May 9, 2008 : MP Sam Rainsy meets with Ms. Gunilla Carlsson Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Development Cooperation of Sweden at SRP Headquarters in Phnom Penh Monday, 12 May 2008
MP Sam Rainsy meets with Ms. Gunilla Carlsson Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Development Cooperation of Sweden
May 9, 2008 : MP Sam Rainsy meets with Ms. Gunilla Carlsson Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Development Cooperation of Sweden at SRP Headquarters in Phnom Penh 
Cyclone-hit Myanmar town struggles to rebuild - 10 May 08
Al Jazeera's correspondent in Myanmar reports from devastated town of Bogolay, where locals say the death toll from Cyclone Nargis could reach above 70,000.
Myanmar state TV's cyclone coverage - 08 May 2008
Myanmar is one of the world's most secretive nations, making it difficult to get information on what's really going on inside.Zeina Awad looks at how the country's own state media are censoring the aftermath of a devastating cyclone.
Disaster in Burma Drives Rice Prices Even Higher
May-11-2008
Salem-News.com
It is still unclear how much of Burma's production will be affected. The five hardest-hit Burmese states account for 65 percent of the country's rice output.(RANGOON, Myanmar) - Damage from Cyclone Nargis may spread beyond Burma in the form of higher food costs throughout Asia and the rest of the world, experts say.
World rice prices, which have nearly tripled since the start of the year, could be pushed up further as aid agencies scramble for emergency supplies to replace Burma's lost crops.
Industry analysts have suggested that the loss of Burma's rice exports from the world market is too small to make a major impact on prices, which have already hit record highs. Before the cyclone, Burma was expected to export only about 600,000 tons this year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.
But experts told Radio Free Asia that any loss of supplies will add pressure on prices in a world market where only 30 million tons of rice are traded internationally. Supplies are already tight because producing nations including India, China and Cambodia have imposed export restrictions in an effort to keep prices from climbing further at home.
"When Asian countries encounter natural disasters and have to turn to the market ... it can produce a further price shock because the international market is so thin," said Robert Paarlberg, an agriculture expert and political science professor at Wellesley College.
Drop export bans
U.N. and World Bank officials have urged rice producing countries to open their borders and drop export bans to ease the world price spike. The cost of Thai B-grade has soared from about $365 per ton in January to $940 per ton this week.
Some 26 countries have curbed exports so far, according to the World Bank.
Paarlberg said that governments are feeling pressure due to inflation in prices of fuel as well as food. But world rice production is estimated to reach 425 million tons this year. That amount could meet world demand if the markets open up, he said.
It is still unclear how much of Burma's production will be affected. The five hardest-hit Burmese states account for 65 percent of the country's rice output, according to the FAO.
Some crops in the Irrawaddy delta may be damaged by salt water, the agency said.
Nicholas Minot, senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, said the disaster is likely to increase price pressures in other countries even if relief agencies meet Burma's emergency needs.
"This will create a tighter situation in terms of tradeable rice supply on the world market, and it's very likely that there will be a need for food aid and rice imports into Burma," said Minot. "That will put an additional burden on both the budgets of the World Food Program and other food agencies, but also on the rice markets themselves."
Supplies likely to shrink
Minot said available rice supplies are likely to shrink even if governments donate food to Burma.
"There's really no way to isolate the effect from the market," he said. "Even if countries are able to provide rice out of their existing stocks and don't have to purchase it, traders are monitoring stocks, and if they see that the stocks are going down, that has a direct effect on prices."
World rice prices have declined slightly from a high of about $1,000 per ton after the Philippines cancelled an auction on May 5 due to a lack of competitive bids. The government decided to rely on its domestic stocks after a Vietnamese supplier reportedly sought a price of $1,200 per ton.
Minot said the resistance shows that importers fear they will be unable to sell rice at such high prices, but even in the best case, he sees little chance that prices will return to levels of a year ago. Paarlberg said rice costs are rising beyond the reach of the poor.
Restrictions make the situation worse
"When the price of food goes up as much as it has on top of the price of fuel, their disposable income goes to nothing," Paarlberg said.
While natural disasters and world demand have influenced prices, government export restrictions have been blamed for making the situation worse.
On April 30th, Thailand's prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, suggested that his country should join forces with Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma and Laos to form a rice cartel that would coordinate exports, influence prices and help stabilize the market. The plan won support from Cambodia, but it was widely criticized as a scheme to keep prices high.
Paarlberg said a rice cartel is unlikely to work because cooperation among exporters is hard to enforce. Minot agreed, saying that calls for price-setting cartels usually come when commodity prices are low, not high. "I don't think that is what's really called for right now," Minot said.
PREAH VIHEAR TEMPLE
The Bangkok Post
Monday May 12, 2008
Noppadon denies compromise
Thailand will not compromise with Cambodia in negotiations over land around Preah Vihear temple, which Phnom Penh wants to register as a Unesco World Heritage Site, Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said yesterday.
''I [as foreign minister] will not let this country give up a square inch of territory to Cambodia,'' Mr Noppadon said.
The ancient Khmer temple, which is on the border in Si Sa Ket province, was ruled by the International Court of Justice to belong to Cambodia in 1962.
The area around the temple remains in dispute, with the two countries' claims overlapping.
To register the temple, known as Khao Phra Viharn in Thai, as a World Heritage Site might require Thailand giving up some disputed land to Cambodia.
Mr Noppadon's strong statement came amid rumours Thailand might compromise in exchange for benefits for some politicians, including petroleum concessions in other disputed areas.
The reports follow the minister's recent sudden transfer of Virachai Plasai, director-general of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department and head of the negotiation team, to an inactive post.
Mr Virachai is seen by senior officials at the ministry as the most capable person for the job.
Mr Noppadon yesterday strongly denied the speculation. He said the issue of Preah Vihear had nothing to do with a petroleum agreement.
The World Heritage issue was sensitive for both countries, he said, and he sympathised with Cambodia, which was due for a general election in July _ the same time the World Heritage Committee is to reconsider Phnom Penh's unilateral request for listing Preah Vihear.
The minister said Thailand and Cambodia would reach an agreement on the exploitation of natural resources in disputed areas. Negotiations were underway and should be finalised soon.
''Thailand and Cambodia have 26,000 square kilometres of disputed areas and this requires a joint agreement because there are oil and natural gas deposits worth about five trillion baht in the areas,'' he said.
''The dispute deserves joint management and government-to-government actions.
''(Negotiations) have made good progress. The issue will be discussed with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An as soon as possible.
Monday May 12, 2008
Noppadon denies compromise
Thailand will not compromise with Cambodia in negotiations over land around Preah Vihear temple, which Phnom Penh wants to register as a Unesco World Heritage Site, Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said yesterday.
''I [as foreign minister] will not let this country give up a square inch of territory to Cambodia,'' Mr Noppadon said.
The ancient Khmer temple, which is on the border in Si Sa Ket province, was ruled by the International Court of Justice to belong to Cambodia in 1962.
The area around the temple remains in dispute, with the two countries' claims overlapping.
To register the temple, known as Khao Phra Viharn in Thai, as a World Heritage Site might require Thailand giving up some disputed land to Cambodia.
Mr Noppadon's strong statement came amid rumours Thailand might compromise in exchange for benefits for some politicians, including petroleum concessions in other disputed areas.
The reports follow the minister's recent sudden transfer of Virachai Plasai, director-general of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department and head of the negotiation team, to an inactive post.
Mr Virachai is seen by senior officials at the ministry as the most capable person for the job.
Mr Noppadon yesterday strongly denied the speculation. He said the issue of Preah Vihear had nothing to do with a petroleum agreement.
The World Heritage issue was sensitive for both countries, he said, and he sympathised with Cambodia, which was due for a general election in July _ the same time the World Heritage Committee is to reconsider Phnom Penh's unilateral request for listing Preah Vihear.
The minister said Thailand and Cambodia would reach an agreement on the exploitation of natural resources in disputed areas. Negotiations were underway and should be finalised soon.
''Thailand and Cambodia have 26,000 square kilometres of disputed areas and this requires a joint agreement because there are oil and natural gas deposits worth about five trillion baht in the areas,'' he said.
''The dispute deserves joint management and government-to-government actions.
''(Negotiations) have made good progress. The issue will be discussed with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An as soon as possible.
Busy contraband trade across Vietnam-Cambodia border
Thanhnien NewsMonday, May 12, 2008
Illegal trade of gasoline and sugar across the Cambodia-Vietnam border is now rampant in some southern Mekong Delta provinces.
Amid escalating world oil prices, Vietnam’s gasoline price, which is partly subsidized by the government, is lower than Cambodia’s fuel by VND5,500-7,500 (US$0.34-0.46) per liter.
Vietnam’s diesel and kerosene prices are also about VND3,000 ($0.19) cheaper.
An Giang Province’s Market Management Department estimated some 40,000 to 60,000 liters of fuel were trafficked out of the province daily.
The department named An Phu District, Tinh Bien District and Chau Doc Town as localities where fuel smuggling is rife.
A veteran trafficker N.V.M. said about 20 “businessmen” direct several dozens of people to smuggle gasoline, diesel and kerosene from Tinh Bien border town to Cambodia by water and land.
Fuel traffickers often mix kerosene into gasoline to earn more profit from sales, another trafficker named T.V.B. said.
Sometimes they add tra catfish oil into gasoline to “export,” T.V.B. said.
Domestic sugar prices, meanwhile, are higher than smuggled sugar by VND500-1,000 per kilogram, precipitating an illegal influx of the commodity into Vietnam.
Thailand’s sugar smuggled into Mekong Delta provinces via Cambodian traders is causing difficulty to sugar companies in the region.
Can Tho Sugar Company (Casuco) General Director Nguyen Thanh Long said although the company had reduced its sugar prices to VND8,000 per kilogram compared to early last month, it is still hard to compete with smuggled sugar, which is sold at about VND7,600 per kilogram.
Long said the company outlets in Can Tho City were now only able to sell between 50 and 100 tons of sugar daily, two to three times lower than before.
He also said around 300-400 tons of sugar are smuggled into the Mekong Delta region each day.
In An Giang Province, smuggled sugar bags are often falsely labeled before market distribution to avoid anti-contraband detection.
Source: SGGP
Stranded tourists in Cambodia soon to be flown home by FAT
Monday, May 12, 2008
The China Post news staff
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- All Taiwanese tourists still stranded in Siem Reap, Cambodia, will be flown home tomorrow by a charter flight of Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT).
Several hundred of the tourists visiting Siem Reap -- home to the world famous Angkor Wat complex -- were stranded because of the abrupt shutdown of Angkor Airways last week due to financial troubles.
The tourists were gradually taken back by indirect flights provided by other of Taiwan's air carriers, including China Airlines (CAL) flights with stopovers at other cities like Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, or Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam.
There are presently 148 tourists who flew to Cambodian on Angkor Airways tickets who will be able to return to Taiwan on an FAT charter plan that will fly directly from Siem Reap to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport tomorrow.
The FAT flight was arranged after intensive negotiations involving FAT and local travel agencies with a final nod from the government's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA).
The direct charter flights from Taiwan to Angkor Wat remains a lucrative line because of high interest in the historic and religious sites in the area following active promotion by travel agencies.
Since Angkor Airways has suspended the flight service, other air carriers have expressed keen interest to continue providing the charter flights.
Some travel agencies have stepped up persuasion, urging FAT to fill the void. But a couple of other Taiwan-based airlines are expected to compete for the lucrative line also.
A final decision will have to be made by the CAA in Taiwan and Cambodia's aviation authorities based on the aviation agreement reached between the two sides.
The China Post news staff
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- All Taiwanese tourists still stranded in Siem Reap, Cambodia, will be flown home tomorrow by a charter flight of Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT).
Several hundred of the tourists visiting Siem Reap -- home to the world famous Angkor Wat complex -- were stranded because of the abrupt shutdown of Angkor Airways last week due to financial troubles.
The tourists were gradually taken back by indirect flights provided by other of Taiwan's air carriers, including China Airlines (CAL) flights with stopovers at other cities like Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, or Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam.
There are presently 148 tourists who flew to Cambodian on Angkor Airways tickets who will be able to return to Taiwan on an FAT charter plan that will fly directly from Siem Reap to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport tomorrow.
The FAT flight was arranged after intensive negotiations involving FAT and local travel agencies with a final nod from the government's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA).
The direct charter flights from Taiwan to Angkor Wat remains a lucrative line because of high interest in the historic and religious sites in the area following active promotion by travel agencies.
Since Angkor Airways has suspended the flight service, other air carriers have expressed keen interest to continue providing the charter flights.
Some travel agencies have stepped up persuasion, urging FAT to fill the void. But a couple of other Taiwan-based airlines are expected to compete for the lucrative line also.
A final decision will have to be made by the CAA in Taiwan and Cambodia's aviation authorities based on the aviation agreement reached between the two sides.
The road to Cambodia
Vendors at the river crossing swamp the bus with amphibious, avian and insect snacks for those with an adventurous palateThanhnien News
Monday, May 12, 2008
The bus ride from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh is getting quicker all the time, as work on the road on the Cambodian side nears completion.
It takes about seven hours, sometimes less, depending on how the border checks go.
About an hour out of the Khmer capital there are a few holdups with road work, but compared to a few months ago they are minimal.
The road is quite smooth and comfortable and there is plenty of interesting scenery to look at.
The border crossing at Moc Bai/ Bavet costs about VND400,000 (US$25) for foreigners – VND300,000 ($18.75) for the Cambodian visa and VND100,000 ($6.25) for the bus company – to organize all the passengers and passports in one hit.
Several local money changers work the strip but only offer half the going rate, so it’s better to wait till you get to a bank in Phnom Penh.
For a short stay US dollars are the main currency anyway.
Then the bus passes through the Cambodian border casino paradox, where dirty markets are juxtaposed with rows of large glitzy gambling houses against a backdrop of a fairly desolate landscape.
The roadside lunch restaurant stop has a wide range of excellent Khmer food, the chicken curry is a special favorite.
They accept US dollars, Vietnamese dong or Cambodian riel, whatever you have.
The dish is not particularly cheap, at about US$3.
The next stop is a river ferry crossing at Kandal.
Vendors assail the bus with all sorts of delicacies in trays balanced on their heads.
The bus driver often has to shut the door to keep the passengers in and the vendors out.
Big-bellied fried frogs, baby birds and crickets are the main fare.
God knows how much they cost – I didn’t ask! But there were also some little sweet glutinous rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves – 50 for $1.
A few hours up the road is Phnom Penh. A tuk-tuk can take you from the bus station to your hotel.
Reported by Michael Smith
Monday, May 12, 2008
The bus ride from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh is getting quicker all the time, as work on the road on the Cambodian side nears completion.
It takes about seven hours, sometimes less, depending on how the border checks go.
About an hour out of the Khmer capital there are a few holdups with road work, but compared to a few months ago they are minimal.
The road is quite smooth and comfortable and there is plenty of interesting scenery to look at.
The border crossing at Moc Bai/ Bavet costs about VND400,000 (US$25) for foreigners – VND300,000 ($18.75) for the Cambodian visa and VND100,000 ($6.25) for the bus company – to organize all the passengers and passports in one hit.
Several local money changers work the strip but only offer half the going rate, so it’s better to wait till you get to a bank in Phnom Penh.
For a short stay US dollars are the main currency anyway.
Then the bus passes through the Cambodian border casino paradox, where dirty markets are juxtaposed with rows of large glitzy gambling houses against a backdrop of a fairly desolate landscape.
The roadside lunch restaurant stop has a wide range of excellent Khmer food, the chicken curry is a special favorite.
They accept US dollars, Vietnamese dong or Cambodian riel, whatever you have.
The dish is not particularly cheap, at about US$3.
The next stop is a river ferry crossing at Kandal.
Vendors assail the bus with all sorts of delicacies in trays balanced on their heads.
The bus driver often has to shut the door to keep the passengers in and the vendors out.
Big-bellied fried frogs, baby birds and crickets are the main fare.
God knows how much they cost – I didn’t ask! But there were also some little sweet glutinous rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves – 50 for $1.
A few hours up the road is Phnom Penh. A tuk-tuk can take you from the bus station to your hotel.
Reported by Michael Smith
Thailand-Cambodia ready to agree on preah vihear temple
By The Nation
May 12, 2008
Thailand will soon end its dispute with Cambodia over the proposed listing of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site without making any trade-offs for oil rights, Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said yesterday.
"We are negotiating to have a joint administration run the temple and its grounds," Noppadon said. "We'll have a joint statement on the issue soon."
The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled the Hindu temple belonged to Cambodia.
Thailand had no objection to listing the site until Phnom Penh, in preparing its application, annexed 4.6 square kilometres of land with overlapping ownership claims.
Thailand has suggested the contested area be managed by a bilateral body.
Both sides need to reach an agreement before the UN Educational, Science and Culture Organisation makes its final
listing decision in July.
The issue was politicised by some newspaper columnists who alleged the government would concede to Cambodia's proposal if Phnom Penh granted oil and gas concessions to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Cambodia has discovered potential oil and natural gas reserves in the Gulf of Thailand in its own territory and in overlapping areas. The two countries are working on a joint development scheme, Noppadon said.
The talks were on a government-to-government basis and the private sector was not involved.
May 12, 2008
Thailand will soon end its dispute with Cambodia over the proposed listing of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site without making any trade-offs for oil rights, Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said yesterday.
"We are negotiating to have a joint administration run the temple and its grounds," Noppadon said. "We'll have a joint statement on the issue soon."
The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled the Hindu temple belonged to Cambodia.
Thailand had no objection to listing the site until Phnom Penh, in preparing its application, annexed 4.6 square kilometres of land with overlapping ownership claims.
Thailand has suggested the contested area be managed by a bilateral body.
Both sides need to reach an agreement before the UN Educational, Science and Culture Organisation makes its final
listing decision in July.
The issue was politicised by some newspaper columnists who alleged the government would concede to Cambodia's proposal if Phnom Penh granted oil and gas concessions to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Cambodia has discovered potential oil and natural gas reserves in the Gulf of Thailand in its own territory and in overlapping areas. The two countries are working on a joint development scheme, Noppadon said.
The talks were on a government-to-government basis and the private sector was not involved.
He said, adding he had no idea whether Thaksin had struck a deal with Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen.
"I don't want to speak on behalf of former premier Thaksin, but I believe he would never barter away Thai territory for business interests," he said.
Column: Pantry hectic but runs smoothly
wausaudailyherald.com
May 11, 2008
Everyone served, no exceptions.
That's the simple policy and philosophy at The Neighbors' Place food pantry, as summed up by Seang Lee Kim, a senior aide and volunteer called "Mr. Lee" by everyone who knows him.
It took some time before I could actually speak with Mr. Lee, however. He was busy helping a long line of pantry customers, leaving plenty of time to stand and observe all the activity going on around me at an organized yet hectic pace.
Clients stood calmly and quietly at the doorway of the food pantry, waiting their turn. I was there at 4 p.m. on a Wednesday, one of the busiest times to distribute food. While I took in the scenery, I counted at least 60 people getting food and assistance.
They represented many races and backgrounds. They ranged from the young to the elderly, from people with medical problems to those stopping for food between their first and second jobs of the day. There were parents with children along and some who went about their business, quiet and alone.
I met Deborah Roehr, who is a grandmother and Wausau homemaker who had stopped at the pantry for milk and food.
"It's got everything," she said of the pantry, "quality food and the service is good, too."
One by one, the people went to a desk, where they showed indentification and were asked their telephone numbers, income and how many children in their family and ages.
They can visit the pantry once every three weeks, and signs around the distribution area remind them of the rules: "6 items per family, one meat only per family, one boxed meal per family, one cereal per family and five-minute time limit."
Food distribution ran like a smooth machine. Visitors put the food in shopping carts, and volunteers -- including people on the W-2 public assistance program, county jail inmates, high school students and other community members -- took the food in the carts to the cars.
When at last I spoke with Mr. Lee, he told me he came to the United States on Feb. 3, 1981, and first arrived in California. He is from Cambodia and left because of the communist regime. Before he came to the United States, he was in a refugee camp in Bangkok, Thailand, for three years waiting for his four children.
But after he passed tests and completed interviews with refugee redistribution agencies, he had no choice but to leave by himself.
Asked what he likes about his work at the food pantry, Mr. Lee replied, "I like to talk to people and to help people." As for the type of people who use the food pantry, he said, "All kinds of people -- everyone served, no exceptions."
Melissa Cunningham-Campbell of Wausau is a member of The Neighbors' Place board of directors.
May 11, 2008
Everyone served, no exceptions.
That's the simple policy and philosophy at The Neighbors' Place food pantry, as summed up by Seang Lee Kim, a senior aide and volunteer called "Mr. Lee" by everyone who knows him.
It took some time before I could actually speak with Mr. Lee, however. He was busy helping a long line of pantry customers, leaving plenty of time to stand and observe all the activity going on around me at an organized yet hectic pace.
Clients stood calmly and quietly at the doorway of the food pantry, waiting their turn. I was there at 4 p.m. on a Wednesday, one of the busiest times to distribute food. While I took in the scenery, I counted at least 60 people getting food and assistance.
They represented many races and backgrounds. They ranged from the young to the elderly, from people with medical problems to those stopping for food between their first and second jobs of the day. There were parents with children along and some who went about their business, quiet and alone.
I met Deborah Roehr, who is a grandmother and Wausau homemaker who had stopped at the pantry for milk and food.
"It's got everything," she said of the pantry, "quality food and the service is good, too."
One by one, the people went to a desk, where they showed indentification and were asked their telephone numbers, income and how many children in their family and ages.
They can visit the pantry once every three weeks, and signs around the distribution area remind them of the rules: "6 items per family, one meat only per family, one boxed meal per family, one cereal per family and five-minute time limit."
Food distribution ran like a smooth machine. Visitors put the food in shopping carts, and volunteers -- including people on the W-2 public assistance program, county jail inmates, high school students and other community members -- took the food in the carts to the cars.
When at last I spoke with Mr. Lee, he told me he came to the United States on Feb. 3, 1981, and first arrived in California. He is from Cambodia and left because of the communist regime. Before he came to the United States, he was in a refugee camp in Bangkok, Thailand, for three years waiting for his four children.
But after he passed tests and completed interviews with refugee redistribution agencies, he had no choice but to leave by himself.
Asked what he likes about his work at the food pantry, Mr. Lee replied, "I like to talk to people and to help people." As for the type of people who use the food pantry, he said, "All kinds of people -- everyone served, no exceptions."
Melissa Cunningham-Campbell of Wausau is a member of The Neighbors' Place board of directors.
Taiwanese tourists stranded in Cambodia return home via Phnom Penh
05/10/2008
(CNA) Taipei, May 10 (CNA) A group of Taiwanese tourists stranded in Siem Reap, Cambodia, by the abrupt shutdown of Angkor Airways arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Saturday on a China Airlines (CAL) flight from Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia.
The travelers were the first of among 449 Angkor Airways ticket holders to return home after being left without a return flight when the Phnom Penh-headquartered carrier suddenly decided Friday to temporarily suspend all its flights between Taipei and Siem Reap -- home to the world famous Angkor Wat complex -- because of financial woes.
A total of four flights on Saturday were expected to bring a combined 134 of the tourists home, with the remaining passengers expected to catch other flights to Taipei on May 12 and 13.
They have been forced to find connecting flights from Phnom Penh, and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, on CAL, EVA Airways and Vietnam Airlines.
Such flights added five hours to travel times to Taipei compared to the canceled direct flights between Taipei and Siem Reap, according to local travel agencies, which reportedly will suffer substantial financial losses because of the flight cancellations.
Angkor Airways operated 20 to 23 chartered flights between Taipei and Siem Reap per month. It attributed the suspension of flights to the detention of Alex Lou, the managing director of the carrier's Taipei branch, who is suspected of being involved in Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT) embezzlement case.
Lou was responsible for the financial management of the branch, the carrier said, and without him, the branch faced insurmountable cash flow problems.
The suspension of Angkor Airways flights has only added to the woes of debt-ridden FAT, which has leased aircraft to the Cambodian airline for its Taipei-Siem Reap service, FAT executives said.
They noted that the partner airline owes FAT NT$790 million (US$25.77 million) and the cancellation of the flights will deprive FAT of NT$1.34 million in daily income from the lease contract.
FAT, Taiwan's oldest private carrier that has been hit hard by a deteriorating domestic aviation market, filed for bankruptcy protection with the Taipei District Court on Feb. 17 and has been struggling to meet its operating obligations since.
Taipei prosecutors suspect that top-ranking managers at FAT pocketed company funds and purposely let Angkor Airways delay paying FAT the debts in exchange for kickbacks.
(By Elizabeth Hsu)
(CNA) Taipei, May 10 (CNA) A group of Taiwanese tourists stranded in Siem Reap, Cambodia, by the abrupt shutdown of Angkor Airways arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Saturday on a China Airlines (CAL) flight from Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia.
The travelers were the first of among 449 Angkor Airways ticket holders to return home after being left without a return flight when the Phnom Penh-headquartered carrier suddenly decided Friday to temporarily suspend all its flights between Taipei and Siem Reap -- home to the world famous Angkor Wat complex -- because of financial woes.
A total of four flights on Saturday were expected to bring a combined 134 of the tourists home, with the remaining passengers expected to catch other flights to Taipei on May 12 and 13.
They have been forced to find connecting flights from Phnom Penh, and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, on CAL, EVA Airways and Vietnam Airlines.
Such flights added five hours to travel times to Taipei compared to the canceled direct flights between Taipei and Siem Reap, according to local travel agencies, which reportedly will suffer substantial financial losses because of the flight cancellations.
Angkor Airways operated 20 to 23 chartered flights between Taipei and Siem Reap per month. It attributed the suspension of flights to the detention of Alex Lou, the managing director of the carrier's Taipei branch, who is suspected of being involved in Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT) embezzlement case.
Lou was responsible for the financial management of the branch, the carrier said, and without him, the branch faced insurmountable cash flow problems.
The suspension of Angkor Airways flights has only added to the woes of debt-ridden FAT, which has leased aircraft to the Cambodian airline for its Taipei-Siem Reap service, FAT executives said.
They noted that the partner airline owes FAT NT$790 million (US$25.77 million) and the cancellation of the flights will deprive FAT of NT$1.34 million in daily income from the lease contract.
FAT, Taiwan's oldest private carrier that has been hit hard by a deteriorating domestic aviation market, filed for bankruptcy protection with the Taipei District Court on Feb. 17 and has been struggling to meet its operating obligations since.
Taipei prosecutors suspect that top-ranking managers at FAT pocketed company funds and purposely let Angkor Airways delay paying FAT the debts in exchange for kickbacks.
(By Elizabeth Hsu)
Thai prime minister threatens to sue local newspapers over temple dispute
AFP, BANGKOK
Monday, May 12, 2008
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who has a notoriously combative relationship with his country’s press, threatened yesterday to sue two local newspapers.
Speaking on his weekly Talking Samak Style television show, the prime minister took two unnamed papers to task over their reporting of disputes over a temple on the Thai-Cambodia border.
Samak, who is known for his gruff, straight-talking style, recently canceled his twice-weekly press briefings because he said he was worried he would publicly utter “rude words.”
In his latest attack on the media, he said the newspapers had accused him of trading claims over the temple — which is on Cambodian soil but to which Thailand has historically laid claim — for financial gain over oil deals.
“That is absolutely unacceptable,” he told viewers. “Tomorrow my lawyer will certainly have a job to do. The only way out is through the court.”
Samak did not give any details of the offending newspapers, or specifics of the allegations.
Thailand and Cambodia have historically both laid claim to the Preah Vihear temple, an ancient Hindu site perched on a mountaintop on the Thai-Cambodia border.
The World Court in 1962 ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia.
The UN culture organization UNESCO last year decided against granting the temple coveted World Heritage status.
Rumors swirled that Thailand had blocked Cambodia’s efforts to have Preah Vihear listed, but Cambodian officials denied this, and Samak has said he will not hamper attempts by Cambodia to try once again to have the site listed.
A former TV chef and self-styled “man of the people”, Samak led the People Power Party (PPP) to an election victory last December and often uses his Sunday television show to complain about the Thai media.
When he announced he would no longer give his press briefings, he said that the public believed he used impolite words.
“So to solve this problem and so that I do not utter such rude words, I must not talk,” he said.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who has a notoriously combative relationship with his country’s press, threatened yesterday to sue two local newspapers.
Speaking on his weekly Talking Samak Style television show, the prime minister took two unnamed papers to task over their reporting of disputes over a temple on the Thai-Cambodia border.
Samak, who is known for his gruff, straight-talking style, recently canceled his twice-weekly press briefings because he said he was worried he would publicly utter “rude words.”
In his latest attack on the media, he said the newspapers had accused him of trading claims over the temple — which is on Cambodian soil but to which Thailand has historically laid claim — for financial gain over oil deals.
“That is absolutely unacceptable,” he told viewers. “Tomorrow my lawyer will certainly have a job to do. The only way out is through the court.”
Samak did not give any details of the offending newspapers, or specifics of the allegations.
Thailand and Cambodia have historically both laid claim to the Preah Vihear temple, an ancient Hindu site perched on a mountaintop on the Thai-Cambodia border.
The World Court in 1962 ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia.
The UN culture organization UNESCO last year decided against granting the temple coveted World Heritage status.
Rumors swirled that Thailand had blocked Cambodia’s efforts to have Preah Vihear listed, but Cambodian officials denied this, and Samak has said he will not hamper attempts by Cambodia to try once again to have the site listed.
A former TV chef and self-styled “man of the people”, Samak led the People Power Party (PPP) to an election victory last December and often uses his Sunday television show to complain about the Thai media.
When he announced he would no longer give his press briefings, he said that the public believed he used impolite words.
“So to solve this problem and so that I do not utter such rude words, I must not talk,” he said.
At NEC, focus is on the family
Graduation ceremony highlights connections
By Victoria Shouldis
For the Monitor
May 11, 2008
The theme of family - both in terms of the people who raise you and family in the most global, community sense - was the focus of yesterday's commencement ceremony at Henniker's New England College.
Members of the school's 61st graduating class heard firsthand about family - and the almost unimaginable devastation of loss - from commencement speaker Loung Ung, who lost both parents and two siblings in the genocide following the 1975 Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia.
In a stirring and paradoxically upbeat speech, Ung offered a brief retelling of her life, from degradation, starvation, and unrelenting grief to new life in the United States and a passion for writing that sustains her.
About 300 students from NEC's undergraduate and graduate program received degrees yesterday in the ceremony at the Lee Clement Arena; in addition to Ung, poet and Pulitzer Prize winner Galway Kinnell and human rights advocate Radhakant Nayak were awarded honorary doctoral degrees at the ceremony.
Nayak has devoted much of his life to the more global family, working for justice and equality for those who remain disenfranchised from the effects of India's former caste system. Kinnell focuses his poetic eye on those unexpected failings and foibles in each slice of family life; he read his poem "It All Comes Back" - a comic-but-suddenly-not-so-comic look at a cake mishap at his 4-year-old son's birthday party.
In the audience, Dave Gallup, his mother-in-law, Janice Griffin, and son Adrian, 5, enthusiastically waited to cheer on June Gallup, who was receiving a master's degree in management. As Adrian passed the time with a small green dinosaur and a Gameboy, Gallup's mother talked about the importance of the day.
"It's a family effort. We'd talk every night, and it seemed like every time I turned around, June was in school again!" Griffin joked. "I am proud of her. She's my special daughter."
Max and Diane Lavoie were thrilled to find a picture of their son James Hawkes V in the latest edition of the student newspaper as the ceremony began yesterday. Hawkes, from Manchester, was a theater major. Diane Lavoie was able to list most of the productions her son has been in at NEC - from Laramie to The Diviners. She also recalled his most revealing role.
"He played Tartuffe, and I got to see my son all dressed in gold lame and boxer shorts including a scene where he showed his behind for a minute," recalled Lavoie. "I was worried about how his grandmother would react - but we warned her, and we sat on the left side where you couldn't see so much of him. His grandmother said that that was the most she'd seen of him in 18 years, since she'd last changed his diapers!"
Alumnus and trustee Franc Perry - who identified himself as the first openly gay African American on the NEC board of trustees - offered graduates advice taken from a blessing given to slaves as they were separated from family in the 1700's: remember who you are, where you come from, and God bless you. Perry then led the crowd in the singing of "America."
In her address to the class, Ung talked about her earliest childhood memories. She began with herself as a 4-year-old, content and comforted in the lap of her father at a movie theatre.
"I had soy milk and dried crickets- crunchier than popcorn, I'll tell you - and when I didn't want to hold these things anymore my father put his hand out and just knew to take them," she said.
"See we didn't have cup holders in Cambodia back then but we didn't need them. We had fathers."
Within a year of that memory Ung's family was dispossessed and moved into rural camps where there was forced work and widespread starvation. And fewer than four years later - about the time it takes to get a college degree, she noted - her parents were dead and two siblings were gone and Ung was left to somehow put together the pieces of her shattered life.
But put together her life she did - intervention from relief organizations eventually landed her in Vermont - and in her life, Ung found her resilience, her voice, and even a sharp sense of humor. She also found a deep appreciation for family in the loss of her own.
"Your family is your road map to your past, present and future," she said, urging graduates to take a moment to appreciate the value of what they have. "Today: grab your father's hand and kiss your mother: they make all the difference in a cold world."
As the names of the graduates were announced one by one, perhaps the youngest person in the crowd ,14-week-old Sophie, found comfort and curiosity in her father Ted Olivo's arms as they waited for mom Senja Olivo to cross the stage.
"Mommy's next and you have to clap for her," Ted Olivo stage-whispered to the infant. And with a little help, she did.
By Victoria Shouldis
For the Monitor
May 11, 2008
The theme of family - both in terms of the people who raise you and family in the most global, community sense - was the focus of yesterday's commencement ceremony at Henniker's New England College.
Members of the school's 61st graduating class heard firsthand about family - and the almost unimaginable devastation of loss - from commencement speaker Loung Ung, who lost both parents and two siblings in the genocide following the 1975 Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia.
In a stirring and paradoxically upbeat speech, Ung offered a brief retelling of her life, from degradation, starvation, and unrelenting grief to new life in the United States and a passion for writing that sustains her.
About 300 students from NEC's undergraduate and graduate program received degrees yesterday in the ceremony at the Lee Clement Arena; in addition to Ung, poet and Pulitzer Prize winner Galway Kinnell and human rights advocate Radhakant Nayak were awarded honorary doctoral degrees at the ceremony.
Nayak has devoted much of his life to the more global family, working for justice and equality for those who remain disenfranchised from the effects of India's former caste system. Kinnell focuses his poetic eye on those unexpected failings and foibles in each slice of family life; he read his poem "It All Comes Back" - a comic-but-suddenly-not-so-comic look at a cake mishap at his 4-year-old son's birthday party.
In the audience, Dave Gallup, his mother-in-law, Janice Griffin, and son Adrian, 5, enthusiastically waited to cheer on June Gallup, who was receiving a master's degree in management. As Adrian passed the time with a small green dinosaur and a Gameboy, Gallup's mother talked about the importance of the day.
"It's a family effort. We'd talk every night, and it seemed like every time I turned around, June was in school again!" Griffin joked. "I am proud of her. She's my special daughter."
Max and Diane Lavoie were thrilled to find a picture of their son James Hawkes V in the latest edition of the student newspaper as the ceremony began yesterday. Hawkes, from Manchester, was a theater major. Diane Lavoie was able to list most of the productions her son has been in at NEC - from Laramie to The Diviners. She also recalled his most revealing role.
"He played Tartuffe, and I got to see my son all dressed in gold lame and boxer shorts including a scene where he showed his behind for a minute," recalled Lavoie. "I was worried about how his grandmother would react - but we warned her, and we sat on the left side where you couldn't see so much of him. His grandmother said that that was the most she'd seen of him in 18 years, since she'd last changed his diapers!"
Alumnus and trustee Franc Perry - who identified himself as the first openly gay African American on the NEC board of trustees - offered graduates advice taken from a blessing given to slaves as they were separated from family in the 1700's: remember who you are, where you come from, and God bless you. Perry then led the crowd in the singing of "America."
In her address to the class, Ung talked about her earliest childhood memories. She began with herself as a 4-year-old, content and comforted in the lap of her father at a movie theatre.
"I had soy milk and dried crickets- crunchier than popcorn, I'll tell you - and when I didn't want to hold these things anymore my father put his hand out and just knew to take them," she said.
"See we didn't have cup holders in Cambodia back then but we didn't need them. We had fathers."
Within a year of that memory Ung's family was dispossessed and moved into rural camps where there was forced work and widespread starvation. And fewer than four years later - about the time it takes to get a college degree, she noted - her parents were dead and two siblings were gone and Ung was left to somehow put together the pieces of her shattered life.
But put together her life she did - intervention from relief organizations eventually landed her in Vermont - and in her life, Ung found her resilience, her voice, and even a sharp sense of humor. She also found a deep appreciation for family in the loss of her own.
"Your family is your road map to your past, present and future," she said, urging graduates to take a moment to appreciate the value of what they have. "Today: grab your father's hand and kiss your mother: they make all the difference in a cold world."
As the names of the graduates were announced one by one, perhaps the youngest person in the crowd ,14-week-old Sophie, found comfort and curiosity in her father Ted Olivo's arms as they waited for mom Senja Olivo to cross the stage.
"Mommy's next and you have to clap for her," Ted Olivo stage-whispered to the infant. And with a little help, she did.
Thai FM denies compromising national interests for Cambodian energy
BANGKOK, May 11 (TNA) - Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama Sunday denied press reports that the government has made concessions to Cambodia over contested areas claimed by both countries in exchange for oil and natural gas from the Thai-Cambodian Joint Development Area.
"Thailand would never give even an inch of its territory to Cambodia and no one in the government thought about doing it," Mr. Noppadon said.
Admitting that the overlapping claims to the areas surrounding the Preah Vihear temple of Cambodia is a very sensitive issue while negotiations with Cambodian officials are not yet finalised, Mr. Noppadon said.
"Thailand would never give even an inch of its territory to Cambodia and no one in the government thought about doing it," Mr. Noppadon said.
Admitting that the overlapping claims to the areas surrounding the Preah Vihear temple of Cambodia is a very sensitive issue while negotiations with Cambodian officials are not yet finalised, Mr. Noppadon said.
Cambodia is going to hold an election in July while a committee considering a Cambodian government request to register the temple ancient ruins as a UNESCO World Heritage site would be held the same month.
Cambodia has asked the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) named the Preah Vihear temple to its World Heritage list.
Cambodia has asked the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) named the Preah Vihear temple to its World Heritage list.
Thailand did not oppose the idea, but arguing that the dispute over 4.6 sq km area adjoining the temple ruins has yet to be settled.
Historically, Thailand and Cambodia have laid claim to the temple, astride the border in Kantharalak district of Thailand's Si Sa Ket but can be easily accessed only through Thailand.
The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia.
"Currently, areas mutually claimed by Thailand and Cambodia are not yet settled total 26,000 square kilometres. It's necessary for the two countries to settle the disputed areas first because they contain oil and natural gas worth about Bt5 trillion," Mr. Noppadon said.
The disputed areas should be jointly managed by governments of the two countries, he said, adding that he would discuss the issue with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An as soon as possible.
"The country's interests must come first. A joint statement will be issued by the two governments regarding the overlapping areas. Only a few minor wordings are left for the settlement," Mr. Noppadon added.
Historically, Thailand and Cambodia have laid claim to the temple, astride the border in Kantharalak district of Thailand's Si Sa Ket but can be easily accessed only through Thailand.
The World Court ruled in 1962 that the temple belonged to Cambodia.
"Currently, areas mutually claimed by Thailand and Cambodia are not yet settled total 26,000 square kilometres. It's necessary for the two countries to settle the disputed areas first because they contain oil and natural gas worth about Bt5 trillion," Mr. Noppadon said.
The disputed areas should be jointly managed by governments of the two countries, he said, adding that he would discuss the issue with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An as soon as possible.
"The country's interests must come first. A joint statement will be issued by the two governments regarding the overlapping areas. Only a few minor wordings are left for the settlement," Mr. Noppadon added.
Heaven and hell in Cambodia
Prodita Sabarini
The Jakarta Post, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap
Sitting under the shade of a tree, on a hot day in the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, 15 kilometers from Central Phnom Penh, I felt horrified thinking of the suffering of the thousands of innocent people who were killed here by the Khmer Rouge regime.
A tiny ant was walking on my arm. Without giving it a second thought, I brushed it away. It rolled over but managed to regain its balance. Immediately I regretted the recklessness of my action.
In ordinary circumstances, I would not have cared about the life of an ant. But I'd just seen more than 8,000 skulls of victims arranged according to sex and age under glass panels in the memorial stupa on the Killing Fields.
My travel partner helped me get the ant off my arm and lowered it to the ground. "There you go," he said to the ant and we watched it walk away.
Before setting off for Cambodia, I'd had visions of touring the magnificent temples of Angkor in Siem Reap, which I eventually did. Cambodia's intense history, however, left a stronger impression than I'd expected.
Phnom Penh Before traveling on to Siem Reap, my partner and I spent two nights in the capital city, Phnom Penh.
There we visited the Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, which also bear witness to the horror of the Khmer Rouge regime.
In 1975, the Khmer Rouge overthrew the U.S.-supported Lon Nol government, seizing Phnom Penh. In the name of its "peasant revolution", the Khmer Rouge ordered the mass exodus of two million Phnom Penh residents to the countryside, where they were forced to carry out hard labor. From 1975 to 1979, more than two million of the country's seven million people lost their lives.
The Tuol Sleng Museum, formerly Tuol Svay Prey High School, was transformed into a prison by the Khmer Rouge. It was renamed S-21. A number of prisons, such as the S-21, were scattered across Cambodia. In S-21, some 17,000 former government officials and intellectuals were tortured. The prisoners were later transported to Choeung Ek and killed - most bludgeoned to death in order to save bullets.
We took a guided tour around the museum. A Cambodian woman guided us from room to room, showing us the metal bed on which the prisoners died. We saw the claustrophobic chambers made of red bricks inside the rooms, in which prisoners were kept.
Hundreds of pictures of former prisoners and guards were displayed in the museum. The Khmer Rouge was very detailed in their documentation, taking pictures of prisoners when they first arrived at S-21.
It was inevitable that visiting the two historical sites would be emotionally draining. It was important though for us to visit them to grasp the intensity of the tragedy.
The remarkable thing about Phnom Penh is that, apart from the two historical sites, the city has a fun atmosphere. Almost 30 years after the end of the holocaust, Phnom Penh is thriving. Old French colonial houses stand alongside the traditional Royal Palace.
Big land cruisers, as well as scooters ridden by youngsters, fill the streets. At night, as the air cools down, Phnom Penh residents flock to the parks in front of the royal palace and near the National Museum (this park boasts a "dancing fountain", with dangdut tracks included).
Siem Reap.
After a bittersweet journey through Phnom Penh, we committed ourselves to a six-hour bus ride through the flatlands of Cambodia heading to Siem Reap, the gateway to the temples of Angkor.
The construction of new buildings and new roads shows that the once still backwater is facing rapid development. Near the Tonle Sap riverfront, guesthouses and cool restaurants and bars flourish, giving tourists a place to relax after a long day of temple traipsing.
It would take more than a day to explore the 100 or so temples of Angkor, built between the ninth and 14th centuries, the time when Khmer civilization experienced the height of its extraordinary creativity.
Staying in Siem Reap for five days, we chose the US$60
seven-day pass over the one or three day passes.
On our first day, we hit Angkor's star temple, the 12th century Angkor Wat, the biggest and one of the most preserved temples in Angkor.
The tips of the towers of Angkor Wat slowly emerged in sight as we neared them on a motorcycle-powered cart (Tuk Tuk). I felt like I was in the mythical land of a children's storybook.
The wide moat surrounding the temple is breathtakingly beautiful.
Constructed by Suryavarman II, the Hindu temple oddly faces the west, believed to be the direction of death. The temple is thought to be a tribute to Vishnu, the Hindu deity the king identifies with, as well as his tomb.
Read counter-clockwise, the bas-relief tells various stories, the most intriguing of which is a depiction of heaven and hell where doomed souls are dragged along by devils.
Other temples in the complex are equally impressive. One of the Angkor kings, Jayavarman VII, reigned from the late 12th century to the 13th century. A Buddhist god-king, he constructed the fortified city of Angkor Thom, which is home to the Bayon temple and other structures.
The Bayon consists of 56 towers carved with 216 giant faces of Avalokiteshvara looking down. Some scholars suggest that the faces may also be a representation of the king himself.
Some of the temple ruins in Angkor have been abandoned for hundreds of years and thus "swallowed up" by the forest. Tall trees grow on temple rooftops with their gigantic roots covering the buildings.
Angkor in the end does not only hold evidence of the extraordinary creativity of the ancient Khmer empire but also bears witness to the powerful forces of nature.
The Jakarta Post, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap
Sitting under the shade of a tree, on a hot day in the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, 15 kilometers from Central Phnom Penh, I felt horrified thinking of the suffering of the thousands of innocent people who were killed here by the Khmer Rouge regime.
A tiny ant was walking on my arm. Without giving it a second thought, I brushed it away. It rolled over but managed to regain its balance. Immediately I regretted the recklessness of my action.
In ordinary circumstances, I would not have cared about the life of an ant. But I'd just seen more than 8,000 skulls of victims arranged according to sex and age under glass panels in the memorial stupa on the Killing Fields.
My travel partner helped me get the ant off my arm and lowered it to the ground. "There you go," he said to the ant and we watched it walk away.
Before setting off for Cambodia, I'd had visions of touring the magnificent temples of Angkor in Siem Reap, which I eventually did. Cambodia's intense history, however, left a stronger impression than I'd expected.
Phnom Penh Before traveling on to Siem Reap, my partner and I spent two nights in the capital city, Phnom Penh.
There we visited the Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, which also bear witness to the horror of the Khmer Rouge regime.
In 1975, the Khmer Rouge overthrew the U.S.-supported Lon Nol government, seizing Phnom Penh. In the name of its "peasant revolution", the Khmer Rouge ordered the mass exodus of two million Phnom Penh residents to the countryside, where they were forced to carry out hard labor. From 1975 to 1979, more than two million of the country's seven million people lost their lives.
The Tuol Sleng Museum, formerly Tuol Svay Prey High School, was transformed into a prison by the Khmer Rouge. It was renamed S-21. A number of prisons, such as the S-21, were scattered across Cambodia. In S-21, some 17,000 former government officials and intellectuals were tortured. The prisoners were later transported to Choeung Ek and killed - most bludgeoned to death in order to save bullets.
We took a guided tour around the museum. A Cambodian woman guided us from room to room, showing us the metal bed on which the prisoners died. We saw the claustrophobic chambers made of red bricks inside the rooms, in which prisoners were kept.
Hundreds of pictures of former prisoners and guards were displayed in the museum. The Khmer Rouge was very detailed in their documentation, taking pictures of prisoners when they first arrived at S-21.
It was inevitable that visiting the two historical sites would be emotionally draining. It was important though for us to visit them to grasp the intensity of the tragedy.
The remarkable thing about Phnom Penh is that, apart from the two historical sites, the city has a fun atmosphere. Almost 30 years after the end of the holocaust, Phnom Penh is thriving. Old French colonial houses stand alongside the traditional Royal Palace.
Big land cruisers, as well as scooters ridden by youngsters, fill the streets. At night, as the air cools down, Phnom Penh residents flock to the parks in front of the royal palace and near the National Museum (this park boasts a "dancing fountain", with dangdut tracks included).
Siem Reap.
After a bittersweet journey through Phnom Penh, we committed ourselves to a six-hour bus ride through the flatlands of Cambodia heading to Siem Reap, the gateway to the temples of Angkor.
The construction of new buildings and new roads shows that the once still backwater is facing rapid development. Near the Tonle Sap riverfront, guesthouses and cool restaurants and bars flourish, giving tourists a place to relax after a long day of temple traipsing.
It would take more than a day to explore the 100 or so temples of Angkor, built between the ninth and 14th centuries, the time when Khmer civilization experienced the height of its extraordinary creativity.
Staying in Siem Reap for five days, we chose the US$60
seven-day pass over the one or three day passes.
On our first day, we hit Angkor's star temple, the 12th century Angkor Wat, the biggest and one of the most preserved temples in Angkor.
The tips of the towers of Angkor Wat slowly emerged in sight as we neared them on a motorcycle-powered cart (Tuk Tuk). I felt like I was in the mythical land of a children's storybook.
The wide moat surrounding the temple is breathtakingly beautiful.
Constructed by Suryavarman II, the Hindu temple oddly faces the west, believed to be the direction of death. The temple is thought to be a tribute to Vishnu, the Hindu deity the king identifies with, as well as his tomb.
Read counter-clockwise, the bas-relief tells various stories, the most intriguing of which is a depiction of heaven and hell where doomed souls are dragged along by devils.
Other temples in the complex are equally impressive. One of the Angkor kings, Jayavarman VII, reigned from the late 12th century to the 13th century. A Buddhist god-king, he constructed the fortified city of Angkor Thom, which is home to the Bayon temple and other structures.
The Bayon consists of 56 towers carved with 216 giant faces of Avalokiteshvara looking down. Some scholars suggest that the faces may also be a representation of the king himself.
Some of the temple ruins in Angkor have been abandoned for hundreds of years and thus "swallowed up" by the forest. Tall trees grow on temple rooftops with their gigantic roots covering the buildings.
Angkor in the end does not only hold evidence of the extraordinary creativity of the ancient Khmer empire but also bears witness to the powerful forces of nature.
Sunday, 11 May 2008
Organizations seek to mark national day of 1962 Preah Vihear
vuthanewsThe meeting was hold Friday to make discussion amongst travel agencies, government officials, academics, and others in order to seek permission to mark national day celebration of June 15, 1962 Preah Vihear which belongs to Cambodia, ruled by the International Court of Justice
“We will celebrate the 47th Preah Vihear anniversary that clarified Cambodia’s claims to Preah Vihear,” Moeung Sonn, president of the National Association of Tourism Enterprises, was quoted by the Cambodia Daily.
CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said that such a celebration shouldn’t affect relation with Thailand. He added that “it is our heritage, it is important for Cambodian people to know about Preah Vihear,” reported Daily.
Senior government officials plan to travel to Thailand in coming month in order to make discussion about un-demarcated borders at Preah Vihear with Thai government officials.
Woman attached acid by unidentified men in Phnom Penh
Victim of acid attack in CambodiaPicture from
http://www.asti.org.uk/survivors.php?mainnav=4§ion=10;
vuthanews
A woman sustained badly acid attach by unidentified men on Tuesday morning at 10:30 am on May 08 in Tuol Tompoung I commune, Chamkar Mon district. Two unknown male assailants escaped on motorbike, local newspapers reported.
The female acid victim, Ya Soknim, 35, suffered burn to the right side of body from her eye, shoulder, breast, hand and neck. The victim had been sent to be treated at Calmet Hospital.
“The acid attackers are at large, but our district police are investigating this case. This is a revenge case, it is not a love triangle,” district police Chief Outh Sokhon was quoted by the Cambodia Daily as saying.
Oung Vibo, who is the victim’s husband, said that his wife’s acid burn is worsening more than the first day because acid doused on his wife’s body is reacting. He added that her right eye cannot open and it is swollen, reported newspaper.
Victim’s elder sister, Ya Sydeth, said that her sister received a telephone threat several days from senior official prior to the acid attack
The family of acid attacker appealed to the government officials to protect their family from the attackers.
The victim is the aunt of In Sokinda who was former International Tourist Miss among 35 countries. But the present time, no one knows that where she is hiding.
Until now, no evidence has been revealed the involvement with the senior official, the investigation is under way, police official said.
A woman sustained badly acid attach by unidentified men on Tuesday morning at 10:30 am on May 08 in Tuol Tompoung I commune, Chamkar Mon district. Two unknown male assailants escaped on motorbike, local newspapers reported.
The female acid victim, Ya Soknim, 35, suffered burn to the right side of body from her eye, shoulder, breast, hand and neck. The victim had been sent to be treated at Calmet Hospital.
“The acid attackers are at large, but our district police are investigating this case. This is a revenge case, it is not a love triangle,” district police Chief Outh Sokhon was quoted by the Cambodia Daily as saying.
Oung Vibo, who is the victim’s husband, said that his wife’s acid burn is worsening more than the first day because acid doused on his wife’s body is reacting. He added that her right eye cannot open and it is swollen, reported newspaper.
Victim’s elder sister, Ya Sydeth, said that her sister received a telephone threat several days from senior official prior to the acid attack
The family of acid attacker appealed to the government officials to protect their family from the attackers.
The victim is the aunt of In Sokinda who was former International Tourist Miss among 35 countries. But the present time, no one knows that where she is hiding.
Until now, no evidence has been revealed the involvement with the senior official, the investigation is under way, police official said.
This Phnom Penh is a Wonderful Sight!!
BottomOfPyramid
Oh Dear! This Phnom Penh is a Wonderful Sight!! And it offers you paid pillion riding!!! The city also has the most amazing boulevards. And it has great Indian restaurants. If you feel let down and want to recharge those battered cells to take on the rough and tumble of the world, this got to be one of the best cities for you. It is one of those cities that give you the feel of monasteries while you are still in business. The city has survived some tough times, and is a living inspiration.
In the mid – 70s, when the CPK ruled Cambodia, if locals are to be believed, all college graduates were executed. Towns were evacuated and people were forced to go to rural areas and work in collective farms. In many areas of the country people were rounded up and executed for speaking a foreign language, wearing glasses, scavenging for food, and even crying for dead loved ones.
The serenity that one finds in the country now owes quite a bit to the international community which has helped in rebuilding the country. The Cambodian economy is small but vibrant with a lot of smiling faces driving it. And Phnom Penh indeed signifies resurrection.PS: If you want to withdraw from the world for a while to reconnect with your spiritual self, I strongly recommend Cambodia.
In the mid – 70s, when the CPK ruled Cambodia, if locals are to be believed, all college graduates were executed. Towns were evacuated and people were forced to go to rural areas and work in collective farms. In many areas of the country people were rounded up and executed for speaking a foreign language, wearing glasses, scavenging for food, and even crying for dead loved ones.
The serenity that one finds in the country now owes quite a bit to the international community which has helped in rebuilding the country. The Cambodian economy is small but vibrant with a lot of smiling faces driving it. And Phnom Penh indeed signifies resurrection.PS: If you want to withdraw from the world for a while to reconnect with your spiritual self, I strongly recommend Cambodia.
Self-censoring Thai PM threatens to sue newspapers
Inquirer.net
Agence France-Presse
05/11/2008
BANGKOK -- Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who has a notoriously combative relationship with his country's press, threatened on Sunday to sue two local newspapers.
Speaking on his weekly "Talking Samak Style" television show, the prime minister took two unnamed papers to task over their reporting of disputes over a temple on the Thai-Cambodia border.
Samak, who is known for his gruff, straight-talking style, recently cancelled his twice-weekly press briefings because he said he was worried he would publicly utter "rude words."
In his latest attack on the media, he said the newspapers had accused him of trading claims over the temple -- which is on Cambodian soil but to which Thailand has historically laid claim -- for financial gain over oil deals.
"That is absolutely unacceptable," he told viewers. "Tomorrow (Monday) my lawyer will certainly have a job to do. The only way out is through the court."
Samak did not give any details of the offending newspapers, or specifics of the allegations.
Thailand and Cambodia have historically both laid claim to the Preah Vihear temple, an ancient Hindu site perched on a mountaintop on the Thai-Cambodia border. The World Court in 1962 ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia.
The United Nations culture organization UNESCO last year decided against granting the temple coveted World Heritage status.
Rumors swirled that Thailand had blocked Cambodia's efforts to have Preah Vihear listed, but Cambodian officials denied this, and Samak has said he will not hamper attempts by Cambodia to try once again to have the site listed.
A former TV chef and self-styled "man of the people", Samak led the People Power Party (PPP) to an election victory last December and often uses his Sunday television show to complain about the Thai media.
When he announced he would no longer give his press briefings, he said that the public believed he used impolite words. "So to solve this problem and so that I do not utter such rude words, I must not talk," he explained.
Agence France-Presse
05/11/2008
BANGKOK -- Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who has a notoriously combative relationship with his country's press, threatened on Sunday to sue two local newspapers.
Speaking on his weekly "Talking Samak Style" television show, the prime minister took two unnamed papers to task over their reporting of disputes over a temple on the Thai-Cambodia border.
Samak, who is known for his gruff, straight-talking style, recently cancelled his twice-weekly press briefings because he said he was worried he would publicly utter "rude words."
In his latest attack on the media, he said the newspapers had accused him of trading claims over the temple -- which is on Cambodian soil but to which Thailand has historically laid claim -- for financial gain over oil deals.
"That is absolutely unacceptable," he told viewers. "Tomorrow (Monday) my lawyer will certainly have a job to do. The only way out is through the court."
Samak did not give any details of the offending newspapers, or specifics of the allegations.
Thailand and Cambodia have historically both laid claim to the Preah Vihear temple, an ancient Hindu site perched on a mountaintop on the Thai-Cambodia border. The World Court in 1962 ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia.
The United Nations culture organization UNESCO last year decided against granting the temple coveted World Heritage status.
Rumors swirled that Thailand had blocked Cambodia's efforts to have Preah Vihear listed, but Cambodian officials denied this, and Samak has said he will not hamper attempts by Cambodia to try once again to have the site listed.
A former TV chef and self-styled "man of the people", Samak led the People Power Party (PPP) to an election victory last December and often uses his Sunday television show to complain about the Thai media.
When he announced he would no longer give his press briefings, he said that the public believed he used impolite words. "So to solve this problem and so that I do not utter such rude words, I must not talk," he explained.
A chance to make a difference overseas
Boston.com
By Victoria Cheng
Globe Correspondent / May 11, 2008
Four letters may not be a lot, but it's enough to underpin a $20,000 fund-raising effort to build a school in rural Cambodia. Calling itself the Cambridge School for Cambodia (and Camb-Camb for short), the campaign brings together students, businesses, and several groups across the city, some with deep ties to Cambodia and some who have always called Cambridge home.
Rachael Harkavy, a fifth-grade student at the King Open School, started learning about Cambodia in January when she and her peers in the school's fifth through eighth grades joined the effort by hosting weekly penny drives. She reels off statistics about the country. "It's about the size of Oklahoma and has the population of Pennsylvania," she began.
Camb-Camb is raising money to send to American Assistance for Cambodia, a nonprofit organization run by former Newsweek journalist Bernie Krisher, that has built more than 400 schools across the country.
"We'll be the 405th school, but it's not enough," Harkavy added. "Massachusetts is about half the size of Cambodia and has about 1,000 schools, so that just brings into perspective how many schools Cambodia needs."
The planned Camb-Camb school will be 40 miles north of Phnom Penh and accommodate between 200 and 400 students. Krisher started the initiative in 1993 and negotiated a memorandum of understanding with the World Bank that called for it to match whatever money he raised. The cost of a school, Krisher said, "is actually about $30,000, and the donor only pays about $13,000." By contributing an extra $7,000, the Cambridge School for Cambodia will be able to equip its school with an English teacher, solar panels for a computer, and Internet access.
Longteine de Monteiro owns the Elephant Walk restaurants, which feature French and Cambodian cuisine at locations in Cambridge, Boston, and Waltham. The Cambodian native explained that outside assistance is sorely needed in the country, which was devastated first by the spillover effects of the Vietnam War and then by genocide during the brutal rule of the communist Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.
"The government now doesn't really do much to help education," she said, "so all the foundations from outside of the country who go there and build whatever the country needs, especially schools and hospitals, are very important."
When Camb-Camb contacted de Monteiro, she agreed to host a benefit dinner at her North Cambridge restaurant early last month.
"We served chicken curry, Salade Cambodgienne, and beef short ribs with green coconut juice," said Monteiro. The event bumped Camb-Camb's funds to the $13,300 mark.
The event also gave de Monteiro an opportunity to showcase a prominent part of Cambodian culture - its cuisine - and the desire to teach Cantabrigians about this small country perched on the southeastern peninsula of Asia.
At the King Open School, Rachael and fellow fifth-grader Eliza Klein have made it their goal to involve younger students.
Before classes one day earlier this month, the girls helped set up an origami table at the school entrance, along with an empty water jug inviting donations of spare change. Sixth-grader Brianna Lavelle patiently guided the younger students through the steps of folding a colorful square of paper into the shape of a crane.
"What is this for?" asked 6-year-old Bianca Byfield, as she handed over her crane to be placed on a large branch of a tree that will eventually hold 400.
"Every crane represents one child who will go to school in Cambodia," said Lavelle's mother, Risa. "And all of Cambridge is helping raise money."
By Victoria Cheng
Globe Correspondent / May 11, 2008
Four letters may not be a lot, but it's enough to underpin a $20,000 fund-raising effort to build a school in rural Cambodia. Calling itself the Cambridge School for Cambodia (and Camb-Camb for short), the campaign brings together students, businesses, and several groups across the city, some with deep ties to Cambodia and some who have always called Cambridge home.
Rachael Harkavy, a fifth-grade student at the King Open School, started learning about Cambodia in January when she and her peers in the school's fifth through eighth grades joined the effort by hosting weekly penny drives. She reels off statistics about the country. "It's about the size of Oklahoma and has the population of Pennsylvania," she began.
Camb-Camb is raising money to send to American Assistance for Cambodia, a nonprofit organization run by former Newsweek journalist Bernie Krisher, that has built more than 400 schools across the country.
"We'll be the 405th school, but it's not enough," Harkavy added. "Massachusetts is about half the size of Cambodia and has about 1,000 schools, so that just brings into perspective how many schools Cambodia needs."
The planned Camb-Camb school will be 40 miles north of Phnom Penh and accommodate between 200 and 400 students. Krisher started the initiative in 1993 and negotiated a memorandum of understanding with the World Bank that called for it to match whatever money he raised. The cost of a school, Krisher said, "is actually about $30,000, and the donor only pays about $13,000." By contributing an extra $7,000, the Cambridge School for Cambodia will be able to equip its school with an English teacher, solar panels for a computer, and Internet access.
Longteine de Monteiro owns the Elephant Walk restaurants, which feature French and Cambodian cuisine at locations in Cambridge, Boston, and Waltham. The Cambodian native explained that outside assistance is sorely needed in the country, which was devastated first by the spillover effects of the Vietnam War and then by genocide during the brutal rule of the communist Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.
"The government now doesn't really do much to help education," she said, "so all the foundations from outside of the country who go there and build whatever the country needs, especially schools and hospitals, are very important."
When Camb-Camb contacted de Monteiro, she agreed to host a benefit dinner at her North Cambridge restaurant early last month.
"We served chicken curry, Salade Cambodgienne, and beef short ribs with green coconut juice," said Monteiro. The event bumped Camb-Camb's funds to the $13,300 mark.
The event also gave de Monteiro an opportunity to showcase a prominent part of Cambodian culture - its cuisine - and the desire to teach Cantabrigians about this small country perched on the southeastern peninsula of Asia.
At the King Open School, Rachael and fellow fifth-grader Eliza Klein have made it their goal to involve younger students.
Before classes one day earlier this month, the girls helped set up an origami table at the school entrance, along with an empty water jug inviting donations of spare change. Sixth-grader Brianna Lavelle patiently guided the younger students through the steps of folding a colorful square of paper into the shape of a crane.
"What is this for?" asked 6-year-old Bianca Byfield, as she handed over her crane to be placed on a large branch of a tree that will eventually hold 400.
"Every crane represents one child who will go to school in Cambodia," said Lavelle's mother, Risa. "And all of Cambridge is helping raise money."
Cambodia: Khemara Keila Get Off To Winning Start
Recently crowned Hun Sen Cup champ Khemara Keila got off to a bright start against Kirivong in the first game of the Cambodia Premier League 2008 while Moha Garuda suffered an unlikely home loss to newly-promoted Intry KrahamGoal.com
10/05/2008
Khemara Keila FC, buoyed by their recent win of the Hun Sen Cup crown, did not seem to flinch even though they fell behind as early as the fourth minute to Lam Thanh Giang strike for Kirivong Sok Sen Chey FC.
But Khemara bid their time well and they were quick to grab the equalizer in the 33rd minute off Sok Phal Odom for both teams to be on par at the break.
A goal at the hour mark from Ty Bun Vichitr and then another from Sok Phal (73rd minute) made sure that Khemara win their first three points of the season.
For Moha Garuda, they just failed to find the momentum after conceding the first goal to Intry Kraham-Post FC when San Sovannak slammed home a 23rd minute lead.
And even though Intry did manage to nail the equalizer off Joshep three minutes later, there was no stopping Sovannak from grabbing his second goal and that off Intry five minutes after the restart.
Em Sovannarith then wrapped up the full points for Intry with the third goal on 65th minute.
Questions About Aid Plague Myanmar Cyclone
Myanmar's military regime allowed in the first major international aid shipment Thursday, but it snubbed a U.S. offer to help cyclone victims struggling to recover from a tragedy of unimaginable scale. (May 8)
Junta releases aid supplies
News.com.au
From correspondents in Bangkok
May 11, 2008
THE UN food agency says Burma's military regime has released a plane-load of cyclone aid into its custody, but that two previous shipments remain impounded.
"The supplies are in our hands, they've been handed over to us," said Marcus Prior, a spokesman for the World Food Program (WFP), about the shipment which came on a flight from Cambodia.
He said there had been a "misunderstanding" regarding earlier comments about the status of goods that landed in Burma's main city of Rangoon on two UN aid flights today.
Mr Prior said he was not aware of the status of the cargo on today's second plane, a UN refugee agency flight from Dubai carrying high-energy biscuits.
The Bangkok-based spokesman said that two initial shipments which were seized yesterday were still in the hands of the government, and that the WFP was in talks with the Burmese regime to have them cleared.
"They were impounded and we are hopeful ... they will be released," he said.
The WFP flight from Cambodia included shelter materials as well as communications and office equipment intended to set up a relief headquarters.
The junta has refused to allow in foreign aid experts to direct the relief effort and said that, although it will accept money and aid, it must distribute all supplies itself.
That stance has been sharply criticised by aid organisations and foreign governments, which have urged it to open its doors to a full-scale foreign relief effort, with time running out for the storm's neediest survivors.
From correspondents in Bangkok
May 11, 2008
THE UN food agency says Burma's military regime has released a plane-load of cyclone aid into its custody, but that two previous shipments remain impounded.
"The supplies are in our hands, they've been handed over to us," said Marcus Prior, a spokesman for the World Food Program (WFP), about the shipment which came on a flight from Cambodia.
He said there had been a "misunderstanding" regarding earlier comments about the status of goods that landed in Burma's main city of Rangoon on two UN aid flights today.
Mr Prior said he was not aware of the status of the cargo on today's second plane, a UN refugee agency flight from Dubai carrying high-energy biscuits.
The Bangkok-based spokesman said that two initial shipments which were seized yesterday were still in the hands of the government, and that the WFP was in talks with the Burmese regime to have them cleared.
"They were impounded and we are hopeful ... they will be released," he said.
The WFP flight from Cambodia included shelter materials as well as communications and office equipment intended to set up a relief headquarters.
The junta has refused to allow in foreign aid experts to direct the relief effort and said that, although it will accept money and aid, it must distribute all supplies itself.
That stance has been sharply criticised by aid organisations and foreign governments, which have urged it to open its doors to a full-scale foreign relief effort, with time running out for the storm's neediest survivors.
Pledges for Cyclone Relief Reach $77 million
By LALIT K JHA / UNITED NATIONS
Saturday, May 10, 2008
The United Nations said on Friday $77 million has now been pledged to provide humanitarian relief to storm-stricken Burma.
Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes, earlier issued an appeal for $187 million to carry out relief operations in Burma, where an estimated 1.5 million people are homeless and the number of dead is approaching 100,000 or more.
Holmes said the money pledged so far would cover the needs of at least 1.5 million homeless people for the next six months. The lead donors were Japan and Britain, which pledged $10 million each.
A total of $20 million was immediately allocated to build up relief supplies to be shipped to the country in the coming weeks.
In all, representatives of more than two dozen donor countries spoke on the cyclone disaster, reelecting a global consensus on the need to distribute aid as quickly as possible.
Responding to the issues of access and cooperation, the Burmese Ambassador to the UN, Kyaw Tint Swe, said his country is ready to cooperate with the international community and receive aid from all quarters. He said it must be orderly. Burmese officials have said that it will not allow foreign aid workers to distribute relief supplies.
UN officials said the cyclone’s death toll could be between 63,000 and 100,000. Officially, the Burmese government has put the figure at around 23,000.
UN officials said the challenge is not just to get the aid and trained relief workers to the airport in Rangoon, but to get material into the Irrawaddy delta, an area that is now flooded and without electricity, communications, safe drinking water, food and medicine.
Homes said it was disappointing that Myanmar authorities were not ready to receive foreign aid workers. Being optimistic, he said he hoped it meant they were not ready at present, but would be in the future.
Referring to the few visas that have been issued to aid workers by the Burmese authorities, he said it was obviously not a blanket ban.
Authorities should have an "open house" for international humanitarian aid workers, whether from the United Nations, individual countries or private groups, he said.
Responding to a question, he said it is not impossible or unusual for a government to be involved in the distribution of humanitarian assistance.
"There is no absolute blanket principle that the UN does not allow governments to be involved in distribution," he said.
Medical aid from the World Health Organization and UNICEF is currently being distributed by the Myanmar Ministry of Health through its health system, and that is perfectly normal, he said.
The current issue is about the degree of control and monitoring possible for the distribution, he said. Earlier, the Japanese ambassador to the UN, Yukio Takasu, urged Burma to accept aid workers and relief supplies as soon as possible.
"Speed is essential,” he said. “This will definitely help the government save people who are desperately in need of help."
The Chinese Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN said China urges member nations not to politicize the disaster relief process. Chinese relief efforts have had no problems with the junta with regard to visas and customs, he said. Blaming the Burmese government for blocking aid is not justified, he said.
"They have enough people to carry on relief operation,” he said. “I see the local government has been effective. They are doing decent distribution."
Speaking on behalf of Asean, the Singapore Ambassador, Gopala Menon, said the humanitarian disaster requires an unprecedented humanitarian response.
Menon said Singapore has contributed $200,000 in emergency supplies; Thailand and Indonesia have dispatched plane loads of supplies valued at $1 million each and the Philippines is preparing to send a 15-man medical mission.
Vietnam has provided $90,000 in donations; Cambodia $50,000; and Malaysia $350,000.
Asean has established an emergency humanitarian relief fund, which recently received its first donation of $100,000 from the Nippon Foundation.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
The United Nations said on Friday $77 million has now been pledged to provide humanitarian relief to storm-stricken Burma.
Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes, earlier issued an appeal for $187 million to carry out relief operations in Burma, where an estimated 1.5 million people are homeless and the number of dead is approaching 100,000 or more.
Holmes said the money pledged so far would cover the needs of at least 1.5 million homeless people for the next six months. The lead donors were Japan and Britain, which pledged $10 million each.
A total of $20 million was immediately allocated to build up relief supplies to be shipped to the country in the coming weeks.
In all, representatives of more than two dozen donor countries spoke on the cyclone disaster, reelecting a global consensus on the need to distribute aid as quickly as possible.
Responding to the issues of access and cooperation, the Burmese Ambassador to the UN, Kyaw Tint Swe, said his country is ready to cooperate with the international community and receive aid from all quarters. He said it must be orderly. Burmese officials have said that it will not allow foreign aid workers to distribute relief supplies.
UN officials said the cyclone’s death toll could be between 63,000 and 100,000. Officially, the Burmese government has put the figure at around 23,000.
UN officials said the challenge is not just to get the aid and trained relief workers to the airport in Rangoon, but to get material into the Irrawaddy delta, an area that is now flooded and without electricity, communications, safe drinking water, food and medicine.
Homes said it was disappointing that Myanmar authorities were not ready to receive foreign aid workers. Being optimistic, he said he hoped it meant they were not ready at present, but would be in the future.
Referring to the few visas that have been issued to aid workers by the Burmese authorities, he said it was obviously not a blanket ban.
Authorities should have an "open house" for international humanitarian aid workers, whether from the United Nations, individual countries or private groups, he said.
Responding to a question, he said it is not impossible or unusual for a government to be involved in the distribution of humanitarian assistance.
"There is no absolute blanket principle that the UN does not allow governments to be involved in distribution," he said.
Medical aid from the World Health Organization and UNICEF is currently being distributed by the Myanmar Ministry of Health through its health system, and that is perfectly normal, he said.
The current issue is about the degree of control and monitoring possible for the distribution, he said. Earlier, the Japanese ambassador to the UN, Yukio Takasu, urged Burma to accept aid workers and relief supplies as soon as possible.
"Speed is essential,” he said. “This will definitely help the government save people who are desperately in need of help."
The Chinese Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN said China urges member nations not to politicize the disaster relief process. Chinese relief efforts have had no problems with the junta with regard to visas and customs, he said. Blaming the Burmese government for blocking aid is not justified, he said.
"They have enough people to carry on relief operation,” he said. “I see the local government has been effective. They are doing decent distribution."
Speaking on behalf of Asean, the Singapore Ambassador, Gopala Menon, said the humanitarian disaster requires an unprecedented humanitarian response.
Menon said Singapore has contributed $200,000 in emergency supplies; Thailand and Indonesia have dispatched plane loads of supplies valued at $1 million each and the Philippines is preparing to send a 15-man medical mission.
Vietnam has provided $90,000 in donations; Cambodia $50,000; and Malaysia $350,000.
Asean has established an emergency humanitarian relief fund, which recently received its first donation of $100,000 from the Nippon Foundation.
Cambodia: People's complaints need prompt responses
www.mynews.in
9/5/2008
Ch. Narendra
Since the end of the communist regime in the early 90s, the Cambodian people have dared to make complaints and vent their grievances against injustices even though they are still very much gripped by a fear psychosis.
There are several venues for such complaints and grievances; they can go directly to the police, the courts, concerned authorities, human rights and complaints committees of the government or the Parliament. Many complainants use one such venue after another, or all at the same time, depending upon the gravity of those injustices, the number of people involved and their resources.
However, due to bureaucracy, officialdom, corruption or mere lack of concern on the part of these institutions, the people rarely have their complaints addressed without giving some sort of incentive to concerned officials otherwise they have to wait for an indeterminate period of time before getting any responses what-so-ever, if those concerned officials have ever cared to provide such responses at all.
Because of such a lack of purpose, the public does not have any confidence in those institutions at all. Many people, though they still make their complaints to them, have now related their stories to the media to publicise their case with a view to getting their messages across to top leaders, especially to Prime Minister Hun Sen, known as the strongman of Cambodia, to seek their direct attention to find justice for them.
According of a newspaper report dated May 8 2008, five representatives of 150 Tumpuon indigenous families living in three adjacent villages in Lomphat district, Rattakakiri in the northeast, went to relate the story of the grabbing of their 250 hectares of communal land by the deputy governor of that district to the Reaksmei Kampuchea newspaper in Phnom Penh.
These five representatives affirmed to the newspaper that all the 150 families would soon go to stage a protest in front of the Parliament and then in front of the Office of Prime Minister Hun Sen “to seek his help to find justice” for them.
Five days earlier, a news report on Radio Free Asia said that representatives of 776 families protested against Amy Unit 331 for grabbing of over 800 hectares of their paddy fields in Taken commune, Chhouk district, Kampot province.
This radio station also reported on May 7, in a case of land grabbing in the same province, that the provincial governor named Chey Sayoun allegedly prevented owners of the affected plots of land from having any say in a meeting with those owners on April 26. Furthermore, he threatened to “bulldoze away” their houses and crops to clear the land for the construction of an airport to silence their protest.
The same radio station has reported numerous cases of people’s protests, especially against land grabbing, and invariably, those victims have sought direct intervention from Hun Sen to find justice for them.
The people also have other grievances to relate to the media. The Koh Santepheap newspaper dated May 5 reported that unnamed rice traders complained that they had to pay the police in Angkor Borei district, Takeo province in the south a bribe of 130000 riels (US$32.5) per truckload to transport rice from that boarder district across to Vietnam.
The same newspaper also reported a complaint from a man named Nop Phirum against a deputy police chief named Heng Chantho in Ta-Kream commune, Banan district, Battambang province, after he had requested Heng’s intervention to stop a gang’s cruel assault on Nop’s younger brother-in-law. Heng was then busy with his drinks at a place at foot of a hill nearby and did not bother even to send his subordinates to stop the assault.
The above are just a few of the cases reported in the media. There are many others. They all call for responses from all concerned authorities, responses which are the constitutional duties of the government and the rights of citizens under articles 35 and 39 of the country’s Constitution.
The Cambodian government must ensure that such responses are provided promptly and, in cases of alleged corruption or negligence on the part of public authorities mentioned above, conduct prompt investigations and take appropriate action to prevent their repeat in future.
9/5/2008
Ch. Narendra
Since the end of the communist regime in the early 90s, the Cambodian people have dared to make complaints and vent their grievances against injustices even though they are still very much gripped by a fear psychosis.
There are several venues for such complaints and grievances; they can go directly to the police, the courts, concerned authorities, human rights and complaints committees of the government or the Parliament. Many complainants use one such venue after another, or all at the same time, depending upon the gravity of those injustices, the number of people involved and their resources.
However, due to bureaucracy, officialdom, corruption or mere lack of concern on the part of these institutions, the people rarely have their complaints addressed without giving some sort of incentive to concerned officials otherwise they have to wait for an indeterminate period of time before getting any responses what-so-ever, if those concerned officials have ever cared to provide such responses at all.
Because of such a lack of purpose, the public does not have any confidence in those institutions at all. Many people, though they still make their complaints to them, have now related their stories to the media to publicise their case with a view to getting their messages across to top leaders, especially to Prime Minister Hun Sen, known as the strongman of Cambodia, to seek their direct attention to find justice for them.
According of a newspaper report dated May 8 2008, five representatives of 150 Tumpuon indigenous families living in three adjacent villages in Lomphat district, Rattakakiri in the northeast, went to relate the story of the grabbing of their 250 hectares of communal land by the deputy governor of that district to the Reaksmei Kampuchea newspaper in Phnom Penh.
These five representatives affirmed to the newspaper that all the 150 families would soon go to stage a protest in front of the Parliament and then in front of the Office of Prime Minister Hun Sen “to seek his help to find justice” for them.
Five days earlier, a news report on Radio Free Asia said that representatives of 776 families protested against Amy Unit 331 for grabbing of over 800 hectares of their paddy fields in Taken commune, Chhouk district, Kampot province.
This radio station also reported on May 7, in a case of land grabbing in the same province, that the provincial governor named Chey Sayoun allegedly prevented owners of the affected plots of land from having any say in a meeting with those owners on April 26. Furthermore, he threatened to “bulldoze away” their houses and crops to clear the land for the construction of an airport to silence their protest.
The same radio station has reported numerous cases of people’s protests, especially against land grabbing, and invariably, those victims have sought direct intervention from Hun Sen to find justice for them.
The people also have other grievances to relate to the media. The Koh Santepheap newspaper dated May 5 reported that unnamed rice traders complained that they had to pay the police in Angkor Borei district, Takeo province in the south a bribe of 130000 riels (US$32.5) per truckload to transport rice from that boarder district across to Vietnam.
The same newspaper also reported a complaint from a man named Nop Phirum against a deputy police chief named Heng Chantho in Ta-Kream commune, Banan district, Battambang province, after he had requested Heng’s intervention to stop a gang’s cruel assault on Nop’s younger brother-in-law. Heng was then busy with his drinks at a place at foot of a hill nearby and did not bother even to send his subordinates to stop the assault.
The above are just a few of the cases reported in the media. There are many others. They all call for responses from all concerned authorities, responses which are the constitutional duties of the government and the rights of citizens under articles 35 and 39 of the country’s Constitution.
The Cambodian government must ensure that such responses are provided promptly and, in cases of alleged corruption or negligence on the part of public authorities mentioned above, conduct prompt investigations and take appropriate action to prevent their repeat in future.
Rhu villagers do their bit for Cambodia
CASHING IN: Ladies do their bit for charity.Helensburgh Advertiser
Saturday, 10th May, 2008
Bargain hunters picked up the latest trends and raised cash for a good cause at a “nearly new” clothes sale in Rhu Church Hall recently.
The event, held in aid of Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity (CSC), raised nearly £400 which will help fund free surgical treatment and rehabilitation for victims of the after effects of war.
Joan Walshe decided to hold the fundraiser after speaking to a friend whose son, Professor Michael Irwin, trains doctors and health workers in Cambodia.
She organised the event with the help of Jane Nicholson.
She said: “There is no state medicine in Cambodia and treatment for large sections of the population is prohibitively expensive, so we decided to do something to help those caught up in the legacy of the war against the Khmer Rouge. The sale was very popular and proved a huge success.
She added: “We received donations of beautiful clothing and had help from so many volunteers and we would like to thank all who supported this event.”
The charity aims to improve the quality of life for Cambodia’s disabled children and poor people by developing sustainable health services.
Many patients are the victims of landmines left after the war, cleft palates, cataracts and acid attacks.
To find out more about the charity and the work they do, or to make an online donation, visit www.csc.org Cheques made out to the Children’s Surgical Centre can also be sent to P.O. Box 1060, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Saturday, 10th May, 2008
Bargain hunters picked up the latest trends and raised cash for a good cause at a “nearly new” clothes sale in Rhu Church Hall recently.
The event, held in aid of Cambodian Acid Survivors Charity (CSC), raised nearly £400 which will help fund free surgical treatment and rehabilitation for victims of the after effects of war.
Joan Walshe decided to hold the fundraiser after speaking to a friend whose son, Professor Michael Irwin, trains doctors and health workers in Cambodia.
She organised the event with the help of Jane Nicholson.
She said: “There is no state medicine in Cambodia and treatment for large sections of the population is prohibitively expensive, so we decided to do something to help those caught up in the legacy of the war against the Khmer Rouge. The sale was very popular and proved a huge success.
She added: “We received donations of beautiful clothing and had help from so many volunteers and we would like to thank all who supported this event.”
The charity aims to improve the quality of life for Cambodia’s disabled children and poor people by developing sustainable health services.
Many patients are the victims of landmines left after the war, cleft palates, cataracts and acid attacks.
To find out more about the charity and the work they do, or to make an online donation, visit www.csc.org Cheques made out to the Children’s Surgical Centre can also be sent to P.O. Box 1060, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Saturday, 10 May 2008
Cambodia carrier ends Taipei flights over its financial crisis
Saturday, May 10, 2008
The China Post news staff
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Cambodia-based Angkor Airways will suspend its flights between Taipei and the Southeast Asian country today, as it has run into financial difficulties after the detention of a top company executive on criminal charges in Taiwan, the airline's branch office in Taiwan announced yesterday.
Alex Lou, executive director of the Taiwan branch office, has been solely in charge of sourcing funding for operations, and his detention has plunged the company into financial woes, the office said.
The announcement came in the afternoon, while its flights to Siem Reap, the location of the famous Cambodian historic site of Angkor Wat, had still taken off as scheduled in the morning.
A total of 449 passengers from Taiwan were originally scheduled to take three Angkor charter flights back home in the next four days, the company said. But the office said it has already asked the passengers' travel agencies to rearrange their clients to fly home from Phnom Penh via China Airlines or EVA Airways.
Lou has been detained following questioning by prosecutors in Taipei on May 1 as part of their investigation into an embezzlement scandal hitting the debt-ridden Fast Eastern Air Transport.
The branch office said the headquarters in Cambodia respects the due process in Taiwan.
The travelers were originally scheduled to fly back to Taiwan from Siem Reap on May 10, 12 and 13.
Although it does not have a representative office in Cambodia, Taiwan's foreign ministry has appealed to Cambodia-based Taiwanese businesspeople to help the stranded tourists get rooms at local hotels, ministry spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh said late last night.
Taiwan's government will arrange for Taiwanese airlines to pick up the tourists from both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap over the next four days, with FAT sending a plane on May 13, Yeh said.
For more assistance, Taiwanese citizens can call Taiwan's representative office in Ho Chi Minh City at 002-84-903927019, the spokeswoman said.
Angkor Airways, a regional airline with three routes between Siem Reap and Japanese cities in addition to its Taipei route, operated 20-23 chartered flights between Taipei and Siem Reap every month.
Although the statement said all flights would be suspended temporarily, there was no mention of if or when the charters would resume.
According to the airline's website, its charter flight routes include ones from Taipei, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka to Siem Reap.
But its current flight schedule has only flights between Taipei and the Cambodian destination.
Debt-ridden FAT, Taiwan's oldest private carrier that has been hit hard by a deteriorating domestic aviation market, filed for bankruptcy protection with the Taipei District Court on Feb.
17 and has been struggling to meet its operating obligations since.
Taipei prosecutors suspect that top-ranking managers at FAT pocketed company funds and purposely let Angkor Airways delay paying FAT the NT$700 million owed for leasing aircraft from the Taiwanese carrier.
The China Post news staff
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Cambodia-based Angkor Airways will suspend its flights between Taipei and the Southeast Asian country today, as it has run into financial difficulties after the detention of a top company executive on criminal charges in Taiwan, the airline's branch office in Taiwan announced yesterday.
Alex Lou, executive director of the Taiwan branch office, has been solely in charge of sourcing funding for operations, and his detention has plunged the company into financial woes, the office said.
The announcement came in the afternoon, while its flights to Siem Reap, the location of the famous Cambodian historic site of Angkor Wat, had still taken off as scheduled in the morning.
A total of 449 passengers from Taiwan were originally scheduled to take three Angkor charter flights back home in the next four days, the company said. But the office said it has already asked the passengers' travel agencies to rearrange their clients to fly home from Phnom Penh via China Airlines or EVA Airways.
Lou has been detained following questioning by prosecutors in Taipei on May 1 as part of their investigation into an embezzlement scandal hitting the debt-ridden Fast Eastern Air Transport.
The branch office said the headquarters in Cambodia respects the due process in Taiwan.
The travelers were originally scheduled to fly back to Taiwan from Siem Reap on May 10, 12 and 13.
Although it does not have a representative office in Cambodia, Taiwan's foreign ministry has appealed to Cambodia-based Taiwanese businesspeople to help the stranded tourists get rooms at local hotels, ministry spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh said late last night.
Taiwan's government will arrange for Taiwanese airlines to pick up the tourists from both Phnom Penh and Siem Reap over the next four days, with FAT sending a plane on May 13, Yeh said.
For more assistance, Taiwanese citizens can call Taiwan's representative office in Ho Chi Minh City at 002-84-903927019, the spokeswoman said.
Angkor Airways, a regional airline with three routes between Siem Reap and Japanese cities in addition to its Taipei route, operated 20-23 chartered flights between Taipei and Siem Reap every month.
Although the statement said all flights would be suspended temporarily, there was no mention of if or when the charters would resume.
According to the airline's website, its charter flight routes include ones from Taipei, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka to Siem Reap.
But its current flight schedule has only flights between Taipei and the Cambodian destination.
Debt-ridden FAT, Taiwan's oldest private carrier that has been hit hard by a deteriorating domestic aviation market, filed for bankruptcy protection with the Taipei District Court on Feb.
17 and has been struggling to meet its operating obligations since.
Taipei prosecutors suspect that top-ranking managers at FAT pocketed company funds and purposely let Angkor Airways delay paying FAT the NT$700 million owed for leasing aircraft from the Taiwanese carrier.
Los Angeles trial under way for accused child sex tourist
Examiner.com
May 9, 2008
LOS ANGELES (Map, News) - A retired Marine captain had sex with seven preteen girls while living in Cambodia, a prosecutor contended Friday.
Michael Joseph Pepe, 54, paid a prostitute to find girls between 9 and 15 and gave their impoverished families money to let the youngsters live with him near a Phnom Penh elementary school, Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Donahue told Superior Court jurors in her opening statement.
Pepe, who was extradited to Los Angeles last year, has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places, a federal law aimed at people who go overseas to engage in so-called child sex tourism.
He was being held without bail and faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Pepe is accused of having sex with seven girls between the late fall of 2005 and his June 2006 arrest. He paid several hundred dollars to one family for access to their daughter, Donahue contended.
He supplied the girls with food and clothing and even covered some of their school tuitions but "there was a price for all of this," Donahue told jurors. "That price was sex."
Pepe drugged some before having sex with them, the prosecutor alleged.
One 11-year-old told Cambodian authorities that she woke up in a pool of blood, Donahue said.
Medical examinations found the girls had injuries that could have been caused by forced intercourse, she contended.
Rope, Viagra, children's clothing and child pornography were found in a search of his home, Donahue said.
The girls will testify at the trial and "you will hear their pain," the prosecutor told jurors.
In his opening argument, Deputy Federal Public Defender Carl Gunn suggested the assaults were committed by a prostitute and her boyfriend who had access to Pepe's house.
Perhaps the girls were abused "but they weren't abused by Mr. Pepe," Gunn said.
Parents and a teacher made frequent visits to Pepe's home and did not notice anything unusual, Gunn said.
The girls "even acted affectionately towards Mr. Pepe," Gunn said.
May 9, 2008
LOS ANGELES (Map, News) - A retired Marine captain had sex with seven preteen girls while living in Cambodia, a prosecutor contended Friday.
Michael Joseph Pepe, 54, paid a prostitute to find girls between 9 and 15 and gave their impoverished families money to let the youngsters live with him near a Phnom Penh elementary school, Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Donahue told Superior Court jurors in her opening statement.
Pepe, who was extradited to Los Angeles last year, has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places, a federal law aimed at people who go overseas to engage in so-called child sex tourism.
He was being held without bail and faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Pepe is accused of having sex with seven girls between the late fall of 2005 and his June 2006 arrest. He paid several hundred dollars to one family for access to their daughter, Donahue contended.
He supplied the girls with food and clothing and even covered some of their school tuitions but "there was a price for all of this," Donahue told jurors. "That price was sex."
Pepe drugged some before having sex with them, the prosecutor alleged.
One 11-year-old told Cambodian authorities that she woke up in a pool of blood, Donahue said.
Medical examinations found the girls had injuries that could have been caused by forced intercourse, she contended.
Rope, Viagra, children's clothing and child pornography were found in a search of his home, Donahue said.
The girls will testify at the trial and "you will hear their pain," the prosecutor told jurors.
In his opening argument, Deputy Federal Public Defender Carl Gunn suggested the assaults were committed by a prostitute and her boyfriend who had access to Pepe's house.
Perhaps the girls were abused "but they weren't abused by Mr. Pepe," Gunn said.
Parents and a teacher made frequent visits to Pepe's home and did not notice anything unusual, Gunn said.
The girls "even acted affectionately towards Mr. Pepe," Gunn said.
Police Investigating Refugee ‘Trafficking’
By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh
09 May 2008
Khmer audio aired May 09 (615KB) - Download
Police have begun an investigation into whether Montagnards from Vietnam are being trafficked to the UN refugee agency in Phnom Penh, authorities said Friday.
“There is no reason that Montagnards coming from the central plateau of Vietnam arrive at the camp of [the UN High Commissioner for Refugees] in the center of Phnom Penh with no indication of support,” Ministry of Interior Khieu Sopheak said Friday. “The ministry is investigating, and if we find evidence like this, it is a human trafficking case, not a question for UNHCR.”
Cambodian law carries a 10 year prison sentence for human trafficking.
The local daily newspaper Rasmey Kampuchea carried a story Thursday in which an alleged Montagnard claimed to have been brought to Cambodia with promises of resettlement in a third country and, cheated instead, brought to UNHCR.
Toshi Kawauchi, protection officer at UNHCR told VOA Khmer he was unaware of the story, but he declined to comment on whether it constituted a threat to the organization.
“The investigation is up to the [Ministry of Information]. The police are responsible for any possible crime,” he said. “Our duty is to provide assistance to those refugees who are in need of international protection.”
Refugees from the mountains of Vietnam have been flowing into Cambodia since 2001, claiming they were escaping oppression by Vietnamese authorities. Nearly 2,000 have been admitted as refugees and settled in third countries, many to the US, angering Hanoi.
At least 600 others are under the protection of UNHCR in Phnom Penh.
Impoverished Face Homelessness: HRP
By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
09 May 2008
Khmer audio aired May 09 (593KB) - Download
The Human Rights Party on Friday issued a strong condemnation of rapidly rising land prices, which threatens to push out many Phnom Penh residents.
Land in Phnom Penh costs between $1,000 to $2,000 per square meter, and houses can cost up to $90,000, the party said in a statement.
Keo Remy, vice president of the party, said the government should construct affordable housing to help insulate residents from the high prices.
Children of government workers and those who work in restaurants and hotels or as motorcycle taxi drivers, unable to afford a house or apartment, were all facing “homelessness,” he said.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith called the statement “unfair.”
“The HRP does not know the real situation, but the people know the situation more clearly than HRP,” he said.
Adhoc rights investigator Ny Chkrya said he “completely” supported the idea of housing.
Original report from Phnom Penh
09 May 2008
Khmer audio aired May 09 (593KB) - Download
The Human Rights Party on Friday issued a strong condemnation of rapidly rising land prices, which threatens to push out many Phnom Penh residents.
Land in Phnom Penh costs between $1,000 to $2,000 per square meter, and houses can cost up to $90,000, the party said in a statement.
Keo Remy, vice president of the party, said the government should construct affordable housing to help insulate residents from the high prices.
Children of government workers and those who work in restaurants and hotels or as motorcycle taxi drivers, unable to afford a house or apartment, were all facing “homelessness,” he said.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith called the statement “unfair.”
“The HRP does not know the real situation, but the people know the situation more clearly than HRP,” he said.
Adhoc rights investigator Ny Chkrya said he “completely” supported the idea of housing.
Rights Group Urges Investigation of Inmate Death
By Taing Sarada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
09 May 2008
Khmer audio aired May 09 (1.09MB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired May 09 (1.09MB) - Listen (MP3)
The Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission has called on the authorities to investigate the death of a prison inmate in April.
Yan Sok Kea, 21, died of fever April 28 in a Phnom Penh hospital, leading to questions about his treatment while in Prey Sar prison and how long prison authorities kept him from treatment.
Medical staff maintain they lacked medicine, money and equipment to treat him.
Yan Sok Kea was arrested in the wake of a forcible eviction in Preah Vihear province in November 2007, though he was only a bystander, the Rights Commission said.
He was erroneously charged with forest destruction and was being held in Prey Sar, where he died after being ill for at least two weeks, the group said.
Adhoc rights investigator Chan Saveth told VOA Khmer he suspected the inmate died because he was not treated promptly or properly.
“The doctor only gave him medicine without doing any examination, so that it was very difficult to know what exactly affected the patient,” he said.
A Preah Sihanouk Hospital doctor said Yan Sok Kea died of meningitis, Chan Saveth said.
Prey Sar lacks hygienic food and water, affecting the health of many prisoners, he said. “Some of them are sick until death.”
Others die in altercations with other prisoners, he said.
Prison officials say they are working to ensure inmates get prompt, proper treatment.
“They cannot make [the prison] as clean as the living standard outside,” said warden Heng Hak. “Not only can Cambodia not do that, but none of the countries of the world can.”
He denied prisoners died in fights.
“That would never happen,” he said.
Original report from Washington
09 May 2008
Khmer audio aired May 09 (1.09MB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired May 09 (1.09MB) - Listen (MP3)
The Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission has called on the authorities to investigate the death of a prison inmate in April.
Yan Sok Kea, 21, died of fever April 28 in a Phnom Penh hospital, leading to questions about his treatment while in Prey Sar prison and how long prison authorities kept him from treatment.
Medical staff maintain they lacked medicine, money and equipment to treat him.
Yan Sok Kea was arrested in the wake of a forcible eviction in Preah Vihear province in November 2007, though he was only a bystander, the Rights Commission said.
He was erroneously charged with forest destruction and was being held in Prey Sar, where he died after being ill for at least two weeks, the group said.
Adhoc rights investigator Chan Saveth told VOA Khmer he suspected the inmate died because he was not treated promptly or properly.
“The doctor only gave him medicine without doing any examination, so that it was very difficult to know what exactly affected the patient,” he said.
A Preah Sihanouk Hospital doctor said Yan Sok Kea died of meningitis, Chan Saveth said.
Prey Sar lacks hygienic food and water, affecting the health of many prisoners, he said. “Some of them are sick until death.”
Others die in altercations with other prisoners, he said.
Prison officials say they are working to ensure inmates get prompt, proper treatment.
“They cannot make [the prison] as clean as the living standard outside,” said warden Heng Hak. “Not only can Cambodia not do that, but none of the countries of the world can.”
He denied prisoners died in fights.
“That would never happen,” he said.
Donors Give $11 Million for Bird Flu
By Seng Ratana, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
09 May 2008
The government’s national Bird Flu Plan got an $11 million injection from donors Friday in a bid to strengthen the response to a potential outbreak over the next three years.
The Bird Flu Plan is a three-year project that combines the participation of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Committee for Disaster Management.
The plan calls for improving animal and human health and for better preparation against a potential pandemic of avian influenza, the H2N1 virus.
Ly Sovan, deputy director of the infectious diseases department of the Ministry of Health, said the government has six separate priorities for fighting the spread of the disease, and he encouraged donors—which included Japan and the World Bank—to send the pledged funds as soon as possible.
Japanese Ambassador Katsuhiro Shinohara said Cambodia played an important role in minimizing the threat of bird flu.
World Bank country director Ian Porter said the project will help the government assess and improve its national comprehensive plan.
Original report from Phnom Penh
09 May 2008
The government’s national Bird Flu Plan got an $11 million injection from donors Friday in a bid to strengthen the response to a potential outbreak over the next three years.
The Bird Flu Plan is a three-year project that combines the participation of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Committee for Disaster Management.
The plan calls for improving animal and human health and for better preparation against a potential pandemic of avian influenza, the H2N1 virus.
Ly Sovan, deputy director of the infectious diseases department of the Ministry of Health, said the government has six separate priorities for fighting the spread of the disease, and he encouraged donors—which included Japan and the World Bank—to send the pledged funds as soon as possible.
Japanese Ambassador Katsuhiro Shinohara said Cambodia played an important role in minimizing the threat of bird flu.
World Bank country director Ian Porter said the project will help the government assess and improve its national comprehensive plan.
Drivers, Vendors Fed Up With Corruption
By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
09 May 2008
Khmer audio aired May 09 (974KB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired May 09 (974KB) - Listen (MP3)
About 100 Cambodians, from motorcycle taxi and tuk-tuk drivers, vendors and politicians, met in a public forum Friday, urging the end of graft and the passage of anti-corruption legislation.
Representatives from Funcinpec, Norodom Ranariddh Party and Human Rights parties joined drivers, vendors and others in a forum sponsored by the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.
“Sellers always suffer, because bad officials confiscate their goods and demand their money,” complained Von Pov, president of the Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association.
Motorcycle taxi driver Sem Somanthorn urged Cambodians to stop voting for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party if the anti-corruption law cannot be passed.
“If your political party wins the election, will it make an anti-corruption law?” driver Kim Sophan asked the party representatives. “And if you were to be prime minister, would you dare to step down if the anti-corruption law could not be done?”
Funcinpec parliamentarian Khieu San told those gathered at the forum that even though Cambodia does not have an anti-corruption law, Cambodian law can still punish those who commit corruption, and many such people have already been imprisoned.
The Coalition of Civil Society Against Corruption said Friday more than one million Cambodians have signed a petition to push for the approval of the anti-corruption law.
Justice Minister Ang Vong Wathana could not be reached for comment Friday.
CPP lawmaker Cheam Yiep said Friday Prime Minister Hun Sen has often pushed for the passage of the law. The CPP is able to safeguard people throughout the country and bring economic development, he added.
Original report from Phnom Penh
09 May 2008
Khmer audio aired May 09 (974KB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired May 09 (974KB) - Listen (MP3)
About 100 Cambodians, from motorcycle taxi and tuk-tuk drivers, vendors and politicians, met in a public forum Friday, urging the end of graft and the passage of anti-corruption legislation.
Representatives from Funcinpec, Norodom Ranariddh Party and Human Rights parties joined drivers, vendors and others in a forum sponsored by the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.
“Sellers always suffer, because bad officials confiscate their goods and demand their money,” complained Von Pov, president of the Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association.
Motorcycle taxi driver Sem Somanthorn urged Cambodians to stop voting for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party if the anti-corruption law cannot be passed.
“If your political party wins the election, will it make an anti-corruption law?” driver Kim Sophan asked the party representatives. “And if you were to be prime minister, would you dare to step down if the anti-corruption law could not be done?”
Funcinpec parliamentarian Khieu San told those gathered at the forum that even though Cambodia does not have an anti-corruption law, Cambodian law can still punish those who commit corruption, and many such people have already been imprisoned.
The Coalition of Civil Society Against Corruption said Friday more than one million Cambodians have signed a petition to push for the approval of the anti-corruption law.
Justice Minister Ang Vong Wathana could not be reached for comment Friday.
CPP lawmaker Cheam Yiep said Friday Prime Minister Hun Sen has often pushed for the passage of the law. The CPP is able to safeguard people throughout the country and bring economic development, he added.
Civil Society Joins Against Political Threats
By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
09 May 2008
The Civil Society Coalition expressed great concern of political threats of the opposition and competing parties as the country heads into a general election.
The coalition, comprised of local rights and development agencies, said Thursday threats by the judicial system were “aimed particularly at non-ruling parties.”
“We are wary, because we’ve remarked that there are threats and intimidation,” said Hang Chhaya, executive director of the Khmer Institute for Democracy, a member of the coalition.
Prince Norodom Ranariddh is running a competing political party from exile, facing 18 months in prison for embezzlement if he returns, and opposition leader Sam Rainsy is facing a lawsuit of defamation and disinformation brought by Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Thursday the cases were a question of wrongdoing, not intimidation.
To ensure a fair environment, wrongdoers must face punishment, he said.
Cambodia’s courts are widely criticized as politicized and biased toward the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.
The case against Sam Rainsy could lead to a jail sentence, if the courts find him guilty of spreading disinformation in a public setting.
The Civil Society Coalition also said Thursday there had been insufficient political space given to competing parties, threatening the free and fair status of the elections.
The group called on the government to find a way to bring Prince Ranariddh back for the election.
Original report from Phnom Penh
09 May 2008
The Civil Society Coalition expressed great concern of political threats of the opposition and competing parties as the country heads into a general election.
The coalition, comprised of local rights and development agencies, said Thursday threats by the judicial system were “aimed particularly at non-ruling parties.”
“We are wary, because we’ve remarked that there are threats and intimidation,” said Hang Chhaya, executive director of the Khmer Institute for Democracy, a member of the coalition.
Prince Norodom Ranariddh is running a competing political party from exile, facing 18 months in prison for embezzlement if he returns, and opposition leader Sam Rainsy is facing a lawsuit of defamation and disinformation brought by Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Thursday the cases were a question of wrongdoing, not intimidation.
To ensure a fair environment, wrongdoers must face punishment, he said.
Cambodia’s courts are widely criticized as politicized and biased toward the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.
The case against Sam Rainsy could lead to a jail sentence, if the courts find him guilty of spreading disinformation in a public setting.
The Civil Society Coalition also said Thursday there had been insufficient political space given to competing parties, threatening the free and fair status of the elections.
The group called on the government to find a way to bring Prince Ranariddh back for the election.
Politicians Jumping Ahead of Campaign: Expert
By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
09 May 2008
Khmer audio aired May 08 (5.68KB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired May 08 (5.68KB) - Listen (MP3)
Though the law calls for campaigning only in the month leading into Election Day, parties have already started, a democracy observer said Thursday.
“We see the ruling party campaigning and broadcasting on TV and radio, and the opposition visits directly to help people solve problems like land conflicts and so on,” said Ly Sothearayuth, a senior program officers at the National Democratic Institute, on “Hello VOA.”
With less than three months to go for the election, many voters say they are concerned with media bias. Observers say most of the media is skewed to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, and voters say they aren’t hearing enough about other parties.
Parties can buy airtime, Ly Sothearayuth said, but it’s expensive.
“The ruling party has a lot of resources, and they buy all the airtime,” he said. “Also, another question is that it depends on the station manager, whether
Original report from Washington
09 May 2008
Khmer audio aired May 08 (5.68KB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired May 08 (5.68KB) - Listen (MP3)
Though the law calls for campaigning only in the month leading into Election Day, parties have already started, a democracy observer said Thursday.
“We see the ruling party campaigning and broadcasting on TV and radio, and the opposition visits directly to help people solve problems like land conflicts and so on,” said Ly Sothearayuth, a senior program officers at the National Democratic Institute, on “Hello VOA.”
With less than three months to go for the election, many voters say they are concerned with media bias. Observers say most of the media is skewed to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, and voters say they aren’t hearing enough about other parties.
Parties can buy airtime, Ly Sothearayuth said, but it’s expensive.
“The ruling party has a lot of resources, and they buy all the airtime,” he said. “Also, another question is that it depends on the station manager, whether
Politicians Jumping Ahead of Campaign: Expert
By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
09 May 2008
Khmer audio aired May 08 (5.68KB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired May 08 (5.68KB) - Listen (MP3)
Though the law calls for campaigning only in the month leading into Election Day, parties have already started, a democracy observer said Thursday.
“We see the ruling party campaigning and broadcasting on TV and radio, and the opposition visits directly to help people solve problems like land conflicts and so on,” said Ly Sothearayuth, a senior program officers at the National Democratic Institute, on “Hello VOA.”
With less than three months to go for the election, many voters say they are concerned with media bias. Observers say most of the media is skewed to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, and voters say they aren’t hearing enough about other parties.
Parties can buy airtime, Ly Sothearayuth said, but it’s expensive.
“The ruling party has a lot of resources, and they buy all the airtime,” he said. “Also, another question is that it depends on the station manager, whether
Original report from Washington
09 May 2008
Khmer audio aired May 08 (5.68KB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired May 08 (5.68KB) - Listen (MP3)
Though the law calls for campaigning only in the month leading into Election Day, parties have already started, a democracy observer said Thursday.
“We see the ruling party campaigning and broadcasting on TV and radio, and the opposition visits directly to help people solve problems like land conflicts and so on,” said Ly Sothearayuth, a senior program officers at the National Democratic Institute, on “Hello VOA.”
With less than three months to go for the election, many voters say they are concerned with media bias. Observers say most of the media is skewed to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, and voters say they aren’t hearing enough about other parties.
Parties can buy airtime, Ly Sothearayuth said, but it’s expensive.
“The ruling party has a lot of resources, and they buy all the airtime,” he said. “Also, another question is that it depends on the station manager, whether
Hillary Clinton, Still Hoping to Win
By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
09 May 2008
Khmer audio aired May 06 (3.10MB) - Download
Hillary Clinton has struggled hard to become the first woman in US history to be president. She has stressed her background and experience in primary races against the other Democratic hopeful, Barack Obama. Her race has inspired at least some Cambodians.
“Whoever sits at that desk in the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2009, needs all the tools available, all the resources at our disposal, and the wisdom to know how to use them,” Clinton said recently. “I propose a new American strategy to restore our moral authority and war in Iraq and defend and protect our nation.”
Pok Nanda, of Cambodia’s Women for Prosperty, said Clinton deserves to be president. She called Clinton brave, smart and an example to women of the world. She has even worked against human trafficking in Cambodia and strengthened women’s position in politics.
“Her stance is clear, in order to improve social issues, help poor countries on education issues and the violation of the rights of women and children,” Pok Nanda said. “If she wins, I have hope for the Democrats, especially if she is elected president programs on social services for Cambodia will be highly paid attention to by the US.”
Chanly Kuch, a Cambodian-American in Maryland, said Clinton fits for president, but the question is whether Americans are ready to put a woman in the White House.
Were Clinton to humble herself more, she would be a leading candidate, Chanly Kuch said.
“There’s no doubt she’s smart,” Chanly Kuch said. “She’s been winning as a leader since school.”
Chhay Huor, from Georgia, said people were looking for Clinton to win to help restore the economy and ease restrictions on immigration that have been in place under the Republican administration.
But not all are convinced Clinton’s policies will benefit them. Ku Kim Tuy, also from Maryland, called Clinton dishonest, and said the candidate did not have enough economic experience to be president.
“If she wins, she will need more advisers, and that’s dangerous, because those advisers will work for their own will,” Ku Kim Tuy said.
Meanwhile, Cambodian politicians welcomed Clinton’s presidential bid.
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said she was “fit for the presidential posting.”
Ruling party lawmaker Cheam Yiep applauded the US exercise in democracy and said the American people “should consider giving a woman a chance.”
Original report from Washington
09 May 2008
Khmer audio aired May 06 (3.10MB) - Download
Hillary Clinton has struggled hard to become the first woman in US history to be president. She has stressed her background and experience in primary races against the other Democratic hopeful, Barack Obama. Her race has inspired at least some Cambodians.
“Whoever sits at that desk in the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2009, needs all the tools available, all the resources at our disposal, and the wisdom to know how to use them,” Clinton said recently. “I propose a new American strategy to restore our moral authority and war in Iraq and defend and protect our nation.”
Pok Nanda, of Cambodia’s Women for Prosperty, said Clinton deserves to be president. She called Clinton brave, smart and an example to women of the world. She has even worked against human trafficking in Cambodia and strengthened women’s position in politics.
“Her stance is clear, in order to improve social issues, help poor countries on education issues and the violation of the rights of women and children,” Pok Nanda said. “If she wins, I have hope for the Democrats, especially if she is elected president programs on social services for Cambodia will be highly paid attention to by the US.”
Chanly Kuch, a Cambodian-American in Maryland, said Clinton fits for president, but the question is whether Americans are ready to put a woman in the White House.
Were Clinton to humble herself more, she would be a leading candidate, Chanly Kuch said.
“There’s no doubt she’s smart,” Chanly Kuch said. “She’s been winning as a leader since school.”
Chhay Huor, from Georgia, said people were looking for Clinton to win to help restore the economy and ease restrictions on immigration that have been in place under the Republican administration.
But not all are convinced Clinton’s policies will benefit them. Ku Kim Tuy, also from Maryland, called Clinton dishonest, and said the candidate did not have enough economic experience to be president.
“If she wins, she will need more advisers, and that’s dangerous, because those advisers will work for their own will,” Ku Kim Tuy said.
Meanwhile, Cambodian politicians welcomed Clinton’s presidential bid.
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said she was “fit for the presidential posting.”
Ruling party lawmaker Cheam Yiep applauded the US exercise in democracy and said the American people “should consider giving a woman a chance.”
Hillary Clinton, Still Hoping to Win
By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
09 May 2008
Khmer audio aired May 06 (3.10MB) - Download
Hillary Clinton has struggled hard to become the first woman in US history to be president. She has stressed her background and experience in primary races against the other Democratic hopeful, Barack Obama. Her race has inspired at least some Cambodians.
“Whoever sits at that desk in the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2009, needs all the tools available, all the resources at our disposal, and the wisdom to know how to use them,” Clinton said recently. “I propose a new American strategy to restore our moral authority and war in Iraq and defend and protect our nation.”
Pok Nanda, of Cambodia’s Women for Prosperty, said Clinton deserves to be president. She called Clinton brave, smart and an example to women of the world. She has even worked against human trafficking in Cambodia and strengthened women’s position in politics.
“Her stance is clear, in order to improve social issues, help poor countries on education issues and the violation of the rights of women and children,” Pok Nanda said. “If she wins, I have hope for the Democrats, especially if she is elected president programs on social services for Cambodia will be highly paid attention to by the US.”
Chanly Kuch, a Cambodian-American in Maryland, said Clinton fits for president, but the question is whether Americans are ready to put a woman in the White House.
Were Clinton to humble herself more, she would be a leading candidate, Chanly Kuch said.
“There’s no doubt she’s smart,” Chanly Kuch said. “She’s been winning as a leader since school.”
Chhay Huor, from Georgia, said people were looking for Clinton to win to help restore the economy and ease restrictions on immigration that have been in place under the Republican administration.
But not all are convinced Clinton’s policies will benefit them. Ku Kim Tuy, also from Maryland, called Clinton dishonest, and said the candidate did not have enough economic experience to be president.
“If she wins, she will need more advisers, and that’s dangerous, because those advisers will work for their own will,” Ku Kim Tuy said.
Meanwhile, Cambodian politicians welcomed Clinton’s presidential bid.
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said she was “fit for the presidential posting.”
Ruling party lawmaker Cheam Yiep applauded the US exercise in democracy and said the American people “should consider giving a woman a chance.”
Original report from Washington
09 May 2008
Khmer audio aired May 06 (3.10MB) - Download
Hillary Clinton has struggled hard to become the first woman in US history to be president. She has stressed her background and experience in primary races against the other Democratic hopeful, Barack Obama. Her race has inspired at least some Cambodians.
“Whoever sits at that desk in the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2009, needs all the tools available, all the resources at our disposal, and the wisdom to know how to use them,” Clinton said recently. “I propose a new American strategy to restore our moral authority and war in Iraq and defend and protect our nation.”
Pok Nanda, of Cambodia’s Women for Prosperty, said Clinton deserves to be president. She called Clinton brave, smart and an example to women of the world. She has even worked against human trafficking in Cambodia and strengthened women’s position in politics.
“Her stance is clear, in order to improve social issues, help poor countries on education issues and the violation of the rights of women and children,” Pok Nanda said. “If she wins, I have hope for the Democrats, especially if she is elected president programs on social services for Cambodia will be highly paid attention to by the US.”
Chanly Kuch, a Cambodian-American in Maryland, said Clinton fits for president, but the question is whether Americans are ready to put a woman in the White House.
Were Clinton to humble herself more, she would be a leading candidate, Chanly Kuch said.
“There’s no doubt she’s smart,” Chanly Kuch said. “She’s been winning as a leader since school.”
Chhay Huor, from Georgia, said people were looking for Clinton to win to help restore the economy and ease restrictions on immigration that have been in place under the Republican administration.
But not all are convinced Clinton’s policies will benefit them. Ku Kim Tuy, also from Maryland, called Clinton dishonest, and said the candidate did not have enough economic experience to be president.
“If she wins, she will need more advisers, and that’s dangerous, because those advisers will work for their own will,” Ku Kim Tuy said.
Meanwhile, Cambodian politicians welcomed Clinton’s presidential bid.
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said she was “fit for the presidential posting.”
Ruling party lawmaker Cheam Yiep applauded the US exercise in democracy and said the American people “should consider giving a woman a chance.”
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