Speaker series includes survivor

via CAAI

By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer

Posted: 12/29/2010

LONG BEACH - Theary Seng survived the Killing Fields of Cambodia and emigrated to the United States, where she was in the Long Beach area while attending Valley Christian High School.

She has since earned international acclaim for her autobiography, "Daughter of the Killing Fields" and her advocacy work for human rights as founder of the Cambodian Center for Justice and Reconciliation in Phnom Penh.

When not working on her many issues, she speaks at conferences all over the world telling her story and touching on issues of justice and reconciliation, democracy, faith and human rights.

Long Beach and surrounding area residents will have the opportunity to listen in on Seng and other speakers who are part of the award-winning January Series, presented by Calvin College and simulcast locally.

A Christian school in Michigan, Calvin College has earned critical acclaim for its annual series of speakers. Since 2008, the presentations have been simulcast and are now heard in 30 locations in the U.S. and abroad.

The Bethany Christian Reformed Church in Bellflower is one of the participants and the only one in the Southland.

This year, the 24th of the series, will feature a diverse group of speakers talking about a variety of faith, ethical and social issues.

"I think (the January Series) gives exposure for some of the most prominent thinkers in many fields," said Stan Cole of Bethany Church.

The speakers include Hall of Fame baseball player Cal Ripken Jr., the Rev. Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, and Seng, who speaks Jan. 7. A total of 15 presentations will be delivered during the three-week stretch.

The January Series has received recognition for its quality and diversity of perspectives on issues of national and global importance.

The series began simulcasting to other locations in 2008 and is now shown in Canada and Europe.

Cole said the series explores often controversial issues as one of the school's goals "to challenge some long-held truisms."

greg.mellen@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1291

Democrat MP among 7 arrested by Cambodia

http://news.asiaone.com/

via CAAI

Thu, Dec 30, 2010

The Nation/Asia News Network

Thailand: MP Panich Vikitsreth of the ruling Democrat Party and six yellow-shirt activists including Veera Somkwamkid will be tried and held in prison in Phnom Penh today, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen reportedly said after they were arrested yesterday while inspecting the Sa Kaeo border.

"I believe that the location where I was inspecting is under Thai sovereignty," Panich told The Nation by phone. "The 46th boundary monument that indicates the territory of the two countries is situated in the area."

Panich said his group was walking in a paddy field when eight or nine Cambodian soldiers took them into custody at 11am.

The disputed area in Ban Nong Chan village of Sa Kaeo's Khok Sung district has been claimed by Thailand and Cambodia for decades after a group of Cambodians fled from war to settle there.

Ban Nong Chan residents regard Sri Pen Road as the de facto boundary line and refrain from crossing over to the Cambodian side.

Panich, who is a member of the House committee on boundary affairs and a former vice foreign minister, said he needed to inspect the disputed area after locals complained that Cambodians occupied Thai territory.

Panich's group also included activist Samdin Lertbutr of the Dharma Army Foundation, who has close connections with Chamlong Srimuang, a leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy.

Nationalist Veera claimed Cambodia intruded on to Thai soil at many places, including the areas adjacent to the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear. Veera and his group were briefly held by Cambodian authorities in August when they also were inspecting the disputed area near Ban Nong Chan.

Panich made a phone call to inform Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Democrat Party's headquarters in Bangkok about his arrest.

Maj-General Walit Rojanapakdi, commander of the Burapha Task Force, which oversees the area, assigned a team to negotiate with Cambodian authorities on releasing Panich and his group.

After the talks at the local level failed, the group was sent to Phnom Penh to begin undergoing prosecution for illegal entry, said Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to the Thai foreign minister. The ministry would try its best and provide legal assistance to help the Panich group return home, he said.

Hun Sen said: "They were measuring Thai territory inside Cambodian territory. So Cambodia has the right to arrest them."

He said the seven would be taken from the border in the northwestern province if Banteay Meanchey to the capital, where they would be charged and then locked up awaiting trial.

"They will be sent to the court on Thursday and when the court charges them, they will be jailed in Prey Sar prison," Hun Sen was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying.

He said he hoped the incident would not affect relations between the two countries.

Thailand and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over border disputes in recent years after Thailand moved to block Cambodia's proposal to list Preah Vihear as a world heritage site. The temple was ruled by the International Court of Justice in 1962 as situated inside Cambodia, but Bangkok has argued that the surrounding areas belong to Thailand.

Negotiations to settle the boundary conflict have moved at a snail's pace, as the Joint Boundary Commission cannot proceed with talks without approval from Parliament.

Viet Nam supermarket opens in Cambodia

via CAAI

December, 30 2010

HA NOI - The Z38 company, a member of the Viet Nam Enterprises Association, opened the Viet Nam Supermarket yesterday in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The 3-storey supermarket covers a total area of 7,550 square metres on the Monivong Boulevard, one of the capital city's main thoroughfares.

The company invested US$3 million to build supermarket which is the largest Vietnamese goods retailer in Cambodia, said Le Minh, the store manager.

He said he hoped the supermarket would help to introduce high quality Vietnamese products to Cambodian consumers and the Vietnamese people living in that country, and further increase the reputation of Vietnamese goods.

More than 20 Vietnamese businesses have their products on sale in the supermarket, including garments, footwear, cosmetics, instant noodles, canned food, coffee and dairy products.

There are also mobile phone shops and designer watches on sale along with self-service shops, restaurants, beauty salons and an entertainment area for children.

Many Vietnamese products had caught the attention of Cambodians due to their quality and reasonable price including Acecook instant noodles, Bibica and Kinh Do confectionery products, Vissan processed foods, Trung Nguyen coffee products and Phu Quoc sauces, said a Cambodian trader from the Orussey Market in Phnom Penh.

Vietnamese producers should concentrate more on improving the quality and design of their products to further penetrate the 14 million strong Cambodian market. More Vietnamese supermarkets were expected to open in four other provinces across the country, Minh added.

A Vietnamese trader in Phnom Penh said it was important for Vietnamese enterprises to have a good distribution system and customer care services to promote the consumption of Vietnamese goods in Cambodia.

Viet Nam invested $900 million in 63 projects in Cambodia in the first six moths of this year, according to the Cambodian Development Council, making it the country's third largest investor, after China and South Korea.

Investors included Viettel Telecom Group, Bank for Investment and Development of Viet Nam, PetroVietnam, Viet Nam National Coal and Mineral Group and Vietnam Airlines.

Trade between the two countries is expected to reach $2 billion this year. - VNS

House building in Cambodia a natural fit for Lush

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/

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By Pamela Eadie, Citizen Special

December 30, 2010

Thanks in part to a generous donation from a good corporate citizen, it's expected that 25 new houses will be built in a poor region of Cambodia next month.

Rockin4Tabitha (R4T) is a grassroots charity that builds houses in Cambodia on behalf of the Tabitha Foundation; 2011 will be its fifth year doing so. Rockin4Tabitha is a fundraiser rhythm and blues concert in support of the Tabitha Foundation Canada's house building efforts in Cambodia.

R4T works through the Tabitha Foundation Canada with the primary purpose of raising money to build houses, wells and ponds. The Rockin4Tabitha build team, comprised of international volunteer, travels to Cambodia each February.

This year, it's benefiting from a $10,000 donation from beauty product company Lush Handmade Cosmetics, which offers more than 300 luxurious products made by hand with fresh, organic ingredients. They are also minimally preserved and minimally packaged.

Lush raised the funds through the sales of its Charity Pot lotion. The lotion is made with skin-softening organic fair trade cocoa butter and almond oil. It is sold exclusively for charitable giving; every penny that's paid for the pot, excluding tax, goes to grassroots charities around the world including R4T. Charity Pots can be purchased at Ottawa-area Lush stores, and online.

In addition, Lush will partner with R4T by sending five of its employees to Cambodia to participate in the build.

2010 marks the fifth anniversary of R4T. Since its inception, R4T has built a total of 50 houses, providing clean, safe, dry homes for 283 Cambodians. Each volunteer team member pays for all their own travel, accommodation and food costs associated with the trip; as well, each team member must raise and contribute $1,100, the cost of a single house.

The Tabitha Foundation is a benevolent trust founded in 1994 to undertake development initiatives in Cambodia in the areas of health care, education, sanitation, housing, and small business. Cambodia is still coming to grips with the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge regime, a country unsure of the role of Westerners in their world, and is also a country with deep beliefs in the Animist and Buddhist religions.

For more information please see http://www.lush.ca/ and http://www.rockin4tabitha.ca/

PM holds urgent meeting over arrest of 7 Thais by Cambodia

via CAAI

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Thursday held an urgent meeting of security agencies over the arrest of Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth and six other Thais by Cambodia authorities.

The meeting was held at the Government House at 9 am.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, Supreme Commander Gen Kitti Jakkrabatra, Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha and National Security Council Secretar-General Thawil Pliensri as well as Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.

The Nation

Cambodia: 7 Thais to Stand Trial After Detention at Border

VOA News

29 December 2010

via CAAI

Cambodia says a Thai ruling party lawmaker and six others arrested in a disputed border area will face charges Thursday of illegally entering the country.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Wednesday the seven Thai nationals will appear in a Phnom Penh court and will be detained in the capital's Prey Sar prison.

Cambodian troops detained Thai Democratic Party lawmaker Panich Vikitsreth and the six others Wednesday on the border of southeastern Thailand's Sa Kaeo province and northwestern Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province.

Panich said he traveled to the area to investigate residents' complaints that Cambodian forces were intruding into Thailand. He said he and his companions were on Thai soil when they were detained.

A Thai government spokesman said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was aware of Cambodia's detention of the seven Thais. The spokesman said Thai authorities were negotiating with their Cambodian counterparts to resolve the situation.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said he believes the arrests will not affect relations between the two neighbors, which were strained by deadly border skirmishes between their troops in 2008. He said he hopes Mr. Abhisit will show understanding for Cambodia's legal system.

One of the six Thais arrested with Panich is a former leader of Thailand's pro-government and pro-military Yellow Shirt movement, the People's Alliance for Democracy, or PAD. Veera Somkwamkid, now leads a PAD splinter group called the Thailand Patriot Network.

The 2008 clashes between Cambodian and Thai troops were part of a long-running dispute over ownership of an 11th century Hindu temple located on another part of the Cambodia-Thailand border.

U.N. cultural agency UNESCO declared the Preah Vihear temple to be a World Heritage site that year and recognized it as being under Cambodian control.

The countries also feuded when the Cambodian government appointed former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic adviser last year. The Thai military ousted Thaksin in a 2006 coup for alleged corruption. He now lives in exile to avoid prosecution at home.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP.

DAP News. Breaking News by Soy Sopheap

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Thais Accused of Allegedly Trespassing Cambodia´s Soil

Thursday, 30 December 2010 09:28 DAP-NEWS/SOY SOPHEA

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, Dec 30, 2010-Cambodia´s primary court on Thursday accused the arrested Thais of allegedly trespassing Cambodia´s territory after hour longs interrogation.

A court official said on an unidentified condition told DAP News Cambodia that the seven Thais, who entered Cambodia illegally on Wednesday, are accused according to Cambodia´s Code of Penal Law and Law on Immigration.

According to the official, they would face three up to six months in jail if they found guilty of allegedly trespassing in accordance with Cambodia´s Immigration Law before sending back to their home country, adding that they would also face other article of other Cambodia´s Code of Penal Law with six up to twelve months in jail with 1 million Cambodian riel (250 USD) in fine.

The sources added the Thai are now being sent to custody.

Cambodian and Thai FM on Thursday evening are scheduled to meet immediately a day after the arrest.

Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia warned that the arrests would be sent to jail if the court found their guilty, adding that he would not accept any intervention.

Kasit´s Visit Could Not Resolve Arrested Thais

Thursday, 30 December 2010 09:42 DAP-NEWS/SOY SOPHEA

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, Dec 30, 2010-Cambodian government officials told DAP News Cambodia that the presence of Thai FMKasit Piromya to meet his Cambodian counterpart Hor Nahong.

The official who said on an unidentified condition added that Kasit could not find better result during the discussion with Cambodian FM as Cambodia will implement their laws. The source explained that the meeting would not produce a fruitful outcome as Cambodia´s prosecutors decided to send them to jail.

Kasit to meet Hor Namhong

Thursday, 30 December 2010 06:00 By Sorn Sopheak

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, Dec 30, 2010-Cambodian government officials said on Thursday that Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya will meet Cambodian FM Hor Namhong today at the Cambodia´s Foreign Affair Ministry.

Koy Kuong, spokesperson at Cambodian Foreign Affair, told DAP News Cambodia that the Thai FM will meet Hor Namhong but he was not sure whether what Kasit would discuss with Namhong.

Kasit is scheduled to arrive Phnom Penh this evening a day after Cambodian authorities arrested 7 Thais including yellow-shirt leader and Bangkok MP Panich Vikitsreth with other five Thai journalists. However, it is believed that the two FMs will discuss matter how to deal with the arrests.

Moreoever, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Wednesday that he would not accept any interfrence to have a release of the Thais, adding that they could be sent to custody if they found guilty.On Thursday morning, Cambodia´s prosecutors were interrogating the 7 Thais.

No border and Diplomatic Tension over Arresting Seven Thais Including Lawmaker: PM Hun Sen

Wednesday, 29 December 2010 11:05 DAP-NEWS/VIBOL

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, Dec 29, 2010-Cambodian PM Hun Sen on Wednesday announced that Cambodia authorities have arrested seven Thais including a lawmaker from ruling party of Democrat of Thailand, and a yellow shirt leader, reporters and other activities in the movement of land love from Thailand after they entered illegally in Cambodia and acts against Cambodia.

“Our authorities arrested them in Cambodia soil. They entered Cambodian soil illegally without passport, and also conducted the opposed activities of against Cambodian soldiers in Cambodia,” PM Hun Sen told the closing ceremony of annual meeting of ministry of rural development in Phnom Penh.

He added: “arresting of the seven will not affect the border issue and diplomatic ties between the two countries,” “My Thai counterpart PM Abhisit asked me to intervene on the cases and released a lawmaker from his Democrat party. I said “no” I could not help,” PM Hun Sen said, adding that Thai lawmaker has immunity in Thailand but here is in Cambodia and they acts illegal activities in land and they opposed us. “Thai PM Abisit loves his country and I also love my country,”. Those seven violated the Cambodian law, PM added.

PM Hun Sen noted: the seven will arrived Phnom Penh this late evening and our acts today are not doing revenge against Thai authorities who always shot and made violence on innocent Cambodians who entered illegally or did not know where borderline is.

PM Hun Sen added: they will face legal punishment in Cambodia. And he said we also released three Thais recently after they entered illegally.

“We always want to see the good relationship between the two countries”. PM Hun Sen stresses.

Thai media said that the seven including Panich Vikitsreth, the Democrat PM and former Bangkok deputy governor and Veera Somkwamkid, the yellow clad core activist.

We Send Arrested Thais to Prison Without Interference: Cambodia PM

Wednesday, 29 December 2010 10:47 DAP-NEWS/SOY SOPHEA

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, Dec 29, 2010-Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday said that he ordered his authorities to send recently-arrested Thais to Cambodia’s prison adding that he would accept any interference to release them.

PM Hun Sen said that two Thai MPs and other Thai journalists were arrested on Wednesday morning as they were trying to monitor Cambodia-Thailand border demarcation at Banteay Meanchey province of Cambodia, adding that those Thai were sent to Phnom Penh where they will face judiciary. “If they are found guilty, they will be sent to prison.”

Bangkok Post reported on Wednesday that Thai PM Panich, Veera and five colleagues travelled to the border district of Aranyaprathet, Thailand intent on investigating whether Cambodians had trespassed on territory claimed by Thailand.

While inspecting the border area in territory claimed by Thailand they were detained by Cambodian soldiers.

Hot ticket: Thousands visit Khmer Rouge court

via CAAI

Thursday, 30 December 2010 15:02 Thomas Miller

Hot ticket

MORE than 67,000 people have visited the Khmer Rouge tribunal or attended hearings of its first case since March 30 of last year, the court said in a statement yesterday.

It added that Tony Kranh, acting director of administration at the hybrid court, will meet with 550 people from Kampong Cham and Kampot provinces at the court today to brief them on the tribunal’s work. The court will continue to host such outreach events, which allow people to visit the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, the Choeung Ek killing fields and the court itself.

On July 26, the court sentenced former Tuol Sleng prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, to 30 years jail for crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. Appeal hearings are set to begin in March.

Military police officer fires gun near teens

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Thursday, 30 December 2010 15:02 Phak Seangly

SEN Sok district police arrested a 37-year-old Tuol Kork district military police officer on Tuesday night on Russian Federation Boulevard in Phnom Penh, after the officer recklessly fired his gun to intimidate two teenagers.

Mak Hong, Sen Sok district police chief, said yesterday that the military police officer fired his gun into the air twice to threaten two teenagers who the officer claims intentionally drove their motorcycle at him and his girlfriend as they were walking along the road. He added that no one was injured in the incident.

“He fired his pistol anarchically because he was angry with the two young men. We have already sent him to the district military police for inspection,” he said, declining to comment further.

Kith Sophal, Sen Sok district military police commander, claimed that he did not have any information regarding the case, but that detainees are normally sent to the Phnom Penh military police station.

Chan Veasna, an administration official with the Phnom Penh military police, said he also had no information regarding the case.

Repeat offender: Paedophile sentenced to one year

via CAAI

Thursday, 30 December 2010 15:01 Uong Ratana

Repeat offender

PHNOM Penh Municipal Court yesterday sentenced a previously convicted French paedophile to one year in prison with a six-month probationary period, after finding him guilty of indecent acts against three underage boys in Phnom Penh, according to a verdict read out by presiding judge Kor Vandy.

Jean-Marie Beranger, 61, was arrested in Phnom Penh in June after staff from NGO Action Pour Les Enfants told police that he had been soliciting underage boys in Sihanoukville, and victims’ testimonies alleged he had done the same in Phnom Penh.

Previously, he was arrested in Sihanoukville in September 2009 on the same charge, which was dropped in August due to a lack of evidence.

On June 28 this year, Kampot provincial court sentenced him to one year jail in a third indecent acts case, following acts committed while he was out on bail in the Sihanoukville case. Beranger is now serving the prison term in Kampot and was not present for yesterday’s court hearing.

“We are not happy with the city court’s conviction against the offender with only a minimum sentence,” said Nuon Phanith, a lawyer provided to the victims by APLE. “He should have served a double sentence over the indecent acts charges [as a repeat offender].”

Four Prey Veng locals injured in fish fracas

via CAAI

Thursday, 30 December 2010 15:01 Mom Kunthear

FOUR villagers were seriously injured and one man was arrested following a scuffle between fishermen, police and security guards in Prey Veng province’s Peam Chor on Tuesday night, locals said.

Hun Samet, 34, one of the victim’s of the fracas, said yesterday that the fight ensued after two district police officers and more than “ten Vietnamese” attempted to stop a group of 17 villagers from fishing in a g lot in Koh Roka commune.

“We went to catch fish in the fish lot on Tuesday night, and five children, including a 12-year-old, came along with us as well,” he said.

Hun Samet said two policemen and more than ten Vietnamese who were guarding the fish lot tried to detain the villagers, which triggered a brawl between the two groups. The guards, who were armed with a “gun and big sticks” shot one man twice and injured two young boys.

“They shot at us many times and one of us was hit two times ... and is seriously injured,” said Hun Samet, who also sustained injuries to his head, legs and right hand.

Ly Sophun, a Koh Roka commune councilor, said yesterday that the villagers triggered the fight when they went fishing in a private fishing lot guarded by local police.

“It is a private fishing lot, but the owner hired local police authorities to guard it,” he said. He said he heard that the police detained one of the injured men following the scuffle, but that he had no idea of his whereabouts.

Un Samet, a police officer who villagers claim was involved in the fight, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Prey Veng provincial governor Oung Samy said he was unaware of the case, as he was currently returning from a trip to Vietnam.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SAM RITH

Fishermen protest over illegal 'fees'

via CAAI

Thursday, 30 December 2010 15:01 Mom Kunthear

ABOUT 50 fishermen from Siem Reap province’s Sotr Nikum district have gathered to protest the levying of illegal fishing “fees” by local authorities, a problem officials promised to solve within five days.

Vy Sarin, one of the protesters, said yesterday that about 50 fishermen from Kampong Klaing commune set out to gather at Siem Reap provincial hall in an effort to seek assistance from the provincial governor, but were blocked by district authorities.

He said that Sotr Nikum district governor Din Dorn then promised to inform the provincial governor about the plight of the fishermen and would inform them of the outcome within five days.

“We will protest to the provincial governor again if our problem isn’t resolved by the timeline that the district governor set for us,” Vy Sarin said.

Fishermen claim that local military police and fisheries officials frequently extort money from local people, and that previous entreaties to commune and district authorities have gone unanswered.

Fisherwoman Ly Ni said the fishermen have to pay about 15,000 riels (US$3.75) per day in kickbacks to local authorities to be allowed to fish in the commune, but that she could only afford to give authorities around 5,000 riels ($1.25) per day.

“I only get about 30,000 to 40,000 riels [$7.50-$10] per day to support my family, so if they take this money from me then I will die soon,” she said.

District governor Din Dorn confirmed yesterday that he had reported the fishermen’s concerns to the provincial governor, but said it is not clear when he will receive a response.

Meanwhile, he said the fishermen will be allowed to continue working, but will continue having to shell out for the “fees”.

Tim Savuth, director of the Siem Reap provincial Fisheries Administration, could not be reached yesterday.

Opposition asks for visit to WFP staffer

via CAAI

Thursday, 30 December 2010 15:01 Meas Sokchea

PARLIAMENTARIANS from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party have requested permission to visit an employee of the United Nations World Food Programme who was jailed earlier this month on incitement charges.

Seng Kunnaka, who worked in a WFP warehouse in Russei Keo district, was arrested on December 18 and convicted of criminal incitement in a rapid-fire trial at Phnom Penh Municipal Court barely 48 hours later.

In a letter sent to court president Chiv Keng on Tuesday, SRP Secretary General Ke Sovannaroth requested that five lawmakers be allowed to visit Seng Kunnaka at the city’s Prey Sar prison tomorrow. The letter followed an earlier one from December 23, which the SRP claims went unanswered.

“The SRP would like to ask for a new allowance from Your Excellency the president to allow an SRP parliamentarian delegation to visit Mr Seng Kunnaka on Friday,” the letter read.

The arrest of Seng Kunnaka – who was detained after passing out copies of a web article critical of senior government officials – has prompted an outcry from local and international rights groups.

In a statement on December 23, the International Federation for Human Rights, a Paris-based organisation, called for the UN system to “stand up for one of its own” and condemn the arrest and internment of Seng Kunnaka.

“With this latest deliberate assault on freedom of expression, the Cambodian authorities are becoming ever bolder in their repression and the democratic space is getting ever smaller,” FIDH President Souhayr Belhassen said in the statement.

SRP spokesman Yim Sovann said yesterday that there was no good reason to prohibit parliamentarians from meeting prisoners, especially given the “political” nature of Seng Kunnaka’s case.

“We must be allowed to go; there is nothing to prevent us from going,” he said.

Chiv Keng declined to comment yesterday. Court deputy president Ke Sakhan said he had not seen the SRP’s letter, but that if the party made an official request, there was no reason it should be refused.

High-profile corruption case delayed

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Thursday, 30 December 2010 15:01 Buth Reaksmey Kongkea

PHNOM Penh Municipal Court has postponed a hearing in a case involving one of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s cousins and a former government official, charged with giving and accepting bribes in an attempt to influence the settlement of a land dispute involving 120 families in Dangkor district.

Presiding Judge Duch Kimsorn said more time was needed for investigations, and that the trial would be held on an unspecified future date.

Seng Yean, former deputy general director of inspection at the Ministry of National Assembly-Senate Relations, is accused of accepting US$200,000 in 2008 from businesswoman Di Prem, a first cousin of Hun Sen. The payment was allegedly made to influence the investigation of a dispute over six hectares of land in Kakab commune with local woman Huot Sarom.

Yesterday, Hun Sen encouraged the court to punish his cousin if she is found guilty, and said he had rejected requests by senior government officials to intervene in the case.

“The law is the law and it does not think about relatives. Therefore, I strongly support and encourage the court to continue its work in doing this case,” he said, while presiding over the ground-breaking ceremony of a new overpass project in Phnom Penh.

Hun Sen said Minister of Justice Ang Vong Vathana had submitted a written request to him to drop charges against Di Prem. The letter, dated September 19, claims that Di Prem had only sought to find solutions to the land dispute.

National Assembly President Heng Samrin also wrote to Hun Sen in June of last year asking him to drop the charges against Seng Yean.

Kao Ty, a lawyer for Huot Sarom, who filed the initial bribery complaint, said the court’s delay showed it was hesitant to proceed in the face of pressure from high-level government officials.

“If the court does not drop its charges against them, and takes action through legal procedures, it will be a good start for combating corruption,” he said.

If found guilty, Seng Yean faces between three and seven years jail. Di Prem faces between one and three years.

Relocation protest at City Hall

Photo by: Pha Lina

A couple from Prek Pra commune in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district sit at their home, which has been marked for removal to make way for a canal.

via CAAI

Thursday, 30 December 2010 15:01 Tep Nimol

ABOUT 50 people staged a protest outside City Hall yesterday, agitating for municipal authorities to intervene after Meanchey district officials gave around 200 families living in Prek Pra commune 15 days to relocate.

According to a notice signed by district governor Kouch Chamroeun and dated December 25, families living along the banks of Prek Pra lake were told me deconstruct their houses within 15 days “in order to facilitate water current flow” as a flood prevention measure.

It stated that Prek Pra Lake was state property and was “a major waterway to prevent flooding”. The letter does not mention any compensation for those affected.

Sun Thida, a 22-year-old resident of Prek Pra commune, said families were calling for district officials to give them more time to move, and asking to be compensated with the equivalent of the market value of their homes.

“The [district] authority not only does not have any compensation for us, but also accused us of building houses on state land,” Sun Thida said.

“In fact we are legally living on the land with recognition from the commune authorities.”

Pov Sith, a 34-year-old resident, said some 200 families had been living on the land with legal land titles since 1990.

“We will not move out if the state doesn’t pay us appropriate compensation,” he said.

Heak Chanleang, deputy district governor, said only about 10 families had been ordered to relocate from the area.

“The villagers built homes on state land. They were anarchic building,” he said.

“If they have legal land titles, please show the authority because we want to know who produced the land titles for them.”

Police Blotter: 30 Dec 2010

via CAAI

Thursday, 30 December 2010 15:00 Sen David

Swashbucklers fight over girl in Siem Reap

Four “gangsters” were arrested and briefly detained in Siem Reap town on Monday after they decided to use a swordfight to settle a dispute over a girl. Police said two of the men involved in the fight were in love with the same girl and had agreed that the winner of the duel – in which each was assisted by a trusty sidekick – would win exclusive rights to her. Police said the suspects had been “educated” and released after promising not to engage in swordfights in the future. RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

Serial kissing in park ends in pair’s detention

Police briefly detained a couple who were caught kissing in a public garden in Phnom Penh’s Dangkor district. Police said the public display of affection was embarrassing, and called on the couple to limit themselves to expressing their love in private. The couple said they had “always sat and kissed in the garden” but agreed, after being “educated” by police, that they would restrain themselves in future. KAMPUCHEA THMEY

Man stabs brother-in-law in drunken dispute

A 59-year-old man was seriously injured after his brother-in-law stabbed him with a knife during a dispute at their shared home in Kampong Thom province’s Kampong Svay district on Tuesday. Police said the victim, who was drunk at the time, had come home on Tuesday night to find his son crying. The man’s brother-in-law allegedly flew into a rage upon being blamed for upsetting the child, and stabbed the victim twice in the stomach. The victim was sent to hospital and police detained the suspect for questioning. KOH SANTEPHEAP

Driver loses to street barrier in accident

A 58-year-old man died immediately when he crashed his motorbike through a street barrier in Phnom Penh’s Dangkor district on Monday. Police said the man, who was on his way home after a night out with a friend, was driving recklessly, was under the influence of alcohol and had not been wearing a helmet. RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

Woman, 69, killed in Pursat house fire

A 69-year-old woman died in a house fire in Pursat province on Tuesday, after a mosquito net over the bed she was sleeping in caught fire. Police said a lamp next to the bed appeared to have been the source of the blaze. A quick response from firemen prevented the fire from spreading, the victim’s husband said. The victim was sent to hospital but doctors were unable to save her, citing the severe burns on her head as the likely cause of death. KAMPUCHEA THMEY

Snow hits Cambodia tourism

Photo by: AFP

Snow still covers approaches to New York airport John F Kennedy International Airport.

via CAAI

Thursday, 30 December 2010 15:00 Soeun Say

THE Kingdom’s tourism industry is suffering the fallout of the giant snowstorm that blanketed the northeastern United States, according to government and private sector officials.

The impact was likely to be extensive, coming in peak tourism season, but it is difficult as yet to tell how many would-be tourists were forced to stay home, said Minister of Tourism Thong Khon.

As many as 1.2 million airline customers may have been affected by almost 8,000 flight cancellations as the storm that hit three days ago closed major airports in the US.

Passengers were being forced to make new plans, sometimes without being able to reach airlines by phone or online for help.

Thong Khon said the storm had kept many North American visitors at home, he added that the Ministry of Tourism was closely observing the issue.

“It has happened too fast to know the impact [at this time],” he said.

Ho Vandy, co-chairman of the Tourism Working Group, confirmed that Cambodia has been impacted by the fallout from the American storms – even though there are no direct flights from the United States.

“We were still affected because many tourists entered Cambodia on direct flights from Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore,” he said.

Many tourists had seen their flights cancelled due to the storm, but he could not say how many were affected.

“We will check one by one with travel agents to figure that out,” he said.

Figures from the Ministry of Tourism released last week show the US as the fifth largest source of tourists to Cambodia, with 131,458 American arrivals in the first eleven months of this year.

Earlier this year, the domestic tourism sector faced fallout from cancelled flights follow the European ash cloud, Thong Khon said at the time.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BLOOMBERG

US trade fair: Local silk products showcased

via CAAI

Thursday, 30 December 2010 15:00 Rann Reuy

US trade fair

DOMESTICALLY-produced silk products will be exhibited at a fair in California, United States, during the new year, according to Nhean Chanveasna, executive director of Women for Women Foundation, based in Kandal province’s Takhmao district.

The organisation - which employs 40 disabled women and has orders of about US$5000 per month - aims to seek export partners for its handicrafts through the fair’s exposure, she said.

“Many visitors were interested in previous years, but this year, we hope to gain large partners.”

Ngouy Suely, executive director of California-based Khmer Girls in Action, said the organisation would assist in showcasing the silk products.

Good morning, Vietmall!

Photo by: Wesley Monts

via CAAI

Thursday, 30 December 2010 15:00 Wesley Monts

Employees stack shelves yesterday at Cambodia’s first Vietnamese supermarket – aptly named ‘Vietnam Supermarket’. The US$3 million two-storey building opened yesterday on Phnom Penh’s Monivong Boulevard, and is owned by an investor from a firm called Z38 Company.

Cambodia’s first aquatic centre to make a splash

via CAAI

Thursday, 30 December 2010 15:00 H S Manjunath

CAMBODIA’S first fully-fledged aquatics centre officially opened in Kampot town on Monday, signaling a new phase of rapid water sports development which will also serve the ever growing demand for water-related tourist recreation.

The Olympic Council of Asia backed the US$100,000 centre, which was built by a private construction company for the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia and has been mainly funded by the Olympasia programme of the International Olympic Committee.

The centre will provide facilities for training, recreation and competition involving a range of Olympic disciplines like canoeing, rowing and sailing besides acting as a major hub for indigenous and traditional events like dragon boat racing.

Tourism Minister Dr Thong Khoun, who is also the president of the NOCC, described the centre as a significant sports and tourism initiative that would enhance the Kingdom’s international profile. He said the country’s long-felt need for an organised platform for water sports had now been answered.

He added that there could not have been a better and more suitable venue for a centre like this than Kampot town, which ranks among the prime tourist attractions with historic links to water sports.

“We hope to get better results in the SEA Games and other international events now that we have this excellent infrastructure in place,” the minister said after a colourful opening ceremony attended by the Governor of Kampot province and high ranking officials from the Ministry of Education.

Vath Chamroeun, the Secretary General of the NOCC, said the setting up of this centre marked the beginning of a new era of infrastructure development in the country that would eventually pave the way for hosting the biennial SEA Games in the near future.

He said the centre would be a canoeist’s delight and would soon offer adventure sports like surfing to foreign tourists.

After the inauguration the dignitaries were treated to a round of canoeing, rowing and boating performances.

Water sports play a big role at SEA Games and Asian Games and it is hoped that with this new centre Cambodian athletes will finally get a chance to win some medals.

Baseball given rules to follow

via CAAI

Thursday, 30 December 2010 15:00 H S Manjunath

THE National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, or NOCC, has laid out the ground rules for the recently revived Cambodian Baseball Federation to follow if a national team is to be sent to next year’s SEA Games in Indonesia.

Vath Chamroeun, the Secretary General of the NOCC, told a delegation of CBAF officials at a meeting on Tuesday that the baseball federation had to meet several procedural requirements before pitching in for an international event. He said the NOCC was more than pleased with the revival of baseball in the country after a lengthy hiatus, but a clearance to take part in the SEA Games had strict conditions attached, a performance scrutiny by the Ministry of Education being prime among them.

The secretary general said that like any other federation, the CBAF had to produce a convincing performance from its team, keep a clean administrative sheet and establish financial soundness to support a foreign trip. Most importantly, he said the CBAF will have to hold a national championship and prove the team’s mettle.

The NOCC official was responding to proposals by the CBAF to send its team to Indonesia in November next year where baseball would be a medal sport.

The President of the CBAF, Joe Cook, a Cambodian American who is based in Dothan, Alabama, was on the phone with the NOCC secretary general to put forward the federation’s case. He assured the NOCC that the CBAF would do everything in its powers to see that the team made it to Indonesia.

The CBAF president has consistently maintained that he could raise the money needed for the trip.

“We are awaiting official invitations from the SEA Games council and the CBAF has until the middle of next year to make things happen. The ball is in their court and we are here to help them,” said the NOCC secretary general after the meeting.

They’re off and racing

Photo by: Sreng Meng Srun

via CAAI

Thursday, 30 December 2010 15:00 Sreng Meng Srun

As many as 250 staff members from three local-based organisations, Grand Phnom Penh, F Magazine and Sophy & Sina, took part in an annual road run in Phnom Penh this week.

PM rebukes wayward nephew

Photo by: Pha Lina

Prime Minister Hun Sen gestures towards an artist's rendering of the capital's second flyover, during a groundbreaking ceremony for the project yesterday.

via CAAI

Wednesday, 29 December 2010 20:27 Vong Sokheng

Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday made an outspoken public appeal for one of his nephews to mend his ways and return to his family.

Speaking to a crowd of thousands gathered at the University of Phnom Penh for the ground-breaking ceremony of a municipal overpass, Hun Sen said he had sent National Police chief Neth Savoeun to look for Hun Chea, who the Premier accused of cheating on his wife and being involved with drugs.

“According to the investigation, now [Hun Chea] is staying in a hotel with a woman, and there is a group of drug [users] involved with him,” Hun Sen said.

“[I] will not tolerate involvement in [drugs] ... there must be law enforcement, it doesn’t matter if he is the nephew of the Prime Minister.”

Hun Sen said that Neth Savoeun, an elder cousin of Hun Chea’s, had been charged with locating and bringing the premier’s nephew home to his wife and children. The premier also appealed to the general public for help, and asked Hun Chea himself to consider the welfare of his family.

“Everybody and every hotel, if you see Hun Chea do not accept him, and tell him that the Prime Minister asked him to go home,” Hun Sen said.

“Today, with a loudspeaker, I would like to appeal to my nephew Hun Chea to return home. If you hear my appeal, please return home. Your parents and parents-in-law have been sick at home, and your wife and children are waiting at home.”

Hun Sen said he planned to call “a meeting of the Hun family”, noting that some other relatives of his might be in need of some “reeducation”.

“Only my children accepted reeducation; my nephew has never accepted reeducation,” he said. He added that another nephew, Hun To, “used to be the same as Hun Chea”, but was now “a good character with his wife and children”.

PM blasts World Bank

During his hour-long speech, Hun Sen also criticised the World Bank, which he said had failed to complete construction on a library that it began building four years ago on the University of Phnom Penh campus.

Hun Sen noted that the building was “just a few hundred square metres” and compared it to the new Council of Ministers building, which he said covered more than 50,000 square metres and was completed 18 months after a Khmer company began construction.

“[We] have to realise that’s how the foreigners build for us, and that’s how we build by ourselves,” Hun Sen said.

“There is no doubt that when the foreign consultants still make money from the project, the library building is still not completed.”

Bou Saroeun, a press officer at the World Bank, said the organisation had allocated US$1.8 million to building the library, and that delays had been caused by “technical problems”. He said construction was now expected to be completed by May next year.

The sky bridge

Hun Sen said yesterday that the capital’s second flyover, which is to be built over Russian Federation Boulevard, would be completed in about 13 months with a budget of $8.7 million.

At 345 metres long and 15.2 metres wide, the planned bridge will be larger than the capital’s first flyover, the Kbal Thnal Sky Bridge.

As construction began on the bridge yesterday, Hun Sen announced plans for a third flyover to be built near Stung Meanchey bridge in Meanchey district.

He said the bridges were designed to ease traffic congestion, which has been increasing with the city’s growing population.

“The traffic ... is becoming a concerning issue but we will be able to resolve it by building the Sky Bridge,” he said.

Thai MP arrested at border

via CAAI

Wednesday, 29 December 2010 22:04 Cheang Sokha and James O'Toole

A Thai parliamentarian and six other Thais were arrested yesterday for allegedly trespassing on Cambodian territory in Banteay Meanchey province while examining the countries’ shared border, the latest turn in the protracted boundary conflict between the two nations.

Among those arrested were Panich Vikitsreth, an MP from Thailand’s ruling Democrat Party, and Veera Somkwamkid, a former leader of the “Yellow Shirt” People’s Alliance for Democracy who now leads the Thailand Patriot Network, a PAD splinter group. Banteay Meanchey provincial police chief Hun Hean said the group of five men and two women was apprehended in the the province’s O’Chrou district, across the border from Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province.

Speaking at Chaktomuk Theatre yesterday following the arrests, Prime Minister Hun Sen said the group would appear before Phnom Penh Municipal Court today to face charges under the Kingdom’s immigration law.

“Thai lawmakers have parliamentary immunity in Thailand, but not in Cambodia,” Hun Sen said.

“Tomorrow, they will be sent to the court, and when the court charges them, they will be jailed in Prey Sar prison.”

Hun Sen and other officials claimed two Thai lawmakers had been detained, though only the arrest of Panich could be confirmed. The premier said he had told interior minister Sar Kheng to bring the group to Phnom Penh rather than letting the case proceed in Banteay Meanchey.

Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said yesterday that Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva had been informed of the incident.

“We have officers who are already in contact with each other. That’s a normal practice in the case of Thai citizens being detained,” he said.

Veera and the Yellow Shirts, who shut down Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport during protests in 2008, have repeatedly staged rallies at the border to protest alleged Cambodian encroachments.

PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongpan said the jailed Thais “wanted to investigate the demarcation area between Thailand and Cambodia”. He insisted they had been on Thai territory yesterday when they were arrested.

“Cambodia has tried to invade us and hold the territory that belongs to us,” Panthep said. “Now, it has been proven that we were invaded by the Cambodian military.”

The fracas recalls an incident earlier this month in which MPs from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party went to investigate border demarcation with Vietnam in Kampong Cham province, scuffling briefly with Vietnamese security forces on what the SRP claims was Cambodian territory.

Panthep called on Cambodia to release the prisoners and “apologise to the Thai people and to the Thai government”. Hun Sen said, however, that he was confident the case would not affect bilateral relations because Abhisit would “understand Cambodia’s legal procedure.”

The premier added that Thai officials had contacted him and requested that he intervene in the case, though he said he had declined to do so.

Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, said in an email that the Thai government would likely attempt to resolve the case quietly, noting that Abhisit has attempted to distance himself of late from the hardline PAD.

“There is no reason now for Abhisit to defend the PAD at the expense of a worsening relationship with Cambodia,” Pavin said. “I don’t think the Abhisit government is keen to exploit nationalism at this point in time to gain any political benefit.”

Court postpones ‘terror’ trial

Photo by: Sovan Philong

Two men, from Nepal and Bangladesh, are led to Phnom Penh Municipal Court, where they were scheduled to face terrorism charges yesterday.

via CAAI

Wednesday, 29 December 2010 21:04 Chrann Chamroeun

Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday postponed a hearing in the case against three men of Bangladeshi, Nepalese and Myanmar origin, who are accused of plotting terror attacks, presiding judge Sin Visal said.

The three were arrested in June after a series of letters were sent to the American, Australian and British embassies in April, identifying them as members of the al-Qaeda terrorist group who were planning attacks on their facilities.

Due to the absence of interpreters and embassy representatives, Sin Visal ordered the hearing postponed until January 11.

“We could not hear the case today because the appointed interpreter, as well as representatives from each embassy, were absent, which would not allow a fair trial,” he told the court.

Court deputy prosecutor Sok Roeun told The Post in June that 42-year-old Bangladeshi national Rafiqul Eslami, and TD Taudyal, 44, from Nepal, had been charged under the Kingdom’s anti-terrorism law. If convicted, each could receive between five and 10 years in prison.

He added that Eslami is facing additional charges for crossing into Cambodia without a passport. The identity of the Myanmar man is not known.

“We didn’t object to the court’s postponement of the hearings because the interpreter and representatives from the embassies weren’t present, and the next hearing is not a long time away,” said El Vanna, a lawyer representing one of the accused.

Inmates claim torture and extortion

via CAAI

Wednesday, 29 December 2010 20:57 May Titthara

Families of inmates at Kampong Cham provincial prison said yesterday that their relatives are being tortured and beaten by prison guards attempting to extort money from them, part of what rights groups say is a pattern of abuse in the Kingdom’s detention facilities.

Phat Sambo, 51, a resident of Pralaoh village, in Kampong Cham’s Dambe district, said that since October, her 16-year-old nephew had only been permitted to eat one meal per day and had been subjected to repeated beatings.

She added that she was the only member of her family who could visit the boy because his parents are disabled.

“I told him please try to survive because we are poor, and that if I had money, I would pay to have him released,” Phat Sambo said. “I really pity my nephew.”

Chhum Met, 30, of Chambak village in Dambe district, said guards had ordered her father to pay them between 5,000 and 10,000 riels (US$1.25-$2.50) every four or five days or face vicious beatings. She added that her father, too, was receiving just one meal per day, forcing family members to take food to him at the prison.

“He is old, but he has still been tortured in prison,” she said of her 51-year-old father. “He told me that I need to visit him often because he needs money to pay bribes so that the prison guards don’t torture him.”

Kampong Cham prison director Huo Put Visal declined to comment and turned off his telephone when asked about the allegations yesterday.

As of June, Kampong Cham prison was operating at 160 percent of capacity, according to local rights group Licadho, housing 798 inmates in a space built for 500. This overcrowding, observers say, exacerbates the abusive environment that characterises much of Cambodia’s penal system.

The government has attempted to address the problem, implementing vocational training programmes and raising the daily food allowance for prisoners from 1,500 to 2,800 riels as part of a prison reform project in cooperation with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights that began in 2008. Still, the issue remains daunting.

Liv Mauv, deputy director of the general department of prisons at the Ministry of Interior, acknowledged that prisoners were often injured during fights with one another, but denied that guards were involved in beatings or torture. As for food, he said the 2,800-riel allowance allowed prison officials to serve food to inmates twice per day.

“If there is a case where prisoners are being provided food only once per day, that is completely illegal and it is torture,” he said.

“If this has really happened, please have the victims’ families file complaints to me immediately, though I think this is probably just a rumour.”

However, another Kampong Cham resident who declined to give her real name for fear of reprisal said her husband had scars all over his chest from frequent attacks by prison guards and was frequently deprived of his meals.

“My husband said that when the guards are in a good mood, they will allow him to eat twice, but if he doesn’t pay them bribes, they will beat him and he will eat only once,” she said.

Last month, Cambodian representatives appeared before the UN Committee Against Torture in Geneva. Following the hearing, the committee recommended that the government enshrine a clear definition of torture within Cambodian law and “ensure prompt, impartial and effective investigations into all allegations of torture and ill-treatment”.

For such investigations to be effective, the government must establish an independent civilian monitoring group to assess torture complaints and follow up at detention facilities, the committee said.

Am Sam Ath, technical supervisor for Licadho, a human rights organisation, said his organisation had recorded 101 instances of torture by law enforcement officials during the first 10 months of this year.