KR tribunal appoints lead co-lawyer for civil parties

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 02 September 2010 15:01 James O’Toole and Cheang Sokha

THE Khmer Rouge tribunal has appointed a lead lawyer who will direct representation for civil parties during the court’s second case, as well as a new head of the Victims Support Section, court officials said yesterday.

Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said Pich Ang, a civil party lawyer who was previously a lecturer at the Royal University of Law and Economics, has been selected as a lead co-lawyer for civil parties. He will work alongside an international counterpart whom the tribunal is “in the process” of selecting, United Nations court spokesman Lars Olsen said.

Reach Sambath said Pich Ang was held in high regard among his colleagues at the court.

“He is considered one of the young intellectuals,” Reach Sambath said.

Court officials say the lead co-lawyers are necessary to streamline participation for the high volume of civil parties expected to be admitted in Case 002. During the court’s first case, just 90 civil parties participated to the close of the trial; almost 4,000 have applied to participate in Case 002.

Observers complained during Case 001 that testimony from civil parties was at times repetitive, and that some did not appear to have been vetted properly.

Although civil parties in Case 002 will retain rights to their own attorneys, the lead co-lawyers will hold “ultimate responsibility ... for the overall advocacy, strategy and in-court presentation of the interests of the consolidated group of civil parties during the trial stage and beyond”, according to a rule change adopted by the court in February.

The court has also appointed Rong Chhorng, who previously served as acting head of the Victims Support Section, as its permanent chief, Reach Sambath said. Rong Chhorng succeeds Helen Jarvis, who stepped down in June.

“I am proud that the court’s administration is confident in me and has appointed me head of the Victims Support Section, even though I know we will face challenges with all the work we have to do,” Rong Chhorng said.

The VSS is charged with assisting in the processing of complaints and civil party applications and keeping victims informed of the status of their applications. It also directs outreach activities in cooperation with local NGOs.

The court’s co-investigating judges are in the process of making decisions on the admissibility of civil party applicants who have applied to join Case 002, and are expected to have ruled on all applicants by the middle of this month.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NETH PHEAKTRA

Police Blotter: 2 Sep 2010

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 02 September 2010 15:00 Kaing Menghun

Justice catches alleged crooks after three years

A husband and wife team accused of a series of robberies in Ratanakkiri province were finally arrested on Monday more than three years after an alleged reign of thievery. The wife was originally accused in January 2007 and charged with stealing 12 motorbikes and selling them at a profit by Battambang Provincial Court. The husband had been arrested a day before and charged for his alleged role in 16 robberies. But in June that year, the two fled to Ratanakkiri, changed their names and began leading the life of attentive furniture store owners. But the two were finally arrested after Battambang’s court issued a warrant for their arrests.

KOH SANTEPHEAP

Man accused of rape protests innocence

Police in Phnom Penh’s Dangkor district arrested a soldier on Monday and accused him of raping a female garment worker. The accused man acknowledged that he had engaged in sex with the woman, but he denied ever raping her. He said the sex was consensual, and that he loved the woman and intended to marry her if her parents agreed. However, the victim told police that she was not a willing participant in the sexual relationship; she said he was drunk and accused him of raping her. The man also threatened her, telling her that he would harm her if she refused to have sex with him, she said. Police have promised to get to the bottom of the incident because both sides, they said, offered plausible arguments.

KAMPUCHEA THMEY

Seaman killed after man’s head touched

Nine fishermen were arrested on Monday in Preah Sihanouk province after they were accused of killing a man and severely injuring another man during a fight. The dead man was 27, was in the navy and the injured man was 20, the victims’ families reported. A witness reported seeing the nine accused men delivering ice to the families, which was a normal occurrence. But while chatting, one of the nine men apparently touched the head of a family member as if they were close friends. The relative took offence to the gesture. A fight started, which is when the two victims suffered their injuries, police said.

KAMPUCHEA THMEY

Officials accused of taking payments

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 02 September 2010 15:01 Mom Kunthear and Tep Nimol

A MAN in Pursat province yesterday accused police and court officials of taking more than half of an out-of-court settlement payment stemming from a sexual abuse case.

The 41-year-old father had accused another Pursat man, also 41, of sexually abusing his 6-year-old daughter. The suspect was arrested on Sunday and charged on Monday, but the father later agreed to drop the charges in an out-of-court settlement facilitated by provincial court officials and police in Krakor district’s Thnaot Chum commune.

He said the terms of the settlement called for him to receive 5 million riels (about US$1,192), but that when the officials who had brokered the deal gave him the money, they handed him about 2 million riels (US$477) and then requested a further cut for their services.

“I demanded 5 million riels in compensation from the suspect, but I got only 1.8 million riels,” he said. “They did not tell me where the rest of the money went, but told me ‘if you don’t accept it you will get nothing’.”

The father said he had agreed to settle out of court because he believed the suspect would have been released either way, and that he had lost even more faith in the legal system. “I feel a loss of confidence in the court and police officials because at first they told me that they will help me to arrest the suspect without taking anything because it is their duty,” he said.

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They did not tell me where the rest of the money went, but told me ‘if you don’t accept it you will get nothing’.

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Commune Police Chief Hang Savun yesterday denied that police had facilitated an out-of-court settlement.

“If we accepted the money from them, why did we send the offender to the court?” he said, and added that it was the duty of police to investigate such cases free of charge.

Pursat provincial court judge In Bopha could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Nget Theavy, provincial coordinator for the rights group Adhoc, said sexual violence cases should be prosecuted regardless of whether victims move to press charges.

“I think it is corrupt and illegal that the court decided to release the offender even though both parties agreed to the compensation deal,” she said.

“It is a bad example, and people will lose confidence with the court and the police.”

Also on Wednesday, an official said that Ratanakkiri provincial court temporarily detained a 14-year-old boy charged with raping a 4-year-old girl last week.

Chan Hean, deputy director of the anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection office, said the suspect, who lives near the victim in O’Yadav district, was charged on Sunday and being held for questioning.

“The boy raped the girl at the girl’s house after he watched a sex video and wanted to copy the video,” he said.

Chhay Thy, a provincial investigator for Adhoc, which is monitoring the case, said the organisation had recorded 10 rape cases in Ratanakkiri province so far this year.

Robbery case: Tiger Head hearing postponed

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 02 September 2010 15:01 Chrann Chamroeun

Robbery case

PHNOM Penh Municipal Court yesterday postponed for the third time a hearing in a case against Som Ek, the alleged head of an antigovernment group known as the Tiger Head Movement, on charges related to a series of armed robberies that took place in the capital’s Meanchey district 10 years ago.

Defence lawyer Sam Sokong said yesterday that his client had been charged in 2000 with involvement in robbing gold vendors, crimes linked to the movement, but that the court had earlier dropped the case because of a lack of evidence.

He said the case was reopened last year, after Som Ek and other alleged members of the movement were charged in a failed bomb plot that targeted the Defence Ministry and the state-run television station TV3. He said Som Ek was charged earlier this year as an accomplice to attempted murder for his role in the robberies. Som Ek has also been charged with plotting a failed 2007 bomb attack.

Tower may not be tall order

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 02 September 2010 15:01 Soeun Say and Catherine James

INDUSTRY experts from around the world said yesterday that a proposed 555-metre tower on Phnom Penh’s Koh Pich was technically possible, but raised questions about the economics of the plan.

Dennis Poon of Thornton Tomasetti, the company behind some of the highest buildings in the world, including Taipei 101, said the project was possible with the right team and materials to contain costs and avoid problems down the track.

Key considerations for Poon were the choice of materials and necessity for cooperation between structural engineers, architects and the owner.

Having built at least eight 100-plus-storey buildings, he emphasised that local conditions were key to any design.

“According to my experience, each project of this type must be designed specifically to fit the local site conditions, its local construction constraints, soil conditions, materials availability and the country’s culture.”

The proposed location of the tower, Diamond Island, was also discussed by engineers contacted by the Post.

Rainer Israel, director of Cambodian engineering firm iLi Consulting Engineers Mekong, said that the proposal was ambitious, but not impossible, despite Cambodia’s less-developed construction sector.

“You will certainly not be able to do it with Cambodian resources only, but that’s not unusual. Even Dubai [which built the world’s tallest building] had to import materials,” he said yesterday.

“It’s quite normal to have foreign contractors, designers etc.”

He said that if the site was to be Diamond Island, developers would need to be mindful that the isle was not stable, having formed less than 100 years ago.

“The Mekong keeps reshaping. In the long run, the island sure wouldn’t stay an island,” he said.

“You would have to protect it – which is possible. If you had a high value of property on it then it makes sense to protect it from erosion,” he said. The road infrastructure would also need serious consideration, he said.

However, he felt that a more interesting question related to its economic viability.

“This question [of economic feasability] is not the business we are in, but I think the more interesting question here is will you have a market for it? Where are the tenants? How would you even fill a place like that, given all the other places we still haven’t filled?”

Yim Sovan, spokesman for the opposition Sam Raisey Party, posed similar questions, voicing concern about building such a tower when the capital’s current high-rises were plagued with vacancies.

He said it was more economically important for the government to develop the agriculture sector, education and healthcare.

Nick Owen, Shanghai-based Asia editor for the Economist Intelligence Unit, raised his own questions about financing such an enormous

endeavour.

“I haven’t seen details of the project, but I’m slightly surprised by the amount [US$200 million for stage one] because the construction industry in Cambodia and indeed globally has faced increasing challenges in securing financing for these projects,” he said yesterday.

“Investors have been looking much more carefully before committing capital to these sort of projects.”

But local businessmen and interested domestic parties welcomed the idea. Sung Bonna, president and CEO of Bonna Realty Group, said yesterday that the plan was “a good sign”, and that he hoped that construction on the building would start soon.

Ching Chhom Mony, dean of architecture at the Royal University of Fine Art, said that building on site would have “no problems” as a result of advances in both science and technology.

Suspected paedophile blames girl’s makeup

Photo by: Heng Chivoan
Suspected paedophile Kato Atsushi, 40, is led out of Phnom Penh Municipal Court after a hearing yesterday.

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 02 September 2010 15:01 Chrann Chamroeun

THE lawyer for an accused Japanese paedophile yesterday requested that the case against his client be thrown out because the alleged victim, a prostitute, wore makeup that he said made her look older than 18.

Kao Soupha is representing 40-year-old Atsushi Kato, whose case was postponed three times before being heard at Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday. Kato was arrested on September 7, 2009, one month to the day after police raided the Daun Penh district brothel where he allegedly paid for sex with the victim on multiple occasions.

Yesterday, he acknowledged having sex with the girl, who was 13 at the time of his arrest, “six or seven times”, though he emphasised that he believed she was of age.

“I had sex with the victim at a brothel six or seven times, and I always give her a tip of US$10 on top of paying for sex with 30,000 riels (about US$7.15),” he said. “I thought that the girl’s age must be 18 because she wore cute makeup at nighttime, and she agreed to have sex with me voluntarily without forcing.”

Kao Soupha at one point presented as evidence a photograph of the victim taken on the night the brothel was raided. Though he did not provide the gallery a clear view of the photograph, the victim appeared to be wearing a large amount of white foundation.

The victim told the court that Kato had sex with her “four to five times”, and that he typically tipped between $5 and $10.

Kato’s arrest was carried out after he visited the government-run rehabilitation centre where the victim was held following the August 7 brothel raid. He said he paid the victim a visit because he wanted “to know how well she was being treated there”.

Kato has been charged under Article 34 of the Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, and if found guilty faces a prison sentence of between seven and 15 years.

Nuon Phanith, a lawyer for the victim provided by the child protection NGO Action Pour Les Enfants, also requested that Kato be made to pay $6,000 in compensation to the victim, and that he be deported once his prison sentence is completed.

Though Kao Soupha asked for the case against Kato to be dropped, deputy prosecutor Hing Bunchea said he planned to press on.

Judges did not announce a verdict date yesterday.

Garments: Korean investors make visit

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 02 September 2010 15:00 May Kunmakara

SOUTH Korean garment industry investors are eager to leave behind higher labour costs in China, but plans to set up shop in the Kingdom are hindered by a lack of information, officials visiting Phnom Penh said yesterday.

Speaking on the sidelines of a fact-finding mission, Korea Federation of Textile Industries team manager Gue-bae Yeoum said investors need to know more about the government’s policies.

“Cambodia is well-placed to bring Korean investors to the country, with the higher labour costs in China,” he said.

“However, the Cambodian government does not promote the industry in Korea – that’s why many firms don’t know about the sector, and are too scared to invest here,” he said.

Ministry of Commerce Secretary of State Ok Boung said Cambodia had done much to promote the industry, and that information was already available.

“Investors can learn about the sector through their embassies,” he said.

Daehyun Textile manager Ian Cheong said he has been heavily involved with partners in Vietnam, but was still learning the ropes in Cambodia.

The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia welcomed further investment, said Secretary General Ken Loo.

Asset valuators sought for Cambodian bourse

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 02 September 2010 15:00 Nguon Sovan

REAL estate agents are being sought to provide asset valuation services for Cambodia’s new stock exchange, set to launch next year.

The Security and Exchange Commission of Cambodia will today put for public consultation a new draft prakas on the accreditation of companies providing asset valuation services in the securities sector.

According to a copy of the draft prakas, an asset valuation company applying for accreditation should have a business licence from the Ministry of Commerce and a licence granted by Ministry of Economy and Finance.

The company must have undertaken two or more asset-valuation engagements worth more than 8 billion riels (US$1.9 million) during the past year and have a minimum capital of 500 million riels (US$118,000) as well as at least two independent valuers, it said. The last three years of financial statements must be audited by an independent auditor.

Sung Bonna, President and CEO of Bonna Realty Group, said yesterday that his firm would be the first applicant.

“We have met all the requirements, except the financial statements,” he said. “However, we will adapt to meet the criteria for the licence.”

Finance ministry data states Cambodia has 42 licensed real estate and asset valuation companies.

Kingdom's tourism up as neighbours languish

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 02 September 2010 15:00 Chun Sophal

CAMBODIA has seen over 13 percent more tourists during the first seven months of this year, becoming one of five ASEAN countries to see an increase in 2010, according to a Ministry of Tourism report.

Some 1,423,505 tourists entered the Kingdom this year to the end of July, up an annualised 13.85 percent. It joins Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Laos as the only ASEAN countries with tourism figures on the rise, according to Ministry statistics.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon said the Kingdom had the potential to become an even larger draw for regional visitors.

“We have the potential of a huge and great culture which can be used to attract an increasing number of tourists in the future,” he said, and announced the 2011 ASEAN Tourism Forum would be held in Phnom Penh in January.

ASEAN was an important destination for foreign tourists, and Cambodia was becoming increasingly attractive for international tourists, he said.

“We will win the competition, and we need to develop the sector as much as we can,” he said.

Minister of the Council of Ministers Sok An said the government places exceptional emphasis on promoting and developing tourism.

Hun Sen unveils plan for world’s second-tallest tower

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 02 September 2010 15:00 Soeun Say and Catherine James

PRIME Minister Hun Sen yesterday outlined plans to build a 555-metre-tall tower on Phnom Penh’s Diamond Island.

The structure, if built today, would be the second-tallest in the world, according to Post research.

“Cambodia will build the tallest private building in Asia,” the premier said at the graduation ceremony for the Human Resources University, held at the National Institute of Education.

He said talks about the construction and value of the project would be held with ministries, institutions and authorities. If built, the high-rise would dwarf the Kingdom’s tallest skyscraper, 118.1 metre Canadia Tower.

Discounting towers now under construction, it would be the second-tallest in the world, overtaking Taiwan’s Taipei 101 tower at 509 metres. The world’s tallest building is Dubai’s Burj Khalifa tower, standing 828 metres.

Dennis Poon, managing principal of Thornton Tomasetti, who led the structural engineering team for the design of Taipei 101, estimated that costs for a building of this size would range from US$500 million to $900 million, depending on complexity. He said designing such a building could take a year, with another four years for construction.

Representatives for developer Overseas Cambodia Investment Corp – the firm behind Canadia Tower – said that plans were already afoot.

Touch Samnang, project manager and architect of OCIC’s Diamond Island, said that the company was preparing for construction and had an architectural proposal in place.

“We are studying the land,” he said, and the firm planned to spend $200 million on the building’s first step. “We have enough possible [capital investment] to build. We are not looking for investment partners. But for the technical construction we will need [help] from abroad.”

“We’re looking for a construction company to build it,” he said, and highlighted Korean firms’ expertise.

The building would house commercial areas such as shopping and exhibition centres, residential space and an observation area, Samnang said.

Tour of Cambodia proposed

Cyclists race during the Kuala Lumpur Criterium last stage of the 2008 Tour of Langkawi. A Tour of Cambodia has been proposed for early next year by the NOCC. Photo by: Douglas Long

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 02 September 2010 15:00 H S Manjunath

The Kingdom of Wonder will be pedaling its way to next year’s International Cycling calendar if the Cambodian government approves a US$3.2 million proposal by the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia to organise a globally televised men’s professional cycling event involving 120 riders of repute from all over the world.

Inspiration for this grandiose project, designed to showcase Cambodia as a world class sporting and tourism venue, had been drawn from the highly acclaimed Tour de Langkawi in neighbouring Malaysia. If the stage format event gets the federal nod, a Tour of the Kingdom of Cambodia would be contested sometime between late January and early February next year, revealed Secretary General of the NOCC Vath Chamroeun yesterday morning.

“Around 20 professional teams and many six-man national teams would be taking part in this event. Right now we are awaiting Government clearance,” said the NOCC official, adding that a Malaysian-based company had been tasked with the organisation of the event in league with a Cambodian event management firm.

The organisers have produced a brochure proposing a 750-kilometre route spread over five stages starting in Siem Reap and ending in Phnom Penh. A road recce to determine the actual distances for each stage along with the fixing of start and finish points would be held soon after the official green light is given.

The five-day event is planned to start with a time trial around the Angkor temples, before a race from Siem Reap to Battambang the following day.

On the third day, the field will compete from Battambang to Kampong Chhnang, and then make a transfer to Phnom Penh to ride up to Kampong Cham. The final day’s race held in Phnom Penh is slated to be a criterium, which features a 2-kilometre or less circuit that riders complete numerous laps over usually in the middle of a city to maximize spectatorship. The exact route has yet to be determined.

Organisers are also planning intermediate sprint competitions in towns along the way as a means of drawing the visitors’ attention to the Cambodian way of life in the provinces.

NOCC calls for solidarity

Representatives from 22 Cambodian sports federations attend a meeting at the NOCC headquarters yesterday morning. Photo by: Sreng Meng Srun

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 02 September 2010 15:00 H S Manjunath

The National Olympic Committee of Cambodia called on all its affiliated federations to ensure solidarity of purpose in promoting a healthy sports culture in the Kingdom.

At a meeting at the NOCC headquarters yesterday morning chaired by NOCC Secretary General Vath Chamroeun, 22 affiliates who had responded to invitations out of the 33 registered federations pledged to work with each other to promote sports development across the board.

Vath Chamroeun speaks during the meeting yesterday. Photo by: Sreng Meng Srun

“A long term sports policy was also on the minds of many, but the main thrust was to ensure smooth and effective functioning of the federations,” said Vath Chamroeun.

The meeting noted with concern the status of federations which had been totally dormant for years due to reasons ranging from lack of funds to problems with functionality and working space.

“Federations which are very active have come forward to promote grassroots programmes, while others who need support and help are leaning on us. Overall the consensus is that from now on, we must work together to strengthen the parent body,” the NOCC official said.

Most of the affiliates accepted the NOCC suggestion that they should establish better relationships with their respective international governing bodies. “We will certainly facilitate federations which find it difficult to do this,” added Vath Chamroeun.

The secretary noted the meeting also held out assurances to five of the non-Olympic federations that the NOCC could help orchestrate corporate support if they were to hold international events.

DEY KRAHORM: From eviction site to fitness centre

The Dey Krahorm site today

Employees of 7NG Group play football at the site of the former Dey Krahorm community in Chamkarmon district yesterday evening. Srey Chanthou, managing director of 7NG Group, said in June that the company was constructing an exclusive gym for its employees. “All 7NG Group staff will be free to play different kinds of sports: football, tennis, volleyball, etc. But we won’t allow other people to come in,” he said. He also indicated that there was no clear development plan in place for the rest of the site. PHOTO: WILL BAXTER

A man from the Dey Krahorm community salvages a bed after police and construction workers employed by 7NG forcibly evicted the 144 families remaining at the site. PHOTO: HENG CHIVOAN

Relocated to the outskirts

Va Savoeun, a former Dey Krahorm resident who is now chief of the Pthas Khiev community, sweeps rubbish into a fire yesterday near a makeshift home at the relocation site provided for Dey Krahorm evictees in Kandal province’s Ponhea Leu district. The families were given 4-by-6-metre plots of land, on which they have built makeshift shelters of wood, mud, tarpaulins and corrugated tin.

REPORTING: MAY TITTHARA; PHOTO: WILL BAXTER

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 02 September 2010 15:00 May Titthara

ON January 24, 2009, police and construction workers levelled the Dey Krahorm community in Chamkarmon district and drove out its residents. The community’s former site – and the residents themselves – have come a long way in the 18 months since.

Hun Sen dissatisfied despite renewal of relations with Thailand+

                                         

via Khmer NZ

Sep 1, 2010

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 1 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Wednesday he cannot be satisfied with relations with Thailand as long as the Thai military maintains a presence inside Cambodian territory.

He was commenting on the returns last week of the Thai ambassador to Phnom Penh and the Cambodian ambassador to Bangkok.

Thailand recalled its ambassador on Nov. 5 last year to protest Cambodia making former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra a government adviser.

Cambodia pulled its ambassador out of Bangkok the same day.

Hun Sen said the return of the ambassadors last week was "only a change on the surface."

"I am not satisfied and nor am smiling while you are shaking my hand and at the same time you step on my foot," Hun Sen said, adding the border conflict with Thailand has never been related to the appointment of Thaksin.

It is, he said, because the Thai military entered into Cambodian territory on July 15, 2008, just a week after Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple, in the area of the incursion, was registered as World Heritage Site.

Hun Sen added the border conflict can only be resolved when the Thai parliament approves agreements struck by the Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers and Thai armed forces are redeployed away from the areas of conflict.

Thaksin sent a letter Aug. 22 resigning as an adviser to the Cambodian government and to Hun Sen for what were described as personal reasons.

Hun Sen said Wednesday that despite his reservations on relations he is ready to meet with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at any upcoming international meetings the two will attend to seek a solution to the border dispute.

Thailand claims a 4.6 square-kilometer piece of land near the Preah Vihear Temple that lies inside Cambodia according to a 1962 ruling by the International Court of Justice.

But since the temple was listed as a World Heritage Site more than two years ago, Thai and Cambodian troops have faced off in the area and deadly skirmishes have erupted on several occasions.

Lucy Liu Shines a ‘Redlight‘ on Child Sexploitation in New Showtime Documentary

via Khmer NZ

Posted on 01 September 2010
by Robert Seidman

LUCY LIU SHINES A “REDLIGHT” ON CHILD SEXPLOITATION IN NEW DOCUMENTARY ON SHOWTIME^®

To Premiere Thursday, September 9^th In Honor of

Washington D.C.‘s Human Trafficking Awareness Month

LOS ANGELES, CA – (September 1, 2010) – REDLIGHT, a powerful feature film documentary exposing the horrors of the illegal sex trade market in Southeast Asia, will make its television premiere on SHOWTIME on Thursday, September 9^th at 8pm et/pt. Narrated by actress/producer/UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Lucy Liu, the film’s September airdate honors Washington D.C.’s Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

Filmed over a four-year period, REDLIGHT focuses on the personal, real-life stories of Cambodian children who are victims of human trafficking and two courageous advocates for change: grass-roots activist Somaly Mam and politician Mu Sochua. Both have since been nominated for the Noble Peace Prize. Juxtaposing between gritty footage smuggled out of brothels and harrowing testimonials, REDLIGHT follows several current and former child sex slaves as they struggle to regain entry into Cambodian society or attempt to bring their perpetrators to justice, while others tragically return to their lives of prostitution – either willingly or by force.

REDLIGHT is produced by an award-winning team that includes Liu, Kerry Girvin, The Sibs (Colin Keith Gray & Megan Raney Aarons); Betsy Hart; Guy Jacobson and Adi Ezroni. The film is directed by RedLight Children Founder Guy Jacobson and Ezroni, both of whom won the U.S. State Department’s prestigious Global Hero Award for their work in Cambodia

Societies Fail: We Might Have to Get Over It

via Khmer NZ

By Orlando at 09/01/2010

We know that environmental disasters have led to the downfall of civilizations. We know that, in other cases, it is greed and largess that has tipped the scales. Some societies have fallen victim to outside invaders or disease; others simply disappear, leaving no easily-followed clues as to their demise. I suspect those that crumble under their own stupidity are difficult to document, historically speaking.

As I transition from active participant in the U.S. political system to spectator (and absentee voter), I am struck by just how ridiculous the current situation has become; and it makes me wonder: How many other societies have been crushed by idiocy?

Looking around the world today, religion is as powerful a societal driver as ever. Culture wars have gone global. While there are still important domestic skirmishes over abortion rights and gay marriage, they have been largely replaced all-out religious hostility. Christians hate Muslims, and probably Jews. Muslims hate Christians and Jews. Jews might not hate anybody, but the government of Israel sure does make it difficult.

In the midst of all this religious antipathy, in the United States, the economy is still in the tank, Republicans are reaping the mixed blessings of courting voters WAY outside the mainstream; and Democrats have yet to discover an effective—and fortitudinous—way to counter misinformation and downright absurdity.

It’s enough to make a girl cranky.

And though it’s true that looking around the world today it appears that humanity might be doomed, I have to wonder. This past July, I had the great privilege to visit Cambodia. I’d never been anywhere old before. Or, more to the point, I’d never been anywhere that tangible evidence still existed thousands of years after the owners and operators of that tangible evidence died. Around the village of Siem Reap, they left behind awesome physical reminders that an ancient society not only once existed there, but absolutely thrived. Where did the great civilization of Angkor Wat go? I don’t know, just as I don’t know where the residents of Machu Picchu went. And, just as I don’t know where the residents of societies I’ve never even heard of went.

But there is one thing I do know. As civilizations decline, others rise to assume their places. I believe in climate science, so much so that it seems ludicrous to have to include that statement as a caveat. However, I also believe in the resiliency of the human species. And while I’m coming around to the belief that the United States as a great experiment in Democracy is totally and completely fucking doomed, I’m also beginning to believe that ultimately it doesn’t matter. People will continue to band together in new and amazing ways. And as a species, we will, in all probability, continue to thrive.

New Zealand : Finance Minister Bill English - Press Conference

Cambodia rights body decries worsening repression as staffer jailed

http://www.timeslive.co.za/

via Khmer NZ

Sep 1, 2010 8:15 PM | By Sapa-dpa

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A leading human rights group in Cambodia said Wednesday that activists are operating in an increasingly hostile environment there, characterized by physical violence, illegal arrests and trumped-up criminal charges.

Up to 60 human rights activists were currently in pre-trial detention on a range of charges, according to the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights.

The report, Attacks and Threats Against Human Rights Defenders in Cambodia, highlighted a number of trends the league said were being used against those the government perceives as its critics.

“Despite Cambodia being a signatory to numerous international treaties and the passage of national laws guaranteeing the protection of human rights defenders, the situation has worsened for many human rights defenders and civil society,” league president Pung Chhiv Kek said.

The twice yearly report was released two days after staff member Leang Sokchoeun was jailed for two years for disinformation. Pung Chhiv Kek condemned the judgement as “an absolutely appalling example” of the lack of independence of Cambodia’s courts.

She described the conviction as politically motivated and predetermined with “no basis in fact or law,” adding that it ”underscores the dire state of Cambodia’s judiciary.” Leang Sokchoeun was sentenced with two other men after being accused of distributing anti-government leaflets. The league said the trial was marked by numerous deficiencies, including evidence that police had arrested the wrong man.

“Given the involvement of an NGO [non-governmental organization] staff member, combined with the heavy prison sentence, I am concerned that someone may be trying to send a message,” Pung Chhiv Kek said.

The report highlighted measures being taken against anyone speaking out for human rights, such as community representatives protesting land grabs by the powerful.

Naly Pilorge, the league’s director, said among the “disturbing trends” was the government’s use of the courts as a weapon.

Other trends included charging people with defamation and disinformation to restrict freedom of expression and curbing freedom of association and assembly.

Pilorge said human rights defenders released on bail were typically told to stop their work while charges were pending — a situation that could last years.

The report made several recommendations, including calling on the government to stop arresting human rights officials and to prosecute corrupt state officials who the league said enjoy impunity.

Water Festival in Lowell MA, Celebrated by Thousands

Hun Sen Expects October Sideline Talks With Thai Premier

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
Wednesday, 01 September 2010

via Khmer NZ

Photo: AP
Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, left, greets Prime Minister Hun Sen during their meeting in Hua Hin, Thailand, on April 4, 2010.

“As long as Thai soldiers have not withdrawn from Cambodian territory, the relations are not normal.”

Prime Minister Hun Sen said Wednesday he expects to meet his Thai counterpart on the sidelines of an Asia-Europe meeting in October, where the two could discuss ways to resolve the ongoing border dispute near Preah Vihear temple.

Both sides are at loggerheads over a small stretch of land west of the ancient temple, but they only just resumed diplomatic ties that have been suspended since late 2009.

Both sides had withdrawn their ambassadors over a separate incident, when Cambodia hired Thailand's fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic adviser, incensing Bangkok.

Hun Sen told a graduation ceremony of students at the National Education Institution Wednesday that he expected to see Abhisit Vejjajiva on the sidelines of the Brussels meeting as a matter of course.

Other chances to talk could include an Asean summit in Vietnam later in October and a Mekong countries economic meeting in Cambodia in November.

Talks between the two premiers could focus on the border dispute, but also investment, trade, transportation, environmental protection along the border, transnational crime or regional pandemic, Hun Sen said.

Hun Sen said he was disappointed that Thailand still had troops occupying a small pagoda near Preah Vihear temple that is at the heart of the dispute. Thailand claims the pagoda was built on Thai soil. Both sides have reported thousands of troops amassed along the northern border.

“As long as Thai soldiers have not withdrawn from Cambodian territory, the relations are not normal,” he said.

He also stressed the need for a resolution to the ongoing problem, which could require third-party mediation, a step Thailand has said is not necessary.

“Cambodia cannot wait for so long,” Hun Sen said.

Rights Workers Faced Increased Duress in 2008, 2009: Report

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
Wednesday, 01 September 2010

via Khmer NZ

Photo: VOA Khmer
Licadho President Pung Chhiv Kek told VOA Khmer Wednesday the increase was a result of a judicial system that was biased toward the rich or powerful.

“Most of the violence has happened to community representatives in land grabs and in land violence against the Khmer Kampuchea Krom.”

Cambodian human rights workers say they have faced increasing threats and pressure for doing their work over the past two years from police, courts and government officials.

In a report issued Wednesday examining the years 2008 and 2009, the rights group Licadho said it found “the intensified use of the courts as a weapon,... increased use of defamation and disinformation laws to restrict freedom of expression... [and] increased restriction on freedom of association and assembly.”

Licadho President Pung Chhiv Kek told VOA Khmer Wednesday the increase was a result of a judicial system that was biased toward the rich or powerful.

Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak denied the finding of the reports, reporting to the number of Licadho staff in the provinces. Were threats and intimidation as bad as reported, he said, Licadho would not have staff there.

Ou Virak, director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, supported the findings in the report.

“Violence has progressed, not only for the NGOs,” he said. “Most of the violence has happened to community representatives in land grabs and in land violence against the Khmer Kampuchea Krom.”

The group called on the government to combat the culture of impunity and corruption by prosecuting government officials responsible for threats and attacks, including investigations into the “unresolved assassinations or disappearances” of 10 journalists since the 1990s.

Licadho also called on the government to cease arresting rights workers in the middle of their duties, to allow peaceful protests to proceed “unhindered by police obstruction of violence” and to “cease using bail as a way of threatening human rights defenders.”

“Bail is meant to avoid unnecessary pretrial detention, not as a probation mechanism to intimidate or control the activities of human rights defenders,” the group said.

Five Men Deported Under US Immigration Law

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer | Washington, DC
Wednesday, 01 September 2010

via Khmer NZ

Photo: AP

The five men—Kol Ly Hov, Mem Meanrith, Kong Chantha, Kim Thet and Sim Loeurt—left by special plane and are expected to arrive in Cambodia by Sept. 2, 2010.

"They came to a developed country and should not have committed criminal acts or wrongdoing."

The US on Tuesday deported five men to Cambodia, with another 25 expected to follow, a senior diplomat said.

The deportations are the result of an immigration law that sends convicted felons back to their home countries. The US has expelled more than 200 Cambodians under the law since 2001, when Cambodia signed an agreement to take back deportees.

However, many of them had never been to Cambodia and had grown up as children of immigrants from the Khmer Rouge era.

The five men—Kol Ly Hov, Mem Meanrith, Kong Chantha, Kim Thet and Sim Loeurt—left by special plane and are expected to arrive in Cambodia by Sept. 2, Cambodia's ambassador to the US, Hem Heng, told VOA Khmer.

“They came to a developed country and should not have committed criminal acts or wrongdoing,” the ambassador said.

However, some development experts worry about the effects of deportation on men who have lived most of their lives in the US.

Some do not speak Khmer, or have no relatives or job opportunities when they arrive in Cambodia, said Kloeung Aun, executive director of the Returnee Integration Support Center, which is based in Cambodia.

Deportees may know nothing of Cambodian culture and may be split from their families back home, he said.

Cambodia: International Groups Condemn Sentencing of Local Rights Staffer

via Khmer NZ

Arbitrary Arrest, Unfair Trial Marked by Flawed Legal Proceedings

September 1, 2010

(New York) - Four international human rights organizations urged the Cambodian government to immediately release Leang Sokchouen, staff person of the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), who was sentenced to prison on disinformation charges on August 30, 2010.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) deplored Mr. Sokchoeun's detention in a joint statement today. Sokchoeun's August 30 trial was marked by numerous procedural flaws as well as violations of fair trial provisions in Cambodian and international law.

"This conviction once again highlights the lack of independence and impartiality of the courts, which are all too often used as a tool against the less powerful, rather than to uphold their rights," said Donna Guest, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific deputy director.

Cambodian police arrested Sokchouen on May 29, 2010, on charges of involvement in the production and distribution of anti-government leaflets in Takeo province in January. He was held incommunicado for over 33 hours, despite numerous requests by his family and lawyer to visit him. At his August 30 trial, Sokchouen was sentenced to two years' in prison and a 2 million riel fine (US$500) on charges of disinformation.

"Unfounded charges of disinformation or defamation are well-worn tactics used by the Cambodian government to create a climate of fear," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

"We reiterate our call to the Cambodian authorities to abolish the crimes of defamation and disinformation in Cambodian criminal law and ensure that the Criminal Code is not used to abusively restrict the right to freedom of expression," said Souhayr Belhassen, FIDH president.

"Leang Sokchouen should be immediately and unconditionally released as his detention is arbitrary and due process was blatantly violated throughout investigation and trial," added Eric Sottas, Secretary General of OMCT.

Cambodia rights body decries worsening repression as staffer jailed

via Khmer NZ

Posted : Wed, 01 Sep 2010

By : dpa

Phnom Penh - A leading human rights group in Cambodia said Wednesday that activists are operating in an increasingly hostile environment there, characterized by physical violence, illegal arrests and trumped-up criminal charges.

Up to 60 human rights activists were currently in pretrial detention on a range of charges, according to the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights.

The report, Attacks and Threats Against Human Rights Defenders in Cambodia, highlighted a number of trends the league said were being used against those the government perceives as its critics.

"Despite Cambodia being a signatory to numerous international treaties and the passage of national laws guaranteeing the protection of human rights defenders, the situation has worsened for many human rights defenders and civil society," league president Pung Chhiv Kek said.

The twice yearly report was released two days after staff member Leang Sokchoeun was jailed for two years for disinformation. Pung Chhiv Kek condemned the judgement as "an absolutely appalling example" of the lack of independence of Cambodia's courts.

She described the conviction as politically motivated and predetermined with "no basis in fact or law," adding that it "underscores the dire state of Cambodia's judiciary."

Leang Sokchoeun was sentenced with two other men after being accused of distributing anti-government leaflets. The league said the trial was marked by numerous deficiencies, including evidence that police had arrested the wrong man.

"Given the involvement of an NGO [non-governmental organization] staff member, combined with the heavy prison sentence, I am concerned that someone may be trying to send a message," Pung Chhiv Kek said.

The report highlighted measures being taken against anyone speaking out for human rights, such as community representatives protesting land grabs by the powerful.

Naly Pilorge, the league's director, said among the "disturbing trends" was the government's use of the courts as a weapon.

Other trends included charging people with defamation and disinformation to restrict freedom of expression and curbing freedom of association and assembly.

Pilorge said human rights defenders released on bail were typically told to stop their work while charges were pending - a situation that could last years.

The report made several recommendations, including calling on the government to stop arresting human rights officials and to prosecute corrupt state officials who the league said enjoy impunity.

Cambodia urged to release jailed human rights worker

http://www.amnesty.org/

via Khmer NZ

1 September 2010

Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have urged the Cambodian government to immediately release a human rights worker who was sentenced to two years in prison for giving out anti-government leaflets.

Leang Sokchouen, who works for the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), was convicted on charges of "disinformation" on Monday after a trial marked by numerous procedural flaws.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) have called or Sokchoeun’s release in a joint statement.

“This conviction once again highlights the lack of independence and impartiality of the courts, which are all too often used as a tool against the less powerful, rather than to uphold their rights,” said Donna Guest, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific deputy director.

Cambodian police arrested Sokchouen on 29 May on charges of involvement in the production and distribution of anti-government leaflets in Takeo province in January.

He was held incommunicado for over 33 hours, despite numerous requests by his family and lawyer to visit him. Sokchouen was given a US$500 fine, plus a two-year prison sentence.

“Unfounded charges of disinformation or defamation are well-worn tactics used by the Cambodian government to create a climate of fear,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

Souhayr Belhassen, FIDH President, added: “We reiterate our call to the Cambodian authorities to abolish the crimes of defamation and disinformation in Cambodian criminal law and ensure that the Criminal Code is not used to abusively restrict the right to freedom of expression.”

Eric Sottas, Secretary General of OMCT, urged the Cambodian authorities to free the activist.

“Leang Sokchouen should be immediately and unconditionally released as his detention is arbitrary and due process was blatantly violated throughout investigation and trial,” he said.

Cambodia boasts plans for Asia's tallest building

via Khmer NZ

SOPHENG CHEANG, Associated Press Writer – Wed Sep 1

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Impoverished Cambodia plans to build a 1,820-foot (555-meter) skyscraper, its prime minister said Wednesday, a feat that would give one of the region's least-developed capitals the tallest building in Asia.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said he had approved a master plan for the skyscraper, which would be located about half a mile (one kilometer) from the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh — a dusty city of colonial villas, slums and one standout skyscraper, the recently completed Canadia Tower that is about 377 feet (115 meters) high.

Hun Sen did not say when construction would start, how much it would cost or give any other details, except that it would be built by a Cambodian company, Overseas Cambodia Investment Corp., owned by tycoon Pung Khiav Se.

The company's project manager, Touch Samnang, said preliminary estimates suggest the building would cost $200 million, but the project was being studied by experts and government ministries. He said it would include a shopping mall, hotel, apartments and an entertainment center.

That figure is dwarfed by the sum for what is currently Asia's tallest building, the Taipei 101 in Taiwan. Rising 1,667 feet (508 meters), it cost about $1.6 billion. It had been the world's tallest since 2004 but was overtaken in January when Dubai unveiled the Burj Khalifa, which rises 2,717 feet (828 meters) from the desert.

Cambodia, whose commerce is tiny by international standards, has been experiencing a real estate bubble for the past few years, but several ambitious construction projects have been delayed or suspended.

VOA News Reports On Efforts To Increase Numbers Of Households With Latrines In Cambodia

via Khmer NZ

01 Sep 2010

VOA News reports on efforts underway in Cambodia to increase the public's access to latrines and awareness of sanitation strategies. The department of rural health at the Ministry of Rural Development, together with assistance from international donors, hopes "to provide 30 percent of rural homes, or 720,000 households, with latrines by 2015 - up from half a million now," the news service writes. The article notes how the Ministry of Rural Development teamed up with agricultural development charity IDE Cambodia - a group credited with the creation of a low-cost toilet, known as the EZ latrine. "The cost - about $35 dollars, compared with up to $200 if a family tries to buy supplies and build a latrine using traditional methods," the news service writes. "IDE has begun a pilot program to help the poorest buy a latrine. Families pool one dollar a month, and each month the agent builds another latrine," VOA News adds (Carmichael, 8/30).

Cambodia aims high with record-breaking skyscraper

via Khmer NZ

Cambodia is aiming for the record books with an ambitious plan to construct Asia's tallest building, a 555-metre skyscraper worth $200 million (£130 million), Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Wednesday. Skip related content.

The building would be five times taller than the country's present highest structure, the new, 32-storey Canadia Bank Tower, which dominates the Phnom Penh skyline, where buildings of more than five floors stand out.

If the project goes ahead, it would top the Taipei 101 Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Centre and Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Towers -- the world's three tallest buildings after the 828-metre Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

"It will be shorter than the one in Dubai and taller than any buildings in Asia, and I think we can do it," Hun Sen announced during a university graduation ceremony on Wednesday.

"We don't have to be too conservative and we also don't need to be too outdated," Hun Sen added, brushing off criticism from cultural groups concerned that a construction boom was threatening the city's French colonial architecture.

Hun Sen said the proposal had been made to the country's Land Management Ministry and local lender Canadia Bank would be involved in the project.

However, real estate companies questioned whether there was much demand for a building half a kilometre high in the capital of one of Asia's poorest countries.

"Where would the investors come from?" said Sung Bonna, CEO of Bonna Real Estate Group in Phnom Penh.

"We are concerned about the shortage of demand and occupancy rates so we need time, but we hope this dream comes true."

(Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Editing by Martin Petty)