via CAAI News Media
Cambodian Donors Urged to Condemn Sponsorship of Military" by Private Sectors
Friday, 05 March 2010 16:35 DAP-NEWS/ Ek Madra
PHNOM PENH, March 5 - A UK-based Global Witness on Friday "urged Cambodian donors including U.S, EU, Japan , China and the World Bank, should send a strong message to the government that they will not countenance the bankrolling of Cambodia's military by private businesses", said the release.
But a Cambodian spokesman Phay Siphan denied the statement by the Global Witness as "baseless".
"What the Global Witness showed its position is a wrong one," he said.
"They do not understand our culture and tradition."
"That means the fund raising, which has been called by our Prime Minister recently, was meant for humanitarian causes only such as building health care centers and schools," Phay Siphan told DAP.
But the Global Witness said in the release that the government has said the partnerships will "solve the dire situation of the armed forces, police, military police, and their families through a culture of sharing".
The call follows the announcement last week by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen of the formation of 42 official partnerships between private businesses and Cambodian military units, said the release was seen by DAP.
Global Witness said it is "concerned that this policy officially sanctions an arrangement where businesses get military protection in return for financial backing", said the release.
"A number of the companies named as military sponsors already have track records of using the military to protect their business interests."
Global Witness's 2009 report, Country for Sale, described how the Try Pheap Company used armed forces to guard a mine in Stung Treng Province.
Other high-profile Cambodia n companies allegedly providing sponsorship include the Mong Reththy Group, the Ly Yong Phat Company, and the Chub Rubber Plantation Company.
"Since the end of Cambodia 's civil war, the Royal Cambodia n Armed Forces has operated as a vast organised crime network," said Gavin Hayman , Campaigns Director at Global Witness.
"It is unacceptable for private companies to be financing a military renowned for its corruption and involvement in illegal activities and human rights abuses."
"The arrangement also threatens to undermine the legitimacy of international aid, especially in the case of donors such as the US who are directly funding the military," said the release.
In 2009 the US spent more than $1 million on military financing, education and training in Cambodia.
"Yet again, Cambodia's donors are being mocked by the government's blatant violation of basic governance and transparency standards."
"The existence of a strong patronage system between the military and private business is not new. But what is different and shocking is that it has become official government policy," said Hayman. "Donors should send a firm and decisive message that Cambodia's military exists to protect the people, not the financial assets of a privileged few."
"This fire-sale of military units represents an appalling breach of governance standards and threatens to undermine the country's future stability," said Hayman in the release.
"The donor community has collectively poured billions into the restoration of peace and democracy in Cambodia since the fall of the Khmer Rouge.
Surely they are not going to stand by and allow this to be undercut by a policy of selling off the armed forces to private business interests. This is tantamount to sanctioning a mercenary force," said the release.
Cambodia Transforms Pol Pot's Stronghold as Tourist Destination
Friday, 05 March 2010 12:39 DAP-NEWS/ Ek Madra
PHNOM PENH, March 5 - Cambodia's government approved on Friday to transform the former last stronghold of Along Veng, where the "Killing Fields" leader Pol Pot died, as a country's tourist destination, said the release.
"The government's approval was aimed to preserve and develop the last stronghold of the former Democratic Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge) regime in Anglong Veng as historical site for national and international visitors to learn about the last political movement of the genocide regime," said the release which was seen by DAP.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, who chaired the meeting, is strongly supported the plan which was requested by the ministries of tourism and construction and urbanization.
He also told the officials, who attended the meeting, to gather the relevant evidences about the stronghold to produce a guide book so that visitors would better understand what brought the leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime to commit such heinous crimes in the past, said the release.
Pol Pot died in 1998 in Along Veng after the mass defections of his rebels to the government's side. He was buried there in Anlong Veng in the northwestern province of Oddar Meanchey near the Thai border.
The grave site of Pol Pot has been popular among some locals, especially for the former rebels, prayed before his hillside grave for lucky lottery numbers. Others offered food and flowers for him to bless them the job promotions or beautiful brides.
Some tourists, who were seen in the past, picked parts of the late Pol Pot's broken toilet, even ashes from the burial ground.
The grave is among a slew of Khmer Rouge landmarks in Anlong Veng, where the movement's guerrillas made their last stand in 1998 just as Pol Pot lay dying.
An estimated 1.7 million died of starvation, execution, diseases and forced labor under the regime's bloody rule in 1975- 1979.
Cambodia has two other "Killing Fields" tourist destination: Tuol Sleng, better known as S-21 was established by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s, in Phnom Penh where more 14,000 people were smashed to death after harsh interrogations.
The S-21 archives showed the fate of the over 15,000 prisoners, who were held during 1975-1979 at the notorious centre through various documents, including 4,186 confessions. An estimated 6,226 biographies of prisoners and 6,147 photographic prints and negatives of prisoners were also discovered at the centre, the former school. All the documents are providing an essential part of the evidence the trial of the Khmer Rouge leaders of the Democratic Kampuchea for their serious crimes under national and international law.
Another The Cheung Ek, is now a genocide museum, is located in Dankoar district, about 15 km from the centre of Phnom Penh. This is the location where the Khmer Rouge took their prisoners for execution. The prisoners were made to wait here for 24 hours before they were killed by a blow to the head after which their throats were slit. Babies were killed by bashing their heads against a tree. There were separate graves for men, for women and for children. Former friends of Pol Pot who were executed here had separate graves too.
Visitors can walk along 86 mass graves from which the remainders of 8,985 men, women and children were unearthed after the liberation of the Khmers Rouges. Some of those skulls, bones and pieces of clothing are now kept in the nearby massive stupa.
There were killing fields all over the country, but Cheung Ek was believed to be the largest.
Every year on the 20th of May a ceremony is held around the stupa to bring peace to the spirits of the deceased.
Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, is the first of five detained Khmer Rouge leaders faced trial and his verdict is expected to be announced later this year.
The other four suspects: "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, the regime's ex-president, Khieu Samphan, and foreign minister Ieng Sary, and his wife, a former Khmer Rouge woman minister.
All are being detained and charged with crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the 1994 Geneva Conventions including killing, deprivation and the right to fair trial of prisoner of wars and civilians deportation.
