Friday, January 14, 2011

KI Media

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KI Media

Posted: 14 Jan 2011 12:36 PM PST
14 January 2011
By Aidan Lewis
BBC News

A crescendo of protest has shattered Tunisia's calm over the past few weeks, with crowds spilling onto the streets in a way previously unimaginable.

Unions and traditional political groups have played some role. But it is on the internet that a new generation of activists has been credited with driving the movement forward.

This has happened despite increasingly strict controls by a government that, even before the demonstrations, was regarded as unusually zealous in its online censorship.

A steady flow of protest videos, tweets, and political manifestos has continued to make its way onto the web in a variety of languages: Arabic, the Darija Tunisian dialect, French and English.


Some encouragement has come from abroad, including France and other Arab countries. But much has been generated from within Tunisia.

"Our part as tweeple/bloggers or simple social media users is to pass the info, share it and spread the word: when, where it's happening," one Tunisia-based woman who requested anonymity told the BBC by e-mail.

"Then, once the demonstrations take place, we report live on twitter & FB [Facebook] and if some have pictures or videos, we share!"

One reason the internet has played a central role is that Tunisia has long led North Africa and the Arab world in levels of internet access.

More than 34% of Tunisia's 10 million people are online. Nearly two million people, or more than 18% of the population, use Facebook - a far higher proportion than in neighbouring countries.

But the Tunisian authorities have also built up a formidable firewall, the censor gaining the nickname of Amaar404 - a reference to the 404 message seen when a page cannot be accessed.

Press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders ranks Tunisia 164th out of 178 countries in its press freedom index. The group lists Tunisia as one of its 15 enemies of the internet, saying it has set up a "very effective system of censoring" the web.

Operation Tunisia

A sort of warm-up to the recent cyber war came with the release by Wikileaks of a number of US diplomatic cables on Tunisia in late November and early December.

Social media have been used to help get people out on the streets A Lebanese news website that published the cables, Al-Akhbar, was blocked in Tunisia, and attacked by hackers.

When the demonstrations started on 17 December, they were given little coverage in the domestic media, and were widely reported outside Tunisia as a protest over unemployment.

But the overtly political campaign on the internet escalated with Operation Tunisia, in which activists targeted government sites with Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.

This resulted in reports of widespread attacks against bloggers by the Tunisian government.

Internet users within Tunisia say these included capturing their passwords and blocking or taking control of blogs and other web pages.

Stories about the protests on international news websites such as the BBC or Al-Jazeera have also been blocked, they say.

As many as five bloggers were arrested, along with a rapper, Hamada Ben Aoun, who sang the song President, Your People Are Dead - an internet video hit. Three of the bloggers and the rapper have been released.

The US government, which has expressed its deep concern at the use of "excessive force" by Tunisian authorities during the protests, also said it was worried about reports of government-directed attacks on Tunisian users of American companies such as Facebook, Yahoo and Google.

While Facebook access has been restricted within Tunisia, the authorities have not tried to pull the site completely, and it remains the primary vehicle for posting information about the protests.

This appears to be out of fear of the possible reaction from the rapidly growing number of Tunisians who rely on it.

'Hide and seek'

Bloggers have been able to instruct others how to get round controls, by using proxies or other devices. They have also offered guidance on how to avoid putting themselves, or others, in danger.

"It's like a game of hide and seek," says one blogger who goes by the name of Foetus.

He is one of two people who founded Tunisia's opposition Takriz cyber group in 1998, and now operates out of another North African country, which he declined to name for fear that he could be identified and his family targeted.
"The level of internet activity within Tunisia is still very strong" - Lucie Morillon, Reporters without Borders
A recent instruction on one of the most popular internet forums, Nawaat, read: "We remind all users of Facebook, especially if they are connecting from Tunisia: DO NOT CONNECT from an unsecure page."

Farooq Ferchichi, a 24-year-old software engineer, said he thought the authorities had become overwhelmed by the protests, and had simply become unable to censor everything.

"We did a page called: 'Mr President, the Tunisian peoples' souls are burning,' he said by e-mail.

"It was in the beginning of the events, it was censored. People did a second page : 'Mr President, the Tunisian peoples' souls are burning 2'. After some hours many thousands joined, and it was censored. Activists did the same five times, until the government gave up."

Some videos and posts are being uploaded outside Tunisia, but according to Lucie Morillon, head of new media at Reporters Without Borders, "the level of internet activity within Tunisia is still very strong".

She thinks the impact of social media use may be greater than during protests in Iran in 2009, where the significance of what was dubbed the "Twitter revolution" was later questioned.

There has also been a growing amount of disinformation posted - partly by opposition bloggers, but also, they suspect, by government operatives trying to discredit the protesters.

On Thursday a fake statement was posted announcing the foreign minister's resignation, a hoax that Foetus claimed was his doing.

Amid the online postings, anger and resentment against President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and the perceived corruption of his regime has been clear on the web.

The government initially blamed the protests on a small fringe of extremists, though Mr Ben Ali appeared to change tack on Thursday, announcing he would stand down in 2014, expressing deep regret over the deaths of civilians, and promising media freedoms.

But many on the internet appeared sceptical, urging people to follow the line posted in one appeal on Nawaat: "All the slogans will have to reflect one demand only: Ben Ali to step down and be put on trial," it said.
Posted: 14 Jan 2011 12:29 PM PST
By Khmer Democrat, Phnom Penh
Power to the People - DISSENT!

Here's a cautionary tale for the Cambodian dictator and his sycophantic hangers-on and powers-that-be. Here's a great encouragement for the Cambodian people. Excerpt from article:

Prime Minister Claims Power in Tunisia as President Flees
International Herald Tribune
January 14, 2011
The apparent fall of Mr. Ben Ali would mark the first time that widespread demonstrations had overthrown an Arab leader.
The prime minister's announcement followed an extraordinary and fast-moving back-and-forth between the government and the protesters, who became increasingly emboldened over the last month of demonstrations. After the president tried to placate the protesters Thursday with promises of more freedom, including a right to demonstrate, tens of thousands rushed into the streets of downtown Tunis Friday to take advantage of his pledge by calling for his ouster [...]
The anti-government protests began a month ago when a college- educated street vendor burned himself to death in protest of his dismal prospects amid Tunisia's poverty.
But the mounting protests quickly evolved from demands for more jobs to demands for political reforms, focusing mainly on the perceived corruption of the government and the self-enrichment of the ruling family. The protests were accelerated by the heavy use of social-media web sites like Facebook and Twitter by Tunisia's large cohort of educated young people, who used the Internet to call for demonstrations and to circulate videos of each successive clash.
Some demonstrators also cited the evidence of cables from the United States Embassy in Tunisia that were released by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks providing vividly detailed accounts of the first family's self-enrichment and opulent lifestyle.
Before the president announced legislative elections, the crowd that gathered in the streets Friday morning on Avenue Bourguiba was celebrating its confidence that change was at hand. "Victory, victory, until the government falls," protesters chanted.
"Bouazizi you are a hero," they shouted, referring to the vendor who died. "The people of Tunisia have won."

Posted: 14 Jan 2011 12:19 PM PST
Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali took over in a bloodless coup in 1987 - Hun Xen took over from Ranariddh in a bloody coup in 1997

Profile: Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali

14 January 2011
BBC News

Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali led Tunisia for 23 years before stepping down amid an unprecedented wave of street protests.

Mr Ben Ali was credited with delivering stability and a measure of economic prosperity, but he was widely criticised for suppressing political freedoms.

Mr Ben Ali was born to a modest family near the city of Sousse in 1936.

He completed his education in France and the US before rising up the hierarchy in the Tunisian security establishment and serving as ambassador to Poland in the early 1980s.


He became prime minister in 1987, shortly before ousting Tunisia's first post-independence ruler, Habib Bourguiba, in a bloodless palace coup. President Bourguiba was declared mentally unfit to rule.

Mr Ben Ali promised a gradual transition towards democracy, though in his first two presidential polls - in 1989 and 1994 - he was elected unopposed.

But even after multi-party presidential elections were introduced in 1999 they were still one-sided affairs, with Mr Ben Ali winning huge majorities.

The constitution was changed twice so he could continue to serve.

He won his final five-year term in 2009, with his share of the vote dropping just below 90%.

Giant posters

Under Mr Ben Ali's rule, Tunisia saw steady economic growth.

It was praised for a progressive stance on women's rights and for economic reforms. Tunisia's beaches became a top destination for European tourists.

But unemployment among a swelling population of young people remained high, and large sections of the Tunisian interior remained poor.


Mr Ben Ali was forced out after a wave of demonstrations In the style of many Arab rulers, Mr Ben Ali's face became a constant presence in Tunisia, with giant posters of the president visible in public spaces across the country.

Political protest was not tolerated and human rights groups accused Mr Ben Ali's regime of unfairly arresting and mistreating political dissidents.

Under the surface, there was resentment against the perceived corruption surrounding the ruling elite, some of which was detailed in a US diplomatic cable published by Wikileaks at the end of 2010.

Mr Ben Ali was married twice with six children. His second wife, Leila Trabelsi, played a prominent role in Tunisian public life and allegedly help amass huge economic holdings for her extended family.

With no obvious rivals to Mr Ben Ali, there was speculation that he was looking to pass on power to one of his relatives.

In the final days of 2010, a series of protests began in the centre of the country after a young graduate set himself on fire when stopped from selling fruit and vegetables without a licence.

The protests, advertised widely through social media networks, gradually spread.

Mr Ben Ali initially blamed the demonstrations on a fringe of "extremists". But he changed tack on 13 January, expressing deep regrets for the deaths of protesters, pledging to introduce media freedoms, and promising to step down in 2014.

A day later he stepped down, after his offer of concessions failed to quell the unrest and huge crowds that had taken to the streets of Tunis.
Posted: 14 Jan 2011 11:58 AM PST
A Tunisian demonstrator holds a placard reading "Game Over" during a rally in front of the country's interior ministry. The president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, has relinquished power after weeks of protests. Photograph: Fethi Belaid/AFP/Getty Images
Mohammed Ghannouchi, the prime minister, declares temporary rule after president is forced out by protests

Friday 14 January 2011
Angelique Chrisafis in Tunis and
Ian Black, Middle East editor
guardian.co.uk

Tunisia's president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled his country tonight after weeks of mass protests culminated in a victory for people power over one of the Arab world's most repressive regimes.

Ben Ali was variously reported to be in Malta, France and Saudi Arabia at the end of an extraordinary day which had seen the declaration of a state of emergency, the evacuation of tourists of British and other nationalities, and an earthquake for the authoritarian politics of the Middle East and north Africa.

Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi announced to the country he had taken over as interim president, vowing to respect the constitution and restore stability for Tunisia's 10.5m citizens.

"I call on the sons and daughters of Tunisia, of all political and intellectual persuasions, to unite to allow our beloved country to overcome this difficult period and to return to stability," he said.


But there was confusion among protesters about what will happen next, and concern that Ben Ali might return before elections could be held. "We must remain vigilant," warned an email from the Free Tunis group, monitoring developments to circumvent an official news blackout.

Ben Ali, 74, had been in power since 1987. On Thursday he announced he would not stand for another presidential term in 2014, but Tunisia had been radicalised by the weeks of violence and the killings of scores of demonstrators.

Today in the capital police fired teargas to disperse crowds demanding his immediate resignation. The state of emergency and a 12-hour curfew did little to restore calm. Analysts said the army would be crucial.

Tonight on the streets of Tunis, soldiers were guarding ministries, public buildings and the state TV building. All public meetings were banned, and the security forces were authorised to fire live rounds.

The city's main avenues were deserted except for scores of soldiers. Protesters who had earlier been beaten and clubbed by police in the streets still sheltered in apartment buildings. Army vehicles were stationed outside the interior ministry.

Opposition leader Najib Chebbi, one of Ben Ali's most outspoken critics, captured the sense of historic change. "This is a crucial moment. There is a change of regime under way. Now it's the succession," he told France's i-TELE television news. "It must lead to profound reforms, to reform the law and let the people choose."

Al-Jazeera television, broadcasting the story across an Arab world which has been transfixed by the Tunisian drama, reported that a unnamed member of Ben Ali's wife's family had been detained by security forces at the capital's airport. Hatred of the president's close relatives, symbols of corruption and cronyism, has galvanised the opposition in recent weeks. Tunisians were riveted by revelations of US views of the Ben Ali regime in leaked Wikileaks cables last month.

Ben Ali's western friends, adapting to the sudden change, asked for a peaceful end to the crisis. "We condemn the ongoing violence against civilians in Tunisia, and call on the Tunisian authorities to fulfil the important commitments ... including respect for basic human rights and a process of much-needed political reform," said a White House spokesman.
Posted: 14 Jan 2011 11:51 AM PST
DICTATORS: Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia (L) and Hun Xen of Cambodia (R)
Similarities between Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Hun Xen:

  1. Families and cronies of Ben Ali own the businesses in the country: Similiar to the Hun Clan and Hun Xen's cronies in Cambodia
  2. Ben Ali's political party controls all the country's state affairs: Similiar to the CPP in Cambodia
  3. Tunisia's Ministry of Interior (and cops) terrorizes dissidents and represses human rights: Similar to Cambodia's CPP-controlled police state and judicial system


TIME TO GO DICTATORS!

Bye! Bye!
Posted: 14 Jan 2011 11:37 AM PST

Tunisian PM takes over as interim president of embattled country

January 14, 2011

From Rima Maktabi, CNN


Tunis, Tunisia (CNN) -- Tunisia's prime minister announced Friday that he is the interim president of his country's embattled government, the latest development in a fast-moving story of unrest and public outrage in a tiny but significant corner of the Arab world.

Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi announced on Tunisian state TV that he has taken over the responsibilities of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali -- who has ruled the nation since 1987.

"Based on constitution law No. 56, if the president of the republic cannot fulfill his duties, there will be an interim decision to move his executive powers to the prime minister," he said.

"Considering the fact that at the current time he (Ben Ali) cannot fulfill his duties, I take over today, the powers of the president of the republic.

"And I urge all the sons and daughters of Tunisia, from all political and intellectual backgrounds, of every affiliation, to adhere to the true national spirit. So we can safeguard our nation that is so dear to us, in order to overcome this difficult phase and return security.


"I pledge to respect the constitution and will pay specific attention to and will carry out the political, economic and social reforms that been announced this week. And to consult with all national parties of all political affiliations and all populations for the best of the nation."

The development comes amid media reports that Ben Ali has left the country following outrage over poor living conditions and repression of rights. Protesters who have held daily demonstrations have denounced corruption in the Ben Ali government and urged that he leave office.

Earlier Friday, Ben Ali dissolved the government and declared a state of emergency, state TV reported. He also called for parliamentary elections within six months. The moves came days after the president dumped the interior minister and fired a couple of aides.

Ben Ali was reacting to instability ripping through the North African country. He announced concessions in a nationally televised address Thursday to meet some grievances.

Officials said the reason for the emergency declaration is to protect Tunisians and their private property. People are not allowed on the street from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Early Friday evening, the streets in the capital, Tunis, were quiet. The airport in Tunis is essentially under a lockdown, with the facility closed and ringed by soldiers.

As part of the emergency, people in gatherings of three or more will be arrested or, if they try to run away and can't be stopped, will be fired on.

Earlier Friday, police, wielding batons and firing tear gas, dispersed demonstrators, a show of force that aggravated a peaceful gathering in the capital.

Security forces were seen brutally beating protesters, and the demonstrators fled. Fires were seen in the center of Tunis and downtown, and smoke was coming from a couple of locations.

The incident underscored concerns among Tunisians and in the international community that security forces have been badly overreacting to peaceful gatherings of protesters.

Tunisia is a pro-Western state supportive of U.S. policy in the Middle East and in the battle against terrorism. 

It has been a relatively stable and more prosperous country in what diplomats call "a rough neighborhood."

The education level in Tunisia is relatively high for the Arab world, and the country is closely linked to France and French culture.

U.S. State Department officials said Friday the Obama administration is closely monitoring the situation in Tunisia and is urging all parties to work together peacefully to resolve the political unrest.

"We are calling for calm," one official said. "Obviously the people have expressed concerns, and it is the responsibility of the government to work toward responding to the concerns of its people.

"Clearly there are divisions within society that need to be healed. ... We call on parties to come together for political dialogue."

The United States, France, and Britain have issued travel advisories, strongly warning against nonessential visits, and a tourism company announced the evacuation of 2,000 German vacationers.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the organization is closely monitoring the situation in Tunisia and has called for restraint, respect for freedom of expression and dialogue to resolve problems peacefully.

Earlier, thousands congregated in front of the Interior Ministry and chanted slogans such as "Get out!" and "Freedom for Tunisia!"

Haykal Maki, a pro-opposition lawyer who was in the throng, said protesters wanted a "regime change," the resignation of Ben Ali and lawsuits addressing the regime's corruption.

Recent diplomatic cables from the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia obtained by WikiLeaks reveal growing disquiet with the government -- and especially nepotism within the government.

WikiLeaks published a 2009 cable recounting a lavish dinner for the U.S. ambassador given by Ben Ali's son-in-law, Mohamed Sakher El Materi, a prominent businessman.

The ambassador wrote in the cable: "After dinner, he served ice cream and frozen yogurt he brought in by plane from Saint Tropez (a high-end French resort), along with blueberries and raspberries and fresh fruit and chocolate cake."

The wave of demonstrations in Tunisia -- in which people protested high unemployment, alleged corruption, rising prices and limitations on rights -- was sparked by the suicide of an unemployed college graduate, a man who torched himself in December after police confiscated his fruit cart, cutting off his source of income.

Ben Ali on Thursday vowed to cut prices of basic foodstuffs, to lift censorship and to ensure police do not use live ammunition except in self-defense, and he indicated that he would not run again for president.

There was no evidence that live ammunition was used in Tunis on Friday to disperse the crowd.

"Enough violence," Ben Ali said after at least 21 people had died in days of riots.

The 74-year-old president added that he would not push to change the law setting an age limit for presidential candidates in the next election, set for 2014.

By then, he would have exceeded the 75-year age limit. "There will not be presidency for life," he said.

Organized mainly by the country's lawyers' union and other unions, Friday's demonstration came under the watchful eye of a contingent of riot police officers.

But the protesters were not shy about slamming the government and Ben Ali. Demonstrators shouted, "Public trial for the president's family!" and "Yes to water and bread, but no to Ben Ali!"

Reem Ben Yousef, a 37-year-old university professor, told CNN the protesters say the ruling family has robbed citizens and they want them to depart from public life.

Reem said that Ben Ali's address was staged and he was cynical about the presence of a pro-government demonstration after his speech.

"We do not believe in Ben Ali and his regime," she said.
Posted: 14 Jan 2011 07:37 AM PST
FOR PUBLICATION
AHRC-ETC-002-2011
January 14, 2011

An article by Dr. Gaffar Peang-Meth published by the Asian Human Rights Commission

As we enter the fifteenth day of the New Year 2011, I would like begin this first article of the year for the Asian Human Rights Commission, with the words of Lord Gautama Buddha (563 B.C.-483 B.C.): "Everything changes, nothing remains without change".

Change is a constant. We can expect change in our lives and in our environment. Some changes will make us smile while others we wish never happened. But change there will be. Facing this inevitability, it behooves us to seek how to influence the change that we would like to see, because "yes, we can." Doing nothing increases the likelihood that we will not like the change that affects us.

"A New Soul"

We, humans, are creatures of habit, of reproductive thinking, of self-piloted, fossilized responses; and yet some wonder why they don't get different results. We are reminded, "When you do what you've always done, you will get what you've always got."

Yet, as many of us like to think of the New Year as new beginnings, an opportunity for a fresh new start, so English writer Gilbert K. Chesterton (1874-1936) wrote, with a new year "we should have a new soul."

Is a new soul possible if we continue patterned thoughts while the world changes?


"What we think, we become"

Buddha teaches, "We are what we think"; "What we think, we become"; "The mind is everything."

If indeed "We are formed and molded by our thoughts," as Buddha says, then what becomes of individuals who engage endlessly in negative thoughts of others, gossiping, and throwing venomous words? What kind of a hostile, angry world are they making?

Buddha refers to those activities as "evil of the tongue," and counsels their avoidance. Buddhists know it but there's the usual disconnect between rhetoric and action.

Buddha teaches: "If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him." Buddha reminds, what good will all the holy words you read and speak do, "if you do not act upon them?"

Contemporary Cambodians' struggle against oppression, in pursuit of universally recognized individual rights and freedom, may be explained through Buddha's precept, "We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think."

Our thoughts and behaviors are conditioned by what we learn and by what is expected of us in a society that promotes class, status, rank, role relationships, backed by a culture of asymmetric leader-follower, superior-inferior, master-servant, patron-client practices. Khmer teaching, to "korup, kaowd, klach, smoh trawng" -- respect, admire, fear, be loyal -- has been inculcated in the Cambodian persona for centuries.

In a perfect world, society's teaching, our cultural heritage can actually improve society. But our world is imperfect. It's easy to see, if we are objective analysts, how the culture and the teaching have reinforced the status quo of asymmetry in Cambodia and have promoted the Leviathan's oppression.

Thus, followers follow their particular leader -- rather than a set of rules, high principles, and good thinking -- even if the leader leads them toward the abyss; and those recognized as belonging to society's lower social, political, economic strata are expected to respect, admire, fear, and be loyal to those personalities in positions above them.

Creativity, criticality, innovation threaten the status quo; deviators are nonconformists; those who deviate from the "party line" are challengers, who eventually are denounced as traitors.

Thus, it is easier and safer to conform.

Thoughts that make the world

Buddha says, "All that we are, arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world."

Recall Pol Pot. He believed there was "no gain in keeping, no loss in eliminating" those with "incorrect thinking" -- "incorrect" because it did not conform to his. His solution was "tbaung chawb" -- a hoe blade to strike at the neck of "incorrect" individuals.

And Buddha teaches, "In a controversy, the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for truth, and we have begun striving for ourselves." Buddha tells us, "I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act."

In other words, one's fate follows one's inaction.

It's not unusual to hear from time to time some individuals assert, not unreasonably, that one person cannot bring about change; millions are needed. I question if such assertion is meant to excuse them for their inaction.

A Khmer saying goes: "Samboeurm tae peark, trokieark slab s'dok," or "Awesome are the words, (but) the hip joints lie dead".

"Work of a Single Man"

Recall Robert F. Kennedy, mortally shot by Sirhan Sirhan at The Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in June 1968. He made famous a quotation of Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw's: "Some men see things as they are and say, 'Why'? I dream of things that never were and say, 'Why not'?"

Kennedy declared in a speech: "Some believe there is nothing one man or one woman can do against the enormous array of the world's ills. Yet many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man. A young monk began the Protestant reformation, a young general extended an empire from Macedonia to the borders of the earth, and a young woman reclaimed the territory of France. It was a young Italian explorer who discovered the New World, and the thirty-two-year-old Thomas Jefferson who proclaimed that all men are created equal."

The young monk was German professor of theology Martin Luther (1483-1546). At age 34, Luther who led the Protestant Revolt, argued that people could have a direct relationship with God. He nailed his famous 95 theses to the door of a Catholic church in Wittenberg; he translated the Bible from Latin so that non-Latin-speaking people the world over can read the words of God. The Revolt unleashed the Thirty Years War between the Protestant and Catholic leagues.

The young general was Ghengis Khan (1162-1227), who started to unite nomadic tribes at a young age, and when he was 44, founded the Mongol Empire, that spread and covered 22 percent of the Earth's total land area, stretching from Central Asia to Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East.

The young woman was Jeanne d'Arc -- Joan of Arc (1412-1431) -- a French peasant girl who claimed divine guidance for her to liberate her homeland from English domination late in the Hundred Years War. While veteran commanders were dismissive of her, she rallied France's flagging troops against the English and lifted the Orleans siege in only 9 days in 1429, when she was only 17, and had Charles VII crowned King of France. She was later captured, put on trial by an ecclesiastical court, found guilty, and was burned at the stake for heresy in Rouen, France, in 1431, at age 19.

And we have read about the young Italian explorer, Christopher Columbus, who claimed he said he had first gone to sea when he was 10, who docked in England when he was 25, landed at the Americas when he was 41. We also studied the influential American forefather Thomas Jefferson, principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, at age 32, and promoter of the ideals of republicanism in the U.S.

Of course, it took many people to help Luther in the Protestant Reformation; many to help Ghengis Khan build and spread the Mongol Empire; many to fight alongside Joan of Arc. Columbus didn't sail alone; nor did Jefferson work on the Declaration, alone.

As Kennedy said, "many of the world's great movements, of thought and action, have flowed from the work of a single man."

New Year, New Thoughts?

The often-quoted words of India's pre-eminent Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) say, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

He also says, "As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world . . . as in being able to remake ourselves."

For years, I have devoted my columns to discussing how we can "remake ourselves" before we can remake anything else. This holiday season, as I wandered through a store, I stumbled on a piece of wood carved with a Chinese saying: If you want product in a year, grow grain; in 10 years, grow trees; in 100 years, grow people.

If Cambodians want to maintain their nation's survival, they should be busy with growing people – starting with growing themselves. Learning and unlearning does not yield instant results, and I have no illusion that I will see this change in my lifetime, but my children's children will. The time to learn and unlearn should have started years ago. Still, it's better late than never. This New Year is a good time start. And we should begin with Confucius' (551 B.C.-479 B.C.) teaching: "Do not do to others that which we do not want them to do to us."

A "yes can do" attitude makes our tasks easier. It uplifts our spirit, assures that we are less likely to fail. A "no can do" attitude makes a simple task difficult, like a dark cloud hovering over us, and assures us we will not succeed.

There's a true story worth retelling. It's about Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), who migrated to America with his parents from Scotland in 1848 and resettled in Pennsylvania's Allegheny region. At age 13, he began his life's first job as a bobbin boy, changing spools of thread 12 hours a day, six days a week, in a local cotton factory. He earned .20 per week.

Five years later, at 18, young Andrew took a job at the Pennsylvania Railroad. He learned about the railroad industry and about business in general.

When he was in his late 30s, Carnegie founded the Carnegie Steel Company. The company grew and became the world's largest steel manufacturer in the 1890s -- when he was 55. Carnegie, the refugee boy, became a businessman, an industrialist, and later, the world's richest man, a classic rags to riches story.

Between the ages 66 and 84, when he died, Carnegie donated most of his money to build libraries, schools, universities in the United States, England, and other countries. He famously said something that inspired me: "You cannot push anyone up a ladder unless he is willing to climb it himself."

You Choose

Like the saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink," you can choose to maintain your habitual reproductive thinking and reproductive behavior with predictable results, or you can choose productive, critical (which probes to understand, compares to determine options, and selects which is the best) and creative (which generates something new from nothing) thinking and behavior, to reach your vision of the future you want.

Not unlike people in other cultures who have their own myths, Cambodians have theirs. Some wish for the mythical Preah Bat Thoam-moek to emerge to lead them to a better future, and to protect and provide them with safety.

Yet, there are many leaders all around us, in families, at work places, in schools, in non-governmental institutions and groups. As I have written before, there are Cambodian theorists, catalysts, improvisers, and stabilizers, of Linda V. Berens's model; Cambodian peacemakers, organizers, revolutionaries, and steamrollers, of Katharine Giacalone's model; and you can read "Primal Leadership" (2002) and identify Cambodian visionaries, coaches, affiliates, democrats, pacesetters, and commanders, of Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee's model; amongst others.

There doesn't seem to be a shortage of leaders -- we learned we don't have to have a charismatic leader like Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr., to fight oppression.

But there is this huge lack of willingness to humble ourselves to reach out to Cambodians for a common goal of liberation, conforming to the Khmers' "A vieach york mok thveu kang; A trang york mok thveu kamm; A sam ro-nham york mok thveu oss dot" -- "Curved wood makes wheel; straight wood makes spoke; twisted-crooked wood makes firewood."

And there is a shortage of understanding that productive and creative thoughts will have a positive impact on our collective future.

To end this article, a Buddhist proverb is in order: "When the student is ready, the master appears."

Happy New Year 2011!
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The views shared in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the AHRC, and the AHRC takes no responsibility for them.

About the Author:
Dr. Gaffar Peang-Meth is retired from the University of Guam, where he taught political science for 13 years. He currently lives in the United States. He can be contacted at gmeth@gmail.com. pean

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About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation that monitors human rights in Asia, documents violations and advocates for justice and institutional reform to ensure the protection and promotion of these rights. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.
Posted: 14 Jan 2011 07:22 AM PST
Jan 14, 2011
DPA

Bangkok - Several hundred Thai protestors gathered at Government House and the Defence Ministry in Bangkok Friday to demand a tougher stand against Cambodia for its arrest of seven Thais along the two countries' border.

The demonstrators called for the resignation of Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan for allegedly failing to respond adequately to the arrest of the seven Thais by Cambodian authorities on charges of trespassing on Cambodian territory on December 29.

The protestors identified themselves as members of the Thai Patriots Network, which had earlier planned to march along the border near the Thai town of Aranyaprathet to voice their outrage at the Cambodian government.

'For the time being we won't go to Aranyaprathet,' said Thai Patriots Network leader Chaiwat Sinsuwong. 'But our duty still remains.'


Chaiwat insisted the seven arrested Thais, including member of parliament from the ruling Democrat Party Panich Vikitsreth and Veera Somkwamkid, an activist in the nationalist movement known as the yellow shirts, had been on Thai territory when they were detained by Cambodian troops.

During an earlier court hearing in Cambodia, Panich's lawyer said he had been visiting a border village 'to address the complaints of [Thai] villagers,' adding that the villagers had alleged that a border marker had been moved by Cambodians to encroach on Thai territory.

The protestors' proposed protest march along the border has been strongly opposed by the Thai government and by residents of the area who depend on cross-border trade for their livelihoods.

Earlier Friday, representatives of the New Politics Party, an offshoot of the yellow-shirted People's Alliance for Democracy, submitted a letter to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva demanding that he revoke a border agreement signed in 2000 due to alleged violations of Thai sovereignty by Cambodian forces.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban on Friday criticized the Thai Patriots Network and its allies for playing politics with the already volatile Thai-Cambodia border situation.

'Although the patriots have the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, they are obligated not to cause any disruptions to the people,' Suthep said.
Posted: 14 Jan 2011 07:20 AM PST
BANGKOK, Jan 14 (Bernama) -- The Phnom Penh court is expected to grant bail for temporary release to three more Thai detainees in Cambodia -- after two out of the seven Thai detainees in the Cambodian capital were released on bail on Thursday.

However, bail is unlikely for Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Pipatanapaibul, who were additionally charged with espionage.

All the seven Thai nationals -- who were arrested by Cambodian soldiers in a border area on December 29 -- were charged with illegally trespassing onto the Cambodian soil.

Two of them, Panich Vikitsreth, a Bangkok MP of the Thailand's ruling Democrat Party, and Naruemol Jitwaratana, were first granted bail by the Cambodian Court Thursday.


Both of them are staying at the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh.

Meanwhile, Thai Army commander-in-chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha said that the Royal Thai Army has sent its public relations officers to talk with local people in Sa Kaeo Province who oppose activists of Veera's Thai Patriots Network plan to rally at the Aranyaprathet border checkpoint in the province to protest against the Cambodian arrest of the seven Thai people, as the Royal Thai Army does not want to see Thai people clash with one another.

The situations along the Thai-Cambodian border in Aranyaprathet district and other areas have, however, remained normal.

Thai Navy chief-of-staff Admiral Thakerngsak Wangkaew said that naval officers of the Navy's Chanthaburi-Trat Task Force have also conducted naval patrols along the border in areas under their jurisdiction.

He confirmed that relations between Thai and Cambodian navies have been good, and that both sides have regularly visited and informed each other of their movements in advance.
Posted: 14 Jan 2011 07:13 AM PST
14/01/2011
Bangkok Post

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has rejected a request for bail for the five other Thais still in detention at Prey Sar prison, Information Department director-general Thani Thongpakdi said on Friday.

Mr Thani, citing a report from the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, said the defence lawyers immediately filed an appeal. The result was expected next week, he said.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday allowed conditional bail for two of the Thais - Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth and Narumol Chatvaratana - prompting hope that at least three others would also be released.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said after the two were released that three more Thais were expected to be freed on bail today.


However, the same Phnom Penh court today denied bail for all five still being detained at Prey Sar prison, without giving any reasons They are Thai Patriots Network (TPN) coordinator Veera Somkwamkid, his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, Samdin Lertbutr, Tainae Mungmajon and Mr Panich's aide Kitchaponthorn Chusanasevin.

The Cambodian court gave permission for Karun Saingam, a lawyer of the Thai Patriots Network, to visit the five at the prison. The date and time for the visit had yet to be fixed.

Mr Thani said he believed the court granted bail for Mr Panich and Ms Narumol for health and humanitarian reasons. He said Mr Panich suffered from high blood pressure and Ms Narumol had a thyroid problem.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had been informed of the court's decision today, Mr Kasit's secretary Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said.

Members of the TPN, a splinter group of the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy, continued to rally at gate No 4 of Government House on Phitsanulok road on Friday, pressuring the government to do more to help the seven Thais, who were arrested by Cambodian soldiers on Dec 29.

The seven have been charged with trespassing on Cambodian territory and intruding into a military zone on Dec 29. Mr Veera and Ms Ratree have also been charged with spying. Mr Veera was previously arrested by Cambodian officials and charged with illegal entry.

TPN core members were still undecided whether to move their protest to Aranyaprathet district in Sa Kaeo province in the hope of forcing the closeure of the Khlong Luek-Poi Pet checkpoint, a vital commercial entry point for Cambodian and Thai traders, and for Thai gambers heading to the Poipet casinos.

Interior Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul said he had ordered the Sa Kaeo governor to be on the alert. He urged the TPN to call off any plan to move to Sa Kaeo, saying it could affect efforts being made to get the other Thais freed.

Nearby Sa Kaeo residents are also vocally opposed to the closure of the border.

The New Politics Party called on the government to revoke the memorandum of understanding on the border signed by Thailand and Cambodia in 2000 and to press Cambodia to release the five Thais.

Representatives of the New Politics Party, founded by the yellow-shirt PAD, went to Government House to submit a letter to Mr Abhisit this morning.

They demanded the government revoke the 2000 MoU on the Thai-Cambodian border and the Thai-Cambodian Joint Border Commission, as they believed Cambodia violated Thai sovereignty.

They wanted the Cambodian government free all seven arrested Thais unconditionally.
Posted: 14 Jan 2011 07:09 AM PST
Friday, January 14, 2011
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Two senior Cambodian police officers were charged Friday with corruption, while a top anti-drug official has been detained for questioning, an anti-corruption official said.

A provincial police chief and his deputy were charged by the Banteay Meanchey provincial court, said Om Yentieng, head of the government's anti-corruption unit.

They were arrested several days ago by the anti-corruption unit on suspicion of taking bribes to release drug trafficking suspects, he said.

Om Yentieng also said the secretary-general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs has been detained on suspicion of activities related to drug trafficking and is being questioned.


Under Cambodia's first anti-corruption law, passed last year after more than a decade of delays, any official found guilty of taking bribes faces up to 15 years in prison. Cambodia, a poor country heavily dependent on foreign aid, is routinely listed by groups such as Transparency International as one of the most corrupt in Asia.

Om Yentieng said his agency found that the officers in Banteay Meanchey had received bribes from drug traffickers.

"After arresting the traffickers, they received the offenders' money for changing the confessions and the report," he said.
Posted: 14 Jan 2011 01:13 AM PST
Security guards employed by the Shukaku Inc development company pull down a barrier erected by
residents to block the destruction of their homes in Village 24 in Srah Chak commune, Daun Penh district on Friday. (Photo by: Sovan Philong)
Police protecting the Boeung Kak development for Shukaku Inc. (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)
Friday, 14 January 2011
Khouth Sophak Chakrya
The Phnom Penh Post

A photographer from The Phnom Penh Post was manhandled and briefly detained by district police at the Boeung Kak lakeside in Phnom Penh this morning, as he attempted to photograph the demolition of homes for a controversial housing project.

Sovan Philong, an award-winning Post photographer, said he arrived at the lakeside as police and construction workers began dismantling the dwellings of around 20 families.

As he was taking pictures of the stand-off between residents and police, Sovan Philong said he was blocked by a group of uniformed riot police officers and had his camera equipment seized.

"Four or five of them ran to block me – they tried to get the camera from me," he said.

Sovan Philong said that even after showing the police his press identification – issued by the Ministry of Information – the police treated him "like a robber", grabbing him by the scruff of the next and pinning his arms behind his back.

"They didn't care. They just wanted one thing: to get the camera," he added.


Police also confiscated camera equipment being used by Sovan Philong's brother, Hong Menea, 20, an apprentice photographer.

During the confiscation, Sovan Philong sustained a minor injury to his head.

After the intervention of residents and NGO representatives and other reporters who were at the scene, the police handed back the two cameras, but deleted their images of the crackdown.

In a statement yesterday, the Overseas Press Club of Cambodia condemned the police actions, calling on the authorities "to ensure that members of the press are not obstructed while doing their jobs, and that they are not unjustly accused, harassed or arrested for going about their professional duties".

The homes at Boeung Kak lake were being demolished to make way for the development of a 133-hectare housing and commercial project by local developer Shukaku Inc, a firm owned by Cambodian People's Party Senator Lao Meng Khin, and China's Inner Mongolia Erdos Hung Jun Investment Co.

Housing rights activists say more than 4,000 families are set to make way for the project.

When asked on Friday for the name of his superior officer, one municipal police officer stationed outside Shukaku's lakeside office said his boss had "no name and no phone number".

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith could not be reached for comment on Friday.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SEBASTIAN STRANGIO
Posted: 14 Jan 2011 01:02 AM PST
01/14/2011
VOV News (Hanoi)


Deputy Foreign Minister Ho Xuan Son, Head of Vietnam's National Border Committee and Var Kim Hong, Head of Cambodia's Border Committee and a representative from Blom Info AS of Denmark on January 13 signed a contract to produce a new set of maps of the national border between Vietnam and Cambodia.

Previously, from Jan.10-13, negotiations on the production contract of the set of maps were held in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh.

The contract manifests close cooperation and the determination of Vietnam and Cambodia to complete the set of maps of their national border and all border demarcation-related work by the end of 2012, aiming to build a border of peace, friendship and cooperation between the two nations.

An international press briefing took place after the signing ceremony.
Posted: 14 Jan 2011 12:14 AM PST
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Thomas Miller
The Phnom Penh Post

Four civil society umbrella organisations yesterday urged the government to make Monday's consultation the beginning – rather than the end – of public debate on its controv ersial draft NGO law.

In a statement yesterday, the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia, NGO Forum, Medicam and the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee – representing more than 400 local and international NGOs working in Cambodia – called on the government to incorporate their recommendations into the law.

It also requested the establishment of a joint government-civil society working group to make further revisions.

"Our aim is to have a law that is enabling for us rather than a law that would restrict operations and also our ability to serve the people," said CCC executive director Lun Borithy.


The groups yesterday delivered a statement and summary report of recommendations yesterday to the ministries of interior and foreign affairs, he said.

The report includes a host of proposals that amount to considerable changes to the law.

The groups called for registration requirements to be simplified and incorporate registration provisions from the 2007 Civil Code.

It also added that associations and small organisations should be excluded from the scope of the law.
It would be very hard for us and the entire community to accept the law as it stands.
Reporting requirements should be scaled according to an organisation's size, the report added. Suspension and dissolution of NGOs should also proceed in accordance with
an organisation's charter, the Civil Code and donor requirements.

"We want those recommendations to be reflected into the current draft and a second draft to be shared with us," Lun Borithy said.

Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said the government has "no position" on the proposals as yet. The ministries of interior and foreign affairs, which co-authored the draft, will meet to discuss the issue but "don't have any schedule yet to make a decision on that", he added.

Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak could not be reached for comment.

The government's next step is to advance the law to the Council of Ministers. But civil society organisations are calling for significant changes before that happens.

"It would be very hard for us and the entire community in Cambodia to accept the law as it stands," Lun Borithy said.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has also weighed in on the draft law.

Christophe Peschoux, OHCHR's country representative, said in an email following Monday's meeting that his office had given the government a report analysing the draft and questioning "whether a new law is legally necessary, given existing laws".

"Our office welcomes and fully supports a full and meaningful debate and consultation of this law, both in terms of its legal necessity, and its contents. We welcome the consultation that began [Monday] and hope that it will continue throughout the process of development of this law, including when it will be debated by Parliament," Peschoux said.

"The enactment of a law enabling the further development of civil society in Cambodia is crucial to the continued development of Cambodia and its society, and would place Cambodia as a champion in the region."
Posted: 14 Jan 2011 12:02 AM PST
Samith Virak following his arrest on Monday. (Photo by: Sovan Philong)
Peuy Pel (Photo: DAP-news)
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Thet Sambath and Khouth Sophak Chakrya
The Phnom Penh Post

A BRIGADIER general arrested this week for allegedly possessing illegal weapons has been sent to military court for questioning, officials said yesterday, as an associate of the officer was arrested in Siem Reap province.

Samith Virak, deputy director of the materials and technology department at the defence ministry, was arrested at his home on Monday and brought to military court yesterday for interrogation by prosecutors, said Ney Thol, head of the military court.

"I did not get a report about the suspect's answers. Now this case is in the hands of the prosecutor and I am waiting on a report from him," Ney Thol said.


Sao Sokha, the national military police commander, said on Monday that Samith Virak was arrested in September 2001 on suspicion of involvement with a group called the Cambodian Freedom Fighters, which staged an armed terrorist attack in 2000 on the Ministry of Defence and the Council of Ministers. He was released on bail in 2002, however, and his case was never brought to trial.

"We are investigating to find out who allowed this man to get a position at the Ministry of Defence," Sao Sokha said on Monday, adding that police were also investigating "whether this man trafficked weapons or created any illegal movements or insecurity in the country".

Sao Sokha said police had confiscated 12 illegal firearms from the general's office and five from his house on Monday, adding that "Samith Virak" was an alias, and that the suspect's real name was Pich Thoeun.
Prum Sornthon, chief prosecutor of the military court, said yesterday that he could not remember why Samith Virak's case had never been brought to trial in 2002.

"I cannot say anything about that because there are too many cases," Prum Sornthon said.

Peuy Pel, a lieutenant colonel in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, was also arrested yesterday in Siem Reap province's Banteay Srei district for allegedly possessing illegal weapons including a rifle and a pistol.

The arrest and confiscation were done on land owned by Samith Virak, according to Ngem Sila, deputy military police chief for Siem Reap.

"We sent the suspect and the evidence including an AK-47 rifle and a K-54 handgun to Phnom Penh for the military court to take action through legal procedures," he said.

A military officer who declined to be named said Peuy Pel's arrest was linked to Samith Virak's case. Police at the scene of Samith Virak's arrest on Monday said the general was also under investigation for "other issues" aside from weapons, but declined to elaborate.
Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:24 PM PST
Friday, January 14, 2011
The Nation

The Thai Patriots Network can not force the prime minister to step down by protesting and its threat to seal off the border at Aranyaprathet is not a solution to help freeing the five Thais detained in Cambodia, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said on Friday.

"Although the patriots have the contitutional right for peaceful assembly, they are obligated not to cause any disruptions to the people," he said.
Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:18 PM PST

UBON RATCHATHANI, Jan 13 (MCOT online news) - Two Cambodians have been released after a Thai court sentenced them to two-year suspended jail terms for illegally trespassing into Thailand while they were collecting forest products.

Ubon Ratchathani Governor Prawat Ratirom accompanied two Cambodian villagers from Preah Vihear province to the Chong Sangam border crossing in Sisaket province to hand over the two Cambodian nationals to Preah Vihear deputy governor Sor Thavy who was waiting to receive them.

Both men were arrested by Thai soldiers as they collected forest products in the Phanom Dong Rak Mountain Range near Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani province on Dec 29.

They were charged with illegally entering the Thai kingdom and were sentenced on Thursday to two months prison but the jail term was suspended and they were fined Bt2,500 each.


Mr Prawat said Preah Vihear Governor Oum Mara coordinated with him to help the two Cambodians.

They were set free as they did not intend to trespass into Thai territory but they became lost and their detention period exceeded the fine, according to the Thai governor.

Mr Prawat said the two Cambodian nationals were released to demonstrate Thailand's sincerity and establish positive relations between Thai and Cambodian local authorities.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the release of the two Khmers has nothing to do with the Cambodian court agreeing to grant bail for two of seven Thais detained in Phnom Penh charged with trespass into Cambodia territory.

He said it was the co-incident not the exchange of prisoner deal between the two countries.

The Cambodian court on Thursda allowed Mr Panich Vikitsreth, MP for Bangkok and Naruemol Chitwaratana of the People's Network Against Corruption and Santi Asoke networks, to be temporary freed under bail.

The seven were arrested Dec 29 by the Cambodian authorities for illegal entry into Cambodia in Banteay Meanchey province and are now detained in Phnom Penh's Prey Sar Prison.
Posted: 13 Jan 2011 11:08 PM PST
14/01/2011
Veera Prateepchaikul
Bangkok Post

The foolhardy adventurism of seven Thais remains the talk of the town two weeks after their arrest by Cambodian soldiers. Meanwhile in Bangkok, business owners at Ratchaprasong intersection can no longer tolerate the red-shirt protests and ask the UDD to give them a break.

The border intrusion saga involving seven Thais who were caught by Cambodian forces before the year's end took a turn for the better, but only slightly, when the Phnom Penh Municipal Court decided on Thursday to release two of the detainees on bail.

The Thai embassy in Phnom Penh put up one million riel, about 7,500 baht, for each of them - Democrat MP for Bangkok Panich Vikitsreth and Ms Narumol Chivarattana. They were released on the condition they must not leave Cambodia and must report to authorities when summoned.

Mr Panich and Ms Narumol have taken temporary refuge at the Thai embassy.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya disclosed that a group of Cambodian border crossers held in Thailand were sent home in return for the release of the two Thais.


The other five Thais, including Veera Somkwamkid, a leader of the Thai Patriots Network, a splinter faction of the People's Alliance for Democracy, and his secretary Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, were still being detained at Prey Sar prison in the Cambodian capital on charges of illegal entry and trespassing on a military area. Mr Veera and Ms Ratree each face an additional charge of spying.

The seven were arrested while on a trip they said was to investigate alleged intrusions into Thailand near a border village in Sa Kaeo province by Cambodian people. A video clip posted on YouTube showed Mr Panich, talking with a man via mobile phone and admitting that his team was on Cambodian soil. The inspection trip led by Mr Panich had the blessing of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Meanwhile in Bangkok, members of the Thai Patriots Network (TPN) led by Chaiwat Sinsuwong rallied in front of Government House Thursday to demand the resignation of Mr Abhisit and Mr Kasit. They threatened to block the Aranyaprathet-Poipet border crossing, which is a major trading post for Thais and Cambodians alike. Besides, the Cambodian border town of Poipet boasts several casinos which attract thousands of Thai punters, especially on weekends.

But TPN members will face stiff resistance if they carry on with their threat to shut the border checkpoint. Some 1,500 local people from several districts of Sa Kaeo province staged a rally Thursday at Muang district to protest against the TPN, which was later reported to have cancelled the protest.

On the political front, the main spotlight of the week was on the conflict between the Democrats and their coalition partners over a single issue in the charter amendments bill which passed the first reading in the parliament and which narrowly won the endorsement of the constitutional amendments scrutiny committee by only 18 votes to 17 on Tuesday, with the chairman casting the deciding vote.

The issue is about the proportion of constituency and party list MPs in the House of Representatives. The amendments bill seeks to change the ratio from 400 for constituency MPs and 80 list MPs to 375 and 125 respectively. The coalition parties, minus the Democrats, want the seating formula to revert to the 400 and 100 formula specified in the previous constitution of 1997.

The minor coalition parties, which include Bhumjaithai, Chart Thai Pattana and Puea Pandin, argue that the 375 plus 125 formula will benefit only the Democrats, as it will help them win more party list seats.

After their proposed formula was outvoted in the constitutional amendments scrutiny committee led by Democrat MP Therdpong Chaiyanant, Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart of the Chart Thai Pattana Party told reporters that he was confident that their formula would, in the end, be accepted.

So far, the Democrats have stuck to their guns and Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has been assigned to discuss the matter with the coalition partners.

The opposition Puea Thai Party has supported the dissenting coalition parties' formula although they have boycotted the government's charter amendments bill from the very beginning. The party wants to revive the 1997 charter with changes made to the chapter regarding the Privy Council.

Another significant event of the week was the rally on Tuesday by some 2,000 business operators, vendors, employees and residents at Ratchaprasong shopping district against red-shirt protests, which they say have seriously affected their lives, businesses and livelihood generally.

The Ratchaprasong Square Traders Association said that red-shirt protests during March and May last year caused big losses for some 2,000 business operators, to the tune of 11.2 billion baht, and that the protest on Sunday Jan 9 this year alone cost them about 100 million baht in lost sales.

RSTA wants the red-shirts to protest elsewhere and the government to find a suitable location for future gatherings by all political groups. The traders also called on the government to accelerate the passing of a law on public gatherings to ensure that such activities do not cause hardship or inconvenience to other people.

A discussion is under way between representatives of the red-shirt movement and the Ratchaprasong business operators about the next protest, scheduled for Jan 23, at Ratchaprasong intersection.

Another topical political issue of the week was the government's nine New Year "gifts" for the Thai people announced by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva last week as part of the government's ambitious Pracha Wiwat programme.

The nine gifts are; continued free electricity for households which use less than 90 units a month; credit arrangements for taxi drivers to buy new cars; social security coverage for informal workers; registration of motorcycle taxi-drivers so they are freed from having to pay under-the-table fees to loca mafia; additional trading spots for vendors; and the freezing of the price of LPG for home and transport sector use.

Criticism of the handouts range from borrowing future money to curry favour from voters ahead of the coming general election and putting the burden on future generations, weakening the Thai people to the extent that they will have to depend on government handouts, and potentially bankrupting the economy.

Among the critics was Privy Councillor Kasem Wattanachai, who voiced serious concern over the populist policies. He said that politicians all over the world are of the same mould – that is, they care only about getting votes in an election.
Posted: 13 Jan 2011 10:56 PM PST
14/01/2011
Bangkok Post

The New Politics Party has called on the government to revoke the memorandum of understanding on the border signed by Thailand and Cambodia in 2000 and to press Cambodia to release the five Thais still detained at Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh.

Representatives of the New Politics Party, founded by the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy, went to Government House on Friday morning to submit a letter to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

They demanded the government revoke the 2000 MoU on the Thai-Cambodian border and the Thai-Cambodian Joint Border Commission, as they believed Cambodia violated Thai sovereignty.

They wanted the Cambodian government free all seven arrested Thais unconditionally.


The seven, including Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth and yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid, have been charged with trespassing on Cambodian territory and intruding into a military zone on Dec 29.

Two of the seven - Mr Panich and yellow-shirt member Narumol Jitrawarattana - have been released on bail by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday.

Mr Veera, who has previously been arrested for illegal entry into Cambodia, and a woman, have also been charged with spying.
Posted: 13 Jan 2011 10:50 PM PST

Indefatigable Cambodian journalist carries camera for 10 years until murderers finally come clean

January 13, 2011
By Martin Dunphy
Straight.com (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

A documentary by Thet Sambath and Rob Lemkin. Unrated. Plays Saturday to Monday, January 15 to 17, and Thursday, January 20, at the Vancity Theatre

The recent decision (on January 13) by a special UN–backed Cambodian court to dismiss appeals by four accused Khmer Rouge war criminals and proceed to trial affixes a stamp of finality to Enemies of the People.

The absorbing and historic 2009 documentary by Phnom Penh journalist Thet Sambath, years in the making, ends with the imminent detention in 2007 of the Communist Khmer Rouge's former number-two man, Nuon Chea, prior to indictment on charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Chea helped rule Cambodia, then called Democratic Kampuchea, as chief ideologist with the infamous Pol Pot from 1976 to 1979, when the government crumbled with the country's invasion by Vietnam. Prior to that, the communist Khmer Rouge movement executed or killed through starvation or disease as many as 2.5 million people, mostly ethnic minorities, monks, intellectuals, and those tainted by any contact with outside, capitalist governments or "influences".


Sambath's father was killed after a village meeting where he questioned the abolition of private property, and his brother and mother also died during the purges. Thet became determined to document for posterity the reasons for the genocide and who was responsible for this monstrous chapter of Cambodia's history.

"Nobody understands why so many people were killed," Sambath says in a voice-over at the film's start.

About two decades after the collapse of the Khmer Rouge, Sambath started to track down the largely anonymous farmers and uneducated peasants who were responsible for most of the killings, especially in the country's northeast. Chea was relatively easy to track down as he had returned from exile in 1998 as part of a surrender deal that included no prosecution, and he was living near the Thailand border.

Without mentioning his family's fate, the journalist won the confidence of former murderers on farms and in small villages during dozens of visits. These social connections and, eventually, filmed interviews took place over an astonishing period of time—seven years in several cases, and almost 10 years with Chea—before he was able to comfortably ask questions about the killings.

With codirector and writer Rob Lemkin shouldering a second camera during his epic quest's later years, Sambath wrested some astonishing, and chilling, revelations from his subjects. One executioner's casual re-creation of his preferred method of killing and his complaint of sore wrists after so much throat-slitting brings to mind writer Hannah Arendt's famous phrase about the "banality of evil". There is horrific, almost offhand talk of the slaughter of children first so they wouldn't scream as they saw their parents killed. Blame is shifted from the peasant ranks to the local cadre to regional bosses, and so on up the chain. Chea's final admissions are damning and his apologies defiant. He says the killers should be "proud": "If we had shown mercy to these people, the country would have been lost."

Ultimately, Sambath's interviews—although unravelling only a tiny portion of the quilt of unacknowledged guilt that lies heavy over that period of his country's history—demonstrate a startling similarity between that genocide and the much swifter, later, atrocities in Rwanda less than 20 years down the road. Common people, mostly uneducated, rural villagers, also committed most of those murders as a result of sustained indoctrination, peer pressure, drunkenness, and fear of retribution. Another kindred element? A lack of any feeling of real responsibility. Later interviews with Rwandan thugs and survivors by authors such as Philip Gourevitch and Jean Hatzfeld reveal feelings shared by the killing tools of the Khmer Rouge.

One can only hope that Sambath and Lemkin's effort assists in laying the groundwork to help the world identify such genocides-in-the-making while they are still in their infancy.
Posted: 13 Jan 2011 10:37 PM PST
By Ramjit

TIMOR-LESTE, Jan 14 (Bernama) -- Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya urged Cambodian authorities to speed up legal process on seven Thais arrested for illegally entering Cambodia and move on with numerous tasks on bilateral cooperation for mutual benefits, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.

During his visit to Timor Leste on Thursday, Kasit gave the comment after two of the seven Thais were granted bail by Cambodian Court, that Cambodia could quickly resolve the case, as it was not a matter of serious crime, and that Thailand was ready for a swift settlement after it had made forthright clarifications.

He said previously in the past 3-4 months, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had already met with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen four times, and therefore, the case of the seven Thais should not hinder bilateral cooperation.


Kasit is on an official visit to Timor-Leste for the first time since assuming his post, where he was welcome by Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta, and is scheduled for courtesy calls with Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and President of the National Parliament Fernando de Araujo, on Friday.

The Thai Foreign Minister's agenda for discussion during his Timor visit include bilateral cooperation in the fields of technical assistance, fishery, education and energy, together with conveying Thailand's support for Timor-Leste's prospective Asean membership.

After the Timor-Leste visit, Kasit will attend the Asean Ministerial Meeting Retreat in Lombok Island of Indonesia starting from Saturday, during which he will hold a sideline meeting with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong.
Posted: 13 Jan 2011 10:27 PM PST
PMT airplane wreckage (Photo: AP)
SEOUL, Jan 14 (Bernama) -- A Seoul court Friday ordered a Cambodian airline to pay 3.2 billion won (US$2.8 million) in compensation to the families of passengers who died in a 2007 plane crash, Yonhap news agency reported.

PMT Air's Antonov An-24 crashed in southern Cambodia in June 2007 on its way to the beach resort town of Sihanoukville from Angkor International Airport in Siem Reap.

All 44 passengers aboard were killed in the accident, including 13 tourists from South Korea.

Eleven family members of the deceased had filed a suit in 2008 seeking 4.5 billion won in compensation, claiming the accident was caused by defects in the small passenger plane as well mistakes by pilots and the local control tower.
Posted: 13 Jan 2011 10:05 PM PST
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Source: http://www.apac2011wjp.org/mu-sochua-to-speak-at-apac

Mu Sochua, a Cambodian Parliament member, will be a panelist at the Asia Pacific Rule of Law Conference. Sochua has been an outspoken advocate for a diverse array of human rights issues in Cambodia, including a campaign against sex trafficking, the prevention of domestic violence and the promotion of labor rights for women. For more information on Mu Sochua and other prominent speakers at the Asia Pacific Rule of Law Conference, please visit our speaker page.

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Speaker Biography

Mu Sochua
Member of Parliament, Cambodia

Mu Sochua, a member of the Cambodian Parliament and advocate for human rights, gained her freedom from the Khmer Rouge as a girl when her parents put her on a plane to Paris in 1972. After 18 years of exile and a successful career in the U.S. as a social worker, Sochua returned to Cambodia and found her country transformed into what Time magazine called "a pervert's paradise", where women and girls were so devalued that becoming a sex worker was a common fate.

As Cambodia's first woman seated as Minister of Women's Affairs, Sochua negotiated an agreement with Thailand allowing Cambodian women trafficked as sex workers there to return to their home country in lieu of being jailed. As the author and defender of the Domestic Violence Law in the Cambodian Parliament, Sochua has served the women of her nation as an unrelenting advocate for the preservation and full practice of women's rights. She also launched a campaign to bring NGOs, law enforcement officials and rural women into a national dialogue and education program to help protect women and girls victimized by trafficking and to boost prevention efforts nationwide. In 2005, when Vital Voices honored Mu Sochua in Washington, D.C. for her efforts in combating child trafficking in her native Cambodia, she said her mind remained with the women and children of Cambodia and called for international attention to government corruption and human rights abuses in her government, conditions she says create a climate where traffickers flourish. Sochua continues to be steadfast in her call for action toward the formation of an authentically democratic Cambodia where women's rights are revered as human rights.
Posted: 13 Jan 2011 09:58 PM PST

According to a trusted source from San Jose, California, HoChiMonk Long Kimleang was deported back to Cambodia on January 12, 2011. By this time, he might already arrive at Cambodia.

HoChiMonk Long Kimleang was secretly sponsored by the President of a Khmer temple, known as Mervyn Temple because it locates on Mervyn road, in San Jose, California. Most of the boards of this temple do not know his background so no one said a word.
HoChiMonk Long Kimleang was one of the monks who went to arrest, defrock, and deport Venerable Tim Sakhorn to imprison him in Vietnam in 2007.

During the Khmer Krom Buddhist monks protested in Phnom Penh to demand the Vietnamese government to release the Khmer Krom Buddhist monks who were imprisoned in Vietnam, HoChiMonk Long Kimleang also led a group of HoChiMonks to beating up the Khmer Krom monks. He took the pictures of the Khmer Krom monks so he could use as evident to arrest and defrock them back to imprison in Vietnam.

On July 4, 2009, Venerable Tim Sakhorn was granted a political asylum status to live in Sweden. After arriving Sweden and without scaring for his safety, Venerable Tim Sakhorn started telling the truth about who were involving arresting, defrocking, and deporting him to Vietnam. By that time, the Khmer around the world, especially in San Jose, California, were totally shocked by that news. Most of the Board Directors of the Mervyn temple agreed to send him back, but only the President and Secretary of that temple had tried to defend and protect for HoChiMonk Long Kimleang.

When Venerable Tim Sakhorn visited San Jose in June 2010, Venerable Tim Sakhorn even forgave HoChiMonk Long Kimleang if he came to meet him and said sorry for what he had done to Venerable Tim Sakhorn. May be HoChiMonk Long Kimleang thought that he has money and under protected by the President and Secretary of that temple, he did not even bother to come to meet Venerable Tim Sakhorn. There were complaints had filed to the US INS and finally the justice came for Venerable Tim Sakhorn.

Thanks to the US INS for standing strong to support Human Rights and to demonstrate that the United States is not a place for the people who committed the crimes against Human Rights like HoChiMonk Long Kimleang to live. It is also a lesson for the Cambodian community in the United States to stop sponsoring the HoChiMonks coming to the United States as religious workers because those monks don't even have a basic morality as Human Beings. They are Buddhist monks but they work to serve the CPP Party and its master, the Vietnamese Communist government.
Posted: 13 Jan 2011 09:54 PM PST
Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

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