Revival efforts start paying off, NTC Mills on hiring mode in Coimbatore

The Economic Times
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

12 Jul 2009

COIMBATORE: Not long ago, a bleak future starred at a group of National textile corporation operated spinning mills in the texcity Coimbatore. The sick mills encountered problems like surplus workforce, vintage machinery and lower output. Now, they are on a come back trail thanks to the modernisation programme.

What is more, the four NTC run mills are on a hiring mode. The mills revived by the textiles ministry through a modernisation scheme at a cost of Rs 64.35 crore in the last twelve months, are looking to hire an additonal 1000 workers to increase production.

The mills- Cambodia Mills, Coimbatore Murugan Mills, Pankaja Mills and Rangavilas Ginning, Spinning & Weaving Mills are seeing the benefits of the modernisation scheme.

While the Cambodia Mills weaving unit was upgraded with imported machinery, the other three mills had also equipped themselves with latest technology. Apart from importing machines from China, NTC also procured latest machines from LMW, the Indian textile machinery major.

While the formal inauguration of the mills ( after modernisation) is scheduled to take place later this month, they have already kick started production. "After the modernisation, the four mills are working at 80% capacity and they have also reached breakeven in the last two months," NTC southern region chief GM (technical) M M Chockalingam told ET.

"We need additional 1000 workers to reach 95% utilisation level ," he added. Currently there are 2337 permanent workers and around 2000 causal workers employed in the four mills.

"We have already received more than 1000 applications for the vacant spots and it is in the process of scrutiny. We will soon call them for interview and hire them on our rolls as casual workers. Later, we will shift them to fill the permanent vacancies and pay occupational salary," said a senior executive in NTC.

Currently, NTC pays around Rs 125 to Rs 135 per day for casual workers and up to Rs 6000 per month for permanent employees.

Apart from aiming to make profits, the four mills are also ready to compete with private mills by producing value added products. Following upgradation of machines, the spindles speed has gone up to 21000 RPM from the earlier 13000 RPM. "We are expecting a increase in production from earlier 60 to 65 gram per spindle to up to 100 grams per spindle," said Mr Chockalingam.

He said, among the four, Coimbatore Murugan Mills and Rangavilas Mills are the top performers and they are specialised in producing round form hand yarn, which would be useful for handlooms. "These two mills would mainly produce cotton yarn and new value-added products like slub yarn, high twist yarn and cotton 2/1 gassed mercerized yarn," he added.

The other two mills would concentrate on 100% polyester yarn and also polyester mixed with cotton and viscose yarns respectively. The mills are also planning to produce hosiery yarn as a value-added product. Mr Chockalingam said the yarn from the four mills would go to all the important markets in India apart from supplying to local markets in Tirupur, Somanur and Erode.

In the last 30 to 35 years, ten mills had come under the purview of NTC in the texcity. When four mills were shutdown (two sold and two under litigation), surplus workers were relieved through VRS scheme or accommodated in other running mills. Two more mills namely, Sharadha Mills and Coimbatore Spinning & Weaving Mills are to be operated under JV and the remaining four revived through modernization scheme.

Figures available from NTC show that nearly 2352 people opted for VRS scheme following closure of mills or on medical grounds. Also more than 2000 people had retired from these mills and NTC hasn’t filled up the vacancy following ban on recruitment.

Recently as one of the highlights in the Textile Ministry Agenda for 100 days, Union Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran said, the seven modernised mills under NTC in the country would be made operational. Among the seven mills, four are in Coimbatore.

Singapore largest investor in India among ASEAN nations

http://www.sindhtoday.net

New Delhi, July 12 (IANS) Singapore is the largest investor in India among the 10 ASEAN countries with its investments rising from Rs.1,416.9 crore in 2005 to Rs.15,775.9 crore in 2008, says an industry lobby report released Sunday.

Malaysia ranks second, with its investments in India going up from Rs.21.3 crore in 2005 to Rs.453.8 crore in 2008, according to the report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

ASEAN is a geo-political and economic organisation of 10 Southeast Asian countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam – that was formed to accelerate economic growth, social progress, cultural development and foster peace among members.

According to FICCI, cooperation with the ASEAN block is expected to get a shot in the arm when India signs the Foreign Trade Agreement with it next month.

The FICCI analysis shows that while foreign investment inflow from Thailand actually came down from Rs.23.3 crore in 2005 to Rs.12.9 crore in 2008, inflow from Indonesia rose from Rs.4.2 crore to Rs.24.5 crore.

Inflows from Myanmar, which invested a measly Rs.23 lakh between August 1991 and December 2005, raised its stakes sharply in India with inflows shooting up to a whopping Rs.34.7 crore in 2008.

Inflows from the Philippines actually dropped from Rs.4.2 crore in 2005 to Rs.70 lakh in 2008. There was no investment from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Brunei in these two years.

During this period, the services sector accounted for about 30 percent of inflows from ASEAN – the highest.

Mekong River sand dredging to be regulated

River sand exploited and transported in the Mekong Delta (Photo: SGGP)

SAIGON
http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/

Sunday ,Jul 12,2009

The Mekong Delta City of Can Tho is to regulate sand dredging and selling, in a bid to stop exploitation where riverbanks may collapse, as well making licensed owners clearly display traffic signs and their specific areas of dredging, the city's administration has announced.

Following the Cambodian government’s ban on sand exports, hundreds of local barges have been working at full-blast on the Can Tho stretch of the Hau River (a main branch of the Mekong) to dredge sand, causing irregular water flows and inflict major environmental damage.

In addition, at least another 300 boats have been used to carry sand to foreign boats from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia or domestic construction firms.

Since early 2009, the Vietnamese government has allowed boats carrying sand from Cambodia to anchor at the Hau, which flows through Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta.

The river stretch has become a major trading post for sand with boats collecting the Cambodian sand after docking at the Can Tho and Cai Cui ports in the city.

Authorities have already given 25 licenses to 16 businesses to exploit more than 25.2 million cubic meters of sand. However, everyday hundreds of unlicensed sand dredgers and transporters, both domestic and foreign, work on this section.

In June 2009, when inspecting the Hau, Thot Not District Police and authorities made 54 reports, such as operators not having a captain’s license, overloaded ships, illegal sand dredging in nautical jets and 14 reports of exploiting sand in inappropriate areas.

Dang Huu Phuoc, head of the Office of Mineral Resource, Water and Hydrometeorology, admitted that the office cannot know the real output of sand exploitation in each area, as dredgers do not inform authorities of how much sand they take.

Estimates of dredged sand exported to foreign countries vary from 25,000 to 50,000 tons.

According to Phan Van Ho, deputy head of the Can Tho City People's Committee Secretariat, another “sensitive” issue to draw much public interest is evidence of illegal dredging disappears after unannounced inspections.

Such uncontrolled actions cause riverbanks to collapse, pollution, and sand shortage, but provide large profits to individuals without benefit to the State.

In 2008, Can Tho’s tax department collected just VND500 million (US$28,100) from sand dredging operators.

Consequently, Mr. Ho suggested that Can Tho authorities should regulate the situation as soon as possible by checking and projecting sand mines in the area, holding an auction of dredging licenses to earn more money for the city’s budget, and rejecting inexperienced and incapable dredgers.

By Nhat Chanh - Translated by Uyen Phuong

Road show to explore new land link

By PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION
Published on July 13, 2009

The Foreign Trade Department will lead local businesses on a roadshow to Cambodia and Vietnam next week in a bid to explore trade and investment opportunities along the new land link between the three countries.

Representatives of the Board of Trade of Thailand, the Federation of Thai Industries, the Thai Machinery Association and the Thai Chamber of Commerce in Trat province, as well as cross-border traders, will participate in the roadshow along Route No 48, or R48.

The 151.5-kilometre road to Cambodia, which extends another 300km into Vietnam, begins as an east-west corridor in Thailand, including four river-spanning bridges. Construction of the stretch linking Thailand with Cambodia was completed in June last year, at a total cost of Bt1.8 billion.

Unchana Withayathamthat, deputy director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, said the road would facilitate trade and investment growth between the countries.

"This roadshow, conducted from July 15 to 18, will pave the way for Thai enterprises to find new opportunities to increase trade and investment, in particular by securing farming and machinery-production contracts in the neighbouring countries," said Unchana.

Four Cambodian provinces with strong growth potential lie along R48: Koh Kong, Kampot, Sihanoukville (recently renamed Preah Sihanouk) and Takaew. These include six special economic zones, making them attractive for Thai investors. Unchana pointed out that potential businesses for Thai investors include contract farming for soybeans and sugarcane with local farmers; and establishing plants to produce processed seafood, garments and hydroelectric power.

Thai investors are allowed 100-per-cent ownership rights in Cambodian special economic zones. However, transportation of goods along the new route is subjected to a 5-per-cent customs tariff.

City Championship golfer fights through case of the shanks

Yuthea Hem follows his drive Saturday on the second hole at Sunset Golf Course during the second round of the Mile High Banks Men’s City Championship. Jill P. Mott/Times-Call

http://www.timescall.com/

Publish Date: 7/12/2009
By Ray Sobczyk
© 2009 Longmont Times-Call

LONGMONT — Whether it’s on the golf course or in the world of war, good fortunes always seem to follow Yuthea Hem. It’s been that way his entire life.

With all that prosperity comes adversity and new challenges.

Entering Saturday’s second round of the Mile High Banks Men’s City Championship, Hem was tied for first place in the 1st flight. He carded a 67 at Twin Peaks Golf Course on Friday.

Things couldn’t have started off any better for Hem, who is competing in his first organized golf tournament.

Then came the narrow fairways and fast greens at Sunset Golf Course on Saturday, and Hem’s chances of claiming the top prize took a big hit.

He carded four double-bogeys and eight bogeys, and finished the second round with a 15-over 87. Hem is now 16 strokes behind leader Tyrell Elcock, who shot a 71 on Saturday.

Today’s final round — for all flights — is at Ute Creek Golf Course.

“I came out and played aggressive,” said the 35-year-old Hem. “I didn’t gameplan being this bad. I resorted back to hacking.”

Brad Adams, who played in Hem’s foursome, was there to support his opponent.

“Every time he stepped into the box, it was going right,” said Adams, who shot an 81. “I said, ‘Dude, forget about that. You have to focus on positive thoughts.’”

Adams is proof of that philosophy, too.

After a double-bogey on the third hole and triple-bogey on the fourth hole on the back nine of his round, Adams did the unthinkable. With his four iron, he sank a hole-in-one from 193 yards out on the par 3 No. 5.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve played that hole — maybe 100,” Adams said. “After coming off a triple (bogey) the hole before, I forgot about that, buckled down and focused.

“It was going right at the pin. ... I yelled, ‘Go in the hole!’”

In fact, Adams said his dad, Fred, aced the same hole in 1994.

“That’s what’s fun about this,” said Adams, who is in a tie for fifth place.

Meanwhile, don’t think Hem isn’t capable of rebounding. He’s been through too much turmoil in his life to give up in any situation — even in a golf tournament.

When Hem was 5, his family fled the war zone of Cambodia for the Philippines — where his parents, two brothers and sister would stay for the next nine to 12 months.

A longtime civil war, stemming from the Vietnam War, was in full effect in Cambodia. In order to survive, Hem and his family had to escape.

“I knew where and who we were running from. I didn’t know the extent of it — obviously, not to get killed — but you don’t grasp everything at 5,” Hem said. “You just know you’re in trouble. I was just tagging along.”

From the Philippines, Hem said, his family traveled to the Bronx in New York, where they stayed for a year. And they definitely experienced culture shock.

Hem said that for the first time in his life, he watched television, ate an ice cube, walked on concrete and saw tall buildings. Plus, he finally felt safe.

“We were never exposed to anything like that,” Hem said. “If it makes the Bronx seem safe, it must have been pretty bad.”

With relatives living in Longmont, Hem and his family made the journey to Colorado. He graduated from Niwot High School and now owns Daylight Donuts on Hover Street.

At the age of 18, Hem began taking up golf because of his friends’ interest. However, he didn’t start taking the sport seriously until 2004.

Hem said he couldn’t handle losing to his friends in a casual round of 18 holes, so it was time to bring out his competitive edge.

“I started reading books and learning the little nuances of golf,” said Hem, who has taken only one golf lesson in his life. “Once you play long enough, you hit a wall and say: ‘Why don’t I just do it? Competition is fun.’”

Make no mistake, though: Hem plays to win, and his competition plans on him bringing that attitude into today’s final round.

“If you’re not feeling the adrenaline and you’re not feeling some sort of nerves, than you’re not out here to win,” Adams said. “It’s the spirit of competition.”

NOTES: Jon Chavez leads the championship flight after two rounds. He stands at 141 for the tournament. ... Clint Dudley has a four-stroke lead for first place in the senior flight. ... Brian Adams shot a 63 at Sunset, and has a 10-stroke lead in the 2nd flight. ... Glenn Miyasaki and John Zielinski are tied for first in the 3rd flight. ... Don Arnold and Johathan Nichols are even for the lead in the 4th flight.

Ray Sobczyk can be reached at rsobczyk@times-call.com.

Cambodia's New War

NewsBlaze,

http://newsblaze.com/

Published: July 12,2009
By Katrin Redfern

"Cambodia is a democracy on paper but in reality a dictatorship. Our party activists are murdered because they fight for justice-life is still cheap in Cambodia."

A new American president, many Cambodians hope, might change all that. Sochua Mu, an opposition leader and founder of the women's movement in Cambodia, recently returned to the U.S., lobbying Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to take a firmer line on democracy and human rights in her long-suffering country. "I needed to see the people in the new administration to urge them to re-assess U.S. foreign policy," says Sochua in an interview with The Daily Beast.

"Cambodia is a democracy on paper but in reality a dictatorship. Our party activists are murdered because they fight for justice-life is still cheap in Cambodia. Human trafficking, drug trafficking, land grabbing, and forced evictions are all carried out under the nose of the government."

Sochua Mu's story is uniquely Cambodian. Forced to flee for her life at 18 in the early 1970s as the Vietnam War spilled over the border, she left behind her parents, who vanished, as did one-quarter of the country's population during the Khmer Rouge's reign of terror. Sochua wound up in America, won a scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley, and worked as a counselor and translator for the Cambodian refugees who began to trickle over. She eventually became a U.S. citizen.

During the 1980s, she returned to Southeast Asia, organizing schooling for children and social services for women in the refugee camps set up by the U.N. on the border between Thailand and Cambodia. In 1989, she was finally allowed to re-enter her homeland, "a country in ruins." "I would take my young children on walks in streets where I learned to bike, where I wandered with my childhood friends, where I went to school, all the years of joy, of happiness, of deep feelings of comfort came back to me," she says. "I came back to help rebuild a nation. The war and genocide also changed my people. They have lost their sense of trust for each other; they have become hard inside and desperate for just daily survival."

Sochua started the first women's organization in Cambodia, Khemera, designed to help poor urban women earn a better living. She campaigned to include women's rights and concerns into the country's new constitution, drafted in 1993, and became involved in efforts to rescue girls caught in Cambodia's thriving sex trade. In 1998, Sochua ran for election and won a seat in parliament, taking over the women's affairs ministry, which had previously been run by men. In a country that considers women inferior, Sochua mobilized 25,000 female candidates to run for commune elections in 2002. It was a first for Cambodia, and 900 of them were elected.

She negotiated an agreement with Thailand that allowed Cambodian women trafficked as sex workers to return to their home country instead of being jailed. She pioneered the use of TV commercials to spread the word about trafficking to vulnerable populations. Her work in Cambodia also supports campaigns to end domestic violence and the spread of HIV/AIDS, as well as women's workplace conditions. In 2005, she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for her work against sex trafficking of women.

Her position in high government put her in direct conflict with Cambodia's long-ruling prime minister; Hun Sen. Rather than participate in the corruption she saw around her, Sochua Mu renounced the leadership and joined the primary opposition party in parliament. Last week, Sochua announced that she is considering legal action against the prime minister for allegedly using derogatory and threatening language against her in a speech he made last month during a visit to her parliamentary district. The speech, widely reported on Cambodian TV and other media, warned villagers not to seek help from members of the opposition party, but to approach the ruling Cambodian People's Party, and allegedly referred to Sochua using a Khmer term cheung kland-a gangster or unruly person, which has an especially insulting connation for women.

Her most frequent public disagreement with Hun Sen surrounds what she sees as a failure to prevent people in her district from suffering loss of property and livelihoods at the hands of powerful investors, often with the backing of local authorities and the military. Most Cambodians still depend on small-scale agriculture, forest exploitation, and fishing for their livelihoods but, because of the country's turbulent recent history, land ownership is generally undocumented and often contested. As a result, it is easy for the powerful to acquire land to develop. More than 150,000 Cambodians, according to Sochua, were victims of forced evictions and land-grabbing in 2007 alone. Studies have estimated that such concessions cover as much as one-third of the entire area of Cambodia.

"It is now common practice for powerful corporations and government officials to utilize armed forces to push citizens off their rightfully and legally held land," says Sochua. "These evictions are often violent, with soldiers wielding guns, tear gas and Tasers and burning houses to the ground, while citizens are beaten, maimed and arrested."

Cambodia's economy relies on three principal sources of income: tourism, agriculture, and textiles. The United States is the largest overseas market for the latter. As former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph Mussomeli put it, "Levi Strauss or the Gap could destroy this country on a whim."

George W. Bush's policy, as Sochua saw it, focused on military and security-centered aid. According to the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. provided Cambodia $54 million last year and $700 million total since the agency opened an office in the country in 1992. Other international donors, meanwhile, have done little better in holding the Cambodian government accountable on human rights, preferring "closed-door diplomacy," as she calls it, to public criticism. "This practice has yielded next to no reforms," she says, "and donors continue to be satisfied with token actions taken by the government to give a façade to democracy and social justice."

Even that oversight is at risk. Chevron discovered oil offshore several years ago, and the Cambodian government says it hopes to begin pumping oil in 2011. The IMF estimated last year that the country could earn as much as $1.7 billion from oil within 10 years of the date that pumping begins-a big deal for this poor country, which relies on donors for half of its annual budget, but also more money that won't carry any accountability.

Some aid agencies have called for a moratorium on aid until basic governance and transparency frameworks are in place. Sochua says that won't happen until there's a new regime. "That can only happen when we have a real election that is free and fair," she says. "The West should insist on that, otherwise all the aid they have poured into Cambodia will not work".

Katrin Redfern is a writer and editor at The Indypendent in New York City.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-04-16/cambodias-new-war/full/

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How could Thai LIE to the world ? Did THAI PM feel ashame of publishing this fake video??

By Khmerization

A new website launched by the Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Saturday has caused a stir in the Cambodian local media as well as among top officials.

The website at the centre of the controversy, ilovethailand.org, claimed that parts of today's Cambodia were in fact Thai territories.

The website's claims make headlines in most major newspapers in Cambodia. Khmerization was the first site that has opened the debate on this controversial website when it received an email from Mr. Dith Nimol alerting the website's claims relating to Thai "lost territory".

Reaksmei Kampuchea newspaper picked up Khmerization's report. Then Khmer Sthapana, Deum Ampil and Khmer online website, everyday.com.kh, have all reported the Thai PM website's controversy extensively.

The major English daily, the Phnom Penh Post, reported that Cambodian officials are scurrying to investigate the claims. It quoted Mr. Phay Siphan, spokesman for Council of Ministers, as saying that "They (the Thais) are twisting the facts of history. It is completely exaggerated."

According to Phnom Penh Post, in 1794, Thailand - then known as Siam - annexed Siem Reap and Battambang provinces from the declining Khmer kingdom, but the territories were returned following a March 1907 treaty between Thailand and France.

And, according to historical records, other Khmer territories annexed by Thailand in the late 18th centuries include Kauk Khan (Sisaket), Surin, Sakeo, Nokor Reach (Korat) and many more provinces.

Beat to get louder

http://www.recordnet.com

Cultural dance program receives $10,000 corporate grant to expand

By Heather Ross
Record Staff Writer
July 12, 2009

STOCKTON - Eight young girls wrapped in red cloth and gold belts dance gracefully across the stage at the Park Village Community Center as their instructors weave among them, correcting postures and straightening costumes.

A group of curious children takes a break from a game of "steal the bacon" to watch from the floor.

The Rhythmic Quilt Dance Program, run by Stockton's Asian Pacific Self Development and Residential Association, teaches children at the Park Village Apartments traditional Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, Filipino, and Vietnamese dances.

The General Mills Foundation's Champions for Healthy Kids Program has awarded a $10,000 grant to APSARA to expand the Rhythmic Quilt program along with the health and nutrition education classes they offer as part of Park Village's after-school tutoring program.

The Champions for Healthy Kids program is a collaboration between General Mills, the American Dietetic Association and the President's Council on Physical Fitness. General Mills recognized that APSARA is an "underrepresented, high-need" group, with a unique take on physical education.

"We felt that they had a solid program and a good cultural spin with the Cambodian dance. They've really integrated culture into their program," said Adrian Jordan, program manager for General Mills.

The Park Village Apartments are resident-owned and provide housing for many low-income families and refugees of Southeast Asian descent. APSARA is Park Village's governing body, which also oversees their children's programs.

"The plan is to keep the rhythm going and keep kids interested in their culture and the music," said Vanna Prasit, assistant director of APSARA.

The Rythmic Quilt dancers are members of the Peace, Love and You multicultural arts network, which sponsors performances by Stockton-area groups that celebrate the city's ethnic diversity.

"We have several age groups that we teach Cambodian dance to. Some of them are older college students who went back to Cambodia to learn more about their culture, and they came back to teach the younger kids," said Sovanna Koeurt, director of APSARA.

Sophanary Sok is one of those students. Two years ago, she visited Cambodia, where the dance techniques she learned at APSARA were refined and corrected.

"I used to be a dancer as well, but now I'm older and it's time to pass it on," Sok said.

Sok hopes that the grant money will allow the Rhythmic Quilt group to travel, purchase new costumes and hire a more experienced dance teacher.

"We haven't performed out of the city or out of the state - only locally," Sok said.

"Maybe we can get a better instructor - someone who can tell us the history of the dances."

In addition to expanding the dance program, the grant money will help to promote chronic disease prevention among the families of Park Village through health and nutrition education for children.

Park Village's existing after-school tutoring program will be augmented by having participants split into two groups for part of each afternoon. The groups will rotate between tutoring and a healthy living class, taught by a registered dietician. APSARA hopes to have this program implemented by the start of the new school year in August.

Contact reporter Heather Ross at (209) 943-8576 or at hross@recordnet.com.

American Experts Praise the Khmer Rouge Tribunal while It Is Notorious for Corruption – Saturday, 11.7.2009

Posted on 12 July 2009
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 620
http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/

“Despite allegations that there is corruption in the structure of court officials, hearing former Khmer Rouge leaders from the Cambodian side, two experts from the United States of America said that this court offers many positive points to establish a model for the judicial system of Cambodia, which is now seen as having no independence and no integrity.

“These experts said that the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia will become a model for the creation of other tribunals around the world to seek justice for victims suffering from similar crimes.

“Mr. Gregory H. Stanton, is the founder and director of Genocide Watch, the president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the founder (1981) and director of the Cambodian Genocide Project at the Yale University of the USA, and the founder (1999) and chair of the International Campaign to End Genocide, and in 1999 [when he worked at the US Department of State] he drafted many resolutions for the United Nations to create the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

“Mr. Gregory H. Stanton told a foreign radio station in the USA that at present, the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia can be taken as a model for other tribunals, as it is a court that uses local law as the basis to charge the accused, and local procedures are the basis of this court, modified by international procedures.

“Mr. Gregory H. Stanton said, ‘This tribunal has influence beyond its limits; that means that participating judges will bring their experiences for future use. Therefore, I think it is a model for other tribunals. A problem of the other international courts is that they do not leave a heritage, but as for this mixed court, it will leave a heritage in the country.’

“Another expert said that the model of arrangements for this tribunal is really as positive as mentioned by Mr. Gregory H. Stanton. He added that this model was implemented after international hearings from around the world, and they have experience in international legal systems.

“That expert went on to say that the person who initiated to form this hybrid tribunal to be started in Cambodia can offer this model also for other places.

“These international experts expressed such praise, while the hearings of the former Tuol Sleng, or S21 Prison chief Duch continue, where victims of that regime recount the savage activities of Duch.

“Also, the director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, Mr. Chhang Youk, expressed an opinion similar to the two experts above. He said that the Cambodian-international hybrid court has four special and important characteristics: first, it involves participation by citizens, because it is established within the country. Second, it consumes less expenses compared to the international courts in The Hague, but it can lead to the same justice just as at that court. Third, it is created within the country, facilitating the arrests of the accused. Fourth, it eases the use of evidence, which can be found almost everywhere around the country, without the need to transport it to other countries.

“He added that, moreover, this court is a model for the judicial system in Cambodia. Mr. Chhang Youk said, ‘This court is special and essential, as it serves as a basis for countries that suffered from genocide, to achieve reconciliation by teaching students and resulting in discussions about the freedom of expression. This court provides functions at a higher standard of justice that the courts at present can achieve. Thus, this court shows that Cambodia can move ahead and has an existing model, materials, and recourses, that can be used.’

“He added that these characteristics overcome the present deficiencies and it helps to build a state of law for Cambodia’s future.

“Also, a judge of the Cambodian Supreme Court, experienced in the judicial system in Cambodia, Mr. Mong Chakriya, hopes that the Khmer Rouge Tribunal will provide many benefits – beyond offering justice for the victims of the worst regime that existed, the regime of ‘Democratic Kampuchea,’ but also creating a model for the judicial system of Cambodia.

“The Khmer Rouge Tribunal, which suffers from corruption allegations and a lack of funds, is praised by two US experts and the keeper of documentation for the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, as having many positives points, useful for the creation of courts to try criminals in other countries.”

Khmer Machas Srok, Vol.3, #444, 11.7.2009
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Saturday, 11 July 2009

Thailand urges Fiji to arrest former PM Thaksin

People's Daily Online

July 12, 2009

Thailand has requested the Fijian government to temporarily arrest ousted former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra after learning he is now in the South Pacific island country, according to Thai News Agency report on Saturday.

Office of the Attorney-General's international affairs department had communicated with the Fijian government through Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry earlier this week, requesting the Fijian side to temporarily apprehend Thaksin, said Sirisak Tiyapan, executive director of the department.

Thaksin was ousted by the military coup in September 2006 in accusation of corruption, and kept in exile since then. Thaksin returned to Thailand in February 2008 to face corruption charges, but he later fled into exile again and was convicted in absentia.

The Dubai-based former premier was reportedly to have visited the South Pacific nation, seeking asylum in the country. However, Thaksin denied the reports.

Thailand has no extradition treaty with Fiji. Consequently the possible application of an extradition request depends on the voluntary cooperation given by that country, Sirisak said.

Source: Xinhua

Cambodians may get floating toilets

http://www.timesoftheinternet.com

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, July 11 (UPI)

Cambodia's high infant and child mortality rate can be fought by improving hygiene in river communities, a resource development charity said Saturday.

Lien Aid, a Singapore-based non-governmental organization, is developing a toilet that can be used in river communities where homes are constructed on floating platforms and moved seasonally.

Currently, residents use the river rather than latrines, Resource Development International - Cambodia told the IRIN news agency. This practice contributes to many deaths from waterborne diseases, a Resource Development spokesman said.

Waterborne diseases account for 74 percent of all deaths in the country, the organization said.

Lien Aid says its "River of Life" project works to prevent waterborne illness. Their designers are working on a toilet built on a floating platform and attached to river homes. The toilet is still being tested, Sahari Ani, the head of Lien Aid, said.

The prototype separates urine from feces and allows dry soil, ash or wood chips to be added to the feces to reduce odor and pathogens. A secondary storage chamber completes decomposition and pathogen destruction.

Thailand wants to bolster co-operation with Vietnam

Nhan Dan
http://www.nhandan.com.vn/

July 12, 2009

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva affirmed his wish to bolster co-operation with Vietnam in economy, security, education, transport and agriculture.

The Thai leader made the affirmation while answering questions from the host country’s media in Hanoi on July 10.

The PM said that in terms of education, the two countries would boost the exchange of students and the teaching of the Thai and Vietnamese languages. In transport, they would focus on developing a network to link them through Laos and Cambodia.

Congratulating Vietnam for its socio-economic achievements in recent years, Abhisit Vejjajiva said that not only Thailand, but also the world, could see Vietnam’s potential.

Vietnam was even able to make marked economic progress despite the global crisis, he emphasised.

Thai investors are paying close attention to Vietnam and seeking investment opportunities in the potential market, he said.

About co-operation in ASEAN, PM Abhisit Vejjajiva wants the two countries to continue to work together to build a strong ASEAN community and boost the effectiveness of co-operation in the Mekong sub-region and on the East-West corridor, among other areas.

He said that the two countries and others in the Mekong region needed a shared understanding of how best to use and protect the river for the benefit of all countries involved and for the common sustainable development in the area.

PM Abhisit Vejjajiva stated that Thailand will transfer know-how and share experiences as it lends its support to Vietnam in assuming the ASEAN presidency in 2010.

On rice export co-operation, he said, as the world’s leading rice exporters, the two countries should tighten co-operation to help each other and take the initiative in solving problems.

Food plays an important role in ensuring social welfare throughout the region, so co-operation is necessary to build rice reserves between the two countries, he added.

(VNA)

Special Report: SE Asian countries share water worries

The Jakarta Post
http://www.thejakartapost.com

Sat, 07/11/2009

Singapore hosted the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) for the second time, June 28 to July 2. With the theme "Sustainable Cities -Infrastructure and Technologies for Water", the event invited various groups interested in achieving water sustainability, including municipal leaders and businesspeople. The event comprised of an expo, leaders' summit, conventions and business forums. To promote the event in Indonesia, the event committee invited The Jakarta Post's Triwik Kurniasari. This is what she learned.

Many problems persist in providing potable water in most country's in the Asia-Pacific region, as the development of water sources is not keeping pace with population growth and projected demand.

Strong economic growth in the region and population pressures, compounded by increased urbanization, have led to a sharp rise in the use of treated water. Pollution and climate change meanwhile pose ever present threats to the precious resource.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) reported that in 2004, 635 million people in the Asia-Pacific region did not have access to safe drinking water. These are some of the 1.86 billion people that currently do not have access to adequate sanitation.

The huge number of slum areas in the region complicates the problem.

According to the ADB's latest data, the Asia-Pacific region has 554 million slum dwellers: 64 percent of the global total. At least 40 percent of these people also lack access to piped water or sanitation services.

"This demographic requires investment and infrastructure and service deliverance in resource management," said Anthony Jude, director of energy and water division of ADB's Southeast Asia Department.

"From a regional perspective, I can tell you that urban and rural water supply and sanitation are priority areas for the ADB in Southeast Asia."

The forum was attended by delegations from a number of Southeast Asian nations including Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR).

In Indonesia, the ADB works hand-in-hand with the government to develop metropolitan sanitation infrastructure and projects that will improve public health, reduce pollution and better the lives of the people. They also work to improve wastewater collection, sanitation services and treatment and solid waste management.

Mayor of Palembang Eddy Santana Putra, who represented Indonesia at the forum, said the capital of South Sumatra lacks the technical assistance and technology needed to improve water services.

"We currently provide 85 percent of our residents with clean water, but we need more trained experts to improve our water management," he said, adding that the administration hopes to increase supply to 95 percent of residents by 2012.

He said that during the SIWW, members of the Palembang administration received training from Singapore's Public Utilities Board on how to control water revenue and detect leaks.

The administration, Eddy said, is in the process of installing new water pipes to expand capacity and reach new areas.

"Although we have plenty of water, we are encouraging people to save more water, consume it wisely and efficiently, and keep water resources *rivers* clean, because we might face water scarcity in the next five or 10 years. We will never know," he said.

He said that he aimed to lessen the rate of water consumption, which stands at 200 liters per person, per day.

Meanwhile, sewage and sanitation systems remain a major problem, with septic tanks being the predominant method of waste management in Palembang.

"Palembang and other big cities in Indonesia, including Jakarta, are behind in sewage systems," said Eddy. "We should learn from other countries about how to manage the wastewater and treat it properly."

Cambodia, which has an area of more than 181,000 square kilometers, also struggles to supply water to its 13 million citizens.

Ek Son Chan, general director of the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority, said that as of 2005, 68 percent of Cambodia's urban population and 30 percent of its rural population had access to clean water.

"We have set a target of increasing the number to 74 percent in urban areas and 40 percent in rural areas by 2010," he said.

In a bid to achieve this goal, the Cambodian government has set aside US$70.4 million to achieve a production capacity of 10,000 cubic meters per day and lay 195 kilometers of pipes by the end of this year.

"In 2015, we will undergo the second project with a production capacity of 130,000 cubic meter per day and 195 kilometers of distribution networks," Ek said.

The Lao PDR is meanwhile aiming to provide clean water to its 5.8 million people.

As of 2008, Sommad Pholsena, the Minister of Communications, Transportation, Post and Construction, said the country supplied more than 83 million cubic meters of clean water to serve 825,500 citizens, or nearly 140,000 households in 54 towns and villages.

The country, he said, has 61 water treatment plants. In urban areas, 51 percent of the population is served.

"We target to increase the availability of safe and piped water to 80 percent of the urban population by 2020," Sommad said.

He said that the Lao government had plans to expand services, with a focus on poor areas, in cities across the country, including the capital of Vientiane, secondary towns like Pakse, Kaysone, Thakhek and Luangprabang, as well as small towns that do not have piped water.

Brunei Darussalam, which supplies safe, potable water to 100 percent of its 385,000 citizens, is nonetheless also building infrastructure including dams, treatment plants, reservoirs, pipe mains and storm drains and improving technology to cater for growing demand.

The ADB is working to assist governments in the Asia-Pacific region to provide clean water through the Water Financing Program 2006-2010, which is expected to provide more than 95.5 million people access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation.

ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda encouraged governments in Asia and the Pacific to continue to invest in water infrastructure in spite of the economic crisis lest they face fundamental threats to economic growth and social development.

Kuroda said economic recessions could present opportunities, noting that a shortage of public funding for water sector infrastructure could be filled by the private sector.

Woman Hears Call, Responds, Raises More Than $2,600 For The ‘Silent'

http://www.tylerpaper.com

By PATRICK BUTLER
Religion Editor

The saga of how area kindergarteners raised $680 to assist children sold into slavery in another country is a story worth telling repeatedly as an encouragement to those wanting to "do something," said an area children's minister.

Missy Zivney, children's minister at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, helped raise more than $2,600 in July for the locally based nonprofit For The Silent.

The story starts in January, when Missy Zivney, a mother of four, went to see the child sex-slave traffic rockumentary "Call + Response." The depiction of abused children "gripped my heart," she said. She left the Times Square Cinema, which showed the film in cooperation with local churches, feeling bewildered and almost paralyzed.

"The problem of sex trafficking children is so pervasive and so overwhelming, you can get paralysis from the analysis," said the Whitehouse mother of four. "It's a temptation to just want to shut it out, and have it be 'out of sight, out of mind.' For awhile, I was wondering what one person could even do."

But not for long. During a benefit concert in May at Rose Heights Church with Paul Balouche, she heard more about For The Silent, a local nonprofit featured in the Tyler Morning Telegraph during the sold-out "Call + Response" showings. For The Silent founders Kenny and Julie Rigsby, 27 and 25, respectively, said their effort focuses on poverty stricken Cambodian children sold into slavery. The children have few or no advocates and almost no resources to help them escape a dismal life of servitude in seedy brothels.

"At the concert, I heard Kenny speak about this horrible and heinous crime on their bodies that these kids experience, and it gripped my heart all over again," Mrs. Zivney said. "After the concert was over, I saw all these For The Silent donation envelopes on the floor and in the pews. I sent two of my children to gather them all up, and I said, 'Lord, I'm going use these somehow.'"

She wasn't sure just how until a meeting at Pleasant Hill weeks later to form a church day camp for her young charges.

"That's when it hit me like a lightening bolt," Mrs. Zivney said. "We would structure our whole day camp around For The Silent. I didn't want to just have a fun day camp where the focus is just having a good time. I wanted to issue a challenge to get them to go out and do something, something with a meaningful basis, something to do with ministry."

Getting some church teens to help with the approximately 160 kids from dindergarten to sixth grade who came to camp each day June 29 through July 3, Mrs. Zivney set up a crafts fair. The children made and painted birdhouses, rocks, paperweights, picture holders and colorful tiles to be used as trivets in kitchens.

Then they sold them from 50 cents to $ 1.

"I'm telling you," Mrs. Zivney said, "the response was overwhelming. Parents sent in $20 $50 and $100 checks for a $1 item. They got so excited and behind this ministry that the kindergarten-age camp class alone raised $680."

The grand total from the entire camp was $2,600. When Kenny Rigsby heard the total raised, he was momentarily speechless.

"It's completely incredible to see kids helping other kids going through some of the worst things imaginable," he said, "and area kids having a positive impact on children they'll never know or see. It's always cool to see young kids caring about what God cares about."

The money will go toward purchasing a vehicle for a Cambodian After Care ministry that desperately needs a vehicle to transport children rescued from the slave trade, Rigsby said.

"That's hugely important in Cambodia," he said, "because vehicles cost so much there and there is little money to buy them. The center needs safe transportation for the children to go to school, visit the doctor and to see their families. We take transportation for granted here, but there it makes a tremendous difference."

And making a difference is what the children of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church did for some children in Cambodia.

Rigsby said, "What Missy did is what we always ask people; do what they already know how to do to make a difference in the lives of these children. She used her camp and influence to extend her reach into families. She did Day Camp For The Silent and look at the result."

Mrs. Zivney said, "Our kids got T-shirts that read, 'Go Win With Jesus For The Silent.' What better way to minister to those children in need than through our children?"

Donations of about $10,000 are still needed to purchase the vehicle for the After Care ministry. To donate online, visit www.forthesilent.com, or send donations to For The Silent, P.O. Box 998, Tyler, 75710. Call 903-530-4931 for information.

A Group of Soldiers Come to Intervene, Raiding the Battambang Forestry Department, to Take Back Wood – Friday, 10.7.2009

Posted on 11 July 2009.
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 620
http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/

“Battambang: According to a report delivered to Kampuchea Thmey, at 10:00 in the morning of 8 July 2009 – at Chrab Krasang village, Wat Kor commune, Battambang – a group of forestry administration officials launched a raid on a truck loaded with 20 pieces of neang nuon, a type of luxury wood, of more than five cubic meters, transported by businesspeople on a truck using the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces number plate 07.3-4326, driven by Sa Moeun, a soldier of the Border Battalion 502.

“Forestry administration officials said that after the truck was intercepted, Sa Moeun immediately told them that they could not confiscate the wood, as it belonged to Major-General Bun Seng, the commander of Military Region 5.

“The forestry administration officials went on to say that after Sa Moeun had said that the wood belongs to Major-General Bun Seng, forestry officials led official personnel to prevent the truck from leaving. However, just ten minutes later, a group of soldiers, who were all armed with weapons, came by car to intervene, to let the illegal truck go, while forestry official could only stand by and look on sadly.

“The Battambang forestry administration chief, Mr. Ly Chou Bieng, told Kampuchea Thmey via telephone that the fact that armed soldiers came to intervene to take back the neang nuon wood loaded on the truck, is seriously wrong. He has already filed a complaint to the Battambang Municipal Court to issue a warrant to request the wood back and to keep it as evidence, to solve the situation according to the law.

“But some people said that there is little hope for action from the Battambang Municipal Court issuing a warrant to bring the wood back as evidence, because obviously, there had been already a first attempt to crack down on a crime, but we did not have a handle to halt their actions, and once there was an intervention to take the wood, it is not easy to take it back.

“Civil servants in Battambang criticized that even though there is a law for this field, Mr. Sa Moeun, a soldier of the Border Battalion 502, ordered soldiers, armed with weapons, to intervene to get the wood back illegally, which is a crime, and furthermore he dragged the name of the commander of Military Region 5 into the event, while actually, Mr. Bun Seng simply does not even know anything about this case.

“Kampuchea Thmey phoned Major-General Bun Seng several times for a comment, but we could not reach him.”

Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #1992, 10.7.2009
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Friday, 10 July 2009

Cambodia's old temples - without the crowds

http://news.therecord.com

July 11, 2009
John Burgess
The Washington Post

It's early on a Sunday morning in Cambodia, and I'm standing at a 12th-century moat. Traces of mist hover above the lotus leaves that dapple the water. Across a causeway, through a tumbled-down gate, lies Banteay Chhmar, one of the largest temples ever built by the ancient Khmer Empire. My friends and I will have the place all to ourselves.

We walk in. It turns out that we do end up sharing it, with a local man who brings his cows onto the grounds to graze. And with an affable mason who leads us across acres of fallen stone to see a message from the past, an inscription chiseled into the door jamb of a holy tower. This kind of company we welcome.

Cambodia's great temples of Angkor, 100 kilometres away, have long since been rediscovered after a quarter-century of closure by war. They now draw more than a million foreign visitors a year, not a few of whom regret that so many other people had the same idea. At peak hours, human traffic jams can form at temple steps.

But go beyond Angkor and you can find places that serve up the old solitude and sense of discovery.

Banteay Chhmar is among the most spectacular of these places. Getting to it entails hours on very bumpy and dusty dirt roads. Staying the night means making do with primitive accommodations: candlelit rooms in local homes, bath water drawn from that same moat.

I stayed the night, and it turned out to really make the visit. The next morning I rose early, as everyone here does, and took a walk in clean country air. I passed hens foraging with their chicks, boys tending to a mud oven in which charcoal was being made. I was seeing not only a temple but a way of life.

Today several thousand people -- rice farmers, cattle herders, market vendors -- make their homes on all four sides of the temple. They grow vegetables on the banks of a series of moats; they pile straw within the walls of lesser ancient buildings that dot their settlement. The ancient and present day coexist.

Spending time here also means doing a good turn, spreading a bit of wealth in a part of a war-recovering country that has largely missed out on the tourist dollars that Angkor is bringing in. People do have cellphones (charged by generator), and some have small tractors, but there are few other signs of affluence.

Banteay Chhmar was created in the Khmer Empire's last great burst of construction, under the 12th-century Buddhist king Jayavarman VII. His engineers were thinking big even by Khmer standards: To contain a great settlement, they built earthworks and moats that formed a square measuring roughly one 1.5 kilometres on each side. At its centre, within another square moat system, they built the temple.

More than a century ago, French archeologist Etienne Aymonier found the temple to be in a state of "indescribable ruin.'' It still is, despite the efforts of the friendly mason, who is part of a small reconstruction team. But that's part of what makes the site so enticing.

Exploring it means climbing over piles of large fallen stones. We passed ruined towers, courtyards and ceremonial walkways. Sometimes the stones were so high that we were walking at roof level.

The temple is no longer a formal religious site, but Cambodians believe that it, like all those that their forebears left behind, remains a holy site. In one surviving chamber we found a small contemporary shrine, with a Buddha image wearing a cloth robe, where people made incense offerings.

One of the best parts of this temple is the many bas-reliefs on its outer walls. We had to scramble up more stones to get a good view. Before us was a full sample of life 900 years ago: processions of elephants, prominent ladies tended by maids, children roughhousing, villagers in a sampan, servants tending a stove.

There were also many scenes of war with Champa, a long-vanished rival state to the east: The temple is in large part a memorial to four generals who lost their lives in that long conflict. On land, the men of arms go at one another fiercely with spears (you can identify the Chams by the curious blossom-shaped headdress they wear). On water, rows of men pull at oars from galleys as others strike at the enemy with spears. There are also images of the divine, notably the god Vishnu, with 32 arms arrayed like rays of light.

The carving style is similar to that of the Bayon temple reliefs in Angkor. The difference is there's no need to fight for a view. We did cross paths for a few minutes our first day with a party of about 20 French-speaking tourists. We saw no other visitors that day or the next.

Late in the afternoon, we went to see what the ancient Khmers could do with water. Just east of the temple, they created a big reservoir. Academics disagree over whether it did only symbolic duty as an earthly stand-in for the mythic Sea of Creation, or was part of an irrigation system, or both. Whatever the truth, I was awed by the scale.

The reservoir was now largely dry, but because its floor is low and collects water, it has been divided into rice paddies. We went for a stroll, walking along paddy dikes to keep our feet dry.

We said hello to members of a farming family who were tinkering with a small tractor. A woman had caught a bucketful of paddy crabs and insects, which she would sell as food.

I spent the night at the house of a Cambodian family, friends of a friend. They couldn't have been more gracious. They gave me a room, bottled water, mosquito coils and a big luxury: a car battery hooked to a fluorescent light.

Other members of our party slept at a formal homestay, the term given to guesthouses.

It had two rooms with large beds covered by mosquito nets. Downstairs there was a basic bathroom with a squat toilet and scoop bath.

In the morning we went exploring on foot. Mixed in among wooden homes we passed were the stone walls of lesser 12th-century relics that had been monasteries or small temples. The ruins of one temple's gate lay foliage-shrouded just a few steps from a house. Little boys ran about, and a teenage girl ironed clothing.

We had breakfast at a stall in the town's market; there are no proper restaurants. It was noodle soup with chicken, and very good.

I first visited Angkor in 1969. Back then, you could be alone in the big temples there. I once walked through the largest of them, Angkor Wat, encountering hardly a soul.

It's good to know that such an experience can still be had. You just have to work a bit harder for it.

If you go:

? Getting around: There is no public transportation to the sites described here; wheels are on a bring-your-own basis. Tour companies in Siem Reap will arrange visits. If you feel adventurous, you can strike deals directly with taxi or motorcycle drivers and go on your own.

Being Mealea and Koh Ker can both be visited in one long day. Banteay Chhmar, at four hours each way, is a bigger challenge to reach. If you're entering Cambodia overland from Thailand, you can save time by turning north at Sisophon town to reach the temple.

? When to go: Winter is Cambodia's peak tourist season. Avoid March, April and May, the peak time for heat. Don't be scared off by the summer-through-fall rainy season. The rains typically occur only in late afternoon.

? Where to stay: A French non-profit organization has been helping Banteay Chhmar operate a homestay program. It provides for overnight accommodations, often in a guesthouse next door to the host family's home; meals; local culture performances; and an ox cart ride. Tour companies can book you. Or you make direct contact by emailing program co-ordinator Tath Sophal at: tathsophal@yahoo.com.

Being Mealea isn't really far enough from Siem Reap for an overnight. Koh Ker has guesthouse accommodations.

? For more information: The

official Cambodian tourism site is www.tourismcambodia.com

Cambodians still traumatized by legacy of Khmer Rouge

THE NEWS TRIBUNE
http://www.thenewstribune.com

Published: 07/10/09

KAMPONG SPEU, Cambodia — They started arriving before 8 a.m., middle-age men and women, poor rice farmers mostly — damaged survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime.

The Documentation Center of Cambodia, a private research organization that collects evidence of the Khmer Rouge regime that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, was bringing to this small provincial town a video projector and a DVD. It shows highlights of the current defendant’s testimony in the Khmer Rouge trial under way in Phnom Penh.

“I want to contribute to engaging the victims in the court process,” explained Youk Chhang, the center’s director. “Some Cambodians have moved on. But there are others who still suffer, and these are the ones we are targeting.”

That’s just who he got.

For an hour, about 75 people watched transfixed as Kaing Guek Eav, commander of S-21, the notorious prison/torture chamber where thousands of Cambodians died, described his crimes. He is better known as Duch, and he told how he supervised as his soldiers executed victims by whacking them on the back of the head with a hoe.

Duch is 66 now and looked directly at the judges with a calm and confident gaze, seeming to be the commander still, as he confessed to his terrible crimes, apologized and asked for forgiveness.

“I was given a directive to use a plastic bag to suffocate prisoners,” he acknowledged.

When the video excerpts ended, the room sat silent — stunned, it seemed. A documentation center official asked audience members to talk about what they had seen. The DVD was paused on a scene in which Duch seemed to be staring directly at the crowd with a stern, almost threatening, gaze.

The first woman who raised her hand took the microphone and promptly broke into tears. “Forgiveness is not acceptable,” she declared, wiping her eyes. “They killed my father and two older brothers.”

Next a middle-age man told of how six of his relatives died, and as he spoke his large brown eyes grew red and filled with tears. Still another man was choking up so that his words were hard to understand.

“I was a child, and I was starving,” he stammered. “They gave us no food, and sometimes I would fall down and pass out and then wake up again.” And so it went.

Cathartic? Perhaps. Injurious? Maybe.

The problem is, almost half the adult population of Cambodia, those over 35 or 40 years of age, shows symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a severe psychological condition that typically afflicts soldiers, but also civilians who live through trauma — like the horror here 30 years ago. And for them, psychiatric experts say, watching a video like the one these people saw is like poking a stick in a hornet’s nest. It triggers all of the symptoms: pain, rage — even violence.

One medical study of Cambodian refugees in Long Beach, Calif. — the nation’s largest concentration of Cambodians — found that 62 percent of the adults had PTSD. That and other studies found a generally dysfunctional population with high levels of alcoholism, drug use — and terrible violence.

Daryn Reicherter, a psychiatrist at Stanford University, served as a consultant to the Documentation Center here in the spring and came back concerned.

“There needs to be some medical follow-up with these people” after the show has ended, he insisted.

So far, the Documentation Center has trucked more than 10,000 villagers to Phnom Penh to see the trial — or brought DVD excerpts to show in their own villages. Youk Chhang understands the doctors’ concerns but points out that he is a researcher, not a treatment specialist. The government, he says, should provide any needed psychiatric services. But then, Cambodia has only about 26 psychiatrists in the entire nation.

Yim Choy, a 44-year-old farmer, shouted at the crowd, saying that he had been conscribed to a child-labor team. “I cannot forgive Duch,” he declared, his voice laced with bitter anger. “How can I when I saw him throw little boys against a tree?”

Afterward, he told me that, even now, he cannot talk about those times without growing angry. And yet he has a hard time keeping the thoughts out of his mind. He even dreams of the horrors — a hallmark of PTSD.

“I see myself with my hands tied behind me.” All of that makes him angrier still.

After watching scenes like this, Reicherter posed a rhetorical question: “Why is this important?”

“Children are growing up,” he explained, “with violent, PTSD parents who are drunk and beat them. That’s the generation that is coming.”

Joel Brinkley, a McClatchy Newspapers columnist, is a former Pulitzer Prize-winning foreign correspondent for The New York Times and now teaching at Stanford University. Contact him at jbrink@stanford.edu.

Nuke business in top gear in France on eve of PM's visit

The Hindu
http://www.hindu.com

Saturday, July 11, 2009

New Delhi (IANS) As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh goes to Paris on Monday, France is moving ahead rapidly to implement its bilateral civil nuclear pact with India. French company Areva is close to finalising a contract for two nuclear reactors to be set up in Maharashtra.

Paris is pulling out all stops to welcome Manmohan Singh, who will be the chief guest at France's National Day celebrations July 14 - the first foreign head of government to be accorded such an honour.

He is the first foreign leader to be chief guest at the Bastille Day parade, French envoy Jerome Bonnafont told reporters here Friday.

German President Horst Koehler and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, who will be in France on a bilateral visit, will also attend the colourful parade in which 400 Indian airmen will also participate.

In the past, several foreign leaders have attended the Bastille Day parade, but the Indian prime minister is the only one to be made chief guest, the envoy said.

The honour reciprocates India's gesture of inviting French President Nicolas Sarkozy as the guest of honour at the Republic Day parade. "It is a symbol of close cooperation between India and France," the envoy said.

"The participation of Indian armed forces in the parade is an occasion to commemorate Indian soldiers' participation on our sides and in our territory during the two world wars," the envoy said.

Mr. Sarkozy will host a working lunch for Mr. Manmohan Singh July 14 and hold talks on a range of bilateral and global issues, including terrorism, civil nuclear trade, climate change, defence ties and the global financial crisis.

Ahead of the visit, the French envoy on Thursday came out strongly in support of India's call for reform of the United Nations and backed India for a permanent seat in the Security Council.

As Mr. Manmohan Singh goes to Paris, French nuclear conglomerate Areva is discussing with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) the preparation of a contract for two advanced EPR nuclear reactors of 1,650 MW each. The reactors will be set up in Jaitapur in Maharashtra. The negotiations on issues relating to the contract, including the crucial civil liabilities in case of an accident, are in advanced stage, diplomatic sources said.

The bilateral nuclear cooperation pact, that was inked during Mr. Manmohan Singh's visit to Paris September 30 last year making France the first country to sign such an agreement, has already reached the Senate, upper chamber of the French parliament.

France has also indicated that it's ready to re-process spent fuel at a facility in its territory if India requested for it.

Interventions needed in Cambodia to reduce HIV transmission from wealthier urban men to their wives

http://www.aidsmap.com

Roger Pebody
Friday, July 10, 2009

A household survey in Cambodia found an HIV prevalence of 0.6%, and also found that infection was more common in urban areas and in wealthier households, researchers report in the July 17th edition of AIDS. A number of the findings support the hypothesis that the majority of infections in men are related to buying sex and that most women are infected by their husbands.

Previous monitoring of the HIV epidemic in Cambodia relied on surveys in specific groups, and suggested that prevalence was as high as 24% in injecting drug users, 21% in brothel-based sex workers, 5% in men who have sex with men, 2.5% in policemen, and 2.2% in pregnant women. These surveys did suggest that prevalence had been declining since 1998, but given weaknesses in the methodology, there was an urgent need to validate the estimates of the prevalence in the general population with a different approach.

The Cambodia Demography and Health Survey recruited a national representative sample of people aged 15 to 49 years from all parts of the country. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 6514 men and 8188 women. (More women than men were interviewed in order to collect more reliable data on other topics such as fertility and infant mortality.)

Interviewees also gave fingerprick blood samples for HIV antibody testing. They did not receive their test results, but were given information about free local HIV testing services.

HIV prevalence in the general population was lower than expected, at 0.6% for both men and women. However it was considerably higher in urban areas than in rural areas: 1.6% in urban men, but 0.4% in rural men, with similar figures for women. (Approximately 15% of the Cambodian population lives in urban areas.)

HIV infection was largely limited to people who were married or had previously been married. Even adjusting for age, the highest rates were in people who were divorced, separated or widowed (women in this group were 23 times more likely to be HIV-positive than single women). Moreover, because women tended to marry younger than men, infection was more common in women under the age of 29 than in men of the same age group.

Thirty per cent of women were at least five years younger than their spouses, and HIV prevalence depended on the age gap. Women who were at least ten years younger than their spouse were five times as likely to have HIV as women whose spouse was the same age.

While 0.3% of sexually active women reported having more than one partner in the past year, 17% of urban men and 8% of rural men did so. Around two-thirds of these men’s partners were sex workers. Men with multiple partners were four times as likely to have HIV as men who only had one partner.

Both men and women who scored high on a wealth index were more likely to have HIV than poorer people, with the relationship being strongest for men. Moreover, in urban areas, men with some education had higher HIV prevalence than those with no schooling, but the opposite relationship was seen for women.

The authors note that some other studies have identified links between HIV and wealth, rather than poverty. However they argue that the relationship can differ by sex. In Cambodia, the HIV epidemic is largely driven by sex work and male clients, and the survey confirmed that paid and extramarital sex are more common in men with higher socio-economic status. However, HIV in wealthier women is likely to be linked to the behaviour of husbands rather than women themselves.

Nonetheless, the authors do also suggest that educated women may have greater independence, economic power and ability to negotiate with their partners.

For at least ten years, prevention activities in Cambodia have intensively targeted sex workers and their clients with a focus on 100% condom use and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. The authors believe these programmes should be sustained, but call for additional interventions to reduce HIV transmission from husbands to wives. “Efforts to empower women for better access to information, education and care seem critically important,” they suggest.

References

Sopheab H et al. Distribution of HIV in Cambodia: findings from the first national population survey. AIDS 23:1389-1395, 2009.

Editor Apologizes to Hun Sen for Stories

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
10 July 2009

An opposition editor accused of publishing inciting articles apologized to the prime minister on Thursday, vowing to discontinue publication of his newspaper in a bid to avoid court and possible imprisonment.

“I understand my serious mistakes and have regret and very much remorse in my life,” Dam Sith, editor of Moneasekar Khmer, wrote in a letter to Hun Sen.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court has subpoenaed Dam Sith to appear in court July 14, “to answer charges by the government over defamation, insult, disinformation, incitement and the breakup of solidarity.”

In his letter, Dam Sith swore to discontinue publication of his newspaper.

“I will not publish Moneaksekar Khmer newspaper on receiving forgiveness from Samdech Akkak Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen,” Dam Sith wrote, using the full title of the prime minister and asking for help in being freed from charges in the court. “I would like to promise to support the win-win policy of [Hun Sen] in the construction of the nation toward progress.”

Long Dara, a government lawyer, said Dam Sith published 18 articles between February and May 2009 attacking government officials without fact. But he said the prime minister would now withdraw the case against him, having received the letter of apology.

“Samdech approved of the apology letter,” Long Dara said. “We have written to pull the lawsuit out of court.”

Dam Sith was jailed for two weeks in 2008 for publishing remarks by opposition leader Sam Rainsy that implicated Foreign Minister Hor Namhong in Khmer Rouge collaboration. He was freed when Hor Namhong dropped the suit against him.

His apology comes after another opposition journalist, Hang Chakra, received a yearlong prison sentence and $2,250 fine for articles he published in his Khmer Machach Srok newspaper, attacking senior officials for corruption.

Prior to that arrest, the National Assembly voted to strip the immunity of two Sam Rainsy Party lawmakers, Mu Sochua and Ho Vann, who are fighting defamation cases brought by Hun Sen and 22 senior military leaders, respectively.

Key Sectors Challenged by Downturn: UNDP

By Ros Sothea, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
10 July 2009

The world economic crisis is having a direct impact on four of Cambodia’s key economic drivers, which will need to become more competitive, according to a report released by UNDP this month.

Agriculture, construction, garments and tourism each face challenges from the economic downturn, and “Cambodia now needs to consolidate its progress, nurture its potential and sustain its growth,” the UNDP said in its report, “Cambodia Country Competitiveness: Driving Economic Growth and Poverty Reduction.”

“It is a unique opportunity right now,” Douglas Broaderick, the UNDP’s chief representative, told VOA Khmer. “Cambodia needs to get some of the things done that could set-up Cambodia to be stronger economically and to be able to help people in a much better way, in terms of competitiveness linked to economic growth.”

The agricultural sector, which generates a third of Cambodia’s GDP and employs more than half its workforce of 8 million people, suffers from low education in the rural work force, limited access to financing, poor roads and irrigation and limited market access, the report said.

The UNDP recommended the development of rural non-farm economies, such as roads, rural electrification, education and financial training, as well as better coordination between suppliers and manufacturers.

And while the cost of labor is a main motive for garment manufacturers to come into Cambodia, productivity remains lower than neighboring countries, the report said, citing as an example productivity that is three times lower than in Thailand.

The UNDP also recommended that the government re-examine its investment laws, to improve the manufacturing of textiles and garments, which comprised 12 percent of the GDP in 2007 and employed more than 360,000 people.

The sector lost 51,000 jobs between September 2008 and March 2009, as a global economic crisis, kindled by a US financial meltdown, spread. Around 70 factories have closed in that time.

The UNDP recommended training workers to begin producing goods higher in value, and to improve industrial relations.

Meanwhile, competitiveness in the tourism sector remains poor, ranking 112th of 130 countries at a recent World Economic Forum, due in part to high energy costs and expensive flights, as well as limited infrastructure and costs associated with corruption, the UNDP said.

Human resources in the sector remain low, and an uneven application of policies and rules plagues the sector.

“Rich cultural assets, such as Angkor Wat, give Cambodia a competitive advantage, but reliance on Angkor Wat as the primary tourist attraction cannot be sustained,” the report said.

The UNDP recommened relaxing tourist visa restrictions, exploring open sky policies and reducing the costs and improving the quality of tourism products.

In the construction sector, Cambodia has enjoyed an increase in both scale and value of projects, including high-rise apartment and office buildings currently under construction.

The country has the lowest wages for construction workers in Southeast Asia, but productivity is relatively low and there are shortages of labor to meet demands and of skilled workers, the report said.

Engineers and architects are overwhelmingly foreign, while electricians, welders, carpenters and other skilled workers are in short supply.

Added to these difficulties is the complicated constrution law, which means it takes an average 710 days for approval of construction permits—compared to 200 days in Vietnam and 150 days in Thailand.

Companies say they resort to paying bribes in order to shorten the time frame.

“The highly bureaucratic regulation of licensing in the construction sector may reduce its competitiveness,” the report said.

Cambodia is at the bottom 10 percent of countries in the World Bank’s corruption index, leading to a dearth of investment from the world’s largest industrialized countries, whose own national laws forbid participation in corrupt practices.

The UNDP recommended investments in vocational training, improvements to permit procedures and the strengthening and enforcement of building standards.

With the four key sectors flagging, costs remain high in information and communication technology, discouraging further investment.

Overall, the UNDP recommended putting more resources into education, as Cambodia lags behind its Southeast Asian neighbors, ranking lowest in the region.

Cheam Yiep, a Cambodian People’s Party lawmaker and head of the National Assembly’s finance commitee, said the UNDP’s analysis was “just partly true,” but he did not elaborate.

Still, the goverment will take the report’s findings under consideration, he said.

Duch Prison Survivor Describes Suicide Attempts

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
10 July 2009

A survivor of one of Duch’s Khmer Rouge prisons told the UN-backed tribunal Thursday she had often considered suicide during her incarceration, but in the end found no means by which to end her life.

Chim Meth, a 51-year-old former Khmer Rouge soldier who was detained in Prey Sar prison, one of three facilities operated by Duch, said on her second day of testimony she had discussed killing herself with friends in the prison and even tried to poison herself on one occasion.

“I could not resist the torture done to me, so I wanted to commit suicide,” she said. “I heard that the bark of a tree could gently kill a person, so I cut the bark and put it in water and drank it, but unfortunately I did not die.”

Duch, 66, whose real name is Kaing Kek Iev, is undergoing an atrocity crimes trial at the tribunal court, for his role as administrator of Prey Sar, torture center Tuol Sleng and the execution site of Choeung Ek, on the outskirts of the capital.

Chim Meth, who was beaten during 15 days of questioning, continued to find ways to end her life, but the prison was bare of such implements.

“I looked for anything in jail to kill myself, but I couldn’t find anything, because prison security never kept anything in the jail, such as a stick or krama,” she said. “One day I abandoned my goal to commit suicide, because there was one woman who told me that our lives are valuable and we should try to live for the future.”

Under the Khmer Rouge, more than 2 million people died from overwork, privation and execution, as the ultra-Maoist rebels exacted an overhaul of Cambodian society.

Chim Meth appealed to the court to find justice for her parents and others who died under the regime.

Given a chance to respond to the testimony, Duch said he would not address remarks of a psychological nature. He was in court to respond to crimes under the rule of law, he said.

Despite Woes, Tribunal Seen Helping Justice System

By VOA Khmer, Sothearith Im
Original report from Washington
10 July 2009

Allegations of corruption aside, experts say the Khmer Rouge tribunal will help set a standard for Cambodia’s common justice system, while setting an example for international courts in the future.

Cambodia’s judicial system is widely seen as politically biased and corrupt, but as the UN-backed tribunal continues to try former leaders of the regime, it can serve as a model to the everyday courts and police.

“The tribunal has an impact beyond its own life,” said Gregory Stanton, president of Genocide Watch and the International Association of Genocide Scholars. “In other words, the judges who are Cambodian judges who are part of it will carry the experience into the future.”

The hybrid tribunal consists of UN- and nationally appointed staffs in the offices of prosecution and investigation and the Pre-Trial and Trial chambers of the court.

The so-called jurists have not seen eye-to-eye on every issue, and the prosecution office will lose its top UN jurist, Robert Petit, whose proposal to indict more leaders of the regime has met resistance from his Cambodian counterpart, Chea Leang.

The Khmer Rouge tribunal has also been dogged by allegations of mismanagement and corruption, and from Cambodian staff members who say they have had to pay kickbacks to senior government officials for their jobs.

In some way, however, the tribunal will create “a very good precedent” for future courts, Stanton told VOA Khmer in a recent interview.

“The trouble with international tribunals is they leave no legacy, whereas with a mixed tribunal like this one, it leaves a legacy in the country,” he said.

Alex Hinton​​​​ is director of center for the Studies of Genocide and Human Rights at Rutgers University. An expert on Khmer Rouge atrocities, he has been closely watching the tribunal.

One of the most important aspects of the tribunal is its structure and the way it applies international law, which will be watched by many different observers, Hinton said in an interview.

“I’ve talked to judges who say this, [that] watching, sort of, how the international system works, how the rule of law is applied according to international standards, is something that, hopefully, will be a legacy, that judges who are involved in this, people who are involved in this, [and] law school students who are attending the trial will watch how this works, and that will have a long term impact,” he said.

In conceiving of a hybrid system that also allows the participation of civil parties—victims of the regime who can file suit alongside criminal proceedings— the Cambodian tribunal could be emulated by other courts, he said.

“The court, in terms of civil party rights and civil party presence, that’s another area where it’s really cutting-edge, in terms of making the international law where the civil parties are in the court room been represented, sitting alongside with prosecution,” Hinton said. “Never before have they had rights like they are having with this tribunal.”

Youk Chhang, director of Documentation Center of Cambodia, has similar views.

The tribunal has four noteworthy characteristics, he said: it is being undertaken with participation of people in the country were atrocity crimes were committed, provides international justice with a lower price tag, has made the arrest of suspects easier, and has witnesses and evidence close at hand.

“This court is special, as it is a foundation for a country that suffered from genocide to establish the rule of law, to reconcile, to teach students about the genocide, to create dialogue, and to encourage freedom of expression,” he said. “The court provides a higher standard of justice for the current Cambodian courts to follow.”

The tribunal will also leave materials, tools and resources as its legacy, which will help strengthen Cambodia’s own judicial system in the future, he said.

Mong Mony Chakriya, a Supreme Court judge with extensive experience in Cambodia’s system, said he hoped the tribunal would benefit Cambodia a great deal, beyond the prosecution of Khmer Rouge leaders.

“The establishment of [the tribunal] benefits our justice system,” he said. “In our society, people get justice, and those who work with international experts receive good experience in establishing our court system and our legal system in the future.”

Hun Sen Leaves for Official French Visit

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
10 July 2009

Prime Minister Hun Sen left for France on Thursday, to participate in a five-day official visit at the invitation of French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

This is the first visit of the prime minister to France under his third mandate, following elections in July 2008, and is meant “to strengthen bilateral cooperation,” according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Koy Kuong.

Hun Sen will also meet his French counterpart, Francois Fillon, and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Koy Kuong said.

Hun Sen said in public remarks ahead of his departure he would meet with Sarkozy on July 13 and participate in France’s National Day, or Bastille Day, July 14.

He will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.

France is one of the most important donors to Cambodia, contributing around $25 million annually in aid.

Laurant Le Marchand, first secretary of French Embassy, said France assists especially in judicial reform, the rule of law, gendarmerie training and continued support for the Khmer Rouge tribunal.

CAMBODIA: "Floating toilets" offer hope for river communities

http://www.alertnet.org

10 Jul 2009

Source: IRIN

Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.

PHNOM PENH, 10 July 2009 (IRIN) - A toilet now in the development stage could improve the health of thousands living in Cambodia's impoverished river communities.

River communities' homes are typically built on floating platforms and moved seasonally, and rarely have proper latrines. Occupants use the river – the same water they use for drinking, cooking and washing.

The health risks are high: according to Resource Development International–Cambodia [see: http://www.rdic.org/home.htm] , a faith-based NGO, 74 percent of all deaths are due to waterborne diseases, including diarrhoea.

Cambodia has one of the highest infant and under-five mortality rates in the region, at 97 and 141 per 1,000 live births, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports.

Many rural Cambodians see latrines as filthy, preferring open defecation as being more natural.

"It's not a poverty issue. Some wealthy people in the countryside don't have good sanitation, and some poor families do have it," Chea Samnan, director of rural healthcare for the Ministry of Rural Development, said. "It's an issue of access to the right information."

As part of its "River of Life" profect, Lien Aid [see: http://www.lienaid.org/home] , a Singaporean-based NGO, is working on what it describes as a "floating toilet". The toilets - built on floating platforms and attached to homes – will effectively prevent faeces from entering the water.

"We are still in the preliminary stages of testing out the prototypes," Sahari Ani, Lien Aid's head, told IRIN.

Eco-sanitation design

The device has three components - a superstructure, a urine diversion pan, and a space for a removable bucket or container for waste material.

Central to the design is the pan itself, effectively separating urine from faeces. A separate section of the pan allows for anal washing.

Materials such as dry soil, ash and wood chips can be added to excreta, thereby reducing odour and pathogens, while cutting the volume of waste.

The semi-decomposed faeces is then treated at a secondary storage chamber for complete decomposition and pathogen destruction, while the nutrient-heavy urine could be used as fertilizer after removal.

Commenting on the merits of the pan, Judy Hagan, project manager of a different operator, the Tonle Sap Floating Latrine Design Project, said separating the two waste materials reduced the bulk and mass of the faeces that needed to be treated, making it more viable in a floating environment.

Key challenges

But introducing such concepts in a country like Cambodia will not be easy.

As floating river communities exist only in Cambodia and a handful of other Asian nations, latrines designed specifically for their needs are rare and expensive.

Added to this is the country's lack of qualified engineers, poor sanitation infrastructure and low level of hygiene awareness.

"The more difficult challenge is to help the community build up the human resources necessary to make the venture financially sustainable over the long term," Sahari Ani said.

According to the World Bank, only 16 percent of rural Cambodians have a proper toilet, the lowest level in Southeast Asia.

Moreover, despite the country's abundant freshwater rivers and lakes, 60 percent of its population do not have access to safe water and 85 percent are without adequate sanitation, Lien Aid stated.

Cost effectiveness

While an exact price for the device is still being determined, the NGO hopes costs can be kept to a minimum, with families possibly purchasing building material in bulk to keep down costs.

One-third of Cambodians live on less than US$0.50 a day, according to government statistics, making cost a significant factor.

"We will still try to keep costs down by exploring the use of [local] materials and by encouraging local entrepreneurs to manufacture the required parts," Lien Aid's head explained.

Although fairly new, villagers in Cambodia have already been learning how to construct cheaper latrines for as little as $15 each from the community-led total sanitation programme, started in 2005 by UNICEF and Cambodia's Ministry of Rural Development.

And while not of the floating toilet type, the self-built, cost-effective latrines could provide further impetus to the floating toilet prototype once their use becomes more widespread.