Verdict in ‘torture’ case

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

Thoeung Reth crouches outside Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Friday. Judges sentenced her to five years in prison for selling a girl to a couple who brutally abused her for months before authorities intervened last October. Meas Nary, seated behind Thoeung Reth on the left, received a 20-year term.

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:04 Chhay Channyda and Irwin Loy

AN 11-year-old girl who was abused for months after being sold into domestic servitude can begin the long road to rehabilitation after her tormenters were sentenced to lengthy prison terms, an official with the organisation overseeing the girl’s recovery said Sunday.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Friday sentenced Meas Nary to 20 years in prison – the maximum under human trafficking laws – for her role in detaining and abusing the girl. The woman’s husband, Var Savoeun, received a 10-year term, and the girl’s “grandmother”, Thoeung Reth, who raised the girl from a young age before giving her to the couple, was sentenced to five years in prison on trafficking charges.

The end, for now, of what was an important but arduous court process for the girl should allow her to close the door on a traumatic part of her life, said Sue Taylor, manager of the psychosocial services department at the NGO Hagar International.

“She doesn’t have to talk about this again in front of everyone,” Taylor said. “It’s a big relief for her to have this all finished. She can start the process of rehabilitation, which we couldn’t do until the court process is finished.”

Friday’s verdict was also a validation of the girl’s suffering, Taylor said.

“The judge believed her, which was very important for her,” she said.

Authorities said the girl had been held captive since 2008, when she was sold into domestic servitude by Thoeung Reth, who told the court she believed she was giving the girl a better life. It wasn’t until October 2009 that police, acting on a tip from a neighbour, freed the girl from a house in Sen Sok district.

They found her body covered with scars, leading police to describe her abuse as “torture”.

In testimony last month, the girl told the court that Meas Nary beat her with pliers, clothes hangers, brooms and whips when she got angry.

On Friday, Judge Chan Madina said it was imperative that Meas Nary face a lengthy prison term for her actions.

“The acts of Meas Nary were inhuman and very cruel,” said the judge, who also awarded the girl 20 million riels (US$4,788) in compensation.

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

The 11-year-old victim in a notorious child abuse and trafficking case is comforted as she looks at one of the defendants in her trial, the verdict for which was handed down Friday at Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

‘Everyone is watching’

Rights groups praised the court’s decision. The lengthy sentencing, said Chan Soveth, a monitor for local rights group Adhoc, “fits with the Cambodian government’s attention to combat human trafficking and torture of underage children.

“This is also a message to tell the international community that buying and selling children to become servants is illegal,” he said. “This is a severe case that everyone is watching.”

The three convicted people have the option of appealing the decision.

The case put a public spotlight on the issue of internal trafficking in the Kingdom. Observers say the closed-door nature of the domestic labour industry makes it difficult for victims of abuse to escape or be discovered.

In 2004, a survey by the Cambodian government and the International Labour Organisation found that there were almost 28,000 children in the capital alone who were working in domestic service.

Khmer Krom ID denied

Photo by: Sovan Philong

Kim Soun, 50, sweeps outside her one-room apartment, where she and her husband have sheltered Khmer Krom returnees from Thailand awaiting ID papers from the Cambodian government.

IN DATES: Khmer Krom seek ID in Cambodia

December 5, 2009

A group of 24 Khmer Krom asylum seekers are deported from Thailand as illegal immigrants. A week later, the group sends letters to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the Ministry of Interior requesting identification cards and other assistance.

December 28, 2009

The UNHCR rejects the group’s request for refugee status, citing a sub-decree handing responsibility for asylum applications over to the government. Three days later, five members of the group leave for Thailand in a second bid for asylum.

January 13, 2010

District police visit the group of Khmer Krom to gather information, raising hopes that the deportees will receive identification cards and legal recognition.

January 25, 2010

Boeung Tumpun police official Tep Bora says the information collected by district police has been sent to district authorities. He later acknowledges that the information collected in January is incomplete.

February 17, 2010

Tep Bora says that information about the Khmer Krom group has again been sent to district officials. The group’s request for identification cards is rejected the following day.

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:04 Cameron Wells and Tharum Bun

Group of 22 faces bleak future as NGO assistance nears end

A GROUP of Khmer Krom asylum seekers who say they are fleeing persecution in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region have been formally denied identification cards by police officials, several representatives said Sunday, casting further doubt over the options that will be available to them when NGO-provided assistance runs out at the end of the month.

The Khmer Krom, many of whom were deported from Thailand in December after a failed asylum bid, were told Thursday by Meanchey district police that they lacked sufficient documentation to obtain identification cards, said group representative Thach Soong.

He said police also informed them that their request had been denied because they were not recognised as permanent residents of Boeung Tumpun commune, where they have been staying for two and a half months. Commune officials were also present at the meeting, Thach Soong said.

“They told me that we do not have a permanent place to live, so they can’t provide us with the requested ID cards and other legal documents,” he said.

The asylum seekers and those acting on their behalf have noted that identification cards are necessary if members of the group want to access hospitals, find jobs, enrol in schools and rent houses.

Meanchey district police could not be reached for comment on Sunday, and police in Boeung Tumpun commune could not confirm that the request for identification cards had been denied.

But Thach Thach, president of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Federation (KKF), provided a video recording of the Thursday meeting, during which at least five unidentified officials could be seen explaining the decision to a group of at least three Khmer Krom.

“According to the law of the Ministry of Interior, we cannot issue the ID cards or [family] books for you, because you do not have a specific address. If we issue the ID card for you, the owner of the house might be confused that you now own the house,” one police officer says in the video.

When one of the Khmer Krom asks again about ID cards, the officer responds: “No, we cannot issue the cards because you’ve lived in the house for two months, and you might stay at a different house another month.”

The original 24 asylum seekers were deported from Thailand on December 5. Since then, five have returned to Thailand out of frustration at the sluggish processing of their requests. Three other Khmer Krom have been deported by Thai authorities and have since joined the group in Boeung Tumpun, where they have been receiving food and shelter from the rights group Licadho.

Licadho has said that its support of the group will cease at the end of February, and Thach Soong said he fears the group will be left homeless and starving. “We will face difficulties. We live in fear, not knowing where to go,” he said. “I appeal to Licadho and the [UN High Commissioner for Refugees] to continue to help with our sheltering and food, so that we can wait for the authorities to solve the issue.”

Am Sam Ath, technical superviser for the rights group Licadho, said staff members there had not yet discussed whether they could afford to continue to provide assistance.

“Any NGOs have their limits to provide assistance,” he said. “We’ll discuss this on Monday, what we can do about their shelter and food.”

He said authorities should have provided the group with the necessary documentation to process the ID cards, rather than demand that they provide credentials they don’t have. Many of the deportees have said that they lost their documentation when they fled Vietnam.

Thach Thach of the KKF called Thursday’s decision “sad”, adding that he questioned the reasoning given by the police.

“How can you have a permanent address [in Cambodia] when you lived in Vietnam?” he said.

He said the UNHCR should reassume responsibility for processing the refugees, after a sub-decree ratified by Prime Minister Hun Sen in December declared the handling of asylum seekers solely a government responsibility.

“It is tough for Khmer Krom,” he said. “They are Vietnamese, but the Cambodian government says they are Khmer. The sub-decree is too much.”

Meanwhile, Ang Chanrith, an independent analyst who is the former executive director of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Human Rights Organisation, said he was not surprised by the decision, and that he believed the police were carrying out government orders.

“I [knew] that local authorities would not provide the ID cards for them because they are listening to their bosses or superiors,” he said.

KKrom raised in Geneva

Government officials have previously said that the constitution grants all Khmer Krom the right to live in Cambodia, and that they do not face discrimination. This assertion was repeated by a five-person delegation attending a session of the UN committee on the elimination of racial discrimination that took up the issue of the Khmer Krom in Geneva last week.

In written responses to questions posed by the committee, the Cambodia delegation said, “In principle, Khmer Kampuchea Krom are recognised as Cambodian citizens without any discrimination.”

The responses also noted that in order to obtain ID cards, Khmer Krom must have a permanent address in Cambodia and be able to present a birth certificate, a family book and “any verdict from the court to recognise that he/she was born by parents with Khmer nationality”.

In lieu of such a verdict, the Khmer Krom could also present a “Royal Decree on the recognition of Khmer nationality” or “any evidence which shows that he/she was born by parents having Khmer nationality”, according to the responses.

Thach Thach, who was present at the session, said he would like for all Khmer Krom to receive automatic dual citizenship, meaning they would be free to travel between Cambodia and Vietnam.

Govt to protest Thai court

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:04 Tep Nimol

CAMBODIAN officials say they will file a complaint with Thailand’s Surin provincial court after it sentenced six Cambodians to prison terms on Friday for illegal logging.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Koy Kuong said Sunday that each of the six was sentenced to two years and three months in prison.

Cambodia’s plan to dispatch a team of legal advisers to Thailand on Friday were upset at the last minute when the provincial court said the trial had been rescheduled; however, the court then proceeded with the hearing after all, Koy Koung said.

“The Thai court told Cambodia that the six people had requested that they not be defended by lawyers, but we did not believe the Thai court. The Thai court has violated the legal procedure because in such a criminal case, there must be lawyers to defend the suspects,” Koy Kuong said.

On January 25, seven residents of O’Smach commune’s Akphivat village in Oddar Meanchey province reportedly crossed the Thai-Cambodian border to collect rattan.

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I am concerned about my wife and my baby, who may have to be born in prison.

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Six members of the group, two of whom were pregnant, were subsequently arrested by Thai soldiers and detained in the pending trial.

Officials in Bangkok said Sunday that they did not have any information on the case and declined to comment. Officials at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh could not be reached for comment.

Koy Kuong accused the court of deliberately passing false information in order to prevent Cambodian involvement in the villagers’ defence.

According to Thai law, Koy Kuong added, the villagers should not have received a jail sentence of more than 40 days.

“We are upset and we will file a complaint to Surin provincial court to reexamine the case,” he said.

Yam Pith, 32, the husband of Seung Kuok, a member of the imprisoned group who is three months pregnant, said that the sentence was excessive.

“I was shocked when my wife told me over the phone that she had been sentenced to two years and three months in prison – she was only looking for rattan,” Yam Pith said. “I am concerned about my wife and my baby, who may have to be born in prison.”

Na Rein, Banteay Meanchey provincial coordinator for local rights group Adhoc, said relatives of the imprisoned villagers plann to file complaints through his organisation this week.

Srey Naren, Adhoc’s provincial coordinator for Oddar Meanchey, said last month that the villagers had been collecting rattan in an undemarcated area along the border at the time of their arrest.

They had travelled there many times before without incident, he added.

“Thai soldiers have never arrested them there before, and we don’t know why they did this time,” he said, adding that Thai soldiers had been behaving “cruelly” towards Cambodian villagers in recent months.

There have been numerous incidents along the Thai-Cambodian border related to illegal logging and gathering firewood in recent months.

Since September, at least seven Cambodians have been shot and killed by Thai troops while logging illegally in Thai territory near the border with Oddar Meanchey province, government officials and rights workers say.

Nanh Sovan, chief of the Cambodian-Thai border communication team at O’Smach International Border Crossing, said he planned to meet with Thai officials on Wednesday to seek the release of the three prisoners convicted on Friday, including the two pregnant women, though a request for this was denied last week.

Observers hail Takeo court ruling

Photo by: Sovan Philong

Radio Free Asia reporter Sok Serey, pictured Sunday, was acquitted of disinformation charges in Takeo provincial court on Friday.

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:04 Sebastian Strangio and Chhay Channyda

LOCAL and international organisations have welcomed the acquittal of a Radio Free Asia reporter and four rights activists by Takeo provincial court on Friday, saying the ruling could set an important precedent for future defamation and disinformation cases.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Cambodia hailed the ruling of the court as a step forward in the struggle for freedom of expression.

“The Court’s decision is a significant step towards the protection of the right of human rights defenders and journalists to freely and peacefully express themselves on matters of public interest, without fear of reprisals,” the statement said.

On Friday, the court acquitted rights activists Cheab Chiev and Khoem Sarum, Radio Free Asia journalist Sok Serey and two Cham community representatives, Ny San and Seb Sein, on charges of disinformation. Ny San was found guilty of destruction of property and sentenced to five months in prison.

The five were first charged in September last year under the 1992 UNTAC Criminal Code, following a radio interview the previous December that discussed a dispute between Cham community leader Rim Math and 206 members of his mosque in Takeo’s Kampong Youl village.

The OHCHR praised the fact that the court’s ruling was based explicitly on the lack of any malicious intent on the part of the accused, saying it could act as a precedent for future cases.

“The Office encourages magistrates to draw inspiration from this ruling in their interpretation and application of the law, in order to limit restrictions on freedom of expression in compliance with Cambodia’s human rights treaty obligations,” it concluded.

Moeun Chhean Nariddh, director of the Cambodian Institute for Media Studies, said that before deciding to convict in such cases, judges need to conclude not only that the accused peddled false information, but that this was done with malicious intent.

“As human beings [journalists] can make mistakes, but they do not necessarily have any malicious intent,” he said.

According to some observers, the issue of intent has never directly been addressed in previous defamation and disinformation cases, making the Takeo case a “very significant” step forward.

“This could be a tool for advocates of free speech to use in future court cases,” said Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights.

In light of the spate of lawsuits filed against journalists and government critics in 2009, however, Moeun Chhean Nariddh said the leniency of the ruling was likely linked to the fact that Sok Serey worked for Radio Free Asia, a US-backed media outlet.

“It would make the courts of Cambodia look bad if they put a journalist working for a US-funded radio station in jail,” he said, though he added that the ruling was nonetheless a “good sign” for press freedom in Cambodia.

Ek Kandara, lawyer for the plaintiff Rim Math, said on Friday that his client would not appeal the verdict, describing the trial as “fair and just”.

Damning report

The issue of Cambodian media freedom was also raised in a report released by the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders on Friday. The report claims the jailing of Khmer Machas Srok publisher Hang Chakra in July last year broke a pledge made by Prime Minister Hun Sen in 2006 that journalists would no longer be jailed for what they wrote.

“The jailing of several opposition journalists has cruelly shown that the promise has not been kept. It has been compounded by judicial harassment of government opponents and the journalists who interview them,” the 11-page report stated.

“The international community has strongly condemned these reversals and there is still time for Hun Sen’s government to make lasting improvements to respect for press freedom.”

Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, rejected the accusation that the prime minister had “broken his promise” to the nation, saying the government generally welcomed criticism.

“The law gives journalists the right to express themselves,” Phay Siphan said. He added, though, that reporters should be “fair” and avoid making personal insults. “Journalists have to be professional and adhere to a code of conduct,” he said.

Suspect held in rape and murder of guard

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:04 Chrann Chamroeun

A 31-YEAR-OLD man was arrested on Saturday night in connection with the rape and murder of a female security guard in Russey Keo district.

The body of the security guard, Yim Srey Mon, was found naked, bound and gagged about 300 metres from a sewer in Toul Sangke commune on Thursday night by Russey Keo district police.

Phan Sahuth, deputy police chief of Russey Keo district, said the arrested man had not yet been charged, but that he had confessed to raping and murdering the woman near the Meng Ta garment factory, where she worked.

He said that the suspect, after leaving a party where he had been drinking with friends, chased after Yim Srey Mon while she was on her way home.

“It was a very brutal killing, and we worked very hard, investigating day and night, to hunt down the suspect in this killing,” he said.

He said the suspect was being held at the police station and was set to appear in court today.

“The man is now being held temporarily at our police station and will be sent to Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Monday [today],” he said.

Police Blotter: 22 Feb 2010

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:02 Phak Seangly

MAN ATTACKS HIS OWN MOTHER WITH A ROCK

A 26-year-old man from Banteay Meanchey’s Poipet town was arrested after he beat his mother in the face with a rock when she couldn’t provide drinking money in small denominations, police said. The incident occurred on Wednesday, when the man asked his mother, who is 45, for money before heading out to buy some wine. His mother promised to give him the money, but she did not have any small notes. The man then beat her with the rock, causing her severe injuries, police said. Neighbours said the man, who works as a day labourer in Thailand, caused problems and picked fights with his mother whenever he drank. He has been sent to provincial police headquarters for questioning.

DEUM AMPIL

MOB JSTICE FOR NECKLACE THIEF

An 18-year-old high school student on Friday was caught and beaten by a crowd after snatching a necklace off the neck of a 20-year-old university student who was driving on her motorbike in Phnom Penh’s Prampi Makara district, police said. When the victim began screaming for help, a mob descended on the man and began pummelling him, police said, adding that they would have killed him had police not intervened. A second man who assisted in the snatching managed to escape from the scene with the necklace. The arrested man has been questioned and sent to Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

DEUM AMPIL

POLICE NAB MAN CARRYING DRUGS

Police in Phnom Penh’s Chamkarmon district detained a man on Wednesday for carrying illegal drugs. The 25-year-old confessed that he had purchased the confiscated drugs from a 48-year-old man for US$10, and that he planned to resell them for between $15 and $20. The 48-year-old man said he had purchased the drugs from a girl near Preah Kossamak Hospital, an area of the city that police said was popular with with drug users.

RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

PRISTITUTES USED AS ASSAULT ACCESSORIES

Two men looking to buy sex were ambushed on Wednesday night in a scheme that apparently involved their prostitutes, police said. The men, aged 30 and 28, were driving two prostitutes to a guesthouse to have sex with them when the women abruptly jumped off their motorbikes. Shortly thereafter, a group of eight men appeared from the side of the road and beat the two men badly before stealing their money and mobile phones. The two victims were sent to a private clinic. Police say they have since arrested all eight men as well as the prostitutes involved in the attack.

KAMPUCHEA THMEY

UN envoy warns of mass deportations

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:04 James O'Toole

THOUSANDS of Cambodians working as migrant labourers in Thailand may face abrupt deportation in the coming weeks, the UN’s special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants said Thursday.

February 28 is the deadline set by Thailand for migrant workers to register for nationality verification through their home governments, extending their work permits. Those who fail to register will be subject to deportation, a policy UN rapporteur Jorge Bustamente sharply criticised.

“If pursued, the threats of mass expulsion will result in unprecedented human suffering and will definitely breach fundamental human rights obligations,” Bustamente said in a statement Thursday.

Though international concern has focused primarily on Myanmar migrants, Cambodians may also constitute a significant percentage of the deportees, said Andy Hall, director of Thailand’s Migrant Justice Programme.

As of February 8, some 70,047 Cambodian migrants had completed the nationality verification process, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Labour. Many thousands more – both documented and undocumented – had yet to register, Hall said.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Koy Kuong said the Cambodian government had sent a working group to Thailand to assist in the process.

“This is normal for the internal affairs of Thailand because they’re implementing immigration law,” he said.

Chawanon Intharakomansut, secretary to the Thai foreign minister, said nationality verification was a well-publicised aspect of Thailand’s labour law, and that it had been going “very well”. “We’ve got cooperation from all the countries” involved, Chawanon said.

Hall said awareness of the policy was limited, and that even migrants who knew of the process were constrained by the brokers’ fees required to secure verification. Thailand, he said, should recognise the benefits of having migrants and adopt a more conciliatory approach.

“The economy is incredibly dependent on these people,” he said. “If they did go ahead with [deportations], it would be very concerning.”

Embassy official visits prisoner

Photo by: Pha Lina

Suphap Vong Pakna appears at the Military Court in Phnom Penh on February 12.

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:04 Vong Sokheng

THAI embassy officials paid a visit on Friday to a Thai national recently convicted of planting land mines on the Cambodian side of the border, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said.

“We allowed one Thai embassy official to visit a Thai prisoner,” said spokesman Chhum Socheat.

“It’s a normal visit, about 30 minutes, and the Thai official just provided some gifts such as noodles and fruits to the prisoner.”

Suphap Vong Pakna was sentenced to 20 years in prison this month after the Military Court in Phnom Penh found him guilty of laying mines in Oddar Meanchey province. Suphap claimed Thai soldiers paid him to plant the mines.

Sam Sokong, the man’s court-appointed Cambodian lawyer, said he knew nothing of the visit but planned to meet with Suphap Friday to discuss a possible appeal.

Three Thais injured in multiple mine blasts

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:03 Khouth Sophakchakrya

LAND mine blasts have injured three Thai nationals accused of illegal logging along the disputed border area in Preah Vihear province, authorities said Sunday.

The explosions occurred last Wednesday when the three men stepped on separate land mines, said Ministry of Defence spokesman Chhum Socheat.

In one incident, one man had part of his lower leg blown off, while the two others were also seriously injured, he said.

“We saved them from the dangerous place and sent them to their country for treatment,” Chhum Socheat said, adding that a chainsaw found with the group was confiscated and destroyed.

Chhum Socheat said the land mines were old, having been planted during conflict some decades ago.

In 2008, two Thai soldiers were severely injured after stepping on land mines that Thai authorities said were freshly laid. However, Cambodia said the land mines were not newly planted. The situation remains unresolved.

Any new deployment of land mines would be a breach of the Ottawa Treaty banning the use of the deadly weapons, which Cambodia and Thailand have both ratified.

Over 2008 and 2009, Preah Vihear ranked fourth among provinces for total casualties of land mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW), according to a report last month from the Cambodia Mine/ERW Victim Information System.

Crematoria to be closed

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:03 Chrann Chamroeun

CITY Hall has ordered the closure of the city’s last four traditional temple crematoria following complaints about pollution and associated health issues, officials said Sunday.

Meas Nhjel, a representative of the municipal Department of Cults and Religions, said people living near the crematoria had expressed concern about excessive smoke from the traditional cremations.

“Local people are unhappy with the smoke that negatively impacts on their health and the environment. They expressed their concerns and complaints in a report to the municipal governor,” Meas Nhjel said.

Last September, City Hall ordered five pagodas in central Phnom Penh to close their crematoria after two large electric cremation systems opened in Dangkor district.

Cases of malaria up by 30,000

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:03 Khoun Leakhana

REPORTED malaria cases rose by 30,000 in 2009, resulting in 100 more deaths than the previous year, health officials said on Sunday.

Dr Duong Socheat, director of the National Centre for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control (CNM), said there were over 80,000 malaria cases resulting in 300 deaths in the Kingdom last year, compared with 50,000 cases and 200 deaths in 2008.

He said the rise was caused by increased rainfall as well as by the fact that more people had been exposed to malaria-carrying mosquitoes as a growing number of soldiers and construction workers were deployed to high-risk forested areas in Ratanakkiri, Mondulkiri, Stung Treng, Kratie, Kampong Cham and Koh Kong provinces.

Tol Bunkea, chief of the CNM’s epidemiology department, said a full report detailing the end-of-year figures would be released in March.

Duong Socheat said the CNM had been successful in decreasing the spread of malaria by about 60 or 70 percent in the eight years from 2000 to 2008, and he was optimistic about the success of a national campaign aimed at completely eliminating malaria deaths by 2020.

SRP asylum bid blocked by US court

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:03 Sam Rith and Sebastian Strangio

TWO Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) members who say they were tortured by authorities after participating in a 1998 political rally have had their bid for political asylum in the United States blocked by an appeal court there.

In a legal opinion filed on Thursday, Judge Richard C Tallman of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld an earlier ruling by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) rejecting the pair’s asylum requests, saying their asylum claim was riddled with inconsistencies.

According to the opinion, the pair – Kin Sombath and his wife, Prak Bunnary – are not eligible for asylum because they did not mention the 1998 demonstration in any of their original asylum applications and because of inconsistencies between their testimonies and those of other witnesses.

“[The two] cannot satisfy their burden of showing entitlement to the relief they sought,” the opinion stated.

Kin Sombath and Prak Bunnary entered the US on June 28, 2001, and March 29, 2002, respectively, without immigrant visas or other relevant entry documents.

Prak Bunnnary, a member of the SRP since 1995 or 1996, testified before the BIA that she was arrested in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district on October 31, 1998, after attending a political rally on an unspecified date. The opinion cites her testimony that she was “slapped, kicked, hit with electrical batons and suffocated”, and that her skull was fractured before she was transferred to the city’s T-3 prison.

She also testified that, after being released on November 17, 1999, Ouk Moeurn, a government official, helped her escape to the US in June 2001 by providing her with a US tourist visa bearing a pseudonym. She told the BIA that she was afraid that she would be arrested or killed if forced to return to Cambodia.

Kin Sombath, a former reporter for the opposition-aligned Proleant Cheat newspaper, said he also took part in the 1998 demonstration and was arrested on November 10. He testified to the BIA that under interrogation by police in Kampong Thom province, he was hit with the butt of a gun, a plastic baton and an electric taser.

Kim Sambath said he eventually spent 13 months at T-3 prison before being released in December 1999 and smuggled out of the country with the help of then-SRP Senator Thach Setha.

Ouk Moeurn, the former SRP member who aided the pair, said Sunday that they should not be deported. “The United States should not send them back to Cambodia because they have lived there for a long time like other Cambodians,” he said.

Ouk Moeurn, 71, who resigned from the SRP a few years ago, said he helped the two because they both wanted to live in the US, but did not give any other details about the case.

Senior CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap could not confirm or deny the validity of the allegations raised by Kin Sambath and Prak Bunnary, but stated that peddling falsehood was not uncommon for the opposition.

“It is characteristic of the SRP that they raise untrue issues because they want to live in a third country,” he said.

Svay Rieng pig farmers report officials collect unlawful taxes

Photo by: Sebastian Strangio

Piglets lie in a pen in Kampot province. Pig farmers in Svay Rieng province say local officials are collecting illegal taxes for transporting their products along National Road 1 to Phnom Penh.

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:03 Mom Kunthear

PIG farmers in Svay Rieng province have accused local officials of imposing border and customs fees that they say were abolished five years ago.

Neang Chantha, president of the Svay Rieng Pig Farmers Community, which filed a formal complaint with the provincial agriculture department on Wednesday, said that border and customs officials had been charging illegal taxes on 100 of the community’s members who routinely travel along National Road 1 into Phnom Penh.

“They charge us different taxes. Customs officers take 60,000 riels (US$14) per van, and the tax officers take 4,000 riels ($1) per pig when we cross the border into Phnom Penh,” he said.

He added that pig farmers had repeatedly brought the issue to the attention of the provincial agriculture department, but that no action had been taken.

Ros Chhay, Svay Rieng district governor, said no one had complained to him about the fees, but confirmed on Sunday that there was no government regulation calling for taxes to be levied on local farmers.

He added that the people collecting the taxes were probably frauds posing as officials.

Neak Sari, the chief tax official in Svay Rieng, could not be reached for comment on Sunday.

Jarai gatherings under scrutiny

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:02 May Titthara

AUTHORITIES in Ratanakkiri province’s Lumphat district disrupted a monthly ethnic Jarai community meeting on Saturday to inform its participants that future meetings would be forbidden without written permission from the provincial governor, community representatives said on Sunday.

Sim Ry, a Jarai representative from La Bang Mouy commune, said that villagers were surprised by the sudden arrival of local police. “We have always conducted monthly meetings to talk about issues like forest protection and domestic violence,” he said. “But yesterday, commune police came to the meeting with orders from the district governor to check for an approval letter, saying that unless we had such a letter they would break up the meeting.”

Pao Vil, La Bang Muoy commune chief, said that he could assure provincial authorities that their suspicions were misplaced. “The reason the police asked for a permission letter was because they were afraid that our meetings would address more than just community issues,” he said.

Kong Sruon, governor of Lumphat district, said authorities just wanted to know the purpose of the meetings, “to the extent that we ... need to know what happens in our district”.

Inflation stagnant, but fuel costs raise pressure

Photo by: SOVAN PHILONG

Forecourt attendants wait for customers on January 28 at a petrol station on Monivong Boulevard in Phnom Penh. Fuel prices have slowly risen in the past year, contributing significantly to year-on-year inflation of 6.9 percent last month.

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:02 May Kunmakara

CPI inflation stable on December but up 6.9pc on January 2009

PRICES for consumer goods remained stagnant last month compared to December, but climbed 6.9 percent on January 2009 as a result of rising fuel prices.

Figures from the National Institute of Statistics (NIS) showed that food prices continued to slide month on month – by 0.2 percent in January.

Meanwhile, petrol has risen 1.25 percent so far this year to an average 4,000 riels (US$0.96) per litre, and diesel has climbed 1.45 percent to 3,500 riels, Trade Promotion Department figures showed Friday.

“From December to January, there were many items that decreased in price,” said an NIS official who declined to be named. “That’s why overall items did not go up” in price.

Prices for fish and seafood were down 0.7 percent last month compared to December, and fruit and vegetable prices dropped 2.5 percent over the same period, the biggest falls according to the consumer price index (CPI) data.

Still, year-on-year prices are accelerating – CPI inflation went from up an annualised 5.3 percent in December to 6.9 percent last month.

“I think this has definitely come from external factors,” Chan Sophal, president of the Cambodian Economic Association, said Friday. “We see that the price of petroleum on global markets has surged, so it affects us.”

Most of the price rises seen this year compared to last were due to the climbing oil price, he added, which has risen from record recent lows at the beginning of 2009, affecting the cost of goods transported across the Kingdom as the economy continues to rely on imported energy.

Oil for March delivery hit a five-week high in New York Friday to $79.81 a barrel as US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke increased the emergency bank lending rate, a sign that the economy – and therefore demand for fuel – was picking up, analysts said.

NIS figures showed that fuel prices overall in Cambodia were up 8.2 percent since January 2009, while natural gas alone was up a huge 35.4 percent.

Overall, fuel directly contributed to a 1.5-percentage point rise in price year on year, but it also had a major indirect influence – the cost of transportation rose 14.1 percent in the past year, contributing a further 1.4-percentage-point rise.

“If we look at that time [last year, during the worst of the economic crisis], demand was down, so prices were also down,” said the NIS official.

Minister of Economy and Finance Keat Chhon insisted Wednesday that Cambodia had recorded positive growth last year; however, international analysts including the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Economist Intelligence Unit have all estimated small contractions of up to about 2.8 percent.

Vimpelcom down after Wall Street wobbles

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:01 Steve Finch

Stock Roundup

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NASDAQ-LISTED Vimpelcom, owner of mobile brand Beeline, suffered from market volatility Friday, falling 1.24 percent to US$18.37 as markets slumped early on after the Federal Reserve’s decision to hike the emergency bank lending rate.

Although a number of stocks recovered on Wall Street late Friday as inflation data suggested little need for the Fed to raise the key benchmark rate, Vimpelcom’s stock failed to recover at the end of a week in which it climbed 6.8 percent overall.

The day before Bloomberg reported the Moscow-based firm had received “very, very positive” feedback from shareholders on a share-exchange offer due for completion by April 20 as the firm consolidates under majority stakeholders Telenor ASA and Alfa Group.

Australian miners OZ Minerals and Southern Gold, both of which hold mineral concessions in eastern Cambodia, suffered similarly poor performances on the Australian Stock Exchange last week.

OZ slipped 2 percent in Friday trading to A$0.98 (US$0.88) capping a 4.39 percent slide over the past five in Sydney, the firm’s first full week of trading since appointing new Chairman Neil Hamilton on February 8.

Southern Gold was down 4.35 percent Friday to A$0.11 (US$0.10) despite recent positive news on gold prospects in Cambodia.

Chevron, which announced at the end of last month it had signed a new exploration deal with the Cambodian government for offshore Block A, managed to ride Wall Street jitters Friday to gain 0.6 percent to $74.05.

Van Chanvait can’t overcome size advantage of Arturo Lim

Photo by: Robert Starkweather

In a rare victory for a foreigner, 23-year-old Madrid fighter Arturo Lim (left) outscored Battambang native Van Chanvait (right) Saturday at the TV3 boxing arena.

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:00 Robert Starkweather

Lanky Madrid fighter Arturo Lim proved insurmountable for Battambang’s Van Chanvait, who lost by points decision Saturday at the TV3 boxing arena

TO the applause of few, Spaniard Arturo Lim beat Van Chanvait on points Saturday in the main event at the TV3 boxing arena. In the co-feature, Phon Phana stopped Yuki Chiba of Japan in the third with an elbow.

“That was one of my hardest fights,” said Lim, a 23-year-old native of Madrid who fights out of the Muay Thai Plaza gym in Bangkok. “He hurt me with his kicks. On the first one I felt my leg [give].”

Lim, who at 1.85 metres held a significant height advantage over his opponent, started aggressively and largely controlled the fight from the opening bell.

He kept Van Chanvait on the outside with push kicks and scored with roundhouses from the right and knees from both sides.

Van Chanvait countered well in the first two rounds, slipping Lim’s high swinging punch and scoring with low kicks to the leg. But as Lim began charging forward in the third, Van Chanvait became more and more evasive.

Photo by: Robert Starkweather

Yuki Chabi of Japan (right) struggles to his feet after catching an elbow from Club Koh Kong’s Phon Phana Saturday at TV3 boxing arena.

Frustration showed early in the fourth when Lim raised his gloves and shot Van Chanvait a fierce glance, taunting him to stand and fight.

“I am a knee fighter, so I like to fight close” Lim said. “But he wanted to run around the ring.”

With the fight slipping away in the fourth, Van Chanvait had little choice but to plant his feet. He caught Lim with several elbows, but Lim answered with elbows of his own and long straight punches, catching Van Chanvait flush on several occasions.

As the outcome of the bout became obvious, the raucous house fell quiet. Circling the ring in the fifth, Lim raised his gloves in victory, but no one cheered.

Phon Phana drops Yuki Chabi in third

In the second international bout on the card, Koh Kong’s Phon Phana smashed Japan’s Yuki Chabi with elbows to score an easy third-round knockout.

While winning is nice, the prize in prizefighting lies in the cash handouts that adorning fans give to support their fighters. And on Saturday, Phon Phana came up penniless.

“It’s a tragedy,” he said after the fight, as Chabi squirmed in pain under the doctor’s hand. “I didn’t have any sponsors.”

The absence of crowd support may have mirrored the amount of challenge that Chabi presented, which was zero.

Throughout the opening six minutes of the fight, Phon Phana stalked the 22-year-old Japanese fighter around the ring like a cobra playing with its prey, striking effortlessly but without venom.

Even so, Chabi looked worn out after two rounds, and the crowd giggled nervously in anticipation of the brutal fate that awaited him.

When Phon Phana finally cut loose in the third round, Chabi lasted about 90 seconds before crashing to the canvass under the weight of an elbow. He managed to get back to his feet by the count of eight. But bleeding from a cut on the head and unable to open his left eye, he was in no shape to continue, and referee Troeung Sossay waved the fight over.

Next TV3 international fights

TV3 hosts international fights every other weekend. Saturday was the station’s second international card since returning to live boxing coverage earlier this month. Ei Phouthang and Eam Vutha will appear on the next card March 6.

Crown, Naga ease into semis

Phnom Penh Crown’s Heng Sok Ly (right) knocks the ball past Wat Phnom keeper Pao Raksa during their Samdech Hun Sen Cup quarterfinal Saturday at Olympic Stadium.

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:00 Andy Brouwer

Samdech Hun Sen Cup holders Phnom Penh Crown and last year’s beaten finalists Naga Corp make light work of their quarterfinals opponents Saturday.

Saturday’s Samdech Hun Sen Cup quarterfinal doubleheader went to form with Phnom Penh Crown and Naga Corp waltzing through to the semifinals in emphatic style at Olympic Stadium.

In the opening tie, played in scorching hot conditions, Phnom Penh Crown started in upbeat fashion and, despite a momentary lapse, dominated the game from start to finish to emerge 5-1 victors. Wat Phnom had no answer to Crown’s quick passing, fleetness of foot and creativity, and were given a footballing lesson by the favourites.

On another day, Crown striker Heng Sok Ly would’ve netted a hatful. Instead, he missed four gilt-edged opportunities, and just when it didn’t look like being his day, he broke clear of the Wat Phnom defence for the umpteenth time to finally find the back of the net with a cool finish on 79 minutes. It was the least he deserved for his nonstop efforts and capped a fine performance from his new teammates.

Star of the show in the first half was Crown’s dominant centre-half Tieng Tiny. His initial goal was disallowed for offside in the first minutes of the match, but he stepped up to curl a delicious free kick from the edge of the box into the top corner on 14 minutes.

Naga Corp’s Sun Sovannarith (centre, white) scored a brace Saturday against Cup quarterfinal opponents Build Bright United.

Three minutes later however, and with their first foray forward, Wat Phnom made it level again. Crown’s usually competent goalkeeper Peng Bunchhay looked a bag of nerves throughout the game, and he spilled a routine catch from a corner at the feet of Ry Phearoeun, who gleefully rifled home the loose ball.

It was then Tieng Tiny’s turn once more to step up to the mark. This time it was from the penalty spot, on 34 minutes, after Chan Chhaya had fallen over theatrically when challenged by Wat Phnom’s stopper Pov Reaksa.

In between the goals, Crown conspired to spurn good opportunities, none more so than Heng Sok Ly, who twice broke away from his marker only to roll his final shot agonisingly wide of the target.

After the break, Crown piled on the agony for their luckless opponents. Hong Ratana dived full-length to head in a spectacular effort on 56 minutes after good approach work from Chea Virath.

With a quarter of an hour left, Virath’s long ball over the Wat Phnom defence was latched onto by Srey Veasna, who made no mistake from twelve yards out.

With Heng Sokly’s late reward, Crown recorded their well-deserved success to maintain their title defence.

Build Bright United 0 Naga Corp 6

With Naga and BBU giving as good as each other in an evenly contested first half, there was little to hint of the one-sided rampage that followed after the halftime interval.

Naga skipper Oum Thavarak had to show his mettle early with two timely clearances as BBU pressed forward, and he was easily the game’s best player in the opening half, both defensively and at set pieces.

Just one goal separated the teams leading into the break, and it came on 40 minutes through national U23 captain Sun Sovannarith, who has been pushed forward into a central striking role by his club this season. He was on hand to nod home a lobbed cross from Chan Chhaya, though BBU will feel aggrieved that their plucky efforts received such a late blow.

The second half was a very different story. In less than a minute of the restart, Sun Sovannarith somehow managed to get a toe to a loose ball and turned it into the path of Teab Vatanak, who found himself with an easy tap-in to extend Naga’s lead.

BBU had to replace their goalkeeper Sos Proshim with Kung Chanphanin on 68 minutes, and the replacement keeper will want to quickly forget the first minute of his introduction. He caught and then spooned a cross from Soeurn Monirath onto the foot of Sun Sovannarith, who slotted in his second goal of the game.

In the final 20 minutes of the game, Teab Vatanak showed he is back to full fitness and goal-poaching form after a serious knee injury interrupted his playing career during the last two years. He netted a simple second on 70 minutes, again after unselfish play from Sun Sovannarith had created the space.

Four minutes later, Teab Vatanak stole in unnoticed as Reung Bin Hieng tried to chest a ball back to his goalkeeper to touch in his hat trick. Then, with five minutes of play left, he converted a quick throw-in by Chan Chhaya, whilst the BBU defence were all at sea, to complete the 6-0 thumping and ensure Naga passage to the cup semifinals, where they’ll face a tantalising rematch of last year’s final against fierce rivals Crown next Saturday.

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

MND sail into semis on cloud 9; PKR triumph

Photo by: NICK SELLS (www.nicksellsphotography.com)

Ministry of National Defence substitute striker Phuong Soksana (left) completes his hat trick late into stoppage time Sunday as Rithi Sen keeper Oum Veasna (right, front) slumps to the ground.

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:00 Andy Brouwer

Ministry of National Defence (MND) Sunday made sure there was no repeat of their lethargic performance in the last round, when they only managed to beat Koh Kong by means of a penalty shoot-out, with a 9-1 demolition of plucky underdogs Rithi Sen, who were urged on by a massive following from their Kampong Chhnang base.

MND were at full strength and with their two wingers, Nov Soseila and Suong Virak, terrorising the defence it was only a matter of time before they broke down the rearguard resistance of the only provincial side left in the competition.

However, before MND opened the scoring Rithi Sen were denied the lead by a contentious decision by the match officials. In the 25th minute, a cross-cum-shot from out on the right wing by Set Kammel sailed over the head of MND keeper Samreth Seiha and into the top corner of the net, only for the assistant referee to rule out the effort due to the presence of two Rithi Sen players in the penalty area. The game was held up for a few minutes after Rithi Sen ‘s experienced goalkeeper Oum Veasna raced the full length of the pitch to remonstrate with the officials, all to no avail.

Brushing aside the controversy, MND peppered their opponent’s goal with shots which Oum Veasna proved equal to until finally succumbing in the last six minutes of the half. During this time, Khim Borey opened the scoring with a close range header, and then Thong Oudom ventured forward from defence to be rewarded with two goals; a powerful header and a tap-in that looked suspiciously offside.

Two substitutions at the start of the second half worked wonders for MND, with both of the introduced players getting second-half hat tricks. Phuong Soksana and Sin Dalin found acres of space as the Rithi Sen dream of yet another cup upset well and truly faded away.

Sin Dalin netted his hat trick in the space of five frantic minutes near the end, while Phuong Soksana had to wait until injury time to claim the third of his treble. Rithi Sen did manage a wonderful solo goal from Ky Rohan on 56 minutes, but it was too little too late as MND progressed to the semifinals in style.

Khemara Keila 0 PKR 3

In the best match-up of the quarterfinal draw, these two big guns of the Cambodian Premier League proved more or less equal to each other, with a solitary Samel Nasa goal for Preah Khan Reach (PKR) on 14 minutes all that separated the sides at the interval.

The second half couldn’t have been more different. Khemara took the game to PKR in search of the equaliser, but a mistake by their defender Soun Makara sealed the team’s fate. On 55 minutes, he dallied on the ball and was robbed by PKR’s Sok Raksmey, who led the defender a merry dance before slotting under the goalkeeper for their second, just three minutes after entering the game as a substitute.

With their Cup hopes seemingly dashed, Khemara imploded. Sok Pheng, who has returned to the game after a year on the touchlines, will be seeing more bench time as he was sent off for a second bookable late challenge on 57 minutes. Their skipper Kuoch Sokumpheak was lucky to only get a yellow card for a two-footed lunge, before Chhun Kirivatharo received a straight red for kicking an opponent. They should have also lost goalkeeper Mak Theara when he fly-hacked Prak Monyoudom, but the referee and his assistant seemed to be the only two who didn’t see the incident.

PKR wrapped up the game a minute from time from the penalty spot. The referee managed to see another Mak Theara infringement, he was booked and then dived the wrong way as Samel Nasa’s spot-kick sailed in. PKR now meet the Ministry of National Defence in the semifinals next Saturday.

Russia fumes after Plushenko misses gold

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Monday, 22 February 2010 15:00 AFP

MOSCOW – Yevgeny Plushenko’s failure to defend his Winter Olympics figure skating title sparked a furious backlash in Russia Friday with accusing fingers being pointed at the judging system in Vancouver.

Even Prime Minister Vladimir Putin weighed in, saying Plushenko’s silver medal finish “was worth a gold medal”, while others decried injustice and called for officials to “protect the honour” of Russian athletes.

“Accept my heartfelt congratulations,” Putin said in a telegram sent to the skater and published on the Russian government Web site.

Plushenko too slammed Olympic judges and threatened to quit.

“I am not prepared to skate well and lose,” Plushenko complained, RIA-Novosti reported.

The Russian skater said his opening with a tricky quadruple-triple toeloop was not adequately scored by the judges who instead gave better marks to Lysacek though he did not include a quadruple jump in his programme.

“This is men’s figure skating – not ice dancing,” Plushenko said.

The Russian, who has won both Olympic gold and silver medals previously in men’s figure skating, and who was favoured to take gold in Vancouver, said he may retire from competitive skating following his second-place finish.

Russia, usually near the top of the rankings in Olympic medals tables but this year not even in the top 10, is due to host the next Winter Olympics in its southern city of Sochi in 2014.

Pan Pacific group raising cash

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Golf for a Child to help build school in Cambodia

By Caryn Kunz

Advertiser Staff Writer

After 82 years of helping women and children in the Pacific, the Pan Pacific and Southeast Asia Women's Association will hold its first fundraiser next month.

The March 26 event, called Golf for a Child, will help raise money to build a school in rural Cambodia and provide continued support for local organizations such as the Susannah Wesley Community Center.

Founded in Honolulu, the association held its first conference in 1928 with delegates from 11 Pacific and Asian nations. Today, the organization includes 22 chapters dedicated to improving the lives of women and children from Sāmoa to Singapore.

"The basis of the club is still women helping women and children. I know today there are so many organizations that do this, but in 1928 there weren't," said the association's Hawai'i president, Mary Tori Keegan. "This was the first women's organization in the islands."

Keegan said that throughout the history of the group in Hawai'i, money for any cause the group supported came directly from member donations.

"The original members were all very wealthy women who were also very educated. Whenever they wanted to help a cause, they just wrote a check," Keegan said. "They never had to bother with fundraisers. Nowadays, we live in different times. This is the first big fundraiser that we're trying."

Golf for a Child Chairwoman Asipau Pamela Plouffe says the tournament has the potential to expand the association's outreach efforts as it becomes established.

"There is a need for education, not only in Cambodia but throughout the South Pacific and Southeast Asia, and we can be a vehicle for that good cause," she said. "It's something that we can look forward to annually. We also want to expand to other local causes as we establish ourselves and more funds come in."

The association's Hawai'i chapter supports Susannah Wesley Community Center's C-BASE high school diploma program, an alternative education program for youth ages 16 to 23.

"They've practically adopted those kids," said Ronald Higashi, the center's executive director. "They've always been at the graduations that we have here at the center. They even purchase the gowns."

Higashi said that in addition to C-BASE, the Hawai'i chapter also helps fund smaller projects throughout the year and often provides youths with extra necessities.

"I can't say enough about them," he said. "They're always there when we need them."

In May, the association will hold its international conference in Bali, Indonesia. After the conference, Keegan, Plouffe and association delegates from Hawai'i will travel to Cambodia to dedicate their school.

"We've gotten so many new members in the last several years, and they are terrific members that are willing to move in a little bit different direction," Keegan said. "It's a direction that we need now, today. I'm excited about it."

Reach Caryn Kunz at ckunz1@honoluluadvertiser.com.