Leave disputed area or face "death zone," Cambodia tells Thailand

Thailand's Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat speaks to Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh October 13, 2008.(Chor Sokunthea/Reuters)

Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong speaks to the media after meeting with Thailand's Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh October 13, 2008. Amornvivat is in Cambodia for a one-day official visit and to discuss the border dispute issue.(Chor Sokunthea/Reuters)

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks to the media after a meeting with Thailand's Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh October 13, 2008. Cambodia accused Thailand on Monday of trying to send troops across their disputed border, warning that such a provocation could eventually lead to "large scale conflict".REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (left) shakes hands with Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornviwat in Phnom Penh.(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Thailand's Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat (L) shakes hands with Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong before meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh October 13, 2008. Sompong Amornvivat is in Cambodia for a one-day official visit and to discuss the border dispute issue.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

REFILE - CORRECTING "BEFORE MEETING" TO "AFTER MEETING" Thailand's Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat (L) shakes hands with Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong after meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh October 13, 2008. Amornvivat is in Cambodia for a one-day official visit and to discuss the border dispute issue.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Thailand's Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat (2nd L) walks out from a room after meeting with Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh October 13, 2008. Amornvivat is in Cambodia for a one-day official visit and to discuss the border dispute issue.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Thailand's Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat (R) greets Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen during a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh October 13, 2008.(Virak Mony/Reuters)

Thailand's Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat (L) meets with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (R) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh October 13, 2008.(Tang Chhinsothy/Pool/Reuters)

Thai soldiers stand guard near a pagoda close to Preah Vihear temple in Cambodia. Cambodia has warned of the risk of a large-scale armed conflict with Thailand as ministers from the two neighbours failed to reach a breakthrough in talks on their border dispute.(AFP/File/Tang Chhin Sothy)

A Cambodian soldier takes cover after a landmine explosion near Preah Vihear temple on October 6. Cambodia and Thailand on Monday resumed talks on their simmering border spat, following a skirmish between troops near an ancient temple earlier this month.(AFP)

Cambodian soldiers on patrol close to the disputed Preah Vihear temple.(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Thai soldiers are seen near the Preah Vihear temple on October 7. Cambodia and Thailand on Monday resumed talks on their simmering border spat, following a skirmish between troops near an ancient temple earlier this month.(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Cambodia warns of "large-scale armed conflict" with Thailand

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (left) shakes hands with Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornviwat in Phnom Penh.(AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Mon Oct 13

PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Cambodia warned Monday of the risk of a large-scale armed conflict with Thailand as ministers from the two neighbours failed to reach a breakthrough in talks on their border dispute.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and his Thai counterpart Sompong Amornviwat met in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh while troops from the two sides faced off near a disputed temple on their border.

The Cambodian foreign minister said the talks failed to end in agreement because his Thai opposite number "could not sign on anything."

Hor Namhong told reporters that while he was meeting with Sompong he received word Thai soldiers had attempted to cross the border near the disputed ancient temple of Preah Vihear into Cambodia.

"I told my Thai counterpart that sending a lot of troops along the border is dangerous and can provoke a large-scale armed conflict," he told reporters.

He warned that "even one shot can lead to a large-scale armed conflict."

Major general Srey Deok, who oversees the Cambodian military in the area of Preah Vihear, told AFP by telephone that some 80 Thai troops had crossed into the disputed territory.

"Thai troops have already entered the area. They are confronting our troops," he said.

However Thai border commander Major General Kanok Netrakavaesana said his troops were merely patrolling a disputed area. "The Thai army has a responsibility to take care of the area... We stay where we stay," he said.

Hor Namhong told reporters Cambodia would take the border dispute to an international court if the neighbours cannot resolve it within "an appropriate time."

The two countries have swapped accusations of violating each other's territory in the dispute over land near at least three ancient temples along their border.

At least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded when units exchanged gunfire during a brief clash on October 3 near the Preah Vihear temple.

Talks to discuss withdrawing troops from around the temple were postponed late August amid political turmoil in Thailand.

Tensions flared in July after the ancient Khmer temple was awarded world heritage status by the United Nations cultural body UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site.

Those tensions turned into a military confrontation in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks.

Both sides agreed to pull back in mid-August, leaving just a few dozen soldiers stationed near the temple.

However, much of the Cambodian-Thai border remains in dispute, and the slow pace of mine clearance has delayed demarcation.

Cambodian spirit survives

Kara Gifford / Na Pueo; Cambodian dancers unify flags to represent the renewed friendship between the schools.

Teens from the country share cultural dances -- and reveal their resiliency through turmoil

STAR BULLETIN

By Daniel Ching / Na Pueo

Oct 13, 2008

When people think of the country of Cambodia, what comes to mind? Death, poverty, destruction?

Today, Cambodia is one of the most poverty-stricken countries in Southeast Asia. Because of the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge era and the Vietnamese invasion that followed, Cambodia's rich culture was virtually obliterated. Pol Pot, leader of the communist regime, had overthrown the existing government and attempted to "restart civilization in Year Zero." This cultlike agenda to strip Cambodia of its identity and bring civilization back to archaic, agrarian life was as devastating to Cambodia as the Cultural Revolution was to China. And yet the destruction would not end here. When the Vietnamese invaded, the chaos increased.

What is left? What could possibly remain from such crimes against humanity?

The Cambodian spirit lives on, as unbelievable as that seem. I saw it with my own eyes -- the smile of a few Cambodian teenagers who seem to have transcended the most horrific of evils, transforming the most tragic of events into the most inspirational of stories.

A few weeks ago, my school was fortunate enough to host a few Cambodian teenagers from the Future Light orphanage, a facility in Phnom Penh devoted to sheltering Cambodian children from the poverty-stricken environment they live in and helping them develop the skills needed to become future leaders. Because they were coming to Hawaii to meet their sponsored foster parents -- many of whom are Mid-Pacific Institute faculty -- for the first time, the plan was for them to first perform their indigenous dance for the school at a special assembly. After this, a few MPI performing arts students were to share their dance technique and style with them.

When the assembly started, no one really knew what to expect. So many questions flooded people's minds. How did these Cambodian dancers survive such traumatic ordeals? How many of them were they? What would their dance be like?

All these thoughts were extinguished, however, once the dancers came out onto the floor. Once the music started and the dancers began their intricate hand gestures, I almost forgot that these were teenagers who had been born into such turmoil. Their dance said it all. The grace, confidence and simple gleefulness with whichthey danced suggested that these Cambodians could retain their humanity in a society that had virtually none.

While the student body was inspired by the dance the Cambodian teenagers performed, we still thought of them as victims. As much as I admired their achievements and enjoyed their presence, there was a hint of pity in my perception of the Cambodians. It wasn't until we walked up to the dance studios and interacted with them through dance privately that I started to perceive the Cambodians as my new friends rather than orphans.

It came to me in an epiphany that this was not a time to sympathize or grieve. Rather, this was a time to share one's culture with the other, laugh with each other -- take pleasure in the human spirit for all its tenacity and fervor.

As they taught us how to do the Khmer dance with our hands and we showed them how to pop and lock; as both Cambodian and MPI student alike constantly pulled out cameras, insisting on more and more shots as we gazed in pure delight and awe each other's moves; as e-mails were exchanged and hugs were given, I realized that this was much more than a special assembly -- this was the epitome of the human spirit.

Cambodia endangered by new, drug-fuelled AIDS epidemic

M&C Health News
Oct 13, 2008

Phnom Penh - Cambodia faces a fresh HIV/AIDS epidemic because of a sharp rise in intravenous drug use driven by an influx of cheap methamphetamines, a senior government official said Monday.

Lou Ramin, director general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, told a conference that statistics showed overall drug use had decreased but intravenous use was growing and spreading. Sponsored Links:

The driving force of the trend was a newfound popularity of ice, a cheap but particularly potent and addictive methamphetamine often sold in crystal form, he said.

'The face of drug use in Cambodia is changing,' he told officials. 'Even though the use of drugs in Cambodia has decreased overall, it has spread. Before, drug use outside of the capital was rare, but new reports show this is no longer the case.

'Now we have the rise in the use of ice, which is often injected,' he said. 'This is a very worrying trend, because injection carries an increased risk of HIV/AIDS.' Sponsored Links:

Ramin said his authority found that while 14 per cent of intravenous drug users in the capital were HIV-positive in 2006, that figure had risen to 35.1 per cent by 2007 and with the spread of ice, in particular, there was a real fear of a nationwide trend.

Cambodia has been held up as a model in the fight against HIV/AIDS after managing to reduce its infection rate substantially in recent years.

However, it still has one of the highest rates in the region, and experts have warned that complacency and changing demographics of those most at risk, ranging from sex workers and soldiers to drug users and others, could easily lead to a fresh explosion of the disease.

Thai-Cambodia crisis mellows down

timesnow.tv
10/13/2008

Thailand's new foreign minister Sompong Amornvivat arrived in Cambodia on Monday (October 13) for talks with his Cambodian counterpart to defuse a row over a 900-year-old temple that has raised fears of a military clash between the southeast Asian neighbours.

The talks on the simmering border spat come after a brief clash between Thai and Cambodian soldiers deployed along the border area earlier in October.

The two sides have blamed each other for violating each other's territory where the Preah Vihear temple is located.

Tensions flared in July after the ancient temple became a UNESCO world heritage site, irking nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site. Troops were deployed from both sides and a standoff continued for nearly six weeks.

Talks between the two neighbours were postponed in August due to political turmoil in Bangkok. The new embattled Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat was planning to attend Monday's meeting but as the political problems continue in Thailand, he also cancelled at the last minute.

The one-day meeting between the two foreign ministers made little headway in the dispute over the 1.8 square mile (4.6 square km) of scrubland near the temple.

"Now we have the confrontation between the two sides. The Thai side wanted to enter the area where mines exploded recently. They wanted to see the situation there but our soldiers stopped them from entering. Now I told the Foreign Minister and the general who came with him to order their troops not to enter. If they enter the Preah Lean Entry which I stated clearly to him is our toritory, there will be a war," said Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.

The ancient Hindu temple sits on a jungle-clad escarpment that forms the natural boundary between the two countries. The International Court of Justice awarded the ruins to Cambodia in a 1962 ruling that has rankled many Thais ever since.

The Hague court did not rule on the disputed land next With troops and artillery building up on both sides of the border and brief clashes, Cambodia has threatened to take the spat to the United Nations Security Council.

Thailand wants all talks with its neighbour to remain strictly two-way. (Agency)

Leave disputed area or face "death zone," Cambodia tells Thailand

A Cambodian soldier stands guard in July at an entrance gate to Preah Vihear temple on the Cambodian-Thai border. (Heng Sinith/Associated Press)

CBC News
Monday, October 13, 2008

Thailand has 24 hours to pull its troops out of a disputed border region that includes an ancient temple, Cambodia's prime minister warned Monday on threat of violence.

"Thai troops must withdraw from Cambodian land by tomorrow at the latest," Hun Sen told reporters after meeting Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat in Phnom Penh.
"We will not allow them to occupy our land."

Both countries have laid claim to the Preah Vihear temple complex, an ancient Hindu site built by the same Khmer dynasty as the internationally renowned Angkor Wat temples in central Cambodia.

"We see that territory is our land, too. What would it mean if we retreated?" Sompong told reporters in Bangkok.

"If the Cambodians think it is their land, too, we should start bilateral talks to sort that out very quickly."

Thailand's failure to immediately withdraw, however, will incite Cambodian forces to turn the area into a "death zone," Sen said.

Cambodian troops are en route to the disputed territory to counteract up to 500 Thai soldiers who have crossed the border, Cambodian deputy defence minister Gen. Neang Phat said Monday.

Decades-old dispute

The dispute has simmered for decades but came to a head in July when UNESCO accepted Cambodia's request to declare the temple complex a World Heritage Site, a move seen in Phnom Penh as de-facto international recognition of its claim.

Thousands of heavily armed soldiers from both sides rushed to the disputed 460-hectare area, about 250 kilometres north of Phnom Penh, and faced off in hillside trenches just metres apart from one another.

Since then, two Thai soldiers have lost their legs in blasts from landmines strewn around the temple. A number of others from either side have been wounded during exchanges of fire.

Both countries are members of the Association of South East Asian Nations, or ASEAN, which has previously offered to mediate in the dispute. No consensus could be reached, however, on how best the organization could be involved.

Thai forces occupied land around the temple in 1954 when France withdrew its soldiers from newly independent Cambodia.

International legal authorities have found in favour of Cambodia's claim in the past, but Thailand has rejected such rulings.

Cambodia has since appealed to the United Nations Security Council to help resolve the standoff.

Cambodia warns Thailand to stop trespassing

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia's prime minister warned Thailand on Monday that "armed clashes" will erupt if Thai troops continue to trespass over the border.

Prime Minister Hun Sen's comments came after he met Thailand's foreign minister in the latest effort to ease tensions over a territorial dispute that earlier this month sparked a brief exchange of gunfire at the border.

"We told them that if they do not stop (trespassing), armed clashes will break out," Hun Sen told reporters.

Thailand's Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat did not immediately comment after the meeting.

Last week, two Thai soldiers were injured by land mines along the border. Thailand says the soldiers were on the Thai side of the border, but Cambodia has accused them of overstepping the boundary at a point several miles (kilometers) west of the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

The area — known as Eagle Field — could become "a life-and-death battle ground," Hun Sen said, adding that Thai soldiers are now camped there about 33 yards (meters) from Cambodian troops.

Three days before that incident, at a point a few hundred yards (meters) away, a gunfight broke out between soldiers from the two sides. One Cambodian and two Thai soldiers were wounded.

Both sides claimed the other fired first and blamed each other for being on the wrong side of the border.

Earlier Monday, Sompong held talks with his Cambodian counterpart, Hor Namhong, but they failed to make any breakthrough in the dispute.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Cambodia's Foreign Ministry called for more talks to "avoid further unwarranted hostilities."

Cambodian Maj. Gen. Srey Doek, an army commander, said his troops are on high alert but declined to give their numbers.

Both countries have long claimed Preah Vihear, but the World Court awarded it to Cambodia in 1962. Sovereignty over some of the land around the temple, however, has not been clearly resolved.

Tensions flared July 15 after UNESCO, the U.N. agency, approved Cambodia's bid to have the Preah Vihear temple named a World Heritage Site. Both sides deployed troops to the border.

There has been a limited troop withdrawal from the area since, and talks have been held several times to resolve the conflicting claims, but without much progress.

Cambodia warns Thais over border

Cambodia's decision to ask for Unesco status sparked tensions

BBC NEWS
Monday, 13 October 2008


Cambodia has again warned Thailand against crossing a disputed border, saying such a provocation could lead to "large-scale conflict".

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong accused Thai troops of trying to cross into Cambodia near an ancient temple, the scene of a recent military clash.

Both countries claim they own the area around the Preah Vihear temple.

Hor Namhong made the comments after talks with his Thai counterpart Sompong Amornviwat failed to reach a deal.

Temple tensions

The standoff between the two countries centres on 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which sits on a jungle-clad escarpment dividing the countries.

An international court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but land surrounding it remains the subject of rival territorial claims.

The decision by the UN in June to list Preah Vihear as a Unesco World Heritage Site reignited lingering nationalist tensions over the issue.

In early July Cambodian troops detained three Thai protesters who had entered the site illegally, sparking the military stand-off.

The two sides have already held several rounds of talks on the issue, but failed to reach agreement.

Cambodia warns off Thailand

TV1, TVNZ
Oct 13, 2008

Cambodia has accused Thailand of trying to send troops across their disputed border, warning that such a provocation could eventually lead to "large scale conflict".

Deputy Defence Minister General Neang Phat said more Cambodian troops were heading to the area after up to 500 Thai soldiers had tried to cross the border near an ancient Hindu temple claimed by both countries.

"We are building up our troops at the border in response to Thailand, but I cannot reveal the number," he told reporters.

After talks in Phnom Penh with his Thai counterpart, Sompong Amornvivat, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said further provocations could trigger another shooting incident. Three soldiers were wounded in a brief clash on October 3.

"This could lead to a large-scale conflict," he told reporters.

Sompong, who was due to meet Prime Minister Hun Sen later on Monday, did not speak to reporters and Thai officials in Bangkok denied any attempted incursion.

"Invasion? What invasion when the land is claimed by both sides?" army spokesman Sunsern Kaewkumnerd said.

The standoff began in July and centres on 4.6 square kilometres of scrub near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple that sits on a jungle-clad escarpment dividing the countries.

The argument started when protest groups seeking to overthrow the Thai government criticised Bangkok's backing of Cambodia's bid to list Preah Vihear as a UN World Heritage site.

Both sides have claimed Preah Vihear for decades. The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, a ruling that has rankled many in Thailand ever since.

Cambodian PM asks Thai troops to withdraw from border area in 24 hours

www.chinaview.cn

2008-10-13

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen here Monday asked Thailand to evacuate its 81 troops from the Veal Intry area near the Preah Vihear Temple on Cambodian soil within 24 hours, and warned war otherwise.

"The Veal Intry area is the dead or alive point for us," he told reporters at the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation after meeting with visiting Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornviwat.

"The situation at the Veal Intry area is too hot. They have to remove tonight or tomorrow. If they don't remove from the Veal Intry area, war will be waged," he said.

"They entered there (Monday morning) and are deploying and camping their tents about 30 meters from our soldiers. They said they stay here only one day," he said.

"Cambodia still keep our maximum restraints and won't mind if they go back to their own stronghold," he said.

"We want to solve the matter with a peaceful deal. We are trying to shorten the conflict," he said.

The international court is the best way for both sides to solve the border conflict and it can also avoid blame from the people of the two nations, he said.

In addition, Cambodia can't hand over concession land to Thailand, and Thailand either, he said.

The Veal Intry area is on the Phnom Trap hill side, approximately 2,000 meters from the west side of the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda, which is situated on the only way leading to the Preah Vihear Temple.

Earlier Monday, Sompong Amornviwat and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong decided to resume both sides' border talks between Oct. 21 and Oct. 24 in Siem Reap province.

In July, tensions ran high after the ancient Preah Vihear Temple was awarded world heritage status by UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site.

The tension later turned into a military confrontation, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks. In mid-August, most troops evacuated and just a few dozen soldiers stationed near the temple.

However, bilateral talks to discuss withdrawing troops from around the temple were postponed late August amid political turmoil in Thailand.

In October at the border area, at least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded during an exchange of gunfire, and two other Thai soldiers were seriously injured after stepping on a landmine.

Editor: An

Leading garment brands confirm sourcing advantage of Cambodia

www.chinaview.cn

2008-10-13

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Leading garment brands have once again confirmed the sourcing advantage of Cambodia, said a press release from the International Buyers' Forum here Monday.

"Twenty-eight representatives from leading garment brands came to Cambodia last week for the two-day meeting of the International Buyers' Forum organized by the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC)" and stated "they are recommending that their companies continue sourcing from Cambodia," said the release.

Forum participants remain very optimistic about Cambodia's garment industry, Tuomo Poutiainen, Chief Technical Advisor of ILO's Better Factories Cambodia program, was quoted as saying.

"Participants told me that subject to customer demand, on-going monitoring from Better Factories Cambodia and continuing good results, their companies are very positive about producing garments in Cambodia," he said.

"It confirmed both the relevance and importance of Better Factories Cambodia and stakeholders' belief and support for its new directions. There was consensus too that industry actors need to work more closely together, and the program needs to move beyond monitoring, and expand training and remediation. This view was widely shared by all the stakeholders," he added.

Membership in the forum comprises 32 brands which buy 60 percent of Cambodia's garment exports.

The forum, which takes place twice a year in Cambodia and Hong Kong, was convened by ILO and IFC to discuss the current work and future of ILO's Better Factories Cambodia.

Cambodia's garment sector is worth 2.6 billion U.S. dollars and is critically important to the estimated 350,000 workers and their extended family members who depend on the industry, a total of at least 1.7 million people.

Editor: An

Cambodia warns Thailand again in border spat

Thailand's Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat speaks to Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh October 13, 2008. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Thailand's Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat (L) shakes hands with Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong before meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh October 13, 2008. Sompong Amornvivat is in Cambodia for a one-day official visit and to discuss the border dispute issue. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Thailand's Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat (L) shakes hands with Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong before meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh October 13, 2008. Sompong Amornvivat is in Cambodia for a one-day official visit and to discuss the border dispute issue. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong speaks to the media after meeting with Thailand's Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh October 13, 2008. Amornvivat is in Cambodia for a one-day official visit and to discuss the border dispute issue. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Mon Oct 13, 2008

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia accused Thailand on Monday of trying to send troops across their disputed border, warning that such a provocation could eventually lead to "large scale conflict."

Deputy Defense Minister General Neang Phat said more Cambodian troops were heading to the area after up to 500 Thai soldiers had tried to cross the border near an ancient Hindu temple claimed by both countries.

"We are building up our troops at the border in response to Thailand, but I cannot reveal the number," he told reporters.

After talks in Phnom Penh with his Thai counterpart, Sompong Amornvivat, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said further provocations could trigger another shooting incident. Three soldiers were wounded in a brief clash on October 3.

"This could lead to a large-scale conflict," he told reporters.

Sompong, who was due to meet Prime Minister Hun Sen later on Monday, did not speak to reporters and Thai officials in Bangkok denied any attempted incursion.

"Invasion? What invasion when the land is claimed by both sides?" army spokesman Sunsern Kaewkumnerd told Reuters.

The standoff began in July and centers on 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple that sits on a jungle-clad escarpment dividing the countries.

The argument started when protest groups seeking to overthrow the Thai government criticized Bangkok's backing of Cambodia's bid to list Preah Vihear as a U.N. World Heritage site.

Both sides have claimed Preah Vihear for decades. The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, a ruling that has rankled many in Thailand ever since.

(Reporting by Ek Madra; Writing by Darren Schuettler; Editing by Ed Cropley and David Fox)

Unemployment of Khmer Youth Presently Increasing

Posted on 13 October 2008
The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 581

“Unemployment of Khmer youth in Cambodia presently increases by approximately 300,000 young people every year. I5f the Royal Government does not hurry to effectively solve this challenge how to build up human resources and how to alleviate poverty in time, it will lead to a crisis.

“The president of the Khmer Youth Association in Phnom Penh, Mr. Him Yun, said that the reason why most youth at present cannot get a job, results, according to research, from the lack of an information system that would provide employment information to young people at schools, both private and public, and from the lack of information about work experiences, because different institutions and ministers do not care, making youth to take up subjects without much clarity whether or not they do meet the requirements of the labor market nowadays.

“Mr. Him Yun said, ‘If a large number of young people are unemployed, one cannot depend on them as an important national resource, so there is no proper income to support their living. Workshops at each university should also have a job section for youth at their university, and that section should make efforts to contact employers so that the young people have a chance to contact their work.’

“Similarly, the executive secretary of the Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations in Phnom Penh – CamFEBA – Mr. Som Chamnan, said CamFEBA, in cooperation with the International Labor Organization – ILO – had conducted research related to youth unemployment which had found that the reason is the mismatch between skills supplied and skills needed on the job market.

“Mr. Som Chamnan added that employers or the private sector needs less people with management skills, but many students study this skill, while the market for manager positions is small, and those who study management will find it difficult to find a job when they have graduated. On the other side, for some skills there is a huge demand at the job market, but there is a lack of workers, for example, experts or technicians for the garment sector - but there are not many institutions providing training, and there are not many people who study in this field.

“An official of CamFEBA stated that, after researching to find the root causes of this problem, they published a report during a workshop held late last week in Phnom Penh, in which officials of some civil society organizations, officials of the Royal Government from the Ministry of Labor, and from other related institutions participated .

“The official said also that this publication aims to publicize this information for the general public, and to ask the Royal Government to help solve the unemployment of youth as soon as possible.

“Mr. Som Chamnan continued to say, ‘Especially the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training and the Ministry of Education have to be educated, so that they know the real needs of our job market, because there is no information available about the job market in Cambodia; this is the first research that provides ideas to create an education policy for Cambodia, in order that the educational institutions know how to create training programs to respond to the needs.’

“Regarding this issue, an undersecretary of state of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, Mr. Oum Mean, said that the Royal Government, particularly his ministry, has gradually helped to solve youth unemployment through different provisions of professionalism, but as for precise data, he does not know them, as he was not in the office at that time.

“The acting director of the Khmer Youth Association in Phnom Penh, Mr. Him Yun, added that nowadays, the Khmer Youth Association has made efforts to find ways to help young people to obtain jobs at different organizations and communities, specifically also helping to exchange work experiences with some countries like Sweden and Korea.

“He said also that after gaining experience, most of those youth are competent to get a job, however, the number of people that the association has helped is small; so they do not expect that this will help solve youth unemployment, but it is a burden for the Royal Government to solve.

“Mr. Him Yun continued that if the government does not carefully consider how to provide better information openly, like through volunteer services at different ministries, departments, or institutions, and by providing them experience at state institutions, also with the help from civil society organizations, it seems like wasting resources, since the youth is an important resource for national development.

“A Social Sector Officer of the Asian Development Bank – ADB – Mr. Ma Sophea, had reported to Radio Free Asia that the ADB is implementing an aid project with an amount of US$45 million – a big part of this is to help the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport.

“The same official said that the other US$27 million from the ADB for the period 2008 to 2014 aim to strengthen the quality of general education to increase the access for youth to education, so that they can get jobs more easily, as well as to build up the human resources in Cambodia for a better future.” Khmer Sthapana, Vol.1, #114, 11.10.2008
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Thai, Cambodian ministers fail to solve border row

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian and Thai foreign ministers on Monday failed to solve a border dispute that recently erupted into a brief military clash.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Cambodia called for more talks to prevent further escalation after the Oct. 3 cross-border gunfight that wounded one Cambodian and two Thai soldiers.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong met for two hours with Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat in the first high-level encounter since the gunfight.

The shooting occurred in a disputed border area several miles (kilometers) west of Cambodia's ancient Preah Vihear temple.

Both sides claimed the other fired first and blamed each other for being on the wrong side of the border.

In the statement, Cambodia's Foreign Ministry proposed more talks to settle the border issues peacefully "to avoid further unwarranted hostilities."

But if the bilateral process fails, the two countries should "refer to the legal process of international institutions" to resolve the problem, the statement said without elaborating.

The Thai foreign minister did not speak to reporters after the meeting.

The one-day visit was a courtesy call by Sompong as new Thai foreign minister, said Tharit Charungvat, the ministry's spokesman.

Both countries have long claimed Preah Vihear, but the World Court awarded it to Cambodia in 1962. Sovereignty over some of the land around the temple, however, has not been clearly resolved.

Tensions flared July 15 after UNESCO, the U.N. agency, approved Cambodia's bid to have the Preah Vihear temple named a World Heritage Site. Both sides deployed troops to the border.

There has been a limited troop withdrawal from the area since, and talks have been held several times to resolve the conflicting claims, but without much progress.

Cambodia, Thailand set time frame to resolve border disputes

www.chinaview.cn

2008-10-13

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia and Thailand decided to resume their border talks between Oct. 21 and Oct. 24 in Siem Reap province, after both foreign ministers met briefly here Monday morning.

Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornviwat arrived in Phnom Penh earlier Monday and held a meeting with his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong in order to restart negotiations to resolve the months-long military spat at the border area.

The two sides will hold meeting in the Cambodian province to discuss redeployment of the remaining troops at the border area, said a press release from the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

In addition, the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) of the two countries will conduct meeting between Nov. 3 and Nov. 7 in Cambodia, in order to speed up the survey and demarcation work in accordance with bilaterally recognized documents and MoU, it said.

Both foreign ministers will meet again between Nov. 19 and Nov.20 in Thailand, in order to push for final settlement of the overall border problems, it said.

This time frame aims to avoid further hostility at the border area and settle the border issues between the two countries peacefully and amicably as soon as possible, it said.

Meanwhile, Hor Namhong told reporters at a press conference held after the two-hour ministerial meeting that both countries should agree to refer the issue to international institutions, if the scheduled talks fail to resolve the problems definitely, peacefully and amicably.

According to the press release, Sompong Amornviwat will later meet Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Prime Minister Hun Sen.

In July, tensions ran high after the ancient Preah Vihear Temple was awarded world heritage status by UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site.

The tension immediately turned into a military confrontation, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks. In mid-August, most troops evacuated and just a few dozen soldiers stationed near the temple.

However, bilateral talks to discuss withdrawing troops from around the temple were postponed late August amid political turmoil in Thailand.

In October at the border area, at least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded during an exchange of gunfire, and two other Thai soldiers were seriously injured after stepping on a landmine.

Editor: An

Thai FM to arrive for talks

THE PHNOM PENH POST

Written by Vong Sokheng and Sebastian Strangio
Monday, 13 October 2008

But cancelled PM visit will stall border negotiations

THE cancellation of Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's visit to Cambodia has dealt a new blow to negotiations to resolve the military standoff at Preah Vihear, but analysts say continued political upheaval in Bangkok risks taking a match to the combustible situation at the 11th-century Hindu temple.

The Thai premier cancelled his scheduled visit to Cambodia Friday in response to the growing turmoil in the Thai capital, a week after Thai and Cambodian troops were injured in a brief firefight near Preah Vihear.

Koy Kuong, undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat is expected to arrive in Phnom Penh today for the scheduled talks with his counterpart Hor Namhong. However, analysts see the cancellation of Somchai's visit as a symptom of a deeper malaise in Thai politics and expect tensions to remain high on the border while the Thai troubles continue.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political analyst based at Bangkok's Chulalangkorn University, told the Post that the situation in Thailand, which has seen activists of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) take to the streets in an attempt to force Somchai's resignation, will only undermine the border negotiations.

"The turmoil and confrontation in Bangkok are going to adversely affect Prime Minister Somchai's bargaining position," he said. "He is essentially being overthrown by the PAD, and he will not have the domestic support needed to negotiate the issue."

Local officials, however, have denied the cancellation will have an effect on the military negotiations, saying they are ready to talk.

"Negotiations at the military level will depend on the Thais," said Neang Phat, secretary of state at the Ministry of Defence.

But as accusations fly as to whose troops were responsible for the shootout earlier this month, Thitinan said the situation is primed for a fresh flare-up of violence.

"The situation is tense. It is very much touch and go now, and the stakes are so high something has to give," he said.

EXTRA: Cambodia says Thai troops turned back from mine blast site

The Earth Times

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08
Author : DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said Monday that Thai troops had been turned back during an apparent attempted foray to view the area where two Thai soldiers were severely wounded by landmines just days earlier. Hor Namhong said he had received word of the brief standoff during his several-hour-long meeting with his Thai counterpart Sompong Amornviwat in the capital which focused on resolving a simmering border dispute.

The area where the two Thai soldiers were wounded last week was Cambodian, Hor Namhong told reporters in a press conference after the meeting, and Cambodian troops had denied Thai troops access.

The blast site lies around 2 kilometres east of the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

Hor Namhong said he had warned a general accompanying Sompong during the meeting that such advances into territory Cambodia maintains is sovereign and Thailand says is disputed placed additional strain on an already tense situation.

After the soldiers were injured, Thai media reports sourced to the Thai military accused Cambodia of planting new landmines to fortify its border since the beginning of the border dispute in July.

Cambodia has angrily denied the claims, saying Thai troops were warned the area was still only partially demined after its 30-year civil war, which ended barely a decade ago.

Khmer cartoons go commercial

Photo by: VANDY RATTANA; An animator at Cambodia’s first animation studio works on a commercial project – a public awareness short for a local NGO.

THE PHNOM PENH POST

Written by A
Monday, 13 October 2008

Anne-Laure PoréeBattambang ProvinceWith the country's first independent animated film now in production, a local studio is blazing a new trail for a domestic film industry crippled by illegal DVD sales

ANIMATORS in Battambang have begun work on Cambodia's first independently-funded animated film, scheduled for completion next year.

Since it opened in January 2007, the small animation studio at the Phare Ponleu Selpak Association (PPSA) - a few minutes from the centre of Battambang town - has built a commercial reputation by producing animated public service announcements for NGOs and other organisations. Their success has inspired the studio to start work on its first independently-funded short film.

Situated on the campus of PPSA, better known for producing local artists and acrobats, the animation studio is growing in stature on the reputation of director Poy Chhunly, 27, who won a number of awards last year for his short public awareness film Little Boy Drinking Bad Water.

The new film, a pre-colonial tale of two children travelling the country to seek a cure for their mother's illness, has no official completion date, but PPSA coordinator Jean-Christophe Sidoit expects the 10-minute feature to be completed in around 18 months, with the storyboard to be finalised in late March 2009.

A message that matters

Poy Chhunly is training a team of seven to complete the film, the script of which he co-wrote with the school's head drawing instructor, renowned artist Srey Bandol. The story's setting, which will alternate between the 13th and 17th centuries, necessitated that the authors approach local experts for advice in order to make the animation as true to life as possible.

"We want this animated film to be accurate in terms of culture and history," Sidoit said.

" We want this animated film to be accurate in terms of culture and history. "

The Royal Academy of Fine Arts sent historian Ros Chantrabot to the studio to answer questions pertaining to the period's culture and society. But for Ros Chantrabot, the commercial success of the film will depend on the message, not just the historical details.

"I believe that we share the same ideas on the main messages we have to pass to children - for example, to convince them to be persevering and courageous," Ros Chantrabot said.

Earning their keep

At PPSA animators are required to undertake at least five years' study with the school's drawing instructors before joining the commercial animation team.

Chim Li, 24, who has been at PPSA for six years, watched as a four-second fragment of animation played repeatedly on his computer screen. The studio pays its way with its NGO work - currently, they are working on four animation shorts commissioned by Oxfam, focusing on the theme of human rights in Cambodia.

Last week, the studio was hard at work on a three-minute film about four ek chay - children who survive by collecting and selling garbage in the city.

On Chim Li's computer, cartoon children walked in from the right of screen, while a little boy ran across from left to right. In the background a woman gave a package to her husband, and three birds alighted from a nearby tree. The scene seems simple, but Chim Li's role is to put colours inside line drawings and to check each movement again and again for any errors - a painstaking process.

Before the drawings are transferred to computer, the scenarios are sketched out on paper. The characters are drawn so as to be immediately identifiable to the public.

"Without a clear expression, there is no life in the characters nor in the film," Poy Chhunly said.After the drawings are digitised and the colour and movement added, the animators then have to edit the film and record voiceovers, sound effects and music.

"We have to put ourselves in the public's shoes to make sure they will understand everything," Poy Chhunly said.

It is a labourious way to produce a short cartoon, but the animators have succeeded in injecting a real Cambodian style into their films.

For Poy Chhunly, who cites the animation of the Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki as well as state-of-the-art American features like Shrek as inspiration, PPSA's work is managing to achieve about half of what Disney can with just a fraction of the resources.

Although he anticipates having to continue producing public awareness shorts to pay the bills, he believes that with an ambitious young team on side and a steady flow of work to keep them in business, Cambodian animation can achieve both creative and commercial success.

Border boundary dispute unresolved after Thai, Cambodian foreign ministers' talks

Thailand's Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat, left, talks during a meeting at Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affair in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, Oct. 13, 2008. Cambodian and Thai foreign ministers resumed talks Monday on lingering military tension along their border that recently erupted into a clash between the troops. (AP)

The China Post

APMonday, October 13, 2008

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia –– Cambodian and Thai foreign ministers failed to agree Monday in talks on their territorial dispute that recently erupted into a brief military clash.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Cambodia called for more talks to prevent further escalation after the Oct. 3 cross-border gunfight that wounded one Cambodian and two Thai soldiers.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong met for two hours with Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornwiwat in the first high-level encounter since the gunfight.

The shooting occurred in a disputed border area several miles (kilometers) west of Cambodia's ancient Preah Vihear temple.

Both sides claimed the other fired first and blamed each other for being on the wrong side of the border.

In the statement, Cambodia's Foreign Ministry proposed more talks to settle the border issues peacefully "to avoid further unwarranted hostilities."

But if the bilateral process fails, the two countries should "refer to the legal process of international institutions" to resolve the problem, the statement said without elaborating.
The Thai foreign minister did not speak to reporters after the meeting.

The one-day visit was a courtesy call by Sompong as new Thai foreign minister, said Tharit Charungvat, the ministry's spokesman.

Both countries have long claimed Preah Vihear, but the World Court awarded it to Cambodia in 1962. Sovereignty over some of the land around the temple, however, has not been clearly resolved.

Tensions flared July 15 after UNESCO, the U.N. agency, approved Cambodia's bid to have the Preah Vihear temple named a World Heritage Site. Both sides deployed troops to the border.

There has been a limited troop withdrawal from the area since, and talks have been held several times to resolve the conflicting claims, but without much progress.

Cambodia warns over border spat

The Straits Times
Oct 13, 2008

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA accused Thailand on Monday of trying to send troops across their disputed border, warning that such a provocation could eventually lead to 'large scale conflict'.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said up to 500 Thai troops had tried to cross the border near an area where two Thai soldiers stepped on landmines earlier this month.

'Our troops at the border have asked the Thais not to encroach on our border,' he told reporters after talks with his Thai counterpart, Mr Sompong Amornvivat, in Phnom Penh.

'If so, there will be an armed clash. This could lead to a large-scale conflict,' he said.

Mr Sompong did not speak to reporters, but Thai officials in Bangkok denied there was any attempted incursion.

'Invasion? What invasion when the land is claimed by both sides?' Thai army spokesman Sunsern Kaewkumnerd said.

Bangkok and Phnom Penh have accused each other of unprovoked aggression since a border shooting incident on Oct 3 in which three soldiers were wounded.

After that clash, Cambodia warned Thailand that such 'armed provocation' could lead to conflict.
The standoff began in July and centres on 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub near an ancient Hindu temple that sits on a jungle-clad escarpment dividing the countries.

The two countries have swapped accusations of violating each other's territory in the dispute over land near at least three ancient temples along their border.

At least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded when units exchanged gunfire during a brief clash on October 3 near Preah Vihear temple.

Two other Thai soldiers were also seriously injured last week after stepping on a landmine near the ruins.

Talks to discuss withdrawing troops from around Preah Vihear were postponed late August amid political turmoil in Thailand.

Tensions flared in July after ancient Khmer temple Preah Vihear was awarded world heritage status by the United Nations cultural body Unesco, angering nationalists in Thailand who still claim ownership of the site.

Those tensions turned into a military confrontation in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks.

Both sides agreed to pull back in mid-August, leaving just a few dozen soldiers stationed near the temple. However, much of the Cambodian-Thai border remains in dispute, and the slow pace of mine clearance has delayed demarcation.

Both sides have claimed Preah Vihear for decades. The International Court of Justice awarded it to Cambodia in 1962, a ruling that has rankled many in Thailand ever since. -- REUTERS, AFP

US navy repairing Cambodian relations, one villager at a time

The Earth Times

Mon, 13 Oct 2008
Author : DPA

Sihanoukville, Cambodia - Hundreds of Cambodians have flocked to visit a free US military clinic set up during the visit of the destroyer USS Mustin, officials said Wednesday. The 155-metre-long USS Mustin (DDG-89), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, arrived with its crew of nearly 300 to embark on a six-day goodwill mission Saturday and its medical crew is expected to have treated nearly 1,000 people by Wednesday, the US navy said.

The clinic includes free dental treatment and general medicine and has set up in a Buddhist pagoda in a poor fishing area called Prey Nop, which also has a high number of ethnic Muslim Cham.

"It's been very rewarding and diverse," said US naval doctor Mike Banforth, who said most patients were presenting with conditions easily treated with medication that they were just too poor to afford.

The goodwill visit - the third since war stopped US naval visits in 1975 - will also feature training programmes with Cambodian naval personnel and demonstration operations, including disaster rescue.

US-Cambodian relations are at a high not seen for decades, and the US has pledged continued humanitarian aid as well as non-lethal military assistance to the country's armed forces.

For Vong Bok, 45, part of a community where 40 per cent of the 5,000-strong population live under the poverty line, free medical care has won him over to the US, which many Cambodians still resent for its secret bombing raids of the 1970s and the subsequent rise of the Khmer Rouge, under which up to 2 million Cambodians died.

"I could never afford this. I welcome the US ship back anytime," said Bok after receiving medicine for a chest infection.

Prey Nop, a district of the southern seaport of Sihanoukville, is 240 kilometres from the capital Phnom Penh.

Cambodia’s higher education dreams confront stark reality

Gulf Times
Monday, 13 October, 2008

PHNOM PENH: She has two years to go until graduation, but already Cambodian student Chhum Savorn is filled with a sense of dread. The 21-year-old decided to major in finance, hoping she would acquire skills to help develop her country, which is one of the poorest in the world.

Instead, she thinks her education is nearly worthless —classes are mostly packed with indifferent, cheating students and led by under-qualified professors.

“The low quality of my studies means that I can’t help the country, and I’ll even have a hard time getting a job that pays enough to help my family,” she says. A growing number of eager young Cambodians are finding themselves duped into a higher education system that suffers from weak management and teaching because it is geared more towards profit than learning.

As a result only one in 10 recent graduates are finding work, a worrying figure in a country trying to rebuild after decades of civil war.

Cambodia’s schools were obliterated under Khmer Rouge rule in the 1970s when the regime killed nearly 2mn people - including most of the country’s intellectuals - as it emptied cities in its bid to forge a Communist utopia.

But as the country rebuilds and the economy grows, it is inundated with institutions peddling low-quality education. In 2000, there were 10 post-secondary institutions in Cambodia.

Now there are 70 private and state-run universities.

Most programmes offered by those institutions are dismal, says Mak Ngoy, deputy director general of higher education at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

“We are not yet satisfied with the current quality of our education,” Mak Ngoy says.

“I think increasing the number of higher education institutions is a positive sign, but we are struggling with the hard task of strengthening quality,” he adds.

Qualified university professors complain that many students rarely do their work and cheating is rampant.

A number of students are content to pay for a degree and do not realise the benefit of a good education, says Lav Chhiv Eav, rector of Royal University of Phnom Penh, the oldest and largest state-owned college.

“Some students are scared of studying hard and think what they need is any degree, not quality. The final result will be joblessness,” he says.

Most of Cambodia’s universities are small-scale institutions with limited capital, poor facilities and little discipline.

So far, the education ministry has ordered the closure of four institutions that called themselves universities, but gave little education to students.

Five years ago there was an attempt to fix Cambodia’s higher education sector, with the formation of a national university accreditation committee.

The committee was formed to force institutions to adhere to strict education requirements, but the World Bank pulled its funding for the scheme when it became clear the body would not be independent from government control.

With little official oversight, the quality of many Cambodian universities has worsened, while the number of Cambodians seeking diplomas has shot up.

More than 135,000 Cambodians are currently enrolled in some form of higher education, says the education ministry, compared to just 25,000 eight years ago.

The country remains mired in poverty despite double-digit economic growth, and Ma Sopheap, officer at the Asian Development Bank, says Cambodia will have trouble luring foreign investment if it does not start producing more qualified graduates.

“If the low quality of higher education continues, it will affect Cambodia’s economic development,” he says. “Then there is no way to reduce poverty.” – AFP

Land push behind ethnic conflict

Fairfax Media.
ANDREW WEST
13/10/2008 1:00:01 AM

IT HAS become almost a ritual in itself. A religious community proposes building a place of worship or learning, and encounters the wrath of thousands of residents.

There are furious mass meetings, petitions, legal challenges and sometimes even violence. On the face of it, Sydney looks like a city riven by ethnic and cultural hostility.

But the protests may be a sign of something much more basic - a competition between recent immigrants and Anglo-Celtic Australians for the dwindling amounts of cheap land. A report from the economic forecaster BIS Schrapnel, compiled late last week, found that "high land costs and affordability remain a challenge for the new housing market", especially in Sydney.

The number of residential plots released annually has fallen sharply, from 9000 in 2000 to fewer than 3000 plots each year since 2004. "This has resulted in new dwelling construction in Sydney falling to levels not seen since the 1950s," the report's author, Angie Zigomanis, said.

South-western Sydney and the Central Coast are particularly affected by the squeeze. But the land shortage and the persistent complaints from residents of south-west Sydney about poor government planning and land use decisions explain only part of the tension.

Research by Gabrielle Gwyther, a western Sydney academic, to trace the movement of immigrant communities over generations, helps to explain many of the social tensions in Sydney in the past decade.

Since 2001 there has been a rising consciousness - but not understanding - of Islam in Sydney. Several attempts to establish Muslim institutions have provoked a backlash from residents.

Dr Gwyther said: "It's often unclear whether people are talking about religion or terrorism when they raise objections."

The most recent outcry was when the residents of Austral campaigned to block a 600-place school for Muslim children.

Other faiths have encountered similar resistance. Hindus faced opposition to their plan for a temple at Rouse Hill, and the Hillsong Assemblies of God Church has battled with Rosebery residents over a proposal to build a 2700-seat auditorium.

But mostly it is Muslims who have felt the brunt of protest. The deputy chairman of the Islamic Council of NSW, Ali Roude, said: "This has historically been the trend and it appears that very little has changed over the past three to four decades.

"Based on recent responses from local residents to the proposed Camden school and other development applications … throughout south-western Sydney it would appear the real concerns and opposition from locals have little to do with the merit of the project but more to do with general anti-Muslim sentiments."

Dr Gwyther, a researcher at the Social Justice and Social Change Research Centre at the University of Western Sydney, refers to a "cultural protectionism" in south-western municipalities, which have tried to maintain their Anglo-Celtic character in the face of the movement of non-English-speakers from Sydney's inner and middle-ring suburbs.

She tracked a generational shift from neighbourhoods such as Alexandria, Leichhardt, Mar-rickville, Newtown and Enmore - where Greeks, Italians, Maltese, Yugoslavs, Poles and Christian Lebanese settled after World War II - to suburbs such as Bankstown, Parramatta, Kingsgrove, Black-town and Fairfield. In the 1970s migrants came from Vietnam and Cambodia to Fairfield, Cabra-matta and Liverpool.

Despite 46 per cent of its population being born overseas, Dr Gwyther said Liverpool was "a very assimilationist" municipality. "It has not allowed the same sorts of developments that you find in neighbouring areas," she said. In Fairfield, for example, the NSW Heritage Office had registered five non-Anglo-Celtic constructions of local significance, including a Laotian temple, a Buddhist monastery, an Assyrian cathedral, a Turkish mosque and a Buddhist temple.

Second- and third-generation immigrants are joining the rush for bigger homes and more green space, pushing out the boundaries of the neighbourhoods in which they grew up. And when cultures rub up against one another, tensions are unleashed.

Dr Gwyther said that in response to the multicultural challenge some Anglo-Celtic Aust-ralians had tried to re-create their own ethnic roots, especially in master-planned estates. With a park named Kensington Green streets lined with deciduous trees and even a cricket pitch, it is its own little England.

She found 85 per cent of residents were Australian-born and the rest mostly British- or New Zealand-born.

"There is a direct correlation between these planned communities and the so-called new towns and garden suburbs created in England after World War II."

But she also found a conditional openness to other ethnicities. "You can be any colour or background so long as you are Anglophile in culture," she said. Elsewhere in south-western Sydney, Dr Gwyther found people fleeing multi-culturalism. "One couple, before they bought their house, "sat in a coffee shop in Narellan for two hours counting the number of Muslims they saw."

But the passing years suggests hostilities can soften. Six years ago in Annangrove, north-western Sydney, a Muslim businessman, Abbas Aly, faced down almost 8000 residents opposing his plan to build an Islamic prayer hall. The council rejected his application but the Land and Environment Court overturned the decision.

The furore was nasty. But now, some say, harmony prevails.

"After about the first year there was a real change in sentiment," said Rohan Baker, a cafe owner.

"This is a pretty white Anglo community but now no one really notices any difference."

Preah Vihear Demonstration (Part 1)



Preah Vihear Demonstration (Part 2)



Preah Vihear Demonstration (Part 3)



Preah Vihear Demonstration (Part 4)



Preah Vihear Demonstration (Part 5)



Preah Vihear Demonstration (Part 6)



Preah Vihear Demonstration (Part 7)



Preah Vihear Demonstration (Part 8)



Preah Vihear Demonstration (Part 9)



Preah Vihear Demonstration (Part 10)



Preah Vihear Demonstration (Part 11)



Preah Vihear Demonstration (Part 12)



Preah Vihear Demonstration (Part 13)



Preah Vihear Demonstration (Part 14)Final

Preah Vihear Khmer Demonstration againts Thailand

Preah Vihear Khmer Demonstration againts Thailand

Sacravatoons : " 104 new Fleas of the Emperor "

Courtesy Sacravatoon

Sacravatoons : " One way out of Thai-Democracy "

Courtesy Sacravatoon

Sacravatoons : " Khim Sambo's Drawings "

Courtesy Sacravatoon

Siew calls for pragmatic approach to ASEAN ties

TAIPEI TIMES

By Mo Yan-Chih
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Oct 12, 2008, Page 3

Taiwan should adopt a pragmatic strategy to its participation in ASEAN and China should stop intervening in Taiwan’s regional economic cooperation with other countries, Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) said yesterday.

The country’s participation in ASEAN would create a win-win situation for Taiwan and the organization in pushing peace and stability in the region and economic development, he said.

“Regional economic integration has become a global trend and Taiwan must participate in ASEAN with a pragmatic attitude,” Siew said in a speech delivered at a forum held on the issue of free-trade agreements (FTA) between Taiwan and East Asian countries in Taipei.

ASEAN, established in 1967, aims to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and to promote regional peace. It comprises Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. Arguing that a Taiwan-ASEAN free trade pact would be beneficial to both sides, Siew said that Taiwan ranks as the third largest source of foreign investment in Thailand and Cambodia and the largest source in Vietnam, with investment amounting to US$1.8 billion last year alone, up 630 percent over the previous year. Taiwanese investment in Singapore last year reached US$1.2 billion, up 46 percent, with the figure for the Philippines rising 878 percent to US$200 million, he added.

All these statistics clearly illustrate that Taiwan has brought technological development and job opportunities to the region and that the importance of this bilateral cooperation has been increasing significantly, Siew said.

Siew said Taiwan has expressed many times its wish to join ASEAN, but was rejected because of obstructions from China. He urged the Chinese government to soften its stance.

“China should change its rigid policies and stop interfering in Taiwan’s participation in regional economic cooperation,” he said.

Siew said the government would improve its relations with China and try to sign an FTA with China, seeking to reduce obstructions when negotiating with ASEAN members in the future.

Siew said Taiwan’s GDP could get a significant boost if it were allowed to join the ASEAN plus three (China, Japan and South Korea), or if a cross-strait FTA were inked. He said that Taiwan’s economy would suffer greatly if the country fails to join ASEAN before it expands into ASEAN plus six, with India, Australia and New Zealand also joining.

Siew stressed that Taiwan would use its geographical and transportation advantages to promote the development of peace and stability in the region and at the same time maintain its practical approach to achieving greater economic integration with the region to the benefit of all parties involved.

A former ASEAN secretary-general, Rodolfo Severino, suggested in the forum that Taiwan should join the ASEAN as an “economic entity,” rather than as a sovereign country. The economic relations between Taiwan and Southeast Asian countries were complicated, and ASEAN was also pondering on how to include both China and Taiwan in the organization, he said.

Severino said Southeast Asian countries understood the economic strength of Taiwan, and wanted to strengthen economic ties. However, Taiwan would not be able to join ASEAN if the country failed to adopt a pragmatic strategy.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA

OSK Indochina Bank opens in Phnom Penh

KUALA LUMPUR: OSK Indochina Bank Ltd (OSKIBL) had on Friday commenced commercial banking operations in Phnom Penh.

With initial staff strength of 29, OSKIBL offers the full range of retail and commercial banking products and services as well as foreign exchange and capital market expertise.

OSKIBL is a unit of OSK Investment Bank Bhd, a unit of OSK Holdings Bhd. OSKIBL has a paid-up of US$13mil (RM42.5mil).

In April this year, Bank Negara approved OSK’s plan to set up a commercial bank in Cambodia to undertake commercial banking activities.

US Navy destroyer takes port call - in Cambodia

Sihanoukville, Cambodia (dpa) - A US destroyer arrived in the southern Cambodia deepwater port of Sihanoukville on Saturday for a five-day visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.

The 155-metre USS Mustin (DDG-89), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, arrived with its crew of nearly 300 to embark on a goodwill mission, which will include free dental clinics, repairs of local schools and hospitals and other humanitarian work.

The crew will also conduct training programs with the Cambodian naval personnel. There will also be demonstration operations, including one on disaster rescue.

Sihanoukville is about 240 kilometres from the capital, Phnom Penh.

"This is an example of the commitment of the US and Cambodian navies to good relations in the region, and is a commitment by the US towards strengthening regional security," Captain Charles William said at a welcoming ceremony.

This is the third visit of a US naval vessel to Cambodia in recent years after visits were suspended from the 1970s when the Khmer Rouge took power.

Officials said the free dental clinic will operate out of a local Buddhist pagoda from Sunday. The visit is scheduled to end Wednesday.

Traveling to a Cambodian temple by dirt bike

A family travels together in Cambodia. Special to the Daily/Luc Pols

Asia
Luc Pols
Vail CO, Colorado

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of travel stories from local resident Luc Pols, who is traveling through Southeast Asia.

There are two choices to go to Preah Vihear, a private car/taxi for $450 for two days, a fortune here or anywhere in Asia for that matter, or by dirt bike for $50 per day.

Never even having been on a dirt bike before, and therefore absolutely not on one with a ’90s vintage suspenion —1890s that is, as I found out later — I still decided to give it a try for the 250 KM one-way ride. Yes, I know, one of these days I will grow up!

My tour guide for the last three times here, Mongkhean, volunteered to drive with me as the passenger and I was quite optimistic. That optimism didn’t last long, however. After about an hour-and-a-half, the bike stopped dead and neither Mongkhean or me, had a clue why. Someone helped us, but an hour later on “highway” 67 the bike did it again and we decided to have an expert look at it. Two-and-a-half hours and a whopping bill of $6.25 later we were off again. Unfortunately highway 67 is little more than a glorified cowpath with potholes the size of Volkswagens. We fell only once and luckily into a huge mud puddle and nobody was hurt, but I feared for my life on a number of occasions.

With all the delays we didn’t arrive at our destination until sunset and we had to postpone visiting until the next day. We stayed at an outrageously expensive (for the quality) guesthouse at $10 per room per night, without breakfast, but with a mosquito net.

I survived the night and early the next morning we drove the last 7 KM up a slope with grades of up to 20 percent and arrived at Preah Vihear in a very heavy fog. We first checked the border, which is now closed, with about a thousand Cambodian troops throughout the jungle and I assume the same number of Thai soldiers across. I could only see a large militairy camp on the other side, but I couldn’t cross. There was barbed wire strung up along the crossing and we all hoped that nobody fired the first shot, because that could start a full scale war here. As a matter of fact, Cambodian soldiers are not allowed to carry their weapons, they are all stored in their tents, for fear of the mixture of alcohol and firearms! I only saw one soldier with a rifle over his shoulder. I talked with some of the soldiers and while the atmosphere seemed to be relatively relaxed, you could feel the tension.

Here is some of the background. That piece of land, including the temple at Ta Moan avbout 134 km from here, has been a bone of contention between Cambodia and Thailand for more than 100 years, but in 1962 the International Court of Justice in the Hague ruled in favor of Cambodia. All was quiet until July 6 of this year, when UNESCO declared the temple here a World Heritage Site. All of a sudden tensions flared again and soldiers from both sides were dispatched to the area. A a matter of fact, there are still about a dozen Thai soldiers camped at the temple monastery there and when I asked why they had not been expelled, people just shrugged. Strange.

But here is a fact and you can decide as to who is right or wrong. In 1935 Thailand put the temple at Ta Moan on its heritage list, renovated it, maintained it and constructed a road there (also to Preah Vihear). While nothing was ever said or done by the Cambodians for more than 70 years, the UNSCO declaration changed all that and now they claim the territory as theirs and want the Thai out. There are no “roads” to the temples from the Cambodian side of the border, while the Thai have constructed beautiful asphalt roads there. So, who is right? You decide.

So, is the sight worth visiting? First of all, it is not Angkor Wat by any stretch of the imagination, but if you have the time and the inclination, the ruins are interesting.

However, do it only from the Thai side, not from Cambodia until they have constructed a road, which might take upwards of 10 years, if then. If you decide to go, check two things — find out which of the two countries the temples are located in when you go, and, if they’re in Cambodia, make sure the border is open.

Due to the fact that the bike broke down, there was no time to visit the temple at Ta Moan and I spent the last day visiting the Angkor National Museum in Siem Reap. Admission was $3 for Cambodians and $12 for everyone else! I am leaving for Malaysia tomorrow and I’ll have more for you next week.

Have a travel essay you’d like to share with Vail Daily readers? E-mail High Life Editor Caramie Schnell at cschnell@vaildaily.com.

US destroyer docks in Cambodia for friendly visit

Monsters and Critics Asia-Pacific News

Oct 11, 2008

Sihanoukville, Cambodia - A US destroyer arrived in the southern Cambodia deepwater port of Sihanoukville on Saturday for a five-day visit aimed at strengthening bilateral ties.

The 155-meter USS Mustin (DDG-89), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, arrived with its crew of nearly 300 to embark on a goodwill mission, which will include free dental clinics, repairs of local schools and hospitals and other humanitarian work. Sponsored Links:

The crew will also conduct training programs with the Cambodian naval personnel. There will also be demonstration operations, including one on disaster rescue.

Sihanoukville is about 240 kilometres from the capital, Phnom Penh.

'This is an example of the commitment of the US and Cambodian navies to good relations in the region, and is a commitment by the US towards strengthening regional security,' Captain Charles William said at a welcoming ceremony. Sponsored Links:

This is the third visit of a US naval vessel to Cambodia in recent years after visits were suspended from the 1970s when the Khmer Rouge took power.

Officials said the free dental clinic will operate out of a local Buddhist pagoda from Sunday. The visit is scheduled to end Wednesday.