KI Media |
- Ong Yen Tieng ordered confiscation of tape recorders from reporters asking questions on 30 March 1997 grenade attack
- Panich attacked by cockroaches in Prey Sar jail: Even Cambodian roaches despise Thai invaders?
- "Pkaay Euy! Euy Pkaay!..." a Poem in Khmer by Sék Serei
- Abhisit stands firm in face of joint rally
- Danish Support for Cambodia to Stop
- [Thai] PM warns of force if [2000] memo [with Cambodia] is torn up
- "Bet Tvear Vai Chhkae Kbuon Pol Pot" a Poem in Khmer by Hin Sithan
- "A Voteless People Is A Hopeless People"
- VN invested in Hoon Xhen, now they settle in with their power plant
- [Thai] PM: Ruling unrelated to border [-Abishit in denial?]
- WikiLeaks sheds light on [Moek] Dara
- Tony Robbins asks why we do what we do
- The Media and Democracy
- Sen & Son: Cambodia's new dynasty?
- Sarus crane reserve finally created in Cambodia
- Shhht! Don't talk about poverty in the streets of Siem Reap! The IRI said we are moving in the right direction
- Thailand wants Preah Vihear signs removed
- [Thai] Sect fights for 1.8 rai [of Cambodian territories] with dharma
- Would Thailand let Cambodia have a joint control of Khmer temples inside Thailand?
- CCHR Press Release - Freedom of Association Under FireClick
- Khmer M'chas Srok's Communique for the "New Year 2011"
- Vietnamese-funded road opens to traffic in Cambodia
- [Thai] PM to inform public about arrest of seven Thais by Cambodia
- Panich's status as MP to be reviewed
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 05:31 PM PST
VOA Khmer Service reported that on Friday 21 January 2011, reporters asked Om Yen Tieng questions on the FBI's investigation report on the grenade attack on SRP supporters on 30 March 1997. Following the questioning and most likely the rude answers provided by Ong Yen Tieng, the latter decided that all recorders belonging to reporters present during the questioning be confiscated. The audio portion of the questioning was erased from all the recorders. What does Ong Yen Tieng have to hide? Is he trying to hide the involvement of his boss in this coward attack? Click here to listen to the VOA report in Khmer:   | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 01:29 PM PST 
24/01/2011 Bangkok Post Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth is suffering from malaria, hypertension, and rashes following his three weeks confined in a Phnom Penh prison. He also suffered an attack of cockroaches while in jail, which resulted in him getting his head shaved. Mr Panich, who listed his ailments in a Twitter post, will talk to the media at Samitivej Hospital today about his experiences in Cambodia.   | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 01:22 PM PST    | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 01:22 PM PST Three-sided protest arises from border spat 24/01/2011 Bangkok Post Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is insisting the government will not bow to pressure from the People's Alliance for Democracy, Thai Patriots Network and the Santi Asoke sect ahead of their planned joint rally this week. Mr Abhisit said in a televised address last night that the government would not submit to the groups' demands, particularly the revocation of the memorandum of understanding signed by Thailand and Cambodia in 2000 governing the two countries' border disputes. The PAD is calling on the government to revoke the memorandum which they say puts Thailand at a disadvantage in its dealings with Phnom Penh. It also want the government to force Cambodians from every disputed area and to cancel Thailand's membership of Unesco's World Heritage Committee. "[The PAD and Thai Patriots Network's] actual goal is not to push for the revocation of the memorandum, it is to oust the government from office," Mr Abhisit said. He insisted he would not allow a repeat of the 2008 yellow shirt PAD seizure of Government House, when the pressure group targeted the Samak Sundaravej government. A member of a security team led by Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban predicted yesterday that the number of PAD protesters tomorrow would be relatively small at between 3,000 and 3,500. "But the PAD's capability cannot be underestimated," the source said. The PAD, the Thai Patriots Network and its ally, the Santi Asoke sect, might appear to be at odds, but "the three groups remain unified and their supporters have the capability to hold and continue with protracted rallies". The Thai Patriots Network and Santi Asoke are already encamped outside Government House to try to force the government to alter its stand on its dealings with Phnom Penh. A team of advisers to the prime minister also said they were concerned about the demonstrations. They believe the ultimate goal of the rallies is to ensure there will be no general election later in the year. The security source said the government must explain to the public its position on the border dispute, especially the middle class in the capital who represent a strong PAD support base. The leaders of the PAD could again convince members of the middle class to support the yellow shirt movement, which played a key role in the ouster of the elected Thaksin Shinawatra government in 2006 and succeeding Thaksin-backed nominee administrations in 2008. "If the government fails to curb the PAD rallies, the red shirts are expected to cry foul over double standards and they too will mount pressure on the government," the source said. PAD spokesman Panthep Phongphuaphan said yesterday the rally planned for Makkhawan Bridge on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue tomorrow would go ahead and would continue until the group's demands were met. But he denied the PAD was seeking to overthrow the government. Mr Panthep was confident the PAD, the Thai Patriots Network and Santi Asoke would unite at the mass rally tomorrow. Santi Asoke leader Samana Photirak stressed his sect's rally would be peaceful and they would make the ultimate sacrifice by going on hunger strike.   | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 01:17 PM PST 24 January 2011 Gregers Moller ScandAsia.com Denmark's Minister for Development Søren Pind announced on Thursday that he over a few years will stop all development support for Cambodia and two countries in Africa, Zambia and Benin. Mr. Pind made his announcement in an interview with the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. The minister was quoted as referring to "strategic considerations" as the reasons for cutting further development support for the three countries. When asked by the newspaper whether the problem is that the three countries are located strategically in the wrong places for Denmark, the Minister replied: Søren Pind: - I do not think they perceive themselves as being in the wrong place. But one can say that Danish interests justify that our commitment must lie somewhere else. The newspaper quotes internal papers from the Ministry of Development why the two African countries should be taken off the list of countries that Denmark supports, but the interview did not give any clues why Cambodia was taken off the list along with them.   | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 01:10 PM PST 24/01/2011 Bangkok Post Tearing up the 2000 memorandum of understanding governing border areas contested by Thailand and Cambodia will only lead to the use of force, warns Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. The prime minister said in a television broadcast last night that the memo had helped prevent either country from taking back the border land to which they laid sovereign claim. Scrapping it, as demanded by the People's Alliance for Democracy, would leave the two neighbouring countries with no option but to use force to reclaim the territory, he said. The broadcast was primarily to address the issue over the capture of seven Thais by Cambodian authorities. Mr Abhisit used a digital map to trace the path taken by the seven Thais on Dec 29 when they entered a disputed area near Nong Jan village in Sa Kaeo's Aranyaprathet district next to Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province. The seven were charged by Cambodia with illegal entry and trespassing on a military area. Democrat Party MP Panich Vikitsreth and Veera Somkwamkid, a coordinator with the Thai Patriots Network, which is allied to the PAD, were among those arrested. Mr Panich and four others were given suspended jail terms and have since returned home. The court has still to bring down a ruling on Mr Veera and his secretary, Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, for illegal entry and they also face charges of espionage with the Phnom Penh court scheduled to hand down its decision tomorrow. Mr Abhisit said during the broadcast last night that the memorandum was a tool for keeping either country from asserting unilaterally its territorial claim over disputed border areas. The PAD is calling for the memo to be scrapped, saying it is tantamount to giving Cambodia licence to take Thailand's border land. The group is holding a protest tomorrow in Bangkok to highlight its demand. The premier said the memo required the two countries to determine together what aspects of the dispute could be settled and what remained contentious. In areas which are unsettled, the memorandum also sets a course of action and protocol to be followed. If one country breaches the territorial rights of the other country, the affronted state can lodge a protest based on what the countries have agreed in the memo. Mr Abhisit said the two countries would have no choice but to use force to settle the border conflicts if the memorandum was cancelled. Military clashes would have far-reaching ramifications on diplomacy and also affect people on both sides of the border who now live in harmony. Mr Abhisit also dismissed critics' claims that the result of the trial against the five Thais had given Cambodia an upper hand to stake its territorial claim to Thailand's border land. He said the government had sent a formal statement to Phnom Penh to prevent the court verdict being interpreted in a way that could have implications for the dispute over the border territory.   | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 12:16 PM PST    | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 11:10 AM PST Voter Education/Registration Program Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. "A Voteless People is a Hopeless People" was initiated as a National Program of Alpha during the 1930's when many African-Americans had the right to vote but were prevented from voting because of poll taxes, threats of reprisal, and lack of education about the voting process. Voter education and registration has remained a dominant focus of this outreach activity for over 65 years. In the 1990's, the focus has shifted to include political awareness and empowerment, delivered most frequently through town meetings and candidate forums. ---------- KI-Media Note: Cambodians have the right to vote, but the authority made it so difficult for poor Cambodians to obtain an identification which is necessary to register for voting, that many Cambodians ended up not voting.   | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 11:02 AM PST Vietnam invests in Cambodia power plant 23/01/2011 VietnamNet Vietnam Ministry of Planning and Investment has licensed the US$800 million hydro-electric power plant to be constructed in Cambodia, according to the ministry's Foreign Investment Agency. This project by state-owned Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) is solely invested by its joint-stock subsidiary EVN International, whose shareholders include major state companies and corporations, such as PetroVietnam, EVN, and Vietnam Rubber Group. The power plant, Lower Se San 2, is located in Cambodia's Stung Treng province on its Se San river, a major tributary of the Great Mekong River flowing through Indochinese countries from China. Its capacity is estimated at 400MW with an average output of 1998 million KWh per year, half of which will be sold back to Cambodia. EVN International also currently carries out other energy projects and researches for investment in neighboring Lao and Cambodia. Construction for the plant is to begin this year and it is expected to go into operation in 2016.   | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 10:57 AM PST 23/01/2011 Bangkok Post The Cambodian court's ruling on the five Thais is not related to the Thai-Cambodian border demarcation, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on national television on Sunday night. "The ruling has no effect on the border issue because of the memorandum of understanding between Thailand and Cambodia on the survey and demarcation of land boundary signed in 2000. "The memorandum states that the border issue will be resolved when the Thai-Cambodian Joint Border Commission has come to an agreement," Mr Abhisit said. He said the location where the seven Thais were arrested by Cambodian soldiers on Dec 29 last year was still disputed. The premier insisted the government will not revoke the 2000 MoU as the revocation could lead to clashes between the two countries. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court's ruling will be translated and the government will lodge a protest to ensure that it will not affect the border issue, he said. A Cambodian Court on Jan 21 ruled that the five Thais intentionally entered Cambodia without permission. They are Democrat Party MP Panich Vikitsreth, Samdin Lertbutr, Tainae Mungmajon, Naruemol Chitvarattana and Kojpollathorn Chusanasevi. They were sentenced to nine months in prison and a fine of one million riel (about 10,000 baht). Since they have already served one month in prison, the court suspended the remaining eight-month jail term. 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.   | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 10:50 AM PST
James O'Toole The Phnom Penh Post Ousted anti-drug czar Moek Dara served as a trusted source for United States embassy officials in Phnom Penh, according to an American diplomatic cable released by the transparency organisation WikiLeaks, raising questions about the quality of intelligence available to diplomats and development organisations. In the 2006 cable, the first from the US Embassy in Phnom Penh released by WikiLeaks, Moek Dara and an unnamed official from the World Health Organisation offer accounts of Cambodia's drug enforcement and prevention efforts. Moek Dara served as secretary general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs before being arrested earlier this month, standing accused of heading up a ring of corrupt officials involved in extortion and drug trafficking. Citing Moek Dara, the American cable touts a "dramatic increase in heroin and [amphetamine-type stimulant] seizures and drug arrests". Credit for these achievements, the NACD secretary general reportedly said, was due in large measure to counternarcotics training sessions for Cambodian officials led by the US State Department and Drug Enforcement Administration. "While increased smuggling activity may account for some of the increased seizures and arrests, it is clear that the Cambodian government is turning up the heat on the country's drug smugglers," the cable concludes. "Training from the [US government] and other countries is playing a critical role in supporting this effort." David Harding, a drug expert at the NGO Friends International, said narcotics arrests and seizures had increased in recent years, but he added that it was not clear what has accounted for these increases. "It's really difficult to say how effective policing is, because it could just be that there's so much more trafficking now … that people are falling over trafficking and production issues more often," he said. Graham Shaw, technical officer on drug use with the World Health Organisation, agreed, noting the difficulty in comparing seizures and arrests to the total amount of drugs being trafficked through the Kingdom. "Obviously the drug traffickers, they're not publishing their annual results, are they?" he said. Moek Dara faces a possible life sentence for allegedly colluding with former Banteay Meanchey provincial police chief Hun Hean and other officials to solicit bribes from drug traffickers and even steal their shipments, Anticorruption Unit head Om Yentieng announced on Friday. His arrest represents the most high-profile case yet for the newly established ACU. US embassy spokesman Mark Wenig said in an email that embassy officials "will not comment on the authenticity, veracity, or content of any allegedly leaked U.S. government documents". WikiLeaks has acquired a trove of more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables. More than 248,000 have yet to be released, including nearly 800 from the American embassy in Phnom Penh. In the cable released last week, Moek Dara and US officials discuss the 2006 arrest of a Kep municipal police officer for trafficking heroin. When questioned on the incident, Moek Dara "was not expansive … noting simply that it is not uncommon for low-ranking police and military officials to be arrested for drug trafficking", the US report says. The unnamed WHO official in the cable, meanwhile, "noted that drug investigations of police or military officials are very rare, and speculated that the individual involved may even have run afoul of rumoured higher-level police involvement in narcotics." Some observers have speculated that the arrests of Moek Dara and Hun Hean may be related to factional politics within the ruling party between Prime Minister Hun Sen and officials loyal to Interior Minister Sar Kheng. Hun Hean is a former bodyguard of Sar Kheng, while Moek Dara was formerly a police official in Battambang province, a region traditionally associated with the Sar Kheng faction. Shaw said there had always been "a persistent rumour" among those working on drug issues of high-level government involvement in trafficking, though he said specific names were never mentioned. Moek Dara, he added, was one of the few drug enforcement contacts available to diplomats and development officials. "There's not that many options to really talk to – Moek Dara is one of the very few involved in those kinds of cases," Shaw said. "It's a pretty small pool of fish." ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SEBASTIAN STRANGIO   | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 08:41 AM PST By Khmer Democrat, Phnom Penh Expanding our Mind Series The best 20 minutes you will have spent this month. WATCH!  Life coach; expert in leadership psychology Tony Robbins makes it his business to know why we do the things we do. The pioneering life coach has spoken to millions of people through his best-selling books and three-day seminars. Why you should listen to him:Tony Robbins might have one of the world's most famous smiles; his beaming confidence has helped sell his best-selling line of self-help books, and fill even his 10,000-seat seminars. What's less known about the iconic motivational speaker is the range and stature of his personal clients. From CEOs to heads of state to Olympic athletes, a wide swath of high-performing professionals (who are already plenty motivated, thank you very much) look to him for help reaching their full potential.  Robbins' expertise in leadership psychology is what brought him to TED, where his spontaneous on-stage interaction with Al Gore created an unforgettable TED moment. It also perfectly demonstrated Robbins' direct -- even confrontational -- approach, which calls on his listeners to look within themselves, and find the inner blocks that prevent them from finding fulfillment and success. Some of his techniques -- firewalking, for example -- are magnets for criticism, but his underlying message is unassailable: We all have the ability to make a positive impact on the world, and it's up to us, as individuals, to overcome our fears and foibles to reach that potential. Robbins has won many accolades for his work -- including his memorable performance in the Jack Black comedy Shallow Hal. (It was a small but vital role.) His Anthony Robbins Foundation works with the homeless, elderly and inner-city youth, and feeds more than 2 million people annually through its International Basket Brigade.   | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 04:07 AM PST
Sunday, January 23, 2011 Op-Ed by MP IRI's findings are just another Win-Win endorsement of a closed single party state. I don't know the methods used to gather public opinion on the government's performance or the effects of public policies on social issues such as public services like roads and the like, but I do see that the majority of Cambodians still live in a closed, insulated environment where public information and opinion making are still largely a product of manufactured uniformity where diversity or dissent is neither tolerated nor encouraged. It would be interesting to ask the public instead questions pertaining to that closed climate of uniformity, out of which public views of social issues are patterned and shaped, which such findings can be said to merely mirror in the first place. For example, respondents could be quizzed on how much they know about the management and manipulation of television broadcasting operation in Cambodia; how much of an influence/representation, if any, do opposition parties and civil society or organisation have via these state-controlled information delivering outlets; who decide what news items to be aired; who own and fund these television stations; how many stations are owned by the state and how many are in private/commercial hands; what is the media's appropriate functions and responsibilities in respect of news coverage invariably devoted to highlighting the government's 'achievements' in a country still ranked among the world's poorest and most corruption plagued, or is that because negative news reportage has no constructive role to play in the developmental process? Is it because such news compromise or impair people's sense of well-being; that feel-good factor that only popular cultural shows and entertainment programmes are said to engender in their audience?; is it because Khmer people are not at all concerned or have no right to know how many kilometres of Khmer territory or how many villages had been ceded to Vietnam in the last 30 years?; is it because it is not their business to know how much their government has acquired in revenue from off-shore exploration deals, numerous land concessions and sand-dredging operations etc? Or how is this public fund being managed and ploughed back into the mainstream of the national economy? Do these questions in any way contribute to enhancing people's freedom in determining the quality and veracity of the information they are being fed? Is it possible that only people in power are capable of telling the truth, and that critical views and voices are all born of envy and a tendency to vilify with a view to fermenting chaos and inflaming 'instability' deemed inimical to Progress and Development, a necessity the state has killed, maimed and imprisoned to promote? If these questions are relevant to evaluating public opinion, then perhaps they should not be left out of any public opinion surveying process. If a Bayon TV reporter approaches a person in the street, accompanied by a filming crew, the person being approached will likely have formulated appropriately compliant responses in his/her mind prior to even being asked any question by the reporter so as not to implicate oneself unwisely before representatives of an authority that does not in the main tolerate opposing views or unorthodox sentiments. This is because Bayon TV is owned by none other than the PM himself. How credible or representative any survey's data or findings can therefore be judged in context of both its methodologies/ tools deployed to collect such data and the socio-political context that informs - or more precisely enforces - people's views and perceptions in the first instance. If IRI were to do a similar survey in North Korea, the satisfaction rating of their findings over governmental performances in all areas - not least the development of nuclear capability - leading to the logical deduction that the North Korean nation 'is heading in the right direction', might even be greater than that found in Cambodia. In either case, that is not something for humanity to be cheerful about! Information is a fundamental factor in the promotion of democracy and development worldwide. With freedom of information citizens choose how they like to be governed or maximise their involvement directly or indirectly in every aspect of their everyday life by making their votes and voices count in all spheres of decision-making and deliberation pertinent to their standing as rightful subjects and in line with prescribed legitimate choices; by being empowered to direct matters and realise their outcomes without undue interference from self-interested parties who cannot possibly attain to their specific self-promoted agenda without high- jacking, to some extent, that decision-making power from the clutches of the citizenry. Whilst the quality of public information itself can vary as to its subjectivity, sources and their ulterior motives, this does not by itself justify the manner in which information is being culled or manipulated and monopolised to conform to any one-sided agenda where plurality and diversity are denied and therefore plays no part in the check-and-balance mechanisms that in any open democratic climate act as an indispensible moderating force vis a vis 'extremist' tendencies, be they emanate from within the state or elsewhere. There was a time when scientists were persecuted in Europe for putting forth discoveries that were at odds with traditional religious views of the creation of the universe which, among other things, insisted that the world was flat and stood on the back of a turtle! So what stood under the turtle? Ah, very clever of you, young man (exclaimed one elderly lady at a Stephen Hawkins lecture); it's turtles all the way down! The absence of a relatively free media climate is a much stronger indicator of where society is heading. With freedom of information citizens will have an invaluable access to knowledge - public and private - and this will drastically and qualitatively revolutionise the way they see themselves and relate to the outside world, including their public servants who have hitherto been more of their tyrannical masters and oppressors; bearing in mind also that government officials are recruited from the rank of the population at large. Time - say apologists of the regime – is of the essence in terms of what is needed to inculcate in these officials a culture of professionalism, accountability and integrity in public service through learning and training generally. Yet, one searches in vain for signs that such presumptions have actually been put into practical effect. Incompetence committed in public life by government officials leading to large-scale public tragedy such as the recent Diamond Bridge event ought to have opened up ample scope into which that culture of learning and responsibility be implanted, if only as a benchmark and reminder of the costly price of professional misconduct or incompetence. Instead, true to form, the compliant TV media chose to keep its spot light for several airing hours upon a grief-stricken, overemotional and tearful Prime Minister, who quickly ordered the investigation into that incident closed, declaring no one is to blame! How does one hope to improve the quality of democratic governance without improving or changing the quality of the ballot box? How many people vote for a party simply because their patron or local village chief tells them to do so? Why are some people still being disenfranchised by not being issued with the appropriate documents whilst most foreigners are said to have all the legal paperwork? Is rural poverty being deliberately overlooked because it helps to preserve the poor's dependence upon the existing patronage system for meagre handouts and hence their continued political/electoral fidelity to the ruling party? If the international community recognised the results of previous elections as free and fair, so what? Like the findings of this IRI survey are purported to show? If the world community (Western governments) take a more stringent view towards political and democratic developments in Cambodia (which continue to deteriorate alarmingly) will they not then be morally more duty-bound to back their words with their actions? Surely, with their personnel and high tech resources in every capital of the world, they do not need you and me or IRI to tell them what is going wrong in this 'Kingdom of Wonder', do they? Remember it had taken these same governments decades to resolve the 'Kampuchean conflict', and having performed a somewhat contrived surgery upon this prolonged haemorrhage (which they, in fact, had had some part in rendering historically), they now have little incentive to find themselves in that awkward situation again, leaving Hanoi and its underlings to run –more or less - all the show in Indochina.   | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 12:50 AM PST
  | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 12:29 AM PST  WildlifeExtra.com Anlung Pring Management and Conservation Area for Sarus Crane and Other Birds January 2011. Kampong Trach Important Bird Area (IBA) has finally been designated as Cambodia's second Sarus Crane reserve. On 6 January 2011, Prime Minister Hun Sen signed a sub decree to establish the Anlung Pring Management and Conservation Area for Sarus Crane and Other Birds located in Kampong Trach District, Kampot Province. This signing represented the culmination of consultative and bureaucratic process that began in 2006. "Almost the entire process has been driven by the vision and dedication of Seng Kim Hout and the credit is his", said Jonathan Eames, Programme Manager for BirdLife International in Indochina. "At times it felt like the process would never end, but Kim Hout never lost focus or commitment to completing the task", continued Eames. Globally important Kampong Trach is one of the three most globally important non-breeding sites in Cambodia (a fourth is situated in Vietnam) for the South-east Asian race of Sarus Crane, which is considered globally Vulnerable. The other two are at Ang Trapeang Thmor, which has been a reserve since 2000, and at Boeung Prek Lapouv, where BirdLife and Forestry Administration also worked successfully to establish a Sarus Crane reserve in 2007. 217 hectares of seasonally flooded grassland The newly declared reserve covers only 217 ha of seasonally inundated grassland and unlike Boeung Prek Lapouv, lies close to the sea and has a tidal regime, supporting mangrove and salt marsh vegetation in addition to wet grassland. In March 2010 the site held over 270 Sarus Cranes, more than 30% of the global population. The Sarus Cranes usually arrive in late November and remain until early May when they begin their migration to the wetlands in the northern and eastern plains of Cambodia where they breed. Bou Vorsak, Acting Programme Manager for BirdLife's work in Cambodia, said this was another major achievement for BirdLife. "This is the second protected area in Cambodia that we have proposed and succeeded in having the government gazette. We are proud of this achievement." Local conservation group Since 2004, Kampong Trach IBA has been patrolled by a local conservation group, which has prevented encroachment and stopped hunting, as well as raising awareness of the importance of the area's biodiversity, and the benefits of sustainable use, among the local communities. The site lies close to the Vietnamese frontier where rapid economic development has pushed up land prices. This factor was the main reason why the designation process took so long as local vested interests tried to thwart the process. 2 more projects With the designation of the site as a protected area now in place, the scene is set for larger scale conservation investment. Recently, nearly US$ 330,000 was granted to the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and Mlub Baitong via the BirdLife/Critical Ecosystem partnership Fund, to fully establish and conserve Boeung Prek Lapouv and Kampong Trach Sarus Crane reserves. These two projects will contribute to their long-term sustainable management by developing and revising site management plans, training and supporting local conservation groups, piloting longterm financing mechanisms, initiating community based ecotourism, and generating increased support among local people for site conservation. Also, via the CPEF small grants scheme administered directly by BirdLife, The Cambodian Institute for Research and Rural Development (CIRD) received nearly US$20,000 to increase efforts to conserve Kampong Trach, by strengthening the capacity of the local community on improved and sustainable agricultural production, and conducting the feasibility study for introduction and implementation of a 'Wildlife-friendly' produce scheme in this site. This project started since November 2010 and will end in late December 2011.   | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 12:25 AM PST A great Khmer outing Sunday January 23, 2011 Story and photos by SHARON OVINIS The Star (Malaysia) A group of youngsters, all grand prize team winners of the Mag Inc 2010 contest, were both moved by the poverty they witnessed in the streets of Siem Reap, Cambodia, and awed by its spectacular structures. NO amount of reading or surfing the Internet prepared 12 bright, young minds for what they witnessed within hours of landing at the Siem Reap International Airport. As the students and three teachers from SJKC Chung Hua, Seremban, SMK Bukit Mewah, Seremban and Penang Chinese Girls' High School made their way to the docks of Cambodia's Tonle Sap Lake in the warm light of the late morning, swarms of children, some looking as young as five, furiously shoved their way around each other; no malice intended. "You want drink, lady?" They stretched their frail limbs, hoping that the sale from the canned carbonated drinks they held in their palms would put food on the table for their families later that evening. "Wan dallar (one dollar)!" their voices echoed. Amidst the pleas, the bewildered looking students were whisked off into a motorised boat and within minutes, the excursion to the Floating Village took off with the three grand prize team winners of the Mag Inc 2010 contest. A marked difference
Amanda Ng's thoughts ran deep as she viewed the floating village that dotted the lake. The 16-year-old from the Penang Chinese Girls' High School caught intermittent phrases as Vanni, the tour guide, strained his voice over the splutter of the boat's engine. Everything the community needed floated here: the school, the church, the grocery stores, the petrol station and even the basketball court. Children paddled to and fro in silver aluminium basins, very much like the ones our grandmothers used to wash and wring their laundry and bed sheets in. The scene drew giggles from the younger students; it must be so much fun! The sun-burnt children wore smiles on their faces. The community went about their daily routine, unperturbed by us and the other boats that chugged up and down the channels with tourists. Breast-feeding mothers and limbless fathers skilfully manoeuvred around the tourist boats in their motorised sampan. Their children hopped effortlessly aboard the tourist boats, as the sampan pulled alongside. It was a race to sell more cool, canned drinks. The enterprising ones took it a step further. Some had snakes coiled around their hands and necks but their eyes said it all: "It's photo opportunity, lady!" – all for the sum of US$1 (RM3.05). "It was a culture shock for me although I had read up on Cambodia. We were shoved straight into the face of poverty," said Amanda who had returned from Stockholm, Sweden just eight days earlier.
Amanda was one of the winning team members from her school who had participated and clinched the grand prize at the National Science Challenge organised by the Academy of Sciences. What Amanda saw as exploitation of child labour distressed her greatly. "In Stockholm, you see the technology of tomorrow. In Siem Reap, you see the poverty levels. It's disheartening to note what the world is coming to." For the younger ones like 12-year-old Natasha Yau of SJKC Chung Hua, however, the sight of "mobile" homes built on skinny stilts were a novelty. "I thought it was fun having the water splash onto our faces during the boat ride!" she said. Many disadvantaged groups in Cambodia earn a living by producing a range of handicrafts and souvenirs, which are of high quality and eventually find their way to markets around the country. Within Siem Reap itself, several centres such as the Le Artisan Stone and Wood Carving Centre as well as the Silk Farm were opened for tourists. Students were taken on a tour of the processes involved before the items were displayed on the shelves of air-conditioned stores. The working conditions at the Carving Centre were a far cry from what the students had been accustomed to. The rooms that housed the workstations were dusty.
The young visitors saw how blocks of wood were chipped away skilfully to reveal fine carvings of Buddha. The odour from the lacquer wasn't appealing either as could be seen from the way Lee Shan Shan and Alicia Kwan, both aged 12 from SJKC Chung Hua, wrinkled their noses. At the Silk Farm, the boiling, spinning, and weaving of silk thread from the cocoons were carried out in wooden longhouses installed with zinc rooftops. It was hot and humid. But it was nothing less than awe and admiration that teacher Lim Siew Heoh from the Penang Chinese Girls' School, had for the craftswomen who worked seven hours a day to weave one metre of exquisite silk. "It's amazing," she said of the arduous task of moving the shuttle threaded with at least 30 multi-coloured silk threads. Take your pick The Psar Chas Market and Angkor Night Market were the draw for Shan Shan and Alicia, as well as the teachers and students on the trip. After a quick "How to bargain in Cambodia 101" lesson by Vanni, everyone was geared up for great bargains via the art of haggling. "We enjoyed the shopping and the bargaining bit with the shopkeepers," said Shan San and Alicia. "I found their accent amusing too," said Shan Shan. Located in the heart of Siem Reap, the markets offered a lively shopping scene. Heng Wan Fen and Heng Yi Cheer, 16, were heard fervently discussing with their teacher Lim and schoolmate Amanda if they had exhausted the list of friends they had to buy souvenirs for. "Could we catch more shopping action tomorrow?" was the next most popular phrase after the shopkeepers' popular call, "Lady, you want something?" After all, there were so many items to buy: silverware, paintings, T-shirts, table mats, wood carvings. The list was endless. What is a trip to Siem Reap without a walk through the architectural wonders of the staggering temples? For the 14 year-old students of SMK Bukit Mewah, Amelia Kwan, Alyssa Yau, Stephany Rajasingam and Lee Yong Xian, the trips to the Angkor Thom Temple, Bayon Temple, Terrace of Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King and the majestic Angkor Wat would be one of their best history lessons yet. "I loved Angkor Wat! It's so rich in history. It was amazing that I got a chance to climb the steep steps into the temple towers!" said Stephany. Team mate Alyssa said it was unbelievable that she was actually seeing Angkor Wat! "I learnt a little about it from our history lesson back home. But I never thought I could be here. Being here has made the lesson more real and meaningful." The only "rose" among the thorns, Yong Xian was impressed by how Unicef and other countries like Japan, Korea and India were working hand-in-hand with the Cambodian Government to restore the temples. Yong Xian enjoyed climbing the steep steps of Angkor Wat and the other temples as "it proved to be a challenge considering how high and narrow they were!" SJKC Chung Hwa team mates, Arlen Tan and Li Wen Xiang, aged 12, agreed. Both enjoyed their hike up the hill to Phnom Bakheng. "The scenery was beautiful at sunset!" said Arlen. "The climb up the stairs made the trip all the more exciting!" quipped Wen Xiang. Teacher-in-charge, Shamala Devi, was glad that her students had the opportunity to see the spectacular monuments for themselves. "They know how blessed they are to be on a trip like this," she said. Amanda who professed to not being particularly spiritual in nature, was overwhelmed by the magnificence and grandeur of the past. "It was riveting, just standing in one of the most majestic, holy sites in the world. Walking through the ruins, it was not hard to visualise the splendour of the Khmer empire so long ago. I could feel the aura and the energy within the Angkor compounds. Suryavarman II has certainly accomplished what he set out to do – to build something that still woos the whole world!" A wake up call For many of the students, the highlight of the trip was a stop at the Little Angels Orphange which houses about 80 children aged between four and 16. The idea was mooted by the students of SMK Bukit Mewah who are no strangers to charitable deeds. Their winning entry at the Mag Inc contest, SHARE, advocated volunteerism. Mission in motion, Amelia Kwan, and the entourage made a stop at the local grocery store to buy noodles, candy, dried food, bags of rice, toiletries, books and stationery items. "I didn't have much time to get a charity drive going in school so I opted to help my mum with the house chores to earn RM50 for this charity bit." When asked what types of chores she pitched in, Amelia said it was the ironing. "It wasn't too bad because I liked ironing anyway," said the energetic 14-year-old. "I was surprised to see that the orphanage was open-air though. In Malaysia, children live in homes. In Siem Reap, the facilities were desperately lacking. I've learnt to be grateful for what I have," she continued. Alyssa Yau summed up a poignant point: "I think if everyone contributes, no matter how little, we can bring change to this world. "We need to better ourselves, heart and soul."   | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 12:13 AM PST  The Nation Thailand has asked Cambodia to remove a carved stone and a big sign accusing Thais of being trespassers near Preah Vihear mountain. Lt-General Tawatchai Samutsakorn, commander of the Second Army Region, said Thai authorities had made the request because the stone and the sign - with golden Cambodian characters accused Thai soldiers and people of being trespassers in Cambodia - were in a disputed area. The sign is in front of Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara, a temple near Preah Vihear mountain. According to an agreement by the two countries, neither Thailand or Cambodia can produce anything to claim possession of the land. The accusation refers to Lt-General Kanok Netrakavaesana, who led 20 soldiers to the temple on July 15, 2008 before others came to guard the place.   | ||||||
Posted: 23 Jan 2011 12:05 AM PST January 23, 2011 By Pravit Rojanaphruk The Nation Dubbed by some as the most "disciplined" group of protesters, the less than a thousand members of Santi Asoke Sect's "Dharma Army" camped out in front of the Government House could pass off as participants in a religious gathering - with the exception of their ultra-nationalistic ethos. The group, which is also known as the Thai Patriots Network, is defending 1.8 rai of "Thai soil", demanding that the seven Thais arrested "in Thailand" by Cambodian soldiers be rescued as well as pressuring the government to step down. "What if someone comes as a guest to our house and then tries to take it over? Would you allow it?" asked Noppamas Khew-on, a 22-year-old member of the breakaway Buddhist sect, led by 76-year-old Samana Bhodhirak, who was manning a desk seeking signatures against the alleged annexation of Thai soil. When asked how sure she was about Thailand losing its land, Noppamas - dressed in the indigo colours of Santi Asoke, replied: "I'm certain that the area [where the seven Thais were arrested] belongs to Thailand. The villagers have land titles, but I heard the ministry denying that. Yet the locals insist they pay land taxes every year, so how can it not belong to Thais? I'm not sure if there's something wrong with the [Thai] government, which is why they are not doing anything about it." In case Noppamas and her fellow protesters were not sure about this claim, the voice on the stage continues reminding them that the seven were indeed "arrested on Thai soil". Period! Though there was no way trying to convince Noppamas to change her beliefs, she was more than eager to engage and enlighten The Nation on how her group differed from the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) or the red shirts. In this protest, no alcoholic beverages, smoking or abusive language on or off the stage is allowed. Protesters have to listen to dharma talks twice a day and dine on the organic vegetarian food available. Trash is separated and recycled, while one stall dispenses vegetable juice and another offers free haircuts. There's even an ad-hoc day-care centre available, though the large cloth banner behind the centre reads a slightly impolite message in English: "Hell Cambodia. You Betray Us" Nearby, there is a sign clearly stating the donations received. As of noon yesterday, Bt470,194 had come in and Bt406,025 spent. As people start queuing up for their free meal, they are told that they will have to wash their plates themselves. The white plates come with two mottoes: "do not commit sin" and "we are all brothers". Then there's a sign instructing diners to "not stand and eat" because it's not polite. Noppamas, a Chiang Mai native who is a sophomore student at the Ubon Ratchathani University majoring in Sufficiency Economy, a joint programme between the university and the influential sect, said she would have to leave the rally soon to get back to her studies. However, she believes her fellow sect members, numbering around 6,000 nationwide and for whom the leader is a "venerable father", will be around to see things through. Her fellow protesters say the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration has failed to defend Thailand's integrity and are calling for it to step down. "I don't hate the government, but they say one thing and do something else," Noppamas said. Meanwhile, a red-shirt member said the Santi Asoke Sect was so well disciplined that the protest could last a whole decade if they wanted. "But they don't stand for democracy," the government official, who wished to remain anonymous, said. When Santi Asoke joined the PAD back in 2006 to protest against the then-Thaksin Shinawatra government, it eventually led to a military coup, which it has never publicly opposed, the source lamented. Noppamas, however, refused to accept this. "I don't understand if [the source] understands the concept of democracy," Noppamas said. "We see people who cannot use their land [along the Cambodian border] and we're just trying to help them." As I left, I picked up a leaflet on the "protest strategy", which also reminded members that they were fighting for democracy, which was defined as "the hearts that have dharma".   | ||||||
Posted: 22 Jan 2011 11:56 PM PST  Historian advocates joint control of border heritage sites Sun, Jan 23, 2011 By Supalak Ganjanakhundee The Nation Countries in the Mekong River basin and the Dangrek Mountain range should consider creating a trans-boundary world heritage site of cultural and natural resources to end their border conflicts, prominent historian Charnvit Kasetsiri proposed over the weekend. Speaking at a seminar "Our Boundaries, Our Asean Neighbours" on Friday, Charnvit said countries in the region had a lot of cultural and natural heritage left by ancestors centuries ago, some of which were sources of conflict. Thailand and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over the A group of Thai nationalists want the government to block Cambodia's attempt to run Preah Vihear and kick a Khmer community out of the area adjacent to the temple. A ruling by the International Court of Justice in 1962 found that Preah Vihear was situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia. Bangkok said it respected the court's ruling but argued that the temple's vicinity and even the land where the temple sits belongs to Thailand. Preah Vihear temple was listed as a World Heritage site in 2008 but the Thai government, with strong support from nationalist groups, opposed its management plan. The two countries remain in conflict and seem to have no way to settle their differences. Charnvit proposed what he is calling a "Mixed Cultural and Natural Mekong-Dangrek World Heritage" as a model to end the conflict. There were some examples in the world, he said, where trans-border World Heritage sites had been possible, citing the Iguazu waterfalls - the world's largest - which are situated on the border of Argentina and Brazil. The World Heritage Committee listed the Iguazu National Park for Argentina as a World Heritage site in 1984 and listed Brazil's part in 1986. Countries in the Mekong basin should consider the same idea, as they had a lot of sandstone Khmer temples sitting across the boundary in the region, Charnvit said. Preah Vihear could be jointly listed as a World Heritage site, as its main building is in Cambodia but the area around it is in Thailand. Preah Vihear was in the same family with Wat Phou in Laos and Phanom Rung in Thailand's Buri Ram province, he said, and noted that two of them - the exception is Phanom Rung - were already listed as World Heritage sites. "People in this region should think beyond the border and jointly list these temples as World Heritage sites," he said. Charnvit conducted a set of studies on boundaries to help Thais get a better grasp about such matters. Misunderstanding about the boundary sometimes created trouble for people and conflict with neighbours, he said. The research indicated that people in many parts of the world, such as in Europe, could move across boundaries easily, as if they don't exist. People in this region should also be able to overcome conflicts over boundaries some day, he said.   | ||||||
Posted: 22 Jan 2011 11:20 PM PST
     | ||||||
Posted: 22 Jan 2011 11:15 PM PST | ||||||
Posted: 22 Jan 2011 11:04 PM PST 01/23/2011 VOV News (Hanoi) An inauguration ceremony of the road No. 312 that linking The 28.5km long and 9.0-m wide road built at a total cost of US$5 million funded by Vietnam's Dong Thap province. Governor of Cambodia's Pray Veng province Ung Samy expressed his thanks for Dong Thap provinces' valuable support to help Cambodia build the road. He also suggested the ministries of communications and transport of both countries sign a protocol on goods inter-transport between   | ||||||
Posted: 22 Jan 2011 10:22 PM PST BANGKOK, Jan 23 (MCOT online news) – Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will also inform the Thai public Sunday night about the arrest of seven Thais by Cambodian soldiers on charges of trespassing onto Cambodian territory on Dec 29, he said Sunday during his weekly TV and radio address. Five of the seven were freed by the Cambodian court and returned to their homeland Saturday evening. The court in Phnom Penh on Friday ruled them guilty of illegal entry and intentionally trespassing into Cambodian territory. They were sentenced to nine-month suspended jail terms and fined one million riel (US$250) each. However, their jail sentences were suspended. The two remaining detainees faced additional charges of espionage and the court is expected to hand down its verdict on Feb 1 as earlier scheduled. Meanwhile, Mr Abhisit also said about a Cambodian sign erected at the Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara temple near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, charging Thais with being invaders that he had consulted with Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, who confirmed that he would contact Cambodian troops to remove the sign. There should be no problem on that, the prime minister said. The Cambodian sign saying 'Thais invaded this area before' was erected in front of the temple on Dec 1 after Thai troops left the area in a bid to cool tensions centering on disputed areas along the border.   | ||||||
Posted: 22 Jan 2011 10:08 PM PST 23/01/2011 Bangkok Post The Election Commission is to review Panich Vikitsreth's parliamentary status after he was handed a suspended jail term by a Cambodian court. Sodsri Sattayatham, the EC member in charge of political party affairs, said the commission expects to consider Mr Panich's status on Tuesday. Mr Panich, a Democrat MP for Bangkok, is one of five Thais found guilty of trespassing on Cambodian territory and illegal entry into a military area. They were each given an eight-month suspended jail term and fined 1 million riel (7,520 baht). All five returned to Thailand yesterday after spending almost a month in Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh. Two more members of the group _ Thai Patriots Network coordinator Veera Somkwamkid and his secretary, Ratree Pipattanapaiboon _ remain in Phnom Penh awaiting judgement on additional charges of espionage. The 2007 constitution has a clause on the disqualification of MPs convicted of serious offences. Section 106 calls for MPs handed a jail sentence - including a suspended one - to be stripped of their parliamentary seats. According to Mrs Sodsri, the EC has two points to consider: if the clause applies to a Cambodian court ruling, and if the case is considered final. However, she said the EC must wait for details of the verdict from the Foreign Ministry before concluding the review. The EC is also required to seek the endorsement of the Constitution Court if it rules that Mr Panich is no longer fit to hold MP status. She said the agency would also ask the House of Representatives about Mr Panich's parliamentary status. The lower chamber is scheduled to debate the proposed constitutional amendments on Tuesday and Wednesday. It is unknown if Mr Panich will be allowed to take part. Mrs Sodsri said the EC would not intervene in this matter, saying the House speaker would have the final say on whether Mr Panich can participate.   |
0 comments:
Post a Comment