justin h min

It’s been less than a week since my senior year started, and I already feel like I need a retreat - preferably in this particular rice field in Cambodia. I feel old.

And the winner of the 100-point contest from yesterday’s entry goes to…Esther and Jeff. Yes, I was in a tuk-tuk taking a photograph of another tuk-tuk. 

Honorable mention goes to Eugene for thinking that I had managed to hit 88mph just as a lightning bolt was diverted to the flux capacitor in my car. 

I can’t believe I have less than a week left in Cambodia. Where has the time gone?

100 points to whomever can correctly identify what this is a photograph of. 

KANDAL PROVINCE July 26, 2010 – A community member intently watches the issuance of the highly-anticipated Duch Verdict from the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). 

Approximately 35 years since Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge took power in Cambodia, Duch – whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav - is the first senior Khmer Rouge official who has been prosecuted and sentenced by the ECCC. Duch is responsible for overseeing the torture and extermination of some 16,000 Cambodians at the infamous S-21. On Monday, he was subsequently tried and found guilty by the Court of war crimes and crimes against humanity. In formulating his 30-year sentence, the Court deducted five years from Duch’s initial 35-year sentence due to his cooperation and contrition as well as his illegal detention prior to the establishment of the ECCC hearings. Furthermore, with the 11 years that Duch has already spent behind bars, he will likely be released in 2029.

Although I have yet to decide whether or not I completely agree with the Court’s sentencing, I will commend the ECCC on establishing a precedent for rule of law and due process for not only Cambodia’s judicial system but also for international courts and tribunals across the world. Despite the overwhelming evidence against Duch, the ECCC provided a fair trial for the defendant and presented a logical rationale for the reduction made to his sentence.   

Guess what I got to eat? Yes, crispy tarantulas at Romdeng Restaurant in Phnom Penh. 

Surprisingly not bad. Not bad at all. 

While touring some of the temples in Siem Reap, I encountered a number of kids attempting to sell trinkets and souvenirs to me and other unsuspecting tourists. Due to the recent international exposure that the Angkor Wat temples have garnered, most of the children were incredibly adept at speaking a multitude of different languages which they had managed to pick up while working there. 

Hence, I tried to have some fun with this by posing as a Korean-French guy. But after my initial “Bonjour,” the kids immediately identified me as an American. I guess some more practice is in order. 

angelina jolie touched this.