appeal1.jp

However to my regret, I can not believe that I have misunderstanding.
 If you had coped truly with my first mails at that time, we could solve 
the problem through direct dialogue of us two. 
If your goal is really happiness of the children not only in material meaning, 
but also in mental meaning as you describe in your pamphlet, we must be 
able to understand each other finally. 
However, because you avoided talking with me more at that time, when I
talked to you from my heart, and because reaction of your staff members 
were too stiff like authority, I had to doubt your good intention. 
So I and my friends appealed to public opinion in many channels so that 
we have now a network of hundreds - soon more than thousands - people 
who share concern in the matter of human rights and watch your activity.

However you don't have to worry about “dissemination of libelous 
statement”because it is not my aim to give damage to your good reputation 
and to the good name of Sunrise.
I still appreciate your positive activity. 
I refrain from doing something that could cause disadvantage for the children
whom you are helping. 
I want you to keep on doing good things and just stop doing wrong things. 
If you don't believe that your organization has been doing wrong things, 
please listen to voices of the children once. If you have time to read following 
letters of children (just 3 among 40 letters), you will notice your mistakes. 
You wanted to make “home” for Cambodian orphans and at the same time 
you try to destroy an existing happy family (I think you considered Ms Thou 
Raem just as a caretaker and didn't pay attention to the fact that she was at
the same time "mother" for the children. This failure was maybe starting point. 
And then you chose a wrong way: "north wind"instead of "sun shine".) 
You wanted to improve the life standard of the children, but in fact the  children 
begin to starve because of some measures you have taken. 
Please see the reality of the children with your own eyes instead of just 
being informed by local staff.

And if you are ready to correct your mistakes instead of denying the facts,  
excusing superficially and taking political measures, I would like to try with pleasure 
to restore the relationship between your organization and the children and to find 
a reasonable solution. We adults should be able to do this. 
I hope you will convince me that it was just technical failure. 
I don't really want to doubt your original good intention for Cambodian children.

Please believe that my concern is only happiness of children and nothing else.

I need your swift reply and rapid decision.

Best regards

Satoshi Ito

From Geraldine Cox
30.Sept 2005


Dear Satoshi-san,

I received your email dated 28 September.

You have involved various Embassies by sending your appeal to them , 
so it is really out of our hands.
You have already spread libellous information and to say you wish us
 no harm does not accord with this.

You will remember that you invited the Cambodian Human Rights Organization 
to visit us. They did and commended us for our care of the children we have 
living with us. A second recent investigation has also produced similar findings.

I find that all your allegations and our responses to them are getting us nowhere 
and now that you have turned everything over to higher authorities 
we think it best that we no longer correspond directly with you.

I have now made Prime Minister Hun Sen aware of the situation and 
maybe he can get to the truth and solve the situation.

The aim of Sunrise remains as always, the welfare of the children; 
encouraging dissent as being practiced by you and your friends is counter productive.

Regards,

Geraldine Cox

Dear Ms. Cox

It is really regrettable that you don’t want to talk with me.
You consider me as evil person. But I am not evil at all.
I know that many children are happy under your care.
I will never disturb your activities on this side.
Yes, we have talked to higher authorities.
Do you know why we did it? It is just because we had to prevent you
from forcing the children and Ms Thou Raem to do what they don’t
wish, but not because we wanted to hurt your name.

We are confused because you show us two different faces.
We would not say that you are evil.
We are just wondering why you do such a cruel thing to Ms Thou Raem
and her children on the other hand.
And we know exactly that she is never worth being defamed
and accused.
We know her well since many years and you know her just
by meeting a few times and by hearing false reports.

I believe it is good for you that higher authorities are now involved
because you have chance to notice your mistakes.
And it is also good for Cambodian children.
Or, if you believe really that you are right at any points,
you don’t have to be nervous at all. I don’t think that you have
already lost your good name through our action.
We still prevent from doing this.

I am also disappointed that you try just to force out counter
opinion by force instead of trying to understand by talking or
by listening.
I know what you want to say to me when you mention prime
minister Hun Sen.
You think that I will be afraid of banishment by your menacing words.
This is not the manner of people from democratic countries.
However we are always ready to talk with you.
We are ready to understand you if you show reasonable arguments
instead of superficial excuses.
It’s not enough just to say that your aim is welfare of children.
We hope you will open your mind and we will understand
each other someday.

Regards

Satoshi Ito

Dear Ms. Cox

It is really regrettable that you don’t want to talk with me. You consider me as evil person. But I am not evil at all.
I know that many children are happy under your care. I will never disturb your activities on this side. Yes, we have talked to higher authorities.
Do you know why we did it? It is just because we had to prevent you from forcing the children and Ms Thou Raem to do what they don’t wish,
but not because we wanted to hurt your name.

I believe it is good for you that higher authorities are now involved because you have chance to notice your mistakes.
And it is also good for Cambodian children. Or, if you believe really that you are right at any points,
you don’t have to be nervous at all. I don’t think that you have already lost your good name through our action.
We still prevent from doing this.

I am also disappointed that you try just to force out counter opinion by force instead of trying to understand by talking or by listening.
I know what you want to say to me when you mention prime minister Hun Sen. You think that I will be afraid of banishment by your menacing words.
This is not the manner of people from democratic countries. However we are always ready to talk with you.

We are ready to understand you if you show reasonable arguments instead of superficial excuses. It’s not enough just to say that your aim is welfare of children.
We hope you will open your mind and we will understand each other someday.

Regards

Satoshi Ito

From: ito, satoshi [mailto:itosatoshijapan@yahoo.co.jp]
Sent: Wednesday, 23 March 2005 1:43 AM
To: geraldine cox
Subject: orphanage in Siem Reap

Dear Ms Geraldine Cox,

My name is Satsohi Ito. I live in Japan and travel to Cambodia
very often to make schools and to support streetchildren or orphans.
So I truly respect your great activities for orphans - especially in Phnom Penh.

Now I would like to talk to your heart. I
'm sure that my words in spite of my poor English reach your heart
because you've loved Cambodian children with a heart of "mother".

About 60 children are now suffering in an orphanage in Siem Reap
because they are afraid of losing their "mother" - Ms Toe Raem

I know that you and Sunrise consider her to be a swindler
who cheats many donors and supporters and utilizes kids for her own
egoistic purpose.
You believe that all your witnesses tell the truth.
But... if they all tell lies, ...?! And if your translator, Ms Bonna,
tells you only voices from one side and filter all other voices....?!
Could you please check it up?

Even if you have many repeated witnesses, witness itself is not yet evidence.
On the other hand there are a few clear evident proves of that Ms Raem
can not be malicious because she loves her children so much.

If your staff makes a decision based on misunderstanding ? without evidence,
Sunrise would make a irrecoverable mistake.
Please don't leave a stain on your great reputation.

Please don't hurt a mother who has been living only for her kids 24 hours
per day and 365 days per year since 20 years.
I think you can not believe me ay once.
So please talk with Mr. David Jarboe once who knows Ms Raem more than
anybody else. He can judge the situation as a neutral person from objective viewpoint.

Thank you

Yours sincerely

ITO, Satoshi

itosatoshijapan@yahoo.co.jp

From: "Geraldine Cox" <geraldinecox@bigpond.com>To: "ito, satoshi" <itosatoshijapan@yahoo.co.jp>
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 7:28 PM
Subject: RE: orphanage in Siem Reap

Dear Satoshi-San,

Thank you for your e-mail of 23rd March and your obvious interest in Sunrise Children's Village, which is operated by our Australian registered charity, The Australia Cambodia Foundation Inc.

I am pleased that you have heard of our Phnom Penh orphanage and the wonderful progress we have made over many years with both the present and the former governments of Cambodia.

You may be aware that a cornerstone of Sunrise Children's Village approach to caring for our children is about making their lives in Cambodia full

Of vocational training opportunities and to make it possible for them to be able to lead happy, productive lives in their own country. To this end our orphanages incorporate a wide range of lifestyle and vocational training resources.

It is this approach, which has fostered an interest in and support of Sunrise Children's Village by the successive governments and which ultimately led to the Ministry of Social Affairs allowing Sunrise Children's Village to assume management of the Siem Reap Orphanage.

If you have been involved with the Siem Reap Orphanage for the past 21/2 years it is likely that you recognised, as the Cambodian Government did, that the conditions there were intolerable and change was required. It was agreed by the Minister of Social Affairs that Sunrise Children's Village would assume management of Siem Reap Orphanage. These decisions have been made and are irreversible. It is now up to all parties to accept what has happened and move forward in the best possible way.

It is not our intention to be unkind to Ms.Thou Rem and we did originally offer her a job but she was not prepared to accept any financial controls and insisted that she handled all of the cash. We certainly do not wish to upset children, whose lives in this orphanage have been well below the minimum standard that children of this world deserve. No one within Sunrise Children's Village bears any malice or hatred towards Ms Thou Rem. However please understand Ms Thou Rem was responsible for the condition of the orphanage before Sunrise Children's Village arrived and is the reason that the Ministry of Social Affairs was pleased that Sunrise Children's Village was prepared to assume management of the Siem Reap Orphanage.

You could serve the children of Siem Reap Orphanage well by using your considerable influence to convince Ms Thou Rem that times have changed; that she should use her "parental" relationship with the children currently with her to encourage them to integrate with the other children who are already under the care of Sunrise Children's Village; that she should remove herself happily and gracefully from Siem Reap Orphanage; and that she should accept the new position which she has been offered by the government . If you think it would help we would be happy to arrange for Ms Thou Rem to visit our

Phnom Penh orphanage as part of this transition and her personal adjustment. It would be better for the children if they perceived that Ms Thou Rem was happy and supportive of the changes, which will inevitably occur.

When you are next in Cambodia I hope you have the time to contact me, or Gerald Trevor (in addition to contacting Darren) so that one of us can arrange to show you our orphanage at Phnom Penh and its many facilities. We are very proud of what we have achieved at Sunrise Children's Village,

And while we don't wish to impose our view, we do encourage interested parties, particularly influential people, to support the approach we have taken towards the nurturing and development of orphans in Cambodia.

As far as Mr Jarboe is concerned, he has been thanked for his kind involvement in the past and we have explained to him that part of our contract with the Government is that as a non-religious NGO, we would do all possible to keep the children in their Buddhist faith and that his previous visits which involved preaching Christianity could no longer occur.

Sorry for the delay in responding. I am in Australia fundraising and am often travelling.

Warm regards,

Geraldine Cox.

From: ito, satoshi [mailto:itosatoshijapan@yahoo.co.jp]

Sent: Tuesday, 5 April 2005 1:14 AM

To: geraldine cox

Cc: Geraldine Cox

Subject: Fw: orphanage in Siem Reap

Dear Geraldine-san!!

Thank you very much for your response. I'm glad to know that
we can "talk" each other.
I've understood what you told. But I still have some questions.
In my last e-mail I wrote o little abstract.
So today I write concrete and I need concrete answer.

A few days ago one of my friends who works in a Japanese NGO
in Siem Reap sent me e-mail and said that the Sunrise Office
Siem Raep still cuts off electricity to the orphanage of Ms Thou Raem
- except from 18:30 till 21:00.

Did you know about it? I think you didn't.

This can not be justified with any reason.
At the beginning of March, when asked Ms Bonna about the reason,
she told me that it is necessary to stop Ms Raem from making a
business (laundry with washing machine).
How do you think about it?
I know that there are two washing machines which are however
broken since many months.
And even if machines are not broken, why you must cut off
electricity - why Ms Thou Raem may not make a business to feed
children? Anyway as a result children there can not enjoy TV,
they can not keep foods in a refraerator, they can not study after
21:00 - since more than one month. You say that Sunrise
wants to pull up the life standard of kids. But what the Sunrise
Office Siem Reap is doing now, is the opposite!!

In addition to this, after the Sunrise Office Siem Reap shut out
foreign visitors (supporters) - with only one exception - since last
December, lives of kids are getting more and more difficult.
It is no wonder that they don't want to be integrated inSunrise
orphanage.
If you realy intend to take care of them, it is not a clever way.
You know the fairy tale "north wind and the sun".
If a staff of Sunrise kick a door violently
(You maybe don't believe, however it's not a metaphor,
but a true fact), it follows only that kids fear Sunrise

Some (Japanese and Cambodian) friends of me in Siem Reap
are angry with Sunrise Office Siem Reap.
But I think we can and must find a peaceful solution as you told.
When I visit Siem Reap next time, I will talk with Ms Raem and try to let
her cooperate with Sunrise or remove "happily and gracefully".
But at first, dear Geraldine, - I know that you are very busy,
but - please control the Siem Reap Office. Children should not be
sacrificed!!

Sincerely

Satoshi Ito

itosatoshijapan@yahoo.co.jp

From: Geraldine Cox [mailto:geraldinecox@bigpond.com]
Sent: 05 April 2005 01:26
To: ito, satoshi
Cc: Gerald Trevor; Darren. Rose
Subject: RE: orphanage in Siem Reap

Dear Satoshi-san,

As I am in Australia fundraising at the moment I have copied your email to

Gerald Trevor, our Chairman and Administrator of Sunrise and the one that

Darren reports to and he will respond.

Please be assured that the welfare of all the Sunrise children in our care

is utmost in our minds.

Love,

Geraldine

From: Gerald Trevor - Cambodia

To: 'ito, satoshi'

Cc: Geraldine Cox.org

Sent: Wednesday, April 06, 2005 7:45 PM

Subject: RE: orphanage in Siem Reap

Dear Satoshi

As you are aware Geraldine has passed your correspondence
over to me to answer as I am responsible for the Foundation’s
activities in Cambodia.

I have read with interest your exchanges of e-mails and do not
intend to enter into lengthy correspondence with accusations and
counter accusations as it is not helpful. I am sure that we all have
the same objective in mind; that being the health, welfare and
education of all of the children in the Siem Reap Orphanage.

Please understand that Mrs Thou Rem is an employee of the
Ministry of Social Affairs and it is the Ministry that is planning to
remove her from her current position. We did in fact offer her
a job some long time ago but she did not want to work for us
unless she was in control of all of the money and did not have
to keep any records of income and expenditure.
This was an unacceptable condition.

I would be very happy to meet you in Phnom Penh or
Siem Reap to explain our projects in Cambodia
as seeing is believing.

With best wishes,

Gerald