Tuesday, February 15, 2011

KI Media

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KI Media

UN Urges Ceasefire After Recent Thai-Cambodia Clashes

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 04:07 PM PST

Press Release: United Nations

Security Council Urges Permanent Ceasefire After Recent Thai-Cambodia Clashes

New York, Feb 14 2011

Voicing grave concern about the recent armed clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, the Security Council today urged the South-East Asian neighbours to establish a permanent ceasefire following closed-door talks on the situation.

"The members of the Security Council called on the two sides to display maximum restraint and avoid any action that may aggravate the situation," Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil, which holds the monthly presidency of the 15-member body for February, said in a statement read out to the press after the meeting.

"The members of the Security Council further urged the parties to establish a permanent ceasefire and to implement it fully and resolve the situation peacefully and through effective dialogue," the statement added.

Tensions first escalated between the two countries in July 2008 following the build-up of military forces near the Preah Vihear temple, which dates back to the 11th century and is located on the Cambodian side of the border. The Hindu temple was inscribed on the World Heritage List of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that same month.


Clashes between the two neighbours resumed earlier this month, prompting calls for calm and restraint by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as well as UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.

During its session today, the Council was briefed by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe and Marty Natalegawa, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia and Chair of the regional grouping known as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

It also heard from Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia, and Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.

The Council expressed support for ASEAN's active efforts regarding the situation between Cambodia and Thailand, and encouraged the parties to continue to cooperate with the organization in this regard. The issue is expected to be discussed at the meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers on 22 February.

ENDS

In Preah Vihear Temple, 50 Years of Conflict

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 03:56 PM PST

The stone remains of Preah Vihear, built nearly 1,000 years ago, are supposed to be a protected U.N. World Heritage site. Instead they are at the heart of a dangerous tug-of-war between Cambodia and Thailand. (Photo: AP)
Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Tuesday, 15 February 2011
"The roots of this conflict go back to 1962, when the International Court of Justice ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia."
In the past 46 years, Cambodia and Thailand have clashed off and on over Preah Vihear temple. But the border dispute has been increasingly motivated by nationalism in both countries.

Tensions spilled over into intense fighting along the border between Feb. 4 and Feb. 7, leading the foreign ministers to the UN Security Council on Monday.

Experts say the heart of the matter is Preah Vihear temple itself, an 11th-Century structure built when the Khmer empire spread far outside the borders of today's Cambodia but which some Thai political groups have said belongs to Thailand.


"The roots of this conflict go back to 1962, when the International Court of Justice ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia," according to Vinita Ramani Mohan, a researcher at the University of Management of Singapore.

That court decision stemmed from a request by then prince Norodom Sihanouk, who wanted Thai forces to leave the temple after a long occupation. The court declared the temple as Cambodian, paving the way for its 2008 Unesco World Heritage listing.

However, the listing ignited a fresh wave of Thai nationalism and protests in Bangkok and on the border and led to a build-up of troops and intermittent fighting by both sides.

"The July 2008 listing of the temple as a Unesco World Heritage site is likely to have angered Thailand, which has continued to claim the temple as sovereign property," Homan told VOA Khmer in an email.

Moreover, Cambodia's submission to Unesco of a development plan for the temple and 4.6 kilometers of disputed land nearby in August 2010 likely escalated the situation further, she said.

Cambodia claims the land west of the temple following treaties between what was then Siam and the French at the turn of the 20th Century. Thailand claims the same land under a map it says is more modern.

Asean has sought to intervene in the dispute, but Homan told VOA Khmer the regional body has traditionally "lacked teeth."

Meanwhile, the Thai People's Alliance for Democracy, whose heavy protests unseated a Thai administration in 2009, has taken a strong stance on the temple and is now pressuring the current Thai administration on its handling of the border issue.

Thai claims to the land near the temple, or even the temple itself, have run afoul of Cambodia's claims to legal ownership of the land. Both sides have claimed the other instigated the fighting earlier this month. Cambodia reported seven people, including two civilians, killed in the fighting and petitioned to address the Security Council.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told the Security Council Thailand had instigated the latest round of violence and used munitions like cluster bombs that were endangering the population.

And while Thailand has said it is still seeking a bilateral solution to the dispute, Cambodian officials have said they no longer feel two-way talks will help.

Meanwhile, the dispute drags on, leaving people displaced from the area of the fighting and costing both countries in lost trade.

"Fifty years later, there is a repetitive story," said Chhang Youk, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia.

After UN Session, Asean Next for Border Solution

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 03:50 PM PST

Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Tuesday, 15 February 2011
The Security Council called on both sides to "display maximum restraint" along the border, where deadly clashes erupted less than two weeks ago.
Officials say Cambodia will respect a statement issued by the UN Security Council on the border issue late Monday, after the foreign minister addressed the body in New York on Monday.

Following a session in New York, the UN Security Council issued a statement calling for a peaceful resolution and encouraging the regional forum of Asean as a mediator.

The Security Council called on both sides to "display maximum restraint" along the border, where deadly clashes erupted less than two weeks ago. Security Council members also urged the establishment of a permanent ceasefire.

Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said Tuesday the UN statement reflected much of what Cambodian wanted from Monday's session, especially highlighting the need for third-party arbitration.


Thailand has continually said it wants bilateral discussions to solve the border dispute, but Cambodian officials say two-way talks have failed to produce a resolution.

The foreign ministers of Asean are scheduled to meet Feb. 22, where Koy Kuong said Cambodia hopes to move the process forward with Asean and Thailand.

Monday's session at the Security Council was clouded by more reports of shooting on the border Sunday and Monday night, with both sides accusing the other of firing but no casualties reported.

Cambodian leader talks peace after UN rebuff [-Hun Xen is copying Viet's words of "a border of peace, friendship and co-operation"?]

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 03:42 PM PST

15/02/2011
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Cambodia's leader has offered words of peace to Thailand, a day after the United Nations rebuffed his request to intervene in his country's sporadic armed border conflict with its bigger neighbour.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday that his country needs peace with its neighbours to foster development. He urged that the deadly border issue be quickly solved and that fighting not be allowed to spread, calling for "a border of peace, friendship and co-operation."

The U.N. Security Council expressed "grave concern" Monday at the clashes and called for a permanent cease-fire to resolve the conflict in the disputed land surrounding Preah Vihear temple, a U.N. World Heritage site. At least eight people have died in fighting that began Feb. 4.

Thai border residents are more likely traumatized by the PAD than the fight with Cambodia

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 03:34 PM PST

Border residents suffer mental trauma

15/02/2011
Bangkok Post

Many residents living along the volatile border northeastern with Cambodia are suffering from psychological trauma as a result of continuing fighting, Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said on Tuesday.

The ministry's 72 mobile medical units had reported that 1,964 of 4,813 people who underwent mental checks were experiencing stress. Of these, 638 had severe depression caused by the border clashes, and 10 had suicidal tendencies, said Mr Jurin.

The mobile medical units have been deployed to treat about 10,000 people from Surin, Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchathani provinces seeking refuge at temporary shelters in their provinces since fighting began between Thai and Cambodian troops on Feb 4.

Mr Jurin said doctors had already treated those with severe mental trauma and health volunteers would regularly visit them at their homes.

Can Cambodia trust ASEAN?

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 12:48 PM PST

By Tinothy Chhim

"Silence is not necessarily golden"


The Association of Southeast Asian Nations was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. These countries are well known to have closer relationship with the West and economically stable. Thailand is one of the senior countries and is one of the so-called "Founding Fathers" of ASEAN.

Later on ASEAN membership has expanded to include Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. These countries are well known as communistic, dictatorship and are closer to China than to the West.

Cambodia is the youngest or newest member of all. It was accepted by ASEAN on April 30, 1999. I am not sure in what class Cambodia is categorized, but if Thailand is one of the "Founding Fathers" then Cambodia is only the newest "kid" on the block.

Can Cambodia trust ASEAN?

ASEAN aims include the "acceleration of economic growth, social progress, cultural development among its members, the protection of the peace and stability of the region, and to provide opportunities for member countries to discuss differences peacefully." The following is ASEAN's Anthem:

The ASEAN Way

Raise our flag high, sky high
Embrace the pride in our heart
ASEAN we are bonded as one
Look-in out-ward to the world.
For peace, our goal from the very start
And prosperity to last.
We dare to dream we care to share.
Together for ASEAN
we dare to dream,
we care to share for it's the way of ASEAN!

Obviously, the recent fighting or the border war between an aggressive Founding Farther and a new kid on the block proves that ASEAN cannot handle its own problems. ASEAN's motto: "One Vision, One Identity, One Community" or "10 countries, 1 identity" and the Southeast Asian Anthem (written and composed by the Thai) are humiliations to all members of ASEAN for they contradict such current actions taken by Thailand toward Cambodia.

Cambodia may have to think twice to let ASEAN handle its national issues because it appears that what Thailand says and does are two different things. The United Nations is the best organization to help solve Cambodia's problems against Thailand. Bilateral talk or multilateral talk with ASEAN's involvement will give Thailand the upper hand.

Abhisit urges Phnom Penh to listen to UN Security Council [-Abishit rubbing salt on an open wound?]

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 08:37 AM PST

Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said that Cambodia should listen and do what the UNSC has called for to settle the deadly border disputes with Thailand. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Feb 15, 2011
THE NATION/ANN

THAILAND - CAMBODIA should listen and do what the UN Security Council (UNSC) has called for to settle the deadly border disputes with Thailand, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Tuesday.

Mr Abhisit was speaking after UNSC hosted a closed door session, at the request of Cambodia, on Monday with foreign ministers of Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia, in an attempt to mediate the border clashes which erupted on Feb 1.

After the meeting, the UNSC called for a 'permanent ceasefire' between Thailand and Cambodia and called on the two sides to display maximum restraint and avoid any action that may aggravate the situation.


They were also called for both sides to resolve the situation peacefully and through effective dialogue.

'Now, Cambodia should listen to the UNSC's recommendations because it's Cambodia that called for the UN to step in. The country should now respect the UNSC which called for us to start dialogue in order to settle the dispute peacefully,' the premier said.

He also said he expected Cambodia will agree to talk about the issue when Asean foreign ministers meet in their annual meeting in Jakarta on Feb 22.

Traffic tells all in Phnom Penh

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 08:28 AM PST

Phnom Penh ... motorbikes carrying several passengers are a common sight. Photograph: Chor Sokunthea/Reuters
Despite a crash, some Cambodian passengers remain stylishly unflappable

Tuesday 15 February 2011
Daniel Murphy
Guardian Weekly
Everything you want to know about Cambodia's city society is found in the traffic of Phnom Penh – social conformity mixed with anarchic individualism, the confidence of young Cambodian women, the indifference of the police, the motorbike as an extra limb attached to the body, the inability of old cultural ways to cope with the modern world.
It's a cool Friday afternoon of around 20C. I am nearing home on my city cycle and stop at traffic lights but, as usual, not everyone wants to stop.

A scooter, liveried in shocking pink and white, follows a couple of other bikes into the opposite lane and rounding us all, crashes the red light and bullies its way into the deep stream of motorbikes swarming south. There are only two passengers on the seat behind the woman driver. They are also young women, with a haughty, sassy style.

They sit side-saddle, perfectly aware of how they look with their short skirts, right legs crossed over left and high heels hanging suspended in mid-air. For all the world they could be sitting on a park bench. One is checking her nails. The other is sweeping her waist-length hair over her shoulder.

The scooter forces its way into the centre of the traffic stream and we obedient citizens who stopped at the lights watch it crash, in slow motion, into another bike that swerved to avoid an SUV on the wrong side of the road.


Might is right on the streets of Phnom Penh. There's a metallic crashing sound, some bits of trim are torn off, and bike and scooter hit the road at slow speed. Three policemen, who have watched the whole thing, call the innocent rider over. They must have decided that they cannot make money out of this, as they impatiently wave him on. He picks up the bits of trim and weaves his way back into traffic.

The two women, scarcely batting an eyelid, have jumped nonchalantly off the scooter and stand in the middle of the traffic looking first at their driver, then at the other bikes swarming all around. Not a hair is out of place. They wiggle their rear ends as they pull down their skirts, and when the scooter is back to vertical, they sit on, cross legs in time, like synchronised swimmers, toss their heads back to settle their hair, and disappear in the traffic.

Everything you want to know about Cambodia's city society is found in the traffic of Phnom Penh – social conformity mixed with anarchic individualism, the confidence of young Cambodian women, the indifference of the police, the motorbike as an extra limb attached to the body, the inability of old cultural ways to cope with the modern world.

If I were a Cambodian policeman, I too would just stand and watch.

Thai, Cambodian Soldiers Clash in Fresh Border Skirmish

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 08:21 AM PST

Daniel Schearf, VOA
Bangkok February 15, 2011

Thai and Cambodian authorities say fresh fighting broke out between their soldiers, with each side once again blaming the other. The new skirmish came shortly after the United Nations Security Council urged the two countries to impose a ceasefire around the disputed border, which saw heavy fighting earlier this month.

The Thai military on Tuesday said Cambodian soldiers in the early morning attacked a border post, injuring five soldiers - one of them seriously.

Thai military spokesman Colonel Werachon Sukondhapatipak said at least one grenade was thrown at the post and Thai soldiers fired back with rifles. He said they were expecting attacks after the United Nations Security Council declined Cambodia's request to send peacekeeping troops to the area.

"We believe that the leadership of the Cambodia were not happy with that result and they will try to do anything that [is] provocative in order to have the Thai soldier retaliate," said Werachon.


However, Phay Siphan, a spokesman for Cambodia's Council of Ministers, denies his country's troops fired first. He said Thai soldiers attacked first.

"Last night from 10:30, I mean in the evening, to 5:20 in the morning, 11 grenades have been thrown by Thai (soldiers)," said Phay.

Phay said no Cambodian soldiers were injured and they did not retaliate.

Fighting broke out two weeks ago in a disputed border area near a 900-year-old Khmer Hindu temple called Preah Vihear in Cambodia and Phra Viharn in Thailand.

Thai and Cambodian militaries exchanged heavy artillery and machine gun fire, killing several people and sending thousands fleeing the border.

Both sides blame the other for starting the fighting. Cambodia wants international help to prevent further fighting, while Thailand says the issue should be resolved bilaterally.

On Monday, the foreign ministers of the two countries met with the United Nations Security Council. The Security Council urged them to implement a permanent ceasefire and to work with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to end the dispute.

ASEAN foreign ministers are to discuss the issue next week in Jakarta.

Tensions first erupted in 2008 when the temple, which is in Cambodia - but with its main entrance in Thailand - was listed as a U.N. World Heritage site.

Thai nationalists objected, some of them claiming the temple is in Thailand, and both sides began building up military forces in the area, leading to occasional skirmishes.

A special gift for Mr. Monkey Censorship Man

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 08:17 AM PST

You may look like a monkey, but no need to have the brain of one, or act like one.

So Khun asked for cooperation in blocking traffic to websites

Little Information Known About Oil, Gas: Survey

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 08:16 AM PST

Eight years after Chevron found crude oil off Cambodia's coast, the American company has yet to begin full production. In remarks in April, Prime Minister Hun Sen said he wants the oil giant to begin production by 2012 or risk losing its rights.

Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Tuesday, 15 February 2011
"There are few that know where petroleum is being explored, what companies have obtained licenses."
A new survey suggests that many of Cambodia's smaller business entrepreneurs are not fully aware of the development of the extractive industry.

The survey, initiated by Cambodians for Resource Revenue Transparency and issued Tuesday, found that out of 548 companies, most had little knowledge of the sector and that information was lacking in both the media and the business community.

However, observers say development of these resources, especially in oil and gas, will require good management and will affect many businesses.

"There are few that know where petroleum is being explored, what companies have obtained licenses," said Neou Seiha, who led a survey for the Economic Institute of Cambodia.


Of the small- and medium-sized enterprises surveyed, about 70 percent said revenue from the extractive industries would help reduce poverty. But many respondents were also worried about corruption and a lack of systems to fight it.

Of those surveyed, 38 percent said the government would be able to manage the industry, compared to 31 percent who disagreed and 31 percent who preferred not to answer.

Cambodia expects to have oil flowing by the end of 2012, with revenues expected to reach $1.7 billion.

The transparency survey found that entrepreneurs want to see good management of revenue to improve infrastructure and to alleviate energy costs and taxes.

Mam Sambath, chairman of Cambodians for Resource Revenue Transparency, said Cambodia could benefit from the extraction of natural resources if they are properly managed.

Critics have warned that Cambodia could succumb to an "oil curse," where high revenues will not find their way to citizens but will instead fund an economic elite.

Sman Tiet, a lawmaker for the ruling Cambodian People's Party, told VOA Khmer such a "curse" could result from many factors, but now was not yet the time to discuss them.

Glenn Kendall, an extractive industries adviser for UNDP, said it is still "early days" for Cambodia's production of oil and gas.

Repression, internet censorship seed for revolution - BLOGGERS ARISE !

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 08:11 AM PST

History has shown us that repression often sows the seeds for revolution down the road.


- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

on new bill to push for global internet freedom

So Khun asked for cooperation in blocking traffic to websites

So Khun presided over a meeting on Feb 10 with mobile operators ... asked for cooperation in blocking traffic to unspecified websites

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 08:06 AM PST

CPP So Khun
Ministry denies blocking website

Tuesday, 15 February 2011
Thomas Miller
The Phnom Penh Post

The government today denied reports that it has asked internet service providers to block an opposition-aligned website, which continued to be unavailable to users through at least four ISPs.

"We didn't make any order to block KI-Media," So Khun, the minister of posts and telecommunications, said today. "I deny that the government allowed the order to block any website."

Mao Chakrya, the ministry's director general, also said there had been no such directive, backing up comments by Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith on Monday saying the government would not block "any website".

However, So Khun presided over a meeting on February 10 with mobile operators, during which he apparently asked for cooperation in blocking traffic to unspecified websites, according to official minutes from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.

"In the meeting, His Excellency said that the Royal Government did not have a principle of blocking some websites, but His Excellency made a request to all operators to cooperate in curbing some websites that affect Khmer morality and tradition and the government through using the internet," say the minutes, a copy of which was obtained today by The Post.

"He suggested that all operators help to cooperate and report on time so that the Ministry is able to offer its report to the government."

Internet users have reported to The Post that they were unable to access the website KI-Media through four ISPs: Online, WiCam, Metfone, and Ezecom.

However, MekongNet, and Chuan Wei have not blocked access to the site, which was also available by cell phone through provider Mobitel today.

Two other sites, Khmerization and Sacrava, which carry content that overlaps with KI-Media, could not be accessed through Ezecom.


Though there were just 29,589 internet subscribers in 2009, that number jumped to 173,675 in 2010, coinciding with the introduction of 3G towers and mobile internet access, according to data obtained last month from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.

There are also an estimated 239,560 Facebook users in the Kingdom.

Paul Blanche-Horgan, CEO of Ezecom, has said the issue was merely a "technical problem", while a Metfone representative did not respond to requests for comment.

Alan Sinfield, CEO of qb, said he didn't know anything about a government request to restrict internet access.

On Monday, people trying to access KI-Media through ISP WiCam received a message stating that the site had been "blocked as ordered by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Cambodia".

A WiCam employee told The Post that the ministry had sent an email to the company several weeks ago ordering them to block access to the site because it "impacts the government".

The WiCam error message was changed today, and said only that the "requested URL could not be retrieved".

KI-Media is maintained by several domestic and overseas bloggers who aggregate Cambodia-related news articles with a mix of political commentary, satirical cartoons, Khmer poetry and inspirational quotations.

Some of the government criticism is vitriolic.

Prime Minister Hun Sen and other senior officials are listed as "traitors", while opposition leader Sam Rainsy and other activists are labelled "heroes".

The Cambodian Centre for Human Rights slammed the reported blocked access, saying "censorship" would only instill discontent.

"By extending its censorship to the internet, the government is likely to create further discontent amongst the people," Ou Virak, president of CCHR, said in a statement today.

"It is only by joining the online dialogue and by responding to criticisms with reasoned argument that the government can hope to avoid the criticisms it seems so intent on suppressing."

Meanwhile, in what the United States has billed a major address pushing internet freedom after uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on governments worldwide to support an open internet, according to excerpts released ahead of the speech.

"History has shown us that repression often sows the seeds for revolution down the road," she said.

"Those who clamp down on Internet freedom may be able to hold back the full impact of their people's yearnings for a while, but not forever."

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SAM RITH AND REUTERS

Thai Army Confirms 1 Injury in Fresh Border Clash

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 07:58 AM PST

2011-02-15
Xinhua

The Thai Army confirmed only one injury in the border clash Tuesday morning, after an earlier report said five soldiers was wounded in the latest skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia over an disputed land.

Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, spokesman of Thai Royal Army, told Xinhua that the clash occurred at 05:00 a.m. local time after Cambodian troops started it by throwing grenades to Thai side. The crossfire only lasted for a few minutes, he said.

Local media reported earlier that five Thai soldiers were wounded, one seriously, in a clash Monday night with Cambodian soldiers. The clash took place just hours after the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) convened a meeting in New York to mediate the disputes between the two countries, calling for ending the conflicts by negotiation. The foreign ministers from both Thailand and Cambodia attended the meeting.

The fresh crossfire between Thai and Cambodian troops came after the border area resumed temporary peace for about a week.

The Thai-Cambodian border area near Preah Vihear temple had seen a serial clashes from Feb. 4 to 7.

UN Security Council Urges Permanent Cambodia-Thailand Cease-Fire

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 07:53 AM PST

Press Encounter: H.E. Mr. Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia. (Photo: Courtesy of United Nations)
Margaret Besheer, United Nations (Voice of America)
New York Tuesday, 15 February 2011
"The members of the Security Council called on the two sides to display maximum restraint and avoid any action that may aggravate the situation."
The U.N. Security Council is urging Cambodia and Thailand to resolve their ongoing border dispute and establish a permanent cease-fire. A recent flare up of the decades-old dispute has led to at least 10 deaths during clashes between soldiers from the two southeast Asian nations.

The foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand met behind closed doors with the 15-member council and Indonesia's foreign minister as the chair of regional organization ASEAN.

After the meeting, council president for the month of February, Brazilian Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, read a statement expressing the Security Council's grave concern about the recent fighting in a remote area near a 900-year-old Khmer Hindu temple.


"The members of the Security Council called on the two sides to display maximum restraint and avoid any action that may aggravate the situation," said Ribeiro Viotti.

"The members of Security Council further urged the parties to establish a permanent cease-fire and to implement it fully and resolve the situation peacefully and through effective dialogue. The members of the Security Council expressed support for ASEAN's active efforts in this matter and encouraged the parties to continue to cooperate with the organization in this regard."

Speaking on behalf of ASEAN, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalagawa told reporters he felt slightly more optimistic about the situation following the U.N. meeting.

"Today during the course of council's discussion I heard loudly and clearly the wish by council members that actually the preference is for the issue to be resolved peacefully through dialogue and negotiations, and this has been the point that Indonesia as chair of ASEAN has reinforced on many, many occasions," said Natalagawa."And there was also recognition that the cease-fire must hold and that there must be some sort of modalities or some kind of communications system developed to make sure the cease-fire holds."

Natalagawa said the foreign ministers of ASEAN would discuss the issue next week in Jakarta.

Both sides have blamed the other for starting the hostilities. Cambodia also has accused Thailand of using cluster bombs, a charge Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya firmly denied. He told reporters there is no reason for the border dispute to continue, but said such conflicts take time and political will to resolve.

Cambodia Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong pressed his case to reporters about the use of cluster munitions, saying two experts had determined the Thai side had used them. He also expressed his disappointment the Security Council is not planning to dispatch observers or a fact-finding mission to the area to guarantee the implementation of the cease-fire.

How to access KI-Media when BLOCKED - PASS IT ON

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 07:51 AM PST

A re-post REMINDER:

Alternatively, the most simple way to access KI-Media or any website that is blocked by the Phnom Penh dictatorial regime is to go to a website which provides a free proxy to access any blocked websites. One such free proxy website is

http://www.hideglobal.com

then move to the bottom of the page and type the address of the blocked website you want to access. For a list of free proxy websites, please visit: http://www.tech-faq.com/proxy.

Month of LOVE

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 07:47 AM PST

We cannot do great things on this earth, only small things with great love.

- Mother Teresa

Arab Uprisings a Lesson for Cambodia: Activist

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 07:46 AM PST

An Egyptian protester boy stands in front of army soldiers who try to lead the protesters away from Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt Sunday morning, Feb. 13, 2011. Egypt's military took down the makeshift tents of protesters who camped out on the square in an effort to allow traffic and normal life to return to central Cairo. (Photo: AP)
Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Tuesday, 15 February 2011
"A wise government is one that allows freedom of expression, so that it knows the concerns of the people and their discontent."
Political repression, restriction on expression and social and economic equity can all act as a "ticking time bomb" for a country's leadership, a prominent rights activist said Thursday.

Comparing Cambodia's situation to those of Egypt and Tunisia, which have seen major revolts in recent weeks, Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, told "Hello VOA" that all political participants here should work to ensure people's rights.

"A wise government is one that allows freedom of expression, so that it knows the concerns of the people and their discontent," he said.

That means all actors, from ordinary citizens and civil society to the opposition and ruling parties, should pay attention to what people are saying.


That includes addressing issues of corruption, social inequality and economic monopoly, he said.

The uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia surprised the world, deposing two long-term autocrats and sparking similar unrest across Arab states and in Iran.

In Egypt, the military waited out more than two weeks of demonstrations, before it restored some order in the wake of the resignation of the president.

A caller to "Hello VOA" on Monday expressed skepticism that Cambodia's military would do the same under similar circumstances.

"Things that could be done in Egypt and Tunisia are not possible yet in Cambodia," Ou Virak said.

Cambodia still struggles with a wide gap between the rich and poor, has a small number of elites, and doesn't have the online community that helped fuel the Arab revolutions, he said.

"In Cambodia, these are still at their early stages and are not solid yet," he said.

Brain Food

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 07:44 AM PST

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.


- Margaret Mead

Som Niyeay Phorng - Op-Ed by Angkor Borei News

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 07:38 AM PST

Click on the article in Khmer to zoom in

A special gift for a spineless coward

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 07:34 AM PST

CCHR Press Release - CCHR condemns government attempt to thwart online activism (in Khmer)

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 07:32 AM PST

Click on the article in Khmer to zoom in

Month of LOVE

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 07:20 AM PST

I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.

- Mother Teresa

My Rights, My Responsibility (ICCPR) Series

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 07:16 AM PST

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Ratified, acceded by UN General Assembly in December 1966, entry into force March 1976. Cambodia ratified the ICCPR (thus, a part of Cambodia's body of laws) and is obligated to submit regular reports to the United Nations.

PART IV
Article 35

The members of the [Human Rights] Committee shall, with the approval of the General Assembly of the United Nations, receive emoluments from United Nations resources on such terms and conditions as the General Assembly may decide, having regard to the importance of the Committee's responsibilities.

My Rights, My Responsibility (Constitution) Series

Posted: 15 Feb 2011 07:13 AM PST

Constitution of Cambodia (Sept. 1993)

CHAPTER V: ECONOMY
Article 60

Khmer citizens shall have the right to sell their product. The obligation to sell products to the State, or the temporary use of private or State properties shall be prohibited unless authorized by law under special circumstances.

 

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