Sopheap Chak

By Sopheap Chak

Even while struggling with MA degree’s thesis writing, I joined today Roundtable Discussion with International University Japan’s faculties members concerning on student’s future plan for pursuing Ph.D. It was a great experience sharing and recommendation for those who intend to go further for higher education and career plan. The IUJ faculties members includes:

• Cooray, Nawalage S.: Associate Professor of International Peace Studies Program
• Oh, Jinhwan: Associate Professor of International Development Program
• Mori, Masaki: Associate Professor of International Management
• Shinoda, Tomohito: Professor of Graduate International Relations
• Siddique Zafrul Quadir: Assistant Professor of International Development Program
• Sugai, Philip: Professor of International Management

About 30 Students attended this event which only few students raised their hand while asking if they would continue Ph.d. It seem they are considering about all the recommendation from the professor (or it seem they are being discouraged ).

Here are questions being discussed:

• Should I go on to a Ph.D.?
• How Should I choose a program?
• What should I consider in Preparing for a Ph.D. and What should I avoid ?
• How can I fund the studies?
• What was your program like and would you recommend it?
• What career are open to those with a Ph.D. in your field?

Here are main key messages from all the professors which i think it worth to share:

Ask ourselves the reason why we want to continue Ph.D.

It is an important question because we have to understand the necessity of Ph.D. investment to our future career life. Ph.D. is both financing and time consuming investment. Before going to Ph.D, we have to find out what is our future career plan. For example, if we intend to be businessmen, Ph.D is apparently not so important since many firms (the case of Japan) would not value Ph.D so much. But if our career is shaped to academia, then of course Ph.D is a value added and some university (the case of western once) would required Ph.D level.

Preparation to attend Ph.D and Financial issue

Think of program and research interest that we are going to work for Ph.D. dissertation. This is crucial since we have to pursue it for the whole Ph.D program and it can be difficult for us if we choose the topic that we are not interested as well as it will shape for our future career and speciality.

Also we need to be careful with financial issue since no scholarship is guaranteed for the whole Ph.D program and period. Some scholars may take up to 5 years or 10 years to finish their Ph.D (though some who can complete in 3 year period). So, we have to make sure that our financial support are well secured by acquiring different sources of additional fund or make sure the school or program we are applying will be well-supported.

Program and School Selection

We have to be careful in selecting the school. We need to look at the Global Scale of Opportunity meaning the school reputation and recognition will be important for your degree and future careers. (Some professors recommend US schools rather than Japan since Japanese Ph.D degree is limited in term of value and labor opportunities outside of Japan).

Things to Do and Avoid:
Do not pursue Ph.D for just title (Being called Dr. sound nice, but it should not be the only ultimate goal).
Do not value Ph.D goal with monetary term, the reward to gain Ph.D is more beyond this monetary value.
Apply cost-benefit analysis for our Ph.D pursuance decision.
Ph.D is mainly training people to be researcher and well-discipline.
If we think of non-business career, going for Ph.D is encouraged.
Need to aware the different between Ph.D degree and Doctoral Degree. It is recommended to go for Ph.D rather than Doctoral degree since it is more valued in academia.
Be persistence since Ph.D pursuance is quiet stressful and lonely during dissertation writing. (for married scholar, the spouse can be also stressful together, said Gretchen, the IUJ alumni and manager of Student Service Office)

After all the discussion and recommendation, it seem Ph.D level is quiet a tough job and considering Ph.D is not an easy decision making process. Will you apply for Ph.D?

By Chak Sopheap

Published on UPI Asia, December 23, 2009

Niigata, Japan — Phorn Sarith, a 37-year-old Cambodian logger, died when Thai soldiers reportedly fired indiscriminately on 25 loggers working in the Dangrek mountains in Oddar Meanchey, a Cambodian province on the Thai-Cambodian border, last Saturday.

Since September Thai soldiers have killed six Cambodian loggers, wounded several more and arrested others. While loggers are warned by authorities in the province not to stray across the porous border into Thailand, most end up crossing it to earn more money from illegal logging, in order to feed their families.

Although such cases have increased, the Thai government has done little to understand the situation or conduct proper investigations into the cross-border intrusions.

According to an October report released by the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, several cases of killings and mistreatment of Cambodians by the Thai military were reported in the three-month period from August to October. One case mentions that 12 Cambodians, reportedly missing for nearly a month, were later found to have been arrested and detained by Thai soldiers in August 2009 on suspicion of illegal logging. Two other allegedly illegal loggers were found dead in the same month; the Thai military claimed to have shot them in self-defense.

In another case, 16 Cambodian loggers were arrested, tried and handed prison terms ranging from three months to nine years by the Ubon Provincial Court in Thailand, for illegal logging. The sentences were excessive and Thai authorities reportedly mistreated the loggers. Some were brought to court with their hands and legs chained and shackled, the CCHR report said.

In another case, Thai soldiers burned 16-year-old Yon Rith to death during an illegal logging mission with other villagers in September. Although the Thai government denied the cause of death, evidence shows that soldiers killed him.

Such cruel killing by the Thai military, which enjoys impunity, was seen in a number of incidents during the late 1970s and 1980s. While the killings have not stopped, the Cambodian government has also been negligent in its role to prevent citizens from illegally crossing over to neighboring Thailand.

Although the media and human rights organizations have reported many incidents of Cambodians killed by the Thai military after illegally crossing the border, there has been no satisfactory explanation by the Thai government. Instead, it has proclaimed that the rule of law prevails in the country and that it has an independent judiciary.

Thai authorities have also failed to employ preventive measures to stop illegal crossings of its border. The issue has been overshadowed to some extent by border disputes and military skirmishes between the two nations.

The continuous arbitrary killing and mistreatment of Cambodians are clear violations by the Thai government of U.N. rights conventions and of basic principles of human rights, including the right to life, the right to a court hearing on criminal charges and the right to be protected from cruel punishment, as guaranteed by the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to which Thailand is a signatory.

Article 1 of the Convention Against Torture precisely defines the term “torture” as “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind.”

Article 2 of the CAT also asserts that “no exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.”

As a signatory to CAT, the Thai government must take immediate and unconditional steps to fulfill its legal obligation to respect human rights, especially as it says that the rule of law prevails in the country.

If the Thai government says that it has an independent judiciary, then it must end impunity for those who kill and mistreat civilians, including Cambodian illegal loggers or any such immigrants.

At the Bangkok launch of the United Nations Development Program’s report on “Overcoming barriers: Human mobility and development,” on Oct. 5, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva proudly impressed audiences by saying that Thailand respects migrants’ rights.

“We realize that the most effective way to protect these migrants is to legalize their status and bring them into the formal labor market,” he said. “The migration is simply an expression of the freedom and desire of each individual to seek better opportunities in life.”

If what Abhisit said is true, then the Thai government must acknowledge the rights of the poor Cambodian loggers who cross into Thailand looking for better opportunities to sustain their families. As a civilized nation, the Thai government must fulfill its commitment and obligation to respect human rights.

–

(Chak Sopheap is a graduate student of peace studies at the International University of Japan. She runs a blog, www.sopheapfocus.com, in which she shares her impressions of both Japan and her homeland, Cambodia. She was previously advocacy officer of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.)

“As life goes on I’m starting to learn more and more about responsibility
I realize everything I do is affecting the people around me
So I want to take this time out and apologize for things I have done
And things that have not occurred yet
And the things they don’t want to take responsibility for,”
lyric from “Sorry, Blame it on Me”
by Akon

It has been my first time ever to write such a personal resolution for year-end. Maybe new environment, situation, and people surrounding me make me think. The above Akon’s quote help to express my feeling!

My only New Year Wish:

Please do not take my friend’s life*! His two young kids’ need him to call them ”Son”!

*Sou Saren, an active co-founder of Youth Network for Change is now at critical stage for live survival after car accident.

My 2010 Resolution:

1. Strengthen Youth Network for Change on two main themes: Youth and Civic Responsibility ( of course with cooperation from all my active friends)
2. Keep advocating for Freedom of Expression through blogging and social discussion
3. Start my career with good governance, poverty reduction, peace and human rights analysis ( Teaching maybe a part of my carrer interest. I start to love teaching though i hate to do this job when i was in high school. I remember one of my Khmer Literature Teacher asked me to become Teacher, then i harsly replied him “Sorry, No”)
4. Try to balance my social and family time managment (I asked my mum why she did not cry when I visited home after my whole year stay in Japan, she said “nothing is strange between when i was at home or in Japan! Sorry, i rarely spent time at home, Mum)
5. Reread my favorite quote once a day: “When you blame others, you give up your power to change.” Another new quote taken from my friend, Tharum’s facebook status posted “I won the nickname the great communicator. But I never thought it was my style that made a difference– it was the content. I wasn’t a great communicator, but I communicated great things.” ~ Ronald Reagan – 1911–2004.
6. Should be more matured (my brother, Ou Virak, chatted with me and said that I am too naive!)
7. Stop comment sad things on Facebook while i feel bored (my brother, Sophy, asked me what wrong with me, I said nothing I just want to post something to attract for his reply. He said “Crazy”!)

My 2009 Reflection:

1. Learn to live apart from my beloved family, friends, and country: I always wish i could travel around the world, studying or working for a few period oversea. But when time arrived that i was selected to study in Japan, my heart was mixed with sad (in leaving my beloved surrounding) and joy (of staying in the country i dreamed to visit the most). I still miss my every weekend’s meeting with my Youth Network friends, some weekend’s extra work staying at office alone or with other co-workers, my mummy’s cook and special desserts, time with my sister, my brother and papa complains of keeping them waiting so long (when they picked me up), last but not least my comfortable room with loud music turned on. I have to admit that I miss all of them badly until now.
2. Workaholic is a bad habit, but still good to me: Some people like to drink so much, but they do not get drunk, while I was really drunk with work though i did not drink. My first half year in Japan was not easy since i could not adapt to the study environment. It does not mean the study was hard, but i could not keep myself free without doing something related to my work. So I kept mailing around asking my former place if i can be useful asset for their work allocation (of course without paid). After awhile, I have become the Guest Commentary and recently i am invited to be contributing author for Global Voice adding up to my last academic year in wrap up my thesis. Many work i can load, the more catalyze to push me work more hard. Without such load, I will become procrastinator.
3. Leave comfort zone and take adventure: I like reading news, but I dislike to read history. So I found myself busy in traveling around to expose to new culture and daily livelihood in Japanese communities. I like school visit program which i can capture new idea and civic educational tool to share with my Cambodian fellows and blog readers. For party, I found it fun during the first semester, but then i tried to avoid it since i found it irrelevant. Some friends said that my second home in Japan, beside the dormitory, is study room. I cannot deny this accusation. Sorry IUJ’s friends for my absence in many parties.
4. Love will not hurt if we understand love: I do believe that “love = mutual care, give (with no benefit oriented thinking), being a trust partner.” It apply to all kinds of love including parents‘ love, friends, and life-partner.

If i would miss anything, i would glad if my friends can recall for and advise me!

By Chak Sopheap

Published on UPI online, December 02, 2009

Niigata, Japan — This year’s theme for Human Rights Day on Dec. 10 is “non-discrimination,” based on the concept that all human beings are born free and are equal in dignity and rights. However, much needs to be done before this concept will be a reality in many nations. Though many countries have endorsed the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, initiated 60 years ago, challenges still persist in implementing it.

On Oct. 24, ASEAN inaugurated its Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights in Bangkok, Thailand. But there are many concerns as to whether this commission will be more than just a propaganda organization, given that many of its member states have very poor human rights records.

Current human rights violations within ASEAN member states range from intimidation to the killing of journalists and political and social activists who advocate the public interest and the rule of law. The recent political massacre in Maguindanao in the Philippines, where 57 people were killed including nonpolitical civilians and journalists, is proof that politically motivated intimidation still commonly practiced in that country.

Military-ruled Myanmar refuses to release political prisoners including the leader of the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been kept under house arrest for over 14 years, despite domestic and international appeals.

In Cambodia there are many reports of arrests, coercive force and intimidation of journalists, political activists and community rights defenders that protest against land grabbing, forced evictions, border issues and government corruption.

In Thailand there are restrictions on the freedom of press and speech; the alleged killings of Cambodians who illegally cross the border to work in the forests of Thailand; the abuse of refugees from Myanmar who are turned back to the sea and left to perish without food and water.

Given the lack of human rights protections in these member countries, ASEAN’s ability to create an effective, rule-based institution to protect human rights is questionable. Only four member states – Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines – have independent human rights commissions, none of which is very effective.

Cambodia needs an independent National Human Rights Commission. Although there are three existing human rights commissions in Cambodia – under the National Assembly, the Senate and the government – none is independent and capable of subscribing to the Paris Principles established in 1991 by the U.N. Human Rights Commission as the standard for national human rights bodies.

Many rights violations continue to occur, yet the so-called human rights commissions have not intervened or taken measures to address them. Only a transparent and truly independent institution can robustly support and defend human rights in Cambodia.

In Europe, victims of human rights abuses can complain to the Human Rights Court in Strasbourg, France. However, Cambodians have no place to voice their complaints if powerful officials abuse them. On many occasions they protest in front of the National Assembly but are turned back by riot police and their complaints are ignored.

However, Prime Minister Hun Sen has made a commitment to make Cambodia the fifth ASEAN nation to have a national human rights council. Such a council should be authorized to hear complaints from all bodies and given the power to mediate between parties. It must have the ability to advise parties of their rights, and make binding legal decisions. These may subsequently result in making recommendations to the authorities.

The commission must be able to operate independently, with its own budget and offices, separate from those of the government.

It is hoped that the advent of Human Rights Day, which is generally marked by the government and civil society, will raise awareness of rights violations and the need for a body to address this problem.

–

(Chak Sopheap is a graduate student of peace studies at the International University of Japan. She runs a blog, www.sopheapfocus.com, in which she shares her impressions of both Japan and her homeland, Cambodia. She was previously advocacy officer of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.)