Saturday, February 27, 2010

Viettel conquers Cambodia's mobile market

February, 27 2010
VietNam News

HA NOI — Viettel Cambodia, a subsidiary of Viet Nam's military-run telecom service provider, now owns 42 per cent of the base transceiver stations (BTS) and 88 per cent the optic-fibre cable in Cambodia.
In terms of subscribers, it now holds the second place just six months after becoming operational.
The telecom provider aims to obtain a turnover of US$250 million this year. It also plans to have 3,000 BTS for 2G services and 1,500 BTS for its 3G network. It is also looking to increase its optic-fibre cable network to between 15,000 and 16,000 kilometres.
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Vietnam helps build information system for Cambodian legislature

02/26/2010
VOV News

The National Assemblies of Vietnam and Cambodia will soon kick-start a project to install network equipment for information processing and Intranet access at all agencies of the Cambodia National Assembly.
The agreement was reached at a working session between the two countries’ legislators during a visit to Cambodia from February 22-27 by a Vietnam National Assembly delegation.
In the first phase of the US$300,000 project funded by the Vietnam National Assembly, Vietnam will supply servers, computers and transmission lines to Cambodia this year and will complete the installation of equipment for the Intranet to support information processing between Cambodia’s NA agencies during the second phase one year later.
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Cambodia SKorea bilateral trade soars

Saturday, February 27, 2010
Australia Network News

Cambodian exports to South Korea surged 391 percent in January compared with the same month last year.
Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency says the 4 point 3 million dollar rise comes amid an overall increase in bilateral trade between the two countries.
Korea Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia says rising demand from North America has also help spur the recovery in trade.
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Korea Expressway signs construction deal with Cambodia

Friday, February 26, 2010
The Korea Herald

Korea's state-run Korea Expressway Corp. said Friday it has signed a $2.65 million deal with the Cambodian government to improve and build new roadways for the Southeast Asian country.
The clinching of the deal came after Korea Expressway, in a consortium with Korea's Sambo Engineering Co., submitted a proposal to the Cambodian government for a road project there in October last year, it said.
The project calls for the consortium to design and supervise the improvement of two national highways and one local road and the construction of a detour in the Southeast Asian country. Completion of the project, expected to begin next month, is slated for June 2013, the company said in a statement.
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Cambodia Not Ready for Munitions Pact: Official

By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Washington
26 February 2010

Cambodia is not ready to ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions, due to stockpiles it is currently holding, a senior government official said Thursday.
Cambodia is still assessing the cost and means associated with finding a replacement to its current munitions, Prak Sokhon, vice president of the Cambodia Mine Action Authority, said, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”
We need more time to study the number of cluster munitions we have and if we need to replace them in order for us to sign the convention,” he said.
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Tribunal Judges Admonish Ieng Sary’s Laywers

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
26 February 2010

Investigating judges for the Khmer Rogue tribunal on Thursday issued a stern warning to the defense team of Ieng Sary against breaking the filing rules of the UN-backed court.
Ieng Sary, the former foreign affairs minister of the regime, is facing an upcoming atrocity crimes trial, along with four other Khmer Rouge leaders currently in court detention.
Jugdes Marcel Lemonde and You Bunleng wrote in their official warning that Ieng Sary’s lawyers had broken the rules by filing “duplicitous” motions on issues already addressed by the court. They further warned the defense lawyers not to conduct “their own investigations” and ordered them to “comply” with tribunal rules.
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For Abstract Painter, the Art of the Mind

Ancient Khmer painting, by Chhim Sothy.
By Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
26 February 2010

For painter Chhim Sothy, standing in his Phnom Penh studio, the image of three deer trying to escape a forest under destruction is clear. For others, the mix of green, red and dark yellow makes less sense.
“At first glance, the painting depicts nothing, because abstract art requires more time to understand it,” said the 41-year-old abstract artist, who is currently displaying 22 of his latest paintings at the Reyum Gallery in Phnom Penh.
It has been a long road. Born in Kandal province, Chhim Sothy received his Bachelor of Arts, in painting, in 1995, after spending 10 years at the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh. After graduating, he worked for several non-governmental organizations, as a painting instructor, until moving over to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts in 1998, where he is a deputy director in the department of craftsmen.
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Government Lodges Suit Against Sam Rainsy

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
26 February 2010

The Cambodian government lodged a criminal complaint against opposition leader Sam Rainsy on Friday, for publishing a Vietnamese border map on his party’s Web site the government claims is false.
The complaint was filed in Phnom Penh Municipal Court by government lawyer Ky Tech on Friday. Investigating judge Sok Klyan said he had received the complaint from prosecutors on Friday, but he did not give a timeline for concluding his investigation.
The charge of disinformation carries a jail term of three years, but the charge of distributing a false public document is more serious and calls for as much as 15 years in prison.
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Cambodia to again sue opposition leader Sam Rainsy

Friday, 26 February 2010
BBC News

The Cambodian government has filed a new lawsuit against leading opposition figure Sam Rainsy.
The government accuses Mr Rainsy of forging public documents and spreading false information about a border dispute with Vietnam.
Mr Rainsy, who is living in exile, was given a two-year jail term last month for a political protest in which markers along the border were uprooted.
He could face up to 18 years in prison if found guilty of the latest charges.
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Cambodia files new suit against opposition leader

26/02/2010
AFP

The Cambodian government Friday filed a fresh lawsuit against the country's fugitive opposition leader over claims he forged and published a false map of the border with neighbouring Vietnam.
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who lives in self-imposed exile in France, was sentenced in absentia last month to two years in prison over a related conviction for uprooting border posts and inciting racial discrimination.
The new lawsuit was filed with Phnom Penh Municipal Court, government lawyer Ky Tech told AFP.
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Cambodian opposition leader faces new lawsuit

February 26, 2010
Source: Xinhua

Cambodia's opposition leader faced a new lawsuit Friday filed by the government for spreading false information and public document, a government lawyer said.
Ky Tech, a government lawyer said he had submitted a government lawsuit on Friday to a Phnom Penh Court against Sam Rainsy for his spreading false information and public document through website relating to border issues.
Sam Rainsy, was convicted by a provincial court late last month to two years in prison for his involvement in border markers removals and that the court found him guilty of destroying public property.
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Govts to move ahead on border demarcation

Friday, 26 February 2010
By Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

CAMBODIAN and Vietnamese officials say they are pushing forward bilateral demarcation efforts on northern stretches of the two countries’ 1,270-kilometre shared border.
The state-run Voice of Vietnam radio station announced on Wednesday that army engineers in the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong were gearing up for the planting of eight border markers on the frontier with Cambodia’s Mondulkiri province.
Prime Minister Hun Sen also announced Wednesday that, by the end of 2010, the government was hoping to finish the demarcation process for the 500-kilometre stretch of border running from the northernmost point of Ratanakkiri province into Kratie province.
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Ministers differ on Internet controls

Friday, 26 February 2010
By Brooke Lewis and Sam Rith
The Phnom Penh Post

SENIOR ministers on Thursday were in apparent disagreement over the extent to which the state-owned company Telecom Cambodia would be able to block access to individual Web sites if it were granted control of the country’s Internet exchange – a move both company and government officials are reportedly looking to implement as soon as possible.
An official from the company on Tuesday said it would seek to block access to Web sites deemed inappropriate for a range of reasons, a statement that drew fresh outcry from representatives of the private telecommunications sector, one of whom said it could be “very dangerous” for the government to filter online content.
However, Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith on Thursday said the government had not told Telecom Cambodia that it could play a role in blocking Web sites.
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Minister hails media progress in ’09

Friday, 26 February 2010
By Kim Yuthana
The Phnom Penh Post

CAMBODIA’S media sector improved in both quality and quantity in 2009, providing more Cambodian news and entertainment, and moving the country further along the path to freedom of expression, Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said Thursday.
“The media and broadcasting sector in Cambodia has been improving continually, which means a lot of contribution to the strengthening of democracy and guarantees of press freedom in Cambodia,” he said at the launch of the ministry’s annual report.
The minister also applauded the efforts of journalists, who have all “tried their best” to give people the highest-calibre media services possible and to create information links between citizens and the government.
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Cambodia opens luxury casino

Feb 26, 2010
AP

PHNOM PENH (Cambodia) - CAMBODIA opened a luxury, US$100 million casino on Friday hoping to attract more foreign tourists and promote its fast-growing entertainment industry, casino owners said.
The Titan King Casino, located along the Vietnam border, is one of a number that have sprung up along the country's frontiers with Vietnam and Thailand, attracting thousands of gamblers.
The Ministry of Finance says Cambodia earned US$19 million from 29 casinos in 2008. But revenue fell to US$17 million in 2009 because of a decline in tourist arrivals and a border dispute with Thailand.
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Cambodia opens luxury casino

February 26, 2010
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia

Cambodia opened a luxury, $100 million casino Friday hoping to attract more foreign tourists and promote its fast-growing entertainment industry, casino owners said.
The Titan King Casino, located along the Vietnam border, is one of a number that have sprung up along the country's frontiers with Vietnam and Thailand, attracting thousands of gamblers.
The Ministry of Finance says Cambodia earned $19 million from 29 casinos in 2008. But revenue fell to $17 million in 2009 because of a decline in tourist arrivals and a border dispute with Thailand.
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Thai Court Rules to Seize $1.4 Billion From Thaksin

FEBRUARY 26, 2010
By PHISANU PHROMCHANYA
The Wall Street Journal

BANGKOK—Thailand's Supreme Court ruled Friday to seize 46 billion baht ($1.4 billion) of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's assets.
The ruling—tied to gains that Mr. Thaksin's family made from selling a stake in Shin Corp. PCL—could anger Mr. Thaksin's supporters and ignite a fresh wave of political upheaval.
According to the verdict from the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions, 46.37 billion baht of Mr. Thaksin's frozen assets, plus interest, will be seized.
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Friday, February 26, 2010

Thaksin Shinawatra: from phone billionaire to fugitive ex-prime minister

Leader accused by military of corruption but popular with rural poor
Thaksin Shinawatra, whose appointment as an economic adviser to Cambodia infuriated the Thai governmenbt. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images
Friday 26 February 2010
By Ben Doherty
The Guardian

Born to a silk-trading family in Chiang Mai, Thaksin Shinawatra began his working life as a policeman. After several failed business ventures, in 1989 he established Shinawatra Datacom, a mobile phone network business that was to become the biggest phone operator in Thailand, and make him a multibillionaire.
He entered politics in 1994, becoming foreign minister that same year. He was elected prime minister in the general election of 2001, and became hugely popular, particularly in the north and north-east of the country, enfranchising the rural poor, and offering them healthcare for 30 baht (60p) and low-cost loans. He won a second election in 2005 but was swept from power in a bloodless coup in 2006 by a military leadership that argued he was corrupt, but was increasingly fearful of his growing popularity and power.
In 2008 he was convicted of a conflict of interest over a land deal involving his wife. He was sentenced to two years' jail, but had fled the country before the verdict was delivered. A fugitive, he now lives in Dubai and serves, to the fury of the Thai government, as an economic adviser to neighbouring Cambodia.
He is best-known in Britain for his short-lived ownership of Manchester City football club.
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Victims of acid attack in Cambodia

Oeng Sodine (L), a 18-year-old victim of an acid attack, rests near Som Bunnarith (R), a 39-year-old fellow victim, while receiving treatment at the Cambodia Acid Survivors Charity in Kandal province, west of Phnom Penh February 25, 2010. Cambodia's government is drafting a law to specifically target crimes involving acid attacks amidst a rise in such attacks this year. The government is reviewing similar laws in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh to draft tough sentences including life imprisonment for these crimes, police officials said. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Cambodia Acid Survivors Charity's coordinator Ziad Samman (R), speaks to victims of acid attacks, 39-year-old Som Bunnarith (L), 36-year-old Keo Srey Vy (2nd R) and 18-year-old Oeng Sodine (2nd L) at the Charity in Kandal province, west of Phnom Penh February 25, 2010. Cambodia's government is drafting a law to specifically target crimes involving acid attacks amidst a rise in such attacks this year. The government is reviewing similar laws in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh to draft tough sentences including life imprisonment for these crimes, police officials said. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
A victim of an acid attack, 36-year-old Keo Srey Vy (R) looks on during lunch with fellow victims, 18-year-old Oeng Sodine (L) and 21-year-old Ith Mouy Neag (C) at the Cambodia Acid Survivors Charity in Kandal province, west of Phnom Penh February 25, 2010. Cambodia's government is drafting a law to specifically target crimes involving acid attacks amidst a rise in such attacks this year. The government is reviewing similar laws in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh to draft tough sentences including life imprisonment for these crimes, police officials said. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
A victim of an acid attack, 21-year-old Ith Mouy Neag (C), reacts while fellow victims, 36-year-old Keo Srey Vy (R) and 18-year-old Oeng Sodine (L) speak at the Cambodia Acid Survivors Charity in Kandal province, west of Phnom Penh February 25, 2010. Cambodia's government is drafting a law to specifically target crimes involving acid attacks amidst a rise in such attacks this year. The government is reviewing similar laws in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh to draft tough sentences including life imprisonment for these crimes, police officials said. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Keo Srey Vy, a 36 year-old victim of an acid attack, receives treatment at the Cambodia Acid Survivors Charity in Kandal province, west of Phnom Penh February 25, 2010. Cambodia's government is drafting a law to specifically target crimes involving acid attacks amidst a rise in such attacks this year. The government is reviewing similar laws in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh to draft tough sentences including life imprisonment for these crimes, police officials said. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
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Political Sacravatoons: "Ky Tech"

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com/)
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Cambodia's opposition leader faces new lawsuit

Oppostion leader Sam Rainsy. Photo: Ayuthyea, RFA
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Prime Minister Hun Sen's government filed a lawsuit Friday against opposition leader Sam Rainsy that accuses him of spreading false information about a border dispute with Vietnam.
The lawsuit was based on several comments made by Sam Rainsy, who questioned whether Cambodia's border with Vietnam had been incorrectly marked by the government to Cambodia's advantage.
Earlier this week, Hun Sen described Sam Rainsy's comments as treacherous because Cambodia already has a volatile border dispute with Thailand on its northern and western frontiers, so causing trouble with Vietnam could open up a potential second area of confrontation.
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undaunted over Hun Sen's planned border visit: Suthep

BANGKOK, Feb 26 (TNA) - Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban on Friday downplayed concerns over the planned weekend visit of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to Cambodian troops near the Thai border, saying security measures along the border have been well-prepared.
Mr Suthep, who oversees national security, commented following news reports of Cambodian English-language newspaper the Phnom Penh Post that Mr Hun Sen will visit his troops near the Thai border in Battambang province on Saturday, while soldiers in Kampong Chhnang province will also conduct military exercises and will test launch BM-21 rockets on March 5.
The deputy Thai premier said it is normal for Mr Hun Sen to travel wherever he wants, but the Thai government has already put security measures in place along the Thai-Cambodian border. He suggested there was no need for anything in addition.
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Who is Ruom Ritt?

Op-Ed by Srey Sra'em (on the web at http://www.ki-media.blogspot.com/)
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Political Sacravatoons: "Tic-Tack, Tic-Tack, ..."

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com/)
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Political chaos looms, adding to uncertainty

Thaksin speaks to a red-shirt meeting from Dubai - So connected, so aloneTensions may even escalate, say pundits
26/02/2010
By Parista Yuthamanop
Bangkok Post

While today's landmark court case regarding ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra will have profound implications for his family's wealth, few, if any, pundits expect the ruling to mark the end of the political and social conflicts that have split the country.
Indeed, political tensions within the fragile coalition government of Abhisit Vejjajiva may well escalate, judging from the signs of growing disgruntlement among the partners.
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THAKSIN'S D-DAY: Where are Shinawatra kids today?

The three children of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra and his ex-wife Khunying Pojaman na Pombejra are not attending the much-awaited reading of the verdict today on their Bt76-billion frozen assets.
February 26, 2010
The Nation

None of them is travelling overseas or making any statements after the Supreme Court's verdict has been read out, their publicists say, adding: "They are at a safe house in Bangkok."
The reading of the verdict is expected to begin at 2pm today, once the judges convene at 1.30pm.
Meanwhile, Thaksin will be addressing MPs and Pheu Thai Party members via a phone-link at the party headquarters. Leading figures expected to be there include former premiers Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and Somchai Wongsawat - Thaksin's brother-in-law - along with his wife Yaowapa, Thaksin's brother Payap and sister Yingluck.
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In Journalists Acquittal, Lessons All Around

By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
25 February 2010

Last week’s acquittal of a Radio Free Asia reporter accused of disinformation has been welcomed by advocacy groups as well as the UN, but observers warn that a number of journalists remain in jail for doing their jobs.
Immediately following the decision of Takeo provincial court, which had tried radio journalist Sok Serey (picture) after a story on local corruption, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights touted the decision as “encouraging development for freedom of expression.”
Ou Virak, president of the organization, told VOA Khmer on Tuesday that all courts should consider the possibility of malicious intent when charges are brought against journalists.
In Sok Serey’s case, it was a local official accused of corruption who brought the suit, which carries a criminal charge under Cambodian law. Takeo court officials cited a lack of evidence and malicious intent as the reasons behind the acquittal.
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EU To Help ‘Bridge Gap’ in Food Security

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
25 February 2010

The European Union announced Thursday it will provide $25 million for five projects to help Cambodia deal with climate change and rising food prices.
“The EU has decided to implement a very big program of food security that will help the poor people in rural areas of Cambodia to go to overcome this food price,” Ajay Markanday, Cambodia’s Food and Agricultural Organization representative, told reporters Thursday.
The projects are designed to “bridge the gap” between emergency food aid and longer-term development, by improving agricultural production, the EU said in a statement.
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Festival Hopes To Promote Dramatic Heritage

By Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer
Washington
25 February 2010

The Ministry of Culture has organized a large drama festival for the first time. The National Lakhaon Festival is running Feb. 18 through Feb. 28, and Ieng Sithul, a music professor at the University of Fine Arts, says the main purpose is to pit rival forms of Cambodian theater against each other.
“Our purpose is to revive Cambodian’s performing arts heritage in its highest form and to encourage the artists to create more stage performances for the sake of sustainability,” said Ieng Sithul, as a guest on “Hello VOA” Monday. “Due to the influence of modern cultures these forms of Cambodian theatre are on the brink of collapse.”
Traditional Cambodian performance is wide and varied, consisting of more than 20 different forms, said Ieng Sithul, who also works for Cambodian Living Arts. Their histories are known from depictions on the temple walls of Angkor Wat and others, he said, and they have passed on from generation to generation.
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Violent abuse in drug treatment centers continues in Cambodia

Glue sniffing is the preferred substance of abuse for children in Cambodia (Photo credit: Creative Commons)
25 February 2010
By Rachel Pollock

[MediaGlobal]: In response to a recent Human Rights Watch report on violent abuse in drug treatment centers in Cambodia, human rights activists are urging United Nations agencies to speak out on the issue. On 16 February 2010, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Phnom Penh issued a report stating that the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has requested that UN Country Team in Cambodia support a provision that would limit the number of compulsory treatment centers in Cambodia by 2015. The RGC is currently working on a proposal to provide community-based drug treatment centers in the Cambodian communities. While progress is encouraging, several UN organizations are still denying these claims of violent abuse and continue to provide monetary support for these drug treatment centers.
Last month Human Rights Watch issued a 93-page report on the atrocities being committed in drug detention centers in Cambodia. The report outlined torture in the form of beatings, whippings and electric shock in 11 drug treatment centers in Cambodia. Drug dependence in Cambodia has seen a dramatic increase over the last decade with the escalating rates of methamphetamine use and the increasing number of children addicted to drugs. Exact figures for drug prevalence in Cambodia differ greatly among UN agencies and government organizations, but the UNODC estimates that 4 percent of the entire population suffers from drug addiction, which is approximately 500,000 people.
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Drug-resistant malaria 'growing' in Cambodia

Thursday, 25 February 2010
By Guy DeLauney, Phnom Penh
BBC News

Parasites are developing resistance to one of the most important anti-malaria drugs, according to experts.
Artimisinin has been highly effective, particularly in places where resistance to other drugs has developed.
But now some patients along Cambodia's border with Thailand are taking longer to respond to the treatment.
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Men detained for killing rare cattle in Cambodia

Thursday, February 25, 2010
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Two hunters have been detained for killing two banteng, an endangered wild cattle species, in a protected forest in northern Cambodia, an official said Thursday.
They were arrested Monday as they were butchering the animals they shot with AK-47 assault rifles near Anlong Veng, the former stronghold of deceased Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, said Tiv Sovantha, a provincial prosecutor.
He said that Bou Hoeurn and Chin Chuon could each face a five-year prison term if convicted. A third poacher is still being sought.
The banteng, which is native to Southeast Asia, is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and is protected by law in Cambodia.
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Cambodia court warns lawyers for KRouge leader

Former Khmer Rouge deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs Ieng Sary sits in the courtroom during a public hearing at the Extraodinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia (ECCC) in Phnom Penh on February 11. Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court on Thursday warned lawyers for Sary to follow court rules or face possible sanctions for misconduct.
26/02/2010
AFP

Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court on Thursday warned lawyers for the former foreign minister of the Khmer Rouge regime to follow court rules or face possible sanctions for misconduct.
Ieng Sary's defence team, which includes US lawyer Michael Karnavas and Cambodian lawyer Ang Udom, received the warning after they filed three documents on matters already addressed by the tribunal.
Ieng Sary, 84, is one of five top regime figures detained in connection with the Khmer Rouge's bloody rule over Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, when up to two million people died from starvation, overwork or execution.
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Claims UN ignored Uighur deportation warnings

Friday, February 26, 2010
By Conor Duffy - exclusive
ABC News Australia

There are claims the United Nations' refugee agency (UNHCR) ignored repeated warnings about the imminent forced deportation of 20 Uighur asylum seekers from Cambodia to China last year.
The Cambodian government was condemned around the world when it deported the asylum seekers at gunpoint in December.
Two Australian women - joint Nobel Peace Prize winner Sister Denise Coghlan and Taya Hunt, a legal officer with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) - represented the Uighurs for six months prior to their deportation.
The pair have spoken exclusively to AM.
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Cambodia pushes out the poor

February 25, 2010
By Joel Elliott
Special to GlobalPost

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Rumbling bulldozers at 2 a.m. sent residents of the Dey Krahorm community scrambling from their beds. The time for eviction had come — not of an individual, or of a family, but as the final stage in the demolition of a 1,400-family neighborhood.
Neighbors and family members tried to stop the bulldozers and excavators from tearing down their homes by linking arms and forming a human wall around their neighborhood. But they could not withstand the tear gas. They broke ranks, choking and coughing. Besides tear gas, police beat residents with electric batons and fired rubber bullets into crowds.
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Mekong River Runs Dry; Cargo Ships Grounded For 10 Days

CHIANG RAI, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- Thailand's exports via Chiang Sean district in this northernmost province have been affected by a severe drought affecting the Mekong River, the 12th-longest river in the world and the 7th-longest in Asia, according to Thai News agency on Thursday.
According to Winai Chintongprasert, head of the Chiang Saen customhouse, the river, which forms the border of Thailand with Laos and Cambodia, and Laos with China, has run completely dry, with a very long line of sand dune islands in the middle of the river.
With such conditions, it forced freighters from Thailand's Chiang Saen Port to China's Guanlei Port in Yunnan province and vice versa to have halted their runs for over 10 days.
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China's dams killing Mekong

EDITORIAL

25/02/2010
Bangkok Post

Like most rivers in this country which are fast drying up under the scorching summer sun, the Mekong is no exception. This otherwise mighty river has shrunk substantially in size and its once forceful flow is now down to a trickle in many lower stretches of the river, to the extent that navigation has become impossible.
Although the drying up of the Mekong River in the dry season has become a normal phenomenon, the situation this year appears to be much worse than that in previous years. The impact has already been felt by people depending on the river for water, transport and food. The Irrigation Department of late has reported that the river in Loei, Nong Khai and Nakhon Phanom provinces has already reached critical levels even though the peak of the dry season is still a month away. Tour boat operators in Chiang Rai's Chiang Saen district have suspended their services because the water level is too shallow for navigation. Fishermen have reported fewer catches prompting many of them to turn to other manual jobs to make a living.
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China, Cambodia sign Consular Treaty to further strengthen cooperation ties

February 25, 2010
Source: Xinhua

China and Cambodia on Thursday signed here the Consular Treaty, aimed to further strengthen the cooperation relations between the two friendly countries.
Long Visalo, secretary of state of Cambodia's Foreign Ministry and Zhang Jinfeng, Chinese ambassador to the Kingdom, signed the treaty on behalf of their respective countries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and other government officials presented at the signing ceremony.
"Along with all-round development of the friendship relations between our two countries, personnel exchanges between the two countries are also increasing," Long Visalo said, and expressed his believe that the Consular Treaty will effectively protect the legitimate interest of citizens of the two countries.
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An Giang expands agricultural cooperation with Cambodia

02/25/2010
VOV News

Many businesses in the southern province of An Giang provide aquatic varieties and technical assistance to help Cambodian farmers reap higher profits.
Under an agricultural cooperation programme between An Giang and neighbouring provinces in Cambodia, Vietnam can export many kinds of farm products, especially vegetables, to Cambodia, Sai Gon Giai Phong newspaper reported on February 24.
Cambodia is calling for the cooperation of Vietnamese farmers boosting in farm production on its 6,000-7,000 ha of land, according to the newspaper.
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Cambodia to join in drug control effort [with Hanoi]

February, 25 2010
VNS

HA NOI — Viet Nam and Cambodia Customs will boost co-operation in information exchange and the prevention of smuggling, especially drugs, according to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed yesterday , February 24, in Ha Noi.
The MoU was signed by Director General of the Viet Nam General Department of Customs Le Manh Hung and Pen Siman, member of the Cambodian Government, Delegate of the Royal Government of Cambodia in charge of the Customs and Excise Department.
The two sides agreed that regular meetings at provincial and border levels will be organised in order to develop favourable conditions for legal import-export and business activities at the border.
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VN sets its sights on dominating Cambodia’s telecom market

25/02/2010

VietNamNet Bridge – The big telecommunication and information technology groups in Vietnam like Viettel, FPT and VTC are looking to Cambodia with expansion in mind.
Viettel is now the largest Vietnamese telecom investor in Cambodia. It launched the Metfone mobile network one year ago. After six months, the Viettel Cambodia topped the network, accounting for 42 percent of the total number of base transceiver stations (BTS), 88 percent of the total optical cable and second for subscribers in Cambodia.
This year Viettel Cambodia aims to earn $250 million in revenue and have 3,000 second-generation (2G) BTS, 1,500 3-G BTS and 15,000-16,000km of optical cable.
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UVic couple leads volunteer group to Cambodia and beyond

DWC team leader Dan Couture holds up a child of Chamcar Bei, Cambodia, where the team volunteered in 2008. (Jennifer Farquharson)
Feb 25, 2010
By Carmen Kuntz
Martlet

Summer is coming and, for some students, that means filling a backpack and boarding a plane to participate in a much preferred form of post-secondary education: travelling.
For many, following the well-beaten path to typical tourist destinations or drinking out of buckets on a beach in Asia is where it’s at. But, for 20 UVic students, it means joining the Canadian non-profit volunteer organization Developing World Connections (DWC) and a team of like-minded people to work in under-developed villages across the globe with a community in need.
DWC is a volunteer-driven, registered, Canadian charity with no religious, political or professional affiliations. Founded in Kamloops B.C. in 2004, this relatively young organization offers students, families and adult groups a chance to travel while participating in sustainable community development projects like digging wells, building schools and helping communities become self-reliant.
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Son Beats Mom´s Face with a Rock Because She Didn´t Have Change

02/25/2010
ShortNews.com

Bantey Meanchey, Cambodia, A 26-year-old man asked his mother for some money so he could buy some wine. His mother agreed to give her son the money but then she realized she only had big bills.
After the mother revealed that she didn´t have change, the son picked up a rock and started beating his mother in the face with it until she was severely injured. Neighbors say that in the past the drunken man often tried to fight his mother.
The violent son has been sent to provincial police headquarters for questioning.
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Teaching in Cambodia is a learning experience

February 25, 2010
By Adam Wisnieski
The Riverdale Express

A trip to the poverty-stricken nation of Cambodia has led to dramatic changes for one Riverdalian.
“I’ve never worked that hard in my life, and I can’t wait to do it again,” said Helene Tyler, a Manhattan College math professor who spent the month of December teaching a graduate course at the Royal University at Phnom Penh in Cambodia.
The last Riverdale heard from Ms. Tyler, she was boarding a plane on Thanksgiving Day to help rebuild the education system of Cambodia, devastated during the reign of dictator Pol Pot of the Khmer Rouge. Almost 30 years later, the country still relies on the generosity of volunteers such as Ms. Tyler.
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Cambodians thankful for fearlessness of Taiwanese Good Samaritan

2010-02-25
Central News Agency

Wei-lin Yang was working as a flight attendant with Taiwan's flagship carrier China Airlines 20 years ago when she decided to dedicate herself to problems far more momentous than keeping airline passengers happy.
Confronting the despair experienced in Cambodia following a lengthy period of war and killing, Yang decided to actively improve the lives of the country's refugees, and her vision has remained firm to this day despite facing personal danger, cultural obstacles, funding shortages, and a long illness.
Her efforts were recently recognized by Reader's Digest, which named her as one of six nominees for the Asian of Year Award 2010.
Though she did not win the top prize, her Field Relief Agency of Taiwan (FRA) has consistently been a winner among the 70,000 Cambodian children she's helped over the years.
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Cambodian military, business cosy up as premier calls for support

The tycoons in the entourage of Cambodia's Strongman
Thu, 25 Feb 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has asked business leaders to help fund the country's military, saying all citizens of the South-East Asian nation have a duty "to defend the nation," national media reported Thursday. "This is not a legal duty that you have to do - the support is voluntary according to your ability," the Cambodia Daily newspaper quoted him as saying.
Hun Sen's speech was followed by a get-together late Wednesday hosted by the prime minister where senior military officials were scheduled to meet 250 leading business people.
Government spokesman Prak Sokhon told the newspaper that the aim was to establish a strong relationship between business and the military.
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Cambodian premier: Opposition leader won't run in next election

Feb 25, 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said the leader of the country's main opposition party would not be permitted to participate in the next general election unless he serves a pending jail sentence, local media reported Thursday.
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy is currently in France after being sentenced in January to two years in absentia for his role in uprooting controversial boundary posts on the border between Vietnam and Cambodia.
'This time the court sentenced him to jail - no pardon this time,' Hun Sen was reported as saying by the Phnom Penh Post newspaper. 'In the next election [due in 2013] there will be opposition parties, but this person will not be there.'
'You must be jailed first, if you are brave enough to come and be jailed,' he added.
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Political Sacravatoons: "The Traitor"

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com/)
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Khmer political poem: "Neak Na Kbott Cheat?"

Khmer poem by Sam Vichea (on the web at http://kamnapkumnou.blogspot.com/), Cartoon by Ung Bun Heang (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com/)
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Who Delay the Anti-corruption Legislation?

25 February 2010
Op-Ed by Kok Sap
Originally posted at http://khamerlogue.wordpress.com

Constitution-Article 101 states: "The functions of members of the Royal Government shall be incompatible with professional activities in trade or industry and with holding of any position in the public service.” It seems clear that the laws forbid the public servants from involving in private businesses while in office.
The international donors and people want Cambodia National Assembly to pass the anti-corruption and graft law since 1993 Constitution went into effects. But to date such law has been held back despite the outcry from opposition and world donors. The impression is the anti-corruption law is still in the early elephant pregnancy and floating somewhere between Sok An plush office and the Mr. Yes Sir, the President of the Assembly, cabinet. The opposition legislators asked for the copy but they were advised the legislation was still with the Council of Ministers where Sok An’s reign supreme.
This proves the government does not want this law to take effect while it is handled by the most corruptive person in the kingdom. According to the Global Witness Country for Sale and Family Tree reports, that person is the Napoleonic complex aliased Sok An, the CPP blood sucking eight hand avatar.
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Border: Lesson Learned from PM Chan Sy Khmer-Yuon Border Survey Team

Cambodia included Cochinchine map prior 1952
24/2/2010
By Kok Sap
Originally posted at http://khamerlogue.wordpress.com/

In July 2007 in Phnom Penh, I had a rare opportunity to converse on border issues with one of the Khmer -Yuon Border Survey team leaders under late Comrade PM Chan Sy government. He had revealed his sadness over Cambodia maritime and land border survey back then. He said the entire episode was dominated by Yuon gains. Then the Government wasn’t strong and couldn’t have much to counter Yuon demands anyway. He was a former secondary level education professor of Mathematic and Khmer literature at Tuol Svay Prey Lycee prior to 17 April day, the Sihanouk revolution victorious day.
Under PM Chan Sy, because of his educational background and skills, he was elevated to high position in the government and charged with Khmer-Yuon border survey. Back then the western border was occupied by the resistance and yet surveyed. In this writing, he’s in his late 70 in age and has asked to be anonymous due to sensitivity and his safety.
During his two year tenure as a co-leader of border survey team, he said there was so much money to be made if his survey team would ignore the original demarcation line. Yuon would give money ($$$) to Khmer team in exchange if no protest made over their markers relocating deep in Khmer side . By then food provided by government was not plentiful yet but his commission could have plenty plus dollars to enjoy daily if they just let Yuon did whatever they wanted on the map survey. He bitterly said to his fellows and subordinates, please watch Yuon closely as they had never changed and had always been conniving.
Please click here to read more...
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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Migrant workers worried over Thai nationality check demand

February 22, 2010
Source: AlJazeeraEnglish

Thailand has ordered migrant workers to verify their nationality to qualify for work permits by the end of the month, or risk deportation.
Many of the estimated one million migrant workers from Myanmar fear they will face difficulties dealing with their military government and persecution if they are forced to go back.
Aela Callan reports from Bangkok (23 Feb 2010).
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Bangkok on alert awaiting court decision on former PM's billions

In exile ... Thaksin Shinawatra is prominent in Thai politics through messages from his bases in Dubai and Cambodia. Photo: AFP
February 25, 2010
The Sydney Morning Herald

Ousted in 2006, Thaksin Shinawatra still divides Thailand, writes Ben Doherty.
IT HAS been branded ''D-Day'' and ''the Final Showdown'', but the decision by a Thai court tomorrow on whether the fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra can keep nearly $2.5 billion in assets seized by the government is unlikely to resolve the political schism which divides Thailand. Instead, it is likely to deepen it and could trigger new waves of violence.
Bangkok is in virtual lockdown in anticipation of tomorrow's judgment, when the Supreme Court will rule whether Thaksin, the deposed former PM still loved by Thailand's rural poor but despised by the Bangkok elite, can have all, some or none of his seized assets back.
Thousands of soldiers and police are already in position at crucial posts across Bangkok and at entrances to the capital since busloads of protesters from the Thaksin-supporting north and north-east of the country are expected to be turned around at the city limits.
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Thaksin: tycoon and defiant former Thai PM

2/24/2010
Agence France-Presse

Thaksin Shinawatra was a flamboyant but divisive prime minister of Thailand, backed by vast riches that paved his path to power and then contributed to his downfall.
The fugitive 60-year-old tycoon was ousted in a military coup in 2006 after months of protests sparked by his family's sale of around two billion dollars' worth of shares in his telecommunications firm.
Thailand's top court is set to rule on Friday whether the government can seize his assets on the grounds that he boosted his wealth through abuse of power, in a move that could spark protests by his supporters.
But with or without his fortune, Thaksin is likely to remain a fixture on the kingdom's turbulent political scene.
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Police criticised over KKrom

Khmer Krom returnees from Thailand sit in a rental home in Boeung Tumpun commune last week. Photo by: Sovan Philong
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
By Camron Wells and Tharum Bun
The Phnom Penh Post

MUNICIPAL police officials on Tuesday called the representative of a group of 22 Khmer Krom asylum seekers to police headquarters in order to explain the rationale behind the decision to deny them identification cards, a move that has drawn the ire of civil society groups.
The representative, Thach Soong, attended the meeting along with the owner of the home where most members of the group have been staying since being deported from Thailand in December after a failed asylum bid.
On Friday, police informed the Khmer Krom that they could not receive identification cards, which are seen as essential for finding jobs, enrolling in schools, renting accommodation and accessing healthcare, among other things.
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Court officials blast Radio Free Asia over report on convictions

Wednesday, 24 February 2010
By Chrann Chamroeun
The Phnom Penh Post

COURT officials in Phnom Penh have taken the unusual step of criticising recent media reports alleging “irregularities” in the convictions of three men accused of armed robberies last week.
A statement issued Monday and signed by Yet Chakrya, the chief prosecutor at Phnom Penh Municipal Court, alleged that Radio Free Asia (RFA) had broadcast “exaggerated information” involving three men convicted of committing a series of armed robberies.
The statement defended the conviction of the men, each of whom was sentenced last week to 30 years in prison. The men were involved in multiple robberies, the statement read – crimes that caused people to lose property and had a negative impact on public security.
The RFA reports, which aired last Wednesday and Monday, relied on interviews with people who lacked sufficient information to criticise the judicial system and police officials, the court suggested in the statement. The reports amounted to a lack of journalistic professionalism, the statement said.
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Border Row: Civil society defends SRP claim

Wednesday, 24 February 2010
By Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

Border Row
A coalition of local civil society organisations has slammed the government’s confrontational stance towards opposition leader Sam Rainsy, defending his allegations about Vietnamese territorial encroachments. In a statement on Tuesday, the Cambodia Watchdog Council (CWC) said government officials continue to ignore all concerns relating to the country’s eastern frontier. “CWC notes that both the Cambodian Border Committee and government leaders have never received the concerns of civil society and political parties about the loss of land because of invasions from neighbouring countries,” the statement read. On Monday, Var Kimhong, Cambodia’s chief border negotiator, told reporters that Sam Rainsy could face charges of falsifying public documents to support his claim that border markers have been posted inside Cambodian territory in Svay Rieng province.
Tith Sothea, a member of the Council of Ministers’ Press Quick Reaction Unit, dismissed the CWC’s statement, saying that the government border demarcation had taken place within a legal framework.
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Cambodian PM to make second trip to Cambodia-Thai border area this week

February 24, 2010
Source: Xinhua

Aiming to inspect border development and military capacity, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said Wednesday that he will make his second trip to the country's northwestern border later this week.
Delivering speech at graduation ceremony at Royal University of Phnom Penh, Hun Sen said he will make his second trip to military region 5 on Feb. 27 to inspect the border development, infrastructure and military capacity presence there.
He said the visit is a routine one to be made by a leader of a country and that it has nothing to hide with military challenge with neighboring country.
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Var Kim Hong couldn't even say "Vietnamese" encroachment

(Photo: Sovannara, Radio France Internationale)
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Cambodian PM accuses opposition chief of treachery

2010-02-24
The Associated Press

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen accused opposition leader Sam Rainsy of treachery Wednesday for disputing the government's position on a border dispute with Vietnam.
Hun Sen said while speaking to students Wednesday in Phnom Penh that government legal experts were preparing to file a lawsuit against Sam Rainsy for challenging whether the border is incorrectly marked to Cambodia's disadvantage. He did not make clear what the charge might be.
Hun Sen referred only to the opposition leader, not to Sam Rainsy by name. Sam Rainsy is living in exile in Paris and was sentenced in absentia by a Cambodian court last month to two years imprisonment for a political protest in which border markers on the frontier with Vietnam were uprooted.
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Hun Xen’s reaction to the “fake map” and the “fake Ruom Ritt”

Hun Xen claimed that he knows who Ruom Ritt is: he cannot talk and he is now ill (Photo: Sovannara, RFI)
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
By Ly Meng Huor
Source: Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy for KI-Media
Click here to read the article in Khmer


At the end, on Wednesday 24 Feb, PM Hun Xen couldn't help but to lash out his reaction to the loss of Cambodian territories along the Cambodia-Vietnam border. Hun Xen indicated that this is a case of “fake map” and “betrayal of the nation” that the government must legally sue. Today, Hun Xen also raised the case of the “fake Ruom Ritt” as well.
Hun Xen reacted, but he did not name Sam Rainsy directly. However, it is clear that the person aimed by Hun Xen is no other than Sam Rainsy, the opposition leader who published maps showing the location of the border delimitation stakes between Cambodia and Vietnam in Svay Rieng province that were planted on lands belonging to Cambodian farmers.
However, Hun Xen considered these maps to be fake and he declared that his regime will bring more charges to sue the opposition leader.
Hun Xen declared that the publication of these maps by Sam Rainsy is an act of betrayal of the nation because the government is busy with the aggression along the western border with Thailand, but Sam Rainsy is causing trouble along the eastern border with Vietnam instead.
In Sam Rainsy’s case, Hun Xen also warned diplomats in advance, telling them not to get involved in this case and not to accuse the government of silencing the opposition. He said that the opposition can still remain active in Cambodia, but there will be no pardon arrangement made for Sam Rainsy this time around.
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Hun Sen Attacks Map on Opposition Web Site

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
24 February 2010

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday accused opposition leader Sam Rainsy of betraying the country by publishing a “false map” on his party’s Web site.
The Sam Rainsy Party has put a “French-era” map from 1952 on its Web site, which it claims marks the proper border between Cambodia and Vietnam. The map reflects the borders that are filed with the UN but are not the reality on the ground, according to the party.
However, Hun Sen said on Wednesday the map was false.
“The government must take legal action against the fake map, because it is a fake public document,” Hun Sen told a gathering of graduates at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. “When we are defending against an invasion from the west and you set up a fake map of the east, I accuse you of betrayal.”
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