AKP - Agent Kampuchea Press

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Cambodia Asks the U.S. to Consider Tax Exemptions

Phnom Penh, November 2, 2010 AKP -- Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H.E. Hor Namhong has called on the U.S. to consider tax exemptions for Cambodian goods exporting to the U.S.

Speaking at a joint press conference here on Nov. 1 after his meeting with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Cambodian deputy prime minister explained that the tax exemptions will contribute to Cambodia’s socio-economic development.

The U.S. has targeted to import annually Cambodian goods with the total values from US$2,000 million to US$3,000 million, he added.

For her part, Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton affirmed that the U.S. is willing to consolidate and expand the ties of friendship with Cambodia through trade exchanges and development in Cambodia.

“We can work even more closely together to help meet the challenges facing Cambodia and all Southeast Asia. Cambodia is doing more than ever before to improving health system, in particular, on HIV/AIDS. We will be helping the people of Cambodia mounts a comprehensive fight against the hunger by raising agricultural productivity and making nutrition foods more widely available,” she said.

Regarding the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, the U.S. secretary of state said the American government will consider providing more fund to support the tribunal’s process.

For the debt Cambodia owed to the U.S., Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton said a team of experts will come and resume talks with the Cambodian government on this issue.

She further wished to see the Office of the UN Human Rights in Cambodia continue to work with NGOs and the Cambodian government and the cooperation between the UN and the Cambodian government in human rights and rule of law training.

U.S. Secretary of State Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton began her official visit in Cambodia on Oct. 31 in Siem Reap province. She came to Phnom Penh on Monday where she met with Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen and Deputy Prime Minister H.E. Hor Namhong. She was also received in a royal audience by His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni before leaving Cambodia on the same day. --AKP

(By SOKMOM Nimul)

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Cambodia To Host ASEAN Summit in 2012

Phnom Penh, November 2, 2010 AKP -- Cambodia will become the chair of ASEAN in 2012 and Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen will represent the 10 ASEAN member countries to attend the G20 Meeting.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H.E. Hor Namhong told reporters on Oct. 31 at Phnom Penh International Airport upon the return of the Cambodian delegation led by Samdech Techo Hun Sen from the 17th ASEAN Summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam.

H.E. Hor Namhong said the 17th ASEAN Summit has touched on many topics, of them there were two main points:

The ASEAN leaders have agreed to see to it that the chair of ASEAN attend regularly the G20 Meeting on economy and finance and the G8 Meeting on security, politics and economy.

The ASEAN heads of state and government have adopted the master plan on ASEAN connectivity so as to achieve the establishment of the ASEAN Community by 2015.

According the deputy prime minister, there were 12 meetings between the ASEAN leaders and the ASEAN partner countries, during which 15 documents have been adopted by the ASEAN heads of state and government, six by foreign ministers and four by ministers of economy.

On the sidelines of the 17th ASEAN Summit, Cambodian Premier Samdech Techo Hun Sen and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao have hold bilateral talks, during which China announced a grant aid of 100 million Yuan to Cambodia to contribute to the construction of a railway line from Phnom Penh to Loc Ninh, Vietnam with the total cost of US$600 million. --AKP

(By KHAN Sophirom)

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Hungary Provides Medicine Assistance to Cambodia

Phnom Penh, November 2, 2010 AKP -- A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Int. Dev. Cooperation​ Research and Management (HUN-DEV), represented by Dr. Gyorgy Suha, Senior Advisor of the agency; and the Office of the Council of Ministers, represented by its Secretary of State H.E. Hing Thoraxy, was signed here on Oct. 28.

The auspicious occasion was presided over by Deputy​​ Prime Minister and Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers H.E. Sok An, according to the Press and Quick Reaction Unit of the Council of Ministers.

Through the MOU, the Association of Hungarian Diplomats will provide medicine assistance worth approximately US$1 million to the Royal Government for humanitarian work in the Preah Vihear Temple region.

Dr. Gyorgy Suha said that the MOU would formulate the framework for mutual cooperation between Cambodia and Hungary in various sectors, the priorities of which are the establishment of school for vocational training, Green Energy project and the transfer of agricultural technology to Cambodia.

He added that he would strive to successfully implement the MOU in order to further contribute to the development of Cambodia.

Speaking on the occasion, H.E. Sok An stressed that the MOU would contribute to the conservation and sustainable development of the Preah Vihear Temple region, which is the main focus of the Royal Government of Cambodia, under the wise leadership of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia. He further highlighted that conservation and development works are very complicated and require an in-depth study as well as a clear plan in order to ensure sustainable development, a subject which the Royal Government has always paid great attention to.

H.E. Sok An said that the Royal Government is seeking more development partners to help develop the Preah Vihear region to be an eco-tourism destination.

The Cambodian deputy prime minister is optimistic that the bilateral relations between Cambodia and Hungary will be further strengthened and enhanced.

In this ceremony, H.E. Sous Yara, Undersecretary of State of the Office of the Council of Ministers, said that the Honorable Consulate of the Republic of Hungary had asked for permission from the Royal Government of Cambodia to consider the possibility of setting up the Honorable Consulate of Cambodia in Budapest and the Honorable Consulate of Hungary in Phnom Penh. This initiative will make it easier for the two countries to foster closer cooperation so that development and investment plans in Cambodia can be effectively promoted. Moreover, the HUN-DEV institution plans to set up its good office in Cambodia in order to facilitate development cooperation between Cambodia and Hungary. --AKP

Thai 'Yellow Shirts' rally against Cambodian border agreement

Chamlong Srimuang (L) of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) addresses supporters in Bangkok. Thailand.

via CAAI

Posted: 02 November 2010

BANGKOK: About 2,000 Thai royalist "Yellow Shirts" rallied on Tuesday in front of parliament to protest against an agreement that they say will recognise an unfounded Cambodian land claim.

A 750-strong police presence was on hand in Bangkok as the Yellows, known as the People's Alliance for Democracy, shouted "Traitors!" as lawmakers and senators inside debated memorandums of understanding with Cambodia.

Ties between the neighbouring countries have been strained since July 2008 by a series of deadly border clashes over land surrounding an 11th century Cambodian temple after it was granted UN World Heritage status.

"We today come to show our stand against the MOUs which will make the country lose 4.6 kilometres to Cambodia," Sondhi Limthongkul, the Yellow Shirt leader, told reporters during the seven-hour demonstration.

The group would like to see Thailand regain control of the ancient Preah Vihear temple, which the World Court ruled in 1962 belonged to Cambodia, although the main entrance lies in Thailand.

Parliamentarians set up a joint committee on Tuesday to further discuss the pacts over the border, which has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

The Yellow Shirts are a force to be reckoned with in Thailand's colour-coded political landscape, backed by the Bangkok-based elite and pledging allegiance to the monarchy.

Their 2006 rallies helped trigger a coup that unseated the now-fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra, hero of the mostly poor, working class "Red Shirts", whose Bangkok protests this year culminated in deadly clashes with troops.

The Yellows also held a crippling airport siege in 2008 against the then pro-Thaksin government that left thousands stranded.

- AFP/de

Cambodia closer to exchange launch

via CAAI

Nov 2, 2010

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA moved a step closer to setting up a national stock exchange on Tuesday after 15 securities firms were granted licences to operate on the twice-delayed bourse, officials said.

'This clearly reflects the strong willingness of the government in putting the securities market into operation,' Finance Minister Keat Chhon said at a ceremony in Phnom Penh.

The licences were awarded to seven underwriters, four brokers, two investment advisers and two dealers.

Officials were working hard to ensure the stock exchange would open by July 2011, said Keat Chhon, who is also the chairman of Cambodia's securities and exchange commission.

Cambodia signed an agreement in 2008 with representatives from South Korea's stock exchange, the Korea Exchange, Asia's fourth-largest bourse operator, to establish a stock market in 2009.

But the southeast Asian nation delayed the launch when the global financial crisis struck. The government said at the time it would aim for a 2010 start, but recently pushed that back to next year. -- AFP

Thailand delays vote on border issue with Cambodia on street protest

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English.news.cn

2010-11-02

By Sinfah Tunsarawuth

BANGKOK, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) - A main bloc of the anti-government "Yellow-shirts" movement called off their street protest Tuesday after the Thai parliament postponed a key vote on border issues with Cambodia.

Several thousand of supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), better known as the "Yellow shirts", led by Sondhi Limthongkul, dispersed after a joint session of the bicameral parliament decided to set up a committee to further study the border issues for another 30 days.

The 30-member committee, including members of the House of Representatives and Senate, will then report their study on demarcation of disputed border areas between Thailand and Cambodia to the parliament, parliament president Chai Chidchob told the meeting.

However, a smaller wing of PAD, whose members are more aggressive, continued its rally in front of the Parliament House as of late Tuesday in demanding the government to scrap all the existing framework agreements on border demarcation between the two countries.

Sondhi's group simply wanted the parliament to put off its vote on the demarcation issue, and agreed to disperse after their demand was met.

Sondhi told his supporters that another rally would be called on Dec. 11 to further press the government on the issue.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told the parliament during Tuesday's deliberation that his government needed to solve the demarcation issue with Cambodia through the existing Joint Border Commission (JBC) and memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in 2000 with Phnom Penh.

Abhisit said, otherwise, Cambodia would try to propose the border dispute with the United Nations in asking for an international intervention.

Abhisit has repeatedly said that his government treated the issue as a bilateral one and wanted to avoid any intervention by the international community.

"We have to show our sincerity in making use of the bilateral mechanism," the prime minister said.

"The government reaffirms that we will protect our sovereignty, " he said.

Sondhi's supporters were worried that Thailand might lose some of its border areas to Cambodia through the current mechanism of JBC and the MOU.

Asked to comment on the postponement of a parliamentary vote as a result of the protest by Sondhi's group, Abhisit said: "Some people in our country are violence-prone."

He said he has met with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen three times this year and Phnom Penh understood that the issue has been moving slowly because of Thai parliamentary process.

The disputed area includes a stretch of 195 kilometer border line on the northeast of Thailand, of which Sondhi's supporters demanded the government to use the natural watershed as the demarcation line instead of a map drawn up by the French when Cambodia was its colony.

Abhisit said his government had no objection for the parliament to set up a committee to further study the issue.

Under the current constitution, the Thai government is required to seek parliamentary approval for any agreement with a foreign country which will affect the country's territory.

Though the parliament decided to postpone a vote on the demarcation issue, it voted on Tuesday to allow the government to move ahead with another joint Thai-Cambodia body set up to deal with border trade and defense issues along their common border.

Editor: Wang Guanqun

Cambodia to record history of all pagodas

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English.news.cn

2010-11-02

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian government has advised all provincial authorizes across the country to record the history of all pagodas to better oversee and know their backgrounds.

Dauk Narin, secretary of state of Ministry of Religion and Cult said Tuesday that his ministry has already advised all provincial and municipal authorities to record the backgrounds of all pagodas such as when they are established, how many monks are staying in those pagodas, and how many clergy men and clergy women.

The move was taken at the order of Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen who is eager to get a clear and accurate data.

According to the statistics provided by Ministry of Religion and Cult, by April 2010, there were 4,392 pagodas and more than 50, 000 monks in all the country's 24 provinces and cities.

About 90 percent of 14 million Cambodian populations are Buddhists and the rest shared by Christians, Muslims as well as other ethnic believers.

According to Cambodian constitution, Buddhism is the state religion.

However, Cambodian government has told its people not to discriminate or insult other religions.

Earlier this year, the government ordered all televisions and radios to not broadcast or air any comments that insult religious beliefs of other religion.

In an advisory sent out all televisions and radio stations across the country, the Ministry of Information said there was one radio station airing comment saying only Christians who always distribute relief stuff to prisoners, the victims by typhoon and flood or earthquakes.

The advisory which was signed by Khieu Kanharith, minister of information said Buddhists are in great help of others when they are in need.

The advisory, however, said it was fine any televisions and radio to broadcast and air anything relating to all kinds of religions, but not to insult others.

It noted with appreciation that many programs that touch on religious affairs that help the society through the respect of morality, culture and tradition.

Editor: Wang Guanqun

In Visit, Clinton Signals Support for Youth, as Well as the Tribunal

How NGOs are adopting a missionary position in Asia

http://www.spiked-online.com/

via CAAI

Tuesday 2 November 2010

We all know that there is a big sex industry in south-east Asia. In fact, it often seems that sex is the only thing we hear about in reports from this part of the world as the media peddles salacious stories about ‘sex tourism’, ‘ladyboys’, virgins for sale and girls tricked into prostitution. But in recent years another kind of trade has boomed there: the anti-trafficking industry. And local sex worker rights activists tell me that this industry is a far bigger problem for them than punters looking for sex or company.

Today, there are hundreds of non-governmental organisations in Cambodia alone working to ‘rescue and rehabilitate’ sex workers. Local sex-worker representatives even claim that there are more anti-trafficking activists than there are genuine trafficking victims.

Indeed, last year an audit of the USAID Counter Trafficking in Persons project reported that in 2009 the Cambodian government convicted just 12 people of trafficking offences. As for trafficking victims, the audit concluded that it was beyond the scope of the five-year project - initiated in 2006 with a budget of $7.3million – to establish ‘baseline data’ on the numbers of victims.

Andrew Hunter from the Asia-Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW) tells me that there are NGO-run women’s shelters across Cambodia that rely on funding from donors like USAID and that they use ‘lurid stories of sexual abuse to raise money. It’s kind of pornographic in a way - but it seems making up stories of the enslavement and sexual degradation of women raises more funds.’

The USAID report explained that other organisations and researchers had also failed to establish just how many trafficking victims there are in Cambodia. One of the obstacles identified was that ‘Human trafficking victims may be unaware, unwilling, or unable to acknowledge that they are trafficking victims, so it is difficult to reach them…’

For Andrew, saying that women are unwitting victims – even if they vehemently deny it – is tantamount to denying ‘the idea that women have agency’. (Ironically, the anti-trafficking industry is to a large extent made up of self-described feminists. But feminists have traditionally fought for women to be regarded as autonomous, free-thinking individuals, not as clueless victims.)

As for enforced prostitution, Andrew says that ‘women (and men) generally take up jobs because they need to earn money’ and the same is true for sex work. ‘The fewer skills you have, the less choice you have, but many women do choose sex work.’

‘Large numbers of sex workers in Cambodia are former garment workers’, Andrew continues. ‘They find conditions in the sex industry better than in the garment factories. In fact, a few weeks ago, Cambodian garment workers organised massive strikes demanding higher wages - and sex workers were on the picket lines supporting them.’

Yet a recent BBC documentary claimed that thousands of young girls are being sold into sexual slavery in Cambodia and that prostitution is not something women take up voluntarily.

The documentary was presented by Stacey Dooley, who made her television debut in the 2008 BBC series Blood, Sweat and T-shirts, in which six young British ‘fashion addicts’ toured factories and slums in India. Up until then, Dooley had been interested in little more than clothes and makeup, but now she goes around the world investigating topics such as the use of child soldiers and child labourers in the developing world.

In her report from Cambodia, Dooley hardly has a dry-eyed moment. As Alang, an 18-year-old prostitute, tells Dooley her story (she was sold to pimps by her aunt at the age of 12) the young Brit weeps uncontrollably. After waiting nine hours to accompany police on a raid to ‘bust some brothels’, Dooley starts crying because the cops fail to catch any pimps. And so on. She also visits an impoverished widow whose youngest daughter attends activities organised by the Sao Sary Foundation. This is an NGO which runs lessons for rural children whom they’ve identified as being at risk of falling prey to traffickers.

Andrew has heard it all before. ‘The idea that large numbers of women are sold into the sex industry by their families is based on a premise that poor people are stupid, ignorant and naive – not to mention cruel.’

‘Yes, this kind of thing used to happen’, Andrew tells me, ‘in the period after the civil war when Cambodia started “opening up”’. During the time of the UN peacekeeping operation in 1992-93, women from rural areas started going to cities to find work, but were often forced into degrading situations. But as women went back to their villages and told their relatives of their experiences, people started to learn, explains Andrew. ‘The same is true all over south-east Asia. Ten years ago, when sex workers in Cambodia were crying out for assistance on this issue no one was interested. So they formed their own unions to fight for their rights as workers. Since anti-trafficking money became available, however, suddenly every NGO is worried about “rescuing sex workers”.’

The anti-trafficking industry boomed in the early Noughties, when then US president George W Bush launched the ‘war on trafficking’ as a ‘soft power strategy’ to accompany the global war on terror. However, the thinly veiled agenda was to abolish any form of sex work. Funding to organisations that ‘promote, support, or advocate the legalisation or practice of prostitution’ was suspended.

In addition, two years ago, the Cambodian government passed the Law on Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, drafted with the support of UNICEF. As researcher Cheryl Overs has shown, it criminalises ‘almost all social and financial transactions connected to sex work, whether they are abusive or consensual, fair or unfair’. According to Andrew, this has had devastating effects, driving sex workers onto the streets where they are more vulnerable and into karaoke bars where they are not allowed to carry condoms.

In her documentary, Dooley also meets a young girl who was tricked into prostitution at the age of 13 and has suffered horrific abuse, including being forced to drink alcohol mixed with crushed glass. Andrew says this kind of abuse becomes more likely when the sex industry is driven underground and sex workers cannot organise to protect their rights.

Moreover, ‘many of the agencies working with “trafficking victims” in fact illegally detain sex workers after they have been rounded up in police raids. I have met sex workers who have been held against their will for up to three months in so-called shelters.’ Andrew tells me that many shelters are set up specifically for ‘protection cases’ - ‘young girls taken by NGOs from villages in order to hide them from traffickers’. So, in order to prevent young girls from being taken away from their families, NGOs take them away from their families… ‘Usually, they teach them things like sewing and in that way offer ready-trained workers for the garment industry, where women are indeed exploited and paid paltry wages.’ Also, ‘there are plenty of US-backed DIY-NGOs in Cambodia who want to save young girls, offering them bible study dressed up as literacy classes.’ This is a missionary position indeed.

Over at Dooley’s blog, there is now a lively discussion going on, with Cambodian activists and researchers refuting some of the claims made in her documentary. Others are appalled at Dooley’s patronising tone. Indeed, she speaks to the Cambodians she meets as if they are children, looking at them with puppy eyes as they tell her of their hardships and explaining, in simple, clearly enunciated English (even though there were translators in the film crew) how she would do her best to help them and how she feels their pain.

For Dooley, who confesses she is a bit of a prude and has never met a prostitute before, the red light districts of Cambodia are understandably overwhelming. It’s hard for her to imagine that anything other than ‘brothel busting’ could be the answer to the exploitation some girls experience. But good intentions and sympathy can do a lot of harm. Dooley may want to show that she understands poor people’s desperation, but, in the end, she comes across as a wide-eyed, ignorant, well-heeled westerner wanting desperately to Do Something. She lectures and hectors everyone from western men to Cambodian police for failing to help girls in need.

Yes, Dooley is a ditzy young woman who got a gig with the BBC by fluke, but she perfectly epitomises the neo-colonialist streak to anti-trafficking. Documentaries such as hers only help portray developing world countries like Cambodia as places of vice and beastliness on the one hand, and ignorance and innocence on the other; as places filled with people who need to be rescued and civilised.

My guess is that Cambodians could do without such ‘help’ and that British television viewers could do with some programmes exposing the dubious interests and machinations of the anti-trafficking industry in south-east Asia and beyond.

Nathalie Rothschild is commissioning editor of spiked.

Cambodian court reduces detained journalist's prison term

http://www.ifex.org/

via CAAI

(SEAPA/IFEX) - Imprisoned Cambodian journalist Ros Sokhet was ordered released by the Appeal Court on 28 October 2010, almost a year after he was arrested on disinformation charges, media reports said.

The "Phnom Penh Post" said that although presiding judge Pol Sam Oeun upheld the lower court's conviction, the journalist's original two-year prison term was cut in half.

The case stemmed from accusations that Ros Sokhet sent threatening text messages to commentator and news anchor Soy Sopheap.

In November 2009, he was convicted of disinformation before the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and was sentenced to two years' imprisonment.

The "Phnom Penh Post" said the journalist's lawyer, Sam Sokong, said that he would still file an appeal to the Supreme Court despite Ros Sokhet's release in order to have the conviction overturned.

"It is unfair because the court does not have the evidence to accuse my client," Sam Sokong said. "On behalf of [my client], I will file a complaint to the Supreme Court."

Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann described the case against Ros Sokhet as "unjust", and said it was another example of political interference in the courts.

Chairman Wu's visit to Cambodia is of great significance: National Assembly President

via CAAI

November 02, 2010

"On behalf of the National Assembly, I would like to highly value the progress of relations between Cambodia and China," Cambodian National Assembly President Heng Samrin told Xinhua in an interview on Tuesday.

"From Nov. 3 through 6, 2010, Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, will make an official visit to Cambodia at the invitation of me. Cambodia is looking forward to this all important visit, which will be sure to achieve complete success and to further deepen Cambodia and China's comprehensive friendly cooperative partnership," he said.

He highly valued the friendship relations between Cambodia and China."Our friendly relations have sustained the fierce test of international drastic change, and keep consolidated and developed."

"The present Cambodian leaders as well as the leaders in old generations have attached great importance to strengthening friendly relations with China which have so long left by our ancestors, because it is coincide with the fundamental interests of the peoples of our two countries and which is also contributing to the regional and global peace and development," Heng Samrin said.

He said that the two countries always kept high level contact in recent years, citing such as the visit by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in 2006; Jia Qinglin, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, in 2008; and Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's visit in 2009 as well as other senior officials' visits.

"It is obvious that our King Norodom Sihamoni, President of the Senate Chea Sim and Prime Minister Hun Sen have all visited many times to China. For the legislative bodies, the relations have been promoted since my visit to China in 2007 during which an agreement of cooperation between the two parliaments was signed," he added.

"I highly value the progress of our friendship, solidarity and cooperation in various fields. To date, many agreements and MOUs have been signed by the two countries. From 2004 to 2010, 158 scholarships have been provided by Chinese government for Cambodia 's human resource development, and an additional of 666 scholarships for short term training."

On the issue of economic and trade cooperation, Heng said that "it is worth to note that the bilateral trades of our two nations have also been quickly increased. Now, we are in the process of promoting more trades and on this particular field, we also would like to express our thanks to the People's Republic of China for tax exemptions of 418 types exported from Cambodia. In the mean time, it is an encouraging trend of Chinese investments in Cambodia, especially, the power supply sector. I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to the PRC to expand more investments and pay more focus on tourism, economics, culture, education, health so as to benefit the mutual governments and our two peoples.

At the same time, Heng said he would like to express his sincere gratitude to the people and the government of China who have supported and assisted Cambodia.

Heng reiterated that Cambodia, as always, adheres to one China policy and to implement all agreements signed "by myself and H.E. Wu Bangguo during my visit to China in 2007". He said these agreements, the two sides have approved and arranged, will strengthen the cooperation for the levels including senior leaders of the parliament; specialized committee of the parliament; friendship group of the parliament; and the General Secretariat of the parliament.

When talking about the future of the relations of the two countries, Heng said that "as for the future, our two nations will and must continue to strengthen friendship, solidarity and cooperation in the bilateral framework at both national and international fora in order to serve the interests of our two peoples and of our two nations."

Source:Xinhua

House panel to study border MoUs

Published: 2/11/2010 

via CAAI

The joint sitting of the House and the Senate on Tuesday resolved to set up a joint committee to study three memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed by the Thai-Cambodian Joint Border Commission (JBC) and report in 30 days.

The three memos must be endorsed by parliament under Article 190 of the constitution in order to go into effect.

The resolution, passed by a vote of 260-10 with 57 abstentions, is for a joint parliament committee - comprising 23 MPs and seven senators - to be set up to study the three memos for 30 days.

The joint sitting, chaired by Parliament President Chai Chidchob, began at 9.30am.

Some of the lawmakers called for the government to withdraw the three MoUs, reasoning that the matter required careful consideration as a number of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters were gathering to oppose them in front of the parliament.

There might be problems if they were endorsed right away, they said.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said the government would look after the country's best interests in handling the demarcation of the border in dispute.

"The past disputes showed that a clearly defined border line would prevent and ease tensions between the two countries. It would also ensure mutual security along the border," Mr Kasit said.

He said the government has opted not to station soldiers in the disputed area because it wants to solve the border conflict through peaceful means. Doing this does not mean a loss of territory.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he had three recent meetings with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who now understands that the three JBC memos under the 2000 MOU must undergo a parliamentary process, as required by the constitution.

It is necessary for Thailand to show sincerely that it wants to use bilateral mechanisms to solve problems, he said.

Mr Abhisit said he had no objection to parliament setting up a joint committee to study the MoUs.

In a subsequent vote, the joint sitting resolved to up the joint committee to study the memos for 30 days.

The 30-member joint panel has 30 days to review the three memorandums of understanding (MoUs).

Most of the PAD supporters outside the parliament dispersed in the afternoon after the House resolved to set up a joint committee to review three memos of the JBC.

The yellow-shirt PAD claims the MoUs put Thailand at a disadvantage in settling its border dispute with Cambodia and demand the parliament rejects them.

PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongpan said the setting up of a panel to review the controversial border MoUs with Cambodia was just a government's effort to buy time.

Mr Panthep said the panel should comprise of 15 senators and 15 MPs, but instead it was decided by the House that the committee will comprise of seven senators and 23 MPs.

He said that 15 of the 23 MPs are from the government.

After learning of the parliament resolution, the PAD made an appointment to rally again at Makhawan Rangsan bridge on Dec 11.

Maj Gen Chamlong Srimuang told the protesters to be prepared for a prolonged rally.

The mass rally will not end until the government revokes the MoUs and cooperates with the army to push Cambodians who have settled in the disputed land along the border back to their own country, he said.

However, pro-PAD Thai Patriots Network leader Veera Somkwamkid said his supporters will not disperse from the area in front of the parliament until the two demands are met.

A few hundred supporters of the network remained there as of Tuesday afternoon.

Cambodia approves 15 securities firms for new bourse

via CAAI

Reuters - Tuesday, November 2

PHNOM PENH, Nov 2 - Cambodia has granted licences to 15 securities firms to operate on its stock market, which is due to open next year, the country's securities and exchange commission said on Tuesday.

Fifteen of 22 applicants were given the green light to operate on the new bourse, the Cambodia Securities Exchange . There were seven underwriters, four brokers, two investment advisers and two dealers.

"This clearly reflects the strong willingness of the government to put the securities market into operation," Finance Minister Keat Chhon, who is also chairman of the commission, said during a ceremony to award the licences.

Most of the 15 are either partly or wholly owned by Malaysian, Vietnamese, Japanese, South Korean or U.S. companies.

They include South Korea's Tong Yang Securities <003470.KS>, Malaysia's OSK Indochina Securities and Campubank Securities, Vietnamese-owned Cambodia Vietnam Securities and Sacombank Securities and Japan's SBI Phnom Penh Securities.

The two firms granted licenses as investment advisers are Angkor VDS Securities and Angkor Capital Advisors, both of which are subsidiaries of U.S.-owned Angkor Capital Bank.

The idea of a Cambodian stock market has been around since the 1990s but it failed to materialise because of political uncertainty and economic stagnation in one of Asia's poorest countries.

There have also been concerns that Cambodia is trying to move too fast, and that inexperienced local investors could face big risks in a country blighted by corruption and mismanagement.

The launch of the $6 million bourse, which is being built by a South Korean developer, has twice been delayed but the Finance Ministry says it will begin trading by July 2011 "at all costs".

However, Nguon Meng Tech, director-general of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, warned against launching too soon.

"I think there will be no listed firms because of a lack of public confidence and knowledge among local investors," he said. "In my opinion, I think it should take another three years at least to launch a stock market in Cambodia."

According to The Securities Exchange Commission of Cambodia , firms seeking to operate as securities underwriters must have $9.45 million in capital, dealers require $5.9 million and brokers $1.41 million.

The Finance Ministry has given priority to state companies for listings, and has asked Telecom Cambodia, port operator Sihanoukville Autonomous Port and the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority to list shares.

(Reporting by Phnom Penh Newsroom; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Alan Raybould)

PAD border demands fall on deaf ears

via CAAI

Court dismisses call to quash memorandums

Published: 2/11/2010

via CAAI

The Central Administrative Court has thrown out complaints lodged by the People's Alliance for Democracy against the government's plans to reassess the demarcation of the border with Cambodia.

PAD leaders filed a petition with the court on Friday asking it to revoke a memorandum of understanding reached with Cambodia in 2000 and to call for an injunction against three other memorandums based on the original memo.

The PAD argued that parliamentary endorsement of the three latter memos, which were signed last year and in 2008 by the Joint Boundary Commission, would result in a significant loss of territory.

The government will table the three memos in parliament today.

The PAD is expected to rally today in front of parliament following the court's rejection of its complaints.

The court ruled the cases were outside its jurisdiction as the government and parliament were exercising their constitutional right to put the memos forward for approval.

PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila said the alliance would appeal the verdict as the group believed the memos and related documents would harm the national interest.

"We will consider bringing the case to the Constitution Court if the House endorses the agreements and other related documents," Mr Suriyasai said after learning of the Administrative Court's ruling.

He said there would be fewer PAD demonstrators than at past gatherings because of flooding. He estimated the crowd could reach "several thousand".

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya called on the PAD to be rational with its nationalism.

Mr Kasit, who stood united with the PAD to call for the expulsion of the Thaksin Shinawatra administration, said he had met the group's leaders more than 10 times to discuss the problem but with no result.

"PAD seems to always go back to its own conclusion that the government is giving up our land to Cambodia," Mr Kasit said.

"I would like them to speak the truth to the public."

The PAD said the JBC memorandums were based on the original 2000 memo which recognises a French map of 1:200,000 scale, which puts Thailand at a disadvantage. The JBC was formed under the 2000 agreement to implement joint memos to solve the dispute.

Mr Kasit said the government's stance on demarcation was based on the watershed line, not the map.

The Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation said yesterday it had assigned police to coordinate with PAD leaders to monitor today's rally to ensure participants toe the line.

CRES spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said rally organisers must be made aware of what their limitations are when holding a rally while emergency rule was in effect. He said he was confident the situation would remain under control and said authorities would take swift action if the law was breached.

PAD spokesman Panthep Pongpuaphan said he was unsure of how many supporters would attend the rally.

"Our understanding is that many of those having shown up at our previous rallies may not come as they are either supporters of the Democrat Party or are affected by flooding," he said.

Five PAD leaders will be present at the rally, he said. The group leaders will determine the PAD's next move later today after parliament's decision on the memos is made.

Yellow Shirts rally against Thai-Cambodian border documents

via CAAI

BANGKOK, Nov 2 - Thailand's 'Yellow Shirt' People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) on Tuesday gathered at Parliament to express their opposition to the adopting the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC)'s meeting reports as Tuesday’s session of parliament is due to vote on endorsing the documents.

The Thai Constitution requires that any agreement made with other countries must first gain parliamentary approval.

PAD leaders Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang, Sondhi Limthongkul, and Pipob Thongchai led demonstrators, marching from Royal Plaza to the parliament at 8am amid security provided by about 750 police officers.

The PAD demanded that the agenda items dealing with the three previous meeting reports of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) be withdrawn from the parliament session.

The PAD rallied on the sidewalk and are not obstructing conduct of the joint parliamentary session as an emergency decree remains in effect in the capital.

Mr Sondhi said their rally would be peaceful and would not be prolonged, but if the parliament endorses the documents, the PAD activists will convene a mass rally again in December and their demonstration at that time will be prolonged until their demands are met.

PAD member Amorn Aamaratthanon addressed the crowd from a truck-mounted mobile stage on a truck, saying the Yellow Shirts have scheduled a small forum to educate the public on the issue until 6pm. The PAD are expected to decide their next move later today.

Meanwhile, the Administrative Court on Monday dismissed the PAD petition and upholds enforcement of the Thai-Cambodian 2000 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Thai and Cambodia.

The PAD on Friday petitioned the Central Administrative Court seeking an injunction barring implementation of the 2000 MoU and to revoke three documents dealt with by the JBC meeting.

The Yellow Shirt movement believes that the JBC agreement is disadvantageous to Thailand. PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongpan said the petition was necessary as there was clear evidence that Thailand might be at risk of losing its territories once the 2000 MoU is implemented. In addition, he said the document is yet to be approved by parliament, which is considered unconstitutional.

The PAD earlier issued a statement claiming that the documents originated from the MoU signed by Thailand and Cambodia in June 2000 related to the survey and boundary demarcation.

The documents are based on the 2000 MoU which recognises a French map with a scale of 1:200,000 sq km which the PAD said puts Thailand at risk of losing territory. (MCOT online news)

Cambodia Deals a Blow to Thaksin

http://asiasentinel.com/

via CAAI

Abhisit and Hun Sen: Trouble for Thaksin?

Written by Pavin Chachavalpongpun

Tuesday, 02 November 2010

Hun Sen may tilt towards Abhisit

Thais and Cambodians alike are puzzled following the abrupt shift of Phnom Penh's policy toward Bangkok. This new policy is more amicable, more compromising and less confrontational.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen, in particular, is seen to have enthusiastically welcomed a renewed relationship with his former enemies across the border – Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, with potentially ominous personal implications for Thaksin Shinawatra, the deposed Thai Prime Minister who continues to lead protest inside the country from afar.

In Hanoi last week at the sidelines of the 17th Asean Summit, Abhisit met with Hun Sen and engaged in a 15-minute discussion. Abhisit later told the media that Hun Sen had accepted a request from Thailand to investigate reports that some red-shirt leaders with outstanding arrest warrants for terrorism were hiding in Cambodia. Abhisit also said Hun Sen had assured him that Cambodia is ready to throw its support behind Thai authorities if they officially requested it.

On the surface, this friendly development seems to suggest that Thai and Cambodian leaders have forgiven one another for what they did to each other in the past and now want to put differences aside. In his interview with Singapore's press, Kasit declared, "Thai-Cambodian relations are on the mend, especially after the return of our respective ambassadors to their posts. We may have our differences, but I think this is not uncommon for neighbouring countries sharing a common border."

But such flowery diplomatic language fails to shed light on what has really driven Hun Sen to U-turn his country's policy.

In my interview with a self-exiled UDD leader, he admitted that the entire strategy of the current pro-democracy red-shirt movement, which included the UDD, independent groups inside and outside Thailand, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his team, and possibly some members of the Puea Thai Party, has not been uniformly conceived.

This condition could open the door for the radical elements to exploit the movement's ambiguous agenda and strategy. The interviewee also hinted that Hun Sen himself might not be able to confirm that so-called red shirt militants are being trained on his soil. In fact, Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh said over the weekend that he did not know if Arisman Pongruangrong, presently charged of terrorism in connection with political violence during the red-shirt protests, is in hiding in his country. And this could explain why Hun Sen was willing to cooperate with the Thai authorities, to find out the truth himself.

It may also explain why Hun Sen has lately been distancing himself from the red-shirt movement and instead befriending the Abhisit government. Back in October 2009, Hun Sen publicly offered his support to Thaksin and the UDD. He stated, "This is just moral support from me. As one million Thai people of the red-shirt group support Thaksin, why cannot I, as a friend from afar, support Thaksin?"

But it becomes clearer now that the red-shirt movement, and to some extent the Puea Thai Party, have been in serious disarray. The fragmentation within the red-shirt camp, partly because most of its core leaders are under detention, has compelled Hun Sen to reconsider whether supporting the red shirts is still in his country's interest.

It is unlikely that the Cambodian government would sacrifice itself or be exposed to such risks without any coherent or winnable strategy on the part of the red-shirt movement. After all, Hun Sen is known to be a calculating political leader and therefore would not play the game if there was no sure bet available.

The red-shirt UDD is not the only casualty in this perplexing diplomatic game between Cambodia and Thailand. Thaksin, too, has become Hun Sen's estranged partner. At the peak of Thai-Cambodian conflict last year, Hun Sen said out loud that Thaksin was his protégé. Hun Sen even made an emotional plea, "Though I am not Thai, I am hurt by what has happened to him. My wife even cried on learning about it and has an idea to build a home for Thaksin to come and stay honourably." As a consequence, Hun Sen appointed Thaksin as a special economic advisor to his cabinet, apparently to irritate the Abhisit government and further complicate Thai politics.

However, the political situation in Thailand has changed drastically within the past six months, precisely after the violent crackdown on street protesters in Bangkok in May 2010. Some red-shirt members were accused of engaging in terrorist acts. Thaksin, increasingly politically marginalized, has been labelled by his opponents as the chief operator of a terrorist network.

Hun Sen may only now realise that Thaksin, once perceived as Cambodia's long-term interest, is slipping away and that it will be very difficult for him to return to power anytime soon. At the same time, he may also observe that Abhisit's Democrat Party, despite currently fighting for its continued existence in the dissolution case, appears to have become much stronger, not so much because it has crafted new political strategies, but because the Puea Thai and the UDD are both becoming weaker and the channels of communication between them have broken down.

As Prime Minister's Office Minister Ong-art Klampaibul said in early September this year, "Hun Sen has voiced confidence that Abhisit will stay in the post for a long time and that the prime minister has grown stronger and proved his leadership skills."

Critics of this government may not want to hear this, but it is highly possible that, under the present political circumstance, the Democrat Party stands a good chance of winning the next election, with the help of certain personalities, like Newin Chidchob. Thus, in the short term and perhaps for the next 4-5 years, the Democrat Party would still be around. The traditional elite are determined to keep the Democrat Party so that it could watch over any major political event or transition within the political domain or key institutions.

Hun Sen might not have the patience or does not want to wait until the day Thaksin comes home. In actual fact, this might not happen at all. Hence, the disintegration of Thailand's opposition and the slim chance of Thaksin's political survival could form the basis of Hun Sen's changing attitude toward Thailand.

Pavin Chachavalpongpun is a former Thai diplomat and now a Fellow at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

Actress shooting: Four people charged with assault

via CAAI

Tuesday, 02 November 2010 15:02 Mom Kunthear

Actress shooting

FOUR people were charged with premeditated assault by the Siem Reap provincial court in the case of a fight with two military police in a dispute that left film star Sven Socheata wounded.

Touch Sopheakdei, provincial deputy prosecutor, said the individuals were arrested on Saturday morning after fighting the officials, who had been sent to break up an argument at a pagoda where around 10 people were partying after a day of filming.

He said they were charged with “premeditated assault on Sunday afternoon”, before they were sent “to the judge to decide whether they [should be] detained or not.” The judge in charge of the case, Sous La, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Bich Savin, owner of Seven Productions, said filming could not continue because the whereabouts of injured lead actress Sven Socheata was unknown.

He said the incident would delay filming the remaining 10 percent of the movie, costing his company up to US$7,000.

“Until now I don’t know where Sveng Socheata is, and I need the apology from her,” Bich Savin said. “The money is not important, but I need my honour.”

Controversial ‘Freedom Park’ ready to open

via CAAI

Tuesday, 02 November 2010 15:02 Vong Sokheng

PHNOM Penh Governor Kep Chuktema is scheduled to unveil the city’s controversial “Freedom Park” in a ceremony on Thursday, according to an official City Hall document, reigniting concerns that it will be used as a pretext to crack down on public demonstrations.

The park, a specially designed space close to the railway station in central Phnom Penh, will allow protests and gatherings of up to 200 people in line with the Law on Peaceful Demonstrations, passed in October 2009. But the Freedom Park has come under fire from opposition parties and rights groups, who have described the park – as well as the new law on demonstrations – as a threat to freedom of expression.

The law restricts public protests to crowds of fewer than 200 people, and requires at least three representatives to register their identification cards with local authorities at least five days prior to the protest. Demonstrations are also banned after dark.

Mu Sochua, a lawmaker for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, said that limiting the space for and duration of demonstrations was a sign the government “does not respect the rights of victims while the country is full of nepotism”.

Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association, also criticised the law for only permitting protests far from government ministries and Prime Minister Hun Sen’s residence. “What does it mean for us to hold a peaceful demonstrations at a place where the government, the parliamentarians and the international community will not see and hear our voice?” he said.

The governor could not be reached for comment, but Kirt Chantharith, spokesman of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police, said street demonstrations would not be prohibited once the “Freedom Park” opened, but would have to be approved by the authorities.

“It doesn’t matter about the location,” he said. “If the request of the protestors is in the national interest, then the government will take them into consideration.”

NGOs show support for UN rights office

via CAAI

Tuesday, 02 November 2010 15:02 Cameron Wells

A COALITION of activist groups yesterday sent an open letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, expressing support for the embattled UN human rights office in Phnom Penh and describing the government’s recent attacks on its director as “a smokescreen” to “distract observers” from rights issues facing Cambodia.

The letter, signed by 15 local organisations, stated that recent government statements referring to Christophe Peschoux, head of the local Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as an “opposition spokesman” were consistent with previous attempts to damp down outspoken government critics.

“This is consistent with the behaviour of senior government members in recent years, whose responses to measured and constructive criticisms on issues such as freedom of expression, the independence of the judiciary, corruption, and the trafficking of women and children, have become increasingly belligerent,” the letter stated.

During a meeting with the visiting secretary general last week, Prime Minister Hun Sen said the OHCHR would be closed if Peschoux, the long-time director of the office, were not removed from his post.

The letter said the request for Peschoux’s resignation was “an attempt by the government to determine the leadership of OHCHR Cambodia”, and pledged full support for the office. They added that OHCHR played an essential role in ensuring Cambodia meets its international human rights obligations.

Flip-flopping

The letter came amid increasing uncertainty as to the government’s stance towards the OHCHR. Some officials have backtracked on comments by Information Minister Khieu Kanharith, who said during Ban’s visit that the office would be closed regardless of Peschoux’s position.

On Sunday, Koy Kuong described the office as “unnecessary”, but said the government would request its closure only if Peschoux remained.

Yesterday, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong further softened the government’s stance, stating that an agreement between the government and the UN allowed the office to remain open until January 2012.

“No decision has been made in relation to the closure of the UN human rights office,” he said at a press briefing in Phnom Penh.

Peschoux said yesterday that the secretary general had “stressed the value of the OHCHR Office in Phnom Penh and its essential public advocacy role”, but declined to comment on the furor surrounding his position.

John Coughlan, senior legal consultant for the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, said yesterday that the government’s softening of previous statements might be a recognition of the office’s importance.

“Hopefully, the apparent change in the government’s stance towards the UN human rights office in Cambodia is reflective of their understanding of the need for and benefits of its presence here,” he said.

Coughlan said that any closure of the office would leave Cambodian NGOs “very much in the balance”, questioning how effectively they could operate in a country that did not allow UN rights officials to operate freely.

“If the UN office is closed for its constructive criticism of the government, it will set a chilling precedent for smaller local organisations,” he said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CHEANG SOKHA

NGOs worry about rail relocations

Photo by: Uy Nousereimony
A boy walks along a delapidated railway in Kampong Speu province

via CAAI

Tuesday, 02 November 2010 15:01 Cameron Wells and Sam Rith

A COALITION of NGOs has written to the heads of the Asian Development Bank and AusAID, expressing “grave concerns” about the treatment of Cambodians affected by the refurbishment of rail lines.

The letter came amid reports that two children drowned at a resettlement site in Battambang province.

Lines connecting Kampot to Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh to Battambang are being refurbished in a process that is expected to be completed in 2013.

ADB has approved US$84 million in concessional loans for the project, and AusAID, the development arm of the Australian government, has contributed $21.5 million in grants.

The statement released by the NGOs referred to the drowning deaths of two children, ages 13 and 9, as they fetched water from a local well earlier this year. The NGOs said their family faced a shortage of water because no infrastructure had been provided for resettled families.

The coalition called “for reparations for the aggrieved family of the two children”, and called on ADB and AusAID to “temporarily halt funding tranches” until similar problems at all relocation sites were solved.

They say that a total of 4,000 families will be affected by the project.

Nora Lindstrom, an adviser for the NGO Sahmakum Teang Tnaut, which signed the letter, said yesterday that her group had documented cases in which households “had received as little as a few hundred dollars in compensation” in addition to a plot of land at a relocation site.

“Such a paltry amount does not allow these households to rebuild their homes to adequate standards,” she said.

“Combined with changed livelihood opportunities, this situation has led many households to borrow money to survive.”

A spokeswoman for the Australian embassy declined to comment on whether AusAID would freeze future funding for the project. She said resettlement policies were enacted by the government, but were required to abide by the ADB’s “Policy on Involuntary Resettlements”, which she said mandated fair compensation to ensure that people’s livelihoods “are at least as good as they were before resettlement”.

“AusAID has been involved in ongoing discussions to ensure that the resettlements are managed in accordance with this policy,” she said.

Sothea Ros, external relations coordinator for ADB in Cambodia, also declined to say whether funding would be halted.

“We have been in contact with the government’s interdepartmental resettlement division about the circumstances surrounding the incident, and they have agreed to conduct a re-investigation,” she said via email.

“ADB’s social advisor is also scheduled to visit the site in the coming week to meet with the bereaved family and local officials to learn more about the circumstances surrounding this tragic event.”

She said issues related to resettlement and compensation “remain the responsibility of the government of Cambodia”. “ADB is committed to working with the government to address and resolve all resettlement-related issues that are brought to its attention,” she added.

Touch Chankosal, secretary of state at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, said the government had paid compensation and resettled affected families according to ADB guidelines.

The NGOs “might as well say ... whatever they want, but the donors will not agree to give us the money if [we] did not help the impacted families”, he said. “We have to fulfil the conditions that the donors set, otherwise they will not give us the money.”

Kingdom touts preparedness

Photo by: Sreng Meng Srun
Villagers wade through knee-deep floodwaters along National Road 3 in Takeo province following torrential rains last month.

via CAAI

Tuesday, 02 November 2010 15:01 May Titthara

Incheon, South Korea

OFFICIALS have touted a village-level information-sharing programme as an important step in mitigating damage caused by natural disasters, though it has yet to be implemented nationwide.

Speaking on the sidelines of a disaster preparedness conference in Incheon last week, Nhim Vanda, deputy director of the National Committee on Disaster Management, said the so-called “village-level task forces” would endow Cambodians with “the responsibility for implementing tasks in their own communities” when disasters were looming.

“The task force networks at the village level can spread the disaster-related information more quickly to the people in their own community,” he said, and added that they could make it easier for the NCDM and the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology to undertake preparedness and relief efforts.

NCDM Director General Ponn Narith said yesterday that each task force would consist of seven members, including village chiefs, officials from the Cambodian Red Cross, police, health officials and at least one “local businessman”.

He added that the government had first begun forming the task forces in July. “Our plan has been done in 12 provinces already, and we will continue to do all the provinces around Cambodia,” he said.

A United Nations report last week provided the first regional assessment of natural disasters and their effects.

Between 1980 and 2009, the report said, Cambodia recorded 30 natural disasters that resulted in 1,969 deaths and affected 16 million people. Damage from these disasters cost US$518 million.

The report also said that a greater portion of Cambodia’s population was vulnerable to flooding than that of any other country in the region, with 12.2 percent potentially exposed.

Last month’s flooding, which began on October 10, led to at least nine drowning deaths, six of which have been confirmed by the government.

Keo Vy, cabinet chief at the NCDM, said yesterday that a report on the recent flooding had not been finalised, but that officials have previously estimated that it was about half as devastating as Typhoon Ketsana in 2009, which left 43 dead and caused US$132 million in damage.

Tith Sam Oun, the chief of Sak Sampao commune in Phnom Penh’s Dangkor district, said the village-level task forces had been effective in alerting villagers to threats posed by heavy rains and had allowed them to evacuate their homes on time. But she said there still was not a system in place to provide adequate food and supplies for affected families upon their return. “We have to prepare everything for the villagers,” she said.