... to join us in equipping, empowering and enriching the lives of the Cambodian children by sponsoring one of the children enrolled at TLC.

The centre program is especially designed to ensure that the children study in an environment that is conducive to supporting the child from a holistic perspective.

The child’s welfare, education, schooling, tutoring, spiritual, cultural and artistic development are a top priority. Consequently, we ensure that the program is advantageous to the child and in accordance with the main theories of child development.

We believe that as a result of the above, the children enrolled at the TLC will grow up to be aspiring Khmer leaders who live to impact and change their nation.

If your heart and belief are aligned to ours and you would like to sponsor one of the children or require further information relating to sponsorship, please contact us by emailing us at info@patrickandcarolkelly.com















'For I know the plans I have for you’ declares the Lord. ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’.

Jeremiah 29:11

From the Everyday.com page ...

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA: The landslide election victory of Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party essentially puts Cambodia under one party-rule and risks damaging the country's already fragile democracy, rights groups said Wednesday (30 July).

Hun Sen's party claims it swept 90 of 123 seats in last weekend's parliamentary elections.

The result is expected to usher Hun Sen, who has ruled for 23 years, into a new 5-year term and give his party total domination of the lower house _ a result that human rights groups are calling dangerous for democracy.

"We have long feared that the country was heading toward becoming a one-party rule," said Thun Saray, a prominent human rights activist and head of election monitoring group Comfrel. "The election results are only confirming our fears. The power of the ruling party is now so great that no one can challenge it."

Official results from the election are expected later this week. But few dispute the tally issued by the CPP, which appears to have cemented a two-thirds majority in the lower house and increased its presence from 73 seats in the outgoing chamber.

Hun Sen's government has often been accused of corruption, human rights abuses, curtailing people's rights to peaceful protests and forcibly evicting poor citizens off their land so that it can be used for commercial development. The government has dismissed the accusations.

Critics say the ruling party's new dominance in parliament will weaken the already limited system of checks-and-balances and make it more difficult to voice dissent and air grievances about social injustices, such as the ongoing problem of the rich stealing land from the poor, said Thun Saray.

While Hun Sen's power is becoming stronger, "our democratic space will be smaller and smaller," said Kek Galabru, president of Cambodian human rights group Licadho.

Cheam Yeap, a senior ruling party member, dismissed the criticism, saying his party is not a "dictatorship."

The ruling party will use its victory to strengthen, not weaken, democracy and the rule of law "to win more support and trust from the people."

Cambodian election monitoring groups say the opposition Sam Rainsy Party won 26 seats _ a two-seat gain from the 2003 polls _ and have confirmed the ruling party's tally of 90.

The biggest blow was suffered by the royalist Funcinpec party, the winner of the U.N. sponsored election in 1993. It now will get two seats compared to 26 five years ago.

The party of Prince Norodom Ranariddh, who Funcinpec sacked him as leader two years ago for alleged incompetence, will also get two seats. The other three seats are going to Human Rights Party of Kem Sokha, a former human rights activist once jailed in a criminal defamation lawsuit filed on Hun Sen's behalf.

Hun Sen has been at the center of Cambodian politics since 1985, when he became the world's youngest prime minister at age 33. He has held or shared the top job ever since, bullying and outfoxing his opponents to stay in power.

Sunday's voting was the fourth parliamentary election since the United Nations brokered a peace deal for the country in 1991, a process meant to end decades of civil unrest that included the 1975-79 genocidal reign of the Khmer Rouge.

Martin Callanan, the head of an EU election monitoring team, said Tuesday the elections fell short of international standards because of biases in favor of the ruling party.

But he said alleged vote irregularities would have to be on a very large scale to invalidate that result, which is that Hun Sen's party "clearly has a very large majority."

TWTW July - Week 4

* The main item on the agenda this week was a '5 Day Teacher Training Seminar' at our home for the teachers from the Morning Star children's centre.

Sambath interpreted for us and the sessions included vision, strategy, what makes things work ...







... lesson planning, programs, activities, learning styles and teaching ...







... drama.















During the week the Morning Star team were treated to a visit to TLC to see the centre operations in action ...





... and get some tips from Sochea.





The team also took a stroll through the village with Pastor Sara.



Sam was there with Aiden and Syan ...



... and Dave was there with Dad.



Dave, Adam and Amy were rostered on TLC's schedule for the staff's lunch time English class.





The guys had also taken footballs out to the kids in the village and conducted a training session with them.



This is how you handball.



Are you ready?!





Meanwhile, back in the training room later in the week, Sambath got down to the business of translating ...



... and interpreting.









The Morning Star team had a great week ...



... and so did we.

We enjoy equipping and empowering teams from other ministries, especially children's ministries, so it's always great to have the opportunity of conducting training seminars.

Other items on our schedule this week included the following:-

* We were blessed as we enjoyed an evening over a meal with Leigh and Hilary Ramsey from Citipointe, Brisbane.

* We also had an evening with David, Adam and Amy to say farewell, as they completed their Curtin University 'Physio's Abroad' program. The guys will spend the next week or so on a tour in Vietnam and Laos before returning to Perth.

* While enjoying a cuppa at a cafe, we were joined by Linda Gotts from Tenth Avenue Church, Vancouver. We met Linda when she visited Phnom Penh earlier this year. Linda is the Pastor of Missions & Outreach and is currently back in town on a team visit.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Cambodia has asked the United Nations Security Council for an emergency meeting to resolve a military stand-off with Thailand over an ancient temple on their border.

Phnom Penh's appeal to the world body came after bilateral talks on Monday failed to end the week-long border fracas, which regional neighbors fear could turn violent.

"In order to avoid armed confrontation, the Royal Government of Cambodia has decided to request an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to find a solution to the problem in accordance with international laws," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The foreign ministers of Thailand and Cambodia were due to meet on the sidelines of a regional security meeting in Singapore later on Tuesday, Thai and Cambodian sources said. The meeting will be chaired by Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo and is in response to a letter sent to him by Cambodia's government late on Monday, asking the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to intervene to cool escalating tensions between the neighbors.

The issue will also be discussed with all of ASEAN's foreign ministers at their lunch break, ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan told reporters.

"We will have to deal with the issue of the two neighbors, but we cannot control the situation," said Surin, himself a Thai national.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said neither Cambodia nor Thailand was opposed to ASEAN's mediation efforts. "The two of them are very willing to submit to the (ASEAN) jurisdiction," he said.

HEART OF THE DISPUTE

At the heart of the dispute is a 4.6 sq km (1.8 sq mile) area around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, which sits on a jungle-clad escarpment that forms a natural boundary and is claimed by both nations.

The 900-year-old temple was awarded to Cambodia by an international court in 1962.

The military showdown began a week ago when Thai troops moved into the disputed area after three Thai protesters were briefly detained there. Since then, both sides have sent hundreds more soldiers and heavy artillery to the border.

Cambodia has asked ASEAN to form an Inter-Ministerial Group of foreign ministers from Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Laos to "find a peaceful solution to the current crisis and to avoid a military confrontation between two ASEAN members."

ASEAN foreign ministers are holding their annual series of meetings first amongst themselves, then with Asia-Pacific powers culminating in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which has ambitions to deal with issues such a the Thai-Cambodia spat.

Monday's talks on the Thai-Cambodia border partly bogged down over which maps should be used to settle ownership of the temple and surrounding area, officials said.

The dispute is testing ASEAN's unity while it is in the midst of ratifying a charter that would turn the 41-year-old grouping into an EU-style, rules-based organization.

"The border engagement is not only relevant in terms of the problem that we see between the two states, but also it could be a test to ASEAN," said Rais, the Malaysian foreign minister.

"For the first time now, two of its members are facing what we call 'a border predicament"'

... as Fiona flies out of Pochentong with her box of Calypso Costumes.

... I put together a document for various income generation projects, which included the sewing project, and I was reminded of that document while packing clothing that had just been labeled for shipping overseas.



In order to comply with regulations, our overseas markets are now required to include labels which state the country the items were made in, as well as fabric care instructions.

It's wonderful to have seen the vision for the various stages of the sewing project come to fruitian and we look forward to the remainder of the vision unfolding.

... for the upcoming Morning Star teacher training proved to be entertaining!

Some of the paper Patrick had just purchased from the International Book Centre had been cut in half and glued, while other pieces of paper had various shapes cut out of it.



Only in Cambodia!

... was with Ty to go over the finer details of Calypso Costume's production.



Fiona leaves us with a comprehensive file to ensure that we provide a quality product which we are all very happy with.

... comes to an end ...



... as she packs the costumes and gets ready to board the plane for Perth.



After completing the workshop, the ladies in the sewing income generation project now have the skills to make fairy skirts, princess and pirate costumes, as well as some pretty accessories.

Calypso Costumes started with a mermaid costume, so now Fiona will need to get busy marketing all the new costumes.

We had some fun with the kids doing 'This is the Day'.

Everyone had a good laugh as the volunteers received their props. Him looked especially cute in the sunglasses.



The children all enjoyed matching the flash cards with the appropriate prop, such as the scraf, sunglasses and umbrella.





Later in the week we did it all over again with the afternoon group.

... at TLC proved to be entertaing as he assisted with some of the activities such as hand drying ...



... and teaching English. I can't believe it's 2008 either, Patrick!

...is about to come to an end as she prepares to return to the states, so we joined Kaitlyn for a farewell dinner.



Kaitlyn has been a blessing to the ministry she has been serving in during her long summer break and will be missed!