UNPO Condemns Forcible Deportation of Uyghurs and Hmong

http://www.unpo.org/

via CAAI News Media

Thursday, 14 January 2010

UNPO and 67 global organisations have issued a joint statement calling for Asian states to reaffirm commitment to safeguarding asylum seekers threatened with a return to torture and persecution.

To read the joint statement either read below or click here.

We, the undersigned, condemn the actions in the last days of 2009 of some Asian governments in requesting, encouraging and performing the forcible deportation (refoulement) of refugees and asylum seekers from Cambodia and Thailand.

We demand that all governments in the Asia-Pacific region reaffirm the importance of the principle of non-refoulement of asylum seekers and refugees.

We further call on these governments and all governments in the Asia-Pacific region to resolve to make 2010 a year in which the basic rights of refugees and asylum seekers are recognised, including the fundamental principle of non-refoulement.

Uighurs from Cambodia

On December 19, 2009, in advance of a visit by Vice President Xi Jinping of China, the government of Cambodia forcibly repatriated 20 ethnic Uighur asylum seekers to China, before their claims for asylum had been fully examined. The forced repatriation occurred despite the protests of the international community, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and civil society. Cambodia is a signatory to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have reported that Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking ethnic minority, predominantly Muslim and living mostly in western China, are facing various forms of mistreatment and persecution which has intensified since the crackdown by the Chinese government that follows the July 2009 riots in Urumqi.

China thanked the Cambodian government for the forced repatriation and two days later signed 14 commercial deals with Cambodia worth approximately 1 billion US Dollars.

Amnesty International has documented past cases of Uighur asylum seekers forcibly returned to China who were detained, reportedly tortured and, in some cases, sentenced to death and executed.

Lao Hmong from Thailand

On December 28, 2009, the government of Thailand forcibly repatriated to Laos about 4,000 Lao Hmong from Huay Nam Khao camp in Phetchabun, as well as 158 Lao Hmong detained in the Nong Khai Immigration Detention Centre since November 2006. Amongst them were 87 children, some born in detention. The 158 Lao Hmong were recognised by UNHCR as being in need of international protection; they had already been accepted for resettlement by several countries but had been denied departure from Thailand. UNHCR was not permitted access to the larger group in Huay Nam Khao camp in Phetchabun to determine their status.

In a statement dated 31 December 2009 protesting these deportations, the Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, stated, “the fact that no independent and reliable pre-screening mechanism is in place to assess whether these individuals would be at risk of torture violates international human rights norms.” This statement was jointly released with the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Migrants, Jorge A. Bustamante,

Until now, no NGO or UN agencies have been granted access to monitor the deportees back in Laos.

In recent years, forcibly repatriated Lao Hmong have been subject to disappearance, imprisonment, forced re-education, and physical and sexual assault. The Hmong population has been subject to persecution by Lao authorities, including arbitrary arrests and detention, and the suppression of religious freedom.

Principle of Non-Refoulement

We remind the governments of China, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand and other governments in the Asia-Pacific region that under international law, the forcible deportation (refoulement) of an individual to a place where they will be exposed to a real risk of serious harm is absolutely forbidden under both customary international law and under the treaty provisions of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

We also remind these governments that under the terms of the Charter of the United Nations, the Statute of the UNHCR and the terms of the memoranda of agreement that they have signed with the UNHCR that they are bound to cooperate with it and to facilitate its efforts to ensure access and the protection of refugees.

We recall the numerous Conclusions on International Protection of the Executive Committee of the UNHCR, of which the governments of China and Thailand are members, which call on states to “scrupulously respect the principle of non-refoulement”. We further recall that the Executive Committee adopted these conclusions by consent and that the governments of China and Thailand have on multiple occasions agreed to abide by them.

Therefore, we, the undersigned, call on the following governments to take the following specific actions:

• The government of Cambodia:

- To recognize the right to seek asylum of all Uighur asylum seekers;

- To cease their refoulement before a proper determination of their status; and

- To abide by their obligations as a state party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, its 1967 Protocol, as well as the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

• The government of China:

- To provide UNHCR with access to forcibly repatriated Uighur asylum seekers;

- To cease making demands of other Asian states to forcibly repatriate asylum seekers; and

- To abide by their obligations as a state party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, its 1967 Protocol, as well as the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

• The government of Thailand:

- To recognize the right to seek asylum of all Lao Hmong refugees and asylum seekers;

- To cease the refoulement of the Lao Hmong;

- To issue exit permits to those Lao Hmong who have been accepted for resettlement in third countries; and

- To abide by their obligations as a state party to the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

• The government of Laos:

- To provide UNHCR with access to forcibly repatriated Lao Hmong;

- To cease making demands of other Asian states to forcibly repatriate asylum seekers

- To make all necessary arrangements for those individuals who had already been accepted for resettlement in a third country prior to their return to Laos to be expeditiously processed and depart from Laos

• All governments in the Asia-Pacific region:

- To respect the fundamental principle of non-refoulement;

- To cease requesting, condoning, cooperating with, carrying out or otherwise allowing the refoulement of asylum seekers and refugees, and

- To respect the principle that the granting of asylum is a peaceful and humanitarian act and should not be regarded as an unfriendly act by any state.

We call on all governments in the Asia-Pacific region to resolve to fully respect the rights of all refugees and asylum seekers under international law as of 2010, including by renouncing the practice of refoulement.

This statement was written by members of the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) and has been endorsed by the following organisations:

Australia

1. Amnesty International Australia

2. Australian National Committee on Refugee Women

3. Centre for Refugee Research

4. Refugee Council of Australia

5. Survivors of Torture and Trauma Assistance and Rehabilitation Service of South Australia

Bangladesh

6. Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK)

7. Odhikar

8. Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program (OKUP)

Cambodia

9. Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC)

10. Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO)

11. Khmer Kampuchea Krom Human Rights Association (KKKHRA)

12. The Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC)

Canada

13. Canadian Council for Refugees

14. Fellowship Christian Reformed Church Refugee Committee

15. Quaker Committee for Refugees

Egypt

16. Egyptian Foundation for Refugee Rights

Hong Kong

17. Amnesty International Hong Kong

18. Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre

Indonesia

19. Human Rights Working Group - Indonesia

20. Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Jakarta (The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute)

Japan

21. Amnesty International Japan

Lebanon

22. Frontiers Ruwad Association

Malaysia

23. Aliran Kesedaran Negara

24. Amnesty International Malaysia

25. Bar Council of Malaysia

26. Health Equity Initiatives

27. Kumpulan ACTS Berhad

28. Parti Sosialis Malaysia

29. Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)

30. The National Human Rights Society (HAKAM)

Nepal

31. INHURED International

New Zealand

32. Amnesty International New Zealand

33. New Zealand National Refugee Network

Pakistan

34. Pakistan International Human Rights Organization

Philippines

35. Amnesty International Philippines

36. Centre for Migrant Advocacy

South Africa

37. Lawyers for Human Rights

South Korea

38. Korean Public Interest Lawyers Group (GONGGAM)

39. Korean House for International Solidarity

Sri Lanka

40. South Asian Network for Refugees, IDPs & Migrants, Sri Lanka (SANRIM)

Switzerland

41. Tibetan UN Advocacy (TUNA)

Taiwan

42. Taiwan Association for Human Rights

Thailand

43. Amnesty International Thailand

44. US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants – Thailand

Turkey

45. Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Refugee Advocacy and Support Program

United Kingdom

46. Christian Solidarity Worldwide

47. The Equal Rights Trust

United States of America

48. Citizens Against Trafficking

49. Defense Forum Foundation

50. Jubilee Campaign

Regional/International

51. Advocates International

52. Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD)

53. Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD)

54. Borneo Child Aid Society/ Humana

55. Caram Asia

56. Chin Human Rights Organization

57. Christian Solidarity Worldwide - Southeast Asia

58. Committee for Asian Women

59. ESCR-Asia

60. Fahamu Refugee Programme, Fahamu Trust

61. Forum Asia

62. Human Rights Without Frontiers

63. International Detention Coalition

64. International Women's Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific

65. Pax Romana

66. The Arakan Project

67. UNANIMA International

68. Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO)

Highdown ride for children in Cambodia

Highdown School headteacher Tim Royle in training for the charity bike ride across Vietnam and Cambodia, which he and other teachers are taking part in for HopeAsia. From left, Harry Santer, Emma Reynolds, Nicci Burns, Noel Denney and Gill Pollock

http://www.getreading.co.uk/

By Laura Herbert

January 14, 2010

via CAAI News Media

Teachers at an Emmer Green secondary school are swapping the classroom for the open road as they pedal their way to raising cash for charity.

Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre headteacher Tim Royle is one of 18 people connected with the school taking part in the 450km cycle ride from Vietnam to Cambodia next month.

He said: “We are raising money for HopeAsia which supports about 50 to 60 children in an orphanage in Cambodia.”

The charity was set up to fund the orphanage and provide food, water, clothing, medical care, education and a safe home for the children.

Mr Royle said: “So far we have raised £31,655 but I think £150,000 is what we should be aiming for.

“Students and others who are not going on the trip have been raising money with a very successful fashion show that raised £1,000. We are very grateful to parents and businesses that gave clothes to the show.

“We have held car boot sales, non-uniform days and music and drama productions as part of the fundraising.”

The team includes Mr Royle’s assistant Nicci Burns, deputy headteacher Emma Reynolds, learning support assistant Gill Pollock, music teacher Harry Santer and design and technology teacher Noel Denney.

Mr Royle added: “We have all been training hard as for the first three days we have to cycle 60 miles, but the weather hasn’t really helped at the moment.

“It’s going well and some of those involved have said how much fitter they feel.

“We will be cycling from the capital of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, to the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat in Northern Cambodia to see how the money will help.

“With the funds we hope to build a classroom or provide some accommodation making it safer and more secure for them. It’s about giving the children there a chance they might not have had.”

The team will head off for the trip during the February half-term holiday leaving for Vietnam on Friday, February 12.

To sponsor the group visit www.justgiving.com/highdownteam.

laura.herbert@reading-epost.co.uk

Haiti quake: Survivors struggle while awaiting aid

People rest under blankets outdoors in Port-au-Prince, Haiti after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake January 12, 2010. REUTERS/Matt Marek/American Red Cross/Handout

A young girl lies on a cushion in the streets of Port-au-Prince. Frantic Haitians awaiting a global rescue effort clawed through the ruins of their capital seeking survivors from an earthquake that left streets strewn with corpses and a death toll that may top 100,000. (AFP/Erika Santelices)

Passers-by observe the covered corpses of those killed by a massive earthquake in Port-au-Prince. With thousands of people missing, dazed survivors in torn clothes wandered through the rubble as more than 30 aftershocks rocked the ramshackle and impoverished capital. (AFP/Juan Barreto)

More than 100,000 people were feared dead in Haiti after an earthquake decimated the capital Port-au-Prince. Survivors faced a second night on streets still littered with the dead. (AFPTV)

via CAAI News Media

By MIKE MELIA, Associated Press Writer

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Turning pickup trucks into ambulances and doors into stretchers, Haitians are frantically struggling to save those injured in this week's earthquake while hoping foreign governments will quickly send in aid.

Help began arriving early Thursday when an Air China plane carrying a Chinese search-and-rescue team, medics and aid landed at Port-au-Prince airport, and more than 50 people in orange jumpsuits got out accompanied by trained dogs.

The U.S. and other nations said they were sending food, water, medical supplies to assist the Western Hemisphere's poorest nation, where the international Red Cross estimated 3 million people — a third of the population — may need emergency relief.

In the streets of the capital, survivors set up camps amid piles of salvaged goods, including food being scavenged from the rubble.

"This is much worse than a hurricane," said Jimitre Coquillon, a doctor's assistant working at a makeshift triage center set up in a hotel parking lot. "There's no water. There's nothing. Thirsty people are going to die."

If there were any organized efforts to distribute food or water, they were not visible Wednesday.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders treated wounded at two hospitals that withstood the quake and set up tent clinics elsewhere to replace its damaged facilities. Cuba, which already had hundreds of doctors in Haiti, treated injured in field hospitals.

President Barack Obama promised an all-out rescue and humanitarian effort including the military and civilian emergency teams from across the U.S. The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson was expected to arrive off the coast Thursday and the Navy said the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan had been ordered to sail as soon as possible with a 2,000-member Marine unit.

"We have to be there for them in their hour of need," Obama said.

A U.S. military assessment team was the first to arrive, to determine Haiti's needs.

The global relief effort picked up steam Thursday with a British flight carrying a government assessment team and 71 rescue specialists along with heavy equipment arriving in the neighboring Dominican Republic. The crew prepared to head to Haiti. A Los Angeles County Fire Department 72-member search team left for Haiti late Wednesday.

The United Nations released $10 million from its emergency funds, even as U.N. forces in Haiti struggled with their own losses. The U.N. headquarters building collapsed, and at least 16 personnel are confirmed dead, with up to 150 still missing, including mission head Hedi Annabi of Tunisia and his chief deputy, Luis Carlos da Costa.

"We'll be using whatever roads are passable to get aid to Port-au-Prince, and if possible we'll bring helicopters in," said Emilia Casella, a spokeswoman for the U.N. food agency in Geneva.

There was no estimate on how many people were killed by Tuesday's magnitude-7 quake. Haitian President Rene Preval said the toll could be in the thousands. Leading Sen. Youri Latortue told The Associated Press the number could be 500,000, but conceded that nobody really knew.

"Let's say that it's too early to give a number," Preval said told CNN.

Survivors used sledgehammers and their bare hands to try to find victims in the rubble. In Petionville, next to the capital, people dug through a collapsed shopping center, tossing aside mattresses and office supplies. More than a dozen cars were entombed, including a U.N. truck.

Nearby, about 200 survivors, including many children, huddled in a theater parking lot using sheets to rig makeshift tents and shield themselves from the sun in 90-degree heat.

Police officers carried the injured in their pickup trucks. Wisnel Occilus, a 24-year-old student, was wedged between two other survivors in a truck bed headed to a police station. He was in an English class when the magnitude-7 quake struck at 4:53 p.m. and the building collapsed.

"The professor is dead. Some of the students are dead, too," said Occilus, who suspected he had several broken bones. "Everything hurts."

Other survivors carried injured to hospitals in wheelbarrows and on stretchers fashioned from doors.

Bodies lay everywhere in Port-au-Prince: tiny children next to schools, women in rubble-strewn streets with stunned expressions frozen on their faces, men hidden beneath plastic tarps and cotton sheets.

Balancing suitcases and belongings on their heads, people streamed on foot into the Haitian countryside, where wooden and cinderblock shacks showed little sign of damage. Ambulances and U.N. trucks raced in the opposite direction, toward Port-au-Prince.

Calls from victims seeking help from emergency services weren't getting through because systems that connect different phone networks were not working, said officials from a telecommunications provider in Haiti.

Calls were being placed sometimes 15 to 20 times from the same phone, which was "painful to watch," said Jyoti Mahurkar-Thombre, Alcatel-Lucent's general manager of wireless voice.

About 3,000 police and international peacekeepers cleared debris, directed traffic and maintained security in the capital. But law enforcement was stretched thin even before the quake and would be ill-equipped to deal with major unrest. The U.N.'s 9,000-member peacekeeping force sent patrols across the capital's streets while securing the airport, port and main buildings.

Looting began immediately after the quake, with people seen carrying food from collapsed buildings. Inmates were reported to have escaped from the damaged main prison in Port au Prince, said Elisabeth Byrs, a U.N. humanitarian spokeswoman in Geneva.

It was unclear whether the U.S. ground troops heading this way would be used for security operations as well as humanitarian efforts.

Port-au-Prince's ruined buildings fell on both the poor and the prominent: The body of Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot, 63, was found in the ruins of his office, said the Rev. Pierre Le Beller at Miot's order, the Saint Jacques Missionary Center in Landivisiau, France.

Haitian Senate President Kelly Bastien was rescued from the collapsed Parliament building and taken to a hospital in the neighboring Dominican Republic. The president of Haiti's Citibank was also among the survivors being treated there, said Rafael Sanchez Espanol, director of the Homs Hospital in Santiago.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter evacuated four critically injured U.S. Embassy staff to the hospital at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where the military has been detaining suspected terrorists.

The U.S. Embassy had no confirmed reports of deaths among the estimated 40,000 to 45,000 Americans who live in Haiti, but many were struggling to find a way out of the country.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday it has launched a Web site to help Haitians find loved ones missing in the quake.

Robert Zimmerman, deputy head of the group's tracing unit, said people in Haiti and abroad can use the site to register the names of missing relatives.

As dusk fell Wednesday, thousands of people gathered on blankets outside the crumpled presidential palace, including hundreds of women who waved their hands and sang hymns in a joyful, even defiant tone.

Ricardo Dervil, 29, said he decided to join the crowd because he was worried about aftershocks and was tired of seeing dead bodies.

"I was listening to the radio and they were saying to stay away from buildings," he said. "All I was doing was walking the street and seeing dead people."

___

Associated Press contributors to this story: Jonathan Katz and Jennifer Kay in Port-au-Prince; Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations; Frank Jordans and Bradley S. Klapper in Geneva; Matthew Lee and Julie Pace in Washington; Jamey Keaton in Paris; Tales Azzoni in Sao Paulo; Alicia Chang in Los Angeles, and Andrea Rodriguez in Havana.

Is The World Set for Another Rice Crisis?

http://asiasentinel.com/

Written by Our Correspondent

Thursday, 14 January 2010

via CAAI News Media

"This year, I will not have enough rice to eat for the whole year," says Kong Chanthorn, a rice farmer in Srayov Kharng Tbong village in Cambodia's Kompong Thom province. "I am afraid I cannot earn the money to buy rice to support my families because this year its price is too high."

Chanthorn is not alone. The global price of rice, a staple for half the world's population, is rising inexorably again, up more than 25 percent in recent months, stoked by Philippine and Indian import demand although not to the stratospheric levels of late 2007 and early 2008. At that time the price rose from about US$300 per metric ton to as much as US$1,100. Prices later fell back to about US$400 as government panic subsided across the region and bans on export were lifted, and as planting pushed up stocks.

Cambodia's rising prices were precipitated by the onset last September of Typhoon Ketsana. On Wednesday Pov Samy, the secretary general of Cambodia's National Committee for Disaster Management, said Ketsana had caused flooding in eight of the country's 24 provinces and damaged public and private buildings to the tune of US$153 million. A further US$131 million is needed to restore the buildings' hardware, he said.

But the cost to rice farmers suffering lower production yields and higher food prices remains unknown, not only in Cambodia but in other areas of Asia as well. The damage from the typhoon, plus the potential of falling stocks from a recurrence of the El Nino weather phenomenon, raises the risk of skyrocketing prices.

Chanthon, 33, says he lost half the annual yield from his rice paddy from Ketsana. And although villagers in his area have received seeds and food help from non-governmental organizations, they have not been enough. "Some villagers have to catch fish to earn some money to buy milled rice," he said. "My daughter's rice field is all gone and my son-in-law has had to fish."

"Flooding from Ketsana has pushed the price of rice up in our community," Chanthorn. "Last year during the same period rice only cost 9000 riel [$1.75] for a basket. Now the price is near 13,000 riel [$2.10]."

Food security has become a major political issue in Asia in recent years due to imbalances in the demand-supply chain and hoarding by national governments. In response to the problems, the World Food Program has initiated a number of emergency projects, and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) last month launched a US$300 million fund-raising campaign for the region.

"Rice is fundamental not just to Asian economies but also Asian culture," IRRI Director General Dr Robert Zeigler said in a statement at the launch of the fund. "There is no doubt that rice research can help. For four decades, rice production has steadily increased in Asia, pushed ahead by new varieties developed through research that has helped ensure enough rice for all Asians.

"What we need more than anything is to make the necessary investments, especially with the looming threat of climate change," he added. "After all, in Asia, rice is life."

New statistics released by HSBC show that rice production could fall 20 percent this season due to a rage of mainly weather-related factors such as typhoons, flooding and droughts. As a result, global rice prices have surged to US$610 per metric ton. Along with the anticipated return of El Nino in 2010, the drop in yield could spell trouble for a region increasingly important to world economic growth although there is some debate over stocks.

Typhoon Ondoy, as Ketsana was known in the Philippines, severely damaged Filipino rice production, resulting in record buys of 202 million tons to build adequate stockpiles for 2010. Reuters reported on Jan. 13 that Philippines unmilled rice output is expected to hit a record this year, however, and that the El Nino effect expected to be mild. Bloomberg, however, quoted Philippine Agriculture Undersecretary Emmanuel Paras as saying as much as 20 to 20 percent of the country's rice growing regions could be affected by the weather phenomenon.

Some 1.5 million people affected by food shortages are beneficiaries of a $56 million WFP project in the Philippines. Running through June 2010, the program will attempt to trigger recovery through agricultural projects and support. However, the Philippines program is facing a funding shortfall of $33 million. Further emergency donations are needed in Cambodia, where 25,000 households received 1,250 tons of rice for the month of September to avoid starvation, but have been left to fend for themselves since.

"Food assistance provided by [UN programs] during crises is aimed at saving lives and ensuring people do not exhaust their meager resources to survive the ordeal," said Mike Huggins, WFP spokesperson for Asia. "By supporting people during tough times, they are better able to recover their livelihoods and get back on their feet when conditions improve."

In his December report for HSBC, "What's Cooking with Rice?," economist Frederic Neumann noted that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts that global rice production in 2010 will be below global demand for the first time in five years. At the same time, stocks among major exporters are running about 20 percent below normal, he said — adding that the numbers may even underestimate the problem.

In 2008, continually low stocks and steadily growing demand "set up the market for a price spike that ultimately became self-perpetuating," Neumann wrote. "In a major review of the episode, the USDA recently concluded that hoarding and emergency trade restrictions imposed by governments were the main driver for the run-up in rice prices."

None of these underlying agricultural problems have disappeared in the past year. Following its driest monsoon season for 37 years, the Indian government is expecting its summer-sown rice output to fall by some 18 percent, forcing it to become a net importer for the first time in nearly two decades in order to cope, the USDA said.

"Rising rice prices should generally be positive for rice farmers across the region as it raises their income," Neumann said in an email exchange. "However, lower income groups tend to be more negatively affected. In a sense, therefore, rising rice prices represent a redistribution of income."

After two devastating typhoons and some of the heaviest rains in almost 40 years, the Philippines is also suffering massive production shortages that are expected to increase the country's import demand by 25 percent. The government was forced to revise up its emergency operations budget to provide for an additional 44,628 metric tons of food aid and extend the emergency operations plan through June of 2010.

The problem of food security and pricing is expected to increase hoarding by individual countries that could put at risk the consumption driven economic recovery of the region. This would exacerbate an already precarious situation for developing countries weathering the global economic recession.

Judges conclude Khmer Rouge investigations

via CAAI News Media

Published on : 14 January 2010

By International Justice Desk

The co-investigating judges of Cambodia’s genocide tribunal have concluded their investigations against five Khmer Rouge suspects.

“Today the Co-Investigating Judges have notified all the parties and their lawyers that they consider that the judicial investigation in Case 002, in which charges have been laid against Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith, Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan and Kaing Guek Eav, has been concluded,” says a statement issued by the extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC).

The announcement marks the conclusion of two and a half years of judicial investigation into alleged crimes committed between 17 April 1975 and 6 January 1979 during the Khmer Rouge regime. During the course of the investigation, tens of thousands of pages of documentary evidence have been placed on the casefile. More than 800 statements have been taken from witnesses, civil parties and charged persons.

Also, more than 2000 civil party applications have been received, the admissibility of which is currently being examined and will be decided upon before the Closing Order.

After 30 days, or after the Pre-Trial Chamber has heard any appeals, the Co-Investigating Judges will forward the case file to the Co-Prosecutors. The Co-Prosecutors will then have 45 days to make their final submission.

After receipt of the Co-Prosecutors` final submission, the Co-Investigating Judges will issue a Closing Order. The Closing Order will be either an indictment sending the case for trial or a dismissal of the case (partially or totally). Subject to the parties’ exercise of their procedural rights the Co-Investigative Judges will endeavor to issue a Closing Order in September 2010.

Cambodia's genocide court wraps up Khmer Rouge investigation

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/

AFP January 14, 2010

via CAAI News Media

CAMBODIA'S UN-backed genocide court announced today it had completed investigations against surviving senior leaders of the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime.

The five leaders of the hardline communist regime charged in case 002 are currently being held at the court while the tribunal prepares to give a verdict in its first trial of one of the detainees, former prison chief Duch.

"The notification of the conclusion of the investigation today is clearly a milestone in the judicial process in case 002," tribunal spokesman Lars Olsen said.

Lawyers now have 30 days to request further investigations and judges hope to issue an indictment in the case by September. The earliest a second trial could start is the end of this year, he said.

Former Khmer Rouge follower Nuon Chea, head of state Khieu Samphan, foreign minister Ieng Sary, and his wife, minister of social affairs Ieng Thirith are all being held for genocide and other charges in the case, alongside Duch.

Duch, real name Kaing Guek Eav, was already tried for his role as head of the regime's Phnom Penh-based torture centre S-21. Final arguments were heard in November.

Investigative judges would decide in their indictment whether all five suspects would be tried, Mr Olsen said.

After several years of haggling between Cambodia and the UN, the tribunal was created in 2006 to try former Khmer Rouge leaders.

Up to two million people were executed or died of starvation or overwork during the regime's 1975-1979 rule, which emptied Cambodia's cities and forced the population to work on collective farms in its bid to forge a communist utopia.

Rob Viktum Looks To Cambodia, Sees Progress

http://www.dallasobserver.com/

By Jesse Hughey

Published on January 13, 2010

via CAAI News Media

Dallas hip-hop producer and DJ Rob Viktum is known as an impeccably tasteful sampler, a beatmaker who uses snippets of half-forgotten soul songs and boom-bap drumbeats for a sound that hearkens to the '90s Golden Era of rap and '70s movie soundtracks. And yet he still manages to sound modern.

But, in 2007, his Progress project referenced a completely different time and place: pre-Khmer Rouge Cambodia. Inspired by a treasure trove of records given to him by a Cambodian family member, he assembled a combination of hard-hitting hip-hop beats merging Cambodian classical music and pop with rappers contributing verses to a handful of the tracks. He offered the resulting collection as a free download on the Internet, and it became a minor sensation, with more than 10,000 copies downloaded in the States and in Southeast Asia.

Tuesday, meanwhile, brought the release of the follow-up, Progress Vol. 2. But, this time, Viktum is raising more than just awareness: Each $7.99 download charge for the digital album will go to a soon-to-be-determined Cambodian charity.

As with the original, Viktum used samples from some 35 or 40 records saved by his longtime girlfriend Tavy Um's father Sihourn Um, who with his wife, Sovannary Um, managed to escape the Pol Pot-led genocide. Knowing of Viktum's love of music, Sihourn gave the rare records to his de facto son-in-law. Had he not salvaged them, they would have almost certainly been destroyed, as music and other cultural artifacts were seen by the communist regime as tainted by capitalism.

"A lot of them were completely random compilations," Viktum says. "One song might be classical Oriental music, and the next will be a Credence Clearwater Revival cover."

While he was proud of the results and bolstered by the encouragement of Um's family, Viktum braced himself for criticism that he was misappropriating the Cambodian culture. To his shock, there was none.

"I figured there would be some backlash, but the Cambodian youth were so intrigued by it because all that music had been destroyed during Khmer Rouge," he says. "They're enthralled with U.S. hip-hop, and then for them to see it used in that way was exciting for them."

While she thinks it's a great album, Tavy is just as proud of Viktum's research into the dark subject. Her parents don't talk much about their experiences during the regime, but a 1999 trip to Cambodia capital Phnom Penh brought the horror to life. There, she visited a memorial at the school her parents had attended. The school had been turned into a torture camp—bloodstains on the walls were still visible, and bones exhumed from a mass grave loomed in a gruesome pile that stood two stories high.

"A lot of people don't realize that as many people were affected as were during the Holocaust," she says.

Like the first, Progress 2 is a mix of instrumental beats and songs with rappers. Each instrumental track is named for a specific date corresponding to an unnamed event, which Viktum hopes will encourage curious record buyers to do some research into the genocide. As for the tracks with rhymes, Viktum let the guest rappers come up with their own titles. In fact, he gave them no framework for their lyrics.

"I didn't want people rapping at you about the issue, because that comes off as corny," he says. " I just said, 'Do whatever the song makes you feel.'"

Despite that lack of guidance, he says positive vibes of triumph over adversity seemed to be a recurring theme.

"Problem Child [from Austin] did 'Born Leader,' which is kind of a from-the-ashes, phoenix-type story," he says. "And Caucasian [from Lubbock] sang 'Progress,' which is just one of those feel-good, moving-forward type things."

Other rappers include Damien Randle of Houston's Legendary K.O./K-Otix, original Progress alum Bavu Blakes (from Austin by way of Dallas) and Viktum's collaborator on his recent Aight, New Drink release, Elucid from Brooklyn.

Though Viktum had a beneficiary in mind, he found out some "sketchy" information about the would-be recipient. As it happened, Um's family recently left the States to visit Cambodia following a death in the family. While there, Viktum says, they plan to choose a beneficiary.

Even without that detail finalized, Progress Vol. 2 is already moving forward.

Family reunion programme launched in Cambodia

via CAAI News Media

01/14/2010

A humanitarian programme called “It’s not a dream”, to help people find their long lost relatives, was officially inaugurated by the Metfone Viettel Telecoms company and Cambodia’s Bayon TV on January 13.

The programme is scheduled to be broadcast in March this year.

Tith Thavrith, Bayon TV’s Deputy General Director, said that working alongside with Metfone Viettel to produce the programme has a significant meaning for Cambodia, as the country has experienced many changes throughout its long history.

He said he hopes that it will link up lost families and relatives and ease the pain of the unlucky.

Bayon TV will produce weekly reports and broadcast one programme a month.

TV viewers can witness the happiness tears of people being reunited and hear heart touching stories from people that needs a helping hand from society.

The programme has been successfully introduced to in many other countries as well as Vietnam.

Cambodian gang's members arrested in teen's killing

http://www.ocregister.com/

January 13, 2010
By KIMBERLY EDDS and ELYSSE JAMES
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Steven Kao, 21, of Santa Ana.
COURTESY OF THE TUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT

TUSTIN The gunning down of a 16-year-old boy connected to a tagging crew is the latest attack by a Cambodian gang known for its reputation for violence, an investigator said.

Six people, including four of the gang's members, were rounded up in a multi-county raid Tuesday night in connection with the late-night killing of 16-year-old Juan Carlos Rodriguez.

The shooting of a 12-year-old boy hours later while he was sleeping in his bed in Santa Ana may have been retaliation, authorities said. The boy, shot in the leg, is expected to make a full recovery.

Rodriguez, shot in the back, died early Sunday morning after being shot during a shower of bullets that rained down outside a house party. His killer, according to Tustin police, is a member of the Tiny Rascal Gang.

"It was a straight murder mission," said Tustin Sgt. Jeff Blair, a former gang investigator who spent years dealing with the Tiny Rascal Gang.

It was a tale of two parties on Myrtle Avenue. Members of the Tiny Rascal Gang were at one house. Down the street, a group of taggers was partying, police say.

Things got ugly around 2 a.m. when Ravy Nhem, 20, and Pablo Kachirisky, 21, of the Tiny Rascal Gang walked by the other party and someone questioned them about their gang affiliation, Blair said.

Seeing they were outnumbered but apparently unwilling to back down from the challenge, Nehm and Kachirisky went to nearby King Liquor to call for backup from fellow gang members. Tiny Rascal Gang members Steven Kao, 21, and David Escobar, 20, showed up and they went back to the tagging crew's party and started arguing, Blair said.

Still outnumbered four to everyone at the party, the Tiny Rascal Gang members left and called for more reinforcements and guns.

The Tiny Rascals came back – and started shooting, Blair said. More than a dozen bullets were fired into the group. Rodriguez was shot in the back.

His friends dragged him into the house but didn't call police. He sat there for two hours, Blair said.

About 4:30 a.m., someone called Tustin police to report there may be a body inside an apartment on South Myrtle. Rodriguez was dead when police found him.

Whether Rodriguez was one of the instigators who demanded to know the gang member's gang affiliation is unclear, Blair said. It is clear he paid the price for it.

On Tuesday, just 36 hours after Rodriguez was gunned down, dozens of officers from the Tustin, Santa Ana, Irvine and Long Beach police departments, along with members of the Orange County Probation Department, raided three homes in Santa Ana, one in Anaheim and one in Murrieta.

Kao heard police were looking for him and used a pay phone in Long Beach to call police, Blair said. Long Beach police held Kao until Tustin detectives could pick him up.

One of the largest Asian gangs in the United States, the Tiny Rascal Gang has carved out its reputation through a path of violence and drugs.

The gang first emerged in the 1980s in Long Beach, a product of simple survival, not turf protection. Thrown into the streets of Long Beach, the children of Cambodian refugees had to protect themselves from Hispanic and black gangs. They fought back with violence, eventually expanding their expertise into drugs and home-invasion robberies and murder. Initially, the gang was restricted to just Cambodians, but the rules were later relaxed to include other Asians and white members.

With their shaved heads, baggy pants and Old English tattoos, the gang mimics Hispanic gangs. The resemblance is so striking even Tustin police had a tough time distinguishing the gang from other Hispanic gangs when they first moved into a Tustin safehouse in the early 1990s, Blair said.

What makes them different is their talent for getting their hands on guns and their reputation for brutality.

"They're not going to slug it out in a fistfight," Blair said. "They're going right to the guns."

In 1994, seven members of the Tiny Rascal Gang raped, robbed and strangled a mother in her Tustin home. She survived by playing dead. Her 3-year-old son was home at the time.

Tiny Rascal Gang member Michael David Cowles was arrested along with six juveniles. Twenty-one years old and 6 feet, 8 inches tall, Cowles cut an imposing figure and was believed to have been the ringleader. He is serving time in state prison for the attack.

A year later, five members of the Tiny Rascal Gang broke into a San Bernardino home and executed Son (Henry) Nguyen, 44; his wife, Trinh Yen Tran, 35; daughter, Doan Hoang, 15, and sons Daniel Nguyen, 11, and David Nguyen, 10. A 3-year-old son was shot but lived.

The gang was looking for money and valuables, according to published reports.

The gang has expanded from Seattle to Philadelphia. Amateur music videos posted on YouTube show slideshows of gang members flashing gang signs. One tattooed member is in a wheelchair. Another holds a baby in a group gang picture. Another flashes signs in front of a bookcase filled with stuffed bunny rabbits.

"You don't want to mess with a real G," sings the singer in the background music.

Kao, Nhem, Kachirisky, Escobar and 19-year-old Belinda Vu of Anaheim were arrested on suspicion of murder. Karrina Hernandez, 21, of Tustin was arrested on suspicion of accessory to murder but was released pending further investigation, according to police.

Nhem was out on $100,000 bail in connection with a Dec. 5 arrest on suspicion of lewd contact with a minor, according to Orange County court records.

The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to call Tustin gang Investigator Manny Arzate at 714-573-3193 or 714-573-3200.

Thai ex-premier Thaksin to make third visit to Cambodia this month

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Thu, 14 Jan 2010

By : dpa

Phnom Penh - Thailand's fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra this month is to make his third visit to Cambodia since being named a government adviser as ties between the two nations worsen, local media reported Thursday. Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said Thaksin's visit, which comes at a time when Thaksin's supporters in Thailand have vowed to escalate anti-government protests there, was "not strange."

"Thaksin coming or going out of Cambodia is a normal thing," Hor Namhong said, according to the Phnom Penh Post newspaper.

Thailand's Supreme Court is to decide February 26 whether the state would seize 2 billion dollars in frozen bank accounts in Thaksin's and his family's names, a pending decision that has heightened political tensions as Thaksin's supporters were expected to escalate their efforts to topple the Thai government before their leader risks losing his fortune.

Cambodian foreign affairs spokesman Koy Kuong said Thaksin's arrival date and the duration of his stay remained unclear, adding that the former premier would visit in his role as economic adviser.

"We don't know the clear programme exactly, but normally, as an economic adviser, he would [work on tasks] relevant to economic affairs," Koy Kuong told the German Press Agency.

Cao meets with top officials during Vietnam visit

He tells of concerns over human rights

Thursday, January 14, 2010

By Jonathan Tilove

Washington bureau

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WASHINGTON -- Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, R-New Orleans, who left wartorn Vietnam as a boy and became the first Vietnamese-American to serve in Congress, made an official visit to the country last week.

But in order to get a visa from the Vietnamese government, Cao, an outspoken critic of the Communist regime that imprisoned his father for seven years, had to promise he wouldn't stir up trouble while he was there.

"The government did not want to issue a visa because they felt that my visit potentially could be explosive," Cao said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

"In order to get the visa I had to go quietly into Vietnam and to leave quietly," he said. "We could not do a press conference; we could not do a press release." He also said he had to promise that "we would not visit dissidents and we would not visit human rights advocates."

But Cao said he was able to press his concerns about human rights abuses and the suppression of religious freedom in Vietnam during a series of meetings with top officials, including Vietnam's foreign minister, deputy general for America, standing vice minister for foreign affairs, vice minister who chairs the committee for overseas Vietnamese and director general for Ho Chi Minh City, the city once known as Saigon that Cao left in 1975 as an 8-year-old as it was about to fall to the Communists.

Cao's visit to Vietnam was part of an 11-day trip he made with two other members of the Congressional Asian-Pacific American Caucus, Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., and delegate Eni Faleomavega, D-American Samoa. It included stops in Laos, Cambodia and Japan.

In addition to talking about human rights issues, Cao returned home with a new passion for helping the governments of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia remove the vast quantity of unexploded ordnance left over from the Vietnam War that continues to kill and maim people, especially children.

"The United States dropped millions of tons of bombs on Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam; much of that came in the form of cluster bombs" of which "approximately 30 percent failed to explode," Cao said.

Before his visit, Cao said, "I was not aware of the issue."

Cao said he was also interested in expanding higher education opportunities for Vietnamese students, including increasing the availability of visas to the United States, so that they are better able to fill technology jobs at home being provided by foreign companies, including U.S.-based firms.

Flight from Siem Reap and Phnom Penh to Sihanouk Ville

http://www.prlog.org/

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Air traffic to Cambodia’s recently revamped Preah Sihanouk International Airport is on track to start from November, officials said last week. “I went to check all the technical equipment last Friday” State Secretariat of...

PR Log (Press Release) – Jan 14, 2010 – Air traffic to Cambodia’s recently revamped Preah Sihanouk International Airport (More about Sihanouk ville: http://www.tourismindochina.com/sihanouk-attractionsite.htm) is on track to start from November, officials said last week. “I went to check all the technical equipment last Friday” State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) Secretary of State Mao Havannal told the Phnom Penh Post on Tuesday.

“Everything is in place and complies with international standards” he said referring to the refurbishments completed by Societe Concessionnaire des Aeroports (SCA). Mao Havannal said the launch of the airport would be presided over by Prime Minister Hun Sen and top officials from France including French Prime Minister Nicholas Sarkozy. The launch will see national carrier Cambodia Angkor Air offer chartered services to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (More about Siem Reap province: http://www.tourismindochina.com/siem%20reap-attractionsi ...) from Sihanoukville. Soy Sokhan, SSCA undersecretary of state in charge of CAA, said the airline was still considering the feasibility of establishing regular flights on those routes. “Firstly, we need to complete a market survey looking at the number of tourists, and contact with travel agents who book passengers on cruises to get an idea of potential demand,” he said.

According to Mao Havannal, Siem Reap Airways may be unable to fly from the airport as it has not registered any planes in Cambodia, a requirement for domestic operators to receive an Air Operator Certificate (AOC). “I don’t know for sure if Siem Reap Airways will be able to fly or not” said Mao Havannal. “It depends on the airline because we have already confirmed with them that if they want to resume their operations, they need to register an airplane [in Cambodia]. “It already completely complies with SSCA requirements and has satisfied concerns over its operations.” SCA will announce its flight schedule for Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanouk international airport on October 21.

Cambodia Travel,Cambodia Attraction Sites, Indochina Travel and Tours, Cambodia Tour Packages Please visit: http://www.tourismindochina.com/index.html

DAP News ; Breaking News by Soy Sopheap

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NGOs deny human rights abuses down
Thursday, 14 January 2010 10:41 DAP-NEWS

The Cambodia Human Rights Committee on Wednesday claimed that human rights abuses decreased in 2009, but some NGOs disagreed.

“Human rights abuses in Cambodia in 2009 was better than previous years,” Om Yien Tieng, the committee’s president, told DAP News Cambodia. However, he did not specify by how much.

“It was better with in all fields as the understanding is improving and the citizens are more educated. Moreover, the authority’s capacity is more improved in all state ministries,” he said.

However, NGOs officials disagreed with such an appraisal. “LICADHO found in 2009 that human rights abuses numbered about 904 cases, which was increased if comparing to 2008,” Orm Sam Arth told DAP News Cambodia.

“Human rights abuses in Phnom Penh increased than other provinces,” he added. Meanwhile, ADHOC official Chan Soveth expressed concerns about freedom of speech and movement, land abuses and other offenses.

Thaksin to assume position soon: Hor Namhong

Thursday, 14 January 2010 10:42 DAP-NEWS

Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong, announced on Wednesday that former Thai PM Thaksin will visit Cambodia soon to assume his position as economic advisor to the government.

“Thaksin will help the government on economic matters,” he told reporters at Phnom Penh International Airport before departing to Vietnam to attend the ASEAN Foreign Minister’s Retreat from January 13-14.

“Thaksin’s visit here will be simple one because he was appointed as economic advisor,” he added.

Hor Namhong said that he would not meet his Thai counterpart Kasit bilaterally in Vietnam but he will meet him in the meeting. He criticized Kasit’s comments on the bilateral relations between Cambodia and Thailand.

Hor Namhong said that Cambodia will not send an ambassador to Thailand day unless Thailand first sends an ambas- sador to Cambodia because Thailand recalled its diplomat from Cambodia first. He echoed remarks from PM Hun Sen who blasted the Thai government, especially PM Abhisit and FM Kasit, over their conditions—including Thaksin’s dismissal—for normalization of diplomatic relations with Cambodia and aid from Thailand.

“With no Thai Ambassador we did not die,” Hun Sen said yesterday.

Hor Namhong said that Thaksin is not involved with Cambodia-Thailand relations but rather the Thai encroachment upon Cambodia soil near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple three times since 2008 July. He added that it is the full right of Cambodia as a sovereign country to appoint Thaksin in November 2009, rejecting allegations that Cambodia interfered in Thai internal political affairs.

Hor Namhong also urged Cambodians not to cross the Thai border illegally for logging or to collect other forest products. “They have to turn seek jobs in the country because the price of labor force also is high and economic recovery also improved now,” he said. “We used to send diplomatic notes with serious words to Thailand after Thai troops shot to death and burned Khmer alive.”

Cambodia seeks maker of offensive shoes

Thursday, 14 January 2010 10:43 DAP-NEWS

The Cambodian government is inves- tigating the source of shoes bearing its flag and images of the temples of Angkor, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong said on Wednesday.

“I have investigated in this case and I have discussed with Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh to take action,” Hor Nam- hong told reporters at Phnom Penh Inter- national Airport before leaving to attend an ASEAN Foreign Ministers conference in Vietnam.

The only information so far is that the producer is based in California, in the US.

The Deputy PM confirmed that the shoes are disrespectful to all Cambo-dians. “It is not only the Cambodian flag they print on shoes, but also many other countries’ flags, affecting very seriously to those countries,” he said.

Ros Chandarabot, a Cambodian government official, agreed that the shoes were insulting to Cambodia.

“The government, especially the Foreign Ministry, have to take action,” he told DAP News Cambodia.

The website featuring the shoes is located at www.zazzle.com.

Similar cases, included the representation of Angkor Wat on sandals and a Thai with an image of the temple in his toilet, provoked outrage in Cambodia.

South Korea to Increase Aid, Investment for Cambodia

Thursday, 14 January 2010 10:45 By Ek Madra

PHNOM PENH – South Korean Ambassador told Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister Sok An that Korea is to increase aid and investment given the good relations of the two nations.

“Korea will increase overseas development assistance (ODA) for Cambodia to restore this war-torn nation,” Korean ambassador Lee Kyung-soo assured Deputy Prime Minister Sok An in the meeting on Thursday.

Lee said South Korea has allocated US $100 million assistance for the poor nations this year including Cambodia.

“Cambodia is the top priority country for that ODA.”

“From this year onward we can invest more here,” said Lee.

Investment from Korea, which is one of the top ten, has been heavily invested in construction, tourism and garment sector.

Korean investment was recorded US $1.210 billion for 2007- 2008, said a government report seen by DAP.

Korea has injected US$389 million including aid and loans since 2007 to 2011, according to Cambodia’s government showed.

The ambassador, however, conveyed Korean investors’ concerns about the unavailable information of the government on foreign investment.

“In course of investment, it is very important for your government to provide correct information for investors,” Lee told Sok An in the meeting.

In response, Sok An said investors should contact the country’s investment agency of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC).

He also said the government has approved last month the anti-corruption bill. In response, Korean ambassador said “as foreign investors it is very important to have that law passed.”

Sok An also said Cambodia soon is going to set up the national arbitration centre, whose independently function, aims at attracting investment to the kingdom.

South Korea through Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and Korea Exchange help Cambodia to establish stock market which planned in 2010.

Korea to invest $1.8 million of the grant aid to train Cambodia’s officials under three-year-plan including the 15 training courses and nine consultation services on how handle their unprecedented work of stock market.

“In its securities market development goals, Cambodia has selected a strategic partner, Korea Exchange, one of the leading stock exchanges in the world, to help us to establish security market in Cambodia,” Hun Sen has said.

Devastation in Haiti

Photo by: AFP

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Thursday, 14 January 2010 15:03 AFP

A woman sits amid the rubble in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where a 7.0 magnitude earthquake toppled buildings across the impoverished island nation’s capital on Tuesday. Officials and rescue workers fear that casualties could be catastrophic.