Centre Khemara, L’EXPOSITION « LIGNES DE VIE » - Centre Khemara

"LIGNES DE VIE" 2015 - March 26-27-28

Vinita Ok et la danse cambodgienne

EXPOSITION « LIGNES DE VIE » :

March 26th to March 28th, entrance of the Centre des loisirs de Saint-Laurent

Thirty-five years ago, the first Cambodian refugees stepped on Canadian soil...
To mark this anniversary, you are invited to discover the history and the path of the Khmer community from yesterday in Cambodia, to today in Montreal, in Quebec and in Canada.
The exposition “Lignes de vie” narrates our history through pictures, drawings and personal memorabilia that will bring back the memory of Cambodia and those who have arrived in Canada.

Free entrance during opening hours at the Centre des loisirs de Saint-Laurent,
1375 rue Grenet, Saint-Laurent (Québec) H4l 5K3.

1953 – 1970 RELATIVE PEACE

The first Khmer Kingdom, the Funan, along with the Chenla Kingdoms emerged during the 1st and 7th centuries.
The height of the Angkorian Empire then followed during the 9th and 14th centuries under the reign of the mythical “king-builder” Jayavarman VII. However, for already two centuries, the Empire begins to decline; numerous Vietnamese and Thai attacks weaken it. The climate of instability created by this double foreign threat urges King Norodom the First to sign a protectorate treaty with France in 1863.

After almost a century of French colonisation, his great-grandson, Norodom Sihanouk, king under the Vichy regime in 1941 obtains Cambodia’s independence; a governance during which the country prospers, a “Golden Age” of some kind. In 1955, he renounces the throne and becomes Chief of State.

1953 Cambodian Independence, reaffirmed by the Geneva Agreements of 1954 (“Geneva Accords”) on restoring peace in Indochina

1960 Underground creation of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) by Saloth Sar, best known as Pol Pot

1969 First American bombings until 1973 in Cambodia, although neutral, to supposedly destroy Vietnamese communist sanctuaries during the Vietnam War (1964-1975). Some 2.75 million tons of bombs are dropped on Khmer soil, more than the total number of bombs dropped during the Second World War

1970 – 1975 KHMERE REPUBLIC

March 1970 Coup d’état by General Lon Nol supported by the United States and overthrow of Norodom Sihanouk while he was travelling abroad. The Khmer Republic is proclaimed. Prince Sihanouk, in exile in Beijing, calls Cambodians to resist and fight against the new pro-American regime

1970-1975 Civil war opposing the Khmer Republic and the forces of the government-in-exile also known as “GRUNK” dominated by the Khmer Rouge. The GRUNK is formed by Norodom Sihanouk and backed by Northern Vietnam and China. During this conflict, the capital Phnom Penh which ordinarily has 600 000 inhabitants sees its population increase to more than 2 million

1975 – 1979 DEMOCRATIQUE KAMPUCHEA (DK)

When in power, the Khmer Rouges – as named by Norodom Sihanouk – establish Democratic Kampuchea (DK) controlled by the CPK, whose secret master and secretary general is Pol Pot. For almost four years, the country lives in a climate of terror, isolated from the rest of the world; only aid discretely provided: China and North Korea

The measures taken by Angkar, or the “Organisation” secret brain of the DK until the end of 1977, are radical: family ties destroyed, market economy abolished, religious and cultural practices forbidden, shutdown of schools, ministries and hospitals. The number of estimated victims is 1.7 million over a population of 8 million in 1975, which represents 1 person over 4

17 April 1975 Taking of Phnom Penh by the Khmer Rouges, who evacuate the cities. The “new people” of the cities “corrupted and imperialist” is deported to the countryside where they are opposed to the “ancient people” in the rural area

17 January 1979 Phnom Penh occupation by the Vietnamese troupes. Cambodia becomes the People’s Republic of Kampuchea, but is not recognized by the United Nations, who considers Pol Pot’s government the only legitimate government. Military conflicts persist between this new government and the Khmer Rouges

1978 – Today CAMBODIA-QUEBEC-CANADA

The Khmer Rouge regime, along with the proclamation of the People’s Republic of Kampuchea, cause the fleeing of tens of thousands of Cambodians to camps in Thailand, Khao I Dang and Chonbori, administered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The first wave of Cambodians to Canada and Quebec between the end of the 1950’s and 1978 is composed of educated individuals – students, civil servants and merchants –, whereas the following one between 1979 and 1982 is mostly composed of less educated individuals from rural areas. A big number of them settled in Saint-Laurent, then Parc-Extension, Côte-des-Neiges and Saint-Michel. In the 80’s associations are created in order to help their integration in Canada and to preserve the Cambodian culture: Association des Cambodgiens du Québec, Communauté Khmère du Canada, Association des Cambodgiens au Canada et la Société Bouddhiste Khmère

Today, the Cambodian community accounts for 34 340 people, almost half of which live in Quebec, and mainly in Montreal.

1978 Creation of the Cullen-Couture Agreement, named after the federal and provincial Ministers of Immigration, Bud Cullen and Jacques Couture respectively. The government of René Lévesque thus obtains the power to select its immigrants and refugees according to its proper criteria, one of which being a good knowledge of French

1979-1982 Arrival of almost 7 000 Cambodians to Canada. Implementation of a sponsorship program for refugees in Canada and Quebec over a year

1980 Creation of the Khmer Pagoda of Canada, the oldest in Quebec, in the Côtes-des-Neiges area in Montreal

1982 Formation of the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea with Norodom Sihanouk and the Royalists, the Republicans and the Khmer Rouges against the People’s Republic of Kampuchea

1983 Welcoming of 6 330 by the Canadian governments, 20% of which were received as part of a program for the reunification of families

1985 Hun Sen, former Minister of Foreign Affairs under the new government of the People’s Democratic Republic of Kampuchea, becomes Prime Minister

1989 Retreat of the Vietnamese troupes from Cambodia

1991 Paris Peace Accords, putting end to decades of conflict. Canada is one of the signatories of the Accord

1992-1993 United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC)

1993 Adoption of the new Constitution. Norodom Sihanouk is king once again. First elections under the aegis of the UN

15 April 1998 Death of Pol Pot in Along Veng, a stronghold of the Khmer Rouges

2001 Founding in Montreal of the Communauté Angkorienne du Canada (CAC) with the Communauté Angkorienne et Fraternité Jeunesse du Canada (created in 1996), which merged in 1998

2004 After Norodom Sihanouk’s abdication, his son is his successor to the throne
Founding of the Thammikaram pagoda in Rivière-des-Prairies, in Québec

2006 Establishment of a Cambodian tribunal with participation and international norms, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) with the aim of bringing the former Khmer Rouges leaders to justice. Robert Petit, a Canadian is the first co-prosecutor of the CETC

2011 Founding of the Centre Khemara, Histoire et Civilisation Khmères

2012 Death of King Norodom Sihanouk in Beijing

2014 After the conviction of Douch two years back, life sentence conviction of Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan. Death of leng Sary and release of leng Thirith, found unfit to stand trial

2015 40-year commemoration of the Khmer Rouge regime and 35-year celebration since the arrival of Cambodians in Canada and Quebec

In December 1980 a Cambodian family gathered in Ottawa to shake hands with the most powerful man in the country at the time: then prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

They had just arrived in the country after living in a refugee camp.

The two brothers, their wives and children came to live in Ontario with the help of Canadian families who sponsored them.

Source : 1980 CBC report

Le samedi 28 mars
DU CAMBODGE AU CANADA : NOS SOUVENIRS, NOS ESPOIRS
IL Y A 40 ANS… À NOS DISPARUS D'HIER
À NOS ENFANTS DE DEMAIN... 35 ANS APRÈS

Toute la journée, de 9 h à 22 h, le Centre Khemara vous transportera du Cambodge au Canada grâce à des ateliers-découvertes qui permettront de mieux comprendre le parcours des Cambodgiens éloignés de leur terre d’origine et leur intégration dans leur société d’accueil.
Pour clôturer la journée, il y aura des spectacles de danses folkloriques et classiques, un tirage de cadeaux et une soirée dansante avec DJ.