NCSC scraps Thai Embassy protest, security boosted

Friday, 04 July 2008
Touch Yuthea
The Mekong Times

The National Culture and Social Morality Center (NCSC) on Thursday cancelled a planned protest in front of Phnom Penh’s Thai Embassy. Security was stepped up at the embassy the same day, with military policemen and a fire truck standing at the ready.

“I would like to apologize to Cambodian compatriots, especially supporters who want to march to urge the Thai government and its left-wing opposition party to respect the International Court of Justice’s 1962 ruling that Preah Vihear belonged to Cambodia,” NCSC President Po Samnang wrote in an open statement. “I pray the Cambodian government will win victory in registration of the temple as a World Heritage Site. The government’s decision to get the temple protected is right.”

Despite a planned NCSC protest with 3,000 to 5,000 demonstrators, police were outnumbered by reporters and photographers Thursday.

Municipal Police Chief Touch Naroth said police have been deployed to guard the Thai Embassy “to avoid demonstrations carried by a handful of people [in 2003] against the embassy and [which could] cost Cambodia millions of US dollars.”

The Thai embassy was burnt down in 2003 during anti-Thai riots that followed false rumors a Thai actress had claimed Angkor Wat temple was Thai. Cambodia has vowed that such violence will not be repeated.

Police officials accompanied by a fire truck will now protect the embassy around the clock, Touch Naroth said, as well as protecting Thai residents.

A Thai embassy staff member claimed to be unaware of upgraded security Thursday, noting that external security is the responsibility of the Cambodian authorities. The Thai Embassy has yet to issue any formal advice to Thai nationals in Cambodia.

Although AFP reported “riot police” had been stationed outside the embassy Thursday, the police on guard appeared to be Interior Ministry and military police with standard equipment.

The Cambodian government would not tolerate “anti-government elements,” Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said Thursday, according to DPA.

“These are anti-government groups, so we will treat it as a domestic matter. Thailand tries to help Cambodia so we should not confuse this issue,” Kanharith said.

“We should stay calm, because whatever happens, it is not in dispute that Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia,” he said, adding that Hun Sen had spoken to his Thai counterpart Samak Sundaravej about the issue, and relations between the governments were very cordial.

Khieu Kanharith blamed the political opposition for trying to inflame the issue.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An is currently in Canada arguing for the temple to be World Heritage listed – something some Thai senators have objected to, saying it should be jointly managed.

Foreigners soon to be able to marry Cambodians again: Government

Friday, 04 July 2008
Khoun Leakhana & Ly Menghour
The Mekong Times

The recent controversial governmental ban on marriage between Cambodians and foreigners – designed to protect vulnerable young Cambodian women, but which nevertheless received a barrage of withering criticism from NGOs and angry expatriates – looks set to be thrown out with a new marriage sub-decree.

The April ban was implemented to prevent the allegedly frequent abuse – including physical maltreatment and being sold into brothels – of Cambodian women, who often marry foreigners with the hope that their life will be better in countries more affluent than their impoverished homeland.

The provisional ban was instigated after reports Cambodian women, who had married mainly Taiwanese, South Korean and Malaysian men, were being abused overseas. At the time of the ban, marriage brokers specializing in marriages with foreigners were ordered to close down.

“We urgently want to pass the sub-decree that lifts the ban … [because it will] legally prevent human trafficking, rape, violation and sexual exploitation, which we have previously been informed is happening [to Cambodian women],” Sak Setha, director general of the Civil Administration Department of the Ministry of Interior, said on Wednesday.

A working group comprised of the ministries of Interior, Foreign Affairs, Women’s Affairs and Justice was to meet today to discuss final refinements of the sub-decree, which will once again give the go-ahead for foreigners to marry Cambodians, but the meeting has now been delayed until next week.

“The inter-ministerial working group has approved [the sub-decree]. We held meetings to ask for approval of the draft-law and made a decision to submit it to the government,” said Sak Setha yesterday.

The sub-decree is expected to cover all problems and issues concerning marriage between Cambodians and foreign nationals.

Since the mid-1990s, when the Cambodian international marriage trend began en masse, around 5,000 young Cambodian women have been married off – frequently in anonymous “mail-order bride” style – to Taiwanese men alone.

Sacravatoons : " a TWO TONGUED language "

Courtesy of Sacravatoon at http://sacrava.blogspot.com/

Sacravatoons : " Tim Sakhorn's Mystery Tours "

Courtesy of Sacravatoon at http://sacrava.blogspot.com/

Power lines

HENG CHIVOAN Australia will allocate more than 30 million Australian dollars over the next four years to bring electricity to rural Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Lyria Eastley
Friday, 04 July 2008

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says thousands of rural households in Cambodia will be connected to electricity under funding Australia will provide through the World Bank over the next four years.

Smith announced the funding of more than 30 million Australian dollars on July 1 during a visit to Vietnam, one of three countries along with Cambodia and Laos to benefit from the rural electrification program.

"In Cambodia, where only six percent of rural households can access electricity, Australia will provide $12.3 million to help extend electricity supply to an additional 13,000 households and small enterprises in rural areas," Smith said.

As well as improving electrical supply in rural areas, the funds would also be used to reduce transmission losses and promote renewable energy in the three countries, Smith said.

A statement issued by the Australian embassy in Phnom Penh said the funding builds on the Canberra government's development program in Cambodia.

"The Australian government will provide an estimated $61.2 million (US$58.6 million) in development assistance to Cambodia in 2008-2009 (July 2008 to June 2009)," said the statement.

Released, immediately "disappeared": Buddhist monk and "rights defender" Sakhorn

AsiaNews.it
07/03/2008

Freed after a year in prison following a controversial sentence, he is being sequestered by authorities, Human Rights Watch accuses. Of Khmer Krom ethnicity, he has fought for the rights of his people, who are persecuted in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Hanoi (AsiaNews/HRW) - The Buddhist monk Tim Sakhorn has "disappeared", after the " pacifist activist and defender of human rights" was released in Vietnam on June 28, after spending a year in prison. The non-governmental group Human Rights Watch accuses the Vietnamese authorities and asks them to "immediately lift any restrictions on [his] liberty".

After he was released, public officials brought him to his home town in the province of An Giang, where they had organised a welcome party. Local sources report that they offered him land and a spacious home if he would remain in the village, then took him away again and now - HRW charges - it is not known where he is. Article 38 of the penal code permits the authorities to place released prisoners under house arrest or "probationary detention" for 1 to 5 years, for "re-education", depriving them of the right to travel, vote, or lead religious groups.

Born in Vietnam, Sakhorn has lived in Cambodia since 1978, and has become a citizen of that country. In 2002, the supreme Cambodian Buddhist patriarch Tap Vong appointed him abbot of the Northern Phnom Den pagoda in the province of Takeo. He has always fought for the rights of the Khmer Krom, and has sheltered migrants and exiles from Vietnam in his pagoda.

Sakhorn was arrested in Cambodia on June 30, 2007, for having "compromised relations between Cambodia and Vietnam", and was immediately extradited to Vietnam, in spite of the fact that he is a Cambodian citizen. On November 8, the tribunal of the province of An Giang sentenced him to year in prison for "harming national unity", in a trial in which he was allowed no legal assistance.

HRW charges that this was an attempt by Vietnam and Cambodia to interfere with the non-violent dissent of the Khmer Krom minority: in the months leading up to the arrest, there were numerous peaceful protests in both countries by Khmer Krom farmers and monks, against the confiscation of their land and for the release of five Buddhist monks arrested in Vietnam in February of 2007, after a demonstration in Soc Trang.

Cyclist adopts world vision

BEN CAMPBELL/Eastern Courier
PEDAL POWER: Adam Kirby will cycle through Cambodia to raise funds for clean drinking water.

Stuff.co.nz
By NICOLA WILLIAMS - Eastern Courier
Friday, 04 July 2008

Cycling through 475km of tough terrain is not for everyone.

But that’s what Adam Kirby will attempt in November as part of the World Vision cycle challenge through Cambodia.

The event will raise funds to provide clean drinking water for one of Cambodia’s poorest areas, Koh Andaet, hit hard under Pol Pot’s Communist regime.

Participants must raise $6000 for the trip – half for expenses and half to donate to the project.
"My personal goal is to raise $10,000 and I am asking for sponsorship that will go towards the water project," Mr Kirby says.

The English lecturer’s "long-term interest in that part of the world" began while working at a refugee centre in Britain and at a refugee camp in Cambodia in 1982, where he was involved in a nutrition programme for underweight children and taught English.

When World Vision asked if he was interested in the cycle challenge he thought: "Why not?"
"Cycling in a hot tropical climate is unknown territory," he says.

Mr Kirby cycles the 18km round trip to work at the Manukau Institute of Technology to prepare for the challenge and will increase his training in the lead-up to the event.

The challenge will help one community build a future and provide something we take for granted every time we turn on a tap, the Howick resident says.

"Cambodia is particularly im-portant because it has been through such trauma and is still suffering."

Mr Kirby says World Vision is working with other healthcare organisations including HIV/AIDS education projects that develop initiatives at a local level.

While in Cambodia he will meet the 12-year-old he sponsors and he is learning the Khmer language so he can talk to her.

A fundraising dinner with international food, music and entertainment is being held on September 20 at the Pakuranga Baptist Church. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children.

To donate or to buy tickets to the dinner email Mr Kirby at adam.kirby@manukau.ac.nz.

The Tour to Koh Pdao, Kratie Province: A symbol of community support and experiences of the real life of Cambodia's north east communities

PR-inside.com
2008-07-03

Travel to north east of Cambodia Province to experience the community real lives and help contribute economical benefit to local resident and conservation of endangered Irrawaddy dolphins.

Cambodia is an agricultural nation and 80 percent of populations are farmers. Specifically, Cambodia has many famous agricultural provinces. Significantly, Cambodia has potential in Agritourism, a type of special interest tourism that possibly accelerates tourism development to grow and enhance local resident living standard with the existing agricultural product.

Certainly, Cambodia Rural Development Team, a local NGO registered with the Ministry of Interior that bridges the gap between sustainable rural development and conservation to further degradation of Cambodia natural heritage, has been working in a project that promotes volunteer tourism to get involved in agricultural activities in Kratie.

The CRDT community development tour aims to offer foreign visitors to travel up the Mekong River from Kratie Town and visit the communities. It gives a rare glimpse of how Cambodian live in the countryside and how 'Dolphins for Development' project actually work (www.tourismindochina.com/religion-cambodia.htm). Visitors are able to travel with CRDT team to visit beneficiaries, learn about their lives and stories in their home as guest.

To get involved in the tour organized by CRDT to Koh Pdao, Kratie Province for 2 and half days is the way to contribute economic benefit to local community because CRDT is not the private organization. The tour totally costs 55 USD and 20 USD for each additional day. To participate in the tour help improve lives of the villagers and contribute to the conservation of the endangered Irrawaddy Dolphin.

By CHHEM Samnang

Paving the way

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Hor Hab
Thursday, 03 July 2008

Cambodia will spend at least $2.5 billion to implement a 12-year national road reconstruction program, said Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol.

Known as the Road Asset Management Project (RAMP), the work is expected to generate substantial benefit to the nation, according to a report from the ministry’s General Department of Public Works.

Implemented in three phases, RAMP will connect Cambodia to the region via ASEAN Highway 1, which connects Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok via Phnom Penh, and ASEAN Highway 11, which stretches from Sihanoukville north into Laos.

The connections will make Cambodia part of 23 routes involving over 38,000 kilometers of ASEAN highways.

“These projects will make it possible for local people to get access to all kinds of social services, markets for agricultural produce and nonagricultural employment opportunities,” said Ouk Nida, the senior project implementation officer for infrastructure at the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Ouk Nida said the improved network would benefit people’s living conditions by reducing transportation costs and times as well as enabling safer and more economical transportation between commercial and residential areas.

Improving the nation’s roads should remain a top priority of the government, agreed Cambodian Economic Association president Chan Sophal.

“Road construction and rehabilitation is vital for the transport of both passengers and goods,” said Chan Sophal.

Cambodia’s development partners, including the ABD, the World Bank (WB) and development agencies from China, Japan and South Korea, have already made grants and loans for work on National Roads 1, 3, 6A, 7, 8, 33, and 78, noted a World Bank report.

“Cambodia’s road network measures approximately 38,257 kilometers, including 4,757 kilometers of national roads and 5,700 kilometers of provincial roads under the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, and 27,800 kilometers of tertiary roads under the responsibility of the Ministry of Rural Development,” said the report.

The road network was still in a developmental stage, and most roads were in poor condition, with the tarmac hammered by old and dilapidated trucks. Motorbikes and even animal-drawn carts were being used to carry goods in some parts of the country.

“About 90% of other roads are still in bad condition, even though the primary national road network has been improved,” said Ouk Nida, who noted that ADB has already funded repair of National Roads 5, 6, 33, 56, and 68.

ADB has spent more than $250 million in Cambodia since 1993. Its work includes seven major road repair projects as well as several drainage and flood-control schemes across Cambodia, he said.

Between 1992 and 2007 Japan provided more than $1.3 billion in financial assistance in the form of bilateral grants and extended a $182 million loan for the rehabilitation and development of the Cambodian road system, according to a Japanese report issued in May.

“The government of Japan has provided approximately US$250 million in grant aid for road rehabilitation and construction, whereas about US$150 million has gone to bridge construction and rehabilitation,” according to a statement from the Japanese embassy.

South Korean Ambassador to Cambodia Shin Hyun Suk noted in May, meanwhile, that “South Korea has provided another $37 million, adding to the $17 million in Economic Development Cooperation Fund loans to the Cambodian government to finish the National Road 3 rehabilitation project.”

While the World Bank said the objective of RAMP was to ensure continued effective use of the rehabilitated national and provincial road network in support of Cambodian economic development, Cambodian Economic Association president Chan Sophal worried that “Cambodia will lose if the roads are low in quality or lack maintenance because the government has borrowed from other countries, and most of the projects have been handled by foreign companies, giving few local companies experience in big projects.”

RAMP includes a plan for maintenance and repair of roads built or improved under the project, according to the General Department of Public Works report.

The Ministry of Public Works and Transport estimated that there were about 670,000 motorbikes and 197,000 automobiles plying the nation’s roads at the end of 2007, including, according to World Bank estimates, 326,310 motorbikes, 102, 810 lighter vehicles and 17,880 heavy trucks that were not registered.

Court takes up temple petitions ; To rule if communique is in breach of charter

Shaeffer: Got the signing date wrong

POST REPORTERS and AGENCIES

The Constitution Court yesterday accepted for consideration two separate petitions seeking a ruling on the constitutionality of the joint communique with Cambodia on the proposed listing of the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site.

Court secretary-general Paiboon Varahapaitoon said the court decided to combine the two petitions in one as both asked it to rule on whether or not the joint declaration signed on June 18 was equivalent to an agreement or a treaty under the charter's Article 190.

Article 190 requires any deals or treaties which affect the social and economic benefits of Thailand as well as the integrity of Thai borders to be subject to parliamentary scrutiny before their signing.

He said the court also summoned Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama, who signed the joint communique on behalf of the Thai government, to testify today at 9 am.

''If he fails to show up, the judges will deliberate the matter and if there is adequate information it may issue a ruling,'' Mr Paiboon said.

The first petition, signed by 22 senators, was submitted last Monday by Senate Speaker Prasopsuk Boondej while the other, signed by 151 MPs, was lodged on Tuesday by House Speaker Chai Chidchob.

As soon as the court agrees to make a ruling on the joint declaration, the government must halt all related activities until the verdict.

Vimolphun Peetathawatchai, who signed a petition against Cambodia's proposed listing of the Preah Vihear temple, yesterday called on Sheldon Shaeffer, director of the Unesco office in Bangkok, to resign after he referred to a wrong date in his letter to the Senate foreign relations committee.

She was upset that Mr Shaeffer came out to clarify the matter only after being summoned by Mr Noppadon to back him up in his protest over the date the communique was signed.

Following the meeting with the minister, the Unesco director said that the July 1 letter addressed to appointed senator M.R. Priyanandana Rangsit should have made reference to June 18, not May 22.

Mr Shaeffer said he had referred to an original agreement that was an informal document pending the Samak Sundaravej cabinet's approval in June.

''The fact I wrote to the chairwoman of the Senate foreign affairs committee was based on the information I have from Paris (May 22). So the original agreement that I referred to on May 22 was an informal document clearly pending cabinet approval in June,'' he said after being summoned.

Ms Vimolphun, however, said that as Unesco director, Mr Shaeffer should have been more careful because the matter was highly sensitive.

''But if he acts upon the request of the minister, he should also say so,'' she said.

Mr Noppadon said yesterday the May 22 date was ''an initial document'' between him and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An when they and Unesco officials held talks to sort out their differences over the boundaries of the temple.

The communique was officially approved by the cabinet on June 17 and the formal signing came one day later.

''I signed on that document with wording that 'pending cabinet approval' in order to prevent change of its content as it would not have any force before getting approval from the cabinet. There is no hidden agenda with this issue,'' said Mr Noppadon.

The minister said Unesco headquarters in Paris has already learnt of the Thai position that it cannot support Cambodia's bid to list Preah Vihear.

Mr Noppadon is leaving tomorrow for Quebec to withdraw Thailand's support for Cambodia when the World Heritage Committee considers 47 sites proposed for World Heritage status during a nine-day meeting starting Wednesday and ending July 10.

The result of the Preah Vihear case is expected on Sunday .

He said he and Prime Minister Samak have asked Thai ambassador in Phnom Penh Viraphand Vacharathit to evaluate the situation closely and the Cambodian government to step up security at the Thai embassy.

''I hope there will be no serious situation which might affect the good relationship between Thailand and Cambodia,'' said Mr Noppadon.

In Phnom Penh, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said the Cambodian government would not tolerate ''anti-government elements'' making the temple a political issue and would not permit a proposed march on the Thai embassy.

He was responding to an announcement by the little-known Society, Morality and National Culture Institute that it was lobbying for permission to stage a 3,000-strong rally around the Thai embassy.

Cambodia ordered extra police protection for the Thai embassy yesterday fearing the potential for violence.

Phnom Penh police chief Touch Narath said he had posted the extra security after a request by protesters to rally outside the embassy, which was torched by a mob in 2003.

PARIS AGREEMENT ON PREAH VIHEAR: Document was 'non-binding'

By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation
Published on July 4, 2008

Pact signed in May was subject to Cabinet approval, FM Noppadon says

A document signed in May by Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An and a Unesco assistant director after a meeting in Paris was not binding, Noppadon and Unesco's Bangkok director said yesterday.

Noppadon said it was a preliminary agreement that clearly stated it was "pending Cabinet approval".

"I needed to sign the paper [with the Cambodian minister] to make sure that what we agreed would not be changed by any party later," Noppadon told reporters.

"There was nothing in secret, nothing to hide and it is not binding," he added.

Yesterday's clarification followed Senator Priyanandana Rangsit's claim that Unesco Bangkok director Sheldon Shaeffer had stated in a letter to her that Noppadon had committed to support Cambodia's application to list Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site prior to seeking Cabinet approval.

"Such commitment to cooperate for management and protection of the temple of Preah Vihear was reiterated and formalised by the joint communique recently signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and Vice Prime Minister of Cambodia on May 22, 2008," Shaeffer had said in a letter to the senator.

Noppadon summoned Shaeffer for clarification yesterday. Shaeffer told reporters after meeting the minister that his letter to the senator was inaccurate.

"What happened with the document signed on May 18 [actually, May 22] is a kind of 'informal' agreement, as I'm told, pending Cabinet confirmation that came on June 17. I'm told the final agreement was signed in both Phnom Penh and Bangkok on June 18," he said.

Shaeffer said he was aware of the Administrative Court's temporary injunction against Cabinet approval of the joint communique signed in June when he sent his letter to the senator.

"I don't think anything in my letter could be implied as a communication of what overrides the court," Shaeffer told reporters.

Shaeffer said he had written to Priyanandana after she sent him a list of Thais opposed to Cambodia's application.

He said his letter mainly tried to clarify relations between Unesco and the World Heritage Committee.

The committee is not a body of Unesco. The UN organisation acts as a technical secretariat but cannot make any decision on nomination of World Heritage sites, he said.

Asked if Cambodia could use the document signed in Paris to back up its application, Shaeffer said it was up to the Thai government's handling of the different documents - the initial one and the official one.

Noppadon said Phnom Penh could not cite the initial document to back its application because the latest official document has withdrawn Thailand's support.

The joint communique to support Cambodia's proposal became a political burden for the government when a group of 77 senators asked the Constitution Court to decide whether it contravened Article 190 of the charter, which requires all agreements with foreign countries regarding change in sovereignty to pass through Parliament before being signed.

The court has summoned Noppadon to testify today

Temple deal judged

By Post Reporters and Agencies

The Constitution Court on Thursday accepted two separate petitions seeking a ruling on the constitutionality of the joint communique with Cambodia on the proposed listing of the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site for consideration.

Court secretary-general Paiboon Varahapaitoon said the court decided to combine the two petitions in one as both asked it to rule on whether or not the joint declaration signed on June 18 was equivalent to an agreement or a treaty under the charter's Article 190.

Article 190 requires any deals or treaties which affect the social and economic benefits of Thailand as well as the integrity of Thai borders to be subject to parliamentary scrutiny before their signing.

He said the court also summoned Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama, who signed the joint communique on behalf of the Thai government, to testify today at 9 am.

"If he fails to show up, the judges will deliberate the matter and if there is adequate information it may issue a ruling," Mr Paiboon said.

The first petition, signed by 22 senators, was submitted last Monday by Senate Speaker Prasopsuk Boondej while the other, signed by 151 MPs, was lodged on Tuesday by House Speaker Chai Chidchob.

As soon as the court agrees to make a ruling on the joint declaration, the government must halt all related activities until the verdict.

Vimolphun Peetathawatchai, who signed a petition against Cambodia's proposed listing of the Preah Vihear temple, yesterday called on Sheldon Shaeffer, director of the Unesco office in Bangkok, to resign after he referred to a wrong date in his letter to the Senate foreign relations committee.

She was upset that Mr Shaeffer came out to clarify the matter only after being summoned by Mr Noppadon to back him up in his protest over the date the communique was signed.

Following the meeting with the minister, the Unesco director said that the July 1 letter addressed to appointed senator M.R. Priyanandana Rangsit should have made reference to June 18, not May 22.

Mr Shaeffer said he had referred to an original agreement that was an informal document pending the Samak Sundaravej cabinet's approval in June.

"The fact I wrote to the chairwoman of the Senate foreign affairs committee was based on the information I have from Paris (May 22). So the original agreement that I referred to on May 22 was an informal document clearly pending cabinet approval in June," he said after being summoned.

Ms Vimolphun, however, said that as Unesco director, Mr Shaeffer should have been more careful because the matter was highly sensitive.

"But if he acts upon the request of the minister, he should also say so," she said.

Mr Noppadon said yesterday the May 22 date was "an initial document" between him and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An when they and Unesco officials held talks to sort out their differences over the boundaries of the temple.

The communique was officially approved by the cabinet on June 17 and the formal signing came one day later.

"I signed on that document with wording that ‘pending cabinet approval' in order to prevent change of its content as it would not have any force before getting approval from the cabinet.

There is no hidden agenda with this issue," said Mr Noppadon. The minister said Unesco headquarters in Paris has already learnt of the Thai position that it cannot support Cambodia's bid to list Preah Vihear.

Mr Noppadon is leaving tomorrow for Quebec to withdraw Thailand's support for Cambodia when the World Heritage Committee considers 47 sites proposed for World Heritage status during a nine-day meeting starting Wednesday and ending July 10.

The result of the Preah Vihear case is expected on Sunday .

He said he and Prime Minister Samak have asked Thai ambassador in Phnom Penh Viraphand Vacharathit to evaluate the situation closely and the Cambodian government to step up security at the Thai embassy.

"I hope there will be no serious situation which might affect the good relationship between Thailand and Cambodia," said Mr Noppadon.

In Phnom Penh, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said the Cambodian government would not tolerate "anti-government elements" making the temple a political issue and would not permit a proposed march on the Thai embassy.

He was responding to an announcement by the little-known Society, Morality and National Culture Institute that it was lobbying for permission to stage a 3,000-strong rally around the Thai embassy.

Cambodia ordered extra police protection for the Thai embassy yesterday fearing the potential for violence.

Phnom Penh police chief Touch Narath said he had posted the extra security after a request by protesters to rally outside the embassy, which was torched by a mob in 2003.

Cambodia's Phnom Penh a real estate boom

24-7PressRelease/ - NOTTINGHAM, UK, July 04, 2008 - After spending the last three decades struggling to recover from the legacy of the Khmer Rouge's genocidal rule, Cambodia now finds itself in the midst of a real estate boom. A decade ago the capital Phnom Penh didn't even have one traffic light, now high-rise condos and offices are springing up as investors rake in the profits.

Many people still have an outdated perception of Cambodia, but private-equity investors - so often the bellwether for the hot investments of the future - are moving into the country at apace. At least four new private equity funds, backed by brand-name investors, are aiming to bring $475 million of foreign investment into Cambodia.

China, South Korea and Malaysia have also been pouring money into the country and in 2006 foreign direct investment totalled $2.6 billion, up from just 240 million in 2004. And according to Cambodia Investment, more than $6 billion may be invested in the country in the next three years.

The government will continue to encourage this investment with market-oriented reforms, and both the ruling Cambodian People's Party and the main-opposition Sam Rainsy Party are committed to the same pro-business, pro-growth policy platform. Cambodia's economy has been expanding rapidly as a result; by 9.6 percent in 2007, and by more than 10 percent per year during the previous three. Tourism arrivals have also grown, to 2 million in 2006, and by a further 20 percent in 2007.

Cambodians are getting richer too. And this increased wealth in the capital; the growing number of investors; and the increasing number of tourists are all helping to boost Phnom Penh's real estate market.

Yet Phnom Penh is still at the beginning of a growth era, like Bangkok 20 years ago or Ho Chi Minh City 10 years ago. Property prices are cheap but they are moving fast - a traditional shop house along the river that sold in 2006 for $300,000 is now going for $600,000 to $700,000.

Cheaper property can still be found. Overseas specialists David Stanley Redfern Ltd are currently selling apartments in the chic riverside French quarter of Phnom Penh from as little as 49,000. Their authentic French colonial period buildings have been completely refurbished and modernised and are expected to appreciate by 15-20 percent per year. Due to demand, the developer is even offering a rental guarantee of 9 percent net for the first two years, making this a safe investment in an aggressively growing market.

Find out more about Cambodian property

About David Stanley Redfern

David Stanley Redfern Ltd is one of the U.K.'s leading overseas property investment specialists. The reasons for this are an incomparable range of international properties spanning 40 destinations worldwide, and unrivalled customer care, which lasts long after the purchase has been completed. Experienced, professional staff and membership to the overseas property market's regulatory body: the Association for International Property Professionals, as well as their stringent due diligence procedures gives buyers the confidence that any purchase with David Stanley Redfern is a safe one.

Largest UK Trafficking Operation Sees 500 Arrests

SLUMS: Traffickers often find their targets in destitute areas, such as this slum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images)

By Damian Robin
Epoch Times U.K. Staff
Jul 04, 2008

In the largest ever UK human trafficking operation, police have arrested over 500 people, rescuing 167 victims, one as young as 14.

The majority of victims recovered originated from China, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe. During the operation five victims (three of which were children) who had been trafficked for forced labor were recovered.

The crackdown "was about striking a blow against one of the most distressing aspects of serious and organised crime in this country," said Dr. Tim Brain, the Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Constabulary, who led the six-month operation.

The victims were found among 822 premises, of which 157 were massage parlors or saunas, and 582 were homes.

Begun nine months ago, "Pentameter 2" is a victim-focused campaign and as such victims are intended to be treated with sensitivity and given a range of support.

"What would you do if a victim of human trafficking walked into your station confused, emotional, and desperate for help? How would you communicate with them in the right way to win their trust if they hardly spoke any English?" police officers are asked in an industry magazine.

"Thanks to the recent launch of the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC), there's now a national team working to make advice for frontline cops more readily available."

"We have also looked at more practical issues, including the availability of interpreters and bed space for any victims," the operation leader said.

The team, overseen by a National Coordination Group based in Gloucestershire, has briefed more than 500 people in key positions throughout the UK in a bid to create a national intelligence picture

Pentameter 2 follows on from Pentameter 1, which took place in 2006 and was the first proactive policing operation to simultaneously involve all 55 forces in the U.K.

Pentameter 1 resulted in 88 victims of trafficking from 22 different countries (primarily Eastern Europe, China/Southeast Asia, Africa, or Brazil) being recovered. 232 people were arrested and 134 charged with a variety of offences.

Tim Brain, Pentameter 2's leader, said, "We must make it clear that human trafficking is not purely an immigration issue. Many of the victims that were recovered in Pentameter 1 were EU nationals. Victims don't need to be moved across international borders for the crime of trafficking to be committed. The movement of a victim for exploitation within the U.K. can amount to trafficking. Victims can also be UK nationals."

In addition to children being trafficked into the U.K. from abroad, British national children or young people can also be victims of trafficking within the UK This is often identified in situations where the victims are moved from one location to another irrespective of distance. This may be actually within a town or between towns and cities in the U.K., very often for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

The annual Trafficking in Persons report, released in early June by the U.S. State Department, estimates 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year, about 80 percent of them female and up to half minors. Millions more are trafficked within national borders for labor and sexual exploitation.

"In virtually every country around the world, including the United States, men, women, and children are held in domestic servitude, exploited for commercial sex, coerced into work and factories and sweatshops," Ambassador Mark Lagon said as he presented the report.

In June 2007, the U.S. and UK governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the U.S. Embassy in London to improve international cooperation to combat human trafficking.

The year 2007 marked the passage of 200 years since Parliament passed the Act to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire. In the bicentenary year, the U.K. Government indicated a commitment to redoubling efforts to address this modern day form of slavery.

The UK Action Plan was published on March 23 last year, the same day the Home Secretary signed the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, the most recent international treaty on human trafficking aimed at protecting and supporting victims.

Dengue fever a lesser concern this year in Cambodia www.chinaview.cn 2008-07-04 08:45:49 Print

www.chinaview.cn

2008-07-04

PHNOM PENH, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Dengue, the mosquito-borne illness that claimed the lives of more than 400 Cambodian children, has proven to be less of a menace so far this year, English-Khmer language newspaper the Cambodian Daily said Friday.

From January through May 2008, Cambodia has seen 2,156 cases of the virus and 23 deaths, Ngan Chantha, national dengue program manager at Ministry of Health, told the paper.

That compares to 20,836 cases and 256 deaths in the same period of time last year, it added.

"Now, it is quite better if compared to last year," said Chantha.

While nearly every province was affected in 2007, this year's outbreaks have been more isolated, and cases have also been linked to a different strain of the virus, he said.

Chantha attributed this year's improved outlook to increased health awareness and prevention efforts after last year's epidemic, which was the worst in nearly a decade and led to some 40,000 cases overall in Cambodia.

Editor: Sun Yunlong

Bail hearing for Ieng Sary adjourns

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Cat Barton and Cheang Sokha
Thursday, 03 July 2008

Lawyers for jailed Khmer Rouge leader Ieng Sary have wrapped up their appeal against his detention, saying the 82-year-old's rapidly deteriorating health was reason enough to release him ahead of his likely trial for crimes allegedly committed during the 1970s regime.

“He can hardly walk, he needs constant medical attention, and since he has been in detention he has been hospitalized five or six times,” Sary’s American lawyer Michael Karnavas told Cambodia's UN-backed genocide tribunal.

Sary, the regime's former foreign minister, suffers from heart problems, high blood pressure and arthritis.

“Doctors are looking at him every day. How is it possible for him to flee ... [It is] rather hard for someone who has these health problems to simply disappear,” he added, arguing that his client should be transferred from the court's detention facilities to a hospital where he could be kept under protected custody.

“We are asking first and foremost he be detained in a medical facility where he can get medical attention,” said Karnavas.

Sary is one of five former Khmer Rouge leaders detained at Cambodia’s Extraordinary Chambers, which is attempting to establish accountability for the regime's bloody rule over Cambodia from 1975-79, when an estimated 1.7 million people died from starvation, overwork or execution.

Like most of the defendants, Sary appeared frail and had to be helped in and out of his chair by prison guards. But he seemed to be listening attentively and taking notes as the July 3 hearing proceeded.

“In the court’s detention facilities there is no one staying close to me and I have to ring a bell to attract the attention of court officials if I need help,” he told the court’s pretrial chamber at the conclusion of the four-day hearing that began June 30.

“I need people close to me to give me immediate assistance” in case of heart problems, said Sary, who was arrested in Phnom Penh with his wife, former regime Social Affairs Minister Ieng Thirith, last November.

Sary's hearing adjourned earlier than expected on its first day after a doctor said he was too sick to continue. Prosecutors, however, accused him of merely trying to delay proceedings.

On July 3, the prosecution argued that the medical care at the tribunal was “probably higher than anywhere else in Cambodia,” and said the defense had not presented sufficient medical evidence to suggest Sary was ill enough to need constant hospitalization.

“He is not anywhere near the verge of death,” said deputy co-prosecutor William Smith.

“The detention facilities employ five full-time doctors and five full-time nurses to make sure the accused, including this charged person, get the medical treatment they deserve,” Smith said.

Medical professionals had said that no hospital stay or any other special arrangement were necessary for Sary, according to Smith,

With the exception of Duch, who is in his mid-60s, all the defendants at the tribunal are in their 70s and 80s, and worries for their health have put pressure on the court to speed the process along for fear they could die before going to trial.

Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died in 1998, while another likely tribunal defendant, regime military commander Ta Mok, died in 2006.

The defense's plea over Sary's health followed its earlier argument for his outright release on the grounds that a 1996 royal pardon and an amnesty from prosecution under a law that outlawed the Khmer Rouge should shield him from another trial.

Sary was found guilty in absentia of genocide and crimes against humanity at the People's Revolutionary Tribunal, organized by the occupying Vietnamese forces in 1979. He was pardoned 17 years later by then-king Norodom Sihanouk after defecting to the government – a move that effectively destroyed the Khmer Rouge.

The defense also attempted to win Sary's release by citing the principle of double jeopardy, in reference to the earlier conviction.

Throughout Sary's appeal hearing, the court had to grapple with the role of civil parties, with the defense complaining that they were being allowed to hijack the proceedings with emotional, rather than legal, arguments for their client's continued detention.

“The civil party lawyers need to learn how to conduct themselves in this sort of a proceeding,” Karnavas told reporters after the hearing.

“It is exhausting,” he said, adding that the defense might request more resources because the presence of so many civil parties damaged the principle of equality of arms and the presumption of innocence.

Thai court blocks Thaksin trip to China, Britain

ABS CBN
World, 7/3/2008
Agence France-Presse

BANGKOK - Thailand's Supreme Court has denied ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra permission to travel to China and Britain as his first corruption case is set to go to trial, an official said Thursday.

Thaksin was required to surrender his passport after he was arraigned on corruption charges, but the courts so far have regularly granted him permission to travel overseas.

He has made several trips to Britain, where he owns the Manchester City Premier League football club, while also travelling around Asia.

But the Supreme Court on June 24 rejected a request to visit China and Britain, saying Thaksin had not provided enough reason to justify his travels.

"The judge ruled that while the court is in the process of deliberations, receiving testimony and other evidence, his request for travel was not justified," a court official said, in the first public comments on the issue.

Thaksin faces trial Tuesday on corruption charges accusing him of using his powers as prime minister to arrange a bargain property deal for his wife. Thaksin and his wife Pojaman deny any wrongdoing.

The case is the first against Thaksin to go to trial since the military toppled his government in 2006, accusing him of widespread corruption and disrespect to the nation's revered king.

Cambodia deploys police for security of Thai embassy, companies

www.chinaview.cn

2008-07-03

PHNOM PENH, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian government Thursday deployed police to protect the Thai embassy and Thai companies in Phnom Penh as a local non-government organization planning to demonstrate against Thailand in the case of Preah Vihear temple.

"We deployed police to guarantee the security of the Thai embassy and offices of Thai companies here," said Phnom Penh police chief Touch Naroath.

"We do not want to see an accident like 2003," he added. About 20 policemen and a fire fighter car have been deployed in front of the Thai embassy.

Bo Sam Nang, head of the Center for Morality Education, told reporters that he had requested to the government to demonstrate against Thailand in Preah Vihear temple case but now has postponed it.

"We have stopped our action," he said.

In 2003, Cambodian demonstrators set fire to the Thai embassy and offices of Thai companies in Cambodia after a Thai movie star claiming that Angkor Wat temple belonged to Thailand.

Since 2007, Cambodia has been applying for the Preah Vihear temple, which is located on a mountaintop on the Thai-Cambodia border, to be listed as a World Heritage Site.

Both countries have historically laid claim to the site, which sits on the Cambodian soil but can only be easily accessed from Thailand.

Cambodia's former King Norodom Sihanouk took Thailand to the World Court in 1962 over the two countries' claim to Preah Vihear. The court ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia.

Editor: Yan Liang

Cambodian Official Asks Thai Politicians and Historians Not to Twist the Facts

Posted on 4 July 2008
The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 567

“Phnom Penh: A Cambodian official urged Thai politicians and historians not to twist the facts about the history of the Preah Vihear Temple, which is being proposed to be officially listed as a World Heritage Site.

“In an interview with a Thai reporter from the Public Broadcasting Service TV [PBS] on the morning of 2 July 2008, Mr. Ho Vandy, the president of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents, said that the Thai government must listen to the majority voices, but not to minority voices opposed to the listing of the Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site; and Thai politicians and historians must accept the truth, but not to twist the history, because it is important to maintain the relations and the cooperation between both countries.

“He added, ‘If Thai politicians and historians do not accept the facts, it will break the relations between both countries. When talking honestly with one another and acknowledging the facts of history, being a good neighbors and having good human relations will be of benefit to everything – both in tourism and in the economy of the two countries.’ He continued, ‘If Thailand has a good, human mind by accepting the facts, both countries and people will be peaceful.’

“He went on to say, ‘If Thailand still tries to hide the real history and to twist it, there will be endless difficulties and disagreements for the next generation.’

“The Preah Vihear Temple was legally declared by the International Court of Justice in The Hague to be under the sovereignty of Cambodia on 15 June 1962, by ordering Thailand to deliver the Preah Vihear Temple to Cambodia, to withdraw its troops and people from the temple, and to give back to Cambodia all ancient artifacts taken from the temple.

“Mr. Ho Vandy asserted that the Preah Vihear Temple was already identified by the International Court of Justice in The Hague as belonging to Cambodia, based on its history. If Thailand helps to promote the temple to be listed as a World Heritage Site, there will be much benefit for both countries in developing tourism, because when the temple is listed, people around the world will be interested in visiting this temple, and they will spend money for Cambodians and for Thais living in the bordering provinces near Preah Vihear.

“Dr. Ros Chantraboth, a historian and vice-president of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said that in Siem [Thailand], in text books from Grade 1 to Grade 9, there are only two sentences which speak about Cambodia, but those books speak a lot about the history and other things of Laos, of Burma, of Vietnam, and of Malaysia. He continued, ‘Siem seems to pretend that there was no presence of Cambodia in Indochina.’

“He added that this misunderstanding is because of Siem articles writing that the Preah Vihear Temple belongs to its country and it is because of the lack of Siam publication about the reality of the history, and Siamese researchers always think that “this temple belongs to Siem.”

“He went on to say that in Samut Prakan Province, southeast of Bangkok, the Siem government built a park named ‘Thai ancient monuments’ or ‘Muang Boran Thai’ where all temples existing in Thailand are built in copies, including the Preah Vihear Temple, for Siamese and for researchers [and tourists] to visit.

[Actually, doing some Internet research in Thai and in English, only the term 'เมืองโบราณ - Muang Boran' – could be seen an all sites I found (I may have missed some, though); none uses the term 'เมืองโบราณไทย' - 'Thai Ancient City.' This Ancient City is often considered to be the world's biggest outdoor museum, covering about 80 hectares/320 acres of land in a shape similar to the country of Thailand, with more than 100 original size or scaled down models of historical monuments. It was designed and funded my the private funds of a rich Thai businessman, Lek Viriyapan (1914 – 2000). Before the Ancient City could be built, its founder and his research team traveled to all buildings to be included, and for many years these studies were published in the Muang Boran Journal. The park includes also a replica of the Preah Vihear temple, and the journal has photos, several of them showing the Cambodian flag, and the inscription over the entrance in big Khmer letters: 'ប្រាសាទ​ព្រះវិហារ' [Prasat Preah Vihear] and below, in smaller letters in English, ‘Preah Vihear Temple’ – and three Cambodian flags are clearly seen on the picture of the stairs leading up to the temple – there is no doubt that the Ancient City in clear pictures describes Preah Vihear as under Cambodian authority. The temple of Phimai in the province of Nakhon Ratchasima is another example of Khmer culture (and in some of the sites visited also described as such). The ‘Ancient City’ is in no way leaving any doubt that this is Cambodian culture and territory, but, like Phimai, there are many other historical sites in present Thailand, showing the former extension of Khmer culture. - Editor]
“Dr. Ros Chantraboth asserted, ‘The Ancient City was constructed in 1972, ten years after Siem lost the hearing at the International Court of Justice in The Hague that legally established that the Preah Vihear Temple was to be under Khmer sovereignty. He added, ‘In reality, Siem has never used this to explain it to its people.’

“He recalled that the International Court of Justice in The Hague decided to deliver the sovereignty of the Preah Vihear Temple to Cambodia, based on 1904 and 1907 maps that were drawn by France for Cambodia at that time, and those maps were not contested by the Thai government at that period. The 1962 verdict gave ten years to Siem to appeal, in case it found new evidence proving that the Preah Vihear Temple belongs to Thailand, but when the deadline was over on 15 June 1972, Thailand did not appeal against the verdict until today.

“According to Article 10 of the condition of the World Heritage Committee, world heritage listings only include cultural heritage, they do not include borders of countries; and both countries have still to negotiate about the [unsolved] border issues.”

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4631, 3.7.2008

Riot Police Deployed to Guard Thai Embassy

Thai protesters massed in Bangkok in June to protest the Cambodian application for Preah Vihear World Heritage protection.

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
03 July 2008

Khmer audio aird 03 July 2008 (1.19 MB) - Download (MP3) Khmer audio aird 03 July 2008 (1.19 MB) - Listen (MP3)

Phnom Penh dispatched extra riot police to protect the Thai Embassy in the capital Thursday, following reports of demonstrations over Preah Vihear temple.

More than 20 police in green tactical uniforms, armed with rifles and pistols, stood guard along the embassy's perimeter and in front of its gates on Norodom Boulevard Thursday afternoon.

Phnom Penh Police Chief Touch Naroth said the extra police were deployed at the request of the embassy.

The Unesco's World Heritage Committee is to decide on the temple's protection status during meetings underway in Canada, but the Thai government this week pulled its endorsement of the application.

A 1962 International Court decision claimed the temple belongs to Cambodia, but the surrounding borderlands are still under dispute, and Thai opposition groups have held protests of an initial Thai government endorsement of Cambodia's bid.

"This is also our duty, to safeguard this embassy," Touch Naroth said. "We learned that some NGO plans to hold a demonstration at the Thai Embassy, so we deployed our police, because we experienced the government having to compensate the Thai government after riots destroyed the Thai Embassy."

Anti-Thai demonstrations in 2003 led to the sacking and burning of the Thai Embassy and other Thai businesses in Phnom Penh, following unsubstantiated rumors that a Thai actress claimed Angkor Wat belonged to Thailand.

"The police will be deployed until safety is fully guaranteed," Touch Naroth said.

One policeman at the embassy said Thursday the embassy was guarded 24 hours per day.

Phnom Penh officials meanwhile denied a request for a local organization to hold a demonstration in Phnom Penh.

The National Culture and Moral Center, which delivered a letter of support for the temple's World Heritage bid to the Council of Ministers Thursday, will postpone a demonstration, due to the election period, Po Samnang, president of the group, said.

The center supports the efforts of the government on Preah Vihear issues, the letter to the Council of Ministers said, and opposes any attempt of Thai "extremists" who do not respect an international court ruling giving the temple to Cambodia.

Po Samnang told reporters Thursday his group had applied to hold demonstrations, but the municipality forbid them.

Po Samnang said Thursday he would put himself legally and personally responsible for demonstrators, to ensure no rioting took place.

The National Culture and Moral Center was started in 1992, he said, and has no political affiliations.

Violence Reporting Flawed: Monitors

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
03 July 2008

On Tuesday morning, Nhem Sophath, a 33-year-old commune organizer for the Human Rights Party, walked around several villages in Kampong Speu province to gather activists for an election campaign march that would be joined by party president Kem Sokha and other officials.

By 6 pm, the march was finished, and Nhem Sophath went home, changed his clothes and set off for a walk to his local pagoda, to receive a blessing. On the dark road, he encountered two men.

One of them beat him with a bamboo pole, breaking his left arm in two places, Nhem Sophath said Thursday. Nhem Sophath fled and hid in a nearby house, and after the two assailants left, he immediately informed the local commune election committee, or CEC, office. He filed a complaint to police the next day.

Nhem Sophath believes the attack was politically motivated. But the CEC is not sure.

"It is a criminal case," Meas Kimthon, CEC chairman for Trang Rovea commune, in Udong district, Kampong Speu, said by phone Thursday. "The victim should complain to the police. We have no authority to solve this assault case, because there is a very serious injury."

Nhem Sophath's alleged attack and the CEC's reaction to it demonstrate one concern that election monitors have with the reporting of potential election violence.

Election observers are concerned the process does not provide accurate information on violence, because CEC offices can interpret an incident either as a political conflict or simply a criminal infraction, moving the case to police instead of investigating for themselves. In such procedures, observers say, election violence can go underreported.

"If the CEC understands that the dispute is a serious crime, the CEC has no right to investigate the case, so [they] send it to the police and the courts," Koul Panha, director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections. "This decision is the right thing, but CEC has to watch over or find out the real reason of the dispute."

The concern is that there is no incentive for the CEC to investigate further.

"We are very concerned about the violent cases during the election process and the NEC procedure, because when violence occurs, the CEC or PEC can transfer the violent incident from politics to a criminal case, and not investigate or show how it relates to the election process," Koul Panha said.

This procedure is complicated and difficult for justice to be found for the victim, he said.

"NEC procedure for the CEC rules is very confusing," said Hang Puthea, director of the Neutral Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia. "It cannot separate clearly political violence relating to the campaign and a criminal case."

In the case of Nhem Sophath, CEC officials say they will keep his report on file, but they have so far not reported it to the provincial election committee as a case of election violence.

Solitary Ieng Sary Pushes for House Arrest

By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
03 July 2008

Khmer audio aird 03 July 2008 (933 KB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aird 03 July 2008 (933 KB) - Listen (MP3)

Former Khmer Rouge foreign affairs minister Ieng Sary complained to the tribunal of solitude in detention and a heart problem that takes him by surprise, while his co-lawyers pushed the courts to put him under house arrest.

"My heart reacts irregularly," Ieng Sary told the court at the end of three days of hearings over his pre-trial detention. "I don't know how, in detention, I make my efforts and nobody stays with [me]. Sometimes I ring, one time, they do not hear. And sometimes, two times, and then I make my own effort [to alleviate] suffering."

Michael Karnavas, co-defense, told the court that if Ieng Sary is to be tried, he must have good health so that he can be present in the court room two years from now. He proposed house arrest, because the defendant had been transferred to the hospital many times.

Co-prosecutors, however, rejected the proposition from the defense, saying the release of Ieng Sary from tribunal detention could provoke security problems for the defendant as victims could seek retribution and violence against him.

Ieng Sary out of detention would be a threat to witnesses, as well, prosecutors argued, and a release on house arrest was not necessary, because the tribunal ensured high-quality health conditions for detainees, healthier than most healthcare systems in Cambodia.

The tribunal retains five doctors and four numbers to care for the five jailed Khmer Rouge leaders and has a contract with Calmette hospital for advanced care.

Lawyers representing civil parties participating in the hearing supported the prosecutors. There have been no serious threats to Ieng Sary's health clearly reported, so he should remain in detention ahead of his trial, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, civil party lawyers said.

Defrocked Monk Released in Vietnam

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
03 July 2008

Khmer audio aird 03 July 2008 (953 KB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aird 03 July 2008 (953 KB) - Listen (MP3)

Tim Sakhorn, the Khmer Kampuchea Krom monk who was defrocked in Cambodia last year and subsequently detained in Vietnam, has been released, officials said Thursday.

Tim Sakhorn, who was accused of provoking unrest between the two countries, was jailed June 30, 2007, and released June 28.

Tim Sakhorn's father said he sent the defrocked monk's brother to Vietnam, to check on him, but Vietnamese authorities are taking him on a tour of the country, and he cannot be found.

Human Rights Watch issued a statement Thursday Tim Sakhorn should be allowed to move freely from Vietnam to Cambodia.

Vietnamese and Cambodian officials, meanwhile, say he can travel as he wishes.