Thailand, Cambodia to hold talks on economic cooperation

BANGKOK, Oct 31 (MCOT online news) -- Thailand and Cambodia will confer on economic cooperation between their border provinces next month, according to Thai Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot.

Speaking at Suvannabhumi Airport on his return from the 17th ASEAN summit ending in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi Saturday, Mr Alongkorn said that senior officials in the border provinces officials of the two countries will meet Nov 30 and discuss possible economic cooperation.

The upcoming meeting is considered as positive sign toward “improving relations both at the provincial and national levels,” Mr Alongkorn said.

Cambodia’s commerce minister discussed economic cooperation between the two countries with Mr Alongkorn at the sidelines of the ASEAN summit. Both agreed that a summit should be held in February.
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In Cambodia, Clinton shuns congressional midterm madness, pledges to help end sexual slavery

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (R) greets children during a visit to the AFESIP rehabilitation and vocational training center in Siam Reap October 31, 2010. Clinton's visit to Cambodia is the first by a U.S. Secretary of State since 2003. AFESIP stands for Agir pour les Femmes en Situation Precaire, which means Acting for Women in Distressing Situations. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

October 31, 2010
By Matthew Lee (CP)

SIEM REAP, Cambodia - Sitting out the intense political battle back home, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton toured Cambodia's famed 12th-century Angkor Wat temple complex on Sunday and pledged to do more to help end the scourge of sexual slavery on a visit to a rehabilitation centre for child prostitutes.

While her husband and fellow Democrats campaigned frantically ahead of Tuesday's midterm congressional elections, the former first lady and New York senator stayed well above the domestic fray, visiting the northern Cambodian city of Siem Reap while in the midst of a two-week, seven-nation trip to the Asia-Pacific.

The self-proclaimed ex-politician is barred from partisan political activity while serving as America's top diplomat. She made no mention of the fierce fight for control of Congress even as American tourists who supported her 2008 presidential bid shouted "California loves you, Hillary" as she strolled through Angkor Wat.
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Hillary Clinton pledges support for Cambodian rights victims

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton talks to a group of girls during a tour of the Siem Reap Center, a shelter run by AFSEIP that provides rehabilitation,vocational training, and social reintegration for sex trafficking victims, on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2010 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

October 31, 2010
Radio Australia News

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has visited a rehabilitation centre for victims of people trafficking during her first official visit to Cambodia.

The Secretary of State told the women at the US funded centre, her government would support victims of human rights abuses in Cambodia.

"I am helping you through our government and our ambassador and our government in Washington to help you learn English, to help you learn all kinds of things so that when you leave here you will be able to have your own life," she said.

Philippines, Cambodia in rice talks

October 31, 2010
Reuters

CAMBODIA has offered to sell rice to Manila as it faces a supply surplus, but talks are only exploratory and no deal has been reached yet, the head of the Philippines state grain agency said on Friday.

Angelito T. Banayo, administrator of the National Food Authority (NFA), said in an interview that Cambodia has a surplus of 1-1.2 million metric tons (MT) of paddy rice which it can sell.

He had met Sok Siphana, advisor to the Royal Government of Cambodia, on Thursday to discuss food security issues.

Mr. Banayo said the Philippines, the world’s biggest rice buyer, was open to purchasing the grain from its Southeast Asian neighbor, but clarified that a deal was some way off.

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Ban Ki-moon ended his visit to Cambodia ... while Cambodians suffer violent repression from Hun Xen

Cambodia: Closure of UN Office Threatens Rights Efforts

UN and Donors Should Strongly Support Human Rights Office

October 29, 2010
Source: Human Rights Watch

(London) - Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have issued the following statement about comments by senior Cambodian officials concerning the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia:

Cambodia: Joint Statement of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch Regarding the Situation of the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International strongly condemn the public statements by senior officials of the government of Cambodia demanding the removal of the director of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Cambodia, Christophe Peschoux, and stating the government intends to force the closure of that office.

From our close knowledge of the work of the OHCHR Cambodia office, we reject as baseless the statements attributed to Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong that the office has acted as a "spokesperson for the opposition party." This attack by the government on the OHCHR Cambodia office should be seen as a direct assault on the UN's human rights mandate, encompassed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international human rights conventions, many of which Cambodia has ratified.

We expect the leadership of the United Nations to continue to speak out in support of the OHCHR Cambodia office, its representative, and staff. Donor governments to Cambodia should likewise voice their strong objections to the Cambodian government's statements. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who will visit Cambodia on October 31 and November 1, should publicly express support for the OHCHR Cambodia office and the UN's human rights mandate. Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International will continue to closely monitor the situation in Cambodia and expose human rights violations and promote accountability.

The Cambodian strongman is no stranger to manipulating U.N. processes; he very deftly clung to power after U.N.-organized elections in the early 1990s

Cambodia's Strongman

Sovereignty strikes back

Thursday, October 28, 2010
By David Bosco
Foreign Policy

At a meeting this week in Cambodia, U.N. secretary-general Ban Ki-moon got an earful from Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen, who insisted that the U.N. tribunal currently trying former members of the Khmer Rouge regime wrap up its work. The Cambodian strongman is no stranger to manipulating U.N. processes; he very deftly clung to power after U.N.-organized elections in the early 1990s. Now he's arguing that continued investigations might jeopardize national security and exacerbate deepening political divisions within the government.

The Cambodia tribunal is designed to be free from political pressure but would have a tough time operating in the face of active government opposition. Ban today put the best face on the situation:
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UN Secretary General urges Cambodia, Thailand to settle border dispute peacefully

October 28, 2010
Source: Xinhua

UN Secretary General Ban Ki- moon on Thursday called on Cambodia and Thailand to settle their border dispute through peaceful means.

Ban made the remarks at a briefing to reporters before concluding his visit here.

He said that during his Asian nation tour, he had met with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen respectively and discussed the relations between the two countries with the two leaders. "I hope the leaders of the two countries to resolve their border dispute through peaceful dialogue," Ban said.

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Cambodia opposes to internationalize issue of South China Sea

October 28, 2010
Source: Xinhua

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has urged the parties concerned to strictly abide by the code of conduct in the South China Sea, warning against internationalizing the issue of South China Sea, a senior official said on Thursday.

Hun Sen told the visiting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday that Cambodia wants to carry out the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea signed between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China on Nov. 4, 2002, Khieu Kanharith, information minister and government spokesman, told reporters at the Phnom Penh International Airport.

Hun Sen stressed that the parties concerned should use existing mechanisms to solve the problem through consultation and should not try to put pressure on China allying with the United States or Japan, Khieu said.

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Human rights activist Mu Sochua to speak in Ridgefield, Weston

Mu Sochua (AP)

10/28/2010
Staff Report
Wilton Villager (Connecticut, USA)

RIDGEFIELD -- Mu Sochua, a Cambodian Parliamentarian and human rights activist, is scheduled to speak Nov. 14 in Ridgefield in conjunction with a documentary screening.

As part of the program, Vital Voices will present "REDLIGHT," a documentary exposing the global issue of human trafficking. The film's director, Guy Jacobson, was honored with the U.S. State Department's Global Hero Award in 2008.

Narrated by actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lucy Liu, the film focuses on the personal stories of the victims of child sexploitation and two advocates for change: Sochua and grass-roots advocate Somaly Mam. Both have since been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and have won other human rights awards around the world.
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"Neak Mean See Reuss - Neak Kror Reuss See" - The rich are picky eaters, the poor pick [from the trash] to eat: Cambodia Today

បច្ចុប្បន្នពួក អ្នកមាន «ស៊ីរើស»

ប៉ុន្តែ ពួក ខ្ញុំដើរ «រើសស៊ី»!

Two girls can be seen picking up food from trash along the park near the Naga Casino in Phnom Penh on Tuesday. Due to hunger these children have to pick up food thrown away in the trash can to fill their stomach. Cambodia is noted for its development in the past few years, but the gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider with the development (Photo: Heng Chivoan, The Phnom Penh Post)

Cambodia's poverty crisis

(Photo: Betsy Baehr, DesMoines Registers)

October 28, 2010

ABC Radio Australia

Rapid urban development in Cambodia has resulted in changes in Phnom Penh - many Cambodians are missing out on new found economic growth 13 years after the end of civil conflict. Pou Sothirak, a former Cambodian industry minister and ambassador to Japan, has written extensively about poverty in Cambodia and is in Melbourne to address Monash University's Cambodia Roundtable 2010.

Presenter: Sen Lam

Speaker: Pou Sothirak, former Cambodian industry and mines minister, and current senior visiting fellow, Institute of Southeast Asian studies, Singapore

Listen: Windows Media

J'Accuse...!

the CPP of

HATING JUSTICE!

Violent Crackdown of Peaceful Protesters during the Visit of UN Secretary-General

Rights group: Cambodian police beat protestors seeking UN chief

Oct 28, 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - A prominent Cambodian human rights group said police used electrical shock batons and walkie-talkies Thursday to beat back several dozen Phnom Penh residents trying to meet with visiting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

One man was beaten unconscious and dragged away by police, Licadho said, adding that the incident revealed the 'cracking facade of democracy in Cambodia.'

The protestors, who are to soon be evicted from their homes in central Phnom Penh to make way for a large development by a well-connected company, had petitioned Ban to meet them to discuss their plight.

Licadho condemned the violence and called on Ban to 'publicly condemn this use of force against peaceful protestors who were attempting to gain his attention.'

Ban's office had yet to issue a statement about the violence.

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UN condemns police beating of protestors in Cambodia

Oct 28, 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - A senior UN human rights official condemned 'excessive force' she said was used by police against several dozen peaceful protestors who were trying to meet with visiting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

'I have expressed concern in person to the Ministry of Interior about this incident and the excessive use of force used against the petitioners and Mr Suong Sophorn specifically,' said Kyung-wha Kang, the UN's deputy high commissioner for human rights, who arrived in Cambodia Tuesday with Ban's delegation.

A prominent local human rights group, Licadho, said earlier that Suong Sophorn had been beaten unconscious and dragged away by police who used electric shock batons and walkie-talkies to beat protestors.

Kang said the local UN human rights office had contacted the police, who later released Suong Sophorn 'as promised.'

'I have also received the petition of the [protestors] on behalf of the secretary general,' she said.

The protestors are to shortly be evicted from their homes in central Phnom Penh to make way for a large development by a well-connected company. They had unsuccessfully petitioned Ban to meet them to discuss their plight.

Licadho director Naly Pilorge said the beatings, which took place close to a hospital that Ban was visiting, was indicative of the government's approach to human rights and its international reputation.

'Either they don't understand the harm that this sort of incident causes to Cambodia's reputation, or they don't care, or perhaps they just think they can get away with it,' she said.

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Violent Crackdown of Peaceful Protesters during the Visit of UN Secretary-General

The incident took place during a protest in front of the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital on the morning of October 28, 2010, where a group of fifty protesters gathered to seek intervention by the UN Secretary-General into the ongoing Boeung Kak land grab in Phnom Penh. ;Around 10:15AM, as the UN Secretary-General was visiting the Hospital with government officials, a mixed group of armed anti-riot police and administrative police officers launched a violent assault on standing protesters, pushing people to the ground, beating some with walkie-talkies and shocking others with electric batons.
During the incident, Suong Sophorn, an activist who lives in the Boeung Kak Lake area, was arrested and viciously beaten, resulting in a severe bleeding wound to the head. The police dragged him away as he felt unconscious and was further beaten by officers. Sophorn is one among the Cambodians who were protesting the forced eviction of the Boeung Kak Lake community, and was appealing for a meeting with the Secretary-General.

Picture above: police officers dragging unconscious protester by the hair.
The blood on the protester' shirt comes from a bleeding wound on his head

Released by Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO)

October 28, 2010 - The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) condemns the authorities’ brutal response to peaceful protesters who demonstrated during the visit of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The incident took place during a protest in front of the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital this morning, October 28, 2010, where a group of fifty protesters gathered to seek intervention by the UN Secretary-General into the ongoing Boeung Kak land grab in Phnom Penh by Shukaku Company, owned by a ruling party senator.

Around 10:15AM, as the UN Secretary-General was visiting the Hospital with government officials, a mixed group of armed anti-riot police and administrative police officers launched a violent assault on standing protesters, pushing people to the ground, beating some with walkie-talkies and shocking others with electric batons.

During the incident, Suong Sophorn, a land activist who lives in the Boeung Kak Lake area, was arrested and viciously beaten, resulting in a severe wound to the head. The police dragged him away as he fell unconscious and was further beaten by officers. Sophorn is one among the many Cambodians who were protesting the forced eviction of the Boeung Kak Lake community, and was appealing for a meeting with the Secretary-General.
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US Army gears used by Hun Xen's cops in violent crackdown on peaceful protesters during Ban Ki-moon's visit

The helmets used by these violent cops are standard US army issues - most likely provided by the US as part of its military aid to Cambodia, but they have turned into repression tools

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Suong Sophorn was vomiting blood and had lacerations and contusions on his face after being beaten up by the violent cops

Suong Sophorn, a housing activist, can be seen held by his hair by
Hun Xen's violent cops. He was later beaten up some more (Licadho Video)

Housing Activist Severely Beaten During Ban Visit

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Thursday, 28 October 2010

“The police punched me. Here is my injury. Ban Ki-moon, please help us.”

The leader of a demonstration for housing rights was severely beaten by police on Thursday, as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon toured a Phnom Penh hospital.

Soun Sophoan, who attempted to lead 30 activists toward Ban's motorcade, remained in serious condition on Thursday night, after police pulled him in a headlock, beat him with batons, kicked and stomped him.

He bled from his head and appeared to be unconscious as police dragged him to a vehicle, despite the attempts of other protesters to shield him. Witnesses later said he was taken to two district government sites before he was sent to a health center in Daun Penh district.
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UN Secretary-General Says Khmer Rouge Tribunal Plays Vital Role

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (center) is escorted around the former security prison known as S-21 with a guide (right). The commandant of S-21, Comrade Duch, was convicted by the war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh earlier this year. (Photo: VOA - R. Carmichael)

Robert Carmichael, Voice of America
Phnom Penh 28 October 2010

The U.N. Secretary-General says the Khmer Rouge tribunal plays a vital role in Cambodia's search for justice for victims of the 1970s government. But Ban Ki-moon is encountering resistance to the tribunal from Cambodia's current government.

During a tour of the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Ban endorsed efforts to bring the Khmer Rouge leaders to justice.

"The conviction of Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, was a milestone in Cambodia's journey for justice," the U.N. secretary-general said. "We know it is difficult to relive this terrible chapter in your history, but I want you to know that your courage has sent a strong and powerful message to the world that there can be no impunity, that crimes against humanity shall not go unpunished."
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UN Chief: War Crimes Court To Decide Fate Of Khmer Rouge Trials

10/28/2010
By RTT Staff Writer

(RTTNews) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday that it was up to the U.N.-backed war crimes court to decide whether to pursue further cases against members of Cambodia's former Khmer Rouge regime.

"This is the decision to be made by the court. The United Nations will discuss this matter with international community members, particularly donors," Ban told reporters in Cambodia.

He made the remarks while visting a former prison and torture center in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, where he offered prayers to the victims of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. He left for Vietnam later on Thursday after completing his three-day Cambodia trip.

Ban's statements came a day after Prime Minister Hun Sen told the U.N. chief that his government would not allow further prosecutions of former Khmer Rouge cadres.

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UN Chief Appeals For More Khmer Rouge Trials

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, center, smiles while greeting foreign diplomats upon his arrival at the Cambodian Council of Ministers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010. Ban is expected to hold a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen during his official visit to Cambodia as part of his four-country Asian tour. (Photo: Associated Press)

October 28, 2010
The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia

Human Rights Watch's Asia deputy director, Phil Robertson, said the warning "appears to be part of Hun Sen's master plan to ensure total impunity for himself and consolidate authoritarian power."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made an emotional appeal Thursday for Cambodia to send a message to the world that the Khmer Rouge's crimes against humanity will not go unpunished.

Ban's comments came after a tour of the Khmer Rouge's main prison and torture center during a visit to Cambodia that has been marked by heated words from the Cambodian leader.

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday ordered Ban to shut down the U.N. human rights office in Cambodia and to remove the current envoy. Ban has given no response to that.

Hun Sen also told Ban that Cambodia will not allow the U.N.-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal to expand the scope of its trials to include former low-ranking officers of the regime.

"Thirty years have passed. Yet here, in this tragic place, we still hear the echoes. The cries of human misery. The agony," Ban said at the infamous S-21 prison. "I will never forget my visit here today. In this place of horror, ladies and gentlemen, let the human spirit triumph. Words cannot do justice. But we can."
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Ban Ki-moon says Cambodia "committed" to Khmer Rouge court [-Was Hun Xen bluffing?]

Oct 28, 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was short on detail Thursday about the prospects for Cambodia's war crimes tribunal, one day after Prime Minister Hun Sen told him he would not tolerate further prosecutions of former Khmer Rouge cadre.

Speaking at the Tuol Sleng genocide museum in Phnom Penh, Ban said he had met earlier with senior government officials to discuss the subject.

But he would not be drawn on whether the UN would walk away from the process, saying that he felt Phnom Penh was 'committed to completion of the process.'

'The United Nations will discuss this matter with the international community members, particularly donors. That's what I can tell you at this stage,' he said.

He added that the decision on whether to proceed with more prosecutions should be made solely by the hybrid UN-Cambodian court.

Hun Sen's comments Wednesday prompted criticism that he was again interfering with the judicial process. The Open Society Justice Initiative, a George-Soros-funded tribunal monitor, condemned them as an 'unacceptable attempt to strangle the court.'

Late Wednesday the government toned down its message when Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said that, contrary to media reports, Hun Sen had not expressly forbidden further prosecutions.

'We don't say 'forbidden', because you cannot dictate, you cannot impose your will on the court,' Khieu Kanharith said, adding that the prime minister would simply prefer that the next two cases did not proceed.

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Cambodians beaten, raped and killed at illegal detention camp funded by UN

Detainees and guards at Cambodia's Prey Speu detention centre. The government says it is a welfare centre, but human rights groups claim it is a brutal, clandestine, prison. Photograph: Ben Doherty

'Undesirables' are swept from the streets before being detained without trial, say human rights groups

Thursday 28 October 2010

Ben Doherty in Phnom Penh

guardian.co.uk

UN funding is being used to run a brutal internment camp for the destitute in Cambodia where detainees are held for months without trial, raped and beaten, sometimes to death, former inmates have told the Guardian.

The Prey Speu facility, 12 miles from Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, is officially described as a "social affairs centre" offering education and healthcare to vulnerable people.

But human rights groups and former inmates say the centre is an illegal, clandestine prison, where people deemed "undesirable" by the government – usually drug users, sex workers and the homeless – are held for months without charge.

Men, women and children are housed together in a single building and are regularly beaten with planks, whipped with wires or threatened with weapons, according to witnesses.
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Rights, Border Should Be on Ban Agenda: Rights Worker

Dr. Pung Chiv Kek, founder of Licadho

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Wednesday, 27 October 2010

“He has to find peace for every country in the world, as stipulated in the UN charter."

As UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon makes his first visit to Cambodia, a leading rights worker hopes he'll be able to find a solution to Cambodia's border and human rights issues.

Pung Chiv Kek, founder of the rights group Licadho, said Cambodia must appreciate the meaning of the Paris Peace Agreement of 1991.

Not only was the agreement—which brought peace after years of strife—signed by fighting factions and 18 nations, but it was signed by the UN secretary-general, as well, Pung Chiv Kek said, as a guest on “Hello VOA” Monday.

“So I believe that the current UN secretary-general, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, also has an important role,” she said. “He has to find peace for every country in the world, as stipulated in the UN charter. So when he comes, event though it's a short time...I hope he will raise these issues.”
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Decades On, Southeast Asians Struggle in US

The two-day conference, organized by the National Association for the Education and Advancement of Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese. (Photo: Im Sothearith)

Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Wednesday, 27 October 2010

“Actually, Asian-American students don't do well. They have high rates of drop out and low access to higher education.”

Researchers and educators from Southeast Asian communities in the US met over the weekend to discuss the ongoing challenges immigrants from the region face in America.

Cambodian-Americans face social, cultural and economic difficulties, along with similar communities from Laos and Vietnam.

The two-day conference, organized by the National Association for the Education and Advancement of Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese, brought together 35 years of research and was sponsored for the first time by the National Education Association.
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Over 15,000 people trafficked in Mekong, says UN agency

10/27/2010
By Dennis Atienza Maliwanag
Inquirer Global Nation (The Philippines)

BANGKOK, Thailand — At least 15,000 people from Mekong were trafficked in 2009 with 71 percent of cases documented in China, data from the United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking showed.

A total of 10,824 trafficked people were rescued in China during a nine-month drive in 2009 to curb human trafficking in the world’s second largest economy, according to the Chinese Ministry of Security.

A study by the International Labour Organisation found that forced prostitution, labor, and even forced begging were the key sectors of employment for trafficking victims in China, said UNIAP.

“Women and children may also be victims of forced marriages or illegal adoption,” it said.

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Freedom of expression grossly violated during Ban Ki-moon's visit

Hun Xen is afraid that Ban Ki-moon sees the dirty reality in Cambodia ... but Ban Ki-moon is not blind like Hun Xen!

(Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

Protestors kept away from UN's Ban Ki-moon in Cambodian capital

Oct 27, 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - Police on Wednesday prevented dozens of Phnom Penh residents who face eviction from protesting near the motorcade carrying United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Ban arrived in Phnom Penh late Tuesday on a two-day official visit, and met Prime Minister Hun Sen Wednesday morning.

Earlier this week residents from the Boeung Kak lake area in central Phnom Penh submitted a petition to the UN requesting a meeting with Ban to discuss efforts to evict them from land on which many have lived for decades.

The site was leased to a company linked to a senator from the ruling Cambodian People's Party, and the lake is being filled in ahead of the development project. Hundreds of people have been evicted, and thousands more have been told they will lose their homes.

A number of other civil society groups have also requested meetings with Ban to discuss what many see as a worsening environment for civil society.

Aimee Brown, a spokeswoman for the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Phnom Penh, said Ban knew of the requests, but said his office had not yet decided on whether he would meet them.

'He's definitely aware that there are protestors, and he is aware of the petitions that have been received,' Brown said.
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Cambodian PM says no third Khmer Rouge trial [-Hun Xen's blatant interference in the KR Tribunal]

Who's next? Is Hun Xen afraid to be indicted next?

PHNOM PENH, Wednesday 27 October 2010 (AFP) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told visiting UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Wednesday that a second Khmer Rouge war crimes trial due to start early next year would be the last.

Hun Sen "clearly affirmed that case three is not allowed", Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told reporters after Ban met with the premier.

"We have to think about peace in Cambodia," he said.

In its first trial the UN-backed court in July sentenced former Khmer Rouge prison chief Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, to 30 years in jail for overseeing the deaths of 15,000 people in the late 1970s.

Last month the court indicted four top regime leaders for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in connection with the deaths of up to two million people from starvation, overwork and execution between 1975 and 1979.
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Hun Xen wants UN Christophe Peschoux sacked, will Ban Ki-moon let Hun Xen dictates his capricious whim?

UN Right Envoy Christophe Peschoux, a thorn in Hun Xen's only good eye?

PM wants UN official sacked
Oct 27, 2010
Reuters

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA'S outspoken prime minister told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday to remove a local UN representative and instruct Khmer Rouge war crimes prosecutors to limit the scope of their investigation.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, who attended a meeting between Ban and Hun Sen, said the long-serving premier threatened to close the office of the United Nation's human rights body if its representative, Christophe Peschoux, was not replaced.

'Peschoux has not been working on human rights issues with the government but has been the spokesperson for opposition parties,' Namhong told reporters, quoting Hun Sen as telling Ban.

'Remove Peschoux. If Peschoux is not removed, the human rights office in Cambodia will be closed,' he added.

Hun Sen also urged Ban to ensure prosecutors in the joint Cambodian-UN Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal did not seek more indictments, which he said could create conflict in the war-scarred country.

The five-year-old, multi-million-dollar (US) tribunal is preparing to hear its second case, dubbed 002, against four former top cadres of Pol Pot's ultra-Maoist regime, which is blamed for the deaths of at least 1.7 million Cambodians from 1975-1979.

Hun Xen wants UN Christophe Peschoux sacked, will Ban Ki-moon let Hun Xen dictates his capricious whim?

UN Right Envoy Christophe Peschoux, a thorn in Hun Xen's only good eye?

PM wants UN official sacked
Oct 27, 2010
Reuters

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA'S outspoken prime minister told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday to remove a local UN representative and instruct Khmer Rouge war crimes prosecutors to limit the scope of their investigation.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, who attended a meeting between Ban and Hun Sen, said the long-serving premier threatened to close the office of the United Nation's human rights body if its representative, Christophe Peschoux, was not replaced.

'Peschoux has not been working on human rights issues with the government but has been the spokesperson for opposition parties,' Namhong told reporters, quoting Hun Sen as telling Ban.

'Remove Peschoux. If Peschoux is not removed, the human rights office in Cambodia will be closed,' he added.

Hun Sen also urged Ban to ensure prosecutors in the joint Cambodian-UN Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal did not seek more indictments, which he said could create conflict in the war-scarred country.

The five-year-old, multi-million-dollar (US) tribunal is preparing to hear its second case, dubbed 002, against four former top cadres of Pol Pot's ultra-Maoist regime, which is blamed for the deaths of at least 1.7 million Cambodians from 1975-1979.

Hun Sen limits tribunal's remit, wants rights office shut

Oct 27, 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodia on Wednesday told UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon that the international war crimes court would only be allowed to prosecute four Khmer Rouge leaders currently in custody.

Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said the UN-backed court would not be allowed to try another five suspects currently under investigation.

The government previously said that trying more suspects for the crimes of the Khmer Rouge movement, responsible for an estimated 2 million deaths in the 1970s, could destabilize Cambodia.

Prime Minister Hun Sen also told Ban that he wanted the UN to close its local human rights office and to dismiss country director Christophe Peschoux, Khieu Kanharith said.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told reporters that Peschoux should be sacked on the grounds that he was a 'mouthpiece' for the political opposition.

A UN spokesman was not available to comment on either subject.

Also on Wednesday police dispersed dozens of people facing eviction who had gathered on the roads on which Ban's motorcade was travelling.

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Cambodia's inflation in first 9 months stands 4.21 pct

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 27, 2010 (Xinhua) -- The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in Cambodia stood at 4.21 percent in first nine months of this year compared to the same period last year, according to the statistics released by the National Institute of Statistics on Wednesday.

"The main increase for all index group to 4.21 percent of inflation from January to September, 2010, was due to the group of food and non-alcoholic beverages which rose 4 percent as rice and meat were up 2.6 percent, vegetables grew by 6.5 percent, electricity, gas and other fuels were up 7.6 percent, gasoline was up 25 percent, and transport went up 8.1 percent," the report recorded.

The report showed that the inflation rose 1.4 percent on quarter-on-quarter comparison.

In recent weeks, the Asian Development Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Bank have forecast Cambodia's inflation at 4 percent, 4.5 percent and 5 percent respectively.

Thai lawmakers delay border vote [-Another Thai delay tactics?]

Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Cheang Sokha
The Phnom Penh Post

THAILAND’S parliament discussed the country’s latest round of border negotiations with Cambodia yesterday, though a final vote of approval on the matter was delayed until next week, Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said.

Negotiations on border demarcation have been stalled since last year pending the Thai parliament’s approval of agreements of the bilateral Joint Border Committee. Bangkok has repeatedly delayed the parliamentary vote, most recently in August, prompting allegations of delay tactics from Cambodian officials.

“The agreed minutes of the JBC was tabled in parliament and was discussed. However, as there was not enough time, the meeting was adjourned,” Thani said. “The session will continue next week.”

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Cambodia military delegation leaves for border talks in Thailand

October 27, 2010
Source: Xinhua

Cambodian military delegation left Cambodia on Wednesday for border talks with Thailand.

Gen. Nem Sowath, cabinet chief of Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh said the Cambodian delegation led by Neany Phat left here for Thailand on Wednesday for the 7th General Border Committee (GBC) between Cambodia and Thailand which is set to start from Oct. 27 to 30 in Bangkok, Thailand.

He said the preparatory meetings will start on Oct. 27 and 28 which will pave the way for the meeting of the defense ministers from the two countries on Oct. 29-30. Tea Banh, also the minister of defense will leave on Oct. 29.

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On Human Rights, Send in the Experts [-The results have yet to be clearly felt in Cambodia?]

October 27, 2010
Ted Piccone
Huffington Post
This post was co-authored with Emily Alinikoff.

What can the United States effectively do when it comes to promoting human rights? How can it best work through the United Nations to make a difference for victims in Afghanistan, Iran or Cambodia?

These questions are very much on the minds of Obama administration officials. When the administration decided to join the UN's Human Rights Council despite skepticism and outright hostility from the Council's conservative critics, the administration promised to work from within to promote reform, increase attention on the most serious human rights crises and reduce political bias against Israel.

There are signs the strategy is starting to work. Thanks to an energetic if quiet campaign to build cross-regional coalitions, U.S. diplomats have managed to extend the Council's scrutiny of human rights violations in Sudan, Somalia and Cambodia, secure new fact-finding mandates on freedom of association and women's rights, protect the independence of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, and deny Iran a seat on the Council. On Israel, however, it remains largely alone in opposing resolutions censuring the government for its attacks in Gaza and the humanitarian aid flotilla, in opposing resolutions critical of the government's action in Palestine, and in trying to remedy the imbalanced attention it receives.

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US: Make Human Rights a Priority for Clinton’s Trip

The recent sentencing in absentia of Sam Rainsy, the leader of the parliamentary opposition, to 10 years in prison on trumped up charges related to disseminating a map of the Cambodia-Vietnam border is just the latest travesty of justice under the ruling party's complete control of the judiciary, Human Rights Watch said. Clinton should clearly state the US government's serious concerns about the inadequacy and lack of fairness of the judicial proceedings against Rainsy and in other political cases.

"This is Secretary of State Clinton's chance to tell top officials face-to-face that the US will not turn a blind eye when they try to cement their power by beating peaceful protesters or jailing opposition politicians." - Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch

Press Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia Governments to Respect Rights

October 26, 2010

Source: Human Rights Watch

(New York) - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should make strong appeals for human rights when she visits three Southeast Asian countries in the coming week, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch urged Clinton to call for the immediate release of imprisoned Vietnamese bloggers and human rights activists, seek an immediate halt to deepening harassment of the political opposition in Cambodia, and press for revocation of the Internal Security Act in Malaysia.

Clinton will travel to Vietnam on October 29-30, 2010, Cambodia on October 31-November 1, and finally to Malaysia from November 1-3, meeting with the prime ministers and other top-level officials in each country.

"This is Secretary of State Clinton's chance to tell top officials face-to-face that the US will not turn a blind eye when they try to cement their power by beating peaceful protesters or jailing opposition politicians," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
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