Khmer Intelligence News - 31 January 2007

31 January 2007

No stock market in Cambodia in a foreseeable future (2)

Contrary to several official announcements in a recent past, Cambodia will not be able to set up any stock market in a foreseeable future. Even the South Korean companies the Cambodian authorities had strongly hoped that they would help establish a Bourse in Phnom Penh, have given up the idea because there is no reliable accounting system in Cambodia. Any listed companies would have to present credible financial statements and records over several consecutive years, which is virtually impossible to obtain in a country plagued with corruption and lawlessness.

Vietnam has already developed a relatively small but booming stock market whose value grew 20-fold in 2006 and by over 30 per cent this year, which probably represents the best performance in Asia.

CPP has already won the control of 10 communes before Voting Day (1)

Out of the country's 1,621 communes there are 10 communes situated in the most remote districts of some remote provinces where the Cambodian People's Party is the sole party to have fielded candidates for the commune council election that will take place on April 1 this year. Therefore, the CPP can already be considered as the winner for those 10 communes (6 in Ratanakiri, 2 in Pursat, 1 in Preah Vihear and 1 in Koh Kong province).

The CPP will compete only with the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, giving voters a clear-cut choice in a two-party race, in 12 communes (5 in Phnom Penh, 3 in Kompong Cham, 3 in Mondulkiri and 1 in Kandal province).

The CPP will compete only with the SRP and the Norodom Ranariddh Party, in a 3-party race, in 154 communes where the pro-CPP Funcinpec has not been able to field any candidate. Among the 154 communes, 69 are in Kompong Cham province, 42 in Kandal province and 14 in Phnom Penh.

Ranariddh prolongs self exile (2)

Fearing possible arrest in relation to several criminal lawsuits that have been or could be filed against him (fraudulent sale of the Funcinpec headquarters, dubious contract with a Taiwanese company for the renovation of the Phnom Penh Olympic Stadium, violation of the monogamy law), Prince Norodom Ranariddh is currently prolonging his self exile in Malaysia after staying in France for several weeks. He has recently sent two letters to Prime Minister Hun Sen and tried to call him several times on the phone, but has not received any response.

Jobs and justice versus alms (2)

The CPP is intensifying its electoral campaign based on massive donations in preparation for the commune council election to be held in two months. Money, food and clothes are being distributed to villagers throughout the country by CPP officials who are conducting an unprecedented membership drive. The SRP responds to the CPP propaganda by calling on the people's common sense and their aspirations for justice and a clean society. "They are stealing millions from the country and giving back pennies; take whatever they donate but vote for a new leadership that will fight corruption and provide the jobs you need to live decently [by bringing about an investment-friendly environment to soundly develop the economy while ensuring social justice]."

Click here for full text in Khmer.

[End]

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Cambodia justice 'fails children' [-Gov't spokesman indirectly admits failure]

Child prisoners reportedly suffer beatings from inmates and guards

Wednesday, 31 January 2007

By Guy De Launey
BBC News, Cambodia

Human rights organisations have criticised the way children are treated in Cambodia's justice system.

They say there are hundreds of under-age prisoners in the country's jails and many of them are forced to share cells with adults.

A coalition of local and international groups has called on the government to pass legislation to protect the children.

Conditions in Cambodia's jails are notorious.

There can be as many as 60 inmates in a single cell, food is scarce, and standards of hygiene are poor.

Life is difficult enough for adult prisoners but human rights groups say it is unacceptable that children are sharing the same conditions.

Beatings

There is only one facility in the country designed for juvenile prisoners. The rest of the rising number of under-age detainees have to take their chances with adults.

The local rights organisation, Licadho, says that children have reported beatings from prison officials and fellow-inmates alike.

An official from the United Nations' children's organisation, Unicef, warned that the problem was getting out of hand.

Sandy Feinzig has also been working with the government to introduce a juvenile detention law and a new criminal procedure code.

''This year our hopes are to get these two laws passed, which could do a tremendous amount to reduce the sentences for children, divert them into projects, provide alternatives to sentencing, all of which will lessen the overcrowding in the current prison facilities,'' she says.

The need for reform is clear. This week local newspapers reported that a prisoner in a provincial jail died from a "hunger-related disease".

A government spokesman said it was difficult to justify spending more on food for convicts, when many public sector workers earned just $20 a month.

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Hundreds of children abused in Cambodian jails [-Khieu Sopheak denied the accusations]

Thursday, 1 February 2007

Reuters

PHNOM PENH: Sothon was 10 years old when he first saw the inside of a Cambodian prison.

A street-kid in the booming tourist town of Siem Reap, he had stolen a small roll of electric wire that he hoped to sell for enough money to buy a few bowls of rice.

It cost him a month behind bars.

"I missed my parents. They did not allow me to meet my mother," Sothon, now 11, told a news conference on Wednesday to highlight the plight of the hundreds of children locked up, often for spurious reasons, in the war-scarred southeast Asian nation.

"I had no blanket, no pillow and not enough food to eat," he told reporters from behind a screen to protect his identity.

"Every morning, they forced me to carry water."

Human rights groups and Unicef, the United Nations children's agency, say there are 497 documented cases of children under 18 in provincial jails in Cambodia.

Many of them were abused, said Kek Galabru, director of human rights group Licadho, and as many as 40 per cent had never been tried for their alleged crimes.

Those that had appeared in court were often forced to make false confessions and seldom gained a fair hearing in a notoriously corrupt and arbitrary judicial system. Sentencing of children was also "extremely harsh", Unicef said.

One boy, Heng, was jailed in 2005 as a 12-year-old for raping a 9-year-old girl, although Licadho said the allegations were baseless. Heng's case is now under appeal.

"Children should not be in prison," said Unicef legal consultant Sandy Feinzig. "It is a very serious issue."

The situation, which is compounded by massive prison overcrowding in what is one of Asia's poorest countries, is likely to get worse, she added, due to high poverty and unemployment rates in the 13 million population, half of which is under 18.

Donor countries, which give Phnom Penh around $600 million in aid each year, should push for better legal representation for minors and adequate food and medical facilities for those in detention, she said.

"We have to have more lawyers and we need better facilities. We need better-trained judges and prosecutors to keep children who've committed misdemeanours out of prison."

Government spokesman Khieu Sopheak denied the accusations.

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Rough diamonds [- Global Witness]

Global Witness was set up stop the use of natural resources to fund corruption and human rights abuses. But, as Alison Benjamin discovers, its covert and unconventional methods set it apart from other NGOs

Wednesday January 31, 2007
The Guardian (UK)

A few minutes into Blood Diamond, the Hollywood film staring Leonardo DiCaprio that opened last week in Britain, the action switches from the bloody civil war in Sierra Leone to a G8 summit in Antwerp, where a senior US state department official tells representatives from governments: "According to a devastating report by Global Witness, diamonds are being used to fund the conflict."

The report he refers to is A Rough Trade, which in 1998 exposed the illegal export from war-torn African countries of diamonds that bankrolled rebel groups notorious for mass rape and cutting off hands.

By uncovering the role both of companies and governments in the illicit trade, the report was the first rung in a Global Witness campaign that led to the establishment five years later of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, an international agreement to prevent the trade in conflict diamonds by tracking diamonds from the mines to the jewellers.

Changing the workings of an opaquely-run, billion-dollar industry was the second success for the fledgeling non-governmental organisation (NGO). Founded in London in 1995 by three campaigners - Simon Taylor, Patrick Alley and Charmiane Gooch - to stop the use of natural resources to fund conflict, corruption and human rights abuses, its first investigation exposed the secret timber trade that was funding the Khmer Rouge guerrillas in Cambodia.

Armed with a secret pinhole camera stitched into a bag, fake business cards for a company called Universal Export (a cover stolen from James Bond books and films), a stills camera and a GPS navigation system to pinpoint exact locations, Taylor and Alley drove 8,500km along the Thai-Cambodian border and discovered 18 different companies engaged in a trade that officially did not exist.

Three weeks after Global Witness unveiled evidence of illegal logging exports to Thailand, the border between the two countries was closed, depriving the Khmer Rouge leader, Pol Pot, of $90m a year. Some 13 months later, the Khmer Rouge in that part of Cambodia defected to the government. "We'd cut off their income," Taylor says.

Name and shame

The Global Witness founders met while working for the Environmental Investigation Agency, an offshoot of Greenpeace that conducted undercover investigations into environmental crime. They describe their methodology as gathering detailed, first-hand evidence of the problem, seeking to name and shame those responsible for mismanagement and misappropriation of revenues from natural resources, telling everyone about it in comprehensive reports meticulously checked by teams of lawyers, then following up with relentless lobbying for long-term solutions.

Alex Yearsley, a senior Global Witness campaigner, describes his job as "part undercover cop, lawyer, investigative journalist, TV presenter and chess player". He hands me a fake business card that reads: "Roger Ing, journalist, Central Productions, 46 Charlotte Street, London."

Not taking itself too seriously is clearly one of the ways Global Witness differs from other campaigning organisations. "NGOs can be very grey people in grey suits," Taylor says. It also does not do demos, has no membership base, and does not actively fundraise from the public.

Its first major donor was the Dutch arm of Oxfam. Today, almost half its £2.3m income is from charitable trusts and foundations and 15% from larger NGOs.

What really sets it apart, however, is that investigators double up as lobbyists, briefing policy makers and the media. There are no separate policy wonks or press officers. Taylor explains: "That way, no one can turn round and say: 'But you've not been there, you don't know.'"

Yearsley, for example, briefed the UN security council about the conflict diamond trade he had personally witnessed. "Our niche is to collect irrefutable evidence to force change," Taylor says.

Apart from some mishaps - including smoking cameras, being arrested as tourists and almost having their cover blown by a South African arms dealer - the approach has served them well. Other notable successes include the imposition of UN security council sanctions preventing the import of Liberian timber into member states. This deprived the former Liberian president, Charles Taylor, of vital revenue, and established international recognition of the role of the timber trade in arms trafficking.

The exposure of corruption in oil, mining and gas industries in developing countries, led to the creation of the Publish What You Pay coalition of 300 local NGOs, which in 2003 resulted in the UK government's Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. The EITI aims to stop billions of pounds of revenue from oil, gas and mining in developing countries being siphoned into off-shore bank accounts by increasing transparency in transactions between governments and companies.

Jonathan Winer, former US deputy assistant secretary of state for international law enforcement in the Clinton administration, was contacted by Global Witness when he was trying to set up controls to tackle transnational organised crime. "They [Global Witness] played a catalytic role in moving certification, enforcement and regulatory regimes forward in illicit activity that no government had yet touched, including diamonds, timber and oil," he recalls. Winer now heads the Global Witness US foundation.

Surprisingly, around a third of Global Witness income is from governments. But Alley denies any criticism that it is getting into bed with the enemy. "Being campaign-led, rather than funding-led, means that our independence is never comprised," he argues. "The Department for Trade and Industry did once ask if we'd like to sign a confidentiality clause. We said we wouldn't take the funding under those conditions. No other government has ever tried to impose any restrictions."

Massive shakeup

It would be difficult to see how Global Witness could achieve its goal if it did accept any funding with strings attached. "We want a massive shakeup in the rules for international trade so that natural resources can fund peaceful development and reduce poverty in the world's poorest countries, instead of being asset stripped to fuel wars," Taylor explains. That involves taking on governments, global institutions, companies, financial institutions and the global legal framework.

Asked if other NGOs are becoming part of the problem, Taylor replies: "Some have swallowed the line that forestry concessions for industrial logging can work for local people." But he adds: "We don't want to be seen squabbling among ourselves. I hope to be able to sit down with them."

Global Witness now has 43 staff in London and two based in Washington. It deliberately does not employ local people on the ground. "It would put them in serious danger," Alley says. "We can publish very nasty information and then go." Indeed, Alley and his colleagues are personae non gratae in countries ranging from Cambodia to Angola and Equatorial Guinea. Their enemies are a rogues' gallery of the world's worst despots.

They are none too popular either with the diamond industry, which has spent millions of dollars heading off a potential public relations disaster from the release of Blood Diamond. However, a spokesman for the De Beers diamond company says: "The success of the Kimberley Process is down to the leadership Global Witness has shown in wanting to engage with governments and the diamond industry."

Global Witness has teamed up with Amnesty International to raise awareness, in partnership with the film, that conflict diamonds are still being smuggled into international markets and that the Kimberley Process needs independent monitoring to police compliance.

Last year, Global Witness grew by a fifth to run two new campaigns. One aims to nail individuals responsible for exploiting natural resources; the other to expose the global financial system that is complicit in the exploitation by banking the spoils.

Taylor dislikes any David versus Goliath analogy. He says: "When you have the evidence and strategically place it, size is irrelevant."

Close encounters

Environment and development NGOs come in all shapes and sizes, but some of the best known have recently found themselves in new territory. For the first time, the likes of Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and WWF find themselves not only agreeing with the government and big business but cheering them on. Having leaned on the door of power for so long, it has opened - and they are falling over themselves to kiss their old enemies.

Climate change has brought business, government, and what used to be called pressure groups, together like old buddies. They make almost interchangeable statements, they sit at the same tables, consult each other, shape each other's policies and even swap staff. They now find their old antagonists have not only stolen their ideas but are proposing to run with them further than they would ever imagine.

Many green groups receive significant government funding via action funds and other grants, but it is far worse for international development groups. Some now depend on the government for so much of their operating budgets that they are in danger of becoming their service arm. Some are loth to criticise the Department for International Development, even when they can see money being spent badly.

This cosy world in which NGOs become extensions, or clients, of the government may have started back in 1997, when many NGOs had directors who were so close to New Labour that there was almost no criticism of the government for two years.

The government loves the new, responsible groups and is happy to pay money to the Soil Association, the National Trust, WWF and others. In the words of one former head of a major environment group, it's the "toothless poodle syndrome".

Now NGOs spend more time branding themselves and writing policy papers, and less time campaigning, investigating and holding the powerful to account. The closer they get to business, the more corporate they become.

WWF has partnered loggers, GM soya companies and palm oil plantation owners in the belief that this will stop them ravaging a nation. Other groups take money from banks and oil and car companies. The companies that once feared environment groups now feel safe and hold their chequebooks open.

History suggests that the only time governments or businesses ever really shift is when confronted by their critics or shamed by evidence that exposes and lays bare their policies. When the NGOs start sounding like civil servants and accountants, they might as well disappear.

John Vidal, environment editor

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Spanish Queen To Visit Cambodia

January 31st 2007

DPA

Queen Sophia of Spain will pay an official visit Cambodia on February 8 and 9 at the invitation of Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

The ministry said the queen will and visit Spanish-funded projects and tour the famous Angkor Wat temple complex in the northern city of Siem Reap.

The ministry announced the visit the same day it announced Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Ray would pay a separate state visit to the king, on February 6 and 7.

Calmy-Ray will also meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen, her Foreign Minister counterpart Hor Namhong, inspect Swiss-assisted repairs to the famous Banteay Srei temple at Angkor Wat and visit a children's hospital run by Swiss philanthropist Beat Richner, according to the Foreign Ministry.

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Political Cartoon: Khmer Rouge Trial's Saga

Cartoon by Sacravatoons

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Clear and Convincing Evidence

July 2006

Article written by KA Golden West Press

KI-Media would like to thank the author of the article
for graciously allowing us to publish it here.

Looking at Cambodian historical events in retrospective, regardless of the loss of nearly 3 millions innocent Cambodian lives and Cambodian border violations, Vietnam has incessantly been and is continuing to exploit Cambodia for their national political and security interests. The great powers, on the other hand, appeared to show an intense interest in helping to rebuild Cambodia; however, with their own political agenda, their aid has been mismanaged by the Hun Sen government.

It is noteworthy that since the 1960’s, the great powers had been taken Cambodia for granted and used Cambodia as a pawn for their continuing containment policy in the Southeast Asia Region - to reinforce their communist policy on one side and to anti-communist political ideology on the other side. Both sides, were and continue to recruit other countries to be their allies, provide logistical support, and globalize their economy. As a result, it cost the lives and the well-being of nearly 3 millions innocent Cambodian people who perished, and it was imperative that they decided whether the trouble caused by the Cold War Policy/Vietnam war is still worth the price.

In 1978, using “genocide” as pretext, Vietnam diplomatically proposed to ASEAN that they grant them the authority to invade Cambodia. Despite the unanimously rejection voted by the ASEAN against their political scheme, the Hanoi Government of Vietnam executed their vicious political strategy and illegally invaded Cambodia.

In December 1978, of over a hundred thousand Vietnamese troops with heavily arms included armored units, tanks, and aerial bombardment, and accompanied by the lightly armed and brainwashed paramilitary Khmer Rouge defectors, forced their way into Cambodia. Within two weeks, the Vietnamese troops, not only they had occupied, Phnom Penh, capital city of Cambodia, but also swept their Khmer Rouge counterpart up across Cambodia to the jungle in the Northwestern, Cambodia-Thailand border.

The Hanoi Government with a crafty political blueprint at hand, chose not to inform the international community authorities about the atrocities that they had witnessed after they had completely taken over Cambodia, instead, they resolutely planned their political scheme on how to: (1) frame Pol Pot and among a few other Khmer Rouge leaders as the Angkar Leu of the Higher Organization and (2) issue political propaganda to rake up all the Khmer Rouge leaders to capitulate to the new installed government, and (3) the Hanoi government, as a result, was hoping to bring the Khmer Rouge leaders to trial for their alleged war criminals, crime against humanity, and “genocide”.

For that evidentiary reason, in January 1979, the two Vietnamese military photojournalists, Ho Van Tay and Mai Lam, discovered the corpses of several murdered people at the compound/facility, later was identified as “Tuol Sleng Center”, they then informed their Vietnamese authority in Hanoi, Vietnam. David Chandler, in his book, “Voices from S-21 – Terror and History in Pol Pot’s Secret prison”, page 2-6, has summed up the political manipulation and propaganda ramification by the Vietnamese authorities, which deliberately attempted to organize Tuol Sleng Center as the so-called the “The Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide Crime” for the political purpose of deceiving the Cambodian people as well as the international community:

Sensing the historical importance and the propaganda value of their discovery, the Vietnamese closed off the site, cleaned it up, and began, with Cambodian help, to examine its voluminous archive.

A Cambodian survivor of S-21, Ung Pech, became the director of the museum when it opened in 1980. He held the position for several years and traveled with Mai Lam to France, the USSR, and Eastern Europe in the early 1980s to visit museums and exhibits memorializing the Holocaust. Although Mai Lam remained in Cambodia until 1988, working at Tuol Sleng much of the time, he concealed his “specialist-consultant” role from outsiders, creating the impression that the initiatives for the museum and its design had come from the Cambodian victims rather than from the Vietnamese—an impression that he was eager to correct in his interviews in the 1990’s.

In February or March 1979, Mai Lam, a Vietnamese colonel who was fluent in Khmer and had extensive experience in legal studies and museology, arrived in Phnom Penh. He was given the task of organizing the documents found at S-21 into an archive and transforming the facility into what David Hawk has called “a museum of the Cambodian nightmare.” The first aspect of Mai Lam’s work was more urgent than the second. It was hoped that documents found at the prison could be introduced as evidence in the trials of Pol Pot and Ieng Sary, DK’s minister of foreign affairs, on charges of genocide. These took place in Phnom Penh in August 1979. Although valuable information about S-21 was produced at the trials, none of the documents in the archive provided the smoking gun that the Vietnamese and PRK officials probably hoped to fine. No document linking either Pol Pot or Ieng Sary directly with orders to eliminate people at S-21 has ever been discovered, although the lines of authority linking S-21 with the Party Center (mochhim pak) have been established beyond doubt.

In addition, “The Lost Executioner – A Journey to the Heart of the Killing Fields”, on page 184-185, Nic Dunlop is offered valuable political and conspiratorial information relevant to the “genocide”, which implicates the Hanoi government showing their deliberately attempt to deceive the international community.

There were plans to begin one, hence by Van Tay. Cambodians had only known the leadership as the Organization and not who was behind it; most knew nothing beyond their cooperatives. Ironically it was the Vietnamese, one of the sworn enemies of the Khmer Rouge, who personalized the regime. Democratic Kampuchea became ‘the Pol Pot time’.

By drawing on the parallels with the Nazi death camps, the Tuol Sleng museum was organized as a deliberate attempt to distance the Vietnamese from their former allies the Khmer Rouge. They wanted to vilify the Khmer Rouge and its leaders still further as part of a propaganda war to justify their invasion. Visitors to the museum were encouraged to think of the Vietnamese as akin to the liberators of Europe’s concentration camps.

There was no text narrating progress from room to room. Visitors viewed the museum through a series of images and objects. The intention was to provoke outrage through a primarily sensory experience rather than to enlighten. The Cold War was at its height and, for many in the West, Tuol Sleng was a propaganda tool for a regime that had seized power through an illegal invasion.

All museums are manipulations. Apart from the map made of skulls created by the Vietnamese, the raw displays were graphic and chilling and, although inaccurate in form, were real in substance. The atrocitious nature of the place itself was hard to contrive. The fact that visitors were being manipulated and that the information on display was there to serve a political purpose seemed to pale in comparison when faced with such overwhelming viciousness.

When the United Nations withdrew from Cambodia in 1994, the war between the Hun Sen government and the Khmer Rouge was still intensified in the Northwestern Cambodia. The United Nations had spent 2 plus billion dollars to help rebuild Cambodia, especially, to restore order and to promote justice and monitor fair elections. However, when the United Nations left, Cambodia had to dig her way out of internal social as well as international political issues. There was a lack of security, government safety nets, and especially, the lack of highly qualified appointed representatives in the government administrations. Inevitably, Cambodia fell to the hands of a small notorious groups who had been practicing grafts, human rights violations, and human, arms, and drug trafficking, poverty, child labor, prostitution, land grabbing, deforestation, and serious health issues (HIV/AIDS). Internationally, Cambodia also has to deal with the four plus million illegal Vietnamese immigrants that are already living inside Cambodia and hundreds, if not thousands, which are coming freely into Cambodia everyday, and the illegal border encroachment by the Hanoi government.

Given this golden opportunity and having had their men well-trained and experienced in military combat already positioned on Cambodia soil, the Hanoi Government had the best opportunity to map out their conspiratorial frameworks and politically strategy on how to build the case against Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge regime. So as part of the political scheme, the Hanoi government imposed on their puppet government to carry out the plans: 1) to outlaw the Khmer Rouge – the purpose of which was to weaken the Khmer Rouge by breaking up their movement, 2) amnesty to be given to the Khmer Rouge soldiers who would choose to surrender to the installed government, and 3) some of the Khmer Rouge defectors would also be rewarded with promotions within the ranks of the Cambodian army.

In 1997, having had the United Nations to help and win as the politically neutral and national reconciliation and unity figures, the two co-Prime Ministers, Hun Sen and Prince Rannaridh engaged in intense negotiations to set up a tribunal to try the former Khmer Rouge leaders. However, due to their disagreements reflecting on their political interests, the tribunal process had never got off the ground.

So as the talks about the tribunal continued, in 1998, Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea and with a small group of their Khmer Rouge comrades acquiesced to the puppet government. As part of the political negotiations, Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea were given amnesty and were freely to live in Cambodia, and at the same time, some of their comrades were also given position in the Hun Sen government army.

The Hanoi government had successfully captured two important Khmer Rouge commanders, who had allegedly been involved in the murder of thousands of innocent Cambodian people. The Vietnamese wanted to serve their political interests by putting up some key piece of evidences in the tribunal and to profess to the world that the two alleged war criminal suspects were, in fact, the masterminds behind the mass murder of innocent Cambodian people during the period from 1975-1979. The two alleged war criminal suspects were Ta Mok (the butcher) and Kaing Guek Eav (alias Comrade Duch). Both were arrested in early 1999. Since then, they were being detained and serving time in the same military detention center, Tuol Sleng district of Phnom Penh, waiting for trial.

Voila! Even a Genie could not have granted better wishes or predicted better result. The appropriate term use to describe this political maneuver is the, “3-Hole Cylindrical Fish-Trap”. The Truo Preus Bi in Khmer, which is commonly used by Khmer farmers to trap all kinds of fish, big or small, in the rice paddy fields when water rises or recedes. The Hanoi Government, as planned, had finally auspiciously rounded up all the Khmer Rouge leaders and their comrades, like cowboys round up a herd of cows to go into the corral.

Seven years after the initial talks about the tribunal, in October of 2004, the Hun Sen Government under the Hanoi government’s political domination formed an agreement with the United Nations to try the surviving Khmer Rouge leaders. It was clear that the Hanoi government was in cooperation with the puppet government and had utilized the seven-year delayed to strategize their political objection and in fact, by 1999, they trapped all the Khmer Rouge leaders. And now that the Khmer Rouge leaders are in their cylindrical fish-trap, the green light is on for tribunal.

The tribunal is set to go and the national and international judicial officers have recently sworn in, but not without the great disappointment, especially, for the Cambodian people. The Khmer Rouge tribunal will be conducted using Cambodian judicial systems rather than the international judicial standard. The legal experts, Human rights organizations, and the public have raised important legal and political concerns about this tribunal that is set to convene: (1) it would be subject to political bias, corruption, and manipulation, (2) it would be likely to go on for more than three years and by then the alleged war criminal suspects would probably be dead (due to old ages, medical problems, and/or to “mysterious” death while in jail because of the lack of proper witness protection programs), and the court would have no verdict to render to the Cambodian people other than the verdict of “no verdict” due to “technical errors”, and (3) therefore, real justice would not be forthcoming and the victims, once again, would have left with nothing but their painful memories.

For more than 30 years, the hope and dream for justice that we the victims have been waiting for is finally in the hands of those thirty judges. Although, this tribunal is set to focus on political implications and legal issues within the specific window periods (i.e., war criminal activities, crimes against humanity, and political implication that led to the death of nearly 1.7 million Cambodian people from 1975 to 1979), let’s hope the legal issue of “following orders” would come up during the trial. Although the prosecution teams may have objected to the issues of “following orders” raised by the defense counsels and the judges may have sustained the objection due to irrelevant and/or speculations, but it would be very an eye-opening for the world to at least hear from the mouths of those alleged war criminals testifying in court, “I was following orders from the Angkar Leu of the Higher Organization”. Kaing Guek Eav (alias Comrade Duch) confessed during the interviewed by Nate and Nic in Samlaut, April 1999, “Once you were given an order by the Organization, you couldn’t refuse.” Most importantly, it would be a very important testimony that could lead to the questions as to whom were the real Angkar Leu (Higher Organization) that slaughtered nearly 1.7 million innocent Cambodian people from 1975-1979.

Based on my infinitesimal legal and political observation on Khmer Rouge tribunal, regardless the result of the verdict “guilty” or “not guilty”, we, Cambodians, have already lost. We lost since the 1960’s, when the 14 SEATO Nations and the great powers denied our requested to recognize our country, Cambodia, as an independent, neutral, and territorial integrity. For most Cambodian survivors who had never seen the true light of justice for more than 30 years, the tribunal is all their only hope for closure. As for me, the Khmer Rouge tribunal is so complex and cryptic – political-motivated and manipulated as well as internationally controversial, which even the great powers would neither acknowledge nor to get involved in. Thus, what is left is our courage and conviction. We Cambodian people should come together and continue to use democratic and non-violent principles to fight for justice, peace, and freedom, and at the same time let’s we all pick up what is left and build for our Kuon Khmer future generations to come because there are many great challenges ahead of us. I personally believe a true road to a more stable, peaceful, and free for Cambodia would be for us, to bring in all the resources that we now have to help rebuild our beloved Cambodia.

Henceforth, let’s make no mistake! There is nothing affirmative about the future of Cambodia, but for the past four decades we have learned important lessons that we, Cambodians, could to prevent a similar atrocity from happening again in the future. We have also learned what really happens when the final decision in matters of war and peace is left solely in the hands of a few corrupt and ruthless dictators/political leaders. In our history, there has never been a better time, at least since the time I was born, for Cambodian people to examine the facts and to exercise our democratic right to be heard. Although, we still have one important question that remains to be answered, “How can we, the Cambodian people, best save Cambodia from future wars that could lead to another Killing Fields and lose of our territory?” The Cambodian people in this early 21st Century of democracy should at least have the power to participate in the most important decisions of our future.

Finally, it is time we recognize that ours loses were tragic and unfortunate that led to nearly 3 million deaths of our innocent Cambodian people and “possible” lost of territory (i.e. territory that was illegally encroached by Vietnamese and the 2005 “Unconscionability” Cambodian-Vietnam Border Treaty). Frankly, we would be dishonored the memory of our Khmer people who were viciously murdered, died of starvation, and illnesses under that “mysterious” regime and by the Vietnamese invasion if we now give way to feelings of “apathy”. Every one of our beloved Khmer people who had lost their lives during that dark times, deserve our gratitude, our respect, and our continuing concern.

Sources and Supplemental Readings:

David Chandler (1999): Voices from S-21 – Terror and History in Pol Pot’s Secret Prison

David P. Chandler (1991): The Tragedy of Cambodian History – Politics, War, and Revolution since 1945

Nic Dunlop (2005): The Lost Executioner – A Journey to the Heart of the Killing Fields

http://www.aiipowmia.com/sea/nurouge.html

http://www.washingtontimes.com/commentary/20040502-121032-5549r.htm

http://amekhmer.free.fr/index_files/1photo-choc1/K5-en.htm

http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/99jan22/inter.htm#5

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Cambodia's infamous motorbike taxi drivers to learn their lessons

Jan 31, 2007

DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodia's cavalier motorbike taxi drivers, or motodops, are to be provided with a school to try to reign in their notoriously dangerous driving, an official said Wednesday.

Ung Chung Hour, director of the Land Transport Department of the nation's Transport Ministry, said media reports detailing litanies of dangerous and sometimes drunken exploits of motodops who understand little about road rules and care about them even less had prompted him to set up a school.

'The school will teach them how to drive for free. However, at the end of the course, they will have to pay about 10 dollars to sit an exam and receive a license,' Chung Hour said.

'The idea is to encourage them to do a driving course before they start their business, the same as in more modern countries. I will be very happy if the idea runs smoothly, and I have asked the government for financial assistance to get it started.'

At least one private company has also already donated chairs for the budding students and will provide the licenses for those who pass, he added, and he hopes aid organizations will also help.

Chung Hour has tailored his own course, including writing the lessons himself. The course will cover basic road rules as well as safety modules on issues such as effects of drinking and driving in a country where prosecution for the offense is unknown.

'I want to make a difference. I want to make an achievement to public safety that is remembered,' Chung Hour said.

There are no statistics for the number of motodops operating in Cambodia at any one time as they are not licensed and there are currently no restrictions on who can up take the occupation.

The streets of major towns and cities are filled with motorbikes offering the cheap door-to-door moto taxi service and it is a popular way for provincial people seeking work in the capital to earn an interim living after they arrive.

News of the course was met with indifference by motodops surveyed Wednesday, many of whom saw it as an additional tax and worried that time spent in the classroom would take away from time that could be spent earning money.

But the rapidly increasing road toll has become a cause of concern to the government as roads improve and traffic increases, and there is increasing pressure to improve road safety measures from both the government and concerned non-government agencies.

These concerns could be at least partially allayed by ensuring taxi drivers know the rules of the road, according to Chung Hour, who says his free course will soon be followed by tougher measures.

'The course begins in February. After six months or so, when we know how long it takes to teach, we will look at imposing fines for drivers who do not have a license,' he said.

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Cambodia hosts Corps for first time

1/31/07

By Rachael Moreau
The Daily Reveille (Louisiana State University, LA, USA)

Molly Sheffield, University alumna, is taking 27 months of her life to live in a remote area of the world and work in less-than-desirable conditions for no pay.

Sheffield is one of 30 Peace Corps volunteers who left today for Cambodia.

According to a news release by the Peace Corps, Cambodia is the 139th country to host volunteers. This is the first time Cambodia will host Peace Corps volunteers.

"The primary goal of this first group will be education," said Shannon Borders, Peace Corps public affairs specialist.

In Cambodia, Sheffield will serve as an English teacher supporting and teaching local teachers.

"Molly's work and education experience indicated that she would be a very strong education volunteer. She automatically qualified," said Michael Salazar, Peace Corps regional coordinator.

According to another Peace Corps news release, Sheffield was involved in many volunteer organizations while at the University. She volunteered frequently with Chapel on the Campus, tutoring international students in English. Sheffield also studied abroad and later went to Asia.

"I've always had a passion for other cultures, and that encouraged me to pursue my degree in international relations," Sheffield said in a news release.

According to the news release, the volunteers will also work on "community-initiated programs, the promotion of life skills and the achievement of sustainable community activities."

Salazar said Sheffield had to be cleared on many different levels in order to finally be admitted into the Peace Corps program.

Once Sheffield arrives in Cambodia, she will "spend three months in intensive training where she will learn the language, have cross-cultural training as well as learn more technical skills to help her be more proficient in her profession," Borders said.

After completion of her training, Sheffield will be officially sworn in as a Peace Corps volunteer on April 4, 2007, and begin her two years of work in Cambodia.

-----
Contact Rachael Moreau at rmoreau@lsureveille.com

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Cambodian airline to open Wuhan-Siem Reap direct service

January 31, 2007

Cambodia's Angkor Airways is to launch a direct flight between the central Chinese city of Wuhan and Siem Reap, home of Cambodia's famous Angkor temples from Feb. 12.

Lin Hua, of the Tianhe Airport in Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, said the airline would operate a regular service every six days between Feb. 12 and March 10, before raising the number to two flights per week.

The flight would take three hours and 40 minutes one way, Lin said.

The flight would depart Siem Reap at 9:40 a.m. local time and land in Wuhan at 2:20 p.m. local time, and the return flight would depart at 3:20 p.m., Lin said.

"The new international flight will boost the tourism cooperation between Cambodia and central China's regions," Lin said.

Angkor Airways also planned to open a direct service between Wuhan and Phnom Penh before the traditional Chinese Spring Festival which falls on Feb. 18, said Zheng Min, a senior executive of the company's China office.

Last year, the company launched a direct flight between Phnom Penh and the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, and between Siem Reap and the southwestern city of Kunming, she said.

"Ever since, Chinese tourists to Angkor have been increasing," she said.

Source: Xinhua

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Hunger Cited in Death of Jailed Hilltribe Man

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

By Kuch Naren
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

A hilltribe minority man, jailed for almost a year without trial for allegedly destroying property on a Mondolkiri province land concession, died Monday of hunger-related complications, hospital and rights workers said.

A human rights worker in the province said Tuesday the death was the result of neglect at Mondolkiri Provincial Prison. A high-ranking prison official said he would investigate the matter.

Nhoeth Thy, 47, a member of the Phnong ethnic minority from Pou Trou village in O’Reang district's Sen Monorom commune, died at 10 am, according to Nou Somethea, a doctor at Sen Monorom Referral Hospital.

Nhoeth Thy was pale and suffering from a severe protein deficiency when he arrived at the hospital at 9:30 am, Nou Somethea said.

The prisoner convulsed and died 30 minutes after arriving at the hospital, the doctor said adding that hospital staff were unable to revive the man.

Nou Somethea said he suspected the detainee had also contracted malaria, which may have brought on a blood disorder called hemolysis, in which red blood cells degenerate rapidly.

"There was no torture involved in the death," he added.

Em Veasna, an investigator for the human rights NGO Vigilance, who visited the prisoner in hospital, said Nhoeth Thy had been left to die by prison authorities.

"This is absolutely the mistake of prison guards who neglected to provide medical treatment and supply enough food for prisoners," he said. "Prison guards failed to send the victim to hospital, which aggravated the victim's sickness, and he could not survive."

Mondolkiri Provincial Prison Director Ang Kimleng could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Prison guard Prum Vanna, who accompanied Nhoeth Thy to hospital, said Tuesday that hunger was a problem at his prison but said the detainee had only begun to have stomach problems Sunday evening.

Two other prisoners are also being treated at the hospital for other hunger-related sicknesses, Prum Vanna said, adding that Nhoeth Thy may have been underfed but had not starved to death.

"That prisoner never had any sickness in prison before because he could work, walk and exercise well," he said.

Nhoeth Thy was arrested early last year and held without trial after being accused of burning grasslands which resulted in the destruction of trees on the Wuzhishan pine tree plantation, according to Em Veasna.

Nhoeth Thy had also protested against the plantation, according to Sam Sarin, provincial coordinator for the rights group Adhoc.

"Only one villager was arrested last year over the allegation of destroying the company's pine trees," he said.

Heng Hak, the newly appointed director-general of the Prison Secretariat, which was created earlier this month, said Tuesday that he had not yet been informed of the death but that he would investigate.

"I haven't received information about this case yet, but I realize that there is some problem with the food supply because the prisoners in each prison used to get only [$0.25] per day [in food]," Heng Hak said.

"Recently the government increased the food per diem to [$0.38] so we can help them a little right now with the food supply," he said.

"I will investigate this case to verify whether he died because our food supply was not enough to feed him," he said

Cambodia's notorious prisons have consistently been criticized over poor conditions and the mistreatment of inmates.

Video footage obtained in August appeared to show police special forces gunning down unarmed prisoners, at least eight of whom were killed, in the June 18 siege at Battambang Provincial Prison. Prison officials claimed at the time that the inmates had committed suicide with a grenade.

Violent suppression of a March 2005 siege at Kompong Cham province's CC3 prison left 17 inmates dead. Prison officials later denied that unarmed inmates had been gunned down despite published newspaper photographs, which appeared to show handcuffed bodies in the prison.

Interior Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Khieu Sopheak said Tuesday that his ministry was making sustained efforts to improve conditions for inmates, such as allowing exercise, vocational training and agriculture programs.

Food for prison inmates, however, had to compete with other needs, such as the low salaries of Interior Ministry officials, some of whom make as little as $20 a month.

"I think that [between whether] to increase the amount of money for the prisoners [or] to increase the salary of government officials, the government must be top priority," he said.

"If we take the blanket to cover our feet, our heads will be cold. If we cover our heads, our feet will be cold. That is the situation today."

(Additional reporting by Douglas Gillison.)

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Defendant Must Appear Once for KR Trial To Proceed

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

By Erika Kinetz and Pin Sisovann
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

The Khmer Rouge tribunal's rules committee has tentatively agreed that trials will be permitted if a defendant appears in court at least once, and that victims can participate as civil parties to the court, sources close to the tribunal said Tuesday.

By the end of its two-week deliberations Friday, the nine Cambodian and international judges on the rules committee had agreed in principle that if a defendant appears in court once or more, a trial may proceed, three people close to the court said on condition of anonymity.

In addition, the committee has tentatively agreed that victims will be allowed to file claims as civil parties to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, but financial compensation has been ruled out, another person close to the court said.

Helen Jarvis, the ECCC's chief of public affairs, declined comment Tuesday on the question of trials in absentia and the participation of civil parties, and said she could not comment further on the rules committee's discussions.

The committee failed to reach a final agreement on the rules Friday, and will meet to continue its negotiations in March.

Several international legal experts Tuesday said the provisional agreements are consistent with international legal norms.

But Kek Galabru, president of local rights group Licadho, said there needs to be assurance that defendants spend more than one day in the dock.

"Why only one time? They should come all the time," she said.

The conditions under which a defendant might be allowed to leave the courtroom after a single appearance remain unclear.

"The only way this would be a problem is if they brought someone to trial but didn’t arrest them and the person fled," one legal observer said on condition of anonymity.

Local rights group Adhoc, among others, has argued that permitting individual victims to file civil claims will add to the breadth of the trial.

Youk Chang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, said compensating individuals for the crimes of the Khmer Rouge was "impossible," but urged the court to examine the assets of the regime's former leaders.

"There's so much money that has been routed to the Khmer Rouge, by China, for example," he said.

"If those assets can be located and used for a public monument it could be beneficial."

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Child-Rapist Gets 15 Years; Youngest Victim Was 6

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

By Chhay Channyda and Elizabeth Tomei
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

A former children's NGO worker was sentenced to 15 years in prison for raping four young girls in Pursat province, one of whom was around 6 years old when the attacks started, officials said Tuesday.

Pursat Provincial Court Judge Son Neatheavy said that Oeu Yoeum, 55, was also ordered at his trial Thursday to pay $1,500 in compensation to his four victims, now aged between 8 and 13.

Oeu Yoeum was arrested and confessed in May 2006, after mothers of the girls complained to police, said Sy Kiry, deputy provincial police chief. The oldest of the girls, who is now 13, said Oeu Yoeum began raping her in 2000, Sy Kiry added.

Ven Lonn, provincial monitor with local rights group Licadho, said that Oeu Yoeum was a part-time employee at the Light of Children aid organization in Talou commune's Tuol Thmar village located in Bakan district, where he and all four girls lived.

"He was a friendly guy in the village, so villagers liked and trusted him," Ven Lonn said. "He threatened the girls not to tell their parents, otherwise they would be killed," he said, adding that Oeu Yoeum raped the children repeatedly, often in their houses or at his own.

Contact details for the Light of Children organization were unavailable Tuesday.

Ven Lonn added that the girls are currently receiving care from a reputable aid organization in Phnom Penh.

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60 macaque monkeys caught taking taxi out of Stun Sen

Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Taxi Driver Caught With 60 Monkeys in Backseat

By Kay Kimsong and Elizabeth Tomei
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

More than 60 macaque monkeys discovered in the back of a taxi are being held in Kompong Thom province while officials try to determine whether they were being transported illegally, officials said.

The 64 macaques were confiscated in Stung Sen district Jan 23 and are now being held at the Kompong Svay district forestry office, said Chea Chan Thoeun, the office's deputy chief.

"We have to keep the monkeys for evidence," he said.

Police confiscated the primates from a driver carrying photocopied government documents stating that a breeding farm in Kompong Cham province's Cheung Prey district had permission to buy monkeys, he said. The farm breeds and sells monkeys for medical research purposes, he added.

But officials are concerned that the documents may have been forged. They also suspect that the monkeys were being illegally smuggled, either by the farm, which may have wanted more monkeys than it was officially allowed, or to Vietnam, Chea Chan Thoeun said.

He declined to provide the contact information for the farm in question.

There were originally 67 macaques, but three of them have died at the office because they were young and sick, Chea Chan Thoeun said. The driver of the vehicle, who was carrying the monkeys in sacks, was not arrested.

Nev Broadis, animal husbandry specialist at environmental NGO WildAid, said WildAid is ensuring the macaques are cared for while they are held at the forestry office, though he did not elaborate.

Nick Marx, also an animal husbandry specialist at WildAid, said illegally traded macaques can fetch about $90 each.

"There's a huge illegal trade," he said.

He added that the officials in Kompong Svay are trying their best to look after the primates, but that the odds are ultimately against them.

"They're doing great work confiscating more wildlife, but they don't have the facilities [to care for the monkeys]," he said.

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Retired King Seeks Jobs for Repatriated Women [- One China Policy detrimental to help for abused women]

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

By Yun Samean and Douglas Gillison
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

Retired King Norodom Sihanouk has requested that the government find work for any Cambodian women repatriated at his expense after being forced into prostitution or left homeless in foreign countries. In a handwritten note—added to a letter—the retired King asks the National Assembly, the Senate and the government to find "honorable employment" for the women that the retired King offered to have flown back to Cambodia in a statement Saturday. National Assembly First Deputy Resident Nguon Nhel said that he supports the retired King's decision to transport the women home, but added that it could be difficult for destitute Cambodians living in Taiwan to return because of Cambodia's lack of diplomatic relations with the island state.

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General Khieng Savorn released due to poor health, Mu Sochua demands for all charges against him to be dropped

Wednesday, January 31, 2007
RCAF General Released on Bail in Battambang

By Saing Soenthrith and John Maloy
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

Battambang Provincial Court on Monday released on bail the second of three RCAF generals arrested earlier this month on suspicion of involvement in organized crime. Brigadier-General Khieng Savorn, a member of the SRP’s steering committee, was released on bail due to poor health, said his lawyer Kim Meng. Kong Naren, Battambang prison chief, said he had a release letter from investigating judge In Sophors allowing the release, which was guaranteed by his lawyer. SRP Secretary-General Mu Sochua said that the general's deteriorating health proves he wasn’t involved in organized crime. "We want all charges to be dropped," she added.

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UNHCR Awaits Gov't OK For Montagnard Mission

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

By Douglas Gillison
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

Two weeks have elapsed since the UN High Commissioner for Refugees asked the government to allow a joint mission to retrieve 10 Montagnard asylum seekers from the jungles of Ratanakkiri province, a spokeswoman for the UN agency said Tuesday. "We're waiting for a green light from the government," Inge Sturkenboom said. Foreign Ministry Secretary of State Long Visalo did not comment. Adhoc's provincial coordinator in Ratanakkiri, Pen Bonnar, said the 10 are in two groups of four and six. Sturkenboom also said Tuesday that three Montagnard women, three men and five children had traveled to UNHCR’s offices Jan 24 and had begun seeking asylum.

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Council of Ministers May Allow Civil Servants To Extend Service [- Son Chhay: Gov't should be trying to reduce the number of aging officials]

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

By Yun Samean and John Maloy
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

The Council of Ministers is considering a proposed decree that would ensure the right of civil servants to be promoted just before they retire, thereby deferring their official retirement age by two years, officials said Tuesday.

Low-ranking government officials are currently required by law to retire at 58, but medium- and high-ranking officials can continue in their positions until they are 60.

Many low-ranking officials are currently being refused promotion as they approach 58, said Touch Seang Tana, undersecretary of state at the Council of Ministers, but the draft decree would change this.

The proposed legislation states that age should not be taken into consideration when promoting somebody.

This would eliminate the barrier to promotion, Touch Seang Tana said, and give an extra two years of service to people the government finds useful. "We just want to give a fair chance to all the people," he said

Some civil servants currently continue to work for the government after retirement, but as paid consultants, Touch Seang Tana added.

CPP lawmaker Nguon Nhel said that all civil servants must retire by 60, but some with "special skills or knowledge" are allowed to hang on to their positions after this. These officials are paid "special bonuses" for their expertise, he said, but did not elaborate.

The government should be trying to reduce the number of aging officials in Cambodia's corpulent civil service, rather than lengthening their contracts, SRP lawmaker Son Chhay said.

Elderly and often under-qualified civil servants are employed in nearly every government institution and ministry, despite the country having plenty of better-educated young people who can’t find work, he said.

Koul Panha, director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections, said that the compulsory retirement age is commonly ignored already, particularly in the case of high-ranking officials.

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Political Cartoon: Dalai Lama & One CHINA policy

Cartoon by http://sacrava.blogspot.com

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Former KR Families Will Honor Regime's Ambush Victims

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

By Kay Kimsong
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

More than 100 former Khmer Rouge families living around Phnom Voar in Kampot province will hold a Buddhist ceremony on Thursday to honor at least 10 Cambodians and three Westerners killed in a 1994 Khmer Rouge train ambush, officials said. The ceremony will also honor thousands of villagers from the area who died during the Khmer Rouge regime, said Keo Kim, chief of Dang Tong district's Sre Chea Khang Choeung commune. Invitations to the ceremony have been sent to the parents of the Australian, British and French victims and to their embassies in Phnom Penh, said Chen Chanrathana, president of Phnom Voar Development Community, the NGO organizing the ceremony. So far, only the French Embassy has confirmed attendance, he said. The ceremony will take place at Snach Prey Baramei Phnom Voar, a wat that was turned into a prison by the Khmer Rouge, according to Dien Dy, who is bringing more than 90 monks from Phnom Penh to attend the ceremony.

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Theft of $12,000 cash carried by CPP MP reveals that she is also moonlighting at a private school

Wednesday, January 31, 2007
School Payroll Stolen From CPP Lawmaker's Purse

By Chhay Channyda
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

A thief relieved CPP lawmaker Khuon Sodary of $12,000 in cash on Tuesday morning while the female parliamentarian attended a conference on administrative reform at a Phnom Penh hotel, police said. Khuon Sodary left her cash-filled handbag unattended during a bathroom break at the conference for National Assembly and Senate members, and when she returned the cash was gone, police said. "She left her seat for the restroom, leaving her black handbag on her chair," said Song Ly, Phnom Penh's minor crime police chief. Contacted by telephone, Khuon Sodary said the wedge of money was the January payroll for a private school where she works but which she declined to name. "Coming back, I saw my bag was moved to another seat," she said, adding that she felt she was in safe company. Khuon Sodary said she had filed a complaint with the Interior Ministry over the theft.

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Saddam Execution Bad Omen for ECCC, Former Khmer Rouge Say

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

By Thet Sambath and Erica Kinetz
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

BANTEAY MEANCHEY PROVINCE – For many former Khmer Rouge cadres in the border districts of Malai and Pailin municipality, the recent trial and execution of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has come to serve as a miserable yardstick of international justice. And thanks to the televised images of a harangued Saddam seconds from death on the gallows, a troubling new image hovers over the work of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.

The majority of those interviewed in these former rebel strongholds sharply questioned the quality of justice the Khmer Rouge tribunal is likely to deliver and many said they would rather the ECCC not proceed.

The first lesson of the Iraq Special Tribunal, several former Khmer Rouge members said, is that a trial for crimes committed in the past does not guarantee peace and reconciliation today.

The execution of Saddam only added fuel to the fire of war in Iraq, said Keut Sothea, deputy governor of Pailin municipality.

Keeping in mind the religious and political factionalism that has sundered Iraq, Keut Sothea said the ECCC should proceed with caution. "There should not be discrimination against the Khmer Rouge," he added.

When asked why he thought the Khmer Rouge tribunal has faced so many delays and obstacles, Long Narin, who worked at Democratic Kampuchea's Foreign Ministry under minister Ieng Sary, said that Prime Minister Hun Sen knows what’s best for the country.

"Hun Sen thinks about what is good and not good for this trial," Long Narin said. "For example, if you have a trial and people are not happy and they protest, what will they do to them? Use the police. Then there will be a problem."

Though technically a domestic court, the Iraqi court is widely perceived by former Khmer Rouge to have been stage-managed by the US, which has thus deepened skepticism of Cambodia's tribunal.

Jeff Daigle, US Embassy spokesman, said speculation about US control of the Iraqi court was unfounded. 'The trial was completely in the hands of the Iraqis," he said. "It was an Iraqi process."

But former cadres such as Phe Tha, 47, are not convinced by such denials and also unconvinced that the tribunal in Phnom Penh won’t be a similar exercise in victor's justice.

"Right now, the weak people are always wrong. The strong people are always right," he said.

Despite their unease and mistrust of the ECCC, the only fight left in the former rebel zones these days is the struggle to make a living.

"The Khmer Rouge had many wars," said Sear Mot, 55, a former cadre who owns a carpenter's shop in Pailin. "It’s enough."

Beneath the peace that has come to the former rebel areas on the border, the image of a beautiful, lost revolution, presided over by men who made mistakes but loved their people, still burns quietly.

The Khmer Rouge, said Long Narin, created more than a killing machine; they launched a strike against US imperialism.

"It was also an idea, a protest," he said of the Khmer Rouge revolution and the Democratic Kampuchea regime it fostered. "People forget that," he added "Now it is just about killing."

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Heng Samrin is wooing Russia with Cambodian oil

31/01/2007
Russia eyes Cambodia's potential oil wealth Cambodia

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Cambodia says Russia has joined a number of foreign powers eyeing Cambodia's petroleum reserves.

The President of Cambodia's National Assembly, Heng Samrin, says Russian officials have expressed interest in oil exploration off Cambodia's southern coast.

The expression of interest came during a recent meeting of regional legislators.

He says while Cambodia welcomes Russia's overtures, no firm agreement has been made.

Two years ago, petroleum was discovered by US energy giant Chevron Corporation off Cambodia's coast.

Since then, firms from France, South Korea and Japan are reportedly seeking exploration licenses.

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The Sangkum Reastr Niyum (SRN) and the Anti-Sihanouk [people]

Translated from French by Luc Sâr

The Sangkum Reastr Niyum (SRN) and the Anti-Sihanouk [people]

By N. Sihanouk
Beijing, January 14, 2007

Being almost 86-year-old, I believe that I will die soon. Under this condition, it is “normal” that I often pour out my feelings on my past.

I founded the SRN because of my love for my Homeland, Cambodia, and for her People.

My enemies are saying that it was in reality for my love of Power. After their putsch dated March 18, 1970, the Lonnolians and Sirikmatakians sentenced me to death for “ultra-corruption.”

My worst enemy, Sim Var, following this death sentence by a Lon Nol Tribunal, did not hesitate to write, black on white, in his newspaper which quickly became a “reference,” that under the reign of the Lonnolians, his dear “Khmer Republic” was 100 (one hundred) times more corrupt (sic!) than the SRN “under the reign” of N. Sihanouk.

They sentenced me to death with the confiscation of all my wealth and my Cambodian citizenship.

My wealth? When I was Head of State of Cambodia, my salary amounted to only 80,000 riels per month [approx. US$ 2,700 in the 60s]. And my houses in O Chhoeu Teal, near Sihanoukville, and in Pich Nil (on National Road 4), could only be built through cash donations by H.M. the Queen, my Mother. Later on, I offered the ownership of these 2 villas (O Chhoeu Teal and Pich Nil), as well as my birth home (Teak Sen Phirum) located near the Independence Monument, to the Cambodian State.

The royal villas located in Kirirom belong to the Khmer State.

As for my bank accounts, they are zero in Switzerland, and zero in the UK, in contradiction to the accusations made by the like of In Tam.

Currently (2007), my “estate” in a French bank and in a Chinese bank amounts, in total, to about US$ 150,000 (one hundred and fifty thousand).

Lon Nol, Sirik Matak, Cheng Heng and Co. only knew, before their putsch, the high point of [their] honors, rank and money, thanks to the SRN.

They shot down the SRN and dragged it to the mud, with the help of the like of Bernard Hamel, Charles Meyer, etc…, because the SRN, being one hundred times less corrupt than their “Khmer Republic” – from the (written) confession of Sim Var itself – prevented them to push [too] far their corruption and fought “with too much ardor and seriousness” against all form of corruption. And since the Lon Nol, Sirik Matak, Sim Var, Cheng Heng, Trinh Hoanh, and the like, only dreamt of selling Cambodia to the super powerful and rich USA in order to bring in all kinds of benefits for themselves, these Anti-Sihanouk [people] ended up tolerating the survival of the SRN whose sacred mission was to safeguard at all cost the total independence of the Homeland, its neutrality and territorial integrity.

Last but not least, the Anti-Sihanouk [people] considered as an “unforgivable crime” the choice of Buddhist Socialism, i.e. pro-Little People [ordinary citizens] and anti-Social Justice, i.e. anti-Capitalist.

A “crime” “against the Army”: the rejection of the (too conditional and shameful) aid by Uncle Sam.

Too many unforgivable “crimes.” The sentence to death on Sihanoukism (SRN) became unavoidable.

“Alas” for them, these super-intelligent Lonnolians, Sirikmatakians, Simvarists, did not foresee the State Power grabbing in Kampuchea by the Khmer Rouge, nor the vile defeat of their Boss, the USA, on April 17, 1975.

(Signed) Norodom Sihanouk

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Duch-the-Executioner may be the first one to be accused by the KR Tribunal

30 Jan 2007
By San Suwith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Kaing Guek Eav, Former Tuol Sleng (S-21) warden and also known as Duch, could become the first person accused and brought to justice regarding the genocide committed under the Khmer Rouge regime.

The name of Duch being the first one to be accused, was revealed during an information visit of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal by a group of more than 500 commune and sangkat councilors this Tuesday.

It is expected that the revelation of Duch’s name could lead to the fact that other Khmer Rouge leaders – such as Khieu Samphan, Nuon Chea and Ieng Sary – will also be brought in to face justice.

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Ieng Sary undergoing heart treatment in Thailand [- He may not come back home this time: Ieng Vuth]

30 Jan 2007
By San Suwith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Ieng Vuth said this Tuesday that Ieng Sary, his father and an important former Khmer Rouge leader, is currently undergoing medical heart treatment in a hospital in Bangkok.

Ieng Vuth declined to provide details on his father’s condition except to say that his father usually go to Thailand for regular heart checkup, however, he said that he is not sure if his father will be allowed to return back home or not this time.

The 77-year-old Ieng Sary who could be brought to face justice by the Khmer Rouge Tribunal for genocide, underwent two previous heart surgeries in the past.

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Cambodia's "One China Policy" is detrimental to abused Cambodian women stranded in Taiwan

Hor Nam Hong on Cambodian women stranded in Taiwan

30 Jan 2007
By Hassan
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Following news of Cambodian women being mistreated by their Taiwanese husbands or fiancés once they arrived in Taiwan, what plan does the Royal Government of Cambodia has to help protect the rights of its own citizens when they suffer hardship overseas?

Hor Nam Hong, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, told reporters that some of these women are also at faults: “We don’t know their exact number because (1) they left in secrecy on their own, and (2) they are tricked by people who cheated them and took them there. Therefore, we don’t have the exact number. It’s only when they show up in our embassy that we learn about it. In the past, we ask the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to transport some [women] from Malaysia, Indonesia. Now we have problems in Taiwan which we read about on the Internet, we are currently asking the IOM to investigate because we don’t have [diplomatic] relationships with Taiwan. Only NGOs can follow up with Taiwan.”

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The uneducated "doctor in education" PM and his "tourist doctor" minister

Hun Sen thanks Vietnamese University

30 Jan 2007
By Hassan
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Prime Minister Hun Sen displayed his gratefulness to the Vietnamese high level education institution which recognized his craftsmanship in education, and bestowed upon him an honorary doctorate degree for this recognition.

During the ceremony where he was presented with the honorary doctorate degree in Phnom Penh on 29 Jan, Hun Sen said: “On this grand occasion, I am honored and very delighted, I am moved by the decision of the Hanoi National Education University and the Vietnamese University of Economy, in the name of the Royal Government of Cambodia and in my own name, as well as that of H.E. Sok An, I am deeply thanking the leadership evaluation committee, as well as all doctors, professors, and members of the Hanoi National Education University, and the Vietnamese University of Economy, who conferred on me the honorary doctorate degree in education, and the honorary doctorate degree in tourism to H.E. Sok An.”

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The tribulations of an Aussie football (soccer) coach in Cambodia

Cambodia national soccer team coach Scott O'Donell (L) of Australia gives instructions to Cambodia's under-23 national team before a friendly soccer match at the national stadium in Phnom Penh January 28, 2007. Despite his on-screen, laid-back demeanour while working as a television soccer pundit, O'Donell reckons his job is one of the toughest in the game. When away from air-conditioned Singapore TV studios, the lofty Australian has been dealt the unenviable task of turning Asian strugglers Cambodia into a respectable soccer team. Photo taken January 28, 2007. To match feature SOCCER-ASIA/CAMBODIA REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Cambodia under-23 national soccer players warm up before a friendly match against South Korea's Ulsan FC at the national stadium in Phnom Penh January 28, 2007. Despite his on-screen, laid-back demeanour while working as a television soccer pundit, Cambodia national soccer team coach Scott O'Donell reckons his job is one of the toughest in the game. When away from air-conditioned Singapore TV studios, the lofty Australian has been dealt the unenviable task of turning Asian strugglers Cambodia into a respectable soccer team. Photo taken January 28, 2007. To match feature SOCCER-ASIA/CAMBODIA REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Australian coach wants respect for Cambodia

By Martin Petty

PHNOM PENH, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Despite his on-screen, laid-back demeanour while working as a television soccer pundit, Scott O'Donell reckons his job is one of the toughest in the game.

When away from air-conditioned Singapore TV studios, the lofty Australian has been dealt the unenviable task of turning Asian strugglers Cambodia into a respectable soccer team.

With unfit players, a shortage of cash and only a couple of decent soccer pitches, he says being national team coach is far from a breeze.

"It's tough and I didn't really know what I was getting into," O'Donell told Reuters in an interview.

"It's no real surprise Cambodia hasn't had much success. Some of the teams have to train on basketball courts. That's a real struggle when you're trying to develop footballers."

The former Australian, Malaysian and Singaporean league player admits he has his work cut out if Cambodia are to climb from their position of 176 in the FIFA rankings.

His priorities, he says, are to improve facilities, promote professionalism and make his team of students and security guards work harder for their meagre $80-a-month salaries.

"I've tried to instil some discipline and commitment. I've got a great bunch of boys, they're working hard and they're responding well," said the 39-year-old.

"But I have to start right from the bottom because most of the players have never been coached. They taught themselves how to play, so I'm always having to correct their mistakes."

BUMPY PITCHES

O'Donell admits he is desperate to improve facilities for his team but in a war-scarred country where a third of the people live on less than $1 a day, there is little in state coffers for decent training surfaces.

"Our pitches are bare and bumpy, you can't even pass the ball properly," he said. "We don't need new balls or shirts, just somewhere to play will do."

"I know I've given everything I can to improve Cambodia but everyone has to be realistic. I have limits on what I can do," added O'Donell, who is better known for his work as an English Premier League soccer analyst with Asian cable TV network ESPN Star Sports.

The Australian has endured one of the most tumultuous periods in Cambodian soccer and surprised many in 2005 when he refused to quit following a bizarre intervention by Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh in the run-up to the South East Asian Games.

O'Donell's team had bought flight tickets and were being fitted for suits when Olympic committee chief Ranariddh replaced the squad with his own seven days before the Games.

"He thought his team would do a better job," O'Donell said. "We were so shocked. I wanted to quit and the players wanted to quit. No one had a clue what was going on.
"If I had known that would happen, I wouldn't have come here."

THREATENED BAN

Cambodia were also threatened with a ban by FIFA following allegations of political interference after military police chief Sao Sohka, a close associate of Prime Minister Hun Sen, was appointed president of the soccer federation in place of the incumbent Khek Ravy, a rival politician.

A defiant Sao Sokha vowed never to bow his head to FIFA but still asked for money to help improve the national team.

O'Donell and his wife adopted two Cambodian children eight years ago and have since settled in Phnom Penh, a colourful city of one million where rich meets poor and French colonial architecture sits close to squalid urban slums.

He says he has adjusted well to life in Indochina and like a true local has been seen arriving for work on an old Honda motorcycle.

O'Donell says he is committed to his job and has set himself the goal of improving his players and helping Cambodia to avoid a heavy trouncing every time they play internationals.

"It's not an easy job but what keeps me going is the faith I have in the players. If I walked out now, I'd be letting them down," he said.

"I want to bring some respect to Cambodia. I don't want them to be the whipping boys of South East Asia."

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Shouldn't the Phnom Penh vassal regime follow suit with its Hanoi master?

Jan 30, 2007
Vietnam's military told to get out of business

DPA

Hanoi - The Vietnamese military has been told it must get out of the business of running private companies, a senior communist party official said Tuesday.

The communist party has ordered the army and the Ministry of Public Security to transfer corporations under their control to the state, said Dao Duy Quat, the vice chairman of the Commission on Ideological and Cultural Affairs.

'This move will help the party and the military to better concentrate on their work, and also help the enterprises to operate more effectively in the market economy,' said Quat.

Military-run businesses are found throughout Asia, and are a way for many countries to pay for a standing army.

Vietnam's military first went into business at the end of the war with the US in 1975, when the country was on the brink of economic collapse.

Today, Vietnam's People's Army is involved in numerous highly profitable enterprises, ranging from industrial to agriculture production.

One of the military's most successful companies is Viettel, the third-largest telephone network and Internet service provider in the country. Last year, Viettel was given permission to expand its operations into Cambodia.

Le Kha Phieu, the former secretary general of the Communist Party Central Committee, applauded the move.

'This will help create a better business climate,' Phieu said in a recent interview with the online news service, VietnamNet Bridge. 'Only by doing so can we create the most favourable conditions for healthy competition. Enterprises cannot fairly compete with each other if they are in different positions.'

The decision, handed down during the Central Party Committee's fourth plenary ending January 24, does not automatically mean the companies will suddenly be privatized.

'These enterprises will still either be state-owned companies or will be privatized, with many of them having the government being the controlling shareholder,' said Quat.

The transfer of companies is expected to begin this year.

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VOA Tuesday’s News Briefs

Mean Veasna
VOA Khmer
Washington
30/01/2007

Opposition Sam Rainsy party (SRP) legislator, Kuoy Bun Roeun asks the National Election Committee (NEC) Tuesday, to take legal action against communal chief Kong Salieng for threatening seven SRP’s activists in Svay Rieng.

In a letter sent to NEC's chairman Im Suosdei, Kuouy Bun Roeun stated that Kong Salieng harassed the activists for being members of the opposition party. Kong Salieng is alleged to has threatened the men to pulling out their names from the communal election registration's list.

x X x

Two human rights groups (Ad Hoc & Licadho) investigators Tuesday probe into a case involving NRP’s member Say Sok, who sustained a head wound allegedly by a member of the CCP.

The investigators conclude that the incident was not politically motivated, as claimed by NRP officials on Monday. Ad Hoc's investigator, Chan Soveth says that the victim had a fall out with the perpetrator. NRP spokesman Muth Chantha says that he has yet to receive the investigator’s reports.

x X x

Chea Mony, president of Free Trade Union of Workers for the Kingdom of Cambodia appeals to Prime Minister Hun Sen Tuesday, for garment factory’s owners to invest their profits and earnings in a Cambodian bank.

According to Mony, this will allow the government to withdraw the money, should the owners decide to close up their businesses without paying their workers.

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SRP Demands Release of Chea Vichea's 'Killers'

Born Samnang, center, and Sok Sam Oeun, right, surrounded by relatives exit a courthouse following their appeal hearing, Friday, Oct. 6, 2006, in the capital Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Mony
VOA Khmer
Washington
30/01/2007

Sam Rainsy party (SRP) Tuesday demands the release of the two men wrongly convicted for killing Chea Vichea, former leader of Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

On January 2006 (Chinese New Year), Vichea was shot in the head and chest early in the morning while reading a newspaper at a kiosk in Daun Penh district, Phnom Penh.

Sok Sam Oeun and Born Samnang were judged guilty after a trial where no witnesses came to testify against accuses and no forensic evidence was brought to court. Both individuals were sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay $5,000 compensation each to the family of the victim.

On Tuesday, Cambodian opposition party issues a statement supporting a pro-democracy group’s campaign to free Sok Sam Oeun and Born Samnang from prison. SRP officials believe that the real killers are still at large and claimed that these two men are wrongly convicted.
Chea Vichea, former presdient of FTUWKC

While, Ministry of Interior's spokesman, Khieu Sopheak cannot be reached for comment, Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng's adviser Chuon Mom Thol, considers SRP’s demand to be politically motivated.

Many people including, former King Norodom Sihanouk do not believe that the two men are guilty. Human Rights Watch Asia and Amnesty International issued a statement last year, urging the Cambodian government to release them.

As such, Cambodia Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition consists of 21 non-governmental organizations have set up a billboard campaigning for their release, last Sunday.

Vichea’s younger brother, Chea Mony tells VOA Khmer that should they be released from prison, Cambodia is one step closer to redeem its tainted images.

After the two men were charged, Phnom Penh court received highly criticizes judgment by both local and international organizations- calling it unfair and politically biased.

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Men Saran’s Lawyer to Request for Bail [- General Kheang Savorn temporarily released]

Heng Reaksmey
VOA Khmer
Washington
30/01/2007

A lawyer of two-star general Men Saran is requesting for Battambang court to release his client on bail due to Saran’s failing health and temporary amnesia, an official confirmed Tuesday.

On January 17, a court in Battambang province detained one-star general Kheang Savorn, 46, two-star general Uth Sakhan, 48, and Men Saren for suspected weapon robberies and conspiracy of forming an illegal armed group.

Lawyer Hong Chan Sokha’s request followed by general, Uth Sakhan and general Kheang Savorn's early release last Saturday.

Mr. Sokha tells VOA Khmer that he looks to gather enough evidence to show that his client’s ailing health. He says, “my client’s wife has gone to a Bangkok hospital to get her husband’s medical records”, Sokha added.

While Battambang court judge Ith Samphoas cannot be reached from comment, leader of the Cambodian opposition party, Sam Rainsy, urges the court to release Men Saran.

The three generals, whom have links to the SRP and Funcinpec party are claimed to have ties to the 18 robberies occurred in Battambang province.

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Tolerance is certainly not a virtue of the communist Chinese-financed "Buddhist" Royal Gov't of Cambodia

Tibetian Spiritual leader Dalai Lama. EPA/PIYAL ADHIKARY

Jan 30, 2007
Cambodian official says Dalai Lama still not welcome

DPA

Phnom Penh - Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is still not welcome in Cambodia because of China's strong views on the subject, a senior Cambodian religious official said Tuesday.

Speaking at the opening of a Japanese-donated pagoda on the outskirts of the capital, Religion Ministry secretary Chhorn Iem said the ban that excluded the Dalai Lama from the World Buddhism Conference in 2002 still stood because China's stance had not altered.

'We could not welcome him here even if he asked because Cambodia must implement the government's policy,' Iem said. 'Cambodia follows the One China Policy.'

He said the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India, had not filed an application to come to Cambodia since the policy was made clear.

However he said he could not predict the future, and Cambodia remained hopeful that someday political obstacles would no longer stand in the way of a visit by one of the world's most venerable Buddhists.

'I am not sure of what lies in the future. I cannot predict government policy in the future,' he said. However that policy is likely to be dependent on Beijing.

Cambodia's population is 95 percent Buddhist and Buddhism is the state religion.

China is one of Cambodia's top five donors and a powerful trade partner and investor, and although it has imposed few public strings on the vast sums of money it pumps into the country, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has repeatedly made it clear that Cambodia firmly supports the One China Policy.

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CAMBODIA: Focus on MSM and the spread of HIV/AIDS

30 Jan 2007

IRIN News

PHNOM PENH, 30 January (IRIN) - As dusk falls along the banks of the Tonle Sap River, opposite the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, Noun, 35, a married engineer, stops at his favourite vantage point on his route home each evening, a popular cruising site for Cambodian gays, where last month alone he met seven different partners.

Noun's world is a complex one, riddled with deception and hypocrisy in this otherwise conservative Khmer society. "I'm not gay," he said. "I just like having sex with men."

Such an assertion is not unusual in many South East Asian nations, including Cambodia. In less than an hour's time he will return to his wife and two children about a kilometre away - none of whom are any the wiser about his activities.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) could well prove a pivotal part of Cambodia's bid to mitigate the spread of HIV/AIDS. "This is the hidden MSM population, who not only have sex with men, but also have sex with female partners," Tony Lisle, Country Coordinator for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Cambodia, told IRIN.

Penetrating Noun's world, and others like it, could be the most difficult challenge, but failing to do so could accelerate the spread of the pandemic among the country's 14.5 million people.

CURRENT PREVALENCE RATES

Cambodia has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in South East Asia, but has also made significant inroads against the disease since it first appeared in 1991. According to UNAIDS, the estimated level of infection among adults has dropped from a high of 3 percent in 1997 to 1.6 percent in 2006, which can be partly attributed to increasing HIV mortality as those infected during the period of peak HIV incidence move into AIDS.

Current surveillance data also suggest that the epidemic, largely driven by the continued patronage of commercial sex workers by Cambodian men, is changing: behavioural data now show consistently higher rates of condom usage in the sex industry, largely the result of enhanced public information campaigns and an assertive effort to promote 100 percent condom usage.

HIV incidence among sex workers and their clients appears to have been dramatically reduced, as corroborated by a reduction in the prevalence of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among them, but sexual networking continues to shift towards casual sex, making MSM as a risk group all the more important.

MSM PREVALENCE RATES

Prevalence in the general population has also declined in recent years, but health workers warn there is little room for complacency. According to the latest survey by the Cambodian National Centre for HIV/AIDS Dermatology and STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), the HIV prevalence rate among MSM in Phnom Penh is 8.7 percent, and their networking behaviour has become a serious source of concern.

Of the 58 percent of men surveyed in three provinces - Phnom Penh, in the south, and Batdambang and Siem Riep in the northwest - who reported having sex with female partners in the past year, almost 25 percent also reported having sex with female sex workers, with 16.6 percent having had sex with casual female partners in the past month.

"When you have a very dense network, and when you have crossovers in the network between males and females, in the presence of high risk of STIs and in the presence of very low condom usage, then you have a potential for an explosive epidemic," Lisle warned.

"You're looking at multipartner behaviour," the UNAIDS official said, pointing out that not only were the men putting themselves at risk, but also the women they slept with.

MSM - A GLOBAL PHENENOMENON

Male-to-male sex is found in every culture and society, and is often defined as a social and behavioural phenomenon rather than a specific group of people. Although the description may include men who identify themselves as being homosexual or gay, bisexual or transgender, it can also include men who identify themselves as exclusively heterosexual and are often married, particularly where discriminatory laws or social stigma exist.

The manner in which Cambodian MSM define themselves blurs this distinction even more: according to a 2004 study of 1,306 MSM by Family Health International (FHI), 'Men Who Have Sex with Men in Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Population Size and Sex Trade', there are four times more of what are described locally as 'short-haired MSM' (masculine-acting MSM who have sex with each other) than 'long-haired MSM' (transgender MSM whose masculine sexual partners identify themselves as being from either group).

Relations between the two groups are not always cordial. Short-haired MSM enjoy a degree of privacy by being less visible than long-haired MSM, who tend to be more conspicuous, have a great deal of difficulty in securing employment and are often thrown out of their homes.

A recent report on 'MSM and HIV/AIDS Risk in Asia', by Therapeutics Research Education AIDS Training Asia (TREAT Asia), found that short-haired MSM were more likely to receive money for sex (20 percent regularly and 41 percent occasionally).

RISK AND AWARENESS

In terms of HIV risk, male-to-male intercourse is significant in that it can involve anal sex, which, when unprotected, carries a risk 10 times greater than unprotected vaginal intercourse does for the receptive partner. At least 5 percent to 10 percent of HIV infections worldwide are estimated to occur via MSM but, according to UNAIDS, this figure varies considerably between countries and regions.

Many Cambodian men are unaware of these obvious risks. "It can be very difficult to reach MSM," Lisle said, particularly those who might be classified as short-haired MSM and therefore do not necessarily identify themselves as homosexual.

A government report, 'Turning the Tide - Cambodia's Response to HIV/AIDS 1991-2005', identified the need to promote better understanding of risks and behaviour change, encourage consistent condom use among MSM, and to consider them not only a high-risk target group, but to involve them in the planning and implementation of prevention interventions.

A study of sexual behaviours, STIs and HIV among MSM in Phnom Penh, undertaken by FHI in 2000, documented an alarming HIV prevalence rate of 14.4 percent - approximately equivalent to the rate among informal sex workers at the time - aggravated by drug use among 24 percent of the sample population.

Although the government has begun to acknowledge MSM in its intervention efforts, the researchers found that NGOs and community-based organisations had only recently started implementing programmes to reach this group.

ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE

Men's Health Cambodia (MHC) in Phnom Penh, established in 2002 and funded by FHI, was the first NGO dedicated to addressing the health needs of short-haired MSM in its drop-in centre and outreach programme.

According to UNAIDS, fewer than one in 20 MSM have access to the HIV prevention and care services they need - a figure largely in line with global indicators.

Of the 30 men visiting the MHC centre weekly, most are concerned about STIs and HIV testing, while others seek counselling to deal with their sexual identity in a country that frowns on homosexuality.

After successful awareness interventions, condom usage overall appears to be increasing, but the Executive Director of MHC, Mao Kimrun, 32, said much more needed to be done. "Not everyone understands the risks - there are still misconceptions that MSM are not at risk," he asserted. "Condom usage is still not widespread, and many men cannot afford them."

MHC runs a daily outreach programme in parks and other locations that MSM might frequent. "They usually ask me about HIV/AIDS or STIs, and they want to know about safe sex practices," Thavro Dum, an MHC outreach member, told IRIN/PlusNews as he readied his motorcycle to make his evening rounds.

He said MSM were often aware of HIV transmission and prevention, but did not always know how to apply this knowledge to their own behaviour to avoid risking infection.

As confirmed by the TREAT Asia report, condoms are imported and expensive, which limits access, except when offered in social marketing programmes; secrecy exacerbated the situation - some MSM even based their HIV-risk assessment on whether a potential partner appeared to have good personal hygiene or not; male sex workers were often unable to negotiate condom use and generally did not use lubricant, because clients "would know for sure that they are non-female".

"I'm afraid of HIV/AIDS," said Eam Vanndy, 27, a male sex worker who arrived in the capital three years ago in search of a job. He told IRIN/PlusNews his customers paid between $5 and $10, and he always used a condom. "Many of my friends are pretty boys [long-haired MSM]. Some use condoms; many do not."

Such stories are not unusual in a country where poverty is rife and drives a growing number of people to work in the sex trade.

Sou Sothevy, 67, who has been a transgender sex worker since she was 14 and still works occasionally, commented, "Although MSM are aware of the risks, they don't always use condoms with their partners. Some male sex workers forego the usage of the condom for more money."

She spends most of her time as a local team leader in a network of some 5,000 sex workers - the Women's Network for Unity - and also serves on the national steering committee as an elected representative. Sothevy, who has been living with HIV for over 10 years, believes most people have some awareness of the risk factors, but remain careless. "Many use drugs, including heroin," she said.

"Cambodia is a very conservative country and there is discrimination towards MSM, not just from the family, but society as a whole," she pointed out. As a team leader, she monitors members' needs and keeps an eye out for new sex workers in her local area. Nationally, the network advocates for access to medicines and undertakes research for NGOs, United Nations agencies and the government by sex workers and the HIV-positive community.

Changing people's perceptions would not be easy said Sear Young Tan, 39, of the recently established National MSM Network, which aims to eliminate stigma and discrimination against MSM, and promote equal access to HIV- and MSM-related information and services. "Discrimination against MSM is very much part of Cambodian life, both in the family and society at large," the clothes-maker and makeup artist noted.

"This makes the fight against HIV/AIDS all the more difficult," he said, reiterating the fact that many MSM do not think of themselves as MSM - even when they have sex with men. "It's just for pleasure and means nothing."

But with many short-haired MSM engaging in more sexual encounters than long-haired MSM - some having up to five different partners a week - he said, getting the message out to this group should be an integral part of the country's intervention efforts.

Most Cambodians are unaware of how many masculine-acting - and often married - men are sexually active with other men, heightening the risk of spreading the virus among the general population.

One MSM focus group participant in rural Cambodia cited in the TREAT Asia report remarked: "I had a lot of friends, but my friends who have sex with the same gender ... are all dead. Now it is only me here."

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CAMBODIA: Wives at risk of HIV infection

30 Jan 2007

IRIN News

PHNOM PENH, 30 January (IRIN) - "I don't know how my husband contracted HIV - he just did," said Phary, 27, staring blankly out the window of the two-room apartment she shares with her parents and two children in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. Answering that question has never been easy.

Like many Cambodian women in similar circumstances, she is devoted to the memory of her husband. Few people know about her HIV-positive status, but her challenge is the here and now: how she will care for her children if her health deteriorates.

According to UNAIDS, Cambodia has the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS in South East Asia, with 1.6 percent of adults aged 15 to 49 infected. Although the country has made significant inroads in reversing the spread of the virus - adult prevalence was one-third lower in 2005 than in the late 1990s - the outlook for women remains grim.

Cambodian women constitute a growing share of people living with the virus - 47 percent in 2003, up from an estimated 37 percent in 1998 - suggesting that significant numbers of women are being infected by their husbands and boyfriends, who probably contracted the virus in commercial sex encounters.

Compounding the problem, a UNAIDS report warned there were signs that men were ignoring the awareness campaigns centred on the sex industry, and evidence of increasing drug usage, including among commercial sex workers, in Phnom Penh.

The traditionally subordinate role of women in Khmer society manifests in high levels of sexual violence and unsafe sexual behaviour by men, exacerbated by a culture of impunity, which limits women's ability to negotiate sex and condom use.

"Women need empowerment if they are to negotiate safer sex practices," said Pry Phally Phuong, senior programme officer of the Women's Agenda for Change, a local NGO.

That is easier said than done. According to a study cited in a government report reviewing its HIV/AIDS strategy, women do not have equal access to education, paid employment, land ownership and property rights: "They are generally in a disadvantaged position in both family and society."

Prior to marriage, women are expected to be virgins; once they are married they are often blamed for not having enough sexual expertise to keep their husbands faithful.

The report also found that many women believe male sexuality necessitates several partners - men who are away from home seek sexual services, and their wives accept this as normal; marriage needs to be maintained at all costs, regardless of suffering and humiliation; and it is not possible for women to talk with their husbands about the use of condoms. The researchers said educating men to use condoms when they have extramarital sex seemed to be the best solution.

A visit to a centre for HIV-positive women, funded by ActionAid and run by the local NGO, Positive Women of Hope Organisation, underlined just how vulnerable women are in Cambodia.

"I would never dare insist that my husband use a condom," said an HIV-positive housewife - one of the few who would speak openly. "He would, of course, question why, and even think that perhaps I was sleeping around instead."

Most women at the centre were concentrating on rebuilding their lives. "When I learned that I was HIV positive, I thought my world had collapsed. I wanted to die," said a woman who has lived with the virus for at least a decade. Her husband passed away in 1999, followed by her two-year-old daughter shortly afterwards. Since then she has relied on the close circle of friends at the centre, where she is learning handicraft skills.

The NGO was set up in 2004 to provide training and support for women living with the virus, and to help with school enrolment for their children. "It's very difficult for HIV-positive women to maintain themselves and their children," said Sophal Kheng, executive director of Positive Women of Hope Organisation. "Most of the women will never reveal their HIV status to their community, forever conscious that they will be stigmatised."

There are currently 20 women at the centre, most of whom were unknowingly infected by their husbands. The colourful handbags they make are now sold in the local markets and exported as far away as Australia, providing a flicker of optimism. "I want to stay here forever," one housewife said. "Here people understand each other."

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Campaign launched in Cambodia to free innocent men wrongly convicted of murder

Monks blessed billboards in a small ceremony to launch a campaign to support prisoner Sok Sam Oeun and Born Samnang

Published on January 29, 2007
Licadho

January 28, 2007 marked three years – or 1,096 days - that Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun have spent in prison since their arrests for the assassination of prominent trade unionist Chea Vichea. One day in prison for an innocent man is too long; both men have spent the last three years in prison for a crime that there is considerable evidence they did not commit. To mark the anniversary of their arrests, Cambodian NGOs and trade unions launched a public campaign that will continue until their release from prison.

The campaign, launched at LICADHO's offices by family members of the two men, monks, human rights workers and others, involves erecting signboards outside NGO and union offices in Phnom Penh displaying photos of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun under the slogan "They Need Justice". The signboards feature counters that will be updated daily to show the total number of days that the two men have been imprisoned. The campaign also includes regular newspaper advertisements similar to the signboards.

"The injustice suffered by these two men has gone on far too long. The courts must set them free, so that they can return to their families and their normal lives," said Thun Saray, President of ADHOC.

"We are publicly counting the days that Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun are in prison, just like they must be counting every single day of their unjust imprisonment," said Kek Galabru, President of LICADHO. "Our campaign will continue until the day justice is delivered to them and they are released."

Many individuals – including former King Norodom Sihanouk, Chea Vichea's family, and the main eyewitness to the murder – have declared that Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun are innocent. An investigating judge in the case who initially dropped the murder charges against the two men was quickly disciplined for unspecified judicial mistakes and transferred from his position, while the charges were reinstated. In an October 2005 trial widely criticized for being unfair, Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun were convicted of the murder and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. The two men have been waiting for 18 months since then for the Court of Appeal to review their case.

The last opportunity for justice that Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun saw was on October 6, 2006 when the Court of Appeal was set to hear their appeals against the convictions. However the hearing was abruptly cancelled at the last minute because one of three judges reportedly had diarrhea.

"We urge the Court of Appeal to urgently set a new hearing date as soon as possible, and to carefully consider all the available evidence in this case,"said Kong Pisey, Acting Director of CDP representing both men. "We believe that an impartial examination of all the facts will lead to the release of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun."

"The longer that Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun spend in prison, the more damage that is done to the reputation of the Cambodian justice system," said Thun Saray of ADHOC. "The Court of Appeal has an opportunity to put an end to this, and to finally deliver justice to these two men and their families."

Chronology of Events

• January 22, 2004 - Chea Vichea assassinated
• January 28, 2004 - Born Samnnag and Sok Sam Oeun arrested. The next day, they are paraded by police at a televised press conference. Both emotionally proclaim their innocence, and Born Samnang alleges that the police beat him into confessing to the murder
• March 19, 2004 - Phnom Penh Municipal Court Investigating Judge Heng Thirith dismisses case for lack of evidence
• March 23, 2004 - Judge Heng Thirith is removed from his position at the municipal court for unspecified judicial mistakes, and later transferred to be a judge in remote Stung Treng province
• June 1, 2004 - Appeal Court Presiding Judge Thou Mony overturns Judge Heng Thirith's decision and orders that the murder charges be reinstated
• August 1, 2005 - Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun are convicted and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by Judge Kong Seth in the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. The trial draws a storm of criticism for failing to meet international fair trial standards. The two men immediately file appeals against their convictions
• August 1, 2006 - One year anniversary of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun's conviction. Supporters and family members who gather in front of PJ (prison) to show their support for the two men are dispersed by riot police
• August 10, 2006 - Va Sothy, the key eyewitness to the assassination of Chea Vichea who fled Cambodia fearing for her own safety, signs a notarized statement in Thailand stating that Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun were not the real killers who she saw
• October 6, 2006 - Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun's appeal hearing is cancelled at the last minute after one of three judges reportedly falls suddenly ill. Observers question why a substitute judge was not assigned, so that the hearing could have continued
• January 28, 2007 - Three year anniversary of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun's arrest and 1096th day in prison. CHRAC begins continuous public campaign for their release

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SRP Supports CHRAC Campaign Calling For Release Of Chea Vichea Prisoners

Phnom Penh, January 30, 2007

SRP SUPPORTS CHRAC CAMPAIGN CALLING
FOR RELEASE OF CHEA VICHEA PRISONERS

Chea Vichea (left) with Sam Rainsy a few hours after the March 30, 1997 grenade attack.

The Sam Rainsy Party welcomes the new billboard campaign of the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, and redoubles its call to release from prison the two men wrongfully convicted of the murder of Chea Vichea. Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun have been under custody since January 28, 2004. Not only are these 1,098 days that these men have been wrongly imprisoned, but they are also 1,098 days that the real killers have gone free. Justice has been doubly denied.

Chea Vichea founded the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia in 1996 with the support of Sam Rainsy, and was elected President of the Union in 1999, 2001 and 2003. Prior to his focus on labor issues, Chea Vichea was a founding member of the Khmer Nation Party, what was later renamed as the Sam Rainsy Party. For the last ten years, the SRP has cooperated with the FTUWKC to support workers’ rights in Cambodia.

The unjust detention of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun is an affront to the justice owed to many different groups. Primarily, the two men and their families are harmed by being taken out of society for a crime they did not commit. The family and friends of Chea Vichea are not assuaged of their pain as the real killers of their husband, father and friend have not paid for their crime. Labor rights leaders remain threatened to silence when they see that they can be killed in the streets without any protection of the arms of justice. The thousands of workers represented by the FTUWKC are intimidated from coming together in association, a right enshrined in both national and international law. And most broadly, the Cambodian people remain under the thumb of a judicial system that refuses to prioritize the rule of law over the whim of men.

We repeat our call for the release of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, falsely accused of the murder of Chea Vichea, and expect that the Cambodian authorities will try, convict and punish those individuals who are truly responsible for this crime.

SRP Members of Parliament

For detailed information contact: 012 858 857

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The true nature of CPP officials: Hacking opponents with machete, accompanied with Khieu Kanharith's standard denial and accusation

Tuesday, January 30, 2007
CPP Official Hacks NRP Activist With Machete

By Prak Chan Thul
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

A Norodom Ranariddh Party activist was seriously injured with a machete during a Sunday brawl with CPP officials in Kompong Cham province, Batheay district police and a rights worker said Monday.

The fracas erupted when NRP activist Sai Sok hit CPP deputy Chankong village chief Khot Khin with a chair after being told he could not receive sarongs and rice being handed out by a visiting senior CPP official, said Sim Heang, investigator for local rights group Adhoc.

Nhiek Chev, the village's CPP representative, then tried to break up the scuffle but Sai Sok punched him, Sim Heang said.

"Nhiek Chev [then] attacked Sai Sok with a machete," Sim Heang alleged. Nhiek Chev fled the scene and Sai Sok is recovering in hospital, Sim Heang said. "[This case] is not involved with politics," he said.

Noranarith Anandayath, advisor to Prince Norodom Ranariddh, claimed the attack was politically motivated because Nhiek Chev and Sai Sok had been discussing politics at the time.

Ith Leang, district police chief, said police believe the attack was not politically motivated, "It was just a normal dispute after they got drunk," he said.

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith accused Noranarith Anandayath of imitating the SRP by falsely claiming that attacks on party members were politically motivated.

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Russia Asked To Forgive Debt of $1.5 Billion [- Amount borrowed by Heng Samrin/Chea Sim/Hun Sen's puppet PRK regime]

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

By Yun Samean
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

A Russian Embassy official…said the exact
amount of the debt...is still under negotiation.

National Assembly President Heng Samrin said Monday that he has asked the Russian government to forgive a $1.5 billion debt that Cambodia owes to Moscow.

Speaking to reporters outside the National Assembly, Heng Samrin said that during his visit to Russia, which ended Sunday, Russian officials also expressed an interest in exploring for oil in Cambodian waters.

"I have requested that the Russian [parliament] drop Cambodia's debt to improve our economy and develop our country," said Heng Samrin, who is also CPP honorary president.

"Russia wants to explore for oil in Cambodia. I welcomed the request because Russia has experience and techniques for exploring for oil," he added.

Russia did not make any promises regarding the debt, but there will be meetings on the matter, Heng Samrin said of his request to Russian State Duma Speaker Boriz Gryzlov.

Heng Samrin did not specify how Cambodia had become so deeply in debt.

In addition to the debt and oil issues, Heng Samrin said he discussed opening direct flights from Moscow to Phnom Penh with Gryzlov. Sergei Mironov, chairman of Russia's Federation Council, promised that Russia will provide military training to Cambodia, Heng Samrin added.

Government spokesman and Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said Cambodia incurred large debts to the then-Soviet Union to buy food and gasoline during economic sanctions imposed by the West on the communist-era People's Republic of Kampuchea during the 1980s.

Khieu Kanharith added that Cambodia would welcome Russian investment in its nascent oil sector.

US-based Chevron, in partnership with Japanese firm Mitsui, has discovered oil and gas deposits in offshore Block A, located in the Gulf of Thailand off the coast of Sihanoukville.

Further exploration is necessary before official estimates of the amount of the deposit are made.

China National Offshore Oil Company has also been negotiating for the rights to explore neighboring Block B, petroleum officials have said.

A Russian Embassy official who declined to reveal his name said that the exact amount of the debt Cambodia owes Russia is still under negotiation, but $1.5 billion is the number "mentioned in the documents."

Finance Ministry Secretary-General Hang Chuon Naron said the true amount that Cambodia owes to Russia is still subject to negotiations.

"We cannot say at the moment," he added.

In December 2005, the International Monetary Fund forgave the $83 million Cambodia then owed the IMF.

Cambodia is also negotiating with the US for relief of its Lon Nol-era debts, which officials have put at anywhere from $80 million to $500 million.

Cambodia had also raked up $454 million in loan debts owed to the World Bank by 2005, but does not qualify for debt relief.

SRP lawmaker and National Assembly National Defense and Anti-Corruption Commission Chairman Yim Sovann said that Cambodia should refuse to pay the Russian debt.

"Some of the money was borrowed during the State of Cambodia which was used to wage war," he said.

Any oil exploration by Russian firms should also be open to a fair and transparent bidding process, he added.

Russian investment interest in Cambodia has been expanding in the last year.

In 2006, a group of Russian investors led by tycoon Alexander Trofimov officially agreed to build a $278 million holiday resort on Sihanoukville's Koh Pos island.

(Additional reporting by Erik Wasson.)

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When pressed for an answer by ILO, Hun Sen backs down and now claims that he didn't blame ILO

Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Garment Makers Ready Complaints Against ILO

By Yun Samean and John Maloy
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

The Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia is preparing to compile a report of grievances against the International Labor Organization to present to Prime Minister Hun Sen, a GMAC official said Monday.

The ILO is currently seeking clarification from the government after Prime Minister Hun Sen last week said that there might be "bad people" working for the UN agency who have attempted to extort money from factory owners.

Cheath Khemara, labor issues officer for GMAC, claimed Monday that GMAC has received many complaints from its members alleging that ILO staffers have made biased reports on factory working conditions.

GMAC members have claimed that ILO staff only interview workers and blame factory owners for problems, he said.

GMAC members will meet soon to compile all of the complaints for a report to be sent to Hun Sen, he said, though he did not give a date.

Tuomo Poutiainen, chief technical adviser for ILO's Better Factories Cambodia project, said that approximately 300 individual factory reports are generated by ILO each year for Cambodia and that the "margin of error in these reports is minimal."

"From our perspective the reports are accurate," he said, adding that factory owners are given every opportunity to raise objections during the monitoring process.

If GMAC does have serious grievances, ILO is sensitive to these concerns and hopes that they can be discussed in a constructive manner, he said.

On Wednesday, Hun Sen called on the ILO to examine whether its factory reports have had misinformation inserted.

Kari Tapiola, the ILO's executive director, subsequently sent a letter directly to Hun Sen seeking clarification of the remarks, Poutiainen said.

The government has not yet explained the remarks, but ILO representatives will meet with officials from the Commerce and Labor Ministries this week to discuss this and other matters, Poutiainen said.

Van Sou Ieng, GMAC chairman, said the ILO should be advancing the garment industry rather than policing factories. He added that GMAC still wants to work with ILO, before referring further questions to Cheath Khemara.

Information Minister and government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Sunday that Hun Sen did not criticize the ILO or say that its reports were inaccurate, but merely informed the ILO of concerns raised by a local businessman. "Hun Sen just asked ILO to examine its staff," Khieu Kanharith said. "He didn’t blame ILO."

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Retired King Offers To Repatriate Cambodian Women

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

By John Maloy
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

Retired King Norodom Sihanouk has offered to pay for Cambodian women who have been left homeless in foreign countries or are working as prostitutes abroad to be repatriated to Cambodia.

In a statement emailed to media outlets Saturday, the retired King wrote that there are Cambodian women living in Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and southern Vietnam who all need to be brought home.

"Taiwanese 'Gentlemen' have brought Khmer women to be their 'spouses.' Today, these Khmer women have been thrown into the streets by these very arrogant and contemptuous false Husbands," Norodom Sihanouk wrote from Beijing.

"With the very high permission of our Great Leader, our Consul(?) in Taipei could send them back to Phnom Penh at my expense (economy class air travel)," Norodom Sihanouk said, adding that there are women in similar circumstances in South Korea.

Norodom Sihanouk also offered to pay for women working as prostitutes in Malaysia, Thailand and southern Vietnam to be brought home.

At least 79 Cambodian spouses living in Taiwan are currently in legal limbo, partly because their official Cambodian documents bear the words "PRC use only," referring to the People's Republic of China, according to an email from a Taiwanese official to SRP lawmaker Son Chhay earlier this month.

Cambodia has followed a strict One China policy for years, and refuses to accept Taiwan as an independent country.

Hsinyi Luo, secretary to Taiwanese Interior Minister Lee Yi-yang, wrote to Son Chhay on Jan 9 stating that it is currently difficult to resolve bureaucratic problems concerning Cambodians in Taiwan, as Taiwanese and Cambodian officials have such little contact.

Son Chhay sent a letter to the retired King on Monday asking for his approval for Taiwan to reestablish its Economic and Cultural Office in Phnom Penh, according to a copy of the letter.

Foreign Affairs Ministry Secretary of State Long Visalo said he was too busy to speak with a reporter.

(Additional reporting by Douglas Gillison)

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Ballots Being Printed for April Commune Election [- Printing is done in secret]

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

By Yun Samean and Elizabeth Tomei
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

The National Election Committee on Friday will begin printing 8 million ballot papers for April’s commune elections, NEC Secretary-General Tep Nytha said Monday. The ballots will be produced at a cost of about $800,000 at Ly Van Hong printing house in Phnom Penh's Tuol Kok district, he said. Election monitors and media will be taken on a tour of the printing house Thursday, but will not be allowed to monitor the month-long printing process, Tep Nytha said. "It is a secret place," he added. Mar Sophal, monitoring coordinator for the Committee for Free and Fair Elections, said that Comfrel is concerned that it will not be able to monitor the ballot production process, as printing errors invalidated ballots cast at six Prey Veng province polling stations during the 2002 commune elections. Mar Sophal also expressed concern about the design of the ballot paper, which does not include boxes for voters to tick.

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CPP Chuon Mom Thol: CHRAC defying rule of law by campaigning to demand the release of 2 innocent men

Tuesday, January 30, 2007
CHRAC Defying Rule of Law: Chuon Mom Thol

By Pin Sisovann and Elizabeth Tomei
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

The president of the CPP-affiliated Cambodian Union Federation issued a statement Monday accusing the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee of behaving inappropriately by campaigning to free two men jailed over the killing of union leader Chea Vichea. Chuon Mom Thol, who is also an adviser to Interior Minister Sar Kheng, claimed that the CHRAC's campaign was contrary to the rule of law. CHRAC, an umbrella group of 23 human rights organizations, launched a billboard and newspaper advertising campaign Sunday demanding justice for Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun. "The demand to release both accused persons is contradictory to democratic principles and the rules of law," Chuon Mom Thol said, adding that he also asked the court not to release the pair without substantial evidence of their innocence. Licadho founder Kek Galabru said that CHRAC is confident that an impartial examination of evidence "would lead to a release."

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Heng Pov Will Press Charges Against 3 Malaysian Officials

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

By Douglas Gillison
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

Though jailed in Cambodia, former Phnom Penh police chief Heng Pov is seeking prison sentences for three Malaysian government officials involved in his deportation to Cambodia, according to court documents and a lawyer for the ex-fugitive.

Malaysia's Federal Court, the highest judicial authority in that country, will decide Friday whether to grant leave to Heng Pov and his attorneys in Kuala Lumpur to begin proceedings for contempt of court against the three officials.

Heng Pov’s lawyer N Sivananthan identified the officials Monday as: Malaysian Immigration Department Director-General Wahid bin Mohd Don, the department's director of enforcement, Ishak Haji Mohamed, and Mohamed Hanafiah bin Zakaria, deputy head of prosecution in the Attorney General's Chambers.

Wahid, Ishak and Hanafiah acted "to interfere with administration of justice by the deliberate suppression of facts and/or by the presentation of falsehood and by orchestrating the premature deportation to Cambodia of [Heng Pov]," according to a Jan 24 Notice of Motion obtained Monday.

If leave is granted Friday, a hearing should occur within two to three weeks, Sivananthan said.

"Once I’ve passed this stage, a lot of things are going to come out," he added.

Judges in Malaysia, as well as human rights groups and attorneys for Heng Pov, denounced the former police chief’s Dec 21 deportation to Phnom Penh, which occurred before Heng Pov’s final appeal hearing.

Cambodian and Malaysian officials have since defended their actions in the deportation.

Malaysian Embassy officials did not respond to emailed requests for comment Monday.

Wahid bin Mohd Don told the Associated Press news agency Friday that he could not comment on pending court matters.

Interior Ministry spokesman lieutenant General Khieu Sopheak noted that the Cambodian officials had acted property.

"The Cambodian authorities just performed their duties according to the law provided," he said.

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Kim Jong-Il's Funny Money

North Korea accused of producing top grade counterfeit currency

Robert Neff
OhmyNews (South Korea)
Articles posted by OhmyNews are written by Citizen-Journalists

Almost every time you exchange a $100 bill at a bank or money exchange facility you find yourself and your bill subject to intense scrutiny by the cashiers.

They're on the lookout for "supernotes," high-quality counterfeit bills that are almost impossible to detect with the naked eye. Generally with a face value of $100, this funny money is showing up in increasing quantities around the world.

Last year in South Korea nearly $84,000 in counterfeit money, mainly supernotes, was discovered as compared to $26,150 the previous year. Even as far away as Las Vegas, a couple of supernotes are discovered in the casinos monthly.[1]

As the technology of manufacturing money has evolved and improved, so too have the counterfeiters. In the past, counterfeit money was generally made with offset lithography or digital reproductions, but lacked the "raised ink" texture that gives dollars their characteristic feel -- this can only be done using an intaglio press. The intaglio press uniquely creates raised grooves on the paper through the use of very high pressure. Supernotes possess this raised ink and appear to have been printed using the intaglio press, making it almost impossible to distinguish between them and the real bill.

Not only are the supernotes difficult to detect, but so too are the counterfeiters. When the supernotes were first discovered in 1989, they were believed to have been manufactured in Iran or Lebanon, but in recent years the blame has shifted to North Korea.

According to Japan's Senkei Shimbun: "North Korea is known to have state-of-the-art technology to forge banknotes. Since the latter half of the 1990s, counterfeit bills have regularly been discovered when North Korean diplomats exchanged money in places in Asia such as Mongolia and Macao."[2]

There have been several incidents of North Korean diplomats involved with counterfeit money. In 1996, Yoshimi Tanaka, a member of the Japanese Red Army faction, was arrested in Cambodia. In his possession were a North Korean diplomatic passport and 1,238 counterfeit $100 bills.[3]

In 1998, a North Korean attache to the embassy in Moscow was discovered in Vladivostok with $30,000 worth of supernotes.

In 2005, the captain of the North Korean freighter, Lee Myoung Su 7, was discovered with 7,100 $100 bills. The bills were examined and it was discovered that 10 of them were supernotes.

The captain claimed that he was given the money by his higher officials to pay off some Japanese businessmen who were owed money, and that he had no knowledge the bills were counterfeit.[4]

Not only have supernotes been linked to Korean diplomats, but also to organized crime and terrorists. In October 2005, Sean Garland and six other individuals "including North Korean nationals" were arrested in Northern Ireland for "acting as ostensible government officials, engaged in the worldwide transportation, delivery, and sale of quantities of supernotes."[5]

In the summer of last year, a Chinese organized crime group smuggled nearly 7,000 supernotes into the United States in a shipping container from China and tried to sell them for 40 cents on the dollar. But whether it was a "deliberate act of policy decided in Pyongyang or just business among crooks" was unclear.[6]

How North Korea is able to counterfeit what has been deemed as one of the "most secure banknotes in the world" is a matter of considerable debate. Unlike digital counterfeits, Daniel Engber noted that "supernote production requires uncommon equipment and skilled engineers."[7]

According to Josh Meyer of The LA Times: "[C]ounterfeiting operations began a quarter-century ago at a government mint built into a mountain in the North Korean capital. Using equipment from Japan, paper from Hong Kong and ink from France, a team of experts was ordered to make U.S. $100 bills."[8]

Engber cited a member of the U.S. Congressional Research Service as stating that the North Koreans were using intaglio presses to produce millions of dollars worth of supernotes each year.[9]

Klaus Bender, author of Moneymakers, the Secret World of Banknote Printing, disagrees. According to him the North Koreans have only a "standard printing press from the last century...and because of a lack of spare parts [it] has been out of order for some time." [10] Further strengthening his argument he claims that since the 1990s North Korea has been trying to buy presses, but because it never paid for its old standard press it has had little luck. Even if North Korea was able to raise the estimated $50 million needed to buy the press, finding one to purchase would be difficult. These highly specialized presses are not readily found on the open market, and, in fact, "the resale of a used machine is subject to strict surveillance and reported as a matter of routine to Interpol."[11]

He suggests that North Korea is unable to even print its own currency, and must rely upon China to print its "pitiful" currency.[12] He suggests that the CIA is responsible for the supernotes, arguing the extreme difficulty North Korea would have in obtaining the special inks and paper, and the precision needed to make the supernotes.

But Raphael Perl, an analyst at the U.S. Congressional Research Service disagrees, noting that North Korea is a counterfeiting superpower.[13] Balbina Hwang, a researcher at the Heritage Foundation, said North Korea makes "some of the best quality supernotes."[14]

It is believed that counterfeiting, along with other criminal activities such as drug smuggling, have provided the North Koreans with the critical hard currency needed to fund their nuclear weapons program. Additionally, it has been suggested that it is an attack on the United States in an effort to destabilize the American dollar.

How Much Money is Counterfeited?

It is unclear just how much American currency has been counterfeited. Raphael Perl stated that arms dealing and counterfeiting currency were North Korea's chief sources of income, estimated at between $15 and $20 million a year, but noted that it would probably increase as North Korea's need for hard currency intensified.[15]

Balbina Hwang claims that North Korea makes $250 million a year from the supernotes.[16] However, according to Yonhap News, American officials claim that since 1989 "the total amount of fake bills circulated by the North so far is estimated at $50 million."[17]

NK Daily noted that North Koreans often used the counterfeit $100 bills instead of the North Korean official currency, stating that it was easier to carry large amounts of money and it was more stable.

"Every day the market price fluctuates dramatically. The more you trade with North Korean money, the greater the loss."[18]

A Chinese merchant noted that the $100 supernotes were so commonly used in North Korea that their value was $70. He said: "The U.S. alleges that it will eradicate the counterfeit money, but there has been little change. The value of the counterfeit money at $70 is not depreciating."[19]

While the United States (along with the United Nations) is not able to directly affect the North Korean black marketing of supernotes, it has done so indirectly with sanctions. Last week South Korean newspapers announced that North Korea had banned the use of foreign currencies in domestic transactions in an attempt to secure more hard currency. The announcement has caused the dollar's value to drop sharply with the North Korean currency on the black market.

------------

[1] Special to World Tribune.com, EAST-ASIA-INTEL.COM, Jan. 12, 2006
[2] "N. Korean Ship Carried 'Near-Perfect' Banknotes," Choson Ilbo, May 11, 2005
[3] "North Korean Counterfeiting Case Yields Wanted Terrorist," Associated Press, May 24, 1998
[4] "N. Korean Ship Carried 'Near-Perfect' Banknotes," Choson Ilbo, May 11, 2005. Klaus Bender states that the captain had 6,500 bills and that 100 of them were supernotes. Klaus Bender, "The Mystery of the Supernotes," Wirtschaft and Gesellschaft, Jan. 11, 2007
[5] Henry McDonald, IRA Veteran Bailed over U.S. Counterfeiting Charge, The Observer, Oct. 9, 2005; Bill Gertz, The Washington Times.
[6] David L. Asher, "The North Korean Criminal State, its Ties to Organized Crime, and the Possibility of WMD Proliferation," Policy Forum Online 05-92A: November 15th, 2005; Bill Gertz, "Arrest ties Pyongyang to counterfeit $100 bills," The Washington Times, Sept. 20, 2005
[7] Daniel Engber, "What are Supernotes?" NPR Day to Day, Aug. 23, 2005
[8] Josh Meyer, et al., "U.S. Accuses North Korea of Conspiracy to Counterfeit: Irish Rebels, a Major Asian Bank and Chinese Gangsters Also Implicated in Government-backed Scheme to Flood American Economy with Phony $100 Bills," LA Times, Dec. 12, 2005.
[9] Daniel Engber, "What are Supernotes?" NPR Day to Day, Aug. 23, 2005
[10] Klaus Bender, "The Secret of America's Counterfeit 'Supernotes,'" Frankfurter Allgemeine, Jan. 8, 2006
[11] Klaus Bender, "The Mystery of the Supernotes," Wirtschaft and Gesellschaft, Jan. 11, 2007
[12] Klaus Bender, "The Mystery of the Supernotes," Wirtschaft and Gesellschaft, Jan. 11, 2007
[13] "NK Earns $20 Million a Year From Counterfeiting: Expert," The Korea Times, May 13, 2005
[14] Bill Gertz, "Arrest ties Pyongyang to counterfeit $100 bills," The Washington Times, Sept. 20, 2005
[15] "NK Earns $20 Million a Year From Counterfeiting: Expert," The Korea Times, May 13, 2005
[16] Bill Gertz, "Arrest ties Pyongyang to counterfeit $100 bills," The Washington Times, Sept. 20, 2005
[17] Special to World Tribune.com, EAST-ASIA-INTEL.COM, Jan. 12, 2006
[18] Jeong-Hyun Kwon, "High inflation...transactions with supernotes." NK Daily, Aug. 1, 2006
[19] Jeong-Hyun Kwon, "High inflation...transactions with supernotes." NK Daily, Aug. 1, 2006

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66 Shop Houses Destroyed In Banteay Meanchey Fire

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

By Lor Chandara
THE CAMBODIA DAILY

Sixty-six shop houses were destroyed when a fire swept through a section of the Khut Tasoat market area in Banteay Meanchey province's O’Chrou district Sunday night, police said. Provincial officials believe that the blaze was an accident likely started by an exploding cooking gas cylinder, and that locals were awake and at a drinking party when the fire started. Em Hon, deputy district police chief, said the damage was considerable; he was unable to estimate the cost of the loss. Banteay Meanchey Governor An Sum said cooking accidents are common and that his authorities had frequently warned villagers about the dangers of fire during the dry season. "What a pity," he said. "Our people are poor and their houses are burned down like this."

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Political Cartoon: Con-Kaktulation, Dr Hun

Cartoon by http://sacrava.blogspot.com

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Desperate time needs desperate measure: K Cham people organize a religious ceremony to ask the Gods to help them recover their lands

28 Jan 2007
By Or Phearith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

On 27 January, people from Kompong Cham province have organized a religious ceremony to ask the Gods to help soften the rulers’ heart into returning back the lands confiscated from them.

Villagers from Sralob commune, Tbaung Khmum district, said that about 1,000 villagers from 3 villages in the commune have gathered in the Trapeang Chhlous pagoda, Nikum Leu village, Sralob commune, to organize a religious ceremony to pray to the Gods to help them recover back their lands so they may work again: “We all organize this religious ceremony to ask all the Gods in the world to help us recover our lands back from the government and the Ministry of Agriculture.”

The religious ceremony was held after the villagers felt that they have lost all recourse through legal challenge and lawsuits. “The court does not want to resolve this problem, the court is inept. We, the villagers, asked the court help resolve the problem of 4,800-hectare of land [taken away from us].”

The villagers said that in addition to the 4,800-hectare of land loss, the Ministry of Agriculture confiscated another 360-hectare for Maisak tree plantation. Because of the loss of their lands, some of the villagers are forced to leave their villages to find work elsewhere.

Official from the Ministry of Agriculture cannot be contacted on this issue, however, Hun Neng [Hun Sen’s older brother], the provincial governor, explained that the lands belong to the state and that the villagers cannot ask the Gods to help them get the land back. “This land is for Maisak tree plantation, the land was taken away for agriculture, almost all the Maisak trees which existed from the Sangkum Reastr Niyum era, were cut down during the war. So now the government is planting Maisak trees again, but these villagers went to cut down the Maisak trees and wanted to make the lands as theirs. Therefore the provincial authority has no right to resolve this problem, it depends on the Ministry of Agriculture, this is a piece of land belonging to the state, it’s a state property…”

Hun Neng claimed that for those villagers who had to leave their villages to find work elsewhere because of the lack of land, the authority has decided to provide them lands in Memot district, the essential now is whether the villagers agree to go there or not.

Because of their loss of confidence in the legal system to recover their lands back, villagers from Som village, Kompoan commune, Memot district, had also organized a ceremony to curse those who took away their lands. That ceremony was organized on 08 Jan when the villagers lost all their hope. This type of religious ceremonies have caught on [in the Kompong Cham province], other villagers are expected to organize several other ceremonies of this nature in the near future.

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Conniving CPP confiscates voter's registration IDs in Poipet: a trick to get votes in the upcoming commune election

Voters’ registration ID confiscated from villagers in Poipet

28 Jan 2007
By Lim Pisith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

A number of people living in the Kbal Spean village and other villages in Poipet commune are concerned that they may lose their opportunity to vote to select their commune leaders. The villagers are accusing that their voter’s registration identification cards have been confiscated by local CPP party officials, and that none of them have been returned to their original owners. CPP party officials deny the accusations made against them.

Villagers from Group 47 of the Kbal Spean village, Poipet commune, O’Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey told RFA on Sunday morning that the confiscation was done with pressure on the villagers, causing them to worry that they may lose their voting IDs for the upcoming election. “It’s very regretful that I am a Cambodian citizen, but yet I don’t have the proper identification for voting. This is very regretful.”

Svay Samith, said that his voting form No. 1019 allowing him to vote was confiscated by a man named Thorn who is working under the order of San Chean Ho, the first councilor of the Poipet commune. The confiscation was allegedly made in exchange for the construction of a road leading to Svay Samith’s community located behind the market at the train station.

Svay Samith said: “It was San Chean Ho himself [who confiscated the voting registration ID]. Later on, his employee went around taking down our names and then they asked for them (voting registration IDs). When they first confiscated the IDs, they told us that for the road [in front of] my house which was already built, they said that if people living in this area give up 20 voter IDs, then they will pour concrete for the road.”

Mean Sarith, Poipet commune councilor who belongs to the Sam Rainsy Party, said that the ID confiscation is currently being conducted in a number of villages such as Kbal Spean, Palelay, Prey Kuk, as well as a number of other villages. He said the CPP is using the aid provided by the government to obtain their political benefit from voters for the upcoming commune election: “The aid [for road construction] money comes from the Sila progam, it does not come from any political party, the promise they made to pour concrete to build the road, it’s their trick to get votes.”

San Chean Ho, the CPP representative and 1st councilor of Poipet commune, is denying the accusation: “Regarding the confiscation of IDs in exchange for road construction, this is not right, I don’t have any plan or thought about it. Who dare say that?”

Hang Puthea, Nicfec NGO executive director, said that the confiscation of voter IDs at a time when the election is fast approaching, is a violation of the political rights of the villagers. He said that the authority and political parties should not take such action.

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A PhD for Hanoi's Sala Chor-Tean

Cartoon by http://sacrava.blogspot.com

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Koreans Ranked Top Investors in Vietnam, Cambodia [- South Korea's investment in VN is 2.7 times higher than in Cambodia]

Jan. 30, 2007
Arirang News (South Korea)

Korea was the number one foreign investor in Vietnam and Cambodia last year. The Hanoi and Phnom Penh offices of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency say Korean firms invested nearly US$2.7 billion in Vietnam last year - twice that of second-place Hong Kong.

Korean investment accounts for more than 34 percent of foreign investment in Vietnam. Analysts say large Korean ventures in construction and heavy industries have resulted in a rapid increase in investment.

Korea is also the biggest investor in Cambodia after receiving investment approval in oil field and city development projects worth $1 billion.

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Student to learn about Cambodian heritage before diving into work at Boeing

Julie Ho, business student from Baker. (MSU Photo by Jay Thane.)

January 29, 2007

By Anne Pettinger
Montana State University News (USA)

When student Julie Ho joins the ranks of Montana State University alumni this spring, she will travel to Cambodia for the first time to see where her parents grew up.

It may not be a common post-graduation, pre-job trip, but the senior business major from Baker is eager to learn more about her Cambodian heritage.

Ho's parents immigrated to the United States in 1980 as Cambodian refugees, and Ho thinks it's important to visit the country. "It tells a lot about a person. I can't wait to experience where they grew up," she said. She's also excited to visit her aunt and other relatives, whom she's never met, and to travel at the same time in Vietnam and Taiwan.

Landing as Cambodian refugees in a small community in the southeast corner of Montana might seem like an unlikely place to find success, Ho wrote in an essay earlier this year, but her family has thrived in Baker.

"My parents had nothing (when they moved to Montana) and now we're all doing well," Ho said.

Her father works as a custodian at the high school, and her mother, who was pregnant with their first child when the couple left Cambodia, holds a management position at a local Chinese restaurant.

Though they had to leave family and friends behind, it was a relief to escape the violence in Cambodia.

"It was just as bad as a lot of the mass killings you hear about," Ho said.

Ho's parents moved to Baker after a church and a couple there sponsored them, and the families have remained close over the years. "I consider them my grandparents," Ho said. "Every family reunion they've ever had, we've been invited to."

She considers herself lucky to have been brought up in Baker. Still, she said, there were challenges.

Communicating with her parents has always been difficult because of a language barrier, since Ho's parents did not teach their children to speak in the couple's native Chinese.

"I can tell my parents are thinking in Chinese. Something is always lost a little bit in translation," she said. "That's a hard thing to overcome."

"I asked Dad later why he didn't teach us Chinese, and he said he wanted us to be American, " Ho added. "He had no idea how valuable it would be to be bilingual in Chinese now."

Ho and her two older siblings all worked hard during high school and each graduated at the top of their classes, she said.

Their work paid off. Ho's older brother now holds a job with the government in New Mexico, and her older sister teaches English in Taiwan.

The youngest, Julie Ho was recruited for the 400 meter hurdles and came to MSU on a track scholarship. Though injuries prevented her from continuing on the team beyond her first year - she had surgery on both of her knees at the same time - she said she has fully funded her college education through scholarships and student employment.

She's also made her mark on campus through numerous leadership and volunteer positions. From serving for two years as a freshman orientation leader to volunteering to read to kindergarteners and mentoring gifted children, Ho has been an active participant in the MSU and Bozeman communities. She's received numerous awards for her accomplishments, including being named a Rotary Student of the Month.

She loves the area for its beauty as well as the friendly and supportive community, and she enjoys horseback riding, tae kwon do, hiking and road biking in her free time.

But Ho hasn't limited her backyard to Bozeman during college.

A semester-long exchange program in Galway, Ireland and a five-week internship in Tokyo whetted Ho's appetite for international travel.

"When people say studying abroad can change your life, it's so true," she said. "It was so big for me."

Now, she's looking forward to traveling to Asia and then moving in June to Huntington Beach, Calif., where she has a prestigious two-year position lined up at Boeing.

As part of the company's Business Careers Foundation Program, Ho will spend two years rotating through six different positions at Boeing, including finance, accounting, contracts and procurement.

"It's part of an intense employee development and training program," she explained.

Law school is a possibility down the road, and she'd also like her career to involve international work and traveling.

For now, though, Ho is relishing the opportunities that are just a few months away.

"It's going to be big to see where my parents grew up," she said. "I accept where I've come from. I'm 100 percent American with Chinese blood."

Julie M. Ho, julie.ho@myportal.montana.edu

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Khmer Rouge survivor returning with Christ’s message of hope

By James L. Lambert
Journal Chrétien (Christian Journal)

Kiri Nguon’s primary calling in life used to be delivering the ball past the outstretched arms of the defending goalie, into the net. Now he is ready to return to his native Cambodia to deliver a different message that has far greater implications : eternal salvation through Jesus Christ.

A survivor from the brutal Khmer Rouge reign of terror, Kiri returns this summer to the land of his birth as a Christian missionary. When Kiri was 17 years old, a high honor was bestowed upon him when he was selected to be a member of his country’s national soccer team. The team competed internationally and represented the nation of Cambodia throughout Asia.

But in the Spring of 1975, things changed radically for the budding soccer star as the Khmer Rouge came into power and a dark cloud descended over the small country of seven-million people. While previously the regimes of both Cambodia and neighboring Vietnam had communist governments, the Khmer Rouge was known for its brutal tactics and abuse. Their leader, Pol Pot, and his cronies garnered control over the country by intimidating and eliminating all "opponents" of their regime — many of whom were more imaginary than real. Government officials would often accuse people of political crimes when no such crimes existed.

The regime forced thousands to flee the capital city of Phnom Penh to perform agricultural work. During the purge, hundreds of thousands were tortured and killed. Cambodians with any social prestige or stature prior to the Khmer Rouge’s ascent to power were viewed suspiciously — and that included Kiri Nguon.

Kiri’s position as a nationally recognized soccer player forced him to leave Cambodia and flee to Vietnam in June 1975, where he became a fisherman. His athletic talent was soon recognized and he began to play soccer professionally. But in 1979, the communist government of Vietnam declared war on the Khmer Rouge. That declaration put the young soccer player in a bind because his nation of origin had now become Vietnam’s enemy. With his life in danger once again, he had to escape.

Kiri decided to escape to Thailand — through Cambodia. He knew it would be a perilous journey. Traveling by foot, bicycle, and automobile, Kiri moved past war-torn towns and provinces controlled by the Khmer Rouge and the communist army of Vietnam. The experience was not only terrifying for Kiri, but opened his eyes to the extreme cruelty of humans against their own countrymen.

Miraculously, after a number of weeks of travel, Kiri found his way to a Thai refugee camp in December 1979. There Christian missionaries found Kiri, and soon thereafter he committed his life to Christ. Less than two years after his conversion to Christ — and with the assistance of a missionary group — a sponsor was found for Kiri. The sponsor paid for his trip to Providence, Rhode Island, where he worked in a church that was attended by many from his former country.

For the next four years, Kiri learned about his new-found faith and studied the Bible. His days in Cambodia and on the soccer field seemed so far away. Ultimately, Kiri was assigned to a position as assistant pastor of a large Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Santa Rosa, California. Two years later he moved into the leadership role he holds today as pastor of a small church in San Diego, California.

Throughout his time in America, Kiri has remembered his native land — a land that is considered one of the poorest on earth. It is estimated that Cambodia’s gross national product is only $3.1B annually ; and the country is ranked by the United Nations in the lowest economic tier (130th out of 162 nations) with the average Cambodian earning only $2 a day.

With so much poverty and suffering, Kiri believes it is important for him to return permanently to the country of his birth, where only 1-2% of the population is Christian. He plans to leave for Cambodia this summer with the vision of starting a sports ministry in the mold of Athletes in Action — something he believes has never been done before in that Southeast Asian country.

Individuals interested in helping Kiri fulfill his dream of forming a sports ministry and reaching the Cambodian people for Christ can send tax-deductible donations to International Church Missions, P.O. Box 1198, Vista, CA 92085 (re : Kiri Nguon).

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Ex-King Concerns for Khmer Female Migrants in Taiwan

Mony
VOA Khmer
Mony
29/01/2007

Top government officials Monday echo former King's concerns for a group of Cambodian women, who have moved to Taiwan.

On January 27, former King Norodom Sihanouk issued a study to understand the conditions of women migrants living in Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and South Korea.

Cambodian women who move to Taiwan as brides in arranged marriages often suffer beatings, social isolation, and abuse, according the his majesty’s study. As well, female migrants living in Thailand and South Vietnam have resorted to prostitution and begging as a means of making money.

The former King appeals for their safe return and promised to cover the expenses associated with their transportations.

National Assembly committee on Foreign Affairs' chairman, Son Chhay has informed the former Cambodian King, of him receiving a letter from the Taiwanese Ministry of Interior.

In the letter, Taiwanese officials requested for help from the Cambodian government to solve the immediate problem involving nearly 5,000 Cambodian women who are victims to fake marriages.

Some of the women are sold into prostitution or faced with social isolation enforced by their Taiwanese husbands.

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NRP Claims Attack on Its Member is Politically Motivated

Heng Reaksmey
VOA Khmer
Washington
29/01/2007

For the first time, officials from the Norodom Ranariddh party Monday (NRP) verbally attack Cambodia’s ruling party (CPP) for physically harming one of its members in Kampong Cham province.

The party has appealed to Cambodian authorities to take appropriate measures to investigate into the case and to punish those responsible for the attack.

Say Sok sustained a head wound allegedly by a member of the CCP, NRP officials confirmed Monday.

“The CPP deputy village chief grabbed the victim when the attacker wounded him”, the official added. The incident took place in Kampong Cham province, after the men argued over the distribution of CPP's gifts.

While, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith cannot be reached for comment, Hun Sen's top advisor Om Yentieng dismisses the allegations.

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Officials Criticize Unresolved KRT’s Rules

Chun Sakada
VOA Khmer
Washington
29/01/2007

SRP and NGO officials Monday criticize the Khmer Rouge Tribunal’s failure to reach an agreement on internals rules for trials of former Khmer Rouge leaders.

The committee said in a press release last Friday, that although the decisions remained in deadlock, they are moving closer to agreement.

One of the rules that are being stalled relates to foreign lawyer’s legal rights to defend their clients. According to Key Tek, director of the Bar Association of Cambodia, he says that foreign lawyers do have legal rights to practice in Cambodian courts, but only in aiding the Khmer lawyers.

Meanwhile, SRP legislator Keo Remy expresses his frustration (Monday) about the constant delays in the past six months, and fears that Khmer Rouge’s victims would never be able to seek justice.

The two-week discussions followed the group's failure last November to agree on rules which has already stalled the 56-million-dollar joint UN-Cambodian hearings just months after it began its initial prosecution stages in July.

Key issues remaining to be solved are ways to include national and international laws into the internal rules to give foreign lawyers transparency and standards during the hearing.

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Muslim Aid Set To Open Field Office In Cambodia

29 Jan 2007
Source: Muslim Aid - UK
http://www.muslimaid.org

Ravaged by decades of war, political instability and civil strife, Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in Asia.

More than 40 per cent of its population live below the official poverty line, and unemployment is high. Muslims are a minority in Cambodia, constituting only one percent of its total population. However Muslim Aid feels that they have an important role to play in the development of this South-East Asian country.

"Cambodia's critical situation undoubtedly falls under Muslim Aid's mission of 'serving humanity'," said Hamid Azad, Head of Overseas Programmes at Muslim Aid. "Muslim Aid has provided help and assistance to the poor and needy regardless of their race and creed."

Muslim Aid's work in Cambodia has included providing orphans with food during the month of Ramadan, providing livestock to poor communities for the festival of Eid-ul-Adha, and more recently, the building of a community road for the village of Kradas in the Kampong Cham Province.

However Muslim Aid recently decided that the situation there warranted the establishment of a dedicated field office in the country.

"Muslim Aid is committed to alleviating the root causes of poverty through its sustainable humanitarian activities," said Hamid Azad. "Through opening a field office in Cambodia, Muslim Aid has managed to expand another wing of our operations in South East Asia."

An agreement was subsequently signed on January 19th with the Cambodian Muslim Development Foundation for the use of their premises. The ceremony included the attendance of Cambodian Secretary of State Ouch Borith. At the ceremony the former Ambassador of Cambodia to the United Nations praised Muslim Aid for their work. Muslim Aid currently works in over 60 countries and has field offices in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Sudan, Iraq, and Indonesia.

"Over the coming years, Muslim Aid Cambodia will conduct a series of skills enhancement training for young people in Cambodia," said Hamid Azad. "In particular, we will help young graduates to upgrade their skills and provide them with appropriate skills to contribute to the process of the development of Cambodia."

Muslim Aid has also supplied the Muslim Development Foundation with computers for computer skills training, and funded English classes in Phnom Phen. Muslim Aid intends to implement vocational training programmes for young people to help them obtain the skills needed by the market.

Another important way that Muslim Aid has identified of overcoming unemployment is to encourage entrepreneurship, with Muslim Aid planning to implement programmes to develop entrepreneurial skills among young people.

"We also intend to extend our micro-credit and livelihood programmes in a bid to develop economic activities to provide an income which will enable families to improve their health and enable their children to continue their education," added Hamid Azad. "Orphan care and healthcare projects are also in the pipeline for a 2008-2009 start."

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Hun Sen honored with another Hanoi U. Ph.D. in education ... he's now accredited to teach corruption, land-grabbing, deforestation, kowtowing VN ...

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (C) receives a certificate from professor Nguyen Viet Thinh (L) of Hanoi National University after being conferred with a honourable PhD degree in education at the Ministry of Foreign Affair in Phnom Penh, January 29, 2007. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen applauds after being conferred with a honourable PhD degree in education at the Ministry of Foreign Affair in Phnom Penh, January 29, 2007. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

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China gets trade route instead of dams on the Mekong River

Monday, January 29, 2007

Jonathan Manthorpe,
Vancouver Sun (British Columbia, Canada)

For the 100 years when France held much of Southeast Asia in its colonial grasp, it dreamed of turning the Mekong River into a trade highway with western China.

The French were confounded, however, by the many rapids which make large sections of the 4,880 km-long Mekong impassable for shipping, the inhospitable geography of much of Southeast Asia, resistance to the French presence by local people, and grander potholes on the road to imperial expansion like the Second World War.

Rusting remnants of a railway portage around rapids in a section of the Mekong in Cambodia are now almost all that is left of the French dreams.

But the vision of taming the Mekong for the domestic benefit of the 250 million who live by the river and its tributaries in the six countries through which it passes never died.

Which is how, a month ago, two small river tankers each carrying about 1,000 barrels of refined oil pulled into a Mekong River port in China's southwestern Yunnan province after a voyage from Thailand's northern Chiang Rai province.

A good deal of secrecy surrounded this pioneering delivery, and for good reasons: Preparations for the voyage of the little flotilla have been long in the making, not everyone is happy, and the implications are profound.

At the strategic level, the fashioning of the Mekong River -- which rises in Tibet and flows through China, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam before reaching the South China Sea -- into a regional highway for the passage of trade and people is part of Beijing's aim to match or supplant the influence of the United States in Southeast Asia.

Transportation of people and trade goods on the river have already increased dramatically since 2004, when the blasting away of rapids by Chinese engineers in the Laotian section of the Mekong made possible passage by ships carrying up to 300 tons.

At a tactical level, China also sees the Mekong route as part of its network of energy security, especially against the possibility of conflict with the U.S.

China imports about 966 million barrels of oil a year, and 75 per cent of that comes from Africa and the Middle East through the narrow Malacca Straits between Singapore and Indonesia.

This is a choke point vulnerable to blockade by an enemy navy, and for some years China has been looking for less-exposed routes for importing Middle East oil. One solution is China's continuing program to build a pipeline from Burma's port of Sittwe on its Bay of Bengal west coast to the southwest Chinese city of Kunming.

The Mekong River route is another strand in China's Southeast Asian network.

Beijing has had to overcome a good deal of suspicion and animosity in the governments of the five other countries involved, who work together in the Mekong River Commission and the Greater Mekong Subregion Cooperation group, through which the Asia Development Bank is overseeing vast infrastructure development projects.

Suspicion has arisen because of China's refusal to join these regional groups or even fully inform the other five countries about what it has been doing on its stretch of the Mekong.

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Thailand's Suvarnabhumi airport faces troubles

January 30, 2007
Thailand holidays face airport threat

Connie Levett, Bangkok
The Age (Australia)

Cracks in the runway at Suvarnabhumi Airport, South-East Asia's biggest air hub, already a serious safety issue, could play holiday havoc with tourists arriving in Thailand.

With 11 of 51 gates at the new airport closed because of subsidence in aircraft parking areas, Transport Minister Thira Haocharoen announced last night he would seek cabinet approval to reopen the old airport for some domestic flights.

Domestic flights without direct international connections would return to Don Muang airport. But thousands of tourists who transit through Bangkok and use smaller airlines for connections to tourist spots such as Koh Samui, Luang Prabang in Laos and Siem Reap in Cambodia would have to battle Bangkok traffic for more than an hour between the two airports.

Problems at Suvarnabhumi Airport reached crisis point late last week when the Thai Civil Aviation Department refused to extend its interim aerodrome certificate when it expired on Thursday. The certificate shows that an airport meets international safety requirements.

The department's director-general, Chaisak Angsuwan, said the licence was refused because of multiple structural and management problems at the airport.

As well as runway cracks and subsidence in taxiways and at parking gates, the airport has yet to set up a safety committee as required for certification.

Bangkok Airways chief Prasert Prassarttong-Osoth told The Nation newspaper that the only way to fix the runway cracks would be to lay new foundations, at an estimated cost of 50 billion baht ($A1.9 billion).

The Government is keen to point out the airport can operate without the Aerodrome Certificate because Suvarnabhumi operates under a local licence. The certificate is a recent attempt by the International Civil Aviation Organisation to standardise airport operations around the world.

The problem for Thailand is twofold. There are major concerns about the extent of structural damage and the impact of damaging publicity. Ian Thomas, a senior analyst with the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation in Sydney, said Bangkok risked losing its premier position as regional hub. "The International Air Transport Authority has been critical, historically and currently, about developments there, including safety," he said.

A Hong Kong-based airline analyst was more upbeat. "Look out three to five years and everything will be where it should be. I don't see it as an issue to derail Thailand as a tourist destination," he said.

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Cambodian-American Student wins full scholarship to top-choice college

Eric Oeur's family came to the United States as Cambodian refugees. (Photo: STAR-TELEGRAM/RODGER MALLISON)

Mon, Jan. 29, 2007
Paschal senior who helps support family wins full scholarship to top-choice college

By SUSAN TALLANT
SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAM (Fort Worth, Texas, USA)

FORT WORTH -- Although Eric Oeur works after school to help support his family, the 18-year-old no longer worries about paying for college.

Oeur, a senior at Paschal High School, was recently awarded a four-year scholarship worth more than $160,000 to attend Oberlin College, a prestigious liberal-arts school in Ohio.

Oeur was one of 103 students selected from more than 3,000 applicants in the QuestBridge College Match Program, which recruits talented students who might otherwise not be able to afford college.

"Here's a normal, smart kid, but he also works 30 hours a week to help put food on the table while keeping a great [grade-point average]," said Tim Brady, QuestBridge's CEO. "Those are the kinds of students we look for."

QuestBridge partners with some of the nation's top universities, including Rice, Columbia, Princeton and Stanford.

Oeur's family came to the United States as Cambodian refugees 25 years ago. His father, Phon Oeur, a janitor at Everman High School, has been an inspiration to his son.

"He works so hard," Eric Oeur said. "His mentality gave me the desire to work hard and do the things I want to do."

Eric Oeur, born and raised in Fort Worth, said his family has had a tough time making ends meet since arriving in Texas. His father, who speaks little English, was an elementary school teacher in Cambodia, but his teaching degree is not valid in the U.S.

Eric Oeur began working to help support the family after his mother, Kim Dith Oeur, lost her job.

"I am so proud of him," she said. "He did this all by himself."

Oeur, who speaks Cambodian fluently, said watching his father struggle with the language barrier has motivated him to study languages. He is learning Japanese at Paschal and plans to pursue Eastern Asian studies at Oberlin.

Of the 15 colleges that QuestBridge partners with, Oberlin was Oeur's first choice.

"I did not want to pick a college based just on a name," he said. "Oberlin has a great international program that will allow me to continue work with Fort Worth Sister Cities. The college just fit."

Sandie Camp, a Japanese and French teacher at Paschal, is also involved in Sister Cities and introduced Oeur to the program. She has known him for four years and taught his older brother, Paul, and sister, Jen.

"Eric is a fine student, very creative, very enthusiastic and not afraid to take risks," she said. "He has great people skills, and he is fun."

Melissa Chiasson, Katy Fleury and Jean McMahon, seniors at Paschal and Oeur's best friends, say they will miss hanging out with him.

"We like go to thrift stores and buy tacky T-shirts," Chiasson said. "We also spend a lot of time playing Jeopardy; it gets pretty intense."

McMahon said she will miss Oeur's witty sense of humor and their trips for ice cream.

Fleury said that Ouer has been a whiz kid for years and that she is not surprised he got this scholarship.

"When the computer system would break down at his elementary school, they would call Eric to come take a look," she said.

ONLINE: www.questbridge.org

SCHOLARSHIP WINNER

Eric Oeur, 18, is a senior at Paschal High School. After graduating this spring, he will attend Oberlin College through the QuestBridge College Match Program.

He is a four-time winner of the RadioShack Scholar award, a National Honor Society member and an all-region clarinet player. He is also a member of Fort Worth Sister Cities and a Model U.N. participant.

Oeur works part time at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History as a computer technician. "One time, I opened a computer and it had a big glob of Play-Doh in it," he said.

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Political Cartoon: A Royal in Law's Thug

Cartoon by: http://sacrava.blogspot.com

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Defection: CPP resorted to use dirty trick to make a "small situation big, so that people across the country will hear it on the radio and television"

Monday, January 29, 2007
200 SRP Supporters Join Ruling Party, CPP Says

By Lor Chandara and John Maloy
The Cambodia Daily

CPP officials claimed Friday that more than 200 SRP supporters and an SRP commune councilor joined the ruling party during a ceremony in Banteay Meanchey province's Mongkol Borei district. "They have changed their faith and joined our party, perhaps because they think [the SRP] leaders speak more than act," CPP Provincial Deputy Governor Sok Sareth said Friday. Kim Suor Phirith, SRP lawmaker for the province, countered Sunday that the crowd was made up of members of the general public hoping to receive gifts from the CPP, rather than SRP defectors. However, he added that Phnom Touch commune's SRP councilor Keat Soeung has defected because he was left off the party's list of commune election candidates. Koul Panha, director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections, said the ceremony was Government spokesman likely part of a CPP campaign to make a "small situation big, so that people across the country will hear it on the radio and television."Khieu Kanharith said he was unaware of the details of the case.

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Procedural delays dog Khmer Rouge trial

In prayer: Prime Minister Hun Sen (r.) and Chea Sim, head of the Cambodia People's Party, at a ceremony to mark the end of the Khmer Rouge regime. CHOR SOKUNTHEA/REUTERS

January 29, 2007

After reaching an impasse on Friday, the court charged with trying Cambodia's genocidal regime faces further delay.

By Erika Kinetz
Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA - Thirty years after causing the deaths of roughly 1.7 million people in Cambodia, all but one of the surviving leaders of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime remain at large. Many of them have spacious villas in Phnom Penh and travel regularly to Thailand for medical checkups, both signs of unusual prosperity in this impoverished nation.

The advance of international criminal justice, which began with Nuremberg and has grown since the end of the cold war, with courts in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone, to name a few, was meant to bring an end to this kind of impunity.

But as the trials for the Khmer Rouge's aging leadership stalled once again on Friday, it seemed to the court's critics that impunity was poised to win the day. Many international observers say that the Cambodian government's repeated attempts to scuttle the trial have frustrated the UN-appointed foreign judges, who have said that they would sooner leave than participate in a show trial.

Now, Marcel Lemonde, the international co-investigating judge, says April is the new ultimatum for when the international judges will withdraw if the trial is delayed further. The extension gives victims' families and human rights groups another shot at a fair, public trial.

"This is a nonnegotiable issue," says Mr. Lemonde. "It is not possible for international judges to participate in a trial that is not a fair trial."

Last Friday, judges from the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) – the court set up in 2003 to try Khmer Rouge leaders – ended two weeks of tense debate on procedural rules at an impasse. Without these rules, which govern everything from defense lawyers to trial chamber design, the long-delayed trial cannot begin.

The court first tried, but failed, to adopt the rules in November. On Friday, the committee agreed to reconvene in early March to continue deliberations, before bringing the rules to a full plenary of judges for a vote. If the judges go, the United Nations itself could follow. In 2003, then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was skeptical enough about the quality of the Cambodian judiciary and the Cambodian government's intentions to include an escape clause in the agreement that established the ECCC: The UN can abandon the process if the tribunal does not meet acceptable standards.

To be sure, progress has been made on the rules. More than two dozen outstanding issues have been whittled down to about two, says one person close to the negotiations. But the remaining disagreements touch the very heart of international justice: defense.

Cambodian judges and the Cambodian Bar Association, which are widely perceived to be beholden to top government leaders, have sought to restrict and control the participation of foreign defense lawyers in the court. International judges and human rights groups, however, say that a competent, independent defense counsel is the bedrock of a fair trial. By Friday, both Cambodian and international judges had agreed in principle that foreign lawyers would be allowed to appear before the court, but crucial details of their participation remain unresolved, people close to the negotiations say.

Local human rights groups condemned this latest delay as further evidence of political malfeasance on the part of the Cambodian government, which they charge is loath to cede control over a legal process that could embarrass some of its own key leaders. Many top officials – including Prime Minister Hun Sen – were once mid- ranking members of the Khmer Rouge. Scholars have said Hun Sen was not responsible for any atrocities.

"This raises serious questions about whether the Cambodian government has the political will to make this trial happen," says Sara Colm, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, a New York-based advocacy group that has been monitoring the tribunal's progress.

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Cambodia opens doors to her

Lindsey Baron, a Manchester Central High graduate, is about to leave on a 27-month assignment as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cambodia. (Photo: BOB LAPREE)

By DALE VINCENT
Union Leader (Manchester, New Hampshire, USA)

MANCHESTER – A Manchester Central High School graduate will be among the first Peace Corps volunteers ever to serve in Cambodia.

Lindsey Baron, 23, who graduated from Central in 2002 and from Pace University in New York City last June, leaves today for 27 months in Cambodia.

"We are excited to begin this historic new program for the Peace Corps in Cambodia," Director Ron Tschetter said in a statement on the Peace Corps Web site. "The Cambodian people have extended their warm invitation, and we look forward to working with them."

Baron will live with a host family in Cambodia for the first three months, a total immersion language and culture experience. She said she wanted to experience a different culture and help make a change in people's lives.

"I've always thought about doing it," she said.

Although her primary responsibility will be training Cambodian English teachers and/or team teaching high school English with a Cambodian teacher, she'll also participate in community development, with a focus on teaching AIDS awareness. Baron said Cambodia has the highest AIDS/HIV infection rate in Asia.


Lindsey Baron, a Manchester Central High graduate, is about to leave on a 27-month assignment as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cambodia. (BOB LAPREE)
She said there is a great need for English teachers, because many experienced teachers have gone to resort areas to work in tourism.

"I took three and a half years of German in high school and Spanish in college," she said, noting she knew it would take total immersion for her to become fluent in Khmer.

Baron, daughter of Mary Baron and the late Charlie Baron, sees herself as a city girl. She started at Wagner College on Staten Island, but "that wasn't close enough to New York." She transferred to Pace, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications.

She has no idea where she'll be in Cambodia, saying it could be on a remote rice farm or a more urban environment.

"It's going to take some adjusting," she said.

She has no laptop, so Internet access isn't an issue, but music is essential. "I'm taking my iPod."

She's also taking serious rain gear and had to buy skirts. Chalk the wardrobe change up to conservative views in Cambodia on women's clothing. Baron figures the skirts will be cooler than pants.

Describing herself as an all-American girl when it comes to food, she expects to miss Subway and french fries. But it's the people she will miss the most.

"I'm really going to miss seeing my family for two years," she said, although she's hoping at least some of them will come to visit during her stay.

In addition to her mother, she has two older brothers in Manchester: Christopher Baron, a teacher at McLaughlin Middle School, and Matthew, a graduate of the Savannah College of Art & Design, who's looking for work in graphic animation.

She said she has a friend serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa, so she has some idea of what's involved in terms of getting close to people and establishing or maintaining relationships with nongovernmental organizations as well as the people with whom she will be living and working.

"I am in the perfect position to go," she said. "This is a perfect time in my life. It's all upside for me."

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Cambodia asks Russia to wipe bilateral debt [-Debt incurred to buy weapons to kill Cambodians during the Vietnamese occupation]

29/01/2007

The President of Cambodia's National Assembly has asked Russia to wipe out $US1.5 billion in bilateral debt.

Cheam Yeap, who heads the Parliamentary Finance Commission, says the request was made by Cambodian lawmakers in Moscow during a regional meeting of legislators from around the Asia-Pacific.

He told reporters the delegation asked the Russia Government, its National Assembly and all Russian people, to give 100 per cent debt relief to Cambodia, which would strengthen its improverished state.

Cambodia is one of the poorest countries with a bilateral debt to Moscow.

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Cambodian Child Beggars in Vietnam

"I haven’t had a bath. I slept along the road. I don’t want to go back there because I’m afraid of being beaten by the broker again."

By You Porny, Sao Seyha and Lach Sophy, and Sao Sopheak
Youth Today Television Program,
Apsara Television
Posted on www.newsmekong.org

The booming economy of Vietnam is evident in Ho Chi Minh City , and the Khmers who live in the nearby province of Svay Rieng , Cambodia have taken notice.

Since 1996, more and more Cambodians from the the Kompong Roug and Chan Trea district of Svay Rieng have been steadily trying their luck in Vietnam as beggars. Sadly, most of them are children.

While some children go with their parents, others are “lent” to brokers for a fee. These brokers use the children to beg, and have been known to torture children who don’t earn enough. These children also have to face the daily fear of getting caught and being imprisoned. While there are efforts by the government and non-government organizations from both countries to solve the problem, resolving the issue is not going to be easy.

The fellows faced numerous challenges in producing this documentary. They had a difficult time finding interviewees. To get permission to shoot in Vietnam , they had to go from one official to another. And, while shooting at a construction place where Khmer beggars were staying, they were stopped by the police.

The team brought this documentary to different TV stations in Cambodia , but they all found the material too sensitive for airing.

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The deliberate policy by the P.Penh regime to depend on foreign electricity [- VN is more than happy to oblige]

CAMBODIA: From across the Border, Cheaper Power

By Cheang Sokha,
Phnom Penh Post
Posted at www.newsmekong.org

PHNOM PENH - The Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, now dependent for electricity on costly oil-driven generators, will get its electricity supply from Vietnam by 2008 as part of a national plan that will see eastern and southern provinces connected to Thailand’s, a government official has told the ‘Phnom Penh Post’.

Electricity sells at between 600 and 2,000 riel per kilowatt-hour in Cambodia, among the highest prices in the world. Buying power from its neighbouring countries should reduce the price to as low as 250 riel per kWh.

On Nov. 27, 2006 Prime Minister Hun Sen invited foreign investors, especially China, to help develop hydroelectric power generation in Cambodia, to further diversify the power supply away from costly gasoline and diesel generation.

But Cambodia’s electricity supply remains so undeveloped that even after the development of hydroelectric power and linking with the Thai and Vietnamese electrical grids, the government envisages that by 2030 only 70 percent of households in this country of 14.8 million will have power.

From Vietnam

Ith Praing, secretary of state at the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy (MIME), said the ministry is inviting companies to bid to install poles and a 220-kilovolt transmission line from Vietnam to Phnom Penh through Takeo province. In the first two or three years of operation, Vietnam will supply 80 megawatts of power, then this will rise to 200 MW.

“Power imported from Vietnam and Thailand is much cheaper than power generated in Cambodia,” Praing said, “When the transmission line is connected. it will help us to reduce the use of fuel generators.”

Praing said Cambodia has had an intergovernmental agreement with Vietnam on power supply since 1999. Since 2002, Krek and Memot districts of Kampong Cham province, Kampong Ror and Kampong Trach district of Kampot have been connected to Vietnam’s electricity grid.

Yim Viseth, an official at the electricity regulation department of the Electricity Authority of Cambodia (EAC), confirmed that the agreement between Cambodia and Vietnam to connect Phnom Penh with Vietnam’s electricity grid through Takeo province is complete and the search is on for a company to construct poles and transmission lines.

“I hope the connecting process will start in 2008,” Viseth said, “We had to wait for approval from the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.” The two banks are lending 55 million dollars toward the project.

Viseth said that as well as providing electricity from Vietnam across Takeo straight to Phnom Penh, the plan included building a substation in Takeo to supply electricity to people living within 40 km. The supply authority is also considering a link from Vietnam to Kep municipality.

Lam Du Son, deputy director of Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), said EVN would provide electricity to Cambodia at two levels: low and medium voltage (22 kV to 35 kV) for border areas such as Kampong Cham, Svay Rieng, Koh Thom district of Kandal, Kampot and Kratie, and the 220 kV high voltage line straight to Phnom Penh.

Du Son said EVN had built a high-voltage line from Chau Doc to the border in February 2006, so that it remained only for Cambodia to build the 112 km of transmission lines from the border to Phnom Penh, along with the Takeo substation.

“EVN is also studying the feasibility of a 110kV line to Kampong Cham and is considering connections to Kirivong of Takeo and the Kh’am Samnor and Korh Roka border gates,” Du Son said.

“All electricity supplied to Cambodia is under the control of EVN and based on requests from the Cambodian side.”

A Vietnamese Embassy official in Phnom Penh, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the ‘Post’ that Vietnam was signing up to supply electricity to large parts of Cambodia even though some remote parts of Vietnam were still without electricity.

Through Thailand

Meanwhile, transmission lines are being built from the Thai border to three northwestern provinces, though not in time to supply Siem Reap with electricity promised for the November opening of the Angkor-Gyeongju World Culture Expo, a festival designed to highlight the cultures of the heritage sites of Angkor in Cambodia and Gyeonju in South Korea. (South Koreans make up nearly a third of tourist arrivals in Angkor.)

MIME’s Praing said the government had signed an agreement with Thailand’s privately owned Electricity Generating Company to build 115 kV lines to supply 85 MW of power to Bantey Meanchey, Siem Reap and Battambang provinces. The project is estimated to cost approximately 20 million dollars and will run for 25 years under a build-operate-transfer agreement.

He said poles and transmission lines from Poipet to Siem Reap had been installed but the power could not be provided in time for the Angkor-Gyeongju exhibition, which runs from Nov. 21, 2006 to Jan. 9, 2007.

Praing said that since 2000, Koh Kong, Poipet and some districts of Battambang province have been connected to Thailand’s electricity grid on a low, 22 kV voltage.

On sum, the governor of Banteay Meanchey province, said some districts along the Thai border were using Thai electricity, in particular at Poipet that lies just across the Thai tow of Aranyaprathet, where local business tycoon Senator Kok An signed up to buy electricity from Thailand several years ago. Sisophon is supplied with EDC electricity, but it is insufficient to meet demand.

“We still face electricity shortages,” Sum said, “Some districts use private electricity, but it is expensive.”

Sum said there have been problems building the high-voltage power line from Thailand to Siem Reap, including the fact that overweight trucks bringing the equipment had damaged the road, thus slowing down the project.

But Cheam Kosen, director of Siem Reap’s EDC branch operation, told the ‘Post’ that about 95 percent of poles and the transmission lines connecting Poipet to Siem Reap have already been completed and that the town would be online in early 2007.

“We have set up a 22 kV substation in Pouk district so the people living along the transmission line will have access to the power,” Kosen said. He said Siem Reap was depending on 15 megawatts produced by a black-oil-and-diesel generator, supplying roughly 13,000 households at 870 riel per kWh.

“In 2007, Siem Reap’s EDC will expand the transmission line to three major locations in Siem Reap to meet the demand (for electricity), which grows by 20 percent annually,” Kosen said.

Voeun Phally, 25, who lives in Teuk Vel commune in Pouk district just 8 km from Siem Reap town, was excited to see electricity poles installed in front of her wooden house. Her family had never had access to the state or private electricity, and depended on a battery for lighting.

“I’m very happy and expect to receive electricity during the Khmer New Year,” Phally said. “My father will buy a karaoke machine and I will have a chance to sing songs. We do not think about the price, we need electricity.”

And then, China

During Prime Minister Hun Sen’s visit to China in late October, China promised to build hydroelectric dams at four places in Pursat province.

China is already engaged in the Kamchay hydropower dam above Kampot, which is expected to supply 190 MW by 2010.

On Nov. 27, Hun Sen told 1,000 students at a graduation ceremony at the Royal University of Law and Economics that his government had urged foreign investors, especially those from China, to invest in the hydroelectric sector to help bring down the price of electricity.

“I requested the Chinese Ambassador here to attract her country’s companies to invest in hydroelectric power generation in Cambodia,” he said, according to Xinhua news agency.

On Oct. 23, the Manila-based Asian Development Bank approved a further 20 million dollar loan for a second 230 Kv power transmission line from Vietnam, running through Kampot to Sihanouville. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is providing a loan of more than 22 million dollars towards the project.

The project will facilitate the reduction in electricity tariffs in Sihanoukville to between 250 and 350 riel per kWh, and will allow rural households living along the transmission line corridor to have access to reliable and lower-cost electricity from the grid.

“The present mode of power generation is expensive and inefficient, as it does not achieve economies of scale and cannot meet growing demand,” said Tianhua Luo, an ADB energy specialist, on Oct. 23.

Praing said the ADB and JBIC have completed the feasibility study of the Kampot-Sihanoukville project. It will start in mid 2007 and be complete at the end of 2010.

Electricite du Cambodge (EDC) supplies electricity only in Phnom Penh and major provincial towns. Elsewhere, in 2003, there were between 600 and 1,000 small independent electricity providers supplying electricity to about 120,000 households for an average of four hours per day. But the electricity is expensive, reflecting the cost of petrol and diesel generators, and the poor economies of scale.

Praing said only 17 percent of the total population, and 85 percent of residences in Phnom Penh, have electricity now. The government plans that by 2020, all villages will be connected to electricity and by the 2030, at least 70 percent of households will have power.

“This target is to depend on the participation of the private sector to produce and supply power,” Praing said, “You can see the power usage increasing everyday. In Phnom Penh along, the increase is between 25 and 30 percent annually.”

Praing said that in Phnom Penh, EDC alone could not produce enough power to meet demand, so it was buying 45 MW each from two private companies, Cambodia Electricity Private (CEP) and Khmer Electric Power (Kep), and 30 MW from a Malaysian company called Cambodia Utility Power Ltd.

Praing said two hydroelectric dams are going to be built on the Sre Pok and Se San rivers in Rattanakiri and Stung Treng, and they should begin producing power between 2016 or 2020, which would be supplied to Mekong countries. “The dams will provide thousands of megawatts,” he said.

The ‘Post’ has previously reported that these dams will be built by Vietnam, which would receive the electricity, generate it and sell it back to Cambodia.

Laek Housan, chief of Svay Rieng industry, mines and energy office, said that three districts of the province had been connected to electricity from Vietnam since 2005, and that two other districts will be connected in 2007. “At the moment, about 15 percent of families in the province have access to electricity and by 2015, I hope 100 percent of families will have power,” Housan said. (END/IM/CS/JS/1206)

(*Cheang Sophea wrote this article under the Imaging Our Mekong programme, an annual media fellowship implemented by IPS Asia-Pacific and Probe Media Foundation Inc, with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation.)

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Vietnam Said Continuing To Encroach On Cambodia Despite Treaties, Agreements

20 Jan 07

By Socheat
Samleng Yuveakchon Khmer (Voice of Khmer Youth)
Translated from Khmer

During the ceremony to launch the installation of the Cambodian-Vietnamese land border markers at the Bavet-Moc Bai frontier pass in the morning of 27 September 2006 both Prime Minister Hun Sen, head of the Cambodian Government, and Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung publicly declared that they would complete installing border markers at six other main border passes by the end of December 2006. And we are now almost at the end of January 2007 but the border installation at the other six main border passes is far from being completed as planned. Moreover, Va Kimhong, chairman of the government's border commission, has never said anything about all of that although all circles are generally waiting to learn from him with great interest.

As the time for the planting of border markers at the main frontier passes is being extended like a rubber band, the Vietnamese suddenly resumed their acts of encroachment on and aggression against Cambodia's territory at a border pass in O Yadav district, Rotanakiri province without a trace of hesitation or fear. The Vietnamese authorities refused to respect the agreement between the governments of the two countries and did not care about the complementary treaty signed as a supplement to the 1985 state border delimitation treaty. This probably is because the Vietnamese authorities know that the leaders of the current Cambodian Government are indebted to Vietnam and would not dare to say anything when Vietnam infringes on Cambodia's sovereignty and conduct aggressive acts against Cambodia along the common border.

According to border defense officials in Rotanakiri province, the Vietnamese recently made preparations to build a bridge in Cambodian territory regarded as the white zone adjacent to Lom village, O Yadav district, Rotanakiri province. A source who asked to remain anonymous said that last week the Vietnamese brought in iron rods, cement, and crushed stone as part of materials for their project to build the O Kuma Bridge, which is near the advanced outpost of the Cambodian border police, in violation of the agreement jointly signed by the border authorities of the two countries.

Hor Ang, deputy police inspector of Rotanakiri province, acknowledged that the above report was correct and that the Vietnamese side did not give the Cambodian counterpart any prior notice.

An official of the Cambodian border police in O Yadav district said that the O Kuma Bridge in Lom village, Pak Nhai commune, O Yadav district is 6 meters wide adjacent to the Vietnamese border in the so-called white zone, which is under the negotiation of the border affairs authorities of the two countries.

The commander of the military border defense battalion of Rotanakiri province, Li Sovannara, on Thursday 18 January affirmed that the Vietnamese side did not suspend the bridge-building activities as promised, while Cambodians living near the area where the Vietnamese authorities were building the bridge said that the Vietnamese side conducted the construction work without postponing it as requested by the Rotanakiri provincial authorities.

Concerning this issue, Va Kimhong, chairman of Cambodia's National Committee for Resolving Border Problems [NCRBP], admitted that he had told the Vietnamese side to suspend the construction activities and had ordered the Rotanakiri provincial authorities to send him a report as soon as possible.

Nevertheless, the Cambodian people of Lom village, Pak Nhai commune claimed that the Vietnamese side continues to carry on the construction activities with arrogance, refusing to suspend the work as requested by Va Kimhong.

As for the Rotanakiri provincial authorities, they have not made any remarkable reaction to the acts of aggression of the Vietnamese authorities because they know that the Vietnamese are the benefactors of the ruling Cambodian People's Party [CPP].

It should be noted that in 2005 the Vietnamese side encroached on Cambodian territory when it graded land to build a road and logged trees along both sides of the road that extended 2 km from the white zone linking Vietnam's inspection post No. 724 with the post at the Cambodian frontier gate. In April 2006 the Vietnamese side again encroached on Cambodian territory when it built an asphalted road into the white zone and flew Vietnamese flags there.

The NCRBP headed by Va Kimhong has never been seen taking any measure to deal with the afore-mentioned activities of the Vietnamese authorities who have violated the so-called agreement between the two sides.

Border activists and independent observers said that after the start of the installation of the land border markers at the Bavet-Moc Bai frontier pass on 27 September 2006, the Vietnamese side should have ended all its acts of encroachment on and aggression against Cambodian territory along the border; but the truth is that the Vietnamese side has not done so. This shows that the treaty supplemental to the 1985 state border delimitation treaty that PM Hun Sen signed with former Vietnamese PM Phan Van Khai on 10 October 2005 could not stop the aggressive acts of the Vietnamese side although PM Hun Sen boasted that this complementary treaty would be beneficial to Cambodia.

The border activists and independent observers analyzed that the activities of the Vietnamese authorities in intruding into Cambodia to build a bridge on Cambodian soil regarded as the white zone in Lom village, Pak Nhai commune, O Yadav district, Rotanakiri province last week were proof testifying to the fact that the Vietnamese side did not respect the agreement between the governments of the two countries. On the contrary, the Vietnamese side has continued to nurture a brutal ambition to encroach on and commit aggression against Cambodian territory in spite of the official installation of the border markers launched on 27 September 2006 at the Bavet-Moc Bai frontier pass under the chairmanship of the Prime Ministers of the two countries.

Analysts have evaluated that so long as the CPP remains victorious at the polls and continues to rule Cambodia, Vietnam will always carry on its acts of encroachment on and aggression against Cambodian territory, just as it is doing now. This is because Vietnam is the benefactor of the CPP leadership. Therefore, when Vietnam infringes on Cambodia's sovereignty or conducts any acts of encroachment on and aggression against Cambodian territory, the CPP leadership certainly would not dare say a word. This is why the Vietnamese authorities recently were not reluctant to intrude into Cambodia and build a bridge in the border area of O Yadav district, Rotanakiri province. This is because they knew very well how the leaders of the Cambodian Government would react.

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A new king and new challenges in Bhutan [- If it could set a king free, it could do the same as well for the kingmaker]

Mon, January 29, 2007

Kavi Chongkittavorn
The Nation (Thailand)

When Bhutanese King Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicated his throne to his son Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck on December 9 last year, he did so in a private ceremony without any fanfare.

The former king strictly followed Buddhist traditions and its teachings of simplicity and impermanence. He showed the Bhutanese that nothing remains forever and only detachment could set a man - the king in this case - free.

The decision to abdicate was a wise one. At 27, Khesar is one of the world's youngest kings. Immediately following the announcement, ordinary Bhutanese people were perplexed and concerned about what would happen next in this tiny kingdom of 600,000 people, which had become so accustomed to his father's past 37 years of rule. In December 2005, the former king pledged to abdicate in 2008. The whole kingdom was therefore shocked when he passed on his throne to his son early last month.

However, when the young king gave his first speech several days later, all doubts disappeared. He assured the Bhutanese that he would stick to his father's good policies, which have brought stability and wellbeing to the tiny nation. The former king said repeatedly that he wanted the new king to learn from his mistakes.

Fortunately, this change of guard came at a time when Bhutan's domestic and regional situation is stable and conducive to the country's transition to parliamentary democracy. For instance, following the purge of radical militants in southwest Bhutan in 2003, overall relations with India, the country's giant neighbour to the South, have improved and bilateral ties are now stronger than ever. Thimpu has little contact with Beijing.

Since 1995, political uncertainties in nearby Nepal have been worrisome. However, the drastic turn-around there recently, which witnessed the return of democracy and the demise of King Gyanendra's power, does have a strong resonance in Bhutan. The Nepalese king was stripped of all power, titles and privileges following last April's popular uprising. By the end of this year, Nepalese citizens will decide if they want to keep the monarchy as a symbol or take the republican route. Recent public opinion polls revealed that some Nepalese still want to preserve the monarchy in some form, but without it having any real power.

In more ways than one, King Khesar is more fortunate than his father, who became king when he was 16 years old and went without the kind of education or training Khesar enjoyed. But Jigme Singye has proved beyond any doubt that through local wisdom and a strong work ethic, he could rule and lead Bhutan as well as coexist with the tide of globalisation. His gross national happiness and sustainable development models have been the topic of research and emulation. Thai developers are interested in these ideas and are trying to adopt them over here.

The new king belongs to a different generation. He has received the best education possible both inside Bhutan and abroad including studies in India and the UK. Extensive and continuous exposure to world leaders over the past few years, including kings and queens, have allowed him access to their wisdom and skills. It remains to be seen how Khesar will tackle diplomatic issues effecting his country. It is hoped that he can resolve the long-standing refugee problem, which has tarnished the kingdom's image, involving over 106,000 refugees waiting in camps in Nepal. Thimpu has not yet taken them back.

When Khesar represented his father at the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne last June in Bangkok, he displayed personal charm and diplomatic finesse. His self-confidence was also evident in his conduct throughout his stay in Thailand. During the accession ceremony, the Thai people were glued to the TV and immediately fell for his genteel and beautiful wai. Thai media dubbed him "Prince Charming" and the Thai public voted him the most popular visiting royal. Within days, he had been idolised as no luminary has ever been before.

Never before has any member of a royal family from abroad commanded such popularity among Thais. The phenomenon helped to spurn a dozens books about him and his country. Prior to June of last year, Thais hardly knew of Bhutan, let alone the name of the young king. Kinley Dorji, editor-in-chief of Kuensel, an English-language weekly, said that during numerous taxi rides in Bangkok over the past few months, drivers automatically associated Bhutan with the young king.

Younger royal families have come to the fore elsewhere in Asia as well. In Cambodia, King Norodom Sihanouk, 81, stepped down citing health reasons in October, 2004. His son, Norodom Sihamoni, 54, was elected by the nine-member Throne Council immediately thereafter. At first, concerns were high that the new king would not be able to fill his father's shoes. However, in the past two years, the new king has gained respect and acceptance from the Cambodian people, who he has come into contact with during his extensive visits to rural provinces. He has also travelled abroad to promote his country's image.

Bhutan has taken a radical step in switching from an absolute monarchy to a parliamentary democracy - the king will now remain in a symbolic role. Doubtless, this great political leap forward will be watched closely by monarchies around the world.

In the years and perhaps decades to come, Khesar has to face many challenges including defining his own niche and coexisting with the emerging democracy in Bhutan. The way he responds to the new constitution, parliament, newly established political parties as well as to the fresh memory of his father will influence the kingdom's future and the future of the previously untested kingship. In a similar vein, the Bhutanese people must also learn how to live with and adjust to a young king.

If he can promote and consolidate the genuine democracy his father championed and secure the respect of the people, which his father enjoyed, he will leave a great legacy not only within the Himalayan region, but in the world as well.

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An Amazing Story

Srey Chan story (Posted on CCF website):

Srey Chan was found by Scott on a trip to Steung Meanchey, the city garbage dump.

When she was 4, her family moved from the provinces to Phnom Penh, to escape subsistence farming and try for a better life. They settled at Steung Meanchey in hopes that more money could be made picking garbage, but their life has been a difficult one.

After locating her mother, Srey Chan was asked back to CCF, and mother and child arrived the next morning at 8am. She took quickly to the CCF. Smart and enthusiastic, she now studies 8 hours a day, 4 hours at public school and 4 hours at CCF. She returns home nightly to her family on the CCF’s tuk tuk.

On a recent trip CCF field trip to Kep City in Kandal province, Srey Chan left Phnom Penh for the first time, and swam in the ocean.

01.27.2007
By Jay Winsten
The Huffington Post (USA)

The world could use some good news right about now, so here's my contribution.

You've probably never heard of Scott Neeson. He was enjoying a successful Hollywood career, including senior marketing positions at 20th Century Fox and Sony. On a visit to Cambodia, he came upon Stoeng Meanchey, a notorious garbage dump where hundreds of homeless and impoverished children live and work, climbing through immense mountains of refuse to find materials to sell to survive.

Neeson was profoundly shaken by what he witnessed, and was forever changed. He started a program to try to help the kids, and then, in 2004, he quit Hollywood and moved full-time to Cambodia to build and run the Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF), a residential program for orphaned, abandoned, and abused children. Today, CCF serves 240 children, offering shelter, nutritional meals, a comprehensive education including English and Khmer reading and writing, math, computer training, in-house medical services, a cultural program of dance and drama, and a vocational training program.

Last week, Scott Neeson was honored as the recipient of the first-ever "Q Prize", a new international award created by music impresario Quincy Jones and the Harvard School of Public Health to recognize extraordinary leadership in advocacy for children. At an event in New York City to launch the Q Prize, something amazing happened. Neeson told the crowd of celebrities and financiers that he needed their help to stay afloat. Motivation coach Tony Robbins called out from the audience, asking how much. When Neeson answered $600,000, Robbins said he'd take care of one-third if others would match him. Designer Donna Karan raised her hand, followed quickly by nutrition guru Dr. Dean Ornish, and the deal was done, giving new meaning to "Let's Make a Deal." The entire $600,000 will go directly to CCF.

Since my goal is to spread good cheer, others who deserve thanks include the Swiss watch firm, Audemars Piguet, for hosting and underwriting the event; Sterling Stamos Capital and Time Warner for providing financial support for the Q Prize; and the Core Club for donating its meeting space for the event.

What Scott Neeson has done should inspire us all to "be the change in the world." There are plenty of ways to make a difference without moving to Cambodia. For example, a $10 donation will buy one insecticide-treated bed net which will protect an African child from deadly malaria-carrying mosquitoes that come out at night. For $10, you can literally save a life! And, if you organize a fundraiser--in your neighborhood, at work, or through the Internet-- you can protect the children of an entire African village. To learn more, go to MalariaNoMore.org.

Have some good news to share? Pass it on!

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Volunteer bound for Cambodia

Sunday, January 28, 2007

By HOLLY ANGELO
hangelo@repub.com
The Republican (Massachusetts, USA)

NORTHAMPTON - In days, Rennie A. Silva will make Peace Corps history.

The 23-year-old scholar and adventurer will join the first Peace Corps team to volunteer in Cambodia.

"It's an incredible opportunity," Silva said from his home in the Florence section of Northampton Friday. "The future is brighter than the past, and hopefully Peace Corps will be part of that."

Cambodia's recent past has been filled with tragedy, most notably the genocide from 1975-79 led by Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot. It would be another 15 years before the Royal Government of Cambodia signed a partnership agreement with the Peace Corps. Two years ago, an administrative and security infrastructure assessment of the country determined that enough support systems were in place to welcome Peace Corps into Cambodia in 2007.

"The volunteers are really excited," said Joanna Shea O'Brien, spokeswoman for the New England Region Peace Corps Office. "In a sense, they're the first ambassadors of peace."

The first Peace Corps group in Cambodia will include 30 people focused on education and teaching English as a second language. Of the 30, 27 will be teaching at the university level, while the others will do teacher training.

Silva doesn't know exactly what his assignment will be, just that he will be teaching English as a second language and helping train teachers.

"I'm trying not to have any expectations," Silva said. "I expect to be able to work hard."

Traveling is a passion of Silva's. He just returned from backpacking in Russia and China, and has explored Latin America and Europe as well. He likes to travel alone.

"I like it because it puts me that much closer to the people in the country I'm visiting," he said. "I think in some sense my preparation for the Peace Corps comes from my past travel experiences."

Silva is used to not having running water, hot showers and mechanical toilets on his travels. He has been reading books about Cambodia's history and language, along with the history of the Peace Corps, to prepare for his assignment.

Since 1961, the governmental agency has sent more than 187,000 volunteers to 139 countries. Volunteers commit to a 27-month assignment .

Silva, born and raised in Florence, graduated from Holyoke Community College in 2003 with an associate's degree in liberal arts. He graduated from George Washington University in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in political science. He said that eventually he would like to attend graduate school, then pursue a career in public service.

"I'm really proud of him. I support him 100 percent," said Robin B. Silva, Rennie's mother. "I'm glad he's doing something for our country and the world. I think it's very positive and constructive."

On Monday, Silva will board a plane and fly to San Francisco, where he will participate in a staging event for two days. He'll then fly to Tokyo and Bangkok before arriving in Phnom Penh. He will spend a couple of months with a host family to help him learn the language and culture before he is sent off to his assignment.

"I think there's a need more than ever for people to really invest themselves in this type of effort," Silva said. "Embedded in the Peace Corps is optimism."

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Three years of injustice

Sok Sam Oeun and Born Samnang during their arrest in 2004

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Public Statement

AI Index: ASA 23/002/2007 (Public)
News Service No: 017
28 January 2007

Cambodia: Three years of injustice

Three years ago Born Samnang, 26, and Sok Sam Oeun, 39, were arrested, suspected of murdering trade union leader Chea Vichea. After a deeply flawed criminal investigation and a trial that fell far short of international fair trial standards the two men were later found guilty of the murder and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment, despite the lack of any credible evidence against them.

Amnesty International believes that the true perpetrators of the murder of Chea Vichea remain at large. Since the execution style murder, the organisation has campaigned for justice in this case, which at every level has underlined the lack of rule of law and the prevailing culture of impunity in Cambodia.

The unresolved high-profile murder and the continued injustice against Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun is casting further doubt over the credibility of the Cambodian government’s long-standing pledges for legal and judicial reform. Amnesty International believes that such reform is crucial for any real improvements of the human rights situation in the country.

The two men’s appeal was scheduled to be heard in the Court of Appeal on 6 October 2006, but the hearing was called off at the last minute, as one of the judges did not appear. No new date has been set. Meanwhile, the two men remain imprisoned.

Amnesty International continues to call for Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun to be released and their names to be cleared unless there is sufficient evidence to bring charges against them. If so, they should be given a prompt retrial which complies with international standards.

Amnesty International repeats its calls on the Cambodian authorities to ensure that an urgent impartial and effective investigation into the murder of Chea Vichea be launched so that those responsible are brought to justice.

The organization also urges the authorities to conduct a thorough, independent investigation into the conduct of the case, including into allegations of police brutality during the initial interrogation of the two men and intimidation of witnesses. Political interference with the judicial process was also reported, for example the first investigating judge decided to dismiss the case for lack of evidence against the suspects in March 2004, admitting that he had been subject to political pressure. The judge was then immediately removed from his position at the Phnom Penh Court.

Background

Chea Vichea, President of Free Trade Union of Workers, was murdered on 22 January 2004 after receiving a series of death threats. He was shot dead at point blank range in a contract-style killing while reading a newspaper at a newsstand near the Lanka Pagoda in central Phnom Penh. Witnessed by several bystanders, the unmasked killer fled the scene on a motorbike driven by an accomplice.

At the time of his death, Chea Vichea, around 36 years old, was a well-known and respected trade union leader who championed workers’ rights in Cambodia’s burgeoning garment industry. He was a founding member of the main opposition Khmer Nation Party (KNP) in 1995, renamed the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) in 1998.

Chea Vichea was elected President of the Free Trade Union of Workers, one of Cambodia’s largest trade unions, in 1999, when he resigned from official positions within the SRP. He successfully stood for re-election twice and served as the president for five years. He dedicated his presidency to advocating for workers’ rights, such as a living wage, reasonable limitations on working hours, and protection for workers’ representatives.

Further reading: Cambodia: The murder of trade unionist Chea Vichea: Still No Justice, Amnesty International, AI Index: ASA 23/008/2006, 1 August 2006

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$1 million is what it takes to marry a future Cambodian millionaire TV hostess, in a country where most earn less than $1/day

Chan Sopheany (Photo: Everyday.com.kh)

27 Jan 2007
Cambodian TV Hostess Chan Sopheany: I will only marry a man who has $1 million

Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Chan Sopheany, the TV hostess of Channel 5 belonging the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, made a public declaration that any man who wants to marry her must have US $1 million. Chan Sopheany told the Angkor Thom magazine that her declaration does not mean that she does not want to get married, to the contrary, she wants to get married just like any other stars, however, no men dare getting married with her because her conditions are too high. She admitted that: “To tell you the truth, it’s only when I become a rich woman with $1 million in the bank account that I agree to get married, and the man I will marry must have $1 million like me also. As a woman of my age, with my kind of wealth, with education that nobody can take away from me, why should I worry with insignificant men?”

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Khek Vandy sent an apology to Hun Sen, blamed what he told the king on his old-age senility

Funcinpec MP Khek Vandy (Photo: Sok Serei, RFA)

Khek Vandy sent an apology letter to Hun Sen

26 Jan 2007
By Mondol Keo
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Khek Vandy, Funcinpec MP, already sent a letter to officially apologize to the CPP and especially to Prime Minister Hun Sen on 26 Jan.

Keo Puth Rasmey, Funcinpec party president, told RFA that in the content of his letter, Khek Vandy recognized that most likely he is old and he forgets a lot, that is why he said what he said unknowingly, or without remembering what he said.

Keo Puth Rasmey said: “In summary, Khek Vandy wants to express that he has no intention to create problems between the [government] leaders, that is between the king and the leader of the CPP…”

Keo Puth Rasmey added that this issue has been concluded, and Hun Sen already knew about it. Keo Puth Rasmey is confident that Hun Sen will understand this unintentional senility: “Samdech [Hun Sen] knows about this issue, I am confident that Samdech will understand because he already saw the letter stating that it was not an intentional problem.”

Khieu Kanharith, spokesman of the CPP, said that he received this information also, but that he did not receive the apology letter yet, therefore he cannot comment on it.

Khieu Kanharith said: “Funcinpec told me that yesterday, right now, I do not receive [the apology letter] yet, we’ll wait to see the answer first, then Samdech Prime Minister will provide his answer back.”

Dr. Lao Mong Hay said high ranking officials should not use words that could create a troublesome political atmosphere, but that he praises the apology made by Khek Vandy as a good culture to follow by Khmer politicians.

Dr. Lao Mong Hay said: “I believe that on important issues like this, [politicians] should not talk about it [casually because] when words leak out, they cause a troublesome political atmosphere… It is good that he [Khek Vandy] committed an affront, and then went on to apologize to correct back, to accept the responsibility like this.”

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How about volunteering your vacation to do something helpful in Cambodia?

More Americans Take Volunteer Vacations

By GIGI STONE
ABC International News (USA)

Click here to view ABC's video

Jan. 27, 2007 — When you think of teenagers on spring break, visions of Daytona Beach or Cancun may come to mind — not necessarily a trip to Cambodia.

But that's where Kate McNamara, a 16-year-old New Yorker, went on vacation with her family, volunteering to teach children English and build wheelchairs for land mine victims.

"It wasn't that long and it was a small group of people … but it made just such a huge difference, " she says. "It was one of the most rewarding things that I think that I've ever done."

Her mother, Elizabeth McNamara adds, "In a world that needs so much, just to a little bit to make a difference in someone's life is a very positive experience."

Watch Gigi Stone's report on "volunteer vacations" Saturday on "World News." Check your local listings for air time.

More Americans are choosing to go on philanthropic vacations — along with their extra time and money. Globe Aware, the nonprofit group that organized the McNamaras' Cambodia trip, says enrollment has gone up 40 percent every year since the organization started in 2001.

Last year, more than 65,000 Americans traveled overseas to take part in volunteer vacations, estimates Stefanie Rubin, director of the International Volunteer Programs Association. Organizers say there was a surge of renewed interest after 9/11 and the Asian tsunami in 2004.

"I think it's got people thinking about the world: 'What's out there? What real need is out there?' And how they can connect and be a part of this beautiful world we're in?" says Kimberly Haley-Coleman, the executive director of Globe Aware. "I suspect that there is a growing contingent of people who feel that writing a check to an organization doesn't feel as significant as donating their time. Both are important."

It's not just overseas: After Hurricane Katrina, thousands of volunteers flocked to the Gulf region to help rebuild.

More companies are joining in as well by organizing charitable activities for their employees.

Home Depot provides resources for its workers to help build affordable housing and playgrounds in New Orleans and around the country. Last year, more than 40,000 of the company's employees took part in one or more of these volunteer projects on their day off.

"Once you do one [a volunteer project] and you see those children over there … it gets your heart and you can't stop," says Seth Owen, a Home Depot employee who helped build a playground for Hiram Elementary School in Atlanta.

The company admits that such ventures benefit the company's bottom line. It gets free advertising by using Home Depot products, and establishes business contacts in the various communities.

"We have to be good philanthropists, good citizens and strategic investors in our community," says Kevin Martinez, the vice president of community affairs at Home Depot.

Interested in a Volunteer Vacation?

• If you're interested in taking a volunteer vacation, there are some things to keep in mind:
• If your company isn't paying for it, the cost of a one-week volunteer vacation usually starts at around $1,000. But there is a silver lining: It is tax deductible.
• The online travel agency Travelocity recently announced a Travel for Good program to make information about volunteer vacations more easily available.
• Make sure you're traveling with a nonprofit not a commercial organization, because they're required to account for how money is being used.
• Check that you're with a company that provides emergency medical insurance.

LINKS:
http://www.globeaware.org/
http://www.volunteerinternational.org/
http://www.habitat.org/

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Angkor revamp: India's loss, China's gain

28 Jan, 2007

Saibal Dasgupta
TIMES NEWS NETWORK (India)

BEIJING: China and Japan are in a race to grab a larger portion of the restoration work at Angkor Wat, the 12th century Hindu temple in Cambodia.

These well-intended moves also highlight India's inability to make the most of an opportunity to build on age-old cultural ties with Cambodia and be seen as an influential friend in the region, sources said.

The Cambodian government and the Unesco are considering an offer from Beijing to fully restore the 900-year-old ChouSay temple, one of the shrines in the sprawling temple complex built by the Chola dynasty.

The project would cost just $1.86 million to the Chinese but it would open the doors for bagging contracts for larger archaeological sites in the complex.

Beijing is likely to bag this contract because a Chinese conservation team has been working on re-creating some of the past glory of ChouSay temple since 1997.

The team led by Jiang Huaiying have managed to restore a part of this temple, which had nothing other than 5,000 broken pieces of sculpted stone lying around at the time when Jiang began work.

Dong Baohua, the Chinese deputy minister in charge of the task, has said that Beijing was seriously considering bidding for a larger $5.13 million restoration work on the historically more significant Ta Keo Temple. Work on this project is expected to begin later this year and end in 2014.

The Ta Keo temple project offers another opportunity for Indian archaeologists to make their presence felt in what is one of the most significant restoration work in the world, sources said.

The extent of Indian involvement in restoration of Angkor Wat could not be immediately determined. But, a quick check with Chinese experts involved in the project revealed that the Indian government had minimal role in it, if any.

The Chinese government has also joined hands with Washida Japan Organization to excavate, restore and conserve the old sites at the Sambo Prey Kok temple complex in Kompong Thom province in Cambodia, between 2007 and 2012, sources said.

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Painful Memory: The KKK and me

Translated from French by Luc Sâr

Painful Memory
The KKK and me
By N. Sihanouk

Beijing, January 6, 2007

1- KKK = KKHMER (KHMER PEOPLE) FROM KAMPUCHEA-KROM

KAMPUCHEA-KROM = Southern portion of the “former” Kampuchea.

KAMPUCHEA (Kambuja) was (the entire world know about it) a vast EMPIRE.

Next, the KHMERs had to face the “revenge” of non-Khmer People who shook off the yoke of the conquering Khmers.

The anti-royalists said and wrote: “The post-Angkorian Khmer Kings had no merit. From their various faults, these Kings caused the loss of Kampuchea Krom and of several Khmer Provinces to the benefit of the SIAM (Thailand).

A French proverb says: “Qui trop embrasse mal étreint” (He who hugs too much holds badly).

Our Kings and their dear Khmer People were intoxicated by their military successes which allowed the Empire to extend farther and farther (and in several geographic directions) away from Angkor, the capital.

In other parts of the world and during various eras, there were also conquering Kings, Emperors, Tyrants, Dictators (we mainly “know” Alexander (Greece), Caesar (Rome), Charlemagne, Bonaparte-Napoleon I, the French, the British, the Spaniards, the Portuguese, the Dutch, the Japanese, Hitler, Mussolini, the Russians, not to mention Lon Nol and Pol Pot).

These conquerors (excluding Lon Nol and Pol Pot) started with grandiose success in term of conquests of lands and seas, but then (He who hugs too much holds badly) had to pull back until they see their initial Homeland shrinking like a shagreen [Peau de chagrin, see Note], occupied by other Superpowers, [and] sometime cut into pieces by the “Foreigner.”

It is easy and it is unfair to assume the Responsibility of the loss of a portion of our Angkorian lands on the post-Angkorian Kings.

When one is King, one can only want a Kingdom as large as possible.

The Vietnamese (Annam) and the Thai people, in comparison to the Khmer People, are relatively “younger” people who, at one point, had the desire and the force to attack the Khmer and to take their turn to conquer lands and seas. “Logically,” this could only be done to the detriment of our Kambuja (Kampuchea).

In regards the Kampuchea Krom, the French – who were Empire builders under Napoleon I, then [who became] firmly Colonialists under Napoleon III, and also under the “3rd French Republic” – intervene in Kampuchea Krom around 1860, they “reconciled” the Khmer and the Annamite who were warring each other there, and they did this by declaring the “Cochinchina” as being “French.” Colonial France thus succeeded in preventing (by force) the Kampuchea to recuperate back her Kampuchea Krom (the French called it “Cochinchina” in order to avoid having to recognize its appurtenance to Kambuja) and to limit the Annamite’s ambitions to … Annam.

(To be continued)

(Signed) Norodom Sihanouk

-----------------
Translation Note:
(1) La Peau de chagrin: La Peau de chagrin (1831) is a philosophical fantasy novel by Honoré de Balzac. The title is often translated as The Wild-Ass's Skin. The novel is about a man who discovers a powerful talisman in an old curiosity shop (originally published in 1831 after having been serialised in Parisian newspapers, this may be the first usage of that device). The talisman is in the form of an animal skin (a shagreen, the skin of an onager or "wild-ass"). It grants any wish, but shrinks slightly with each use, and the user is doomed to die when it shrinks to zero. The main character is originally prolifigate with his wishes, but is quickly reduced to an ascetic existence where he must try very hard not to want anything - his wish will be instantly granted, but might also kill him. There is a double-meaning in the original title which is lost in translation: it is a play on the words shagreen (the animal skin talisman) and chagrin, meaning in French a sense of grief (a much sadder regret than is implied by the English meaning of the word). Source: Wikipedia.

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The KKK and me (Continuation No. 1)

Translated from French by Luc Sâr

The KKK and me
(Continuation No. 1)
By N. Sihanouk

Beijing, January 7, 2007

2- The 40s decade. After my crowning in Phnom Penh in 1941, I (N. Sihanouk) had the happiness to know my People [living] in all cities, provinces; in the districts and communes of the Kingdom.

The French Protectorate pushed its affection for the young Sihanouk by organizing for me an official visit to a Cochinchinese province which had a dense population of Khmer people (KKK).

My first contact with these KKK: there were mainly men and women farmers of all ages receiving me, with unforgettable enthusiasm, tenderness, affection, in their villages where I passed by with joy and emotion from house to house. The French officials who accompanied me, “let me do [whatever I wanted]” with a smile and complacency. But, these French officials underscored the fact that France intervened in time to stop the Annamite advance towards the Cambodia of H.M. Preah Norodom.

To these French friends, Cochinchina became a French [administrative] Department; from now on, within this French Cochinchina, the KKK survived and prospered … thanks to France.

x X x

3- In 1949, in Paris, during the signing of the French-Khmer Treaty in which the French Republic legally recognized the Independence of the Kingdom of Cambodia and declared the abrogation of the 1863 Treaty and the 1884 Convention, I sent the principal members of the Khmer Royal Delegation to meet the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and to meet the Minister of “France Overseas” in order to demand the French Republic not to cede to Vietnam, Cochinchina “Khmer land” and we, Khmer, told France: “The two choices are: either Cochinchina always remain a colony, or an [administrative] Department of the French Republic, or if the latter wanted one day, to detach itself from Kampuchea Krom, alias “Cochinchina,” then this “Cochinchina” should return to my Kingdom. France answered us: “Now, the population of Cochinchina is in large majority Annamite.”

In 1952-53, under the framework my “Royal Crusade” for the total Independence of Cambodia, I sent H.E. (Samdech) Penn Nouth and H.E. Sam Sary to tell the French Minister of Foreign Affairs (at the Quai d’Orsay), i.e. to tell France that the Khmer people from Cambodia and from Cochinchina were opposed to a possible cession of Cochinchina to [the benefit] of Annam and Tonkin.

4- [Then] came the Geneva International Conference (July 1954) on Indochina. According to the “Geneva” agreements on Vietnam, there should be simultaneous general elections in Tonkin, Annam and Cochinchina in 1956, allowing the Vietnamese People to realize the national reunification and to elect their national leader. Ho Chi Minh or … Bao Dai? The (crushing) victory of Uncle Hi was foreseeable, unavoidable. France wanted to show the Vietnamese People that only Bao Dai was able to detach the Cochinchina from France and … from Cambodia to turn it into an integral part of Vietnam: France therefore gave to its darling, “Emperor” Bao Dai, Kampuchea Krom. The protests by all of us Khmer men and women, were in vain.

(To be continued)

(Signed) Norodom Sihanouk

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The KKK and me (Continuation No. 2) - Norodom Sutharot lost the throne because of the KKK

Translated from French by Luc Sâr

The KKK and me
(Continuation No. 2)

By N. Sihanouk

Beijing, January 9, 2007

5- The KKK caused my paternal Grandfather, H.R.H. Prince Norodom Sutharot, to lose the throne of the Khmer Kingdom.

The latter was not involved in Politics as his older Brother, the famous Prince Yukanthor, did.

H.R.H. Sutharot was very strong in these subjects: doctrine, dharma, vinaya, sutras, and other sacred books and documents on Buddhism (even our revered monks came to consult with him); Khmer literature, sacred languages: Sanskrit and Pali.

Then-France thought that it deprived the “elder Branch” (the Norodom) of the throne to the benefit of Preah Sisowath, after [the reign of] Preah Karuna Preah Norodom I (there was no Norodom II).

The French government of the time, thus thought that it was necessary to return “their” throne to the Norodom.

It (i.e. this Government) “works things out well” in this regards. It let everyone know, in Cambodia, that at the death of H.M. Sisowath, it would be Norodom Sutharot who will be crowned King of Cambodia.

One famous and talented French artist was called in from France to sculpt the bust of Prince Norodom Sutharot, as the “King of Cambodia” after Sisowath.

The KKK were in good relationships with N. Sutharot. They asked him to promise to claim back from France the Kampuchea Krom (the “Cochinchina”) which would be joint to the Kampuchea Leu (“Krom”: “from the bottom”, i.e. “from the South”), (“Leu”: “from the upper”, i.e. “from the North”).

Sutharot answered in loud voice to the KKK: “Sirs, I solemnly promise you that, [once] crowned as King of Kampuchea, I will not miss to claim in writing (official letter), from France, the Kampuchea Krom which is an integral, sacred, and inalienable part of our Homeland.”

Khmer information agents working for the French hastened to let “this” be known by their French “bosses.”

Result: under the order of the French Masters, the bust of N. Sutharot “King of Cambodia” was thrown in the Fourth Hands (Khmer people call it: the “Four Faces”, “Chaktokmouk” river) (at the confluence of 4 rivers, located close to the Phnom Penh Royal Palace: the Mekong, the Tonle Sap, the Bassac and the Lower Mekong).

x X x

At the death of Preah Sisowath, the council of the crown presided by the French Resident Supérieur [Colonial Governor] of Cambodia elected as King of Cambodia his son, H.R.H. Prince Sisowath Monivong, my maternal Grandfather, an officer (Battalion Chief) in the French Army, a former [graduate] of the Military School of Saint Mexant (France).

(Signed) Norodom Sihanouk

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The KKK and me (Continuation No. 3): The Madly-Ambitious Son Ngoc Thanh, the Crazy "Illuminated" Lon Nol, the Hero No. 2 (only) Son Sann

Translated from French by Luc Sâr

The KKK and me
(Continuation No. 3)

By N. Sihanouk

Beijing, January 10, 2007

6- H.E. (Samdech) Son Sann

Son Ngoc Thanh did “everything” to become the one of the “greatest Leaders,” one of the greatest Beacon-“Figures”, Hero in the 2,000-year-old History of Funan-Kambuja.

He lamentably ended his career which was characterized by ambitions reaching the boundary of Madness … under the “reign” of the other Ambitious-Megalomaniac Crazy “Illuminated” Lon Nol. After being (for a short period of time), and thus thanks to their common Boss (the USA), Prime Minister of Lon Nol, Son Ngoc Thanh had to return to Kampuchea Krom where he originated from and to stay there in “obscurity” for the rest of his life.

H.E. Samdech Son Sann, a great Patriot, an authentic Hero of our Kampuchea, always had “his feet on the ground” and never had the ambitions of being an “Illuminated” like Lon Nol and Son Ngoc Thanh, and this, in spite of “possessing” a vast general culture, an education second to none, an administrative experience which “affiliated him” to H.E. Samdech Penn Nouth, the Hero No. 1.

Samdech Son Sann alone saved the honor of the KKK Race which was dishonored by followers of Lon Nol, servants of US Imperialism, mercenaries of the US CIA.

1963: I had the “folly” of rejecting in the name of Cambodia, the conditional and humiliating in so many ways aid from the USA.

H.E. Samdech Son Sann, unperturbed, without making a single remark, limited his duty to telling me: “Our national finances will remain healthy. The National Bank which Your Royal Highness entrusted its charge on me, will always have sufficient foreign currency reserves for the needs of the State and the Nation, thanks to our exports, our flourishing agriculture, and to Your efficient fight against corruption. The Royal Army, the National Administration will not have problems in terms of salaries and materials for national defense, for functioning, and for national edification.”

1980s decade. The FNLPK [French acronym for the National Front for the Liberations of the Khmer People led by Son Sann] and the ANS [French acronym for Norodom Sihanouk Army] under the commands of my Son (Prince N. Ranariddh) fought together for an independent and non-aligned Cambodia.

As President of the Democratic Kampuchea, legally recognized by the United Nations, I had for Prime Minister (who is exemplary in everything) H.E. Samdech Son Sann.

I am paying the most affectionate, admiring, appreciative and respectful tribute to the Memory of H.E. Samdech Son Sann.

x X x

(To be continued)

(Signed) Norodom Sihanouk

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