They’re planning a coop

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

via CAAI

Tuesday, 18 January 2011 15:00 Heng Chivoan

The setting is Boeung Trabek lake in Phsar Doeum Thkov commune of Phnom Penh’s Chamkarmon district. The sign by protesting residents says: “Please district [authorities] postpone digging the canal on the villagers’ land in southern Boeung Trabek. Samdech Hun Sen please help the villagers.” And the chickens are restless.

Court hears bail plea today

via CAAI

By THE NATION

Published on January 18, 2011

The Cambodian Appeals Court will open today to hear a new request for bail by five Thais held for illegal entry, Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said yesterday.

The ministry hoped the five people would be released once the court considered their case, he said.

Seven Thais including Democrat Party MP Panich Vikitsreth and yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid were arrested near Sa Kaew's Ban Nong Chan while inspecting a disputed border area on December 29.

They were charged with illegal entry into the country and a military zone.

They could face 18 months in jail if convicted.

Veera, who was briefly held in the same area in August, and aide Ratree Pipatanapaiboon were later charged with espionage for collecting information that could undermine Cambodia's security. They could be sentenced to up 10 years jail.

Panich and Narumol Chitwara-tana were granted bail last week on health grounds, according to the Cambodian Foreign Ministry. It also said the court was still working on the other five detainees' cases. Thani said the Cambodian court was expected to rule on the illegal entry charge this week, but he still had no idea when the decision on Veera and Ratree's additional charge would be made.

A group of Thai lawyers led by Karun Sai-gnam, who has close connections with the yellow shirts, wants to participate in the case and has asked the Foreign Ministry to help them gain access to the Cambodian court.

The Foreign Ministry could not facilitate such a request, as foreign lawyers could not do legal work for Thai defendants in a Cambodian court, the spokesman said. The Thai defendants had the right to change lawyers if they wanted, but had to use Cambodian lawyers, he said.

If the Thai lawyers wanted to help the five, they should contact the Cambodian defence lawyers directly, as the ministry could not help, he said.

The Thai Embassy has engaged two Cambodian lawyers to represent the seven Thais.

The Cambodian issue has become a political headache for Abhisit Vejjajiva's government as Veera's group, calling themselves the Thai Patriots Network, has been staging a protest in front of Government House.

They allege that Abhisit's government is weak and lacks the ability to free the Thais, who they believe were taken captive on Thai territory where a Cambodian community has been living for more than 30 years.

The protesters have blocked the road to Government House and refused to reopen it.

They have called for Abhisit, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and many officials at the Foreign Ministry step down for "failing" to help the seven Thais.

The group would also lodge a petition today with the Royal Household Bureau, asking His Majesty the King to help get the seven Thais released from the Cambodian prison, leader Chaiwat Sinsuwong said.

Tensions between North, South Korea play out in Cambodian restaurant wars

http://www.vancouversun.com/

via CAAI

By Jonathan Manthorpe, Vancouver Sun
January 17, 2011

Dec. 28: South Korean protesters burn a placard showing the defaced portraits of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (L) and his youngest son and successor-in-waiting Kim Jong-un (R) during an anti-North Korea rally in Seoul on December 28, 2010.

Photograph by: JUNG YEON-JE, AFP/Getty Images

Here's advice for anyone hankering for Korean food in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh or the tourist mecca of Siem Reap. Sit close to the door and with your back to the wall.

Cambodia has several Korean restaurants, most operated by South Koreans. But in Siem Reap there are two operated by North Korea and there's another in Phnom Penh.

Trouble started when South Korean restaurateurs condemned last year's attacks by the North on one of the South's warships and on its Yeonpyeong Island.

In retaliation, South Korean restaurant owners report their premises have been attacked by people "who appeared to be North Korean agents."

Seoul's embassy in Phnom Penh has recommended to South Korean tourist agencies that they avoid the North's eateries.

Cambodia Survivor: ‘I Want to Show the Better Side of Humanity’ (With Video)

 via CAAI

January 17th, 2011
by James Pitkin

Kilong Ung, a Portland software engineer who survived the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, is returning to his native land next week to start work on building a new school.

“I want to show the better side of humanity,” Ung says. “My dream is not just one or two schools. I want to build hundreds or thousands.”

In a 2009 WW profile, Ung described losing his parents, younger sister and seven other relatives in the genocide estimated to have killed 2 million people. Ung and his older sister, Sivheng, fled to Thailand and eventually settled in Portland, where Ung graduated from Cleveland High School and Reed College.

Still haunted by nightmares of the past, in 2009 Ung published a memoir called Golden Leaf and founded the Golden Leaf Education Foundation to raise money for schools in Cambodia. Ung says the foundation has so far raised more than $65,000, with one couple giving $16,000.

The Cambodian-American Community of Oregon for years has provided food and medical aid to the people of Ang, an impoverished village in western Cambodia. CACO members told Ung the village school is in terrible condition, with holes in the roof that leak in the rain.

Ung is traveling to Cambodia this week to meet the district governor, visit the village and sign a contract with local builders. Ung says he’ll be accompanied by Chanly Bob, head of CACO; Norb Murray, president of the Golden Leaf Education Fund; and Hem Heng, the Cambodian ambassador to the United States.

Ung and Murray are active in the Rotary Club of Portland, and Ung says a local rotary in Cambodia will oversee building the school. Ung says he hopes it will be the first of many new schools in Cambodia built with donations from Oregon. (To donate, contact kilongung@gmail.com.)

“The Khmer Rouge eradicated my faith in humanity, and by doing this, I am rebuilding my own faith in humanity as well as other people’s faith in humanity,” Ung says. “Two million people died. I want to make sure they didn’t die in vain.”

Watch this video to learn more about Golden Leaf Education Foundation:

Golden Leaf Education Foundation

Corruption Charges Leveled at Detained Police, Officials

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Monday, 17 January 2011

via CAAI

Photo: by Heng Reaksmey

Hun Hean, former police chief of Banteay Meanchey province.

“Now we've charged them with taking bribes in relation to a drug trafficking case.”

Banteay Meanchey provincial court on Monday charged four senior police officials with corruption in relation to drug trafficking, following a spate of arrests over the last week.

The charges were handed down to Hun Hean, former police chief of the province; his deputy, Chheang Son ; Moek Dara, former secretary-general for the National Authority for Combatting Drugs; and Chea Leng, former head of the Ministry of Interior's counter-drug department.

All four, who were removed from their posts before they were arrested in questioning by authorities last week, had been the targets of an Anti-Corruption Unit investigation.

“Now we've charged them with taking bribes in relation to a drug trafficking case,” Ton Sihak Teches, prosecutor for the Bantey Meanchey provincial court, told VOA Khmer.

Though all four were charged at the provincial court, they were arrested and held separately: Moek Dara in Prey Sar prison, outside Phnom Penh, Chea Leng in Banteay Meanchey provincial prison, and Hun Hean and Cheang Son in Siam Reap provincial prison.

They were charged under Article 38 of the 1992 penal code and face up to seven years in prison if convicted, Ton Sihak Teches said.

Sum Chankea, Banteay Meanchey coordinator for the rights group Adhoc, said the group was following the case to ensure “equality of all detainees and the legal process for them.”

Monday's indictments follow the November arrest of Pursat provincial prosecutor Chan Sereivuth, who was also charged under corruption in an ACU investigation.

Hun Hean is the former chief bodyguard for Interior Minister Sar Kheng, and Moek Dara is the former police chief of Battambang province, where Sar Kheng enjoys much political support.

Police Break Up Lake Protesters at Chinese Embassy

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Monday, 17 January 2011

via CAAI

Photo: AP

A group of around 30 demonstrators had gathered in front of the embassy, on Mao Tse Tung Blvd., to protest the involvement of a Chinese company with a local developer.

“The embassy did not accept their letter.”

Phnom Penh municipal police armed with electric batons and shields dispersed a small group of protesters in front of the Chinese Embassy Monday morning.

A group of around 30 demonstrators had gathered in front of the embassy, on Mao Tse Tung Blvd., to protest the involvement of a Chinese company with a local developer that is forcing thousands of families from their homes near Boeung Kak lake.

No one was injured in the clash. Protesters had prepared a letter for the embassy, but embassy officials would not accept it.

In the letter, representatives from seven villages, in the district of Don Penh, representing 3,200 families, said they want $1,500 per square meter in buyouts or be given 15 hectares of land from the 133-hectare development.

The letter asks the Chinese ambassador for “intervention” in the case, due to the joint partnership between Chinese company Erdos Hongjun Investment and the Cambodian developer, Shukaku Inc.

Three separate spokesmen from the Chinese Embassy declined to comment on Monday, referring questions to each other instead.

Thouch Naroth, head of the municipal police, said Monday police had received a complaint from the embassy that required the dispersal of the protesters. “The embassy did not accept their letter,” he said.

US War Crimes Ambassador Wants Cases Pursued

Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Monday, 17 January 2011

via CAAI

Photo: AP

A group of Muslim men point to former Khmer Rouge leader Duch while touring the Tuol Sleng museum.

“We want to make sure that the court is able to conclude its investigation on all matters.”

US War Crimes Ambassador Steven Rapp met with Khmer Rouge tribunal officials last week and urged both the Cambodian and international sides of the court to cooperate in two controversial cases.

Case Nos. 003 and 004, which would require further indictments and charge Khmer Rouge cadre beyond those already in detention, are sitting at the office of investigating judges, but top court and government officials have said they should not proceed lest they create national instability.

However, in an interview with VOA Khmer, Rapp said he urged official to move the investigations forward.

“We want to make sure that the court is able to conclude its investigation on all matters,” he said in an interview Saturday. “Our view is that [the government] will cooperate fully with the court.”

Public remarks by Prime Minister Hun Sen critical of further indictments have caused critics to claim there is governmental interference with the tribunal process, a claim the government denies.

Rapp, who staid Thursday through Sunday, said his visit had convinced him the investigations will go forward. “The indication I have is that the cooperation is there and ongoing and as it's required,” he said.

Rapp's visit comes after a stopover by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said proper funding of the tribunal must be a priority. In addition to tribunal staff and the government, he met with diplomats from donor countries.

Rapp will also visit Thailand and Japan before a meeting with donors in New York over funding later this month.

Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said Rapp's visit was “an encouragement” for tribunal staff and donors.

Cambodia anti-drug chief faces corruption charge

via CAAI

1/17/2011

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The head of Cambodia's anti-drug trafficking agency has been charged with drug-related corruption.

The chief of the anti-corruption unit said Monday that police Lt. Gen. Moek Dara, secretary-general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, has been formally charged in Banteay Meanchey provincial court.

The charges Sunday came about a week after Moek Dara was first detained. On Friday, the Banteay Meanchey provincial police chief and his deputy were charged by the same court with corruption. Both were arrested on suspicion of taking bribes to release drug trafficking suspects.

Under Cambodia's anti-corruption law, passed last year, any official found guilty of taking bribes faces up to 15 years in prison.

Forests under threat

Photo by: Post Staff

A new report claims economic land concessions are eating into Cambodia’s forested areas.

via CAAI

Monday, 17 January 2011 21:34 Vong Sokheng and James O’Toole

The Forestry Administration has warned that the government will not meet its goal of achieving 60 percent forest cover nationwide if it continues parcelling out the Kingdom’s territory in economic land concessions.

According to the Forestry Administration’s 2010 annual report, released last week and obtained today, more than 1.3 million hectares worth of economic land concessions have been granted to date.

This figure represents roughly 7 percent of Cambodia’s total territory, an area larger than Kampong Speu and Kampot provinces combined.

Citing data obtained via satellite imagery, the Forestry Administration said 56.94 percent of Cambodia is now forested, a decrease of 2.15 percent from 2006.

“This result is a sign to warn the Forestry Administration as well as the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries that the government’s Millennium Development Goal of 60 percent forest cover may not be met because of the trend of loss due to economic land concessions,” the administration said, noting that a number of additional concessions are under consideration.

“A review is much-needed in order to evaluate concession land, and land that has not been used according to the concession contract should be seized for conservation purposes.”

Rights groups have alleged that much of the territory granted in economic land concessions is cleared and left to lie fallow without a clear purpose.

In a statement issued last May, the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee called on the government to place a moratorium on economic land concessions until a proper monitoring system was put in place.

The new figures on land concession area represent an increase of roughly 300,000 hectares from 2006.

David Emmett, the regional director for Conservation International, said the legal framework surrounding economic concessions needed to be strengthened in order for Cambodia to preserve its forest cover and take advantage of conservation programmes.

Under the most prominent of such schemes, the United Nations’ Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation programme, or REDD, countries can “offset” their own carbon emissions by paying other countries to conserve their forests.

“There’s a lot of donors and governments wanting to invest in Cambodia … [but] they don’t know if they can be sure that the area that is designated, for example, as a REDD-filed demonstration site, will not suddenly have a new, 10,000-hectare economic land concession,” Emmett said.

The Forestry Administration’s forest cover figure of 56.94 percent “sounds about right”, Emmett said, adding that Cambodia’s forestry loss has not been occurring as quickly as in other countries in the region.

He noted, however, that areas of degraded forest or partially cleared land are sometimes tallied as forested.

“It doesn’t necessarily fully represent the quality of the forest as well as the quantity of the forest,” he said.

“You can look at something and say it’s still forest, but actually 30 percent of the trees are gone.”

The FA reported that at least 7,977 hectares worth of trees were cleared illegally last year, though it said forestry officials “paid attention and played an active role in combating forestry crimes”.

Prime Minister Hun Sen announced a crackdown on illegal logging last year, sacking former Forestry Administration head Ty Sokun in April for his alleged failure to stamp out the practice. Approximately 10,000 cubic metres of illegally wood were ultimately seized in 2010, and 82 Cambodians are now awaiting trial in connection with logging offences, the FA report said.

Human Rights Party spokesman Yem Ponharith said, however, that high-level officials involved in the illegal logging trade were seldom prosecuted and continued to profit from it.

“There have been a number of raids against illegal loggers, but the smuggling of luxury wood continues because of bribes paid to government officials,” he said.

The HRP, he added, has been consistently ignored in its calls to conserve forests and reduce land concessions.

Last May, neighbouring Indonesia declared a moratorium on land concessions in forested areas in a bid to increase its forest cover and preserve territory for use in potential REDD projects, though this move was delayed earlier this month.

Chan Sarun, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, could not be reached for comment today, while Forestry Administration director Chheng Kim Sun declined to comment.

Moek Dara taken into custody

via CAAI

Monday, 17 January 2011 21:20 Buth Reaksmey Kongkea and Kim Yuthana

Ousted anti-drug czar Moek Dara is being held at Prey Sar prison after having been charged with receiving bribes in the Anticorruption Unit’s highest-profile case, officials said today.

Deputy military police commander Om Phearith said Moek Dara, formerly the secretary general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, was interrogated at Banteay Meanchey provincial court on Sunday before being returned to Phnom Penh today along with Chea Leang, an NACD subordinate who was arrested along with him.

“Moek Dara was returned from Banteay Meanchey at 9:00 this morning for detention in Phnom Penh after he was interrogated by the provincial prosecutor,” Om Phearith said, adding that Chea Leang was being detained at Banteay Meanchey provincial prison.

The two were apprehended last week following the arrests of Banteay Meanchey provincial police chief Hun Hean and deputy police chief Chheang Sun, whose testimony reportedly implicated the NACD officials.

Ang Meal Tei, head of the Banteay Meanchey provincial court, said the four had been charged under the Kingdom’s new penal code, which punishes receiving bribes with a sentence of between seven and 15 years jail.

Hun Hean and Chheang Sun are in pre-trial detention at Siem Reap provincial prison, acting Banteay Meanchey deputy police chief Chan Kosal said. They are being held for allegedly accepting bribes to release Lim Mab, another former Banteay Meanchey police officer who was arrested last year on drug charges.

By Nasy, the chief of Banteay Meanchey’s anti-drug police who was arrested last week, was being held for interrogation today at the office of the Anticorruption Unit, Chan Kosal added.

Kheng Sum, formerly a deputy police chief in Siem Reap province, was appointed to replace Hun Hean yesterday in a ceremony presided over by National Police chief Neth Savoeun, taking over the position in a province that has been beset by graft allegations.

EIC issues positive forecast

Photo by: Pha Lina

Reporters listen to EIC researcher Khin Pisey at a press conference at the organisation's headquarters in Phnom Penh today.

via CAAI

Monday, 17 January 2011 20:56 May Kunmakara

The Economic Institute of Cambodia said the domestic economy is set to increase by 7 percent this year, the most optimistic projection for 2011 GDP growth yet released.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have projected 6 percent GDP growth for 2011, while the International Monetary Fund has pointed to 6.8 percent growth.

The agriculture industry played centre stage at an EIC press conference in Phnom Penh today, announcing its prediction.

The sector was expected to be a main driver of the Kingdom’s economic growth in 2011 after receiving a boost from tax incentives accorded by the European Union to developing countries, according to EIC researcher Khin Pisey.

“Our milled rice exports to European markets cannot compete with Thailand and Vietnam if we don’t receive tax exemption from the EU,” he said during a presentation held in the capital today.

The Kingdom’s rice exports do not pay any duty on entering the European Union, EU Delegation to Cambodia Chargé d’Affaires Rafael Dochao Morono confirmed today.

“This gives Cambodian exporters a significant price advantage in the European market vis-à-vis other rice exporting countries,” he said.

EIC president Sok Harch claimed Europe’s rules saved Cambodian rice exporters some US$228 per tonne, but added concerns that it was scheduled to finish at the end of December.

“We don’t know whether they will renew for us or not,” he said, adding more than 90 percent of milled rice exports from Cambodia went to European Union member countries.

However, Rafael Dochao Morono said that the expiration was an administrative issue, adding that Cambodia could be fully confident that its preferences for rice would continue after 2011.

According to EIC, the agro-industry was set to have a particularly strong year with increases in the numbers of food processing plants and rice mills, but the construction sector was still in a slowdown and tourism revenues were still relatively low, according to Khin Pisey.

“Although the number of foreign tourists has increased substantially, revenues [per tourist] are declining because most tourists are from neighbouring and regional countries – not from western countries,” he added.

However, Minister of Tourism Thong Kong has previously rejected the notion that tourists from Asian countries are outspent by their western counterparts, excepting the cost of flights.

In 2010, the EIC said the garment sector grew 14.5 percent, the agro-industry grew 13.3 percent and tourism 9.3 percent last year, but added these figures were generally set to increase further during 2011.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JEREMY MULLINS

Court to rule on Thai bail appeal

via CAAI

Monday, 17 January 2011 18:44 Cheang Sokha

The Appeal Court will tomorrow rule on whether to grant bail to five Thai nationals charged with entering Cambodia illegally last month, Judge Choun Sunleng said today.

“All parties will be present at the court for a hearing tomorrow,” said Choun Sunleng, who is in charge of the case.

“The decision will be made after the hearing.”

Pich Vicheka, the group’s Cambodian defence lawyer, confirmed that the five defendants will appear at the court as scheduled.

He said the bail request was submitted to the Appeal Court on Friday after Phnom Penh Municipal Court rejected the initial request.

Seven Thai nationals, including a ruling Democrat Party MP, Panich Vikitsreth, and Veera Somkwamkid, a former leader of the “Yellow Shirts” People’s Alliance for Democracy, were arrested on December 29 near the border encampment in Banteay Meanchey’s O’Chrou district, across the border from Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province.

The group claimed to be “investigating” the two countries’ contentious border demarcation process.

All seven were charged with illegal entry and unlawfully entering a restricted military base, charges that carry combined maximum sentences of 18 months in prison.

Veera and his secretary Ratree Taiputana Taiboon were later slapped with an additional charge of collecting information that might damage the national defence, which carries up to 10 years jail.

On Thursday, Panich and another member of the group, Naruemol Chitwaratana, were granted bail on health grounds, while the five others remain in custody.

The Nation reported today that Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had voiced optimism that the case involving the seven, which has stoked tensions between the two neighbours, could be settled this week.

“Look at Cambodia’s recent statement. I’m confident that the case will be solved soon in the courtroom,” Abhisit told reporters, referring to a statement from the Cambodian Foreign Ministry that claimed the case would be tried in light of the “current good relations between Cambodia and Thailand”.

Abhisit said he knew of no complications within the Cambodian judicial system or political factors that might upset the outcome.

He said the government would try its best to get the five Thais still detained in Prey Sar prison freed on bail.

On Saturday, Thailand repatriated nearly 200 illegal migrant workers to Cambodia through the Poipet border crossing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said.

He said, however, that the return of the workers was unrelated to the case of the seven Thais facing charges in Cambodia.

Tens of thousands of illegal migrant workers are repatriated back to Cambodia every year by Thai authorities.

City Hall to bin bargaining

Photo by: Wesley Monts

Clothing for sale at a Central Market stall in Phnom Penh today

via CAAI

Monday, 17 January 2011 19:25 Tep Nimol

Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema has urged the city’s market vendors to make their stalls more welcoming to foreign tourists, including by putting price tags on their goods in a bid to prevent gouging by sellers.

In a city meeting on January 4, the contents of which were released on the municipality’s website this week, Kep Chuktema said every district must “advise the market owners to put prices on goods, and avoid prices being set by the sellers”.

He added that city markets “must guarantee security, order and sanitation because foreigners like visiting simple markets”.

It said they should also take action to prevent pick-pocketing and other theft.

Som Sovan, governor of Prampi Makara district, said price tag requirements have been in place for years, but haven’t been successful because goods’ prices change and vendors can get “lazy” in attaching updated prices.

“Now we’re starting to reinforce the measurement again … so that vendors can’t set the goods’ prices as they want,” he said.

Som Sovan said most private and state-owned markets received the governor’s order last week. Vendors at City Mall and O’Russei Market – both in his district – are generally good about using price tags, but some vendors have been holding out on the idea, he said.

However, the city’s bid to introduce fixed pricing runs counter to the customs of shopping in Cambodia’s markets, where the price of virtually every item is open to negotiation.

Som Sophean, a 26-year-old clothing vendor at Russian Market – a popular destination for Western tourists – said she had been tagging her products for more than a year because it’s good for business.

“I regularly put price labels on the clothes so the customers can compare their price and quality before they decide to purchase,” she said.

“Some places demand double the price … and that can cause an argument.”

Still, Som Sophean said that people continue to bargain with listed prices, and she allows slight discounts on her goods.

Un Sokha, a 26-year-old cosmetics vendor at Boeung Keng Kang Market, said customers continue to bargain with her prices, even though she’s been tagging her products for almost two years.

She said that if she’s unwilling to bargain, her customers will go elsewhere.

“I’ve been unsuccessful in putting on price labels because when I tagged [the products], not many customers buy my goods,” she said.

“[The customers] always wanted to bargain.”

Som Sovan said today that local officials have opted for education in their tourism-friendly plan, telling vendors about the benefits of fair pricing.

Thus far, he said, the city has not handed out punishments to vendors who refuse this practice.

However, Kep Chuktema said in the January 4 meeting that older market vendors who aren’t able to comply with the new regulations “should be removed from his or her post and replaced”.

Critics take aim at union law

Photo by: Will Baxter

Garment workers protest outside a Phnom Penh factory during a wave of strikes in September, which saw thousands of workers voice demands for a higher minimum wage.

via CAAI

Monday, 17 January 2011 20:12 Brooke Lewis and Mom Kunthear

Civil society and union representatives have expressed concerns about the latest draft of the Kingdom’s first law on trade unions, ahead of a three-day consultation meeting set to begin today.

The latest version of the proposed law, circulated by the Ministry of Labour this month and obtained by The Post today, follows an initial draft released by the ministry in June.

Moeun Tola, head of the labour programme at the Community Legal Education Centre, said the new draft was “worse” than the initial one in terms of the kinds of restrictions it could impose on the rights of workers to organise.

“I want to emphasise that the freedom of trade unions is in danger,” he said.

Moeun Tola said his main concerns were that the law in its current form would make it difficult for unions to register with the Labour Ministry.

If they did receive certification, he added, they would not be able to “freely exercise” their role as unions because they could be “dissolved any time by the court or Ministry of Labour”.

The concerns echo those raised following the release of the initial draft in June. Critics had expressed concerns about provisions requiring the designation of a “most representative” union with the “exclusive right” to negotiate on behalf of workers throughout an industry.

Criticism was also directed at requirements that unions file financial reports with the government each year.

Some also expressed worries that the draft law’s prohibition of participation in “illegal” strikes could lead some unionists to face criminal charges.

All three provisions have been carried over to the latest version of the draft law, according to an unofficial translation seen by The Post.

Rong Chhun, the head of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, expressed frustration with the consultation process today, claiming that suggestions made by union representatives last year had not been incorporated into the latest draft of the law.

“I read the draft law and I didn’t see anything change after we suggested that they change some points,” he said, adding that he did not expect this week’s meeting to be any more productive than previous consultations.

“I think there will have to be a movement from the union or the workers to demand the law is corrected,” he said.

The law would be “useless” for workers and their representatives if the ministry failed to consider their suggestions, Rong Chhun added.

“I think the freedom of unions will be ended when this law is approved, if it does not change through the [suggestions of] unionists,” he said.

Ken Loo, secretary general of the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, said today that there had been “significant changes to certain articles” of the draft law following consultations last year.

He said the draft law in its latest form “clarifies where the labour law was inadequate” and offers better protection to both workers and employers.

Huon Soeur, deputy director of the Labour Ministry’s Department of Labour Disputes, said this week would be the last opportunity for union, industry and civil society representatives to meet with officials to discuss the law.

He said the ministry had already considered unions’ demands following consultations last year.

He declined to comment, however, on whether any of the suggestions had been incorporated into the latest version of the draft law.

He also declined to give a timeline for the passage of the draft law.

“I can’t say when to expect this draft law will be finalised or approved,” he said.

“To create a new law is not too easy to do. We have to do it carefully because we need to talk to each other in order to get a good law.”

John Ritchotte, a labour relations specialist at the International Labour Organisation, said today that it would be “premature” for him to comment on the draft law at this stage, but noted that the ILO would submit official comments to the Labour Ministry “within the next few months”.

“The ministry has informed the ILO that it will request official comments from the ILO,” he said.

“It’s standard procedure for the ILO to submit comments on draft legislation, if so requested by an ILO member state.”

David Welsh, country director for the American Centre for International Labour Solidarity, said a strong trade union law could help prevent the sort of large-scale strikes that broke out in September, which broke out after a hike in the minimum wage fell far short of unions’ demands.

“We saw the frustration that happened in September,” Walsh said today.

“Had the law been in place in September, maybe that wouldn’t have happened.”

ASEAN+3 pledge support

via CAAI

Monday, 17 January 2011 15:00 Soeun Say

SENIOR officials from China, Japan and South Korea agreed to develop and support ASEAN tourism yesterday, in order to boost visitor numbers.

As part of the ASEAN Tourism Forum, being held in Phnom Penh, representatives from throughout Asia met at the capital’s Sofitel hotel yesterday morning.

Tith Chantha, general director of Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism, told reporters after the meeting: “All the ASEAN countries appreciate China, Japan and Korea [known as ASEAN+3] for their support.”

“We want ASEAN+3 countries continue to promote tourism in the region and facilitate tourists in order to attract more and more visitor to come to ASEAN countries. This is our goal,” he said.

He said members of the ten-nation bloc wanted the three additional countries to promote human resources development within tourism - through training courses, seminars, workshops - as well as help in facilitating visits from information technology experts.

“We also asked India and Russia to continue to promote and cooperate to push tourists to come to the ASEAN region,” he said.

In 2010, there are more than 70 million visitors to the ten ASEAN members, of which 10 millions visitors come from ASEAN +3 countries, Tith Chantha said.

A representative from China, Japan and Korea said they would help “promote the region as a unique tourism destination”.

A strategy for tourism development in ASEAN+3 from 2011 to 2015 was tabled during the meeting, and will be discussed during a top-level meeting between ministers of tourism from the bloc today.

News in Pictures

ASEAN foreign ministers (L-R) Myanmar's U Nyan Win, Phillipine's Undersecretary of Policy Erlinda F. Basilio, Singapore's George Yeo, Thailand's Kasit Piromnya, Vietnam's Assistant Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh, Indonesia's Marty Natalegawa, Cambodia's Hor Namhong, Brunei Darussalam's Mohamed Bolkiah, Laos' Thongloun Sisoulith, Malaysia's Dato' Sri Anifah Aman and ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan pose during a group photo before the opening of the ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting (AMM) Retreat in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara province January 16, 2011. REUTERS/Foreign Ministry

 Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Surin Pitsuwan (L) and ASEAN foreign ministers including Malaysia's Dato' Sri Anifah Aman (2nd L), Laos' Thongloun Sisoulith (3rd L), Cambodia's Hor Namhong (4rd L) and Indonesia's Marty Natalegawa symbolically plant coral reefs at the site of the ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting (AMM) retreat in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara province January 16, 2011. ASEAN wants the U.S. and Europe to lift sanctions against member Myanmar after its recent elections and release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, it said on Sunday. REUTERS/Aulia Ahmad

 

Cambodian women react during a protest near the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh January 17, 2011. About 60 residents of Boeung Kak Lake appealed to the Chinese embassy for help in getting fair compensation from a Chinese firm involved in a real estate development at the lake. The protesters were representatives of at least 2,000 remaining families, who are facing eviction from the lake, a local rights group said. REUTERS/Samrang Pring

A Cambodian woman holds her baby during a protest near the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh January 17, 2011. About 60 residents of Boeung Kak Lake appealed to the Chinese embassy for help in getting fair compensation from a Chinese firm involved in a real estate development at the lake. The protesters were representatives of at least 2,000 remaining families, who are facing eviction from the lake, a local rights group said. REUTERS/Samrang Pring

Cambodian men grill fish for smoked fish before selling in their fish harvesting time at Prek Kmeng village, Kandal province, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)  

A Cambodian girl walks upstairs on a bamboo ladder as she enters her house at a fishing village of Prek Kmeng, Kandal province, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)  

A Cambodian man smoke fish before selling in their fish harvesting time at Prek Kmeng village, Kandal province, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)  

A Cambodian woman prepares fish to smoke them before selling during their fish harvesting time at Prek Kmeng village, Kandal province, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)  

A Cambodian boy looks at water buffalos as a man rows his wooden boat on a stream at a fishing village of Prek Kmeng, Kandal province, about 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

PM hoping 5 will get bail this week

via CAAI

By Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

Published on January 17, 2011

But Veera and colleague may face tough fight to counter espionage charges by Cambodia

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva voiced optimism yesterday that the case involving seven Thais arrested late last month for illegal entry into Cambodia could be settled this week.

The PM said he knew of no complications within the Khmer judicial system or political factors that may upset the outcome.

He said the government would try its best to get the five Thais still detained in Prey Sar prison freed on bail.

"Look at Cambodia's recent statement. I'm confident that the case will be solved soon in the courtroom," Abhisit told reporters.

The Cambodian Foreign Ministry said last week that "the Cambodian court is proceeding with this case in accordance with Cambodia's immigration law, taking into consideration the current good relations between Cambodia and Thailand, without any animosity toward the Thai people.

"The court is still considering the case of five other Thai culprits," it said.

The statement was issued after the court rejected bail requests for five detainees on Friday. The court earlier granted bail to Panich Vikitsreth, an MP with the ruling Democrat Party, and activist Narumol Chitwaratana on health grounds.

Abhisit said a lawyer would submit an appeal today for a court decision on the five remaining detainees. Legally speaking, the appeal could drag out the case since the court is likely to take more time to reconsider the bail request.

Furthermore, two of five remaining detainees - yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid and his aide Ratree Pipatanapaiboon - have been charged with espionage, a tough blow, which could see them jailed for up to 10 years. They were accused of collecting information that could harm Cambodian security.

Unlike Panich, who told the court that he crossed the border by accident, Veera and other activists from the Thai Patriots Network did not accept they crossed into territory that was under Cambodian sovereignty. They insist that the area they inspected on the day they were arrested belongs to Thailand. Veera did not even accept the interpreter arranged by the court for his testimony last week.

Veera is familiar with the issue as he was held briefly by Cambodian local authorities after entering the same disputed area near Sa Kaew province's Ban Nong Chan in August last year.

He and his group claim the area belongs to Thailand but has been occupied by a Cambodian community for more than 30 years. He wants the Thai government to use force to kick these people off the disputed land.

A Thai government source said the case of Veera and other "patriots" was really complex because they knew exactly what they were doing and wanted to challenge Cambodian authority.

"It seemed he knew where to go [across the border] and had realised the consequence of this from the beginning," the source said.

Indeed, information from Thai authorities helped Cambodia to "pin" Veera and his group down. Thai officials insist that they walked 55 metres into territory under Cambodian sovereignty. So, the Cambodian court is unlikely to let them walk free easily.

Abhisit looks to want Veera and his colleagues released as soon as possible in order to relieve political pressure on the government. The Thai Patriots Network has been protesting outside Government House since the group was arrested and its leaders have threatened to stage a major rally later this month. Political pressure from the group has limited Abhisit's bargaining power in dealing with Cambodia.

On the other hand, Phnom Penh knew very well it held significant cards in its hand. The longer it holds them, the more bargaining power it has. Hun Sen won't play a card until he can achieve his goal - to settle the bigger dispute over the Preah Vihear temple. Abhisit's government still opposes Cambodia's management plan for World Heritage listing of Preah Vihear. The government has invited Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister Sok An to visit Bangkok to discuss the matter but he has yet to respond.

Thai FM Calls For 'Politics Of Compromise' On Border Issues

via CAAI

LOMBOK (INDONESIA), Jan 17 (Bernama) -- Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya urged all parties concerned on Monday to pursue the "politics of compromise" policy when handling or moving on unsettled Thai-Cambodian border issues, according to Thai News Agency.

Kasit, who was visiting Indonesia's Lombok Island to attend an informal meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers, said that he also called on Phnom Penh to pursue the policy during his talks earlier in the day with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong on the sidelines of the regional gathering.

The Thai foreign minister revealed that he discussed the detention of seven Thai nationals by Phnom Penh as well, urging the Cambodian government to consider behaviours and movements of some activist groups in Thailand with rational understanding.

The Thai foreign minister, on the other hand, called on the Thai activists to give priority to national interest, rather than sticking on a non-compromising stance based on one-sided ideals of their respective groups--which could result in a confrontation between Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia.

Kasit affirmed that the present Thai government has no hidden agenda, but being open in forging sound relationship and a successful regional integration, not animosity, with neighbouring nations.

Kasit is returning to Bangkok after the end of the regional meeting in time for the Thai Cabinet's weekly meeting Tuesday.

Celebrating a monk

via CAAI

Community recalls Khmer leader who helped Cambodians settle in Long Beach

Posted: 01/16/2011  

 

Hundreds gather at the Khemara Buddhikarama Temple in Long Beach for a funeral ritual in remembrance of the Rev. Kong Chhean. The Buddhist religious leader helped Cambodian refugees resettle and was head monk of the temple that is popularly called Wat Willow. (Stephen Carr, Staff Photographer)

A mourner holds a photo of the late Rev. Kong Chhean during a memorial service at the Khemara Buddhikarama. Chhean was remembered by the Long Beach Khmer community and leaders who worked with him to help the refugees from the Killing Fields find a place in Southern California. (Stephen Carr Staff Photographer)

LONG BEACH - The Rev. Kong Chhean was surrounded by a sea of orange, white and

yellow flowers as hundreds paid their respects to the late Buddhist monk on Sunday.

They remembered him as a man who was devoted, compassionate and spiritual - a man who worked to help heal the Cambodian community.

Chhean, the well-known and beloved head monk at the Khemara

Buddhikarama Temple, died at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center on Jan. 7 after battling a series of ailments. He was 66.

Chhean's life was commemorated Sunday in a memorial service at All Souls Mortuary followed by a final Buddhist ritual service at Khemara Buddhikarama Temple, 2100 W. Willow St., which is popularly called Wat Willow.

Mourners dressed in white - the traditional color worn for Cambodian funerals - and monks swathed in vibrant orange robes filled the pews as Chhean was eulogized in both Khmer and English.

Among the crowd was Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, who knew Chhean for two decades and helped him tackle issues in the Cambodian community during her time on the Long Beach City Council.

"For me personally, Rev. Chhean was a friend," said Lowenthal, one of more than a dozen who shared their memories of the monk.

Lowenthal recalled Chhean's efforts to help young Cambodian gang members.

"He took them into the temple. He helped them with community service. He turned their lives around," she said.

Born in Cambodia in 1945, Chhean was ordained as a novice monk at 12 years old. He studied Buddhism and philosophy at Banaras Hindu University in India and received his doctorate in 1975.

Unable to return to his native country because of the Khmer Rouge, Chhean came to the United States in 1979 and set up his first temple in an apartment on Clarkdale Avenue in Hawaiian Gardens and his second in a home in Lakewood.

As more Cambodian refugees arrived in the U.S., Chhean began holding religious services at El Dorado Park.

In addition to leading his congregation, Chhean had a strong interest in mental health and worked with the Los Angeles County Mental Health Department to treat Cambodian refugees suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

He earned a master's degree in psychology at Pepperdine University in 1986 and a doctorate in clinical psychology in 1989.

Each year, Chhean raised funds and used his own salary so he could return to Cambodia and purchase hundreds of bags of rice for the needy.

"He frequently reminded us that when he is no longer here on earth, his one and only wish was for all of us to stay united and take care of the beloved temple that he dedicated himself to building," according to a biography read by community member Mala Soy in the memorial service.

"He wanted it to remain a Khmer Buddhist Temple, where we can preserve and conserve our Khmer culture for the next generation in America."

kelly.puente@presstelegram.com , 562-499-1305

Suthep: Petition to King 'inappropriate'

via CAAI

Published: 17/01/2011

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has criticised the Thai Patriots Network’s move to petition His Majesty the King, accusing the government of mismanaging the border demarcation issue with Cambodia, saying it is inappropriate.

The network’s claim that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had conspired with Cambodia on the issue of border demarcation, leading to loss of national sovereignty, was totally unjust, Mr Suthep, who oversees national security, said on Monday.

The network, a splinter group of the yellow-shirt People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), has threatened to begin a campaign to gather signatures to petition the King against the government's alleged failure in its management of border issues with Cambodia, including the recent arrest of seven Thais.

The seven were arrested by Cambodian soldiers on Dec 29 during a visit to a disputed area near Nong Jan village in Sa Kaeo's Aranyaprathet district next to Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province.

The seven, including Veera Somkwamkid, a coordinator of the network, and Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth, have been charged with illegal entry and trespassing on a military area, which carry a maximum sentence of 8 months in jail.Mr Veera and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, face additional charges of espionage.

Mr Suthep insisted no one in the government had been involved in the arrest of the seven Thais.

Asked about the blockage of Phitsanulok road in front of Government House by protesting members of the network, the deputy prime minister said Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Jakthip Chaijinda has been ordered to tell them to unblock the road and allow traffic through.

The road blockage has adversely the public and motorists.

He admitted the government has been under pressure over the past two years in office. It has tried its best to solve the problems. However, it could not pay heed to all demands by pressure groups, he said.

On the planned rally by the PAD on Jan 25, he said the government could not prevent any group from staging a rally. However, he believed the majority of Thais did not want to see unrest in the country.

Mr Chaiwat Sinsuwong, a core member of the network,said on Monday that his group would petition the King tomorrow.

He blasted Mr Suthep over his remark, saying the deputy minister had no right to make any remark deemed infringing upon the monarch’s authority.