Cambodia to expel 20 Uighur asylum seekers

By Sok Khemara and Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer

Washington

18 December 2009

(CAAI News Media)

Cambodia decided on Friday to deport Uighur asylum seekers out of its country despite of concerns from human rights groups for their safety if they are sent back to China.

The announcement was made just days before Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping is expected to arrive in Cambodia for a two-day visit.

The Chinese Muslims from China’s restive Xinjiang province, the site of violent anti-Chinese protests in July, entered Cambodia last month and were given a “people of concern” status by the UN refugee agency before they and were taken to police custody for violating immigration law.

“They are not real refugees,” interior ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak told VOA Khmer by phone late Friday night. “They will have to leave Cambodia in no later than one week.”

Earlier reports said that twenty-two Uighurs, including three children, arrived in Cambodia overland, but in an interview with VOA on Friday spokesman for ministry of foreign affairs, Koy Kuong, said authorities are now taking control of only 20 and have no knowledge of two others.

Human rights groups fear that they will be mistreated if returned to China.

“We are concerned because there were earlier assurances given at the highest level to UNHCR that asylum seekers would be allowed to have their status determined through a fair procedure and that during that period they will be protected, but it seems that now this decision has been rescinded,” Christophe Pescoux, Cambodia’s representative of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, told VOA Khmer by phone late Friday.

Pescoux said the UN is working to persuade Cambodia to “reconsider their decision”.

At least nine Uighurs have been executed for their role in violent demonstrations, which left as many as 200 people dead, China’s state media reported in November.

Cataracts a Leading Cause of Blindness: Doctor

By Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer

Washington

18 December 2009

(CAAI News Media)

Approximately 19,000 Cambodians are blinded each year from cataracts, a clouding of the lens common in the elderly, a US-Cambodian doctor said Thursday.

“The lens is the clear part of the eye that helps focus light or an image on the retina,” said Taing Tek Hong, a physician at the Borland-Groover clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., who was a guest on “Hello VOA.”

“In a normal eye, light passes through the transparent lens to the retina,” he said. “The lens must be clear for the retina to receive a sharp image. If the lens is cloudy from a cataract, the image you see will be blurred.”

The number of cases of blindness from cataracts accounts for a wide majority of cases, about 28,800 per year in Cambodia, he said.

Cataracts can be caused by a number of factors, including diabetes, family history, previous eye injury, exposure to sunlight and smoking. Some babies are born with congenital cataracts, often in both eyes.

Symptoms include clouded, blurred or dimmed vision, with vision impairment increasing after nightfall, he said. Eyes may become sensitive to light and glare, or a person may see halos around lights or need better light for reading. The color yellow may appear faded, or double vision can impair one eye.

A cataract can be detected in an eye examination by a specialist, using a variety of tests, the doctor said. An eye professional can also detect signs of “macular degeneration, glaucoma and other vision disorders,” he said.

Wearing sunglasses or a brimmed hat to block ultraviolet light from the sun can help prevent the condition. “If you smoke, stop,” Taing Tek Hong said.

“The only effective treatment for cataracts is surgery, which is recommended when cataracts begin to affect the quality of life or interfere with the ability to perform normal daily activities,” he said. “Cataract surgery is successful in about 95 percent of all cases, with improved vision.”

Khmer Rouge Tribunal - Feature : For Two Groups, a Chance for Reconciliation

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer

Original report from Phnom Penh

18 December 2009

(CAAI News Media)

Members of Cambodia’s Cham and Vietnamese groups in Phnom Penh welcomed word from the Khmer Rouge tribunal this week that regime leaders in custody will be charged with genocide, as well as other atrocity crimes.

In interviews with VOA Khmer Thursday, Chams and Vietnamese alike said they expected the charges of genocide to help bring reconciliation to their communities.

The tribunal announced on Wednesday it would add genocide charges to the dockets of Nuon Chea and Ieng Sary, for the mass killings of Chams and Vietnamese.

(On Friday, judges announced they would also add the charge for Khieu Samphan, the former head of state. Ieng Thirith, a fourth leader in custody, has not yet had a hearing, but she is expected to face the same charge.)

Genocide is an intentional attempt to eradicate, in part or in whole, a minority ethnic or religious group. The tribunal is preparing a case against all four leaders of the regime, having finished the trial of Kaing Kek Iev, or Duch, the former administrator of Tuol Sleng prison.

Both Chams and Vietnamese were singled out by the Khmer Rouge. Between 100,000 and 400,000 Chams were killed as the regime rose to power, according to the Documentation Center of Cambodia.

An unknown number of Vietnamese were killed, especially in border skirmishes after the guerrillas rose to power, in April 1975. Hundreds of Vietnamese died at Tuol Sleng.

Tror Yeth, a 40-year-old teacher of Cham literature in the capital’s Russei Keo district, who lost six family members to the Khmer Rouge, said he was “very happy” with the added charge.

“It means justice will be found, and especially for Muslim victims,” he said as he stood at the door of his classroom, where a dozen students were learning to read.

Shutting down a table saw and tucking a pen behind his right ear, Van Cai, a carpenter in Chamkar Mon district, considered the news. An uncountable number of Cambodians and Vietnamese had died under the Khmer Rouge, he said.

“My aunts and my uncles, a total of four or five people, were killed in Tuol Sleng,” he said, his Khmer pitched with a Vietnamese accent. “[The Khmer Rouge] killed people. It is right to try them. We are waiting for the day when they will be tried.”

Sam Rainsy Summoned by Svay Rieng Court

By Chun Sakada and Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer

Original report from Phnom Penh and Washington

18 December 2009

(CAAI News Media)

Svay Rieng provincial court has issued a summons to opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who is facing charges for allegedly leading a group of villagers to pull up demarcation posts near the Vietnam border in October.

Sam Rainsy has been asked to appear on Dec. 28, according to a summons issued Wednesday and obtained by VOA Khmer.

Sam Rainsy, who has rejected the case as politically motivated, had his parliamentary immunity suspended by the National Assembly in November, paving the way for investigations into the allegations by provincial court officials.

“I issued a summons yesterday,” investigating judge Long Kesphirom told VOA Khmer Thursday. He declined to give more details.

Reached by phone in France, Sam Rainsy told VOA Khmer he had not been given a chance to defend himself, and that he was meeting with villagers as their parliamentary representative when they complained of Vietnamese incursion onto their land.

“But it was not so, and now the authorities have issued a complaint against me instead,” he said. “They can do whatever they want. I don’t care, because the court works for the powerful and the ruling party, and not for the national interest.”

The court case and suspension of his immunity have been criticized as a wider government effort to crack down on dissent, following the jailing of an opposition-aligned journalist earlier this year and a defamation suit brought against Mu Sochua, an SRP representative for Kampot province, by Prime Minister Hun Sen, in April.

Cambodia: Khmer Rouge leaders charged with genocide against Muslims

http://www.ww4report.com/

Submitted by WW4

Report on Fri, 12/18/2009

(CAAI News Media)

Former Khmer Rouge head of state and "Brother Number Five," Khieu Samphan, has been charged with genocide, the UN-backed Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia announced Dec. 18. Samphan is the third member of the Khmer Rouge to be charged with genocide by the war crimes tribunal this week. "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea and former foreign minister Ieng Sary also face genocide charges—marking the first time the charge has been brought against Khmer Rouge leaders by an internationally sanctioned court. All three are accused in the deaths of thousands of members of Cambodia's Vietnamese and the Cham Muslim minorities.

All three men had previously been charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity, and also face domestic charges of homicide, torture and religious persecution under the 1956 Cambodian penal code.

Prosecutors in September requested that judges clarify the charges against the five Khmer Rouge regime leaders being held by the tribunal, including former Tuol Sleng prison chief Kaing Guek Eav AKA "Duch", whose trial ended in November. Charges against former minister of social action Ieng Thirith will be made public next week. Between 100,000 and 400,000 Cham Muslims died under the Khmer Rouge regime, according to figures provided by the Documentation Centre of Cambodia. (Phnom Penh Post, London Times, Jurist, Dec. 18)

The Cham, also known as Fojihed Muslims, make up some 80% of Cambodia's Muslims, with the remainder being traditional Sunnis. Sary Abdulah, president of Cambodia's Islamic National Movement for Democracy says the Cham have their own language and a distinct form of Islam that incorporates many pre-Muslim folk beliefs. "They believe that they can pray, and achieve great internal power, called Chai," he told the website Mekong.net. "It is similar to what Kung Fu people call Chi." (Mekong.net)

Advocates for the Cham have been petitioning for genocide charges against Khmer Rouge leaders for years, but some legal scholars argue that they were merely "the victims of an attempt to eradicate religion, as a matter of general policy" that also included the suppression of Christianity and Buddhism.

In Picture: Vietnam Party leader official visit in Cambodia

Pictures by DAP ( http://www.dap-news.com/)

Cambodia to send 20 Uighurs back to China: US rights group

(CAAI News Media)

WASHINGTON — Cambodia is sending 20 Chinese Muslims who fled there after July unrest in Xinjiang back to China where they face possible persecution, a US-based Uighur rights organization said Friday.

The group has been taken to the Phnom Penh airport and is about to be put on a plane to Shanghai, said Henryk Szadziewski of the Uighur Human Rights Project in Washington.

"There is a plane ready to take them away," he said, adding that his organization had received the information from local sources in Cambodia. No officials could be immediately contacted for comment.

"This is an outrageous violation of international law, China's use of the boot of repression only guarantees deeper resentment and anger among Uighur Muslims and further tarnishes China's global image," said Leonard Leo, chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, a non-partisan advisory board to the US government.

The group arrived at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office after fleeing deadly unrest in northwest China's Xinjiang region and their presence in Phnom Penh was first made public two weeks ago.

The clashes between Xinjiang's Muslim Uighur community and China's majority Han ethnic group left 197 people dead and more than 1,600 injured, according to an official toll.

Amnesty International urged Cambodia earlier this week not to deport the group, earlier said to total 22 Uighurs, which is seeking UN refugee status in Cambodia, saying they risked torture at home in China.

The right group's appeal came after China warned Tuesday that UN refugee programmes "should not be a haven for criminals" and said the 22 Uighurs, including three children, were involved in criminal activity.

UN backed court needs more funds for work until 2011

http://www.chinaview.cn/

2009-12-18

(CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The UN-backed court, officially called as Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) announced Friday that it has requested another 93.3 million U.S. dollars for its work until 2011.

In a press release, the ECCC said the budget request for 2010 and 2011 was presented to the Steering Committee of UNAKRT (UN Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials) and the Group of Interested States to the ECCC (GIS) during meetings in New York this week, by Acting Director of the Office of Administration Tony Kranh, and Deputy Director Knut Rosandhaug.

It said for the coming two years, the proposed budget is 46 million U.S. dollars for 2010 and 47.3 million U.S. dollars for 2011.

"The international component of the ECCC (UNAKRT) accounts for 34.5 million U.S. dollars in 2010 and 35.6 million U.S. dollars in2011, inclusive of contingency. The national component of the ECCC accounts for 11.5 million U.S. dollars in 2010 and 11.8 million U.S. dollars in 2011, inclusive of contingency," the ECCC said.

The ECCC says this hybrid court spends less money than any other courts in the world.

The ECCC is set up to try former leaders of Democratic Kampuchea (DK) who are blamed for the mass massacres under their rules in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.

The increase in annual costs can mainly be attributed to increased activity level where the Pre-Trial Chamber will be functioning on a full time basis, and the Supreme Court Chamber might potentially be sitting full time from mid 2010. The budget proposal also reflects increased defence costs for legal representation related to potential additional cases, the ECCC said.

Editor: Zhang Xiang

U.S. And Cambodia Cooperate To Secure Seaport Cargo

http://nuclearstreet.com/

(CAAI News Media)

Agreement Aimed at Preventing Nuclear Smuggling

- By Linton Levy -

The United States and Cambodia have signed an agreement in Phnom Penh to begin a cooperative effort to detect, deter, and interdict illicit smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive material.

The agreement paves the way for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to work with the Secretariat of the National Counter Terrorism Committee and other government agencies in Cambodia to install radiation detection equipment and associated infrastructure at the Port of Sihanoukville. In addition to providing equipment and related infrastructure, NNSA will also train Cambodian officials, including customs, on the use of the equipment and provide for maintenance of the equipment for a specified period.

“This agreement will help NNSA meet its goal of equipping 100 ports with radiation detection equipment by 2015 and play a critical role in NNSA’s efforts to implement President Obama’s nuclear security agenda,” said NNSA Administrator Thomas D’Agostino. “Our cooperation with Cambodia to strengthen the global capability to prevent nuclear and radiological smuggling throughout the global maritime system will help keep vulnerable nuclear material out of the hands of terrorists, smugglers and proliferators.”

The inclusion of Cambodia in the Megaports Initiative will increase international maritime security, particularly in light of the strategic location of Sihanoukville in Southeast Asia.

The work is part of NNSA’s Second Line of Defense Program’s Megaports Initiative, which aims to strengthen the capability of foreign governments to deter, detect, and interdict illicit trafficking in nuclear and other radioactive materials transiting the global maritime shipping system. The Megaports Initiative provides radiation detection equipment, training, and technical support to key international seaports to scan cargo containers for nuclear and other radioactive materials. The installation of radiation detection systems in Cambodia represents a significant step forward for the Megaports Initiative, which is now operational at 28 ports around the world. Work is underway at additional ports in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Additional information on NNSA’s Megaports Initiative is available online.

Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science in the nation’s national security enterprise. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, reliability, and performance of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear testing; reduces the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad. Visit http://www.nnsa.energy.gov/ for more information.

Party General Secretary meets Cambodian leaders

12/18/2009

(CAAI News Media)

Vietnam pursues the consistent policy of fostering its traditional solidarity, friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Cambodia, said Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh to Cambodian parliament and government leaders on December 17.

In his meeting with National Assembly Chairman Heng Samrin, Senate President Chea Sim and Prime Minister Hun Sen, Mr Manh said that this is an invaluable asset of both nations, and one of the elements to create power for both countries in their national building and development.

Cambodian leaders of the Senate, National Assembly and Government congratulated Vietnam on the achievements the country has made during the renewal process and national development.

They also highly valued Vietnam’s role and position in the region and the world, especially Vietnam’s assumption of ASEAN presidency in 2010.

The leaders affirmed their determination of to tighten the Vietnam-Cambodia traditional friendship, solidarity and multifaceted cooperation to create a peaceful environment, stability and sustainable development for both countries.

The Vietnamese and Cambodian leaders informed each other about the economic and socio-economic situation of their respective country and exchanged views on international matters of common concern.

They also expressed their wish for further exchanges between legislative and executive bodies and localities to share experiences in state management, social management, economic development and international integration.

On the occasion, Party General Secretary Manh and Prime Minster Hun Sen witnessed the signing of cooperative agreements between the two governments in power, industry, mineral resources and waterway transportation.

Weekly highlights

Published: 18/12/2009

(CAAI News Media)

The spy drama seems to have come to a close after the release of the convicted spy. But Thai-Cambodian relations remains strained and will not be normalised in the foreseeable future. The baggage scandal at THAI is undermining the reputation of the national flag carrier. Meanwhile, the North Korean arms cache saga is slowly unfolding..

The release of convicted Thai spy Sivarak Chutipong from Cambodian prison after being granted a royal pardon by King Norodom Sihamoni was the biggest news on Monday although the spy drama was seen by critics as a setup.

Sivarak was accorded VIP treatment by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, very unusual and unbelievable for someone accused of breaching Cambodian national security for passing information about ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s flight arrival details to a Phnom Penh-based Thai diplomat. Grinning from cheek to cheek, Hun Sen walked hand-in-hand with Sivarak in the company of the Thai engineer's mother, Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, senior Cambodian officials and a handful of Puea Thai MPs who were conveniently on hand to bring the convicted spy home.

Before flying home in the evening of the same day, Sivarak said the person he wanted to see most was Kamrob Pallawatwichai, first secretary of the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, who asked him for the flight details of the plane which carried Thaksin to Phnom Penh -- a telephone conversation which led to his being jailed for espionage. He also denied that the drama was a set-up.

Coincidentally, the day before Sivarak’s release Thaksin jetted into Phnom Penh. Upon his arrival, he went to see Sivarak at the prison and reportedly enquired about his flight plan and its possible link with, he believes, a plot by the Thai government to assassinate him. The ex-premier was not present at Sivarak’s show-case handover ceremony at Hun Sen’s residence.

Although the spy drama is over for now, the chance that Thai-Cambodian diplomatic relations will ever be normalised appears as remote as it was when the two countries recalled their ambassadors last month. The Thai government said that relations between the two neighbours would be normalised once Cambodia complies with its legal obligation to have Thaksin extradited to Thailand to serve his two-year jail term.

In his latest diatribe against the Thai government, Hun Sen said that relations between the two countries would be restored to normalcy only when the Abhisit government is out of the office.

The seizure of the weapons shipment from an aircraft at Don Mueang airport last Saturday continues to capture front-page headlines as investigators dig deeper into the case.

The arms shipment, about 35 tonnes, was loaded in Pyongyang and was believed to be destined for the Middle East. Worth about 600 million baht, it comprises missiles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and ammunition. Five crewmen, one Belarussian and four Kazaks, are in custody were denied court bail.

It was suggested the arms shipment might be linked to Victor Bout, the alleged Russian arms trafficker currently in Thai custodym, but this was not verified. In New Zealand, however, an investigation was under way to determine if a New Zealand-registered company is linked to the plane.

The baggage scandal engulding the executive chairman of Thai Airways International, the national flag carrier, Wallop Pukkanasut, threatens to spiral into a conflict between the Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties.

Mr Wallop is a protégé of Transport Minister Sohpon Zarum of Bhumjaithaiand he is reported to be at odds with the THAI new president, Piyaswasdi Amranand, who is backed by the Democrats.

The scandal broke when that THAI labour union accused Mr Wallop of abusing the privileges granted by the airline to top executives by bringing with him 40 bags weighing about 500kg in excess of the weight limits on a flight to Bangkok from Tokyo on Nov 14. The official record declared the baggage weight at just 127kg. Also, all the bags did not go through customs formalities but were left at the lost baggage section and later cleared without customs formalities. The union has demanded that he resign.

Mr Wallop claimed the weight of his own baggage was within limits and that the excess bags belonged to others and contained fruit meant for an abbot at Wat Paknam.

Under pressure from the public and the union, the THAI board is due to discuss the matter. Meanwhile, several THAI staff donned black as a gesture of protest.

It is doubtful that the board will sack Mr Wallop, but the board also cannot ignore the scandal as the case has again painted the national carrier in a negative light. A possible wayout of this scandal is that Mr Wallop will finally be pressured to step aside to spare the board further embarrassment.

The cabinet on Tuesday decided to extend for another three months from Jan 1 the five measures to help ease the cost of living of low-income earners -- free bus rides on some "hot" buses in Bangkok; free travel on some third-class train carriages; free tap water for households using up to 20 cubic metres a month (down from 30 units); government subsidy on cooking gas; and free electricity for small-volume consumers.

In order to subsidise these populist measures, the government has set aside 12 billion baht this fiscal year. They will be reviewed in three months.

But the news which seemed to cause the biggest concern is a pig which was reported to have caught type-A(H1N1) human influenza at a Kasetsart University research centre in Saraburi.

Although it is just one pig and apparently caught the bug from a student, public health officials said that all the officials and students at the research centre were put in quarantine for observation. People living nearby were tested but there were no infections.

Officials were adamant that pork remains safe to eat, just make sure it's properly cooked.

Within 10 Months Cambodian-Vietnamese Trade Amounted to US$1.04 Billion – Friday, 18.12.2009

http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/

Posted on 18 December 2009

The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 643

(CAAI News Media)

“A high ranking official of the Vietnamese government said that within 10 months of 2009, the Cambodian-Vietnamese trade rose to US$1.04 billion, and the most import from Vietnam to Cambodia is petroleum, and the most export to Vietnam is rubber.

“The deputy director of the Asia – Pacific Market Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, Mr. Dao Ngoc Chuong [phonetic], said on 16 December 2009 while he attended a business and an investment forum in Cambodia that within 10 months of 2009, the Cambodian-Vietnamese trade increased to US$1.04 billion.

“According to Mr. Chuong, much of the trade is export from Vietnam to Cambodia, while imports of goods from Cambodia to Vietnam did not amount to much.

“He added that goods exported from Vietnam to Cambodia include petroleum, US$362 million; iron, US$104 million; machines and motor vehicle spare parts, US$32 million; plastic, US$31 million; food, US$30 million; textiles, US$25 million; sea food, US$14 million; paper, US$10 million; screws, US$8 million; ceramic, US$6.7 million; electric cables, US$6.2 million, and other products.

“The products that Cambodia exports to Vietnam are rubber, US$52 million; wood and wood products, US$31 million; tobacco, US$7.2 million; and scrap metal and products, US$1.5 million.

“The amount of the trade exchange between Cambodia and Vietnam increases every year. Practically, the figures show that it amounted to as much as US$1.64 billion in 2008, US$1.2 billion in 2007, and only US$935 million in 2006.”

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #5076, 18.12.2009

Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:

Friday, 18 December 2009

Genocide charge for Cambodia's KRouge ex-head of state

File photo of former Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan in the courtroom of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia (ECCC) in Phnom Penh. Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court has charged Khieu Samphan with genocide over the regime's slaughter of Vietnamese people and ethnic Cham Muslims. (AFP/File/Tang Chhin Sothy)

 by Suy Se Suy Se – Fri Dec 18

(CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH (AFP) – Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court Friday charged Khmer Rouge former head of state Khieu Samphan with genocide over the regime's slaughter of Vietnamese people and ethnic Cham Muslims.

The 78-year-old has already been charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the hardline communist regime that murdered up to two million Cambodians during its nearly four-year rule.

"This morning Khieu Samphan has been brought before the court and informed that the charges against him have been extended to include genocide against the Chams and the Vietnamese," the UN-backed court's spokesman Lars Olsen told AFP.

The tribunal issued genocide charges for the first time earlier this week against two other leaders of the brutal regime -- former Khmer Rouge number two Nuon Chea and foreign minister Ieng Sary.

Last month the court announced it was investigating incursions into Vietnam as well as executions of Cambodia's Cham minority committed by the 1975-1979 regime.

The court's investigating judges have also accepted domestic charges of homicide, torture and religious persecution against Khieu Samphan. Profile: Khmer Rouge's 'naive' head of state

His Cambodian defence lawyer Sa Sovan told AFP the latest charges had been expected, and he downplayed his client's role in the regime as important "only in name".

"I am not surprised by the charges... I have nothing to say about (them). It is their right. We will wait for the judges to decide," Sa Sovan said.

"If the court officials understand what justice is, I hope he will be set free," he added.

Estimates for the number of Chams who died under the Khmer Rouge range from 100,000 to 400,000, but it is not known how many Vietnamese were killed, according to Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia.

"We are satisfied with the charges but they should have been brought at the very beginning," Youk Chhang told AFP. "The Khmer Rouge considered the Vietnamese to be historic enemies, racial enemies," he said.

Led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge emptied Cambodia's cities in a bid to forge a communist utopia, killing through starvation, overwork, torture and execution.

But as the perpetrators were also Cambodian that mass killing cannot be classed as genocide, Olsen said.

Genocide is defined by the United Nations as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group".

Final arguments were heard last month in the trial of prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, known by the alias Duch, who was charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture and premeditated murder in the court's first trial.

Khieu Samphan is in detention at the court, awaiting trial along with Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary and the former foreign minister's wife, former social affairs minister Ieng Thirith.

There are almost 240,000 Cham Muslims in Cambodia, mainly in the central provinces, making up 1.6 percent of the population in the predominantly Buddhist country, according to a recent survey by the US-based Pew Research Centre.

The tribunal, created in 2006 after several years of haggling between Cambodia and the UN, has faced accusations of political interference and allegations that local staff were forced to pay bribes for their jobs.

Cambodian and international prosecutors have openly disagreed over whether the court should pursue more suspects, while the Cambodian investigating judge has refused to summon high-ranking government officials as witnesses.

Thai-Cambodian military relationship still good: Thai defense minister

http://www.chinaview.cn/

2009-12-18

(CAAI News Media)

BANGKOK, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Though the diplomat tension between Thailand and Cambodia have continued, the military relationship between the two countries is still good, Thai Defense Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan said Friday.

The militaries are responsible for the Thai-Cambodian matters, while the government and foreign ministry are in charge of the political affairs, Thai News Agency quoted General Prawit as saying.

The Thai and Cambodian defense ministers met on Nov. 27 in Thailand during a meeting of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC).

During the GBC meeting, the two sides have agreed that they will not use force to deal with the border matter.

The diplomatic problem has occurred after Cambodia has appointed ousted former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic advisor to Cambodia's government and Prime Minister Hun Sen from Nov. 4.

A day after the appointment, the Cambodian government announced the recall of its ambassador to Thailand in a move to respond to the Thai government's recall of its ambassador to Cambodia.

Editor: Zhang Xiang

Thailand preparing military action against Cambodia: Pheu Thai MP

By The Nation

Published on December 19, 2009

(CAAI News Media)

An opposition MP yesterday accused the government of planning military force against Cambodia if Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thaksin Shinawatra took any action deemed to violate Thai sovereignty.

This would include establishment of a government in exile for Thaksin on Cambodian soil.

Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Prompan said the military option was suggested in a confidential paper Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya sent to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on November 16 as a guideline for handling the conflict with Cambodia in a worstcase scenario.

"Preparation of a military option is equivalent to preparing for war against Cambodia," Jatuporn said.

"The end game is the normalisation of relations rather than regime change," Jatuporn quoted Kasit as saying in the leaked paper.

The paper called Thaksin "a major threat to the government". The fugitive expremier is using a twopronged strategy to topple the government: cooperation with Hun Sen and activity by the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship.

Thailand has already employed several diplomatic measures against Cambodia since Hun Sen appointed Thaksin as his and the Cambodian government's economic adviser. The two countries downgraded relations in late October, Thailand scrapped a maritime deal with Cambodia, and Phnom Penh rejected Bt1.4 billion in loans from Thailand.

Cambodia has also rejected Thai demands to remove Thaksin from his position and extradite him to Bangkok.

Jatuporn said the Pheu Thai Party obtained Kasit's confidential paper from a Foreign Ministry official. He distributed it to reporters during a press conference at party headquarters.

The paper suggested the government to get rid of the "major threat" (Thaksin) and bring an end to cooperation between Thaksin and Hun Sen.

It listed three possible scenarios in the diplomatic row between the two countries. Thailand could prevent Thaksin and Hun Sen from worsening the situation simply by refusing to respond to them and trying to find an influential figure or country able to persuade Cambodia to back down.

Second, if the conflict does increase in intensity, the Thai government would step up retaliation while remaining sensitive to its effect on ordinary people and the national interest.

Third, in the worst case, such as a violation of Thai sovereignty or anything resembling the establishment of a government in exile for Thaksin, Thailand would cut diplomatic relations and resort to using military force.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry yesterday would not deny the existence of the document and its content but said it would set up a committee to find whoever leaked the document to the opposition party.

The ministry will consult the Office of the AttorneyGeneral about taking legal action against Jatuporn under the Information Act of 1997, said ministry deputy spokesman Thani Thongpakdee.

How to Eat Fried Tarantulas in Cambodia

How To: The crunchy exoskeletons are a favorite snack. Darrin DuFord explains where and how to chow down. (Think drive-thrus!)

iStockPhoto

12.18.09

(CAAI News Media)

The situation: After you have emboldened yourself with dinners of stir-fried morning glories, amok fish and banana flower salads across Cambodia, you wish to roam off the menu and try the street treat that your Khmer friends keep wistfully mentioning: a-ping, or fried tarantula. But how?

The basics: The fried tarantula is to Cambodians what a Devil Dog is to Americans—a sweet snack that kids beg their parents for. But while the Devil Dog is pumped full of high-fructose corn syrup and preservatives, the tarantula is a free-range burst of protein, clearly the responsible parent’s choice.

Tarantulas first started meeting with woks in large numbers during the tragically widespread food shortages of the brutal 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge regime. After the Khmer Rouge were ousted, Cambodians realized that their crafty survival skills had rewarded them with a tasty new chapter of gastronomy.

In addition to appreciating spiders for their nutrition, many Khmer women believe that eating a-ping makes one beautiful. The omnipresence of hair and beauty salons in the country, even in the smallest hamlets, demonstrates the Khmer’s interest in looking good, and many Khmer teens even forgo helmets while riding motorbikes to avoid the inevitable helmet hair. While scissors and gels remain popular with the well-coiffed, what better way to further cultivate one’s locks than to scarf down one of the hairiest creatures you can find?

Photo of a-ping platter by Darrin Duford

Where to go: While you can find a vendor or two hawking trays of a-ping in Kampong Thom and Phnom Penh alike, the town of Skuon—75 kilometers north of Phnom Penh—is the epicenter of a-ping cuisine, and close to the spiders’ underground burrows where they are harvested. If you are driving or taking a taxi, head to the town’s roundabout and roll down your window—a half-dozen vendors in Gilligan hats will rush their trays heaped with fried tarantulas to your door. What service! The buses that run between Kampong Thom and Phnom Penh make a regular stop in Skuon, at a restaurant about a half-kilometer from the roundabout, and you’ll likely find an a-ping vendor or two waiting right there .

The discriminating buyer: Go for the crispiest critters, because the longer frying time reduces the squishiness of their abdomens. Spiders with a thick, sticky coating of frying oil and caramelized sugar will render their hairs almost undetectable to your palate. Bring small money with you, because at 500 riels (12 cents) per spider, you’ll have a hard time finding change for a big bill. Don’t dawdle: There are probably cars behind you filled with snack-attacked Cambodians waiting for their turn.

How to eat: You can eat them whole. But to start, pull off and eat the legs two or three at a time. Do this for a few reasons: The first is that you’ll notice the legs’ curious resemblance to the legs of its fellow arthropod, the soft-shell crab. With each crunch, you’ll also be able to better appreciate the flavor of the spider-monger’s perfected recipe: salt, sugar, oil, and garlic. And the most important reason for eating the legs first? Putting too much of the palm-sized creature into your mouth at the same time results in too many sharp, stiff legs jabbing at your gums from various directions; the spider seems alive—probably not the sensation you were looking for.

The crab comparison ends at the abdomen, where a mouthful of gooey nuttiness—followed by a musty, somewhat rude finish—awaits the snacker. It’s not quite an acquired taste; either you like it, or you will forever avoid it.

Whether you’re a leg muncher or a body chewer, you can rest assured that by enjoying a-ping, you not only give a nod to Cambodian craftiness, but you also support the livelihood of local vendors and spider catchers in a country where the average daily wage is under $2. And you just might get lots of compliments on your thick, healthy hair.

Avian influenza – situation in Cambodia

(CAAI News Media)

18 December 2009 -- The Ministry of Health of Cambodia has announced a new confirmed case of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus.

The 57-year-old male, from Ponhea Kreak District, Kampong Cham Province, developed symptoms on 11 December. The case was admitted to Kampong Cham Provincial Hospital on 16 December, where he received treatment. He is in a stable condition. The presence of the H5N1 virus was confirmed by the National Influenza Centre, the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge. A team led by the Ministry of Health is conducting field investigations into the source of his infection.

Of the 9 cases confirmed to date in Cambodia, 7 have been fatal. This is the first diagnosed case in Cambodia during 2009.

Cambodian A/H1N1 death case rises to 6

http://www.chinaview.cn/
2009-12-18

(CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has confirmed another death case of influenza A/H1N1, bringing the total number to six, official news agency AKP reported on Friday.

The new death case has been found on an 18-month baby living in Battambang province, said Ly Sovann, deputy director of the communicable diseases control department of the Health Ministry.

As of Dec. 17, he said, the country's total number of infected cases of A/H1N1 has increased to 531, including 44 new cases during this week.

Dr. Ly Sovann called on people to be more careful and to protect themselves from this deadly pandemic.

Special Report: World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu 　

Editor: Zhang Xiang

China may seek return of fleeing Uighurs

(CAAI News Media)

BEIJING, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- China says the 22 Uighurs who have fled to Cambodia are suspected of criminal activities stemming from the July ethnic riots in the Uighur region.

In a written statement to The New York Times, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman objected to the Uighurs applying to the United Nations office in Cambodia for refugee status, and said the Beijing government is asking or may ask the Cambodian government to repatriate them.

The ministry said the fleeing Uighurs, members of China's Turkic-speaking minority who reached Cambodia a month ago with help of some Christian missionaries, were being investigated in China.

Chinese media have reported authorities have arrested about 380 people since early November as suspects in the July riots in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang-Uighur, in which about 200 people died. At least 14 people have been sentenced to death for murder and other crimes allegedly committed during the riots, which erupted after months of simmering ethnic tensions as the Muslim Uighurs resent being ruled by Han Chinese.

"China's stance is very clear: the international refugee protection system shouldn't become a shelter where criminals stay to escape legal punishment," the Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said, the Times reported.

The Phnom Penh Post reported the Chinese Embassy sent a note to the Cambodian government about the Uighurs, the Times said. A Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman gave no other details.

Amnesty International has informed the Cambodian government it is prohibited under a 1951 convention from forcibly repatriating refugees to countries where they could face torture or other ill treatment.

FACTBOX-Five facts about China-Cambodia relations

18 Dec 2009

Source: Reuters

(CAAI News Media)

Dec 18 (Reuters) - Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping arrives in Cambodia on Sunday on the final leg of an Asian tour that has also taken in Japan, South Korea and Myanmar.

Here are five facts about relations between China and Cambodia:

* China had close relations with the ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge and its leader Pol Pot. Under their 1975-1979 rule an estimated 1.7 million people -- 21 percent of the population -- perished in the Khmer Rouge's attempt to turn the impoverished nation into an agrarian utopia.

* China continued to back the Khmer Rouge during the civil war that followed Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia in 1979 and the installation of a Hanoi-backed government. China briefly invaded Vietnam in 1979 in punishment for the attack on Cambodia.

* A 1991 U.N.-brokered peace pact led to elections in 1993 and the restoration of Norodom Sihanouk, an old friend of China's, as a constitutional monarch.

In February this year, as the trial of the group's chief torturer opened in Phnom Penh, China defended its ties with the Khmer Rouge regime, saying it was part of normal diplomatic relations. [ID:nPEK363839]

* China was Cambodia's top foreign investor in 2008 in terms of approved projects, with $4.3 billion in investments. China has mainly invested in the hydropower, agriculture, telecommunications and tourism sectors. Bilateral trade last year reached $794 million.

* China is Cambodia's largest source of foreign aid, providing some $600 million in 2007 and $260 million in 2008, helping to build roads, dams and other infrastructure. China also gives military aid.

Sources: Reuters, Xinhua news agency, Cambodian Investment Board, Cambodian media, Jamestown Foundation. (For a story on Xi's visit to Cambodia: [ID:nSGE5BH04N]) (Compiled by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Martin Petty and Jerry Norton)

Asylum-seeking Uighurs put Cambodia in tight spot

18 Dec 2009 09:49:04 GMT

Source: Reuters

By Jared Ferrie

(CAAI News Media)

PHNOM PENH, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Twenty-two minority Chinese Uighurs who fled to Cambodia after deadly ethnic rioting this year pose a diplomatic challenge for Cambodia, testing its ability to stand up to China, its biggest investor.

The Uighurs, a Turkic Muslim ethnic group involved in rioting in western China that killed nearly 200 people in July, have put Cambodia's leaders in an awkward position ahead of a visit by Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping, who arrives on Sunday.

Cambodia is one of two Southeast Asian countries that signed a 1951 convention on refugees pledging not to send asylum seekers back to a country where they will face persecution, which would almost certainly be the case for the Uighurs, according to rights groups.

They were smuggled out of China into Cambodia in recent weeks and applied for asylum at the United Nations refugee agency office in Phnom Penh.

China has not said publicly it is seeking their repatriation, but Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters this week they were criminal suspects who were being investigated.

The timing is tricky for Cambodia, expected to sign 14 agreements with China during Xi's visit related to infrastructure construction, grants and loans.

Cambodia has already received more than $1 billion in foreign direct investment from China, which in October agreed to provide $853 million in loans to the impoverished country for dams, infrastructure and irrigation projects.

"The economic ties between Cambodia and China should not interfere with the asylum-seeking process," said Thys Hoekman of the Unrepresented Nation and Peoples Organisation, based in The Hague.

PERSECUTION RISK

The Uighur American Association (UAA) said the Uighurs could face persecution and even execution if they were deported to China.

"We believe Cambodia should abide by its international human rights commitments," said Amy Reger, a UAA researcher.

Amnesty International issued an open letter calling on the Cambodian government to refuse any extradition request. The letter cited cases of Uighurs who were returned to China, sometimes after gaining refugee status, and subsequently detained and reportedly tortured and executed.

Cambodian officials confirmed that a diplomatic note from the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh had been received, but neither the Chinese nor Cambodian authorities have divulged whether it was an extradition request.

"(The Uighurs) are suspected of crimes," Jiang, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said at a media briefing on Thursday. "We think the global refugee protection system should not become a refuge for criminals fleeing from their crimes."

China has yet to elaborate on their alleged crimes or provide any evidence.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is assisting Cambodia in determining the status of the 22 Uighurs. If they were deemed to be refugees, Cambodia was bound by the 1951 convention not to deport them, said UNHCR spokeswoman Kitty McKinsey.

Cambodian officials said Xi will meet with King Norodom Sihamoni, Prime Minister Hun Sen and other government officials during his three-day visit. (For a factbox on Cambodia-China relations: [ID:nTOE5BH04A]) (Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Editing by Martin Petty and Jerry Norton)

Party leader meets with Cambodia’s top religious clerics

12/18/2009

(CAAI News Media)

Party leader Nong Duc Manh on December 18 visited Great Supreme Patriarch Samdec Tep Vong and Supreme Patriarch Samdec Bukri – leaders of the two Buddhist sects in Cambodia.

He said he is happy to see with his own eyes the dramatic changes Cambodia and its Buddhists have made during the past four years since his visit in March 2005.

He expressed his belief that the two sects will make greater contributions to Cambodia’s prosperity under the reign of King Norodom Sihamoni and the clear-sighted leadership of the Senate, the National Assembly and the government, as well as promoting the relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia.

Vietnam will do its utmost to maintain and develop their traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Cambodia, said Mr Manh.

The two supreme patriarchs welcomed Mr Manh’s re-visit to Cambodia and expressed the belief that their bilateral relationship will develop further for the sake of peace, happiness and prosperity in each country.

They thanked the Vietnamese Party, government, people and volunteer soldiers for helping the Cambodian people escape the genocidal Pol Pot regime and for revitalizing Cambodia and its Buddhism in particular.

The same day, Mr Manh met with Vietnamese Embassy staff and Vietnamese nationals in Cambodia. He called on them to carry out practical activities to cement the time-honoured friendship and solidarity between the two nations, as well as to increase exchanges and cooperation in economics, trade, culture, education-training, and science-technology.

He encouraged Vietnamese nationals to turn their hearts and minds to their home country, preserve their traditional cultural identity and teach Vietnamese to the younger generation.

In the afternoon, he visited Preah Sihanouk province in southwest of Cambodia.

Earlier on December 17, King Norodom Sihamoni gave a royal banquet in honour of Party leader Manh and his entourage.

The King highlighted the importance of Mr Manh’s visit and expressed his hope that Vietnam will continue to share its experiences and provide development aid to Cambodia.

Mr Manh reaffirmed Vietnam’s determination to strengthen its traditional friendship with Cambodia, considering it an invaluable asset and an important factor behind the strength of the two nations.

Mr Manh began a three-day visit to Cambodia on December 17 at the invitation of King Norodom Sihamoni.

Cambodia, Vietnam talk ties

(CAAI News Media)

The Cambodian people are forever a good neighbour who will always stand side by side with the Vietnamese people, King Norodom Sihamoni said during his talks with the Vietnamese Party Chief in Phnom Penh on December 17.

The talks took place immediately after a red-carpet welcome ceremony that King Sihamoni gave to Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh on his official visit to Cambodia.

“The Vietnamese people are a great and trustful friend of the Cambodian people,” King Sihamoni also affirmed.

He delivered profound gratitude to the Vietnamese Party, Government and people for their support and valuable assistance to help the Cambodian people escape from the Pol Pot genocidal regime and develop their country.

The King viewed Party General Secretary Manh’s official visit as an important event that would greatly help boost the two countries’ well-established neighbourliness and traditional friendship and deepen their comprehensive cooperation in a sustainable and stable manner.

He pledged to press ahead in his father’ cause of fostering the great solidarity and fine cooperation between the two countries.

Party General Secretary Manh expressed his joy of revisiting the neighbouring country and reiterated that Vietnam has attached importance to the traditional friendship and cooperation with Cambodia and would do its utmost to boost these ties.

The Vietnamese Party Chief shared with the Cambodian King his satisfaction at developments in Vietnam-Cambodia relations and vowed to foster them further.

“The Vietnamese-Cambodian well-established neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and comprehensive, durable and long-term cooperation are invaluable common assets of the two countries,” both Vietnamese and Cambodian leaders said.

They considered promoting of bilateral wide-ranging ties as an active contribution the two countries have made to peace, stability, cooperation and development in Southeast Asia and the world.

The two leaders reached a consensus on maintaining high-level meetings between the two countries with the aim of facilitating the expansion of bilateral multi-dimensional cooperation.

They agreed to step up the exchange programme between the two countries’ peoples, particularly youths.

The Vietnamese and Cambodian leaders praised the two Governments’ endeavours in implementing the signed cooperation agreements and deals, especially the accords regarding border issues and asserted their determination to complete the border demarcation and the planting of border markers by 2012.

They underscored that the two countries will persistently follow a foreign policy of peace, friendship and trustful cooperation with all nations, particularly with neighbouring countries.

At the end of the talks, Party General Secretary Manh presented 100 sets of computers and 100 colour televisions produced in Vietnam to King Sihamoni for his gifts to Cambodian people and children.

On the occasion, Party chief Manh invited King Sihamoni, King’s father Norodom Sihanouk and King’s mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk to revisit Vietnam.

King Sihamoni accepted the invitation with pleasure and promised to convey the invitation to his parents so they can arrange the visit in a convenient time.

Cambodia Tribunal Charges Former Khmer Rouge Head of State With Genocide

Cambodia's U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal has charged the Khmer Rouge's former head of state with genocide, the third such charge this week against a former leader of the brutal regime.

VOA News

18 December 2009

(CAAI News Media)

Photo: AP

Khieu Samphan, looks on during hearing at U.N.-backed genocide tribunal in Phnom Penh (file photo)

A court spokesman says Khieu Samphan was brought before investigating judges of the U.N.-assisted tribunal Friday and charged.

On Wednesday, the tribunal charged two other defendants with genocide for the first time: Nuon Chea, the group's top ideologist and former foreign minister Ieng Sary.

All three have been charged with involvement in the deaths of members of the country's ethnic Cham and Vietnamese communities.

Some Chams, who are mostly Muslims, were among the few Cambodians to actively resist Khmer Rouge rule. The Khmer Rouge brutally suppressed the rebellions in several villages.

All three are also facing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as homicide and torture for their involvement in the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979.

Although many Cambodians feel their people suffered a genocide, it is difficult for prosecutors to apply the charge to the mass killing.

The United Nations defines genocide as "acts committed with intent to destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group."

So far, three of five former senior Khmer Rouge members facing prosecution for their involvement in the brutal ultra-communist regime have been formally charged in court.

Prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, was the first defendant to be tried. He faces life imprisonment if found guilty of crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture and murder. A verdict is expected some time early next year.

Duch commanded the S-21 prison in Phnom Penh, where about 16,000 people were tortured and taken away to be killed.

The Khmer Rouge aimed to wipe out Cambodia's social classes and create a self-sustaining, agrarian society.

They emptied Cambodia's cities, killed anyone who appeared educated or elite, and forced the rest of the population to work in rural labor camps. Vietnamese forces pushed the group from power in 1979.