Nan Sy, another Funcinpec member, is accused of corruption and is being tried in absentia

Nan Sy (L)

លោក ណាន់ ស៊ី ត្រូវ​បាន​កាត់​ទោស​កំបាំង​មុខ

ដោយ សុខ សេរី
 2011-11-02
Radio Free Asia

Synopsis: The Phnom Penh municipal court held a hearing on 02 November 2011 to try Nan Sy in absentia. Nan Sy was the Cambodian ambassador to Brunei. He is accused of corruption and embezzling $430,000 in state funds for the construction of the Cambodian embassy in Brunei in 2008. Nan Sy is a Cambodian Muslim and he was a former Funcinpec MP.

សាលា​ដំបូង​រាជធានី​ភ្នំពេញ នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​២ វិច្ឆិកា ឆ្នាំ​២០១១ បាន​បើក​សវនាការ​កាត់​ទោស​កំបាំង​មុខ​ឯក​អគ្គរាជ​ទូត​កម្ពុជា ឈ្មោះ​លោក ណាន់ ស៊ី។


លោក ណាន់ ស៊ី ត្រូវ​បាន​ចោទ​ក្រោយ​បទ​ប្រព្រឹត្ត​អំពើ​ពុករលួយ និង​កេង​ប្រវ័ញ្ច​ប្រាក់​របស់​រដ្ឋ​សរុប​ប្រមាណ ៤៣​ម៉ឺន​ដុល្លារ​អាមេរិក នៅ​ក្នុង​ការ​សាងសង់​ស្ថានទូត​កម្ពុជា នៅ​ប្រទេស​ប្រ៊ុយណេ (Brunei) នៅ​ឆ្នាំ​២០០៨ កន្លង​ទៅ។

Cambodia Keen To Sell Rice To Brunei

Saturday, 25 December 2010
Written by Sally Piri
The Brunei Times

Bandar Seri Begawan - Cambodia, one of the Southeast Asian countries relying on agriculture sector to boost its economy, reiterated its keen interest to export high-quality rice to Brunei.

In an interview with The Brunei Times, Ambassador of Cambodia to Brunei Darussalam Nan Sy said recently that the plan was part of his country's effort to expand cooperation in investment sector.

"We wish that (cooperation in agriculture sector) will soon be coming," the ambassador said.

He said that agriculture has been the most important sector in Cambodia, as it contributes 80 to 85 per cent to its country's economy. While the remaining contributions are received from the tourism sector and mining industry. He said that the country has also been exporting rice to Vietnam and Thailand.

The ambassador recalled that the plan on agriculture cooperation such as rice was previously brought up to the table during the 2008 Cambodia visit of then-permanent secretary at the Brunei's Ministry of Finance Dato Paduka Hj Ali Hj Apong, who is now Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office. During the talk with his Cambodian counterpart, Dato Paduka Hj Ali wished for the Sultanate to buy rice from Cambodia, said Nan Sy.

Cambodia, a country with more than 14 million population, have been enjoying a close affinity with the Sultanate which has been pro-viding scholarship as well as information and technology training assistance to Cambodian students and government officers.

The ambassador said the state visit by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam to Cambodia in 2007 had enhanced the cooperation between the two nations and had opened the path for bilateral cooperation such as technical assistance in oil and gas industry as well as education.

Both states established diplomatic relations on June 9, 1992, which saw bilateral visits by leaders and government officials.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah visited Cambodia for the 17th Asean-EU Ministerial Meeting in 2009. While

Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen attended His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam's 60th birthday celebrations on July 15, 2006. Also, His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni made a state visit to Brunei from 24-25 March 2008. At the ministerial level, Dr Thong Khan, who is the Cambodia's Minister of Tourism has attended the 28th Asean Tourism Forum in January this year.

The bilateral cooperation between the two covers a number of areas including defence, trade and education.

Thaksin 'has gone to Brunei'

28/08/2010
Bangkok Post

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is now believed to be in Brunei, a Foreign Ministry source says.

Aside from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the other Asean leader Thaksin is reported to be close to is the Sultan of Brunei.

Thaksin visited both Cambodia and Brunei after he was ousted in the Sept 19, 2006 coup, said the source.

The source added that Thaksin has been treated very well when visiting these countries.

Also, he is thought to retain close ties to the Thai ambassador to Brunei, Phithak Phrombubpha, said the source.

Panich Vikitsreth, a Democrat MP for Bangkok and former deputy foreign minister, said he was able to confirm that Thaksin was now staying in a "neighbouring country" which does not share a border with Thailand. Mr Panich refused to name the country.

Mr Panich said checks of outbound air travel records from Thailand show the country has been visited by Thaksin's close associates of late. These associates' messages posted on their Twitter accounts confirmed Thaksin's whereabouts.

Chavanont Intarakomalsut, secretary to the foreign minister, also said Thaksin was staying in a country close to Thailand.

Thaksin has not tweeted for a month.

In his last message posted on his Twitter page on July 25, Thaksin thanked his Twitter followers, whose number has surpassed 123,000, for keeping up with him. He had not tweeted much lately because he wanted to keep a low profile.

Laos, Cambodian Armies On Better Footing [... after learning English rather than Yuon?]

Saturday, August 21, 2010
BruDirect.com (Brunei)

Bandar Seri Begawan - Twenty army personnel from the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and the Lao People's Army are currently on better footing following their successful completion in an English course conducted by the Evolution Centre Training Institute of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.

Present to officiate the certificate presentation ceremony was Commander of Royal Brunei Armed Forces Major General Dato Paduka Seri Hj Aminuddin Ihsan bin POKSM DSP Hj Abidin in his capacity as guest of honour.

Speaking on behalf of the class, Cpt Seng Chan Rotana from the Royal Cambodia Armed Forces delivered a closing remark, in which he said, "It is common knowledge that English is an important language for international communication, particularly among our Asean member states, where English is used as an official language - both written and spoken.

"We highly value and appreciate the importance of the English course provided by the Brunei Darussalam Ministry of Defence and the Evolution Center Training Institute. Brunei is the right place for us to learn English, seeing that it is spoken everywhere and considered a second language.

"This course is part of Brunei's contribution towards the establishment of Asean as a community by 2015.

"Moreover, this English course provides a good channel for promoting our mutual understanding and paving the way for future defence cooperation.

"Another strong point is that the facilities provided -including a comfortable classroom, modern computer labs, study schedules and transportation - ensured our learning environment here was very conducive," he added.

Meanwhile, in a separate speech, Major General Dato Paduka Seri Hj Aminuddin Ihsan bin POKSM DSP Hj Abidin praised the excellent speech made by by Cpt Seng Chanrotana, saying it demonstrated the success of the course.

After congratulating the participants, he said, "Though it is a small course, for the Royal Brunei Armed Forces it is a historic achievement as this is the first time we have conducted a course specifically for members of foreign armed forces."

"The participants have come a long way to Brunei from Laos and Cambodia, away from their families to attend the course, which reflects their enthusiasm.

"Over the years, we have seen enduring efforts and initiatives in numerous aspects and at various levels and scopes to build confidence as well as enhance trust and cooperation among Asean member countries.

"Despite our diverse cultural and traditional backgrounds, I believe that it is everyone's wish for the people of the 10 Asean member countries to live harmoniously as a single community in the spirit of friendship and solidarity.

The commander further highlighted, "We in the defence community circle are also actively contributing in our own part to support this noble cause by strengthening our defence and military relations and bridging the communication gap through dialogue, meeting, seminars and organising course such as this."

"I believe that they (training institute) have executed their mission well as proven by Cpt Seng's speech," the commander added.

The Training Institute has become the focal point of training activities within the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.

The curriculum has expanded rapidly to incorporate training for officers and other ranks. It aspires towards becoming a centre for excellence for this country and the region. The centre has also witnessed rapid improvement and expansion of facilities.

"With the expansion and enhanced capabilities, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces is becoming self-reliant in its training needs," he added.

Following the presentation of certificates, the commander handed out awards to the best students.

Cpt Seng Chan Rotana was presented an award for best oral presentation, Capt Soulixay Phichith of the Lao's People Army was awarded for being the best student of the Elementary Course, while CWO Chhon Borey of the Royal Cambodia Armed Forces was named best student of the Intermediate English course. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Brunei-Cambodia air links to be set up to spur tourism

Feb 9th, 2010
The Brunei Times

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN - AIR links between Brunei and Siem Reap are set to start, a report from Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Post newspaper reported yesterday.

In its website, the newspaper quoted ranking officials from Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism as saying international flights will also link Siem Reap with Indonesia to boost tourism.

Siem Reap to connect to Brunei, Tith Chantha, director general of the ministry, was quoted as saying that Cambodia would launch connections with Borobudur in Java, Indonesia in April, while the Brunei flights will follow later.

“If the plan is successful, we believe that more and more tourists will come to visit Cambodia. We hope that tourist numbers will increase around 10 per cent in coming years. We are now discussing technical matters in order to facilitate the flights,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.

For its part, Brunei is eyeing a 14 per cent annual increase in its 2010 inbound tourist figures, a higher target than the 10 per cent rise that government’s tourism executives had announced earlier.

Sheikh Jamaluddin Sheikh Mohamed, chief executive officer of the Brunei Tourism Board, said the inbound tourist figures slipped in 2009.

Only 119,540 arrivals were recorded in January to September last year compared to 225,757 in the same period in 2008.

Brunei negotiates for rice imports from Cambodia says local media

Wed, 27 Aug 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - A delegation from the Brunei Finance Ministry met with Cambodian Finance Minister Keat Chhon to discuss importing Cambodian rice and seed, local media reported Wednesday. The delegation, headed by Brunei Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary Dato Paduka Haj Ali Apong, had not reached any firm agreements on the amount of rice and seed Brunei would require or how soon, but that discussions went well, according to Khmer-language Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper.

The delegation is also scheduled to meet the Cambodian commerce and agriculture ministers as well as the Rural Development Bank and the Rice Millers Association of Cambodia, the paper said.

It did not state a scheduled duration for the visit.

Cambodia has said it aims to be a major rice exporter in the region, matching the current leader Thailand by 2015, and in recent months has negotiated with African nations, including Guinea, as well as Gulf states Kuwait and Qatar.

Brunei is a fellow of Cambodia in the 10-member Association of South-East Asian Nations and has already provided advice on tapping potential offshore oil reserves.

Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah visited Cambodia in April last year and the two countries have strong bilateral ties.

Cambodian police step up security after football riot

Fans of the Cambodian team hold signs reading the score they expect: 10 for Cambodian, 0 for Brunei. However, the final score was only a 2-0 win by Cambodia (Photo: Sam-Aun, Koh Santepheap newspaper)

Aug 27, 2007
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodian authorities said Monday they have stepped up security ahead of Monday's scheduled football match against Malaysia's Under-17 side, after a brief outbreak of violence following Cambodia's victory over Brunei.

Cambodia is hosting the Association of South-east Asian Nations Football Federation's Under-17 championship, which features teams including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The Cambodian team scored a strong 2-0 victory over Brunei on Saturday night, but a small section of the crowd who had apparently bet on a wider winning margin were not satisfied and police estimate that up to 200 people rioted, smashing bus and car windows and throwing bottles.

The rowdy crowd was quickly subdued after at least one shot was fired in the air by police deployed as security for the game.

Cambodian football authorities denied allegations that they deliberately held back the winning margin, admitting that the team had saved itself for the match against Malaysia but that goal-scoring attempts were kept to a minimum by the defensive tactics of the Brunei side.

'We will have extra men on alert at the game tonight to ensure the same problem does not happen again,' a police source who declined to be named said Monday.

Football betting is legal in Cambodia, although a massive illegal bookmaking network also continues to operate. The practice is so widespread it has been blamed on skyrocketing crime rates after major tournaments such as the World Cup, when losers turn to desperate measures to try to recoup sometimes huge losses.

Cambodia beats Brunei 2-0 in ASEAN U-17 football championship

Ek Vanak of Cambodia (R) challenges for the ball with Mohammad Rackin Ramli of Brunei during their Asean Football Federation (AFF) U17 Youth Championship 2007 soccer match at Olympic National stadium in Phnom Penh August 25, 2007. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

August 26, 2007

Cambodia here on Saturday beat Brunei 2-0 in a match of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Football Federation (AFF) U17 Championship Tournament 2007.

In the first half, Cambodian player Oum Kumpheak scored a goal at the 18th minute and Soun Makara made it 2-0 for Cambodia at the 23rd minute.

After the match, Bruneian coach Kwan Soon Oh said that in the second half they concentrated on defending because the Cambodian team had a two-goal advantage.

"In the second half, we could not score a goal because the Bruneian side protected well," Cambodian coach Prak Sovanara told reporters, adding that they also should save power to play with Malaysia.

"If we lose to Malaysia, we could not qualify for the semi-final of the tournament," he added.

Source: Xinhua

Brunei students donated $2,000 to CMAC for demining

JIS Donates $2,000 To Cambodian Mine Action Centre

By Amin Hosni
Borneo Bulletin (Brunei)

Bandar Seri Begawan - Students of Jerudong International School (JIS) yesterday donated $2,000 to the Cambodian Mine Action Centre in a ceremony at the school's hall.

On, hand to receive the donation was the Cambodian Ambassador to Brunei, His Excellency Mr Nan Sy.

In his speech, Mr Andrew Taylor, JIS Acting Principal, discussed the role of charity in an international education. He spoke on the importance of an ethical life and the need to think about our place in the world.

"There are more important things than the pursuit of material self-interest - for example, helping the poor or conserving the primary forests of Borneo, or removing land mines from an Asean country such as Cambodia", he said.

The Head Boy and Head Girl of Jerudong International School, Mr Hannan Bahrin and April Oo, spoke about the role of the Student Council and the significance of world peace to young people.

Following the participation of JIS students in World Peace Day, the Student Council chose the Cambodian Mine Action Centre because of its tireless work to find and remove thousands of dangerous landmines still remaining in the countryside of Cambodia after decades of conflict.

The decline in casualties caused by landmines over the last nine years showed the success of the programme by the Cambodian Mine Action Centre.

In his address, the Cambodian Ambassador to Brunei, Mr Nan Sy, conveyed his sincere and deep appreciation to all the students of Jerudong International School in Brunei for their support of the Cambodian government. He even invited a delegation of students to accompany him to visit Cambodia to learn first hand about the work of Cambodian Mine Action Centre.

Cambodia to import crude oil from Brunei, even though it has no refinery?

Cambodian envoy meets Energy Minister

Borneo Bulletin (Brunei)

Cambodian Ambassador Mr Nan Sy presents a souvenir to Minister of Energy Pehin Dato Awang Haji Yahya.

Cambodia's Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Mr Nan Sy recently paid a courtesy call on Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister's Office Pehin Dato Awang Haji Yahya bin Dato Haji Bakar, according to a press release.

The main objective of the meeting was to discuss the envoy's proposal on exporting Brunei crude oil to Cambodia.

Meanwhile, the Cambodian ambassador was greeted by the Cambodian football team who arrived last Friday for a match with the Brunei football team.

Brunei to help Cambodia with oil and gas expertise and investment?

Brunei's Expertise Can Help Cambodia

By Amin Hosni & Za'im Zain
Borneo Bulletin

Bandar Seri Begawan - "Cambodia is a young country in the oil sector and Brunei Darussalam has been around much longer, so we need to work together and to learn from each other:

Cambodian Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Haji Nan Sy said this to two Brunei National Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd personnel who yesterday made courtesy visit to the Bengkurong residence of the ambassador.

The two officers from Brunei National Petroleum Company were Chief Executive Officer Haji Mohd Jaafar Haji Awang Bakar and Business Asset Division Asset General Manager Haji Iskandar Haji Yahya.

Several matters were discussed including possible future investments in Cambodia.

"This is only the first stage to the possibility to having better relations between the two nations.

Brunei’s expertise in the oil and gas can help Cambodia," the ambassadors rid.

"Among the attractions of investment in Cambodia is in the tourist sector", he added.

“The purpose of the visit is to explore the possibility to expand business opportunities in the oil and gas area in Cambodia. We haven't got any definite areas of business yet and still needs further studies,” said Haji Mohd Ja’afar Haji Awang Bakar.