Mystery Pig Deaths Spread Through Three Provinces

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
Monday, 02 August 2010

via Khmer NZ

Photo: AP
Animal health authorities are trying to learn what has killed nearly 200 pigs in three separate provinces.

“On Saturday, we started the blood tests on seven pigs.”

Animal health authorities are trying to learn what has killed nearly 200 pigs in three separate provinces.

An unknown number of pigs have died in the provinces of Battambang and Kampong Cham, while nearly 150 have perished in the southern province of Kampot.

Health officials said the disease appears to be bacterial, making an outbreak of H1N1, sometimes called swine flu, unlikely.

On Monday, officials began blood tests of pigs in Kampot, where the latest and most severe outbreak has occurred.

“On Saturday, we started the blood tests on seven pigs,” Kao Phal, director of the animal health department of the Ministry of Agriculture, said Monday. “But unitl now we do not know exactly the disease that happened to the pigs is.”

The animal health department is also appealing to farmers not to transport any pigs from their farms to market for the rest of the month of August, he said.

No Cluster Munition Ban for Cambodia

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

Monday, 02 August 2010

via khmer NZ

Photo: AP
Americans dropped about 285 million cluster bombs on Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, according to the Pentagon.

“As a heavily cluster-bombed country, we are willing to become a party to the convention.”

Cambodia has not yet signed a cluster munition ban that went into effect Sunday. Thirty-seven countries have ratified the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions.

“As a heavily cluster-bombed country, we are willing to become a party to the convention,” Prak Sokun, a secretary of state for the Council of Minister, told VOA Khmer last week. “But we have to consider thoroughly any impact to our national security.”

The cluster munition convention bans the production, use, transport or stockpiling of cluster munitions.

It was opened to states for signatures in 2008 in Oslo, Norway.

“Countries like Thailand and Vietnam have not signed it either,” said Prak Sokun, who is an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen on landmine issues.

DAP News. Breaking News by Soy Sopheap

via Khmer NZ

Thailand spends 10 million Bahts for Opposing Management Plan of Preah Vihear Temple

Monday, 02 August 2010 14:11 DAP-NEWS/ Vibol

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, AUGUST 2, 2010-The council of ministers of Cambodia on Monday said that Thailand spent 10 million Bahts in a campaign to oppose management plan of 11th Khmer Phreah Vihear temple of Cambodia.

Thai intoxication campaign’s spending of B10 million with the dispatch of 50 delegates in order to oppose the management plan at the site of Cambodian temple of Preah Vihear, was a total debacle because Thailand has not substantive arguments against the world heritage center report or the two documents submitted by Cambodia, the statement from the press and quick reaction unit of the council of ministers of Cambodia said today.

It added that moreover, Thailand has failed in its effort to derail the management plan, has failed in its efforts to have the temple inscribed the two countries, and has failed in its effort to have joint management plan of the temple.

It is obvious that intoxication campaign by the Thai government to lure the local and international public opinion has adversely damaged its own image and credit as an old saying which goes “ if you fan the flame, you blow up the fire or as you sow, so shall you reap,” the statement noted.

“To underline further the failure of Thai government, it must be stressed for the benefits of the public and international opinion that it is not like what the Thai government claimed that it had succeeded to postpone the management plan to next year. In fact, thee WHC final decision did not mention either about the term postpone –defer or delay but choose to use the wording consider which means that the documents submitted by Cambodian, namely, the progress report on the state of conservation and development of Preah Vihear and its management plan, were officially received by WHC and will consider it at the next session,” the statement added.

Thailand is a country that bears in minds of invading other neighboring countries to expand their land. Thailand lost the case with Cambodia on issue Preah Vihear in 1962, and in July 15, 2008, Thai troops invaded area near Preah Vihear temple and later it called “ buffer zone” by using own map which drawn secretly in 1976 by military group.

Cambodia said no buffer zone of 4.6 square km near Preah Vihear but it is Cambodian territory. Thai used all means to block Cambodia on development of Preah Vihear temple since listing as a site of world heritage site but Thailand failed all battles both diplomatic and political deals. Thai government used the temple and land near Preah Vihear temple as hostage to topple legal administration of former PM Thaksin.

Cambodian-Thai Military Commanders Met for Talks

Monday, 02 August 2010 12:44 Edited by Mr. Rasmey (Mr.Go for It)

CAMBODIA,PHNOM PENH, August 02, 2010- “Cambodian military commander Srey Dek on Monday morning of August 02, 2010 met for two-hour talks with Thai military commander Sovannchai,” a source received from the Cambodian soldiers standing at the Preah Vihear temple areas said.

“A meeting for talks with Thai military commander was held with the purpose of increasing a military cooperation between the armies of the two countries along the Cambodia-Thailand borders, and especially in the Preah Vihear temple areas,” a source confirmed.

Cambodian Major General Srey Dek, Military Commander of Armed Forces Division 3 standing at the Preah Vihear Temple areas, also participated in having lunch with Thai military commander Savannchai after the two commanders had concluded a meeting for talks. A meeting for talks occurred after the two countries´ high-ranking officials had participated in the UNESCO´s world Heritage Committee Meeting regarding Cambodia´s Development, Conservation, and Management Plan for Preah Vihear Temple, which was held in Brazil on Friday of July 30, 2010.

“The military situation along the Cambodia-Thailand borders and especially around the Preah Vihear Temple areas now is calm,” a source said.

“The military situation along the Cambodia-Thailand borders now looks better than before and the two factions are in a very good cooperation,” Mr. Prawitvong Suwut, Thai National Defense Minister, confirmed.

Cambodian-Thai Military Commanders Meet at Border for Good Relation

Monday, 02 August 2010 12:35 DAP NEWS / Vibol

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, AUGUST 2, 2010-Cambodian and Thailand military commanders on Monday met for about two hours at area near 11th Khmer Preah Vihear temple for strengthening the good relation among the troops which stationed at the border of two neighboring countries.

Chea Dara, deputy commander in –chief of royal Cambodian armed forces told by phone that commanders at the ground met about two hours for good understandings for both sides. The meeting was held at Cambodian pagoda Keo Sikhakirirsvara near Preah Vihear, led by Cambodian military region commander 3 Gen Dry Doek and Thai commander Sovanchay at the places with joining by the other senior military officials. Both side also shared lunch together. Thai troops deployed in their sovereignty. “We have right of self-defense for our sovereignty if irregular activities occurred, Gen. Chea said,

Thai troop invaded Cambodian soil in July 15, 2008 after Cambodia successfully listed Preah Vihear temple as world heritage site. Thai troops invaded Cambodia through sending three people including monk, layman, and nun to pray at Preah Vihear temple and then through that excuse, Thai troops occupied area near Preah Vihear with saying that they came here to save three Thai people and claimed disputed zone and later called “Thai territory”.

Cambodia and Thailand started tension on management plan of Preah Vihear temple at a meeting in Barzil. Cambodian government claimed a big victory for summiting the management plan with world heritage committee of UNESCO.

Cambodia-Vietnam Strengthen Border Security Cooperation

Monday, 02 August 2010 11:19 DAP-NEWS/ Vibol

CAMBODIA, PHNOM PENH, AUGUST 2, 2010-Cambodian and Vietnamese senior officials on Monday talked on the bilateral cooperation on border security and border demarcation between the two countries.

We has discussed about strengthening border security and border gate checkpoint and facilitated the travelers, trade and tourists between the peoples,” Khieu Sopheak , spokesman for interior ministry of Cambodia said by phone.

Today, senior officials met and talks under bilateral cooperation for border security, monitor crimes crossing border, and general views for the countries,” Khieu added.

Tomorrow morning, deputy prime minister and interior minister Sar Kheng and visiting Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem will meet on talks of bilateral cooperation, Khieu said. Khiem also will pay the courtesy call on PM Hun Sen in tomorrow afternoon.

Cambodia and Vietnam plan to end the border demarcation in 2012 and the local authorities from neighboring provincials need to cooperate to peaceful border and security for the two peoples. Each year about 20,000 Cambodians went to Vietnam for medical check-up and treatment.

Both sides also have expressed to commit the health cooperation. In the past few years, Vietnamese investors have started investing Cambodia wit billion of dollars on rubber plantation, mines, bank, and airline, agriculture and fertilizer factory. Cambodia-Vietnam also is trying to boost trade partners to 2 billion US dollars as soon as possible.

Justice Denied for Cambodians

via Khmer NZ

By KUONG LY

Published: August 2, 2010

I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor

I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor

Justice Denied for Cambodians

By KUONG LY

Published: August 2, 2010

Last week, a U.N.-backed tribunal convicted Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, for war crimes in what was the first trial of a major Khmer Rouge figure. Many media reports portrayed the verdict in a positive light, but for survivors, victims and their families, there was nothing positive in this outcome.

An editorial in the International Herald Tribune (“Forgotten victims?” July 29) stated that while the sentence handed down by the tribunal may be disappointing, at least Duch was held to account for his war crimes. Unfortunately, “at least” isn’t good enough for me and for those who suffered from the murderous actions of the Khmer Rouge, especially after waiting 30 years for this verdict.

My mother and my late father both endured what are known as the “Killing Fields” of Cambodia. They lost their siblings, parents and home when Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge in April, 1975.

Somewhere between 1.7 and 2 million people — nearly a quarter of Cambodia’s population — were executed or died from disease, starvation and overwork. My family was forced to flee Cambodia and suffered in the poverty of refugee camps for almost a decade before making it to the United States, where we overcame tremendous obstacles in trying to rebuild our lives.

As I followed the trial of Duch and heard him take responsibility for directing the notorious prison, S-21, where more than 12,273 people were tortured and killed, I was confident the court would place him behind bars for life. But last week, he was given a 35-year sentence. Because Duch had served several years in prison while awaiting trial, and the Cambodian government infringed upon his rights while he was detained, his sentence was significantly reduced.

In the end, Duch was sentenced to no more than 19 years behind bars. That translates to one year for every 646 Cambodians he tortured and killed at S-21. This does not include the millions of Cambodians like my parents who suffered under the Khmer Rouge policies he helped implement. The feeling of injustice for me and many others stems from knowing that Duch may walk free at age 86.

Survivors, victims and their families have been asked to see the silver lining in Duch’s verdict. Impunity has finally been broken, many observers reason. A perpetrator of the Khmer Rouge regime was brought to justice by legal proceedings for the world to watch, they say. And in reducing Duch’s sentence by 16 years, some will argue, the tribunal was attempting demonstrate the rule of law and lead by example — in a country where thousands of citizens are illegally detained.

From the beginning, I harbored grave doubts about these legal proceedings. The U.N.-backed tribunal resulted from the lack of judicial independence in Cambodia. I was willing to look past the criticism and cynicism in hopes that a guilty verdict and a heavy punishment in Duch’s case would set a precedent for future international criminal cases. The international community, I reasoned, had an opportunity to deter other ruthless, oppressive regimes from committing genocide, war crimes and other crimes against humanity. But the tribunal failed to deliver a satisfactory verdict.

If the Duch verdict foreshadows the tribunal’s next case — the trial of the senior Khmer Rouge leaders Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith and Khieu Samphan — there will be a decline in support from the Cambodian people — and perhaps the world community.

I will never forget how my late father was used like an ox to plow and till the land. Nor will I forget that my maternal grandfather, aunts, uncles and cousins were either starved to death, beaten to death, or disappeared.

No verdict will heal the pain. But for survivors, victims and their families, this verdict was simply not good enough. We may have to accept that the international community denied us — and those we lost — a sense of closure.

More than 12,273 people entered Duch’s S-21 prison and were tortured and killed. While Duch will be in prison for 19 years, the possibility remains that he may one day walk free. Is that justice?

Kuong Ly is an L.L.M. candidate in International Human Rights Law at the University of Essex, where he is a British Marshall Scholar.

Rising China Wages, Industrial Clusters, And Cambodia

China Law Blog

via Khmer NZ

Posted by Dan on August 02, 2010

Andrew Batson, one of the Wall Street Journal's best and most experienced China journalists (and that is truly saying a lot) has written an important article, entitled, "Rising Wages Rattle China's Small Manufacturers." "Important" is not an exaggeration.

This article is chock full of great information, starting with a map of China's clusters. As many of you know, China's industries tend to be clustered. For example, there are shoe producing regions, furniture producing regions, and even cigarette lighter producing regions. This clustering allows for massive specialization while reducing transportation and logistical costs.

Whenever a client tells me they are going to be setting up shop in a particular Chinese city or even buying from a particular city, I virtually always ask them why that particular city. Sometimes the reasons are idiosyncratic, like, "my wife's cousin owns the factory." Oftentimes, however, the response will be more along the lines of "that city is the center of China's rubber ducky industry." Amazingly enough, until today, I had never seen a good map breaking out "China's major industrial clusters."

Batson's article is not so much about China's industrial clusters as it is about the impact China's rising wage rates is having on China's small privately owned businesses, which so often make up the heart of these clusters. The article mostly focuses on some of the small businesses in Zhili, "where it seems nearly every business specializes in some part of the production of children's clothing." It takes this micro examination and uses it to reveal the following important truths about China:

•Wages in China have been rising for years, but pressure is now particularly strong as the economy's rebound is running up against the shrinking supply of younger workers caused by the one-child policy.

•The impact of rising wages is likely to be most strongly felt by China's more than 10 million small businesses, which account for 60% of the economy and 80% of jobs.

•Many small, light manufacturing businesses crowd together in highly specialized "clusters,"particularly in Zhejiang province on the eastern coast.

•The businesses in these clusters rely "on the low-cost labor that is in increasingly short supply."

•The cluster-based model is labor-intensive. The real question is whether it can survive in the new environment of labor scarcity and higher labor costs. "Right now is a critical transitional period. Some clusters will survive, some will collapse."

•Since China relaxed its currency's peg to the dollar in mid-June, there is added uncertainty for manufacturers that depend on export markets."If the currency appreciates 5% or 10% then we wouldn't be able to do this business anymore," as it would wipe out China's cost advantage, says Cindy Wu, sales manager of Da Wei Zipper Co. Such fears from businesses are a big reason China's government, despite outside pressure, is generally expected to limit the pace of its currency appreciation.

Zhili sounds like a typical China cluster town. It has focused on children's clothes since the late 1980s. It is "a sprawl of low-slung buildings, a mix of family businesses in narrow alleys and larger factory complexes," many of which relocated here from other parts of China so as to reduce their costs and to increase their sales.

Rising wages have made things very difficult of late for the factories of Zhili, and yet, it is "hard to abandon Zhili's network and relocate to a cheaper province" due in large part to the increased investment such a move would require. I note that the overwhelming majority of these factories are almost certainly operating on razor thin margins and lacking in the kind of capital necessary to close down and start anew elsewhere.

Batson notes how one company "figured out that a company's competitive advantage is in its technology." This company invested "more than 20 million yuan in equipment for producing high-quality cotton cloth, when most local garment factories invest less than half a million. As a result, the factory needs only 70 workers." This is important because so many Westerners seem not to realize that a fairly large number of Chinese companies, even in historically low tech industries, are thriving not just because of cheap labor, but because they are technologically advanced.

Batson concludes his article by noting the importance of financing for these private companies and how difficult it often is for them to obtain it:

For more entrepreneurs to follow in his footsteps they will need better access to financing than they have gotten from China's banking system, which favors big state-owned corporations. The government has promised to improve things, and says loans to small businesses are now growing faster than those to big ones.

 This post has Cambodia in its headline because a clothing client of my law firm just last week called me for assistance in setting up operations in Cambodia as it has plans to move about a quarter of its outsourcing there. I, of course, asked why the move and was told it was because they saw costs increasing in China and even though Cambodia has its issues, they thought it important to diversify now, "rather than waiting."

I mention this Western client because it is typical of so many of my firm's Western clients who do business with or in China. This company has been operating internationally for thirty years and moving some of its sourcing from China to Cambodia is not that big a deal for it, as it has done a number of such moves in the past and it has the human infrastructure in place to make it work.

I do not believe Chinese companies are going to be able to make the foreign move as smoothly. Yes, there are a number of Chinese companies already in places like Cambodia, but near as I can tell, few of those companies are the small private ones described in the Wall Street Journal article. If I am right on my assumptions, China's rising wages are going to end up being toughest on China's small private companies.

Will this be true? What are you seeing out there?

Water filters saving time and lives in Cambodia

via Khmer NZ

02 Aug 2010

Source: Oxfam GB - UK

Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.

Uamdao Noikorn and Im Solinda meet people from Stung Treng, Cambodia, who have more time and better health because of a water filter that Oxfam has installed.

Malay Chan Thon prepares fish to sell to the market. Photo: Uamdao Noikorn/Oxfam

An 80-litre plastic container and a clay water filter are probably the last things most people in Hang Kosuan Village, Stung Treng, consider quality household items. But for many poor women, these simple, no-nonsense things give them a freedom they have never experienced before.

The items, distributed by Oxfam as part of its Typhoon Ketsana emergency response, save them a lot of time and energy from gathering firewood and boiling water, as the container is twice the size of the clay jar commonly used in the rural area, and the filter is proven effective.

For mothers like Khay Chan Thon, 48, whose children take turns suffering from diseases such as dengue fever, malaria and typhoid, seeing her kids make a speedy recovery without complications like diarrhoea was also a huge relief.

Khay and her daughters were responsible for carrying and boiling the water as the men needed to sleep after fishing all night. “It used to take us almost two hours or four trips or more to get enough water because we’re a big family. The filter also saved us time from collecting firewood.

The village is 500 metres from the river and firewood is 3km away. The villagers used to spend up to 4 hours gathering firewood twice a week, and the women would spend up to 2 hours a day collecting water, depending on their distance and needs. The water was only for consumption and household use as bathing and washing is done in the river.

With more time and stronger bodies â€" two invaluable things when you are poor with many children â€" Khay and her husband have found they have lower medical expenses and can go fishing longer to offset the lost income from declining fish stock.

In the old days when the family used to get as much as 10kg of fish, they simply sold the catch as it was for 4,000-5,000 Riel ($1-$1.25) per kilo. “But now we have to wash and cut the heads and tails to get better prices which are twice as high for only 3-4kg because the fish stock has declined recently,” Khay said.

Her 19-year-old daughter, Malay Chan Thon, said she used her free time to do the cutting while her mother was repairing the net. “I like it that we don’t have to collect water every day. It’s also good to not be sick or tired all the time.”

Thoeng Pan, 38, agreed. She hasn’t used the filter since the distribution in April for fear the children will break it, but she said the container has already allowed her to take better care of her 12 children and helped her husband go fishing.

“I used to carry the water four times every day to get enough water for everyone,” she said, adding that it would take about two hours a day. “Now we don’t have to go every day and the water has longer to settle,” she explained.

The two families were among those affected by the typhoon which had flooded the area for over a month. As well as the damage to farmlands, houses and basic infrastructure, the typhoon worsened the common problem in rural Cambodia: lack of access to sanitation facilities and drinkable water.

During the flood, Thoeng’s family had to stay at Khay’s house as her hut was only 50cm above the ground while the water was 60-70cm high. “It was a very difficult time. The water was everywhere. Since we got water from the river, we didn’t go far and just took it under our house. Luckily, the forest wasn’t flooded so at least we could boil the water.”

During the period, villagers got around in boats and defecated in the river while women and children, concerned about security, used the backyards at night. Such behavior is not uncommon in this area, where rivers and ponds are the only source of water.

Asked if she would use the filter soon, Thoeng said she wanted to but was afraid of losing it as she couldn’t afford to buy a new one. The family could not afford to buy anything more than rice and seasonings, let alone fishing nets. Instead they use harpoons and do labour work to make ends meet, she said.

Oxfam has so far distributed a water filter each to 470 families to curb the spread of diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases. As almost half of the 3,000 people benefiting have been women, the distribution has become a symbol of not only good health, but also freedom.

The women said they appreciated the items as they have eased their daily grind and given them more freedom. “Honestly,” said Malay, “we’d like to get one more container so we will have one more day free.”

Where we work: Cambodia

Cambodia’s Struggle With Globalization

via Khmer NZ

Hal Hill, Jayant Menon & Chan Sopha

August 02, 2010

The charming riverside capital of Phnom Penh, home to about 1.5 million inhabitants, has seen a lot in its turbulent history. But arguably nothing is on the scale of its first skyscraper, the 42-floor Gold Tower now nearing completion, not to mention the university and bank complexes mushrooming throughout this ancient city.

This changing physical landscape reflects broader developments across the country, which has been experiencing rapid economic growth — the sixth fastest in the world in the decade to 2007 — for the first time in its history.

More than two million tourists now visit this country of 14 million, a 20-fold increase over the figure in the early 1990s.

The Cambodian people have better nutrition and access to education and health services than ever before.

Since the cessation of internal hostilities almost two decades ago, life expectancy has risen by almost a decade and infant mortality has fallen significantly.

The macroeconomy is stable, with inflation under control, underpinned by very high levels of dollarization, currently about 90 per cent.

Debt service is almost negligible and public debt has fallen sharply, to about one-quarter of GDP.

The economy is highly open, with exports plus imports equivalent to more than 120 per cent of GDP. The investment climate is welcoming, with generous tax incentives and low tariffs.

Aid flows are very large, currently almost $1.1 billion in a $10 billion economy. The country’s openness meant that growth dried up in 2009 as the global financial crisis hit, but the economy is now rebounding.

So much for the good news. Cambodia, however, also faces many daunting problems.

The country ranks 166th and 135th respectively out of 181 countries surveyed in the Transparency International corruption perception index and the World Bank’s Doing Business indicators.

Deforestation and what is referred to locally as “land grabbing” have also been rampant.

The local dailies abound with reports of land being awarded to the politically powerful for nominal amounts, and a startling detailed account is presented in the 2008 study by Global Witness entitled “Country for Sale.”

In addition, the land price boom has often made some of the most vulnerable worse off, as they have been evicted or forced off their land. The periodic household expenditure surveys report a significant increase in inequality.

The country will also miss some of its Millennium Development Goal targets.

These problems are illustrative of the challenges faced by poor transitional economies in the process of opening up without the institutions to manage the complex process of globalization.

In this environment, the recent discovery of oil and gas could complicate things, as articulated in the resource curse thesis put forth by Richard Auty.

The central challenge is to achieve growth that is durable, equitable and environmentally sustainable. This in turn requires the development of institutions which, while they may be rudimentary, are effective, trusted and clean.

Where to start? Consider the following, for example:

• Cambodia has no shortage of laws, especially after its accession to the World Trade Organization in 2004. But businesses view the courts as the most expensive last resort when all else fails. Legal judgements are routinely for sale.

• Civil service salaries are meagre. A mid-level senior employee with a foreign masters degree receives $70 per month, compared to a private sector alternative of about 20 times this amount. Ministers receive about $500 per month, but some seem to live quite lavishly.

• The country’s tax effort (its tax revenue as a percentage of GDP) is a paltry 11 percent, despite the introduction of a broad value-added tax. Thus the country’s infrastructure remains inadequate, in spite of the very large aid flows, and notwithstanding recent improvements.

• The number of banks has increased rapidly due to unfettered entry. The lax prudential supervision carries with it the possibility of a future meltdown.

• Shipping a container from factory to port costs about double the regional average owing to widespread “facilitation” costs, a feature apparently of most transactions with the government.

Five general lessons for late reformers stand out from the Cambodian experience.

First, liberal and open economies cannot function without due respect for property rights, as exemplified by the widespread land grabs.

Second, these liberal regimes need adequate regulatory capacity to manage a modernizing market economy, as illustrated by the banking example above.

Third, large inflows of foreign aid and natural resource revenues ought to be viewed as transitory, and invested wisely for broad-based development.

Fourth, donors need to better coordinate their work and avoid imposing excessively on a weak bureaucracy.

Fifth, civil service reform has to be undertaken early, with clear incentives and disciplines.

Unless these conditions are met, the danger is that in Cambodia, and many other similar states, the achievements over the past decade in particular could be undone by economic crises, or rising civil unrest driven by outrage at the political and bureaucratic excesses.

Hal Hill is a professor of economics at the Australian National University; Jayant Menon is principal economist at the Asian Development Bank; and Chan Sophal is president of the Cambodia Economic Association.

East Asia Forum

Donated Suffolk football shirts head to Cambodia

via Khmer NZ

By Jon Wright
BBC Suffolk
Monday, 2 August 2010

The football shirts were given out by a raffle

Cambodian children are wearing football shirts sent from Suffolk - with a Catholic couple collecting more to take to their partner parish.

St Mary's in Ipswich has very close links with Battambang, which is twined with the East Anglian Diocese.

The church is also trying to raise enough money to build a reservoir.

"It's about more than just fundraising, it's about building relationships, about fun," said Mike Kenning, project organiser at St Mary's.

He's been to visit Battambang with his wife Marie-Madeleine, and will be taking another delivery of football shirts when they return next year.

"Until you see what the place is like, it's not quite so real," said Marie-Madeleine.

"It's emotionally very hard because they are so poor but it is very rewarding as they are so friendly.

"They smile and welcome you and they want to hear about your life and you want to hear about their lives."

Money raised in the UK helps families repair homes and install solar panels

Battambang is Cambodia's second city after Phnom Penh and the parish covers both urban and rural areas.

"One is called Chomnaom which is about an hour's drive outside. It's a very poor village, there is no electricity and no running water," said Marie-Madeleine.

The international language of football

Mike and Marie-Madeleine took about 30 shirts, which were distributed via a raffle, and are now collecting more donations from across the county.

"Father Totet, the parish priest in Batambang, came to visit last year and he suggested it," said Mike.

"They know all about English football, the big clubs and David Beckham, and the parish itself runs a number of football teams who are apparently quite good.

"It's obviously a big thing for them to have a UK football shirt on their back, so they really appreciate it."

The East Anglian Diocese is also working to help sustainable development projects, sending money to reinforce houses to make them withstand the rainy season, and to build a reservoir.

Donated shirts can be left in a box in the porch of St Mary's Catholic Church, Woodbridge Road, Ipswich.

Further details on the Reservoir Project and the twinning with Cambodia can be obtained by writing to mike.kenning@talk21.com  .

Thailand to depoliticize border problem with Cambodia

via Khmer NZ

August 02, 2010

Thailand will try to depoliticize the ongoing border conflict with Cambodia and to solve the problem through negotiation, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said on Monday.

"We don't want to have any political problem with the neighboring country. The border is still open now. And, all agreements we have had with Cambodia are still in place," Kasit told a press conference.

Kasit's remark was made after the World Heritage Committee ( WHC) decided on July 29 to reschedule its discussion on Cambodia's management plan for the Hindu Preah Vihear Temple to its annual meeting in Bahrain in 2011.

Prior to the WHC decision to postpone its discussion, Thailand threatened to walk out of the WHC meeting if the panel considered the Cambodian plan since the Thai side had not yet looked into details of the plan, which was handed in by Cambodia to the WHC panel just shortly before the meeting.

Thailand will proceed with the Thai-Cambodia memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the overlapping continental shelf area signed in June, 2000, under the then-Democrat-led Government, instead of the 2001 MOU signed under the People's Power Party-led Administration, Kasit said.

The current Abhisit Vejjajiva-led government has earlier protested against Cambodia by deciding to cancel the bilateral agreement based on the 2001 MOU, which later paved the way for Cambodia to register the Preah Vihear Temple as its unilateral World Heritage in October, 2009.

The 2001 MOU was allegedly unconstitutional. Ousted former Thai Premier Thaksin Shinnawatra and the then People's Power Party-led government linked to Thaksin were allegedly having conflict of interest behind the 2001 MOU.

Thailand and Cambodia have historically laid claim to the site, which is located on a mountain top on the Thai-Cambodia border. The disputed area of 4.6 square kilometers has not been demarcated.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice ruled that the Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia. But, the 11th-century Hindu temple can only be easily accessed from Thailand.

Source: Xinhua

Cambodia’s Angkor Casino To Break Ground In October

via Khmer NZ

2 Aug, 2010

GamblingCompliance Ltd.

Bill Spain

Building work on Cambodia’s biggest casino will start in October – with Harrah’s and MGM among potential investors in the resort, according to developers.

South Korean real-estate developer Intercity Group will build the $470m integrated resort and casino in the popular tourist region of Siem Reap, with the aim of targeting the growing number of Chinese visitors to Southeast Asia.


The resort – 195 miles northwest of the capital Phnom Penh – is in a region which attracts over a million tourists a year to its famous Angkor temples, with about 580,000 flying directly into Siem Reap.

James Cho, vice-president, said the construction of the Water Park complex, with three hotels, a gaming centre, shopping and convention centres and an 18-hole golf course, will start in October and should open in early 2012.




He said that the casino, which was granted a licence in 2008, aimed to draw visitors from nearby Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore and particularly China.




He said: "They're visiting Singapore, they're visiting Southeast Asia, and we just think that right now it's a very good time, it's the right time. Asian gaming is hitting Cambodia right now.




"With the Chinese, the increase in the middle class from China, Southeast Asia is a very good market. There is no visa restriction like they have in Macau.”




Cho said around 2.2 million tourists a year visited Cambodia and 1.3 million of them went to the temples in Siem Reap. The new resort is hoping to attract 60 to 70 percent of them.




Cho said the Intercity Group casino would be the first sited away from country's borders and was part of the Cambodian government's effort to attract more tourists into the country.




"They're making it a very rare exception and allowing a resort with gaming to be built," he said.




He said that Harrah’s and MGM Resorts International, the largest casino owner on the Las Vegas strip, are among potential investors to visit the site.


“All these big guys are interested in operation management deals,” Cho said. “We’re confident because the feasibility is there and gaming concessions in this region are so rare.”

Despite the early successes of Resorts World Sentosa, which opened in Singapore in February and Marina Bay Sands which opened in April, which have helped drive awareness of the potential economic value of casino development, observers caution funding for the casino may remain an issue.




Cho said the tourist draw of Angkor Wat, a 12th century Hindu temple, an international airport and “tons” of incentives from the government, including corporate tax holidays and low gaming levies, would make the project viable.




He said: “Not everybody’s going to gamble in Macau or Singapore - Cambodia is family friendly and it’s cheaper.”




Hyung Joo Kim, Intercity’s chief executive officer, is scheduled to meet Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen this week in the capital Phnom Penh.

He will be accompanied by several partners in the project, including Tobin Prior, a former executive with Kerzner International who led that firm’s failed bid for a casino in Singapore in 2006.


The Cambodian government had a revenue of $19m from its 29 casinos in 2008, according to Finance Ministry statistics. That fell to $17m last year, because of a drop in tourist arrivals and diplomatic disagreements with neighbouring Thailand.


Most forms of gambling are forbidden in Thailand but thousands of Thais regularly visit massive casino complexes just over the border with Cambodia.


NagaCorp is currently the only casino operator in Cambodia, with a licence to run casinos within 200 km (124 miles) of Phnom Penh until 2065.

NagaCorp recently reported a decrease in revenue of 39.1 percent to $117.8m for 2009, down from $193.5m in 2008, with net profit down 36.3 percent to $25.5m.

In 2009 60 percent of NagaCorp’s VIP gamblers were from Malaysia, 15 percent from Vietnam and 12 percent from each of Singapore and China.




Sean Monaghan, an industry expert who formerly worked as a gaming analyst in Singapore said junket operators in Thailand and China would be vital to the success of the project.


He said: “Even though Siem Reap sounds goods, most of the people that go there aren’t really casino players. You have to have a very, very solid team to pull that financing off.”

Cambodia prepares reserve soldiers

via Khmer NZ

August 02, 2010

Cambodia is preparing to have reserve soldiers in a move to reform and perform better military affairs, a military official said Monday.

Gen. Chhum Socheat, spokesman of Cambodia's Ministry of National Defense said the draft decree on recruiting reserve soldiers was approved by the Council of Ministers last Friday and is now awaiting final approval by His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni.

He said the reserve soldiers are practiced in many other countries around the world and it has nothing related to the border conflict with Thailand.

Chhum Socheat said the main purpose of having reserve soldiers is to apply to military reform and to better perform in military affairs for a long-time vision, and that has nothing behind the border conflict with Thailand.

He said the reserve military will include those contracted soldiers, professional retired soldiers or those who retired from the military before retiring age.

According to the decree, the reserve soldiers will serve five years and if necessary, will extend two more years.

Cambodia adopted the conscription law in 2006 which requires all Cambodian citizens aged 18 to 30 years to enter a compulsory military service.

Source: Xinhua

Minister Suwit: Thailand may receive Cambodia's temple management plan in September

http://www.mcot.net/

via Khmer NZ

BANGKOK, Aug 2 - Thailand's Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suwit Khunkitti on Monday said Cambodia will send its management plan for the ancient Preah Vihear temple to Thailand in September and concerned agencies will have to study it thoroughly.

Mr Suwit commented as he and the Thai delegation returned from Brazil and the 34th annual meeting of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Commission (WHC) which ends Tuesday. They were in Brasilia to oppose Cambodia's unilaterally proposed management plan for the historic Hindu temple and its environs.

The World Heritage Commission on Thursday agreed to postpone reviewing the Cambodian plan until next year when the WHC meets in Bahrain after Thailand, led by Mr Suwit, threatened to review its membership. At the same time a number of Thais rallied at the UNESCO regional headquarters in Bangkok last week, calling on the commission to hold off on its consideration of the issue.

Mr Suwit thanked the Thai public for expressing their objection to Cambodia's move, as well as members of his team for their work in Brazil despite pressure and tension, especially when negotiating with the Cambodian representatives.

The Thai delegation head reaffirmed what he termed as that the stance of Thailand on the issue is clear and creative. Thailand is not seen as a villain in the eyes of other countries and many countries have congratulated the kingdom's success at Brazil.

The Thai minister said the officials are now preparing to look through documents of the Cambodian management plan which is expected to be sent to them in September, to see the map details and conditions or attachment which may lead to further conflict.

Preah Vihear was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962. UNESCO named the temple a World Heritage site in 2008, after Cambodia applied for the status while dispute over 4.6 sq km contested land between the two countries remains unsolved.

Under the terms of the listing, Cambodia is required to submit a management plan for WHC approval, but Thailand insisted that the matter should not be discussed unless the two neighbours first resolve their dispute over the zone adjacent to the temple.

Meanwhile, the Thailand's First Army Area Commander Lt-Gen Kanit Sapithak said Monday that the army is ready to protect the country's sovereignty but there has been no movement of Cambodian troops.

Gen Kanit however said the military ties between the two neighbours remains good and both agreed at the last month's regional Border Committee (RBC) that they will not use force against each other if any problem arises, but will solve it through talks at a local level first.

The Thai army first area commander said he hoped the good military ties between Thailand and Cambodia will help ease the tensed situation and conflict. (MCOT online news)

Closure for Cambodia

via khmer NZ

Phnom Penh was hot, noisy, and bustling last week. Cars, motorcycles, and the ubiquitous tuk tuks (motorcycle taxis) raced through the city with perpetual near collisions. Markets were full. Children were everywhere. There were clouds gathering, but the coming storms of the rainy season held off.

The talk of the town was the long-awaited verdict in the international trial of Kaing Guek Eav, alias Commandant Duch, announced on July 26 by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, a joint United Nations-Cambodian Government tribunal set up to try some of the leaders responsible for the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia. Thirty years have passed, so it's high time to bring the surviving perpetrators to account. The trial of Duch is the first to come to a conclusion.

Duch's conviction was not in question. He was in charge of the notorious Tuol Sleng prison, where somewhere between 12,000 and 20,000 plus people entered, to be registered, tortured, and sent to their death. Fewer than ten who entered are thought to have emerged alive. Duch was renowned for his meticulous attention to detail - incredible records survive - and his cruelty. He acknowledged what he had done; his lame defense was that he was following orders. A convert to Christianity, he held out his faith and the good he said he has done since the Khmer Rouge period as character evidence.

Duch was sentenced to 35 years in prison, but with two reductions, the first to compensate for a period when he was held illegally, and for time served. The bottom line is 19 more years to serve.

The first reaction was outrage at the lightness of the sentence. Duch is now 67 so he is likely to die in prison, but still the sentence seemed almost an insult. But there is also a complex sense of pride that the trial took place. While an initial reaction is to want Duch to suffer at least a fraction of the torment he inflicted on his victims, many in this country permeated with Buddhist thinking take satisfaction that he will suffer horribly in a future life. Vengeance does not seem high on the agenda and many who hold prominent positions have some shadows in their past that they would just as soon leave be.

There was outrage also that the tribunal essentially ducked all issues of reparations, arguing that it had no way to enforce such awards. Page after page of motions for memorials and other steps were dismissed on those grounds. That, surely, is unfinished business for Cambodia, as a government and a people.

The monumental effort to ensure justice that the long verdict report reflects gets some credit. So does the fact that the glacial process does represent a route to come to terms with the past. The proceedings have been televised, and the newspapers have reported on witness after witness over the long life of the trial. But so far only one man has been in the dock. Four more are slated for trials, but most former Khmer Rouge live normal lives. Cambodian children are taught little about what happened, much less why, so they grow up with an uneasy sense of storms left behind.

Closure in the Duch case is a milestone but only a first step toward the reconciliation that needs to occur among the survivors and the perpetrators. Many programs work to address this challenge, including the remarkable Documentation Center of Cambodia led from Yale University and village by village programs in Cambodia, like those of the International Center for Conciliation. But the efforts are barely scratching the surface.

Many Cambodians want to look to the future and relegate the past to some distant drawer. But the heavy clouds are there, and it often feels as if a new storm could break. Pained memories and buried anger are very much part of Cambodian reality today. The multiple efforts to face it, with justice, compassion and understanding, are not only desirable. They are essential.

Katherine Marshall is a senior fellow at Georgetown's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, a Visiting Professor, and Executive Director of the World Faiths Development Dialogue.

UNESCO does not approve Cambodia’s plan for Preah Vihear temple

http://www.asianews.it/

via Khmer NZ

by Weena Kowitwanij

08/02/2010

The four-page plan arrived late, according to UN body. Any decision about it is postponed to next year. The Phra Viharn temple is disputed by Cambodia and Thailand. Residents of Thai border villages are happy, hope to see an end of hostility between the two countries.

Bangkok (AsiaNews) – The World Heritage Committee in a unanimous vote has decided to postpone to next year the decision whether to accept the Cambodian government’s plan for the Hindu temple of Phra Viharn. Meeting in Brazil, committee members agreed that Cambodia’s four-page document was inadequate. Submitted only six weeks ago, the plan was not seen by the Thai side. Hence, it was not approved in its current state. Any further consideration will have to wait until next year’s committee meeting, in Bahrain.

The temple is located along the Cambodia-Thailand border. Both states claim it as its rightful owner. In 1962, the International Court awarded it to Cambodia, eliciting protest from Thailand. This was followed by border skirmishes over the site.

The temple is in Cambodian territory but is surrounded by jungle-covered steep hills claimed by Thailand. Access to the site from the Cambodian side is nearly impossible.

After years of talks, the issue flared up again in 2008, when the UNESCO World Heritage Committee granted the site world heritage status, which would have required Thailand to grant it access from its side of the border.

Residents in nearby villages in Srisaket Province are happy for the decision. “We are very glad to hear the good news,” they said. “The stress situation makes it impossible for us to earn our living by selling forest products to visitors, which people from both countries did in the past.”

In order to avoid the risk of more border clashes, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has called on the People Alliance for Democracy “not to gather at the border as it may lead to the political tension.”

Satisfied by the committee’s decision, he added that it “provided a good opportunity for Cambodia and Thailand to solve the problem peacefully.”

Activists demand clarification on Cambodia's claim

via Khmer NZ

Published: 2/08/2010

Members of the Thailand Patriot Network led by Veera Somkwamkid plan to gather in front of Government House this Saturday, demanding the government explain Cambodia's claim that Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti had signed a document related to Cambodia's management plan for Preah Vihear temple during the World Heritage Committee meeting in Brazil last week.

Mr Veera said Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An claimed in a press interview that Thailand had agreed to sign a management document.

“We don’t know what kind of document we [Thailand] have signed with Cambodia. The government must clarify the facts to the public. We expect over ten thousand people to gather to hear the answer,” said Mr Veera.

He also submitted a petition to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, asking him to clarify the issue.

Cambodian Prime Minister Sok An last week announced victory to his people, saying that the World Heritage Committee agreed to accept Cambodia's plan to manage area surrounding the temple, and that Thailand decided to sign the agreement to allow Cambodia to manage the disputed land. He claimed Mr Suwit signed a paper relating to this agreement.

Thailand claims consideration of the issue was postponed for another year.

Meanwhile, Mr Abhisit has said he holds former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama accountable for the ongoing conflict over Preah Vihear.

Mr Abhisit posted messages on Facebook saying that Thailand has been at a disadvantage ever since Mr Noppadon, who is close aide of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, signed the joint declaration in June 2008 backing Cambodia's bid to register the temple as a World Heritage site.

The joint declaration, signed by Mr Noppadon and the late prime minister Samak Sundaravej, was widely criticised as it was signed without receiving endorsement from parliament as requited by Section 190 of the constitution.

Mr Abhisit said the signing of the joint declaration opened the door for Cambodia to request for the listing of the ancient temple as a World Heritage site.

The old Khmer temple was subsequently listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.

The prime minister said since then, he has tried to campaign against the temple's listing.

The Constitution Court later ruled the communique unconstitutional as it had bypassed parliamentary approval. Mr Noppadon later resigned.

Mr Noppadon, who signed the document on Thailand's behalf, defended his government's move, saying that the joint communique did not put Thailand at a disadvantage over the temple conflict.

He slammed Mr Abhisit for holding him responsible for the ongoing temple row, saying that the prime minister's statement has political agenda.

Mr Noppadon said the joint communique was signed to protect Thailand's sovereignty.

He called on the prime minister to stop slandering him, and suggested that he bring in all sides to discuss the matter to find solutions to the problem.

He slammed Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for holding him responsible for the ongoing temple row, saying that the prime minister's statement has political agenda.

Mr Noppadon said the joint communique, which backed Cambodia's bid to register the temple as a World Heritage Site, was signed to protect Thailand's sovereignty.

He called on the prime minister to stop slandering him, and suggested that he bring in all sides to discuss the matter to find solutions to the problem.

He then asked the prime minister, who says a joint World Heritage listing of Preah Vihear and its adjacent compound is the best path to take, if he has ordered any agencies to prepare the documents for this.

On Sunday, Mr Abhisit said the best solution is to change the arrangement, from having Cambodia solely register the temple to the two countries jointly proposing that the World Heritage site be co-managed.

Last week, the World Heritage Committee agreed to delay considering Phnom Penh's proposed management plan for the Preah Vihear temple until next year after Cambodia failed to submit relevant documents on time and that a memorandum of understanding between Thailand and Cambodia over the disputed territory in the area has not been settled.

Agility launches operations in Cambodia

via Khmer NZ

August 2 - Agility is open for business in Cambodia and has opened an office in Phnom Penh, supporting the company's network growth strategy and further strengthening its operations in Indochina.

In addition to traditional multimodal freight forwarding services and cross border trucking services initially connecting Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh and Bangkok to Phnom Penh, Agility Cambodia will also focus on other key sectors including project logistics in the oil and gas sector.

"Agility has a great opportunity to develop the Cambodian market as demand is growing for a broad range of freight and logistics services. We are seeing a significant increase in international trade from Cambodia to the USA and Europe, as well as to the rest of Asia. We have also seen an increase in cross border trade within Indochina and between ASEAN countries," said Mike Gildea, CEO, Agility, South East Asia.

To support its growth in Cambodia Agility has appointed Phang Sovong as General Manager, Cambodia.

Bilateral talk with Cambodia may be held to resolve border conflict: Thai minister

via Khmer NZ

August 02, 2010

A bilateral talk with Cambodia may be held in a bid to seek solution to the ongoing conflict over the Preah Vihear Temple, Thailand's Natural and Environment Minister Suvit Khunkitti said on Monday.

The Thai News Agency (TNA) reported that the natural and environment minister was speaking in Thailand's capital Bangkok shortly after he returned from Brazil, where he attended the annual 34th meeting of the UNESCO's World Heritage Committee (WHC).

It is expected that next month the WHC panel will present Cambodia's management plan for the 11th century Preah Vihear Temple to Thailand, Suvit said.

After obtaining the Cambodian management plan for Preah Vihear Temple, Thailand will look into details of the plan in a bid to protect the country's sovereignty, he said.

However, the Thai side will keep abiding by international laws to find the solution to the conflict, the Thai minister said.

The Thai people and concerned organizations will be informed of the development to be made on the Preah Vihear Temple, Suvit said.

During the meeting on July 29, the WHC decided to reschedule its discussion on Cambodia's management plan to its annual meeting in Bahrain in 2011.

Prior to the WHC decision to postpone its discussion, Thailand threatened to walk out of the WHC meeting if the panel considered the Cambodian plan since the Thai side had not yet looked into details of the plan, which was handed in by Cambodia to the WHC panel just shortly before the meeting.

Thailand and Cambodia have historically laid claim to the site, which is located on a mountain top on the Thai-Cambodia border. The disputed area of 4.6 square kilometers has not been demarcated.

In 1962 the International Court of Justice ruled that the Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia. But, the 11th-century temple can only be easily accessed from Thailand.

Source: Xinhua

Clarification of Press and Quick Reaction Unit

via Khmer NZ

Monday, 02 August 2010 11:54 DAP-NEWS

click on image to zoom in

Chop shop

Photo by: Julie Leafe

via Khmer NZ

Monday, 02 August 2010 15:00 Julie Leafe

A grocer cuts up vegetables at a stall in Phnom Penh’s Central Market.