7 January is a remembering day or the day to celebrate the communist party after the fall of communist Khmer Rouge?

Thank you 7 January, the day that all Khmer peoples get off the tiger's mouth then fall into crocodile's mouth. (Picture: Sacravatoons)

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (L) and his wife Bunrany clap as they meet their supporters at their Cambodian People's Party headquarters in Phnom Penh January 7, 2008, to mark the 29th anniversary of the toppling of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime. Some 1.7 million people are believed to have died in the "Killing Fields" of the ultra-Maoist guerrillas, whose four year reign of terror was brought to an end in 1979 by invading troops from neighbouring Vietnam.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Cambodian Muslim supporters of Cambodian People's Party (CPP) attend a ceremony at the CCP headquarters in Phnom Penh, 07 January 2008. The CPP marked the 29th anniversary of the fall of the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge regime with Cambodia's powerful ruling party voicing its support for prosecuting leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime, but warning against politicising the country's genocide trials.(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (2nd R), his wife Bunrany (R), President of the Senate Chea Sim (C), Heng Samrin (2nd L) and his wife release doves at their Cambodian People's Party headquarters in Phnom Penh January 7, 2008, to mark the 29th anniversary of the toppling of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime. Some 1.7 million people are believed to have died in the "Killing Fields" of the ultra-Maoist guerrillas, whose four year reign of terror was brought to an end in 1979 by invading troops from neighbouring Vietnam.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (R) and his wife Bunrany (4th R) greet his supporters at their Cambodian People's Party headquarters in Phnom Penh January 7, 2008, to mark the 29th anniversary of the toppling of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime. Some 1.7 million people are believed to have died in the "Killing Fields" of the ultra-Maoist guerrillas, whose four year reign of terror was brought to an end in 1979 by invading troops from neighbouring Vietnam. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (front R), President of the Senate Chea Sim (front C) and President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin pray at their Cambodian People's Party headquarters in Phnom Penh January 7, 2008, to mark the 29th anniversary of the toppling of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime. Some 1.7 million people are believed to have died in the "Killing Fields" of the ultra-Maoist guerrillas, whose four year reign of terror was brought to an end in 1979 by invading troops from neighbouring Vietnam.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (R), President of the Senate Chea Sim (C) and President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin pray to Buddhists monks at the Cambodian People's Party headquarters in Phnom Penh January 7, 2008, to mark the 29th anniversary of the toppling of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime. Some 1.7 million people are believed to have died in the "Killing Fields" of the ultra-Maoist guerrillas, whose four year reign of terror was brought to an end in 1979 by invading troops from neighbouring Vietnam. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (R) greets his supporters at the Cambodian People's Party headquarters in Phnom Penh January 7, 2008, to mark the 29th anniversary of the toppling of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime. Some 1.7 million people are believed to have died in the "Killing Fields" of the ultra-Maoist guerrillas, whose four year reign of terror was brought to an end in 1979 by invading troops from neighbouring Vietnam. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Cambodia's ruling party warns against politicising genocide trials

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (L) and his wife Bounrany (R) greet supporters at the CCP headquarters in Phnom Penh, 07 January 2008. The CPP marked the 29th anniversary of the fall of the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge regime with Cambodia's powerful ruling party voicing its support for prosecuting leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime, but warning against politicising the country's genocide trials.(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodia's powerful ruling party Monday warned against politicising the country's genocide trials, while voicing its support for prosecuting leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the 29th anniversary of the ouster of the Khmer Rouge, Chea Sim, president of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), said he believed the trials had international backing.

But he also lashed out at "absent-minded elements" and "ill-willed political circles" who oppose efforts by Cambodia to reconcile after years of civil strife, which include trying those behind the Khmer Rouge killing fields.

"We condemn any acts to use the courts with the aim of creating instability or disrupting society," he said.

The five top surviving leaders of the regime, blamed for the deaths of up to two million people through overwork, execution or starvation between 1975 and 1979, were arrested last year by Cambodia's UN-backed genocide tribunal.

The first public trials are expected to be held this year, but the tribunal has been plagued over the last decade by delays amid concerns over political interference.Rights groups and some opposition politicians have accused the government of trying to derail the trials for fear of exposing atrocities committed by former regime cadres currently serving in Prime Minister Hun Sen's administration.

Hun Sen himself was a former Khmer Rouge military commander who later fled to Vietnam and returned as part of a Hanoi-backed military force that helped overthrow the regime in January 1979.

Newly appointed secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Newly appointed secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Surin Pitsuwan addresses a press conference after a ceremony in Jakarta. Thailand's former foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan was formally appointed as new secretary general of the ASEAN which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.(AFP/Ahmad Zamroni)

Pol Pot overthrown on this day in 1979

January 2008 02:12 FOCUS News Agency

Pol Pot overthrown on this day in 1979. Vietnamese troops seize the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, toppling the brutal regime of Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge.

The Khmer Rouge, organized by Pol Pot in the Cambodian jungle in the 1960s, advocated a radical Communist revolution that would wipe out Western influences in Cambodia and set up a solely agrarian society. In 1970, aided by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops, Khmer Rouge guerrillas began a large-scale insurgency against Cambodian government forces, soon gaining control of nearly a third of the country.

By 1973, secret U.S. bombings of Cambodian territory controlled by the Vietnamese Communists forced the Vietnamese out of the country, creating a power vacuum that was soon filled by Pol Pot's rapidly growing Khmer Rouge movement. In April 1975, the Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, overthrew the pro-U.S. regime, and established a new government, the Kampuchean People's Republic.

As the new ruler of Cambodia, Pol Pot set about transforming the country into his vision of an agrarian utopia. The cities were evacuated, factories and schools were closed, and currency and private property was abolished. Anyone believed to be an intellectual, such as someone who spoke a foreign language, was immediately killed. Skilled workers were also killed, in addition to anyone caught in possession of eyeglasses, a wristwatch, or any other modern technology. In forced marches punctuated with atrocities from the Khmer Rouge, the millions who failed to escape Cambodia were herded onto rural collective farms.

Between 1975 and 1978, an estimated two million Cambodians died by execution, forced labor, and famine. In 1978, Vietnamese troops invaded Cambodia, capturing Phnom Penh in early 1979. A moderate Communist government was established, and Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge retreated back into the jungle.

In 1985, Pol Pot officially retired but remained the effective head of the Khmer Rouge, which continued its guerrilla actions against the government in Phnom Penh. In 1997, however, he was put on trial by the organization after an internal power struggle ousted him from his leadership position. Sentenced to life imprisonment by a "people's tribunal," which critics derided as a show trial, Pol Pot later declared in an interview, "My conscience is clear." Much of the international community hoped that his captors would extradite him to stand trial for his crimes against humanity, but he died of apparently natural causes while under house arrest in 1998.

7 January

’The Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, was captured today, Vietnam and the insurgent front it is backing in Cambodia announced tonight.

The regime of dictatorial, militarist domination of the Pol Pot-Ieng Sary clique has completely collapsed, the radio announcement declared. Nothing was said about the whereabouts of Prime Minister Pol Pot and Deputy Prime Minister Ieng Sary.’ New York Times, 7 January 1979
Saloth Sar, better known as Pol Pot or Brother Number One, along with his Khmer Rouge regime was responsble for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979 (other estimates put it at some 25 per cent of the population). His ‘Year Zero’ vision of an agrarian economy was partly inspired by China’s Cultural Revolution.

‘There are no schools, faculties or universities in the traditional sense, although they did exist in our country prior to liberation, because we wish to do away with all vestiges of the past. There is no money, no commerce, as the state takes care of provisioning all its citizens. The cities have been resettled as this is the way things had to be.’ Pol Pot 1978

Consistently throughout the 1980s, the United States blocked international efforts to hold the Khmer Rouge guilty of genocide and declare Pol Pot a war criminal. It was only after an internal struggle among the remaining Khmer Rouge that Pol Pot was arrested in July 1997 and charged with treason. Sentenced to life under house arrest he later declared, ‘My conscience is clear.’

Cambodia observes anniversary of fall of Khmer Rouge

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (front R), President of the Senate Chea Sim (front C) and President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin pray at their Cambodian People's Party headquarters in Phnom Penh January 7, 2008, to mark the 29th anniversary of the toppling of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime. Some 1.7 million people are believed to have died in the "Killing Fields" of the ultra-Maoist guerrillas, whose four year reign of terror was brought to an end in 1979 by invading troops from neighbouring Vietnam.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Mon, 07 Jan 2008
Author : DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodia remembered the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime Monday with a celebration at the headquarters of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP). "Despite passing a period of 29 years, we all still remember the horrors caused during the period of three years, eight months and 20 days by Pol Pot's Democratic Kampuchea regime after it took power on April 17, 1975," CPP and Senate President Chea Sim said in a speech to about 5,000 CPP loyalists.

"They reduced the country's social infrastucture to complete ruin while depriving individuals of rights and freedoms and reducing them to slaves living inhumane lives," he added in a speech to mark the 1979 anniversary when Vietnamese-backed troops retook Phnom Penh.

For the second year in a row, Chea Sim reaffirmed the CPP's commitment to a UN-Cambodia tribunal established to try former Khmer Rouge leaders despite allegations by some groups that the CPP had tried to stall the hearings.

Five former Khmer Rouge leaders are in custody awaiting trial on charges of human rights abuses and war crimes. Hearings are hoped to get under way early this year, but those close to the court have already expressed concerns that the tribunal's 56-million-dollar budget would not be enough.

Many prominent CPP members are former Khmer Rouge who became disillusioned with the movement's ultra-Maoist policies, under which up to 2 million Cambodians perished.

Key CPP cadre, including Prime Minister Hun Sen, defected to Vietnam and returned with Vietnamese backing to oust the Khmer Rouge from power.

Other parties have accused the CPP of hijacking the anniversary, but CPP officials maintained many opposition leaders fled the civil war and were not in Cambodia at the time and so do not understand history accurately.

Cambodian leading micro credit bank to operate in Viet Nam

Vietnamese News Agency (VNA), January 6, 2008 Sunday

ACLEDA Bank Plc., Cambodia 's leading microfinance bank, plans to expand its operation to Viet Nam in the next five years, ACLEDA President and CEO In Channy said.

Earlier, the ACLEDA Bank Plc. was licensed by the Lao government to establish a branch in Laos .

The branch named ACLEDA Bank ( Laos ) Ltd. is expected to open in Vientiane in mid-2008, the President said, adding that branches will also be opened in Savannakhet and Pakse provinces of Laos .

ACLEDA Bank Plc. was established in January 1993 to support the development of micro and small enterprises. With 193 branch offices and 4,332 staff, the bank is active in 24 provinces and towns across Cambodia.

He survived "Killing Fields," now he wants to lead Cambodia

Daran Kravanh, center, visits with those attending his fundraiser including Sue Felix, right, of Port Orchard, Sunday January 6, 2008. Kravanh's plans to run for prime minister of Cambodia.(Janet Jensen/ The News Tribune)

By Steve Maynard; steve.maynard@thenewstribune.com
Published: January 6th, 2008

A Tacoma social worker wants to be elected prime minister of Cambodia. Impossible? Don’t mention that word to Daran Kravanh.

Kravanh survived and escaped the Khmer Rouge slaughter in Cambodia that killed his mother, father, six brothers and a sister.

After living in Tacoma since 1991, he wants to lead his homeland, challenging the regime of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

“I want to change the Cambodian society from bad to good,” Kravanh said.

His campaign had its first fundraiser Sunday in Tacoma at the Landmark Convention Center. Three young Cambodian women in colorful costumes honored him with traditional folk dances once reserved only for the Cambodian royal court.

About three dozen friends and supporters listened to his wife, Bree Kravanh, read from “Music Through the Dark,” her book about Kravanh’s account of surviving the Communist Killing Fields.

In between readings, Kravanh played the accordion, the instrument whose forbidden music he played to charm soldiers and somehow avoid death. And pausing often to rub his eyes, he talked of those terrible years when music was the only sanity amid the horror.

He recalled the words of a friend who was killed by the Khmer Rouge: “Play music. Music is powerful. Play until you die.”

Jarret McGill, who works with Kravanh at the state Department of Social and Health Services, was there to support his friend and contribute to his cause. “He’s probably the most giving person I’ve ever met,” he said. “He would be good for Cambodia.”

Chanday Nourn, a former Cambodian general and police officer who fled to America six years ago and now lives in Tacoma, said Kravanh has support locally, in Cambodia and elsewhere in the world.

Added Ted Savun, a former leader of the Cambodian association in Florida and now a community college instructor in Olympia: “Daran is the guy who likes human rights. He likes justice and freedom. He would go to Cambodia to free the country.”

Bringing change to his homeland means fighting poverty, adding jobs and promoting social justice, Kravahn said. And it means defeating Sen in the July 27 election.

Kravanh, 50, said he’s already an official candidate for prime minister, the country’s top elected position. He registered his own political party in Cambodia, the Khmer Anti-Poverty Party, with himself as its candidate.

On a visit to Cambodia last year, Kravanh said he gained the 6,000 registered supporters required to form the party. He spoke at a conference last April on the Khmer Rouge era.
Leading Buddhist monks told him then, “‘I want you to be a leader of this country,’” Kravanh said.

He’s opened a campaign office in a house in Phnom Penh.

Kravanh said there are at least two other serious candidates competing against Sen.

Kravanh’s trying to raise money to go back to Cambodia in February to have a convention for organizing his supporters and campaign. He plans to return in March for a debate. And then, he plans to go back in June and stay through the election. If he wins, he’ll stay in Cambodia and leave his job as a social worker for the state.

Kravanh has been a leader in Tacoma’s Cambodian community and has helped organized Bon Om Tuk, a water festival that honors Cambodia’s boat racing tradition.

Speaking forcefully during an interview, Kravanh explained why he’s running for prime minister.

He witnessed people suffer during the Khmer Rouge regime before it fell in 1979. More than 2 million Cambodians were killed or died of starvation or illness during the reign of Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge tyrant.

But still, Cambodia suffers from poverty. The United Nations says Cambodia is the eighth least-developed country in the world.

“I saw the people suffer,” Kravanh said. “I cannot stay still.”

Bree Kravanh wrote “Music Through the Dark” before she and Daran married a year ago – when her name was Bree Lafreniere. She overcame her own doubts about her husband’s dream of becoming prime minister of his homeland.

“At first, I thought this was impossible,” said Bree Kravanh, 48.

Now, she said, “There’s no other good candidate that’s speaking to what people want and need desperately.”

After Sunday’s event, Kravanh said his supporters will have fundraisers in Oregon and California.

Kravanh concedes his candidacy appears be a longshot.

“I’m not a politician,” Kravanh said. “I’m a peacemaker.”

“A lot of people laugh at me because I don’t have enough money,” he said.

“I have the capacity, I have the ability and I have the energy,” Kravanh said. “I will win.”

Steve Maynard: 253-597-8647

News Tribune staffer Mike Archbold contributed to this report.

Stuart back from Cambodia challenge

hampshire.net
By Ash Bolton

A HAMPSHIRE businessman has returned from a ten-day trip after helping to build a community centre in Cambodia.
Stuart Maggs, from Southampton, decided to take part in the charitable challenge on behalf of ActionAid with 21 other people from across the UK.

The 56-year-old travelled to the remote province of Banteay Meanchey in the north-west region of the country to help build two health and community centres.

The managing director of an alcohol import company spent his time digging, laying bricks and plastering while living closely with the local community.

Stuart, of Bassett Avenue, said: "I decided to take part in the challenge to give a community in Cambodia a better life. It was very rewarding and very humbling and I'm on top of the list to do it again this year."

ActionAid is now looking for more volunteers to take up the challenge to build vital family homes for the Kamaiya people and also have the chance to experience Nepalese culture and explore Kathmandu.

The charity works with local people in the poorest parts of the world, helping them to help themselves for their future.

For more information log on to , or call 01460 238047.

Sacravatoons: January 7th, Vietnamezation Day

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

Sacravatoons: 29th Anniversary of January 7th

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

Sacravatoons: Hun Xen's Evolution

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

Kirivong District Authorities of Takeo Arrest Officials of Civil Society Organization

6 January 2008.
The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 541

“Four civil society officials, who were seeking support from citizens with thumbprints for the adoption of an anti-corruption law, were arrested and sent by the authorities of Kirivong District, Takeo, to be questioned at the provincial security department.

“The arrest was conducted in Kirivong District, Takeo, while the four officials of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia [NICFEC] were seeking support from citizens for an anti-corruption law.

“Mr. Hang Puthea, the Executive Director of NICFEC, complained about the arrest, saying that it is an abuse, because he had gotten written permission from the Ministry of Interior and from the Takeo Governor for sending his staff members to perform such a mission.

“Mr. Hang Puthea said, ‘We know that this letter is valid for the mission; however, we don’t know why the provincial governor’s letter was not considered to be valid.

“The four agents of NECFEC who were arrested are Ms. Keo Kim Va, Mr. Chan Phanna, Mr. Chan Sovannara, and Mr. Im Vuthy. After the arrest in Kirivong, police sent the four of them to the provincial security office, but then released them only in the evening of the same day.

“Mr. Chrea Chreang, an investigating official of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights [LICADHO] in Takeo, said that the arrest caused fear to other staff members who are on mission in the province. Moreover, it is an abuse, because the police did not listen to the intervention by human rights officials who were there.

“Mr. Chrea Chreang said, ‘We talk about this issue [of an anti-corruption law], there is nothing wrong with this, they are NGO staff; they are not party activists.’

“Mr. Meas Sophon, Kirivong District Police Inspector, made up an excuse, saying that it was not an arrest – they were just brought to be questioned for trying to persuade citizens to give their thumbprints, and this activity was beyond the permission given by a letter from the provincial governor, which allowed only to ask for support.

“Mr. Meas Sophon said, ‘The governor allowed to promote support, why did they ask for thumbprints?’

“Ms. Keo Kim Va was hesitant to give an interview to journalists after having been held; it seemed that there was hidden fear.”

Sralanh Khmer, Vol.3, #592, 5.1.2008

Foreign tourist arrivals in Cambodia to increase by 20% on annual basis

2008-01-07

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Foreign tourist arrivals in Cambodia will increase by 20 percent on annual basis in the upcoming decade, local Chinese-language newspaper the Commercial News on Monday quoted an industry report as saying.

Cambodia saw some two million foreign tourist arrivals in 2007,a 20 percent rise over 2006, and the expansion rate is expected to maintain, said the report from the Cambodian Association of Travel Agencies.

Most of the tourists were Japanese, Chinese, Americans, South Koreans and French people, said the report, adding that the industry earned some 140 million U.S. dollars in 2007, accounting for almost 10 percent of the kingdom's gross national products.

Meanwhile, another Chinese-language newspaper the Jianhua Dailyon Monday quoted industry official as saying that Cambodia will have three million foreign tourist arrival in 2010 and five million in 2015.

Tourism has been one of Cambodia's triple pillar industries. The Angkor Wat historical park in Siem Reap province, the beach in Sihanoukville municipality and the Royal Palace in capital city Phnom Penh are the main attractions for foreign tourists.

Cambodia suffers worst dengue epidemic, 407 dead

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia suffered its worst ever outbreak of dengue fever last year and it killed 407 people, most of them children, the highest toll in nearly a decade.

Dengue, which causes fever, headaches and agonising muscle and joint pains, had infected nearly 40,000 people since the first outbreaks last May, Ngan Chantha, director of the Health Ministry's anti-dengue programme, said on Friday.

"It is the worst number of infectious cases ever in Cambodia," he said, noting the disease infected 16,000 people and killed 424 in 1998.

Thousands of sick children sought free treatment at four Swiss-funded hospitals last year, but doctors said they did not have enough resources to treat everyone.

The World Bank, the World Health Organization and the Red Cross have provided pesticides to kill mosquitoes, while the Asian Development Bank (ADB) gave $300,000 to the anti-dengue programme.

Cambodia, whose health care system was devastated in 30 years of civil war, spends about $3 per person on health a year, according to the World Bank.

Plan to save Cambodia's sinking Angkor

ABC Radio Australia
07/01/2008,

Cambodia is hoping to use a 1000-year-old water system at the country's Angkor temples to prevent the world heritage site from sinking.

Scientists say if unregulated pumping of water from beneath the temples continues, the monuments will be destroyed.

Cambodia hosted two-million tourists last year - with most visiting the Angkor temples.

That figure is expected to reach three-million this year, heightening concern about the impact on the area's underground reservoir.Cambodia's Minister for Commerce, Cham Prasidh, says his country is looking to the Angkor's ancient water system to alleviate pressure placed on the underground water supply.

More petrol smuggled into Cambodia

07/01/2008

VietNamNet Bridge - Petroleum smuggling to Cambodia from southern Viet Nam's Mekong River Delta has been dramatically increasing recently due to the latest rise in world petroleum prices.

It is reported that petroleum has been hidden in 20-30 liter plastic cans and then transported by small boats, carrier tricycles or motorbikes across the border. Some smugglers have even carried cans of petroleum on their backs.

At the Tinh Bien border, it is estimated that between 1,000 and 2,000 cans of petroleum are illegally transported from Viet Nam to Cambodia daily while reports from the Tinh Bien Border Anti- Smuggling Forces pointed out that less than 1,500 liters of smuggled petroleum were seized in 2007.

In An Phu District of An Giang Province, plastic cans of petroleum have been transported through the border by carrier tricycles and motorbikes to Binh Di riverside where they were unloaded and then transported on small boats into Cambodia.

At present, a liter of petroleum in Viet Nam is VND4, 000 - 5,000 lower than in Cambodia.
In related news, in response to rumors that petrol prices will soar to VND17,000 a liter within the next few days, Deputy Minister of the Industry and Trade, Nguyen Cam Tu asserted that despite a sharp increase in the world petroleum price in early this year, no local petroleum corporation has recently proposed to hike their petrol price at the pumps.

Mr. Tu added that world petroleum prices climbed to US$100 a barrel on January 3 and stated that this shift was just a temporary fluctuation. He suggested that due to this, petroleum corporations cannot propose a rise in pump prices.

According to market specialists, the rumor may originate from a new proposal which has been recently submitted to the government for consideration. Accordingly, the Government will no longer set the ceiling price to curb prices but will let petroleum corporations set their own rates for the whole year.

If the proposal is approved, the pump petrol price in the country will probably rise VND17.000 per liter soon.

(Source: SGGP)

Lights Festival Extended

By Dewi Mohd Sofri

Brunei-Muara - The Jerudong Park Playground has extended the Dazzling Lights Festival at Jerudong Park Gardens.

Launched three weeks ago, the festival which was scheduled to close yesterday will be open to the public until January 13.

According to the latest record of number of tickets sold, the park has received an impressive 18,000 visitors since the opening, up to New Year's Eve.

"Most likely, the numbers have reached 20,000 this week," said Family Entertainment and events coordinator Wilhelm Albos Bayona, who expected the figures to grow in the following week.

He said that the extended period is a chance for people, especially those who were out of the country during the holidays, to visit the park to witness the amazing sights. Schools are welcomed to organise field trips to the park, said Bayona, who added that there are more events and activities lined up for the rest of the year as they aim to make the park an activity centre for families.

The colourful displays constructed out of silk and metals and decorated with splendid lights include 30:1 replicas of several wonders of the world such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Also strategically arranged around the Musical Fountain at the park are life-sized lanterns in the shape of insects and animals from endangered pandas to rhinos and monkeys and the mythical dragon.

Most are also equipped with mechanical parts for movement and sound effects for a realistic experience.

The exhibition is jointly organised by the Jerudong Park Playground, A Fortune International (Singapore) and Sky Wave Marketing Management Services.

-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Worldwide wish list '08

7. Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Having seen the temples of Borobudur in Java and those at Bagan in Burma, I know the best is at Angkor Wat, one of the world's premier architectural sites. The temple complex, which took 25,000 workers more than 35 years to complete, spreads over 40 miles near Siem Reap in what was once the capital of the Khmer Empire. After the empire's fall in the 15th century, Angkor Wat remained buried in the jungle, unknown to the outside world, until 1860, when a French botanist discovered it. Now a Buddhist site, it originally was dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, and its statues and carvings depict scenes from Hindu mythology.

In my imagination, I see Angkor Wat alternately as a holy place, oblivious to the passages of time, and the perfect setting for an Indiana Jones movie.

Go to www.tourism cambodia.com, or ask your travel agent about reliable tour operators doing business in Cambodia.

A musician on a mission

Robbin Thompson song is a theme against human trafficking in Cambodia

By MELISSA RUGGIERI
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

If it weren't for the theme song from "The Jeffersons," Robbin Thompson might never have seen Cambodia.

That finger-snapping ditty from the'70s, its perky chorus a declaration of hope and change, crept into the subconscious of Marielle Sander Lindstrom a few months ago, awakening her at 1 a.m. at her home in Cambodia.

Lindstrom works for The Asia Foundation as chief of party for the U.S. Agency for International Development. Her current focus is the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Program in Cambodia, and to revitalize the anti-trafficking message, she wanted to find a lively song that "had the feeling of a Coca-Cola commercial -- lots of positive energy -- a big splash," she said.

She raced to her computer and immediately searched the words "movin' on up." Hundreds of song titles popped up, including a cover version of the song by Thompson, one of Richmond's most revered singer-songwriters, who recorded the theme as a bonus track on his 2002 album, "The Vinyl Years."

Lindstrom e-mailed Thompson, asking for permission to use the song for the anti-trafficking campaign.

"I thought it would take me at least six months to track him down and that my e-mail would immediately be rejected," she said in an e-mail interview.

After fatefully checking his spam folder, where Lindstrom's e-mail had landed, Thompson responded to her query, explaining that he hadn't written "Movin' On Up," so she would have to embark on the time-consuming task of tracking down the song's publisher to get permission.
But Thompson also offered an alternative.

He sent Lindstrom an audio file of his "Move on Down the Line," from his current album, "Just a Blur in the Rearview."

"She liked it even better," Thompson said.

Lindstrom concurred: "It was perfect for a feel-good song that was strong and positive, but for Cambodia, we needed to speed it up."

Several e-mails later, Thompson suggested adding Cambodian musicians and a children's chorus to the song. Several months later, he left Richmond for an airport tour of New York to Bangkok, Thailand, to Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia.

. . .

Thompson's primary mission during his 18-day November stay with his wife, Vicki, was to rework his song to Cambodian standards and enlist the vocal assistance of local children.
About 14 of the kids who provided backing vocals attended the Northbridge International School in Phnom Penh and spoke English, but most others, who sang the Cambodian version in Khmer, lived at a haven called Friends International. "They are homeless, but it's not like the homeless here." Thompson said. "It's more accepted, in a way, and you're not freaked out by it because it's just so prevalent. It just is what it is."

The kids were mostly chosen by a studio employee familiar with their singing abilities, and some auditioned for Thompson, who gave them all harmonicas at the end of the session.

His bigger task, though, was to rewrite some of the song's harmless-to-American-ears lyrics to conform to a Cambodian's precise interpretations.

"We changed the lyrics to be more positive and direct, something like 'moving forward with joy' in the Cambodian version to relate to family and a sense of community. All of that was relative to, if you have a strong family, you won't be a victim of human trafficking," Thompson said.

"When you're trying to fight the good fight, you don't want to upset the government, and different things mean different things to nongovernment people. Even the word 'change' could be misinterpreted. It's an election year [in Cambodia] and the guy presently in power is a good guy, so it was a concern that the word 'change' could be taken as wanting to start a revolution."

A couple of weeks ago, Thompson learned that more editing will be done to the song because the phrase "oh, yeah," a prominent part of the chorus, has a sexual connotation in Khmer.

Incidentally, the original version of "Move on Down the Line" just won Best Gospel Song at the seventh annual Independent Music Awards.

. . .

Though Thompson's travel expenses were paid by The Asia Foundation, he gave the organization the use of his song for free and volunteered his time. Both his In Your Ear Studio and Richmond's Park Group production facility provided services free or at a reduced rate.

"I'm doing this because I got sucked into the cause. It's also a wonderful thing to do and go see a place I never would have gone. I have a whole new outlook on that part of the world," he said.
The official kickoff of the new anti-trafficking campaign is slated for mid-February, and Thompson plans to return to Cambodia for the occasion.

Lindstrom says she is working with the National Task Force Against Human Trafficking to create a dance to supplement the song and hopes to enlist a corporation to help produce an accompanying music video -- the Cambodian version of karaoke.

"It's music put to video with the words on the screen to communicate a message, and it's seen on TV," Thompson said of this karaoke. "They're going to simulcast it in Phnom Penh as well as D.C. through the U.S. Agency for International Development."

Lindstrom said the song also will be distributed through the provincial governor's offices in the 24 provinces of Cambodia and become part of workshops and training videos for the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Program.

But even though his song will constitute a significant portion of an international campaign, Thompson is more philosophical about his Cambodian adventure and what he experienced.

"No matter what you hear or read about a country, if you do go there, you'll find out that it's not the way they say and that people are people everywhere," he said. "The people there are wonderful, no matter if they were people in high places or living in the street. I felt the same warmth for all of them."

School Land Being Sold for CPP Office, Opposition Claims

By Chun Sakada,
VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh
04 January 2008

Listen Chiep Mony reports in Khmer

Cambodian People's Party authorities have colluded with local school administrators in Pursat province to arrange the sale of school land for use as a political party headquarters, Sam Rainsy Party officials said Friday.

"This corruption is taking away from the people of Cambodia," said Heng Chanthuon, an SRP official for Pursat.

A CPP official in Pursat denied the allegations Friday, but said the use of land was up to school officials, and if they offered it to the party, he would take it.

Ong Sovath, a SRP commune clerk in Pursat, said a local village chief and school principal were working without higher approval for the exchange of land.

The land sale had angered local teachers, Ong Sovath said.

Number of tourists to Cambodia reaches over 2 mln in 2007

Source: CCTV.com
01-05-2008

The Festive Season in China also heads toward the busiest travel time of the year. And Chinese international tourism is growing. Tourism in Cambodia is swiftly on the rise.

Visits by foreign tourists to Cambodia last year soared to over two million. That's a 20 percent increase over 2006. Cambodia Tourism officials say about 60 percent of the visitors went to see the Angkor Wat temple complex in Siem Reap province of Cambodia.

In Cambodia, they're expecting the number of foreign tourists to reach three million by 2010.
Tourism is growing world wide and becoming an important economic base. In Cambodia, tourism provides jobs for more than 270 trades and additional opportunities for many more local people.

Foreign tourists spend about 700 U.S. dollars each while visiting Cambodia, on average. That doesn't include air fare.

Tourism is the country's second pillar industry. In 2006, tourism revenue reached 1.05 billion U.S. dollars. The industry provided Cambodia's economy with 250,000 jobs.

The temples of Angkor were built by the Khmer people between 802 and 1220 AD. They represent one of mankind's most astonishing and enduring architectural achievements. From their base at Angkor, the Khmer kings ruled over a vast empire that reached from Vietnam to China to the Bay of Bengal. More than 100 stone temples survive today, the sole remnants of a grand religious, social and administrative metropolis. Other buildings, such as palaces, public buildings and houses, were built from wood. They have long since decayed and disappeared.

Some archaeologists view the temples of the Angkor complex as tombs of power-mad kings.
Others believe the kings designed and constructed the temples as a monument to their god and to impress their own subjects. Precisely aligned with the stars and adorned with stunningly beautiful religious art, the Angkor temples were creations aimed at guiding ancient peoples in their quest to realize the divine.

Angkor Wat temples set for restrictions

The Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia have access by tourists restricted in order to preserve them, it has been revealed.

Cambodian authorities are tightening restrictions due to high-demand.

Tourists keen on seeing the eminent Khmer Empire archeological sites may only have a limited time to see the world treasures - and could be well-advised to try and catch a glimpse before the change.

However, the potential closures come with a twist, with industry experts predicting that the cost of access could rise once controls are imposed.

Frank Partridge of the Belfast Telegraph said: "The days of free access to Angkor Wat, one of the world's great religious sites, could be coming to an end.

"The Cambodian authorities have roped off the upper level because of the weight of tourists, and further restrictions are expected."

Tourism minister Thong Khon stated earlier this week the Cambodian authorities were seeking to create more destinations for visitors.

Those opting to holiday in Cambodia topped two million in 2007.

Down by the riverside in Cambodian capital

Despite democracy and property ownership issues restricting the development of Cambodia’s real estate sector, fly to let investors can take advantage of some attractive rates in Phnom Penh.

One developer is offering a net rental guarantee of 10 percent for the first two years. Add this to Cambodia’s capital growth which is hovering around 15 to 20 percent per year, and it presents a viable investment opportunity.

A refurbished 1-2 bedroom apartment complete with electricity, water, telephone, central heating, lounge, bathroom and gardens situated in the chic riverside French Quarter of Cambodia’s capital are available through David Stanley Redfern Ltd from £29,151.

Rent is freely negotiable between landlord and tenant in Cambodia. Phnom Penh has two international airports that offer daily flights.

As foreign ownership of land isn’t allowed in Cambodia, investors must take one of four routes around the problem. Buy through a local company, lease the land, acquire governmentally encouraged Cambodian citizenship and land ownership rights as you do so.

Passport to savings

By Jason La Los Angeles Times
January 6, 2008

CambodiaStability has gradually returned to Cambodia since the democratic elections in 1993. Although still a poor country, it is largely peaceful and increasingly attractive to adventurers.

Sixty-six percent of its land is forests and woodland.Modest meals cost about $2 to $3. Fancier meals are about $10. Expect to pay around $10 a night for a decent room, although less-expensive accommodations are available.

Upscale hotels cost about $50 a night. (Riels are the official currency of Cambodia, but dollars are readily accepted, so you won't have to worry about doing long division in your head.)
Cambodia's intricate temples are awe-inspiring; the most famous are the Angkor ruins, the pinnacle of Khmer architecture.

A memorable vacation

Saturday January 5, 2008

Nine months ago, a couple of friends and I went to Cambodia for our annual vacation. We started our exciting journey in Phnom Penh and ended in Siem Reap.

Unlike Kuala Lumpur, the traffic here is not heavy, but it’s crazy. People drive like there are no rules. They ignore traffic lights and the traffic police don’t seem to care.

I never imagined riding a tuk –tuk would be such an adrenaline rush. We’d hang on for dear life as it swerved in and out of traffic. At times, we’d be facing oncoming traffic.

Cars won’t stop for you when you cross the road. Instead they swerve to avoid hitting you. I felt it was like attempting suicide to cross the road.

I realise this is a poor country but I didn’t imagine how poor. I bought a lotus snack and threw it away half-eaten. While looking for a dustbin to throw it away, a group of street urchins grabbed my snack out of my hand.

It made me realise how good it is to live in Malaysia

Cambodia counts cost of dengue fever

ABC Radio Australia
05/01/2008

Cambodia has struggled through its worst outbreak of dengue fever in a decade with nearly 40,000 cases of dengue fever last year, resulting in more than 400 deaths.

Director of the health ministry's anti-dengue programme Ngan Chantha says most of those who died were childrenMany of the victims were from poor rural areas with little or no access to medical care.

Doctors said at the height of the epidemic last June the country was ill-prepared to deal with such an aggressive outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease.The last serious outbreak occurred in 1998.

Deer Lake woman acclimatizing to home

Joanne Kelly of Deer Lake feeds an apple to an elephant in Cambodia.

MICHAEL RIGLER The Western StarJoanne Kelly has had her eyes opened to a completely new reality.

The 26-year-old education professional spent the past 14 months in the Far East, working as a teacher and travelling to exotic locations.

She returned to her home in Deer Lake a short while ago and said it took her some time to adjust to the reality of winter again.“Just two weeks ago, I was in Thailand and it was 26 degrees out,” Kelly told The Western Star. “When I stepped off the plane in Deer Lake, I couldn’t believe how cold it was ...my family had to bring my winter coat to me because I didn’t have any winter clothes at all.

“My brother wanted to go snowboarding right away, but honestly, it took me some time to get used to the cold again.”

After completing her year-long contract as a teacher in South Korea, Kelly and a female colleague ventured into China to start her adventures.

She said everywhere she travelled, people were generally friendly and helpful.

And her excursions into the Orient were all worthwhile.

“When we were in China, we visited the Great Wall and the Forbidden City,” she said. “After China we went to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.“We travelled by train, bus, shared taxis ...whatever we could find.”

Kelly said some of the sights were exceptional, like the famous Hindu and Bhuddist temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

But some of the realities of the Third World were an eye-opener for Kelly. Cambodia, in particular, left a lasting impression on her.

“While we were in Cambodia, it became really apparent that the country is still in a hard economic situation,” Kelly said. “When people found out that I spoke English, they’d come up and just want to practise their English with me because they’re starting to get more into tourism in Cambodia and trying to build up their economy a bit.

“But while we were there, I remember asking this tuk-tuk (motorized rickshaw) driver how we could help and he advised us to bring some food out to a local orphanage.

So we brought out some big bags of rice to the children and it was incredible to see how they live.

They were really sweet and happy to see us, but the conditions they were living in was hard to see.

“There were rats running around and they had nothing. In fact, my mother asked me what I needed for Christmas this year, and honestly, I don’t need anything because I realize just how fortunate we are.”

Kelly and her travelling companion also spent some time in Vietnam. They arrived in time for the heavy flooding this past summer.“It was amazing how fast the water rose because it, at one point, there was some water in the street and during the hour we were having dinner, it started filling up the restaurant,” Kelly said.

“We went back to our hotel, and by the next morning, the water was so deep in the lobby that motorcycles had washed in and were completely submerged.”

After her experiences in Asia, Kelly was happy to be back home in Newfoundland with family and friends.

However, she is contemplating returning to Asia in the near future. In the meantime, she said the things she saw and the people she met certainly changed the way she views the world.

Cambodian native a retail pioneer in Frederick

Meng Hong Srun, owner of Sunrise Liquors Store, was the first Cambodian liquor store owner in Frederick.

January 05, 2008
By Ike Wilson
News-Post Staff

Meng Hong Srun's 27 years in the retail industry has consisted of 15-hour days and seven-day, 80-hour weeks.

With callouses on his feet and recurring ankle pains from standing, the Cambodian native, who owns two liquor stores in Frederick, is ready to retire.

But that is at least five years away, when his 17-year-old gets the medical training she wants, he said. One of two sons is finishing his opthamalogy residency in Florida; another is completing a MBA in Iowa.

They are children to make a parent proud.

"I don't smoke and drink even though I sell liquor and cigarettes and they don't either," Srun said. "They are cool kids. They are focused on doing the right thing."

Srun worked in a beer and wine store in the District of Columbia for 10 years before moving to Frederick, April 19, 1990. He and business partner Samrith AnChum, bought Waverly Beer and Wine store on Waverly Drive.

They were the first Cambodians to open a beer and wine store in Frederick, Srun said. Today, Cambodian natives own about 15 to 20 liquor stores in the area, he said.

After Srun's partner died in 2003, business grew as the Frederick population increased, making it possible for another acquisition -- Sunrise Liquor on South Jefferson Street.

There, sales have increased 6 percent a year over the last three years.

Srun said he's looking forward to retirement. He hopes for a less stressful job helping people buy eyeglass lenses in his son's eye clinic.

"I won't have to hear people use bad words. I won't have to hear words I don't use, or deal with bad customers," he said.

And he'll avoid anoother downside in the retail business -- dealing with theft.

A husband and wife stole a lot of cigarettes from his store. Instead of calling the police, Srun said he pulled them aside and gently asked the couple to stop stealing his merchandise.

"They were surprised that I saw them and didn't call the police," he said.

His employees have been robbed at gunpoint, Srun said. Good workers have been hard to find.

Customers have been nice for the most part, until about four or five years ago when his Waverly store began to attract troublemakers. "That's the drug dealers in the area," Srun said.

High risk, long hours and stress are why Srun doesn't want his children to do the same kind of work, he said.

He took off three hours Thursday to have dinner with his son before he left for Florida. When he returned, Srun said an employee had received merchandise that the store didn't need and a box of liquor had gone missing.

"In this business, you have to be present all the time," Srun said. "If I had been present, I would have known that the store didn't need the items. Now, I have to call the vendor to return them."
A long way from home

Srun came to the United States from an area in Cambodia, 20 miles from South Vietnam on Aug. 28, 1980.

"I came to this country with no money, I came with nothing," he said.

His early jobs included cleaning homes and roof tops and raking leaves in a church yard.
"I told my kids they're lucky," Srun said.

"They have a nice place to stay. They have cars."

Srun's move from the District of Columbia northward was a no-brainer, considering Frederick's close proximity to the Washington-metropolitan area, which made growth inevitable, and the city's low rent, he said.

With a family and rent to pay, Srun said he had only $20,000 to start his business.

He has not personally sold liquor or cigarettes to a minor in 27 years, Srun said.

A June 28, 2007, letter from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene applauds Srun for refusing to sell cigarettes to a minor following an undercover visit by employees of the department's Division of Quality Assurance Alcohol and Drug Abuse.

"I work hard to support my kids, so they have a better life," Srun said. "This country allows the kids to have good opportunities."

Retirement for Srun will also include visits to his native land, where he intends to soak up some tropical temperatures, he said.

Justice for Cambodia

January 4, 2008
By LESLIE HOOKThe Wall Street Journal
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The news from the Khmer Rouge war-crimes tribunal is good: Five former leaders are in custody and the first hearings began in November. The news is so good, according to the U.S. State Department, that Washington is mulling injecting a chunk of money into the tribunal. Supporters say this will help the impoverished nation come to grips with Pol Pot's 1975-1979 genocide, which left a quarter of the population dead.

Not so fast. Although it's finally getting off the ground, the tribunal is flawed, and has yet to prove it's capable of delivering justice. Before any taxpayers' dollars are put on the line, there are several issues to consider.

For starters, the tribunal will likely try fewer than a dozen defendants. During negotiations between the Cambodian government and the United Nations in the 1990s, the definition of whom the tribunal could try -- "senior leaders" and "those most responsible" for the genocide -- was carefully crafted to limit the court's scope. In the eyes of Cambodian government officials, many of whom had some involvement with the Khmer Rouge, the sooner this dark period can be laid to rest, the better.

Phnom Penh also insisted the trials be held in Cambodia -- the first time a U.N. genocide tribunal has been held where the crimes were committed. After years of negotiations, the U.N. and Phnom Penh agreed that a majority of judges would be Cambodian, but that foreign judges would hold a supermajority power. This meant that no decision could be passed unless at least one foreign judge agreed.

A few sponsoring nations, including the U.S., balked at this arrangement, on the grounds that the notoriously corrupt Cambodian judicial system would still play a leading role. Yet the U.N. had no trouble persuading more than 20 other countries to ante up, and nearly $50 million in donations have poured in since fund raising began in 2004.

The cash has not been enough. The official courtroom is still under construction. The translation team is already backed up, unable to handle the 300,000 pages of Cambodian-language documents through which the judges are sifting. The witness protection team has a skeleton staff and no director. On the day I attended the court last month, a throng mobbed the entrance and the security check took nearly an hour.

Then there are the corruption allegations. A U.N. audit last spring found, among other irregularities, that the Cambodian side of the court had hired underqualified staff and was paying inflated salaries. The United Nations Development Program, which oversees that part of the program, tried to bury the news, limiting circulation of the audit and refusing media inquiries. The report was finally released in October, but only after these pages exposed the scandal. In an interview last month, Deputy Prime Minister Sok An promised, "We are deeply engaged in the fight against corruption." Sounds good, but where are the actions to back up these words?

Now the tribunal has its hands out for more cash. The U.N. is planning a major fund-raising drive this month that will likely double the court's original budget estimate to more than $120 million. For the first time, there's a real chance that Washington may chip in.

In October, the U.S. embassy in Phnom Penh cabled Washington that it was time to start investigating whether the tribunal met the standards that would qualify it for congressional funding. This prompted exploratory visits by representatives of several members of Congress and the ambassador-at-large for war crimes, Clint Williamson. Last month, after a trip to Cambodia, Mr. Williamson said the tribunal is "moving in a very positive direction." In an interview, U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph Mussomeli acknowledges there have been "bumps in the road," but puts his faith in the international judges, who would "walk out" if the court didn't meet international standards.

That's not good enough: At the very least, the U.S. should use any offer of money as a lever to enforce new and better practices -- such as a full investigation into the allegations of kickbacks that have dogged the court's administrative offices.

The real measure of the war-crimes tribunal's success, however, will be whether it can bring a sense of closure to Cambodia's people. On the day I was in court, a man sitting nearby told me, "My father was killed at S-21." Sothea Sambath was referring to the torture and detention center run by the defendant, Duch. "This man signed on top of my father's confession," he said. "I really wanted to see his face, to look him in the eyes, and to see the beginning of justice." He smiled politely, as if this tragic part of his family history is an ordinary matter.

In some sense, it is: Practically every Cambodian has a relative who died during the Khmer Rouge genocide. Which is all the more reason to ensure that these trials turn out not to be a sham.Ms. Hook is an editorial page writer at The Wall Street Journal Asia.

25 Cambodians arrested after religious differences leads to fight at fishing port.

Police Senior Sergeant Major Ruaysub from Samaer San Police Sub-Station in Sattahip was called to a fight in progress at a local fishing port in the early hours of Friday Morning.

The fight was between a group of Cambodian Buddhists and Muslims who have fought on a number of occasions due to their religious differences. This time, no one was seriously hurt and 25 Cambodians were arrested and charged with fighting in a public place.

School Land Being Sold for CPP Office, Opposition Claims

By Chun Sakada,
VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh
04 January 2008

Listen Chiep Mony reports in Khmer

Cambodian People's Party authorities have colluded with local school administrators in Pursat province to arrange the sale of school land for use as a political party headquarters, Sam Rainsy Party officials said Friday.

"This corruption is taking away from the people of Cambodia," said Heng Chanthuon, an SRP official for Pursat.

A CPP official in Pursat denied the allegations Friday, but said the use of land was up to school officials, and if they offered it to the party, he would take it.

Ong Sovath, a SRP commune clerk in Pursat, said a local village chief and school principal were working without higher approval for the exchange of land.

The land sale had angered local teachers, Ong Sovath said.

Dengue Death Toll Highest in Nearly a Decade, Official Says

By Chun Sakada,
VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh
04 January 2008

An early monsoon that encouraged mosquitoes led to the highest dengue fever death rate in nearly a decade, health officials said Friday.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever, or "bonecrusher disease," killed 407 Cambodians and infected more than 40,000 people in 2007, officials said. Health officials said Friday hospitals were ill equipped to handle the outbreak.

In 2006, 16,650 people were infected and 158 died. The death toll for 2007 was the highest since 1998, when the disease killed 474 people, the Associated Press reported.

The disease is characterized by headache, fever, exhaustion and severe joint and muscle pain. Health officials sought to curb the spread of dengue by encouraging Cambodians to cover water containers and treat standing water where mosquitoes breed.

Severe outbreaks of the disease in 2007 were also reported in Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Vendors Will Rebuild on Razed Site of Market Fire

Like this market fire in Poipet in 1998, Thursday's Sihanoukville blaze has worried rights investigators it may not have been an accident. (AP Photo)

By Heng Reaksmey,
VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh
04 January 2008

Chiep Mony reports in Khmer-(1.22MB)
Listen Chiep Mony reports in Khmer Heng Reaksmey reports updated story-(839KB)
Listen Heng Reaksmey reports updated story

Representatives of Leu Market vendors called on the cabinet of Prime Minister Hun Sen Friday, following a fire that destroyed all but four stalls in the Sihanoukville market but injured no one early Thursday morning.

The representatives were allowed to enter the prime minsiter's residence in Takhmau district, Kandal province, just outside Phnom Penh, though Hun Sen himself was not there, vendors said.
Officials gave vendors a signed document promising they would be allowed to rebuild at the same site at Leu Market, which was all but destroyed in a fire late Wednesday and early Thursday.

"We're extremely happy" to receive official permission to rebuild, one vendor said Friday, "because we have hope."

The fire destroyed more than 1,000 stalls, authorities said.

Government officials said the blaze was started from the blown embers of a vendor's charcoal brazier, but investigators from the rights group Licadho said circumstances surrounding the fire were suspicious enough to warrant further investigation.

Officials said the market could cost up to $1 million to rebuild.

Prime Minister Calls for the State and for the Military to Reduce Fuel Wasting

The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 541
Posted on 5 January 2008.

“Kompong Cham: Samdech Akak Moha Senapadei Dekchor Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of Cambodia, called on 3 January 2008 for military chiefs and for all state institutions to be thrifty when using fuel, reducing the use of fuel in order for the saved resources to be used for the public sector.

“Samdech Prime Minister said this during the inauguration of the Military Region 2 Hospital on the morning of 3 January 2008.

“Samdech Dekchor said that because the price of oil goes up all over the world, the funds requested for the use of fuel by the military is beyond the resources. Therefore, the only choice left is to appeal to the armed forces, including to the leaders of the Ministry of Defense, to military commanders at all levels, to military chiefs and deputy military chiefs, all who use fuel, that they should use fuel within the limits of the allocated budget.

“Moreover, Samdech Dekchor also called for state institutions which use state fuel that they should use fuel economically and not use it for work which is not work for the state, for example, gasoline of state should not be used to go for a private drive on Saturdays or Sundays.

“Samdech Dekchor continued that in 2008 we must be thrifty. If we are not thrifty, we will meet difficulties, because the price of oil is going up world-wide.

“Samdech went on to say that we have to keep the fuel to be used for the public sector, such as for the construction of roads and irrigation systems.

“Samdech Dekchor said that, for example, when his officials follow him going to the same destination, all of them should reduce the number of cars used – until now they used to come one person in one car each, now they should change this and come together in only one car for three or four of them, in order to save fuel. If they can do so, we can reduce the use of cars, instead of ten cars it is better to use only three or four cars.

“Samdech Hun Sen said that even he himself has already started to do it – he has only one car driving in front of his car and one after his car. This is to help to save, for our people.

“Samdech Dekchor Hun Sen expressed the hope that the army will act as a model in saving fuel.
“It is noticed that so far, officials of the Royal Government – both in the civil sector and in the military, always compete with each other for the latest cars, using modern cars which use much gasoline. Furthermore, many officials have even many cars for the use in their families, such as for carrying their children to school, carrying their wives to the market, etc. which all means to use state fuel. The gasoline allocations of some government officials and of some persons in the armed forces, who have monthly gasoline supplies, have also been taken away by their bosses.

“A government official said that the gasoline supply for a ministry per moth is more than 400 liters, but it is still not enough. There must come a reduction of gasoline allocations. The ministers of some ministries use the annual gasoline supplies for the ministry only for themselves for the whole year.”

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4480, 4.1.2008

Oil at 99.29 dollars in Asian trade

AFP
Friday January 4, 2008

Oil prices were higher in Asian trade on Friday after profit-taking kicked in as the price broke through the symbolic 100-dollar mark for the second straight day, dealers said.

Record-high prices led Japan's prime minister on Friday to pledge "all possible measures" to reduce the economic impact of expensive oil, while the European Commission warned that high oil prices would affect growth in the 27-nation bloc.

In afternoon trade, New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in February, was 11 cents higher at 99.29 dollars a barrel.

The contract struck a fresh all-time record of 100.09 dollars per barrel in early US floor trading Thursday but then settled back to close at 99.18 dollars.

On Wednesday, the contract had briefly touched 100 dollars for the first time, stoking inflation fears when an expected US economic slowdown may hamper the global economy.

The initial spike to 100 resulted from "really just one trade which was like a stunt," but more trades pushed it above 100 again on Thursday, said Victor Shum, of international energy consultancy Purvin and Gertz in Singapore.

"We have eased off from the 100 level primarily because of some profit taking," Shum said.
Brent North Sea crude for February delivery was up 30 cents at 97.90 dollars a barrel.

In London trading on Thursday, Brent North Sea crude for February settled down 24 cents at 97.60 dollars after hitting a record 98.50 dollars earlier in the day.

Analysts say rising oil demand has outstripped growth in supply. They point to booming Asian economies like China and India and insufficient investment by oil exporters, which has led to a decline in spare production capacity.

Geopolitical tension and new buying interest from speculative investors like investment funds are also behind a quadrupling in the oil price over the last five years, analysts say.

A weakening US dollar, which makes oil more affordable for buyers in stronger currencies, is also cited as a factor for the rise in prices.

US crude reserves, seen as a safety buffer in the oil market, fell by 4.0 million barrels in the week ended December 28, the US Department of Energy said Thursday in its weekly report on energy stockpiles.

That was the seventh week in a row that stockpiles had dropped but Shum said the latest decline was largely due to traders' year-end tidying of their books for tax purposes.

"So the market reaction was somewhat lukewarm," Shum said.

Analysts said the symbolic 100-dollar price level would heap pressure on the OPEC oil-producing cartel to increase output when it meets on February 1.

Worries over the impact of record oil prices have hit nations big and small.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday banned the use of state vehicles for anything other than official business in a bid to save fuel.

"If we don't save petrol, we will face difficulties because of increasing world oil prices," he said.

Shum said oil is likely to break 100 dollars again over the next few days on a possible influx of new money into commodities as investors balance portfolios at the start of the year.

Phil Flynn at Alaron Trading said oil and other commodities were "on fire" as traders bid up prices helped by a soft dollar.

The double effect of surging oil prices and a weakening US dollar pushed gold to its own historic peak on Thursday, when it struck 870.00 dollars in New York.

In inflation-adjusted terms, oil is still slightly below the level it reached in 1980, Shum said.

He forecast an average price in the 80 to 100-dollar range on the New York Mercantile Exchange for 2008, up from an average in the low 70s last year.

Asian consumers fear oil rise will add to daily struggle

Source: AFP

SINGAPORE • From a Beijing cab driver to a vendor selling food wrapped in banana leaves at a Jakarta roadside, life for ordinary people in Asia is set to get even tougher after the price of oil hit $100.

Consumers across the region griped about the rising cost of fuel after crude oil hit $100 per barrel for the first time during trading in New York on Wednesday.

“What can I do? I just suffer,” 30-year-old businesswoman Sirintra Vanno complained at a petrol station in Bangkok. “I have no choice but to drive every day to go to work because public transportation services are so limited.”

Nena, an elderly woman who sells meals wrapped in banana leaves by the roadside in Jakarta, said higher fuel prices had dramatically cut her daily income over the past few months from 60,000 rupiah to 35,000 rupiah.

“I have to buy things at higher prices now but I cannot raise the price of food every time kerosene rises,” she said.

Hery, 54, a motorcycle taxi driver in Jakarta, said he feared rising oil prices would lead to cuts in government subsidies for the cooking fuel, which costs 6,000 rupiah (64 cents) per litre.
“It will be out of reach” if the price goes higher, he said.

Australian truck driver Doug McMillan said the rising oil price
was having a devastating impact on his business, which uses trailers to deliver farm equipment across the country's vast Outback.


McMillan said fuel costs used to account for about one-third of his expenditure but were now 55 percent-and rising.


“By the time you pay your drivers' wages, there's no profit left,” he said as he drove one of his rigs.

Song Haisheng, a 30-year-old taxi driver in Beijing, said he too was under pressure, adding he and many of his colleagues were barely surviving at current petrol prices.

“In order to save fuel, many taxi drivers now would rather park and queue along the street like this than cruise blindly as we used to do in search of customers,” he said as he queued outside an office building in Beijing.

The Chinese government caps the prices at which refiners can sell their products, partly shielding consumers from the immediate impact of global oil spikes.

But it allowed refiners to raise domestic fuel prices by roughly 10 percent in November and ordinary Chinese now fear more hikes, with even the more well-off feeling the impact of record fuel prices.

“Nowadays I try not to travel by car when going on business trips and instead opt for the train as much as possible,” said Huang, 42, who would only give his surname as he waited for his company driver to pick him up in Beijing.

On the streets of Manila, taxi driver Mario Agbayani was also worried.

“If pump prices continue to rise, I will be forced to look for another job because what I would be earning in a day would not be enough to even buy petrol,” the 40-year-old father of three said.
He spends 12 hours a day on Manila's chaotic roads but takes home only 500 pesos (about $12) after expenses.

Japanese businessman Narihisa Murakami, 38, said in Tokyo that ordinary folks were powerless in the face of rising fuel prices, calling them “a real problem” and adding that fuel economy had become key when buying a car.

World leaders send condolences

Royals, heads of state and govt send messages
Published on January 5, 2008

Leaders from more than 20 countries around the world have sent messages of condolences to Thailand over the passing of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako, Prince Akichino Fumihito and Princess Akichino Kiko have sent their respective messages of sympathy to His Majesty the King.

Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni and King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, who is well known in Thailand, have also sent their commiserations to the Kingdom.

Kuwait's Emir His Highness Sheikh Sabah IV Al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah and Bahrain's Crown Prince Shaikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa sent letters to extend their condolences.

Neighboring Lao President Chommaly Sayasone and Singapore's President Sellapanh Rama Nathan, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have sent their condolence to HM the King.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun yesterday sent messages of sorrow and concern to HM the King.

Nigeria's President Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar' Adua and Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala also sent messages of deep sorrow to Thailand.

All leaders said they were saddened by the death of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana. They praised her role and dedication to the poor, according to the Foreign Ministry's spokesman, Tharit Charungvat.

Thai embassies around the world were open for overseas Thais and foreigners to pay tribute to the Princess, he said. Some leaders of foreign countries also signed message of condolences at Thai embassies abroad, Tharit added.

Supalak G Khundee
The Nation

Cambodian PM raps UN envoy over violence in his native Kenya

Macau Daily
Friday, 04 January 2008

Prime Minister Hun Sen lashed out yesterday at the UN rights envoy to Cambodia, saying he should deal with violence in his homeland Kenya before demanding reform from the government in Phnom Penh.

The attack against Kenyan lawyer Yash Ghai was the latest in an ongoing row between government officials and the envoy over his scathing assessment of Cambodia's rights situation.

Calling him the "human rights emperor", Hun Sen said Ghai needed to turn his attentions to Kenya instead of unfairly scrutinising Cambodia.

More than 340 people have been killed in Kenya in a wave of bloodshed triggered by last week's disputed presidential polls.

"Now the bloodshed in Yash Ghai's Kenya has almost created a killing field ... he has criticised Cambodia for the same things that are happening in his own country," Hun Sen said in a speech broadcast over state radio.

"I am sending a message to the UN secretary general to send Yash Ghai to work in his own country rather than Cambodia," Hun Sen added.

Before leaving Cambodia after his latest visit last month, Ghai, who was snubbed by government officials, said the country's judiciary has failed, leaving the population in fear of going to court and threatening the rule of law.

The rebuke spurred Cambodia to lodge a formal complaint against Ghai with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Ghai has repeatedly clashed with Cambodian leaders in the past due to his unusually blunt assessments of the government's reform failures.

Hun Sen has said he would never meet with Ghai, who was appointed as the UN rights envoy in November 2005.

The premier has called Ghai "stupid," "rude" and a "god without virtue."

On Thursday he offered to send Cambodian peacekeepers into Kenya under the UN flag "in order to tell Yash Ghai that Cambodia is not only capable of handling its problems, but that we can also help others."

Dengue death rate reaches 10% in Cambodia in 2007

January 04, 2008

A total of 407 Cambodian people died out of some 4,000 dengue fever cases in 2007, which scored a 10 percent death rate, health official Ngan Chantha said here on Friday.

Kampong Cham province was the main place of dengue death because its density of population was higher than other provinces, said the official from the Health Ministry.

"The residents didn't clean the places around their houses and their water tanks in a proper way, which caused tiger mosquitoes to transmit virus to people easily," he said.

People should pay more attention to their health care and sanitation, he said. In 2007, the government spent about 3 million U.S. dollars to contain the epidemic, he said.

In addition, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and other non-governmental organizations contributed money to carry out the campaign, he added.

Source:Xinhua

TU College of Law women's group raising funds to build school house in Cambodia

Women's Law Caucus members say group's mission, which includes the directive to erase discrimination against women, extends to poverty stricken Cambodia.

[ClickPress, Thu Jan 03 2008] The Women's Law Caucus at The University of Tulsa College of Law will extend its members' commitment to supporting women to help poverty stricken Cambodia.

The WLC is participating in the Cambodian School House Project, which sponsors construction of a school in a village that currently lacks one.

The organization's goal is to raise $19,000 which will be matched by the Asian World Development Bank to build a school house.

The WLC is a student organization dedicated to encourage more women to enter the legal profession, erase continued professional discrimination against women, provide mutual support for fellow students and call attention to the needs and problems of women as attorneys.

"Two years ago the WLC took its community spirit to a worldwide level by adopting a school house in Egypt," said Linda Hem, president of the law school's WLC chapter.

"The success of that project inspired our current group to contribute in another country where women are desperate for educational opportunities."

Poor access to education for women is sited as a major contributing factor to an epidemic of prostitution in Cambodia.

It has been estimated between 10,000 and 20,000 Cambodian women and children are forced to work as prostitutes. In areas where school houses have been built, the problem has been lessened.

The WLC has held several fund-raising events during the fall semester, including a poker tournament and candle sales.

In order to meet the $19,000 goal during this academic year, the group still has more to do. A date auction, a pie in the professor's face event and several other fundraisers are planned.

In addition to the school house project, the WLC is an active supporter of Race for the Cure, provides valuable programs for the law school community and presents the annual Fern Holland Award at its spring banquet.

Individuals who would like to contribute to the Cambodian School House Project may contact Linda Hem at peov-hem@utulsa.edu.

Assistance through the World Food Programme (WFP) to Cambodia, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Colombia

Source: Government of Japan
Date: 04 Jan 2008

1. On December 25 (Tue), the Government of Japan, in response to a request from the UN World Food Programme (WFP), decided to contribute US 500,000 dollars (about 58,000,000 yen) to the school feeding programme in Cambodia, US 300,000 dollars (about 34,800,000 yen) to the mother-and-child health and nutrition programme in Pakistan, US 253,000 dollars (about 29,350,000 yen) to the rural development programme in Indonesia, and US 100,000 dollars (about 11,600,000 yen) to the school feeding programme in Colombia.

2. In Cambodia, WFP will utilize this contribution for the school feeding programme. It provides access to education to children who are expected to play an important role in forming the country's future, and thus contributes to the economic and social development of Cambodia which is tackling nation building. A Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV), who is stationed at WFP's country office upon the request of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Cambodia, has been working on the collaboration between the school feeding programme and the home care programme as a comprehensive support for AIDS orphans and malnourished children. We believe that our contribution should make positive changes in the fields of both education and health. WFP provides school feeding to more than 20.2 million children in 71 countries worldwide. It contributes to bringing up the future generation to achieve a whole country's development through raising enrolment ratio, addressing gender disparity, and enhancing children's learning ability as well as improving children's nutritional conditions.

3. In Pakistan, WFP will utilize this contribution for distributing take-home food at mother-and-child health (MCH) clinics in Baluchistan and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), where people suffer from extreme poverty. Japan recognizes that poverty reduction in the areas is vital for removing a hotbed for terrorists. Women's health, in particular mothers', is in dire condition. Because of cultural values, they have limited access to the important knowledge of reproductive health and to basic social services. In order to address this situation, WFP, with Japan's contribution, will provide food at MCH clinics, and gives incentives women to come to clinics and families to allow it. Japan believes that it should improve the mother-and-child nutrition and health condition.

4. In Indonesia, WFP will utilize this contribution for building and managing infrastructure?dams, tree planting, irrigations, etc.?in rural areas in Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT), where people suffer from severe food shortage. We believe that it should enable communities to solve the food shortages in a sustainable way and to better prepare for a natural disaster. Fully aware of the increasing natural disasters due to the climate change and its repercussions on food production, WFP has been tackling the climate change in the pursuit of sustainable solutions to the problem of food shortage. For example, it has planted around 5 billion trees around the world in the last decades.

5. In Colombia, WFP will utilize this contribution for providing school feeding to internally displaced children in borderlands. The country has been suffering from prolonged internal conflicts between the government and illegally armed groups, which has caused approximately three million internally displaced people, the world's largest scale, as of the end of 2006. However, the current administration has been achieving some results in restoring security and advancing a peace process in the country. Japan intends to assist the peace process through stabilizing borderlands where WFP's school feeding programme will provide internally displaced children with access to education as well as improving their nutritional condition.

Cambodia's PM cracks down on official vehicle misuse

ABC Radio Australia
04/01/2008

Cambodia's prime minister has banned the use of state vehicles for anything other than official business in a bid to save petrol amid soaring world oil prices.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a speech on national radio some officials used state vehicles to drive their families around on weekends.

He did not say what the penalty would be for officials who failed to heed the new ban.

The state does not subsidise fuel prices in impoverished Cambodia, where pump prices are at record highs of almost 1.15 dollars US per litre.

Cambodia suffers worst dengue epidemic, 407 dead

Fri Jan 4, 2008

PHNOM PENH, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Cambodia suffered its worst ever outbreak of dengue fever last year and it killed 407 people, most of them children, the highest toll in nearly a decade.

Dengue, which causes fever, headaches and agonising muscle and joint pains, had infected nearly 40,000 people since the first outbreaks last May, Ngan Chantha, director of the Health Ministry's anti-dengue programme, said on Friday.

"It is the worst number of infectious cases ever in Cambodia," he said, noting the disease infected 16,000 people and killed 424 in 1998.

Thousands of sick children sought free treatment at four Swiss-funded hospitals last year, but doctors said they did not have enough resources to treat everyone.

The World Bank, the World Health Organization and the Red Cross have provided pesticides to kill mosquitoes, while the Asian Development Bank (ADB) gave $300,000 to the anti-dengue programme.

Cambodia, whose health care system was devastated in 30 years of civil war, spends about $3 per person on health a year, according to the World Bank.

Cambodia's PM questions UN envoy over Kenya violence

ABC Radio Australia
04/01/2008

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has criticised the UN rights envoy to Cambodia, saying he should deal with violence in his homeland Kenya before demanding reform from the government in Phnom Penh.

The attack against Kenyan lawyer Yash Ghai was the latest in an ongoing row between government officials and the envoy over his scathing assessment of Cambodia's rights situation.

Calling him the "human rights emperor", Hun Sen said Mr Ghai needed to turn his attentions to Kenya instead of unfairly scrutinising Cambodia.

More than 340 people have been killed in Kenya in a wave of bloodshed triggered by last week's disputed presidential polls.