The Cambodian community held a Buddhist ceremony in Bonnyrigg on Saturday, July 11 to honour three advocates for social justice and environmental protection in Cambodia. It was held on the fourth anniversary of the death of Dr Kem Ley, a much-loved commentator and activist who was assassinated in 2016 in a café in Phnom Penh. In the outpouring of grief that followed his death, millions poured into the streets, as his funeral procession wended its way to his hometown.
Dr Ley is revered by the Cambodian community in Australia for his work with empowering youth and his fearlessness as a commentator on social justice and corruption in Cambodia. Vichet Chea, who cried when he first heard of Kem Ley's death, said "All of us loved him. He taught us so much".
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Despite inclement weather and lingering concerns about COVID 19, there was a good turnout for the ceremony. As people arrived, their names and contact details were taken and as an extra precaution, their temperatures were checked. The floor of the hall at Wat Khemarangsaram in Bonnyrigg had been marked out with tape to indicate spacing in preparation for the ceremony.
Portraits of Kem Ley, Chut Wutty, an environmentalist who was shot investigating illegal logging in 2012 and Chea Vichea, a trade unionist assassinated in Phnom Penh in 2004 were displayed in the temple. Members of the community took it in turns to light candles in front of the portraits.
The ceremony began with Buddhist monks chanting to bestow merit. The acting abbott of Wat Khemarangsaram and the visiting Abbott of Wat Rattanaram in Cabramatta, gave Dharma talks elaborating the lessons the community should take from Kem Ley's life
Chharvy Kim, as MC, introduced the speakers. Srey Kang, the president of the Khmer Community, said Kem Ley had lost his life because of his beliefs. "Although he is no longer with us, his teachings live on. He knew that nothing is permanent. We grieve for the passing of a great man in Kem Ley. But we also celebrate a life lived helping to empower others."
Sorathy Michell and Vicheth Chea both dedicated poems they had composed for the occasion. Sorathy said she wanted to honour the legacy of those who died for human rights in Cambodia.
"They are our heroes," she said. Vicheth Chea performed his poem as a "smot," a haunting traditional chant. The community then took it in turns to lay flowers in memory of the three men.
The event in Sydney was one of many memorials held across Australia and around the world. After Kem Ley's death, his widow Rachna Bou and their children were granted asylum in Australia. She spoke at an online event in Melbourne, her tears flowing as she paid tribute to her husband.
In Cambodia, youth organisations and Buddhist monks who tried to hold a religious service at the place where Kem Ley was killed were surrounded by police and paramilitary security forces who prevented them from commemorating close to the site.
"They are very brave" Srey Kang said.
