the yellow shirts aim to cancel the 2000 memorandum of understanding prescribing negotiations as a way to resolve the borderline. The cancellation of negotiations could end up in military confrontation. But any armed conflict with Cambodia would certainly bring about international intervention. Can the yellow shirts guarantee their fellow compatriots that Thailand will win support from the international community after bullying its smaller neighbour?
Does Thailand stand to gain or lose in the face of agitation by the red and yellow shirts? Today the People's Alliance for Democracy will lead the yellow shirts on to the streets in order to pressure the government to meet three demands related to the Thai-Cambodian border dispute.
Meanwhile, the Sombat Boonngam-anong faction of the red-shirt movement will also rally to demand justice and democracy, despite the reds holding a march on Sunday.
Public anxiety goes up a notch when red and yellow rallies converge. The yellow shirts will encamp at Makkhawan Bridge near Government House while the reds will rally at Democracy Monument, about two kilometres away on Rajdamnoen Avenue.
Next week, the mainstream reds led by Thida Thawornseth will finalise legal plans to file a complaint about injustice and last year's bloodshed at the International Criminal Court, in The Netherlands - which has no chance of being heard but is being done for show.
It is ironic that the red and yellow shirts are treating their country like a punching bag, in order to fight for causes which they believe will bring about a better and stronger Thailand. Under the norms of diplomacy and international politics, border negotiations take place behind closed doors. But the PAD has cited accountability, transparency and freedom of speech to justify its public debate on border issues.
Even though it takes both countries to sort out their common borders, the PAD has curiously focused its attack on the Abhisit Vejjajiva government as if the Thai side alone can make a unilateral decision on where Cambodian territory should be.
The yellow shirts are spearheading an "awareness" campaign over border areas near Preah Vihear Temple and at Sa Kaew, opposite Cambodia's Bantaey Meanchey, to voice concern about the risk of Thailand losing territory to Cambodia.
The yellow shirts have been releasing documents to back up their attack on PM Abhisit for his supposed mishandling of a border dispute, but their arguments could backfire and compromise Thailand's position in any future negotiations on boundary settlement. The belligerent noise generated by the yellow shirts will adversely impact on boundary talks. The two neighbouring countries need an amicable atmosphere to settle their borderline.
Since border agreements are the legacy of the colonial era, Thailand is already in a disadvantageous position. Thai forebears made a painful sacrifice to shed land in order to safeguard independence.
If the yellow shirts are true patriots, then they should carefully weigh the pros and cons of what they are doing, particularly their marshalling of lopsided information on the World Court verdict on Preah Vihear and their reference on the location of border marker No 46 at Sa Kaew.
Of the three demands, the yellow shirts aim to cancel the 2000 memorandum of understanding prescribing negotiations as a way to resolve the borderline. The cancellation of negotiations could end up in military confrontation. But any armed conflict with Cambodia would certainly bring about international intervention. Can the yellow shirts guarantee their fellow compatriots that Thailand will win support from the international community after bullying its smaller neighbour?
Just like the yellow rivals, the red shirts have invoked democracy to justify their struggle. The judicial process has not been exhausted in regard to last year's bloodshed but the red shirts say they want to air their grievances at the International Criminal Court, despite the fact it only ever hears cases such as genocide and crimes against humanity.
Last century, Thais fought hard to overturn extraterritorial jurisdiction imposed by foreign powers. Their descendants, however, claim they can only rely on international courts as they refuse to listen to one another or trust in their own judiciary.
Critics say the reds have no chance of launching a case in the ICC. They overlook the reds' real intent - they just want to embarrass the government.
Merit in peaceful talks: Supreme Commander Songkitti Jaggabatara, left, meets his Cambodian counterpart, Gen Pol Sareoun, right, at Wat Chantharaburiwong in Phnom Penh for a Buddhist meritmaking ceremony. The supreme commander led 140 representatives from the armed forces to offer donations from Thailand to the temple. WASSANANANUAM
Armed forces chief sees a favourable outcome
25/01/2011 Wassana Nanuam Bangkok Post
Thailand is expecting a favourable response from Phnom Penh to its request to remove an insulting stone tablet put up by Cambodian troops in a disputed border area, security authorities say.
The tablet claims "victory" for Cambodia after the last of Thai forces withdrew from Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara last month in a troop reduction schedule agreed to by both sides.
The withdrawal of the troops has no bearing on territorial claims and the Khmer-language sign has antagonised the Thai military by referring to its soldiers as "invaders" and claiming they had "trespassed" on Cambodian land.
Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday said Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon had told his Cambodian counterpart, Gen Tea Banh, he wanted the stone tablet removed.
The Cambodian authorities have acknowledged the message and are discussing the issue. Gen Prayuth said he expected a positive resolution within the next few days.
"[Placing] a tablet does not prove that the area belongs to you," the army chief said yesterday.
"Can you accept that? No, you can't. If this was the case, any area where I stick a tablet would belong to me."
Gen Prayuth said the border conflict needed to be resolved through mutual understanding.
The Cambodians might be trying to to claim the land by erecting the tablet at the temple, situated in a 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area just 300 metres from the Preah Vihear temple, he said. The Thai people, Gen Prayuth added, should not be overly worried by the move since Thailand and Cambodia had a joint boundary commission to settle any border disputes.
"If an agreement cannot be reached, [this land] will not belong to either party," he said.
The placing of the tablet has put pressure on both Cambodia and Thailand, Gen Prayuth said, and the two sides should negotiate for the sake of maintaining bilateral relations and to avoid harming the livelihoods of people of both nationalities along the border.
He believed the issue was not serious enough to lead to clashes between the troops as they had developed good relations in recent years and shared similar backgrounds.
Supreme Commander Songkitti Jaggabatara yesterday met his Cambodian counterpart, Gen Pol Sareoun, in Phnom Penh and delivered a similar message.
"Cambodia said a correction will be made in a favourable way," Gen Songkitti said afterwards.
"Let's wait and see."
The supreme commander was among 140 armed forces representatives who gave donations from Thailand to fund the development of Wat Chantharaburiwong in Phnom Penh.
Gen Songkitti said his delegation was warmly welcomed.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who supervises security affairs, said yesterday Thailand needed to protest against the tablet, and any unilateral claim on disputed land was unacceptable. He said neither party could claim the disputed area pending demarcation.
Hundreds of health workers are moving from village to village, testing everybody, in a pre-emptive strike to try to find, treat and monitor those with malaria symptoms.
1/23/2011 Catholic Online
Doctors frantic to contain new strain in Southeast Asia
The humid, swampy atmosphere of Cambodia is the perfect breeding spot for mosquitoes, traditionally the carrier of the deadly disease malaria. A new strain of drug-resistant malaria has gained a foothold in the region, in particular the area between Cambodia and Thailand, and doctors are frantic to find a cure before the disease has a chance to spread.
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Every major anti-malarial drug has failed to quell the epidemic since it first took hold. History has proven that once resistance emerges, it can quickly spread worldwide, rendering the drugs useless in the fight against a mosquito-borne parasite. Malaria still kills nearly a million people worldwide each year, most of them in Africa.
"We've got to contain the parasite before it spreads throughout the region. If that happens it's going to be a public health emergency," Dr. Najibullah Habib, spearheading the containment project on behalf of the World Health Organization says.
Hundreds of health workers are moving from village to village, testing everybody, in a pre-emptive strike to try to find, treat and monitor those with malaria symptoms.
"If we lose this first-line drug, this Artemisinin, then we are lost," Christopher Raymond, an American drug specialist working with the project says. He said that as of today there is no good backup if malaria becomes Artemisinin-resistant.
The crisis was first identified by U.S. Army researchers, who showed that in the border areas, Artemisinin was taking far longer to clear malaria than in the past.
"It was clear that the parasites are becoming less susceptible to the drug," David Saunders of the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences says. AFRIMS has now extended its study further along the border.
Researchers say there is still time to dig in heels, and working with Cambodian health officials their aim now is to see if it is spreading, how fast, and to test different combinations of drugs to fight it.
Experts speculate that conflict, poverty and a lot of migrants moving across the border have all played a part. Resistance also spreads when people don't take drugs properly, and counterfeit and sub-standard drugs are also to blame. They have been rife in the border areas.
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Thailand is enjoying a break from political upheaval, but with reds and yellows both calling for the PM's head, how long will this fragile peace last?
The Democrat Party is looking strangely isolated. For the first time in its term, the largest party in the coalition government is facing back-to-back protests by the red and yellow shirts. To add to that, the ongoing tussle over charter amendment proposals with the coalition allies means that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's party cannot boast a government in "harmony" going into an imminent censure debate with the opposition Pheu Thai Party.
In the old days, all these factors taken together would have constituted a big "crisis", but this is new politics and this is a prime minister who has survived political bloodbaths and potentially crippling court cases in the same year. However, last Sunday's rally by the red shirts, today's protest by the yellow shirts, the charter amendment impasse and the looming no-confidence showdown with the opposition are not a walk in the park. For one thing, while enemies and detractors of the government may share some common goals, they are still not advocating the same causes. Whether this will benefit Abhisit or make things worse for him remains to be seen.
Both the yellow and red shirts now want the prime minister to go. The red shirts are citing the casualties of last year's political bloodshed as the key reason. The yellow shirts have been upset by the government's Cambodia-related policies, which ironically have more to do with some messy issues left by pro-red governments.
Optimists see the violent street politics of last year evolving into something more manageable democratically. The red shirts are unlikely to go back to the extremism that could give the prime minister an excuse to reverse his "early election" promise.
The yellow shirts - who have denounced the red-shirts' tactics for causing disruption to peace and order - are unlikely to swallow their words, at least not too soon.
The upcoming parliamentary censure debate is expected to be aimed at the entire Cabinet. That will be a tactical approach because ministers and deputy ministers who are MPs will not be allowed to "vote for themselves". With the number of coalition members and opposition MPs eligible to vote in the censure not so different, political undercurrents can transform into big waves at the time of voting.
But before the censure can happen, the prime minister and the Democrat Party must first sort out problems with their coalition allies regarding the proposed charter amendment. Serious conflicts seemingly remain unsolved, but observers believe that when push comes to shove, the coalition partners will prefer to toe the Democrats' line than gang up with Pheu Thai and have their way.
Therefore, isolated as he seems, Abhisit is not yet in a back-to-the-wall situation. Much will depend on how strong the yellow shirts' momentum will carry forward. The movement has been weakened by internal strife and the disillusionment of peripheral sympathisers.
As for the red shirts, their street campaigns have looked more like election war drumming than an "Abhisit-out-at-all-costs" agenda.
Is Thai politics in the process of healing itself? That may be wishful thinking too soon. If this is just a break before a new round of turmoil, we can only hope there won't be repetition of the violence of last year. The yellow shirts, led by a former Thaksin Shinawatra ally who turned against him, are representing the uncertainty and unpredictability of politics. Can they combine with the pro-Thaksin red shirts to overthrow Abhisit? All we know is that Sondhi Limthongkul was once Thaksin's most vocal and influential cheerleader, and Kasit Piromya was not so long ago the yellow shirts' darling.
As Thailand enjoys a peaceful break politically, it's up to all the key players to keep things this way. In fact, Abhisit, the Thai military, and the red-shirt and yellow-shirt leaders all owe the neutral Thai public a peaceful return to real democracy. They have been playing reasonably fair so far, and long may that continue.
No issue has dogged the administration of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva like Cambodian policy. There are a number of reasons for this, some of which are the premier's own poor decision making. But from the day his government came to power, unrelenting political pressure has been brought to bear. It has come from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has urged his army, government and media to oppose and even to attack Thailand. And it has come from Thais who openly proclaim they are more patriotic than Mr Abhisit and the rest of the nation.
This week, Mr Abhisit faces three Cambodia issues. The first is today's three rallies by groups with varied backgrounds but a single, burning aim: to force the government to cancel all border agreements with Cambodia. The ultra-hotheads among these groups actually want war. On Sunday, Mr Abhisit correctly told the country that he will not yield to these self-styled patriots. They are wrong about Thailand's long-established policy towards Cambodia. He must stick to his guns and not back down an inch.
The second issue is a nagging legal case, an absurd and personally vindictive charge. According to Phnom Penh, the two Thais, Veera Somkwamkid and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon of the nationalist Thai Patriots Network - equally hostile to Phnom Penh and Mr Abhisit - have conducted espionage inside Cambodia. Mr Abhisit continues to fight for a fast trial or, better still, their release. The "patriots" of course give him neither credit nor thanks.
The third issue is a recently erected and ostentatious stone tablet near a disputed area along the Thai-Cambodian border. The Khmer inscription says, "Thai troops - the invaders" and goes on for five offensive and super-nationalistic lines. It is a disgraceful display of bad neighbourliness from the Hun Sen government and army. By now, thanks to media attention, Hun Sen, his government and his military know how objectionable it is. If it is not removed forthwith, Mr Abhisit's government must take a strong stand.
In the waning days of the Cold War, US president Ronald Reagan travelled to Germany. In a major speech to tens of thousands, he directly challenged the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Reagan pointed dramatically at the split between East and West Berlin and demanded, "Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall." The Soviet leader refused, but within a few years a popular uprising in communist Europe tore down the wall and reunited Berlin and Germany.
Mr Abhisit could use a similar moment. He has continually been on the defensive over Cambodia. This situation is doubly frustrating because he is correct and his strident critics are wrong. Like his recent predecessors, Mr Abhisit's Cambodia policy has been both right and righteous. Political and legal experts alike have confirmed this. The Thai critics on the right have merely emboldened and even enabled their counterparts in Cambodia - who are just as disagreeable and equally wrong-headed.
The border tablet branding the Thai army as invaders is as obnoxious as it is unnecessary. By any measure, no Thai troops have "invaded" Cambodia since Hun Sen became prime minister. It is scandalous and shameful that he has allowed such a stone tablet to be installed in the first place - and worse that he has not already removed it. This is the time for Mr Abhisit to demand publicly that it be removed. Hun Sen's response will show how serious he is about good Thai-Cambodian relations.
25/01/2011 Wassayos Ngamkham and Nattaya Bangkok Post
Police have seized two homemade bombs and other ammunition from a group who reportedly confessed to having been hired to sabotage the People's Alliance for Democracy rally planned for today.
The discovery came as the PAD prepared to join two other pressure groups in a protest aimed at forcing the government to take a tougher stance in its dealings with Cambodia on border issues.
Police spotted a man behaving suspiciously at Misakawan intersection on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue about 5pm yesterday.
They said a search found he had two homemade explosives in his possession. One was designed to be detonated by a mobile phone signal, while the other was connected to a clock and set to go off at 7.45pm.
The man, later identified as Tawatchai Iamnak, 37, reportedly confessed to being hired to plant the bombs at Chamai Maruchet Bridge, near Government House, where the Santi Asoke Buddhist sect is staging a rally.
Police used a watergun to destroy the bombs' circuits.
Questioning of Mr Tawatchai led to the arrest of four other suspects at a house on Soi Rama II 28, where police found a number of rocket-propelled grenades and more ammunition, including about 30 bullets. One of the suspects reportedly confessed to being hired to stir up unrest at the PAD rally and to bomb Government House.
The arms seizure took place as demonstrators from the provinces started to arrive in Bangkok to join today's rally at Makkhawan Bridge on Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the authorities had been informed of the attack attempt but he did not know who was behind the suspects.
The planned rally will see the PAD join forces with the Santi Asoke sect - also known as the Dhamma Army - and the Thai Patriots Network.
The situation has been further complicated by a planned demonstration today by the June 24 Group, which is allied to the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship. Its members plan to gather at the nearby Democracy Monument to protest against the PAD's interference in foreign relations.
The PAD has chosen Makkhawan Bridge to set up a stage, while the Santi Asoke sect and the Thai Patriots Network are encamped at Chamai Maruchet Bridge on nearby Phitsanulok Road.
The three groups share the primary demand of the revocation of a year 2000 memorandum of understanding signed by Thailand and Cambodia governing their border disagreements.
The PAD also wants the government to drive Cambodians from disputed areas on the border and to cancel Thailand's membership of the Unesco World Heritage Committee.
Mr Abhisit said yesterday he would not bow to the demands. Such actions would only have adverse effects and might lead to war.
The prime minister also pointed out that Thailand's withdrawal from the World Heritage Committee would mean it would no longer be able to oppose Cambodia's management plan for the heritage-listed Preah Vihear temple on the border.
Maj Gen Chamlong Srimuang, a key PAD leader, insisted yesterday the alliance would continue its rally until the group's demands were met.
He said PAD supporters would not storm Government House as part of the protest and the group was not seeking to oust the government. Its main aim was to protect and defend the country's territorial integrity.
"Although we are not confident of victory, we are at least performing our duty as Thais," Maj Gen Chamlong said.
The PAD leader denied rumours of a rift with Santi Asoke leader Samana Photirak.
He said they were in frequent contact by telephone and the PAD and Santi Asoke would work closely together during the rally.
Sunthorn Rakrong, a Thai Patriots Network coordinator, said his group would not join the PAD rally at Makkhawan Bridge. It would hold a separate rally at Chamai Maruchet Bridge.
Mr Sunthorn said the network was not in conflict with the PAD. They might have different tactics, but they share a common goal.
Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Jakthip Chaijinda said 20 units made up of about 2,000 officers had been assigned to monitor the protests.
Sixteen units will be deployed at Makkhawan Bridge and four units at Government House.
After almost a decade of collaborative works, a series of Cambodian children books have finally come into existence. These books are collection of fables and folktales based on Aesop's fables and Buddhist Jataka (Jeadak) with the infusion of some real life modern stories. There are 100 stories in the collection, one third of which were written in poetry form modeled after those of famed French writer, Jean de la Fontaine.
Due to limited funds, only about 3000 copies of these books had so far been printed in Cambodia and distributed informally to schools and charity organizations. However, the digital version of these books has now been established as learning resources for Cambodian students as well as the general public. Those who have Internet access could now read these stories on line at:
I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank my collaborators who have worked tirelessly for the past several years to bring this project to completion. Their dedication to writing the stories for these books was truly a rarity given the fact that we all live thousands of miles away from one another, and many of us have never met each other face to face.
I would like to also take this opportunity to make an announcement for a possible future collaborative work focusing on basic scientific stories for Cambodian children. Anyone who is interested in sharing his/her scientific talents with Cambodian children, please contact us via e-mail on the websites.
Bangkok, January 24, 2011--The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by reports that Cambodian officials deleted digital recordings and confiscated recording equipment from a number of journalists who covered a January 21 government press conference in Phnom Penh.
Om Yentieng, head of the government's anti-corruption unit and Human Rights Committee, ordered an aide to confiscate the property after a reporter asked a question about an unsolved grenade attack that targeted an opposition rally in 1997, according to a statement released by the Overseas Press Club of Cambodia. Sixteen activists were killed in the attack.
Government spokesman Phay Siphan later told news media that the government was within its rights to confiscate reporters' recordings and equipment to protect the "privacy rights" and "dignity" of officials. The Press Club noted in response that the confiscation of tapes and recorders constitutes censorship in violation of Article 3 of the 1995 Press Law, which broadly guarantees press freedoms.
The censorship generated some coverage in the Cambodian press. The independent English-language daily, The Phnom Penh Post, reported the question and Om Yentieng's reponse. The official called the question a "trap," labeled the reporter a "Khmer child," and asserted that recordings required permission, the Post reported.
"Despite its legal commitments to uphold press freedom, Prime Minister Hun Sen's government continues to use strong-arm tactics against the media," said Shawn Crispin, CPJ's senior Southeast Asia representative. "We call on Cambodian authorities to stop harassing the media and immediately return the tapes and recording equipment illegally taken from reporters."
The confiscation comes amid other attacks on dissent in Cambodia. On December 19, a Cambodian court sentenced U.N. World Food Program employee and Cambodian national Seng Kunnaka to six months in prison for circulating articles about a border dispute with Vietnam, according to news reports. He was charged under Article 495 of the new penal code enacted on December 10, which includes an overly broad definition of incitement that threatens freedom of expression.
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Phnom Penh Monday, 24 January 2011
"The rotation agreement would need to be honored, to avoid internal party conflict in the upcoming 2013 parliamentary election."
The Sam Rainsy Party is preparing for a repositioning of National Assembly seats for its lawmakers, halfway through the election cycle.
The opposition party's vice president, Kong Korm, is returning from a two-day party meeting that ended in Manila Sunday, where exiled party president, Sam Rainsy, issued instructions for the rotation, officials said Monday.
The party holds 26 legislative seats in the National Assembly, and party officials say the replacement of party members to different seats will strengthen the party's chances in upcoming elections.
The rotation is in response to a reminder from eight steering committee members reminding the president of the rotation.
Kong Korm, who is the acting party president while the president remains abroad, "will directly meet with you all to confirm and explain the decision of the party," Sam Rainsy wrote.
Noun Vuthy, a member of the steering committee, confirmed the decision, which will be implemented in March.
The rotation of all 26 seats is determined by the amount of money candidates paid during the election campaign in 2008. The first five candidates for each province paid $24,000 in campaign funding, while the next four each paid $22,000.
The rotation will switch out the top-tier candidates for the second-tier candidates.
Am Sam Ath, head of investigation for the rights group Licadho, said the rotation would change up party experience and policy. The rotation agreement would need to be honored, he said, to avoid internal party conflict in the upcoming 2013 parliamentary election.
But the rotation could also cause problems in parliamentary coherency, he said.
Meanwhile, the party will have to prepare for 2012 commune council elections, as Sam Rainsy remains in exile to avoid criminal charges he has decried as politically motivated.
Srey Sothea, chairman of the evil 7NG company, received decorations from Hun Xen
Srey Chanthou (L), 7NG managing director, holding hands with Hing Bun Hean, Hun Xen's bodyguard unit's commander
Monday, 24 January 2011 Kim Yuthana and Rebecca Puddy The Phnom Penh Post
Around 200 former residents of the city's Dey Krahorm community gathered at the site today to mark the two year anniversary of their violent eviction from their homes.
Framed by fragrant incense smoke, monks prayed and despondent villagers cried as they remembered the destruction of their homes on January 24, 2009.
On that day, dozens of families were forced from the site by police and construction workers employed by local firm 7NG.
Many of the residents were taken to the Damnak Trayeung relocation site on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, with little access economic opportunity and few basic services.
David Pred, executive director of Bridges Across Borders Cambodia, said some villagers who possessed titles for land at Dey Krahorm were allocated new land.
While the village initially had poor services, basic infrastructure is being extended to the area.
But he said those residents who did not receive land at Damnak Trayeung had "languished" under tarpaulin shelters until they were shifted to a rice paddy at Tang Khiev village in Kandal province's Ponhea Leu district.
"It's a humanitarian disaster out there," Pred said.
"There was never any plan to deal with people who didn't have land allocated."
He added: "Ninety-five percent of the population in Tang Khiev don't have enough food to eat; they can't make a living; they have health issues; and there is no running water or sanitation."
Pred said of the 335 families who initially moved to Tang Khiev, only 75 remain, as people had to leave to find work.
Stickers distributed tpday at the site depicted the harrowing scenes of January 24, 2009: women and children crying, police wielding batons and shields, and houses catching fire as they were bulldozed.
Chan Vicheat, a former Dey Krahorm villager, said the residents could not forget the eviction while they continued to live in substandard conditions with limited electricity, no clean water and little security.
"They live like animals," Chan Vicheat said.
Sia Phearum, director of the Housing Rights Task Force, said the anniversary of the eviction was an important reminder of the loss of the community's rights.
"The residents who were evicted now live far away," he said.
"They lost every right, such as their right to life and right to education, because the stability of their lives changes one day to another."
7NG managing director Srey Chanthou could not be reached today.
Chheang Bauna, the firm's general manager, declined to comment.
Monday, 24 January 2011 Mary Kozlovski The Phnom Penh Post
Thirty-six percent of Cambodians feel that border demarcation is the most important issue impacting Cambodia, according to a nationwide poll conducted by the International Republican Institute last year.
President of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, Ou Virak, said that the government has learned it can benefit politically from border issues.
"In the past, the government has never mentioned border issues," he said.
"After 2008, border issues have become a major issue with Thailand because of the Preah Vihear conflict.
"Even before 2008, a lot of border issues were raised by the opposition [Sam Rainsy] Party".
IRI country director John Willis said that border demarcation polled highly as an issue in previous IRI surveys.
A 2008 IRI survey showed that, when asked about the three most important issues impacting on the country, the percentage of Cambodians who cited border issues and demarcation jumped from 5 percent to 59 percent between August 2007 and November 2008.
Ou Virak, however, said that while people care about border demarcation, they were unlikely to change their vote because of border issues. "It would be interesting to see whether the same people would be likely to vote because of that issue," he said.
"My bet is no. The majority will vote on economic issues and things that affect them more directly like healthcare and employment".
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said that he had not read the IRI poll, but that border demarcation is an important issue for Cambodians.
"We have a number of intrusions by the Thai people, so people pay attention," he said.
"They want to protect their homeland. And the media reports on it a lot."
Representatives from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party could not be reached for comment.
The IRI poll, which attempts to gauge Cambodian public opinion, surveyed 2,000 Cambodians from across the country over July and August last year.
According to the poll, 76 percent of people believe the country is heading in the right direction – down from 79 percent in 2009 and a peak of 82 percent in 2008 – with a majority citing an increase in roads, schools and health clinics.
The poll also showed that 23 percent of people believe the country is moving in the wrong direction, with a majority citing corruption.
The supreme military commander of Cambodia has promised to make a "correction" to the controversial sign posted on the disputed border branding Thai troops as "invaders", Supreme Commander Songkitti Jaggabatara said on Monday.
Gen Songkitti said this after a meeting with Gen Pol Sareoun, the supreme commander of Cambodia.
They had discussed the controversial stone tablet erected in front of Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara. Cambodia says it is where Thai troops had invaded Cambodian territory.
"Cambodia said a correction will be made in a favourable way. Let's wait and see," Gen Songkitti said.
"I don't want to speak more about this. Let's take it this way, that Cambodia will make a correction in a favourable manner.
"Then this matter should come to an end."
Gen Songkitti and his Cambodian counterpart met while attending a tod pha pa ceremony at Wat Chanthorn Buriwong in Phnom Penh. during which more than three million baht in donations were made.
Altogether 140 high-level officers from the three Thai armed forces took part in the merit-making ceremony. They travelled to Cambodia on two air force C130 transport planes and an Airbus aircraft.
Gen Songkitti said no matter what problems may arise, the military ties between the two country are still good, judging from the fact that the Thai visitors were given due honour and welcomed by a large number of people.
Cambodia put the stone tablet up after Thai troops withdrew from Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sikha Sawara on Dec 1.
Cambodians are increasingly using the internet, but pricing and penetration levels lag behind much of Asean, reports The Phnom Penh Post citing experts. Internet subscribers in 2010 in the country grew to 173,675 from 29,589 in 2009, according to the ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. The internet costs are expensive compared with the average price in Asean nations, although prices are dropping year by year, Information and Communication Technology Business Association president Pily Wong wrote. But Cambodian officials are linking up with their regional colleagues to talk over the future of the internet. Minister So Khun and other Cambodian delegates travelled to Kuala Lumpur last week to attend a meeting of Asean telecommunications ministers. The meeting formally adopted the Asean ICT Masterplan 2015, which aims to better ICT among Asean member nations, largely through increasing broadband access.
Ruling Democrat Party's lawmaker Panich Vikitsreth said Monday he would perform his function as the member of parliament until the Constitution Court made any decision on his status which might end by the consequence of Cambodian court's ruling on trespassing case.
"If the hospital allows and my health gets ready, I will join the parliament's session on Tuesday," Panich said in press conference.
Panich needed to be hospitalized after return from Cambodian prison where he was detained during a trail in Phnom Penh for the illegal entry charges.
He was arrested together with six yellow-shirt activists including high profile nationalist Veera Somkwamkid near Sa Kaeo province's Ban Nong Chan while inspecting border disputed areas on December 29.
Five of seven in the group were suspended jail term after a verdict to sentence them 9 months imprisonment and fine one million Cambodian Riel (Bt 7,500).
Article 106 (11) of the Thai Constitution says MP status end as member of parliament was jailed by court's verdict although the jail term was suspended.
The Election Commission would consider Panich's legal status today and would proceed the case to the Constitution Court if the commissioners agreed his MPs position should end.
The Democrat Party argued that Panich's position should not end as the Cambodian court's verdict does not have no legal consequence to Thai politicians.
Panich spent 16 days in notorious Prey Sar prison, outskirts of Phnom Penh. He was infected some diseases from the prison and needed medical treatment until now. He made a press conference at a Bangkok hospital Monday.
Conditions in the Cambodian prison is not good although he and his group got a special treatment from the prison authority. They stayed in a separate small room of 1x4 meters. "They said it is a special room but I saw nothing special, it's just an empty and small room," he said.
Panich and other Thai nationals in the case later obtained food from the Thai Embassy. They ate prison's food, which Panich said was very salty, only the first two days.
"Nevertheless, officials at the prison are kind and friendly," he said but noted that the prison has so strict regulation, not allowed to get information from outside. "My mother sent me a magazine but the prison did not allow," he said.
Panich said the imprisonment was important lesson for his life. "But I have nothing to fear as I perform my duty as an MP," he said.
The lawmaker said he needed to inspect the disputed areas after complaints from local residents of losing their land to a Cambodian community which occupied the areas for more than 30 years.
"I know exactly the areas are under disputes with Cambodia but I have never said, even in the court's testimony, that the land belong to Cambodia," he said.
BANGKOK, Jan 24 (MCOT online news) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Monday rejected the three demands put forward by the yellow-clad People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) regarding the Thai-Cambodian border dispute, saying that Thailand will lose territory to her neighbour if he gives in to the protesters' demands.
The prime minister stood firm on his stance as the PAD leaders threatened to prolong their protest near Government House on Tuesday if their demands are not met.
The nationalist movement leaders sought Thailand's withdrawal from the United Nations Education Scientific and Culture Organization (UNESCO)'s World Heritage Committee (WHC), revocation of the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with Cambodia and pushing Cambodian people out of areas which they claim belong to Thailand back to their homeland.
Mr Abhisit dismissed all the PAD demands as impractical.
"If Thailand withdraws from the WHC, Cambodia would be able to go ahead with its own Preah Vihear management implementation without any objection, the prime minister argued. "If the 2000 MoU is revoked, the contested areas will never be demarcated."
"I reaffirm that I made such a decision for the sake of national interest and sovereignty as well as international relations," Mr Abhisit stated
The premier also noted that Thailand should be more cautious on the matter and he was ready to talk with the PAD to end the disagreement.
Regarding the PAD's planned protest tomorrow, the prime minister said Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who oversees national security, has discussed a security plan with national police chief Wichean Potephosree.
Mr Abhisit said he would not allow a repeat of the 2008 PAD seizure of Government House.
"The protesters cannot break into Government House," said the premier. "This is unlawful as the Administrative Court earlier ruled that the exercise of the right of expression must not obstruct the work of officials."
BANGKOK, April 24 (Bernama) -- The Yellow Shirts, who contributed to the downfall of the three administrations the preceded the present government, plan to hold mass rallies from tomorrow over the Thailand-Cambodia border issue.
The group wants the government to revoke the memorandum of understanding on the border signed in 2000, pull Thailand out of the Unesco World Heritage Committee, and expel Cambodians from the disputed area.
Their leader, Chamlong Srimuang, said: "Our rallies will end when the prime minister meets our demands."
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had already declared that his government would not bow to the demands of the Yellow Shirts, led by People's Alliance for Democracy.
He said yesterday that the two countries would be left with no other option but to use force to settle their border dispute if the MoU was revoked.
Although the group is known to be strong supporters of the present administration, Abhisit considered their demands to be so unreasonable that he has accused them of really wanting to oust his government.
"Their intention is not to push for the revocation of the memorandum. Their intention is to oust the present government," Abhisit said.
The Yellow Shirts claimed that the MoU has put Thailand at a disadvantage, and they are concerned about the decision that world heritage body is expected to make in June on the management plan of the Preah Vihear Temple in Cambodia.
The management plan of the temple covered a disputed area with Thailand claiming sovereignty over 4.6 square kilometers adjacent to the 11th century temple listed as a world heritage site in 2008.
The Yellow Shirts will begin their series of rallies at Makkhawan Bridge tomorrow morning.
Police have been mobilized to safeguard important installations starting today.
"We will not allow them to seize Government House. It is illegal," said Abhisit.
To add to his headache, the Red Shirts, supporters of the previous administrations, too planned to hold a protest in the capital tomorrow.
The protest will be led by June 24 Democracy Group, a splinter group of the Red Shirts movement. It will be held at Democracy Monument, about one kilometer from the protest site of their rivals, from 5pm until midnight.
The group is demanding that the government release the 400 leaders and supporters of the Red Shirts still being detained after the May 19 military crackdown to disperse their three-month rally.
"The authorities will take care of the two protests," said Abhisit.
Cambodian farmers work on the rice field in Kampong Speu province, west of Phnom Penh, (Photo: Reuters File)
Robert Carmichael, VOA Phnom Penh 24 January 2011
A new study shows that many Cambodian vegetable farmers suffer from acute pesticide poisoning. It is the latest to indicate that Cambodia, like many other developing nations, is struggling to protect farmers and consumers from the dangers of pesticides.
Twenty-two-year-old Srey Kuot is a contract farmer who grows vegetables on a plot of land outside the capital, Phnom Penh. Like most Cambodian farmers she knows pesticides can harm her health. But, like most, she mixes several into a poisonous cocktail.
She says when she sprays pesticides she uses gloves, boots, a mask and a long shirt and trousers. If she did not, she says, it would enter her body and cause illness, which will be very difficult to cure, so she has to take precautions.
But Srey Kuot has no idea what pesticides she uses because the seller at the market in Phnom Penh provides them to her and tells her how to use them.
She says the person who gives her the pesticide tells her how strong it is. And the labels for these chemicals are only in Vietnamese and Thai.
A group of Danish researchers recently interviewed 89 farmers growing vegetables on outskirts of Phnom Penh. They found that 90 percent had experienced symptoms of acute pesticide poisoning.
Their report, published this month in the Journal of Toxicology, says many lack suitable protective clothing, even though about half the pesticides used by the farmers in that study are classified by the World Health Organization as Class I or Class II - which means they are moderately to extremely hazardous to human health.
Some of those pesticides are banned here, but the Danish report says they are smuggled into Cambodia.
The Danish survey echoes one done in 2008 by the Pesticide Action Network, Asia and the Pacific - or PANAP. That study looked at the use of highly hazardous pesticides in eight Asian nations, including Cambodia, Sri Lanka, India and China.
The PANAP study found that two-thirds of the active ingredients used in pesticides by the 1,300 farmers surveyed had highly hazardous characteristics, and presented what the organization called "unacceptably high risks to communities".
The Danish report calls the use of "highly toxic pesticides one of the most significant hazards" for farmers in low-income countries. And it notes that in many developing countries, the widespread availability of the most hazardous pesticides has turned them into a common method of committing suicide.
Moderate pesticide poisoning can cause muscle cramps, chest pains, blurred vision, vomiting and many other symptoms. Swallowing Class I and II pesticides can be very quickly fatal.
When it came to the Cambodian section of PANAP's study, a third of farmers said they used no protective gear when spraying pesticides. And even among those who did use protective gear, none used a respirator.
Both the PANAP and the Danish studies found that none of the 95 pesticides it assessed carried labels in Khmer, the language of Cambodia, despite a law requiring Khmer labeling.
Keam Makarady, an agronomist and pesticides expert at Cambodian agricultural organization CEDAC, says that is typical.
"We can say that 95 percent are labeled in a foreign language. So it is difficult for the farmer to know what kind of pesticide that they use, and also the direction for the safe use of pesticides," Makarady said.
Makarady says CEDAC and other agricultural aid groups train farmers on safer handling of pesticides, and it pays off.
He says that typically 80 percent of farmers at the start of a training program use the most dangerous types of pesticides. After training, that number comes down sharply.
"But now [after trainin]) the number of farmers that use the banned and restricted pesticides or highly hazardous pesticides has decreased," Makarady stated. "Now it's only 10 percent."
Makarady says the problem with pesticides has him so concerned that he buys only organic fruit and vegetables for his family. But buying organic is not an option for most Cambodians, because produce grown without chemical pesticides or fertilizers usually is more expensive.
The Danish team says that if the government enforced its own ban on the worst pesticides, the number of farmers being poisoned would come down.
The government says it is working on a new law that will punish people who import banned pesticides.
However, there is no set timetable for introducing the legislation on pesticides.
A truck enters a So Nguon Group facility in Phnom Penh last year.Prime Minister Hun Sen warned freight transportation firm So Nguon Group that it could be shut down, claiming its lorries often caused collisions on Cambodia's roads and bridges. (Photo by: Pha Lina)
Monday, 24 January 2011 Soeun Say The Phnom Penh Post
A recent So Nguon truck breakdown on Phnom Penh's Monivong Bridge had precipitated the warning, he said today during a ceremony inaugurating the Cambodia and China Friendship Prek Tamak Bridge in Kandal province.
"There will be only one reason to shut the company down, if they do not straighten out the transportation situation," said the premier.
The Prime Minister said the firm often used old vehicles for transportation and added he wanted to "wake up the company" to change its ways.
"Everything [they use] is old, such as tyres, and bad drivers," he said.
"I said this because I want to wake up the company … as I have woken them up two times already."
So Nguon Group chairman So Nguon said today that the company had been upgrading its vehicles in recent months, adding: "I don't know who instigated Samdech [Hun Sen] to be angry with us like this."
The trucking firm, thought to be the biggest in the Kingdom, had bought 60 new lorries to be used for freight transportation in recent months, he claimed, and said it had sold most of its old vehicles.
Now it uses about 200 vehicles for goods transportation, which are mainly employed for transporting goods between Phnom Penh and destinations in Preah Sihanouk province and Vietnam.
"The trucking business is very difficult," he explained.
"We don't know when we will have accidents happening – we cannot see them before they happen."
The company aims to decrease the number of vehicles it has on the road to between 100 and 150 vehicles, So Nguon said.
"It's difficult to control [so many lorries]. I must sell more," he said.
The group has stated that business was stronger during last year, with revenues over its first eight months surpassing total revenues for all of 2009 on the back of increased deliveries of garments.
"Our revenue soared because of an increase in transportation of textile products," So Nguon has told The Post previously.
The Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia claimed garment exports increased 26 percent in 2010 compared with the year previous.
Exports hit a total worth of $2.99 billion in 2010, compared with $2.38 billion in 2009, figures obtained earlier this month showed.
In 2009, So Nguon Group's trucking business generated $7.56 million.
The president had said he anticipated that figure hitting $11 million in 2010.
Prime Minister Hun Sen inaugurates the US$43.5 million Cambodia-China Prek Tamak Friendship Bridge in Kandal province during a ceremony yesterday. (Photo by: Heng Chivoan)
Hun Sen spooks critics
Monday, 24 January 2011 Cheang Sokha The Phnom Penh Post
Prime Minister Hun Sen today criticised his political opponents for not acknowledging the government's accomplishments in improving the country's infrastructure, warning them that ungrateful critics could be hit by a so-called "guardian spirit".
Speaking at the inauguration of the Cambodia-China Prek Tamak Friendship Bridge in Kandal province, the premier said that certain people have not recognised the government's achievements in building roads and bridges, even though they have benefited from the projects.
"You are also walking on the streets, so be careful: The guardian spirit will hit you, the guardian spirit's [magic] is strong now," Hun Sen said.
Hun Sen added that newly constructed bridges and roads were not intended only for the use of the supporters of the Cambodian People's Party.
"It is quite difficult to blow a flute to the cow; they cannot listen," he said of his critics, pointing to the country's progress since the downfall of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979.
"Compare things with 1979, what we had at that time and what we have at this time."
Speaking at the inauguration of the bridge, Pan Guangxue, China's ambassador to Cambodia, said the US$43.5 million Cambodia-China Prek Tamak Friendship Bridge was the third Chinese-funded bridge to open in Cambodia, after the Cambodia-China Sekong Friendship Bridge in Stung Treng province and Cambodian-China Prek Kdam Bridge, also in Kandal.
Phnom Penh and Beijing have inked agreements to build two more bridges, the Cambodia-China Chroy Changvar Bridge in Phnom Penh and another project in Takhmao.
Hun Sen said several other highway projects have also been signed or are under negotiation, and that China has already funded the construction of more than 1,500 kilometres of roads in Cambodia.
Opposition Sam Rainsy Party officials could not be reached for comment today.
Last month, during Hun Sen's five-day visit to China, he and Chinese leaders signed 12 project agreements related to infrastructure and agriculture projects.
In November, during the visit of China's top legislator Wu Bangguo, Beijing and Phnom Penh signed an additional 16 economic agreements, with China pledging to provide $1.6 billion by 2015 for infrastructure projects.
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