Families to take land fight to PM

via CAAI News Media

Monday, 25 January 2010 15:02 Kim Yuthana

A GROUP of 43 families facing eviction in Koh Kong’s Sre Ambel district plan to attend the inauguration of a sugar factory over which Prime Minister Hun Sen is scheduled to preside today, in an attempt to convince senior government officials to intervene on their behalf, a representative of the families said Sunday.

“We are trying to meet the prime minister tomorrow to tell him about our hard situation and the details of the land dispute,” Phaov Nheung said.

A June Supreme Court ruling awarded the families’ land to two businessmen, Sok Hong and Heng Huy.

In October, police officers escorted Koh Kong Deputy Judge Meas Vatanea to the eviction site, where he read aloud the ruling and then marked how the land would be divided, with most going to Heng Huy.

He also ruled that some of the 43 families were living in Chi Khor Leu commune, of which Chhay Vuth is the chief. Many of the families had believed that they were living in neighbouring Chi Khor Krom commune.

Am Sam Ath, technical superviser for the rights group Licadho, said at the time that this ruling was significant because Chhay Vuth was known for being “very sympathetic” to Heng Huy, who has said he plans to convert the land into a cassava farm.

Chhay Vuth could not be reached for comment on Sunday. Koh Kong Governor Bun Leut said Sunday that officials would not try to prevent the families from attending the inauguration ceremony.

Police Blotter: 25 Jan 2010

via CAAI News Media

Monday, 25 January 2010 15:02 Tha Piseth

THREE CONFESS TO THEFT OF BATTERIES

Banteay Meanchey provincial police have arrested a group of suspected thieves after they allegedly stole two vehicle batteries from an unwitting truck driver in Poipet. The incident occurred Friday night while the truck owner was busy attending festivities at a wedding party. Police said the three men tried to extricate the batteries from the truck at night. The three accused men have confessed to the charges, and the case will be sent to court, police said.

KAMPUCHEA THMEY

MAN PLANS ROBBERY; CRASHES BIKES INSTEAD

Police are hunting for the owner of a motorbike who allegedly threatened to kill a 26-year-old man in front of a market in Phnom Penh’s Tuol Kork district on Friday. District police said the accused man was with a group of people who were planning an attack on three students who happened to study at the same school as the suspect. Instead, however, the man inexplicably crashed his motorbike into the victim, allegedly shouting out death threats the entire time. The man’s suspected accomplices managed to evade police when officers intervened.

KAMPUCHEA THMEY

RUBBISH COLLECTOR KNOCKED DEAD

A 21-year-old rubbish collector was killed after he was struck in the head with a heavy stick while he was waiting to collect drink cans at a wedding party in Preah Sihanouk province. Witnesses said a man on a motorbike was responsible for the attack. The victim was knocked unconscious at first, but he was later pronounced dead after reaching the hospital. Police are still searching for a suspect.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

COPS SHINE A LIGHT ON PANEL THIEVERY

Police arrested a man last week after he allegedly stole a solar panel from a public high school in Battambang province. Police say the suspect confessed to swiping the panel with the help of two other men. Investigators said they have identified the man’s accomplices and are now trying to find them.

KOH SANTEPHEAP

MAN ACCUSED OF INTERNET SCAM

A foreign man who is being called a swindler for allegedly participating in Internet scams has been arrested by military police in Phnom Penh, police said. The man was staying at a rented house in the capital’s Stung Meanchey commune, where police found business cards, documents and two packets of narcotics. The suspect is suspected of having promised a local victim that he would transfer a sum of money to her, but only if she first sent him US$1,500. The case has been sent to court for trial.

DEUM AMPIL

Rain fails to dampen salt outlook

via CAAI News Media

Monday, 25 January 2010 15:02 May Kunmakara

SALT damaged by recent bad weather will not impact the Kingdom’s overall production in 2010 following last year’s shortage, the Salt Producer Association’s president told the Post.

Four days of rain last week is estimated to have damaged around 3,000 tonnes of salt, Ly Seng said Friday. However, the industry does not expect a repeat of last year’s weather crisis – which saw rain damage harvests so badly that Cambodia imported salt from China for the first time.

Hot, dry weather is required to produce salt through the evaporation of seawater from salt fields.

But Ly Seng thinks that despite the spate of unseasonal downpours, Cambodia’s forecasted production will be between 90,000 and 120,000 tonnes this year.

Last year’s rains meant that only 30,000 tonnes of salt were harvested from November 2008 to May 2009, so Cambodia had to import 30,000 tonnes more from China with much more pouring over the border illegally.

“We don’t think that we have the same problem as last year, as we have not harvested a lot of salt yet,” added Ly Seng, who explained that the salt harvest season runs until April.

Director of the Department of Industry, Mines and Energy in Kampot, Chhun Hin, added that although the rain had affected producers in his province, the weather had since improved.

Cambodia has over 4,400 hectares, concentrated in the southern provinces of Kampot and Kep, designated to produce salt. Around 5,000 people work in the industry. Ly Seng said that local salt sells at $70 per tonne, while imported salt from China sells at $120 per tonne.

Police bust suspected child sex ring

via CAAI News Media

Monday, 25 January 2010 15:02 Chrann Chamroeun

TWO Cambodians and an American were arrested over the weekend in a sting operation on a paedophile sex ring that officials said Sunday they believe has been operating for seven years.

Bith Kimhong, director of the Ministry of Interior’s anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection department, identified the Cambodian suspects as a 36-year-old taxi driver and a 47-year-old guesthouse owner.

A six-month investigation, aided by the French Police’s International Technical Cooperation Delegation (SCTIP), found that the taxi driver had been advertising underage virgin girls on the Internet for US$3,000 a night since 2003.

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 the second suspect, according to a local SCTIP officer, who asked not to be named.

“We have arrested the [suspects] who provided underage girls. During the investigation, we found they were providing three underage girls to the US man, too,” said Bith Kimhong, referring to a 58-year-old American, whose arrest Saturday in Phnom Penh led to the seizure of a trove of child pornography.

“Now we are investigating the case further to see if they have a wider network,” Bith Kimhong said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AFP

Deputy PM to bankroll new market for Takeo

via CAAI News Media

Monday, 25 January 2010 15:02 Soeun Say

TAKEO PROVINCE

A NEW US$500,000 market will open in Takeo Province later this year aimed at boosting rural productivity, the district governor has told the Post.

Deputy Prime Minister Sok An put forward the funds to create the Sok An Tunlorb Products Market. The centre – the first to be built under the “one village one product” scheme – will sell agricultural goods including rice, vegetables, corn, cassava and beans, Tek Tong Lim, governor of Kirivong district, said last week. It is set for completion by August 1.

“We will open free of charge to farmers who want to sell their goods here. In every commune around here they plant crops to sell in Phnom Penh. We are also trying to get businesses to come here to buy products,” Tek Tong Lim said Thursday.

The market is being built on 2,700 square metres of land next to National Road 2, 7 kilometres from the Cambodia-Vietnam international border crossing at Phnom Den.

Phar Chhor Da Construction Group started building the project last month.

NPL pressures last year sent interest rates rising further

Photo by: SOVAN PHILONG

A customer leaves the headquarters of ACLEDA Bank last month in Phnom Penh. Banks were expected to remain less motivated to encourage deposit growth this year due to healthy liquidity.

via CAAI News Media

Monday, 25 January 2010 15:01 Nguon Sovan

Difficult lending environment led to cautionary measures, according to NBC

PRESSURES from non-performing loans caused borrower interest rates to rise in Cambodia last year, experts say.

The National Bank of Cambodia’s annual report showed that although interest rates for deposits fell in 2009, interest rates on loans rose, despite a concurrent fall in borrowing rates offered by microlenders.

Average interest rates for six-month loans in riels and US dollars increased from 18.77 percent and 16.3 percent respectively at the end of 2008, to 22.21 percent and 17.13 percent respectively at the end of 2009.

In the meantime, average rates for six-month deposits at commercial banks in Cambodia, measured in riels and US dollars, fell from 6.46 percent and 5.48 percent respectively at the end of 2008, to 5.37 percent and 4.82 percent respectively at the end of 2009.

The report explained that the rise in loan interest rates was due to a need to strengthen the standard of loans by banks “suffering pressures from the rate of non-performing loans and still-weak economic activities”.

It said that the fall in deposit rates “resulted from the fast increase, beyond expectations, of the level of liquidity in the banking system”.

According to the report, 6 percent of loans at the Kingdom’s commercial banks were deemed “non-performing” last year.

Loan disbursements increased an annualised 3.2 percent, to $2.42 million from $2.34 billion in 2008. Deposits rose up to 32.7 percent to $3.28 billion, from $2.47 billion in 2008, the report said.

The gap between loan and deposit interest rates in riels and dollars increased from 12.31 percent and 10.82 percent respectively in 2008, to 16.84 percent and 12.31 percent in 2009.

Bankers from Cambodia’s business community agreed with reasons given in the report for the fluctuations.

In Channy, president and CEO of ACLEDA Bank, said Tuesday that interest rates on loans increased last year because loans were smaller in 2009.

In 2008, he added, loan sizes were bigger because high-value land and homes were used as collateral.

“In 2009, the quality of loans became worse, the numbers of bad loans increased, so bankers focused on providing smaller loans at higher interest rates instead,” he said.

He added that last year, Cambodian banks had a high level of liquidity and therefore had no need to attract depositors by raising their interest rates.

Stephen Higgins, CEO of ANZ Royal bank, commented that he has seen deposit rates fall in late 2009 – a trend he believes will continue into 2010 due to high liquidity in the sector.

Khon Kaen rebounds ahead of sugar mill

via CAAI News Media

Monday, 25 January 2010 15:01 Ellie Dyer

Stock Roundup

KHON Kaen Sugar Pcl, which opens a new US$91 million Cambodian sugar mill in Koh Kong today, saw its share prices stabilise at the end of last week after more than 10 days of successive falls on the Thai stock exchange.

On Friday, shares closed at 14.5 baht, marking the third day that stock has hovered around US$0.43. The price marked a slight recovery for the Thai firm, which recently warned that its new Cambodia plant would operate at only a third of capacity, at 2,000 tonnes per day, due to a lack of suitable labour.

On January 4, shares hit 15.4 baht before bottoming out at 14.2 baht on January 19, a fall of 7.79 percent.

NASDAQ-listed Vimplecom, operator of mobile-phone network Beeline, experienced its lowest share price in 2010 on Friday, as the stock slipped 0.83 percent to US$19.03 in New York, a 6.81 fall for the week.

The decline coincides with reports that Russian competition authorities are opposing a bid to merge the assets of Vimplecom with Norwegian company Telenor. The stock had reached a January high of $21.14.

Australian mining company OZ Minerals continued its strong recent performance last week.

The firm, which is currently test-drilling a gold mine in Okvau, Mondulkiri province, released its fourth-quarter report Thursday, revealing a better-than-expected yield from copper and gold deposits in South Australia.

On Friday, its shares responded positively to the news, climbing 3.46 percent A$$1.20 (US$1.08) to leave the stock up 0.42 percent over the past five days' trading.

Property-investment fund JSM Indochina fell last week, following the company’s recent re-listing on the AIM board in London.

JSM fell 3.23 percent at the close Friday, eradicating gains for the week to end flat at $0.60.

Shares in the firm – which focuses on investment in Cambodia and Vietnam – have fallen from $0.67 when the stock began trading again on January 6 following the appointment of a recently nominated advisor.

An internal dispute over the speed of the firm’s investment in the region led to a recent reshuffle at the board level.

Chevron, which is negotiating on a concession for offshore Block A, saw its share price drop 6.14 percent last week after closing down 2.16 percent Friday to $74.59.

The energy giant said last week that it would pull out of certain markets, which it did not name, resulting in layoffs and a reduction in refining capacity.

MFI loans up 10.8pc

via CAAI News Media

Monday, 25 January 2010 15:01 Nguon Sovan

OUTSTANDING loans at microfinance institutions (MFIs) rose 10.8 percent to US$485.1 million in 2009, from $437.7 million in 2008, figures from the Cambodian Microfinance Association (CMA) revealed Sunday.

The data were collected from 20 MFIs in the Kingdom and included $192.9 million of small loans at ACLEDA bank, considered a hybrid lender.

Numbers of portfolios deemed at-risk and non-performing loans increased to 2.86 percent, equivilant to $8.5 million, from 0.67 percent in 2008.

The figure was slightly lower than the 3 percent rate predicted last week by Hout Ieng Tong, president of the CMA.

The number of borrowers dropped by 17 percent to 878,559 last year from 1.03 million in 2008.

Last year's figures marked the worst performance by MFIs in recent years as the global financial crisis made it difficult for the sector to access funds for lending and the number of bad loans rose.

Cambodia to host international film festival

via CAAI News Media

Monday, 25 January 2010 15:00 Dene Mullen

LATER this year film fans will be able to wean themselves off their usual diet of pirate DVDs, for a few days at least, when the first annual Cambodian International Film Festival takes place in Phnom Penh.

Scheduled to run from October 20 to 23, the Kingdom’s inaugural cinematic event was announced at a press conference Thursday at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.

Mariam Arthur, CEO of Kmy Films, one of the event’s co-organisers, said there would be between 30 and 50 films shown at various indoor and outdoor venues across the city. Outdoor events will be free and will likely be dubbed in Khmer, while indoor screenings will carry an as-yet-undecided admission fee.

Allan Cheung, chief marketing officer of FX Entertainment, the event’s main organiser alongside the ministry, said, “FX Entertainment is committed to creating an event … that will both impress the international community and help develop the Khmer industry”.

The idea of collaboration between Khmer and international filmmakers was high on the agenda, as was using the festival to promote Cambodia as a tourism and moviemaking destination.

Precise details of what films will be shown were not released but a statement from festival organisers promised “international independent films, award-winning documentaries, classic and modern Khmer films, youth-oriented films and films made in Cambodia”.

The film-loving public holds its breath.

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.

via CAAI News Media

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.

via CAAI News Media

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

via CAAI News Media

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

via CAAI News Media

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/

via CAAI News Media

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/

via CAAI News Media

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

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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

via CAAI News Media

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