SRP MPs ask Heng Samrin to set up a special committee for investigation to the death of stampede in Koh Pich Bridge on Nov. 22

Nov. 30, 2010: SRP MPs sent a letter to Heng Samrin, President of the National Assembly, request for create a special committee of NA for investigation to the death of stampede in Koh Pich Bridge on Nov. 22, 2010.

SRP Cabinet

Stampede evacuations discussed

Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Tep Nimol and Chhay Channyda
The Phnom Penh Post

Doctors at Calmette Hospital met on Tuesday to discuss the evacuation of patients severely injured in last week’s deadly Diamond Island stampede to hospitals in neighbouring countries.

The meeting followed an announcement on Monday by Prime Minister Hun Sen that the government would pay evacuation and hospital costs for any patient requiring treatment not available locally.

Sok Khon, director of administration at Calmette, said that no patients had yet been evacuated, but that staff were preparing for that possibility.

“Our top doctors met on Tuesday and carefully checked the status of the victims to determine whether they need to be sent out of the country for further treatment,” he said.

Hun Sen said on Monday that any victim of the bridge stampede who had sustained injuries “beyond our ability to cure” would be sent abroad for treatment and that the government would be “responsible for local and international treatment”.

“We are discussing the matter in accordance with the prime minister’s announcement. We have not yet sent anyone, but are checking their condition,” Sok Khon said.

Som Sophorn, deputy director of Preah Ketomealea hospital, said on Tuesday that a 32-year-old patient being treated for a cerebral hemorrhage was transferred to Calmette Hospital in accordance with policy established by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

“The ministry has ordered that all seriously injured patients be sent to Calmette in order to be evaluated for possible evacuation,” he said.

Health Minister Mam Bunheng and Social Affairs Minister Ith Sam Heng were unavailable for comment.

Koh Pous group puts first island villas on market [-Cambodia's Islands for SALE, buy now before the dictator and his cronies are gone!]

Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Soeun Say
The Phnom Penh Post

LUXURY homes slated for the US$1 billion Koh Puos development off the coast of Sihanoukville have been put on sale and are already attracting interest, according to the island’s developer.

The firm behind the Morakot Island resort put 36 forthcoming sea-front villas on the market this month, according to Marina Khrisanova, director of sales and marketing for Koh Puos (Cambodia) Investment Group.

With a square metre starting at $2,000, the homes will range from 450 to 570 square metres each – making each property worth at least $900,000.

An official from the company confirmed the villas are part of phase one of construction, set to begin early next year.

“Our clients are Cambodian and foreigners, from middle and high classes,” Marina Khrisanova told The Post.

“A few villas have been reserved by high net-worth individual clients.”

The company is confident they will attract interest and is backing Sihanoukville’s potential as a destination.

“We strongly believe in Cambodia’s economic potential. Sihanoukville is also rapidly becoming the next hot tourist destination nowadays,” she said.

The development of Sihanoukville has hit headlines in recent months, with developers and real estate agents along the coastal region, including Song Saa island resort developer Rory Hunter, calling for action to create regular flights to the coastal hub’s airport – or risk the tourist development on the coast. Nevertheless, KPIG is confident about the future.

“We’re going to build 140 villas as part of the project,” said Saing Heng, assistant to Koh Puos project director Andrew Halturint, yesterday.

Construction of low-rise apartment buildings, as well as island utilities, infrastructure and a ring road are also due as part of phase one, due to start next year. A $31 million bridge linking the island to the mainland is also 70 percent complete and is due to finished in June.

Sung Bonna, president of Bonna Realty Group, said yesterday that the island had potential, but warned marketing the homes may have come early.

“It is the best location. In term of timing, it seems early. If they started sales next year, it would be best,” he said.

The massive development has been planned since 2007. Future phases will see hotels and a casino build, according to the project’s plans.

Chinese firm seeking investment opportunity in rice exports, hotel industry in Cambodia

November 30, 2010
Xinhua

China's COFCO, the largest oils and food importer and exporter in China and a leading food manufacturer, on Tuesday afternoon expresses its interest to invest in rice exports and tourism in Cambodia.

"We are very interesting in rice exports from Cambodia and hotel industry in Cambodia,"Yang Hong, vice president of China Oil and Foodstuff Corporation (COFCO), said on Tuesday during a meeting with the officials at the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC).

"After the possibility study about the investment opportunity here, we will take the two sectors into investment consideration," she added.

She said that the Beijing-based COFCO Group is a leading firm in the businesses of biofuel and biochemical production, oilseed processing, rice trading and processing for exports, brewing materials production, and wheat processing, moreover, the group also engages in real estate businesses.

Vongsey Vissoth, secretary general of the Ministry of Finance, said that Cambodia has produced 7.3 million tons of rice paddy in 2010, of which the surpass quantity is 3.5 million tones of rice paddy or 2.1 million tons of processed rice that is available for exports.

"China just signed a rice inspection and quarantine cooperation agreement with Cambodia in October that is easier for Chinese investors to export rice from Cambodia,"he said.

Tith Chantha, director general of the Ministry of Tourism, said that currently Cambodia has 438 hotels with 24,239 rooms, accommodating around 2.1 million foreign tourists last year.

"Cambodia has potentials in tourism and the extent of the economy is bigger, it is estimated that Cambodia needs up to 40, 000 rooms by 2015 as the number of foreign tourists is expected around 3.7 million at that year,"he said, adding"so putting your investment in the sector from now is the right time."

The 13-member delegation consisted the officials of COFCO and ICBC.

Sok Cheda, the CDC's secretary general, said that the delegation comes to Cambodia after Jiang Jianqing, President of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) met with Prime Minister Hun Sen on Nov. 5 in Phnom Penh and expressed the bank's purpose to open its branch in Cambodia and he promised with the prime minister to attract more Chinese investors to Cambodia.

Brain Food

He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.

- Friedrich Nietzsche

DISSENT!

By Khmer Democrat, Phnom Penh
Expanding our Mind Series

Dr. DOAN VIET HOAT



Dr. Doan Viet Hoat, Theary Seng, Harry Wu at the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights gala for George Clooney (NYC, Nov. 17, 2010).

Doan Viet Hoat is known as the Sakharov of Vietnam for his intellectual range and outspoken role as leader of the democratic movement, even from the prison cell. Hoat protested the South Vietnamese government's suppression of Buddhists in the 1960s while still a student. He went to study in the US and got a Ph.D. in Education in 1971. Returning back to Vietnam in 1971, he concentrated on upgrading Van Hanh University (a Buddhist private university in Saigon) to the world level of a modern institution of higher learning. In April 1975, when North Vietnam took over South Vietnam, Hoat stayed in Vietnam.

By 1976, Hoat was imprisoned when the new authorities embarked on mass arrests of intellectuals, and he spent the next twelve years confined to a cramped cell, shared with forty others. Upon his release, Hoat began publishing an underground magazine, entitled Freedom Forum (Dien Dan Tu Do). Only months later, he was detained without trial for two years, then in March 1993, sentenced to twenty years in prison for "attempting to overthrow the people's government." Throughout his imprisonment, Hoat continued to issue statements on democracy and to offer criticism of the regime that were sent out of the prisons clandestinely. The Vietnamese government transferred Hoat from one detention center to another, in an attempt to silence him, but everywhere he went, Hoat's charismatic temperament won over fellow prisoners and guards alike, who sought his counsel and carried out his letters.

Finally, Hoat was sent to the most remote prison in the country, Thanh Cam Labor Camp, Thanh Hoa province, and all prisoners were removed from the cells adjacent to his own. He spent four and a half years in solitary confinement until, in September 1998, after intense international pressure, Doan Viet Hoat was released, then exiled. He now lives in the United States, and continues his movement for human rights and democracy for Vietnam.

- Kerry Kennedy

Photo taken for Speak Truth to Power by Pulitzer award-winner Eddie Adams

I spent twenty years in Vietnamese prisons, and was in isolation for four years. I was forbidden all pens, papers, and books. To keep my spirits up I practiced yoga and Zen meditation. I did a lot of walking. I had access to a small yard from 6 a.m. till 4 p.m., so I gardened-small cabbages mostly. I sang, I talked to myself. The guards thought I was mad, but I told them if I did not talk to myself I would go mad. I tried to take it easy, to think of my cell as home, as though I had entered a religious way of life, like a monk. My family was Buddhist and I had many good friends who were monks. I learned yoga as a student. In isolation as I had no books, I just had to use my mind. Zen meditation helped-with it you turn inside. You have to be calm, to make your mind calm, to think this was just a normal way of life. During the first one or two years this was very difficult, but I got used to it. Every day passed, like every other day. I wrote and recited a lot of poems I had learned by heart. This was a way to keep my mind alert, and helped to clarify my thoughts. As soon as I was released, one of the first things I did in America was to write down the poems from my mind that I recited in prison-now they have published a second volume of them.

The knowledge that it could have been worse in solitary confinement helped. I knew that others survived more severe treatment, and their resilience was an important source of courage. If they could persevere, so could I. Here's one ironic example. When I first came there, the first day, they asked me if I wanted to buy any necessary things, and they gave me a piece of paper to write a list. And I wrote down many things, including a fan. I had in mind a small, handmade fan. But they thought I had asked for an electric fan, unheard of in prison. So they were very angry. I didn't understand why they were angry, when I asked for just a fan. Eventually, word arrived from the minister, or the ministry officials, who had agreed to let me buy an electric fan. And one official came in and he said, "Your electric fan-made in China or Japan?" Well, I was very surprised, but knew by this incident how they were going to treat me-not so badly. But about one week later everything became clearer. One day it was terribly hot. I turned on the fan, and it did not work. I asked the official and he told me that to save energy, from now on, power would be cut off during the daytime. I observed that there was still power in the entire camp, except in my area. And every year, once or twice, they came into my cell to videotape me, sitting there, reading some newspaper, one month outdated, and with the electric fan always vividly behind me.

The common criminals clandestinely listened to illegal radio broadcasts from abroad on the BBC, or RFI (Radio France International) about me and about my cause fighting for human rights. Prison conditions were unbearable, They were beaten almost every day. So they asked for my help. I secretly wrote a report about the conditions at the camp, and the other prisoners smuggled it out to my family in Saigon. The officials found out about that because my friend sent a letter back to me in a piece of pork, and the officials (who check everything very carefully) found the letter. They knew therefore that I had written about the camp, so they quickly sent the letter to the minister of interior affairs, who in turn sent inspectors to the camp-and finally life improved. They stopped beating the prisoners, they removed the officials who liked beating prisoners, they improved meals, and now they even have musical groups who sing every day to make the camp very lively! I realized that our voice had been heard by the international community. I felt more inspired.

I had been writing other essays criticizing the regime, and fellow prisoners in all the camps I had gone through got them out for me. After I wrote the reports the officials increased their efforts to isolate me. They removed prisoners from the cells all around me. They blocked up the window of my cell so that no one could get in touch with me. It became unbearably hot because no air could circulate. I developed high blood pressure. They put in a new door so I couldn't see out and for the two last years it was very bad for me.

Still, I felt that if I kept silent in jail, then the dictators had won. And I wanted to send a message to the people who wanted to fight for freedom that the dictators could not win by putting us in jail. I wanted to prove that you cannot, by force, silence someone who doesn't agree with you. That's why the prisoners, both political and criminal, tried to circulate my writings. Without their help I could not have sent my messages out. We united to continue our fight for freedom and democracy, even from within the prison walls.

My dream for the future is a dream of Vietnam. Our country has a long history of people who fought against aggression and injustice. Our highest calling is love of country, as has been demonstrated by many Vietnamese patriots in the past. I, too, have been moved by the love of my country and also by the greatness of my country's future and the world's future. I believe in a very bright future for Vietnam and for the whole region of Southeast Asia. Time has passed too slowly for my country and my people, and left a long history of suffering. So these thoughts make me unable to keep silent-my knowledge, vision, and love of country urge me to speak. And I always believe that truth, justice, and compassion will prevail, no matter how strong the dictators are, no matter how bad the situation might be.

Dr. Doan Viet Hoat with the Kennedys at the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights Gala honoring George Clooney (NYC, Nov. 17, 2010).

Sources: Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights’ Speak Truth to Power – www.speaktruth.org/defend/profiles/profile_21.asp

www.thearyseng.com

The Koh Pich tragedy and Hun Sen’s crocodile tears

Op-Ed by Khmerization
30th November, 2010

"His sadness, condolences and mourning seem too genuine and instantaneous. However, to seasoned and veteran political observers.... His grief is fake and his tears are crocodile tears."

Three days after the Koh Pich Bridge stampede tragedy, Prime Minister Hun Sen has been seen around the world’s television screens as having cried uncontrollably for the first time.

To the novice observers of the current Cambodian political affairs, this is an extraordinary scene for a strongman who has been described as having a heart of steel, who is well-known for his brutality and arrogance, to look like a broken man for the first time in his life. His sadness, condolences and mourning seem too genuine and instantaneous. However, to seasoned and veteran political observers of Mr. Hun Sen’s political career and his political maneuverings, Mr. Hun Sen had put up an excellent show to fool the Cambodian people and the world. His grief is fake and his tears are crocodile tears.

The above rationale has been proven correct by his speech on Monday. Seven days after the tragedy and four days after he had put up a public show of emotions, Mr. Hun Sen turned around and declared that no one was responsible for the tragedy and that no head will be rolled. And adding insult to injuries, he had rejected the resignation of Mr. Kong Sam Ol, who is the chairman of the National and International Festival Committee, the body responsible for organizing and managing the Water Festival that caused the stampede.

With the magnitude of the tragedy described as the world’s worst crowd disaster in 4 years, one would have expected that some sort of accountability and culpability be apportioned. Yet, despite an admission of a ‘joint mistake’ and ‘joint responsibility’, Mr. Hun Sen arrogantly declared that no one will be sacked and punished because it is an unforeseen accident occurred because of a ‘carelessness and negligence’ of the government.

Mr. Hun Sen’s admission of a ‘joint mistake’ and ‘joint responsibility’ because of a ‘carelessness and negligence’ of the government is an admission of guilt and wrongdoing and therefore the onus is on the government and Mr. Hun Sen personally. For a tragedy of this magnitude which is a ‘joint mistake’ and ‘joint responsibility’ of a government, the buck stops here with the government and the head of the government, that is to say the government and the whole cabinet must resign, starting with Prime Minister Hun Sen first.

There seem to be a cover up at the highest level to the investigation and the cause of the tragedy. The committee, set up immediately after the tragedy to investigate the cause of the stampede, hastily concluded its investigation in just one day and publicly released its findings exactly one week later. Despite eyewitness accounts of about 30-odd people having been electrocuted, the government denied the claims and the investigation concluded that swaying bridge was the cause of the panic which led to the stampede.

In the West, the investigation into the tragedy of this magnitude will take months, even years, to complete. All evidences will be examined and witnesses interviewed and no stones will be left unturned.

The investigation into the Koh Pich Bridge stampede lacks substance, lacks transparency and credibility. It is doubtful if even 20% of the 8,000 witnesses, that was the number of people who got stuck on the bridge, were interviewed. There is no sign of physical evidences had been examined and analysed and there is no sign of autopsies being performed on the corpses to determine the causes of deaths.

People must remember that Koh Pich Island and Koh Pich bridge are owned by Mr. Hun Sen’s wife and his children and Canadia Bank, which Mr. Hun Sen’s family is the majority shareholder. As a result, Mr. Hun Sen and his family had to be personally and directly responsible for this tragedy also.

By admitting that the tragedy was a 'joint mistake’ and a ‘joint responsibility’ of the government and with mounting evidences pointing to carelessness and cover up at the highest level, the buck stops with Mr. Hun Sen. And to show that his grief and emotions are genuine and in respect to the souls of 351 dead and 329 wounded in the stampede, Mr. Hun Sen and the whole of his cabinet should do the honorable thing and resign.

Memorial for the Victims of Koh Pich stampede at Wat Khmer Krom of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on Sunday 28 Nov 2010

Interview with Mrs. Mu Sochua on her mission overseas

29 Nov 2010
By Yun Samien
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Soch

SRP MP Mu Sochua plans to participate in the economic forum to be held in New York, USA, on 04 December 2010, to provide her input on the situation of Cambodian women and the strategy to turn Cambodian women to leadership in the Cambodian society.

Following her mission in the US, Mrs. Mu Sochua will continue to Brussels, Belgium, to discuss about human rights and land dispute problems with the European Union in order to ask the EU to push the Cambodian government to respect human rights and to find a political solution for the return of Sam Rainsy to Cambodia.

Mrs. Mu Sochua will also ask the EU to stop buying sugar produced by any company owned by Ly Yong Phat, the CPP Senator and casino-tycoon, because his company is involved in land-grabbing in Omlaing, Kampong Speu province. The grabbed lands are turned into sugar cane plantations.

Please listen to the interview in Khmer below:

From white cloth to precious gems: Cambodian women challenge gender stereotypes and defend against HIV

December 1 is World AIDS Day. Image courtesy of NAT.

November 30, 2010
By Meghan Lewis
-Cambodia-
The WIP

An ancient Khmer proverb says, “A man is gold; a woman is a white piece of cloth.” Gold can get dirty or be dropped in the mud, but it can be polished and become as shiny as new; if white cloth is dropped in the mud, it will be forever stained, soiled, and ruined. This is a sad reflection of how Cambodian society traditionally views female sexuality. The silencing and shaming of female sexuality means that women often lack their sexual rights and autonomy.

As the world marks World AIDS Day on December 1, Cambodia is often hailed a success as one of the only countries in the world to halt and reverse the spread of HIV from a peak of 2.8 percent in 1998 to an estimated 0.7 percent in 2010. However, harmful gender stereotypes like the one above threaten to undermine efforts and contribute to a second wave of the epidemic.

One woman familiar with today’s realities in Cambodia is Duong Sopheaktra, whose inviting smile and infectious giggle hide a world of pain and disillusionment. Pheaktra grew up in war-torn Cambodia. Her father was away from home fighting, and she was raised by an abusive stepmother who beat her and did not give her enough to eat. The family lived far away from the nearest school, and subsequently Sopheaktra stopped going to school and worked on the family farm.

Sopheaktra tells the heartbreaking story of how her stepsister sold her virginity when she was 17 years old. “There was an old man waiting for me, and my stepsister told me to greet him saying that he was her uncle. I had a meal with them and after that I suddenly became sleepy and asked my stepsister to go back home. So she told the man to take us home by car.

“When I woke up my body was naked, and there was a man holding me. I realized that my future was finished at that time. I was very upset, unable to say anything; I just let my tears come out with the pain in my mind.”

Feeling worthless and ashamed that she had lost her virginity, Sopheaktra left home and did not tell her father what had happened. Like many women in the same position, Sopheaktra did not have many options.

“I found work as a beer seller. The wage was very low, though, and I could not afford to pay bills and send money home to my father, who was very ill. I decided to do the second job – whenever there was a customer who wanted to sleep with me, I would agree if the price was acceptable because I really needed the money to support my living costs.”

Sopheaktra's stepsister sold her virginity when she was 17 years old. Photo courtesy of the author.

Extreme poverty and low education levels are the main forces driving women into commercial and transactional sex work in Cambodia. This takes place in a variety of settings from brothels and streets to karaoke bars and beer gardens. There is an HIV prevalence of 14.7 percent among direct sex workers, and they often report pressure from clients to have sex without condoms. In some cases clients will offer to pay more for unprotected sex. To women living in poverty this can be hard to refuse. According to a 2007 report for Pharmaciens Sans Frontiers, 20 percent of entertainment workers were infected with sexually transmitted infections every month - indicating low condom use.

In a culture that promotes men’s rights to sexual pleasure and silences female sexuality, sexual violence is endemic. Sex workers are commonly referred to as srey koach (broken women), and are viewed as “spoiled.” As a consequence of this dehumanisation they frequently endure harassment, rape, and violence from a variety of perpetrators. Rape at the hands of clients is a common experience for most women working in the entertainment industry. Sopheaktra was not spared this ordeal.

“Sometimes customers took me to have sex without paying me and even threatened to kill me. When working in a restaurant, some customers cursed and mocked me and even hit my head with glass. Every time I recalled the pain I suffered, I asked why my life was full of sorrow and I just wanted to take poison to end this life because I could not understand.”

According to Amnesty International, rape in Cambodia goes largely unreported due to a number of reasons. Even though sex work in Cambodia is not illegal, the Cambodian Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Exploitation is often used by police to harass and blackmail sex workers. Consequently, sex workers who are raped do not trust the police. Furthermore, there is a general lack of confidence that the perpetrator will be convicted, and the shame that rape survivors feel often prevents them from reporting the crime.

It is not only sex workers who suffer such experiences of gender inequality. The majority of married women in Cambodia face the reality that their husbands will have extramarital sexual relationships with paid and unpaid partners. Men are more likely to use condoms with paid partners, but many do not use condoms consistently with unpaid partners. The result is that married women account for 43 percent of new HIV infections, according to a 2008 survey by Cambodia’s National Centre for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology, and STD. Domestic rape is against the law in Cambodia, but it is common and is rarely reported to authorities due partially to a widespread lack of understanding from both wives and husbands about sexual rights within marriage.

Sopheaktra has become a peer educator and facilitates discussions, support, and workshops for fellow entertainment workers. Photo courtesy of the author.

Out of her great sorrow, Sopheaktra has found incredible inner strength and the motivation to help others in her situation. She has risen from depression and has become a role model for other entertainment workers. Through hard work and determination, Sopheaktra has become a peer educator and facilitates discussions, support, and workshops for fellow entertainment workers. She challenges harmful gender stereotypes and breaks taboos by talking candidly about sex, sexually transmitted diseases, and HIV. By talking about these subjects, she tells me, Sopheaktra hopes that other sex workers will be better equipped to negotiate safe sex with clients, and will not feel ashamed to seek sexual health treatment or report abuse.

The work that Sopheaktra does is invaluable to her peers and is much needed in communities where commercial sex is so readily available. But in order to meaningfully tackle the issues, it is not going to be enough to empower women and enlist them in the response. It is imperative that men share this responsibility and challenge prevalent male attitudes, not only to prevent a second wave of the epidemic, but to work toward a more gender equitable society.

Prominent female politician Mu Sochua is working hard to promote equality in Cambodia. She has led the influx of thousands of women into government positions, though change remains slow in the male-dominated society. One of Mu Sochua’s early ministerial acts was to launch a gender equality campaign to rewrite the Khmer proverb as “A man is gold; a woman is a precious gem.” This new version of the proverb represents women and men as equally valuable and challenges the belief that a woman’s actions will stain her forever.

About the Author:

Meghan Lewis is the Policy, Advocacy and Communications Officer for the Khmer HIV/ AIDS NGO Alliance and works to reduce discrimination against marginalised groups in the response to HIV and AIDS. She has been a key actor in the formation of Cambodia’s first LGBT group, Rainbow Community Kampuchea (RoCK), a group of local and international LGBT volunteers working together towards a future free from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. She has published articles based on public health and human rights in Cambodian newspapers as well as international newsletters and websites including Purple Sky Network and Key Correspondents.

Meghan was born in South Africa and grew up in Kwa-Zulu Natal before moving to the UK in 1997. She studied Education at the University of Brighton and has been living in rural and urban Cambodia since 2008. Throughout her personal, academic and professional life, her primary passion has been to try to reduce the inequalities that exist in so many areas of society and work towards a future where opportunities are accessible to all people regardless of ethnicity, economics, gender or sexuality.

Preah Vihear temple border gate with Thailand likely to open on weekend

November 30, 2010 
Xinhua

Ten Thai soldiers stationed in Wat Keo Sekha Kiri Svarak pagoda at Preah Vihear temple have already withdrawn and the Preah Vihear temple border gate with Thailand is likely to open on Sunday, said a top official at the Preah Vihear National Authority.

"Since Monday's evening, both sides have pulled out each side of the 10 soldiers stationed in Wat Keo Sekha Kiri Svarak pagoda and Thai side asked to keep five of them dressed uniforms and equipped with radio transmitters, but no weapons to station at the Police station 795 nearby the Cambodian market nearby the temple," Hang Soth, General Director of the Preah Vihear National Authority told Xinhua on Tuesday.

Both sides have also been re-filled bunkers since on Monday, he added.

"We, both sides, agreed in general to open the border gate at Preah Vihear temple on December 5 upon the request by a Thai army commander," he added. "However, we are not yet to agree with the Thai request to allow her vendors to sell in our market nearby the temple."

Chea Dara, deputy commander-in-chief of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, who is in charge of the army at Preah Vihear temple, said Tuesday that tension between the two countries have been eased since four times of meetings between the two countries' leaders and subsequent meetings between commanders of both sides' armed forces.

The border gate has been closed since July 2008, when Preah Vihear temple was enlisted as a World Heritage site, triggering a military build-up along the border, and periodic clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers have resulted in the deaths of troops on both sides.

Since then, tourists have been allowed to enter the hilltop temple from only Cambodia side, preventing a larger influx of visitors from Thailand.

Clinton blasts State Department leaks [by Wikileaks] as 'an attack'

11/29/2010
By Mimi Hall and Richard Wolf
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration scrambled Monday to control the diplomatic damage from a quarter-million leaked State Department documents reverberating across the nation's capital and around the globe.

The White House ordered a government-wide review of procedures to safeguard classified data and vowed to prosecute anyone who broke U.S. law by leaking the latest trove of documents to the online whistle-blower WikiLeaks.

"This disclosure is not just an attack on America's foreign policy interests," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said. "It is an attack on the international community — the alliances and partnerships, the conversations and negotiations, that safeguard global security and advance economic prosperity."

Attorney General Eric Holder said the government was conducting a criminal investigation and would hold responsible "anybody who was involved in the breaking of American law."

The e-mails and other documents released by WikiLeaks provide a rare glimpse into government negotiations and unfolding world events.

Governments in Europe condemned the leaks. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini dubbed them "the Sept. 11 of world diplomacy."

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Obama was "not pleased," calling that reaction "an understatement."

At the center of the controversy were The New York Times and other news organizations that began publishing stories about the documents on Sunday. The Times defended publication of the documents as serving "an important public interest."

Few current or former U.S. officials agreed. Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, called the leak a "catastrophic" breach of trust.

The documents, which WikiLeaks said would be released over a period of months, show:

•U.S. diplomats were instructed to collect personal data on United Nations officials, including flight schedules, credit card numbers, Internet passwords and even some biometric information.

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton questioned the authenticity of that cable. "I have never seen one like that," he said. Diplomats "are not competent to engage in espionage."

Clinton defended the diplomats' work. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said, "Our diplomats don't break the law."

•Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, are far more concerned about Iran's nuclear program than they have said publicly. "It should not be a surprise to anyone that Iran is a source of great concern, not only in the United States," Clinton said.

•The U.S. bartered with other countries to try to get them to take some of the terrorism suspects being held at the Guantanamo Bay prison.

Contributing: Kevin Johnson and the Associated Press

Who's responsible for the tragic death of this lady's daughter: No one according to Hun Xen!

The woman above carried her daughter's picture and cried out loud in grief for the loss of her 16-year-old daughter who died in the 22 Nov. stampeded. She visited the site of the tragedy to commemorate her daughter's spirit (Photo: Everyday.com.kh)

Koh Pich bridge case swept down the Tonle Sap in a hush-hush investigation cover up

Xok An and the clueless investigation commission (Photo: CEN)

Investigation results for Koh Pich bridge: a clear accident case [so claimed the government]

29 Nov 2010
By Sopheak
Cambodia Express News
Translated from Khmer by Soch

The tragedy on Pich Bridge was not a planned terrorist or a criminal case, and it was not the result of electrocution either, however, it was an accident due to panic and stampede. The deaths were due to asphyxia, dehydration and impossibility to move muscles.

This is the result of the investigation conducted by the commission in charge of investigating the tragedy on Pich Bridge on 22 Nov 2010. The result was presented during a press conference held at the Council of Ministers on Monday afternoon. The highly anticipated investigation result has been made public, but there is nothing new or different from what government officials have been trumpeting all along.

Xok An, the minister of the Council of Ministers and chairman of the commission above, indicated that funds received from donors will be provided to the victims through the ACLEDA bank for security reason.

Yesterday, Hun Xen announced that there is nobody who will be blamed in this case, it is a joint responsibility due to carelessness and underestimation of situation. Like Hun Xen, Xok An also claimed that this is a major lesson for future Water Festival celebrations.

The press conference indicated that the investigation on Pich Bridge is now completely closed.

[Abhisit's] Democrats off the hook

Prime Minister and Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, left, and Democrat chief adviser and former prime minister Chuan Leekpai smile after hearing the Constitution Court dismiss the case against the party. APICHIT JINAKUL

Donation case now looks shaky, say legal experts

30/11/2010
King-Oua Laohong and Manop Thip-Osod
Bangkok Post

Speculation is rife that the Democrat Party will also win the case against it of an alleged illegal donation after the Constitution Court spared it from dissolution by dismissing a charge of misuse of an election grant.

Six Constitution Court judges yesterday voted 4:2 to drop the case in which the party was accused by the Election Commission of misusing a 29 million baht grant from the EC during its campaigning for the April 2, 2005, general election.

The four judges who decided to throw out the case argued that the EC chairman, as the political party registrar, had failed - as required under the Political Parties Act - to submit the case to the court within 15 days of being notified that the grant might have been misused.

A source from the Constitution Court said the two judges who voted against dismissing the case were Chat Cholaworn, the court president, and Boonsong Kulbuppa.

The judges said the allegation that the party misused the grant came to the attention of the political parties registrar on Dec 17 last year, but the registrar only submitted the case to the court on April 26 this year.

This went beyond the 15-day time frame for submission of the case. This meant the move to dissolve the Democrats was unlawful and therefore there was no need to deliberate the rest of the legal issues related to the case, the judges said.

Chuan Leekpai, the head of the Democrats' defence team, made the closing statement on behalf of the party. Kittinant Thachpramuk, public prosecutor in charge of special litigation, made the closing statement on behalf of the EC.

Parinya Thewanarumitkul, deputy rector of Thammasat University, said the EC's failure to comply with the 15-day time frame was unexpected and was an important lesson for the EC.

Even though the case has now been dropped, members of the public are still in the dark over whether the Democrat Party had actually misused the grant, Mr Parinya said.

He said the court ruling yesterday might have implications on the other case in which the Democrat Party is accused of receiving an undisclosed donation of 258 million baht from cement giant TPI Polene.

Mr Parinya said the Democrat-led coalition government would face mounting pressure from its opponents, including the red shirt movement and the Puea Thai Party, now the court has spared it from dissolution.

He said the charter court has now freed itself from any predicament as the pressure has been shifted to the EC which failed to submit the case in time.

Komsan Photikong, a law lecturer at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, said the EC's procedures seeking the dissolution of the party were unlawful from the beginning.

The Constitution Court judges' decision to dismiss the case against the Democrat Party was right and legitimate, Mr Komsan said.

He agreed that anti-government protests would intensify as the government's opponents were disgruntled with the court's decision.

Bandit Siriphan, a member of the Democrat Party's defence team, said he would ask the Constitution Court to consider dismissing the case involving the alleged illegal donation from TPI Polene as the EC had also failed to submit the case in time as required by law. The 15-day time frame and the proceedings in the case involving the 29 million baht grant were based on Section 93 of the constitution.

But Thanapit Moolapruek, director-general of the Office of the Attorney-General's special litigation department, said the flaws in the case involving the 29 million baht grant would not be repeated in the 258 million baht donation allegation as the grounds to proceed in these two cases were different.

"These two cases differ in nature and in legal technicalities and legal proceedings. The Office of the Attorney-General has submitted the case involving the 258 million baht donation itself," Mr Thanapit said.

EC commissioner Somchai Juengprasert admitted the EC may have to review its role as an organisation following the court's decision.

He said EC members may raise the issue for discussion at today's meeting to find out why things turned out the way they had.

Senator for Si Sa Ket Jittipoj Wiriyaroj, who chairs a senate committee on constitutional organisations, said some legal experts and members of the public still questioned why the court ruling focused on only one legal technicality and then decided to drop the case.

He called on the judges to disclose their reasons for dismissing the charge of misuse of the fund money to dispel lingering public doubt.

Condolences from the US National Defense Corps 9th Khmer Division

In remembrance of General So Satto - by Former Lt. Tav Kim Chhorn, Khmer Air Force Pilot

COMFREL Conduct Workshop on Discussion of Elections and Democratic Reform Recommendation

CCHR Report - Business and Human Rights in Cambodia - Constructing the Three Pillars

Dear all

The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) today, 30 November 2010, releases a report titled "Business and Human Rights in Cambodia: Constructing the Three Pillars". The report, which is an output of CCHR's innovative Business and Human Rights Project, analyzes business and human rights in Cambodia through United Nations Special Representative John Ruggie's "Three Pillars" framework.

Please find attached a concise summary of the report in English and Khmer and the full report in English. 

Should you have any questions about the report or CCHR's Business and Human Rights Project please do not hesitate to contact us. 

All outputs by CCHR are available on our website www.cchrcambodia.org and the CCHR hosted Cambodian Human Rights Portal www.sithi.org

Thank you and kind regards

Click here to read the report in Khmer

Click here to read the report in English

Cambodia goes crazy for local fish sauce

Monday, 29 November 2010
Rann Reuy
The Phnom Penh Post

DOMESTIC fish sauce firms are increasing production this year, as local demand increases due to improved distribution and quality standards.

Chan Sitha, owner of Ngov Heng Fish Sauce Enterprise, in Kampot province, told The Post yesterday that he is producing 120,000 litres of the condiment per month – compared to around 100,000 litres per month last year. Rural demand, he said, was a reason behind the 20 percent increase. He said: “Most of the houses have at least a bottle of fish sauce.”

Other sauce experts said that an increase in quality and distribution networks were proving a boost for business. Hong Mouy, owner of Thai Hong Keat enterprise, which produces 12,000 litres per day of fish sauce and soy sauce , said that her sales had increase due to wider distribution of bottles.

While Phe Chantravuthy, deputy director of Industry Department at the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, said more and more Cambodian people were turning to domestically-made products due to an increase of hygiene and quality standards.

He estimated that around 50 percent of fish sauces on the market were now supplied by local enterprises, with the other 50 percent imported.

“People in rural areas now like the Cambodian-made products, due to their fair price,” he said. “Really, Cambodian products are of a good quality, and now the ministry is giving production advice to entrepreneurs."

Hun Sen warns cash-strapped ministries to watch air-con bills

Nov 30, 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told government staff they must stay within budget for electricity use or take pay cuts to compensate for any overruns, local media reported Tuesday.

He was speaking at the inauguration of a ministry building on Monday.

'Starting today, if ministries have electricity costs such as those from air-conditioning higher than the target in their budget, the minister (and deputy ministers) will face a three-month salary cut,' Hun Sen said, according to the Phnom Penh Post newspaper.

He said officials who objected to having their salaries cut were welcome to quit, and promised to monitor the electricity usage of the worst offending ministries.

Most of Cambodia's electricity is imported from neighbouring countries. Electricity prices, which are among the highest in the region, are regularly cited as a barrier to investment.

Senior Cambodian prosecutor arrested by new anti-graft body

Nov 30, 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - Officials from Cambodia's fledgling Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) have arrested a senior provincial prosecutor on unspecified charges, national media reported Tuesday.

It marks the first known arrest of a public official by the ACU, which was launched earlier this year to tackle pervasive corruption in public life.

The Cambodia Daily newspaper said Top Chan Sereyvuth, the senior prosecutor in Pursat province, was arrested early Monday.

ACU head Om Yentieng, who led the operation, refused to disclose the grounds on which the prosecutor was being held.

Top Chan Sereyvuth was last year named in media reports as being involved in a long-running land dispute case that was mysteriously moved to his court in Pursat from another province where he had previously worked as a judge.

The head of an organization that was contesting the land told media at the time that Top Chan Sereyvuth was to receive 2 hectares of land once the case was resolved.

Global graft monitor Transparency International ranks Cambodia among the world's most corrupt nations.

It took the government 15 years to promulgate an anti-corruption law, whose eventual passage followed years of pleading from donors who annually give hundreds of millions of dollars.

One recent survey found that Cambodians regard the judiciary as the most corrupt institution in the country.