International Theravada Buddhist universities conference to be held in Myanmar

www.chinaview.cn

2009-02-23

YANGON, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- An International Theravada Buddhist universities conference will be held at the Sitagu International Buddhists Academy in Sagaing, northwestern division of Myanmar, executive secretary of the Association of Theravada Buddhist Universities (ATBU) Vulnerable Dr. Khammai Dhammasami told the press Monday.

At the second biennial conference, which will last from March 5to 8, about 70 papers relating to engaged Buddhism, religious teachings in Theravada Buddhist countries, monasticism in Theravada countries, and Pali literature since the 19th century will be presented mainly in English and Pali languages for discussion.

According to the executive secretary, 290 representatives from 30 universities and colleges from 11 countries including observers from seven other countries as well as 300 domestic monks and nuns are expected to attend the session.

These countries include Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, Argentina, Uganda, Jamaica, Nepal and host Myanmar.

The conference is aimed at building a network of Theravada Buddhists and intellectuals from across the world to enable cooperation in religious teachings and education and disseminate Buddhist laws to the world, he said.

The first conference of its kind was also held in Myanmar's Bagan Popa resort, in which representatives of Theravada Buddhist universities and colleges from 13 countries attended, followed by the establishment of ATBU.

The forthcoming international Theravada Buddhist universities conference came more than four years after the World Buddhist Summit, sponsored by Myanmar for the first time, took place at the Maha Pasana Cave in Yangon in December 2004 to promote and propagate Buddhism.

Buddhism stands one of the four main historical religions of the world with over 360 million followers. Myanmar is a country with a majority of its population (about 80 percent) believing in Buddhism. It is estimated that there are over 420,000 monks and over 60,000 nuns within nine sects in Myanmar which have been unified at different levels under the leadership of the government's religious committee.

For nearly 1,000 years, the country has kept Theravada Buddhismpure and intact. Buddhist scripture learning centers and other monastic education schools were set up here long ago.

There are five Theravada Buddhist universities and institutes in Myanmar -- four in Yangon, one in Mandalay and one in Sagaing.

Editor: Zhang Xiang

BITTER MEMORIES: CAMBODIA’S MUSEUM OF GENOCIDE

Tourism Review, Czech Republic

23 February 2009

The 1970s present the most painful era in the history of Cambodia. Those to blame are still awaiting their justice, yet the nation mourns its dead. Many come and visit the infamous prison S-21 – now a museum of genocide.

The Khmer Rouge regime, which lasted from 1975 to 1979, remains one of the most dreadful eras in human history. Nearly a fifth of the entire Cambodian population died during this time. Several thousand innocent people were captured and held in the infamous S-21, a prison which only a dozen survived.

The former high school was transformed into a prison soon after the rule was established. The prisoners were subject to inhuman torture and forced to ridiculous confessions. After a period of about three months, they were taken away and murdered. The killing fields outside Phnom Penh, where the prison was situated, are a shocking example of the cruelty of the regime.

To commemorate all those who lost their lives in the prison, the S-21 has been turned into the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide. Photographs and paintings of the victims line the walls as well as displays of the various deadly instruments used to torture the prisoners.

Unfortunately, those responsible have not yet been punished. In fact, the process with several high-ranking members of the Khmer Rouge regime has just started. Only one of them has expressed some regret. As the nation expects a fair ordeal, hundreds of visitors come to Tuol Sleng Museum to understand the past.

Documents have been made, interviews with the dozen of survivors have been shot and thousands of pictures taken. In fact, one of the photographers of the terrible regime is now attempting to open a museum in the former communist stronghold Anlong Veng. The museum features over a thousand photographs he had taken during the late 1970s. No matter how questionable his motives are, shedding more light on the darkest chapter in Cambodian history may help the nation move on.

Related:

WARSAW OPENS GHETTO TRAIL
The Genocide Museum – Helping Rwanda to Heal its Wounds

Cheap Cambodian crop floods province

23/02/2009

VietNamNet Bridge - Rice is still being illegally imported daily from Cambodia into the southwestern border province of An Giang.

Duong Su Market in Tinh Bien District’s An Nong commune is the largest granary of smuggled rice from Cambodia in An Giang Province.

Nguyen Anh Nghia, a farmer in the district, said that every day up to 200-300 trucks from Cambodia arrive at Tinh Bien District’s Duong Su Market. Each truck transports over 20 tonnes of rice.

Do Hung Viet, a rice seller in Can Tho city’s Thot Not District, said that the price of Cambodia’s unhusked rice was only VND4,000-5,000 per kilogramme – VND200 cheaper than the locally grown rice. "Buying Cambodian rice help me gain profits and save time," he said.

He added that Duong Su Market never lacks rice. Thus, the number of businesspeople from other provinces flocking to the market is increasing.

Farmers in the province said that rice smuggling makes their lives more difficult.

Vu Huy Hoang, Minister of Industry and Trade, asked the Import and Export Department and relevant agencies of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Viet Nam Food Association to offer solutions for cross-border smuggling of rice into southern provinces.

VietNamNet/VNS

Shin takes a kicking in the bottom line for 4Q, but annual profit gets a leg-up

TeleGeography
Monday, 23 February 2009

Thai communications group Shin Corp, controlled by Singapore's Temasek Holdings, has posted a net loss of THB342 million (USD10 million) in the fourth quarter of 2008 due to lower profits at its domestic mobile subsidiary Advanced Info Service (AIS) and losses from its satellite operations. The negative figure compared with a net profit of THB730 million in October-December 2007. However, for full-year 2008, Shin’s net income soared to THB5.65 billion, up from THB960 million the year before. AIS, which previously reported its results separately, contributes more than 80% of Shin's profit. In Cambodia, Shin’s telecoms revenue from subsidiary Camshin increased as a result of a subscriber base that rose 93.8% to 921,205 in 2008. At the group's Laos unit, Lao Telecommunications Company (LTC), total telephony subscribers , including mobile and fixed line, increased 22.7% to 964,518 in 2008, primarily due to a significant growth rate of mobile GSM pre-paid users which increased by 25.5% to 868,622 in the year, and CDMA subscribers which increased by 16% to 29,620. Shin Corp comprises more than 20 companies in the wireless, satellite, internet and media sectors.

Progress in KRouge court corruption talks: UN

Former Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav listens to proceedings at his trial on genocide charges

Tourists visit the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre built on the site of Cambodia's infamous 'Killing Fields'

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — A UN official Monday said "great headway" has been made during talks with senior Cambodian officials to find ways to stop alleged corruption at the Khmer Rouge genocide tribunal.

The UN-backed court, which opened its first trial last week, has faced controversy over allegations of political interference by the government and corruption claims that Cambodian staff paid kickbacks for their jobs.

"We worked together to try to find solutions to the challenges that are in front of the court," UN assistant secretary general for legal affairs Peter Taksoe-Jensen said after meeting deputy premier Sok An and other officials.

"We have made great headway this morning," Taksoe-Jensen told reporters, adding that they had also discussed an anti-corruption mechanism at the court.

Meetings would continue later Monday after officials "think about the proposals from both sides."

After years of wrangling between the Cambodian government and the United Nations, the court was created in 2006 to try leading members of the communist 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge regime.

The long-awaited first trial started last week when the regime's notorious prison chief, Kaing Guek Eav, better known by the alias Duch, went before the court.

Four other Khmer Rouge leaders are also in detention awaiting trial.

The latest corruption allegations emerged last year, prompting the UN to launch an investigation into claims that Cambodian workers had been forced to pay for their jobs.

International backers have appeared hesitant to pledge more money to the court after allegations of political interference by the government over whether the court will bring charges against more Khmer Rouge figures.

Court officials have said last year's allegations were "unspecific, unsourced and unsubstantiated."

Up to two million people were executed or died of starvation, disease and overwork as the ultra-Marxist Khmer Rouge movement tried to create an agrarian utopia.

Cambodia's Khmers Rouges on trial; Evil and the law

The Economist

Feb 23rd 2009
PHNOM PENH

From The Economist print edition

Thirty years after he was put out of business, a Cambodian torturer gets his day in court

JUSTICE moves slowly in Cambodia, even—or perhaps especially—where genocide is concerned. Thirty years after a Vietnamese invasion toppled the Khmers Rouges, and nearly ten years after he was detained, Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, last week became the first leader to face trial at a UN–backed “hybrid” tribunal on the dusty outskirts of Phnom Penh, set up to achieve justice for survivors of a regime that killed perhaps 2m people.

Duch ran Tuol Sleng or S-21, a notorious Phnom Penh prison (now museum), where more than 14,000 men, women and children were tortured and killed. For two days of procedural hearings the 66-year-old Christian convert sat attentively. At each adjournment he stood, touched his clasped hands to his forehead, and bowed to the crowded court. “Now he is just an old man. Before, he was the absolute man,” says Vann Nath, who survived S-21 because Duch let him paint a portrait of the Khmers Rouges’ leader, Pol Pot. “Whether someone lived or died hinged on him.”

Duch is being tried separately from four other detainees, all, unlike him, central-committee members. His systematic interrogations in S-21 left a damning trail of evidence, and he is vital to the effort to understand the regime. “He alone has admitted his deeds and will almost certainly point the finger to implicate others,” says Alex Hinton, of Rutgers University’s Centre for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights.

Last week lawyers proposed witnesses and noted arguments. François Roux, the defence lawyer, from France, was expected to condemn Duch’s prolonged detention, and Robert Petit, the main international prosecutor, to claim that Duch was part of a joint criminal enterprise—an attempt to implicate the other defendants in the S-21 atrocities. The court also debated whether a child survivor of S-21 could register as a victim despite missing the deadline, or if a husband could represent his dead spouse.

The success of the court remains in doubt. Elderly victims and the defendants themselves (the others are over 75) may thwart it by dying. It took ten years of talks between Cambodia and the UN before the court opened in July 2007. In March the court’s Cambodian side will run out of money. In December the international prosecutor publicly disagreed with his Cambodian co-counsel’s refusal to seek other defendants. This raised questions about political interference. Cambodia’s prime minister, Hun Sen, among others, is a former Khmer Rouge cadre.

Yet Duch seems likely to get the trial he and his victims seek. Mr Petit requested 40 days for questioning his witnesses. The defence witnesses include Duch himself, who, according to his lawyer, intends to apologise to victims and answer their long-held questions about the torture prison. Mr Roux worries that no amount of candour by Duch could fully explain the horrors of S-21: “I’m not sure that a human being can explain something inhuman.”

Talks Progress On Khmer Rouge Court Corruption Allegations-UN

Morning Star
2-23-09

PHNOM PENH (AFP)--A U.N. official Monday said "great headway" has been made during talks with senior Cambodian officials to find ways to stop alleged corruption at the Khmer Rouge genocide tribunal.

The U.N.-backed court, which opened its first trial last week, has faced controversy over allegations of political interference by the government and corruption claims that Cambodian staff paid kickbacks for their jobs.

"We worked together to try to find solutions to the challenges that are in front of the court," U.N. assistant secretary-general for legal affairs Peter Taksoe-Jensen said after meeting deputy premier Sok An and other officials.

"We have made great headway this morning," Taksoe-Jensen told reporters, adding that they had also discussed an anti-corruption mechanism at the court.

Meetings would continue later Monday after officials "think about the proposals from both sides."

After years of wrangling between the Cambodian government and the U.N., the court was created in 2006 to try leading members of the communist 1975 to 1979 Khmer Rouge regime.

The long-awaited first trial started last week when the regime's notorious prison chief, Kaing Guek Eav, better known by the alias Duch, went before the court.

Four other Khmer Rouge leaders are also in detention awaiting trial.

The latest corruption allegations emerged last year, prompting the U.N. to launch an investigation into claims that Cambodian workers had been forced to pay for their jobs.

International backers have appeared hesitant to pledge more money to the court after allegations of political interference by the government over whether the court will bring charges against more Khmer Rouge figures.

Court officials have said last year's allegations were "unspecific, unsourced and unsubstantiated."

Up to two million people were executed or died of starvation, disease and overwork as the ultra-Marxist Khmer Rouge movement tried to create an agrarian utopia.

A tango team, Dancing for drainage

Photo by: TRACEY SHELTON

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Tracey Shelton
Monday, 23 February 2009

Khan Boline and Chum Van Belle perform the tango as part of Robert Lawrence's international Tango Intervention series in Psar Cha Park, next to Norodom Boulevard. Pedestrians gathered and motorists stopped to witness the team of 20 dancers who performed to raise awareness of water mismanagement in Phnom Penh. "We chose this location as it was formerly a canal that was filled in by the French, a move that is still causing flooding problems," said Lawrence, who has so far organised nine such events worldwide, most recently in New York and Vienna. "This is the most insane, chaotic and adventurous intervention we've done," he said of the Phnom Penh event.

Sixth man arrested in bomb plot

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Chrann Chamroeun
Monday, 23 February 2009

Authorities say they're still on 'hunt' for more Tiger Heads

THE brother of the alleged mastermind behind the foiled bomb plot against state-owned facilities in Phnom Penh in January was arrested last Tuesday as a conspirator, authorities said.

Chea Kimyan, the brother of Som Ek, who has been incarcerated since January 12 along with four other suspects reputed to be in the so-called "Tiger Head" paramilitary group, was arrested by police on the same charges in connection with the bombs and on suspicion of recruiting and training terrorists, said Hing Bunchea, a prosecutor with the Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

"He is now being detained temporarily for further investigation," he said.

Police say Som Ek has confessed to organising both the most recent bombing attempt as well as a plot to blow up the Cambodian-Vietnamese Friendship Monument in July 2007.

Military Police Chief Sao Sokha said Chea Kimyan had been in the hands of court investigators since Friday but would not comment on whether he had denied the charges.

A military policeman who asked not to be named said Chea Kimyan was arrested in Choam Chao commune in Phnom Penh's Dangkor district.

Chan Saveth, a legal counselor with local rights group Adhoc, said he was waiting for Chea Kimyan's family to contact him for consultation.

"We welcome the police's effort to arrest more suspects in the bomb plot in order to fight crime, but we are still doubtful about the charges until there is convincing evidence," he said. He said he had asked the court to move forward with hearings for all the suspects as soon as possible to clarify whether the cases against them were valid.

Rights groups had previously called for the release of more details surrounding the arrest, interrogation and trial of the suspects already detained. Chan Saveth said two of the men - Reach Samnang and Lek Bunnhean - have still been denied contact with lawyers or their families.

National Police spokesman Keat Chantharith declined to give details on the number of additional suspects identified by authorities, but said, "We are still investigating more people and will hunt for them to the end".

KRT graft talks reopen

Photo by: Tracey Shelton
Lawyers Francois Roux, Pierre-Olivier Sur and Kar Savuth outside the tribunal last Wednesday for the trial of S-21 prison chief Duch.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Georgia Wilkins and Neth Pheaktra
Monday, 23 February 2009

UN officials arrive to discuss the creation of new monitoring mechanisms at the hybrid court, as funding pressures intensify.

TALKS over anti-corruption measures at the Khmer Rouge tribunal were to continue today between a top UN legal official and members of the Cambodian government, amid fears of bankruptcy on the Cambodian side of the court.

Peter Taksoe-Jensen, the UN's assistant secretary general for legal affairs, arrived Sunday in Phnom Penh and was to meet with Deputy Prime Minister Sok An today to continue discussions over monitoring mechanisms at the hybrid court.

Patricia Georget of the Office of Legal Affairs, appointed to represent the UN in talks, would not comment on the meeting except to say that the meeting would "continue the agenda from discussions in December and agree on a way forward".

The talks are part of joint efforts to establish anti-corruption mechanisms at the court after allegations arose last July that staff members were kicking back part of their salary to their bosses. However, an independent review of these specific allegations by a UN oversight body is yet to be disclosed, and no investigation by the Cambodian side has so far been undertaken.

"Relating to the accusations that ECCC is corrupt, the Cambodian government and UN are working together to resolve and end this problem because the government does not tolerate either corruption nor the impunity of crimes committed during the Khmer Rouge regime," Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council Ministers, told the Post Sunday.

"We will prosecute people found guilty of corruption and we will separate clearly the issue of corruption from the judgment of former Khmer Rouge leaders," he added.

Funding hurt by allegations

Observers say leaving the issue unsettled has jeopardised the credibility of the court and contributed to the ongoing financial troubles of the Cambodian side, which now expects funds to completely dry up by month's end.

"It is definitely my sense that the court's trouble raising funds is in part because these issues have not been adequately resolved," Heather Ryan of court monitor Open Society Justice Initiative said Sunday.

The possibility of widespread corruption has also led international lawyers defending the former Khmer Rouge's chief ideologue, Nuon Chea, to file a complaint to the municipal court over the allegations, citing the issue of a fair trial. The investigation was abruptly cancelled earlier this month and appealed Thursday.

"We call on the UN, as we do on the Cambodian government, to cooperate with any investigation going forward," Andrew Ianuzzi, legal consultant for Nuon Chea's defence team, told the Post, adding that the UN should also apply diplomatic force over the issue.

"We hope the UN will put some pressure on the Cambodian government to cooperate with the general prosecutor [at the Court of Appeal] and make available the [review of allegations] as soon as possible," he said.

The court began its first trial, that of Tuol Sleng prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, last Tuesday, a historic moment for the court that has taken years of diplomatic haggling to get to its trial stage.

Cops free indebted Thai gamblers

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Mom Kunthear and Chrann Chamroeun
Monday, 23 February 2009

A THAI national has been charged with illegal imprisonment by the provincial court in Battambang after three runawayThai gamblers were freed by police from a house in the province, police said.

Battambang district police chief said the three freed Thai nationals had been imprisoned for a month after running up combined gambling debts of about five million baht (US$140,000) playing cards at a Poipet casino.

Deputy prosecutor Koy Kanya said the man in custody was an employee of Poipet's Princess Casino, where the three gamblers had racked up their debts. He said police were looking for four more suspects who were believed to be in hiding.

"I have charged Thai national Sati Sum Sin, 28, with the crime of illegal imprisonment according to Article 7 of the Serious Crimes Law," Kay Kanya said.

Battambang district police Chief Tuch Ra said the three Thai nationals - two women and one man - were freed from a house in the province on Friday. He named the women as Chhim Phong Sarak, 55, and Seto Ano, 37, but did not know the name of the third, a 23-year-old man.

"People living near the house tipped off the police, and we went there and freed them," Tuch Ra told the Post Sunday. "They lost money while gambling at the casino, but couldn't pay. They were being held at the house while their families were given the chance to bring money for their release."

Gambling is illegal in Thailand, leading many Thais to head to the casinos on the Cambodian-Thai border - such as those at Poipet - for entertainment.

Officer training marks enduring VN military cooperation: officials

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Chean Sokha
Monday, 23 February 2009

A flow of RCAF officers continues to swell Vietnamese military academies as Kingdom inaugurates first National Defence University.

UP to 500 officers of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces will be sent each year to receive advanced training in Vietnam as part of ongoing defence cooperation between the two countries, officials said.

Ieng Sophalleth, spokesman for Prime Minister Hun Sen, said that more than 4,000 RCAF officers had so far received training in Vietnam, with Hanoi reaffirming its willingness to continue receiving Cambodian officers for advanced studies.

"Samdech Hun Sen has proposed that Vietnam help with training Cambodian military officers, in order to help develop [RCAF's] human resources," he told reporters Saturday after a meeting between Hun Sen and Vietnam's Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh.

"The defence ministries of Vietnam and Cambodia have long had a good cooperation."

Ieng Sophalleth said that Phung Quang Thanh had also thanked Cambodia for its cooperation in finding the remains of Vietnamese troops missing in Cambodia during fighting with Khmer Rouge soldiers in 1979.

Close cooperation

Pang Savan, director of the International Relations Department at the Ministry of Defence, said that Cambodia was sending between 400 and 500 officers to train in Vietnam each year, and around 100 for similar training in China.

"We have sent our officials to train in Vietnam for long and short terms," he said Sunday, adding that Vietnam was also providing free medical treatment to visiting Cambodian military.

Pang Savan added that the Ministry of Defence had established a National Defence University, which had provided 10 four-year officer scholarships - five to Laos and another five to Myanmar.

"We have defence cooperation not just with Vietnam but with India, China, the US, France and so on," he said.

During his visit Friday through Sunday, Phung Quang Thanh also met with Senate President Chea Sim, National Assembly President Heng Samrin and Defence Minister Tea Banh.

Detente restored after Thai apology for artillery fire

Photo by: HENG CHIVOAN
Thai army Deputy Commander-in-Chief Jeradej Kotcharat arrives in Phnom Penh.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Cheang Sokha
Monday, 23 February 2009

THE Foreign Ministry has said it would not file a formal complaint against Thailand to protest an incident last week in which several shells fired by Thai troops landed on Cambodian territory.

A Thai delegation arrived in Phnom Penh on Friday to apologise for the episode.

Koy Kuong, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the Post Sunday that the retraction followed a successful meeting between the Thai delegation and Cambodian officials.

"The incident did not cause deaths amongst our people or damage to property," he said. "[Thailand] has shown it is taking responsibility."

In the incident Tuesday, at least eight mortar shells landed two kilometres inside Oddar Meanchey province in northwestern Cambodia. The shells were fired by Thai soldiers during a military training exercise near the disputed border between the two countries.

That prompted a letter of apology on Thursday from Thai army commander-in-chief, General Anupong Paojinda, to General Meas Sophea, the deputy commander-in-chief and head of the army of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

"I would like to reassure you that we will use all means to prevent such an incident from happening again in the future," the statement quotes General Anupong as saying.

After meeting the Thai delegation on Friday, Prime Minister Hun Sen urged his neighbour to investigate the matter, but, otherwise, assumed a conciliatory tone.

"Thailand asked to apologise for this unintentional incident and promised that it will not happen again," Hun Sen told reporters after meeting with Thai army Deputy Commander-in-Chief Jeradej Kotcharat.

Cambodian and Thai soldiers have been deployed along the border since mid-July last year after Preah Vihear temple was listed as a Unesco World Heritage site. Thailand has long contested that Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia. Tensions ratcheted higher as last year drew to a close. In the most serious incident, armed clashes at Preah Vihear temple between both sides in mid-October caused the deaths of four soldiers.

Hun Sen will meet Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva this week for bilateral discussions about the border dispute while both attend the Asean Summit in Hua Hin, Thailand.

Legal post goes to ousted Court of Appeal president

TIE TO THE KRT
You Bunleng, co-investigating judge at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, was appointed to replace Ly Vouchleng at the Court of Appeal after her removal. He initially said he might not be able to remain at the tribunal but eventually decided to stay on.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Chrann Chamroeun and Robbie Corey-Boulet
Monday, 23 February 2009

Ly Vouchleng's appointment to the Council of Ministers comes 17 months after allegations of corruption resulted in her dismissal.

LY Vouchleng has been appointed as legal counsel to the Council of Ministers some 17 months after a corruption scandal led to her removal from her post as president of the Court of Appeal, Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan told the Post Sunday.

A royal decree issued in August 2007 ousted Ly Vouchleng from the Court of Appeal in response to allegations that the court had been bribed into releasing two human trafficking suspects.

Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith defended the new appointment as "legal" and declined to comment on the past corruption case, deferring questions about that to "the person who decided to appoint her", whom he said he could not name.

Phay Siphan said he did not know who approved the appointment and could not say whether past allegations of wrongdoing levied against her had figured in the decision.

"I just know that she was appointed to the position of legal counsel at the Council of Ministers and that her background is in legal expertise," he said.

Ly Vouchleng could not be reached for comment Sunday.

Kek Galabru, president of the rights group Licadho, said she had not heard of the appointment but that any decision to place Ly Vouchleng in a government post would be "difficult to understand" in light of the government's claims to be actively rooting out corruption.

"I feel very sorry if there really is a new appointment of Ly Vouchleng," she told the Post Sunday.

Transparency: Corruption laws 'weak', says report

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Sebastian Stragio
Monday, 23 February 2009

TRANSPARENCY

US-based corruption monitor Global Integrity has released an annual report rating as"very weak" the government's good governance and anti-corruption safeguards. "Cambodia suffers from a range of governance and anti-corruption challenges, including vote-buying and political financing scandals to privatisations that have tended to favour a small group of wealthy elites," said the report, released Wednesday.

Although the country scored relatively well in voter participation and the integrity of its elections, the new report, which aggregated dozens of indicators provided by local experts, found Cambodia especially lacking in government accountability. It also listed the Kingdom alongside Angola, Belarus and Iraq on its 2008 Grand Corruption Watch List, noting that "effective one-party rule stands in the way of moving forward" and that "governance and anti-corruption reforms ... will be extremely challenging until fundamental changes take place". The report found that though there were anti-corruption laws in place, there was a large gap between the legal framework and its effective implementation.

Corruption hurts border trade: PM

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Vong Sokheng
Monday, 23 February 2009

Hun Sen vows to fire anyone operating illegal checkpoints

PRIME Minister Hun Sen has ordered provincial governors in border areas to make all efforts to assist small traders involved in cross-border commerce with Thailand and Vietnam. The premier's instructions follow complaints from struggling traders who have said in recent weeks that they are facing renewed hindrances from illegal checkpoints at border crossings.

"Don't make obstacles for traders trying to sell their wares to neighbouring countries," Hun Sen said, at the close Thursday of a conference at the InterContinental Hotel, referring to the practice of some corrupt border officials to take bribes to ensure passage of goods.

He said he would sack officials up to and including the level of provincial governors and four-star generals if they or their staff were found to be involved in corrupt activities such as operating illegal checkpoints.

"I will not keep one person whose misbehaviour causes the destruction of the livelihoods of other people," he said. "You must appreciate the demanding living conditions of people and must not take bribes when they try to trade their products."

Chieng Am, the governor of Svay Rieng province, which borders Vietnam, said he would ensure Hun Sen's instructions were followed. But he added that the lack of a market meant the amount of commerce between traders in his province and those in Vietnam was small - villagers sold just a small portion of their rice harvest and chickens across the border.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said late last year that official trade figures between Cambodia and Vietnam stood at US$768 million in imports and $135 million exports to Vietnam. Those figures exclude small-scale cross-border trade.

Storm in Siem Reap injures 14 and damages over 400 homes

Photo by: Photo Supplied
A house sits off its foundation in Siem Reap province after last week's storms.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Sam Rith
Monday, 23 February 2009

Officials scrambling to come up with sufficient aid for affected families

A STORM that brought heavy rain and high winds to Siem Reap's Puok district Friday evening injured 14 people and destroyed or severely damaged more than 100 homes, Siem Reap Governor Sou Phirin told the Post Sunday.

Tou Kha, deputy police chief for Puok district, said no casualties had been reported.

In all, 446 homes sustained damage, Sou Phirin said, noting that the government had by Sunday evening provided aid in the form of rice, noodles, blankets and payments of 50,000 to 100,000 riel (US$12.14 to $24.28) to 122 families.

But he said officials were scrambling to come up with aid for the other victims.

"We are seeking funding as well as other aid to help those who were impacted by the storm," he said. "It is very hard for us to seek aid because it occurred on the weekend."

He said local officials planned to distribute aid to the other affected families on Wednesday. In addition, he said, they would pay between $8,000 and $9,000 to repair the damaged roof of a primary school in Puok district.

As of Sunday, Sou Phirin said, aid had been provided by NGOs, private donors and the provincial chapter of the Cambodian Red Cross.

Sou Phirin said he led a team of community leaders and aid workers to survey the damage Sunday afternoon.

"We went to the place in order to know the exact number of families who were affected by the storm, so it is easier for us to offer aid," he said.

Storm aided by open space

Tou Kha said the storm was centred on Puok and Daunkeo communes. More than 10 houses in Lvea commune also sustained damage, he said.

He said the storm, the first of the year, was more serious than any that had hit Puok district in recent years. He said a 2008 storm in Puok district's Sasarsdom commune destroyed more than 100 houses.

Seth Vannareth, director of the Department of Meteorology at the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, said the beginnings of a similar storm had materialised in Kampong Thom on Tuesday but that the storm had not been able to gather momentum because of high concrete buildings in the area. The storm in Siem Reap, by contrast, occurred in an open area with few trees and tall buildings, she said.

"We would like to advise people to build houses with strong concrete and plant trees surrounding the house," she said.

Profile: Giving hope for two decades

Photo by: SOVANN PHILONG
Licadho founder and President Kek Galabru aims to promote respect for human rights in throughout the Kingdom and its institutions

NGO FOCUS Licadho
- Founded 1992
- Personnel 160 staff and volunteers working in Phnom Penh office and 12 provincial offices
- Mandate Licadho works with victims of human rights abuses, especially focussing on women and children who fall victim to domestic violence, rape and trafficking.
- Funding The group is funded by a wide range of donors, including Operation a Day's Work (Finland), Danchurch Aid, Diakonia, ICCO, Danida, German Agro Action, USAID/EWMI, and the governments of Finland, Australia, Malta and the Netherlands, as well as private donors.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Sarah Whyte
Monday, 23 February 2009

As one of the first NGOs in Cambodia, Licadho has seen the landscape for civil society evolve - and says things are worse now than in 1992.

THE Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights (Licadho) was founded in 1992, just after the thawing of the Cold War and the signing of the Paris Peace Agreements brought to an end a decade of one-party rule by the People's Revolutionary Party of Kampuchea - the forerunner to today's Cambodian People's Party (CPP).

Kek Galabru, the organisation's founder and president, remembers well the difficulties of operating in the overly bureaucratic and unstable climate of the early 1990s.

The organisation was one of the first nongovernmental organisations to be established under the UN's transitional administration, but even the presence of the international community could not prevent Licadho's early efforts from being mired in communist-era red tape.

"We had to sometimes wait eight months before we could get permission to visit the prisoners in jail," Galabru said. "It was only because the UN were in Cambodia that we got permission at all." In spite of the obstacles, Licadho had over 130 employees and had expanded into 12 provinces by 1998, and today it continues to work relentlessly with victims of illegal trafficking, domestic violence, land grabbing and forced evictions.

But as Galabru says, there is an endless amount of work still to be done. Licadho is still occasionally subjected to anonymous threats when dealing with high-profile cases involving well-connected authorities, she said, and in the aftermath of the Dey Krahorm eviction case last month, two members of staff were threatened via anonymous mobile phone messages.

"After 1993, we were given some freedom to operate as an NGO, but now in 2009 our democratic space is shrinking," she said, adding that the absence of democratic mechanisms in the country has meant that if these limits are overstepped, there can sometimes be serious ramifications.

"We do get very tired from our work, but if we give up on these people, what else will they have. ... we can provide assistance to the victims and give them a little more hope," she said.

Licadho provided legal, medical and financial support to such victims, explaining their rights under domestic law and the international agreements to which Cambodia is signatory. Licadho has also recently drawn attention to what it calls the "wrongful" 1,799-day imprisonment of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, convicted of the 2004 murder of union leader Chea Vichea. The pair have been freed on provisional release.

The group also advocates free education for all children, government-provided medical care and full compensation for communities facing eviction - all goals the organisation hopes will move Cambodia towards a more democratic form of government.

"We need to see freedom of access to information, freedom of assembly and a freedom of expression in Cambodia before we can call ourselves a democracy," she said.

Growing up, Galabru said she was surrounded by strong female role models who left a strong imprint on her human rights work. In 1958, her mother, Pung Peng Cheng, became the first woman to be elected to government in Cambodia.

"When I saw my mother working and serving the people of Cambodia, I knew I wanted to serve the people," she said. "But I did not want to work in the government, so I began studying medicine." Years later, with the help of her mother and late husband, she set up Licadho. In 2005, Galabru was one of 1,000 women nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of the organisation's work in Cambodia.

"I was very grateful to my Cambodian colleagues who nominated me," she said.

"I hope that I can continue to serve the Cambodian people and not disappoint them."

New Japan aid targets health

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Chun Sophal
Monday, 23 February 2009

Portion will also cover Roleang Chrey irrigation

JAPAN announced last month that it would give roughly US$2.74 million to the Cambodian government for two projects - one aimed at fighting the spread of infectious diseases and the other to produce design improvements for Roleang Chrey Headworks, a major irrigation project in Kampong Speu province.

The bulk of the money - $2.5 million - will go towards the infectious disease control project, which will finance the purchase, storage and transportation of vaccines and the safe disposal of used syringes, among other things, according to a press release issued by the Japanese embassy January 11.

The rest of the money will go towards the Roleang Chrey Headworks, which was built in 1974. In particular, the money will be used to "provide a stable supply of water to the main canals in the present irrigated area".

Improving the headworks

Veng Sakhon, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, said repairs to the dam would begin in mid-2009.
"We hope to finish the innovation in two years, and we hope that the dam will be able to irrigate about 10,000 to 20,000 hectares of land in the surrounding area," he said.

Minister of Economy and Finance Keat Chhon said in a press release that the money would help mitigate the effects of the global economic downturn by funneling resources to agriculture infrastructure.

Kingdom's empty dock

Photo by: ECCC POOL/KEM SOVANNARA
Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, appears Tuesday during the opening of the Khmer Rouge tribunal's first trial.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by John Pilger
Monday, 23 February 2009

International justice remains a farce while those in the West who sided with Pol Pot's murderous regime escape trial.

OPINION
John Pilger

AT my hotel in Phnom Penh, the women and children sat on one side of the room, palais-style, the men on the other. It was a disco night and a lot of fun; then suddenly people walked to the windows and wept. The DJ had played a song by the much-loved Khmer singer Sin Sisamouth, who had been forced to dig his own grave and to sing the Khmer Rouge anthem before he was beaten to death. I experienced many such reminders.

There was another kind of reminder. In the village of Neak Leung I walked with a distraught man through a necklace of bomb craters. His entire family of 13 had been blown to pieces by an American B-52. That had happened almost two years before Pol Pot came to power in 1975. It is estimated more than 600,000 Cambodians were slaughtered that way.

The problem with the UN-backed trial of the remaining Khmer Rouge leaders, which has just begun in Phnom Penh, is that it is dealing only with the killers of Sin Sisamouth and not with the killers of the family in Neak Leung, and not with their collaborators. There were three stages of Cambodia's holocaust. Pol Pot's genocide was but one of them, yet only it has a place in the official memory.

It is highly unlikely Pot Pot would have come to power had President Richard Nixon and his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger, not attacked neutral Cambodia. In 1973, B-52s dropped more bombs on Cambodia's heartland than were dropped on Japan during the Second World War: equivalent to five Hiroshimas. Files reveal that the CIA was in little doubt of the effect. "[The Khmer Rouge] are using damage caused by B-52 strikes as the main theme of their propaganda," reported the director of operations on May 2, 1973. "This approach has resulted in the successful recruitment of a number of young men [and] has been effective with refugees."

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THE BOMBING DELIVERED A CATALYST. WHAT NIXON AND KISSINGER BEGAN, POL POT COMPLETED.
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Prior to the bombing, the Khmer Rouge had been a Maoist cult without a popular base. The bombing delivered a catalyst. What Nixon and Kissinger began, Pol Pot completed. Kissinger will not be in the dock in Phnom Penh. He is advising President Obama on geopolitics. Neither will Margaret Thatcher, nor a number of her retired ministers and officials who, in secretly supporting the Khmer Rouge after the Vietnamese had expelled them, contributed directly to the third stage of Cambodia's holocaust.

In 1979, the US and Britain imposed a devastating embargo on stricken Cambodia because its liberators, Vietnam, had come from the wrong side of the Cold War. Few Foreign Office campaigns have been as cynical or as brutal. The British demanded that the now defunct Pol Pot regime retain the "right" to represent its victims at the UN and voted with Pol Pot in the agencies of the UN, including the World Health Organisation, thereby preventing it from working in Cambodia. To disguise this outrage, Britain, the US and China, Pol Pot's main backer, invented a "non-communist" coalition in exile that was, in fact, dominated by the Khmer Rouge. In Thailand, the CIA and Defence Intelligence Agency formed direct links with the Khmer Rouge.

In 1983, the Thatcher government sent the SAS to train the "coalition" in land mine technology - in a country more seeded with mines than anywhere except Afghanistan. "I confirm," Thatcher wrote to British opposition leader Neil Kinnock, "that there is no British government involvement of any kind in training, equipping or cooperating with Khmer Rouge forces or those allied to them". The lie was breathtaking. In 1991, the Major government was forced to admit to parliament that the SAS had been secretly training the "coalition".

Unless international justice is a farce, those who sided with Pol Pot's mass murderers ought to be summoned to the court in Phnom Penh: at the very least, their names read into infamy's register.

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John Pilger is a war correspondent, filmmaker and author whose reporting on Cambodia includes the films Year Zero: The Silent Death of Cambodia and Cambodia: The Betrayal.

Israeli business delegation due in Cambodia in March

BLOOMBERG
A farmer ploughs a rice field outside of Siem Reap. Israel is planning to sign deals on agriculture at meetings in Phnom Penh in March.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by KAY KIMSONG AND GEORGE MCLEOD
Monday, 23 February 2009

30-strong group of politicians and businessmen from Israel scheduled to invest in Cambodian agriculture; telecoms officials also due to travel

AN Israeli delegation is set to visit Cambodia on March 16, hoping to forge agreements in agriculture and telecommunications, said the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce and the Israeli embassy in Bangkok.

The move is part of an Israeli effort announced last year to expand economic and political ties with Cambodia.

Nguon Meng Tech, director general of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, told the Post that 30 Israeli delegates from the government and private sector would meet up to 40 Cambodian business leaders.

"We should know that Israel is a land of sand, but it has become an agricultural leader because of their expertise," said Nguon Meng Tech.

Tzahi Selzer, the Israeli economic and trade attache in Bangkok, said that 15 telecoms companies, as well as agriculture businesses, would be part of the delegation. Also present would be Israel's minister of telecommunications and minister of agriculture, along with possibly one other high-ranking official.

More details of the visit are expected this week.

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Israel is a land of sand, but it has become an agricultural leader.
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"Israel is known as a world leader in agriculture," said Nguon Meng Tech, "I think they are also looking for farmland to grow rice and vegetables," he said. He added that there has been talk of leasing agricultural land to the Israelis and building a hotel, but no details have been disclosed yet.

Israel was ranked the fourth-largest foreign investor in Cambodia last year in terms of value of projects approved, with 2.75 percent of total investment, or US$300 million, according to Cambodian Investment Board figures.

The sole Israeli project was by Queenco Tourism International, which built a five-star hotel in Sihanoukville. Commerce Ministry data says that Cambodia imported $353,107 in goods from Israel and exported $138,531 in 2007.

Mong Reththy, president of Mong Reththy Group, which is involved in agricultural exports, said his company welcomes Israeli investors for any type of agriculture.

"I heard that Israel wants to buy rice from us, so I started a 10-hectare pilot project in Strung Treng province, near the Laotian border," he said, adding that Cambodia's agricultural potential, coupled with Israel's expertise and capital, make the countries a good match.

He said he would also be urging the Israelis to buy palm oil as prices had fallen from $1,200 to $500 per tonne.

The director of the Cambodian Centre for Study and Development in Agriculture, Yang Saing Koma, welcomed the possibility of Israeli investment, but urged new investors to respect small farmers' land titles. "I hope that government won't only concentrate on large-scale farming for export, but will support domestic supply too," he said.

Thorn Virak, deputy director general for the Foreign Trade Department, said bilateral trade with Israel is comparatively small, but that Cambodia could export rice to Israel.

Middle Eastern countries have increased ties with Phnom Penh over the past two years, with Kuwait and the United Emirates sending high-level delegations to Cambodia.

Asean set to expand fund

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by AFP
Monday, 23 February 2009

PHUKET - Finance officials from Southeast Asia, China, Japan and South Korea agreed in principle Sunday to expand a regional emergency reserve fund to US$120 billion, a statement said.

The credit line known as the Chiang Mai Initiative - aimed at helping Asean members weather global financial turmoil - was originally touted at $80 billion.

But the gathering in Thailand of Asian finance ministers and other top officials agreed the fund should be expanded as economic woes hit Asia's key trading partners in Europe and the United States.

"The total size of the Multilateralised Chiang Mai Initiative will be increased from the initially agreed level of $80 billion to $120 billion," said the official statement issued after the meeting.

It said the move aimed "to ensure regional market stability and to foster confidence in the markets" and would be finalised at another meeting of Asian finance officials later this year in Bali.

The proposal will also likely be discussed at the annual Asean summit, which will be held from Friday in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin.

Asean's 10 member states plus China, Japan and South Korea agreed after the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis to set up the Chiang Mai Initiative bilateral currency scheme to prevent a repeat of the turmoil.

The Asian nations are now planning to expand that agreement into a multilateral reserve, as the current economic climate threatens millions of jobs as well as the recent robust growth in Asia's developing economies.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said earlier the fund would "serve as a cushion against future weaknesses at the time of the crisis".

Asean Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said the long-discussed regional fund would be used to help members "badly affected" as the global economic downturn hits Asia's key trading partners in the United States and Europe.

"It is one of the mechanisms - it is not to replace or compete with the IMF [International Monetary Fund], but it will be an alternative for Asian countries," Surin said on Thai television.

"Unfortunately our region is currently facing enormous challenges including global economic slowdown and ... financial turbulence," said South Korean Finance Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun. "The environment calls for stronger cooperation among the Asean countries."

After the morning session, Surin said the meeting was "good and positive", adding that Asean members would make up 20 percent of the pool, with the remaining 80 percent from the big three Asian economies - Japan, China and South Korea.

Group threatens ILO complaint over proposed labour legislation

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by May Kunmakara
Monday, 23 February 2009

A BELGIUM-BASED labour group threatened to complain to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) over proposed amendments allowing for unlimited temporary work contracts, it said last week.

The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF) said the legal changes would allow temporary contracts to be extended indefinitely; the current maximum is two years. It says the changes would also undermine union recruitment and allow employers to fire workers without notice.

"The proposed amendments to the labour laws threaten to push back much of what has been achieved by making it almost impossible for workers to exercise the right of freedom of association. The ITGLWF is currently considering a formal complaint to the ILO," wrote ITGLWF General Secretary Neil Kearney on Saturday.

The ITGLWF says it has 220 affiliate unions worldwide, representing 10 million workers. Its local members include the Cambodia Union Federation, a registered union linked with the Cambodian People's Party.

Kearney sent a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen last week urging the government to abandon the Labour Law changes.

Oum Mean, secretary of state of the Labour Ministry, said the proposed changes have been on the table since 2007 and that the officials have already consulted with NGOs and other stakeholders. "I have gone over the amendment with relevant parties, especially the employers, before the ITGLWF made its complaint," he said.

He added that workers' rights would be bolstered by the formation of a labour court, which the government had been working to form since 1997.

A spokesman for the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia applauded the amendment. "This [amendment] is a great thing to prevent abuses by both employers and relevant parties," said External Affairs Manager Kaing Monika.

But the President of Free Union of Workers of The Kingdom of Cambodia, Chea Mony, said he opposes the amendments because they would allow employers to arbitrarily fire union members.

Microfinance lending down

$32mdrop in microfinance lending.

Figures released at last week’s Banking Cambodia 2009 conference showed that Cambodian mircrofinance lending fell to $438m in 2008 from $470 million in 2007.

Micro balance

The balance of microfinance savings to lending over the past four years:
2008 +$54 million
2007 -$120 million
2006 -$121 million
2005 -$85 million Source: Cambodia Microfinance Association

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by NGUON SOVAN AND MAY KUNMAKARA
Monday, 23 February 2009

Cambodia’s microfinance institutions lent $438 million in 2008, a decrease of $32 million on 2007, as savings outstripped loans for the first time

MICROLENDERS reported slower loan growth in 2008 at the Banking Cambodia conference last week, adding that a stronger deposit base would put the sector on a solid footing for 2009.

Hout Ieng Tong, chairman of the Cambodia Microfinance Association, said loans declined to US$438 million in 2008 from $470 million the previous year, speaking at the banking event Friday.

"The global financial crisis left microfinance institutions (MFIs) without enough funds from overseas and local lenders," he said.

"Portfolio at risk is still very low - 0.67 percent, equivalent to $2.95 million," he added.

Savings grow

Savings outstripped lending for the first time, however. Hout Ieng Tong said that a stagnant real estate market had encouraged more savings, with deposits reaching $492 million in 2008, up from $350 million in 2007.

"The increase is probably because people no longer want to invest in real estate," he said.

Hout Ieng Tong said the number of borrowers hit one million last year from 970,152 in 2007, and depositors rose to 529,789 last year from 355,956 in 2007. Eighty-one percent of borrowers are women, he said.

"However, there is huge room to grow because the percentage of borrowers and depositors at MFIs is still relatively low - 10 percent of Cambodia's population of around 14 million," he said.

Neav Chanthana, deputy governor of the National Bank of Cambodia, said the MFI portfolio is sheltered from risk.

"Banks and microfinance institutions are growing despite the global financial crisis," she said. "As you see, non-performing loans are very low - less than one percent - it is unbelievable. This shows how good our farmers are. Once they borrow the money, they work hard and are committed to repaying."

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Microfinance institutions are growing despite the global financial crisis.
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Some institutions also saw increased lending despite the general downward trend. The general manager of Amret Microfinance Institution, Chea Phalarin, said its loan portfolio increased 80 percent in 2008 - to $54 million from around $30 million in 2007. "The global economic downturn has not affected the loans we offered last year," he said, adding that growth was due to strong rural demand for micro businesses, especially in the agricultural sector. "Despite the global downturn, we expect to see 50 percent loan growth this year."

Interest rates range from 24 to 36 percent per year, according to the industry.
Mom Vanny, from MFI Cambodia Health Committee Ltd, said Sunday its loans were $4 million in 2008, up from $3 million in 2007.

"Early this year, we suspended loans to customers due to the crisis," he said. But, he continued, "This year we plan to increase loans by 50 percent and will set up two more operational offices."

"In 2009, we will require external financing of around $4 million," he said, "But due to the crisis, we expect to get only $2 million."

Taking stock

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Trevor Keidan
Monday, 23 February 2009

With the global financial crisis, now might be a good time to take another look at your investment portfolio to get the most from your money

Comment

By Trevor Keidan

Make sure you "keep your balance" when it comes to financial planning - especially in times of crisis.

Rebalancing is an essential process that is designed to decrease risk and earn you money. It is a useful technique that should be practised by all on a regular basis - with or without a global financial crisis.

Simply put, rebalancing is the technique of changing your asset allocation to suit your financial objectives, your age and your attitude to risk. It can also be applied when circumstances change, as is the case with the increased volatility brought on by the global financial crisis.

Most people rebalance their portfolios as they age. It stands to reason that a young person will have an investment portfolio that takes on more risk than that of an older person. After all, if the younger person's portfolio loses money, he or she has more time to recoup the money lost.

However, when a person nears retirement - or is even in retirement - the portfolio normally becomes more cautious. After all, there is little chance to make any losses back.

As a case study, let's take a typical portfolio of a person in his or her mid-20s. He (or she) is gainfully employed and has a fast, aggressive lifestyle. The 20-something's capacity for financial risk is fairly high - and so is his or her tolerance to risk.

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Investors should be prepared to rebalance their portfolios when circumstances change.
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The portfolio of a 20-something investor might look something like this: Five percent cash such as a money market fund; 20 percent bonds; 65 percent stocks (perhaps two-thirds from the United States stock market and the remainder in international or emerging markets); and 10 percent in property such as real estate trusts. Such a portfolio would be considered fairly aggressive. However, the 20-something has plenty of time to ride out the peaks and troughs in the market. He or she also has five percent set aside in cash in case of an emergency so that the amount invested in the portfolio can remain untouched.

However, even if the amount in the portfolio does remain untouched, as it grows, there may well be a need to rebalance.

Let's say the 20-something now turns 30. His or her lifestyle is now more cautious. There are kids and college tuition to think of.

Maturing portfolio

The portfolio of the 30-something investor might look something like this: Five percent cash; 25 percent bonds; 60 percent stocks including two-thirds US stocks and one-third international stocks; and ten percent in property including real estate investment trusts.

Such a portfolio is slightly less aggressive than that of the 20-something but still has a certain level of risk - as exemplified by the investment in stocks. There is an increase in the amount invested in bonds and a reduction in the holding in stocks. Bonds are considered safer than stocks.

People in their mid-50s might reduce their investment in stocks to 50 percent while increasing their investment in bonds to 35 percent. And someone in their late-60s - having taken retirement - might hold just 35 percent in stocks and 40 percent in bonds.

And while age is an obvious incentive for rebalancing a portfolio, there are others such as discipline, planning and risk tolerance.

In setting out a portfolio, an investor might want to only ever hold 60 percent of his or her investment in stocks and 40 percent in bonds. However, over the course of a year, the stocks have done well and the holding in the portfolio has increased to 80 percent compared with just 20 percent in bonds.

Such a change goes against the investment practice of the individual and makes for a riskier portfolio. In order to get back on track, the investor might choose to sell off the stocks and buy bonds to bring the portfolio back in line. Similarly, investors should be prepared to rebalance their portfolios when circumstances change. And in today's market, where volatility is the name of the game, investors should keep a careful eye on their portfolios. It might be that it's time to rebalance.
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Trevor Keidan is managing director of Infinity Financial Solutions. Contact him at tkeidan@infinsolutions.com

The Phnom Penh Post News In Brief

In Brief: ADB, Govt to hold workshop

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Chhay Channyda
Monday, 23 February 2009
The Asian Development Bank, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, is to hold a regional workshop on involuntary resettlement to focus on sharing examples of good practice in resettlement management in the region. “Good resettlement planning …can, if done properly, open up new opportunities to improve incomes and living conditions of those affected,” the ADB said in a press statement. The workshop will run from today through Friday at the Sunway Hotel.


In Brief: Khieu Samphan appeal denied

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Neth Pheaktra
Monday, 23 February 2009

Lawyers for former Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan have again lost an appeal to release their client from detention at the Khmer Rouge tribunal on the basis that their client’s case file is not in their common language – French. A separate hearing against the extension of the former leader’s detention will be held Friday, where lawyers say they will continue their translation argument. “Khieu Samphan’s detention is illegal. We request the chamber to release Khieu Samphan immediately,” co-lawyer Sa Sovan said Sunday.


In Brief: US pledges $1.5m to KR tribunal

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Georgia Wilkins
Monday, 23 February 2009

The United States has pledged US$1.5 million to the UN side of the Khmer Rouge tribunal in the wake of its first trial, which began Tuesday. John Johnson, spokesman for the US embassy, said that the US was satisfied with the judicial process of the hybrid court but that it would continue to work with it to “address administrative reforms” including the issue of corruption allegations.

Cambodia's Missing Accused

ANTI WAR.COM
February 23, 2009

by John Pilger

At my hotel in Phnom Penh, the women and children sat on one side of the room, palais-style, the men on the other. It was a disco night and a lot of fun; then suddenly people walked to the windows and wept. The DJ had played a song by the much-loved Khmer singer Sin Sisamouth, who had been forced to dig his own grave and to sing the Khmer Rouge anthem before he was beaten to death. I experienced many such reminders in the years following Pol Pot's fall.

There was another kind of reminder. In the village of Neak Long, a Mekong River town, I walked with a distraught man through a necklace of bomb craters. His entire family of 13 had been blown to pieces by an American B-52. That had happened almost two years before Pol Pot came to power in 1975. It is estimated more than 600,000 Cambodians were slaughtered that way.

The problem with the United Nations-backed trial of the remaining Khmer Rouge leaders, which has just begun in Phnom Penh, is that it is dealing only with the killers of Sin Sisamouth and not with the killers of the family in Neak Long, and not with their collaborators. There were three stages of Cambodia's holocaust. Pol Pot's genocide was but one of them, yet only it has a place in the official memory. It is highly unlikely Pot Pot would have come to power had President Richard Nixon and his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger, not attacked neutral Cambodia. In 1973, B-52s dropped more bombs on Cambodia's populated heartland than were dropped on Japan during all of the Second World War: the equivalent of five Hiroshimas. Declassified files reveal that the CIA was in little doubt of the effect. "[The Khmer Rouge] are using damage caused by B-52 strikes as the main theme of their propaganda," reported the director of operations on May 2, 1973. "This approach has resulted in the successful recruitment of a number of young men [and] has been effective with refugees." Prior to the bombing, the Khmer Rouge had been a Maoist cult without a popular base. The bombing delivered a catalyst. What Nixon and Kissinger began, Pol Pot completed.

Kissinger will not be in the dock in Phnom Penh. He is advising President Obama on geo-politics. Neither will Margaret Thatcher, nor a number of her comfortably retired senior ministers and officials who, in secretly supporting the Khmer Rouge after the Vietnamese had expelled them, contributed directly to the third stage of Cambodia's holocaust. In 1979, the US and British governments imposed a devastating embargo on stricken Cambodia because its liberators, Vietnam, had come from the wrong side of the Cold War. Few Foreign Office campaigns have been as cynical or as brutal. At the UN, the British demanded that the now defunct Pol Pot regime retain the "right" to represent its victims at the UN and voted with Pol Pot in the agencies of the UN, including the World Health Organization, thereby preventing it from working inside Cambodia.

To disguise this outrage, Britain, the U.S., and China, Pol Pot's principal backer, invented a "non-communist" coalition in exile that was, in fact, dominated by the Khmer Rouge. In Thailand, the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency formed direct links with the Khmer Rouge. In 1983, the Thatcher government sent the SAS to train the "coalition" in land-mine technology – in a country more seeded with mines than anywhere on earth except Afghanistan. "I confirm," Thatcher wrote to opposition leader Neil Kinnock, "that there is no British government involvement of any kind in training, equipping, or cooperating with Khmer Rouge forces or those allied to them." The lie was breathtaking. On June 25, 1991, the Major government was forced to admit to parliament that the SAS had been secretly training the "coalition." Unless international justice is a farce, those who sided with Pol Pot's mass murderers ought to be summoned to the court in Phnom Penh: at the very least their names read into infamy's register.

The battle for Prasat Preah Vihear

Illawara Mercury
By COURTNEY TRENWITH
23/02/2009

When I decided to take on the eight-hour pilgrimage to the second most important ancient temple in Cambodia, I knew that I was in for an adventure. But I didn't realise that I would be riding into the middle of an international battle field.

Cambodian soldiers, with machines guns slung over their shoulders and grenades on standby, surrounded Prasat Preah Vihear as we approached the 900-year-old Hindu temple on the border of Cambodia and Thailand.

Some sat near the bunkers that had been built behind stone walls while others paraded up and down the street.

I took photos of the grenades and guns positioned on the stone walls in the direction of Thailand.

The sacred site has been turned into a military zone since Thailand attempted to claim the area in a battle on October 15, last year, which left one Thai and three Cambodians dead.

The Thais have stepped up their claim to the area since it was given World Heritage Status in July, last year. (Angkor Wat is the only other temple in Cambodia to be given such status.)

But I was oblivious to all of this before we set off on our motorbike journey from Anlong Ven, about 200km south-west.

Even as we approached the site we had no idea of the tension.

We chatted to Cambodian soldiers over iced coffee in a small restaurant at Sa Em, the last major town before Prasat Preah Vihear. They were friendly and wanted to have photos taken with us.

We rode past army camps just a few kilometres from the entrance to the temple site, and still we did not sense the tension.

It was not until we swapped to a more powerful motorbike and began the virtually vertical climb to the top of Dangkrek Mountain, which Prasat Preah Vihear sits atop, that I began to question what seemed like an exaggerated military guard which we had not even experienced at Angkor Wat, the most important ancient temple in the country.

My eyes grew wide and my heart raced when we passed four grenades perched on top of a wall. Then came the guns, also poised in their stands in the direction of the wild jungle. Soldiers were walking around everywhere.

Still ignorant as to the purpose of their high presence (we couldn't ask anyone as they didn't speak English and we don't speak Khmer), I felt uneasy as we explored the grand temple amongst soldiers keeping their watchful eye on us.

I relaxed a little when a group of soldiers asked to have their photo taken with me and they all took turns using a camera on their mobile phone.

It was not until we descended the mountain and could ask our motorbike driver Dan, who can speak reasonable English, what all the fuss was about that we realised we had been in such a dangerous area.

But in the end, it was just a few more anecdotes to add to what was already an adventurous trip.

Prasat Preah Vihear is one of the most difficult temples to access. It is virtually impossible in the wet season.

Jill and I rode on the back of one motorbike for four hours each way. After a few kilometres, there are no paved roads and we looked like bandits with face masks and sunglasses to keep out the dust. The ride there was tolerable as we passed new and interesting scenery and listened to Jill's ipod, but the trip back seemed like a never-ending punishment as our thighs cramped up and my butt went numb.

But during the journey home I had time to reflect on how sad I felt about such a sacred site being overrun by men in army uniform and guns instead of the peasants for whom it was built.
According to the little information I could find on the internet about the conflict, the two countries are supposed to be having talks about control of the temple. Let's hope they resolve the dispute quickly, and without anymore deaths, so Cambodians can continue to follow the pilgrimage of their ancestors.

Asian FMs agree to boost emergency fund

The Age, Australia

Thanaporn Promyamyai
February 23, 2009

Asian finance ministers meeting in Thailand agreed on Sunday to boost by 50 per cent a multi-billion dollar emergency fund to fight off the global downturn, officials said.

The proposal was agreed at a ministerial meeting of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, Japan and South Korea and will be finalised later this year, they said.

"The total size of the Multilateralised Chiang Mai Initiative will be increased from the initially agreed level of $US80 billion ($A124.4 billion) to $US120 billion ($A186.6 billion)," an official statement said.

The meeting was called to discuss ways of softening the impact of the economic crisis, with expanding the Chiang Mai Initiative foreign exchange pool - an emergency credit line for ASEAN countries - at the top of the agenda.

The statement said the move to expand the fund aimed "to ensure regional market stability and to foster confidence in the markets", and would be finalised at another meeting of finance officials this year in Bali, Indonesia.

The proposal will also likely be discussed at the annual ASEAN summit, which will be held from Friday in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin, although there is no time frame for when the expanded fund will be operational.

Ministers and officials from ASEAN's Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam met on Sunday with Chinese and South Korean finance ministers and a top Japanese official.

ASEAN's 10 member states plus China, Japan and South Korea agreed after the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis to set up the Chiang Mai Initiative bilateral currency scheme to prevent a repeat of the turmoil.

The Asian nations now want to expand that agreement into a multilateral reserve pool, as the current economic climate threatens millions of jobs as well as recent robust growth in the developing economies.

A multi-nation scheme of currency swaps aims to make it easier for countries to borrow emergency funds.

The statement said the ASEAN members would contribute 20 per cent of the pool with larger economies Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines giving a bigger share.

The remaining 80 per cent will come from the big three Asia economies, and Chinese Finance Minster Xie Xuren told reporters that China, South Korea and Japan were still discussing how they would divide up the sum.

ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said earlier the regional fund would be used to help members "badly affected" as the downturn hits Asia's key trading partners in the United States and Europe.

"It is one of the mechanisms - it is not to replace or compete with the IMF (International Monetary Fund), but it will be an alternative for Asian countries," Surin said on Thai television.

"If it materialises, it will be one of ASEAN's most tangible achievements."

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said earlier the fund would "serve as a cushion against future weaknesses at the time of the crisis".

Sunday's meeting also agreed to strengthen the region's monitoring and surveillance of the world economic climate, and stressed the importance of expanding bond markets in ASEAN.

"We believe that proactive and decisive policy actions are required in order to restore confidence, financial stability and promote a sustainable economic growth in the region," the statement said.

Corruption may undermine Khmer Rouge justice

Eureka Street, Australia

Sebastian Strangio
February 23, 2009

On 17 February, a gaunt former school teacher walked into a packed courtroom in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, flanked by lawyers and lit by the flashes of the international press corps.

Amid the procedural banalities of the ensuing hearing, an observer could be forgiven for mistaking the momentous nature of the event: more than 30 years after its overthrow by an invading Vietnamese army, a senior leader of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime was sitting in the dock in a duly constituted court of law.

Kang Kek Ieu, better known by his revolutionary alias Duch, was the self-confessed chief of Phnom Penh's notorious Tuol Sleng prison, which oversaw the torture and eventual execution of as many as 16,000 'enemies' of the revolution. The court has also indicted a further four senior Khmer Rouge, who are set to face trial for the deaths of the estimated 1,700,000 people who perished under the regime during 1975–79.

But the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) — a hybrid court combining local and international staff — has set itself a mandate that goes far beyond the goal of rendering impartial verdicts.

According to its website, the ECCC intends that the trials will help 'ease the burden that weighs on the survivors', as well as 'strengthen our rule of law and set an example to people who disobey the law in Cambodia and to cruel regimes worldwide'.

But both these aims of judicial reform and historical catharsis vastly overrate the demonstrative power of international justice in the current Cambodian context.

Abstract norms of international justice have virtually no precedent in Cambodia, where in the 1970s a nascent modern judicial system was smothered in the cradle by the Khmer Rouge. Nominally independent, the judiciary today is in practice wholly subservient to the ruling Cambodian People's Party.

This reflects the nature of the one-party state and the piecemeal democratisation that has taken place since the UN-brokered elections of 1993. Despite the halting progress of the ECCC, politically-motivated shootings of journalists and trade union leaders continue to go unpunished.

Whether even a flawlessly impartial ECCC trial could reform such a system of engrained patronage is an open question. Indeed the opposite seems to be the case. Yash Gai, the former United Nations human rights envoy to Cambodia, wrote in The Standard on 8 February that 'the weakness and corruption within the national legal system have infected the ECCC, instead of the ECCC influencing the conduct of local judges and prosecutors'.

International observers now recognise that corruption threatens to jeopardise the entire court process. Last week, the New York-based Open Society Justice Initiative released a statement slamming political interference and corrupt employment practices in the court, calling on officials to take 'aggressive action to respond to the allegations of corruption'.

As well as being among the most corrupt in the world, Cambodia's judiciary is also among the worst-funded. According to a 2008 report by the Centre for Social Development, a local legal watchdog, the court system received only 0.28 per cent of the national budget in 2008 — a total of just US$3.3 million. The ECCC, on the other hand, has a projected budget of $135.4 million for the trial of just five suspects.

As the report rightly noted, the disparity in funding raised the question of whether the ECCC is 'a relevant model for local courts, as insufficient funding surely must impact the ability of national courts to render proper justice'.

Whether the court can deliver 'healing' is a more subjective question. In many cases, the open wounds left by the Khmer Rouge era have yet to be staunched, with thousands of known murderers living in the same villages as the relatives of their victims.

A recent survey conducted by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, found that the majority of Cambodians still harbour feelings of hatred towards these former Khmer Rouge members. Nearly half of the 1000 respondents said they were uncomfortable living in the same community with former Khmer Rouge members. More than 70 per cent said they wanted to see former cadres suffer in some way.

At the same time, however, 85 per cent said they had no or little knowledge of the ECCC, and a scant 5 per cent could name the five accused leaders.

Prince Sisowath Thomico, an outspoken member of Cambodia's royal family who lost his parents and eldest daughter to the Khmer Rouge, said he had no faith the process would provide any more than cursory justice for their deaths. 'I don't believe ... that the tribunal will give me justice,' he told me in November. 'And millions of Cambodians will have the same answer.'

To be sure, bringing war-criminals to justice is an important aim for the international community. But in Cambodia, a post-conflict society that as yet lacks the political and economic underpinnings necessary to support Enlightenment notions of justice, such institutions may simply slump into the contours of existing corrupt practice. Or, perhaps worse, they may remain incomprehensible to those in whose name they have been set up.

The experience of the ECCC in Cambodia sounds a warning about saddling international war-crimes tribunals with an unbearable weight of expectation.

LINK:
Khmer Rouge trial

Asian ministers: uphold free markets in downturn

By MICHAEL CASEY

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian finance ministers pledged Sunday to uphold free trade and investment in the midst of the global economic slowdown and said they would allocate an additional $40 billion to protect falling currencies.

The ministers from 10 Southeast Asian nations as well as China, Japan and South Korea agreed to boost funding for the Chiang Mai Initiative — an arrangement forged after the 1997 Asian financial crisis to address foreign reserve deficits through bilateral currency swaps — from $80 billion to $120 billion.

The 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will provide 20 percent of funding, with 80 percent from China, Japan and South Korea.

The plan is expected to be approved at an ASEAN summit in Hua Hin, Thailand, from Feb. 27 to March 1.

"We reaffirm our determination to dedicate ourselves to increasing the free flow of trade and investment, to standing firm against protectionist measures which would worsen the economic downturn," the ministers said in a statement.

The commitment to free trade echoed comments made earlier in the day by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

"I hope that ASEAN will send a signal that in this economic downturn it will not favor protectionism," Abhisit said. "ASEAN will not survive alone while causing trouble to other countries."

In October, ASEAN finance ministers expressed confidence that the group would weather the global downturn, noting its economic fundamentals remained sound even though growth might not match last year's 6.7 percent.

But in recent months, many countries have begun to feel the effects of the downturn on their export-driven economies.

Thailand reported Thursday that exports posted their steepest fall in 12 years in January as demand for the country's cars, hard drives and electrical goods evaporated amid the global slump.

Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines have all announced multibillion-dollar stimulus packages that include a mix of infrastructure projects, cash handouts or tax cuts aimed at creating jobs and boosting consumer demand.

ASEAN was founded during the Cold War as an anti-communist political coalition, later evolving into a trade bloc. It consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.