Taking your chances

Yi Longdy. MARK ROY

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Yi longdy
Thursday, 28 May 2009

STUDENT VOICES

By Yi longdy

We are often told that opportunities are out there, flying in front of us - but they can quickly disappear if not readily grabbed.

They exist in many forms, including scholarships to study abroad, international exchange programmes, international conferences and forums, free local training schemes and seminars, and voluntary work. And if seized, these opportunities can provide the experience, knowledge, and understanding necessary to prepare for a better life, one where the doors are held wide open with ever more opportunities.

Unfortunately, only a minority of Cambodian youth seem to be taking advantage of their chances. Although there are still many openings that come and go without me realising them, I try to benefit from as many that come my way as possible.

It is sometimes annoying to see friends looking regretful once they see others accepted into coveted scholarships. I imagine them thinking, "I should have applied for that; it should have been me to get it."

But it is not so much differences in ability that allows one person to proudly go study in the US on a scholarship, for example, while another remains in the country, clinging onto an ordinary life. What leads people down different paths is that some, when opportunities come, dare to go for it, while others don't.

In 2008, I seized an opportunity to visit and study in the US for 5 weeks; many others were afraid to take the step, apparently feeling the prize was out of their league.

Participating gave me a deeper understanding of American politics, government, culture and leadership, and created many other opportunities, two of which I grabbed firmly.

First, I volunteered to work for the Outstanding Youth Group of Cambodia, which promotes youth interests and social affairs. There I learned to work with others for the good of society, widened my social network, and gained many memories and experience. Second, I became the University of Cambodia's local committee president of AIESEC, an international student group that organises international exchange programs.

As president, I encountered many new challenges as my team and I navigated testing situations, helping me learn effective leadership skills and improve my business savvy - exactly what I needed to complement my undergraduate studies.

As a young person in a developing country like Cambodia, it is not enough to simply live life. We have to go beyond a routine, normal way of life and go for something new, dynamic and challenging - something ambitious that can only come from stepping up to the task.

These amazing opportunities, which can change our lives forever, are there under our nose - if only we start to look for them.
_________________________________________________________

Yi Longdy is a third-year English for education major at the Royal University of Phnom Penh’s Institute of Foreign Languages and a second-year business administration student at Pannasastra University of Cambodia (PUC). He is also PUC’s AIESEC committee president. To share your thoughts on education and careers in Cambodia, email careers@phnompenhpost.com

Cambodian companies to be offered KRX listing option

A KRX employee stands near a display showing the KOSPI stock index in Seoul. BLOOMBERG
Vietnam firm's stock soars on KRX plan

HANOI – Mirae Joint-Stock Co, a Vietnamese apparel producer, saw its shares climb to an eight-month high Wednesday after it announced plans to list in South Korea in December. The shares rose 4.8 percent to 13,200 dong (US$0.74), the highest since September 23 on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange. The benchmark VN Index

was little changed at 425.17. Mirae will submit an application to the Korean Exchange in July to sell $8 million of shares, according to Dang Thanh Thu, the assistant of the company’s director. Meanhile, the KRX said it will start South Korea’s first real-time bond index on June 1 to help develop fixed-income securities market.

BLOOMBERG

The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/

Written by Steve Finch
Thursday, 28 May 2009

Cambodian firms that list on planned exchange will also be offered opportunity to list in South Korea as part of agreement, says official

CAMBODIAN companies that list on the Kingdom's forthcoming stock exchange will also have the option of listing on the Korea Exchange (KRX) in Seoul, an official from the Ministry of Economy said Wednesday.

The government is due to incorporate a joint-venture exchange company this year that will manage the Cambodian exchange, ministry Secretary General Hang Chuon Naron said Wednesday, with the possibility of a South Korean listing part of the agreement.

"They [Cambodian-listed] companies can have the option of listing in Cambodia and Korea," he told the Post, adding that the initiative would offer Cambodian companies the chance to "increase standards" of transparency and accounting in order to meet the necessary requirements to list on the Korea Exchange.

The dual-listings initiative would "encourage Koreans to diversify their stock holdings", he said.

It would also give Cambodian-listed companies access to a greater number of potential investors, Hang Chuon Naron added.

Inpyo Lee, project director of KRX, said Wednesday that company shares would be listed at the same price on the Cambodian and Korean exchanges, but converted into won, the Korean currency, on the KRX.

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[The initiative would] encourage Koreans to diversify their stock holdings.
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Foreign companies - particularly those from China - have typically done well on the KRX, he said, although he would not speculate on the anticipated level of demand for Cambodian stock in South Korea.

"We are not sure - it's the first [such] case," he said.

The KOSPI - the index of all common stocks traded on the KRX - has rallied in the second quarter, climbing 29 percent to 1,372.04 on Tuesday after reaching a year low of 1,063.03 on March 2.

This year the KOSPI has gained 18.55 percent from 1,157.40 on January 2.

Listed companies still unclear
Although the Cambodian government has begun preparations to list companies on the domestic exchange - including staff training and measures to meet accounting standards - it has been unwilling to confirm which companies would make the move first.

Hang Chuon Naron would not say which companies were being considered, except to say that it would be "state-owned companies" at first - most likely three - followed by private firms later. He denied reports that Electricite de Cambodge was on the list for consideration.

Lee said that the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority was among potential candidates to be listed.

Other officials have also said that Sihanoukville Autonomous Port was also being considered.

KRX began its involvement with the development of the Cambodian stock exchange in 2007 when it signed a memorandum of understanding with the government.

At the end of March, both sides signed a further memorandum of understanding on the establishment of the Cambodian stock exchange company - the body that will operate the new exchange - which gave the government a 55 percent stake and KRX 45 percent.

GMAC calls for expansion

The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/

Written by Chun Sophal and Hor Hab
Thursday, 28 May 2009

Manufacturers group urges rise in orders, production

THE Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC) has encouraged factories and buyers to increase production and purchase orders for Cambodian garment products to save one of the country's leading export earners from the effects of the economic downturn.

After a garment industry forum Wednesday morning, GMAC President Van Sou Ieng told reporters that the total global purchase orders made by clothing giants Gap, Nike, Adidas, Levi's, Puma and H&M were about US$143 billion per year, but that they only ordered about $2.9 billion in garments from Cambodia last year.

"I want [Cambodian] factories to increase their production by 50 percent and buyers to increase their purchase orders [with Cambodia] to 5 or 10 percent a year [of total global orders] because Cambodia has good labour compliance," he said.

He said that GMAC was negotiating with buyers, but said purchase orders in the first four months of 2009 had only reached 70 percent of the orders made in the same period last year.

"I want producers and buyers to directly cooperate with each other without any intermediary agencies so they can see the real situation in Cambodia," he said.

On Wednesday, more than 20 representatives from export-oriented garment factories met with eight purchasing companies to discuss strategies to help Cambodia become a more attractive destination for garment production.

Industry insiders said the Kingdom's relatively good working conditions could be a boon for the sector while expressing caution in the shorter term.

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We don't want to let our efforts ...turn into a short- lived success story
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"Labour compliance in Cambodia is good, and it can be one of the criteria - including price, quality and design - that will motivate buyers to increase their purchase orders," Kanwarpreet Singh, chief representative of Puls Trading Far East Limited, which represents a number of leading brands in Cambodia, said Wednesday. "We will maintain our purchase orders from last year because we know the market well," he added.

Roger Tan, managing director of Thaipore Garment Manufacturers Co Ltd, agreed that working conditions in Cambodian factories were very good, and expressed hope that buyers would consider this and increase their purchase orders. Although he was optimistic for the future, Tan said it was too early to know what would happen.

Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh said during Wednesday's forum that Cambodia was the first country to implement a labour-linked trade policy, and that it has gained recognition across the world for its high levels of compliance with labour law established by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). But he said such compliance could not be pursued indefinitely if orders continued to fall.

"If as a result of supporting ILO labour practices [there are] less purchase orders and less business for Cambodian exporters, then our government may have to revisit this policy," he said. "We don't want to let our efforts over the past 10 years to enhance corporate social responsibility in Cambodia turn into a short-lived success story."

According to GMAC, Cambodia currently has 280 export-oriented garment factories employing more than 310,000 workers.

Bank of India opens first branch in the Kingdom

Photo by: TRACEY SHELTON
Employees of Bank of India man the reception desk Wednesday at the newly opened branch in Phnom Penh.

The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/

Written by Hor Hab
Thursday, 28 May 2009

Indian lender becomes first bank from Indian subcontinent to set up operations in Cambodia with new Phnom Penh branch

THE Mumbai-based Bank of India launched its first branch in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, becoming the first bank from the subcontinent to set up shop in Cambodia.

RC Baliarsingh, chief executive of the Bank of India Cambodia brand, said he was optimistic about the future of the Cambodian market and confident the bank could translate its long experience into success in the Kingdom.

"The government of India sees a great future for this country because it is now growing up, so we want to be part of this growth and share our success," he told the Post Wednesday, adding that the competitiveness of the local banking sector made it a dynamic place to do business. "Competition happens everywhere; and when there is more competition, it will benefit customers more."

The state-owned Bank of India, founded in 1906, has more than 3,000 branches across India, 28 branches overseas and offices in five continents.

Baliarsingh added that the bank had no set plans for further expansion in Cambodia, but expressed hopes its entry into the market would encourage other Indian firms. He also said the bank was in a good position to weather the international financial crisis, unlike many major banks in the United States.

"[W]e have a strong base and have gone through many crises and both world wars," he said. "There is no problem for us."

Saurav Ray, first secretary of the Indian embassy in Phnom Penh, said the bank could boost the Cambodian economy by giving added confidence to Indian investors and making it easier for them to transfer investment capital. "The opening of [an] Indian bank in Cambodia is a significant sign [of] increasing bilateral trade volume between the two countries," he said. "It is a good sign for Indian investors to come to Cambodia because they can have more confidence," he said.

He said that currently around 30 Indian companies were present in Cambodia along with about 2,000 business people.

In the last year, the Bank of India has seen year-on-year profits rise nearly 50 percent, rising from 2,009 crore Indian rupees (US$422 million) in March last year to 3,007 crore in March 2009, according to the bank's Website.

PM calls for drop in petrol prices

The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/

Written by SOEUN SAY AND MAY KUNMAKARA
Thursday, 28 May 2009

PRIME Minister Hun Sen called on petrol companies to decrease their prices Wednesday, saying that retailers have taken advantage of global price rises to hike up pump prices but have not dropped them in line with recent decreases.

"If all of you [Sokimex, Total, Caltex, Tela] do not decrease your prices, you should at least stop hiking up the prices," Hun Sen said during the inauguration ceremony of the new Monivong Bridge over the Tonle Bassac river. "I always wonder why, when the world market price falls, you all don't decrease your prices."

Heu Heng, deputy director general of local petrol giant Sokimex, said he would address pump prices again soon, but dismissed suggestions they were inappropriate. He said that recently his company had only increased its price by 50 riels (1.2 US cents) per litre.

"We will have a meeting to discuss this, but I don't think that the prices are too high," he said, pledging that the company would keep the prices stable even if global oil prices rise again. "We will follow [the prime minister's demand] even if global prices increase," he said.

He added that global petrol prices continued to rise because of the weak US dollar and that many other goods had also increased in price.

Kok Tho, 38, a taxi driver who plies the route between Phnom Penh and Takeo province, said that when the price of gasoline increased, it made his business difficult by adding to the current drop off in passenger numbers.

"I want the prices to decrease to between 2,700 riels and 2,900 riels per litre. If they keep increasing like this, I cannot earn enough for my family to survive," he said. "All of the Cambodian people are asking the same as I am."

National Assembly passes financial lease law

The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/

Written by Nguon Sovan
Thursday, 28 May 2009

A DRAFT law on financial leases was adopted Wednesday by the National Assembly that officials say will help businesses and enterprises obtain long-term sources of capital from banks or lease companies in the wake of the global economic crisis.

"Currently, banks in Cambodia dare not grant long-term (five- or 10-year) loans to businesses because they are worried about losing their money, and this is an impediment for entrepreneurs to expand businesses and-small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs)," Chea Chanto, governor of the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC), told the Assembly. "The draft law on financial leases will enable businesses and SMEs in Cambodia to obtain a long-term source of capital from the banking and financial system with limited collateral."

He explained that financial leases refer to the leases of assets and properties over the long term, between a lessor (a licensed bank or lease company) and a lessee (a developer, manufacturer or other customer). He added that financial leases could include properties such as machinery and all kinds of equipment, but excluded land and buildings.

Chea Chanto said that the law passed by the National Assembly set out the legal framework for financial lease agreements, including the items that can be leased, and pricing structures and the periods of lease fee payment.

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It will help develop Cambodia's SMEs, which contribute about 65 percent to GDP.
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"Commercial banks or lease companies which want to operate as a financial lessor can apply for an operating licence from the NBC," he added.

Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Yim Sovann said he supported the law. "I appreciate the government for creating this law, as the country is suffering from the global financial crunch," he said. "It will help develop Cambodia's SMEs, which contribute about 65 percent to GDP and employ 85 percent of the entire workforce."

But Ly Sreyvina, another SRP lawmaker, expressed concerns that the process of applying for a licence to operate as a lessor would be unfair due to corruption and bureaucratic red tape.

"I'd like to appeal for openness in applying for licences to avoid monopolies ... the period of the licence issuance should be stated clearly to facilitate investors," she said.

Chea Chanto said that after the law was passed, the NBC would cooperate with the Asian Development Bank to ensure licences were issued fairly.

ANZ to sell $2bn in shares to fund RBS Asia buyout

Photo by: TRACEY SHELTON
Bank clerks work in an ANZ Royal branch in Phnom Penh in this file photo. ANZ’s proposed acquisition of RBS’ Asian assets will increase its regional presence.

The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com

Written by Malcolm Scott
Thursday, 28 May 2009

ANZ Bank planning to further expand presence in Asia-Pacific with proposed acquisition of Royal Bank of Scotland’s regional assets

AUSTRALIA and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd, the nation's fourth-largest lender, plans to raise A$2.5 billion (US$2 billion) selling shares to fund a bid for Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Plc's Asian assets.

The Melbourne-based bank will sell the shares to institutional investors at A$14.40 each, a 7.5 percent discount to its last traded price, and will not increase the size of the offer, it said in a statement Wednesday.

CEO Mike Smith, who joined ANZ after running HSBC Holdings Plc's Asian operations, is raising funds as Australia's economy sinks to its first recession in 18 years. ANZ is up against HSBC and Standard Chartered Plc in its bid for RBS's Asian assets, which range from trading desks in Australia to bank branches in Pakistan.

"Buying distressed financial assets at a weak point in the market is a good strategy, but you have to have the financial strength to run the business through the remainder of the trough," said Angus Gluskie, who manages about A$260 million at White Funds Management Pty in Sydney.

The placement has been underwritten by Deutsche Bank AG, JPMorgan Chase and Co, and UBS AG.

The bank will also sell equity to retail shareholders and reserve the right to scale back applications under the share-purchase plan if total demand exceeds A$350 million.

In Wednesday's statement, ANZ said its charge for credit derivatives losses had declined by about A$400 million after tax since March 31, reflecting lower credit spreads globally and a stronger Australian dollar. That improvement has been "largely offset" by a reduction hedging gains, it said.

On April 16, ANZ confirmed it had been invited by RBS to participate in the sale process for the lender's Asian assets.

Obtaining the Edinburgh-based bank's Asian businesses may help Smith meet a goal of boosting the portion of revenue earned in Asia to 20 percent at a time swelling bad debts squeeze ANZ's domestic profits.

RBS, Britain's biggest government-owned bank, this month posted a first-quarter loss after writing down £4.9 billion ($7.8 billion) as credit-market investments soured and bad loans increased in all its markets.

The bank serves more than 30,000 retail and commercial customers in China and is one of the ten biggest foreign-owned wholesale banks in the nation, according to its Web site. In India, it serves 1.3 million customers, while in Indonesia, it has 360,000 customers, the site says.

ANZ's capital raising is "a positive thing to do", said Peter Vann, who manages more than A$600 million at Constellation Capital Management Ltd in Sydney. On the RBS bid, Vann said "if it's a sensible price and the deal stacks up, I'm happy. It's a good time to buy something, it's cheap".

ANZ, which didn't say which RBS assets it is pursuing, said an acquisition would initially reduce earnings per share before contributing to profit in the medium term.

The share sales would allow ANZ to fund an acquisition of the selected RBS Asia assets while maintaining its Tier 1 capital ratio, a key measure of financial health, above its target range of 7.5 percent to 8.0 percent, it said.

BLOOMBERG

Police Blotter: 28 May 2009

The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com

Written by Lim Phalla
Thursday, 28 May 2009

GARMENT WORKER STABBED TO DEATH
Phorn Ratha, 22, a garment worker at a factory in Tuol Pongror village, Dangkor district, Phnom Penh, was stabbed by a co-worker known only as Pouv, 20. The victim died at hospital five hours later, police said, adding that her attacker, with whom there had been a long-running conflict, managed to escape.
RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

STUDENTS SHOT BY ARMED GANG
Two high school students were injured after being shot by an unknown number of suspects who chased them into an Internet café on Monday in Daun Penh district, Phnom Penh. Police identified the victims as Huy Davin, 17, and Pa Sothea, 18, both 11th-grade students at Preah Sisovath High School. The victims were each shot once, police said, adding that their assailants escaped and the reason for the attack was not known.
RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

MONEY CHANGERS DRUGGED, ROBBED
Hoy Mary, 30, and her sister Sreylis, 27, were robbed Tuesday after being drugged at their home in Baliley village, Paoy Paet commune and town, Banteay Meanchey province, where they operated a money-changing business. Police said the amount of money stolen was not known and that the victims were taken to hospital for treatment. Three men were arrested at the scene, but their identities were not released as police had yet to determine whether they were involved with the robbery.
KOH SANTEPHEAP

1 DEAD, 3 INJURED FROM POISONED GIN
One man died and three others were taken to hospital on Monday after they drank a poisoned bottle of gin that was left in front of the home of Chan Sarith, 50, a resident of Tumnub Chrey village, Teuk Thla commune, Banteay Meanchey province. Police identified the deceased as Chhuoy Ous, 60. The injured were Lonh Keat, 32, Mao Raeoun, 29, and Thai Hou, 25. Police said they suspect that the poisoned gin was left by Chhuoy Chim, the dead man's son, who they said believed his wife was having an affair with Chan Sarith.
KOH SANTEPHEAP

The Phnom Penh Post News In Briefs

In Brief: UK-Cambodia ties

Written by George McLeod
Thursday, 28 May 2009

The United Kingdom's minister of state at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office urged greater cooperation between ASEAN and the EU Wednesday, and said that economic ties between the UK and Cambodia were growing. "Cambodia welcomed more than 95,000 visitors from the UK last year.... Cambodia is a good target for UK investors," Bill Rammell said at a meeting organised by the Cambodia Development Resource Institute, adding that the Kingdom needed to make progress on corruption. Rammell is in Phnom Penh for the ASEAN-EU Ministerial meeting from 27-28 May.


In Brief: Flight pre-reservation

Written by George McLeod
Thursday, 28 May 2009

BANGKOK Airways has launched a "pre-reserved seat" service for passengers with business class and full-fare economy class tickets, according to a company statement Wednesday. The service allows passengers to select their seats at least 24 hours in advance. The Thailand-based carrier has increased flights between Bangkok and Phnom Penh to three per day recently and added business class seating.

Swine Flu scare appears to be subsiding

The Erie County Health Department notified News 4 Tuesday that it will no longer contact the local media to update new cases of the H1N1 virus. http://www.wivb.com

Cost of dengue and other febrile illnesses to households in rural Cambodia: A prospective community-based case-control study

7th Space

http://7thspace.com

2009-05-27

The average annual reported dengue incidence in Cambodia is 3.3/1,000 among children <15 years of age (2002-2007). To estimate the economic burden of dengue, accurate cost-of-illness data are essential.

We conducted a prospective, community-based, matched case-control study to assess the cost and impact of an episode of dengue fever and other febrile illness on households in rural Cambodia.

Methods: In 2006, active fever surveillance was conducted among a cohort of 6,694 children aged =<15 years in 16 villages in Kampong Cham province, Cambodia. Subsequently, a case-control study was performed by individually assigning one non-dengue febrile control from the cohort to each laboratory-confirmed dengue case.

Parents of cases and controls were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire to determine household-level, illness-related expenditures for medical and non-medical costs, and estimated income loss. The household socio-economic status was determined and its possible association with health seeking behaviour and the ability to pay for the costs of a febrile illness.

Results: Between September and November 2006, a total of 60 household heads were interviewed: 30 with dengue-positive and 30 with dengue-negative febrile children.Mean total dengue-related costs did not differ from those of other febrile illnesses (31.5 vs.

27.2 US$, p=0.44). Hospitalization almost tripled the costs of dengue (from 14.3 to 40.1 US$) and doubled the costs of other febrile illnesses (from 17.0 to 36.2 US$).

To finance the cost of a febrile illness, 67% of households incurred an average debt of 23.5 US$ and higher debt was associated with hospitalization compared to outpatient treatment (US$ 23.1 vs. US$ 4.5, p<0.001).

These costs compared to an average one-week expenditure on food of US$ 9.5 per household (range 2.5-21.3). In multivariate analysis, higher socio-economic status (odds ratio [OR] 4.4; 95% confidence interval[CI] 1.4-13.2), duration of fever (OR 2.1; 95%CI 1.3-3.5), and age (OR 0.8; 95%CI 0.7-0.9) were independently associated with hospitalization.

Conclusions: In Cambodia, dengue and other febrile illnesses pose a financial burden to households.

A possible reason for a lower rate of hospitalization among children from poor households could be the burden of higher illness-related costs and debts.

Author: Rekol HuyOle WichmannMark BeattyChantha NganSocheat DuongHarold Margolis Sirenda Vong
Credits/Source: BMC Public Health 2009, 9:155

Protesters call for Suu Kyi's release as EU-ASEAN meeting starts

Earth Times
http://www.earthtimes.org

Posted : Wed, 27 May 2009
Author : DPA

Phnom Penh - Dozens of rights activist gathered outside the Myanmar embassy in Cambodia on Wednesday to demand the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi as a meeting of European and South-East Asian foreign ministers began in Phnom Penh. The protesters urged the ministers to expel Myanmar from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) unless Suu Kyi and other political prisoners were released immediately.

Sok Sam Oeun, chairman of the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, said the 17th Annual EU-ASEAN meeting presented an opportunity for European and South-East Asian leaders to use political and economic leverage against Myanmar.

"We support the European Union and the Thai government, the ASEAN secretariat, in their expression of grave concern for the Myanmar Government's actions," he said. "But there needs to be stronger action taken and Myanmar needs to be expelled from the EU."

The protest came on the sixth anniversary of Suu Kyi's arrest on charges of threatening national security and the beginning of her detention in her home-cum-prison.

She is currently facing trial in Yangon for allegedly violating the terms of her detention by allowing US national John William Yettaw to swim to her lakeside compound on May 3 and stay there until May 6.

No formal discussions on the trial have been scheduled for the two-day meeting in Phnom Penh, but Cambodian Foreign Ministry officials said earlier this week that some delegates were likely to urge Myanmar to release Suu Kyi.

Foreign ministers from 40 countries held private talks Wednesday and will be welcomed by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at an opening ceremony Thursday.

In the Cambodian Judges' Court

http://online.wsj.com

OPINION ASIA
MAY 28, 2009

The judiciary has the power to investigate alleged fraud at the war-crimes tribunal

By JOHN A. HALL
Wall Street Journal Asia.

The Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia is facing a serious crisis stemming from unresolved allegations of a kickback scheme. Yet the United Nations, the Cambodian government and donor nations aren't dealing effectively with the allegations. That task has been handed to the tribunal judges, who have a golden opportunity to make a difference.

Cambodian government officials are alleged to have received kickbacks from Cambodian employees in exchange for securing them lucrative positions at the court. These are serious allegations. Refusing to address them could deal a fatal blow to the court's credibility. That would be a tragedy for the people of Cambodia, who seek justice for the Khmer Rouge's crimes. It would also be a blow for the international donors who funded this important court.

With the trials now underway, the need to finally address the allegations is urgent. And it's becoming clear that the tribunal's international and Cambodian judges are the court's best option to investigate and clear up the corruption claims. The Cambodian judges have vigorously denied that they have in any way been involved in improper practices. All the more reason, then, for them to investigate alleged corruption at their court with similar vigor.

They have already missed one opportunity. In March, defense lawyers for Nuon Chea, the former chief ideologist of the Khmer Rouge, filed a request asking the two co-investigating judges who are responsible for judicial investigation in the civil law tribunal to obtain the results of a U.N. investigation into possible corruption at the tribunal and to launch a review of the corruption allegations. The lawyers argued that this was needed to "assess what, if any, corrosive effects such alleged corruption has had on the administration of justice thus far at the [tribunal]" and to determine whether their client's right to a fair trial has been compromised. Co-Investigating Judges You Bun Leng and Marcelle Lemonde rejected that request.

The judges said that they lacked the jurisdiction to proceed as the requested information was "totally foreign to the facts covered by the current judicial investigations." They added that they couldn't intervene in response to "speculations as to hypothetical negative effects" of corruption, and that an administrative inquiry "would be superfluous" as the U.N. and Cambodian government were "seised of the situation." The defense teams filed an appeal May 4 with the tribunal's pre-trial chamber asking the three Cambodian and two international judges to reconsider the ruling of the co-investigating judges, arguing that "because exposure of the alleged scheme would likely discredit senior officials and embarrass the U.N., neither institution possesses the requisite impartiality to deal with the matter." Lawyers representing civil parties have since joined the appeal.

If the judges continue to reject requests to investigate the allegations, they risk seeing their tribunal's successes overshadowed by persistent defense claims that corruption renders the trials unfair. Lawyers for civil parties have correctly warned that "arguments in this vein would not only undermine the principle of finality of proceedings, but would render elusive the justice and closure for which the victims of these proceedings have been waiting."

Judges have a responsibility to ensure the proper administration of justice within their court. The claim of the co-investigating judges that they lacked jurisdiction to investigate allegations of corruption involving court personnel was arguably in conflict with this core judicial responsibility. Moreover, a court must satisfy itself that the overall proceedings are fair. Yet the allegations implicate individuals responsible for making legal decisions and administrators and staff responsible for collecting, transcribing, translating and producing the evidence.

The judges' decision is crucial because there are few remaining options if the corruption allegations are ever going to be properly investigated. High-level negotiations between the U.N. and the Cambodian government to produce a credible investigative mechanism failed in April, and donor nations appear unwilling to press the point.

Donor nations have also failed to pressure the court into dealing with the allegations. Last year the U.N. Development Program froze donor funds to the Cambodian side of the tribunal pending a resolution of the allegations, but donors have recently signaled a willingness to support the tribunal regardless. Canberra has asked the UNDP to release Australian funds, stating that it is generally satisfied with the progress being made at the tribunal. When the UNDP refused, Japan provided more than $4 million directly to the Cambodian government -- enough to fund the tribunal through the end of the year.

In an apparent tit-for-tat response to continuing calls for an investigation of Cambodian court officials, Phay Siphan, secretary of state and spokesman at the council of ministers, stated on May 11 that the Cambodian government is currently investigating allegations of undisclosed wrongdoing involving U.N. court personnel. He said: "We have a file of who's the enemy of the [tribunal]. We don't want to expose any wrongdoing of the U.N. side in order to discredit the [tribunal]. We know who's the enemy of the tribunal and we know who's trying to manipulate what's going on. One day, if we feel the need to release it, we will release it." Andrew Ianuzzi, a legal consulatant for the defense team of Nuon Chea, characterized this as "the childish, thuggish behavior we have come to expect from the government."

With the U.N. stymied, donor nations lacking political will and leadership, and the Cambodian government stonewalling and raising counterallegations, all eyes are now on the tribunal's judges. Trial Chamber Judge Silvia Cartwright has stated that "one of the major issues that has been troubling for all the judges is that of corruption within the [tribunal]. We welcome all efforts to ensure that the allegations are dealt with fully and fairly and that independent measures are put in place to make sure [that claims] are resolved in a transparent manner." The judges now have an opportunity to put these fine sentiments into concrete action and throw their weight behind a competent, credible and transparent investigation of the allegations. It is time for them to deal with an issue which if left unresolved will expose all future judgments to crippling legal challenges.

Mr. Hall is an associate professor of law and research fellow in the Center for Global Trade and Development at Chapman University School of Law in Orange, California.

UNDP Releases Report on Cambodian Economy – Wednesday, 27.5.2009

Posted on 28 May 2009

The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 614
http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/

“Phnom Penh: Economists of the United Nations Development Program, UNDP, for Cambodia, said that Cambodia needs more investments in the education and the welfare sectors for the labor force in order to encourage economic growth and alleviate poverty.

“In a press conference to present an UNDP report on Monday, 25 May 2009, Mr. Brooks Evans, an economist, said, ‘Cambodia now does not have workers with sufficient skills, and this is a priority problem that needs the most help to improve the economy.’ The UNDP report, which studied the competitiveness of Cambodia in the global economy, ranks Cambodia below other ASEAN countries.

“Mr. Brooks Evans added, ‘Several regulations and formulas make investors from the USA, from Europe, and from Japan withdraw their operations from Cambodia, which is one of the world’s poorest countries, and Cambodia loses many foreign investors.’

“The report continued to say that 30% of the more than 14 million Cambodian people live with an average income of only US$0.50 per day. The sector of agriculture represents 32% of the GDP in Cambodia.

“Tourism grows also, like in 2008, there were more than 2 million foreign tourists who visited Cambodia. This sector contributes one firth of the national economy, and it is an important sector to boost the economy with income from foreign countries. Also, Tourism creates new job opportunities and a new job market for local people, working to provide different services and gaining benefits.

“Also, the UNDP report shows the competitiveness in information technology and in Information Communication Technology, which grew by 32% per year during the recent five years, and the increase added up to US$429 million. At present, 3.5 million people in Cambodia, or one fourth, are using mobile phones. [The UNDP report criticized, however, that there is no adequate regulation, while the government has already licensed nine mobile phone providers - though some have blocked connectivity to competitors, resulting in problems. 'There appears to be no control over this in Cambodia.']

“There is growth also in the garment sector. But at present, there are many challenges because of the impact of the global economic crisis. Textile factories in Cambodia contributed 12% of the GDP, when the garment export contributed 72% of the overall product export in 2007. This sector employs more than 300,000 workers.

“Another sector, which contributed to improving the economy, is the construction sector, which was growing in recent years and earned US$500 million in 2003 and increased this to US$3.2 billion in 2007. But nowadays, Cambodia pays the least wages to the [construction] labor force among all ASEAN countries, which is only US$4.50 per day, compared to US$7 dollar per day in Thailand.

“The report adds that Cambodia is moving [very slowly] towards global economic competition, moving up one rank to position 109 among 134 countries in 2008-2009; and it moved up by 15 ranks in a trade report of the World Bank among 135 countries. However, Cambodia is still almost at the bottom, compared to other ASEAN countries in the education and in the welfare sectors.”

Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #195, 27.5.2009
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Wednesday, 27 May 2009

Cambodia breaks ground on its first overpass

Drivers are seen on a street in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2007. Cambodia broke ground at its capital's busiest intersection Wednesday for what will be the country's first road overpass.(AFP/File/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Wed May 27, 09

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AFP) – Cambodia broke ground at its capital's busiest intersection Wednesday for what will be the country's first road overpass.

Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the start of the project, intended to reduce Phnom Penh's increasing traffic problems, at a ceremony opening another new bridge at the intersection.

"It is will be the first overpass bridge of Cambodia," Hun Sen said at the ceremony.

Officials said construction of the 308-metre (1,010-foot) overpass would cost more than six million dollars and would be finished within one year.

The premier said Phnom Penh had changed from "ghost city, a city that has no people, and a shocked city, into a vivid city."

All residents of Phnom Penh were forced into the countryside during the 1975 to 1979 Khmer Rouge regime, as the hardline communists enslaved the nation on collective farms.

During Wednesday's ceremony, Hun Sen also called on the people to respect traffic laws, saying that doing so meant they "respect their own lives."

Traffic fatalities have more than doubled in Cambodia over the past five years, becoming the second-biggest killer behind HIV/AIDS.

Better roads and more vehicles have contributed heavily to this toll, but bad driving is the main cause behind most accidents, police say.

Cambodia has finally begun to emerge from decades of civil conflict, but has been hit with gridlock as well as a building boom that has begun to change radically the face of its once-sleepy capital.

CPP Official Winner in Election

http://www.voanews.com

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
27 May 2009

The National Election Committee released the official result of this month’s council elections, with the ruling Cambodian People’s Party winning leadership in all councils across the country.

The fractious royalist parties of Norodom Ranariddh and Funcinpec won seats, along with members of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party.

The country’s 11,353 commune council members from the CPP and the Sam Rainsy, Norodom Ranariddh and Funcinpec parties voted for 3,235 council members at the municipal, provincial and district levels on May 17.

The CPP won 302 of 374 seats for Phnom Penh and the provinces, as well as 2,249 or 2,861 seats in other municipalities and districts, the NEC said Wednesday. The Sam Rainsy Party won 61 seats in Phnom Penh and the provinces, followed by Funcinpec with six and the Norodom Ranariddh Party with five.In other municipalities and districts, the Sam Rainsy Party won 518 seats, followed by 55 for Funcinpec and 39 for the Norodom Ranariddh Party.

Sam Rainsy Party Yim Sovann said the elections were tainted by vote-buying from the ruling party, a charge the CPP denies.

Hang Puthea, executive director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections, said the results were as expected.

Burmese Protest at Phnom Penh Embassy

http://www.voanews.com

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
27 May 2009

Around 50 human rights advocates and Burmese citizens demonstrated in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Phnom Penh Wednesday, calling for the release of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The peaceful demonstration coincided with a meeting of Asean foreign affairs ministers.

“We expect this meeting will discuss Aung San Suu Kyi’s case, and we are pushing the Burmese government to release not only Suu Kyi but also to release 2,000 political prisoners,” said Kek Galabru, president of rights group Licadho.

Police barred protesting from coming too close to the embassy, where they had planned to submit a petition. A police official accepted the petition without the presence of an embassy official instead.

Suu Kyi has been in detention for 13 of the past 19 years. The military junta in Burma, now called Myanmar, is conducting a hearing to decide whether her house arrest will be extended, following the bizarre visit of a US man to her home earlier this month.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the detention of the Nobel laureate was not on the agenda for Asean ministers.

Duch Expert Describes Khmer Rouge Disarray

http://www.voanews.com

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
27 May 2009

A US Khmer Rouge researcher told tribunal judges Wednesday the regime’s ministries were not well organized and decisions were made instead by the standing committee of the communist party.

Craig Etcheson, the first foreign expert to be called in the trial of Duch, head of the regime’s notorious Tuol Sleng prison, described an administrative organization in disarray, saying the ministries “were not really ministries.”

Tribunal judges are trying to form a picture of the organization, under which up to 2 million people died. Prosecutors say Duch was responsible for the torture and execution of more than 12,000 of them.

“The ministries did not work as they were,” said Etcheson, author of “The Rise and Demise of Democratic Kampuchea. “

Etcheson went on to say that power was in the hands of individuals who had positions in the regime’s communist party. He did not elaborate.

Duch has said all power was in the hands of the standing committee, telling judges that there was no law except that of the party. He has sought to portray himself as a victim of the regime and dedicated revolutionary. But he has also said that those who did not follow the regime perished.

Now 66, Duch, whose real name is Kaing Kek Iev, began his atrocity crimes trial March 30. He is charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture and murder, for his role as the head of Tuol Sleng, known to the Khmer Rouge as S-21, and other facilities.

Bombing Suspects Appear in Court

http://www.voanews.com/

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
27 May 2009

Three of six suspects implicated in a bomb plot in Phnom Penh in January appeared in court Wednesday, but judges said the investigation was incomplete.

Reach Samnang,50, former police commissioner of Mondolkiri province , Phy Sa Vong,50, a former researcher in military intelligence, and Sam Ek, alias Ty To, 52, appeared at Phnom Penh Municipal Court Wednesday.

Reach Samnang told VOA Khmer at the court Wednesday he had been set up.

But investigating judge Ker Sakorn said that the court needed more time to investigate, calling it a “big” case. “So we need to be careful,” he said.

No trial date was set Wednesday.

Long Lunn, a defense lawyer for Phy Savong working for the rights group Adhoc, asked the court to have a trial soon, saying his client had been in prison too long already.

OVER 250 ILLEGAL CAMBODIAN WORKERS ROUNDED UP IN FACTORY RAID

Pattaya Daily News

http://www.pattayadailynews.com/

May 27, 2009

Police looking for illegal workers on 26 May 2009 raided a seafood factory in Sriracha and found over 250 illegal Cambodian immigrants working there. The illegal immigrants, without official documentation of any sort, will be processed and then repatriated.

At 9.00 am, on 26 May, Pol.Lt.Col. Pakkapong Sai U-bon, Police Immigration Investigator, and a team of other concerned officials from Bor Win, Nongkam, a total of 50 officials and 40 volunteer officials, raided the Asian Seafood ( Sriracha) Company, located at 211 Moo. 2 Bung, Sriracha, Chonburi, which had been hiring illegal workers from Cambodia for over 2 years, according to complaints received by the police from neighbours.

The police had blocked the factory gates late the previous night. On the following morning, police brought a search warrant from the Pattaya Court and proceeded to search the factory, after having presented the factory manager, Mr. Wanlop Lomlim, with the search warrant. He later conducted the police around the factory.

The illegal Cambodian workers were shocked at the raid and tried to escape by climbing the wall, but the police managed to arrest 126 males and 128 females and took them for investigation onto the empty ground along the side of the factory.

Police asked for their work permits, but none of the workers possessed any form of official documentation, whatsoever. Police then informed them that they would be charged with illegal entry into Thailand and with working in the country without work permits or licences.

The Asian Seafood company is run by Mr. Somsak Amornrattanachaikul , the owner, who will be investigated further and charged with hiring illegal-immigrant workers without correct documentation and also providing accommodation for them.

Police have a total of 253 illegal workers under arrest, who were later sent to Nongkam Police Station for further investigation and processing.

Editor Notes:

There are numerous cases like this in many factories and construction sites in Thailand, where the Thai employers have cheated their illegal workers by withholding their wages for three months and instead of paying them, they or their agents just tipped off the police, who then came to arrest them. In these cases, the Thai employers profit by saving the wages of their illegal workers and only pay small sums to the police.

However, due to the often dire conditions in their own countries, many poor workers would still rather take the risk of working illegally in Thailand, than remain penniless in their own countries.

Cambodia's 1st overpass

Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the start of the project to build Cambodia's first overpass. --PHOTO: AFP

The Straits Times

http://www.straitstimes.com

May 27, 2009

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA broke ground at its capital's busiest intersection on Wednesday for what will be the country's first road overpass.

Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the start of the project, intended to reduce Phnom Penh's increasing traffic problems, at a ceremony opening another new bridge at the intersection.

'It is will be the first overpass bridge of Cambodia,' he said at the ceremony.

Officials said construction of the 308-metre overpass would cost more than US$6 million (S$8.7 million) and would be finished within one year.

The premier said Phnom Penh had changed from 'ghost city, a city that has no people, and a shocked city, into a vivid city.'

All residents of Phnom Penh were forced into the countryside during the 1975 to 1979 Khmer Rouge regime, as the hardline communists enslaved the nation on collective farms.

During Wednesday's ceremony, Mr Hun Sen also called on the people to respect traffic laws, saying that doing so meant they 'respect their own lives.'

Traffic fatalities have more than doubled in Cambodia over the past five years, becoming the second-biggest killer behind HIV/AIDS.

Better roads and more vehicles have contributed heavily to this toll, but bad driving is the main cause behind most accidents, police say.

Cambodia has finally begun to emerge from decades of civil conflict, but has been hit with gridlock as well as a building boom that has begun to change radically the face of its once-sleepy capital.

-- AFP

Cambodia needs anti-corruption culture

UPI Asia

http://www.upiasia.com

By Chak Sopheap
Guest Commentary

Published: May 27, 2009

Niigata, Japan — Corruption exists in all countries, but has the most destructive effect in developing economies. In a poor country like Cambodia, rated as a highly corrupt state, it threatens democratic institutions and fundamental rights and freedoms. It undermines socioeconomic development and deepens poverty. It also provokes irrational decision making, disrupts the development of the private sector and undermines sustainable development of the environment.
It is even worse when a vital branch of the government, the judiciary, and its affiliate academic institution, the Royal Academy for Judicial Professions, is corrupt.

Ongoing corruption allegations against the Khmer Rouge Tribunal are still blurred, yet there is no adequate mechanism to respond to this situation. Claims that corruption should be a separate issue if the tribunal is to proceed make no sense, as one of the core expectations of the tribunal is to strengthen the rule of law.

Another recent allegation has claimed that corruption affects the securing of admission to the Royal Academy for Judicial Professions. The two cases are crucial and related, because if young professionals in the judiciary resort to bribes, then it is bound to affect the court system as a whole. The protracted corrupt behavior seen at the very basic judicial level leaves little hope for improvements in the country’s court system.

However, the corruption case involving the academy was resolved in court and a senior student who took the bribe returned the money to the student who was promised a seat in Class Five of the academy. The court case proved that corruption exists in the system. It should be noted that the senior student was not solely responsible in this case, but the student who paid the bribe also abused the law and can be said to be involved in the corruption.

Corruption must be clearly defined and interpreted so that it can encourage people in reporting potential cases. The involvement of the court in settling the case related to the academy is a good example of a corruption suit being lawfully settled, but impunity still persists within the system. Cambodia does not have adequate anti-corruption laws, which clearly state the terms of punishment.

The concerned institutions and stakeholders should not ignore corruption allegations and must carry out sufficient investigations. It is not surprising that most of the concerned and responsible stakeholders harshly deny accusations instead of exploring the evidence and cooperating with other agencies, like the media.

The recent denial of corruption by a leading government lawyer to the well-known Voice of America, which was reporting on an alleged corruption case, is one of the worse scenarios where the press is silenced and government claims of fighting corruption are undermined.

In Cambodia corruption continues partly because the people see it as something “normal” that most are unable to change. Besides, there is a lack of political commitment to encourage people to speak out against it and hold authorities accountable.

Although Prime Minister Hun Sen has declared "war" on corruption and an anti-corruption law has been proposed, with recent promises that it will be adopted soon, questions still linger on how soon and effective it would be.

The government thus needs to show its real commitment to an anti-corruption campaign and encourage a culture of mutual collaboration with the civil society instead of immediate denial and manipulation of charges. Also, people’s attitude toward corruption needs to be changed so that it will no longer be tolerated.

--

(Chak Sopheap is a graduate student of peace studies at the International University of Japan. She runs a blog, www.sopheapfocus.com, in which she shares her impressions of both Japan and her homeland, Cambodia. She was previously advocacy officer of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.)

Vietnam attends ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting in Cambodia

A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem will attend the 17th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting (AEMM-17) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on May 28.

The meeting will discuss future cooperation between ASEAN and the EU and the implementation of the Plan of Action on ASEAN-EU Enhanced Partnership which was adopted at an ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit in Singapore in November 2007.

Delegates will also discuss regional and international issues such as the global and financial crisis, food and energy security, anti-terrorism, disarmament, climate change and epidemics.

The meeting is expected to adopt the chair’s statement and the Phnom Penh agenda on the implementation of the ASEAN-EU Plan of Action for 2009-2010.

Mr Khiem is scheduled to deliver a speech on epidemic prevention, and have bilateral meetings with heads of the participating delegations.

Cambodia receives 400,000 kWh of electricity from Vietnam per day

Home/Cambodia-receives-

05/27/2009

Cambodia has now received around 400,000 kWh of electricity from Vietnam a day since a 220kV power line linking Chau Doc district in An Giang province to Phnom Penh via Cambodia’s Takeo province was put into operation on May 8.

The Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Do Huu Hao, announced this in Hanoi on May 26 at the signing ceremony of a contract for the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) to sell power to the Electricity of Cambodia (EDC).

At the event, Mr Hao confirmed that the 220kV Chau Doc-Takeo-Phnom Penh power line shows the Vietnamese government’s efforts to fulfil its commitments to help Cambodia ease its current power shortages, even though Vietnam itself faces energy difficulties, especially during the 2009 dry season.

He expressed his hope that Vietnam would increase its power supplies to Cambodia to 200 MW in 2010, with an annual sales output of 1 billion kWh.

Activists in Cambodia urge release of Suu Kyi

AsiaOne
http://news.asiaone.com

Wed, May 27, 2009
AFP

PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Rights activists demanded freedom for Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday, ahead of a series of meetings between European Union and Southeast Asian ministers in Cambodia.

Dozens of Western, Myanmar and Cambodian rights campaigners demonstrated at the Myanmar embassy in Phnom Penh, urging ministers to pressure the ruling junta to release the opposition leader and other political prisoners.

"We are asking ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) that is meeting with the EU (European Union) to raise this issue to be discussed during the meeting," said Kek Galabru, president of a local rights group.

"ASEAN must push for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi," she added. Asian and European foreign ministers on Tuesday called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other Myanmar political prisoners after two days of Asia-Europe meetings in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.

She is on trial in military-ruled Myanmar where she faces up to five years in jail on charges of violating her house arrest after an incident in which an American man swam to her house.

Representatives from the EU and the 10-member ASEAN were scheduled to attend a welcome dinner Wednesday evening, ahead of Thursday meetings intended to focus mainly on cooperation between the two regions amid the global financial crisis.

"According to the official agenda of the meeting, they will not discuss about issues of any specific country," Cambodia's foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong told AFP.

"We don't know whether the ministers will raise the issue of Myanmar to be discussed or not. If they do, it will be an unofficial agenda," he added.

Several local diplomats, however, told AFP they expected Myanmar to be at the forefront of discussions.

Myanmar's treatment of prisoners, along with North Korea's recent nuclear test, dominated much of the agenda during Hanoi's ministerial meetings this week.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been in detention for 13 of the past 19 years since her National League for Democracy party won a landslide victory in 1990 polls but was not allowed to take power.

The Nobel laureate took the stand for the first time on Tuesday in her trial at Yangon's notorious Insein jail and argued she had not violated the terms of her house arrest.

Judge says will quit KRouge court if unable to work

Marcel Lemonde, seen here in 2007, the French investigating judge at Cambodia's troubled Khmer Rouge war crimes court, told reporters Wednesday he would quit his post if he sensed interference in his work.(AFP/File/Tang Chhin Sothy)



PHNOM PENH (AFP) – The French investigating judge at Cambodia's troubled Khmer Rouge war crimes court told reporters Wednesday he would quit his post if he sensed interference in his work.

The UN-backed tribunal, which is currently trying the regime's former prison chief Duch, has been plagued by allegations of political interference by the government and claims that Cambodian staff had to pay kickbacks for jobs.

"I came here to work as a judge... The day I will not be able to work anymore, I will leave," said investigating judge Marcel Lemonde at a press conference.

The UN has withheld funds to Cambodian operations at the court in absence of an agreement to stop the alleged corruption, however the global body's talks with senior government officials have ended without a deal.

Lemonde and co-investigating judge You Bunleng said their office had so far interviewed over 450 witnesses, but their work on the court's second case against four senior leaders would not be completed before the end of the year.

"We are very aware of the necessity to complete the investigation as soon as possible. Our goal is to complete it by the end of 2009," Lemonde said.

However he added "this goal is a very ambitious one, given the complexity of the file".

Two investigators have also been in France since last week to interview witnesses, court officials said.

Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died in 1998 before facing justice, and fears over the health of ageing suspects hang over the court.

Former Khmer Rouge ideologue Nuon Chea, head of state Khieu Samphan, foreign minister Ieng Sary and his wife, minister of social affairs Ieng Thirith are in detention awaiting the court's second trial.

The long-awaited first trial has heard Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, acknowledge responsibility and beg forgiveness for overseeing the torture and execution of more than 15,000 people at the notorious Tuol Sleng prison.

Up to two million people were executed or died of starvation, disease and overwork as the Khmer Rouge movement emptied cities and enslaved the population on collective farms in its bid to create a communist utopia.

Viet Nam, Cambodia electrify relationship

http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

27-05-2009

HA NOI — Viet Nam and Cambodia have reached agreements on the purchasing of electricity.

"These electricity agreements have a strategic and long-term significance, indicating a special friendship between our neighbouring countries," Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told visiting Cambodian Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy Suy Sem.

Speaking at a reception in the capital city yesterday, Dung said he was delighted at the result of the meeting between the Cambodian minister and the Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang.

The Prime Minister said that the two ministers needed to implement and expand agreements made in their meeting in order to boost relations in trade, investment and economic co-operation.

Sem informed Dung that Cambodia planned to buy electricity from Viet Nam through a 220KW transmission line between the two countries.

He said Cambodia would support and accelerate the implementation of projects signed with the Viet Nam Coal and Mineral Industries Group to exploit minerals, and with the Electricity of Viet Nam to build hydro power plants in Cambodia. — VNS

Cambodia Signs New Deal To Buy Electricity From Vietnam

http://www.nasdaq.co

HANOI -(Dow Jones)- Cambodia signed a new contract Tuesday to buy electricity from neighboring Vietnam, Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade said Wednesday.

Under the contract signed between the Vietnam Electricity Group and the Electricite du Cambodge, Vietnam will sell electricity to Cambodia via a 220- kilovolt line from southern Vietnam to Phnom Penh, the ministry said.

The power line has been transmitting 400,000 kilowatt-hours to Phnom Penh daily since May 8, the ministry said, adding power transmission via the line will be raised to 1 billion kilowatt-hours a year in the near future.

Vietnam has been selling electricity to Cambodia via the same power line since 2002, but only to its border province of Takeo.

The new contract signed Tuesday comes after the line was extended to Cambodia's capital city earlier this year.

-By Vu Trong Khanh, Dow Jones Newswires; 844 35123042; trong-khanh.vu@ dowjones.com

EU-ASEAN summit to kick off

Photo by: SOVANN PHILONG
Homeless people, like those pictured, have been targetted by authorities ahead of today's ASEAN-EU summit.

The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com

Written by Sebastian Strangio and Vong Sokheng
Wednesday, 27 May 2009

Observers call on delegates to address trial of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

DELEGATIONS from 40 European Union and ASEAN countries are to gather in Phnom Penh today for the 17th EU-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, an event likely to be overshadowed by the ongoing trial of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar.

According to a statement released Tuesday by the delegation for the European Commission in Cambodia, the meeting will focus on strengthening inter-regional cooperation on security, economic and social issues. It will also include discussions of other issues of "mutual concern" such as the global economic crisis, food and energy security, counterterrorism, transnational crime and the environment.

"The EU and ASEAN are two successful examples of regional integration in the world," Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European commissioner for external relations, was quoted as saying.

"I look forward to an ambitious agenda for joint action being agreed at the Ministerial Meeting."

Looming over the summit, however, is the fate of pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, whose trial in Myanmar has now entered its second week. She faces up to five years in jail on charges of violating her house arrest after an incident in which an American man swam to her
lakeside house in central Yangon.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said the issue was not on the formal agenda for the summit, but added the situation could change as the meetings unfold.

"I cannot speculate on any issue concerning Myanmar. It depends on the point of view of the co-chairs once the sessions take place," he said, referring to Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout, who are to chair the meeting.

Photo by: AFP
Nyan Win (centre), spokesman of Aung San Suu Kyi's party National League for Democracy (NLD), and one of her lawyers, speaks to reporters inside of the party headquarters after he came back from the trial in Insein prison in Yangon on Tuesday.

More than 40 foreign ministers from Asia and Europe meeting in Hanoi this week jointly called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, according to a statement issued at the conclusion of the ASEM meeting on Tuesday.

"In light of the concern about the recent development to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ministers ... called for the early release of those under detention and the lifting of restrictions placed on political parties," the statement said.

Ministers have agreed to a text that "makes specific reference to the release of political prisoners and particularly Aung San Suu Kyi", British junior foreign minister Bill Rammell said.

During a meeting with Myanmar's Foreign Minister Nyan Win on the sidelines of the talks Monday, the EU also made its own calls for Aung San Suu Kyi's "immediate release".

Possibility of talks
Rafael Dochao Moreno, charge d'affairs of the delegation of the European Commission to Cambodia, said he could not comment on whether EU delegates would raise the issue in formal proceedings during the Phnom Penh talks, which generally do not address bilateral issues.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASEAN AND EU LEADERS HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO KICK START... THE RESUMPTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"In the formal agenda, there is nothing on specific countries," he said.

"This is a multilateral meeting ... and individual issues are not, in principle, part of the agenda."

But he added that the Aung San Suu Kyi trial could force itself into sideline talks between delegates this evening.

"I can't imagine the EU and ASEAN ministers not discussing Myanmar under the present circumstances," Moreno said.

In a joint statement released Tuesday, the Sam Rainsy Party and Human Rights Party backed the call, saying Aung San Suu Kyi's trial should be on the agenda at the summit.

"ASEAN and EU leaders have an opportunity to kick-start national reconciliation and the resumption of the democratic process in Myanmar," said the statement, made on behalf of 29 opposition parliamentarians.

"We urge you to seize this opening."

Sok Sam Oeun, chairman of the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, agreed, saying that "in order to develop democracy in ASEAN, it is better for the ASEAN ministers to discuss [Aung San Suu Kyi]".

Long-time prisoner
The opposition icon took the stand at her trial Tuesday as the Myanmar junta defied international outrage by threatening to extend her house arrest even if she is not convicted.

Aung San Suu Kyi said that she did not violate the terms of her house arrest by offering "temporary shelter" to a US man who swam to her lakeside home.

She was testifying for the first time at the maximum security Insein prison in Yangon, in a case which has drawn widespread international condemnation of the country's iron-fisted military junta.

"I didn't," the 63-year-old replied when a judge asked her whether she had breached the restriction order keeping her at her residence, according to reporters and diplomats present at the hearing.

She said the first she knew of the bizarre visit by American army veteran John Yettaw was when her assistant woke her up at around dawn on May 4 to tell her that a man had arrived at the house.

"I did not inform them," she said when asked by the judge whether she had told Myanmar's military authorities about the intrusion.

Aung San Suu Kyi was also asked about claims that she had given Yettaw food and let him stay at the house, replying: "I allowed him to have temporary shelter."

In a surprise development, Myanmar authorities informed Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday morning that her six-year period of house arrest was officially over - although she still remains in detention at the prison, her party said.

"We don't know whether we should be happy or sad, because she is still in detention on these charges," said Nyan Win, spokesman for the National League for Democracy (NLD).

"I cannot guess the verdict but according to the law, she should be completely free."

Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained for 13 of the last 19 years, since the junta prevented her party from forming a government following its landslide victory in elections in 1990.

Aung San Suu Kyi's Washington-based international counsel, Jared Genser, said Tuesday that a UN panel had already found that extending her house arrest would be illegal under both international and Myanmar law.

The junta is also trying Yettaw and two female aides who live with Aung San Suu Kyi in her house. Yettaw has said that he swam across a lake to the house to warn her of a vision he had that she would be assassinated.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AFP AND MEAS SOKCHEA

Official blasts UN over report

The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/

Written by Sebastian Strangio and Vong Sokheng
Wednesday, 27 May 2009

A SENIOR government official lashed out Tuesday at the recommendations released by a UN human rights body, claiming they are part of a pattern of bias against the Cambodian government.

"I think it is usual for UN human rights bodies to blast the ruling party and look on the government as its enemy," said Cheam Yeap, a senior CPP lawmaker.

"As a lawmaker, I want to see the checks and balances of the UN before they criticise the [Cambodian] government."

He added that the government was working to improve human rights in the country and that the Kingdom's leaders were better placed to judge the needs of Cambodians.

"We are trying to improve the living conditions of the Cambodian people," Cheam Yeap said. "I don't think that the UN loves the Khmer people more than Khmers love the Khmers."

In its concluding observations to Cambodia's May 11-12 review in Geneva, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights criticised the government for its lack of action on issues including land rights, gender equality, conservation, unemployment and labour rights.

Prominent among the committee's 24 recommendations was a call for a moratorium on land evictions "until the proper legal framework is in place and the process of land titling is completed".

It also slammed the government for its apparent refusal to send a delegation to the review, which itself came 15 years late because of the government's delay in filing its initial report to the committee.

"The Committee regrets the absence of experts from the State party and that the information provided was in some cases not sufficiently detailed," the report said.

Rights groups said the committee's report was an accurate snapshot of the situation in Cambodia. "The Committee has picked up on the most salient issues with regard to the state of economic, social and cultural rights in Cambodia," said David Pred, country director of rights group Bridges Across Borders.

He also expressed hope the government would respond by bringing the country into compliance with its obligations.

"This is what the ambassador promised in Geneva that the government would do, but now it is up to the central government in Phnom Penh to translate his words into action," he said.

Thun Saray, president of Cambodian rights group Adhoc, said that the committee had been "quite balanced" in its reporting, noting areas of improvement in Cambodia, and said the government should take the recommendations seriously.

Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann also supported the committee's efforts, adding that the CPP's "top to bottom" control of the government meant human rights issues were ignored. "They pretend to take care of [these issues] but in reality it is not the case," he said.

"So now the international community has to try."

Pol Pot feud fueled KR bloodshed: Duch

The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/

Written by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Cheang Sokha
Wednesday, 27 May 2009

S-21 chief describes clash with Vietnamese leader Le Duan over communism in Indochina.

FORMER Tuol Sleng prison chief Kaing Guek Eav told Cambodia's war crimes court Tuesday that the bloodshed of the Khmer Rouge years was in part the result of a "long and protracted" conflict between regime leader Pol Pot and Vietnamese Communist leader Le Duan.

"The blood of the Vietnamese and Khmer flowed because of the conflict between these two people," said Kaing Guek Eav, better known by his revolutionary name Duch.

He said Le Duan wanted Cambodian and Vietnamese communists to join forces under the Indochinese Communist Party, while Pol Pot wanted the Khmer Rouge to be independent.

He noted, however, that his description of the feud with Vietnam was not an attempt to cast Pol Pot as "the greatest patriot of the country", saying that "more than 1 million people were killed at the hands" of the Khmer Rouge leader.

Duch's remarks came during the second day of testimony from former war correspondent Nayan Chanda, who on Tuesday answered questions about the evolution of the relationship between Democratic Kampuchea and Vietnam.

Chanda said the relationship was one of "tactical alliance" before the Khmer Rouge came to power, arguing that Vietnamese leaders did not publicly declare war against Democratic Kampuchea in 1975 because they hoped tensions with Khmer Rouge leaders "could be contained".

He cited as an example of this "alliance" a forcible repatriation arrangement in which people who had fled from Cambodia to Vietnam at the beginning of the regime were turned over to the Khmer Rouge in exchange for cattle.

Asked if he believed the Vietnamese soldiers knew that the repatriated people would likely be executed, Chanda said, "It is to me very clear that the Vietnamese undertook this repatriation ... in the full knowledge of what might be awaiting" them.

By the end of 1977, the relationship deteriorated into open conflict when Vietnamese leaders concluded that tensions with the Khmer Rouge stemmed from a "fundamental political dispute" that could only be resolved by "internal change" or regime change at the hands of the Vietnamese themselves, Chanda said.

Duch's international co-lawyer Francois Roux asked Chanda whether he believed "an armed international conflict existed between the Cambodian and Vietnamese armed forces from April 1975", noting that all Vietnamese prisoners sent to S-21 could be considered victims of war crimes if the court determined that such a conflict commenced as soon as the Khmer Rouge came to power.

"If war can occur without any declaration, then Cambodia and Vietnam were at war in April 1975," Chanda said.

Roux said the question ultimately "does not have much consequence on Duch's guilt", as the prison chief has already acknowledged "that there was an open conflict between Vietnam and Cambodia" beginning in 1978 and that Vietnamese killed at S-21 after it broke out "were indeed victims of war crimes".

Etcheson testimony resumes
Also Tuesday, genocide expert Craig Etcheson continued his testimony, and Roux again accused prosecutors of asking questions that had already been raised during the investigation phase of the trial.