The attached still photos, taken from a computer screen,
represent scenes from CHANTI'S WORLD, a documentary record of 18 years in
Chant's life - only part of which (though a significant part) deals with the
sterling of her children buy Citipointe church. This sequence is a record
of the way in which Citipointe tricked Chanti into believing that she had
signed a contract giving the church complete and total control over the lives
for Rosa and Chita until they were 18 years old.
(1) Citipointe makes an offer to Chanti that seems too good to refuse.
(2) Citipointe makes the arrangement seem very generous,
flexible and open ended. The girls will be well looked after and Chanti
will have regular access to them. Leigh Ramsay, Rebecca Brewer and Helen
Shields also impress filmmaker James Ricketson with the generosity of their
offer.
(3) Chanti wants the best for Rosa and Chita...
(4) She wants her daughters to have opportunities in
life...
(5) ...that she did not have...
(6) ...growing up on the streets of Phnom Penh.
(7) As wells helping Rosa and Chita, Citipointe has
offered to...
(8) ...help Chanti and...
(9)... the rest of her family financially.
(10) This promise is made also to filmmaker James
Ricketson in two meetings in with Leigh Ramsay, Rebecca Brewer and Helen
Shields in Phnom Penh.
(11) Chanti accepts Citipointe's kind offer after running
it by the man she calls 'Papa' - James Ricketson.
James has a few reservations about Citipointe's Christian
agenda but thinks that three meals a day, proper schooling, access to medical
and dental treatment is, in the short term, more important than what religion
the girls embrace at the ages of 6 and 5. The arrangement is a flexible one
that Chanti can extricate herself and her daughters from if it doesn't turn
out.
Citipointe has a trick card up its sleeve, however, though
it dare not play this card until James Ricketson has left Phnom Penh. The trick
card is a 'contract' that Chanti cannot read, does not understand, whose
contents are not explained to her honestly and which she believes she is
entering into with LICADHO when she signs it with her thumb print on 31st July
2008. Chanti knows that LICADHO is a human rights NGO and so feels secure in
signing the 'contract' presented to her - a 'contract;' that she believes to be
in the spirit of the conversations she (and James Ricketson) have had with
Pastor Leigh Ramsay, Rebecca Brewer and Helen Shields.
Chanti is just about to learn that there is no such thing
as a free lunch and that it is not advisable to sign a document whose contents
you are unaware of - even if it seems (you have been told) that you are
signing an agreement with one of Cambodia's highest profile human rights
organisations.
Citipointe does not think to ask Rosa and Chita's father,
Chhork, for his consent. Chhork is not asked to agree to or sign anything. As
far as Citipointe is concerned he has no rights at all. Neither do Chab Dai or
LICADHO believe that Chhork's feelings in the matter (legal or paternal) are of
any significance.
...to be continued...
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