There Will Be No Longer a Price of Riel 390 per Kilowatt/Hour – Tuesday, 26.1.2010

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Posted on 27 January 2010

The Mirror, Vol. 14, No. 649

“Phnom Penh: The price of electricity supplied by Electricité du Cambodge in Phnom Penh, Kandal, Kompong Speu, Takeo, Sihanoukville, and Kompong Cham of Riel 390 [approx. US$0.09] per kilowatt-hour for households will no longer exist. The cost for household costumers, who consume less than 50 kilowatt-hours per month, is Riel 610 per kilowatt-hour [approx. US$0.15]. The change of electricity costs and prices was discussed during a roundtable meeting organized by the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy, and by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, at the Hotel Cambodiana on 25 January 2010, and officials involved from the 6 cities and provinces attended the meeting.

“A secretary of state of Industry, Mines, and Energy, Mr. Ith Prang, said during the meeting, organized to release a list of electricity prices for 2010 in Phnom Penh, Kandal, Kompong Speu, Takeo, Sihanoukville, and Kompong Cham, that the [old] list of electricity prices had been approved and used since 2006, because during that period, a barrel of oil was only US$50, whereas at present, it costs US$80; and the expense for electricity production is regularly higher than the income in the six cities and provinces. The increased expenses, which exceed the income collected, based on the set selling rates, made Electricité du Cambodge to lose as much as US$27 million in 2008 in Phnom Penh, Kandal, and Kompong Speu, requiring the government to review the list of electricity prices set in 2006 to be in line with the present situation.

“He added that according to the list of electricity costs in 2006 for household customers, if they consume less than 50 kilowatt-hours per month, they were charged only Riel 350 per kilowatt-hour which is half of the original production cost, making Electricité du Cambodge to face a continual loss, while the state does not pay for that loss. Now, the price of Riel 350 per kilowatt-hour was canceled for Phnom Penh and Kandal, but there is now a price of Riel 610 per kilowatt-hour if the citizens consume below 50 kilowatt-hours per month. A list of electricity prices for 2010 in Phnom Penh, and its selling rates for household customers will be adjusted.

“As for the supply of electricity by Electricité du Cambodge in Sihanoukville and Kompong Cham, Mr. Ith Prang said that the selling prices were also lower than the original production costs, but from 2010 on, the prices in the two provinces will be also be adjusted. The electricity prices for customers in the commercial and industrial sectors will be the same as those implemented in Phnom Penh, Kandal, and Kompong Speu. The electricity prices for commerce and industry are adjusted because the state stopped subsidizing valued-added tax payments (VAT) for Electricité du Cambodge.”

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.18, #5109, 26.1.2010

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Tuesday, 26 January 2010

Cambodia's Rainsy gets 2 years

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Jan 27, 2010

SVAY RIENG (Cambodia) - A CAMBODIAN court has sentenced opposition chief Sam Rainsy in absentia to two years imprisonment for uprooting border markers on the frontier with Vietnam.

Human rights worker Chheng Sophas, who attended Wednesday's one-day trial, said the leader of the self-titled Sam Rainsy Party had been found guilty of destruction of public property and inciting people to commit a criminal act.

Sam Rainsy did not attend the trial, and according to his party is in France.

Sam Rainsy led a group of villagers in pulling out the markers as a way to dramatise his claim that Vietnam is encroaching on Cambodian territory, an issue he often raises to garner political support. The incident occurred in October of last year.

Cambodia's Parliament stripped him of his immunity from prosecution in November. -- AP

Cambodia to destroy all 'ecstasy oil' stocks

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Cambodia to destroy all 'ecstasy oil' stocks

Wed Jan 27, 2010 3:05am ESTBy Prak Chan Thul

PHNOM PENH, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Cambodia is cracking down on a raw ingredient for the club-drug ecstasy by wiping out stocks of an oil made from the roots of a rare rainforest tree, an official said on Thursday.

Cambodian authorities, with help from Australian police, will destroy 14 tonnes of sassafras, an ingredient for cosmetics but also a precursor chemical to make methylenedioxymethamphetamine, more commonly known "MDMA" or the party drug ecstasy.

The amount represents all known stocks of sassafras oil in Cambodia and will be the second-largest volume destroyed since the authorities made the oil illegal in 2007, said Cambodia Police Major General Meas Vyrith.

"It is dangerous," Meas Vyrith told Reuters. "It would make people become victims of the drug."

The crackdown is also aimed at preserving a rare tree found deep in Cambodia's jungles. The roots and trunk of the M'rea Prov Phnom tree provide the source of the oil. Illegal logging is threatening the tree with extinction.

"Without the right measures, they would all be destroyed," said Meas Vyrith, who is also a deputy secretary-general of Cambodia's anti-drug committee.

The oil will be destroyed on Friday in Battambang province, about 300 km (186 miles) northwest of the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, using an Australian Federal Police technique aimed at minimising smoke and environmental damage, Meas Vyrith said.

Cambodia destroyed 35 tonnes of the oil in 2007. (Writing by Jason Szep; Editing by Alan Raybould and Alex Richardson)

Students lend a hand in Cambodia

Students in Free Enterprise club goes to Cambodia to raise money for Khmer Krafts.

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Nhan Pham

The Daily Evergreen

Published: 01/27/2010

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Two WSU students representing the Students in Free Enterprise entrepreneurship club took the initiative of visiting Cambodia for nearly two weeks to help those in poverty.

SIFE President Justin Thornley and Vice President Michael DeGooyer traveled to Cambodia from Jan. 1 to 12 to get a first-hand look at the country’s conditions. The trip spanned across three different Cambodian cities: Phnom Penh, Battambang and Siem Reap. Their driver throughout the tour also doubled as their interpreter, while a hired Cambodian cameraman recorded their journey. Thornley and DeGooyer went to Cambodia to assist an organization called Khmer Krafts, which SIFE has been working with for the past three years.

“Khmer Krafts is a fair trade group that takes women from villages who have had a hard time,” Thornley, a senior entrepreneurship major, said. “The women are taught how to sew things like purses so they can earn a living wage and learn job skills.” In fact, Thornley said SIFE sold many purses from Khmer Krafts to pay for a majority of the trip’s expenses that totaled more than $3,000.

Thornley said DeGooyer and he met with the Bob and Kay Petrik, the owners of Khmer Krafts. He said the Petriks acted as guides throughout the trip and introduced them to people like farmers and important Cambodian officials. Some of the sites visited included the “killing fields,” rice mills, temples and even an orphanage run by Khmer Krafts where Thornley and DeGooyer donated various WSU-related products and other goods to the children.

“They could not have been better guides,” he said. “They just know so many people, so many things about Cambodia. They are just so involved there.” Besides the sightseeing, DeGooyer, a senior management and operations major, said the two also did some business consulting with Khmer Krafts and even held a special seminar for the employees. In addition, SIFE and the Petriks will offer a total of four, $250 microloans that the Khmer Krafts employees can apply for to jump-start a business idea. “These are women with the average education of a sixth grader, so the skills they know are things like sewing or taking care of a chicken farm,” DeGooyer said. “A lot of the feedback is, most of these women are interested in the microloans to start their own businesses.” DeGooyer said Khmer Krafts offers great opportunities to young girls and women who would otherwise resort to prostitution or suffer in poverty. He said the average Cambodian woman earns roughly $25 a month, while Khmer Krafts employees can earn up to twice this amount and receive good working conditions.

Thornley said SIFE plans on raising money to buy an embroidery machine for Khmer Krafts. He said the embroidery machine would expand the organization’s market, such as being able to place a company logo on their products to develop brand identity. More than $3,000 will be needed to buy this machine.

“We are planning on selling more purses and handbags, even reaching out to alumni networks to raise this money,” DeGooyer said. “We should be capable of getting it in the next few months. I am fairly confident.” Debra McCarver, a distance degree instructor with the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, said the work with Khmer Krafts first began a few years back.

McCarver said she first began an entrepreneurship student club at a private high school called Gem State Academy in Caldwell, Idaho, in 2006. The club, the Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship, raised money to take five students to Cambodia for 10 days. The SAGE students helped out Khmer Krafts by taking photos of products for the company’s Web site as well as inventorying and selling products.

When McCarver arrived at the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at WSU in 2008, she brought the project idea with her. She said SIFE then began to work with the project and came in contact with Khmer Krafts.

“Kudos for Justin and Mike for going on this trip,” she said. “Both of them (and the other students in SIFE) are in charge of an organization where they put a lot of time and energy in so many projects for good causes.” Thornley and DeGooyer said the trip was a life-changing experience. They plan to edit the trip’s video footage and create promotional material to gain further support for Cambodia. They also hope to make the Cambodia trip a sustainable project so SIFE could send students every year.

“To see the darkness and despair and the light of hope was awe-inspiring,” Thornley said.

KSL set to double sugarcane output

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Published: 27/01/2010

KOH KONG, CAMBODIA : Khon Kaen Sugar Industry Plc (KSL) aims to invest about 15 billion baht over the next five years to double its sugarcane output in Thailand and continuously expand its presence in Cambodia and Laos.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen presses a button to start production at the new mill in Koh Kong as KSL chairman Chamroon Chinthammit (second from left) looks on.

Thailand's only listed sugar miller expects the group's total revenue to top 20 billion baht from last year's 12 billion baht when the expansion is completed.

Chairman Chamroon Chinthammit said the company would spend 6-7 billion baht to build a new factory complete with a power and ethanol plant in Sa Kaeo. The Bo Phloi mill in Kanchanaburi also requires an investment of 8 billion baht, of which half is being spent on the first phase of construction.

The group currently operates four sugar mills and cane farms in Khon Kaen, Chon Buri and Kanchanaburi, with combined sugar production of 5 million tonnes per crop.

KSL projects that its local sugarcane output will double to 10 million within five years, moving it from the fourth to third place in the country in terms of overall production, said Mr Chamroon.

The company on Monday inaugurated its $100-million sugar mill in Koh Kong, the first of its kind in Cambodia. The group, together with Cambodian and Taiwanese partners, has been granted a 90-year farming concession for 20,000 hectares in Koh Kong along the border of Thailand and Cambodia.

An estimated 240,000 tonnes of sugarcane will be processed in the 2009-10 season, the first year of operation.

"We are aiming for the total production of 2 million tonnes from Cambodia within five years while our crushing capacity in Laos will be expanded to 700,000 tones from 300,000 to 400,000 tonnes at present," Mr Chamroon said.

KSL has also been awarded a concession of 30 years for 10,000 hectares in Laos. The Sawannakhet mill, with total investment of $40 million, began operating at almost the same time as the Koh Kong plant.

Laos and Cambodia are among the 19 developing countries entitled to duty-free sugar exports to European markets. KSL has signed five-year contracts with London-based Tate & Lyle to supply all of its output from Cambodia and Laos at the price of 19 cents a pound.

Ly Yong Phat, one of Cambodia's top businessmen and a close ally of Prime Minister Hun Sen, holds 20% in KSL's joint venture while the Thai sugar miller controls 50%. The remaining 30% is owned by the Taiwanese partner Ve Wong Corp.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Hun Sen vowed to seek the required land and labour for KSL, which needs 4,000 employees, saying the sugar industry was vital for the Cambodian economy. According to data from Thailand's Commerce Ministry, the country exports 300,000 tonnes of white sugar to Cambodia.

Chalush Chinthammit, KSL's assistant vice-president for business development, said the group expected up to 20% growth in revenue this year, thanks to the high sugar price, now at a 28-year high of 29 cents a pound, and higher production than last year.

Given the current supply shortage, sugar prices will remain on the uptrend, definitely breaking the 30-cent mark by the end of the second quarter, Mr Chalush added.

KSL shares closed yesterday on SET at 14.70 baht, up 50 satang, in trade worth 44 million baht.

Stop Killings and Bring Perpetrators to Court: Family of 1997 Grenade Attack

By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer

Original report from Washington

26 January 2010

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It has been nearly 13 years since Ly Neary’s son died without a final word and the person responsible for tearing her family apart remains unknown, but she remains hopeful that one day the person responsible for the grenade attack on the demonstration her son took part in will be prosecuted.

The grenade attack on a peaceful demonstration led by the opposition leader Sam Rainsy on March 30, 1997 in front of the then National Assembly and near the Royal Palace injured more than 100 and killed 16 people, including Ly Neary’s son, Chet Duong Daravuth, a former reporter for Neak Prayuth (the Fighter) newspaper.

No one had foreseen that a peaceful demonstration to demand an independent judicial system would turn out to be such a devastating and bloody event long after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime. This tragedy remains deeply resonant for victims and situation monitors.

“It was just like a sea of blood; there was so much blood on the ground because those injured suffered intense bleeding,” recalled Samrith Duonghak, a former reporter who was at the scene and suffered injuries from shrapnel to both his legs.

“Besides this, [I] also witnessed the scene at the hospital—there were [wounding] reporters like /Moan Khmau (Black Chicken), but now he’s dead; he suffered injuries on his arm and was screaming and there were crowds of people running in and out of the emergency room. It took me at least 30 to 40 minutes to get my wound disinfected. It was such a real [vivid] and terrifying event, [making me] greatly tremble,” he said.

Brad Adams, Asia’s director for Human Rights Watch and who arrived at the scene five minutes after the attack, recalled the scene for VOA:

“What I saw was dead bodies on the ground. I saw a woman blown in half, her legs cut off. I saw a journalist who I knew lying dead and I saw the police and the army standing by and doing nothing, actually refusing to help the victims. It was the most sickening things I’ve ever seen in my life.”

No perpetrators behind the attacks have been brought to light by the authorities despite involvement from the US investigating team from the FBI.

Every year, the victims and their families gather at a golden stupa—built just meters from the actual site of the grenade explosion and scene of scattered bodies—to commemorate the struggle and good deeds of those who had lost their lives.

“It’s close to the 30th, close to the 13th anniversary of my son’s death, which I always think about, and whichever makes my heart beat faster,” said Ly Neary. “I keep imagining: oh, my son, were my son still alive, he would comfort and take care of me now that I am old. [His] Father and mother are old now, but because of [his young] death, I feel so sorrowful. I can never forget this.”

For Sam Sun Doeun, a former parliamentarian from the Sam Rainsy Party, who lost two children under his care in the grenade attack, also never forgets to attend the commemoration ceremony even though he has now left the party.

“I am still terrified. I always attend the ceremony on March 30th, when it is held in front of the National Assembly,” he said. “I always attend to commemorate their souls; they were just doing something for the nation—and there’s nothing wrong with that—but instead they suffered terribly and something that would be easy to find is strangely not found. This is what further reinforces impunity in our Cambodian society. So to establish the rule of law in our country, we need to find [those responsible].”

The FBI has recently released some parts of their investigation report, which only hinted to suspicion that forces loyal to the Cambodian People’s Party of Prime Minister Hun Sen may have been involved in the attacks. It notes that the evidence gathered is inadequate and do not meet US standard for persecution by the time the investigating agent left Cambodia for security reasons.

Because of the release of the FBI report, Ly Neary has called for the non-repetition of a similar 1997-style attack.

“I would like to appeal to the Royal Government to stop such killings, grenade attacks, and assassinations because we all love our lives. Whether a rich person or a beggar, we all have just one live and all love our live because our live cannot be traded on the market. So please stop all this [problems],” she said.

Cambodian authorities have maintained that the case remains open.

DAP News ; Breaking News by Soy Sopheap

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PM Hun Sen Opens South Korean Culture Center

Tuesday, 26 January 2010 23:39 DAP-NEWS

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday officially opened the South Korean Culture and Trade Center located near National Assembly.

“This center will guarantee more confidence for South Korean investors to invest here and it will help us tell about ancient Khmer and South Korean traditions and culture,” Hun Sen said at opening ceremony attended by governmental officials, businesspeople and the South Korean ambassador. “It will be a model and main gate to provide information on tourism, the climate of investment of Cambodia for South Korea businesspeople and cultural ties,” he added.

South Korea investors and tourists have played a key role for economic growth, he said, expressing hopes that from the center will urge more South Korean businesses to invest in Cambodia, and will help promote tourism.

The center, officially named the Phnom Penh-Daegu Gyeongbuk Culture, Tourism, and Trade Promotion Center, cost over US$8.7 million provided by South Korea, with the Phnom Penh authorities providing a plot of land. The center is said to be “in dedication to close friendship and solidarity between the South Korea and Cambodia.” The center was proposed when former South Korean president who here in 2006 and continued by current South Korean President Lee. Cambodia and South Korea have expanded their diplomatic ties over the past few years.

Last year, Cambodia signed the ASEAN trade agreement to expand trade and investment between the two partners.

Bun Rany Launches HIV Handbook

Tuesday, 26 January 2010 23:39 DAP-NEWS

First Lady and President of the Cambodian Red Cross Bun Rany Hun Sen will preside over the launch of the Parliamentary Handbook on HIV and AIDS, a press release from the UNDP said on Tuesday.

The event will be held at the National Assembly on January 29 with the attendance of Health Minister Mam Bun Heng.

The development of the Handbook has been a joint effort undertaken by UNDP’s Legal Assistance Project (LEAP) and UNAIDS in collaboration with the Parl-iament and the National AIDS Authority.

The Prasit Project funded by USAID has also provided additional technical support for the development of the Handbook. The Parliamentary Handbook is a user-friendly resource, presenting brief and concise information that Members of Parliament need to know about the epidemic, its causes, responses, as well as parliamentarians’ roles and responsibilities, enabling a more effective response across policy, advocacy, leadership and legislative areas. The First lady is also the National Champion for the Asia Pacific leadership Forum on HIV/AIDS and Development (APLF).

UN Envoy Optimistic About Human Rights

Tuesday, 26 January 2010 23:37 DAP-NEWS

The United Nations Envoy on Human Rights in Cambodia on Tuesday said he is optimistic about the situation in Cambodia, but said there is much room for improvement.

Surya Subedi said at a press conference at United Nation Development Program main office in Phnom Penh that he had productive talks with Cam-bodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on January 19, 2010.

He said he was that the government said it will cooperate with NGOs and human rights bodies in Cambodia. However, he urged the government to pay more attention to human rights issues.

“I am very pleased with the meeting and the progress we have made this morning,” Subedi told reporters. “It was a meeting of substance; we discussed a wide range of issues, and we have made progress here for the betterment of the people of Cambodia.”

Om Yentieng, head of the government’s human rights committee, told reporters that Premier Hun Sen and Subedi agreed to cooperate. How long such cooperation lasts depends upon the UN human rights office in Cambodia, he said. Subedi spent two-weeks to assess if state institutions are properly addressing human rights violations. The issue of alleged forced land evictions was discussed with Hun Sen, he said.

Last October, Subedi told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that freedom of speech was deteriorating in Cambodia after several government critics were convicted of defamation.

Yash Ghai, the former UN envoy, repeatedly clashed with Hun Sen’s government over human rights. Ghai had reported that many Cambodians lived in constant fear of having their land stolen by real estate developers and had no recourse because of a corrupt judiciary.

Hun Sen once described Ghai as “unfit,” saying he was sent to Cambodia to “curse” his government and calling him a “long term tourist.” The Cambodian PM never met Ghai in person.

Rainsy Trial Begins Without Defendant

Tuesday, 26 January 2010 23:37 DAP-NEWS

Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy will not be present in his trial which begins on Wednesday at the Svay Rieng Provincial Court, according to Rainsy’s lawyer.

Sam Rainsy, leader of the eponymous political party and lawmaker for Kampong Cham province, was charged by the Svay Rieng Provincial Court over the pulling up of 6 Cambodia-Vietnam border markers on October 25, 2009.

Choung Chungi, Rainsy’s lawyer, said that he is ready to defend his client. “The trial will start at 8am. For me, I do not worry at all because I have got so much information from my client, Sam Rainisy. I have to full my duty … I have prepared already,” he said. According to the lawyer, 5 villagers arrested related to the case will also be tried the same day.

Svay Rieng Police Commissioner told DAP News Cambodia police will be deployed to keep the peace during the proceedings.

Tith Sothea, government advisor, said that Sam Rainsy could be charged with another offense related to the case.

He told DAP News Cambodia that the government is considering charging him with other offenses if he still insists on the correctness of the the legal 15-page document, including internationally recognized maps, he has uploaded on the internet.

“Sam Rainsy’s remarks were very incorrect and I can say that Sam Rainsy made like this is to instigate to hide his fault,” he claimed.

The SRP has urged reconciliation. Lawmaker Chea Poch made the appeal after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen insisted that he would not request the Cambodian King pardon Sam Rainsy if he is convicted. The premier said that he has already helped Raisny get a pardon several times.

Hun Sen opens Korea centre

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

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Wednesday, 27 January 2010 15:04 Heng Chivoan

Prime Minister Hun Sen and Kim Kwan Yung, governor of South Korea’s Gyeongsangbuk-do province, cut a ribbon officially opening the US$8.7 million Cambodia-Korea Culture, Tourism and Trade Promotion Centre in Phnom Penh on Tuesday morning.

Celebrating traditional textiles

Photo by: Byron Perry

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Wednesday, 27 January 2010 15:03 Rann Reuy

A woman weaves textiles in Siem Reap province on Tuesday. The Apsara Authority is seeking bids for the construction of a museum of traditional textiles, to be located in Siem Reap and funded by the Indian government, Nget Chhayly, deputy director of Apsara’s Finance Department, said Monday.

Rainsy sentenced to two years' jail

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Wednesday, 27 January 2010 16:28 Meas Sokchea and Sebastian Strangio

SVAY RIENG PROVINCE

PHNOM PENH—SVAY RIENG provincial court has found opposition leader Sam Rainsy guilty of racial incitement and destroying demarcation posts on the border with Vietnam, lawyers said. In a closed-door session on Wednesday, Judge Koam Chhean sentenced the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) president to two years prison in absentia and fined him 8 million (around US$1,927), said Sam Sokong, the defense attorney of two villagers accused on similar charges.

“I cannot accept the trial today, because it did not take evidence and proof into consideration to find justice,” Sam Sokong said. “The court did not base its decision on the evidence.” He added that his clients – local villagers Meas Srey, 39, and Prom Chea, 41 – were also sentenced to one year in prison each on the charge of destroying public property. Rights activists also reported that the three were ordered to pay 55 million riels ($13,253) in compensation for the removal of the border markers.

The charges stemmed from an October 25 incident in which Sam Rainsy joined villagers in uprooting six temporary border markers in Svay Rieng’s Chantrea district. Locals claimed they were placed in their ricefields by Vietnamese authorities. Sam Rainsy is currently in France.

Long Ry, an SRP lawmaker who attended the trial, also rejected the verdict, saying the proceedings were a farce. “The decision was prepared beforehand and everything was decided in advance. The court ‘acted’ very well,” he said.

But one government official said the criticisms were misplaced, since all Cambodian judges followed due process and adhered to the law. “Everyone has different ideas, but we have one law,” said Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers. “We have to accept the judge’s decision.”

UN linked to suspect rehab site

Photo by: Roberta Valerio

A man injects drugs on the streets of Phnom Penh. A recent report from Human Rights Watch contends that government-run rehabilitation centres are both ineffective and abusive.

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Wednesday, 27 January 2010 15:05 Irwin Loy

THE UN agency responsible for advocating on behalf of children is facing questions over its involvement in a government-run drug rehabilitation centre – a facility a prominent rights watchdog says subjects detainees to violence while administering ineffective treatment.

UNICEF’s child-protection team has been providing technical support to the Youth Rehabilitation Centre in Choam Chao district for at least three years, according to an unpublished 2007 report produced by the National Authority for Combating Drugs, the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation.

A scathing report from Human Rights Watch released Monday asserts that drug users and other people sent to the Youth Rehabilitation Centre and 10 other such facilities live under threat of abuses such as physical and sexual violence and forced confinement.

Any kind of support for these centres, HRW contends, is cause for grave concern.

“These centres … operate outside of the law and without any accountability,” said Joe Amon, HRW’s director for health and human rights.

“Supporting activities in these centres risks legitimising them and could raise serious concerns about complicity with the abuses occurring within them.”

But UNICEF says the technical support it has provided to the Ministry of Social Affairs, which runs the Choam Chao centre, has been constructive.

“UNICEF has been supporting [the ministry] to ensure… the rights of those children to education, better opportunity for future employment through vocational training, recovery and reintegration and follow-up support services,” the agency said in a statement Tuesday.

The statement noted that reviews conducted in 2005, 2007 and 2008 found no evidence of “major violations”.

“No major violations were reported or documented on those reports,” UNICEF said.

The statement made a distinction between the Choam Chao facility – which it describes as “open”, or voluntary – and “closed” centres.

“UNICEF does not support the establishment of closed rehabilitation or reformatory centres for children in conflict with the law,” the statement read.

The HRW report, however, says that some people at the Choam Chao facility are held against their will. It cites interviews with former detainees to support that contention.

Former detainees interviewed by the Post also reported being sent to Choam Chao against their will as part of police street sweeps.

“They never gave a reason to us. They just didn’t want us to stay on the street,” said one former detainee, who asked that she not be named.

“They pointed at the car, and then they pushed me in.”

UNICEF’s ties to the Choam Chao facility highlight the conundrum aid groups and UN agencies face when debating whether to support official institutions that rights groups allege are havens of abuse.

“I think it’s a really difficult issue,” said Virginia Macdonald, a former consultant with the World Health Organisation (WHO) who worked in the offices of the NACD for more than two years.

Though she said she understood the argument behind HRW’s calls for the UN to urge the closure of such facilities, she added that the type of technical support provided by aid agencies could also be helpful.

“Surely it’s better for the participants that at least there’s some other organisation there that can at least witness what’s happening and hopefully improve capacity. I don’t think you can just say it’s definitely wrong for them to be in there,” she said.

During her time in Cambodia, Macdonald made visits to six rehabilitation centres named in the HRW report, she said.

“If those centres can’t provide ... healthcare, HIV treatment and testing, then you’re better off having an NGO go in and at least provide those services,” she said.

While UNICEF has chosen to get involved, other UN agencies have debated the issue and ultimately decided to hold back.

“There is no easy position to take. It’s for each agency to make the call themselves,” said Graham Shaw, the technical adviser for drug use with the WHO in Cambodia. “We do not feel support for staff at treatment centres is commensurate with a policy of advocating their closure.”

Instead of providing technical support to the centres directly, the WHO has offered to assist the Ministry of Health in the hope that ministry staff can offer health services in the controversial centres, Shaw said.

“If there were effective monitoring of people in these centres, then I think some assistance to [the centres] might be appropriate,” Shaw said. “But in their current state, providing assistance to staff working in these centres, for the WHO’s position, is very problematic.”

‘Tortured’ girl gives tearful testimony

Photo by: Photo Supplied

Meas Nary weeps as she answers to allegations that she beat her domestic servant (right) during a hearing at Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday. A verdict in the case is expected February 19. left: phA LINA; right:

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Wednesday, 27 January 2010 15:04 May Titthara and Khuon Leakhana

Former domestic servant says ‘godmother’ tied her to a ladder and beat her when she was angry

AN 11-year-old girl who officials believe was subjected to frequent beatings and other abuses while being held captive as a domestic servant faced her alleged tormentors during an emotional day of testimony in Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday.

The girl, who was discovered after police conducted a raid on a house in Phnom Penh in October, told the court of the abuse she said she suffered at the hands of the woman she knew as her “godmother”.

“My godmother beat me by using pliers, clothes hangers, a broom and whips, every time she got angry,” the girl said. “Sometimes she tied me to a ladder and beat me.”

She went on to testify that her “godmother”, Meas Nary, justified the beatings by saying that the girl had failed to adequately complete her assigned household chores

“My godmother forced me to clean the floor, water flowers, clean the kitchen and cut the grass in the villa. When she came back home, she beat me and said that I did not clean well,” the girl said.

“When she bathed me, she took cleaning material mixed with soap to clean my wounds. It hurt me, but if I cried, she beat me.”

The girl was found after police in Phnom Penh, acting on a tip from neighbours, burst into the villa where she was being held. Police and rights workers said she had been held captive and forced to work as a domestic servant since 2008.

Police have described the constant violence she endured as “torture” – beatings that left her body covered with horrific scars.

“Her whole body from her head down was covered with frightening scars and wounds from her mistreatment,” police said at the time.

Three people were arrested as a result of the raid. Meas Nary and her husband, Va Saroeun, are charged with inflicting injury on the girl and with human trafficking, Phnom Penh Municipal Court Deputy Prosecutor Hing Bunchea said. A third, Thoeung Reth, is accused of selling the girl to the couple for US$400 in 2008. She also faces human trafficking charges.

Meas Nary on Tuesday admitted to the court that she beat the girl.

“The reason I hurt her is because she was a stubborn child. I could not control my anger, so I beat her,” Meas Nary said. “I beat her because I wanted to educate her on how to be a good daughter… I love her as my own daughter.”

Thoeung Reth said she had raised the girl since she was only a toddler, after the girl’s mother asked her to look after her, promising to pay her 60,000 riels (US$14) per month.

“I have never got any money from her mother since she asked me to look after her daughter,” Thoeung Reth told the court. “She has never come back to visit.”

Thoeung Reth said she thought she was helping the girl by giving her away.

“The reason I sent [the girl] to live with Meas Nary is because I wanted her to have a bright future and get an education,” she said.

A verdict is to be announced on February 19. The girl has asked for $5,000 in compensation.

Sue Taylor, manager of the psychosocial services department of Hagar International, the NGO that has been helping to rehabilitate the girl, said Tuesday that the opportunity to testify in court was a key step in her healing process.

“She was actually really shaking. She was crying,” Taylor said. “But she was able to calm down. She was actually very confident and gave evidence. She was clear and strong. We were very proud of her.”

Prior to the hearing, staff from Hagar worked with the girl so that she would know what to expect in court, Taylor said. For example, they created a simulation of the court in which dolls were substituted for real-life judges, lawyers and witnesses.

The girl has been attending school and is living with a foster family, Taylor said.

“When this whole court process is behind her, it will close the door on this chapter of her life, and she will be able to focus on her schooling and developing,” Taylor said.

A 2004 survey by the Cambodian government and the International Labour Organisation found that there were almost 28,000 children working in domestic service in Phnom Penh alone.

UN human rights envoy says Cambodia has made progress

Photo by: Pha Lina

UN human rights envoy Surya Subedi speaks Tuesday at a press conference marking the close of his second official mission to the Kingdom. The press conference was held at the offices of the UN Development Programme in Phnom Penh.

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 27 January 2010 15:04 Sebastian Strangio

AT the end of his second official mission to Cambodia, the UN’s special rapporteur for human rights has sounded an optimistic note, describing as “open and candid” his discussions with senior officials.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Surya Subedi said that although Cambodia “still falls short” of standards outlined in international rights treaties, there has been considerable progress since his last visit.

“I am encouraged by the progress made by Cambodia in a number of areas since my last visit in June 2009, and by the willingness on the part of the government to work with me to identify the problems and address them together,” he said in the statement.

Subedi said areas of progress included the strengthening of the legal framework to manage land evictions and resettlements, the adoption of an updated Penal Code and “continued efforts” to reform the prison system.

He added: “I hope that the government will move towards more inclusive, participatory and transparent decision-making processes on issues which have a direct impact on people’s human rights.”

Subedi, who held meetings with Prime Minister Hun Sen and other officials during his 12-day visit, said his mission had moved beyond the “familiarisation” phase to one in which he would offer recommendations for improving the rights situation here.

Recommendations in the statement included raising the budget for the court system in a bid to promote judicial independence and bolstering the National Assembly’s status as a forum for open debate.

Subedi noted that although officials had been “receptive” to a recommendation for a set of national guidelines on land evictions and resettlements, they did not agree to a moratorium on evictions in the interim.

“The difficulty [is] that developmental activities have to be carried on,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Subedi’s statement shied away from direct criticisms of the government. In an interview with the Post on Friday, he described the journey towards full promotion of human rights as “a long one, anywhere in the world”.

“The contribution that our mission can make to the history of this nation is to mature the process and move it forward,” he said.

Hang Chhaya, executive director of the Khmer Institute for Democracy, said Subedi’s “diplomatic” style differed greatly from that of his predecessor, Yash Ghai, who had a notoriously stormy relationship with the government, adding that it could yet prove effective.

“As soon as he touches down, he is able to get a visit with the prime minister, so [the visit] could be productive,” he said.

Subedi is set to report the findings of his trip to the UN Human Rights Council in March.

Govt orders a halt to dredging in Kampot

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 27 January 2010 15:04 Vong Sokheng and Sebastian Strangio

AUTHORITIES have temporarily suspended three Kampot province dredging operations for sand to export, a local official confirmed on Tuesday, but confusion remains over the exact reason.

Se Da, deputy governor of Kampot’s Teuk Chhou district, said three local companies suspended their operations on January 16 on the orders of the provincial Committee on Sand.

“The [committee] ordered a halt to the sand dredging last week, and there are no longer any sand-dredging export activities,” he said, adding that the committee was examining the concession areas in order to “re-map their proper location” and ensure companies operate within legal limits.

He said he did not know when the committee – set up following Prime Minister Hun Sen’s announcement of a ban on sand export operations in May last year – would allow the companies to continue their work.

Se Da identified the firms as the Thaknin Tharith Import Export Co Ltd, the Keo Tha Company and the Theo Vorin Company. According to an October 13 letter signed by Minister of Industry Suy Sem, a copy of which has been obtained by the Post, Thaknin Tharith has a licence to operate in a 42-hectare area in Teak Chhou district’s Prek Chhar and Mak Prang communes.

Pov Son, chief of Traey Koh commune, said in November that Keo Tha, which was dredging before Hun Sen’s ban, was also given an official dispensation to continue operations in October “in order to relieve flooding in the town”.

‘Visible’ impacts

Mu Sochua, a Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker representing Kampot, said that prior to the halt, the Kampot River had been busy with large dredging boats – apparently owned by Vietnamese companies – and smaller vessels operated by local firms that ferried sand out to ships moored off the coast.

As of last weekend, she said, four large boats were moored outside the governor’s office.

She said she was concerned that it had taken so long to stop the dredging. “The environmental impact is very visible,” she said.

Try Chhoun, provincial coordinator for the rights group Adhoc, said he believed the dredging had been halted as a result of protests by the local fishing community, who say their livelihoods have been hit hard by the operations.

“I think that the government had just suspended things for a while, to calm down the anger of the protesters,” she said, adding that the companies would likely be in operation again soon.

In a January 11 letter to Lim Kean Hor, minister of water resources and chairman of the National Committee on Sand, Mu Sochua said any export operations in Kampot were in violation of the ban issued by the prime minister last year.

“According to the decision of Prime Minister Hun Sen, please can the minister confirm the impacts of the sand-dredging industry and take action to stop the operations,” it stated.

One local fisherman from Kep Thmey village in Beoung Tuk commune said her community was happy with the government’s suspension order, but feared it wouldn’t last.

“Maybe the government realised our complaints about the impact to our life here,” said Chan Dara, 49. “But we are still concerned that when the companies are allowed to continue their operations, we will encounter the same problems again and again.”

Kampot governor Khoy Khun Hour declined to comment on Tuesday.

Questions surround new incentive plan

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 27 January 2010 15:04 James O'Toole

Development community awaits talks with government during six-month transition period

MEMBERS of the development community are awaiting discussions with the government after last month’s announcement of abrupt changes to salary schemes for civil servants, calling continued dialogue essential during the six-month transition period that will precede the compensation reforms.

Under several different salary supplement programmes, donors had been helping the government pay civil servants, including doctors and teachers, often boosting perilously low wages to acceptable levels.

After having announced the cancellation of supplement programmes last month for “all donor-assisted as well as [government-] funded projects and programmes”, Minister of Economy and Finance Keat Chhon revised the government’s position last week in a letter to foreign ambassadors and development partners.

While targeted incentive programmes for civil servants introduced in recent years – Merit-Based Performance Incentives and Priority Mission Groups – are to remain cancelled, straightforward salary supplements will continue during the transition period.

The cancellation of the supplements, originally meant to take effect January 1, took many observers by surprise, and although they welcomed the newly announced transition period, they said much must be done to ensure that social services can continue in the long term.

“How this eventually will work out … I think that depends on the outcome of the discussions with the government and the administrative reform process,” World Health Organisation country representative Pieter Van Maaren said, adding that he looks forward to “constructive dialogue on this issue”.

In lieu of salary supplements, Keat Chhon wrote last week that the government hopes to base new compensation schemes on a principle he termed “Daily Operational Cost”.

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We’re working to find some sort of solution so that services can go on.
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Although Keat Chhon offered no specifics on how this principle would operate, Hang Chuon Naron, secretary general at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, said the government is working on the issue.

“It’s very new, and the government has to discuss it in the next six months,” he said. Though he declined to comment at length on how the system would work, the secretary general allowed that it could function similarly to a per-diem system.

“Instead of calculating the monthly allowance, they have to calculate the daily allowance,” he said, adding that such allowances would be calculated based on “the cost of performing daily work for people who are on [a] project”.

In a letter to the government dated December 17, the UN and other organisations requested a meeting with the government to discuss “how to mitigate the potential adverse impacts of the decision” on supplements. Van Maaren said there had been no response to this request as of Tuesday, though Keat Chhon said in his letter last week that reforms would go forward only after “an appropriate process of consultation”.

Jeroen Stol, country director for Handicap International Belgium, said he hopes the transition period prevents significant disruptions of services in the next few months. “The fact that [the cancellation] was implemented so swiftly created many, many problems for us,” he said, adding that widespread absenteeism would have occurred without the transition period.

Stol and others were unsure of why the decision – announced just weeks before it was to have gone into effect – came so abruptly. Sharon Wilkinson, country director of Care International, brushed off speculation that it had resulted from the government’s desire for greater oversight of fund distribution.

“I think the government’s got oversight…. They certainly know how we use the development funds, and they have every right to know,” she said.

Government officials have said the changes are meant to maintain equity in the compensation of civil servants, and are part of a broader process of public administration reform. Wilkinson said she recognised the importance of this process, but she cautioned that the needs of ordinary Cambodians must not be neglected as these reforms are implemented.

“It’s not going to happen overnight, so therefore we’re working to find some sort of solution so that services can go on for the most vulnerable,” she said.

Thai Yellow Shirts try to plant markers near Poipet border

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 27 January 2010 15:04 Cheang Sokha

SUPPORTERS of Thailand’s People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) travelled to the Thai-Cambodian border near O’Chrov district, close to Poipet, Banteay Meanchey province, on Monday in an attempt to plant border markers in an undemarcated area, provincial police commissioner Hun Hean said Tuesday.

About 90 PAD supporters, also known as the Yellow Shirts, were thwarted in their attempt to plant the markers after Thai soldiers and Cambodian villagers turned them back, Hun Hean said, adding that about 2,000 Yellow Shirts originally intended to go to the border before being stopped by troops in Thailand’s Sa Kaew province.

“They just want to make trouble along the border with Cambodia. We will not allow them to do so,” Hun Hean said, explaining that the group was protesting the demarcation efforts in progress under the auspices of the bilateral Joint Border Commission.

Var Kimhong, the government’s senior minister in charge of border affairs, said he was unconcerned by the Yellow Shirts’ demonstration.

“We don’t care about the Yellow Shirt people coming,” Var Kimhong said. “We are working with the border committee of the Thai government, not the Yellow Shirt group.”

In September, about 4,000 Yellow Shirts attempted to protest along the border near Preah Vihear temple but were stopped inside Thailand by the Thai military.

French paedophile sentenced

Photo by: Pha Lina
Claude Jean-Pierre Demeret received a three-year suspended sentence Tuesday.

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 27 January 2010 15:04 May Titthara and Cameron Wells

PHNOM Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday gave a three-year suspended sentence to a 60-year-old French national after finding him guilty of soliciting sex from a 16-year-old girl as well as producing and possessing child pornography.

Judges also ordered Claude Jean-Pierre Demeret to pay 1 million riels (US$240) in compensation to the victim.

Though the sentence drew an outcry from the child-protection NGO that provided a lawyer for the 16-year-old girl, Presiding Judge Chan Madina said it was warranted because of Demeret’s willingness to cooperate with the court. Chan Madina also said she accepted Demeret’s claim that he did not know the age of the victim at the time of the crime and believed she was not a minor.

“Claude Jean-Pierre Demeret confessed to having sex with the girl, but he didn’t know she was 16 years old,” Chan Madina said. “She agreed to sleep with him at Wat Phnom for $5.”

Demeret told the court on January 13 that he had not had intercourse with the victim, though he admitted to having the victim perform a sex act on him.

His defence lawyer, Chong Eav Heng, argued during the December hearing that Demeret had been the victim of entrapment by police and the child-protection NGO Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE). Chan Madina seemed to accept that argument at the time, accusing the victim of having been involved in similar schemes with four other foreigners in recent years.

Samleang Seila, APLE’s executive director, expressed his frustration with the sentence on Tuesday evening, saying it would serve to undermine the efforts of local authorities to stamp out child prostitution.

“This sentence is not acceptable to us, as the charge of pornography was not appropriate,” he said. “The pornographic images depict the girl in sexual contact with [Demeret], which shows that he had sex with an underage girl.”

He added: “This sentence is destroying the efforts of the government and the police departments. In comparison to other cases, this sentence is very light. We were advocating for no suspended sentence or release. This is not a good result.”

He said APLE was preparing to file an appeal that could be submitted as soon as Wednesday.

The victim and her family were not present when the verdict was announced in court yesterday. Chong Eav Heng declined to give a comment.

Court to investigate SRP-CPP altercation over M’kiri card game

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Wednesday, 27 January 2010 15:03 Vong Sokheng

A MEMBER of the Sam Rainsy Party was called to Mondulkiri provincial court on Tuesday for questioning in connection with a recent dispute involving himself, his nephew and a district councillor for the Cambodian People’s Party that erupted over a card game.

The incident occurred last September in Mondulkiri’s Keo Seima district when CPP district councillor Nuon Sophan allegedly attacked the nephew of SRP member Khum Khan.

“Sophan lost the betting, and my nephew, Vai Ngeang Nham, called him a ‘dog’ because he did not respect a promise we made before the game to pay up,” Khum Khan said. “Then the fight broke out.”

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The fight didn’t involve me.... i am afraid, but i will go to court.
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The stakes of the game were less than US$1.

“I wasn’t involved in the attack, but I was summoned to court for questioning about inciting violence,” Khum Khan said. “After questioning me, the prosecutor told me to go home and said there was no problem.”

Chhay Thi, a provincial monitor for the rights group Adhoc, said the dispute had been brought before the court because Nuon Sophan had not fulfilled a promise to pay the victim 1 million riels (US$240) in compensation as part of an out-of-court settlement.

An Samnang, an SRP district councillor who has been summoned to appear at the court next month, also denied any involvement in the fight.

“The fight didn’t involve me. I had just helped them avoid violence, and now I am accused of incitement,” he said. “I am afraid, but I will go to court after I get my lawyer.”

No charges have yet been brought in the case because judges are still conducting an investigation, Chhay Thi said.

“I hope that the court will play an independent role to provide justice for the victims,” Chhay Thi said.

Noun Saphan could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Long Ry, an SRP lawmaker investigating the case, said he questioned why the case had been dragged out for so long, adding that he was concerned that the dispute would turn political.

“We are concerned that the court summons is a way of intimidating our councillors and interrupting them from performing their work in the district council,” he said.

Court officials could not be reached on Tuesday.

Few voters ever meet their local MPs: report

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 27 January 2010 15:03 Kim Yuthana

A NEW report by the election watchdog group COMFREL says that less than 4 percent of Cambodian voters have any direct contact with their local parliamentarians.

The report, issued Tuesday during a workshop in Phnom Penh, found that of 8,678 voters surveyed, only 3.5 percent had directly communicated with their representatives.

Koul Panha, executive director of COMFREL, cited enormous workloads placed on politicians and a failure by political parties to communicate effectively with voters as the chief obstacles to a closer relationship between parliamentarians and their constituents.

Political parties “fail to introduce their parliamentarians to residents, and residents are not able to contact their offices”, Koul Panha said.

Mu Sochua, a Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker representing Kampot, said she regretted not being able to spend more time with voters, but that she makes every effort to stay abreast of events in the community she represents.

“It is difficult to help people in my electorate, as I am the only opposition parliamentarian in my district, while there are five parliamentarians from the government,” she said.

The COMFREL report also found that those surveyed held strong opinions about the involvement of women in politics. Some 71.5 percent of respondents said that there should be a certain proportion of seats in parliament reserved for women, though almost two-thirds of respondents were women.

Ministry OKs building of Pailin prison

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Wednesday, 27 January 2010 15:03 Mom Kunther

THE Interior Ministry has approved the construction of a prison in Pailin province, a provincial official said Tuesday. Currently, officials must send prisoners to neighbouring Battambang.

“I don’t know when it will be built, but we are studying the construction,” said Meav Samai, deputy director of the Pailin provincial cabinet.

Meav Samai said the construction of the prison would make the processing of suspected criminals more efficient.

“It is very difficult for authorities to take the time to send suspects or perpetrators to the courts and prison in Battambang province,” he said. “We want our own prison because it’s easier for us than sending prisoners to Battambang, and it saves money as well.”

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I don’t know when it will be built, but we are studying the construction.

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He added that officials from the Interior Ministry’s prisons department in Phnom Penh had visited the proposed site of the facility earlier this month and approved it.

Heng Hak, the director general of the prisons department, confirmed on Tuesday that the new prison had been approved by the Interior Ministry, but he said the plan also needs the approval of Prime Minister Hun Sen before construction can begin.

Pailin was carved out of Battambang after the defection of former Khmer Rouge foreign minister Ieng Sary in 1996. In December 2008, King Norodom Sihanomi signed a Royal decree turning Pailin, Kep and Sihanoukville into provinces.

A provincial government official who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorised to speak with a reporter said that the existing provincial criminal justice system operates poorly without a prison, and that provincial officials would need to recruit more staff to operate a new facility.

“We lack human resources and need to train more officers,” he said.

There are 25 prisons nationwide, Heng Hak said.