Memorandum of misunderstanding

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The Thai government is ignoring external pressure and insisting on a bilateral solution, but the best hope for that is under fire

Published: 20/02/2011 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: Spectrum

The renewed fighting along the Thai-Cambodian border only hours after the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) issued a statement last Monday calling for a ceasefire was a clear challenge to the authority of the international body. The UNSC also called for the involvement of other Asean nations to help resolve the conflict. While Cambodia has all along urged intervention by a third party, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva insists that the border dispute can and must be solved through bilateral negotiations.

Of late, however, the chief instrument for a bilateral solution to the boundary dispute at the heart of the Preah Vihear temple controversy _ the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Survey and Demarcation of Land Boundary _ has been marginalised and largely ignored. This is very much to the liking of the nationalist yellow shirt People's Alliance for Democracy, which has called on Prime Minister Abhisit's's government to revoke the MoU.

The 2000 MoU provided a framework for negotiations and gave birth to the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC), which is charged with supervising the surveying and demarcation work along disputed portions of the 798km border between the two countries.

The MoU also requires that both sides refrain from carrying out any work that might result in changes to the border environment, and stresses the need to work out any disputes via consultation and negotiation.

Importantly, the MoU addressed the commitment to work together on the demarcation with reference to old documents which previously suggested the borderlines.

These include maps drawn up by the Franco-Siamese Mixed Commission of Delimitation of the Frontiers in 1907, when Cambodia was a protectorate of France. One of these, known as the Annex I map, delineated the borderline through the Dangrek mountain range where Preah Vihear sits. This map, which had a scale of 1:200,000 and did not correspond to the natural watershed of the area, was used in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962 by Cambodia to claim sovereignty over the temple. The ICJ ruled in favour of Cambodia in the absence of any opposition from the Thai side to using the Annex I map.

Since Cambodia won approval for its listing of Preah Vihear and a disputed 4.6 square kilometre perimeter as a Unesco World Heritage Site in July 2008, the PAD has been squarely in the middle of the controversy. Thailand says the disputed area is a part of Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district. Due to the simmering tensions that have several times led to hostilities, Cambodia has not managed to have its management plan approved by the World Heritage Committee.

PAD spokesman Parnthep Pourpongpan said "The MoU has posed a disadvantage for us because it refers to and acknowledges the 1:200,000 map and makes it legitimate." He also said that Cambodia has not fully complied with the rules agreed to under the MoU. Specifically, he said, Cambodia has undertaken developments in the disputed 4.6 square kilometre area that have changed the environment, in violation of Article 5 of the MoU.

Mr Parnthep also said Cambodia was responsible for starting the latest round of fighting, which proves it doesn't respect the the spirit of the MoU, which calls for negotiation and consultation.

Mr Parnthep said Cambodia was clearly trying to get the UNSC to recognise the MoU and the validity of the Annex I map at the meeting last Monday. This raises questions about Cambodia's motives in bringing the case to the UNSC, which has authority to refer the dispute to the ICJ for reinterpretation of its past ruling.

With the MoU intact, said Mr Parnthep, Thailand can't prevent the UNSC from getting involved, as it cannot lay clear claim to its boundaries and its domestic jurisdiction. Under the UN Charter's Article 2 (7), it is suggested that the UNSC should not intervene in matters inside a country's domestic jurisdiction.

"If we revoke the MoU, we will not be at a disadvantage," said Mr Parnthep. "Without the MoU, we can declare our borderlines following old treaties and this will prevent the UNSC from getting involved [in accordance with Article 2]. Cambodia has violated the MoU and we can abort it and return to what was agreed under old treaties."

The government has so far not paid any heed to the PAD's demands. Rather, it sticks by the MoU and the establishment of the JBC as the main channel to reach an agreement with Phnom Penh to settle the conflict.

Cambodia, meanwhile, is further distancing itself from the bilateral approach offered by the MoU. At the UNSC meeting, Cambodia not only called on the UNSC to take actions such as peace-keeping operations, it also called on the body to refer the matter to the ICJ for interpretation of the 1962 judgment.

The only thing that may be preventing the UNSC from taking such actions, said Mr Parnthep, is that the recent border clashes have not yet been viewed to be affecting "international peace and security".

A small Cambodian bronze exhibit at Getty is rich with meaning

The 'Gods of Angkor' show of Hindu and Buddhist statuary and ritual objects is of great cultural importance.

Unknown Ganesha, 13th century Cambodian. (The J. Paul Getty Trust)

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By Suzanne Muchnic, Special to the Los Angeles Times

February 20, 2011

In numerical terms, "Gods of Angkor: Bronzes from the National Museum of Cambodia" — opening Feb. 22 at the J. Paul Getty Museum — is a small exhibition. It consists of a mere 26 sculptural objects, about 4 inches to 40 inches tall, displayed in a single gallery.

But the cultural significance of the show is beyond measure. The selection of Hindu and Buddhist statuary and ritual objects includes some of the finest examples of historical Cambodian bronze work at the nation's primary art museum in Phnom Penh.

Elegantly refined and intricately detailed, the sculptures include a 10th-century likeness of Maitreya, a Buddha-to-be with eight arms, a lustrous patina and eyes of silver foil and black stone. A triad of figures made in the late 12th or early 13th century features a Buddha seated on a serpent coiled into a chair, with human embodiments of compassion and wisdom at his sides.

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The animal kingdom also has a strong presence. A statue of Ganesha depicts the elephant-headed son of the Hindu god Shiva decked out in elaborately ornamented attire but posed in a meditative state with his arms raised. A sleek sculpture of Shiva's bull, Nandin, portrays the beast at rest, legs folded alongside his powerful body.

"The sensuousness and beauty of this material, the great range of color and texture, was really a surprise to me," says Louise Allison Cort, a ceramics specialist at the Arthur M. Sackler and Freer Galleries in Washington, D.C., who has done extensive research in Cambodia. She co-organized the Sackler's inaugural version of the show with Paul Jett, the galleries' head of conservation. The Los Angeles presentation, pared from 36 to 26 objects, was coordinated by Getty curator Jeffrey Weaver, in collaboration with the museum's former director, Michael Brand.

"I think the high point is the 10th, 11th and 12th century pieces," Cort says. "There is such a wonderful sense of skin and bones and muscle represented, a kind of warmth in the material that I had never felt before I started working with these bronzes."

Meant to be viewed in the round, the sculptures are often as intriguing from the back as in the front. As Weaver points out, a garment wrapped around the hips of a late 11th century or early 12th century statue of Vishnu, the Hindu god of stability, is tied in the rear in a fashionable butterfly shape.

The museum that is home to the artworks is a miracle of perseverance and regeneration. Designed as a central repository for the storage, protection and display of Cambodia's artistic heritage, it opened under French patronage in 1920. The Cambodian government took charge of the museum in 1966. A few years later, when civil war broke out, the Phnom Penh institution also became a refuge for treasures from the provinces. Then came the Khmer Rouge's reign of terror, in 1975. The once-proud National Museum of Cambodia was abandoned and its staff dismissed.

It could have been worse. As danger approached, the collection was packed into underground storage and the building shut tight with its doors sandbagged. Against all odds, most of the artworks survived intact and the museum reopened a few months after the liberation of Phnom Penh in 1979. But reassembling and conserving the artworks was a daunting challenge. The building needed help too. Among other problems, a colony of bats that had settled into the roof had to be removed to protect the art, staff and visitors from falling guano.

But a new day has long since dawned at the museum — a picturesque architectural hybrid with traditional Khmer elements applied to a French colonial structure. Examples of the 17,600-piece collection of archeological and ethnographic objects are displayed in galleries surrounding a central courtyard.

"We are planning a celebration of the museum's 100th birthday," says its director, Oun Phalline, during a recent visit to the Getty. A 32-year veteran of the Cambodian museum, she began her career there as a guide and moved into the top position last year. She now presides over an institution with a staff that has grown from 20 to 120 — a cultural jewel of Southeast Asia that attracts 90,000 visitors a year.

Cambodia's major tourist center is Siem Reap, a town about 200 miles north of Phnom Penh, which serves as a base for visiting Angkor Wat and many other ancient temples and archeological sites. But thousands of tourists also seek out the museum. "After people see the temples, they want to see the art," Phalline says.

The two-venue American exhibition is the result of a collaboration that began in 2003 with a request for the Smithsonian Institution, which governs the Sackler and Freer Galleries, to help conserve bronze works at the Cambodian museum. The Getty Foundation joined the effort in 2005, providing funds to study the 8,000-piece holding of bronzes, treat the objects at greatest risk and develop a long-term conservation plan, including a training program for Cambodian conservators. With additional aid from organizations around the world, the museum in Phnom Penh now has conservation facilities for stone, metal and ceramics.

Most of the objects surveyed by the Getty-sponsored study have been in the collection for decades, accompanied by precise documentation. A sculpture of a crowned Buddha in the current exhibition was excavated in 1931 on the grounds of Angkor Wat. A kneeling female figure thought to have held a mirror on her head was found in 1921 near a Buddhist temple in the ancient city of Angkor Thom.

But one of the first projects in the new metal conservation lab focused on an astonishing discovery made in 2006. As Cort tells the story, a woman who lives in a village northeast of Phnom Penh was digging a hole in her yard to plant a tree when she unearthed seven little bronze figures made in the 7th century. She notified authorities and her improbable find joined the collection of the National Museum.

"All the pieces are related to Buddhist tradition," Cort says, "but they represent different styles and probably different sources. Two are in a style associated with the capital city in Cambodia in the 7th century. Three others are more closely related to an area in adjacent Thailand. The last two are Chinese. They raise all kinds of questions about how the Chinese pieces got into Cambodia, the grouping of different styles of Buddhist deities, who owned these pieces and why they were there. The exhibition was already underway when they were found, but they became one of its focal points."

In another case, a mystery was solved by in-house detective work.

"The museum staff is in the throes of constructing an electronic database and photographing everything, so they have been going through the collection in great detail," Cort says. "A statue of the crowned Buddha, which had been broken into multiple pieces and repaired, at some point lost both its hands. In the course of reorganizing the museum, the statue ended up in one place and the hands someplace else. A young researcher who was carefully studying everything in storage noticed the hands and made the connection. Just in time for the exhibition, the conservation staff put the hands back on the figure. We now know the gesture the Buddha is making and the meaning of it: Do not fear."

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PM: UNESCO special envoy to visit Bangkok, Phnom Penh next week

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BANGKOK, Feb 19 - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Saturday said the UNESCO chief agreed with Thailand that the management plan of the ancient Preah Vihear temple should not proceed until the border demarcation is concluded and that its special envoy will visit Bangkok and Phnom Penh next week to discuss the renewed border conflict.

The Thai premier made remarks as he talked with Irina Bokova, director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) by telephone over the tension between Thailand and Cambodia as a result of the listing of the Hindu temple as a World Heritage Site.

Mr Abhisit said the world body chief understands the situation and agreed with Thailand that the Preah Vihear management plan should not be conducted now as long as there is no conclusion to the Thai-Cambodian border conflict and clear demarcation which should be reached under the framework of the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC).

The UNESCO director-general will also send Mr Koichiro Matsuura, former UNESCO Director-General, in the capacity of the agency's special envoy on Thai-Cambodian dispute, to Bangkok and Phnom Penh next week to hear clarification from both sides, but will not visit the disputed border area, according to Mr Abhisit, who said he will talk with the Japanese envoy by himself.

The Thai premier stated he believes UNESCO does not want the conflict to be prolonged until the next meeting of the World Heritage Committee which is scheduled to be held in Bahrain in June. He said Thailand also urged the world agency to listen to the kingdom as it had no hidden agenda but wasconcerned about the well-being and the peace of people living along the border.

Following rumours that China and Vietnam had sent their troops to help Cambodia, Mr Abhisit dismissed the notion, saying no country wanted to intervene to worsen the situation.

As the Cambodina Prime Minister Hun Sen proposed Thailand to sign a permanent ceasefire agreement under the witness of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the ASEAN chair, the Thai leader reasserted there is no clear detail on the matter and he still does not know how such a permanent ceasefire would be initiated.

The Thai prime minister reiterated that Thailand has never started shooting and that it has the right to protect the kingdom's sovereignty when being invaded. (MCOT online news)

Which one is Thai, Which one is Cambodian?

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Villagers on both sides are suffering _ and if claims that cluster bombs were deployed prove true, then the pain could be felt for years to come

Published: 20/02/2011

Two weeks after the shelling began, life has yet to return to normal in Svay Chrum village, four kilometres south of the frontline on the Cambodian side of the border dispute.

FELLOW SUFFERERS: Rany and her child, left; and a Thai woman in Si Sa Ket province

Dwellings sit empty, leaving evidence of a quick departure along with clothes hanging on fences and abandoned bicycles.

There were 250 families in this area; now there are five, said shopkeeper Rany who came back two days after her home was nearly hit by conventional artillery on Feb 7.

''We are the risk-takers, the people who have property to protect. I hear from the camps that everyone wants to come back, but they are still afraid of the situation here,'' she said.

There are still people in Svay Chrum, in Chuam Khsan district of Preah Vihear province, but most of them are in uniform.

Soldiers either walk or catch a ride down the mountain to buy supplies and maybe get a drink at one of the two places that serve them.

Some of the Cambodian troops live only 50m from the Thai troops, and relish the opportunity to take a break.

For women like Rany, her concerns are more mundane than those of the politicians and generals in Phnom Penh and Bangkok.

''It was announced on Feb 3 that we must register our property. Then the war started the next day. I had to come back because I was afraid somebody would take my inventory and my house. At least if I stay here nobody will take it apart,'' she said.

On the Thai side of the border, the uncertainty for villagers is just as real.

Si Sa Ket Governor Somsak Suwansujarit has announced construction will start tomorrow of 450 bunkers in Kantharalak district and repairs of 300 others damaged during four days of fighting which started on Feb 4.

Tens of thousands of Thai villagers fled their homes during the height of fighting as Cambodian troops fired artillery into the area.

Rachanee Phongsin, a Kantharalak villager, said she still hears the sound of firing from time to time and fears the artillery and mortar shells could strike her village again.

Samroeng Charoenchan, from Phum Srol village, said he was happy when authorities allowed villagers to return home a week after being evacuated.

However, villagers were still worried about attacks after several homes were damaged and one person killed.

''The sound of bombs at night flying over my head scared me very much, I can still remember it,'' said Tat Kanchanachart, from Ban Somboon in Kantharalak district.

Aside from anxiety about returning to a potential war-zone, displaced people now face a new fear.

Cambodia has accused Thailand of firing an unknown number of shells carrying cluster munitions into Cambodia. Thailand strongly rejects the claim. Neither country has signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

Thailand, Cambodia agree to border truce

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Published: 20/02/2011

Thai and Cambodian troops signed a ceasefire agreement effective from noon yesterday.

MEMENTO OF VIOLENCE: A novice at Wat Siriwarawat in Si Sa Ket’s Kantharalak district strikes a ‘‘mortar shell bell’’next to the temple’s traditional brass bell.

"All is well," said Second Army commander Thawatchai Samutsakhon after the agreement was sealed at a restaurant at the Chong Sa-ngam Pass border crossing in Si Sa Ket province.

The ceasefire is a breakthrough in the raging border conflict following clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops in a disputed area near Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district earlier this month.

However, it is unclear if the ceasefire will be permanent. A previous truce had been called on Feb 5 but violence flared up again the next day.

An army source said Lt Gen Thawatchai was part of the ceasefire-signing delegation led by Army chief-of-staff Daopong Rattanasuwan, who represented the Army Chief Prayuth Chan-ocha.

The delegation also included armed forces specialist Nipat Thonglek and Suranaree Taskforce commander Chavalit Choonprasarn.

The Cambodian side was led by deputy army commander Hun Manet, the son of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

The ceasefire was inked after more than two hours of meetings, which ended at 12.30pm yesterday.

The ceasefire took effect yesterday and the agreement contains seven other binding points.

The other points are; no more troops are to be deployed in the conflict zones and the existing troops stationed there must not move; no heavy armaments and artillery in the conflict areas may be moved; neither side may attack the other using heavy weaponry; no building or structure of any kind may be constructed inside the disputed 4.6 square kilometre border zone; no more military bunkers are to be built; no more road construction is allowed; and the senior military officers of both countries are to communicate via a dedicated mobile phone hotline in discussing border issues.

The arrangements over troops and weapons under the ceasefire agreement are pending future border negotiations at government level or until the next Asean ministerial meeting on Tuesday, which will be attended by all 10 member nations' foreign ministers.

"What the soldiers must do now is observe the ceasefire," said the source.

"The longer-term problems are for the respective governments to solve."

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon and his Cambodian counterpart, Teah Banh, will meet at the Thai-Camobodian General Border Committee session in the middle of the year.

Lt Gen Hun Manet's involvement has raised Thailand's confidence that the ceasefire will be respected. But Thai security authorities have not ruled out a breach of the ceasefire as Cambodian troops do not always obey orders, the source said.

The source added both sides were in agreement that neither country benefits from the prolonged fighting.

The ceasefire meeting yesterday highlighted concerns over the precarious state of border security on Phu Makhua mountain in Si Sa Ket, which was the hotspot in the recent troop clashes.

The source said that during the meeting yesterday, Lt Gen Hun Manet asked why the Thai government has allowed certain media outlets to attack Cambodia over the border violence.

The outlets were understood to be controlled by the People's Alliance for Democracy, which has been highly critical of Cambodia in recent months.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday Unesco was sending a special envoy to hear both countries' take on the border dispute.

However, the envoy will not travel to the Preah Vihear temple due to "diplomatic sensitivity".

The envoy is expected to arrive in Thailand next week, Mr Abhisit said after a telephone conversation with Unesco director-general Irina Bokova yesterday.

He said the director-general felt the contentious management of the area around Preah Vihear temple, declared a world heritage site by Unesco, should not proceed until the border dispute is resolved.

Temporary ceasefire deal agreed on

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By Panya Thiewsangwan,
Jeerapong Prasertpolkrang
The Nation on Sunday
Published on February 20, 2011

Hun Manet, eldest son of Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen, and Thai Army Chief of Staff General Dapong Rattanasuwan yesterday signed in a temporary cease-fire agreement.

Second Army Area commander Lt-General Thawatchai Samutsakorn and 10 other Thai officers crossed Chong Sa-ngam, Si Sa Ket border to meet with Hun Manet, a lieutenant general in the Cambodian army, in a restaurant in Allongweng, a source, who joined the trip but asked not to be named, said.

He said both sides agreed to follow the previous agreement and signed an eight-point agreement which includes no mobilisation of troops, no increase in troops or heavy weapons, no confrontation and no construction in disputed areas.

The source said the two-hour talk was part of regular meetings.

However, the temporary deal is not binding as far as the upcoming Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) ministerial meeting on Tuesday is concerned.

"In case of conflicts, both countries' military would first communicate through radio. However, they must talk only about how to fix the problems," the source said.

Meanwhile, a representative of the United Nation's cultural body will come to Thailand and Cambodia next week to get details about Preah Vihear Temple and the recent border dispute.

unesco official coming

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday he got a phone call from Irina Bokova, director-general of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, who said the agency would send an official to Bangkok and Phnom Penh to hear information, without getting involved in sensitive issues.

The Unesco chief said she would send a cover letter on the scope of the representative's mission. After it receives Thai confirmation, the representative, former Unesco director Koichiro Matsuura, planned to visit next week.

"I talked to the (Unesco) director-general and found that she agrees with Thailand's proposal that the management plan for the areas surrounding Preah Vihear Temple should not to be touched on unless the land disputes have been settled," Abhisit said.

"The process must be according to the Memorandum of Understanding and the agreement of the Joint-Border Committee.

"She was also concerned when she saw that [Cambodian] soldiers stayed in the temple, which is against the agreement."

The PM said Thailand should give information to Unesco and should not quit the World Heritage Committee. If it did, the agency would be able to only hear information from Cambodia.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and National Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti had done a good job so far clarifying the Kingdom's position to the UN agency, Abhisit said.

He emphasised that no trips to the disputed area would be made so long as the issue was still sensitive.

Abhisit dismissed reports that China and Vietnam supported Cambodia in the dispute. He said no country would want more tension.

Thai, Cambodian businessmen agree on widening trade, investment

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BANGKOK, Feb 19 -- As an ongoing four-day Thailand Trade Fair being held in Phnom Penh now is running successfully, businessmen of the two countries have also agreed on enlarging trade and investment between them believing that clashes at the disputed border between soldiers of their countries should be solved by their respective governments, said a leading Thai businessman Saturday.

Niyom Waiyaratchapanich, deputy chairman of Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) and also committee chairman of TCC’s international trade promotion, said leading businessmen of the two countries agreed during Thursday’s business summit, held for the first time by the two nations, that they would propose to their governments in issuing ‘Thai-Cambodian Business Card’ to facilitate businessmen in crossing the border of each country to do business.

Under the scheme, a special passage at the border will be arranged for the cardholders to pass through, saving time off immigration procedures, Mr Niyom said.

They also agreed that an SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) clinic should be set up in both countries to encourage new Thai investors to invest in infrastructure and tourism ventures in Cambodia, proposing both Bangkok and Phnom Penh governments extend contract farming while Thai farming experts would provide know-how to Cambodian farmers, enlarging logistics networks, increasing trucks carrying goods to 150 daily from 40 now and launching bus facilities between the two countries.

“Businessmen of the two countries didn’t raise the border problem for discussion during the meeting as they believed that the issue could be settled by their governments,” Mr Niyom said.

With the two-way trade in 2010 valued about Bt81 billion, up 20 per cent from the previous year, the Thai government-run National Intelligence Agency said in its report last month that trade value between the two countries in 2011 could be almost equal last year’s if no border checkpoints are closed due to clashes at the border.

Thailand is now ranked 14th in terms of largest foreign investment in Cambodia, as businessmen in this country have already invested in more than 80 projects, with total investments of over US$363 million.

Thai Deputy Commerce Minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot, who also attended the trade fair which ends Sunday, opined that the summit proposed that a similar trade fair be organised in each country every two months due to the success of the ongoing fair in Phnom Penh. (MCOT online news)

Thai, Cambodian troops agree on ceasefire: report

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English.news.cn

2011-02-19

BANGKOK, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Army Region 2 commander Lt-Gen Thawatchai Samutsakorn unveiled on Saturday evening that military commanders of both Thailand and Cambodian have finally reached agreement on ceasefire, a local website INN reported.

Army-chief-of staff Gen Daopong Rattanasuwon held ceasefire talks with Cambodian Deputy Supreme Commander Gen Jia Dara at Chong Sangam in border Surin province on Saturday.

Thailand's Army Region 2 commander and Cambodia's Army Region 4 commander Lt-Gen Jia Mon were among those top brasses attending the meeting.

Following the latest cross-border fighting which erupted firstly on Feb. 4 and carried on until Feb. 7, there were still a few rounds of small skirmishes. Military commanders of both countries once agreed on truce on Feb. 5 but that was not fully implemented.

Soon after both countries' foreign ministers along with Indonesian foreign minister, who is ASEAN's current chairman, attended the UN Security Council meeting in New York on Feb. 14 to discuss the conflicts, a fresh round of clash occurred. However, no further clash has been reported since Feb. 16.

In the deadliest cross-border fighting on Feb. 4-7, about two Thai soldiers and eight Cambodian soldiers were killed and over 20, 000 residents along the border were forced to flee as the two countries exchanged both small arms firings and heavy shelling.

Editor: Zhang Xiang

Cambodia Successfully Hosts ASEAN Tourism Forum 2011

http://www.mb.com.ph/

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By Jojie Alcantara

February 20, 2011

Philippine delegates to the Asean Tourism Forum in Cambodia (photo by Jojie Alcantara)

ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2011 launched its opening ceremony in Cambodia (dubbed Kingdom of Wonder), and was hosted by the Ministry of Cambodia on January 18 at the Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Centre in Phnom Penh. The week long event welcomed over 1,600 heads of National Tourist Organizations (NTOs), Tourism Ministers, travel suppliers, international buyers, media and other tourism professionals from around the world.

After welcoming speeches by Kingdom of Cambodia’s Prime Minister Samdech Akka Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Dr. Sok An, (Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers and Chairman of the Organizing Committee for ATF 2011) and H.E. Mr. Thong Khon (Minister of Tourism, and Permanent Vice-Chairman of ATF 2011 Organizing Committee), delegates were treated to a 30-minute spectacular fireworks display, and a fascinating cultural extravaganza of 500 performers amidst pyrotechnics, set in an open area by the riverside. A stunning sunset and full moon enhanced the wonderful scene.

Occupying a huge exhibition area of 8,430 sqm, the ATF TRAVEX – a three-day travel trade-only exhibition and business meetings platform – featured 518 booths from 434 exhibiting companies of 10 ASEAN countries. International buyers with a keen interest to buy destinations, products and services were ready to do business and source at this annual leisure travel trade event, showcasing the largest contingent of ASEAN sellers, from small to large suppliers.

Philippine Secretary of Tourism Alberto Lim was among several delegates of Filipinos who attended, including travel agents and resort operators. We bonded together over hosted lunch, dinners, and at the Travex exhibition booth. The Philippine media comprised of my colleague Ian Garcia (M Magazine and Mindanao Times) and I, who travelled along with DOT XI Regional Director Art Boncato.

ATF 2011 became a widely publicized event by both trade and consumer media, with 148 media delegates from across 32 countries in attendance. We received first-hand information on the latest updates and developments taking place across 10 ASEAN destinations through dedicated media briefings, showcasing travel attractions.

Exciting networking opportunities were offered to buyers and hosted media delegates through pre-event city tours of Phnom Penh, highlighting the city’s wonderful attractions which include The Royal Palace, National Museum of Cambodia, Tuol Sleng Museum (S-21 Prison), Toul Tum Poung Market, Phsar Thmey (Central Market) and Wat Phnom Daun Penh. Post event tours were also given at a discounted rate to Sihanoukville and Siem Reap, home to the ancient Angkor Wat.

Delegates were treated to a wide range of networking activities over the next few days, including friendly golf, hosted luncheons and dinners by Cambodia Angkor Air, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Indonesia, Bangkok Airways, Tourism Malaysia and Ministry of Tourism. Late night functions at Raffles Hotel Le Royal and Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra gave them a chance to relax and party after a hectic day.

A cooperative regional effort to promote the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as one tourist destination, ATF is an annual event involving the tourism industry sectors of 10 member nations of ASEAN: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Each year, the hosting of ATF is rotated among the member countries. ATF 2011 marks the 30th anniversary of this event since its inauguration in Malaysia in 1981. This year’s theme was “ASEAN, A World of Wonders and Diversity”. ASEAN Tourism Forum 2011 with the ATF TRAVEX (Jan. 19-21) was held from 15 to 21 January 2011 at Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Manado, Indonesia is now preparing to host ATF 2012.

Special thanks to the following who made my trip fun in more ways than one: Cebu Pacific Air (Davao–Manila-Saigon connecting flight), DOT XI and Director Art Boncato, Nino Carandang and Western Digital (all my precious 20gb worth of images throughout the trip stored in my new 1Tb passport!), NCCC, Mayor Sara Duterte, Mayor Michelle Rabat of Mati, and Miss Gina Espejo for the MX3 capsules which I regularly take to energize me after the long haul.

Cambodia: Thailand's rejection of ceasefire shows 'fragility of war' at border

http://www.investors.com/

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Feb 19, 2011 (BBC Monitoring via COMTEX) -- [All Thai personal and place names are as transliterated.]

Pro-government newspaper Reaksmei Kampuchea in Cambodian carries in its 19 February 2011 issue a report by Meng Chhai on pages A1 and A5 headlined "Thailand Increasingly Reinforces Troops at the Border Adjoining Cambodia Ahead of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting"

The Reaksmei Kampuchea says:

"Warmongering Thai Prime Minister Aphisit Vechachiva on Thursday [ 17 February] immediately rejected Cambodia's proposal for a ceasefire agreement between the two countries saying that it is too early to talk about any measures.

"Samdech Cambodian Prime Minister on Thursday [ 17 February] proposed that Thailand and Cambodia signed an agreement on a permanent ceasefire witnessed by other ASEAN members or the ASEAN chairman when ASEAN foreign ministers meet in Jakarta on Tuesday next week [ 22 February].

"Aphisit, however, said that 'We did not open fire first. It is too early to talk about signing any agreement. Thailand has said it from the beginning that we did not open fire first. We did what other countries will do...[ellipsis as published] That is, when were are under attack, or we were fired on first, we will fire back. We have the right to protect our sovereignty.'"

The Reaksmei Kampuchea report further says:

"It should be specified that the Thai government's rejection on signing a ceasefire agreement with Cambodia coincided with Thai media, Bangkok Post, reporting that the royal Thai armed forces have decided to implement the national defence plan named Chakrabongse Bhuvanart [Romanized name as published] with the participation of three type of armed forces to patrol the Thai-Cambodian border from the provinces of Sisaket, Chanthaburi, to Trat.

"A military source said that Supreme Commander Songkiti Chakapatara has approved the plan as the national defence strategy for the eastern region.

"The source said that around 15,000 Thai troops have been dispatched close to the so-called 4.6-square-kilometre area around Prasat Preah Vihear temple. Under the Chakrabongse Bhuvanart plan, the Thai eastern forces will conduct activities along the border in the provinces of Sisaket and Prachinburi. The force called Sunnari will be responsible for the northeast region and also for the Phra Viharn 54 Operation Plan [preceding Romanized name as published].

"The navy's marines of the border defence force in Chanthaburi and Trat, and other armed forces have been put on standby. In total, approximately 23,000 marines and air force troops will be deployed.

At the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting In Jakarta: “All of us, we will be under daylight – We will no longer be in the dark,”Samdech Hun Sen

via CAAI

Phnom Penh, February 19, 2011, AKP— On 14 February 2011, “members of the [United Nation] Security Council urge the parties to establish a permanent ceasefire and to implement it fully.” On 17 February, in the morning, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia announced that at the 22 February ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Jakarta, Cambodia will propose “a permanent ceasefire” to be signed by Cambodia and Thailand and countersigned by ASEAN members other than Cambodia and Thailand or by the Chairman of ASEAN. On the same day at 05:25 PM, the Bangkok Post Online reported that Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said “It is still too soon to talk about signing a ceasefire agreement with Cambodia.”

Whether we will have a ceasefire or not in Jakarta remains to be seen. ASEAN as a whole will know the reasons behind the outcome of the meeting. “All of us, we will be under daylight; we will no longer be in the dark,” said Samdech Hun Sen, inferring that ASEAN members will become a certified third party to the negotiations between Cambodia and Thailand. This is unavoidable.

Samdech Hun Sen has put a mark on his personae as a pacifist, a peace lover, a peace seeker, and a peace maker by stressing the fourth point of Cambodia’s proposal about how to do to guarantee an effective and permanent ceasefire by asking ASEAN members other than Cambodia and Thailand to dispatch ASEAN personnel whether civilian or in uniform to go to the border areas between Cambodia and Thailand to supervise and oversee the implementation of the ceasefire, and in case of rejection by Thailand, Cambodia will invite ASEAN members unilaterally to dispatch observers and station on Cambodian soil, civilian or in uniform, and Cambodia will be very pleased and grateful even if only one member responds favorably to the Cambodian government call.

As Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen had said many times before, Cambodians are not the aggressors therefore Cambodians are not afraid of a third party.

by Prof. Pen Ngoeun ( contributor)

Prof. Pen Ngoeun is a senior advisor and member of the Academic Committee at Puthisastra University in Phnom Penh.

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

Cambodia's Border Committee [CBC]

EU calls on Thailand to respect the 1962 ICJ verdict

via CAAI

By Khmerization

Source: EU Resolution

The European parliament has called on both Cambodia and Thailand to respect the 1962 verdict of the International Court of Justice, condemned the destruction of the temple structure, the use of cluster bombs and urged both parties to resolve their dispute peacefully.

In a 12-point resolution passed on Thursday 17th February, the EU also condemned the lost of civilian life and injuries caused by the fighting from 4-7 February. It welcomes the decision by the Director-General of UNESCO to send a special envoy on a mission to Cambodia and Thailand and urges both sides in the dispute to cooperate with any UNESCO mission to assess the damage caused to the Preah Vihear temple.

Th EU has also called for a restraint from the use of cluster bombs after Cambodia had accused, and said it had proof, that Thai troops had used cluster bombs against the temple and Cambodian troops, the accusation that was rejected outright by Thailand. The EU "expresses its concern about the alleged use of cluster munitions and calls on both countries to refrain from using such munitions under any circumstances", said the resolution.

The Cambodian government had also accused Thai troops of firing artillery shells into the Preah Vihear temple compound during the fighting causing substantial damages to the temple. structure.

The EU resolution also welcomes the efforts undertaken by Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, as ASEAN chair, to facilitate dialogue to obtain a permanent solution to the conflict.

The EU resolution had particularly called on both countries to respect the judgment of the International Court of Justice in 1962, citing that "the International Court of Justice ruled on 15 June 1962 that the temple of Preah Vihear is situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia". It has called for both countries to abide by this ruling. The EU "calls on both countries to respect the 1962 judgment of the International Court of Justice and to reach a peaceful settlement of the dispute regarding the border area close to the Preah Vihear temple", said the resolution.

Meak Bochea ceremony

Cambodian Buddhist nuns pray during an annual Meak Bochea ceremony in Udong, about 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, Feb. 18, 2011. Hundreds of Cambodian monks, nuns and government civil servants on Friday celebrated the Meak Bochea Day which is for the veneration of Buddha. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)  

Cambodian Buddhist followers pray during an annual Meak Bochea ceremony in Udong, about 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, Feb. 18, 2011. Hundreds of Cambodian monks, nuns and government civil servants on Friday celebrated the Meak Bochea Day which is for the veneration of Buddha. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)  

Cambodian Buddhist followers burn incense sticks with candle lights during an annual Meak Bochea ceremony in Udong, about 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, Feb. 18, 2011. Hundreds of Cambodian monks, nuns and government civil servants on Friday celebrated the Meak Bochea Day which is for the veneration of Buddha. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

High prices and tight supply to spur rubber expansions

via CAAI

Saturday, 19 February 2011

BANGKOK: Rubber prices are on track for successive record highs as robust Asian economies led by China step up purchases, prompting producing countries to expand plantations to capitalise on the insatiable demand. Traders, policy makers and investors head to a rubber conference in Cambodia from Monday at a critical time when tight supply in major producing countries could see prices hitting new peaks up to April.

Soaring prices have encouraged farmers in producing countries to try to tap as much as latex as possible and even plan plantation expansions, though the yield from new tress would only come in about five to six years.

Tokyo rubber futures prices rose to a record high of 535.7 yen ($6.44) per kg on Feb. 18 on supply concerns and hefty speculative buying by investment funds. Surging TOCOM prices have pushed physical rubber prices higher, with the benchmark Thai RSS3 being offered at a record of $6.40 per kg, while other Asian block rubber grades held at relatively high levels, dealers said. "Farmers have also postponed replanting due to current high prices. They will keep the trees although they only get few drops of latex," said Suharto Honggokusumo, executive director of the Indonesia Rubber Association, referring to ageing rubber trees that would have normally been cut down and replanted after being tapped for almost 25 years. The two-day conference in Siem Reap, home to Cambodia's centuries-old temples of Angkor, is likely to provide a world rubber supply outlook and opportunities to expand plantations to make profit from the high prices, traders said. "Rubber prices should stay high as demand outpaced supply," said Luckchai Kittipol, president of the Thai Rubber Association.

However, traders said the current high prices did not reflect the real picture of the rubber market, with some forecasting levels to start easing around mid-year.

Prices could stay high for a couple of months, especially in March and April when Thailand and Indonesia, the world's top two rubber producers, enter the peak of the dry season when trees stop producing latex and supplies fall sharply, traders said. "But prices could ease again in May when supply is expected to rise and funds would take this as an excuse to liquidate long positions and prices should fall sharply," said Vorathep Wongsasuthikul, CEO of Thai Rubber Latex Corp, referring to the end of the dry season in late April, when farmers will resume tapping.

High prices not only encouraged producing countries to expand their rubber plantation to earn more profit, but also forced major consumers to invest in growing more rubber in a bid to avoid paying at record high prices, traders said. "China is an interesting example. It is starting to grow rubber in Vietnam and Cambodia as it tries to produce rubber sheet to feed its tyre industry and avoid importing," Luckchai said. Thai investors are also investing in Laos as Thailand, the world's biggest rubber producer, needs to set aside land for other food crops such as rice and sugar, which are also seeing high demand and rising prices. "We have started growing rubber in Laos for a few years and expected to start tapping for latex output by four to five years," said Luckchai. Indonesia, the world's second-largest biggest rubber producer, also plans to increase its rubber areas. "Small-holder farmers are expanding their rubber plantation. With high prices, farmers who own 10 hectares (25 acres) of rubber plantations are considered rich farmers and it's not that expensive to expand their plantation," Suharto Honggokusumo, executive director of Indonesia Rubber Association. Indonesia expects to produce 3.08 million tonnes of rubber this year, up 10 percent from 2.8 million tonnes in 2010.

'Patriots' fire Veera case lawyer

via CAAI

Network disagrees with seeking of royal pardon

Published: 19/02/2011

The Thai Patriots Network has dismissed its legal adviser, Nathaporn Toprayoon, over a disagreement on how to help its coordinator, Veera Somkwamkid, and his secretary, Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, who are both imprisoned in Cambodia.

The network's decision follows a move by Mr Nathaporn to seek a royal pardon from Cambodian monarch King Norodom Sihamoni for Mr Veera and Ms Ratree, who have decided not to appeal against their convictions.

Mr Veera and Ms Ratree were jailed for eight and six years, respectively, by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Feb 1 for illegal entry into Cambodia and spying.

But Chaiwat Sinsuwong, a co-leader of the network, said yesterday Mr Nathaporn has been dismissed because his approach in dealing with the sentencing of Mr Veera and Ms Ratree was different from that of the network.

Mr Chaiwat said the network adhered to the intentions of Mr Veera and Ms Ratree to lodge an appeal against their verdicts and fight the charges.

Mr Nathaporn yesterday shrugged off the network's decision to fire him.

He insisted he would continue representing Mr Veera and Ms Ratree because the two had appointed him to act on their behalf in the case and they had made clear their intentions to seek a royal pardon.

Mr Nathaporn said Mr Veera and Ms Ratree's families will hold a press conference today to talk about their plan to pursue a royal pardon.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said earlier the two would have to serve at least two-thirds of their jail term before they would be considered for a pardon.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday the government would do everything in its power to obtain the pair's release.

However, he admitted that the border tensions between the two countries could hamper efforts to help them.

Mr Abhisit urged the anti-Cambodia protesters led by the network and the People's Alliance for Democracy to avoid complicating the problem and to instead work with the government to find ways to bring Mr Veera and Ms Ratree home.

Mr Abhisit also said no peacekeeping forces from Asean had been sent to Cambodia and reaffirmed his stance that the best way to end the border conflict would be through bilateral negotiations.

Thai held ceasefire talks with Cambodian

http://www.phbeta.com/

via CAAI

By Kelly Chan

February 19, 2011

Thai army-chief-of staff Gen Daopong Rattanasuwon had on Saturday morning held ceasefire talks with Cambodian Deputy Supreme Commander Gen Jia Dara at Chong Sangam in border Surin province, a local internet site Bangkok Post reported.

Thailand’s Army Region 2 commander Lt-Gen Thawatchai Samutsakorn and Cambodia’s Army Region 4 commander Lt-Gen Jia Mon had been amongst those top brasses attending the meeting.

Probably the most recent report from yet another local media INN quoted Thailand’s Army Region 2 as saying at 11.30 am that the result of ceasefire talks was fruitful.

Following the most recent cross-border fighting which erupted firstly on February 4 and carried on until February 7, there had been still some rounds of little skirmishes. Soon following both countries’ foreign ministers, together with Indonesian FM, who’s ASEAN’s present chairman, had attended the UN Security Council meeting in New York on February 14 to talk about the conflicts, a fresh round of clash occurred. Even so, no further clash has been reported given that February 16.

Inside the deadliest cross-border fighting throughout February 4-7, about two Thai soldiers and eight Cambodian troops had been killed and over twenty thousands of residents along the border had been forced to flee as the two countries exchanged both tiny arms firings and heavy shelling.

Rallies against interests of jailed Thais: Abhisit

Mr Abhisit also stressed that the decision on legal proceedings would ultimately depend on the two detainees and their families. The prime minister admitted that the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia was complicating matters, and urged the Thai Patriots Network (TPN) to cooperate instead of making things worse. -- PHOTO: AP

via CAAI

 

Feb 19, 2011

THAILAND - PRIME Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva warned on Friday that if the yellow shirts continued protesting and pressuring the Cambodian government, it might have negative consequences on the two Thai nationals being held in a Phnom Penh prison.

He added that the government was doing what it could to help get Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Pipatanapaiboon released.

Mr Abhisit also stressed that the decision on legal proceedings would ultimately depend on the two detainees and their families. The prime minister admitted that the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia was complicating matters, and urged the Thai Patriots Network (TPN) to cooperate instead of making things worse.

TPN is planning to send representatives to visit Veera and Ratree in prison next Friday and find out how they want to proceed.

In a related development, Mr Abhisit said he was not aware of any Asean forces being deployed in Cambodia or if the neighbouring country would take the conflict to the World Court.

Meanwhile, Nattaporn Tor-prayoon, the lawyer representing Veera and Ratree, said TPN did not have the authority to sack him because the network had not hired him.

Church building beds for kids in orphanages

via CAAI

Church building bunk beds for Cambodian orphanages could use some help

Date published: 2/19/2011

By RUSTY DENNEN

Fairview at Riverclub will have a rather unusual building project going on in the parking lot adjacent to its building tomorrow.

And Riverclub, a campus of Fairview Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, hopes community members will come by and help.

Volunteers will be building 80 bunk beds tomorrow to benefit Cambodian orphans, many of whom don't have beds to sleep on.

The building will start at 6 a.m., said Rachael George, a member of Riverclub and a student at Liberty University.

Materials and tools are on site; volunteers should bring gloves and be prepared to work at assembly stations. Riverclub is at 10835 Tidewater Trail, across from Bloom supermarket.

George and a group of students went on a mission trip to Cambodia, in Southeast Asia, three years ago.

"We visited 10 orphanages there. I came home and told my dad about the amazing trip, but that there were 300 kids sleeping on the ground," she said.

Last year, she returned with her father, Julius. He met with a Christian relief agency there, New Hope for Orphans, and the bunk-bed project was born.

The beds will be shipped to Cambodia this summer. For more information, contact Julius George at 540/846-6624.

Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431

Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com

Indonesia Reiterates Need For Peaceful Resolution Of Thai-Cambodia Row

via CAAI

TOKYO, Feb 19 (Bernama) -- Visiting Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said Friday that Cambodia and Thailand must jointly reiterate their commitment not to use force amid ongoing border skirmishes, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported.

At a news conference at the Japan National Press Club, Natalegawa said Thailand and Cambodia must "reinforce or reiterate the commitments that the two sides have repeatedly made that they will not wish to resort to the use of force in solving the problem between them."

"Given the nature of the two countries today, I feel that this commitment must be made together, rather than simply made separately," he said.

The remarks came ahead of a meeting in Jakarta next Tuesday that will bring together the foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to discuss the dispute between the two countries. Indonesia currently holds the rotating chair of Asean.

The latest round of a territorial dispute from Feb 4 between Cambodia and Thailand over 4.6 square kilometers of land around the Preah Vihear temple on the border has led to at least 10 deaths, dozens injured and over 25,000 displaced persons.

Natalegawa visited Phnom Penh and Bangkok earlier this month in a bid to mediate in the conflict. The UN Security Council expressed "grave concern" Monday over the border skirmishes and called on both sides to establish a "permanent" cease-fire.

The Indonesian foreign minister added that work must be done on "how to compromise (on) the two extreme ideas" to resolve the issue, one being to deploy a multilateral framework involving a third party and the other for bilateral negotiations.

"Gone are the days when Asean swept things under the carpet, not addressing issues head-on. This time around we wish to confront issues head-on to bring peace and harmony whenever there are difficulties between Asean states as we are doing between Cambodia and Thailand," he said.

To address the issue of territorial tensions among China and Asean members in the South China Sea, Natalegawa said Indonesia aims to finalise guidelines to strengthen the code of conduct, signed by the two sides in 2002 to ensure that the disputes are resolved diplomatically to avert military conflict.

"The management of potential conflict of the South China Sea is one of the highest priorities for Indonesia," he said.

"To finalise the guidelines, it would require a lot of efforts and especially cooperation by all the parties, including China."

He also emphasised Indonesia's bid in creating a maritime forum for the East Asia region, where countries can discuss various maritime challenges such as security, militarisation of fishing vessels and environmental issues and also transparency in military procurement.

Natalegawa met with Prime Minister Naoto Kan before completing his two-day visit.

Thai army meets Cambodian generals

via CAAI

Published: 19/02/2011

Army-chief-of staff Gen Daopong Rattanasuwon had on Saturday morning held ceasefire talks with Cambodian Deputy Supreme Commander Gen Jia Dara at Chong Sangam in Surin province, reports said.

The meeting was held about 10.30am today, but it was kept secret, the reports said.

Top brass attending the meeting were commander of Army Region 2 Lt-Gen Thawatchai Samutsakorn and Cambodia’s Army Region 4 commander Lt-Gen Jia Mon, according to the reports.

Activists urge Thai govt not to sign permanent ceasefire agreement with Cambodia

via CAAI

BANGKOK, Feb 19 -- Activists of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) who have been holding a rally in the Thai capital for nearly a month demanding the ouster of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government for mishandling the Thai-Cambodian border conflict demanded on Saturday that the government must not sign a permanent ceasefire agreement with Cambodia, saying that conditions proposed earlier by his counterpart Hun Sen were “insincere,” said PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongpan.

Mr Hun Sen on Thursday said in Phnom Penh that Cambodia would urge Thailand to agree to a peace deal during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers meeting, to be held in Jakarta next Tuesday, and a ceasefire agreement be signed between foreign ministers of the two neighbouring countries under the witness of ASEAN or the ASEAN chair.

The upcoming ASEAN foreign ministers meeting will be held with an aim to finding ways to end the border conflict and clashes at the disputed border between soldiers of the two countries.

But Mr Panthep said conditions proposed by Cambodia are “insincere because that country has accused Thailand on several occasions” and if an agreement has to be signed then Cambodian villagers and soldiers must move out of the disputed area or before memos by Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) are formally signed.

PAD’s long standing position is to oppose Thai parliamentary endorsement of the three memos by the JBC, claiming they may result in loss of Thai territory adjacent to the Hindu Preah Vihear temple. They have also demanded the revocation of MoUs signed between Thailand and Cambodia in 2000.

The Yellow Shirt movement believes that the JBC documents will put Thailand at a disadvantage as the documents originating from the MoUs related to the survey and boundary demarcation recognising a French map, with a scale of 1:200,000 sq km, that puts Thailand at risk of losing territory.

Another PAD core leader Prapan Koonmee said he had received a letter issued by the Royal Thai Police Bureau asking him and other core leaders to report themselves to Bangkok Metropolitan Police headquarters next Tuesday on charges of violating the Internal Security Act since PAD members have been holding the rally in Bangkok since January 25.

Challenging the police order, Mr Panthep said the enforcement of the Act is tantamount to violating the constitution and the right to freedom of assembly. MCOT online news)

Cambodia: Uncrowded Jewel of Southeast Asia

http://www.associatedcontent.com/

via CAAI

Amanda Brandenberg, Yahoo! Contributor Network

Feb 18, 2011

Southeast Asia has always been a popular destination for adventure-seeking travelers who want to experience something a little out of the ordinary. Tourists have streamed to countries like Thailand or Vietnam. But this year, make Cambodia your spot for exploration in a relatively uncrowded world.

What's There

Cambodia boasts much of the same lush scenery as other Southeast Asian countries. Coastal areas are home to beautiful beaches that aren't as touristy. Verdant rainforests spread over the landscape. The Cardamom Mountains are considered a natural resource, with ample wildlife habitat. The Mekong River is an impressive scenic wonder that begins in China and cuts through Cambodia.

For history-conscious wanderers, Angkor Wat is a must-see. It was built in the 12th century. The ancient site of Angkor was built by the Khmer civilization. More than 100 impressive stone temples survive and are a testament to human ingenuity and imagination.

Many people recommend that visitors take time to experience the countryside of Cambodia. Seemingly endless rice paddies are cultivated by the people. Visiting the rural areas rather than sticking to the urban centers such as Phnom Penh can be a way to connect with the rich and vibrant country.

Why Visit Now

Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world. Its citizens struggle to survive amidst extreme poverty and depression. It is one of the contrasts of this beautiful country. Among such lush scenery and historical importance is a struggling country. However, tourism is beginning to boom in Cambodia. After decades of war, Cambodians are welcoming tourists. It is a boost to the country's economy. Eco-tourism is getting some play, as various people attempt to preserve the country's resources.

Currently, the United States dollar is equal to more than 4000 riels. Thus, Americans can expect a fairly good exchange rate (though it is less than many European countries). In addition, dollars are widely accepted. In fact, visa fees must be paid in U.S. dollars. This makes it convenient for American travelers.

High-end hotels in Cambodia offer very competitive rates. I saw recommended 3-star hotels for as low as $29 a night. Resorts and spas could be obtained for less than $100 a night. Flights run expensive, expect to pay over $1000 for flights from the West Coast to Phnom Penh.