*Forwarding....**Protests planned at Obama's summit with Asian leaders* *From:* Vibol Touch <tvibol...@gmail.com> *Date:* February 9, 2016 at 9:21:55 AM PST *To:* cambodiaamericaallia...@googlegroups.com *Subject:* *[Cambodia-America] RANCHO MIRAGE: Protests planned at Obama's summit with Asian leaders* *Reply-To:* cambodiaamericaallia...@googlegroups.com
NEWSRANCHO MIRAGE: Protests planned at Obama's summit with Asian leaders Activist groups that oppose Southeast Asian leaders' regimes plan to turn out for next week's meetings.By JEFF HORSEMAN / STAFF WRITER Published: Feb. 8, 2016 Updated: Feb. 9, 2016 7:45 a.m. [image: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen during a meeting in Phnom Penh in January. The Cambodia-America Alliance is trying to rally hundreds of protesters to picket the prime minister's attendance at a summit next week at the Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage.] HENG SINITH, AP FILE PHOTO ASEAN SUMMIT President Barack Obama is planning to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. *Who:* ASEAN's members are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. *When: *Monday, Feb. 15, and Tuesday, Feb. 16 *Where: *Sunnylands estate, Rancho Mirage Hundreds of protesters could be waiting for President Barack Obama next week when he arrives in the Coachella Valley to meet with leaders of Southeast Asian countries at the Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage. The Cambodia-America Alliance plans to have 500 to 800 peaceful protesters outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit to call attention to the human rights abuses and corruption associated with Prime Minister Hun Sen’s regime, said Veasna Roeun, the alliance’s vice president. “We want to air our grievances, and we want to send a message to the president that he should consider human rights before any business deals that would be good for the prime minister,” said Roeun, a native of Cambodia who grew up in the United States and lives in Connecticut. Protesters are coming from all over the nation, Roeun said, adding that the protest is not sanctioned or approved by the opposition group Cambodia National Rescue Party. The ASEAN summit will take place Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 15-16. Obama is due to arrive in Palm Springs on Friday, Feb. 12. Sen, 63, has been in power for more than 30 years. Last year, Human Rights Watch accused him of using “political violence, repression and corruption to remain in power.” Cambodia is one of 10 Southeast Asian nations that belong to ASEAN, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Cambodia’s capital last month. Some ASEAN members, like Cambodia and Vietnam, have reputations as repressive regimes. In 2009, Obama became the first American president to meet with all 10 ASEAN nations. Next week’s summit is an attempt by Washington to lessen Chinese influence in Southeast Asia. Roeun said his alliance understands the need for the summit. “However, we think that more can be said about these abuses,” he said. “We’re happy that there’s engagement, but we just want to see responsible engagement.” Roeun’s group will be joined by Vietnamese Americans protesting the Vietnamese government, said Garden Grove Councilman Phat Bui, who plans to attend. Vietnamese Americans living in Southern California went to Riverside City Hall last year to protest the formal signing of a sister city agreement with Can Tho, Vietnam. Also, fair trade, labor and environmental activists plan to picket to protest the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and deportations of Central American migrants. They also want Obama to grant clemency to Leonard Peltier, an American Indian activist convicted of killing two FBI agents in 1975. In an emailed statement, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said it is “prepared for the presidential visit and protesters who may or may not be present during the summit. This event will not impact our staffing levels or service we provide to the communities we serve.” *Contact the writer:* 951-368-9547 or jhorse...@pe.com http://www.pe.com/articles/cambodia-793885-summit-roeun.html -- We want to see Cambodia becoming a strong and trusted U.S. ally that will bring freedom, stability, and economic opportunities for both countries. Any constructive criticism is highly appreciated. --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia-America Alliance" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cambodiaamericaalliance+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- Best Regards, *Khmer Forum* *A place for sharing community events and public news.* -- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. This is an unmoderated forum. 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