(CAAI News Media)
US Congressmen Appeal for Cambodia’s Debt to Be Dropped
Friday, 08 January 2010 02:00 DAP-NEWS
US Congressman Eni Faleomavaega on Thursday said that he will appeal for the US drop about US$300 million debt Cambodia has owed the US since in 1970s.
“I will ask my side to consider about that debt,” he told reporters at Phnom Penh airport before departure back to the US.
Yesterday morning, Faleomavaega met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. Eang Sophallet, assistant to PM Hun Sen, said that Faleomavaega came to Cambodia to strengthen bilateral cooperation and both sides discussed the debt.
Faleomavaega is chairman of the Committee of International Relations for ASEAN Affairs. He said that he try improve the relationship between the US and Cambodia, a relationship that has been improving in recent years.
Better relations will help to build peace in the region and the world, he said.
Congressman Eni Faleomavaega joined by his colleagues Congressmen Joseph Cao and Mike Honda all of whom arrived in the capital yesterday after a short trip to Siem Reap. They joined the January 7 Victory Day at the office of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.
The diplomatic ties between US and Cambodia were established 60 years ago.
Cambodian-UN Prison Initiative Improves Conditions
Friday, 08 January 2010 02:01 DAP-NEWS
More than 1,000 inmates at the Siem Reap prison now have more water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene thanks to an innovative partnership between the UN human rights office and the Cambodia Government aimed at prison reform, said a press release from the UN obtained on Thursday.
The Office of the High Commis- sioner for Human Rights in Cambodia (OHCHR-Cambodia) worked with authorities at the country’s third largest prison to install a rain-water harvesting system that provides water free of charge and helps to preserve the underground water resources, it said.
Before the system was introduced, the 1,300 detainees had to rely on limited underground water for drinking, preparing meals, washing and sewage disposal. However, now with the new system, the prisoners have access to an average of over 8,000 litres of additional water per day.
The project is just one of several carried out by OHCHR-Cambodia’s Prison Reform Support Programme, which since its launch in 2008 has also helped to achieve an almost doubling of daily food ration per detainee, from the equivalent of US$0.37 to US$0.70, in all the 24 prisons across the country, it noted.
“The programme takes a holistic approach. It’s about human rights monitoring and at the same time working with the General Department of Prisons (GDP) to tackle the root causes of problems,” said Marie-Dominique Parent, OHCHR-Cambodia Human Rights Officer in charge of the programme. “Detainees’ rights are much broader than civil and political rights. So we look at all aspects of life in prison including food, health, sanitation and water, and help the prison authorities to find practical solutions to address these issues.”
OHCHR-Cambodia is also supporting the drafting of a new law on the management of prisons consistent with international human rights standards, and works to facilitate cooperation between Cambodian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the prison authorities.
“We also raise difficult issues such as torture, corruption and food with the Government but do so in a manner that is not perceived as hostile. We discuss issues of concerns and we find solutions together,” said Christophe Peschoux, head of OHCHR-Cambodia.
Cambodian officials could not be reached for comment yesterday.
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