Please click on Khmer poem to zoom in. Khmer poem by Hin Sithan (on the web at http://kamnapkumnou.blogspot.com/)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
* Akphivat Yuon (by Hin Sithan)
Please click on Khmer poem to zoom in. Khmer poem by Hin Sithan (on the web at http://kamnapkumnou.blogspot.com/)Meet the Cloggers
03/09/2009
http://www.netmag.co.uk
http://www.netmag.co.uk
One of the world’s poorest countries is leapfrogging its way to the latest internet technology, and a group of young, motivated bloggers are spearheading the revolution. Geoffrey Cain reports
With its jagged, pot-holed streets and swarms of begging children, visitors are often shocked at the poverty in Cambodia, widely considered Asia’s backwater behind Vietnam and China. Shacks and slums are testament to a third of the population earning less than half a US dollar a day and Transparency International ranks the country, only recently freed from years of civil war, coups and rigged elections, as the 14th most corrupt in the world.
Yet tech-savvy youngsters are bringing a new voice to Phnom Penh’s poverty-wrought landscape. Hanging out in cafes and clicking away on their laptops, they comprise a small but growing middle-class of baby-boomers born during the 1980s, after the Khmer Rouge genocide left 2million Cambodians – a quarter of the population – dead. Now they’ve come of age, and they’re wiring Cambodia with it.
VIETNAM is making a mockery of its obligations under the UN Human Rights Watch
29 Sep 2009
VietCatholic News
VietCatholic News
Hanoi /September 26, 2009 -The communist country has rejected a raft of recommendations to improve its rights record raised during a periodic review by the UN Human RightsCouncil that ended this week, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement.
"Vietnam - a member of the UN Security Council - has made a mockery of its engagement at the UN Human Rights Council," said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director of the New York-based organisation.
"Vietnam rejected even the most benign recommendations based on the international covenants it has signed, such as allowing people to promote human rights or express their opinions."
Hanoi rejected 45 recommendations from UN member states, HRW said, including lifting internet and blogging controls on privately owned media, allowing groups and individuals to promote human rights, abolishing the death penalty and releasing peaceful prisoners of conscience.
Noppadon: NACC ruling unfair
30/09/2009
Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post
Former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama on Wednesday lashed out at the National Anti-Corruption Commission for finding against him in connection with the Preah Vihear temple communique dispute, saying the decision was unfair.
The NACC on Tuesday ruled that former prime minister Samak Sundaravej and Mr Noppadon were to be held responsible for a cabinet resolution on June 17 last year to allow the then foreign minister to sign a joint communique backing Cambodia's bid to register Preah Vihear as a world heritage site without receiving prior approval from parliament as required by Article 190 of the constitution. The communique was signed on June 18.
The two were also found to have violated Article 157 of the Criminal Code.
Mr Noppadon said the NACC's ruling was wrong in law and unfair to him and Mr Samak and was based on evidence supplied by political opponents of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Please click here to read more...
Lost legs of 12th century Buddhist sculpture discovered in Cambodia
Phnom Penh (Cambodia), September 30 - ANI: The legs of a 12th century sandstone carving of the Buddhist deity Hevajra, which were missing, have been recovered from a historic site in Siem Reap province in Cambodia.
The bust of the statue is on display in New Yorks Metropolitan Museum of Art.
According to a report in the Phnom Penh Post, the missing piece of the ancient sculpture was spotted by a British archaeologist this summer.
He had been trying to find the spot where French archaeologists first discovered the sculptures remains in 1925 near Angkor Thom, the walled city of King Jayavarman VII (1125-1215).Instead, to his amazement, he found the statues legs just lying there on the jungle floor.
Shutting down child sex tourism
September 30, 2009
By John A. Hall
The Boston Globe
By John A. Hall
The Boston Globe
PEDOPHILES and their victims dominate the media: Roman Polanski has been arrested and faces extradition to the United States for raping a 13-year-old girl more than 30 years ago; Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was abducted at age 11 from in front of her house in South Lake Tahoe, has been rescued after being held for 18 years by a registered sex offender.
What has received less attention, however, is that American pedophiles pose a grave risk to children outside the United States. They are routinely provided passports, which allow them to travel internationally to search for fresh victims away from scrutiny and US law enforcement. This practice needs to end.
The problem is significant. Worldvision, an international relief and development organization, estimates that as many as 2 million children are entangled in the commercial sex trade worldwide. Americans are estimated to encompass roughly 25 percent of all sex tourists. While Asian countries, including Thailand, Cambodia, India, and the Philippines, have long been prime destinations for Western child sex tourists, Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico, and Central America are also emerging as destination countries.
Typhoon Ketsana blasts Cambodia
.jpg)
Many of the deaths in Vietnam came in the Central HighlandsBBC News
The powerful typhoon that has hit the Philippines and Vietnam with deadly force is now battering Cambodia.
At least nine people have died in Kampong Thom province in central Cambodia. When Typhoon Ketsana hit Vietnam, more than 30 people were killed and almost 200,000 people fled their homes; severe flooding remains in central provinces.
In the Philippines, where the typhoon hit on the weekend, 246 people are dead and 380,000 trapped in shelters.
Ten dead as tropical storm Ketsana hits Cambodia
Sep 30, 2009
DPA
DPA
Phnom Penh - Ten people have died in Cambodia after tropical storm Ketsana swept west from Vietnam into Cambodia overnight, a senior government official said Wednesday.
Information Minister Khieu Kanharith told the German Press Agency dpa that nine people died and 12 were injured in Kampong Thom province north of the capital Phnom Penh. Thirty homes were destroyed in the province.
He added that a man died in the north-eastern province of Ratanakkiri when a tree was toppled by high winds and fell on him.
Ketsana toll hits 55 in Vietnam, Cambodia
Wed, 30 Sep 2009HSH/AKM
Typhoon Ketsana has killed at least 55 people in Vietnam and Cambodia, leaving a trail of destruction before heading towards Laos.
Ketsana hit central Vietnam early Tuesday before moving towards Cambodia.
Tens of thousands of people fled their homes to escape flooding caused by Ketsana, which had already killed 246 when it struck the Philippines over the weekend as a weaker tropical storm.
There were no immediate reports of casualties in Laos, a government spokesman said, but Cambodian police and the Phnom Penh officials said that at least 11 died in the country's northeastern and central regions.
The typhoon brought winds of 117 kilometers per hour when it came ashore in the central province of Quang Nam, and dumped up to 900 millimeters of rain.
Around 6,000 houses, schools and health care centers have been destroyed by floods, wind or landslides.
Firms focus on Cambodia market
30-09-2009
VNS
VNS
HCM CITY — Vietnamese companies should focus on their strong points to improve their position in the Cambodian market, heard a meeting held last Friday by the Viet Nam-Laos-Cambodia Association for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Speaking at the meeting held in HCM City to discuss improving Vietnamese business prospects in Cambodia, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Le Danh Vinh said: "Viet Nam should increase investment in tropical agricultural produce like coffee, rice, pepper and cashews which are the country’s strengths."
"Besides, rubber and garments are also Viet Nam’s key areas," he said.
Govt trying for good ties with Cambodia
30/09/2009
Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post
The government has been trying to maintain a good relationship with Cambodia and is cautious when making comments about the disputed border near Preah Vihear temple, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said on Wednesday.
"The government does not want to exacerbate the situation, but it must protect the sovereignty of the country at the same time," said Mr Suthep, who is in charge of security affairs.
People from the two countries can live together as usual, but the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) should be more careful in their activities over the border row, he said.
Typhoon Ketsana kills 11 in Cambodia
September 30, 2009
AFP
AFP
Typhoon Ketsana has killed at least 11 people in northeastern and central Cambodia, officials say.
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 on Wednesday.
"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.
Chea Cheat added that at least 78 houses in his province were destroyed Tuesday evening and that heavy rain and rising floods were continuing.
At least 277 were killed in the Philippines and Vietnam as Ketsana wreaked havoc across the region.
International organisations and government officials in Cambodia said they were distributing tents and food to affected people while assessing damage across at least five of the country’s provinces.
NACC ruling a relief, but Hun Sen happy to be a headache
September 30, 2009
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation
For Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, relief after the anti-graft body's decision over the Preah Vihear case yesterday - he does not need to dump a number of his cabinet members.
But he is still left with the uphill task of mending sour relations with Cambodia.
Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kajornprasart, Deputy Finance Minister Pradit Phataraprasit and Information and Technology Minister Ranongruk Suwunchwee, who joined Samak Sundaravej's cabinet last year, escaped the National Anti-Corruption Commission's verdict.
The commission found legal grounds to file a lawsuit against only Samak and his foreign minister Noppadon Pattama for their support for Cambodia's proposal to list the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site.
Police, Not People, Should Collect Evidence: Expert
By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington
29 September 2009
Washington
29 September 2009
It is the job of law enforcement to find evidence following a legal complaint, and not that of an average citizen, a leading rights monitor said Monday.
People are often confused, believing they are beholden to find evidence before proceeding through legal channels, said Ny Chakriya, monitor section chief for Adhoc, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”
“Feeling like one needs to find evidence while filing a complaint, that’s a big confusion,” he said, though it is one shared by many Cambodians.
While regular citizens need more information about the law, judicial reform at the top needs some time, he said.
November Deadline in Tribunal for Victims Complaints
By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
29 September 2009
Original report from Phnom Penh
29 September 2009
The UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal is urging victims to come forward and enter complaints against four jailed leaders of the regime before a mid-November, as the court prepares for its second case.
Case No. 002, which will collectively try Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith, is expected to get underway in the near future, as case No. 001, the trial of prison chief Kaing Kek Iev, or Duch, is drawing to a close.
Investigating judges have begun to recognize more civil parties for Case No. 002.
Cambodia Enters Fray on Climate Change
By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Original report from New York
29 September 2009
Original report from New York
29 September 2009
Cambodia has urged developed countries to show more commitment to mitigating climate change, saying that countries like Cambodia that are affected most.
In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York Saturday, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said that developed countries, who produce the most greenhouse gases, “should share greater responsibility and take more drastic and urgent measures to reduce the emission of these deadly gases.”
“It is an obligation of the international community to roll back global temperatures before it is too late,” he said.
Cambodia Flooding: CWS situation report 09-29-09
29 Sep 2009
Source: Church World Service (CWS)
CHURCH WORLD SERVICE EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAMCWS SITUATION REPORT: CAMBODIA FLOODING
Source: Church World Service (CWS)
CHURCH WORLD SERVICE EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAMCWS 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) 870-3151Program Director: dderr@churchworldservice.org
Opinion not the same as thought
September 30, 2009
By A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
Pacific Daily News
Last week I wrote about an emerging culture of intolerance, characterized by an increasing tendency of debaters to clutter discussion with insults and replace thoughtful discussion with a demonization of one's opponent.
By A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
Pacific Daily News
Last week I wrote about an emerging culture of intolerance, characterized by an increasing tendency of debaters to clutter discussion with insults and replace thoughtful discussion with a demonization of one's opponent."Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated," said Coretta Scott King. Chinese philosopher Confucius counseled, we must "cultivate our personal life, ... set our hearts right." Professor Jonathan Haidt's research looked for "ways to transcend 'culture wars,' ... to foster more civil forms of politics." His Civic Politics.org Web site begins with the question: "Can't we all disagree more constructively?"
Diversity and disagreement are healthy in a democracy. When 1,000 critical and creative thoughts bloom, a society has the opportunity to probe, to seek to understand, and to generate new ideas among a long list of options to advance humanity. However, unrestrained free expression invites licentiousness, found in the state of nature, that threatens human rights, freedom and survival.
Opinion is not to be confused with thought. As Tim Hurson -- founding partner of a firm that provides global corporations with training, facilitation and consultation in productive thinking and innovation -- posits, "truly focused thinking" includes mental activities such as "observing, remembering, wondering, imagining, inquiring, interpreting, evaluating, judging, identifying, supposing, composing, comparing, analyzing, calculating, and even metacognition (thinking about thinking)."
Abhisit's fantastic speech about a fanciful Thailand
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at the New York Stock ExchangeBy Thitinan Pongsudhirak
Bangkok Post
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is as popular abroad as he is disconnected to the masses of Thai voters at home.
While his good looks, English-language eloquence, masterly grasp of issues, personal integrity and gentlemanly demeanour appeal to foreign audiences, he is regularly pelted with bottles and shoes when he travels around the country outside Bangkok with a security detail provided by the army's 21st Infantry Regiment.
Farang investors generally hope the best for him. Farmers in the North and Northeast want to see the back of him.
Such is the odd dichotomy for which he stands. It mirrors Thailand 's larger and deeper political polarisation.
Hun Sen's temple comments 'retaliation', says [Thai] PM
September 30, 2009
The Nation
The Nation
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday hit out at his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen, for saying Thai trespassers would be shot if they entered into an area along the common border disputed by the two countries.
"Whenever he gives interviews to the foreign media he always has this attitude where he wants to make headlines," Abhisit told reporters yesterday, one day after Hun Sen made the challenging statement.
Hun Sen said on Monday he had ordered his troops to shoot anyone from neighbouring Thailand who crossed onto land around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.
Hun Sen's comments came about a week after hundreds of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) rallied near the temple area, demanding Thai troops take back the 4.6 square kilometre overlapping claimed areas near the ancient temple.
Politicians manipulate border tensions
September 30, 2009
The Nation
The Nation
Territorial dispute could be resolved if it wasn't used by leaders on each side to divert attention from internal issues
For a man who has been holding an iron grip on Cambodia's highest political posts for over a decade, one would think that Prime Minister Hun Sen had learned a thing or two about statesmanship. Unfortunately, judging from his latest statement in reference to Thailand, this hasn't been the case.
Hun Sen on Monday ordered his troops to shoot any trespassers, civilians or military, in a simmering border dispute with Thailand.
"If they enter again, they will be shot," the Cambodian strongman told officials, who responded to this statement with applause.
"Troops, police and all armed forces must adhere to the order ... for invaders, shields are not used but bullets are used," Hun Sen said in the speech at the opening ceremony for Cambodia's new Ministry of Tourism building.
Typhoon Ketsana kills 8 in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed Tuesday by the impacts of Typhoon Ketsana that hit Kompong Thom Province, about 230 kilometers northeast of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh, according to local television.
According to Television Channel 3 of Phnom Penh Municipality on Tuesday night, at least eight people were killed and a dozen others injured after the typhoon landed Sandan District around 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
It said the typhoon also destroyed dozens of houses.
Civil society groups in Cambodia to form media defense network
29 September 2009
Source: SEAPA
Several civil society groups in Cambodia are planning to organize a media defense network that would provide legal aid to journalists, media reports said.
Source: SEAPA
Several civil society groups in Cambodia are planning to organize a media defense network that would provide legal aid to journalists, media reports said.
According to "The Cambodia Daily", Ou Virak, director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said on 28 September 2009 that their organization is teaming up with the Legal Aid of Cambodia, Cambodian Justice Initiative, Cambodian Association for the Protection of Journalists, and the Cambodian Center for Independent Media, in establishing a network of lawyers that would help defend journalists in court.
On 22 September, "The Cambodia Daily" editor-in-chief Kevin Doyle and reporter Neou Vannarin were each fined US$1,000 by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for defaming a group of military officers.
On the other hand, "Rasmei Kampuchea" and "Kampuchea Thmei Daily" issued apologies in July this year after the government filed charges against them.
Cambodia, FAO meet to strengthen food safety
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) held one-day meeting Tuesday to discuss on how to strengthen Cambodia's food safety control systems and reduce the negative impact of food-borne diseases to consumers, producers, vendors and government authorities.
The meeting is aimed at improving the capacity of concerned national agencies to develop, implement and monitor national food control strategies that reflect the multi-disciplinary nature of food control, according to FAO.
At the opening of the forum, Chan Nora, secretary of state of Ministry of Commerce said improving food safety and its management is among the strategies adopted by the Royal Government of Cambodia to diversify its products and promote long term economic sustainability.
Poor countries look to Cambodia as WTO model
Tue Sep 29, 2009
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Trade representatives from some of the world's poorest countries met in Cambodia on Tuesday to look at what the country has gained from being a member of the World Trade Organisation, as aid donors urged them to join, too.
"Cambodia's WTO accession and its national development and poverty reduction strategies complement one another," Chiedu Osakwe, director of the WTO's Accession Division, told the meeting, which ends on Wednesday.
"The results are evident, all around us and impressive," he said of Cambodia's economic growth, which was over 10 percent a year until the global crisis. Its GDP per capita rose to $550 in 2007 from $390 in 2004 when it joined the WTO, he said.
Thai-Combodian Border Sees No Tension
29 September 2009
Thai-ASEAN News Network
Thai-ASEAN News Network
The situation along the Thai-Cambodian border is still calm without fresh military movements after the Cambodian leader's aggressive remark against Thailand on the border dispute issue.
Thailand and Cambodia have not deployed more troops around the Preah Vihear Temple yet despite the reported aggressive statement made by Cambodian PM Hun Sen that he will order his troops to shoot whoever trespasses on Cambodian land. The atmosphere at the border area in Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district is still quiet with Thai troops keeping security there.
Meanwhile, residents of Kantharalak's Phumisarol village close to the Thai-Camobdian carry on with their daily activities as usual without concern over a possible clash between Thai and Cambodian troops.
At the border area of Tamuen Thom and Tamuen Kwai temples in Surin province, Thai and Cambodian security forces still carry out their regular patrols along the border. No sign of tension has been seen so far.
Thailand committed to solving border dispute with Cambodia by peaceful means: Thai spokesman
BANGKOK, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's acting government spokesman Panithan Wattanayagorn said Tuesday that his country has committed to solving the border dispute with Cambodia by peaceful means base on the bilateral framework.
The acting government spokesman's statement was made after news reports saying that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered his troops to shoot any trespassers in the disputed border area near the ancient Preah Vihear temple, Thai News Agency reported.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has not worried about the latest development at the Thai-Cambodian border as the two leaders earlier have agreed they will not let the border dispute affect the broader relations of the two countries, said Panithan.
If the two countries use forces to solve the border dispute, it will negatively affect the two neighboring countries and the ASEAN group, Panithan said.
Abhisit hits back over dispute
Sep 29, 2009
AFP
AFP
BANGKOK - PRIME Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva hit out at his Cambodian counterpart on Tuesday for saying that Thai trespassers would be shot near a disputed temple on their border.
Cambodian premier Hun Sen said on Monday that he had ordered his troops to shoot anyone from neighbouring Thailand who crossed onto land around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.
Mr Hun Sen's comments came a little over a week after Thai protesters rallied near the ancient temple, the site of clashes that have killed seven soldiers since tensions flared last year.
'Whenever he gives interviews to the foreign media he always has this attitude where he wants to make headlines,' Mr Abhisit told reporters of his opposite number.
Abhisit asserts Thai rights over disputed Khmer border zone
BANGKOK, Sept 29 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday insisted that Thailand was ready to assert its rights after his Cambodian counterpart Prime Minister Hun Sen earlier ordered his troops to shoot any intruders from Thailand who stepped on Cambodian soil.
The Thai premier said that raising the issue to an international level was Mr Hun Sen's style.
"When he (Mr Hun Sen) was interviewed by foreign media, he always expressed this attitude," said Mr Abhisit. "It is his style in making headlines."
Mr Abhisit, however, assured that Thailand was always ready for negotiations, but "at the same time, we are ready to assert our rights."
Cambodian boy killed by hornets
Sep 29, 2009
AFP
AFP
PHNOM PENH - A YOUNG Cambodian boy was stung to death by hornets after a strong wind blew the insects' nest from a palm tree, local authorities said Tuesday.
The nine-year-old boy died on Sunday after being stung more than 30 times last week in Cambodia's quiet coastal province of Kampot, said commune chief Hay Seng.
'He was walking with his mother under a palm tree and unfortunately, a strong wind blew off a branch holding the hornets' nest, triggering the attack,' Hay Seng told AFP by telephone.
The mother was also stung a few times, he added.
Cambodian gov't warns about Typhoon Ketsana
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Royal Government of Cambodia has warned people over the eventual impacts of typhoon "Ketsana", which has recently killed more than 100 people in the Philippines, official news agency AKP reported on Tuesday.
It said that in a directive signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sept. 28, the government warned the public Ketsana would have great impacts on northeastern provinces such as Rattanakiri, Mondulkiri, Stung Treng, Kratie, Kampong Cham and Kampong Thom on Sept. 29.
On Sept. 30, the typhoon would hit the northwestern part of the country and other provinces around the Tonle Sap Lake Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Battambang, Pailin, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap, Preah Vihear, Oddar Meanchey and Kampong Thom.
The tropical storm would increase water level of Mekong River and cause floods, the directive said.
The Royal Government of Cambodia appealed to all relevant ministries and institutions, particularly the local authorities to increase their attention and take preventive measures in order to reduce to the damages.
Editor: Fang Yang
Thai former PM, FM found to have violated law during listing of Preah Vihear with UNESCO
BANGKOK, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) voted 6:3 to find former prime minister Samak Sundaravej and former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama to have violated Article 157 of the Criminal Code for abuse of authority during the UNESCO-listing process of Preah Vihear temple.
The NACC found the two had violated the law since the then cabinet passed a resolution for Noppadon to sign the Thai-Cambodian communique to support the listing of Preah Vihear as a world heritage site with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), without the Thai parliament approval, Thai News Agency reported.
Thailand's PM criticises Cambodia's shooting order
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
ABC Radio Australia
ABC Radio Australia
Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has criticised his Cambodian counterpart for saying Thai trespassers will be shot if they go near a disputed temple on the border.
Earlier Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said he had ordered his troops to shoot anyone from neighbouring Thailand who crosses onto land around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple.
"If they enter again, they will be shot," Hun Sen told officials.
NACC to seek legal action against Samak, Noppadon over temple charges
BANGKOK, Sept 29 (TNA) -- The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) will seek legal action against former prime minister Samak Sundaravej and former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama over last year’s issuance of a joint communique with Cambodia to endorse the listing of the historic Preah Vihear temple as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The NACC found grounds to charge the duo over their approval of a Cabinet resolution at that time to endorse the listing of Preah Vihear temple without parliamentary endorsement as required by the Constitution.
The NACC voted 6:3 in finding them violated Article 190 of the constitution, said Klanarong Chantik, the NACC commissioner. It also found them negligent in carrying out their duties under Article 157 of the Criminal Code.
PM again dismisses 2009 GDP forecasts
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
By Nguon Sovan
The Phnom Penh Post
By Nguon Sovan
The Phnom Penh Post
PRIME Minister Hun Sen on Monday dismissed recent GDP growth forecasts by international organisations, urging the population to concentrate on work rather than predictions on the Kingdom’s economic output for 2009.
Speaking Monday at an inauguration ceremony for a new Ministry of Tourism building in Phnom Penh, Hun Sen again predicted that the agricultural sector would flourish this year.
“Whatever the forecast is – positive or negative – it is not important because it is just a figure,” he said.
Thais say soldiers burned teen post-mortem
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
By Thet Sambath
The Phnom Penh Post
By Thet Sambath
The Phnom Penh Post
Thai military officers have acknowledged their soldiers burned the body of a 16-year-old Cambodian boy suspected of illegal logging, but insist they only did so after he was dead, the deputy chief of the Thailand-Cambodia relations office at the Poipet border crossing said Monday.
Leu Chandara said the officers made the admission during a meeting last week, but Cambodian officials are not buying Thailand’s version of events. “We don’t believe them and we are going to conduct our own investigation,” he said. If the story were true, he added, it would raise questions about the soldiers’ motives for disposing of the body without first consulting the Cambodian government.
“They said they did not burn the teenager alive, but why did they dare to burn his body without informing Cambodian authorities?” he said. “What they are doing is trying to hide their bad actions.”
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Phnom Penh Eylov - "Phnom Penh Nowadays": A Poem in Khmer by Srey Sra'em
Please click on Khmer poem to zoom in. Khmer poem by Srey Sra'emSA man in Cambodian jail
2009-09-29 08:20
By Virginia Keppler
News24
By Virginia Keppler
News24
Pretoria - A 27-year-old South African has already spent 11 days in a Cambodian prison, charged with culpable homicide after the death of his friend in a jet-ski accident.
André Bester of Newlands in Pretoria, was arrested shortly after Paul Hutchins of Cape Town died in a jet-ski accident in the ocean at Sihanoukville in Cambodia.
U.S. hosts regional meeting in Cambodia on energy development
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The United States Embassy in Phnom Penh on Tuesday hosted a two-day conference in Cambodia on energy development in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS).
In the opening speech, U.S. Ambassador Carol A. Rodley said "the challenges facing the GMS in the energy sector are not unique: high economic growth of the region is driving the demand for energy whereas almost 50 million people in the GMS lack access to electricity."
"Under this GMS Economic Cooperation program, development of the energy sector in one country will be able to benefit the development of all countries through the most efficient use of the natural resources within the region," she added.
Thai Army chief: Thai-Cambodian Border Commission will resolve border disputes
.jpg)
BANGKOK, Sept 29 (TNA) - Thai Army chief Gen Anupong Paochinda declined to comment on news report on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's remarks regarding Thai-Cambodian border disputes, saying that the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission for the Demarcation of Land Boundary would be responsible for the talks to find solution on the border disputes.International media, including the Associated Press (AP) and Agence France-Presse (AFP), on Monday quoted Mr Hun Sen as telling Cambodian officials that anyone from Thailand illegally intruding into Cambodian territory claimed by both countries will be shot.
The Cambodian leader also said that if Thai officials negotiating the border demarcation line present their own maps during bilateral talks, Cambodian officials ‘should tear them up or walk out.’
Funeral for Cambodia's first swine flu victim
.jpg)
A relative of Cambodia's first-recorded swine flu fatality burns ghost paper following in Chinese tradition, in Phnom Penh. (AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)NCCC to decide on Preah Vihear case today
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Nation
The Nation
The National Counter Corruption Commission is expected to make a decision on whether to indict members of the Samak Cabinet and permanent officials involved in endorsing the joint-communiqué to support Cambodia's listing Preah Vihear as a Word Heritage Site.
NCCC commissioner Klanarong Chantik said the NCCC would make the decision today because the investigation results into the case were completed.
Four high-ranking ministry officials have been accused in the case comprising Foreign Ministry permanent-secretary Veerasak Futrakul, Chirdchu Raktrabutr, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Krit Garnjana-goonchorn, Director-General of the Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs.
Suthep plans to meet Hun Sen
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Bangkok Post
.jpg)
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban plans to meet Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen to discuss the Thai-Cambodian border row after reports Mr Hun Sen has ordered his troops to shoot any trespassers in the disputed border area near Preah Vihear temple.
Bangkok Post
.jpg)
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban plans to meet Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen to discuss the Thai-Cambodian border row after reports Mr Hun Sen has ordered his troops to shoot any trespassers in the disputed border area near Preah Vihear temple.On Sept 19, yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters rallied near the ancient temple, demanding the Cambodian government remove its people from the disputed border area.
"I believe Prime Minister Hun Sen could misunderstand the situation and I am ready to talk with him," Mr Suthep, who is charged of security affairs, said on Tuesday.
Mr Suthep said he did not know the Cambodian premier announced that he will not attend the Asean summit, scheduled for next month in Thailand and will not talk with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
"I believe this has nothing to do with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and I have ordered the Second Region Army commander to keep a close watch on the border area and to prevent clashes between both sides," Mr Suthep said.
The border situation near Preah Vihear temple was still normal, he said.
Anupong: Peace, not war
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Bangkok Post
.jpg)
Army chief Anupong Paojinda insisted on Tuesday that Thailand opts for peaceful means in solving border conflicts with Cambodia.
Bangkok Post
.jpg)
Army chief Anupong Paojinda insisted on Tuesday that Thailand opts for peaceful means in solving border conflicts with Cambodia.He spoke a day after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered his troops to shoot any trespassers along the disputed area and angrily blasted Bangkok's territorial claims.
Gen Anupong reiterated that Thailand will solve the conflict through dialogue at the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation of the Land Boundary.Thai soldiers will carry on their duties on Thai soil, and there is no plan to using violent measures, he added.
He warned those living in the area to be careful if they have to cross the border.
'4 sq km land belongs to Cambodia'
.jpg)
In this photo taken on March 13, 2009, a road up to the hill of the famed Preah Vihear temple is seen on the Cambodian-Thai border in Preah Vihear province, about 245 kilometers (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Thai officials seek to negotiate the border demarcation line. Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday, Sept. 28, 2009, that anyone from Thailand who illegally intrudes into Cambodian territory claimed by both countries will be shot. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)The Nation
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday (September 28) said with strong words that Cambodia and Thailand do not have overlapping land of 4.6 square km near 11th century Khmer Preah Vihear temple.
"That area is Cambodian soil," Hun Sen said at a opening ceremony of the new Tourism Ministry building in Phnom Penh downtown.
"Thailand is using their own map which was drawn unilaterally to take land from Cambodia such as 4.6 km square near Preah Vihear Temple," Xinhua quoted Hun Sen as saying.
Hun Sen had said that Thai "yellow T-shirt" protesters rallied at the area near Preah Vihear temple to demand Cambodian troops and villagers move out from the land of 4.6 square km near the temple. "They are extremists and have ambitions," he said.
Thailand's Anti-Corruption Commission to rule on Preah Vihear charge Tuesday
BANGKOK, Sept 22 (TNA) - Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is scheduled to rule on Tuesday on the previous government's resolution which supported Cambodia's listing of the ancient Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site.
The NACC decided last November to press charges against 44 persons including 28 Cabinet members in the Samak Sundaravej administration and state officials in connection with the signing of a joint communique with Cambodia without seeking parliamentary approval as required by the Constitution.
The joint communique was signed by Thailand’s then foreign minister Noppadon Pattama and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An on June 18, 2008.
The NACC decided last Tuesday to postpone the ruling to today.
* "...Banh Hraeng Choal!!!"
Please click on Khmer poem to zoom in. Khmer poem by Vichea Sam (on the web at http://kamnapkumnou.blogspot.com/)Vietnam’s NA delegation visits Cambodia
09/29/2009
VOV News
VOV News
A delegation from the Vietnam National Assembly’s Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children is on a working visit to Cambodia.
The delegation, headed by the committee’s Chairman Dao Trong Thi, paid courtesy visits to Cambodia’s Senate President Chea Sim and National Assembly Chairman Heng Samrin on September 28.
At the meetings, the Cambodian legislative leaders welcomed the delegation’s visit, saying that it would help strengthen the traditional ties of friendship between the two countries.
The visit would also provide a good chance for the two countries’ legislative bodies to boost the exchange of experiences, they added.
The Vietnamese NA delegation met with Mom Chimhuy, Chairman of the Cambodian NA’s Commission on Education, Religious Affairs, Culture and Tourism.
The two sides compared notes on a number of laws and policies on culture and education.
Chairman Dao Trong Thi also had a working session with Ho Naun, Chairwoman of the Cambodian NA’s Commission on Health, Social Affairs, Veterans, Youth Rehabilitation, Vocational Training and Women’s Affairs.
The Vietnamese delegation is scheduled to visit the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and meet with Nath Burnoeun, Secretary of State of the Cambodian Ministry of Education Youth and Sport on Sept. 29.
Bangkok Airways to cease domestic Cambodian services
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
eTravelBlackboard
eTravelBlackboard
The Cambodian government will not renew its agreement with Bangkok Airways, under which the airline operates Cambodian domestic routes, when it expires on Oct. 25.
State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) Secretary of State Mao Havannal told the Phnom Penh Post that the government made the decision in an effort to boost the new national carrier Cambodia Angkor Air (CAA), which made its inaugural flight on July 28.
"Now that we have our own domestic airline, Bangkok Airways will not be allowed to continue flights when the agreement finishes on Oct. 25," he said.
Since taking over the route last November, Bangkok Airways has been flying four daily flights between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap since its subsidiary, Siem Reap Airways, was grounded by the SSCA.
SSCA Cabinet Chief Long Chheng said Thursday that the body sent Bangkok Airways a letter last week informing it of the decision.
Bangkok Airways Acting Country Director Amornrat Kongsawat has not been available for comment.
Govt warns students to stop exam protests
A government official addresses disgruntled students during a press conference on Friday. (Photo by: Sovann Philong)By Chhay Channyda
The Phnom Penh Post
MEDICAL students who failed their first-year exams plan to continue their protest against the University of Health Science despite government warnings of stiff crackdowns on further demonstrations.
The students say the government is trying to intimidate them after officials threatened legal action against students who continue to cause “disorder in the public places”.
“This is intimidation to us,” said student representative Keo Moly after a government press conference Friday. “We fear for our safety.”
However, she said students would continue to protest.
The students have been at an impasse with university and government officials since earlier this month, when more than half the students failed their first-year exams.
The government had offered to let the failed students retake the entrance exam and repeat their first years, or move to another school. The students, meanwhile, want the full exam results released, saying the results were unfair.
Railway residents brace for eviction
Monday, 28 September 2009
By Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post
By Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post
TWENTY-THREE families living along dilapidated railway lines in Tuol Kork district say they face imminent eviction from their homes but fear for their futures if forced to give up their land.
Three families of the 26 left in the community agreed last week to government compensation.
Villager Chab Bunleang, 49, said she has lived and run a business in the community for 20 years but is concerned that her business will suffer if she is forced to move. “I was hopeless when I heard [about the eviction],” she said.
The residents’ complaints come ahead of the release today of an 81-page report that the government’s US$38.4 million Land Management and Administration Programme has “failed” to protect the land tenure of Phnom Penh’s urban poor.
Phok Kimhong, 41, said the community was granted a social land concession by Prime Minister Hun Sen in 2003 but has never been granted ownership titles.
Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Mann Chhoeun said that authorities plan to take action if the people do not move but did not give a final deadline. “We are still patient with thembut if those people remain obstinate, we will take administrative action,” he said.
Govt’s land policy failing most vulnerable: report
Chab Bunleang, 49, who lives along rail lines in the north of Phnom Penh in a home she said she has owned for two decades, belongs to one of 23 households facing eviction. Three families have agreed to government compensation since last week. (Photo by: Sovan Philong)By Sebastian Stragio and Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post
VULNERABLE communities are still being subjected to land-tenure insecurity and forced displacement despite a seven-year, multimillion-dollar effort to reform the land sector, according to a report to be released today.
The report, produced by a coalition of local and international housing rights groups, says the donor-funded US$38.4 million Land Management and Administration Project (LMAP) has failed the country’s poor by “entrenching inequality”, signalling a potentially dark future for land rights in Cambodia.
LMAP was established in 2002 with funding from international donors including the World Bank with a goal of establishing an “efficient and transparent land administration system” within five years.
‘No Disputed Land’ Near Border Temple: Hun Sen
By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
28 September 2009
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday said there was no disputed land near Preah Vihear temple, contrary to Thai statements.
Original report from Phnom Penh
28 September 2009
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday said there was no disputed land near Preah Vihear temple, contrary to Thai statements.The temple is at the center of a longstanding military standoff and saw a number of Thai protesters amassed last week.
Though leaders have sought to solve the border dispute bilaterally, Hun Sen said he would raise the issue with Asean at a summit in October if Thai leaders continued to make public statements about the temple and nearby border.
On Thursday, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said roads leading to the temple from the Thai side had been made by the previous government, claiming, "even if there are roads in the border area, it does not mean that the land belongs to Cambodia."
Natural Resources Don’t Always Spell Prosperity
By Im Sothearith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
28 September 2009
Original report from Washington
28 September 2009
[Editor’s note: VOA Khmer recently spoke with specialists in the field of natural resource management in developing countries and learned that Cambodia is not alone in struggling to use natural resources to benefit its citizens. The resource curse, where natural riches fail to help the poor, is a worldwide scourge, the global experts told VOA Khmer in numerous interviews. Below is PART FOUR of the original VOA Khmer weekly series, airing Sundays in Cambodia.]
Whether a country is at war or peace, natural resources can reduce economic growth, because when a lucrative resource is exploited, other means of production are forgotten, experts say. Meanwhile, without transparent management, revenues from natural resources can widen income disparities and engender corruption.
And while it’s true that natural resources can transform an economy, an adequate state apparatus is needed to implement effective and efficient management strategies, experts say.
Former Child Soldier Describes Khmer Rouge
By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
28 September 2009
Original report from Phnom Penh
28 September 2009
A former child soldier of the Khmer Rouge described on Monday being forced to kill innocent people, saying he still has nightmares about the past.
Arn Chorn Pond, who is now 42, told reporters at a press conference in Phnom Penh he was pressed into service in Battamabang province when he was 11 or 12 years old, a few days after the Vietnamese ousted the Khmer Rouge from Phnom Penh, in January 1979.
Arn Chorn Pond’s testimony was sponsored by Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst, under the German Development Service in Cambodia, which gathered former child soldiers from Cambodia and Liberia to tell their stories.
“They armed us,” he said. “If we hadn’t carried the weapons, we would have been shot.”
Arn Chorn Pond, who now lives in America, said he soldiered for the Khmer Rouge for a year, as it battled Vietnamese-backed soldiers. He was injured, as well, he said. The Khmer Rouge also ordered children to bring the dead to their graves.
The experience made him sad and lonely, he said, and he felt he as not a good person and is plagued by nightmares.
Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, said at least 200 children between the ages of 12 and 17 were forced to fight the Vietnamese. Around 20 girls were also pressed into service, carrying food and supplies.
“A number of Khmer Rouge soldiers were children,” he said.
Arn Chorn Pond was willing to tell his story, but he said he was not very interested in the current trials of former Khmer Rouge leaders under a UN-backed tribunal. He did not know enough about Cambodia’s political situation, he said.
H1N1 Claims First Cambodian Life
By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
28 September 2009
Original report from Phnom Penh
28 September 2009
The H1N1 flu has killed its first victim in Cambodia, a 40-year-old woman, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced Monday.
The virus has infected 88 people in the country so far, and the death has put health officials on alert.
“This is the first case,” Hun Sen said, at the inauguration of a new Ministry of Tourism building. “She had been sick for a long time. She had lung problems.”
The woman had been ill since Sept. 18, traveling to a clinic two days later, before she was taken to Phnom Penh’s Pasteur Institute for testing. Her condition worsened, and she was taken to Calmette hospital on Sunday afternoon, where she died.
Cambodia saw its first cases of the H1N1 flu, sometimes called swine flu, in June, first in traveling US students. The World Health Organization estimates more then 300,000 cases of the flu have been confirmed globally, with more than 3,900 dying.
Health & Education In Cambodia
28 September 2009
Voice of America
Editorials
The following is an editorial reflecting the views of the US government
This month, the United States and Cambodia signed amendments to 2 bilateral agreements that will provide $34.8 million in 2009 funding to support Cambodian priorities in health and education.
Voice of America
Editorials
The following is an editorial reflecting the views of the US government
This month, the United States and Cambodia signed amendments to 2 bilateral agreements that will provide $34.8 million in 2009 funding to support Cambodian priorities in health and education.U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Carol Rodley presided over the September 8th signing ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Phnom Penh. Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Flynn Fuller, United States Agency for International Development [USAID] Mission Director, signed on behalf of their respective governments.
"I am pleased to be here to reaffirm the commitment of the American people to investing in the health and education of the Cambodian people," Ambassador Rodley said.
"By working side by side with our colleagues in the Cambodian government, we've helped stem the tide of HIV/AIDS, improve the quality of basic health services, and enhance the relevance and availability of education for thousands of youth."
Cambodian PM orders to stop condom advertisement on TV
.jpg)
Stamp out AIDS: This 300-riel stamp from 2006 promotes the use of condoms in the Kingdom (Photo by: Johan Smits, The Phnom Penh Post)PHNOM PENH, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered on Monday to halt condom advertisement on televisions, saying that he does not feel the advertisement help curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS, but a promotion of condom sales.
Giving speech at launching ceremony of Tourism Ministry's building, Hun Sen said the content of the spot being displayed on televisions did not "serve the efficient campaign for the condom use to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, but a promotion of the condom sales."
Thus, he ordered Ministers of Information and Culture to review the content and remove the spot from televisions.
The spot was showing a group of three men who enjoyed drinking, and singing karaoke before going to a hotel room with a display of a condom on the bed and one of the men there.
Hun Sen said this spot even encouraged Cambodian youths to get more sexual behaviors which are contradictory to Cambodia's tradition and custom.
On several occasions, Hun Sen has criticized TV spots for some parts, damaging the country's culture, tradition and even considered harmful to public health.
Cambodia is proud of its competence in reducing the number of HIV/AIDS related diseases through a nationwide campaign of "100 percent condom use."
Editor: Fang Yang
Cambodian boxer Vy Savouth defeats Paul Alivinario of Philippines
19-yr-old Cambodian boxer Vy Savouth (white short) during a bout with The Philippines Pol Avilinario. Vy Savouth's win earned him the WBC International interim super bantamweight title (Photo: Everyday.com.kh)28 Sep 2009
FightNews.com
Vi Savud, also known as Svay Ratha, of Cambodia beat Paul Alivinario of Philippines to claim the vacant WBC International interim super bantamweight title on Sunday. The fight was held at Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Songchai Ratanasuban, persident of Songchai1 promoted the show and Mr.Tanakorn Jirapasuksakul supervised the competition. The Cambodian was smaller but somehow beat down the Filipino, forcing referee Franz Marti to stop the action in the sixth round. Savud becomes the first Cambodian boxer to win an international boxing title. The full WBC International 122lb champion is Filipino Bangoyan Balweg.
Cambodian PM satisfies with Cambodia's boxers
PHNOM PENH, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday that he was surprised with the ability of a 19-year Cambodian man who could beat his rival from the Philippines.
Speaking at the launching ceremony of Tourism Ministry's building, Hun Sen said he could not realize how strong the young Cambodian boxer only after he defeated his defender from the Philippines and who is a student of the world's champion.
Vi Savouth, 19, successfully challenged Pol Apolinaria for World Boxing Champion (WBC) from the Philippines with a 55.5 kg bout on Sunday night in Cambodia's capital of Phnom Penh.
Pol Apolinaria is known as a student of the World's Champion, Manny Pacquiao.
Cambodian leader warns Thais over border dispute
.jpg)
An angry Hun Xen (Photo: DAP news)Associated Press
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday that anyone from Thailand who illegally intrudes into Cambodian territory claimed by both countries will be shot.
He also said that if Thai officials seeking to negotiate the border demarcation line present their own maps during bilateral talks, Cambodian officials should tear them up or walk out.
Speaking at the opening of the Tourism Ministry's new office in the capital, Phnom Penh, he charged that Thailand's leaders wanted to base their territorial claims on maps they drew up themselves because they wanted to occupy Cambodia's land.
Cambodian PM threatens to skip ASEAN summit over temple row
Monday, September 28, 2009
Bureau Report
Bureau Report
Phnom Penh: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday said that he might skip a regional summit to be held in Thailand next month if a dispute over an ancient temple on the border between the two countries continues.
Hun Sen said he might send the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister to the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Thailand is set to host the 15th ASEAN summit on October 23-25 at the coastal town of Hua Hin.
Hun Sen, meanwhile, said he will never hold talks with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on the 4.6 square kilometre area near the temple as long as his counterpart uses a particular map drawn up by Thailand.
No time to lose for Abhisit as reality bytes
September 29, 2009
By Sopon Onkgara
The Nation
By Sopon Onkgara
The Nation
BACK from the limelight in New York, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva faces the painful reality of dealing with unresolved issues which, if mishandled, could escalate into a crisis of confidence in his leadership.
His speeches and responses to the media in the US reflected his comfort in speaking his mind without party hotshots looking over his shoulder. What he said about ideals and new democratic politics is suitable for a Western sensibility but it is difficult to end gutter politics at home.
The tough nut to crack is the appointment of the police chief, blocked time and again by antagonists in the National Police Committee. It is still unclear whether Abhisit will be successful in his choice, as other equations remain unchanged.This is a true test of his leadership. Failure on this will raise serious public doubt over his ability to control the national agenda amidst the prevailing economic problems. Already, there have been chuckles and taunts among political watchers who see the young prime minister as too soft towards his adversaries, even more so in his treatment of senior party members who disagree with his position. Weakness could embolden coalition partners to be more demanding in their push for approval of big projects promising large kickbacks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)