Khmer Intelligence News - 17 February 2009

17 February 2009

Kaing Guek Eav (Duch) using same defense arguments as Hor Nam Hong (2)

Today, Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, the former chief of S 21 Center under the Pol Pot regime, is the first Khmer Rouge official to stand trial before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. He is expected to use the same defense arguments as Hor Nam Hong, the former chief of B 32 Center, an ante-room for S 21 Center under the Pol Pot regime, when the latter appeared before the French Court in Paris for a defamation lawsuit in December 2008. Hor Nam Hong claimed that:

1. He was not involved in, and did not know anything about, the decision making process that took place at the Khmer Rouge top hierarchy (Angkar Leu). He had to execute orders from "above" in order to save his own life.
2. He was only a passive tool of the Khmer Rouge, not a chief, not even a collaborator, because many members of his family were killed by the Khmer Rouge.

Government refuses public debate with Opposition on economic issues (1)

On January 27, opposition parliamentarian Son Chhay officially requested Finance Minister Keat Chhon to personally come to the National Assembly to "elaborate on the government economic policies to combat the effects of the global financial crisis, and on other economic issues."

On February 11, Keat Chhon declined the invitation and instead sent a long written note which appears completely irrelevant, containing a mixture of Khmer, French and English words describing a totally theoretical world with an academic approach.

The opposition has tried several times, to no avail, to have at the Cambodian National Assembly what is known in democratic countries' parliaments as "Question Time".

See Son Chhay's letter and Keat Chhon's response at http://tinyurl.com/ae4oz6

Cambodian united opposition calls for international sanctions on corrupt leaders (1)

Members of Parliament from Sam Rainsy's SRP and Kem Sokha's HRP, which have recently formed the Democratic Movement for Change (DMC), issued today an appeal to "all governments supporting Cambodia in fighting corruption and impunity to:

1. Impose a visa ban on all high ranking officials, their family members and business associates cited in the Global Witness [2007 and 2009] reports ["Cambodia's Family Trees" and "Country For Sale"].
2. Impose a freeze of the bank accounts of all high ranking officials and their business associates cited in the Global Witness reports and seize their ill-gotten assets abroad.
3. Forbid corporations based in the corresponding [friendly] countries from doing business and from making any deals with Cambodian corporations whose shareholders include corrupt government officials or their relatives."

Read full text of the appeal "Cambodia: a country NOT for sale" at http://tinyurl.com/ap8xej

The signatories base their appeal on the legal precedents set by international sanctions on current Burmese leaders and on the family of former Filipino president Ferdinand Marcos. They will also refer to the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and subsequent national laws.

Farm products prices remain extremely low (1)

Agricultural prices, which had plummeted up to last month as a result of the world economic crisis, have recovered to some extent for rice, corn and rubber, but remain weak for cassava and continue to fall for pepper and cashew nut. See "Farm products prices have plummeted" (KI News, 20 January 2009).
Prices paid to farmers as of 17 February 2009:

• Paddy (unhusked rice, second grade) (1): 750 riels per kilogram (700 riels in January 2009; 1,100 riels in January 2008).
• Corn (maize) (1): 600 riels per kilogram (350 riels in January 2009, 600 riels in January 2008).
• Cassava (dry) (2): 330 riels per kilogram (280 riels in January 2009; 750 riels in January 2008).
• Cassava (fresh) (2): 100 riels per kilogram (125 riels in January 2009; 350 riels in January 2008).
• Pepper (2): 7,000 riels per kilogram (8,500 riels in January 2009; 16,000 riels in January 2008).
• Cashew nut (2): 1,800 riels per kilogram (2,000 riels in January 2009; 2,500 riels in January 2008).
• Latex (liquid rubber, dry equivalent) (2): 4,500 riels per kilogram (2,500 riels in January 2009; 6,000 riels in January 2008).

Farmers, who represent some 80 percent of Cambodia's workforce, are intensely suffering from the fall in agricultural prices which determine their revenues and living conditions.

(1) Pailin municipality or Banteay Meanchey province bordering Thailand.
(2) Memot district, Kampong Cham province bordering Vietnam.
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20 January 2009

Farm products prices have plummeted (1)

Farm products prices have recently plummeted in Cambodia as a result of the world economic crisis.

Prices paid to farmers in January 2009 (versus in January 2008):

• Paddy (unhusked rice): 700 riels per kilogram (1,100 riels per kilogram, - 36%)
• Corn (maize): 350 riels per kilogram (600 riels per kilogram, - 42%)
• Cassava (dry): 280 riels per kilogram (750 riels per kilogram, - 62%)
• Cassava (fresh): 125 riels per kilogram (350 riels per kilogram, - 64%)
• Pepper: 8,500 riels per kilogram (16,000 riels per kilogram, - 47%)
• Latex (liquid rubber, dry equivalent): 2,500 riels per kilogram (6,000 riels per kilogram, - 58%).

Farmers, who represent some 80 percent of Cambodia's workforce, are intensely suffering from the fall in agricultural prices which determine their revenues and living conditions.