Case against Eccc the Clown (updated)

As seen and heard on Ms. Theary C. Seng's BLOG

The Case against the ECCC

(KRT in the Dock)

Defense lawyer Michiel Pestman's Indictment of ECCC

Compromised Venue of ECCC

The Military/Army Headquarters the front half visible from National Route 4, with the ECCC the back half.

ECCC is the back half of this Military/Army compound, formerly in Kampong Speu

Background: During the 10 years of negotiation, we the Cambodian victims and international wanted the venue of the KRT to be in the city center, either at Chaktomuk Hall or Chenla Theatre or another similar location.  The RGC adamantly refused and uncompromisingly pushed for this remote military/army compound in Kampong Speu province.  (As this large military compound had no large hall for the chamber, the current large auditorium had to be constructed along with the ECCC offices in the adjacent building.)  The UN gave in with the understanding that the KRT would be the whole compound.  After signing of the Agreement in 2003, the RGC retained the front half of the compound as the army/military headquarters.  Moreover, the RGC had to re-draw the map of Phnom Penh to include this military/army headquarter, formerly part of Kampong Speu province, to be part of Phnom Penh to satisfy the language of the 2003 Agreement.

* Military/army compound with all its insignia

The military front half that is visible of the ECCC, situated on the compound back half.

* Remote, one-hour drive through dangerous traffic outside of Phnom Penh city center, as it is the main road to the popular seaside of  Sihanoukville/Kampong Som.

Case against Eccc* the Clown

*Eccc (pronounced "icky")

Dictator Hun Xen's Cambodia is on par with Dictator Mubabe's Zimbabwe when it comes to Press Freedom

Left: Mugabe; Right: Hun Xe

Zim ranked 117 in world Press freedom

2012-01-30
Bridgette Bugalo
Own Correspondent

Zimbabwe has been ranked 117, on Press freedom in the world, improving by six notches from 2010, despite constant arrests of media practitioners last year, according to a report released by Reporters Without Borders.

Zimbabwe is tied on position 117 together with Cambodia, Fiji, Oman and Venezuela.

The international journalistic body ranked Finland and Norway as the most democratic, coming first and second respectively, while Eritria (179) and North Korea (178) were ranked the worst.

Kingdom considers oil imports from Iran [-Hun Xen is playing with fire?]

Monday, 30 January 2012
Sieam Bunthy and Don Weinland with additional reporting by Reuters
The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodia plans to import and refine oil from Iran, a spokesman from the Council of Ministers has said, just one among several proposed forms of strengthened co-operation between the two countries.

The announcement comes at a time when the United States and European Union have approved some of the toughest sanctions yet against the Islamic country.

Cambodian officials have maintained that the Kingdom will take foreign direct investment from all interested nations.

The US Embassy in Phnom Penh said yesterday that it expected all United Nations members to take into consideration US regulations when dealing with Iran.

UN rights office and government sign pact

Former Representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia. (Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post)

Monday, 30 January 2012
Vincent MacIsaac
The Phnom Penh Post

As expected, the government has extended by two years its agreement with the Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for it to have a presence here, the rights body announced late on Friday.

The government and OHCHR signed “a memorandum of understanding extending the technical cooperation program for human rights in the country by both parties for another two years”, OHCHR said in a press release.

Early last year, there had been some speculation that the government would not renew its MoU with the rights body. This followed calls the previous year from Prime Minister Hun Sen that it be shut and its then country representative, Christophe Peschoux, be expelled for “acting as a spokesman for the opposition”.

Twitter key in judge’s rejection

Khmer Rouge tribunal reserve co-investigating judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet (left) has been rejected from assuming his official judiciary duties with co-investigating judge You Bunleng (right). (Photos Supplied)

Monday, 30 January 2012
Bridget Di Certo
The Phnom Penh Post

The Supreme Council of the Magistracy is of the view that UN-nominated reserve international co-investigating judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet is “compromising the confidentiality and integrity of investigations” and has violated judicial ethics with his use of Twitter (sic!), the council said in a summary report issued on Saturday.

The report, issued by the Council of Ministers’ Press and Quick Reaction Unit, states that the council met on January 13 to “vote and count the ballots concerning the proposed appointment of the International Co-Investigating Judge”.

“According to the results […] the members of the Supreme Council of the Magistracy decided not to appoint Mr Laurent Kasper-Ansermet,” the report, dated January 13, stated.

“Following discussion, the meeting reached the view that Judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet’s posting of a considerable number of documents on his Twitter account concerning the ECCC, and specifically concerning cases 003 and 004 since his appointment as Reserve International Co-Investigating Judge, would appear to violate the Code of Judicial Ethics, the Internal Rules and legal principles” of the tribunal, the council said in the report.

According to the report, Kasper-Ansermet’s distribution of information in the form of posting links to various news articles was in violation of several principles of the tribunal (sic!).

SRP touts senate gains

Officials count votes for the national senate election yesterday at a polling station in a school in the capital’s Boeung Trabek commune. (Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post)

Monday, 30 January 2012
Meas Sokchea and David Boyle
The Phnom Penh Post

The Sam Rainsy Party was celebrating unofficial senate election results yesterday, claiming to have increased its number of seats in the upper house from two to 11 despite the incumbent government winning an overwhelming majority of the preliminary ballot results.

Early results showed the SRP had won 21.93 per cent of the vote. The ruling Cambodian People’s Party dominated as expected, with 77.81 per cent after initial polling by the National Election Committee ahead of official results to be announced on Saturday.

Fifty-seven of the 61 seats in the Cambodian senate are being contested in the election. Two of the remaining four will be appointed by the legislative house of parliament, the National Assembly, and the others by King Norodom Sihamoni.

In a vote derided by some analysts and observers as undemocratic because its participants are limited to commune-council members rather than the public, the SRP last night claimed a modicum of success.

Begging mission planned for ECCC’s Tony Kranh

Tony Kranh

Netr Pheaktra (Cartoon by Sacrava, on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

30 Jan 2012
By Soy Sophea
DAP-news
Translated from Khmer by Soch

Phnom Penh – The spokesman for the KR Tribunal claimed on Monday that Tony Kranh, the ECCC’s acting director of administration, planned to travel to New York to seek financial support for the ECCC which is undergoing severe fund shortage to pay its staff.

Netr Pheaktra told reporters that Tony Kranh’s trip will take place soon. Nevertheless, Netr Pheaktra claimed that during his trip, Tony Kranh will boast the numerous achievements by this bastard tribunal that is supported by the UN, for example the completion of Case 001 (KI-Media note: Duch’s final verdict still has to be decided), and the continuation of Case 002 which involved four three KR leaders.

Netr Pheaktra added that KR Tribunal has strong confidence that donor countries will continue their support even though not a single country has stepped up to announce their support yet.

KRT pay freeze will linger [-ដាំចេកទៅ!!!]

Monday, 30 January 2012
Bridget Di Certo with additional reporting by David Boyle
The Phnom Penh Post

Under the Law on the Establishment of the ECCC, expenses and salaries of Cambodian staff “shall be borne by the Cambodian national budget”; however, Huy Vannack said this has not been the practice of the court.

Cambodian staff at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal will not be paid any salary until April at the earliest, administration directors told staff in a “town hall” meeting on Friday.

Nearly all of the roughly 300 Cambodian staff employed by the tribunal gathered in the public gallery of the courtroom yesterday and were told that in addition to not receiving their January salaries, they will not be paid for another three months, tribunal public affairs officer Huy Vannak told the Post yesterday.

“The Cambodian side of the court continues to face a financial crisis, and staff will not be paid starting this month,” Huy Vannack said, adding that Cambodian judges have not been paid since October 2011.

Khmer Rouge tribunal too broke to pay Cambodian staff

Courts set up to punish horrific war crimes won't pay staff until April

January 30, 2012
Patrick Winn
Global Post

It's bad enough that the trial against Cambodia's former Khmer Rouge cabal has been delayed so long that many of its aggressors -- and victims -- are now senile.

Now it appears that the special courts aren't paying Cambodian staff. According to the Phnom Penh Post, some employees won't be paid until April.

The courts, set up to prosecute the murderous Khmer Rouge regime, are scraping by with unpaid help.

According to the AP, this doesn't apply to international staff paid by the United Nations. But about 300 employees paid by Cambodia -- some of which haven't been paid since October -- are affected as "donor funds" from outside countries have wilted away, according to a tribunal spokesman.

Open letter to the Prime Minister of Cambodia on the forced eviction and arbitrary detention of Borei Keila residents

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRp8VXCtLIk

January 24, 2012

H.E. Samdech Hun Sen
Prime Minister
Cabinet of the Prime Minister Council of Ministers Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia

Via facsimile: +855 23 360-666

Re: Borei Keila forced eviction and arbitrary detention of 22 women and 6 children

Dear Prime Minister,

I, the undersigned, write to you to express our very serious concerns regarding the forced eviction of the Borei Keila community in Phnom Penh and the arbitrary detention on January 11, 2012, of 22 women and six children while peacefully protesting their eviction. Police and Daun Penh district security guards conducted the arrests on January 11 in front of the Phnom Penh Municipality building where protesters had gathered to demand a halt to the evictions and the release of fellow protesters arrested on January 3.

Prior to these arrests, on January 3, workers from the Phan Imex company destroyed the homes of around 300 families living in Borei Keila. State security forces that were present used tear gas and rubber bullets against the residents, and both sides threw rocks, sticks, and bottles. More than 64 people were reportedly injured. The authorities arrested at least eight of the residents, one of whom was released on bail on January 18 while seven remain in detention. These eight residents, including two children, have all been charged under both article 218 (“intentional acts of violence with aggravating circumstances”) and article 504 (“obstruction of public officials with aggravating circumstances”) of the Cambodian penal code.

Borei Keila has been the home to a large poor urban community for many years. The Cambodian government designated the area as a “social land concession” in 2003, sharing land with Phan Imex, which promised to build housing for the poor. However, it has been reported that the Phan Imex owner wrote to you in April 2010 requesting permission to be relieved of the obligation to build two of the ten buildings promised for the community. Many of the 300 families have been protesting against the company and local authority since then.

The authorities have relocated most of those evicted on January 3 to two remote resettlement sites, Tuol Sambo, on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, and Srah Po, also known as Phnom Bat, in Kandal province. Many are now living in makeshift tents, without access to electricity, sanitation or clean drinking water, schools, and employment opportunities. At least 30 families with people living with HIV/AIDS are among those evicted. The precarious situation facing these homeless families reflects a serious failure by the Cambodian government to fulfill its international legal obligations to respect the right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate housing, as recognized under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which Cambodia has ratified.

Congratulations from SRP Finland on the Senate Election

[Sambo] Cambodia's star elephant retires

Upon arrival into Phnom Penh and immediately after lunch at the FCC, we took a tuk-tuk ride in a roundabout way to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, only to be nicely distracted and greeted by Sambo at Wat Phnom. Here, the newly minted teenager, ever engaging Michaela Kennedy Cuomo lavishing kisses on Sambo as mom, Kerry Kennedy, memorializes the moment (Phnom Penh, 22 Feb. 2011).

Jan 30, 2012
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodia's best-known elephant has retired following a campaign to get her medical attention, media reports said Monday.

Sambo, aged 52, is a familiar sight in Phnom Penh, where she provides regular rides to tourists through the city streets.

The pachyderm has now retired after 30 years in the capital, The Cambodia Daily reported Monday.

'The municipality sees that Sambo is now very old and sick. We decided that she should retire,' said Som Chanren, deputy director of the city tourism department.

The CPP is NERVOUS after it was not able to buy enough votes during the senate election

វិចារណកថា ៖ គណបក្សប្រឆាំង បាត់បង់សំឡេង គាំទ្រយ៉ាងច្រើន

Monday, 30 January 2012
ដោយ ៖ ជ័យ តារា
DAP-news

High-ranking SRP leaders are very happy about increasing their number of seats from 2 to 11 in the senate and they do not think about losing hundreds of votes at all (KI-Media note: In fact, DAP reported that the SRP lost about 200 votes out of a total of about 2,700 SRP commune councilors and MPs). This situation had been criticized by independent observers (KI-Media note: Since when does the CPP mouthpiece consider opinions by independent observers?) that the SRP is too happy to the point of forgetting its loss of hundreds of votes during the senate election and this is not a laughing matter (KI-Media note: How about the CPP not being able to prevent the SRP from obtaining 11 senate seats in spite of buying 200 votes?). At the same time, Mr. Sam Rainsy, President of the party, should find ways to arrange for his return to Cambodia before the upcoming commune and national elections so that he can compete with the CPP with transparency during the upcoming election. (KI-Media note: Now, the CPP does feel comfortable holding elections without the presence of the opposition leader’s presence in the country?)

នៅក្នុងការបោះឆ្នោត ជ្រើសរើសសមាជិកព្រឹទ្ធ សភាកាលពីថ្ងៃទី២៩ ខែមករា ឆ្នាំ ២០១២ បានបង្ហាញឱ្យឃើញថា គណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី ដែលជាគណបក្ស ប្រឆាំង បានបាត់បង់ សំឡេងគាំទ្រ ពីសមាជិកក្រុមប្រឹក្សាឃុំ-សង្កាត់ របស់ខ្លួន រាប់រយនាក់នៅទូទាំងប្រទេស។ ប្រការនេះ ត្រូវបានក្រុមអ្នកតាម ដានស្ថានការណ៍ នយោបាយ ក្នុងប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ផ្ដល់ជា ទស្សនៈថា គណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី ត្រូវតែធ្វើការកែទម្រង់បន្ថែមទៀត ដើម្បីរក្សាការគាំទ្រពី សមាជិករបស់ខ្លួន ព្រោះការបាត់ បង់សំឡេងគាំទ្រពីសមាជិកក្រុមប្រឹក្សាឃុំ-សង្កាត់រាប់ រយនាក់ មិនមែនជារឿងធម្មតាទេ ក្នុងខណៈដែលការបោះឆ្នោតជ្រើសរើស ក្រុមប្រឹក្សាឃុំ-សង្កាត់ ខែមិថុនា ឆ្នាំ២០១២ កាន់តែជិតឈានចូលមកដល់។ ក្នុងនោះគណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី គួរលះបង់ ចោលនូវវប្បធម៌ បក្ខពួកនិយម គ្រួសារនិយម ហើយមេដឹកនាំនៃគណបក្សនេះ មិនត្រូវធ្វើ អ្វីៗស្រេចតែអំពើចិត្ដតទៅទៀតឡើយ។

កាលពីល្ងាចថ្ងៃទី២៩ ខែមករា ឆ្នាំ២០១២ គណៈកម្មាធិការជាតិ រៀបចំការបោះឆ្នោត (គ.ជ.ប) បានបង្ហាញលទ្ធផលបណ្ដោះអាសន្នថា គណបក្សប្រជាជន កម្ពុជា ទទួលបានចំនួន ៨៨៨០សំឡេង ហើយគណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី ទទួលបានចំនួន ២៥០៣សំឡេង។ តាមលទ្ធផល នេះបង្ហាញឱ្យឃើញថា គណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា ត្រូវទទួលបាន៤៦អាសនៈ ហើយគណបក្ស សមរង្ស៊ីត្រូវទទួលបាន១១អាសនៈនៅក្នុងរដ្ឋសភា ប៉ុន្ដែគណបក្ស សមរង្ស៊ី បានបាត់បង់ សំឡេង គាំទ្រជិត ២០០សំឡេង នៅទូទាំង ប្រទេស ។ បើទោះបីបាត់បង់សំឡេងគាំទ្រយ៉ាង ច្រើនក៏ដោយ ក៏មេដឹកនាំនិងមន្ដ្រីជាន់ខ្ពស់គណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី បានបង្ហាញនូវសេចក្ដីរីករាយ ដោយសារ តែមានចំនួនអាសនៈ មានការកើនឡើងនៅក្នុងស្ថាប័នព្រឹទ្ធសភា ។ ប៉ុន្ដែសម្រាប់ ក្រុមអ្នកវិភាគនយោបាយ បានវាយតម្លៃថា ការបាត់បង់សំឡេងគាំទ្រពីសមាជិកក្រុម ប្រឹក្សា ឃុំ-សង្កាត់ របស់ខ្លួន នៅក្នុងការបោះឆ្នោតព្រឹទ្ធសភា គឺគណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី អាច ប្រឈមនឹងបញ្ហា ធ្លាក់ចុះសម្រាប់ការបោះឆ្នោតជ្រើសរើសក្រុមប្រឹក្សាឃុំ-សង្កាត់នា ពេលខាងមុខ ។ ប្រការ នេះតម្រូវឱ្យគណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី ធ្វើការកែទម្រង់មួយចំនួន ទៅតាមស្ថានភាពជាក់ស្ដែង ទើប អាចទប់ទល់នឹងការធ្លាក់ចុះ ប្រជាប្រិយភាពរបស់ខ្លួន ។

Closing Order of Case 002 against Senior KR Leaders Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith

In light of the HISTORIC (!) start of MOST COMPLEX (sic!) trial hearings beginning on 27 June 2011 and again ANOTHER HISTORIC (!) START of this same MOST COMPLEX (sic!) on 21 Nov. 2011 of Case 002 against the surviving Khmer Rouge senior leaders Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith, KI Media is posting installations of the public document of the Closing Order of Case 002 (Indictment).  The Closing Order of the Co-Investigating Judges forms the basic document from which all the parties (Co-Prosecutors, Co-Lead Lawyers for all civil parties, Defense Lawyers) will be making their arguments before the Trial Chamber judges (one Cambodian President, 2 Cambodian Judges, 2 UN judges).  Up until now, the hearings involving these four surviving senior Khmer Rouge leaders have been in the Pre-Trial Chamber over issues of pre-trial detention and jurisdictional issues.  Beginning in June 2011, the Trial Chamber will hear the substantive (sic!) arguments over the criminal charges (e.g. genocide, crimes against humanity, penal code of 1956 - sic!).  Available in Khmer and French. Contact the ECCC for a free copy. 

 

CLOSING ORDER

of Co-Investigating Judges You Bunleng and Marcel Lemonde

15 September 2010

Regulation of Marriage

Rationale for Spouse Selection

846.            Duch states that there existed a policy that marriages should follow the equation of "1+1=2" meaning that only individuals of the same standing, especially in terms of party membership and social status, should be married.³⁵⁷⁰ This is corroborated by several witnesses across different zones.³⁵⁷¹ One witness also referred to a rationale that persons who were married to foreigners were re-married to Cambodian nationals.³⁵⁷²

847.            There is also evidence that when the army wanted their soldiers to marry, they would pick women from the villages³⁵⁷³ or that marriages of soldiers were arranged through the use of numbers where groom with the number one was supposed to be married with the bride holding number one etc.³⁵⁷⁴ Some witnesses refer to the marriage of women to "disabled' soldiers.³⁵⁷⁵ Another witness states that if persons refused to marry, they would be married "to a Khmer Rouge handicapped soldier"³⁵¹⁶

Coercive Circumstances

848.            Most witnesses state that they were forced to marry³⁵⁷⁷ and/or feared to oppose the will of "Angkar".³⁵⁷⁸ It appears people generally did not know their future spouses before the ceremony and had no influence on the decision. Witnesses state that they were told to marry the person identified for marriage regardless of whether they liked it or not:³⁵⁸¹ one civil party specified that she could not oppose the wedding because she did not know to where she could escape;³⁵⁸² another witness had been sent to reeducation after she refused a previous marriage proposal, and thus she was afraid to not agree to get married, etc.³⁵⁸³ Although some attempted to refuse,³⁵⁸⁴ other witnesses state that if marriage was refused, the person would be sent to a mobile unit³⁵⁸⁵ or worksite,³⁵⁸⁶ "removed' from the unit³⁵⁸⁷ or sent to be reeducated³⁵⁸⁸ or "disappeared meaning that taken to be killed" ³⁵⁸⁹ or they would be accused of being "traitors"³⁵⁹⁰ or would be "smashed or killed by Angkar".³⁵⁹¹ Others state they did not dare to object³⁵⁹² specifying that some people committed suicide either by drowning into the water or poisoning themselves.³⁵⁹³

849.            Several witnesses have confirmed this fear of being killed.³⁵⁹⁴ One civil party states that her sisters were forced to marry CPK cadre despite attempting to avoid the marriage by faking illness and they were later killed, along with other women who had refused to marry.³⁵⁹⁵ Another witness states that if people made decisions on who to marry on their initiative, they would be taken away to be killed.³⁵⁹⁶

850.           However, there are some instances where individuals successfully objected to the marriage.³⁵⁹⁷ One witness states that in her unit, the women collectively denied marriage requests by a men's unit and subsequently were not forced to be married.³⁵⁹⁸ Another witness states that women refusing to marry were left in their working battalions and not forced to marry.³⁵⁹⁹ A disrobed former monk repeatedly refused to be married and was not punished for his refusal.³⁶⁰⁰

851.            Similarly, some witnesses state that their spouse had some degree of influence on the choice of their future spouse as a result of a request made to the authorities.³⁶⁰¹ One witness specified that he protested against his match because he loved another woman and was then allowed to marry the woman he preferred.³⁶⁰²

852.            Duch states in interview that although a party cadre would propose marriage, proposals were made to couples known to want to marry.³⁶⁰³ Another witness who himself arranged marriages states that most couples were satisfied and that those who were not were given "imagination counseling" after which they agreed to their marriage.³⁶⁰⁴ Several other witnesses stated future spouces had some degree of choice in the marriage.³⁶⁰⁵

Marriage Ceremony

853.           Witnesses refer to marriages taking place in diverse locations: in official buildings (the district office,³⁶⁰⁶ the Party office,³⁶⁰⁷ the military unit,³⁶⁰⁸ the communal kitchen,³⁶⁰⁹ a hospital,³⁶¹⁰ or at a meeting place,³⁶¹¹ etc); or in public places (a vehicle parking area,³⁶¹² a rice field,³⁶¹³ or at worksites,³⁶¹⁴ or cooperatives,³⁶¹⁵ etc). Some witnesses give evidence of marriages taking place in pagodas.³⁶¹⁶

855. The marriage ceremony followed a similar pattern. Witnesses state that they were provided with new black clothing and krama scarves.³⁶¹⁷ Witnesses state that couples were brought together either sitting³⁶¹⁸ or standing³⁶¹⁹ next to each other or holding hands³⁶²⁰ and being made to make vows³⁶²¹ to accept each other³⁶²² and to work to achieve the objectives of "Angkar"³⁶²³ and the revolution.³⁶²⁴ Others refer to spouces walking under a flag³⁶²⁵ and reading out their spouses' biographies.³⁶²⁶ Witnesses give evidence of the absence of traditional Cambodian ritual³⁶²⁷ such as the participation of monks.³⁶²⁸

856. With respect to who was present at the ceremony, most witnesses state that it was simply the other couples and the persons who arranged the ceremony, and that family members were not present, in particular the mother and father.³⁶²⁹ Although one civil party gives contrary evidence of staying with their parents for three days after the wedding ceremony.³⁶³⁰ Another witness states there was no celebration, the couples simply walked to their respective houses afterwards.³⁶³¹

857. One witness who denies that forced marriage or mass ceremonies took place states that families participated in wedding ceremonies.³⁶³² According to another witness, Pol Pot had said that parents should attend marriages.³⁶³³ Some witnesses state that weddings were followed by a shared meal.³⁶³⁴ Duch states that for him, his family and the family of his spouse (whom he had authority to choose himself) were allowed to participate in his own wedding. He recieved preferential treatment due to his superior position, however he recognises that he was not able to express his wish to have his mother give him her best wishes during the ceremony.³⁶³⁵ 

Vietcong investment in the Se San Hydroelectric project in Cambodia: $806 million

Firms invest $2 billion in foreign projects


January, 30 2012
VNS (Hanoi)

HCM CITY — Vietnamese companies are investing in more overseas projects, with total registered capital amounting to US$2.12 billion last year, according to figures from the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

The investments were for 75 new overseas projects licensed in 2011, and 33 other projects already operating abroad.

The biggest of the overseas projects were in the energy and telecommunications sectors, an MPI report said.

Major projects licensed in 2011 include the Se San Hydro-Power No. 2 Project in Cambodia with total registered capital of $806 million from the Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN); a $408 million telecommunication project invested by the Vietnamese Military Telecommunications Group (Viettel) in Peru; and the $275.2 million Se Kong 3 Hydro-power Project invested by Song Da (Black River) Corp in Laos.

[Cambodian] Girl aged 14 was sold to a foreigner for 80,000 THB by her step father

The police and Director of the Center for Subduing of Human Trafficking assisted a Cambodian girl and found that she was beaten by her step father and her mother with the 3 children who were all forced to be beggars, if on any day they cannot find money, all of them would be beaten severely.

January 30, 2012
Pattaya Daily News (Thailand)

Pattaya, January 26, 2012 [PDN]; at 6.30 p.m. Pol. Lt. Col. Kreetha Tankanarat, Deputy Superintendent, Pol. Lt. Col. Ormsin Sukkarnka, The head of Center of Protecting Children and Women and Subdue for Human Trade, Chonburi province, Pol. Maj. Kreangsak Boonprawat, Pol. Maj. Kingkaew Charoenpitakpracha, Inspector of Subdue work, Pol. Capt. Pemika Wiwattanapongpan, Ms. Sonthaya Maenpeun and Mr. Phalisorn Noja, the Director of the Center of Subdue of Human Trade were notified from Krajokngao foundation that a Cambodian guy forced his step children to be beggars and offered to sell his step daughter, age 14, nationality Cambodian to a foreigner for the price of 80,000 THB for sexual services and asked the officer to investigate and assist this girl.

After they had been notified by the Krajokngao foundation, the officers found the mother with her 3 children begging money at second Pattaya Road Moo 9 Tambon Nong Preu, Amphur Banglamung, Chonburi province. The officers restrained them and brought them to the Center for Subduing of Human Trafficking at Banglamung police station.

Election results for the Fresno Cambodian Buddhist Society, Inc.

Election for President of Temple Results

Sunday January 29th, 2012, the Cambodian people and the Buddhist monks gathered inside the temple to vote. This is the first election for president of the Fresno Cambodian Buddhist Society, Inc. since 1995.

About 2:00PM, the president of election committee told the Cambodian people and Buddhist monks about the election rules.

There were 19 candidates.

1st Step peoples and monks voted to select 14 candidates to be the board members.

2nd Step all 14 candidates and 3 monks voted to elect the president.

The results:

• Mr. Sokhom Yin was elected to be the president of the temple.
• Mr. Sokhorn Pheng was elected to be the vice president of the temple.

This picture was taken at Fresno Cambodian Buddhist Society, Inc. 2533 N. Valentine Ave., Fresno, CA 93722

Police general accused of beating bank employee in Cambodia [-A CPP officer and a thug?]

Jan 30, 2012
DPA

Phnom Penh - An irate police general allegedly beat a bank employee with a mobile phone in Cambodia after the worker refused to cash a cheque, national media reported Monday.

Representatives from Canadia Bank in the western city of Poipet filed a complaint against Major General Sok Lihuoth, accusing him of intentional violence, the Cambodia Daily newspaper reported.

The officer allegedly became enraged after the bank employee had declined his wife's request to cash a cheque worth more than 14,000 dollars on Thursday. The cheque had been made out to him.

Keang Keatly said the officer hit him on the head with a phone and yelled: 'Do you know who I am?'

A bank official said there was video of the incident. A provincial military police commander said the major general had fled.

ឯណាទៅយុត្តិធម៌ (Where is the justice)? - By V. Seng Onn

.

Photographing Cambodia’s ancient Ta Prohm Temple, before the tourists arrive

Photo: David Cummings/Special to The Star

Jan 29, 2012
by David Cummings
Special to The Anniston Star

“Was that a big cat?” my wife, Lesa, asked as we walked down the dark path.

“I hope not,” I replied.

We were using our cellphones as flashlights as we walked toward Ta Prohm Temple in Cambodia last November. It was a half-hour before sunrise, and we could hear cicadas and monkeys in the dense jungle.

Our driver had dropped us at the temple’s entrance road and had quickly left for the journey back to Siem Reap, the area’s hub of tourism. We hoped he didn’t know something about wild animals that we didn’t. We wished we had thought of flashlights.

There were no lights within miles. Jungle noises were the only sensory input as we shuffled along in the dark.

នរណា ថា មិន ឃាតករ - Who says I'm not killer?

Myanmar's Suu Kyi calls for changes to constitution - Aung San Suu Kyi réclame une révision de la Constitution birmane

January 30, 2012
By Jason Szep

DAWEI, Myanmar (Reuters) - Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi called on Sunday for changes to the military-drafted constitution in her first political trip since ending a boycott of the country's political system last year and announcing plans to run for parliament.

Thousands of people lined the roads shouting "Long live mother Suu" as her motorcade moved through the rural coastal region of Dawei about 615 km (380 miles) south of her home city, Yangon, the main business centre.

The trip, only her fourth outside Yangon since her release from years of house arrest in November 2010, demonstrates the increasingly central role of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate as the Southeast Asian state emerges from half a century of isolation.

Seeing through others’ eyes

One of the photos in the exhibition

Asylum seekers in Bangkok tell their stories with photos

January 27, 2012
Philip Bader and Joe Torres
Bangkok, Thailand
UCAnews.com (Catholic News)

“I am very happy with this project because I think it is the history of my life. I can take a picture and keep it for a long time for my wife, for my children, when I have a family” - Phea, a former freelance journalist from Cambodia and member of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, ran foul of the government after publishing two books about political corruption and human rights abuses in his country.

It was a simple idea, really, but one that would produce unexpected results.

Jesuit Refugee Service Asia Pacific (JRSAP) has for three decades ministered to the needs of a steady stream of refugees from across the region seeking freedom and opportunity denied to them at home.

To cap its commemoration of 30 years of service, JRS enlisted eight asylum seekers from Cambodia, China, Iran, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to participate in a project that would give them an opportunity to tell their stories in their own way and in their own voice.

They were given point-and-shoot cameras, two hours of training and two months to put into pictures a narrative of their lives in the Thai capital.

Molly Mullen, regional communications assistant at JRSAP, spearheaded the project by bringing some cameras donated during a trip home to the United States.

“We want people in Bangkok and in the region to understand that refugees and asylum seekers … are completely capable of telling their own stories,” she said.

Phnom Penh's New Look

(Image courtesy Flickr user epidemiks under a Creative Commons license)

(Image courtesy Flickr user chacrebleu under a Creative Commons license)

Jan 28, 2012
Thomas Beller
The Atlantic Cities (USA)

When I first arrived in Phnom Penh, in 1994, I looked out the window of my descending plane and saw a landscape of rice paddies dotted with palm trees. It might have been, in a parallel universe, or perhaps just in a neighboring country like Thailand, a pastoral image, but for me it was synonymous with land mines, Agent Orange, genocide, death. My feelings were shaped in part by popular culture—movies such as The Killing Fields and Apocalypse Now and books like Elizabeth Becker’s When the War Was Over and Nayan Chanda’s Brother Enemy. To say they told of a darkly mysterious place where terrible things had happened was only part of it; in 1994 the Khmer Rouge was still in control of large chunks of the country, even after the United Nations had sponsored a historic democratic election the previous year. I had come to Phnom Penh to write for a fledgling English-language newspaper, the Cambodia Daily, a decision whose logic had completely escaped me by the time the wheels hit tarmac. I swore that I would proceed through Phnom Penh with the utmost caution.

But by my second night I was at a party eating a piece of cake that I had just been told had an entire pound of pot baked into it, when someone rushed in yelling, “Coup! Coup! There’s a tank in the middle of downtown!” Because the party was filled with that strange breed of catastrophe addicts who have found their calling as journalists, everyone piled into the backs of pickup trucks and rushed off to look for the tank. I went, too, fretfully, like some eighth grader herded into a group activity he knows is wrong but is too spineless to resist.

Postcards from Cambodia - By Bora-the-Hunk

Sunrise at Chaktokmouk on 29 December 2011

Sunset in Kampon Speu on 02 January 2012

Sunset in Kampong Speu

Sunset in Kampong Speu

Sithi Newsletter Vol. 2

Dear All,

Today– 30 January 2012 – The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) Sithi project releases the second edition of its bi monthly newsletter, entitled “A multi-Faceted Approach to the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights.”

This month’s edition illustrates this multi-faceted approach by examining work that the CCHR, through the Sithi Project and activists trained by the Sithi Project,have undertaken to resolve issues and push for greater respect in relation to land rights.

For further information, please see the attached edition of the newsletter available in Khmer and English, or visit the Cambodian Human Rights Portal, www.sithi.org or the CCHR website, www.cchrcambodia.org.

Should you wish to find out more about the Newsletter or the Sithi Project please contact:

Ms. Chor Chanthyda, Project Coordinator


The Cambodian Center for Human Rights
Email: info@sithi.org
Phone: +855 (0) 23 72 69 01
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http://www.box.com/s/3uhli8sopt7o4vttjoem


http://www.box.com/s/kolisy4xstcodsnna27v

800 votes bought by CPP

29 Jan 2012
By Leang Delux
Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Teuk Si Iv Khmer

The election for the Senate ended on Sunday afternoon and it was conducted in an atmosphere of calm. That was what Im Suosdey, president of the National Election of Cheaters (NEC), claimed during a press conference that ended not too long ago. Im Suosdey indicated that based on preliminary results, the CPP lead the SRP by a large margin (KI-Media: Wasn’t it a foregone conclusion?). A CPP representative announced that his party received 800 votes from members of other parties.

According the report provided by the NEC, commonly known as the National Election of Cheaters, the CPP received a wide margin of votes over the SRP, even though this is just a temporary result. Furthermore, a CPP representative immediately announced during a press conference held about 1 hour ago that the CPP received 797 votes from members of other parties.

The NEC report indicated that 58 votes were unaccounted for due to people not going to vote. The total number of votes counted was 11,383.

Im Suosdey commented that the atmosphere of the election was calm and the election was conducted smoothly.

អាខ្វាក់ និយាយពីរឿង ចោរជួយបំផ្លាញជាតិ ដែលហៅកាត់ថា គ ជ ប

SAM RAINSY PARTY SCORES SIGNIFICANT VICTORY IN SENATORIAL ELECTIONS

January 29, 2012
The Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) has achieved a notable success in
senatorial elections today, Sunday January 29, with the number of SRP
senators jumping from two to 11.

This result is the latest in a string of electoral successes --
legislative, communal, provincial and senatorial -- since the party's
creation in 1995. The party has again confirmed its place as the
second-largest in Cambodia, and the only political force capable of
mounting a long-term challenge to the Cambodian People's Party (CPP),
in power since 1979.

These senatorial elections are significant in several respects and
should be understood in the following context:

- Only two parties were competing, the CPP and the SRP, the rest being
too small to have a chance of winning a senatorial seat. The SRP is
the only force which can provide a clear alternative to the CPP.

- The CPP controls the national committee that organises the
elections, which makes all kinds of manipulation possible. The CPP
controls all the television stations as well as the country's
administrative machinery, the police, the judiciary, as well as
corrupt sources of finance. It does not hesitate to use these tools to
weaken the SRP by harassment, intimidation and the buying of votes.
This makes the opposition's success today all the more remarkable.

- Sam Rainsy, leader of the SRP, was forced into exile at the end of
2009 after a series of politically motivated judicial decisions. By
“decapitating” the SRP and depriving it of its historic leader in
Cambodia, the CPP thought it could destroy the only opposition of
which it is really afraid. Today's results show, on the contrary, an
SRP that is stronger than ever and a CPP that has lamentably failed in
its anti-democratic effort, already condemned by the
Inter-Parliamentary Union, the European Parliament, human rights
organisations worldwide and numerous friendly governments.

SRP parliamentarians demand reform of the current unjust electoral
system, as recommended by Professor Surya Subedi, United Nations
Special Rapporteur, and the return of Sam Rainsy for the communal
elections of June 2012 and the legislative elections of July 2013, in
accordance with the spirit of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords on
Cambodia.

SRP Members of Parliament

______________________________________________________



29 janvier 2012

SIGNIFICATION DU SUCCES DU PARTI SAM RAINSY AUX ELECTIONS SENATORIALES

Le Parti Sam Rainsy (PSR) vient de remporter un brillant succès aux
élections sénatoriales de ce dimanche 29 janvier 2012. Le nombre de
Sénateurs PSR passe de 2 à 11, soit plus de cinq fois plus que
précédemment.

Ce bon résultat prolonge et confirme la tendance haussière enregistrée
sans discontinuité par le PSR à toutes les élections successives –
législatives, communales, provinciales and sénatoriales – depuis la
création du parti en 1995. C’est ainsi que le PSR conforte
régulièrement sa place de deuxième force politique du Cambodge, se
positionnant nettement comme la seule force d’opposition capable de
remettre en cause, lentement mais sûrement, la domination du Parti du
Peuple Cambodgien (PPC) au pouvoir depuis 1979.

Ces dernières élections sénatoriales sont significatives à plusieurs
égards et leurs résultats doivent être appréciés à la lumière des
faits suivants:

- Deux partis seulement étaient en lice : le PPC et le PSR, les autres
partis étant trop petits pour espérer gagner le moindre siège au
Sénat. Toute alternance politique passe donc par le PSR, ce qui offre
un choix clair pour le peuple cambodgien.


- Le PPC contrôle le comité national qui organise les élections, ce
qui permet toutes sortes de manipulations. Le PPC contrôle en plus
toutes les stations de télévision ainsi que l’appareil administratif,
l’appareil policier, l’appareil judiciaire et le pouvoir de l’argent –
notamment l’argent de la corruption – qu’il n’hésite pas à utiliser à
fond pour affaiblir le PSR à travers harcèlements, intimidations et
achats de votes. Dans ces conditions, le succès remporté aujourd’hui
par l’opposition est encore plus méritant.

- Sam Rainsy, le Président du PSR, a été contraint à l’exil depuis fin
2009 après une série de condamnations judiciaires de caractère
politique par des tribunaux aux ordres. En "décapitant" le PSR et en
le privant de son chef historique au Cambodge, le PPC pensait pouvoir
détruire la seule opposition qu’il craint véritablement. Les résultats
d’aujourd’hui montrent au contraire un PSR plus fort que jamais et un
PPC qui a échoué lamentablement dans sa tentative anti-démocratique
déjà condamnée par l’Union Interparlementaire, le Parlement Européen,
les organisations nationales et internationales de droits de l’homme
et les gouvernements de nombreux pays amis.

Les Parlementaires du PSR réclament une réforme du système électoral
actuellement très injuste, comme le préconise le Professeur Surya
Subedi, Rapporteur Spécial des Nations Unies, et le retour de Sam
Rainsy pour les élections communales de juin 2012 et les élections
législatives de juillet 2013 dans le respect des Accords de Paris de
1991 sur le Cambodge.

Les Parlementaires du PSR