A sleek space for a chilled-out meal

Photo by: Heidi Yeung

The outdoor terrace at Meric is an inviting, cool space.

via CAAI

Sunday, 16 January 2011 17:08 Heidi Yeung

A Chilled hand-towel is offered to you as soon as you walk through the front door of Hôtel de la Paix in Siem Reap, enveloping you in a lemongrass scent that is both soothing and energising.

A minimalist theme with surprising splashes of colour here and there keep the space from being too conventionally Zen, and dark wood is used to accent the sleek lines of the interior design.

Meric is an indoor/outdoor restaurant that looks out onto a sunny atrium, anchored by a tree with a gnarly trunk.

Also in the atrium is a square water feature with tiles and two fragrant frangipani trees.

The outdoor dining area includes comfortable swing sets, where patrons can be seen swaying and chatting or reading a book while sipping on a cool drink. Chillout music plays softly in the background while ceiling fans keep the hallways cool and breezy.

Meric is predominately decked out in white, with creamy caramel and chocolate brown accents featuring in the furniture and upholstery.

The tables are set far enough apart to ensure privacy, but not so far as to eradicate the room’s intimacy. Two white table-runners criss-cross on the outdoor tables, which serve as place settings for diners.

The waiters and waitresses, who are polite and articulate, bring sparkling water with a slice of lime or lemon upon request to the table, which is soon followed by a platter of bread. The contents of the platter are flavourful and starchy, but light enough to nibble on without filling up before the main event.

Perhaps the Early Delight smoothie ($3.50) and the penne with eggplant Parmesan made with fresh mozzarella and basil ($8) shouldn’t have been had together, as both are rather rich. Nevertheless, both are enjoyable.

The Early Delight is a peach-coloured concoction of mango, papaya, carrot, apple and yogurt. Its consistency is smooth, silky and not too thick. It isn’t too sweet either, and is the perfect mid-afternoon bevvy after a day of ambling through Siem Reap’s many temples.

When the penne arrives, it’s a surprise to see the eggplant lightly battered and fried, with dollops of melted mozzarella on top.

The golden colour of the fried eggplant gives the dish an aesthetic cohesion that would have been missing had the natural deep purple of the vegetable been left untouched.

Also, the soft eggplant enveloped by the crunchy exterior is a tactile surprise for the palate, its only downside being that the fried crust became soggy toward the end.

The sauce coating the penne is delicious; full of the flavours of fresh tomatoes without being too sour.

Instead, it is slightly sweet and zesty, and complements the eggplant well. However, it must be said that the penne is a touch overcooked, making it split open and fall off the fork.

The prices at Meric are not for everyone and are certainly out of reach for most student backpackers, of which there are plenty roaming about in Siem Reap.

However, if you’re out for a splurge, the atmosphere alone makes the restaurant well worth a visit.

The wide variety of dishes and beverages, both western and Khmer, is also an appealing drawcard.

Should this writer ever end up in Siem Reap again, I’d most certainly return to Meric. I might even order the penne again – though I’d ask for it al dente.

Green thumb

via CAAI

Monday, 17 January 2011 15:01 Wesley Monts

A woman harvests vegetables from the surface of Boeung Tompun lake in Meanchey district earlier this month.

Senior officials of ASEAN+3 pledge to intensify tourism cooperation

via CAAI

English.news.cn

2011-01-16

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)+3 (China, Japan and South Korea) tourism officials met here Sunday for promoting tourism cooperation.

"The meeting is to boost closer tourism cooperation for better tourism growth in ASEAN as well as in the three countries -- China, Japan and South Korea," Tith Chantha, director general of Cambodian Ministry of Tourism, told reporters after the meeting on Sunday.

He said that the three countries, especially China, have helped ASEAN a lot in developing tourism through human capacity building and promotions through exhibitions.

"However, we appeal to them to continue existing cooperation and intensify their assistance to develop ASEAN tourism, especially on human resources development," he said.

In 2010, ASEAN received more than 70 million international tourists, more than 10 million from China, Japan and South Korea, said Tith Chantha. Wang Yanjie, deputy director of the International Relations Division of China National Tourism Administration, said, during the meeting, that China sees ASEAN countries as a potential growth for its tourism and China has created a website for China-ASEAN center in October 2010.

"Now we are preparing for the real center, which is an important platform to exchange cooperation between China and ASEAN countries in the fields of trades, investment, tourism, cultures and others," she said.

"We hope that the center will be launched by next year to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the dialogue between China and ASEAN."

She said that China will continue to assist the development of ASEAN tourism through human resource training and encouraging more Chinese people to visit ASEAN.

In the meeting, Naoyoshi Yamada, vice commissioner for International Affairs Department of the Japanese Ministry of Land Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and Shin Pyungsup, director of South Korea's National Tourism Organization have also pledged to continue their technical and financial assistance to develop ASEAN tourism.

The meeting was a part of the 30th ASEAN Tourism Forum, scheduled for Jan. 15-21. During the event, there will be summits of ASEAN tourism ministers, ASEAN tourism ministers+3 (China, Japan and South Korea) and ASEAN tourism ministers+ India and Russia.

There will also be a tourism expo, which draws more than 2,000 exhibitors from tourism companies, travel agencies and airlines in ASEAN countries. Buyers from around the world are also invited to the event.

ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Editor: Zhang Xiang

Cambodian drug smugglers bummer border crossing

http://www.pattayadailynews.com/

via CAAI

A group of Cambodians, including a man trying to sell a stash of 500 yaba pills secreted in his anus, were arrested following an undercover police operation in Sattahip.

Investigation officials from Sattahip Police Station continue to show the extent of efforts to halt the narcotics trade with the latest arrests, including a Cambodian man attempting to sell 500 yaba pills that he had smuggled across the border hidden in his anus. According to police officials, over 5 million pills have been smuggled into Thailand from Cambodia using this same method.

14th January 2011 [PDN]: At 01.30am Police General Somchai Suntawanid, Sattahip Police Station, Chonburi; Police Lieutenant Siamrat Rungruean; and Police Major Barus Samarot, along with the head of the investigation team in Sattahip, were notified by an undercover agent that a drug deal with a Cambodian drug smuggler had been arranged. The smuggler, who lived in Cambodia close to the Thai border province of Sra Gaew, had offered to sell the illegal narcotic to the undercover agent for 115 baht/pill. Police officials directed the agent to order 500 pills for the amount of 57,500 Baht and arranged for the exchange to be made in front of the Lotus department store, Sukhumvit Road, Moo 2 Sattahip, Chonburi.

Police officials then sent in a team of troops to hide in the surrounding area. At the designated time a gray Toyota Vigo pick-up truck (license no. บต -6780 Sra Gaew) arrived and police officers swooped in and arrested all 7 passengers. The arrested suspects were Mr. Nuapong Wongwichai (or Gai, 29, owner of the pick-up and residing at: 69 Moo 4 Latakian, Gabintonburi, Brajinburi), Mr. Jongruk Wpngpuang (or Ruk, 43, residing at 59 Moo 2, Chai Narai, Chai Badan, Lopburi), Mr Tee Too (20, from Cambodia), Mr Salo (25, from Cambodia), Ms. Liworn (28, from Cambodia), Ms. Liwslad (26, from Cambodia), and Chai (7, from Cambodia). Further investigation by police officials revealed that Mr Tee Too had hidden the 500 pills in his anus. Police officials then had the unenviable task of using their hands to retrieve the secreted drugs. The pills were found to be separated into 2 bags of 250 pills each and wrapped with black tape and covered in a condom.

When interrogated by police, Mr. Tee Too, the dealer, admitted smuggling ‘yaba’ across the border using a forest at Tamphraya, Sra Gaew and hiding the drugs up his anus. He had hired a driver to bring in the drugs for 1,800 Baht and on this trip he was joined by 2 of his Cambodian friends in order to smuggle in another 500 pills. However the 2 friends were dropped off at Saemsarn, Sattahip, prior to Mr. Tee Too being caught and arrested. Mr. Tee Too further admitted that he had smuggled in drugs up his anus more than 10 times already. He estimated that he and his friends were responsible for smuggling in more than 5 million pills already.

Mr. Nuapong (Gai), the driver, said a woman named Nid, or Janid (real name and surname unknown) offered to hire him to drive 13 Cambodians in the Taphraya district, Sra Gaew province, for the price of 2,500 Baht. Mr Jongrak (Rak) was hired for 1,000 Baht to navigate. On the way they dropped off 7 Cambodians at Wangjan and Pluekdaeng, Rayong province, and 2 more at Samaesarn, Sattahip, Chonburi. The remaining drug smugglers were dropped off at Lotus, Sattahip. Mr Nuapong stated that he was unaware that the Cambodians had drugs hidden in their bodies.

Police Major Barus Samarot said that there are still many other Cambodians prepared to cross the border into Thailand, smuggling in ‘yaba’ pills hidden in their anus, which was difficult for immigration authorities to check. A different way for Cambodians to smuggle in drugs was through the forest which leads to Taphraya, Sra Gaew. A Thai driver would then be arranged to pick them up and travel along Namchaiket road, Srasernsrao, where there are no police boxes or checkpoints. This area of Chong Saemsarn, Sattahip is fast becoming an easy route for smuggling of drugs and people from Cambodia. Police Major Barus promised to increase police activity and to rid the area of drugs.

Lakeside families homeless

Photo by: Will Baxter

A woman whose home was torn down during an eviction at Boeung Kak lake puts a bib on her baby girl on Saturday while sitting amid the rubble of other demolished houses. Many families have been sleeping on mattresses on the street or in empty lots since Friday’s eviction to make way for a development.

via CAAI

Sunday, 16 January 2011 21:06 Khouth Sophakchakrya

About 20 families violently evicted from their homes by Daun Penh district police and private security forces employed by local firm Shukaku Inc have said they will stage a protest demanding compensation from the developer.

On Friday, approximately 50 police and private security guards wielding weapons, including electric batons, demolished about 20 homes in Group 30, part of the lakeside’s Village 24.

The families are now living along a roadside in the Boeung Kak development zone and say they will not leave the area unless authorities and the developer agree to pay individual households US$8,500 in compensation.

Authorities accused the villagers of building additional houses to secure compensation payouts from city authorities.

Moa Bunthan, 41, who was evicted on Friday, rejected the accusations, saying his family had been living beside the lake since 2001 and that between 2005 and 2006 he and 18 other villagers had received microfinance poverty reduction loans from the Council of Ministers’ National Committee for Population and Development.

The development fund allowed villagers to borrow 1.5 million riels ($370) with repayments to be made over 10 years.

“We have still not paid off our debt,” Moa Bunthan said. “We will stay here until we are paid $8,500 compensation.”

Mann Chhoeun, vice-president of the committee, today confirmed the villagers had received microfinance loans, saying: “I really pity them and I hope the authority will provide a resolution for them.”

Rights groups claim more than 4,000 families are set to make way for the controversial lakeside development.

Heng Hoeum, 54, now living along the roadside in Village 24, said today that the villagers were struggling to live in their current situation.

“We will die on the roadside if the authorities and developers don’t agree to pay us compensation and give us justice,” he said.

Press scuffle

Also on Friday, Sovan Philong, a Post photographer, had his camera confiscated and was manhandled by police while photographing the demolition of families’ homes.

His two cameras were returned following intervention from NGOs, fellow journalists and villagers at the scene.

Though his camera was returned, police made him delete all his photos showing the forced removals – most of which were later recovered.

An NGO worker who did not wish to be identified said many of the security guards working for Shukaku Inc on Friday were off-duty soldiers and police.

“What happened on Friday is a good reflection of the lack of delineation between who acts for the government and private industry,” the worker said.

The worker added that the behaviour of the authorities at Boeung Kak provided some insight into the regular intimidation and repression of villagers.

“It is important for us to understand that what happened on Friday is what Boeung Kak people have had to face every day since 2008.”

Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith said yesterday that the incident was a case of mistaken identity and denied police had been involved in the altercation.

“The police could not arrest a journalist who was working to collect information or taking pictures at a public place,” Khieu Kanharith said.

“In the case of Boeung Kak lake, security guards were involved in actions against The Phnom Penh Post’s photographer, not the police.”

He said complaints should be lodged against the specific guards responsible rather than against Shukaku.

Daun Penh governor Sok Sambath and deputy governor Sok Penhvuth were not available for comment yesterday.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY REBECCA PUDDY

Ex-drug czar charged with taking bribes

via CAAI

Sunday, 16 January 2011 21:12 Buth Reaksmey Kongkea

The secretary general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs has been charged with receiving bribes and is in the custody of the Anticorruption Unit, national police spokesman Kirt Chantharith said today.

The NACD’s Moek Dara was detained for questioning by the Anticorruption Unit last week following the arrests of Banteay Meanchey provincial Police Chief Hun Hean and his deputy Chheang Sun, who were apprehended earlier in the week.

Kirt Chantharith said Hun Hean and Chheang Sun had implicated Moek Dara under interrogation from law enforcement officials.

“He was charged with receiving bribes from drug traffickers and he is now being detained at the Anticorruption Institution detention centre under strict control of the Anticorruption Unit and the Ministry of Interior in Phnom Penh,” Kirt Chantharith said.

Hun Hean and Chheang Sun have also been charged with receiving bribes, said Chan Kosal, the acting police chief in Banteay Meanchey.

Chhem Savuth, head of the Siem Reap provincial prison, said the pair were serving pre-trial detention at his facility.

“They are strictly protected and taken care of for their future hearings,” Chhem Savuth said today.

A jailed former anti-drug official in Banteay Meanchey province provided the information that led to the arrests of Hun Hean and Chheang Sun, Chan Kosal said.

Lim Mab, formerly the head of the anti-drug police in Banteay Meanchey, was arrested in July on drug charges.

After the arrest, however, Chan Kosal said Lim Mab’s family members had paid a bribe to senior police officials in exchange for their relative’s release.

Lim Mab was rearrested last month, Chan Kosal said, at which time he implicated Hun Hean and Chheang Sun, who were arrested last week.

“These people were arrested due to the answers and the confession of Lim Mab,” Chan Kosal said.

Chan Kosal added that By Nasy, the replacement head of the anti-drug police in Banteay Meanchey, had been arrested on Friday in connection with the case of the other officials in custody.

“By Nasy was charged with receiving bribes in the same drug case involving Hun Hean and Chheang Sun,” Chan Kosal said, adding that By Nasy was being held in Banteay Meanchey pending transfer to Siem Reap.

Sam Chankea, Banteay Meanchey provincial coordinator for local rights group Adhoc, said he had received information from law enforcement officials that Moek Dara and Chea Leang, an NACD subordinate arrested along with him, were to be transported from the ACU in Phnom Penh to Banteay Meanchey today before being detained in Siem Reap.

There is no place for ruffians

Photo by: Sovan Philong

Security guards employed by the Shukaku Inc development company attempt to remove residents protesting the destruction of their homes in Village 24 in Srah Chak commune, Daun Penh district on Friday.

via CAAI

Sunday, 16 January 2011 14:39 POST STAFF

Police officers are members of the public service.

Their job is to ensure order by following clear guidelines within the law.

They are not above the law and, like general citizens, should be held accountable when they do the wrong thing.

On Friday four members of the city’s riot police surrounded Sovan Philong, a senior photographer with The Phnom Penh Post, who was taking pictures of home demolitions and evictions of residents from Boeung Kak lake.

The officers manhandled Sovan Philong, grabbed his shirt from the front and back as they shoved him, and illegally confiscated his camera equipment.

Sovan Philong was wearing his government-issued media-identification pass and was covering a breaking news story.

His equipment was returned to him about 90 minutes later.

A riot police officer was later on Friday questioned by another senior representative of The Phnom Penh Post who requested to see the person in charge to register a formal complaint.

The officer said: “My commanding officer has no name and no phone number.”

Cambodia has a reputation as being the beacon of free press in Southeast Asia.

This arrogant and heavy-handed behaviour does not mirror a society with a free press.

About 4,000 people will eventually be evicted from the lakeside to make way for a development by Shukaku Inc, a company owned by Lao Meng Khin who is a senator with the ruling party of Cambodia.

Shukaku employs security guards who have on occasions verbally abused and generally threatened staff members of The Phnom Penh Post.

The stand-over tactic has badly backfired and has made this newspaper even more committed to cover each event as it unfolds during the eviction and demolition process.

We will not be intimidated nor silenced.

The Phnom Penh Post is demanding a full inquiry into the assault and camera confiscation suffered by Sovan Philong.

This inquiry should be state-level and independent of the police.

Phnom Penh obviously needs riot police.

It does not need a division of the Keystone Kops.

It does not need ruffians dressed in police uniforms.

Court orders plane crash payout

Photo by: Khem Sovannara
Officials inspect the wreck of PMT Air flight U4 241 in Bokor National Park in June 2007.

via CAAI

Sunday, 16 January 2011 20:12 Vong Sokheng

A South Korean court on Friday ordered a Cambodian airline to pay 3.2 billion won (US$2.8 million) in compensation to families of passengers killed in a 2007 plane crash near Bokor Mountain in Kampot province.

PMT Air’s Russian-made Antonov An-24 crashed in June 2007 on its way from the northwestern tourist hub of Siem Reap to the beach resort of Sihanoukville.

All 22 people aboard were killed, including 13 tourists from South Korea, three Czechs, a crew of five Cambodians and one Uzbek pilot.

Nuon Sary, deputy police chief of Cambodia’s Kampot province, said at the time that the plane appeared to have hit the mountain in bad weather.

Eleven families of the South Korean victims filed suit in 2008 seeking 4.5 billion won in compensation.

They claimed the accident was caused by human error and mechanical defects.

Sar Sareth, president of PMT, said today the company had been following the case but was unaware of the court order.

“I haven’t received any information about the Seoul court order about compensation, and the company has been considering compensation and waiting to see the proceedings for the victims,” Sar Sareth said.

He added that he was waiting on his boss in Russia before hanging up the phone.

Him Sarum, cabinet chief of the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, said today that PMT Air ceased operations in 2008.

“The company said that it has asked its insurance company to compensate the victims,” he said.

Heang Sophorn, 39, said she filed a complaint to PMT seeking compensation for the death of her husband, Fuch Chandara, who was one of the pilots killed in the crash, but has received no word yet.

“Four other families of the plane crash victims and I have not received compensation or information since we filed complaints to PMT seven days after the death of my husband,” Heang Sophorn said.

More than 289,000 South Korean tourists visited Cambodia in 2010, according to the Ministry of Tourism, up 46 percent from 2009 arrivals. A total of 2.5 million visitors came to Cambodia last year, it said.

Shortly after the incident, some Korean media outlets printed an alleged transcript of the final moments of conversation between the plane’s pilot and the control tower in Sihanoukville.

“We are flying at an altitude of 2,000 feet,” said the pilot.

“You are flying too low. Given your current location, you should move to an altitude of 4,000 feet,” said the control tower.

“It’s no problem; I am familiar with this area,” said the pilot, before communications allegedly blacked out.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AFP

General faces charges

via CAAI

Sunday, 16 January 2011 20:35 Thet Sambath

Brigadier General Samith Virak has been charged with a raft of offences including forming an armed force illegally and trafficking weapons, military police officials said today.

Kheng Tyto, spokesman for the national military police, said Samith Virak had been charged with destroying forested land, forging documents, faking a military ranking, forming an illegal armed force, trafficking weapons and possession of counterfeit money including euros, United States dollars and Kuwaiti dinars.

“He faces six separate charges, and the investigating judge is investigating further offences,” Kheng Tyto said, declining to provide circumstantial information about the case.

The charge of forming an illegal armed force alone carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison under the Kingdom’s new penal code.

Samith Virak was arrested at his villa in Phnom Penh last week, where police reportedly confiscated five illegal weapons including an AK-47 rifle.

An associate of Samith Virak, Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Lieutenant Colonel Peuy Pel, was arrested on the general’s land in Siem Reap province last week and is also under investigation.

“Peuy Pel is the right-hand man of Samith Virak, and he is being investigated by the court as well,” Kheng Tyto said.

Military court prosecutor Mok Seyha declined to comment in detail about the case.

“I have charged [Samith Virak] and I am investigating to file possible further charges against him and his subordinates,” Mok Seyha said.

Kheng Tyto said four men were arrested in connection with the case on Saturday in Takeo province’s Tram Kak district, two of whom were later released and two of whom were sent for questioning in Phnom Penh.

A weapon and ammunition were confiscated at the scene of the arrest, Kheng Tyto said.

“These two men are related to the case of Samith Virak. They are all connected, and they may have been planning an attack [against the government],” he said.

Sao Sokha, the national military police commander, said last week that Samith Virak was arrested in September 2001 on suspicion of involvement with a group called the Cambodian Freedom Fighters, which staged an armed terrorist attack in 2000 on the Ministry of Defence and the Council of Ministers.

He was released on bail in 2002, however, and his case was never brought to trial.

“We are investigating to find out who allowed this man to get a position at the Ministry of Defence,” Sao Sokha said last week, adding that police were also investigating “whether this man trafficked weapons or created any illegal movements or insecurity in the country”.

Prum Sornthon, chief prosecutor of the military court, said last week that he could not remember why Samith Virak had not been brought to trial in 2002.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SAM RITH

Police arrest US sex offender

via CAAI

Sunday, 16 January 2011 19:33 Cheang Sokha

Police and officials from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested one of America’s most wanted men, a convicted child sex offender who is believed to have fled the US about a year ago.

Loren Oulman, 72, of Minnesota, was apprehended in Preah Sihanouk province on Friday on charges of travelling in Cambodia with a revoked US passport.

He is wanted in the US for probation violations and failure to register as a sex offender.

Samleang Seila, country director for anti-paedophile NGO Action Pour les Enfants, said Oulman had two prior convictions in the US for child sex offences, including possession of child pornography.

“I think he is a dangerous man who threatens the safety of Cambodian children,” he said.

“I believe abusing a child in Cambodia is no longer anonymous for the offender, either here or in their home country. You will be watched if you intend to sexually exploit a child.”

According to a statement released by APLE, Oulman gained infamy when his offences were broadcast on the popular American television show America’s Most Wanted last November.

Oulman, a convicted sex offender, was obliged to register with police on a regular basis.

He failed to register and was subsequently arrested, but posted US$10,000 bail and fled to Cambodia.

APLE found no evidence to suggest that Oulman had committed sex offences against Cambodian children.

Bith Kimhong, director of the Anti-Human Trafficking and Juvenile Protection Department at the Ministry of Interior, said the arrest was made through cooperation between FBI officials and Cambodian police.

“[Oulman] is currently at the immigration department awaiting deportation,” said Bith Kimhong.

“Immigration police are working on the documents with the FBI.”

National Police spokesman Kirt Chantharith said today that Oulman’s passport was invalidated after he was convicted of child sex offences in the US.

“We have reported to Ministry of Interior to decide whether to deport him or not,” Kirt Chantharith said, but added that no decision had been made so far.

In December, The Post reported that an American citizen, Michael Dodd, was sentenced to almost nine years in prison by a US district court for having sex with a 14-year-old Cambodian girl.

Dodd was escorted to the US by FBI agents after serving 16 months in a Cambodian prison, but managed to dodge a harsher sentence through a plea deal with US prosecutors.

US Embassy spokesman Mark Wenig said in an email that US privacy laws prohibit comment on individual cases, but that the embassy works to “aggressively” promote the PROTECT Act, which allows citizens to be prosecuted in US courts for sex crimes committed abroad.

Phuket yellow shirts in wild show of patriotism over Cambodia

via CAAI

Saturday, January 15, 2011

PHUKET: About 30 local yellow-shirt activists yesterday put on a show in the center of Phuket Town mocking the Thai government’s handling of the recent arrest and trial of seven Thais by the Cambodian authorities.

The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) members also denounced Cambodian premier Hun Sen, claiming the Thais were arrested on land that belongs to Thailand.

The performance took place at Surin “Clocktower” Circle from 4pm and attracted interest from many passers-by who pulled over to see what was going on.

Led by Phuket PAD leaders Aparat Chartchutikumjorn and Krit Thepbamrung, the group started their activities with a satirical play.

The first part of the performance showed Thai Defense Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan giving away Thai land to Hun Sen.

The group then performed a ceremony cursing the Cambodian PM for alleged crimes against Thai people and the country.

The bizarre ritual involved writing Hun Sen’s name on a chicken egg and throwing it into a paper box. The group stamped their feet, shouting, “Hun Sen must go to hell! Thailand must win!”

The group also distributed leaflets claiming Thailand was about to lose territory to Cambodia. They read a statement criticizing Hun Sen’s behavior and the Thai government’s handling of the issue.

The statement said that PAD members had been following the situation closely since the group’s arrest on December 29.

The statement claimed that Cambodian soldiers had arrested the Thais on Thai territory, in violation of treaties between the two countries.

It said the Cambodian authorities had violated the group’s human rights and that the Cambodian court process was not being carried out according to international standards.

It accused the Cambodians of breaking international law, violating Thai sovereignty and showing heavy contempt for Thai nationhood.

The statement also attacked the Thai government, singling out Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and Defense Minister Gen Prawit for criticism.

It also said government officials in charge of the border issue had been neglectful and weak in their diplomatic dealings with the Cambodian side.

Thailand should be using its power to pressure the Cambodians into releasing the seven. In both its handling of the arrests and the border issue in general, the government had played second-best to Cambodia, it said.

The statement called for the government to change its position and help the group return to Thailand safely. It also called on the government to take the border issue seriously in order to “defend the Kingdom’s honor”.

PM: Appeal for five detained Thais in Cambodia will be submitted this week

via CAAI

BANGKOK, Jan 16 -- An appeal to grant bail for five Thais now detained in Phnom Penh on trespassing charges will be submitted this week while the government is prepared to resolve the problems of Thai border villagers with proper land deeds but unable to work their land, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Sunday.

Emphasising again that all seven Thais who were arrested by Cambodian soldiers on Dec 29 were not on Thai soil at the time of the incident, Mr Abhisit said during his weekly TV and radio address that his government had been working hard to assist them and so far two were released on bail, while an appeal for bail for the rest will be submitted this week.

The duo, including Panich Vikitsreth, an MP representing Bangkok and a member of the ruling Democrat party, were released on bail Thursday but are not allowed to leave Cambodia, as they must attend court hearings when they take place.

Mr Abhisit said an earlier Cambodian announcement gave hope that the court trial for the detainees should end this week or in the near future.

On Thai villagers having land deeds in the Thai border province of Sa Kaeo but unable to use their land as numbers of Cambodians have settled there for over three decades, Mr Abhisit said the disputed area -- between border markers number 46 and 47 is definitely in Thailand and his government would solve this problem after all seven Thais are released to enable villagers to occupy and work their land. (MCOT online news)

Govt sends back 199 Cambodians

via CAAI

ABHISIT DENIES APPEASING PHNOM PENH

Published: 16/01/2011

The government has sent 199 Cambodians facing illegal entry charges back home without further court procedures, but denies it is trying to send a message to Phnom Penh in its row over the seven Thai detainees.

TRUCKED OUT: Cambodian immigrants wait for repatriation back to their homeland at the Immigration Bureau in Bangkok yesterday.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva also put on hold a planned visit to Phnom Penh by Democrat Party members amid concerns that the trip could be viewed negatively by Cambodia.

The 199 Cambodians _ 120 men, 61 women, and 18 children _ were arrested by immigration police in Bangkok after illegally entering Thailand to work in the capital.

They were sent back yesterday through the border checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district in Sa Kaeo, opposite Poipet town in Banteay Meanchey province of Cambodia.

Aranyaprathet immigration police chief Pol Col Manad Sriwongsa said none have been prosecuted under a repatriation agreement between the countries.

Another two Cambodians charged with illegal entry were freed and sent home on Thursday, the same day that two of the seven Thai detainees _ Democrat MP for Bangkok Panich Vikitsreth and Narumol Chitvarattana _ were granted bail by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

Although the timing of the dispatch of the 199 Cambodians coincides with government efforts to help the seven Thais, Mr Abhisit yesterday denied that it was part of a campaign to appease its neighbour.

Some observers say the gesture could also be perceived as the government telling Cambodia that since it is prepared to send home Cambodians without court proceedings, Cambodia should do the same for the detained Thais.

Cambodia says it arrested the seven Thais on Dec 29 after they trespassed into the country.

Meanwhile, a group of Democrats yesterday cancelled plans to visit Mr Panich and the other Thais in Phnom Penh after Mr Abhisit said he opposed the idea.

In Phnom Penh, Pich Vicheka, one of two lawyers working for the Thai seven, said he hoped the court would decide whether to temporarily release the remaining five Thais still in detention at Prey Sar prison on bail on Tuesday. He put a second appeal for bail to the court last Friday after an earlier request was denied.

The five Thais are Veera Somkwamkid, a coordinator of the Thai Patriots Network; his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon; Samdin Lertbutr and Tainae Mungmajon of the Santi Asoke sect; and Kitchaponthorn Chusanasevi, Mr Panich's aide.

Mr Veera has asked for a Thai legal team led by ex-Buri Ram senator Karoon Sai-ngarm to help him and other Thais fight the charges against them.

But Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdee said Mr Karoon and his legal team must first seek approval from the Bar Association of Cambodia to represent them.

The Thai legal team is expected to meet the detainees at Prey Sar prison early this week. Relatives of the five detainees, including Khwan, who is Mr Veera's relative, will travel to Phnom Penh this week.

Myanmar, Cambodia to boost cooperation in tourism

via CAAI

(philstar.com) Updated January 16, 2011

YANGON (Xinhua) - Myanmar and Cambodia have agreed to boost cooperation in tourism industry and planned direct flight between the two countries, the official daily New Light of Myanmar reported Sunday.

The discussions were made between a Cambodiam delegation, headed by Secretary of the Office of the Council of Ministers Takreth Samrach and their Myanmar counterparts, headed by Deputy Minister of Hotels and Tourism U Aye Myint Kyu and Deputy Minister of Transport U Nyan Tun Aung.

The report did not disclose further details of the outcome of the discussions.

Myanmar and Cambodia have planned to launch direct flight between Siem Reap and two Myanmar ancient cities - Bagan and Mandalay.

The plan of introducing Siem Reap-Bagan-Mandalay air route was prompted by the 4th Ayeyawady Chaophraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) summit and 5th CLMV Summit in November last year, which was aimed at developing tourism industry in the subregion.

Prime ministers of Myanmar and Cambodia U Thein Sein and Hun Sen last met in Phnom Penh in the month expressing wishes to initiate direct flight between the two countries to boost cooperation in tourism.

Since 2007, Myanmar and Cambodia have been working in collaboration for realization of direct air link and visa exemption, aiming to promote tourism industry between the two countries.

The work plan includes diverting more tourists from Cambodia's Siem Reap to Myanmar's Bagan, both of which are tourist destinations of the two countries, as Siem Reap has developed a tourism market enough for such diversion.

About 500,000 world tourists visited Siem Reap annually from where more than 100,000 could be induced to Bagan, tourism officials said.

Myanmar and Cambodia signed three agreements in October 1996 on tourism cooperation, air services and establishment of sister cities between Bagan (Myanmar) and Siem Reap (Cambodia).

Myanmar signed bilateral air transport accord with Cambodia in 1995 among others with Laos and Vietnam.

New efforts to tackle Cambodia's rising road death toll (Feature)

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/

via CAAI

By Robert Carmichael

Jan 15, 2011

Phnom Penh - A decade ago the main roads linking Cambodia's towns and cities were in such poor condition that four-wheel drive vehicles were lucky to average 30 kilometres an hour.

Today, thanks to reconstruction efforts, they can zip along four times as fast, narrowly missing pedestrians, ox-carts, cyclists and an array of others sharing the predominantly single-lane highways.

Better roads and low driving standards - there are just 51 registered driving instructors in the country - have had a predictable consequence: The number of road deaths has nearly doubled in five years to at least 1,649 last year, police say.

The final toll for 2010 will likely top 1,700 although that won't be clear until hospital figures are cross-checked against police data in the coming months.

But what is certain is that Cambodia has the worst road fatality rate of any nation among the 10 members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations bloc.

So says Preap Chanvibol, head of the government's land transportation department and a member of the National Road Safety Committee.

Cambodia's road fatality rate is around 12 per 10,000 vehicles, more than three times Malaysia's figure, for example.

The number of new vehicles taking to the roads has also soared as incomes have risen. In 2009, around 308,000 new vehicles were registered. In 2004 the number was just 38,000.

Preap Chanvibol says most new vehicles are motorbikes. They and much-improved roads make head injuries, speeding and drunk driving the three leading causes of road deaths.

Those facts have governed Phnom Penh's approach to tackling the problem: A 10-year action plan, which awaits the prime minister's signature, to try and curb the rapid rise in accidents.

'We have focused on the speed limit, drink driving, and helmet-wearing,' he says.

But other factors are also at work. For a start, although enforcement of traffic laws has improved in the past two years, it remains mixed.

Another problem is that the newly-refurbished national roads carry all manner of traffic, from pedestrians, bicycles and plodding ox carts, to trucks, buses, minibus taxis and cars - all travelling at different speeds.

Hospitals are still poor, which lowers the chance of surviving a crash.

That explains why the number of road deaths is unlikely to drop in the next decade. The aim of the proposed 10-year plan is simply to slow the rise.

Sann Socheata is the road safety project manager for Handicap International Belgium, a non-governmental organization that focuses on disability-related issues.

She says the government took a key step two years ago when it brought in a law requiring motorbike riders - but not their passengers - to wear crash helmets.

Prior to that, fewer than one in five drivers wore a crash helmet. Now more than four-fifths do, and in the main centres such as the capital Phnom Penh the traffic police fine those that fail to obey the law - during the day at least.

But since traffic police head home at sundown, the number of helmet-wearing citizens plummets after dark.

Despite that, says Sann Socheata, the law has shown its worth: The proportion of fatalities from head injuries has dropped from 86 per cent of road deaths to 76 per cent.

'Of course it's not really a big drop because (for) motorbike passengers it's not compulsory to wear a helmet yet,' she says. 'The helmet-wearing rate among passengers is still very, very low - it's just around 10 per cent.'

Sann Socheata says the data underscores the need to extend the law to cover motorbike passengers as well, something the government has said it will do.

New drink-driving checkpoints in Phnom Penh and two other parts of the country should also help to slow the rise.

Another change is that traffic police will soon start working nights, and fines for transgressors will probably rise. The police, who are poorly paid, keep a percentage of any fines they levy, which provides an incentive to enforcing the laws.

Despite these improvements, campaigners expect the country's road death toll will keep rising as the roads get quicker and more crowded.

Sann Socheata says statistical modelling indicates that if the government's 10-year plan succeeds, around 2,240 people will die on the roads by 2020. But should nothing be done, hundreds more will die each year.

Cambodia's roads will likely get more dangerous for some years yet before its drive for safer roads succeeds.

Don’t count on supply of maids from Cambodia, says envoy

via CAAI

By PAUL GABRIEL

paulnews@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians looking towards Cambodia to resolve their domestic worker problems have to turn elsewhere.

This is because many Cambodian maids prefer to leave at the end of their contracts here for a variety of reasons, which include abuse by employers and inability to settle down.

Cambodian Ambassador to Malaysia Princess Norodom Arunrasmy said it was also “too much” to expect her nationals to fill the vacuum caused by Indonesia’s freeze on sending domestic workers here.

Special fare: Princess Arunrasmy hosting a luncheon for some of the abused Cambodian maids at her embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

“I often speak to Cambodian maids on my flights back to Phnom Penh and am told they are not renewing their contracts due to various reasons. Some are even sent home by their employers,’’ she said in an interview.

There are an estimated 20,000 Cambodians working as domestic workers here, the bulk of them recruited following a dispute with Indonesia which froze recruitment of its domestic workers after several high-profile abuse scandals.

The Star reported earlier this week that about 35,000 families were in desperate need of maids with the average waiting time now stretching to over seven months.

The Malaysian Association of Foreign Maid Agencies (Papa) stated that on the average, 7,000 maids were needed per month to replace those who went home after their contracts expired.

Princess Arunrasmy said the embassy was also tightening protection mechanisms for its domestic workers here by requiring employers to bring the maids along when renewing their passports.

“Before, the maids didnt have to tag along but now we want to see them to make sure all is well. I also personally sign all the necessary documents to keep on top of things,’’ she said.

In cases of alleged abuse and other disputes, the envoy said the maid, employer and agent involved were called in for consultation.

Princess Arunrasmy said she would meet a Cambodian delegation comprising Labour Ministry and agency officials who were due here on a fact-finding mission.

Two convicted Cambodians set free after illegally trespassing in Thailand

via CAAI

UBON RATCHATHANI - Two Cambodians have been released after a Thai court sentenced them to two-year suspended jail terms for illegally trespassing into Thailand while they were collecting forest products.

Ubon Ratchathani Governor Prawat Ratirom accompanied two Cambodian villagers from Preah Vihear province to the Chong Sangam border crossing in Sisaket province to hand over the two Cambodian nationals to Preah Vihear deputy governor Sor Thavy who was waiting to receive them.

Both men were arrested by Thai soldiers as they collected forest products in the Phanom Dong Rak Mountain Range near Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani province on Dec 29.

They were charged with illegally entering the Thai kingdom and were sentenced on Thursday to two months prison but the jail term was suspended and they were fined Bt2,500 each.

Mr Prawat said Preah Vihear Governor Oum Mara coordinated with him to help the two Cambodians.

They were set free as they did not intend to trespass into Thai territory but they became lost and their detention period exceeded the fine, according to the Thai governor.

Mr Prawat said the two Cambodian nationals were released to demonstrate Thailand’s sincerity and establish positive relations between Thai and Cambodian local authorities.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the release of the two Khmers has nothing to do with the Cambodian court agreeing to grant bail for two of seven Thais detained in Phnom Penh charged with trespass into Cambodia territory.

He said it was the co-incident not the exchange of prisoner deal between the two countries.

The Cambodian court on Thursda allowed Mr Panich Vikitsreth, MP for Bangkok and Naruemol Chitwaratana of the People’s Network Against Corruption and Santi Asoke networks, to be temporary freed under bail.

The seven were arrested Dec 29 by the Cambodian authorities for illegal entry into Cambodia in Banteay Meanchey province and are now detained in Phnom Penh's Prey Sar Prison. (MCOT online news)

Thailand Tries to Project Normality

http://www.newsweek.com/

via CAAI

But unresolved grievances likely to impede efforts to end civil conflict.

Ryan Pierse / Getty Images (left); Vivek Prakash / Reuters-Landov

Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra (left) and current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Following a year of violent antigovernment protest and military backlash in Bangkok, and with elections likely soon, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva appears eager to show that Thailand is on the mend. In late December, the government lifted the state of emergency that had been in place in the capital for more than eight months, and Abhisit then gave an optimistic end-of-year speech promising stability. As one indication, the cabinet also lifted a much older state of emergency in three districts of Thailand’s troubled Deep South—where successive administrations have been unable to quell an insurgency that since 2004 has claimed more than 4,400 lives. “It shows that the government is making progress,” Abhisit said of the move.

Yet analysts familiar with the region, where parts of the Muslim and ethnic-Malay majority have long clamored for a political voice, say the conflict is far from easing. In fact, while violence in the three districts in question has traditionally been low, it has risen overall during Abhisit’s two-year tenure, according to analysts. “The violence isn’t down,” says Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College who has done extensive fieldwork in the area. “People just accept that violence as the new normal.”

The conflict has been simmering since 1902, when Thailand annexed what had historically been parts of the Kingdom of Pattani, but flared up in 2004 following the heavy-handed approach to the region by the then-prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. Insurgent demands now range from more political say to a fully independent state and implementation of Sharia.

Abuza says there’s no end to the conflict in sight: Thai authorities have yet to get a handle on what is a hard-to-pinpoint, low-grade insurgency that has no clear-cut message, central command, or even identifiable leaders. Harsh military and police tactics, meanwhile, such as detaining suspected insurgents without charge and allegedly using torture, seem only to make things worse. And even lifting the state of emergency represents no significant policy shift—many of the measure’s stipulations remain in effect through the Internal Security Act. Conventional wisdom holds that the government must settle its problems in Bangkok before it can properly address the trouble in the South.

The core issue is legitimacy, says Duncan McCargo, a professor of Southeast Asian politics at the University of Leeds. Thailand’s government is extremely centralized, with even regional governors appointed by Bangkok, where the military and monarchy sit. In the South, many residents feel estranged from the power structure, and the notion has been exacerbated by the military presence and decades of neglect. The red-shirt protesters who occupied part of central Bangkok for two months last year were supporters of Shinawatra, a populist billionaire who went into exile after being deposed in a 2006 military coup—and was the first prime minister to begin shifting some power from Bangkok to the country’s North, which is his base. “What you see in the Deep South is just an extreme version of the national problem in Thailand, which is that power is overly concentrated in Bangkok,” McCargo says. The red shirts took to the streets again in the capital this month following the lifting of the emergency decree.

Devolution of power is the only long-term answer, both in the Deep South and countrywide, according to Michael Montesano of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore. Yet the controversial subject is unlikely to be broached any time soon: the Bangkok elite are reluctant to cede real power, while Abhisit’s government is backed by Thailand’s most centralized powers—the military and the crown. “It would be hard to do this even if there weren’t a political crisis,” says Montesano. Until the country’s leaders are willing to address the longstanding grievances held by Thais outside the traditional power structure, unrest, both in the South and in Bangkok, will likely continue to be the norm.

The Arrest of Seven Thais Intruders – Is it A Legal Issue or a Border-Dispute?

via CAAI

Phnom Penh, January 15, 2011 AKP–(opinion) {The comments are solely the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Royal Government of Cambodia}

On December 29, 2010, seven Thais had been arrested by Cambodian authorities for illegally entering Cambodia. These seven were sent to a Cambodian prison in Phnom Penh for temporary detention. The Municipal Court (First Instance Tribunal) charged them with: 1) illegal crossing into Cambodian territory and 2) unlawfully entering a military base with ill will. They had their first hearing at the Court on Thursday, January 6, 2011.

These seven Thais include a Member of Thai Parliament, Mr. Nanich Vikitsreth; Mr. Veera Somkwamkid, a co-leader of a political Thai group called People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), known as the “Yellow Shirt”. Mr. Veera had been arrested several times by Cambodian authorities before. The last one was in August 2010, and again was charged for the same offense – illegal border crossing.

Their arrest has since then stirred up political and legal controversies in Bangkok. Some Thai groups have urged their government to seriously negotiate with Prime Minister Hun Sen, basically meaning or implying that the seven should be released unconditionally, and in the process alleging falsely that the seven were arrested on Thai territory instead.

Thai Prime Minister Mr. Abhisit Vijjajiva said on Friday, January 7, (published in Bangkok Post) that his Party was concerned only the charges against the seven arrested individuals and that the charges cannot be used to support any claim by Cambodia over border demarcation, nor would it allow Cambodia to get everything it is seeking for at the World Heritage Committee meeting in Bahrain in June this year.

These people are in the stage of confusion. These people are in the stage of illusion and delusion.

Firstly, the judicial branch of someone’s government is at risk. The world judicial system is at risk. Trespassing into someone else’s property or land without permission is illegal. Trespassing into a sovereign country’s border without permission and proper travel documentation, intentionally or unintentionally is illegal and must be arrested and prosecuted under the affected country’s jurisdiction.

There are many countries in the world, which have arrested people who crossed their border, detained them and prosecuted them. So allow the Cambodian Court to do its job unhindered and unimpeded. Justice in every civilized sovereign state must be implied through its own judicial system which subscribes fully to the principles of rule of law of the land without exception or “double standards”.

As far as the so called disputed area in the case is concerned, it does not make any sense. The arrest of seven Thais was made in Cambodian territory. On his return from Cambodia, Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya stated that the seven were found to have been on Cambodian soil during their arrest. He said that a survey by officials from the Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs and the Royal Thai Survey Department found that the seven were also inside Cambodia. This statement is clear evidence to implicate and convict the seven!

The seven Thais themselves had admitted to intruding into Cambodian soil when shown their actual position on the map and the video recording of their presence. The seven knew that they had entered Cambodian territory, Sa Kaeo governor Sanit Naksooksri said. Furthermore, Mr Sanit said the government could not make the excuse that the seven Thais led by Democrat Party MP Panich Vikitsreth and yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid had lost their way and entered Cambodia accidentally.

In a later statement, the yellow shirts (published in Bangkok Post on 12 January) did admit that the Thais had trespassed onto sovereign Cambodian soil, with the hope that they would get a royal pardon from the Cambodian King.

So, let the Cambodian Court do its job!

Secondly, the above mentioned groups deserved to be reminded about the principles of international law. “There are no disputed areas!” Cambodia’s government has always used the internationally recognized map in every negotiation, the map used by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, on June 15, 1962 to deliver its judgment. The Court noted that Thailand in 1908-1909, did accept the Annex I map as representing the outcome of the work of delimitation, and hence recognized the line on that map as being the frontier line. The Court concluded further that “the acceptance of the Annex I map by the Parties caused the map to enter the treaty settlement and to become an integral part of it”; and thereby conferred on it a “binding character”.

To this end the Court decided among the 3 points that: 1)“finds that the Temple of Preah Vihear is situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia”; and that 2) Thailand is under an obligation to withdraw all military, police or other guards or keepers, stationed by her at the Temple, or in its vicinity on Cambodian territory.”

Cambodia never uses unilateral or a non internationally recognized map!

Those extremist groups have repeatedly betrayed history and the principles of “International Law”: The Temple of Preah Vihear is the property of Cambodia thereby the submission of the management plan to World Heritage Committee to preserve the Temple is Cambodia’s ultimate goal.

Any action which lacks of maturity and is contrary to the above principles would ignite tensions and will surely put Thailand at a disadvantage in any future negotiations.

by Sam Sotha ( AKP contributor)

————–

Mr. Sam Sotha is the author of the “In the Shade of A Quiet Killing Place”. His personal memoire. About the book visit the www.heavenlakepress.com