Roast pigs are on display for sell on the street in Phnom Penh April 30, 2009.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)Saturday, 2 May 2009
HEALTH officials said Thursday that there is no evidence of swine flu in Cambodia yet
Roast pigs are on display for sell on the street in Phnom Penh April 30, 2009.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)
Cambodian garment factory workers march on the street to mark May Day celebrations in Phnom Penh
Cambodian garment factory workers march on the street to mark May Day celebrations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, May 1, 2009. Hundreds of Cambodian garment factory workers walk on the street in Phnom Penh to mark May Day celebrations, asking the government to enhance the minimum wage and their working condition.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith) 
Cambodian garment factory workers stand under banners while attending May Day celebrations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, May 1, 2009. Hundreds of Cambodian garment factory workers walk on the street in Phnom Penh to mark May Day celebrations, asking the government to enhance the minimum wage and their working condition.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Cambodian garment factory workers hold banners while attending May Day celebrations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, May 1, 2009. Hundreds of Cambodian garment factory workers walk on the street in Phnom Penh to mark May Day celebrations, asking the government to enhance the minimum wage and their working condition.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Cambodian garment workers hold banners as they march on the street to mark World Labor Day in Phnom Penh May 1, 2009.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA BUSINESS SOCIETY EMPLOYMENT)
Cambodian garment workers hold banners as they march on the street to mark World Labor Day in Phnom Penh May 1, 2009.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA BUSINESS SOCIETY EMPLOYMENT)
Cambodian family members watch from a window as garment factory workers march on the street to mark May Day celebrations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, May 1, 2009. Hundreds of Cambodian garment factory workers walk on the street in Phnom Penh to mark May Day celebrations, asking the government to enhance the minimum wage and their working condition.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Cambodian garment factory workers hold banners while attending May Day celebrations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, May 1, 2009. Hundreds of Cambodian garment factory workers walk on the street in Phnom Penh to mark May Day celebrations, asking the government to enhance the minimum wage and their working condition.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)
Cambodian garment workers hold their national flags as they march on the street to mark World Labor Day in Phnom Penh May 1, 2009.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA BUSINESS SOCIETY EMPLOYMENT)
Cambodian garment workers hold banners as they march on the street to mark World Labor Day in Phnom Penh May 1, 2009.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA BUSINESS SOCIETY EMPLOYMENT)
Cambodian garment workers hold banners as they march on the street to mark World Labor Day in Phnom Penh May 1, 2009.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA BUSINESS SOCIETY EMPLOYMENT)
Cambodian garment workers hold banners as they march on the street to mark World Labor Day in Phnom Penh May 1, 2009.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA BUSINESS SOCIETY EMPLOYMENT)
Cambodian garment workers hold banners as they march on the street to mark World Labor Day in Phnom Penh May 1, 2009.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA BUSINESS SOCIETY EMPLOYMENT) All eyes on registry-swapping ships
Working for Russia?: A Cambodian ship waits in Hanasaki port in Nemuro, Hokkaido, on March 16. KYODO PHOTOBy YOSHIAKI SAKAMOTO
Kyodo News
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/
KUSHIRO, Hokkaido (Kyodo) The past decade has seen a drastic reduction in Russian ships calling at ports in Hokkaido, where much of Russia's marine produce is imported, while ships registered to other countries, including Cambodia, have risen sharply.
In fact, three times as many Cambodian vessels are calling at some ports than Russian ships are, but many of their crewmen are thought to be Russian. Shipping sources said the reason behind the trend is Russian ship owners changing registries to avoid taxes.
According to Finance Ministry data, Hokkaido ports had 9,200 Russian ship calls in 1999, but only 1,400 in 2008. Ships with other registries rose about 1.6 times in the period, with Cambodian ships expanding 10-fold from 190 to about 1,900.
The decline is especially conspicuous in Wakkanai, where Russian ships have dropped from 3,700 to about 240 and Cambodian ships have risen from zero to 740.
There are also ships registered in Belize, Panama, Sierra Leone and Mongolia that are bringing in crabs and sea urchin from the four disputed islands seized by the former Soviet Union at the end of World War II.
The customs offices and the Japan Coast Guard are trying to track down Russian ships whose registries and names have changed. "These changes have become quite conspicuous in the last several years," said an official at the Nemuro office of the coast guard.
Maritime law experts said that, since the laws of a country where a ship is registered are basically applied to its ships, changing the registry to a country where regulations are lax can reduce registration fees and taxes. This has resulted in aged secondhand ships being used, as well as a drop in wages for crewmen who are increasingly being recruited from other countries.
"It is a situation in which anything can happen," one critical shipping official said.
Countries promoting ship registries, however, are gaining higher income from taxes and foreign currency earnings.
An official who registered a ship in Cambodia said the procedure is simple and everything can be completed if the required documents and money are sent to the registry office in the South Korean port of Busan.
But Nobuo Arai, a professor at the Slav Research Center at Hokkaido University, said one country's gain is another's loss. "A large problem for the Russian government is decreases in tax revenues," he said.
One factor contributing to the trend is the stronger regulations against poaching and smuggling in the Far East promoted by the administration of former Russian President Vladimir Putin to protect crab and sea urchin resources.
An official at the Hokkaido branch of the All Japan Seamen's Union said it is difficult for Russian authorities to clamp down on foreign-registered vessels.
In 2002, the Fisheries Agency also strengthened regulations on Russian ships to make it obligatory for them to present cargo customs clearance declaration cards when entering Japanese ports.
As a result, it is suspected that marine products are being transshipped from fishing vessels at sea to freighters not subject to control and brought into Japan.
To skirt such regulations, some Russian dealers are switching their export target from Hokkaido to Busan, fishing industry sources said.
Cambodia opens to foreigners
GroupWeb Media
http://www.emailwire.com
Foreigners may be able to purchase property in Cambodia for the first time following the proposal of new legislation by the country’s Government – but they will still be limited to apartments, houses and condominiums above the second floor…
(EMAILWIRE.COM, May 01, 2009 ) Cambodia - Foreigners may be able to purchase property in Cambodia for the first time following the proposal of new legislation by the country’s Government – but they will still be limited to apartments, houses and condominiums above the second floor…
Currently, international investors are not allowed to own land or homes in Cambodia – a limitation that is seen by some locals as a good thing, preventing speculation and price volatility.
Back in 2005, the Government amended an investment law to allow foreign ownership of buildings, but the Cambodian property market was then experiencing one of the biggest booms in Asia and, as a result, the law was never put into practice.
Between 2005 and 2007, the property markets in major hubs such as Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, skyrocketed, with prices rising by as much as 40 per cent.
But now, with the economy and property market suffering in the downturn, the foreign investment law has reared its head again.
If passed, it could pave the way for foreign ownership of houses, apartments and condominiums from the second floor up for resale. Foreigners would also be able to inherit property.
The Minister of land management, urban planning and construction Im Chhun Lim said, “We want this law to be passed as quickly as possible, but we need input from the private sector, so we have passed it on for feedback.
“The discussion with the private sector will focus on how many units and how much of the building can be bought, as well as which floors they can purchase,” he added.
The Cambodian Government is keen to pass the new law as they hope it will revitalize the country’s housing market and economy and prevent the market from sliding further.
It is also hoped that the laws will enhance foreign consumer confidence in the undeveloped property market.
As there is some local opposition to the ownership of land by foreigners, the Government is planning to specify a zone near international borders in which foreigners would not be able to buy property, which would prevent foreign ownership of property in disputed areas.
For more information on properties in Cambodia and the property market in general, please visit http://cambodia.themovechannel.com/
http://www.emailwire.com
Foreigners may be able to purchase property in Cambodia for the first time following the proposal of new legislation by the country’s Government – but they will still be limited to apartments, houses and condominiums above the second floor…
(EMAILWIRE.COM, May 01, 2009 ) Cambodia - Foreigners may be able to purchase property in Cambodia for the first time following the proposal of new legislation by the country’s Government – but they will still be limited to apartments, houses and condominiums above the second floor…
Currently, international investors are not allowed to own land or homes in Cambodia – a limitation that is seen by some locals as a good thing, preventing speculation and price volatility.
Back in 2005, the Government amended an investment law to allow foreign ownership of buildings, but the Cambodian property market was then experiencing one of the biggest booms in Asia and, as a result, the law was never put into practice.
Between 2005 and 2007, the property markets in major hubs such as Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, skyrocketed, with prices rising by as much as 40 per cent.
But now, with the economy and property market suffering in the downturn, the foreign investment law has reared its head again.
If passed, it could pave the way for foreign ownership of houses, apartments and condominiums from the second floor up for resale. Foreigners would also be able to inherit property.
The Minister of land management, urban planning and construction Im Chhun Lim said, “We want this law to be passed as quickly as possible, but we need input from the private sector, so we have passed it on for feedback.
“The discussion with the private sector will focus on how many units and how much of the building can be bought, as well as which floors they can purchase,” he added.
The Cambodian Government is keen to pass the new law as they hope it will revitalize the country’s housing market and economy and prevent the market from sliding further.
It is also hoped that the laws will enhance foreign consumer confidence in the undeveloped property market.
As there is some local opposition to the ownership of land by foreigners, the Government is planning to specify a zone near international borders in which foreigners would not be able to buy property, which would prevent foreign ownership of property in disputed areas.
For more information on properties in Cambodia and the property market in general, please visit http://cambodia.themovechannel.com/
May Day Demanding Better Working Conditions
BSN Stock PhotoBest Syndication
Submitted by Gian Brett
May 1, 2009
May Day is globally known as Labour Day or international worker’s day. In the labour movement the day is celebrated as achievements of social and economic. This day, in all over world workers and employees arrange various meetings and rally to remember glorious history of working class.
The holiday first popularized by Soviet Union as an international workers day. Eight hours in a day as working hours is the achievement of this day. The day shows the political right to spread worker’s voice.
On this day in Taipei, Taiwan thousands of workers rally together in liberty squire to show the dignity of labour. They celebrated the day as an internal Labour Day by their own culture for the working class achievements.
In Phnom Penh, Cambodia thousands of factory workers march on the street with demand of better working conditions and to enhance minimum wage by large posters.
In Kochi rally, large number of people participates with trade unions on the international worker’s day. On this occasion all the trade unions and independent parties remember the glory of the 1 May.
1 May is nothing but a history which tells the story of worker’s to fight for better working conditions. The day gives the voice to fight against unemployment, wage labour and worse working conditions.
1 May is the day of revolutionary act. Thousands of workers and trade unions across the world fought for the day. The fight had been started against long hours working, worse working conditions, child labour and exploitation of wage. All the fight lead to the better working conditions, 8 hours working days, 6 days working (some where 5 days working), minimum wage etc.
The glory of the day today working class, trade unions and independent parties are celebrating across the world to show the power of workers. In the capitalist-imperialist age to fight against unemployment and inferior working conditions it is necessary to show the power of working class to the imperialist world.
Gian Brett is an expert writer of various subjects. He has written many articles on Logical Concept of Employment also.
1,000 Cambodians rally
Chea Vichea said the government has to listen to their requests. --PHOTO: CAMBODIA.ORGTHE STRAITS TIMES
May 1, 2009
PHNOM PENH - MORE than 1,000 Cambodian workers on Friday marched through the capital to demand better wages and conditions and a halt to violence against unionists as they marked international labour day.
The group of mostly textile and hotel workers, carrying colourful banners and Cambodian flags, marched from a park near the royal palace to the parliament, where they handed a petition to political opposition leaders.
'The government has to listen to our requests,' said Chea Mony, head of Cambodia's largest workers' group, the Cambodian Free Trade Union.
'It has to take care of the workers because they help bring billions of dollars to the government,' he said.
The workers later marched to the place where Chea Vichea, who headed the country's largest labour union and was a vocal critic of Prime Minister Hun Sen's government, was gunned down in January 2004.
The daylight murder was condemned by rights groups as a brutal attempt to silence opposition-linked unions and two men jailed over the killing were later released and a retrial has not yet been scheduled.
Demonstrators shouted their demands through loudspeakers - the establishment of a labour court, a monthly 120-dollar minimum wage, fair treatment and a reduction in working hours from 48 hours to 44 hours per week.
Garment exports from the impoverished country have dropped sharply amid the global economic downturn and tens of thousands of workers have lost their jobs this year.
Hotel workers are also suffering from lower tourism revenues after foreign tourist arrivals in Cambodia dropped by 2.19 per cent in January compared with the same period last year. -- AFP
Workers March in May Day Demonstration
By Heng Reaksmey, VOA KhmerOriginal report from Phnom Penh
01 May 2009
Thousands of garment factory workers took to the streets in Phnom Penh Friday, marking May Day with a set of demands for better pay and conditions for the government.
Hundreds of police were deployed to maintain security, as workers marched with placards demanding higher wages, the establishment of a labor court and a halt to discrimination against free trade.
Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union, said the goal of the march was to encourage the National Assembly to accept a petition with suggestions from improving conditions for laborers.
“I hope the Cambodian government will receive our petition of workers and consider our demands, because the garment sector is important in helping Cambodia’s economy,” he said.
Garment exports are one of Cambodia’s main earners, but the sector has been hit hard by the global financial crisis, as orders for goods from the US and other markets have slowed.
Tens of thousands of workers have been laid off since the onset of the crisis in September 2008, with some factories closing their doors or reducing their staff.
Art Thun, president of the Cambodian Laborer Confederation, said Friday the country needs to improve the conditions for workers, who are usually abused by garment factory owners.
Workers on Friday urged the government to “very quickly” put in place an arbitration court to handle labor conflicts. They also want the government to force garment factories to keep a deposit in the bank to prevent bankruptcy.
Cambodian Side of Tribunal Receives Funding
By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
01 May 2009
The Japanese government on Thursday announced a funding infusion of $4.1 million to the beleaguered Cambodian side of the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal, providing enough for staff salaries for the months of April and May as the court undertakes its first trial.
Many donors have proven reluctant to fund the Cambodian side of the court, which they say has not fully addressed allegations of corruption.
But the bilateral donation from Japan will ensure the tribunal can proceed with the trial of Duch, former chief of Tuol Sleng prison, who has been in court since March 30 facing atrocity crimes charges.
UN and Cambodian negotiators failed to reach an agreement in April on how allegations of kickbacks and other corruption should be handled, with the UN side maintaining the importance of anonymity in complaints.
The UNDP, which handles funding for the court, has refused to release money from donors until the allegations are dealt with.
That has led to a critical shortage in the Cambodian budget at the court, with Japan giving $200,000 in March to help pay staff salaries.
This week’s $4.1 million “will cover the shortfall of the Cambodian side of the ECCC’s operational costs,” the Japanese Embassy said in a statement, referring to the tribunal by its initials, for Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath declined to comment on the funding, but he confirmed that staff have been told their April and May salaries will be received in the third or fourth week of May.
Observers say that despite the corruption allegations, international donors are loath to see the special court fail, especially now that Duch is on trial.
Both France and Japan have praised the progress of the court and have urged the UN and Cambodia to reach agreement on handling corruption.
For now, the two sides are implementing a parallel structure, where complaints on the Cambodian side move through Cambodian channels, and the UN handles complaints made on its side.
Original report from Washington
01 May 2009
The Japanese government on Thursday announced a funding infusion of $4.1 million to the beleaguered Cambodian side of the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal, providing enough for staff salaries for the months of April and May as the court undertakes its first trial.
Many donors have proven reluctant to fund the Cambodian side of the court, which they say has not fully addressed allegations of corruption.
But the bilateral donation from Japan will ensure the tribunal can proceed with the trial of Duch, former chief of Tuol Sleng prison, who has been in court since March 30 facing atrocity crimes charges.
UN and Cambodian negotiators failed to reach an agreement in April on how allegations of kickbacks and other corruption should be handled, with the UN side maintaining the importance of anonymity in complaints.
The UNDP, which handles funding for the court, has refused to release money from donors until the allegations are dealt with.
That has led to a critical shortage in the Cambodian budget at the court, with Japan giving $200,000 in March to help pay staff salaries.
This week’s $4.1 million “will cover the shortfall of the Cambodian side of the ECCC’s operational costs,” the Japanese Embassy said in a statement, referring to the tribunal by its initials, for Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath declined to comment on the funding, but he confirmed that staff have been told their April and May salaries will be received in the third or fourth week of May.
Observers say that despite the corruption allegations, international donors are loath to see the special court fail, especially now that Duch is on trial.
Both France and Japan have praised the progress of the court and have urged the UN and Cambodia to reach agreement on handling corruption.
For now, the two sides are implementing a parallel structure, where complaints on the Cambodian side move through Cambodian channels, and the UN handles complaints made on its side.
Villagers Near Preah Vihear Temple To Be Moved
By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
01 May 2009
Authorities in Preah Vihear province are preparing to move more than 700 families away from the ancient Preah Vihear temple, the site of a continued border standoff between Cambodia and Thailand that has seen violence and the destruction of civilian property.
Officials said the move was to help conserve the area, where the temple has been named a Unesco World Heritage site, and to make way for the development of a resort there.
Areas within 20 kilometers of the 11th Century temple will be off limits to individuals, and those families now living near the site will be moved to a nearby area called Sros Kdol, in Chaom Khsan district.
Around 300 families live in a market area near the temple that was completely destroyed in mortar fire during a border clash between soldiers along the contested border. Another 400 families live in a small town at the base of the Preah Vihear temple escarpment.
The Sros Kdol area is clear of landmines and has sufficient water and agricultural land, where it is hoped people will live in more security than they currently have.
“We cannot allow people living in the Unesco conservative area of Preah Vihear temple, in order to maintain and protect the World Heritage and the natural environment around the temple,” Preah Vihear Governor Preab Tann told VOA Khmer Friday.
The operation is being undertaken via royal decree, which establishes zones for protection, including areas around the temple, the mountain and the surrounding landscape, he said.
Cambodia and Thailand remain at odds over a small stretch of land near the temple, with each side using a different map to demarcate the border. Troops have been stationed along the border since July 2008, when the temple’s World Heritage listing sparked nationalist fervor on each side.
No civilians have so far been killed or injured in the small skirmishes that have since erupted, and some villagers said this week they were reluctant to leave.
“I’m very sorry that authorities plan to move my house,” said On Narith, a 40-year-old from Kor Muy village. “We don’t agree to leave our home in the village because we have real farmland, a house and a business. In the new location, we’ll remove our house and we will lose our money, and it is difficult to find a new job as well.”
Fellow villager Horn Meng Chu, 45, said she would leave her house at Kor Muy if she is paid proper compensation, “because it is in the national interest.”
“We struggled to demine for an orchard of fruit trees until we had fruit to eat,” she said. “It is not an easy thing.”
She asked that Prime Minister Hun Sen help them succeed in the new place.
“If Hun Sen does not help us in Kor Muy village,” she said, “we will fail.”
Original report from Phnom Penh
01 May 2009
Authorities in Preah Vihear province are preparing to move more than 700 families away from the ancient Preah Vihear temple, the site of a continued border standoff between Cambodia and Thailand that has seen violence and the destruction of civilian property.
Officials said the move was to help conserve the area, where the temple has been named a Unesco World Heritage site, and to make way for the development of a resort there.
Areas within 20 kilometers of the 11th Century temple will be off limits to individuals, and those families now living near the site will be moved to a nearby area called Sros Kdol, in Chaom Khsan district.
Around 300 families live in a market area near the temple that was completely destroyed in mortar fire during a border clash between soldiers along the contested border. Another 400 families live in a small town at the base of the Preah Vihear temple escarpment.
The Sros Kdol area is clear of landmines and has sufficient water and agricultural land, where it is hoped people will live in more security than they currently have.
“We cannot allow people living in the Unesco conservative area of Preah Vihear temple, in order to maintain and protect the World Heritage and the natural environment around the temple,” Preah Vihear Governor Preab Tann told VOA Khmer Friday.
The operation is being undertaken via royal decree, which establishes zones for protection, including areas around the temple, the mountain and the surrounding landscape, he said.
Cambodia and Thailand remain at odds over a small stretch of land near the temple, with each side using a different map to demarcate the border. Troops have been stationed along the border since July 2008, when the temple’s World Heritage listing sparked nationalist fervor on each side.
No civilians have so far been killed or injured in the small skirmishes that have since erupted, and some villagers said this week they were reluctant to leave.
“I’m very sorry that authorities plan to move my house,” said On Narith, a 40-year-old from Kor Muy village. “We don’t agree to leave our home in the village because we have real farmland, a house and a business. In the new location, we’ll remove our house and we will lose our money, and it is difficult to find a new job as well.”
Fellow villager Horn Meng Chu, 45, said she would leave her house at Kor Muy if she is paid proper compensation, “because it is in the national interest.”
“We struggled to demine for an orchard of fruit trees until we had fruit to eat,” she said. “It is not an easy thing.”
She asked that Prime Minister Hun Sen help them succeed in the new place.
“If Hun Sen does not help us in Kor Muy village,” she said, “we will fail.”
Anti-Terrorism Efforts Lauded by US
By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
01 May 2009
Cambodia had shown a commitment in fighting terrorism, but the country’s capacities need more improvement, according to an annual US State Department report.
The US cited the establishment of a national counterterrorism center in 2005, new laws to combat terror financing and the strict control of weapons, explosives and other materials in Cambodia as proof the government was serious in countering terrorism.
The new financing law establishes a financial intelligence unit under the National Bank, to monitor suspicious transactions and interface with the Ministry of Interior’s financial crimes unit. The law also provides for asset freezes of suspected terrorists.
“Cambodia’s political leadership demonstrated a strong commitment to aggressive legal action against terrorists and to increase its counterterrorism investigative capability, but its ability to investigate potential terrorist activities was limited by a lack of training and resources,” according to the report, obtained by VOA Khmer Thursday.
Cambodia remains a concern, however, with its porous borders, endemic corruption, poverty, high unemployment and poor education system.
Cambodia also has around 500,000 Cham Muslims, where “disaffected elements” could be exploited by terrorists, according to the report.
“Although the Cham were not generally politically active, the Cambodian government was aware of the possibility that foreign terrorists might use Cham areas as safe havens,” it said. “For example, Hambali, a senior Jemaah Islamiya and al-Qaida operative accused of involvement in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, took refuge in a Muslim school in Cambodia in 2002-2003.”
Original report from Washington
01 May 2009
Cambodia had shown a commitment in fighting terrorism, but the country’s capacities need more improvement, according to an annual US State Department report.
The US cited the establishment of a national counterterrorism center in 2005, new laws to combat terror financing and the strict control of weapons, explosives and other materials in Cambodia as proof the government was serious in countering terrorism.
The new financing law establishes a financial intelligence unit under the National Bank, to monitor suspicious transactions and interface with the Ministry of Interior’s financial crimes unit. The law also provides for asset freezes of suspected terrorists.
“Cambodia’s political leadership demonstrated a strong commitment to aggressive legal action against terrorists and to increase its counterterrorism investigative capability, but its ability to investigate potential terrorist activities was limited by a lack of training and resources,” according to the report, obtained by VOA Khmer Thursday.
Cambodia remains a concern, however, with its porous borders, endemic corruption, poverty, high unemployment and poor education system.
Cambodia also has around 500,000 Cham Muslims, where “disaffected elements” could be exploited by terrorists, according to the report.
“Although the Cham were not generally politically active, the Cambodian government was aware of the possibility that foreign terrorists might use Cham areas as safe havens,” it said. “For example, Hambali, a senior Jemaah Islamiya and al-Qaida operative accused of involvement in the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, took refuge in a Muslim school in Cambodia in 2002-2003.”
Doctor Outlines Swine Flu Prevention
Dr. Sok Touch, director of the Ministry of Health's communicable disease control department. By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington
01 May 2009
As cases of swine flu continued to emerge around the globe, a leading health official warned Cambodians to take everyday precautions against the disease.
Coughs and sneezes should be covered by the hand, and spitting in public should be avoided, said Dr. Sok Touch, director of the Ministry of Health’s communicable disease control department, as a guest Thursday on “Hello VOA.”
“People should wash their hands regularly to avoid the virus,” he said, adding that it was still considered safe to eat pork.
Sok Touch encouraged people to remain calm about the disease, which emerged in Mexico and has spread as far as Canada, Europe, South America and New Zealand.
Cambodia is prepared for an outbreak, he said, because it has put structures in place since dealing with SARS and the bird flu in the past and has close cooperation with the World Health Organization.
Symptoms for swine flu, caused by the H1N1 virus, appear as normal flu, but attack the lungs. Patients can die within seven days of contracting the virus, he said.
The virus appears to spread easily from person to person, but Sok Touch said Thursday the virus could come from directly touching a sick pig.
Cambodians suspicious of an outbreak should call the government’s hotline, at 012 488 981 or 089 669 567.
Friday, 1 May 2009
Vietnamese, Cambodian border provinces boost cooperation
Vietnam Cambodia
05/01/2009
Leaders of the Vietnamese border provinces of Tay Ninh and Long An and the Cambodian province of Svay Rieng have held a working session to review their joint collaboration programme on border protection.
At a meeting in Svay Rieng province this week, they shared the view that their joint programme has brought positive results, helping to maintain peace, stability and development along their common borderline.
They said that their relevant forces have worked closely to ensure border security, facilitating the exchange of trade, visits by relatives and tourism services while efficiently detecting and preventing cross-border crime, smuggling and the spread of infectious diseases.
In another development, during a working session in Phnom Penh on April 28 between Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister Sok An and a Vietnamese delegation of the Interior Ministry, the two countries reached an agreement, under which Vietnam will help Cambodia build an information archive and a human resource training institute.
Leaders of the Vietnamese border provinces of Tay Ninh and Long An and the Cambodian province of Svay Rieng have held a working session to review their joint collaboration programme on border protection.
At a meeting in Svay Rieng province this week, they shared the view that their joint programme has brought positive results, helping to maintain peace, stability and development along their common borderline.
They said that their relevant forces have worked closely to ensure border security, facilitating the exchange of trade, visits by relatives and tourism services while efficiently detecting and preventing cross-border crime, smuggling and the spread of infectious diseases.
In another development, during a working session in Phnom Penh on April 28 between Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister Sok An and a Vietnamese delegation of the Interior Ministry, the two countries reached an agreement, under which Vietnam will help Cambodia build an information archive and a human resource training institute.
Cambodia's floating villages
Tonle Sap largest freshwater lake in Asia
Michael McCarthy, Vancouver Courier
Published: Friday, May 01, 2009
Michael McCarthy, Vancouver Courier
Published: Friday, May 01, 2009
One of the great wonders of the world is the vast temple complex of Angkor Wat, spread through the jungles of northern Cambodia. Aside from the gigantic size of the complex --it was the largest city in the world in the Middle Ages before the jungle consumed it after its unexplained abandonment--one wonders why the Khmer empire was located here in the middle of nowhere, with no rivers or trading routes to support the city and its huge population. However, another great wonder of the world can be found a few miles away.
Tonle Sap is Cambodia's Great Lake and the most prominent feature on the map of Cambodia, a huge body of water stretching across the northwest section of the country. In the wet season, the Tonle Sap Lake becomes the largest freshwater lake in Asia, swelling to an expansive 12,000 square miles, and the largest freshwater floodplain in the world. More than three million people live on the floodplain around the Tonle Sap but what's interesting are the 170 floating villages found on the lake itself.
In the rainy season, a unique hydrologic phenomenon causes the Mekong River to reverse direction, filling the lake up instead of draining it. The inflow expands the surface area of lake more than five-fold, inundating the surrounding forested floodplain and supporting an extraordinarily rich and diverse eco-system. More than 100 varieties of waterbirds and over 200 species of fish, as well as crocodiles, turtles, macaques, otter and other wildlife inhabit the inundated mangrove forests. The Tonle Sap provides more than half of the fish consumed in Cambodia.
Sitting on the edge of the lake are these distinctive floating villages, many sitting on towering stilts, with their economy and way of life deeply intertwined with the lake, the fish, the wildlife and the cycles of rising and falling waters. Visiting them is not easy unless you happen to travel with your own motorboat, but not far from Angkor Wat you'll find the tiny port of Chong Khneas, where a fast ferry departs daily for the capital of Phnom Penh, a five-hour journey across the great waters. Here the Khmer and Vietnamese boat people live in their floating homes and a guided two-hour boat trip through the floating village costs $6 U.S. and is an experience worth the time and effort.
Drifting through these drowned villages on a boat is the weirdest thing. In the dry season the houses stand eerily atop stilts in a sea of mud. At the height of the rainy season, the tops of trees poke through the surface of the water in a drowned landscape. Depending on the time of the year and the depth of the lake--it can be as little as a foot deep at times--trucks and cars look like they are being driven on top of the water and villagers appear as if they are walking on the surface. Huge fish traps are placed everywhere. Some of the houses float, others are on stilts, and yet others are boats on which entire families live.
Being so close to a major tourist site like Angkor Wat, this floating village gets plenty of visitors, and the villagers have devised interesting tourist attractions like the crocodile farm, where you can get face to face with some nasty creatures who are, thankfully, kept in a pit. Just don't fall in. Then there are the snake girls, who live on barges and run up to visiting boats thrusting giant water snakes into people's faces. Certainly you can take a photo, but be prepared to pay a fee. There are even floating bars and restaurants, markets, a clinic and a school. Watching kids play basketball in the middle of a vast lake is something different. If you don't want to descend from your boat to explore, villagers will paddle out to meet you, offering excellent ice-cold Cambodian beer and snacks.
Japan donates $4 million to Khmer Rouge tribunal
By SOPHENG CHEANG
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Japan has donated $4.17 million to the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal trying former Khmer Rouge leaders on war crimes charges, just as the troubled court was running out of funding, a court official said Friday.
The money will be used to offset a salary shortfall for 251 court staffers until at least the end of the year, tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said. The court has been troubled by political wrangling and allegations that some Cambodian officials were demanding kickbacks from people trying to secure jobs with it.
The tribunal is tasked with seeking justice for atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge during their four years in power in the late 1970s. An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died under the radically communist regime from forced labor, starvation, medical neglect and executions.
"The donation arrived on time since the Cambodian side of the court was running out of budget. We really appreciate what the Japanese government has done," Reach Sambath said.
The donation comes as Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, is being tried by the tribunal for crimes against humanity, war crimes, murder and torture.
The 66-year-old Duch (pronounced Doik) commanded the Phnom Penh prison, where as many as 16,000 men, women and children are believed to have been tortured before being sent to their deaths. Only a handful survived.
Four other former Khmer Rouge leaders, aging and infirm, are being held for trial on charges of crimes against humanity and war atrocities. The are likely to be tried in the next year or two.
The tribunal operates under the joint administration of Cambodia and the U.N., which have separate budgets. In January, Japan gave $21 million to the U.N. side of the operation.
In March, Japan donated $200,000 to the Cambodian side for that month's payroll.
"Japan places a great emphasis on the progress of the Khmer Rouge tribunal, as it believes that this process will promote peace, democracy, the rule of law and good governance in Cambodia," a statement from the Japanese Embassy said.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Japan has donated $4.17 million to the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal trying former Khmer Rouge leaders on war crimes charges, just as the troubled court was running out of funding, a court official said Friday.
The money will be used to offset a salary shortfall for 251 court staffers until at least the end of the year, tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said. The court has been troubled by political wrangling and allegations that some Cambodian officials were demanding kickbacks from people trying to secure jobs with it.
The tribunal is tasked with seeking justice for atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge during their four years in power in the late 1970s. An estimated 1.7 million Cambodians died under the radically communist regime from forced labor, starvation, medical neglect and executions.
"The donation arrived on time since the Cambodian side of the court was running out of budget. We really appreciate what the Japanese government has done," Reach Sambath said.
The donation comes as Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, is being tried by the tribunal for crimes against humanity, war crimes, murder and torture.
The 66-year-old Duch (pronounced Doik) commanded the Phnom Penh prison, where as many as 16,000 men, women and children are believed to have been tortured before being sent to their deaths. Only a handful survived.
Four other former Khmer Rouge leaders, aging and infirm, are being held for trial on charges of crimes against humanity and war atrocities. The are likely to be tried in the next year or two.
The tribunal operates under the joint administration of Cambodia and the U.N., which have separate budgets. In January, Japan gave $21 million to the U.N. side of the operation.
In March, Japan donated $200,000 to the Cambodian side for that month's payroll.
"Japan places a great emphasis on the progress of the Khmer Rouge tribunal, as it believes that this process will promote peace, democracy, the rule of law and good governance in Cambodia," a statement from the Japanese Embassy said.
Critical of “polpotism”, Duch admits he committed evil acts out of cowardice
Kambol (Cambodia, Phnom Penh). April 30th 2009: The accused on the 15th day of Duch trial at the ECCC. ©John Vink/ MagnumKIa-set
http://cambodia.ka-set.info
By Stéphanie Gée
01-05-2009
The Trial Chamber started on Thursday April 30 the examination of the third topic out a total of seven that were put down on the schedule of debates, namely the political implementation of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK) in the S-21 detention centre, led by Duch. This introduction to the political line and orientations decided by the Party were much awaited by those who fear Case Number 2 (concerning former Khmer Rouge cadres Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith and Khieu Samphan) might never come before the Trial Chamber. If such thing happened, the following hearings will then offer a rare opportunity to have a closer look at the CPK and the ideological principles that shaped it.
The policy of smashing enemies
Nobody was allowed to release people sent to S-21, “and even Pol Pot, the most important protagonist among the Khmer Rouge, used to say he was not allowed to order the release of whoever had been arrested”, Duch says during the hearing. And even though mistakes occurred when people were arrested, that policy was implacably implemented “to ensure security and make sure that the secret of S-21 was well-kept”.
There was nonetheless one way of dodging the rule. The accused reports, as a side anecdote, the case of a dentist who ended up in S-21. “Uncle Nuon [Nuon Chea] declared: ‘Don’t kill the dentist, he must be alive to treat our teeth!’ Even he did not make the decision for his release! The only thing he could do was to make sure he stayed alive to work at S-21. This was the only thing we could do: not smashing people and keeping them alive at S-21 where they were kept in semi-detention, if I may use that expression.”
Duch, referring to the first document adopted in 1960 by the CPK at the time of its creation, which defines the strategic line and policy of the party, remembers that it was about “gathering important forces to fight the enemy”. Before 1970, he explains, “nobody was purged internally”. “The party did not wish to purge cadres internally before 1970 because the policy implemented was that of a mobilisation of forces [...]. And it is only afterwards that they started adopting this policy of smashing [...]. It is only from 1973 onwards that they started following what I shall call class struggle. [...] Afterwards, after the April 17th [1975] victory, they began showing their anger against the exploiting classes [...] When people were arrested, it was always in the name of class struggle!”
Duch shows on the overhead projector a document dated March 30th 1976 and allegedly issued by the CPK Central Committee, which shows several “decisions”. One of these states that “in order to set up the rules which shape our revolution and to “strengthen socialist democracy”, “the right to decide to smash inside and outside the ranks” is granted, on base levels, to the Permanent Committee in charge of the zone concerned; for administrations linked with the Centre, that right was given to the Committee of central administration; in independent sectors, The permanent Committee was in charge, and for the army, the military commander made decisions. Duch adds that it is the Central Permanent Committee led by Pol Pot which decided to allow those four groups to smash. “As a consequence, as I said yesterday [Wednesday April 29] the fate of those who were sent to S-21 or to other police bureaus was already sealed.”
Enemies evolving as days and months pass
Before April 17, 1975, the Communist party of Kampuchea fought against “imperialists, bourgeois, the feudal system and reactionaries”. Duch corrects his own words and says in French: “reactionary bourgeoisie”. After the “great” victory, the CPK sees enemies everywhere “so much so that we found ourselves isolated”. The former S-21 director enumerates: “Former base people, former soldiers and Buddhist chiefs.... They also attacked religions, education was abolished....”
The Constitution of Democratic Kampuchea: a mere “filter”?
Duch claims he never relied on the Constitution of the Khmer Rouge regime, dating back to 1976, when it came to teaching his staff since he estimated that it concealed the real political line of the party. Thus, the preamble to the Constitution mentions “the aspirations of the people of the whole of Kampuchea and of the whole of revolutionary army of Kampuchea, who would like Kampuchea to be independent, united, peaceful, neutral and not aligned, with sovereignty in its territorial integrity”. But, the accused points out, “Who is entitled to happiness?” Well, in that case, communists, including myself, used to say that it was for the farming class and workers!”
He continues: “Building an ideal society, within the limits of possibility, is part of a theory called historical materialism and according to which we went from feudal society to an ideal society”. This is why Duch explains he preferred resorting to the slogan he learnt in French at school: “It is up to people to decide, depending on their capacities, jobs and needs”. “After April 17, the ideal society I was looking for was based on that slogan! [...] A society that was fair, socialist...”
Polpotism, not Maoism
Duch recalls that after the April 17th victory, a slogan was widely broadcast: that of the “Great Leap Forward”, explained by the president of the presidium of the state of Democratic Kampuchea, Khieu Samphan. “I saw lies in those lines! I mentioned that Mr Khieu Samphan’s explanation was a lie. The great leap forward – what is this? Pol Pot evacuated the whole of Phnom Penh, smashed capitalists and smashed intellectuals and who was left? Only the working and farming class! [...] Was I pleased with that ideal society created by Pol Pot? It was horrible because many people lost their lives and in the end, there were only two classes! Looking back on it, what kind of society were we experiencing? Some western analysts say that Pol Pot was a student of Mao Tse Toung’s and followed his principles. But I would like to insist on that point: it was Polpotism, not Maoism! Pol Pot wanted to go further than the Chinese popular revolution! [...] When I observed what was going on back then, it left me speechless. Many people lost their lives and I could not say anything. This was beyond words! [...] Back then, I had no idea that half of my family had died! So why did I attend all those horrible events and not flee? But where would I have gone?” He adds, later: “I could not escape, I had to continue”.
And when purges in revolutionary ranks intensified in early 1977, Duch says he started to be “in a state of shock”. He apologises: “That was rather cowardly, I was not brave enough to say no, I continued to follow orders...”, with the obsession of saving his own life and spare his relatives.
Organisational structure
At the base, “the very roots of the Party”, according to Duch, were the cells. Higher up stood the sector committees, zone committees and, on top of everything, the Party’s Central Committee. If the statutes of the Party, drafted in 1960, stipulated that any member with ten years of service in the ranks could claim the position of member of the Central Committee, however, the 1970 statutes established ten criteria for admission within the central organ.
“This was a filter wanted by Pol Pot, to prevent members from the Party to be admitted within the Central Committee when they should not be”, Duch explains in reference to the rule stating the ten criteria of admissibility. In order to make a good impression, Duch says, people had to be neither considered as rightists nor as leftists”, “stay neutral and not disturb anyone”, work hard to particularly meet the first three criteria *, and have networks around. Duch was never upgraded to the Central Committee, he says, and would not have liked to be. “All I wanted was my life to be spared... I was scared of not living long!”
Remaining families living in Lycée Descartes call to France for help
Phnom Penh (Cambodia), 30 April 2009. The remaining eight families who refuse to leave their dwelling inside Lycée Descartes are protesting outside the French embassy for suitable compensation.©Vandy RattanaKa-set
http://cambodia.ka-set.info
By Duong Sokha
01-05-2009
Cambodian families who have been living for several years in a building located on the premises of the Phnom Penh French high school René Descartes still refuse to leave and demand compensations higher than what the Cambodian government has so far offered. After about thirty Cambodian and French students organised a demonstration outside the school on April 9 in favour of the housing rights of 37 families living under threat of eviction, most of them have one after the other accepted to move out. Depending on the surface area of their home, they will receive a compensation of 5,000US$ to 10,000US$ as well as a 4metre by 4 metre plot of land in the Steung Meanchey area. Still, eight of them are resisting and voiced their message loud and clear on Thursday, April 30 in front of the French embassy in Cambodia.
Following a meeting at the Municipality of Phnom Penh with secretary of state and spokesperson for the Council of Ministers Phay Siphan and the capital’s deputy governor Mann Chhoeurn, sixteen out of the remaining twenty-four families who still live on the premises of the René Descartes high school eventually accepted the Cambodian authorities’ ultimate offer. They are due to receive a compensation of 8,000 to 15,000 US$, depending on the surface area of their current homes and whether they wish to have the piece of land in the Steung Meanchey area. For their part, the eight representatives for the eight remaining families gathered on Thursday April 30 outside the French embassy in Phnom Penh to express their disagreement and have a petition signed, urging the French government to intervene in their favour.
In front of the embassy’s main entrance, demonstrators put up three banners on which they had written, in Khmer, the following messages: “Friendship between Cambodian and France = justice for the people”, “You need a school, we need a home” and “We support the Royal Government of Cambodia’s policy to hand over the former Institute of Affairs [National Institute of Affairs – the school took over the premises in central Phnom Penh] to the French embassy, but we ask you to help us find suitable accommodation”.
“Yesterday [Wednesday April 29], sixteen families accepted [compensations] because the municipality of Phnom Penh told them it was an order of the prime Minister [Hun Sen]. They were told that this dossier was going to be sent over to deputy prime Minister Sok An to ask him for his recommendations, with a view to launch judicial action against residents. They got scared of the judicial system”, one of the demonstrators, Kim Vicheth, denounced. “There are ten of us in my family. The government offers us a 10,000-dollar compensation. With that, we cannot buy a decent house. Thus, we have come to the French embassy to ask for their intervention, either with people, or financially. We hope they will be able to help us”, the young man explained to journalists, accompanied by his father. In order to be able to accommodate together all of his family members in conditions that would be identical with those in their current apartment, Kim Vicheth claims compensations four times higher than those proposed by the state: a 8m x 16m piece of land and 40,000 US$.
Demonstrators then duly gave the petition they wrote for French ambassador Jean-François Desmazières to representatives of the French embassy in Cambodia. However, the French diplomats did not commit to anything with the representatives of the families.
Reached by Ka-set, deputy-governor of Phnom Penh Mann Chhoeurn pointed out for his part that the families who accepted to leave had started to receive on Thursday April 30, the sums of money they were due to get, as promised, “on an account at the Acleda bank”, to help them buy a new home. As for the remaining families, the representative of the Municipality did not wish to say any more: “This is about their right [to demonstrate], but they will leave”. “The goal of the French and Cambodian governments is to train human resources in the future, via the high school”, the high-ranking civil servant said. Cambodian authorities will certainly concentrate their efforts in the solving of this case before the visit, in France at the end of May... of the Cambodian head of government, Hun Sen.
Sun bears seized in Ratanakkiri
Photo by: TRACEY SHELTON A member of the WRRT walks the two rescued bear cubs to their new enclosure at Phnom Tamao Thursday.
The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
Written by Tracey Shelton
Friday, 01 May 2009
Two young animals rescued from wildlife trader earlier this week are now being cared for at Phnom Tamao wildlife centre
TWO sun bears are settling into their new enclosure at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre after arriving Thursday from Ratanakkiri province following their rescue from a wildlife trader by the Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team (WRRT).
Seven members of WRRT, a government task force managed by the Forestry Administration with support from conservation NGO Wildlife Alliance, stormed the home of 36-year-old Eng Syda after an investigation carried out by the team confirmed the location of the bears.
After praising the WRRT team on a successful rescue operation, Nick Marx of Wildlife Alliance - who examined the cubs and said they appeared to be in good health - said the feisty male and placid female are probably siblings.
"Chances are the mother was killed," Marx said. "A mother bear is going to fight to protect her babies, so in most cases trappers will kill the mother to get to the cubs."
Koy Visedh, WRRT project manager, said the bears were discovered hidden in net sacks in the toilet of the offenders' home.
"This is the third time we've received information regarding these bears," Koy Visedh said, adding that the previous two attempts to locate the trader earlier this month had failed.
New information was received late last week and an operation was planned by the team, which drove to Ratanakkiri overnight Monday so as not to arouse suspicion, Koy Visedh said.
After a WRRT officer confirmed their location Tuesday afternoon, the other officers waiting nearby with local authorities moved in on the house, he added.
Dubious tale
Eng Syda told police he bought the three-month-old cubs in Stung Treng province seven months ago, a statement that cast doubt on his testimony, Koy Visedh said. He was held overnight for questioning before being charged with possession of a rare species.
Despite being recognised internationally as endangered, sun bears are considered rare under Cambodian law, meaning penalties for possessing them are less severe.
According to the law, if found guilty, Eng Syda could be fined up to three times the market value of the animals, which can be around US$3,000.
Ten to 15 bears on average are confiscated in Cambodia each year by WRRT, officials said. Five have been rescued by WRRT this year.
After their slow two-day journey in heavy rain on bumpy roads to their new home, the bears were eager to leave their cage to explore new surroundings. The cubs, which still require bottle-feeding, are being cared for by Free the Bears at Phnom Tamao.
Cambodia 'preparing' for flu
The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
Written by Kay Kimsong
Friday, 01 May 2009
HEALTH officials said Thursday that there is no evidence of swine flu in Cambodia yet, but that the country must not become complacent as cases of the disease multiply rapidly worldwide.
"We've not yet seen this virus in Cambodia, but if and when it does [emerge], it will challenge the health system," said WHO representative Dr Michael O'Leary.
"Cambodia has been preparing for some time and has a well-developed plan to respond to a pandemic," O'Leary added at a press conference organised by the government and WHO, which has stepped up its global alert, signalling that a pandemic is imminent.
The Ministry of Health said that, in addition to measures already put in place to detect suspicious flu cases, people travelling to Cambodia will now be required to fill out health declaration forms.
However, only 157,500 Tamiflu pills, the main treatment for the virus, have been stockpiled, according to the ministry.
Sok Touch, director of the Health Ministry's Communicable Disease Control Department, said that the ministry was continuing to work with the WHO, UNICEF and the UN to find ways to tackle the flu threat.
He also said the government welcomed a meeting of ASEAN health ministers later this month to discuss a regional response to the outbreak.
Poll start sees vote bribe claims
The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/
Written by SEBASTIAN STRANGIO and VONG SOKHENG
Friday, 01 May 2009
THE campaign for the upcoming provincial, municipal and district council elections is set to kick off today, amid opposition claims the ruling Cambodian People's Party is engaging in vote-buying as a means of swaying poll results.
Members of the new councils will be selected by the country's 11,353 commune councillors at the May 17 election, following a May 1-15 campaign period.
The Sam Rainsy Party came forward Wednesday with a recorded telephone conversation it claims is definitive evidence of bribery - illegal under the Kingdom's Election Law.
In the March 16 taped phone conversation, available on the party's website, Lay Channareth, a former CPP councillor in Preah Sihanouk's Lek Boun commune, can be heard offering current SRP councillor Seng Sophorn a cash bribe to vote for ruling party candidates.
"[The CPP] would like you to support us.... For this support, they will give you US$700 or $800," Lay Channareth told Seng Sophorn in the recording. He added that since it is a secret ballot, he need not worry about being found out by his party.
"If they don't find out, you can work normally and [we can] provide you with money for some time," he said.
Even if he was expelled from the party, Lay Channareth promised, the CPP would provide Seng Sophorn with "100,000 riels [$25] every month until the end of the mandate", as well as an opportunity to stand as a CPP candidate at the next commune council elections.
SRP President Sam Rainsy told the Post he was unsurprised by the tape recording, since the CPP had made many previous attempts to "lure" SRP officials, but that the party's appeals to conscience would win out over the lure of material gain.
"Their tricks are based on money and promises of personal gain, but most SRP officials have ideals," he said.
SRP Cabinet chief Keo Phirum, who is the party's first candidate for the Preah Sihanouk provincial council, said the party had faced a lot of problems from vote-buying earlier in the year, but that he trusted the province's 41 SRP commune councillors to stand strong.
"[Two months ago], former commune councillors who defected to the CPP came back to persuade our commune councillors," he said. But he added that subsequent discussions with councillors had "strengthened" their will to stay within the opposition fold.
Senior CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap could not be reached for comment Thursday, but Tep Nytha, secretary general of the National Election Committee, said that any party with evidence of bribery could file a complaint with the NEC.
Koul Panha, executive director of election monitor Comfrel, said the upcoming election would likely involve "a lot" of vote-buying but was more concerned about the "limited" nature of the elections.
With the poll restricted to party representatives, the results were a foregone conclusion, Koul Panha said, providing incentives for vote-buying.
"This system limits participation, and we want to make sure it will be reformed," he said.
School community seeks French help on impending eviction
The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
Written by May Titthara
Friday, 01 May 2009
ABOUT 10 residents of a community living near the Lycee Francais Rene Descartes school in Phnom Penh petitioned the French embassy Thursday to intervene in advance of their impending eviction by city authorities.
"We are [here] to ask the French ambassador to save us from eviction by the municipality," said resident representative Kem Vichet.
He added that during a meeting Wednesday, city officials told residents to pull down their houses by May 15, or authorities would take unspecified "administrative measures" and would bear no responsibility for any property lost.
During the protest, two community representatives were allowed to enter the embassy and present officials with a letter outlining their concerns.
"We agree that the government should give back the former National Institute of Business to the French embassy, but City Hall's compensation is not enough for us to find new houses," Kem Vichet added.
But Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Mann Chhoeun said that about 70 percent of the residents had already agreed to the city's offer of empty land in Meanchey district, in addition to between US$5,000 and $10,000 per family.
"I have advised them that if they don't want to live in their new location, they can buy new houses," he said. "The prices are only $5,000 to $6,000, and the location has clean water networks, electricity, a smooth road and a market, so it is easy to do business."
Around 37 families living on the site near the school were fenced out of their homes on April 6. Residents say the French embassy is involved in the transfer of the land to the school, a claim previously confirmed by district officials.
Fabyene Mansencal, first secretary of the embassy, said she could not comment as she had not yet read the residents' letter.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SEBASTIAN STRANGIO
Pro-SRP editor and publisher questioned
The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/
Written by Chrann Chamroeun
Friday, 01 May 2009
THE publisher and editor-in-chief of The New Liberty News, a pro-Sam Rainsy Party newspaper, were questioned Thursday morning by Municipal Court Deputy Prosecutor Plang Sophal in connection with a defamation and false information case filed by the publisher of the pro-government newspaper Koh Santepheap.
A March 10 article in The New Liberty News claimed that Koh Santepheap's publisher, Thong Uy Pang, and his wife were denied an entry visa to the United States in 2003 because American officials believed they were involved in human trafficking.
"I was very angry and anxious about this article, which badly insulted me without accurate evidence and wrongly charged me with involvement in human trafficking," Thong Uy Pang told the Post Thursday.
Sek Rady, editor-in-chief of The New Liberty News, stood by the story in an interview with the Post.
"We had accurate evidence to support the story," he said. "At that time [the US embassy in Phnom Penh] did not accept his visa. The embassy considered him to be involved in human trafficking and put him on its black list."
He said he had been told by Plang Sophal that the court was currently investigating the complaint, in which Thong Uy Pang is asking for US$100,000 in damages.
Tourism law to regulate industry
Photo by: HENG CHIVOANForeign tourists wander the grounds of Phnom Penh’s popular Royal Palace last week.
The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
Written by Vong Sokheng
Friday, 01 May 2009
Approved by the National Assembly, the new law is to crack down on unregistered tour operators
THE National Assembly on Wednesday approved a new draft tourism law, tightening industry regulations as part of efforts to increase security and crack down on rogue operators, officials said.
"Our tourism industry is growing fast, and we need to have a law making the industry accountable," Sam Prumnear, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Tourism, told lawmakers Wednesday. "The police will take control of [implementing the law] relating to the sex industry and human exploitation."
Tourism Minister Thong Khon said that around 30 percent of tourism-related businesses did not hold government licences, and that such operators would be given three months from the implementation of the law to register with the government.
Thong Khon added that the general situation of the industry at popular tourist spots was good, but that new rural destinations - especially a string of villages between Siem Reap and Kampong Thom offering home stays to foreign tourists - were still a concern. "There is a need for a public-awareness campaign, and the participation of citizens will help the tourism industry keep growing," he said.
However, opposition leader Sam Rainsy expressed concerns over widespread corruption in the tourism industry and appealed for lawmakers to give at least one year for poor tourism businesses to apply for licences. "Because of the lack of information about the law, smaller businesses will not have enough time to apply for licences within three months," he said.
Foreign tourist arrivals to Cambodia dropped 3.4 percent in the first quarter of 2009, falling to 622,288 from 644,205 in the same period in 2008, according to Ministry of Tourism statistics.
Four killed in police chase in Thailand
The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/
Written by Thet Sambath
Friday, 01 May 2009
FOUR Cambodians were killed and seven injured in Thailand's Sing Buri province on April 23 when the truck in which they were fleeing from police collided with a concrete pole, a Ministry of Defence official told the Post Thursday.
The Cambodians, all construction workers, were in Thailand illegally, said Lo Mithuna, the ministry official, who added that they were being taken by a Thai driver to work on a construction project on a farm when Thai police began chasing them, he said.
"We are sad for them," Lo Mithuna said of the victims.
"We are working with Thai officials to repatriate the four dead Cambodians and the seven injured Cambodians for funerals and treatment."
Morl Chit, a ministry official who prepared a report on the case, said Thursday that the relatives of the victims had travelled to the Poipet border crossing to receive the dead bodies and transfer the injured back to their homes in Banteay Meanchey province's O'Chrov district.
They were waiting at the border crossing as of Thursday afternoon, he said.
"I was told by Thai officials that the bodies were being processed to be repatriated into Cambodia," Morl Chit said.
"The injured people would also be sent back to Cambodia [today]," he added.
The injured Cambodians are currently in Thailand's Sa Kaeo province, he said.
The construction workers were returning to work in Thailand after visiting Cambodia for Khmer New Year.
Three women among dead
Smor Doeung, 43, said his niece and nephew were among the injured and that the husband of his niece was killed in the crash.
He said three of the dead were women: Rorn Ki, 30, Ren Lab, 44, and Srey Mao, whose age he could not provide.
The one man among the dead was Savoeuy Savong, whose age Smor Doeung also did not know.
Cambodia plagued by epidemic of drug-resistant conjunctivitis
Photo by: TRACEY SHELTONThe eye of a patient recovering from conjunctivitis on Thursday.
The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
Written by Nathan Green
Friday, 01 May 2009
Ophthalmogists say they are keeping their eyes on a strain of the ailment that is proving particularly resistant to routine antibiotics
AN eye health specialist from the Ministry of Health warned Thursday that people suffering from a particularly tough-to-treat strain of conjunctivitis sweeping Cambodia should seek medical help rather than trying to cure it using over-the-counter medications.
Do Seiha, the coordinator of Cambodia's national eye care program and the resident ophthalmologist at Phnom Penh's Naga Clinic, said that most infections clear up on their own, but treatment with antibiotics is required if the infection persists.
However, the bacteria that are often responsible for the condition seemed to have developed resistance to the steroidal antibiotic eyedrop Maxitrol that is traditionally used.
"We don't know why, but the infection is resistant to routine treatment," he said. "It usually can be treated in one week, but now treatment is taking up to three or four weeks." He added that around 10 percent of sufferers develop a severe form of the condition.
Do Seiha recommended doctors use a two-pronged antibiotic drug response, prescribing Maxitrol drops alongside drops containing the third-generation synthetic antibiotic Moxifloxacin, which has only been available in Cambodia since December.
While these medicines can be bought over the counter, Do Seiha said they should only be prescribed by a medical doctor, as not all eye irritations are conjunctivitis, and not all conjunctivitis is bacterial. The condition can also be triggered by viruses or an allergic reaction, neither of which would respond to antibacterial treatment, while prolonged use of Maxitrol could damage the eyes.
They could also compound other conditions, such as causing ulcers in the eyes of those suffering from keratitis, an inflammation of the cornea, or worsening glaucoma.
Conjunctivitis outbreaks tend to hit Cambodia in November and December, but this dry season the epidemic came later in January and shows no sign of abating yet, Do Seiha said. He treated about 300 cases over the last three weeks in his ophthalmology practice at Naga Clinic, he added.
The infection is highly contagious and can be spread through person-to-person contact, picked up off surfaces and spread by dust - hence its prevalence in the dry season. Many people became infected when travelling to the provinces for Khmer New Year, Do Seiha said, picking it up from relatives or through exposure to dust-borne bacteria.
"Once one person in a family gets it, everybody will get it," he said. "To limit the risk, infected people must wash their hands regularly and avoid sharing towels." Recovered individuals also have a high risk of reinfection.
He expected the epidemic to persist until the rainy season arrived and reduced dust particles, which can carry conjunctivitis-causing bacteria.
Dolphin deaths rise in 2009
Photo by: TRACEY SHELTONAn adult Irrawaddy dophin in Cambodia’s Kratie province in this file photograph.
The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
Written by Nguon Sovan
Friday, 01 May 2009
Conservation officials express concern that overzealous fishermen, hoping to cash in on wet season fish migration, are netting dolphin calves
ILLEGAL gill nets being used by fisherman in Kratie province have led to the deaths of two baby Irrawaddy dolphins this year, causing local experts to fear a another increase in calf mortality rates.
"Two baby dolphins weighing about 10 kilograms each died from gill net deployments in February and March. Last year only one dolphin died from illegal netting," Touch Seang Tana, chairman of the government's Commission for Conservation and Development of Eco-tourism in the Mekong Dolphin Zone, told the Post.
"We have arrested two fishermen in connection with the deaths and subsequently confiscated their illegal fishing equipment and educated them prior to their release," he said.
Traditionally, there is an increase of gill net deployment in the leadup to the wet season, with fisherman hoping to capitalise on fish moving into the new waterways created by the rains.
"We have launched a new crackdown until the end of next month, arresting fishermen who use illegal techniques such as dynamiting, electric fishing and gill netting - however I still predict that we will lose one or two more dolphins because our patrols are restricted by limited resources," Touch Seang Tana said.
The global conservation group WWF recently estimated Cambodia's Irrawaddy dolphin population living between Kratie and southern Laos at between 76 and 86.
In 2005, a similar study by WWF estimated the number to be between 108 and 146.
In 2004, Cambodia's dolphins were listed as a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. WWF last year noted an increase in calf mortality and a decrease in birth rate being among several factors reducing the population.
Moreover, officials fear that resources for conservation work may be affected by a decline in tourist numbers.
"In the first quarter of this year, foreign tourists visiting the dolphins in Kratie dropped 14 percent to 4,303 from 5,029 at the same period last year," said Ia Monden, chief of Kratie's Tourism Department.
"I forecast that the number of foreign tourists ... will drop at least 15 percent this year as 80 percent of the visitors are Westerners and Europeans, all effected by the [global economic] crisis," he said.
City Hall approves May Day parade
The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
Written by Sam Rith
Friday, 01 May 2009
THE Phnom Penh Municipality has given the green light for unions and workers to hold a parade to mark May Day today.
The city received a letter from the Cambodian Labour Confederation and the Free Trade Union on April 9 applying for a parade by 2,000 people, according to a letter signed by Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema.
"For this case, the Phnom Penh Municipality has no objection," the letter said.
Free Trade Union President Chea Mony said the parade will start at 8:15am today near Wat Botum.
Siem Reap and Poipet will also host May Day events.
Speed detectors to be deployed on Monday
The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
Written by Khoun Leakhana
Friday, 01 May 2009
PHNOM Penh Traffic Police are to begin using new speed detectors and cameras Monday in an effort to crack down on speeding, deputy traffic police Chief Chev Hak told the Post Thursday.
"We have two types of devices for this operation," Chev Hak said.
"One type is for taking pictures of plate numbers, and the other type is for detecting speed."
He said the traffic police had been given five speed detectors and one camera.
The devices, which Chev Hak said cost about US$20,000 each, were donated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
He said the traffic police would rotate the equipment through various locations.
He said the speed limit for motorbike drivers is 30 kph and that drivers caught exceeding the limit could be fined up to 6,000 riels ($1.46).
The speed limit for automobiles is 40 kph and the maximum speeding fine is 12,000 riels.
For trucks, which have the same speed limit as automobiles, the maximum speeding fine is 25,000 riels.
For all types of vehicles, the maximum fine will be levied against drivers reaching speeds of 70 to 80 kph.
He said data collected by the traffic police indicated that 288 of the 700 road accidents reported in the capital last year were directly linked to speeding.
A princely plea for peace
Photo by: Christopher Shay HSH Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein stands in his room in Phnom Penh on Tuesday.
Bridges – dialogues Towards peace
His Serene Highness Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein is in Cambodia this week, meeting with King Norodom Sihamoni and Prime Minister Hun Sen, among others. The Prince is visiting the Kingdom to publicise the “Bridges – Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace” event series, which will bring at least seven Nobel laureates and pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy to Cambodia from November 2009 to April 2010 in an attempt to spark dialogues and build relationships between the laureates and artists and Cambodian institutions. Prince Alfred is the chairman of the advisory board of the International Peace Foundation, the organisation that initiated the Bridges program that has previously brought speakers to Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia. Nobel laureates in chemistry, physics, economics, medicine and peace will visit Cambodia in 2009 and 2010. Prince Alfred is always interested in receiving feedback at wafz@anw.at.
The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
Bridges – dialogues Towards peace
His Serene Highness Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein is in Cambodia this week, meeting with King Norodom Sihamoni and Prime Minister Hun Sen, among others. The Prince is visiting the Kingdom to publicise the “Bridges – Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace” event series, which will bring at least seven Nobel laureates and pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy to Cambodia from November 2009 to April 2010 in an attempt to spark dialogues and build relationships between the laureates and artists and Cambodian institutions. Prince Alfred is the chairman of the advisory board of the International Peace Foundation, the organisation that initiated the Bridges program that has previously brought speakers to Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia. Nobel laureates in chemistry, physics, economics, medicine and peace will visit Cambodia in 2009 and 2010. Prince Alfred is always interested in receiving feedback at wafz@anw.at.
The Phnom Penh Post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com
Written by Christopher Shay
Friday, 01 May 2009
His Serene Highness Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein brings an event series to Cambodia aimed at building a culture of peace
What are the major threats to peace in the region?
Currently, we face the most severe economic crisis in the last 100 years because it is the first crisis that is really global in its nature. The engine of global progress - namely the banking system and the international finance system - is on the brink of collapse.
This has now spilled into the so-called real economy. Now, we are already in the beginning of an economic crisis.
As we go through the history of the world, the third phase of this type of broad depression after the economic crisis is a political crisis. Before the Second World War, for instance, there was a depression and this brought about demagogues in different countries, and ultimately, it led to war.
What we hope very much is that this time - and I'm sure we're just at the beginning of the economic crisis - we can at least avoid a political breakdown.
How will the "Bridges - Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace" program help the world avoid a phase 3 political breakdown?
We can only make a modest contribution, of course. Between nations, cultures and civilisations, if you don't talk to each other, then you are bound to fall into propaganda. It becomes easy for demagogues to point the finger at someone as a scapegoat.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In my view, The future of humanity will be decided in southeast asia and the development here.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first step is to meet, the second is to speak and the third is to listen to each other and gain an understanding.
Then out of this deeper understanding, empathy arises. The last step is to cooperate with each other. If you cooperate, you can build a community. At a global level, this is the goal.
The Bridges event program that you're bringing to Cambodia - how will it get people talking to each other?
All the speakers [who] are coming have never been here before. Of course, we always try to simplify our life and our thinking.
If someone mentions the word Cambodia, you think of the Khmer Rouge, you think about atrocities, you think about genocide, you think about poverty, you think, maybe, now about the UN tribunal.
That's Cambodia for the rest of the world because the mass media are not portraying an accurate picture. As they say in journalism, only bad news is good news.
The eminent personalities - Nobel laureates, artists - will come to Cambodia and they will have these kinds of concepts in their minds. They will come here and see and work together with the academic institutions. They will give lectures - they will meet the politicians, the King, the prime minister, and they will have lots of opportunities to talk with students. When they go home, their image of Cambodia will be transformed. They will go home and tell people a different story about Cambodia.
You spoke with Hun Sen [Tuesday] for more than an hour, what did the two of you talk about?
We learned a lot. Our approach is that we don't go with an attitude into a country and think we can teach something there. I like to listen to Cambodians and their stories.
Meeting with the prime minister was a wonderful lesson that I could get at no university because he's somebody who is part of the history of this country. I asked him to let us understand how the reconciliation process here worked.
Power and arrogance most of the time go along with each other. We speak about the arrogance of power. We in the West, particularly the stronger states, feel that we are on top of everything, on top of knowledge and education.
We sometimes have the inclination to look down on small nations. Because we feel that they are still developing, we wonder what we can learn from such a community. We have to bring them civilisation. It's the old idea of the missionaries that we have to bring them something.
This is the absolute wrong attitude. Countries like Cambodia should be studied carefully, because the people here have gone through all this pain and suffering.
During the economic crisis, a lot of unrest will come to a lot of countries. I'm afraid that people will become very angry and that there will be a lot of finger-pointing.
It's good to have models and see how even under the worst circumstances there are ways to reconcile and prevent major conflicts.
What lessons in particular do you think Cambodia can offer the West?
We do not have many models of reconciliation. Sometimes there are trade-offs between legal justice and forgiveness. These are not the same things. I think it's more important to find forgiveness. Of course, certain justice should be done too, but forgiveness is the real thing. If you have justice, only "cold" justice, this might reopen wounds.
It's like war and peace. The idea is always that you can have a war that brings peace. But we have to understand that you can have victory with war, but you can never bring peace.
Peace you can only achieve through forgiveness, understanding, empathy, dialogue. This is, I think, is one lesson that the world can learn from Cambodia.
Why did you choose Southeast Asia for your program?
In my view, the future of humanity will be decided in Southeast Asia and the development here. The major conflict that is on the horizon would be the conflict between the United States and China.
If you put yourself in the position of the elites in the United States, you have reached a position in the United States as a superpower.
All the predictions say that China will become a greater economic power than the United States. Ultimately, China will probably also become a greater military power.
If you put yourself now in the position of the decision makers in the United States, how would you react? Would you just welcome some other power or powers surpassing you in military and economic might, or do you use geopolitical strategy so that these powers do not surpass you?
All the other nations in Southeast Asia are deeply concerned to see if peaceful cooperation will take place between China and the United States, or if it will enter into a military confrontation, either directly or indirectly.
Our modest contribution is against this background. We hope that through dialogue we can encourage cooperation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)