China's Vice President Xi Jinping toasts with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (R) after signing an agreement on cooperation at council of minister in Phnom Penh December 21, 2009. REUTERS/Chor SokuntheaMon Dec 21, 2009Jared Ferrie
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia signed 14 deals worth an estimated $850 million with China on Monday, two days after defying international pressure by deporting 20 ethnic Chinese asylum-seekers, underlining growing trade and diplomatic links.
China, Cambodia's biggest source of foreign direct investment having pumped more than $4.3 billion into the impoverished nation, agreed to help fund projects ranging from roads and irrigation to temple conservation and a new a parliament building.
The exact value of the agreements, signed during a visit by Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping, was not disclosed. But the pacts were widely believed related to a deal worth $853 million when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Cambodia's prime minister, Hun Sen, met in Sichuan on October 15.
The agreements came two days after Cambodia deported 20 ethnic Uighurs at China's request, despite having signed a 1951 treaty banning the forced repatriation of refugees who face persecution at home.
The Uighurs, a Turkic Muslim group, were involved in ethnic rioting in western China in July that killed 197 people. They were smuggled into Cambodia about a month ago and applied for asylum at the United Nations refugee office.
U.S.-based Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer said in an opinion piece in Monday's Wall Street Journal that Cambodia's deportation was "no doubt influenced by enormous Chinese pressure, backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in aid."
China has repeatedly said the Uighurs in Cambodia were under investigation and were suspected of being criminals, without giving details.
"China thanked the government of Cambodia for assisting in sending back those people," said Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanarith.
The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights accused Cambodia of bowing to pressure and deporting the asylum seekers having given "strong assurances" it would be allowed to complete its investigation to determine their status.
Cambodia has said the Uighurs entered the country illegally and it was implementing its own immigration laws.
(Editing by Martin Petty and Sugita Katyal)
China, Cambodia's biggest source of foreign direct investment having pumped more than $4.3 billion into the impoverished nation, agreed to help fund projects ranging from roads and irrigation to temple conservation and a new a parliament building.
The exact value of the agreements, signed during a visit by Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping, was not disclosed. But the pacts were widely believed related to a deal worth $853 million when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Cambodia's prime minister, Hun Sen, met in Sichuan on October 15.
The agreements came two days after Cambodia deported 20 ethnic Uighurs at China's request, despite having signed a 1951 treaty banning the forced repatriation of refugees who face persecution at home.
The Uighurs, a Turkic Muslim group, were involved in ethnic rioting in western China in July that killed 197 people. They were smuggled into Cambodia about a month ago and applied for asylum at the United Nations refugee office.
U.S.-based Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer said in an opinion piece in Monday's Wall Street Journal that Cambodia's deportation was "no doubt influenced by enormous Chinese pressure, backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in aid."
China has repeatedly said the Uighurs in Cambodia were under investigation and were suspected of being criminals, without giving details.
"China thanked the government of Cambodia for assisting in sending back those people," said Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanarith.
The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights accused Cambodia of bowing to pressure and deporting the asylum seekers having given "strong assurances" it would be allowed to complete its investigation to determine their status.
Cambodia has said the Uighurs entered the country illegally and it was implementing its own immigration laws.
(Editing by Martin Petty and Sugita Katyal)
15 comments:
That great working with China!
20 People Vs. 850 million dollars?
That is about $4.25 Mil. per head isn't it? Who can stop a deal like that?
Shame.
Cambodia is being sold to foreigners by the tyrant Hun Sen. All Hun Sen cares is dollars for his villas, his luxury cars, for his women, for his casinos, for his gangs while the rest of Khmer nation is begging on the streets and living in dire poverty.
The Chinese refugee entered Cambodia illegally, and thus it is lawfully to return them back to the country of origin. Even the US return thousands of Mexican who illegally enter the US. I never see any UNHCR office at the US border to screen Mexican illegal immigrants. The US border agents would only take photograph, finger print them and return them back to Mexico within hours.
Another question is, why are these people came all the way from China and stay in Cambodia. Why don't they stop in Vietnam, Lao, Thailand or even go to Muslim country like Malaysia or Indonesia, why stop in Cambodia!
So now Cambodia is to blame for this. This is unfair.
Why don't the US and the UN protest with China, why blame Cambodia. May be the US dare not challenge China because they are borrowing billions from China!!
As for refugee treaty, what treaty!?
When Thai dump Cambodian refugee into mine field at Phnom Dangrek, where are the International, where the UN, and the Human right group?!
Thousands of Cambodian refugees were massacred, machine gun by Thai soliders, thousands more died in mine field, and thousand more die of starvation in Phnom Dangrek. No one come to help us, none.
Later UN estimate 30,000 Cambodian refugee died at Phnom Dangrek alone, and that not counting Thai Shelling Cambodian refugee camps a long the border, Thai rape and murder thousands more who try to enter Khao I Dang camp.
Sure, it is good human nature that we want to help our fellow man, however, it is also human nature that we want to help ourselves first. In this case, Cambodia is in a very tight spot.
Even if the Cambodian government want to help these people, they are not in the position to do so. They cannot risk anger China, They cannot risk losing millions in financial assistance, loan, and investment from China. Not even the US dare to offend China, let alone a small poor country like Cambodia.
So be realistic. It is easy to be an idealist when you don't have responsibility. It is easy to point finger and lay blame, but if you are in position of Cambodia, sending those people back is the best thing for Cambodia.
Yes we have pity for those Chinese refugee, but in this case, nothing much we can do for them. Cambodia is also under the mercy of China.
Um.. $850 M such a big piece and how much I gonna get out of it for myself as a top leader? I know I don't work for $900 dollar a month.
Fuck off Hun Sen...
Well, the more China can help Cambodia the better. Don't depend on the US. The US is broke. They are borrow money from China too.
So we should be happy for Cambodia. This money will build more roads, bridges, preserve ancient temples.
Ah kwack donot need to think he just hold to China like his boss Pol Pot did!
Fuck the evils!
CHINA and the USA do not now how to rescue Cambodia from Vietnamese jaws?
In relation to Cambodia, CHINA is Zero achievement, every time Chinese start to move their men or policies to influence Cambodia, the Vietcong/NVA punch in the Chinese nose first all the times.
Now the ECCC in Cambodia is indirectly control by Vietnamese government through their puppet Mr. Hun Sen/CPP government. The ECCC is charging former CHINA clients Mr. Khieu Samphan, Mr. Nuon Chea, Mr. Ieng Sary and his wife Mrs. Ieng Thirith as GENOCIDE crimes against the ethnic Vietnamese and the Cham in Cambodia. What is CHINA GOING TO DO ABOUT THAT?
BESIDE BRING MORE MONEY TO BUY Mr. Hun Sen/CPP government and perhaps to robe the whole of Cambodia through land development, ripping for Vietnam to take over again and again CHINA can not do anything to save Cambodia from Vietnam colonization.
CHINA WAS THE MAIN SUPPORTER OF KHMER ROUGE who is their clients now charging as genocide. Whereas the Vietnamese clients such as Hun Sen, Chea Sim, Heng Samrin, Hor Nam Hoang, Keat Chhon, Sam Kar, Sar Kheng, Men Sam An and much more who also GENOCIDED millions of Khmers are laughing at CHINA, USA, UN, EU, ECCC all the way to their own individual’s banks.
At this stage USA do not want to save Cambodia from Vietnam swallowing, so what CHINA must do is to wake up quickly by allying themselves with USA the same way as Mr. Deng Xao Ping did with Mr. Ronald Reagan in 1980’s and rearmed the ex- Khmer Rouge soldiers again to save Cambodia from extinction.
The condition must be attached onto those ex-Khmer Rouge troops, that those troops must be control and lead by ex-anti Vietnamese guerrilla’s leaders similar to the recipient of American Silver Cross Medal, Major Sergeant SARUN SAR of the American Special Force and many more of that types are waiting around the world and inside Cambodia to bring Vietnam and Hun Sen/CPP government to respect the 23rd October 1991 Paris Peace Agreement once more time.
Vietnamese government through their puppet HUN SEN had cheated the CHINESE GOVERNMENT, the UNTAC, the USA administrative and the whole Khmer Rouge organization by urging the Khmer Rouge to lay down their arm before 1993 and now control them like slave and master.
Now a day what CHINA hoping is to buy out HUN SEN and the whole CPP government with their money, so CHINA can have influence in Cambodia.
Vietnamese will not let HUN SEN go off their hooks so easily like CHINA wanted, if HUN SEN do want to escape from Vietnamese jaws, he will receive the same fate as his in-law former police crook-murderer Gen. HOK LUNDY.
Vietnam only allow Hun Sen as a bait to attract investment funds from China, so Vietnam who is Hun Sen master, can spare their own fund to buy 6 Sub-Marines and 12 Russian Airplanes to defeat CHINA once more time like in February 1979 from future China attack.
Vietnam at this moment will never let Chinese put a hand on Cambodia cake again, for inside Cambodia they had 100,000 NVA plus 5 million of Vietnamese illegal immigrants, and for augment sake who know how many Vietnamese militia in disguise among those 5 million illegal Vietnamese in Cambodia?
Therefore, the USA and the CHINA were manipulated by Vietnamese government again and again until they took all the South East Asian markets. Recently they took Laos, Cambodia and perhaps Thailand soon when the opportunity arises.
Vietnam smartly took Laos, Cambodia from CHINA and from the USA, and CHINA never dares to challenge Vietnam for CHINA and USA are always incapable to defeat Vietnamese hypocrisy in war or in politics, so CHINA and USA have no choice, but to unite like in 1980’s to stop Vietnam from swallowing Cambodia and to stop Vietnam expansionist strategy toward Thailand too.
CHINA CAN NOT BUY VIETNAMESE OR HUN SEN/CPP GOVERNMENT OUTRIGHT. CHINA and USA ARE THE LOOSERS TO VIETNAMESE COMMUNIST’S GOVERNMENT WITHOUT KNOWING IT, WHAT IS A SHAME!!!
Who is going to pay back? not Hun Sen at all,is The next 10 Khmer generation have to pay .
China need cambodia for rice productions, there's no other in South East Asia country that can produce rice like cambodia, China interested in Cambodia as Taiwan too...
Better than US anyway!
US only knew how to destroy cambodia that's all! they fuck everything up in cambodia and all othe country around the world, and left cambodia in the dark, this is how US doing to cambodia, King Sihanouk made the right choice...
Nixon, Kissenger are evils...!
This is an open letter to the visiting vice president of the People's Republic of China (PRC), and PM Hun Sen
While investment from the PRC is welcome, some investments have caused too much pains to the Cambodian people especially investments in land dealing. The Union Development Group Co. LTD, owned by investor from PRC, has been awarded an economic land concession to build cities in Kirisakor and Butumsakor districts, Koh Kong Province.
Unfortunately, the concessions above include people's villages and farm lands, and lands which have private ownership. Despite this, the Company still wants to have all the lands, including lands in the villages. The Company (through a mysterious local committee) are taking the people's land without proper compensations. An interministerial committee (comprising province officials, district officials) has been established to document and pay compensations to the affected people. However, while people are being called one by one to meet the Committee, they do not know what to expect: the prices, and terms of engagement... They were offered, if they are lucky, fixed rates which they are unable to negotiate. The rates are different from people to people...The rate is a s low as US$250 per hectar... If they refuse to accept these low rates, they are threatened with law suit, forced evictions, ..Many people have accepted with tears...
Yet, a family is only given 5 hectars of land... beyond this, the land is either taken away for free or given extremely low compensation...It is not sure based on what law that a family can only own 5 ha of land?...?
Also, the people are divided to local people and people from outside! It is said that people from outside the areas who own the land there would not be given compensation??? The taken away of people land and local people Vs. people from outside the areas reminds me of the Kher Rouge Era...
Now people at Preak Smach Village, Koh Sdach Commune, Koh Kong Province are subject to the above treatments. All a decision is said to be made by a representative of a powerful eleite in P. Penh..who is directly involved in deciding rates for the lands. If any people dare to ask fro sometime to think, the offered rates would be lowered...This is part of the threats to weakend people's spirits...(Is this kind of development that Cambodia wants ..if it is not for people's interest..?)
People who own the land in the above areas are not against the development project, but would like to have the followings:
1. There should be a transparent process on the committee decision and prices for different kinds of land. This should be made known to people and not depending on an arbitrary decision by a secret committee or an individual..
2. That the price should not be as low as $250 per hactar at the very least ..(after all, it is the Company that wants the lands to start with...)...People are asking for at least $2,000 per ha...for the lowest price for a certain kind of land...
3. That there should not be a limit of 5 ha per family...?
4. That people are compensated by the actual size of their land....and that the Company or people in the committee shall not be allowed to take away people lands for free...
5. That there should be a clear mechanism in case of disagreements... Now dealings are being carried out with threats...
6. That the government of PRC keeps an eye on the activities of their firms in Cambodia...no exploitations should be allowed...
Samdech Hun Sen, people at Preak Smach village, Koh Sdach Commune, Kirisakor district, Koh Kong are very loyal to Samdach... They have voted for Samdech... It is very difficult to come to see Samdech ..as it is only through boats they could come ....Samdech may not know what are happending in the on-going process to take lands for the Union Development Group, Co, Ltd... Samdech is the people's only hope for fair compensation....
The above story is told to the author of the above message...
Dear 2.31, You are so ignorant about asylum status. I'd like to explain to u briefly as follws:
1. The Chinese Urgure deserved being granted asylum status by Cambodia or other countries because they were involved in racial conflict with Chinese Hans (Not to mention political ground)
2. The world blames Cambodia because Cambodia does not fulfill its DUTY in granting asylum status and protecting the Chinese Urgures. The world and the US can't blame China for Cambodia's mistakes... They do blame China for human rights abuses in China. DO YOU UNDERSTAND HAH?
3. The US sent Mexicans back because they were not political or racial asylum seekers, they merely came to US for jobs.
Best regards,
Doma ah saker!
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