Red and yellow activity stokes investor fear

via CAAI

Renewed protests dent foreign appeal

Published: 20/01/2011

Foreign chamber executives say escalating activity by red-shirt protesters and tensions over the Thai-Cambodian border stoked by yellow-shirt sympathisers are renewing foreign investors' fears regarding making commitments in this country.

The Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce (AustCham Thailand) said recent negative incidents could prevent Thailand from cashing in on expected further investment from Australia following the current review of the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement (Tafta), especially if the service sector can be opened up.

Despite greater optimism about political stability these past six months, Australian companies remain very cautious about Thailand, said Andrew Durieux, the president of AustCham.

"[Anti-government] protesters have started to come back, the Thai-Cambodian issues are getting bigger, and we all know that the election is coming up. These make [Australian firms] feel a little bit nervous and start to worry about the future," he said.

Threats by the Thai Patriots Network to close the border with Cambodia along with similar pronouncements from the Cambodian side have shaken investor confidence and raised new fears about doing business in Thailand, said Mr Durieux.

"We've learned from past experience that these protests can escalate, and things are going to get worse. This is not a good environment for business," he said, recalling the red shirts camping out at the Ratchaprasong intersection last year and the People's Alliance for Democracy shutting down Suvarnabhumi airport in late 2008.

To date, no Australian company that was affected by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship's rallies at Ratchaprasong has received any compensation from the government for the 40 days of disrupted business operations, nor have those affected by the airport closure, said Mr Durieux.

Junichi Mizonoue, president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce (JCC), said the Thai and Cambodian governments should hold talks to find mutually constructive solutions.

The border disagreements with Cambodia are coincident with the red-shirt protests and should be resolved shortly, he said.

"The JCC is more concerned about Thai politics," said Mr Mizonoue.

Protesters should try to avoid disrupting normal business and scaring shoppers or diners as in the past, he added.

Meanwhile, Australia and Thailand are reviewing the bilateral Tafta that took effect six years ago. The review is expected to be finished in another two months.

Mr Durieux said AustCham had provided some input, recommending further tariff reductions and an opening up of the service industry.

Foods, especially dairy products, medical equipment, coal and gas should enjoy deeper tariff cuts, possibly even eliminated for some items, he said.

For the service sector, regulations should be loosened to allow Australian firms a greater presence.

Given the competitive labour costs, investment incentives offered and geographical advantages, more Australian companies are keen to invest in Thailand, but some are put off by Thailand's long-standing domestic issues, especially politics, said Mr Durieux.

Holocaust legacy drives ‘Enemies’ genocide film

via CAAI

January 19, 2011

By Naomi Pfefferman

Nuon Chea, above, Pol Pot’s second-in-command, confesses his involvement in the 1970s Cambodian genocide in the documentary film “Enemies of the People,” directed and produced by Rob Lemkin.

Filmmaker Rob Lemkin’s most famous relative is the late Raphael Lemkin, a Polish attorney who spent his life crusading against mass murder and who invented the term “genocide” to describe what the Nazis had done to the Jews, including 40 members of his family.

Rob Lemkin never knew Raphael Lemkin, a distant cousin. But the elder Lemkin’s legacy has proved a motivation for the filmmaker’s work, notably his documentary “Enemies of the People,” an exposé on the Cambodian genocide that claimed 2 million lives during the Pol Pot regime of the 1970s. Co-authored with Thet Sambath, the groundbreaking film — which culminates with a confession by Pol Pot’s second-in-command, Nuon Chea — is short-listed for the Academy Award and has received a Writers Guild Award nomination.

“We went from village to village looking for individuals,” Lemkin said of his search with Sambath for lower-level peasant executioners. “I felt I was with people who had repeatedly looked into the faces of people they were killing. It was utterly chilling, but also inspiring that they were willing to be so open about their deeds.”

The movie is also the personal story of Sambath, whose father was stabbed to death in the Killing Fields and whose mother died in childbirth after being forced to marry a Khmer Rouge leader. An orphan by 9, Sambath became a journalist specifically so he could seek out and query the kinds of people who had destroyed his family. His most fervent mission was to gain the confidence of Nuon Chea by repeatedly visiting the octogenarian in order to elicit a confession. Sambath was so obsessive about his work that his newspaper career languished, and his wife and children were sometimes left without money for food.

Lemkin’s dedication to the project was also obsessive, stemming from his own family’s experience, he said during an interview in Los Angeles. The conversation turned back to Raphael Lemkin, who put everything else in his life on hold in order to convince the United Nations to declare genocide an international crime. The work took years and proved exhausting: Just three days after the U.N. finally voted to adopt the provisions of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948, Raphael Lemkin became gravely ill and collapsed. When hospital doctors queried him about his malady, he said his condition was “genocide-itis.” When he died in poverty in the late 1950s, only seven people attended his funeral.

“My grandmother was very active in the Kindertransport,” Rob Lemkin continued of his connection to the Holocaust. “And my father was very much haunted throughout his life that another holocaust could happen in Britain — a nightmare that lurked in the shadows for him as a sort of brooding threat. I, myself, was very frightened by photographs of concentration camps as a child. There are images in ‘Enemies of the People’ of dead bodies and piled bones that are similar to the images I saw through the keyhole when my parents were watching late-night films about the Nazis. I think that was definitely a motor to keep me going on ‘Enemies of the People,’ because the work was quite tedious and grueling.”

Director and producer Rob Lemkin

Lemkin met Sambath in September 2006 when Lemkin traveled to Phnom Penh to make a film on Cambodian genocide following news that a United Nations-backed war tribunal was preparing cases against Nuon Chea and others. Initially, he hired Sambath as a translator and “fixer” to help him secure interviews, but when he discovered that the Cambodian journalist already had access to Nuon Chea, the two men decided to collaborate.

Their goal, according to Lemkin, was to “peel back the so-called ‘mask of evil’ to reveal the human beings who committed these terrible crimes.” The resulting interviews are both chilling and heartbreaking: One peasant demonstrates with a plastic knife how he pulled back the heads of prisoners – in such a manner that they were unable to scream – and slit so many throats at once that his arm ached, and he had to switch to stabbing victims in the throat.

An elderly woman recalls how the swollen, piled-up bodies made hissing sounds as they decomposed in mass graves, causing rainwater to “bubble as if it were boiling.” Several executioners admit to drinking the liquid from human gall bladders, which they believed was a medical elixir. Echoing the language of the Nazis, they say they were only carrying out orders, and would have been killed had they refused.

When the Cambodian war crimes tribunal got word of the confessions, officials demanded that Lemkin and Sambath turn over their hundreds of hours of videotapes. “We refused,” Lemkin said. The two had promised interviewees their testimony would be used only for historical purposes. And a promise is a promise, even to a mass murderer. As a result, former executioners are continuing to speak to them, and, last year, a historic teleconference took place among several perpetrators and survivors now living in Long Beach, Calif. The plan is for another such conference to take place at the Museum of Tolerance in 2011.

The film has been described as a Cambodian “Shoah,” albeit without the hidden cameras. “But I see Sambath as quite different from [a figure like Nazi hunter Simon] Wiesenthal,” Lemkin said, “because Sambath believes reconciliation is not only desirable but possible, and every action is dedicated to that end.”

Lemkin does see parallels between Sambath and his famous cousin. “Raphael Lemkin waged an incredibly lonely, one-man campaign to get the word ‘genocide’ enshrined into international law, and in fact after that finally happened, he was found [exhausted] in the basement of the United Nations building, having about given up on the idea that the world would take it seriously,” Rob Lemkin said. “He was fighting a solitary campaign against world indifference, which is very similar to what I found in Sambath. The echoes are very real, because Sambath has been fighting alone for a kind of truth and reconciliation commission in his country, and to come to terms with the trauma of Cambodia.”

Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 25.

Top brass not amused by wrong-headed 'patriots'

via CAAI

Published: 20/01/2011 

Army leaders are upset about the attack from the Thai Patriots Network, which has accused the military of doing nothing to help the seven Thais arrested by Cambodian soldiers.

Although Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth and five others have been granted bail by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, the army top brass is grumbling about being branded "toothless" by the network. This ally of the yellow-shirted People's Alliance for Democracy has also strongly criticised the army for being too slow to coordinate with its counterpart on the other side of the eastern border.

The focus of the attack has been Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, simply because he is the "big brother" of all the generals. Some reporters fired shots at him in the press, saying he had turned a blind eye to this issue because he had vested interests at the frontier with Cambodia.

Some media and the Network even went as far as pointing the finger at the defence minister as the man who had given Cambodian soldiers the tip to arrest the group, which included PAD leader Veera Somkwamkid. They alleged that Gen Prawit was "involved" in the illegal oil trade, natural gas deals and contraband along the border in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo. According to them, that area is "the gold mine of the Tigers of the East [Burapha Phayak]", referring to soldiers under the 2nd Infantry Division based in Prachin Buri which also controls the eastern border.

As Gen Prawit rose to power through the Prachin Buri barracks, it is hardly surprising that he should be very angry with Network leader Chaiwat Sinsuwong, who led a campaign attacking him in a bid to help his colleague, Mr Veera. Gen Prawit angrily criticised Mr Chaiwat during talks with close aides and those in the army's inner circle, according to army sources. One source said Gen Prawit was so "furious" that he'd ordered officers in the Judge Advocate General's Department to explore legal avenues against Mr Chaiwat and other attackers, including members of the press who'd joined the chorus of the Network in attacking him.

"I have no vested interests with anybody. I have never done any damage nor received any complaints in my life-long service in the army. These accusations severely damage my reputation," the defence minister said. And his underlined message has been: "I have no border interests with Cambodia."

Gen Prawit is not the only person annoyed with the Network and its allies in the press. Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, another alma mater of the 2nd Infantry Division, has also sent the same message as Gen Prawit. "Our soldiers are brave. They are not chicken. They are ready to fight. But [Thailand and Cambodia] are neighbours and they should live peacefully. There is no need to quarrel. Just let negotiations settle the border dispute," he said.

Even Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who has close ties with military leaders, came out to defend the army, saying Gen Prawit and other leading officers had no business interests at the border. In fact, he added, they had helped the government coordinate with Phnom Penh in the bid to get the detained Thai back home.

Mr Suthep was not exaggerating. Gen Prawit did make several phone calls to Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh after that incident. The defence minister was not alone in trying to help the government. Supreme Commander Gen Songkitti Jaggabatara contacted his Cambodian counterpart, Gen Pol Saroeun and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Cambodian armed forces Gen Chea Dara, who is the right-hand man of Cambodian Premier Hun Sen. But the case is now up to Cambodia's judiciary process and to decisions by the Cambodian strongman.

At least the temporary release of the six Thais on bail has made the army leaders feel a little relieved. The six are not allowed to go leave Cambodia as the court has yet to hand down a verdict.

An army source said the talks between the top brass in Thailand and Cambodia should be given some credit as it had led to the granting of bail by the court. The bail was Gen Teah Banh's promise to the Thai army leaders that Phnom Penh would take a good care of the detained Thais, the source added.

Now only Mr Veera is still locked in Prey Sar prison and the Cambodian government has reason to keep him behind bars longer. "Cambodia is very suspicious about Mr Veera, given his past performance. That's why he faces another charge of threatening national security and espionage," the source said, relaying the gist of the message that was sent to Thai army leaders by Cambodia.

Now the army has to make sure that the case will not blow up into a conflict between the two armies. As part of the plans to foster military ties, Gen Songkitti will lead other senior army officers in a robe-giving and merit-making ceremony at a temple in the Cambodian capital on Jan 24. His delegation will include army Chief-of-Staff Gen Thanasak Patimapakorn, who is widely tipped to become Gen Songkitti's successor when the latter retires this year.

At the border in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket, Mr Suthep and Gen Prayuth have ordered soldiers there to keep the frontier calm. Second army chief Lt Gen Thawatchai Samutsakhon quickly turned that order into action by sending field commanders to meet frequently with their counterparts on the other side of the border and to join in sports recreation activities. Five rangers have been dispatched to talk to Cambodia troops at its base at Wat Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara near the Preah Vihear temple.

"Talks come first [if we have problems]," Lt Gen Thawatchai said of the Thai position. "The only exception is if they [Cambodian soldiers] intentionally intrude on Thai soil and Thai sovereignty," he added.

In summary, the case of the detained Thais has not only caused problems for the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. The army, too, has been dragged in and it seems the feud between the top brass and those who attacked them will not be smoothed over that easily.

Wassana Nanuam reports on military affairs for the Bangkok Post.

'Patriots' hire third lawyer to help three Thai suspects

via CAAI

Published: 20/01/2011

PHNOM PENH : Three of seven Thais arrested for illegal entry into Cambodia have appointed a third Cambodian lawyer hired by the Thai Patriots Network to help fight the charges against them.

The move comes amid speculation that the Phnom Penh Municipal Court might hand down its ruling on their case this coming Tuesday.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday he would call a meeting of appropriate agencies today to find ways to help the seven Thais, but he could not confirm the Cambodian court's ruling date because the government was still checking on it.

A leader of the Thai Patriots Network, Veera Somkwamkid; his secretary, Ratree Pipattanapaiboon; and Narumol Chitvarattana, another member of the network, yesterday approved a Cambodian lawyer hired by the network's legal team from Thailand to help represent them.

"They have already signed a consent form to give us permission to appoint one more Cambodian lawyer," said Nataporn Toprayoon, an adviser to the ombudsman and one of the three Thai legal advisers.

The advisers - Mr Nataporn, former Buri Ram senator Karun Saingarm and an academic at Thammasat University. ML Wanwipa Charoonroj - have been in Phnom Penh since Jan 9.

Mr Nataporn said the new lawyer was duty bound to submit all evidence from the Thai legal team to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court but was not allowed by the two other Cambodian lawyers hired by the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh to work with them.

The three suspects asked the Thai legal team to help defend them because they were not confident the embassy-appointed lawyers would be able to obtain enough evidence to help in their trial.

"We are confident that the Phnom Penh Municipal Court will accept our evidence and witnesses to confirm that Mr Veera was not actually arrested in Cambodia," Mr Nataporn said.

Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdee said the Bar Association of Cambodia was unhappy with the Thai Patriots Network's legal team from Thailand becoming involved in the case.

Cambodian law states lawyers must graduate as a barrister-at-law in Cambodia. This is why the network hired a Cambodian lawyer rather than Thais.

Mr Thani also denied confirming reports that the Cambodian court would rule on the seven Thais' fate on Feb 1.

Mr Veera, who is the only one of the seven Thais still being held in Prey Sar prison after his bail was denied by the Appeal Court last Tuesday, insisted on his innocence in talks with a Thai legal team when it visited him yesterday.

Mr Karun quoted Mr Veera as saying he denied the charges made against him. The former senator said Mr Veera, who has been charged with espionage as well as the illegal entry, was in good spirits.

"He asked me to tell the public that he will not accept any ruling by the Cambodian court because he believes that the court has no authority to decide the case. He insisted he was arrested in Thailand," Mr Karun said.

Cambodian New Car Sales Growing Too

via CAAI

19th of January 2011

Bogdan Popa

 

Yes, you've read it right, Cambodia has its very own auto industry and, although it's only about hundreds of vehicles sold every year, at least there is one. But what's more important is that Cambodia experienced an increase last year, a fact that lets those involved in the auto sector hope that even better figures can be achieved this year.

The local division of Toyota proudly said that it managed to reach its sales goal of 500 units in 2010 and announced that it expects to deliver around 600 vehicles this year.

“We met our target, which was slightly better compared to 2009. I did not see the industry change too much compared to a year earlier, however it did not move backward,” president Kong Nuon said, according to The Phnom Penh Post.

Chevrolet, which operates in Cambodia through importer Auto Sale, posted an increase of 22 percent as compared to the year before, while local importer Narita Motorcare Cambodia, which sells several Japanese models produced outside the country, experienced a growth of 15 percent in 2010. Ford is the only company that hasn't performed so well in 2010 because it hasn't managed to reach its goal of delivering 400 units in the calendar year that ended December 31.

Of course, all these figures mean nothing as compared to large markets such as China or the United States, but carmakers are injecting money into their local operations and, as far as they are concerned, the country is heading the right direction.

Thai FM thanks Cambodia for releasing six Thais on bail: Cambodian FM

via CAAI

January 19, 2011

Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong said Wednesday that his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya expressed thanks to Cambodia for releasing some of the seven detained Thais on bail.

During a meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat in Indonesia ended on Tuesday, "Mr. Kasit thanked Cambodia for releasing some of them on bail in recent days, " Hor Namhong told reporters on Wednesday.

"In the meeting, we also pledged to maintain currently good relations between the two countries, not allow the case of the seven Thais to affect the improving relations," he said.

"I told him that for the case of the seven Thais, Cambodia follows the legal procedures of the court based on Cambodia's immigration law, without any animosity towards the Thai people," said Namhong. "He also agreed with me."

The seven arrested Thais include a Democrat Member of Parliament for Bangkok Panich Wikitsate and Veera Somkwamkid, Thailand Patriot Network core member.

They were arrested on Dec. 29, last year by Cambodian border protection troops for illegal entry into Cambodian territory in Banteay Meanchey province.

So far, six of them have been released on bail by Cambodian court, except Veera Somkwamkid remains in custody awaiting trial as he was applied an additional charge by Cambodian court for attempt in "collecting information which might damage to Cambodia' s national security". The charge faces up to ten years imprisonment if found guilty.

Source:Xinhua

Cambodia denies action to block critical web blog

via CAAI

January 19, 2011

The Cambodian government has denied that action was taken against critical web blog that runs from overseas.

Khieu Kanharith, minister of information and the government's spokesman said Wednesday that no action was taken against KI-Media, a web blog which is critical to the government.

He said he still can access to the web as of Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, local media Cambodian Express News reported a few users of EZECOM internet service provider, one of the country's internet services are complaining they are not able to access to the website, quoting a source as saying all websites with BlogSpot which includes KI-Media are blocked by the Interior Ministry.

But, spokesman of Interior Ministry could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

KI-Media which runs from overseas is considered by some readers as a critical blog against the Cambodian government which often carries articles touching on corruption, poverty among others.

No one could confirm whereabouts KI-Media is exactly operated, except saying it is run from overseas.

Source:Xinhua

Three arrested after Cambodia acid attack: police

http://news.asiaone.com/

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AFP

PHNOM PENH - Three people have been arrested for an attack in which two women were splashed with acid, in the country's first such incident of the year, police said Wednesday.

One of the victims, a 27-year-old garment worker, remains in hospital with serious burns to her face, eyes and body, said Kong Sam Orn, a deputy police chief of Phnom Penh's Meanchey district.

The other woman, the driver of the motorcycle on which the two were riding at the time of the attack, suffered leg and arm injuries.

Police said Tuesday's attack was carried out by two brothers and came just one day after the older sibling's wife had a work-related argument with the 27-year-old victim.

"The attack stemmed from the dispute," Kong Sam Orn said, adding that police believed the wife, who was also arrested, had masterminded the crime.

Acid attacks are a common form of revenge in Cambodia where corrosive liquid is easily and cheaply available and attackers are rarely brought to justice.

In an effort to curb the violence, the Cambodian government has drafted legislation that would regulate sales of acid and impose harsher sentences on perpetrators.

Under the new law, expected to be approved later this year, attackers could face 20 years to life in prison.

While there are no official statistics, the Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity (CASC) recorded 19 attacks in 2010, which injured more than 30 people.

"Just a handful of those cases resulted in arrests," said CASC programme manager Chhun Sophea.

Cambodia's mobile phone users top 9.8 mln by end of 2010

via CAAI

January 19, 2011

PHNOM PENH, Jan 19, 2011 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The number of mobile phone users in Cambodia has increased by 55 percent to 9.8 million in 2010 if compared to 2009 thanks to bigger extent of economy and increasing business activities, So Khun, minister of post and telecommunication said on Wednesday.

"By the end of last year, 9.8 million or 66 percent of the total 14.7 million Cambodian people have been using mobile phones," he told reporters.

The number of mobile phone users in Cambodia has steadily increased from 3.8 million in 2008 to 6.3 million in 2009 and up to 9.8 million by last year.

"It's sharply up in the past few years and the rise is expected to continue in coming years," he said. "This reflects the progress in scope and scale of telecommunication sector in Cambodia." So far the coverage services of mobile phone reached up to 80 percent of the whole country, he added.

Cambodia currently has nine mobile phone operators with Mobitel, owned by a local tycoon Kith Meng of Royal Group, leading the sector and followed by Vietnam's owned Metfone, and the other seven are Hello, Mfone, Star Cell, Beeline, Smart Phone, QB, and Excell.

Due to tough competition in the sector in the last two years, Smart Mobile and Star-Cell in December last year announced their consolidation under Smart Mobile to become one of the market leaders. The official consolidation will be begun from March, 2011.

In 2010, the ministry earned 19.5 million U.S. dollars from postal sector and revenue sharing from the nine mobile phone operators, said So Khun.

Hun Sen Defends Closure of UN Refugee Center

Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Wednesday, 19 January 2011

via CAAI

Photo: AP

Montagnards from neighbouring Vietnam await registration by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees staff in Korng village, Ratanakiri province, in 2004

" ... there is no refugee issue. That’s why the government has decided to close the camp.”

The Cambodian government is defending its position to close a UN refugee center in Phnom Penh that had been used to give asylum to Montagnards from Vietnam.

In a Jan. 14 letter addressed to six US congressmen, Prime Minister Hun Sen says Cambodia extended its cooperation beyond a five-year agreement with the UNHCR and Vietnam.

“The [memorandum of understanding] covers only 750 Montagnards for temporary facility at the time of the signing,” Hun Sen says in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by VOA Khmer. “Many more cases have been processed, with up to 932 Montagnards having been given refugee status and resettlement in third countries.”

Hun Sen was responding to concerns raised by the US lawmakers as the refugee center nears its closing date, Feb. 15. Seventy-six Montagnards remain at the center.

In December, the lawmakers, led by House Republican Frank Wolf, of Virginia, expressed concern for the fate of the remaining Montagnards, a group that was an ally of the US in its war with Vietnam.

Cambodia’s ambassador to the US, Hem Heng, said Vietnam presented no reason for concern.

“Vietnam is a peaceful country with a growing economy,” he said. “It has no war. Therefore, there are no refugees. There is no refugee issue. That’s why the government has decided to close the camp.”

However, under it’s UN obligations, the US lawmakers wrote, Cambodia is “prohibited from forcibly expelling or returning refugees to territories where they may face persecution.”

The congressmen cited as an example for concern the forced deportation of 20 Muslim minority Uighurs to China in December 2009 and said they had “ample reason” to believe the Montagnards could face persecution in Vietnam.

In his response, Hun Sen said Montagnards who failed in their refugee attempts and were sent back to Vietnam “have been reintegrated into society without any oppression or persecution.”

A source close to the situation said Saturday only 65 of the remaining 76 Montagnards would be given refugee status. Those who are not granted the status will be returned to Vietnam.

Graft Arrests Prompt Questions of ACU Motive

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Wednesday, 19 January 2011

via CAAI

Photo: VOA Khmer

Cambodia's Ministry of the Interior in Phnom Penh.

“If it’s an internal dispute or twisting within the internal party, we could see this as a beginning of a fracture.”

The recent corruption arrests of four policemen within the ruling Cambodian People’s Party have raised questions of whether there is friction within the party or whether the new Anti-Corruption Unit is flexing new muscles.

The police officials, who were arrested for corruption in connection with drug trafficking, were arrested in recent weeks following an investigation by the ACU, which is headed by a senior adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen, Om Yentieng.

Kem Sokha, president of the Human Rights Party, a minority opposition, said time will tell.

“If it’s an internal dispute or twisting within the internal party, we could see this as a beginning of a fracture,” he said. On the other hand, if it is the “true will” of the government, it’s a “good matter” for Cambodians, he said.

Those arrested were Moek Dara, former secretary-general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs; Hun Hean, former police chief of Banteay Meanchey province; his deputy, Chheang Son; and Chea Leang, an official in the Ministry of Interior’s anti-drug office.

Moek Dara is a former police chief of Battambang province, a political stronghold of Interior Minister Sar Kheng. Hun Hean was once Sar Kheng’s chief bodyguard.

In a ceremony in Prey Veng province, Sar Kheng denied the arrests had targeted anyone by affiliation.

“I think everyone must follow the law and respect the law in fulfilling their duty,” he was quoted saying in the Cambodia Daily. “If anyone commits wrongdoing, that person must face legal action.”

However, Chan Saveth, chief investigator for the rights group Adhoc, said the arrests did follow officials promoted through a political channel. He cautioned against the ACU “bringing the political process” into investigation of “to show off to the public.”

On Patrol, Forest Rangers as Teachers and the Law

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Wednesday, 19 January 2011

via CAAI

Photo: AP

Wildlife ranger Tep Borin positions a camera trap in Virachey National Park. Like an automatic door at the supermarket, the trap uses an infrared beam that, when crossed, takes a photo of unsuspecting animals.

“The people here are now better aware of the importance of the forest and consequences of forest crimes.”

On a recent afternoon, a patrol of armed forest rangers came across three teenage boys in the forest of the Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary.

The rangers, who work for the government but are bolstered by a conservation group, jumped out at the boys and told them to stop. They had them lace their fingers behind their heads and sit on the grassy trail for questioning.

A slingshot was confiscated. The boys were questioned about axes, timber, wildlife, and the oil of the “meas prov” tree, which is used in the manufacture of illicit drugs. Where do you live, the rangers asked. Why are you here?

The boys said they had come to gather timber, and that, yes, they knew it was a crime but that they needed money for their education.

The lead ranger, a thirtysomething named Rong Pheak, decided the captives should sign a form promising not to break the law in the sanctuary and be released with a warning.

Rong Pheak says it is the rangers’ job to look for illegal activity and make arrests when necessary—they have police jurisdiction in the park—but also to educate villagers, like these, on the law.

When the three boys had bounded down the trail for home, the rangers continued their patrol, into the Samkos mountains and the sanctuary, which spans 330,000 hectares across the provinces of Battambang, Koh Kong and Pursat.

Not all encounters go so easy. The rangers face the prospect of men armed with axes or chainsaws or guns, far in the forest.

The rangers work for the Ministry of Environment, supported by Fauna and Flora International. They have an FFI technical adviser, a former US Special Forces soldier, and salary subsidies to curb the temptation of corruption. They have old guns and few bullets, but they take on frequent patrols for up to five days at a time or more, in search of poachers and loggers.

The FFI ranger program has been ongoing for more than five years, and the rangers now say they are seeing some results. However, challenges remain before they can truly protect the forest.

On a recent weekend, a team of rangers hauled their packs and rusting rifles through the jungle, up a steep mountain, to camp near a stream. They walked mostly in silence, listening for the telltale signs of chainsaws in the woods and looking for side trails that could mark new snares or logging operations.

“Forest crimes have been on the decrease, and so is illegal wildlife hunting,” says Rong Pheak, head of the Samlout district ranger station, sitting near a forest stream on Phnom Samkos mountain. “The people here are now better aware of the importance of the forest and consequences of forest crimes.”

A similar ranger team arrested a group of three illegal loggers on the Pursat side of the sanctuary earlier this month, sending them to jail, where they were charged and are awaiting trial.

But the sanctuary is huge, with steep terrain and deep forests that make patrols difficult and sometimes allow perpetrators to escape. Established in 1993, the sanctuary is home to about 11,000 people, 200 species of birds, and 60 different mammals.

Chad Williams, FFI’s technical director for the program, says the patrols are having an impact, whether in arrests, destroyed equipment or simple deterrence.

“In the last two months, we destroyed over 600 snares and traps that were set for wildlife,” he says at the Samlout station after a two-day patrol. “We're continually encountering illegal loggers and destroying and confiscating their chainsaws and also luxury timber that would have been hauled out of the sanctuary.”

However, rangers say the sanctuary is still under threat of logging and hunting, especially from clear-cutting and the occupation of land. There are too few of them to patrol the whole area, they say. And at times, they run into other obstacles, including soldiers near the Thai border.

“When we’re informed of illegal logging in a certain area, we rush there immediately, but before we can get there, we have to ask permission from the commander there,” says Nov Uok, a ranger team leader. “So we can’t crack down on the offenders in time, since they’ve already learned about our coming.”

In the past, other arrests have led to naught, with offenders released from jail without punishment.

“Sometimes they come back and laugh at us for a few days after we’ve arrested them and sent them to court,” Nov Uok says. “We’ve been very discouraged by this.”

Investigation Opened into ‘Jailed’ Policeman’s Car Crash

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Wednesday, 19 January 2011

via CAAI

Photo: AP

A truck carries logs on a rural road is seen in this July, 2002 photo taken in Preah Vihear province some 245 kilometers (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh.

“This week, we will open the investigation.”

The prison department of the Ministry of Interior has opened an investigation into a car accident involving a Ratanakkiri official who was supposed to be in jail last week.

Yoeung Baloung, the former police chief of Ratanakkiri province, who was supposed to be serving 13 years on charges related to illegal logging, was reportedly in a collision following an evening of carousing in Ratanakkiri province’s O’Chum district on Saturday.

“This week, we will open the investigation,” Heng Hak, director of the prison department, told VOA Khmer.

Heng Hak said he had received information that the director of the Ratanakkiri provincial prison, Ngin Nhel, had allowed Yoeung Baloung to leave the prison for medical purposes.

He declined to speculate as to why Yoeung Baloung was at a celebration or in a car accident, but said his department will begin an inquiry.

Ngin Nhel did not respond to repeated phone calls Wednesday.

Adhoc investigator Pen Bunna said Yoeung Baloung had appeared at a traditional Tampoung hill tribe ceremony on the night of Jan. 15, where he drank traditional wine before climbing into a car, alone.

Witnesses told Adhoc he drove erratically a short distance before striking a motorbike with three passengers. Toeung Baloung then drove off and has “disappeared,” Pen Bunna said.

The collision injured all three people, who are recovering in a hospital across the Vietnamese border, according to family members and Adhoc.

Sam Keo, 19, and his brother, Thang Pich, 21, were injured, along with motorcycle taxi driver Chheng Nguon, 40.

Sok Vuthy, the 36-year-old uncle of Sam Keo and Thang Pich, said he wanted Yoeung Baloung held responsible.

“I want Yoeung Baloung to cure the victims until they are healthy,” he said.

Blockage of blog denied

via CAAI

Wednesday, 19 January 2011 21:19 Meas Sokchea and Summer Walker

The government has denied that it has ordered local internet service providers to block a domain hosting controversial antigovernment news blog KI-Media, amid reports customers of the Ezecom ISP were unable to access the site today.

A customer service representative for Ezecom, contacted by The Post today, confirmed that his manager told him to block access to the website, saying the government had informed them to shut it down.

Naly Pilorge, director of the rights group Licadho, said her staff could not access any sites on KI-Media’s blogspot.com domain through Ezecom as of this morning, and she had received similar complaints from about 15 others Ezecom customers as early as Tuesday.

She said a customer service representative had also informed her that an unidentified government ministry asked the firm to block the site on Tuesday, due the highly critical commentary posted on the website.

There have been no reports of other ISPs blocking the domain.

Ezecom CEO Paul Blanche-Horgan said he was unaware that any actions had been taken today to shut off access to the website, forwarding questions to the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.

Government officials contacted today also denied any action to block KI-Media.

“The ministry of posts and telecommunications did not attempt to shut them [KI media] down,” Minister of Posts and Telecommunications So Khun told reporters today.

He said, however, that the government had to “make sure that what is on the website is true” and ensure it doesn’t post any lewd images.

When contacted today, Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said he did not know whether the government had ordered Ezecom to block the blogspot.com domain, but added that KI-Media deserved to be shut down.

“I don’t know, but it should be closed,” he said, due to its strong criticisms of the government.

Government spokesman and Information Minister Khieu Kanharith could not be reached for comment today.

Naly Pilorge from Licadho said that if the reports that the government had blocked the site were true, it would mark a significant narrowing of the space for public debate.

“This is a critical moment towards censorship and more repression,” she said.

“Free access to information is vital to any functioning democracy.”

KI-Media last made headlines in December, when Seng Kunnaka, a security guard employed by the United Nations World Food Programme, was charged with incitement and jailed for six months after he showed colleagues an article printed from the website.

Following Seng Kunnaka’s conviction, Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan told The Post that the article had referred to Prime Minister Hun Sen and Var Kimhong, the senior minister in charge of border affairs, as “traitors”.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SAMOEURN SAMBATH

Fresh water for relocation sites

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

Seng Da, 33, a former resident of Phnom Penh’s Dey Krahorm community, draws water from a drum at the Damnak Trayeung relocation site today.

via CAAI

Wednesday, 19 January 2011 20:51 May Titthara and Rebecca Puddy

Potable water will finally be available to 5,000 families living at three relocation sites on the outskirts of Phnom Penh through a World Bank-funded project to bring clean water to the poor.

Ek Sun Can, director general of the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority, said the US$400,000 project will extend water supply pipes to Kraing Angran, Traipang Thloueng and Damnak Trayeung villages, bringing affordable, clean water to their homes.

“When they get clean water for use, the villagers will be healthy, their children will have time to go to school, they will not go to get water far from their home, and they will also not pay a lot of money,” Ek Sun Can said.

The villages, formed following mass evictions from the city to make way for new developments, have limited access to basic services and infrastructure.

Inhabitants of the three villages now rely on regular deliveries of water brought in by a private company that charges 3,000 riel (about $0.75) per cubic metre of water.

Those who cannot afford such an expense gather polluted water from nearby water catchments.

Chan Vichet, a former resident from Phnom Penh’s Dey Krahorm community, which was violently evicted in January 2009, said the project had been a long time coming.

“Currently we use a private water supplier but they sell it at a high price ... so villagers can’t afford enough water to use,” Chan Vichet said.

While he welcomes the plans to bring water to his poverty-stricken village, he is concerned that corrupt low-level officials will take advantage of the opportunity to request money from the villagers.

Corruption is not foreign to the World Bank’s $13.22 million provincial and peri-urban water and sanitation project, under which this venture is funded.

In a May 2010 report, the bank stated that three projects in Cambodia, including the elements of the PPUWSP managed by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, were suspended after allegations of corruption were substantiated.

Bou Saroeun, media relations officer for the World Bank, said 10 communities in Cambodia had benefited from the World Bank-funded Clean Water for the Poor programme, with an expected 16,217 poor households to benefit from the infrastructure.

Pao Bunthoeun, a former Sambok Chab leader who was evicted to Kraing Angran in June 2006, said he was pleased by the news as the private company was expensive and affected villagers’ quality of life.

“Using the state’s water supply can make the villagers’ standard of living better, as now when they are cooking they have to buy a bucket of water,” he said.

Am Sam Ath, senior investigator for rights group Licadho, said villagers who had been evicted from central Phnom Penh would not be able to afford the newly supplied water if the middle-man jacks up the price.

“It is very good the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority has promised to supply them with clean water, but they should reduce the cost of water as [the villagers] are poor people,” Am Sam Ath said.

The project is slated for completion by June of this year.

Crackdown on doggie do

Photo by: Pha Lina

A woman takes her dogs for a toilet break on the lawn outside the National Museum in central Phnom Penh today.

via CAAI

Wednesday, 19 January 2011 19:36 Mom Kunthear

Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema has warned that dog owners will face fines if they allow their dogs to defecate in public gardens in the capital.

“The flowers will be destroyed if the dogs roam the gardens. Our lawns are for the people to exercise, not for the dogs,” he said at a meeting of the municipal Department of Public Works and Transport on Monday.

Kep Chuktema added that in some other countries, dog owners must carry plastic bags with them in order to pick up after their pets, risking fines if they fail to comply.

The city now has a strategy of hiring private security guards to watch over the greenery.

Sam Samuth, an official at the Department of Public Works, said today that there are security officers who stand in the city’s gardens to prevent dogs from stepping on flowers or defiling the gardens.

However, the governor said on Monday that private security guards are often afraid of dog owners because they are generally well off.

“Some dog owners threaten the guards when they attempt to chase away the dogs,” Kep Chuktema said.

He expressed hope that under the new regulations, dog owners will take responsibility rather than chase off the guards. He did not indicate how much dog owners will be fined for breaching the new guidelines.

RCAF forced to declare assets

via CAAI

Wednesday, 19 January 2011 20:19 Vong Sokheng

Defence Minister Tea Banh has announced that high-ranking officials in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces will be required to submit asset declarations to the government’s Anticorruption Unit next month.

“We can’t now say how many members of the RCAF will be required to make an asset declaration, but individual military officials who were appointed by royal decree and subdecree will be required to declare their assets,” Tea Banh said at an annual military review at the Royal Cambodian Navy headquarters on Tuesday.

Under new anticorruption legislation passed in March, senior officials will be required to declare their personal assets by February 28, part of a bid to fight endemic levels of graft.

Nhem Ponharith, spokesman for the Human Rights Party, said that unofficial estimates indicate there are about 1,000 high-ranking officials in the RCAF.

“We have never received an official number of appointed generals in the Ministry of Defence,” he said.

A senior military official, who declined to be named, also put the number of colonels and generals at about 1,000.

Sar Sambath, a permanent member of the ACU, said today that the unit had increased the estimated number of senior government officials required to submit asset declarations from 100,000 to about 150,000.

“Our proceedings of asset declarations are going smoothly and our teams are working hard to ensure that the asset declaration package is managed safely and properly,” he said.

“The ACU continues to conduct workshops with government ministries about the anticorruption law.”

On Tuesday, Tea Banh also appealed to senior RCAF officials to abstain from illegal activities such as human and drug trafficking.

“The RCAF has to get away from corruption,” he said.

The comments were made after the arrests last week of Moek Dara, the former secretary general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, and Chea Leng, former chief of the anti-drug office at the Ministry of Interior.

The pair were implicated by former Banteay Meanchey provincial police chief Hun Hean and his deputy, Chheang Sun, who were arrested earlier last week.

Fugitive in kidnap case behind bars

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Wednesday, 19 January 2011 20:11 Chhay Channyda

A fugitive convicted in absentia last year for his role in the 2009 abduction of a senior military official’s daughter was sent to Siem Reap provincial prison today following his arrest in Phnom Penh.

Chok Channy, 26, was arrested at a garage shop along National Road 5 in Russei Keo district at about 5pm on Tuesday, Kheng Tito, spokesman for the National Military Police, said today.

Chok Channy will serve 17 years, he said.

Chok Channy is the fifth person jailed for the March 6, 2009 abduction of 16-year-old Morn Charkriya, the daughter of Siem Reap provincial military police chief Morn Samon.

Four others involved in the abduction and extortion attempt received 15-year sentences in June last year and are now behind bars.

A sixth person who was also convicted and sentenced to 17 years jail remains at large.

“We had two men to arrest, but now we arrested one and the other is Soy Khna,” said Kheng Tito.

Morn Charkriya was released the day after her kidnapping following private negotiations between her parents and the kidnappers.

Sou Phirin, Siem Reap provincial governor, said at the time that they met the plotters’ ransom demand, which included money and the release from custody of a suspected co-conspirator.

Local media reported that the kidnappers demanded US$150,000 and the release of a co-conspirator, but that Morn Samon negotiated the price down to $80,000.

Chok Channy fled after the incident, but the provincial court issued a warrant on June 16, which helped secure his arrest, Kheng Tito said.

Morn Samon said today he was aware that Chok Channy had been apprehended, but did not know further details about the status of the case.

He said authorities had detained five kidnappers at the time but released an underage suspect.

Provincial prosecutor Touch Chanphakdey could not be reached today.

Acid attack leaves two in hospital

via CAAI

Wednesday, 19 January 2011 18:32 Mom Kunthear and Brooke Lewis

Police have arrested two men accused of seriously injuring two women in an acid attack outside a restaurant in Meanchey district at about 9pm on Tuesday, officials said.

Kong Samon, deputy district police chief, said a woman who ordered the attack was also arrested.

The two male suspects, who fled the scene of the crime, were identified by witnesses and arrested about two hours after the incident, Kong Samon said.

“We arrested and sent them to the police station for questioning and maybe we will send them to the municipal court tomorrow evening,” he said today.

He said the two victims were riding a motorbike when they were attacked by the men, who were also on a motorbike.

“The suspects poured acid on the victims because the wife of one suspect argued with one of the victims,” he said, adding that the victims and the wife of one of the suspects worked together at a garment factory.

Kong Samon said the suspects had confessed to the attack, with one explaining that he had been “very angry” with one of the victims.

Chhun Sophea, programme manager at the Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity, said the victims, 24-year-old Rin Soklim and 26-year-old Seng Touch, were attacked “over a small rivalry” with the woman who ordered the assault.

She said Seng Touch, who is being treated at Calmette hospital, had received serious injuries in the attack.

“She’s in a very bad state,” Chhun Sophea said. “She received burns to her face and eyes and all over her body.”

She said the other victim received less severe burns to her right arm and leg, but might still require surgery.

She said the attack was the first case of acid violence reported this year.

Last year, she said, CASC recorded a total of 19 new attacks and 36 new burn victims.

An additional 34 victims burned in previous years also reported their cases last year, she added, bringing to 70 the total number of victims recorded by the organisation over the course of 2010.

AKP - Agent Kampuchea Press

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Japan To Establish Motor Assembling Plant in Cambodia

Phnom Penh, January 19, 2011 AKP – Japan’s MINEBEA Co., Ltd. will establish a motor assembling plant in Cambodia in contribution to developing the country’s economy and human resources.

Mr. Yoshihisa Kainuma Minebea, president of MINEBEA, informed Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen of his company’s investment project during a meeting here on Tuesday, Ieng Sophalet, assistant to the Cambodian premier told reporters after the meeting.

The new Cambodian plant will assemble motors using parts/components supplied by Minebea plants in China, Malaysia and Thailand.

In reply, Samdech Techo Hun Sen welcomed the investment project and recommended the Japanese company to cooperate with relevant institutions in Cambodia, especially with the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training and the National Training Center as well as Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in selecting and training labor force. –AKP

By LIM Nary

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DPM Hor Namhong: Release on Bail of Six Thai Detainees Is Purely Court’s Procedure

Phnom Penh, January 19, 2011 AKP – The release on bail of six Thai detainees is purely the court’s procedure, said here today Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Hor Namhong upon his meeting with visiting Colombian Foreign Minister Mrs. Maria Angela Holguin.

“The release does not happen after the meeting between me and Thai Foreign Minister H.E. Kasit Piromya in Indonesia,” he stressed.

H.E. Hor Namhong, also minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, further said that on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Indonesia, he met with his Thai counterpart and they agreed not to let the current situation affect the good relations between the two neighboring countries.

“I told H.E. Kasit that what we did is according to the court’s procedure, we have no ill will against Thailand or we do not seek revenge against the Thais,” he said, adding that H.E. Kasit even thanked us for granting bail to the six Thai detainees.

Seven Thais were arrested on Dec. 29, 2010 by Cambodian border protection troops for illegal entry into Cambodian territory in Banteay Meanchey province and then charged for illegal entry into Cambodia and unlawful entry into military zone.

Regarding the meeting with his Columbian foreign minister, H.E. Hor Namhong said he informed Mrs. Maria Angela Holguin of the situation in Cambodia, from the collapse of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979, to the Paris Peace Accords and the Win-Win policy of Premier Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, which brought about full peace, national unification and reconciliation to the country.

Mrs. Maria Angela Holguin, who is in her first-ever visit to Cambodia, said there are many things Colombia should learn from Cambodia.

Both sides also agreed to do their best to strengthen the relationship and cooperation in all domains between the two countries.

Concerning East Timor’s application to be an ASEAN member, the Cambodian foreign minister said as the country is located in Southeast Asia, its application is automatically supported by Cambodia, but we (the ASEAN member countries) have not discussed about it yet. We will discuss in the future and the problem is the benefits to ASEAN and to East Timor itself when the country becomes an ASEAN member. –AKP

Article in Khmer by CHIM Nary

Article in English by SOKMOM Nimul

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Cambodia, Myanmar Sign Direct Flight Agreement

Phnom Penh, January 19, 2011 AKP – Cambodia and Myanmar have reached an agreement on direct flights from Yangon to Siem Reap province.

The agreement was signed here on Jan. 18 by Cambodian Tourism Minister H.E. Thong Khon and his Burmese counterpart on the sidelines of the 30th ASEAN Tourism Forum hosted by Cambodia.

The Yangon-Siem Reap direct flights will begin on Feb. 23, 2011 with two flights weekly, said the Cambodian tourism minister, adding that the establishment of direct flights between Cambodia and Myanmar is in line with ASEAN strategy on regional connectivity.

The Myanmar-Cambodia direct flights will help attract more foreign tourists to Cambodia. “Rice is white gold, while tourism is green gold,” H.E. Thong Khon said.

Last year, some 2.5 million foreign tourists visited Cambodia, or an increase of 16 percent as compared with 2009. –AKP

By SOKMOM Nimul

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Four More Thais Released On Bail

Phnom Penh, January 19, 2011 AKP – Cambodia’s Court of Appeal decided on Jan. 18 to release four Thai detainees on bail awaiting their trail in later day already specified, while the remaining one was denied for his bail request.

The lawyers of the five Thai detainees submitted their requests on bail to the Cambodian Appeal Court after Phnom Penh Municipal Court refused them to leave on bail.

The court hearing was attended by local and foreign journalists with the participation from representatives of Thai Embassy in Cambodia.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court decided on Jan. 13 to release on bail two of the seven arrested Thais on health ground.

The one remaining in custody is Veera Somkwamkid, who leads a People’s Alliance of Democrats group called the Thailand Patriot Netwok who was facing an additional charge which was mentioned as his attempt in collecting information which might damage to Cambodia’s national security.

The seven Thais were arrested on Dec. 29, 2010 by Cambodian border protection troops for illegal entry into Cambodian territory in Banteay Meanchey province and then charged for illegal entry into Cambodia and unlawful entry into military zone. –AKP

By THOU Peou

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Cambodian PM: ATF 2011 Is an Exceptional Opportunity for ASEAN Countries

Phnom Penh, January 19, 2011 AKP – The ASEAN Tourism Forum 2011 (ATF 2011) is a good opportunity for the ASEAN member countries and their partners to promote different fields and to alleviate poverty, said here yesterday Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

“I am strongly convinced that ATF 2011 is an exceptional opportunity for us not only to inform the world of Cambodia’s as well as ASEAN’s tourism products, but also to enhance and show the importance of tourism and to continue to promote this field, so as to contribute to socio-economic development, the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals and the poverty reduction in the region and the world,” said the Cambodian premier at the official opening ceremony of ATF 2011 held on Jan. 18 at Koh Pich Convention and Exhibition Centre, Phnom Penh.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen also believed that all relevant parties, both public and private sectors, will strengthen their cooperation to promote tourism development in ASEAN.

Cambodia has been hosting ATF 2011 from Jan. 15 to 21 under the theme of “ASEAN-A World of Wonders and Diversity”, during which the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2011-2015 was adopted by the ASEAN Tourism Ministers.

The Cambodian government has been paying high attention and giving its full support to the development of tourism industry, considering it as a priority among the ten priority areas for social building and poverty reduction, underlined Samdech Techo Hun Sen.

He further highly evaluated the effective contribution of tourism in increasing regional demands and exportation, the main factors to promote macroeconomic growth, social development and poverty alleviation.

According to preliminary figures, ASEAN attracted more than 65 million visitors last year, posting a healthy 12 percent growth. Intra-ASEAN travel continued to be a major share of tourists, making up 45 percent of total international arrivals.

For its part, Cambodia received some 2.5 million foreign tourists last year, or an increase of 16 percent as compared with 2009, while the number of local tourists reached more than 7 million in 2010, or an increase of 7 percent as compared with the previous year. –AKP

By SOKMOM Nimul