Tuesday, 31 August 2010

DAP News. Breaking News by Soy Sopheap

via Khmer NZ

Cambodia Will Invite Hollywood Stars to Promote Tourism Industry

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 06:37 DAP NEWS / VIBOL

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, AUGUST 31, 2010-Cambodian Tourism Ministry announced on Tuesday that it will invite the Hollywood stars to be here to help promote the tourism industry in the country while Cambodia host the ASEAN Tourism Forum on January 2010.

We will invite Jackie Chan, and other Hollywood stars to be here during that event, Tourism Minister Thong Khon said in the opening ceremony of launching tourism website and ATF 2010.

the 30th ATF 2011 will convene ASEAN’s National Tourism Institutions, ASEAN Tourism Ministers, ASEAN Tourism Ministers and ASEAN plus 3, India, Australia, Russia, and GMS’s Tourism MInisters Meeting and ASEAN Tourism conference (ATC) attended by prominent speakers and various meetings, he added.

The ministry of tourism has two website, one is http://www.mot.gov.kh/  and www.tourismcambodia.org to promote tourism industry and ASEAN plans to turn the region into one big destination for tourists. He said that the ATF will be held under the theme of ASEAN- a world of wonders and diversity which conforms to existing tourism potentials in ASEAN and Cambodia tourism has been in a significant progress after global economic recovery. For first semester of 2010, international tourists to Cambodia reach 1,222, 156, an increase of 12.3 per cent comapred to the same period in 2009. Cambodia will receive around 2.4 million tourist arrivals in 2010, an increase of approximately 12 per cent. Cambodia outbound tourism surged 61 per cent to 276,607.

Cambodia also started to count down the ATF, and now it remains 137 days. Cambodia prepared 1300 rooms of hotels to welcome ATF.

14 Senior Officials of Cambodia’s Anti-Corruption Unit Swear for Duties

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 06:34 DAP NEWS / VIBOL

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, AUGUST 31, 2010 -14 senior officials from Cambodia’s anti-corruption unit on Tuesday swore at the appeal court for implementing their duties.

They need to swear before sacred objects to practice their work effectively and efficiently,” OM Yentieng , head of anti-corruption unit told reporters after the swearing -in-ceremony.

The swearing words included death from lightning strike, traffic accidents, and death of the whole families if those officials did not implement their work not by law.

Over 100,000 governmental officials will declare their asset according to the law of combating corruption which was passed in March.

The unit will create the website to get complaint and help investigate, Om added. He added: we need to clean our staffs before we go to clean their officials. We also will investigate our members first and people that they involved avoiding corruption cases. Cambodia also has the national council of fighting against corruption. The unit has role to face with the national council and has role to report annually.

Indian and Slovakian Presidents Will Visit Cambodia Late Year

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 06:30 DAP NEWS / Sopheak

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, AUGUST 31, 2010-Indian and Slovakian presidents will visit Cambodia in mid-September respectively to strengthen the bilateral cooperation, Cambodia’s senior officials said on Tuesday.

The announcement made by chairman of the commission of international cooperation and information of the national assembly, Cheang Vun after he visited India. Vun continued that the Indian and Slovakian presidents visit here according to invitation from Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni.

India and Slovakia is the long and old friend of Cambodia. India is only democratic country that had supported Cambodia in 1980s. At that time, Cambodia got the economic embargo from the outside world.

Last week, Vietnamese president paid a state visit to Cambodia according to the invitation from respected King Norodom Sihamoni. “The visits of world leaders are here .it showed Cambodia created good cooperation with outside world, and it is a good image of the country at the international stages, Koy Khuong, spokesman for foreign ministry told by phone.

Cambodian Court Summons Opposition Leader Kem Sokha over Breach of Trust’s Complaint

Monday, 30 August 2010 13:33 DAP NEWS / VIBOL

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, AUGUST 30, 2010-Cambodia’s Phnom Penh court on Monday summoned opposition leader Kem Sokha , president of human right party to appear the court on September 6, 2010 over relating to the beach of trust’s complaint which filed by his former colleagues.

“I just got the summons’s letter for Mr. President to appear at the court for questioning over the complaint,” Ngem Putharith, a lawmaker and senior member of the Human right party told by phone.

My president left Cambodia for a visit in the United States and he will be back at mi-October, Ngem added. Sok Roeun, deputy head of prosecutors of court issued that summons.

His former colleagues lodged the lawsuit against Kem over breach of trust through cheating money while Kem had worked as head of human right center in 2006.

Kem told media many times previously that those colleagues hated him after their project ended. The donors cleaned that project. I did not involve in that case. Those former colleagues have intentions to destroy the human right center. The donor audited the project and investigated. I did nothing, Kem said at that time.

Chim Phalvirun, a former of Kem’s colleague still insisted that we all filed lawsuit against Sokha because he was cheated us and kept our money even the phone card and some money of our salary.

Khem Sokha, a former chairman of committee of human right of the national assembly in 1990s, and in 2000s, he was a senator in charge of human right committee of the senate. Now, outspoken lawmaker and head of human right party, he lead his party joining general election in 2008. Human right party holds three of 123 seats in July 2008.

An Open Letter from Dr. Sorn Samnang, Cambodian Historian In response to Mr. Thepmontri’s Open Letter dated 24 August 2010

Monday, 30 August 2010 12:33 DAP NEWS

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, AUGUST 30, 2010-Recently, Mr. Thepmontri Limpaphayom, claiming to be an “independent historian”, has sent an Open Letter to Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thai Prime Minister. To our knowledge, Mr. Thepmontri is also a political activist. So, the credibility of this historian is in question. Can he interpret the past following rigorous standards of critical inquiry? Can he vigorously assert before the public the integrity of the discipline? The following remarks may give the answers to these questions.

1. Mr. Thepmontri, a Thai political activist

Mr. Thepmontri Limpaphayom has actively participated in Thai political activities at least since 2009. In September 2009, Mr. Thepmontri and eight other Thai “scholars” lodged a suit to Thai Civil Court accusing Prime Minister Hun Sen, Deputy Prime Ministers Sok An and Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong of “violating the Thai people's rights and liberties under the Thai constitution by encroaching on the Preah Vihear temple and the disputed area around the temple ruins”. The Civil Court rejected the suit, saying that “the issue was a dispute between two countries over the sovereignty of the area. It was not a civil matter” (cf. Court rejects Preah Vihear suit - Border dispute 'is not a civil matter' Writer: POST REPORTERS 15/09/2009).

The above rejection by the Thai Civil Court clearly showed that Mr. Thepmontri and his team were completely wrong.

Afterwards, in early August 2010, Mr. Thepmontri was one of the leaders of the demonstration participating in “a televised discussion with the Government on land dispute”. According to Thai Asean News Network, “the representatives of the Thai citizens consisting of the People's Alliance for Democracy Spokesperson Panthep Puapongphan, Thepmontri Limpaphayom, a prominent historian, Sompong Sucharitkul, a former member of Thailand's legal team on Preah Vihear Temple case at the International Court of Justice and Veera Somkwarmkid, a well-known social activist, held a discussion with the government represented by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti, Secretary to the Foreign Minister Chawanont Indhrakomarnsut and the prime minister's aide Sirichoke Sopa on the issue of the disputed land surrounding Preah Vihear Temple claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia. The three-hour session was broadcast live on national television. (cf. Citizens Hold Televised Discussion with Govt on Land Dispute, Thai Asean News Network UPDATE: 9 August 2010).

2. Mr. Thepmontri, a “prominent” historian?

Mr. Thepmontri Limpaphayom has been considered by some people as a “prominent” historian, as mentioned above. Recently, he has sent an Open Letter to Thai Prime Minister, Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva. His Open Letter, dated 24 August 2010 and appeared on the Facebook page in Thai language, is entitled “Thepmontri offended as Khmers look down on Preah Naresuan, Abhisit remains indifferent”.

According to this letter, Mr. Thepmontri felt offended at the indifference of Thai Prime Minister vis-à-vis Prime Minister Hun Sen and his entourage who have disseminated an article concerning Thai King Naresuan by considering him as a crocodile or an ungrateful king. Being impatient for this, Mr. Thepmontri stated that “Cambodia has distorted history”, and he urged Thai Prime Minister to immediately respond to the above public statement, and also requested Cambodia especially Samdech Hun Sen and his entourage to offer their apologies.

Mr. Thepmontri, a historian with no rigorous standards, has accused Cambodia of distorting history. In reality, history has been distorted by some Thai ultra-nationalist politicians and political activists including Mr. Thepmontri.

3. What kind of King was Naresuan (or Naren-Sô or Phra Naret)?

As we know, a fictitious story about Thai King Naresuan has been told in Thailand, and has been highly appreciated by some Thai ultra-nationalist politicians. The Straits Times (18 August 2008) reported that “[...] generations of Thai students have been told that the Khmer King Satha attacked Ayutthaya while Siam was busy fighting the Burmese. But Siam's King Naresuan defeated and personally executed him, washing his own feet in King Satha's blood. King Naresuan today figures prominently on the banners and T-shirts of the nationalist-royalist People's Alliance for Democracy, which raised the Preah Vihear issue in its months of ongoing anti-government street protests in Bangkok. But the story is fictitious; King Satha was able to escape to Laos”.

(cf. Border talks burdened by ancient rivalry, in Straits Times, 18 August 2008).

Beside this, basing on credible sources, especially a history book written in French by a French historian, Mr. Adhémard Leclère, entiled “History of Cambodia” published in 1914, King Naresuan was indeed an ungrateful king. The following paragraph translated from French can provide enough evidence about this:

Preah Sotha (1567-1575). [...] Some months after the elevation to the throne of the new king, they learnt in Cambodia that the king of Hângsavadi or Pégouans [Burmese] had invaded the kingdom of Siam and walked on Ayuthyea with a powerful army. The king of the Siamese, leaning on the peace treaty which he had signed the previous year with the late king of Cambodia, sent an ambassador to ask for an army of assistance to the young king. This one, although the peace treaty signed by his father should not oblige him to take side of the king of Siam, sent an army of 20.000 men commended by the Cambodian obaréach [viceroy] to the aid of Ayuthyea. The pégouane [Burmese] army was defeated and expelled out of the border.

And, as the Siamese and Cambodian armies returned victorious, and that they camped near each other in Doeumpou-choeung-bey (the tree of Bodhi with three feet), the king of Siam, Naren-Sô (phra Naret), saw that the Khmer obaréach was sitting in his presence and did not prostrate himself as other mandarins. He addressed him some public and strict observations. The Cambodian prince answered him: “I am the representative of the king of Cambodia here and I am general-in-chief of a Cambodian army and the command of which he entrusted me; besides, I am of royal origin and obaréach; I have the right to the consideration of the king of Siam and I intend to be treated here, at the head of my army as the king”.

The king of Siam answered nothing but, to assert his right of unique leader, he gave order to take a man among the captives of the obaréach, to cut his head, and to put it at the end of a bamboo in front of the boat of the prince. The outraged obaréach took the road back to Cambodia (cf. Adhémard Leclère, Histoire du Cambodge, Paris 1914, p. 299).

As we can see above, instead of expressing his gratitude to Cambodian Viceroy and Cambodian army who had assisted him, King Naresuan committed an act of atrocity against a captive of Cambodian Viceroy. Due to this ironic and atrocious act, King Naresuan has been considered as an “ungrateful king” in Cambodian history.

Therefore, basing on these above-mentioned documents, King Naresuan is notorious for committing atrocious acts, both in Thai fictitious story (King Naresuan defeated and personally executed King Satha, washing his own feet in King Satha's blood) and in Cambodian history (King Naresuan gave order to kill a captive of Cambodian Viceroy). It is horrible! Peace-loving people cannot appreciate this “act of heroism”.

This is our response to Mr. Thepmontri’s Open Letter dated 24 August 2010 for the purpose of bringing new thinking on history, especially in our Era of Culture of Peace in the world we live in. It is not an opportune moment for giving high appreciation to any “bloodthirsty hero” in history.

Moreover, facts and interpretations of historical evidences should be conducted with respect to the truth, and not to serve partisan political interests. Only a correct perception can contribute to the alleviation of friction, to the normalization and enhancement of relations between our two countries, Cambodia and Thailand.

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