Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmarese monks living in Thailand pray during a rally calling for Aung San Suu Kyi's release, outside the U.N. office in Bangkok, May 22, 2009. The trial of Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi continues for its fifth day, with Myanmar saying on Friday that the U.S. citizen who sneaked into the detained opposition leader's home may be part of a plot by "anti-government elements" to intensify international pressure on the military regime.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang

REFILE - CORRECTING LOCATION Insein Prison Compound in Yangon, where Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is being detained, is pictured in this video frame grab released May 20, 2009. Army-ruled Myanmar opened the trial of opposition leader Suu Kyi on Wednesday in an apparent bid to calm growing international outrage at the regime and its latest crackdown on the Nobel Peace laureate. REUTERS/Reuters TV/MRTV

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, rignt shakes hands with a diplomat in this image taken from TV in Yangon Myanmar Wednesday May 20, 2009. Myanmar's military regime opened Aung San Suu Kyi's trial Wednesday to reporters and diplomats, but the unexpected access did not stem criticism that the hearing is a political ploy to keep the pro-democracy leader behind bars through next year's election.(AP Photo/MRTV, via APTN)

This frame grab shows Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (R) walking to the third day of her trial at Yangon's Insein Prison, after the junta allowed diplomats and media to observe the trial, May 20, 2009. Army-ruled Myanmar opened the trial of opposition leader Suu Kyi on Wednesday in an apparent bid to calm growing international outrage at the regime and its latest crackdown on the Nobel Peace laureate. REUTERS/Reuters TV/MRTV

This frame grab shows Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (2nd R) with diplomats and journalists on the third day of her trial at a prison guesthouse in Yangon, after the junta allowed diplomats and media to observe the trial, May 20, 2009. Army-ruled Myanmar opened the trial of opposition leader Suu Kyi on Wednesday in an apparent bid to calm growing international outrage at the regime and its latest crackdown on the Nobel Peace laureate. REUTERS/Reuters TV/MRTV

This frame grab shows Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (C) with diplomats and journalists on the third day of her trial at a prison guesthouse in Yangon, after the junta allowed diplomats and media to observe the trial, May 20, 2009. REUTERS/Reuters TV/MRTV

This frame grab shows Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (R) talking with diplomats and journalists on the third day of her trial at a prison guesthouse in Yangon, after the junta allowed diplomats and media to observe the trial, May 20, 2009. Army-ruled Myanmar opened the trial of opposition leader Suu Kyi on Wednesday in an apparent bid to calm growing international outrage at the regime and its latest crackdown on the Nobel Peace laureate. REUTERS/Reuters TV/MRTV

The world must help to FREE Aung San Suu Kyi for democracy

A portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi is carried during a rally calling for her release, outside the Myanmar Embassy in Kathmandu May 22, 2009. The trial of Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi continues for its fifth day, with Myanmar saying on Friday that the U.S. citizen who sneaked into the detained opposition leader's home may be part of a plot by "anti-government elements" to intensify international pressure on the military regime. REUTERS/Deepa Shrestha

This frame grab shows Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (C) being escorted to a car on the third day of her trial at Yangon's Insein Prison, after the junta allowed diplomats and media to observe the trial, May 20, 2009. REUTERS/Reuters TV/MRTV

Security forces let a car through a checkpoint, near Insein prison where the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi is going on for the fifth day, in Yangon May 22, 2009. BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE. REUTERS/Democratic Voice of Burma

People gather to find out more information on the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi, which is going on for the fifth day, at a checkpoint near Insein prison, in Yangon May 22, 2009. REUTERS/Democratic Voice of Burma/Handout

Buddhist monks chant slogans during a protest outside the United Nations offices in Bangkok. Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has proclaimed her innocence in front of a prison tribunal as the prosecution wrapped up its case on the fifth day of her trial.(AFP/Pornchai Kittiwongsakul)

A Myanmar activist holds a portrait of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi during protest outside the United Nations offices in Bangkok. Suu Kyi has proclaimed her innocence in front of a prison tribunal as the prosecution wrapped up its case on the fifth day of her trial.(AFP/Pornchai Kittiwongsakul)

Nepalese activists stage a protest outside the Myanmar embassy in Kathmandu. Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has proclaimed her innocence in front of a prison tribunal as the prosecution wrapped up its case on the fifth day of her trial.(AFP/Prakash Mathema)

Members from the Hong Kong Coalition for a Free Burma, joined with Amnesty International, urge passers-bys in Hong Kong to sign signatures to demand the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners in Myanmar May 22, 2009. The trial of Myanmar's pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi continues for its fifth day, with Myanmar saying on Friday that the U.S. citizen who sneaked into the detained opposition leader's home may be part of a plot by "anti-government elements" to intensify international pressure on the military regime. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

ASIA: Burma Gives ASEAN a Black Eye with Suu Kyi Case

http://www.ipsnews.net

By Marwaan Macan-Markar

BANGKOK, May 23 (IPS) - By pushing ahead with a sham trial to prosecute the country’s pro-democracy icon, Burma’s military regime appears set to shatter the credibility of the new, rules-based Southeast Asian regional bloc, of which it is a member.

The trial of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, which began May 18, goes against the language of the charter of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), adopted in the Indonesian capital Jakarta last December.

Under the ASEAN charter, the bloc’s 10 members agreed to strengthen democracy, the rule of law, and to promote human rights as part of their commitment to give the 42-year-old alliance a much-needed makeover - transforming it into a unified legal entity that resembles, in some ways, the European Union.

Yet barely six months into its new incarnation a major test looms for ASEAN - which includes Brunei, Burma (or Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The concern within ASEAN over its international standing is conveyed in a statement released on the second day of Suu Kyi’s trial by Thailand, the current chairman of the regional body. "With the eyes of the international community on Myanmar at present, the honour and the credibility of the Government of the Union of Myanmar are at stake," noted the strongly- worded statement, departing from the usual diplomatic niceties that often pepper such official declarations.

"In this connection, the Government of the Union of Myanmar is reminded that the ASEAN Leaders had called for the immediate release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi," the statement from Bangkok added. "Furthermore, the Government of the Union of Myanmar, as a responsible member of ASEAN, has the responsibility to protect and promote human rights."

Suu Kyi’s latest troubles with Burma’s oppressive regime stem from the intrusion of John William Yettaw, a U.S. citizen, into her home on the banks of the Inya Lake in Rangoon, where the 63-year-old opposition leader has been under house arrest for over 13 years. Yettaw entered the compound as an uninvited guest earlier this month by swimming across the lake in Burma’s former capital.

The charges that Suu Kyi faces in this trial, held all week, could lead to a five-year sentence. She is accused of breaking a 1975 law - that she violated the terms of her detention - even though she has been kept a captive and isolated from the world by the security cordon around her house.

Two of Suu Kyi’s female housekeepers were charged also last week by the judge presiding over the trial taking place in a court within the compound of the notorious Insein prison, in northern Rangoon. The 53-year-old U.S. national is also facing charges in this court, renowned for its secret trials.

The trial comes days before Suu Kyi’s current period of house arrest was to end, on May 27. A ruling against her - which many Burma analysts expect - will prevent her playing a pivotal role in the run up to a 2010 general elections, which the regime has promised as part of its "roadmap to democracy."

Outrage is building among many Burmese and others in the international community. To thwart any angry outbursts in Rangoon, the military regime has strengthened security around the prison and in other key locations across the city that could attract protesters - such as the landmark Shwedagon Pagoda.

Truckloads of police have been placed near the west and north gates of the pagoda, near the city hall, the courthouse, a popular market, and a hotel that has offices for U.N. staff, a Rangoon resident told IPS. "In the Insein suburb there are many police, police trucks and police checkpoints."

"People on the streets are now - in most cases - angry with the American and with the authorities for pushing this case," added the resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "Much information is coming through over exile radio in the evenings so people are more aware."

The statements of outrage that have come from ASEAN, Western governments and even the U.N. human rights envoy to Burma have failed to impress human rights and pro-democracy activists. "Just issuing statements are not enough. This is the time for international action to free Daw Aung Suu Kyi and the over 2,100 other political prisoners," says Bo Kyi, head of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners in Burma, a group of former Burmese political prisoners based in Mae Sot, along the Thai-Burma border.

"She is a national leader who should be free, not a prisoner," Bo Kyi added in a telephone interview. "Her current case is further proof that there is no rule of law in Burma. She did not commit a crime."

This latest embarrassment to ASEAN is part of a pattern that the junta has stuck to over the years. In May 2008, following the devastating Cyclone Nargis that crashed through the Irrawaddy Delta, killing some 140,000 people, the regime refused to open the country to humanitarian agencies until international outrage forced it to concede some ground.

The previous year, in September 2007, Burmese troops opened fire on peaceful pro-democracy protesters led by thousands of Buddhist monks. That drew an angry response from ASEAN, which expressed its "revulsion" at such brutality, sharing the mood of disgust echoed by Western governments.

Yet, angry words by the regional bloc barely produced palpable change, convincing ASEAN watchers that Burma’s over 10-year presence in the grouping will only continue to earn it more disrespect.

The limits of the regional bloc to reform the pariah in its midst was confirmed during the 14th ASEAN Summit held in Thailand early this year. The region’s leaders declared that the U.N. - not ASEAN - would take the lead in prodding Burma towards political reform after over 47 years under military rule.

"This is the third time in recent years that the regime has misbehaved so dramatically and embarrassed ASEAN," says Debbie Stothard of ALTSEAN, which campaigns for human rights in the region. "It is pretty clear the regime assumed it would get away this time too."

"Burma’s rulers have exposed an inherent flaw in the ASEAN charter, and the goal to establish a regional community with common values," she told IPS. "There is no mechanism to penalise members who break the charter and who go against its spirit."

Buying sex not a sport: Sex work activists

Courtesy of Michelle Miller
Trisha Baptie, a former sex-trade worker, speaks on human trafficking Friday night at the International Film Centre on Seymour Street.

http://www.metronews.ca/

The “Buying Sex is not a Sport” campaign is being launched at 8:15 p.m. Friday at the International Film Centre downtown. At 10 p.m., a film about child trafficking in Cambodia will be screened.

MINÉ SALKIN
FOR METRO VANCOUVER
May 21, 2009

Buying sex is not a sport, says a group of activists campaigning to get Ottawa to change the country’s sex laws before the 2010 Olympics, to keep more women from being lured into prostitution.

Michelle Miller, executive director of Resist Exploitation, Embrace Dignity, said Parliament should enact the same laws recently instituted in Sweden that decriminalize the selling of sex and criminalize the buying of sex.

“No one looks at the buyers,” she said. “Women are bought and sold but we want to expose that men have contributed to the demand.”

Miller said the increase in men away from their social networks would raise the demand for paid sex in Vancouver during the Games.

“We’ve seen this at the World Cup, the Superbowl, so it’s known. Men who travel enjoy the degree of anonymity and are more likely to buy sex,” she said.

Trisha Baptie is a former sex-trade worker who took to the streets when she was 13 years old.
“It’s human slavery. There are women in brothels in Vancouver right now, and more will come before the Games,” she said.

Gay and Asian: Fighting Stigmas in Our Communities

http://sampan.org/show_article.php?display=1979

May 22, 2009

By Sarath Suong – Men’s Health Coordinator, MAP for Health May is Asian and Pacific

American (APA) Heritage Month.

While this crucial milestone in APA and American history occurred less than 20 years ago, it is an important reminder for us to recognize the experience and diversity of APAs as integral to the development and contribution to this country. Today, APAs remain a strong and growing community of over 15 million people. It is also one of the most at-risk populations for contracting Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), including HIV.

MAP was founded a year after the passage of the APA Heritage Month, and to date, MAP remains one of the only organizations in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts dedicated to offering an integrated response to the growing HIV/AIDS crises among the APAs.

One of its programs, Asian Impact,a peer-support program,provides community
building spaces and educational workshops for APA gay and men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM). Asian Impact recognizes the importance of creating safe spaces where young APA MSMs can become friends, support one another, and engage in conversation about safe sex and healthy lifestyles.

Asian Impact participant, Sophan, is a 22 year old Cambodian immigrant who recently immigrated to Lynn, Massachusetts from Cambodia two years ago. Sophan became intimate with other men at the young age of 18 and had never told his father. The last of his family to come to the U.S., Sophan quit college and left his partner in Cambodia to escape genocide.

He reunited with his mother and three brothers in the US, working hard to be the dutiful son to his mother and contribute as much as he could to his family’s livelihood.

For two years, Sophan struggled with culture shock and language barriers, while balancing two jobs and adjusting to his estranged family. He was already isolated from the general public as a refugee, and from his family who did not know him.

After he found MAP and joined the Asian Impact weekly gathering, Sophan now has a group of Asian mentors and support networks to help him navigate the challenges of being a newcomer, Asian, and gay.

Sophan is just one example of the young gay and bisexual men that participate in MAP’s programs. He, and many like him, are in real need of someone to talk to - someone who can relate to their struggle of being both APA and homosexual. Safe spaces, such as MAP’s A-SPOT, offers reprieve to young people like Sophan.

In a brief interview, he recounts his thoughts prior to joining MAP. “I just didn’t know what to do any more. I just didn’t have anyone to talk to. Here, I have been able to make friends who really understand where I am coming from. I used to feel that I had to tell my family,” he explains. “That pressure made me feel really horrible.”

He has since become part of a community that understands the challenges Asians face and provides encouragement to be brave and resilient.

As an organization dedicated to the health and wellbeing of the APAs, MAP runs programs, hosts events, and advocates for the community every day.

For more information and its next large event that will take place in Chinatown, during the August Moon Festival, visit MAP’s website www.mapforhealth.org
Gay and Asian: Fighting Stigma in Our Communities

Article Reference: http://www.sampan.org/show_article.php?display=1979

Interpol asked to help find Thaksin

http://news.asiaone.com/

Fri, May 22, 2009
The Nation/Asia News Network

Police have sought help from the Interpol unit in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a search for fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who is believed to have been staying in that country.

The police move came after Pheu Thai Party MP Chalerm Yoobamrung admitted he had been to Dubai recently to visit Thaksin for three days.

Police Maj General Visanu Prasartthong-osot said the latest intelligence report showed Thaksin had not left the UAE, but police were checking if he had left the country under another name.

"We believe he is likely still in that country because it is not far from Thailand and he can use it as a base for his close aides to come and see him,'' he said.

Visanu said he had submitted a request to the Attorney General's Foreign Affairs office to seek the extradition of Thaksin, even though Thailand does not have an extradition treaty with the UAE. "We can ask for cooperation from the UAE since we had earlier helped them arrest and dispatch suspects wanted by them."

After the court issued an arrest warrant for Thaksin, police stepped up pressure on him by asking Interpol police in 187 countries to help find and arrest him, he said. Thai police had been dispatched to countries Thaksin was believed to visit frequently such as Hong Kong, Nicaragua, Montenegro, Cambodia and the UAE.

Chalerm said he did not discuss politics or who would be the new party leader with Thaksin, but they talked about his well-being and his business. Thaksin told him he had bought an island in Montenegro to develop a real estate business, hoping to make billions of baht in profit by selling expensive mansions to Asian millionaires, following the success of Hawaii.

"Thaksin is living a good life in Dubai because the country highly honours him and has given him top security. The reports that said Thaksin is not welcome there are wrong. Dubai approved a visa for me 24 hours after I applied. Thaksin took me out shopping in malls and many people came to ask for his autograph and his picture,'' he said.

Thaksin also won five goldmine concessions from a country in Africa, which had given him a special passport.

Responding to Chalerm's revelation of his visit to Thaksin in Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said he had not made any progress getting Thaksin back because he had more important work to do, such as combating drugs and violence in the South.

K.Rouge court must tackle corruption: US diplomat

US envoy Clint Williamson (R) hands over a textbook to a Cambodian student at the Hun Sen Ang Snuol school in Kandal province on May 20,2009. The US envoy for war crimes issues has praised developments at Cambodia's Khmer Rouge tribunal but said officials must tackle corruption at the UN-backed court.
(AFP/File/Suy Se)

Fri May 22

PHNOM PENH (AFP) – The US envoy for war crimes issues on Friday praised developments at Cambodia's Khmer Rouge tribunal but said officials must tackle corruption at the UN-backed court.

Clint Williamson, the US ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues, told reporters the court was "making real progress" with its first trial under way, but needed to agree and implement anti-graft mechanisms.

"There's increased awareness on the Cambodian side and the UN side that this (corruption) is an issue that needs to be tackled. There has to be some sort of resolution of this going forward," he said at a US embassy press conference.

The tribunal, which is currently trying former Khmer Rouge prison chief Duch, has faced controversy over allegations of political interference by the government and claims that Cambodian staff were forced to pay kickbacks for their jobs.

The UN has withheld funds to Cambodian operations at the court, and its talks with senior government officials to stop the alleged corruption have ended without agreement.

Williamson said he had met with government, UN and civil society officials during his four-day trip to Cambodia, and was working hard with other donors to make sure the court addresses the graft and management problems.

The long-awaited first trial has heard Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, acknowledge responsibility and beg forgiveness for overseeing the torture and execution of more than 15,000 people at the notorious Tuol Sleng prison.

Four other senior officials from the 1975-1979 regime are also in detention, waiting for their trial to start next year. Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died in 1998.

Up to two million people were executed or died of starvation, disease and overwork as the Khmer Rouge movement emptied cities and enslaved the population on collective farms in its bid to to create a communist utopia.

Court Drops Judicial Academy Bribery Case

http://www.voanews.com

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
22 May 2009

As a fifth class of judiciary students were preparing to begin classes at a government academy this year, Phnom Penh Municipal Court documents show that a $55,000 bribery suit between a prospective student and one near-graduate was nearly fought.

According to the official complaint, obtained by VOA Khmer on the condition that names not be used, the plaintiff, whose “younger sibling” hoped to enter the Royal Academy for Judicial Professions, paid $35,000 to a Class Three student, having been promised the money would earn the sibling a seat in the prestigious school.

The case was settled out of court this month, according to a Phnom Penh court source, with the academy student agreeing to return $35,000 to the plaintiff.

The filing of such a complaint underscores at least a perceived understanding that it takes money to get a seat at the donor-supported school. The complaint also adds weight to complaints by students who are already in the school and who say they must pay bribes in order to get judge’s seats across the judicial system.

The defendant who allegedly took the money was a student in Class 3 of the academy who has finished school and is awaiting professional assignment in Cambodia’s court system, the court source said. Two students at the academy contacted by VOA Khmer also said the defendant was a Class 3 student.

“Before the exam, the school called [the defendant] to meet all the students and asked whether they should allow him to take his exams or not, as he was implicated in a court case on taking someone’s money to ‘run business’ for a judicial student seat,” the court source told VOA Khmer, on condition of anonymity. “At that time, students agreed then that he could take the exam; otherwise, he would have already lost his career.”

Judicial students contacted by VOA Khmer said the case had been discussed at the academy.

The plaintiff, a 30-year-old woman from Phnom Penh, claims in the complaint she paid the former student to secure a position for her “younger sibling” to enter Class Five of the academy.

After her family member did not gain admittance, the plaintiff filed suit to have the $35,000 returned and for $20,000 in further compensation, according to the court document, registered as No. 566.

The defendant, the woman wrote the court prosecutor, “has used tricks to cheat and took money from me, $35,000…by lying that he took it to use in the liaison work so that my younger sibling [redacted] be admitted as a Class Five student judge. But when the examination day arrived, surprisingly, [redacted] was not on the list of the examination, and [defendant] just disappeared.”

The court source told VOA Khmer the defendant had apparently taken the money but instead of bribing officials to secure admittance to the academy had spent it on personal expenses.

“When he spent all of it out of pocket, that money did not ‘run business,’” the source said. “The [plaintiff] was angry and filed a lawsuit to the court, as he did not even pay back the money taken.”

The two sides reconciled out of court, the source said.

The defendant and plaintiff could not be reached for comment Wednesday as phone numbers were not available to VOA Khmer.

Koet Sekano, secretary-general of the Royal Academy for Judicial Professions, reached by phone Wednesday, said he had no time to speak with a VOA Khmer reporter.

Chea Meth, leader of Class Three, which recently graduated, told VOA Khmer on Wednesday that the court case was a “personal” matter of another student.

“For me, I do not know if there have been any implications with money or whatever,” he said.

Chea Meth, and fellow Class Three graduates Yet Molin and Hok Pov, also reached by phone Wednesday, denied paying money ensure spots in the academy and said they had no knowledge of the bribery case.

Class Five began May 4.

The court complaint is further evidence of a perception of corruption and bribery within the ranks of those who wish to join Cambodia’s judicial profession, which has come under fire by academy students in recent weeks, even as the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal struggles with allegations that some Cambodian staff members pay kickbacks for their positions.

Some at the academy expect to pay at least $20,000 to be seated as judges or other court officials in the judicial system, according to VOA Khmer interviews over the past three months with three current students and one graduate of the Royal Academy for Judicial Professions, a Phnom Penh court official, a Ministry of Justice official and others.

“It’s shameful for me to do this, but there is no choice,” said one student, who explained how he paid thousands of dollars to ensure he’d pass his entrance exam and gain a seat in the academy. “I joined this career because I saw that the salary of the judge was better than the government, and in the process of [national] reform, this is a better paying job than others.”

Another current student at the academy said to become a judge was to have a chance to reform the country, even if money was paid to secure the opportunity.

“We go not to do a bad thing, but to help promote good action in the court,” this student said.

Former and current students described having to pay older classmates money to use as brokerage for judge’s positions in the court system after graduation, including as much as $150,000 to be a judge in Phnom Penh. Money is paid cash up front, before admittance into the elite academy, they said.

The government has denied the allegations, and a leading government lawyer, Heng Vong Bunchat, on Wednesday refused to comment further to VOA Khmer.

“I’m not a person clarifying things for you,” said Heng Vong Bunchat when reached by phone. “You are [working for] a radio that… has no responsibility. You’re so mighty. You [are working for] a radio of a superpower. You must seriously think [of the consequences]. Once one is influential, he has to seriously think [of the consequences]. You just flip here and there [referring to broadcasting] and then make a phone call. I [derogative] never see your face and now come here to show your face.”

For a full transcript of the phone interview with Heng Vong Bunchat, click here.

Walk, Swim, Eat Right for Health: Doctor

http://www.voanews.com

By Sothearith Im
Washington
22 May 2009

Cholesterol and triglycerides are useful to the body and our brain, but if too high they can create problems, a doctor said Thursday, adding that Cambodia was now experiencing dietary problems.

“However, we can use medicine to lower cholesterol so that it prevents us from having heart attack and stroke,” Dr. Taing Tek Hong said, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”

Food with fat, such as fat from pork, beef, and chicken can create high levels of bad cholesterol, Taing Tek Hong said.

“Milk also contains a lot of fat,” he said. “There a lot people in the US who have high cholesterol. Not many people in Cambodia had high cholesterol before, but now we have plenty of food, then some people have high cholesterol too. Sometimes it is inherited from parents. Some medicines make triglycerides high. People who are overweight or who have diabetes usually have high triglycerides.”

There are no symptoms of high cholesterol, the doctor said, in response to a listener question.

“We know it only through blood tests,” he said. “You should start checking when you are 20 years old. If you have already had it, you usually have pains in the chest, but not everyone.”

“There are many kinds of medicines, such as Statins, which is mostly used,” he added. “It stops the liver from generating cholesterol. Other medicines are Niacin, Fibrates, and Bile Sequestrants, which are medicines that stop gall liquid from flowing back to liver.”

While there are medicines, he said, “the most important thing is to watch your food, do exercise regularly and stop smoking.”

Another called, from Phnom Penh, 31-years-old, asked how to reduce the fat in his veins.

“You are still young,” the doctor told him. “You must be ready to take good care of yourself. The most important is not to eat any food containing fat, especially animal fats, such as fat from pork and beef. Then eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. If you have high triglycerides, stop drinking alcohol and don’t eat rice or noodle or bread so much, because they contain carbohydrates, which will be converted to sugar, and then fat, when it goes into our body.”

“If you are overweight, you must reduce weight and do exercise,” he said. “If cholesterol and triglycerides are still high, you must take medicine. You must take Statins. You must use these three methods: diet, exercise, and medicines.”

For youth, diet and exercise are important to avoid the condition, he said. “It is not difficult. You simply walk. Each day you should walk at least 10,000 steps. Swimming and doing other activities is even better.”

Three Potential H1N1 Flu Carries Sought

http://www.voanews.com

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
22 May 2009

Cambodian health officials are looking for three US-Cambodians who were aboard a South Korean flight Sunday after one passenger who deplaned in Incheon was found carrying H1N1 flu.

Officials in Cambodia emphasized that the threat of infection was low, but were searching for the three, who they thought might be in Kampot province.

South Korea put out a warning Wednesday, saying the three had been among 93 on an Asiana Airlines flight from Seattle to Incheon, South Korea, before transiting for a Phnom Penh flight.

One woman from the first flight was quarantined in South Korea and confirmed to have the H1N1 virus, sometimes called swine flu.

Tribunal Corruption Still a ‘Concern’: US Envoy

http://www.voanews.com

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
22 May 2009

US Ambassador-At-Large for War Crimes Issues Clint Williamson on Friday urged the Khmer Rouge tribunal to address nagging corruption allegations, following discussions with the donors and UN and government officials.

Williamson told reporters that corruption “remained a concern” for the US, but that progress was being made on the issue.

The UN-backed tribunal, known officially as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, has struggled under allegations of corruption, even as it tries its first suspect, prison chief Duch.

“Along with other donors to the ECCC we are working hard to ensure that the court improves its management and addresses the issue of corruption,” Williamson said Friday. “The US decision to fund the court last year reflects our commitment to ensure the tribunal is capable of meeting international standards of justice and to work with Cambodians to strengthen the structure of the rule of law in thecountry.”

A tribunal spokesman said both the UN and national sides of the hybrid court were working to improve the handling of corruption allegations and other complaints.