Preah Vihear: Cambodia takes a firmer stance

Cambodge Soir
25-07-2008

“It is not an invasion anymore it is a settlement!” Khieu Kanharith, the Minister of Information did not mince his words on Thursday morning during a press conference. Thai and Cambodian troops have been staring each other down at the foot of Preah Vihear temple for ten days.

The Hun Sen Government has started to show its irritation and the message is being relayed: the government “does not accept” the evolution of the row. According to Khieu Kanharith, who is also the government spokesman, the Thai soldiers’ strategy is clear: “ they will camp on their position on the Danrek mountain. They will then declare to be in the free zone whereas this is clearly our National territory.” Khieu then referred to the 1908 map locating the famous Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda “ in Cambodian territory”.

Several press agencies reported that Thailand had strengthened its positions by digging trenches and beefing up its troop numbers.

Once this point was highlighted the Minister tried to analyse the Thai Prime Minister’s behaviour. According to him, Samak Sundaravej is under pressure from the opposition. So, in order to stop the critics “and not be accused of being a traitor, he needs to remain firm”.
Confronted with this attitude, “Cambodia does not want its toes to be trodden on”. Khieu Kanharith warned that “Thailand is a friendly country but if it does not change its position we will have to take action”.

The Ministers estimated that around 4 000 soldiers are stationed on both sides. His Defence counterpart is, on Thursday July 24, in Preah Vihear to inspect the troops. Contrary to what Samak stated in the Thai press Phnom Penh does not believe “that the pressure will loosen after the Cambodian Parliamentary elections on July 27”. “ To say so is to fool the people, as the Temple is not at the centre of the electoral debate”, added the slightly agitated spokesman. He then went on to explain that the inscription of the temple on the World Heritage List had been delayed by Thai protests, meaning that whatever happens Bangkok is still opposing to Cambodia regarding Preah Vihear.

The only softer tone in a rather lively intervention concerned a request from the Minister to his compatriots not to buy any Thai products, as Cambodian goods would also be subjected to a boycott in Thailand.

“ Such behaviour can only have negative impacts on both economies” added Khieu Kanharith. As far as he is concerned, the Thai attitude is only caused by a “small group of individuals”.

Leang Delux

Ultimate recommendations before the elections

Alain Ney

Cambodge Soir
25-07-2008

Following the prohibition of alcohol consumption and sales on July 26 and 27 in order to prevent any violence or other offences, the National Election Commission (NEC) called on radio and television directors not to broadcast any political parties’ programmes this weekend, to help in guaranteeing a smooth electoral process.

Mam Sodando, director of Beehive radio which broadcast hours of programming for different parties including the SRP, NRP, Funcinpec, HRP and the League for Democracy Party, promised to entirely comply with the NEC request. Sin Sophat a manager at TV5 television and FM 98 Radio station also stated that popular programmes will be cancelled Sunday so that voters can cast their votes. “Some voters would not go to the polls if we were to broadcast our normal popular scheduled programmes on election day”, he explained. Sin Sophat also mentioned that TV5 will broadcast this Sunday at 3:00 pm, during the news, a report on the political parties’ activities.

According to a letter sent by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, all mobile operators will send an SMS to subscribers registered on the electoral lists inviting them to vote between 7:00 am and 3:00 pm.

Ung Chamroeun

Cambodia : wacky drivers

Alain Ney

Cambodge Soir
25-07-2008

2007’s road accident figures have been revealed. The number of accidents have doubled within five years.

Cambodia holds a sad record “with the highest rate of all Asean countries”, 27,403 traffic accidents said General Ouk Kim Lek, the deputy commissioner of the general commissariat of the National Police. This was the introduction for the annual report jointly published by Handicap international Belgium and the Ministries of the Interior, Health, Public Works and Transportation. Those figures should be put in context with the timing of new traffic regulations which came to force last year.

A total of 1,545 individuals (of which 971 were riding motorbikes) were killed in those accidents, an average of 4.2 per day. This is a 20% increase from 2006. Most victims were aged from 20 to 30. The numbers for 2008’s first two months indicate an increase of individuals killed, now averaging almost 5 per day. In Phnom Penh only, the number of deaths increased by 54% between 2006 and 2007, affecting all districts. The National Road between Phnom Penh and Kampong Cham is the country’s most dangerous road, followed by the one linking the Capital to Sihanoukville.

Speed is to be blamed for half of the accidents and alcohol abuse for 20% of them. Half of the drivers (cars, lorries or buses) involved in accidents did not hold a driving license. 73% of the individuals driving or riding during an accident are men although they only represent 49% of the population. Most often crashes involve a motorbike and a car (35%) or occur between motorbikes (15%).

With regard to the use of safety equipment: in 96% of the cases, the passengers or the car drivers who were injured in an accident did not fasten their seat belts. The recent obligation to wear a helmet and its efficiency raises problems. The authorities should look into the quality of the articles for sale in the country. The figures revealed that 17% of the riders involved in an accident and not wearing a helmet suffered from head injuries, whereas for those wearing a helmet the percentage is 13%, a difference of only four percent.

The existing impunity on the roads needs to be eradicated. The future government will have to come to grips with the present road chaos. “The new code will be enforced in 2009, once the elections are over”, warned Preap Chanvibol, deputy director of the land Transportation Office of the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation.
Alain Ney

Cambodian FM optimistic about talks with Thailand over border issue

Thai soldiers greet Cambodian soldiers near the Cekakiri Svarak pagoda of the Preah Vihear temple, about 245 km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 24, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

www.chinaview.cn

2008-07-25

PHNOM PENH, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers' meeting between Cambodia and Thailand held on Monday at Siem Reap province is expected to produce positive result to break the 10-day military stalemate at the border area, said a senior official hereon Friday.

"I strongly hope that the foreign minister-level meeting at Siem Reap will score positive outcome," said Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong, after meeting with the ambassadors of the five member countries of the UN Security Council.

"I just officially informed the ambassadors about the latest events in regard with the dispute near the Preah Vihear Temple," he said.

While talking with Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej through telephone on Thursday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen proposed to hold a foreign minister-level meeting to solve the problem with peaceful means. This is a new manifestation of Cambodia's goodwill, he said.

"However, if the bilateral talks fail, the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) can't hammer out any deal and the Thai troops still stay on Cambodian soil, we will go to the UN Security Council again, which should fulfill its obligation to find peaceful resolution for us," he said.

Meanwhile, as Thailand is to take the rotating chair of ASEAN, Cambodia is also ready to welcome special envoys from Vietnam and Indonesia to help find the resolution at regional level, he said, adding "anyway, armed confrontation is not what we want."

On July 21, bilateral defense minister-level talks in Thailand didn't reach any agreement to end the military face-off.

The Cambodian government then wrote to ASEAN, UNESCO and the UN Security Council for higher level intervention.

On July 15, three Thai protesters trespassed border to reclaim the Preah Vihear Temple, but were immediately arrested. Thai troops then came in to fetch them, thus triggering standoff with Cambodian soldiers there.

Bilateral military force was then built up on daily basis until the current scale around one thousand at least.

Editor: Bi Mingxin

The politics of Preah Vihear and Phra Viharn

The Bangkok Post
Friday July 25, 2008

THITINAN PONGSUDHIRAK

While the military build-up between opposing Thai and Cambodian armed forces over the Preah Vihear temple controversy has reached a standstill following inclusive talks between the two sides, Phnom Penh's diplomatic offensive is well under way. After its unsuccessful bid to put the issue for regional discussion among Asean members, Cambodia is now seeking a multilateral solution to this longstanding bilateral territorial dispute, threatening to put the United Nations Security Council on the spot.

It has become a foreboding tussle between Cambodia's legal merits and Thailand's historical claims that has far-reaching repercussions. Although the narrative of what Cambodians have referred to as Preah Vihear and Thais as Phra Viharn is complicated and technical, the main points of contention are not difficult to discern.

Phnom Penh insists that the 4.6 square kilometres adjoining the temple complex has been under Cambodia's territorial sovereignty since the International Court of Justice's landmark adjudication in 1962. In its 9-to-3 verdict, the ICJ ruled that Cambodia's submitted map, drawn up by French surveyors during 1904-07, put the temple area in Cambodia proper because Thailand (then known as Siam until 1939) did not object. Without Siam's visible and vigorous objections during the interim, the ICJ ruled that Cambodia's map carried the day.

Sensing an opportunity during the hearings in 1962, Cambodia further requested the ICJ's adjudication over the adjacent land area but the judges placed their jurisdiction only over the temple as per Cambodia's original case submission.

This French-made map thus became the core of contention because it defied and manipulated natural geographic divisions. Siam then did not, as Thailand now does not, accept the French-made and Cambodian-peddled map over ''Phra Viharn'' because it contravenes the Franco-Siamese agreement of 1904, which stipulated that the map was to be demarcated along a watershed line separating the two countries.

French mapping also took place just a decade after Siam ceded a clutch of territories to France. It was a period when France lorded it over Indochina as a colonial master and when Thailand was compelled to trade off a host of unequal treaties with European powers for its independence.
Unsurprisingly, none of the judges in 1962 said that the French map was fair and just. Their point was that the absence of Siam's explicit rejection of the map was tantamount to an implicit acceptance. A dissenting judge from Australia, Sir Percy Spender, in fact stipulated in his opinion that the temple area was in Thai territory due to the watershed line.

Over the past century of Preah Vihear controversy, Thailand has never recognised this map but it did accept the ICJ ruling on the temple complex itself. Cambodia's ongoing manoeuvres to claim the adjacent 4.6 square kilometres of territory to be under its sovereignty, are ironically intended to benefit from the fruits of French imperialism, from which the country itself suffered for decades.

Yet the Cambodians are unlikely to cease their claims. Phnom Penh knows it has the upper hand both on the legal merits and on the domestic divisions in Thailand.

Bangkok is still without a foreign minister after the incumbent Noppadon Pattama resigned in disgrace following the Thai Constitution Court's ruling against the joint communique between Bangkok and Phnom Penh agreeing to let Cambodia unilaterally register Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage Site.

Thailand is also deeply polarised, stuck in a protracted political crisis. Another Cambodian submission to the ICJ to rule on the sovereignty over the 4.6 square kilometres, based on the 1962 precedent, would be a blow to Bangkok.

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his embattled government have suggested that the controversy will dissipate after Cambodia's general election this Sunday.

This is a misplaced assumption.

Cambodia 's bid for the temple's designation as a World Heritage Site goes back to 1992 and actively took hold well before the Thai political crisis and Cambodia's elections. Phnom Penh's claim is thus likely to continue after Sunday.

If Cambodia fails at the UNSC due to Thailand's staunch and longstanding friendships with the majority of the Permanent Five, it will still press the case on a bilateral basis.

What Mr Samak must do now is to de-politicise the Preah Vihear controversy by appointing an autonomous team of diplomats and relevant officials and experts who are insulated from the cut-and-thrust of the Thai political crisis, to mount Thailand's case.

If the new foreign minister must come from the patronage party quota system, then a deputy or equivalent should appointed who should be a respected outsider.

He then should be given a green light and full support to direct Thailand's legal and diplomatic efforts.

Equally important, the People's Alliance for Democracy and other anti-government groups bent on overthrowing Mr Samak's government, must lay off the Preah Vihear issue. If they continue to exploit this matter to bring down the government, it would play into Cambodia's advantage.

Preah Vihear should be off-limits to both the PAD and Prime Minister Samak's lieutenants and other proxies of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Indeed, the Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia, but the adjacent land should be jointly developed, supervised and managed. While legality gives Cambodia an edge, geography is firmly on Thailand's side.

The status quo of joint use by both Thais and Cambodians has worked well until recent weeks. It should be restored.

The writer is Director of the Institute of Security and International Studies, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University.

Cambodian parties make final push for votes

AFP Friday July 25, 2008

Cambodian politicians began their final push for votes on the last day of campaigning Friday for an election Prime Minister Hun Sen's ruling party is expected to dominate.

Soaring nationalist sentiments have powered the campaigns, fueled by a 10-day military standoff with neighbouring Thailand over a small patch of disputed land near the ruins of the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.

The most frenetic campaigning took place in Kampong Cham province, home to one million of Cambodia's eight million voters.

Just after dawn Friday, thousands of opposition supporters waved flags and rode through the town of Kampong Cham on the backs of trucks and motorcycles, blaring party policies from speakers.

"Sam Rainsy! Sam Rainsy!" chanted several hundred people calling the name of the opposition leader, while wearing white shirts and caps bearing the party's candle logo.

But few expect voters to oust the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), which has ruled since the fall of the genocidal Khmer Rouge nearly three decades ago.

Hun Sen has held the top job for 23 years, and voters are widely expected to hand him another five-year term.

His party loudly touts recent economic growth in Cambodia, one of the world's poorest countries, which has averaged 11 percent over the last three years, according to some estimates.

The controversy over Preah Vihear has only enhanced his standing, helping CPP portray itself as the defender of the nation.

"The voters realise we did a lot -- building roads, schools, health care, and especially the economy. Preah Vihear is the latest thing," Phnom Penh's provincial governor Kep Chuktema told an early CPP rally in the capital.

"We saved the lives of Cambodian people from the genocide. We gave people lives. From zero in 1979, Phnom Penh now has everything. From ghost city, now Phnom is a very good city," he said, with music blaring as CPP supporters filled a riverside boulevard with a carnival atmosphere.

Although it appears assured of victory, the CPP has mounted a massive campaign, parading in shiny new vehicles while covering the country with posters and the airwaves with promises of further development.

"The CPP campaigns are much fancier than those of other parties...The CPP outsmarts other political parties because those parties haven't achieved much at all," said Neang Sovath of the election monitoring group Comfrel.

More than eight million people are registered to vote at 15,000 polling stations, under the eyes of more than 13,000 domestic and international observers, including a team from the European Union.

The campaign has seen fewer irregularities than in the past, monitors say, partly because the nation is more stable, with double-digit economic growth from garment exports and tourism helping pull Cambodia from the ashes of civil war.

Hun Sen's CPP expects to expand its control over parliament, hoping to add eight seats to the 73 it already holds, which would cement Hun Sen's ruthless drive to secure his grip on power.

He lost Cambodia's first elections, backed by the United Nations in 1993, but bargained his way into a power-sharing deal and then reasserted total control in a 1997 coup.

Hundreds of people were killed in the run-up to elections the following year. Protests against the CPP victory were put down violently.

The last national election in 2003 was less violent but plunged the kingdom into a year of political stalemate that resulted in a coalition with the royalist Funcinpec.

The royalists have since imploded over internal scandals, while Sam Rainsy is expected to win few votes outside the capital.

Most election monitors say defeating the CPP is nearly impossible since the party controls virtually all broadcast media while maintaining a vast network across rural Cambodia, where most voters live.

Cambodia: UN help if border talks fail

By KER MUNTHIT

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia will pursue U.N. intervention to avoid a military confrontation with Thailand if talks between the two countries fail to produce a breakthrough, the Cambodian foreign minister said Friday.

Cambodia is only postponing — not canceling — its request for the U.N. Security Council to hold an emergency meeting on the dispute over contested land near a historic temple, Hor Namhong told reporters.

Foreign ministers from both countries are scheduled to meet Monday in the Cambodian city of Siem Reap.

"This is a new step in our goodwill to try to find a solution to the problem through peaceful negotiations," Hor Namhong said after meeting with ambassadors to Cambodia from the Security Council's five permanent members.

The session was called to inform diplomats about the Monday talks.

He said he was "quite hopeful" that the Monday meeting could resolve the standoff near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple. However, if the talks fail, "resorting to the United Nations is still more preferable than waging a war."

The comments came a day after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a statement saying he had advised the Security Council to "temporarily postpone its meeting while awaiting results of the negotiations between Cambodia and Thailand."

Military tensions between the two countries over 1.8 square miles of land intensified earlier this month after UNESCO approved a Cambodian application to have the temple designated a World Heritage Site.

Thailand sent troops to the border July 15 after anti-government demonstrators lashed out at Samak's government for supporting Cambodia's application. They claim the temple's new status will undermine Thailand's claim to land around the temple.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej spoke by telephone Thursday and agreed to schedule the meeting next week between their foreign ministers.

Political attempts earlier this week to resolve the crisis failed, prompting Cambodia to take the issue to the U.N.

Thailand opposes the involvement of the U.N. or ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which both countries are members of. Thailand's U.N. ambassador, Don Pramudwinai, has accused Cambodia of bringing the quarrel before the Security Council because "the Cambodian target is not only Preah Vihear but the entire common border."

Don said Cambodia was trying to force Thailand to accept a French colonial map's demarcation of the border.

Thailand relies on a different map drawn up later with American technical assistance, but accepts a ruling by the International Court of Justice that awarded the disputed temple to Cambodia in 1962.

Hun Sen Likely Will Expand Majority, Power in Cambodia Election

Hun Sen, prime minister of Cambodia, speaks to the media during a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, June 14, 2007. Photographer: Haruyoshi Yamaguchi/ Bloomberg News

By Daniel Ten Kate

July 25 (Bloomberg) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a former Communist who has ruled for two decades, probably will expand his parliamentary majority and grip on power July 27 after boosting prosperity by welcoming foreign investment.

The second-smallest economy among 10 Southeast Asian countries has averaged 10.6 percent growth during the past five years. Money has poured into Cambodia, as an overheating economy in Vietnam and political turmoil in Thailand triggered stock declines in those countries.

The economic expansion has increased the popularity of Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party, allowing it to weather a surge in fuel and food prices. Pheavy Vy, 27, said her mobile phone shop in the capital Phnom Penh is doing a brisk business and plans to vote for him.

``Hun Sen can solve the country's problems,'' she said. ``I'm sure he will find a solution to the rising prices.''

Inflation is putting a drag on growth and may eventually prompt a backlash against the prime minister's foreigner-friendly policies. The government allows outsiders to buy 99-year leases for pieces of agricultural land and encourages energy companies to bid for rights to tap oil and gas reserves discovered offshore in the Gulf of Thailand.

The International Monetary Fund forecast in June that economic growth in the country of 14 million would fall to about 7 percent this year, from 10.25 percent in 2007, and the government expects inflation to almost triple to 15 percent.

Growing Support

For now, Hun Sen, 56, is enjoying growing support as foreign investment creates jobs in the energy, agriculture, tourism and garment industries and he rewards his rural voters with new schools and paved roads.

``Average people, for economic and selfish reasons, not intimidation, will vote for the CPP,'' said Robert Broadfoot, Hong Kong-based managing director of Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd.

Cambodia has started to rehabilitate its image as a corrupt beggar state with depleted human resources after the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s killed most of the educated class.

Foreign investment is on pace to double from $2.7 billion this year, according to the Cambodian Investment Board, a government agency. As the country prepares to open a stock market next year, foreign investment funds such as Leopard Capital are looking to spend about $450 million on banks, office buildings, luxury hotels and other projects.

``The word got out that this election is already a preordained conclusion, so new business is still coming in,'' said Bretton Sciaroni, a Phnom Penh-based lawyer who has advised foreign investors in Cambodia for about 15 years.

Political Evolution

In late 1978, Vietnam invaded Cambodia to stop Khmer Rouge incursions and set up a client state with Hun Sen serving as foreign minister. He became prime minister in 1985 and helped negotiate a United Nations-brokered peace deal six years later that ended factional fighting and led to the country's first democratic election in 1993, Cambodia's first in 20 years.

In the 2003 election, Hun Sen's party won 73 of 123 parliamentary seats, or 59 percent, short of the two-thirds majority then required to form a government. In 2006, lawmakers changed the constitution to allow a party to form a government with a simple majority. Hun Sen said he expects to win 81 seats in this election.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy's eponymously named party won 24 seats in the 2003 election. He said the government is manipulating voter lists and threatening civil war if it loses, leaving many rural Cambodians afraid to vote for him.

`Time Bomb'

Sam Rainsy said resentment against foreign investors is building because the 99-year leases encourage land grabbing and speculation. Unemployment among youth is a ``time bomb,'' he added. He said Hun Sen's plan to open a local stock exchange next year would be ``ridiculous'' because the country lacks a strong judicial system.

Multinationals in Cambodia include Chevron Corp., the second- biggest U.S. oil company, BHP Billiton Ltd., the world's largest mining company, and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd., Australia's third-biggest bank.

``We are three times bigger than what we thought we would be'' when entering Cambodia in 2004, said Stephen Higgins, chief executive officer of ANZ Royal, a joint venture with the Royal Group, a Cambodian conglomerate.

The International Monetary Fund estimates that banks now hold 20 percent of the country's money supply, up from about 10 percent five years ago, despite what Higgins called a ``noticeable'' drop in deposits at ANZ Royal in the month prior to the election. The same thing happened during the past two elections amid fears that violence might break out.

Improved Yields

The government says its policies to allow foreign-run large- scale agriculture investments will lead to improved yields. Cambodia shipped 450,000 tons of rice last year, much less than the 8.5 million tons sold by neighboring Thailand, the world's largest rice exporter.

``We cannot develop on our own,'' said government spokesman Khieu Kanharith. ``The CPP is popular because people are starting to see the economy grow. They appreciate the normalcy of life.'' He added that Cambodia also is ``reaping the benefits'' of joining the World Trade Organization in 2004.

New foreign investment will help widen Cambodia's growth, which is concentrated largely in garments and tourism. Oil and gas revenue from concessions in the Gulf of Thailand still in the exploration phase may reduce the need for foreign aid. Cambodia received $763 million last year.

Transparency International, a global non-governmental organization, ranked Cambodia 162 out of 179 countries in its 2007 Corruption Perceptions Index.

Competition remains stifled as executives work with government officials to protect their turf, says Kang Chandararot of the Cambodia Institute of Development Studies in Phnom Penh.

``The government hasn't taken any strong role in the economy so the private sector has enjoyed full freedom,'' he said. ``This is largely because government officials are heavily involved in business.''

Cambodia heading for peaceful election day

Observors have been keeping a close eye on campaigning for Sunday's Cambodian election. [Radio Australia]

Radio Austra

Foreign observors keeping a close eye on campaigning for Sunday's Cambodian election have been surprised and happy to report that thusfar it has largely been peaceful.

Cambodia's long-ruling prime minister, Hun Sen, looks set to notch up another election victory.

He is expected to take even more seats in the national parliament - even without the support of his coalition partner, Funcinpec.

While Hun Sen shows no signs of losing popularity, even after 23 years in power, the main opposition party is hoping to make headway.

The country representative for the Asia Foundation in Cambodia, Roderick Brazier, told Radio Australia's Connect Asia program the atmosphere surrounding the election seems calm.

"I think we always have to remember in Cambodia that elections in the mid-90s were accompanied by hundreds and hundreds of deaths," he said.

"Intimidation and violence [is on] a very much reduced scale from earlier election campaigns, which I think is a marker of progress here."

Significant monitoring undertaken by local NGOs Comfrel and Nicfec, the two major local election organisations, will station thousands of individuals at polling booths.

International agencies will also have both local and international monitors at polling stations across the country.

But there are doubts that opposition parties are getting their fair share of representation.

As Sen Lam and Bill Bainbridge from Radio Australia reported in the lead-up to this Sunday's election, posters promoting Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party are pasted up everywhere, but very few for the opposition parties.

The Asia Foundation's Roderick Brazier says the opposition's visibility is more based on financial constraints that other issues.

"The CPP is very wealthy and can afford to print millions of posters, and place hundreds of ads on television and radio," he said.

"There are some other constraints - some opposition rallies are disrupted or impeded by CPP supporters - [but] that's mainly been in non-violent disruptive ways so far."

After 23 years of governance, the CPP enjoys growing popularity among the masses.

Mr Brazier says this is something of a puzzle to Western observers because this is a party with a chequered past.

"But from an ordinary Cambodians point of view, they have never been so wealthy, they have never had so many opportunities for employment," he said.

"The country has never been so stable, and most of all, infrastructure is being built - sealed roads, clinics and schools are being built and used for the first time," he said.

"Surveys that have been conducted by the International Republican Institute confirm that for close to 80 per cent of Cambodians, it's infrastructure that they care about the most.

"The CPP is smart enough now to provide that infrastructure."

Thai, Cambodian envoys set temple talks

SISAKET PROVINCE, Thailand (CNN) -- The foreign ministers of Thailand and Cambodia will meet Monday in an effort to resolve a week-long military standoff over an ancient border temple that sits on disputed land, Thailand's prime minister said Thursday.

The meeting will take place in Siem Reap, Cambodia one day after Cambodia's general election on Sunday, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej told CNN.

An eight-hour meeting between Thai and Cambodian officials ended earlier this week with both sides agreeing on only one point: that troops each country has amassed at the site of the Preah Vihear temple will not fire on each other, the Thai News Agency reported.

The site of Monday's meeting is closer to the better-known Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia.
For now, the countries are seeking regional intervention from their Southeast Asian neighbors.

Foreign ministers of the 10 countries that comprise the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are meeting in Singapore this week.

Sundaravej spoke to his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen, on Thursday to arrange next week's high-level meeting. He said Hun agreed to stop pursuing the issue at the U.N. Security Council. Cambodia had sent a letter to the council to call attention to the standoff.

As a result, the Security Council postponed a meeting planned for next week on the tensions, the council's president, Vietnamese ambassador Le Luong Minh, said Thursday.

The dispute is over an 11th century temple to which Cambodia and Thailand both lay claim. It sits atop a cliff on Cambodian soil but has its most accessible entrance on the Thai side.

The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962. Thailand claims, however, that the 1.8 square mile (4.6 sq. km) area around it was never fully demarcated.

Thailand says the dispute arose from the fact that the Cambodian government used a map drawn during the French occupation of Cambodia -- a map that places the temple and surrounding area in Cambodian territory.

This month, the U.N. approved Cambodia's application to have the temple listed as a World Heritage Site -- places that have outstanding cultural value.

The decision reignited tensions, with some in Thailand fearing it would make it difficult for their country to lay claim to disputed land around the temple.

Opposition parties in Thailand used the issue to attack the government, which initially backed the heritage listing.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power since the mid-1980s, has portrayed the U.N. recognition as a national triumph in the run-up to the general elections.

The current flare-up began July 15, when Cambodian guards briefly detained three Thais who crossed into the area. Once they were let go, the three refused to leave the territory.

Cambodia claims Thailand sent troops to retrieve the trio and gradually built up their numbers. Thailand denies that, saying its troops are deployed in Thai territory.

Phnom Penh promises to withdraw complaint from UN

The Nation
Thu, July 24, 2008

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has agreed to withdraw his country's request for the UN to referee the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Thursday.

"Prime Minister Hun Sen promises me during today's telephone conversation that he will withdraw the request for the UN to help settle the border dispute.

We agree that both foreign ministers will meet in Siem Reap on July 28," Samak said.
Samak told reporters that therefore, he has to find new foreign minister before July 28.

The foreign minister job is vacant after former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama resigned as the Constitution Court ruled as unconstitutional an agreement on the Preah Vihear temple he signed with Cambodia in May.

The expected withdrawal came as the UN Security Council has delayed its decision whether to agree with Cambodia's proposal for the UN to help settle the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia near the Preah Vihear temple.

Cambodia, Thailand agree more temple talks

Thu Jul 24, 2008

(Adds Cambodian letter to Security Council, background)

By Ek Madra

PHNOM PENH, July 24 (Reuters) - Cambodia and Thailand will hold more talks on Monday aimed at resolving a smouldering border dispute over a 900-year-old temple, officials said on Thursday after their two leaders spoke on the phone.

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej told reporters in Bangkok that his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Sen, had agreed to withdraw a complaint to U.N. Security Council, but Cambodian officials denied this.

Hun Sen only agreed to delay its request for an emergency U.N. meeting on the spat that has sparked fears of a military clash, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said.

"We have decided to postpone our complaint to the United Nations Security Council, but that does not mean we withdraw it," he told Reuters.

"We want to see how far Thailand goes with this process," he said after this week's talks in Thailand ended in failure.

In New York, Cambodia's U.N. Ambassador Sea Kosal sent a letter to Vietnamese Ambassador Le Luong Minh, the president of the U.N. Security Council this month, asking him to postpone a planned emergency council meeting on the dispute "pending the result of the meeting of the two foreign ministers."

The emergency council session was originally expected to take place next week.

The Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers will hold Monday's negotiations in the Cambodian tourist town of Siem Reap, home of the famed Angkor Wat temples.

At the heart of the dispute is a 1.8 square mile (4.6 square km) stretch of scrubland around the Preah Vihear temple on a jungle-clad escarpment that forms a natural boundary between the southeast Asian countries.

The temple itself is claimed by both countries but was awarded to Cambodia in 1962 by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, a ruling that has rankled in Thailand ever since.

OPPOSITION TO U.N. INVOLVEMENT

France and Vietnam had said on Wednesday the United Nations Security Council would hold a special meeting in response to a Cambodian request for it to take up the issue. But France said council members wanted ASEAN to mediate if possible, and for the two sides to continue bilateral negotiations.

Thailand said it had the support of China, Russia, the United States, Vietnam and Indonesia against the need for Security Council intervention.

Even if it avoids stepping into the imbroglio, it is not clear what the U.N. could do other than issue a statement telling Bangkok and Phnom Penh to sort out the kerfuffle.

The chairman of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) said on Thursday there was no need to involve the U.N. in what should be a bilateral matter.

"It should not have to go to the U.N. Security Council," George Yeo, who is also Singapore's foreign minister, told reporters at an ASEAN meeting on Thursday.

"We should not let a small issue -- that was a non-issue in the past -- become a big issue."

Politics has played a key role in fuelling the fracas on both sides of the border.

Nationalism frequently rears its head in Cambodia, especially around election time, and there is a general election in the country on Sunday.

But analysts say domestic Thai politics are mainly to blame for the eruption of the dispute, which stems from Cambodia's successful bid to have the ruins listed as a World Heritage site, a source of pride for Cambodia but an outrage for many Thais.

Bangkok's initial support for the heritage listing was seized on by anti-government groups who whipped up a nationalist fervour in their attempt to unseat the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. His foreign minister resigned over the issue. (Additional reporting by Sukree Sukplang from Khao Pra Viharn, Nopporn Wong-Anan in Bangkok and Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations; Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by Alan Raybould and Alex Richardson)

Thai embassy advises on Cambodian evacuation strategy

M&G Asia-Pacific News
Jul 24, 2008

Phnom Penh - - The Thai embassy in Cambodia called Thai nationals for a meeting Thursday to advise on options in case they require evacuation after upcoming national elections, a Thai business representative and Cambodian officials said.

A representative from the Thai Business Association of Cambodia who declined to be named said the Thai embassy had called a meeting Thursday in Phnom Penh to discuss emergency options for Thai citizens in case of problems after national elections scheduled for Sunday.

However, she said most Thai businesses were so far not affected by cross-border tensions and continued business as usual. Cambodian government officials said they were aware of the meeting and stressed it was routine consular protocol.

'The embassy just told us what time until after the vote finishes for Cambodians that we had time to call the embassy if we want to leave,' the Thai Business Association spokeswoman said.
'But no problem. Right now for Thai businesses in Cambodia everything is still happy - no problem. We did not have a problem,' she said.

Thailand and Cambodia began a troop build-up along their border shortly after UNESCO declared the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, 300 kilometres north of Phnom Penh, a World Heritage site earlier this month, citing disputed surrounding territory.

Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith again urged calm Thursday and said what Thailand felt was in the best interests of its citizens was up to the Thais, but added that Cambodia has no intentions of aggression.

'If Thailand wants to stop business, that is their loss,' he said.

Cambodia has asked the UN for intervention.

Despite tensions and some voluntary evacuations of some locals on the disputed border, business continues as usual in the capital and most provinces, government officials and business people said.

However, security is tight, with national elections due Sunday and the memories of an angry Cambodian mob in 2003 torching the Thai embassy and a number of Thai businesses over rumours a Thai actress had claimed Cambodia's other World Heritage site, Angkor Wat, was Thai.

The Thai embassy in Phnom Penh could not be contacted Thursday.

Thailand, Cambodia set Monday border row meet in Siem Reap

BANGKOK, July 24 (TNA) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen agreed to hold talks with Thailand at the foreign ministerial level next Monday in his country's northwestern province of Siem Reap, Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej announced on Thursday.

Speaking to journalists here, Mr. Samak said he had talked with Mr. Hun Sen by telephone and came to an agreement that Cambodia would relinquish its request to the UN Security Council to consider the tense military standoff between the two neighbouring countries over a disputed area near the ancient temple.

The request for the emergency meeting was made by Cambodia after it claimed that Thailand had deployed large numbers of troops along Thai-Cambodian border. The two countries are locked in a military standoff on the border between Thailand's Kantharalak district in Si Sa Ket province and Cambodia's Preah Vihear province where the 11th century Khmer Hindu temple called Preah Vihear stands.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith confirmed Mr. Samak's comments, saying Phnom Penh had agreed to "suspend the complaint to the UN Security Council (for the time being)." It is still unknown which minister would represent Thailand at next Monday's meeting because foreign minister Noppadon Pattama resigned from his post July 14 and his successor has not yet been appointed.

Talks earlier in the Thai border district of Aranyaprathet between Thai Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit and Cambodian Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh took place on Monday this week over the 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area near the ancient temple saw no headway as both sides refused to back down from claiming sovereignty over the area. What both sides agreed was not to reinforce their forces in the area. (TNA)

The United Nations Asserts that Cambodia Is among the Least Developed Countries

Posted on 24 July 2008

The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 570

“Developing the country nearly 30 years by borrowing money from foreign countries and by receiving hundreds of millions of dollars each year, by 2008, Cambodia is still a country among forty nine countries that have very little development. According to a statement of the UN Conference on Trade and Development [UNCTAD] on 18 July 2008, 49 countries were evaluated by the United Nations to be Least Developed Countries [The Least Developed Countries Report 2008, Growth, Poverty and the Terms of Development Partnership, full report: PDF, 197 pages, 1719Kb].

Among the 49 countries 10 countries are from Asia, 5 countries from the Pacific Ocean region, 1 country from the Caribbean, and 33 countries from Africa. Countries from Asia are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, East Timor, Laos, Maldives, Nepal, and Yemen. The evaluation of the UN about trade and development are based on three criteria:

the first criterion is ‘low income’ of citizens, based on the average national income per capita during three years [2002-2004], and countries were added to this list if the figure is less than US$750;

the second criterion, it based on ‘human assets’, [based on indicators of nutrition, health (child mortality rate), school enrollment, and adult literacy rate]; and the third criterion depends on the ‘economic vulnerability’ [based on indicators of natural shocks like instability of agricultural production; trade shocks like instability of exports of goods and services, exposure to shocks like strong dependency on agriculture, or merchandise export, or being affected by economic isolation].

“Cambodia has just waken up from war that had lasted many years, and receives about US$400 million to US$600 million every year. This does not cover loans from some countries, and national funds collected through taxes and through other means.

“Previously, the Economic Institute of Cambodia and the World Bank had estimated that Cambodia loses each year at least US$300 million to US$500 million by corruption. Also Mr. Joseph Mussomeli, US ambassador to Cambodia, has criticized corruption in Cambodia, claiming that the Cambodian government has no clear policies to fight corruption; just to speak about this word a lot may make it sound beautiful without any effect. Also, Transparency International found that Cambodia is among the countries in the world having most serious corruption problems [Global corruption Report 2008].

“Some economic observers and officials of civil society organizations agree with the data of UNCTAD, asserting that Cambodia is among the Least Developed Countries; this evaluation is in line with the real situation. It is true that the government led by Prime Minister Hun Sen owes much debt and received funds of hundreds of millions of dollars every year, but there is not much significant development. At present, 36% of Khmer citizens still live under the poverty line with Riel 4,000 [approx. US$0.98] per day, while many leaders and corrupt officials became millionaires and billionaires.

“Economic observers and officials of civil society organizations in Cambodia said that hundreds of millions of dollars that the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, vice-president of the Cambodian People’s Party, has received from foreign countries, and funds from the international community every year, are not spent to develop the country. A considerable part of that money has gone into the pockets of leaders and of corrupt officials which led to very little economic growth, and the benefits from that economic growth do not reach the poor, but it benefits corrupt officials who are partisans of powerful leaders. This creates an ever larger gap between the rich and the poor, and makes the nation to face a serious crisis.

“An official, who asked that his name not be mentioned, said that strong corruption in the Ministry of Commerce, managed by Cham Prasidh, is one reason making Cambodian commerce not to grow as in neighboring countries, and the country has little development. Just to register a company, an investor has to spend much money to corrupt officials close to Cham Prasidh. Therefore, big foreign investors do not dare to come to invest in Cambodia, because they hate corruption. Another thing is that Cambodia has no anti-corruption law which meets international standards.

“Some independent observers noticed that corruption and bureaucracy occurring strongly in important state institutions of Cambodia makes Cambodia to develop little, although the country owes nearly US$4 billion and has received hundreds of millions of dollars from the international community. State institutions ruined by corruption and bureaucracy are the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Commerce, the Customs and Excise Department, the Council for the Development of Cambodia, and the Department of Economic Police of the Ministry of Interior. As for the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and Inspection, managed by Men Samon, a member of the Central Committee of the Cambodian People’s Party, does nothing to observe, prevent, and eliminate corruption.

“Independent observers noticed that also some important institutions and donor countries for Cambodia do not help Cambodia to eliminate corruption effectively. Clearly, Mr. Ian Porter and Ms. Nisha Agrawal, Country Director for Cambodia and [former] Cambodia Country Manager of the World Bank, seem to be sensitive about corruption, which absorbs even development funds of the World Bank. But even when corruption and bureaucracy in important state institutions of the Hun Sen’s government grew stronger, the World Bank provided more funds to Hun Sen’s government, although they knew that such funds do not provide advantages to Khmer poor citizens.

“Analysts said that in order for Cambodia to develop soon, the Khmer citizens countrywide have to defeat corrupt leaders, who destroy and steal from the nation, through the election on 27 July 2008. This means that Khmer citizens countrywide have to vote to dismiss the Cambodian People’s Party from power, because the government led by the Cambodian People’s Party for many terms does not improve the national economy and does not make citizens to live with a richer livelihood. The new leader, that Khmer citizens have to choose, is Mr. Sam Rainsy, the president of the opposition party who is an economic expert and who is willing to serve the citizens’ and to protect the nation’s interests.”

Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.15, #3519, 23.7.2008
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:Wednesday, 23 July 2008

Cambodia, Thailand Agree to Border Talks

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
24 July 2008

Khmer audio aired 24 July 2008 (1.75 MB) - Download (MP3) Khmer audio aired 24 July 2008 (1.75 MB) - Listen (MP3)

Cambodia has agreed to postpone its complaint to the UN Security Council over a military border crisis, pending a bilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries in Siem Reap Monday.

The agreement follows a phone conversation between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej Thursday and came as heavily armed troops on both sides were positioned at various points along the Thai-Cambodia border.

A government spokesman meanwhile called for both Cambodian and Thai troops to return as soon as possible to positions they held near Preah Vihear temple two weeks ago, to avoid an eruption of violence along the border.

"The stance of the Cambodian government is that we want both sides, Cambodia and Thailand, to return to the situation [as it was] before July 15, because if the troops from both sides stay together it is not good, and a problem will erupt," government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told reporters in Phnom Penh. "If the situation is not returned to the way it was before July 15, there could be an explosion, and we wouldn't be able to avoid fighting each other."

As the crisis entered its ninth day, Thai and Cambodian troops had been deployed along the border near Anlong Veng and O'Smach districts, Oddar Meanchey province, Oddar Meanchey Governor Pich Sophin said.

An increasing number of Thai soldiers have been sent to areas on the border of Banthey Meanchey province, near Poipet, but the international crossing remains open, Banthey Meanchey Governor Ung Ouern said.

Officials say the build-up includes tanks, artillery and the arming of Thai villagers along the border. Up to 4,000 troops from both sides have been deployed.

Khieu Kanharith said Thursday Cambodia had 800 troops on the border, but Cambodian commanders say the number is closer to 1,500.

Cambodia also wants the withdrawal of Thai troops from Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda, because their presence there could lead to later claims to the territory by Thailand, Khieu Kanharith said.
Thai Embassy officials declined to comment Thursday.

Thailand maintains the pagoda was illegally built on Thai territory against agreements made between the two countries in border negotiations in 2000.

Defense Minister Gen. Tea Banh made a brief visit to the disputed area Thursday.

After the visit, he concluded the situation was still peaceful, but he urged both sides to remain calm.

The Cambodian side will maintain sufficient troops on the border to protect Preah Vihear temple, he told VOA Khmer.

Migrants Meeting Increased Thai Police

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
24 July 2008

Cambodian workers crossing into Thailand illegally for work have met increased Thai police patrols, as a tense military standoff between the two countries continues.

More Thai border police have been deployed along the border and have detained migrants who attempt to cross for work, provincial officials said.

Thousands of Cambodians cross into Thailand to work each day as farmers informal checkpoints along the border, returning to their Cambodian homes in the evening.

On Wednesday, five workers crossing in O'Chrov district, Banthey Meanchey province, were detained by Thai border police for 20 hours before being released to Cambodia.

Parties Hone Messages in Campaign Push

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

Khmer audio aired 24 July 2008 (1.38 MB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired 24 July 2008 (1.38 MB) - Listen (MP3)

During a monthlong election campaign, 11 political parties announced their messages to more than 8 million voters in an effort to gain their support. They promised reform, the elimination of poverty and a return of social justice. They promised to fix inflation, solve land-grabs and sweep away corruption.

But Friday is the last day of the campaign, and in the final hours the nation's five major parties now must consider their most important messages.

You Hockry, Norodom Ranariddh Party secretary-general, said his party was most focused on ending land disputes.

"The Norodom Ranariddh Party must eliminate land disputes to promote people's living standards," he said. "Our party policy is not to increase poverty, but to reduce poverty. So Prince Norodom Ranariddh mainly focuses on policies to give people the right to have land that belongs to them."

The CPP said it was focusing on the issue of natural environment, while the Sam Rainsy Party was focusing on the high prices of goods in the market.

Coalition partner Funcinpec was promoting the reform of the judiciary, by giving full power to the king over the courts.

The Human Rights Party, meanwhile, was focused on anti-corruption legislation and cleaning up corruption "from the top," as well as the declaration of assets.

Party Urges King's Help in Border Crisis

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
24 July 2008

Khmer audio aired 23 July 2008 (1.15 MB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired 23 July 2008 (1.15 MB) - Listen (MP3)

Human Rights Party President Kem Sokha has asked King Norodom Sihamoni to consider intervening in the ongoing border crisis at Preah Vihear temple.

"We believe that only Your Majesty can solve the issue, because the royal families of the two countries have a good relationship, and have no political interests or partisanship," Kem Sokha wrote in a letter to Sihamoni.

Kem Sokha sent the letter following failed bilateral negotiations Monday and an impending UN Security Council meeting over a situation Cambodia has called "an imminent state of war."

Royal spokesman Oum Daravuth declined to comment on the letter, but said "we all" should join the government to solve the issue of sovereignty, not political gain.

Two Journalists Awarded for 'Courage'

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
24 July 2008

Two Cambodian journalists have been awarded the Hellman/Hammet Writer's Award, for upholding standards of journalism despite political persecution.

Chheang Bopha, 28, and Duong Sokha, 27, were selected among 34 journalists from 19 countries to receive the award, which "recognizes courage in the face of political prosecution," Human Rights Watch, which administers the award, said in a statement.

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

Both men quit working for the French-language newspaper Cambodge Soir to protest the dismissal of a colleague who had reported on illegal logging, including coverage of a banned report by the environment monitor Global Witness.

The Global Witness report implicated many high-ranking members of government, including those in the family of Prime Minister Hun Sen, in illegal logging.

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

Congressman Urges Freedom of Religion

By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
24 July 2008

Khmer audio aired 23 July 2008 (1.22 MB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired 23 July 2008 (1.22 MB) - Listen (MP3)

The US has the ability to sanction governments that restrict freedom of religion, a US congressman said Thursday.

Trent Franks, a Republican representative from Arizona, said international religious groups actively encourage the US to put pressure on countries that restrict religious and political freedom.

International activists "empower the United States in a lot of different ways" to pressure or put sanctions on countries that restrict such freedoms, Franks told VOA Khmer.

Countries like Vietnam or Cambodia should understand "the basic commitment to religious freedom for all making," he said.

Both Cambodia and Vietnam have come under pressure in recent years for the treatment of Khmer Kampuchea Krom minorities, including the defrocking and jailing of Khmer Krom monk Tim Sakhorn.

The Vietnamese government has attempted to erase the religion and nationality of the Khmer Krom, said Prak Sereyvuth, vice president of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Federation.

"On behalf of a Khmer Krom, I think that the religious issue is very important, because Kampuchea Krom Buddhism is a religion for our nation," he said. "More than 500 pagodas are still maintaining our culture, traditional and Buddhist religion. The communist Vietnamese government is using cruel activities through secret politic to destroy our religion and our nation.

Several Khmer Kampuchea Krom monks and politic prisoners are still detaining in Vietnam."
Vietnam Embassy spokesman Trinh Ba Cam said only those who violate Vietnamese laws are put in prison.

"There is no political prisoners or [imprisoned] monks in Vietnam," he said. "There are only people who violate Vietnamese law."

The US ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedoms is expected to travel to Vietnam in October to seek the release of political and religious prisoners.

Thai-Cambodia Dispute at ASEAN Talks

Thailand Cambodia dispute over temple; The Monday’s meeting

Pictures from Preah Vihear: Thai-Cambodian Border Dispute

Cambodian Buddhist monks rest at the Cekakiri Svarak pagoda near the Preah Vihear temple, 245km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 24, 2008. Cambodia accused Thailand on Thursday of sending more troops to their joint border as a smouldering dispute over a 900-year-old temple showed no signs of easing.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

Cambodian Buddhist monks rest at the Cekakiri Svarak pagoda near the Preah Vihear temple, 245 km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 24, 2008. Cambodia accused Thailand on Thursday of sending more troops to their joint border as a smouldering dispute over a 900-year-old temple showed no signs of easing.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

A Cambodian soldier rests near the Cekakiri Svarak pagoda of the Preah Vihaer temple, about 245 km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 24, 2008. Cambodia accused Thailand on Thursday of sending more troops to their joint border as a smouldering dispute over a 900-year-old temple showed no signs of easing.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

Thai soldiers rest near the Cekakiri Svarak pagoda of the Preah Vihear temple, about 245 km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 24, 2008. Cambodia accused Thailand on Thursday of sending more troops to their joint border as a smouldering dispute over a 900-year-old temple showed no signs of easing.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

A Cambodian soldier stands with a Thai soldier near the Cekakiri Svarak pagoda of the Preah Vihear temple, about 245 km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 24, 2008. Cambodia accused Thailand on Thursday of sending more troops to their joint border as a smouldering dispute over a 900-year-old temple showed no signs of easing.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

Cambodian soldiers stand guard at the Cekakiri Svarak pagoda near the Preah Vihear temple, 245km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 24, 2008. Cambodia accused Thailand on Thursday of sending more troops to their joint border as a smouldering dispute over a 900-year-old temple showed no signs of easing.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

A Cambodian soldier rests near the Cekakiri Svarak pagoda of the Preah Vihear temple, about 245 km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 24, 2008. Cambodia accused Thailand on Thursday of sending more troops to their joint border as a smouldering dispute over a 900-year-old temple showed no signs of easing.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

Cambodian soldiers stand at the Cekakiri Svarak pagoda near the Preah Vihear temple, 245 km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 24, 2008. Cambodia accused Thailand on Thursday of sending more troops to their joint border as a smouldering dispute over a 900-year-old temple showed no signs of easing.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

A Cambodian soldier (R) shakes hands with a Thai soldier on patrol near the Cekakiri Svarak pagoda of the Preah Vihear temple, about 245 km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 24, 2008. Cambodia accused Thailand on Thursday of sending more troops to their joint border as a smouldering dispute over a 900-year-old temple showed no signs of easing. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

Thai soldiers greet Cambodian soldiers near the Cekakiri Svarak pagoda of the Preah Vihear temple, about 245 km (152 miles) north of Phnom Penh, July 24, 2008. Cambodia accused Thailand on Thursday of sending more troops to their joint border as a smouldering dispute over a 900-year-old temple showed no signs of easing.REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang (THAILAND)

Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith (R) speaks to the media during a news conference in Phnom Penh July 24, 2008. Cambodia accused Thailand on Thursday of sending more troops to their joint border as a smoldering dispute over a 900-year-old temple showed no signs of easing.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Thailand says it has agreed to discuss border issue with Cambodia Monday

The Associated Press
Published: July 24, 2008

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia has agreed to meet Monday with Thailand to discuss a stretch of disputed land near a historic temple, rather than take the matter to the U.N., officials from both countries said Thursday.

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said he talked to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and the two leaders decided to schedule a foreign ministers' meeting in the Cambodian city of Siem Reap on Monday.

They plan to discuss how best to end the crisis over land near the 11th century temple of Preah Vihear that led both countries to deploy soldiers near the site.

Hun Sen confirmed in statement that the meeting would take place and that his Foreign Ministry has advised the Security Council to "temporarily postpone its meeting while awaiting results of the negotiations between Cambodia and Thailand."

Monday's meeting follows failed efforts earlier this week to resolve the crisis, which prompted Cambodia to take the issue to the U.N. Security Council.

Military tensions between the two countries over 1.8 square miles (4.6 square kilometers) of land intensified earlier this month after UNESCO approved a Cambodian application to have the temple designated a World Heritage Site.

Thailand sent troops to the border July 15 after anti-government demonstrators attacked Samak's government for supporting Cambodia's application. It claims they were deployed only after 1,000 Cambodian troops were spotted in the area. The troops were protecting a demining team, which was sent there after a Thai soldier stepped on a land mine, officials said.

The announcement would seem to be a small diplomatic victory for Thailand, which had rejected Cambodian requests to involve the U.N. and the grouping of Southeast Asian nations in the matter. Thailand's U.N. ambassador, Don Pramudwinai, accused Cambodia on Wednesday of bringing the quarrel before the Security Council because "the Cambodian target is not only Preah Vihear but the entire common border."

Cambodian says some 4,000 troops from both countries are massed in the area around Preah Vihear. Thailand says it has 400 troops in the area and that Cambodia has 1,700.

Don said Cambodia was trying to force Thailand to accept a French colonial map's demarcation of the border.

Thailand relies on a different map drawn up later with American technical assistance, but accepts a ruling by the International Court of Justice that awarded the disputed temple to Cambodia in 1962.

Thai academics have suggested that a solution may only emerge after Sunday's general election in Cambodia as politicians on both sides played to nationalist popular sentiment.

Cambodian's Information Minister Khieu Kanharith on Wednesday dismissed such suggestions, saying the current problem was caused by Thailand and that the timing was irrelevant.

Taking the high ground at Preah Vihear

Asia Times Online
Jul 25, 2008
By Craig Guthrie

PHNOM PENH - This month, thousands of Cambodians poured into in the streets of Phnom Penh waving flags and pounding drums to celebrate the listing of Preah Vihear temple as a UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) World Heritage site.

With such revelry, a people with much darkness and bloody civil conflict in their recent past seemed to be dancing towards a brighter future on the back of their modest triumph.

It was only weeks away from the nation's fourth post-war general election to be held this Sunday, and an elusive sense of political and economic stability was in the air. At the time Prime Minister Hun Sen called the decision "a new source of pride for the people of Cambodia".

But days after the celebration, hundreds of heavily armed troops from Thailand and Cambodia had dug in around the contentious temple site with artillery pieces and rocket launchers trained on the area.

And today, the armed standoff now taking place over ownership of the ancient Hindu temple has become the latest chapter in the neighboring countries' troubled relationship.

Moreover, the row is gathering international attention. United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon on July 21 called for both sides to peacefully resolve the issue and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has offered to mediate between the two countries.

Tempest at a temple

Thailand successfully blocked Cambodia's efforts to list Preah Vihear in 2006 and 2007 on the grounds that a 4.6 square kilometer stretch of land around the temple compound is still subject to dispute. It is this piece of land, not covered by the recent ruling, where the nations' forces are facing off.

"You need to look at the history. Vietnam and Thailand both grew while Cambodia shrank since the 14th century, swallowed up bit by bit by those large neighbors," Cambodian political commentator Chea Vannath told Inter Press Service (IPS). "This is not a recent thing; it is long-running."

Legally, the temple has belonged to Cambodia since a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1962. The ICJ's 1962 ruling provoked violent protests in Thailand, which has never accepted the verdict and questioned the validity of the map used by Cambodia to claim ownership of the temple, the same map used by UNESCO as the basis for its recent decision.

As of Thursday, according to a Cambodian official, Cambodia had 800 soldiers along the border, compared with 3,000 Thai troops. The Thai Foreign Ministry said Bangkok had only 400 men facing as many as 1,700 Cambodian soldiers. Both sides have moved artillery near a small Buddhist pagoda leading to the ruins of the temple, according to Reuters news agency.

The build-up began on July 15, when Cambodian guards briefly detained three Thais who crossed into the area and refused to leave. Cambodia claims the Thais sent in troops to retrieve their nationals and have been building up their forces since. Thailand denied the charges, saying its soldiers are deployed on Thai territory.

Preah Vihear is again at the center of a complex relationship between Thailand and Cambodia, the result of fluid historical borders that did not begin to coalesce until as recently as the 1950s.

For much of the 19th century, northern Cambodia, including the largest religious complex in the world, Angkor Wat, was ruled by Thailand. France forced Thailand to cede the area to its rule in the 1930s. Thailand took advantage of World War II to take back much of the territory, which was not handed back to Cambodia until after the war.

Cambodia's independence saw numerous disputes between the two countries. Problems persisted during the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime and grew after the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia in 1979 to overthrow the ultra-Maoist group.

Despite tensions over Phnom Penh's claim, elements of the Thai military continued to support Khmer Rouge guerrillas. Ties began improving in the 1980s but took a significant turn for the worse in 2003, when mobs burned the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh and a number of Thai-owned businesses. That angry response came after a Cambodian newspaper article alleged that a prominent Thai actress had said that Cambodia had stolen Angkor Wat.

Calling for calm

Sovereignty over the sprawling shrine to Shiva has raised the ire of Thais for decades - but not Cambodians.

"Its Khmer and on Khmer land," everyday Cambodians will tell you with bemusement over Thai claims to the jungle-clad temple, even if they have never heard of the ICJ. Many believe Cambodia's consistent stance over the dispute, as opposed to the tenuous political situation in Thailand, will score Cambodia a sound diplomatic victory in the dispute.

In fact, Cambodia's leadership has approached the military stand-off with a hitherto unheard of maturity, first appealing to ASEAN and then the UN Security Council to take note of the issue.

Rather than allowing the displays of frenzied nationalism that marred the nation's last duel with Thailand over national heritage in 2003, Cambodia's politicians have urged for national calm.

"Prime Minister Hun Sen can control the situation. We would like to appeal to the Cambodian people, NGOs, and politicians to keep calm at this time and to not serve as hero. Everyone loves the country, but if we are extremists, a war would break out," said Information Minister and government spokesperson Khieu Kanharith.

Most Cambodians believe that the crisis has been exacerbated by anti-government forces in Bangkok which have been holding demonstrations since May. Some Cambodian observers believe that the temple issue has stirred a wave of bitterness against Cambodia and the international community over the UNESCO decision in Thailand.

"It doesn't matter if the Thais just fight each other, but they should not take Cambodia as a scapegoat for political purposes," said Chea Ratha, a young Cambodian student from Phnom Penh on July 20. "The Thai opposition and military should have used a better excuse to make another coup against [former prime minister] Thaksin's [Shinawatra's] ally. Groundlessly and unfairly accusing a small and poor nation of taking your land is already ridiculous. [They're] bullies."

The Preah Vihear issue has been overexploited by both sides of the border, Dr Lao Mong Hay, a senior researcher for the Asian Human Rights Organization, told Asia Times Online, "The Cambodian government has used it to boost its popular support in this month's election with the organization of overzealous celebrations of its 'victory' over the listing of the temple as a world heritage site, without any consideration of the Thai people's attachment to the temple and their feelings of humiliation."

Cambodian stability

In historically tumultuous Cambodia the political situation is more stable than it has ever been. Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) looks assured of an easy victory which has only been facilitated by the UNESCO decision.

With this in mind, the CPP leadership has alternately taken credit for the UNESCO ruling and called for calm. "Please politicians, do not take this occasion for political gain because Cambodia could be pushed into an unpredictable situation. Please keep calm," said Kanharith.

Those in Cambodia's opposition, however, see more dubious and business-minded motivations. "They [the CPP] have tried to take credit for it and have used the state budget to promote themselves as heroes," Son Chhay, a parliamentarian with the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) told IPS.

Just as Thai opposition groups have accused their government of backing the UNESCO application in exchange for business contracts, so too have Cambodia opposition politicians been quick to talk of secret deals.

"A deal has been done, no doubt about it, to jointly manage the Preah Vihear temple," said Son Chhay. "The Cambodians will get ownership and the Thais will get casinos and hotels. I have no proof in terms of black and white evidence on paper. But we have evidence of meetings between Thai and senior members of the Cambodian government pointing to a deal."

In Thailand, embattled Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej cannot be seen to be losing political ground to opposition or literal ground to Cambodia. The issue has already caused the resignation of Noppadon Pattama as foreign minister, and he said on July 20 that there is a "systematic attempt to destroy his government".

According to Mong Hay, the Thai government seems to have overreacted to its people's burst of nationalism by sending troops to the temple's area, which only provoked the Cambodian government to send troops up there as well.

"Both sides will only lose if they cannot defuse the tension. It is unlikely the Thais can get back the temple, though they could well turn this highland into their own Golan Heights," Mong Hay told Asia Times Online.

Tragic Past

The Preah Vihear temple had a grim significance during Cambodia's years of civil conflict. In 1979, it was where Thailand forcibly repatriated thousands of Cambodian refugees who had fled across the mountain border to escape the Khmer Rouge, ordering them to march down the steep slopes back to their country.

As British journalist William Shawcross wrote of the scene in his book The Quality of Mercy: The path down the mountains became steeper, the jungle thicker. Dozens, scores of people fell onto mines. Those with possessions had to abandon them to carry their children down. One group of refugees desperately pooled whatever valuables they had left, filled two buckets with them, and walked back up toward the Thai soldiers, carrying a white flag. The soldiers took the buckets and then shot the refugees."

The temple, which has been described as an "oasis of peace" was only regained by Cambodian government troops from the Khmer Rouge in 1998. If the situation worsens it could again become the site of conflict among ethnic Khmers.

Many of the Thai troops now camped outside the holy site are from Thailand's Isan and Surin areas which have been home to generations of ethnic Khmer. Accounts from the stalemate zone have reported that Khmer speakers have jokingly promised to shoot in the air rather than at their Khmer brothers.

Craig Guthrie is a reporter for the Mekong Times newspaper in Phnom Penh. He has covered Cambodian affairs since 2004.

The National Election Committee refutes lack of independence accusations

Cambodge Soir
24-07-2008

Some NGOs and parties declare their concerns regarding the neutrality and independence of the National Election Committee (NEC). They accuse the NEC of supporting the governing party and of being under its control.

To counter these accusations an NEC spokesperson published a press release on Tuesday July 22.The press release stipulated that since its creation, NEC members have been elected according to the elections law adopted by the National Assembly. The ensuing amendments to the law were to improve the election process. According to the spokesperson “the 2003 elections were validated and recognised as exemplary elections within south east Asia. As we are in the middle of the electoral campaign, some politicians try to fool the voters by telling them that they cannot vote if they do not possess the information bulletin. Other parties declared publicly that some ballot papers would be stolen on July 27. But the same politicians also proclaimed that their parties would win the elections on that day ". The press release indicates that to prevent any wrongdoing, the committee sent staff at all levels to inform the population. Yet, the NEC agreed there had been some malfunctions. But according to the NEC only 150 complaints have been registered, three times less than during the 2003 elections.

Although the NEC is located in the precinct of the Ministry of Interior, “it does not impact at all on its independence and neutrality”, said the spokesperson before adding that no elections worldwide are perfect.