Hun Sen’s jibes raise speculation

Thai Takes

By PHILIP GOLINGAI

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

As the Cambodian premier strained his connections with the Thai government, Thaksin’s tit for tat with Bangkok continues.

IN an editorial cartoon, The Nation’s cartoonist Stephff answers a question that has recently been bugging Thais – What is really wrong with Hun Sen?

Last week, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen offered political asylum to Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Thai prime minister ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006.

Thaksin has been in self-exile after fleeing Thailand in 2008 to avoid a two-year jail term on corruption charges.

Two days later, after arriving in Thailand to attend the Asean Summit, Hun Sen embarrassed Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva again when he announced that he would offer Thaksin a job as economic adviser.

On Thursday, Stephff’s cartoon showed an “alien” resembling the square face of Thaksin bursting out of the guts of a grimacing Hun Sen, with the “alien” holding a foot-clapper (the symbol of red-shirted pro-Thaksin supporters) confronting a terrified Abhisit.

The why as to Hun Sen’s recent Thaksin lovefest, according to the French cartoonist, is: “The horrible truth: Hun Sen was only a host body ….”

Stephff’s take is ha-ha funny. But it is a bit too far-fetched. I prefer The Nation’s military expert Avudh Panananda’s take. “It was a hoax perpetrated by Thaksin and Hun Sen to overshadow Abhisit’s Asean Summit,” he said.

Avudh does not believe the Cambodian’s declaration that the former telecommunications tycoon is his “eternal friend”.

“It is a myth that Thaksin-Hun Sen ties go back decades. The two were never close before Thaksin came to power in 2001,” he said.

In an article in The Nation, the writer gives a historical perspective of the two leaders’ relationship.

“At the peak of Thaksin’s popularity in 2003, Hun Sen wanted to lessen Thai domination in the wireless communications business.

“He pushed for the granting of a licence to a Japanese operator,” Avudh writes.

“This led to a failed coup in Phnom Penh. Cambodian leaders, particularly those in the Hun Sen camp, had lingering (suspicions) about the involvement of certain Thai figures.

“Soon after, Hun Sen fanned the Cambodian backlash on a Thai television actress. This in turn led to riots and the torching of the Thai Embassy,” Avudh says.

“To this day Thaksin and Hun Sen still cast suspicions on one another, although they have been boasting about their buddy-buddy ties for mutual gains.”

After the Asean Summit that ended on Oct 25, Thaksin again stole the limelight from Abhisit, who badly wanted to use the meeting of Asean leaders to atone for the abandoned summit in Pattaya in April.

On Tuesday, Surapong Towijak-chaikul, an MP from the pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai Party claimed that during the summit, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah stayed in Thaksin’s seaside home instead of the official accommodation provided by Ab-hisit’s government.

Surapong, however, did not provide any evidence to back up his claim, which was intended to show that the Sultan was close to Thaksin and not to Abhisit.

Was the claim another hoax to embarrass Abhisit? Probably. The following day Kongkiart Natthavong, the head of security in charge of protection for the Sultan of Brunei, denied that the Sultan stayed in Thaksin’s home.

“It was my duty to accompany him and I had to go everywhere with him. I must know if he goes to other places,” Kongkiart said.

Then came the Abhisit government’s revenge.

On Wednesday, the government announced it would strip Thaksin of his royal awards (the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant and the Most Illustrious Order of King Chula Chonklao) and police rank (lieutenant-colonel, from his days in the police force from 1973 to 1987).

Though the Abhisit government is denying it, many political pundits see the government’s latest campaign against its arch-rival as tit for tat for Thaksin’s recent publicity stunts.

The billionaire politician’s res-ponse was classic Thaksin.

He Twittered: “This can be expected of this government ... If they could use the law to kill me, they would have done so a long time ago.”

“Theoretically, the law-enforcement side is created to maintain peace and justice. Law must be enforced fairly and equally, but the government opts to exercise the law to serve a political goal,” he wrote.

It would not take long for the “alien” resembling the square face of Thaksin to strike back.

Construction of Cambodian bourse to begin in Dec

2009-10-31

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

By Ek Madra

PHNOM PENH, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Cambodia expects to begin construction in December on its first stock exchange, a government official said, giving momentum to a long-delayed joint venture with South Korean investors.

"We expect to have the ground-breaking ceremony in December," Mey Vann, director of the financial industry department at Cambodia's Ministry of Economy and Finance, told Reuters.

The idea of a Cambodian stockmarket has been floated since the 1990s but has struggled for traction in a country known for chronic poverty and a history of upheaval, including the Khmer Rouge "Killing Fields".

Cambodian authorities have partnered with private South Korean developer World City Co Ltd to build a $6 million, four-storey stock exchange on the waterfront of a new financial district, Cambodian and World City officials have said.

The area where the stock exchange will be built is flooded swampland on the edge of Boeung Kak Lake in the heart of the Phnom Penh. The end of the rainy season this month will clear the way for workers to begin building the exchange on the corner of what developers are calling Phnom Penh Boulevard.

"The site is under a flood these days. We are pumping the water from the site," said Vann, adding he expected construction to take between eight months and one year.

The bourse was supposed to open in September, a target set last year when South Korea's stock exchange operator agreed with the Cambodian government to set up and run a joint stock exchange.

But the global financial crisis intervened, ending an unprecedented boom which saw Cambodia's economy expand 10 percent annually in the five years up to 2008. Foreign investment collapsed, tourist arrivals fell by double digits and garment exports, a mainstay of the economy, shrank by 15 percent.

Cambodian officials rejected an initial design, saying the exchange's exterior was too modern and not Cambodian enough. It has since been redesigned using traditional Khmer accents.

"We are still working on finalising the design of the exchange building," said Vann. "We'd like to have a mixed design which shows both the culture of Cambodia and Korea."

Korea Exchange, Asia's fourth-largest bourse operator, will own 49 percent of the exchange and is recruiting and training workers for it. Cambodian will own the rest.

Cambodian officials have cautioned against moving too fast, in some cases questioning whether a country whose education system was decimated during Pol Pot's 1975-79 reign of terror is ready to invest in stocks.

"We are going to launch a public awareness campaign about our stock market next month," said Vann.

The exchange expects to start small with just four or five companies issuing about $10 million worth of shares each, Intyo Lee, project director for Korea Exchange, said in early October.

That's comparable to neighbouring Vietnam's first stock market launched in 2000 with its initial market capitalisation of $43 million. Today, Vietnam's market is worth $27 billion. (Writing by Jason Szep, Editing by Dean Yates)

Thaksin won’t reside in Cambodia

Published: 31/10/2009

Posted by CAAI News Media)

Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyuth, chairman of the opposition Puea Thai Party, said fugitive former prime minister would not permanently reside in Cambodia as he did not want to create any problem to Thailand.

“I had asked him (Thaksin) why he did not stay in the neighbouring country as it is near to his hometown and family, but he said no”, Gen Chavalit on Saturday.

“Staying in Cambodia could lead to many problems to Thailand”, Thaksin was quoted as saying by Gen Chavalit.

The opposition camp chairman disclosed that he will visit Malaysia in mid-November and after that he will make a visit to Burma.

He said he has known Gen Than Shwe for quite a long time and thus he can help improve relations between Thailand and Burma.

Regarding a criticism that he was trying to discredit the government and to help Thaksin, Gen Chavalit said if someone wants to do a big thing, he must be able to stand for such a negative criticism.

The ex-premier insisted that all he had done and plans to do are for the benefit of the country.

Confronting a great evil

Prime Minister should put issue on the agenda for next year's G8 summit

Oct 31 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

What can an individual do when faced by a great evil organized on a global scale? This is the essential question posed by Joy Sumyi Lee in a recent report for the Centre for the Study of Democracy on child sex-trafficking in Cambodia.

Sumyi Lee is a Toronto teacher and dancer who volunteered to join a Cambodian mission organized by the Ratanak Foundation and its founder, Brian McConaghy, a former RCMP forensic scientist. Ratanak sponsors rehabilitation facilities in Cambodia, training for victims of trafficking, and foster care for girls and boys it helps rescue from brothels.

Rahab's House in Svay Pak, a rural slum outside Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh, is "a light in a very dark place," in the words of Sumyi Lee. McConaghy describes Svay Pak as a "dangerous and hostile criminal business community. Its commodity – the children."

Rahab's House was once a notorious brothel. A year ago it was renovated by volunteers from a Vancouver church to become a place where the community finds medical care and where children go for safety. One small pink "cell" with fingerprints still on the walls has been kept as a memorial for a little girl who was raped to death there.

The Canadian team also worked at Daughters Cambodia, a transition life-skill centre. Young women leave the brothels during their off hours and learn skills such as hair dressing. Sumyi Lee led a dance class that brought some joy to blighted lives. Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" was the special song that ended the day with children and teachers laughing and holding hands for a brief time before the girls left to return to their sad duties.

The Centre for the Study of Democracy has written many reports on the global evil of human trafficking, now the third-largest grossing centre of organized crime after drugs and arms. Women and children comprise 88 per cent of all victims and 800,000 people are trafficked across borders annually – a third of those victims come from Southeast Asia.

Yet one cannot grasp what the statistics mean until you read a firsthand report like Sumyi Lee's. It is heartbreaking because she describes a 5-year-old girl "whose happy innocence is so beautiful" living in a garbage field, or an 11-year-old accepted into foster care but with her parents resisting because she is too valuable a commodity. Yet it is hopeful because, in the midst of poverty and depravity, Canadian and Cambodian volunteers could still make abused children smile.

"What can we do as a nation, or as an individual?" asks Sumyi Lee. "Will there be redemption for all this injustice?"

Personal witness, as she has done, is one answer. Supporting organizations like the Ratanak Foundation is another. But there is something we can do as a nation, too.

In 2010, Canada will host the G8 summit in Muskoka. Hosts of such summits have the ability to put issues on the agenda. Then prime minister Jean Chrétien, for example, used his chairmanship at the Kananaskis summit in 2002 to get world leaders to focus on African poverty. Prime Minister Stephen Harper should use this opportunity to place human trafficking first and foremost on the 2010 agenda. It is a global issue. It is an enormous problem, affecting even more individuals than the 19th-century slave trade.

But most of all it is about protecting innocent children and vulnerable women. It is, writes Sumyi Lee quoting Mother Teresa, "doing something beautiful for God."

The reports of Joy Sumyi Lee can be found at www.queensu.ca/csd/

Cambodia: World AIDS Day HIV Campaign, 'Testing Millions,' to Again Launch During Cambodia's National Water Festival

http://www.itnews.it/

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, October 31 /PRNewswire/ --- During Last Year's 'One Million Tests' World AIDS Day 2008 Campaign, AHF/Cambodia CARES and Cambodian Partners Surpassed Country's 30,000 Testing Goal by Testing 35,034

As part of an ambitious global effort to test several million people for HIV in observance of the Testing Millions (http://www.testingmillions.org/) World AIDS Day 2009 campaign, AHF/Cambodia CARES will launch its inaugural testing effort during the annual Water Festival, which marks the end of the rainy season and is the largest festival in the Cambodian calendar. The Water Festival commences Sunday, November 1st. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (http://www.aidshealth.org/) (AHF), the largest AIDS group in the US which currently provides AIDS medical care and services to more than 120,000 individuals in 22 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia Pacific Region and Eastern Europe, is spearheading the worldwide initiative to test millions. Last year, AHF led the successful 'One Million Tests/World AIDS Day 2008' (http://www.testingmillions.org/files/OMT_Brochure.pdf) campaign during which AHF/Cambodia CARES and its Cambodian partners surpassed their country goal of performing 30,000 tests by testing 35,034 individuals, identifying 1,112 HIV positive individuals in the process. The 2008 campaign far exceeded its goal of performing one million tests by testing 1,603,272 people and identifying 61,399 HIV positive people.

AHF/Cambodia CARES, which partners with NCHADS in operating 12 free AIDS treatment clinics throughout the country, has also taken a leadership role to coordinate and partner with other stakeholders to reach as many people as possible for the HIV testing and the Love Condom campaign. As its part of the in-country component of the global testing campaign, AHF/Cambodia CARES has committed to testing 12,000 people for HIV throughout the month of November in Cambodia, one of the countries in the Asia Pacific region that has been hardest-hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

"With the beginning of the Water Festival, AHF/Cambodia CARES will get an early start and launch our country's participation in the 'Testing Millions' World AIDS Day 2009 campaign. We will be testing in Phnom Penh and other provinces and link those found to be positive to a clinic for follow up care and access to lifesaving antiretroviral treatment as well as the positive prevention to stop the spreading of the virus, and those who found as negative will learn about HIV prevention to keep them stay negative" said Chhim Sarath, M.D., AHF Country Director for Cambodia.

Cambodia is one of the poorest nations in Asia and also has one of the most rapidly growing HIV/AIDS epidemics in the region. The HIV epidemic has spread beyond high-risk groups such as sex workers, male police officers, factory workers, mobile populations, injection drug users and men who have sex with men, to the general population.

The number of Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) centers in Cambodia has increased dramatically over the last 5 years (only 12 sites in 2000 to 216 sites by the end of first quarter 2009). Of the current 216 VCT centers, 194 are supported directly by the government, while 22 are supported by non-governmental organizations.

About AHF

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the nation's largest non-profit HIV/AIDS organization. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 120,000 individuals in 22 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. Additional information is available at http://www.aidshealth.org/

CAMBODIA -- Chhim Sarath, MD, Country Program Manager, AHF Global (Phnom Penh), +855-12-912-124, chhim.sarath@aidshealth.org, UNITED STATES -- Ged Kenslea, Communications Director, Mobile: +1-323-791-5526, gedk@aidshealth.org, both of AIDS Healthcare Foundation

United States B52 Holocaust Museum

http://www.australia.to/

Written by Craig Crowley

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

What is United States B52 Holocaust Museum?

United States B52 Holocaust Museum, USB52.COM was established to deliver the truth about the B52 holocaust committed on Cambodia by the American government’s secret B52 bombing of Cambodia.

The goal is to educate the international public and help support the present day victims of the B52 bombing in Cambodia.

USB52.COM will pursue educating the public about the truth of random bombing of innocent families and the horror of repeating similar actions today.

The aspiration is to open a bricks and mortar Cambodia B52 Holocaust Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for millions of tourists to learn first hand the senselessness of bombing Cambodia or any other country.

What is the problem this project would aim to solve?

On site education about Cambodia’s B52 bombing history, effects of War and conflict avoidance while addressing multiple needs of community children assisting education, access to emergency healthcare assistance, food, footwear, emergency shelter and emotional support.

Cambodia’s children are in emergency need now. Food is a daily struggle for many children. Many children do not own any footwear and as a result many are losing their feet, legs and the ability to walk. Many children are not in school because their parents can not afford the school tuition.

History has not taught us that a top-down bombing strategy is ineffective change and our silence makes us all guilty

What is the goal and opportunity to solve it?

Cambodia B52 Holocaust War Museum physically established in Phnom Penh Cambodia, displaying the holocaust results to the public. The established, displayed and cataloged Cambodia B52 Holocaust Museum will be a testament to all the senselessness of acts of war.

Establish daily food programs for Cambodia’s street children. Supply footwear to those children who have none. Subsidize school tuition for children who can not afford it. Assist injured children obtaining medical care by transportation and field supervision. Assist with emergency Shelter

United States B52 Holocaust Museum, supports non violent conflict resolution and non violent anti war information on line.

The latest article; Real Afghanistan and Iraq weapons of Mass Destruction details how war is profitable to certain interests and may frighten some to realize the truth. The truth is as shocking as the act of war.

Cambodia gives big boost to military budget

By Ek Madra

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Cambodia, one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries, plans to boost defense and security spending by 23 percent next year, its budget showed on Saturday, raising the prospect of a clash with the IMF.

Cambodia plans to spend $274 million on defense and security next year, up from $223 million this year, the budget showed. The total budget for calendar 2010 was $1.97 billion, which meant the military was allocated about 14 percent of total spending.

That compares with 1.7 percent spent on agriculture, the backbone of Cambodia's economy, and 0.7 percent on water resources. About 1.7 percent was set aside for rural development.

Military spending is a sensitive topic in Cambodia because of the millions of dollars of donor money flowing into the country, largely to social programmes.

"This big budget for defense is meant for preventative measures in response to international conflicts," said government spokesman Phay Siphan.

Siphan said the spending was unrelated to tensions with neighbouring Thailand over land surrounding a 900-year-old, cliff-top Hindu temple known as Preah Vihear. Skirmishes in the border area have killed seven troops in the past year.

Thailand is challenging a U.N. decision to make the temple a world heritage site under Cambodian jurisdiction. Cambodia was awarded the temple in a 1962 international court ruling that did not determine who owns 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) next to it.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) criticised Cambodia last year for its military spending, leading the Cambodian government to cut back its defense budget during a debate in parliament after questioning by the IMF.

"Donors will not be happy," Ou Vireak, head of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said of the latest military budget.

He said Prime Minister Hun Sen was likely trying to whip up nationalist support by projecting an image of a strong military at a time of heightened tension with Thailand.

"By doing so, he is turning the country effectively into a military state," he said.

Viet Nam - Garment maker seeks to sew up Cambodian sales

30 Oct, 2009 - Vietnam

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

The Viet Tien Garment Joint Stock Co on Tuesday opened an office for a sole sales outlet for Viettien-branded products in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The corporation`s first overseas outlet is a 120sq.m showroom built in partnership with Cambodia`s Caja Top company, and will display a wide variety of garments including khaki, polyester and cotton shirts, trousers, shorts, jeans and coats.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Director General of the Viet Nam National Textile and Garment Group Vu Duc Giang said that running a business in Cambodia was the aspiration of many Vietnamese enterprises, including the Viet Tien corporation. They wish to provide Cambodian customers with the best products and contribute to the improvement of mutual understanding between the two nations.

Vietnamese goods have been gaining a foothold in the Cambodian market, especially after a series of trade fairs promoting high-quality Vietnamese products to Cambodian consumers.

Observers said that Vietnamese goods, which had been greatly improved in terms of quality, now had a chance to successfully compete with products from Thailand and China, which had so far been flooding the market.

The Viet Tien Corporation will partner with Caja Top to open more showrooms and sales outlets across Cambodia.

According to Phan Van Kiet, Deputy General Director of Viet Tien, the company was planning to open another sales office in Laos next month before launching more outlets in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia in the future.

Source: VNS

Vietnam condemns acts hindering border demarcation with Cambodia

October 31, 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

The Vietnamese Government strongly condemned acts and statements made by Sam Rainsy, President of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) of Cambodia, who recently uprooted land markers on the Vietnam-Cambodia border, said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson on October 30.

Sam Rainsy on October 25 visited the border demarcation area between Vietnam’s southern province of Long An and Svay Rieng province of Cambodia and uprooted six temporary poles that mark the position of Marker 185 and then brought them to Phnom Penh. Sam Rainsy also made statements slandering Vietnam as encroaching on the land of Cambodia through the border demarcation and marker planting.

In response to questions from the media about Vietnam’s reaction to Sam Rainsy’s acts and statements, spokesperson Nguyen Phuong Nga said that “ Vietnam and Cambodia are promptly conducting borderline demarcation and planting border markers. Protection of land markers and poles is the shared obligation of the two countries’ governments and people, in accordance with bilateral agreements and international law.”

What Sam Rainsy did was a perverse action, damaging common property, violating both countries’ laws, and bilateral treaties and agreements, hindering the borderline demarcating and marker planting process, she emphasised.

Sam Rainsy’s speeches slandering Vietnam were ill-informed, irresponsible and designed to incite a feud, undermining the relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia, she added.

The Vietnamese government urged the Cambodian government to take due measures to deal with sabotage acts, ensuring favourable conditions for conducting borderline demarcation and marker planting between Vietnam and Cambodia, and for the common benefit of both peoples, Nga concluded. (VNA)

Khe Dara’s Husband Sends Apology letter

Written by DAP NEWS -- Saturday, 31 October 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Hang Mong Heng, husband of the increasingly infamous Khe Dara, on Friday sent an apology letter to Phnom Penh Governor and police, local authority, journalists, and victims of Khe Dara’s threats and curses on September 28, 2009.

His letter comes after a letter to the governor, Kep Chuktema, to defend his wife as “a good and gentle woman.”

The letter her husband apologises for all his wife’s mistakes. In the letter, Mr. Hang Mong Heng refuted remarks made in his previous letter alleging that two journalists demanded US$7,000 to keep the story out of the media. in the letter, he confessed that he sent a letter to the governor before as she believed other without deep thinking.

Hang Mong Heng wrote that he was willing to follow the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s sentence of 18 months in prison and a fine of CR1 Million. After Phnom Penh Appeal Court on Wednesday upheld the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s ruling in the case of Khe Dara, a woman who illegally fired a pistol and threatened police and journalists on September 28, more than 2,000 local citizens expressed their support for Cambo- dian Prime Minister on Tuesday in Phnom Penh, according to a local official.

“Following the premier’s remarks related to Khe Dara, more than 2,000 residents of Boeung Tompon Com-mune thumbprinted a statement of support for the premier’s good decision ,” Sous Sarin, Boeung Tompon commune chief, told DAP News Cambodia on Thursday.

On 28 September, 2009, Khe Dara, 30, fired several times and angrily cursed police and journalists in front of Sonsom Kosal pagoda, in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey District. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court convicted only on the charge of illegal gun usage, so the premier recommended more charges.

Oxfam Warns of New Typhoon

Written by DAP NEWS -- Saturday, 31 October 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

International aid agency Oxfam has warned that a new storm, Typhoon Mirinae, is expected to reach Cambo dia on November2. Communities already affected by Typhoon Ketsana and prolonged annual floods in central and northern Cambodia are likely to face further difficulties with the effects of the new typhoon, putting already affected people further at risk, the press release from Oxfam said on Friday.

Typhoon Mirinae is currently on track to hit the northern Philippines island of Luzon. Although Cambodia may not be hit with the full strength of the typhoon, the country remains vulnerable due to its limited resources for preparation and response, and while the country is just beginning to recover from recent flooding, it said.

“Typhoon Mirinae could set back on-going emergency work and planned recovery and rehabilitation efforts in Cambodia,” said Francis Perez, Country Lead of Oxfam in Cambodia. “The effects of the new typhoon could increase hazards in still flooded areas and cause further damage to crops and livelihoods. It may also displace communities or prolong the return of those already displaced by Typhoon Ketsana.”

Oxfam is alerting humanitarian agencies and government authorities to help communities living in areas susceptible to flooding to be prepared by stocking on clean water and food and securing important documents. Relief agencies should work with national and local authorities to prepare an evacuation plan for people and animals with contingency plans and pre-determined safe areas, in case it is necessary to evacuate. There should be open communication lines among community members and leaders, local authorities, national government bodies, and aid agencies for well-coordinated relief efforts. “We hope the Typhoon diverts from its course and does not cause further devastation in any country. If it hits the same countries affected by the previous typhoon, the potential damage could be huge and impact on people’s lives could be severe. It will do no harm to prepare even if the typhoon doesn’t come to Cambo- dia,” Perez said.

Oxfam has distributed relief ite m s to about 6,000 families affected by Typhoon Ketsana and the annual floods in Kampong Thom, Kratie and Steung Treng provinces. It is prepared to support the government, particularly the National and Provincial Committees for Disaster Management in their leadership and coordination role. Oxfam will also continue to cooperate with other agencies and humanitarian NGOs to prepare for and respond to the impact of Typhoon Mirinae, if needed.

Bangkok Leaders Seek Talks with Hun Sen

Written by DAP NEWS -- Saturday, 31 October 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Thai leaders are seeking talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen soon in Phnom Penh, accor- ding to a high ranking Government officials.

Thai leaders made the proposal following after top Thai leaders from both the Government and opposition parties argued with each other related to Thaksin’s potential extradition if he enters to Cambodia.

“Thai deputy Prime Minister, Suthep Thaugsuban, in charge of internal affairs, and Foreign Ministry Minister Kasit Piromya, wished to seek having a talk with the premier Hun Sen,” the official added.

However, the official did not specify a date for talks.

Following warning from Thai leaders over the extradition of ex-Thai PM Thaksin if Cambodia allows him to visit, a Cambodian Government spokesman vowed that the fugitive leader would not be extradited to Thailand. “Cambodia would like to make clear its position that Cambodia will not extradite Thaksin on any request made by the Thai Government if he decides to stay in the Kingdom of Cambodia,” said a Government press statement.

Under Article 3 of Cambodia-Thailand Extradition Agreement singed on July 17, 1999, both parties may reject completely any extradition if: “[The] Requested party see that offense is an item of extradition made by the requesting party as political offense … [or that there is a] clear basis to assume that request extradition made by the requesting party has a goal using anti-criminal measures or practice penalty of an individual is filed complaint in terms of race, religion, nationality, or that individual’s political opinion.”

Mu Sochua to File at Supreme Court

Written by DAP NEWS -- Saturday, 31 October 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media) 

Mu Sochua, an opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) Lawmaker, on Friday said that she will file complaint with the Supreme Court over a defamation case with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen after water festival. Her filing complaint after the Phnom Penh Appeal Court upheld the previous verdict of the Municipal Court on October 28, 2009 that the opposition lawmaker had defamed Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen.

“I would file compliant to the supreme court, but it seem to be difficult getting answer as today [Friday] is a holiday so that nearly no one is working so that I will file complaint exactly following the water festival,” Mu Sochua told DAP News Cambodia.

Mu Sochua was convicted by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court in August for defaming Hun Sen during an April press conference, in which she announced plans to sue the premier for allegedly insulting her. The court also ordered her to pay more than US$4,000 in a fine and compensation to Hun Sen. After a Wednesday appeal hearing, Judge Seng Sivutha said the court decided to uphold the conviction, ruling that Mu Sochua did defame Hun Sen and “incited other women to hate” the premier.

During the trial, Mu Sochua represented herself. Ky Tech, the premier’s lawyer, confirmed that “Mu Sochua has not sought for any lawyers besides Kong Sam On and Sok Sam Oeun among more than 600 lawyers in Cambodia, so that it is not the case that no lawyer dares to defend her.”

Audit Authority Releases First Report After 9 Years

Written by DAP NEWS -- Saturday, 31 October 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

The National Audit Authority (NAA) On Friday released its first report after 9 years. The Authority urged some Gover-nmental agencies to work more effectively and faster than before to better facilitate NAA work in future.

Uth Chhorn, NAA chiarman, told reporters at a press conference on audit report publication of public financial management that he admired the Government that provided the great achievement of the country and especially, the government sought national income more than the financial planning in each year since 2000.

The purpose of releasing the audit report will contribute the legislature and executive bodies in strengthening the financial management of country and boost the operation ties through pointing other weak points which implemented in the past years, He said, adding that We have to provide recommendation to governmental agencies to improve their work in future in objectives of public financial management more effectively.

“It is the first time of its history that national authority released the first report of public financial management of the country. But even though I am so regret that this report had slowly launched, we have still lack of experience and human resources, technical experts for our work,” he said.

He added that national Audit authority is an independent agency and it created since 2000. “We have checked the expenditure and income of the government in 2006. We noted that Cambodian macro economic at that time was stable and good image with economic growth achieved 10.8 per cent and it is higher than 6.1 per cent as planning schedule. Totally, Cambodian national treasury earned 3,397,010 million Riels (over 874 million US dollars) that equaled with 115 per cent of budget planning and the expenditure was 2,813,046 Riels (over 703 million US dollars). The amount of finance was great achievement of government that followed the second rectangular policy in poverty reduction and reform for the country,” he said. Within this great achievement, NAA also expressed dissatisfaction of some ministries and governmental agencies because they worked slowly. Since 2000, the council of ministers decided that ministry of agriculture, forestry, and fishery (MAFF) and ministry of economy and finance (MoEF)are key players to evaluate and setting up the price of renting economic concession land but until 2007, the evaluation and price limitation of those economic concession lands could not practice fully through that directives, the report from NAA said, adding that ministry of agriculture, forestry and fisheries on be half of government signed agreements with 70 companies from 1992 to 2006 with covering one million hectare of concession lands and most of those gareemnet have validity for over 70 years. Income from those lands could be exercised effectively, it said, adding that MAFF and MoEF show commitment to collect income from those renting lands.

The NAA also urged other ministries to list inventory for all state properties under their authorities to have effectiveness and clear for all especially for land properties and totally there were 150 cases of unused land did not pay tax for the government and MoEF need to collect it timely and NAA also urged to involved ministries to create land inventory for unused land in the country. It expressed that the goods smuggling has been still processed and it is the matter for collecting tax of the government, the report said, authorities did not crack down on time and sometimes authorities forced users to pay tax when the good already used. “We have been trying to implement our role with high responsibilities and we audited 459 public enterprises and other projects of government since 2001.”

Information Ministry Says RFA Not Registered

Written by DAP NEWS -- Saturday, 31 October 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said on Friday Radio Free Asia (RFA) has not yet been officially registered yet, while the Ministry of Labor is investigating as to whether RFA has broken Cambodian labor laws.

“In Cambodia, all the press, radios, and TV must be officially registered,” the Information Minister stated.

On October 30 the Ministry of Labors invited RFA representatives to discuss recent allegations, Khieu Kanharith stated.

Seang Sophorn was dismissed by RFA in September. Other staff members who defended Sophorn were also allegedy punished by the angry manager of RFA.

Phan Sophat, Huy Vannak, Seang Sophorn and Thai Sothea burned a tire to protest being dismissed by RFA. The Ministry of Labors’s Um Savly stated that “It is not wrongdoing for the stop its staffs, it is different to link the framework,” the Ministry of Labors will sent the file to high Central Committees to manage next.

RFA’s representative victims Phan Sophat said that RFA was wrongdoing with no registered with MI or got memorandums with other institutions also mistake, he stressed that “I would like to ask to RFA to recognize to the Cambodian institution law and resolve the conflicting in legal way.”

ETA Evaluates Cambodian Education as Basic

Written by DAP NEWS -- Saturday, 31 October 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

The English Teacher Association (ETA) has visited to Cambodia and evaluated education in Cam-bodia as still poor, according to a press conference on Friday orga-nized by the Cambodian Indepen- dent Teacher Association (CITA).

ETA Director Lesley Ward stated that “In Cambodia, the education is still not similarly to urge to its process to be in international purpose, according by my visiting for a week ago.”

Lesley added that “if we want this sector to be in positive point, unless all students must involve to study in full right and similarly in educational terms.”

“I focused on salary to provide to all Cambodian teachers, so it was not good way to boost the educational sector in the country to be well, especially to concen trate on the poor teachers, so they find a second job to support their families,” she continued. “I support all I saw, whatever the CITA request to push the teac- hers to get high salary is good way, because all of them depend on their carries only it was not enough for the profit, it was a cause to lock the process of educational sector still poor.” “I hope that the beneficiaries for the all teachers will higher than and enough for supporting their families at the future,” she stressed. CITA can discus with the Cambodian Government to boost salaries, as this “is very important to achieve the goal for its strategies for Cambodian to reduce the poverty,” she said.

Phil Jacques, a facilitator of ETA, said that “After we visited for a week in Cambodia, I will report to the England government and other donors in the Europeans to help the CITA for the project of helping to the Cambodian teachers.”

CITA Director Rong Chhun said that “For many years, the situation of Cambodian teachers were poor, especially all of them face to need money to support the families, all of these to be at risk of the improving the educational sector for Cambodia.”

Thaksin not to reside in Cambodia: Thai opposition leader

http://www.chinaview.cn/
2009-10-31

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

BANGKOK, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra refused to permanently reside in Cambodia as he did not want to create problem to Thailand, opposition Puea Thai Party Chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyuth said Saturday.

"I asked him through people close him why he did not stay in Cambodia as it is near home and family, Thaksin said that he did not want to create problem," the INN news agency quoted Chavalit, deputy prime minister in Thaksin's administration as saying.

It was a test of Thaksin's thought, he said.

Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in September 2006 and has been in exile since then. In February 2008, Thaksin returned to Thailand to face corruption charges but later went to exile again and was convicted in absentia.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told reporters during the recent 15th ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit at Thailand's central beach resort of Hua Hin that Cambodiawould not hand over Thaksin to Thailand if Thailand sought his extradition.

Hun Sen also said that he could appoint Thaksin as his economic advisor.

The opposition party chairman said that he is planning to visit neighboring country of Malaysia in mid-November and visit Myanmar after that.

"I have known Gen Than Shwe (Myanmar top leader) for quite a long time and he can help improve relations between Thailand and Myanmar," he said.

Over the criticism that he was trying to discredit the government and to help Thaksin, Chavalit said if someone wants to do a big thing, he must be able to stand for such a negative criticism.

Also on Saturday, Thailand's Attorney-General Julasingh Wasantsingh said that Cambodia reserves the rights to refuse to extradite Thaksin if he stays in the neighboring country, but substantial grounds must be provided.

Editor: Li Xianzhi

Areas Near Lake Development Now Flooded

By Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer

Original report from Phnom Penh

30 October 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Sitting on a wooden bed above knee-high water, Bo Socheata gazed at the stagnant floodwater invading her home.

“Since before Pchum Ben, the water has made it difficult for my children to go to school,” said the 30-year-old housewife and mother of three, who lives in the capital’s Tuol Sangke commune, Russey Keo district. “And the smell from the flood is terrible.”

Eight communes in two districts north of Phnom Penh have been inundated with floodwater for the past month, with some residents forced to abandon the ground floors of their homes and schools temporarily closed.

Many resident blame the flooding on a contested development plan that filled nearby Boeung Kak lake, claiming it had acted as drainage for rain water. Authorities said the flooding was the result of heavy rains, not the multi-million dollar project.

The lingering floodwater has damaged roads, floors and entire houses.

Pat Pao, 40, spent a recent day adding small, cement levies to his floors in an effort to prevent his house being flooded. Any tasks he had to do, he moved onto his bed, “and sleep with them,” he said with a sigh.

The flooding has affected 5,000 homes across multiple communes: in Russey Keo’s Tuol Sangke, Russey Keo, Kilometer 6, Chrang Chamres I and II, and Svay Pak; and in Sen Sok district’s Phnom Penh Thmei and Toek Tla.

Residents blamed the filling of Boeung Kak lake, its 133 hectares under a 99-year lease for commercial and residential development by Shukaku, Inc. (At least one report in 2008 warned that filling the lake would lead to flooding.)

However, Lao Meng Khin, president of Shukaku, denied the flooding was caused by the filling.

“You look whether all the streets are flooded,” he said. “Not just Cambodia but any country in the world will flood.”

Municipal officials could not be reached for comment. But Kau Sles, a deputy governor of Russey Keo district, said rains caused the flooding, not the Boeung Kak project.

“The pumping from Boeung Kak I and II is just a small contributor,” he said. “The main reason is the rain flowing from Kampong Speu and Kandal” provinces.

Local authorities have been pumping the floodwater from the area, he said.

However, residents say the pumping only just started, despite the weeks of inundation, and they warn that without proper drainage systems, the problem is not likely to end.

Filmmaker Hopes to Bring Justice in Acid Attack

By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer

Original report from Washington

30 October 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Skye Fitzgerald, whose recent documentary, “Finding Face,” chronicles the life of acid attack victim Tat Marina, hopes support built from the film will go toward punishing the perpetrators and finding justice for his subject.

“One of our strategies with releasing the film here in the United States is to garner more support,” Fitzgerald told VOA Khmer in Washington, where he is on a tour to promote the film.

He had come to the capital, he said, “to make sure that legislators, politicians, and folks from the human rights community have a chance to access the film, learn about Tat Marina’s story, and hopefully get more fully engaged with the issues the film raises.”

Tat Marina, a young karaoke singer who was severely disfigured and nearly killed when she was doused with acid at a market in Phnom Penh in 1999, is expected to speak at the film’s launch in Washington, as she did when it showed in Portland, Ore.

Fitzgerald has also begun sending DVDs by request to Cambodia and has encouraged the distribution of copies.

“It’s not been a project that we engaged with for financial gains necessarily,” he said, “but it is a project that we couldn’t say no to.

“It was one that we felt very powerfully about, because of the nature of the story, because we knew that Marina hadn’t had a chance before to seek out any justice for herself or the family,” he said. “And so we felt very dedicated to making sure we took our resources and used them to help her and the family to tell the story.”

The film has invoked anger and sympathy in its viewers so far, from Americans and Cambodians alike. (The wife of a senior official is suspected in the attack, but no arrests have ever been made.)

“Through what I’ve heard it is injustice for her, and I want to personally see her pictures, and want to know how good the story is,” Keo Ang, a market vendor in Svay Rieng province, told VOA Khmer by phone. “Therefore I want a DVD, to show it to my family and some people so that they are able to understand more about her life.”

Opposition Lawmaker To Return from US

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer

Original report from Washington

30 October 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Opposition lawmaker Ho Vann, who was recently cleared in a defamation case in Cambodia, prepared to return to Phnom Penh Thursday after spending four months meeting supporters and officials in the US.

Ho Vann had faced a lawsuit by 22 military officials when he questioned certificates awarded by a Vietnamese military academy. He was stripped of his parliamentary immunity by the National Assembly, where he represents the Sam Rainsy Party, in April.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court dropped the charges against him in September, in a surprise decision, while it upheld disinformation charges against the editor of the English-language Cambodia Daily for reporting the allegedly defaming comments.

“I hope that after receiving the verdict I can return to Cambodia safely, and I also appeal to [National Asssembly President] Heng Samrin to give me back the immunity,” Ho Vann told VOA Khmer on his way to the airport in Massachusetts.

Cheam Yiep, a Cambodian People’s Party National Assembly member, said he had not seen a proposal from the Ministry of Justice regarding Ho Vann, but added the courts were going through the process to restore his immunity.

New Tribunal Budget Anticipates More Indictments

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer

Original report from Washington

30 October 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Khmer Rouge tribunal administrators have completed a budget request for the next two years that anticipates the possibility of further indictments, an official said.

The indictment of more leaders of the regime is politically controversial, with Prime Minister Hun Sen and Cambodian judges contending further charges could endanger national stability.

“The ECCC has finalized the budget proposal for 2010 and 2011, which has taken into account that there might be an additional case three with five suspects,” said Lars Olsen, a spokesman for the UN side of the court. “But since the donors have not had a chance to look into the budget yet, we cannot go public with the figure.”

The proposal has been sent to UN headquarters in New York and will be presented to donors “very soon,” he said.

The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, or ECCC, the official name of the tribunal, was originally budgeted at just $56 million. That figure proved less than enough, and the tribunal has found itself in fiscal trouble on several occasions.

Donors have already approved a $143 million round of funding that was to last through 2011, but monitors for the UN-backed court say the new figure is larger and would carry the tribunal through 2012.

“Based on the latest developments, we have seen that at present the ECCC is negotiating with key donors,” at least five countries, said Latt Ky, who monitors the tribunal for the rights group Adhoc. The exact figure remains a secret, he said.

A US State Department official said a new budget is being reviewed by Congress. The US has so far provided $1.8 million for the UN side of the court, following measures by the tribunal to deal with ongoing allegations of corruption.

The names of the five suspects who could face indictment by investigating judges have not been publicly released.

But one who could face charges is Meas Muth, a former Khmer Rouge commander who is now an adviser to the Ministry of Defense. He has said he will go to the court if summoned, but he denied any wrongdoing in Khmer Rouge atrocities.

A second possible suspect, Im Chaem, a Khmer Rouge district chief who is now a deputy commune chief in a former rebel area in Oddar Meanchey province’s Anglong Veng district, has said she will not cooperate with a court summons.

The court has so far only undertaken one trial, of Tuol Sleng prison chief Kaing Kek Iev, or Duch, and is currently holding four other former leaders: ideologue Nuon Chea, head of state Khieu Samphan, foreign minister Ieng Sary and social affairs minister Ieng Thirith.

The tribunal is preparing a case against the latter four that is expected to commence in 2010.

‘Peace’ a Legacy of Sihanouk: Official

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer

Washington

30 October 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

As prince, head of state and king, Norodom Sihanouk accomplished many things, but as the former monarch prepares for his 87th birthday, he should be remembered as bringing peace to Cambodia, a former director of the Royal Cabinet said Thursday.

Sihanouk, who abdicated the throne in 2004 and has been struggling against cancer, was born Oct. 31, 1922, oversaw independence in 1953, was exiled by a US-backed coup in 1970, held under house arrest by the Khmer Rouge, and finally returned as king.

His main legacy was peace, said Truong Mealy, the former cabinet head, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”

“With such peace, we can now talk,” he said.

Sihanouk is also remembered for his efforts to bring Preah Vihear temple under Cambodian control, through legal pursuits at the International Court in 1962, one caller to the show recalled.

Olympic Newsesk --USOC Names CEO Search Firm

USOC headquarters in Colorado Springs. (ATR)

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

USOC Names CEO Search Firm, Committee

The USOC selects the firm of Spencer Stuart to find a new CEO. Acting CEO Stephanie Streeter says she will not apply for the post, which is supposed to be filled by the end of 2009.

Along with today’s announcement of the search firm, the USOC also announced the nine members of the Chief Executive Officer Search and Screening Committee. Previously named as chair is USOC Board member Bob Bowlsby. He will be joined by USOC chair Larry and USOC board member Mike Plant. Other members come from the U.S. Olympians Association and the National Governing Bodies Council.

Founded in 1956, Spencer Stuart has 51 offices in 27 countries. Last year, it conducted 4,500 executive assignments, according to the company's Web site.

Munich Gift for German Olympians

Germany’s winter Olympic athletes were presented with traditional Bavarian gingerbread hearts with a message from the Munich 2018 bid team on Thursday.

At their official apparel outfitting for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, the athletes were given the “Lebkuchenherzl” containing the words “Munich 2018 in the heart”.

Bernhard Schwank, the bid’s joint managing director and Germany’s “Chef de Mission” for the Feb. 12-28 Games, said: “We are delighted to pass on best wishes to our Olympic athletes for Vancouver 2010.

“It is wonderful to have the German team here in Munich; it has already created a fantastic Olympic atmosphere in our city. So many of these athletes dream about performing at the Olympic Winter Games in their own country and we are determined to help them realize their dreams.”

Munich faces competition from the French Alpine town of Annecy and South Korean city PyeongChang in the 2018 bid race. It is trying to become the first city to host the Summer and Winter Games, after staging the 1972 Olympics.

US Speedskating looks to USOC for help

US Speedskating is in conversations with USOC about ways to overcome a shortfall.

Last week, US Speedskating announced that the bankruptcy of Dutch NSB Bank hurt the finances of the organization.

US Speedskating is facing a $300,000 shortfall for the rest of the year with less than four months until the Vancouver Olympics.

US Speedskating CEO Bob Crowley met with USOC Team Leader for the Winter Olympic Sports Alan Ashley this past weekend to discuss ways to overcome the shortfall.

USA Speedskating met with the USOC to discuss ways to overcome a $300,000 budget shortfall. (Getty Images)

"They discussed with Bob Crowley some ideas to bring in some more revenue for the rest of the season," Peri Kinder, spokeswoman for US Speedskating told Around the Rings . "We have also been in contact with a couple of people that would like to help out and we are working through that right now. Hopefully, we can create a partnership with some of these people.

"Nothing definitive has been reached and the USOC hopes help to alleviate some of our financial stress right now but again that has not been agreed to at all. We are definitely working on it but nothing has been resolved as of today."

US Speedskating has an annual budget of $3.8 million. The Deseret News reports that US Speedskating received $2 million from the USOC in 2008.

Queen Elizabeth gives the Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton to Indian President Pratibha Patil at Buckingham Palace on Thursday. (Getty Images)

Queen's Baton Relay Begins

Queen Elizabeth II and India's President Pratibha Patil launched the baton relay for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

The ceremony at Buckingham Palace showcased India's culture before the Queen handed the baton to Patil, the first head of state to attend the ceremony.

The Queen's Baton contains a message from the Queen to the athletes. It will travel to 71 countries in 340 days. The message will be read out loud at the opening ceremony on Oct. 3.

2010 Asian Games going Smokeless

The Organizers of the 2010 Asian Games in Ghuangzhou, China, are banning tobacco products and sponsorships.

The Guangzhou Games said it is adhering to IOC rules that prohibit tobacco products inside venues and from organizers from accepting from tobacco companies.

The 16th Asian Games will be held in Guangzhou from November 12 – 27.

Smoking will be prohibited in hospitals, hotels, sporting venues, restaurants and bars. In addition, the ban will extend to indoor areas of non-competition venues including media centers and transportation operated by Games’ organizers.

Briefs …

…. Olivier Niamkey of the IOC and Farman Haider of the Olympic Council of Asia arrived in Cambodia on Tuesday. They met with Thong Khon, president of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia. Khon asked for support for Cambodian athletes, coaches and sports officials in the form of scholarships and training in and outside the country.

…The 2010 Beyond Sport Summit will take place Sept. 27-30 in Chicago. The mission of Beyond Sport is to celebrate and support the use of sport as a vehicle for positive social change

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Cambodia is experiencing good growth over the past three decades and today there are many construction

http://pr-usa.net/

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Cambodia is experiencing good growth over the past three decades and today there are many construction and other commercial projects due to stable governance.

Amongst all opportunities in todays economy and during the past two decades Alcohol beverages are continually exhibiting good profitability due to the continuous and growing consumer awareness. In Cambodia this is also influenced by relatively low ingredient and production costs.

OX GOLD Distillery is situated outside the capital city of Phnom Penh in a peaceful tropical village, near the meeting place of the mighty Mekong and Tonle rivers.

Built by business partners from Norway and Australia, OX GOLD is currently producing 12,000 bottles a month.

OX GOLD currently offer two excellent blended whisky products, a delightful brandy, and a very good vodka.

OX GOLD have several new and exciting beverage recipes to put into production in the near future.

The OX GOLD Distillery is a masterpiece with its unique and exclusive distillation, filtering and production process.

OX GOLD currently has four products on sale now. OX GOLD Premium Whisky, OX GOLD "Gold" Whisky, OX GOLD Premium Vodka, and OX GOLD Brandy d'Elegance.

OX GOLD is the first alcohol beverage producer in Cambodia approved with the Khmer Flag on their bottle labels, and boxes.

OX GOLD will be on display at the 2009 Water Festival, Nov.1 - 3, providing an excellent opportunity for many of the 3 million people attending this huge annual celebration, experience the superb taste and quality of these beverages.

The tourist industry as well as local visitors will have a significant input in the recipes and creation of future OX GOLD beverages.

OX GOLD plan a new distillery site that will be developed into an exciting destination where alcohol beverage manufacturing is combined with a unique setting that blends with the local cultural heritage, making it an excellent venue for tourists and visitors alike to visit.

OX GOLD (Cambodia) Co., Ltd. aims to raise approximately US$4.5 mil of capital through an issue of shares enabling the construction of the new distillery to begin in Q3 of 2010.

Investors partnering in OX GOLD (Cambodia) Co., Ltd. Distillery, have the opportunity to participate in the exciting construction phase of the new distillery and its future operations with good profitability.

At the heart of OX GOLD business concept are the unique and exclusive Copper Stills that are used to produce the finest alcohol in Asia.

OX GOLD water, is celebrated and unsurpassed in quality

The word whisky means "water of life".

A continual strong and solid growth in the alcohol beverage market signals the OX GOLD opportunity is very good. This is true even during tough economic times, thus OX GOLD provides a solid opportunity for investors.

OX GOLD management operates the company with a long-term and sustainable perspective as it closely surveys and monitors each consumer group.

OX GOLD investment information and Application Forms can be downloaded from their website.

There's excellent potential for OX GOLD to develop a strong and thriving Export Market based on the fact manufacturing costs are much lower than developed countries.

Investors should give serious consideration to participate with OX GOLD (Cambodia) Co., Ltd. especially since the company makes quality alcohol beverages and the country is stable and peaceful and these conditions offer sustainable good growth potential.

Jungle woman Rochom P'ngieng wants to return to the wild

Rochom P'ngieng spent 18 years living in a forest after going missing as a child Photo: AP

A Cambodian woman who spent 18 years living in a forest after going missing as a child has struggled to reintegrate in village life and wants to return to the wild.

By Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok

Published: 5:24PM GMT 30 Oct 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Rochom P'ngieng, dubbed "jungle woman" when she emerged in Feb 2007, has still has not learnt to speak and refuses to wear clothes.

Her father said she had been admitted to hospital after refusing to eat for a month and had made several attempts to return to the forest.

Sal Lou said: "Her condition looks worse than the time we brought her from the jungle. She always wants to take off her clothes and crawl back to the jungle.

"She has refused to eat rice for about one month. She is skinny now... She still cannot speak. She acts totally like a monkey. Last night, she took off her clothes, and went to hide in the bathroom."

Rochom P'ngieng disappeared in 1989 when she was eight years old while herding water buffalo in the province of Ratanakkiri bordering Vietnam, north-east of the capital, Phnom Penh.

Her parents had long given up hope of ever seeing her. But in 2007, she emerged from the jungle naked and dirty, hunched over like a monkey, and was caught trying to steal by a farmer.

She was said to have been scavenging food in the forest and could utter only unintelligible words. Sal Lou described the sounds she made simply as "animal noises".

The drama of her disappearance and unlikely reappearance gripped Cambodians who described her as "half animal girl" and "jungle woman", though there were also many questions raised about her identity and whether she could really have survived in the jungle.

But Sal Lou, a village policeman, embraced Rochom P'ngieng as he long-lost daughter after identifying her by a facial scar.

However, in spite of the family's best efforts, the woman has had great difficulty settling in after her years in the jungle.

Sal Lou said that she was admitted to Ratanakkiri's provincial hospital last Monday, but he had removed her because she was unsettled and the medical staff had difficulty preventing her running away.

"We have to hold her hand all the time (at the hospital). Otherwise she would take her clothes off and run away," he said. She has become so difficult that he wants a charity to take her into care.

At the hospital Dr Hing Phan Sokunthea said Sal Lou took her away against the wishes of medical staff. "We wanted to monitor her situation more, but we don't know what to do because the father already took her out of hospital."

The jungles of Ratanakkiri – some of the most isolated and wild in Cambodia – are known to have held hidden groups of hill tribes in the past.

In 2004, four hill tribe families emerged from the dense forest where they had fled in 1979 after the fall of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, which they supported.