Six years' jail for HIV paedophile who molested Cambodia boys

The Earth Times
Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:41:00 GMT
Author : DPA

Kiel, Germany - A 49-year-old HIV-positive musician who sexually molested boys in Cambodia was jailed Friday for six and a half years, with the German court ruling that he must be detained afterwards till he was no longer a risk to anyone else. Judge Stefan Becker said in Kiel the accused was perverted, incorrigible and unwilling to accept any behavioural therapy.

"He can't alter the fact that he is paedophile, but if he had wanted, he could have changed the way he copes with his paedophilia," said the judge in the northern city of Kiel. The defendant has a long criminal record for similar offences.

A Cambodian boy, 8, who was flown to Germany with his mother, had credibly testified about the sex acts with boys in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. The victim was only 6 at the time. The public was barred from the German court while the evidence was taken.

Other boys also flew to Germany as witnesses, but their evidence was ruled inadmissible because child-welfare workers in Cambodia might have suggested to them what they should say.

Defence lawyers said they would appeal the verdict, but judges ordered the accused kept in jail as long as it takes to appeal.

The German is currently serving a sentence for using a forged Danish passport to travel to Cambodia. His German passport had been taken away from him because of earlier offences.

The public-safety part of his sentence means he must stay detained beyond his sentence and can only be released if judges decide he has reformed. The man is infected with the virus that causes AIDS.

European Union Delegation Comes to Study Combating Sex Tourism in Cambodia

Posted on 26 July 2008
The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 570

“Phnom Penh: To increase the understanding of common problems and to contribute to combat sex tourists in Cambodia efficiently is the goal of a European Union delegation, led by Mr. Jules Maaten and Ms. Sarah Ludford, that came to Cambodia.

“In the afternoon of 23 July 2008, the European Union delegation discussed and studied some problems regarding combating sex tourism in Cambodia with senior officials of Acting for Women in Distressing Situations [AFESIP] in Phnom Penh, as well as with some national and international journalists.

“Ms. Mam Somaly, director of AFESIP and of the Somaly Mam Foundation, said that governments of western countries should open their eyes to see the activities of their citizens who have committed crimes outside of their own countries. Frequently, they pretend to be tourists, or sometimes to be staff of humanitarian organizations in Cambodia, to find opportunities to rape children. There are more children being abused sexually by these crimes than the number of cases that come under the crack-down by the authorities.

“Ms. Mam Somaly said, ‘In Cambodia, the Royal Government has improved the situation markedly to curb down trafficking by creating legislation against trafficking, and by creating national structures of cooperation against trafficking.’ However, the Royal Government has to do more, especially to strengthen procedures against trafficking and legislation beyond what has already been achieved.

“It should be remembered that Ms. Mam Somaly has saved 4,000 children from sexual slavery during the last decades. She created AFESIP to provide consultation and rehabilitation for victims in several centers in Cambodia, in Thailand, in Laos, and in Vietnam. Recently, she has been supported by friends who are famous stars, business people, lawyers, and other generous people, to create the Somaly Mam Foundation, which aims to eliminate the root causes of human trafficking by launching broad public campaigns, to struggle with public opinion about issues relating to human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children in the country, in the region, and internationally.

“Mr. Jules Maaten, the European Union delegation leader and a member of the European parliament from the Netherlands, said that Cambodia has become an important location for criminals to rape children; since some years, many children have been used as sex slaves for tourists from western countries, and for the staff of some humanitarian organizations. ‘Now, we have to open our eyes to see this situation and to take actions against this modern form of slavery.’

“Ms. Sarah Ludford, a member of the European Parliament from London, pointed to the fact that criminals have often escaped from detention and from punishment, because of incompetent police to bring those criminals to court for punishment. Arrested suspects often bribe their way out of the country and flee to their home countries. Only one out of five cases leads to a conviction, and only 3% of the suspects have been convicted after being accused of raping children.

“After the discussion, Ms. Mam Somaly and the European Union delegation agreed with three requests: 1. Members of the member states of the European Union should work towards a stronger role for the police of the European Union to be authorized and to receive the means to train police officials, prosecutors, and judges about child sex trafficking and exploitation. 2. The European Union should pay more attention and exchange information with third countries, to exchange data to help identify suspects for prosecution. 3. The European Union should include information about sentences of sex tourists as well as of criminals who are not citizens of the European Union into the [European] Schengen data information system.”

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.7, #1702, 25.7.2008
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:Friday, 25 July 2008

Parties Wrap Up Election Campaigns

Young Funcinpec supporters rallied in the capital Friday, along with the last-minute campaigning by other major parties.

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
25 July 2008

Parties competing in Sunday's election took advantage of the final day of the campaign season Friday, with marches, parades and motorcades in the capital and the provinces.

Thousands of supporters rallied around their parties, waving flags, sporting shirts and caps and taking one last shot at drawing voters to the polls.

The Cambodian People's Party is widely expected to dominate the election Sunday, but other parties continued to campaign Friday, battling for their share of the 123 National Assembly seats up for grabs.

In Phnom Penh, supporters of the CPP, Sam Rainsy, Human Rights, Funcinpec and Norodom Ranariddh parties moved around town in trucks and on foot, banging drums, shouting slogans and blaring loud theme music.

CPP officials said they gathered nearly 30,000 supporters, led by Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema, who called out to supporters: "A vote for CPP is a vote for development and poverty reduction" and "Vote for the CPP for a prosperous future for children and youth."

His calls were met with cries from the crowd: "Long live the CPP for the country of Cambodia!"
The Sam Rainsy Party meanwhile gathered nearly 10,000 supporters in a march through the city.

The opposition leader, who was campaigning in Kampong Cham Friday, recorded remarks to be broadcast to supporters through loudspeakers.

"Hun Sen now does not resolve the high price of goods," Sam Rainsy said. "If Hun Sen continues to lead Cambodia, goods will increase in price."

Activists shouted, "Vote for the Sam Rainsy Party to decrease the high price of goods, to have a proper job, and [medical] treatment without charge."

The Human Rights Party estimated 8,000 supporters joined in marches around the capital. Before marching, the top leaders of the party, including its president, Kem Sokha, addressed a crowd of supporters.

"Vote for the Human Rights Party to change the current leadership," Kem Sokha said. "Vote to change the leader of toad-stepping policies and the leader of corruption."

Supporters shouted back, "Vote for the Human Rights Party for change, change, change."

"You change?" supporters called to each other. "We change, we change," came the response.

The self-named party of exiled Prince Norodom Ranariddh was able to gather 4,000 supporters in Phnom Penh, officials estimated.

"Party No. 1 helps the nation," called Muth Chantha, a Phnom Penh candidate for the party, referring to his NRP's position on Sunday's ticket.

"The absence of Prince Norodom Ranariddh has not made us defeated before the betrayers," Muth Chantha said. "On 27 July we will vote for Prince Norodom Ranariddh."

Funcinpec, meanwhile, estimated 3,000 supporters in the capital.

Secretary-General Nhiek Bunchhay, who is a candidate for Battambang province, said in a recorded message a "vote for Funcinpec is a vote for development and for the king and for security for human rights and the rule of law."

Monitors Warn of Last-Minute Shenanigans

By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
25 July 2008

Saturday will be an official day of rest for the candidates and voters, but a joint statement by election monitors warned Friday of last-minute attempts by political parties to bribe, cajole or threaten voters.

A joint statement led by the Committee for Free and Fair Elections called the atmosphere ahead of Sunday's elections "tense and insecure," especially as a military standoff on the Thai border continues and in the wake of the murder of opposition journalist Kim Sambor.

The Saturday night ahead of elections is colloquially referred to as the "Night of the Barking Dogs," when strangers move through the darkness of villages in their persuasive efforts.

"Regarding these elections, civil society organizations are concerned that political parties will give money and/or materials to voters not only to attract them to voter for their party but also to prevent certain voters from going to cast their ballot," the monitors said.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy has warned of a clean-finger campaign, alleging ruling Cambodian People's Party supporters are offering money to people to prevent them from voting, and from having their fingers died with ink in the process.

Election monitors assailed "the lack of neutrality of most government officials, authorities, armed force personnel and national police, who carry out activities supporting the ruling party and against other political parties."

The National Election Committee said the statement by the monitors belied a relatively more peaceful campaign.

"I don't know the grounds behind this report," NEC Secretary-General Tep Nitha said.

"However, during this campaign, it was very positive compared to previous elections."

This year, the commune election committees received 180 complaints, compared to 575 in the 2003 general election, he said. The NEC received 35 complaints this year, compared to 53 in 2003.

"We have a plan to strengthen the security in collaboration with authorities," Tep Nitha said.
Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak recognized that the pre-election period had some problems, but less than in previous elections.

"Our commitment is, we are responsible for making sure every suspect must be brought in and punished by the law," he said.

Foreign Minister Delays UN Trip for Talks

By Reporters, VOA Khmer
Original reports from Phnom Penh and Washington
25 July 2008

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong met with diplomats from UN Security Council nations in Phnom Penh Friday, delaying a trip to New York in favor of bilateral border talks with Thailand Monday.

Cambodia has asked the UN to postpone meetings on the Preah Vihear crisis, pending negotiations on Monday, but Hor Namhong said the UN option remained on the table if Monday's talks fail.

Hor Namhong briefed the diplomats on the latest in the Preah Vihear temple crisis, which has brought a tense military standoff to the Thai-Cambodian border that began July 15.

"The [bilateral] meeting next week will be a positive meeting," Hor Namhong told reporters Friday.

Cambodia was expecting help from special envoys from Asean neighbors Vietnam and Indonesia, Hor Namhong said.

Thailand had placed at least seven artillery pieces on the border near Preah Vihear temple, he said.

Up to 1,500 Cambodian troops remained on the border Friday.

Cambodia and Thailand agreed to bilateral talks late Thursday, following a failed attempt to bring the crisis under Asean mutli-lateral discussion and appeals by Cambodia to the UN Security Council and Unesco.

Asian Human Rights Commission researcher Lao Monghay called the talks a "flip-flop" from bilateral to international negotiation and back.

"To me, it seems the government has no real strategy," he said.

Opposition lawmaker Son Chhay said international negotiation would be preferable to at last "finish this time…the border problem."

Ahead of Talks, a Host of Tension Remains

By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
25 July 2008

Former Khmer Rouge soldiers who had enjoyed a decade of peace picked up their weapons again this month, finding themselves once again in jungle positions, not in a civil war this time, but in an armed defense against a potential Thai threat.

Cambodian and Thai leaders are seeking to end the border crisis through bilateral talks in Siem Reap Wednesday, but officials and analysts said this week the tension over the border at Preah Vihear temple would not be easily assuaged.

Cambodia, which shares 805 kilometers with Thailand, has not had a conflict with its western neighbor in 46 years, but the last time it did, the standoff was over the same temple. Thailand occupied Preah Vihear temple until a 1962 World Court decision ruled in favor of Cambodian ownership.

The rankling loss of the temple flared up in Thai politics once Unesco's World Heritage Committee voted to protect the temple under Cambodia."The tension led to an internal conflict between politicians of Thailand," government spokesman Khieu Kanharith explained. "The opposition party had protested against irregularities [and] corruption, and finally they pretended to stir up a nationalist movement through the issue of Preah Vihear."

Preah Vihear temple may have sparked the current crisis, but driving it are complicated Thai politics and lingering failures between both sides to settle their borders.

Thailand's government is still reeling from a 2006 coup that ousted then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and Thai agreement to allow Cambodia to forward its Preah Vihear application to Unesco in June led to the resignation of the Thai foreign minister, Noppadon Pattama."The Thai government is under pressure from the opposition and wants to please them," said Im Francois, a political analyst for the Center for Social Developmetn. "The Thai government finally decided to deploy troops at Preah Vihear, but this attitude is contradictory to the international context and the context of Asean, which prohibits any sort of deployment of troops."

The border crisis is also becoming a problem for Asean legitimacy, he said.

"So what does that mean for the future of Asean?" he said. "Will it be dissolved, or become useless?"

Opposition lawmaker Son Chhay, of the Sam Rainsy Party, said this week the deployment of Thai soldiers was the product of an ambitious government and the consequence of a bilateral agreement over the temple in June.

A disputed area around Preah Vihear temple, meanwhile, is bound to incur military tensions, Im Francois said.

And so the former Khmer Rouge fighters have been called again, and more talks are set, as Thai troops occupy a pagoda on disputed land they claim as their own.

"It is not yet at the peak of tension, but Thailand wants to formalize the land now that it has encroached on," Khieu Kanharith said. "We're telling the international community that Thailand is abusing Cambodian sovereignty."

Monitor to Voters: 'Turn Out' to Make Change

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington
25 July 2008

Cambodia's election monitors are concerned with low voter turnout, but they warned Thursday against abstention from voting.

"If you do not turn out, do not expect there to be a change," said Thun Saray, chairman of the board for the Committee for Free and Fair Elections, as a guest on "Hello VOA."

"If they want or do not want any party to lead the country they should vote, and also to punish any leader [or] politician who does not do well, they should turn out and vote," he said.

The 2007 commune elections saw the worst voter turnout in Cambodia's recent democratic history, about 68 percent.

Factors contributing to low voter turn-out include preoccupation with work, the inability to find one's name on voter lists, or confusion about voting ID.

Khmer Institute for Democracy Executive Director Hang Chaya told "VOA Khmer" that no matter the voter turnout or election results, the next government should concentrate on improving the economy and education.

Preah Vihear controversy

By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation
Published on July 26, 2008

Samak hopeful monday meet will end deadlock Phnom Penh will go to UN again if talks fail

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej yesterday expressed optimism that Monday's ministerial meeting would reach a settlement on the Preah Vihear temple conflict, but Cambodia vowed to send the border dispute back to the UN Security Council if the talks failed.

"I don't know how it [the stand-off] will end, but I hope the meeting on July 28 will produce good results," Samak said as Government House sources reported a new foreign minister representing Thailand at the negotiating table was expected to be announced today.

Among the candidates for the post left vacant by Noppadon Pattama's abrupt resignation are Dej Bunnag and Sakthip Krairiksh, the sources said.

Dej is a former permanent secretary of the Foreign Ministry, while ex-diplomat Sakthip is a former permanent secretary of the Tourism and Sports Ministry.

Samak agreed with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen that their foreign ministers would meet in Siem Reap on Monday to discuss the overlapping claims to Preah Vihear and its vicinity after Cambodia delayed a plan to seek an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

Noppadon quit after the Constitution Court's ruling that the joint communique he signed supporting Cambodia's application to list Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site was unconstitutional.

The name of the new foreign minister was submitted for His Majesty the King's endorsement, hopefully in time for the minister to make it to the Siem Reap meeting, a government source said.

In Phnom Penh, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said the Siem Reap meeting was a good step towards reconciliation but that if it did not produce a breakthrough, Cambodia would resubmit its request for a UN meeting.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said the coming ministerial meeting would build on the progress made at the recent General Border Committee meeting in easing tensions.

Siem Reap will be the second round of bilateral meetings after the militaries of both countries faced off on July 15, when Cambodia accused Thailand of encroachment onto the disputed area around the Hindu temple. Thailand has sent 400 armed forces to the area, while Cambodia has amassed more than 1,000 troops.

Thailand believes the temple's new status as a World Heritage site could undermine its claim to sovereignty over a 4.6-square-kilometre patch at the site.

Hun Sen riding high into election

By The Nation
Published on July 26, 2008

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is likely to expand his parliamentary majority in tomorrow's general election.

His Cambodian People's Party has gained in popularity thanks largely to Cambodia's booming economy, which has recorded average growth of 10.6 per cent over the past few years. The Hun Sen government has successfully invited a high level of foreign direct investment into the country thanks to its investment friendly policy. Bloomberg news agency reported that foreign investment is on pace to double from US$2.7 billion (Bt90.5 billion) this year, citing figures from the Council for Development of Cambodia, a government investment-promotion agency. This is despite the fact that growth prospects might decelerate because of higher inflation.

In addition, the Hun Sen government's handling of the Preah Vihear conflict should have pleased Cambodian voters. The Cambodian government has thus far made shrewd political moves to win the sympathy of the international community concerning its successful bid to have Preah Vihear listed as a world heritage site.

His government's successes should enable Hun Sen to win 81 seats as his party has targeted. During the 2003 election, Hun Sen's party won 73 of the country's 123 parliamentary seats. If his party's target is met, the Cambodia People's Party will continue to hold a firm grip on the House.

Just as in Thailand, the Preah Vihear issue has been politicised. Emotions in both countries are running high as the issue has stoked nationalistic sentiments.

The Hun Sen government has so far trumped Thailand with its moves. Phnom Penh has gone on the offensive, raising the case with Asean and the United Nations, while the Thai government has been left caught off guard.

Nonetheless, there was a welcome development on Thursday. According to Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, Hun Sen has decided to postpone his request for UN intervention and agreed to send the Cambodian foreign minister to Siem Reap to discuss a resolution to the recent border conflict with his Thai counterpart on Monday.

It's no coincidence that the crucial meeting will be held one day after the general election in Cambodia. After the election, the Cambodian government may feel less burdened by domestic politics and in a better position to discuss the matter with Thailand. The suggestion for there to be a new round of talks shows there's light at the end of the tunnel and that both sides are now ready to cooperate. We hope that relations between the two countries will improve after Monday's meeting.

Preah Vihear stands as a symbol of botched diplomatic efforts

By Nophakhun Limsamarnphun
The Nation
Published on July 26, 2008

Asda Chaiyanam, the former Thai envoy to the United Nations, told me the other day that a foreign government had spied on the Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry's Bangkok-based communications during 1960-63.

A total of 12 Thai officials, including those at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, were subsequently arrested by the Thai special branch police.

At the Foreign Affairs Ministry, thousands of official and classified Telexes were reportedly photocopied over the years and passed on to agents of this unnamed foreign
government.

During that period, liberation and nationalist movements in neighbouring Laos and Cambodia were highly active. Asda suspected the espionage could be part of some counter-nationalist movements.

More interestingly, Thailand and Cambodia were at the time locked in the dispute over the Preah Vihear Temple.

After Thailand declined an offer from Cambodia to jointly manage the 11th-century Hindu temple around 1953 upon Cambodia's declaration of independence, Cambodia resorted to the International Court of Justice to claim ownership of Preah Vihear.

In 1962, ICJ ruled that Cambodia had sovereignty over the temple. Thailand was also ordered to withdraw its troops from the disputed area bordering Cambodia.

The Thai legal team included Belgian and British lawyers, while the Cambodian team included French and American lawyers.

Given the uncovering of espionage on the Thai Foreign Ministry prior to the 1962 ruling, Asda suspected that some classified information could have been lost to the Cambodian side as the Preah Vihear case reached the ICJ.

Thailand was at a disadvantage due to Cambodia's use of the French-drawn map. Moreover, Thailand failed on more than one occasion to legally oppose the map that included Preah Vihear in Cambodia's territory.

As a result, the issue has remained unsolved for the past four decades.

More recently, the General Border Committee was set up to try to tackle the border problem. However, there had been no progress over the past few years.

Asda said former premier Thaksin Shinawatra had scheduled a high-level meeting with Cambodian premier Hun Sen to discuss the demarcation issue on September 3, 2006.

However, the meeting was cancelled abruptly without giving clear reasons. On September 19 the same year, the military staged the coup d'etat that overthrew the Thaksin government.

Then, the Surayud government came to power following the coup. Its position was to insist that Thailand and Cambodia jointly apply for the listing of Preah Vihear as a World Heritage site.

However, Cambodia no longer had any interest for a joint bid so it continued to prepare for the listing of Preah Vihear unilaterally.

In May this year, the Cambodian side succeeded in persuading the Samak government and Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama to officially endorse its unilateral bid for inscription of Preah Vihear.

However, the government later on faced a serious problem because it had failed to seek parliamentary approval before endorsing the Thai-Cambodian joint communique.

Foreign Minister Noppadon had to tender his resignation because the Constitution Court ruled that Article 190 was violated as far as the Preah Vihear issue was concerned.

Impeachment proceedings against the entire Cabinet are also underway.

Rights Group Honors Defenders of Independent Media in Cambodia

Human Rights Tribune

25 July 08

Release from Human Rights Watch – Two young Cambodian journalists, Chheang Bopha and Duong Sokha, are among a diverse group of 34 writers from 19 countries to receive the prestigious Hellman/Hammett writer’s award, which recognizes courage in the face of political persecution, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Hellman/Hammett grants, administered by Human Rights Watch, are given annually to writers around the world who have been targets of political persecution or human rights abuses.

The grant program began in 1989 when the American playwright Lillian Hellman willed that her estate be used to assist writers in financial need as a result of expressing their views.

“Chheang Bopha and Duong Sokha represent a small minority among Cambodia’s press corps who dare to challenge corrupt and politically biased institutions through their writings and their actions,” said Sara Colm, senior Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch.

Bopha, 28, and Sokha, 27, worked as reporters at Cambodge Soir, Cambodia’s leading French language daily newspaper. They quit in 2007 to protest the dismissal of a colleague who was fired for writing about a report by Global Witness, an international environmental organization, that documented the alleged complicity of top government officials in illegal logging.

Striking Cambodian staff elected Sokha as their spokesperson to demand that Cambodge Soir reinstate the fired journalist and guarantee editorial independence. The newspaper’s owners responded by closing the paper and reopening it several months later under new editorial management. Most of the former employees eventually returned to work without reassurances of editorial independence, but Sokha and Bopha refused despite intense pressure to do so.

They both pursued far less lucrative work in journalism teaching before eventually joining forces with other journalists to start an independent internet publication in Cambodian and French, Ka-Set (http://www.ka-set.info). Bopha will soon be leaving to pursue a master’s degree in journalism at the Training Center for Professional Journalists in Paris.

“In a climate of increased suppression of free expression and attacks against independent media – including from the highest levels of the government – few journalists dare challenge the system,” said Colm. “Sokha and Bopha aim to uphold professional media standards in a country with few truly independent media outlets.”

Ka-set was the brainchild of a group of four former Cambodge Soir journalists and a Magnum photojournalist. Originally launched in March 2008 with the journalists’ own money, the internet publication uses a multimedia approach to cover a wide range of issues – politics, justice, human rights, economics, Khmer Rouge, environment, culture and society. Access is free, and income comes from advertising, although the team, now numbering 10, is currently seeking additional support.

“The rare professional skills, ethics and courage exhibited by Duong Sokha and Chheang Bopha should be applauded and encouraged, especially at a time when independent journalism in Cambodia is increasingly at risk,” said Colm.

The Cambodian government controls all broadcast media and regularly suspends, threatens, or takes legal action against journalists or news outlets that criticize the government. In addition, reporters risk dismissal, physical attack, or even death for coverage of controversial issues. Earlier this month, for example, gunmen shot and killed Khim Sambo, a journalist for Moneaksekar Khmer (Khmer Conscience), a newspaper affiliated with the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP)(http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/07/16/cambod19364.htm).

“As political power is increasingly consolidated in Cambodia in the run-up to the July 27 national elections, so is control over the media,” said Colm.

In June, military police arrested Moneaksekar Khmer editor, Dam Sith, who is also running as a SRP candidate in the elections, after the paper reported on allegations about the current foreign minister’s role during the Khmer Rouge regime

(http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/06/11/cambod19105.htm).

In 2007, a reporter in Pursat Province was the victim of two attempted arson attacks on his home, which the local police chief attributed to the reporter’s coverage of illegal logging. In June 2007, the government banned Global Witness’s report on illegal logging. Journalists who covered the report and people who helped prepare it received anonymous death threats.

Bopha holds bachelor’s degrees in French literature from Phnom Penh University and in management from the National University of Management. At Cambodge Soir she covered the human rights beat, vividly documenting the plight of Khmer Rouge victims, garment workers, women, ethnic minorities and children. She has also worked as a correspondent for Radio France International, Radio Free Asia, and International Press Service. In 2003, she assisted with the production of a documentary film, “Les Artistes du Theatre Brulé”, by Cambodian filmmaker Rithy Panh. Bopha has also taught print journalism at the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

Sokha studied French at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. During his four years at Cambodge Soir, Sokha was known for his reporting on justice, human rights and politics. In addition, he has worked as a French lecturer at the Royal University of Law and Economics, an event promoter for the Bophana Audiovisual Resource Center, and a television reporter for “Cambodian Voices,” broadcast on TV-9 in Cambodia.

“Though young, both Bopha and Sokha are respected for their leadership and integrity during and after the newspaper strike, as well as their hard-hitting coverage of social issues and human rights,” said Colm.

Since 1989, Human Rights Watch has administered the Hellman/Hammett awards, which have been given to nearly 700 writers – including 10 Cambodians – over the 19 years of the program.

The Hellman/Hammett program also makes small emergency grants to writers who have an urgent need to leave their country or who need immediate medical treatment after serving prison terms or enduring torture.

New York, July 22, 2008

Q&A: Cambodian election

BBC News

Friday, 25 July 2008

Cambodians go to the polls on 27 July for an election widely expected to return Prime Minister Hun Sen to power. The BBC looks at the parties and issues involved in the polls.

What is the current situation?

Cambodia's first general election took place in 1993, after decades of civil war. Sunday's poll will be the country's fourth.

The Cambodian People's Party (CPP) remains firmly in control. Its leader, one-time Khmer Rouge fighter Hun Sen, has been at the head of Cambodian politics for 23 years.

When the CPP came second in polls in 1993, he was forced into a power-sharing deal with royalist party Funcinpec, but he then seized total control in a 1997 coup. The CPP went on to secure the most votes in polls in 1998 and 2003.

The Sam Rainsy Party, named after its outspoken French-educated leader, is currently the strongest opposition force. Funcinpec - which remains in the governing coalition - appears weakened after the ouster of leader Norodom Ranariddh, who lives overseas after being convicted in absentia of breach of trust.

Are we expecting any surprises?

Not really. A total of 11 parties are contesting the polls, but the CPP looks set to win power for another five years. It has mounted a massive campaign aimed at building on its 73 seats in the 123-seat chamber - so there is a possibility it might end its coalition with Funcinpec.

The Sam Rainsy Party is popular in the capital but appears less so in rural areas.

The new Human Rights Party, led by government critic Kem Sokha, could erode some of its support. Other parties have been weakened by defections and internal fighting.

Will it be free and fair?

Polls in 1998 and, to a lesser extent, 2003 were marred by violence that mainly targeted opposition candidates and supporters. But so far campaigning for this election appears to be passing off smoothly.

However on 11 July journalist Khim Sambo, 47, and his 21-year-old son were shot and killed in Phnom Penh. Khim Sambo wrote for the Moneaksekar Khmer newspaper, which is affiliated to the Sam Rainsy Party. Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said that the killing appeared "intended to send a message not to engage in opposition politics".

The election build-up has also been marred by "intense and systematic efforts by the CPP to pressure opposition party members… to defect to the CPP", the rights group added in a statement. A number of Cambodian NGOs have also raised concerns about political intimidation of opposition candidates and activists.

As well as this, the CPP controls almost all media outlets in the country, giving it a strong campaign advantage. Media reports about candidates from ruling parties and opposition parties had been "quite imbalanced", the Asian Network for Free Elections said in a statement.
Several domestic and international monitors will observe the polls.

What are the main election issues?

Khmer Rouge rule left the Cambodian economy utterly devastated. But in the 30 years since the Maoist regime fell, things have steadily got better. In recent years investment has increased and both the tourist and garment industries have contributed to high economic growth - all of which favour the current government.

But the economy is currently facing a number of challenges. Rising food and fuel prices have pushed inflation to a new high, and there is growing unemployment. Cambodia's garment industry is also coming under increased competition from China and corruption blights many people's daily lives. That, a growing rich-poor divide and a culture of impunity for the rich and powerful have led to rumbling social discontent.

There is one other issue in the mix. A military stand-off with Thailand over the border temple of Preah Vihear - recently listed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site - has generated a swell of nationalist pride, which is thought to give the CPP a pre-election boost.

Cambodia parties in pre-poll push

BBC News

Friday, 25 July 2008

Political parties in Cambodia have been holding rallies in a final campaign push before Sunday's general election.

The polls, the fourth since decades of civil war ended, are widely expected to return Prime Minister Hun Sen to power.
His main challenger is former finance minister Sam Rainsy, but few believe he will oust the man who has led Cambodia for 23 years.

The polls are taking place amid heightened nationalist sentiment over a border dispute with Thailand.

Troops from the two countries are camped on territory both claim near the 11th Century temple of Preah Vihear, which earlier this month was listed by Unesco as a World Heritage Site.

Cambodia is due to hold talks with Thailand on the issue on Monday.

Economy key

Eleven parties are contesting the 27 July polls, but most believe the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) will secure another five-year term in power.

Under the Hun Sen-led CPP, Cambodia has achieved high growth - helped by revenue from the garment and tourist industries.

"The voters realise we did a lot - building roads, schools, health care and especially the economy," Phnom Penh Mayor Kep Chuktema told a CPP rally in the capital.

But the country is also experiencing soaring inflation and there is growing discontent over endemic corruption - both of which could favour opposition leader Sam Rainsy.

His eponymous Sam Rainsy Party currently holds 24 seats in the 123-seat parliament. The CPP has 73 and its coalition partner, royalist party Funcinpec, has 26.

Previous polls have been hit by violence. Scores of people - mainly opposition supporters and activists - were killed or beaten in the run-up to elections in 1998.

This one appears to be passing off comparatively smoothly, but rights groups have flagged up ruling party control of the media as a problem.

Human Rights Watch has also condemned the killing earlier this month of a journalist who wrote for a newspaper linked to the Sam Rainsy Party.

Both international and domestic monitors will be on hand to monitor the polls on Sunday.

PM Hun Sen's party heading for third electoral victory

FRANCE 24
Friday 25 July 2008

The Cambodian People's Party, which has been in power for 29 consecutive years, is expected to broaden its majority in Sunday's general election, against a backdrop of a booming economy and heightened nationalist feelings.

By Marie Valla / C.Payen

Eight million Cambodians are voting Sunday in a multi-party election that’s expected to consolidate the 29-year-long rule of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Hun Sen over the national parliament.

“People can say whatever they want,” Hun Sen told FRANCE 24 earlier this month. “What matters is whether people like Hun Sen or not.”

Hun Sen, a lapsed communist and astute politician who has been in power since 1985, has taken credit for the country’s pacification after the civil war that followed the fall of the Khmer Rouge. He can also boast a good economic record with growth rates reportedly averaging 11% over the last few years.

The IMF recently acknowledged Cambodia’s good performance, Olivier Guillard, an Asia specialist at the Institute of International and Strategic Relations (IRIS) pointed.

“Although it will likely suffer a setback due to the increasing inflation, its growth will remain robust in the next year,” he said.

“Hun Sen is Cambodia’s best guarantee that today’s stability will last,” explains FRANCE 24’s correspondent Cyril Payen. “He’s the man who put an end to the civil war and people know it.”

Preah Vihear, a distraction from national issues

But some local observers are concerned that the atmosphere of soaring nationalism fueled by the border dispute with Thailand over the Preah Vihear Temple may have diverted attention from more pressing issues such as the fight against corruption or the rising inflation.

“The Preah Vihear military standoff has attracted much of the attention of voters. Hence, bringing voters’ attention back to the elections is absolutely crucial,” Mr. Thun Saray, President of Committee for Free and Fair elections in Cambodia’s Board of Directors (COMFREL) was quoted saying in a statement.

The XIth century Buddhist temple, which was just listed as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage sites this month, was awarded to Cambodia in 1962 by the International Court of Justice. A decision Thailand never accepted.

“In Cambodia as in Thailand, the dispute is mostly an issue of internal politics which politicians have been building up for electoral reasons,” Payen confirmed.

"The level of uncertainty is minimal"

By all accounts, Hun Sen very much hopes to tighten the CPP grip on Parliament. “The level of uncertainty is minimal,” said Guillard. “The main question is to whether the CPP will improve its 2003 score. They are reportedly aiming for something between 75 and 85 seats” - up from his current 73 seats.

The CPP’s main contender is the Party of Sam Rainsy (PSR), a former finance minister who campaigned against Cambodia’s rampant corruption. He could benefit from the internal divisions that have left the CPP’s former coalition partner, the royalist FUNCINPEC party, weakened.

“The final results depend on the degree of manipulation,” Rainsy, who complained that he didn’t have access to broadcast media, told Newsweek Magazine. “If we can prevent, resist or overcome this, we will have more votes than last time.”

A number of international observers will be monitoring the polls after a campaign, which local NGOs say has been marred by violence and intimidation against voters. Six people rare reported to have been murdered since the beginning of the electoral campaign.

However “the number of cases of murder, intimidation, threats and irregularities in these elections is lower than in previous elections,” the COMFREL said in its statement.

Ideal timing

Already convinced of its impending electoral victory, the CPP has called for a new meeting between Cambodia and Thailand on July 28 - the day after the elections - to find a solution to the military buildup around the temple both countries claim as their own.

The first trial of Khmer Rouge leaders in a UN-backed court should get underway in October, a timing that could spare the CPP some embarrassing revelations about the possible ties between the party and the former rulers.

Hun Sen, who briefly served as a foot soldier under the Khmer Rouge, went as far as claiming credit for the trials. “I negotiated this trial directly with [then UN Secretary General] Kofi Annan,” Hun Sen claimed in the FRANCE 24 interview. “In Cambodia, if you don’t have Hun Sen’s signature, nothing gets done.”

Cambodian leader is expected to win election

The International Herald Tribune

By Seth Mydans
Published: July 25, 2008

PHNOM PENH: A surge of patriotism has swept through Cambodia, bolstering the popularity of Prime Minister Hun Sen as the nation heads into a parliamentary election Sunday.

The country has rallied around its leader as its troops for a second week confront Thai soldiers at a disputed 900-year-old temple on the Thai-Cambodian border.

Hun Sen is expected to win overwhelmingly Sunday, extending a 23-year period in office that is already the longest for any elected leader in Southeast Asia, although that victory will owe as much to other factors, reflecting the country's move beyond the traumatized past of its Khmer Rouge years to something approaching normalcy.

Under Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party, the economy has been growing in recent months, though steep inflation has brought new pain. Its political structure is more stable than ever, though it is the stability of autocratic rule.

The prime minister has mostly neutralized his opponents - by violence in the past, and by political pressure as the challenges have become less threatening.

"The country has never been so stable and it's never had sustained economic growth like this before," said Roderick Brazier, the country representative for the Asia Foundation.

"For a great part of the population, life is now similar to the lives of people in neighboring countries," he said. "It feels like a normal country in that respect."

The confrontation over the temple seems anachronistic when Phnom Penh is beginning to build its first skyscrapers and shopping malls.

A short distance outside town, in a sort of bubble of irrelevance, five aging leaders of the Khmer Rouge are in holding cells awaiting trials that have been delayed so long that they have lost their meaning for most Cambodians.

From 1975 to 1979, the fanatically Communist Khmer Rouge caused the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people though torture, execution, starvation and overwork, leaving behind a country psychologically paralyzed.

The Khmer Rouge tribunal has hardly been mentioned in the election campaign. Although many older Cambodians still carry with them the damage of those years, half the population of 14 million is younger than 20. An even higher number has no memory of the Khmer Rouge regime, which ended almost 30 years ago.

The retired king, Norodom Sihanouk, 85, who had been at the center of his country's history since the 1950s, at least as a figurehead, has virtually disappeared from sight. His heir, King Norodom Sihamoni, has made little impression on the public.

Asked if the elder king, once a colorful and ebullient figure, had become discouraged, his biographer, Julio Jeldres, said: "Oh, I think so, I think so. But he realizes where the power lies and that there is not much he can do about it."

The power lies with Hun Sen, 57, who has governed Cambodia - alone or with others - since 1985. He said in May that he was tired of doling out bits of power to placate coalition partners.

"In the past there was a stalemate, so I had to facilitate this party or that party and enter into a coalition government," he said. "Now the winner will get 100 percent. If there is an A there will be no B. If there is a B there will be no A. It is me or him."

Eleven parties are competing for 123 places in Parliament, but most of the parties are expected to win no seats at all. Hun Sen's party will benefit from a constitutional amendment requiring only a simple majority - rather than two-thirds of the seats - to form a government. His party now holds 73 seats and expects to win still more.

Hun Sen makes no secret of his very long-term ambitions.

"If I am still alive, I will continue to stand as a candidate until I am 90," he said in January 2007.

He is benefiting now from an economy that has been growing by about 10 percent a year, mostly based on income from garment manufacturing and tourism, as well as by a real estate boom that is bringing in foreign investors.

But that growth is fragile, some economists say. Garment jobs are moving to China. The high cost of fuel may begin to squeeze the tourism industry.

And like its neighbors, Cambodia is suffering from rising food prices and a slowing economy. Inflation, which had not passed 10 percent before this year, may be approaching 20 percent, according to some estimates.

The small middle class with money to spend in the capital's new malls could shrink. And little of its money trickles down. Cambodia remains one of the poorest nations in the world, with one of the widest gaps between rich and poor. About 35 percent of the population lives on less than 50 cents a day.

"Life is better than five years ago," said Seng Sing Leng, 43, a pork seller in a marketplace. "But things are getting harder. Our income is higher than before, but prices are much higher, too."

Despite the squeeze, most people interviewed at the market on Friday said Hun Sen was their man.

A small crowd had gathered and people were unanimous when asked about the question of the day: who has the rights to the border temple.

"Cambodia!" they shouted. "Cambodia, 100 percent."

Cambodia's Development Challenges

Council of Foreign Relations

July 25, 2008
Author: Jayshree Bajoria

Cambodia today is far from the nightmare of the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime, which was responsible for as many as two million deaths. With high economic growth, increasing levels of foreign investment, and regular parliamentary elections, Cambodia has made considerable progress. In November 2007, the UN-backed genocide tribunal tasked with trying surviving members of the Khmer Rouge finally began work. Despite restrictions placed on the trial by the Cambodian government, experts say it will still bring a sense of justice to Cambodians. So far, five officials from the Communist regime have been arrested by the court (Guardian) on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. But concerns remain over the governing style of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Sen, expected to win another five-year mandate in July 27 parliamentary elections (ElectionGuide), has dominated the country's politics for two decades. A former Khmer Rouge member, he has been reluctant to give up power, even staging a coup in 1997. Human Rights Watch says the Cambodian government has made no progress in the past decade on the rule of law, judicial independence, or human rights. Freedom House, another U.S.-based rights watchdog, rates Cambodia as "not free" in its 2008 index tracking political rights and civil liberties. It says government officials continue to "engage in land grabs and other abuses with impunity, failing to improve social and economic conditions for the majority of the population."

Corruption remains a serious problem for economic growth and development. Transparency International's 2007 Global Corruption Barometer listed Cambodia as one of the countries most affected by bribery; 72 percent of survey respondents said they had paid a bribe to obtain services. In February 2008 testimony to a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee, Scot Marciel, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs said, "weak rule of law, rampant corruption, and weak institutions remain major challenges to Cambodia's democratic development and sustained economic growth." Despite double-digit growth in gross domestic product (GDP) in recent years, Cambodia remains a poor country. More than 30 percent of the population lives under the national poverty line and nearly 90 percent (PDF) of the population is rural, with over 65 percent employed in the agriculture sector.

Cambodia has tried to catch up with its other more economically dynamic neighbors through greater regional economic integration, and has pursued dialogue with Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand over border disputes. In the current military standoff (NYT) with Thailand over a temple along the border, Cambodia's government has sought the help of its neighbors as well as the United Nations.

Over the last decade, Sen has cultivated especially close economic relations with China, one of the country's major investors. China also gives Cambodia millions of dollars in aid annually and provides military assistance. Some experts say unconditional assistance from China worsens corruption in Cambodia. Simon Taylor, director of the international anticorruption group Global Witness, told Radio Free Asia in May, “The effect of lots of money coming in with few strings attached, going to a lot of people in the government, is generally exacerbating corruption.” International human rights organizations say donors must condition development assistance on reform in areas such as human rights, good governance, and the rule of law.

PAD-led Protesters Rally at PTT Headquarter

Supporters of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) co-leader Sondhi Limthongkul occupy the street outside the metropolitan police headquarters in Bangkok July 24. Thai media firebrand Sondhi, leader of an anti-government street campaign, surrendered to police on Thursday to answer accusations of insulting King Bhumibol Adulyadej. (Photo: Reuters)

Irrawaddy
By SAI SILP
Friday, July 25, 2008

Thousands of anti-government protesters marched to the nation’s largest energy company headquarters in Bangkok on Friday to protest what it claims is mismanagement and improper political influence.

Members of the People Alliance for Democracy gathered in front of PTT Plc’s headquarters on Vipavadhi Rangsit Road on Friday, demanding the company be returned to its former state-run status. It was privatized in 2001.

Sondhi Limthongkul, the leader of PAD, claimed the company’s executives have mismanaged the business and through political influences have caused fuel prices in country to be higher than they should be.

He claimed that the privatization of PTT involved corruption during the administration of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and the company has reaped high profits while paying comparatively small taxes.

“This matter could be considered as stealing people's money for the benefit of the stake holders of PTT,” he said, according to a report in The Bangkok Post on Friday.

More than 300 metropolitan police closed off traffic and patrolled the area of the demonstration to prevent a possible clash between anti and pro-government groups.

On Thursday, hundreds of pro-government activists attacked an anti-government rally with axes and sticks in the northeastern provinces of Udorn Thani and Burirum, injuring at least 20 protesters.

It was the worst violence in the long-running conflict between supporters of the ruling People's Power Party, aligned with ousted Prime Minister Shinawatra, and members of the anti-government PAD.

The PAD has organized marathon demonstrations for more than two months against government plans to amend the constitution and has attacked the government for its handling of the Preah Vihear temple dispute with Cambodia.

PAD alleges that the Cabinet violated the constitution by authorizing former Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama to sign a joint statement with Cambodia in support of the listing of the temple complex as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

PTT Plc is a regional giant energy firm which also has a big stake in energy resource projects in neighboring countries, include Burma. PTTEP, a subsidiary of PTT Plc, owns a 19.3 percent of the Yetagun gas field in Burma. Petronas, in Malaysia, has a 40.9 percent stake. Other shareholders include Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise and Nippon Oil Exploration.

In 2007, various consumer rights groups that instigated a legal case against PTT said the public missed out on benefits from the privatization of the company due to an unfair share allocation system and that the shares were sold too cheaply.

In December 2007, the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that the privatization of PTT Plc was lawful.

PTTEP plugs and abandons Cambodian wildcat

Energy Current
Filed from Singapore
25/07/2008

GULF OF THAILAND, CAMBODIA: PTTEP has plugged and abandoned its first exploration well in Cambodia Block B , Vimean Morodok MahaNorkor-1 after detecting non-recoverable oil shows in the wildcat.

The well was drilled to 2,930 metres (9,613 ft) in about 75 metres (246 ft) of water using jackup GSF Key Gilbratar.

PTTEP operates the Khmer sub-basin offshore block about 80 kilometres (50 miles) east of the Thai-Cambodian Overlapping Claims Area, in the Gulf of Thailand. PTTEP, Singapore Petroleum Co. (SPC) and Resourceful Petroleum Ltd. are equal sharing partners in the block.

SPC said its share of the drilling costs for the exploration well amount to about US$3 million. SPC's Vice-President of Exploration & Production, Brian Boslaugh said the partners will undertake further technical studies to evaluate exploration prospects in the offshore block.

Cambodian parties anticipate polling day of general election

www.chinaview.cn

2008-07-25

By Xia Lin

PHNOM PENH, July 25 (Xinhua) -- All 11 participating political parties Friday ended their month-long campaigning according to the rules set by the National Election Committee (NEC), and sat down to expect rich outcome during the upcoming polling day of the fourth general election.

On Sunday some 8.1 million eligible voters should cast their ballots at 15,255 polling stations nationwide, while nearly 90,000 observers and political party agents will be present to supervise the process, said the NEC.

The current ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) will turn out to be the absolute winner and its premier candidate Hun Sen will surely secure another five-year term upon his 23-year career as government leader of the kingdom, said Suy Sok Khun, senior CPP member and veteran reporter at Chinese-language newspaper the Commercial News.

Out of the 123 seats at the Cambodian National Assembly, the CPP can harvest over two thirds, the major opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) around one fourth, while each of the other minor parties, including the current co-ruling Funcinpec Party and the eponymous party led by Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh, can share none to five seats only, he predicted.

During the last three general elections respectively held in 1993, 1998 and 2003, the CPP had 51, 64 and 73 seats; SRP 0, 15 and 24 seats; and Funcinpec 58, 43, 26 seats, according to NEC files.

The figures showed that in the past 15 years of political confrontation and showdown, the CPP enjoyed strong pickup, SRP mild uptrend, but Funcinpec had a slide.

The CPP itself also manifested strong confidence for the forthcoming polling, citing positive economic figures and development of infrastructure as the major achievements of its government to boost electoral results.

Official records showed that Cambodia had 11 percent of economic growth on average in the past three years, the highest among Southeast Asian countries; the per capita GDP rose from 448 U.S. dollars in 2005 to 594 U.S. dollars in 2007; and the foreign reserves from 890 million U.S. dollars in 2005 to 1.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2007.

Meanwhile, major national roads, bridges and power projects have also been constructed countrywide, which improved the kingdom's traffic and power network to an unprecedented level.

However, corruption allegations and land grabbing have haunted the CPP government and officials for a long time, thus draining the voters' confidence and ballots to the SRP, which surpassed Funcinpec during the Commune Councils Election in April 2007 to become the second largest party of the country, firmly trailing the CPP, said a source close to the Council of Ministers on condition of anonymity.

As to Funcinpec, it suffered from a breakup in 2006, after Ranariddh was sacked as president. Traditional popularity was lost soon due to its internal dispute.

Other parties in the election are either limited in scale or too young to win wide support, thus constituting no menace to the big ones, the source told Xinhua.

"The game seems having no surprise," the source added.

According to the Constitution, the party winning majority of the seats at the National Assembly will establish the government. There were 122 seats at the assembly before, and the number increased to 123 after the third general election. Law can be passed with support from 50 percent plus one seats at this top legislative body of Cambodia.

The first, second and third general elections separatively had 20, 39 and 23 political parties contending for the seats, and their balloting rates stood at 89.56 percent, 93.74 percent and 83.22 percent, said NEC statistics.

Editor: Bi Mingxin

Cambodians boycott Thai products

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Nguon Sovan and Mom Kunthear
Friday, 25 July 2008

Cambodians have begun boycotting products from Thailand amid escalating anger throughout the country over the standoff involving Thai troops near Preah Vihear temple, retailers said.

“During the past week the number of customers who usually buy Thai products has fallen from five percent to ten percent,” said Nov Sochinda, 35, who sells cosmetics at the Central Market.

Customers were switching to Chinese or South Korean cosmetics, Nov Sochinda told the Post on July 23.

“I will stop selling Thai products if we have a war with Thailand,” she said. “I am Khmer and I won’t support enemy products.”

Chheng Sieng, 32, who sells cosmetics and groceries at O’Russei market, said she had suspended orders for Thai products because of a slump in demand.

“I’m selling the Thai products I have in stock; I haven’t put in any new orders,” Chheng Sieng said.

“The customers who previously bought Thai products asked me if there were alternatives of similar quality from Vietnam, China or South Korea,” she said. “These days, it is quiet at my shop.”

The boycott has also seen a sharp decline in sales of Thai fruit, which are otherwise popular with Cambodian consumers, said Pheoung Sokheng, 22, a vendor at Neak Meas market.

“I used to import about three tonnes of fruit a day from Thailand but now I’m ordering between 600 kilograms and one tonne a day because there are fewer buyers,” said Pheoung Sokheng.

“I’m very worried about the impact on my business if the dispute becomes prolonged,” she said.

Phou Phalla, deputy chief of Customs and Excise in Banteay Meanchey province, said imports from Thailand through the border at Poipet had declined about 30 percent since the dispute erupted.

Phalla said the figure was based on a comparison of imports from June 1 to 23 with the same period in July.

“Khmers who import goods from Thailand are cautious about their personal security and have reduced their business activities, while Thai traders are not allowing their Cambodian customers to buy on credit,” Phou Phalla told the Post on July 24.

He said goods imported through Poipet last month were valued at 30 billion Riels (about $7.3 million). The imports included vehicles, construction materials and consumer products.

Thun Virak, deputy director general of the Trade Department at the Commerce Ministry, told the Post it was unavoidable that the border dispute would result in some Cambodians boycotting Thai products.

He said Thailand was Cambodia’s second biggest source of imports, after Vietnam.

“Thai exports to Cambodia last year were worth nearly $1 billion,” Thun Virak said.

However, he doubted whether sales of Thai products would plummet because of the dispute.

“Only if the border is closed will Thai imports be halted, otherwise sales will continue because Khmer people think Thai products are of good quality,” Thun Virak said.

A student at Build Bright University, Thong Yort, said he had stopped buying Thai products since the dispute began.

“There are alternative products from Vietnam, China or Malaysia,” Thong Yort said. “Why do we need to buy the products of the invader?”

Cambodia's first bio-ethanol plant to launch in October

NGUON SOVAN; MH Bio-Energy Group’s bio-ethanol plant in Kandal province will have a daily production capacity of 130-300 tons.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Nguon Sovan
Friday, 25 July 2008

A South Korean company is investing $30 million in what it says will be Cambodia’s first bio-ethanol plant, which will produce the fuel for export.

The plant will open in October on an 11-hectare site fronting National Road 5 in Ponhea Leu district, Kandal province, said the director of MH Bio-Energy Group, Lee Dong Jun.

“It is Cambodia’s first ever bio-ethanol plant,” Lee told the Post on July 21, adding that the fossil fuel substitute would be exported to Europe, South Korea and Japan.

He said the company had decided to invest in Cambodia because it had cheap and abundant supplies of cassava, or tapioca, for producing ethanol, which is blended with petrol at a ratio of ten percent to 90 percent to produce bio-ethanol for vehicles.

“It can reduce polluting emissions,” he said.

Up to 50,000 hectares of cassava will be needed to supply the plant, which will have a daily production capacity of 130 kiloliters to 300 kiloliters, or 130 tons to 300 tons, Lee said.

The company had begun a three-month production trial ahead of the plant’s launch in October and was relying on cassava bought from farmers in Kampong Cham and Battambang provinces, he said.

Lee said the company was paying the farmers between $130 and $180 a ton, but the price was expected to rise because the plant had created extra demand for cassava, which is mainly grown for export to Thailand and Vietnam.

To ensure adequate supplies, Lee said the company was also planting cassava on 8,000 hectares of land it owns in Kampong Speu province, where it employs about 10,000 people.

He said conditions in Cambodia were favorable for growing cassava and it generated better profits than rice or maize.

The yield ranged from 40 tons a hectare in Battambang and Kampong Cham to 10 tons a hectare in Kampong Speu.

Chan Tong Yves, secretary of state for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, said Cambodia harvested more than one million tons of tapioca a year, but exports to Thailand and Vietnam meant production would need to be increased to ensure adequate supply for the plant.

“Therefore, the ministry is encouraging more farmers to grow it,” Chan Tong Yves said.

Cambodia goes to the polls on Sunday 27 July

July 22, 2008: Electoral Campaigning in Takeo province

Sam Rainsy addresses SRP supporters in Prey Lvea commune, Prey Kabas district

A Cambodian military police officer, left, traffics during the last day of national elections campaign in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 25, 2008. Cambodia is scheduled to hold its election on July 27.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Supporters of Royalist FUNCINPEC party wave as they hold party logo flags during their last rally in Phnom Penh July 25 , 2008. Cambodia is due to hold a general election on July 27.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Royalist FUNCINPEC party leader Princess Norodom Arun Rasmey, daughter of King Sihanouk, greets her supporters during their last rally in Phnom Penh July 25, 2008. Cambodia is due to hold a general election on July 27.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

The Royalist Funcinpec Party supporters wave the party flags during the last day of national election campaign in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 25, 2008. Cambodians go vote for national election on July 27, 2008.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A poster of Sam Rainsy, the outspoken opposition leader who heads his self-named Sam Rainsy Party, is on display near the Royalist Funcinpec Party supporters truck, background, during the last day of national elections campaign in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 25, 2008. Cambodia is scheduled to hold its elections on July 27.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Princess Norodom Arunrasmy, center, a Royalist Funcinpec Party candidate for prime minister, meets her supporters during the last day of general election campaign in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 25, 2008. Cambodians will go pole in general election July 27, 2008.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Supporters of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) rally with a party flag in Siem Reap July 25, 2008. Cambodians will take to the polls on July 27 for the country's general elections.REUTERS/Adrees Latif (CAMBODIA)

Supporters of Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party gather during the last day of national election campaign in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, July 25, 2008. Cambodians go vote for national election on July 27, 2008.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Supporters of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) rally through Siem Reap July 25, 2008. Cambodians will take to the polls on July 27 for the country's general elections. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (CAMBODIA)

Supporters of Cambodian People's Party (CPP) rally through Siem Reap July 25, 2008. Cambodians will take to the polls on July 27 for the country's general elections. REUTERS/Adrees Latif (CAMBODIA)

Cambodia's PM takes credit for Khmer Rouge trials in polls

AFP Photo: Cambodian opposition party leader Sam Rainsy, seen herem has accused members of Hun Sen's government...

by Rene Slama
AFP

PHNOM PENH (AFP) - As leaders of Cambodia's genocidal Khmer Rouge near trial at a UN-backed court, Prime Minister Hun Sen has claimed much of the credit in voters' eyes ahead of elections Sunday, experts say.

Despite the opposition's efforts to link members of his government to the regime that left up to two million dead, Hun Sen has succeeded in painting the tribunal as a victory for his Cambodian People's Party (CPP), said Youk Chang, an expert on the Khmer Rouge.

Many voters "would see this as one of the CPP's efforts, and see this as one of the issues they have supported," said Youk Chang, who heads the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, which compiles evidence of Khmer Rouge atrocities.

With the CPP set to sweep Sunday's general elections, opposition parties have hardly discussed the tribunal in their campaigns, fearing that any mention of the court would just highlight what the public sees as a triumph for Hun Sen, he said.

"By not tackling this issue, they lose major support, because the Khmer Rouge affected everybody," he said. "That's why they lose support from the public."

The court's work is broadly backed by the public, according to a February survey by the US-based International Republican Institute, which found 86 percent of respondents supported trials for top Khmer Rouge leaders.

The Khmer Rouge's blood-soaked rule lasted only from 1975-79, but the ultra-communists endured as a guerrilla movement that only gave up arms a decade ago.

Hun Sen was a Khmer Rouge foot soldier, though he later turned against the movement. His CPP, expected to dominate general elections Sunday, has styled itself as the nation's liberator.
His government asked the United Nations to help create the court, but then repeatedly cut off negotiations during a decade of talks on the tribunal.

Sam Rainsy, the main opposition leader, has accused members of Hun Sen's government of collaborating with the regime -- pointing specifically at Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and Finance Minister Keat Chhon.

Hor Namhong responded with a defamation suit, while Keat Chhon has said he will eventually explain his past.

Diplomats say that while testimony at the trials could produce new revelations, no one in the current government played a high-level role in the ultra-communist regime.

"The faction of the Cambodian Communist Party now in power, which has totally changed its ideology to embrace liberal economics, is the faction that eliminated the Khmer Rouge," one diplomat said.

The first trial is expected to begin by October, and one of the court's top judges, French magistrate Marcel Lemonde, said the tribunal was aware that the hearings could make political waves after the elections.

"Transitional justice after mass violence (is) at the frontier of politics and the judiciary," he said. "The judges cannot ignore the political repercussions."

Five senior Khmer Rouge officials have been detained so far, including so-called "Brother No. 2," Nuon Chea, deputy to the regime's leader Pol Pot, who died before facing justice.

The regime's former head of state Khieu Samphan, as well as the foreign minister Ieng Sary and his wife Ieng Thirith are also being held.

But the first person expected to face trial is Kaing Guek Eav, better known as "Duch," who ran the infamous S-21 torture camp in Phnom Penh.

Cambodian officials at the tribunal downplay the possibility of any other Khmer Rouge official facing trial "due to budget constraints."

Lemonde, however, said that ongoing investigations could lead to more arrests.

"The budget is not what determines the number of the accused," he said, but declined to speculate on who other suspects could be.

Senate panels outline temple stance

Fri, July 25, 2008
By THE NATION

The Senate's six committees yesterday issued a five-point statement outlining its stance on the Preah Vihear temple issue.

The statement said:

1. The six committees are of the opinion that there is no overlapping border in the area adjacent to the temple. The area is completely Thai territory as per the 1904 and 1907 Franco-Thai Treaty to demarcate the border.

2. The government must proceed to nullify the June 18 joint communique with Cambodia on grounds that the document was deemed unconstitutional. Otherwise Cambodian authorities might cite the document to claim sovereignty over the temple and its adjacent 4.6-square-kilometre area should the case be argued in the International Court of Justice.

3. The 1964 ruling by the International Court of Justice addressed only Cambodian sovereignty over the temple and did not touch on border demarcation.

4. Since Cambodia proceeded unilaterally to register the temple as a World Heritage site which did not cover the adjacent area, the six committees deem it unjustified for the formation of a six-nation committee to manage the area.

5. Thai authorities should expedite to evict buildings encroached in the 4.6-square-kilometre area.

Senator Rosana Tositrakul said that after Parliament reconvenes, the six committees will push for the formation of an extraordinary Senate panel on the temple.

She voiced suspicion that certain elements within Unesco might have an ulterior motive on the sovereignty issue relating to the temple.

Thailand has accepted the watershed for border demarcation while Cambodia has used the French-drawn map to claim the temple and its adjacent area, she said.

The listing of the temple by the World Heritage Committee is very suspicious because this has happened as if some elements want to force the Thai-Cambodia borders to be redrawn, she added.

Should the French-drawn map be accepted a basis for demarcation, the entire border would shift to impact on the overlapping offshore area in the Gulf of Thailand, she said. The area is a potential site for natural-gas exploration.

Sacravatoons : " Border Talks in the Net "

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