Hun Xen blames Lon Nol regime for creating the KR regime [-Stupid is as stupid claims]

29 Dec 2011
By Taing Sarada
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Soch
Click here to read the original article in Khmer

Hun Xen blamed the Khmer Republic regime led by Marshall Lon Nol of bringing war to Cambodia that led to the KR killing fields.

Hun Xen reminded also that peace in Cambodia during the 70s was an unstable peace due to the US bombing and the internal Khmer Rouge movement, the Khmer White movement, the Khmer Blue movement, the Khmer Pink movement that took place.

In his speech held during the distribution of diplomas to students at the Vanda accounting institute on 28 December 2011, Hun Xen added that the major mistake following the one committed by the Lon Nol regime, is that one committed by the Democratic Kampuchea regime which inflicted genocide on the Cambodian people and it also destruction to the country. [KI-Media Note: Hun Xen fails to mention that he was part of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime also].

The KR regime which lasted between 1975 and 1979 led to 1.7 million deaths through hunger, forced labor, killing and torture etc…

In her book titled “The Bamboo Wall”, Dr. Esmeralda Luciolli of Medecins Sans Frontiere (Doctors Without Borders), showed that after the KR regime, at the beginning of the 80s, more than 200,000 Cambodians died and were injured by landmines and malaria due to the “K-5” plan instigated by the puppet People’s Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) regime in collaboration with the invading Vietnamese government [KI-Media note: Hun Xen and the current CPP leaders were also implicated in the K-5 plan]

Oakland police investigate morning homicide

Saturday, December 10, 2011
Lisa Amin Gulezian

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Residents say the area around East 28th Avenue is a quiet neighborhood most of the time, but Saturday morning was not one of those times when a drive-by shooting killed a father of four.

The Nhep family's life permanently changed at 3:20 a.m. Saturday, the moment a drive-by shooter sprayed their house with bullets. One shot went through Thorn Nhep's bedroom where the father of four was sleeping. Nhep died instantly.

"I kept calling his name, but he didn't response," daughter Anna Sok said.

With Floods Come a Crime Wave, Officials Say

Thursday, 13 October 2011
Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

One Phnom Penh resident, who asked to remain anonymous for her safety, said killing a person in the capital was as easy as “killing a bird.”

Police and human rights groups say violent crime has spiked in the period since severe flooding began in August, as criminals take advantage of a distracted security force.

The capital and many other places across the country have been inundated in recent weeks. Kheng Tito, a military police spokesman, said criminals are taking advantage of the floods, which slow police, to commit crimes.

“These cases happen when we are busy with floods and natural disasters,” he said. “So the criminal takes this opportunity to commit a crime. But these crimes are very small. Most of these are robberies that cause minor injuries.”

NGO sets up separate stampede probe [Pre-press]

WEDNESDAY, 01 DECEMBER 2010
VONG SOKHENG AND JAMES O’TOOLE
The Phnom Penh Post

The Cambodian Center for Human Rights is conducting an independent investigation into the causes of last week’s deadly Diamond Island stampede, calling the government’s own investigation inadequate and unlikely to produce meaningful conclusions.

In a statement, the CCHR said public comments on the investigation thus far indicated that the government was not looking closely at preparation for the water festival and the underlying causes of the disaster.

“Satisfactory answers have not been forthcoming and it seems that the government wants to draw a line in the sand declaring that lessons have been learnt and such events will not be repeated,” the statement said.

Government officials heading up the investigation said on Monday that the stampede had occurred when rumours circulated that the Diamond Gate bridge was swaying dangerously and thousands of panicked festival-goers packed the narrow walkway.

Prime Minister Hun Sen acknowledged that a lack of preparation had contributed to the incident, which claimed the lives of at least 351 people, though he said no officials would be punished.

“Our biggest mistake is that we wrongly evaluated the situation,” he added. “It was a joint mistake which led to the incident. ... It was unexpected and [we were] careless.”

CCHR president Ou Virak said preliminary results of his group’s investigation could be released within one month and that a legal analysis was being conducted to examine possible negligence and liability in relation to the tragedy. CCHR has also set up a fund for victims and their families.

Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said CCHR had the right to investigate whatever it wanted, adding that the group’s findings would not affect the government’s work.

“We have our own investigation to find out why and what happened and how it happened there, so the case is closed already,” Phay Siphan said.

The opposition Sam Rainsy Party has also criticised the government investigation, calling for an independent probe of the incident. In a letter to National Assembly President Heng Samrin dated Tuesday, SRP lawmakers Son Chhay, Chea Poch and Long Ry said the investigative committee lacked credibility, given that the only member of the body who is not a ruling party official is Diamond Island developer Pung Khiav Se.

“We want to find out where the police were deployed to ensure security and why the police were not on the scene to ensure the safety of people in the crowds, so we need an independent investigation,” said Son Chhay

....read the full story in tomorrow’s Phnom Penh Post or see the updated story online from 3PM UTC/GMT +7 hours.

Man kills five relatives in Cambodia

Phnom Penh, Aug 20 (DPA) A Cambodian man killed five family members and injured three others after they prevented him from raping his 16-year-old sister-in-law, local media reported Friday.

The man, identified only as Nang, then hanged himself.

Police said the crime, which took place Thursday in south-eastern Svay Rieng province near the border with Vietnam, was among the worst the country had seen in years.

Provincial police chief Prach Rim told the Phnom Penh Post newspaper the victims were related to Nang.

“The attacker had raped his sister-in-law twice before, and he tried to rape her again, but was apparently stopped by his family,” he said.

“They then fought together, and the attacker locked the doors of the house and stabbed his family members to death before hanging himself,” Prach Rim said.

Police said Nang murdered his wife, his 2-year-old son, his mother-in-law and two of his sisters-in-law. His daughter and nephew were injured, as was the sister-in-law he tried to rape.

Last month a drunken soldier murdered three people and injured four during a rampage in nearby Kampong Cham province after arguing with his wife.

The head of one prominent local human rights organisation said he was worried the issue of domestic violence is not being taken seriously in parts of Cambodia.

“It seems everyone sees this kind of violence as normal,” said Thun Saray, the head of Adhoc.

US Lists Cambodia as Potential Money Launderer

By Ros Sothea, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
12 March 2010

Cambodia has become a major country of concern for money laundering, an annual US report says.

The country’s porous borders, weak laws, limited capacity of justice officials and the National Bank and widespread corruption all put Cambodia at risk, according the US State Department, which recently published its 2009 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report.

Cambodia joins 60 other major money laundering countries, including Burma, Singapore and Thailand.

“The report is the compilation of the embassy and our outreach with both the Cambodian government and local NGOs that work with that sector, and also with researchers of the State Department in Washington, DC,” said John Johnson, a spokesman for the US Embassy in Phnom Penh.

“So the ability to follow the money is critical to successful disruption and dismantling of financial networks that support international illicit activity, including terrorism, organized crime, weapons of mass destruction proliferation, and narcotics and human trafficking,” he added.

A major money-laundering country is one whose financial institutions engage in transactions involving significant amounts of proceeds from serious crimes, the report says.

In Cambodia, the major sources of money laundering include drug trafficking, human trafficking and corruption, the report says. The country also has an active black market, where smuggling circumvents official duties and tax obligations, including with fuel, alcohol and cigarettes.

“Such proceeds are rarely transferred through the banking system or other financial institutions,” the report says. “Instead they are readily channeled into land, housing, luxury goods or other forms of property.”

Phan Ho, secretary general of government’sindependentfinancial intelligence unit, acknowledged cases of money laundering, but he said most of the money came from outside the country.

“First, we have laws and directives that allow financial institutions to report to us the suspected cases of money laundering, and we have a supervision system,” he said. “So money laundering mostly comes from outside. The money laundering in our country derived from criminal acts is very small.”

Phan Ho said his unit inspected eight commercial banks in 2009 and found they had strong monitoring systems to effectively help fight money laundering.

Khieu Sopheak, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said the US report had “no evidence.”

“We want to know the names of people who launder the money,” he said. “If the report provides us with both information and evidence, we will be able to cope with it. The report only aims to destroy Cambodia’s reputation.”

Cambodia passed laws and directives to counter money laundering and cut off finances for potential terrorists in 2007. The regulations require financial institutions to report transactions more than 40,000 riel, about $10,000.

In 2009, the government’s financial intelligence unit was tipped off to 64 suspicious transactions, according to the US report. However, cash reporting has been inconsistent due to a lack of unified reporting mechanisms.

In Channy, CEO of Acleda Bank, said he believed money laundering was not transferred through the banking system, which has good monitoring.

Under Cambodian law, financial institutions can be fined and its leaders jailed for failing to report suspicious transactions, but the US report says the anti-laundering law needs improved.

“The government should issue additional decrees necessary to fully implement the law and should develop the capability of its law enforcement and judicial authorities to investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate financial crimes,” the report says. “ Cambodia should take specific steps to combat corruption.”

Phan Ho said the fight against money laundering is a new for Cambodia, and the government wants to do it effectively.

Over the past several years, the US Treasury Department has conducted financial investigation training courses for Cambodian police, judges, prosecutors, counter terrorism and banking officials.

Meanwhile, the Asian Development Bank continues to provide technical assistance for Cambodia to issue a number of regulations to combat the crime.

Cambodian-American man gets 50 years for killing girlfriend

Oakland man gets 50 years for killing girlfriend

11/06/2007
Bay City News Service (California, USA)

An Oakland gang member and drug dealer was sentenced today to 50 years to life in state prison for shooting his 16-year-old girlfriend in the head at point-blank range two years ago after she said she wanted to break up with him.

Loeun Sa, 22, who has a prior conviction for possessing marijuana for sale and told police he belonged to the Asian Street Walkers gang, was convicted Sept. 26 of first-degree murder, using a firearm and being an ex-felon in possession of a gun for the Aug. 27, 2005, death of Nancy Nguyen at 52nd Avenue and East 10th Street in Oakland.

Nguyen was just beginning her senior year at the Life Academy High School of Health and Biosciences in Oakland and would have celebrated her 17th birthday the next week.

After Sa was sentenced, his lawyer, Spencer Strellis, said, "He's a kid and he threw his whole life away for nothing and also took her life. This case is a tragedy."

Strellis said there was no question that Sa killed Nguyen, but he thought that Sa acted in the heat of passion and should have been convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter.

In her closing argument in Sa's trial, Deputy District Attorney Stacie Pettigrew said Sa shot Nguyen after she told him to calm down following an incident in which he fired a gun into the air to break up a fight that involved 10 to 20 people and then told him that their relationship was over.

In his opening statement in the trial, Strellis admitted that Sa killed Nguyen but said the key issue in the trial was Sa's state of mind at the time.

"It's clear that there was a lover's quarrel and emotions ran high," Strellis said.

Pettigrew said Nguyen and Sa got into a "really loud" argument after Sa fired two shots into the air but their friends tried to ignore it because they figured it was just "a girlfriend-boyfriend spat."

But the prosecutor said Sa then turned toward a group of onlookers and said in Cambodian, "Do you want to see her die?"

Pettigrew said, "Tragically for Nancy, no one took him seriously" and tried to stop him.

The prosecutor said Nguyen, who was Vietnamese-American, probably didn't understand what Sa was saying so "she didn't know what was coming."

Pettigrew said the area where the shooting occurred is heavily Cambodian-American and there's a Cambodian temple nearby.

Pettigrew said Sa dragged Nguyen around the corner to a deserted cul-de-sac and a few moments later, witnesses heard Nguyen say to Sa, "Why are you hitting me? It's over."

Pettigrew said the witnesses then heard Sa tell Nguyen, "You can't run from me. You can't get away."

After that, the witnesses heard the gunshot that took Nguyen's life, Pettigrew said.

The prosecutor said Nguyen and Sa had dated for about seven months and there had been no indication that they'd had problems or that she had wanted to break up with him.

70% of the youth are jobless and are involved in crimes

11 August 2007
By Sophorn
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by KI-Media

One NGO involved with the youth, indicated that 70% of the youth are jobless and are now involved in criminal activities.

During the day commemorating the 8th International Youth Day, Long Khet, the president of the Youth Peace organization, said, on 10 August, that 70% of Cambodian youth ranging in age between 18 and 30-year-old, are facing joblessness and these youth are currently involved in drug use, gangs, delinquency, creating unrest in the society, and are providing bad influence to the younger generations.

Long Khet added that the reason these youth are struggling in the society is because they are very poor and they did not get any education.

On the same day, Touch Marim, the deputy governor of the Kompong Chhnang province, said that whether the society will face success or failure depends on the youth, therefore the youth who are currently involved in criminal activities should change to better themselves.

Touch Marim added that the guidance and the education of the youth are not the responsibility of the government alone, but that it is an issue involving everyone. He said that he will arrange to have lights installed along a number of roads, and to have better security in order to facilitate for the youth in their studies.

According to Yean Reaksa, a youth from the People Development for Peace organization, he said that his participation in the celebration of the International Youth Day is aimed at telling aimless youth what they should do for the society.

Yean Reaksa said: “The first role of the youth is to help build peace, and help find various solutions in order to help the country’s development.”

Socheata, another young student from the Hun Sen junior high school, is attracted by the activities performed by the youth during this day which is an education of human beings of all age, and in particular to the children and youth, in order for them to behave well in the society so that they can become a pillar for the nation to rely entirely on. Socheata said that she will take the knowledge she acquired to educate her friends and younger siblings also.

Um Mean, the undersecretary of state of the ministry of labor and vocational training, said that he cannot provide a judgment on the number of jobless youth yet because he has not seen this report yet.

The Youth Peace organization celebrated the International Youth Day – which normally falls on 12 August – in Kompong Chhnang province on 10 August with the march of groups of people coming from 3 different directions. The marchers then proceeded to a forum which was participated by about 800 youth, school children and police officers.