Music festival lights up

PHOTO: SENSI CREATIONS

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:00 POST STAFF

Kong Piseth, singer and guitarist with homegrown band Phos Phore, performing onstage at the Wave Music Festival 2009 on Saturday night. Phos Phore and fellow Cambodian rock outfit Cartoon Plus kicked off the two-day full-moon festival at The Airport Club, Victory Beach, Sihanoukville. The rock concert vibe transformed into a hardcore dance club later in the night as DJs took over, with locals and expats alike enjoying a moonlit beach dancefloor, state-of-the-art laser light show and frenetic tunes.

Locals go 2-1 in Om Tuk card

Photo by: ROBERT STARKWEATHER

Nuon Soriya, in red, commanded the early rounds but faded down the stretch against Yukiya Nakamura of Japan.

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HERE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE FIGHTING ALONE. YOU JUST WANT TO GET IT OVER WITH.
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(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:00 Robert Starkweather

Cambodian kickboxing legend Nuon Soriya comes up short against Japan’s Yukiya Nakamura; Bheut Kam, Thun Sophea both score decisive victories

THE cut on Harlee Avison’s nose was still fresh when he entered the ring Friday night against Bheut Kam. The stitches had come out just days earlier.

The gash gave Bheut Kam a target, and within seconds of the opening bell he whipped Avison’s head back with a straight left hand flush to the nose.

Nearly 1,500 enthusiastic Kun Khmer fans packed Old Stadium on Friday night for TV5’s annual Bon Om Tuk fight card, which this year included three international and five local bouts.

In the international features, Thun Sophea smashed Muhammed Nsugbuga of Uganda with low kicks to score an effortless first-round TKO, Nuon Soriya lost by majority decision to Yukiya Nakamura of Japan and Bheut Kam beat Harlee Avison by unanimous decision.

“Shit fight,” said Avison afterwards, the sting of defeat unmistakable on his face.

The 18-year-old from Cairns, Australia, trains out of Promthep Camp in Phuket, Thailand.

He typically fights with his father Wayne and his uncle Danny working the corner.

But Harlee flew to Cambodia with only Thai fight promoters, and the men in his corner Friday night were practically strangers.

Without his family for support, the young Avison said he struggled.

“You’re a bit more motivated, a bit more enthusiastic with friends and family in the corner,” he said.

“Here you feel like you’re fighting alone. You just want to get it over with.”

Encouraged by Avison’s lackluster performance, Bheut Kam, 22, put on a kickboxing clinic, scoring easily with hard punches to the body and vicious elbows.

Photo by: ROBERT STARKWEATHER

Thun Sophea eyes an envelope filled with 10 crisp $100 bills given by Hun Sen.

By round five, he was landing five- and six-punch combinations unanswered and egging Avison on.

The Australian occasionally showed hints of power, and he shook Bheut Kam a few times with strong kicks.

He never appeared in any trouble, even after taking some incredibly hard elbows.

But he just never worked enough to be competitive in the fight.

“I could have kicked more, could have kneed more,” he conceded.

In the second co-feature of the night, 21-year-old Yukiya Nakamura of Tokyo came on strong in rounds four and five to steal the decision from Nuon Soriya, who had dominated rounds one, two and three.

“I did not think I could lose,” said Nuon Soriya, the 29-year-old veteran, afterward.

“I won rounds one, two, three and four.”

Of the five ringside judges, only one scored the fight in favor of Nuon Soriya, who while commanding the first three rounds, began to visibly tire in the fourth and appeared absolutely exhausted in the fifth.

In the third co-feature, Thun Sopea dismissed a badly overmatched Muhammad Nsubuga with low kicks, scoring three knockdowns in less than 90 seconds of the first round.

“I could feel the pain,” said Nsubuga afterward, poking gingerly at his left hamstring. “I thought it was going to break.”

Nsubuga, predominantly an English boxer, took the fight on short notice.

He was filling in for a Russian fighter listed only as “Mitery”, who did not appear for unspecified reasons.

Thun Sophea himself was filling in for Sen Bunthen, who was out of the country.

In the five local matches, Mtes Kmang drew against Rith Kao, Khan Sovan beat Lim Bunna on points, Chim Sarath dropped a decision to Cheng Rithy, Sarim Vonthon outpointed Bheut Bunthoeun and Les Tuk earned a decision over Him Saram.

Prime Minister Hun Sen gave US$1,000 to each fighter in the international bouts and $500 to the 10 local fighters on the undercard.

Football: Under 23s suffer minor setback

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:00 Andy Brouwer

The Cambodian Under-23s suffered a minor setback in their Ho Chi Minh City-based preparations for next week’s four-team BIDC Cup competition, to be played at the Olympic Stadium. On Sunday, the U23s lost their latest practice match 4-1 to Can Tho, who have just finished 3rd in Division I of the Vietnamese League. National coach Scott O’Donell reported: ‘‘We had a very positive first half which finished 1-1, with Kuoch Sokumpheak scoring after good work by Chan Chhaya. I made seven changes in the second half, and we conceded three very soft goals. … We will play Can Tho again on Wednesday evening and will be looking at a big turnaround.’’ Injuries have blighted O’Donell’s team selection ... and he’s been unable to field his strongest line-up.

Police Blotter: 04 Nov 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:02 Chhay Channyda

Philanderer hangs self, leaves note

A 24-year-old man hanged himself on Monday in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district after his wife caught him cheating. Police said that the man had brought another woman to his home for an adulterous romp on Sunday when his wife was away. However, his wife returned and caught the two lovers together before chasing the other woman away. After his wife stormed out, the man took a cotton scarf and hanged himself from a pillar. He left a note reading, “Goodbye, with regret”.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

Brother arrested after eatery brawl

The brother of a Phnom Penh restaurateur is facing charges after allegedly shooting a man in the ear Sunday. The violence was sparked after the suspect’s restaurant-owner brother was struck when attempting to intervene in a fight during a birthday party at his eatery. Angry that his brother was hit, the suspect reportedly shot the victim in the ear, leaving the 20-year-old seriously wounded. The suspect was arrested and sent to court. RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

Coconut seller found dead in home

Questions surround the death of a 35-year-old coconut vendor who hanged himself for unknown reasons on Sunday in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district. A neighbour guessed that the man may have suffered from a mental illness because the victim had told him the night before committing suicide that he was being hunted by the police and feared for his life. The victim was also seen anxiously pacing in and out of his home and talking to himself, said the neighbour, who found him dead in the morning.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

Couple accused of killing stepson

A man and a woman in Kampong Chhnang province are facing charges on suspicion of killing their 3-year-old stepson. The couple has denied the charges, but police say the stepfather, 31, threw the child against the wall then hit him repeatedly with an ice cooler because he would not fall asleep. Police say the man and his wife then attempted to bury the body at a local pagoda after the Thursday incident, but were stopped by a group of villagers who intervened and then contacted police.

KOH SANTEPHEAP

Gas station robbed of money, jewellery

Police are looking for six men who robbed a Siem Reap petrol station at gunpoint Sunday. Police say the bandits made off with US$4,000 and jewellery after threatening the gas station owners with AK-47s. Police said that the suspects pulled up to the station and pretended to fuel up their car. Instead, the suspects allegedly pulled out four rifles and pointed them directly at the owner, demanding that the man’s wife hand over the goods.

KOH SANTEPHEAP

The Phnom Penh Post News in Brief

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

In Brief: Maybank to offer yuan

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:00 POST STAFF

KUALA Lumpur-based Maybank has announced that it will offer yuan trade settlements at its regional branches, which include Cambodia, following Beijing’s easing of trade in the Chinese currency. In a Monday announcement, the bank – which first opened in the Kingdom in 1993 – said it expected the new services in yuan to benefit ASEAN-based firms trading with the 365 Mainland Designated Enterprises permitted to settle in yuan as a dollar alternative. However, given the dollarised nature of Cambodia’s economy it remains unclear whether domestic firms will choose to settle trade in the Chinese currency.

In Brief: World Bank Asia report

Wednesday, 04 November 2009 15:00 Steve Finch

THE Washington-based World Bank will today launch its semiannual assessment of the Asia-Pacific’s economic performance, it said in an announcement, which will focus on the effect that China has had in promoting recovery in the region. The report will note, however, that Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand are all tipped to see GDP contract this year. The World Bank in April predicted the Kingdom would see the largest reversal in economic output in the whole region between 2007 and 2009 at 11.2 percent, predicting a 1 percent contraction in GDP for this year.

Former Thai PM to Visit His 'Brother' Than Shwe

Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh (Source: nationmultimedia.com)

By LAWI WENG

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

The chairman of Thailand’s opposition Puea Thai Party, Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, is to visit Burma this month amid warnings from the Democrat-led Bangkok government not to do anything that would complicate relations with Naypyidaw.

Chavalit’s visit to Burma follows a controversial trip he made recently to Cambodia, where Prime Minister Hun Sen told him Thailand’s fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra would be welcome to live there, safe from extradition.

The Bangkok English language daily Bangkok Post quoted Chavalit as saying he would meet junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe and Prime Minister Gen Thein Sein, both of whom he admired. “"Gen Than Shwe and I are like brothers to each other,” he was quoted as saying. “As for Gen Thein Sein, we are each other's fans.”

Chavalit is a former Thai Prime Minister who worked to end Burma’s isolation in the international community after the violent suppression of the uprising in Burma in 1988. He was involved in business deals with the Burmese junta in timber, fishing and hotel construction.

On his second visit to Burma in 1989 Chavalit agreed to repatriate student activists who fled to Thailand after the crackdown.

In another controversial move recently, Chavalit said the current Thai government was wrong to condemn the Burmese junta over opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest.

The Puea Thai Party said Chavalit would be going to Burma and, later on, to Malaysia “to mend fences with neighboring countries.”

Democrat Party spokesman Buranat Samutarak warned Gen Chavalit, however, to avoid taking any steps which could complicate Thailand’s relations with two of its closest neighbors.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee, a senior reporter with the Bangkok English language daily The Nation, told The Irrawaddy on Monday: “Perhaps he [Chavalit] just simply wants on this trip to discredit the Thai government for its failure to solve any problem in Burma.” Chavalit couldn’t solve Burma’s problems, either, Supalak said.

Visiting of neighboring countries by opposition chairman may cause trouble: Thai deputy PM

http://www.chinaview.cn/

2009-11-03

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

BANGKOK, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said Tuesday it is possible that visits of neighboring countries by the chairman of the opposition may cause trouble to the government.

General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, chairman of the leading opposition Puea Thai Party, earlier said he has planned to visit neighboring countries, including Myanmar.

It is normal that General Chavalit, who was the former Thai premier, has had good relationships with the neighboring countries, Thai News Agency quote Suthep as saying.

However, Suthep, who is in charge of security affairs, has conceded that General Chavalit's visits may cause trouble to the coalition government, if he will say something, which will lead to confusion.

"The government will use all facts as tool to discuss with the neighboring countries, hence, whatever General Chavalit will say, I have insisted I will speak the truth (to clarify to the neighboring countries)," Suthep said.

In October, General Chavalit visited Cambodia and met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Hun Sen earlier had said that ousted former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra could be in Cambodia as his guest and he would provide a residence for him.

Thaksin was ousted by the military coup in September, 2006, in accusation of corruption, and has been kept in exile since then.

He returned to Thailand in February, 2008 to face corruption charges, but he later fled into exile again and was convicted in absentia.

Editor: Anne Tang

Storm kills at least 40 in Vietnam: official

Flooded houses in the central Vietnamese province of Binh Dinh

(AFP)

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

HANOI — Tropical storm Mirinae, which hit the Philippines as a deadly typhoon at the weekend, killed at least 40 people and left 11 missing in Vietnam, a national disaster official said Tuesday.

Mirinae was downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical depression before it hit communist Vietnam's central coastal areas on Monday.

"Most of the victims were because of serious floods that hit the provinces of Phu Yen, Binh Dinh and Gia Lai in particular," the official said.

Fifty-nine people were reported as injured so far, the official added.

The national disaster committee's earlier toll was four dead and two missing.

According to the committee, up to 338 millimetres (13 inches) of rain fell in Vietnam's central regions. The storm damaged or destroyed an estimated 2,600 houses and flooded some 1,800 hectares (4,400 acres) of farmland.

"Rain is not very heavy now but several areas in our province are seriously flooded," official Nguyen Xuan Phu of Binh Dinh province told AFP earlier on Tuesday.

State television showed people stuck on their roofs, waving for help from local emergency workers in Phu Yen, and rescuers trying to take children and old people to higher areas.

Vietnam's coastal provinces had evacuated more than 50,000 people before the storm hit Monday night but some residents were still trapped by flooding Tuesday, the disaster committee said.

Mirinae also killed two people in Vietnam's neighbour Cambodia and left 19 people dead and three missing in the Philippines.

The Philippine National Disaster Coordinating Council said the deaths were due mostly to drowning and occurred in suburban areas just south of Manila and in two eastern provinces.

Three other people are missing primarily due to flash floods, the council said. Almost 16,000 people are still in evacuation centres three days after the typhoon hit.

Floodwaters remain waist-deep or higher in Laguna province south of Manila and in Pangasinan to the north, after Mirinae dumped more rain on areas already inundated by two previous deadly storms.

Vietnam and the Philippines are frequently hit by tropical storms and flooding with both hit hard by Typhoon Ketsana in September.

Ketsana inflicted one of Vietnam's worst disasters in recent years, leaving a death toll of more than 160 and hundreds injured.

It caused devastating floods, inundating hundreds of thousands of homes and damaging tens of thousands of hectares of rice and other cropland.

The typhoon affected 14 provinces but about half the deaths happened in just two areas: the central fishing province of Quang Ngai and mountainous Kon Tum.

Carter To Visit Habitat for Humanity Homes

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer

Original report from Phnom Penh

03 November 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Former US president Jimmy Carter is expected to visit Cambodia later this month, to tour the worksite of 21 houses by Habitat for Humanity, in Kandal province.

Carter, who is also a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, will undertake a weeklong visit of Mekong River countries, including Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

“Every year since 1984 the former US president has spent one week volunteering with Habitat for Humanity somewhere in the world,” spokeswoman Melissa Cronin said. “And this year it’s very special because they are going to do the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter work project in five countries at one time, including Cambodia. So he is coming to visit the volunteers, meet the home owner and tour the build site in Oudong where the project took place.”

From Nov. 16 through Nov. 20, Carter, along with the former first lady, Rosalynn, and 3,000 volunteers, will build and repair 166 homes for the poor, including those in Cambodia.

“In an area of the world where many people live in deplorable conditions, we have a chance to help families improve their housing,” Carter said in a statement Monday.

Private Companies Prepare To Enter Stock Exchange

By Ros Sothea, VOA Khmer

Original report from Phnom Penh

03 November 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

At least eight private companies are prepared to enter Cambodia’s nascent stock exchange, some as soon as it opens and others a few years down the road.

Thy Khemara, a research analyst for Tong Yang Security, which is preparing private companies and state enterprises for the bourse, said at least two or three companies will be ready when the exchange opens, while five or six others “would be able to do so after the stock exchange is running for a few years.”

More than 70 companies met in Phnom Penh last week to study the processes of a bond market, including the banks Cambodia Public, Acleda, First Commercial, Maruhan Japan, Vattanak and OSK Indochina; the micro-lenders Amret and Hatha Kakekar; and Camintel and Forte Insurance.

Chhun Sambath, a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia, declined to disclose the names of the companies that plan to list on the exchange, but he said those who had attended last Wednesday’s meeting were close to being able to join.

“These companies are all potential companies, meaning they are able to issue bonds,” he said. “Now they are preparing and working with the SECC. To sum up, we have enough companies to run our market if we establish it in the upcoming time.”

Ly Tay Seng, CEO of ABS and Consultants, said his firm was working with two foreign banks in Cambodia on security regulations.

Cambodia plans to establish its securities market in December, and government officials have been struggling to meet the deadline. Three state-owned companies, Telecom Cambodia, the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority and the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, are expected to be the first to join the stock market.

It remains to be seen which private companies will immediately join.

Sok Sophal, chief of securities and investment for Acleda Bank, said the company intends to one day list on the stock market and has created an internal securities team.

The bank will watch how credit grows when the stock market is established and determine whether it needs more capital, he said. “If the credit grows fast, we will consider whether we should sell equities or bonds,” he added.

Cheong Kin Soon, senior manager of OSK Indochina Bank, said his company has made a priority of joining the securities market.

Listed companies will be able to sell equities and bonds, but not before an independent securities evaluation agency determines the strength of the companies, Chhun Sambath said.

No such agency currently exists in Cambodia, he said.

Spirit of Tribunal Honors Victims: Official

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer

Washington

03 November 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

The head representative of the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s Victims Unit said Monday the role of the court was not only to find justice, but to heal and unify the country.

“In the spirit of healing and national reconciliation in any country, such as this kind of court, [judges] will not do what contradicts this main spirit, at all,” said Neou Kassie, head of the Victims Unit, as a guest on “Hello VOA.” “Once turmoil again occurs, the innocents suffer, and that’s not the direction of national reconciliation.”

The spirit of the tribunal is to conduct practical trials with international standards, to bring the top leaders of the Khmer Rouge to justice, he said.

Victim outreach is also an important component of the UN-backed court, he said, with news reaching people by TV, radio and other media, to help them understand the process and follow the proceedings.

Still, there has not been a consensus among more than 90 civil party complaint groups as to what kind of general compensation they may seek in the case against former prison chief Kaing Kek Iev, or Duch, whose trial is wrapping up.

Some want rural development, while others want psychological clinics, and still others a research center, he said. And while compensation is going to be up to the court, a strong request would help.

“They need to make the decision together,” Neou Kassie said. “Otherwise their request is not strong.”

Opposition Accused of Border Post Destruction

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer

Original report from Phnom Penh

03 November 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

The opposition Sam Rainsy Party will face yet another lawsuit, for the destruction of boundary demarcations on the Vietnam border.

Authorities of Chan Trea district, Svay Rieng province, say party leader Sam Rainsy colluded with local villagers to rip border markings out of the ground last week, officials said Monday.

The suit would bring to three the number of cases against the opposition in recent months, including Prime Minister Hun Sen’s defamation suit against lawmaker Mu Sochua, and a similar suit brought by 22 military officials against lawmaker Ho Vann.

The lawsuit stems from an Oct. 25 Katina ceremony, led by Sam Rainsy, in Samrong commune, Chantrea district. At the end of the ceremony, villagers showed gathered officials six boundary posts reportedly planted in their own rice fields, indicating incursion, officials said.

Sam Rainsy then said the markers should be removed, after which villagers pulled them up.

“The complaint has been filed for destruction of public property,” said the party’s Svay Rieng provincial deputy chief, Meas Kheng.

District Governor Chea Yieng confirmed a complaint had been filed but declined to give details, saying only it had to do with boundary markers and not the Katina ceremony.

Cambodia and Vietnam agreed in 2005 to finalized border demarcation, in a bid to end decades of disputes on a nationally sensitive topic. However, border activists have continued to protest the alleged incursion by Vietnamese into Cambodian territory.

“If there is a complaint, it would be another concern, after Mu Sochua and Ho Vann,” said Am Sam Ath, an investigator for the rights group Licadho.

Judge Korm Chhean, president of Svay Rieng’s court, said he had not yet seen a complaint.

Water Festival Wraps Up in Capital

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer

Original report from Phnom Penh

03 November 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

Phnom Penh wrapped up its annual Water Festival Tuesday, with at least 18 of nearly 400 racing boats sunk and one Kampong Cham province boatman missing after his craft capsized Monday.

The yearly festival, which features races, a lighted flotilla and millions of spectators, celebrates the defeat of a Cham naval force by an Angkorian fleet.

The festival is also a time when Cambodians give thanks to the waters of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers, which meet in front of Phnom Penh. It is the most popular of all Cambodia’s annual festivals.

Touch Naroth, chief of Phnom Penh police, said authorities met no big surprises with the crowds this year, although some concerts were suspended because of rain.

China sentences notorious gang 'godmother'

Xie Caiping, left, and other gangster suspects stand trial at the Chongqing No.5 Intermediate People's Court in Chongqing, China, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009. The woman called the 'godmother' of a mafia-style gang in China's southern city of Chongqing was sentenced to 18 years in prison Tuesday for running underground casinos and bribing government officials. (AP Photo)

By TINI TRAN, Associated Press Writer

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

BEIJING – Dubbed the "godmother" of the Chinese underworld, she was notorious for her toughness and a lavish lifestyle that reportedly included luxury villas and a stable of 16 young lovers.

Her criminal reign ended Tuesday when Xie Caiping, 46, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for running illegal casinos and bribing government officials. Her trial was one of a series of gang prosecutions in the southwestern city of Chongqing that have featured lurid testimony about sex, corruption and the violent underworld.

Xie is the only female gang boss to be tried as part of a monthslong crackdown on local gangs, known as "black societies," in the sprawling southwestern megacity of 30 million. The trials have exposed the tangled web of links between government officials and police officers who sought to provide cover for the crime syndicates.

Besides her luxury homes, Xie reportedly enjoyed her own Mercedes-Benz and "retained 16 young men for personal entertainment," local media reported. On Tuesday, her driver Luo Xuan, 29, who was also her lover, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail for his role.

Wearing an inmate-assigned vest of bright orange, the short-haired and plain-faced Xie was grim and emotionless as she was led out of the No. 5 Intermediate People's Court after the sentencing.

Xie had been protected for years because she was the sister-in-law of the city's long-serving deputy police chief, Wen Qiang, who was detained for investigation by the ruling Communist Party in August. Wen, who is regarded as being at the heart of an extensive network of protection of local gangs for over a decade, will go on trial later in the month.

Xie once absconded with a suitcase full of money after being tipped off by Wen before a police raid on one of her gambling dens, according to a local newspaper. Last year, she hired gang members to beat an undercover police officer unconscious, put him in a bag and dump him in the countryside.

During the trial, Xie's profanity-laced testimony drew a rebuke from the judge. Victims who had been terrorized by the gangs waited patiently for Tuesday's sentencing.

Xie was convicted of "organizing and leading a criminal organization, running gambling dens, illegal imprisonment, harboring people taking illegal narcotics and giving bribes to officials," the official Xinhua News Agency reported. She was also fined 1.02 million yuan (about $150,000).

Chen Yanling, a Chongqing resident who says she was beaten by thugs after refusing a corrupt policeman's request to turn her teahouse into a casino, said she and other victims waited outside the court for the verdict. But they were angered by Xie's sentencing, with some people refusing to leave until police escorted them away.

"We didn't believe our ears when we first heard it's just 18 years. How many crimes has she committed?" Chen said.

The crackdown in Chongqing has netted some 1,500 suspects — gangsters, prominent businessmen and 14 high-ranking officials. Six gang members in the city have already been sentenced to death for crimes including murder and blackmail.

On Tuesday, 20 others, including officials who offered protection to gang members, were sentenced to between one and 13 years in prison, according to a notice on the Chongqing court Web site.

The court notice said Xie's gang "severely broke the normal order of society," and illegally detained others and allowed loan sharking at the casinos. The casino took a cut of the profits won by gamblers, the notice said. It said casino bosses hired stand-ins to take the blame when there was a crackdown and paid bribes to judicial officials.

Since September 2004, it said, Xie's gang had made 2 million yuan ($293,000) in illegal earnings by running more than 10 gambling dens.

Storm kills 40 in Vietnam

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/

From correspondents in Hanoi | November 04, 2009

Article from: Agence France-Presse

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

TROPICAL storm Mirinae, which hit the Philippines as a deadly typhoon at the weekend, killed at least 40 people and left 11 missing in Vietnam, a national disaster official said today.

Mirinae was downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical depression before it hit communist Vietnam's central coastal areas yesterday.

"Most of the victims were because of serious floods that hit the provinces of Phu Yen, Binh Dinh and Gia Lai in particular," the official said.

Fifty-nine people were reported as injured so far, the official said.

The national disaster committee's earlier toll was four dead and two missing.

According to the committee, up to 340 millimetres of rain fell in Vietnam's central regions. The storm damaged or destroyed an estimated 2600 houses and flooded some 1800 hectares of farmland.

"Rain is not very heavy now but several areas in our province are seriously flooded," official Nguyen Xuan Phu of Binh Dinh province said yesterday.

State television showed people stuck on their roofs, waving for help from local emergency workers in Phu Yen, and rescuers trying to take children and old people to higher areas.

Vietnam's coastal provinces had evacuated more than 50,000 people before the storm hit yesterday but some residents were still trapped by flooding Tuesday, the disaster committee said.

Mirinae also killed two people in Vietnam's neighbour Cambodia and left 19 people dead and three missing in the Philippines.

The Philippine National Disaster Coordinating Council said the deaths were due mostly to drowning and occurred in suburban areas just south of Manila and in two eastern provinces.

Three other people are missing primarily due to flash floods, the council said. Almost 16,000 people are still in evacuation centres three days after the typhoon hit.

Floodwaters remain waist-deep or higher in Laguna province south of Manila and in Pangasinan to the north, after Mirinae dumped more rain on areas already inundated by two previous deadly storms.

Vietnam and the Philippines are frequently hit by tropical storms and flooding with both hit hard by Typhoon Ketsana in September.

Ketsana inflicted one of Vietnam's worst disasters in recent years, leaving a death toll of more than 160 and hundreds injured.

It caused devastating floods, inundating hundreds of thousands of homes and damaging tens of thousands of hectares of rice and other cropland.

The typhoon affected 14 provinces but about half the deaths happened in just two areas: the central fishing province of Quang Ngai and mountainous Kon Tum.

'Use Thai-VN model with Cambodia' on oil

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/

By Watcharapong Thongrung

The Nation

Published on November 4, 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

The Mineral Fuels Department says Thailand and Vietnam's solution for the problem of overlapping sea territory is also best for a similar problem between the Kingdom and Cambodia regarding oil and gas exploration.

Director-general Kurujit Nakornthap said the model would benefit Cambodia more than other solutions would.

Thailand and Vietnam agreed to divide the overlapping area, with Thailand owning 67 per cent and Vietnam 33 per cent.

Kurujit said with a similar division between Thailand and Cambodia, the latter could enter into joint-venture agreements with private concessionaires and gain full technology transfers from them on its own without needing to discuss the matter with Thailand.

Thailand also solved a similar problem with Malaysia by setting up a joint juristic organisation to develop the entire area and share the benefits evenly. That area has been found to contain natural-gas reserves of 10 trillion cubic feet.

Kurujit said the problem of the overlapping territory between Thailand and Cambodia, amounting to 26,000 square kilometres, should be resolved quickly, as that would afford benefits to both countries in terms of gas-field development.

If the problem is prolonged indefinitely, both countries would lose business opportunities if other sources of energy, such as wind and solar power, became popular and inexpensive to produce in the interim. This would make the value of Thailand's existing but as-yet-untapped natural resources decline.

Thailand has already set up a committee led by Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban to solve this problem, but the two countries have yet to reach a conclusion. Meanwhile, neither one can allow companies holding concessions for oil and gas exploration in the area to operate.

Thailand granted rights to private companies to explore in the area in 1971, but a 1975 Cabinet resolution suspended exploration after learning it overlapped with Cambodia's territory.

Cambodia has also granted exploration rights to private companies, including Total.

Cambodian Mobile Customer Base Will Grow To Almost 6.23mn At The End Of 2009

http://www.officialwire.com/

New report provides detailed analysis of the Telecommunications market

Published on November 03, 2009

by Press Office

(Companiesandmarkets.com and OfficialWire)

LONDON, ENGLAND

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

The latest update on the telecoms markets in Cambodia and Laos includes new regulatory and operator data on the size of these two countries’ mobile subscriber, fixed-line and internet access markets at the end of March 2009. Based on the available data, we have made several revisions to our five-year growth forecasts for these markets.

Based on data published by Cambodia’s leading mobile operators, the report calculates that the Cambodian mobile customer base grew by 15.5% in the first three months of 2009. By the end of March, Cambodia had almost 4.6mn mobile users, equivalent to a penetration rate of around 30%. In the first few months of 2009, Cambodia witnessed the launch of commercial services by three new mobile network operators.

These were Vietnam’s Viettel, which launched commercial operations in February, Smart Mobile, which commenced GSM operations in March, and Sotelco, which launched services under the Beeline banner in May. Sotelco was acquired by Russian operator VimpelCom in July 2008 from Altimo at a cost of US$28mn for a 90% stake. VimpelCom has pledged around US$200mn to be spent in its Cambodian network in the first three to four years following its commercial launch.

The presence of nine mobile operators in Cambodia is thought to have significant implications for the development of the sector. Firstly, mobile subscriber growth appears to be accelerating as the level of competition increases. Indeed, early indications suggest that 2009 will see much stronger subscriber growth than in 2008. BMI now predicts that the Cambodian mobile customer base will grow to almost 6.23mn at the end of 2009. Our new forecast envisages growth of over 62% in 2009, dropping to 42.5% in 2010.

In neighbouring Laos, recent developments point to the possibility of an increasingly dynamic mobile market in the months ahead. As noted in our previous report, recent months saw the launch of commercial operations by Vietnam’s Viettel, which will operate in Laos under the Star Telecom brand as part of a joint venture with the Laotian government. Meanwhile, in September, it was announced that Russia’s VimpelCom had agreed to acquire a 78% stake in Millicom Lao from Luxembourg-based Millicom International Cellular. Although the completion of the acquisition will require regulatory approval, this is expected to be forthcoming before the end of the year. The report predicts that Laos’ active mobile subscriber base will surpass the 2mn subscriber mark by the end of 2009.

Cambodia and Laos respectively sit in 13th and 15th position in the latest set of business environment ratings for the Asia Pacific region. The two countries generally score below average for the Asia Pacific region. Nevertheless, they continue to perform better than regional neighbours Thailand and Vietnam. As a result of having a more competitive sector, Cambodia continues to have a higher score than Laos in the telecoms market category.

Cambodia and Laos Telecommunications Report Q4 2009:

 http://www.companiesandmarkets.com/r.ashx?id=7BB3443UC166982

Thailand's ex-premier is on the run, and he wants the Twitterati to know about it

By Patrick Winn

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

BANGKOK, Thailand – To hear the Thailand's ruling government tell it, Thaksin Shinawatra is the kingdom's most meddlesome fugitive.

Since fleeing Thailand last year, the self-exiled, billionaire ex-premier has zig-zagged the globe while stirring anti-establishment supporters from afar. He has incessantly needled the ruling party through in-country proxies, sarcastic Tweet messages and Skype video calls, broadcast at political pep rallies that sometimes turn violent.

His sanctuaries have included Hong Kong, London, Liberia and Dubai. Each new hideout spurs new extradition threats from the government. But if Thaksin pulls off a recent promise to visit Cambodia — right in Thailand's backyard — the government's repeated promises to catch him may begin to appear hollow.

Many experts already suspect authorities prefer Thaksin as a fugitive rather than a prisoner.

"The best way to diminish Thaksin's popularity is not to make him a martyr, but rather to allow him to make a fool of himself via Skype as often as he wishes," said Federico Ferrara, assistant political science professor at the National University of Singapore.

Imprisoning Thaksin, he said, would be "highly destabilizing," sparking huge rallies and endless requests for release.

Thaksin has repeatedly promised supporters he'll someday come home to Thailand. This week, the Thai government was rankled by his plans to visit the neighborhood.

At an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit this week, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen went on the offense for Thaksin and publicly offered to build him a Cambodian home.

Moreover, he pondered hiring him as a political advisor and even compared him to Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and political prisoner in Burma. Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup after five years of rule, is also a "victim" of politics, Hun Sen said.

These slights were widely interpreted as payback for an ongoing Thai-Cambodia land ownership dispute that has riled fierce nationalism on both sides and occasionally turned bloody. Bitterness between the countries runs even deeper, dating back to alleged Thai government sympathies to communist Khmer Rogue leaders who led mass killings in Cambodia during the 1980s.

"I don't want (Hun Sen) to be a victim or a pawn for somebody that undermines the interests of this country," said Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at a press conference. "I'm sure that when he's better informed, he'll change his mind."

But Thaksin now insists he's Cambodia-bound. He even Tweeted his thanks to Hun Sen, who has assured the ex-premier that Cambodia will disregard extradition requests.

Actually extraditing and jailing Thaksin would surely enrage his supporters, a largely rural, working-class faction known as the "red shirts." Many of them believe Thaksin was the first Thai politician to challenge old-money elites and fight on their behalf.

The powers behind the coup that toppled Thaksin in 2006, however, insist he is incorrigibly corrupt. Last year, courts sentenced him to two years in prison for using political power to secure a Bangkok land deal for his wife.

By keeping Thaksin on the run, he remains a "fugitive" that "helps the government portray the 'red shirts' as illegitimate by association," said political professor Kevin Hewison, director of the Carolina Asia Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The government appears to crank up its Thaksin hunt each time his supporters become active, Hewison said.

Imprisoning Thaksin, he said, would just stir even more problems for the government. "He'd likely become an imprisoned symbol for opposition," Hewison said. "Do they want that? No. He is less of a threat, and a declining star for the red shirt supporters, if he is at a distance."

Authorities likely set the stage for Thaksin's escape themselves, Ferrara said, by allowing the ex-premier to attend the 2008 Olympic Games opening ceremony in Beijing. Thaksin was then on trial for fraud and a guilty verdict was widely assumed. Judges granted him leave, Ferrara said, expecting him to flee.

He has acquired up to six passports – secured from countries including Montenegro and Nicaragua, his political backers said – to traverse the globe and evade capture. Keeping up the appearance of a vigorous chase has helped the Thai government cement Thaksin's "fugitive" image, Ferrara said.

"Thaksin can only be discredited as a 'fugitive' if someone is actually pursuing him," he said.

"Otherwise he would be merely an 'exiled politician,' something that has a much more favorable connotation because it hints at the possibility that the government might either not have the goods on Thaksin or the stomach to lock him up."

UN-REDD Programme welcomes five new countries

03 Nov 2009
Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
UNEP Newsdesk
Website: http://www.unep.org/NewsCentre/

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

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.

Argentina, Cambodia, Ecuador, Nepal and Sri Lanka join the UN-REDD Programme, Denmark becomes a new donor and Panama gets approval of its UN-REDD national programme

Nairobi, 02 November 2009 - The UN-REDD Programme's third Policy Board welcomed five new countries. Argentina, Cambodia, Ecuador, Nepal and Sri Lanka are the first to officially request to participate in the UN-REDD Programme, in addition to the initial b nine member countries. Nearly 20 countries have expressed interest and more are expected to join.

All five countries indicated their interest in benefiting from the experience and knowledge generated by the UN-REDD Programme, particularly on the issues of measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) systems, and consultation with civil society and indigenous peoples.

"For us, joining the UN-REDD Programme is mostly about tapping into the Programme's experience and expertise," stressed Mr Leandro Carlos Fernandez, Argentina's REDD National Focal Point . "We have forests on our borders with Bolivia, a UN-REDD country, and we would like to be part of the process to increase cooperation between countries, and create a regional initiative on REDD."

"We are here to address issues of deforestation and degradation together, as we are trying to improve the development of local communities," said Dr Omaliss Keo, Cambodia's focal point on REDD. "We look forward to working with the UN-REDD team to develop a REDD roadmap for Cambodia to guide all our REDD work in the future."

The UN-REDD Programme's third Policy Board approved funding for Panama's national programme. The Policy Board approved the allocation of US$5.3 million to help the country get ready for REDD.

Panama went through an extensive and challenging process of consultation with civil society and indigenous peoples in order to prepare its national programme, building on the previous administration's initial work. "I would like to congratulate the government of Panama," said Mr Diego Escobar Guzman, representative of indigenous peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean. "You were able to successfully fill the gaps [in civil society consultations] in three months. This is a world record!"

With the approval of Panama's national UN-REDD programme, the total approved funds for the UN-REDD Programme in its first year of operations amounts to US$37.4 million, or 72.3% of its US$51.7 million portfolio. Of the six countries that have had their programmes approved by the Policy Board, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Viet Nam have started implementing readiness activities.

Denmark became the second donor to the UN-REDD Programme after Norway, with an announcement of US$2.0 million.

The Policy Board meeting also welcomed four new representatives of civil society organizations. The elected civil society members of the Policy Board are: Mr. Pacifique Mukumba Isumbisho, Executive Director for the Support Center for Indigenous Pygmys and Vulnerable Minorities, representing civil society organizations from Africa; Ms. Effrey Dademo, Programme Manager of the Papua New Guinea Eco-Forestry Forum, representing civil society organizations from Asia and the Pacific; Ms. Paula Moreira, Lawyer for the Brazilian-based Amazon Environmental Research Institute, representing civil society organizations from Latin America and the Caribbean; and Ms. Rosalind Reeve, Forest Campaign Manager for Global Witness, representing industrialized countries' civil society. Amongst the representatives, Ms. Rosalind Reeve was selected by consensus within the group to hold the first rotating seat for the first meeting.

Notes to editors:

The UN-REDD Programme, a collaborative partnership between FAO, UNDP and UNEP, supports countries to develop capacity to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and to implement a future REDD mechanism in a post-2012 climate regime.

For more information please contact: Isabelle Pierrard, Mobile: +254 (0)727 529 557 Email: isabelle.pierrard@unep.org

For more information on the third Policy Board meeting, please visit:

http://tinyurl.com/3rdPolicyBoard

Tropical storm kills 23 in Vietnam

A motorcyclist goes through flooded water on Nguyen Thien Thuat street in Nha Trang city, a central south coast city in Vietnam, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009. Tropical Storm Mirinae unleashed severe flooding in parts of central Vietnam, killing about two dozens of people and stranding families on rooftops, disaster officials said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Vietnam News Agency, Quang Duoc)

By TRAN VAN MINH (AP)

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

HANOI, Vietnam — Tropical Storm Mirinae unleashed severe flooding in parts of central Vietnam, killing 23 people, leaving two missing and stranding families on rooftops, disaster officials said Tuesday.

The death toll in the hardest-hit province of Phu Yen was 15 after the storm drenched the region with heavy rain Monday, said disaster official Dang Thi Lanh.

"Many villages remain cut off by rising waters and we expect the death toll to rise," she said.

Several villages in neighboring Binh Dinh province suffered the worst flooding in four decades after the Ha Thanh River surged over its banks, said disaster official Nguyen Van Hoa. Five people were killed by falling trees or were washed away by floods in Binh Dinh and two others were missing, Hoa said.

In Khanh Hoa province, south of Phu Yen, three people were killed, a disaster official there said, refusing to give his name, citing policy.

Vietnam's western neighbor, Cambodia, reported a 40-year-old woman and her 14-year-old daughter died Monday night when the storm toppled trees onto their house in Mondulkiri province, about 325 miles (520 kilometers) east of the capital, Phnom Penh.

Three other people from the same family were injured, said Neth Sophana, deputy chief of the disaster management committee of the Cambodian Red Cross.

In Vietnam, the military sent two helicopters to drop instant noodles to people in isolated villages and to rescue people who were still trapped on rooftops a day after the storm, which lost force as it moved inland.

"We have received many calls for help from people who are still stranded," Hoa said by telephone.

Ho Quoc Dung, vice chairman of Binh Dinh provincial People's Committee, said about 400 soldiers were mobilized to use speed boats to reach areas cut off by flooding and have ferried out more than 1,000 villagers.

Several thousand remain stranded, he said.

Mirinae hit the Philippines with typhoon strength over the weekend, killing 20 people before losing power as it moved across the South China Sea toward Vietnam.

Vietnam, the Philippines and Cambodia were still recovering from Typhoon Ketsana, which brought the Philippine capital of Manila its worst flooding in 40 years when it struck in September. Ketsana killed 160 people in Vietnam and at least 18 in Cambodia.

In the Philippines, Ketsana and two later storms killed more than 900. Some 87,000 people who fled the storms were still living in temporary shelters when Mirinae struck.

In a separate incident in northern Vietnam on Monday, one woman drowned and five others were missing after a whirlwind toppled two boats in Quang Ninh province, disaster official Le Thanh Nam said.

Sixteen other passengers managed to swim to safety after the boats sank, Nam said.

Hun Sen praises Japan's role in Cambodia ahead of regional summit+

http://www.breitbart.com/

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 3 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday praised Japan's contributions to peace in Cambodia over the years and said Tokyo is playing a key role as a development partner in the Mekong River region.

In a written interview with a group of senior editors from Kyodo News' member newspapers visiting Cambodia, Hun Sen expressed a request for Japan to upgrade infrastructure to strengthen ties in the region.

In particular, Hun Sen sought support as "a highest priority" for the Mekong River Bridge that will serve as the final gateway of the Southern Economic Corridor, and requested cooperation in world heritage protection.

Hun Sen said Japan has played a key role in seeking justice for the victims of the genocidal Pol Pot regime by contributing both spiritual and financial support for the work of the Khmer Rouge tribunal.

He said Japan has provided $56.9 million to the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, nearly half of the total budget spent by both Cambodia and United Nations since it began operation from 2006.

Other than key roles played in Cambodia, Hun Sen also commended Japan's contributions to larger regional cooperation.

Hun Sen is due to visit Japan later this week to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama along with his fellow leaders from other Mekong countries -- Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam -- at the first Mekong-Japan Summit to be held in Tokyo on Friday and Saturday.

Hun Sen said he "regards Japan as a key partner in discussion over political and security issues in the region and also thanks Japan for her recent efforts in helping maintain political stability in the region such as seeking a solution over problems in Myanmar and the Korean peninsula."

In spite of receiving great assistance from Japan in many fields, Hun Sen said he desired to see more Japanese investors flocking to his country.

He said as his country is enjoying the discovery of oil and gas, and assured a warm welcome for Japanese investors.

Women’s Union leader receives Cambodian Deputy PM

11/03/2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

The Vietnam Women’s Union (VWU) on November 3 received Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Men Sam On, who is also President of the Cambodian Women for Peace and Development Association (CWPD), President of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group and President of the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Association.

VWU Chairwoman, Nguyen Thi Thanh Hoa briefed the Cambodian guest on the Vietnamese women’s movement for gender equality, poverty reduction and women’s progress. Mrs Hoa emphasised that with great support from the Party and State the women’s progress movement has achieved significant results and the number of women in the National Assembly and people’s councils at all levels is increasing. She expressed her hope that the women’s associations from the two countries will share their experiences and help each other strengthen the ties of friendship and co-operation.

Deputy PM Men Sam On praised achievements that the VWU has obtained in the renewal process and thanked the Vietnamese female experts who have helped promote women’s progress in Cambodia. She revealed that Cambodia is actively implementing the agreements signed between the two associations, through the exchange of visits to border provinces. She expressed her hope that people from the two countries will continue to foster co-operation and provide mutual support.

Cambodia To Pave Road To Preah Vihear Temple

November 03, 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- Royal Cambodian Armed Forces ( RCAF) will begin paving the 80 km dirt road from Oddar Meanchey province's Anlong Veng district to Preah Vihear temple before Nov 25, China's Xinhua news agency reported, citing officials from RCAF as saying in a local media.

"We will begin pave the road by the end of the month. The total distance is about 80 km. It may cost about US$10 million and it will be finished by June 2010," Kwann Seam, director of RCAF's engineering department, was quoted by the Cambodia Daily as saying.

He said that his team would begin surveying the road after the Water Festival in Phnom Penh is finished.

By April 2010, RCAF will begin paving another 22 km dirt road, this time to Ta Moan temple from Kork Mon commune in Oddar Meanchey province's Banteay Ampil district, he said.

Seam said that the paving of roads in the area is part of a larger project to pave all northern roads in the country.

"We hope that by 2013, all the roads in the northern area will be paved," he said.

Major General Srey Dek, commander of RCAF Division 3, said that despite ongoing tension between Cambodia and Thailand over Preah Vihear temple, tourists should not worry about safety.

-- BERNAMA

Two killed by tropical storm Mirinae in Cambodia: official

http://www.reliefweb.int/

Source: Agence France-Presse (AFP)

Date: 03 Nov 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH, Nov 3, 2009 (AFP) - Tropical storm Mirinae killed a mother and daughter as it swept through eastern Cambodia, government and aid officials said Tuesday.

Mirinae, which battered the storm-weary Philippines as a typhoon at the weekend, was downgraded to a tropical depression before it hit Vietnam and then Cambodia on Monday.

Four other family members were injured when the storm struck northeastern Mondulkiri province Monday evening and toppled a tree on the family's thatched house, provincial vice-governor Svay Sam Ieng told AFP.

"The mother and one of the four daughters were killed while the father and other three daughters have been sent to hospital by the Red Cross," he said.

The storm also left 19 dead in the Philippines and killed at least four people in Vietnam.