Knights cruise to first win

Photo by: Cameron Wells

Stade Khmer rugby players (grey shorts) go up for a lineout against Sisowath Knights (white shirts with pink trim) Sunday.

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Monday, 25 January 2010 15:00 Cameron Wells

Sisowath Knights beat the high flying Stade Khmer side 22-12 Sunday

THE Sisowath Knights claimed their first Cambodian Rugby Premiership win of the season Sunday by dominating early and cruising to a 22-12 win over top of the table Stade Khmer.

The Knights capitalised on continual poor lineout plays and a huge advantage in the scrum to race out to a 10-0 lead thanks to tries by number eight Dan Weatherall and Kane Stewart on the breakaway. Stade Khmer missed ample opportunities to score, the most telling one coming just before the first drinks break, when a pass out wide with the line begging went to ground.

The French-run side again struggled with set pieces after the interval as a lineout on the Knights’ try-line was stolen and cleared by Sisowath flyhalf Conrad Warren. Play continued downfield, when brilliant footwork by Warren almost resulted in a spectacular individual try. He beat three defenders and weaved through a scrambling defence before being cut down just short of the line, with flanker Rob Baker diving over just moments later to help the Knights take a commanding 15-0 lead into halftime.

Another try in the second half by Weatherall, after some heavy pressure on the Stade Khmer line, effectively sealed the win. Late tries to Stade Khmer centre Keuan Sangsa and substitute Em Sopheak helped make the score respectable, as the league leaders fell for the first time this season.

The fact that four forwards scored for the Knights was telling, as their pack completely dominated throughout the game at the breakdown and in the scrum. “Straight away I thought we had them in the set pieces,” halfback and captain Luke Wilkie said. “Scrums and line-outs, we felt like it was going to be our ball even when it was theirs. That made a big, big difference. It means we can slow the game down, and get [the ball] back.”

Stade Khmer fall to 2 wins and 1 loss, while Sisowath jump to 1-1.

Ulsan University edge out Cambodian national team

Cambodia's ChanRithy (right) battles with Ulsan University’s Son Min Seong during their friendly match Saturday at Olympic Stadium.

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Monday, 25 January 2010 15:00 Andy Brouwer

Visiting South Korean team Ulsan University had a man sent off but held on to their one goal advantage to win their friendly game against Cambodia Saturday

FOR their first game of 2010, the Cambodian national team faced South Korean collegiate side Ulsan University under the sweltering sunshine at Olympic Stadium Saturday, watched by a crowd of 5,000. Even though the students do not feature in their top domestic tier – the K-League – they amply demonstrated the strength in depth of South Korean football with a composed display like their own national team, who qualified for the World Cup finals in South Africa later this year.

Saturday’s match turned into a game of two halves, with Ulsan displaying maturity beyond their years in a self-assured first forty-five minutes of football. Their one goal advantage, though fortunate, was deserved. Cambodia offered much more determined resistance after the half time interval and did enough to limit the scoreline to the solitary strike.

For Cambodia’s national coach, Scott O’Donell, it’s all part of the learning process. “I like to win,” he stated after the game. “I wasn’t happy that we lost but there were some positive performances. We’ve still got a lot of work to do in our attacking third - selecting the right options and having the confidence to shoot - but I was happy with the second half performance.”

Cambodia picked up a man advantage on 65 minutes, when Ulsan’s midfield destroyer You Joo Hun was dismissed for a second bookable offence. Embarrassingly for referee Sreng Hao Dy, it needed his assistant to point out that he’d already booked the same player in the 14th minute, before the referee produced a red card. It was one of six cards he brandished in the match.

Cambodia head coach Scott O’Donell talks with captain Kuoch Sokumpheak Saturday.

However, the home team couldn’t capitalise their numerical precedence. “They defended well,” admitted O’Donell. “They were well organised like most Korean teams. I would’ve liked a result, but you never get what you deserve in football. It was a great experience for the players to be up against bigger, stronger boys. Hopefully we’ll learn from that.”

It could’ve been a very different story if Kuoch Sokumpheak hadn’t rolled his shot wide of the post from twelve yards in only the second minute. Captain for Saturday, the Khemara Keila star forward is off to Indonesia today to try and earn himself a professional contract in the Super League there. With more composure Saturday, he could’ve taken with him a couple of goals.

After Kuoch Sokumpheak’s early miss, Ulsan turned on the style. Lee Dong Kun was the game’s stand-out player in the first half, and in the seventh minute he made space for a shot from 25 yards. The ball took a looping deflection off the shoulder of Tieng Tiny, leaving Sou Yaty in the Cambodian goal completely flat-footed to open the scoring.

The collegiate outfit looked dangerous every time they pressed, and the goalscorer struck the foot of the post on 15 minutes. The Cambodian keeper then came out well to block a shot from Ulsan skipper Lee Sang Gi after Lee Dong Kun had carved open another opportunity.

Cambodia found it hard to tune into the pace of the game as Ulsan passed around with ease. Keo Sokngorn and Kuoch Sokumpheak caused some menace to the student’s defence in the closing stages of the half, but there was still time for Sang Gi to elude the close marking of Om Thavarak, though his lob sailed inches wide of Yaty’s goal.

A revitalised Cambodia came out for the second half and Chan Rithy, a sixth minute substitute for the injured Nov Soseila, struck the crossbar with a thumping drive within a minute of the restart.

With You Joo Hun dismissed just after the hour mark, Cambodia pushed for an equaliser. Khim Borey shot just over from the edge of the box, and Kuoch Sokumpheak sent a header skidding wide when he found himself unmarked ten yards out.

Neither side were prepared to give any ground, and some of the late tackles in midfield were fortunate to go unpunished. With eight minutes to go, Cambodia’s best chance of the match went begging. Kuoch Sokumpheak fed Keo Sokngorn who drove the ball goalwards, rebounding off Ulsan keeper Yang Jin Ung, only to strike off Tieng Tiny a yard out and agonisingly loop over the bar.

O’Donell claimed his side gave the opposition too much respect in the first half, but were a “different kettle of fish” after the break.

“I encouraged the players to release the ball early ... to move the ball around, make it harder for them to get close to us. I think we did that a lot better in the second period,” he said.

With Kuoch Sokumpheak on his way to Indonesia, O’Donell was full of praise for his young captain, regarded by many as the country’s best talent.

“I wish him all the best, he’s a good boy and a good player,” expressed the coach. “They’ve seen videos of him and they like what they saw, so they invited him over for a trial. I think it would be great for Cambodian football, not only for the national team, but also for other Cambodian players, if he is successful in the trial. It’s going to be hard as there will be a lot of players trying to get contracts, but if he performs well in training and games ... I’ll keep my fingers crossed for him.”

Photos by Nick Sells (http://www.nicksellsphotography.com/)

The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia

General Chea Dara reviewing troops in the border area. DAP-news quoted the general as saying: "We told them already not to trespass. Cambodia does not want land from anybody, but if they tresppass, that's how it is." (Photo: DAP)

A Thai soldier smiles as he walks up to a pagoda at the Preah Vihear temple. Cambodian and Thai troops have exchanged fire near a disputed border temple -- the latest in a string of gun battles between the countries since last year.

Sundance Film Review: Enemies of the People

By Dan Nailen

01/23/10

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Thet Sambeth (pictured left) is a Cambodian newspaper journalist whose father was murdered by the Khmer Rouge in 1974, and whose mother was forced to marry a Khmer Rouge militiaman two years later.

For a decade, Sambeth spent his free time journeying into the notorious "killing fields" of his home country to try and understand why so many of Cambodia's people were murdered. The result of that work is Enemies of the People, which Sambeth co-directed and produced with Rob Lemkin.

The film revolves around the relationship Sambeth established with Nuon Chea, aka "Brother Number Two" (pictured below with Sambeth) and dictator Pol Pot's right-hand man. It took Sambeth years of gaining Chea's trust before he opened up and admitted that he and Pol Pot had plotted the killings as a means of defending their communist vision from "enemies of the people." Chea doesn't ever express remorse for the program he calls the "solution," but he does to Sambeth directly when the reporter tells the old man about his own family's relationship with the Khmer Rouge.

Sambeth also tracks down several of the Khmer Rouge's foot soldiers, mostly peasants and farmers who were simply "following orders" when they slit the throats of their neighbors and buried them in mass graves. It's chilling to watch one of the men graphically illustrate how he would kill his victims, and it's intriguing to see how each of these murderers deals with what they've done all these years later.

Enemies of the People could prove to be an important historical document for decades to come. Sambeth kept his recorded conversations with Nuon Chea under lock and key for years, in fear they'd be confiscated and used as evidence in a trial. Indeed, the film ends with Nuon Chea's arrest by a joint force of the United Nations and Cambodia. He's charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes, as well as genocide, and his trial is slated, for now, for 2011.

Considering Sambeth has the first admittance by Brother Number Two of what he and Pol Pot instigated, it could be a quick trial.

Enemies of the People will screen:

Sunday, Jan. 24, at 9 p.m. at Park City's Holiday Village IV

Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 11:30 p.m. at Park City's Library Center Theatre

Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 9:45 p.m. at Salt Lake City's Broadway Cinemas

Friday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m. at Park City's Egyptian Theatre

Railway Tourism Within ASEAN Proposed During Meeting

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January 24, 2010

From Kristy Inus

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Jan 24 (Bernama) -- 'Railway tourism' is being looked into as a new integrated tourism product that will not only help boost tourism in Asean countries, but also open up economy for rural areas in the region.

Malaysia's Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said Malaysia presented the idea during the 13th Asean Tourism Ministers' meeting here, as seven out of the ten member countries can be linked by rail.

"Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar can all be linked by rail which will help connectivity between Asean countries," said Dr Ng.

She said Malaysia had developed its own railway tourism where tourists from Singapore could come into Malaysia using trains.

"So this is a very important forum for us to share ideas, to get everybody involved. With many Asean countries like Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam coming out strongly, this can be a strong strategy for us.

"I can see people coming to Malaysia and then take trains to go to other Asean countries ... I see ourselves at a very strong anchor position to develop multi-Asean destinations," she said on the sidelines of the meeting at the Empire Hotel and Country Club here, on Sunday.

Asked on the response from the other delegations on the proposal, Dr Ng said they were at first quite suprised by the suggestion but were very happy that it was brought up.

"So now we need to work upon it, which towns, which provinces, which are the target groups because it is a 'no rush holiday, take your time' type.

"Railway tourism opens up economy for the rural areas. That is why for railway tourism in Malaysia, we are focusing on the east coast namely Kelantan," she added.

The focus on this new product is part of the 'rail and sail' concept Malaysia wanted to aggresively pursue domestically, where cruise tourism is also viewed as an emerging tourism product for the country, she added.

"We want to offer and develop Malaysia into a very strong cruise tourism destination, we are trying very hard but still working on it, it's not easy as it is a high-end, highly sophisticated tourism industry," she added.

On another note, Dr Ng also reacted positively on more low cost carriers being established as it really 'opened up' the region, so much so that the Meeting also talked about the possibility of having an Asean-owned airline.

"But this is still at the discussion level, we still have to look at accessibility, we (Asean countries) are at different stages of development, so how are we to integrate that?," she said.

Dr Ng said the Asean region was still very new in terms of the tourism industry or destinations when compared with Europe where the people have been travelling around since the 18th century.

The 13th Asean Tourism Ministers meeting today was to discuss closer cooperaton and collaboration between the 10 Asean countries to develop and integrate tourism.

It is part of the Asean Tourism Forum (ATF) 2010 which is being held from Jan 21 to 28 with Brunei playing the host.

Sex offenders arrested in Cambodia

via CAAI News Media

Police in Cambodia have arrested two locals and an American in a crackdown on a paedophile ring.

Taxi driver Mey Sovann and guesthouse owner Sek Vy were arrested Friday for providing underage girls for sexual services.

Police say Mey Sovann had been advertising underage virgin girls to foreign tourists via the Internet for 3,000 dollars a night for the past seven years.

Fifty eight year old American Carl Craig Thomas was also arrested on Saturday in the capital for sexually abusing three underage girls provided by the Cambodian pair, and for child pornography pictures he took at the guesthouse.

Thai Army Rangers clash with Cambodian troops near Preah Vihear temple

http://enews.mcot.net/

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SI SA KET, Jan 24 (TNA) -- Thai Army Rangers clashed early Sunday with a unit of Cambodian soldiers near the disputed 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, a senior Thai army officer said. No casualties were reported.

Lt-Col Nut Sri-in, commander of Suranaree Task Force Unit 163, said the fighting took place while a group of Thai rangers were patrolling and confronted Cambodian soldiers who were felling trees in Kantharalak district bordering Cambodia.

As the Rangers shouted at the Cambodian soldiers asking their purpose in crossing over to the area, the Cambodian soldiers fired M79 grenades and automatic rifles at them, Col Nut said.

The troops exchanged gunfire for over 20 minutes before the Cambodian soldiers withdrew into Cambodia, he said, adding that senior Thai and Cambodian officers would hold talks to prevent similar clashes from occurring in future.

The Associated Press news agency, meanwhile, quoted Lt-Gen Chea Tara, deputy armed forces commander and field commander for the area, as saying that Cambodia suffered no casualties in the fighting which took place about 12 miles (20 km) east of Preah Vihear temple.

He said fighting began when Thai troops intruded into Cambodian territory. AP quoted Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesman Lt-Gen Chhum Socheach as saying that two firefights lasted five minutes each beginning shortly after 9am.

The International Court of Justice awarded Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia in 1962. Fighting between both sides occur sporadically, centring on a 1.8 square mile (4.6 sq.km.) parcel of scrub near the temple after Cambodia applied to register the ancient temple as a UNESCO World Heritage site in mid-2008. (TNA)

Misunderstanding causes Thai and Cambodian clash near Preah Vihear temple early Sunday

http://enews.mcot.net/

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SI SA KET, Jan 24 (TNA) – After negotiations later in the day, Thai and Cambodian army officers said that fighting between military patrols of the two countries early Sunday in an area claimed by both neighbours was caused by misunderstanding and they agreed to jointly find a solution to ease the tension.

Two Thai army soldiers were wounded in the clash.

Col Thanet Wongcha-um, chief of staff of the commander for the Suranaree Task Force and Col Thawatchai Changprachak, commander of a special unit from Thailand’s Ranger Forces Regiment 23 met Maj-Gen Srey Doek, commander of Cambodia’s 3rd Reinforcement Division Sunday at an operation base in Kantharalak district following the clash.

The one-hour meeting agreed the clash was caused by misunderstanding and that soldiers of both sides would initially withdraw from areas near the clash site and return to their bases before officials of the two countries will meet again Monday to discuss patrols in overlapping areas.

Meanwhile, provincial authorities in Si Sa Ket ordered villages along the border to conduct an evacuation drill in preparation for a possible new clash.

Lt-Col Nut Sri-in, commander of Suranaree Task Force Unit 163, earlier on Sunday said the fighting took place while a group of Thai Army Rangers were patrolling and confronted Cambodian soldiers who were felling trees in Kantharalak district bordering Cambodia.

As the Rangers shouted at the Cambodian soldiers asking their purpose in crossing over to the area, the Cambodian soldiers fired M79 grenades and automatic rifles at them, Col Nut said.

The troops exchanged gunfire for over 20 minutes before the Cambodian soldiers withdrew into Cambodia. (TNA)

Cambodia, Thai troops exchange brief fire near disputed border area+

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PHNOM PENH, Jan. 24 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged brief fire Sunday near the disputed area of Preah Vihear Temple but there were no casualties, a military official said.

Gen. Chhum Socheat, spokesman for Cambodia's National Defense Ministry, said the skirmish took place at 9:15 a.m. at Choam Te, some 20 kilometers east of Preah Vihear Temple.

He said Thai troops fired at Cambodian troops patrolling in the area, and Cambodian troops returned fire immediately afterward.

Neither side sustained casualties, Chhum Socheat said.

The incident took place as Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong visited Preah Vihear Temple on Sunday to inspect the border situation and presented foodstuff to Cambodian soldiers based near the border area.

Since the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand began in 2008, there have been two rounds of military clashes, which left several people dead or injured on both sides.

The dispute erupted after Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple was listed as a World Heritage site by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The dispute stems partly from conflicting border maps.

A Thai soldier smiles as he walks up to a pagoda at the Preah Vihear temple. Cambodian and Thai troops have exchanged fire near a disputed border temple -- the latest in a string of gun battles between the countries since last year.

Cambodian and Thai troops have exchanged fire near a disputed border temple -- the latest in a string of gun battles between the countries since last year

via CAAI News Media

24 January 2010

AFP - Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged fire near a disputed border temple on Sunday -- the latest in a string of gun battles between the countries since last year, military officials said.

Both sides denied responsibility for starting the morning skirmish, in which nobody was wounded but rifles and rockets were fired for around 10 minutes.

"There was a small clash. They entered our territory," Cambodian deputy military commander Chea Dara told AFP, claiming that the Thai side were the first to open fire.

"It was Cambodian self-defence. We don't allow anyone to invade our territory," he added.

A Thai army official, asking not to be named, said the clash stemmed from confusion when Thailand's soldiers were patrolling for illegal loggers near the border.

"The Thai army understood the Cambodians were smugglers, while Cambodian troops opened fire. However, it was only a warning fire. It came from a misunderstanding. Everything is now clear," he said.

The battle took place 15 kilometres southeast of the 11th century Preah Vihear temple during a speech there by Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, in which he urged troops to be brave defending their territory.

"The government position is that we want to solve the problem bilaterally and peacefully," he said.

But he added: "We are ready to solve the problem through negotiations and with any other means, even through the military. We have enough weapons, we are not afraid."

Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over the land around Preah Vihear for decades, but nationalist tensions spilled over into violence in July 2008 when the temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.

A gun battle near the temple area last April left three people dead.

The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia. But the border between the two nations has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

Relations between the two countries plunged further in November after Cambodian PM Hun Sen appointed ousted former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives abroad to escape a jail term for corruption, as an economic adviser.

Cambodia reports clash with Thai troops on border

via CAAI News Media

Sunday, January 24, 2010

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian troops clashed Sunday with Thai soldiers near a temple that lies along a disputed part of their border and has been the scene of several deadly skirmishes in recent years, Cambodian military officials said.

Lt. Gen. Chea Tara, deputy armed forces commander and field commander for the area, said Cambodia suffered no casualties in the fighting in northern Cambodia, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) east of Preah Vihear temple. He said the fighting began when Thai troops intruded into Cambodian territory.

Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Chhum Socheach said there were two firefights lasting about five minutes each. He could not say if Thai forces suffered any casualties.

Thai military authorities could not immediately be reached for confirmation of the fighting in an area.

The Cambodian officers said the area was calm after the fighting, but that both countries were on alert.

The area has been a flashpoint since 2008, when Thai nationalists protested Cambodian efforts to have the 11th century Preah Vihear temple named a U.N. World Heritage site. They claimed the move could invalidate Thai claims to small parcels of nearby jungle area.

In 1962, the World Court awarded the temple and the land it is on to Cambodia, but sovereignty over adjacent areas has never been clearly resolved.

The issue is closely linked to Thailand's domestic politics because the 2008 protests about the temple were led by the People's Alliance for Democracy, a group which was seeking to unseat the Thai government then in power because of its links to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin was ousted by a 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption and disrespecting constitutional monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The alliance raised the issue to stir up nationalist sentiment and attract support.

The furor caused both Thailand and Cambodia to reinforce their military positions in the area, and tensions have broken out into fighting on several occasions, leading to several deaths.

Relations between the two countries plunged further in November last year, when Cambodia named Thaksin an adviser on economic affairs. The appointment, and subsequent visits by Thaksin, set off a diplomatic row in which the two countries recalled their ambassadors. A Thai court in 2008 sentenced Thaksin in absentia to two years in prison on a corruption charge.

Cambodia has refused to extradite Thaksin. (AP)

Cambodia, Thai troops clash

Lieutenant General Chea Tara, deputy armed forces commander and field commander for the area, said Cambodia suffered no casualties in the fighting on Sunday, about 12 miles (20 kilometres) east of Preah Vihear temple. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

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Jan 24, 2010

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA'S military says its troops have clashed briefly with Thai soldiers along a disputed border area.

Lieutenant General Chea Tara, deputy armed forces commander and field commander for the area, said Cambodia suffered no casualties in the fighting on Sunday, about 12 miles (20 kilometres) east of Preah Vihear temple. He said fighting began when Thai troops intruded into Cambodian territory.

Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Chhum Socheach said there had been two firefights lasting about five minutes each beginning shortly after 9am (0200 GMT, 10am Singapore time).

Thai military authorities could not immediately be contacted for confirmation of the fighting in an area which has seen several deadly clashes in the past couple of years. -- AP

Long Beach Red Cross honors its volunteers

The Cambodian Cooking team received a Community Service Award because the Cambodian Senior Nutrition Program and the United Cambodian Community Center are working closely with the Long Beach Chapter of the American Red Cross to better prepare the Cambodian community for disasters. As part of the Great California ShakeOut on October 13, 2009, Board of Directors members Charles Song and Danny Vong, along with Disaster Volunteer Mike Farrar, designed a mobile feeding and preparedness exercise to teach disaster preparedness skills to the Cambodian community and to offer paid and volunteer staffs a greater understanding of the local Cambodian community. (Long Beach Chapter ARC)

Community service, spirit lauded

By Sarah Peters, Staff Writer

Posted: 01/23/2010

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Long Beach Red Cross icon Neil Allgood. (Long Beach Chapter ARC)

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Neil Allgood was at the right place, at the right time. It could have happened to anyone, but for some reason it happened to him, he said.

That's not the way the Red Cross sees it.

Five years ago the retired 82-year-old Army brigadier general had an award named after him in recognition of his volunteer work and years of service -- 48 years now and still going, he said.

Almost 200 Red Cross volunteers and staff gathered Saturday at the Long Beach airport Holiday Inn for the annual Long Beach Chapter awards and volunteer recognition breakfast.

Awards were given in areas of community service and outstanding volunteer work.

The Neil Allgood Outstanding Disaster Volunteer of the Year Award was presented by Allgood himself.

"They had to pick somebody to do it," he said with humor to the crowd.

The recipients were Willie Mussman and Lisa Harris, co-chairs of the Long Beach chapter Community Disaster Education program and members of the disaster action team.

Through the program Mussman, Harris and a team of volunteers educate individuals and companies on how to prepare for an emergency and how to survive without aid for at least three days.

"That kind of knowledge is empowering," Harris said.

The goal of the program is to ensure that people are ready to act and confident in their ability to protect themselves and others around them, she explained.

"The volunteers could run this organization without us," said Nancy Kindelan, chapter CEO. "When you walk into our office, you know who the real workers are."

There are more than 850 volunteers in the Long Beach area and only 19 paid staff members.

Also recognized were Frankie Wong, Jennifer Tith and Kristin Tith as Betty Seal Outstanding Youth Volunteers of the year.

"There's a satisfaction in helping other people and we learn from opportunities that other students don't get," Jennifer Tith said, "(my sister and I) have grown in a lot of ways."

Other awards presented were the Hal Ball Good Neighbor Award to the city of Paramount and the Dorothy Wise Outstanding Volunteer of the Year presented to Sharmon Voltmer, who was not present.

sarah.peters@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1337

A morning of honors: Nancy Kindelan, CEO; Frankie Wong, Outstanding Youth; Greg Pierson, Board Chairman; Kia Pearson, Director of Volunteers. (Long Beach Chapter ARC)

VN food firm forms joint venture for rice export in Cambodia

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Sunday ,Jan 24,2010

The Southern Food Corporation (SFC) has established a joint stock company with two Cambodian firms to produce and export rice, said Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association Truong Thanh Phong.

Rice uploaded for export at a port in Vietnam

The new joint venture, called the Vietnam-Cambodia Food Joint Stock Company (Cavifoods), is headquartered in Phnom Penh.

The company has a chartered capital of US$8 million, with 37 percent owned by SFC, 30 percent by the Green Trade Company, and 33 percent by the Cambodian Investment and Development Company.

Cavifoods’ operations include producing, processing, storing and exporting rice.

The area of paddy farms in Cambodia is equivalent to that in Vietnam. In the past, merchants bought much rice, especially aromatic rice, from Cambodia to export, said Chairman Phong, adding that the joint venture in rice production and export has been approved by both countries’ governments.

At present, the company is building a processing factory, a warehouse, an instance noodle mill, a bread mill, and a network for purchasing rice.

Source: Tuoi Tre - Translated by Hoang Yen

Cambodia police bust paedophile ring

http://news.smh.com.au/

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January 24, 2010

AFP

Police in Cambodia have arrested two locals and a US man after smashing a seven-year pedophile ring offering underage "virgin" girls to tourists for $US3,000 ($A3,327) a night, they say.

Taxi driver Mey Sovann, 36, and his female accomplice Sek Vy, 47, were arrested on Friday for providing underage girls for sexual services, said Bith Kimhong, head of Cambodia's anti-human trafficking unit, on Sunday.

A six-month investigation, aided by the French Police's International Technical Co-operation Delegation (SCTIP), found that since 2003, Mey Sovann had advertised underage virgin girls on the Internet for $US3,000 ($A3,327) a night.

He would pick up customers from Phnom Penh airport and show them pictures, before taking them to meet the girls at a guesthouse owned by Sek Vy, according to an officer from SCTIP's Cambodia office, who asked not to be named.

Mey Sovann was arrested by undercover police at the airport in possession of the underage girls' photographs, while Sek Vy was arrested at her guesthouse in Kandal province, about 20km south of Phnom Penh.

American Carl Craig Thomas, 58, was also arrested on Saturday in the capital for sexually abusing three underage girls provided by the Cambodian pair, and for child pornography pictures he took at the guesthouse, Bith Kimhong said.

"We have arrested the man and the woman who provided underage girls. During the investigation, we found they were providing three underage girls to the US man too," Bith Kimhong told AFP.

"Now we are investigating the case further to see if they have a wider network," he added.

Cambodia has struggled to shed its reputation as a haven for pedophiles, putting dozens of foreigners in jail for child sex crimes or deporting them to face trial in their home countries since 2003.

Cambodian troops clash with Thai troops at border area

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2010-01-24

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian troops encountered and clashed with Thai troops on Sunday at the two countries' disputed border area, a senior military official told reporters.

Gen. Chea Dara, deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and commander at the border area near Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple said the skirmish lasted a few minutes after Thai troops intruded in Cambodian soil.

He said the skirmish happened when the intruded Thai troops encountered Cambodian troops at Choam Te border point, located about 20 kilometers east of the Preah Vihear Temple.

Chea Dara said following the fire first launched by Thai troops, Cambodia made a counter fire as a self defense. However, he said there was no casualty from the Cambodian side.

Preah Vihear Temple and its surrounding of 4.6 square kilometers has become a flashpoint of border dispute since July 2008.

Since then, several skirmishes between the armed forces from the two countries have been occurred in the area.

Sunday's clash took place just about two weeks ahead of Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen's scheduled travel to Preah Vihear Temple and visit his troops at the border area.

In 1962, following a significant dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over ownership of the temple, the International Court of Justice in The Hague awarded the ownership to Cambodia.

The Preah Vihear Temple was registered as the World Heritage site in July, 2008.

Editor: Lin Liyu

Vietnamese hydro-electric facilities harms Sesan River residents

ផល​ប៉ះពាល់​ដោយ​វារិអគ្គិសនី​យ៉ាល

RFA Reporter: Kong Yuthana
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Why We Travel

COOLING OFF AT THE CHAA ONG WATERFALL IN BAN LUNG, CAMBODIA, DEC. 21, 2009 Richard Pearshouse, 35, a public health researcher living in Phnom Penh. “Cambodia has a very clearly defined tourist path that involves some time in Phnom Penh, and then the Angkor Wat temples. But because I’m living there it was possible to try and see a different facet of Cambodia, to explore some unusual and unique places that are a little bit off the beaten path. This photo was taken in the province of Ratanakiri, in the northeast corner of Cambodia. It’s quite remote; it takes two days or a little bit longer to get up there by a series of local buses. There are still some forested areas left in that part of Cambodia: it hasn’t all yet been logged and converted over to plantations or rice paddies. But there’s a lot of development. To get to the waterfall I had been cycling through kilometer after kilometer of plantations with rubber trees planted all in rows. I was thinking about the way in which development is happening and the landscape is changing and just how special that waterfall is, how important it is. It was sort of a small oasis. I guess I shouldn’t use the word ‘oasis’ to describe a waterfall. But it was an oasis.”

As told to Seth Kugel

Photo: Arantxa Cedillo

Opinion: The long road to justice in Cambodia

A Cambodian Buddhist monk draws a picture depicting the arrest of a Cambodian civilian by Khmer Rouge soldiers, during an art workshop in Kampot province about 90 miles west of the capital, Phnom Penh, July 25, 2009. (Chor Sokunthea/Reuters)

13 years of working to ensure that the Khmer Rouge trials belong to Cambodians

By Youk Chhang — Special to GlobalPost

Published: January 23, 2010

via CAAI News Media

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — During the Khmer Rouge period from April 17, 1975, to Jan. 7, 1979, Cambodians walked constantly. They walked from the cities to the countryside, from their villages to distant provinces, and from the rice fields to the battlefields. After Jan. 7, 1979, the survivors of our country's genocide walked again; this time back to their homes.

In 1997, Cambodians began another journey: the journey to seek justice for crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge. And today, 31 years after the Khmer Rouge regime fell, we are taking a giant step along the road to justice.

On Feb. 6, 2006, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) — commonly referred to as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal (KRT) — officially began setting up offices at the military barracks outside of Phnom Penh. The first trial, Case 001, began on March 30, 2009, two years behind schedule. The case opened with the defendant, former head of S-21 prison Duch (Kaing Geuk Eav), apologizing to victims and accepting responsibility, but ended shockingly however on Nov. 27, 2009, with Duch rejecting responsibility on jurisdictional grounds because he was not a "senior Khmer Rouge leader or those most responsible" as stated in the Khmer Rouge Tribunal Law. The judgment of Duch will be delivered this March.

In late 2010 or early 2011, the most important Khmer Rouge trial will begin. Case 002 will try the highest level Khmer Rouge leaders still alive today: Noun Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith. This trial will be a crucial moment in Cambodia's road to justice because the evidences and analyses brought forth will provide answers to many fundamental questions about the Khmer Rouge regime that survivors had wondered for more than three decades.

The United Nations, Cambodia and several other countries have worked for many years to help us see justice delivered. The United Nations and national governments raised much of the initial $56 million budget for the KRT and stepped in during budgetary shortfalls in late 2008.

These governments have also generously funded many Cambodian human rights and international NGOs that support and monitor the trial process by helping victims file complaints of Khmer Rouge atrocities to the court, observing and reporting on the activities of the Cambodian government and United Nations, providing counseling to those who suffered during Democratic Kampuchea and other activities.

Perhaps the most important way that NGOs can help is to work with the Extraordinary Chambers and each other to ensure that the public is informed about the trials and involved in them.

These trials are about seeking justice for victims of the Khmer Rouge regime. These are your trials, Cambodians, and without your participation in them, we will not be able to judge whether the trials are fair, of high standards, and accessible to all.

But how can the people of Cambodia participate in the trials? They are far away and it is expensive to travel to Phnom Penh. Many NGOs in Cambodia are working to make certain that people can read about the trials through magazines and other written materials that are delivered to sub-district and district offices across the country. Others will broadcast news on the radio, and the Documentation Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam) is working with TVK and other stations to produce television programs that will help educate people about the Extraordinary Chambers.

In the past few years, DC-Cam has also implemented a project, called the Living Documents Project, which brought up to 500 villagers every month from across Cambodia to Phnom Penh to visit genocide memorial sites and meet with officials at the KRT courtroom. Phase two of the Living Documents Project began in early 2009, and allowed victims to directly attend Duch's trial hearing, participate in KRT educational workshops and view Khmer Rouge-related videos.

Villagers returned home afterward to share their experiences with community members during village forums, so that Cambodians have the opportunity to learn about the trials from people like themselves, in addition to tribunal officials and NGO staff. All of these activities have helped villagers understand how the trials work and to become familiar with the tribunal process. For Case 002, DC-Cam will increase its activities and outreach efforts given the significance of this trial.

All of us want to see trials that are fair and just, and for the Cambodian people to participate in them without fear of intimidation or uncertainty. Learning about the tribunal from the written word, radio and television, and from family, friends and neighbors will help you see that justice can work in Cambodia and that building a more just future for our children can become a reality.

Youk Chhang is the director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia. This month marks the 10th anniversary of the publishing of DC-Cam Genocide Magazine: "Searching for the Truth." With the ministries of Interior and Information, DC-Cam has distributed 1.5 million copies of the magazine to the villagers within Cambodia. DC-Cam is 13 years old.

Bonds with Cambodia lifted

http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/

via CAAI News Media

23-01-2010

PHNOM PENH— Viet Nam wanted to expand its co-operation with Cambodia to the fields of education and training, culture, music and sports, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said in Phnom Penh yesterday.

Nhan said at the end of his two-day visit that the new fields would be in addition to the existing co-operation in air services, banking and telecommunications.

During the visit, he paid a courtesy call on Cambodian Prime Minister Hunsen.

The two leaders discussed measure to accelerate co-operation between the two countries, particularly the establishment of an architecture faculty affiliated to the Ho Chi Minh Architecture University in Phnom Penh.

Nhan offered to train Cambodians in circus, dancing, culture and arts.

In his meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Im Sathy, Nhan pledged Viet Nam would grant 120 scholarships annually to Cambodians over the next five years.

He also proposed the nations’ respective ministries of education should organise rotating meetings between their youths to further consolidate the friendship between the two nations.

In addition, the education services between HCM City and Phnom Penh and neighbouring provinces should help each other advance.

Nhan announced Viet Nam’s decision to build a high-quality primary school and high school for Phnom Penh in recognition of their traditional friendship.

Im Sathy thanked Viet Nam for helping his country, in particular the building of many boarding schools in its northeastern provinces.

"Cambodia wants to learn more about Viet Nam’s educational policies so that it can achieve the target ‘education for all’", Im Sathy said.

He said he wanted to see diverse forms of educational co-operation, including scholarships for private students in tertiary education.

Nhan said an education agreement between Viet Nam and Cambodia was expected to be signed before February 15.

There are 553 Cambodians studying in Viet Nam and 84 Vietnamese studying in Cambodia. — VNS

Hôtel De La Paix voted best in Cambodia

Travel

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Readers of influential US travel magazine Travel + Leisure have voted stylish Siem Reap boutique property Hôtel de la Paix the best in Cambodia in the latest ‘T+L 500’ annual list of the world’s top hotels.

Based on based on readers’ ratings across a range of criteria, Hôtel de la Paix achieved an overall score of 88.68 – comfortably the best in Cambodia and 33rd in the entire Asia region, ahead of countless competitors from prominent international luxury brands.

The new T+L 500 list, published in the January 2010 issue of Travel + Leisure, is based on the results of the magazine’s 2009 readers’ survey, in which readers rate hotels in several categories including rooms/facilities; location; service; restaurants/food; and value.

In the 2010 T+L 500 guide Travel + Leisure editors noted Hôtel de la Paix’s marriage of traditional Khmer and Art Deco design influences and its innovative Arts Lounge gallery and restaurant. T+L editors also recommend that readers book into a Courtyard Garden suite - complete with outdoor tub - and reserve a swinging dining bed at the hotel’s signature Meric restaurant.

The full T+L 500 list can be found in the January 2010 issue of Travel + Leisure, or online at travelandleisure.com/tl500.

For further information on Hôtel de la Paix, visit hoteldelapaixangkor.com

Join The Lunar New Year Celebrations In Siem Reap

All Press Releases for January 23, 2010

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The people of Siem Reap will be celebrating the Chinese new year next month.

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA, January 23, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Like most major cities of south-east Asia, Siem Reap in Cambodia will be celebrating the Chinese lunar new year with fireworks and festivities next month.

For 2010, the Chinese new year falls on February 14th, when revellers will be welcoming in the year of the tiger.

Although perhaps not as high-profile as events in neighbouring Vietnam and China, the new year celebrations in Siem Reap remain an important part of the city's social calendar.

People staying in the region during this time can expect to see local residents visiting relatives, greeting their friends and preparing dishes such as Samlor Chab Chhay, which is a special kind of soup made for the event.

One of the venues those staying in Siem Reap hotels may like to experience during the new year celebrations is the Singing Tree.

Described by the Phnom Penh Post as the city's "first California-style juice bar", the cafe offers a range of exotic juice drinks for travellers and locals looking to quench their thirst.

The venue is also keen to promote environmentally-friendly business practices and uses a solar-powered cooker to prepare its food, the newspaper reports.

Singing Tree is located in an up-and-coming area of Siem Reap recently dubbed Alley West.

Editor Notes

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Vietnam offers 120 scholarships to Cambodian students

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01/23/2010

Vietnam will provide 120 scholarships each year to Cambodian students majoring in agriculture, healthcare, and information technology from now to 2015, said Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan.

Deputy PM Nhan, who is also Minister of Education and Training (MOET), made the announcement at his talks with Cambodian Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, Im Sethi, in Phnom Penh on January 22.

He also suggested organising workshops on education and training to share experiences and provide mutual assistance.

During the talks, both sides agreed to foster cooperation in education during the 2010-2020 period and they were unanimous about developing an annual plan and promoting exchanges of information, to improve the management of students.

The two sides discussed the Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam cooperation framework, under which Vietnam will continue to provide 20 scholarships for Cambodian personnel and students to study in Vietnam, commencing with the 2009-2010 academic year.

Deputy PM Nhan took this opportunity to announce that Vietnam will build a senior secondary school for the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh as a token of the Vietnam-Cambodia friendship.

Minister Im Sethi thanked the Vietnamese Government and people for their assistance in education and training, especially with the construction of boarding schools in Cambodia’s north-eastern provinces.

Aproximately 100 Cambodian students travel to Vietnam to study tertiary and postgraduate levels each year and in the 2009-2010 academic year, the Vietnam MOET received 116 Cambodian students.

During his two-day working visit to Cambodia that ended on January 22, the Deputy PM also met with Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, and toured the Norodom and Sisovat High Schools and the Royal University in Phnom Penh.

VOVNews/VNA

Summit County philanthropist departs for Cambodia to support firefighters

http://www.summitdaily.com/

Mendel relief fund also aims to assist disabled adults, national parks

By Robert Allen

summit daily news

via CAAI News Media

SUMMIT COUNTY — A local man departs for Cambodia next month on one of many philanthropic trips to support firefighting services in the impoverished nation.

“The people are just so friendly, caring and giving,” Doug Mendel said, adding that they're “spiritually rich” and “materialistically poor.”

He'll leave Feb. 12 on his 16th trip to the Cambodia, where he'll distribute goods that have already set sail for the South East Asian country. Mendel has run The Douglas Mendel Cambodian Relief Fund since 2003; it has been a nonprofit since 2005.

He most recently collected goods donated by Colorado fire stations and shipped a 20-foot container with 100 sets of bunker gear, 115 helmets, 5,000 feet of fire hose, 200 pair of firefighting pants and more on Jan. 13.

The ship is expected to arrive in the country Feb. 8. It was insured for $110,000.

Three firefighters from Denver International Airport are traveling with Mendel to help train about 25 Cambodian firefighters in Phnom Penh, the nation's capitol.

Mendel said he hopes the firefighters will begin making regular trips to the country.

Cambodia has about 14 million people divided among about 25 provinces — each with only about one fire station.

Phnom Penh (pop. 2 million) has about 90 firefighters and 12 trucks “to protect the whole capital,” Mendel said.

He is trying to raise $25,000 to $30,000 for a fire station in the remote Ratanakiri Province, to which a fire truck was donated in 2007. He's raised about $15,000 so far.

In 2006, an old fire engine from the Breckenridge's Red, White and Blue Fire District was donated to Sihanoukville.

Mendel is packing several donated toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste among other items to distribute to the Cambodian people.

His relief fund's objectives also include supporting organizations that care for disadvantaged children and disabled adults, and assisting Cambodia's national parks.

Mendel lived in Summit County from 1991 to 2006. He moved to Moab, Utah and also lived in Montrose before moving to Silverthorne, where he now resides.

He sells Cambodian crafts, such as purses, through local vendors including the Next Page Bookstore in Frisco.

Robert Allen can be contacted at (970) 668-4628 or rallen@summitdaily.com.

More info

To make a donation to The Douglas Mendel Cambodian Relief Fund, call (970) 333-2285 or e-mail doug@themendels.org.

Fundraiser event planned for Food Hedz in Frisco on March 12, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.