Proposed tourism law questioned

AFP; Tourists take a stroll at Angkor Wat in this file photo.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by George McLeod
Thursday, 21 August 2008

Cambodia is seeking to regulate its burgeoning tourism sector, but the draft legislation to do so puts too much power in the hands of private businesses, an industry expert warns

The government is expected next month to pass its first legislation aimed at regulating the Kingdom's rapidly expanding tourism sector, but the proposed law gives too much power to the private sector and would produce an industry built around quick profits rather than sustainability, a development expert warns.

Tourism is one of the nation's few economic success stories, making up about 16 percent of GDP, up from 6.3 percent in 2000. Tourism receipts have risen from less than US$400 million in 2003 to more than $1.4 billion in 2007, according to government figures.

But such fast growth has left the government scrambling to bring uniformity to the sector.

The proposed tourism law, now under consideration at the Council of Ministers, has been in the works since 2006.

Industry sources laud the expected passage of regulatory measures, saying they would have important implications for development of the sector.

"We are looking forward to having a proper rule with clear policies for investment. The industry needs to know what can and can't be done," said Philip Set Kao, general manager of the Borei Angkor Hotel.

" REGULATION SHOULD NOT BE LEFT UP TO Private COMPANIES."

Set Kao, who is a former president of the Cambodian Hotel Association, said the industry hopes the law will cut red tape and licensing times for new projects and force transparency.

"We hope to see an industry based on transparency, not on [personal] connections," he said.

However, the draft law minimises the role of government while bringing business associations in as key policymakers.

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector wing of the World Bank that is playing a lead role in the law's drafting, said the Tourism Ministry would have no role in quality control measures.

According to the IFC's Business Issues Bulletin, the ministry would be responsible "only for safety and hygiene" under the assumption that "too much regulation provides opportunities for informal charges".

A copy of the draft law obtained by the Post Wednesday states that any changes made to quality control standards would first require consultation with the private sector.

According to the IFC briefing, government control could "distort the competitiveness of the tourism industry.

"The tourism law will provide a foundation for the private sector to self-regulate quality.... The Ministry of Tourism should resist the impulse to regulate," it said.

Tour operators and those involved in drafting the law say this is necessary to ensure efficiency and competitive pricing.

"Having government in control of tourism is not necessarily a good thing in [Cambodia]. You can have a lot of corruption," said one source who did not want to be named. "The goal has been to keep the government role to an absolute minimum.

"But one of England's top tourism experts warns that the law's free market emphasis could spell disaster for Cambodia.

"Pattaya [Thailand] is one example of what can happen if you allow the private sector free rein," said Dr Tim Forsyth, from the Development Studies Institute at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

He was referring to the notoriously hard-living resort town known more for its go-go bars than its cultural attractions.

"If you let companies operate without proper regulation, you don't get quality tourism," he told the Post Tuesday.

With more than two million tourists arriving each year, the danger, according to Forsyth, is that Cambodia could become overrun by companies that have little or no regard for the country's image, national monuments or environment.

The result, he said, could be more sex tourism, unregulated gambling and other activities that present a threat to the sector.

"[Regulation] should not be left up to private companies as there is too much diversity ... between the long-term big players who want to control quality and short-term sharks who just want to make fast profits, even if it destroys localities," Forsyth said.

Cambodia's national parks could also be at risk under the new law, which appears to have no environmental provisions.

That could mean more projects like the controversial golf courses and resort planned for the protected nature reserve on Bokor National Park. He added what he calls the IFC's pro-business slant, is also a serious concern.

"The World Bank is generally a pro-private sector organisation and the IFC is its private sector arm, so I would think they would be very inclined towards private interests.... This law seems to make that clear."

A Ministry of Tourism official, however, maintained that the government and private sector were working towards the same goal. "We consider that the public and private sector are in cooperation," said So Mara, undersecretary of state at the ministry.

Siem Reap Scene...

PETER OLSZEWSKI Virginie 'Ninie' Pichot displays some of her lacquerware.

PETER OLSZEWSKI; New Zealander Dean Williams gets ready to run Miss Wong.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Peter Olszewski
Thursday, 21 August 2008

KIWI broadcaster puts down roots

Siem Reap's newest bar owner Dean Williams was, until last month, a staff member of Radio New Zealand National, for which last year he had produced a show called Our Changing World.Inspired by that theme, he has certainly changed his world.

In 2007, he took a leave of absence from the radio station, came to live in Siem Reap and ended up managing the popular restaurant Abacus for four months while the owner Renaud Fichet was in France for emergency medical treatment.

On Renaud's recovery, Dean returned to the Land of the Long White Cloud,but discovered he could no longer call New Zealand home because it was too cold and too expensive. He promptly quit his job, returned to Siem Reap, began writing for The Phnom Penh Post among other things, and now has signed a take-over lease for the Blue Chilli Too bar in a hip and happening alleyway behind Pub Street.

In September the bar will reopen as Miss Wong, an old-style Shanghai-themed cocktail lounge where spirits and wine will also be plied.


New gm takes reins at sothea courtyard

It's a homecoming for well-known Siem Reap hotel personality Sarah Moya, who worked at Century Angkor Hotel during 2003-06, first as director of sales and marketing and then as acting general manager for 18 months.

Now she returns triumphant, as one of the region's few female fully-fledged hotel general managers, at the Sothea Courtyard boutique hotel planned to open early December.

The Sothea is one of a slew of five-star boutique hotels slated for launch in Siem Reap to exploit the new high-end trend for small, intimate but lavish digs for discerning travellers who eschew the anonymous multistorey big-dollar, big-ticket chains.

This has prompted the emergence of global boutique hotel chains, as typified by Sothea's owners, the Preferred Boutique "collection", a division of the Preferred Hotel Group.


The Sothea Courtyard will be an "elegant" 39 all-suite resort, and in the company's press release the now plebeian word 'hotel' has been abandoned for descriptives such as "boutique brand", "luxury property", "luxury boutique environment" and "boutique experience".

This, says the release, means the hotels "provide a dynamic combination of strategic sales, marketing and technology solutions.

"Which probably means there are no crap cocktails with lurid paper umbrellas, and no semi-naked-lady swizzle sticks.

In other hotel news, a new general manger, Joffrey Gris, started on August 1 with another already-well-established 16-room boutique hotel, La Maison d'Angkor, owned by Phnom Penh medical entrepreneur Dr Garan and a small group of French and Swiss investors.

This is Gris' first appointment as GM and also his second Cambodian work stint - he was here four years ago working for a tour operator.

Tiny eatery displays lacquerware

Question: is it Siem Reap's smallest restaurant, a busy lacquerware studio, or Virginie Pichot's home?
Answer: all of the above. The restaurant Chez Ninie has just opened with a grand total of three tables and a choice of anything on the menu providing it is the one main meal on offer for the day.

But owner Pichot's real passion is reviving the craft of lacquerware, and the real raison d'être for the restaurant is as a venue to display her work.

Lacquerware is well-known to art collectors worldwide and is created by applying lacquer to wooden objects, imparting an almost gem-like lustre. Although the craft was developed in both China and Japan, it became popular in the region and is being revived in Cambodia after almost disappearing.


Traditional lacquerware is still a big industry in Myanmar, and contemporary pan-regional adaptations sell in high-priced boutiques in Thailand and Vietnam.

Pichot renders her creations, which bridge contemporary and traditional, in her sauna-like studio above her restaurant, and the results of her work are on display and for sale in the petite dining salon.

Some of her work is exported to Europe, and some is also on sale in Siem Reap's Red gallery and in Orient Express hotel galleries.

Scene is aware of only one other local artist doing similar work, Phnom Penh's Mean Heang, whose fairly traditional items are displayed in Siem Reap's Tiger Lily gallery.

Exquisite ultracontemporary Saigon-created lacquerware can be seen at the Wa Gallery at Carnets d'Asie, home of the Angkor Photo Festival.

Artist manipulates polaroids of bhutan

The exhibition opening and Cambodian book launch of Dreaming of Prayer Flags by American fine art photographer Sandy Shum will be held on September 4 at McDermott Gallery at the Old Market.

Siem Reap, recently highlighted as "Southeast Asia's new art capital" by Travel + Leisure magazine, is attracting artists from around the region and providing a fertile ground for artistic exchange between Cambodian and foreign artists, and this exhibition is an example of such exchange.

Dreaming of Prayer Flags was born during Shum's four-year sojourn in Bhutan's remote Zhemgang from 1994 to 1998. Shum revisited Bhutan several times in the following years and completed her project in 2007.

Shum creates her images by manipulating photographs taken with an old Polaroid SX-70 camera and the now extinct Time-Zero film.

She works on the photographs by hand, physically manipulating the pigments to create a textured quality that resembles a painting.

"It was in Bhutan, surrounded by prayer flags, where I learned impressionistic photography from Paula Wenzl. With impressionistic photography I found a way to convey the dream-like, magical quality of Bhutan. Paula generously gave me an old Polaroid camera, opening the doors to a life beyond my dreams. When Polaroid stopped producing the Time-Zero SX-70 film necessary for the impressionistic effect, I immediately bought all I could." Shum said.

"With the sober realisation of the impermanence of my art form, I longed to return to Bhutan to honor the land where I had first learned it. Dreaming of Prayer Flags contains some of my very first works and some of the last I'll ever be able to create with a Polaroid."

Deciding she wanted to publish her photos in a book, she needed text that would fit the mood of her work and collaborated with writer Karma Singye Dorji, whose stories describe growing up in Bhutan.

She said, "I feel privileged to have Karma's lyrical stories enriching my photographs. To me, each story is a wonderful union of our creative expression."

Spitler school to reopen a bit larger

The Spitler School Foundation, founded in 2006 by husband-and-wife team Daniel and Pamela Spitler from Peoria Arizona, has closed its 260-student school in Ang Chagn Chass village near Siem Reap for the holidays and will reopen in mid-September.

It will then add a fourth-grade class and welcome about 70 new students starting kindergarten, bringing the student population to about 330.

A new teacher has been hired, bringing the total number to eight.

Also on leave is Sala Bai, a much-acclaimed hotel school that annually provides free training to about a hundred disadvantaged Cambodians. On August 1, it graduated 92 students from its sixth intake. They earlier sat for exams after returning from internships at Sala Bai's 16 partner hotels.

The school's ability to continue offering free occupational training is boosted each year by financial support from different partners, including fundraising events such as that held during the Australian-based Hotel and Accommodation Management magazine awards night for hotel and accommodation excellence.

Fundraising for Sala Bai through its partner Orion Hotels School held at last year's awards ceremony generated US$22,000. This year, the awards were held in Sydney last Thursday, August 14, and Sala Bai is waiting to hear if the 2008 target of $26,000 was met. Awards night attendees also viewed a video about Sala Bai's Siem Reap work.

Siem Reap goes to the mall

PETER OLSZEWSKI; Sales representative Pech Savouen says Siem Reap’s Royal Shopping Galleries will outclass Phnom Penh’s Sorya centre.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Peter Olszewski
Thursday, 21 August 2008

When it rains, it pours, in Siem Reap's high-end retail sector, with Angkor Trade Centre soon to be joined by two more lavish new shopping centres

A RASH of city-style retailing has erupted in Siem Reap, and developers of four major shopping centres will soon begin to tug the purse-strings of the province's increasingly affluent shoppers.

This urbanisation, mainly targeting Siem Reap's bourgeoning Cambodian middle class, began earlier this year when the four-storey Angkor Trade Centre opened on the riverside with a clutch of trendy stores, plus the Western-style Swensen's and The Pizza Company, owned by EFG Co Ltd, a member of RM Asia Group.

A week from today is the scheduled balloons-and-banners grand opening of Lucky Market Group's stylish new shopping centre, Lucky Mall, which has been in planning and construction for two years. When fully rented, it would comprise 24 stores, including a large supermarket, with a car park for 50 cars and 10 buses.

Class warfare

Lucky Market Group marketing manager Michael Pasion declined to define the centre's target demographic, instead taking an egalitarian stance by telling the Post, "Basically it's for everyone. We are in Cambodia so we are targeting Cambodian people of course, but tourists can enjoy it as well.

"With local people, we are not targeting only Siem Reap's middle to upper classes, everybody is welcome. This is the first complete shopping mall in Siem Reap."

This is news to Angkor Trade Centre which for months now has been claiming it is Siem Reap's first true shopping mall.

A spokesman from Angkor Trade Centre told Post that he disagrees with Pasion's noble sentiments about Lucky Mall's market being for "everyone," and said he does not see the new mall as competition because it will be targeting the "upper classes as opposed to the middle class we target."

Pasion also said he does not see his centre in competition with Angkor Trade Centre because, "We are located quite far from each other. We have a different market. They are targeting more tourists and we are targeting more locals."

" While we focus on the tourist market, we see our long-term target market as Khmer. "

No matter who their target markets truly are, both Angkor Trade Centre and Lucky Mall are soon to be dwarfed by the construction of the massive Royal Shopping Galleries, on Vithei Charles de Gaulle, a popular route to Angkor Wat, only three kilometres farther down the road.

Developed by Phnom Penh-based KC Gecin Enterprises, and financed by Cambodian, Thai and Vietnamese construction companies, the four-storey, 18-escalator, two-glass-encased-elevator complex will, according to sales representative Pech Savoeun be "two times bigger" than Phnom Penh's popular Sorya Centre.

He added it will be a "world class one-stop shopping centre, a must-visit hotspot," with parking for 350 cars spread across three storeys, with the fourth storey being solely devoted to car parking. Plus there will be parking for 19 buses.

The vast complex, on a one hectare site, and providing over 31,500 square metres of retail space, has an estimated shop count of 430, plus amusements including an electronic games centre being developed by a Taiwanese company.

The centre's lavish promotional material says, "Royal Shopping Galleries is thoughtfully divided into various theme zones. There will be trendy and fashion, beauty and pamper, food and beverage, cyber and lifestyle, leisure and entertainment."

Pech Savouen is also precise about target markets. High on the list will be international and domestic tourists who will lured to the centre by a gigantic roadside music and fountain light shows.

Pech Savouen said, "But while we focus on the day-to-day tourist market, we see our long-term target market as being Khmer, due to the local population increase caused by people coming to do business in Siem Reap.

"Construction of this shopping centre is now 85 percent complete, and while the company is shooting optimistically for a launch by year's end, Pech Savouen said the more realistic date is "before the Khmer new year".

Retail boom

While construction of the Royal Shopping Galleries is beginning to draw to a close, ground is now being cleared to prepare for construction of yet another large shopping centre, The Angkor Shopping Arcade, on National Road 6, financed by Canadia Bank PLC.

But the consumerisation of Siem Reap is not only the domain of large shopping centres. In recent weeks many smart, small businesses have opened, especially along Sivatha Boulevard, which is emerging as a stylish promenade. New stores include menswear shop Angkor Tep; iOne, an Apple authorised reseller; and a Lucky Seven restaurant.

Also just opened on National Road 6 is the I Kea (Siem Reap) Spongy Furniture House (no connection to the Swedish franchise Ikea,) and a smattering of 101 Fruit & Toot stores has opened throughout the city.

Cambodian tycoon Kith Meng's Royal Group, which has local distribution right to restaurant chains KFC and Pizza Hut, has signalled its imminent entry into Siem Reap at the small end, while Phnom Penh company Bong Karem has announced it will introduce ice cream carts flogging Italian gelato throughout the city.

TEMPLE WATCH: Sunset spot becoming a hazard

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by DAVE PERKES
Thursday, 21 August 2008

Changes are happening at Phnom Bakheng. This 10th-century hill temple is a favoured sunset spot for thousands of tourists every year, but its popularity is now becoming a problem.

About 3,000 visitors walk up the steep paths daily to watch the sunset. This is causing erosion and wear on the stones of the temple. The steep steps to the upper level are also a hazard, especially when visitors are trying to descend. The main eastern staircase was closed in 2003-04 after it became dangerous at nightfall, and a panoramic path was constructed to give better and safer access.

Something really needs to be done to improve safety and reduce damage to the oldest monument at the Angkor Park. A new sign at the base of the hill outlines new visitor access rules while work is being carried out.

The public has access to the top level is banned after 4pm to reduce pressure at the site, but the best alternative attractions - Phnom Krom and Pre Rup - now need careful management to avoid similar overcrowding.

Squatters complicate land grab

PETER OLSZEWSKI; Angkor Night Market manager Ota Verveka poses with croc removed from his new site.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Peter Olszewski
Thursday, 21 August 2008

Expanding Angkor Night Market clears out some unruly neighbours

A LAND grab, necessary for the expansion of the Angkor Night Market, was successfully implemented in downtown Siem Reap last month. But some of the more unruly non-paying squatters and rabble with no legal claims had to be tied up before being forcibly removed.

The tenants - crocodiles - had to be removed from pits at the old crocodile farm adjacent to the night market after its owner-director, Lim Nam, bought the 800-square-metre L-shaped parcel of land to further expand the market.

Earlier this year, the market had been extended by about 600 square metres to accommodate 20 more stalls, and work on this had just finished when the crocodiles were given the heave-ho.

New facilities have already been added to provide that all-important amenity for visiting foreigners: stylish and sanitary Western-style toilets. The new building also houses market offices and a minimart.

Having gotten rid of the unwanted saurian tenants, Angkor Night Market general manager, former Czech journalist and photographer-around-town, Ota Verveka now has problems with the neighbours.

A new night market is under construction just metres from the entrance to the Angkor Night Market, but Ota is taking this incursion in stride.

"I welcome them," he said. "They will make us work harder to be better."

He already has big plans for the land that housed the crocs. He wants to create "something special", with more stalls, in the style of traditional Khmer wooden houses.

He will build two bars around the former crocodile pits and open a two-storey restaurant.

He has art and photo galleries on the drawing board and aims to avoid exhibiting the "regular stuff." He's also planning an entertainment area, and wants to introduce skittles to Siem Reap, providing he can find a supplier.

Past Post: Political will is key to Khmer Rouge trial

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY; Vol. 8, No. 17 20 August to 2 September 1999

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by ANETTE MARCHER AND PETER SAINSBURY
Thursday, 21 August 2008

THE United Nations draft proposal for a trial, with international involvement, for the former leaders of the Khmer Rouge has achieved a unity rarely seen in Cambodia: everybody hates it.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has dismissed the proposal for what he says is a subversion of Cambodia's sovereignty.

Rights workers and legal experts have been appalled at a number of areas, including the softening of the stance by the United Nations that recommended by a team of legal experts led by Sir Ninian Stevens who visited last year, and the lack of an appeals process.

Their recommendation was for a full-scale UN-funded trial outside Cambodia's territory.

The latest proposal to come out of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs is a considerable step away from that recommended and is based on a joint Cambodian/International tribunal. But even with that amelioration there seems little chance that the UN and the Cambodian government are going to find agreement.

A government spokesman said that the UN is going to have to give some more ground if it wants to be involved.

"The UN will have to compromise even more," they said.

"The two major obstacles in the proposal are the appointment of the judges and the appointment of the prosecutor. I don't see any way that the Cambodian government can accept a majority of non-Cambodian judges or a non-Cambodian prosecutor," they said.

But KR researcher and academic Steve Heder said he believed that the UN had already given too much ground.

"We have seen a retrogression. The UN is increasingly making concessions to accommodate Hun Sen and the Chinese," he said.

And if the compromises go to far, he said, then the trial will not achieve some of its main aims.

"I seriously question whether the proposed tribunal could have the educational and moral effect that it claims it will. The Cambodians will spot right away if there is something in it that doesn't provide justice," he said.

And if further compromises are made, Heder said, "It may end up as the perfect example of how not to do an international genocide trial."

Indian philanthropist donates Buddha statue to Siem Reap

PETER OLSZEWSKI Sulata Sarkar poses with workers in front of her Buddha statue.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Peter Olszewski
Thursday, 21 August 2008

Sulata Sarkar's 7m tall gift to the local people will sit outside the new Angkor Museum

SAN Francisco-based Indian philanthropist Sulata Sarkar has almost completed a two-and-a-half year "labour of love" that she is bequeathing to the people of Siem Reap.

She has commissioned the carving of a huge sandstone Buddha statue to sit on top of a lotus stand, which in turn will be placed on a large pedestal.

The statue is over seven metres tall and weighs an estimated 70-80 tonnes. It was originally commissioned in May 2006 and is to be installed on a site outside Siem Reap's new Preah Norodom Sihanouk Angkor Museum in December.

Calcutta-born Sulata Sarkar has paid for this through her US-based Cinema Art Yoga Foundation, which has also built a US$2 million Asian art museum in California.

She told the Post that she wanted to bequeath something to the people of Siem Reap, and when she surveyed local citizens as to what they would most like, the Buddha statue was the most popular request.

She then commissioned a former soldier-turned-stone-carver, 76-year-old Him Tour, to make the statue.

She said, "He is an amazing man for his age, and he spent so much time sitting on top of that statue working in the hot sun. It took strong will power to continue the task."

Sulata Sarkar said Azedine Beschaouch, adviser to the assistant director general for culture in UNESCO for the International Safeguarding Program of the Angkor temple complex, together with Indian Ambassador to Cambodia Aloke Sen, helped her find a permanent site for the statue.

She said, "I was first offered a site at the Angkor Wat complex, but this was not suitable because they shut the area at 6pm and I want this statue given to the public so they can enjoy it anytime they want.

"Then Neon, the Japanese company involved with building the museum gave me some land outside the museum, and that is where the statue will go."

Top US engineering firm Bechtel contributed expertise to help design the pedestal the statue will stand on and to find a contractor to move the statue to the permanent site.

The statue will be disassembled into hundreds of pieces and then reassembled, a process that will take about 45 days.

Sam Rainsy Party to move offices

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Meas Sokchea
Thursday, 21 August 2008

THE Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) is seeking a new location for its headquarters because the owner of the current Sothearos Boulevard site, who is also a senior SRP official, wants to reclaim his land.

SRP Deputy President Kong Korm told the Post that the move has nothing to do with internal party politics, but is happening because he wants to rent or sell the 5,000-square-meter property. "This is my house. I now need to look for some kind of income," Korm added.

The site has been used as SRP's headquarters for more than 10 years with the party only paying for electricity and water, Kong Korm said. "The move is likely to begin after National Assembly and government have been convened."

"I already told President Sam Rainsy about it when he came back from France in May. He is prepared to move," Kong Korm said.

The SRP is currently seeking a new location for its head offices in Phnom Penh's southern suburbs, Kong Korm said.

Sam Rainsy could not be reached for comment about the move.

Heavy rains damage roads, fields in Oddar Meanchey province

The phnom Penh Post

FLOODED AREAS
Approximately one metre of water is now covering Oddar Meanchey’s Samraong, Trapang Prasath and Banteay Ampil districts. Officials are on alert for flash floods after unseasonably heavy rains this year have swollen rivers and other waterways.

Written by Vong Sokheng
Thursday, 21 August 2008

More than 5,000 hectares are affected in the Kingdom's northwest, while flooded roads keep villagers from being able to travel

FLOODING caused by heavy rains has inundated 5,000 hectares of rice fields and cut off several district roads in Oddar Meanchey province, provincial Governor Pich Sokhin said Wednesday, saying the situation could become critical if the waters do not quickly recede.

He said local authorities are scrambling to warn villagers in the affected areas to immediately report any problems with flooding.

"This is no serious problem if the water recedes soon," Pich Sokhin said.

"But we are concerned about the damage to rice paddies and the consequential reduction in harvest this year if the rain continues for the next few days."

On full alert

Sim Dara, an investigation officer for the NGO Forum on Cambodia, said the waters were now nearly one metre deep due to the flooding and that some of the provincial roads had been rendered unusable.

"The villagers are facing the problem of being unable to travel," Sim Dara said.

"We do not know whether there will be more rain but the clouds remain dark ... and this is not a good sign," Dara added.

Pao Samy, secretary general for the National Committee for Disaster Management, said the Mekong River's water levels have risen considerably in recent weeks.

He said that the committee was closely monitoring flood issues both from the rain and the rising river water levels, and would remain on full alert until the risk of flooding passed.

Public defecation imperils health of rural villagers: govt

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Cheang Sokha
Thursday, 21 August 2008

The Ministry of Rural Development hopes more toilets in rural areas will cut the accumulation of human waste in fields and public areas

GROWING concern over sanitary conditions in rural areas has led the government to step up efforts to improve good hygiene practices.

Chea Samnang, director of the Rural Healthcare Department at the Ministry of Rural Development, said only 16 percent of rural people have access to toilets, compared with 99 percent in Thailand, 61 percent in Vietnam and 30 percent in Laos.

"You can imagine how many tonnes of faeces are accumulating in public areas," Chea Samnang said, adding that even a small amount of human waste poses grave health risks.

"Just one gram of faecal matter can contain up to 10 million virus cells," Chea Samnang said. "We have to raise awareness of sanitation and good hygiene in rural communities."

Hilda Winarta, project officer for water and environmental sanitation at UNICEF, said rural villagers need better education about the hazards of leaving human waste in public areas.

"Low sanitation and hygiene in Cambodia is a big problem," Winarta said. "Human waste will flow into the water, food and finally into the body.

"Chea Samnang said a 2007 report by the ministry showed that only 3,500 toilets were built per year in rural areas, but that nearly 58,000 are needed to keep pace with increases in population.

The ministry set a target of 30 percent access to toilets and as much as 50 percent access to safe water by the year 2015. "It is clear that our efforts must improve," Chea Samnang said.

Winarta said simple toilets can cost as little as US$10, but that changing the habits of villagers has proven difficult.

"It is hard to convince people to believe us. They think toilets will cost hundred of dollars."

She said the ministry, with UNICEF and other partners, have visited communities in 12 provinces and have implemented new sanitation projects in 400 villages since 2006.

A World Health Organisation report from 2007 said 10,600 people died that year from diarrhoea caused by poor sanitation, inadequate fresh water supplies and poor personal hygiene.

K Samphan's trial at risk without full translations

AFP; Former KR head of state Khieu Samphan at his first appeals hearing in April.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Georgia Wilkins and Cheang SokhA
Thursday, 21 August 2008

Lawyer Jacques Verges renews demands for a case file in French as deadline looms for decision on appeals hearing

KHIEU Samphan's trial will not proceed until thousands of pages of court documents are translated into French, defence lawyers announced Wednesday, dashing hopes of a speedy court appearance for the former Khmer Rouge head of state.

French attorney Jacques Verges, who derailed his 77-year-old client's bail hearing in April by demanding the court provide French-language versions of documents, claimed in a statement that it would be impossible to ensure that the accused received a fair trial if the full case file was not translated into his native tongue.

Khieu Samphan's Cambodian lawyer Sa Sovan told the Post Wednesday that the renewed call for translations was not - as observers have alleged - a stalling technique to keep the French-educated Khmer Rouge leader out of the dock.

"If there is no translation how can [co-lawyer Verges] defend the case?" So Sovan said.

"He does not know what Khieu Samphan was arrested for," he added.

The statement was issued in response to a new deadline meted out by the UN-backed court which demanded the defence team determine by Friday whether they wish to continue with the long-stalled bail hearing.

However, the grounds of the deadline were unclear, fuelling fears that further delays will stall the tentative progress recently made by the court.

Last week, the tribunal indicted Kaing Guek Eav, the former S-21 Tuol Sleng prison chief also known as Duch, who will be the first of five former regime leaders to be tried.

Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said Wednesday that he hoped a resolution would be reached as soon as possible.

He added that the court needed "cooperation from all sides".

S'pore urges Asean charter

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by AFP
Thursday, 21 August 2008

SINGAPORE on Wednesday called for speedy ratification of an Asean charter, which requires the bloc to uphold ideals of democracy and human rights and to make legally binding commitments.

In a speech to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) parliamentarians, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the charter is an important part of the process for Asean to establish a single market and manufacturing base by 2015.

"The charter has already been ratified by seven member countries and we look forward to its eventual and expeditious ratification by all members," Lee said in a speech to the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).

Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam have ratified the document, which commits members to "strengthen democracy, enhance good governance and the rule of law, and to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.

"Three other Asean states - Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand - have yet to ratify.

Asean's target is for all 10 members to ratify by the end of the year, when leaders hold their annual summit in Bangkok.

The charter aims to give Asean a legal framework and sets out principles and rules for members while transforming the 41-year-old bloc into a legal entity that will give it greater international clout.

First children's heart centre opens

HENG CHIVOAN; Senate President Chea Sim speaks to a young patient at the children’s cardiology centre at Calmette Hospital on Tuesday.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Chhay Chanyda
Thursday, 21 August 2008

Rising instances of congenital heart defects among the young prompt Calmette Hospital to act

CAMBODIA'S first children's cardiology centre opened Tuesday at Calmette Hospital, aimed at treating a rising number of youngsters with congenital heart defects.

"The [old] heart centre was small and crowded. The number of patients has been increasing every day, so we decided to build another heart center specifically for child patients," Health Minister Nuth Sokhom said during the opening of the US$320,000 centre that was also attended by Senate President Chea Sim.

"The new building is an achievement that will enhance our capacity to promote people's welfare," Nuth Sokhom said, adding that the heart centre was constructed with financial help from the French humanitarian NGO La chaine de l'Espoire and Calmette Hospital.

A new neurology centre was also inaugurated at the same ceremony, he said.

Cambodia leads the way

Chea Sim, who is also the vice president of Cambodian Medical Foundation, said that treatment for heart problems costs much less in Cambodia than elsewhere.

"While in Singapore, Thailand, France and the US heart treatment costs from $10,000 to $50,000, in Cambodia people usually only pay up to $5,000," he said.

Heng Tay Kry, secretary of state at the Ministry of Health and director of Calmette Hospital, told the Post in an interview after the opening that many thousands of Cambodian children have been affected by heart disease, prompting Calmette to build a new centre specifically for children.

"Many of them have heart disease since birth and need surgery," he said.

"In Cambodia, there is only Calmette for such disease."

Day in Pictures

Cambodian child plays near a boat on the Mekong river in Kandal province on the outskirts of Phnom Penh .The Mekong river has hit its highest level in at least 100 years after several months of unusually heavy rain, officials said on Friday.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Cambodian boys dive into water as a motorized wooden boat loaded with grass drives by at Prek Sdey village in Koh Thom district of Kandal province about 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008. The villagers would drive their boats twice a week to collect grass to stock for their cow's food during the flood season.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian villagers drive their motorized wooden boats loaded with grass to go back to their homes in Prek Sdey village in Koh Thom district of Kandal province about 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008. The villagers would drive their boats twice a week to collect grass to stock for their cow's food during the flood season.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Sacravatoons :" The Bilateral Talks "

Courtesy Sacravatoon at http://sacrava.blogspot.com/

Fine Arts Department seeks to repair Ta Muen Thom temples despite ongoing border conflict

August 21st, 2008
by Amrit Rashmisrisethi

Director-General of the Fine Arts Department of the Ministry of Culture Kriangkrai Sampatchalit commented that the ongoing Ta Muen Thom ruins territorial conflict ultimately should be resolved by having both Thai and Cambodia withdraw their claim to the site and leave it as a shared grey area. He stated that the matter of real concern is that as the issue remains unresolved, needed renovations and repairs to the site cannot be done.

Mr. Kriangkrai revealed that his department has prepared details of planned renovations and management to the Ta Muen Thom temple compound to be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The plans will be proposed to join in upcoming border conflict discussions. He said that if the temple compound is left unattended to, it will be detrimental in the future.

Source : National News Bureau, Public Relations Department of Thailand

Preah Vihear: back to reality

Cambodge Soir
21-08-2008

The meeting of foreign ministers was fruitful: it seems that Cambodia and Thailand have engaged in a genuine dialogue to solve border disputes, starting by examining the row regarding the recently-granted World Heritage status temple.

On the morning of Wednesday August 20, both chiefs of diplomacy, Cambodian Hor Nam Hong and Thai Tej Bunnag could be satisfied with the outcome of the meeting held in the Thai resort city of Hua Hin. They have made progress in the Preah Vihear dispute. This is according to a press release made public at the end of the meeting by Tej Bunnag. The document stated that the first stage of the soldiers pulling out of the area around the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda was complete. Both parties will discuss the second stage relating to the redeployment of troops on August 29. On that date, in a meeting to be held in Cambodia, a complete withdrawal of the soldiers will be on the agenda of the meeting between the Thai Regional Border Committee (RBC) and the Cambodian Task Force.

Both Ministers set the date of the next meeting of the Khmer-Thai joint committee, in charge of solving the border issue, for early October. Experts from both countries will bring their input to the issue. Hor Nam Hong and Tej Bunnag agreed to another meeting, to discuss the situation at Ta Moan Thom temple.

Thailand still warned that any agreement with Cambodia on the border issue is subject to the approval of the Constitutional Council. The same Council, which questioned the validity of the signature of the former Foreign Affairs Minister Noppadon Patama, declared in a joint statement with Hor Nam Hong that Bangkok and Phnom Penh were supporting the application for Preah Vihear to be inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Early return for Dam Sith

Cambodge Soir
21-08-2008

The editor-in-chief of Moneakseka Khmer is a member of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) ;a spokesman for the latter had announced his exile in the US on political grounds.

Dam Sith did not actually flee to the US. He has returned to Phnom Penh after being invited by fellow SRP members to tour several American cities, announced the short-lived political refugee to Cambodge Soir Hebdo.

“I was invited by SRP members who live in America and took a few days off before coming back to Cambodia” added Dam Sith.

On Monday August 18, the SRP general secretary Mu Sochua had declared in the Mekong Times that Dam Sith had fled to America “fearing for his life”.

“His journalistic career is at risk because one of his colleagues was murdered and the crime remains unsolved” Mu Sochea added , referring to the killing of Khim Sambor on July 11.

Son Chhay, a SRP MP, revealed that thanks to party support Dam Sith had obtained a visa to leave for the US before the elections.

Cambodian gov't mulls foreign ownership of buildings, offices

August 21, 2008

The Cambodian government is mulling to allow foreigners to own condominiums and office buildings in order to prevent a possible downturn in property values and boost long-term investment, national media said Thursday.

At present in Cambodia, foreigners are prohibited from owning land or fixed assets such as buildings, apartments or office space.

Any government move to allow foreigners to own condominiums or office buildings would need to begin with Ministry of Land Management, a move that the ministry is indeed considering, English-Khmer language newspaper the Cambodia Daily quoted a ministry official as saying on condition of anonymity.

"I think the government will de-restrict the property market. Once things start getting more competitive, once things start to slow down, people start to look at other places and the competition starts to get more competitive, they will need to start doing more things to attract more foreigners," said Liam Bailey, head of international research for London-based realtor David Stanley Redfern (DSR), which has real estate business in Phnom Penh.

The real estate business in Phnom Penh and other major Cambodian cities have been booming in the past two or three years, but the market leveled off shortly before the general election in July this year due to the investors' political calculation.

During this period, the price has stayed stable but the demand decreased, which propelled the government, property consultants and retailers to think of the next step to heat up the market.

Source:Xinhua

Cambodian gov't touts organics to increase rice export

August 21, 2008

Cambodian agriculture officials said that shifting to chemical-free fertilizers could triple farmers' rice yields and produce more profitable crops at a time when the country's rice exports are on the rise, local newspaper the Phnom Penh Post reported Thursday.

"Rice grown with natural fertilizers is easier to produce and more profitable than rice grown with chemical fertilizers," Khem Chenda, director of the administrative affairs at the Ministry of Agriculture, was quoted as saying.

Farmers using chemical fertilizers pay about 35 U.S. dollars to70 U.S. dollars per 50kg bag, and their yields sell about 250 U.S. dollars per ton on the international market, Khem Chenda said.

But they face numerous health problems from prolonged exposure to chemicals, ranging from skin irritations to lung cancer, he added.

However, organic fertilizers will increase the quality and quantity of paddy yields and for a cheaper price, said Chan Vannak, general manager of the Bayon Heritage Holding Group.

Organics cost 27 U.S. dollars per 50kg bag and crops sell for 300 U.S. dollars per ton, Chan Vannak said.

The Bayon Heritage Holding Group imports organics from Japan for resale in Cambodia, he said, adding that he has already sold about 500 tons.

Source:Xinhua

Cambodian gov't touts organics to increase rice export

www.chinaview.cn

2008-08-21

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian agriculture officials said that shifting to chemical-free fertilizers could triple farmers' rice yields and produce more profitable crops at a time when the country's rice exports are on the rise, local newspaper the Phnom Penh Post reported Thursday.

"Rice grown with natural fertilizers is easier to produce and more profitable than rice grown with chemical fertilizers," Khem Chenda, director of the administrative affairs at the Ministry of Agriculture, was quoted as saying.

Farmers using chemical fertilizers pay about 35 U.S. dollars to70 U.S. dollars per 50kg bag, and their yields sell about 250 U.S. dollars per ton on the international market, Khem Chenda said.

But they face numerous health problems from prolonged exposure to chemicals, ranging from skin irritations to lung cancer, he added.

However, organic fertilizers will increase the quality and quantity of paddy yields and for a cheaper price, said Chan Vannak, general manager of the Bayon Heritage Holding Group.

Organics cost 27 U.S. dollars per 50kg bag and crops sell for 300 U.S. dollars per ton, Chan Vannak said.

The Bayon Heritage Holding Group imports organics from Japan for resale in Cambodia, he said, adding that he has already sold about 500 tons.

Editor: Gao

Cambodian gov't mulls foreign ownership of buildings, offices

www.chinaview.cn

2008-08-21

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian government is mulling to allow foreigners to own condominiums and office buildings in order to prevent a possible downturn in property values and boost long-term investment, national media said Thursday.

At present in Cambodia, foreigners are prohibited from owning land or fixed assets such as buildings, apartments or office space.

Any government move to allow foreigners to own condominiums or office buildings would need to begin with Ministry of Land Management, a move that the ministry is indeed considering, English-Khmer language newspaper the Cambodia Daily quoted a ministry official as saying on condition of anonymity.

"I think the government will de-restrict the property market. Once things start getting more competitive, once things start to slow down, people start to look at other places and the competition starts to get more competitive, they will need to start doing more things to attract more foreigners," said Liam Bailey, head of international research for London-based realtor David Stanley Redfern (DSR), which has real estate business in Phnom Penh.

The real estate business in Phnom Penh and other major Cambodian cities have been booming in the past two or three years, but the market leveled off shortly before the general election in July this year due to the investors' political calculation.

During this period, the price has stayed stable but the demand decreased, which propelled the government, property consultants and retailers to think of the next step to heat up the market.

Editor: Gao

Children Of The Khmer, The World@St George's, Edinburgh

The Independeant
Reviewed by Lynne Walker
Thursday, 21 August 2008

The World is a mini-festival that is the brainchild of Toby Gough, who brought young Sri Lankan survivors of the 2004 tsunami to the Royal Botanic Garden three years ago. Now he has enlisted the help of Brian Cox as patron, and Peter Gabriel and Kylie Minogue as backers, to celebrate international culture, from dancers from Brazil's favelas, to musicans from West Africa, to salsa dancers from Cuba.

Heading the bill is Children of the Khmer, featuring 26 orphaned Cambodian dancers and musicians schooled by survivors of the Killing Fields, when educated people were slaughtered in vast numbers and musicians forced to smash their precious instruments or die.

The country's ancient arts and legendary tales are revived in an irresistibly engaging production by these highly disciplined, enthusiastic teenagers. From the elegant opening candlelit "Prayer", the show focuses on varied aspects of folklore and tradition – as depicted in the carvings of Angkor Wat temple – from the ritual of "dashing coconut shells" and skill of picking cardamom, to an amusing re-enactment of the tale of the golden mermaid and the monkey king.

Exquisitely stylised in gesture, gorgeously colourful in costume, the dancers are expertly accompanied on traditional and ceremonial instruments in a show that dazzles in its infectious exuberance.

Cambodian children revive traditions

The children perform traditional Cambodian music and dance routines

By Yana Thandrayen
BBC Scotland news

One of the most beautiful shows of the Edinburgh Fringe features Cambodian classical and folk dances - many of which are being performed in the west for the first time.

"Children of the Khmer" - funded by Cambodian Living Arts - is part of a project to restore the country's cultural heritage after it was almost destroyed by the Khmer Rouge.

The show would not have been allowed 33 years ago, when the Khmer Rouge gained power in Cambodia.

It is estimated that up to 20% of its population died under the regime, through execution, starvation and forced labour.

Slum area

Artists were tortured, imprisoned and killed.

It is estimated that 90% of the country's performers lost their lives.

Master Ieng Sithul, who leads this group, speaking through an interpreter, said: "It is very difficult to let someone know about the life with the Khmer Rouge. It is very hard. Until 1977 I was a prisoner for three months."

After the fall of Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, Master Sithul was able to perform again.

He now passes on his knowledge to children from a slum area in the Cambodian capital.

The project, which is run by Cambodian Living Arts, provides the children with an education and a livelihood.



Richard Chappel, from Cambodian Living Arts, said: "Master Sithul went in to that community knowing that those types of families were there.

"He spoke to the children and said 'do you want to come and join a folk dance and classical dance group?, I can teach you' and it went from there."

Some of the dances performed by the teenage artists date back to the 11th century.

There are making the same graceful moves that would have been seen in the temples of Angkor Watt.

These young people form a living link with a past that was almost destroyed for ever.

A British Newspaper Says that If Hun Sen Does Not Change the Way of Ruling, Poor People Will Seek Different Means to Achieve Justice

Posted on 21 August 2008
The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 574

“Regarding endless land disputes almost everywhere in Cambodia under the rule of Prime Minister Hun Sen, The Guardian, a British newspaper, published an article on Sunday about the rule of Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Cambodian People’s Party, which had changed Cambodia from a dictatorship to a free market country, making the economy to develop very quickly, and building pagodas, roads, bridges, schools, and cinemas. However, the newspaper said that this free market system led to speculation in real estate properties such as buildings and land for profit; heritage is for sale, and the US dollar became their king.

“The article in The Guardian, which was quoted by Radio Free Asia for broadcasting yesterday, noted that land, owned by citizens since the 1980ies, can now be lost easily, because of the invasion by some capitalists who are close to Prime Minister Hun Sen. The Prime Minister is generally regarded as part of a ‘nouveau riche’ kleptocracy that siphons off foreign aid and ignores protests about human rights. It is said that Hun Sen used to care about the poor people for a long time, but it is regrettable that Hun Sen now cares only about the rising value of real estate properties and does not care to strengthen the nation, where the society suffers from an imbalance of concerns for justice for the economy.

“The Guardian of Britain continued, ‘If Mr. Hun Sen had honorably resigned from his position in 1998 [after the surrender of the Khmer Rouge], he would have receive a good name among world leaders in history.’ This newspaper said that Hun Sen brought peace to Cambodia, but he has sacrificed the poor on the altar of an economic boom. This newspaper compared Hun Sen to some leaders of Brazil and Bolivia in South America who originally came also from the poor sector of society, but he has no plan to protect the poor who suffer under the powerful

[It is interesting that this detailed rendering of the article in The Guardian does not render the reference to the Khmer Rouge who 'were backed militarily by China and diplomatically by the west'.]

“This well-known British newspaper went on to say that although Hun Sen is smart and intelligent and has political skills, Hun Sen’s success was based on survival, not on a vision for the future. If Hun Sen does not change his way of ruling, poor people will seek different means to achieve justice.

“Political and economic observers in Cambodia agree with the analysis of this article published on Sunday, 17 August 2008, in The Guardian, considering it to be an analysis that is in line with the current situation in Cambodia. Actually, Prime Minister Hun Sen, the vice-president of the Cambodian People’s Party, also comes originally from a peasant class background, but he does not protect the weak farmers at all who are violated by powerful people. Obviously, farmers, who suffer from land grabbing by high-ranking officials, dishonest oknhas, wicked merchants, and military officials, come regularly to protest in front of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s house at the ‘Tiger Cave’ Tuol Krasaing, but there are no effective solutions coming from Hun Sen for the victimized farmers.

“Political and economic observers in Cambodia added that just some days after the fourth term elections on 27 July 2008, suddenly land disputes erupted again brutally, such as in Stung Treng, Ratanakiri, Mondolkiri, Kratie, Kompong Chhnang, Kandal, Svay Rieng, Kampot, and Battambang. These reoccurring problems have not been solved by the National Authority for the Resolution of Land Disputes, administered by Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister and Senior Minister of the Council of Ministers. Therefore, some officials concerned with social affairs assume that there might be more serious land disputes, under the soon to be formed fourth term government, than there were under the third-term government.

“ These officials said that the fourth term government will be again led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, the vice-president of the Cambodian People’s Party, but Hun Sen does not have any clear policies to solve land disputes; therefore, land disputes will really erupt in all provinces countrywide. Another point is that those who use their power and violate citizens by grabbing their land are mostly high-ranking officials, dishonest oknhas, wicked merchants, and military officials, all are from the Cambodian People’s Party, and Hun Sen does not dare to disturb them. At last, a land revolution might break out, as predicted by Hun Sen himself, because the patience of the victimized citizens is limited, if the government does not take any action to solve the problems in time.

“Economic analysts said that the fourth term government, again led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, as vice-president of the Cambodian People’s Party, might not lead to real growth of the national economy, because Hun Sen does not have economic skills and he can only borrow money from foreign countries and ask for funds from the international community, to extend the breath of his government. Moreover, Hun Sen does not have any clear policies to fight corruption; he just says so to make it sounds nice, like the US Ambassador to Cambodia, Mr. Joseph Mussomeli, had clearly criticized. Even inflation and the price of fuel and of goods are skyrocketing, which affects the daily life of citizens - but Hun Sen is incompetent to solve these problems.

“Economic analysts continued to say that economic growth in 2008 will be lower than in 2007, and economic growth in 2009 will decline further compared to 2008, because of corruption and bureaucracy in important state institutions, where such affairs are spreading stronger without any intervention. This means that the government, led by the same incompetent prime minister and state institutions controlled by the same corrupt officials, will not make the economy grow; even foreign loans will be lost because of corruption. This will make poor citizens to suffer more, because the little economic growth is only for the benefit of corrupt officials and for partisans of powerful leaders.”

Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.15, #3543, 20.8.2008
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:Wednesday, 20 August 2008

Less Tension, No Solution in Temple Talks

Thai Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag, right, shakes hands with Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong before a Preah Vihear meeting in Hua Hin, Phetchburi Province, Thailand, Tuesday.

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
20 August 2008

Extensive bilateral talks between the Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers failed to produce a full solution to the Preah Vihear crisis, with both sides welcoming the recent "reduction of tensions" but neither declaring a full withdrawal of troops from the area.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong arrived in Cambodia early Wednesday, addressing reporters following discussions with his Thai counterpart, Tej Bunnag, that lasted until Tuesday night.

Representatives from both countries will meet again at the end of August to discuss a second phase of redeployment, following the partial reduction of troops in a pagoda and areas surround Preah Vihear temple this weekend, according to a joint statement released following Monday's meeting.

The two sides also hoped to have a meeting between committees again in October to discuss broader border issues, which stem from longstanding conflicts of the early 1900s.

Cambodian and Thailand have had hundreds of troops on the border at Preah Vihear since the occupation of Thai soldiers of the Keo Sikha Kirii Svara pagoda, which is claimed by both sides, on July 15.

The issue was further complicated by the fortification of a second set of temples, the Ta Moan complex in Oddar Meanchey province, in early August, by Thai soldiers.

Both sides agreed Monday to discuss the issue of the Ta Moan temples in a later meeting between foreign ministers.

Tribunal Recounts Regime's Vietnam War

Khmer Rouge guerrillas pose for a photograph following the fall of Phnom Penh in 1975. Tribunal documents outline a war with Vietnam that began as soon as the guerrillas took power.

By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
20 August 2008

Khmer audio aired 20 August 2008 (952 KB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired 20 August 2008 (952 KB) - Listen (MP3)

The executions of ethnic Vietnamese by the Khmer Rouge could be the key to genocide charges for jailed leaders of the regime, but prosecutors documents also recount a conflict between the Khmer guerrillas and their Vietnamese neighbors that began almost immediately after the Khmer Rouge came to power.

The Vietnam government does not fund the Khmer Rouge tribunal, but more Vietnamese nationals were killed by the regime than any other foreign group. The regime also killed Thai, Lao, French, New Zealand and US nationals.

"Regarding this issue, several powerful countries, rich countries, have assisted in funding the Khmer Rouge tribunal already," Vietnamese Embassy spokesman Trinh Bac Cam said Wednesday.

Closing orders in the case of Kaing Kek Iev, also called Duch, issued by tribunal judges claim at least 400 Vietnamese civilians and soldiers were killed at Tuol Sleng prison alone.

Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, said at least 600 Vietnamese were killed by the Khmer Rouge at Tuol Sleng and another detention center in Prey Veng province.

In highlighting the conflict, which led to the eventual invasion of Cambodia by Vietnamese forces and the ouster of the Khmer Rouge, tribunal documents are fulfilling a quieter role of the tribunal: a recounting of history that has been lost on Cambodians in subsequent years.

According to indictment documents posted by tribunal prosecutors recently, the Khmer Rouge maintained a conflict with Vietnam over border disputes between April 1975 and December 1978.

The conflict took place in border areas including Ratanakkiri, Mondolkiri, Takeo, Svay Rieng, Kampong Cham and Prey Veng provinces, and on the island formerly known as Koh Tral, better known now by its Vietnamese name, Phu Quoc.

An invasion force of 150,000 Vietnamese troops began an offensive in December 1978, driving the Khmer Rouge out of the capital on Jan. 7, 1979.

The conflict, and suspicions of Vietnamese agents withing the ranks of the Khmer Rouge, led to the killing of many Vietnamese.

"If there will be a trial, justice is for all victims," Trinh Bac Cam said.

Tribunal observers said recently prosecutors could seek genocide charges against the five jailed Khmer Rogue leaders for the killing of the Vietnamese.

"A part of justice will be shared with Vietnamese citizens who have their relatives, military and civilian, killed during Democratic Kampuchea," Youk Chhang said.

King Will Preside Over Assembly Swearing-In

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
20 August 2008

Khmer audio aired 20 August 2008 (0.99 MB) - Download (MP3)
Khmer audio aired 20 August 2008 (0.99 MB) - Listen (MP3)

King Norodom Sihamoni will participate as scheduled in the swearing-in ceremony for the new government next month, despite a request from opposition for him to postpone it.

"The king cannot walk outside of the law," Prince Sisowath Thomico, assistant to the king, told VOA Khmer Wednesday. "Especially after the official declaration of the election results by the National Election Committee and the approval of the Constitutional Council."

Though the Sam Rainsy and Human Rights parties have threatened to boycott the ceremony, claiming the election was fraudulent, the king will preside because the "legal and political conditions cannot push the king outside the ceremony," Prince Thomico said.

Both parties had requested the king postpone the ceremony, as they seek to prove a number of irregularities will necessitate another round of national voting.

Cambodian People's Party officials maintain they can conduct the National Assembly even without the participation of 26 SRP and three HRP elected parliamentarians.

The king "cannot interfere in a political conflict between the opposition and ruling parties," Prince Thomico said.

The king will forward any request to postpone the ceremony to the government and the office of the National Assembly for consideration, Prince Thomico said.

Police Suspect Arson in Mosque Fire

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
20 August 2008

Police are investigating potential arson in a fire that destroyed scores of housing units inside a large mosque complex in Sihanoukville Monday night.

The fire at Al Muhagirin mosque, in Prey Nup district, which also serves as a religious school to about 500 students, began around 10 pm Monday, Or Chrov commune police chief Bay Non said.

The blaze destroyed 53 of 56 wooden structures used to house the mosque's students, but no one was injured, Bay Non said.

Police believe the fire was started on purpose, following the firing of some local teachers in favor of teachers from other provinces by the Cham director of the school, Zay Nuttin.

Zay Nuttin, 39, said he also suspected someone set the fire on purpose, but he said teachers had left the mosque of their own volition.

The mosque typically houses 350 male students and 150 female students, aged between 15 and 24, but Monday's fire occurred when most of the students were on holiday, visiting family in other provinces, Zay Nuttin said.

The mosque and its school, which teaches the Sunni denomination of Islam, were built in January 2001, through funding by donations from Malaysia, and the complex is one of the largest in the country, Zay Nuttin said.

Cambodia's opposition has key role to play

By Lao Mong Hay
Column: Rule by Fear
Published: August 20, 2008

UPI Asia Online

Hong Kong, China — The ruling Cambodian People's Party won a landslide victory in the country’s general election on July 27, claiming 90 out of 123 seats in the National Assembly, the lower house in the bicameral parliamentary system – although final results will not be announced till September.

This party almost wiped out its long-standing coalition partner, the Funcinpec party, which saw its seats reduced from 26 to two. Two newly formed parties, the Norodom Ranariddh Party and the Human Rights Party, took two and three seats respectively, while the opposition Sam Rainsy Party increased its seats from 24 to 26.

At first all four small parties rejected the results of the election, alleging it was "rigged" when names of legitimate voters were deleted from electoral rolls while illegitimate voters were allowed to vote. Apparently attracted by the winning party's offer of government positions, Funcinpec soon changed its mind and accepted the election results.

Later on, the Norodom Ranariddh Party also changed its mind, apparently in exchange for the winning party's support for a royal pardon for its leader, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, who faces an 18-month jail sentence for breach of trust and who has been living in self-imposed exile abroad.

The other two parties, Sam Rainsy and Human Rights, have however continued to reject the election results and have filed complaints against election irregularities. They have also threatened to boycott the opening of the new Parliament.

Hun Sen, the incumbent prime minister and vice president of the winning Cambodian People's Party, has angrily reacted to this threat and has warned that the seats of the boycotting parties would be taken away from them and given to other parties, although there are no constitutional provisions for such a measure.

In the midst of this post-election conflict, it has been announced that the King of Cambodia will act according to the country's Constitution and summon all the lawmakers-elect to the first meeting of the new Parliament on Sept. 24. The Sam Rainsy Party has said that its lawmakers-elect will not be sworn in and take up their seats until its complaints have been properly addressed.

As is widely known, the winning party – the former communist party that has ruled Cambodia for over 20 years – has complete control over all of the country's institutions from top to bottom, including the two adjudicating mechanisms for election irregularities, that is, the National Election Committee, which is also an election management board, and the Constitutional Council.

It is very unlikely that the Sam Rainsy Party and the Human Rights Party will have their complaints addressed properly by these two institutions.

In the meantime the ruling Cambodian People's Party seems set to prevent these two parties from playing any active role in the new Parliament, especially the Sam Rainsy Party whose leader, Sam Rainsy, has had continued acrimonious relations with Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is known as "the strongman of Cambodia."

If the ruling party uses its overwhelming majority to forge ahead with the marginalization of the opposition, the Cambodian system of government will evolve into an elected dictatorship – all the more so when its judiciary, as is also well known, is under political control. With command over Parliament and control of all the country's institutions, the ruling party can, as it has done before, enact any law and amend the Constitution to remove all obstacles to its rule.

This development is a break from the practice of the previous Parliament, in which the opposition Sam Rainsy Party had 24 seats and an important role as chair of two out of nine parliamentary committees. The new situation is not conducive to the development of the liberal democracy Cambodia has embraced in its Constitution.

With the absence of an opposition role, the new Parliament cannot be seen as representing the entire nation, only the majority of its citizens who voted for the Cambodian People's Party. This Parliament will lose its status and role as one of the three branches of government.

Checks and balances between these three branches and the separation of powers will completely disappear. Cambodia will then become practically a one-party state, a development which is not friendly to democracy, the rule of law and human rights.

In order to avoid all these negative developments, Cambodia's new Parliament should continue the practice of its predecessor. In order to represent the entire nation it must allow the opposition parties to be an integral part of the Parliament and assume the chairmanship of some of its nine committees, so the opposition can play an active role in the governance of the nation.

Attorney-General says extradition from Cambodia, Britain possible

BANGKOK, Aug 20 (TNA) -- Fugitive former Thai deputy interior minister Vatana Asavahame who jumped bail and is believed to be in hiding in Cambodia could be brought back to Thailand to serve a jail sentence, a senior official said Wednesday.

Sirisak Tiyapan, executive director of the Office of the Attorney-General's international affairs department, said the extradition treaty between Thailand and neighbouring Cambodia came into force on May 6, 1998 so it is possible to request Cambodia to send Mr. Vatana back to Thailand and serve his jail sentence.

On Monday, Thailand's Supreme Court Criminal Division for Political Office Holders sentenced Mr. Vatana for his involvement in a corruption case related to a wastewater treatment project to 10 years imprisonment.

The court in early July impounded bail amounting to Bt2 million (US$600,000) which Mr. Vatana had posted earlier as he failed to appear in court. It also issued an arrest warrant for him.

The judges on Monday voted eight to one charging that Mr. Vatana was guilty and sentenced him to 10 years imprisonment. A golden Buddha amulet which he had put up as bail earlier was also forfeited.

As Mr. Vattana is not now living in Thailand, the court then announced the extension of the statute of limitations to 15 years.

Thailand's deputy national police chief Pol.Gen. Jongrak Juthanond told the court earlier that police investigators found that Mr. Vatana had fled Thailand before the warrant was issued and that he was believed to be living in Cambodia. Touching on extraditing ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife who also jumped bail and are now living in Britain, Mr. Sirisak said Thailand and Britain also have an extradition treaty which was last revised earlier this year.

Prosecutors are now gathering more evidence and documents which must be used in the extradition request for Mr. Thaksin.

Arrest warrants were also issued for the couple after they failed to appear in court on August 11 relating to the Bangkok's Ratchadapisek land purchase scandal. (TNA)

Singapore welcomes moves by Thailand, Cambodia to resolve temple dispute

www.chinaview.cn

2008-08-20

SINGAPORE, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Singapore Wednesday welcomed the efforts of Thailand and Cambodia to hold talks on the Preah Vihear Temple issue.

A spokesman for the Singapore Foreign Ministry said in a statement that resolving the disagreement in an amicable manner was in line with the spirit of ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) solidarity and good neighborliness.

The spokesman added, Singapore wishes them well in their continuing efforts to work towards a good outcome for both sides.

Cambodia and Thailand announced earlier that they have agreed to arrange a second-phase troop redeployment at the disputed border area near the temple.

The Preah Vihear Temple straddles the Cambodian-Thai border atop the Dangrek Mountain and was listed as a World Heritage Site on July 7 by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice decided that the 11-century temple and the land around belongs to Cambodia, which rankled the Thais and has led to continuous disputes.

Editor: Bi Mingxin

Cambodia, Thailand to discuss 2nd phase of troop redeployment at disputed border area

August 20, 2008

Cambodian and Thailand have agreed to arrange a second-phase troop redeployment at the disputed border area near the Preah Vihear Temple in the eponymous province of Cambodia, foreign minister Hor Namhong said here on Wednesday.

Both sides will convene a meeting between Head of the Cambodian Temporary Coordinating Task Force and Head of the Thai Regional Border Committee (RBC) On Aug. 29 in Cambodia to discuss the second-phase of redeployment, said Hor, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, who just returned home from Thailand after having a meeting with his Thai counterpart Tej Bunnag to end the 37-day-long military standoff at the two countries' border area.

Both troops started to face off there on July 15 and the personnel gradually accumulated to over a thousand in the coming weeks. However, major evacuation occurred on Aug. 16 and there are now only dozens of officers and soldiers left near the area.

In addition, Hor said Wednesday at the airport, both ministers also agreed to recommend to their governments that the next meeting of legal experts and the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) be convened in early Oct. 2008 to discuss the issues related to the survey and demarcation of the relevant sectors under the term of reference and master plan of JBC.

On July 15, Thai troops went into the border area to fetch three trespassers who had intended to claim Thai sovereignty over the Preah Vihear Temple. The troops stationed there ever since, thus triggering the military stalemate.

On July 28, foreign ministers from Cambodia and Thailand held a meeting in Siem Reap province and agreed to mull the possibility of evacuating troops from the border.

On Aug. 3, Thai troops entered the Tamone Toch and Tamone Thom temples in neighboring Otdar Meanchey province of Cambodia, thus aggravating the standoff.

On Aug. 16, most of the troops at the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda and within the surrounding area of the Preah Vihear Temple were evacuated according to both sides' agreement.

The Preah Vihear Temple straddles the Cambodian-Thai border atop the Dangrek Mountain and was listed as a World Heritage Site on July 7 by UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.

In 1962, the International Court of Justice decided that the 11-century temple and the land around belongs to Cambodia, which rankled the Thais and has led to continuous disputes.

Source:Xinhua

Cambodian man picks wrong Buddhist monk for fight

Top News Law

Submitted by Raman Iyer
Wed, 08/20/2008

Phnom Penh - A Cambodian man caught "loitering suspiciously" at a Buddhist pagoda picked the wrong monk to tangle with when a saffron-robed assailant came at him with a machete, local media reported Wednesday.

Soy Narith, 22, was recovering from severe chop wounds to his leg and left side after Buddhist monk Em Eat, whose age was not supplied, allegedly set upon him Monday with a long knife, the Khmer-language Koh Santepheap newspaper said.

The paper quoted police as saying that Eat suspected Narith was trying to steal temple property.

Buddhism preaches tolerance and non-violence, but Eat reportedly told police it also taught that people should not steal.

Police were continuing the investigations as Narith accused Eat of being of no good character and that he should possibly change his vocation. (dpa)

Cambodia says temple border with Thailand to be closed indefinitely

The Earth Times
Wed, 20 Aug 2008
Author : DPA

Phnom Penh - Although talks with Thailand over disputed border territory achieved modest progress, the border crossing at the ancient Preah Vihear temple would remain closed indefinitely, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said Wednesday. Cambodia remained firm in its stance that Thailand had sent troops into Cambodian territory, he told a press conference at Phnom Penh International Airport upon his return from Thailand after talks there Tuesday.

However, he said he remained convinced that bilateral diplomacy remained the way forward and Cambodia could yet avoid taking the matter to the UN Security Council for mediation.

"We two countries should solve this issue by peaceful means and avoid war," he said.

He said his Thai counterpart, Tej Bunnag, wholeheartedly agreed.

The 11th-century Preah Vihear temple was listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO over Thai objections on July 7, and a week later, Thai troops moved into nearby areas Bangkok claims are disputed and Cambodia says is its territory.

Late last month, Thai troops also moved into the Ta Moan temple complex, 150 kilometres west of Preah Vihear. Preah Vihear lies around 300 kilometres north of Phnom Penh on Cambodia's northern border.

Cambodia closed the Preah Vihear border crossing June 22 as Thai protestors began to gather there and would not reopen it without a complete resolution to the dispute, Hor Namhong said.
"When the situation is normal in Preah Vihear, then we will think about reopening the border," he said.

Cambodia has reported that tourism to the clifftop temple has doubled since the crisis began despite the border closure.

Better regulation necessary for port system: officials say

HENG CHIVOAN; A truck drives past shipping containers stacked at the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port Authority on Tuesday.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Kay Kimsong
Wednesday, 20 August 2008

A rise in exports has sparked a free-for-all among the Kingdom's state and private ports and officials warn that unregulated competition will hurt trade

SOARING exports have led to what officials say is a chaotic and cutthroat system of private and public seaports that needs to be better regulated.

About 22 ports dot Cambodia's rivers and seashores, with few rules governing competition, quality, logistics or safety.

The state-owned Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville ports, meant to be key trade hubs, complain that they cannot compete against smaller private facilities that have few standards and frequently engage in what they say is price-dumping to attract business.

"Ports are no longer competing fairly and must upgrade their services and management," said Hei Bavy, director general of the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port.

"Some business people have created confusion by trying to adopt Cambodia's ‘Open Skies' policy to the Kingdom's waterways," he told the Post.

Open Skies deregulated flights for international carriers to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, greatly increasing business to these transport centres.

"But [Open Skies] didn't authorise the unrestricted building of new airports. Any move towards an ‘open water' policy in Cambodia should follow the same pattern," Hei Bavy said.

"All private ports should function under the same set of rules. Singapore has many port terminals, but all of them operate under the Port Authority of Singapore. The same is true of Hong Kong. In Cambodia, it's much different." Officials say Cambodian law has failed to keep pace with changing trade patterns and rising exports, estimated at just over US$4 billion last year.

Lawmakers are expected later this month to debate legislation that exporters and port operators hope will bring some order to the export sector. The law is being made with help from Belgium and would include provisions to coordinate Cambodian and Vietnamese ports. "We have to put all port operators on track and every port, both private and state-owned, needs to compete based on proper regulations," said Mom Sibon, secretary of state for the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

"I think we need to control all ports to make sure they are operating fairly and according to the law," he said.

But some private operations say they are concerned about increased government control over Cambodia's ports. Greater port competition would improve services overall, they argue, while more scrutiny could eventually discourage trade.

"This is a free market. If there are no private ports to compete with state-owned ports, the price of services will not be competitive," said So Nguon, co-chairman of the Government-Private Working Group on Electricity and Transportation.

"I would oppose any move to discourage the opening of new ports.... The more ports there are in operation, the better the competition and the more port users benefit.

"Wing Hour, the managing director of City Power Group Cooperation, the firm developing the $16 million Kampot Sea Port in Kampot province, said the company supports the ministry's efforts towards comprehensive regulations, but this should not be an opportunity for tighter government control of private ports.

"The management and services must remain in the control of the private ports," he said.