AmnestyInternational
U2 has announced that Aung San Suu Kyi has been given Amnesty International's highest honour - The Ambassador of Conscience Award for 2009
Sunday, 16 August 2009
U2 announces Amnesty award to Aung San Suu Kyi
Thai soldiers built houses inside Khmer territory in Chup Koki village
Thai soldiers set up camps on the disputed areas.Source: Khmer Sthapana newpspaer
Reported in English by Khmerization
A Cambodian military source said Thai soldiers had secretly built many houses inside Khmer territory near Ta Moan Thom and Ta Krabey temples in Ouddor Meanchey province.
A military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said Thai soldiers had built houses inside Chup Koki village, Ampil commune of Banteay Ampil district for about one month already for their soldiers live.
He said Thai soldiers commenced building houses since July and now 10 houses had been completed already.
Mr. Neak Vong, commander of division 42 based at Ta Moan Thom temple and Gen. Chhum Socheat, spokesman for the Cambodian Defence Ministry, cannot be contacted for any comments.
However, Mr. Hour Bunthy, deputy commander of Border Protection Unit 42 based at Chup Koki Village West, said currently there is no Thai house in Chup Koki, by adding that houses previously built by Thai troops had been dismantled and demolished already after strong protests from senior Cambodian government officials.
US senator concludes Myanmar visit
US Senator Jim Webb (L) meets with Myanmar's top military leader Than Shwe in Naypyidaw August 15, 2009.YANGON: Democratic Senator of the United States Jim Webb concluded his three-day visit to Myanmar Sunday afternoon, bringing out from the country along with him an imprisoned American citizen John William Yettaw who was released and deported by the Myanmar government.
Meeting with the press before departure at the Yangon International Airport, Webb, Chairman of the East Asian and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he hopes that the US-Myanmar relations would improve, thanking the Myanmar government for freeing Yettaw.
Webb also said the US Administration is reassessing its policy towards Myanmar and he would make proposals for the move after he is back to the country.
Webb arrived in Myanmar on Friday on a three-day visit as part of his two-week tour to five Southeast Asian nations at the invitation of Myanmar Foreign Minister U Nyan Win.
During his visit in Nay Pyi Taw, Webb met with Myanmar top leader Senior-General Than Shwe, Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, Prime Minister General Thein Sein and the State Constitution Drafting Commission, led by Chief Justice U Aung Toe, on the government side.
Webb also met with leadership of 10 legal political parties including the National League for Democracy (NLD) and National Unity Party (NUP) and that of some ethnic peace groups from Kachin, Shan and Kayah special regions as well as representatives of some social organizations.
A handout picture taken on May 13, 2009 and provided by Myanmar News Agency shows US Citizen John William Yettaw in Yangon. [Agencies]He was arranged by the government to meet with NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under suspended 18 months' sentence of confinement to her residence during which she is allowed to meet guests with permission.
Aimed at exploring opportunities to advance US interests in Myanmar and the region, Webb's Myanmar visit also represents the first ever one to the country of a member of the US Congress in over a decade.
The visit came days after a Myanmar district court sentenced on August 11 the 54-year-old epilepsy-suffering American, John William Yettaw, along with Aung San Suu Kyi, to seven years' rigorous imprisonment on conviction of charge of entering into Aung San Suu Kyi's restricted lake-side residence for three days in early May.
Webb's five-nation trip had also taken him to Laos and he is proceeding to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia after Myanmar visit.
Vietnam, Cambodia mull rice venture to steady prices
Workers harvest rice in a Mekong Delta paddy.Sunday, August 16, 2009
Vietnamese and Cambodian officials met this week to discuss setting up a state-owned joint rice mill project to control prices, a local association said.
An official from the Vietnam Food Association said Thursday that the Southern Food Corporation (Vinafood 2) and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam would be the Vietnamese partners, representing a 60 percent stake in the Cambodia-based joint venture.
The first rice venture between the two countries would combine the rice processing experience of the Vietnamese partners with Cambodia’s rice production sector, which has been largely untapped for exports, said the official.
Vietnam is the world’s second biggest rice exporter, having shipped nearly US$1.7 billion worth of rice in the first seven months this year.
Cambodian rice yields have been increasing and its government has encouraged businesses to process for export, according to the association.
About 1 million tons of Cambodian rice was ready for export, said the association. The competition, as well as a high summer-fall yield in Vietnam, was pushing prices down, according to local officials.
The new venture is expected to help prevent prices from falling, the association said.
The association aims to prevent price drops by asking members to buy 400,000 tons of the grain from farmers in order to increase its rice stockpiles.
Regional association
A Thai official said Saturday that five Southeast Asian nations may set up a rice-trade association next year to cooperate in stabilizing rice prices.
Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar will also cooperate on other issues related to food security and production, said Chiya Yimvilai, a spokesman at a meeting of ASEAN economic ministers in Bangkok. The countries would also work together on developing rice products, he said.
“It won’t be like OPEC,” said Chiya, speaking at a press briefing. “Our objective is to help prevent prices from falling too much, but we won’t jointly set the prices.”
Reported by Minh Quang (With additional reporting by Bloomberg)
Palm Beach County health care workers travel to help heal in some of the world's poorest parts
By DIANNA SMITH
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 15, 2009
WEST PALM BEACH — This West Palm Beach nurse can't help everyone.
But she's determined to try.
That's why she treks to Cambodia every summer and sees children and adults whose bellies are empty and whose faces are thin. They're dying of malnutrition, dehydration, diseases that they probably wouldn't die from here in the United States.
Regina Clark, a nurse manager at Columbia Hospital, is one of many hospital staff members who spend their summer vacations not relaxing by the beach, but working in remote countries. They've dedicated their lives to helping the sick in America, and now they're taking their mission overseas.
"There were some that we know won't live long enough to get the help, and that's what breaks your heart," Clark, 53, said of the people in Cambodia.
That's how it is across the globe, in poor villages where doctors are scarce and modern medicines don't exist. So Clark and many other local nurses and doctors have committed themselves to helping each year.
Mission through music
Clark and 31 others traveled to Cambodia in July with a group called Musicianaries International - a nonprofit ministry dedicated to spreading God's love through music.
The group - which included doctors, nurses and professional musicians - delivered more than 500,000 containers of medicine, 700 school uniforms, 2,700 toothbrushes and toothpaste, 295 mosquito nets and 330 tons of rice.
They traveled the country in vans and spent time by the borders along Thailand and Vietnam. Their goal? To see people who have never been to hospitals.
"They're such a starving population. The average age is about 22," said Clark, who was on her third summer trek as a volunteer. "There's such a need for medical care."
Common medical problems include malnutrition, skin rashes, eye conditions and dehydration. Yet they still manage to smile.
"The people ... they warm your hearts," she said.
"You don't have to be fluent in the language to know they welcome anything. It's a great feeling."
Educating the islanders
While Clark headed for Cambodia, Dr. Michael Wolford traveled to the island of Tanna off the east coast of Australia. He was in the South Pacific with a group called Healthcare Ministries, a worldwide medical outreach program of Assemblies of God World Missions.
Wolford, 44, is an emergency room physician at Columbia Hospital and Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center.
In Tanna, he found many children suffering from malnutrition and ringworm or tapeworm.
He talked to the people through a translator about healthy living, encouraging them to take better care of themselves.
For almost three weeks, Wolford treated many men for high blood pressure and others for skin problems.
Because the island is primarily jungle, most who live there use machetes.
"It was unbelievable to see 5- and 6-year-olds swinging around machetes," he said.
Wolford said he enjoys showing people that there are others in this world who care about them.
"I've been blessed with talents I can share with people," he said, "and there's a world of people who need help."
Helping in Haiti
When his cousin died 10 years ago of liver cancer, Dr. Serge Thys wanted to keep his memory alive.
So he and others created the Gaskov Clerge Foundation, named after his cousin, with goals that include helping the sick in Les Cayes, Haiti, where Clerge and Thys were born.
Thys, 56, is the chairman of the psychiatric department at Columbia Hospital and also medical director of youth services.
This month, he returned from a trip to the southern part of Haiti where people have no access to any form of health care.
He and more than 60 of his colleagues built makeshift clinics in churches and schools and saw almost 3,000 people.
Like Clark and Wolford, Thys vows to continue his travel each year.
"It's priceless," Thys said. "You end up receiving much more than you give. This is the most beautiful part."
CAMBODIA: Government Pulls Out Legal Weapons Against Dissent
PHNOM PENH, (IPS) - These are tough times to be either a journalist or an opposition politician in Cambodia.
That is because the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen is cracking down on both the opposition-aligned media and politicians from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP).
In June, an editor of a newspaper affiliated with the SRP was jailed for a year for publishing a story the government objected to. The publisher of the newspaper ‘Moneaksekar Khmer', was told this month that he would be sued after publishing a series of articles that the prosecutor said was designed to sow conflict between government ministers.
On the political front, two opposition members of parliament were stripped of their immunity and are being sued. Their lawyer recently quit their cases and the SRP and crossed over to the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) after being told he would be sued.
Two other opposition MPs have been told they could have their immunity taken away too. Two NGOs have also received threats of lawsuits.
There are fears that this South-east Asian country's democracy is under threat as the CPP -- which won more than two-thirds of the seats in the 2008 general election and which controls all the organs of state and the judiciary û moves against dissenters.
”We are being treated like the enemies of the state. It's a crisis in this country,” veteran opposition MP Son Chhay said.
But government spokesman Phay Siphan says the government is simply using the courts to target those people it considers to be spreading disinformation or threatening the country's stability.
”According to the Constitution, everyone has the right to say anything they like,” Phay Siphan said. ”But the Constitution prescribes clearly that (people may not) abuse other people's rights. So the government has to protect that.”
That is cold comfort to local and international observers such as Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders, both of which have issued statements expressing concern about recent events. Human Rights Watch country specialist Sara Colm says recent events are a matter of ”extreme concern”.
”To have all of these different sectors of society effectively silenced is definitely a step backwards for the whole democratic process in Cambodia,” Colm said, adding that the right to express views critical of the government is being eroded. ”It's a very worrying trend in Cambodia to see lawsuits filed and even criminal charges levied against people for simply doing their jobs.”
In the legal action against the media, some noted that the prosecutors are using a law that allows journalists to be jailed for what they write. That is what has happened with Hang Chakra, the editor who in June began a one- year jail term after his newspaper ran a series of articles reporting that a senior government minister's staff had committed corrupt acts.
But the law the government ought to use in such cases is the 1995 Press Law, critics say. Local human rights group Licadho says the Press Law's provisions do not permit the jailing of media professionals found to have breached its provisions. It states that ”no person shall be arrested or subject to criminal charges as a result of expression of opinion”.
So why did the government prosecutor use the older law in the case against Hang Chakra? Phay Siphan says that is a question for the prosecutor, not the government, to answer. But, he says, the information minister has recently said that he does not want to see media workers jailed for what they publish.
To critics, the CPP, which has never been known for being tolerant of criticism, has become even more thin-skinned lately.
”We totally 100 percent accept that criticism,” Phay Siphan insisted. ”But insulting û no. And misleading û no. Freedom of expression is different from insulting and misleading.” He maintains that the government is simply balancing the right of expression against its duty to maintain law and order. It is ”concerned about national security too'”, he added.
At the SRP headquarters, opposition MP Son Chhay believes there are a number of reasons for the government's action against critics. First, the ruling party is worried about the social unrest that the effects of the global economic crisis could spark among younger Cambodians who are hard put finding jobs. Second, he says, there is dissatisfaction within the CPP over what critics call Hun Sen's autocratic style.
Son Chhay says Cambodia risks a reversal in its young democracy. To avoid that, he says donor nations, which pledged more than 950 U.S. million dollars to the Cambodian government this year, should pressure the government into making reforms.
”We don't want to live lives like the North Korean people û we have suffered enough,” he said of the kingdom's traumatic decades of war and the genocidal rule of the Khmer Rouge.
But the government's actions seem to be making many cautious about criticising it, for fear of being sued for disinformation, defamation or incitement. Son Chhay admits that official intimidation has led the opposition to conclude that these are bad times to speak out.
”We have no alternative,” he said. ”I think we will quiet down for a while. We are not going to speak too much. We are not going to raise the issue of corruption. We are not going to speak about landgrabbing. We are not going to talk about the corrupt court system.”
It does not help that the judiciary is not entirely independent, which is why the government wins its court cases, he adds.
This explains why the publisher of ‘Moneaksekar Khmer' tried to resolve his case as he did. Days after being told he would be sued for incitement and disinformation, Dam Sith wrote a grovelling letter of apology to Hun Sen begging forgiveness.
But in Dam Sith's defence, he has seen what happens when the media and the CPP collide. Last year, Dam was jailed for a week for publishing a story that offended the foreign minister. Shortly before the 2008 general election, one of his journalists was shot dead û the tenth to be murdered since 1993. None of those murder cases has been solved, and they are unlikely to be.
In his letter, Dam Sith told the prime minister that he would cease publishing his newspaper if Hun Sen saw to it that the court case was dropped. The government lawyer who filed the case told the English-language ‘Phnom Penh Post' on Jul. 10 that Hun Sen had instructed him to withdraw the complaints against Dam Sith.
The result is that the country's non-CPP media just became even weaker. Licadho's annual media report shows that the CPP effectively controls all eight of the nation's TV stations, most of its radio stations, and by far the majority of the Khmer-language newspapers.
That is because the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen is cracking down on both the opposition-aligned media and politicians from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP).
In June, an editor of a newspaper affiliated with the SRP was jailed for a year for publishing a story the government objected to. The publisher of the newspaper ‘Moneaksekar Khmer', was told this month that he would be sued after publishing a series of articles that the prosecutor said was designed to sow conflict between government ministers.
On the political front, two opposition members of parliament were stripped of their immunity and are being sued. Their lawyer recently quit their cases and the SRP and crossed over to the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) after being told he would be sued.
Two other opposition MPs have been told they could have their immunity taken away too. Two NGOs have also received threats of lawsuits.
There are fears that this South-east Asian country's democracy is under threat as the CPP -- which won more than two-thirds of the seats in the 2008 general election and which controls all the organs of state and the judiciary û moves against dissenters.
”We are being treated like the enemies of the state. It's a crisis in this country,” veteran opposition MP Son Chhay said.
But government spokesman Phay Siphan says the government is simply using the courts to target those people it considers to be spreading disinformation or threatening the country's stability.
”According to the Constitution, everyone has the right to say anything they like,” Phay Siphan said. ”But the Constitution prescribes clearly that (people may not) abuse other people's rights. So the government has to protect that.”
That is cold comfort to local and international observers such as Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders, both of which have issued statements expressing concern about recent events. Human Rights Watch country specialist Sara Colm says recent events are a matter of ”extreme concern”.
”To have all of these different sectors of society effectively silenced is definitely a step backwards for the whole democratic process in Cambodia,” Colm said, adding that the right to express views critical of the government is being eroded. ”It's a very worrying trend in Cambodia to see lawsuits filed and even criminal charges levied against people for simply doing their jobs.”
In the legal action against the media, some noted that the prosecutors are using a law that allows journalists to be jailed for what they write. That is what has happened with Hang Chakra, the editor who in June began a one- year jail term after his newspaper ran a series of articles reporting that a senior government minister's staff had committed corrupt acts.
But the law the government ought to use in such cases is the 1995 Press Law, critics say. Local human rights group Licadho says the Press Law's provisions do not permit the jailing of media professionals found to have breached its provisions. It states that ”no person shall be arrested or subject to criminal charges as a result of expression of opinion”.
So why did the government prosecutor use the older law in the case against Hang Chakra? Phay Siphan says that is a question for the prosecutor, not the government, to answer. But, he says, the information minister has recently said that he does not want to see media workers jailed for what they publish.
To critics, the CPP, which has never been known for being tolerant of criticism, has become even more thin-skinned lately.
”We totally 100 percent accept that criticism,” Phay Siphan insisted. ”But insulting û no. And misleading û no. Freedom of expression is different from insulting and misleading.” He maintains that the government is simply balancing the right of expression against its duty to maintain law and order. It is ”concerned about national security too'”, he added.
At the SRP headquarters, opposition MP Son Chhay believes there are a number of reasons for the government's action against critics. First, the ruling party is worried about the social unrest that the effects of the global economic crisis could spark among younger Cambodians who are hard put finding jobs. Second, he says, there is dissatisfaction within the CPP over what critics call Hun Sen's autocratic style.
Son Chhay says Cambodia risks a reversal in its young democracy. To avoid that, he says donor nations, which pledged more than 950 U.S. million dollars to the Cambodian government this year, should pressure the government into making reforms.
”We don't want to live lives like the North Korean people û we have suffered enough,” he said of the kingdom's traumatic decades of war and the genocidal rule of the Khmer Rouge.
But the government's actions seem to be making many cautious about criticising it, for fear of being sued for disinformation, defamation or incitement. Son Chhay admits that official intimidation has led the opposition to conclude that these are bad times to speak out.
”We have no alternative,” he said. ”I think we will quiet down for a while. We are not going to speak too much. We are not going to raise the issue of corruption. We are not going to speak about landgrabbing. We are not going to talk about the corrupt court system.”
It does not help that the judiciary is not entirely independent, which is why the government wins its court cases, he adds.
This explains why the publisher of ‘Moneaksekar Khmer' tried to resolve his case as he did. Days after being told he would be sued for incitement and disinformation, Dam Sith wrote a grovelling letter of apology to Hun Sen begging forgiveness.
But in Dam Sith's defence, he has seen what happens when the media and the CPP collide. Last year, Dam was jailed for a week for publishing a story that offended the foreign minister. Shortly before the 2008 general election, one of his journalists was shot dead û the tenth to be murdered since 1993. None of those murder cases has been solved, and they are unlikely to be.
In his letter, Dam Sith told the prime minister that he would cease publishing his newspaper if Hun Sen saw to it that the court case was dropped. The government lawyer who filed the case told the English-language ‘Phnom Penh Post' on Jul. 10 that Hun Sen had instructed him to withdraw the complaints against Dam Sith.
The result is that the country's non-CPP media just became even weaker. Licadho's annual media report shows that the CPP effectively controls all eight of the nation's TV stations, most of its radio stations, and by far the majority of the Khmer-language newspapers.
S'pore supports Thai ASEAN chairman's statement on Myanmar
By Bhagman Singh
Channel NewsAsia
15 August 2009
SINGAPORE: Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya is in Singapore for a two-day visit.
In his meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo on Saturday, they discussed regional developments, including the recent trial verdict of Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi.
An MFA statement said Mr Yeo affirmed Singapore's support for the Thai ASEAN chairman's statement on Myanmar, which was released on August 11.
He also expressed Singapore's support for Mr Kasit's proposal for a joint appeal letter from ASEAN foreign ministers to the Myanmar government, asking them to grant Ms Suu Kyi amnesty for the remainder of her sentence and to allow her to decide for herself whether to participate in the General Elections scheduled for 2010.
The ministers touched on bilateral relations as well and reaffirmed the excellent cooperation between the two countries.
Mr Yeo said he is looking forward to welcoming Mr Kasit back to Singapore from October 13 to 14 to co-officiate the opening of the 9th Coordinating Meeting of the Thailand-Singapore Civil Service Exchange Programme (CSEP).
Channel NewsAsia
15 August 2009
SINGAPORE: Thai Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya is in Singapore for a two-day visit.
In his meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo on Saturday, they discussed regional developments, including the recent trial verdict of Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi.
An MFA statement said Mr Yeo affirmed Singapore's support for the Thai ASEAN chairman's statement on Myanmar, which was released on August 11.
He also expressed Singapore's support for Mr Kasit's proposal for a joint appeal letter from ASEAN foreign ministers to the Myanmar government, asking them to grant Ms Suu Kyi amnesty for the remainder of her sentence and to allow her to decide for herself whether to participate in the General Elections scheduled for 2010.
The ministers touched on bilateral relations as well and reaffirmed the excellent cooperation between the two countries.
Mr Yeo said he is looking forward to welcoming Mr Kasit back to Singapore from October 13 to 14 to co-officiate the opening of the 9th Coordinating Meeting of the Thailand-Singapore Civil Service Exchange Programme (CSEP).
5 Asean countries get their act together
Sun, Aug 16, 2009
The Nation/Asia News Network
By ACHARA PONGVUTITHAM,
PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
Major Asean rice-producers Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Burma plan to form an association to create a sustainable system for trading and production.
The plan was unveiled yesterday following Cambodian leader Hun Sen's initiative at the Asean Summit in Cha-am in late February. It focuses on price stabilisation, food security in the region and rice development. It aims for price stability next year.
It comprises the five countries of the Ayeyawady-Chao Praya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (Acmecs) and will set up an Acmecs Rice Traders Association.
Thailand, Laos and Cambodia have agreed in principle and plan talks with Cambodia and Burma during the Asean Economic Ministers Meeting, which ends today.
For some years Thailand and Vietnam have cooperated to curb price-cutting in the export market through data exchange.
A Thai source close to the negotiations said they solved Thailand's major problem on circumvention by neighbouring countries, diluted price-cutting in the region and stabilised prices.
"It will create a supply chain in the region which will strengthen bargaining power in the world market," the source said.
Chaiya Yimvilai, adviser to the commerce minister, said yesterday that Laos proposed Thailand and Vietnam draw up the plan.
Thailand and Vietnam are white-rice producers while Laos focuses on sticky rice.
Laos has approached Thailand as a partner in a joint venture with Kuwait to grow rice in Laos.
The Lao government has allocated 200,000 hectares.
Laos has 2 million hectares set aside for rice, but only 900,000 are actually under the crop.
Meanwhile, the Asean-Australia and New Zealand Free Trade Agreement comes into force on January 1.
Australia and New Zealand are important trade partners of Asean, with bilateral trade in 2008 valued at US$67.2 billion (Bt2.3 trillion). They were the seventh largest export market of Asean.
Asean exports to Australia and New Zealand reached nearly $44 billion last year. Major goods were fuel, machinery, automobiles, gold and electrical appliances.
Chaiya added that Thailand and Australia would increase trade in services under the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement. Australia wants to see more business-to-business trade.
Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean said the Asean-Australia and New Zealand Closer Economic Relations (CER) pact would benefit trade and investment growth during the global economic downturn.
"The pact will not only open market access between the two regions but also capacity-building and integration among us," he said, and though technical details remained to be worked out, it should be implemented on schedule early next year.
Crean also strongly supported Asean's bilateral pacts with six trading partners forming the Asean+6 group.
Asean and its partners must create a framework for East Asian integration, he said.
The Nation/Asia News Network
By ACHARA PONGVUTITHAM,
PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
Major Asean rice-producers Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Burma plan to form an association to create a sustainable system for trading and production.
The plan was unveiled yesterday following Cambodian leader Hun Sen's initiative at the Asean Summit in Cha-am in late February. It focuses on price stabilisation, food security in the region and rice development. It aims for price stability next year.
It comprises the five countries of the Ayeyawady-Chao Praya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (Acmecs) and will set up an Acmecs Rice Traders Association.
Thailand, Laos and Cambodia have agreed in principle and plan talks with Cambodia and Burma during the Asean Economic Ministers Meeting, which ends today.
For some years Thailand and Vietnam have cooperated to curb price-cutting in the export market through data exchange.
A Thai source close to the negotiations said they solved Thailand's major problem on circumvention by neighbouring countries, diluted price-cutting in the region and stabilised prices.
"It will create a supply chain in the region which will strengthen bargaining power in the world market," the source said.
Chaiya Yimvilai, adviser to the commerce minister, said yesterday that Laos proposed Thailand and Vietnam draw up the plan.
Thailand and Vietnam are white-rice producers while Laos focuses on sticky rice.
Laos has approached Thailand as a partner in a joint venture with Kuwait to grow rice in Laos.
The Lao government has allocated 200,000 hectares.
Laos has 2 million hectares set aside for rice, but only 900,000 are actually under the crop.
Meanwhile, the Asean-Australia and New Zealand Free Trade Agreement comes into force on January 1.
Australia and New Zealand are important trade partners of Asean, with bilateral trade in 2008 valued at US$67.2 billion (Bt2.3 trillion). They were the seventh largest export market of Asean.
Asean exports to Australia and New Zealand reached nearly $44 billion last year. Major goods were fuel, machinery, automobiles, gold and electrical appliances.
Chaiya added that Thailand and Australia would increase trade in services under the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement. Australia wants to see more business-to-business trade.
Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean said the Asean-Australia and New Zealand Closer Economic Relations (CER) pact would benefit trade and investment growth during the global economic downturn.
"The pact will not only open market access between the two regions but also capacity-building and integration among us," he said, and though technical details remained to be worked out, it should be implemented on schedule early next year.
Crean also strongly supported Asean's bilateral pacts with six trading partners forming the Asean+6 group.
Asean and its partners must create a framework for East Asian integration, he said.
Civil Society Said that Courts in Cambodia Sentence Poor People without Defense Lawyers – Saturday, 15.8.2009
Posted on 16 August 2009
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 625
http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 625
http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/
“Non-government organizations in Cambodia said that some courts at some provinces and cities hear some poor people or [suspected] criminals without lawyers. This problem was mentioned in a foreign radio program aired in Khmer on this Thursday.
“Recent reports of human rights organizations and people with professions in the field of law said that some courts in Cambodia hear suspects with criminal accusations without defense lawyers, which leads to violations of the law and of human rights.
“The head of the investigations section of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), Mr. Oum Sam Ath, said that there are two kinds of suspects who need defense lawyers: first, underage suspects, and second, criminal suspects. He said, ‘Regarding lawyers for the first type, if a court asks the Bar Association to appoint a lawyer to defend a defendant, and there is no lawyer nominated, the courts think they lack lawyers; as for the other case, it is that the courts thinks that the defendants do not have money, and there is lack of lawyers anyway; this is the courts ’mistake.’
“He added that by law, when investigations are conducted on underage suspects or on criminal suspects, it is required to have defense lawyers for them, and not just during the hearings only. Mr. Oum Sam Ath emphasized that questioning or hearing these suspects without their defense lawyers is against the law, and it cannot provide justice to those suspects.
“An investigating official of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, Mr. Chhim Savuth, said that it happened that criminal suspects had no defense lawyers, because most suspects do not know the law, and do not appeal or ask the court to find a defense lawyer for them; some contact non-government organizations for defense lawyers.
“The director of the Cambodian Defenders’ Project, Mr. Sok Sam Oeun, said that at present the government does not provide defense lawyers for the poor. Poor suspects, who can afford to find lawyers, are helped by the Cambodian Bar Association and by lawyers of non-government organizations. He added that the problem of having no defense lawyer for some criminal suspects does not result from a lack of lawyers, because there are about 600 lawyers in Cambodia. Besides, there are 29 lawyers at his organizations and lawyers from other non-government organizations that work to defend suspects. But the major problem is that these lawyers do not have money to go to conduct investigations as the government does not provide them money.
“He said, ‘Those working privately do not have money. Therefore, how can they help, while in our legal system the government does not think about defense lawyers for the poor? The state leaves this task to the Bar Association, which is also a private group.’
“Mr. Sok Sam Oeun added, ‘In Cambodia, the respect for citizens’ rights does not comply with international standards, and we should conform to international standards to solve these problems.’
“One of ten criminal suspects in Borei Cholsar, Takeo, Yeu El, said that he and other suspects were accused of vandalism on 16 July 2009, but the court heard them without lawyers, as they did not have money to hire them. During the hearing, the judge did not allow them to speak about the reasons why the plaintiff sued them. After the hearing, the Takeo Municipal Court sentenced each of them to serve one year in prison, and ordered them to pay Riel 1 million [approx. US$250] in compensation to the plaintiff.
“The judge of the Takeo Municipal Court, Mr. Cheng Bunly, said, like Mr. Sok Sam Oeun, that the courts do not have money to hire private lawyers to defend suspects; there are only lawyers from non-government organizations. Lacking money, the court finds it difficult to go out to conduct investigations.
“A court monitor of the Center for Social Development, Mr. Sem Sopha, said that according to his observations of nine courts in Cambodia, in 2008, there were 4,155 suspects in total, where 2,077 had defense lawyers, and among them, 1,552 were criminal suspects, while 270 criminal suspects did not have defense lawyers. This is the problematic situation of the court systems at present.
“A Sam Rainsy Party Parliamentarian, Mr. Son Chhay, said that funds that the National Assembly allocated for the Ministry of Justice are smaller than the funds for some other ministries, such as for the Ministry of Defense, for the Council of Ministers, and for the Ministry of Interior. He added that this creates the problems in the administration of the courts, and also, even though the judges and the prosecutors have fairly high salaries, there is still corruption in the court system.”
Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.3, #469, 15.8.2009
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Saturday, 15 August 2009
Event brings together all things Cambodian
JOYCE CHEN; The News Tribune
Published: 08/16/09
Cambodians from across the Puget Sound mingled with community leaders Saturday in Tacoma at the first statewide Khmer conference.
Highlights of the all-day conference included bilingual presentations on social services, women’s health, immigration and deportation processes, and several traditional dance performances. Among the guest speakers were Sen. Rosa Franklin, D-Tacoma.
Booths promoted everything from education programs to church groups, with tables covered with gold jewelry, ceremonial masks and cowhide-bound Bibles.
Cambodian Women’s Networking Association President Sok-Khieng Lim said that the conference arose from a need to “re-educate each other about Cambodian culture, religion and history.”
Tacoma was chosen as the host city because of the South Sound’s sizeable Cambodian population.
Lim said that one of the aims of the event was to bridge the gap between older and younger generations.
“Cambodian people are very religious, and the elders were concerned that the younger people didn’t understand,” Lim said.
More than 90 percent of Cambodians practice Theravada Buddhism, the state religion in Cambodia since the 1300s.
About 200 people attended the conference at La Quinta Inns and Suites hotel. Organizer Hak-Ry O’Neal said she was pleased by the cross-section of community members who attended.
“It’s wonderful to see people joining us from Oregon and California,” she said.
For those who couldn’t make the drive, the proceedings were broadcast live on the Internet.
Kayomi Wada of Federal Way said her favorite part of the conference was a public service panel discussing Asian Pacific Islander coalitions.
“I thought it was exciting to see so much programming on Khmer history and culture,” she said. She added that she particularly enjoyed the cultural dances.
Monthy Chea of Issaquah hoped that the conference would motivate younger Cambodians to get in touch with their roots.
Chea added that the event inspired her to teach her 11-year-old daughter more of the Cambodian language.
“I’ve been here 34 years, and there was a point growing up when I didn’t want to associate with being Cambodian,” she said. “When I got older, I started valuing the culture.”
Joyce Chen: 253-597-8426
joyce.chen@thenewstribune.com
Published: 08/16/09
Cambodians from across the Puget Sound mingled with community leaders Saturday in Tacoma at the first statewide Khmer conference.
Highlights of the all-day conference included bilingual presentations on social services, women’s health, immigration and deportation processes, and several traditional dance performances. Among the guest speakers were Sen. Rosa Franklin, D-Tacoma.
Booths promoted everything from education programs to church groups, with tables covered with gold jewelry, ceremonial masks and cowhide-bound Bibles.
Cambodian Women’s Networking Association President Sok-Khieng Lim said that the conference arose from a need to “re-educate each other about Cambodian culture, religion and history.”
Tacoma was chosen as the host city because of the South Sound’s sizeable Cambodian population.
Lim said that one of the aims of the event was to bridge the gap between older and younger generations.
“Cambodian people are very religious, and the elders were concerned that the younger people didn’t understand,” Lim said.
More than 90 percent of Cambodians practice Theravada Buddhism, the state religion in Cambodia since the 1300s.
About 200 people attended the conference at La Quinta Inns and Suites hotel. Organizer Hak-Ry O’Neal said she was pleased by the cross-section of community members who attended.
“It’s wonderful to see people joining us from Oregon and California,” she said.
For those who couldn’t make the drive, the proceedings were broadcast live on the Internet.
Kayomi Wada of Federal Way said her favorite part of the conference was a public service panel discussing Asian Pacific Islander coalitions.
“I thought it was exciting to see so much programming on Khmer history and culture,” she said. She added that she particularly enjoyed the cultural dances.
Monthy Chea of Issaquah hoped that the conference would motivate younger Cambodians to get in touch with their roots.
Chea added that the event inspired her to teach her 11-year-old daughter more of the Cambodian language.
“I’ve been here 34 years, and there was a point growing up when I didn’t want to associate with being Cambodian,” she said. “When I got older, I started valuing the culture.”
Joyce Chen: 253-597-8426
joyce.chen@thenewstribune.com
Vietnam, Cambodia sign US$400mln economic deals
VOV News
http://english.vovnews.vn
http://english.vovnews.vn
08/16/2009
Vietnamese and Cambodian businesses signed economic and investment deals worth more than US$400 during their talks in Phnom Penh on August 14.
The conference brought together officials from Cambodian ministries, sectors and localities, and leaders of 20 Vietnamese groups and corporations investing in Cambodia. It was jointly held by the Council for Development of Cambodia (CDC) and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV).
CDC Secretary General Sok Chenda vowed that the Cambodian Government will create the best possible conditions for Vietnamese businesses to operate efficiently in the country. He stressed the need to boost the two countries’ economic cooperation on a par with their political ties and the time-honoured friendship.
Vietnamese businesses have increased their investment in Cambodia in recent years, with their total investment in the first half of this year rising 80 percent from a year earlier.
Typhoon Morakot slams China, Taiwan
Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou addresses reporters in July 2009. Ma bowed to public anger on Saturday, apologising for his government's slow response to Typhoon Morakot, which devastated central and southern parts of the island.(AFP/File/Patrick Lin)
Graphic with close-up map of the region in Taiwan where more than 50,000 troops have been deployed to reach those trapped by deadly mudslides triggered by Typhoon Morakot. Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou bowed to public anger Saturday, apologising for his government's slow response to the typhoon, which devastated central and southern parts of the island.(AFP/Graphic)
An aerial view of a mudslide-hit area in Namsha in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan. Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou bowed to public anger Saturday, apologising for his government's slow response to Typhoon Morakot, which devastated central and southern parts of the island.(AFP/Pool/CNA)
This image released by the Taiwan Military News Agency shows an extensive area of mudslide in the village of Alishan, central Taiwan, where Typhoon Morakot hit, on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009. The storm destroyed the homes of 7,000 people and caused agricultural and property damage in excess of 50 billion New Taiwan dollars ($1.5 billion), according to government estimates. (AP Photo/ Taiwan Military News Agency)
Soldiers carry the body of a flood victim in the mudslide affected village of Sinkai following Typhoon Morakot in Kaohsiung county, southern Taiwan August 15, 2009. Taiwan leaders, already under fire over the response to a typhoon that likely killed hundreds, have accepted foreign aid after earlier refusing the offers, officials said on Saturday, as President Ma Ying-jeou apologised. REUTERS/Stringer
Soldiers carry the body of a flood victim in the mudslide affected village of Sinkai following Typhoon Morakot in Kaohsiung county, southern Taiwan August 15, 2009. Taiwan leaders, already under fire over the response to a typhoon that likely killed hundreds, have accepted foreign aid after earlier refusing the offers, officials said on Saturday, as President Ma Ying-jeou apologised. REUTERS/Stringer
A resident carrying foods and toilet paper walks on the way back to his home in the landslide-affected village in the mountains of Maulin Township following Typhoon Morakot in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan August 15, 2009. REUTERS/Stringer
A resident helps his wife climb on to a rock on their way back to their home in the landslide-affected village in the mountains of Maulin Township following Typhoon Morakot in Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan August 15, 2009. REUTERS/Stringer
A handout photograph from the Taiwan Military News Agency shows soldiers carrying dead chickens at a chicken farm in Shuejia, following typhoon Morakot in Tainan County, southern Taiwan August 15, 2009. REUTERS/Taiwan Military News Agency/Handout
A team of soldiers carry supply goods for victims and children walk out of the flooded village of Maolin, southern Taiwan, following Typhoon Morakot, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009. The storm destroyed the homes of 7,000 people and caused agricultural and property damage in excess of 50 billion New Taiwan dollars ($1.5 billion), according to government estimates.(AP Photo)
A team of soldiers carry supply goodss for victims to the the flooded village of Maolin, southern Taiwan, following Typhoon Morakot, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009. The storm destroyed the homes of 7,000 people and caused agricultural and property damage in excess of 50 billion New Taiwan dollars ($1.5 billion), according to government estimates. (AP Photo)
Taiwanese people carry water pipes and supply goods for victims to the flooded village of Maolin, southern Taiwan, following Typhoon Morakot, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009. The storm destroyed the homes of 7,000 people and caused agricultural and property damage in excess of 50 billion New Taiwan dollars ($1.5 billion), according to government estimates. (AP Photo)
People cross a makeshift bridge over raging floodwaters in Hsinfa village, Luikuei Township, in Kaohsiung county, southern Taiwan. Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou bowed to public anger Saturday, apologising for his government's slow response to Typhoon Morakot, which devastated central and southern parts of the island. (AFP/Peter Parks)
A picture shows a section of a bridge that was destroyed by floodwaters brought by Typhoon Morakot in Lui Kuei Township in Kaohsiung county in southern Taiwan. Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou bowed to public anger Saturday, apologising for his government's slow response to Typhoon Morakot, which devastated central and southern parts of the island.(AFP/Peter Parks)Burma: Suu Kyi to appeal 18-month sentence, lawyer says
Burma's pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will appeal the ruling junta's decision to convict her for breaking the terms of her house arrest. US national John Yettaw, who swam to her house, will also lodge an appeal.
China seeks closer trade ties with Asean
http://www.gulfnews.com/
Bloomberg
Published: August 15, 2009, 22:30
Beijing: China wants to boost cooperation with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to develop trade and increase investment, said Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming.
China and the regional grouping are deepening ties as the global economic recession weighs on trade, Chen said at an Asean economic ministers meeting in Bangkok.
They signed an agreement Friday in Bangkok that may boost two-way investment as much as 60 per cent during the next two years, Thailand's Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai told reporters. The agreement gives the signatories "most-favoured nation" status for investments, according to a statement by China's Commerce Ministry on its website. Chen spoke before the signing.
"This is a recognition that regional countries will represent an increasing share of the global economy," said David Cohen, an economist at Action Economics in Singapore. "It makes sense that nations explore investment opportunities and support expansion in investment flows."
China said in April it plans to create a $10 billion (Dh36.7 billion) investment fund and offer $15 billion in credit to southeast Asian countries, extending its influence as the region attempts to weather the global financial crisis.
The agreement sends an "important signal" that China and Asean are willing to work together to promote free trade and investment and oppose protectionism, the statement by China's Commerce Ministry said. Trade between China and the regional grouping fell 24 percent to $88 billion in the first half of the year, Chen said.
China is the eighth-largest investor in Asean, with accumulated investments of $6.1 billion as of 2008, the regional grouping said in a statement. Asean has invested a total of about $5.6 billion in China as of last year, the statement added.
China companies may seek investments in the steel and agriculture industries within Southeast Asia, while Asean nations may invest in Chinese financial and retail companies, Chaiya Yimvilai, a spokesman for the Asean meeting, said.
Asean has said it wants the region to become a European Union-style econ-omic community, without a common currency, by 2015. Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam make up the regional organisation. Asean last week signed a free trade agreement with India, pledging to reduce tariffs for about 80 per cent of goods between 2013 and 2016.
Bloomberg
Published: August 15, 2009, 22:30
Beijing: China wants to boost cooperation with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to develop trade and increase investment, said Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming.
China and the regional grouping are deepening ties as the global economic recession weighs on trade, Chen said at an Asean economic ministers meeting in Bangkok.
They signed an agreement Friday in Bangkok that may boost two-way investment as much as 60 per cent during the next two years, Thailand's Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai told reporters. The agreement gives the signatories "most-favoured nation" status for investments, according to a statement by China's Commerce Ministry on its website. Chen spoke before the signing.
"This is a recognition that regional countries will represent an increasing share of the global economy," said David Cohen, an economist at Action Economics in Singapore. "It makes sense that nations explore investment opportunities and support expansion in investment flows."
China said in April it plans to create a $10 billion (Dh36.7 billion) investment fund and offer $15 billion in credit to southeast Asian countries, extending its influence as the region attempts to weather the global financial crisis.
The agreement sends an "important signal" that China and Asean are willing to work together to promote free trade and investment and oppose protectionism, the statement by China's Commerce Ministry said. Trade between China and the regional grouping fell 24 percent to $88 billion in the first half of the year, Chen said.
China is the eighth-largest investor in Asean, with accumulated investments of $6.1 billion as of 2008, the regional grouping said in a statement. Asean has invested a total of about $5.6 billion in China as of last year, the statement added.
China companies may seek investments in the steel and agriculture industries within Southeast Asia, while Asean nations may invest in Chinese financial and retail companies, Chaiya Yimvilai, a spokesman for the Asean meeting, said.
Asean has said it wants the region to become a European Union-style econ-omic community, without a common currency, by 2015. Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam make up the regional organisation. Asean last week signed a free trade agreement with India, pledging to reduce tariffs for about 80 per cent of goods between 2013 and 2016.
5 Asean countries get their act together
By ACHARA PONGVUTITHAM,
PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION ON SUNDAY
Published on August 16, 2009
Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Burma seek system
Major Asean rice-producers Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Burma plan to form an association to create a sustainable system for trading and production.
The plan was unveiled yesterday following Cambodian leader Hun Sen's initiative at the Asean Summit in Cha-am in late February. It focuses on price stabilisation, food security in the region and rice development. It aims for price stability next year.
It comprises the five countries of the Ayeyawady-Chao Praya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (Acmecs) and will set up an Acmecs Rice Traders Association.
Thailand, Laos and Cambodia have agreed in principle and plan talks with Cambodia and Burma during the Asean Economic Ministers Meeting, which ends today.
For some years Thailand and Vietnam have cooperated to curb price-cutting in the export market through data exchange.
A Thai source close to the negotiations said they solved Thailand's major problem on circumvention by neighbouring countries, diluted price-cutting in the region and stabilised prices.
"It will create a supply chain in the region which will strengthen bargaining power in the world market," the source said.
Chaiya Yimvilai, adviser to the commerce minister, said yesterday that Laos proposed Thailand and Vietnam draw up the plan.
Thailand and Vietnam are white-rice producers while Laos focuses on sticky rice.
Laos has approached Thailand as a partner in a joint venture with Kuwait to grow rice in Laos.
The Lao government has allocated 200,000 hectares.
Laos has 2 million hectares set aside for rice, but only 900,000 are actually under the crop.
Meanwhile, the Asean-Australia and New Zealand Free Trade Agreement comes into force on January 1.
Australia and New Zealand are important trade partners of Asean, with bilateral trade in 2008 valued at US$67.2 billion (Bt2.3 trillion). They were the seventh largest export market of Asean.
Asean exports to Australia and New Zealand reached nearly $44 billion last year. Major goods were fuel, machinery, automobiles, gold and electrical appliances.
Chaiya added that Thailand and Australia would increase trade in services under the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement. Australia wants to see more business-to-business trade.
Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean said the Asean-Australia and New Zealand Closer Economic Relations (CER) pact would benefit trade and investment growth during the global economic downturn.
"The pact will not only open market access between the two regions but also capacity-building and integration among us," he said, and though technical details remained to be worked out, it should be implemented on schedule early next year.
Crean also strongly supported Asean's bilateral pacts with six trading partners forming the Asean+6 group.
Asean and its partners must create a framework for East Asian integration, he said.
PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION ON SUNDAY
Published on August 16, 2009
Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Burma seek system
Major Asean rice-producers Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Burma plan to form an association to create a sustainable system for trading and production.
The plan was unveiled yesterday following Cambodian leader Hun Sen's initiative at the Asean Summit in Cha-am in late February. It focuses on price stabilisation, food security in the region and rice development. It aims for price stability next year.
It comprises the five countries of the Ayeyawady-Chao Praya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (Acmecs) and will set up an Acmecs Rice Traders Association.
Thailand, Laos and Cambodia have agreed in principle and plan talks with Cambodia and Burma during the Asean Economic Ministers Meeting, which ends today.
For some years Thailand and Vietnam have cooperated to curb price-cutting in the export market through data exchange.
A Thai source close to the negotiations said they solved Thailand's major problem on circumvention by neighbouring countries, diluted price-cutting in the region and stabilised prices.
"It will create a supply chain in the region which will strengthen bargaining power in the world market," the source said.
Chaiya Yimvilai, adviser to the commerce minister, said yesterday that Laos proposed Thailand and Vietnam draw up the plan.
Thailand and Vietnam are white-rice producers while Laos focuses on sticky rice.
Laos has approached Thailand as a partner in a joint venture with Kuwait to grow rice in Laos.
The Lao government has allocated 200,000 hectares.
Laos has 2 million hectares set aside for rice, but only 900,000 are actually under the crop.
Meanwhile, the Asean-Australia and New Zealand Free Trade Agreement comes into force on January 1.
Australia and New Zealand are important trade partners of Asean, with bilateral trade in 2008 valued at US$67.2 billion (Bt2.3 trillion). They were the seventh largest export market of Asean.
Asean exports to Australia and New Zealand reached nearly $44 billion last year. Major goods were fuel, machinery, automobiles, gold and electrical appliances.
Chaiya added that Thailand and Australia would increase trade in services under the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement. Australia wants to see more business-to-business trade.
Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean said the Asean-Australia and New Zealand Closer Economic Relations (CER) pact would benefit trade and investment growth during the global economic downturn.
"The pact will not only open market access between the two regions but also capacity-building and integration among us," he said, and though technical details remained to be worked out, it should be implemented on schedule early next year.
Crean also strongly supported Asean's bilateral pacts with six trading partners forming the Asean+6 group.
Asean and its partners must create a framework for East Asian integration, he said.
Senator meets Suu Kyi, wins American's release
A combination photo received from the Myanmar News Agency in May shows US citizen John Yettaw (right) and pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi. US Senator Jim Webb will fly out of Myanmar on Sunday with Yettaw, an American convicted to seven years imprisonment for swimming uninvited to Suu Kyi's lakeside home, after securing his release from the military regime, Webb's office said. (AFP/File)
A video grab shows U.S. Senator Jim Webb meeting with Myanmar's top military leader Than Shwe (L) in Naypyidaw August 15, 2009. Webb met Than Shwe at the country's remote new capital of Naypyidaw on the second day of his visit and later talked with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for about 45 minutes at a guest house arranged by government officials in Yangon. Webb's office later released a statement saying American John Yettaw, who was sentenced to seven years hard labor by Myanmar's military government, would be released. REUTERS/MRTV via Reuters TV
A video grab shows U.S. Senator Jim Webb meeting with Myanmar's top military leader Than Shwe (R) in Naypyidaw August 15, 2009. Webb met Than Shwe at the country's remote new capital of Naypyidaw on the second day of his visit and later talked with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for about 45 minutes at a guest house arranged by government officials in Yangon. Webb's office later released a statement saying American John Yettaw, who was sentenced to seven years hard labor by Myanmar's military government, would be released. REUTERS/MRTV via Reuters TV
A video grab shows U.S. Senator Jim Webb meeting with Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi August 15, 2009. REUTERS/MRTV via Reuters TV
A video grab shows U.S. Senator Jim Webb (obscured R) meeting with Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi (C) August 15, 2009. Webb met Myanmar's top military leader Than Shwe at the country's remote new capital of Naypyidaw on the second day of his visit and later talked with Suu Kyi for about 45 minutes at a guest house arranged by government officials in Yangon. Webb's office later released a statement saying American John Yettaw, who was sentenced to seven years hard labor by Myanmar's military government, would be released. REUTERS/MRTV via Reuters TV
In this image released by the office of U.S. Senator Jim Webb shows Webb meeting with Myanmar's detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon Saturday Aug. 15, 2009. Webb won the release Saturday of an American prisoner John Yettaw convicted in Myanmar and sentenced to seven years in prison for swimming secretly to the residence of detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the senator's office said.(AP Photo/Office of Senator Jim Webb)
U.S. Senator Jim Webb (L) meets with Myanmar's top military leader Than Shwe in Naypyidaw August 15, 2009. Webb met Than Shwe at the country's remote new capital of Naypyidaw on the second day of his visit and later talked with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for about 45 minutes at a guest house arranged by government officials in Yangon. Webb's office later released a statement saying American John Yettaw, who was sentenced to seven years hard labor by Myanmar's military government, would be released. REUTERS/Office of Senator Jim Webb/Handout
In this image released by the office of U.S. Senator Jim Webb shows Webb meeting with Myanmar's detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Yangon Saturday Aug. 15, 2009. Webb won the release Saturday of an American prisoner John Yettaw convicted in Myanmar and sentenced to seven years in prison for swimming secretly to the residence of detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the senator's office said.(AP Photo/Office of Senator Jim Webb)
YANGON, Myanmar – Stung by international outrage over the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's ruling generals agreed Saturday to hand an American prisoner involved in her case to a visiting U.S. senator.
Sen. Jim Webb was also granted an unprecedented meeting with the junta chief, and was allowed to hold talks with Suu Kyi, the first foreign official permitted to see the Nobel laureate since she was sentenced to 18 more months of house arrest on Tuesday.
American John Yettaw, who was sentenced to seven years of hard labor for swimming uninvited to Suu Kyi's lakeside house in Yangon, will be deported on Sunday, Webb said in a statement from his Washington office.
The impending deportation indicates "good relations between the two countries and hope (that) these will grow," Yettaw's lawyer Khin Maoung Oo said. Webb echoed the sentiment.
"It is my hope that we can take advantage of these gestures as a way to begin laying a foundation of goodwill and confidence-building in the future," Webb said in the statement.
Suu Kyi has been detained for 14 of the past 20 years, and a global groundswell of international pressure to release the 64-year-old opposition leader has kept the impoverished military-ruled country under sanctions in recent years.
While Washington has traditionally been Myanmar's strongest critic, applying political and economic sanctions against the junta, President Barack Obama's new ambassador for East Asia, Kurt Campbell, recently said the administration is interested in easing its policy of isolation.
The regime has shown no sign it will release Suu Kyi before next year's general elections, which critics say will perpetuate the military's decades-old rule, but Webb's visit appeared to show the junta is sensitive to international censure.
"If the Americans can get the generals to see that their country's interest is reflected in taking interest in reconciliation, releasing Aun Sun Kyi and holding free and fair elections, that would be very helpful," said John Sawyers, Britain's ambassador to the United Nations.
"It's important to have some measure of engagement as well as real pressure on the regime," he told BBC Radio 4.
Michael Hammer, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, said officials in Washington had seen reports about Webb's trip and were "keeping up with the developments, including the impending release of American citizen John Yettaw."
Suu Kyi was driven from her residence to a nearby government guest house in Yangon for her 40-minute meeting with Webb. She was later driven back to her rundown, lakeside home.
Webb described his talk with the democracy icon as "an opportunity ... to convey my deep respect to Aung San Suu Kyi for the sacrifices she has made on behalf of democracy around the world."
Earlier Saturday, Webb held talks with junta chief Senior Gen. Than Shwe, the reclusive military council chief who had never met a senior U.S. official.
Webb may have been given the green light for the meetings to mitigate the torrent of international criticism against Myanmar following her trial. In July, authorities barred U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon from meeting with Suu Kyi during a two-day visit.
"I think we have seen the worst of military behavior and that it seems to me that the rulers may have sent some important signals," said Josef Silverstein, a professor emeritus at Rutgers University who has studied Myanmar since the 1950s.
"Having spoken and no one, neither in China nor Russia, have applauded, it seems to be that the soldier-rulers have started to backtrack," he said, referring to Myanmar's two key allies who have also called for Suu Kyi's release through a U.N. Security Council resolution.
Webb arrived in Myanmar's capital, Naypyitaw, on Friday, just days after the world condemned the ruling generals for convicting Suu Kyi of violating the terms of her house arrest by allowing Yettaw to stay at her home for two days.
Activists have complained that the visit — the first by a member of the U.S. Congress in more than a decade — conferred legitimacy on a brutal regime, but the Obama administration gave the Virginia Democrat its blessing.
Webb, a highly decorated Vietnam War veteran, is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee.
In a letter to Webb, dissident groups warned the junta would use the senator's trip for its own ends.
"We are concerned that the military regime will manipulate and exploit your visit and propagandize that you endorse their treatment on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and over 2,100 political prisoners, their human rights abuses on the people of Burma, and their systematic, widespread and ongoing attack against the ethnic minorities," the letter said. Daw is a term of respect for older women in Myanmar.
Reflecting a similar wariness, a spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy said the party "has no interest in Jim Webb because he is not known to have any interest in Myanmar affairs." He did not elaborate.
State TV has heralded Webb's arrival, featuring his meetings with the country's leaders in Saturday's broadcasts.
Yettaw, who is to fly out with Webb on a military aircraft bound for Bangkok on Sunday, was being held at Insein prison, notorious for torture of political prisoners and ordinary criminals. Yettaw's lawyer said his client, who suffers from epileptic seizures and other ailments, had been well treated.
At Suu Kyi's trial, Yettaw of Falcon, Missouri, testified that he swam to Suu Kyi's home to warn her after he had a vision that she would be assassinated. He was convicted of helping Suu Kyi to violate the terms of her house arrest.
Some of Suu Kyi's supporters have referred to the 53-year-old Yettaw as a "fool," but his lawyer, Khin Maoung Oo, described him as "a compassionate, considerate and loving person" who had hoped to save Suu Kyi's life.
"If it's true, of course I'm extremely happy and we're ecstatic," Betty Yettaw told The Associated Press, referring to reports that her husband would be freed. When reached by phone Saturday morning, she said she had yet to receive any official notice.
___
Associated Press writers Foster Klug in Washington, Greg Katz in London, and Chris Clark in Kansas City, Missouri contributed to this report.
Sen. Jim Webb was also granted an unprecedented meeting with the junta chief, and was allowed to hold talks with Suu Kyi, the first foreign official permitted to see the Nobel laureate since she was sentenced to 18 more months of house arrest on Tuesday.
American John Yettaw, who was sentenced to seven years of hard labor for swimming uninvited to Suu Kyi's lakeside house in Yangon, will be deported on Sunday, Webb said in a statement from his Washington office.
The impending deportation indicates "good relations between the two countries and hope (that) these will grow," Yettaw's lawyer Khin Maoung Oo said. Webb echoed the sentiment.
"It is my hope that we can take advantage of these gestures as a way to begin laying a foundation of goodwill and confidence-building in the future," Webb said in the statement.
Suu Kyi has been detained for 14 of the past 20 years, and a global groundswell of international pressure to release the 64-year-old opposition leader has kept the impoverished military-ruled country under sanctions in recent years.
While Washington has traditionally been Myanmar's strongest critic, applying political and economic sanctions against the junta, President Barack Obama's new ambassador for East Asia, Kurt Campbell, recently said the administration is interested in easing its policy of isolation.
The regime has shown no sign it will release Suu Kyi before next year's general elections, which critics say will perpetuate the military's decades-old rule, but Webb's visit appeared to show the junta is sensitive to international censure.
"If the Americans can get the generals to see that their country's interest is reflected in taking interest in reconciliation, releasing Aun Sun Kyi and holding free and fair elections, that would be very helpful," said John Sawyers, Britain's ambassador to the United Nations.
"It's important to have some measure of engagement as well as real pressure on the regime," he told BBC Radio 4.
Michael Hammer, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, said officials in Washington had seen reports about Webb's trip and were "keeping up with the developments, including the impending release of American citizen John Yettaw."
Suu Kyi was driven from her residence to a nearby government guest house in Yangon for her 40-minute meeting with Webb. She was later driven back to her rundown, lakeside home.
Webb described his talk with the democracy icon as "an opportunity ... to convey my deep respect to Aung San Suu Kyi for the sacrifices she has made on behalf of democracy around the world."
Earlier Saturday, Webb held talks with junta chief Senior Gen. Than Shwe, the reclusive military council chief who had never met a senior U.S. official.
Webb may have been given the green light for the meetings to mitigate the torrent of international criticism against Myanmar following her trial. In July, authorities barred U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon from meeting with Suu Kyi during a two-day visit.
"I think we have seen the worst of military behavior and that it seems to me that the rulers may have sent some important signals," said Josef Silverstein, a professor emeritus at Rutgers University who has studied Myanmar since the 1950s.
"Having spoken and no one, neither in China nor Russia, have applauded, it seems to be that the soldier-rulers have started to backtrack," he said, referring to Myanmar's two key allies who have also called for Suu Kyi's release through a U.N. Security Council resolution.
Webb arrived in Myanmar's capital, Naypyitaw, on Friday, just days after the world condemned the ruling generals for convicting Suu Kyi of violating the terms of her house arrest by allowing Yettaw to stay at her home for two days.
Activists have complained that the visit — the first by a member of the U.S. Congress in more than a decade — conferred legitimacy on a brutal regime, but the Obama administration gave the Virginia Democrat its blessing.
Webb, a highly decorated Vietnam War veteran, is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee.
In a letter to Webb, dissident groups warned the junta would use the senator's trip for its own ends.
"We are concerned that the military regime will manipulate and exploit your visit and propagandize that you endorse their treatment on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and over 2,100 political prisoners, their human rights abuses on the people of Burma, and their systematic, widespread and ongoing attack against the ethnic minorities," the letter said. Daw is a term of respect for older women in Myanmar.
Reflecting a similar wariness, a spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy said the party "has no interest in Jim Webb because he is not known to have any interest in Myanmar affairs." He did not elaborate.
State TV has heralded Webb's arrival, featuring his meetings with the country's leaders in Saturday's broadcasts.
Yettaw, who is to fly out with Webb on a military aircraft bound for Bangkok on Sunday, was being held at Insein prison, notorious for torture of political prisoners and ordinary criminals. Yettaw's lawyer said his client, who suffers from epileptic seizures and other ailments, had been well treated.
At Suu Kyi's trial, Yettaw of Falcon, Missouri, testified that he swam to Suu Kyi's home to warn her after he had a vision that she would be assassinated. He was convicted of helping Suu Kyi to violate the terms of her house arrest.
Some of Suu Kyi's supporters have referred to the 53-year-old Yettaw as a "fool," but his lawyer, Khin Maoung Oo, described him as "a compassionate, considerate and loving person" who had hoped to save Suu Kyi's life.
"If it's true, of course I'm extremely happy and we're ecstatic," Betty Yettaw told The Associated Press, referring to reports that her husband would be freed. When reached by phone Saturday morning, she said she had yet to receive any official notice.
___
Associated Press writers Foster Klug in Washington, Greg Katz in London, and Chris Clark in Kansas City, Missouri contributed to this report.
Thailand sounds out ASEAN on Suu Kyi pardon
A Myanmar pro-democracy activist holds a portrait of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest in New Delhi (Reuters)BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand said on Friday it was asking neighbouring Asian states to support a request to Myanmar's junta to pardon opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, back under house arrest after a court conviction this week.
A Myanmar court sentenced the 64-year-old Nobel peace laureate to three years in detention on Tuesday for violating an internal security law, a sentence then halved by the military government.
The sentence drew condemnation abroad, although criticism from most of Myanmar's fellow members of the 10-country Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) was muted.
"I already sent a letter to ASEAN members, but we need a consensus," Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya told reporters by telephone after talks in Malaysia with his ministerial counterpart.
Along with Thailand and Myanmar, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. Thailand currently chairs ASEAN.
The U.N. Security Council voiced "serious concern" about the sentence in a statement watered down to meet misgivings from Russia and from China, which has reasonably friendly ties with Myanmar's military leaders.
The charges against Suu Kyi stemmed from U.S. intruder John Yettaw's two-day uninvited stay at her home in May, which the court ruled was in breach of the terms of her house arrest.
(Reporting by Kittipong Soonprasert; Editing by Alan Raybould and Ron Popeski)
Cambodia sends soldiers to join multinational training exercise in Mongolia
www.chinaview.cn
2009-08-15
PHNOM PENH, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The w government has sent 51 soldiers from Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) to participate in the UN's peacekeeping training operation exercise in Mongolia entitled, "Khan Quest 2009", a Cambodian military source said on Saturday.
2009-08-15
PHNOM PENH, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The w government has sent 51 soldiers from Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) to participate in the UN's peacekeeping training operation exercise in Mongolia entitled, "Khan Quest 2009", a Cambodian military source said on Saturday.
Mongolian president Tsakhya Elbegdorg addresses the openning ceremony of Khan Quest 2009 joint military exercise at Mongolian Force Training Center, 65 kilometres west of Mongolia's capital Ulan Bator, Aug. 15, 2009.(Xinhua Photo)
"The peacekeeping exercise is so important for our armed forces to join with other countries to keep the peaceful stability, security and order in the world," said Taing Sambun, Cambodia's director of Institute for Training Peacekeeping Forces, Mine and UXO clearance. The process of exercise will be lasted for three weeks.
"The Cambodian delegation was led by Gen. Meas Sophea, deputy commander-in-chief of RCAF and infantry commander," he said, adding "we have support from UN for joining this exercise," he noted.
It is a good cooperation between our country and other countries to share experiences and learned experience from each other about the strategies in peacekeeping in a country, he said.
"These forces will be used for reconciliation in a war-torn country, or a country which used to have internal conflict and a post-war country when the war ended," he added.
"The main role of the peacekeeping forces is to join to seek peace, stability and safety for people in the war-torn country," he stressed, adding "this exercise is not the military exercises but for peacekeeping for the UN's peacekeeping forces. It is a second time for Cambodia to participate multinational exercise in Mongolia and we become an active member," he said.
In a farewell ceremony on Friday, Moeung Samphan, secretary of state for national defense called the soldiers "to focus on training and learning from other partner's experiences and to prepare for joining other peacekeeping mission in other places in the future."
Khan Quest is a multinational training exercise with the goal of improving peace support operations. The exercise is hosted by the Mongolian Armed Forces and sponsored by the U.S. Pacific Command.
Mongolian president Tsakhya Elbegdorg inspects the guards of honor at the openning ceremony of Khan Quest 2009 joint military exercise at Mongolian Force Training Center, 65 kilometres west of Mongolia's capital Ulan Bator, Aug. 15, 2009.(Xinhua Photo)As part of the exercise, troops will conduct field exercises, humanitarian civic assistance training, medical readiness training and will take part in a peacekeeping operations seminar.
Editor: Li
Vietnam, Thailand increase investments in Cambodia
VOV News
http://english.vovnews.vn
http://english.vovnews.vn
08/15/2009
Investments from Vietnam and Thailand to Cambodia increased by 85.3 and 87.2 percent respectively in the first half of this year, despite a sharp fall from other countries, according to the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC).
Vietnam’s total investment capital has increased from US$16.7 million to US$178 million and Thailand’s from US$22.7 million to US$178 million, says Young Heng, a senior official from the CDC.
Vietnamese investment has focused on such areas as rubber plantation, post and telecommunications and transportation while Thai investment has been poured into sugar processing projects including the construction of two sugar mills worth US$158 million.
These investments will help generate jobs and contribute to boosting economic development in Cambodia, says the CDC official.
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