Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Five Cambodian women repatriated from Taiwan by NGO [-The curse of arranged marriage]
14 Jan 2009
By Leang Delux
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French
Since the beginning of the month, they have returned back to the kingdom one after another, following several years spent in Taiwan. The five women, between their 20s and 40s, have known the same misfortune. Their repatriation was organized by the CARAM (Coordination of Action Resarch on Aids and Mobility) NGO led by Ya Navuth.
The women’s stories were all sad. Send to Taiwan though arranged marriage, they were instead put on sale there and sustained physical abuse.
Sophea, a 34-year-old native of Kratie, spent 3-1/2 years away from home, working at a plastic cup manufacturing company. During a police raid at the factory, she was able to explain her situation to the cops who released her.
Two other women are about to return back also, but their family issue, linked to children they borne to Taiwanese citizens, make their cases more complicated.
Between 2000 and 2008, CARAM Cambodia had repatriated 200 women who fell prey to trafficking and were sent to Malaysia, Thailand, etc…
Cambodian film star Dy Saveth nears half a century in the biz
Dy Saveth today (Top), and a photo of the popular actress in her role in Sak Pos, or Snake Hair (Bottom). (Photo by: Sovann Philong)Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Written by Mom Kunthear
The Phnom Penh Post
She's been an actress since 1960, when she won Cambodia's first beauty pageant, and shows no signs of quitting. Her most recent role was in the short film In Drama, about ‘love and war'
Renowned Cambodian film star Dy Saveth, 64, has been acting since 1960, getting her start at the age of 16 after winning Cambodia's first beauty pageant the year before.
Her distinguished career began by chance when a movie producer approached her.
Being one of the most recognisable faces in Cambodia, Dy Saveth fled the country for France when the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975. Prior to leaving, she and her then-husband Huoy Keng ran a movie production company.
In 1975 they separated - Huoy Keng escaped to Hong Kong - and were later divorced.
Together the pair have two children, and Dy Saveth has since adopted two more. A big family suits the actress, who was herself one of seven children.
Dy Saveth's return to Cambodia in 1993 was greeted with shock, as most people had presumed that she - like most other actors of her generation - had been killed by the Khmer Rouge or died as a result of their rule.
She resumed her career on screen and continues to appear in numerous projects. Currently, she is a professor of fine arts at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, where she works to inspire a new generation of Khmer actors.
What was the first film you acted in?
Dy Saveth: The first movie I performed in was Kboun Chivit (Raft Life). Initially, I didn't want to act in films, but the movie producer of Kboun Chivit contacted my sister and asked her if I would be willing to act in their film. I was very lucky that this was the first film I was in because it has a good story line and the audience liked it."
"I noted down all films I was in, but I lost the book during the pol pot regime."
What were the difficulties you encountered when you first started acting?
Dy Saveth: I didn't really know how to act when I first started my career, but I tried very hard to learn and I believe that's why I achieved success. I teach acting now, and I usually tell my students to focus on what they are doing because if they just listen without concentrating and practicing, they will not succeed. I teach my students for free because when I first started out, the audience really supported me and now I want to return this kindness. I don't have much money or property to give them. I only have my acting knowledge to pass on to those who want to learn.
How many films have you been in?
Dy Saveth: I have acted in around 100 films. I noted down all films I was in, but I lost the book during the Pol Pot regime. Pos Kengkorg (The Python) and Sak Pos (Snake Hair) were the turning point, as the films made me very famous both locally and internationally.
How do you compare today's films to the films of the past?
Dy Saveth: All movie producers, writers and cameramen learned their craft at school in the past, except for the actors and actresses who listened to the producers' lead. Now, [they] learn the skills from each other. I never complained when I had to work very hard because I believed that at the end I would achieve success. I was lucky enough to work with good scriptwriters who tried to make each film different. Today, many actors and actresses are afraid of experiencing difficulties.
How many international movie stars have you worked with?
Dy Saveth: I have performed with Thai, Taiwanese, Korean, Indonesian and Chinese actors. King Sihanouk wrote and directed four films that I have appeared in. My latest film, In Drama, was filmed last year. It is a 30-minute story about love and war, and it hasn't been released on TV yet.
How do you keep yourself looking so young?
Dy Saveth: I try to avoid unhappy things that make me feel depressed. Also, I think carefully about the type of food I eat to stay healthy and drink plenty of water.
Kiss and tell case?
18-month jail sentence for a kiss
14 Jan 2009
By Ung Chamroeun
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French
25-year-old Kim Koun received the sentence for sexual harassment following a complaint raised by a 20-year-old woman. According to the Rasmey Kampuchea newspaper, the plaintiff accused Kim Koun of planting a kiss on her while the pair did not even know each other. In front of the judge, the accused man did not hide the facts. However, he explained that in April 2008, the young woman used his service to travel to several places. “I asked her for the fees owed for the transport service, but she told me that she had no money. I decided to give her a kiss in lieu of the fees,” Kim Koun argued. In spite of these details, he was nevertheless handed down an 18-month jail sentence for sexual harassment. The amount of monetary compensation has not been fixed yet.
Civil Society Calls for Investigation of Further Suspects by the ECCC
STATEMENT
Civil Society Calls for Investigation of Further Suspects by the ECCC
Civil Society Calls for Investigation of Further Suspects by the ECCC
Phnom Penh, 14 January 2009
In response to statements from the Co-Prosecutors issued 8th December 2008, and 5th January 2009 we, the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), a coalition of 21 NGOs, call on the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) to act independently and exercise its mandate by investigating further individuals who have main responsibility for the crimes of the Khmer Rouge regime. We believe a failure to do so will undermine the impact and legacy of the court. Victims of the Khmer Rouge regime have already had to accept the limited mandate of the ECCC due to the realties of transitional justice; they will not however accept a failure of the court to properly exercise its existing powers and responsibilities.
According to the Co-Prosecutors statement of 5th January 2009 the National Co-Prosecutor considers further judicial investigations should not take place against additional suspects due to considerations of 1) the need for stability and national reconciliation, 2) the spirit of the Agreement between the UN and Royal Government of Cambodia (“Agreement”) and subsequent ECCC law, and 3) the limited time and budget available to the court. We do not consider these factors to in anyway bar judicial investigation of further suspects.
The ECCC was established in order to deliver justice and promote national reconciliation by prosecuting senior leaders and those most responsible for the crimes of the Democratic Kampuchea regime. The Agreement and ECCC Law are specifically designed to ensure that the need for justice is balanced with the need to promote transitional stability and national reconciliation. Contrary to previous concerns the arrest and action against the current 5 suspects has not led to instability and there is simply no credible evidence that the prosecution of a similar number of further suspects would risk Cambodia’s stability, or national reconciliation. The Agreement and ECCC Law are the guardians of the needs of stability and national reconciliation and not individual officers of the ECCC. We are aware that the needs of justice must be balanced with those of stability and in order to counter any residual concerns within Cambodia relating to further action against former Khmer Rouge we call for the court to make a final and comprehensive move against all remaining suspects. This will ensure that former Khmer Rouge not subject to the proceedings at the ECCC know that they have nothing to fear and ensure that their cooperation is secured.
We believe that the ECCC should not limit itself beyond the restrictions on its powers of prosecution in the Agreement and ECCC Law. The Agreement and ECCC Law are clear that the ECCC should bring to trial senior leaders of Democratic Kampuchea and those who were most responsible for the crimes of the regime. Given that the Co-Prosecutors have identified further individuals suspected as being most responsible we consider it proper that the ECCC proceed with judicial investigations of those suspects.
We do not believe that the ECCC should arbitrarily limit itself to 5 prosecutions. If there are credible suspicions that there are individuals guilty of crimes falling within the tribunal’s mandate then they should be judicially investigated without delay. It is this course of action best reflects the spirit of the of the Agreement and ECCC law.
Furthermore we consider that the successful and full completion of the court’s mandate should take precedence over short term considerations of budget and time. If at the end of life of the ECCC, and despite the huge expense of establishing and running the court, it has failed to prosecute all surviving senior leaders and those with greatest responsibility then this investment will be seen to have been largely wasted. We believe the ECCC has the ability to undertake investigations and trials of further suspects and believe that donors will be willing to support these actions if further resources are necessary for the ECCC to succeed in achieving its goals.
We consider it in the interests of justice, national reconciliation and thus future stability that senior leaders and those most responsible for the crimes of the Khmer Rouge regime are brought to account at the ECCC. Without further prosecutions the ECCC will fail to deliver justice to the people of Cambodia and damage efforts to create genuine reconciliation. We fear that the efforts and achievement of the Cambodian government and people, and the international community in creating the ECCC will be squandered if the court is seen to only partially fulfill its mission.
We urge all stakeholders in the ECCC process, including the Royal Cambodian Government and the international community, to ensure that the court is able to act independently and free of political interference or consideration, and give it full support as it acts to fulfill its mission.
For further information or comment please contact:
Mr. SOK Sam Oeun, Chairman of CHRAC, Executive Director of CDP; Tel: 012 901 199
Mr. THUN Saray, President of ADHOC; Tel: 016 880 509
Ms. SENG Theary, Executive Director of CSD; Tel: 012 222 552
Mr. HANG Chhaya, Executive Director of KID; Tel: 012 865 910
End.
Court Officials Set for Four-Year Rotation
By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original Report from Washington
14 January 2009
“Every four years, or a little bit more, there needs to be a change to another place,” Justice Minister Ang Vongwatana said. “Those who are in the same place for a long time, they know all the people, the chief of the court knows all the people, knows the businessmen, and the businessmen know them.”
Friendships grow and make work difficult, he said. “So that’s why there is the principal that they should not stay in one place.”
Cambodia’s courts face continual criticism of political bias and corruption, and donors have pushed for reform, something court officials say they are working on.
No details were immediately available on changes at Phnom Penh Municipal Court, where many of the country’s key trials are held, but Ang Vongwatana said around four or five judges and prosecutors would be moved.
An observer close to the Supreme Council of Magistracy said Tuesday Phnom Penh court’s chief prosecutor, Ouk Savuth, would be moved to the Appeals Court, as deputy-general prosecutor, while his deputy, Yet Chakrya, would replace him.
Yet Chakrya was transferred from Banteay Meanchey provincial court and currently serves as a reserve prosecutor for the Khmer Rouge tribunal.
Cambodia receives $84.7 million grant from World Bank, aid donors
In a press statement, the World Bank said $52.1 million is earmarked for improving the health of underprivileged mothers and children, $20 million for projects aimed at improving the government's accountability and responsiveness to public needs, and $12.6 million for removing trade barriers and improving the standard of Cambodian exports.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Keat Chhon pledged the Cambodian government will "utilize these grants in an efficient, accountable and transparent manner."
World Bank Country Director Annette Dixon said she hopes the grants will give crucial support to the Cambodian government's efforts to reduce poverty and ensure Cambodians enjoy secure and sustainable livelihoods.
Apart from the World Bank, other donors that contributed to the grants include Britain, Australia, Denmark, the European Commission and the U.N. Industrial Development Organization.
Cambodia "continued its drift toward authoritarianism" as Hun Sen consolidated power: HRW
Conflicts, crackdowns mar 2008 Asian rights record: HRW
In its annual report for 2008, the New York-based group detailed worsening trends in much of Asia, including China's Olympic-year crackdown on civil liberties and its repression of protests across the Tibetan plateau.
Wars turned more bloody in Afghanistan, which saw the "worst violence since the fall of the Taliban," and Sri Lanka, where the government last January formally scrapped a ceasefire with the separatist Tamil Tigers.
Conflicts also flared up again in less-watched hotspots, including Muslim regions of Thailand and the Philippines, while Indonesian forces in remote West Papua "continue to engage in abuses ... with virtual impunity," it said.
HRW pointed to some progress in parts of South Asia, including the return to civilian rule in Pakistan after the end of the Pervez Musharraf presidency, and improvements ahead of polls in Bangladesh last month.
Elections in Nepal, where Maoists took power and the king abdicated, "marked a new era... after a decade of conflict that claimed over 13,000 lives."
But HRW also highlighted tighter restrictions on freedom of association, expression and religion in China, which it said "broke its promise to improve human rights in conjunction with its hosting of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games."
In Tibet, where simmering anger against Chinese rule erupted into major protests last March, HRW said that following mass arrests of suspected demonstrators the whereabouts of several hundred detainees remained unknown.
HRW also criticised Asia's other population giant, India, for "serious abuses," including in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, which was again rocked by major unrest in 2008.
The report pointed to India's "pattern of denial of justice and impunity" and a "failure to protect women, children and marginalized groups such Dalits, tribal groups and religious minorities."
India, as an emerging global player, was now often placing economic and strategic interests over rights concerns as it tried to compete with China in countries such as Myanmar, said HRW.
"As the world's most populous democracy, India might be expected to be at the forefront of global efforts to promote human rights," it said. "However, its current foreign policy often would make a confirmed dictator proud."
In Myanmar, also known as Burma -- which HRW said also draws support from China, Russia and Thailand -- democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi went into her sixth straight year of house arrest, one of over 2,150 political prisoners.
"The Burmese military continues to violate the rights of civilians in ethnic conflict areas and extrajudicial killings, forced labour, land confiscation without due process and other violations continued in 2008," said the report.
When Cyclone Nargis struck the country last May, "more than two million people waited for weeks for relief operations to reach them" after the reclusive regime denied access to foreign aid groups.
Life in Asia's other hermit state, North Korea, remained even more dire, with the regime continuing to "enslave" citizens in prison camps and executing people for crimes that include hoarding food, said the report.
Reports that leader Kim Jong-Il suffered a stroke in September "could have far-reaching consequences for human rights and governance," the group said.
Across much of Southeast Asia, human rights were also on shaky ground.
In Thailand "the end of a military-installed administration has not led to the restoration of rights and democracy" as political tensions "led to protracted protests and occasional deadly clashes."
Cambodia "continued its drift toward authoritarianism" as Prime Minister Hun Sen consolidated power through flawed July elections, while a tribunal to address Khmer Rouge-era crimes made slow progress.
First steps on the Web for a one of a kind educational Khmer Sign Language dictionary
Phnom Penh (Cambodia), 06/01/2009. Students learning sign language gestures for the words "I love you" at Krousar Thmey school (Photo: Vandy Rattana)14-01-2009
By Laurent Le Gouanvic
Ka-set in English
Click here to read the article in French
Click here to read the article in Khmer
Together with the French Young Deaf Institute (IJS), the NGO Krousar Thmey set up an ingenious digital dictionary for Khmer Sign Language learning, a smart way of making the most out of the Web's multimedia possibilities.
Swift and agile fingers in motion, elevated by an invisible pair of wings, will simulate the light flight of a dragonfly, when a punching gesture quickly followed by the fine quiver of a undulating hand will accurately represent fireworks... This online digital Khmer sign language dictionary was recently set up by both Krousar Thmey, the Cambodia-based foundation assisting deprived children, and the French Institut des Jeunes Sourds (IJS, Young Deaf Institute, located in Bourg-la-Reine, France) offers internet users the possibility to browse through a surprisingly poetical world. However, its objective goal is not to promote poetry, but truly to allow Internet 'surfers', through a handy, entertaining and educational tool, to have access to hundreds of words in Khmer, French and English and their equivalent version in Khmer sign language, demonstrated in short video clips. The project is a first in Cambodia and comes as an ingenious and smart feature on the web, where one can already find an extensive list of online Khmer dictionaries.
From Abbreviation to Worry
Created along the same template as the one used for the digital French Sign Language lexical glossary set up in 2000 by the Institut des Jeunes Sourds in Bourg-la-Reine, the Beta version of the digital Khmer Sign Language (KSL) dictionary was launched on the web in December 2008 and already comprises some 130 terms, classified in alphabetical order, from “Abbreviation” to “Worry”, and will gradually be expanded.
The project, mainly intended for the Cambodian deaf and hearing-impaired young adults looked after by the NGO Krousar Thmey but also for the wider public thanks to its availability on the Internet, was supported by several partners, who opted for the “Less is More” minimalist concept, as stressed by Nicolas Anquetil, teacher of Arts and Design at the IJS and main technical idea-man behind the project, on his blog.
Easy as pie and a mouse-click
The original aim, Nicolas Anquetil describes, was to create something simple along the lines of minimalism, a widely-spread concept among web designers, to allow any user, even “devoid of competence in the field of computer technology”, to feel as comfortable with the tool as possible.
The lexical interface proposed by the IJS was designed to both integrate the specificities of the Khmer language and facilitate the use of this application in Cambodia, by Cambodians. It can be installed on any PC thanks to a CD-Rom version and then be accessed through a browser without the need for a network connection. Besides, video-clips and sound were optimised for easy online use and do not require a broadband connection.
In a few clicks, a drop-down menu allows Internet users to choose a term in alphabetical lists provided in Khmer, French or English, and discover its “translation” into Khmer Sign Language, an adaptation of the American sign language (ASL) for use in the Cambodian language and culture. Each term is associated with a video sequence showing a young man or woman demonstrating the appropriate signs to be used in KSL, while a voice-over pronounces the word in Khmer. The official sign is illustrated by a small drawing, showing the different movements to follow. The Khmer-KSL page also provides a definition of terms and examples of contexts in which a word or expression can be used.
A way of discovering a language and a culture
This new tool reflects the vast amount of work that the NGO Krousar Thmey, now proposing education for deaf and mute children, initiated back in 1994. Internet surfers without any particular insider knowledge, whether they be familiar with Cambodia or not, can discover there an extremely rich and universal language deeply rooted in Khmer culture.
For instance, neophytes will take much delight in learning how to say, in Khmer Sign Language, expressions such as the figurative “banana ” , the emblematic “solidarity ”, the jaw-clapping “crocodile ” or the more than scary “reputation ”, which, without making that much of a “racket ” speaks for itself in signs...
This application, full of promise in its development, proves to be an easy and useful way to make the most of the numerous possibilities offered nowadays by the world of multimedia.
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Many other Khmer language dictionaries are available on the Net
- The very good dictionary directory Lexilogos offers a substantial choice: a modern Khmer dictionary, Cambodian-French dictionaries, among which the versions elaborated by Jean Baptiste Bernard (1866) and Joseph Guesdon (1930), and a glossary of terms listed by topics, with sound , providing altogether advice on grammar, Khmer scripts and lessons of Phonetics.
- A group of Cambodians from California set up with the help of young students from Phnom Penh a digital English-Khmer dictionary available to all for free.
- A Khmer-French-Khmer dictionary published and also available for free on the website Angkor Planet on which users will also be nicely surprised to discover colourful representations of an imaginary Angkor...
No impartial tribunal in Cambodia
January 14, 2009
By Lao Mong Hay
UPI Asia Online
Column: Rule by Fear
All the specified international human rights norms and standards have now become an integral part of Cambodia's Constitution. This Constitution spells out clearly that Cambodia shall recognize and respect human rights as stipulated in all relevant international instruments. It provides for the separation of powers, an independent judiciary, the guarantee of this judicial independence by the king with the assistance of a supreme judicial body called the Supreme Council of the Magistracy, and the protection of human rights by the king and the judiciary.
However, despite all the constitutional guarantees and protections mentioned above, in reality the Cambodian people have not enjoyed these rights, including the right to a fair and public hearing by a competent and impartial tribunal. There is no such tribunal as yet in Cambodia.
Since the abandonment of communism in the early 1990s, the Cambodian judiciary has not proved to be independent despite continued criticism over its lack of this important attribute. It is very much under political control. Most, if not all, members are affiliated to the ruling party, with the chief justice of the Supreme Court being a member of the party's standing and central committees.
More recently the Cambodian authorities have recognized the obvious, though indirectly. Last October a deputy prime minister, Sok An, announced that the government “will be preparing a workshop on the law and courts,” saying that the government had heard “bad rumors about courts in Cambodia” and it was going “to work very hard to change that.” He added that the government “needed to enforce discipline and make sure that the courts are independent."
As for competency, the courts have recently been found to be short of it. Last year the Senate's Legislation and Justice Committee conducted an investigation into the functioning of the courts and the legal knowledge of judicial officials. After the completion of the investigation in a number of courts in November, its chairman, Ouk Bunthoeun, revealed some of the committee's findings, one of which was the inadequate knowledge base of these officials. "The judges and the prosecutors are facing difficulties implementing the laws …There are a lot of technical terms that (they) don't understand," he said.
The Cambodian courts have also been found to lack impartiality. This lack comes from their lack of independence and from corruption. A survey by Transparency International released in February 2008 found that the judiciary, in tandem with the police, was the most corrupt institution in Cambodia.
A study by an NGO released earlier, in December 2007, said, “ The primary functions of the courts continue to be: 1) To prosecute political opponents and other critics of the government; 2) To perpetuate impunity for state actors and their associates; 3) To promote the economic interests of the rich and powerful.” Ouk Bunthoeun, mentioned above, said his committee had also found the bias and corruption that the courts have been accused of.
The dismal status of the courts of law and the ensuing denial of constitutional right to a fair and public hearing by an independent, competent and impartial tribunal should no longer be tolerated. The king of Cambodia should discharge his constitutional duty, get the Supreme Council of the Magistracy which he chairs, and seek support from the government and the Parliament to ensure the independence of the judiciary.
As the first step, the law on the status of judges and prosecutors that the country's Constitution has specifically stipulated and the government has long promised, was enacted and effectively enforced. This law should affirm and protect the constitutional immovability and independence of this group of judicial officials so as to ensure the security of their tenure. It should prohibit their affiliation to any political party while their tenure is secure.
The Supreme Council of the Magistracy should free itself from political control as well and, like judges and prosecutors, its members should not be affiliated to any political party. This council should effectively enforce its code of ethics for judges and prosecutors and establish the procedure and mechanism for complaints against these judicial officials which should be easily accessible to the public.
In the meantime, the leadership of the country should respect the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary, and end their control over it. Furthermore, this branch of government should be allocated adequate resources so that it can properly provide justice and protect human rights.
--
(Lao Mong Hay is a senior researcher at the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong. He was previously director of the Khmer Institute of Democracy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and a visiting professor at the University of Toronto in 2003. In 1997, he received an award from Human Rights Watch and the Nansen Medal in 2000 from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.)
Royal row over ballet sees calls for control to return to palace
A Royal Ballet performer on stage in this photograph. (Photo by: Tracey Shelton)Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Written by Meas Sokchea The Phnom Penh Post
Two princes say that the Ministry of Culture should hand control of the National Ballet to the palace to improve quality and attendance.
TWO princes who recently left politics have expressed their desire for the Royal Ballet of Cambodia to be removed from under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and returned to the Royal Palace, describing the potential move as a return to tradition.
Prince Sisowath Thomico and Prince Sisowath Chakrey Noukpol told the Post in recent interviews that the Royal Ballet should be returned because it originated in the Royal Palace before being moved to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts in 1970.
Both princes left politics in late 2008, and Prince Thomico was recently appointed to the King's advisory council.
"I want to appeal ... for the Royal Ballet to be kept in the Royal Palace."
"I want to appeal to all members of the royal family to ask for the Royal Ballet to be kept in the Royal Palace, and I also want to appeal to the government about this," Chakrey said. "I don't think the move will cause damage to the ballet because both the royal family and the government work for the nation."
Thomico said other members of the royal family agree with this position but are not willing to come out in public support of it.
Republican era
The Royal Ballet was placed under the control of the Culture Ministry in 1970 by then-prime minister Lon Nol, who changed its name from the Royal Ballet to the National Ballet, Thomico said. The name has since been changed back to the Royal Ballet, but it remains under the control of the ministry.
"Now the royal family wants to reorganise it in accordance with tradition, so it should be taken into the Royal Palace," Thomico said.
He said he believes the Royal Ballet has suffered both in quality and popularity during nearly four decades of control by the ministry, adding that moving it to the Palace could reverse its decline.
Chuch Poeurn, a secretary of state at the Culture Ministry, declined to comment beyond confirming that the Royal Ballet was originally controlled by the palace.
Inflation falls for December
Meat vendors in the Central Market. Cambodia’s sky-high inflation has come down, according to government data. Photo by: Sovann PhilongWednesday, 14 January 2009
Written by Hor Hab and Chun Sophal
The Phnom Penh Post
13.4% - Cambodia's inflation rateLower petrol prices, increase in agricultural production contributed to lower inflation, with consumer price index down by two percentage points
Lower fuel prices and a strong harvest are leading to lower inflation in Cambodia. The government expects inflation to fall to nine percent as lower crude costs translate into savings at the pump.
Cambodia's inflation rate dropped to 13.46 percent in December 2008, down more than two percentage points compared with November's 15.74 percent, according to a government report released Tuesday.
Minister of Planning Chhay Than told the Post that falling petrol prices, a strong harvest and better fish catches were the main factors behind the drop.
"We think that inflation will decline further this January because the local food supply has been increasing," he said.
The major group index for food, beverages and tobacco fell 2.06 percent in December, and the index for the food sub-group decreased 2.23 percent on lower rice, pork, chicken, beef, fresh fish and leafy vegetable prices, according to the monthly consumer price index report by the National Institute of Statistics (NIS), a division of the Planning Ministry.
Price increases were recorded for cigarettes, which rose 3.16 percent; clothing and footwear, up 0.09 percent; and housing and utilities, up 0.57 percent, the report said.
The report is welcome news for a country that faced more than 30 percent inflation in the middle of 2008.
"Inflation is no longer a big problem in Cambodia, and lower prices will begin to benefit producers and consumers," said Chan Sophal, president of the Cambodia Economic Association.
He said that a strong harvest had flooded the markets with inexpensive products, which helped to drive down prices.
Lower petrol prices had been the major factor behind the price drops, he said.
"An inflation rate of over 10 percent is high in terms of the macroeconomy, but it is not a problem in our country because we are [commodities] producers," said Chan Sophal.
However, he said that a healthy rate of inflation is needed to keep the public spending.
More drops expected
Since October, Hang Chuon Naron, secretary general of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, predicted that inflation will drop to nine percent in early 2009 if crude oil stays below US$70 per barrel.
International crude is currently at $37.22 per barrel.
Yim Sovann, Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker, said falling growth in national income means that inflation is still eating into wages and savings.
"It can be good for the standard of living if inflation is double digits and the economic growth rate is higher, but if economic growth is five or six percent and the inflation rate is 13 percent, people will be worse off," said Yim Sovann.
"Inflation should be below the economic growth rate," he added.
The consumer price index fell 1.96 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, on the back of a 1.78 percent increase in the third quarter. For the year, the index increased 19.69 percent in 2008, up from a 5.85 percent increase in 2007 and 4.71 percent in 2006, according to the December price index report.
A separate commodities report by the Ministry of Commerce's Trade Promotion Department recorded lower prices almost across the board.
Steel prices were down the most at 89.56 percent, according to the January 6 report.
Some agricultural goods increased sharply, according to the report.
Bananas were up 30 percent, pineapples 25 percent, oranges 15 percent and cucumbers 14 percent.
Global inflation has been dropping, largely due to falling oil prices and a slower economy.
Green light to evict Dey Krahorm residents: city officials, developer
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Written by Chhay Channyda
The Phnom Penh Post
PRIVATE developer 7NG and the Phnom Penh Municipality announced they have the green light from the government to forcibly remove the remaining residents of the embattled Dey Krahorm community, but sweetened the threat of eviction with an improved offer of compensation for those who go willingly.
"If you agree, we will negotiate," Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Mann Chhoeun said during a roundtable discussion on the "development of Dey Krahorm solutions", which was organised Tuesday by the Club of Cambodian Journalists at the Sunway Hotel.
He said a final notice of eviction has been issued several times, but none of the remaining residents have moved - paving the way for legal action by authorities.
For the 91 families remaining, 7NG has set aside US$1,820,000 - or $20,000 per family - if they do not want the alternative housing being provided in the Damnak Trayoeng area on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, he said.
"But $20,000 is only a price for today. If they do not accept until we remove them, we will give them the old offer of $15,000," he said.
No date for an eviction was announced.
An estimated 800 to 1,400 residents lived in Dey Krahorm before the old community leaders signed a contract with 7NG in 2005, giving it the 3.6- hectare property in return for building relocation houses in Damnak Trayoeng village.
Srey Chanthou, 7NG's managing director, said the bumped-up compensation offer was a last-ditch effort, before sweeping the area, that was suggested by city officials.
"We announced $20,000 last night [Monday] to residents. No one has contacted us yet. Our policy is to solve the problem peacefully," he said.
Chan Vichet, a representative of the remaining Dey Krahorm families, said the offer of $20,000 by city hall and 7NG on Monday evening demanded too quick a decision for residents.
"It is far too fast for us to think about whether or not we will accept it. We want the authorities to give us time."
Too late to bargain?
The leverage of the estimated 91 families still living in Dey Krahorm to negotiate compensation remains contentious among local observers.
According to David Pred, director of the NGO Bridges Across Borders, the residents of Dey Krahorm are lawful possessors of their homes under the Land Law, and therefore the only way to relocate them is to negotiate a fair price they will accept.
"Intimidation, violence, arrest, force, prosecution have been used [to force people to leave] Dey Krahorm over the last three years," he said.
But Chhim Phalvorun, director of the Institute for Civil Education, called into question the residents' legal claim to the land and said they should not demand more than is required to acquire different homes.
"They know they are not legal owners. So, the demand is far beyond their right."
Dey Krohom: Residents must present united front in the face of upcoming eviction
Phnom Penh (Cambodia).13/01/2009: Mann Chhoeun, vice-Governor of Phnom Penh, at a roundtable organised by the Club of Cambodian Journalists on Dey Krohom. On the left handside, one of the sons of Srey Sothea, who owns the 7NG company (Photo: John Vink/ Magnum)13-01-2009
By Ros Dina
Ka-set in English
Click here to read the article in French
Click here to read the article in Khmer
Late July 2003, an urbanisation plan established by the municipality of Phnom Penh provided that the residents of the Bassac settlement, in the heart of Phnom Penh, be grouped on part of the area known as “Dey Krohom” (“Red Lands”) and enjoy the possibility of getting ownership rights. But three years later, the villagers of the Red Lands were informed by a municipal circular that they were going to be evicted. A long struggle started between them, the local authorities and the 7NG company, who was granted the land to build a residential tower and a shopping mall. On 30th December, the dozens of families still opposed to leaving under the current conditions were expected to be forced out. But the threat has not been acted upon yet. The land dispute has drawn out for years but now seems to be closer to the end.
Since 2006, when they found out they had to give way for the 7NG company, the villagers of Dey Krohom have kept repeating they would sell their land for its real market value, not for the slashed price offered to them. They have also recalled the government's commitment to allow them the on-site development of their community. Their words have hardly changed but in this protracted conflict, 1,374 out of the initial count of 1,465 families have already left, that is 93% of them. They have accepted monetary compensations or relocation in the village of Damnak Trah Yeung, in the Dangkor district, over twenty kilometers West of Phnom Penh.
The Club of Cambodian Journalists invited Mann Chhoeun, the deputy governor of Cambodia's capital, to express his views on the situation on Tuesday 13th January. He disclosed the latest offer made by 7NG, that is 20,000 USD – plus food supplies and indemnity for the move – for each of the uncompromising families in exchange for their departure – an increase of 5,000 USD from the previous offer – under the essential requirement that all of the families accept this solution. Srey Chanthou, the director of the company, affirms that the offer was communicated to the residents on the evening of the previous day and is valid until Wednesday 14th January. A rumour says that on Thursday, the day following the expiry of the offer, the eviction of the residents will be actually ordered. Officially, it is expected to take place “in the very near future”.
An exercise in public relations
Mann Chhoeun performed a real exercise in public relations, complete with visuals to illustrate his words. A slide show presented the new environment of the resettled families in the village of Damnak Trah Yeung, where they enjoy running water, electricity, new bicycles they were able to buy on credit, several buses that provide shuttle service to the Demkor market (behind the Chenla theatre) nine times a day, a market, shops... and a nearby factory. The picture painted is one of residents happy in their frail 4m x 12m houses, all on the ground floor...
The deputy governor sent a message to the 91 remaining families, although community representatives claim there are 150 left, and warned that the company will not include in the negotiations the opportunists who have joined the group in the hope of also receiving compensation.
The official then depicted Dey Krohom as a “difficult” area, inhabited by drug addicts and hub of all kinds of traffic. An observer claimed in a low voice 7NG representatives were seen selling “glue” to villagers. As for the famous artists living in this small community – the chapey players Kong Nay and Ta Phe –, Mann Chhoeun alleged the company had solved their problem by offering them to be relocated in the Phnom Penh neighbourhood of Boeung Tampoun.
“We have not acted since the ultimatum of 30th December. The municipality – as the mediator between the company and the residents – has shown treasures of patience and demonstrated its willingness to handle the situation for the best,” Mann Chhoeun argued.
The accusations against 7NG
In the audience, David Pred, director of the NGO Bridges Across Borders Cambodia, contested the initial number of families in the community as shown in the presentation and asked why there was no mention of the corruption that reportedly marred the allocation of the housing lots in the resettlement village. The word “corruption” got lost in the translation into Khmer and Mann Chhoeun replied that if the activist questioned the inflated figure, it meant he was siding with the 7NG company.
David Pred then accused some former community representatives of pursuing their own personal interest, without any consideration for the villagers. The deputy governor pointed out that the residents had accepted their candidacy and had not prevented them from intervening in their name. When the representative of Bridges Across Borders then evoked how intimidation and violence had been used against the residents to sway them, Mann Chhoeun held in his hand a letter from 7NG in which the company instructs their lawyer to withdraw their complaint against one of the Dey Krohom residents, the owner of a coffee shop, who they accused of acts of violence. The deputy governor painted the residents as uncontrollable and rebellious people who did not hesitate to throw bags of urine and feces to 7NG representatives.
Bunn Rachana, from the organisation Housing Rights Task Force, then referred to the land law and asked why the villagers were not allowed to be resettled on site. Her question was answered by Chhim Phalvorin, director of the Institute of demography and specialist of the Cambodian Constitution, and second guest of the Club of Cambodian Journalists. He first observed that “sometimes, people ask for too much money for compensation, as if they were encouraged by others to do so.” He then recalled that Dey Krohom residents had written in 2003 to Prime Minister Hun Sen to ask to be allowed to remain there, which “proves that the residents were aware they had settled there in complete illegality.” The specialist insisted that an occupation is declared legal as long as it is based on a legal ownership title. “If this were the case, the residents could then be entitled to claim for financial compensation based on actual land market value.”
Pursuing his explanations, Mann Chhoeun stressed that the hypothesis of an on-site resettlement had been envisaged in a first time, under which half the land would be for the company and the other half for the residents. “However, the only way to provide a roof for everyone was to build a nine-floor building. But the residents said they did not want to live above the ground floor and further demanded an elevator. Who will pay for the electricity for the elevator? As the 7NG company had land available in the village of Damnak Trah Yeung, they offered to resettle the residents there.”
Undecided residents
On Tuesday afternoon, the residents met at the headquarters of the NGO Community Legal Education Center (CLEC) to discuss a new common strategy as things seemed to gather speed. The NGO representatives present advised them to negotiate a postponement of the eviction ultimatum set by the authorities, by communicating such request to the municipality of Phnom Penh and to 7NG. Their lawyer, Attorney Chiv Sambath, explained this would give them more time to agree on the amount of money they want to receive in exchange for their departure. He suggested they should advocate for the resumption of three-party negotiations as 7NG has made it clear that from now on, it will be the same price for everybody.
“It is starting to be very complicated because nobody has the same opinion. Only a couple of families have told me they would accept 7NG's latest offer of 20,000 USD. Those who own large houses still consider the offer not to be enough. I have probed the residents and their requests are between 30,000 and 60,000 USD. Also, some change their mind along the way, depending on what their neighbours are asking for... It is hard to agree on a consensus,” Chan Vichet, the representative of the families still opposed to leaving, explained by the end of the day.
Discussions between the residents were to continue throughout the evening. They are now in a race against time and more than ever, they must present a united front against the municipality and the 7NG company.
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