MP Son Chhay’s Meeting with governor of Bangkok

MP Son Chhay and Governor of Bangkok M.R. Patribatra (Photo: Bangkok governor office)

On June 5, 2012, MP Son Chhay met with Governor of Bangkok M.R. Sukhumbhand Patribatra to discuss on the situation of Cambodian workers in this city.

At the meeting MP Son Chhay requested for protection of Khmer workers whose are currently working in Bangkok. It approximates that at least 50,000 Cambodian are working in various jobs in Bangkok and around 200,000 are in various provinces of Thailand. There are only about 50,000 workers who have registered to legally working in Thailand and the rest took their own risk in crossing the border and many have encountered all kind of abuses.

Chronic poverty, landlessness are compelling many rural Cambodians to the urban areas or neighbouring countries to seek work. The high demand for less skilled labourers in 3D jobs (dangerous, demanding and dirty) in countries such as Thailand and Malaysia has provided the opportunity for many young Cambodians to find employment there but with lacking of care and protection from current government in Phnom Penh, these workers are left in the cold.

Governor of Bangkok, M.R. Sukhumbhand Patrbatra kindly promised that he would treat Cambodian workers fairly and would provide them the right access to health care and other services in the same way as of Thai citizen.

Launching of SRP health policy press conference

SRP MP Son Chhay held a press conference on 21 March 2012 to launch the SRP health policy. From left to right: SRP Treasurer Hong Sok Hour, SRP MP Son Chhay, Mr. Keo Phirum

SRP MP Son Chhay's letter to Chinese embassy on Chinese investment in controversial Boeung Kak Lake

SRP MP Son Chhay sent a letter to the Chinese Embassy asking for intervention with the Chinese Shukaku Erdos Hongjun Property Development to stop its land-grabbing of lands belonging to 5,000 families in Boeung Kak Lake.

MP Son Chhay Letter to Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Cambodia on Chinese investment in Bo...

Minister of Labour to be questioned by SRP MP Son Chhay at National Assembly on Minimum wage and others

In response to SRP MP Son Chhay’s request to question Vong Soth, the minister of Labor and Vocational Training, the National Assembly’s Permanent Committee agreed to this request. The questioning will take place on a Thursday of October 2010. MP Son Chhay is asked to send over his questions to Vong Soth.

Our MP from Morphettville to Phnom Penh

Democratic crusader ... Chhay Son lives at Morphettville but is a member of the Cambodian Parliament.

20 Jul 10
By David Goldsmith
Guardian Messenger (Australia)

THE quiet streets of Morphettville are far removed from the government halls of Phnom Penh.

But Chhay Son is equally at home in both.

As a member of the Cambodian Parliament since 1993, the 54-year-old spends large chunks of each year away from his family - wife Christina and their three children - and his comfortable Adelaide house.

But it’s a sacrifice the one-time refugee is prepared to make to promote democracy in the country of his birth, still bearing the scars of the bloody Khmer Rouge regime in the late 1970s.

“I like doing this sort of work because I believe I can contribute something,” the former high school teacher says of his role as an opposition MP.

“But without the support of my family you cannot do these sorts of things.

“They know what I’m doing there and that I’m not fooling around I’m committed to promoting democracy in the country and in the region.”

Mr Son was recognised with an OAM in the recent Queen’s Birthday Honours list for his service to international relations and to the community through the Cambodian-Australian Association of SA, which he helped establish in 1981, soon after his arrival in Adelaide.

He says the group aimed to help make life a little easier for others who had also fled the war-torn country.

“Many of them did not speak a word of English, particularly the older people and they found themselves really isolated,” he says.

“So I did what I could to set up the association to bring them together and support them to resettle in this new country.”

And while he enjoys his political role, he says there is “nothing better” than being back in Adelaide with his family.

“I don’t get much sleep in Phnom Penh,” he laughs.

“The country is still not able to enjoy the type of security I enjoy here.

“You feel 100 per cent secure (here), you’re with the family and you can have a good night’s sleep.

“I don’t wake up in the middle of the night and worry about anything.”

Concerns over Confiscation of H.E. Son Chhay’s Land

Cambodian Center for Human Rigths

PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release – Phnom Penh, 6 April 2010

Concerns over Confiscation of H.E. Son Chhay’s Land

The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (“CCHR”) condemns the expropriation of land belonging to Sam Rainsy Party (“SRP”) parliamentarian H.E. Son Chhay. The expropriation by the Apsara Authority of the three hectare parcel of land in Siem Reap, close to the Kyungyu tourist, site is of dubious legality and amounts to an act of intimidation of the opposition parliamentarian.

The CCHR is concerned by the legality of the expropriation for two reasons. Firstly, the use of the land by the Sokimex Group for a hotel development serves no clear public interest as required by Article 5 of the Land Law and Articles 2 and 4 of the Expropriation Law. In defence of the confiscation, Bun Narith, the general director of the Apsara Authority, is quoted in the Phnom Penh Post on 29 March 2010 to the effect that the land in question is state land that “is not bought or sold”. According to the same article however, the Apsara Authority has announced that it will confiscate and sell the land to the Sokimex Group. Secondly, the nominal compensation being provided to Son Chhay for his land of US$0.50 per square meter is not “fair or just” and has not been paid in advance as Article 5 of the Land Law and Articles 2 and 4 of the Expropriation Law require. This compensation falls dramatically short of the Apsara Authority’s own valuation of the land, which H.E. Son Chhay says will be sold to the Sokimex Group for US$80 per square meter.

Another disturbing feature of the land expropriation is the implicit intimidation of a SRP member through the courts of Cambodia. This is the latest in the series of incidents in which members of the SRP have been the victims of a judicial system subordinated to the Royal Government of Cambodia.

For more information please contact:
Ou Virak, President, CCHR
Tel: +855 12 40 40 51
Email: ouvirak@cchrcambodia.org

Former top Cambodian anti-drug official charged

October 26, 2009
ABC Radio Australia

The former head of the anti-drug trafficking bureau in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, has been charged for possessing 100-thousand US dollars worth of methamphetamine. Touch Muysor has been suspended after a joint investigation by local authorities and America's Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Presenter: David Boyle
Speakers: Kea Chhay, defence lawyer; Son Chhay, Opposition Sam Rainsy MP; Dr Anand Chaudhuri, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)

BOYLE: Touch Muysor once held one of the highest positions in the Cambodia police force... Now he's facing drug and corruption charges. $US100,000 worth of methamphetamines was found in Touch Muysor's office. He's the second senior police officer this month to be charged with drug related offences. His lawyer, Kea Chhay, says his client was just doing his job.

KEA CHHAY: "I think he keeps the drugs in his office so I think he was working at his judicial office - it's part of his work".

BOYLE: Kea Chhay refused to br drawn further on the case but said Touch Muysor denied any wrong doing. The charges are a result of an extensive investigation by the FBI and local law enforcement. It will be alleged Touch Muysor received bribes from local drug dealers. Opposition Sam Rainsy MP Son Chhay says corruption problems are entrenched in local authorities and he's welcomed American involvement in investigations.

SON CHHAY: "It is a really complicated kind of business to deal with in Cambodia due to corruption, due to the kind of gang or group of business involved in drug in this country who have linked themselves to the very high ranking officials in government. It would not be easy for even a good official who works in combating drugs to be able to do anything. Thanks to the FBI and others who have been working with the department authority, combating drugs authority, who have been pushing that the government must do something. "

BOYLE: The National Authority For Combating Drugs is the key instrument Cambodia's government uses to prevent drug trafficking. Radio Australia was unable to contact the Cambodian government, but the head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Dr Anand Chaudhuri, says the arrest of Touch Muysor is evidence that Cambodia is now taking drug prevention very seriously.

CHAUDHURI: "This is evidence of the police capacity of enforcing drug prevention - they're not even leaving their own kind. You see it's a very good example of the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister taking an active interest, not today, but over a long period of time."

BOYLE: Dr Chaudhuri has heaped praise on the Cambodian Government's adoption of radical new strategies in tackling drugs, which he says are unique within mainland South East Asia. He says foreign partners like the Australian Federal Police have been instrumental in helping the government improve their drug policy.

CHAUDHURI:"There's no reason to leave out the importance Australia has placed in the Asia Pacific region as a whole on this matter and the role of Australia in supporting government to look at this problem. It's a completely new direction. Now, they're switching gears and going in for a three year action plan in which they are considering drug users as victims. Now this is a very, very important milestone in Cambodia. Cambodia is probably one of the only countries with no harm reduction policy, but still having needle syringe exchange programs going on in their capital city. They want to observe the results and they are very happy with the Australian Narcotics Control Department - the ANCD's report on needle exchange programs. They, the royal government of Cambodia, had a five year action plan which is ending this year and that action plan was targeting the supply of drugs, and they've done an efficient job on that."

Thailand-Cambodia Dispute Overshadows Summit

Cambodian Pime Minister Hun Sen at the 15th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Cha-am, Thailand October 24, 2009. (Photo: Reuters)

Saturday, October 24, 2009
By SIMON ROUGHNEEN
The Irrawady

Nay Vanda of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association—selected by the Asean People’s Forum as his country’s representative at the meeting—said he was disappointed with the outcome.

“Cambodia is supposed to be a democracy that respects the rule of law. I was chosen via a democratic process, yet the government refused to meet me.

Even Communist, one-party state Vietnam was not afraid to meet the NGO representative selected by the Asean People’s Forum,” he said.

CHA-AM, Thailand — An uncharacteristically edgy summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) threatened to boil over yesterday as Thai-Cambodian relations took another turn for the worse.

A visibly exasperated Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjjiva hit back at his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen, calling him “seriously misinformed” over the latter’s remarks comparing fugitive former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra with Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Hun Sen had earlier offered Thaksin, who was deposed in a 2006 coup, a job as an economics advisor and said that if the exiled media mogul chose to come to Cambodia, he would not face extradition to Thailand to face corruption charges.

“Thaksin can stay in Cambodia as the guest of Cambodia and also be my guest as my adviser on our economy,” said Hun Sen.

His remarks comparing the former Thai prime minister with Aung San Suu Kyi raised many eyebrows among summit delegates, as he attempted to capitalize on the international media attention on Asean this weekend to highlight his view that Thaksin’s plight is politically driven.

“Hun Sen’s comments are being seen as an attempt to intervene in Thailand’s precarious domestic political situation,” said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, the director of the Institute of Security and International Studies (Thailand) at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

Last week, Hun Sen gave a pointedly high-profile reception to former Thai prime minister and Thaksin ally Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyuth. Chavalit said “Mr Hun Sen is my old friend and I am visiting him at his invitation.”

Last month, Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy was in Bangkok, where he addressed the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand on press freedom in Cambodia. Rainsy slammed the Hun Sen administration, saying that it gives token assent to freedom of speech but uses state resources to hit critics with defamation suits, backed by a pro-government judiciary.

Thitinan said he thinks that Hun Sen has taken umbrage at Rainsy using his time in Thailand to attack the Cambodian government.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on the sidelines of the Asean summit, Cambodian opposition MP Son Chhay said that Hun Sen’s reaction shows that he does not understand how a liberal democracy works.

“Just because Sam Rainsy talks in critical terms while in Thailand does not mean it has anything to do with the Thai government. Hun Sen merely betrays his own anti-democratic leanings with such an assumption,” he said.

Yesterday, the anti-government and pro-Thaksin United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) called on Asean to withdraw support for Abhisit as the bloc’s chairman.

The UDD is seeking a royal pardon to enable Thaksin return to Thailand without having to face jail time on corruption charges. The UDD is also seeking a general election and deems the Abhisit government as illegitimate.

Thaksin is regarded as the most popular yet divisive head of government in recent Thai history, implementing pro-poor policies and developing the northeastern Isaan region, but periodically clamping down on media, launching a draconian war on drugs and seeking a military solution to the southern Thailand Muslim rebellion.

Interestingly, Hun Sen’s comparison of Thaksin’s situation to that of Suu Kyi comes as the Nobel Peace Prize laureate marks a total of 14 years in detention today. She was first arrested in July 1989, ahead of a landslide electoral victory by her party, the National League for Democracy, in May 1990.

The comparison was made even as five Asean member states, including Cambodia, refused to allow NGO representatives other than those handpicked by the governments to attend a scheduled “civil society” meeting with regional heads of government.

Nay Vanda of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association—selected by the Asean People’s Forum as his country’s representative at the meeting—said he was disappointed with the outcome.

“Cambodia is supposed to be a democracy that respects the rule of law. I was chosen via a democratic process, yet the government refused to meet me.

Even Communist, one-party state Vietnam was not afraid to meet the NGO representative selected by the Asean People’s Forum,” he said.

An hour after that meeting, Asean launched a new human rights body, known as the Asean Intergovernmental Human Rights Commission, which has no scope to punish or even draw attention to human rights abuses in Southeast Asia and includes the Burmese junta among its representatives.

Cambodia has usually backed the Burmese regime when it is faced with criticism from the international community.

Hun Sen’s comments came just a day before his Thai counterpart hosted a three-day gathering of sixteen Asian leaders, with the ten-member Asean grouping having a series of meetings on Friday before being joined by counterparts from Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea on Saturday.

The summit aimed to make progress on Asean integration across a number of sectors. However, Abhisit took Hun Sen’s comments as an attempt to undermine this, saying “[Asean member states] have no time to pay attention to a person who wants to destroy unity.”

This weekend’s summit is a re-run of an April meeting in Pattaya, which was cancelled after Thaksin’s red-shirted backers clashed with troops and pro-government protesters.

That melee further blemished tourist-oriented Thailand’s international image, already sullied after yellow-shirted royalists blockaded Bangkok’s international airports in late 2008. This time around, 36,000 soldiers and police were deployed around Cha-am and Hua Hin, 90 minutes south of Bangkok, to prevent any attempted repeat by the red shirts.

However, Thaksin’s shadow was cast over this summit, albeit by proxy, with Hun Sen apparently seeking to needle his Thai counterpart, with whom relations are already touchy over a long-running border dispute centering on the Preah Vihear temple and surrounding land area.

One month ago, 30,000 Thaksin supporters gathered in Bangkok mark the 3rd anniversary of the military coup that deposed him. The same weekend, royalist protesters caused mayhem around the Preah Vihear site, tussling with locals and exhorting the Thai government to take a more assertive stance with Phnom Penh over the disputed site.

Thitinan told The Irrawaddy: “Thailand and Cambodia have had rocky relations for a number of years. The reasons are multifaceted, but underpinning the divide is the fact that Thailand has somewhat of a superiority complex, while Cambodia perhaps retains an element of colonial baggage, and now sits between two much bigger countries in Thailand and Vietnam.”

Giving an insight into the level of acrimony generated by this latest spat, a press conference given by members of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar (Burma) Caucus on Saturday afternoon discussed how Burma was pushed down the priority list as a result.

SRP MP Son Chhay criticizes rise of gasoline price

17 August 2009
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by KI-Media

On 15 August, SRP MP Son Chhay criticized the government by saying that it does not have a clear policy nor a clear goal to prevent the constant rise of gasoline price in Cambodia. Son Chhay said: “The rise and drop of gasoline price depend on what the prime minister [Hun Xen] says. Sometimes, when he issues a warning then the price would drop. Recently, the prime minister said that the price of gasoline in Europe, France, increases also, then the price [of gasoline] went up further. There must be a strict policy set up, the price increase or drop on the international market varies by $3 to $5 per day, this is not a factor for the gasoline retailers to increase the price anyway way they want.” Son Chhay also said that, when the price of a barrel of oil on the international market fetched $160, the price of gasoline was 5,600 riels ($1.40) per liter, but when the price of a barrel of oil drops by half to less than $70 per barrel, the price of gasoline in Cambodia still remains at 4,200 riels ($1.05) per liter.

Opposition calls for US action on visa 'stress'

Monday, 10 August 2009
Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

VISA officials at the United States Embassy in Phnom Penh have made life difficult for Cambodian visa applicants, according to a Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker, who has requested an explanation from officials.

In a letter to Ambassador Carol Rodley dated Friday, SRP parliamentarian Son Chhay said many Cambodian visa applicants have endured "humiliation and great stress" at the hands of visa officers, who he claimed have rejected many genuine applications.

"[There have been] numerous complaints about consular officers at the Visa Service Section lacking clear ethical and professional guidelines, resulting in officers abusing their position of power, mishandling applications, treating Cambodians disrespectfully and misjudging what were often genuine applicants, at interviews, for fake applicants," the letter said.

He cited the case of an old woman who three times was denied approval for a visa to travel to the US to visit a daughter scheduled to undergo a serious operation, as well as students who were "shouted at and accused of being liars" when they tried to obtain travel documents.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said he was "not aware" of any concerns relating to the issuing of US visas. The US Embassy had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SEBASTIAN STRANGIO

Thailand raises Preah Vihear issue to divert attention away from its domestic political problems

20 June 2009
By Mom Sophon
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

An opposition MP indicated that Thailand is diverting its domestic political problem by blaming UNESCO for listing Cambodia’s Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site. Furthermore, he indicated that Thailand still refuses to accept responsibility for its armed clashes with Cambodia near the temple.
The above statement was a response by an opposition MP to the recent statement made by Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thailand PM, who told reporters that he wanted UNESCO’s World Heritage committee to review the listing of Cambodia’s Preah Vihear temple. Abhisit claimed that prior to the listing of the temple, there were no serious armed confrontations near the temple zone.

SRP MP Son Chhay declared: “We observe that the political problems in Thailand have not been resolved yet, therefore, every one of the Thai leaders used the Preah Vihear issue to divert attention from their domestic political problems and to calm down their population. For Cambodia, we believe that the government will take a number of measures. UNESCO cannot make a decision, and then revisits this decision again based on the will of a country.”

Son Chhay added that Cambodia has all the necessary rights based on the 1962 decision handed down by The Hague International Court of Justice, and on the decision made by the UNESCO World Heritage committee during its meeting in Quebec, Canada. Furthermore, Cambodia’s territorial integrity is also guaranteed by the Paris Peace Agreements.

On 20 June, HRP MP Yem Ponharith said that Thailand continues to pursue its violation on Cambodia’s territory, and it also continues to try to obtain benefits from Preah Vihear temple in spite of the fact that The Hague International Court of Justice had decided that the temple belongs to Cambodia.

Yem Ponharith said: “I believe that the way they [Thailand] talk, they seem to consider Preah Vihear temple as being theirs, and that’s why they ask for a review. Now, the [Cambodian] government should understand this issue clearly, it should not allow this situation to go on from one day to another anymore. I believe that this is a clear violation on our national independence and sovereignty.”

Last week, Hun Sen told reporters also that Thailand’s attempt to ask UNESCO to review the listing of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site during UNESCO’s 33rd meeting in Spain in June will not be successful.

SRP MP Son Chhay on the Draft Law on Tourism

On 28 April 2009, SRP MP Son Chhay addressed the National Assembly Floor on the Draft Law on Tourism.

Hun Xen wants you and your children to owe another $380 million to S. Korea on his behalf

Hun Sen asks SKorea for further $380m in loans

Monday, 08 June 2009
Written by Kay Kimsong
The Phnom Penh Post

Call comes during official visit to Seoul after Koreans promised $60m in lending Thursday

PRIME Minister Hun Sen is seeking a further US$380 million loan from South Korea for infrastructure projects, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said at a press briefing Friday upon his return to Phnom Penh International Airport following an official visit to Seoul.

"The Korean Government is considering Hun Sen's proposals for a loan package," Hor Namhong said after landing in Phnom Penh.

"I would like to stress that the country is continuing to grow, despite the economic crisis," he added.

The $380-million loan proposal includes $100 million for a new bridge across the Bassac River from Takhmao and a further $100 million for a Phnom Penh ring road.

The remainder would go towards an irrigation project in Kandal province and a Pursat River reparation project.

Yang Saing Koma, director of the agricultural research body CEDAC, applauded the investment requested for the agriculture sector, adding that better infrastructure would help the country recover from the current economic downturn.

"The government is making agriculture a priority in the country, which is a positive thing," said Yang Saing Koma. "The sector still has huge potential."

He said that the state needs to invest heavily in irrigation, and that only 7 percent of the country's 2,000 irrigation systems are functioning properly.

Opposition concerns

In response to the news, Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Son Chhay warned that government mismanagement could leave the country saddled with large foreign debts.

"The Korean Government is considering Hun Sen's proposals."

"Loans are a problem ... they are not grants or aid. We have obtained loans for some projects and seen no benefit - that leaves us with a lot of debt," he said.

The quality of irrigation, roads and other infrastructure is poor, he added, citing the example of National Road 3 that was funded by a South Korean loan.

"Road 3 is very poor quality and cost us $30 million," said Son Chhay. "We owe a lot of money for a project that wasn't properly managed."

He said Cambodia is not sufficiently wealthy to repay the debt. "We must not owe more money that we cannot afford to repay," he said. "I am very concerned about spending loans without proper accountability."

News that the prime minister is seeking a further loan from South Korea comes after Seoul announced on Thursday it would lend the Kingdom $60 million for roads and sewerage, AFP reported.

The two countries held discussions on future loans from South Korea as part of talks in Seoul last week between Hun Sen and his counterpart President Lee Myung-bak held prior to the prime minister's return Friday to Phnom Penh.

Lee asked for permission for South Korean companies to build an industrial park near Sihanoukville during talks, although Cambodia has yet to respond.

Moeun Sonn and SRP MP Son Chhay's letters to Hun Sen regarding the controversial lighting of Angkor Wat temple

Click on each page to zoom in

SRP wants to know amount of revenue from Angkor ticket sale

Friday, June 5, 2009
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

SRP MP Son Chhay sent a letter to Sok An, the vice-PM and minister of the Council of Ministers, through the care of Heng Samrin, president of the National Assembly, asking Sok An to clarify the concerns about the revenue from the sale of tickets for visiting the Angkor temple complex. Son Chhay said his letter to Sok An, who is also president of the Apsara authority, that there are concerns on the revenue from the sale of tickets for visiting the Angkor temple complex, and he wants the government to clarify about this issue. Son Chhay accused the Apsara authority of using the Angkor Wat temple as a its own business front rather than trying to preserve this temple.

Opposition MPs' letter to ASEAN-EU Minsters regarding securing Aung San Suu Kyi's release

26 May 2009

Honorable Ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union,

Re: ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meetings must secure Aung San Suu Kyi’s release

Welcome to all of you to the Kingdom of Cambodia. May I take this opportunity to commend you on your efforts in raising the issue of Myanmar, and Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention and trial, in your various capacities thus far.

We, Members of Parliament from Cambodia, call upon you as ASEAN-EU Ministers who are meeting in Phnom Penh on 27 and 28 May to take urgent action to secure the freedom of Myanmar’s democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s call for national reconciliation, via diplomats who met her at her trial last week, proves that there is still much hope for positive change in Myanmar. However, for this to materialise, she and her fellow incarcerated leaders must be free to engage with military leaders.

ASEAN and the EU can help make this happen.

Further to that, countries from ASEAN and the EU, in particular Cambodia may want to host a meeting of all leaders in Myanmar along with representatives from nations who have a stake and role in Myanmar, such as the US, China, Japan, India, and even Russia. This meeting of leaders will be crucial in seeking a solution to the situation in Myanmar.

While you are here, we would like you to encourage our Prime Minister, Samdach Hun Sen, to offer Cambodia as a venue on such a meeting of international leaders.

ASEAN and EU leaders have an opportunity to kick start national reconciliation, and the resumption of democratic process, in Myanmar. We urge you to seize this opening.

Yours truly,
MP Son Chhay

On behalf of MPs.

MP Sam Rainsy; MP Mu Sochua; MP Tioulong Saumura; MP Yem Ponhearith
MP Kem Sokha; MP Ou Chanrith; MP Mao Munyvann; MP Cheam Channy
MP Kimsour Phirith; MP Yim Sovann; MP Eng Chhai Eang; MP Chiv Cata
MP Thak Lany; MP Ho Van; MP Ly Srey Vyna; MP Yont Tharo
MP Chan Cheng; MP Khim Laky; MP Pot Pov; MP Nuth Rumduol
MP Men Sothavarin; MP Khy Vandeth; MP Long Ry; MP Chea Poch
MP Kong Bora; MP Kuoy Bunroeun; MP Tok Vanchan; MP Ke Sovannaroth

CC:

• Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
• All Foreign Embassies in Phnom Penh

Hun Sen wants a “nicer” opposition

11 March 2009
By Leang Delux
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French

If the SRP and HRP MPs want to be included in the National Assembly (NatAss) committees, they only have to be “nicer” with the prime minister, Hun Sen indicated.

During a ceremony to hand out diplomas at the Royal University in Phnom Penh, Hun Sen indicated that the opposition was responsible for its NatAss powerlessness. “I am ready to accept two opposition MPs in each (NatAss) committee, but, I have no guarantee that the (CPP) MPs will vote in favor of this decision. You spend your day insulting me… Be nicer and this proposal may have a chance to pass,” Hun Sen launched.

During the first day of the regional seminar for “the role of parliament in the promotion of a peaceful society in Southeast Asia” held between 9-11 March in Phnom Penh, a sharp verbal exchange took place between CPP and SRP MPs. The incident occurred when CPP MP Chheang Vun came to talk at the podium in front of representatives from countries in the region, he then boasted his party for ending of the war and claiming “thanks to the CPP.”

Son Chhay, the SRP spokesman, was furious, he retorted by indicating that the negotiations for the rights of the opposition parties at the NatAss was also “a war that needs to be put to an end.”

Angkor Wat: Son Chhay questions the management of ticket sales

SRP MP Son Chhay

27 Jan 2009
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French

Bun Narith, director of the Apsara Authority, revealed to the local Koh Santepheap newspaper on 21 January the estimated amount of revenue from ticket sales to the Angkor archeological park. This issue raised questions from opposition MP Son Chhay.

According to accounts provided by Bun Narith, director of the Apsara Authority, to the Koh Santepheap newspaper, revenue from the sales of tickets to visit Angkor Wat amounts to between $30 and $31 million. The exact amount of the revenue is still unknown pending the ministries of Economy and Tourism ending their evaluations. Bun Narith underscored the fact that the [2008] revenue should be similar to that of 2007 which amounted to $32 million.

SRP MP Son Chhay reacted to Bun Narith’s claims: “Each year, the ticket sale revenue brings in at least $60 million. I am asking the government to investigate this problem. The daily reports (of revenue income) are not published, I wish to be able to look at them.” Son Chhay indicated also that he went to the spot on several occasions. “Since 2005, the year when the private Sokha Hotel company [owned by Sok Kong, a crony of Hun Sen] was involved in the management of ticket sales, no visible improvement of the site, both in terms of equipments and service, can be seen. The government must manage this source of revenue on its own,” Son Chhay said on the National Assembly floor.

Since 2007, distribution of the ticket sales revenue is performed as follows: [equal] sharing of the first $3 million revenue between Apsara Authority and Sokha Hotel company, for the remainder, 15% is reserved for the development of the site, 68% goes to Apsara and 17% to Sokha Hotel Company. In fact, Apsara’s portion of the share is sent directly to the state coffer. Only foreigners have to pay entry ticket fees amounting to between $20 and $60 based on the number of days of visit to the park (from one day to 7-day entry ticket.)

When reached over the phone on 27 January, Bun Narith could not comment on Son Chhay’s question because “he has a busy schedule.”

According to Thong Khon, the minister of Tourism, there was a 5.48% increase in the number of tourists visiting Cambodia. It appears that this increase did not affect the revenue from the Angkor archeological park ticket sales.

Asian parliamentarians urge Ban to persuade Burmese junta

Monday, 08 December 2008
By Salai Pi Pi

New Delhi (Mizzima) – Over 240 parliamentarians from Asian countries on Monday renewed calls to the United Nations chief to make a fresh trip to Burma and goad the military junta to release all political prisoners including Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

The 241 parliamentarians of Asian countries including those from Korea and Japan on Monday endorsed a letter by the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) which urged UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to visit Burma and press for the release of political prisoners and kick start political reforms, a call that Ban had earlier refused to make citing the junta's unwillingness to implement reforms.

Son Chhay, a legislator from Cambodia, a member state of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), told Mizzima that the UN chief should not delay in dealing with Burma's military regime but find an alternative approach to mount pressure on it.

"He [Ban Ki-moon] has a mandate of the UN to a find way out for a political process in Burma," said Son Chhay, Chairperson of Committee on Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Media of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

"He cannot be into dalliance with the regime. Otherwise, it will provide an opportunity to the junta to continue to abuse the people," he said.

The UN chief last week said he will not be making a fresh trip to Burma unless there are concrete signs of 'progress' in the military-ruled country. He felt that such a trip would yield no fruit.

Ban made the statement on Thursday, after more than 120 former presidents and prime ministers around the world sent him similar petitions urging him to visit Burma and press for the release of political prisoners including those that have been recently sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

Inspite of international condemnation, Burma's military rulers in recent months have sentenced several political activists to inordinately long prison terms of up to 68 years.

Son Chhay said despite international calls "We found that there is no moving forward in the political process in Burma. On the contrary, there is a reversal."

"More and more people were arrested and sentenced to long years in prison which has only added to people's suffering," he added.

Son Chhay suggested that the UN must look out for alternative solutions to Burma's political crisis and should not allow the junta to continue to abuse and disrespect the will of the Burmese people. It must take a decision to punish the regime.

"At the same time, Ban should put pressure on Russia and China to push the regime to enter into a dialogue with opposition groups in the run up to [2010] the elections," he added.

But a Burmese observer based in Thailand said there are doubts over the UN general secretary's role in attempting to address political and human rights crisis in Burma.

"Ban Ki-moon knows that his trip to Burma won't make any difference. It will only mean disgrace for him. That's why he is refusing to go," Aung Thu Nyein, a Burmese analyst said.

Aung Thu Nyein also said only UN Security Council member countries will be able to persuade the regime to bring about change in Burma.

But the AIPMC in its letter said the UN chief needs new initiatives on Burma as calls by the United Nations Security Council, General Assembly, and Human Rights Council have all failed to yield any political break through.

Preah Vihear: SRP demands clarification from Hun Sen

Opposition SRP MP Son Chhay (Photo: DR, Cambodge Soir Hebdo)

29 Nov 2008
By Leang Delux
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the article in French

Hun Sen must show up to the National Assembly (NA) to answer questions about “Thailand presence on Cambodian territory,” SRP MP Son Chhay indicated.

Son Chhay asked Hun Sen to come and clarify to the NA during the government questioning session which will take place on Thursday.

“The prime minister must explain to the MPs the reasons leading to the prolonged [Thai] presence on the [Cambodian] territories,” Son Chhay said in a letter dated 25 November in which he cited Article 96 of the Constitution allowing MPs to invite government officials to speak on any given topic.

Heng Samrin, whom the letter was addressed to, approved the request on 27 November, as the law stipulated.

When asked about Son Chhay’s undertaking, Khieu Kanharith, government spokesman, indicated that the SRP is trying to gain political benefit from the border crisis.

“Or maybe, it’s a sign of laziness from Son Chhay, who apparently did not follow up on this affair in which the government provided explanations on many occasions,” an ironic Khieu Kanharith claimed.

“I am not PM. But, I think that we will reply in writing to this MP by referring him to our past explanations.”