Truckers smuggle petrol to Cambodia

A smuggler uses a motorcycle to transport petrol through the border crossing in An Giang

24/06/2008

VietNamNet Bridge - Ten of thousands of liters of petrol is smuggled to Cambodia everyday from the Mekong Delta province of An Giang. The smugglers start work at the crack of dawn in the border town of Tinh Bien when trucks with Cambodian plates begin waiting to buy petrol.
A smuggler says that despite a recent price hike in Viet Nam, he can still make a big profit. For many, petrol smuggling is their only way to eke out an existence.

Selling oil generates more profit than does selling petrol. They earn VND70,000 (US$4.20) for a 30-liter can of oil.

Smugglers usually gather in Tan Khanh Hoa, Phu My, and Phu Loi communes. In this area, the frontier is the 30 meter-wide Giang Thanh River. Hundreds of cans can be smuggled across the river in an hour.

To cope with the border guards, law violators pay farmer to use rice fields as shortcuts. Some gas stations are so greedy they won’t sell during the day so that they have more to sell to smugglers at night. In the evening, smugglers line up in front of station for a chance to buy.

Some stations owners are willing to provide thousands liters of petrol to smugglers who will pay a higher price.

To curb speculation, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has sent its men to stations to check whether any station refuses to provide service on its own initiative while it still has adequate petrol in its storage tanks. Any station that violates this rule risks a suspension of its business license.

Although the illegal activity is disorganized, law enforcement has confiscated nearly 2,000 liters of petrol in a half month. Although smuggling has been discussed in the media for years, the authorities have not yet come up with any effective countermeasures.

(Source: SGGP)

Cambodian King leaves for Vietnam to pay a visit

www.chinaview.cn

2008-06-24

PHNOM PENH, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian King Norodom Sihamonileft here on Tuesday for Vietnam to pay a three-day visit there.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Senate President Chea Sim, National Assembly President Heng Samrin and other government officials saw the king off at the Phnom Penh International Airport.

At the invitation of Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet, Sihamoni is paying a state visit to the neighboring country of Cambodia from June 24 to 26, according to a press release issued by the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

This visit will certainly contribute to strengthening the bond of friendship and cooperation between Cambodia and Vietnam, the press release said.

Editor: Sun Yunlong

Temple locked

Thai tourists visit the Preah Vihear temple in Cambodia near border with Thailand on June 21. Cambodia has closed its border with Thailand at the disputed Preah Vihear temple after a group of Thai protesters rallied near the ruins, an official said Tuesday.(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

The Bangkok Post

By Post Reporters

Cambodia closed the Preah Vihear ruins on Monday amid worries Thai protests over Phnom Penh's plan to propose the ancient temple for World Heritage listing will spill across the border - after it spilled into parliament and the courts.

The issue was a major point raised during yesterday's general debate by senators who attacked Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his government for supporting the Cambodian move.

Outside the parliament, opponents plan to ask the Administrative Court today to nullify the cabinet's endorsement of Cambodia's map of Preah Vihear and a joint declaration to be presented to Unesco.

Senator Kamnoon Sitthisamarn will lead protestors to petition the court.

M.R. Priyanandana Rangsit, deputy chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, will also hand a protest letter to the office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in Bangkok. The letter signed by 300 elite and socially recognised people calls on the UN agency not to accept the temple as a World Heritage site.

The government on June 17 approved the new map drawn by Cambodia, which defines the temple's boundary to be proposed to the World Heritage Committee during its meeting in Quebec starting on June 2, placing it inside Cambodia.

Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama also signed a joint statement with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, supporting the application, soon after Bangkok agreed to the map.

The closure of the temple came after Cambodian officials held talks to assess the situation.

About 200 Thai protesters gathered near the temple yesterday. Many of them had completed a 110-km walk protesting against Phnom Penh's move. The group began the "Dharma Walk" in Muang Si Sa Ket and arrived in Kantharalak district, which adjoins the temple, on Sunday.

Their demonstration near Preah Vihear added to the worries of Cambodian officials, who in recent weeks have seen growing protests in Thailand against the listing of the temple.

Cambodian officials said the temple, known as Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand, will reopen to tourists when the protest rally ends.

Protest leader Saman Sri-ngam warned the protest would continue "until we get our Khao Phra Viharn back and expel Cambodian villagers who have encroached on the Thai border."

They sang the Thai national anthem and a patriotic song Rao Su (We Will Fight) during their rally. Some yelled at Cambodian villagers, demanding they leave the Thai border.

A group of monks, led by Phra Maha Boontueng, also joined the rally. They offered prayers in support of the protesters.

A Thai military source said the army had been informed of the closure of Preah Vihear, but had not contacted Phnom Penh on the issue.

The source said some officers agreed with the protest over the encroachment by Cambodians who built shops and other structures.

"The villagers well know that the area belongs to Thailand, but past governments have done nothing about it," the source said.

In the Senate debate, Phetchaburi Senator Sumol Sutawiriyawat roundly criticised the government over its handling of the Preah Vihear issue, including the failure to jointly propose the listing of the ancient temple as a World Heritage site with Cambodia.

In his defence, Mr Samak insisted Thailand will not lose any territory to Cambodia by approving the Cambodian map and the joint statement.

He stressed the temple is inside Cambodia, as a result of the International Court of Justice's ruling in 1962, and criticised those trying to stir up people to try and reclaim it.

Privy Council president Gen Prem Tinsulanonda has reacted to the Preah Vihear issue in a short reply to a letter sent to him on Thursday calling on the government and civic groups to help protect Thai territory. It was handed to him by chief adviser to the Supreme Command Gen Pathompong Kesornsuk.

The letter said approval of the new map of Preah Vihear would lead to legal complications when Thailand and Cambodia hold talks on the overlapping areas along their border in the future.

In his reply on June 21 Gen Prem replied the move "is a way to return a favour to the nation".

The temple of gloom

By News Desk
The Nation
Publication Date: 24-06-2008

Thailand's "active support" for the proposed inscription of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage site is strongly highlighted in both words and pictures in Cambodia's main application document to Unesco.

The document, a copy of which was received yesterday by The Nation, features photos of Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama engaged in bilateral activities proclaimed to be progress towards reconciliation after decades of territorial dispute.

Disclosure of the document is likely to inflame the ongoing controversy, in which the besieged Samak government is accused of bypassing Parliament and the public alike in making crucial moves that carry possible effects on national sovereignty.

The document's key sections include Cambodia's insistence that the temple is under its sovereignty, the temple's cultural and historical value, international support for the temple's inscription and Thailand's virtual support for the nomination.

Whereas the controversy has centred on a joint communique between Thailand and Cambodia signed by Noppadon, the application document is likely to galvanise critics accusing the Samak government of either being naive and exploited by Phnom Penh or conspiring with the neighbouring government in exchange for political vested interests.

While critics have said the joint communique would put Thailand at a legal disadvantage if new territorial disputes arose in the area, the application document to Unesco could be perceived by some as a diplomatic embarrassment for Bangkok.

The Unesco document devotes considerable space to Cambodia's legal victory over Thailand in the International Court of Justice, detailing the court's rulings on why the contentious temple belongs to Cambodia. Then, only a few pages apart, the document goes on to highlight Thailand's "active support" for inscription.

Samak, whose photo taken during a visit to Phnom Penh in March was played up in the document, was cited as "confirming" Thailand's intention to support the inscription, as was Noppadon, whose photo was also given prominence in the document.

The Preah Vihear controversy will place the Samak government under fire in Parliament today, as the opposition Democrats are set to grill the decision virtually to give up Thailand's long-lasting sovereignty claims, which persisted even after the world court's ruling.

Key points in today's debate will likely include questions on whether the Samak government violated the Constitution in supporting the World Heritage-site push without consulting Parliament and whether it instead should have, for the inscription's sake, proposed a joint effort in which Thailand and Cambodia approached Unesco on more equal grounds.

Cambodia tribunal faces cash crisis

Up to two million Cambodians died under the Khmer Rouge's rule in the late 1970s [AFP]

Al Jazeera
Tuesday, June 24, 2008

The special tribunal set up to try former members of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge government is due to announce a new budget it hopes will see it through a financial crisis.

The United Nations-backed tribunal is preparing to bring to trial five former Khmer Rouge leaders, but those trials will not go ahead unless more cash is found.

The original budget was $56m spread over three years.

But costs have ballooned – in part due to the sheer volume of pre-trial hearings, presided over by a team of five judges.

Up to two million Cambodians died during the Khmer Rouge rule over Cambodia in the late 1970s, but none of the group's leaders has ever been brought to trial.

Five former top officials are being held awaiting trial before the special tribunal, charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

They include:

Nuon Chea, the group's deputy leader and so-called 'Brother Number Two' to supreme leader, Pol Pot.

Khieu Samphan, who was the Khmer Rouge head of state.

Ieng Sary, the regime's foreign minister.

Ieng Thirith, wife of Ieng Sary who served as the regime's social affairs minister.

Kaing Khek Eav, also known as Duch, the former head of the notorious Tuol Sleng interrogation centre and head of the regime's secret police.

The Khmer Rouge's former supreme leader, Pol Pot, known as 'Brother Number One', died in his jungle hideout in 1998.

Tribunal officials expect the trial process to last at least until 2011.

However, critics say the advanced ages and frail health of all the accused means that, even if the trials do eventually go ahead, any sentences handed down are likely to be little more than symbolic.

Territorial disputes resolved, Cambodia makes case for Preah Vihear

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Chrann Chamroeun and Hor Hab
Wednesday, 18 June 2008

Following a breakthrough with Thai authorities over disputed territory, a 19-member Cambodian delegation will leave for Canada later this month to secure World Heritage Site status for the 11th century Hindu monument of Preah Vihear.

Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, who is also president of the Cambodian national commission to UNESCO, will lead the delegation to a meeting of the agency's World Heritage Committee in Quebec from July 2 to 10, said Secretary of State for the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, Uch Phoeurn.

The national commission's secretary-general, Tan Theany, and the president of the Preah Vihear National Authority, Ty Yoa, will also attend the meeting, Phoeurn told the Post on June 16.

Preah Vihear, which sits at the summit of an escarpment in the Dangrek mountains, is only one of 10 Cambodian sites nominated for World Heritage listing to be considered at the meeting, Phoeurn said. All were nominated in 1992, when Angkor Wat was listed as a world heritage site.

"I strongly hope that Preah Vihear will be listed," Khmer Civilization Support Foundation chairman Moeung Sonn said at a ceremony in Phnom Penh on June 15 to mark the 46th anniversary of the International Court of Justice's ruling that the temple was owned by Cambodia rather than Thailand.

Thailand had disputed some 4.6 square kilometers of land surrounding the temple, delaying its UNESCO listing. But Cambodia agreed last month to include only the temple in its proposal – a move that Thai authorities have said should pave the way for its acceptance this year.

"It is the first time in Cambodia that the KCSF has celebrated the anniversary," Sonn said at the ceremony, attended by hundreds of people in a park opposite Phnom Penh's Wat Botom.

The event included a photographic exhibition of Preah Vihear temple and information about the ICJ's 1962 ruling in favor of Cambodia.

An appeal for donations during a live screening of the event on CTN raised $24,047, said television presenter Soy Sopheap.

About $14,000 would go toward the cost of the all-day ceremony and the balance would be used for maintaining security at Preah Vihear, Sopheap said.

Meanwhile, an opposition politician has called on the government to release the updated map of the Preah Vihear site that was included in Cambodia's proposal for world heritage listing.S

am Rainsy Party lawmaker Son Chhay, the chair of the National Assembly commission for foreign affairs, international cooperation, information and media, said a request to see the map had been sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on June 13.

"We will wait one week and if there is no result we will take action based on the law," Chhay told the Post on June 16.

He said the ministry had an obligation to provide a copy of the map to the National Assembly because it needed to provide advice to the government about Preah Vihear temple.

"They insult the National Assembly because they conceal information," Chhay said.

Attempts to seek a reaction from Ministry of Foreign Affairs on January 16 were not successful.

NZer appeals Cambodian sentence

NewsTalk ZB
24/06/2008

A New Zealand man is appealing his 10-year sentence for sexually abusing Cambodian boys.
Malcolm Hatfield was convicted of debauchery in 2004 after being convicted of molesting four boys aged 12 to 14. He claims the evidence against him was fabricated by child welfare organisations.

The 62-year-old hid his face behind a plastic bag from reporters as he emerged from a two-hour closed-door hearing at Phnom Penh Appeals Court.

Cambodia has struggled to shed its reputation as a haven for paedophiles, putting dozens of foreigners in jail for child sex crimes since 2003.

No applause for Noppadon

The Bangkok Post
Tuesday June 24, 2008

Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama's favourite song:
There's a hero,
If you look inside your heart,
You don't be afraid of what you are.
(Hero by Mariah Carey.)
His opponents' favourite song:
Every breath you take,
Every move you make,
Every step you take,
I'll be watching you.
(Every Breath You Take by the Police.)

It makes sense why Mr Noppadon and his opponents are singing two different tunes. The minister is humming Mariah Carey's song by himself and wondering why nobody is joining him as a chorus.

Time and again the minister has told the public that he should get credit for the Preah Vihear issue.

That's because he, and of course his working staff, have saved Thailand from losing border territory to Cambodia by successfully convincing Phnom Penh to write a new map on the exact boundary of the Hindu temple ruins by excluding the disputed area of 4.6 square kilometres between Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket and the Cambodian province of Preah Vihear.

The new map will be used as part of a proposal to talk the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation into announcing the temple as another World Heritage site.

He is right.

But instead, what he has received is criticism because people suspect a trade-off with Cambodia to benefit former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's future business in the neighbouring country.

People's Alliance for Democracy coordinator Suriyasai Katasila even claimed that the Preah Vihear issue had roused people he'd never known before into joining the PAD rally last Friday, because they were upset about the way the FM had handled this issue.

Mr Noppadon is qualified to sit at the top in the Foreign Ministry, given his educational background. What he is missing is credibility. Even PM Samak Sundaravej said on Sunday that people might not trust what his minister says.

His having worked as a mouthpiece for Mr Thaksin when the former telecoms tycoon was deposed by the armed forces in September 2006, has made people question everything he does now. The lawyer-turned-politician was picked specifically to run the ministry after the People Power party backed by Mr Thaksin came first in the general election last year. Soon after taking office, the minister scored badly by returning the red passport seized after the coup, to Mr Thaksin.

As a former government leader, Mr Thaksin is eligible to carry that prestigious travel document which gives him better access to other countries. But whether it was appropriate to give his former boss the passport while the latter was still fighting court cases against allegations of corruption, is still open to question.

Then came the controversy over the transfer of then director-general of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department, Virachai Plasai, to sit by the window last month. The senior ministry official was responsible for translating the documents related to the CTX airport bomb scanner case for the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC).

Thus the transfer order by the minister could not be seen as anything but a move with political motives, although Mr Noppadon strongly denied the connection.

Those two issues were enough to underline suspicion among his opponents outside the ministry that Mr Noppadon was ordered to run the country's foreign affairs with particular mission in mind.

The punishment meted out to Mr Virachai has also isolated Mr Noppadon from many officials within the ministry. But they are keeping their unhappiness to themselves.

It's not difficult to imagine what the mood at the ministry is like when the politician and top civil servants look at things from different directions.

Though the minister has tried to redeem his image by embarking on overseas trips to promote the country, bringing along with him TV crews, he is struggling to overcome suspicions from those closely watching him from the outside.

Thus, when it comes down to crucial issues, like the Preah Vihear temple, nobody trusts what he says. Something from his past continues to haunt him.

Saritdet Marukatat is News Editor, Bangkok Post.

The Last Frontier

FINS BLOG

When you think of muck diving destinations, Sihanoukville, Cambodia probably doesn’t jump to mind.

But according to an email we received from FiNS readers who recently visited and dived the area, there are many undiscovered reefs and and abundance of marine life just a couple of hours offshore.

During an an 80-minute dive at a site called the Corral, they saw: nine Hippocampus kuda seahorses, including two beautiful juveniles; Chaetoderma penicilligera (leafy or weedy filefish); ocellated (spotted) octopuses (which seemed to be in every other clam shell); a pipefish that looked like Acentronura gracilissima (graceful or bastard seahorse); Cephaloscyllium umbratile (30cm juvenile balloon or swell shark, often found in Japan but uncommon in the Indochina Sea); sting rays; dragonets; and a number of nudibranchs: Bornella stellifer, Pteraeolidia ianthina, Thecacera pennigera, and various Chromodoris.

They dived with the Dive Shop, located on the road to Serendipity Beach, right next to the well-known the Monkey Republic Bar, Restaurant and Guesthouse. The Dive Shop’s guides, Bora, Shina and Paul, were on hand to help them spot all the little critters.

If you’re interested in looking further into diving Cambodia, here’s some general information that the divers passed along to us: “Accommodation ranges from 8-15 USD, food costs 2-3 USD per meal (try the Cambodian Lok Lak, it’s tasty!), and Anchor Beer costs 1 USD per bottle in the bar (0.75 cents at happy hour). A day trip for diving runs about 50 USD for two dives. And lastly, there’s plenty to do in the beach town when you’re not diving…cool beach bars, wooden huts with hammocks, music clubs, and even a couple of casinos to keep anyone entertain.”If anyone else heads over there, drop us an email and let us know more.

Where do you draw the line?

The Bangkok Post
Tuesday June 24, 2008

Demarcation of the Thai-Cambodian border remains a sensitive issue,

write Piyaporn Wongruang and Thanida Tansubhapol

Although Thailand and Cambodia have worked to demarcate their boundaries for more than 100 years, they still have overlapping areas. For example, the disputed maritime area in the Gulf of Thailand alone covers about 26,000 square kilometres.

The latest problem involves the Preah Vihear temple, on the border between Si Sa Ket province in Thailand and Preah Vihear province in Cambodia.

In Cambodia, the affair has been linked to the country's election next month, as securing World Heritage status for the site could boost the government's popularity with voters.

In Thailand, the issue is being stoked by nationalism stirred up by current political conflicts in Thailand.

The dispute has been taken up by the People's Alliance for Democracy as part of its campaign to remove the government from office.

Attempts to define the border between Thailand and Cambodia began when France, which controlled the Indochina region of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, sought to map the area.

According to a report by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ruled on the dispute over Preah Vihear in 1962, France and Thailand entered an agreement to determine the border for the first time in 1904.

They decided to use the watershed to define the border and, three years later, the two countries signed a boundary delineation agreement. Finally, a series of 11 maps defining most of the border was completed.

But these efforts have periodically triggered arguments, with Preah Vihear being a major site of contention. According to the same ICJ report, the original map did not conform to the watershed line.

The map had marked Cambodia's boundary behind the promontory where Preah Vihear sits.

The court said the map was acknowledged by Thailand without any veto and was in use for several years before Cambodia eventually took the case to the court. That led to the ICJ ruling in favour of Cambodia on the sovereignty of the temple in 1962.

Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minster Sok An signed a joint statement on June 18 to allow Cambodia to apply for World Heritage status for the temple from Unesco. Given the border dispute, both countries must support a World Heritage bid.

There were reports that Cambodia had attempted to register the temple as a World Heritage site without Thailand's approval in 1991, but a Foreign Ministry source insisted that the first attempt was made in 2006. At that time, the boundary included the 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area which had not been demarcated.

Cambodia proposed it to the World Heritage Committee in 2006, but Thailand did not support the bid.

''Thailand categorically rejected it because the Cambodian side had used the old map [drawn in 1904 by France] which claimed the 4.6-square-kilometre area as part of its territory,'' the ministry source said.

Finally, Cambodia drew a new map excluding the area which has not been demarcated and this has been accepted by the Thai government.

But historian M.L. Walwipha Charoonroj, of Thammasat University's Thai Khadi Research Institute, said this agreement will not put an end to the issue.

''Thailand and Cambodia should work together to determine where the boundary line lies. This cannot be done by an administrative agency alone, as any such decision will be made with its nation's interests at heart,'' she said.

A high-level source working on the issue is concerned about the negative impact of the map on the temple.

As the temple is now being proposed separately from its surroundings, this devalues the site in archaeological terms, the source said.

But for the Foreign Ministry, the new map is seen as the best solution, as it covers only the temple, and not the overlapping zone. It means that Thailand does not lose any of its territory, the ministry said.

The demarcation in the new map also conforms to a Thai cabinet resolution in 1962 which ruled the watershed lines are the border line under international law, it added

Cambodia closes Preah Vihear

The Bangkok Post
Tuesday June 24, 2008

Fears Thai protests will spill over the border

POST REPORTERS

Cambodia closed the Preah Vihear ruins yesterday amid worries Thai protests over Phnom Penh's plan to propose the ancient temple for World Heritage listing will spill across the border.
The issue was a major point raised during yesterday's general debate by senators who attacked Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his government for supporting the Cambodian move.
Outside the parliament, opponents plan to ask the Administrative Court today to nullify the cabinet's endorsement of Cambodia's map of Preah Vihear and a joint declaration to be presented to Unesco.

Senator Kamnoon Sitthisamarn will lead protestors to petition the court.

M.R. Priyanandana Rangsit, deputy chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, will also hand a protest letter to the office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in Bangkok. The letter signed by 300 elite and socially recognised people calls on the UN agency not to accept the temple as a World Heritage site.

The government on June 17 approved the new map drawn by Cambodia, which defines the temple's boundary to be proposed to the World Heritage Committee during its meeting in Quebec starting on June 2, placing it inside Cambodia.

Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama also signed a joint statement with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, supporting the application, soon after Bangkok agreed to the map.
The closure of the temple came after Cambodian officials held talks to assess the situation.

About 200 Thai protesters gathered near the temple yesterday. Many of them had completed a 110-km walk protesting against Phnom Penh's move. The group began the ''Dharma Walk'' in Muang Si Sa Ket and arrived in Kantharalak district, which adjoins the temple, on Sunday.

Their demonstration near Preah Vihear added to the worries of Cambodian officials, who in recent weeks have seen growing protests in Thailand against the listing of the temple.

Cambodian officials said the temple, known as Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand, will reopen to tourists when the protest rally ends.

Protest leader Saman Sri-ngam warned the protest would continue ''until we get our Khao Phra Viharn back and expel Cambodian villagers who have encroached on the Thai border.''

They sang the Thai national anthem and a patriotic song Rao Su (We Will Fight) during their rally. Some yelled at Cambodian villagers, demanding they leave the Thai border.

A group of monks, led by Phra Maha Boontueng, also joined the rally. They offered prayers in support of the protesters.

A Thai military source said the army had been informed of the closure of Preah Vihear, but had not contacted Phnom Penh on the issue.

The source said some officers agreed with the protest over the encroachment by Cambodians who built shops and other structures.

''The villagers well know that the area belongs to Thailand, but past governments have done nothing about it,'' the source said.

In the Senate debate, Phetchaburi Senator Sumol Sutawiriyawat roundly criticised the government over its handling of the Preah Vihear issue, including the failure to jointly propose the listing of the ancient temple as a World Heritage site with Cambodia.

In his defence, Mr Samak insisted Thailand will not lose any territory to Cambodia by approving the Cambodian map and the joint statement.

He stressed the temple is inside Cambodia, as a result of the International Court of Justice's ruling in 1962, and criticised those trying to stir up people to try and reclaim it.

Privy Council president Gen Prem Tinsulanonda has reacted to the Preah Vihear issue in a short reply to a letter sent to him on Thursday calling on the government and civic groups to help protect Thai territory. It was handed to him by chief adviser to the Supreme Command Gen Pathompong Kesornsuk.

The letter said approval of the new map of Preah Vihear would lead to legal complications when Thailand and Cambodia hold talks on the overlapping areas along their border in the future.
In his reply on June 21 Gen Prem replied the move ''is a way to return a favour to the nation''.

Puea Pandin may pull out of govt overtemple issue

The Bangkok Post
Tuesday June 24, 2008

Proper explanation is needed, says the party

The Puea Pandin party may pull out of the coalition government if the People Power party (PPP) fails during the censure debate today to explain its speedy support of Cambodia's attempt to list the Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site. A source in Puea Pandin said party executives and MPs held a meeting yesterday and party chairman Vatana Asavahame ordered the party to pull out if the PPP could not defend its actions on Preah Vihear because it was an important issue for the nation.

''Ministers of the [Puea Pandin] party admitted to the meeting that there were attempts to rush the issue through the cabinet while no one else was aware of the information and facts concerned.

''The foreign minister claimed it was classified even though it obviously concerns national sovereignty and security under article 190 of the constitution,'' said the source.

The article requires the government to organise public hearings and seek parliamentary approval before signing any international agreements that may affect national sovereignty.

However, last week Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama won cabinet approval to support Cambodia's bid to list Preah Vihear as a World heritage site. This came after the armed forces agreed to the new map proposed by Cambodia.

Mr Noppadon categorised the agreement to support the Cambodian side as a joint communique, not an international treaty which requires parliamentary endorsement.

Still, critics note the agreement will revoke Thailand's right to reclaim the ancient temple if new evidence comes to light after the International Court of Justice ruled in favour of Cambodia's ownership of the temple in 1962.

Puea Pandin spokesman Chaiyos Jiramethakorn admitted yesterday that the issue concerned his party.

So far, the details of the agreement have not been publicised, although the issue concerns national sovereignty which MPs must join forces and do their best to protect, he said.

''All politicians should prioritise issues that concern national sovereignty. The Puea Pandin party MPs will listen to the government's explanation before making a decision,'' he said, referring to the vote by Puea Pandin MPs after the debate.

Puea Pandin has 24 votes in the House, while the six-party coalition has a total of 316 votes.
The Democrats, the sole opposition party, have 164.

The debate is scheduled to be held from this afternoon until tomorrow.

Banharn Silpa-archa, leader of the coalition Chart Thai party, confirmed yesterday that his party would remain in the coalition with the PPP and stay in the national administration.
Mr Banharn ruled out the possibility of the five other coalition parties defecting to the Democrats to form a new government.

He told reporters that Chart Thai, Puea Pandin, Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana, Pracharaj, Matchimathipataya and the Democrats would have a total of only 244 votes, only four more than half the total number of seats in the House of 480, which would not be enough to form a strong government.

With this number of votes, there would be a risk of factions rebelling, said Mr Banharn.

PPP spokesman Kuthep Saikrachang pointed out yesterday that the Democrats were grilling only PPP ministers and it hoped that the five other coalition partners would defect to it. He said the Democrats would be disappointed.

Democrat spokesman Ong-art Klampaibul said yesterday that the censure debate would at least prompt a cabinet reshuffle and possibly radical change.

The Preah Vihear temple, the economic doldrums and the leasing plan for 6,000 new air-conditioned public buses, which has been approved by the cabinet, are among the crucial issues up for debate.

The Democrats will grill Mr Samak, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee, Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Mingkwan Sangsuwan, Mr Noppadon, Transport Minister Santi Prompat, Deputy Transport Minister Songsak Thongsri, Justice Minister Sompong Amornwiwat and Interior Minister Chalerm Yubamrung

Cambodia's response to inflation: stop releasing figures

BusinessWeek

Posted by: Frederik Balfour on June 23

With Asian governments from Beijing to Manila to Delhi trying to tame the inflationary beast, the Cambodians have come up with a rathern unusual solution of their own. According to the Phnom Penh Post the economic mandarins in Phnom Penh have decided to cease publication of inflation figures to avert the possibility of “disorder and turmoil.” The most recent figures for January showed the CPI was up 18%.

In neighboring Vietnam, where April figures showed inflation raging at 25%, the government is moving towards more, not less disclosure. Hanoi has finally realized that a lack of transparency only fuels speculative behavior and panic. In the face of widening concern about the central bank’s ability to prevent a currency crisis, Hanoi for the first time last week released quarterly data on the balance of payments. That has helped the black market rate drop from over 19000 dong to about 17500 to the dollar now. The official rate is about 16620.

Both the National Assembly and the Senate of Cambodia Consider how to Implement the Legislature Assistance Project Supported by the United Nations

Both the National Assembly and the Senate of Cambodia Consider how to Implement the Legislature Assistance Project Supported by the United Nations Development Program

Posted on 23 June 2008
The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 566

“Phnom Penh: The Permanent Committees of the National Assembly and the Senate, and the Board of the Council of the Legislature Assistance Project supported by the United Nations Development Program [UNDP] held a meeting on 20 June 2008 at the Senate to consider the monitoring of the implementation of the Legislature Assistance Project supported by UNDP.

“Samdech Sisowath Chivanmonirak, the First Vice-Chairperson of the Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia, said that now, the Cambodian Senate starts to implement a three-year Legislature Assistance Project (2008 to 2010), which had been agreed upon officially by the Cambodian National Assembly and UNDP on 15 June 2007.

“He said that the Legislature Assistance Project was designed to support the strengthening and the increase of the capacity of nine departments in order to implement their duties more effectively: representation, legislation, and oversight. This project also focuses on strengthening the capacity of the General Secretariats of both parliaments to be able to provide their services more effectively to the members of the two parliamentary bodies.

“Mr. Um Sarith, the Secretary-General of the Senate and the Deputy Secretary-General of the Technical Coordinating Secretariat, said that for the Legislature Assistance Project, both parliaments have mutually agreed to create a Technical Coordinating Secretariat to coordinate the work between the project development partners and the legislative institutions. This secretariat has begun its activities already since January 2008, based on a joint decision of the National Assembly and the Senate, numbered 017 P.R, dated 22 January 2008, and the secretariat is located at the National Assembly.

“Also Mr. Leng Peng Long, the Secretary-General of the National Assembly and the Head of the Technical Coordinating Secretariat, presented an action plan that will be implemented from July to December 2008.

“Mr. Leng Peng Long presented the action plan of the Legislature Assistance Project supported by UNDP for the implementation in the second quarter of 2008, in which he stressed two potential goals which are planed to be implemented: 1. Strengthening and broadening expert committees to fulfill relevant work more efficiently (in drafting laws and in monitoring law enforcement, and the position of representatives), 2. Strengthening the Capacity of officials of the General Secretariats of the parliaments to provide effective services to the parliaments, as well as to develop the Technical Coordinating Program.

“Mr. Nguon Nhel, the First Deputy President of the National Assembly, stated that the National Assembly of Cambodia totally supports the strategic framework of the program and finds that this strategic framework requires support in the technical sector from potential development partners, targeting to promote the capability of drafting legislation, the monitoring of law enforcement by legislative institutions, and also of monitoring the position of representatives, as well as promoting the capability of officials of both General Secretariats through training.”
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4622, 22-23.6.2008

For Children, Brick-Painting Funds Hope

By Ros Sothea, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
23 June 2008

Khmer audio aired 22 June (1.95 MB) - Download (MP3) Khmer audio aired 22 June (1.95 MB) - Listen (MP3)

On a small 1 centimeter by 2 centimeter brick, Chea Veav painted a picture of himself and his mother walking on a small road surrounded by green rice fields and a mountain. For the 10-year-old boy, the painting was an unrealized fantasy, an imaginary trip with a mother who abandoned him two years ago, following the death of his father.

Chea Veav now lives with his grandmother in a Phnom Penh slum, dependant on the collection of morning glory from the riverbank for survival.

But Chea Veav's art and the painted bricks of other children are helping raise money and awareness and acting as therapy for the children, helping them overcome traumas of the past and imagine a better future.

"I feel hurt that I can't live with my mother, but drawing pictures makes me happy," a skinny Chea Veav said, in tears.

About 70 more children have joined in the brick painting, all of them between the ages of 8 and 20, and most of them orphans that live in the capital's poorest communities. Provided sponsorship by Mith Samlan, or Friends, organization, the children spend three hours each morning drawing pictures on their bricks.

Individual sponsors can then pay to "purchase" the bricks, though these are in fact kept by the children. More than 1,000 bricks decorated with schools, flowers, forests, rice fields and cityscapes were used to build a wall at Friends' Phnom Penh center. Proceeds have gone toward payments for the center.

"On a brick, children can draw what happened to them in the past, what they dream in the future, and provide children with creative ideas," said Sem Ratana, cultural programmer for Friends.

Chea Veav said his brick drawing was a representation of a future hope.

"I draw people going to the mountain, representing my mom and I visiting Tamao mountain," he said. "If my mom comes back, I can go to the mountain."

Hun Sen Appeals to Nation to Vote

By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
23 June 2008

Khmer audio aired 23 June (747 KB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired 23 June (747 KB) - Listen (MP3)

In his last speech ahead of an election campaign period that begins Thursday, Prime Minister Hun Sen urged Cambodians to vote, no matter their party preference.

Speaking at the opening of a development center in Pursat province, Hun Sen told voters a high rate of participation was good for democracy.

"Please go to vote all together, to express your opinion," Hun Sen said. "This is our right of expression. We must show our participation in the decision of choosing parties and leaders."

Hun Sen has said he will remain silent during the one-month campaign period, a traditional time of mass rallies and public marches by competing political parties. There are 11 parties slated to compete for parliamentary seats in this election.

More than 8.1 million Cambodians are registered to vote in the July 27 election, but the 2007 commune elections saw the lowest participation rate ever, less than 70 percent. The first national elections following the Paris Peace Accords, in 1993, saw a turnout greater than 90 percent.

"If the rate of participation is low, that means democracy is down, because people do not care about voting to choose a good leader," said Kek Galabru, president of the rights group Licadho. "That's why they encourage people to go vote as much as possible."

NEC Seeks to Lower Travel Costs for Voters

By Seng Ratana, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
23 June 2008

Khmer audio aired 23 June (999 KB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired 23 June (999 KB) - Listen (MP3)

The National Election Committee said Monday it hoped to reduce the price of transportation during the election period by appealing to the Ministry of Transportation and individual transport companies, in a bid to help impoverished voters reach their homes to vote.

Tep Nitha, secretary-general of NEC, told reporters Monday the committee would send letters to relevant ministries and companies requesting help in reducing travel costs for voters ahead of and after Election Day, July 27.

Muth Chantha, spokesman for the Norodom Ranariddh Party, said most factory workers were not going to vote because they did not have enough money for transportation, and the party had requested the NEC help with the problem.

Transportation prices generally increase during national ceremonies and elections.

About 340,000 factory workers live in Phnom Penh, but most of them come from the provinces, where they are registered to vote. Many are feeling the bite of the rising costs of goods and fuel, which could prevent them from voting.

In order to help them vote, workers from neighboring provinces or Phnom Penh will be given Election Day off to vote. Those from Kandal, Kampong Speu and Kampong Chhnang provinces will have two days off, and those from farther-flung provinces will have three days off.

Chum Iek, secretary of state for the Ministry of Transportation, said Cambodia's free-market policies made it difficult to require companies to lower costs, but the ministry would seek their help after receiving an official request from the NEC.

Union leaders have said in the past they hope to charter transportation to bring workers to vote, but those unions are typically party-aligned, and the busing of voters on Election Day by political parties is illegal, Tep Nitha said.

Drug Use in Cambodia on the Rise: Official

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
23 June 2008

Khmer audio aired 22 June (1.10 MB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired 22 June (1.10 MB) - Listen (MP3)

Drug use in Cambodia is on the rise, an official said Monday, as authorities destroyed more than 300 kilograms of drugs, including heroin, at a ceremony in Phnom Penh.

Cambodia has seen an increase in the use of illicit drugs parallel to a global increase, said Kang Kong Kil, a representative of the Liaison Office for International Cooperation in the Golden Triangle Region.

The drugs, which were burned in a ceremony at Olympic Stadium, were confiscated nationwide over the past year, said Ouk Sovuth, a Phnom Penh Municipal Court prosecutor.

More than 1,000 people attended the ceremony, held to celebrate International Day Against Drugs, including members of the military police, police, civil service, non-governmental agencies and local high schools.

"We should not forget that the victim of the drug problem is first of all Cambodian youth," said Lars Pedersen, a representative of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. "Most drug abusers are teenagers or young adults. Drug abuse often throws them into a desperate situation with much suffering, a situation which they cannot control and which leads to conflict with the law, serious crime, mental illness, problems with the family and friends, problems with the school or the work and in the end to a failed life."

US Policy, Not Khmer Rouge, Splits Family

By Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
23 June 2008

Nearly 1,500 Cambodians have been deported under a US law that allows illegal immigrant felons to be returned to their home countries after serving their sentences.

For people like Chea Sath, whose son was deported in 2004, the policy has meant the division of a family that strived to stay together through the Khmer Rouge.

Chea Sath's son, Mam Chhen, was four years old when he came to the US, joining an exodus that would eventually reach 100,000 Cambodian refugees in America after the collapse of the regime.

Chea Sath never wanted her family to split up, she said in an interview, but Mam Chhen found himself straddling two cultures as he grew.

"Chhen came to the US as a child, and quickly he assimilated into the street culture of the poor neighborhoods, and he got into trouble with the law," Chea Sath said.

Mam Chhen was convicted of a shooting and spent five years in jail. Following that, in December 2004, he was deported.

"My son faces a very difficult adjustment in a country he fled, and I support him with money every month," Chea Sath said, with worry on her face. "I have gone to visit my son three times in Cambodia since he left the US in 2004, and I'm not sure he'll have a safe life. He needs to adapt to a life and culture that is very different to his experiences in America."

Donors Consider Reduced Tribunal Budget

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from New York
23 June 2008

Khmer audio part 1 aired 21 June (2.51 MB) -
Khmer audio part 1 aired 21 June (2.51 MB) - Listen (MP3)
Khmer audio part 2 aired 22 June (2.07 MB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio part 2 aired 22 June (2.07 MB) - Listen (MP3)

The Khmer Rouge tribunal received no immediate pledge from donors Friday, following a presentation of a reduced budget for operations over the next two years.

Tribunal officials reduced a budget request to $50 million in supplemental funds, to continue operations through 2009, a tribunal official said in New York following meetings there Friday.

The new budget proposal, lowered from a $114 million request in January, seeks $10 million for the Cambodian side of the hybrid courts and $40 million for the UN side, said Sean Visoth, administration director for the tribunal.

International donors have been reluctant to fund a tribunal that doesn't meet international standards, and the Khmer Rouge tribunal has been clouded with accusations of mismanagement.
Friday's meetings were led by Warren Sach, UN Controller and assistant to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Donors are expected to meet in July.

Cambodia temporarily closes Preah Vihear temple

BANGKOK, June 23 (TNA) - Cambodian authorities ordered the closure of an historic temple on the Thai-Cambodia border Monday, and deployed an armed military unit for added security at the site to guard the temple under consideration as a World Heritage site in the wake of continuing protests in Thailand over the issue, according to a senior Thai military source.

The source downplayed concerns that the move might affect bilateral relations, saying it was a precautionary measure for security reason to prevent ill-intentioned people from causing any disturbances.

The Cambodian authorities made the move in light of continuing protests in Thailand's northeastern province of Si Sa Ket bordering Cambodia demanding the eviction of Cambodian souvenir vendors from the stairway leading to the ancient ruins of the temple and opposing Cambodia's move to apply for registration the temple as a World Heritage site.

The Phnom Penh government will apply for registration of the ancient temple as a World Heritage site during the upcoming UNESCO meeting in Canada between July 2-10 as both Thailand and Cambodia signed a joint communique last Wednesday endorsing the Cambodian application. Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama was taken to task in the Senate debate Monday for allegedly rushing through the temple deal with Cambodia.

Mr. Noppadon is among seven cabinet ministers in the Samak Sundaravej administration targetted by the opposition Democrat Party in a no-confidence debate scheduled on Tuesday.

He was accused of mishandling the Preah Vihear issue. The foreign minister himself, however, dismissed the accusation and expressed confidence that he would be able to clarify all questions related to the issue.

Mr. Noppadon also shrugged off criticism that his plan to seek cabinet approval on applying for the reservoir and staircases leading to Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site was merely an attempt to reduce pressure from many quarters in Thai society, saying the foreign ministry would issue a White Paper to explain its handling of the issue.

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said the case was being politicised against the current government.

"They're finding an issue to mobilise the people to rally against the government. If you doubt the accuracy of the demarcation, you can ask the Royal Thai Army or the Royal Thai Survey Department." said the premier.

Bangkok Senator Rosana Tositrakul said a group of senators would petition the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on Tuesday opposing Cambodia's registration of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site. (TNA)

New Generation of Mine-Clearing Dogs Born in Cambodia

Queen Sofia of Spain, center, looks at a dog trained to find land mines during her tour to CMAC, Cambodia Mine Action Center (File)

By Rory Byrne
Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia
23 June 2008

Byrne report - Download (MP3)
Byrne report - Listen (MP3)

Puppies born recently in Cambodia are the first mine-clearing dogs to be bred and born in Southeast Asia. Most Asian dogs are unsuited for de-mining, so fully trained dogs are imported, mostly from Europe. But that could change if Cambodia's new breeding program succeeds, saving time, money and lives. Rory Byrne has this report for VOA from Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia.

These playful brown and white puppies are being trained for a deadly serious purpose. They will sniff out explosives so they can find hidden land mines and other unexploded bombs.

Cambodia is littered with millions of unexploded bombs and mines left over from three decades of conflict. Experts say between four and six million unexploded land mines lurk in the ground here, and they kill or maim over 400 people a year.

The puppies were bred from a pair of Belgian shepherd dogs imported from Bosnia. The parents were chosen because of their eager-to-please temperaments and good genetic history.

Local dogs are not suitable for clearing mines, or breeding mine-clearing dogs. Uk Rotha is a puppy trainer for the Cambodian Mine Action Center.

Rotha says the parents of these puppies are experienced mine-clearing dogs. Cambodian dogs are not looked after as well as foreign dogs - they normally run wild, so, he says, they are not good for breeding specialized dogs like these.

The puppies are isolated from each other most of the time so they build a strong bond with their human trainers. Heang Sambo has been training mine-detection dogs in Cambodia for 10 years.

Sambo explains that good land mine-clearing dogs must listen closely to their handler. They must have a good relationship with their handler because if they love him they will do what they are asked to do. Plus, he says, they need a sensitive nose which comes from good breeding.

The usual way to clear land mines in Cambodia is with metal detectors. But, says Sambo, this method is slow.

He says the difference between a metal detector and a dog is that the dog only smells explosives while the metal detector picks up the sound of anything metal, including rubbish.

If the puppies become successful de-mining dogs there are plans to expand the Cambodian breeding program as quickly as possible. Ngoun Thy is the senior dog instructor at the Cambodian Mine Action Center.

Thy says that importing trained land mine-clearing dogs is very expensive. One dog costs about $30,000, which is too much for a poor country like Cambodia. And, he says, because there are experienced dog trainers here it makes more sense to organize a local breeding program.

A successful breeding program in Cambodia will mean the country can field more dog teams, faster, and more cheaply, and that means more lives saved.

Thai senators criticize government's performance

www.chinaview.cn

2008-06-23

BANGKOK, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Thai senators on Monday criticized the government for its "failure" to solve the country's political turmoil and economic plight during an Upper House debate on the four-month-old cabinet's performance.

Some senators also criticized Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama for signing a deal recently to endorse Cambodia's plan to register the ancient Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site, which involves long territory disputes between the two countries.

Cabinet members were either absent from or quiet during the debate by now, while premier Samak stood as the prime defendant of the government to respond questions from the senators.

Opponents represented by the civilian coalition People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and the sole opposition party Democrat Party have branded the PPP a nominee party of the former ruling TRT party, now disbanded, and the Samak administration a puppet of Thaksin.

They have intensified their criticism over the government when the PPP pushed a bill to amend the 2007 Constitution, installed by the junta after the coup-makers abrogated the 1997 charter.

They said that the government pushed for amending the constitution to facilitate a more tangible political return of Thaksin and his allies and to clear them from accusations and charges by investigation agencies, escalating political rifts in the country while failing to address economic hardship facing the people amid soaring oil and food prices.

Monday's Senate debate, which opened on Monday morning and is expected to continue into the evening, will be followed by a no-confidence debate in the House of Representatives (Lower House) on Tuesday and Wednesday, after the opposition Democrat Party filed censure motions against the Prime Minister and seven cabinet ministers from the PPP.

The debates at the parliament are taking place amid political tension after protesters organized by the PAD launched rallies in central Bangkok to call for the Samak government's step-down since May 25 and successfully a besiege on Friday to the Government House to mount pressure.

Monday's debate in the Senate would not end with a voting, while for the no-confidence bill, the coalition government, which holds nearly two thirds of the 480 seats in the House, is expected to overwhelm the censure of Democrat Party, which has 164 seats.

Editor: Sun Yunlong

Uttaradit senator says Noppadon should have done better

June 23, 2008

Uttaradit Senator Naruemol Siriwat said Foreign Minister Noppadol Pattama should have done better in resisting Cambodia attempted to register Preah Vihear as a world heritage site.

She said Noppadol had done nothing apart from supporting Cambodia in the registering of the site.

She said she expected that Thailand would have further territory disputes with Cambodia because of Noppadol's failure to oppose Cambodia's registration of the ruin site.

The Nation

New Angkor museum has eight galleries and a sound dome

PR-Inside.com

2008-06-23 - Angkor National Museum is opened for visitors in Siem Reap Province, the land of famous Angkor temple. The museum provides detail information before visiting the real complex of Angkor and other related history of Cambodia as well as many section of galleries.

The new $15 million Angkor National Museum, built with Thai investment, officially opened in Siem Reap with a ribbon cutting ceremony November 12. SIEM REAP - The new $15 million Angkor National Museum, built with Thai investment, officially opened in Siem Reap with a ribbon cutting ceremony November 12.

By the next day, crowds of tourists were wandering through the museum's eight galleries. The museum includes a "sound dome" where visitors can hear readings of ancient Khmer texts and it has a replication of the sunset over Angkor Wat(www.tourismindochina.com/siem%20reap-attractionsite.htm). Audio tapes are being produced in seven different languages. Multi-lingual tour guides are available.

In addition to the galleries, the museum has a "cultural mall" with various restaurants some for families and others for fine dining, as well as boutiques and a spa. "We've had really good feed- back so far and we are delighted," said Nina Lee, the museum's marketing director.' The exclusive gallery of 1,000 Buddha images has been very popular." Lee said the museum is designed to offer information about Cambodia's present and past.

Prime Minister Hun Sen, who presided over the ceremony with his wife Bun Rany, said private investment in museums will help Cambodia to combine heritage preservation with development. "We must encourage private companies to build museums," he said. "They will help us to preserve and also draw profit into the country with more tourism.' Hun Sen's daughter, Hun Mana, is chairwoman of the new museum.Lee said Hun Mana comes "very frequently to monitor what is going on. Everything goes through her."

An unidentified Thai business interest has a 30-year concession to run the museum. The managing director is Sunaree Wongpiyabovora, from Thailand.

Entrance fees are $12 for foreigners and $3 for Cambodians. A press release called the structure a "world class museum" and "a cultural learning institute that enhances artefact preservation, collection and restoration."

Despite private funding, the museum was developed in close collaboration with the Cambodian government. The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts (MCFA) provided the curators. All of the artifacts in the museum will be looked after by MCFA and Angkor Conservation, the organization which oversees the management of Angkor temples.

"The museum will give its visitors a deeper understanding of Khmer history so when they go to the actual temples they will have a better experience," said Lee. "We want the museum to help Cambodians, especially the younger generation, to understand more about their history."

Written by Cat Barton

Cindy McCain visits Cambodian garbage dump site, meets children scavengers

Cindy McCain, wife of Republican U.S. presidential candidate John McCain

PR-Inside.com
2008-06-23

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cindy McCain, wife of U.S. Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting Sen. John McCain, visited the Cambodian capital's garbage dump Monday and met with impoverished children who scavenge there.

McCain visited the sprawling Stung Meanchey dump, a depository for the refuse of Phnom Penh's 1.5 million people, said Pen Kosal, an official with For the Smile of a Child, a French aid group that helps feed children who scavenge the dump.

McCain toured the aid group's office, which is located near the dump, and spoke to several children as they ate breakfast, he said.

«She was very simple and liked the children very much. She even hugged some of them regardless of their dirty clothes,» he said.

The aid group receives rice donations from the U.N's World Food Program to feed some 6,000 boys and girls, most of whom live with their families near the dump and scavenge discarded bottles, cans, plastic and other scraps to sell for a living.

Jeff Daigle, the U.S. Embassy spokesman, declined to comment on Cindy McCain's trip, saying it was private and organized by the World Food Program.

McCain, a philanthropist with a long experience in humanitarian assistance, was in Cambodia on the last stop of a three-nation tour. She also visited Vietnam and Thailand.

An official at the WFP also declined comment and said the trip was not open to media coverage.

After visiting the dump, Cindy McCain was scheduled to travel to an orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS in Takeo province, 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of Phnom Penh.

N. Zealand man says Cambodian activists fabricated evidence

June 23, 2008

PHNOM PENH - A NEW ZEALAND man appealing his 10-year sentence for sexually abusing Cambodian boys on Monday claimed evidence against him was fabricated by child welfare organisations.

Malcolm Hatfield was convicted of debauchery in 2004 after being convicted of molesting four boys aged 12 to 14.

The 62-year-old hid his face behind a plastic bag as he emerged from a two-hour closed-door hearing at Phnom Penh Appeals Court, and told reporters he had not committed any crimes.

When asked why children had testified against him, Hatfield answered: 'Because some NGOs want to get money.'

However Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), the Cambodia-based child welfare group that collected evidence against Hatfield, rejected his allegations.

'If he is going to make an accusation like that, please show us the evidence,' said Nuon Panith, an APLE lawyer, told reporters.

Mr Hatfield's appeal hearing was previously delayed three times because the court did not have funds for an English translator, said court officials. The verdict of his appeal is expected July 1.

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

Up in smoke

Authorities torch 200 kilograms of heroin in a ceremony at Olympic Stadium.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Sovan Nguon
Monday, 23 June 2008

Authorities have torched hundreds of kilograms of narcotics during an anti-drug ceremony in Phnom Penh that followed last week's destruction of tons of safrole-rich oil, a key ingredient in the production of the party drug Ecstasy.

The June 23 drug-burn at Olympic Stadium destroyed 200 kilograms of heroin and precursor chemicals confiscated during the last 18 months, said Lour Ramin, secretary general for the National Authority for Combating Drugs.

“The burn reflects the commitment by authorities to combat drugs," he told reporters."

It is also a message to drug producers, distributors and traffickers that the law will not forgive them,” he added.

During the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng urged authorities to ramp up their efforts to curb the drug trade. Cambodia is both a transit country for drug traffickers and, more recently, a producer of mainly methamphetamine-type stimulants.

Sar Kheng also warned that police officials caught dealing in drugs would be severely punished.

“There will be no excuse for any officials who use their positions to commit offences – if you are found, serious legal action will be taken against you,” he said.

The Olympic Stadium bonfire followed a similar destruction last week by Cambodian and Australian police officials of a massive stockpile of safrole-rich oil, which could have produced some 245 million Ecstasy tablets worth more than $7 billion.

Lars Pedersen of the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime said that the event was a reflection of Cambodia's willingness to tackle drug production and trafficking.

“I would like to congratulate the government’s success in reducing the cultivation and trafficking of cannabis, which has been declining steadily over many years, and the resolute dismantling of the clandestine methamphetamine lab in Kampong Speu last year,” Pedersen said, referring to the 2007 bust of Cambodia's first known drug factory.

Group of artists and senators to oppose Cambodia's proposal to Unesco

Mon, June 23, 2008
By The Nation

A group of artists, senators and writers will petition Unesco on Tuesday to stop it from accepting Cambodia's application for the listing of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site.

Senator MR Preeyananta Rangsit together with national artist, Naowarat Pongpaiboon, Dr Chingchai and Khunying Jamnongsri Harnjaneluck will visit the Unesco office in Bangkok to hand in the petition at 11am.

The document, signed by more than 300 supporters, implies that both countries -- Thailand and Cambodia -- apply for the temple's listing as World Heritage Site.

NA vows not to strip Sam Rainsy’s immunity

Monday, 23 June 2008
Neth Pheaktra
The Mekong Times

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong has confirmed that opposition leader Sam Rainsy’s parliamentary immunity will not be stripped before the July 27 national election, thus allowing him to lead his party through the election campaign, according to a top European Union (EU) official.

Hor Namhong told Martin Callanan, chief observer of the EU Election Observation Mission, last Thursday that the National Assembly (NA) will not follow Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s request to strip Sam Rainsy of his parliamentary immunity ahead of the election, Callanan said at a press conference in Phnom Penh on Friday.

Hor Namhong filed defamation and disinformation charges against Sam Rainsy April 22 after the opposition leader made remarks at an April 17 ceremony at the Choeung Ek Killing Fields indirectly accusing Hor Namhong of being the chief of the notorious former Khmer Rouge Boeung Trabek prison.

The court made the request to strip Sam Rainsy’s immunity after the prosecution had gathered evidence it alleges indicates that Sam Rainsy committed defamation and disinformation.

Sam Rainsy said he was not afraid of the threats to deprive him of his immunity, and he alleged that the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) is driving the move to divert people’s attention away from skyrocketing goods prices and land disputes which it is unable to deal with. He said these “political threats” stem from the CPP’s fear that it will lose the election to his Sam Rainsy party and that the threats could adversely affect the election.

In addition to Hor Namhong’s recent promise, NA officials had earlier announced that it would be impossible to remove Sam Rainsy’s immunity before the election, as the NA is in recess during the election campaign. They said the possible removal of the opposition leader’s immunity would be decided after the election.

Sam Rainsy has failed to appear to testify at the lawsuit filed by Hor Namhong on two occasions, claiming that he was occupied on party business. Sam Rainsy will again be required to appear in court June 26, but his lawyer Choung Chougy claimed his client may not be able to appear as he is very busy.

Authorities cannot arrest or detain Sam Rainsy while his immunity has not been suspended.

Dam Sith, editor-in-chief of the SRP-affiliated newspaper Moneaksekar Khmer, was arrested and jailed for a week after the newspaper quoted Sam Rainsy’s remarks. The journalist was released following a request for bail from Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Sacravatoons : " My History "

Click on picture to zoom in

Courtesy of Sacravatoon at http://sacrava.blogspot.com/

sacravatons : " The 4th Election "

Courtesy of Sacravatoon at http://sacrava.blogspot.com/

Thailand's embattled prime minister faces no-confidence motion, continued street protests

International Herald Tribune

The Associated Press
Published: June 23, 2008

BANGKOK, Thailand: Thailand's prime minister fought for his political survival Monday as opponents began a no-confidence debate in Parliament and thousands of protesters continued to besiege his office.

The opposition Democrat Party brought the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his Cabinet in the wake of four weeks of street protests calling for the government's resignation, and the Senate opened debate on the measure Monday.

Demonstrators, led by activists of the People's Alliance for Democracy, have peacefully occupied the area around Government House, the seat of Thailand's government, since breaking through a police cordon Friday.

The protesters accuse Samak's five-month-old government of being a puppet of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup, and accuse Thaksin of wanting to abolish Thailand's revered monarchy.

Samak strongly denied those allegations as he went before lawmakers Monday in the Senate, saying that only an "insane prime minister" would step down in the face of such intimidation.

He said it was impossible for anyone, including Thaksin, to plan for abolishing Thailand's constitutional monarchy and turning the country into a republic.

The Senate will not vote on the no-confidence motion, but the more powerful lower house of Parliament will to take up the motion Tuesday and vote on the measure Thursday.

Opposition lawmakers allege that Samak has mismanaged the weakening Thai economy, interfered in the country's generally free press and mishandled negotiations with neighboring Cambodia over disputed territory.

"The senators will expose the wrongdoing of this government to make the public aware that this government has lost legitimacy in running the country," Somchai Sawaengkan, one of 36 senators to grill the government, told The Associated Press.

Samak has said he would resign if the vote went against him.

Samak's People's Power Party, which won general elections in December and includes many allies of Thaksin, heads a six-party government coalition that controls about two-thirds of the 480 seats in the lower house of Parliament.

Samak's partners would have to desert him for any no-confidence motion in the lower house to succeed, but it was not certain which way the balloting would go. Even if Samak wins the vote, the debate plus tensions in the streets could pressure his backers to find a replacement as prime minister.

Watched by a grim-faced Samak, Senator Sumon Suttawiriyawat led off the debate, accusing what she called the "nominee government" of focusing on rehabilitating Thaksin rather than alleviating the plight of the people.

Samak countered that although some members of Thaksin's now-disbanded political party have joined his People's Power Party, it is a new political entity and that he is now in charge — not Thaksin.

"This government is not linked to the previous government," he said.

A spokesman for the protesters' alliance, Suriyasai Katasila, said Samak's resignation alone would not satisfy their demands.

"The People's Alliance for Democracy believes that the government's decision to allow a no-confidence motion in Parliament is a political game to lessen tension," Suriyasai said.

The alliance led mass demonstrations before the 2006 coup demanding Thaksin step down for alleged corruption and abuse of power. Rumors have swept Bangkok since the protests began that the country's powerful military would stage another coup, something the top brass has repeatedly denied.

"Stop Abusing Cambodian Brides," Envoy Asks

Cambodian Ambassador to Seoul Lim Samkol

Amb. Lim Samkol Asks for Better Treatment of Cambodian Brides, Migrant Workers in South Korea

The Seoul Times

Cambodian Ambassador to Seoul Lim Samkol said "Cambodian women are not products," referring to Cambodian brides married to South Koreans, in a recent interview with a local vernacular daily.

In April, 2008 Cambodian government stopped temporarily issuing visas to those who marry Cambodian ladies. The move was taken as there were a number of cases in which Cambodian brides were mistreated or abused by foreign husbands.

In 2007 Vietnamese government bolstered regulations on international marriage after a Vietnamese woman was murdered by her South Korean husband.

As the number of foreign brides from the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, and other Southeast Asian countries rise, cases of mistreating or abusing them also increase. There is a strong demand for improving human rights for those foreign brides.

In an interview with Kyunghyang Shinmun on June 10, 2008 at Cambodian Embassy in Seoul's Hannam-dong, the 60-year-old Cambodian envoy requested that South Korean people accept Cambodian bride as a new member of the family and try to understand the cultural difference.

He said "Cambodian women are not products." He was referring to the Cambodian women married to South Korean men who normally pay money for the marriage.

Asked about the backgrounds of stoppage of visa issuance he said that Cambodian government needed to make laws on international marriage to ward off rising cases of abuse against Cambodian brides abroad.

But he said that the visa stoppage is not only applied to South Koreans but also all the other nationalities.

He said that the government needed to protect Cambodian women going abroad for international marriage. As more and more Cambodian women go abroad after marriage cases of abusing them increase as well.

There are so many problems such as human trafficking, sex trade, child abuse, and physical and mental dieases involving Cambodian women who marry foreigners.

The Cambodian envoy even introduced a rumor that in Taiwan, a Taiwanese man even sold his Cambodian wife to the human trafficking ring.

Regarding Cambodian women marrying South Koreans, the Cambodain envoy pinpointed Korean men's lack of understanding about their Cambodian wife and its tradition and culture.

Most of the expense South Korean bridegroom pays go to marriage agency not to the bride's family, according to the Cambodian envoy.

"We do not want Cambodian women to be treated as a product," said Amb. Lim Samkol. "South Korean men should treat Cambodian wife with respect."

International marraige between South Korean men and Cambodian women should be in a way that is mutually benefitial to both countries.

Marriage agencies should also not seek only money but mind more about public and moral aspect of it.

He gave his personal thoughts that Cambodian women marrying Koreans had better learn Korean language for at least three months before they leave Cambodia.

And for those who are already in South Korea should be give a chance to learn Korean language.
The Cambodian ambassador stressed Cambodian brides' relations with her South Korean in-laws.In particular, Korean husband, mother in law, sisters in law, and other members of the family should understand the Cambodian bride enough.

He said that the Cambodian Embassy in Seoul is in need of helping the Cambodian women married to South Koreans. He needs supports from South Korean government for that.

Regarding the overall ties between Cambodia and South Korea, economic cooperations between the two countries has been consolidated steadily since the reopening of the diplomatic ties in 1997.

Since 2004 the number of South Korean tourists visitng Cambodia drastically increased.

Presently, about 3,500 immigrant workers from Cambodia are staying in South Korea, and the number of Cambodian brides in South Korea is estimated at 2,5000.

As part of ASEAN members, Cambodia is also participating in the FTA (free trade agreement) negotiations with South Korea.

Also, the leader of Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen is expected to play role of mediator between Pyongyang and Seoul for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the Cambodian envoy said.

Amb. Lim Samkol came to Seoul in November, 2004 for his diplomatic position. Since his arrival he has been very active in promoting mutual ties. Previously, he served at such Eastern countries as Czech and Slovak republics.

Before he became a diplomat, he worked as a high school math teacher. He earned his master's degree in international law from Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO).

Questioned about his impression about Korea and Korean people, "Koreans are dynamic and active, and Korea is similar to Cambodia in historical experience, morals and customs," he said.

"I expect more Korean people can visit Cambodia," he said at the end of his interview.

For details or inquiries please contact the Cambodian Embassy in Seoul at 3785-1041.

'No approval needed' for heritage bid

The Bangkok Post
Monday June 23, 2008

SARITDET MARUKATAT

The joint statement by Thailand and Cambodia backing Phnom Penh's bid to put Preah Vihear temple on the World Heritage list did not need approval from parliament, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said yesterday.

Mr Samak used his weekly national television address to explain the issue for the first time, saying the document attached to a map showing the boundary of the temple could be approved by the government.

''Article 190 cannot be applied to this,'' he said.

The article states any treaty or agreement affecting Thai boundaries and sovereignty must be passed through parliament.

Mr Samak said the decision to ask the World Heritage Committee, which is under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), to approve the temple for listing was ''Cambodia's business''.

Thailand only wanted to make sure the 4.6-square-kilometre area which both countries claim was excluded from the Cambodian plan, he added.

Some senators opposing the position had demanded the government get parliamentary approval for the statement, citing the consequences of the decision on future demarcation talks on the overlapping area between Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket and the Cambodian province of Preah Vihear.

Krit Kraichitti, the director-general of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department, said the joint statement was not a treaty because it only demonstrated support for the Cambodian bid.

''Preah Vihear is under Cambodian sovereignty and on Cambodian soil,'' the Foreign Ministry official said.

The department has sole responsibility for all treaties and agreements affecting Thailand. Despite different opinions on the joint statement, it could not be defined as a document affecting Thailand's sovereignty and borderlines, he said.

Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An signed the joint statement on Tuesday, soon after cabinet endorsement.

''The Thai support on this issue is Thailand's political will. It has nothing to do with the treaty,'' Mr Krit said.

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has used the Preah Vihear issue to attack the government.

Its leaders urged the prime minister to stop the move to register the temple by Cambodia, saying it should not be a unilateral effort by Phnom Penh. They criticised the prime minister for admitting that the temple belonged to Cambodia.

Cambodia: Phnom Pehn Up Into Second

Goal.com
23/06/2008

Phnom Penh Empire moved up to second in the Cambodia Premier League following their slim 1-0 win over Kirivong Sok Sen Chey FC at the National Olympic Stadium.

Following a first half deadlock, a single strike from Chan Rirthy in the 61st minute was enough for Empire to pick up full points in what was their third victory in four matches.

Build Bright United FC are still at the top of the CPL standings with 17 points from five wins, one draw and one loss.

In the meantime, National Defense Ministry FC collected their second win in less than a week with a workman-like 3-1 victory over Intry Kraham ¨C Post FC.

National Defense are now fifth in the ten-team league with seven points off two wins, one draw and one defeat.

Khim Bory was the hero for National Defense when he scored a hat-trick (12th, 82nd and 87th minute) while Yem Vanak scored the only goal for Intry on 63rd minute.

After eight games in the CPL, Intry are now at the bottom of the table with one win and seven defeats.