Light Duch Sentence a Failure of Justice: Victim

Hisham Moussa, (left), and Chum Sirath, (right), on 'Hello VOA'. (Photo: Heng Reaksmey)

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Tuesday, 03 August 2010

“I have seen that the feelings of victims want Duch to serve from now to life, as he might have freedom afterwards.”

The 19-year commuted sentence for convicted Khmer Rouge prison chief Duch is unlikely to provide a sense of justice to many people who lost family to his notorious torture center, a survivor and UN-backed tribunal monitor said Monday.

A tribunal conviction could have provided three steps toward reconciliation for victims, said Chum Sirath, a lawyer for civil parties who complained as part of the Khmer Rouge tribunal process.

First, justice must be acceptable to the victims, he said. Second, their satisfaction should lead to an alleviation of sadness. Finally, a sense of healing would bring reconciliation.
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Cabinet appoints Minister Suwit to chair Preah Vihear dispute committee

BANGKOK, Aug 3 (MCOT online news) - The Thai Cabinet on Tuesday appointed Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suwit Khunkitti to chair a committee to oversee the Preah Vihear temple dispute and to examine Cambodia's development-management plan for the ancient temple, according to a government spokesman.

Mr Suwit led the Thai delegation to the just ending UNESCO World Heritage Commission (WHC) meeting in Brazil, said acting spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn. The minister is charged with responsibility to gather information on Cambodia's development management plan for the temple, which was granted world heritage status in 2008.

The committee will also seek evidence to support Thailand's claim to the contested 4.6 sq km area around Preah Vihear temple, he said.
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Alleged 'sex tourist' faces trial in L.A. federal court August 3, 2010 Shelby Grad L.A. Now (California, USA) A man accused of being a "sex tourist"

August 3, 2010
By Shelby Grad
L.A. Now

A man accused of being a "sex tourist" in Cambodia will face a September trial in federal court, officials said.

Michael James Dodd, 59, was brought from Cambodia to Los Angeles in February. If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in federal prison.

Dodd taught English in Cambodia, had sex with a 14-year-old girl and was seen with her on several occasions in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, according to an affidavit for arrest filed in federal court.
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Cambodian Migrant Labourers To Malaysia And Thailand Up 2 Folds In Six Months

PHNOM PENH, Aug 3 (Bernama) -- Cambodia's migrant workers to Malaysia and Thailand increased two folds in the first six months of this year, compared to the same period last year, China's Xinhua news agency quoted the Cambodia Recruitment Agency (CRA) as saying on Tuesday.

The statistics showed that Cambodia has sent 5,776 legal workers (3,543 female and 2,233 male) to Malaysia from January to June this year, up two folds from only 1,925 in the first half of 2009.

In Malaysia, female workers are employed as maids and shop assistants, while male workers are for working in manufacturing industry.

While, Thailand received 2,409 labourers (1,124 female and 1,285 male) in the first six months of this year, up two folds from only 803 workers in the same period last year. Most of them are working in factories and tourism industry.
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Opinion: Comrade Duch and Cambodia’s sorrow

Duch's conviction last week was a case of justice delayed being justice denied.

August 3, 2010
By HDS Greenway
GlobalPost

BOSTON — Class and economic differences have all but vanished from the world today as a basis for war and extermination. With the failure of Communism the world has settled back to more traditional forms of aggression based on blood ties, tribe, ethnicity and religion. But most of the 20th century was plagued by class war, the most extreme example being the fate of Cambodia during the reign of the Khmer Rouge, 1975-1979.

The conviction of Kiang Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, for crimes against humanity in Cambodia last week was a clear case of justice delayed being justice denied. Commandant of the notorious Tuol Sleng torture and extermination center in Phnom Penh, a converted school house, Comrade Duch oversaw the excruciating deaths of some 17,000 people during the Cambodian Holocaust more than 30 years ago. That his sentence was less than life in prison is a blow and a mockery to those who suffered during those terrible years.

The great Khmer civilization memorialized by the temple complex known as Angkor Wat ended almost a thousand years ago. Since then Cambodia has been in a long decline, squeezed, as Cambodians like to say, between the “tiger and the crocodile — a prisoner of geography between Thailand and Vietnam. From time to time one or the other has taken advantage of Cambodia’s weakness to invade.
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Garment workers strike back in Cambodia

Tue 3 Aug 2010
SocialistWorker Online

Some 3,000 garment workers in Cambodia struck last week in defence of a suspended union rep.

One striker, a 26-year old mother of three, told Socialist Worker, “We went back to work on Monday but the mood to fight is still there. The company don’t pay enough for me to just have silly days off without good reason.

"I can’t pay my bills as it is. We want more pay and we want to be treated with respect. We shouldn’t have to fight for that—but we will.’’

Petrolimex Seeks To Expand Oil Product Sales In Cambodia [-Sokimex has competition now?]

Tuesday, 3 August 2010

HANOI -(Dow Jones)- State-run Vietnam National Petroleum Corp., or Petrolimex, said Tuesday that it is seeking to expand its oil-product sales in Cambodia, where it already holds a 50% stake in the country's retail oil product market.

Petrolimex has opened a representative office in Cambodia, paving the way for the company to open a wholly owned unit there, it said in a statement.

The Vietnamese company's revenue from oil product exports to Cambodia total $700 million a year, it said.

Last November, Petrolimex opened a wholly owned company in Singapore, its first overseas unit.

-By Vu Trong Khanh, Dow Jones Newswires

Thomico's Open letter to Thai PM ... But, Prince, where is your open letter to the Viet leaders on Viet encroachments?

Click on the letters in English and French to zoom in
Cliquez sur les letters en anglais et français pour aggrandir

Beijing
August 2, 2010

His Excellency Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva
Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand
Care of the Royal Thai Embassy
Phnom Penh
Kingdom of Cambodia

Dear Mr. Prime Minister:

Please convey to His Majesty the King of Thailand my very respectful homages and my wishes for a long life, good health and a long and prosperous reign.

I present to Your Excellency and to the eminent members of the Royal Thai Government as well my compliments.

I feel great admiration for the impressive economic, social and cultural development that the Kingdom of Thailand has achieved in recent decades, and particularly for the strong commitment to education that has underpinned the country’s rise. And I feel particularly grateful to the Kingdom of Thailand for the important role it played in the recent past to help Cambodia recover her sovereignty and put an end to two decades of conflict and suffering.

The Khmer people have no other desire than to heal the wounds of the past and live peacefully. As a member of the international community, of global and regional organizations, Cambodia wishes to achieve its development in harmony with every country, to nurture and reinforce relationships of friendship and cooperation with every nation, and above all with our direct neighbors.

The Kingdom of Cambodia and the Kingdom of Thailand have a long history together, marked indeed by conflicts but also by periods of peace during which exchanges between the two countries have greatly benefited both. We share a common civilization, culture, and religion. Whatever may separate us is not as strong as that which binds us together.

For these reasons it has been especially painful to witness the fast deterioration of relations between our two countries over the last two years. Both our populations are easily stirred by the ultra-nationalistic rhetoric of a minority. But a calm appraisal of history should make it clear that the territorial claims that have so animated the recent popular and political discourse in Thailand have no basis.

That history, in fact, is not a pretty one. The borders between our two countries have indeed been imposed on us by colonial powers who respected nothing but their own interests. While the Kingdom of Thailand was not colonized by Western powers, Khmers and Thais both can rightfully consider themselves victims of this colonial past. I understand the feeling of injustice borne by the Thai people against the impositions made on them by foreign powers. As a Cambodian, I cannot forget that the Governor of Cochinchina, Charles Thomson, arrayed guns in front of the Royal Palace to force HM King Norodom to sign the infamous 1884 Convention. Neither do I forget that the 1896 Convention was adopted by the United Kingdom and France in contempt of both Cambodia and Thailand.

The current Thai territorial claims, just like the 1954 fait accompli against Preah Vihear, use geographical criteria as justification, and as demonstration of how unjust the 1904 Border Treaty was. Natural features such as streams, watershed boundaries, mountain ridges, and escarpment lines, are indeed used to demarcate borders between countries. Bear in mind, however, that ethnic and linguistic considerations are also important criteria. From this point of view, it is undeniable that the 1904 Border Treaty left millions of Khmers separated from their motherland. Cambodia has been torn apart and left in pieces by foreign powers in full contempt of the aspirations of its people. If our two nations have a claim to historical injustice, it should be clear that Cambodia bears the greater burden.

In that era, it must be noted, a people’s right to self-determination was not yet part of international law. Nonetheless, the result today is that more Khmers are living outside of Cambodia, including in Thailand, than on Cambodian soil. Should ethnic and linguistic criteria have been used to demarcate the borders between Cambodia and Thailand, the outcome would have been completely different.

The example of ex-Yugoslavia, artificially created by the superpowers in full contempt of the regional historical, cultural, religious and ethnic realities, the ensuing conflicts of Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo show how fragile those manipulations are and how evil their consequences have been.

In this regard, and as far as nationalistic overbidding is concerned, Cambodia could rightfully be in a position to denounce the 1904 Treaty in order to take into consideration the ethnic and linguistic criteria. Then there would be no Preah Vihear issue as the temple and its surroundings would consequently be located deep inside Cambodia -- where they belong.

But ever since full independence in 1953, under the leadership of then-Prince Sihanouk, Cambodia has only demanded the de jure recognition by its neighbors and by the international community of its borders in accordance with treaties imposed in the 20th century. This is still true today: Cambodia has no other claim.

Our two nations are fated to live side by side. We are both members of ASEAN, a regional organization which aspires, as the European Union has done, to open borders among nations to free the creative energies that are the source of sustainable development. Raising territorial claims is a futile attempt that flies in the face of history, and that harms our peoples by diverting significant resources that could otherwise be invested in development and the fight against poverty on both sides of our shared border.

As a Cambodian - and I am convinced that millions of Khmers do share my feeling - my dearest wish, Your Excellency, would be to see Preah Vihear standing as the enduring symbol of the reconciliation between our two nations, of the harmony of our relationship, and a model of fruitful cooperation between two neighbors.

Please accept, Mr. Prime Minister, the assurances of my very high consideration.

(signed)
Sisowath Thomico

Endless disputes over Preah Vihear [-Does the PAD Thais know what they want?]

August 3, 2010
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

The boundary dispute with Cambodia and controversy over Preah Vihear Temple have become mixed up and widely politicised as political groups inflame the issues and accuse each other of losing Thai territory.

Some of the most vociferous of those charges and issues are:

• Nationalist groups under the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) umbrella have accused the government of possibly losing territory to Cambodia due to a document signed in 2000 by the Democrat-led administration headed by Chuan Leekpai.
• Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has shifted the blame to former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama for giving Cambodia the chance to list the Preah Vihear as a world heritage site.
• Natural Resource and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti called a press briefing on his return from the World Heritage meeting in Brazil to claim credit for convincing the committee to delay consideration of Cambodia's management plan for Preah Vihear.
• Unlike Abhisit, Suwit thanked PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang for a protest staged in front of Unesco's regional office in Bangkok last week, in support of his efforts to block the Cambodian temple plan. Suwit implied that his mission was defending Thai sovereignty over the Preah Vihear.
• Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya called another press conference yesterday to defend the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding on boundary demarcation, while his yellow-shirt alliance group turned their guns on the government for demanding its abolition.

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Kasit defends MoU signed with Phnom Penh [-The bottom line is that Thailand does not know what it agreed with Cambodia!]

3/08/2010
Thanida Tansubhapol and Manop Thip-osod
Bangkok Post

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya is defending the memorandum of understanding signed with Cambodia in 2000 on border issues, saying it does not put Thailand at a disadvantage.

"The MoU is an existing tool and a framework for negotiations on the border problems [with Cambodia]," Mr Kasit said yesterday.

"More importantly, the MoU is vital for the World Heritage Committee in Brazil to understand that the border negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia have not been finalised and are still ongoing. It includes the Preah Vihear temple area."

A government source close to the issue yesterday said if Thailand did not have this memo with Cambodia, then it would have no guidelines to use in their border demarcation talks.

"The MoU has provided the framework for the surveying of and demarcation of the border between the two countries," the source said.

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War of words over heritage meeting

The 1908 map of what Cambodia insists is the legitimate boundary (with Cambodia south of the red border line), is shown alongside a Thai map that was rejected by the International Court of Justice in 1962. (Photo Supplied)

Monday, 02 August 2010
Cheang Sokha
The Phnom Penh Post

CAMBODIAN officials have declared victory in a standoff with Thailand after the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s World Heritage Committee noted the submission of the government’s conservation management plan for Preah Vihear temple and scheduled it for consideration next year.

On Thursday, the Cambodian and Thai delegations to the WHC hashed out a compromise relating to the plan, which has ignited nationalist protests in Bangkok.

According to the compromise draft decision – signed by Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, Thai Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti and WHC President Joao Luiz Silva Ferreira – the committee noted the progress report submitted by Cambodia and postponed consideration of the documents until its next session in Bahrain in 2011.
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Thailand to depoliticize border problem with Cambodia

August 02, 2010
Source: Xinhua

Thailand will try to depoliticize the ongoing border conflict with Cambodia and to solve the problem through negotiation, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said on Monday.

"We don't want to have any political problem with the neighboring country. The border is still open now. And, all agreements we have had with Cambodia are still in place," Kasit told a press conference.

Kasit's remark was made after the World Heritage Committee ( WHC) decided on July 29 to reschedule its discussion on Cambodia's management plan for the Hindu Preah Vihear Temple to its annual meeting in Bahrain in 2011.

Prior to the WHC decision to postpone its discussion, Thailand threatened to walk out of the WHC meeting if the panel considered the Cambodian plan since the Thai side had not yet looked into details of the plan, which was handed in by Cambodia to the WHC panel just shortly before the meeting.

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Bilateral talk with Cambodia may be held to resolve border conflict: Thai minister

August 02, 2010
Source: Xinhua

A bilateral talk with Cambodia may be held in a bid to seek solution to the ongoing conflict over the Preah Vihear Temple, Thailand's Natural and Environment Minister Suvit Khunkitti said on Monday.

The Thai News Agency (TNA) reported that the natural and environment minister was speaking in Thailand's capital Bangkok shortly after he returned from Brazil, where he attended the annual 34th meeting of the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee (WHC).

It is expected that next month the WHC panel will present Cambodia's management plan for the 11th century Preah Vihear Temple to Thailand, Suvit said.

After obtaining the Cambodian management plan for Preah Vihear Temple, Thailand will look into details of the plan in a bid to protect the country's sovereignty, he said.

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[Thai] Minister Suwit: Thailand may receive Cambodia's temple management plan in September

BANGKOK, Aug 2 (MCOT online news) - Thailand's Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suwit Khunkitti on Monday said Cambodia will send its management plan for the ancient Preah Vihear temple to Thailand in September and concerned agencies will have to study it thoroughly.

Mr Suwit commented as he and the Thai delegation returned from Brazil and the 34th annual meeting of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Commission (WHC) which ends Tuesday. They were in Brasilia to oppose Cambodia's unilaterally proposed management plan for the historic Hindu temple and its environs.

The World Heritage Commission on Thursday agreed to postpone reviewing the Cambodian plan until next year when the WHC meets in Bahrain after Thailand, led by Mr Suwit, threatened to review its membership. At the same time a number of Thais rallied at the UNESCO regional headquarters in Bangkok last week, calling on the commission to hold off on its consideration of the issue.
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Cambodia in clasp of cluster bombs - Al Jazeera video

At least 26 million cluster bombs were dropped on Cambodia by the United States during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 70s.

And decades after the bombs stopped falling, millions of undetonated bombs lying in fields across the country continue to maim thousands of people who are unfortunate enough to step on them.

However, the Cambodian government has yet to agree to a global treaty on cluster munitions, which came into force on Monday.

The convention mandates signatory countries to find and clear their land of all the bomblets.

Al Jazeera Stephanie Scawen reports from the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, on why the government has not signed the treaty to clear their land of the mines.

No Cluster Munition Ban for Cambodia

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Monday, 02 August 2010

“As a heavily cluster-bombed country, we are willing to become a party to the convention.”

Cambodia has not yet signed a cluster munition ban that went into effect Sunday. Thirty-seven countries have ratified the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions.

“As a heavily cluster-bombed country, we are willing to become a party to the convention,” Prak Sokun, a secretary of state for the Council of Minister, told VOA Khmer last week. “But we have to consider thoroughly any impact to our national security.”

The cluster munition convention bans the production, use, transport or stockpiling of cluster munitions.
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Mystery Pig Deaths Spread Through Three Provinces

Animal health authorities are trying to learn what has killed nearly 200 pigs in three separate provinces. (Photo: AP)

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Monday, 02 August 2010

“On Saturday, we started the blood tests on seven pigs.”

Animal health authorities are trying to learn what has killed nearly 200 pigs in three separate provinces.

An unknown number of pigs have died in the provinces of Battambang and Kampong Cham, while nearly 150 have perished in the southern province of Kampot.

Health officials said the disease appears to be bacterial, making an outbreak of H1N1, sometimes called swine flu, unlikely.
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Government Looks To Build Reserve Military Force

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Monday, 02 August 2010

“The Ministry of Defense will train the reservists on fighting tactics and defense tactics as a base.”

The Council of Ministers passed a decree Friday that would begin to create a reserve force, despite previous government policy to reduce military spending.

Friday's decree would draw a reservist force from early resignations, soldiers who have completed their enlistments or even “experts” who have ben involved in military tasks.

The broadening of the military comes at a time of increasing countrywide nationalism that has been spurred by on ongoing border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand. The decree also follows a 2006 law that provides for military conscription.
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Cambodia prepares reserve soldiers

August 02, 2010
Source: Xinhua

Cambodia is preparing to have reserve soldiers in a move to reform and perform better military affairs, a military official said Monday.

Gen. Chhum Socheat, spokesman of Cambodia's Ministry of National Defense said the draft decree on recruiting reserve soldiers was approved by the Council of Ministers last Friday and is now awaiting final approval by His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni.

He said the reserve soldiers are practiced in many other countries around the world and it has nothing related to the border conflict with Thailand.

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Closure for Cambodia [-Sorry, not for all Cambodians!]

Monday, August 02, 2010
Katherine Marshall
Georgetown/On Faith
The Washington Post

Phnom Penh was hot, noisy, and bustling last week. Cars, motorcycles, and the ubiquitous tuk tuks (motorcycle taxis) raced through the city with perpetual near collisions. Markets were full. Children were everywhere. There were clouds gathering, but the coming storms of the rainy season held off.

The talk of the town was the long-awaited verdict in the international trial of Kaing Guek Eav, alias Commandant Duch, announced on July 26 by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, a joint United Nations-Cambodian Government tribunal set up to try some of the leaders responsible for the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia. Thirty years have passed, so it's high time to bring the surviving perpetrators to account. The trial of Duch is the first to come to a conclusion.

Duch's conviction was not in question. He was in charge of the notorious Tuol Sleng prison, where somewhere between 12,000 and 20,000 plus people entered, to be registered, tortured, and sent to their death. Fewer than ten who entered are thought to have emerged alive. Duch was renowned for his meticulous attention to detail - incredible records survive - and his cruelty. He acknowledged what he had done; his lame defense was that he was following orders. A convert to Christianity, he held out his faith and the good he said he has done since the Khmer Rouge period as character evidence.

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Cambodia’s Struggle With Globalization [-Corruption, Corruption, Corruption!!!]

Monday, August 02, 2010
Hal Hill, Jayant Menon & Chan Sopha
East Asia Forum
The Jakarta Globe

• Legal judgements are routinely for sale
• Ministers receive about $500 per month, but some seem to live quite lavishly
• The country’s tax effort (its tax revenue as a percentage of GDP) is a paltry 11 percent

The charming riverside capital of Phnom Penh, home to about 1.5 million inhabitants, has seen a lot in its turbulent history. But arguably nothing is on the scale of its first skyscraper, the 42-floor Gold Tower now nearing completion, not to mention the university and bank complexes mushrooming throughout this ancient city.

This changing physical landscape reflects broader developments across the country, which has been experiencing rapid economic growth — the sixth fastest in the world in the decade to 2007 — for the first time in its history.

More than two million tourists now visit this country of 14 million, a 20-fold increase over the figure in the early 1990s.

The Cambodian people have better nutrition and access to education and health services than ever before.

Since the cessation of internal hostilities almost two decades ago, life expectancy has risen by almost a decade and infant mortality has fallen significantly.
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Only balding ole boys and ole gals in this "ole Boy" Scouts group?

Xok An (2nd from left) presenting the scout's scarf to Phay Siphan, his mouthpiece, on 01 June 2010. It's interesting to note that no pictures of children/youths who were presented with scarfs were shown in the youth-oriented event, only that of the chief and his indian. (Photo: PQRU).

A small measure of justice in Cambodia

B-52 bombing

The punishment given the ex-chief of the Khmer Rouge's most notorious prison appears to be too lenient. And culpability for the reign of terror extends far beyond him.

August 1, 2010
By James Pringle
Los Angeles Times (California, USA)

To many survivors of the Khmer Rouge era, last week's sentence seemed far too light for a man who was "addicted to the sight of blood," as one of them described Duch in trial testimony. After taking into account the time he's already served and other considerations, he is likely to serve 19 more years, which leaves the distinct possibility that the 67-year-old will live to see freedom again.

Is that too lenient a sentence? Probably. But it's hard not to also think about how the culpability for Cambodia's horror extends far beyond one prison commander.

The first time I saw Cambodia was during the American "incursion" in the spring of 1970. Flying over the country in a rickety Vietnamese helicopter, I beheld a landscape pocked with craters, the result of the secret bombing that had been ordered by President Nixon and his national security advisor, Henry Kissinger, in 1969.
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Overloaded not spoken here!

Cambodians transport rice in Kandal province, located on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, July 31, 2010. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

The bright yellow washing detergent

1/08/2010
Voranai Vanijaka
Bangkok Post

If it looks like a Hindu, if it was built by a Khmer and if it has all the characteristics of a Cambodian - then it must belong to Thailand. But rest assured, the dispute over the 4.6 square kilometre portion of the Preah Vihear temple isn't really about the 4.6 square kilometres.

It isn't even about Preah Vihear itself. Therefore, this commentary will not dwell on who Preah Vihear really belongs to.

Though this must be said, people seems to neglect the fact that another World Heritage site, Vihear Phra Mongkolpitr in Ayutthaya, may be taken off the World Heritage list by Unesco. The reason is because it's so poorly run that it has become more like a weekend market filled with garbage.

And we, Thailand, still have the gall, the audacity, to make claims with the World Heritage Committee.

But this isn't about Preah Vihear or Vihear Phra Mongkolpitr. This is about the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). This is about the New Politics Party.

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[Thai] PM thanks [PAD Thai] rally, blames Noppadon

1/08/2010
Bangkok Post

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva thanked a group of Thai people for showing their concern for the country after they gathered in front of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco)'s local office in Bangkok on July 27 to oppose Cambodia's plan on administering Preah Vihear temple.

The gathering was likely one of the reasons why the Unesco World Heritage Committee (WHC) postponed discussions on the Phnom Penh government's management plan around the Preah Vihear temple to next year, Mr Abhisit said during his weekly broadcast on Sunday morning.

However, he said, confusion within the country might lead to conflicts that could benefit Cambodia in the end.

He said the Thai-Cambodian memorandum of understanding signed in 2000 had helped Thailand as it was the main factor in the WHC's decision.

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[PAD Thai] Govt to prepare to get prepared to fight against Cambodia's Preah Vihear management plan [-Will Abishit be around still by then?]

Sunday, August 01, 2010
The Nation

Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday that his government would spend the next year in making preparations to fight against Cambodia's management plan of the Preah Vihear world heritage site.

The consideration of the management plan has been delayed for a year by the Unesco World Heritage Committee.

Speaking during his weekly TV programme on NBT, the prime minister said he had seen a copy of the management plan and his government would make preparations to dispute it.

He said he had not changed his stand, which he had when he was the opposition leader to oppose Cambodia's unilateral registering Preah Vihear as a world heritage site.

He said he had never accepted that Thailand had overlapping plot with Cambodia near the ruined Hindu Khmer temple, indicating that he regarded the plot belonged to Thailand.

'Only joint listing can end row' [-Will Abishit still lead the next Thai government?]

August 1, 2010
THE NATION ON SUNDAY, THAI NEWS AGENCY

Abhisit vows to defend national interest, assigns officials to closely scrutinise Cambodian plan

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that a joint World Heritage listing of Preah Vihear and its adjacent compound - claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia - was the "best and smoothest path to take" to end conflict over Cambodia's controversial management plan for the ancient Khmer temple.

Abhisit and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya also disputed Phnom Penh's claims of victory following a decision by Unesco's World Heritage Committee to defer a review of Cambodia's management plan until its meeting next year.

The prime minister instructed concerned officials to come up with a detailed analysis of Cambodia's management plan for Preah Vihear to appraise how the plan adversely affects the country's sovereignty. Abhisit said the country would have enough time to study if the plan would bring about any problems before it was sent back to the World Heritage Committee.

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Thai-Cambodian Border Normal as UNESCO Talks Postponed

August 01, 2010
Pattaya Daily News

The situation at the Thai-Cambodian border remains normal despite the ongoing dispute surrounding the Preah Vihear Temple, according to Thai military sources on Friday.

Bangkok, the 31st of July 2010: The UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) postponed management plans put forth by Phnom Penh and resultant discussions over the controversial Preah Vihear Temple until 2011 last week.

Following the announcement, Thailand significantly increased their military presence on the eastern approach to the temple over fears of a Cambodian encroachment into Thai territory. However, despite fears and the WHC ruling to postpone talks, the situation remains stable in the region, according to military sources.

Disputes about the ownership of the temple and the land demarcation that surrounds it have been ongoing for more than 60 years. In 1962, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) made a majority ruling (9-3) that the temple was part of Cambodian territory. This judgement is still in place today, although Thailand continues to dispute the findings and the resultant World Heritage Listing for fear of losing adjacent land in the area.

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Facing reality beats playing politics over Preah Vihear

Sun, Aug 01, 2010
The Nation/Asia News Network

It was a close call as far as Thailand is concerned. On the other hand, the decision by the World Heritage Committee of Unesco to delay considering Cambodia's management plan for the Preah Vihear Temple to next year must have felt to Phnom Penh like a sucker punch. A diplomatic time bomb has been defused, but barely just, and the most important question is: What's next?

Blame took place in Brazil. Thailand was accused of trying to rock the boat and cling to something that no longer belongs to it. But to the Bangkok government, although the World Court ruled more than four decades and a half ago that the temple was on Cambodia's territory, things are not as simple as it looks. The management plan, the Thai delegation in Brazil insisted, would at least refuel territorial claims around the temple because the plan incorporated some information that Bangkok did not agree on.

Unesco must have been worried. This is not the first time a World Heritage site has become a source of neighbourly conflict. But given the on-and-off military tension at the Thai-Cambodian border and the stormy ties between the two countries, the international organisation must have felt it was best to postpone the Preah Vihear issue to next year.

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Key UN talks in Bahrain over temple dispute

Sunday, August 01, 2010
Gulf Daily News

A DECADES-OLD dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over ownership of a controversial temple could be settled in Bahrain.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) has agreed to consider a Cambodian plan for managing the temple, which is located on land claimed by both countries.

Unesco's World Heritage Commission is now expected to reach a decision on the Preah Vihear temple during its meeting in Bahrain next year.

Thailand claims Cambodia's plan jeopardises its claim to disputed territory and threatened to quit Unesco if it was endorsed during a meeting in Brazil last week.

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Cambodia: We will proceed 'urgently' with Preah Vihear plan

August 2, 2010
By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

Cambodia said yesterday that Thailand failed all of its efforts to derail the Preah Vihear's management plan since the World Heritage Committee's decision to delay consideration of the plan's documents would never impede the implementation of temple conservation.

There is no requirement that the Committee approves the plan because the role of the World Heritage Committee is not to approve or disapprove any progress report or Management Plan submitted by a state party, but to review those documents in order to take note, said a statement from Cambodia's Office of the Council of Ministers.

"The conservation work is too important to be delayed," it said.

Cambodia also released yesterday a summary of the result of the 34th World Heritage Committee meeting to show that the committee has recognised its reports on the management plan and its progress.

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Cambodia's Talking Points on Preah Vihear temple

Source: Cambodia Council of Ministers

TALKING POINTS

The decision to discuss the various reports at the 35th Session of the World Heritage Committee next year has no impact on the implementation of the Management Plan for the conservation of the Temple of Preah Vihear. There is no requirement that the Committee approves our plan because the role of the World Heritage Committee is not to approve or disapprove any progress report or Management Plan submitted by a State party, but to review those documents in order to take note. . The conservation work is too important to be delayed.

The Royal Government has support in implementation of the Management Plan from the Report issued by the World Heritage Centre, which serves as the Secretariat to the World Heritage Committee. Relying upon the evaluation conducted by the WHC, and the technical experts at ICOMOS and other Advisory Bodies, Cambodia will proceed with implementation.

The Royal Government also won praise from a number of World Heritage Committee related organizations for the actions taken in the last year to improve conservation of the Preah Vihear Temple. These include landscaping, enlargement of the buffer zone, a village relocation, creation of an eco-global Museum, etc.
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Summary of the Results of the 34th Session of the World Heritage Committee

Source: Cambodia Council of Ministers

The Committee’s Decision [34 COM 7B.66] recognized the Report produced by the World Heritage Centre, which is the Secretariat of the Committee. That Report [WHC-10/34.COM/7B.Add.3] is now part of the record of the World Heritage Centre.

The WHC Report contains the evaluation of the Management Plan and the report on the state of conservation of the Temple of Preah Vihear. Both of these reports were submitted to the World Heritage Centre by Cambodia in January 2010.

As recognized by the Committee’s Decision, these two Cambodian reports were mandated by World Heritage Committee Decisions adopted in its sessions in Quebec (2008) and Seville (2009).

The evaluation of the Management Plan and the updated report on the conservation of the Temple contained in the World Heritage Centre Report represents the collective judgment of the professional staff of the following organizations:

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Abishit looking for Thai support in his attempt to steal Khmer temple?

[Thai] PM Abhisit urges Thais to support government on ancient temple

BANGKOK, August 1 (MCOT online news) - Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday urged Thais to support his government in making a detailed study of the disputed Preah Vihear temple to show the UN cultural body.

Thanking the public for its display of love for Thai sovereignty which he said led UNESCO’s World Heritage Commission (WHC) to postpone adopting the Cambodian plan to manage Preah Vihear, Mr Abhisit said during his weekly TV and radio address that his government would work hard during the next year to protest Cambodian actions.

Mr Abhisit invited Thais to join in studying the issue with his government and convey their findings to UNESCO and heritage committee members.

The WHC agreed Thursday to postpone adopting the Khmer plan to manage the temple until next year when it meets in Bahrain after Thailand threatened to review its membership and many Thais rallied at the UNESCO Bangkok office.
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Poll: [Thai] Respondents fear temple row will impact Thai-Cambodian relations

BANGKOK, August 1 (MCOT online news) - The Thai public is concerned about the impact of the current diplomatic wrangling and four out of 10 respondents in a new poll -- 40 per cent -- expressed concern that the current dispute over Preah Vihear temple could negatively affect relations between Thailand and Cambodia, according to a survey conducted by Dusit Poll.

The survey conducted among 1,148 people from July 30 through August 1 showed that one in four -- some 25 per cent of respondents worry that Thailand might eventually lose the area adjoining Preah Vihear temple.

Almost 21 per cent of the respondents fear that more clashes between soldiers of the two countries would take place, causing unsafe conditions for residents living near the border, while 14 per cent said the dispute would affect the livelihood of people living near the border and those in the tourism business.
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Cambodia and Thailand reached an agreement during the 34th Session of the Historical Heritage

30th Jul, 2010
carolina.monteiro
Source: World Heritage Committee

“World Heritage achieved a great victory today. And the largest contribution to it was Brazilian.” The words are from Juca Ferreira, Brazilian Minister of Culture and President of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO (United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture), and were spoken after the result of today’s Plenary Session of the Committee’s 34th Session, during which Cambodia and Thailand were in dispute over the transboundary region where the Temple of Preah Vihear is located.

The two nations were not speaking to each other, and several conflicting claims were coming from both sides. According to Chairman Juca Ferreira, the nations will have a year to negotiate and come to an agreement. “We have managed, for the first time, to allow the two States Parties to get together without any other presence, and this was fundamental for a dialogue to finally be established”, Mr. Ferreira explained. Yesterday, the representatives from both sides shook hands for the first time. “We have dedicated intense efforts to the strengthening of UNESCO and to the fostering of an environment of mutual understanding. The fact that this reunion is taking place in Brazil is very important to us”, he highlighted.

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Peaceful border through encroachment of Khmer territories?

Border post no. 270 in Takeo is planted on top of Cambodian rice field: Another encroachment by Vietnam with the complicity of Hun Xen's regime

Vietnam, Cambodia aim to build peaceful border

08/01/2010
VOV News

Building a shared border of peace and friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia was the main topic of a conference held in the south -western province of Tay Ninh from July 30-31.

Co-organised by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee (VFFCC) and the Solidarity Front for the Development of the Cambodian Motherland (SFDCM), the conference saw the attendance of VFFCC Vice President and General Secretary Vu Trong Kim and his Cambodian counterpart Min Khin, who is also Minister of Cults and Religions.

Representatives of the Vietnamese National Border Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Border Guard High Command, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations and border provinces of both nations also attended the event.
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Cambodian man killed by angry elephant

August 01, 2010
Source: Xinhua

A Cambodian man was killed by an angry elephant when he was trying to approach the animal with an improper manner, a police office said Saturday.

Khut Sophal, a district police chief said the man who was killed by an elephant was identified as Yang Mark, 52, living in Taing Krasaing Village, Samraung Tong district in Kompong Speu province.

He said the incident happened at around 6 am on Thursday when Yang Mark, the latter victim, was retaliated by an angry elephant after he had swatted the head of the elephant four to five times in a gesture to show that he was not scared of the animal even though he was earlier warned by the elephant owner that the elephant was wild, said Khut Sophal.

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Political Sacravatoons: "The Victory"

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Thailand and Cambodia vie over temple [-Correction: Preah Vihear temple is Cambodia's property!]

Saturday, July 31, 2010
Zoe Daniel
ABC Online

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ELIZABETH JACKSON: A renewed stoush has broken out over the management of the disputed Preah Vihear temple on the border of Thailand and Cambodia.

Two years ago the temple was given World Heritage Status and now Cambodia has submitted a management plan for the site.

But this week protestors took to the streets of Bangkok opposing the plan.

The Thai government threatened to pull out of UNESCO altogether, arguing the plan threatens Thai sovereignty and regional peace.
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Temple Row Sours Thai-Cambodian Ties—Again

Saturday, July 31, 2010
By MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR / IPS

BANGKOK - Thailand’s tempestuous relationship with its eastern neighbor Cambodia looks set to worsen, fueled by the latest round of anger over the future of a 10th-century Hindu Khmer temple perched atop a steep cliff along the two countries’ border.

By Friday, Bangkok and Phnom Penh were both claiming victory following a decision by the UN-backed World Heritage Committee (WHC) to postpone until next year a decision about a management plan for the temple, a World Heritage Site listed by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Cambodia had an edge going into this week’s WHC’s meeting in Brasilia, after the much poorer and less powerful Southeast Asian nation had succeeded in getting the committee to recognize Preah Vihear as one of its own UNESCO heritage sites at a 2008 meeting in Quebec.
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Thai-Cambodia border 'normal' but Thai military on high alert

BANGKOK, July 31 (MCOT online news) -- The Thai-Cambodian border situation remains normal but Thailand's military is on high guard after a United Nations agency agreed to postpone discussions on the disputed management plan around the Preah Vihear temple proposed by the Phnom Penh government to 2011.

Thai troops are now posted some five kilometres from the historic temple on its eastern approach.

They are guarding the disputed area contested by the two neighbouring countries round-the-clock to ensure that Cambodian soldiers do not encroach the Thai territory.

In an attempt to boost morale of Thai soldiers guarding the border, Col Nirut Ketsiri, commander of 16th Infantry Battalion, visited them.
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[Thai] FM Kasit says no country wins or loses over delayed decision on temple

PHUKET, July 31 (MCOT online news) -- Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya said Saturday that the decision by the UN cultural agency to postpone reviewing Cambodia’s development plan for the area adjacent to the ancient Preah Vihear temple by one year to 2011 did not represent either Thailand or Cambodia winning or losing.

Mr Kasit responded to Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An’s earlier remarks that Cambodia achieved its goal when UNESCO’s World Heritage Commission (WHC) agreed Thursday at its meeting in Brazil to consider its management plan for the Phra Vihear temple, listed as a World Heritage site.

But the WHC deferred its discussion on the issue to its meeting in Bahrain next year.

“Neither country wins on the issue. What he [Sok An] said Cambodia had won was [not correct]," Mr Kasit said, explaining that he did not understand why Mr Sok An, who led the Cambodian delegation to the Brasilia committee meeting, made such an announcement.
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[Thai] PM tells media to study UNESCO resolution as Cambodia claims victory on Preah Vihear issue

BANGKOK, July 31 (MCOT online news) -- Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Saturday told media to carefully read the World Heritage Commission (WHC) resolution after Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An claimed a 'victory' as the heritage agency agreed to review its Preah Vihear temple management plan, despite the action coming a year from now.

Asked to comment on the report, Mr Abhisit told journalists succinctly to "Please find out and read the resolution [yourself]...."

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) heritage commission on Thursday postponed discussing the issue until next year when it meets in Bahrain.

The heritage commission dropped the issue because its meeting secretariat had not distributed the Cambodian-prepared document to committee members six weeks beforehand as required but gave it to members less than one day before the WHC meeting.
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Political Interference at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia

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Date: July 2010
Source:Open Society Justice Initiative

This Open Society Justice Initiative report focuses on the judicial independence of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, and how political interference appears to be threatening the court's work.

Now, as the court completes its first case, prepares to try its second, and contemplates additional cases, it is essential to understand the extent to which the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) has succeeded in maintaining its independence.

This report (available for download above) begins with a brief exploration of the history of judicial independence in Cambodia and examines how the ECCC has struggled with its commitment to international fair trial standard in practice. It presents recommendations both to better safeguard independence at the ECCC and to inform the structure and performance of future international courts.

The Khmer Rouge Tribunal is charged with prosecuting senior leaders and those most responsible for mass crimes committed in Cambodia during the 1970s. Its unique structure as a court formally embedded in the Cambodian domestic system but with international participation at all levels is an experiment in the development of legal accountability for mass atrocities.