Thursday, February 3, 2011

Cambodia news politics update daily

Posted by sam auto blog tune up at 6:24 PM


Cambodia news provide you updates news daily to help you keep watching the event thathappen in Cambodia. All included: 

Human rights in Cabodia, Human trafficking in Cambodia, opposite party, Samrainsy party, Khmer newspaper, Cambodia magazine, cambodia news, politics

Posted: 03 Feb 2011 06:03 PM PST
Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://politiktoons.blogspot.com
and also at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 05:55 PM PST
3/02/2011
Bangkok Post

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and National Security Council secretary-general Thawil Pliensri made an urgent trip to Phnom Penh on Thursday morning.

Reports said the country's two top security officials are expected to meet Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to discuss the strained relations between the two countries.

Mr Suthep and Mr Thawil will return to Bangkok this evening.
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 05:49 PM PST
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Thursday, 03 February 2011
"The prisoners have the right and freedom to meet and talk with their own family members, and their rights are to be respected."
The Ministry of Interior's prison department is preparing to reform its visitation and other policies, to allow inmates to meet with family members on special occasions and gain skills ahead of their release, officials said Thursday.

The reforms will allow prisoners visitation a day ahead of major holidays, such as the New Year, giving them more time with their families, Nouth Saan, secretary of state for the Interior Ministry, told VOA Khmer.

The initiative was discussed and approved during an annual meeting of the prison department last week.

Other reforms will include the development of skills training in areas like electronics repair and agriculture, said Kuy Bun Sorn, director of the prison department.


"This is a reform of prison policy, particularly in rehabilitation for prisoner integration, so that after they are freed they can go back to their communities with clear skills," he said.

The reforms are aimed at preventing second offenses, he said.

Cambodia is facing an overcrowding of its jails, with an estimated 14,000 prisoners across the system in 2010, according to government statistics.

Chan Saveth, head of monitoring for the rights group Adhoc, said the draft policy showed some sympathy for prisoners, but many of their families are poor and live far from the provincial detention centers.

Still, overall it was a gain for prisoner rights, he said. "The prisoners have the right and freedom to meet and talk with their own family members, and their rights are to be respected."

Am Sam Ath, head of investigation for the rights group Lichado, said the policy was an improvement and will lessen the sense of isolation experienced by many prisoners.
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 05:42 PM PST
Foreign Ministers, Hor Namhong, right, of Cambodia, and Kasit Piromya, left, of Thailand, shake hands before a meeting in the Foreign Ministry in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010. (Photo: AP)

Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Thursday, 03 February 2011

The foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand will meet in Siem Reap on Friday, for already scheduled bilateral discussions, but there is no specific plan to discuss recent escalation of border tensions, an official said Thursday.

Both sides only recently relaxed a major military build-up along the border of Preah Vihear province, but the December arrests of a Thai delegation for illegally crossing the border and Cambodia's refusal to lower its flags from a contentious pagoda have rekindled border concerns.

"There is no topic about this," Koy Kuong, a spokesman for Cambodia's Foreign Ministry, said Tuesday, referring to the pagoda. "The Keo Sekha Kiri Svarak pagoda is legally and fully located in Cambodian territory."


Thai officials have maintained that the pagoda sits in disputed territory, according to a map that differs from a version draw under French colonial administration, which Cambodia adheres to. They have asked that Cambodia stop flying its flag over the pagoda, located near Preah Vihear temple, a Unesco World Heritage site and a source of nationalistic fervor on both sides.

Earlier this week, Phnom Penh warned Bangkok to avoid war rhetoric, after Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was quoted in local media saying the "use of force" would be a last resort.

The Bangkok Post reported Thursday that Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya will bring a message to Cambodia Friday saying Thailand has no intention of war.

The Bangkok Post also reported Thursday a high-level Thai delegation had arrived Thursday to discuss with Prime Minister Hun Sen the "strained relationship" between the two countries. Cambodian officials were unable to confirm such a meeting.
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 05:27 PM PST
Hosni Mubarak of Egypt

Hun Xen of Cambodia

Friday, February 04, 2011
A personal observation by Anonymous

Egypt:

In an interview with ABC News' Christiane Amanpour, the embattled Egyptian dictator said that he was ready to leave office, but could not, for fear his country would sink deeper into chaos. (1)"I am fed up. After 62 years in public service, I have had enough. I want to go," Mubarak claimed.

He also said that in a phone conversation with US President Barack Obama earlier this week, he had told his American counterpart, (2)"You don't understand the Egyptian culture," and asked, (3)"What would happen if I step down now?"

Furthermore, regarding the deadly violence between anti- and pro-government groups in Tahrir Square, he said that the government was not responsible for it. Mubarak blamed (4)the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood for the violence

Cambodia:

It is quite ironical to read Mr. Mubarak's comments because there are many similarities between his dictatorship and the one currently entrenched in Cambodia. In fact, one wonders if Mr. Mubarak is not borrowing his lines from another dictator in Asia by the name of Hun Xen. Let's take a look:

(1) During a recent speech given at the inauguration of the Prek Tameak Bridge, Hun Xen admitted that he was very tired and had to take a lot of medicines daily, albeit we did not hear him admitting that he wanted to go.
(2) Quite frequently also, when an international organization or institution criticizes the human rights record or the economic conditions in Cambodia, the standard answer provided by the regime's mouthpieces is: "X does not fully understand the (fill in whatever case) situation in Cambodia".
(3) In his speeches, Hun Xen frequently indicated that, without him, Cambodia would descend into chaos and anarchy. In fact, Hun Xen claimed that what he did in the 1997 coup against Funcinpec was not a coup, but only to prevent the emergence of chaos and anarchy.
(4) Recently, the Cambodian government used a high-profile visit by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to demand the removal of local human rights director Christophe Peschoux. Hor Namhong, Hun Xen's minister of Foreign Affairs, said Peschoux had acted as "the spokesman for the opposition", after the Frenchman spoke out on issues such as land-grabbing and crackdowns on government critics

Same old, same old:

Is it a coincidence that they use the same clichés whether in Egypt or in Cambodia? I don't think so. Therefore, I couldn't help but wonder that, no matter where you are on this planet, dictatorships are "same old, same old". In the case of Cambodia, Hun Xen's dictatorship will be the next "antique" for sale once the country has nothing left to sell anymore.
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 12:35 PM PST
The public gallery at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia in Phnom Penh is crowded with onlookers July 26, 2010, when the U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal handed down its first guilty verdict against a senior Khmer Rouge figure. NIU faculty members Kenton Clymer (history) and Judy Ledgerwood (anthropology) were there. (Courtesy of Reuters)

Thursday, February 3, 2011
Northern Illinois U. Today (Illinois, USA)

NIU professors and Cambodia specialists Kenton Clymer (history) and Judy Ledgerwood (anthropology) were at the proceedings last July in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, when the first verdict against a senior Khmer Rouge leader was handed down by an United Nations-backed international war crimes tribunal currently underway in that country.

Clymer and Ledgerwood will discuss the verdict against Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies' weekly lunchtime lecture from noon to 12:50 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, in Room 110 in the Campus Life Building.

As director of the infamous Tuol Sleng prison during the 1975–79 Khmer Rouge regime, Duch was responsible for the deaths and torture of more than 14,000 Cambodians imprisoned there. His guilty verdict and 35-year sentence marked the first verdict by an internationally recognized court against the Khmer Rouge, who are estimated to have caused the deaths of more than 1.7 million Cambodians during their brutal regime.


Clymer and Ledgerwood, who were in Cambodia on separate projects over the summer, were seated in the public gallery at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia directly in front of Vann Nath, a famous painter and one of the dozen or so survivors of Tuol Sleng.

"It took an hour to read the verdict. It was very long and very complicated," Ledgerwood said.

During the reading, there was emotional reaction in the crowd when the names of the victims were read and when the 35-year sentence was handed down, then reduced by five years because of Duch's illegal incarceration by the Cambodian Military Court from 1999 t0 2007. With credit given for time already served, the 69-year-old Duch will serve 19 more years in prison.

"Many Cambodians were very upset that the sentence seemed short," Ledgerwood said. "I felt it was OK because, given his age, it means he is likely to die in prison."

Cambodia does not have the death penalty.

Duch was successfully prosecuted, Ledgerwood said, because authorities had the cooperation of the former math teacher. "Duch is the only one [of surviving Khmer Rouge leaders] who has said that 'I did this, it was wrong, and I'm sorry,' " she said. "[Khmer Rouge leader] Pol Pot went to his grave saying he'd done nothing wrong."

Ledgerwood and Clymer went to the court proceedings with Cambodian villagers to witness the verdict. These villagers were brought to Phnom Penh by the Documentation Center of Cambodia, a nonprofit group originally affiliated with Yale University's Cambodia genocide research program. Four surviving and now elderly Khmer Rouge leaders are still awaiting trial, expected to begin later this year.
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 12:23 PM PST
February 4, 2011
The Nation



Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya is scheduled to meet his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong to discuss border disputes, notably in the area near Preah Vihear Temple, and seek ways to ease the tension in Thailand caused by nationalist protesters.

The minister travelled by car yesterday through the border province of Sa Kaew to Siem Reap, where he will attend the Thailand-Cambodia Joint Commission meeting. Kasit stopped at the border to get a briefing from Thailand's Burapha Task Force. 

The joint commission is expected to discuss general issues related to bilateral ties, like economic and cultural cooperation, although Kasit expects to discuss the boundary dispute with his counterpart on the sidelines.

The jailing of Thai Patriots Network leader Veera Somkwamkid and his assistant Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, who got lengthy sentences last week after being convicted of trespass and espionage by a Cambodian court, was unlikely to be on the agenda as the two are expected to appeal the verdict next week.


Kasit said he would visit the two in Prey Sar prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh after the meeting wraps up today.

The border conflict was initially handled by the joint boundary committee, which met for the last time in 2009. But it is still waiting for the Thai Parliament to give it the go ahead to meet again.

The areas adjacent to Preah Vihear temple have not been demarcated and both countries claim sovereignty over the 4.6 square kilometres.

Thailand has accused Cambodia of building a Buddhist pagoda in the disputed area, and is demanding that it remove the national flag it has hoisted there. Cambodia has rejected the demand, saying the area is under its sovereignty.

Though the pagoda was built in 1998, the government has been pressed to protest by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which is also demanding that the 2000 memorandum of understanding on boundary demarcation be scrapped and Cambodians living near the temple be forcibly evicted.

Second Army Region chief Lt-General Thawatchai Samut-sakorn, who oversees the area, said he could not force Cambodia to remove the flag hoisted over Wat Keo Sikha Kiri Svara as it might spark a major conflict between the two countries.

Thailand had also hoisted its national flag at the Twin Stupa nearby, he said. "Both parties can claim sovereignty on the area as long as the boundary issue has not yet been demarcated," he added.
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 12:19 PM PST
February 4, 2011
Burin Kantabutra
Bangkok
Opinion in The Nation

The PAD is all up in arms about Cambodia jailing Veera Somkwamkid and his aide Ratree - but does the PAD even know where the two were when they were arrested? Of the Thais arrested, five admitted that they were on Cambodian soil when arrested, whereas Veera and Ratree insist that they were in Thai territory. Yet, all seven were together when arrested; it cannot be that five were in one country and two in another.

Before galloping off to war, the PAD should find out the key facts - or would it rather not, for fear of losing face?
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 12:16 PM PST
February 4, 2011
The Nation

Prime Minister Abhisit is setting his own path to destruction by publicly linking the two detained Thais in Cambodia with domestic politics.

As the prime minister, he and his government have the duty to protect citizens, whether they are in Thailand or abroad, and regardless of whether they are Democrats, yellow shirts or red shirts.

The harsh sentences on Veera and Ratree are blown out of proportion. They were caught in an unclear and disputed border area that has yet to be verified. No respected leader of any country would allow nationals to be held in custody unanswered. In similar cases last year, former US President Clinton flew to North Korea to secure the release of two US citizens. China also successfully pressured Japan to release the ship captain caught in disputed maritime territory. It is time for Mr Abhisit to show his true courage to secure, or attempt to do so without any bias, the release of his fellow citizens.
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 12:10 PM PST
4/02/2011
THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL
Bangkok Post

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA : Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya says he will come up with a way to have two high-profile Thai detainees released from a Phnom Penh prison when he meets today with his Cambodian counterpart.

Mr Kasit and Hor Namhong will meet at a Joint Boundary Commission meeting being held to discuss problems resulting from a memorandum of understanding signed in 2000 on land surveying and border demarcation, which states that the two countries will not construct anything in disputed areas.

Mr Kasit will visit Thai Patriots Network coordinator Veera Somkhwamkid and his secretary, Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, later in the day at Prey Sar prison.

He said the ministry's priority was to bring Mr Veera and Ms Ratree back to Thailand as soon as possible, but that would be impossible without their cooperation.


"If Mr Veera stands firm in his testimony [before the Cambodian court] that he was arrested in Thai territory, then we can't do anything but let the court procedure go on until the end," he said.

The minister said he would try to convince Mr Veera to cooperate with his Cambodian lawyer to increase the possibility of his return to Thailand.

"Mr Veera is a fighter, but he cannot fight if he is in jail," Mr Kasit said.

Permanent secretary for foreign affairs Theerakhun Niyom said Thailand and Cambodia wanted to speed up the Joint Boundary Commission meeting as it was a framework to discuss border problems.

"Both sides hope the JBC can resume talks as soon as possible," he said.

"The delay has been caused by the Thai parliamentary process in considering three JBC memos [the one signed in 2000, one in 2008 and another last year] and Cambodia understands this."

A joint parliamentary committee is screening the three memos. It asked parliament president Chai Chidchob in November last year for another 90 days to study the agreements, claiming they did not contain enough detail.
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 12:04 PM PST


Middle East
03 Feb 2011
Al Jazeera Online Producer

Al Jazeera's online producer recounts a night of violence in central Cairo.

It was late on Wednesday as I slipped off to the Corniche road along the Nile to try to make my way inside Tahrir Square.

I have never seen a revolt up close and in real time, so it was with some trepidation that I had left the confines of our building after a full 10 hours of witnessing rock and Molotov barrages out of the window.

The street was empty but for a small army presence – a couple of armoured personnel carriers and some soldiers, most stationed near the Egyptian Museum.

To my left, 300m away, a pro-Mubarak crowd rained Molotov cocktails down on the anti-government protesters from an flyover leading from the 6th of October bridge.


In a few minutes, I had made it south down the Corniche to Kasr al-Nil bridge, which empties into central Cairo from the west and becomes a road that leads directly into Tahrir.

The anti-government protesters in Tahrir had arranged a field of debris 40m in front of their barricade, forcing anyone approaching to stop their stride and hop over.

Twenty metres beyond, they had strung a heavy electric cable about waist high from heavy metal fences on either side of the road, and 10m beyond that lay the final barricade, a stacked mix of metal barriers and spiked fences.

Two wooden boards were jammed length-wise across a side path to bar easy entrance.

I hopped down and walked through a small grassy park, approaching a small squad of men guarding a nearby path that led around the main barricade.

I held my hands up, palms out. They asked me for ID, so I showed them my US driver's license. I also told them that I came from Al Jazeera.

Unlike the pro-Mubarak people, the Tahrir protesters have a passion for our network. You tell the truth, they told me. One of the group patted me down and apologised for the inconvenience.

"It's for security," he said.

'Remember my name'

I approached the Kasr al-Nil barricade from behind, cautiously, and asked permission to take pictures.

Rocks were stacked in piles around the street, and Molotov cocktail bottles sat next to one another near a tree; a revolutionary armoury.

I was referred to the 'boss' of the checkpoint, a man with a lengthy black beard, a white, bloodstained headwrap, and a heavy grey peacoat spattered with blood.

He introduced himself as Hossam Eid al-Sharqawy and took hold of my shoulder. Time was short, I should take pictures quickly and go, he said.

He had blunt words for Egypt's 30-year president, whose two rounds of concessions and promise not to run again have failed to placate protesters. "Hosni Mubarak kills his own people," Sharqawy said.

"Remember my name," he said. "If I die here tonight, you will tell our story."

I told him I would, then photographed the barricade and continued into the square.

The chaos taking place to the north at the Egyptian museum was inaudible.

The square was peaceful but eerily empty; just 24 hours earlier, hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters had staged what might have been the largest political demonstration in Cairo's history, a show which likely prompted Wednesday's violent response.

Men prayed on a large banner that had been laid out on the pavement.

It carried the two words that have become the slogan of anti-government protests from Tunisia to Egypt: "Game Over."

Farther into the square, small groups huddled around fires and inside tents.

The jubilance that had turned the square into a giant camp ground just a day before was gone; people now feared being overrun and killed by the surrounding pro-government mob, many of them reportedly hired thugs.

Apocalyptic scene

As I progressed toward the fighting near the museum, the square became decidedly more apocalyptic.

The roads were carpeted in broken rocks, making it hard to walk.

Men with crowbars and long metal rods – probably stolen from the construction site at the remodeling of the Ritz in the square – chipped away at curbs and at the road to make more projectiles for their comrades.

In the distance ahead, the orange glow of the street lights and the continual Molotov cocktail fire lent an air of medieval combat to the front lines of the fight.

The closer I got, the more frenetic the activity among the anti-government protesters.

Men and women hustled up huge bags of rocks. Another group dragged a metal barricade into a new backup position.

The source of the cacophony that had been echoing off Cairo's streets and through our window was revealed: protesters behind the lines were rhythmically banging on the metal pavement fences in a primal drumbeat to keep the crowd's spirits up.

One storey above us, two men crouched on a balcony and chucked rocks at the pro-Mubarak crowd.

I knelt down behind a pavement about 20m from the barricade.

Fiery Molotovs streamed down toward the pro-Mubarak crowd from above my head, as the government supporters on the 6th of October flyover above and in front of me responded with their own.

The anti-government barricades lay just out of the throwing reach of most of the Mubarak supporters, but occasionally an energetic rock barrage would slam against the metal sheets separating us from them.

Anti-government rock throwers launched their own rocks from behind the barricade, where it was impossible to see where they would land.

Other men crouched in between the sheets, in the shadows, making sure the barrier stayed up and occasionally sneaking a glance out.

What they saw was no-man's land.

War zone

An open space that had once served as a cramped artery of traffic toward Tahrir in one direction and Ramses Square – the main train station – in the other, had become a war zone, covered in rocks and dotted with the fire of petrol bombs.

An army personnel carrier sat parked 75m away, facing us, doing nothing as pro-Mubarak protesters milled about, throwing rocks and taking cover behind bridge supports.

Above, it was hard to discern spectators from rock throwers.

But onlookers eventually withdrew, leaving only dozens of men dancing about, gesturing angrily toward us and throwing rocks.

Everytime an anti-government protester managed to land a petrol bomb on the bridge above, a cheer went up from the barricades, accompanied by joyous cries of "God is great!"

Eventually, the anti-government lines began to advance; skirmishers in front of the line became braver, throwing rocks and petrol bombs with little or no cover.

Loud gunshots rang out, likely from the personnel carrier in front of us, which had been surrounded by pro-Mubarak men.

It was hard to tell exactly when, but at some point the anti-government protesters outflanked the Mubarak crowd on the overpass.

'Take the bridge'

Shouts of "take the bridge" rang out along the line. The anti-government crowd began to advance past the metal sheets, and the Mubarak supporters fled.

Men dropped their rocks and bowed their heads to the ground in prayer.

Others began to immediately scrub the pro-Mubarak graffiti off of the monuments in the area that had, for around 12 hours, been occupied by the government crowd.

On the overpass, a tank roared toward the direction of the retreating Mubarak supporters, flooding the air with fumes.

As I stepped back through the barricades to Tahrir, a group of men dragged someone inside.

I tried to take pictures but was told to walk away. It was unclear if they were detaining a pro-Mubarak supporter or bringing back one of their wounded.

Inside, men gathered in groups to assess the victory. Others walked back motorcycles that they had captured. One held a bloody Egyptian flag as he returned.

A crowd across from the Egyptian Museum pressed in around a wounded man. Doctors carried him away, leaving a puddle of blood on the concrete.

One who remained, dressed in a white coat and a cotton mask, told me that the man had been shot in the head by Mubarak supporters, but that he still had a pulse.

Behind me, a similar crowd gathered around another bloody, wounded man who looked completely unresponsive. They carried him away.

I ran into a 22-year-old man named Mohammed Hassan, a blogger, activist and self-described "revolutionary" carrying a stick.

He showed me a catapult the anti-government protesters had erected at a side entrance to the square, which he said they had used to launch flaming debris at the approaching crowd.

I watched as three men tested its tension.

Bandaged face

Further into the square, Hassan led me through a human chain and down the steps that lead into the Sadat metro station.

On the rubbish-strewn stairs, several bloody men sat nervously. The protesters told me they were captured Mubarak supporters.

One man, allegedly a former employee of the defence ministry, had his face nearly completely bandaged, but made a great effort to explain to me that he was not a lover of the government.

It was hard to watch; every few seconds, he seemed overcome by the pain and stopped to gently touch the wounds on his head.

He denied being paid or ordered to come. "It's my creed," he said in English.

As I stood in the makeshift prison, more people were dragged down the steps.

Some fought back and were shoved against the wall by several anti-government protesters.

A skinny man, almost a boy, with a bleeding head wound, pleaded with the captors and tried to convince them that he hatred Mubarak.

Another young man, more calm and less wounded, was accused of using a police handgun to fire on the protesters.

The anti-government protesters could not find evidence that their captives were government employees, either police or interior ministry security, but they promised me that others were.

An official from the defence ministry checked on the condition of the alleged former ministry employee, they pulled him up the stairs to turn over to the army, though the protesters assured me the army was simply releasing those prisoners who were turned over.

Metallic drum beat

I left the prison and headed back to the Kasr al-Nil barricade, navigating a chokepoint made of turned over cars set at sharp angles.

I exchanged a few words with the men I had met on the way in; one told me what name to use if I wanted to re-enter.

Then I climbed through the wooden barricade blocking the path to the side of the wall and left.

As I approached our building, a soldier climbed down a tank and halted me. He found my camera in my pocket and demanded the film.

I had removed the SIM card and hid it, and though the soldier at first indicated that I should go with him to his commander, I finally convinced him to let me go, losing only my battery in the process.

Back inside, dawn was beginning to break over Cairo.

The protesters had reformed their barricades, in preparation for the pro-government attack which would come just hours later.

The metallic drum beat never halted. Deep in the square, the crowd remained.
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 11:48 AM PST
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 07:59 AM PST
SIEM REAP, Feb 3 (MCOT online news) - The seventh meeting of the Joint Commission (JC) on bilateral cooperation between Thailand and Cambodia on Thursday pledged that the two neighbours will not let the renewed tension regarding the border dispute to obstruct bilateral cooperation, while Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya is scheduled to visit the two convicted Thais incarcerated in a Phnom Penh prison on Friday.

Thai Permanent-Secretary for Foreign Affairs Theerakul Niyom made the remarks following the meeting of JC senior officials held in the Cambodian city Siem Riep between Thursday and Friday that the Thursday meeting between two sides went well.

Although the topics of discussion include a wide range of cooperation such as education, social, culture and economic affairs, the renewed tension on border dispute and the arrest of the seven Thais by Cambodian soldiers overshadowed the annual meeting.


Mr Theerakul said the meeting expected that the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for the Land Boundary (JBC) will be a mechanism that solves the border conflict.

The foreign ministry official stated conflict can sometimes occur between the neighbouring countries, but one problem should not stall cooperation in other areas.

Foreign Minister Kasit led the Thai delegation to the bilateral meeting Thursday morning and he is scheduled to hold talks with his counterpart Hor Namhong, during which a discussion on Thai- Cambodian conflicts is expected.

It is expected that help to resolve the case of the two Thais -- Veera Somkwamkid, Thai Patriots Network activist, and Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, his secretary -- both sentenced to prison terms by a Cambodia court for espionage, will be raised during the talk.

Mr Kasit also plans to visit Mr Veera, now being detained in Phnom Penh's Prey Sar Prison, and Ms Ratree, still staying at Thai embassy, to discuss how to help them after the pair decided to appeal the Cambodian court verdict.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday sentenced Mr Veera to eight years in jail and fined of 1.8 million riels (450 U.S. dollars) and Ms Ratree to six years in prison and fined 1.2 million riels (300 U.S. dollars).

Veera and Ratree were among the seven Thais, including Democrat MP for Bangkok Panich Vikitsreth, arrested Dec 29 by the Cambodian authorities in Banteay Meanchey province contiguous to Thailand's Sa Keo province, for illegal entry.

The five others received nine-month suspended jail terms on Jan 21 and returned to Thailand on Jan 22.
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 07:55 AM PST
Thursday, 03 February 2011
Vong Sokheng and Summer Walker
The Phnom Penh Post
The training of female candidates and elected officials is key.
Political parties and government officials must work harder to promote women in politics if they want to shrink the gender gap in local and national government, according to a report released by local election monitor COMFREL on Tuesday.

The report, Politics of Gender and Providing Political Power to Women, finds that a lack of political determination continues to hinder the empowerment of women in the political arena.

Based on research conducted in Kampong Speu, Kampong Cham and Phnom Penh in December, researchers found that women hold 22 percent of the seats in the National Assembly and constitute 20 percent of elected officials at the commune level as a result of the 2008 elections.

The report said there are 169 female deputy governors serving at the district and commune levels nationwide, and 12 percent of city, district, commune and provincial councillors are women.


In addition, each province has one female provincial deputy governor, a result of a directive by Hun Sen.

The report's main suggestion is to place female candidates in the top positions on party lists in the 2012 commune elections and 2013 national elections, echoing statements made at the Gender Forum last November.

Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Mu Sochua said Cambodia's proportional representative system presents an opportunity to advance women but this depends on the party's candidate list.

Unless women are listed as number one or two on party lists, the mere inclusion of a percentage of women on a candidate list will not result in the political advancement of women.

"The training of female candidates and elected officials is key if we are committed to a real investment in female politicians," she said.

"They need to know how to speak in public, for instance. They need a true commitment from their party once in office."

She added: "Women must be willing to challenge the party platform if it is against the interest of women."

COMFREL's research found that 18.2 percent of female commune officials faced discrimination at work, but provides no further details.

Mu Sochua said that, at the commune level, female officials are often relegated to the women and social affairs committee, whereas the key committees on infrastructure and security are led by men.

Cheam Yeap, senior lawmaker of the ruling Cambodian People's Party, said the government has shown leadership on the issue of gender equality in government.

"The CPP has made progress in promoting women in politics. Women in our party hold positions such as deputy prime minister, minister, secretary of state and others at lower levels."

While the political party is seen as the primary agent for promoting female politicians, no party has an established policy on gender in politics, the report said.

The report also states that while 53 percent of Cambodian women are registered to vote, 220,000 women registered in 2008 were unable to vote either because election officials would not allow them to, or a lack of information prevented them from voting.
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 07:52 AM PST
(Photo: RFA)
Thursday, 03 February 2011
Tep Nimol
The Phnom Penh Post

National Assembly President Heng Samrin has accepted a letter of inquiry from the Sam Rainsy Party seeking clarification on the investigation of the temporary release of a former Ratanakkiri police chief convicted of illegal logging.

The letter, submitted by SRP lawmaker Mu Sochua on January 28 and returned bearing the signature of Heng Samrin on Tuesday, urged Minister of the Interior Sar Kheng to issue a report on the ministry's investigation of the release of Yoeung Baloung, now serving a 13-year sentence in Prey Sar prison.

Khiev Sophak, a spokesman for the ministry, said on Tuesday that he had no knowledge of the letter and could not comment on whether or not Sar Kheng would address the issue.

Yoeung Baloung was released from prison on January 15 to attend an ethnic festival, according to a ministry official, during which he was involved in a car accident that left three people injured.


An initial investigation by the ministry reported that the release of Yoeung Baloung, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2006, had been illegal.

Liv Mauv, deputy director of the department of prisons at the ministry, said on January 19 that the release "was against the law" because official permission had not been obtained from the prison.

He said the following week, however, that it was permissible because his wife had sought permission from a prison official to have her husband released temporarily for health reasons.

Khiev Sophak said on Tuesday that the legality of Yoeung Baloung's release "was not official yet".

Pen Bonnar, a coordinator for the local rights group Adhoc in Ratanakkiri, supported the call for clarification, saying "someone must be responsible for the case, and the prison is under the control of the ministry [of information], so it is good for the clarification to be made by the minister".

Ho Van, an SRP parliamentarian, said yesterday that by law Sar Kheng had two weeks to respond to the request for clarification.

He added that the minister could seek additional time for a response if necessary but urged prompt attention to the clarification request.

"We need Sar Kheng to respond ... that Yoeung Baloung had the right to be outside prison, and we need the ministry to respect the law," he said.

Mu Sochua was not available for comment yesterday.
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 07:47 AM PST
A woman walks past the Funcinpec party headquarters on Norodom Boulevard today. (Photo by: Pha Lina)

Wednesday, 02 February 2011
Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

A senior Funcinpec official has accused the party's Secretary General Nhek Bun Chhay of selling the party's Phnom Penh headquarters last month without the agreement of other members of the Permanent Committee.

Phan Chantha, a former Funcinpec lawmaker and member of the committee, said Nhek Bun Chhay had sold the Norodom Boulevard building for US$3.85 million.

"This sale is completely contrary to the condition of the party," Phan Chantha told reporters today.

Nhek Bun Chhay has purchased a new party headquarters in Bak Kheng commune, in Kandal's Mok Kampoul district, but had not divulged how much the new property cost, Phan Chantha said.


He added that the new party building was about 10 kilometres outside Phnom Penh and difficult for party officials to access.

Phan Chantha also accused Nhek Bun Chhay of selling provincial party offices in Kampong Cham, Siem Reap and Pursat without informing the committee.

"Acting like this is not suitable for a party leader. I am not afraid of being fired from the party and I dare to be responsible before the law," Phan Chantha said.

When contacted today, Nhek Bun Chhay denied the accusations, alleging Phan Chantha was making the claims because he intends to defect and rejoin Prince Norodom Ranariddh, Funcinpec's former president, who split from the party in acrimony in 2006.

At that time, Ranariddh was ousted from the party following allegations he embezzled funds from the sale of the party's then-headquarters.

Nhek Bun Chhay said a majority of Funcinpec's Central Committee had agreed to the sale of the property, with only three or four members opposed.

"Eight-four of 87 members on the Central Committee have agreed to sell it," he said, adding that Phan Chantha opposed the plan in order to "defend the headquarters for Samdech Krom Preah [Ranariddh]".

Nhek Bun Chhay said the new party headquarters cost only $1.5 million, and that the profit from the sale would go towards helping the party's development.

Funcinpec President Keo Puth Reaksmey said today that Nhek Bun Chhay could not sell the party headquarters on his own, but added that the members of the Permanent Committee had been informed of the sale.

"We have a proper contract. I suspect that the complainer does not know everything, and when he makes incorrect complaints it could be dangerous to him," Keo Puth Reaksmey said.
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 07:41 AM PST
Click on the report to zoom in
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 07:11 AM PST
The leaflet involved

The alleged distribution ring

The alleged distribution ring (All photos: CEN)
Leaflet suspects identified


Thursday, 03 February 2011
Phak Seangly
The Phnom Penh Post

Ministry of Interior officials announced at a National Police meeting yesterday that provincial courts had issued warrants for the arrest of four fugitives believed to be hiding in Thailand and suspected of ordering the distribution of hundreds of anti-government leaflets.

Major General Nov Leakhana, deputy director of the Internal Security Department at the Ministry of Interior, said yesterday that a national police investigation had revealed that six men arrested last week on suspicion of distributing anti-government leaflets are believed to be the fugitives' subordinates.

Nov Leakhana said that three Khmer Krom 'ringleaders' and a female suspect accused of disinformation ordered six men to distribute leaflets in Phnom Penh, Takeo, Siem Reap, Battambang, and Preah Sihanouk provinces within the last few months.


Nov Leakhana said that one of the ringleaders was 35-year-old Khmer Krom Buddhist monk, Thach Kongphuong, who disguised himself in non-religious clothing and secretly distributed anti-government leaflets in Takeo province on January 7.

"The four are hiding themselves in Thailand, and among those is a monk," he said.

Senior investigator for Licadho Am Sam Ath said the distribution of anti-government leaflets was popular in Cambodia lately and viewed leaflet distribution as freedom of speech.

"Our country has this kind of law [about criticising government leaders and inciting civil unrest] and it restricts the freedom of expression," he said.
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 01:16 AM PST
Cartoon by V. Sina
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 01:06 AM PST
Click on each page to zoom in
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 12:34 AM PST
Customers use free wi-fi at a cafe in Siem Reap. New regulations are set to govern internet exchange points. Photo by: Will Baxter
 Internet hub prakas release


Thursday, 03 February 2011
Jeremy Mullins and Buth Reaksmey Kongkea 
The Phnom Penh Post


A DRAFT prakas governing internet exchange points – which caused controversy last year after the government mooted a mandatory state-run facility – has been released.

The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications made available the draft edict yesterday, which would provide for the registration of domestic internet exchange (DIX) points.

An internet exchange point plays a vital role in enabling the flow of information on the internet by routing traffic between separate Internet Service Providers. In effect, they allow users with one ISP to access content hosted by another provider.

Exchanges hit the spotlight last year over ministry plans to charge companies to route domestic traffic though a mandatory hub, run by state-owned Telecom Cambodia.

Many in the private sector worried the scheme had the potential to stymie burgeoning ICT businesses, until Minister So Khun said at a private meeting in April that internet providers would be free to route traffic through whatever exchange they saw fit.


Yesterday, private sector officials were generally supportive of the draft legislation.

"I support it if it is fair," said information technology firm CIDC's Chief Operations Officer Mike Gaertner, adding his main reservation so far came from a clause stipulating licensed ISPs could not also receive a DIX licence. "The people with the most experience [to run a DIX] are the ISPs," he said yesterday.

The draft, which was posted on the MPTC's website yesterday, lays out a number of other stipulations, including ensuring that licensed DIX follow the rule and regulations of Cambodia.

"For instance, don't let it include pornographic content or broadcast illegal gambling … as well as [breaking] other rules of Cambodia," it said.

The Ministry is understood to be presently collecting feedback on the prakas.
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 12:22 AM PST
Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)
Posted: 03 Feb 2011 12:01 AM PST
Click on the article in Khmer to zoom in
Posted: 02 Feb 2011 11:24 PM PST
A truck loaded scraps drives at downtown Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011. Cambodian children, sitting on top, make their daily income by collecting scrap from a new dump of Choeung Ek complex on the outskirt of the main capital of Phnom Penh.
(Photo/Heng Sinith)
Posted: 02 Feb 2011 11:21 PM PST
Cambodian Chinese community people perform dragon dance on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011, in front of the Royal Palace, ahead of Lunar New Year in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian Chinese community people perform lion dance on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011, in front of the Royal Palace, ahead of Lunar New Year in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)


February 03, 2011
Xinhua

Chinese traditional lion and dragon dances were performed at Cambodia's Royal Palace and the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh on Wednesday morning to celebrate the Spring Festival (Lunar New Year) starting Feb. 3.

Six groups of lion and dragon dances from Chinese community in Cambodia performed at the Royal Palace in order to bless King Norodom Sihamoni and his subjects with happiness and prosperity in the Lunar New Year, Lao Shi Heng, vice-president of Chinese Association in Cambodia, said.

The groups were welcomed by Deputy Prime Minister Kong Sam Ol, minister of the Royal Palace.


Then, the groups performed at the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh.

The ambassador Pan Guangxue said that the Lunar New Year is the most important festival in China. In Cambodia, most people also celebrate it.

"It reflected good linkages of people and cultures between Cambodia and China," he said.

Chinese New Year is one of the largest festivals in Cambodia, up to 80 percent of Cambodian people celebrate it every year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said recently.

According to the figure from the Chinese Association in Cambodia, there have been some 700,000 Chinese-blood descendants living in Cambodia.

Traditionally, Lion Dance is invited by traditional Chinese families to perform as a symbolic ritual to usher in the Spring Festival and to ward off bad luck and evil spirits.

 

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