KI Media |
- Cambodia Court Convicts Five Thai Detainees [... not really]
- Cambodia Should Rethink Its Plan For NGOs
- The Voice of Their Masters: The Three Musketeers
- [Hun Xen's] Musketeers all for one
- 26 Years of Oppression and Abuses
- On the suspension of the jail sentence for the 5 Thai border trespassers
- [Cambodian] Court frees Panich, 4 others [-Did the Thai court ever do that for Khmers?]
- Defense Seeks Release of Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan [... only if they can bring those who were killed by the KR back to life?]
- Tunisia-type revolt keeps Dictator Hun Xen awake at night?
- The IRI miscounted: it was not 76% of Cambodians who are satisfied with country's direction, BUT 110%
- Lawyers appeal to Cambodian Supreme Court to free Veera
- Thai five sentenced to jail, then freed
- Cambodia convicts 5 Thais of illegal entry
- Cambodian attorney fighting for justice got start in Grand Rapids
- In Remembrance of a Slain Hero, CHEA Vichea
- Mr. Hun Xen doesn't want us to call him "Ah Kbot Cheat" (Traitor): Opinion by Uon Sim
- Dharma: Op-Ed by Ven. Hok Savann
- Som Niyeay Phorng - Op-Ed by Angkor Borei News
- Hun Xen Defends Closure of UN Refugee Center
- Arbitration Council Reports Fewer Labor Disputes
- Graft Arrests Prompt Questions of ACU Motive [-Peal See Peal]
- Cambodia's Food Security
- Cambodia To Build Bridge On Trans-Asean Road [-Neak Loeung Bridge]
- Cambodia is moving in the right direction ... as usual again: IRI
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 04:06 PM PST   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 03:55 PM PST The Cambodian government is considering plans to impose controls on the large number of foreign and domestic non-governmental organizations. 01-21-2011 Voice of America Editorials We urge Cambodian officials to reconsider whether such a measure is needed. The Cambodian government is considering plans to impose controls on the large number of foreign and domestic non-governmental organizations that operate medical, educational, humanitarian, civil society and other programs in their country. The law, as currently drafted and announced in December, would impose burdensome restrictions on civil society organizations, including requirements to register and report their activities every year, in addition to several other vague requirements for obtaining permission to continue their work. The Royal Government of Cambodia says the law is needed to increase transparency among the Southeast Asian nation's network of NGOs, and prevent terrorists and criminal gangs from using groups based in Cambodia as fronts for their operations. The move is drawing mounting criticism from civil society representatives, who fear the law represents an effort by the government to control what their groups do for the Cambodian people and where they do it. Small community-based groups say compliance with the current draft law would be difficult and could threaten their very existence. The United States shares these concerns, opposing any law that constrains the legitimate activities of NGOs. We urge Cambodian officials to reconsider whether such a measure is needed. A strong and free civil society is vital to strengthening democratic institutions, enhancing economic and humanitarian well-being and promoting a sustainable economy. In Cambodia, as in many other countries, NGOs and other similar groups make important contributions in these areas. Government officials there have asked for input from civil society representatives about the draft law, and the United States urges the Royal Government of Cambodia to take their concerns very seriously as they move forward on the issue.   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 03:47 PM PST    | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 03:41 PM PST  Saturday, January 22, 2011 Bangkok Post Cambodia's Press and Quick Reaction Unit's key men Phay Siphan and Tith Sothea have joined fellow spokesman Koy Kuong in defending the interests of Cambodia and its premier Hun Sen. Cambodia's so-called Three Musketeers have been very effective in their swift political responses to whoever picks a fight with their beloved leader. The unit was established in June 2009 in a sub-decree signed by Hun Sen and comes under the supervision of veteran politician Sok An, minister of the council of ministers. From the outset, the unit aimed to react to news or any information disseminated by national, international sources and critics that is deemed a threat to Cambodia, its government and its national identity. The Three Musketeers are part of a modernised and restructured Cambodian administration with veteran politicians, diplomats and brothers-in-arms in place as advisers to the government. The group includes younger-generation Cambodians and their faces have become familiar with both local and foreign media as they have been doing their jobs as quickly as their unit title suggests. Phay Siphan, in his early 50s, was one of the ministry's so-called 16 secretaries of state. A former refugee boy at the Thai-Cambodian border, he holds dual Cambodian and American citizenship and has been serving the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) for the past three decades. Phay Siphan was an appointed senator under the CPP quota before the Cambodian senate became an elected one in 2006 thanks to his loyalty to the CPP. In 1979, he migrated to the US. During his senate years, Phay Siphan and two other senators were sacked because of their opposition to a CPP-sponsored bill. He was invited back from the US to become the unit's mouthpiece. Chhang Song, his senator colleague and also former information minister during the Lon Nol-led regime, was also invited to be an adviser to the Hun Sen administration. Tith Sothea and Koy Kuong are 10 years younger than Phay Siphan. Like other spokesmen elsewhere, they have risen to the spotlight amid disputes and conflicts. The unit's responses have been very timely in English and targeted the international audience. It has aimed its fire at the ultra-nationalist yellow shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in Thailand and Cambodia's opposition leader Sam Rainsy. The unit is well staffed to monitor hostility, verbal or otherwise, against the Cambodian leader and their country. The unit has complained strongly to Google that its cyber maps grossly misrepresent Cambodia's long-contested border with Thailand. It has also responded to any critical NGO reports such as those furnished by Freedom House and Human Rights Watch that rank Cambodia low for its human rights record. Earlier, the unit lashed out at key PAD members such as ML Walvipa Charoonroj in May and Sondhi Limthongkul in August for what it said were their attempts to obstruct the two countries from reaching a resolution to their border conflict.   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 02:46 PM PST
2011-01-21 Radio Free Asia (English) Cambodia's rights record may worsen under continued rule, rights activists warn. Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen marked 26 years in power last week, winning praise from his party for bringing growth and slashing poverty but criticized by rights activists for stifling freedom, silencing the opposition, and fostering corruption. The 59-year-old Hun Sen is the longest-serving leader in Southeast Asia after the Sultan of Brunei and has vowed to remain in power for another decade, with a vision to bolster the economy by boosting rice exports and the incomes of Cambodians who now largely rely on the garment and textile industry. "If I am still alive, I will continue to stand as a candidate until I am 90," he said in 2007. But two years later, he said he would be out by 2023. Chea Sim, head of the ruling Cambodian People's Party, said it would continue to pick Hun Sen as the Prime Minister after the next general elections in 2013, which it is confident of sweeping. He said that Hun Sen had brought peace to the country, once ruled by the fanatically communist Khmer Rouge which caused the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people, and that he has maintained a democratic government based on the rule of law. Other party officials said the prime minister has helped fuel economic growth, slashed poverty, and brought political stability. Rights violations But opposition leaders and rights groups say Hun Sen's continued rule will only worsen human rights violations and corruption and result in authoritarian rule. "I think Hun Sen wants to consolidate power," said Brad Adams, executive director of New York-based Human Rights Watch's Asia Division. "He wants to finish up his critics in Cambodia. He wants a one-party state even though he pretends to hold elections once every five years because he can manage and win them automatically." Adams also accused Hun Sen of wanting "to control all Cambodia's resources, and he is changing Cambodia towards capitalism under dictatorship." Cambodia was among 25 countries whose freedom levels plunged in 2010 amid an erosion of civil rights and political liberties, according to global watchdog Freedom House. "Cambodia received a downward trend arrow due to the government's consolidation of control over all aspects of the electoral process, its increased intimidation of civil society, and its apparent influence over the tribunal trying former members" of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, the group said in a report last week. Transparency International, the Berlin-based monitoring group, said in a recent report that 43 percent of Cambodians polled said corruption had increased and 30 percent felt it had decreased, while 27 percent believed it was around the same. Cambodia's judiciary was found to be the most corrupt sector in that country, it said. Busting graft But Hun Sen's Office of the Council of Ministers said the authorities are moving forcefully to end graft. "Cambodia now has an Anti-Corruption Law, and the Anti-Corruption Unit is actively and publicly pursuing cases of alleged corruption," it said. The Office of the Council of Ministers also dismissed criticism of Hun Sen's long hold on power, citing former prime ministers Mahathir Mohamad and Lee Kuan Yew of neighboring countries Malaysia and Singapore respectively who were also at the helm for many years. "This is a strange criticism indeed, for longevity in office is not typically held as a negative attribute," it said in a statement. "But the prime minister is a relatively young man and in good health, and thus can be expected to contribute to the progress of the country for many years to come." Cambodia's main opposition party leader Sam Rainsy, Hun Sen's arch-rival, is living in exile after fleeing the country in 2009 fearing what he called politically motivated charges. He was convicted in absentia in September last year and sentenced to 10 years in prison for a politically sensitive comment about a border dispute with Vietnam, cited by critics as an example of the government's intimidation of its opponents. The lawsuit was filed after Sam Rainsy questioned whether the border had been incorrectly marked by the government to Cambodia's disadvantage. Earlier, a year ago, a court sentenced Sam Rainsy to two years in prison for a political protest in which border markers were uprooted along the frontier with Vietnam. He led the protest to dramatize his claim that Vietnam is encroaching on Cambodian territory, an issue he often raises to garner public support. Sam Rainsy had accused the court of being a political instrument, saying that "Everybody ... rightly says that the judiciary in this country is everything but independent, being only a political tool for the authoritarian ruling party to silence any critical voices." Opposition out of touch? With the opposition leader out of the country, the movement's future appears bleak. Some civil society groups say that Rainsy's party has lost touch with its original pro-democracy platform, focusing instead on emotional nationalistic disputes with the ruling party. Hun Sen, once a member of the ultra-leftist Khmer Rouge, later turned on the them and joined Vietnamese forces which defeated the Khmer Rouge in 1979. The Vietnamese communists installed a new Cambodian government that year, and in January 14, 1985, Hun Sen was made prime minister He is sympathetic to Hanoi, while part of Sam Rainsy's support comes from appealing to traditional anti-Vietnamese sentiment among Cambodians who do not trust their much larger neighbor. Yim Sovann, Sam Rainsy's spokesperson, said Cambodia might have achieved development under Hun Sen but that many issues remain unresolved. The country is debt-laden and lives on foreign donor funds of 500 million dollars annually, Yim Sovann said. Margo Picken, once a director of the U.N.'s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia, said Hun Sen and his officials hold absolute power and seize control of any institution that challenges that power. While Hun Sen has moved to boost growth and reduce poverty, his circle has exploited the country's natural resources, pocketed financial gains and disregarded human rights, Picken said. Concerns have focused, too, on Hun Sen's bid to curtail the activities of nongovernmental organizations. The U.S. State Department last week cited a new law that "would constrain the legitimate activities of NGOs," and urged Hun Sen's government to hold talks with these groups and to "reconsider whether such a measure is even necessary." Rights groups in December also voiced alarm as Cambodia began to introduce laws making it a crime to criticize judges or to hurt the feelings of public officials. China's influence Meanwhile, Cambodia has come under increasing influence by China, its top investor. Hun Sen was in Beijing last month, signing 13 agreements in areas including hydroelectric power, port facilities, and financial loans. More than a year ago, Cambodia deported a group of 20 Uyghur Muslim asylum-seekers back to China despite protests from the United States and the U.N. The Chinese played an important role as counterweight to Vietnamese influence during the 1970s and 1980s, but U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned during a recent visit that Cambodia should not become "too dependent" on Beijing. Hun Sen has also been accused of nepotism, charges flatly dismissed by the prime minister. His 33-year-old son, Hun Manet, was promoted to a two-star general earlier this month amid speculation the young man is being groomed to succeed his father. Hun Manet is already chief of the ministry of defense's anti-terrorism unit as well as deputy commander of Hun Sen's personal bodyguard unit. Hun Sen hit back at the nepotism charges, saying that his son, who graduated from West Point and has a doctorate in economics at Britain's University of Bristol, is well-qualified for his roles. "He joined the army in 1994. He has been in the army for 16 years, and there is promotion within the army ranks," Hun Sen said in a speech broadcast on national radio. But Chea Vannath, a Cambodian independent political analyst, was quoted saying this week that Hun Manet's latest appointment was to "prepare for a smooth succession." A key factor for the "rapid rise in the ranks of General Hun is due, in part, to the fact that he is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, one of the most prestigious schools in the world," said the Office of the Council of Ministers. "He is representative of a younger generation of Cambodians, who enjoy the benefits of international education." Reported by Samean Yun for Radio Free Asia's Khmer service. Written in English by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 01:49 PM PST Saturday, January 22, 2011 Opinion by DL I just read the subject article (Thai five sentenced to jail, then freed) on Bangkok Post, and I wish our Court had handled the case differently. It was a fair ruling when the Court sentenced the five Thais to nine months in prison, but then why suspended the remaining eight-month jail term? It is understandable that the Court has to take into consideration the fragile political environment in Thailand, but the outright suspension of the remaining jail term probably does more harm than good to both countries, Cambodia and Thailand. It creates a negative perception among our people that our Court is too "soft" or lenient when dealing with foreigners. It also sends a wrong message to Thai ultra-nationalists that they can violate our sovereignty and get away with it. The Court should have ruled that the five Thais must serve the nine month jail term, but grant them the possibility to serve the remaining term in Thai jails if Thai government can guarantee that these convicted will remain behind bars till the end of their jail term. Have a great week-end, DL   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 01:32 PM PST Jail terms suspended in surprise ruling 22/01/2011 Bangkok Post Five of the seven Thais charged with trespassing on Cambodian territory have been freed after the Phnom Penh Municipal Court gave each of them a suspended jail term. The three-member judge panel yesterday found each of the five Thais _ Panich Vikitsreth, Narumol Chitwaratana, Samdin Lertbutr, Tainae Mungmajon, and Kojpollathorn Chusanasevi _ guilty on two counts of trespassing on Cambodian territory and illegal entry into a military area. The judges said the five had entered Cambodia deliberately and sentenced them to nine months' imprisonment and a fine of one million riel (around 7,590 baht) each. However, as the Thais had already served almost one month in Prey Sar prison, the court decided to suspend the remaining eight months. The seven Thais were arrested on Dec 29 as they investigated claims by Thai residents living along a disputed part of the border that Cambodian military officers would not allow them to enter the areas where their homes were located. The five Thais are now free to go home, but they will have to serve their jail terms if they enter Cambodia illegally again, the court said. Upon leaving court to travel to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, Mr Panich, who wore a blue cap with the Asean logo, said that the whole affair showed ``the spirit of Asean''. ``I would like to thank all concerned parties. [The verdict] is a good sign for the Asean community and shows the Cambodian court has mercy,'' he said. The verdict date was moved forward from the original schedule of Feb 1 to yesterday after the five Thais petitioned the court to speed up the proceedings. The court read out the verdict at 7.35pm after a five-hour hearing. The five Thais testified that they had no intention of trespassing on Cambodian soil and did not realise that they had done so. Mr Panich told the court that the group met a villager, but did not talk, so he did not know that he was already inside Cambodia. The Democrat MP also denied recording or taking photos of the area. He said he only had a mobile phone without a built-in camera. A verdict has not yet been passed on the cases of Veera Somkwamkid, a Thai Patriots Network coordinator, and his secretary, Ratree Pipatanapaiboon. Mr Veera and Ms Ratree face allegations that they spied on Cambodian military affairs and have been charged with espionage. Mr Veera has been denied bail and remains at Prey Sar prison. Ms Ratree was granted bail and is staying at the Thai embassy. Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to the Thai foreign minister, said the five Thais are expected to return home today(saturday). Mr Chavanond will fly to Phnom Penh to meet them. ``We will try to bring them home as soon as possible,'' he said, adding that the verdict was good news and that the ministry would continue to help Mr Veera and Ms Ratree as best as it can. Mr Chavanond said the verdict for the two is likely to be handed down on Feb 1. Mr Panich's mother, ML Sompongvadee Vikitsreth, said she was glad the case was finally over and that she could see her son soon. Mr Panich talked to his mother on the phone after the verdict. Soonthorn Rakrong, coordinator of the Thai Patriots Network, congratulated the five Thais on being granted their freedom. ``However, it would be better if Mr Veera and Ms Ratree had been released too,'' he said. The network has been staging a rally at Government House since Sunday to pressure the Abhisit Vejjajiva government to do more to help the seven Thais. The group will announce their next move after the release of the Thais today(saturday). Meanwhile, People's Alliance for Democracy spokesman Panthep Phuaphongphan said his group will continue with its plan to hold a mass rally on Tuesday to persuade the government to revoke the memorandum of understanding signed in 2000 between Thailand and Cambodia, which they say is disadvantageous to the country. They also want the government to force Cambodian people out of every disputed area and are requesting Thailand withdraws its membership of the Unesco's World Heritage Committee.   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 01:24 PM PST
Washington, DC Friday, 21 January 2011 " ...any detention beyond Jan. 15 is unlawful." Defense lawyers for Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan have launched separate complaints to the Khmer Rouge tribunal, claiming their clients have been detained beyond legal limitations as they await trial. The defense teams say continued detention of the two senior Khmer Rouge leaders is a breach of the internal rules of the UN-backed court. Son Arun, a defense lawyer for Nuon Chea, the regime's chief ideologue and "Brother No. 2," said Internal Rule No. 68 requires a hearing within four months of the closing order by investigating judges. That date, Jan. 15 in both cases, has passed, he said, making Nuon Chea's continued detention "an abuse of him by the law." Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan are to stand trial along with Ieng Sary, the former foreign minister of the regime, and Ieng Thirith, his wife, former social affairs minister. They are charged with atrocity crimes, including genocide, with a trial expected later this year. Sar Savann, defense lawyer for Khieu Samphan, the nominal head of the regime, said any detention beyond Jan. 15 is unlawful. Khieu Samphan should immediately be released, he said. Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath confirmed that the court had received the complaints and would make a legal decision accordingly. Experts say the internal rules on the matter have some room for interpretation.   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 12:58 PM PST
Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer Phnom Penh Friday, 21 January 2011 "I will close the door and beat the dog." Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday vowed to take harsh action on any Tunisian-style revolution among Cambodians. "I have to send a message to people who want to inspire a riot [like] in Tunisia," he said in a public speech in Kampong Cham province. "I will close the door and beat the dog." Hun Sen was referring to the ongoing social upheaval in the North African country that toppled a longtime authoritarian president and is calling for a total change in government. "I remind you: first, do not play," Hun Sen said. "But if you can gather enough people, please go ahead." Hun Sen, who has been in power since 1985 and is the sole candidate for premier for his Cambodian People's Party, did not direct his remarks at any one person. But his speech follows a report on Radio Free Asia that inferred such a revolt "might happen one day" in Cambodia. Kem Sokha, president of the minority opposition Human Rights Party, said Hun Sen typically reacts this way "when someone talks about his power." "But no one can take him over," Kem Sokha said. The government should not be concerned over a Tunisia-style revolution, said Chan Soveth, lead monitor for the rights group Adhoc. "I think our Cambodian people cannot act like the Tunisians." However, he said, the government should not be careless about such and event, which should act as a reminder to seek "equal economic growth sharing between the rich and the poor" and the improvement of human rights.   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 07:18 AM PST
Robert Carmichael, VOA Phnom Penh 21 January 2011 A new survey by the International Republican Institute, a U.S. organization, says three-quarters of Cambodians are satisfied with the direction their country is taking. Those who disagree say corruption is their key complaint. The survey by the International Republican Institute - or IRI - found that 76 percent of Cambodians said they were satisfied with the way things are going. They cited infrastructure improvements such as better roads, schools and health clinics. The IRI, which works to advance democracy, released the results in Phnom Penh on Friday. "This is a bit of a decline from a peak of 82 percent direction two years ago, but still pretty high by worldwide standards," said John Willis, the country head for the IRI, which is funded largely by grants from the United States government. Willis notes that nearly a quarter of respondents think Cambodia is headed in the wrong direction. "And people who say the country's moving in the wrong direction, which was 23 percent, overwhelmingly they are likely to say it's corruption - that's their number one response - followed by jobs, poverty, inflation," he said. IRI carried out the survey in mid-2010, questioning 2,000 adults. The survey also found that Cambodians think the biggest issue the country faces is its efforts to set its borders with Thailand and Vietnam. Cambodia is working with both nations to agree on thousands of kilometers of borders. Tensions with Thailand over the subject have been high in recent years, and soldiers from both sides have died in border clashes. Some farmers complained they are losing land to Vietnam, a charge that stings the government in Phnom Penh, which has close ties to Hanoi. "It was an open-ended question - we just asked what's the biggest issue facing the country in your opinion? We didn't lead them by the nose toward any kinds of responses. So freely chosen, over a third of the people said: It's a border issue," he said. The survey also asked people about land ownership, an important topic in country with a largely rural population. Half of the rural respondents say they own less than a hectare of land, and most lack sufficient irrigation for their crops. Seven percent said someone had tried to steal their land in the past three years. Many landowners and rights groups say the rich and powerful often force farmers off land to make way for development. A government spokesman was not available to comment on the survey, but human rights groups regularly complain that the country is heading in the wrong direction. They say the government is intolerant of criticism, and uses court cases and threats to cow its critics. The IRI findings suggest those concerns resonate less - at least for now - with many Cambodians who are trying to eke out a living on the land.   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 07:11 AM PST January 21, 2011 The Nation Cambodian lawyers submitted another appeal yesterday to the Supreme Court to free on bail Thai nationalist activist Veera Somkwamkid - the only one of seven Thai nationals being held in jail for allegedly entering the country illegally. The appeal court earlier rejected Veera's bail request on the grounds he might hurt public order and would not be safe if freed from jail. The Supreme Court will take five days to consider the new request, Thai foreign minister's secretary Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said. Veera and the other six Thais - including Democrat lawmaker Panich Vikitsreth - were arrested near Sa Kaew province's Ban Nong Chan while inspecting the disputed border area on December 29. They were charged with illegal entry and unlawfully entering a military zone, charges that could bring them combined prison sentences of 18 months. Six were freed on bail but had to stay in Cambodia awaiting the trial, which was set for February 1. Veera and his aide Ratree Pipatanapaiboon were additionally charged with espionage for allegedly collecting information that could harm Cambodia's security. They could face a maximum 10 years' jail if convicted. Unlike Ratree, who was temporarily freed on bail despite facing the same charge, Veera insisted he was arrested in territory under Thai sovereignty and did not come under Cambodian court jurisdiction. He refused to cooperate with the court in the prosecution and would not accept a translator provided by the court, requesting a new one from the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh. The Thai government was unable to intervene in the case and will not oppose the Cambodian judicial system's work until proceedings end. A speedy trial was the only option the Thai government had requested from the Cambodian authorities, Chavanond said. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva called a meeting with officials, including Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, to seek solutions to help the seven Thais. Abhisit asked the two ministers to find channels to help bring back all the Thai nationals quickly and safely, Chavanond said after the meeting. The Thai government is under pressure from Veera's group, the Thai Patriots Network, which has been protesting in front of Government House demanding that officials take a tough stance on the Thais' release. They also demanded that senior officials - including Abhisit and Kasit - step down for their failure to help the seven Thais.   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 07:07 AM PST
21/01/2011 Bangkok Post A Cambodian Court has ruled that five Thais intentionally entered Cambodia without permission. They were sentenced to nine months in prison and a fine of 1,000,000 riel (about 10,000 baht). Since the five have served one month in prison already, the court suspended the remaining eight-month jail term. The five Thais are now free to return home. The five Thais released today are Democrat Party MP Panich Vikitsreth, Samdin Lertbutr, Tainae Mungmajon, Naruemol Chitvarattana and Kojpollathorn Chusanasevi. The other two Thais still in custody are yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid and and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon. They face additional charges of spying. The Thai Foreign Ministry has said it will continue to provide help for them. Upon leaving the courthouse, Mr Panich - who wore a blue cap with an Asean logo - said only that everything is for the spirit of Asean. The seven Thais were arrested and charged with illegally entering Cambodia on Dec 29. Dozens of police surrounded the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and nearby streets for the hearing, which started at 2pm. Mr Panich was first to testify, followed by the four others. The hearing ended about 5pm. The five gave similar terstimony, that they had no intention to trespass on the Cambodian soil. They said they did not know it was a restricted area because they could not read the signboards, which are written in Cambodian. Mr Panich said he did not take pictures or video images of the area because he had with him only a mobile telephone. He said he met a villager on the way but did not talk to him, so he did not know he was already in Cambodian territory.   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 06:43 AM PST
Associated Press A court has convicted five Thais of illegally entering Cambodia in a high-profile case. The Thais were given suspended sentences and ordered freed. The five received prison sentences Friday of 90 days each, but were credited with time already served and the remainder suspended. They were fined 1 million riels ($250) each and allowed to return to Thailand. They were arrested Dec. 29 after crossing into northwestern Banteay Meanchey province on charges of illegal entry and trespassing in a military zone. The five had gone to the border in connection with Thai nationalists' claims that Cambodia is encroaching on Thai territory. One defendant was a member of Parliament. Two others with them who were charged with spying are scheduled to be tried Feb. 1.   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 01:14 AM PST 
by Cynthia Price Legal News (Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA) In the 1970s, the name Pol Pot was synonymous with "violent dictatorship." The global community looked on and deplored the Cambodian leader's tactics, but attorney Theary Seng has a different perspective: she lived through it. Her parents, unfortunately, did not. Her father was murdered early on, and the Khmer Rouge soldiers whisked her mother away almost literally out from under her and killed her in a prison camp when Seng was eight years old. The following morning, guards allowed Seng and her four brothers to leave the camp. When Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1979, ending the regime, Seng was among thousands who escaped through the jungle, entering Thailand, eventually traveling to the United States. Her destination: Grand Rapids. Seng told her story as part of the well-known annual January Series of lectures at Calvin College. Thirty years after her first arrival here as a young child, she stepped off the ground at Gerald R. Ford Airport once again to participate in the series, and reunited with some of the people from the church community who sponsored her as a refugee and nurtured her to adulthood. After high school, she attended Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and received a bachelor's degree in International Politics. She came back to Michigan to obtain her Juris Doctor from University of Michigan Law School, which she was granted in 2000. She is still a member of the American Bar Association and the New York Bar. But Seng's heart was in her homeland, and she returned to Cambodia full-time in 2004, after visiting repeatedly and doing volunteer work since 1995. She founded the organization Center for Justice and Reconciliation, and serves as its board president. In 2005, her book Daughter of the Killing Fields was published in London. The well-received book is a harrowing account of the human cost of the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia, and after her presentation at the January Series dozens of people wanted Seng to sign their copy. Barnes and Thornburg sponsored her talk. According to firm partner Michael Snapper, "Barnes and Thornburg has sponsored the January Series program for several years. We think it's a great service to the Grand Rapids community as well as the college community." Snapper said that as a long-term sponsor, Barnes and Thornburg is allowed some input over the selection of the speaker sponsored, but there was no direct connection with Seng. She started out her hour in front of a full house at Calvin College by showing about ten minutes of a video made about the current trial in Cambodia prosecuting Khieu Samphan, the head of state during the Khmer Rouge regime, for crimes against the people. The clip showed Seng confronting Khieu Samphan and comforting other victims who spoke out. It also detailed some of the absurdities of his defense: French attorney Jacques Vergès, the subject of a documentary called Terror's Advocate, did his best to subvert the proceedings by making requests such as the translation of tens of thousands of pages of documents into French. After the film clip, petite Theary Seng came to the podium. The audience paid rapt attention. Seng has an excellent command of the English language, and her speech was impassioned and deeply-felt, as well as analytical — full of the type of detail that would interest an attorney working through the court system. The way the tribunal was set up is interesting in and of itself. Rather than try the criminals at the International Criminal Court, the U.N. and the Royal Government of Cambodia set up a special court in Cambodia, which proceeds under Cambodian legal rules. In fact the court is so special that it is called Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, or ECCC. The tribunal was set up specifically to cover "serious violations of Cambodian penal law, international humanitarian law and custom, and violation of international conventions recognized by Cambodia" during the Khmer Rouge reign. The tribunal does utilize both U.N. and Cambodian judges and key personnel equally. The court decided to try only two categories of members of the regime: first, senior Khmer Rouge leaders; second, those most responsible for atrocities and illegalities at that time. Khieu Samphan's trial is the second to take place. Seng was the first ECCC-recognized civil party to testify in the first of the tribunal's hearings, which she referred to as Case 001, against the most senior surviving leader, Nuon Chea. Seng very stridently made the point that she finds the structure and many of the proceedings to be flawed. "There are many, many bloody hands, but the court can only provide symbolic justice." However, she is very hopeful about the proceedings' potential for making change in the court of public opinion. "It's a way that we can repudiate the Khmer Rouge publicly, show our disgust," she said. She found the existence of the film shown at the outset, and its wide distribution, an example of how the tribunal can make a difference, saying that such publicity can serve "poetic justice." And Seng feels passionately that the nation is in need of cleansing, primarily as a way of healing the damage caused to generations who grew up with no parents or with destroyed communities in a country where one third of the population was murdered. She feels it is important that the country engage in dialogue which includes the victims, and wants to see an end to the practice of sweeping that period under the carpet. She said she feels as if most people of that generation show signs of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and are dishonored by pretending it never happened. At one point her staff accused her of "thinking that all Cambodians were mentally ill," but as more and more of those who lived through the period camd forward, the staff acquired some of Seng's urgency in seeking justice. Seng's strategy is to push for the victims of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge to be admitted as parties to the tribunal proceedings. She vows to continue her struggle to have the victims' voices heard until national reconciliation is a reality.   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 01:00 AM PST In Remembrance of a Slain Hero, CHEA Vichea A tribute to my friend assassinated 7 years ago this January 22 for his courage and his advocacy of democracy and labor rights. We will never forget you. WHO KILLED CHEA VICHEA? 1. Screening at the University of Michigan, 14 January 2011  A film clip of Born Samnang accused by the Cambodian government of killing Chea Vichea, here paraded before the press corps by the Cambodian police.  Dr. Allen Hicken (director of University of Michigan's Center for Southeast Asian Studies) introduces the panelists after the screening of Who Killed Chea Vichea?: Theary C. Seng, Prof. Nick Rine, Prof. John Ciorciari     Dr. Allen Hicken, Theary C. Seng, Dr. Dorasy Paul (a friend from Theary's law school years who received her Ph.D. in anthropology at Univ. of Michigan), Kate Wright (program manager at Center for Southeast Asian Studies) after the screening of Who Killed Chea Vichea? 2. Private screening in Manhattan, March 2010  Theary Seng with director Bradley Cox of "Who Killed Chea Vichea?" at Matt's Grill after a private screening of this brilliant labor of love!! New York City, 25 March 2010. Thursday, 25 March 2010 A.M. I am very much looking forward to the private screening with director Bradley Cox later this afternoon here in Manhattan. This is a very brave film about a very brave person in a very brave movement by a very brave director and very brave producer! I was honored to count Chea Vichea a good friend since 1995 upon my first return to Cambodia. We continued working (more accurately, 'volunteering') together as the labor movement took roots in 1997 with the mushrooming of the garment factories as a result of President Clinton's bestowing Most Favored Nation status to Cambodia. In January 2004, I remember nonchalantly asking the driver of the law firm tasked to pick me up from the airport, "So, what's new here?" "They killed Chea Vichea." I felt like lightning had struck me dead; it was not an answer I expected upon my move back to live in Cambodia. The assassination which occurred in broad daylight at a very busy intersection in the city center took place while I was in the air. My law firm warned me not to participate in any social/political movements, particularly not to take part in the funeral procession; I attended anyway, but stayed on the outskirts of the thousands-strong crowd, left to my own thoughts, floating about and in and out in a daze. BRAVO! BRAVO! to you, Brad and Rich, for making this film !!  Here I am (middle, back) with Chea Vichea (4th from right) and other labor rights and democracy activists, including the first leader of the Free Trade Union of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUKC), Ms. OU Mary, sitting down (Phnom Penh, 1996).  Chea Vichea, 2nd from right. Thursday, March 25 P.M. I just watched the final version of Who Killed Chea Vichea? - a heart-and-soul, labor of love documentary film about the labor activist who was gunned down in broad daylight; the government wanted to send a message. I watched this under-60 minute film, slated for PBS in the United States, with its brilliant, passionate, self-less director Bradley Cox at his makeshift office at the prime real estate of Columbus Circle of New York City. He had dedicated 5 years of his life, with absolutely no income, to make this story realized. It's a brilliant, excellent, high-quality film which will win every award... I would not be surprised! I had watched Plastic Killers, the in-production version of this very polished, highly professional Who Killed Chea Vichea?, when it was introduced in Cambodia and quickly, effectively confiscated by the police a year or so ago. Whereas Plastic Killers' values lie in the intense, probing, telling detailed information for an audience who already know Cambodia, this Who Killed Chea Vichea? is altogether a different film and strikes the perfect balance of information and context to absorb the general audience who may not know anything about Chea Vichea, or for that matter, Cambodia. It's a must-see film for everyone !!!!! Theary C. SENG New York City, 25 March 2010   | ||||||||
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Posted: 21 Jan 2011 12:26 AM PST Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer Washington, DC Wednesday, 19 January 2011 " ... there is no refugee issue. That's why the government has decided to close the camp." The Cambodian government is defending its position to close a UN refugee center in Phnom Penh that had been used to give asylum to Montagnards from Vietnam. In a Jan. 14 letter addressed to six US congressmen, Prime Minister Hun Sen says Cambodia extended its cooperation beyond a five-year agreement with the UNHCR and Vietnam. "The [memorandum of understanding] covers only 750 Montagnards for temporary facility at the time of the signing," Hun Sen says in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by VOA Khmer. "Many more cases have been processed, with up to 932 Montagnards having been given refugee status and resettlement in third countries." Hun Sen was responding to concerns raised by the US lawmakers as the refugee center nears its closing date, Feb. 15. Seventy-six Montagnards remain at the center. In December, the lawmakers, led by House Republican Frank Wolf, of Virginia, expressed concern for the fate of the remaining Montagnards, a group that was an ally of the US in its war with Vietnam. Cambodia's ambassador to the US, Hem Heng, said Vietnam presented no reason for concern. "Vietnam is a peaceful country with a growing economy," he said. "It has no war. Therefore, there are no refugees. There is no refugee issue. That's why the government has decided to close the camp." However, under it's UN obligations, the US lawmakers wrote, Cambodia is "prohibited from forcibly expelling or returning refugees to territories where they may face persecution." The congressmen cited as an example for concern the forced deportation of 20 Muslim minority Uighurs to China in December 2009 and said they had "ample reason" to believe the Montagnards could face persecution in Vietnam. In his response, Hun Sen said Montagnards who failed in their refugee attempts and were sent back to Vietnam "have been reintegrated into society without any oppression or persecution." A source close to the situation said Saturday only 65 of the remaining 76 Montagnards would be given refugee status. Those who are not granted the status will be returned to Vietnam.   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 12:13 AM PST Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Phnom Penh Thursday, 20 January 2011 "Many labor dispute cases were solved outside of the Arbitration Council." Labor disputes saw a significant drop from 2009 to 2010, officials reported Thursday, due in part to an economic crisis that lowered the number of factories here. The Arbitration Council, an independent body established to settle labor disputes, has received nearly 1,000 complaints over the last eight years. Cases mostly rose from 31 in 2003 to 180 in 2009. But 2010 saw only 145 cases, the council reported. Arbitration Council President Kong Phallack said the lower number was due to the closure of factories in the wake of the 2008 crisis. Of those 145 cases, the council was able to resolve 70 percent, Sok Lor, executive director of the Arbitration Council Foundation, told a forum in Phnom Penh Thursday. However, Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union, said the number of disputes had not fallen, but that more had been solved between factories and unions. "Many labor dispute cases were solved outside of the Arbitration Council," he said. About 60 were solved last year between factories and unions, and another 20 were resolved by the Ministry of Labor. Labor increases have in fact increased year by year, he said. Ath Thon, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union, said no matter the cases, working conditions were "worse," especially for short-term contract workers and the barring of workers from unions.   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 12:11 AM PST Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer Washington, DC Wednesday, 19 January 2011 "If it's an internal dispute or twisting within the internal party, we could see this as a beginning of a fracture." The recent corruption arrests of four policemen within the ruling Cambodian People's Party have raised questions of whether there is friction within the party or whether the new Anti-Corruption Unit is flexing new muscles. The police officials, who were arrested for corruption in connection with drug trafficking, were arrested in recent weeks following an investigation by the ACU, which is headed by a senior adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen, Om Yentieng. Kem Sokha, president of the Human Rights Party, a minority opposition, said time will tell. "If it's an internal dispute or twisting within the internal party, we could see this as a beginning of a fracture," he said. On the other hand, if it is the "true will" of the government, it's a "good matter" for Cambodians, he said. Those arrested were Moek Dara, former secretary-general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs; Hun Hean, former police chief of Banteay Meanchey province; his deputy, Chheang Son; and Chea Leang, an official in the Ministry of Interior's anti-drug office. Moek Dara is a former police chief of Battambang province, a political stronghold of Interior Minister Sar Kheng. Hun Hean was once Sar Kheng's chief bodyguard. In a ceremony in Prey Veng province, Sar Kheng denied the arrests had targeted anyone by affiliation. "I think everyone must follow the law and respect the law in fulfilling their duty," said Sar Kheng. "If anyone commits wrongdoing, that person must face legal action." However, Chan Saveth, chief investigator for the rights group Adhoc, said the arrests did follow officials promoted through a political channel. He cautioned against the ACU "bringing the political process" into investigation of "to show off to the public."   | ||||||||
Posted: 21 Jan 2011 12:02 AM PST
USAID has awarded a five-year, multi-million dollar contract, designed to improve Cambodia's food security. 01-20-2011 VOA News Improved land and other resources management will conserve and maintain the economic value of Cambodia's sensitive ecosystems. The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, has awarded a five-year, multi-million dollar contract, designed to improve Cambodia's food security through enhanced agricultural development and better management of natural resources. The five-year contract was awarded to Fintrac, Incorporated, a highly-respected U.S.-based agribusiness consulting firm that develops agricultural solutions to end hunger and poverty. This award will serve as U.S. Government's flagship food security activity in Cambodia. "Helping Address Rural Vulnerabilities and Ecosystems Stability", or "HARVEST", the Project, will work with public, private and civil society to strengthen food security by increasing agricultural productivity; raising the incomes of the rural poor; preparing the country to adapt to climate change; and reducing the number of Cambodians, especially women and children, suffering from malnutrition. HARVEST is supported by several U.S. Presidential Initiatives, including Feed the Future; the U.S. Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative; the Global Health Initiative; and the Global Climate Change Initiative. These are all key components of the U.S. Global Development Policy announced by President Barack Obama. Cambodia is one of 20 priority countries receiving Feed the Future support. The U.S. Government Feed the Future investments will address key determinants of food security including investments in agricultural productivity, agribusiness and market development, and equitable distribution of and control over productive resources; a multifaceted approach to nutrition; and a long term perspective to foster permanent solutions to chronic food insecurity. Investments will build on existing success, U.S. and Cambodian expertise and strengths, and be concentrated in strategic areas based on U.S. and Cambodian comparative advantage. They will be designed in close coordination with the Royal Government of Cambodia, with local stakeholders and with other development partners in order to maximize the collective impact on sustainably reducing hunger and poverty. A "focus on food" approach to rural income diversification and value-chain strengthening will help the Cambodian agricultural sector to become a major contributor to stable and sustainable economic growth for Cambodia and the region. Improved land and other resources management will conserve and maintain the economic value of Cambodia's sensitive ecosystems and rich biodiversity as well as reduce the vulnerability of agriculture and rural communities to climate change. Permanently reducing hunger and maintaining sustainable use of natural or communal resources are the central goals of HARVEST.   | ||||||||
Posted: 20 Jan 2011 10:47 PM PST PHNOM PENH, Jan 21 (Bernama) -- Cambodia will kick off the construction of a bridge on the trans-Asean road route on February 12, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported. The plan was revealed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday at the inauguration ceremony for a hospital in Kampong Cham province. The Neak Loeung bridge is designed to become the largest and longest in Cambodia with a width of 13.5m and a length of 2.2 km. It will span the Mekong river to connect Cambodia's Kandal and Prey Veng provinces with Vietnam. Estimated to cost around US$131 million, it is expected to be completed in 2015 to facilitate travels and transportation between Cambodia and other Asean member countries, especially Vietnam.   | ||||||||
Posted: 20 Jan 2011 10:32 PM PST Cambodian survey: Majority says country moving in right direction  Jan 21, 2011 DPA Phnom Penh - Most Cambodians believe their country is moving in the right direction, a US-funded survey has found, with respondents citing improved infrastructure such as roads, schools and clinics. The findings were released Friday in Phnom Penh by the International Republican Institute (IRI), a US organization loosely linked to the Republican Party. IRI country director John Willis said the 76-per-cent favourable finding was down from a peak of 82 per cent two years ago, 'but is still pretty high by worldwide standards.' However, nearly a quarter felt Cambodia was going the wrong way, said Willis, with those who were unhappy naming corruption as their key concern, followed by jobs, poverty and inflation worries. And more than a third of those questioned said the nation's key concern was its border issues with Thailand and Vietnam. Cambodia is in the process of demarcating the borders with both countries, a process that in the case of Thailand has sparked violent clashes in recent years. And farmers along the border with Vietnam have complained they are losing land to their more powerful neighbour in the process. As most Cambodians live in rural areas and rely on subsistence agriculture, the survey also asked people about land. It found three-quarters of the rural population owned less than 2 hectares of farmland, and most complained they lacked sufficient irrigation. Around one in 12 rural landowners said someone had tried to take their land in the past three years, further evidence of the scourge of land-grabbing that regularly pits the powerful and well-connected against the poor. The survey questioned a representative sample of 2,000 randomly selected Cambodians aged 18 and older in every province.   |
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