Neak Battambang

Khmer Rouge court calls government witnesses

2009-10-08T11:13:00.002+07:00

AFP
7 October 2009

PHNOM PENH — Cambodia's UN-backed Khmer Rouge war crimes court has summoned six top government and legislative officials as witnesses against leaders of the late 1970s regime, said documents released Wednesday.

In a move opposed by the Cambodian government, letters signed by the French investigating judge called on the officials to testify in the second case against former Khmer Rouge leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Current senate president Chea Sim, national assembly president Heng Samrin, foreign minister Hor Namhong, finance minister Keat Chhon and senators Sim Ka and Ouk Bunchhoeun were each "asked for a hearing as a witness," said the letters.

They will have to give testimony to an investigating judge of the tribunal, which was created in 2006 to try leading members of the regime.

"Except for individuals who volunteer to go, the government's position is no to this even if they are called as witnesses," government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told AFP Wednesday.

He said that foreign officials involved in the tribunal "can pack their clothes and return home" if they are not satisfied.

However Heather Ryan, court monitor for the Open Society Justice Initiative, said the move to release the court documents was an "important step" which might make members of government feel obliged to cooperate with the tribunal.

"The fact that the letters are public hopefully increases the chances they will comply with the summonses," Ryan said.

Critics of Cambodia's administration have previously alleged that it has interfered in the tribunal to protect former regime members now in government.

The court's second case is expected to try detained former Khmer Rouge ideologue Nuon Chea, head of state Khieu Samphan, foreign minister Ieng Sary and his wife, minister of social affairs Ieng Thirith.

As the court has sought to investigate other suspects, Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned further prosecutions could plunge Cambodia back into civil war. But critics say there is no risk of more fighting after over a decade of peace.

Final arguments in the court's first trial of prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, known by the alias Duch, are scheduled for late next month.

He has used the proceedings to accept responsibility and apologise for overseeing the execution of more than 15,000 people at the main Khmer Rouge jail, known as Tuol Sleng.

Led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge emptied Cambodia's cities in a bid to forge a communist utopia, resulting in the deaths of up to two million people from starvation, overwork and torture.

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Source: AFP Google News Alert

Typhoon Ketsana

2009-10-08T11:07:00.003+07:00

Brief description of the Emergency:

Since 8 September 2009 heavy rains and flood waters have inundated 39 communes in 6 districts of Kompong Thom Province. On 29 September at 1:00 am local time or 08:00 GMT, Typhoon Ketsana, making its way from the Philippines to Vietnam, lashed the central and northern provinces of Cambodia.

In addition to the existing flooding, Typhoon Ketsana brought more flood water and havoc to at least three provinces. According to the Cambodian National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), as at 1 October 2009 the death toll due to the floods stood at 14 (nine deaths in Kompong Thom, three in Siem Reap province and two deaths confirmed in Rattanakiri).

In Kompong Thom – ACT member Church World Service (CWS) Cambodia operational area - the following casualties and damages have been reported following the flooding and further rains dropped by Typhoon Ketsana.

- 10,684 seriously affected families in 254 villages in 43 communes
- 9 deaths (5 women and 3 children)
- 14,862 ha of paddy rice were completely destroyed
- 34,078 meters of roads cut off
- 47 people were reported injured with 18 having serious injuries
- At least 98 houses and public buildings were completely destroyed
- At least 430 houses and public buildings were destroyed (more than 60%)

As at 5 October the flood waters have not subsided and the waters remain 1 – 2 metres deep in most part of the affected areas including Kompong Thom town. There are reports that the water levels are rising in some of the lower areas.

Impact:

The flooding and heavy rains brought by Typhoon Ketsana has resulted in more than 500 families being rendered homeless or having insufficient shelter (according to data from the Provincial Governor). Food items, access to clean water, health and sanitation are the primarily needs of the affected population of 10,684 families. In addition, livelihood, infrastructures and education of children are the major longer term concerns.

National and local coordination:

From 26 to 28 September 2009, Church World Service Cambodia was part of an assessment team comprising the NCDM, the Provincial Red Cross Branch, OXFAM, World Vision, Caritas, Muslim Aid and CARE who jointly assessed the flood damages. However, typhoon Ketsana hit on 29 September, and NCDM, CWS, OXFAM and Caritas again got together to assess the most affected area in Sandan district on 30 September 2009.

Some limited emergency responses have been carried out by World Vision, OXFAM and Caritas as well as the local authorities in their respective target areas to reduce hunger and suffering of the affected population. The Cambodian Red Cross has also provided some small relief packages 800 families severely affected by Ketsana.

However, this assistance is not expected to last longer than 1 – 2 weeks and food and non-food items are scarce and insufficient to cover the needs of the coming months.

Planned Activities:

CWS will conduct a further joint rapid needs assessment with ACT member DanChurchAid (DCA), the Provincial Red Cross and the NCDM in selected communes. Based on the capacity of CWS and the presence of existing INGO in the areas, CWS Cambodia will prioritize three or more of the most affected communes including Sandan and Dang Kambet in Sandan district and Sraeung commune in Prasat Sambou district in Kompong Thom province.

CWS plans to provide emergency assistance from mid of October to June 2010 (about 7 months). Priority will be given to food items (white rice, canned fish, vegetable oil, fish and soya source and iodine salt) and non food items (plastic sheeting, water containers and filters, mosquito nets, hygienic materials, blankets, etc).

Restoration of livelihood and food security (seeds, livestock, agricultural techniques promotion), water and sanitation (rehabilitation of wells, water filter distribution, hygiene promotion), repair and upgrading of shelter and school buildings will be improved when the flood water is gone. However, a consultative and participatory approach with victims and local authorities is needed to fully identify the needs and to ensure coordination with key stakeholders.

CWS and DCA are keeping the ACT CO updated on the situation and intend to send an appeal proposal to the ACT CO. According to latest information from ACT member Lutheran World Federation (LWF), the flooding in their normal operational areas is not as serious as in other areas. However, the Coordinating Office is awaiting further information from LWF Cambodia.

Any funding indication or pledge should be communicated to Jesssie Kgoroeadira, ACT Finance Officer (jkg@act-intl.org).

Action by Churches Together (ACT) International is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.

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Source: ACT International

Pregnant woman dies of swine flu in Cambodia

2009-10-07T09:20:00.001+07:00

Associated Press
2009-10-06 05:03 PM

Cambodia's health minister says a pregnant woman died from swine flu, the country's third reported fatality from the illness.

Health Minister Mam Bunheng says the 25-year-old woman, who was nine months pregnant, went to a Phnom Penh hospital several days ago with flu-like symptoms and tested positive for swine flu.

He said doctors performed a cesarean section and the baby was born healthy, but the woman died Tuesday.

Cambodia's second swine-flu related death, a 47-year-old man, occurred Monday at the same hospital, the minister said.

The World Health Organization reports more than 340,000 confirmed cases of H1N1 worldwide, and more than 4,100 deaths. Many countries have stopped counting individual cases.

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Source: Associated Press article posted in Taiwan News

Over 5,000 Families Need Immediate Help In Cambodia :Oxfam

2009-10-06T16:16:00.003+07:00

PHNOM PENH, Oct 6 (Bernama) -- Cambodia is still in emergency relief mode though flood waters in some areas are beginning to stabilize, the international humanitarian agency Oxfam said Tuesday in its press release.

Affected populations are in need of food, plastic sheets, mosquito nets, water filters and water containers among other non- food item needs, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

Livelihoods have greatly been threatened especially with loss of the current rice crop. Wage labour opportunities are no longer available to those who rely on agriculture labour for income, the release said.

According to Oxfam, 5,000 families or about 20,000 people need immediate assistance in four provinces.

This figure may grow bigger as more information is received and more areas accessed. Oxfam's staff reported that flood victims in Kampong Thom, Stueng Treng, Kratie, and Preah Vihear remain among the most vulnerable.

"We can't underestimate the situation" said Francis Perez, Country Lead of Oxfam International in Cambodia.

"We are still in an emergency situation. Public health concerns and people's livelihoods are our priorities. We must keep strong coordination with other humanitarian agencies."

It is now estimated that 60,000 people are affected with at least 17 deaths including one pregnant woman, 65 injured with 18 serious cases and 30,000 hectares of rice fields and plantation destroyed by flood waters.

Oxfam's field reports show that 1,519 houses, 55 public buildings, 40 km of rural roads, 160 irrigation systems, channels, dams, embankments, and three bridges were damaged, causing major disruption to people's livelihoods. Relief works are hampered by transportation problem as roads and bridges have been damaged.

The traditionally dispersed settlements of Cambodian people also make some of the forested villages inaccessible for need assessment and aid distribution, whilst public health concerns are mounting among unaccounted population in remote and forested villages.

Oxfam's health experts warn that people must be careful about drinking water, as flood waters are highly contaminated.

-- BERNAMA
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Source: BERNAMA.COM

ASEAN must help rebuild disaster-hit countries

2009-10-06T16:10:00.003+07:00

October 5th, 2009

Ketsana is a Lao term for agarwood, the resinous heartwood from large evergreens that are native to Southeast Asia. But from now on, many people will forever remember Ketsana as the name of the typhoon that caused massive destruction in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos last week.

Ketsana was not the first great typhoon of the year in the Asia-Pacific region. Early this year, a series of flooding disasters struck Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. A minor flooding calamity also hit Brunei. But the flooding disasters did not force the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other countries in the Asia-Pacific to meet as one body to coordinate relief and rescue efforts.

So how strong was Typhoon Ketsana? It dumped more rain than Hurricane Katrina. In about six hours it unleashed a whole month’s worth of rain in the Philippines, which triggered the worst flooding in Metro Manila in 40 years. It claimed almost 300 lives. More than 10,000 houses, including 260 schools, were damaged.

Half a million people are now living in overcrowded evacuation centers. More than 200 schools have been converted into refugee centers, which could affect the schooling of many children. As of Oct. 2, typhoon Ketsana had affected 3 million people in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

After wreaking havoc in the Philippines, Ketsana unleashed its fury in Indochina. It forced the evacuation of 350,000 people in central Vietnam and destroyed more than 300,000 homes, schools and other vital infrastructure in the country. It killed at least 92 people, left 19 missing, and injured 199 according to a government report. Ketsana also destroyed millions of dollars worth of agricultural crops in six provinces, which will affect the country’s food security.

Residents described Ketsana as the most serious and ferocious typhoon to hit Vietnam in the last five years. They also compared the floods caused by it to the deadly 1964 floods.

Ketsana also battered Cambodia and Laos. The casualties in these countries are lower compared to the Philippines and Vietnam but they also experienced unprecedented flooding.

An expat in Cambodia said that it was the first time floods have been so bad in Siem Reap. Another expat wrote that the level of water in the moat surrounding Angkor Wat had reached its peak. A civil society group reported that in one province alone, almost 15,000 homes were flooded.

Ketsana also damaged the southern part of Laos and caused widespread flooding in Xekong and Attapeu provinces. Authorities are also worried that 50 hectares of agricultural land is flooded.

Last August, Typhoon Morakot became the worst calamity to hit Taiwan in the past 200 years. Again, Asia-Pacific nations failed to call an emergency caucus to discuss collective efforts on ways to minimize the negative economic, social and environmental impact of natural disasters in the future.

Today there is a need for ASEAN unity and cooperation to help rebuild the flooded communities in four Southeast Asian countries. The least ASEAN should do is to share resources and volunteers to aid flood victims. ASEAN should lead the international campaign in seeking more economic relief for the calamity-stricken areas in the region.

ASEAN should have a regional disaster-preparedness program. It should identify the environmental high-risk areas in the region and establish a common fund to modernize the weather monitoring facilities of member countries.

It should implement an innovative system to quickly respond to natural calamities. It should have green soldiers, medical teams and volunteers who can be swiftly deployed to any part of the region that needs assistance.

If Typhoon Ketsana were a terrorist group, ASEAN members would have met by now to denounce it and plan measures to prevent another terrorist group from destroying more lives and properties in the future. ASEAN governments should refocus their priorities. Climate change and not terrorism is the number one threat to stability in the region.

There would be many advantages if ASEAN’s efforts in combating the negative effects of climate change were synergized. This would facilitate a productive exchange of new ideas, efficient programs and modern approaches in dealing with climate change. It could foster economic progress based on the principle of environmental sustainability and generate a sense of solidarity among the people in the region. It would also guarantee immediate relief to disaster-hit countries.

This year, as in past years, ASEAN has failed to demonstrate unity although its member countries were ravaged by various natural calamities. Can Typhoon Ketsana finally force a change in attitude among ASEAN leaders?

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Source: MONG PALATINO, filipino activist, blogger, and parliamentarian

20,000 garment workers lose jobs in Cambodia

2009-10-06T16:06:00.002+07:00

5 October 2009

PHNOM PENH — The global economic downturn has forced at least 20,000 workers to lose their jobs in Cambodia's garment industry this year, a labour ministry report showed Monday.

Between January and September, 77 factories were closed across the country resulting in the loss of 30,617 jobs, according to the report obtained by AFP.
Although 40 new factories opened in same the period and created more employment, more than 20,000 job losses remained, it showed.
Another 53 factories also suspended operations during the period but about half have reopened.

"The closure of the factories is due to fewer purchase orders," Oum Mean, secretary of state at the Ministry of Labour, told AFP.
"We can assume that this has been caused by the global financial crisis because the consumption in big countries has declined and this made some factories receive no purchase orders," he said.

In the face of shrinking demand from the US, the largest importer of Cambodian-made garments, the government is seeking new markets for textiles in Asia and Europe, Oum Mean added.

Cambodia's garment industry is the impoverished country's largest source of income, providing 80 percent of its foreign exchange earnings and employing an estimated 350,000 people last year.

The International Monetary Fund said last month that Cambodia's economy will contract 2.75 percent this year as the global economic crisis takes its toll.

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Source: AFP

Storm leaves Kingdom on verge of crisis

2009-10-06T15:03:00.002+07:00

MONDAY, 05 OCTOBER 2009 15:03 MAY TITTHARA AND IRWIN LOY

Aid agencies say remote settlements are difficult to reach; death toll rises.

Photo by: AFP
A woman cradles her child as she waits for aid from the Cambodian Red Cross in the aftermath of Typhoon Ketsana in Kampong Thom province.

A HUMANITARIAN crisis loomed across the Kingdom on Sunday as aid agencies struggled to reach people in remote parts of the country caught in the path of Typhoon Ketsana when it struck Cambodia with devastating force last week.

At least 10,000 people are still in need of immediate humanitarian assistance, according to Oxfam, although there are fears the true figure could be much higher. More than eight provinces were severely affected by the storm, creating a “staggering demand” for aid, the group said.

Relief workers stationed across the country reported serious difficulties transporting much-needed supplies to the worst-hit provinces, as still-rising floodwaters left vast stretches of the country’s rugged terrain almost completely cut off.

While survivors of the flash floods and 185mph winds began the daunting task of rebuilding their shattered lives, experts warned on Sunday that the damage wrought on the Kingdom’s food supplies could trigger serious long-term shortages.

“The concern in Cambodia is huge,” said Francis Perez, country director for Oxfam International in Cambodia. “We’re talking about thousands of people in need of emergency assistance just in Kampong Thom province alone. I don’t think by any stretch of the imagination we could assume that more than half of the affected people have been reached by emergency relief.”

The typhoon destroyed large swathes of Cambodia’s rice crops and left a trail of dead livestock in its wake, just weeks before the November harvest was due to start. Oxfam’s initial estimates of the damage have since doubled: As many as 50,000 hectares of rice paddies may have been destroyed, it said in a statement Saturday.

“In areas where we have been conducting assessments, damages to crops are as much as 90 percent,” said Perez. “That will have a longer-term impact on people’s lives. In most of the fields where there have been floods, particularly in Kampong Thom province, crops have been submerged for more than two weeks. The farmers say that will ensure the crops will not survive.”

As the country struggled to calculate the long-term cost of the storm, the immediate human cost continued to climb. The official death toll from the National Committee for Disaster Management rose to 15 over the weekend: nine people in Kampong Thom province, three in Ratanakkiri and three in Battambang. Additional reports of fatalities, including a report of 17-year-old boy believed to have drowned while in Siem Reap’s swollen river, had not been confirmed.

Efforts to get aid to the people most in need have been “severely hampered” by widespread flooding, said Uy Sam Ath, director of disaster management for the Cambodian Red Cross (CRC). In Preah Vihear, where it normally takes the CRC 45 minutes to distribute basic food aid to 1,000 families, dangerously high water levels in the wake of the storm meant the process took an arduous four days to complete.

At the same time, parts of Ratanakkiri and Mondulkiri provinces have proved completely impassable, leading CRC to appeal to its Vietnamese counterparts for help in what Uy Sam Ath described as the largest domestic rescue effort he has seen since catastrophic flooding in 2000 destroyed more than 300,000 homes.

Provincial officials reported continued flooding Sunday night, and several attempted to evacuate people to higher ground.

Chhun Chhorn, Kompong Thom provincial governor, said: “The water levels are getting higher and higher. We are moving people to safety now.”

People living along the Stung Sen River in Sandan, Prasat Balang and Prasat Sambor districts have been warned to make emergency plans, he said.

In Stung Treng province, Governor Loy Sophat said floodwaters had risen higher than expected, and authorities put the entire province on alert. “The flood has destroyed more than 3,000 hectares of rice paddies, affecting every district in the province,” he said.

In Ratanakkiri, where three people were confirmed killed, emergency food aid was being delivered by helicopter, said Governor Pao Ham Phan.

Two of the victims were crushed by falling trees; the third drowned when the boat in which he was fishing capsized. Despite the deaths, the governor said most people in the province had been well-prepared. “Because we knew about the storm first, we could save our people on time,” he said.

Kham Phoeun, governor of Kratie province, said most people had been evacuated from the rising floodwaters, but that about 180 hectares of rice had been destroyed.

Near Preah Vihear, military personnel had to clear the road after a landslide blocked it in two places following heavy rain Friday night. “Our soldiers are used to it, so they are not affected by it,” Yim Phim, commander of Brigade 8, said Sunday.

Polling stations in several provinces were also closed due to flooding, preventing voters from checking their details on the electoral register, according to officials. Tep Nytha, secretary general of the National Election Committee, said: “People only have until October 20 to check their names on voter lists, but now our country is facing a natural disaster. It has really interrupted our work.” People in the affected provinces of Kampong Thom, Pursat, Ratanakkiri and Preah Vihear would be given an extended deadline, he said.

As the waters begin to recede, aid agencies are bracing themselves for the next phase: recovery. The CRC will provide water-purification systems, health education and seeds in what it insists will be a modest cleanup operation compared with neighbouring countries where Ketsana first struck, leaving hundreds dead.

“We cannot compare the impact [in Cambodia] to Indonesia, the Philippines or Vietnam,” Uy Sam Ath said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MOM KUNTHEAR AND THET SAMBATH

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Source: THE PHNOM PENH POST

Cambodia, South Korea to sign oil, energy agreement

2009-10-06T14:57:00.002+07:00

2009-10-05 14:38:32

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia and South Korean governments will sign an agreement of oil and energy cooperation during the two-day official visiting by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak later this month, an official said here on Monday.

"Both sides will sign the agreement on seeking mines, oil, gas, and energy cooperation to push the economic development in the country," Eang Sophalleth, spokesman for Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told reporters after the meeting between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and visiting Shin Jae Hyun, ambassador in charge of cooperation, natural resources and energy affairs to the South Korean President.

Shin's visit is to pave the way for President Lee Myung-bok's visit in Cambodia on October 22-23.

The bilateral cooperation will serve the mutual benefits, Eang said, adding that Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed his hope that it will help speed up the country's economic development.

Shin also expressed his sympathy and condolences to Cambodian victims who suffered from Ketsana storm last week and hoped the Ketsana-hit regions would be restored soon under the Cambodian government's leadership.

South Korea has contributed to building rural infrastructure, irrigation systems, and road restorations in Cambodia and has helped e-government, information technology in Cambodia. Moreover, South Korea also joined to invest in a stock exchange which plans to open next year in Cambodia.

Editor: Fang Yang

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Source: CHINA VIEW

Cambodia sees drop in tourists to Preah Vihear Temple

2009-10-06T14:53:00.002+07:00

2009-10-05 12:15:54

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The number of visitors to the Preah Vihear Temple complex dropped by a-third in the third quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, according to a local media report on Monday.

The decrease was a reaction to the ongoing dispute with Thailand over ownership of the land surrounding the World Heritage site, Kong Vibol, director of Preah Vihear province's tourism department, told the Phnom Penh Post.

The official also blamed a general downturn in tourism arrivals, bad weather and lingering fears of influenza A/H1N1.

Only 12,214 people visited the temple complex in last quarter, down 33.93 percent from 18,487 visitors over the same period a year earlier, he was quoted by the report as saying.

The number of foreign visitors dropped 44.6 percent to 426, and the number of domestic tourists went down 34.04 percent to 11,788, Tourism Department figures showed.

Over the period, 47,682 people visited the province, including 40,857 from other parts of Cambodia, down 32.78 percent year-on-year, and 6,825 foreign visitors, down 89.17 percent, the Post reported.

Kong Vibol said he expected a recovery in the last quarter as the peak season begins and the global economy continues to show signs of recovery. Dissipating border tensions would also help, he added.

The Post said that Prime Minister Hun Sen announced in early September that Cambodian troops at the temple would be withdrawn following a bilateral agreement that effectively ended the 13-month standoff over the temple.

Om Phirom, chief of the temple's Heritage Police, said at the time the drawdown in troops led to a surge in tourist numbers, with around 200 Cambodian and 50 foreign tourists daily.

Editor: Bi Mingxin

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Source: CHINA VIEW

After delays, Cambodia rekindles stock market dream

2009-10-06T14:43:00.002+07:00

5 October 2009

By Jason Szep

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Construction cranes and unfinished high-rise buildings surround the silty marshland where a year from now Cambodia hopes to turn the page on decades of upheaval by opening a stock exchange.

The idea of a Cambodian stockmarket has been floated since the 1990s but has struggled for traction in a country known for a culture of political impunity, chronic poverty and a history of violence, including the Khmer Rouge "Killing Fields."

But authorities argue those days are over and plan to sign a deal this month with World City Co Ltd, a South Korean-backed developer, to start building a $6 million, four-storey stock exchange on the waterfront of a new financial district.

"We want to do it next year," Mey Vann, director of the financial industry department at Cambodia's Ministry of Economy and Finance, said in an interview. "It'll be good timing for us with the economic recovery."

It was supposed to open in September, a target set last year when South Korea's stock exchange operator agreed with the Cambodian government to set up and run a joint stock exchange.

But the global financial crisis intervened, ending an unprecedented boom which saw Cambodia's economy expand 10 percent annually in the five years up to 2008. Foreign investment collapsed, tourist arrivals fell by double digits and garment exports, a mainstay of the economy, shrank by 15 percent.

In recent weeks, Cambodian officials have cautioned against moving too fast, in some cases questioning whether a country whose education system was decimated during Pol Pot's 1975-79 reign of terror is ready to invest in stocks.

"We've been waiting for a green light," said Intyo Lee, project director for Korea Exchange, Asia's fourth-largest bourse operator which will own 49 percent of the exchange and is recruiting and training workers for it. Cambodian will own the rest.

"We're pretty much ready," he added, "but many people say it's too early. The government is trying to build consensus."

STARTING SMALL

The exchange expects to start small with just four or five companies issuing about $10 million worth of shares each, said Lee. That's comparable to neighboring Vietnam's first stock market launched in 2000 with its initial market capitalization of $43 million. Today, Vietnam's market is worth $27 billion.

Yet there are risks to Cambodian investors. In Vietnam, most of the investors were local, often unaware of the risks, and many were burned as the market steered a rollercoaster course. Meanwhile, foreign investors largely sought to dip into the potential high returns of an emerging frontier market while hedging their bets with a highly diversified portfolio.

Like its communist neighbor, Cambodia is giving privatizing state companies priority with a place to sell stock. The Finance Ministry has asked three state-owned companies to list shares: Telecom Cambodia, port operator Sihanoukville Autonomous Port and the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority.

Some of those companies have a simple question: why do it?

"We don't have any financial constraints. I don't understand the reasons we are going to be listed," said Ek Sonn Chan, who runs the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority, which employs about 600 people, has about $200 million in assets and generates about $25 million in annual revenue. He said the company is profitable.

"If we become a public company, maybe we are more responsible, more transparent and maybe we can help the government allocate financial support to our company. But in the meantime, we don't know much about how it happens. It's very new to Cambodia, very new to me," he said.

Others say the timing may not be right for some time. Foreign direct investment nearly halved to an estimated $490 million from $815 million in 2008, according to the International Monetary Fund, which expects Cambodia's economy to shrink nearly 3 percent this year before growing about 4 percent next year.

Most of the disappearing capital had flowed into construction projects, including a $2 billion satellite city on the outskirts of the capital Phnom Penh where the exchange will be built.

Developed by South Korean-backed World City, the two-year-old project known as Camko City aims to create a new financial district by 2018 spread over 125 hectares, complete with glass-walled office towers for stockbrokers, upmarket apartments, securities regulator offices and sleek retail spaces.

But construction has slowed, said Kim Duk-kon, a vice president at World City. Although the first phase is nearly complete with many of the residential villas built and sold, subsequent phases are on hold after capital dried up.

FLOODED SWAMPLAND

The area where the stock exchange will be built is flooded swampland on the edge of Boeung Kak Lake in the heart of the city. The Finance Ministry said the end of the rainy season this month will allow workers to begin building the exchange on the corner of what developers are calling Phnom Penh Boulevard.

Cambodian officials rejected an initial design, saying the exchange's exterior was too modern and not Cambodian enough. It has since been redesigned using traditional Khmer accents.

Vann at the Finance Ministry and Kim said a news conference this month will announce construction of the exchange. A new Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia, he added, is drafting market regulations that will be issued soon.

"We have a very good team at the Securities and Exchange Commission. They graduated from overseas. They are new blood in terms of enforcement of the law," he said. "Our law is very strict in terms of speculation."

Some observers are unconvinced and say authorities need to demonstrate how investors will be protected in a country with a reputation for corruption at nearly every level of the bureaucracy. Some fear speculative gambling by public employees.

David Cowen, deputy division chief for the International Monetary Fund's Asia and Pacific Department, met recently with the new securities regulator and urged its officials to work closely with the central National Bank of Cambodia.

He said the Commission would soon issue operational guidelines on securities firms. The IMF wants to see if those rules are consistent with banking laws and recognize the central National Bank of Cambodia's role as the nation's chief regulator.

(Reporting by Jason Szep; Editing by Megan Goldin)

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Source: REUTERS

Typhoon Ketsana does damage in Laos

2009-10-06T14:40:00.002+07:00

October 5, 2009 12:12:10

Typhoon Ketsana has torn across the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, killing hundreds of people.

In Laos, the storm killed at least 24 people. The floods meant that until two days ago, the worst-hit Attapeu region could only be reached by helicopter and boat. The United Nations World Food Programme says canned fish and rice have now been delivered to storm survivors.

MAKIN: The World Food Programme has an office in Attapeu which is on the border with Vietnam and Cambodia down in the south, right in the south of Laos.

LAM: Yes and what's the devastation there like, how are the people coping?

MAKIN: Many people lost everything, two districts already suffered some floods in late July and we were going in to offer assistance for this flood and when they were struck again. Phouvong is already... and Sanxay - two of our poorest districts in all of Laos and these were affected. People lost about, we think 90 per cent of their crops, and it's coming up to harvest season. So in the next few months we're going to face real problems, real food shortages. Two districts are still accessible only by helicopter and we're not able to get out to all of the villages here. So we're simply working with the government, the Lao government and the army to helicopter food into the driest place and we'll coordinate villages to come and collect food from there. In the other districts we're getting trucks and boats, and the army are really helping coordinate a big effort here.

LAM: And Cait before the disaster hit what sort of a town or area was Attapeu? Was it a largely agricultural rural area?

MAKIN: It's quite rural; it's not as densely populated as other provinces in Laos. But I'm speaking to you from Samakkhixay, which is the capital, but we were all affected. But it is mainly rural and subsistence farming. There is a Vietnamese community, a large Vietnamese community which many small businesses were damaged and completely destroyed.

LAM: And as you look around you are large parts of the region still submerged, under water?

MAKIN: It's hard for us to tell. Yesterday I travelled by helicopter to Sanamxay and certainly there are parts [flooded]. It's very hard to get information. Helicopters are going to the worst areas and landing in the dry places and then we're relying on the government there to go to the more difficult places. So there are probably parts that are submerged. We had a little bit more strong rain last night which may have had some impact. For Samakkhixay where we are the water has receded and so we have about three districts that we can access.

LAM: What news have you of the capital Vientiane? Was Vientiane hit at all?

MAKIN: No as far as I'm aware it's been concentrated in the south. It came through Vietnam. We expected it to go up to the central regions in Khammouan and Savannakhet. There is someone in Savannakhet making assessment, but for now Attapeu is the worst hit with still quite serious in Xekong and Salavan also, which are the neighbouring districts, provinces to Attapeu.

*****************
Source: ABC Radio Australia

Laos gets more emergency aid

2009-10-06T14:33:00.001+07:00

4 October 2009

HANOI - MORE emergency aid reached southern Laos on Sunday, aid workers said after Tropical Storm Ketsana left at least 24 people dead last week in one of Asia's poorest nations.

'They've already started going out and helping people, giving out water and food,' said Sally Sakulku, of British-based Health Unlimited, referring to her staff in hardest-hit Attapeu province. 'It's accessible now.'

After Ketsana hit on Wednesday, floodwaters left the rugged region reachable only by helicopter and boat until limited road access opened on Saturday.

Ms Sakulku said her teams expected to reach about 1,000 families on Sunday in Attapeu, which borders Cambodia. Some were still sheltering in schools but others have returned home, she said.

In adjacent Sekong province, also hard-hit, the relief agency CARE said it was delivering kettles to help people boil water, and was mobilising other resources.

'We are supplying medicines to the provincial government so that they are prepared, for example, if it comes to an outbreak of diarrhoea,' said Henry Braun, CARE's director for Laos.

He said more than 15,000 people in the province have been affected and 200 houses confirmed destroyed.

'However, there is still a lot of unknowns surrounding the situation, especially in the remote areas,' he said.

Canned fish and rice from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has also been delivered to southern Laos by the government, WFP said.

Ketsana has brought devastation across Southeast Asia, first killing at least 293 people in the Philippines before striking Vietnam, where 162 died, and Cambodia where it claimed 17 lives. -- AFP

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Source: THE STRAITS TIME

Earthweek: Environmental news from around the globe

2009-10-06T14:29:00.001+07:00

October 04, 2009 8:00 AM

UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE

Tropical cyclones

A tropical storm that later became Typhoon Ketsana killed at least 288 people and damaged the homes of 3 million as it triggered the worst flooding the northern Philippines has experienced in 40 years.

After devastating parts of Manila, Ketsana went on to hit other Southeast Asian countries, killing 99 in Vietnam, 14 in Cambodia and 16 in Laos.

• Typhoon Parma cut a path across the Philippines’ northern edge on Saturday, killing four people but sparing the capital, Manila, from a second flood disaster as the storm churned toward Taiwan.

Tens of thousands of Filipinos had evacuated their homes as the storm bore down on the main island of Luzon just eight days after an earlier tempest left Manila awash in floods that killed almost 300 people.

• Another typhoon, Melor, was churning in the Philippine Sea, 1,600 miles to the east, threatening the U.S. territory of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Penguin rebound

A species of penguin virtually wiped out on Macquarie Island more than 100 years ago has rebounded, to the delight of Australian wildlife experts.

The island, located between New Zealand and Antarctica, was teeming with king penguins when it was discovered in 1810.

But the birds were slaughtered for blubber oil over the next century to the point that only a small colony survived. The Australian Antarctic Survey says that hundreds of the birds now live in the area around Lusitania Bay.

It appears the population has grown to the point that the penguins have begun to look for new parts of the island to recolonize.

Pushing Earth’s limits

A team of the world’s most eminent environmental scientists published a warning that human activity has already pushed three of Earth’s nine biophysical boundaries to beyond the planet’s ability to self-regulate.

Writing in the journal Nature, the researchers attempt to set “acceptable” upper limits on man’s influence on such environmental conditions as climate, biodiversity, stratospheric ozone and chemical cycles like that of nitrogen.

They suggest that for some of those conditions, like the use of nitrogen in fertilizers and loading of atmospheric carbon dioxide, humankind may have already stepped outside the safety zone.

It’s feared we may have to backpedal quickly to avoid catastrophe. Human activities, most notably the growing reliance on fossil fuels and industrialized agriculture, have become so pervasive that they may trigger irreversible and abrupt environmental change by damaging the regulatory capacity of the planet, the group warned.

African famine looms

The severe drought that has parched much of East Africa this year continues to worsen while taking the lives of people, wildlife and livestock.

The charity Oxfam International has appealed for $15 million in emergency donations so it can provide 750,000 people with food assistance.

Paul Smith Lomas, Oxfam’s East Africa director, said that while the drought stretches from the Horn of Africa to Uganda, about 3.8 million Kenyans, a tenth of the population, now need emergency aid.

Climate change has caused the frequency of drought to increase from about once per decade to once every two or three years.

Indian drought

Indian weather officials said that a weak summer monsoon has created the country’s worst drought since 1972.

Scant precipitation has caused extensive damage to rice, sugar cane and groundnut crops, according to the Meteorological Department.

It added that depleted reservoirs behind hydropower stations threaten both electricity and irrigation shortages this winter.

Acorn hazard

Many New Englanders are being forced to dodge a bumper crop of acorns raining down across the region this autumn.

The nuts were unusually scarce last year, but millions of the hard-shelled bombs are now bopping joggers on the head, whacking gardeners’ backsides and cracking vehicle windshields.

“It hurt,” University of Massachusetts at Amherst professor Wesley Autio told the The Boston Globe. “You stand outside and you can hear acorns hitting everything — cars, metal roofs, and it makes a tremendous sound.”

But the region’s largest acorn crop in memory is also allowing squirrels and other nut hoarders to fatten up for what some believe will be a brutal winter.

A cool summer along with record snowfalls and rain earlier this year have helped the acorns bloom larger and in greater numbers this fall.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
*****************
Source: gazette.com

Myanmar minister promises 'free and fair' elections

2009-10-06T14:19:00.001+07:00

3 October 2009

Siem Reap (Cambodia): Myanmar's foreign minister promised on Saturday his country would hold "free and fair" elections next year, despite the detention of democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi.

"In my country free and fair elections will be held. We have already announced it," Myanmar foreign minister Nyan Win told reporters after a meeting with counterparts in Cambodia's northwestern tourist hub.

"(Whether) the elections are free and fair or not, so far no one can judge it. After the elections will be held, you can judge whether the elections are free and fair or not."

A Myanmar court Friday rejected an appeal by Suu Kyi against her conviction over an incident in which a US man swam uninvited to her home in May, earning her an extra 18 months' detention.

The sentence sidelines her from the elections promised for 2010, leading critics to say the polls are a sham. The minister made the remarks after meeting with the foreign ministers of Japan, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam for talks intended to foster development within the Mekong region.

Myanmar has been under military rule since 1962, and the junta refused to acknowledge the landslide win of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party in the last elections in 1990.

Bureau Report

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Source: Zeenews.com

Cambodia’s Displaced: Can Canada Make a Difference?

2009-10-06T14:12:00.003+07:00

3 October 2009

As farmers and city dwellers are uprooted by developments, advocates call on CIDA to rise to their defence.

By Jared Ferrie, Yesterday, TheTyee.ca

(Post by CAAI News Media)

As far back as their history goes, the Bunong lived semi-nomadic lives, cultivating small plots of land for a couple years at a time before moving on to allow the soil to regenerate. That came to an end when the United States began carrying out its secret bombing of Cambodia in 1969.

"We fled to Vietnam and we lived in camps there," recalled Prap Tuch, an elderly member of the Bunong ethnic minority.

His people stayed and escaped the horror that was to follow -- the Khmer Rouge regime, which killed as many as two million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979. The Bunong finally returned to their mountainous homeland in 1986.
But they now face a new threat to their way of life.

Cambodia's government has been granting concessions to companies eager to extract the country's natural resources. Land occupied by the Bunong is being cleared to make way for rubber plantations run by Socfin, a subsidiary of the French conglomerate Bollore Group, in partnership with a Cambodian company, KCD.

Prap is just one of an estimated 150,000 Cambodians threatened with forced eviction throughout the country, according to Amnesty International. A real estate boom in the capital, Phnom Penh, has seen thousands displaced -- illegally, say land law experts -- to make way for property developments. The government recently pulled out of a World Bank financed program that aimed to halt forced evictions by sorting out land title in rural areas.

Advocates for the Bunong and other displaced groups say Canada could be an influential voice on their behalf because the Canadian International Development Agency is donor and technical advisor to the Cambodian government's land reform program.

But as more and more Cambodians are forced from their homes, Canada's response so far has been official silence.

'Three unacceptable options'

The Bunong have been offered three options: compensation, relocation or the opportunity to produce rubber on small, family-run plantations.

Prap said none of them were particularly attractive. He would prefer to produce some rubber to sell to the company while still maintaining land that would allow him to farm his traditional crops of rice, fruits and vegetables.

"I don't refuse development. We need to live as other people," he said. "But if we lose the fields, we lose our culture."

Furthermore, he said, his land has not been measured in order to assess compensation, even though he has been forced out to make way for a rubber plantation.

"Allowing people to choose between three unacceptable options for compensation is not meaningful consultation," said David Pred, country director of Bridges Across Borders, which advocates on land rights issues. "The company should start by listening to the affected communities and understanding what their needs and development aspirations are."

Phillip Monnin, who heads Socfin's operations here, did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment.

'Maybe... some errors'

Eric Beugnot, Cambodia director of the French Development Agency (AFD), said Socfin has launched a study to determine the social and environmental impacts of the plantation.

"They recognized maybe they have made some errors, some mistakes," he said. "They included in the study what has been done and eventually corrective action."

AFD is evaluating a $2.5 million plan to help "smallholders." The project would encourage the company to integrate more family-run rubber plantations into its overall operation.

"That could serve as a model for economic concessions," said Beugnot, adding that the company has no obligation to pursue such a model; it could just as easily develop its concession as a private rubber plantation.

'Laws ignored'

Daniel King, a lawyer with the Community Legal Education Centre (CLEC), said the Socfin-KCD deal is murky, and information provided to the community is often conflicting.

"The actual clearing of land by Socfin-KCD has not always corresponded to this information," he said.

In fact, he said, the deal may be illegal under Cambodian law, which requires an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment prior to granting an economic land concession (ELC). Copies of those assessments have been requested from the relevant ministries, but have not been provided.

"They may not have been conducted prior to the granting of the ELC or the clearing of land," he said.

King was also skeptical of the French Development Agency's role, suggesting the danger of French taxpayer dollars being used to fund the "social aspects" of an illegal land deal.

"Its partnership with Socfin-KCD in that endeavour could be seen as supporting an ELC that is likely to be illegal under national and international human rights law," he said.

Beugnot said the feasibility study, which AFD requires if it is to provide funding to Socfin-KCD, began weeks ago and will take three months to complete.

In the meantime, those affected by the land concession have few options. On June 19, members of the Bunong held traditional ceremonies to appease ancestral spirits for the loss of forest they consider sacred, and to curse the rubber companies.

Recently, out of desperation, Prap travelled to Phnom Penh with other members of his community to raise awareness of their plight.

"I don't know how to get the land back. Now I just stay and wait and maybe my family will starve," he said.

Decades of displacement

Cambodia has seen years of massive displacement beginning with Richard Nixon's bombing campaign, which he authorized in secret without consent of Congress. In an attempt to disrupt North Vietnamese supply lines along the border with Vietnam, the U.S. dropped an estimated 540,000 tons of bombs on Cambodia in four years, which strengthened support for Khmer Rouge rebels. The bombs killed as many as 500,000 people and displaced about 30 per cent of the population.

Millions more fled the countryside in the following years as a civil war raged between U.S.-backed government troops and the Khmer Rouge. When the Khmer Rouge took over in 1975, they emptied Phnom Penh of almost all of its inhabitants, forcing them and millions of others throughout the country into labour camps. After Vietnamese and Cambodian forces ousted the regime in 1979, refugees flooded back into the capital seeking shelter wherever they could find it.

Still more Cambodians languished in camps in Thailand as Cambodian and Vietnamese troops battled the remnants of the Khmer Rouge and other armed groups. The remaining Khmer Rouge were finally defeated in 1998 and refugees returned.

New era, same problem

Decades of forced migration have resulted in a tangled web of land ownership claims. In an attempt to address the issue, the government passed a law in 2001 stating that those who had occupied a piece of land continuously for at least five years could claim legal title. But Cambodian courts, which critics say are notoriously corrupt, have rarely enforced that law.

Instead of bombs, bullets and landmines, Cambodians are now forced from their homes by powerful economic interests.

In Phnom Penh, property prices shot up 100 per cent in 2007, according to a report by the International Monetary Fund. Government officials and other elites have cashed in on the boom, along with international investors, pushing people from their homes in order to develop the land. A local organization, STT, estimates that 11 per cent of the capital's population has been forcibly relocated since 1991, with major evictions still planned. In rural areas, corrupt officials also partner with international investors to exploit natural resources, often forcing people off land that they have a strong legal claim to.

Land reform program scrapped

On Sept. 4, the Cambodian government terminated World Bank financing for the Land Management and Administration Project (LMAP), which has issued 1.1 million land titles in rural areas since 2002.

During a speech on Sept. 7, Cambodia's prime minister, Hun Sen, said cooperating with the World Bank on the program "was difficult because it was complicated and had too many conditions."

The move came after the World Bank, under pressure from advocacy groups, issued critical statements about LMAP and forced evictions.

A July 13 World Bank review of LMAP stated: "procedures for state land classification... were only partly implemented." The bank also noted "a particular disconnect between institutional, legal and policy achievements and insecurity of land tenure for the poor, especially in urban areas, and indigenous peoples."

In plain language, the bank meant that working with government officials to devise elaborate systems for assigning land ownership has not prevented land grabbing, despite whatever laws or regulations are put in place.

Or as Pred, of Bridges Across Borders, put it: "Donors to Cambodia's land sector have tried to provide technical solutions to political problems... powerful people are able to grab the land of the poor and vulnerable majority with total impunity"

Yet, a World Bank spokesman in Phnom Penh downplayed the government's decision, noting its promise to continue the process on its own.

"The World Bank welcomes the government's commitments to continue its reforms of the land sector," said Bou Saroeun.

Pred expressed no confidence in the government's promises.

"State land has been totally mismanaged by the Cambodian government even with World Bank and other donor involvement," he said.

Canada's role

Along with the World Bank, LMAP was supported by Canada, Finland and Germany. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is also co-facilitator, along with the Cambodian government, on the Technical Working Group on Land and it holds a seat in the Ministry of Lands.

Critics have been urging Canada to use its leverage as a donor country to do more to stop the illegal expropriation of land.

"CIDA has so far been unwilling to challenge the status quo in order to address the real problems with land in Cambodia," said Pred. "Unless they do so, in a coordinated manner with other donors, there will be little return from the investments of its aid dollars."

Ironically, Pred noted, when donors refuse to stand up to governments that break their own laws, "the aid runs the risk of legitimizing the system."

CIDA's representative in Cambodia said she was not authorized to speak to reporters and directed questions to CIDA's media department in Canada, which did not respond to e-mailed questions.

On July 2, a group of 11 donors and aid agencies issued a statement calling on the government to halt forced evictions "until a fair and transparent mechanism for resolving land disputes is put in place."

The signatories included the World Bank and the United Nations, along with embassies including those of Britain, the U.S. and Australia.

"The Canadian International Development Agency, which has a seat in the Ministry of Lands, was conspicuously absent from that statement," said Daniel King the CLEC lawyer, "If I was a Canadian I'd be asking questions.

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Source: Khmer Love Khmer

Cambodian FM calls on strengthening partnership for development of Mekong basin

2009-10-06T12:13:00.001+07:00

2009-10-03 12:53:49

SIEM REAP, Cambodia, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The second foreign ministerial meeting among five Mekong countries and Japan kicked off Saturday in Siem Reap province, northern part of Cambodia, aimed to boost joint development effort in the area.

As the meeting started, Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong, who chaired the one-day meeting session said "Our gathering here today constitutes a step further in the realization of our partnership for the development of the Mekong basin, which would certainly yield great benefit for the peoples living along the Mekong River and Japan as well."

The agenda for the second Mekong-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting is to review progress made since the first meeting in Tokyo, Japan in January 2008.

Hor Namhong also said that "The cooperation between the Mekong region and Japan is bound to have major implications for the future development of the Mekong basin." He highly appreciates Japan's commitment to provide more Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Asia, saying that this initiative "would not only strengthen Asia's growth potential, but also contribute to ASEAN integration."

The meeting attended by foreign ministers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Japan, Vietnam was represented by a deputy foreign minister attended the meeting.

Mekong-Japan Partnership Program was launched in 2007 for the sake of peace, development and prosperity in the Mekong sub-region.

According to the program of discussion, the foreign ministers will not only discuss the development programs, but also to exchange views on regional and global issues of common concern.

*************
Source: China View

Asia death toll rises as Ketsana floods recede

2009-10-06T12:04:00.002+07:00

By Tran Thi Minh Ha (AFP) – 2 October 2009

THUA THIEN-HUE, Vietnam — Asian nations were left counting the cost of Typhoon Ketsana Friday, with the death tolls rising in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, according to Red Cross reports.

Vietnam's death toll reached 99 on Friday with another 14 missing, said an official from the national flood and storm control committee.

In Cambodia the number of deaths rose to at least 17, while 16 people were killed and 135 left missing in Laos, the Red Cross said on Friday.

With flood waters receding in much of typhoon-struck Vietnam on Friday, residents hung clothes out to dry, cleared fallen trees and cleaned the muck left by one of the country's worst disasters in recent years.

In the poor fishing village of Rong in Hue city, wet clothes hung on fences and trees while women moved furniture outside late Thursday to dry, or cleaned the muddy floors of their metal-roofed houses.

"We are still cleaning up but things will be OK," said Nguyen Van Tam, 48.
Vietnam's death toll reached 99 on Friday with another 14 missing, said an official from the national flood and storm control committee.

The heaviest toll came in the fishing province of Quang Ngai, in the area where Ketsana made landfall on Tuesday with winds that state media said reached up to 149 kilometres (92 miles) per hour.

Quang Ngai recorded 27 deaths and there were 21 in Kon Tum, a mountainous province with a large population of poor ethnic minority tribes, the official said.

Officials are now concentrating on returning the evacuees to their homes "and cleaning the environment which was very polluted after the passage of the typhoon", an official from the flood and storm committee in Quang Ngai said late Thursday.

Some homes shown on state television looked like they had been hit by an earthquake.
Downed trees are being cut through with saws and people are sweeping debris off roads, television pictures showed. Soldiers are assisting in the effort.

"It was dirty but... we helped each other so it was a lot of fun," said Nguyen Van Ngoc, a sailor in Rung village.

He was among the hundreds of thousands of people who fled their homes because of the storm and said he only returned on Wednesday after the floodwaters, which had reached halfway up the wall of his metal-roofed house, had drained away.

"When the water receded there was mud in the house," said Tran Phuc, a father-of-six in Tong Chanh village south of Hue.

He said the family spent a day cleaning the floor and the furniture.

The typhoon caused damage initially estimated at 120 million dollars to Vietnam, the government said on Thursday in a detailed report obtained by AFP.

It said more than 170,000 homes were flooded while a similar number had damaged roofs, and more than 6,300 other houses collapsed, mostly in Quang Nam province.

Thousands of farm animals died and almost 50,000 hectares (20,000 acres) of farmland were damaged in the country which is the world's second-largest rice exporter.

The death toll from Typhoon Ketsana in Cambodia has risen to at least 17, the country's Red Cross said on Friday.

Three more people were reported to have been killed after Ketsana swept through the country earlier this week, said Uy Sam Ath, director of the disaster management department at the Cambodian Red Cross.

The new toll includes a man who died in eastern Mondulkiri province and two people -- a father and a daughter -- who drowned when their boat capsized Wednesday evening in central Kampong Chhnang province, he said.

Northern Cambodia suffered widespread flooding after the storm battered the country Tuesday evening, affecting thousands of people and destroying hundreds of homes across the country, officials said.

Ketsana has killed 16 people and left 135 missing in Laos, the country's Red Cross said.
Fourteen of the deaths came in southern Attapeu province on the border with Cambodia, said Bountheung Menvilay, head of the agency's disaster preparedness division.

Two other deaths came in Savannakhet province, but Attapeu and adjacent Sekong provinces were most affected by the storm, which passed through the country on Wednesday, the Red Cross official said.

"We do have casualties in that location," said government spokesman Khenthong Nuanthasing, who was unable to confirm the number of deaths.

Bountheung said most of the deaths came during flash floods caused by the storm which has displaced 37,500 people in one of Asia's poorest nations.

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Source: AFP

Foreign Ministry: Cambodian premier to attend ASEAN Summit

2009-10-06T12:01:00.001+07:00

BANGKOK, Oct 2 (TNA) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will attend the 15th Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) Summit in the Thai seaside report of Hua Hin at the end of this month, a senior Thai foreign ministry official said on Friday.

Speaking to journalists after a preparatory meeting planning arrangements for the upcoming ASEAN summit scheduled for October 23-25, Veerasak Futrakul, Permanent-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said bilateral talks between Thai and Cambodian leaders regarding the border dispute near the ancient Preah Vihear temple has not yet been set up.

The Thai permanent-secretary for foreign affairs added that an attempt to solve the border dispute is underway through the existing mechanism agreed by both sides.

Tensions along the Thai-Cambodian border near the 11th century temple renewed after the Cambodian premier announced on Monday that he had ordered his troops to shoot any intruders from Thailand who stepped on Cambodian soil.

Mr Hun Sen's stern statement came shortly after yellow-shirt protesters of Thailand's Peoples’ Alliance for Democracy (PAD) rallied in the Thai province of Si Sa Ket to oppose Cambodia's plan to build new structures in the contested 4.6 square kilometres zone surrounding Preah Vihear temple and clashed with local police and residents.

The United Nations cultural body UNESCO approved Cambodia's sole bid in July last year to list the 11th century temple as a world heritage site while the question of sovereignty over the land has never been clearly resolved.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva however shunned Mr Hun Sen's threat, saying his remarks were aimed for his domestic benefit and had happened many times.

He also affirmed the situation at the border is normal, the kingdom also remains ready to protect its sovereignty. (TNA)
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Source: TNA

Cambodian communities facing forced eviction launch Inspection Panel complaint against World Bank

2009-10-06T11:54:00.001+07:00

2 October 2009

Phnom Penh residents facing the largest forced displacement of Cambodians since the Khmer Rouge era have filed a complaint to the World Bank Inspection Panel stating that they have suffered serious harm from a Bank-funded land-titling project.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 1, 2009

Phnom Penh, Residents facing the largest forced displacement of Cambodians since the Khmer Rouge era have filed a complaint to the World Bank Inspection Panel stating that they have suffered serious harm from a Bank-funded land-titling project. The complaint, submitted by the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) and registered on 24 September, alleges that the Bank breached its operational policies by failing to adequately supervise the Land Management and Administration Project (LMAP), which has denied urban poor and other vulnerable households protection against widespread tenure insecurity and increasing forced evictions in Cambodia.

A major report about the Bank-financed project, “Untitled: Tenure Insecurity and Inequality in the Cambodian Land Sector,” was also released this week by three international human rights organizations, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) and Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia (BABSEA).

“The principal finding of the report is that, despite a seven-year, multi-million dollar effort to reform the land sector, Cambodia’s land administration institutions have failed to improve tenure security for vulnerable groups, who are routinely and arbitrarily denied access to land titling and dispute resolution mechanisms,” stated Salih Booker, Executive Director of COHRE.

Despite having legitimate rights to the land under Cambodia’s Land Law, thousands of families residing around Phnom Penh’s Boeung Kak lake were denied titles when the area was adjudicated by LMAP in January 2007, the same month that a well-connected developer acquired a legally dubious 99-year lease over the area. Residents have since been subjected to intimidation and pressure to leave their homes by the developer and local officials. So far, an estimated 900 families have been evicted from their land to make way for the development, with more than 3000 families due to face the same fate.

The NGO report states that “[t]he fact that these households do not have title is often used against them as a justification for eviction, despite the fact that many have well documented rights under the law.” “Meanwhile,” the report continues, “the wealthy and well-connected have little difficulty in acquiring land title in high value areas in which poor communities reside due to their connections or their ability to pay the high ‘unofficial fees’.”

Both the complaint and the report cite numerous flaws of LMAP, including a failure to issue titles to vulnerable households in accordance with legal procedures, ineffective and corrupt dispute resolution mechanisms, and a failure to conduct essential public awareness campaigns and legal aid programs.

The report identifies the absence of transparent State land management as a key failure of LMAP, which has contributed to the problem of tenure insecurity throughout the country. It states that the lack of transparency and an unimplemented or inadequate legal framework has led to the loss of public spaces in both urban and rural settings, as well as the large-scale depletion of the country’s natural resources, especially forests.

“The mismanagement of State land has negatively impacted the poorest Cambodians most,” said BABSEA Director David Pred. “Rural and indigenous communities have been deprived of the land on which their lives depend in order to make way for Economic Land Concessions, and poor urban households have been denied the opportunity to secure their land tenure despite their legal entitlements, when they are wrongly labelled as squatters on State land.”

Boeung Kak residents who filed the complaint against the World Bank have requested to remain anonymous, citing concerns for their safety amidst increasing intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders and political dissidents in Cambodia.

The Cambodian government abruptly ended its agreement on the project with the World Bank last month after a disagreement about the applicability of World Bank social safeguards in cases like Boeung Kak. Despite the government’s termination of the agreement, human rights groups have demanded that the Cambodian government continue to be held accountable for its contractual obligations to adhere to the project’s policy on involuntary resettlement.

“In light of the serious problems with the design and implementation of LMAP, it is incumbent upon the World Bank to conduct a thorough investigation of this project and its overall assistance strategy in Cambodia,” said Pred. “After seven years of wholly inadequate supervision of LMAP, the Bank has a responsibility to investigate and remedy the harms that have been caused to the Cambodian families who have been unfairly denied recognition of their land rights.”

“The World Bank should reconsider its approach to land titling programmes that it promotes worldwide, especially in countries without strong rule of law and the political will to protect people’s rights against powerful interests,” Booker added. “Through the Inspection Panel’s investigation, the World Bank can and should learn important lessons from LMAP.”

THE NOTICE OF REGISTRATION OF THE COMPLAINT IS AVAILABLE AT:

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTINSPECTIONPANEL/Resources/Notice_of_Registration.pdf

READ THE REPORT:

Untitled: Tenure Insecurity and Inequality in the Cambodian Land Sector, Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions, Jesuit Relief Services, October 2009 (Acrobat PDF, 1.38 MB)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO THE LINK BELOW:
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SOURCE: Bank Information Center

Rescue Workers Search for Survivors from Asian Disasters, Death Toll Likely to Rise

2009-10-06T11:52:00.000+07:00

By Daniel Schearf
Bangkok
02 October 2009

Authorities say the death toll from an earthquake in Indonesia is likely to pass 1,000 as underequipped rescue workers dig through rubble for survivors. And the Philippines is on alert as a new typhoon heads toward the islands days after Typhoon Ketsana killed more than 400 people there and in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.

Indonesian rescue workers are digging by hand Friday, trying to find survivors among the hundreds of people believed trapped under piles of concrete.

Wednesday's earthquake struck off the coast of western Sumatra, with most of the damage in the city of Padang.

VOA's Jakarta correspondent, Brian Padden, has just arrived in Padang. He says the streets are busy with people and aid workers are pouring into the city.

"Just from the airport itself, it's like every third or fourth building we passed, there's serious damage, many have collapsed completely," he said. "Electricity is out everywhere. … There are long lines at gas stations, people are lined up with containers waiting to get the limited supply of gasoline that's here in the area."

Padden says the damage from Wednesday's quake is much worse than that from an earthquake in early September.

"In the last earthquake that hit Java, damage there was scattered, there'd be little pinpoints of damage. Here it seems everywhere, it's everywhere you look," he said.

Indonesia has asked for foreign aid to help with rescue efforts and support those affected by the 7.6 magnitude quake.

Numerous countries have offered assistance, including the United States, which pledged $3 million to help the quake victims.

Washington has also pledged aid for victims of a tropical storm that struck the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos this week. The storm killed more than 400 people in the region.

Typhoon Ketsana made landfall in the Philippines on Saturday, flooding parts of the capital, Manila and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

The Philippines is warning people to leave low-lying areas as another powerful typhoon nears.

In other natural disasters, the death toll from tsunami waves that hit the pacific islands of Samoa, American Samoa, and Tonga is nearing 200.

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Source: VOA News

PM Abhisit: Thai-Cambodian border situation 'normal'

2009-10-06T11:50:00.001+07:00

BANGKOK, Oct 1 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Thursday that he believes Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's comment regarding Thai-Cambodian border disputes was aimed to impact Cambodia’s domestic political audience and that the overall situation along the Thai-Cambodian border is normal and bilateral relations are going well.

International media--Associated Press (AP) and Agence France-Presse (AFP)--Monday quoted Mr Hun Sen as telling Cambodian officials that anyone from Thailand illegally intruding into Cambodian territory but claimed by both countries would be shot.

The Cambodian leader also said that if Thai officials negotiating the border demarcation present Thai maps during bilateral talks, Cambodian officials “should tear them up or walk out.’

Answering questions in Parliament Thursday, Mr Abhisit said he believed that Mr Hun Sen's remarks were aimed for his domestic benefit.

The situation at the border is normal, the military personnel of both countries are stationed as usual, particularly around the disputed area that they both claim, he said.

Mr Abhisit added that the remarks simply were Mr Hun Sen's style, considered normal, as it had happened many times.

However, he said, Thailand remains ready to protect the kingdom’s sovereignty, but any steps taken will be carried out carefully to avoid conflict and to protect Thailand's interests.

The government also affirmed the use of peaceful mean to solve the border disputes and the disputes between Thailand and Cambodia were not come from Minister of Foreign Affairs Kasit Piromya.

Members of the Opposition Puea Thai Party always charged Mr Kasit of being unfit to serve in government for his support for the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) which seized Bangkok’s two airports late last year, as well as for his denouncing Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen regarding a disputed temple on the border.

Mr Abhisit said after Mr Kasit assumed his post, he had visited Cambodia on several occasions without problems. Bilateral relations between the two neighbours remain positive, as some bilateral agreements were reached recently.

Moreover, the Cambodian premier also affirmed in past meetings that he would not let the border disputes obstruct expanded cooperation, the Thai premier said.

Mr Abhisit said he believed that the border disputes flared up when Noppadon Pattama was Minister of Foreign Affairs and signed a joint communique with Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister Sok An in June 2008 to support the Khmer application to list the 11th century temple as a World Heritage site.

When Mr Abhisit assumed office last December, he said his government must resolve the border dispute.

Tensions between the neighbouring countries flared after the United Nations cultural body UNESCO approved Cambodia's bid in July last year to list the 11th century temple as a world heritage site, while the question of sovereignty over the 4.6 square kilometres of surrounding land has never been clearly resolved, angering some Thais who continue to claim Thailand’s ownership of the site. (TNA)

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Source: TNA

UN expert: Free speech deteriorating in Cambodia

2009-10-06T11:41:00.000+07:00

Associated Press
2009-10-01 06:41 PM

A U.N. human rights expert says freedom of speech is deteriorating in Cambodia after several government critics were convicted of defamation.
Surya Subedi says the conviction of an opposition lawmaker and two journalists in recent months "is a disturbing trend."

Subedi is U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's special envoy for human rights in Cambodia.

The Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council, meanwhile, will debate a U.S.-Egyptian resolution on freedom of speech Thursday.

European countries have expressed concern that the resolution appears to endorse "codes of conduct" for journalists and give religions protection from criticism.

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Source: AP posted on Taiwan News

Typhoon kills dozens in Vietnam, Cambodia

2009-10-01T10:54:00.005+07:00

30 September 2009
By Tran Thi Minh Ha (AFP)

HOI AN, Vietnam — Typhoon Ketsana extended its trail of destruction across Southeast Asia Wednesday, killing at least 49 people in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos and unleashing some of the worst floods in a decade.

Tens of thousands of people fled as landslides wiped out homes and rising waters submerged villages and ancient world heritage sites, just days after Ketsana killed 246 people in the Philippines.

Ketsana barrelled towards Laos on Wednesday after being downgraded to a tropical depression, while aid workers struggled to reach stranded survivors and get urgently needed supplies to the homeless. Related article: Philippines destruction

Cambodia said 11 people died when the storm struck overnight, while the toll in Vietnam rose to 38 with 10 missing since Ketsana first hit the centre of the country on Tuesday. There were no immediate reports of casualties from Laos.

"This flooding might be bigger than the historic floods in 1999," said Nguyen Su, Communist Party chief in the Vietnamese town of Hoi An, a UNESCO world heritage site, which was under three metres (10 feet) of water. Scene: Hoi An flooding
The town is a major tourist draw for its centuries-old pastel-coloured buildings.

On Tuesday flooding hit parts of Danang as well as Hue, the former capital and another World Heritage site, where residents used small wooden and steel boats to move around.

Central Vietnam bore the brunt of the typhoon's impact, with the country's flood and storm control committee saying that 168,585 people in six coastal provinces had been evacuated. Many areas were without power.

Aid agency World Vision said in a statement more than 5,800 houses in Vietnam had collapsed in floods and landslides with 163,000 houses having lost their roofs, but this was not immediately confirmed by the government.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said military helicopters could be sent to join the rescue effort.

"We will focus on rescuing those who are isolated," particularly in Kon Tum and Quang Ngai provinces, he said. "We have to immediately evacuate households on the banks of three rivers and areas that may suffer from landslides."

State-run Vietnam News carried a front-page photograph of houses almost submerged by brown floodwaters in Kon Tum. Flooding also struck 20,000 hectares (about 50,000 acres) of agricultural land, the storm committee said.

In Cambodia, authorities said thousands of people had been evacuated from their homes as the storm packed winds of up to 145 kilometres (90 miles) an hour.

Nine were killed and 28 injured in central Cambodia while two died in the northeast overnight as the country was battered by the storm, officials said.

"At least nine people were crushed last night when their houses fell down," said Chea Cheat, chief of the Red Cross office in central Kampong Thom province, adding that at least 92 houses in his province were destroyed.

International organisations and government officials in Cambodia said they were distributing tents and food while assessing damage.

Seth Vannareth, director of Cambodia's department of meteorology, said Cambodians were experiencing high flooding but the storm's winds were decreasing as it moved over the country towards Laos.

"It will not be very strong anymore. It is not a typhoon anymore," she said.
In Laos, five or six villages had reportedly been flooded in Savannakhet province and aid workers were making their way there by car, World Vision said.

"We have the capability to urgently ready 500 aid packs if our assessment teams find these are needed," World Vision aid worker Vatthanathavone Inthirath said.

Vietnam suffers annually from tropical storms and typhoons. At least 41 people died in September 2008 when Typhoon Hagupit struck the country's north.

The Mekong region, home to tens of millions, suffers regular seasonal flooding which kills dozens of people a year in Cambodia.

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Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5he1GqURhlak44Bhzgvx8gTG5w6GQ

Korea's Mother Theresa drops by

2009-10-01T10:50:00.002+07:00

Unaisi Ratubalavu
Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Lady Park, of Korea, makes a thank you gesture at the SCC chambers
SHE has been known as South Korea's Mother Theresa. Lady Park Chung-Soo has devoted her life to peace, schooling and helping children.

She arrived in the country yesterday for a two-day stopover on her way to Australia for a women's conference. For the last 40 years, she has been a religious worker, serving the public for world peace. Lady Park, 73, spent about 30 minutes talking to the management teams of the Suva City and Lami Town councils yesterday.

She has invested a lot of her time and money in the Himalayas, establishing junior schools and a hospital in Cambodia.

"I have established nine schools, some in India, in Korea and a special school for the physically challenged children in China," she said. Lady Park said she always felt sad to see people in pitiable circumstances.

At the 2009 Ho-Am Award Ceremony in Korea, Mother Park was selected to receive the prize on community service.

She also received a pure gold medal and prizemoney of $US160,000 ($F311,279) which she planned to use for expenses of a free relief clinic and education centre in Battambang, Cambodia.

She leaves for Australia today.

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Source: http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=130510

Cambodia Flooding: CWS situation report

2009-10-01T10:45:00.002+07:00

Source: Church World Service (CWS)
Date: 29 Sep 2009

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM

CWS SITUATION REPORT: CAMBODIA FLOODING

SITUATION: Monsoon rains related to Typhoon Ketsana, which affected the Philippines, have hit Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Effects are particularly strong in Cambodia, where CWS Cambodia reports that in one province, Kompong Thom, 223 villages - some 14,744 families -- have been flooded out.

CWS RESPONSE: CWS Cambodia has conducted assessments and reports first priority needs in affected regions include food, shelter (plastic sheeting to protect family from the rain and heat), clean water, mosquito netting and water and sanitation units. CWS plans to distribute food and non-food items in Battambang, Banteay Meanchey and Kompong Thom provinces, all in northwest Cambodia. Further details about the response are pending.

For further information about disasters to which Church World Service is responding please visit www.churchworldservice.org or call the CWS

Hotline, (800) 297-1516.

CWS Emergency Response Program special contacts: (212) 870-3151

Program Director: dderr@churchworldservice.org

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Source: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/ADGO-7WCS7N?OpenDocument

Cambodian gov't campaign to boost lighting awareness

2009-09-01T16:25:00.003+07:00

PHNOM PENH, Aug 31, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- A public information campaign aimed at warning people over the dangers of lightning will begin as the number of reported deaths from strikes rising, local media reported Tuesday citing government officials.

So far this year, the reported deaths from lightning have climbed to 135, while there were a total of 95 lightning deaths reported last year, the Phnon Penh Post quoted Keo Vy, a communications officer with the National Committee for Disaster Management, as saying.

In addition, 151 people this year have been severely hurt by lightning, which has also killed 36 domestic cattle throughout the country, "Now we are organizing banners to educate people throughout the country in order to educate them to protect themselves against lightning," Keo Vy said. "We cannot stop lightning," he said, adding that the banners will be distributed in districts throughout the country.

Seth Vannareth, deputy general inspector and director of Department of Meteorology said that lightning strikes occur mostly between May and October. But she said that the number of reported lightning strikes did not appear to be increasing.

Seth Vannareth attributed the apparent rise in deaths to better reporting from provincial and district officials and the rising use of electrical appliances.

"Nowadays, Cambodian people are using more appliances like telephones, televisions, radios and so on, without taking care of lightning," she said.

People lack the knowledge to protect themselves from lightning.. .. Do not use the phone or turn on the radio in the middle of a rice field during a rain storm," she said , adding "do not stand under trees during a rain storm, or hold onto metal objects."

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Source: TMCNet.com
Link: http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2009/08/31/4348234.htm

Cambodia records 31 cases of flu A/H1N1

2009-09-01T16:11:00.004+07:00

www.chinaview.cn 2009-09-01 14:49:18

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Health Minister Mum Bun Heng said on Tuesday that the Cambodia's flu A /H1N1 cases have increased to 31 after five people were confirmed positive of the flu in the country on Aug. 31.

"The five people are the latest cases in the country and they all are Khmer," Bun Heng told reporters at a ceremony of receiving a new thermal scanner from Singapore.

"They all are being treated by our doctors," Mum said, adding that "so far nobody died of the flu in the kingdom."

"We have strengthened our existing system to track the suspected people of the flu," he said. The new thermal scanner will be equipped at Phnom Penh International Airport and the old one at the airport will be transferred to install at the Poipet Checkpoint bordering on Thailand.

"We decided to install there because many tourists and travelers are crossing the land border everyday from Thailand into Cambodia. We have to follow them," he noted. "So far, we have had 14 Khmer infecting with the flu," he said, adding that the new thermal scanner is worth over 10,000 U.S. dollars and it is a charitable donation from Singaporean government.

Tan Yee Woan, Singaporean ambassador to Cambodia, said that "the globalization push people to travel a lot and they are facing with infecting the flu and we need to prevent it."

Sok Touch, director of communicable control department of Health Ministry, also expressed his concern, saying that "the second wave of infecting the flu is making us concern about the trend of spread. We have to take measures for the next season."

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Source: Article from China View
Link: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-09/01/content_11978202.htm

World Bank in talks with Cambodia over evictions

2009-09-01T15:57:00.006+07:00

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A senior World Bank official held talks with the Cambodian government over the forced eviction of people from their homes and said the development bank would continue to work with it on land reform to tackle the problem.

Land ownership is a controversial issue in Cambodia, where legal documents were destroyed and state institutions collapsed under the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s and the civil war that followed.

The World Bank joined with other aid donors in July to ask the government to halt forced evictions and the problem was raised again by its vice-president for East Asia and the Pacific Region, James Adams, during a visit last week.
"A major focus of the visit was Cambodia's urban land sector and the increasing numbers of disputes and evictions of poor people in urban settlements," the bank said in a statement.

"The discussions on land reform were constructive and it was agreed to continue these discussions over the coming week to agree next steps," it said.

The bank has provided funding of $24.3 million for a land management and administration project from 2002 to 2009, and an estimated 1.1 million land titles were issued, said Bou Saroeun, a spokesman for the World Bank in Phnom Penh.

Other donors such as Germany, Finland and Canada have together provided more than $14 million to support the land title project, Saroeun added.

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Source: Article from REUTERS posted on Mon Aug 31, 2009 2:07am EDT(Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Alan Raybould)

More than 400 Khmer Krom families to demonstrate against canal construction plan

2009-09-01T15:39:00.003+07:00

By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia

A source indicated that more than 400 Khmer Krom families living in Krobao district (renamed Tinh Bien by the occupying Vietnamese regime), Motr Chourk province (renamed An Giang by neo-colonialist Vietnam) plan to hold a peaceful demonstration to protest against the plan to built a canal that would lead to the destruction and loss of several hundreds of hectares of their farmlands without any compensation.

Khmer Krom people among these 400 families told RFA over the phone from Krobao district, Motr Chrouk province, occupied Kampuchea Krom that there will be a joint uprising to stop these mechanical engines used to dig the canal: “For tomorrow, we have prepared ourselves, even if they (Viets) want to kill us, we are not afraid! I will go to the canal ditch on my land, I will not let them continue the digging anymore. We ask them to stop [the digging] right now, if they don’t resolve this issue for us, we will not allow them to continue their work, we’d rather die on our farmlands. They are currently digging [the canal], they will dig tomorrow, tomorrow is their main digging operation day. We have gathered from all the villages, we will not allow them to [dig] tomorrow.”

A representative of the group of protesting Khmer Krom people indicated that his family will lose 2 hectares of land from the plan to dig the canal across the rice fields that belong to 400 families: “The International human rights organization said that they will help Khmer Krom people to own lands for farm productions, just like the Vietnamese people. The Vietnamese families now own large tract of lands each, but for our Khmer people, who are the actual owners of our ancestral lands, we lose everything, there’s nothing left.”

A source indicated that a Vietnamese reporter from Prey Nokor city (renamed Ho Chi Minh city by the Vietnamese occupiers) came to investigate the issue with Khmer Krom people living in this area. The reporter asked whether the loss of farmlands was due to the plan to build the canal or not.

On Saturday 29 August, the Viet embassy in Phnom Penh could not be reached to obtain clarification about the Khmer Krom demonstration planned for 30 August, nobody at the embassy picked up the phone.

Thach Setha, President of the Khmer Krom Community in Cambodia, said that the Viet government should compensate for the damage and loss of these farmlands: “We share the grief of our Khmer Krom people who are facing serious violations from the Yuon authority. We will seek interventions from the international community. At the same time, with the current visit of H.E. Khieu Kanharith in Kampuchea Krom, we are asking him to take a detour to visit [the affected area] and find a resolution for our Khmer people living there.”

A source indicated that the occupying Vietnamese authority in Krobao district, Mortr Chrouk province, occupied Kampuchea Krom, is currently putting in application the plan to dig a 10-km-long by 50-meter-wide canal that will cross the farmlands belonging to 400 Khmer Krom families. This canal will lead to the loss of several hectares of farmlands belonging to Khmer Krom people and no compensation will be provided by this loss.

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Source: Radio Free Asia, 29 August 2009

Posted on KI-Media on 30 August 2009

Cambodia halves border troops

2009-09-01T15:23:00.002+07:00

Aug 30, 2009

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA has halved the number of troops around an ancient border temple that has been the scene of bloody clashes with Thailand, the defence ministry said on Sunday.

There have been several skirmishes between the two countries on the disputed frontier around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple in Cambodia since the ruins were granted UN World Heritage status in July 2008.

'We have pulled out 50 per cent of the troops from Preah Vihear temple,' said Chhum Socheat, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defence.
'This shows that the situation at the border is really getting better, and that both countries have a mutual understanding of peace,' he added.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen last week said Thailand had just 30 soldiers on the border, meaning that Cambodia could stand some troops down and send them back to their provincial bases.

'We still have enough troops remaining to protect our territory,' said General Chea Dara, deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
He said if Thailand 'shows a softer manner' they could cut the numbers further. 'However, if anything happened, our troop mobility would be very swift,' he told AFP.

Thailand in June reignited the row over the temple when it asked world heritage body UNESCO to reconsider its decision to formally list the temple in Cambodia.
Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over the land around the Preah Vihear temple for decades. Although the World Court ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia, the most accessible entrance to the ancient Khmer temple with its crumbling stone staircases and elegant carvings is in northeastern Thailand.

The last gunbattle in the temple area in April left three people dead while clashes there in 2008 killed another four people. The border between the two countries has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia. -- AFP

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Article from The Straits Times
Link: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/SE%2BAsia/Story/STIStory_423273.html

Khmer Krom Youth Quarterly Magazine- Youth Quarterly Edition: Vol 9

2009-09-01T14:51:00.007+07:00

Click here to read the Magazine!

Or Click here to download and read more Khmer Krom Youth Quarterly Magazines:

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Source: Khmer Kampuchea-Krom Federation Youth Committee (KKFYC)
Link: http://kkfyc.org/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,35/

Will Cambodian-Japanese Ties Change If Japan Has A New Prime Minister?

2009-09-01T14:37:00.004+07:00

29 August 2009

“Two different views have been expressed by official of the Royal Government of Cambodia and of the opposition party about the relations, both in diplomatic and in other terms, between Cambodia and Japan, if a new Japanese prime minister from the opposition party would take power after the general elections in Japan on 30 August 2009.

“An official of the Royal Government said that Cambodian and Japanese ties will not change and will become even better, whichever candidates from the ruling party or from the opposition becomes the new prime minister of Japan. An official of the opposition party of Cambodia, on the other side, thinks that the Cambodian-Japanese relations might change, if the president of the opposition party becomes the new prime minister, and he might restrict aid to Cambodia.

“On 30 August 2009, Japan will hold general elections, with two main candidates competing to become prime minister: first, the current prime minister, Mr. Aso Taro – 麻生太郎, Asō Tarō – and second, the president of the Japanese opposition Democratic Party, Mr. Hatoyama Yukio – 鳩山由紀夫. An opinion poll in Japan shows that an [opposition] majority seems to be able to take the position of the present prime minister, who will fall into the position of the president of the opposition party. Currently, Mr. Hatoyama is president of the opposition party, but the majority of Japanese people have lost faith in Prime Minister Aso Taro, who made the Japanese economy drop dramatically.

“The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr. Koy Kuong, toldDeum Ampil by telephone on Friday, ‘I think that the Cambodian-Japanese ties will not change, regardless of which candidate will take power, and the relations of both countries’ will become better, both as far as aid is concerned, and also in relation to other sectors.’

“When asked why the relations might become better if a new prime minister would be elected in Japan, Mr. Koy Kuong said, ‘What is good will not change. Whichever candidate will make the relations to move ahead, because the whole world is cooperating towards globalization, and a party that takes power will surely always walk along this same track.’

“The spokesperson of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, Mr. Yim Sovann, expressed a contrasting opinion to the above view, saying, ‘Normally, if a country changes to a new prime minister, foreign politics will also change, because they are smart, and if the opposition party wins the elections, I believe that the aid requested to be provided to Cambodia will be severely restricted.’

“Mr. Yim Sovann added that Japan’s new government will not let the Royal Government of Cambodia do whatever it wants to do freely, relating to both corruption and to violations against democracy. They will not just stay calm and will carefully make their decisions before granting aid to Cambodia.

“According to information from Japan, Mr. Hatoyama, a co-founder and president of the opposition party, who expects to become the new Japanese prime minister, said that the government will focus on the requirements for the integration of economy and of politics with the East Asian countries, especially with the Beijing government, and also, he warned that Japan will likely also criticize America, a country which has been supporting Japan.

“According to a survey in Japan, if this opposition party president wins the elections, the whole Japanese government will turn to cooperate with Asian countries, especially with ASEAN countries, continuing to provide aid to those countries.

“It should be noted that so far, most of the aid that Cambodia has received [from one country] is from the Japanese government that is leading in helping to speed up the economy and to eradicate poverty in Cambodia, following the core policies of the Cambodian government.”

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Source: Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #275, 29.8.2009
Posted on The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 627 on 30 August 2009. Filed under: Week 627
Link: http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/2009/08/30/will-cambodian-japanese-ties-change-if-japan-has-a-new-prime-minister-saturday-29-8-2009/

RIGHTS-CAMBODIA: Newest Evacuation ‘Biggest in Decades'

2009-09-01T14:14:00.004+07:00

Written by Robert Carmichael

PHNOM PENH, Aug 28 (IPS) - Dozens of families this week started dismantling their homes and moving away from lakeside land in the centre of the capital after giving up on their lengthy struggle to remain. By the end of the eviction process at this site, around 30,000 people will have been moved off now-valuable land.

Human rights workers said it will be the biggest movement of Cambodians from their homes in decades.

Residents do not want to leave, but said they are being driven out by threats from the municipality. Some have not given up yet.

Sixty-seven-year-old Pol Vanna has lived at Village Four at the city centre site, called Boeung Kak, since the early 1980s. The former railwayman is adamantly opposed to moving to the relocation site û a field with no facilities some 30 kilometres away.

”We don't want to leave Boeung Kak,” he told IPS during a small demonstration outside City Hall earlier this month. ”The company should give us some land for us to live on instead of forcing us to move away. I don't understand why they can't give us the land.”

The company in question is Shukaku, which reportedly belongs to Senator Lau Meng Khin from the ruling Cambodian People's Party. His firm received a 99-year lease from the government last year in a typically opaque land deal. Since then, it has been pumping huge amounts of sand into the lake in order to fill it and create more land on which to build.

Evictions are nothing new in Cambodia. At least 100,000 people have been evicted from sites in this capital alone since 2001. The problem is widespread in rural areas, too. The rocketing price of land means there are huge profits to be made, says Naly Pilorge, the director of local human rights group LICADHO, or the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights. She said greed and impunity are driving the problem.

The number of people affected nationwide is not clear. Amnesty International said last year that 150,000 were at risk of eviction. LICADHO, which operates in 13 of the country's 24 provinces, says the numbers of land grabs, evictions and threatened evictions reported to its staff have climbed from around 2,600 cases in 2003 to more than 16,000 in 2008.

Pilorge said that equates to more than a quarter of a million Cambodians in just six years. The true number is certainly higher, she added. ”I bet you anything if we had twice as many (staff), we would have twice as many cases.”

Uprooting people and relocating them to distant sites where there is no work and few facilities is hardly conducive to poverty alleviation even if that is a stated key concern of government. Pilorge said many evictees at relocation sites outside the capital have been pushed below the poverty line.

One such group of residents was violently evicted in January from a city centre site called Dey Krahorm, which means ‘Red Earth'. There were two broad categories of people at Dey Krahorm: Those who could show they had a legal right to their land because they had lived there for an extended period, and those who were renting.

The evictees from Dey Krahorm were taken to a site called Damnak Trayeung, located outside Phnom Penh. Those who had an entitlement to land at Dey Krahorm received a simple one-room brick home, the size and design of a single garage. Families who were renting received nothing, and are still living under rough tarpaulin lean-tos on a muddy scrap of land next to a road.

There is very little work at Damnak Trayeung. And because the site is more than 20 kilometres from the centre and it would cost a day's wages to travel to and from work, many people no longer have jobs. According to Licadho, two-thirds of the evictees who used to earn an income now earn nothing.

Luy Sinath is a 41-year-old seamstress who used to earn eight US dollars a day at Dey Krahorm. Now she earns just 25 cents. That means her three children cannot afford to go to school, and her family is no longer self-sufficient. She relies on food handouts from charities to survive.

”We have no food to eat sometimes so people share what we have with each other,” she said. ”When I was in Dey Krahorm, I was hopeful that my children would get a good education, but now that we are here, I have lost hope.”

It is those experiences that worry Pol Vanna and his son, Touris, a 26-year-old construction worker. The latter has visited the proposed relocation site for the evictees from Boeung Kak, which he said lacks any facilities.

”It is very far from the schools for our children and from where we work. Most of us are construction workers,” he said. ”It is a long way to the nearest hospital. We can't afford to pay for transportation for our children.”

LICADHO's Naly Pilorge said conditions at some relocation sites outside Phnom Penh are dire, with practically no health care, no schools, no running water, no sanitation, and no jobs. At the Andong relocation site, for example, the human rights group's doctors go door-to-door because some residents are too ill or old to come to the medics.

”We are seeing malnutrition, beriberi, discolouration of the hair, extended bellies,” she said. ”They have sores (on their legs) at Andong û these huge infected wounds û because they are constantly walking in stagnant water that is mixed with sewerage.”

Back at Boeung Kak, the air is heavy with the sound of hammering as people dismantle homes they have lived in for up to 30 years. They are the first of an estimated 30,000 who will eventually be evicted from the surrounds of the lake.

It is still too early to say how their lives will be affected by the country's latest dubious land deal. But the experiences of Luy Sinath and others suggest the lives of the people from Boeung Kak will likely get a lot harder in the coming months.

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Source: Australia.To News
Link: http://www.australia.to/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13959:rights-cambodia-newest-evacuation-biggest-in-decades&catid=116:breaking-news&Itemid=202

FAO to donate 12 mln euro to help Cambodia against drought

2009-09-01T14:02:00.004+07:00

www.chinaview.cn 2009-08-27 22:50:22

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations will donate 12 million euro (about 17.16 million U.S. dollars) to Cambodia after the country was hit by drought, the FAO official said on Thursday.
"The budget will be signed with Cambodian partner on Sept. 2, but actually we have already helped in fighting against drought in the country," Seung Soy, program assistant for FAO told Xinhua by phone.
"The budget will focus more on helping the training, rice seeds, fertilizers, planting other agricultural crops for local farmers," he said, adding that the finance is from the European Union (EU).
"We also have concern on the food security after it is being hit with drought this year," he added.
Currently, eight provinces in Cambodia have been hit by drought and 40,000 hectares of rice seedlings have been affected by it.
"But Now, Cambodian government has taken actions to save rice seedlings from dry. We used water pumps to help farmers and we prepared seeds for local framers," Chan Tong Ev, secretary of state for Ministry of Agriculture told Xinhua. However, he said he could not comment about the budget, but waiting.
Editor: Yan

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Source:
Article from China View: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/27/content_11955457.htm

ADB, S.Korea Support Cambodia to Improve Cross-Border Road Links

2009-08-26T17:33:00.003+07:00

2009-08-25 20:51:53 Xinhua

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Republic of Korea are supporting road and border improvements in Cambodia to help reduce poverty, increase economic opportunities, and boost ongoing efforts to strengthen trade and tourism in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), a press release issued by ADB on Tuesday said.

ADB's Board of Directors approved a loan equivalent to 16.3 million U.S. dollars for the project which will rehabilitate 113 kilometers of a national road in the northwest of the country, and upgrade a cross-border facility with Thailand. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance of Korea is extending a loan equivalent to 25. 6 million U.S. dollars through its Economic Development and Cooperation Fund (EDCF).

The pot-holed gravel road, that is impassable in the wet season due to flooding, cuts through two of the poorest provinces in the country -- Banteay Meanchey and Oddar Meanchey. It links up with another major route which is a key conduit for goods and people between northwest Cambodia and northeast Thailand, and also forms a feeder connection to the GMS east-west corridor.

Roads are the lifeblood of transport in the GMS but poor surfaces raise costs, cause lost economic opportunities and contribute to high accident rates. The upgraded road and border facility will reduce travel times, improve traffic safety, increase access to markets, and provide new job and business opportunities. It will be another step to strengthen connectivity and develop economic corridors across the GMS -- a bloc of six nations committed to closer ties that support sustainable growth, boost employment and reduce poverty.

"The project will support the GMS strategy by improving connectivity between Thailand and Cambodia, thereby enhancing subregional transport and trade," said Shihiru Date, transport specialist in ADB's Southeast Asia Department.

The improved facilities are expected to aid cross-border tourism as the restored road connects to a key east-west route to Siem Reap site of the world famous Angkor Wat temple. Opportunities for contract farmers, who cultivate high-value fruit for export to neighboring countries should also expand, while the all-weather surface will improve access to health and education facilities. The project will include an HIV prevention and anti- human trafficking program, as new cross-border roads represent a potential threat for the spread of communicable diseases, and the trafficking of women and children.

ADB's loan, from its concessional Asian Development Fund, comprises 34 percent of the total project cost. It has a 32-year term with an eight year grace period carrying a one percent interest charge, and 1.5 percent for the balance. The Government of Cambodia will contribute counterpart funds of six million U.S. dollars, while the Ministry of Public Works and Transport will be the executing agency.

The estimated completion date for the project is December 2013.

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Source: http://english.cri.cn/6966/2009/08/25/1361s511267.htm

Thai, Cambodian army chiefs say temple hostilities over

2009-08-26T17:25:00.003+07:00

Asia-Pacific News

Aug 25, 2009, 2:44 GMT

Phnom Penh - Cambodian and Thai armed forces chiefs said 13 months of sometimes-fatal hostilities around the ancient Preah Vihear temple are at an end, local media reported Tuesday.

At least seven soldiers from both sides were killed in occasional clashes around the temple complex since mid-2008 in a tense standoff that has had other members of the ASEAN regional bloc concerned.

At a meeting on Monday between military top brass from both sides in Phnom Penh, General Songkitti Jaggabatra, the Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, said the dispute would no longer be allowed to damage relations between the two kingdoms.

'I would like to clarify again that there will be no more problems between Thailand and Cambodia. The border will not be the cause of any further disputes,' he said in remarks carried by the Phnom Penh Post newspaper.

His opposite number, General Pol Saroeun, echoed that.

'We have the same view. Our goal is to achieve peace and solidarity with each other as siblings,' Pol Saroeun said.

Their meeting came just days after Prime Minister Hun Sen announced Cambodia would cut the number of troops stationed at Preah Vihear after Thailand reduced its forces to just 30 soldiers.

The 11th-century Hindu temple, which sits on Cambodia's northern border with Thailand, was awarded to Cambodia in 1962 by the World Court. Last year the UN's cultural body UNESCO added Preah Vihear to its World Heritage List, a move that rankled Thai nationalists who still contest the ownership of the site.

Cambodia and Thailand have yet to delineate much of their 804-kilometre long common border.

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Source: Asia-Pacific News M&G: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1497161.php/Thai-Cambodian-army-chiefs-say-temple-hostilities-over

Cambodia Releases E-Government Guidelines

2009-08-26T17:21:00.001+07:00

August 25, 2009 12:44 PM

PHNOM PENH, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- The agency behind the nationwide e-government released a long-awaited guidelines for the first time, at the end of last week detailing what ministries and other government departments needed to do, to take their services online, a local media reported on Tuesday.

The National Information Communications Technology Development Agency (NIDA) also released information security to ensure government information was kept secure and protected from system intruders, China's Xinhua news agency reported, citing a report from the Phnom Penh Post.

NIDA Secretary General Phu Leewood was quoted as saying that the e-Government Service Deployment Plan was important for building information communication technology (ICT) capacity in govenment and also for tracking progress and what remained to be done.

"This is a master map for us to walk together in the right diection for all [government and private] institutions to get up to speed with the global ICT sector," he said.

Thirty government ministries and institutions received the two sets of guidelines at a seminar last week.

The guidelines were based on a needs analysis conducted at all relevant ministries in 2007 with technical assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

They identify areas in which e-government can be used to build the public service competency of government institutions, provide guidelines for collecting data and help establish a blueprint for expanding government services.

Van Khema, a deputy director at NIDA in Charge of networks, said the key obstacle in the path of the e-government rollout is the connection of all 24 provinces to the central government's information-sharing system via a fibre-optic backbone.

He declined to give a timeline, saying only the infrastructure would be in place "soon".

Called the Provincial Administration Information System Project, the e-government project has a budget of some US$15 million to connect offices within each province to one another, and another US$20 million to connect each province to the government in Phnom Penh.

Three data centers -- in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville -- will act as hubs for surrounding provinces.

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Source: Bernama.com

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=435456

Cambodia to recall some troops at border: PM

2009-08-26T17:17:00.001+07:00

www.chinaview.cn 2009-08-22 20:16:27

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday that there was no fighting at border and he will recall some troops to help the farmers to planting crops after some areas had been hit by drought.

"We are monitoring to withdraw the troops from the frontiers and we need soldiers to help the local farmers during this time," the premier said at the opening ceremony of irrigation in Pursat province, southeastern part of Phnom Penh, citing that Thailand now has 30 soldiers at the border.

"But in case we have problem at the border, we can mobilize our troops so quickly to border area," he said, adding that "we are moving back our troops of Kompong Thom and Siem Reap provinces to their headquarters from the border."

"I hope there is no fight each other again there," he stresses. Cambodian and Thai troops have confronted at areas near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple since July, 2008 when the UNESCO listed the temple as the World Heritage Site of Cambodia.

Moreover, Hun Sen said that "in modern age, we need to discuss the matters with each other and we do not want to see any people shed their blood."

Troops tension at border is becoming ease and both side plan to measure the areas soon to plant border markers.

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Source: China View http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/22/content_11927585.htm

Cambodia denies Thai claim of maritime problems

2009-08-26T17:12:00.001+07:00

Last Updated: Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:22:00 +1000

Cambodian defence officials have denied Thai media reports that Cambodian patrols have entered disputed maritime areas near Thailand's Koh Kut island.

The reports came less than one week after marines and warships from the Thai navy's 1st Fleet were deployed close to disputed areas.

The Phnom Penh Post quotes a secretary of state at the Defence Ministry saying he hasn't received any reports from his subordinates about a Cambodian move into the areas.

The chief of the Preah Sihanouk provincial coast guard station, says his men conduct regular patrols in Cambodian waters but never entered the 27,000- square-kilometre overlapping claims area.

The Bangkok Post reports Thailand's Ministry of Defence is planning to register a complaint about a Cambodian patrol entering disputed waters.

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Source: ABC Radio Australia News

http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/200908/2663645.htm?desktop

Man denies penning leaflets

2009-08-26T16:53:00.001+07:00

FRIDAY, 21 AUGUST 2009 15:04 MEAS SOKCHEA

Claims he has gone into hiding for fear that authorities will try to arrest him.

A man whose name appeared on hundreds of leaflets accusing Prime Minister Hun Sen of corruption has been forced into hiding for fear of government reprisals.

The leaflets, penned by an anonymous author and posted around the streets of the capital in the early hours of Wednesday morning, condemned the premier as an "absolute leader" and "puppet of Vietnam".

Bearing a small picture of the prime minister, they accused him of destroying the Khmer regime's once-great reputation and "selling the nation".

Scribbled in Khmer handwriting at the top of the papers were five names: Pan Sovanny, Sreng Vuthy, Chea Socheap, Chim Thoeun and Kem Sopheak. Although nothing is yet known of the identity of the first four, Kem Sopheak - who claimed to be a Sam Rainsy Party activist, on Thursday contacted the Post by phone to deny any involvement.

"I'm scared for my safety", Kem Sopheak said. "I don't know what to think. I have nothing to do with these leaflets. I didn't even know about them until my nephew saw one with my name on it at Wat Phnom and contacted me straight away."

Sopheak said he had been an SRP activist since 1996. On hearing of

their intervention, but was told by SRP headquarters that the party had no record of his membership and would have to hand him over to the United Nations.

SRP lawmaker and spokesman Yim Sovann confirmed the party had been approached by Kem Sopheak, but was unable to confirm his involvement with the opposition party.

Yim Sovann insisted, however, that the party would do everything in its power to help Kem Sopheak.

"We asked to see his party card, but he couldn't produce it", Sovann said.

"We don't know where he lives, so we cannot confirm whether he is a member of our party. However, we do not discriminate. He is Khmer, and if he was threatened in any way, we would take pity on him and help him. To that end, we have taken him to a human rights organisation."

Christophe Peschoux, head of the UN's Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights in Cambodia, confirmed Thursday that the organisation had spoken with Kem Sopheak.

"We interviewed him already, and now we're looking into the story to establish what's going on," Peschoux said. "At this stage, it seems very murky."

I don't know why anyone would put my name on that leaflet.

Kem Sopheak told the Post he was in hiding and was afraid of having legal action taken against him.

"I can't tell anyone where I'm staying because I'm scared the government will arrest me", he said.

"I don't know why anyone would put my name on that leaflet. It couldn't have been me: I can only read a little bit and cannot write at all."

Posted in various public places in Phnom Penh before being torn down by police, the leaflets called on the people of Cambodia to oppose Hun
Sen's "puppet regime". "I remember the time when Khmer glory was well-known all over the world," one leaflet seen by the Post reads.

"We were feared and admired for our civilisation, culture and fine arts, but all that has now disappeared because of the absolute regime of the present government."

The government Thursday insisted Kem Sopheak had nothing to fear.

Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said the names on the leaflets were of no interest to officials, but that their creators were.

Three separate departments are now investigating, he said: the police, the espionage unit and the anti-terrorism squad.

Neither Phnom Penh Municipal Police chief Touch Naruth, who is heading the police investigation, nor Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak could be reached for comment on Thursday.

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Source: The Phnom Penh Post

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009082127914/National-news/man-denies-penning-leaflets.html

Leaflets knock prime minister

2009-08-26T16:42:00.006+07:00

THURSDAY, 20 AUGUST 2009

HUNDREDS of anonymous anti-government leaflets condemning Prime Minister Hun Sen as an "absolute leader" and a "puppet of Vietnam" appeared around the streets of Phnom Penh in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The leaflets, bearing a small picture of the premier, warned Cambodian citizens that their present leader was single-handedly responsible for reducing the once-great Khmer nation to ruins.

Partly handwritten and partly typed in Khmer, they accuse the prime minister of "selling the nation" and called on the people of Cambodia to oppose Hun Sen's "puppet regime".

"I am so proud that I was born Khmer," reads one, a copy of which has been obtained by the Post. "The Khmer race built Angkor. I remember the time when Khmer glory was well-known all over the world. We were feared and admired for our civilisation, culture and fine arts, but all that has now disappeared because of the absolute regime of the present government."

The leaflets were printed on A4 paper and appeared in prominent public places across the city - including Wat Phnom - before sunrise, but were swiftly taken down by police, witnesses said.

The government played down the leaflets' significance on Wednesday, insisting that Cambodians would not be swayed by acts of political subversion, and that the real test of their loyalty would be the ballot box.

"This is not the first time such a thing has happened," Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said. "This has happened many times before, but the result is always the same at the elections."

Police confirmed on Wednesday that they were investigating the incident, but said the allegations made in the leaflets were "out of date" and failed to take into account the government's current rate of development.

Kirt Chantharith, chief of general staff and spokesman for the commissioner general of the National Police, said: "[They] should not use words like this to insult the leader, but the leaflet is out of date. This game is very old and hasn't worked. National development has been thinking ahead."

Phnom Penh police Chief Touch Naruth echoed the sentiments. "Some people had burned it already because it is saying the same old thing, but they know the true situation," he said.

Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, was critical of the language used in the leaflets, warning that the use of such openly inflammatory rhetoric could be counterproductive.

"Insulting someone is not necessarily freedom of expression," he said. "Writers should have clear morals and avoid insulting the government."

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Source: The Phnom Penh Post http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009082027881/National-news/leaflets-knock-prime-minister.html

No H1N1 Case at Olympic Market as was Rumored

2009-07-27T09:11:00.009+07:00

(click on the image below to enlarge)

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Source: Deum Ampil News

(http://dap-news.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2042:bmumankrniptukcmgw-egfhas1giun1-ducbakuecrcamgaramenahet&catid=1:dap-news&Itemid=75〈=kh )

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Hamill to testify before Khmer Rouge tribunal

2009-07-27T08:49:00.002+07:00

Last updated 06:53 27/07/2009

One day short of 31 years after his brother was abducted, tortured and killed by Pol Pot's regime in Cambodia, Rob Hamill is to testify before the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.

Kerry Hamill ended up at the S-21 or Tuol Sleng prison headed by Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, when the yacht he and friends were sailing strayed into Cambodian waters on August 13, 1978.

One crewman, Canadian Stuart Glass, was shot while Mr Hamill and Briton John Dewhirst were taken for interrogation and torture for two months before being killed.

Mr Hamill, like the estimated 17,000 who entered Tuol Sleng's gates, was forced to make confessions and he claimed to be a CIA spy.

Duch is the first of Pol Pot's henchmen to face trial before the joint UN-backed Cambodian-international court, officially called the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), on which New Zealand judge Dame Silvia Cartwright is one of the five judges.

Hamill is to testify on August 12.

"I expect to experience the widest possible range of emotions when I see Duch," Hamill said.

"A lot of nervous energy will be expended."

When the trial opened in April Duch apologised for heading the prison but said he was acting on orders.

"Duch says he is sorry and wants forgiveness, but I want to find out whether he truly understands the impact of what he did and the damage he caused," Hamill said.

"I'm not sure that he does comprehend what he and the Khmer Rouge did to the people of Cambodia, let alone to the families of Kerry, John and Stuart."

A documentary, Brother No 1, telling Hamill's story is being produced by Annie Goldson, James Bellamy and Hamill for Pan Pacific Films, funded by NZ on Air and TV3.

Duch faces charges including crimes against humanity, breaches of the Geneva Convention and violations of the Cambodian penal code including premeditated murder. Up to 2 million people died of starvation, overwork, torture or were executed during the 1975-1979 regime.

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Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/2676240/Hamill-to-testify-before-Khmer-Rouge-tribunal

Cambodia A/H1N1 flu case rises to 17

2009-07-27T08:44:00.002+07:00

www.chinaview.cn 2009-07-26 21:35:16

PHNOM PENH, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's confirmed A/H1N1 flucases have increased to 17 and the latest case is a 22-year-old Irish woman who traveled from Vietnam, health officials said here on Sunday.

"So far, nobody has died in the country," said Ly Sovan, deputydirector of the communicable disease control department. The latest person is in a stable condition and is recovering well.

Mom Bun Heng, Cambodian health minister, told reporters that his ministry has strengthened the tracking system at two main airports, Phnom Penh International Airport and Siem Reap International Airport by using thermal scanners.

"Our officials also have been observing the travelers coming into the country through border gates," he added. Earlier this week, Cambodian Health Ministry issued a call to appeal people notto travel to neighboring Thailand if they were not in urgent need.

Cambodia's first case of influenza A/H1N1 was confirmed on June23, 2009.

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Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-07/26/content_11776454.htm

Update on Swine influenza

2009-04-29T09:05:00.006+07:00

This is an update information from World Health Organization (WHO) regarding Swine Influenza. To check WHO website for a regular update and latest information on this topic, click here.

28 April 2009

Swine influenza - update 4

28 April 2009--The situation continues to evolve rapidly. As of 19:15 GMT, 28 April 2009, seven countries have officially reported cases of swine influenza A/H1N1 infection. The United States Government has reported 64 laboratory confirmed human cases, with no deaths. Mexico has reported 26 confirmed human cases of infection including seven deaths.

The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths - Canada (6), New Zealand (3), the United Kingdom (2), Israel (2) and Spain (2).

Further information on the situation will be available on the WHO website on a regular basis.

WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders. It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities.

There is also no risk of infection from this virus from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products. Individuals are advised to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water on a regular basis and should seek medical attention if they develop any symptoms of influenza-like illness.

Swine flu Q and A: What the CDC advises

2009-04-28T11:02:00.000+07:00

Mercury News

Posted: 04/27/2009 01:02:51 PM PDT

Updated: 04/27/2009 07:32:23 PM PDT

A swine flu outbreak has infected more than a thousand people in Mexico, where scores have died from the disease. The United States has seen milder cases, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expects the number of people sickened to increase. Here are some answers to questions about swine flu.

Q What is swine flu?

A Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses. Until recently, the disease very rarely spread to humans. In late March and early April 2009, cases of human infection with swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses were reported in Mexico and then in Southern California and near San Antonio, Texas. Since then, 40 confirmed cases have been reported in the United States in California, Kansas, New York City, Ohio and Texas. An updated case count is available on the cdc Web site at www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm .

Q Is this swine flu virus contagious?

A CDC has determined that this swine flu virus is spreading from person to person, but it is unknown how easily it spreads.

Q What are the symptoms of swine flu in people?

A The symptoms of swine flu, which are similar to symptoms of regular flu, include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated

with swine flu. In the past, pneumonia and respiratory failure and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause chronic medical conditions to worsen.

Q How does swine flu spread?

A This swine flu virus is thought to spread mainly by coughing or sneezing of people with the illness. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose. Infected people may be able to infect others one day before symptoms develop and up to seven or more days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu germs before you know you're sick as well as while you're not feeling well.

Q What should I do to keep from getting the flu?

A Most important for preventing the spread of flu is washing your hands. Also, try to stay in good general health. That means get plenty of sleep, be physically active, drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious foods and manage your stress. Also, try to avoid contact with people who are sick.

Q What is the best technique for washing my hands to avoid getting the flu?

A Wash with soap and water for 15 to 20 seconds If soap and water is not available, use an alcohol-based hand cleaner, rubbing your hands until the gel is dry. The alcohol kills the germs on your hands without water.

Q How long can viruses live outside the body?

A Some germs can live for two hours or longer on surfaces such as doorknobs, desks, cafeteria tables. Washing your hands frequently can reduce your chances of getting sick after touching these common surfaces.

Q How does a doctor test for swine flu?

A A health care provider takes a nasal swab, which is then used to test for the disease.

Q Are there medicines to treat swine flu?

A Yes. CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir (sold as Tamiflu) or zanamivir (sold as Relenza) for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with these swine flu viruses. These antiviral drugs are prescription medicine that keep the flu viruses from reproducing in your body, thus helping you feel better quicker. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started within two days of symptoms first developing.

Q Is there a vaccine available to prevent swine flu?

A No. There is no available vaccine for this swine flu at this time.

Q What should I do if I get sick?

A If you live in an area where swine flu cases have been identified and become ill with symptoms including fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea or vomiting or diarrhea, you may want to contact your doctor, who will determine whether you need to be tested or treated for the illness. While you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with people as much as possible.

Q Is it safe to travel to Mexico, where more than 1,600 people have been sickened and 149 people have died from swine flu?

A Government officials have issued a travel advisory suggesting "non-essential travel to Mexico be avoided.'' In addition, several airlines including American, United, Continental, US Airways, Mexicana and Air Canada, have waived the usual penalties for changing reservations for anyone traveling to, from, or through Mexico, but had not canceled flights.

Q What are public health officials doing to inhibit the disease's spread?

A U.S. customs officers at airports, seaports and border crossing have begun watching for signs of illness, according to Customs and Border Protection spokesman Lloyd Easterling. If a traveler appears to be ill or reports not feeling well, the person will be questioned about symptoms and, if necessary, referred to a CDC official for additional screening, Easterling said. The CDC can send someone to the hospital if they suspect a case, but no one is being refused entry. Also, the CDC is readying "yellow cards" with disease information for travelers, in case they later experience symptoms.

Q Can I get swine flu from eating or preparing pork?

A No. You can not get swine flu from pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.

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Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Associated Press, Mercury News

Link: http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12238623?nclick_check=1

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Assessing the Danger of New Flu

2009-04-28T11:00:00.002+07:00

By KEITH BRADSHER

Published: April 27, 2009

HONG KONG — Sorting through the “marquee flus” of recent years — SARS, avian flu and now swine flu — is complicated.

The three come from different viruses and carry different kinds of danger, depending on ease of transmission and virulence. As a benchmark, the deadliest influenza pandemic in the past century, the Spanish influenza of 1918 to 1919, had an estimated mortality rate of around 2.5 percent but killed tens of millions of people because it spread so widely.

The new swine flu cases are caused by an influenza strain called H1N1, which appears to be easily passed from person to person. Mexican health authorities have confirmed 149 deaths from that flu and are investigating the illnesses of 1,600 people, and the United States, Canada, Spain and other countries have confirmed or are investigating cases.

But doctors have little information yet on the mortality rate, as there is no reliable data on the total number of people infected. Reports from the United States suggest that some cases may be mild and therefore may go undetected — allowing the disease to spread further. Flu experts are trying to determine if this year’s flu shots, which contain H1N1 strain, offer any protection.

In contrast, the lethal avian flu that has kept world health authorities anxious for years is caused by H5N1 influenza virus. It has killed 257 of the 421 people who have contracted it, or 61 percent. But it has shown very little ability to pass from person to person, mainly infecting poultry, and some experts have suggested that there may be something about the H5N1 virus that makes it inherently less transmissible among people.

SARS — severe acute respiratory syndrome — is both easily spread and virulent. In the 2003 outbreak in Hong Kong, it killed 299 of the 1,755 people it infected there, or 17 percent.

The lessons learned from SARS did not go to waste in Hong Kong. While Mexico struggles to confirm cases of swine flu and sends samples to the United States, Hong Kong is already performing swift genetic tests on patient samples and will have laboratories doing so at six local hospitals by Thursday. Tens of thousands of doctors and nurses, including retirees and those with medical training who have moved to other occupations, are tracked on databases and ready to be mobilized.

Contingency plans are ready to keep public transport, electricity, food supplies, telecommunications and other vital services running even if large numbers of people fall ill. And at a time when many hospitals in the United States are already at full capacity and keep few extra beds in reserve, Hong Kong has 1,400 beds in respiratory isolation units, mostly built over the past six years for fear that bird flu or SARS would become a serious problem, and 15 times as many beds as the territory needs on an everyday basis.

For a population of seven million people, Hong Kong has stockpiled 20 million treatment courses of Tamiflu, a medicine to which the new swine flu virus has not yet developed resistance. Hong Kong also has Asia’s best-known flu specialists and extensive research labs that were expanded in response to fears of SARS or a long-feared pandemic of bird flu, which is caused by a different influenza virus from swine flu.

Government lawyers are also moving quickly, carrying out all the procedures on Monday to make swine flu a disease for which health professionals are required by law to notify the authorities of any suspected case. The Hong Kong government also has broad and detailed legal powers to quarantine possible cases and suspend a range of civil liberties in order to track down anyone who has been in contact with a carrier of a communicable disease; many other countries, including the United States, are still debating how to handle legal issues during a possible pandemic.

SARS “gave us a lot of valuable insights and practical experience in managing a large outbreak,” said Gabriel Matthew Leung, Hong Kong’s under secretary for food and health.

Hong Kong is unusually vulnerable to flu. World Health Organization officials describe Hong Kong and its labs as their sentry for flu in Asia, because the territory’s tests may uncover infected people arriving from other places that are either unequipped to identify influenza or have a habit of keeping medical problems a secret.

Still, in a measure of the terror that SARS has left, the territory’s stock market suffered some of the heaviest losses in Asia on Monday on swine flu fears. The Hang Seng Index fell 2.74 percent. Shares of Cathay Pacific, the dominant airline here, dropped 8 percent and shares of mainland China’s Air China fell 12.8 percent on fears that many passengers will stop flying.

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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/health/28hong.html?hpw

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Cambodia on alert for swine flu

2009-04-28T10:43:00.001+07:00

www.chinaview.cn 2009-04-28 09:27:53

Special Report: World Tackles Swine Flu 　

PHNOM PENH, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The Health Ministry of Cambodia on Tuesday will equip scanners at the Phnom Penh and the Siem Reap international airports to check travelers' body temperature against possible entry of swine flu, said an official.

"We will equip scanners to target people who have temperature and breath problems related with the deadly swine flu," said Sok Touch, director of the Anti-communicable Disease Department of the ministry.

"We also observe all the people who once traveled to the infected areas of this outbreak," he added.

In addition, "we appeal to the people who catch (traditional) flu to go to hospital for diagnosis and treatment," he said.

Cambodia has noted that swine flu is danger for all of us, as it can be transmitted from human being to human being now, he said.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry of Cambodia will use the existing equipment and system for combating bird flu to monitor swine flu, he said.

The ministry will cooperate with the World Health Organization to take actions on the pig-farming industry if necessary, but the very next step will focus on travelers from the infected areas, he said.

So far, there has been no sign of swine flu contamination on human and pigs in the kingdom, he added.

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Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/28/content_11271178.htm

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Veterans, rural poor in line for social land concessions: officials

2009-04-28T10:37:00.001+07:00

Written by Chun Sophal

MONDAY, 27 APRIL 2009

The Ministry of Land Management says it will distribute over 16,000 hectares of land to landless peasants and disabled army veterans

THE government plans to distribute over US$50 million worth of social land concessions to about 10,000 landless families across nine provinces, the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction said at its annual conference Thursday.

Sareth Boramy, president of the ministry's land distribution and economic development project, said Sunday that the ministry would distribute land to families and disabled veterans in nine target provinces.

"Poor disabled soldiers and widows are given priority in the distribution of land, but they will not be given land ownership certificates until they have lived there for five years," he said.

According to a report released at last week's conference, 16,097 hectares of land concessions will be granted to families in Siem Reap, Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey, Stung Treng, Kampot, Battambang, Pursat, Kampong Chhnang and Kampong Speu.

All people will receive a plot of land measuring 20 metres by 40 metres, or a cultivation plot of between 1 and 2 hectares, depending on the size of their family.

"We want people to have their own land so that they are able to earn a living and get themselves out of poverty," he added.

Tackling landlessness
The first stage in this project was launched in November 2008, when the government distributed concession land to 3,000 poor families in Kampong Cham, Kratie and Kampong Thom provinces with support from the World Bank and German development agency GTZ.

Thun Saray, president of local rights group Adhoc, said Sunday that the plan to distribute social land concessions was to be applauded, but the government should be encouraged to take further action to resolve the problem of rural landlessness.

"The government should stop giving economic concession land to private companies, and then it must implement the distribution of social concession land to more poor families," he said.

According to a 2006 Oxfam study, 24 percent of the rural population does not own land.

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This news article is from The Phnom Penh Post:

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009042725527/National-news/Veterans-rural-poor-in-line-for-social-land-concessions-officials.html

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Convicted Thaksin holds Montenegro passport

2009-04-27T14:38:00.001+07:00

By The Nation

Mon, April 27, 2009 : Last updated 14:04 hour

His passport number is I38kd3695, the source said.

According to his Montenegro passport, Thaksin who has been running away from a two-year jail term in Thailand, arrived in Monrovia, capital of Liberia on April 20 and departed it on April 23.

Earlier reports confirmed that he is also holding a Nicaraguan passport as he is appointed as "special ambassador" by Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega.

Thai government has revoked all his passports, including diplomatic and ordinary passports, after he became fugitive.

Runaway ex-Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra used his Montenegro passport to travel to Liberia last week, a source said.

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From The Nation: http://nationmultimedia.com/2009/04/27/politics/politics_30101407.php

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Thaksin "red shirts" gather again in Bangkok

2009-04-27T14:33:00.000+07:00

Sat Apr 25, 2009 1:41pm BST

* 12-day state of emergency lifted on Friday

* Protesters want government to quit

(Recasts with protest)

By Panarat Thepgumpanat

BANGKOK, April 25 (Reuters) - About 3,000 supporters of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra gathered in Bangkok on Saturday for their first rally in the capital since violent street clashes two weeks ago.

Security was tight with 450 police monitoring the crowd of red-shirted protesters at Sanam Luang, a public square near Bangkok's Grand Palace.

"The protest is going well so far. No violence," Police Major General Suporn Pansuea told Reuters.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva ended a 12-day state of emergency in the capital on Friday, saying he wanted to foster reconciliation after the street clashes which killed two people and dented investor confidence.

"Lifting emergency rule doesn't mean the government will give up monitoring the situation," Abhisit told reporters on Saturday.

A leader of the pro-Thaksin United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) said the rally would be peaceful and end around midnight.

"Our request is the same. We want the Prime Minister to quit," Somyos Prueksakasemsuk said.

The UDD plan more rallies in the provinces before returning to Bangkok for a large demonstration in May, he said.

Abhisit, who was elected in a December parliamentary vote with the help of former Thaksin allies, has refused to call an election analysts say his Democrat party would likely lose.

Instead, he has promised constitutional reforms as a way out of the political crisis, but there are doubts it will be enough to heal the deep political rifts in Thai society.

The crisis is a battle between the "yellow shirts" -- royalists, the military and urban, middle-class Thais who back Abhisit -- and the "red shirt" supporters of Thaksin, whose power base is mainly drawn from millions of rural and urban poor who loved his populist policies.

BOTCHED ASSASSINATION

The street violence two weeks ago was the worst Thailand had seen in 16 years, forcing the cancellation of a summit of Asian leaders. The volatile situation was compounded by an attempted assassination of "yellow shirt" leader Sondhi Limthongkul.

Thai media reported on Saturday police want to question five soldiers over a possible connection to the attack on Sondhi.

A senior police official denied the reports, which followed last week's confirmation by Thailand's army chief that some of the bullets used in the April 17 attack were from the military.

Sondhi, who was wounded in the head after gunmen riddled his car with automatic rifle fire, did not speak to reporters as he left hospital on Saturday.

Army chief Anupong Paochinda has denied speculation by Sondhi's colleagues that military personnel may have been involved in the assassination attempt.

Bangkok's deputy police chief, Major General Pongsan Jaimon, rejected the reports that police were looking for five soldiers.

"How do you know this when I don't know?," he asked reporters. "We have to suspect all related people, including influential people, soldiers or whoever".

Sondhi is a co-founder of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which led a street campaign against former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra before he was ousted in a 2006 coup. The PAD occupied Bangkok's airports last year to protest a pro-Thaksin government that was later dissolved by the courts. (Additional reporting by Arada Therdthammakun and Sinthana Kosopradit; Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by Matthew Jones)

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Article from REUTERS UK: http://uk.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUKLP235029

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Cambodian, Thai defense ministers to meet for easing border tension

2009-04-24T15:21:00.000+07:00

www.chinaview.cn 2009-04-23 19:58:58

PHNOM PENH, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Tea Banh, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, said here on Thursday that he and his Thai counterpart will hold a meeting to find a solution to the border tension between the two countries.

"I and my Thai counterpart will meet with each other in Siem Reap province on April 27 and 28 in order to find ways to ease the border tension, and avoid new armed clash near the Preah Vihear temple and other places along our border," he said.

The meeting has been delayed twice since February, and "we are waiting for the Thai side to deal with the issue peacefully and without military confrontation," he added.

Tea Banh was unsure whether the next meeting will be conducted as scheduled, as Thailand is still obsessed with internal instability.

On April 3, Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged fire near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, killing two Thai soldiers.

Since July 2008, troops from both sides have stationed near the temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and two armed confrontations last year sparked brief concerns of war.

The two neighboring countries have never fully demarcated their disputed 800-km-long border, mainly due to their different interpretation of historical maps and the landmines left over from decades of civil war in Cambodia.

Editor: Wang Guanqun

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Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/23/content_11245079.htm

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Petrodollars v smallholders

2009-04-24T15:10:00.000+07:00

Apr 23rd 2009 | BATTAMBANG
From The Economist print edition

Disputes erupt over plans to invest millions in rice farming

IT SEEMED like the perfect match. Kuwait has a lot of money and needs to import food. Cambodia has a lot of fertile land and wants to attract foreign capital. So, as has been happening around the world since the food-price spike of 2007-08, the government of a poor farming country is planning to hand over vast tracts of land to a richer, oil-producing one.

In a whirlwind courtship, Cambodia and Kuwait have exchanged prime ministerial visits and initialled deals on everything from opening embassies and boosting energy co-operation to opening direct flights and holding football friendlies. Kuwait has now reportedly agreed to offer loans totalling $546m to finance a dam on the Stueng Sen river for irrigation and hydropower and to build a road to the Thai border. The Cambodian government says it has not yet decided what exactly the Kuwaitis will get in return but the speculation in Phnom Penh is that they may be offered 50,000 hectares (124,000 acres) of farmland, possibly on 99-year leases. Kuwait is not alone. Last year the prime minister of another rich Gulf statelet, Qatar, also visited Phnom Penh, with plans to invest $200m in Cambodian agriculture.

Such deals have a way of turning sour because of disputes over details. The Cambodian one seems to be conforming to type. Agreements ratified by the rubber-stamp parliament contain sweeping generalities and less detail than most people would expect when they rent an apartment. Son Chhay, an opposition MP and chairman of the National Assembly’s foreign-affairs committee when the deals were initialled, said he could not now obtain copies. But if foreigners want Cambodian rice, he says, they should buy it, not seek to control vast tracts of land.

The other problem with such deals is that they are made in national capitals and often run into opposition on the ground. Cambodia’s rice-farmers are suspicious enough because the government has a record of throwing them off their land in opaque deals involving rich cronies. Villagers in Battambang province, where the Kuwaiti road will run, say they know almost nothing about the scheme. They concede that a new road, built on what is currently a dirt track being measured by surveyors, would help them get crops to market. And according to one happy rumour, Kuwait has agreed to buy all their produce. But they are worried that their land will be confiscated—as has happened before.

The government insists the deal would be good for the country and for economic growth. Cheam Yeap, the chairman of the parliamentary economics and finance committee, says that “somehow we have to attract investors for national development.” He argues that land conflict is the fault of farmers as well as the government and that farmers have to be realistic.

This is not merely self-serving. Cambodia’s rice yields are about half those in neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam. Many people—not just the Kuwaitis—are seeking to modernise farming, which is the largest employer in Cambodia.

International donors are hoping to improve the lot of small-scale farmers by helping them take advantage of world markets by investing in productivity, food processing and transport infrastructure. Other international businessmen, including some from Israel, are seeking to bring foreign technology and capital into Cambodia’s fledgling agri-business sector.

So the question is not whether investment by Kuwait or anyone else is in Cambodia’s long-term interest. It is whether the terms of the particular deal are beneficial. Alas, it is far from clear in this case whether Cambodia’s rulers have been influenced by economic development—or by the prospect of another quick payday.

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Link: http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13527987

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Canada closes embassies in Cambodia, Bosnia

2009-04-24T15:07:00.000+07:00

Apr 23, 2009 05:44 PM

JENNIFER DITCHBURN

THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA – The Harper government is closing Canada's embassies in Cambodia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, countries still struggling to recover from a violent past.

The announcements were made on the websites of embassies, with the same explanation on both: "The government of Canada continually monitors its representation abroad and periodically shifts resources to meet Canada's needs in an ever-changing world."

The government said the decision was taken "following a serious examination of Canada's current diplomatic representation abroad."

Four other missions have been closed since the Conservatives came to power, in Milan, Italy, St. Petersburg, Russia, and Fukuoka and Osaka, Japan.

The government noted that there has actually been a net increase of 25 missions in the past 15 years – most of them in the United States.

The Foreign Affairs Department said it will keep a humanitarian assistance office open in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh.

The country still has serious problems with crime, drugs and human rights violations. A UN-backed war crimes commission is grilling members of the Khmer Rouge regime for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people.

Canada sent peacekeepers to the region for a period in the early 1990s.

Sambo Chhom, executive director of the Canadian Cambodian Association of Ontario, said closing the embassy will have an adverse affect on the lives of Cambodians.

"The Cambodian government feels its being watched by the Canadian government. They wouldn't do anything harsh while they're there because they fear an international outcry," Chhom said.

"Without the Canadian government there, the NGOs will have less contact with outside countries."

Canadians travelling in Cambodia who need consular assistance will be directed to the Australian embassy.

Those who need help in Bosnia-Herzegovina are being directed to an Ottawa-based emergency number, or an office in Budapest, Hungary. A consulate is scheduled to be opened in Sarajevo in the future.

Canada set up an embassy in Sarajevo in 1996 after the bloody civil war there ended. About 40,000 Canadian troops served in the peacekeeping mission there between 1992-2004.

The government will remain a member of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which monitors the country's progress at reaching some of the security and governance goals outlined in the peace agreement reached in 1995.

Some retired diplomats and other observers have criticized budget cuts to the Department of Foreign Affairs that began under the Liberals and continued under the Conservatives.

On Thursday, provincial trade ministers urged the federal government to increase its international profile in order to stimulate more trade and investment with Canada.

One of the Conservative government's first acts in 2006 was to slash $11 million from the diplomacy budget, cash that allows representatives abroad to promote Canada.

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From: http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/623447

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Opposition MP to sue Hun Sen for defamation

2009-04-24T14:53:00.000+07:00

Updated April 24, 2009 12:52:53

In Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen is set to be sued for defamation by one of the Kingdom's leading female opposition politicians.

Mu Suchua wants little more than an apology but the move to challenge Cambodia's "Strong Man" in the courts is seen as unprecedented.

Presenter: Robert Carmichael
Speaker: Mu Suchua, Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian

· Listen:

· Windows Media

CARMICHAEL: Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen is not a man to be taken lightly. He takes pride in his reputation as a strong man, and is regarded here with a mixture of fear and respect. He has also reportedly never been sued.

But that could soon change. Unless Hun Sen retracts recent comments, a female opposition MP will begin a court action against him before the end of April. Mu Sochua is a senior MP in the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, or SRP, the largest opposition party. Before she joined the SRP she was the minister for women's affairs in the coalition government.

The SRP is a constant thorn in the prime minister's side, regularly criticizing him and his ruling Cambodian People's Party for not cracking down on corruption and abuses of the law. The comments made by the prime minister and broadcast nationally didn't use Mu Sochua's name directly, but she says she was clearly the target. Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith says the prime minister is not concerned about the case, and says Mu Sochua is simply presenting herself as a victim and trying to discredit Hun Sen. Khieu Kanharith says the MP is simply trying to get noticed by the media, and stresses that Hun Sen did not actually name anyone in his speech. But, he adds, if Mu Sochua feels she has been insulted, she is entitled to seek remedy through the courts.

So what actually happened? Referring to a land grab case in the southern province of Kampot - which Mu Sochua represents - Hun Sen said that those villagers who wanted their case resolved by him ought not to go to 'the opposition female MP'. Five villagers were injured when the army threw them off their land and burned down their homes - another reminder of the ongoing problem of impunity and land rights in Cambodia.

During his speech, says Mu Sochua, Hun Sen referred to her as 'cheung chat' - a derogatory term that she says conveys the meaning of a hustler, somewhere between a gangster and a prostitute.

That, she claims, was in response to an event during last year's general election when she was campaigning for the SRP and was allegedly assaulted by an army general, losing buttons off her shirt. She sued the general, and that case is now headed for the Appeal Court.

Mu Sochua says that the prime minister ought not to have said anything that could influence the judges in that case. Her chances of getting justice now, she says, are ruined.

Which is why MPs from the two opposition parties sent a letter to the president of parliament demanding that Hun Sen either provide proof for his words or retract his statements.

Mu Sochua admits that a retraction and apology are unlikely. So next week her lawyer will file the case in the municipal court in Phnom Penh.

So why is she taking on the prime minister?

MU SOCHUA: This is the first time, and I do this on behalf of Cambodian women. I do it on behalf of women in general, because women who are raped, who are assaulted - verbally, sexually, physically and so on - who don't have a voice, cry in silence, are ruined inside. This is a symbolic case and also an unprecedented case.

ROBERT CARMICHAEL: Mu Sochua says she is concerned that her move could prove dangerous. To offset the perceived dangers she has lined up some influential friends. Her office features a photograph of her with US secretary of state for foreign affairs, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Mrs Clinton is also linked with US organisations that have pledged Mu Sochua their support in this matter, as are a number of other US politicians and celebrities.

MU SOCHUA: It is dangerous - if you consider all the killings that have taken place of people who are strong activists, who are human rights activists, and members of the opposition.

ROBERT CARMICHAEL: So what does she want out of the case? Simply an apology and 500 riel in damages - a symbolic sum of around fifteen Australian cents.

Mu Sochua admits it is unlikely that she will win her case, but says if she does she will frame the red 500 riel banknote and hang it in her office in honour of women around the world who are exploited.

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The article can be found at the following link:

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/connectasia/stories/200904/s2551808.htm

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Inferno destroys 1,000 hectares of forest; wildlife in danger

2009-04-23T16:59:00.002+07:00

Written by Thet Sambath

THURSDAY, 23 APRIL 2009

A weekend fire in Battambang and Banteay Meanchey still blazed Wednesday, putting the area's flooded forests and fish refuges at risk.

FIRES have burned through more than 1,000 hectares of the Tonle Sap's flooded forests, and the inferno was still spreading, according to Chet Sameth, Ek Phnom's district police chief.

"We don't know the cause of the fire, but we suspect it was caused by people looking for honey," he said, explaining that people in the area often light fires to smoke bees out of their hives to gain access to their honeycombs.

The forest fire started in Preah Net Preah in Banteay Meanchey but spread into Ek Phnom district in Battambang on Saturday, where the fire detonated at least seven unexploded artillery shells in the forest, accelerating the fire's spread.

"It [the forest] is too dry and we had no rain for two weeks, so it is burning very fast, [and] no one can stop it," Chet Sameth said.

The fire was hitting a wilderness area that is vaunted for its biodiversity, according to Chet Sameth, and the fire was putting animals at risk.

"Turtles and snakes are easily killed by the fire. We are losing wildlife from this fire, and we are losing fish refuges," Chet Sameth said.

The area is also an important fish breeding ground, said Heng Pisith, chief of the Fisheries Administration in Battambang province.

"It affects the fish because they lose their places [to spawn]," said Heng Pisith, adding, "Every year, we always ask during the dry season on the radio for people not to burn the forest to try and prevent any big fires."

Chet Sameth said the fire damaged one house but was extinguished, and no casualties have been reported due to preventive measures taken by villagers. In Bak Prea village, people have already moved their cows and buffaloes to safer places to avoid the fire.

"Fires happen every year," he said. "Normally, they are much smaller, but this year it is a big one."

Cheam Chan Saphon, the director of Battambang's Agriculture Department, expressed his regrets and said agriculture had "nothing to do with [worsening the fire] because it is nature."

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This text is from The Phnom Penh Post. It can be found here:

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009042325471/National-news/Inferno-destroys-1000-hectares-of-forest-wildlife-in-danger.html

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PVihear damages estimated

2009-04-23T08:55:00.001+07:00

Written by Thet Sambath

WEDNESDAY, 22 APRIL 2009

Residents around the market at Preah Vihear temple say they want compensation from Thailand for what they estimate is about US$9 million in damages.

RESIDENTS near the Preah Vhear temple complex where a market was destroyed by Thai rocket fire in early April have calculated damages in excess of US$9 million, a representative announced Tuesday.

Some 260 property owners have submitted thumbprints to documents requesting compensation from the Thai government for losses incurred when Thai soldiers opened fire on the market April 3.

"We've calculated the value of properties destroyed by Thai soldiers at $1.2 million", president of the Khmer CiviliSation Foundation, Moeung Sonn, reported Tuesday. "However, we've submitted a claim for $9.2 million to the Thai government to compensate people's properties, businesses and mental health," he explained.

Moeung Soun said many victims of property damage have also suffered serious mental health repercussions. "One of the victims has been out of control since her property was burned down by Thai soldiers' rockets," he said. "She's now seriously ill and is being treated in Battambang hospital. Other victims are also experiencing mental health problems."

Moeung Sonn said the complaint will be sent to the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and copies are to be sent to King Norodom Sihamoni, the King Father Norodom Sihanouk, Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Thai embassy.

He added, however, that compensation will ultimately be determined by the Cambodian government's willingness to confront Thai authorities.

"Our government has evidence of Thai rocket debris and has a duty to serve Cambodians and resolve the problem for them," he said.

Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the Post Tuesday that the ministry had not yet received the complaint and would meet to determine measures after its receipt.

Meanwhile, commune officials are working to independently calculate property damages and address losses.

"Our officials have registered people's property damages, but totals have not yet been calculated", Kao Long, governor of Choam Ksan district, said Tuesday.

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This is an article from The Phnom Penh Post.

Original text with photo can be found here: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009042225438/National-news/PVihear-damages-estimated.html

Thai Parliament to Debate Emergency Rule, Arrests of Protesters

2009-04-22T11:35:00.001+07:00

By Daniel Ten Kate

April 22 (Bloomberg) -- Thai lawmakers will debate last week’s imposition of emergency rule and detention of street protesters, testing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s efforts to bridge an increasingly violent political divide.

Abhisit is urging speedy political reforms after quashing riots by demonstrators backed by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is living in exile after losing power in a 2006 coup. The head of a rival protest group, which shut down Bangkok’s airports last November, was shot and wounded last week.

Abhisit’s opponents and coalition partners are pushing for changes to the military-drafted constitution that may threaten his position by weakening his election prospects and alienating his supporters who backed the coup. Unless he can forge a compromise, protests that have plagued Thailand for the past year may resume and his four-month-old administration might fall.

“The prime minister is caught between the horns of the buffalo: he can’t go anywhere,” said Kanin Boonsuwan, a four- time parliamentarian who teaches law at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University. “It looked like the government won a victory when they dispersed the protests last week, but really they’ve been pushed into a corner.”

Abhisit, 44, took power in December after a court disbanded the pro-Thaksin ruling party and two other groups for vote buying. The ruling was made possible by constitutional changes introduced by a military-appointed panel after the coup. The court decisions, together with a similar ruling in 2007, have left 220 politicians banned from office for five years.

Amnesty Possibility

Abhisit said the government would discuss amnesty for the disqualified politicians as proposed by several coalition members, a move that may damage his prospects should he bow to demands to call an election. His Democrat party hasn’t won the most seats in an election since 1992, and finished with 14 percent fewer lawmakers than the pro-Thaksin party two years ago.

“Any coalition by any party will be at risk if the present state of divisiveness continues,” said Buranaj Smutharaks, a spokesman for the Democrats. “Any process to address legal changes must be transparent, it must not be done by politicians who have a clear conflict of interest in exonerating themselves and it must be accepted by the general public.”

Parties linked to Thaksin have won the past four elections on heavy support from northeast Thailand, the country’s poorest region and home to a third of the electorate. A group of northeastern lawmakers defected to Abhisit, helping his rise to power in December.

Party Dissolutions

“The decisions on party dissolutions and banning executive members were unreasonable and against a democratic society,” said Phongthep Thepkanjana, Thaksin’s spokesman, who is among the disenfranchised politicians. “The good thing in changing them would be that people have many more experienced politicians to choose from.”

Abhisit has said any amnesty wouldn’t apply to criminal charges, so Thaksin himself would remain disqualified. Abhisit is seeking the former leader’s extradition after he fled last year before a court sentenced him to two years in prison for helping his wife buy land from the government while he served as prime minister.

Thaksin, who has split his time between Dubai and Hong Kong, faces three criminal charges from his five years in power, and a civil case targeting almost $2.2 billion of the fortune earned from the telecommunications company he founded. He claims Thailand’s justice system is biased against him.

The government is “quite worried” about Thaksin’s movements overseas, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban told reporters today.

“The government will try to find other ways apart from asking for help from Interpol to get Thaksin,” he said.

People’s Alliance

The People’s Alliance for Democracy, a street group whose protests helped oust Thaksin and two of his allies since 2006, has proposed a new political system in which elections don’t fully determine the country’s leaders. The group says Thaksin used his money to buy votes and the constitution wouldn’t be a problem if everyone followed the law.

“The fundamental problem is not the constitution -- it has just become a scapegoat and a delaying tactic,” said Chirmsak Pinthong, a People’s Alliance member who helped write the constitution. “The real problem is that Thaksin’s side wants to change the democracy with the king as head of state.”

Thaksin has accused advisers of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 81, of plotting his downfall. His allies say the constitution gives palace aides, judges, bureaucrats and soldiers too much power over elected officials.

Since King Bhumibol took the throne as an 18-year-old in 1946, the country has seen more than 20 prime ministers and nine coups. Only two of 17 Thai constitutions since absolute monarchy ended in 1932 have mandated fully elected parliaments.

Assassination Attempt

Sondhi Limthongkul, the main People’s Alliance leader, said Dec. 3 his group would return to the streets if the constitution was amended in Thaksin’s favor or to reduce the king’s power. Sondhi survived an assassination attempt last week when gunmen sprayed his car with more than 50 bullets. No suspects have been arrested in the incident.

The political unrest has hampered Abhisit’s ability to jumpstart an economy facing its first contraction in 11 years. The central bank today plans to revise its gross domestic product forecast, and may need a further cut to take into account the anti-government riots last week.

While Abhisit may risk upsetting some supporters with an amnesty or constitutional changes, this may be his best chance to find middle ground because the broader public is tired of protests on both sides, said Jade Donavanik, dean of the law school at Siam University in Bangkok.

“This is the right time as the public is looking forward to reconciliation,” he said. “The government must take this opportunity and run with it because they won’t get another chance.”

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This is a story from Bloomberg. It can be found here: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aRuJgx7errkU&refer=home

To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Ten Kate in Bangkok at dtenkate@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: April 21, 2009 23:34 EDT

Reordained, monk Tim Sakhorn flees: NGO

2009-04-22T09:19:00.001+07:00

Written by Meas Sokchea

TUESDAY, 14 APRIL 2009

KHMER Krom activist Tim Sakhorn was ordained again as a monk at a pagoda in Battambang on Friday and has now fled to Thailand where he is seeking refugee status, according to Sann Sang, the deputy director of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community.

"Now, it is up to the UNHCR [the UN High Commissioner for Refugees] to determine if he has the right to stay in Thailand," he said.

He added that Tim Sakhorn would be willing to leave for another country if necessary.

The 41-year-old monk was arrested in June 2007 by Cambodian police and defrocked before being extradited to Vietnam.

But after imprisoning Tim Sakhorn for a year and then keeping him under house arrest, Vietnam allowed him to visit Cambodia, which issued him a visa until April 17.

Even though Tim Sakhorn has said he just wants to live with his family and tend his farm in Cambodia, he did not feel the Cambodian authorities were protecting him, according to Ang Chanrith, the executive director of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Human Rights Organisation.

"When he was arrested, the [Cambodian] government did not take action to protect him, so he has lost confidence in the government," Ang Chanrith said last week.

Christophe Peschoux, the country representative of the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, could not confirm that the monk had fled to Thailand.

"If he went to Thailand, it's because he feels unsafe in his own country," Peschoux said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CHRISTOPHER SHAY

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The article by The Phnom Penh Post

It can be found here: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009041425374/National-news/Reordained-monk-Tim-Sakhorn-flees-NGO.html

29 arrested for assault on Thai border casino

2009-04-21T17:29:00.002+07:00

Written by Khouth Sophakchakrya

MONDAY, 20 APRIL 2009

AT least 29 Battambang villagers were arrested and charged with destroying public and private property and assaulting police during clashes along the Cambodian-Thai border on the first day of the Khmer New Year holiday, a court official said.

Sar Yousthavrak, chief prosecutor at Battambang's provincial court, said Sunday the villagers were arrested Tuesday while they fought with police and attacked a Thai-owned casino near the border in Kamrieng district's Boeung Raing commune.
"We detained them in Battambang prison on Friday and are awaiting an investigation," he said Sunday.

He added that the villagers, responding to the reported beatings of two Cambodians inside Thailand, had caused serious injuries to two police officers during the clashes, in addition to vandalising a Military Police car and hurling rocks at the Sranasie casino, reportedly owned by a Thai businessman.

New Year gone wrong
Battambang police chief Sar Theth said that fighting started during a New Year's dance, leading to the attack on the casino early Tuesday morning. He said as many as 60 people threw stones at the facade of the main building and at police brought in to quell the violence.

Police arrested 44 people on the spot, but 15 people were later released when it was found they were innocent of wrongdoing, he added.

"Now we will arrest some more of the inciters of the attack in order to send them to court," Sar Theth said.

Nam Mech, 32, a villager in Kamrieng district's Doung village, told the Post that the villagers who attacked the casino numbered more than 60 and tried to force their way across the Doung border crossing armed with rocks and wooden branches.

But he said the group was turned back by police and Military Police armed with guns and electric tasers.
"I and other villagers are very nervous because we have never seen this kind of riot before," he said.

*********************

This article is from The Phnom Penh Post. It can be found here: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009042025392/National-news/29-arrested-for-assault-on-Thai-border-casino.html

Shared by BT.

Photos from the Article below

2009-04-21T17:15:00.008+07:00

Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr (Choom Abhaiwongse), the last lord governor of Battambang under the rule of Siam.

The Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr building, now a museum of traditional Thai medicine. This year marks the building’s centenary.

The old mansion in Battambang, which once served as the provincial hall.

its interior.

The balcony of the old mansion.

The Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr building

Neang Chantara hopes the mansion, when fully restored, will become a city museum.

Wat Domrey Sor

the twin temple of Wat Kaewpichit in Prachin Buri

The marvellous mosaic tiles of the old mansion in Battambang

from the Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr building.

"An Interesting Article from Bangkok Post related to Battambang"

2009-04-21T16:49:00.008+07:00

A legacy of HERITAGE

Thanks to one man's love of his hometown, Thailand and Cambodia possess a paired architectural heritage that has lasted for a century

By: PLOENPOTE ATTHAKOR

Published: 9/04/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: Outlook

The heritage sites - two stately mansions and two temples in Thailand's Prachin Buri and Cambodia's Battambang - remain as the legacy of Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr (Choom Abhaiwongse, 1861 to 1922), the last lord governor of Battambang before Siam gave up the province, together with Siem Reap and Sisophon, to French-ruled Cambodia in 1907.

Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr (Choom Abhaiwongse), the last lord governor of Battambang under the rule of Siam.

Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr was born in Battambang, but received education in Bangkok. He took over the position of lord governor of Battambang from his father who died in 1892. He was the fourth and last governor of Battambang from the Abhaiwongse family.

In 1905, Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr began building the baroque mansion in Battambang with the intent to make it his residence. However, the mansion was incomplete at the time he abandoned Battambang as France took over the province after the Siamese-French territory pact relinquished it for Trat and some islands on Siam's eastern coast.

The Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr building, now a museum of traditional Thai medicine. This year marks the building’s centenary.

Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr, who enjoyed hunting and a rural lifestyle, spent a short time in Bangkok before eventually asking for royal permission to settle down in Prachin Buri where he could pursue an adventurous life.

In 1909, he decided to build another mansion in a similar architectural style in Prachin Buri. His motivation came after he received King Chulalongkorn during a royal visit in the hope that he would have a proper place to serve the monarch if he travelled to the province again. The monarch never did as he passed away the following year.

The old mansion in Battambang, which once served as the provincial hall.

"Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr had the mansion face east, towards Battambang, instead of the Prachin River, in accordance with traditional construction practises," noted Supaporn Pitiporn, managing director of the Abhaibhubejhr Foundation. It significantly indicates the bond Chao phraya Abhaibhubejhr felt with his former home, and he is said to have re-hired the same group of craftsmen who completed the mansion in Battambang to construct the new building in Prachin Buri.

Moreover, the way he built the main hall of Wat Kaewpichit in Prachin Buri's Muang district after that of Wat Domrey Sor, a monumental temple with spectacular architectural work in Battambang, further accentuates the affinity he had with his hometown.

its interior.

"He didn't return to Battambang until his death, however," she said, adding it must have been difficult for the nobleman to leave his birthplace and ashes of his parents and wife for a new land.

Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr presented the mansion to King Vajiravudh as a wedding gift when he married his granddaughter Khun Kruakaew (promoted to Phra Nang Chao Suvadhana). She later donated the building to the Royal Thai Army to be used as a hospital for soldiers and members of the public. The building is now a museum of traditional Thai medicine.

The balcony of the old mansion.

The nobleman never made use of the mansion. Only after his death did his body enter the building, placed inside for a funeral ceremony before being cremated at Wat Kaewpichit.

While the Abhaibhubejhr mansion underwent a major facelift to its former grandeur in 1994, it's twin building in Battambang is still in a sorry state. It had served as the Battambang provincial hall for many years until it was worn out and abandoned. The province now has a new building on the same compound and the mansion is now a meeting place for a local association.

The Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr building

Neang Chanthara, assistant to the Battambang governor, said the Thai and Cambodian governments discussed a restoration plan some four years ago. Experts from the Thai Fine Arts Department estimated the restoration plan for the mansion to have an approximate cost of 17 million baht.

A budget problem on the Thai side has delayed restoration, he said, expressing no confidence that the plan will be realised.

Neang Chantara hopes the mansion, when fully restored, will become a city museum.

He pointed out that leaks in the mansion's roof are an urgent problem.

"The roofs need to be fixed immediately as seeping rainwater has extensively damaged the building's interior for years," he said.

Wat Domrey Sor

The roof restoration cost has been approximated at two million baht and is likely to be shared between the Battambang province and the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, he said.

Moreover, he pointed out the Battambang province wishes to break down the restoration plan and budget into phases, as advised by the embassy, in order to make it more possible for Thailand to support the plan.

the twin temple of Wat Kaewpichit in Prachin Buri

The mansion, once fully restored, should serve as a museum, he said.

Supaporn said she hopes the Thai government will be able to participate in the mansion's restoration.

The mansion is a symbolic link between the two countries, she said, adding it may encourage the exchange of travellers from both sides and thus foster better understanding and relations.

The marvellous mosaic tiles of the old mansion in Battambang

"We are immediate neighbours and we should live and help each other like brothers. We should share with each other in good and bad times. If the neighbour needs helps, we should do what we possibly can," she said.

While it was widely believed that Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr cut off all the links he had with Battambang, historical evidence suggests otherwise.

Among it is an inscription carrying the Abhaibhubejhr emblem at the base of the back of the main Buddha image in the old ubosoth (ordination hall) of Samrong Khanong temple outside of Battambang town. The inscription says the image was built in 1911, four years after Chao Phraya had left Battambang.

from the Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr building.

It is believed by many that Chao Phraya provided the money for the Buddha image's construction at the temple.

Some Cambodian historical textbooks portray Chao Phraya in a negative light because of his decision to abandon Cambodia, but Supaporn sees the nobleman in a different way.

"He was a brave man with kind heart," she said. Chao Phraya's deep faith in Buddhism is attested to the fact that he built over 20 temples in Battambang while in power. One of them is Wat Domrey Sor (White Elephant), a monumental temple in the heart of Battambang town.

The temple became the prototype of Wat Kaewpichit when Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr patronised the construction of the temple's ubosoth in 1918, which signifies another historical link between the two countries.

Over the weekend, Supaporn, health officials from Abhaibhubejhr Hospital and Thai merit makers travelled to Battambang to conduct a pha pa ceremony at Wat Domrey Sor. It was part of the Abhaibhubejhr Foundation's celebration of the Abhaibhubejhr mansion's centenary in Prachin Buri this year and also was in honour of the nobleman. Supaporn said the event went well despite current border tensions.

"Every nation has border issues. But we should go beyond the problem as it would be mutually beneficial," she said.

The way the EU fosters integration is an ideal example, she said.

"Thailand and Cambodia are part of the region and each should do its part for Asian union. We lie in the same area, called Suvarnnabhumi, after all."

*********************

Article from Bangkok Post.

Original text with photos can be found here: http://www.bangkokpost.com/leisure/leisurescoop/14791/a-legacy-of-heritage

Shared by BT.

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Photos from the Article below

"An Interesting Article from Bangkok Post related to Battambang"