Membership at Unesco to be reviewed

28/07/2010
Bangkok Post

The cabinet has on Wednesday passed resolutions opposing the endorsement of Cambodia’s management plan for Preah Vihear ancient temple by the World Heritage Committee, reports said, citing an informed source at Government House.

The resolutions are;

1) The Thai government opposes Cambodia’s management plan for the ancient temple that infringes upon the disputed border area.

2) The Thai government will review its membership at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), if the international agency endorses the management plan, and

3) The Foreign Ministry is assigned to send letters informing the cabinet’s resolutions to the Unesco and the meeting of the World Heritage panel in Brasilia, Brazil.

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Beijing donates 2 sanitation trucks to Phnom Penh municipality

July 29 2010
Source: Xinhua

The two new sanitation trucks donated by Beijing Municipality were handed over to Phnom Penh Municipality on Wednesday.

The handover ceremony was held at the Phnom Penh municipal government at the presence of Liang Guangsheng, chairman of Beijing Environment Sanitation Engineering group Co., Ltd and Nuon Someth, deputy governor of Phnom Penh as well as other Phnom Penh municipal officials and Chinese Charge d'affairs to Cambodia He Leping.

Liang said at the ceremony that Beijing and Phnom Penh, as the capital cities of both countries, have faced many similar problems in dealing with urban garbage and maintenance of the urban environment, adding that Beijing is willing to share its successful experience with Phnom Penh as well as to cooperate with Phnom Penh in solving such problems in order to further promote the friendly relations between the two capital cities.

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Utah, Cambodian Soldiers guard children's safety

Jul 27, 2010
By Capt. Choli Ence, 128th MPAD, UTNG
www.Army.mil (USA)

Story Highlights

• Utah National Guard Soldiers worked alongside Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Soldiers to complete construction of a local school
• The school-building project broke ground April 4
• Prior to construction of this school, many of the local children had to cross a busy two-lane road to get to school
• Many of the local school children have frequented the construction site

KAMPONG SPEU, Cambodia -- Utah National Guard Soldiers from the 197th Special Troops Company (Airborne) worked alongside Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Soldiers to complete construction of a local school during the humanitarian and civic assistance project for Angkor Sentinel 2010 here, July 12 - 30.

The Global Peace Operations Initiative, Angkor Sentinel 2010, co-sponsored by U.S. Army, Pacific, is a multi-national program and is the latest in a continuing series of regional exercises designed to promote peacekeeping capabilities of securities forces in both Cambodia and other countries. It has included a command-post exercise, a field-training exercise, and an HCA project.

The school-building project broke ground April 4 with the majority of the U.S. Soldiers arriving in Cambodia to assist with the construction on June 12.
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Cambodia alarmed at illegal import of pigs from Vietnam

July 28, 2010
Source: Xinhua

Cambodia is alarmed at the illegal import of pigs from the neighboring country of Vietnam.

Srun Pov, president of Association of Pigs Raising in Cambodia, said Wednesday that about 1,000 pigs are illegally imported from Vietnam into Cambodia every day, and some of them are ill.

He said if such situation continued, the pig raising industry in Cambodia will be dead, adding that the pigs imported from Vietnam are priced at just over 6,000 riel (about 1.42 U.S. dollars) per kilogram, about 3,000 riel cheaper than pigs raised in Cambodia.

Srun Pov, however, acknowledged that throughout Cambodia, a total of more than 4,000 pigs are needed for daily consumption, and in Phnom Penh alone it needs between 1,200 to 1,300 pigs, but the domestic pigs in Cambodia is not sufficient.

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Cambodian strike unlinked to wage dispute

28 July 2010
By Ngo Tuan Just-Style

This week's garment worker clashes in Cambodia were caused by internal frictions rather than wage demands, a local manufacturing body told just-style.

Around 100 policemen armed with electric batons and riot shields clashed with some 3,000 - mostly female - workers who were on strike against the suspension of a local union official working at their factory.

Ken Loo, Secretary General of Garment Manufacturer's Association in Cambodia (GMAC) said there was no relation between the local Free Trade Union’s threat of national strike and the strike at the Malaysian-owned factory, in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, yesterday (27 July).

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Pat from Cambodia is New Zealand's Pie King - again

Wed, 28 Jul 2010
DPA

Wellington- Patrick Lam had never seen, let alone eaten, a pie when he arrived in New Zealand as a refugee from Cambodia 13 years ago.

Today, he is the nation's undisputed Pie King - again.

Patrick won the national Supreme Pie Award on Tuesday for the fourth time in the competition's 14-year history.

His bacon-and-egg special was named the best of a record 4,336 entries from 386 bakeries in this year's competition.

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Cambodian cafe cooks up alternative to sex work

July 28, 2010
ABC Radio Australia

Prostitution is still a major problem in Cambodia where an estimated 60,000 women, many just children, are hired by locals and foreigners. Hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign aid is pouring in to the country to try and give women better opportunities to keep them off the streets. Among those seeing results is the Yejj cafe, where women can be trained to work in hospitality.

Presenter: Conor Duffy

Speakers: Darren Marshall, Operations Manager, Yejj; Susanna West, Trainer, Yejj

Listen: Windows Media

Kent man pleads guilty in Cambodia child exploitation case

July 27, 2010
Posted by John de Leon
The Seattle Times

A Kent man pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to sexual exploitation of a child in connection with a January trip to Cambodia where he had sex with underage girls, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Craig Carr, 59, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, and up to 30 years in prison, when he is sentenced in October.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Carr made contact over the Internet with a person in Cambodia who agreed to find girls for Carr to have sex with during a visit to the country. Carr paid the individual approximately $8,000 for sex with the girls during a week-long trip to Cambodia. Carr reportedly told the person arranging the sexual encounters that he wanted the girls to be about 12 years old.

Carr traveled from Seattle to Phnom Penh on Jan. 13. When he was arrested nine days later he admitted that he had sex with three young girls during his stay in Cambodia, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. His camera contained pictures of three young victims. Two of the victims have been located.

In Chicago, US-Cambodians Seek Political Voice

A group of Cambodians met in Chicago over the weekend to discuss ways their community might receive more attention. (Photo: by Men Kimseng)

Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Chicago Wednesday, 28 July 2010

“Essentially, Cambodians should register to vote and go vote, all the time, from local to presidential elections.”

Although they face a raft of problems from health to education, US-Cambodians say they remain underrepresented by policy makers. A group of Cambodians met in Chicago over the weekend to discuss ways their community might receive more attention.

Participants told VOA Khmer they want better representation, but that requires a stronger, more unified voice within their communities.

“There are two reasons why Cambodian community don't get much support and understanding,” said Van Sar, an organizer of the Chicago forum. “This is because, first, we don't have representatives within the US leadership. Secondly, we don't have a strong, joint voice from our civil society organizations to influence US policy.”
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Dance Troupe Prepares for Smithsonian Perfomance

Madame Tes Sam Oeun, (left) along with her husband Tes Saroeum on 'Hello VOA' on Thursday July 22nd, 2010. (Photo: by Men Kimseng)

Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Wednesday, 28 July 2010

“This story is very popular in Cambodia.”

A US-Cambodian dance troupe under a renowned director is set to perform in Washington. The Dance Troupe of Cambodian American Heritage will perform classic stories of Hinduism and Buddhism Aug. 7 as part of the ongoing “Gods of Angkor” bronze exhibit at the Smithsonian's Free and Sackler galleries.

The dance troupe will be guided by its director, Tes Sam Oeun, a National Endowment for the Arts heritage fellow.

“Under her direction, the dance troupe has performed in numerous venues, including events of the Smithsonian Institution, the White House, the Kennedy Center, the World Monument Fund, and numerous folk festivals,” Tes Saroeum, president of the Cambodian American Heritage, told “Hello VOA” Thursday.
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Duch Victims Want Stupa in Remembrance of the Dead

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Wednesday, 28 July 2010

“That means we recall those who died, especially family members of the victims, who want to see the names of the deceased, because there might be a place to commemorate the souls of the victims.”

Victims of the Khmer Rouge say they should be granted more compensation than was handed over by the Khmer Rouge tribunal on Monday.

The court sentenced Khmer Rouge torture chief Duch, whose real name is Kaing Kek Iev, to a further 19 years in prison, and it read the names of some victims as part of its judgement.

Now, a number of victims say a stupa should be erected to commemorate the more than 12,000 people who died within Tuol Sleng prison under Duch's supervision.
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Khmer Rouge Leader's Sentence Gets Mixed Reaction

Robert Carmichael, VOA
Phnom Penh 28 July 2010

On Monday, a United Nations-backed tribunal convicted Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, of war crimes and crimes against humanity - the first major Khmer Rouge figure to be tried since the regime was overthrown. He has already spent 16 years in prison, and the tribunal sentenced him to another 19 years.

Eight months after his trial concluded, Comrade Duch was sentenced to 35 years by the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal in Phnom Penh.

The court deducted 11 years for time already spent in pre-trial detention for Duch, who headed the movement's main torture and execution center known as S-21. And it granted a further five-year credit because Duch was held illegally for some of that time.

The end result is that Duch will likely serve just 19 more years.

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Public figures weigh in on prison term

Wednesday, 28 July 2010
By Cheang Sokha and Jame O'Tools
The Phnom Penh Post

AS coverage of Monday’s verdict at the Khmer Rouge tribunal was beamed across the world, some of the Kingdom’s most prominent political figures weighed in on the landmark ruling.

Speaking at Phnom Penh International Airport upon his return from Singapore with a delegation led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong called the judgment “inappropriate”.

“Thousands and thousands of Cambodian people were tortured at Tuol Sleng and brought to be killed at Choeung Ek,” Hor Namhong said. “This sentence seems light and unsuitable compared with the number of people who have been killed.”

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Cambodia's Teflon Tribunal

28 Jul 2010
By Simon Roughneen
for ISN Security Watch

The first conviction against one of the lead perpetrators of mass murder under the Khmer Rouge was issued on Monday, but questions remain about the tribunal process, Simon Roughneen writes for ISN Security Watch.

-----------------
The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), a hybrid UN-Cambodian war crimes tribunal, sentenced 'Comrade Duch', a former Khmer Rouge chief jailer and executioner to 35 years in prison Monday for overseeing the deaths of thousands of people in the gristly 'S-21' detention and torture center during the height of the Pol Pot regime.

An estimated 1.7 million people, a quarter of the country's population, were killed during the Communist Khmer Rouge era, as Pol Pot and his lieutenants sought to return the country to 'Year Zero', abolishing money and property and herding people out of cities and into massive labor camps. Across the country, an estimated 5 million survivors of the Khmer Rouge era remain, alongside thousands of Khmer Rouge officers and foot soldiers.

Small time for big crime

Relatives of victims wept as the verdict was handed out, but for some, the catharsis turned to anger and disappointment as it became apparent that Kaing Guek Eav, to give his real name, may serve no more than 18-19 years, by which time he will be 85-86 years old. He has already spent 11 years in jail, since Irish journalist Nic Dunlop discovered the executioner living quietly under a pseudonym in rural Cambodia. The sentence took into account time already served, meaning that Comrade Duch could one day leave jail as a free albeit elderly man.
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Cambodia's Troubled Tribunal

July 28, 2010
I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor
By PETER MAGUIRE
International Herald Tribune

Cambodia’s war crimes court, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, or ECCC, deserves credit for convicting Kaing Guek Eav, better known as “Duch,” for war crimes and sentencing him to 35 years in prison. But Duch was the legal equivalent of a “tomato can” in boxing — an unskilled opponent used to pad a win-loss record. His conviction was an easy knockout.

Now that that legal mismatch is over, the long delayed main event — the trial of the aging Khmer Rouge political leaders — Ieng Sary, Khieu Samphan, Nuon Chea and Ieng Thirith — can begin.

Unlike Duch, a functionary who admitted he was “responsible for the crimes committed” and expressed “deep regret and heartfelt sorrow,” the regime’s top leaders will mount aggressive defenses and maintain their innocence until the end.

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Political Sacravatoon: "ECCC's 1st Victory"

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

"Dak Kuk Chun Kampeuk-kampok" a Poem in Khmer by Sam Vichea

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"Duch Choap Kuk" Poems in Khmer by a Group of Poets

No Real Justice for the Killing Fields

Wednesday, 28 July 2010
Written by Bruce Walker
New American

Reuters reported that a United Nations tribunal has tried and sentenced Kaing Guek Eav, the first Khmer Rouge commander to face charges of crimes against humanity for murder, rape, and similar horrific crimes.

When Kaing ran Toul Sleng prison during the years following the communist takeover of Cambodia, he oversaw the murder of 14,000. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison, but his sentenced was reduced by 19 years for time served, and he might be released earlier if he shows signs of rehabilitation. Kaing Guek Eav is 67 years old, so he has an excellent chance of dying in prison before his sentence ends.

There is absolutely no doubt that the Khmer Rouge committed those deeds that have come to be called “crimes against humanity.” Communism was responsible for the brutal extermination of 100 million people in the 20th century, making it the most murderous ideology in the history of the world. Surely no one will shed tears for Kaing, a sadist who has shown no remorse for the murder, mayhem, torture, and rape committed under his supervision. But the extra-legal process of trying and sentencing this thug cannot be condoned by decent men and women. Why?

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Verdict Marks End of Impunity for Khmer Rouge Torturer

Newspapers with pictures of former Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav are displayed at a newspaper stand in Phnom Penh on July 27. (photo: Reuters)

Wednesday, July 28, 2010
By MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR
IPS WRITER

BANGKOK — For a country plagued by a weak judiciary and where government officials have profited from a culture of impunity, Monday’s verdict in the first case to try a surviving commandant of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime broke new legal ground in Cambodia.

The ruling by a UN-backed special war crimes tribunal against Comrade Duch, whose real name is Kaing Khek Eav, brought to an end the fears by the estimated five million survivors of that dark period in the South-east Asian nation’s history that the Khmer Rouge hierarchy would in the end get away with their brutality.

After all, the verdict came 31 years after the Khmer Rouge was toppled by advancing Vietnamese forces, followed by years of civil war and feuding between Cambodian political factions, where talk of an international war crimes tribunal or hauling Khmer Rouge commanders to face justice were remote in the countryside.
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Punishment for torturer ‘too short,’ say Catholics

July 26, 2010
By Khan Sophirom, Phnom Penh
UCANews.com

Thirty-five years in jail for a former Khmer Rouge prison chief found guilty of murder, torture and crimes against humanity is simply too short, say Catholic Cambodians.

“Duch should be in jail for his whole life,” said Eung Try, 60, whose six brothers and sisters died during the regime’s brutal 1975-1979 rule in Cambodia.

Duong Savong agreed. “Compared to other criminals, Duch’s verdict seems too short,” said the catechis.

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Khmer Rouge jailer 'will appeal'

Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Al Jazeera

The former chief jailer of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge will appeal against his conviction handed down by Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes tribunal, his lawyer has said.

Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, was sentenced to 35 years in jail earlier this week.

He is the first former Khmer Rouge leader to face trial for war crimes during the group's brutal rule over Cambodia in the 1970s.

Duch ran the S-21 prison where up to 14,000 people were reportedly tortured and killed between 1975 and 1979.

"We will appeal against the [court's] decision," Kar Savuth, Duch's lawyer, told AFP by telephone.

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Some Justice for Cambodia

July 27, 2010
The New York Times
Editorial

It is disturbing that the Cambodian prime minister, Hun Sen, has said the court will not prosecute more suspects than the ones in custody. One has to ask, whom is he trying to protect?

Thirty years later, Cambodia’s “killing fields” are still haunting. A Buddhist memorial displays 5,000 haphazardly arranged human skulls — a tiny fraction of the 1.7 million Cambodians butchered by the Khmer Rouge.

While the world must never forget what happened, there is at least the beginning of justice. On Monday, a United Nations-backed tribunal convicted Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, of war crimes and crimes against humanity — the first major Khmer Rouge figure to be tried since the regime was overthrown. He has already spent 16 years in prison, and the tribunal sentenced him to another 19 years.

Duch oversaw a notorious prison where more than 14,000 people were tortured and killed. During an eight-month trial, he admitted to many of the charges against him. His defense — he was a “cog in a machine” — is no defense at all.
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Killing Fields verdict casts cloud over tribunal

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Agencies

• Cambodians see Duch sentence as miscarriage of justice
• Concerns that Khmer Rouge masterminds won’t be punished
• UN expert hails ‘milestone’ Khmer Rouge verdict

PHNOM PENH: A United Nations-backed court set up to find justice for 1.7 million people killed by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s is at risk of losing credibility and relevance among Cambodians outraged by its first verdict.

Kaing Guek Eav, a former prison chief better known as Duch, was on Monday found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity and received less than half the 40-year sentence sought by prosecutors for his role in the 1975-1979 reign of terror.

The ruling devastated many of the estimated five million survivors and raised questions among Cambodians over a tribunal that spent $78.4 million over nearly five years to bring its first case in one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century.
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Sochua may yet be tipping point

King Baby Hun

Sochua vs Sen

July 28, 2010
By A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
Pacific Daily News (Guam)

Supporters of Cambodian premier Hun Sen wished lawmaker Mu Sochua had been arrested and sent to rot in jail. Sochua's supporters cheered her refusal to pay court-ordered fines and the regime's backtracking from arresting Sochua by the July 15 deadline.

With Sochua free, they asserted, "justice has prevailed!"

But wait! A new round of Khmer political Ramvong has begun. Ramvong is a popular, slow-circle dance with men and women continuously moving in the same circle, with graceful hand movements and simple footwork, as long as the drumbeats continue.

It has been said that premier Sen bows to no man or law.

Counselors and therapists characterize similar behavior as a "king baby," a person who "wants what he wants and when he wants" and has insatiable thirst for control.
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Who’s your daddy?

Pen Sovann (Photo: AP)

Pen Sovann: I am the father of 02 December and 07 January

27 July 2010
Source: Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata for KI-Media

Once again, Pen Sovann, the former prime minister of Cambodia at the beginning of the 80s and currently vice-president of the Human Rights Party, told his party members on Sunday that he was the one who led the army to liberate Cambodia from the Khmer Rouge regime. According to The Phnom Penh Post, Pen Sovann told about 200 HRP party members at the party headquarters that: “I am telling you that I am the father of 02 December and 07 January. I was the true president of the CPP.” He added: “I formed the People’s Republic of Kampuchea (PRK).” He said that when he formed the 1979 government, he nominated Heng Xamrin, the current president of the National Assembly, to the position of chairman of the council of the revolutionary people of Kampuchea, and Chea Xim, the current president of the Senate, to the position of minister of Interior. Pen Sovann was nominated as the PRK prime minister in 1981, but he was subsequently arrested [by Hun Xen] and jailed in Vietnam for 10 years because he opposed the Vietnamese leaders’ policy of sending Viet immigrants to settle in Cambodia, as well as other Viet plans.

Convicted Khmer Rouge prison chief to appeal: lawyer

(Photo: Reuters)

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AFP) - – Khmer Rouge prison chief Duch will appeal against his conviction by Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes tribunal, which sentenced him to 30 years in jail, his defence lawyer said Tuesday.

Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the court on Monday in a ruling that has been hailed as a "historic milestone" in tackling impunity in the country.

He is the first Khmer Rouge cadre to face an international tribunal over crimes committed under the 1975-1979 hardline communist regime.
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“He’s killed many people; why does he only get 19 years?”

In a landmark ruling Monday, an UN-backed tribunal convicted a former Khmer Rouge official of war crimes and crimes against humanity. While the verdict was widely received as a triumph of international justice, many Cambodians were angered by a sentence they felt was far too lenient.

27 July 2010
By Jared Ferrie, Phnom Penh
Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Kain Guek Eav, better known by his nom de guerre, “Duch”, was sentenced to 35 years incarceration for overseeing a prison where as many as 17,000 people were tortured before being killed during the regime’s reign from 1975 to 1979. But judges at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) reduced that by 16 years, giving him credit for time served as well as his illegal detention in a Cambodian military prison before he was handed over to the tribunal.

Duch now has 19 years left to serve, raising the possibility that the 67-year-old could one day be released – a prospect that enraged victims of the regime who were hoping judges would sentence him to prison for the rest of his life.

“What is unacceptable is to envision him as a free man even for one minute in the public sphere. He should be receiving many life sentences,” said Theary Seng, whose family members were murdered by the regime, including an uncle who may have been tortured at Duch’s Tuol Sleng or S-21 prison.

Ms. Seng spoke to reporters outside the court in Phnom Penh, but Cambodians throughout the country had similar reactions after watching the judgment on television or listening on the radio. The Documentation Centre of Cambodia (DC-Cam) held public screenings in seven provinces and organisers said many villagers reacted in shock to the verdict.
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Derisory sentence for Khmer Rouge killer highlights the impotence of liberalism

Noam Chomsky

July 27th, 2010
By Gerald Warner
The Telegraph (UK)

The derisory sentence imposed upon a monster testifies to the institutionalised impotence of liberal-controlled societies confronted by evil. Former Cambodian prison governor Comrade Duch (real name Kaing Guek Eav), who under the Pol Pot regime murdered around 17,000 innocent people, besides employing electric shock torture and tearing out victims’ toenails, has been sentenced by a UN-sponsored court to a nominal 30 years in prison, of which he will actually serve 19. There are people in British prisons serving longer sentences for a fraction of the number of murders he committed.

The only penalty that could remotely have matched his crimes was death. In so-called “democratic” countries however, under the aegis of the EU and UN bien-pensant doctrines of clemency, capital punishment is deemed “barbaric”. That is why Western pseudo-civilisation is doomed to extinction at the hands of more ruthless elements. Sparing the life of a creature like Duch is not civilised, it is effete. It does not testify to our regard for the sanctity of human life, but to our rulers’ contempt for it.
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Tribunal Problems Loom

JULY 27, 2010
JOHN A. HALL
The Wall Street Journal

Duch's case was easy. The next round of prosecutions could raise challenges to the court's legitimacy

The Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia, which began operations in 2006, has finally rendered its first verdict. Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, was found guilty Monday of crimes against humanity and other serious offenses; his lawyer says he will appeal. Duch was commandant of the infamous Tuol Sleng torture facility in Phnom Penh in the late 1970s, where over 12,000 victims of the Khmer Rouge were imprisoned, tortured and executed.

This first verdict is of considerable historic and symbolic importance. Cambodians have waited over 30 years for an honest public accounting, a sense of justice served, and some measure of closure. But it is important to keep the Duch verdict in perspective. There is a reason his was the first case to be prosecuted: It was the most straightforward factually and legally, with a defendant who was willing to admit his responsibility and presented little in the way of a defense. He testified extensively and frequently apologized to the victims and their families. Only in the final days of the trial did he change tactics and request to be freed.

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Cambodia's Precedent for Humanity

JULY 27, 2010
By DAVID J. SCHEFFER
The Wall Street Journal

The first Khmer Rouge genocide conviction lays the legal groundwork for bringing other offenders to justice.

One might think that the conviction Monday of Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, for crimes against humanity was a foregone conclusion. During his 72-day trial before a U.N.-backed tribunal in Phnom Penh, Duch confessed his role as head of the notorious Tuol Sleng Prison in the torture and killing of at least 12,272 individuals between 1975 and '79. But in fact many observers in the courtroom and around the world were eagerly waiting to read the verdict. That's because the legal reasoning behind Duch's conviction will shape the tribunal's upcoming effort to bring senior Khmer Rouge leaders to justice.

The co-prosecutors largely won the legal battle over Duch's criminal liability, and set the stage for vigorous prosecution of the four senior-most Khmer Rouge leaders who next stand trial. The trial chamber discovered the big idea behind the Khmer Rouge atrocities: The criminal persecution of an unprecedented proportion of a nation's citizens because leaders had the specific intent to discriminate against them on political grounds. During the regime of Pol Pot, under which an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians perished, or one-quarter of the population, anyone could be accused of being an "enemy" of the Khmer Rouge.

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Fighting for a regime that sends you begging in the street for survival?

Former soldier Porn Pean, 48, who lost his left leg during a land mine explosion in 1986 near the Cambodia-Thailand border, counts money as he begs around the streets in Phnom Penh 27 July, 2010. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Cambodian garment workers clash with police

Tue Jul 27, 2010
By Prak Chan Thul

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - At least nine female garment workers were injured on Tuesday in clashes with Cambodian riot police who used shields and electric shock batons to try to end a week-long strike over the suspension of a local union official.

More than 100 police, at least 50 in riot gear and carrying assault rifles, tried to force an estimated 3,000 female workers back into their factory, pushing several to the ground and stunning them with batons, a Reuters witness said.

The clashes were the latest setback for an industry that was badly hurt by the global economic slump from 2008 and more recently has been plagued by strikes over low pay and working conditions.

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Like the regime dictator, Hun Xen's cops like to use violence against women workers

Workers of PCCS Garments Ltd protest outside their factory in Phnom Phenh July 27, 2010. At least nine female garment workers were injured on Tuesday in clashes with riot police who used shields and electric shock batons to try to end a week-long strike over the suspension of a local union official. The placard (C) reads: "We all garment workers demand our representative to be back to work". REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Riot police try to force workers of PCCS Garments Ltd, who were protesting against the suspension of a local union official, back into their factory in Phnom Penh July 27, 2010. At least nine female garment workers were injured on Tuesday in clashes with Cambodian riot police who used shields and electric shock batons to try to end the week-long strike. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Riot police try to force workers of PCCS Garments Ltd, who were protesting against the suspension of a local union official, back into their factory in Phnom Penh July 27, 2010. At least nine female garment workers were injured on Tuesday in clashes with Cambodian riot police who used shields and electric shock batons to try to end the week-long strike. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Riot police try to force workers of PCCS Garments Ltd, who were protesting against the suspension of a local union official, back into their factory in Phnom Penh July 27, 2010. At least nine female garment workers were injured on Tuesday in clashes with Cambodian riot police who used shields and electric shock batons to try to end the week-long strike. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Workers of PCCS Garments Ltd protest outside their factory in Phnom Phenh July 27, 2010. At least nine female garment workers were injured on Tuesday in clashes with riot police who used shields and electric shock batons to try to end a week-long strike over the suspension of a local union official. The placard reads: "Ty, the factory administrator, gave us permission to hold the strike inside the PCCS factory compound". REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Workers of PCCS Garments Ltd protest at their factory in Phnom Phenh July 27, 2010. At least nine female garment workers were injured on Tuesday in clashes with riot police who used shields and electric shock batons to try to end a week-long strike over the suspension of a local union official. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Workers of PCCS Garments Ltd protest outside their factory in Phnom Phenh while a security personnel stands guard, July 27, 2010. At least nine female garment workers were injured on Tuesday in clashes with riot police who used shields and electric shock batons to try to end a week-long strike over the suspension of a local union official. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Riot police try to force workers of PCCS Garments Ltd, who were protesting against the suspension of a local union official, back into their factory in Phnom Penh July 27, 2010. At least nine female garment workers were injured on Tuesday in clashes with Cambodian riot police who used shields and electric shock batons to try to end the week-long strike. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea
Workers of PCCS Garments Ltd protest outside their factory in Phnom Phenh July 27, 2010. At least nine female garment workers were injured on Tuesday in clashes with riot police who used shields and electric shock batons to try to end a week-long strike over the suspension of a local union official. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Thailand and Cambodia tussle over World Heritage Site Preah Vihear Temple

Preah Vihear Temple

As Cambodia prepares a management plan that will give it the sole rights to the popular tourist destination of Preah Vihear Temple, Thailand weighs in with its own claim

27 July, 2010
By Virginia Lau
CNNGo

Antagonism between Cambodia and Thailand is intensifying in the run up to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Brazil this weekend, over the management of World Heritage Site Preah Vihear Temple. Led by Thai government supporters Chamlong Srimuang and Chaiwat Sinsuwongse, about 1,000 protestors arrived at UNESCO’s Bangkok office this morning to oppose Cambodia’s unilateral management plan that will be submitted during the meeting.

In 2008, UNESCO approved the Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site in Cambodia. Opposition to Cambodia’s management plan comes from a murky resolution by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962. While the ICJ granted the temple to Cambodia, it did not settle the ownership of a 4.6 square kilometer piece of land next to the structure.
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Sore loser Abhisit, did you forget again that Preah Vihear belongs to Cambodia?

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PM firm on temple plan [Abhisit was a softie before?]

'No Thai cooperation' on Preah Vihear area

28/07/2010
By Pradit Ruangdit, Sirikul Bunnag and Apinya Wipatayotin
Bangkok Post

Thailand will not cooperate with the World Heritage Committee if it agrees to a management plan for the Preah Vihear temple that infringes upon the disputed border area, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva says.

The prime minister is sending a message to the WHC meeting which is expected to discuss Cambodia's management plan for the Hindu temple and its surrounding areas before the gathering, which began on Sunday in Brasilia, Brazil's capital, ends next Tuesday .

The Cambodian-sponsored plan is on the WHC agenda for its 21-member committee to discuss.

Phnom Penh is required to submit the management plan for WHC approval after the temple was placed on the world heritage listing of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in 2008.
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[Thai] PM accepts Preah Vihear petition

27/07/2010
Bangkok Post

Leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) on Tuesday led a demonstration against the listing of Preah Vihear temple as a Unesco World Heritage site and presented a protest petition to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.

Mr Abhisit and Mr Kasit went to Baan Phisanulok to accept the petition from PAD leaders Pibhop Thongchai, Panthep Puapongpan and Kamnoon Sitthisaman.

In the morning, PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang led about 700 people to the Unesco building on Sukhumvit Road to protest against Cambodia being given management control of the ancient temple despite the territorial dispute over the border area around it.

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Thais protest against UNESCO temple listing [-The thieves claim they are robbed?]

Hundreds of Thai nationalists led by a leader of the "yellow shirt" movement, Chamlong Srimuang (not pictured), gather outside the UNESCO office in Bangkok July 27, 2010, to voice opposition to Cambodia's plan to administer Preah Vihear Temple, an ancient border temple and a World Heritage Site. Some Thais said the plan would compromise Thailand's claim to land in a disputed border territory with Cambodia. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang
Hundreds of Thai nationalists led by a leader of the "yellow shirt" movement, Chamlong Srimuang (not pictured), gather outside the UNESCO office in Bangkok July 27, 2010, to voice opposition to Cambodia's plan to administer Preah Vihear Temple, an ancient border temple and a World Heritage Site. Some Thais said the plan would compromise Thailand's claim to land in a disputed border territory with Cambodia. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang

Tue, 27 Jul 2010
DPA

Bangkok - Protestors in Bangkok Tuesday defied emergency law to campaign against the listing of the Preah Vihear temple in Cambodia as a World Heritage site.

Chamlong Srimuang, a leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), also known as yellow shirts, led some 700 followers to the UNESCO building to protest Cambodia's efforts to secure management control over temple despite an ongoing territorial dispute over land adjacent to the Hindu site.

The Preah Vihear demonstration brought traffic to a standstill on Sukhumvit Road, the main commuter artery between Bangkok's eastern suburbs and the inner city.
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Unesco receives [PAD Thai] protest note against temple listing

Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The Nation

Protesters on Tuesday submit a protest note to UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) against Cambodia's bid to list Preah Vihear Temple as World Heritage Site.

The protest of about 1,000 people, in front of Unesco's Bangkok regional office started at 10am and was led by yellow shirts leaders; Chamlong Srimuang and Chaiwat Sinsuwongse. They vowed to stay on until 3pm.

The gathering has worsened the traffic congestion.

Chamlong said the protest is aimed at opposing Cambodia's listing of the temple as Unesco World Heritage Site and condemning the Unesco.

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