Monday, February 28, 2011
Meeting decides on border demarcation with Cambodia
February, 28 2011
VNS (Hanoi)
PHNOM PENH — The fifth round of the Viet Nam-Cambodia Joint Committee on Border Demarcation in Phnom Penh on Thursday and Friday resolved to complete land border demarcation and landmark erection by 2012, pursuant to prior agreements between the two countries’ leaders.
The meeting was co-chaired by Vietnamese deputy foreign minister Ho Xuan Son and Cambodian senior minister Var Kimhong. Key officials from relevant ministries, agencies and border provinces of both countries also attended.
The officials agreed to increase co-operative efforts to reach six major goals this year, include the definition of at least 100 landmark positions, delineating 500km of border, and completing a switch from the 1:100,000-scale Bone map to the 1:50,000-scale UTM map on the scale – along with the identification of landmark positions on the map – by next month.
The two sides also agreed to jointly publish a set of land-border terrain maps, as well as hasten drafting of a protocol on land border demarcation.
In 2010, the two sides identified 72 positions, built 73 border markers and demarcated 155km of borderline.
ASEAN retreat discusses further economic integration
Source: Xinhua
The 17th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Retreat has reiterated that member states would strengthen economic cooperation within the body as well as with other groupings, AEM Retreat chairwoman Mari Elka Pangestu, also Indonesian Minister of Trade, told a press conference here on Sunday.
During the retreat, which began in Vientiane, Laos, on Sunday, ministers discussed a range of issues with emphasis on the importance of ensuring the effective implementation of the ASEAN community for the body to play a central role in shaping regional economic architecture, as well as in the global context.
The economic ministers indicated that they would promote the initiative for ASEAN Integration, noting that concrete training, guidelines and recommendations provided at bilateral and regional levels for newer members of ASEAN by the more developed member states would narrow gaps among the grouping.
UNESCO special envoy arrives in Phnom Penh for talks on temple
Source: Xinhua
Koichiro Matsuura, the special envoy of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) arrived here on Sunday for talks on measures to safeguard Preah Vihear temple, the World Heritage site.
At Phnom Penh International Airport, he was welcomed by Chuch Phoeun, secretary of state of the Cambodian Ministry of Cultures and Fine Arts.
Matsuura, a former director-general of UNESCO (1999-2009) and a former Chair of the World Heritage Committee, was named by Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO, on Feb. 11 as the special envoy to mediate the issue of Preah Vihear temple following a series of deadly clashes on Feb. 4-7 between Cambodian and Thai troops over the disputed border area around the temple.
During the three-day visit, Matsuura will meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Minister of the Council of Ministers Sok An on safeguarding the World Heritage site, and seek ways to mitigate border tension, Chuch Phoeun told reporters at the airport.
JBC meet ‘could help ease row’
King-oua Laohong
Bangkok Post
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva hopes a meeting being planned for Indonesia will help Thailand and Cambodia settle their differences over the border dispute.
The Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on the Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) will hold a meeting on March7 and 8, Mr Abhisit said yesterday.
The Foreign Ministry has prepared information needed for the discussions at the JBC meeting, which will also discuss a Thai proposal for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation to postpone its consideration of Phnom Penh’s management plan for the Preah Vihear temple.
Indonesian military team visits Thai-Cambodia border area
Gen. Neang Phat, vice minister of national defense, told Kyodo News by telephone that the Indonesian advance team visited the ancient Cambodian temple of Preah Vihear and the surrounding area to find a suitable location for deployment, which will be made under an ASEAN- brokered deal.
Cambodia outlaws nukes
Thet Sambath
The Phnom Penh Post
The Council of Ministers on Friday approved a draft sub-decree barring the production of materials used in the making of chemical, nuclear or biological weapons.
Cambodia’s constitution already prohibits the manufacture, use or storage of chemical, nuclear and biological weapons under articles 9 and 54.
The sub-decree was prepared by the Defence Ministry’s Chemical Weapon National Authority as a mechanism to control the production and use of chemicals in line with international treaty obligations.
It follows a draft law introduced in 2009 that similarly barred the use, manufacture or storage of such weapons.
Cambodia’s deadly virus: 85% mortality rate
27.02.2011
Konstantin Karpov
Pravda.Ru
Ladies and Gentlemen, the next Black Death, a global pandemic of catastrophic proportions, has reared its ugly head in the Far East, home to many pandemic viruses. This time it is not a 30 per cent death rate, it is an 85 per cent death rate. It is called the Cambodian Avian Flu virus.
Avian Flu has been around for centuries. So have other pandemics. But an 85 per cent mortality rate?
Let us not invent, let us use the World Health Organization’s communications:
Avian influenza – situation in Cambodia
9 February 2011 – The Ministry of Health of Cambodia has announced a new confirmed case of human infection with avian influenza A (H5N1) virus.
The 5 year old female, from Prek Leap village, Sangkat Prek Leap, Khan Reussey Keo, Phnom Penh, developed symptoms on 29 January, was admitted to a hospital on 3 February and died 12 hours following admission. The presence of H5N1 virus in nasopharyngeal specimens was confirmed by Institut Pasteur, the National Influenza Centre in Cambodia. The case had been in contact with sick poultry during the 7 days before onset of symptoms.
Political Sacravatoons: "UN SanctionsCar"
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| Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com/) |
The UK to strip aid to Cambodia
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| The inquiry was ordered by International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell |
Britain freezes millions in aid to 16 countries after inquiry discovers they are actually no longer in poverty
27th February 2011
By Daniel Martin
Britain is to stop giving aid to 16 countries after a major review found they were no longer in poverty.
Countries such as Russia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Moldova and Serbia will be stripped of millions of pounds a year, following the inquiry ordered by International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell.
Aid to India – which can afford its own space programme – will also be frozen.
But vast amounts of extra money – 30 per cent of the entire aid budget – will be pumped into unstable terrorist hotspots such as Yemen and Somalia, in a bid to help them to crack down on citizens exporting violence.
Cambodia: Who Ordered the Blocking of Opposition Websites?
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| Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at www.sacrava.blogspot.com) |
27 February 2011
Written by Mong Palatino
Global Voices Online
Last month, an anti-government website was blocked by some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Cambodia. The ISPs later denied that it received an order from the government to ban the critical website. The government also insisted that it is not a policy to block the website of opposition groups. Fortunately, access to the website was restored immediately.
But the issue of web censorship in Cambodia continued to sizzle this month as media groups leaked a letter by government information authorities asking ISPs to censor websites that allegedly harm Cambodian morality and tradition.
Sieng Sithy, deputy director of the Directorate of Telecommunications Policy Regulation at the MPTC, wrote an email to Ezecom, Metfone, Citylink, Digi, AngkorNet, WiCam, TC, Camnet, Online and Camintel thanking them for “cooperation” in blocking access to several websites, including KI-Media, Khmerization and a site featuring the art of political cartoonist Sacrava.
The government gave conflicting statements on the veracity of the letter. The Ministry continues to assert that web censorship is not being pursued by the government. Here are some parts of the controversial letter:
The e-mail, which was electronically signed by Sieng Sithy, deputy director of the ministry’s policy regulation, addresses service providers WiCam, Telesurf and Hello.
“We found that you are not yet taken an action, so please kindly take immediate action”
“Here below [are the] websites.”
“Again and again, In case of not well cooperation is your own responsibility”
Internet users in Cambodia complained that the mentioned websites have been inaccessible for many times this month. The ISPs blamed it on technical problems.
The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) condemns the reported blocking of critical websites
…the Internet was the only audio or visual media not fully controlled by the government. The censoring of controversial Web sites marks a significant milestone in the march toward a more oppressive media environment
The group also wants ISPs to explain to their customers why they agreed to comply with the government request to censor the websites
Did the government simply make a “request” that ISP providers block certain sites? If so, ISPs owe their customers an honest explanation as to why they have chosen to comply. Hiding behind excuses simply makes them complicit in the censorship campaign. Concerned customers should call their ISPs and demand a legitimate explanation for the ongoing outage of political opposition Web sites. Better yet, all ISPs should decline the government’s request and restore full Internet access immediately.
Customers deserve to know whether they are giving their money to a company that is helping to enable a government censorship campaign.
The Committee to Protect Journalists is also worried about the intensifying media censorship in Cambodia.
According to media reports, internet use in Cambodia increased by 500 percent in the past year.
Cambodia, U.S. hold maritime exercise off Cambodian coast
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| (Photo: DAP-news) |
PHNOM PENH, Feb. 27 (AP) – (Kyodo)—Cambodia and the United States began a four-day maritime drill off the Cambodian coast on Sunday aimed at building capacity to deal with regional humanitarian disasters.
Lt. Gen. Chhum Socheat, spokesman of Cambodia’s National Defense Ministry, said the exercise, which will last until Wednesday, involves 500 troops from the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and U.S. Marines.
The U.S. military said elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit are participating in the exercise, which includes a port call, English engagement exchanges and community relations projects.
The exercise “ensures that the region is adequately prepared for regional humanitarian disasters, such as the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Cyclone Nargis in May 2008, by allowing partner nations to work together and build relationships before a critical need develops,” the public affairs office of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit said.
Thai PM [PROPAGANDA]: UNESCO Agrees not to Let Temple Issue Raise Border Tension
2011-02-27
Source: Xinhua
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday that UNESCO had agreed that the issue of Preah Vihear temple, which is a World Heritage site, should not further raise tension on the Thai-Cambodian border.
“UNESCO has agreed with us that the World Heritage issue should not become a problem that creates tension or increases the risk of clashes or using of violence again,” Abhisit said in his weekly national televised address.
Abhisit on Friday met with Koichiro Matsuura, special envoy of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at the Government House in Bangkok on the border dispute over a 4. 6-square kilometer plot of land around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, which belongs to Cambodia and was awarded as a World Heritage site on July 7, 2008.
Cambodia plans to submit its proposal for administering the disputed border area to UNESCO’s World Heritage committee in June this year.
Jakarta’s leadership hinges on Thai-Cambodia peace
By Kavi Chongkittavorn
The Nation
By hosting the informal Asean foreign ministerial meeting last week, the Asean chair, Indonesia, made history that would gradually and tangibly transform the grouping into a true political and security community. It was a small step “with a giant leap of faith” as the credibility of Asean will now hinge on the outcome of bilateral talks between Thailand and Cambodia. The 90-minute meeting was brief— a rubber stamp of prior discussion and agreements the chair mapped out with both sides. It was contrary to the high-power stake games played out by the two protagonists the previous weeks.
One of the greatest weaknesses of Asean has been the inability to cope with intra-Asean conflict in a forthright manner, as in the other regional organizations such as the African Union or Mercosur.
Obviously, this stems from the shame culture of Southeast Asia traditions and the ingrained fear of failure—a truly family psyche.
Therefore, the ability to put up with inappropriate behavior and non-compliance by members is pretty high. It is no surprise that Asean countries still prefer discreet and informal ways to deal with their internal squabbling minus media fanfare. Just look back, almost all of the Asean disagreements in the past four decades—though, not as serious as the Thai-Cambodian dispute—were settled through casual and less structured meetings. In short, Asean does not want to “Aseanize” its disagreements.
2 Thais jailed in Cambodia for espionage decide not to appeal
Source: Xinhua
The two high-profile “Yellow Shirt” activists jailed in Cambodia for espionage have decided not to appeal against the verdict of Phnom Penh Municipal Court, the defense lawyers confirmed on Saturday afternoon.
“They have quit the plan to file the complaint to the Court of Appeals against the verdict,” one of the two defense lawyers Ros Aun told Xinhua by telephone.
The duo is Veera Somkwamkid, one of the leaders of the People’s Network against Corruption and a high-profile activist in the Thailand Patriot Network, and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon.
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court, on Feb. 1, convicted Veera and Ratree of illegal entry, unlawful entry into military base and espionage and sentenced them to 8 years and 6 years in jail respectively.
According to Cambodian law, the duo has one month to appeal, or the verdict will be in effect.
Pich Vicheka, the defense lawyer for Veera, said that the duo is likely, through their Thai government, to ask Cambodian king for royal amnesty.
According to Cambodian law, a prisoner can be granted a royal pardon only if he/she has served two third of the jailed term in prison; however, it is not impossible to ask for the royal pardon, he said.
“It’s up to the government of Cambodia if it will ask the King for royal pardon for them or not,” he said.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen announced on Feb. 17 that he would not ask the King for royal pardon for the duo.
“Don’t come to persuade me to ask King Norodom Sihamoni for royal pardon, it’s impossible at this time.. comply with the law properly–at least serving two third of the jailed term before being considered for royal amnesty,” said the premier.
Indonesian military team visits disputed Thai-Cambodia border
Radio Australia News
An Indonesian military team has visited the disputed Cambodia-Thai border area to pave the way for deployment of Indonesian observers.
A senior Cambodian defense official says the Indonesian advance team visited the ancient Cambodian temple of Preah Vihear and the surrounding area to find a suitable location.
Cambodia and Thailand agreed during an ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Jakarta on Tuesday to invite Indonesia to deploy civilian and military observers to monitor a ceasefire agreement in the border area.
Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa says Indonesia will dispatch two separate teams to Cambodia and Thailand, each consisting of 15 to 20 military personnel and civilians.
The recent conflict left at least 10 people dead, nearly 100 wounded and more than 25,000 people displaced on both sides.
Indonesian officers visit disputed Thai-Cambodia area
VNA/VOVNews
A five-member Indonesian military team visited the disputed Thai-Cambodian border area on February 26 to pave the way for deployment of Indonesian observers in the region, a senior Cambodian defence official said.
Gen. Neang Phat, Deputy Minister of the National Defense of Cambodia, told Kyodo News by telephone that the Indonesian advance team visited the ancient temple of Preah Vihear and the surrounding area to find a suitable location for deployment of observers who will monitor the implementation of a ceasefire agreement between Cambodia and Thailand.
He expressed his hope that the Indonesian observers will start their work soon.
At an ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Jakarta on February 22, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to invite Indonesia, which is the current ASEAN Chair, to send observers to monitor the long-term ceasefire agreement between the two neighbours.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said Indonesia will dispatch two separate teams to Cambodia and Thailand, each consisting of 15 to 20 military personnel and civilians.
In related news, the Cambodian news agency AKP quoted Prime Minister Hun Sen at a annual meeting of the Ministry of Home Affairs on February 25 saying that he suggested Indonesia maintain its role as an observer until Cambodia takes over the rotating ASEAN Chair in 2012.
UNESCO envoy arrives
Cheang Sokha
The Phnom Penh Post
A special envoy from UNESCO arrived in the Kingdom today to discuss the preservation of Preah Vihear temple following deadly clashes along the Thai-Cambodian border near the 11th-century site earlier this month.
Koichiro Matsuura, formerly the head of UNESCO, will be in Cambodia until Tuesday to hold talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen, Deputy Prime Minister Sok An and other senior officials.
Matsuura was originally scheduled to travel to Preah Vihear on Tuesday to assess the damage sustained by the temple over four days of fighting between Thai and Cambodian troops that left at least 10 people dead and displaced thousands of civilians.
The envoy said today, however, that this visit had been delayed.
Chuch Phoeurn, chairman of the Preah Vihear National Authority, said the trip had been postponed for two weeks to allow Cambodia to prepare for the arrival of military observers from Indonesia who will be monitoring the situation along the border as a result of an agreement reached between Thailand and Cambodia last week.
On Saturday, an advance team of five Indonesians visited the border area to plan for the observers’ arrival, Chuch Phoeurn said.
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said UNESCO’s role in the dispute was not to determine “who is right and who is wrong”, but to “ease tension” and “seek cooperation to effectively protect the temple of Preah Vihear”.
The temple sustained damage to its staircases and exterior during this month’s clashes, though early claims from the Cambodian government that a whole wing had collapsed later proved exaggerated.
Matsuura came to the Kingdom from Thailand, where he met officials including Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva in relation to the dispute.
Thai state media reported that Bangkok had stressed the importance of resolving the countries’ border dispute before UNESCO approves Cambodia’s management plan for the temple.
Tensions along the border have been heightened since 2008, when UNESCO inscribed Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site for Cambodia.
Chum Puy, governor of Kulen district in Preah Vihear province, said today that of the 2,678 families living near the border who had been evacuated to temporary shelters in the midst of the fighting, all but 30 had returned to their homes.
Asian NGOs condemn defamation suit on activist
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| Sam Chankea – Photo courtesy of ki-media.blogspot.com |
27 February 2011
ALIRAN
More than two dozen Asian civil society groups have condemned the conviction of Sam Chankea, a Cambodian human rights defender, for the exercise of his right to freedom of expression.
We, the undersigned human rights NGOs, human rights defenders and women human rights defenders of Asia, deeply regret the conviction of Mr. Sam Chankea, provincial coordinator of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC).
Mr. Chankea is a human rights defender active in land rights issues in Kampong Chhnang province. He was charged with defamation under Article 305 of the New Penal Code by the KDC International Company, a development company allegedly owned by Lauk Chumteav Chea Kheng, the wife of the Minister of Mining and Energy in Cambodia. On 25 January 2011, the Kg. Chhnang Provincial Court ruled against Mr. Sam Chankea and ordered him to pay a 1 million Riel fine and an additional 3 million Riel in compensation. If he does not pay the 4 million Riel (approximately US$1,000), he faces imprisonment.
Vietnam, Cambodia strive to complete demarcation
27/02/2011
vietnamnet bridge
Vietnamese and Cambodian officials on border issues have affirmed a resolve to complete land border demarcation and landmark erection by 2012 as the two countries’ leaders agreed.
At the fifth round of the Vietnam-Cambodia Joint Committee on Border Demarcation in Phnom Penh on February 24-25, officials agreed to increase cooperation to fulfill six main tasks this year.
The tasks include defining of at least 100 landmark positions, delineating 500km of border line, completing the switch to the UTM map on the 1/50,000 scale from the current use of the Bone map on the 1/100,000 scale, and identification of landmark positions on the map in March.
The two sides also agreed to join hands to fulfill publication of a set of the Vietnam-Cambodia land border terrain maps and speed up compilation of a protocol on land border demarcation between the two countries.
In 2010, the two sides identified 72 positions, built 73 positions and demarcated 155 km of border line.
The Vietnamese delegation to the meeting was led by Ho Xuan Son, Deputy Foreign Minister and head of Vietnam’s Joint Committee on Border Demarcation. The Cambodian delegation was headed by Var Kimhong, Senior Minister and head of Cambodia’s Joint Committee on Border Demarcation.
Khmer Rouge victims in U.S. to get their day in court
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| Survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime and their supporters pray for victims of the regime during a buddhist blessing ceremony at an informational event sponsored by advocates from Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia (ASRIC) and The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) held at the Wat Khemara Rangsey Temple, in San Jose, Calif. on February 26, 2011. From the background left, Venerable Son Yeong Ratana and Venerable Pok Ngeth conduct the ceremony. (LiPo Ching/Mercury News) |
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| At center, Kanphiry Keo, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime, whose parents and two brothers were killed by the regime watches a video on the crimes investigated by the Khmer Rouge court with other survivors and supporters at an informational event sponsored by advocates from Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia (ASRIC) and The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) held at the Wat Khemara Rangsey Temple, in San Jose, Calif. on February 26, 2011. (LiPo Ching/Mercury News) |
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| At left, Sophany Bay, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime, whose three children and other family members were killed by the regime speaks to survivors and supporters at an informational event sponsored by advocates from Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia (ASRIC) and The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) held at the Wat Khemara Rangsey Temple, in San Jose, Calif. on February 26, 2011. From the background left, CJA Attorney Nushin Sarkarati holds a photo of Bay’s child and CJA Legal Director Andrea Evans holds a photo of other members of Bay’s family. (LiPo Ching/Mercury News) |
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| Khun Aun, a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime, holds a photo of her husband Keo Sophorn, who was killed by the regime at the Wat Khemara Rangsey Temple where survivors, supporters and advocates from Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia (ASRIC) and The Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) held an informational event, in San Jose, Calif. on February 26, 2011. (LiPo Ching/Mercury News) |
02/26/2011
By John Boudreau
Mercury News (San Jose, California)
Many Cambodians have lived the lives of ghosts in Silicon Valley, not seen or heard from much, quietly tormented every day and every night with unbearable memories of the genocide that wiped out entire families — parents, spouses, children, extended relatives.
Now, finally, some of them will have their day in international court. When the second trial of alleged perpetrators of the Khmer Rouge genocide begins in a few months, members of the Cambodian community in the United States will be represented by attorneys at the proceedings.
On Saturday, about 50 members of Silicon Valley’s 10,000 strong sizable Cambodian community gathered at the Wat Khemara Rangsey Buddhist temple in East San Jose to hear about the upcoming trial of four senior Khmer Rouge leaders charged in connection with the deaths of 1.7 million people from execution, torture, starvation and disease from 1975 to 1979.
“For our clients, who have waited so long for this, it can be overwhelming to revisit the past,” said Andrea Evans, legal director at the Center for Justice and Accountability, a San Francisco human rights legal group that will represent scores of Cambodians living in the U.S. before the United Nations-backed tribunal.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Tieng Narith – “The Great Danger of the Khmer Nation”
Please click here to read more about Teang Narith
Tieng Narith – Great Danger of Khmer Nation http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=49578691&access_key=key-2kpvsv58yk12n3l6o9kj&page=1&viewMode=list
Originally posted at http://www.ki-media.blogspot.com/
Cambodia vs. Thailand foments more conflict
Fri, Feb. 25, 2011
JOEL BRINKLEY
The Kansas City Star
COMMENTARY
In Cambodia, Hun Sen vows to remain in office until he is 90. He’s 58 now, and already no Asian leader has served as long — 26 years. Like Egypt, Cambodia holds faux elections, but Hun Sen recently declared: “I don’t just want to weaken the opposition, but to make it die.”
In the post-digital era, most of our pictures stayed in the camera Wisconsin’s governor, in the eye of the storm Cambodia vs. Thailand foments more conflict How I lost my voter ID and other no-show fables from the KC mayoral primary State budgets prop up structures while cutting services Burke and James must serve up the specifics Unions for public employees have been a 50-year policy mistake Observing Black History Month helps us move forward The GOP’s strategy to divide America Sen. Scott Brown, abused as a youth, opens a window on ‘lost’ boys The South lost the Civil War, but some won’t heed its lessons Obama’s cynical budget forfeits America’s future Strong progress toward a more diverse city and nation What Others Are Saying | Expect long line for next Super Bowl Young, tough women are taking center stage Investing in UMKC will help create a vibrant work force What Others Are Saying | Pittsburgh’s chance to be the new Gotham City ‘Big solutions’ hamper KC’s downtown appeal KC voters must pick a mayor who ‘gets it’ on transit U.S. Excerpts | The value of pre-K classes; entitlements in the federal budget Across the Middle East and beyond, kings and dictators are quaking in their castles, afraid their people will throw them from power. All except one, that is.
In Cambodia, longtime dictator Hun Sen, like his fellow potentates around the world, watched the news and figured out his own strategy. He decided to give a speech and threaten his people.
“I would like to tell you that if you want to strike as in Tunisia,” he warned, “I will close the door and beat the dog this time.”
That was last month, and all has been quiet since. Don Jameson, a former State Department official who served in Phnom Penh, just returned from a long visit there and told me, “I judge that the chances of an uprising against the Hun Sen regime similar to those in Tunisia and Egypt are close to zero.”
Border spat forces families to live apart [-Blame it on the Thai army?]
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| LEFT ALONE: Cambodian Samniang Yon, pictured with her nephew, has been separated from her Thai husband since early this month. |
27/02/2011
Wassana Nanuam
Bangkok Post
A military source said Cambodian nationals have been prohibited from staying overnight in Thailand to prevent Cambodian spies from sneaking in.
SI SA KET : The Thai-Cambodian border dispute has not only shattered relations between the countries but also torn apart families living in the border area.
“It has resulted in our family splitting up. I cannot come home now,” said Yon Kimsan, a 36-year-old Cambodian woman whose husband is Thai.
Since the border tensions flared, Thai authorities have banned Cambodians who used to live on the Thai side with their families from spending the night on Thai soil.
They are required to travel back to Cambodia at the end of the day after finishing work.
Hun Sen calls for border restraint
VNA/VOV News
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has asked border guards close to Thailand, especially in the area adjacent to Preah Vihear temple, to stay alert but “exercise extreme restraint”.
Hun Sen told a weekly cabinet meeting on February 25 that border guards should maintain self-control as much as possible to follow a long-term ceasefire agreement with Thailand.
The two countries reached the ceasefire at a ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on February 22. Cambodia and Thailand invited Indonesia in the capacity of the grouping president to send observers to the both sides of the disputed area.
In this regard, Thailand on February 25 said a visit by a special envoy of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to Thailand would provide an opportunity for Bangkok to explain the situation.
War of words breaks out
26/02/2011
Bangkok Post
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya is apparently giving no credence to the claims to success of his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong in the wake of Tuesday’s Asean foreign ministerial meeting in Jakarta.
The meeting was brokered by Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa to cool Thai-Cambodian diplomatic tensions, which have been brought to the boil by deadly clashes in the border area near Preah Vihear temple claimed by both countries.
Hor Namhong said the Cambodian government’s demands were ”responded to” at the Asean meeting.
These demands included a ceasefire, the presence of neutral observers in the disputed area and the participation of Indonesia, as the Asean chair, in efforts to reach a resolution.
But Hor Namhong said Thailand made only a short statement to the effect that the despatch of the observers will be made in accordance with previous practices, seen when observers from Thailand and the Philippines were sent when Indonesia was involved in disputes with rebels in Aceh and with East Timor.
Cambodia has sought the involvement of the international community since the latest round of violent border clashes flared up on Feb 4, leaving a Thai civilian and a military officer dead and many injured.
But while Thailand has agreed to what was tabled at the Asean foreign ministers’ meeting, Mr Kasit has sought to dampen any claims of success by Hor Namhong.
”Our issue is to forge peace and begin a negotiation progress,” he said.
But what the Thai side was most satisfied with at the Jakarta meeting was the fact that no ceasefire was mentioned.
A Thai diplomatic source said any mention of a ceasefire might be construed as a suggestion that war was afoot, which would be to exaggerate the border clashes.
Furthermore, an observer said if any ceasefire was mentioned, Cambodia might claim the area was now at peace and ask Unesco to consider Cambodia’s management plan, opposed by Thailand, for the 4.6-square-kilometre zone.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, however, rushed to announce to reporters in Cambodia on the day of the meeting that he had declined to sign a ceasefire deal with Thailand, even though he had requested Thailand to do so in Jakarta.
A notable presence at the foreign ministers’ meeting was that of Hun Sen’s son, Hun Manet.
The Thai diplomatic source said Hun Manet’s attendance was a welcome sign, as he could report back to his father the opinions of the neutral parties.
Unesco special envoy ‘supports Thai stance’ [-Thai propaganda?]
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| Unesco special envoy Koichiro Matsuura meets Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at Government House yesterday to discuss the border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia. CHANAT KATANYA |
Cambodia’s temple plan may have to be put off
26/02/2011
Thanida Tansubhapol and Piyaporn Wongruang
Bangkok Post
Unesco says it will be difficult to consider Cambodia’s proposed world heritage management plan for the Preah Vihear temple given the current tense situation, the Thai Foreign Ministry says.
The Unesco special envoy on the Preah Vihear issue, Koichiro Matsuura, who is also a former Unesco director-general, yesterday met Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya at Government House to hear about the problems between Thailand and Cambodia.
Thailand was his first leg before he heads to Cambodia tomorrow.
Thani Thongphakdee, Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Mr Matsuura understood that the problems over the Preah Vihear temple stemmed from its listing as a world heritage site given that the border’s demarcation was still pending. Mr Matsuura was quoted as saying that he also admitted that in the current situation, it was difficult to move forward with the Preah Vihear management plan proposed by Cambodia.
Unesco told to delay consideration
February 26, 2011
By Piyanart Srivalo, Nuntida Puangthong
The Nation
Abhisit expects border conflict with Cambodia to be settled by mid 2011
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) yesterday listened but did not make clear whether it agreed with Thailand’s request to have a further delay of consideration of Preah Vihear’s management plan.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said after a meeting with Unesco’s special envoy Koichiro Matsuura that Thailand would settle the conflict with Cambodia over the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear’s inscription before the World Heritage Committee’s next meeting in Bahrain in the middle of this year.
The two countries were at a loggerhead during a World Heritage Committee’s meeting in Brazil last year over the temple’s management. Phnom Penh submitted the plan since January last year but the committee then agreed with Thailand’s idea to delay its consideration until next meeting.
Indonesian military team visits disputed Thai-Cambodia border area
Gen. Neang Phat, vice minister of national defense, told Kyodo News by telephone that the Indonesian advance team visited the ancient Cambodian temple of Preah Vihear and the surrounding area to find a suitable location for deployment, which will be made under an ASEAN- brokered deal.
He said the Indonesians spent several hours in the area and will report back to the Indonesian government, the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Cambodia and Thailand agreed during an ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Jakarta on Tuesday to invite Indonesia to deploy civilian and military observers to monitor a ceasefire agreement in the border area.
Outcome of Jakarta forum changes the landscape
The China Post
BANGKOK — ASEAN, Thailand and Cambodia set a precedent when they came up with a resolution for the border dispute on Tuesday.
Boundary conflicts are not abnormal in this region, but each country employs different methods of resolving them. For instance, the Malaysia-Indonesia conflict over Sipadan and Ligitan islands, as well as the Singapore-Malaysia discord over the Batu Puteh island were taken to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which issued verdicts on the cases in 2002 and 2008 respectively.
In comparison, Thailand and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over the Preah Vihear Temple since last century, and even though the case was taken to the ICJ, Thailand has been resisting the verdict since 1962.
Cambodia, referring to the 1962 ICJ ruling that “the temple is situated in the territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia,” handed the case over to United Nations Security Council claiming that Thailand was invading its territory. Phnom Penh obviously hopes to have the U.N. enforce the ICJ ruling and keep Thai soldiers away from the areas surrounding the Hindu temple.
UN Rights Envoy Faces Balancing Act in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Feb 25, 2011 (IPS) – A United Nations rights envoy says Cambodia must accelerate the pace of its democratic reforms, but it’s unclear how much sway he holds with a government that has become increasingly resistant to international criticism.
Surya Subedi, the U.N.’s special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, says he has seen encouraging developments in the southeast Asian nation. But there remain worrying trends.
Subedi faces a difficult balancing act when it comes to fulfilling his mission in Cambodia: being a vocal critic could risk alienating a government with which he must ultimately work, while underplaying key concerns could render him ineffective.
“He has all the room in the world [to criticise],” said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights. “But if his objective is not to offend Mr. Hun Sen and the Cambodian government, then he has no room at all.”
Virak said he believes Subedi has managed to balance the two sides so far, though it may well be because a Cambodian government still dependent on international donors realises that it must tolerate his presence.
UN Rights Envoy Sees Mixed Results After Visit to Cambodia
VOA, Phnom Penh
Friday, 25 February 2011
“Criticism is not a crime, but an exercise of freedom of conscience, and an act of intelligence.”
The United Nations Special Rapporteur for human rights wrapped up his fourth visit to Cambodia on Thursday saying significant issues remained unresolved.
Surya Subedi said his fourth visit to Cambodia had produced a mixed bag of results, with limited government cooperation on measures for judicial reform that he had recommended after his last trip here in June.
On Thursday Subedi highlighted freedom of expression and land rights as key ongoing issues.
Phnom Penh has for several years pursued its perceived critics through the courts, with some people jailed or forced overseas to avoid prison sentences handed down by a compliant judiciary.
U.S. Warship Arrives in Cambodia for Maritime Drill
Source: Xinhua
The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) of the United States arrived in Cambodia’s Sihanoukville Port on Saturday morning to participate in the Cambodian Maritime Exercise, starting from Feb. 27 to March 2, according to the media release from the U.S. embassy in Phnom Penh.
The 31st MEU includes more than 2,200 marines and sailors, and is comprised of a command element, a reinforced infantry battalion, a composite helicopter squadron and a combat logistics battalion.
The warship’s participation in the exercise is part of the U.S. Pacific Command’s Theater Security Cooperation Program.
“The bilateral exercise will provide unique and dynamic opportunities for cooperation between the U.S. and Cambodian military, while promoting relationship-building between militaries and local communities,”the press release said on Saturday.
Sumitomo Electric to build plants in Cambodia, Philippines
“A labor shortage and wage hikes are occurring in China,” Masayoshi Matsumoto said in reference to emerging risks in the country.
Outside Asia, Brazil is important for Sumitomo Electric because the South American country is “friendly to Japan and rich in natural resources,” said Matsumoto, 66.
Sumitomo Electric is aiming to raise the proportion of overseas sales to 50 percent in fiscal 2011 from 40 percent in fiscal 2009 and will promote competent workers to executive posts regardless of nationality in order to expand overseas operations, he added.
Vietnam, Cambodia strive to complete demarcation
26/02/2011
VOV News/VNA
Vietnamese and Cambodian officials on border issues have affirmed a resolve to complete land border demarcation and landmark erection by 2012 as the two countries’ leaders agreed.
At the fifth round of the Vietnam-Cambodia Joint Committee on Border Demarcation in Phnom Penh on February 24-25, officials agreed to increase cooperation to fulfill six main tasks this year.
The tasks include defining of at least 100 landmark positions, delineating 500km of border line, completing the switch to the UTM map on the 1/50,000 scale from the current use of the Bone map on the 1/100,000 scale, and identification of landmark positions on the map in March.
The two sides also agreed to join hands to fulfill publication of a set of the Vietnam-Cambodia land border terrain maps and speed up compilation of a protocol on land border demarcation between the two countries.
In 2010, the two sides identified 72 positions, built 73 positions and demarcated 155 km of border line.
The Vietnamese delegation to the meeting was led by Ho Xuan Son, Deputy Foreign Minister and head of Vietnam’s Joint Committee on Border Demarcation. The Cambodian delegation was headed by Var Kimhong, Senior Minister and head of Cambodia’s Joint Committee on Border Demarcation.
The end game for the Mad Dog of the Middle East [-A Warning for the Mad Dog of Southeast Asia!]
Armed pro-Gadhafi gangs roll in Libyan capital
February 26, 2011
The Associated Press
TRIPOLI, Libya – The embattled Libyan regime passed out guns to civilian supporters, set up checkpoints Saturday and sent armed patrols roving the terrorized capital to try to maintain control of Moammar Gadhafi’s stronghold and quash dissent as rebels consolidate control elsewhere in the North African nation.
Residents of its eastern Tajoura district spread concrete blocks, large rocks and even chopped-down palm trees as makeshift barricades to prevent the SUVs filled with young men wielding automatic weapons from entering their neighborhood — a hotspot of previous protests.
With tensions running high in Tripoli, scores of people in the neighborhood turned out at a funeral for a 44-year-old man killed in clashes with pro-regime forces. Anwar Algadi was killed Friday, with the cause of death listed as “a live bullet to the head,” according to his brother, Mohammed.
Armed men in green armbands, along with uniformed security forces check those trying to enter the district, where graffiti that says “Gadhafi, you Jew,” ”Down to the dog,” and “Tajoura is free” was scrawled on walls.
Political Sacravatoons: "The 3 Plans"
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| Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com/) |
Lessons for the Mideast from Asia’s Revolutions
Author: Joshua Kurlantzick, Fellow for Southeast Asia
Council on Foreign Relations
As the anti-government demonstrations built into massive protests, hundreds of thousands of middle class men and women swarmed into the squares and long avenues of the capital’s major business district. They were at times angry and joyful, hopeful but with little experience. And then, the army, which seemed like it might crack down, turned, with top commanders calling for the dictator’s exit. The United States, the most important foreign power, eased his abdication.
The scene, so familiar today, occurred roughly twenty-five years ago in Manila, capital of the Philippines. The “People Power” movement eventually forced longtime dictator and close U.S. ally Ferdinand Marcos to flee to Hawaii. As in Egypt today, there was exuberance in the streets of Manila after Marcos fled, and concern among many in Washington; the Philippines housed important American bases, and many American policymakers worried that Marcos’s exit would unleash instability and communist revolutions in parts of the Philippines, leading to rampant anti-Americanism in the former colony and treaty ally.
Few of those American worries came to pass. Though the Philippines still suffers from low-level insurgencies in the south, a communist takeover never occurred, and while post-Marcos governments eliminated America’s rights to use bases in the Philippines, the United States eventually restored a visiting forces agreement. Today, Washington has a close military-to-military relationship with Manila.
But if America’s worries about a democratic Philippines proved unfounded, Filipinos’ hopes for a post-Marcos democratic era never really materialized either. Though the Philippines today is technically a democracy, it is plagued by corrupt and venal politics, poor governance, and widespread dissatisfaction with democratic rule–so much so that the Marcos clan, including his widow Imelda, have made a triumphant return to politics, taking congressional and senate seats. The foundations for the failure of democracy were established very early in the post-authoritarian period–a critical lesson for democratic activists throughout the Middle East today. Indeed, by looking at the lessons of the very early post-revolution periods of several democracies in Asia, we can see how the Middle Eastern revolts could survive–or easily fail.
Asia’s Rise and Fall of ‘People Power’
Besides the Philippines, other Asian nations underwent democratic transitions in the late 1980s and 1990s, often after large popular movements to push aside dictators. In the mid-1980s, demonstrations in Seoul helped spark a democratic revolution, and after a massive protest in Bangkok in 1992, the Thai military stepped down, paving the way for civilian democratic rule. Taiwan’s ruling Kuomintang allowed a transition to more open politics.
“By looking at the lessons of the very early post-revolution periods of several democracies in Asia, we can see how the Middle Eastern revolts could survive–or easily fail.”
Later, in the early and mid-1990s, the end of the civil war in Cambodia led to free elections; protests that drove out Suharto eventually led to a democratic transition in Indonesia; and demonstrations in Malaysia helped open up space for what appeared to be a truly contested legislature. Farther north, Mongolia shed its past as a Soviet satellite and attempted to build democratic institutions and culture virtually from scratch, with leading politicians in their twenties and thirties taking the reins.
Yet today these countries have enjoyed mixed results. Thailand is not truly a democracy, and the military has regained power; Malaysia has retained a soft authoritarianism; the Philippines is essentially an oligarchy; Cambodia has become an authoritarian state; Indonesia has moved toward democracy but faces serious challenges; and South Korea is a vibrant, pluralistic democracy. And throughout Asia, nostalgia for authoritarian rule remains high, according to studies conducted by the Asian Barometer survey series.
Given the hope for widespread democratic change in Asia that existed in the late 1990s, this mixture of consolidation and reversals is hardly inspiring. But Asia offers several critical lessons for today’s changes in the Middle East, where it is likely that some countries will build genuine democracies while others will stagger backwards into authoritarian rule or outright chaos.
Lesson 1: Act Quickly
Much of the future of Asia’s emerging democracies was determined within a year after popular protest appeared to end authoritarian rule. In the Philippines, the inability to erase the influence of the country’s handful of massive landowners–including the Aquino clan–meant that the country remained mired in a kind of oligarchic politics–and today, without a popular revolution, it will be hard to change that trend. In Thailand, the refusal in the early democratic period of the 1990s to use constitutional change to reexamine the role of the monarchy and its institutions led to the continuation of undemocratic power wielded by the trinity of bureaucracy, military, and palace.
Meanwhile, in Indonesia, the decisions by the post-Suharto executive to allow a referendum in East Timor, though leading to a bloody separation, set the stage for Jakarta being able to allow devolution of power to outlying areas. This would prove critical later in bringing peace to Aceh and other areas. And in Cambodia, the results of the first democratic elections in 1993, in which Hun Sen used threats and force to overturn his loss, set the stage for a political system in which thuggery and coercion would come to dominate.
Lesson 2: Opposition Groups Can Mimic Autocrats
To hold together an opposition movement in the face of a repressive regime requires a high degree of cohesion, even autocracy, within that opposition movement. Yet serving in opposition for so long also can make a leader intensely fearful, seeing threats or spies around every corner. Chen Shui-bian, the Taiwanese DPP leader, exhibited many of these traits–tight control of his party and fear, even paranoia, of outsiders. These were survival skills in the opposition in Taiwan, but in government, those traits would doom his administration.
Similarly, Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who has many reasons to be paranoid—he’s already been jailed once and is possibly facing jail again on trumped up charges–seems to be positioning his close family as his successors, perhaps because of the same need to close ranks.
In Taiwan, Malaysia, and in other Asian nations, this fear has stunted the opposition as it moves into power, making it hard to compromise and leading to winner-take-all politics. For longtime opposition movements like the Muslim Brotherhood, Iran’s Green Movement, or Bahrain’s opposition Shiites–some of whose members have been beaten, jailed, and killed for their beliefs–it will be hard for them too, in power, not to exact retribution and close ranks around themselves, turning democracy into a different type of one-party rule.
Lesson 3: Don’t Count on the Middle Class
During the eras of street protests, Filipino, Thai, South Korean, Indonesian, Malaysian, and Taiwanese middle classes stood at the forefront of demonstrations, much as middle class men and women are doing now in the Middle East. But less than a generation later, these same middle class men and women often now oppose democracy. In Indonesia and Taiwan, the middle class has continued to be a bulwark for reform, particularly in Jakarta. But in other nations, the middle class no longer always stands for reform and good governance.
During the first years of democratic rule, many Asian middle class men and women became convinced that freer politics would seriously diminish their political and economic power. This belief was not entirely unfounded: elected leaders like the Philippines’ Joseph Estrada and Thailand’s Thaksin Shinawatra, who rode to power on the votes of the poor in 2001, upheld electoral democracy (winning the most votes) but paid little attention to constitutional democracy (upholding the rule of law and private property). Facing such elected autocrats, in Thailand, urban middle class men and women supported the 2006 military coup, and in the Philippines middle class men and women came into the streets again, in 2001, to push out Estrada, an elected leader. In Malaysia, meanwhile, ethnic Malay middle classes increasingly have rallied to the side of Malay nationalists, worried that changes in the affirmative action policies that favor Malays over Chinese will ruin their livelihoods.
This middle class revolt easily could be repeated in a country like Egypt or Tunisia, if elections bring to power a populist like Thaksin with little regard for the rule of law. But it doesn’t have to happen if leaders in the young democracies demonstrate to the middle class a commitment to private property rights, impartial courts, and other checks on power.
Lesson 4: The U.S. Should Take a Background Role
Some of the most successful examples of democratic transition in Asia occurred in countries that received minimal U.S. attention, like Mongolia, or in places where, at the time, Washington had a difficult relationship, like Indonesia. Left more to their own devices, nations like Mongolia were able to experiment with political systems and constitutions. In Indonesia, post-Suharto leaders oversaw a successful process of devolution of power to provinces, bringing more people into the political process and decentralizing the economy.
Such hands-off behavior is, of course, not as possible in a country like Egypt, a vital American ally. Still, given the low level of trust in the Middle East in American diplomacy, Washington should at the least stay in the background. For a start, the United States could channel more aid to democratizing Middle Eastern nations more through organizations like the National Endowment to Democracy, which played a role in assisting Asian democratic transitions.
In the Middle East, Washington’s willingness to work with any elected leaders, as long as they do not try to overturn democracy, will be critical. In Asia, apparent U.S. acceptance of nondemocratic means of removing elected leaders, like the fairly recent cases of Thaksin in Thailand or Estrada in the Philippines–even if these leaders had many flaws–has been counterproductive. There remains a tendency in these states for people to look to extra-constitutional methods of changing governments, thereby weakening democracy even more.
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