Documentary: DESTRUCTION OF KAMPUCHEA

Document 1/5

By AhmekKhmer

Senator Edward Kennedy called it an infamous agreement, totally careless of Cambodian lives. Another view was expressed by the House majority Leader Thomas P. Tip ONeill. He said the bombing should stop because Cambodia is not worth one American life.

Geneva marked a historical split among the Khmer Communists. Those were taken to Hanoi remained there, growing older, more pro-Vietnamese and more remote from their country. But a few hundred Khmer Communist guerrillas dissolved Hanoi and stayed in the marquis after 1954. They saw the Geneva as an outright betrayal of the Cambodian resolution. Twenty-three years later, the Communist Prime Minister of Cambodia complained that this revolutionary struggle of our people and the war was booty that was subsequently captured, dissolved into thin air through the Geneva Agreements. The trouble in those days, he said, was that Cambodians did not know which direction to follow and which forces to rely on. Evidently Hanoi was not a reliable force and, in order to distance the Khmer Rouge from their Vietnamese origins, the Partys history was rewritten and its founding dated in 1960, not 1951.

In Paris on January 27, 1973, one week after Nixons second inauguration, the United States, the Republic of Vietnam, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of South Vietnam signed an Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam. Soon after dawn on the morning of January 29, 1973, the crump of mortars, the whistle of bullets and the whine of artillery shells began to die all over South Vietnam. In the wreckage of the provincial capital of Quang Tri, men on both sides tentatively lifted weary heads from foxholes and gazed silently upon one another.

But while the agreement was certainly an achievement, it was not designed or destined to bestow peace. In Laos a sort of peaceful transfer of power was arranged.

It is less easy to demonstrate why no solution to the war in Cambodia was found after the Paris Agreement.

The crucial point was that neither Washington nor Hanoi wanted a cease-fire in Cambodia before Vietnam. At least until 1973 each wished its associate to continue a limited war.So long as Lon Nol remained to conduct his holy struggle against the demon Communists no cease-fire was likely. From now the Thais and South Vietnamese were ostensibly Cambodias allies, but a unilateral settlement by the Khmers would likely bring South Vietnamese and possibly Thai incursions, which would subject the Khmer countryside to continue damage and destruction and possible foreign domination of another stripe. The threat was clear; the Cambodians could not win, but if they tried to retire, war would be waged against them as aggressively as now-by their current friends.

During the second stage, between summer of 1971 and 1973, the growing Khmer Rouge started to break away from Hanois control and to discard the totem of Sihanouk and his supporters; collectivists measures were begun. Then, from the time of the Paris Agreement in January 1973 onward, the Khmer Rouge were largely on their own; they depended on North Vietnamese logistics but had no guaranteed aid from any foreign power and were free to launch their own military initiatives.

But then in 1973, when the Paris Peace Agreement prevented American bombing of first Vietnam and then Laos, the entire Seventh Air Force was switched back to Cambodia. All of this had more to do with political and organisational requirements in Washington and South Vietnam than with the military needs of the Lon Nol government. Until August 1973, when Congress brought the bombing to an end, hundreds of thousands of bombs dropped by the American South Vietnam and Cambodian air forces onto Cambodia fell unreported and uncontrolled on areas occupied first by the North Vietnamese and then by the Khmer Rouge.

Document 2/5

By AhmekKhmer

The language of the Paris Agreement placed no real formal obligations on Hanoi or Washington with regard to Cambodia or Laos.

During the course of his talks with Le Duc Tho, Kissinger had attempted to obtain an assurance that cease-fires could be arranged in Cambodia and Laos as well as in Vietnam. The North Vietnamese were able to give satisfactory assurances on Laos; Hanoi had always dominated the Pathet Lao. In Cambodia, however, no such guarantees could be given, because of growing tensions between the North Vietnamese and the Khmer Rouge. During 1972, when almost North Vietnamese combat divisions were withdrawn from Cambodia for the offensive in South Vietnam, reports of fairly constant fighting between the allies reached Phnom Penh and Washington. By the end of the year the Khmer Rouge were fielding an army of around 50,000 men, organized in regimes, and were strong enough to hold their own against Lon Nol, with only logistical support from the North Vietnamese.

Although Kissinger subsequently assured Congress there were no secret clauses to the Paris Agreement, Nixon had, at North Vietnamese insistence, written a secret letter to the Prime Minister, Pham Van Dong, promising such aid.

It is not clear what role Kissinger himself was prepared to take in any Cambodian negotiations at this precise moment. Before and after January 1973, he usually insisted that any Cambodian peace talks-unlike those concerning Vietnam-must take place between the two parties and that the United States could not be directly involved. Since each Cambodian side had always explicitly denied that there was any possibility of its negotiating with the other traitors (each, indeed, had condemned the leaders of the other side to death) the prospects for such talks were dim.

Yet Thieu himself and many American officials insisted that the existence of an anti-communist allied government in Phnom Penh was essential to the survival of South Vietnam.

(In October 1972 Kissinger had made his only visit ever to Phnom Penh. He stayed two hours. Lon Nol later said he had revealed very little of Washingtons plans for Cambodias future.) Lon Nol was evidently disturbed by the notion of a cease-fire; Swank soothed him by guaranteeing that enemy actions of any scope against Cambodia involving a cease-fire in Vietnam would be regarded as a violation of any agreement reached with Hanoi, and I stressed that air power based in Thailand would be deployed on his behalf in case of need.

Beginning in late February 1973, Sihanouk, Monique, the ever-present Ieng Sary as minder, and more than a hundred Vietnamese to assist and supervise travel down the Ho Chi Minh trail, left southern China headed for Cambodia. Travelling in Soviet-made jeeps, they reached Cambodian territory after eight days on the road and were met by Hu Nim, whom Sihanouk had regarded as a bitter enemy only five years before, and Son Sen, leading military figure in the Khmer Rouge. Travelling on, they were joined by Khieu Samphan and Saloth Sar, the future Pol Pot, and later again by Hou Youn and Sars wife, Khieu Ponary. Sihanouk now had about him the three men whom he had repeatedly castigated as traitors and enemies while he was still in power.

In the same vein a Cambodian Communist diplomat later complained that in 1973, after the Khmer Rouge refused to talk with Lon Nol, The Vietnamese signed their own agreement with the Americans and the B-52s which bombed Vietnam were all sent to pulverize Cambodia.

When Sihanouk returned from his trip to Cambodia he told Ambassador Etienne Manach that Khieu Samphan, the Khmer Rouge commander in chief, had said to him, Hanoi has dropped us.

Document 3/5

By AhmekKhmer

In those days, the present King Norodom Sihanouk still tried to cover up that there were no North Vietnamese troops in Cambodia after Paris Agreement:

For his part, Sihanouk gave vent to his feelings in a diplomatic manner. He criticised peace-loving countries that sought to impose a cease-fire on Cambodia. He said American claim that

North Vietnam was still fueling the war were untrue-the resistance was no longer receiving aid. He denounced American peace plans which involved the partition of the country.

In Washington officials claimed that the North Vietnamese were shipping new men and materiel into South Vietnam and publicly alleged that there were still five thousand North Vietnamese troops operating against Cambodian forces.

The conservatives summoned traditional arguments: the Presidents hands should not be tied; this was not the time; the United States was bombing for peace.

The North Vietnamese, like the Americans, had sought a stalemate war in Cambodia. But the Khmer Rouge were seeking victory. After attempting to cut the governments supply lines they now closed in on Phnom Penh. Their principal motive, it is apparent, was fear that the North Vietnamese might betray them completely. In Cambodian terms that betrayal had already begun. Sihanouk complained to the New York Times in July that the North Vietnamese were now far more interested in American aid than in helping Cambodia. Suddenly you see Dr. Kissinger smile and Le Duc Tho smile at Dr Kissinger. They shake hands, and they go arm in arm and leave us alone. He later told another journalist, T. D. Allman:

We do not have enough ammunition. I look back to the Treaty we signed with the Pathet Lao, with the North Vietnamese and with the (Vietcong), at the South China Conference in 1970. We promised to fight to the end. Now the North Vietnamese sign agreements with Kissinger. No matter, we will fight one alone.The North Vietnamese want American aid so they do not help as much as they could. The Chinese play the big power game with America. Brezhnev and Nixon are friends. But we will not play the big power game. We will fight for the unity of our country.Nixon continues to pour arms into Phnom Penh. We get very little from our Communist allies. Still we will fight for Cambodia.

On several occasions he said he feared that Washington and Hanoi might agree to the partition of Cambodia. In these matters Sihanouk expressed ageless Cambodian fears, and there was no reason to suppose that he did not represent the feelings of the Khmer Rouge as well. Later the Khmer Communists claimed that the North Vietnamese entered into negotiations in 1973 in an attempt to swallow us, but they did not succeed. Pol Pot, the Party leader and Prime Minster after the war, commented If we had agreed to have a cease-fire in 1973 in accordance with the manoeuvres of the U.S. and Vietnamese enemies, we should have suffered a heavy loss. First of all, we should become slaves of the Vietnamese, and the Cambodian race would have entirely lost its identity.

For those men, 1973 confirmed a historic conviction that survival, let alone victory, could be guaranteed only by absolute independence and an astonishing fixity of purpose. As it was, the indifference of their allies and the assault upon them by the supporters of their enemy stamped out thousands upon thousands of them, and the survivors had neither the men nor the firepower for a final assault upon the capital when, after August 15, 1973, the rain re-inherited the skies.

When he had arrived in 1970 the glow of enthusiasm at least among the townspeople for Sihanouks removal and for the chance of fighting the North Vietnamese was dimming, but it was still perceptible. By the fall of 1973 it had long disappeared.

Document 4/5

By Ahmekkhmer

Since the Paris Accord, Swank had made little attempt to conceal from his staff his distaste for the continuing carnage in Cambodia. He asserted that the war is losing more and more of its point and has less and less meaning for any of the parties concerned. He could see no prospects for peace.

In August 1973, the fall of Phnom Penh had been widely expected. Journalists flocked to be there when the American bombing ended.

After a long and bloody street battle the Communists finally withdrew. Sihanouk later complained bitterly that, but for the treachery of Hanoi in withholding supplies, the town would have been captured.

While Communist advances were, to some extent, dependent on provisions from Hanoi, Lon Nols army became hostage to American materiel.

The T-28 fighter-bomber pilots would not descend below 300 feet; bombs and napalm dropped at sharp angles from that height were usually inaccurate. They undoubtedly killed a lot of people but not necessary those who were targeted.

Emory Swank comments that the only possibility of peace then would have been if we had taken the dramatic step of drastically reducing our support for the Phnom Penh government. It was one of possibility I suggested. The Chinese and North Vietnamese might have taken it as a step toward a negotiated settlement. But to Kissinger it would have been leading from weakness.

However, on January 28, the day before the Paris Agreement took effect, Lon Nol made what passed for the cease-fire offer Kissinger had promised Le Duc Tho. His statement makes clear his refusal to appreciate that a Khmer Communist organization existed and shows how qualified his gesture was:

By virtue of the Geneva Agreements of 1954 we have the right to repossess the parts of our country which have been illegally occupied by the North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces. To enable them to leave our territory in the shortest possible time, we will order our troopsto suspend their offensive operations and to establish contacts with the people to ascertain their welfare and to assure their protection. Incident which might impede their passage or jeopardize their installations will be regarded as actions by intruders who will continue to exercise our right of legitimate self-defence through defensive military operations throughout our territory.

For sure, we are gentle and kind Cambodian people; our lands, as already mentioned before, are getting shrank day by day, do not like to kill our Blood Brothers and Sisters, and we dont like to wage war, either, as the present King Norodom Sihanouk clearly told to his Khmer children and the world:

At the end of January, Sihanouk publicly declared that the Front was revaluating its policy. If the United States is prepared to act in a friendly manner with an independent and non-aligned Cambodia, we are prepared for a rapid reconciliation with Washington, he said. We are not warmongers. We dont want a bloodbath. We dont want to throw oil on the fire that is now dying out in Indochina.

In March 1974, for example, the Baltimore Sun correspondent remarked on incomprehensive brutality of the Khmer communists. He recalled that the conventional wisdom had always been that Khmer did not wish to fight Khmer and that once the North Vietnamese withdrew from Cambodia good sense would prevail.

But Lon Nol was still the White House choice, and after the bombing incident Nixon sent him a telegram to renew our expression of admiration for the Khmer peoples courage and steadfastness under your leadership.

The memorandum also asserted that the bombing was justified because the continued presence of North Vietnamese troops in Cambodia threatened the right of self-determination in Vietnam.

Document 5/5

By AhmekKhmer

In fact, all that the Constitution required was that the President asks for Congressional authority to bomb Cambodia in order to prevent the Communist takeover of Vietnam, if that were indeed its purpose.

Americans helped Yuon leaders in Prey Nokor/present Ho Chi Minh City were to brutally kill Khmers paving the way for Yuon to plunder more land of Khmers. All Yuon leaders, who are not afraid of losing their peoples lives as long as they can secretly send their Yuon settlers to settle in Cambodia, (See more Cambodia is swamped by Yuon Settlers) to wag jungle war against Cambodians, have had Good Blessings from their masters Americans. American leaders always chop and change to betray their Good Allies as William clearly tells us as following:

At 6 A.M. on April 12, Dean sent letters to members of the government and to other politicians offering them places on his helicopters in two and a half hours time. To his astonishment the only senior official to arrive at the embassy was Saukham Khoy, the acting President. The day before, Saukham Khoy had sat, weeping for Cambodia, and told some journalists, The United States led Cambodia into this. But when the war became difficult the United States pulled out. Dabbing his eyes, he had speculated on the future: There are some Cambodians who say that if the United States stops aiding Cambodia then we should turn to some other great power. Who? Russia.

In an interview with the New York Times, Sirik Matak then warned that the regime could not survive, and he said that Sihanouk would win easily in a free election. He appreciated Washingtons reluctance to interfere in Cambodian affairs, but if the White House insisted on continuing to sustain an unpopular regime, We will fall to the Communists.

From the Khmer Rouge perspective, however, the severity of the bombings was matched by the treachery of the North Vietnamese. The Cambodian communists had refused to take part in the Paris peace talks. When North Vietnam and the United States signed the Paris Peace Accords on January 27, 1973, bombing missions over Vietnam and Laos were terminated. The fighter bombers and other aircraft thus released were diverted to strike Khmer Rouge positions in Cambodia. However, the end of the bombing in 1973 and subsequent cuts of aid to Cambodia did the most to ensure a Communist victory in Cambodia, as by 1975 the Lon Nol government had largely run out of ammunition.

Thaksin lands in Cambodia

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Jan 20, 2010

PHNOM PENH - FUGITIVE former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra arrived in Cambodia on Wednesday for his third trip as a controversial economic adviser to the country, said a government spokesman.

Thaksin, whose visits have stoked a diplomatic row between the Thai and Cambodian governments, landed in a private jet at Phnom Penh International Airport, spokesman Khieu Kanharith told AFP. 'He has arrived. He just landed,' Khieu Kanharith said. 'I don't know about his itinerary yet.'

Thailand and Cambodia recalled their ambassadors in November and expelled senior diplomats over Cambodian premier Hun Sen's appointment of Thaksin, who is living abroad to avoid a jail term for corruption in his home country.

Tensions between the neighbouring countries soared further when Phnom Penh then refused to extradite Thaksin during his first visit to Cambodia in his new role.

During his previous stays in Cambodia, Thaksin has addressed top government officials on how to boost investment, tourism and agriculture. He also met scores of his 'Red Shirt' supporters from Thailand, where he remains a hugely influential figure.

Before Thaksin's appointment as an adviser, relations between Thailand and Cambodia were already tense due to a string of deadly gunbattles at their disputed border, where troops have faced off since July 2008. -- AFP

Overseas Operations To Contribute 15 Per Cent Of Public Bank's Overall Profits

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KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- Public Bank Bhd's overseas operations will contribute about 15 per cent of the bank's pre-tax profits in three to five years, Managing Director Tan Sri Tay Ah Lek said Wednesday.

He said the bank's subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Cambodia are expected to contribute significantly, adding that revenue from overseas subsidiaries currently accounted for 7.2 per cent of the group's pre-tax profits.

Public Bank currently operates in Hong Kong, China, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam and is expected to continue its focus in Indochina countries.

To further drive its growth, Public Bank will expand its overseas branch network.

Tay said Public Bank would open two more branches in Hong Kong, bringing the total to 74, five more in Cambodia from the existing 15, two more in Vietnam from seven currently, and add one more each in Shenzhen, China, and Laos where it currently has three.

Speaking at a press conference here after announcing the group's results for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2009, he said growth would remain organic.

"Organic growth is our forte," Tay said, adding that there was no immediate plan to make any foreign or domestic acquisition.

Meanwhile, Public Bank Chairman Tan Sri Dr Teh Hong Piow said the group posted a 4.5 per cent growth in operating pre-tax profit to RM3.32 billion and a net profit of RM2.52 billion in 2009.

The group's improved profit was mainly due to continued strong growth in net interest and financing income by RM435 million or 10.2 per cent to RM4.71 billion.

"We are pleased to have delivered a strong set of results for the year (2009), driven by steady revenue growth, above industry rate of loans growth, strong asset quality, cost efficiency and prudent risk management," Teh said in a statement.

The group also declared a cash dividend of 25 sen per share and share dividend, on a one for every 68 shares held, to be distributed from the treasury shares of Public Bank.

On 2010 prospects, Teh said: " Public Bank group is expected to maintain its earnings momentum and continue to record satisfactory performance."

He said Public Bank would continue to pursue its strategy of strong organic business growth, maintain its superior loans portfolio and improve productivity.

-- BERNAMA

Haiti's pain felt around the world

A man comforts Desie Ulachine, 7, at a hospital in Port-au-Prince, January 18, 2010. The pace of food and medical aid deliveries picked up in earthquake-shattered Haiti, providing some hope to desperate survivors, but doctors worried disease would be the next big challenge for the tens of thousands left injured and homeless a week ago. Picture taken January 18, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters)

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English.news.cn

2010-01-20

By Zheng Anguang

BEIJING, Jan. 20 -- The disastrous earthquake in Haiti one week ago has brought untold suffering to this Caribbean island nation, which has already witnessed too many tragedies and is in urgent need of calm.

According to the latest reports, more than 70,000 corpses have already been buried - it is estimated that the death toll will exceed 100,000, with 3 million in total affected by the disaster. In Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital and where the most damage was done, survivors are not only suffering from a shortage of food and shelter, but are also threatened by mobs and burglars in the state of anarchy. President Ren Prval said the country was like a war zone; residents said the smell of death filled the streets.

In a nation that has suffered many similar disasters, Chinese people did not hesitate in sending aid groups and taking measures to save lives. Neither did the whole world, which shares the pain of Haiti in this critical time: More than dozens of rescue teams have already arrived in Haiti. More aid workers and resources are reportedly on the way. The United States even sent an aircraft carrier to support the relief efforts. For the common purpose of sending aid to Haitians in need, Cuba has allowed the US air force to pass through its air space, an impossibility for many years.

International organizations have also played key roles in rescue efforts. The United Nations, which has also suffered much in the earthquake with many of its workers buried in ruins, has ordered numerous branches to send first-aid equipment. Workers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti, the World Food Program and the World Health Organization are giving aid and offering security forces, despite the fact that many of them are also victims of the earthquake.

NGOs have also performed admirably. The International Committee of the Red Cross, Oxfam, the Mercy Corps, the International Rescue Committee and Doctors Without Borders all arrived on the scene as early as possible. In fact, for many years they have always been working in this war-torn island, devoting love and care to Haitians. As public welfare organizations, they are often more efficient and convenient in such efforts and most likely getting better relief results.

The world is flat, but not fair. Distribution of wealth, power and resources has never been equal among nations, striking some of them with misfortune and poverty. As a nation that has long been troubled by political instability and economic depression, Haiti deserves our special care. In fact, ever since 2004, Haiti has always been in need of help, owing much of its progress to the selfless devotion of many international organizations and independent nations. At this critical time, aid work in Haiti demands participation of all its neighbors, near or far.

The international society should take up more responsibility in relief efforts in Haiti. It is reported that some parts of the nation have already fallen into a state of anarchy; therefore the international society should help to manage the chaos if necessary.

There are successful examples. In 1992, in order to return peace and stability to a war-torn land and relieve the suffering, the United Nations set up a Transitional Authority in Cambodia. More than 20,000 peacekeeping workers participated in social work there, from domestic elections to providing security. More than 100,000 additional workers from various NGOs also joined in the efforts. It is fair to say that international cooperation and help are an important reason for the present prosperity and stability of Cambodia.

In this epoch of globalization, happiness and suffering are shared by all around the globe. No nation should be isolated from the family of humankind. In order to make a harmonious world, no countries should "beggar their neighbors" and they should follow the motto "Live and Let Live" as the basis of their policies. Universal peace might still be a dream far from reality, but to do more work for the common good should be the shared creed of all accountable powers. US President Barack Obama said to the Haitian president recently: "The entire world stands with the government and the people of Haiti, for in Haiti's devastation, we all see the common humanity that we share." May the world be united in this great humanitarian work.

The author is an associate professor at the School of International Studies of Nanjing University.

(Source: China Daily)

Editor: Wang Guanqun

Life Chiropractic College West Provides Chiropractic Care During Cambodian Mission Trip

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planetc1.com-news@8:49 pm PST

Life West News

Hayward, California -- Kim Khauv, a doctor of chiropractic and faculty member and alumnus from Life Chiropractic College West, led a team of twelve college interns who traveled to rural parts of Cambodia to provide chiropractic care. Over the course of two weeks in December 2009 they provided care to over 1500 patients, many of whom where children in orphanages and the sick and elderly in local villages.

This marks the first chiropractic mission trip to Cambodia from Life West. Arrangements were made with cooperation from government officials, village leaders and orphanage directors. The Life West team was joined by volunteer organizer, Aireen Navarro, and volunteer doctors, Amy Vevoda, D.C., and Nathan Clem, D.C., both from Seattle, Washington.

The trip had been a long-held dream by Dr. Khauv, whose family fled Cambodia in 1981 after the Khmer Rouge, a faction of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, began an agricultural reform leading to widespread famine and genocide between 1975 and 1979. After earning his graduate degree as a doctor of chiropractic and a master's degree in public health, he began a non-profit organization, Well-Balanced World, with the sole intention of returning to his homeland and bringing chiropractic to his fellow countrymen.

Dr. Khauv is very grateful to have the opportunity to go back to Cambodia and offer healing to many who have little or no access to any health care. He states, "I sincerely appreciate Life West for their support. The devoted doctors and dedicated interns who came along allowed me to live out my dream of bringing chiropractic to Cambodia." He is planning the next mission trip for December 2010 with the intention of increasing the number of locations and the number of patients served.

Life West, established in 1976, is an accredited non-profit institution of higher learning. Currently over 400 students from across the United States and abroad are enrolled, and over 3,700 graduates of Life West are now providing chiropractic care worldwide. The college's Health Center, a public outpatient facility staffed by approximately 150 senior interns who are guided by licensed doctors of chiropractic, provides affordable health care to more than 1,500 patients per week in the city of Hayward, California. The college and Health Center maintain a Web site at http://www.lifewest.edu/.

DAP News ; Breaking News by Soy Sopheap

Leopard Capital Completes Fundraising for Leopard Cambodia Fund LP, and Launches Two Sri Lanka Funds

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 08:10 DAP-NEWS/ Ek Madra

PHNOM PENH-Leopard Capital announces that Leopard Cambodia Fund LP, Cambodia’s first multi-sector investment fund, achieved its final closing on December 31, 2009.

The Fund received $34,135,000 of committed capital from over 100 investors around the world, including pension, family office, and individual investors, said the release obtained by DAP.

The Fund’s initial closing was April 2, 2008. It has since made five investment commitments in Cambodia, representing over 40% of its capital.

The Fund’s portfolio thus far includes investments in rice production (Cambodia Plantations), mobile telecommunications (CamGSM), beer brewing (Kingdom Breweries), power transmission (Greenside Holdings), and residential property development (Angkor Residences).

The Fund’s Manager is in advanced negotiations on several other investment proposals and expects that the Fund may be fully invested during 2010. Leopard Cambodia Fund is managed by Leopard Capital Cambodia Ltd.

Douglas Clayton, CEO of Leopard Capital, commented “it was challenging to raise a first-time fund like this during a global financial crisis but we think the timing will turn out to be very fortunate,” said the release.

“The volume and quality of investment proposals we’re getting has exceeded our expectations, and we’re pleased with the diversified portfolio we’re building.”

“We hope that the performance of Leopard Cambodia Fund will help change global perceptions about investing in Cambodia,” he said in the press release.

Leopard Capital also announces that its subsidiary Leopard Capital Sri Lanka Ltd. plans to start fundraising this Quarter for Leopard Sri Lanka Fund (for private equity) and Leopard Sri Lanka Value Fund (for public equity), it said.

Both funds will be managed by Leopard Capital Sri Lanka Ltd., whose Managing Partners are Nirosh De Silva, Ramanan Govindasamy, Douglas Clayton, Kenneth Stevens, and Thomas Hugger.

Leopard Sri Lanka Fund has a fundraising target of $100 million and a 10 year lifespan. The Fund will invest in unlisted companies in Sri Lanka, typically taking minority positions. It aims to help fund the post-war development of Sri Lanka’s economy by investing in sectors such as tourism, consumer goods, seafood processing, agriculture, and manufacturing.

The Fund is advised by an Advisory Council headed by Dr. Marc Faber, publisher of the widely-respected Gloom Boom and Doom Report. The expected launch date for this fund is 1st April 2010.

Leopard Sri Lanka Value Fund is an open-ended fund with an initial fundraising target of $30 million. It will invest in a diversified portfolio of companies listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange which the Manager considers underpriced by fundamental measures, including under-researched smaller companies. The launch date for this Fund is scheduled for 1st February 2010.

Leopard Capital LP manages investment funds in Asian frontier markets. By providing well-timed access into overlooked, post-conflict and pre-emerging economies, it seeks to capture excess returns.

Leopard Capital was founded in 2007 by Douglas Clayton as a partnership of financial professionals with lengthy investment experience in Asian emerging markets. Leopard Capital is based in the Cayman Islands and has affiliated offices in Hong Kong, Phnom Penh, and Colombo.

UN, Cambodia Agree to New Human Rights Rep

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 05:54 DAP-NEWS

The UN Special Human Rights Rapporteur Surya Prasad Subedi on Tuesday met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen for over two hours at the National Assembly.

Both sides agreed to create a representative of human rights NGOs to work with the government to assess the situation of human rights in the country, Om Yen Tieng, head of the Committee of Human Rights of Cambodia, told reporters at the NA.

“Cambodia is not heaven of human rights and also is not hell of human rights,” he added.

Nepali national Subedi told reporters that “we hope the situation of human rights will progress for the better for this year.” Subedi is the fourth UN human rights official to Cambodia but the last three encountered many difficulties in working with the government. Subedi will be in Cambodia from January 18 to 30 and plans to meet NGO leaders and governmental officials.

He also will look into the roles of the NA and judiciary, including the Supreme Council of Magistracy and the Constitutional Council, and ensure checks and balances on the power of the executive, human rights and promote and protect democratic development, according to a UN statement.

Most Khmers in US Support Hun Sen: Soy Sopheap

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 05:52 DAP-NEWS

DAP Media Center Director-General Soy Sopheap has claimed that most Cambodians in the US support Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s policies, even those who previously supported the two main opposition parties, the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) and the Human Rights Party (HRP).

His remarks came after he led a DAP delegation to the US to meet and chat with Cambodians living in the US. Soy Sopheap and Mayarith, DAP Radio Director, are to arrive back in Cambodia at 11 am on January 22.

“The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) branch in Philadelphia, US will hold a special dinner party for me and Mayarith before we leave here,” Soy Sopheap told DAP News Cambodia on Tuesday.

Soy Sopheap said his trip to the US was to seek understanding of US-based Cambodians and garner their support for Cambodia’s agriculture sector, especially rice exports.

He claimed that most people who before supported the SRP’s Sam Rainsy and the HRP’s Kem Sokha have lessened or withdrawn their support and instead backed the premier’s policies.

“The people here are confident in the premier’s policy in protecting Preah Vihear temple,” Soy Sopheap said, adding that many wished to find out about the human rights situation and the state of democracy.

According to Soy Sopheap, many have expressed a desire to return to Cambodia as the country is increasingly under the leadership of Hun Sen.

SRP Lawmakers Visit Detained Villagers

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 05:51 DAP-NEWS

Lawmakers from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party on tuesday visited and met the two suspects detained in Svay Rieng provincail prison.

“The prison head allowed three of us and other two villagers to visit and meet with the detained villagers at the prison on Tuesday morning,” Chea Poch, SRP lawmaker told DAP News Cambodia yesterday. The permission letter reached the SRP main office in Phnom Penh on Monday evening.

The three lawmakers – Yim Sovann, Keo Sovanaroth, and Tioulong Samura, Sam Rainsy’s wife – were allowed to visit the detainees who allegedly pulled up Vietnamese border markers with SRP leader Sam Rainsy on October 25, 2009. The lawmakers visited the detainees at 10 am and left at 10:30 am.

The lawmakers after went to Kosh Kbal Kandal village, Samrong commune, Chantrea district to check the border markers.

The provincial court will hold a trial on January 27, 2010.

Economy Grew 2.1 Percent in 2009: NBC

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 05:49 DAP-NEWS

The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) on Monday announced that economic growth is expected at 3 percent in 2010, claiming that 2009 saw 2.1 percent, despite many other organizations well-researched data suggesting that the economy contracted.

“Economic activities have been strengthened to support the economic growth and the government is pushing the policy for growth,” said Chea Chanto, NBC governor, at a meeting to review 2009. “The government is using the soft policy to deal the impacts from the global economic crisis and prevent the measures to challenging factors and strengthen the banking system in the country to guarantee the stable macro economy,’ he added .

“Generally, the banking system in Cambodia is processing in smooth ways and currently we have 27 commercial banks and 6 special banks, and three foreign banks in operation,” he said, claiming that the global economic crisis has not impacted Cambodia seriously.

He said that investment in Cambodia fell in 2009 to US$600 million from US$800 million in 2008.

The 2009 US$70.2 million foreign reserves had dropped about 79.7 percent from 2008, he said. He said that inflation decreased to 5.3 percent in the last six months of 2009 and lauded the potential of agriculture.

Finance Minister Lauds Budget Reform

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 05:48 DAP-NEWS

Deputy Prime Minister, Finance and Economic Minister on tuesday said the allocation of the National Budget is getting better despite the downturn.

Keat Chhon said in the fourth year of Finance Public Reform was assessed at a January 16-17 meeting at Sokha Hotel in Preah Sihanouk province. The result of meeting will help the economic recovery next year, the minister added.

“We had six steps toward to achieve the goal in plan as the first reform in stage 1 and 2 to get benefit and store, the second accountability will be changed in the stage 2 and so far to be struggle to get win, the third agreement on targets and set strategies to related appropriate frameworks, and to ongoing to touch its implementation, the fourth set target activities and work plan to be logical aims, the fifth quick agreement on FMIS and marketing linked, the last discussed on the EAP to be better for all recommendations were suggested,” the Finance and Economic Minister stressed.

Foreign Paedophile Convicted

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 05:46 DAP-NEWS

Phnom Penh Municipal Court on tuesday sentenced a foreign paedophile to for 6-and-a-half years in prison for oral sex with Cambodian less than 15 years at a guesthouse of Preah Sihanouk province during 2007.

Judge Chhay Kong jailed Johan Abrahim Escori on Tuesday for committing indecent acts and having sexual intercourse with the boys, who were aged nine to 13. The convicted man was arrested by Daun Penh local police at International Angkor Hotel of Central Market’s bloc, a local police source said.

Viking launches biking tour to Cambodia, Thailand

via CAAI News Media

20/01/2010

VietNamNet Bridge – Viking Travel and Media in HCMC has just launched a special tour to Cambodia and Thailand by bicycle, with the first tour to start from the city on March 15.

The tour will be highly challenging for tourists, who will have to ride 960 kilometers for nine days on end from HCMC before ending up in Bangkok, where they will have the tenth day for rest and shopping before flying back to HCMC on the last day.

Under the 11-day itinerary, travelers will ride for 111 kilometers from HCMC to Tay Ninh Province’s Moc Bai border gate to Cambodia’s Svay Rieng on the first day. The next legs will be 105 kilometers from Svay Rieng to Phnom Penh, 140 kilometers from Phnom Penh to Chamka Luong, 150 kilometers from Chamka Luong to Koh Kong, and 110 kilometers from Koh Kong to Trat in Thailand.

Then they will travel on for 80 kilometers from Trat to Chanthaburi, 100 kilometers from Chanthaburi to Rayong, 54 kilometers from Rayong to Pattaya and finally 110 kilometers from Pattaya to Bangkok.

The tour costs US$550 per traveler, excluding an air ticket from Bangkok to HCMC costing around US$200 to 250 per passenger. Tourists will travel on their own bicycles, said Tran Xuan Hung, director of the company.

“We have 12 passengers to departure on March 15. Almost all travelers are businessmen who love biking tours and have experience of biking,” Hung said.

He said such travelers have traveled to the Central region and Hanoi by bicycles and wanted to try their strength on the new route. The travelers use two-star hotel services only.

“This tour is really challenging. In some days, travelers must ride all day long, and even have to start at 5:00 am and ride for 150 kilometers,” he said.

The tour operator only accepts bookings from visitors who have experiences of biking and good health.

VietNamNet/SGT

Nobel Laureate: Human Resource is the Major Problem Facing Cambodia

By Im Sothearith, VOA Khmer

Original report from Washington

via CAAI news Media

As other developing countries in the world, the major problem facing Cambodia is the serious lack of human resources for the country’s development, according to Professor David Jonathan Gross, a Nobel Laureate for Physics.

Prof. Gross said through his lecture and dialogue with some participants and people he met, he observes that there are quite a lot of brilliant young people in Cambodia, which will be important for Cambodia’s future development, but the most important thing is whether they are given opportunity to develop their skills.

“It’s a major problem - human resources,” Gross said in a phone interview with VOA Khmer during his visit to Cambodia’s Siem Reap province. “I’ve met a lot of very hopeful people. You know that’s the most important thing. People are very optimistic about the future. Cambodia has a lot of great resources. I have a lot of faith in young people, very brilliant young minds that could do great things just given the opportunity. I have tried to tell them that they should dream big. I have talked to people about giving young people opportunity.”

Prof. Gross is a Nobel Laureate for Physics in 2004. He has discovered and explored the force that binds particles inside an atomic nucleus. This phenomenon led to a whole new physical theory and enabled scientists to complete the standard model of particle physics, which describes the fundamental particles in nature, and how they interact with one another.

Gross said there are two kinds of human resources. While the majority of people are just working forces, others have special talents and great minds, who make great contributions to the country’s development. This kind of people should be given special opportunity.

"And then, very gifted people, whose minds you really don’t want to waste and who will contribute very important contributions to the society,’’ Prof. Gross said. ‘’And it’s important to make sure you don’t lose those really special people, and you give them opportunities. You will have to enable them to go abroad. It’s also important to identify very brilliant people and give them special opportunities because those people can make important contributions.”

Chek Chan Oeun, a physics lecturer at Royal University of Phnom Penh, who participated in the Professor Gross’s lecture, said the lecture paves the way for participants, especially for students to a broader scientific research and open their minds to how science can help social development.

“Through this lecture, we have acquired some knowledge related to universe, dark energy, dark materials, and the evolution of the universe,” Chek Chan Oeun said. “In addition, it encourages students to find out what has been discovered by scientists, what is still unknown, and what they are doing to help the world.”

“In the future I want to be like him and discover new things to meet the needs of the world,” said Sun Limhour, a 4th year student in physics department of Royal University of Phnom Penh. “I have loved electronics since I was young. It is a true science.”

The visit by Prof. David Jonathan Gross intends to strengthen the relationship among nations in Southeast Asia and ASEAN with the rest of the world, according to the organizer.

“It’s our aim really to build these bridges not only with Nobel laureates from the United States or Europe and the societies here in Southeast Asia, but between the societies in ASEAN to reach more cooperation on the level of education because education as we think is basic for peace and that’s why we are doing this program at the universities and at schools here in Cambodia and also in other countries in the region,” said Morawetz, director of International Peace Foundation.

Born in Washington, D.C., Professor David Jonathan Gross, received his undergraduate degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem in 1962 and then continued his education at University of California, Berkley, from where he received his Ph.D. in physics in 1966. He then served as a junior fellow at Harvard University. Professor Gross is now a director and holder of the Frederick W. Gluck Chair in Theoretical Physics at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics of the University of California in Santa Barbara and a member of the Advisory Board of the Intentional Peace Foundation.

As part of the “Bridges” program by the International Peace Foundation, the next Nobel Laureate who will pay a visit to Cambodia on January 20 is Professor Eric Stark Maskin, a 2007 Nobel Laureate for Economics.

Cambodia’s Roads Claim Over 1,600 Lives Annually

By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer

Washington

via CAAI News Media

Cambodia’s road accidents have killed more people than countries in the region, claiming more than 1,600 lives annually and are on the rise, a traffic police official said Thursday.

“The figures that we have received are worrying,” said Pol. Maj. Chev Hak, deputy chief of Phnom Penh municipality police, on Hello VOA. “The rates of road accidents are still high compared to other countries in the region.”

Cambodia recorded 10,015 accidents that killed 1,638 people in 2008 due to over-speed driving, drunk driving, violation of rights of way, and not respecting traffic signs.

“Nationwide the number of traffic accidents has increased steadily by six percent annually since 2006,” said Chev Hak.

However, in the country’s capital Phnom Penh, where some two million people reside the number of road accidents, has reduced slightly.

In 2009, there were 639 cases reported with 210 people dead, a slight decrease compared to 2008 where 700 cases were reported with 266 people killed.

“It is important that drivers should not drink alcohol,” said Meas Chandy, another guest speaker from Handicap International Belgium, a non-governmental organization that provides technical support to Cambodian police and traffic education to Cambodians.

Vietnam helps Cambodia build guard headquarters

via CAAI News Media

01/20/2010

Deputy Minister of Defence Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nguyen Van Duoc on January 19 attended the inauguration ceremony of the Cambodian Guard Forces’ Headquarters, which was built with assistance from Vietnam.

At the event, Cambodia Defence Minister Tea Banh thanked the Vietnamese army and people for providing practical assistance to Cambodia.

He said that both countries have built a long-lasting friendship, which was specially demonstrated in the 1970s and 1980s when Vietnam helped Cambodia drive away the Pol Pot genocidal regime.

In his speech, Deputy Minister Duoc affirmed that Vietnam and Cambodia have stood shoulder to shoulder to overcome numerous difficulties and win victories.

This relationship has developed constantly and become a valuable asset of the two nations, said Mr Duoc, adding that solidarity and cooperation is a decisive factor behind the victory of the struggle for national liberation of each nation.

The headquarters of the Cambodian Guard Forces covers 10 hectares in capital Phnom Penh.

Cambodia jails Swede for sex with adopted son

http://www.smh.com.au/
January 20, 2010
via CAAI News Media

A Cambodian court has sentenced a Swedish man to six-and-a-half years in prison for having sex with three underaged boys, including his adopted son.

Judge Chhay Kong says Johan Brahim Escori, 62, was convicted on Tuesday on charges of illegal sexual intercourse with his nine-year-old adopted son and indecent acts with two other boys.

He also ordered Escori to pay a four million riel ($1040) fine and be expelled from Cambodia after serving his sentence.

Lax law enforcement and poverty have made Cambodia a prime destination for foreigners seeking sex with minors. But police working with social activists have stepped up efforts to fight the crime, and several foreigners are serving lengthy prison terms.

AP

Tribunal outreach efforts

Photo by: Pha Lina

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 15:03 Pha Lina

A guide at Tuol Sleng prison conducts a tour of the facility organised by the public affairs team at the Khmer Rouge tribunal on Tuesday morning. The court has been leading such outings, which also take participants to the court and to the killing fields at Choeung Ek, since September.

Helmet use spotty at best: experts

Photo by: Rick Valenzuela

Cheng Samnang retrieves a checked-in helmet for a shopper Tuesday at Sorya Shopping Centre, where the lot guard said most drivers do not have helmets. One year ago, municipal traffic police began enforcing a law requiring motorbike drivers to wear helmets.

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 15:05 Cameron Wells and Brooke Lewis

One year after its implementation, the helmet rule is still hindered by spotty police enforcement

LAST month, Chea Mengly, a 29-year-old construction site superviser, was driving his motorbike along Street 63 in Prampi Makara district at night when a car swerved in his direction and cut him off. Minutes before, he had removed his safety helmet to answer his cell phone.

“I had my helmet on at first, but because I had a phone call I took it off,” he said. “I wanted to speed up to pass the car, but instead I crashed into a cyclo. The driver was sleeping in the middle of the street.”

The collision threw him from his bike, and his face hit the pavement when he landed. He fell unconscious, but sustained only minor injuries.

“I got some scratches on my face. I can’t believe that I fell unconscious but was not seriously injured,” he said.

Since then, he has vowed never to go without a helmet when he drives, but not everyone on the roads is so safety-conscious.

As Interior Ministry officials meet this morning to discuss the efficacy of the Land Traffic Law, road safety experts have expressed renewed concern that an amendment adopted a year ago requiring all motorbike drivers to wear helmets has been largely ignored. The amendment calls for violators to be fined 3,000 riels (about US$0.75 ).

Despite the heavy publicity campaigns that were tied to the amendment’s adoption, compliance has been lacklustre, and it has failed to reduce the number of traffic fatalities over the past 12 months, according to government statistics.

The total number of deaths on the Kingdom’s roads climbed from 1,572 in 2008 to 1,654 in 2009, according to Him Yan, the director of the Ministry of Interior’s Public Order Department.

Experts argue that the effectiveness of the helmet amendment has been hindered by spotty enforcement, a trend they say bodes poorly for the prospect of implementing other traffic reforms, such as crackdowns on speeding and drunken driving.

“The key risk factors in injuries are not wearing helmets, drink-driving and speeding, so that’s what [the government has] been focusing on,” said Ryan Duly, a road safety adviser for Handicap International Belgium.

“But a lot more needs to be done. More resources and police are needed long term – the government needs to commit to long-term enforcement and think in years, rather than months. For behaviour to change, that is key.”

The helmet amendment was accompanied by a strong enforcement campaign, at least at first. On January 1, 2009, the day it went into effect, police reported nabbing 120 violators. A few months later, in a speech delivered on May 19 at the Interior Ministry, no less an authority than Prime Minister Hun Sen bemoaned the fact that compliance with the amendment appeared to be on the decline and called for an additional amendment that would empower police to confiscate motorbikes ridden by drivers without helmets.

The attention from government officials seemed to be effective. Helmet use by drivers in the capital – which had already been on the rise, climbing from 9 percent in 2004 to 24 percent in 2008, according to figures from the National Road Safety Commission – skyrocketed, reaching 85 percent in August.

Since then, however, official interest in the amendment has been limited, road safety experts say.

Jeroen Stol, country director for Handicap International Belgium, said the number of drivers wearing helmets had lagged in recent months in particular.

“It looked very promising back in August, but helmet use is decreasing at the moment,” Stol said. “It has to do with enforcement, I believe. People think, ‘I can get away with not wearing a helmet, so why should’I?”

Photo by: Rick Valenzuela

Motorbike riders turn the corner from Kampuchea Krom Boulevard north onto Monivong Boulevard on Tuesday.

Full force of law not felt

Even when police have launched crackdowns, violators have not faced all of the penalties outlined in the law. Failure to wear a helmet is defined as a minor offence under Article 88 of the law, along with driving while talking on a cell phone, driving with a defunct speedometer and using a horn “incorrectly”. All minor offences are supposed to result in a one-point violation from a driver’s “score card”, which is supposed to be issued at the same time as a driver’s licence. Each score card, according to the law, should have a total of 12 points, and a deduction of all 12 points should result in revocation of the licence.

But Duly said the scorecard system had not yet been implemented, and that he could not predict when it would begin.

Chev Hak, deputy chief of the municipal Traffic Police, said Tuesday that officials were fully committed to enforcing the helmet rule, adding that night deployments of police officers had been in effect sporadically since August 2009 in part for this purpose.

“Enforcement of the law will continue because people will get back into their old habits if we stop,” he said.

Looking ahead, HIB has been lobbying the Ministry of Public Works and Transport to implement an amendment that would increase fines for drivers caught without helmets, establish minimum safety standards for helmets and force passengers to wear them as well.

The September 2009 Ministry of Health Survey found that only 9.8 percent of passengers on national roads and 8.5 percent of passengers in urban areas were wearing helmets. According to figures from the Road Traffic Accident and Victim Information System, passengers accounted for 11 percent of casualties in the first few months of 2009, with children among the most vulnerable.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY THARUM BUN

Jailed villagers visited by SRP

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

Police in Svay Rieng province set up a barricade to prevent some Sam Rainsy Party lawmakers from visiting villagers awaiting trial in connection with an October border protest.

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 15:05 Meas Sokchea

Svay Rieng province

LAWMAKERS from the opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP)on Tuesday were allowed to visit imprisoned Svay Rieng province villagers accused of helping to tear out border posts along the Cambodia-Vietnam frontier – in what they called a last-ditch effort to draw publicity to the issue ahead of a trial scheduled for next week.

While police had originally pledged to block Tuesday’s visit, three SRP lawmakers and two family members were allowed into the provincial prison.

Party spokesman Yim Sovann said accused villagers Prom Chea and Meas Srey called for their release.

“They have done nothing wrong at all,” Yim Sovann told reporters waiting outside.

“When they lost their land, it meant that they lost their rice fields. I think today the world and Cambodia will be aware of the suffering of the two victims in prison.”

Council of Ministers Spokesman Phay Siphan suggested that Tuesday’s visit was purely a publicity stunt. “It’s so strange to attract the media to talk about these people,” he said.

“Visiting [your supporters] in jail may be the right thing to do. But keeping them from jail in the first place is better. They should not be inciting people to do things that are against the law.”

Prom Chea and Meas Srey are awaiting trial in connection with an October incident in which they allegedly assisted opposition leader Sam Rainsy in uprooting border markers. Sam Rainsy has claimed that the markers were evidence that Vietnamese authorities were encroaching on Cambodian soil.

Svay Rieng provincial court has charged the opposition leader with racial incitement and destroying public property. A total of five villagers were also charged in the case, though three are on the run. Sam Rainsy remains out of the country.

After the visit to the prison, SRP lawmakers brought reporters to a nearby border area where Yim Sovann said Vietnamese officials had removed border markers.

“They’re aware that if they do not remove the markers, maybe more and more Cambodian people will ask the government to investigate,” Yim Sovann said.

“They removed them to eliminate evidence.”

Phnom Trop becomes a flashpoint

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 15:05 Cheang Sokha

CAMBODIAN and Thai military commanders are scheduled to meet for negotiations today after Thai troops asked Cambodian forces to retreat from a border area near Preah Vihear temple, military officials said.

Yim Phim, the commander of Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Brigade 8, said RCAF General Srey Doek will meet with his Thai counterparts to discuss the disagreement and assert Cambodia’s claim to the Phnom Trop area, located adjacent to the temple in the disputed zone claimed by both Cambodia and Thailand.

“Thai troops are dreaming if they think Cambodian soldiers will move away from that area,” Yim Phim said. “We will not move forward or back.”

Yim Phim said Cambodian and Thai troops at Phnom Trop discussed the potential withdrawal of troops from the area this past weekend for about two hours. Though they did not reach a solution, the situation remains calm, he said.

Colonel Meas Yoeun, RCAF deputy military commander for Preah Vihear province, said Thailand has been repositioning its troops recently, but added that the movements are no cause for alarm.

“We have not been surprised by the movements of the Thai troops,” Meas Yoeun said. “Soldiers on the battlefield are like the boxers in the ring – always moving around.”

Om Yentieng, chairman of the government’s Human Rights Committee, told reporters on Tuesday that at a meeting between Prime Minister Hun Sen and Surya Subedi, the UN’s special rapporteur for human rights in Cambodia, Subedi expressed support for the Kingdom’s protection of its territorial sovereignty.

“[Subedi] assured Samdech Hun Sen that Cambodia is not isolated in this matter,” Om Yentieng said. “The UN will support Cambodia in defending Cambodian territory.”

Subedi also offered his support for Cambodia’s membership in UNESCO, Om Yentieng added.

After talking with PM, UN rights envoy cites human rights progress

Photo by: Sovan Philong

UN human rights envoy Surya Subedi meets with Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday at the National Assembly during his second official visit to Cambodia.

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 15:04 Vong Sokheng

THE UN’s human rights envoy to Cambodia said progress had been made on human rights issues in the Kingdom, following talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen at the National Assembly on Tuesday.

“We discussed a wide range of human rights issues. We have been making progress on freedom of expression and the NGO law, land evictions and the cooperation between civil society and the government,” Surya Subedi, the UN’s special rapporteur for human rights in Cambodia, told reporters after the meeting.

“I will not go into individual specific allegations of human rights violations. We are looking at the total picture of the human rights situation in Cambodia.”

Subedi arrived in Cambodia on Monday for a 12-day visit to examine the functioning of the National Assembly and judiciary, and probe the current human rights situation in the Kingdom, according to a statement released by the UN on Friday. The visit, Subedi’s second, comes following a similar mission in June.

Subedi said that though there are a number of human rights issues that remain a concern in Cambodia, his discussion with the prime minister was cordial.

He described as positive the government’s stated goal of strengthening the country’s human rights mechanisms, ultimately leading to the establishment of an independent Human Rights Commission to monitor human rights issues throughout the country.

Subedi and Hun Sen also both approved of the idea of an election to select a civil society representative who could liaise directly with the government over issues of concern, said Om Yentieng, head of the government’s Human Rights Committee.

“The two sides have opened their hearts in a dialogue about the development of the human rights situation, and Prime Minister Hun Sen agreed with Subedi’s idea of calling on the NGOs in Cambodia to elect their representative in order to facilitate dialogue with the government,” he said.

He added: “I think that Subedi is in a transitional period and wants to get some ideas from Hun Sen in order for the UN to help support Cambodia on human rights issues.”

Attack spurs call for acid laws

Photo by: Photo Supplied

Acid attack victim Yun Sarun, who police say was doused with acid on Monday by his wife, receives treatment for serious injuries he sustained to his face and upper body.

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 15:04 Mom Kunthear and Tep Nimol

LOCAL rights groups are renewing calls for authorities to regulate the sale of acid in the Kingdom, in the wake of another violent attack that has left a man with serious injuries to his face.

Police have identified the most recent victim as Yun Sarun, 33, who was doused with acid on Monday as he was sleeping. Investigators have accused the victim’s wife of pouring the corrosive liquid over her husband’s face in a fit of jealous rage.

“His wife was very angry with her husband because he loved another woman,” said Khat Khuntith, an officer with the Boeung Kak II commune police.

Yun Sarun was being treated for serious injuries to his face and upper body at Preah Kossamak hospital Tuesday.

“The acid was poured onto his face, and it flowed until it reached his waist. It looks like a burn from a fire,” Khat Khuntith said. “Both his eyes and his mouth are swollen … but he can open his eyes and see everyone around him.”

The policeman questioned how the victim’s attacker was able to buy so much acid, which, in concentrated form, can eat through human skin, muscle and bones.

“I wonder why the acid-seller sold acid to the buyer without asking what she planned to use that acid for,” Khat Khuntith said. “I have often seen people buying acid, but not for their motors or machinery.”

Regulate acid: groups

This week’s attack prompted further outcry from rights groups that have long decried the ease with which people are able to purchase acid in the Kingdom.

“Cambodia has to create a law to control the use of acid,” said Am Sam Ath, senior monitor with the rights group Licadho, who warned that incidences of acid attacks will only increase in the absence of policy changes.

But Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said the importance of acid in people’s daily lives – for use in car or motorcycle batteries, for example – makes it difficult to manage.

“It is difficult to create a law to control the use of acid,” he said. “We cannot ask buyers what they are buying the acid for.”

The attack on Yun Sarun added to the recent spate of reported acid attacks, which appear to have increased dramatically in recent months.

The Cambodian Acid Survivor’s Charity counted at least five such attacks nationwide in December alone – a figure that represents roughly half of the attacks the group had tallied for the entire year up until that point.

POLICE KILLING: Three men charged in cop’s death

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 15:04 Chrann Chamroeun

POLICE KILLING

Three men were charged with premeditated murder in Kampong Cham provincial court on Tuesday in connection with the January 4 killing of a narcotics officer, court officials said. Yuk Rath Mony, an officer for the Kampong Cham provincial Anti-Drug Trafficking Bureau, was shot six times and beaten to death in an unknown location before his body was locked inside his Lexus SUV, found in Choeung Prey district about 100 metres from National Road 6 on January 4. Two of the accused are in police custody: Chhorn Sochea, a nephew of one of the victim’s two wives, and Soam Bolly, the victim’s brother-in-law. Both were arrested on Saturday in Kampong Cham town.

NGOs want larger role in national planning

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 15:04 Sebastian Strangio

CIVIL society representatives have called on the government to allow for more input on Cambodia’s national planning process, repeating earlier criticisms that NGOs were not given enough of an opportunity to help shape the draft National Strategic Development Plan Update for 2009-13 (NSDP).

Chith Sam Ath, executive director of the NGO Forum in Cambodia, said the three-week period slated for civil society comment on the NSDP draft, which closed on January 14, was too short to be meaningful.

“Sufficient information should be given before consultations take place,” he said during a workshop in Phnom Penh on Tuesday. “In order to ensure the participation is successful, sufficient time should be given.”

The NSDP for 2009-13 – a key planning document that creates a framework for the country’s development – carries forward a similar plan for 2006-10, though it has been adjusted to account for the effects of the global financial crisis, said Theng Pagnathun, deputy director general at the Ministry of Planning.

He said the government’s consultation process over the new draft began last May with the issuing of a circular and the organisation of workshops for its distribution. “There has been the involvement of NGOs, CSOs [civil society organisations] and donors,” he said. “This is the consultation we’ve been having – it’s not perfect.”

The NSDP draft is due to be signed by the King in May or June, at which point it will be disseminated widely, he added.

Emissary to UK slams Bangkok broadsheet

via CAAI News Media

Wednesday, 20 January 2010 15:04 Sebastian Strangio

CAMBODIA’S ambassador to the United Kingdom has lashed out at the Bangkok Post newspaper for describing him and other senior officials as being of Vietnamese descent, a claim he described as “totally and utterly false and potentially defamatory”.

In a letter to the newspaper’s editor, Pattnapong Chantranontwong, dated Tuesday, Ambassador Hor Nambora expressed outrage at suggestions that he, his father Hor Namhong, who is Cambodia’s foreign minister, and You Ah, the country’s ambassador to Thailand, were ethnic Vietnamese.

“Publishing such false information as if it is fact does no credit to the Bangkok Post and not only damages the credibility of your newspaper, but also the reputation of Thailand on the international stage,” the letter stated.

The article, published on Monday and authored by academic Pavin Chachavalpongpun, noted that it “has been reported widely and much discussed among diplomats in Southeast Asia that many Cambodian ambassadors are of Vietnamese lineage”.

“They are strong allies of Hun Sen and are formidable forces that help strengthen his regime,” he noted.

In the past year, Hor Nambora has also criticised the Financial Times, the Guardian, the BBC and the UK-based corruption watchdog Global Witness for publishing what he claimed were inaccurate reports about the country.