Thailand confirms first two swine flu cases

May 12, 2009

BANGKOK (AFP) — Thailand on Tuesday confirmed its first two cases of swine flu in people who had travelled to Mexico, becoming the only Southeast Asian nation hit by the virus so far.

Public Health Minister Witthaya Keawparadai said the patients, both Thai nationals, had recovered and there were no signs that the A(H1N1) virus had spread.
"There are two confirmed cases of A(H1N1), both of them contracted from Mexico," Witthaya told a press conference in Bangkok.

The cases came to light after the patients returned separately from visits to Mexico, the epicentre of the outbreak, suffering from mild fever, but recovered after treatment with anti-viral drugs, Witthaya said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States confirmed the virus in a sample from the first patient, while a Thai laboratory confirmed the second case, he added.

Medical authorities were keeping three people who had been in contact with the first person and five people in contact with the second patient under surveillance, he added.

None had reported signs of infection, he said.

The ministry later issued a statement urging travellers returning from any foreign destination to see a doctor within seven days if they had flu-like symptoms.

Witthaya reiterated that Thailand still has a travel warning for the United States, Mexico, Canada, Britain and Spain -- the five countries with the most number of swine flu cases.

"We have advised Thais to postpone trips to those countries and also travellers who returned from them must immediately see the doctor," he said.

The cases came just days after Thailand hosted a major conference on swine flu, at which Asian nations agreed to increase their stockpiles of anti-viral medicines.

Health ministers from China, Japan, South Korea and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) also urged global health chiefs to ensure fair distribution of medicine in case of a pandemic.

Thailand has previously been hit by avian influenza, with 25 human cases and 17 deaths since 2004. The last case here was in 2006.

Experts have warned that preventing swine flu from infecting patients who are sick with avian flu should be a top priority, especially in Asia, to prevent the viruses mixing and mutating into a highly pathogenic form.

The World Health Organization's death toll from the A(H1N1) virus passed 50 at the weekend. It has reported 4,694 cases worldwide, most of them involving relatively mild symptoms.

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Campaign finance law urged

Tuesday, 12 May 2009
Written by VONG SOKHENG AND KHOUTH SOPHAK CHAKRYA
The Phnom Penh Post

Election-monitoring NGOs propose legal caps to campaign contributions ahead of Sunday’s already contentious commune council elections

ELECTION monitoring groups have begun promoting a draft law which, if introduced, would restrict the amount of campaign financing permitted by each party.

Koul Panha, the executive director of election-monitoring NGO Comfrel, said the concept was discussed by civil society groups and individual politicians after last year's general election.

"For now, we are raising public awareness and then we will urge the government to introduce the law," Koul Panha said on Sunday. "[The proposed law would] control the amount of finances [donated to] political parties during campaign time. We are pushing for this law to be introduced before the national elections in 2013."

However Hang Puthea, the executive director of Nicfec, another election-monitoring NGO, warned that the draft would require the support of the main political parties before it could become law.

"Some are still hesitant and lack the political will to submit a financial report for the election period," he said.

Comfrel issued a report last week that detailed how large amounts of funds and materials had been donated by high-ranking government officials, investors and business people to powerful politicians and the ruling Cambodian People's Party.

"SOME ARE HESITANT AND LACK THE POLITICAL WILL TO SUBMIT A FINANCIAL REPORT."

"The influence of funds in politics and in elections is a major problem, which might relate specifically to illegal business, to contributions including the use of national funds to buy votes and politicians," the report said.

But government spokesman Khieu Kanharith rejected the need for a campaign finance law, saying it would "tie up" the parties.

"While we are not able to control all of our finances, it is not necessary to have this law as many countries don't have it," he said.

Yim Sovann, a spokesman for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, said the opposition supported the proposed law "100 percent", provided it clarified the sources of financing. But he predicted the CPP would reject a law that required transparency of its financial resources.

Pre-poll controversy
The National Election Committee said Monday that the SRP had filed four complaints against the CPP protesting alleged violations of the electoral rules relating to the impending provincial, district and municipal council elections on Sunday.

"The complaints were received by our provincial election staff in Phnom Penh and Stung Treng," NEC member Som Chandyna said. "Three complaints involve allegations of vote-buying. One [in Stung Treng] refers to the use of a government building for promoting the party during the campaign."

The head of the NEC's provincial body in Phnom Penh, Lun Chheng Kay, told the Post he had investigated the vote-buying allegations and summoned both parties to a Thursday meeting to resolve the matter.

Meanwhile, the head of Stung Treng's provincial NEC body, Buoy Chan Thallas, said after his investigation both sides agreed the building was not in fact government property.

Indelibility issues
Always a contentious matter in previous elections has been the use of so-called indelible ink used to prevent voters from casting more than one ballot.

Heu Rong, head of the NEC's Operations Department, said ink for the vote had been purchased from India at a cost of US$5,000 for 550 bottles.

Lim Kim Ly, executive director of the Family Agriculture Development Community (FADC), demonstrated to journalists on Monday that nail polish remover could not be used to remove the ink and pronounced it of good quality.

FADC is one of eight NGOs asked by the NEC to observe the council elections following the refusal of election watchdog groups Comfrel and Nicfec to participate, citing the fact that councillors would be elected by party officials and not the general public.

A Comfrel report issued in February blasted the council elections for being relevant only to the political parties that won council seats in the 2007 commune council elections, adding that the cost per voter would likely exceed that of the 2008 general election.

Thai Supreme Commander.....

Thai Supreme Commander Songkitti Chakkrabat has no concern over Cambodia's demand for compensation: Thailand can explain -sic!-

Songkitti Chakkrabat

Songkitti: Army can safeguard leaders

13/05/2009
BangkokPost.com

Supreme Commander Songkitti Chakkrabat affirmed that the army is ready to safeguard leaders of Asian nations who will attend the Asean+6 summit in Phuket.

Gen Songkitti said the army will follow its rules in adopting security measures for the leaders. He, however, refused to go into detail, saying that it is confidential.

He continued that the army will follow the rule of law if it has to use weapons as part of security measures. He told public not to worry about it.

The supreme commander also said that he believes no Thais would try to obstruct the summit because it is a cooperation of 10 Asean nations to solve problems not related to politics.

On Cambodia's damanding Thailand to pay 75 million baht in compensation for damage caused to a market in fatal border clashes last month, Gen Songkitti said he believes Thailand can explain to Cambodia about the matter. There are committees working on it, he said, adding that he has no concerns over this.

PM lawyer vows to continue lawsuit

Tuesday, 12 May 2009
Written by Meas Sokchea The Phnom Penh Post

THE lawyer for Prime Minister Hun Sen has said his client will proceed with the defamation lawsuit filed against Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Mu Sochua, claiming he has not received a formal notification that she is withdrawing her own lawsuit.
In a radio broadcast Thursday, Mu Sochua offered to drop her lawsuit against the prime minister - filed for comments he made in Kampot on April 4 - if Hun Sen promised to do the same. But Hun Sen's lawyer Ky Tech said he had heard nothing from Mu Sochua's own lawyers.

"Based on the law, we cannot regard the information heard by media as official information. So I cannot report it to Samdech [Hun Sen]," he said.

No surrender

When contacted Monday, Mu Sochua said the idea to drop her suit had come about after a caller to Voice of America's Hello show asked her to drop the case and focus on resolving national issues.

But she denied that she was giving in to the prime minister by offering a mutual withdrawal of lawsuits, saying she would hold firm against the PM.

"I am maintaining my stance on my case. I am not admitting defeat and raising the white flag. I am just offering an olive branch to Hun Sen," she said.

Municipal court prosecutor Hing Bun Chea, who is in charge of Mu Sochua's case, said Monday he knew nothing about her case being dropped and that the suit was now in motion.

"We have been taking action on the case, and we will summon the plaintiff to clarify again after [the King's birthday]," he said.

Israel sends first economic attaché to Cambodia

Mission to facilitate economic cooperation between Israel, Southeast Asian country

05.12.09
Navit Zomer
Israel Money

The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor has opened Israel's first economic mission in Cambodia's capital of Phnom Penh, under the charge of the economic attaché in Thailand, Tzahi Selzer.
During May a first Israeli delegation of telecommunications companies visited the Southeastern Asian country. Some 15 companies took part in the delegation, including such high profile names as ECI, Gilat and Comverse, whose representatives met with top local government officials.

Simultaneously, a Cambodian agricultural delegation came to Israel last week to participate in the Agritech agricultural exhibition in Tel Aviv.

According to Selzer, Cambodia is mainly interested in Israeli companies involved in irrigation technologies, agriculture, infrastructure and medical devices.

Govt grilled at UN rights hearing

Tuesday, 12 May 2009
Written by Sebastian Strangio
The Phnom Penh Post

UN officials lashed out Monday at what they say is the government's lack of commitment to human rights, claiming it has done little to improve the Kingdom's adherence to international rights agreements, said David Pred, director of Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia, an NGO that has been involved in Cambodian land-grab cases.

The comments came as Cambodia went before the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Geneva for a two-day rights review, according to Pred, who was present.
In his opening address, Sun Suon, Cambodia's ambassador to the UN, told the committee that respect for human rights was "a fundamental principle ... embodied in the [government's] main policies, as well as in the relevant plans for the sustainable development of the country".

But the 18-member committee questioned the government's commitment to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, ratified by Cambodia in 1992, citing forced evictions, land rights and deforestation as continuing concerns.

"Despite the public commitments of the government and the millions of dollars that have been invested by donors in reforms, there has been no progress in the most sensitive areas," said committee chairperson Philippe Texier.

Vice chairperson Ariranga Pilay also noted that the government's 167-page initial report to the committee contained "not a single word" on housing rights or forced evictions.

"There is ... nothing about the problem of forced evictions, which is a serious problem in your country," he said.

The committee also raised questions about the government's granting of agricultural land concessions, corruption and forestry protection.

Committee members expressed disappointment at the government's 15-year delay in preparing its initial report, and the fact that it did not send a special delegation to participate in the hearing.

"I appreciate that Geneva is far away from Cambodia [but] I was hoping that some people from your capital with specialised knowledge would be here so we could go into greater depth," said Walid Sa'di, vice chairperson of the committee.

CAMBODIA Lightning destroys Church-run school’s media facilities

May 12, 2009

PHNOM PENH (UCAN) -- A lightning strike during a thunderstorm on May 9 completely destroyed the radio and TV studios of the Don Bosco Technical School in Sihanoukville, southern Cambodia.

More than 100 boarders were on the school’s premises when the incident occurred at about 6 a.m. but no one was hurt, the school said in a press release.
The fire did not spread beyond the two soundproof rooms but two firefighters failed to save the facilities that were built in February.

School rector Salesian Father John Visser said losses amounted to tens of thousands of U.S. dollars. The studios and equipment, used for students’ media education, had been bought with donations from benefactors in the Netherlands.

In an interview, Ros Buntha, head of the school’s social communication department, said two computers, a projector and other audiovisual materials such as CDs, VCDs, video cassettes, cables and microphones were completely destroyed.

Vice rector Father Albeiro Rodas, coordinator of the school’s social communication projects, said the fire was a setback for the school, but hopes to receive support and assistance from the public.

“We wanted the studios to be a center of production for the education and development of this country,” he said, adding that he plans to rebuild the facilities.

“We are going to do it better … We believe in the young people and we believe in Cambodia,” he added.

Don Bosco Technical School is a leading vocational training institute in Cambodia run by Salesian priests. Apart from Sihanoukville, it has four other campuses in the country, in Battambang, Kep, Phnom Penh and Poipet.

The institute provides technical skills training to thousands of young Cambodians and the campus in Sihanoukville has a yearly enrollment of more than 350.

Saint John Bosco, commonly known as Don Bosco, founded the Salesian society in the mid-1800s in Italy.

The staggering story of Srey, spurned by the Cambodian capital

Phnom Penh (Cambodia). 24/01/2009: Tools used by hired workers to destroy Dey Krohom
©John Vink/ Magnum

While, here and there in the capital of Cambodia, hundreds of families anxiously expect to be displaced by local authorities, we have met a woman whose history speaks volumes about the daily lives of poor people, who are undesirable in the city centre, subject to the tricks of officials and quarter (sangkat) chiefs, as well as the effects of the property boom. The story of Srey (an alias used to protect her and her family), who was evicted four times from the centre of Phnom Penh, is however not a typical one. She shares her cry of despair so that people like her be treated with dignity first. Scrutiny of the distressing itinerary of this family mother.

Evicted from land opposite Koh Pich island
Srey grew up in the province of Prey Veng in a family of farmers. She moved to Phnom Penh in 1988, where her husband who was in the military was assigned a post. They settled on a free plot of land near the Embassy of Russia, opposite the island of Koh Pich. There, Srey grew vegetables in her garden and earned enough to feed her family. But one day, while she accompanied her daughter to the hospital, the Thai company who had become the new owner of the land occupied by Srey and other families expelled the people living there in exchange for a compensation of 2,000 dollars.


“We knew we would have to move soon,” Srey recalls. “We had made an agreement with the company, but we did not know which day the move would happen.” When Srey came back from the hospital, her neighbours had fled with their money. She went to the company to explain her absence and claim her share, but the representative had received strict orders: he was to give money only to the families present during the eviction. Srey cried over her disappointment and misfortune. “The representative took pity on me,” she says. “He gave me all the money he had in his pockets.” Two hundred dollars. This was the first eviction for Srey, in 1990. But the surprise eviction took place without any violence. So, when discussing it, she does not even use the word “eviction”. For her, it was more of a negotiated move.


Evicted from Village 14
Not very far, East of the Russian Embassy, there was another unoccupied area, where the police chief had suggested the evicted residents to settle. There, Srey built a wooden three-storey house with a roof made of leaves. Her husband died there a year later. When she found herself alone with three children to support, she did her best to provide for their needs, in spite of the strokes of bad luck. During the political struggles of 1997, she lost the savings book proving that she had saved money with an organisation she says was founded by Mann Chhoeun, now deputy governor of Phnom Penh. She never recovered her money.


But the hardest part occurred on the day of November 27th 2001. Right in the middle of the afternoon, a fire started and destroyed in a few hours the houses of 1,775 families. Srey's interpretation mirrors that of many residents back then. They denounced the use of force to get rid of them: “The authorities of Phnom Penh burned our houses and moved us to Anlong K'Ngan, in the Russey Keo district.”


That is when fate took another ill turn for Srey. She used to own two houses in Village 14, under two different names. But when she arrived in Anlong K'Ngan, she received only one plot of land because someone had already taken the plot matching her second name. The village chief refused to recognise his mistake... The injustice and lack of solidarity sickened her. From then on, only one thing was on her mind: to escape from that place.


Evicted from Sambok Chap
She had to wait one year before selling her plot in Anlong K'Ngan, like many other villagers. She got 750 dollars for it. She turned her back on this impossible life and came back to Phnom Penh, in Sambok Chap, where she bought a small space for 120 dollars. She received a document proving a transfer of property and a savings book, issued properly. She lived there with her daughter. But on June 6th 2006, while she was visiting her sister near Boeung Kak lake, in the North of Phnom Penh, and her daughter was at work, the residents of Sambok Chap were evicted. She was not there when her house was dismantled.


The house owners of Sambok Chap were resettled in Tropeang Anchang and the renters in Andong. As for Srey, she had nowhere to go. Once more, she did not receive any plot on the relocation site that should have accommodated her. She asked Mann Chhoeun about her rights, looking him in the eye: “I have a savings book and I have the papers proving the property transfer.” “If you have a book, you can always build your house in that book.” An angry Srey assures those were his words. Still today, she has not digested the humiliating answer. She never received her plot.



Evicted from Dey Krohom
With her youngest daughter, she left to settle in Dey Krohom, at the house of her first child who is already married. They bought the house where they live, but the village chief always refused to sign the property transfer, always finding an excuse to avoid doing it, in particular on that day when Srey offered him a commission of 400 dollars to resolve the issue. That was not enough money. He gave her back 200 dollars, kept the rest and in exchange, granted her the right to consolidate the house with brick walls.


When the 7NG company started to negotiate with the families living on the site of Dey Krohom, Srey's family was recognised as living there in the same way as the other villagers, even though the house did not have any number. Srey was one of those who resisted until the end the planned eviction because, she says, “people who owned a large house did not agree with the insufficient offer of the company.”


In spite of the increasing tension on the site and her previous experiences, Srey did not believe in a new eviction. “We were in the centre of Phnom Penh. I did not think there would be an eviction. I also thought that the authorities knew our living conditions and that they would understand better our difficulties. I really believed in Hun Sen's speech, the one he gave after villagers died during a violent eviction near Sihanoukville. The Prime Minister had then asked that poor people’s lands not be taken to be given to companies. I really had trust in him. But in Dey Krohom, they used violence.”


Because the village chief never wanted to do his work, because the house did not have a number, once again, the family was denied their right to a plot in the relocation site. But she fought and finally won her claim. “I do not understand. The government receives money from other countries. Why do they not use this money to help the people from Dey Krohom and all those who have nowhere to stay? Who is going to solve the problem? I am calling on the World Bank and donor countries to end their support. Then, Hun Sen will have to take care of the poor. While his children are getting richer, the children of the poor are not getting anything, their only opportunity is to be a street vendor.”


When will this come to an end?
During the last eviction, Srey lost everything. She could not even save a pan. She feels humiliated, angry, desperate, sick and tired. So tired. She cannot sleep anymore. And she has lost hope. What can she reconstruct on these ashes? Tears are all she has left. “I do not want to be evicted ever again. Maybe I should go and live far from the city, in the countryside, on my own. I do not want to be a burden for my children or relatives who are already struggling enough to eat. I will probably be safer somewhere else than here.” Far from Phnom Penh, she says that she may forget what she calls “men's madness”.

Thailand adds insult to injury: They destroyed a Cambodian market and now they claim it's inside their territory

Thai Foreign Ministry: April clash site is on Thai territory

BANGKOK, May 12 (TNA) – The armed clash between the Thai and Cambodian military on April 3 occurred on Thai soil, according to Tharit Charungvat, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman.
The clash site is on Thai territory which was illegally occupied by Cambodian civilians, Mr. Tharit asserted. However, the Thai authorities are lenient for the sake of good relations between the two countries and for humanitarian reasons.

The ministry spokesman made the remarks following media reports that Cambodia asked Thailand to pay more than US$2 million (about Bt74 million) in compensation for damage allegedly caused by heavy weapons the Thai Army used during the border clash on April 3 near the ancient Preah Vihear (Phra Viharn) temple.

The Cambodian Foreign Ministry Monday sent a diplomatic note to Thailand, asking for the compensation. It said the gunfire destroyed 264 stands at a market in front of the Preah Vihear temple, affecting 319 Cambodian households.

The Thai foreign ministry will send a letter to Cambodia to reaffirm its stance on the issue, the spokesman said, noting that Thailand had earlier clearly asserted that the area in question belongs to Thailand.

Asked if Thailand would seek compensation from Cambodia for damage on the Thai side, Mr. Tharit said the Ministry’s Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs is looking into how to proceed with the matter.

The disputed area, which surrounds the ancient temple, has long been a source of tension between the two countries.

An international court awarded Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia in 1962, but a 4.6-square km (1.9-square mile) parcel of land surrounding it remains the subject of territorial claims by the two neighbouring countries.

Hanoi urges Viet firms to invest in Cambodia and Laos

Firms urged to invest in Cambodia, Laos

12/05/2009
VietNamNet/Viet Nam News (Hanoi)

VietNamNet Bridge – Huge investment opportunities in Laos and Cambodia are awaiting Vietnamese firms, according to Lai Quang Thuc, chairman of the Viet Nam-Laos-Cambodia Association for Economic Co-operation and Development.
He said that there was potential for co-operation between enterprises on hydropower, mining, cash crops and agro-fishery-forestry processing and that despite global and regional economic difficulties, investment co-operation between the countries was encouraging.

By the end of last year, Vietnamese investment in Laos was more than US$812 million with 157 projects specialising in hydropower, mining and wood processing.

The investment means Laos leads the list of countries attracting investment from Viet Nam. Last year, the Vietnamese investment in 35 new projects in Laos was worth $180 million, making Viet Nam the largest foreign investor in the country.

Thuc said Vietnamese investment in Laos would increase strongly in the next few years when several large mining and electricity projects were approved.

Viet Nam's direct investment in Cambodia of $211 million to the end of February was below potential. The majority of the 39 approved projects were small. Most were in agro-forestry, construction and services.

Viet Nam's good relationship with its neighbours and a favourable geographic position gave Vietnamese investors an advantage over others, he said.

Inadequate legal frameworks, slow land clearance and shortages of skilled workers were challenges for investors in Laos and Cambodia.

Viet Nam was yet to compile investment strategies to the countries, resulting in difficulties for companies wanting to start projects, he said.

Operating for a year

The association reviewed its first year of operation during a meeting in the capital last week.

Under its five-year action plan, the association will organise forums and fairs and provide opportunities for members to exchange experiences and information on economic and investment co-operation. The association also plans to provide consultancy and legal assistance services for enterprises on local requirements and international laws.

It will further economic and investment relations between Viet Nam and those neighbouring countries and contribute to improving economic development and living conditions. The association's membership of about 600 includes 200 organisations and enterprises.

Cambodian Illegal Migrants Arrested in Sa Kaeo

12 May 2009
ThailandOutlook.tv

Burapa Task Force soldiers arrested more than 100 Cambodians at the Thai-Cambodian border in Sa Kaeo province.

30 soldiers from the Burapa Task Force blockaded Phunamkleang village, Thaisamart village and Nonsawan village in Sa Kaeo province --arresting 130 illegal Cambodians, including 56 men, 50 women, 12 boys and 12 girls.

The arrest was conducted following a petition filed by villagers, complaining that the group of Cambodians snuck into Thailand and trampled on rice fields and cassava plantations, which caused damage to the crops.

The group said they were living in poor conditions in Cambodia so they want to earn money working in Thailand-either in Bangkok or Chon Buri province. Some of them were only aiming to work on the border of Thailand.

Thai authorities contacted the Cambodian border patrol police to take them back, which is in accordance with the agreement between the two countries.

Sam Rainsy hopes to win in the upcoming election

Sam Rainsy meeting with commune councilors and candidates in Battambang Province in preparation for the provincial/district council election (Photo: SRP)

11 May 2009
By Hassan
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said that he hopes his party will be successful in the upcoming 17 May non-universal election to elect city, province and district councilors.

At the same time, Sam Rainsy declared that, even if next week’s election is non-universal, this is an opportunity for his party members to move forward to serve in national institutions in larger number.

Sam Rainsy said: “This is an opportunity for those who love justice to stand up to defend the people who are victimized from injustice. This is better than nothing. We want to see a universal election, i.e. voters who can cast their ballots directly to elect their representatives at the village, commune, district, province and national levels. However, now, we are not obtaining our wish yet, but what has been organized already up to now, we must take this opportunity to allow the representatives of the people who have a clear standing to occupy positions at the city, province and district levels.”

This is the first time that Cambodia organizes a non-universal election to select councilors for cities, provinces and districts. Tep Nytha, secretary-general of the National Election Committee (NEC), indicated that there will 215 election booths, the election will see 4 parties competing: the CPP, the SRP, Funcinpec and the NRP.

Only commune councilors can vote in this non-universal election. That is why civil society groups declared that the outcome of the election is already known in advance: the CPP will win because it has the largest number of commune councilors.

Nevertheless, Sam Rainsy claimed that his party will win votes also: “Not only do I hope for it, I am confident because the ruling party is using their money power, but the SRP is counting on the people’s will. I am confident that the willpower will win over the power of money, therefore the SRP will receive good results that reflect nationalism, that reflect the love for justice by elected councilors in the entire country.”

The total number of candidates and reserve candidates amounts to 17,290.

Cambodia oxen shun rice, worry farmers, in ritual

Cambodia's royal oxen eat corn and beans during the annual ploughing ceremony in Phnom Penh May 12, 2009. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Tuesday May 12, 2009

PHNOM PENH (Reuters Life!) - Cambodia's royal oxen dismayed farmers on Tuesday by turning up their noses at a traditional offering of rice, an omen the royal astrologer said boded ill for the harvest of the country's biggest crop.

The annual ritual, in which oxen plough a field near the royal palace before being given offerings, is taken seriously by many of Cambodia's superstitious, and largely poor, farmers if not by most of the politicians and diplomats who attend it.
This year, the oxen ate corn, green beans and soy beans, but avoided the other grains they were offered.

"This means we will have plenty of the corn and beans, but a poor rice harvest," astrologer Kang Ken announced after the ceremony which was presided over by King Norodom Sihamoni.

"This worries me a lot," said 27-year-old rice farmer Chan Thy as she heard the prediction.

The main harvest season is in November, and many farmers only harvest once a year because of lack of water.

The government is seeking to boost rice exports and cut poverty among its 14 million people, 85 percent of whom are farmers or members of farming families.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cambodia was the world's ninth-biggest rice exporter in 2007 with 450,000 tonnes and the agriculture ministry says the country could export 8 million tonnes by 2015.

Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is spearheading the agricultural reform in Cambodia, did not attend the ceremony.

Cambodia's rice production has increased to 7.2 million tonnes for the 2008/09 season from 6.7 million in 2007/08.

Border fair to showcase Viet products mainly?

Border fair to show off Cambodian, Vietnamese products

Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Thanh Nien News (Hanoi)

A trade fair opening Thursday at an industrial park in the Vietnamese border province of An Giang will showcase Cambodian and Vietnamese products.
It will attract 200 businesses from both countries and is meant to promote trade across the border, the organizer, An Giang Trade, Tourist and Investment, Promotion Center, said.

The center said the six-day fair to be held at the Xuan To Industrial Park would also promote tourism as it would coincide with the National Sam Mountain Festival in the province.

It said a delegation of Vietnamese businesses and government officials would depart for Phnom Penh and Angkor Wat to survey the Cambodian market.

Vietnam’s annual exports to Cambodia grew from US$268 million in 2003 to $1.5 billion last year, mainly of foodstuffs, fruits, building materials, fertilizers and plastic products.

Border damages must be paid

The destroyed market (Photo: AFP)

May 12, 2009
AFP

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA has demanded that Thailand pay more than two million dollars (S$2.9 million) in compensation for damage caused by deadly border clashes last month, according to a diplomatic note seen on Tuesday.
Seven Thai and Cambodian troops have been killed in recent months during sporadic outbursts of violence between the neighbouring countries on disputed land around the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.

In the latest clashes on April 3, three Thai soldiers were killed and a Cambodian market next to the temple ruins was burned down when Thai forces fired rockets over the border.

'The attack with heavy weapons by Thai troops on Cambodian territory... caused much damage and set a Cambodian market ablaze,' a diplomatic note sent to Thailand on Monday said.

The material losses to 319 families who had lost their livelihoods when the fire destroyed their market stalls amounted to more than 2.1 million dollars, it said.

'The Royal Government of Cambodia demands that the Royal Thai government take full responsibility for these damages caused by Thai soldiers and to appropriately compensate the above losses,' it said.

Troops from the two countries have been locked in a border standoff since last July, when Thailand was angered by the cliff-top temple being given United Nations World Heritage status.

Ownership of the temple was awarded to Cambodia in 1962 but the two countries are in dispute over five square kilometres (two square miles) of land around it that has yet to be officially demarcated.

As I Walk to Prison: Letter from Mu Sochua

2009-05-04
Letter to the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD)

Between 1975-1979, over 1.7 million Cambodian women, men and children were killed by the Khmer Rouge- among them my parents. The world community knew about it but watched from afar. Cambodia has come out of genocide and on the road to reconstruction but this stage of reconstruction is stuck and in many ways quickly falling back to point zero. 30 years after the genocide of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia has made some progress but too small. Over 2,000 innocent Cambodian women die every year of childbirth, at least one million Cambodian children go to bed hungry every night, hundreds of thousands Cambodian children and female youth are ruined in brothels, over 200,000 families have been brutally forced of their land and homes, and over 75% of Cambodia’s forests have now been destroyed. Innocent lives of my people could be saved if justice were served, if top leaders of my broken nation were less greedy, if development were meant for all.

I left Cambodia as an innocent young adolescent because the Vietnam war was approaching and hundreds and thousands of sick, wounded and hungry families were already telling us that Cambodia was lost. I returned home 18 years later with two young children, to a nation in ruins. A new beginning gave us hope when the UN came to help Cambodia organize its first democratic election in 1993. It cost the world community 2 billion dollars. I became a leader in the women’s movement, moving communities and walking the peace walk in city streets and dirt roads to pray for non-violence. I joined politics and became the first woman to lead the women’s ministry that was lead by a man, campaigned nationwide to put an end to human trafficking, authored the draft law on domestic violence, signed treaties with neighboring countries to protect our women and children from being prosecuted as illegal migrants but to receive proper treatment as victims of sex slavery.

I witness violence not as a victim but I listen to hundreds and thousands of women and children speak of the shame, the violation, the soul that is taken away when violence is afflicted on their bodies and on their minds. As a politician I always try to take action, to walk to the villages where life seems to have stopped for centuries, I challenge the top leadership of the government - I question international aid.

Today, I am faced with the real possibility of going to jail because as self-defense I dare to sue the prime minister of Cambodia, a man who has ruled this nation for 30 years. Having been assaulted to the point where I stood half exposed in front of men, by a general I caught using a state car to campaign for the party of the prime minister, I found myself assaulted again, this time verbally by the prime minister who compares me to a woman hustler who grabbed men for attention.

Within days my parliamentary immunity will be lifted so the court can "investigate" my case. This is normal procedure for politicians from the opposition party or human rights activists or the poor who cannot bribe court officials. I will be detained in the notorious prison of "Prey Sar" for as long as the courts wish to take.

Many of my colleagues in the opposition, including my party leader have faced this fate for speaking out.

Cambodia receives close to a billion dollars in 2009 from the international community, the USA contributing close to 60 million. Is the world still watching in silence while Cambodia is now ruled by one man? Is the world afraid to say that its aid is actually taking Cambodia backwards?

Let no Cambodian children go to bed hungry anymore. Let no Cambodian woman be sold anymore.

We must walk tall despite being people bent from the trauma of the Khmer Rouge, which is still a part of us. Let us not let our leaders and the world-community use this trauma to give us justice by the teaspoon.

Let there be real justice.

Mu Sochua
Member of Parliament
Sam Rainsy Party

Mu Sochua is an elected member of the Cambodian parliament and a tireless advocate for women’s rights and the victims of injustice. In 2005, Mu Sochua was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work against sex trafficking of women in Cambodia and neighboring Thailand. Vital Voices honored Mu Sochua with the 2005 Human Rights Global Leadership Award for her efforts to stem the tide of human trafficking.

Coffee roasters donate some profits to Cambodian children

May 11, 2009
By JENNIFER FITCH
The Herald-Mail (Pennsylvania, USA)

CHAMBERSBURG, PA. — Jeff and Stacy Myers say that when they roast coffee, the entire neighborhood smells delicious.

The Myerses installed an air roaster in a building on Grandview Drive in Chambersburg. There, the business they formed — Abednego Coffee Roasters — works with beans from Guatemala, Costa Rica, Sumatra, Ethiopia and Columbia.
The products are sold online and at C&C Coffee Co. on North Main Street. Twenty-five percent of Abednego Coffee Roasters’ profits is donated to the education of children living in Cambodia.

“It’s a simple thing that makes a big impact,” Jeff said.

Jeff, who does agricultural lending, researched the coffee industry while attending The Ohio State University and later learned how to roast in Kansas City, Mo. At the same time, Stacy was teaching as a missionary in Cambodia.

Many of the educated Cambodians were slaughtered in the late 1970s, so today’s children don’t have as many opportunities, Stacy said.

“There’s a lack of creativity and things like that in their culture,” she said.

Jeff’s uncle works with South East Asia Prayer Center (SEAPC) in Cambodia and Tibet. The Myers’ coffee business supports SEAPC, but they’ve also sponsored special nights to benefit Chambersburg-area charities.

“We realized it was important for Chambersburg people to give back to Chambersburg,” said Stacy, who is an English as a Second Language teacher in the Chambersburg Area School District.

Many of the Abednego Coffee Roasters blends have names that recognize local places like “Route 30,” “Rouzerville” and “King Street.”

The Myerses purchased an air roaster in October 2007 and opened their business in March 2008. The roasting process takes 15 to 20 minutes and heats the beans to more than 400 degrees.

A one-pound bag of coffee sells for approximately $12.

Khmer overseas ask the American president to investigate Khmer Krom's issues

Source: Radio Free Asia
Reported by Khmerization

Overseas Khmers are gathering signatures in order to send a petition to U.S President Barack Obama (pictured) to ask him to order an investigation into the abuses and persecutions of Khmer Krom by the Vietnamese authority, reports Radio Free Asia.

Dr. Tith Naranhkiri, a professor from the John Hopkins University and a former
senior official of the IMF, told RFA that his group wants Vietnam to respect the human rights of the Khmer Krom people. He said: "We want President Obama to investigate that issue. If the President wants the respect of human rights and if he wants justice, it must not for our country (America) only, but it must be for the whole world. This is what we want. We want the President to examine the human right abuses in Cambodia and of the Khmer Krom (in Vietnam). The President has defended the victims of Darfur. Why can't he defend the victims of Cambodia and the Khmer Krom people? This is what we want. We are not asking them (American leaders) to do what is impossible. We only ask what they have promised to do for us. And if we don't remind them, who will remind them?"

Dr. Tith Naranhkiri said that he is really worried about the situations in Cambodia and in Kampuchea Krom. He said: "First, what can we do about the Vietnamese persecutions of the Khmer Krom people? Secondly, what can we do about the illegal Vietnamese immigrants who had come to settled in Cambodia since 1979 under the Khmer-Vietnamese Friendship Treaty. Now, our country has no indepedence. If the Vietnamese tell Hun Sen to turn right, he will turn right. If the Vietnamese tell him to turn left, he will turn left. The illegal Vietnamese settlers poured into Cambodia everyday without any attempt to stop them. This is because our Khmer leaders are corrupt, so the Vietnamese they use money to bribe them. Also Hun Sen is very scared of Vietnam because he was propped up by Vietnam. This is why I do not talk about the two issues separately because now the Vietnamese abused and persecuted the Khmer Krom and also they send their settlers to live in Cambodia. So, at this present time, they have achieved both of their aims. That's why I am really worried that if the Vietnamese invade Cambodia again, we have nowhere to escape."

Long Beach Rapper Probes Wars of the Mind

Cambodian rapper PraCh Ly. PraCh Ly, who has two previous albums in English, has said the capital "C" in the middle of his name is for "Cambodia."

For more information about PraCh Ly's new CDs, click here

By Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer
Washington
11 May 2009

Click here to listen to Part 1 the audio program in Khmer
Click here to listen to Part 2 the audio program in Khmer

Cambodian rapper Prach Ly has released his third album, “Memoirs of an Invisible War,” a compilation of songs in Khmer and English that range in subject from Pol Pot to modern Cambodian politics and the problems of the next generation.

“Everyone has their own invisible war inside their mind,” Prach Ly, 30, told VOA Khmer recently. “This album is about mine.”

“Hells Gate” is a powerful track that recalls the Long Beach rapper’s family experience in refugee camps at the Thai border.

“Lucky for us we were all OK,” he said in an interview. “Not like the others, losing arms and legs and stepping on bombs or grenades.”

This album has 19 songs in Khmer and 25 in English on two CDs, a broad expansion from his first album, which he produced in his parent’s Long Beach garage in 1999.

A copy of that album made it to Phnom Penh and took Cambodia by storm. Prach Ly has since garnered national US media attention, putting out a second album in 2003.

In the third album, also called Dalama 3, he said “the music is more mature than the previous two albums. The lyrics are more fierce.”

“The last two Dalamas were more about the ‘killing fields’ and my past,” he said. “This Dalama is more about the present and future.”

Tribunal Rejects Bail for Former Rebel

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
11 May 2009

Khmer Rouge tribunal judges on Monday rejected an appeal from former social affairs minister Ieng Thirith that she be released on bail as she awaits an atrocity crimes trial.
None of the five jailed leaders of the regime has been allowed out of detention since their arrests. Echoing similar findings with other defendants, judges said Monday Ieng Thirith would not be released to ensure she did not tamper with evidence or seek to intimidate witnesses against her.

“The request of the release on bail is inadmissible,” said Judge Prak Kim Sam, head of the Pre-Trial Chamber of the tribunal.

Ieng Thirith, 77, was arrested in November 2007 and is facing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. She was not present at her hearing Monday. Lawyers said she “could not get out of bed” and had a headache.

Defense attorney Phat Pouv Seang told reporters at the tribunal the team was not satisfied with the decision, but would raise the issue again as trial approached.

If you want to be a judge, be ready to bribe: Even students know that in the kingdoom of Corruption!

To Be a Judge, Be Ready To Bribe: Students

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
11 May 2009

To be eligible for positions as judges in Cambodia’s court system, students say they must pay tens of thousands of dollars in bribes. There is even an expression among the students: “Without $20,000 or $30,000, one shouldn’t dream of becoming a judge.”
In numerous interviews with VOA Khmer, students at the new Royal Academy for Judicial Professions in Phnom Penh described in detail a corrupt practice that critics warn compromises the entire justice system.

Cambodian officials said they would investigate the accusations, and wrongdoings would be prosecuted. But the revelations of judicial bribery come as a hybrid Cambodian tribunal faces mounting allegations of corruption and kickbacks. Half of the tribunal’s judges are Cambodian.

Outside the tribunal, in courts across the country, the best posts cost the most money, students said. Phnom Penh and Kandal provincial seats, for example, cost between $70,000 and $150,000. The Phnom Penh court receives two judges and one deputy prosecutors from the academy each year.

Numerous students described the following process. First, a student must ask around for advice, especially from graduates who have already bribed their way into a position and can identify the proper officials to bribe. The amenable government official is then approached and a sum of money is agreed upon. The student prepares the cash, which must be paid up front without a receipt before final exams.

“If it is someone with good knowledge, the amount of $30,000 can be reduced a little bit,” one student told VOA Khmer, requesting anonymity for fear of personal safety.

The fifth class of judicial students graduated the academy May 3. In recent interviews, students said they were warned not to leak information about corruption.

The Royal Academy for Judicial Professions opened in 2003 and has graduated five classes between 55 and 65 students. Five students are appointed by the Council of Ministers, led by cabinet minister Sok An, who is also on the board of the Academy. These five seats are normally reserved for children of senior officials, students said.

Through a spokesman, Sok An declined to comment on this report. The academy’s directory, Tep Darong, could not be reached for comment.

The academy, which is supported by the donor community, has seen a large fall in enrollment, from 2,000 in the beginning to about 200 last year.

Students say this is a reflection of the “hopelessness” of prospective judges who can’t afford the bribery requirements awaiting them on graduation.

Those without money for bribes who remain in the program face a disadvantage at exam time, students said. If a student has paid for it, he will be given a test to learn ahead of the exam. If he doesn’t know an answer, he can leave the question blank and will face easier oral exams than students who haven’t paid.

Bright students who haven’t paid for a position will face oral questioning until they fail, students said. This takes place right under the noses of donors and diplomats, students said.

Judicial reform is one of the main goals of many donors, but students said this was unlikely to succeed in what they see as a systemic problem.

Justice Minister Ang Vong Watana said he was not aware of the process and only dealt with judges once they left the academy. Until the academy was opened, the Justice Ministry was responsible for training judges.

In an interview with VOA Khmer in March, Om Yentieng, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen and head of the government’s anti-corruption office, said there had been a smooth examination of judges so far.

He declined to make a judgment on the students’ accusations, but he warned that legal action would be taken after an investigation. If true, the accusations would mean judges are not being selected for quality, a goal of the government, he said.

He encouraged students to come forward.

“We can protect the sources and whistleblowers,” he said. “When they cooperate with us, it will not be dangerous for them. If we find obvious evidence, we can ask the courts to punish [perpetrators].”

Students say they are too afraid to expose themselves. Exam time at the academy can bring up to $1.5 million in bribes to top officials, making it dangerous to divulge details of the practice.

“How can we report this?” one student said. “It’s dangerous to our life.”

“Until there is a regime change or a credible institution, we cannot disclose this,” another student said. “For the time being, we’d rather not, as we would be killed if we did.”

Lawyers, court and justice officials say the practice is a major obstacle for judicial reform, especially in a system where corruption is rooted so deeply.

“One, the leaders themselves have to be clean,” said Sok Sam Oeun, director of the Cambodian Defenders Project. “Two, there must be a credible system to control corruption. And three, enforcement of the rules must be strictly held in accordance by individual institutions.”

He noted, however, that no substantial evidence of corruption at the academy has emerged.

Seng Theary, executive director of the Center for Social Development, said a corrupt judiciary impacted rule of law, balance of power and people’s confidence.

“The court system right now is corrupted from the inside, from training, students and procedures,” she told VOA Khmer by phone. “In all the procedures we see, there is corruption in an unbelievable way. Sometimes it’s exhausting to respond to, because it happens up to that level, systemically and culturally. For people who are poor, they don’t have money to pay the bribes and are disappointed, hopeless, and hate so much the process, the court system.”

Seng Theary blamed donors for tolerating judicial corruption.

“Money is given but a corruption law has not yet been passed,” she said.

Yong Kim Eng, president of Citizen Center for Development and Peace, said he was concerned the corruption would weaken the chances for justice to be dispensed by the courts.

“How can they find justice for people if they pay a bribe?” he said of judges. “They will need to get their money back when they become a judge.”

Examples include recent land-grabbing cases, where the rich and powerful act with impunity, while landowners are jailed. As a consequence, confidence in the courts erodes, he said.

“If people do not have confidence with the court, there will be violence and instability,” he said.

50 tons of mouse meat exported from Cambodia to Vietnam daily

50 tonnes of mouse meat imported into Vietnam a day

11/05/2009

VietNamNet Bridge – More than 35 tonnes of mouse meat per day is imported from Cambodia via the Khanh Binh border gate in An Phu district, the southern province of An Giang, said the chief of the An Phu district Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Van Thao.
At the border gates of Khanh Binh and Tinh Bien (Tinh Bien district) in An Giang province, there are over 30 traders who buy mouse meat from Cambodia for wholesale in Vietnam.

A mouse meat trader in Khanh Binh, Nguyen Van Tam, said that hundreds of Cambodians bring mice to Khanh Binh to sell. Now is the rice harvest season in Cambodia, when field mice abound.

According to Vietnamese mouse buyers at the two above border gates, around 50 tonnes of mice is transported via the Vietnamese-Cambodian border in An Giang a day.

A kilo of raw field mice is priced between VND35,000 to VND40,000 ($US$2-2.3). The price is VND50,000 ($2.9) for a kilo of processed mice. The prices for brown rats are VND50,000-VND60,000 per kilo for whole rats depending on size and VND75,000 to VND80,000 per kilo of processed meat.

Mice are processed in An Giang and sold to traders from HCM City and Can Tho city. Mouse meat has become a favourite food of many people in the south, particularly HCM City.

Opposition calls for purging of long-stalled investments

Construction continues at Bokor Mountain. Many large projects failed to materialise this year due to the downturn in Cambodia's property market. (Photo by: Tom Hunter)

Monday, 11 May 2009
Written by May Kunmakara
The Phnom Penh Post

Call from Sam Rainsy Party comes after Prime Minister Hun Sen previously threatened withdrawal of business licences for inactive projects.
OPPOSITION lawmakers have urged the government to erase inactive investment projects from government books, saying that potentially hundreds of companies registered in the country are no longer operating.

According to a 2008 report by the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), 101 projects worth US$10.89 billion were approved last year.

Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Yim Sovann said that since the global economy began shrinking, around 50 percent of companies have suspended or stopped operations, especially in the garment and construction industries.

"The government should pass the anti-corruption law, which will help keep away bad investors and build confidence," he said. "The government should also change our economic policy by encouraging both local and foreign investors to produce good quality items to compete with neighbouring countries and investigate whether these companies are actually operating after they receive approval from the government," he added, saying that some firms have used the economic crisis as a pretext to alter their business operations.

CDC figures said that last year $106 million was invested in agriculture, $715 million in the industrial sector, more than $1 billion in services and over $8 billion in tourism. Of this money, 68 percent came from overseas.

China was the top investor providing 40 percent of capital, followed by South Korea with 11.39 percent and the United States at 6.32 percent.

Yuon Heng, director of the Evaluation and Incentive Department at the Cambodian Investment Board, said last week that most of the projects approved last year were small-scale, adding that bigger investments always require a longer process.

"The reason that large capital investment companies have not started projects is because they are preparing a master plan and dealing with land disputes - it takes time," he said.

On a smaller scale

The difference last year, he said, was mainly due to a small number of large projects, such as the $100 million Bokor Mountain development, which boosted the level of investment. Such investments have been unaffected by the downturn, he added.

"I don't think those companies were impacted by the global financial crisis because I have not received any information that they are facing fund shortages," he said.

"However, I think those companies will be impacted by the challenges, and Chinese companies seem to be doing better than others," he added.

Prime Minister Hun Sen last month threatened to take back the development sites of inactive companies, urging Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh and the CDC to review the proposals of companies investing in golf courses that had not started construction.

Chinese firm inks railroad contract

Monday, 11 May 2009
Written by Chun Sophal
The Phnom Penh Post

$2.3 million agreement will see China Railway Group conduct feasibility study on track extending to Vietnam.

A CHINESE company has been awarded a contract to study Cambodia's rail network to Vietnam as part of the Singapore-Kunming railway project, government officials said Thursday.
The project would see China Railway Group study construction of a 255-kilometre stretch of track from Bat Doeng in Kampong Speu to Snuol district in Kratie province at the Vietnamese border. In a separate arrangement, Australia's Toll Holdings is set to renovate and operate the lines from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, and Phnom Penh to the Thai border.

Sokhom Pheakvanmony, director general of Royal Railways of Cambodia, told the Post on Sunday that the Ministry of Public Affairs signed the agreement worth US$2.5 million for carrying out a feasibility study. Experts say the railway could cost more than $700 million to build, with China expected to foot the bill.

We hope that china railway group will start studying the project soon.

"We hope that China Railway Group will start studying the project soon this year," said Sokhom Pheakvanmony.

He added that a detailed study of the project would be finished in between 18 months and two years, after which time they would start building the railway link.

"ASEAN has already linked its entire railway network except for Cambodia, which is the last country to build its portion," said Sokhom Pheakvanmony.

On Thursday, Hu Gian-Wen, a member of China's Foreign Relationship Association, told Prime Minister Hun Sen that China would donate $2.5 million to the project, which would link Cambodia with Loch Minh, Vietnam.

Cambodia has two railroads, one of which links Phnom Penh with the Thai border in Banteay Meanchey province and is 348km in length.

The other line, which links Phnom Penh with Preah Sihanouk province, is 264km long.

Both were built under French rule and are in poor condition.

The 10 member states of Asean, together with China, Japan and Korea, signed an agreement to build the new railroad in 2000.

In total, the railroad would run 5,513km and enable overland travel from Singapore through to Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and China.

Mu Sochua offers olive branch to PM Hun Sen over lawsuits

Monday, 11 May 2009
Written by Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

Opposition lawmaker insists both parties must drop their defamation cases at the same time.

SAM Rainsy Party lawmaker Mu Sochua has said she will drop her defamation suit against Prime Minister Hun Sen if he does the same.

Mu Sochua said her offer followed a phone-in on Voice of America's Hello show, in which callers had asked her to focus instead on resolving issues of national importance.

"I can see that the people's request is correct," Mu Sochua told the Post Sunday. "Resolving issues such as the country's territorial integrity is more important."

But she said if Hun Sen refused to withdraw his case, then hers would proceed.

"I don't want to win or lose against Samdech Hun Sen, but if we withdraw,we must do it at the same time," she said. "We will do it for the nation and we will all win."

The two are suing each other for defamation after Mu Sochua said Hun Sen had referred to her in derogatory terms during a speech in Kampot. Hun Sen countersued, saying he was not referring to Mu Sochua.

Hun Sen's lawyer, Ky Tech, later announced he would ask the court to request parliament remove Mu Sochua's immunity from prosecution and said he had asked the Cambodian Bar Association to investigate her lawyer for defamation.

Ky Tech said Sunday he would report the offer, but said any decision rested with his client.

"I have no idea whether he will withdraw his case because it has caused him suffering," Ky Tech said. "As his lawyer, my job is just to report the facts."

The president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, Ou Virak, said he would be sorry to see the case dropped.

"I don't believe that this offer follows a request by the people - she is doing it because she is scared," Ou Virak said. "The case should not be withdrawn. Let the court decide it - [Hun Sen] is being sued for just 500 riels. Let it be done properly."

Yang Kim Eng, president of the People's Centre for Development and Peace, said it was good that politicians settled their differences out of court, but felt that in this case intimidation was a significant factor behind the offer.

Lycee residents ask for reprieve

Rattana, 17, tears down the remains of a ground-floor home in the community next to the Lycee Rene Descartes. (Photo by: HENG CHIVOAN)

Monday, 11 May 2009
Written by May Titthara and Christopher Shay
The Phnom Penh Post

Families living near the French school plead with authorities for a bit more time.

IN San Lim Soreng's home on the fourth floor of the Lycee Francais Rene Descartes building, residents urged students and members of the French community to ask the French embassy for more time in their homes.
The residents urged the largely French audience to ask the French embassy to extend their eviction deadline, at least until their children's school year is finished at the end of July.

Last week, the remaining three families in the 30-year-old community agreed to government compensation.

Many families, however, have not had time to construct new homes and do not want to pull their students from school before the year is out.

Raimondo Pictet, 17, a student at the Lycee Francais Rene Descartes, said the event was designed for people to "say goodbye to the people who have lived next to us" and as an opportunity for people "to ask questions to the people who live here directly".

"I have signed the agreement for compensation already, but they put the deadline for us to go on Friday. I would like to tell French people about our situation and ask them to ask the French ambassador to intervene and help us delay our deadline until my child's school holiday," In Daravuth said.

In 2001, the French and Cambodian governments signed an agreement regarding land. In return for 1,000,000 French francs (about US$205,000), Cambodia transferred land and occupied apartments to the French secondary school, according to documents received by the Post.

"Now, we have to start our lives again like after the Khmer Rouge in 1979.... They report to the French embassy that residents are happy to get their compensation, but in fact we agreed to it with tears," resident Meak Sina said with tears in her eyes.

RoK's largest bank launches in Cambodia

Phnom Penh May 09, May 09, 2009 (Asia Pulse) --Kookmin Bank, the biggest lender in the Republic of Korea (RoK), opens first outlet in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to boost regional presence, a local newspaper said on May 9.
"Kookmin Bank Cambodia is the fifth commercial bank from the RoK [in Cambodia], whose total share capital is 100 percent held by Korean shareholders," Chea Chanto, governor of the National Bank of Cambodia, was quoted by the Phnom Penh post as saying at the launch on May 7.

He added that Kookmin's entrance reflects returning confidence in Cambodia's banking sector among Korean investors.

"We are the lender in Korea, and we plan to extend the unit's customer base from local companies to Cambodian investors by introducing private banking and other retail services," Sohn Young Hwan, senior executive vice president of Kookmin Bank, was quoted as saying.

"We'll focus our loans on small and medium enterprises," he said, adding that Kookmin Bank Cambodia is a joint-venture between Kookmin Bank Korea and Khmer Union Bank of Cambodia, with Kookmin holding a 51-percent stake. The venture was set up in July last year and changed its name to Kookmin Bank Cambodia. The rest of the shares are held by the Republic of Korean manufacturers including KTC Kyung An Cable, Taihan Electric Wire and Posco Engineering and Construction.

Comrade Ieng Thirith to continue her free stay at the KRT jail

Cambodia court rejects bail for Khmer Rouge 'First Lady'

2009-05-11

PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Cambodia's UN-backed genocide tribunal on Monday rejected an appeal by the former "First Lady" of the hardline communist Khmer Rouge government to be released on bail.

Ieng Thirith, 77, the regime's one-time social affairs minister, is one of five top cadres in the sights of the tribunal over atrocities committed during the regime's 1975-1979 rule.

"The appeal is dismissed. The request to be released on bail is inadmissible," said Judge Prak Kimsan, the president of the tribunal's pre-trial chamber.

"There are well-founded reasons to believe that the charged person may have committed crimes with which she has been charged. There is reason to show that people were arrested from her ministry," the judge said.

The judge also cited Ieng Tririth's furious outburst when she first asked for bail in February. She told members of the court that they would be "cursed to the seventh circle of hell."

Ieng Thirith did not appear at Monday's hearing as she was not well enough to get out of bed, her Cambodian lawyer Phat Pouv Seang said.

"We do not agree 100 percent with the court decision and will try to pursue this issue in the trial," he said.

Ieng Thirith has denied her involvement in the crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge, saying that "everything was done by Nuon Chea," the regime's ideologue, who was denied bail last week.

Her husband, former Khmer Rouge foreign minister Ieng Sary, also faces trial by the tribunal.

Up to two million people died of starvation or overwork or were executed under the Khmer Rouge, which dismantled modern Cambodian society in its effort to forge a radical agrarian utopia.

The leader of the regime, Pol Pot, died in 1998. Ieng Thirith's sister Khieu Ponnary was married to him.

The ongoing first Khmer Rouge trial began in February, when the regime's notorious prison chief, Kaing Guek Eav, better known by the alias Duch, went before the court.

The genocide tribunal was convened in 2006 after nearly a decade of fractious talks between the government and United Nations over how to prosecute the former Khmer Rouge leaders.

Cambodia, S Korea to sign bilateral co-op agreements

PHNOM PENH, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian and South Korean governments will sign six agreements during the official visit of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to the South Korea in late May, national media said on Monday.
The six agreements will include grant to Cambodia, loans for Cambodia's road rehabilitation, waste water treatment, Siem Reap River's development and cooperation in the fields of construction, energy, mines and communications, according to Cambodia's state-run news agency AKP (the Agence Kampuchea Presse).

Premier Hun Sen will also attend the ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit and make a speech on the occasion during his stay in South Korea.

According to Lee Youn-joon, South Korean deputy minister of foreign affairs, the South Korean foreign minister will visit Cambodia in July, while the South-Korean president will pay a state visit to the country in October.

South Korea became the largest foreign investing country in Cambodia in 2007, according to official statistics.

Starting from behind: Going to college sometimes means catching up

Monday, May 11, 2009
By Dymanh Chhoun
MinnPost.com (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA)

This is my last semester at Normandale Community College, where I am going to be the first in my family to graduate with an associate degree.

Next year, I plan to continue my studies at the University of Minnesota. I have a B average, but getting here hasn't been easy for me.
As an immigrant student who went through public schools in Minneapolis, I believe that my experience helps explain why so many Minnesota students — about 31 percent — graduate from high school not fully prepared for college-level work.

When I started at Normandale three years ago, I tested below the college level in reading, writing and math. Anybody who takes the tests wants to receive a score of 1,000 or more because that is college level, which means you don't have to take remedial classes. I was not that lucky.

I received 960 on the reading test and 800 on the writing test so I had to take one remedial reading class and two for writing.

I wasn't alone. Three out of 10 Minnesota students who graduate from high school and go to college also have to take remedial classes.

My first year entering college was almost like my first year entering high school. I needed help with grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, even verb tense.

For some reason, what I learned in high school was all forgotten. I maybe should blame myself for not remembering the study of writing we learned in high school. I also think the schools could have done a better job preparing me.

My family is from Cambodia, but we moved to the United States from a refugee camp in Thailand when I was 4. At home, I was the one of six kids who most loved the Khmer language — speaking, music, news.

I spoke it at home with parents. I still translate English news stories into Khmer for my parents. They want to know what's going on in America and in the world and this is one way for me to remember my Khmer language. Cambodian music also played a role for me. Listening to the music and picturing the meaning helped me continue to memorize my language.

But I needed English to succeed in America. Armatage Elementary School in Minneapolis was the first American school I entered. All my dad did was bring me to my class and say in Khmer, "Goodbye. I hope you can keep your mouth shut."

At home, I talked all the time, but this time I would have to keep my mouth shut because I didn't know how to speak English. I was just 6 years old and could only understand Khmer.

I spent most of my time in special classes with other immigrant kids. While we were learning basic vocabulary, the white kids from middle-class homes were learning to read books.

By the time I left Armatage after third grade, I understood English well and spoke well enough to get in trouble for talking too much. Writing was a little harder; I only remembered the words that I considered important. I didn't care much about writing because I was too young to know that writing was going to help me in the future. My reading skills weren't great either, I was still trying to learn my vowels and how to sound out words.

At Lyndale School, where I went from 4th to 6th grade, even the native-born kids were behind. More kids were poor, and I felt like everyone was the same as me. Like me, they were trying to learn to read and write English, even though English was their native language.

The ESL classes helped me understand how to read and write better with other students whose second language was English. I wish I could have understood how important learning in the class was and how important the lessons were going to be in the future.

After seventh grade at Anthony Middle School, I didn't have to take ESL anymore. I didn't know the reason. All I cared about was that I was done, and I was happy.

I remember making fun of my brothers and friends who still had to take the class. Now I wonder if more time in ESL would have helped me master the grammar I still struggle with.

As a freshman at Roosevelt High School, almost every day I had to stay after class to ask my geography teacher how to do the homework. I knew how to read, but I didn't understand many words describing the work.

In 10th grade I took her again for history and started to understand the words and their meaning. That meant I did not have to stay after class to asked questions anymore. I remember how happy I was.

Most of the education I received from my teachers was good. I should have tried harder to focus and learned not to play around or skip out of classes. My GPA was 2.0 in high school, for which I have myself to blame. The teachers could not force me to learn; I had to force myself to do that.

I also think that teachers should have been harder graders, demanding more for students to pass their classes. The grading was too easy for students like me. Students should not pass their classes unless they accomplish their work, not just attend the classes and get a passing grade.

If the teachers let the students understand the consequence of failing, that might have driven students like me to work harder to get a passing grade.

Patricia McGowan, an English instructor for Normandale Community College for more than 20 years, isn't surprised that so many students need extra help when they come to college.

"We have many students from backgrounds that disadvantage them in terms of coming to college (and being) able to write college-level essays. Students whose parents are not very well educated themselves," she said. "To me, it is not very surprising that we have about 30 percent of students who need remedial classes."

At the same time, she thinks many high school teachers should set higher standards and be tougher on students who fall short. "Make the expectation clear, and when the students don't meet them, fail them," McGowan said.

My little sister goes to Lakeville South High School. She is only 14 and her vocabulary is much greater than mine when I was at that age. When I have to write college papers, I always ask Sarah to proofread and check my vocabulary, punctuation, grammar and even verb tense.

Why is she more skilled? Maybe she reads more books or maybe she loves learning more. Maybe being born in America and hearing English all her life has helped. Maybe going to Lakeville High School, where most students are white and middle class, also helps.

I hope when I have my own kids, I can help them understand how important education is in this country. As President Barack Obama said recently, "Whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma. And dropping out of high school is no longer an option."

The road for them to get there will be hard, but at least my kids will have a good back-up — educated parents helping guide them to success in this country.

Cambodia demands compensation from Thailand for losses caused by Thai troops in Preah Vihear

PHNOM PENH, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian government presents its complaints to Thailand on Monday, demanding compensation for the damage and losses caused by Thai troops' attack early April on its market located in front of the Temple of Preah Vihear.
"The attack with heavy weapons by Thai troops against Cambodian territory in the area close to the Temple of Preah Vihear on April 3 caused numerous damages and set a blaze the Cambodian market located in front of the temple," a note from Cambodian foreign ministry to Thailand foreign ministry said.

"A total number of 264 stands within this market were completely destroyed, causing great hardship and misery to 319 Cambodian families who have lost their livelihood," it said, adding that "the material loss incurred on these families amounts to 2,150,500 U.S. dollars."

"The Royal Government of Cambodia demands that the Royal Thai Government take full responsibility for these damages caused by Thai soldiers and to appropriately compensate the above losses," the ministry statement said.

The Preah Vihear temple became a World Heritage Site of UNESCO in July 2008. Although the International Court in Hague decided in 1962 that the temple and its surrounding area should belong to Cambodia, Thailand has been claiming its archeological value and sovereignty.

Both troops built up within the border area since July 2008, and brief military encounters in October 2008 and April 2009 have sparked concern of possible war between these two countries. Gunfire exchange during the armed clashes also led to bullet pits and other slight wound of the temple.

Activists say govt flouting UN pact

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Monday, 11 May 2009
Written by Sebastian Strangio and Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post

LOCAL rights activists say the government has shown little commitment to its international human rights obligations, declining to send a special delegation to Geneva for an upcoming UN rights review.

Cambodia comes before the UN Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights for the first time Monday, following the submission of its initial report to the committee in early January.
The report, summarising Cambodia's compliance with the International Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights, was originally due in 1994 - two years after its ratification of the covenant.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Koy Kuong confirmed Sunday that Sun Suon, Cambodia's ambassador to the UN, would be sent to participate in the hearing, adding that he had "enough ability" to make the government's presentation during the hearings.

But rights groups said the decision not to send a specialised delegation to the review session - on top of the 15-year delay - showed the government did not take its international rights agreements seriously.

"[The government] doesn't want to tell the international community the truth because the human rights situation in Cambodia is not good," said Yim Sovann, spokesman for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party.

He highlighted illegal forced evictions as a continuing concern but said sending a proper government delegation would demonstrate its willingness to engage with the world community on such issues.

Although many countries are behind schedule in their rights compliance reporting, Kek Galabru, president of local rights group Licadho, said 15 years was an unusually long time to wait for the report.

"They don't have an excuse. They didn't take the time to write a report because it is very embarrassing for them [deciding] what to say," she
said.

Dan Nicholson, Asia and Pacific program director at the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), added that the report was only filed because the committee threatened to review the country's rights record without input from the government. But ultimately, he said the lack of informed representation at the session would make it a "missed opportunity" for constructive discussion.

"Everyone appreciates that Cambodia, like every country, is a work in progress in this area, [but] if there's not a proper delegation in Geneva ... the opportunity could be missed."

A delegation of seven Cambodian and international civil society and community representatives testified before the UN committee on Friday.

According to a statement released by COHRE and international rights group Bridges Across Borders on Sunday, the delegation raised concerns about "violations of land, housing, food, natural resources and indigenous rights".

The government's 167-page report to the committee claims "all rights set out in the international covenants on human rights are recognised and implemented" in Cambodia.