U.S. destroyer Mustin to visit Cambodia

Journalists tour the USS Mustin near the port in Sihanoukville, 223 km (139 miles) west of Phnom Penh, October 11, 2008. The USS Mustin is in Cambodia to strengthen bilateral ties between the U.S. and Cambodia, and to carry out humanitarian and medical missions for locals, a U.S. embassy spokesman said.REUTERS/Stringer (CAMBODIA)

USS Mustin's Public Affairs Officer Brian Greene of Pittsburg, Pennsilvania,briefs journalists upon arrival at a port near Cambodia's port town of Sihanoukville some 185 kilometers (115 miles) southwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. The ship is here for the bilateral cooperation between the two countries and also carry out humanitarian and medical missions for the local people, Chrea Vanrith, Public Affairs Official of the U.S. Embassy, said.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A crew of the USS Mustin, left, holds the U.S flag upon arrival at a port near Cambodia's port town Sihanoukville some 185 kilometers (115 miles) southwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. the ship is here for the bilateral cooperation between the two countries and also carry out humanitarian and medical missions for the local people, Chrea Vanrith, Public Affairs Official of the U.S. Embassy, said.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

The guided missile frigate USS Mustin port upon arrival in a port near Sihanoukville some 185 kilometers (115 miles) southwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. The ship is here to strengthen the bilateral cooperation between U.S. and Cambodia and also carry out humanitarian and medical missions for the local people, Chrea Vanrith, Public Affairs Official of the U.S. Embassy, said.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

The warship USS Mustin sails near the port in Sihanoukville, 223 km (139 miles) west of Phnom Penh, October 11, 2008. The USS Mustin is in Cambodia to strengthen bilateral ties between the U.S. and Cambodia, and to carry out humanitarian and medical missions for locals, a U.S. embassy spokesman said.REUTERS/Stringer (CAMBODIA)

A helicopter is seen on the warship USS Mustin near the port in Sihanoukville, 223 km (139 miles) west of Phnom Penh, October 11, 2008. The USS Mustin is in Cambodia to strengthen bilateral ties between the U.S. and Cambodia, and to carry out humanitarian and medical missions for locals, a U.S. embassy spokesman said.REUTERS/Stringer (CAMBODIA)

The USS Mustin's deputy commodore Charlie Williams gives a speech upon arrival at a port near Cambodia's port town of Sihanoukville some 185 kilometers (115 miles) southwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. the ship is here for the bilateral cooperation between the two countries and also carry out humanitarian and medical missions for the local people, Chrea Vanrith, Public Affairs Official of the U.S. Embassy, said.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Local media tours the guided missile frigate USS Mustin upon arrival at a port near Sihanoukville some 185 kilometers (115 miles) southwest of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008. The ship is here to strengthen the bilateral cooperation between U.S. and Cambodia and also carry out humanitarian and medical missions for the local people, Chrea Vanrith, Public Affairs Official of the U.S. Embassy, said.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

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October 10, 2008

Warship USS Mustinwill visit port city Sihanoukville from Oct. 11 to 15, Chrea Vanrith, public affairs official of the U.S. Embassy, said on Friday.

The destroyer will arrive here to strengthen the bilateral cooperation between U.S. and Cambodia, and also carry out humanitarian and medical missions for the local people, he said.

For example, the soldiers from the ship will conduct some maintenance work for local schools, he added.

This has been the third warship visiting Cambodia since 2007.

Source: Xinhua

A new front line

Photo by: HENG CHIVOAN

THE PHNOM PENH POST

Written by Heng Chivoan
Friday, 10 October 2008

A soldier waits behind a string of B-40 rockets on the front line at Veal Antri, close to the Thai border in Preah Vihear province, earlier this week. Gunfire was exchanged across the border last Friday after months of tension that began when Thai soldiers entered Cambodian territory near the famed Preah Vihear temple site. Despite peace talks the situation remains unstable.

See full story

Massive government land grants come under criticism

Photo by: CHRISTOPHER SHAY; Hor Samath, spokesman for a group of Cambodian communities under threat of eviction, attends a news conference Thursday.

THE PHNOM PENH POST

Written by Chhay Channyda and Christopher Shay
Friday, 10 October 2008

Saying their livelihoods are at stake, members from eight communities gather in the capital to submit complaints

IN a show of solidarity, villagers from eight provinces came together Thursday to support eight communities that submitted grievances to the government about land concessions they said violate Cambodian law.

Representatives from the Ratanakkiri, Mondulkiri, Kampong Cham, Kampot, Pursat, Kratie, Kampong Chhnang and Preah Vihear provinces lodged official complaints about land concessions to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Council of Ministers and the prime minister's Cabinet.

Following the submission of their complaints, the Community Peace Network, a consortium of communities affected by government land concessions, held a news conference where a representative from each of the eight communities detailed the situation in their province.

According to the complaints, which were made available at the conference, the government has given 480,395 hectares of forest and fishing areas to nine companies.

The complaints involving the largest tracts of land came from Kampong Chhnang and Pursat provinces, where the government allegedly ceded 315,025 hectares to two companies, Pheapimex and Boo-young Khmer.

The event was organised by the communities themselves not by a Western NGO, those present said, athough a few NGOs were in attendance to show their support.

Ou Virak, the president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said: "The fact they [the communities] are taking the lead is crucial in the long run".

"Land issues have become serious in our communities." Seng Sok Heng, a representative from the Community Peace Network said, "There have been no solutions at the local level, where authority supports only the powerful people.

"In June, the communities filed a joint complaint to the Agriculture Ministry, but no one has looked into the case, he said.

Chan Sarun, the agriculture minister, said he received the complaint. "Our officials are working with the villagers to find a solution," he said.

Opposition party members sworn into National Assembly

THE PHNOM PENH POST

Written by Meas Sokchea
Friday, 10 October 2008

The ceremony, presided over by the King, brings to an end speculation that an HRP boycott would leave them out of parliament

THREE Human Rights Party lawmakers joined 17 members of the Cambodian People's Party at a swearing-in ceremony at the Royal Palace, presided over by King Norodom Sihamoni and two chief monks.

The HRP members included party President Kem Sokha, Yem Ponhearith and Ou Chanrith. A fourth, Tioulong Saumura of the Sam Rainsy Party, was expected to be sworn in but chose not to attend.

Yem Ponhearith, spokesman and secretary general of the HRP, told the Post Thursday that the party's parliamentarians were required to be sworn in with CPP members to get valid positions in the National Assembly.

"We had previously stated that we wanted to be sworn in at a time and place suitable for us. We achieved that," he said.

CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said his party's members at the swearing-in were selected because they were former assembly members from previous mandates or had been named to replace seats of CPP officials vacated in advance of the new government.

Cheam Yeap said he could not say why Tioulong Saumura did not attend the ceremony but said she could be sworn in alone at a future event.

He said it could be difficult to arrange because it would need the participation of the King.Mu Sochua, deputy secretary general of the SRP, said Tioulong Saumura missed the event because of a busy schedule abroad.

"She did not boycott the swearing-in but was attending a meeting in Manila. She told officials of her trip before departing and expects to be sworn in when she returns," Mu Sochua said.

Lao, Thai troops clash on border: RCAF

THE PHNOM PENH POST

Written by Thet Sambath
Friday, 10 October 2008

AN RCAF general said Thursday some 30 Thai soldiers were fired upon by an unknown number of Lao troops in the Golden Triangle region where the three countries' borders converge.

The incident happened after Thai soldiers strayed into Lao territory en route to Cambodia."Lao soldiers shot at the Thais [on Wednesday] as they were walking in Lao territory, but we have no information about possible casualties," the general, who asked not to be named, told the Post Thursday.

"I have not received any new reports, but we are investigating the matter carefully," he said.The general added that since Thai soldiers began crossing the border in July, cooperation between Cambodia and Laos to monitor developments along the border has strengthened.

Soldiers from Thailand, Cambodia and Laos are normally deployed in the Golden Triangle area, but tension has increased as a result of the months-long standoff between Thai and Cambodian forces over disputed border territory.

The general said the recent unexpected arrival of seven Thai soldiers at a Cambodian military guard house in the area had further inflamed matters following last week's gun battle near Preah Vihear.

"They came to stay with our soldiers on our land," the general said. "We will burn this house [rather than cede it to them] because we built it on our own land."

Addressing the reported clash between Lao and Thai soldiers, Neang Phat, secretary of state at the Ministry of Defence, said "it is an issue between Laos and Thailand and did not involve Cambodian territory".

Security boost for Thai PM

THE PHNOM PENH POST

Written by Vong Sokheng and Cheang Sokha
Friday, 10 October 2008

Riot and plainclothes police readied to quell protesters

SECURITY will be tightened in Phnom Penh during a one-day visit Monday by the Thai prime minister, as local activists threaten to protest the presence of Thai troops at the border.

But authorities in Phnom Penh say they will quell any street demonstrations and are already organising plainclothes and riot police to be at the ready.

"We have the security situation under control. We won't let any protests happen during the prime minister's visit," Phnom Penh police chief Touch Naruth told the Post.

Union leader Rong Chhun said he would hold a peaceful demonstration to urge the Cambodian government to take a harder line with its neighbour and pressure the Thai government to withdraw its claim to the disputed territory.

"Every failed negotiation with Thailand gives them longer to stay on Cambodian land," said the president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, which includes 85,000 members.

"I know the authorities will try to prevent us from doing it, but we have to push because we want to force the government to have a strong commitment in its negotiations," he added. But he would not disclose the planned location of the protest for fear of pre-emptive action by police.

Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat is officially visiting as part of an Asean rule that requires all new heads of its member states to greet their neighbouring countries after taking office. "But the visit is really to talk about the border issue," said Koy Kuong, an undersecretary of state at the Foreign Ministry.

He said Somchai would meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen, Senate President Chea Sim and National Assembly President Heng Samrin, while the foreign ministers of both sides hold separate talks. Negotiations to discuss border demarcation and troop withdrawals have been postponed since late August when political unrest in Bangkok all but froze the operations of the Thai government.

Bad parking to be fined: City Hall

Photo by: TRACEY SHELTON; Street 284 near the Olympic market will be targeted for a crackdown on bad parking.

THE PHNOM PENH POST

Written by May Titthara
Friday, 10 October 2008

Long accustomed to parking their cars along sidewalks and roads at their own convenience, Phnom Penh drivers may soon face hefty fines for their carelessness

PHNOM Penh's long tradition of parking on the sidewalk and clogging main roads may be coming to an end, with a new municipal crackdown on out-of-control parking.

"All cars that park on the sidewalk for no reason will be fined," Kep Chuktema, governor of Phnom Penh, told the Post."Starting next week, we will escalate road management on streets that always experience traffic jams," he said Tuesday. According to Pa Bunna, head of the Olympic market committee, the crackdown will begin on one of the most driver-unfriendly roads: Street 284 near the Olympic market.

"We will have a meeting next week with the Olympic commune chief to try to resolve the problems with traffic jams," he said.

Pa Bunna said managing the flow of traffic in the area was particularly problematic because of overlapping mandates.

"Just because traffic jams have happened around the Olympic market from cars parking on the sidewalk, it is not our duty to sort it out, it falls under the authority of the Olympic commune," Pa Bunna said.

According to commune chief Seng Vannary, one of the major contributors to road blockages in the area are parking touts who collect money to park cars and then park them on the road.

"The Olympic market committee rents the roads to people who do business selling parking spaces along the road. They have done this since 1995," she told the Post.

She said she hoped the meeting would facilitate cooperation from the municipality.

"I have been trying to get intervention from Phnom Penh Municipality for two mandates already, but they have until now remained silent on the issue."

Ouk Phal Chen, a local government official, said the city's traffic issues were a blemish on its progressing urban development.

"Everything is developing well in our city at the present except the management of the roads," he said.

"The traffic jams are very bad, especially when authorities allow cars to park on the sidewalk."

But Tin Prasoer, chief of Phnom Penh's traffic police said changing people's parking habits would be a difficult task.

"We have had a ban on parking before. We need to re-educate drivers and ask them to pay the extra money it costs to police the area and bring their cars to the police station."

Kampot communities request 2,000-hectare local fishing zone

Photo by: HENG CHIVOAN; A boy fishing in Kampot last month.

THE PHNOM PENH POST

Written by Khouth Sophakchakrya
Friday, 10 October 2008

The pumping of sand for the construction of a new international port on the Kingdom’s coast is damaging livelihoods, local fishermen say

FISHING communities in Kampot province have requested that national authorities set aside 2,000 hectares of fishing lots for local anglers, amidst concerns a sand-pumping firm off the south coast is impacting catches in the province's fishery conservation zones.

Keom Da, chief of the Roluos fishing community, said 5,000 hectares of fishing lots have been set aside for the use of four Kampot fishing communities since 2005, but that the City Power Group Corp is pumping sand from the conservation areas for use in the construction of the new international port in Kampot province.

"We need all the investors to come and invest in our country, including Kampot, but we also need 2,000 hectares of fishing lots for our families' daily life," she said, adding that the company's dredging had diminished the rich biodiversity of Cambodia's saltwater fisheries.

Nou Srey, 44, a fisherwoman in the Totoeng Thgai fishing community, said that she and other villagers have complained to Kampot Governor Thach Khorn a few times, but said the provincial authorities always pretend not to hear the people's concerns.

"We want to talk directly to [officials from City Power Group] to explain to them our concerns and our real purposes, that we need just 2,000 hectares of fishing lots," Nou Srey said.

Wing Hour, managing director of City Power Group, said that he was happy to meet people to discuss their problems, but requested that people also take into account the demands of development projects in Kampot province.

" Fishing lots are our rice pots. We will be dying if there is not a good solution. "

"Now the people are worrying about my development projects, but I strongly believe that they will be happy after they receive the benefits from some of my project," he said. "I don't want to see the fishermen in Kampot living in poverty, from hand to mouth, so I have created jobs to change their livelihoods."

But Kep Thmey Fishery Association chief Chun Chhum said that the government should send the experts from relevant institutions to evaluate the impact of the construction of the new port by City Power Group.

"Our living relies on fishing, and fishing lots are our rice pots. But now the company has pumped the sea sand and buried our pots," he said. "We will be dying if the government does not find a good solution."

104 people become personal advisors for Cambodian PM

www.chinaview.cn

2008-10-11

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni has signed a royal decree appointing 104 people as personal advisors to Prime Minister Hun Sen, English-Khmer language newspaper the Cambodia Daily said Saturday.

The advisors have ranks equal to those of undersecretary of state, secretary of state and senior ministers, Cheam Yeap, lawmaker and member of the standing committee of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), was quoted as saying.

"When the term is finished, personal advisors must be dissolved. So Hun Sen must appoint new advisors for the new five-year term," he said.

Hun Sen remained as premier, as the fourth government of the kingdom was just established in September.

According to the royal decree, the new group of personal advisors run the gamut of profession and experience, and include former commune and provincial officials, TV news anchors and directors, military officers and bankers.

Editor: Sun

Asia bracing itself for downturn in property markets

Asian property markets face a crisis

PROPERTY WIRE
Saturday, 11 October 2008

Asian property markets are falling victim to the global credit crisis and seeking ways of lessening the impact at a local level.

In Cambodia the real estate boom which began in 2007 is over according to a leading economist and in the Philippines real estate professionals are calling for investment trusts to be approved in a bid to boost the market.

'Our property markets are closely connected with the stock markets in South Korea and other Asian countries. If these markets fall, we are affected,' Kang Chandararot, head economist at the Cambodia Institute of Development Study.

'Also South Korean and other Asian markets are very closely connected to the US and these countries are our biggest investors. We will see a recession in the short term, perhaps in six to 12 months,' he added.

The South Korean government issued a statement this week urging banks to sell foreign assets to increase liquidity. South Korea is Cambodia's biggest investor and a fall in South Korea would be especially harmful to local growth.

No figures on the depth of the decline are available, but industry experts said the impact could be felt soon. Cheam Yeap, chairman of the National Banking and Finance Committee, said the global finance crisis might affect the real estate market, but not the economy as a whole as it is sufficiently diversified in tourism, agriculture and garment manufacturing to withstand the downturn.Property firms in the Philippines believe that establishing real estate investment trusts (REITs), will help to boost the local market. Jaime Ayala, president of Ayala Land, Inc., said it would open up another avenue to raise capital and give the public a new investment vehicle.

'It will be a win-win situation. It will allow us to get more capital to allow us to develop more projects, and at the same time, this will be a nice form of investment for the public,' he said.

'This will spur economic activity since this will give investors good yields. This will also give property companies a chance to develop more projects,' said Jeffrey C. Lim, chief finance officer of SM Prime Holdings.

A bill allowing the introduction of REITs is currently going through the House and Senate.

Vietnam, Cambodia reinforce communication links

THANHNIEN
Saturday, October 11, 2008

The Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications has reached a number of wide-ranging cooperation agreements with the Cambodian ministries of Information, and Post and Telecommunication.

The agreements were made in talks between Minister of Information and Communications Le Doan Hop, Cambodian Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith and Minister of Post and Telecommunication So Khun during Hop’s visit to Cambodia from October 8 -11.

The ministers agreed to increase the exchange of visits by managers, pressmen, and post and telecommunication officials to share management skills, formulating management regulations for the press and post and telecommunications sectors, improving professional skills, and developing infrastructural facilities for radio, television, and telecom stations.

They pledged to create favourable conditions and an attractive environment for post and telecommunication businesses to invest in and conduct business in each other’s countries.

The Cambodian officials also requested the assistance of the Vietnamese side in human resources training and enhancing the management of press, internet and telecom services.

During the visit, Minister Hop and his entourage were received by Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, who referred to the visit as a major contribution to consolidating the traditional friendship between the two countries and further bolstering cooperation and assistance between the ministries.

Ministers Hop and So Khun co-chaired the Vietnamese-Cambodian Post and Telecom Businesses’ Forum in Phnom Penh Friday. Hop also conducted a tour of a branch of the Vietnamese military-run Viettel company and visited several post and telecom units in the host country.

Source: VNA

A homeland for the Chams

THE PHNOM PENH POST

Written by David Lempert
Friday, 10 October 2008

Comment

Find creative ways to connect young Chams with their history

Following the first genocide trials at Nuremberg in the 1940s, the calls for punishment were linked to plans to re-create the homeland for one of the stateless victimised groups in Europe. Today museums continue to be built to promote the cultures of genocide victims at the sites of the destruction and in the diaspora. With so much talk in Cambodia about genocide - the destruction of a race or culture - one might expect some discussion about the victims and their cultures beyond the simple fix of feeding bellies and the projected spending of US$60 million on punishment of a small group of accused. But when it comes to helping restore the culture of the most clearly identifiable of victimised cultures in the country, the Cham, the only international body offering support seems to be the Muslim world, even though their assistance may be contributing to taking the Cham even further away from their history and the civilisation they built in Southeast Asia.

In Phnom Penh you can visit the National Museum, where the French and now the Cambodians warehouse some of the best pieces of the country's art that still remain public. You can also visit sites of mass murder and torture and hear about the horrors of destruction of the country's cultural groups. But you won't exactly be sure from the Genocide Museum which groups were the victims and what they were like before the genocide, or what they need to have their cultures restored. In fact, you might not hear anything about the Cham, or about two other ethnic groups that may have become extinct in Cambodia during the civil war era, according to Ben Kiernan (the Kola in Battambang and the Sa'sek in Kampong Speu) and it doesn't seem like anyone is really researching the specific impact on ethnic groups or how best to restore and promote their survival.

History of the culture

If you are looking for images of the country's ethnic groups in Cambodian history, the place to actually find them is on the friezes of Angkor Wat and the Bayon, and those of Banteay Chhmar. But these depictions are largely of imperial supremacy of the Khmer, with groups like the Cham being defeated by the Khmer. When it comes to the Cham, these protected ancient friezes reinforce the victimisation of the Cham rather than offer a solution to protect them.

Why do the Cham deserve better? Though the Cham are now a stateless people in Asia, mostly converted to Islam - following the religion of the one group that offered them any resources and dignity as they were forced to flee the Vietnamese for their lives over the past centuries - their civilisation may once have been the most important and extensive in Southeast Asia and was at least as important as that of the Vietnamese (Kinh) and the Khmer.

It was the Cham who taught the Vietnamese improved rice-farming and silk-production techniques. It was the Cham who may have taught the Khmer gold work, given the Cham-influenced words in Khmer related to gold work. It was the Cham who designed many of the boats of the region and who developed the most significant ports. Though still not clear in Khmer history, archaeologists speculate that it may have been the Cham who jointly gave birth to the Oc Eo - Phu Nan civilisation, who may have supported and even partly founded the Angkorian Empire of Jayavarman II in the ninth century, and who may have played a significant role in the ruling classes of Angkor. Yet, while the Vietnamese are thriving and the Khmer have a state, it is the Cham who are losing their history and their numbers.

Back in the 15th century when Angkor (and Khmer culture) came under attack, the destruction of Cham culture and of Cham populations and the taking of their ancestral lands had already been under way for centuries. Nevertheless, even then, there are estimates that the Cham population may have numbered about five million, and have roughly equaled the populations of the Kinh Vietnamese and the Khmer. The territorial size of the three empires was also roughly the same. One need only start some 200km from Hanoi and head practically the length of the country, to close to Saigon, to find the extent of citadels, brick towers, waterworks and artwork of the Cham; much of it unrecognised and endangered in Vietnam without the Cham on the land to protect it and with little support from the international community.

Today, there are about 70 million Kinh Vietnamese, about 12 million Khmer, and only roughly 300,000 Cham, with the Kinh having taken all of the Cham territory and a large portion of the territory of the Khmer. At least half of the world's Cham now live in Cambodia, where they fled the earlier genocides from the Vietnamese and sought to create a republic with the help of Malayan Muslims; ultimately concentrating in Kampong Cham and along the country's rivers. Estimates of the suffering of the Cham under the Khmer Rouge differ, with Ben Kiernan suggesting that up to 100,000 of 300,000 in Cambodia were killed. Michael Vickery estimates less. Whatever the numbers, the Cham remain without a homeland and vulnerable.

The situation today

The irony of the Cham's situation today is that the uncoordinated efforts from the international community to protect or recognise the Cham seem to disconnect young Cham from their histories and prevent them from having the choice of shaping their destinies and owning their past.

The international community says it is protecting the Cham by turning their religious site of My Son, in Vietnam, into a Unesco World Heritage Site, and by supporting the Cham art museum in Da Nang, built originally by the French, as well as through preservations/excavations of a few of the pretty Cham tower sites and excavations of some earlier pre-Cham (Sa Huynh) cultural sites. But what they restore is selective and they choose what is of interest to foreigners, to the economics of tourism, and to the Vietnamese government. There are some 25 citadels and regional capitals of the Cham and their precursors in Vietnam, dating back 2,500 years, but Unesco isn't aware of half of them and Vietnam does not compile its own list.

Connect Chams with their history

The Muslims say they are protecting the Cham by offering them scholarships to the Arab world and by rebuilding mosques. They say that the decision of dressing like Muslims and studying Middle Eastern texts is the preference of most Cham and consistent with their more recent history.

The international development community and the Khmer say they are protecting the Cham by kneading them into the economic fabric of urbanising Cambodia (and many Cham communities today hug the banks of towns and cities) even though they offer them no political autonomy or special representation.

What is lost in this picture is the connection of young Cham with their heritage. Cham in Cambodia don't study the history of Champa (the Cham in Vietnam) and of the Sa Huynh. They don't seem to study the architecture or the art or the ancient crafts and pride of the Cham in Muslim or public schools or their homes. They don't visit their ancestral temples in Vietnam.

They are not involved in international preservation efforts for their history. They know their Muslim family names but not their ancestral lineages. Even here in Cambodia, most cannot recount the history of their Cham king who ruled the country in the 17th century and where he is buried.

It may not be feasible or possible to "buy" a homeland for the Cham on their ancestral lands or to establish an autonomous region for the Cham in an area between Cambodia and Vietnam, such as Kampong Cham, but the idea at least deserves to be on the table.

So does the idea of a special investment in school books and an open corridor of internationally funded exchanges for young Cham to go visit their ancestral temples and to have exchanges with Cham in Vietnam.

Last year I designed a proposal for a Vietnamese-Cham reconciliation site - a joint heritage and culture museum, to be run with the Cham. I'm happy to share that proposal with others and to offer it as a basis for a similar site in Cambodia.

There are four different sites in Cambodia where such a Khmer-Cham reconciliation site and heritage and culture museum would make sense because of the shared history and shared Hindu-Buddhist cultural past: Banteay Preah Nokor and sites around the Kulen mountains (in both sites there are ninth century towers that suggest Cham influence), and Sambour Prei Kuk as the earlier site, that may have Cham influence. The fourth one is the area around Udong, the old Khmer capital.

Of the sites, I would suggest Sambour Prei Kuk first and Banteay Preah Nokor second. Sambour Prei Kuk, the pre-Angkorian capital in Kampong Thom province, deserves to be a World Heritage site. Banteay Preah Nokor, in Kampong Cham province, is closer to Cham communities and to the Vietnamese border, though less likely to attract visitors, which is the real purpose of a museum. The site has one of the best preserved dirt citadel wall enclosures in Southeast Asia, as well as large moats and artificial lake systems that are key in the development of the Khmer baray system. Hun Sen has already announced it as a site for protection and perhaps some kind of reconstructions. Those reconstructions could include Cham and Khmer architecture, with exhibitions.
________________________________________________

David Lempert, Ph.D., is an anthropologist whose research on the Cham is supported by the Luce Foundation

Pakistan heading towards anarchy: Khan

The Sydney Morning Herald
October 10, 2008

Pakistani politician and cricket great Imran Khan says his country is heading towards anarchy because of the war on terror.

Addressing the 2008 National Radio Conference on the Gold Coast on Friday, Khan said Pakistan was experiencing increasing suicide bomb attacks and instability since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.

He compared Pakistan's current situation to that of Cambodia during the Vietnam War.
"Cambodia had nothing to do with the Vietnam War but the Americans at that time blamed the Cambodians for sending insurgents into Vietnam," Khan said.

"They ended up bombing Cambodia, the bombing destabilised Cambodia, a vacuum developed and that vacuum was filled by Pol Pot, a million Cambodians died and they had nothing to do with it.

"If there is not a change of strategy right now Pakistan is heading in the same direction."

Khan, who played for the Pakistani cricket team from 1971 to 1992, founded the Movement for Justice political party in 1996 and has served over five years as an elected politician.

He said it was an exciting time for the country thanks to the introduction of independent radio and television stations, which built public support for an independent judiciary and was leading towards a general democracy.

But Khan said if the US did not change its strategy in the Middle East, Pakistan could spiral into anarchy.

"We again have rising suicide attacks, the Pakistan economy is already in a meltdown situation and if these terrorist attacks keep going there is no question of Pakistan recovering from this," he said.

"The instability will grow and the country will head towards anarchy.

"If this strategy continues it's a disaster. Not just for Pakistan - a destabilised Pakistan is a disaster for the whole region.

"A hundred and sixty million people destabilised in nuclear Pakistan is in no one's interest."
Khan said the US should consider where the Taliban in was getting its funding and what were their motivations in Afghanistan.

"It has to be analysed who are these Taliban, because the sort of money they have got, it's not possible they are generating it themselves and it's not even possible that it's opium cultivation that's bringing in this money," he said.

"In my opinion the Russians are pouring in money, the Chinese are pouring in money, and it's also coming from Iran.

"All of them want the US to be stuck in Afghanistan and bleed like the Soviets bled in Afghanistan."

Cambodian friend gets a chance to visit the land of his dreams: America

Anderson Independent-Mail News

By Jeanne Malmgren
Friday, October 10, 2008

I’m so excited. My friend Yoen is coming to America.

Yoen is 43. He has never been outside his home country, Cambodia. He’s never flown in a plane, never felt temperatures below 80 degrees, never seen skyscrapers.

But Yoen knows a lot about the United States. For years, he has befriended every Western tourist he could find, offering them taxi rides on his “moto” (moped) and practicing his self-taught English. While he shows them the sights of Cambodia, he asks endless questions about the U.S. And to everyone who’ll listen, he proclaims his dream: “I want to visit America.”

I met Yoen in 2000, on the dusty, noisy streets of Phnom Penh. I was there to report a newspaper story. My photographer went out scouting for photos and came back with a small, smiling man.

“Yoen speaks pretty good English,” the photographer said. “He can be our guide.” Yoen bowed with his palms together, Asian style.

Little did I know that eventually Yoen would help my husband and I adopt three Cambodian children, that I’d stay in his home on later trips there, or that I’d grow to trust Yoen so much, I sent him thousands of dollars at a time to help us build schools and do relief work in the villages of Cambodia.

He calls me Honorary Elder Sister. His son sends me e-mails addressed to "Auntie Jeanne." They're family now.

As a boy, Yoen survived the Killing Fields, a genocide enacted by the Khmer Rouge after the Vietnam War. Like millions of Cambodians, he is scarred by that horrible time in their history. But there’s also a spark inside Yoen. He wants to make a better life for his wife and three sons. He wants to learn and work hard.

On my last trip to Cambodia, in 2004, Yoen drove me on an exhausting journey into the countryside to search for my daughter’s birthparents. When we finally found them, Yoen translated as I struggled for words, tears streaming down my face. Now he visits them regularly, to deliver letters and photos. It’s our only way to communicate with them. Yoen made that dream come true for us.

Now it’s his turn. Thanks to the energy and vision of another American friend of Yoen, $2,500 has been raised to pay for his trip. He got a visa. Next month he’ll board a plane -- he’s so nervous! -- and fly to the place of his dreams.

He’ll visit two other American families, one out West and one in the Northeast. I get the honor of introducing him to the South. We’ll have to have barbecue, of course (Yoen loves to eat), and boiled peanuts. I’ll take him to the mountains. Maybe it’ll snow. He'll be here on Election Day, which is wonderful because he's fascinated by American politics.

We also hope to do a little fundraising. Yoen and I work with a nonprofit called Sustainable Schools International (http://www.sustainableschoolsinternational.org/index.php?id=24). It was started by American adoptive parents who, like me, were inspired to help the country where their child was born. We help villagers find ways to become economically self-sufficient.

Not handouts, but a hand up. Recently, Yoen has been teaching people how to make "Smart Fuel" briquettes out of scrap paper and rice husks, so they don't have to chop down Cambodia's dwindling forests for cooking fuel.

If you’d like us to speak to your group and show a short film about Cambodia, please ask. Yoen loves meeting Americans. It’s his dream come true.

Cambodia says embattled Thai prime minister cancels visit

The Earth Times

Fri, 10 Oct 2008
Author : DPA

Phnom Penh - The Cambodian Foreign Ministry announced Friday evening that embattled Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has cancelled a scheduled visit to the country at short notice. Foreign Ministry spokesman Sin Bunthoeurn said Thailand had given no official reason.

Somchai was expected to arrive in Cambodia on Monday.

Somchai's visit was part of a traditional tour of fellow members of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations made by new leaders, but was expected to focus on an ongoing border dispute between the two neighbours which flared in June and saw gunfire exchanged and soldiers on both sides wounded last weekend.

Thai and Cambodian troops remain at a tense standoff over disputed border territory to the north and north-west of Cambodia, and it has become a highly sensitive political issue for both sides.

Somchai was appointed prime minister on September 25 in a move that further angered the opposition People's Alliance for Democracy, but despite protests and violence in the Thai capital this week, the Thai Foreign Ministry had insisted as late as Thursday afternoon that Somchai's trip was still on.

A bilateral meeting would still go ahead attended by the Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat, Bunthuoeun said.

"The delegation will arrive Monday morning, attend a meeting to discuss the border issue and other bilateral issues as scheduled, and leave the same day," he said.

Landmine victims become survivors at Cambodia's Miss Landmine contest

26-year-old Marina Restino Manuel, winner of the international internet vote. (Photo: Miss Landmine)

Media Global
By Shipra Prakash

10 October 2008 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Between 1975 and 1979 in Cambodia, exhaustion, starvation, torture and execution perpetrated by the radical communist Khmer Rouge – under the leadership of Pol Pot – resulted in a historically high death toll. According to the Cambodian Genocide Program at Yale University, an estimated 1.7 million died during this period. Today, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. And to compound the suffering, the issue of landmines is still an issue.

Cambodia “is one of the most heavily mined and unexploded ordinance-contaminated country in the world,” says the Mines Advisory Group. It certainly is: more than a staggering 25,000 amputees reside in Cambodia, according to the Halo Trust.

Although these civilians are “victims,” Morten Traavik, Founder of the Miss Landmine Survivor contest and a Norwegian theater director, tries to give them agency by turning them into “survivors.” He does this through a Miss Landmine Survivor contest. And so, in 2008, the first such contest was held in Angola, which, like Cambodia, suffers from landmines. A second one is due to be held next year in Cambodia.

The idea for a Miss Landmine contest came to Traavik in 2003, when he visited Luanda, in Angola, with his girlfriend. There, he saw for himself the suffering landmines cause to the nation’s people. “The civil war had ended a year back. There was garbage on the street, and there were amputees among the population,” he said during an interview with MediaGlobali.

But he also witnessed something else: the Angolan passion for beauty pageants. When he was asked by local children to judge a ‘Miss Backstreet’ contest, he had a glimpse of this passion. He decided to put his professional background to use creating a Miss Landmine contest. “I had an ambition to use my craft, my art, to intervene in one outside reality,” he said.

But besides expertise, Traavik needed financial backing. The funding came from a diverse set of sources. The European Union, Norway’s Arts council, and the Angolan Government’s de-mining commission are among the list of financial contributors.

The contest aims to encourage disability pride and empowerment. In the Angola contest, contestants came with silver tiaras and stylish gowns; they posed for the camera proudly despite their injury. When the time came to judge the contestants, a somewhat democratic process followed.

“In Angola, there were two winners. One was chosen by the jury and the other through a web vote,” Traavik said. One only had to go to the Miss Landmine website miss-landmine.org to vote. A phenomenal number of people did so. “Around 10,000 votes were cast through our website,” Traavik said.

This shows that the Miss Landmine Survivor contest achieves something else besides disability pride and empowerment: local and international awareness of landmines. A Miss Landmine magazine helps to further these efforts. “It features contestants in a glossy fashion,” Traavik explained. “In Cambodia, there will be a Miss Landmine magazine issue number two. Issue number one was the Angolan issue.” Furthermore, four documentaries on the contest have been made.

The Miss Landmine Survivor contest in 2009 will be made for Cambodians, so only victims who are either Cambodian or living in Cambodia would be eligible to enter, said Traavik. While 18 contestants vied for the prize in Angola, it will be 16 in Cambodia. “One representative from each province will be selected, and Cambodia has 16 provinces,” Traavik observed – hence 16 contestants.

As the Miss Landmine Survivor contest in Cambodia approaches, Traavik hopes that awareness will compel those in government to act more forcefully to take more forceful measures in eradicating landmines.

Elray Resources Building Presence in Areas of Known Gold Deposits

Market Watch

Gold Continues to Be Safe Haven During Financial Crisis

LAS VEGAS, NV, Oct 10, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Elray Resources, Inc. (ELRA 0.85, +0.10, +13.3%) , a technically-driven mining and exploration company, is pleased to provide information to its shareholders on the Cambodian Gold Mining Industry.

The gold mining industry within Cambodia is currently in a state of growth and although considered small-scale by international standards, the scale and extent of operations is increasing. Sector expansion has been characterized by an increasing number of miners employed, ever more complex and deeper mine excavations, and the introduction of chemical-based gold recovery techniques that represent a movement up the technology curve.

In 1975 twelve gold deposits were known to exist within Cambodia having been identified by French geologists. Ten gold deposits were located in the western regions of Cambodia with a further two located in northwestern Cambodia.

Within a few years, seven new significant gold deposits had been discovered by local farmers in the northeast, instigating a 'gold rush' to the region.

There are currently 19 known significant gold deposits in Cambodia.

Gold continued its strong upward trend with the New York Spot Price closing at over $910 on Thursday evening.

Darius McDermott, the managing director of Chelsea Financial Services, says: "Gold tends to glimmer brightest under the backdrop of shaky equities, given its traditional negative correlation to rising stock markets. Time after time, in financial crisis, gold is looked upon as a refuge and safe haven for distressed investors rocked by falling share prices."

About Elray Resources, Inc.

Elray Resources, Inc. is a junior exploration and development Corporation which has successfully accumulated a portfolio of five highly prospective, heavily mineralized mining tenements in South-East Asia and Mexico. Elray Resources, Inc.'s primary objective is to source projects, conduct geological assessments and seek Joint Venture partners to develop the properties.

Please visit www.ElrayMining.com for more information.

U.S. destroyer Mustin to visit Cambodia

www.chinaview.cn

2008-10-10

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Warship USS Mustinwill visit port city Sihanoukville from Oct. 11 to 15, Chrea Vanrith, public affairs official of the U.S. Embassy, said here Friday.

The destroyer will arrive here to strengthen the bilateral cooperation between U.S. and Cambodia, and also carry out humanitarian and medical missions for the local people, he said.

For example, the soldiers from the ship will conduct some maintenance work for local schools, he added.

This has been the third warship visiting Cambodia since 2007.

Editor: Jiang Yuxia

Elections to Choose a President of the Bar Association, on 16 October 2008, Might Face Crisis

Posted on 11 October 2008
The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 581

“During every election to choose a president for the Bar Association in Cambodia, there were always harsh confrontations because of disagreements, that led one person who had lost an elections not to agree to hand over the position to the winner of the election. Because of the previous challenges related to the position of president of the Bar Association, the Bar Association is very careful, being afraid that similar problems might appear again during the elections for a new president of the Bar Association .

“Members of the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia, who stand as new candidates for the position of president, are very agitated and anxious, because they want the elections to come soon, so that they know who is competent to be the new-term president of the Bar Association to replace Ky Tech, who is the present president of the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

“A member of the Bar Association, who asked not to be named, reported that the elections to choose a new president of the Bar Association will be held at the Hotel Cambodiana on 16 October 2008 with more than 500 lawyers attending. Ky Tech is not allowed to stand again as a candidate for the election of a president for the Bar Association.

“The restriction by the Bar Association [regulations] for Ky Tech to stand again as a candidate for the forthcoming elections for a new president of the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia leaves some people, who support Ky Tech, unhappy, because when Ky Tech is no longer president of the Bar Association, they will loose their backing. Even Ky Tech himself is unhappy with the restriction for him to stand again as a candidate for another new term.

“Sources from the Bar Association said that the following persons are candidates for the election of a new president of the Bar Association: 1. Nou Tepirith, 2. Khieu Sophal, 3. Puth Theavy, 4. Ouk Phouri, and 5. Chiv Song Hak. The five candidates have two days or 48 hours to lobby the members to support them before the elections.

“A candidate said that the upcoming elections for a new president of the Bar Association are essential. If lawyers are not independent and do not take a moral position, it creates an impossible situation; therefore, whichever candidate is elected, that person must transparently and independently work for the Bar Association.

“Previously, the Bar Association was not very independent, which caused some harsh and disorderly situations in the Bar Association. Another problem was that some government officials and politicians infiltrated the Bar Association, previously led by Ky Tech; moreover there was also discrimination and nepotism.

“It should be noted that after the elections in 2004, Ky Tech, the president of the Bar Association of the Kingdom of Cambodia, did not hand over his position to Mr. Suon Visal, who had won the elections, creating a conflictive situation which was a heavy burden on the Bar Association.”

Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.15, #3584, 10.10.2008
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Friday, 10 October 2008

Border crisis a call to arms

THE PHNOM PENH POST

Friday, 10 October 2008
Thet Sambath

OddAr Meanchey ProvinceIn Trapaing Prasat district, men young and old say ongoing tensions on the Thai border have persuaded them to enlist for service in the military

DRIVEN by ongoing hostilities between Cambodia and Thailand over disputed border lands, a growing number of Cambodian men are putting their lives on hold and enlisting for military service .

Loth Sokhean, a 19-year-old student from Anlong Veng district in Oddar Meanchey province, quit his studies to join Brigade 43 - a military unit mostly made up of former Khmer Rouge fighters - shortly after the standoff near Preah Vihear temple began in July.

He is currently stationed at Phnom Trop, about two or three kilometres from the temple, where the simmering tensions exploded in a hail of gunfire between troops from the two sides last week.

"I joined the RCAF voluntarily, not by force," he told the Post. "I was angry when Thai soldiers invaded our temple."

"I carried my father's gun when I was a small child, and I have experience hiding from shelling in the battlefield with my father during the 1990s," he said.

Other men - not all of them young - have felt compelled by the border tensions to become soldiers.

Nun Rom, 39, lives with his wife and three children near Dangrek mountain, which demarcates Cambodia's border with Thailand.

" I JOINED BECAUSE I SAW THAI SOLDIERS CONFISCATING CAMBODIAN LAND. "

He served in the army from 1980 to 2003 and appealed to military commanders to allow him to return.

"I was accepted as a soldier after submitting my application," he said. "I was told I would receive my identification card from the Ministry of Defence this month."

Nun Rom said he was happy to be back in uniform and that he wanted to defend his country against any further incursion by Thai soldiers.

He added that some 280 men have joined the military from his home district of Trapaing Prasat.Chheng Phea, 43, comes from the same village as Nun Rom and volunteered for service at about the same time.

"I joined because I saw Thai soldiers confiscating Cambodian land. If I didn't become a soldier, how could I prevent this encroachment?" he said.Chhim Sereyrath, the 24-year-old son of a former Khmer Rouge cadre, told the Post he is ready to serve the Kingdom as a soldier if he is needed.

"If the government needs me, I will do it, and I know my friends and many others feel the same way," he said.

Chin Touch, 53, served as a Khmer Rouge medical officer from 1971 to 1980. She told the Post her sons would be prepared to volunteer in the event of a war with Thailand.

"I have three sons. They will serve if the government needs them," she said. "If there is war, I will tell them to be soldiers."

RCAF officials told the Post they have recruited new soldiers in Trapaing Prasat and Anlong Veng districts, as well as in several other provinces.

But Nuon Nov, deputy commander of Military Region 4, said he was not aware of recruitment efforts along the Thai-Cambodian border.

Lao, Thai troops clash on border: RCAF

THE PHNOM PENH POST

Written by Thet Sambath
Friday, 10 October 2008

AN RCAF general said Thursday some 30 Thai soldiers were fired upon by an unknown number of Lao troops in the Golden Triangle region where the three countries' borders converge.

The incident happened after Thai soldiers strayed into Lao territory en route to Cambodia."Lao soldiers shot at the Thais [on Wednesday] as they were walking in Lao territory, but we have no information about possible casualties," the general, who asked not to be named, told the Post Thursday.

"I have not received any new reports, but we are investigating the matter carefully," he said.The general added that since Thai soldiers began crossing the border in July, cooperation between Cambodia and Laos to monitor developments along the border has strengthened.

Soldiers from Thailand, Cambodia and Laos are normally deployed in the Golden Triangle area, but tension has increased as a result of the months-long standoff between Thai and Cambodian forces over disputed border territory.

The general said the recent unexpected arrival of seven Thai soldiers at a Cambodian military guard house in the area had further inflamed matters following last week's gun battle near Preah Vihear.

"They came to stay with our soldiers on our land," the general said. "We will burn this house [rather than cede it to them] because we built it on our own land.

"Addressing the reported clash between Lao and Thai soldiers, Neang Phat, secretary of state at the Ministry of Defence, said "it is an issue between Laos and Thailand and did not involve Cambodian territory".

Cambodian property market fears crisis

People's Daily Online
October 10, 2008

Cambodia's real estate boom maybe coming to an end, with the global financial meltdown threatening foreign investment, national media reported Friday.

"Our property markets are closely connected with the stock markets in South Korea and other Asian countries. If these markets fall, we are affected," Kang Chandararot, the head of the economists at the Cambodia Institute of Development Study, was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying.

"We will see a recession in the short term, perhaps in six to 12 months," he said.

The South Korean government issued a statement this week urging banks to sell foreign assets to increase liquidity, the Post said.

South Korea is Cambodia's biggest investor and a fall in South Korea would be especially harmful to local growth, it said.

"South Korean and other Asian markets are very closely connected to the U.S., and these countries are our biggest investors," said Kang Chandararot.

Cambodia's real estate sector has enjoyed unprecedented growth since 2007, but began to slide in mid-2008, industry sources say.

No figures on the depth of the declines were available, but industry experts said the crisis' impact could be felt soon.

Meanwhile, Cheam Yeap, a lawmaker with the Cambodian People's Party and chairman of the National Banking and Finance Committee, said the U.S. crisis might affect the Kingdom's real estate market, but not the economy as a whole.

He said Cambodia's economy is sufficiently diversified in tourism, agriculture and garment manufacturing to withstand the global crisis.

Source: Xinhua

Christian Children's Fund expands work to Cambodia

By the Associated Press
October 10, 2008

RICHMOND, Va. - The Richmond-based Christian Children's Fund is expanding into Cambodia.

Christian Children's Fund, in partnership with ChildFund Australia, plans to help build primary schools and recruit, mentor and train teachers in the Svay Rieng province.

The Christian Children's Fund said the province suffers from high levels of poverty and has limited access to health care, education, social services and jobs.

The province is 78 miles from Cambodia's capital.

With the addition of Cambodia, the Christian Children's Fund said it now provides development and humanitarian assistance to children and family members in 32 countries.

On the Net: http://www.christianchildrensfund.org/

Thai PM's visit to Cambodia canceled

www.chinaview.cn

2008-10-10

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- The official visit of Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to Cambodia has been canceled, an official of the Cambodian foreign ministry said Friday.

The visit was scheduled on Oct. 13. The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation did not elaborate the reason of the cancellation.

Meanwhile, the official said that Thai Foreign Minster will come to meet with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong in Phnom Penh on Oct. 13, adding that the two will talk about the border issue.

The canceled visit of Thai Prime Minister is routine visit as part of an ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations) rule that requires all new heads of its member states to greet their neighboring countries after taking office.

Negotiations between Cambodia and Thailand to discuss border demarcation and troop withdrawals have been postponed since late August when political unrest in Bangkok all but froze the operations of the Thai government.

Editor: Jiang Yuxia

Sacravatoons : " A journey without borders "

Courtesy Sacravatoon

Sacravatoons : " US booklet "

Courtesy Sacravatoon

One voice against land disputes

Some residents, victim of a land dispute in Rattanak Kiri

Cambodge Soir

09-10-2008

150 communal representatives from 15 different provinces met in Phnom Penh, Thursday 9 October, in order to assess the numerous land disputes which are affecting the Kingdom. Wearing a blue karma, they marched through the streets of the capital to spread their message.

Some of them, coming from eight different provinces, decided to file joint complaints, denouncing the illegal forest cutting and the land theft committed by high ranking personalities or private enterprises.

In front of journalists and different NGO’s, Seng Sok Heng, spokesperson for those communities, explained that it was important to denounce the land conflicts with one voice. “Several complaints were filed with the local officials in the villages, but no resolution has been reached. We thus decided to file a complaint together in order to show our worries to the government.”

Five provinces have already filed a joint complaint in June 2008, but Seng Sok Heng adds that the Ministry of Agriculture has reacted in the case of only one dispute concerning Kampong Cham province, but without sending anybody on the spot in order to find a solution. “The local authorities are threatening us and indicting us. Some protestants were arrested”, reveals the spokesperson. Kek Galabru, President of Licadho, a human rights NGO, also denounced the violence and the threats to which the protestants fall victim during these land disputes.

The representatives of the communes of Rattanak Kiri, Mondol Kiri and the provinces of Kratie and Preah Vihear have highlighted the problem of the deforestation and of the alteration of their environment. According to them, the fault lies in the hands of the developers who are taking advantage of the “ignorance of the residents”. “They encouraged us to sell our land which now belongs to private companies”, points out Romchang Tveng, living in Rattanak Kiri.

Sai Teang, from Kampong Cham, deplores the fact that one day the landless farmers might not be able to make a living off farming any more. In Kampot province, the villagers aren’t allowed any more to fish in an area which belongs to a private company since 2007, says Kem Da. “We were promised some development, but today we can’t do our jobs any more”, she complains.

A representative from Oddar Meanchey, Chhum Keout, tells about the difficulty to obtain information during a dispute, “the local authorities are only concerned about their own personal interest”. He believes that the most remote villages are the most affected and he invited the journalists to travel to those places and witness by themselves.
Ung Chamroeun

Preah Vihear: the military want to halt the rumours

Cambodge Soir

09-10-2008

The region’s residents are allegedly spreading false information around by using Thai cell cards.


Hang Soth, General Director of the Preah Vihear Authority, confirmed to “Cambodge Soir Info” that a meeting had recently been held between Cambodian commanders in order to identify the way these rumours concerning Preah Vihear are being spread around the country”.

One of the most recent rumours which spread like a wildfire throughout the country announced the start of fights between both Kingdoms after two Thai soldiers stepped on a mine. After this meeting, the participants’ suspicions fell on Cambodians who are reportedly using the Thai telephone network in order to transmit alarming information.

They immediately listed the Cambodians who are using this type of cell cards. But they are many because the Cambodian network coverage is almost non-existent in this area, like the one of Mobitel, despite being the main operator in the area. This is without taking into consideration all the Cambodian citizens who are doing business with Thailand, which explains the fact that they have a Thai cell card. In the future, the military officials are considering the confiscation of those foreign cell cards.

Hang Soth also came back on the Wednesday 8 October incident, during which a Thai soldier “who looked like he was highly drunk” was captured, around 10am on Cambodian territory. He was escorted back to the other side of the border around 1pm. “We’re trying to avoid any problem likely to interfere with the negotiations between the leaders of both countries”, declared the General Director.

LD and AN

The NEC invites voters to check their registration

Cambodge Soir

09-10-2008

The National Election Committee has launched an awareness campaign concerning the update of voting lists, with the support of the Ministry of Information.

The voting lists will be checked between the 1st and the 20th of October, in preparation for the next elections in 2012. For this purpose, the NEC wants the voters to check their registration or to proceed to do so with the village or district authorities. A first communiqué of 16 September already requested all citizens to think about this procedure.

The NEC, through the Ministry of Information, has recently asked the media to broadcast this communiqué to the attention of people of voting age and to all services concerned.

According to Im Sousdey, President of the Committee, the update of the voting lists is a very important step in the voting procedure and it’s the responsibility of the people involved to update them, particularly for those who moved house or for those who reached the voting age. He also asked NGO’s and politicians for their participation in observing these different steps.

Uon Sovichheka, Secretary of Depo I district of Phnom Penh, reveals that until Thursday 9 October, only 22 people came to register. He has the feeling that few people make the effort to verify their registration. “Even if we post a large sign in front of the district office, if village chiefs inform the residents, very few people show interest”, says Sovichheka, who states having only received four people per day but that these numbers should increase towards the end of the year, as it was the case during the previous years.

The secretary of another Phnom Penh neighbourhood regrets that there’s little cooperation from the political parties. “They’re blaming our work but not one politician came to see what is happening in the neighbourhood. There would be fewer problems if they helped us to inform the voters”, he specified.

Ung Chamroeun

OSK Indochina Bank Starts Operations In Cambodia

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 (Bernama) -- OSK Indochina Bank Ltd (OSKIBL) started commercial banking operations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, today.

With an initial staff strength of 29, it offers a full range of retail and commercial banking products and services as well as foreign exchange and capital market expertise, it said in a statement on Friday.

OSKIBL is wholly-owned by OSK Investment Bank Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of OSK Holdings Bhd (OSK).

The official opening is slated for Oct 20, with the banking licence to be handed to OSKIBL by the Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia.

OSK obtained approval in April from Bank Negara and the National Bank of Cambodia to establish a commercial bank to undertake commercial banking activities.

OSKIBL has an issued and paid-up share capital of US$13 million (RM42.5 million), comprising 13 million shares of US$1 each.

OSK is a regional financial services group listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia Securities since 1991.

The group commenced business in 1963 in Malaysia and has since expanded geographically to several countries in Asia.

It employs 2,500 professionals in more than 50 locations across its network.

OSK's subsidiaries are licensed to conduct investment banking, securities trading and asset management activities in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

In Cambodia, OSK operates as a commercial bank. It also has a representative office in Shanghai.-- BERNAMA