Cambodian villagers speak out against corruption

Villagers address a panel of lawmakers at CCHR’s land forum in Samuth Krom village, Seda commune, in Ratanakkiri province’s Lum Phat district yesterday. Photograph: Pha Lina/Phnom Penh Post

Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Bridget Di Certo and Phak Seangly
The Phnom Penh Post

In Lum Phat district’s Seda commune, the message from villagers attending yesterday’s Cambodian Center for Human Rights’ land forum was clear: We’ve been duped.

The mixed Khmer and ethnic minority villagers said they were coerced into accepting the phenomenally low price of US$150 per hectare of land from the DM Group and other private plantation companies and were forced to thumb-print documents leaving them with effectively no legal recourse – and no land – plunging the semi-nomadic community into even greater poverty and uncertainty.

Kuch Moly, a Funcinpec lawmaker who sat on the three-person panel at the forum alongside Seda commune chief Thom Phain, rebuked villagers for filing complaints when they have already accepted compensation.

He and fellow lawmaker Ou Chanrith, from the opposition Human Rights Party who also sat on the panel, were handed a complaint thumbprinted by 29 families whose houses had been burned to the ground by the DM Group in June of last year.

Labour firm fakes paperwork

A female trainee looks out through the metal bars on a balcony at the T&P Co Ltd training centre in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district on Friday. (Photo by: Hong Menea)

Monday, 14 March 2011
Mom Kunthear and Chhay Channyda
The Phnom Penh Post

Labour recruitment firm T&P Co Ltd has been faking documents for under-age women to make them eligible for domestic work abroad, a local rights advocate said today.

Moeun Tola, head of the labour programme at the Community Legal Education Centre, said today that at least two of five women recently released from the firm’s training centre are under age.

Moeun Tola said that Yorn Srey Leab, 17, from Kampong Chhnang province, was listed by T&P Co Ltd as 21-year-old Yorn Srey Houch – her sister’s name – and Sok Phal, 17, from Kampong Chhnang was listed as 21-year-old Kong Phalla.

“Authorities shall take tough action and punish [T&P Co Ltd] or shut their office to prevent other companies from following them,” said Moeun Tola.

Prosecutors: more victims of accused monk possible [-Venh Por is a disgrace!]

Friday, January 28, 2011
Miya Shay

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- As a monk at a local temple is on the run, wanted for sexually assaulting a teen, we're talking to the girl whose accusations made him a wanted man.

At Wat Angkorchum Cambodian Buddhist Temple, Monk Vuthy Meas goes about his daily routine unsure of exactly why the temple's abbot, Venh Por, hastily returned to Cambodia.

"We built this temple in just three years," he tells us, before describing Venh Por as a decent man.

But prosecutors believe the monk fled to avoid facing charges of sexually assaulting this sixteen-year-old girl.

"I know what he was doing to me, and I guess I feel upset," the teenage girl said.

Cambodia is the promised land that lurks con men: Will this insult by a Viet journalist be met by a PQRU rebuttal?

Cambodia may be an attractive market for foreign businesses, but in this promised land lurk con men who pose as brokers and rip off gullible foreign investors by claiming to have contacts and get them deals. Many Vietnamese firms seeking to win contracts to build roads, bridges, hospitals, and schools in Cambodia have fallen prey to them. [KI-Media note: Will Tith Sothea's PQRU dare issue a reply to this Vietnamese insult on Cambodia?]

War declared on tax evasion by foreign firms [in Vietnam]

January, 24 2011
By Le Hung Vong
VNS (Hanoi)

The Ministry of Finance has once again urged the Taxa-tion Bureau to regulate the transfer pricing mechanism used by foreign invested enterprises (FIEs) to declare losses to evade taxes in Viet Nam.

This will be one of the main focuses of the tax regime this year, according to the ministry.

The ministry wants provincial tax agencies to scrutinise 3 per cent of FIEs in their localities and re-inspect 20 per cent.

According to the city Department of Taxation, the ration of FIEs in HCM City declaring losses fell from 39 per cent in 2008 to 34 per cent in 2009.

Inspections and investigations at these FIEs have helped the tax agencies collect arrears of over VND3 trillion (US$150 million).

Buddhist monk wanted for sexual assault of teen [-A shameful fraud!]

Jan. 20, 2011
By PEGGY O'HARE
HOUSTON CHRONICLE (Texas, USA)

A Buddhist monk from Spring who is accused of having sex with a 16-year-old girl is believed to have fled to his native land of Cambodia, Harris County Sheriff's Office reports show.

Wat Angkorchum Por Venh, 41, of the 16700 block of Kuykendahl, is wanted on two charges of sexual assault of a child. Por Venh is accused of having sex with the teen, who worshipped at the man's temple, from June until September.

The girl told a youth services specialist at Klein Forest High School that she was in love with Por Venh, a monk at the Wat Angkorchum Cambodian Buddhist Temple.

The girl revealed she later became suicidal when she learned of his "possible" sexual relationship with another woman, court documents show.

[Siamese] Ramkamhaeng Inscription too good to be true

Gentlemen,

Here is another piece by a Thai scholar, attached, after Prof. Piriya Krairiksh, "TOWARDS A REVISED HISTORY OF SUKHOTHAI ART: A REASSESSMENT OF THE. INSCRIPTION. OF KING RAM KHAMHAENG 1991."

Also evidence of the Ram kamhaeng inscription (of Angkorian period) being a fake/19th century work is its use of the modern Khmer words/phonemes, such as: ram (brother), kamhaeng (menace) (note there is also a post angkorian Khmer a legend of Kamhaeng chheuteal), dambang (stick), trapang (pond) soeng/sreoung (dawn), phnom (mount), phra kampong luong (royal port), tang-tae (since), bamroe (to serve), kradeung (spoken Khmer kandeung (belt), sang (to build), kreng (to be fraid of), kadan (Kdar) (wooden slab), deoum (original), kraphat/krapat (to tie around), layang (lyeang), sthapabk (to build), taing-lay (to all), ach preab (can overcome/prevail).

There words are the phonetic transcription of the 18-19th century Khmer Sap/pheak vocabulary; they are not old khmer or Angkorian phemes. Old khmer or Angkorian Khmer phoneme/phonetic transliteration for modern khmer ram was ryam, kanheng for kamphaeng, dambang was tamvwang; tranpang was travang, phnom was vnam etc.

The inscription cannot be from the Angkorian period.

Bora Touch

Click here to read the entire paper (PDF)

12 are indicted in marriage-fraud case; total rises to 35

Wednesday, Sep. 29, 2010
By Laura Butler - lbutler@herald-leader.com
Lexington Herald-Leader (Kentucky, USA)

A federal grand jury indicted 12 more people from Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee in conjunction with a marriage fraud ring, according to a press release issued Wednesday from U.S. Attorney David J. Hale's office based in the Western District of Kentucky.

A total of 35 people have now been indicted in the case.

Kong Cheng Ty, 43, of Danville, and Sokbay Lim, 45, of Dover, were included in the new list of indictments. The suspects were charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, and many were also charged with marriage fraud and visa fraud.

Investigators believe seven people are organizing the fraud, the release said.

The government says those indicted Wednesday are "engaged in a conspiracy to obtain lawful permanent residence in the United States for Cambodian nationals by way of fraudulent marriages and engagements."

The release said the American citizens were offered all-expenses-paid trips to Cambodia, and that the trips included airfare, lodging, food, drinks, entertainment and sexual acts from Cambodian prostitutes. The acts allegedly took place between Jan. 1, 1999 and April 7, 2010.

Sharon Lee Spalding, 44, of Lexington, Justin Michael Martin, 25, and Donald McKinley Martin, 27, both of Georgetown, and Chok Chan, 49, of Mount Sterling were among those indicted previously; they have since pleaded guilty.

More than 15 marriages and attempted marriages were recorded.

Should they be convicted, the accused could face up to 75 years in prison, a $2.75 million fine and supervised release for up to 33 years.

Dates and locations for arraignment have not yet been determined.

A fraudulent man who used the royal family name is sentenced to 3-year of jail

The fake Naradipo (Photo: DAP)

29 July 2010
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

In the morning of 28 July, the Kampot provincial court handed its verdict in case no. 144 on Prum Sok, a 66-year-old fraudulent man who also went by the name of Naradipo, the son of hero-king Sihanouk. The sentence was handed down after the court held a one-morning hearing last week. The announcement of the verdict was made by Judge Ros Pisith and the séance was attended by Sieng Sok, the prosecutor, and the accused. The latter was informed that he will be jailed for a period of 3-year for cheating committed on 27 February 2010 at Prech village, Boeung Nimol commune, Chhouk district. The proof for the crime was confiscated and destroyed and the sentence allows for appeal. Since the accused was arrested since February 2010, he will only need to spend 31 months in jail to complete his sentence should there be no appeal in the case.

Georgetown man pleads guilty in Cambodian marriage fraud scheme

Tuesday, Jun. 22, 201
By Karla Ward - kward1@herald-leader.com
Herald Leader (Lexington, Kentucky, USA)

A 25-year-old Georgetown man has pleaded guilty in a Cambodian marriage fraud scheme.

Justin Michael Martin was paid about $7,000 to marry a Cambodian woman to help her evade U.S. immigration laws and become a permanent resident, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.

Martin and Phearoun Peter Em, who was also involved in the scheme, went to Cambodia in June 2004, when Martin met and agreed to marry Yota Em. Participants in the conspiracy paid for Martin's expenses on the trip, including "sexual services from a Cambodian female," according to the release.

Yota Em entered the U.S. on a K-1 visa, representing herself as Martin's fiancee, in September 2005. They were married in a civil ceremony in Lexington on March 5, 2007, but the marriage was never consummated, the DOJ said. Em and Martin were divorced on June 30, 2009.

Yota Em is currently a fugitive.

Martin pleaded guilty to marriage fraud and conspiracy to commit marriage fraud. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

Magistrate Judge James D. Moyer of U.S. District Court in Louisville has ordered a pre-sentence investigation, and a sentencing date has not been scheduled, the news release stated.

Neighbor speaks out about the alleged marriage fraud ring-leader

April 14, 2010
By Claudia Coffey

LOUISVILLE (WHAS11) – The marriage fraud plot in which 23 local people were indicted on federal charges includes a sergeant at the Kentucky State Reformatory.

On Wednesday, the neighbor of one of the individuals told WHAS11 News she’s known for years about some of the unusual activity going on at one of the ring-leaders homes in Oldham County. She says that what she saw outside her home raised a red flag almost 10 years ago.

WHAS11’s Claudia Coffey has more on this story.

In Oldham County, Sherry Haley knew there was trouble next door, but couldn’t pin-point what it was.

“It’s just been very suspicious for years,” she says.

On Wednesday, she had answers.

Haley’s neighbor, 57-year-old Vuthea Niev, who she knew as “T,” stands accused of being the ringleader in a massive fraud ring that the feds say arranged fake marriages between U.S. citizens and people from Cambodia.

Haley described “T” as friendly. He'd always wave and smile, but she says activities at the house were bizarre. One time she saw several women bathing outside with a garden hose.

“The flag went up as soon as the Asian women started bathing outside by the patio,” she says. “I stood there like this. They looked over and looked away. I just stood there shaking my head, thinking you can’t do this.”

She says they were completely naked.

Haley adds that there was a constant flow of women. Some looked to be teenagers coming and going from the house.

“There would be weeks at a time when there was no one there,” she says, “then all of sudden a woman or two with another child.”

“T” is one of 23 people indicted in the marriage fraud ring. According to the indictment, the deal worked like this: Americans from the region were recruited and paid up to $10,000 to travel to Cambodia and marry Cambodian nationals. The purpose was to obtain lawful residence in the United States.

While in Cambodia, the Cambodians would wine and dine the Americans, even taking them to brothels.

For Sherry Haley, it's a stunning discovery that what she suspected may be happening next door was far worse than she could have imagined.

“I thought it was drugs or porn,” she says, “but I never dreamed they were doing illegal marriages over here. Never.”

The deal didn't always go as planned, though. In one case, an American women didn't want to go through with the marriage. According to the indictment "T" then threatened to kill her.

According to U.S. Marshalls, the 23 individuals indicted in the marriage fraud plot are still behind bars. They’ll have a detention hearing Thursday at 10 a.m.

23 federally indicted in Cambodian marriage scam

April 13, 2010
By Andrew Wolfson
Courier-journal.com (Louisville, Kentucky, USA)

The lure: up to $10,000 in cash and an all-expenses paid trip to a beach in Cambodia.

For the men, throw in a free trip to a Cambodian brothel; and for the women, discounted nail service at salons back in Louisville.

The mission: Marry foreign-born Cambodian nationals so they could win permanent resident status in the United States.

In an indictment made public Tuesday, a federal grand jury in Louisville has charged that 20 U.S. citizens took the bait, including residents of Louisville, Lexington and Georgetown. In all, 23 people were arrested in three states and charged with conspiring to orchestrate more than a dozen bogus marriages and attempted unions.

As part of the elaborate plot, the recruited Americans and their Cambodian fiancées were photographed frolicking in hotel rooms, at beaches and at tourist attractions in Cambodia, where they were instructed to frequently change attire to give the appearance of multiple meetings during long-term relationships, the indictment charges.

The American brides and grooms were paid $1,000 to $5,000 to get engaged, then a matching amount when they tied the knot in civil ceremonies back in Louisville.

The organizers plied one groom — identified in the indictment as Donald McKinley Martin, 27, of Georgetown, with sexual favors at a Cambodian nightclub, offering him two young women identified as virgins.

When one of the would-be brides, Sharon Lee Spalding, 44, of Lexington, got cold feet about marrying upon her return to Kentucky, according to the indictment, one of the organizers, Vuthea Niev, alias “T,” 57, of Prospect, allegedly threatened to kill her.

She eventually wed Chok Chan, 49, who now lives in Mount Sterling, and they both swore the marriage was legitimate, but they later divorced, as did they other coupes who wed, the indictment states.

It charges that the conspiracy spanned 10 years and didn’t end until last week.

In a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s office in Louisville, John Morton, the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the agency “will not tolerate those who facilitate, arrange, or profit from sham marriages to criminally exploit our nation’s generous immigration system.

“Marriage fraud results in an illegal shortcut to U.S. citizenship and poses a concern to our national security,” he said. “All of those involved in these false marriages will be held accountable.”

The indictment charges that Americans were recruited for the scheme at nail salons owned by the organizers, including “Pretty Nails,” “Tiffany Salon and Spa” and “Pristine Nails,” and were promised cut-rate service for participating.

Recruits were then urged to recruit others, and eventually 20 were drawn into the scheme, including a dozen who weren’t charged and are identified in the charging document by their initials.

The maximum penalties for most counts in the 10-count indictment are five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The defendants will appear for arraignment on dates to be set in Louisville and elsewhere.

The others charged as organizers of the alleged scheme were Michael Chanthou Chin, 39, of New Albany; Patrick Theng Chea, 45, of Louisville; Steve Sovan Uy, alias Sovan Oum, 43, of Nashville; Phearoun Peter Em, alias Sophea Lim, 22, of Sellersburg, Ind.; and Monirath Em, alias Angel, 32, of New Albany.

Niev is a U.S. citizen and the others are Cambodian-born naturalized U.S. citizens, according to the indictment. None of them could be reached for comment.

The other U.S. residents charged with participating or attempting to participate in fraudulent marriages were Jeremy Dickson Carmickle, 38, Christopher William McAlister Sr., 52, Christopher William McAlister Jr., 25, Stephanie Jean Murphy, 31, and Asaad Abdulrazak Alkinani, 39, all of Louisville; and Justin Michael Martin, 25, of Georgetown.

Other Cambodian nationals charged were Borin Chum, 29 and Yota Em, 24, and Sangha Srey, 49, of New Albany; Sina Ros, 38, of Houston; Huong Sreng, 35, location unknown; Sona Ngov, 29, of Corydon; and Nary Bun, 28, of Louisville.

The defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, while some are also charged with marriage and visa fraud, said U.S. Attorney Candace Hill.

Reporter Andrew Wolfson can be reached at (502) 582-7189.

Cambodia police say woman tried to swap pillow for baby

Panic in the hospital after the newborn baby disappeared (Photo: Chanthet, Koh Santepheap)
The woman with the fake pregnancy (L) and the baby safely returned to the parents (R) (Photo: Chanthet, Koh Santepheap)

Mon, 26 Nov 2007
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodian authorities have arrested a woman they claim spent months with a pillow stuffed under her clothes to feign pregnancy and win the trust of local expecting mothers in order to steal a newborn baby, police said Monday. Deputy district police chief in eastern Kampong Cham province, Hong Vanchorn said Chut Sophear, 29, had been married for six years without conceiving and had resorted to the plan after giving up hope of having a baby of her own.

"She began wearing a pillow under her dress many months ago and telling people she was pregnant and also that she worked for an aid organization which provided post-natal care," Vanchorn said.

"When local couple Srorn Neang and Moun Mean went to the hospital for Neang to deliver, Sophear went too, and after the baby was born she offered to take it for blood tests on behalf of her fictional organization."

The baby's parents became suspicious when Sophear did not return. They called the police, who uncovered her bizarre plan and arrested her, returning the baby safely to its parents.

"She was just going to go home, remove the pillow and claim the baby was hers," Vanchorn alleged.

Sophear was charged with kidnapping on Saturday. If convicted she faces up to 20 years in jail.

Police said the strangest part was how Sophear's husband had not realized for nearly nine months that her pregnancy was a pillow.

"Maybe she should have just slept with him more," one officer said.