France's man in Cambodia

Photo by: Heng Chivoan
Jean-François Desmazieres, ambassador of France, in his office at the Embassy last week.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Cat Barton
Monday, 19 January 2009

Jean-Francois Desmazieres on why Khmer kids learn French and the importance of preserving the Kingdom's architecture.

Do you feel there is still interest in learning the French language in Cambodia?

There is still a lot of interest in learning the French language ... especially among Cambodian youth. At the French Cultural Centre we have roughly 6,000 students a year and 95 percent of them are young people. The question is: Why are they learning French? I think it is connected to the bilingual classes we organise in 18 schools in coordination with the Ministry of Education and it is also connected to the French curriculums in various royal universities including a French diploma offered by Lyon University in law and management.

These people are learning French as a second, third or fourth language together with English or Chinese. Another population is interested by French language - the people who have relatives in France - because France has one of the largest Cambodian diasporas: Roughly 150,000-200,000 people in France have family connections to Cambodia.

Does France encourage the development of Cambodian cinema?

The French Cultural Centre has helped in the creation of the Bophana Centre of Rithy Panh.

The Agence Française de Developpement (AFD) has given a grant of US$2 million to support the development of Cambodian cinema. The French Cultural Centre has promoted actors or helped in creating a vision for a movie, but here we are speaking of production and this is done through the Bophana Centre. So the grant is dedicated to the creation of a small Cambodian cinematographic industry with help from building capacity to providing equipment. The idea is to be able to promote Cambodia as a location for shooting foreign movies, so it is important to have good technicians. The best is always to welcome foreign teams.

Does it sadden you to see the legacy of the French colonial period eroded by new developments?

I am very much attached to the preservation of the architectural heritage and of course the French part of this heritage, but it is important to say that the "beautiful Phnom Penh" was not the colonial Phnom Penh, it was the Phnom Penh of the 60s, the Phnom Penh of the King Father.

The great city planner of Phnom Penh was Vann Molyvann, and aslo you have a lot of very important architects in the 1950s and 1960s.

Of course, everybody knows, on the other hand, that a city that counts now maybe two million inhabitants is no more a city of 200,000 people, so it is absolutely normal that this city must grow and that the infrastructure of the city will have to provide the new utilities a population requires.

" Personally, I am impressed by the openness demonstrated by the [Khmer rouge] court."

But it is possible to preserve an architectural legacy. The experience that we have in France is that to protect a building you have to give back its utility. The building has to recover its utility, so for instance speaking of the Central Market - the New Market, the real name is the New Market - it's an absolutely unique building of the 70s. We are providing through AFD a grant of $4.2 million in order to help the building to keep its function. And you have to mix the two. If you want to protect the building, it has to be useful, that is the reality. So it is very possible to protect, I can cite some beautiful renovation - the Chinese House is lovely and the Post Office place, the Bophana Centre - this is a very specific, I would say, optimistic architecture of the 1960s. So we can do it, we have some good examples and it is not desperate at all.

How do you feel about progress at the Khmer Rouge tribunal?

I think that the first trial is going to start in March, and there is very encouraging progress in the work of the court. Right now, we have the pretrial conference for the Duch case, but we always knew that the road was bumpy and it was not an easy task - to conciliate common law and civil law, to gather international judges, have foreign judges working with national judges, to have people with a long experience of international courts and people without this kind of experience and all of this, of course, in three languages - so it is not easy, and we know it is still the beginning, but it is progressing so we are encouraged.

Are you informed of what is happening regarding alleged corruption at the court?

As a stakeholder of the court, we are closely monitoring the activities along with our partners and especially the various UN bodies which are in charge of the management of the court. We are particularly committed to seeing this court in a position both to gather international support and to deliver impartial justice. We are waiting for that but mainly the people of Cambodia are waiting for that and they deserve it, so we are following closely.

Do you think there is sufficient transparency at the court?

In the civil law system, investigation is secret. That is the system so you have to be aware of this specific organisation of the court. Personally, I am impressed by the openness demonstrated by the court. What is important is that the audiences are public, of course, and really attended by a large public. But both the communication of the court and the outreach efforts of this process are very important. It is once again a very difficult process and every outreach effort must be supported. It is also important speaking of transparency to focus on the civil parties. In the civil law, the civil parties are party to the process and it is another element of transparency, they can be a part - they are not passive - and that is why we have dedicated some funds in order to help the civil parties and to help them receive the assistance of lawyers.

What role does the French embassy play in terms of strengthening the judiciary in Cambodia?

The work that we are doing is in the legal and judicial reform process, we have a project of cooperation with the Ministry of Justice in this field. We have helped with the redaction and passing of the penal code and now the penal prodecure code ... so that is part of the French contribution to the legal reform process. Our other contribution is supporting the training organisations, the universities.

How many French companies are operating in the Kingdom and in what fields primarily?

It is difficult to give figures because the official figures are mainly registering the direct exchange between France and Cambodia, but many French companies are based in Singapore or Ho Chi Minh City, so in terms of figures its not so big here, but we are certainly the first European company active in Cambodia. We have roughly 50 subsidiaries of big French companies and I would say 100 or so French companies owned by French individuals in this country. The subsidiaries of the big French companies are primarily in tourism, in the airport industry, public lighting systems, sewage, oil and gas distribution, and exploration. We also have some new ventures in agriculture - in rice and rubber - which are being developed right now. French investment in Cambodia is over a very large spectrum which is developing steadily even if it is not always easy to say he is French, he is French working in Cambodia with Asiatic partners, but the world is like that now, you know.

Interview by Cat Barton

Cowpox deaths have farmers in Pursat worried about rice

WHAT IS COWPOX?
Cowpox is a disease of the skin that results in red blisters. It is transmitted by touch. The English scientist Edward Jenner developed the vaccine for smallpox using cowpox, which he noticed was contracted by milkmaids who had touched cow udders.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Khouth Sophak Chakrya
Monday, 19 January 2009

Officials say improper disposal of animal carcasses has encouraged the spread of the disease among buffalos and bulls.

FARMERS in Pursat's Krakor district have expressed concern about the effect that a recent wave of cattle deaths - primarily due to preventable diseases including cowpox - could have on rice cultivation.

Ly Phun, governor of Krakor district, said that up until six weeks ago there were 200,000 bulls and buffaloes in Krakor district. Since then, 15 percent have died as a result of cowpox infection, a disease caused by a virus similar to variola virus and foot-and-mouth disease. Bulls and buffaloes are widely used for plowing rice fields.

Several officials in the province said that they had run into difficulty containing the spread of the diseases, in part because farmers had not been correctly disposing of animal carcasses.

"We have told people to bury their dead cows - particularly those which died of infectious diseases - but they still eat the carcasses so the virus keeps being transmitted to other cattle in the area," Ly Phun told the Post Sunday.

Bung Taing Lay, clerk of Anlong Thnot commune, said that even when it appears that cattle have died of cowpox or foot-and-mouth disease, their owners are reluctant to part with the food the cattle can provide. After the dead animals are eaten, animal parts are then routinely thrown out near where other cattle feed, increasing the risk of reinfection.

Ly Phun said a vaccine shortage had also contributed to the spread of the diseases.

Kuch Veng, 45, a farmer in Kbal Trach commune, Krakor district, said roughly 200 bulls and buffalos had died of the diseases in the commune since last month. He said he believes the diseases originated in nearby communes.

He said he asked authorities to provide vaccines but that his request went unheeded until it was too late.

He called for the people in his commune to vaccinate their buffaloes and bulls. However, he said it is difficult to persuade some villagers to vaccinate their cattle.

"The villagers believe more strongly in ghost spirits than in vaccine injections," he said.

Khlem Sokoun, chief of the Pursat Health Department, said the situation in the province had improved since he sent veterinarians to administer vaccines about a month ago.

"Before then, between 10 and 20 cattle died per day, but now only three die per day, and we hope that they will stop dying soon," he said.

"Now our staff are educating the villagers about the impact of contagious viruses."

PM to govt officials: Retire

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Sam Rith
Monday, 19 January 2009

RETIREMENT

Prime Minister Hun Sen has issued a notification asking all civil servants to retire when they reach 55 years of age "with no exception". The notification came after the government found the royal decree "Civil Servants Common Statute" issued in 1994 and the subdecree "Managing Civil Servants to be Retired as Retirement Limited Age" issued in 2002 have not been implemented properly. The government has now said it will not allow any civil servant to continue working beyond the retirement age and anyone older than 55 who is currently working must retire immediately to ensure younger generations have the chance to work.

Pause in pawnshop raids

Photo by: Sovann Philong

Police officials sort through some of the 1,300 motorbikes they have seized over the last month during a series of raids on illegal pawn shops.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Chrann Chamroeun
Monday, 19 January 2009

Police say raids on illegal pawnshops have paused temporarily while they sort through the bikes and mobile phones they have already seized.

POLICE have temporarily stopped seizing motorbikes from pawnshops throughout Phnom Penh and are currently sorting through the more than 1,300 motorbikes that have been taken since December 27 as part of a crackdown on suspected unlicensed pawnshops, Phnom Penh Deputy Police Chief Pol Pithey told the Post Thursday.

Pawnshop owners who can present proper documentation papers for motorbikes taken from their shops will get them back, he said, adding that police had already returned 68 motorbikes to two shops in Tuol Kork district.

"Our local authorities are always working very hard to crack down on illegal pawnshops to reduce robbery, theft and the other crimes in order to maintain security and safety for people," Pol Pithey said.

The crackdown, which has involved 30 pawnshops so far, has led to the seizure of 1,384 bikes, only four of which have been linked to theft, he said. Around 400 do not have plate numbers, and more than 200 have fake plate numbers, he said.

"Now, we have paused the crackdown for a while," he said. "The next step is to sort the legal bikes from the illegal bikes and give the legal bikes back to the pawnshop owners while keeping the illegal ones for further investigation."

After the first round of bikes are sorted, police will continue raiding suspected unlicensed pawnshops, he said, though he declined to say when he expected the sorting process to be completed.

In a related operation, police have seized 2,248 mobile phones from the same 30 pawnshops. Again, those phones for which pawnshop owners can present proper documentation papers will be returned, he said.

Theft deterrant

Pol Pithey said he believed the first round of raids had served as a deterrent for robbers in Phnom Penh.

"The crime of robbery and theft has lessened in Phnom Penh" since the raids began, he said.

Opposition lawmaker Yim Sovann expressed his support for the raids shortly after they began but urged the government to also crack down on illegal gambling, which he described as "the big concern and worry for society".

Victims to have a say on whether KRT should try more suspects

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Robbie Corey-Boulet
Monday, 19 January 2009

A DC-Cam survey will ask the victims of the KR regime to voice their opinions on the question: Should more people be put in the dock?

A SURVEY commissioned by the Documentation Centre of Cambodia (DC-Cam) will ask ordinary Cambodians to weigh in on the question that has divided the national and international prosecutors at the Khmer Rouge tribunal: Should additional suspects be brought to trial?

DC-Cam Director Youk Chhang said the survey, to be administered over the next few weeks, will give Cambodians not affiliated with the war crimes court an opportunity to voice their views as to how it should be run.

"The role of the ECCC is to provide a final judgment to the victims, and a fair judgment cannot be made unless they listen to the victims," he said. "Victims are not only the witness of history; they are also judges."

Robert Petit, the international prosecutor at the tribunal, filed a "statement of disagreement" last month after he failed to reach an agreement with Chea Leang, his Cambodian counterpart, on his proposal to submit more suspects for investigation.

Chea Leang has reiterated her opposition to expand the list of suspects beyond the five currently detained, saying such a move could stymie efforts at national reconciliation and overstretch the court's budget.

In addition to asking respondents whether they think the ECCC should try more than the five current detainees, the survey asks whether they think "the cost of the trials should be an important factor" in determining how many KR leaders to prosecute; if they expect additional prosecutions would lead to "public disorder or violence"; and whether they think the ECCC should wait for the trials of the current detainees to be completed before making fresh indictments.

Youk Chhang said he was forming a "professional team" to arrange for the survey to be conducted, adding that he expects to receive results by early February.

Royal trip to a Buddhist paradise

Photo by: COURTESY OF JULIO JELDRES

King Father Norodom Sihanouk and Queen Mother Monique with His Holiness the Most Venerable Dr Kyuse Enshinjoh.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Julio A Jeldres
Monday, 19 January 2009

Ambassador Julio Jeldres accompanied Cambodia's King Father Norodom Sihanouk to the Fifth Buddhist Summit, held in Kato City, Hyogo prefecture, on Japan's Honshu Island .

FROM October 29 to November 4 last year, His Majesty the King Father Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia, accompanied by Queen Mother Norodom Monineath and a small delegation, visited Japan as guests of the Founder Priest of the Nenbutsushu Buddhist Sect, His Holiness the Most Venerable Dr Kyuse Enshinjoh, the current president of the Buddhist Summit.

Their Majesties were the Chief Guests of Honour at the Fifth Buddhist Summit, held in Kato City, Hyogo Prefecture, on Japan's Honshu Island.

I was privileged to be invited by Their Majesties the King Father and Queen Mother on this trip, and I would like to share this brief report with the readers of The Phnom Penh Post.

Buddhism spread gradually eastward from India through China to the country known then as Yamato, the land of great harmony and the terminal point of the Silk Road: Today's Japan. It is said that Chinese Buddhist monks risked their lives in small watercrafts and sailed over raging waters to bring Buddhism to Japan where it eventually flourished.

As Chief Guest of Honour, King Father Sihanouk officiated over the opening ceremony of the Royal Grand Hall of Buddhism, presided over the inauguration of the ‘International Buddhist Conference Hall in honour of HM King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia' and addressed the opening of the Fifth Buddhist Summit.

" It surely makes up the most significant collection of temples in the world. "

The Royal Grand Hall of Buddhism is now recognised as the largest Buddhist structure in the world and was born out of the vision of His Holiness Dr Kyuse Enshinjoh, 82, the Founder Priest of the Nenbutsushu Buddhist Sect, one of the most influential of the sixty Buddhist sects in Japan.

Buddhist centre

Many years ago during a trip to India Dr Enshinjoh was saddened by the dilapidated state of the Buddhist holy places he visited. They were thickly covered with overgrown grass, barren lands consisting of nothing except rubble.

Photo by: COURTESY OF JULIO JELDRES Temples and gardens outside the Royal Grand Hall of Buddhism in Japan - where King Father Norodom Sihanouk was for a visit late last year.

He decided that Buddhists should have an appropriate place of worship just as Christians have the Vatican and Muslims have Mecca.

Dr Enshinjoh underwent a difficult series of trials and tribulations ahead of the construction of this grand Buddhist temple.

Potential locations were considered but rejected one after the other. Finally, after many years of effort, accompanied by the disappointment of two failures along the way, His Holiness came across the site known in local Japanese legend as "Mamushi-dani" or the "Valley of Vipers.

"It is said that the valley was inhabited by a large number of poisonous snakes which kept people away. Dr Enshinjoh said he had a dream one night in which he found himself surrounded by vipers and that a particularly imposing king snake had told him that they had been waiting for him to come and use the land, assuring him that they would protect it at all times.

The site, nestled in an imposing valley near the city of Kato about one and a half hours drive from the port city of Kobe and surrounded by high mountains, is a place of stunning natural scenery. Its beautifully kept gardens looked simply superb and splendidly tranquil in the Japanese autumn.

Traditional design

The Royal Grand Hall of Buddhism is a superb building in traditional Japanese style and surely ranks among the most significant and magnificent collection of temple buildings in the world.

In accordance with the ancient style, it is composed of a main pagoda, multiple halls and a huge guesthouse. It took seven years to complete and it is estimated that some 3.5 million architects, engineers, skilled craftsmen and workers from China, Japan and South Korea were involved in its construction at a cost of about 60 billion Japanese yen (US$662 million).

Some of the features of the Royal Grand Hall of Buddhism include exquisite carvings, colouring in the best ancient traditions of the North Asian region, as well as Buddhist images presented by kings, heads of state and government from attendant countries.

Sources from the Nenbutsushu Buddhist sect told us that such a grand-scale Buddhist complex has never been built in the contemporary history of Japan, since the construction of the Obakushu main temple in the city of Kyoto, some 350 years ago.

Royalty from Bhutan, Cambodia, Thailand and Toro (Uganda) as well as the Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake and political leaders and ambassadors from 32 countries attended the inauguration ceremony whose highlight was the 800-metre march of the monks from the main gate of the temple up a flight of 300 steps leading to the Royal Grand Hall of Buddhism.

After the foreign monks and visitors had taken their seats, the sect's monks, donned in mustard-coloured robes, made their entrance and proceeded with their ancient ritual lasting one and a half hours.

King Father Sihanouk said in his speech to the gathered Buddhists that he "felt truly honoured and grateful to our Lord Buddha for allowing me to live long enough to be able to visit this holy place".

Dr Kyuse Enshinjoh and the leadership of the Nenbutsushu Buddhist Sect of Japan said that they hope the Royal Grand Hall of Buddhism will become the main spiritual base for the world's 370 million Budhhists.

Julio A Jeldres was appointed roving ambassador to the King Father in 1993 and is the official biographer of HM King Father Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia and research fellow at the Asia Institute of Monash University in Melbourne.

Two shot as Kandal land dispute turns violent: rights group

AGAINST THE RULES
Government officials have no lawful power to overturn judicial decisions, including land decisions. "Unless the court's decision has been overturned by a higher court, it must be respected by all levels of the government," Licadho director Naly Pilorge said.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Chrann Chamroeun and Thomas Gam Nielsen
Monday, 19 January 2009

Villagers in Kandal Stung district have been locked in a land dispute with a company for years, but now the dispute has turned bloody.

TWO villagers were shot and wounded by military police in Kandal province Friday while preventing bulldozers from encroaching on what they claim is their land, residents and rights advocates said.

The ongoing land dispute between nearly 300 families and the Heng Development Co in Kandal Stung district has become more tense, with villagers saying they were upset by the military's excessive use of force.

"The military police came to shoot at us to make us leave our land," said community representative Eang Yan.

Local rights group Licadho condemned the use of violence in a statement Sunday and called for the arrest of the officers who shot at the villagers.

"In the process, they are using violence against villagers who have every lawful right to protect their land," Licadho director Naly Pilorge said, while monitor Am Sam Ath from the same organisation said that one of the wounded had bullet fragments removed from his stomach and the other person had bullet fragments in his waist. They were brought to the Chey Chumneah Hospital in Kandal province.

Kandal provincial Governor Chhun Sirun said that the dispute was built on misunderstandings. "I only gave the land to them when it was not owned by anybody else," he said, adding that the people "lived in anarchy".

Overturned court decisions

According to Licadho's statement, the Heng Development Co purchased an area covering more than 4,000 hectares of land from local villagers in the 1990s, but were later accused of trying to grab a larger area from neighbouring villagers who refused to sell their plots of land.

A group of these neighbouring families won a verdict at the provincial Kandal court in 2006 but said that the ruling was never respected by local authorities.

Licadho was told by a district official that the prime minister's Cabinet later issued a document declaring that the land belonged to the company and not the villagers, despite government officials having no legal right to do so.

Chief of the prime minister's Cabinet, Ho Sothy, denied that such a document had been issued.

"If such a letter was issued, I would have signed it, which I have not done," he said.

Chun Borith, representative of the Heng Development Co, said Sunday that his company had a land title for the whole area but did not comment further.

Renakse demolition under way: manager

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by May Titthara
Monday, 19 January 2009

DEMOLITION of the Hotel Renakse by workers contracted by the municipality began Saturday, said hotel manager Kem Chanta. She has continually objected to claims by the ruling Cambodian People's Party that she lost her contractual right to preside over the hotel by failing to complete structural renovation. The hotel is covered by tarp and access is cut off, preventing independent observation of work there. Kem Chanta accuses the government of contradicting itself by disputing the building's age - which has surpassed 100 years - and requiring its demolition when the Culture Ministry has a policy of preserving buildings that date back more than a century.

KRT defence supports probe

Photo by: Photo supplied

Duch and his lawyer Francois Roux in discussion during the court's preparatory meeting on Friday.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Georgia Wilkins
Monday, 19 January 2009

The head of defence at the Khmer Rouge tribunal has warned that if nothing is done to resolve the issue of corruption, it will hang over the court's head forever.

THE head of the defence section of the Khmer Rouge tribunal has thrown his support behind a criminal investigation into corruption at the court, warning that a litigious attempt by Cambodian judges to block the probe smacks of intimidation and threatens to tarnish the process.

"This could look like an attempt to intimidate defence lawyers into not providing rigorous defence or ensuring a fair trial for their client," Richard Rogers, interim chief of the defence support section, told the Post Friday.

"The only way to resolve the issue of corruption is through a full, proper and transparent investigation," he said, adding that he supports an investigation by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court into such allegations, which began after a defence team at the court made a complaint against the Extraordinary Chamber's administrators.

"It's clear the Cambodian government doesn't want to investigate [allegations], so there are few other choices left," he said.

Speaking in response to a statement on January 9 in which Cambodian judges at the internationally backed tribunal threatened the lawyers who made the civil complaint with "legal recourse", Rogers said he was concerned that such dialogue created an environment of intimidation that could impact the willingness of witnesses to come forward.

"If [witnesses] see judges publicly threatening lawyers, they might be less likely to come forward. It is important for judges to create an environment in which witnesses feel comfortable to come forward and help find the truth," he added Sunday.

Trial date still looms

On Friday, the tribunal concluded a two-day preparatory meeting for its first trial, that of Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, charged for his role as head of Tuol Sleng prison.

The meeting likely set a date for the trial, expected in March, but details are not expected until later this week.

Rogers said it was to everyone's benefit, including victims of the regime, for the issue of corruption to finally be put to bed.

"Unless [the issue of corruption] is resolved, the court will forever have it hanging over its head, [and] it will remain a major criticism of the court."

Parties face legacy of division

Photo by: Tracey Shelton

SRP President Sam Rainsy at a press conference Thursday following the formation of the Movement for Democratic Change with the Human Rights Party.

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Brett Worthington and Neth PHeaktra
Monday, 19 January 2009

Opposition parties are confident recent political collaboration will yield electoral success, but analysts say past mergers have foundered on personal ambition.

THE recent series of political party collaborations has raised opposition hopes of a successful challenge to the ruling Cambodian People's Party, but some political analysts are divided as to the likely success of new political alliances, saying the track record of the Kingdom's political opposition has been marked more by division than by unity.

The overwhelming success of the CPP in last July's national election, in addition to a steady trickle of opposition defections, have been the catalysts for the recent collaborations, which have seen the Sam Rainsy Party and Human Rights Party (HRP) agree to join forces as the Democratic Movement for Change (DMC), and the royalist Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP) and Funcinpec agree to realign following a disastrous showing in last year's election.

Personal conflicts

But even though opposition allainces have occurred sporadically, analysts said they often foundered on the personal conflicts between party leaders.

Koul Panha, executive director of election watchdog Comfrel, said that personal ambition, bolstered by false estimates of support produced by local party operatives, often left leaders reluctant to negotiate with other parties.

"Some leaders of small parties don't learn from their experiences of division," he said. "They don't look [at] the political evolution. Every party is weak at studying the information they receive from their local activists, which sometimes is untrue."

Independent analyst Chea Vannath said a united opposition would be better placed to take on the CPP, but said the DMC would prove more successful than the dwindling royalist bloc.

"If they work hard for the next four years, until the next election, there is a definite chance [the DMC] will take more seats," she said, adding that Funcinpec and the NRP had more serious issues they needed to "work out" before they could mount a fresh political challenge.

A fresh start

But Kem Sokha, president of the HRP, said that the opposition had learned from the divisiveness of the past, and that common points of principle would ensure a fruitful partnership between his party and the SRP.

"We signed the joint statement for the DMC because we need to change. If you cannot mobilise, then you cannot change, we have learned that from our experience," he said.

Speaking Thursday after signing the colloboration agreement with Kem Sokha Thursday, SRP President Sam Rainsy said the decision to unite both parties happened "the very day after the legislative election," saying it was now time for both parties to work together to ensure change can come to Cambodia.

He added also that Funcinpec's dependence on CPP patronage would hamstring its efforts to form an effective opposition bloc with the NRP, saying that "we [the SRP and HRP] have the same principles and the same goals. We are independent, but Funcinpec are not independent. They are close with the ruling party and they have their own interests."

NRP spokesman Suth Dina said, however, that his party's priority was to ensure electoral success at May's council elections, and that a merger with Funcinpec was likely to follow in its wake.

"Our priority is to cooperate to win seats at [May's] council elections," he said Sunday. "The merger of the royalist parties is the next step."

Koul Panha observed that historically, opposition parties have rallied together after elections to protest the legitimacy of the outcome - a position occupied by the CPP following Funcinpec's electoral victory in 1993. But he said it often takes a major electoral defeat - and a recognition of the true extent of a party's electoral support - to force opposition leaders into close alliances.

"After the election, [parties] recognised their weakness because the results they expected were not real," he said. "Now, they clearly know the [extent of their] political support," he said.

SRP calls for govt bailout

The Phnom Penh Post

Written by Sam Rith and Sebastian Strangio
Monday, 19 January 2009

Rainsy claims thousands of jobs lost in financial crisis.

OPPOSITION leader Sam Rainsy has called on the government to set aside a US$500 million economic stimulus package to offset the local effects of the world financial slump, claiming "tens of thousands" of Cambodian jobs have been lost to the global crisis.

In a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen, Sam Rainsy said the government was underestimating the effects of the global upheavals, petitioning the prime minister to organise a $500 million relief package to go towards maintaining agricultural prices, building much-needed infrastructure and making low-interest loans available to the needy.

"I would like to request the government to consider the appropriate measures in order to support economic activity and help Cambodia avoid the worst of the economic crisis," he said in the letter, which was delivered to the premier by National Assembly First Deputy President Nguon Nhel on Saturday.

Sam Rainsy added that the national budget for 2009 contained no means of relieving the economic impacts of the global crisis.

Kem Sokha, president of the Human Rights Party, said the financial crisis was having serious effects in rural areas of the Kingdom, where falling commodity prices had driven down standards of living.

"Many Cambodian people in the countryside are having problems with reduced food. This is affecting the health of the people," he told the Post.

He added that the garment sector had been hit hard by the global downturn and that many willing workers were being turned away. "Now there is reduced work, and they don't have enough money to live," he said. "I think every country should have the funds for an economic crisis."

But Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said the government reserved funds in every annual budget for unforeseen circumstances.

"We have a reserve budget, not only for the global economic crisis but also for other disasters such as floods, and so forth," he said Sunday, but added he could not remember the exact amount set aside in 2009.

"Sam Rainsy should be able to address this. He is a parliamentarian, so he must know about it."

Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun Released From Prison

John Vink/Magnum

LICADHO
January 18, 2009

On December 31, 2008, the Supreme Court announced the release on bail of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun after 1799 days of wrongful imprisonment, and ordered the Appeal Court to re-investigate their case. The two men were held at PJ prison for almost five years after being wrongly convicted of the assassination of Chea Vichea, leader of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC). Their provisional release signifies an important step towards the resolution of a case dogged by miscarriages of justice.

Chea Vichea was assassinated murder outside a newsstand in central Phnom Penh on 22 January 2004. After a grossly unfair trial, scapegoats Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun were convicted of the murder and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment. There was a 20-month delay before the Appeal Court heard their case and upheld the verdict against the two men, despite the chief prosecutor's acknowledgement of insufficient evidence. The appeal hearing was criticised by the international community as being politically-motivated and failing to take into account new evidence.

The Cambodian police and courts' handling of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun's case has attracted widespread criticism both nationally and internationally. Police failed to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation and both the trial and appeal hearing violated Cambodian legal procedures and international human rights standards. Their detention was also plagued with allegations of human rights violations including unlawful arrest, police brutality and other abuses.

Following the Appeal Court's upholding of their convictions the two men waited a further 17 months for the Supreme Court to hear their case, despite Cambodian law dictating that the Supreme Court is supposed to issue a verdict within six months.

The case was heard on 31 December 2008. The two men were released from prison that night, and headed to a local pagoda in Phnom Penh for a Buddhist blessing before joining family and friends for celebrations in the first few hours of their temporary freedom.

The expected retrial of Born Samnang and Sok Som Oeun by the Appeal Court presents an opportunity for the judiciary of Cambodia to demonstrate commitment to international standards of fair legal proceedings and independence from the government. It is hoped that investigating authorities will use this opportunity to conduct an impartial and effective reinvestigation to collect and present evidence that will hold those really responsible for Chea Vichea's murder accountable.

Life can't pin North wrestling coach

Sunday, January 18, 2009
By MATT CALKINSThe Press-Enterprise

RIVERSIDE - In the eyes of Lun Phirun Son, the third period is not a two-minute window of competition. It is a possession.

From the viewpoint of the Riverside North wrestling coach, that final stanza of a match is not a moment you endure. It is a moment you own.

The third period is why he once cut his two best wrestlers, for not living up to his standard of dedication. The third period is why everyone needs to hold the 45-pound plate for 30 minutes during weightlifting and leg out that final sprint during cardio.

Stan Lim / The Press-Enterprise
Lun Phirun Son, who lived in a concentration camp in his native Cambodia and a roach-infested home as a refugee in the San Gabriel Valley, has overcome adversity to coach the Riverside North wrestling team.

The third period, well, the third period ...

"The third period is ours," Son said.

Few know better the significance of making that final push when your legs are Jello and arms linguini. Life, in one sense or another, has been forcing him to do that since birth.

The 28-year-old once wrote in an e-mail that he's likely the Inland Empire's only coach from Cambodia. But he left out the fact that his village was taken over by Vietnam when he was an infant.

He omitted the part about his father being captured and hauled off to a concentration camp a couple months later, and that his family being denied entry to a Thai refugee camp forced him to live "like one of those kids from the 'feed the hungry' commercials."

He didn't mention that when he finally made it to the U.S., he and his four siblings shared a single bed in a cockroach-infested home in the San Gabriel Valley, or that when a third-grade classmate accused him of trying to steal her bracelet, he wound up in detention for two months because his English was too poor to defend himself.

But perhaps the reason Son coaches so fervently is because he knows the importance of having learned from anybody or anything he's come across: Coaches, classmates ... cockroaches.
Yeah, especially cockroaches.

Because really, the man survives everything. No matter what life throws his way, this wrestling coach just can't be pinned.

"I don't know if I'm ever going to get a break, but if I stopped and quit now, what's the point of all the stuff I went through in the past?" Son said. "You can never ask why is this happening to me. You just have to keep going."

It's an appropriate mentality for the North wrestling program, which sometimes looks like an extra on the athletic department's set.

Opponents stroll into the gym draped in stately warmup gear, while the Huskies arrive in sweat suits you're sure you saw at Goodwill. They practice on torn-up mats in North's multi-purpose room, where students and faculty frequently pass through. Sometimes they're even kicked out because the school has a more urgent use for the space.

"We have to get pretty creative sometimes," Son said.

No big deal. You can say Son's developed a knack for adapting.

After the third-grade detention sentence, he spent the summer watching "Sesame Street" and returned to school speaking fluent English.

And while he wouldn't divulge too much about his tour in the Marine Corps earlier this decade, it's probably not a stretch to say he had to make the occasional modification.

Such ability to adjust has translated to a program that had six varsity members before Son took over last summer and now has 13. With the team on the brink of being cut after just one win last season, the Huskies have won 10 of their 15 matches and boast one of the area's deeper J.V. squads.

So how'd he turn this program around?

"Conditioning," senior Carlos Valenzuela said. "Sometimes he (ticks) me off when he's pushing us, because most of the time I'd rather be doing something else."

But overall, Son's conviction that success in the sport comes down to desire earns him a faithful following.

When his former San Bernardino San Gorgonio team stunned No. 4-ranked San Bernardino Cajon two weeks ago, wrestlers repeatedly asked San G coach Joe Kelly, "Did you call Coach Son?"

Son met them later that night to congratulate them.

There may soon be a defining win for the Huskies. While their top wrestlers were pretty successful last year, the newcomers are winning at an astonishing rate. The kids and assistants chalk it up to Son's willingness to listen to everybody while rewarding hard work more than natural ability.

Said Valenzuela: "If Coach has taught me anything, it's that if you want something, you have to go after it."

Cambodia to build new port in Phnom Penh

Asia Online

Bangkok: Cambodia's government has announced a plan to build a new port in capital city Phnom Penh by the end of this year or in early 2010 to meet the increasing demand for waterway transportation.

The project, estimated at $25 million, was approved by the government in October 2008 and feasibility work is underway, said Keat Chhon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance.

The port will be located south of the city in the lower Mekong River area and not far away from the current Phnom Penh port.

The new facility will have a capacity of 300,000 containers a day, which is six times larger than the current Phnom Penh port, Minister Keat Chhon added. [19/01/08]

Cambodian NA Chairman visits Ninh Binh province

VietNamNet Bridge - A Cambodian delegation led by National Assembly Chairman Heng Samrin and his wife visited to the northern province of Ninh Binh on January 18.

At a meeting with the provincial officials, the Cambodia NA Chariman praised the renewal process of Vietnam in general and Ninh Binh province in particular.

On the occasion of Vietnam ’s Tet (Lunar New Year festival), he wished the local people good health and prosperity and expressed his hope that the traditional friendship and cooperation between the two countries would be strengthened further.

Heng Samrin aslo expressed his deep thanks to the Vietnamese volunteer soldiers, including those from Ninh Binh, who had helped his country escape the Pol Pot genocidal regime. He sent his condolences to the families of those who had sacrificed their lives in Cambodia .

Provincial Party Committee Secretary Dinh Van Hung, who is also head of the province’s National Assembly delegation, briefed the guests of the economic, political and social situation in Ninh Binh, stressing the province’s tourism potential and international cooperation opportunities.

Later on the same day, the Cambodian delegation visited newly-built Bai Dinh, the largest pagoda in Southeast Asia .

Earlier during his Vietnam visit, Heng Samrin had meetings with the host country’s leaders, including National Assembly Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

(Source: VNA)

Hwang-DBS in Cambodian ops

Business Times

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

HWANG-DBS (Malaysia) Bhd recently received approval from the Central Bank of Cambodia to set up a wholly owned commercial bank with the name Hwang DBS Commercial Bank plc.

The bank, with a paid up capital of US$20 million (RM72 million), will start operations by July 31 2009.

Hwang-DBS wants to participate in the Cambodian growth, it told Bursa Malaysia.

Cambodia-Cattle Smuggling

FarmingUK
19/01/2009

CATTLE SMUGGLING.There has always been a cross border trade in cattle and buffalo, between Vietnam and Cambodia, this is now being halted as a precaution against BSE and foot-and-mouth.

The rising economy in Vietnam, has made the trade in cattle from Cambodia a profitable business.

The police have made several arrests, of cattle truck drivers smuggling cattle but the trade is far to lucrative to be stopped.

Vietnam is trying to clean up the health status on the country’s livestock, in order to create a cattle breeding industry of its own, as a means to become self sufficient in food.

Back to publish news again

Dear Value Readers!

I am so sorry for not be able to publish any news in the past 3 days due to I was very ill and need to rest. Now I am feeling alright so I'll publish the news from tomorrow again.
Sorry for this inconvenience.

Your Sincerely

Publisher

Palm sugar at Lar Peang village, Kampong Chhnang province, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Phnom Penh

Cambodian men weigh palm sugar before selling to buyer at Lar Peang village, Kampong Chhnang province, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. Traditionally, some rural people spend time to collect the palm juice to produce palm sugar to earn extra income after the rice harvested season.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A Cambodian young girl eats palm sugar as she sits at her home's front door in Lar Peang village, Kampong Chhnang province, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. Traditionally, some rural people spend time to collect the palm juice to produce palm sugar to earn extra income after the rice harvested season.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A Cambodian woman stirs palm sugar in a pan as her daughter eats a little at Lar Peang village, Kampong Chhnang province, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. Traditionally, some rural people spend time to collect the palm juice to produce palm sugar to earn extra income after the rice harvested season.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A Cambodian baby girl helps her mother make a fire to produce palm sugar from palm juice at Lar Peang village, Kampong Chhnang province, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. Traditionally, some rural people spend time to collect the palm juice to produce palm sugar to earn extra income after the rice harvested season.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A Cambodian woman produces palm sugar from palm juice at Lar Peang village, Kampong Chhnang province, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. Traditionally, some rural people spend time to collect the palm juice to produce palm sugar to earn extra income after the rice harvested season.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A Cambodian man sits on the top of a palm tree as he collects palm juice at Lar Peang village, Kampong Chhnang province, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. Traditionally, some rural people spend time to collect the palm juice to produce palm sugar to earn extra income after the rice harvested season.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A Cambodian man climbs up a palm tree for collecting palm juice at Lar Peang village, Kampong Chhnang province, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009. Traditionally, some rural people spend time to collect the palm juice to produce palm sugar to earn extra income after the rice harvested season.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodia aims to roll out forest preservation program

www.chinaview.cn

2009-01-15

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Forestry Administration of Cambodia hopes to implement by September a program designed to prevent development projects from decimating Cambodia's forests, national media reported Thursday.

The program would prioritize the use of law enforcement to crack down on illegal loggers, the identification and demarcation of forest areas, increased community participation in forest conservation, and investment in research projects related to the country's forests, Ty Sokhun, director of the administration, was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying.

Currently, the administration has completed 30 percent of a draft document detailing the program, Ty Sokhun said, adding that they hope to hold forums for public discussion of the program in May and to implement it in September.

"We strongly believe that this program will not only make forests in Cambodia more abundant but also improve the lives of people living in rural communities and reduce poverty throughout the country," he said.

Meanwhile, Keng Pou, a member of the Phnong minority group living in Ratanakkiri province, called for the government to assist local efforts to encourage forest preservation.

"We need the government to encourage us, and support and protect us when we are fighting against illegal loggers," he told the Post.

He said some members of his village have sustained serious injuries while fighting off illegal loggers.

Editor: Xiong

Two Bulls Front Office Members Honored by NBA for Work in Cambodia

Getty Images
A child from the dump where Bill Smith and Joe O'Neil have rescued children.

NBC Universal

CHICAGO

By MAGGIE HENDRICKS
Wed, Jan 14, 2009

Two members of the Chicago Bulls were honored by the NBA for outstanding work. It wasn't a player or a coach, and it wasn't for getting the most points or rebounds. Joe O'Neil, the senior director of ticket operations, and Bill Smith, the photographer for the Bulls, Blackhawks and United Center, were given the NBA's Value of the Game Award for their humanitarian work in Cambodia.

Smith and O'Neil have worked rescuing children who lived in a garbage dump in Phnom Penh. Smith first encountered these children when on a trip to southeast Asia, and his guide brought him to the dump. He was horrified to see children foraging through the trash to earn money, and was immediately moved to do something about it. Smith and his wife began by paying to keep three girls out of the dumps, and in schools. From there, Smith continued to return to Cambodia often, and sponsor more and more children.

As friends began to hear what Smith and his wife were up to, they gave money to help. This grew to the point where Joe O'Neil joined in, gave a hand in fundraising, and accompanied Smith on a trip to Cambodia. The two men started a not-for-profit organization, A New Day in Cambodia, to build a center for the children to live in and go to school. They did all of this while working demanding jobs with the Bulls. According to Smith, when the center opened:

It was emotional, gratifying, and a unforgettable experience to watch their faces as one by one the children marched (with all their worldly belongings on their back) into their new residence. Their excitement was contagious and emotional; there wasn’t a dry eye to be found.

Best of all, Smith and O'Neil are known to be extremely humble about their accomplishments. That just makes them even more deserving of the award.

Make a contribution to A New Day in Cambodia here.

Where Sweatshops Are a Dream

THE NEW YORK TIMES

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
January 14, 2009

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia

Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
Nicholas D. Kristof

Before Barack Obama and his team act on their talk about “labor standards,” I’d like to offer them a tour of the vast garbage dump here in Phnom Penh.

This is a Dante-like vision of hell. It’s a mountain of festering refuse, a half-hour hike across, emitting clouds of smoke from subterranean fires.

The miasma of toxic stink leaves you gasping, breezes batter you with filth, and even the rats look forlorn. Then the smoke parts and you come across a child ambling barefoot, searching for old plastic cups that recyclers will buy for five cents a pound. Many families actually live in shacks on this smoking garbage.

Mr. Obama and the Democrats who favor labor standards in trade agreements mean well, for they intend to fight back at oppressive sweatshops abroad. But while it shocks Americans to hear it, the central challenge in the poorest countries is not that sweatshops exploit too many people, but that they don’t exploit enough.

Talk to these families in the dump, and a job in a sweatshop is a cherished dream, an escalator out of poverty, the kind of gauzy if probably unrealistic ambition that parents everywhere often have for their children.

“I’d love to get a job in a factory,” said Pim Srey Rath, a 19-year-old woman scavenging for plastic. “At least that work is in the shade. Here is where it’s hot.”

Another woman, Vath Sam Oeun, hopes her 10-year-old boy, scavenging beside her, grows up to get a factory job, partly because she has seen other children run over by garbage trucks. Her boy has never been to a doctor or a dentist, and last bathed when he was 2, so a sweatshop job by comparison would be far more pleasant and less dangerous.

I’m glad that many Americans are repulsed by the idea of importing products made by barely paid, barely legal workers in dangerous factories. Yet sweatshops are only a symptom of poverty, not a cause, and banning them closes off one route out of poverty. At a time of tremendous economic distress and protectionist pressures, there’s a special danger that tighter labor standards will be used as an excuse to curb trade.

When I defend sweatshops, people always ask me: But would you want to work in a sweatshop? No, of course not. But I would want even less to pull a rickshaw. In the hierarchy of jobs in poor countries, sweltering at a sewing machine isn’t the bottom.

My views on sweatshops are shaped by years living in East Asia, watching as living standards soared — including those in my wife’s ancestral village in southern China — because of sweatshop jobs.

Manufacturing is one sector that can provide millions of jobs. Yet sweatshops usually go not to the poorest nations but to better-off countries with more reliable electricity and ports.

I often hear the argument: Labor standards can improve wages and working conditions, without greatly affecting the eventual retail cost of goods. That’s true. But labor standards and “living wages” have a larger impact on production costs that companies are always trying to pare. The result is to push companies to operate more capital-intensive factories in better-off nations like Malaysia, rather than labor-intensive factories in poorer countries like Ghana or Cambodia.

Cambodia has, in fact, pursued an interesting experiment by working with factories to establish decent labor standards and wages. It’s a worthwhile idea, but one result of paying above-market wages is that those in charge of hiring often demand bribes — sometimes a month’s salary — in exchange for a job. In addition, these standards add to production costs, so some factories have closed because of the global economic crisis and the difficulty of competing internationally.

The best way to help people in the poorest countries isn’t to campaign against sweatshops but to promote manufacturing there. One of the best things America could do for Africa would be to strengthen our program to encourage African imports, called AGOA, and nudge Europe to match it.

Among people who work in development, many strongly believe (but few dare say very loudly) that one of the best hopes for the poorest countries would be to build their manufacturing industries. But global campaigns against sweatshops make that less likely.

Look, I know that Americans have a hard time accepting that sweatshops can help people. But take it from 13-year-old Neuo Chanthou, who earns a bit less than $1 a day scavenging in the dump. She’s wearing a “Playboy” shirt and hat that she found amid the filth, and she worries about her sister, who lost part of her hand when a garbage truck ran over her.

“It’s dirty, hot and smelly here,” she said wistfully. “A factory is better.”

Danish Woman Jailed In Cambodia For Trafficking Painkillers

1-14-09

PHNOM PENH (AFP)--A Cambodian court Thursday sentenced a Danish woman to 15 years in prison for allegedly trying to mail thousands of over-the-counter painkillers out of the country.

Axelexen Johanne Vinther, 45, was arrested at a post office in the capital Phnom Penh last year as she tried to send 10,761 tablets containing codeine in packages to the U.S. and Canada.

The drugs can be easily bought at street-side pharmacies throughout Phnom Penh, but are restricted in most Western countries.

Chhay Kong, a judge at Phnom Penh Municipal Court, said Vinther was guilty of drug trafficking and sentenced her to 15 years in jail.

The judge also ordered Vinther to pay a fine of $7,500.

Chhay Kong also sentenced a 28-year-old son of Vinther in absentia to 15 years behind bars and ordered him to pay a fine of the same amount.

Vinther denied she smuggled the drug, calling the verdict against her and her son "unjust."

"I did not commit any crimes. They (judges) don't even know what codeine is. They compare it to heroin. It was never heroin. It is not a hard drug," she said after the court hearing.

"It is something for the pain - painkillers."

Vinther said she would appeal against the verdict within a month and would even seek a "royal pardon" from Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni.

Impoverished Cambodia is becoming an increasingly popular trafficking point for methamphetamines and heroin, particularly since neighboring Thailand toughened its stance against illegal drugs in 2002.

However, arrests for violations involving pharmaceuticals are much less common.

Ecstasy threatens Cambodia’s jungles

One of the sassafras oil distilling factory in the jungles of Cambodia. Courtesy of Fauna & Flora International

THE NATIONAL
Abu Dhabi Media

Larry Jagan, Foreign Correspondent
January 15. 2009

PHNOM PENH // The illegal drugs trade is causing significant environmental damage to parts of Cambodia, according to an international aid agency.

In south-west Cambodia the production of sassafras oil, which is used when making the recreational drug ecstasy, is destroying trees, the local inhabitants’ livelihoods and wreaking untold ecological damage, according to David Bradfield, an adviser to the Wildlife Sanctuaries Project of Fauna and Flora International, who is based in the area.

The sassafras oil comes from the Cardamom Mountain area, one of the last forest wildernesses in mainland South East Asia.

“The illicit distilling of sassafras oil in these mountains is slowly but surely killing the forests and wildlife,” Mr Bradfield said. “The production of sassafras oil is a huge operation, which affects not only the area where the distilleries are actually located, but ripples outward, leaving devastation and destruction in its wake.”

The livelihoods of more than 15,000 people who depend on hunting and gathering to survive in the wildlife sanctuary are at risk from the sassafras production operations, which pollute water and kill wildlife.

Cambodian sassafras oil is highly sought as it is of the highest quality – more than 90 per cent pure, according to the head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Cambodia, Lars Pedersen. It is a major precursor drug used in the production of ecstasy.

“Massive amounts of sassafras oil are smuggled every year into Vietnam and Thailand from Cambodia,” he said.

Sassafras Oil is made from the roots of the rare Mreah Prew Phnom tree – also known as Cinnamomum parathenoxylon. The roots are first chopped into small blocks of wood and shredded into fibre consistency. This is then put into large metal vats two metres high and about three metres wide. It is distilled over a wood-driven fire for at least five days before the gas is cooled and the oil created.

Apart from depleting the Mreah Prew Phnom, large numbers of surrounding trees are felled to maintain the fires, undermining the area’s biodiversity. At the current rate, Mr Bradfield said, the Mreah Prew Phnom and other species would become extinct in the near future.

Animal life is also threatened. Deep in the jungle, the factories, which have two or three distilling pots each, are heavily guarded and require dozens workers to maintain the stills. These workers live on the surrounding wildlife in the area, with many involved in the commercial poaching of such rare animals as tigers, pangolins, peacocks, pythons, wild cats and wild fowls.

Streams and rivers are being polluted too by the effluent from the oil production. “There are frequently dead fish and frogs floating in the streams near these distilleries,” Mr Bradfield said.

The contaminated water from this area flows down into the rest of Cambodia through the Mekong and Ton Le Sap rivers and, said Mr Bradfield, poses a threat to populations downstream who rely on the rivers for drinking water. “Water tests in the area need to be carried out as a matter of urgency,” he said.

Four years ago the Cambodian government made the production of sassafras oil illegal in an effort to protect the Mreah Prew Phnom tree. Since then the authorities have tried to eliminate the illicit production factories in the Cardamom Mountains with the help of international organisations.

“Law enforcement is the key to suppressing the illegal trade in sassafras oil,” said Mr Pedersen, the Cambodia UNODC chief. “It’s a very lucrative trade, worth millions and millions of dollars.”

About 50 rangers from the forestry ministry, with the support of independent conservation groups and the UN, are currently policing the area; Mr Bradfield refers to them as “the foot soldiers protecting the forests”.

The rangers spend half the month patrolling the dense, leech-infested jungle of the Cardamom Mountains for a meagre salary, Mr Bradfield said, and face the threat of the machine-gun-carrying mercenaries who guard the factories. Many of the factories are also surrounded by anti-personnel mines.

Flora and Fauna International has supported the rangers for years, providing them with uniforms, equipment and training. They assist in building ranger stations and provide technical advice. The UN Development Fund also supported the project between 2004 and 2006.

The rangers’ task is made all the more difficult because of the potential profits smugglers can make from the trade and the lengths they will go to protect their product.

A year ago the Thai authorities seized more than 50 tonnes of sassafras oil near the Cambodian border on its way to China and the US, according to western anti-narcotics agents who declined to be identified, reported to be worth US$150,000 (Dh550,000).

Had it found its destination, where it would have been used to make ecstasy – it would have produced 7.5 million tablets worth more than $150 million, a western anti-narcotics agent said.

Cambodian authorities testing two girls for HIV after Quebec man arrested

CBC News
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Canadian Press

MONTREAL - Authorities in Cambodia are testing two young girls for HIV after their mother claimed a Canadian man accused of sexually abusing them infected her, a local child protection organization involved in the case said Wednesday.

Daniel Lavigne, 68, was arrested Monday and later charged with having sexual intercourse and committing indecent acts with minors, aged 10 and 12. His hometown in Quebec was not known.
Seila Sanleang, director of Action pour les enfants, said his organization had been monitoring the accused since his first of three visits to the country in August.

Information and evidence obtained by the group, which seeks to fight child exploitation and assist victims, was given to police and ultimately helped lead to Lavigne's arrest.

"We are an organization that protects children from child exploitation but we have an investigation team to monitor and investigate the sexual exploitation of children," he said.

The group became suspicious after the man rented a guest house in the coastal town of Sihanoukville, about 185 kilometres southwest of the capital Phnom Penh, and was seen there with the two girls.

Sanleang said the group monitored Lavigne for two days in August and again in September and while they handed over the information to police, it wasn't until his third visit that they finally acted.

Sanleang said Lavigne told him he'd been staying in China between his visits to Cambodia.
He said Lavigne met the widowed mother while she worked as a street vendor in Phnom Penh.

"According to the mother, they met on the street by chance and then they built a relationship and he just wanted to have the relationship with the mother," he said.

"Then he was also introduced to the two girls by the mother and then the relationship between Daniel and the two girls started."

He said the mother also told authorities she'd been infected with HIV.

"The tests of (the children) is underway," he said. "They are waiting for the tests from the doctors."

Canadian officials said they've been in contact with a Quebecer who has been arrested in Cambodia for allegedly sexually abusing two young girls.

Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Lisa Monette said Canada is aware that a man has been detained and that an investigation is underway.

"Consular officials have been in contact with the arrested Canadian and they are offering their support and assistance," she said.

"Due to the Privacy Act, I can't confirm other details including the identity of the individual."
Soun Sphan, Sihanoukville province deputy police chief for anti-human trafficking, said Lavigne was arrested Monday at a bus station.

He said Lavigne denied the charges and claimed he was headed to the capital with the two girls whom he he said he treated as his adopted daughters.

The girls told police Lavigne had sexually molested them at a guesthouse, Sphan said.

Until a few years ago, poverty and lax enforcement made Cambodia a prime destination for foreigners seeking sex with minors.

Police have since cracked down and several foreigners are serving lengthy prison terms as a result.

Sanleang said there have been three similar cases involving Canadians in the last few years but that none of them were convicted. There have been a total of about 60 sex offender cases involving foreigners, he said.

If convicted, Lavigne can face up to 13 years in prison.

WB aids Cambodian poverty reduction

VOV News
01/15/2009

The Cambodian government signed two grant agreements on Jan. 14, worth a total of US$72.1 million with the World Bank and other development partners to improve the lives of its people and to reduce poverty.

The first agreement for US$20 million supports the Demand for Good Governance Project (DFGG), which aims at improving the government's accountability and responsiveness to the needs of the public, said a press release from the WB.

The second agreement, worth US$52.1 million, provides additional resources to the Second Health Sector Support Program (HSSP2), which is designed to help the government improve the health of the nation’s underprivileged mothers and children, it added. The grants will provide crucial support to the Government of Cambodia's efforts to reduce poverty and ensure that the people of Cambodia enjoy secure and sustainable livelihoods, WB said.

"The grant agreements that we sign today will contribute towards the fourth pillar of Cambodia's Rectangular Strategy," Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Keat Chhon was quoted by Xinhua News Agency as saying.

Opposition Parties To Announce ‘Movement’

By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh
14 January 2009

Two opposition parties expect to announce the formation of a new unified movement Thursday, in an attempt to better compete against the ruling party in elections four and five years from now.

Officials of the Sam Rainsy and Human Rights parties said Wednesday the coalition, to be called the Grand Movement of Democrats in Cambodia, was a step toward a unified party in the future.

But the main point of forming the alliance was a need for “change,” Sam Rainsy said. “We need a new political power structure and a new leader for the country.”

No technical details for the unified movement were available Wednesday, including who would be president of any new party.

Human Rights Party President Kem Sokha said that in the upcoming commune elections, in 2012, and the national election the following year, the two parties will have joint registration with the National Election Committee.

Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith reiterated Wednesday confidence in the ruling Cambodian People’s Party and its ability to win the upcoming elections.

Lao Monghay, a senior researcher for the Asian Human Rights Commission, said the current political situation called for action on good governance in the country, and not too much worry over a new opposition movement.

The word “grand,” however, harkened back to the days of the Khmer Rouge, he said, and should be removed from the title.

Court Officials Set for Four-Year Rotation

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original Report from Washington
14 January 2009

National judges and prosecutors will be rotated to new posts following a meeting of the Supreme Council of Magistracy Wednesday, part of reform efforts to reduce corruption.

“Every four years, or a little bit more, there needs to be a change to another place,” Justice Minister Ang Vongwatana said. “Those who are in the same place for a long time, they know all the people, the chief of the court knows all the people, knows the businessmen, and the businessmen know them.”

Friendships grow and make work difficult, he said. “So that’s why there is the principal that they should not stay in one place.”

Cambodia’s courts face continual criticism of political bias and corruption, and donors have pushed for reform, something court officials say they are working on.

No details were immediately available on changes at Phnom Penh Municipal Court, where many of the country’s key trials are held, but Ang Vongwatana said around four or five judges and prosecutors would be moved.

An observer close to the Supreme Council of Magistracy said Tuesday Phnom Penh court’s chief prosecutor, Ouk Savuth, would be moved to the Appeals Court, as deputy-general prosecutor, while his deputy, Yet Chakrya, would replace him.

Yet Chakrya was transferred from Banteay Meanchey provincial court and currently serves as a reserve prosecutor for the Khmer Rouge tribunal.

People Worldwide Search for Cheaper Transportation

Motorbikes and bicycles are a way of life in Burkina Faso

By Kent Klein
Washington
14 January 2009

The cost of fuel is rising quickly, and people throughout the world are looking for cheaper ways to get to work and travel. VOA's Kent Klein looks at how people are being affected by these changes. (Part 2 of 5)

As gasoline prices soar, commuting habits are changing. In the developed world, that means fewer automobiles and more public transportation, or abandoning motor vehicles for bicycles. But higher fuel costs are hitting hardest in the developing world, where money is tight.

Joseph Muendo Musyoka lives in a Nairobi slum. He walks three hours between home and work each day. He can no longer afford public transportation. Joseph says life has become very hard. The oil prices have gone up, so he realized that it is better to walk, so he can keep some of that money for his daily use.

Joseph Muendo Musyoka

In much of the world, skyrocketing fuel prices are causing a search for solutions. In Indonesia and elsewhere, one answer is mass transit.

Jakarta commuter Risa Riana is leaving her car behind more frequently as gasoline becomes more expensive. Since the fuel price increase, she takes the bus more often.

But despite governments' best efforts, many people, like Ahmad Suyono of Jakarta, are resisting mass transit. He says he would like to use public transportation, but using his own car is more convenient.

Thailand has spent an enormous amount of money to build a Skytrain, a subway system, and a network of buses to relieve Bangkok's notorious traffic jams. More public transport is on the way. Many people take public transportation, but many remain in their cars.

Sue Bhuyatorn spends an average of two hours a day, driving 20 kilometers between her home and her job at the U.S. Embassy. She enjoys the safety and convenience of her car. And she sees no solution to Bangkok's traffic problems any time soon. "There is, theoretically, but it needs sacrifice, mutual sacrifice of everyone," she says.

In the United States, it's harder to find a seat on buses and trains these days. One dollar a liter for gasoline is the reason - everyone complains about the high gas prices.

The second-largest U.S. city, Los Angeles, is known for its motion picture industry, and for some of America's worst traffic. According to Forbes.com, the average Los Angeles driver spends three days out of each year stuck in traffic.

Despite recent improvements, public transportation in L.A. is not extensive enough for such a sprawling city, and Angelinos are reluctant to give up their cars.

Ramona Marks

But not Ramona Marks. She is one of a small but growing number of people who bike to work. She says she is not only saving money, she is also beating the frustration of driving on L.A.'s freeways. "I get to work invigorated," she said. "I feel like, 'Yeah, I just survived that!'"

For others, change is not by choice. In Kenya, Joseph Muendo Musyoka would like to ride the bus from his home in the Mukuru slum to his job.

But the round-trip would cost him $1.20, and he makes only $1.50 a day. On that, he supports an extended family of eight. Joseph is one of about one million people in Nairobi who earn about $1.50 a day.

Every day, he walks an hour and a half to work and an hour and a half home. He says walking three hours a day is hurting his health. But he has no choice. For now, he keeps walking and hoping that one day he will be able to afford something easier and better.