The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia

General Chea Dara reviewing troops in the border area. DAP-news quoted the general as saying: "We told them already not to trespass. Cambodia does not want land from anybody, but if they tresppass, that's how it is." (Photo: DAP)

A Thai soldier smiles as he walks up to a pagoda at the Preah Vihear temple. Cambodian and Thai troops have exchanged fire near a disputed border temple -- the latest in a string of gun battles between the countries since last year.

Sundance Film Review: Enemies of the People

By Dan Nailen

01/23/10

via CAAI News Media

Thet Sambeth (pictured left) is a Cambodian newspaper journalist whose father was murdered by the Khmer Rouge in 1974, and whose mother was forced to marry a Khmer Rouge militiaman two years later.

For a decade, Sambeth spent his free time journeying into the notorious "killing fields" of his home country to try and understand why so many of Cambodia's people were murdered. The result of that work is Enemies of the People, which Sambeth co-directed and produced with Rob Lemkin.

The film revolves around the relationship Sambeth established with Nuon Chea, aka "Brother Number Two" (pictured below with Sambeth) and dictator Pol Pot's right-hand man. It took Sambeth years of gaining Chea's trust before he opened up and admitted that he and Pol Pot had plotted the killings as a means of defending their communist vision from "enemies of the people." Chea doesn't ever express remorse for the program he calls the "solution," but he does to Sambeth directly when the reporter tells the old man about his own family's relationship with the Khmer Rouge.

Sambeth also tracks down several of the Khmer Rouge's foot soldiers, mostly peasants and farmers who were simply "following orders" when they slit the throats of their neighbors and buried them in mass graves. It's chilling to watch one of the men graphically illustrate how he would kill his victims, and it's intriguing to see how each of these murderers deals with what they've done all these years later.

Enemies of the People could prove to be an important historical document for decades to come. Sambeth kept his recorded conversations with Nuon Chea under lock and key for years, in fear they'd be confiscated and used as evidence in a trial. Indeed, the film ends with Nuon Chea's arrest by a joint force of the United Nations and Cambodia. He's charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes, as well as genocide, and his trial is slated, for now, for 2011.

Considering Sambeth has the first admittance by Brother Number Two of what he and Pol Pot instigated, it could be a quick trial.

Enemies of the People will screen:

Sunday, Jan. 24, at 9 p.m. at Park City's Holiday Village IV

Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 11:30 p.m. at Park City's Library Center Theatre

Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 9:45 p.m. at Salt Lake City's Broadway Cinemas

Friday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. at Park City's Egyptian Theatre

Railway Tourism Within ASEAN Proposed During Meeting

via CAAI News Media

January 24, 2010

From Kristy Inus

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Jan 24 (Bernama) -- 'Railway tourism' is being looked into as a new integrated tourism product that will not only help boost tourism in Asean countries, but also open up economy for rural areas in the region.

Malaysia's Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said Malaysia presented the idea during the 13th Asean Tourism Ministers' meeting here, as seven out of the ten member countries can be linked by rail.

"Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar can all be linked by rail which will help connectivity between Asean countries," said Dr Ng.

She said Malaysia had developed its own railway tourism where tourists from Singapore could come into Malaysia using trains.

"So this is a very important forum for us to share ideas, to get everybody involved. With many Asean countries like Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam coming out strongly, this can be a strong strategy for us.

"I can see people coming to Malaysia and then take trains to go to other Asean countries ... I see ourselves at a very strong anchor position to develop multi-Asean destinations," she said on the sidelines of the meeting at the Empire Hotel and Country Club here, on Sunday.

Asked on the response from the other delegations on the proposal, Dr Ng said they were at first quite suprised by the suggestion but were very happy that it was brought up.

"So now we need to work upon it, which towns, which provinces, which are the target groups because it is a 'no rush holiday, take your time' type.

"Railway tourism opens up economy for the rural areas. That is why for railway tourism in Malaysia, we are focusing on the east coast namely Kelantan," she added.

The focus on this new product is part of the 'rail and sail' concept Malaysia wanted to aggresively pursue domestically, where cruise tourism is also viewed as an emerging tourism product for the country, she added.

"We want to offer and develop Malaysia into a very strong cruise tourism destination, we are trying very hard but still working on it, it's not easy as it is a high-end, highly sophisticated tourism industry," she added.

On another note, Dr Ng also reacted positively on more low cost carriers being established as it really 'opened up' the region, so much so that the Meeting also talked about the possibility of having an Asean-owned airline.

"But this is still at the discussion level, we still have to look at accessibility, we (Asean countries) are at different stages of development, so how are we to integrate that?," she said.

Dr Ng said the Asean region was still very new in terms of the tourism industry or destinations when compared with Europe where the people have been travelling around since the 18th century.

The 13th Asean Tourism Ministers meeting today was to discuss closer cooperaton and collaboration between the 10 Asean countries to develop and integrate tourism.

It is part of the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) 2010 which is being held from Jan 21 to 28 with Brunei playing the host.

Sex offenders arrested in Cambodia

via CAAI News Media

Police in Cambodia have arrested two locals and an American in a crackdown on a paedophile ring.

Taxi driver Mey Sovann and guesthouse owner Sek Vy were arrested Friday for providing underage girls for sexual services.

Police say Mey Sovann had been advertising underage virgin girls to foreign tourists via the Internet for 3,000 dollars a night for the past seven years.

Fifty eight year old American Carl Craig Thomas was also arrested on Saturday in the capital for sexually abusing three underage girls provided by the Cambodian pair, and for child pornography pictures he took at the guesthouse.

Thai Army Rangers clash with Cambodian troops near Preah Vihear temple

http://enews.mcot.net/

via CAAI News Media

SI SA KET, Jan 24 (TNA) -- Thai Army Rangers clashed early Sunday with a unit of Cambodian soldiers near the disputed 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, a senior Thai army officer said. No casualties were reported.

Lt-Col Nut Sri-in, commander of Suranaree Task Force Unit 163, said the fighting took place while a group of Thai rangers were patrolling and confronted Cambodian soldiers who were felling trees in Kantharalak district bordering Cambodia.

As the Rangers shouted at the Cambodian soldiers asking their purpose in crossing over to the area, the Cambodian soldiers fired M79 grenades and automatic rifles at them, Col Nut said.

The troops exchanged gunfire for over 20 minutes before the Cambodian soldiers withdrew into Cambodia, he said, adding that senior Thai and Cambodian officers would hold talks to prevent similar clashes from occurring in future.

The Associated Press news agency, meanwhile, quoted Lt-Gen Chea Tara, deputy armed forces commander and field commander for the area, as saying that Cambodia suffered no casualties in the fighting which took place about 12 miles (20 km) east of Preah Vihear temple.

He said fighting began when Thai troops intruded into Cambodian territory. AP quoted Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesman Lt-Gen Chhum Socheach as saying that two firefights lasted five minutes each beginning shortly after 9am.

The International Court of Justice awarded Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia in 1962. Fighting between both sides occur sporadically, centring on a 1.8 square mile (4.6 sq.km.) parcel of scrub near the temple after Cambodia applied to register the ancient temple as a UNESCO World Heritage site in mid-2008. (TNA)

Misunderstanding causes Thai and Cambodian clash near Preah Vihear temple early Sunday

http://enews.mcot.net/

via CAAI News Media

SI SA KET, Jan 24 (TNA) – After negotiations later in the day, Thai and Cambodian army officers said that fighting between military patrols of the two countries early Sunday in an area claimed by both neighbours was caused by misunderstanding and they agreed to jointly find a solution to ease the tension.

Two Thai army soldiers were wounded in the clash.

Col Thanet Wongcha-um, chief of staff of the commander for the Suranaree Task Force and Col Thawatchai Changprachak, commander of a special unit from Thailand’s Ranger Forces Regiment 23 met Maj-Gen Srey Doek, commander of Cambodia’s 3rd Reinforcement Division Sunday at an operation base in Kantharalak district following the clash.

The one-hour meeting agreed the clash was caused by misunderstanding and that soldiers of both sides would initially withdraw from areas near the clash site and return to their bases before officials of the two countries will meet again Monday to discuss patrols in overlapping areas.

Meanwhile, provincial authorities in Si Sa Ket ordered villages along the border to conduct an evacuation drill in preparation for a possible new clash.

Lt-Col Nut Sri-in, commander of Suranaree Task Force Unit 163, earlier on Sunday said the fighting took place while a group of Thai Army Rangers were patrolling and confronted Cambodian soldiers who were felling trees in Kantharalak district bordering Cambodia.

As the Rangers shouted at the Cambodian soldiers asking their purpose in crossing over to the area, the Cambodian soldiers fired M79 grenades and automatic rifles at them, Col Nut said.

The troops exchanged gunfire for over 20 minutes before the Cambodian soldiers withdrew into Cambodia. (TNA)

Cambodia, Thai troops exchange brief fire near disputed border area+

via CAAI News Media

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 24 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged brief fire Sunday near the disputed area of Preah Vihear Temple but there were no casualties, a military official said.

Gen. Chhum Socheat, spokesman for Cambodia's National Defense Ministry, said the skirmish took place at 9:15 a.m. at Choam Te, some 20 kilometers east of Preah Vihear Temple.

He said Thai troops fired at Cambodian troops patrolling in the area, and Cambodian troops returned fire immediately afterward.

Neither side sustained casualties, Chhum Socheat said.

The incident took place as Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong visited Preah Vihear Temple on Sunday to inspect the border situation and presented foodstuff to Cambodian soldiers based near the border area.

Since the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand began in 2008, there have been two rounds of military clashes, which left several people dead or injured on both sides.

The dispute erupted after Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple was listed as a World Heritage site by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The dispute stems partly from conflicting border maps.

A Thai soldier smiles as he walks up to a pagoda at the Preah Vihear temple. Cambodian and Thai troops have exchanged fire near a disputed border temple -- the latest in a string of gun battles between the countries since last year.

Cambodian and Thai troops have exchanged fire near a disputed border temple -- the latest in a string of gun battles between the countries since last year

via CAAI News Media

24 January 2010

AFP - Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged fire near a disputed border temple on Sunday -- the latest in a string of gun battles between the countries since last year, military officials said.

Both sides denied responsibility for starting the morning skirmish, in which nobody was wounded but rifles and rockets were fired for around 10 minutes.

"There was a small clash. They entered our territory," Cambodian deputy military commander Chea Dara told AFP, claiming that the Thai side were the first to open fire.

"It was Cambodian self-defence. We don't allow anyone to invade our territory," he added.

A Thai army official, asking not to be named, said the clash stemmed from confusion when Thailand's soldiers were patrolling for illegal loggers near the border.

"The Thai army understood the Cambodians were smugglers, while Cambodian troops opened fire. However, it was only a warning fire. It came from a misunderstanding. Everything is now clear," he said.

The battle took place 15 kilometres southeast of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple during a speech there by Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, in which he urged troops to be brave defending their territory.

"The government position is that we want to solve the problem bilaterally and peacefully," he said.

But he added: "We are ready to solve the problem through negotiations and with any other means, even through the military. We have enough weapons, we are not afraid."

Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over the land around Preah Vihear for decades, but nationalist tensions spilled over into violence in July 2008 when the temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.

A gun battle near the temple area last April left three people dead.

The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia. But the border between the two nations has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

Relations between the two countries plunged further in November after Cambodian PM Hun Sen appointed ousted former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives abroad to escape a jail term for corruption, as an economic adviser.

Cambodia reports clash with Thai troops on border

via CAAI News Media

Sunday, January 24, 2010

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian troops clashed Sunday with Thai soldiers near a temple that lies along a disputed part of their border and has been the scene of several deadly skirmishes in recent years, Cambodian military officials said.

Lt. Gen. Chea Tara, deputy armed forces commander and field commander for the area, said Cambodia suffered no casualties in the fighting in northern Cambodia, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) east of Preah Vihear temple. He said the fighting began when Thai troops intruded into Cambodian territory.

Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Chhum Socheach said there were two firefights lasting about five minutes each. He could not say if Thai forces suffered any casualties.

Thai military authorities could not immediately be reached for confirmation of the fighting in an area.

The Cambodian officers said the area was calm after the fighting, but that both countries were on alert.

The area has been a flashpoint since 2008, when Thai nationalists protested Cambodian efforts to have the 11th century Preah Vihear temple named a U.N. World Heritage site. They claimed the move could invalidate Thai claims to small parcels of nearby jungle area.

In 1962, the World Court awarded the temple and the land it is on to Cambodia, but sovereignty over adjacent areas has never been clearly resolved.

The issue is closely linked to Thailand's domestic politics because the 2008 protests about the temple were led by the People's Alliance for Democracy, a group which was seeking to unseat the Thai government then in power because of its links to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin was ousted by a 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption and disrespecting constitutional monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The alliance raised the issue to stir up nationalist sentiment and attract support.

The furor caused both Thailand and Cambodia to reinforce their military positions in the area, and tensions have broken out into fighting on several occasions, leading to several deaths.

Relations between the two countries plunged further in November last year, when Cambodia named Thaksin an adviser on economic affairs. The appointment, and subsequent visits by Thaksin, set off a diplomatic row in which the two countries recalled their ambassadors. A Thai court in 2008 sentenced Thaksin in absentia to two years in prison on a corruption charge.

Cambodia has refused to extradite Thaksin. (AP)

Cambodia, Thai troops clash

Lieutenant General Chea Tara, deputy armed forces commander and field commander for the area, said Cambodia suffered no casualties in the fighting on Sunday, about 12 miles (20 kilometres) east of Preah Vihear temple. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

via CAAI News Media

Jan 24, 2010

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA'S military says its troops have clashed briefly with Thai soldiers along a disputed border area.

Lieutenant General Chea Tara, deputy armed forces commander and field commander for the area, said Cambodia suffered no casualties in the fighting on Sunday, about 12 miles (20 kilometres) east of Preah Vihear temple. He said fighting began when Thai troops intruded into Cambodian territory.

Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Chhum Socheach said there had been two firefights lasting about five minutes each beginning shortly after 9am (0200 GMT, 10am Singapore time).

Thai military authorities could not immediately be contacted for confirmation of the fighting in an area which has seen several deadly clashes in the past couple of years. -- AP

Long Beach Red Cross honors its volunteers

The Cambodian Cooking team received a Community Service Award because the Cambodian Senior Nutrition Program and the United Cambodian Community Center are working closely with the Long Beach Chapter of the American Red Cross to better prepare the Cambodian community for disasters. As part of the Great California ShakeOut on October 13, 2009, Board of Directors members Charles Song and Danny Vong, along with Disaster Volunteer Mike Farrar, designed a mobile feeding and preparedness exercise to teach disaster preparedness skills to the Cambodian community and to offer paid and volunteer staffs a greater understanding of the local Cambodian community. (Long Beach Chapter ARC)

Community service, spirit lauded

By Sarah Peters, Staff Writer

Posted: 01/23/2010

via CAAI News Media

Long Beach Red Cross icon Neil Allgood. (Long Beach Chapter ARC)

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Neil Allgood was at the right place, at the right time. It could have happened to anyone, but for some reason it happened to him, he said.

That's not the way the Red Cross sees it.

Five years ago the retired 82-year-old Army brigadier general had an award named after him in recognition of his volunteer work and years of service -- 48 years now and still going, he said.

Almost 200 Red Cross volunteers and staff gathered Saturday at the Long Beach airport Holiday Inn for the annual Long Beach Chapter awards and volunteer recognition breakfast.

Awards were given in areas of community service and outstanding volunteer work.

The Neil Allgood Outstanding Disaster Volunteer of the Year Award was presented by Allgood himself.

"They had to pick somebody to do it," he said with humor to the crowd.

The recipients were Willie Mussman and Lisa Harris, co-chairs of the Long Beach chapter Community Disaster Education program and members of the disaster action team.

Through the program Mussman, Harris and a team of volunteers educate individuals and companies on how to prepare for an emergency and how to survive without aid for at least three days.

"That kind of knowledge is empowering," Harris said.

The goal of the program is to ensure that people are ready to act and confident in their ability to protect themselves and others around them, she explained.

"The volunteers could run this organization without us," said Nancy Kindelan, chapter CEO. "When you walk into our office, you know who the real workers are."

There are more than 850 volunteers in the Long Beach area and only 19 paid staff members.

Also recognized were Frankie Wong, Jennifer Tith and Kristin Tith as Betty Seal Outstanding Youth Volunteers of the year.

"There's a satisfaction in helping other people and we learn from opportunities that other students don't get," Jennifer Tith said, "(my sister and I) have grown in a lot of ways."

Other awards presented were the Hal Ball Good Neighbor Award to the city of Paramount and the Dorothy Wise Outstanding Volunteer of the Year presented to Sharmon Voltmer, who was not present.

sarah.peters@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1337

A morning of honors: Nancy Kindelan, CEO; Frankie Wong, Outstanding Youth; Greg Pierson, Board Chairman; Kia Pearson, Director of Volunteers. (Long Beach Chapter ARC)

VN food firm forms joint venture for rice export in Cambodia

via CAAI News Media

Sunday ,Jan 24,2010

The Southern Food Corporation (SFC) has established a joint stock company with two Cambodian firms to produce and export rice, said Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association Truong Thanh Phong.

Rice uploaded for export at a port in Vietnam

The new joint venture, called the Vietnam-Cambodia Food Joint Stock Company (Cavifoods), is headquartered in Phnom Penh.

The company has a chartered capital of US$8 million, with 37 percent owned by SFC, 30 percent by the Green Trade Company, and 33 percent by the Cambodian Investment and Development Company.

Cavifoods’ operations include producing, processing, storing and exporting rice.

The area of paddy farms in Cambodia is equivalent to that in Vietnam. In the past, merchants bought much rice, especially aromatic rice, from Cambodia to export, said Chairman Phong, adding that the joint venture in rice production and export has been approved by both countries’ governments.

At present, the company is building a processing factory, a warehouse, an instance noodle mill, a bread mill, and a network for purchasing rice.

Source: Tuoi Tre - Translated by Hoang Yen

Cambodia police bust paedophile ring

http://news.smh.com.au/

via CAAI News Media

January 24, 2010

AFP

Police in Cambodia have arrested two locals and a US man after smashing a seven-year pedophile ring offering underage "virgin" girls to tourists for $US3,000 ($A3,327) a night, they say.

Taxi driver Mey Sovann, 36, and his female accomplice Sek Vy, 47, were arrested on Friday for providing underage girls for sexual services, said Bith Kimhong, head of Cambodia's anti-human trafficking unit, on Sunday.

A six-month investigation, aided by the French Police's International Technical Co-operation Delegation (SCTIP), found that since 2003, Mey Sovann had advertised underage virgin girls on the Internet for $US3,000 ($A3,327) a night.

He would pick up customers from Phnom Penh airport and show them pictures, before taking them to meet the girls at a guesthouse owned by Sek Vy, according to an officer from SCTIP's Cambodia office, who asked not to be named.

Mey Sovann was arrested by undercover police at the airport in possession of the underage girls' photographs, while Sek Vy was arrested at her guesthouse in Kandal province, about 20km south of Phnom Penh.

American Carl Craig Thomas, 58, was also arrested on Saturday in the capital for sexually abusing three underage girls provided by the Cambodian pair, and for child pornography pictures he took at the guesthouse, Bith Kimhong said.

"We have arrested the man and the woman who provided underage girls. During the investigation, we found they were providing three underage girls to the US man too," Bith Kimhong told AFP.

"Now we are investigating the case further to see if they have a wider network," he added.

Cambodia has struggled to shed its reputation as a haven for pedophiles, putting dozens of foreigners in jail for child sex crimes or deporting them to face trial in their home countries since 2003.

Cambodian troops clash with Thai troops at border area

via CAAI News Media

2010-01-24

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian troops encountered and clashed with Thai troops on Sunday at the two countries' disputed border area, a senior military official told reporters.

Gen. Chea Dara, deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and commander at the border area near Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple said the skirmish lasted a few minutes after Thai troops intruded in Cambodian soil.

He said the skirmish happened when the intruded Thai troops encountered Cambodian troops at Choam Te border point, located about 20 kilometers east of the Preah Vihear Temple.

Chea Dara said following the fire first launched by Thai troops, Cambodia made a counter fire as a self defense. However, he said there was no casualty from the Cambodian side.

Preah Vihear Temple and its surrounding of 4.6 square kilometers has become a flashpoint of border dispute since July 2008.

Since then, several skirmishes between the armed forces from the two countries have been occurred in the area.

Sunday's clash took place just about two weeks ahead of Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen's scheduled travel to Preah Vihear Temple and visit his troops at the border area.

In 1962, following a significant dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over ownership of the temple, the International Court of Justice in The Hague awarded the ownership to Cambodia.

The Preah Vihear Temple was registered as the World Heritage site in July, 2008.

Editor: Lin Liyu