Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple sees no tourists since recent deadly clashes

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English.news.cn

2011-03-02

PHNOM PENH, March 2 (Xinhua) -- There has been no tourist visiting Preah Vihear temple, a World Heritage site, in February due to the deadly clashes on Feb. 4-7 between Cambodian and Thai troops over the border disputed areas next to the temple, said officials on Wednesday.

"It was the worst month for tourists, it was recorded that the temple saw no even a visitor in February," Kong Vibol, chief of tourism department in Preah Vihear province, told Xinhua by telephone.

"They're scared to visit the temple; they worry about their own safety," he said. "I believe that it will take loner time to encourage them to visit the temple."

He said that before the military clashes occurred, in January, the temple received 13,443 Cambodians and 690 foreign visitors.

Hang Soth, general director of the Preah Vihear National Authority, said Wednesday that policemen have returned to protect tourists at the temple since last week.

"We have opened the temple for tourists just a week after the military clashes, but they don't go to visit," he said.

"Since the clashes, there have been only charitable groups and high-ranking officials bringing food and cash-gifts to donate to soldiers and their families near the temple."

The four-day clash unleashed a barrage of artillery shells on both sides of the border and killed and wounded soldiers and people of both sides. Tens of thousands of the two countries' villagers nearby the disputed areas fled for safe shelters.

The conflict has occurred just a week after the inscription due to Thai claim of the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the temple, since then periodic clashes have happened between the two nations' troops, resulted in the deaths of troops on both sides.

Editor: Wang Yan

Food Crisis Is Less Severe Than 2008 as Rice Lags Other Grains, OECD Says

Different varieties of rice are displayed for sale at a market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg

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A global food crisis on the scale of what happened three years ago isn’t recurring because an increase in the cost of rice, a staple for half the world, has lagged behind a jump for other grains, according to the OECD.

Rice futures traded on the Chicago Board of Trade rose 3.4 percent in the past 12 months, compared with 60 percent for wheat and 93 percent for corn. World milled-rice output will rise 2.4 percent to a record 451.7 million metric tons in 2010-2011, the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts, helping keep stockpiles near the highest in seven years.

Rice prices almost tripled in the 20 months to April 2008, contributing to a worsening in world hunger that meant a record 1.02 billion people were deemed by the United Nations to be undernourished in 2009. That figure fell to 925 million people last year, the first decline in 15 years, as food costs dropped and economic growth lifted incomes.

“The scale of the problem is not as bad for large parts of the world as it was in 2008,” said Ken Ash, the trade and agriculture director at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. “With two-thirds of the world’s hungry largely reliant on rice as a staple, rice prices have not increased and supplies are relatively strong.”

Rice added to the previous peak in food costs in 2008, with prices climbing 33 percent in 2007 and another 11 percent the next year, after export bans by producers including Cambodia, Vietnam, India and Egypt. Rice, which jumped as high as $25.07 for 100 pounds in Chicago in April 2008, traded at $14.315 on the Chicago Board of Trade at 12:38 p.m. Paris time.

Asian Benchmark

Thai grade-B white rice, the Asian benchmark, has dropped almost 3 percent from a year ago to $533 a ton this week, according to the Thai Rice Exporters Association. The price of rice from Thailand, the world’s largest exporter of the grain, reached $1,038 a ton in May 2008.

Global food prices rose 28 percent in the past 12 months and reached a record in January, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. That’s fueled riots across North Africa and the Middle East that have already toppled leaders in Tunisia and Egypt. More than 60 food riots occurred worldwide from 2007 to 2009, according to the U.S. State Department.

World prices for rice “are well below what they were back then,” Ash said Feb. 24 in his office at the OECD headquarters in Paris. “In developing countries the impact should not be as negative. That’s not to say there’s no problem.”

‘Low Levels’

The price of rice has risen in some local markets, Ash said. In Bangladesh, the biggest South Asian rice buyer, prices rose to a record in January because of “low levels” of public stocks after the government cut purchases in the previous crop season, the UN reported last month.

Global food prices are expected to rise in the first half of the 21st century after falling in the second half of the previous century because of a rising population and higher incomes, slower crop-yield growth and the effect of climate change, Ross Garnaut, the Australian government’s climate-change adviser, said today.

Rice planting in the U.S., the world’s third-largest exporter, may drop 25 percent this year because growers can earn more from corn and soybeans, according to the median in a Bloomberg survey of nine analysts and farmers in January.

“Good seasons” in parts of Africa and Asia have helped build up grain supplies there to levels above those of 2007-08, reducing the impact of rising world prices, Ash said. “Local grain supplies in parts of Africa and Asia are very good.”

‘Extreme’ Poverty

Higher food prices have pushed 44 million people into “extreme” poverty in developing countries since June, the World Bank said Feb. 15.

Wheat prices climbed in the past six months after Russia banned grain exports in August following a crop-damaging drought, while rising U.S. ethanol production has lifted demand for the feedstock corn.

Rice is the most important food crop in the developing world and a staple for more than half of the global population, according to the International Rice Research Institute.

World rice stocks are forecast to slip 0.7 percent to 93.9 million tons at the end of 2010-2011, after climbing in the previous three years on rising production in China and Thailand, USDA data shows.

OECD countries may see more inflation from food compared with 2007-08 because of rising meat prices, a “significant” part of the diet in developed economies, Ash said.

Higher Food Costs

The effect of higher food costs on OECD inflation “was relatively modest and relatively short-lived” in 2007-08, Ash said. For consumers in developed economies, “the fact that wheat is a bit more expensive is not a life or death matter.”

The OECD expects the supply response to higher grain prices to mainly come from developed countries, with planting up “quite significantly,” Ash said. That could “quickly” push grain prices down “by the summer, early fall” in the Northern Hemisphere, he said.

While public focus is on the impact of expensive food on poor consumers, the OECD is trying to focus attention on the “fundamental” problem that “the international community may tend to forget a little bit about,” Ash said.

“The problem is poverty,” Ash said. “At relatively low prices a decade ago there were still 800 million people hungry. What high prices, economic crises and various natural disasters do is, for some period of time, increase that number.”

Policy makers should focus on helping developing countries raise crop output and their purchasing power, he said.

‘Stable and Secure’

“There’s a self interest in a world that’s stable and secure, and where growth is more inclusive,” Ash said. “People who are well-fed are more productive.”

To address food security, the OECD is studying the idea of food stocks in regions prone to supply shortages, Ash said. The alternative is to “pre-position” cash, he said.

“There is no costless way to do this,” Ash said. “One of the advantages of cash as opposed to physical food aid is that you don’t have the same kind of negative disruption on local markets. You get the food, plus the producer benefits.”

Ivory Coast’s political crisis may lead to food shortages in the country and neighboring states as imports of staples including rice have been cut off and movement of food is hampered by the conflict, the U.S.-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network said yesterday.

“When a country is in conflict, you’ve got a problem,” Ash said. For sub-Saharan Africa, “if you take out of those countries the ones characterized as in conflict, in the rest there’s been significant improvement in food security.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Rudy Ruitenberg in Paris at rruitenberg@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Claudia Carpenter at ccarpenter2@bloomberg.net.

DAP News. Breaking News by Soy Sopheap

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Around 100 Cambodian Journalists to Visit Thailand

Wednesday, 02 March 2011 09:22 DAP-NEWS/CHANG SOPHAL

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, MARCH 02, 2011-Ouk Kim Seng, a senior official for the information ministry on Wednesday said that Thai media invited over 100 media crews from regional training program and exchange the views on Cambodia-Thailand relationship.

“Regional media will meet in Thailand and attended the training program. Cambodia media also will meet with senior officials from government’s ministries,” Kim Seng said on facebook.

Cambodian and Thai media exchanged visits to seek understanding on the bilateral ties after the two countries’ ties soured on political and diplomatic relationship.

“They also will visit Sra Keo province and meet the provincial officials,” a reporter said.

Cambodia and Thailand are trying to shorten the border issues and expand the tourism, culture, trade, and investment.

Thai troops invaded Cambodian soil on July 15, 2008 after Cambodia listed the 11th century Preah Vihear temple as world heritage site. The fresh deadly armed clashes brought the invaded issues to UN Security Council and ASEAN, and Indonesia will send 30 observers to the area soon after both sides had requested to do so.

______

OPINION: THE NEW WIND OVER CAMBODIAN-THAI ARMED CONFLICTS

Wednesday, 02 March 2011 04:57 DAP-NEWS

The involvement of a third party

The conflict between Thailand and Cambodia caused by Thai repeated acts of aggression has become international affairs since the UNSC meeting in New York on 14 February 2011 followed by the mediation effort by Indonesia, current chair of ASEAN at the 22 February ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting. Across the Atlantic from UNSC in New York City, to the European Union, the EU’s parliament condemned the deadly fighting occurring from 4 to 7 February and welcomed the efforts of Foreign Minister Marty Natalewaga of Indonesia who facilitated the meeting of all ten ASEAN foreign ministers, despite previous rejection of the idea of ASEAN involvement in resolving the conflict by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajeva.

The outcome of the Jakarta meeting was that Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to allow Indonesian nationals civilian and unarmed military personnel to exercise the task of observers in the area of the frontier line where Cambodian Armed Forces units and Thai Armed Forces Units are positioning. It is worth noting that from the Cambodian standpoint as laid down by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, on the Cambodian side of the frontier line, Indonesian observers will have full freedom of access, “they can go anywhere, they can go any time, and they can see any thing they wanted to see.”

On the same matter, the international community including UNSC, ASEAN and EU was astounded to hear that up to 1 March 2011that “Thailand remains without a clear plan on when to allow the observers in,” as published by The Nation, on 1 March under the title: Thailand stalls on Temple visitors. The same news outlet reported also that Army Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha had said that: “Thailand will not allow Indonesian observers to have full access to the disputed border areas near Preah Vihear,” and that Thai Defence and Foreign ministries “so far have not reached common ground on the observers' roles.” There is no doubt in the international community’s mind that Thailand attempted to stall the terms of reference (TOR) on the Indonesian observers which have been sent to both Thailand and Cambodia by Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, the current chairman of ASEAN, while Cambodia has responded positively.

Alexander Mohr, an international relations expert and partner for international relations at the European government relations firm Alber & Geiger in Brussels, and former lecturer on international relations at the French University “Institut d'etudes Politiques de Paris,” France, in an article published in The Nation on 1 March 2011 under the title: “Border conflict could be an opportunity to redefine Asean,” has concluded that: “The involvement of a third party could have great potential to solve the problem between the two countries and at the same time re-define the role of Asean in the region in the long run.”

Certainly, when many people, from the UNSC, ASEAN, EU to private international individual are aware of the root causes of conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, as Samdech Techo Hun Sen of Cambodia has put it wisely: “we are moving out of the darkness and we are coming under daylight,” the resolution of the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia undeniably requires the involvement of a third party. As we speak the process is on the move.

How smart, how good, how cunning, how snaky, how slimy the leaders and members of the Thai governments are, it is already too much too late for them to stall the process, now. They will try nonetheless. The best for them is to cut their losses to a minimum.

Prof. Pen Ngoeun

Senior advisor and member of the Academic Committee

Puthisastra University, Phnom Penh, Cambodia,

Former Dean and Professor of the Faculty of Business and Economics

Pannasastra University of Cambodia,

Former Assistant Controller at Phibro Inc.,

A subsidiary of Citigroup Inc., New York City, USA, until 2000

Bail breakthrough

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Wednesday, 02 March 2011 20:12 Chhay Channyda

The Supreme Court yesterday ordered the provisional release of Thach Saveth, who was convicted in 2005 of killing a prominent trade unionist in a case rights groups have long charged was a set-up.

Judges instructed the Appeal Court to reinvestigate the case and ordered Thach Saveth, who had received a 15- year prison term, to be released following a formal request from the court for the Ministry of Interior’s approval. Thach Saveth did not appear in court yesterday.

Presiding Judge Khim Ponn said procedural irregularities in the case warranted the release of Thach Saveth, who formerly served as a paratrooper in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

“There is evidence both to sustain and to reduce the charges, but four witnesses against [Thach Saveth] did not swear to their testimony” as they are required to do by law, Khim Ponn told the court.

“This is a criminal case which requires continued investigation, so the Supreme Court decides to release him on bail, but he must present himself following a request from the court.”

Thach Saveth was convicted of the murder of Ros Sovannareth, a Free Trade Union representative at the Trinunggal Komara garment factory in Phnom Penh who was shot in Tuol Kork district in 2004 while riding his motorbike. The verdict was upheld by the Appeal Court in 2009.

Ros Sovannareth’s murder came less than four months after the assassination of FTU president Chea Vichea, who was shot and killed outside Wat Langka in Chamkarmon district.

Thach Saveth has claimed he was travelling to Anlong Veng district in Oddar Meanchey province at the time of Ros Sovannareth’s murder and thus could not possibly have committed the crime. The case has drawn comparisons to that of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, two men who were convicted under dubious circumstances for the murder of Chea Vichea before being released pending a new investigation in 2009, having served nearly five years in prison.

Critics including current FTU head Chea Mony, the brother of Chea Vichea, have repeatedly called for the cases to be investigated properly and have suggested that government officials themselves may have been involved in the killings.

Speaking through tears outside the court, Thach Saveth’s mother, 49-year-old Huon Phalla, called her son “a good citizen who never committed such a crime”. Sam Chamroeun, Thach Saveth’s lawyer, welcomed his client’s release but said the court should drop all charges in the case.

Cambodia accepts military observers

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Wednesday, 02 March 2011 19:51 Cheang Sokha

Cambodia has accepted terms of reference for unarmed Indonesian military observers to watch over a ceasefire along the Preah Vihear border area and now awaits a response from Thailand.

“We have clearly stated in the terms of reference letter that in the case of a Thai objection, Cambodia will receive Indonesian observers alone,” said Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“We don’t know about the Thai side but our stance is that we have completely agreed to the terms of reference.”

After four days of fighting early last month left at least 10 dead, dozens injured and thousands temporarily displaced on both sides, Cambodia and Thailand agreed at an informal meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers on February 22 in Jakarta to allow Indonesian military observers to monitor a ceasefire.

The 30 observers, 15 in each country, will report to both ASEAN and the United Nations Security Council, which has called for a permanent ceasefire.

Marty Natalegawa, the Indonesian Foreign Minister, sent Phnom Penh and Bangkok the terms of reference last week.

Veerachon Sukondhadhpatipak, deputy spokesman of the Royal Thai Army, and Thani Thongphakdi, deputy spokesman for the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The Cambodian Ministry of Defence will lead a tour of the border area and the Preah Vihear temple tomorrow for military attachés from more than 10 embassies.

Although the move follows a similar event organised by Thailand, it has apparently annoyed at least some in the Thai army according to an unnamed military source quoted in the Bangkok Post.

Koy Kuong said there was no reason for the visit to increase tensions.

“Cambodia only brings those foreign military attachés to visit the border inside Cambodian territory, so there is not anything to cause tension,” he said.

“Thailand also brought foreign military attachés to visit the border recently, and Cambodia did not say it caused tension.”

Baby sellers face inquiry

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Wednesday, 02 March 2011 20:04 Mom Kunthear and James O’Toole

Government officials will investigate the case of an illegal baby-selling ring broken up in Thailand last week that may also be operating in Cambodia, Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said yesterday.

Last week in Bangkok, Thai officials freed 14 Vietnamese women who said they had been trafficked and held against their will by a firm known as “Baby 101” that offers up surrogate mothers for wealthy couples in Taiwan and elsewhere.

Victims said the company also has offices in Phnom Penh, the Bangkok Post reported, and on what is apparently its website, the firm lists local phone numbers and says it has a “reception office” in Phnom Penh.

Government officials contacted earlier this week said they were unfamiliar with the case, though Khieu Sopheak said yesterday that the Interior Ministry would work urgently to address the matter.

“I just got this information. We have to broadcast this information and the ministry has to investigate this case,” he said. “Human beings are not like beef, pork, chicken or ducks that can be sold in a market.”

Thai police have arrested an unknown number of Baby 101 staff who are being held in detention, while the Vietnamese women are set to be returned home. Thai Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanavisit told reporters in Bangkok last week that the business was “illegal and inhuman”, and that some victims had shown signs of rape.

Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said yesterday that the suspects could face charges for human trafficking, money laundering and several other offences. He declined to comment in detail on the investigation but said Thailand would keep officials from neighbouring countries abreast of the case.

“Once the case has proceeded forward, I think the linkages and networking of these individuals will be further investigated,” Panitan said, adding that Thailand had been “working closely” with regional governments to combat cross-border crime.

Photos of 40 different women appear along with numbered codes on the apparent Baby 101 website, where visitors are encouraged to browse their various surrogacy options. The fee for the entire process is listed at US$32,000.

Calls to Baby 101’s Cambodian phone numbers were not answered yesterday. The website does not list a local address.

Japanese tourists targeted

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Wednesday, 02 March 2011 19:40 Soeun Say

Cambodia saw an 18 percent increase in foreign visitors in January, compared to the same month last year, as officials encouraged tour operators to increasingly target Japanese tourists.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon said today visitors from South Korea, Vietnam and China counted for much of January’s increase.

However, Thai visitors decreased 18 percent compared to January 2009 to just 13,310, data showed.

Of the 247,471 foreign visitors to Cambodia in the first month of 2011, the largest source was South Korea, with 42,939 travellers – a 36.9 percent increase on the same month the year previous.

Vietnam was the second largest source, with 37,858 visitors, while 21,927 entered from the People’s Republic of China in January.

Thong Khon, speaking at the Phnom Penh Hotel, also said that Japan was a lucrative market that local tour operators could further target.

The island nation sees 15 million people travel abroad each year, but ministry statistics showed 15,474 Japanese visitors entered the Kingdom in January.

“Japanese tourists are a main target we must attract,” he said.

“I appeal to Japanese companies to look for opportunities to invest in Cambodia – such as Japan Airlines beginning direct flights to Cambodia.”

Cambodia’s Ambassador to Japan, Hor Monirath, said on the conference sidelines that All Nippon Airways could begin low-cost flights to Cambodia this year, thereby increasing the number of Japanese visitors.

Regulator defers trading

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Wednesday, 02 March 2011 18:57 May Kunmakara

Five domestic firms trading in derivatives products have been ordered to suspend their operations by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia.

SECC director general Ming Bankosal said Cambodian firms offering derivatives trading had operated without the necessary regulatory framework being in place.

The SECC was cooperating with the firms to prepare the necessary regulations, but the emphasis for the regulatory body was on launching the Cambodia Securities Exchange, scheduled for July, he said.

“We had not prepared any regulations or rules to manage them [firms trading in derivatives],” he said.

“It is not the priority for us – we want the public to understand the stock exchange first, then we will think about preparation of regulations for derivative products.”

In an announcement dated March 1 and obtained yesterday, the SECC ordered five companies to halt operations.

They are Gold Financial Global, First State Gold Investment Company, Global Gold and Forex Investment Consultant Company, CMDK Gold Company and International Gold Market Company.

Although the SECC did not define what it considered a derivative product in the announcement, the Korea Exchange, which is a 45 percent stakeholder in Cambodia’s planned bourse, said it considered a derivative to be a financial instrument that derives its value from other underlying assets, in a presentation given to Cambodian experts in December.

These assets often include contracts for commodities such as gold and oil. Examples of derivatives include options and futures.

Representatives of the affected firms told The Post they were complying with the SECC’s announcement. Gold Financial Global administrative and human resource supervisor Sales Sovanna said the company had changed its business model since receiving a warning about the impending move from the SECC late last year.

“We have delayed our business, and changed it to offer financial sector training courses to the public to assist them with understanding the industry,” he said.

The firm had previously specialised online trading of foreign exchange currencies, spot metals and crude oil.

An official at Global Gold and Forex Investment said the firm had suspended operations following notice from the SECC. “We postponed our operation after receiving information from them [the SECC] in January,” the official said.

A Current of Nationalism, Not Extremism: Researcher

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Wednesday, 02 March 2011

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Photo: Courtesy of Lao Monghay

Lao Monghay, a former researcher for the Asian Human Rights Commission, talks to VOA on “Hello VOA” Monday.

“We see that Cambodians don’t seem to discriminate or oppose the goods of their neighbors at all."

Cambodians are experiencing an upsurge in nationalism thanks to a continued border dispute with Thailand, but a researcher says it has not veered toward extremism.

Lao Monghay, a former researcher for the Asian Human Rights Commission, told “Hello VOA” Monday that Cambodians are now cooperating in economy, trade and culture more closely.

However, he added, trade goods from neighboring countries like China, Thailand and Vietnam are still in high demand.

“In Cambodia, even though there is stronger nationalism, it has not been extreme,” he said. “We see that Cambodians don’t seem to discriminate or oppose the goods of their neighbors at all. Even Thai goods, there is no movement stirred up to boycott Thai goods.”

Cambodians from many walks of life have rallied around the perceived threat posed by border clashes with Thailand, with the fiercest clashes to date last month.

A border dispute near Preah Vihear temple, a cultural touchstone for many Cambodians, has elicited support for Cambodian soldiers. But there have been no violent demonstrations, such as those in 2003, when a Thai actress was rumored to have said Angkor Wat should belong to Thailand. The 2003 demonstrations escalated into a night of rioting and the burning of the Thai Embassy by a mob of Cambodian youths.

Lao Monghay said that kind of nationalism was dangerous and to be avoided.

Military Attaches to Inspect Sites of Border Clashes

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Wednesday, 02 March 2011

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Photo: AP

The stone remains of Preah Vihear, built nearly 1,000 years ago, are supposed to be a protected U.N. World Heritage site. Instead they are at the heart of a dangerous tug-of-war between Cambodia and Thailand.

“I think a visit to Preah Vihear temple at this time will be very productive.”

A delegation of foreign military attaches is scheduled to visit Preah Vihear temple Thursday, military officials said.

Cambodia says the 11th-Century temple was damaged by Thai artillery in border clashes in February and has asked Unesco to assess the damage. Thai officials maintain Cambodia has troops close to the temple, putting it at risk to future damage.

The military delegation will include 19 representatives of foreign countries including the US, China and Japan and will last for two days, said Chhum Socheath, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense.

The defense attaches will meet with Cambodian frontline commanders before touring as many areas along the border as possible, Chhum Socheath said. This will include strike sites where Cambodian officials say cluster munitions were used by Thai soldiers.

“They will see the reality, and from what they see they will have their own views,” he said. “I think a visit to Preah Vihear temple at this time will be very productive.”

Intense clashes between the two side Feb. 4 through Feb. 7 left at least 10 people dead and sent villagers fleeing for safety.

Both sides have since agreed to a ceasefire and a monitoring mission from Indonesia, the current head of Asean, but Thailand has said it does not condone a Unesco inspection of the temple while military tensions remain high.

Cambodian military officials on the border said they have been put on heightened alert for the military delegation’s visit.

Cambodian & US marines Provide Medical Treatment To Villagers Free of Charge

Panich: Veera in poor health

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Published: 2/03/2011

Online news:

The health of yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid, who is imprisoned in Cambodia, is deteriorating, Democrat Party MP Panich Vikitsreth said on Wednesday.

Mr Panich, one of the seven Thais arrested by Cambodian troops on Dec 29 last year for illegal entry, said Mr Veera had a head injury, skin rashes and respiratory illness due to poor air circulation in his cell.

The MP said he had talked with the mothers of Mr Veera and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, who is also detained in Phnom Penh. Both mothers were concerned for Mr Veera and Ms Ratree and wanted them to be released as soon as possible.

The quickest way to get them released was to petition the Cambodian monarch to grant the pair a royal pardon, he said.

Mr Panich said he hoped the case of Mr Veera and Ms Ratree would be treated similarly to the case of Thai engineer Sivarak Chutipong who was granted a royal pardon by Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni before serving the usual two-thirds of his sentence.

Mr Sivarak was found guilty of stealing the flight plan of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra ahead of his visit to Cambodia in 2009.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Feb 1 jailed Mr Veera for eight years, and Ms Ratree for six years, after they were found guilty of illegal entry and espionage on Dec 29.

Kendal midwife quits to help Cambodian mums

http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/

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Wednesday 2nd March 2011

By Steven Bell »

A LONG-SERVING Kendal midwife has quit her senior NHS job to spend two years in Cambodia helping improve mortality rates.

Angela Oxley flew out to the Asian country yesterday after stepping down as head of midwifery, obstetrics and gynaecology at Morecambe Bay NHS Trust.

Mrs Oxley, a midwife of 20 years, had worked at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary before becoming a matron at Helme Chase Maternity Unit in Kendal.

She felt compelled to help improve midwifery in the developing nation where mortality rates are one in 260 for mothers and 97 in 1,000 for infants. The reason for the high rates is a lack of trained staff in isolated areas.

Mrs Oxley said working in another country had always interested her but until now the time had not been right.

“It’s something that my husband and I have had in the back of our minds for quite a long time,” she said.

“I wanted to work abroad but life took over and I got married and had children. Now they have gone on to university, it’s a good opportunity to do so.”

The midwife has been studying an intensive Khmer language course alongside having motorbike lessons to prepare.

Mrs Oxley will be based at a hospital in the Stung Treng region where poverty means local midwives do not receive regular wages and have to work elsewhere to feed their familes.

Any free time they have is spent working in the hospital.

Births take place at small clinics under the supervision of a midwife with only basic training.

Mrs Oxley hopes to use her experience to help train others in the region but is aware of the size of the challenge.

“I will be reviewing midwifery services and teaching in every remote town in northern Cambodia and identifying what goes on,” she said.

“It’s about where we can make some positive changes.

“You have to be realistic about it. You can’t go out there thinking you can change the world but you can make small changes that are sustainable.”

The placement is being carried out through Voluntary Services Overseas which aims to reduce infant and maternal mortality in line with the United Nations and World Health Organisation.

Her husband, Chris, has also flown out and will teach English and advise small businesses.

Mrs Oxley added: “I’m leaving one set of challenges in the NHS for another set of challenges but I’m looking forward to it.”

To pledge donations to help fund the placement, visit www.justgiving.com/oxleyincambodia

Phnom Penh is ready for border monitors: Jakarta

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The Nation/Asia News Network

Wed, Mar 02, 2011

Cambodia has welcomed Indonesian observers to monitor a permanent cease-fire at the disputed border area near Preah Vihear Temple, giving a positive response to Jakarta's proposed terms of reference for the process, the Asean chairman said yesterday.

Thailand and Cambodia agreed during an informal meeting of Asean foreign minister in Jakarta last week to allow a team of observers from Indonesia to assess the situation at the disputed border area after clashes in early February claimed 10 lives, including three civilians on both sides. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, the current chairman of Asean, said in Jakarta yesterday he had sent the terms of reference (TOR) to both sides last week.

"Cambodia has responded positively. Now, we are waiting for Thailand's response," he was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Indonesia had set up two teams consisting of 30 officials, he said.

"We prepared 15 officials to observe the situation on the Thai side, namely the Indonesian Observer Team-Thailand, and to the other side, we will send the Indonesian Observer Team-Cambodia," he said.

He said the monitors would move into place once there was agreement by the two sides.

A five-member advance team from Indonesia visited Preah Vihear and nearby areas late last week to prepare for the observers' mission. They spent several hours at the border area to collect information before reporting back to Jakarta, a source said.

Thailand has yet to reach common ground among concerned agencies over the role and presence of Indonesian observers in the border area. The Thai military did not want foreign observers to have full access into the disputed area.

The border area near the historic Hindu temple has been at the core of conflict between Thailand and Cambodia for many decades. The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the temple was situated on Cambodian territory but Bangkok has argued that adjacent areas belong to Thailand. Deadly clashes erupted there in 2008, prior to the last Cambodian poll.

-The Nation/Asia News Network

ASEAN and the Cambodia-Thailand Conflict

http://thailand-business-news.com/

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The fighting and violence that have taken place in the Thai-Cambodia border area violate both the letter of solemn agreements among the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its spirit, the spirit which underlies the very concept of ASEAN.

As ASEAN members, Cambodia and Thailand are both signatories to the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), which commits them to reject the use or threat of force in the relations between states and to the peaceful settlement of inter-state disputes.

The overriding purpose in this regard is to avoid and prevent actions that result in the death or injury of human beings. Already, between ten and twenty persons are reported to have been killed and countless others injured or displaced in the border fighting between the two countries.

In addition to the provisions of TAC, certain facts have to be kept in mind to avoid the repetition of violence in the future.

The first is that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962 ruled that the temple of Preah Vihear, near where the fighting has occurred, belonged to Cambodia. Both Cambodia and Thailand had agreed to submit their dispute to the ICJ and to abide by its decision. The current dispute is not about the temple itself but over a strip of land nearby, which the ICJ saw fit not to adjudicate but which joint Cambodia-Thailand border and boundary bodies are supposed to deal with.

Another fact to remember is that in 2008 UNESCO listed Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site. It did so upon Cambodia’s proposal but with the support of Thailand. This cooperation between the two was manifested in an agreement signed in June 2007 by Noppadol Pattama, then foreign minister in the government of Samak Sundaravej, a successor to the deposed Thaksin Sinawatra deemed sympathetic to Thaksin. Anti-Thaksin politicians have charged that the agreement violated Thailand’s constitution.

These events were also inflamed by nationalistic public emotions. It would be responsible and indicative of the value that the leaderships in both countries place on human life if they were to dampen the emotional flames instead of fanning them.

As the weaker protagonist, Cambodia has sought to multilateralise and internationalise the matter, including asking for a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on it. However, Thailand has expressed its preference for bilateral negotiations. But there are venues for mediating this conflict other than the world body, among them regional countries and ASEAN itself.

In recognition of this, Susilo Bambang Yudhuyono, President of Indonesia, this year’s ASEAN chair, has sent his foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, to Cambodia and Thailand on 7 and 8 February, respectively. The new ASEAN Charter allows the parties to a dispute ‘to request the Chairman of ASEAN or the Secretary-General of ASEAN . . . to provide good offices, conciliation or mediation’. Marty and the foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand were invited to the 14 February UNSC meeting, at which all three made statements.

At the end of that meeting, the Council President, Brazil, issued a statement calling on ‘the two sides to display maximum restraint and avoid any action that may aggravate the situation’ and ‘to establish a permanent ceasefire . . . and resolve the situation peacefully and through effective dialogue’. It went on: ‘The (Council) members . . . expressed support for ASEAN’s active efforts in this matter and encouraged the parties to continue to cooperate with the organization in this regard. They welcomed the . . . Meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers on 22 February.’

The Cambodia-Thailand conflict puts to a severe test both ASEAN and Indonesia. Indonesia was one of ASEAN’s founders, its largest member and its current chair. Indonesia was where the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Cooperation was signed and the Blueprint for an ASEAN Political and Security Community was adopted, in 2003. It is the leading proponent of the Political and Security Community, which calls for the prevention of disputes and conflicts from arising between member-states.

The 22 February ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting was called, hosted and chaired by Indonesia as ASEAN’s chair. It resulted in clever compromises among Thailand’s call for bilateral negotiations, third-party intervention, and ASEAN’s role. While the statement released at the end of the meeting underscored bilateral talks, it also repeatedly referred to Indonesia, which the ministers called on to send ceasefire observers on both sides of the disputed territory, as ‘ASEAN’s chair’.

For the sake of their peoples and of the region, not to mention ASEAN’s credibility, the efforts at mediation by Indonesia as the ASEAN chair and a cessation of hostilities must be encouraged and succeed.

Author: K. Kesavapany, ISEAS

K. Kesavapany is the Director of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

A short course on Islam in Cambodia

Mawlid ceremony at Kampong Tralach, Kampong Chhnang, February 2011. Photo by: DC CAM

via CAAI

Wednesday, 02 March 2011 15:00 Post Staff

Islam is changing in Cambodia. Muslims are financially benefiting from aid from global Islamic institutions, often at the expense of traditional practices, which are quickly changing according to the preferences of international donors.

Cambodian Islam is composed of three main groups: the orthodox Islam, who make up a 80% of Cambodian Muslims, the Chvea Muslims of coastal regions and the Imam Sann group. The first group has the closest connection to Muslims around the world, and their practices most closely resemble those seen in other the majority of Muslim populations. Most orthodox followers, for example, forbid keeping dogs as pets as it is considered unsanitary.

Orthodox Muslims are believed to descend from Champa, and their beliefs are largely influenced by the elite Chams who initially came to Cambodia. Recently, however, they are being increasingly influenced by the belief systems of charity organizations from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia and local cultures are withering away.

The second group of Muslims, about 40,000 people, lives mostly along the Cambodian coastal area, do not speak Cham and are believed to be the original Muslims who converted Cham refugees from Hinduism to Islam when they first arrived in Cambodia in the 15th century.

The third group are followers of Imam Sann, an old and devout Muslim, who died and was buried on Oudong Mountain (the old capital of Cambodia). With 38,000 followers, they are the smallest group, live mostly in Kampong Tralach district, Kampong Chhnang province, and are seen as being the least devout in the Islamic practices. For example, they do not wash their face when they pray, men do not need to keep beard and they do not cover their heads or faces as is Orthodox Islamic practice. They pray one time in seven days.

Start of Production Shift to Cambodia and Bangladesh

http://www.bike-eu.com/

via CAAI

Published @ 02-03-2011

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands – Is it the start of a massive relocation of the production of bicycles destined for export to Europe? Reports are coming in on Strongman opening a new facility in Cambodia. As new EU trade rules are very favourable to OEM bike makers in countries like Cambodia and Bangladesh it’s likely that more are to follow.

It’s on the cover page of Bike Europe’s February edition that will arrive this week at the trade journal’s worldwide readership. The story heads with: “Are Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam the new Bike Production Bases?”

The fist major bike producer is doing just that with setting up shop in Cambodia where also A&J Worldwide Group operates production facilities for complete bicycles as well as for alloy frames.

The news on Strongman is not yet confirmed by the company’s HQ in Taiwan. But reliable sources indicate that the new and relaxed Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), which came into force January 1, 2011, urged the bike maker to open another facility there next to the ones it has in Thailand and Vietnam.

The new EU trade rules allow Cambodia and Bangladesh to export bicycles, parts and accessories to the EU 27 member states without the regular 14% import duty on complete bicycles and 4.7% import duty on P&A. Next to Cambodia and Bangladesh other countries in South East Asia are benefiting from the new GSP trade rules.

For more details click here:

http://www.bike-eu.com/news/4634/new-eu-trade-rules-strongly-spurs-bike-import-from-asia.html

 

As production costs are quickly rising in in particular China it is expected that bike companies from this country will also shift production to Cambodia and Bangladesh. Manufacturers of shoes and textiles are already doing that and according to Bloomberg it’s a trend that will become significant in 2011.

This year, wages for workers in China are expected to rise 20% to 25%. In 2010, skilled Chinese workers saw even more yuan’s on their pay-checks compared to 2009 percentage-wise. In combination with the new and relaxed GSP trade rules for export to Europe, rising wages, together with higher prices for raw materials, more stringent environmental regulations, as well as increasing inflation rates are expected to lead to an exodus of bike and parts production away from China.

Cambodian move raises border tension

via CAAI

Published: 2/03/2011

Online news:

A Cambodian bid to take a group of foreign military attaches into part of the disputed 4.6 square kilometres around Preah Vihear temple has raised tension, again, on the border in Si Sa Ket province, a military source said on Wednesday.

The source said that Thai troops were put on a continuing alert in the 4.6 sq-km area, especially around the Preah Vihear temple, as a precaution, from Tuesday night.

The tension flared after Cambodia informed the Thai soldiers that it planned to bring the military attaches of 10 countries from Phnom Penh into the disputed area on Wednesday. The Thai side denied them permission.

Cambodia wanted the attaches to see important spots, including the damage to Wat Kaeo Sikha Kiri Savara and the area around it, which is in Thai terrority, the source said.

"There would be no problems if the attaches were taken specifically to see Preah Vihear temple, but we cannot allow them to go into the disputed area which has been occupied by Cambodian soldiers. We also regard the disputed area as ours," said the source.

The source said when Thailand took military attaches of 14 countries to the border in the middle of last month, they were taken to see only Mor E-daeng cliff and Phum Srol village on the Thai side of the border. They did not enter the disputed area.

The rejection caused Cambodia to postpone the visit until Thursday. Thai troops have been put on the alert. It was not known whether Cambodia would persist with the visit or cancel it, the source said.

The source said the Thai military attache in Phnom Penh had contacted the military attaches of other countries and been told they wanted the visit postponed for fear of sparking a new confrontation between Thailand and Cambodia.

Meanwhile, reports reaching the Thai military said Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had ordered a change to the border forces, replacing the current soldiers with those of the Khmer Rouge.

The source said Khmer Rouge soldiers were viewed as intended more for combat than for promoting a good relationship.

AKP - The Agence Kampuchea Press

via CAAI

Lao Prime Minister To Visit Cambodia Next Week

Phnom Penh, March 2, 2011 AKP — Prime Minister of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, H.E. Thongsing Thammavong, will lead a high delegation to pay an official visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia on Mar. 7-8 at the invitation of Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen.

The Lao premier will be received in a royal audience by His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, at the Royal Palace, said a press release of Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation dated today.

During his visit in the Kingdom, H.E. Thongsing Thammavong will respectively pay courtesy calls on Senate President Samdech Akka Moha Thamma Pothisal Chea Sim, National Assembly President Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakrei Heng Samrin and Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen.

Besides, the Lao prime minister will visit the National Museum, the press release added. –AKP

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DPM Sok An Speaks of Border and Preah Vihear Temple Issues

Phnom Penh, March 2, 2011 AKP — Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An has said that the firing by the Thai army of more than 400 mortar shells on the Preah Vihear Temple was intentional and aimed by Thailand to destroy the Temple.

H.E. Sok An, who is also Minister in charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers and Chairman of National Commission of Cambodia for UNESCO, was speaking in an interview on Monday.

He said one of the urgent things that Cambodia would do which was agreed by Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen and UNESCO Special Envoy Koichiro Matsuura was to hold a meeting between himself and his Thai counterpart.

However, he underlined, it must not be a meeting organized within the Thai manoeuvre of closing the door to use armed forces to attack Cambodia, and push out the United Nations, the ASEAN, the UNESCO and others who want to intervene for peace.

So, fruitful meetings are to have the UNESCO as a witness and must be held at the UNESCO headquarters attended by the UNESCO leaders, Deputy Premier Sok An said, referring to his previous meeting with former Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon, attended by UNESCO Deputy Director-General which led to a decision to list the Preah Vihear Temple [as a World Heritage Site] a few weeks later in Quebec.

He also gave an example of his fruitful meeting with his Thai counterpart delegation in Brazil which resulted in the signing of a five-point document with the intervention of Minister of Culture of Brazil as chairman of the annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee.

“We are prepared to meet with Thai counterpart at the UNESCO headquarters and the meeting is expected to take place in May and there will be a preparatory meeting in Paris prior to the World Heritage Committee’s meeting in Bahrain,” he said.

“We have requested Indonesia to dispatch the observers as soon as possible…, he said, adding that Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen convened a special meeting on Sunday during which he said the UN Security Council strongly supported ASEAN Chairman to play a coordinating role.

As far as the relevant progresses are concerned, he affirmed that fast progresses had been made. On Sunday, Indonesian Foreign Minister, who is now ASEAN Chairman, sent a letter to his Cambodian counterpart, requesting Cambodia to prepare a practical formula for the observations. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong responded promptly to the request following an urgent meeting convened by Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen.

We hope that the situation will be getting less tense when the observers start working, Deputy Prime Minister Sok An said, urging the UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee to demonstrate their high attention to contribute to protecting and saving the Preah Vihear Temple.

Referring to the 1954 international convention on protection of cultural heritages in time of armed conflicts, Deputy Prime Minister Sok An suggested that the UNESCO should have a speedy approach to the United Nations Security Council, and Cambodia has now considered requesting for an observation mission like that in Israel and Arabia. –AKP

Article in Khmer by OK Saphan

Article in English by Ravuth M.

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2011 Enterprise Census Kicked Off

Phnom Penh, March 2, 2011 AKP — The first-ever general 2011 Enterprise Census was kicked off on Mar. 1.

Senior Minister H.E. Chhay Than, Minister of Planning and Chairman of the Enterprise Census National Committee, accompanied by Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Embassy of Japan Mr. Hiroshi Kawamura, and High Representative of Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Mr. Yukiharu Kobayashi, inspected the census operation in Chamkar Morn and Tuol Kork districts, Phnom Penh.

On the occasion, H.E. Chhay Than called for a good cooperation from the public, especially from the entrepreneurs and the local authorities.

The census is aimed to gather important information on enterprises for the preparation of policy, economic development plan and management strategies as well as marketing and university research …, he stressed.

The one-month census is supported by the Japanese government and JICA. Some 4,000 interviewers and 500 supervising officials have been carrying out their tasks in over 14,000 villages throughout the country.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen appealed all business owners to support the work and provide sufficient and accurate information. –AKP

By Théng

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Cambodian, Vietnamese NAs Boost Ties

Phnom Penh, March 2, 2011 AKP — The Cambodian and Vietnamese National Assemblies should strengthen coordination and create the most favorable legal framework for bilateral cooperation.

This statement was made by NA Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Kien while receiving a delegation from the Cambodian NA’s Commission for Education, Youth and Sports, Cults, Religious Affairs, Culture and Tourism led by its chairman Mom Chim Huy in Hanoi on Mar. 1, reported Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

Kien suggested the two NAs pay attention to popularization and education work so that Vietnamese and Cambodian people, especially young generations, will continuously preserve and promote the fine traditional relationship between the two countries.

He expressed his wish that the two countries’ ministries, agencies and localities would strengthen exchanges and take specific measures to further their multifaceted cooperation, especially in economics, trade, investment, culture and education.

He also affirmed Vietnam’s consistent policy to attach importance to developing ties with Cambodia, for the interests of each country’s people and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world at large.

The Vietnamese NA Vice Chairman acknowledged fine developments in the relationship between the two NAs in the past, saying that they helped boost the traditional friendship, neighborly relations and comprehensive cooperation between the two nations.

He thanked the Cambodian NA’s active support for Vietnam as the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Chair during the 2009-2010 term and expressed his belief that the Cambodian NA would fulfill its role excellently as the AIPA Chair during the 2010-2011 term and successfully host the 32nd AIPA Assembly in the country this September.

For his part, Chairman Mom Chim Huy affirmed the Cambodian NA’s wish and determination to consolidate and further strengthen the exchange and cooperation between the commissions in particular and between the two legislative bodies of the two countries in general.

He stated that the bilateral cooperation between Cambodia and Vietnam has strongly developed in all fields, with two-way trade reaching US$1.8 billion in 2010. Vietnamese businesses have invested around US$2 billion in Cambodia.

On the same day, the Cambodian NA delegation held talks with a delegation from the Vietnamese NA’s Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children headed by its chairman Dao Trong Thi. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation and experience exchange in several fields.

During their stay in Vietnam from Feb. 28 to Mar. 5, the Cambodian delegation will work with leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Education and Training and the Government Committee on Religious Affairs. They also plan to pay a working visit to the Vietnamese northern province of Bac Ninh. –AKP

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Cambodia’s Supreme Court Maintains the Appeal Court’s Verdict on Sam Rainsy

Phnom Penh, March 2, 2011 AKP – Cambodia’s Supreme Court yesterday decided to maintain the Appeal Court’s verdict on opposition leader Sam Rainsy being found guilty of pulling up demarcation posts along Cambodia-Vietnam border.

With the participation of members of Sam Rainsy opposition party and the lawyers of both sides, presiding Judge Khim Pon announced the upholding of the verdict, saying that opposition leader Sam Rainsy was sentenced to two years in prison, and along with two villagers, Meas Srey and Prom Chea, they have to pay more than 60 million Riel (roughly US$15,000) in compensation for damaging intentionally the border post 185 and inciting racial discrimination.

It is worthy noted that in January 2009, the Svay Rieng Court sentenced opposition leader Sam Rainsy to two years in jail in absentia.

The provincial court gave one-year sentences to Meas Srey and Prom Chea for being accused of damaging the border posts and ordered all three to pay more than 60 million Riel in combination.

The Appeal Court reduced the sentences of Meas Srey and Prom Chea by two months in October 2010 and released them on bail.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy was also sentenced to 10 years in prison in last September by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for disinformation and falsifying public documents. –AKP

By THOU Peou

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Police Cracks Down Drug Production Site in Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh, March 2, 2011 AKP – At least 3 suspects have been arrested in a methamphetamine production site in Phnom Penh, Municipal Anti-Drug police said.

Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Gen. Ben Roth said the Police arrested 3 suspects and seized 6 kilograms of white powder, some amphetamine, and other drug production materials during a raid at Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district yesterday. –AKP

By KHAN Sophirom

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AKP/11

Concrete Production Factory Opened in Kandal Province

Phnom Penh, March 2, 2011 AKP – The US$17-million concrete production factory was officially put into operation in Kandal province’s Ksach Kandal district on Mar. 1.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Secretary of State at the Interior Ministry Gen. Em Sam An and Kandal Provincial Governor H.E. Chhun Sirun, as well as representatives of Belgium and Vietnamese Embassies to Cambodia.

The joint venture was established between Cambodia’s 7NG Company, Belgian firm Flanders Concrete Corporation and Vietnam’s Thu Duc Centrifugal Concrete Joint Stock Company. –AKP

By CHEA Vannak

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Foreign Diplomats Praise Cambodia’s Efforts to Protect World Heritage Site

Phnom Penh, March 2, 2011 AKP — Foreign diplomats, including the former prime minister of Barbados, praised Cambodia for its effort in protection and conservation of the World Heritage-listed Temple of Preah Vihear, which was seriously damaged by Thai direct bombardment earlier this month.

Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford, Barbados’ former Premier and now ambassador to China, told Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Sok An: “Barbados appreciates Cambodia’s effort to protect the intangible heritage of mankind”, according to the Press and Quick Reaction Unit of the Council of Ministers.

Sir Lloyd said in a briefing of several ambassadors from member countries of the World Heritage Committee: “Barbados supports the work of Cambodia, UNESCO, the UN, and ASEAN in seeking to advance peace and prevent conflict.”

“We wish to continue these efforts by working with international cooperation so that we can create a better world through peace and development,” said Sir Lloyd.

The briefing also included diplomats from Mali, Ethiopia and Nigeria, who said that they strongly supported the efforts by ASEAN and the United Nations Security Council to bring about peace and development through diplomatic means and to put an end to fighting along the Cambodian-Thai border.

Mali’s Ambassador N’Tji Laico Traore said that his government welcomes the statements of ASEAN and the UN Security Council.

Indonesia plans to send 30 observers to monitor the ceasefire where Cambodia and Thailand exchanged fire near Preah Vihear Temple. The United Nations urged both sides to establish a permanent ceasefire and to implement it fully and resolve the situation peacefully and through dialogue.

A Nigerian diplomat in the Philippines, A.E. Okoliko, said that he hailed the Cambodian government’s efforts to protect the temple.

“The use of force is not allowed to destroy a World Heritage Site,” Okoliko told the Cambodian deputy prime minister.

H.E. Sok An told the delegates, who were invited to Phnom Penh to hear Cambodia’s explanation concerning the armed clashes of Feb. 4-7, that all five temple gates of Preah Vihear were seriously damaged by Thai shelling.

He briefed the delegates that the Thai troops had fired rounds of unconventional shells, comprising cluster bombs and gas shells, during their artillery battles with Cambodia.

Four Cambodian soldiers and one policeman were killed. Two Cambodian civilians were killed and another 30 Cambodian military personnel were injured. More than 3,000 Cambodian families were displaced.

The Thai military is building up its troops to some 20,000 men along the border, supported by 120 tanks and heavy weapons.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) special envoy on Preah Vihear Temple, Koïchiro Matsuura, arrived in Cambodia on Sunday and met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday.

Matsuura told Prime Minister Hun Sen that it was impossible to delist the Temple from the World Heritage list, although Thailand had requested UNESCO to do so.

The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO inscribed the 900-year-old temple as a World Heritage Site in July 2008.

Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Sok An said that UNESCO has planned to host a meeting in Paris in May at which Cambodia and Thailand will be invited to discuss preparations ahead of the annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee, to be held in Bahrain in June.

He also informed the delegation about the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in 1962 that: the Temple of Preah Vihear is situated in Cambodian territory. The Court found that Thailand was obligated to withdraw any military or police forces, or other guards or keepers, it had stationed at the Temple, or in its vicinity on Cambodian territory. Thailand is also obligated to restore to Cambodia any heritage objects removed from the Temple or the Temple area by Thai authorities. –AKP

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UNESCO Special Envoy: Mission to Cambodia and Thailand Is Very Successful

Phnom Penh, March 2, 2011 AKP — Special Envoy of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Mr. Koichiro Matsuura, has affirmed that his mission to Thailand and Cambodia on the issue of Preah Vihear Temple ended successfully.

“It’s a very fruitful mission,” he said here on Tuesday at Phnom Penh International Airport before his departure.

Mr. Matsuura, former UNESCO director-general and former chair of the World Heritage Committee, paid a visit to Thailand on Feb. 25-26, then to Cambodia from Feb. 27 to Mar. 1.

In his separate meetings on Feb. 28 with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers H.E. Sok An, Mr. Koichiro Matsuura announced the upcoming visit of a UNESCO expert team to Preah Vihear Temple to assess the damages and rehabilitate the temple.

He further said that the delisting of Preah Vihear Temple is impossible because the temple is of outstanding universal value. –AKP

By SOKMOM Nimul

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OPINION: THE NEW WIND OVER CAMBODIAN-THAI ARMED CONFLICTS

Phnom Penh, March 2, 2011 AKP — The conflict between Thailand and Cambodia caused by Thai repeated acts of aggression has become international affairs since the UNSC meeting in New York on 14 February 2011 followed by the mediation effort by Indonesia, current chair of ASEAN at the 22 February ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting. Across the Atlantic from UNSC in New York City, to the European Union, the EU’s parliament condemned the deadly fighting occurring from 4 to 7 February and welcomed the efforts of Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa of Indonesia who facilitated the meeting of all ten ASEAN foreign ministers, despite previous rejection of the idea of ASEAN involvement in resolving the conflict by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

The outcome of the Jakarta meeting was that Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to allow Indonesian nationals civilian and unarmed military personnel to exercise the task of observers in the area of the frontier line where Cambodian Armed Forces units and Thai Armed Forces Units are positioning. It is worth noting that from the Cambodian standpoint as laid down by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, on the Cambodian side of the frontier line, Indonesian observers will have full freedom of access, “they can go anywhere, they can go any time, and they can see any thing they wanted to see.”

On the same matter, the international community including UNSC, ASEAN and EU was astounded to hear that up to 1 March 2011 that “Thailand remains without a clear plan on when to allow the observers in,” as published by The Nation, on 1 March under the title: Thailand stalls on Temple visitors. The same news outlet reported also that Army Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha had said that: “Thailand will not allow Indonesian observers to have full access to the disputed border areas near Preah Vihear,” and that Thai Defence and Foreign ministries “so far have not reached common ground on the observers’ roles.” There is no doubt in the international community’s mind that Thailand attempted to stall the terms of reference (TOR) on the Indonesian observers which have been sent to both Thailand and Cambodia by Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, the current chairman of ASEAN, while Cambodia has responded positively.

Alexander Mohr, an international relations expert and partner for international relations at the European government relations firm Alber & Geiger in Brussels, and former lecturer on international relations at the French University “Institut d’etudes Politiques de Paris,” France, in an article published in The Nation on 1 March 2011 under the title: “Border conflict could be an opportunity to redefine Asean,” has concluded that: “The involvement of a third party could have great potential to solve the problem between the two countries and at the same time re-define the role of Asean in the region in the long run.”

Certainly, when many people, from the UNSC, ASEAN, EU to private international individual are aware of the root causes of conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, as Samdech Techo Hun Sen of Cambodia has put it wisely: “we are moving out of the darkness and we are coming under daylight,” the resolution of the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia undeniably requires the involvement of a third party. As we speak the process is on the move.

How smart, how good, how cunning, how snaky, how slimy the leaders and members of the Thai governments are, it is already too much too late for them to stall the process, now. They will try nonetheless. The best for them is to cut their losses to a minimum.

Prof. Pen Ngoeun

Senior advisor and member of the Academic Committee

Puthisastra University, Phnom Penh, Cambodia,

Former Dean and Professor of the Faculty of Business and Economics

Pannasastra University of Cambodia,

Former Assistant Controller at Phibro Inc.,

A subsidiary of Citigroup Inc., New York City, USA, until 2000

(The comment are solely the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Royal Government of Cambodia)