Secret meetings most inappropriate

September 6, 2011
The Nation Opinion

Re: "Meetings with Cambodia unofficial, not secret: Suthep", August 31.

It is shocking to learn that former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban allegedly had secret meetings with Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister Sok An during the last Abhisit government's rule. It's even more disgusting that the subject of the secret talks was the joint maritime cooperation between Thailand and Cambodia. What was Suthep up to?

In March 2010, a Cambodian opposition website alleged that a secret oil deal between high-level government leaders of Thailand and Cambodia did happen in 2006, but never went through because the September 19, 2006 coup that ousted the then Thai government happened first (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/khmerintelligence/message/722.)

Hence, all Thais should be aware of the goings on in the Thai-Cambodia joint maritime negotiations from now on. We must demand that agreements are done in an open and transparent manner. We must also demand that all negotiations and agreements are put through and endorsed by Parliament only. No more secret deals.

Chavalit Van

Chiang Mai

Khmer Intelligence News - 7 October 2010

KHMER INTELLIGENCE NEWS
7 October 2010

Maneuvers to choose a new prime minister for Cambodia (3)

With the support of Vietnam, a faction in the leadership of the Cambodian People’s Party is maneuvering for the appointment of a new prime minister to replace Hun Sen who has been in office since 1985, By contrast, Vietnam’s leadership has gone through a noticeable turnover over the same period of time. The deteriorating economic and social situation worryingly beyond repair, the much-decried cronyism and corruption, the growing popular discontent, the mishandling of border issues, Hun Sen’s involvement in exposed crimes and the growing influence of China are among the reasons cited as behind the push for a leadership change. Men Sam An, an able female member of the CPP Standing Committee, very close to Hanoi, seems to be the favorite candidate for premiership. Hun Sen is reportedly getting more and more paranoid, fearing the same fate as Pen Sovan’s, Chan Si’s or Hok Lundi’s.

Newly-acquired tanks to prevent anti-Hun Sen coup (2)

At a high cost for its poor national budget Cambodia has recently bought from Eastern Europe nearly 100 tanks and armored personnel carriers to allegedly boost its defense capacity against a foreign aggression. In fact, prime minister Hun Sen decided to acquire those thanks to equip those military units which, he thinks, are mot loyal to him. In effect, most of the tanks are not deployed along the border line to defend Cambodia’s territorial integrity; they are instead stationed in and around Phnom Penh to defend Hun Sen’s personal power against a more and more feared internal coup.

Campaign to revive Paris Agreements on Cambodia (1)

Cambodian communities all over the world are organizing an unprecedented campaign to revive the 1991 Paris Agreements on Cambodia. In their view, the eighteen signatory countries including all the western powers have not only the right, but the obligation to intervene in Cambodia to stop a totalitarian drift, human rights violations and the derailment of the democratization process as guaranteed in the Agreements. See related Appeal at http://tinyurl.com/2w7fyxo

Retired King Norodom Sihahouk accuses Var Kim Hong of map forgery (1)

While opposition leader Sam Rainsy is being accused by the government of forging a map to support his claim that Vietnam has been encroaching on Cambodia’s territory – accusation for which he was condemned last month to ten years in prison –, Var Kim Hong, the government border negotiation team head has been accused by King-Father Norodom Sihanouk of … forging the same map showing the border line between Cambodia an Vietnam. See royal statement in French at http://tinyurl.com/33xv5jh

The map in question was produced by the French Indochina colonial authorities in the 1920’s and updated throughout the subsequent years until 1952. Its different versions and relevant portions can be consulted in France at the Institut Géographique National. Also in France, three map experts at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique have confirmed that an alleged border post that Sam Rainsy pulled out last year was in fact located in Cambodia’s territory.

Government admits “mistake” in border demarcation (2)

At a Phnom Penh appeal court hearing on Sam Rainsy’s case on 5 October 2010, a government representative acknowledged that a number of “temporary” border posts, such as the one pulled out by Sam Rainsy last year, were wrongly located and planted at the wrong spots. More and more Cambodian farmers living along the border with Vietnam have been complaining about new “border” posts being forcibly planted on their ancestral rice fields. The government now recognizes there were “technical” errors in the border demarcation process. See arguments at http://tinyurl.com/2wff7jn

Reasons behind the sensitivity of the border issue (2)

In successive border treaties, Vietnam and Cambodia had agreed that, besides consulting relevant maps for border delimitation on paper, border demarcation on the spot must respect the principle of “effectivité” reflecting a practical approach whereby the national status, properties, customs and practices of the local populations living along both sides of the border line are NOT to be affected. Therefore, Vietnam could manage to displace border markings into Cambodia’s territory -- with weak Cambodian authorities turning a blind eye -- only in very scarcely populated areas (such as in Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri provinces) or when affected Cambodian people/citizens are forced to keep quiet and nobody draws any attention to their fate (such as in Kampong Cham, Takeo and Svay Rieng provinces) so that the principle of “effectivité” is APPARENTLY respected. But by speaking out for the victims and alerting the public opinion about continuous effective border encroachments by Vietnam, Sam Rainsy has been a troublemaker for the Hanoi government and their complacent friends in Phnom Penh.

King was forced to sign controversial border treaty with Vietnam (2)

Since he was the actual Monarch, King-Father Norodom Sihanouk has asked for an amendment to the Kingdom’s constitution whose inconsistencies he has denounced: For instance, on the one hand the supreme law states that the King is the Guarantor of the Kingdom’s territorial integrity, but on the other hand the King is constitutionally deprived of any power. The now Retired King has logically asked for the deletion from the constitution of any reference to any royal role as the Guarantor of anything he actually cannot ensure or guarantee. See royal statement at http://tinyurl.com/33xv5jh

However, Hun Sen’s CPP has continuously rejected the royal request for a constitutional amendment because they want to maintain a misleading confusion allowing them to use the King’s name to endorse and legitimize anything they want, such as the ratification of a controversial border treaty with Vietnam in 2005. On 17 July 2005, Hun Sen publicly threatened to abolish the monarchy if the King did not sign off such the treaty.

[End]

A press conference to rebuke KI-Media?

(Photo: Reuters)

KI-Media Note: While KI-Media publishes reports by Khmer Intelligence, just like several other websites, we are not the author of these reports.

Thaksin does not have the Cambodian citizenship: Khieu Kanharith

15 Feb 2010
By P.B.
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French

The government spokesman once again confirmed that the ex-Thai prime minister, an economic advisor of Hun Xen, was not naturalized as Khmer citizen.

Thaksin did not receive the Cambodian citizenship in March 2008, Khieu Kanharith, the government spokesman, confirmed once again during a press conference organized on Monday 15 February.

The disclaimer came at a time when the website KI-Media, which is close to the opposition party, had published new claims according to which a naturalization decree would have been signed by Chea Sim, the Senate president and standing head of state, during the absence of King Norodom Sihamoni.

At the beginning of February, the Thai ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that it wished to “investigate” on Thaksin Shinawatra’s citizenship, the fleeing Thai ex-prime minister.

Abhisit Vejjajiva, the current Thai PM, indicated that if indeed Thaksin received the Cambodian citizenship, he should abandon his Thai citizenship.

The pesky KI-Media and the "exiled" cartoonist Sacrava did it again!: Cambodge Soir Hebdo

KI-Media Note: While KI-Media publishes reports by Khmer Intelligence, just like several other websites, we are not the author of these reports.

KI-Media is attacking Raoul-Marc Jennar

15 Feb 2010
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French

Contrary to the claims made by a pro-opposition website, the government advisor never writes under a fictitious name on Cambodge Soir Hebdo

The “Khmer Intelligence” (KI-Media) website accused Raoul-Marc Jennar of being a “specialist in disinformation” who has been “selling his services to the Hun Sen regime for more than twenty years” in a publication dated 13 February 2010. The article was accompanied by a cartoon from the exiled cartoonist Sacrava, showing Raoul Jennar as a devil flying around Hun Xen.

The website, close to the opposition, claimed also that Raoul Marc Jennar, the government advisor over the border issue, is a “a regular contributor, under several fictitious names, to the French-language newspaper Cambodge Soir Hebdo”.

The editors of Cambodge Soir Hebdo denies these claims and informs to its readers that Raoul-Marc Jennar was never cited and never signed any article in its publications under a fictitious name.

Since its re-opening as a weekly paper on 04 October 2007, Raoul-Marc Jennar was only cited under his real name, and systematically accompanied by the mention of “advisor to the government” with the exception of the article “Y a-t-il eu génocide au Cambodge? » (Was there genocide in Cambodia?) on 07 January 2010 where he wrote under his name, as a “political scientist”.

Raoul-Marc Jennar was only interviewed 4 times since 2007: on 30 October 2008 regarding Cambodia’s wagers with respect to the US election; on 17 September 2009 regarding a controversial section in the latest edition of the tourist guide “Guide du Routard”; on 15 October 2009 regarding the summon of 6 CPP officials by the ECCC judges; on 03 December 2009 regarding Duch’s attitude on the last day of his trial.

Excerpts of his deposition at the ECCC on 14 September 2009 were also cited in Cambodge Soir Hebdo’s 17 September 2009 edition.

His name also appeared in Cambodge Soir Hebdo on 11 June 2009, in a short article citing the defeat of his election from within the “New Anti-Capitalist Party” which was listed in the southwest of France during the EU election. Furthermore, he is also cited in an article by Jean-Michel Filippi on 02 July 2009 titled “the trial in recoil, Nuremberg over the Mekong,” which defended a thesis contrary to that of Raoul-Marc Jennar.

Info from Khmer Intelligence News could put Thaksin in hot water

Probe into Thaksin’s 'khmer nationality'

5/02/2010
Bangkok Post

The Foreign Ministry will investigate a report on a Cambodian blog that former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was granted Cambodian citizenship and issued with a Cambodian passport in March last year.

“The ministry had earlier asked Cambodian authorities about this issue, but had never received a response," the foreign minister's secretary-general, Chavanont Intharakomalsuth said on Friday afternoon.

"A serious effort will be made to check on this again," Mr Chavanont said.

The blogspot KI-media made the claim in a "Khmer Intelligence News" report posted on Feb 1:

The report said: Thailand's fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra obtained a Cambodian passport in the last week of March 2009. The Royal Decree granting Thaksin Khmer citizenship was signed off by CPP and Senate President Chea Sim in his capacity then as Acting Head of State. King Norodom Sihamoni had been “advised” to unexpectedly but discretely leave Cambodia for France in that last week of March 2009 in order to keep secret the CPP decision to grant Khmer citizenship to thaksin. http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html

Democrat Party spokesman raised the report today.

“This has enabled Thaksin to obtain a passport and conveniently travel to and from Cambodia,” Mr Buranat said, adding that he had referred the matter to Mr Chavanont.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Friday that he had no knowledge of Thaksin having changed his nationality, but he insisted that Thaksin can have only one nationality at a time.

If he had Cambodian nationality, he would have to give up his Thai nationality, he said.

Follow up from the American family reported by Khmer Intelligence

On 14 November 2009, Khmer Intelligence published the following report:

Tragedy of an American family in Cambodia (2)

An American family who have come to help Cambodia and made big sacrifices to run a medical clinic providing basic health care to the poor, are victims of corruption and violence, which characterize the prevailing political system.. The e-mail we publish here has been circulating among their countless known and unknown friends who are deeply moved by their tragedy and revolted by the Kafkaesque situation they are facing. You can read their story by clicking at http://tinyurl.com/y8duql9

Below if a follow up from the family:
---------------
Dear Khmer Friends,

Thank you everyone for your patience with us, considering the ramifications of our story.

If you your site could use the information in this letter to make a difference in the corruption rampant in the medical field in Cambodia, please contact me to discuss how we can cooperate. This is a bit long, but please bear with me.

We came to Cambodia to save lives, but because of our outspoken stance againt this corruption, we became targets and nearly lost our lives.

Yes, we managed to escape Cambodia, thanks to supporters of our NGO who used their personal funds and air miles to arrange a ticket. We have nothing left but our suitcases, and must start over here in the US. Cara is still unwell, and will require continued medical care for some time.

For your patience I'll provide you the details, but please be aware this is not a simple story of another assault. As they say in Cambodia, there is little random violence. There IS violence, but nearly all of it is for a reason. It's the reason for the attack that had us so worried.

The initial details of the attack are outlined in the forwarded letter below. It wasn't until a few days later that we put the pieces together to realize this wasn't random.

Since we arrived in Cambodia this past March, we had been working at a small clinic in Kampong Thom Province. At the request of National Assembly Representative from Kampong Thom, His Excellency Nhem Thavy, we were given a closed down Community Health Center. Using our own funds, we renovated and restored the clinic. We were incredibly successful, seeing up to 100 patients a day, who often came hundreds of K's and waited days to see us, as we were the only reliable and available care in the provinces. It reached the point we were getting busloads of sick people arriving daily from past Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, and kampong Channg. As long as we were spending our own cash, we were fine. We had opened on the advice and request of the Ministry of Health while awaiting our MOU to be finalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We had thought that it would be completed shortly, but as of Oct 12, the day of the attack, it had not yet been approved. We had been told by many other NGO's that a significant "donation"(bribe, specifically cash, a nice camera, or laptop) needed to be paid to get our MOU cleared, but we refused to pay. Therefore, we were told repeatedly by the MFA that our MOU wasn't good enough- basically our budget was under $100,000- too small for their % cut. We were given odd reasons, like we dated it before it was signed, then we removed the date, then it was declined because it didn't have a date. We had used the old Min of Health Logo. We used blue ink on the stamps, and red ink is supposed to be used prior to approval. Then, they didn't like our date. Then, our typeface was too small. We kept making these ridiculous modifications to appease them, until finally, "the ink on our logo was too bright". It reached the point the Secretary General Leng Peng Long, Vice President Nguon Nhel, the Assembly President and finally Minister of Health H.E. Mom BunHeng all appealed to the MFA and we still never got approved. And all this time we were still saving the lives of 100 people a day from our little clinic.

That was the big corruption we were dealing with, but not the most deadly. It was the little guys who we believe came after us. In the Baray-Santouk referral district of Kampong Thom Dept of Health, there are 19 health care centers just like ours. Almost like our, that is. They are all boarded up, shut down, and non-functioning. Some see a few patients, but not many people go to them because they have no medicine and no staff. At the Baray-Santouk Referral Hospital, there are 10 paid doctors and 37 paid nurses on staff- but me made a practice to bring by every international visitor and challenge them to find a health care worker on the grounds. Not once in 8 months was someone working there. They average 3 to 5 patients a day, and most are never given the medications they need. We would often visit there, and on occasion gave money to the patients to catch a bus to Siem Reap so they could actually get treatment- if you didn't have $50 cash, you couldn't take one of the three empty ambulances sitting there.

But it wasn't the lack of treatment and staff that was the big problem. Each of the other 18 closed down health Care centers in the District were reporting to the Regional Director Dr. Meas Cham that they were treating 900 patients a month. The medicine for these imaginary patients was being shipped there, stolen, and sold by the staff. Every week we would submit our legitimate medication requests, only to be told "we don't have any". Our patients were dying over 50 cents worth of Cipro, and we were quickly running out of our own funds to purchase medicine. We finally confronted Dr Meas Cham and his Supervisor, Dr Vao Lough Kuhn, Kampong Thom regional Director, over this issue, and were told we were going to be reported (to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!) over our outrageous behavior.

Every time we demanded we be sent the even the basic medication that they were already listing as being distributed to us, we were told they had just run out, or that our "MOU wasn't completed so they didn't have to send us anything". We did not receive one dose of vaccines for 6 months when we were seeing over 1800 patients a month. They had run out every single month. At one point we contacted the head of the Cambodian Red Cross, HE Ho Noun, who paid a visit to our clinic. She was very impressed, and we had a big media day, but still no medicines came. Every now and then we would get a box with 10 IV's, and a few bottles of the stuff that no one could sell (Vitamin A and Birth Control Pills), but never Paracetemol or Antibiotics.

The situation was becoming critical, and we began to put more pressure on the district. We staged a visit with "simulated" visitors from World Health, who asked about why vaccines weren't being delivered. Dr Meas Cham walked out on them, so we called some friends and were arranging an actual aduitor come visit to help out. AT the end of September, we had to close the clinic. We were out of our personal money, and without our MOU, could not even apply for grants and loans. We did get some funding from the Camkids Charity (Dominique and Benita Sharpe, very nice people), but could not operate without adequate supplies. We hoped closing for a few days would put pressure on the MFA and MOH to get our papers completed so we could operate. That's when the top level of the Nat'l Assembly began to put on the pressure. It looked like we might finally get it done, and the local Min of Health would be forced to give us the required medications.

And that was precisely when Cara was attacked.

You see, a lot of people were making a lot of money off of those stolen medications. A lot of staff had very nice Camrys, and a Lexus or two, and without that extra cash, they could lose them. Most importantly, if two westerners could legitimately open and operate a clinic, and treat 2000 patients a month with almost no money, then they might be expected to improve THEIR standards a little bit.

So we were battling corruption everywhere- the MFA at the top, the MOH in the middle, and the thieving doctors at the bottom. This was never our intent- we just wanted our medicine so we could save lives.

We asked for help, and told of the corruption- asked for help from the Red Cross, from Parliament, from UNICEF and World Health, but it seems everyone has their finger in the pie, and everyone had a lot to lose by us succeeding. We were succeeding, and with a completed MOU would have the clout to get around these hurdles.

What's also implied is that many of the larger NGOs in Cambodia are aware of this situation as well- we sat through endless lectures on Child and Maternal Health from UNICEF, when it struck us that they were getting their statistics from the same people who were forging patient records to get enough medicine to sell so they could make their car payments. How many children die every year in the jungles? Who really knows, because I swear every statistic is made up by the other 18 boarded up health care centers that never actually treated patients. Take a drive up Road 6 one day, or any of the tiny villages, and spend 5 minutes visiting the little "Blue H" signs. Do you see 900 patients a month being treated there? Maybe at Sihanouk inPP or Angkor in SR, but not where these statistics are coming from. We can tell you that despite the MOH charging 28000 Riels to deliver a baby, the midwives are charging them $75, so they never come, deliver alone at home, and die a few days later from the jagged episiotomies, the inevitable blood loss or infection, or the tetanus that follows. But UNICEF doesn't see that, they just take the fabricated numbers, spend $3 million on writing the nice powerpoint report, and never see the dying children who never got the stolen tetanus shots.

Someone needed to stop us. So we got what they consider "a warning" in Cambodia. Those details are outlined below.

We are grateful we got out alive- Cara was never meant to survive this attack. We are most grateful it wasn't our children (Samantha, 13, and Moira, 10) who were injured- we don't know how we would have recovered from that.

So we hid for a week, and got a donated flight out of there. We stayed a few days in NY, then a week in Ohio to get Cara medical treatment near her family. We are finally back in South Carolina, and hope to put our lives back together. We will keep our NGO "open" long enough to recover some of the costs for getting home and Cara's medical expenses, and would be grateful for any donations to our website www.sharethehealthcambodia.org

We hope at some point to find the right people to go to with this information. As you know, Cambodia receives close to $1 BILLION in foreign aid, much of it for health care. When the world discovers NONE of that money or medicine actually makes it to the people who need it, things may change. Even telling this story puts us in more danger, but we came to Cambodia to help the people, not to buy Camrys for corrupt doctors. When Ho Noun came to visit us, the staff at Baray-Santouk heard she was coming and washed the walls in the front rooms, and hired people from the village to pose as patients so it looked like they were functional. It was a good ploy, because no one ever really checked. Somehow and somewhere, we'll find the right people who are interested in where all that money goes. Maybe then, the people who need the help can actually get it.

Several people have asked me if I'd ever consider returning to Cambodia. I say yes, with a bullet proof vest and a team of inspectors and auditors from the UN intent on cleaning up corruption. I personally saw too many children dying over 50 cents worth of antibiotics while the people that were getting these millions to care for them were laughing and sipping coffee.

We were careless in speaking openly about corruption while we were still in Cambodia. That was our mistake. When they tried to kill my wife, they didn't get the job done. That was their mistake.

James Garcia
Share the Health Cambodia

Khmer Intelligence News - 11 March 2009

11 March 2009

Nearly 80 percent of Cambodians live under poverty line (2)

Government and aid officials claim that the percentage of Cambodians living below the poverty line dropped from 47% to 35% between 1996 and 2006. The fact is that, during that period, the “poverty line” used to assess the number of poor people and defined as a threshold of daily income, was surreptitiously lowered from US$1.00 to US$0.75. Had the “poverty line” not been changed, the percentage of Cambodians living with less than US$1.00 a day would be close to 50%. Moreover, had the “poverty line” been set at US$2.00 income a day as it is in the Philippines and some African countries, the percentage of Cambodians considered as poor would be 77.7% according to the UNDP. See “Over 75 percent of Cambodians live under poverty line” (KI News, 13 January 2008).

Poverty to worsen in 2009 (2)

Given the population increase, inequality in revenue distribution and gross misallocation of resources in Cambodia, a minimum 5 percent annual GDP growth is required to prevent poverty from worsening. For 2009, the IMF has predicted that Cambodia’s economy would shrink by 0.5%, meaning a negative growth leading to a marked increase in poverty.

Sharp drop in customs revenue (2)

In the 2008 state budget, the Customs Department accounted for over 60 percent of all tax revenue, which is a relatively high figure in the region. For 2009, it should collect US$585 million, a figure that now looks impossible to achieve given the ongoing economic slowdown.

For the first two months of 2009, customs revenue reached only US$64 million compared to US$86 million for the same period last year, which represents a 25 percent drop [adjusted for the collection of a US$7 million duty pertaining to 2008].

State budget for 2009 in jeopardy (2)

The government will soon be obliged to revise downward the state budget for 2009 that was adopted last December because it is unable to collect the projected revenue. See above news “Sharp drop in customs revenue” while knowing that the fall in revenue also holds for other sources of income. The projected 2009 budget amounts to US$1.75 billion compared to US$1.37 billion for the 2008 budget, representing a 28 percent increase. This 28 percent increase will likely evaporate and be replaced by a decrease instead. Cambodia is facing the world economic crisis with a collapsing budget, let alone a strong budget with an appropriate economic stimulus package.

Cambodia losing competitiveness because of its dollarized economy (2)

A dollarized economy puts Cambodia in a weak position in the face of the global economic crisis. The fact that Cambodia’s currency, the riel, is pegged to the US dollar is putting pressure on its economic competitiveness as its neighbors’ currencies (Thai baht, Vietnamese dong) depreciate vis-à-vis the US dollar. Little can be done about this in the short term since 95 percent of Cambodia’s money supply consists of US dollars. Paradoxically for the poorer country, the cost of living is higher in Cambodia than in Thailand and Vietnam. For instance, a factory worker can live on a monthly salary of US$60 in Vietnam but not in Cambodia. Cambodia’s economy has been dollarized as a result of weak economic foundations (low productivity, lack of diversification, over-reliance on foreign remittances, shady foreign investors/speculators, cash economy) and poor governance.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
ARCHIVES

13 January 2008

Over 75 percent of Cambodians live under poverty line (1)

According to the latest official statistics, 35 percent of Cambodians live below the "national poverty line", which is defined as $0.75 of income a day. But if the poverty line is raised to $2 a day, which is the level used to measure poverty in most developing countries in Asia and Africa, 77.7 percent of Cambodia's population live under this more realistic poverty line. The 35 percent of Cambodians identified above through our "national poverty line", are actually those who survive under a "starvation line" of $0.75 a day.

Source: 2007/2008 Reports, Human Development Reports, UNDP.

Khmer Intelligence News - 2 March 2009

KHMER INTELLIGENCE NEWS
2 March 2009

Canadia Bank heading for bankruptcy (2)

As a result of the world financial crisis and general credit crunch, Cambodia's most prominent bank, Canadia, is in serious trouble and may be heading for bankruptcy. The IMF had warned in a report last month: "The global financial crisis has exposed vulnerabilities among Cambodia's banks and is beginning to affect their financial soundness." A World Bank annual report published also in February also raised concerns about the Cambodian financial sector, which is suffering from falling deposits, declining foreign capital, plummeting property prices and increasing nonperforming loans.

According to the IMF, poor compliance with reporting rules could mean Cambodian banks are even worse off than thought. Both the IMF and the World Bank warned that a number of banks were especially at risk. According to the IMF, "several large [banks] could face a large deterioration in credit quality and a need for recapitalization." According to the World Bank, "two large banks" are at serious risk from nonperforming loans. Industry sources have identified Canadia as one of the two banks given its overexposure to the property sector. Panicked clients are reportedly making non-stop withdrawals.

Real reason behind decision to crackdown on gambling dens (2)

Last week Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered a crackdown on sport and electronic gambling establishments. He condemned gambling as a social evil. But, since everybody fully knows that gambling is associated with rising crime, why has the government not only authorized but encouraged and promoted gambling activities in the first place? The gambling industry has been thriving in Cambodia since the early 1990's.

Actually the crackdown reflects Hun Sen's concern about who collects huge amounts of under-the-table money from gambling activities. It used to be Hok Lundy, the former National Police Director who died in a helicopter crash last November. Now the authority over the Police is in the hands of Interior Minister Sar Kheng who finds himself in a position to collect up to US$10 million a month of bribes from all sorts of gambling dens. Hun Sen's ongoing measures against gambling actually aim at reaching a new deal for the collection of illicit money from the gambling industry by different clans within the ruling CPP.

In a report titled "Casinos adapt to survive gaming ban" in today's Phnom Penh Post, the manager of a well-known gambling club, The Atlantic, said that his club contributed US$7,000 in taxes each month to the treasury [and] US$5,000 on under-the-table payments to the local authorities.

Read The Phnom Penh Post article at http://tinyurl.com/clbcy9

Bankrupt textile companies leave Cambodia without paying workers' salaries (1)

As a result of the global economic crisis an increasing number of foreign-owned textile companies have been declared bankrupt. They have abruptly laid off thousands of workers without paying their salaries. In order to defend workers' interest and to prevent social unrest, opposition members of parliament have written to the government suggesting that appropriate reserve funds be deposited by textile companies at the national treasury so as to secure payment of workers' salaries in case of bankruptcy.

Read the letter in Khmer at http://tinyurl.com/b9g6qu

Foreign expert implies Hor Nam Hong should be prosecuted (1)

In an interview in the February 19 edition of The Phnom Penh Post, foreign Khmer Rouge expert Raoul Jennar said: "The archives tell us that there were people, at the head of security centers, who ordered and supervised the massacre of hundreds and even thousands of Cambodians during the Democratic Kampuchea [Khmer Rouge] period. Some of these people live freely. Why do we only pursue the director of S-21 [Kaing Guek Eav alias Duch, the former chief of the Tuol Sleng notorious prison known as S-21] when there were 196 security centers across Cambodia? Justice is not choosing a few scapegoats to make an example of."

According to official Khmer Rouge documents from S-21, current Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong was the chief or "president" of another Khmer Rouge prison, the Boeng Trabek reeducation camp known as B-32. Hor Nam Hong publicly recognizes that he was the "president of a prisoner committee" at B-32.

Both S-21 and B-32 are listed among the 196 security centers.

Read full interview of Raoul Jennar at http://tinyurl.com/ap9srv

See the list of the 196 Khmer Rouge security centers (# 121 for S-21 and # 122 for B-32) at http://tinyurl.com/brfdvy

[End]

Khmer Intelligence News - 21 February 2009

21 February 2009

A new Phnom Penh Governor in May (2)

The CPP has named current Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema its top-of-the-list candidate for the Capital City Council election to be held on May 17, 2009. Kep Chuktema will then become President of the to-be-formed CCC, a position incompatible with that of Phnom Penh governor. This governor position will be given to Hun Neng, an elder brother of Prime Minister Hun Sen and currently governor of Kampong Cham province. There was a foiled plan to appoint Hun Neng Phnom Penh governor in 2004. See "Hun Neng to be appointed Phnom Penh governor" (KI News, 18 August 2004).

Provincial, city and district elections manipulated by CPP (2)

The ruling CPP is using many methods to manipulate the forthcoming provincial, city and district council elections scheduled for May 17, 2009. In those indirect elections, voters are the existing 11,353 commune councilors who were elected in April 2007 in Cambodia's 1,621 communes. The two main competitors are the CPP (7,993 councilors) and the SRP (2,660) while the two "royalist" parties, NRP (425) and Funcinpec (274), will be virtually wiped out given the election system.

The CPP is using against the SRP the following methods to manipulate election results:

• Press politically-motivated charges against SRP councilors, many of whom have been arrested and jailed, thus losing their voting right. The CPP-controlled tribunal has issued arrest warrants targeting several SRP commune councilors including 2 commune chiefs.
• Offer money and well-paid government adviser positions to entice SRP commune councilors to defect to the CPP or to vote for CPP candidates.
• Prevent the SRP from removing its councilors who have defected to the CPP and from replacing them with loyal councilors as legally allowed in the framework of the party list system. The CPP authorities, from the commune office to the Interior Ministry, are stalling any replacement request presented by the SRP, whereas the CPP is able to change any of its councilors within days.

IRI poll: most CPP voters actually have no political preferences (2)

By the end of 2008, the Washington-based International Republican Institute conducted an opinion poll, with one of the questions asked being the following: "What differences do you see between the major parties that competed in National Assembly elections?"

The answers were as follows:

• No differences: 33%
• Don't know: 22%
• Gifts they give: 8%
• There are differences but cannot specify: 4%

Therefore, 67% of voters do not have any real political preferences. This group of voters mainly voted for the CPP in past elections, only seeking to be on the safe side (because of intimidation) or to receive gifts (because of extreme poverty), whereas the remaining 33% voters are more politicized and more politically determined and they mainly voted for opposition parties.

At the July 2008 national election, the CPP collected 58% of the votes (mainly from the 67 % less politicized voters), whereas the SRP and the HRP obtained respectively 22% and 6% of the votes (mainly from the 33% more politicized voters).

One can see that the CPP political base is not that strong since the ruling party's propaganda themes (7th January, protection against the Khmer Rouge, peace, "development", Hun Sen's role, etc) do not hold sway in the people's mind.

South Korea, a bad teacher for stock exchange investments (2)

On February 20, Cambodia's Finance Ministry was forced to postpone the signing of a joint venture agreement on the new Phnom Penh stock exchange to be launched by the end of the year. The reason for the postponement was the fact that the Korean adviser and partner who was supposed to cosign the agreement in his capacity as CEO of the South Korea Stock Exchange, did not show up. Maybe, it was a blessing in disguise because South Korea Stock Exchange was NOT the place to invest in during the past 2 years: since 2007 a foreign investor with Korean stocks has seen the value of his assets reduced by 80 percent (stock prices in Seoul went down by 50 percent and the Korean currency, the won, fell by 30 percent against the US dollar). See also "Foreign brokerage firms will be allowed to operate in Cambodia" (KI News, 27 September 2007) and "No stock market in Cambodia in a foreseeable future" (KI News, 31 January 2007).
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27 September 2007

Foreign brokerage firms will be allowed to operate in Cambodia (1)

On September 12, 2007, the National Assembly passed a law that lays the ground for the creation of a Stock Exchange in Cambodia. Many serious problems have to be solved before a real Bourse can be set up in this country (KI News, 31 January 2007: "No stock market in Cambodia in a foreseeable future"). During the parliamentary debate, opposition leader and former Finance Minister Sam Rainsy, who had been a security analyst and a portfolio manager in Europe for twenty years, stressed that the Government will have to be strict to ensure that listed companies release accurate information to prevent the public from being cheated. He obtained the assurance from the Government that foreign brokerage firms will be allowed to do business in Cambodia in order to help our future Stock Exchange meet international standards in due course.

See financial model for stock evaluation developed by Sam Rainsy at http://tinyurl.com/yvzvxg

31 January 2007

No stock market in Cambodia in a foreseeable future (2)

Contrary to several official announcements in a recent past, Cambodia will not be able to set up any stock market in a foreseeable future. Even the South Korean companies the Cambodian authorities had strongly hoped that they would help establish a Bourse in Phnom Penh, have given up the idea because there is no reliable accounting system in Cambodia. Any listed companies would have to present credible financial statements and records over several consecutive years, which is virtually impossible to obtain in a country plagued with corruption and lawlessness.

18 August 2004

Hun Neng to be appointed Phnom Penh governor (3)

Prime Minister Hun Sen's eldest brother Hun Neng, currently Svay Rieng provincial governor, will replace Kep Chuktema as Phnom Penh Municipality governor in September or October this year. Kep Chuktema will take up the current position of Hun Neng.

Khmer Intelligence News - 17 February 2009

17 February 2009

Kaing Guek Eav (Duch) using same defense arguments as Hor Nam Hong (2)

Today, Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, the former chief of S 21 Center under the Pol Pot regime, is the first Khmer Rouge official to stand trial before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. He is expected to use the same defense arguments as Hor Nam Hong, the former chief of B 32 Center, an ante-room for S 21 Center under the Pol Pot regime, when the latter appeared before the French Court in Paris for a defamation lawsuit in December 2008. Hor Nam Hong claimed that:

1. He was not involved in, and did not know anything about, the decision making process that took place at the Khmer Rouge top hierarchy (Angkar Leu). He had to execute orders from "above" in order to save his own life.
2. He was only a passive tool of the Khmer Rouge, not a chief, not even a collaborator, because many members of his family were killed by the Khmer Rouge.

Government refuses public debate with Opposition on economic issues (1)

On January 27, opposition parliamentarian Son Chhay officially requested Finance Minister Keat Chhon to personally come to the National Assembly to "elaborate on the government economic policies to combat the effects of the global financial crisis, and on other economic issues."

On February 11, Keat Chhon declined the invitation and instead sent a long written note which appears completely irrelevant, containing a mixture of Khmer, French and English words describing a totally theoretical world with an academic approach.

The opposition has tried several times, to no avail, to have at the Cambodian National Assembly what is known in democratic countries' parliaments as "Question Time".

See Son Chhay's letter and Keat Chhon's response at http://tinyurl.com/ae4oz6

Cambodian united opposition calls for international sanctions on corrupt leaders (1)

Members of Parliament from Sam Rainsy's SRP and Kem Sokha's HRP, which have recently formed the Democratic Movement for Change (DMC), issued today an appeal to "all governments supporting Cambodia in fighting corruption and impunity to:

1. Impose a visa ban on all high ranking officials, their family members and business associates cited in the Global Witness [2007 and 2009] reports ["Cambodia's Family Trees" and "Country For Sale"].
2. Impose a freeze of the bank accounts of all high ranking officials and their business associates cited in the Global Witness reports and seize their ill-gotten assets abroad.
3. Forbid corporations based in the corresponding [friendly] countries from doing business and from making any deals with Cambodian corporations whose shareholders include corrupt government officials or their relatives."

Read full text of the appeal "Cambodia: a country NOT for sale" at http://tinyurl.com/ap8xej

The signatories base their appeal on the legal precedents set by international sanctions on current Burmese leaders and on the family of former Filipino president Ferdinand Marcos. They will also refer to the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and subsequent national laws.

Farm products prices remain extremely low (1)

Agricultural prices, which had plummeted up to last month as a result of the world economic crisis, have recovered to some extent for rice, corn and rubber, but remain weak for cassava and continue to fall for pepper and cashew nut. See "Farm products prices have plummeted" (KI News, 20 January 2009).
Prices paid to farmers as of 17 February 2009:

• Paddy (unhusked rice, second grade) (1): 750 riels per kilogram (700 riels in January 2009; 1,100 riels in January 2008).
• Corn (maize) (1): 600 riels per kilogram (350 riels in January 2009, 600 riels in January 2008).
• Cassava (dry) (2): 330 riels per kilogram (280 riels in January 2009; 750 riels in January 2008).
• Cassava (fresh) (2): 100 riels per kilogram (125 riels in January 2009; 350 riels in January 2008).
• Pepper (2): 7,000 riels per kilogram (8,500 riels in January 2009; 16,000 riels in January 2008).
• Cashew nut (2): 1,800 riels per kilogram (2,000 riels in January 2009; 2,500 riels in January 2008).
• Latex (liquid rubber, dry equivalent) (2): 4,500 riels per kilogram (2,500 riels in January 2009; 6,000 riels in January 2008).

Farmers, who represent some 80 percent of Cambodia's workforce, are intensely suffering from the fall in agricultural prices which determine their revenues and living conditions.

(1) Pailin municipality or Banteay Meanchey province bordering Thailand.
(2) Memot district, Kampong Cham province bordering Vietnam.
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20 January 2009

Farm products prices have plummeted (1)

Farm products prices have recently plummeted in Cambodia as a result of the world economic crisis.

Prices paid to farmers in January 2009 (versus in January 2008):

• Paddy (unhusked rice): 700 riels per kilogram (1,100 riels per kilogram, - 36%)
• Corn (maize): 350 riels per kilogram (600 riels per kilogram, - 42%)
• Cassava (dry): 280 riels per kilogram (750 riels per kilogram, - 62%)
• Cassava (fresh): 125 riels per kilogram (350 riels per kilogram, - 64%)
• Pepper: 8,500 riels per kilogram (16,000 riels per kilogram, - 47%)
• Latex (liquid rubber, dry equivalent): 2,500 riels per kilogram (6,000 riels per kilogram, - 58%).

Farmers, who represent some 80 percent of Cambodia's workforce, are intensely suffering from the fall in agricultural prices which determine their revenues and living conditions.

Khmer Intelligence News - 15 February 2009

15 February 2009

From "CIA agents" to "SRP agents" (2)

Over the last few weeks, Prime Minister Hun Sen has been accusing the opposition SRP of trying to split the ruling CPP. By making such an accusation, which is obviously groundless given the democratic opposition's little influence, if any, over the authoritarian and very disciplined ruling party, Hun Sen actually wants to warn his colleagues within the CPP against challenging his more and more absolute power. If any CPP members are not one hundred percent loyal to Hun Sen, they will be considered by the prime minister as "traitors" who plot with the opposition and play the role of "SRP agents" to destabilize their own party. Anti-Hun Sen CPP dissidents will then be crushed without mercy. Similarly, the Khmer Rouge used to accuse possible or imaginary dissidents under the Pol Pot regime of being "CIA agents".

Significant political change expected after King's return (2)

After a three-week lull, a significant political change associated with purges may take place following King Norodom Sihamoni's return in Cambodia toward the end of this month. The present lull is attributable to the fact that only the Monarch can sign off Royal Decrees promoting or demoting high-ranking government officials. Some moves in the pipeline have been shelved because Senate and CPP President Chea Sim is currently the acting head of state. See "No army or police reshuffle in the next three weeks" (KI News, 4 February 2009).

Reasons for Hun Sen's refusal to evoke 1991 Paris Agreements in conflict resolution (2)

Because month-long bilateral talks have not led to any concrete results while trying to peacefully solve border disputes with Thailand, an increasing number of voices are urging the Cambodian government to evoke the 1991 Paris Agreements as a basis for multilateral negotiations implying international guarantees. Read "1991 Paris Accords: Most appropriate basis for the resolution of conflict with Thailand" (KI News, 17 September 2008).

Even though his attitude is detrimental to Cambodia's national interests, Hun Sen refuses to consider evoking the UN-sponsored Paris Agreements for the following partisan reasons:

1. The first ever democratic elections held in Cambodia in 1993, under the control of the Blue Helmets, led to a resounding defeat for the CPP which contrasts with CPP subsequent controversial victories.
2. Besides provisions beneficial to Cambodia because they guarantee her territorial integrity, the 1991 Paris Agreements contain other significant provisions related to the respect for human, political and civil rights which Hun Sen does not want to hear about given his authoritarian rule.

Thaksin has been recently spotted in Cambodia (2)

Four days ago, a number of opposition National Assembly members asked Prime Minister Hun Sen to confirm the presence in Cambodia, in January and/or February 2009, of Thailand's ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The presence of the foreign fugitive politician on Cambodian soil may have negative implications on relations with neighboring Thailand.

According to article 96 of the Constitution, Hun Sen must respond to the parliamentarians within seven days after receiving their letter.

Read the letter in Khmer at http://tinyurl.com/arb59e

Read also "Thaksin's business interests in Cambodia are a touchy issue" (KI News, 17 September 2008) and "Thaksin prepares his comeback with the support of Hun Sen" (KI News, 19 August 2008).
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4 February 2009

No army or police reshuffle in the next three weeks (2)

King Norodom Sihamoni left Cambodia today for a three-week visit to China where he will stay with the King-Father and the Queen-Mother in Beijing. Some observers infer that there would be no army or police reshuffle during the King's absence because only the Monarch can sign off Royal Decrees promoting or demoting high-ranking government officials.

17 September 2008

1991 Paris Accords: Most appropriate basis for the resolution of conflict with Thailand (2)

In a September 17 letter, the Opposition asks the Government to call on the signatories of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords on Cambodia to fulfill their legal obligations to help find a peaceful resolution to the border conflict with Thailand. See letter in Khmer at http://tinyurl. com/64erzc

One of the Accords, the "Agreement concerning the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability, neutrality and national unity of Cambodia" states, in its Article 5, that:

1. In the event of a violation or threat of violation of the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity of Cambodia, the parties to this Agreement undertake to consult immediately with a view to adopting all appropriate steps to ensure respect for [their] commitments [towards Cambodia] and resolving any such violations through peaceful means.
2. Such steps may include, inter alia, reference of the matter to the Security Council of the United Nations.
3. The parties to this Agreement [including Cambodia] may also call upon the assistance of the co-Chairmen of the Paris Conference on Cambodia [France and Indonesia].

All Cambodia's neighboring countries and all the world's powers signed the Paris Peace Accords in 1991. So far, bilateral talks with Thailand have produced no results and the UN Security Council has refused to deal with Cambodia's complaint.

Thaksin's business interests in Cambodia are a touchy issue (2)

As reported in the "Bangkok Post" on September 14, former Thai Prime Minister and business tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra may be involved in big businesses in Cambodia, especially in Koh Kong province. Read the article at http://tinyurl.com/5ql7z4

Actually, Thaksin may have a hidden (political) agenda when pouring money into Cambodia (see KI News, 19 August 2008: "Thaksin prepares his comeback with the support of Hun Sen").
On September 8, Opposition MP Son Chhay wrote to the Government asking for information related to a deal that Thaksin reportedly signed in Cambodia with Prime Minister Hun Sen only a few months ago. See letter in Khmer at http://tinyurl.com/5bdgnt

According to the Constitution (Article 96), the Government must provide explanations to any question from any Member of Parliament within seven days after receiving the question. Son Chhay has received no answer whatsoever as of today, nine days after the Government has received his question.

19 August 2008

Thaksin prepares his comeback with the support of Hun Sen (2)

Former Thai Prime Minister and business tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra has recently signed an official deal with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to allegedly develop Cambodia's south-western maritime province of Koh Kong.

In fact, Thaksin wants to secure very convenient Cambodian-based facilities to prepare his political comeback in Thailand. Hun Sen is well aware of Thaksin's hidden agenda but the pair have many things in common.

The current tension between Cambodia and Thailand about Preah Vihear temple is in part due to false assurances given by Thaksin to Hun Sen in the past about border delineation. A possible additional reason for the tension is pressure exerted by Vietnam on Hun Sen to prove his loyalty toward Hanoi. From this perspective the current tension is reminiscent of the anti-Thai riots in Phnom Penh in January 2003 which were organized by the most pro-Vietnamese elements within the Cambodian government.

Khmer Intelligence News - 4 February 2009

KHMER INTELLIGENCE NEWS
4 February 2009

No army or police reshuffle in the next three weeks (2)

King Norodom Sihamoni left Cambodia today for a three-week visit to China where he will stay with the King-Father and the Queen-Mother in Beijing. Some observers infer that there would be no army or police reshuffle during the King's absence because only the Monarch can sign off Royal Decrees promoting or demoting high-ranking government officials.

49 potential Assembly seats for non-CPP parties (1)

Funcinpec (FUN) and Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), which have just signed a cooperation agreement for the upcoming provincial and district elections in May 2009, would have won 9 National Assembly seats, instead of 4 (2 + 2 ), had they presented a single list of candidates at the last parliamentary poll in July 2008.

If the following non-CPP political parties had been united last year they would have won the following number of Assembly seats (out of 123):

• Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) + Human Rights Party (HRP): 34 instead of 29 separately (26 + 3).
• SRP + HRP + NRP: 41 seats instead of 31 separately (26 + 3 + 2).
• SRP + HRP + NRP + FUN: 46 seats instead of 33 separately (26 + 3 + 2 + 2).
• SRP + HRP + NRP + FUN + Smaller Parties: 49 seats instead of 33 separately (26 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 0).

Simulations are made in the framework of the prevailing proportional representation system using the largest-average formula. Details at http://tinyurl.com/63zuyc

Land grabber Keat Kolney testified in favor of Hor Nam Hong in Paris (1)

In relation with the defamation lawsuit he filed against opposition leader Sam Rainsy before the French Court , Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Nam Hong produced last December in Paris a testimony from Ms Keat Kolney, who is Finance Minister Keat Chhon's sister.

Keat Kolney wrote: "Mr. Hor Nam Hong, whom I knew and met at special meetings presided over by Ieng Sary [at the Boeng Trabek re-education camp], was torn apart [in his conscience] and had to resign himself to following the will of the Khmer Rouge."

Keat Chhon recognizes that he was Pol Pot's personal secretary and special adviser from 1975 to 1982. His sister Keat Kolney is currently involved in land grabbing in the Northeast of Cambodia and has clashed with indigenous people (hill tribe minorities) there.

See details of Keat Kolney's activities at http://tinyurl.com/cos5al and at http://tinyurl.com/dkeedq

Semantics and politics: "Siem" and "Yuon" versus Thailand and Vietnam (2)

Ordinary Cambodian people continue to widely use old and traditional terms to speak about their neighbors even though they may not sound politically correct for some people.

For instance, headlines in today's main Khmer-language newspapers, both government-affiliat ed and opposition-affiliat ed, call Thailand or Thai authorities "Siem". Similarly, the same newspapers have been often calling Vietnam or Vietnamese authorities "Yuon".

Actually, the words "Siem" and "Yuon" have been used by the Khmer people since several hundreds years ago, at a time when Thailand (formerly Siam ) and Vietnam (formally Annam ) did not exist under their current names, as evidenced by inscriptions on century-old temple steles.

Nowadays, in their daily language, Khmer people indifferently use "Siem" or "Thai" on the one hand, and "Yuon" or " Vietnam " on the other. There are old geographic places such as Siem Reap province, Kampong Siem district (in Kampong Cham province), Banteay Yuon (a village in Pursat province), Prek Yuon (a river in Kandal province). In culinary arts, there is a dessert called Chomnei Siem (Thai delicacy) and a dish called Samlo M'chu Yuon (Vietnamese sour soup).

Therefore "Siem" and "Yuon" are not derogatory words as some foreign "experts" pretend.

See today's Cambodian newspapers' headlines at http://tinyurl.com/d9ouqu

[End]

Khmer Intelligence News 20 January 2009

President-elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle depart a service at St John's Episcopal Church before the inauguration in Washington January 20, 2009. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

20 January 2009

From America's first black Ambassador (to Cambodia) to America's first black President (1)

Today is the inauguration day in Washington DC for President Barack Obama, America 's first black President. But in Cambodia , many people remember Mr. Charles A. Ray as America 's first black Ambassador in this country, more than five years ago. They also remember what he said at an important donor meeting in 2004, urging the Hun Sen government to combat corruption, to no avail as evidenced by subsequent developments and the current situation in 2009.

Ambassador Ray said: « According to the August 2004 USAID-funded corruption assessment, "ordinary Cambodians are subject to a daunting array of small and medium exaction, some paid virtually on a daily basis." That same report highlighted the significant loss in legal revenue due to smuggling, bribes and other illegal practices, which possibly totals as much as all donor assistance.

In light of these statements, it is no exaggeration to view corruption as a cancer that threatens this country's economic, political and social development.

Cambodia should pass an effective anti-corruption law that is based on international standards, as embodied in the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

We must move beyond simple acknowledgement of the problems to demand concrete, verifiable actions to combat the epidemic of corruption directly. »

Read Ambassador's Ray entire speech at
http://www.cdc-crdb.gov.kh/cdc/7cg_meeting/7cg_document/fighting_corrupton_usa_eng.htm

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith to be removed (3)

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith who is also Information Minister and the official mouthpiece for the CPP, and who has a reputation of being a drunkard, is causing more and more embarrassment to the Government and the CPP with his often thoughtless remarks. In The Phnom Penh Post, front page January 19 article titled "SRP calls for government bailout, Rainsy claims thousands of jobs lost in financial crisis", Khieu Kanharith again shows he doesn't know what he is talking about. While opposition leader and former Finance Minister Sam Rainsy suggests that the Government prepare a "$500-million stimulus package to cope with the world economic crisis", he is quoted as saying there is no need for such a package because "the government reserves funds in every annual budget for unforeseen circumstances, " before specifying "We have a reserve budget, not only for the global economic crisis but also for other disasters such as floods, and so forth." But he added he could not remember the exact amount set aside in 2009 [actually $144 million versus $132 million in 2008]. Khieu Kanharith's comment shows he doesn't understand a word about what Sam Rainsy was referring to: world financial crisis, macroeconomics, fiscal policy, monetary policy, full-employment equilibrium, aggregate demand, deficit spending and Keynesian economic theory.

On the same topic, in the January 18 edition of Rasmei Kampuchea, another CPP official, National Assembly Vice-President Nguon Nhel is quoted as saying the Government doesn't need to follow Sam Rainsy's recommendation related to the world economic crisis because it has already taken "measures against inflation". Apparently, Nguon Nhel is mixing up inflation with deflation…

See details of Sam Rainsy's proposal at http://tinyurl.com/7urlzy
Read The Phnom Penh Post article at http://tinyurl.com/a564fg
Read Rasmei Kampuchea article at http://tinyurl.com/8fbfbs

Farm products prices have plummeted (1)

Farm products prices have recently plummeted in Cambodia as a result of the world economic crisis.

Prices paid to farmers in January 2009 (versus in January 2008):

• Paddy (unhusked rice): 700 riels per kilogram (1,100 riels per kilogram, - 36%)
• Corn (maize): 350 riels per kilogram (600 riels per kilogram, - 42%)
• Cassava (dry): 280 riels per kilogram (750 riels per kilogram, - 62%)
• Cassava (fresh): 125 riels per kilogram (350 riels per kilogram, - 64%)
• Pepper: 8,500 riels per kilogram (16,000 riels per kilogram, - 47%)
• Latex (liquid rubber, dry equivalent): 2,500 riels per kilogram (6,000 riels per kilogram, - 58%).

Farmers, who represent some 80 percent of Cambodia 's workforce, are intensely suffering from the fall in agricultural prices which determine their revenues and living conditions.

Information from black box from Hok Lundy's helicopter not available (2)

National Police Chief Hok Lundy died in a helicopter crash on November 9, 2008 . Not all questions have been answered regarding the circumstance surrounding his death. Information from the black box (flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder) from the French-built Ecureuil helicopter which he traveled on that day, has not been made public. There are indications that there will be attempts to put all the blame on Hok Lundy for many not-yet-elucidated crimes that have plagued Cambodian politics: the deadly grenade attack in front of the National Assembly in 1997, the assassination of union leader Chea Vichea in 2004, the murder of opposition journalist Khim Sambo in 2008, and other political killings.

The ploy/plot is very similar to the one aimed at putting all the blame on Pol Pot and only five or six surviving Khmer Rouge leaders for all the crimes against humanity perpetrated under the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1979).

KI-Media: Most popular Cambodian Web site (1)

KI-Media which was launched in July 2005, has become by far the most popular Cambodia-related Web site, having welcomed 5,000,000 visitors over only 3½ years.

It is an anti-CPP and pro-democracy media managed by overseas Cambodians in North America but with contributors from all over the world. It is being targeted by the Phnom Penh government which is currently drafting a law that will extend current print media rules to other media platforms, including the internet.

Visit KI-Media by clicking at http://www.ki-media.blogspot. com/

[End]

Khmer Intelligence News - 16 December 2008

16 December 2008

All Korean-conducted land development projects have been stopped (2)

Over the last few years the most grandiose land development projects have been conducted by not-so-well-known companies from South Korea. Because of the fallout from the global financial crisis and a serious downward revision of Cambodia's economic prospects coupled with the sharp fall in land prices, the cash-strapped Korean companies have abandoned all their projects in Cambodia. These include mega projects such as CamKo City in the North of Phnom Penh (only one tranche out of four will be completed), the 42-storey Golden Tower on Monivong Boulevard, and International Financial Complex on Sothearos Boulevard, next to the Russian Embassy. The concerned companies keep denying their decision to leave Cambodia in order to avoid a panic from customers who have "bought" their to-be-built houses or condominiums and made down payments, but works on the spot have practically come to a standstill.

Top managers of Hong Kong-based Tak Fat company are in hiding in Cambodia (2)

In addition to "Garment manufacturer Tack Fat has gone bankrupt" as published by Khmer Intelligence News on 13 October 2008, we have learned that the company's top managers are now in hiding in Cambodia to escape prosecution in Hong Kong. Shareholders have been swindled and the unscrupulous managers have fled to Cambodia with the company's cash. Criminals who can pay bribes, or are financial cronies, to Cambodia's political leaders enjoy impunity in this country. The wife of a powerful man here holds a significant stake in Tak Fat's Cambodian subsidiary, which used to provide the mother company in Hong Kong with fake certificates of origin, with the complicity of the Ministry of Commerce, allowing fraudulent garment exports from China to the USA using the label "Made in Cambodia."

Gasoline price to decrease from 3,200 riels to 2,800 riels per liter (3)

Crude oil price on the international market is now at US$44 per barrel (1 barrel = 159 liters), down 70 percent from a peak of US$147 a barrel on July 11, 2008. At that time, the retail price of gasoline in Cambodia was 5,600 riels per liter. It should now drop to 2,800 riels per liter (- 50 percent from its highest level), instead of 3,200 riels now, if Cambodian gasoline distribution companies were to pass on to consumers the recent decrease in their supply cost as reflected in the fall in international crude oil price. The exchange rate has remained practically unchanged over the last 18 months with US$1 being equivalent to approximately 4,060 riels.

CPP would lose their two-thirds majority with UNTAC formula (1)

Cambodia has implemented a proportional representation system for all elections hold over the last fifteen years. In the UN-organized election in 1993, UNTAC used the greatest-remainder formula. But since 1998, the CPP authorities have arbitrarily and surreptitiously switched to the largest-average formula, which favours large political parties. Minor parties generally fare better under the greatest-remainder formula than under the largest-average formula.

If the greatest-remainder formula (known as UNTAC formula in Cambodia) were used for the last July 2008 election, the results in terms of National Assembly seats allocated to each party would be as follows:

- CPP: down from 90 to 76 (minus 14 seats lost to SRP, HRP, FCP and NRP).

- SRP: up from 26 to 29 (3 extra seats won from CPP in Prey Veng, Pursat and Svay Rieng provinces).

- HRP: up from 3 to 7 (4 extra seats won from CPP in Phnom Penh and in Kampong Cham, Kampong Speu and Takeo provinces).

- FCP: up from 2 to 6 (4 extra seats won from CPP in Battambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang and Siem Reap provinces).

- NRP: up from 2 to 5 (3 extra seats won from CPP in Kampong Thom, Kampot and Kandal provinces).

The CPP would have been unable to secure their current two-thirds majority (over 82 seats out of 123) in the National Assembly.

Hor Namhong's revelations to the French Court (2)

In relation to the defamation lawsuit he has filed against opposition leader Sam Rainsy before the French Court (details at http://tinyurl.com/6d6an5) Foreign Minister Hor Namhong gave interesting information to French judges at a public hearing in Paris on December 9.

Asked why several members of the royal family, including retired King Norodom Sihanouk and former prisoners, have complained about his behaviour as "chief" of the Khmer Rouge Boeng Trabek re-education camp in 1977-1978, he replied this was because of "rivalries" among prisoners. He therefore acknowledged that the situation was more complex than what he first admitted (the "bad" Khmer Rouge on the one hand and the "good" prisoners on the other). He first denied that denunciations by a prisoner of another prisoner could lead to the second one being "taken away" by the Khmer Rouge, but he subsequently admitted that, through denunciations, he could have eliminated all his "rivals", implying he did manage to eliminate at least some of them.

Another revelation made by Hor Namhong: all those, especially journalists, who have alleged in Cambodia that he had been involved in any wrongdoings, could get away with the Cambodian Court only by fleeing the country, like American reporter Kelly McEvers from The Cambodia Daily, or by making apologies to him, like McEvers's Cambodian colleague Thet Sambath and opposition journalist Dam Sith. He accused The Cambodia Daily of being "pro-opposition."

See also Khmer Intelligence News dated 10 October 2008: "Hor Namhong gave false information about Princess Nanette and Prince Sisowath Methavy."

KHMER INTELLIGENCE NEWS - 10 October 2008

Hor Namhong gave false information about Princess Nanette and Prince Sisowath Methavy (2)

French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, July 23, 1989, quoted [then Prince now] King Father Norodom Sihanouk as declaring, "Hor Nam Hong, former commander of a Khmer Rouge concentration camp [Boeng Trabek detention camp], is responsible for the death, after atrocious tortures, of many former members of the anti-American Resistance, such as my cousin Prince Sisowath Methavy, and his spouse [Princess Nanette], the elder sister of my wife [now Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk]."

Princess Sisowath Nanette arrived at Boeng Trabek camp in October 1977, directly from France, to join her husband Prince Sisowath Methavy who had returned to Cambodia since 1976, only one year after the Khmer Rouge take over. Following a short stay in Chraing Chamres, Prince Methavy was sent to Boeng Trabek camp in February 1977. Princess Nanette actually lived in Boeng Trabek camp for only six months before she and her husband were taken away to be executed in April 1978. This is confirmed by many surviving prisoners from the three sections of Boeng Trabek camp (B30, B31 and B32), who all confirm that they last saw Princess Nanette and her husband around the Cambodian New Year that took place in April 1978.

In an interview published in Khmer-language newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea, April 23, 2008, Hor Nam Hong says the Sisowath couple lived with him "until the end of 1978" before being taken away and killed by the Khmer Rouge. However, surviving witnesses say that the Khmer Rouge had stopped taking away and killing Boeng Trabek prisoners since August-September 1978, when living conditions suddenly started to improve as the Pol Pot regime tried to mobilize all Cambodian forces to counter increasing pressure from Vietnamese troops.

The late CPP Justice Minister Chem Sgnuon, who was detained at Boeng Trabek camp until Vietnamese troops arrived in January 1979, used to tell many people how cruel Hor Nam Hong was when he was the Khmer Rouge-appointed camp chief. Chem Snguon avoided talking with Hor Nam Hong because of this bitter past.

KHMER INTELLIGENCE NEWS - 13 October 2008

Garment manufacturer Tack Fat has gone bankrupt (1)

The Hong Kong-based daily newspaper South China Morning Post, October 8, 2008, confirmed that Tack Fat Group International, a well-known firm listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the parent company of Tack Fat Garment (Cambodia) Ltd, a major garment manufacturer in this country, has gone bankrupt. The news reads as follows, "Last month [September 2008], banks applied to wind up (…) swimwear maker Tack Fat International Group after [it] defaulted on loans." Tack Fat becomes the second "collapse of a Hong Kong-listed retailer amid the financial meltdown."

According to a business analysis, "Tack Fat Group's principal activities are designing and manufacturing of jeans, pants, shorts, swimming apparel and sportswear for men, women and children. Other activity includes investment holding. The Group has three production facilities, one of which is located in Luoding City, Guandong Province, the People's Republic of China and the other two of which are located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The majority of the Group's products are exported to the North American, European markets and other regions." http://tinyurl.com/3mpvvl

A September 16, 2008 statement by the Group's "Provisional Liquidators Appointed" specifies, "The place of incorporation of the Company is in Cayman Islands and the shares [were] suspended for trading since 9:30am, 30 July 2008." http://tinyurl.com/3lgb8a

Information about Tack Fat Garment (Cambodia) Ltd can be obtained at http://tinyurl.com/437q8l

[End]

Khmer Intelligence News - 13 October 2008

13 October 2008

Garment manufacturer Tack Fat has gone bankrupt (1)

The Hong Kong-based daily newspaper South China Morning Post, October 8, 2008, confirmed that Tack Fat Group International, a well-known firm listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the mother company of Tack Fat Garment (Cambodia) Ltd, a major garment manufacturer in this country, has gone bankrupt. The news reads as follows, "Last month [September 2008], banks applied to wind up (…) swimwear maker Tack Fat International Group after [it] defaulted on loans." Tack Fat becomes the second "collapse of a Hong Kong-listed retailer amid the financial meltdown."

According to a business analysis, "Tack Fat Group's principal activities are designing and manufacturing of jeans, pants, shorts, swimming apparel and sportswear for men, women and children. Other activity includes investment holding. The Group has three production facilities, one of which is located in Luoding City, Guandong Province, the People's Republic of China and the other two of which are located in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The majority of the Group's products are exported to the North American, European markets and other regions." http://tinyurl.com/3mpvvl

A September 16, 2008 statement by the Group's "Provisional Liquidators Appointed" specifies, "The place of incorporation of the Company is in Cayman Islands and the shares [were] suspended for trading since 9:30am, 30 July 2008." http://tinyurl.com/3lgb8a

Information about Tack Fat Garment (Cambodia) Ltd can be obtained at http://tinyurl.com/437q8l

Property prices start to fall in Cambodia (2)

Land prices, which have increased about ten-fold over the last five years, have started to fall markedly as a result of the world financial crisis and speculators being caught in a sudden property glut. An increasing number of projects are now stalled. In particular, Korean and Chinese investors, who have been most active in land development projects - which help launder corruption and other illicit money along with the gambling industry - start to repatriate a portion of their funds. Many Cambodian people who mortgaged their houses to engage in land speculation are starting to feel the pinch, being unable to pay hefty interests on loans from their banks. After a sharp decline in the number of transactions, land prices are expected to fall between 30 and 50 percent in the next twelve months.

Retail gasoline price to fall from 5,000 riels to 4,000 riels per liter (3)

Crude oil price on the international market is now at about US$80 per barrel (1 barrel = 159 liters), down from a peak of US$147 a barrel on July 11, 2008 (- 46 percent). A year ago, in October 2007, the price of crude oil on the international market was also at US$80 a barrel and the retail price of gasoline in Cambodia was at 4,000 riels per liter. Therefore, the retail price of gasoline should drop from 5,000 riels per liter now to 4,000 riels per liter in the coming days if Cambodian gasoline distribution companies were to pass on to consumers the recent decrease in their supply cost as reflected in the drop in international crude oil price.

[End]

Khmer Intelligence News - 10 October 2008

10 October 2008

Police's involvement in journalist Khim Sambo's murder (3)

The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, October 3, 2008, gave some clues that might be helpful for any serious investigation into the recent murder in Phnom Penh of opposition journalist Khim Sambo. Press correspondent Vincent Maclsaac writes in his report, « In the June 28-29 weekend edition of the daily Khmer Conscience, which is affiliated with the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (…), Khim Sambo (…) [mocked] the behaviour of a senior police officer described by many as "one of the most dangerous men in Cambodia". He reported on an incident that allegedly occurred (…) on June 25 at a casino complex at a border crossing with Vietnam in the town of Bavet in Svay Rieng province. After losing his shirt at Le Macau Casino and Hotel, the officer borrowed [money] from the casino, lost that, borrowed more - and lost again. When the casino manager refused to lend any more, he had him arrested by the junior [police] officers accompanying him, Khim Sambo reported (…). Several [sources] - all of whom requested anonymity, citing concern for personal security - said that Khim Sambo was writing about Cambodian National Police Commissioner Hok Lundy. »

Khim Sambo, 47, and his 21-year-old son Sarinpheatra were shot dead in broad daylight by unknown killers on July 11, 2008.

On May 18, 1996, journalist Thun Bun Ly was also shot dead in similar circumstances after mocking in opposition newspaper Khmer Ideal a few days before his death the wife of a powerful political leader.

Read South China Morning Post's whole article at http://tinyurl.com/3ed232

New evidence of massive election fraud on July 27, 2008 (2)

Over the last few weeks new evidence of fraud at the July 27, 2008 national election has been exposed. Fraud was systemic because the election was totally controlled by the ruling CPP through the National Election Committee (NEC). The evidence shown is related to manipulation of voter lists leading to a massive disenfranchisement of legitimate non-CPP voters and a broad mobilization of illegitimate voters to cast ballots for the CPP by using ghosts' names. These are two manoeuvres with far-reaching implications that most international election observers did not see because they took place before Voting Day and outside the polling stations.

As a result of the fraud, the last poll has obviously distorted the will of the Cambodian people.

Evidence of fraud is contained in three main documents:

1. "What election observers did not see in a rigged election" at http://tinyurl.com/6gw3rz
2. "Voter list cleaning (by the NEC) and political opponent cleansing (by the CPP)" at http://tinyurl.com/45mfpu
3. "International election observers must open their eyes" at http://tinyurl.com/52t3eg

No democratic government has congratulated the CPP following its landslide victory (2)

As of today, only the government of North Korea has sent a message of congratulations to the CPP and to Cambodia's new/old leaders following their landslide election victory on July 27, 2008. Democratic governments have refrained from doing so, possibly because of doubts about the election's integrity (see evidence of fraud exposed above) and reservations about the controversial "package vote" on September 25 whereby the legislative and executive branches of the government had their respective leaderships elected at the same time, through the same single vote!

Read a relevant press article in Khmer published today at http://tinyurl.com/3kcqkk

No position for Ranariddh (2)

Even though the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP) has finally recognized and accepted the results of the July 27 election and declared that it is no longer an opposition party, Prince Norodom Ranariddh was not given any position in the new government. The NRP ex-President had thought that he could be appointed President of the Constitutional Council (replacing Ek Sam Ol) or Royal Palace Minister (replacing Kong Sam Ol). But the first position is a highly strategic one for the CPP and must be occupied by a CPP stalwart, and any pretender to the second position must have the support of the King, which does not seem to be the case for Prince Ranariddh.

Hor Namhong gave false information about Princess Nanette and Prince Sisowath Methavy (2)

French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, July 23, 1989, quoted [then Prince now] King Father Norodom Sihanouk as declaring, "Hor Nam Hong, former commander of a Khmer Rouge concentration camp [Boeng Trabek detention camp], is responsible for the death, after atrocious tortures, of many former members of the anti-American Resistance, such as my cousin Prince Sisowath Methavy, and his spouse [Princess Nanette], the elder sister of my wife [now Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk]."

Princess Sisowath Nanette arrived at Boeng Trabek camp in October 1977, directly from France, to join her husband Prince Sisowath Methavy who had returned to Cambodia since 1976, only one year after the Khmer Rouge take over. Following a short stay in Chraing Chamres, Prince Methavy was sent to Boeng Trabek camp in February 1977. Princess Nanette actually lived in Boeng Trabek camp for only six months before she and her husband were taken away to be executed in April 1978. This is confirmed by many surviving prisoners from the three sections of Boeng Trabek camp (B30, B31 and B32), who all confirm that they last saw Princess Nanette and her husband around the Cambodian New Year that took place in April 1978.

In an interview published in Khmer-language newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea, April 23, 2008, Hor Nam Hong says the Sisowath couple lived with him "until the end of 1978" before being taken away and killed by the Khmer Rouge. However, surviving witnesses say that the Khmer Rouge had stopped taking away and killing Boeng Trabek prisoners since August-September 1978, when living conditions suddenly started to improve as the Pol Pot regime tried to mobilize all Cambodian forces to counter increasing pressure from Vietnamese troops.

The late CPP Justice Minister Chem Sgnuon, who was detained at Boeng Trabek camp until Vietnamese troops arrived in January 1979, used to tell many people how cruel Hor Nam Hong was when he was the Khmer Rouge-appointed camp chief. Chem Snguon avoided talking with Hor Nam Hong because of this bitter past.