.

Monday, 1 February 2010

MFI Prasac set to seek licence to take deposits

Photo by: SOVAN PHILONG

An AMK employee Thursday walks beneath a sign for a branch of the MFI in Phnom Penh. AMK applied to the central bank for a licence to receive deposits 18 months ago but is yet to get the go-ahead

via CAAI News Media

Monday, 01 February 2010 15:01 Nguon Sovan

Two others still await answer from National Bank of Cambodia

MICROFINANCE institution (MFI) Prasac will apply to the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) this week for a licence to take deposits from the public.

Prasac general manager Sim Senacheert told the Post Sunday that he intends to ask the NBC for permission to provide a deposits service. The move is part of the MFI’s plan to become a commercial bank in five years, he said.

“We hope to get a licence within two months and launch the deposit-taking service by late March or early April,” he said. “We want to encourage people to get into the habit of saving money in MFIs in the future.”

He said that gaining capital from the local population is more “stable” for the MFI. Money is currently offered by foreign lenders at rates of up to 10.5 percent per year.

Prasac, however, intends to offer the public interest rates of around 8 percent and 6.5 percent for one-year deposits in riels and US dollars respectively. Six-month savings deposits will be offered at 5.5 percent and 5 percent respectively, said Sim Senacheert.

Although this is higher than rates offered by commercial banks, it is cheaper than foreign loans.

To gain a licence, an MFI must prove that it has carried out operations for more than three years, is in a good financial condition, has capital of at least 10,000 million riels (US$2.4 million), operates an effective management system, uses NBC charts of accounts, and has sustainable profitability.

Only two of the Kingdom’s 20 MFIs, Amret and Sathapana, have been granted a licence. Two more MFIs have applied for a permit, but have yet to hear back from the NBC.

Paul Luchtenburg, chief executive officer of micro-lender AMK, said Sunday that the company applied for a deposit-taking licence a year and a half ago but still has not been given the green light.

Hout Ieng Tong, general manager at Hattha Kaksekar Limited, said that he applied in December last year, but has yet to be approved by the NBC. The NBC could not be reached for comment. Clients “always keep their money at home, where it’s not safe. If they keep savings at MFIs, it would be safe and increases revenues at the same time, helping to drive economic growth”, said Hout Ieng Tong.

ACLEDA Bank started as an NGO micro-lender. In 2003, it was licensed as a commercial bank after tripling capital to $13 million.

Vimpelcom falls nearly 5pc despite good news

via CAAI News Media

Monday, 01 February 2010 15:01 Jacob Gold

Stock Roundup

VIMPELCOM, the parent company of mobile operator Beeline, saw its shares drop 4.68 percent last week on the New York Stock Exchange, from US$19.44 on Monday morning down to US$18.14 at Friday’s close.

The Moscow-based firm’s lacklustre week comes despite a number of positive recent announcements.

With most telecoms cutting capital expansion in advance of an uncertain year for profits, Vimpelcom CEO Boris Nemsic told Reuters on Wednesday that he saw “2010 as a normal year with capex at 15-18 percent of sales”, and profits closely following those of 2009.

Nemsic also said that Vimpelcom’s merger with Ukraine’s Kyivstar was “on track”. And on Thursday, analysts at the US-based brokerage EVA Dimensions LLC upgraded the stock to “overweight” from “hold”, although the market reacted to the news Friday by docking shares 1.88 percent, or $0.35.

US energy giant Chevron Corporation, which announced Wednesday the renewal of its offshore Block A exploration deal with the government, saw its shares on the New York Stock Exchange fall 3.31 percent last week, or $2.47.

America’s second-largest energy firm Friday announced a 37 percent drop in net income for the fourth quarter, attributing the drop to a sag in consumer demand and refining. The shortfall was not matched by new production, it added.

On Friday, the Cambodia-based Grand Lion Group announced it had reached a management agreement and related agreements with Marriott International to operate the hotel chain’s Courtyard by Marriott Siem Reap from its launch sometime next year.

Marriott shares fell 1.65 percent last week on the New York Stock Exchange to close at $26.23.

Crown edge out Phouchung; Wat Phnom obliterate MKU

Phnom Penh Crown's Keo Sokngorn (centre) fires a shot past Phouchung Neak captain Khun Khoun (left) during their last 16 match of the Samdech Hun Sen Cup on Saturday

via CAAI News Media

Monday, 01 February 2010 15:00 Andy Brouwer

Phnom Penh Crown grab a goal late on to progress to the quarterfinals of the Samdech Hun Sen Cup, and Wat Phnom teaches Mekong Uni a free lesson

Though the result was never really in doubt, reigning champions Phnom Penh Crown were made to play a waiting game before finally securing their passage into the quarterfinals of the 2010 Samdech Hun Sen Cup on Saturday at Olympic Stadium.

The Navy boys from Phouchung Neak had a game plan: Tackle hard, battle for everything, and don’t give Crown any time on the ball. It worked for 85 minutes, as the Cup favourites were frustrated by their opponents’ tactics.

Crown dominated possession throughout, but found Phouchung a tough nut to crack, typified by their skipper Khun Khoun, who kept the Crown striking pair of Chan Chhaya and Srey Veasna quiet and also managed to make two goalline clearances in the first half to keep it goalless.

Crown’s young midfield maestro, Keo Sokngorn, his head bandaged after a clash in the first half, was the standout player over the 90 minutes. His probing passes, surging runs, cute flicks and skill on the ball was a cut above anyone else, and a flash of brilliance on 66 minutes saw his 25-yard drive cannon off the crossbar. Two minutes later his quick feet in the box simply dazzled the two defenders trying to muzzle him, but his shot was tipped aside by keeper Thai Sineth.

Five bookings amply demonstrated the Navy side’s determined approach, though they also mastered the offside trap well, catching Crown’s straying strikers repeatedly.

On 70 minutes, Crown introduced Phouchung old boy Heng Sok Ly into the fray. The baby-faced striker was the Navy’s top-scoring and most impressive player last term.

Clad in his new team’s colours, he quickly set about sinking his former club, and succeeded with just five minutes of the game to go.

More wing-play wizardry from Keo Sokngorn and an inch-perfect cross found Heng Sokly to steer the ball home for the match-winner.

Mekong Kampuchea University’s Lem Ridath (left) vies with Wat Phnom’s Phoeun Saorum at Olympic Stadium Saturday

In time added on, Phouchung bundled the ball into the Crown net, with their first chance of the game, but a linesman’s flag ruled out the effort for offside. After a brief melee, the referee blew his whistle to send Crown through to the next round.

Nuy Sam An, assistant coach of Phnom Penh Crown, was unconvinced but satisfied with the victory. “We need to strengthen for the next round,” he remarked.

Crown manager Be Makara also showed displeasure at the result. “We didn’t play good enough today. Some of my boys liked to keep the ball without passing to other colleagues. Our opponents were not too strong, but with this [bad] habit we lost many chances to score more goals,” the manager noted.

Heng Sok Ly was happy to net the winning goal, but admitted an awkward feeling for ousting his former side. “Playing against a team I used to play for is difficult, especially emotionally,” he stated. “But as a footballer, I wear Phnom Penh Crown’s shirt, so I have to do my best for my current team. On the field, I don’t show mercy towards anyone, but we are still good friends when we don’t play.”

Wat Phnom 10 – Mekong K Uni 1

There was no David and Goliath upset in this woefully one-sided affair, as Wat Phnom took control from kickoff to put their collegiate opponents to the sword in emphatic style.

Wat Phnom netted two goals in the first eight minutes through Tes Vatanak and Put Savuth, although Mekong Uni briefly rallied midway through the first half with a neat goal by Em Thun. Wat Phnom then extended their lead before the interval, and knocked in a stunning seven in the second half.

Two Wat Phnom players grabbed hat tricks. Srei Vandeth most impressively came off the bench on 64 minutes, and within 11 minutes he’d bagged his three goals. Ry Phearoeun was the other goal machine, scoring two late goals to add to his first half-pile driver. Wat Phnom’s other second-half goals came from Leang Sok Samnang and Phlong Chanthou as the one-way traffic overwhelmed their young opposition.

“I admire the performance of my players,” stated Phoeun Bunthoeun, assistant coach of Wat Phnom. “They had good cooperation. However, Mekong Kampuchea University are a young side. We will face the big team Phnom Penh Crown in the quarterfinals, so we need to work hard and I hope that my players will keep up their work rate to overcome this obstacle.”

Hat-trick hero Srey Vandeth was ecstatic to make such a resounding impact straight after coming off the bench, but also paid tribute to his teammates. “We couldn’t reach the next round only because of me. All of us understood each other very well, and we played by following the plan of the coaches.

“Now we have to prepare for the next game. We don’t know what will happen in the match between Phnom Penh Crown and us, but we need to do the best for our side.”

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

Naga, BBU blast through to Cup quarterfinals

Photo by: PHA LINA

Chhma Khmao keeper Pen Socheat (right) palms away a penalty by Naga Corp’s Teab Vatanak during their Samdech Hun Sen Cup match

via CAAI News Media

Monday, 01 February 2010 15:00 Cameron Wells and Ung Chamroeun

NAGA Corp booked their place in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Samdech Hun Sen Cup on Sunday after blowing away a stubborn Chhma Khmao 6-2 at Olympic Stadium.

The reigning Cambodian Premier League (CPL) champions were given a scare, however, from the Svay Rieng outfit, who showed they won’t be a push-over when the CPL starts proper. Chhma Khmao opened the scoring on the half-hour mark as Spark FC transfer Meak Chhordaravuth followed several deflections inside the box.

The goal set up a wild three-minute period, as Sun Sovannarith – curiously playing up front despite his performances as left back in the national team – connected off a sublime cross from Meas Channa to equalise one minute later.

On the very next possession, the referee awarded a penalty as Svay Rieng keeper Pen Socheat scythed down Sun Sovannarith in the box. However, the stopper went from villain to hero, deflecting the penalty to send the teams in even at the break.

Naga took control eight minutes into the second period through an opportune broken play goal in the box by Teab Vatanak. As it looked as if the heavyweights would pull away, Chhma Khmao equalised in the 71st minute via a stunning free kick by Oung Dara from 25 metres out, sending the provincial side into a frenzy.

However, the game quickly elapsed into a rout as Naga Corp scored four goals in the last 15 minutes, including two by Teab Vatanak to complete his hat trick.

Chhma Khmao assistant coach Sok Voantha was proud of his squad despite the loss. “My players could score two goals against Naga Corp, one of the best teams in Cambodia,” he remarked. “Now we can focus on the upcoming Cambodian Premier League.”

Naga coach Nov Vuthy paid tribute to his beaten opponents. “We are so surprised with the performance of Chhma Khmao,” he said. “I hope [my team] learned from this experience and do their best in the quarterfinals.”

Naga next face CPL rivals Build Bright United (BBU), who earlier Sunday raced to a 6-0 lead against Prey Veng in the first half, before putting on the breaks in the second to end 7-0 victors. Captain Prum Puthsethy scored a hat trick to maintain his lead in the golden boot competition, and teammate Oum Chandara bagged a brace.

Coach Meas Sam Oeun said the win came at a cost, however, as Cambodian international midfielder Chhun Sothearath sustained a leg injury. “It’s a big problem for us if the injury doesn’t heal,” he said. “I hope he’ll be OK for our next game in two weeks.” Prey Veng’s keeper Rim Sovanna had a nightmare game, continually struggling with BBU’s power and failing to catch anything fired his way.

The Phnom Penh Post News in Brief

via CAAI News Media

FIFA coaching course

Monday, 01 February 2010 15:00 Ung Chamroeun

World football governing body FIFA sponsored a women’s coach training course at Cambodia’s National Football Center January 25-27. The course received participation from 29 sports officials (16 females and 13 males) from Phnom Penh, Battambang, Stung Treng, Kandal, Siem Reap, Kampong Speu, Kampong Chhnang, Pailin and Oddar Meanchey provinces. The workshops were conducted by Monika Staab, a FIFA expert from Switzerland, and Dato Yap Nyim Keong, ASEAN Football Federation executive secretary. According to Cambodian Football Federation General Secretary Ouk Sethycheat, the course aimed to improve the standard of Cambodian coaching and promote women’s football in the Kingdom. A similar workshop was held last year.

CPL star flops abroad

Monday, 01 February 2010 15:00 Andy Brouwer

Cambodia’s national football team captain, Kuoch Sokumpheak has returned home after an unsuccessful four-day trial with last season’s Indonesian Super League champions Persipura Jayapura. The team based in Irian Jaya, who will compete in the AFC Champions League next month, were looking at new faces ahead of their transfer window, which opens next week. Kuoch Sokumpheak has rejoined his Cambodian club Khemara Keila ahead of their Hun Sen Cup match against Prek Pra Keila February 7.

ABA needs no security

Monday, 01 February 2010 15:00 Steve Finch

ADVANCED Bank of Asia (ABA Bank) has completed its first loan deal without requiring security, according to a press release issued Friday. ABA said it had offered lending to Choice Taxi Company, a new South Korean metered taxi service in Phnom Penh, which allowed the firm to purchase new Kia cars based on its business plan. Choice General Director Choi Dae Yong said he planned to start with 20 vehicles financed by the loan, according to the ABA release, which the firm would later expand to 30 cars.

Mobitel deal wins prize

Monday, 01 February 2010 15:00 Post Staff

ROYAL Group’s November buyout of Millicom International’s majority stake in mobile phone market leader Mobitel has won “Asia deal of the year” for 2009 in Telecom Finance magazine. The deal, worth US$346 million that included a $421 million financing package for the 58.4 percent stake, was advised by Cambodia Capital and Goldman Sachs, and arranged by Standard Bank and ANZ Bank in a move that saw Royal Group take complete control of the mobile firm. “This was truly a trailblazing deal…. [That] could potentially mark the beginning of a new dawn in Indochina,” the judging panel was quoted as saying.

NBC's new core system

Monday, 01 February 2010 15:00 Nguon Sovan

THE central bank has said it will introduce a new core banking system this month. Speaking at a conference on banking technology last week, National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) Director General Tal Nay Im said the bank was close to finishing upgrading its core system. This follows an announcement in June from California-based software giant Oracle that it had sold its Flexcube Core banking package to the NBC and microfinance organisation Prasac. The system allows banks to automate processes, including deposits, lending, foreign exchange, securities, fund transfers and asset management. Sim Senacheert, general manager of MFI Prasac, said Sunday his MFI put the US$1 million software into operation early last month.

Asylum Claim: Group calls for access to Uighurs

Monday, 01 February 2010 15:04 Sebastian Strangio

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Chinese government to disclose the whereabouts of 20 ethnic Uighurs deported by Cambodian authorities on December 19, saying they have disappeared into a “black hole”. In a statement issued on Friday, the group said Beijing should allow the deportees to meet with lawyers, relatives and officials from the UN. “There is no information about their whereabouts, no notification of any legal charges against them, and there are no guarantees they are safe from torture and ill-treatment,” Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, said in the statement. HRW claims to have received an unconfirmed report that some of the Uighurs, who travelled to Cambodia in November after witnessing deadly ethnic riots in July, were sentenced to death by a court in China’s Xinjiang province. When contacted Sunday, Qian Hai, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh, declined to comment.

Parallel Universe "H": Hun Sen, Hamid Karzai, Hu Jintao

via CAAI News Media

Author: Dr. Greg Austin

31 January 2010 - Issue : 871

The former Khmer Rouge guerilla, Hun Sen, is now -- 25 years after his installation by occupying Vietnamese troops -- still Cambodia's Prime Minister. For much of the time since the successful UN intervention in that country almost two decades ago, donor countries and their human rights groups have been appealing for an end to corruption, respect for human rights, and establishment of rule of law and democracy.

The argument has been that Cambodia deserved a peace dividend and that voters in donor countries should reasonably expect that for all of their support Cambodian leaders would be able to deliver and should want to deliver a legal system and society governed by acceptable standards. Thus there were two competing visions of the future of the country -- one foreign and one local. This is normal in international politics.

The existence of parallel universes of aid donors and aid recipients has been illustrated this past week with the convening of two separate international conferences on Afghanistan -- one in Istanbul on 26 January and one in London on 28 January. Iran, one of Afghanistan's two most powerful neighbors, attended in Istanbul but not London. The long term future of Afghanistan lies with the Istanbul constellation, including Iran.

The London Conference has in many respects been a huge success in that it laid down some clear markers for a desired transition toward a reduction of the foreign military forces. This is fundamentally important for maintaining support at home for the intervention. Yet the air of unreality, incompleteness and wishful thinking was unmistakeable. The position of most governments in London was premised on confidence that they could manage the transition.

Hopefully luck is on our side and we will be influential, working alongside the government and communities of Afghanistan. Robert Gates, the United States Defense Secretary, has acknowledged the Taleban as part of the fabric of Afghanistan. He had at the same time been describing it as a scourge and a cancer, so what meaning he was conveying is a little unclear. We can recall that Hamid Karzai was according to several sources a member of the Taleban political movement for two years or so before becoming and ardent opponent.So we are thrown back on the inevitable dilemma of ethics and governance and negotiating with the "enemy" and with allies with complex personal histories. The parallel universes do of course have to intersect at some point.

The dilemma of parallel universes -- one foreign, the other local -- was revealed with amazing force in January in the American reactions to the latest revelations about censorship in China and Google, and allegations of cyber attacks by Americans on a Chinese competitor. In these reactions, we have seen the same disposition as we have seen in respect of Cambodia and Afghanistan, that is exuberant self-absorption by critics in a vision of "China as we want it to be", rather than a more sober accounting of how we work with the "China that is" to get it closer to where we want it to be.

Just as Hun Sen was a member of the Khmer Rouge, and Karzai a "member" of the Taleban, China's President Hu Jintao was, according to several reports, a Red Guard at Qinghua University in the critical year of 1966 when violence erupted on the campus with considerable ferocity.

A black versus white approach to international politics and peace will always leave us in parallel but separate universes -- one foreign, one local. To ensure our own security in the real world, we need to see the grey scales in all of their variety. That does not mean we abandon our own principles, but compromise is inevitable. Where that balance sits with each person is a matter of individual conscience. We make our own choices and we must bear the consequences of that.

Robust engagement with those who think very differently from us is the only way of satisfying our own need -- and theirs -- for an imperfect security and prosperity that can satisfy both groups. The important operational principle is that the compromise point never remains static. The irony is that we do need vociferous defense of principle to ensure that the struggle continues.

Exposing the red light realities of child prostitutes

via CAAI News Media

Sun, 01/31/2010

In 2002, New York lawyer Guy Jacobsen was backpacking around Cambodia. Shocked by an encounter with a child prostitute, Jacobsen was inspired to co-found the Redlight Children's Campaign,a non-profit organization that aims to combat worldwide child sexual exploitation and human trafficking, by decreasing the demand side of the international sex trade through legislation and enforcement while raising awareness utilizing mass media and grassroots outreach.

Through its partnership with Priority Films, the Redlight Children's Campaign launched the K11 Project, a trilogy of films that attempts to expose real life experiences of the underage sex trade, all filmed on location in Cambodia. Holly Kosmin attended the British film premiere of Holly, one of the three films, last month, at Prince Charles Cinema in London.

It's a strange twist of fate that I share my name with Holly, a film characterized by such coincidences. However, viewers don't need to share a name with the eponymous heroine in order to empathize with her.

Nor would they need to be familiar with the Cambodian landscape, murky Mekong and all, but again my own experience and interest in the country made me connect especially with the film.

I came away with a real sense that this sex trafficking could have been happening on the fringes of the places I stayed. I ate in restaurants almost identical to the ones in the film, perhaps I also wandered down streets containing 5-year-olds offering oral sex, as writer Guy Jacobson did.

This harrowing point was emphasized by the speakers at the panel following the screening. When trafficking is seen as an immediate (rather than distant) problem, it hits home harder, and inspires people to act.

The film centers on the relationship between Patrick (Ron Livingston, Sex and the City) and the 12-year-old Holly (Thuy Nguyen). Virginie Ledoyen (The Beach) and Udo Kier (Dancer in the Dark), respectively as a kind Frenchwoman and a villainous attorney frequenting the brothel, turn in excellent performances too.

Patrick, an American card shark/illegal artifacts dealer, ends up staying in a room at the brothel when his motorbike breaks down. He and Holly develop a sibling-like relationship. He helps her pick fruit and teaches her to ride a motorbike, while she gives as good as she gets, teasing him delightfully.

These interactions emphasize her youth and innocence, contrasting with the sex trade around them and Holly's own clumsy overtures toward Patrick. Her prime motivation is to get away to her Vietnamese village, and to ensure that her younger sister doesn't share her fate of being sold by their family into prostitution.

Holly thankfully avoids falling into the trap of portraying the issue simply as male violence against women.

We're confronted with madams rather than male pimps. Indeed, the first "Mama" seems disgusted by any man not as invested in having Holly's virginity taken as she is. The character is over the top, reminiscent of Mrs. Bennett in Pride and Prejudice (if she were obsessed with getting her girls sexed up rather than married off), but it adds a much needed comedic tinge to the dark subject. We also see the cruelty of an older girl, Barbara, towards Holly, possibly prompted by jealousy over Patrick's attentions.

There is tension throughout, especially as to whether Patrick will ever be able to rescue Holly, and there's a standout landmine scene that achieves an amazing effect, especially through its use of noise.

This tension is further amplified by the horrific nature of Holly's experiences, such as when an ostensibly kindly policeman delivers her straight to another brothel for a reward and she is soon used as entertainment for the town's important Vietnamese guest. At first the guest's pleasant demeanor and the fact they share a language offers a glimmer of hope that only makes the ensuing actions more appalling.

When Patrick and Holly are reunited she doesn't seem to recognize him, and although he can wash away her makeup, he can hardly remove the indelible impact of her ordeal.

The film avoids a clich* Hollywood happy ending. Instead, it is bleak, but not entirely unhopeful, and reflects the complicated relationship between the two main characters as well as difficulties in offering a solution to the problems raised by human trafficking.

Simply by existing and exposing the issue, the film serves its anti-trafficking message. Its compelling demonstration of how there are no simple answers is powerful.

Jacobson's Redlight Children's Campaign emphasizes that you can't just fling money at the problem but must confront it head on and work on actually dismantling the structures that put it in place to begin with.

See http://www.redlightchildren.org/ for more information.

From Announcing to Implementing Reforms – Sunday, 31.1.2010

http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/
via CAAI News Media

Posted on 1 February 2010

The Mirror, Vol. 14, No. 649

A problem faced by some powerful leaders is that they do not know what is really going on under their control – there is a layer of advisors and assistants who keep important information from reaching the top, or the arrangements for the activities of persons in high level leadership do not provide sufficient opportunities to see what happens on the ground.

Some years ago it the Prime Minister traveled by car on a major road of the country, over which he normally used to fly by helicopter – and it was then reported that he was surprised about the poor state of the maintenance of the road, ordered its repair as a priority, and decided to travel by car more frequently to see some of the reality which he cannot see from high up in the air.

Sometimes it is also questioned whether other important information is really reaching the Prime Minister, or whether it is filtered away by advisors and assistants.

In 2003, there was a embarrassing situation, when one of his nephews, Nim Sophea, was accused to be involved in a shooting affair, which left three people dead and four others injured. The nephew was arrested and convicted, but in an appeals process he was declared to be not guilty (the main culprit had fled and was never found – if I remember correctly). Around that time, the Prime Minister said that even his nephew would have to face the court – though, at that time, the media had already reported that Nim Sophea was already in China. This information had not reached the Prime Minister, so he did not know.

The Prime Minister’s speech on 28 January 2010, during the closing ceremony of a conference at the Ministry of Defense, is different: it shows that he knows very well what is going on. He did what was hardly ever heard before in public: he named several high ranking military leaders, present at the meeting – Sum Samnang, director-general of logistics and finance at the Ministry of Defence; Chao Phirun, director-general of materials and technical services; Ung Samkhan, commander of the Royal Navy; and Chhoeun Chanthan, chief of the senate president’s bodyguards – accusing them of corrupt actions: misusing their positions for their private business, using military equipment and personnel for personal gain, and wasting public property.

“Do not be commanders that are only good at wood trading, illegal logging, land grabbing, and illegal fishery.” – “The role of the military is to fulfill obligations for the nation, not to guard your mangroves, please check this again! Please do not use soldiers and military machinery to serve individual interests.” As five-star general and top military leader, the Prime Minister said that “from now on, military officials who are involved in illegal activities are not fit to work in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.”

Such public frankness led to immediate words of welcome from Mr. Yim Sovann, the spokesperson of the Sam Rainsy Party, who noticed that these announcements for a new outlook into the future has an implication also for the past: “What I am happy about is that he acknowledged past misdeeds.”

Also Mr. Thun Saray, the president of the human rights organization ADHOC, called for these new steps of reform to be put swiftly into action, pointing to a problematic weak link between high level policy directives and their implementation: “His speech is very good, but we also ask for its real implementation … sometimes when we take his speech to lower levels for implementation, they do not listen.”

In spite of these special considerations, this is an extraordinary situation which does not happen easily: that the head of the government, the spokesperson of the largest opposition party, and a respected leader in civil society immediately agree.

The reports of this week contain again material as in the weeks before, on which the words of the Prime Minister can be applied: “It Is Time to Stop; Military Officials Who Do Illegal Activities Are Not Fit to Work in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.”

We just repeat some pieces of information from the past week:

- Local Authorities in Ratanakiri Were Threatened to Be Killed by Soldiers Trading Wood [when they tried to block those soldiers transporting wood to Vietnam; finally the authorities could not seize the wood and could just report the case to higher levels]

- The Pursat Authorities Close Their Eyes, Not Seeing the Strong Logging Activities for Luxury Wood in the Forest

- The UN Envoy on Human Rights in Cambodia Assessed that the Government Showed Willingness to Strengthen Human Rights in Cambodia

- Intensive Wood Trading Continues at the Cambodian-Thai Border while the Border Disputes Remain Unsolved

The Prime Minister’s words were spoken in a specific context: referring to the reforms to happen in all sectors, including in the armed forces. That means, new procedures will have to be defined and applied. If this happens, the Prime Minister’s expectations may start to work: “It is time to end that some work in the military in order to use this as a shield to run their own businesses. If you wear ranking stars and cut trees, fellow soldiers will point at your face.”

Fellow soldiers did not do so in the past, because they could not expect that they would be supported at higher levels, as also some of the examples repeated above from the past week show. It will therefore be decisive to see what procedural changes will be established, and how their implementation will be monitored – by the public and the media – and enforced by the relevant institutions of the state.

Somali court holds Cambodia ship, not pirates

via CAAI News Media

A Cambodian vessel reportedly hijacked off Somalia instead was detained in the Somaliland port of Berbera on court orders, a port official said on Saturday.

Sunday, 31 January 2010

A Cambodian vessel reportedly hijacked off Somalia instead was detained in the Somaliland port of Berbera on court orders, a port official said on Saturday.

The Kenya-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme earlier in the week had said the MV Layla-S had been hijacked after discharging its cargo in the breakaway northern enclave of Somaliland last year.

However, assistant chief of Berbera port Bile Hirsi said the ship was held after a local businessman, whose goods were destroyed in a fire on board another ship that belongs to the owners Layla-S, asked the court to detain it.

"The ship is in Berbera port by the order of the regional court of Berbera, because Abdillahi Omar -- a businessman who had a lot of merchandise on the ship that burned outside the port last October -- made a complaint to the regional court and the court ordered that the ship should remain in the port," he said.

Bile said the businessman wanted compensation for merchandise destroyed in the Maria Star fire.

Somaliland declared itself independent in 1991.

Way clear to reopen David Wilson inquest

http://www.theage.com.au/
via CAAI news Media

SELMA MILOVANOVIC
February 1, 2010

Khmer Rouge victim David Wilson

A MARATHON inquest into the death of Melbourne tourist David Wilson, kidnapped and murdered in Cambodia 15 years ago, is set to resume this year now that a top-secret file on the case has been handed to the Victorian Coroner's Court after a 10-year delay.

The Department of Foreign Affairs file is believed to contain up to 600 reports and cables, including details of negotiations with kidnappers led by Cambodian officials before Mr Wilson was murdered.

The Wilson family believes the cables - if revealed to the coroner in full - may show that the Keating government knew the Cambodians would bombard the mountain where the hostages were being held but did nothing to try to delay the attack until negotiations for the handover of hostages were completed.

Mr Wilson, 29, along with Briton Mark Slater and Frenchman Jean-Michel Braquet, was kidnapped from a train in July 1994 and murdered by the Khmer Rouge in a remote Cambodian jungle camp in September that year.

The Federal Government refused to pay a ransom of $50,000 in gold demanded by the kidnappers, in line with its policy that such an action would expose other Australians abroad to kidnapping.

It refused to help Peter Wilson bring money to Cambodia to rescue his son on the same grounds, but effectively turned a blind eye to the Cambodian Government's attempts to arrange a ransom payment.

Questions are also being raised about why an audacious plan by prominent businessman and Liberal Party figure Ron Walker to deliver the gold ransom to Cambodia in a private jet with the help of former SAS servicemen was never revealed to the family in full or made part of the inquest.

Mr Walker told The Age he had secured the ransom amount in gold ingots and arranged for a corporate jet to fly the gold to Cambodia if necessary.

''Even though Andrew Peacock (the then shadow foreign affairs minister) had offered ex-SAS people to help in Cambodia, there was no guarantee of safety for the people carrying the gold,'' he said. ''The people wanting the gold could not guarantee the safe passage of messengers bringing it and the plan was never carried out.'' A lawyer for DFAT told the Coroners Court in 2000 that the department file - which has stalled the inquest - was classified on the grounds of national security and was too sensitive to reveal. Former state coroner Graeme Johnstone - who retired in 2007 - had ordered the department to reveal all to the Wilson family and any classified material could be discussed in a closed court.

A spokeswoman for the Coroners Court told The Age it had received Wilson inquest documents requested from Canberra by Mr Johnstone, and that the hearing would not resume until the Wilsons had legal representation.

Mr Wilson's father, who no longer has a lawyer, said he had not heard anything from the court since 2007, when he last met DFAT lawyers and Mr Johnstone.

The former state coroner, who began hearing the inquest in 1998, could be brought out of retirement to complete it.

''I want the inquest to continue,'' Mr Wilson said. ''We've been kept in the dark for far too long. They have kept saying they can't endanger international relationships. … and now it's national security. They have been hiding behind the two.''

David Wilson murder case could be re-opened

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

via CAAI News Media

AAP

February 01, 2010

A CORONER'S inquest into the death more than 15 years ago of Victorian man David Wilson could re-open this year after a 10-year delay.

The Age newspaper said the Victorian Coroners' Court had been handed a secret Department of Foreign Affairs file on the case that may contain hundreds of documents and cables including details of negotiations with the kidnappers via Cambodian officials for his release.

Members of the Wilson family told the newspaper they believe the full package of documents would show the coroner the Keating government knew the Cambodian government would bombard the mountain where Mr Wilson and two other hostages were held but did not try to delay an attack on the area until release negotiations were finished.

Mr Wilson, 29, Frenchman Jean-Michel Braquet and Briton Mark Slater were kidnapped on a train in Cambodia in July 1994 and murdered by the Khmer Rouge two months later.

The federal government refused to pay a ransom of $50,000 in gold to the kidnappers and refused to help Mr Wilson's father, Peter, bring his own ransom, in line with government policy.

"I want the inquest to continue," Mr Wilson said.

"We've been kept in the dark for far too long. They have kept saying they can't endanger international relationships. And now it's national security. They have been hiding behind the two."

UN must speak out over Cambodian rehab centres: HRW

Cambodian authorities burn confiscated drugs at a ceremony in the capital city Phnom Penh

via CAAI News Media

PHNOM PENH — A leading rights group on Sunday called on the United Nations to review its support for Cambodian government-run drug rehabilitation centres, where detainees allegedly suffer grave abuses.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report last week calling for the closure of at least 11 centres nationwide, where it said detainees suffer "sadistic violence" such as electric shocks, forced labour and rape.

The government has denied the allegations in the HRW report, which also said people were often held in the centres without reasonable cause and were denied access to a lawyer.

Though several UN agencies have since spoken out about the abuses, those working most closely with the government in detention centres and on drug policy have been less vocal, HRW said in a statement on Sunday.

Government data revealed that more than 500 of the detainees were aged under 18, according to the latest HRW report.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) "need to make clear to the Cambodian government that the centres should be shut down", said Joe Amon, HRW health and human rights director.

"Instead of remaining silent, the United Nations should review its programmes and support for these centres," he added.

UNICEF's Cambodia representative Richard Bridle said they would "like to examine all of the evidence before we examine what to do".

"We appreciate HRW is a serious organisation and does do good research but we're not just going to act on the evidence it puts out in its reports."

Bridle also said UNICEF had to take a "practical approach" to the centres and work with the government for the best interests of young detainees.

The centres, run by various branches of the Cambodian state including the police and the ministry of social affairs, detained nearly 2,400 people in total in 2008, it said.

Rights groups have in the past made allegations about abuse at Cambodia's drug rehabilitation centres and UN health officials have questioned their treatment methods.

HRW's report also said detainees were forced to donate blood, were fed rotten or insect-ridden food and chained while standing in the sun as punishment.

Detainees were arrested for drug use and vagrancy but were also frequently rounded up in police sweeps of people considered "undesirable" in advance of national holidays or international meetings, it added.

Cambodia: UN Should Review Role in Drug Detention

via CAAI News Media

January 30, 2010

(New York) - The United Nations should conduct a thorough review of its support for Cambodia's drug detention centers, Human Rights Watch said today.

Human Rights Watch issued a 93-page report, "Skin on the Cable," on January 25, 2010, with reports of widespread beatings, whippings, and electric shock to detainees, including children and individuals with mental disabilities, in seven Cambodian drug detention centers. In response, several United Nations agencies, including the joint UN program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), have spoken out about the abuses. But the two UN agencies that work most closely with the government in detention centers and on drug policy, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), have been less vocal.

"UN officials agree that these centers are illegal and abusive," said Joe Amon, health and human rights director at Human Rights Watch. "Now UNICEF and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime need to make clear to the Cambodian government that the centers should be shut down."

The Cambodian government is in the process of finalizing a new law on drug control, with technical support from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. But the draft law, a copy of which was obtained by Human Rights Watch, does not provide adequate protection against abuse for children and adults forcibly detained under the guise of providing them with treatment for drug dependency.

In particular, the draft law purports to offer immunity from prosecution to "officers who implement drug treatment and rehabilitation measures in accordance with the right to drug treatment." International law does not permit immunity for officials who commit serious abuses - including ill-treatment and torture - in the course of their duties.

"The UN agency responsible for drug control should forcefully oppose any laws that do not meet international standards," Amon said. "The draft law on drug control would protect abusers and violate Cambodia's human rights obligations."

According to its web site, the UNODC office in Cambodia has supported the government since 2001 in developing "effective approaches and techniques to deal with drug abuse" and "coordinated, community-based drug abuse counseling, treatment and rehabilitation care programs." Part of that support has involved technical assistance, with more than US$1 million earmarked for the development of community-based treatment.

The Human Rights Watch report revealed that, among other abuses in the detention centers, detainees are often forced to work at hard manual labor or exercise as a means of "treatment." Human Rights Watch said that comments to the press by Interior Ministry spokesperson, Khieu Sopheak, that labor and "sweating" were "one of the main ways to make drug-addicted people to become normal people," demonstrated that the Cambodian government is not committed to international standards. The remarks also show that the UN Office on Drug and Crime's engagement with the government has not yet built sufficient understanding and capacity to provide effective treatment, Human Rights Watch said.

Since the release of the Human Rights Watch report last week, UNICEF has faced intense public scrutiny for involvement in the Choam Chao "youth rehabilitation centre." A representative of the European Union has called for an investigation to determine if EU funding for UNICEF has supported human rights violations in the centers. UNICEF officials have said that they have supported government monitoring of the facilities and have not been aware of any abuses. The project is in the final year of funding, and plans for continued engagement are under review.

"We met with UNICEF in Cambodia last September about these abuses, and they told us they would investigate," Amon said. "But they haven't, and they continue to claim that children are in these centers voluntarily."

UNICEF also refused to share with Human Rights Watch their reports of past assessments conducted in collaboration with the Cambodian government.

Cambodian government officials have refused to meet with Human Rights Watch since the report was released and did not respond to written requests for information as the report was being prepared. Government and detention center officials have been quoted in local and international press reports denying the most severe abuses, though acknowledging physically punishing and drugging detainees.

In an interview with Radio Australia, Nean Sokhim, director of a center in Phnom Penh, said that detainees are given drugs to keep them from escaping. The commander of the military police detention center in the province of Banteay Meanchay described to the press how detainees at his center were forced to stand in the sun or "walk like monkeys" as punishment for attempting to escape.

"The Cambodian government needs to investigate these centers and hold those responsible for these abuses accountable," Amon said. "Instead of remaining silent, the United Nations should review its programs and support for these centers, and work with the government to shut them down."

UN must speak out on Cambodia rehab centres: group

A soldier watches as seized drugs are burned near the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. A leading rights group has called on the United Nations to review its support for Cambodian government-run drug rehabilitation centres, where detainees allegedly suffer grave abuses. (AFP/File/Philippe Lopez)

Sun Jan 31

PHNOM PENH (AFP) – A leading rights group on Sunday called on the United Nations to review its support for Cambodian government-run drug rehabilitation centres, where detainees allegedly suffer grave abuses.

The government has denied the allegations in the HRW report, which also said people were often held in the centres without reasonable cause and were denied access to a lawyer.

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) "need to make clear to the Cambodian government that the centres should be shut down," said Joe Amon, HRW health and human rights director.

"Instead of remaining silent, the United Nations should review its programmes and support for these centres," he added.

Representatives from UNICEF and UNODC were not immediately available to comment.

Rights groups have in the past made allegations about abuse at Cambodia's drug rehabilitation centres and UN health officials have questioned their treatment methods.

According to the latest report from HRW, detainees were forced to donate blood, were fed rotten or insect-ridden food and chained while standing in the sun as punishment.

The centres, run by various branches of the Cambodian state including the police and the ministry of social affairs, detained nearly 2,400 people in 2008, the report said.

Detainees were arrested for drug use and vagrancy, but were also frequently rounded up in police sweeps of people considered "undesirable" in advance of national holidays or international meetings, it added.

Two markers on Vietnam-Cambodia border planted

via CAAI News Media

01/31/2010

Markers No 81 and No 84 on the Vietnam-Cambodia land border were planted on January 29-30 in the presence of diplomats, border guards and local residents of the two countries.

The two markers demarcate Vietnam’s southern Tay Ninh province and Cambodia’s Kampong Cham province.

On this occasion, Vietnamese and Cambodian border guards met to share experiences in an effort to build a common border of peace and friendship.

Vietnamese community in Cambodia strengthen solidarity

via CAAI News Media

01/31/2010

The Association of Overseas Vietnamese in Cambodia has set up good relations with local authorities and won trust of the Vietnamese community in the country.

The assessment was made at a conference on January 30 to review the association’s operation over the past two years and work out its plan for this year.

So far, the association has 19 chapters across Cambodia. It also set up the Association of Overseas Vietnamese Enterprises in Cambodia, which has operated effectively and generated numerous jobs for overseas Vietnamese.

The association has organised courses to teach Vietnamese to children and raised funds for poor families of the community.

It plans to increase the number of chapters to 21 in the near future, coordinate closer with local authorities and create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community.

Rights Group Says Cambodia's Drug Treatment Centers Rife with Abuse

http://www1.voanews.com/

Human Rights Watch says instead of receiving therapy to wean them off drugs, drug addicts are subjected to gross abuses by the Cambodian police and military, which run the centers.

Bangkok 30 January 2010
via CAAI news Media

The rights group Human Rights Watch says centers in Cambodia set up to treat drug addicts are instead illegally detaining, beating, torturing and raping them.

Human Rights Watch issued a report Monday saying drug treatment centers in Cambodia are rife with abuse and fail to give any support to drug addicts.

The rights group says many of drug abusers are detained illegally, often through street clean-up campaigns or after their relatives pay authorities to take them for what is supposed to be drug treatment.

But Human Rights Watch says instead of receiving therapy to wean them off drugs, they are subjected to gross abuses by the Cambodian police and military, which run the centers.

Joseph Amone, director of the health and human rights division at Human Rights Watch, says the detainees include the mentally ill and children.

"People in detention are being beaten, they're being whipped with electrical cables. They're being shocked with electric batons. And, we also found individuals who said they'd been raped and witnessed rapes in the centers," he said.

The detainees are forced work, in some cases doing construction work on the homes of staff members at the treatment centers.

Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 50 former detainees for the report.

Amone says those detained in the drug treatment centers said they were held against their will, without charge, and given no access to a lawyer.

"And, that's why we're calling for the immediate closure. Because, we don't think a system that is set up outside of judicial oversight, that's run - not by health professionals - but by the police and the military can ever deliver effective treatment or provide really adequate protections from human rights violations," he said.

Human Rights Watch reports the government says about 2,400 Cambodians were detained in 11 centers in 2008.

The World Health Organization in Cambodia says after leaving the centers almost all of the drug abusers return to drugs again.
Daniel Schearf

Sunday, 31 January 2010

From "killing fields" to halls of United Nations

via CAAI News Media

By Guy Busby

January 30, 2010

FOLEY, Ala. -- Sichan Siv escaped Cambodia in 1976, walking for days through the jungle, starving, wounded, the only one of 16 members of his family to survive the genocide that became known as "the killing fields."

He returned to Cambodia 16 years later, leading a diplomatic mission as the representative of President George H.W. Bush. He later became U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush.

Former U.N. Ambassador Sichan Siv addresses South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce

On Friday, while he was in Foley to address the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, Siv attributed his success -- and survival -- to his mother.

"The most important words that she instilled in me was 'never lose hope. No matter what happens, never give up hope,'" he said.

When the Khmer Rouge communist rebels took over Cambodia and began targeting intellectuals, which included college graduates such as Siv, his mother gave him a scarf and a bag of rice and told him to flee.

He rode a bicycle across Cambodia for three weeks, almost reaching the border of Thailand before being captured. A man saved Siv's life by convincing his captors that he was a truck driver.

Siv, however, had thrown away his glasses, a sign of being an intellectual. "I told the Khmer Rouge I was a truck driver, but without glasses, I couldn't see the road," Siv said.

He escaped after jumping off a logging truck. That time he reached Thailand.

After spending several months in a refugee camp, he was allowed to enter the United States.

"On June 4, 1976, I arrived in Warringford, Conn., with $2 in my pocket, my mother's scarf and an empty rice bag," he said. "I was exhausted. I was tired. I was sick, but I was full of hope."

Siv picked apples, worked in an ice cream shop and drove a New York taxi until he received a scholarship to Columbia University.

After working in the 1988 Bush campaign, Siv was named deputy assistant to the president.

When Siv returned to Cambodia, he went to his father's village. The people there told him he had "golden bones," the Cambodian term for someone who is very blessed.

Siv made the term the title of his autobiography. He said, however, that "Golden Bones," refers not just to his own life, but his adopted country.

"We are all people of golden bones because we very lucky, very blessed to be in America," he said.

Siv, now lives in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife, Martha. Alabama, however also has a connection to his life. His brother was stationed in Huntsville in 1973 for military training and wrote Siv about the area.

Siv said he concluded his book with a line his brother wrote while in Alabama. "This is a beautiful country."

Cambodia says Thai soldier killed in border clash

via CAAI News Media

By SOPHENG CHEANG

Associated Press Writer

Sunday, January 31

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Cambodian reported Saturday its troops killed one Thai soldier in the latest border clash between their militaries.

Khuy Sokha, governor of western Pursat province, said troops from the two sides fought for about 15 minutes late Friday after about 20 Thai soldiers crossed into Cambodian territory and refused to leave when confronted by Cambodian soldiers.

Cambodian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Chhum Socheat said one Thai soldier was killed, with Cambodian troops firing AK-47 assault rifles and B-40 rocket propelled grenades.

Thai officials were not immediately available for comment.

Cambodia's relations with Thailand deteriorated two years ago, when nationalistic public opinion forced Bangkok to withdraw its support for a Cambodian application to designate a famous border temple a U.N. World Heritage site. The issue sparked renewed interest in some small tracts of disputed territory near the Preah Vihear temple, and the two countries' soldiers since then have clashed several times.

Khuy Sokha said the body of the Thai soldier killed in the latest clash was turned over to Thai authorities Saturday morning after negotiations.

Cambodian, Thai troops exchange second fire

via CAAI News Media

English.news.cn

2010-01-30 20

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodia's National Defense Ministry official said Saturday that there was another small fire between Thai and Cambodian troops in Veal Veng district in Pursat province.

Maj. Gen. Chhum Socheat, spokesman of Cambodia's National Defense Ministry told reporters that the clash happened at about 10 p.m. on Friday night but "we are still investigating the reason and who started the fire first." He said he also learned from the troops that the fire has resulted in the death of one Thai solider and injury of a few others.

But no one was reportedly killed or injured from the Cambodian side, he said.

Keo Sokunthear, vice police chief of Pursat province told reporters that as many as 20 Thai soldiers were trying to trespass Cambodian territory on Friday night before fire exchanged.

He said no Cambodian soldiers had lost lives in the fire, but one Thai soldier was killed and a few others might be injured, but he could not give the actual number.

On Sunday last week, Thai and Cambodian troops also exchanged a fire at the border area, east of Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple, a place of the border dispute between the two countries since July 2008.

Editor: Xiong Tong

Cambodia ship held by court, not taken by Somalis

Australian customs officers boarding the Cambodian-flagged fishing boat, FV Taruman as the patrol boat Oceanic Viking (foreground) stands by, in the Southern Ocean south of the Australian island state of Tasmania September 10, 2005. REUTERS/Australian Customs/Handout

via CAAI News Media

Sat Jan 30, 2010

HARGEISA (Reuters) - A Cambodian vessel reportedly hijacked off Somalia instead was detained in the Somaliland port of Berbera on court orders, a port official said on Saturday.

Bile said the businessman wanted compensation for merchandise destroyed in the Maria Star fire.

Somaliland, which declared itself independent in 1991, is proud of its relative stability compared with the south of Somalia, where hardline Islamist rebels control large amounts of territory and are battling a weak Western-backed government.

Cambodian, Thai troops clash

via CAAI News Media

Jan 30, 2010

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIAN and Thai troops have had a brief shoot-out on their disputed border, a Cambodian defence ministry spokesman said on Saturday, in the latest such flare-up.

Mr Chum Socheat told AFP that soldiers from the two countries exchanged fire for two or three minutes on Friday evening.

'We are now further investigating into the problem to find out how it started. We can't tell who started it first,' he said. He added that Cambodian troops reported a Thai soldier was killed in the skirmish, however Thai military officials were not immediately available to comment.

Troops from the two countries briefly exchanged fire in disputed territory near an ancient Khmer temple last Sunday.

Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over their border for decades. Nationalist tensions spilled over into violence in July 2008, when the Preah Vihear temple was granted Unesco World Heritage status.

Four soldiers were killed in clashes in the temple area in 2008 and three more in a gunbattle last April. The border has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia. -- AFP