where five
journalists were beaten to death 39 years ago, former war
correspondents gathered for an emotional ceremony on Thursday with
local villagers to mourn the deaths of all journalists killed during
the 1970-75 civil war in Cambodia.

More than two dozen former correspondents participated in the ceremony
commemorating their fallen colleagues, planting a tree at Wat Po in
Kampong Speu province and joining in a Buddhist ceremony that offered
up blessings for the dead along with food and other gifts.

With tears in her eyes, Elizabeth Becker , who covered Cambodia for
The Washington Post, read the names of all the journalists who died
during the Lon Nol regime. At her side was Yoko Ishiyama, whose
husband, Koki Ishiyama, was one of those killed at Wat Po in May
1971.

“Koki and I were very good friends, and I’ve written about him, and he
was one of the very special people in the press corps,” Becker said
afterwards. “And I had never met [Yoko] before, and I think her
presence as a Buddhist and her spirit lighting the sticks gave it the
profundity it wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

“And then just reading everybody’s name, that’s why we came thousands
of miles,” she added.

On May 31, 1971, a group of nine journalists from rival networks CBS
and NBC encountered Vietnamese and Khmer Rouge troops advancing down
National Road 3 in Kampong Speu.

Four journalists who had ventured past a destroyed bridge were killed
instantly by a rocket-propelled grenade and gunfire, and the remaining
five were soon captured and taken to Wat Po the next day.

Orm Pav, who at the time was 13 years old and living in a nearby
village, said on Thursday that those five journalists were killed
because their captors regarded them as spies.

“They escorted those people to a the small stream and killed them at
around 7:30pm at nighttime by chopping them in the neck with a hoe,”
he recalled.

Though he said he found Thursday’s ceremony “strange”, he added that
he had been touched by the fact that the former correspondents
travelled so far to honour their dead friends.

“This is the first time that I have seen a large group of foreigners
come here to pray for them, and I want to have this event every year
in order to make a memorial in this place,” he said.

Jeff Williams, a former reporter for AP and CBS, on Thursday recalled
drinking with two of those killed at Wat Po – George Syvertson and
Gerry Miller – two nights before their deaths.

“George was more conservative, and Gerry Miller was a very
effervescent guy, and he kept saying, ‘I’m in a combat area, I’m in a
combat area, right’ – little knowing that in two days he was going to
be in more combat than he ever imagined,” Williams said.

En Thoeun, another villager, said that he was the first person to
discover the remains of four of the five men killed at Wat Po, just
hours after an excavation effort conducted with US support concluded
without success.

“I am happy and surprised that there are many foreigners who have come
to offer gifts to the monks to dedicate to dead people,” he said
Thursday.

Kurt Volkert, a former journalist and the man who initiated the effort
to retrieve the bodies, said he had been moved by Thursday’s ceremony,
though he was distressed that the remains of cameraman Tomoharu Ishii
had not been found.

“There was the planting of a tree, which I think is much more
appropriate than a monument with names – it’s more anonymous, it’s
natural and I thought it was a very good, sensitive idea,” he said.

He added, though, that he did not believe he would return to the
site.

“I don’t think I will be coming back.... It’s time for closure, for
me. Others will come back. It doesn’t mean I’ll forget about it, but I
think you don’t always need a physical presence to remember a place or
to remember an important part of your life – this strengthens the
memory, but life goes on.”

For a comprehensive multimedia wrap-up of the war correspondents’
reunion, including video interviews and an interactive historical
gallery, visit www.phnompenhpost.com.

>  Inside a torture cell. Tuol Sleng..JPG
> 54KViewDownload
>
>  Inside a torture cell. Tuol Sleng..JPG
> 54KViewDownload
>
>  Matt Franjola researching. Tuol Sleng. 23 April 2010..JPG
> 84KViewDownload
>
>  Chhang Song at US Embassy Reception for Old Hacks. Amb Carol A Rodley and Carl Robinson. PP, 23 April 2010..JPG
> 78KViewDownload
>
>  Carl, Simon Dring, Fiona McPherson, Martha Northup and Hong Nguyen (g'niece.) US Embassy Reception in PP. 23 April 2010..JPG
> 96KViewDownload

[tmarks]

A suggestion:  all the on scene participants in Phnom Penh write a report  abot their impressions of the reunion on whatever subject they wish;  then the photographers (herded by Carl, of course) submit photographs.   Then the whole shebang is published in a single volume with, perhaps, some thoughts of other correspondents who were unable to attend. their reports would be written after the on-scene correspondents write their initial reports.   I strongly suspect that people like Franjola, Swain and Pringle (others, too) would have a lot of pertinent on-scene reports;  I also think that people like Schanberg would have lots of further iulluminating thots.  Frankly, I think this week (in PPenh, as opposed to Saigon) is worthy of its own published work, either online or print. Let's not lose this!

Ted Marks
Tel: 207-389-2620
Cell 860-307-0005

-----Original Message-----
From: "Elizabeth Becker" <eh...@msn.com>
Sent 4/23/2010 9:59:56 PM
To: "Vietnam Old Hacks" <vietnam-...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: Phnom Penh Reunion -- Daily Report.

> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to vietnam-old-hacks+unsubscri

b...@googlegroups.com.

> For more options, visit this group athttp://groups.google.com/group/vietn

am-old-hacks?hl=en.

>

>  Inside a torture cell. Tuol Sleng..JPG

> 54KViewDownload

>

>  Inside a torture cell. Tuol Sleng..JPG

> 54KViewDownload

>

>  Matt Franjola researching. Tuol Sleng. 23 April 2010..JPG

> 84KViewDownload

>

>  Chhang Song at US Embassy Reception for Old Hacks. Amb Carol A Rodley

and Carl Robinson. PP, 23 April 2010..JPG

> 78KViewDownload

>

>  Carl, Simon Dring, Fiona McPherson, Martha Northup and Hong Nguyen (g'

niece.) US Embassy Reception in PP. 23 April 2010..JPG

> 96KViewDownload



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[Chanda, Nayan]

Thank you so much Beth for everything.

Warm greetings to you all.

Nayan

-----Original Message-----
From: vietnam-...@googlegroups.com [mailto:vietnam-...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Elizabeth Becker
Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 10:00 PM
To: Vietnam Old Hacks

Subject: Re: Phnom Penh Reunion -- Daily Report.

drinking with two of those killed at Wat Po - George Syvertson and
Gerry Miller - two nights before their deaths.

"George was more conservative, and Gerry Miller was a very
effervescent guy, and he kept saying, 'I'm in a combat area, I'm in a

combat area, right' - little knowing that in two days he was going to

be in more combat than he ever imagined," Williams said.

En Thoeun, another villager, said that he was the first person to
discover the remains of four of the five men killed at Wat Po, just
hours after an excavation effort conducted with US support concluded
without success.

"I am happy and surprised that there are many foreigners who have come
to offer gifts to the monks to dedicate to dead people," he said
Thursday.

Kurt Volkert, a former journalist and the man who initiated the effort
to retrieve the bodies, said he had been moved by Thursday's ceremony,
though he was distressed that the remains of cameraman Tomoharu Ishii
had not been found.

"There was the planting of a tree, which I think is much more

appropriate than a monument with names - it's more anonymous, it's

natural and I thought it was a very good, sensitive idea," he said.

He added, though, that he did not believe he would return to the
site.

"I don't think I will be coming back.... It's time for closure, for
me. Others will come back. It doesn't mean I'll forget about it, but I
think you don't always need a physical presence to remember a place or

to remember an important part of your life - this strengthens the

[Haney Howell]

Following the reunion from afar was both painful and yet a pleasure.
I wished every moment that I could join you, but I truly appreciated
the events and documentation. I'm now determined to make my way back
there even though it wasn't in the cards this time. Thanks to all of
you for representing the Old Hacks in fine style!

Haney Howell

[David Burnett]

You can tell why these folks became journalists. Truly a story to tell, and well told. I agree with Ted & others that if there is some way to get anyone with an itch to write, it would be great to add layers to the narrative.  Thanks Carl for having spear headed this trip -- I'm in Toronto, literally a world away, this weekend, and have thought of you all often.  It's hard to actually imagine what that oppressive heat feels like when it's only 55 here... but your descriptions of the ensemble truly let us follow along if we weren't there.  Doubly sorry that I'll miss next week in Vietnam.  But truly, these are trips which should be remembered.

Best to all of you on site...

Dave Burnett

[Skip Isaacs]

Hello all -- I want to add my admiring thanks to Carl for his vivid and illuminating reports, and to salute him and my respected friend Chhang Song for all their work in organizing the Phnom Penh events.
It has occurred to me that since many of us spent a good deal of time in both places, the journalists may have been better aware than any other group of the different qualities and character and feeling of those wars  -- and aware of Cambodia not just as a sideshow to the bigger war but a terrible, terrible tragedy of its own. I know that as sad as many of my Vietnam memories are, the saddest from that time are from Cambodia. Sad because of the things that happened and also, I think, because even compared with Vietnam, the disaster there was a needless one.
Carl, thanks for letting those of us who couldn't be there share the experience.
Best
Skip Isaacs

[Peter Hickman]

Carl:
 
I second Skip's thanks.  Most of the Hacks were in Nam and Cambodia after my years in the area, but many of the tales are similar to those that can be told of my time.   And even though I couldn't make either reunion, thanks for making them happen and letting those like me be there vicariously.
 
Peter Hickman

 

---

Date: Sun, 25 Apr 2010 12:40:17 -0400

Subject: Re: Phnom Penh Reunion -- Daily Report.

From: ari...@gmail.com
To: vietnam-...@googlegroups.com

---

The New Busy is not the old busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. Get started.

[Ray F. Herndon]

This cutline begs for a higher resolution picture than the 136K
version posted with your report, Carl. Maybe its deserves a file on
the home page, no?

[Carl Robinson]

Ray Herndon's right about resolution on that Phnom Penh photo.   How about this one then?

Cheers,

Carl

[Elizabeth Becker]

CALL FOR PHOTOGRAPHS AND AUDIO/ FILM MATERIAL FROM YOUR TIME IN
CAMBODIA

To Everyone,

After the amazing response to the reunion I wondered if you all would
consider donating copies of your photos, audio and film material from
the Cambodian War to the BOPHANA CENTER. www.bophana.org. The center
in Phnom Penh was created by Cambodia's great film director Rithy
Panh. In a few years it has become the repository for the audio/visual
history of the country, recovering what has survived after war and
revolution. Cambodians, the French government, Pere Ponchaud, everyone
has donated what they have to the center. Please check out the website
andcontact the center if you are interested.(The center is close to my
heart since it was named after the woman I wrote about and who has
become something of the Anne Frank of Cambodia. Rithy Panh made a
movie about her that is shown daily at Tuol Sleng.)

Thanks, Elizabeth

[Carl Robinson]

For those who attended the Phnom Penh Reunion, when you have some time in days or weeks ahead, we'd love to have you writing  short reflective sort of pieces on that event.    I think it'll take a while before we come down from that high!    E'one who wasn't there is dying to hear our more innermost reactions/feelings/thoughts/etc.    

Look forward hearing from you !   Just start a subject called "Cambodia Reunion -- Reflections."

Best regards,

Carl

[Carl Robinson]

Unsung throughout the reunion was our dear friend Chhang Song whose Dream it was to have our Phnom Penh Reunion.  Tireless behind the scenes -- and despite huge health problems -- he was the real hero of our reunion.   The way he mustered his own herd of cats, the Club of Cambodian Journalists, to escort us and make all the arrangements and keep things on track was fantastic.  We couldn't have done it without our new and younger Cambodian colleagues.    And that constant police escort was too much !!!  We need that guy over here in Saigon, i tell 'ya !   

Here is an abbreviated note from Chhang who notes how the reunion has "changed his life".   For him -- and many of us -- the reunion was truly a spiritual experience !!!

Let's give Chhang Song a big round of applause !   
   

Dear Carl,
 
I am hopeful that your energy and stamina are still kicking strongly enough through another difficult reunion, and I am certain that the Saigon Reunion will be another score of success for all Old Hacks.
 
I was especially pleased to have a chance to meet your wife Dung, and I am asking you to relay my good wishes to her.
Remember I told you a few moths ago that our encounter would change my life? Well, it did; but I just don't know what direction yet. The obvious one is that I have become, at least spiritually, much stronger and can take more than I usually can. It's a matter of determination.
 
Your have demonstrated your ability in remaining faithful and loyal to the cause of the Reunion, and the plan we had defined earlier in our planning, and I was impressed by that. It was sometimes very difficult for me because partly of my health condition. Over all, we arrived at our goal without any making a single change in spite pressure alter our agenda: the Memorial was erected at its choice place; the Buddhi tree was planted at the "killing field," the Buddhist blessing was given; the public forum and debate was organized superbly; and the books were signed.
 
Again, good lucks in the Saigon Reunion.
 
Best,
 
Chhang Song

[Carl Robinson]

From another Old Hack whom many know.



Carl -- we don't know each other and my name is not one to conjure with, but I want to thank you for the account of the reunion and a chance to revisit vicariously from afar the times, and many familar names, including colleagues I knew from my UPI Asia days.

Half a century ago I spent seven years for UPI on the Asian periphery -- Pakistan, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, & Japan (1959-66) -- but never saw Phnom Penh until invited by Bernie Krisher in 2001 to run six months of professional workshops there under his Cambodia Journalism Workshops program, aimed at working journalists from Burma, Laos, Vietnam, and a mix of Cambodian journalists & students.

The many juxtapositions of beauty and horror found there still twist the heart, as does the reslience of capacity for love and joy. It seemed the unspeakable experiences of the generation of survivors were mostly left unspoken, perhaps to avoid darkening the spirits of the succeeding generation, perhaps because no one seeks to relive unspeakable pain.

I did make friends who would, on rare occasion, address the past, tears welling up. But the younger generation seemed hardly aware, and wholly focused on the present and future. Perhaps all great war tragedies and aftermaths are thus.

Anyway, thanks for the account. I couldn't figure out how to post to the site, so pass this along to you directly. I was saddened one name had to be missing in the lineup -- Kate Webb, lost to cancer shortly after retiring from three decades covering Asia, would have graced this gathering.

Salute to all who served, and a special wave to any who remember me from the old days.

Ted Stannard, UPI59-69 Karachi/Jakarta/Singapore/

Manila/Tokyo/UN

[Tim Page]

Carl,

Arrived back Sunday for the World Press Freedom Day - held for the first time in australia to find Dan Southerland one of the guests.  He also told me that he was amazed to find two Cambodians who had worked for him in the 70's.

This email just came in this morning - am posting it hoping that someone might have some information for her.

Congratulations - it was a great time in Phnom Penh despite the demented heat and Saigon, will post some pix in the next few days.

George had a wonderful time ..

Best

Mau 

: Neary Eng
Email: neng...@gmail.com
Subject: General Enquiry
Email Body: 

Dear Mr. Page:

This is in reference to one of the photojournalists mentioned in the book you co-authored with Horst Faas' - "Requiem: "By the Photographers Who Died in Vietnam and Indochina".

The photojournalist is Thong Veasna. 

My name is Neary Eng. I was Thong Veasna's wife in Cambodia back in the 70s. My husband left for work on the morning of April 15, 1975 when the Khmer Rouge came and he never returned.  When he failed to return home, I was forced to leave Phnom Penh in April 17, 1975 with my family while pregnant with our second son.  Two days later my baby was born on the road to the hell while my older son was very ill. The older son died a couple weeks later and my new born died when he was four months old.  I lost my parents, my brother with his family, and nieces to the Killing Field.   

I escaped to Thailand in Dec 1979 and was taken in as a refugee in the United States in 1980. 
Currently I reside in California.

I have always wondered about my husband and somehow I was searching the web and came across his name in your book.

If you have any additional information about Thong Veasna, or could suggest where I could go for additional information - it would be greatly appreciated.


Thank you for your time and assistance.

Regards
Neary Eng

[matt franjola]

Veasna:

 

Veasna was a stringer who worked for me at AP. I mentioned him in my remarks at the PP panel discussions where I spoke of the AP eleven who died. He was a quiet tall muscular guy with a full head of hair, almost pompador-like, who was given to wearing a tight black tee shirts and black pants. He was a relative newcomer to the cambo war pix game and his early snaps were often ill composed. he was a quick learner, however, and got close to the FEBA ( forward edge of the battle area) and got good images and started making money. 

 matt franjola