Sunday, January 31, 2010
Khmer poem by Sam Vichea with Sacravatoons (on the web at 
Cartoons by Sacrava (on the web at Hijacked Cambodian cargo ship no pirate attack: official
January 31, 2010
Source: Xinhua
Source: Xinhua
A hijacked Cambodian cargo ship is being held off Somalia's Berbera port by businessmen owing to a deal which has gone sour and not pirate attack, a regional maritime official confirmed on Saturday.
Andrew Mwangura, East Africa's Coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP), said the MV Layla-S which was seized on Wednesday after it unloaded at the port in the semi-autonomous region of Somaliland has 14 crew members on board from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Somalia and Syria.
"The ill-fated Cambodian flagged cargo ship MV LAYLA-S is being held hostage in port Berbera by Somali businessmen owing to a deal which has gone sour," Mwangura said by telephone from Mombasa, east Kenya.
"It is said that the vessel has link with Syrian and UAE business men. We are informed that she was taken by gunmen after discharging her cargo," he said.
Cambodia: UN Should Review Role in Drug Detention
31 Jan 2010
Source: Human Rights Watch
Source: Human Rights Watch
(New York) - The United Nations should conduct a thorough review of its support for Cambodia's drug detention centers, Human Rights Watch said today.
Human Rights Watch issued a 93-page report, "Skin on the Cable," on January 25, 2010, with reports of widespread beatings, whippings, and electric shock to detainees, including children and individuals with mental disabilities, in seven Cambodian drug detention centers. In response, several United Nations agencies, including the joint UN program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), have spoken out about the abuses. But the two UN agencies that work most closely with the government in detention centers and on drug policy, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), have been less vocal.
"UN officials agree that these centers are illegal and abusive," said Joe Amon, health and human rights director at Human Rights Watch. "Now UNICEF and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime need to make clear to the Cambodian government that the centers should be shut down."
Rights Group Says Cambodia's Drug Treatment Centers Rife with Abuse
30 January 2010
By Daniel Schearf Bangkok
Voice of America
By Daniel Schearf Bangkok
Voice of America
Human Rights Watch says instead of receiving therapy to wean them off drugs, drug addicts are subjected to gross abuses by the Cambodian police and military, which run the centers.
The rights group Human Rights Watch says centers in Cambodia set up to treat drug addicts are instead illegally detaining, beating, torturing and raping them.
Human Rights Watch issued a report Monday saying drug treatment centers in Cambodia are rife with abuse and fail to give any support to drug addicts.
The rights group says many of drug abusers are detained illegally, often through street clean-up campaigns or after their relatives pay authorities to take them for what is supposed to be drug treatment.
Cambodian vessel not hijacked, held by Somali court: official
MOGADISHU, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodian-flagged cargo ship that was reported to have been seized by Somali pirates is held by a local court in northwestern Somalia, an official statement said Saturday.
It was widely reported in local and international media that the Cambodian ship was hijacked by Somali pirates after offloading commercial goods in Berbera, a port town in the breakaway state of Somaliland.
However, the statement from the Berbera Port Authority said the local court in Berbera ordered the detention of MV Layla-S after a local businesses man filled a law suit against the company owning the ship, following the destruction of the businessman's goods in a fire on another ship of the company, MV Mairiam Star.
The agony of Cambodian female victims
Dear all,I hope everyone are fine.
Here I would like to share my articles related to Cambodia with some update.
The Agony of Cambodian Female Victims of Sex Trafficking and Exploitation http://blog.nominetwork.org/2010/01/agony-of-cambodian-female-victims-of.html
Main points are highlighted on:
- Factors that Make Women Vulnerable to Sex Trafficking and Exploitation
- The Suffering of Victims of Sex Trafficking
- Does the Current Economic Crisis make Females More Vulnerable?
- Hope and Motivation from Anti-sex Trafficking Activists
Cambodia's Deportation Ordered by China http://bit.ly/bhg1qC%20http://bit.ly/9nuRBK
Update on this article includes:
BBC: there is no information confirmed about the 20 Uighurs deported back to China. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8487724.stm
Here is the update of Hmong People deported back to Lao by Thai government. These deportees are now being held in squalid secret camps in remote parts of Laos, guarded by soldiers. http://www.smh.com.au/world/deported-hmong-held-by-lao-army-in-squalid-camp-20100112-m4uj.html
Hope you find this information useful. Enjoy the weekend!
Regards,
Sopheap
"When you blame others, you give up your power to change" CHAK Sopheap
******************************************
Graduate Student,
Graduate School of International Relations
International University of Japan
777 Kokusaicho, Minami Uonuma-shi, Niigata 949-7277
JapanE-mail: chaksopheap@gmail.com
Telephone (Room): +81-25-779-1321
Mobile Phone: +81-80-3091-6040
Blog: http://sopheapfocus.blogspot.com/
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Cambodia ship held by court, not taken by Somalis
Sat Jan 30, 2010
HARGEISA (Reuters) - A Cambodian vessel reportedly hijacked off Somalia instead was detained in the Somaliland port of Berbera on court orders, a port official said on Saturday.
The Kenya-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme earlier in the week had said the MV Layla-S had been hijacked after discharging its cargo in the breakaway northern enclave of Somaliland last year.
However, assistant chief of Berbera port Bile Hirsi said the ship was held after a local businessman, whose goods were destroyed in a fire on board another ship that belongs to the owners Layla-S, asked the court to detain it.
Cambodian, Thai troops exchange second fire
PHNOM PENH, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodia's National Defense Ministry official said Saturday that there was another small fire between Thai and Cambodian troops in Veal Veng district in Pursat province.
Maj. Gen. Chhum Socheat, spokesman of Cambodia's National Defense Ministry told reporters that the clash happened at about 10 p.m. on Friday night but "we are still investigating the reason and who started the fire first." He said he also learned from the troops that the fire has resulted in the death of one Thai solider and injury of a few others.
But no one was reportedly killed or injured from the Cambodian side, he said.
Cambodian, Thai troops clash on border: Phnom Penh
Sat. Jan 30, 2010
AFP
AFP
PHNOM PENH — Cambodian and Thai troops have had a brief shoot-out on their disputed border, a Cambodian defence ministry spokesman said Saturday, in the latest such flare-up.
Chum Socheat told AFP that soldiers from the two countries exchanged fire for two or three minutes on Friday evening.
"We are now further investigating into the problem to find out how it started. We can't tell who started it first," he said.
He added that Cambodian troops reported a Thai soldier was killed in the skirmish, however Thai military officials were not immediately available to comment.
Thai, Cambodia Clash Kills Soldier
JANUARY 30, 2010
The Associated Press
The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Cambodia reported Saturday its troops killed one Thai soldier in the latest border clash between their militaries.
Khuy Sokha, governor of western Pursat province, said troops from the two sides fought for about 15 minutes late Friday after about 20 Thai soldiers crossed into Cambodian territory and refused to leave when confronted by Cambodian soldiers.
Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Chhum Socheat said one Thai soldier was killed, with Cambodian troops firing AK-47 assault rifles and B-40 rocket propelled grenades.
Sam Rainsy´s condition for his return to jail លក្ខខ័ណ្ឌលោកប្រធានសមរង្ស៊ីចូលគុក
January 30, 2010Op-Ed by Sokheoun Pang
Originally posted at http://sokheounpang.wordpress.com/
In his interview with RFA MP Sam Rainsy said that he would return to Cambodia to serve the 2-year jail term sentenced by the Svay Rieng kangaroo court of the puppet govt if his condition met.
"I will not return back to Cambodia yet. I wish to request for the release of the two who have been jailed, namely Mr. Prom Chea and Mrs. Meas Srey, from the prison first. If I return now I will be arrested (and jailed) as well, so what is the point if all of us are in jail. Who will help whom if all of us are in jail? Now I demand for the release of the two first. After that I will return to let them arrest me", he said.
I think this only condition is not just and it seems that MP Sam Rainsy forgets his other condition which he used to raise along with it, ie., the return of the lost rice fields to the farmers.
To my concern is that other conditions must be demanded and practically met besides the above two conditions:
The Svay Rieng court must evidently and technically prove that those rice fields are in Vietnam because if those border posts were installed in Cambodian rice fields, MP Sam Rainsy is absolutely right (he explained it here). The court must also prove which racial comment or act has MP Sam Rainsy made then? And bring those who uprooted the rest border posts namely border posts #184, #186, and#187 to trail as well.
Var Kim Hong or Hun Xen must unconditionally cooperate with MP Sam Rainsy in order to verify the alleged border posts together by using the documents that MP Sam Rainsy and Hun Xen´s government use as evidences according to our constitution. Then the loser, regardless who he is, must be brought to justice accordingly after the verification.
Otherwise, MP Sam Rainsy must be trapped by the CPP again. I means the CPP can release the jailed farmers with some secret conditions/threats and then MP Sam Rainsy would be jailed, if he really returned. Then, the new play would be arranged. The jailed farmers would join the puppet govt and push all the crimes onto MP Sam Rainsy. But if he would not return to serve his jail term as promised, then MP Sam Rainsy would be called by the CPP and viewed by other Cambodians as the “COWARD”, the “IRRESPONSIBLE”, the “CRIMINAL”, and his political life would be ended. Or maybe many other plot would be conspired to weight more crime on MP Sam Rainsy! So watch out MP Sam Rainsy!
MP Sam Rainsy should remember that, “It is most importantly not about his serving jail term under the kangaroo court, but it is about the protection of Cambodia and Cambodians.” Therefore, please don´t take it so easy with the puppet CPP.
Hun Xen points one finger at his corrupt army chiefts
Hun Xen (Photo by Pha Lina)Op-Ed by Sokheoun Pang
Originally posted at http://sokheounpang.wordpress.com/
Speaking at the conclusion of a conference on military reform, held at the Ministry of Defence on 28 Jan 2010, Hun Xen warned some solidiers and military commanders involved in illegal businesses and corruption with harsh sanctions. They are Sum Samnang, director-general of logistics and finance at the Ministry of Defence; Chao Phirun, director-general of the military’s materials and technical services department; Ung Samkhan, commander of the Cambodian Navy; and Chhoeun Chanthan, chief of Senate President Chea Sim’s bodyguards.
The Phnom Penh Post has the detail report HERE : [...]...
“It is time to stop every activity involving illegal business or the support of illegal business. [I] don’t care how many stars or moons you have – I will fire you, and nobody will keep corrupt commanders in their seats,” Hun Xen said. “In Cambodia, the prime minister directly controls the troops.”[...]…Hun Xen also acknowledged that many soldiers were involved in illegal activities including logging, land grabbing, smuggling and illegal fishing. “I declare my absolute order [to stop illegal businesses]—otherwise military reform will not move forward,” said Hun Xen.[...]…
As reaction to this Yim Sovan, the spokeman of SRP, reacted that:
He was pleased to hear the prime minister address the issue of land grabbing by the armed forces. “What I am happy about is that he acknowledged past misdeeds,” Yim Sovann said, adding that the SRP’s recommendations on these issues had been ignored for years.
However, Hun Xen´s waring can´t buy in Mr. Thun Sary´s trust as he observes that:
“His speech is very good, but we also ask for real implementation … sometimes when we take his speech to lower levels for implementation, they do not listen,” he said.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Sprung from the water
One of the smaller houseboats of Chong Khneas.
A palatial two-storey stilt mansion in Lake Tonle Sap. — GRAHAM SIMMONSBy Graham Simmons
Malaysia Star
Chong Khneas, Lake Tonlé Sap, Cambodia
They are like immigrants anywhere. The mainly Vietnamese inhabitants of Chong Khneas, a unique floating village in Cambodia’s Lake Tonlé Sap, have to struggle just to survive. And their task is made more difficult by the extraordinary seasonal changes in one of Asia’s biggest lakes.
The area of Lake Tonlé Sap increases at least fourfold in the wet season, its depth rising by more than 8m. Then, during the dry season, the 1,100 families have to move several kilometres out towards the centre of the lake, taking with them all their amenities, including a floating school, fish processing factories, floating churches and mosques, and even a floating basketball court. This doesn’t exactly make life easy.
With Chong Kneas now seeing so many day-trippers, a few tour operators are offering trips to other floating villages.
The province of Kompong Chhnang has a couple of floating villages — Phoum Kandal and Chong Kos — not far from the town of Kompong Chhnang, while Pursat province boasts the biggest ethnic Vietnamese village of them all — Kompong Luong, complete with cafés, shops and even an ice-making plant.
Uighurs returned to China 'disappear' says rights group
The Uighurs left Xinjiang after deadly fighting in JulyBBC News
China must account for the whereabouts of ethnic Uighurs forcibly repatriated from Cambodia, a US-based rights group has said.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said such groups had "disappeared into a black hole" on their return to China.
The Uighurs fled to Cambodia after mass ethnic riots in China in July. Beijing has referred to them as criminals.
In December, a group of 20 Uighurs were put on a plane to China despite opposition from the UN and US.
Southeast Asia: Human Rights Watch Charges Torture, Rape, Illegal Detentions at Cambodian Drug "Rehab" Centers, Demands Shutdown
1/29/10
From Drug War Chronicle, Issue #618
From Drug War Chronicle, Issue #618
In a scathing 93-page report released today, the international human rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Cambodian drug detention centers of torturing and raping detainees, imprisoning children and the mentally ill, and illegally detaining and imprisoning drug users. The centers are beyond reform and should be closed, the group said.
"Individuals in these centers are not being treated or rehabilitated, they are being illegally detained and often tortured," said Joseph Amon, director of the Health and Human Rights division at HRW. "These centers do not need to be revamped or modified; they need to be shut down."
The report cited detailed testimonies from detainees who were raped by center staff, beaten with electric cables, shocked with cattle prods, and forced to give blood. It also found that drug users were "cured" of their conditions by being forced to undergo rigorous military-style drills to sweat the drugs out of their systems.
Rights group criticizes Cambodia opposition leader's conviction
Friday, January 29, 2010
By Steve Czajkowski
Jurist (U. of Pittsburgh, School of Law)
By Steve Czajkowski
Jurist (U. of Pittsburgh, School of Law)
[JURIST] Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] on Friday called [press release] the closed door trial of Cambodia's opposition leader Sam Rainsy [official profile] and two others a "farce," saying the ruling demonstrates the government's control over the country's judiciary. Rainsy was convicted [RFA report] Wednesday, in absentia, of inciting racial discrimination and intentionally destroying posts demarcating the border between Cambodia and Vietnam. Two villagers were convicted of the same crimes. HRW Asia Director Brad Adams said the decision was the result of political motivations by Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen [official profile]:
The Cambodian government's relentless crackdown on critics continues apace in 2010. Hun Sen seems intent on reversing the political pluralism that has been created over the past two decades. Any hopes of slowing Hun Sen's assault on the political opposition now depends on the donor community, which props up the government financially. This political trial should make donors recognize the gravity of the situation.
Rainsy was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 8 million riels (approximately USD $2,000), and the two villagers were each sentenced to one year in prison. All three were required to pay 55 million riels (approximately USD $13,000) for destroying the border markings.
The charges stem from an incident [Phnom Penh Post report] in October where Rainsy joined Cambodian villagers in removing six temporary border markers, which the villagers said were placed on their lands by Vietnamese authorities. Rainsy called the planting of the border markers a border incursion and said his conviction was requested by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung [BBC profile]. Rainsy was stripped of his parliamentary immunity in November, and an arrest warrant was issued for him in December after he failed to appear for questioning about the incident. He has said he would return to the country and allow himself to be taken into custody if the two villagers are released from prison.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Rainsy's trial 'a farce'
Sam Rainsy was convicted and sentenced in absentia on Wednesday to two years in prison for uprooting border markings with neighbouring Vietnam and for inciting racial discrimination. -- PHOTO: APAFP
PHNOM PENH - A HUMAN rights group accused Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday of trying to reverse political pluralism after the nation's main opposition leader was sentenced to jail this week.
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who is now in France, was convicted and sentenced in absentia on Wednesday to two years in prison for uprooting border markings with neighbouring Vietnam and for inciting racial discrimination.
Two villagers were also found guilty of intentionally damaging temporary border posts during the incident in October and each were jailed for a year.
New York-based Human Rights Watch said the court's closed-door trial was 'a farce' that took Hun Sen's campaign of 'persecution of critics to a new extreme and highlights government control over the judiciary'.
'The Cambodian government's relentless crackdown on critics continues apace in 2010,' said Brad Adams, HRW Asia director, in a statement. 'Hun Sen seems intent on reversing the political pluralism that has been created over the past two decades.'
The Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, a local rights group, said this week that Sam Rainsy's conviction 'reflects Cambodia's rotten democracy'. Cambodia and Vietnam officially began demarcating their contentious border in September 2006 in a bid to end decades of territorial disputes.
Chevron extends Cambodian energy exploration deal
Jan 29, 2010
DPA
DPA
Phnom Penh - US energy giant Chevron Corp has extended its offshore energy exploration deal with the Cambodian government, local media reported Friday, but the company provided no other details citing 'commercial reasons.'
'Chevron welcomes the ongoing opportunity to evaluate the Block A resource,' spokesman Gareth Johnstone told the Phnom Penh Post newspaper.
Block A, an area off Cambodia's coast in the Gulf of Thailand, is thought to be one of the nation's most promising areas for oil and gas exploration in the coming years.
Announcement of the deal after almost a year of negotiations with the Cambodian government puts an end to speculation that Chevron might quit the country.
The newspaper noted that Chevron has spent 125 million dollars and drilled 15 exploratory wells in Block A since 2002. The latest date for production, which has been pushed back several times, is 2013.
Chevron is one of many extractive companies that have been criticized in recent years for their refusal to say what they are paying for the rights to tap Cambodia's natural resources. Corruption is endemic in the impoverished South-East Asian nation, and there are concerns that any windfall from oil and gas revenues will be squandered.
Cracks appearing in Thai military?
Friday, 29 January 2010
By Martin Petty
Reuters
By Martin Petty
Reuters
A grenade attack on the office of Thailand’s army chief this month is stoking fears of a worst-case scenario in Thailand’s political crisis – a possible fissure in the military along fault lines that have divided the country.
Analysts, diplomats and military sources say it is premature to talk of a split in Thailand’s powerful and politicized army but that festering ideological differences show signs of broadening in one of the most charged climates in decades.
A divide in an institution central to Thailand’s power structure would deepen uncertainty over the outlook for Thailand’s export-dependent $260 billion economy, Southeast Asia’s second-largest, and raise the prospect of instability in a country seen as a gateway to the region for foreign companies.
Hun Xen’s generals: They are embezzler, can’t read map, incompetent and thief of state properties
Hun Xen unmasks four 3-golden-star generals during an army seminarThursday 28 Jan 2010
Source: DAP news
Translated from Khmer by Socheata for KI-Media
Hun Xen issued strong warnings while revealing bad and illegal deeds perpetrated by a number of high ranking generals, some of whom were involved in cheating the army. During the closing of an army seminar held in the afternoon of 28 January 2010, Hun Xen warned that the action taken by 4 generals led to the decline of the army.
The direct warning issued by Hun Xen to 4 famous high-ranking army generals was done with the aim of erasing corruption and irregularities so as to bring progress to the army.
The 4 generals named by Hun Xen are: (1) 3-star general Chhoeun Chan Thorn, aka Mao, who is the commander of Chea Xim’s bodyguard unit; (2) 3-star general Sum Somnang, the director of the supply and finance of the ministry of Defense; (3) 3-star general Chao Phirun, the technical director of the ministry of Defense; and (4) 3-star general Ung Samkhan, the former navy chief of staff and currently the RCAF deputy chief of staff.
Requiem For An Age : Far Eastern Economic Review
The tumultuous era that made Far Eastern Economic Review so relevant, is gone
Launched soon after World War II, the Review was a quirky magazine of record, documenting and explaining the region’s amazing transformation over the next half centuryBy Arun Subramaniam
Source: Forbes India
Dow Jones’ announcement last September that it was closing down the Far Eastern Economic Review didn’t exactly come as a surprise. The 64-year-old publication had been limping along since October 2004 when the entire staff was let go and the weekly news magazine was converted into a monthly (if that) contributor-based commentary on the region’s public affairs.
Several recent articles, mostly by former Review journalists, have attributed the passing of the region’s most influential current affairs magazine to the steady erosion of its independence and unique journalistic style as Dow Jones steadily tightened its grip. That’s an overstatement.
Launched soon after World War II, the Review was a quirky magazine of record, documenting and explaining the region’s amazing transformation over the next half century. The Review was driven almost entirely by the enterprise and vision of its reporters in the field. It was a grassroots magazine compiled and edited in Hong Kong from the contributions of writers who knew their subject first hand and wrote solely about what they considered relevant.
Feature: Exhibition at LJCC, Ivy House - “Cambodia: Reflections of the Khmer Rouge”
Feature Image (main):.jpg)
28 January 2010
By KATTY PEARCE
Islington Tribune
28 January 2010
By KATTY PEARCE
Islington Tribune
THE brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge is being remembered at the London Jewish Cultural Centre this week. An exhibition of photographs from Cambodia portraying life under Pol Pot’s tyranny is one of a number of events the centre is hosting to raise international awareness of genocide to honour National Holocaust Memorial Day.
“Cambodia: Reflections of the Khmer Rouge” exposes graphic evidence of Pol Pot’s regime when approximately two million people were killed. Written testimony from survivors is displayed next to photographs of victims and perpetrators.
Ilana Winterstein has co-curated the exhibition. “We chose the LJCC as a venue because we wanted to link the exhibition to Holocaust Memorial Day,” she said. “At this time of remembrance it is important that we also remember the victims of other man-made atrocities in order that the diktat ‘Never again’ may one day become a reality.”
• The exhibition is at Ivy House, 94-96 North End Road, Golders Green, NW11, until February 17. Mondays and Wednesdays 10am-4pm, Thursdays 3-6pm. Free admission. 020 8457 5000
From Cambodia’s Killing Fields to $125,000 win in Las Vegas
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Kimbo Ung celebrates his victory in the Heartland Poker Tour at Red Rock Resort. (Photo: Red Rock Resort)By Robin Leach
Las Vegas Sun
It was a long and difficult journey from “The Killing Fields” of Cambodia for refugee Kimbo Ung, who has now settled in Las Vegas and become a full-time poker player. Kimbo recently defeated World Series of Poker bracelet winners and a Hollywood actor in the Heartland Poker Tour at Red Rock Casino to win the $125,000 pot.
Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari was there. Layne Flack was there. Lou Diamond Phillips and yours truly were there when 300 players from the Midwest invaded Las Vegas for the celebrity event. But the biggest star was a 42-year-old unknown who spent the past three years on the bubble.
Kimbo, the winner of $125,901, nearly busted out multiple times. He sat at the Final Table as the short stack, and at one point had 80,000 chips when his opponents had millions. But Kimbo is no stranger to starting over, having spent a lifetime overcoming horrifying and unbelievable odds as The Comeback Kid.
Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy’s Trial a Farce: Human Rights Watch
Conviction Demonstrates Continuing Persecution of Critics, Political Control of Judiciary
January 28, 2010
Source: Human Rigths Watch
(New York) - A Cambodian court's closed-door conviction and sentencing of the opposition leader Sam Rainsy and two others takes Prime Minister Hun Sen's campaign of persecution of critics to a new extreme and highlights government control over the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said today.On January 27, 2010, the Svay Rieng provincial court convicted Rainsy and two villagers, Meas Srey and Prom Chea, on charges of racial incitement and destroying demarcation posts on Cambodia's border with Vietnam. Rainsy, who was in Paris, was tried in absentia and sentenced to two years in prison and fined 8 million riels (approximately US$2,000). Meas Srey and Prom Chea were each sentenced to one year in prison for destroying public property. The court also ordered the three to pay 55 million riels (approximately US$13,000) in compensation for the removal of border markers with Vietnam.
"The Cambodian government's relentless crackdown on critics continues apace in 2010," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Hun Sen seems intent on reversing the political pluralism that has been created over the past two decades."
The cases were brought after Rainsy and local villagers pulled six temporary border markers from the ground in Chantrea district of Svay Rieng. Local villagers alleged that the border markers represented an attempt by Vietnam to encroach on Cambodian land, a longstanding claim of Rainsy and his party.
Cartoon by SacravaSam Rainsy Conviction Reflects Cambodia’s Rotten Democracy: CCHR
PRESS RELEASE - Phnom Penh, 28 January 2010For immediate release
_____________________________________________________
Sam Rainsy Conviction Reflects Cambodia’s Rotten Democracy
The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (“CCHR”) condemns the political-ruling by Svay Rieng Provincial Court on 27 January 2010 that found Cambodian Opposition leader Sam Rainsy guilty of racial incitement and destruction of property, and villagers Meas Srey and Prom Chea guilty of destruction of property. The charges arose from an October 2009 incident in which Mr. Rainsy joined villagers from Svay Rieng’s Chantrea district in symbolically uprooting temporary Cambodia-Vietnam border markers, which villagers claimed had been placed illegally in their rice fields by Vietnamese authorities. Mr. Rainsy’s conviction reflects the state of Cambodia’s democracy, as three of its cornerstones- parliamentary immunity, freedom of expression and judicial independence - continue to be uprooted by the Royal Government of Cambodia (the “RGC”).
Parliamentary Immunity
Mr. Rainsy’s conviction follows the stripping of his parliamentary immunity in November 2009 in a closed session of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party-dominated National Assembly. It continues an alarming trend that saw opposition lawmakers stripped of their immunity on four occasions in 2009. Parliamentary immunity is guaranteed in Article 80 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia (the “Constitution”) and is intended partly to ensure that the legislature can oversee the executive, with parliamentarians free to express opinions without fear of reprisal. Parliamentarians must be able to question the RGC’s policy and activities without being stripped of their immunity and faced with criminal charges. The CCHR condemns the frequent disregard of parliamentary immunity and urges the RGC to work with legal experts, representatives of all political parties, and civil society to develop a clearer, de-politicised legal framework governing parliamentary immunity.
Cambodian PM advises military to focus on human resource development
January 28, 2010
Source: Xinhua
Source: Xinhua
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen Thursday urged his military men at all levels, especially the leaders and commanders of the army, to focus on human resource development.
"We are aware that in early 21st century, technology has promoted infrastructure development at all sectors for humanity. However, compared to regional countries, Cambodia still has a big gap of human resource shortage that needs to be addressed," he said at the closing of the stocktaking workshop on the 5-Year Military Reform (2005-2009) and 5-Year Direction Setting (2010- 2014).
"Therefore, the Ministry of Defense and Commander-in-chief should continue to carry out 5-year armed forces reform by focusing on human resource development and promoting their capacity, so that our armed forces could stand equally with others in the region and in other developed countries," he said.
Khmer Rouge killing machine explored at Sundance
From L to R: "Enemies of the People" co-directors Rob Lemkin, Film director and journalist Thet Sambath and producer Sandra WhiphamBy Romain Raynaldy
AFP
PARK CITY, Utah — Ten years in the making, a documentary showing at the Sundance Festival explores the inner workings of the Cambodian regime through hundreds of hours of interviews with the Khmer Rouge regime's number two.
"Enemies of the People," in competition at the independent film festival held in Park City in the mountains of Utah, is the product of a collaboration between Cambodian journalist Thet Sambath and Briton Rob Lemkin.
Up to two million people -- a quarter of Cambodia's population -- were executed or died of torture, starvation and overwork under the 1975-1979 regime led by the notorious Pol Pot.
Cambodia: Shanghai Co. awarded to build new deep-sea port and deliver lifting equipment
Jan 27th, 2010
DeredgingToday.com
DeredgingToday.com
CHINESE company Shanghai Co has been selected by the government to develop infrastructure at Phnom Penh Autonomous Port (PPAP).
Hei Bavy, director general of PPAP, told the Post Wednesday that the business has been awarded the rights to develop the port from the Cambodian government. It is set to start the project this March and due to finish 30 months later.
The scheme will be funded by a US$30 million Chinese loan, announced by the government in October.
In its first stage, Shanghai will equip the 59-year-old port with modern goods-lifting equipment and build a new port for storing containers in a deep-water area. This will be situated on the Mekong River, in Kien Svay district, 20 kilometres east of Phnom Penh.
SEAPA outlines press freedom battles for 2010
2010-01-28
EM News
EM News
The Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) released a new report covering press freedom vulnerabilities throughout the region. After the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) shifts from Thailand to Vietnam in 2010, its approach to press freedom will have a crucial influence on issues like impunity, election coverage and access to the Internet, says the report.
Struggles faced by journalists and media workers in Southeast Asia in 2009 continue. The massacre of 32 journalists last November in the Philippines was the most vicious example of a culture of impunity that exists throughout the region. Journalists also suffered from physical threats, imprisonment and legal harassment, while national security laws are being used as an excuse to curb free speech and defamation remains a criminal offense.
The report, "Southeast Asia's Press Freedom Challenges for 2010", provides country profiles detailing the free expression battles that lie ahead. Burmese media must be able to provide independent coverage of upcoming elections to educate Burmese citizens and to monitor the integrity of the polls, says the report. In Cambodia politically motivated intimidation and imprisonment of editors, reporters and human rights defenders continue. Religious tensions in Malaysia are being used as an excuse to restrict press freedom and Internet access.
Cambodian court convicts US sex offender again
January 28, 2010
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - An American man already serving a 10-year prison term for sexually abusing a teenage girl has been sentenced to three more years for a second offense.
Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Chhay Kong on Thursday found Michael James Dodd of Washington, D.C. guilty of soliciting sex from a 15-year-old girl and handed him the new sentence.
Last August, the same court sentenced Dodd to 10 years in jail and ordered him to pay 20 million riel (US$4,878) in compensation to a 14-year-old girl after finding him guilty of soliciting sex with her.
Meng Sotheary, Dodd's lawyer, said the court's latest decision was not legally sound but based solely on police reports and the girl's testimony.
Somali Pirates Hijack Cambodian Cargo Ship
January 28, 2010
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Somali gunmen hijacked a Cambodian cargo ship, the MV Layla-S, off Berbera after it unloaded at the port in the breakaway northern enclave of Somaliland, a regional maritime official said Thursday. "Crew members on board the ill-fated vessel are ... Pakistani, Indian, Sri Lankan, Somali and Syrian nationals," Andrew Mwangura of the Mombasa, Kenya-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Program said in a statement.
"It is said that the vessel has a link with Syrian and UAE businessmen. We are informed that she was taken by gunmen after discharging her cargo." The hijacking appeared to have happened Wednesday, but few other details were immediately available. The seizure came a week after Somali pirates freed a Greek-flagged tanker carrying 2 million barrels of oil for a record ransom.
Cambodian Ship Hijacked From Gulf of Aden
2010-01-27
IndiaServer.com
IndiaServer.com
According to a top maritime authority, a Cambodian cargo ship, MV Layla S has been hijacked off the Somalian port of Berbera in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday. It is said that there might be some Indians apart from Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Somalian and Syrian nationals.
As per the information received from the Directorate-General of Shipping (DGS), the vessel is believed to be owned and managed by Al Hufoof, an agency based in either Syria or the United Arab Emirates. However, the details of the crew members are still awaited.
The DGS said that the ship was overpowered by the miscreants after the cargo was offloaded at Berbera Port.
It is also reported that, the owner of that ship has already abandoned the crew and hence, the crew members might have been held in captivity since the past few days.
The DGS has already informed about the incident to the concerned authorities including the Coast Guard and Indian Navy.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Cartoon by Sacrava.jpg){kind=link}
HRP appreciates the survey report " Participation and Democratic Governance "
Please click on the statement in Khmer to zoom inPhnom Penh, 27 January 2010
STATEMENT
Human Rights Party would like to show sincere admiration and congratulation to the Committee for Free and Fair Election in Cambodia (COMFREL) that has tirelessly observed and done research into the participation and democratic governance, and held a seminar on 26 January 2010 to promulgate this useful report, which clearly shows the lawmakers’ interest in their constituents who have always trusted them.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Party, which is supported by almost four hundred thousands votes and has three members of parliament, has always visited people throughout the country and so far this year attended 201 public forums held by national and international organizations. Among this 201 times, H.E Kem Sokha, Human Rights Party’s president has approached the local people 126 times; H.E Yem Ponhearith has visited local people 34 times; and H.E Ou Chanrith has done 42 times.
Comparing to other parties in the National Assembly, Human Rights Party has visited voters many times contradicting to some people’s address. Human Rights Party cannot accept the speech that only the ruling party has visited the voters since it is not true.
For more information, please contact:
016 435 106
016 435 106
Few voters ever meet their local MPs: report
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
By Kim Yuthana
The Phnom Penh Post
A NEW report by the election watchdog group COMFREL says that less than 4 percent of Cambodian voters have any direct contact with their local parliamentarians.
By Kim Yuthana
The Phnom Penh Post
A NEW report by the election watchdog group COMFREL says that less than 4 percent of Cambodian voters have any direct contact with their local parliamentarians.The report, issued Tuesday during a workshop in Phnom Penh, found that of 8,678 voters surveyed, only 3.5 percent had directly communicated with their representatives.
Koul Panha (picture), executive director of COMFREL, cited enormous workloads placed on politicians and a failure by political parties to communicate effectively with voters as the chief obstacles to a closer relationship between parliamentarians and their constituents.
Political parties “fail to introduce their parliamentarians to residents, and residents are not able to contact their offices”, Koul Panha said.
Hun Sen rejects sending his troops to Iraq, Afghanistan
PHNOM PENH, Jan. 27, 2010 (Xinhua News Agency) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has rejected to send his troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, saying human lives are lost almost every day in those two countries.
Hun Sen's rejection was made on Wednesday as a response to the information that his country was asked to send, if possible, 1,000 of its troops as land deminers to Afghanistan.
In reply, Hun Sen said "We will not send any Cambodian armed forces even in the form of the United Nations Mission to Iraq and Afghanistan."
Cambodia won't send troops to Afghanistan, Iraq
2010-01-27
The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Prime Minister Hun Sen said Wednesday he will not send peacekeeping troops to Afghanistan and Iraq.
Hun Sen said some countries, which he did not name, had requested 1,000 Cambodian de-miners be deployed to Afghanistan.
"I will not send Cambodian sons to die in those two countries," he said in remarks at the groundbreaking for a new road in the central province of Kampong Thom. "The Cambodian people have seen enough war and suffered enough casualties from land mines."
China to Help Restoration of Cambodia's National Road
2010-01-27
Source: Xinhua
Source: Xinhua
The ground breaking ceremony of the restoration of National Road No. 62 in northern Cambodia was held on Wednesday with the attending of Prime Minister Hun Sen and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Zhang Jinfeng.
"It is a major route of transportation linking Cambodia's northern border to capital Phnom Penh and the road will be sure to enhance Cambodia's economic vitality as well as greatly promote Cambodia's economic and social development, " said Zhang at the ceremony.
"It is the first economic and trade cooperation project between China and Cambodia in the beginning of 2010," Zhang said. "A good beginning is half done." She also said that more construction projects assisted by Chinese government will be started or finished this year. These projects include irrigation system, road restoration and transmission and transformer networks.
Please click here to read more...
Hun Sen praises China's aid in infrastructure development
January 27, 2010
Source: Xinhua
Source: Xinhua
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen praised China on Wednesday for continued aid that helps Cambodia's infrastructure development.
Giving speech at the ground breaking ceremony of National Road No. 62 renovation, donated by China, in Cambodia's central province of Kampong Thom, Hun Sen said China has helped Cambodia touching on four major priority sectors' development in his country.
He said the four priority sectors are road, water, power and human resource.
"As always, the government and people of China have supported Cambodia in development of all fields, the move to push for economic and social development that will help reduce the poverty of the Cambodian people," he said at the event.
Please click here to read more...
Westford women teach Cambodian orphans
Jan 27, 2010
By Peter Costa/Staff Writer
GateHouse News Service
By Peter Costa/Staff Writer
GateHouse News Service
Westford —The Cambodian orphans had never seen scissors.
Some held them by the closed blades and looked through the finger loops as if they were silver spectacles Even after being shown how to hold scissors properly, few kids could make a cutting motion.
“It took a while but they caught on and were able to cut some paper and make paper chains and we helped them make masks,” said Barbara Peacock, a Westford photographer who taught art and photography in Cambodia this past summer.
Peacock is a founder of a nonprofit organization called The Nightingale Project, which helps the disadvantaged through art. She was accompanied on her trip to Cambodia by her friend, Tamison Rose, who is an artist and former Westford School Committee member.
Cambodia opposition leader is sentenced
Cambodian opposition party leader Sam Rainsy was sentenced in absentiaBy Tim Johnston
Financial Times
Sam Rainsy, the leader of Cambodia’s largest opposition party, has been sentenced to two years in jail after a closed court found him guilty of pulling up posts used to demarcate the border between Cambodia and Vietnam.
Mr Rainsy, currently in Paris, said the conviction was politically motivated. He had led a protest last October to highlight what he said was land encroachment by Vietnam.
“I don’t care about this sentence,” Mr Rainsy said. “I will continue to fight for justice for Cambodians who are victimised by land grabbing, including border encroachment.”
You are always faced our legal charge!
January 26, 2010
Op-Ed by sokheounpang
Originally posted at http://sokheounpang.wordpress.com/
We still rememer after MP Sam Rainsy uprooted the six illegal border posts in Svay Rieng, sVa Kim Hong and other government´s leaders comdemned Sam Rainsy act as baseless (here) without having any reliable fact and scientific data and asked MP Sam Rainsy to submit the incroacgment report with factual and scientific research.
Op-Ed by sokheounpang
Originally posted at http://sokheounpang.wordpress.com/
We still rememer after MP Sam Rainsy uprooted the six illegal border posts in Svay Rieng, sVa Kim Hong and other government´s leaders comdemned Sam Rainsy act as baseless (here) without having any reliable fact and scientific data and asked MP Sam Rainsy to submit the incroacgment report with factual and scientific research.But now MP Sam Rainsy has provided the evidence with all the requirements needed. The result is not accepted by the puppet government and yet he is to face another fresh charge.
Government adviser Tith Sothea said the government was considering whether to take legal action against the Sam Rainsy Party president for publishing documents denigrating the government’s border-demarcation efforts.“The government will consider taking legal action to prohibit any illegal publication that affects the security of the social order,” he said, adding that a decision would not be made until after Sam Rainsy’s trial on Wednesday.Tith Sothea (piture), who is also a member of the Quick Response Team at the press office of the Council of Ministers, defended the government’s effort, which he said was based on a 1985 treaty with Vietnam and a 2005 agreement approved by the National Assembly and signed by the King.“Sam Rainsy is not the representative of Cambodia’s 123 parliamentarians,” he said. “On the contrary, he has affected [the country’s] honour and its overarching interests.”
Actually, these traitors never ask for any evidence or proof to solve any border incroachments from the Viets since they have always worked without it and politically what they asked and needed from us is just our silence. And if we breathe our words whethet they are with or without evidence, we will always be charged if they are seen as against their group´s interests.
My House is 50m away from the new border lines: Heng Xamrin
The house of Heng Xamrin´s cousin (SMD)Op-Ed by sokheounpang
Originally posted at http://sokheounpang.wordpress.com/
In the radio call-in show of the Candle Light program, Lok Protean Sam Rainsy quoted Heng Xamrin (left picture) as having said that his house now is about 50m away from the border lines. In fact, Heng Xamrin said this in 1995 and fortunately I visited his village on 28 March 2005 and I was told and shown directly where the border lines were and are by some brave Cambodians then.This is the house of Heng Xamrin´s cousin in Kbal Damrei village, Krek, Kampung Cham. Heng Xamrin´s cousin is a village´s head and Heng Xamrin´s villa is not far from here. When asked what his reaction was regarding to the walking border lines deep inside into Cambodian territory which is now close to his stairs, Heng Xamrin´s cousin said he was so worried and however added that it was up to the top.
Traitorously, Heng Xamrin, along with other two traitors Hun Xen and Chea Xim, changed his mind and recently claimed that Cambodia doesn´t lose land to Viet.
So please shared and spread this information and let´s stay behind SRP for the common sake of Cambodia and Cambodians.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
HRP President Kem Sokha: Cambodia politics is dangerous
Dear all compatriots,
Please click the above audio program to listen to H.E. Kem Sokha's interview on Jan 21, 2010 with the Khmer Post Radio during his trip in the United States.
Cambodia to destroy all 'ecstasy oil' stocks
By Prak Chan Thul
PHNOM PENH, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Cambodia is cracking down on a raw ingredient for the club-drug ecstasy by wiping out stocks of an oil made from the roots of a rare rainforest tree, an official said on Thursday.
Cambodian authorities, with help from Australian police, will destroy 14 tonnes of sassafras, an ingredient for cosmetics but also a precursor chemical to make methylenedioxymethamphetamine, more commonly known "MDMA" or the party drug ecstasy.
The amount represents all known stocks of sassafras oil in Cambodia and will be the second-largest volume destroyed since the authorities made the oil illegal in 2007, said Cambodia Police Major General Meas Vyrith.
A thin line between Cambodia and Vietnam
Jan 28, 2010By Jared Ferrie
Asia Times Online
PHNOM PENH - The leader of Cambodia's main opposition party, Sam Rainsy, skipped his court date on Wednesday, eluding an arrest warrant issued for allegedly uprooting border markers on the frontier with Vietnam. Rainsy instead remained in France, where he had fled in advance of the hearing because he felt the case was politically motivated.
The Svay Rieng province court convicted villagers Meas Srey and Prum Chea to one year in prison and ordered them each to pay 5 million riel (US$1,200) in compensation to district authorities for moving the border posts. Rainsy was convicted in absentia to two years in prison, handed an 8 million riel fine and ordered to pay 5 million riels compensation to district authorities. All three must pay an additional 50 million riel in compensation for destroying the border posts, according to the ruling.
The case highlights the ongoing controversy of Vietnamese influence over Prime Minister Hun Sen's government, some 30 years after the government in Hanoi ordered troops to invade Cambodia. The two countries are now in the process of demarcating their 1,270-kilometer long border. They are also negotiating investment agreements that could see Vietnam pouring billions of dollars into Cambodia.
Cambodian opposition leader jailed in absentia
1/27/2010
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse
A Cambodian court convicted and sentenced the nation's main opposition leader in absentia to two years in jail Wednesday on charges of uprooting border markings, he and his party said.
Sam Rainsy was stripped of his parliamentary immunity in November and charged with inciting racial discrimination and intentionally damaging wooden posts denoting Cambodia's boundary with Vietnam.
Two villagers, who were in court, were also convicted with intentionally damaging the border markings during the incident in October and jailed each for a year, said Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann.
Cambodian opposition leader gets 2-year jail term
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010The Associated Press
SVAY RIENG, Cambodia — A Cambodian court has sentenced opposition chief Sam Rainsy in absentia to two years imprisonment for uprooting border markers on the frontier with Vietnam.
Human rights worker Chheng Sophas, who attended Wednesday's one-day trial, said the leader of the self-titled Sam Rainsy Party had been found guilty of destruction of public property and inciting people to commit a criminal act. Sam Rainsy did not attend the trial, and according to his party is in France.
Sam Rainsy led a group of villagers in pulling out the markers as a way to dramatize his claim that Vietnam is encroaching on Cambodian territory, an issue he often raises to garner political support. The incident occurred in October of last year.
Cambodia's Parliament stripped him of his immunity from prosecution in November.
Travesty of justice in the kangaroo court: Sam Rainsy sentenced to 2 years in jail and 8 million riels ($2,000) in fine – as he has predicted
Wednesday, January 27, 2009
Source: DAP-news
Translated from Khmer by Socheata for KI-Media
Source: DAP-news
Translated from Khmer by Socheata for KI-Media
Svay Rieng – The Svay Rieng court decided to sentence opposition leader Sam Rainsy to two years in jail and to pay 8 million riels ($2,000) in fine. The other 2 vilagers, Mr. Prum Chea and Mrs. Meas Srey, are sentenced to one year of jail time and to pay a fine of 5 million riels ($1,250) between the two. Furthermore, all three of the accused – Sam Rainsy and the two villagers – are ordered to pay 55 million riels ($13,750) to the state to be distributed as follows: 50 million riels ($12,500) to be paid by Sam Rainsy, and 5 million riels ($1,250) to be paid by the two villagers. The other 3 villagers who were also charged in this case, saw their cases dropped by the court.
Rainsy sentenced to two years' jail
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
By Meas Sokchea and Sebastian Strangio
The Phnom Penh Post
By Meas Sokchea and Sebastian Strangio
The Phnom Penh Post
SVAY RIENG PROVINCE & PHNOM PENH—SVAY RIENG provincial court has found opposition leader Sam Rainsy guilty of racial incitement and destroying demarcation posts on the border with Vietnam, lawyers said. In a closed-door session on Wednesday, Judge Koam Chhean sentenced the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) president to two years prison in absentia and fined him 13 million (around US$3,132), said Sam Sokong, the defense attorney of two villagers accused on similar charges.
“I cannot accept the trial today, because it did not take evidence and proof into consideration to find justice,” Sam Sokong said. “The court did not base its decision on the evidence.” He added that his clients – local villagers Meas Srey, 39, and Prom Chea, 41 – were also sentenced to one year in prison each on the charge of destroying public property and ordered to pay 5 million riels ($1,204) in compensation. Rights activists also reported that the three were ordered to pay 50 million riels ($12,048) for the removal of the border markers.
The charges stemmed from an October 25 incident in which Sam Rainsy joined villagers in uprooting six temporary border markers in Svay Rieng’s Chantrea district. Locals claimed they were placed in their ricefields by Vietnamese authorities. Sam Rainsy is currently in France.
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