Police Blotter: 6 Jul 2009

The Phnom Penh Post

Monday, 06 July 2009
KONG SOKUN

63-YEAR-0LD BUSTED FOR DEALING DRUGS
Police from Prambi Makarak commune in Phnom Penh on Wednesday thwarted the distribution of illicit drugs in Tonle Bassac commune by Horm Sokhon, 63, they said. Police said they confiscated 17 packets of ice methamphetamine, 19 yama tablets and materials to package and distribute the illegal substances, and that the detained is to be tried in Phnom Penh Municipal Court.
KOH SANTEPHEAP

TEENAGER ARRESTED FOR GIRL'S ASSAULT
A 17-year-old was detained for questioning by police in Banteay Meanchey province Tuesday regarding the sexual assault of a 9-year-old girl at her home in Malay district. Police said the teen is suspected of having assaulted the girl the previous week, and that he had confessed to committing the assault while the girl's parents were busy watching television at a neighbour's house.
KOH SANTEPHEAP

POLICE ARREST MAN IN 2002 THEFT CASE
Ghet Yat, 36, a resident of Komgpong Trach district in Kampot province, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of stealing property from villagers in 2002. Police said their investigation had proved that the man must be a criminal, but they did not disclose what kinds of property the man stole.
KOH SANTEPHEAP

MAN ACCUSED OF PUNCHING NAGGER
Police in the S'ang district of Kandal province arrested Song Hout, a 28-year-old farmer from Teuk Vel commune, for punching an elderly man unconscious on Monday. The farmer was enraged by his 63-year-old neighbour, identified by police as Try Seng Hong, who repeatedly berated the younger man for not changing his profession.
KOH SANTEPHEAP

MEN GET 18 YEARS FOR MURDER, THEFT
Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Friday sentenced two men to 18 years in prison for strangling a third man with the handle of a purse and stealing his Honda CRV in 2008. Keo Vattanak, 25, and Chap Samoneth, 32, who were arrested in October 2008, were also ordered to pay US$50,000 in compensation to the victim's wife.
RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

PAIR ACCUSED OF STEALING CAR, BAG
Police in Daun Penh district on Thursday arrested two men on suspicion of robbing a coupe of their 2006 Suzuki Viva and a handbag. The two men, whom police identified as Pen Chetra, 25, and Sun Vannak, 26, were arrested a few hours after the robbery was committed. Police said they are still in pursuit of two other potential accomplices who fled the scene.
RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

Beyond Angkor Wat

Photo by: LOS ANGELES TIMES
Overgrown with vegetation, a stone dharmasala, or rest house, lies outside one of the entrances to the Banteay Chhmar temple, one of the largest temples outside Angkor Wat

The Phnom Penh Post

Monday, 06 July 2009

John Burgess .

Some of Khmer culture’s most exquisite sites lie outside the famed Angkor temple complex.

Banteay Chhmar

IT'S early on a Sunday morning in Cambodia, and I'm standing at a 12th-century moat. Across a causeway, through a tumbled-down gate, lies Banteay Chhmar, one of the largest temples ever built by the ancient Khmer Empire.

Cambodia's great temples of Angkor, 105 kilometres away, have long since been rediscovered after a quarter-century of closure by war. They now draw more than a million foreign visitors a year, not a few of whom regret that so many other people had the same idea.

But go beyond Angkor and you can find places that serve up the old solitude and sense of discovery.

Banteay Chhmar is among the most spectacular of these places. Getting to it entails hours on very bumpy and dusty dirt roads. Staying the night means making do with primitive accommodations: candlelit rooms in local homes, bathwater drawn from that same moat.

Off the tourist trail
I stayed the night, and it turned out to really make the visit. The next morning I rose early, as everyone here does, and took a walk in clean country air. I was seeing not only a temple but a way of life.

Today several thousand people - rice farmers, cattle herders, market vendors - make their homes on all four sides of the temple. The ancient and present day coexist.

Spending time here also means doing a good turn, spreading a bit of wealth in a part of a war-recovering country that has largely missed out on the tourist dollars that Angkor is bringing in.

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I WAS SEEING NOT ONLY A TEMPLE BUT A WAY OF LIFE.
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Banteay Chhmar was created in the Khmer Empire's last great burst of construction, under the 12th-century Buddhist king Jayavarman VII. His engineers were thinking big even by Khmer standards: To contain a great settlement, they built earthworks and moats that formed a square measuring roughly a kilometre and a half on each side. At its centre, within another square moat system almost a kilometre on each side, they built the temple.

More than a century ago, French archaeologist Etienne Aymonier found the temple to be in a state of "indescribable ruin". It still is. But that's part of what makes the site so enticing. Exploring it means climbing over huge piles of large fallen stones, something to be tackled by only the sure-footed.

The temple is no longer a formal religious site, but Cambodians believe that it, like all those that their forebears left behind, remains a holy site. When rain is needed, locals are reported to walk in a procession around the temple, imploring heaven to help.

One of the best parts of this temple is the many hundreds of feet of bas-reliefs on its outer walls. We had to scramble up more stones to get a good view. Before us was a full sample of life 900 years ago. There were also many scenes of war with Champa, the long-vanished rival state to the east: The temple is in large part a memorial to four generals who lost their lives in that long conflict.

The carving style is similar to that of the Bayon temple reliefs in Angkor. The difference is that there's no need to fight for a view.

Late in the afternoon, we went for a look at what the ancient Khmer could do with water. Just east of the temple, they created a reservoir that measures more than a square kilometre.

The reservoir was now largely dry, but because its floor is low and collects water before the surrounding land does, it has been divided into rice paddies.

Generous hospitality
I passed the night at the house of a Cambodian family, friends of a friend. They couldn't have been more gracious. They gave me a room of my own, bottled water, mosquito coils and a big luxury: a car battery hooked to a fluorescent light. I could have light all night if I wanted it.

I got up at dawn, scoop-bathed in slightly murky water and walked to the moat from which it had been drawn. I took in the early morning sights: the mist, dogs prowling around in first light. I played amateur archaeologist for a bit, noting that an ancient feeder or outflow channel, now dry, was connected to the moat at this corner.

We had breakfast at a stall in the town's market; there are no proper restaurants. It was noodle soup with chicken, and very good.

I first visited Angkor in 1969. Back then, you could be alone in the big temples even there. I once walked through the largest of them, Angkor Wat, encountering hardly a soul. It's good to know that such an experience can still be had. You just have to work a bit harder for it.

LOS ANGELES TIMES

ECCC judges suppress filings: Ieng Sary team

The Phnom Penh Post

Monday, 06 July 2009
Georgia Wilkins

Lawyers say judges have 'barred' the defence from filing on controversial conspiracy doctrine.

DEFENCE laywers for Khmer Rouge foreign minister Ieng Sary have accused judges at Cambodia's war crimes court of barring defence teams from filing on a controversial conspiracy doctrine under which leaders could be charged with crimes they didn't directly commit.

According to lawyers Michael Karnavas and Ang Udom, the Trial Chamber on Friday denied a request by the lawyers to make submissions on Joint Criminal Enterprise (JCE), a legal doctrine that can be used to convict a defendant of crimes committed by other people in furtherance of a common plan or purpose.

"The result of the trial chamber's decision is that a fundamental legal issue facing the [court] will be decided with the majority of defence teams barred from participating," stated a press release posted to the team's Web site Saturday.

"Needless to say, we, the co-lawyers representing Mr Ieng Sary before the ECCC, are extremely disappointed with this decision."

Last month, co-prosecutors filed a request for the application of the doctrine in the case of former Tuol Sleng chief Kaing Guek Eav, who is currently being tried at the court.

Attached to the request were two filings that prosecutors previously submitted in response to the Ieng Sary team's motion against JCE, an act lawyers on Saturday called an attempt to "sneak JCE into case file 002 through the back door".

Karnavas said Sunday that the decision to block the filing "lack[ed] any legal analysis".

UN court spokesman Lars Olsen said, "As a matter of principle, the court doesn't engage in any polemic debate about the decisions that have been issued."

TRIBUTE: Country to mourn CPP head's wife

The Phnom Penh Post

Monday, 06 July 2009
SAM RITH

TRIBUTE

Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered all ministries, schools, hospitals, armed bases and pagodas throughout Cambodia to fly the national flag at half-staff on Monday as a sign of respect to Nhem Soeun, wife of Senate President Chea Sim, who passed away at 3:15 on Friday morning at age 71. "I have issued a directive that all public and private institutions ... pay respect" to her, Hun Sen said during the inauguration of National Road 67 in Siem Reap Saturday. According to a statement issued by Hun Sen on Friday, Nhem Soeun was "a Khmer heroine", and her life was "full of willingness, conscience and intellect, which she dared to sacrifice for the Cambodian peoples". The body will be cremated at Wat Botum on Monday.

Pride party for Preah Vihear

Photo by: Heng Chivoan
A Cintri worker sweeps in front of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, which has recently been adorned with flags

The Phnom Penh Post

Monday, 06 July 2009

Mom Kunthear .

With banners in every school and flags at every ministry, Cambodia prepares itself for the one-year anniversary of the temple's World Heritage designation.

WHEN Prime Minister Hun Sen proclaimed on June 25 that Cambodia would celebrate the one-year anniversary of Preah Vihear temple's World Heritage listing on Tuesday, he sent the country into a flurry of activity.

Following Hun Sen's lead, Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema said in a meeting last week at City Hall that every ministry, company, school, hospital, pagoda and church should raise a Cambodian flag. In addition, he said people should ring bells at 11pm on July 7.

"We are doing this to make the Cambodian people proud of our nation and to encourage all soldiers who are protecting our country at the border," he said.

Kep Chuktema added that Cambodians should be happy about the anniversary despite lingering border tensions with Thailand.

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We are doing this to make the cambodian people proud of our nation.
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Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Mann Chhoeun said the government would put up Preah Vihear banners celebrating the temple in every pagoda and school.

"We will make that day a wonderful day for an anniversary. I deeply hope that many people will come celebrate together in order to show our real nationalism," he said, adding that there will be an increased police presence "because we don't want to have problems when we are happy".

Chhiv Sreyneang, a 25-year-old fruit vendor from Takeo province, said she would travel to Phnom Penh to celebrate the anniversary.

"I need to participate ... because it is our nation, and I am very proud for our country that we won against Thailand," she said. "

She said Hun Sen's decision to hold a celebration made her very proud and that she looked forward to showing the world Cambodia's unity.

"We all have to do a big anniversary for Preah Vihear temple in order show the world that Cambodian people love each other, love our nation and that we don't allow any other country to invade it," she said.

Borei Keila vendors evicted

Photo by: Heng Chivoan
A 17-year-old Borei Keila resident who identified himself only as Pros stands near a newly installed ground-floor fence Sunday

The Phnom Penh Post

Monday, 06 July 2009
May Titthara .

Residents of embattled community say developer Phanimex conned them into signing away land that was promised to them

ABOUT 100 armed police officers forced vendors from their stalls below Phnom Penh's Borei Keila apartment complex on Saturday, local residents said.

"[Phanimex] took police and forced us from the ground floor while we were running our small businesses," said Chea Ying, a Borei Keila fruit vendor, referring to the private developer.

"They didn't tell us anything except that the company needed to develop it as a market with parking spaces."

Chhum Sivaneth, a Borei Keila resident, said, "They took over people's land and will construct a market and rent it to other people. It is not justice for us."

Residents said they would protest in front of Prime Minister Hun Sen's house today in hopes that the premier will come to their aid.

"We will go protest in front of the Prime Minister's house to ask him for help because the development company used police with guns to force us outside the building," Chhum Sinaveth said.

Residents duped
In December 2008, the commune chief collected 1,257 thumbprints on a document pertaining to the construction of ground-floor stalls. Residents claim to have been tricked, saying they thought the agreement required Phanimex to build stalls for the community. Instead, residents say, they were duped into signing a contract allowing Phanimex to construct shops to rent to people outside the community.

Chan Soveth, an Adhoc monitor, said developing the area underneath the Borei Keila apartments could benefit Borei Keila as long as existing tenants could afford the stalls.

"It's good that they develop it, but they should give a chance for people in this community to do business," he said. "They should be able to rent the stalls at a cheaper price that residents can accept."

Chea Ying said she was told Phanimex would charge US$15 a month per stall.

According to a June 9 letter released by Prampi Makara District Governor Som Sovann, the district authorities ordered all vendors under the apartments to leave by June 16 and said that Phanimex had the right to develop the area for parking spaces and a market.

Borei Keila was once hailed as a progressive alternative to evictions. In 2003, Hun Sen signed a deal giving free, on-site apartments to the 1,776 families living on the 15-hectare plot of land near Olympic Stadium. In return, Phanimex was given the right to build for-profit apartments in addition to ones for displaced residents.

But recently, the Borei Keila community has been beset with conflict, notably with an eviction last month in which an HIV/AIDS community was sent to Tuol Sambo, a community located far from vital health services.

Keo Sakal, the Veal Vong commune chief who residents say ordered Saturday's action, said he was too busy "throwing a house-warming party" to comment Sunday.

Sweden takes in Sakhorn

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 06 July 2009
CHEANG SOKHA and SEBASTIAN STRANGIO

But concerns remain about 56 new Khmer Krom deportees.

KHMER KROM monk Tim Sakhorn flew to Sweden on Friday after the approval of his application for political asylum, but uncertainty surrounds the fate of 56 Khmer Krom refugees deported by Thai authorities over the weekend, according to civil society groups.

Thach Setha, executive director of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community, told the Post that the 41-year-old monk left Bangkok for Sweden after waiting two months for his asylum bid to be confirmed.

Ang Chanrith, executive director of the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Human Rights Organisation, said Tim Sakhorn appeared "happy" ahead of his departure for Europe.

"Tim Sakhorn is OK. He has been granted asylum already, and he is in Europe," he said.

But Ang Chanrith voiced concern for the refugees deported through the Poipet border crossing Friday.

He called on the Cambodian government to provide shelter for the 56 refugees, who have no family in Cambodia, and expressed the fear that they would be imprisoned if they returned to Vietnam.

Thach Setha said the deportees had been scheduled to be interviewed by officials from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) before their arrest and were being sheltered temporarily by an NGO in Poipet.

He said the group, which fled to Bangkok in 2007 and 2008, included one monk.

"When they arrived on Friday, Cambodian immigration police at Poipet held them from 9:10am until 5 in the evening without food," he said.

He added that the UNHCR and local NGOs were attempting to clarify their status.

Sao Bunrith, chief of Poipet's immigration police, said Sunday there was no documentation proving the 56 deportees were Khmer Krom.

"They come from Takeo and Kampot and Prey Veng provinces. They are Khmer citizens, not Kampuchea Krom," he said.

"They went to Thailand to find jobs, and when found by the Thai authorities they were arrested."

He also dismissed claims that the deportees were mistreated, saying all were provided with food while being questioned on Friday.

Dengue fever becomes serious

VOV News
http://english.vovnews.vn

07/05/2009

In the first half of this year, nearly 27,000 cases of dengue fever were reported in Vietnam, 26 of which were fatal with most of those being children.

According to Dr Nguyen Huy Nga, Head of the Vietnam Medical Preventive Service, the dengue fever situation is becoming serious in Vietnam and will probably break out into an epidemic in some provinces and cities in the remaining months.

Meanwhile, 24 other countries in the Asia Pacific region are also facing the same serious situation, including some in southeast Asia like Malaysia, Laos and Cambodia. It is predicted that the number of deaths and cases of complications will continue to increase, affecting the health and economic status of the entire society.

The Vietnam Medical Preventive Service says the main causes of the outbreak are climate change, environmental pollution and high population density.

Vietnam, Cambodia promote mutual understanding

VOV News
http://english.vovnews.vn/

07/03/2009

Vietnam and Cambodia will hold cultural exchanges for their young people in order to help them understand the lives, customs and cultural traditions of each other’s country and strengthen solidarity and mutual assistance.

This was part of the action plan adopted at the fourth meeting of the southern chapter of the Vietnam-Cambodian Friendship Association (VCFA), held in Ho Chi Minh City on July 2.

VCFA Chairman Vu Mao asked the association’s members to pay more attention to boosting economic cooperation between cities, towns, and villages in the two countries.

The Vietnam-Cambodia Business Club, set up by the VCFA in 2008, now has over 60 members, including the military-run mobile phone company Viettel, Vietnam Rubber Corp and Me Linh Group, which have productively invested in Cambodia.

The club plans to open a Vietnamese representative office and build a trade centre in Phnom Penh.

First Khmer Rouge Survivor Takes the Stand

NTDTV

More than 30 years after the Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia, a showdown between a survivor and torturer has taken place in this Phnom Penh courtroom.

The testimony of Vann Nath was highly anticipated as the well known Cambodian artist became the first prison survivor to testify in the trial of Pol Pot's top torturer.

In graphic detail, he described the experience as "hell".

[Vann Nath, S-21 Survivor]:

"When there were insects falling from the lamp, I collected them and ate them. When the security guards saw this, they asked, 'What are you eating?' So they hit me until I spit out the grasshopper or cricket from my mouth."

The man accused of the crimes listened as the testimony continued.

[Vann Nath, S-21 Survivor]:
"When I didn't shower for such a long time, there were lice on my body and head. I scratched everywhere. So my life was like an evil animal."

More than 14,000 people died at the notorious S-21 detention center, a converted high school in the center of Phnom Penh.

Nath says he survived only because chief torturer Duch liked his paintings of Pol Pot.

Duch has admitted his part in the deaths but maintains he was only following orders.

With no death penalty in Cambodia, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

But Nath says he wanted to speak about the horrors of the regime in an effort to seek justice for all those who died at their hands ... and will remain forever silent.

DHL Arrival at Hope for Cambodian Children Centre

HopeCambodia

Box after box of toys, books, baby prams, medical equipment, clothes, books and more books.
Read more: www.hopeforcambodianchildren.o rg/news/dhl.html

Cambodian mine specialists go to Sudan

Royal Cambodian Army at Preah Vihear

Unesco: Cambodia is the sole owner of Preah Vihear temple

Deputy PM Sok An talking to reporters.

Source: Deum Ampil newspaper
Reported in English by Khmerization
http://khmerization.blogspot.com

Unesco has shown its stance by reiterating again that Cambodia is the sole owner of Preah Vihear temple, while rejecting the Thai proposal for a joint registration of the temple between Cambodia and Thailand, reports Deum Ampil.

During a press conference at Phnom Penh Airport upon his return from a Unesco conference in Seville, Spain on Sunday morning the 5th of July, Cambodian Deputy PM Sok An reiterates his firm stance against the Thai proposal for a joint registration of the temple. He said: "I am still objecting to the Thai proposal for a joint registration of Preah Vihear temple with Thailand in the Unesco's World Heritage List."

The Deputy PM said Cambodian delegation had made an excellent video presentation to the other delegates during the conference in Spain. He said: "During the Unesco conference in Seville, Spain, Cambodia has made a presentation by showing a video of the armed clashes between Cambodian and Thai troops in the past."

According to Deum Ampil, an unnamed Unesco official said the pictures seen in the video shown clearly that crimes have been committed. The unnamed Unesco official also said that he absolutely supports the notion that Cambodia is the sole owner of Preah Vihear temple.

The unnamed official also urged the Cambodian government to continue to show the video of the armed clashes to the Cambodian population so that the Cambodian people can be informed of what actually had happened during the armed clashes.

Thai troops invaded the areas surrounding Preah Vihear temple on 15th July 2008, one week after it was inscribed by Unesco on 7th July. Since then two armed clashes had erupted between Cambodian and Thai troops, one on 15th October 2008 and another on 3rd April 2009 during which the temple suffered some damages, caused by Thai shells.

Ban Ki-moon speaks in Burma

itnnews

The UN Secretary-General urges Myanmar's ruling military junta to release all political prisoners and lay the ground work for an election next year. .. Follow us on twitter at

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Scant results for Ban in Burma

Mr Ban (right) met Burma's military leader twice

http://news.bbc.co.uk

By Laura Trevelyan
BBC News, Bangkok

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has just returned from Burma, where the ruling general, Than Shwe, refused to allow him to meet jailed opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Not until last Sunday did Ban Ki-moon finally decide to accept this Mission Impossible, visiting Burma just as Ms Suu Kyi's trial was scheduled to resume.

Mr Ban and his aides carefully weighed up whether to go or not.

US officials warned Mr Ban privately that he could be used by the generals to endorse their treatment of Ms Suu Kyi, a concern forcefully stated by Human Rights Watch.

France was lukewarm. Britain, the most gung-ho of the major powers at the UN on this topic, suggested Mr Ban see if he could visit later in July.

Russia and China were supportive of the visit so the UN Security Council, unhelpfully but typically, was split.

Some UN officials were concerned that Mr Ban might repeat the experience of his recent trip to Sri Lanka, in the immediate aftermath of the government's victory over the Tamil Tigers.

There the government seemed to be using Mr Ban's visit to endorse their position, seeing him as a figure to be taken on a victory lap of the conflict zone.

He visited government-run camps for displaced Tamils but his attempt to improve conditions there had to compete with the government's insistence that all was well.

Elusive 'deliverables'

On the plus side, UN officials hoped the rapport built up between Mr Ban and Gen Than Shwe in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis last year might help produce something.

Mr Ban played a pivotal role in persuading Than Shwe to allow international aid workers into the worst-affected areas of the flooded delta region.

However the "deliverables", as diplomats call the possible results of meetings, remained annoyingly elusive.

UN officials hoped the Burmese generals might decide to release some of the 2,100 political prisoners in the country, and possibly allow Mr Ban to see Aung San Suu Kyi. But it was all up in the air.

Mr Ban met Than Shwe for nearly two hours on Friday, in the pristine new capital of Nay Pyi Taw, where they discussed political prisoners and the trial of Ms Suu Kyi.

Mr Ban asked to see her and the generals stalled.

On Saturday morning, another half-hour meeting, and Than Shwe told Mr Ban that he could not see the opposition leader.

The ostensible reason was that she was on trial for failing to observe her house arrest.

At that point it also became clear that no immediate releases of political prisoner were on the cards.

Even before Mr Ban had left Burma, his visit was being criticised.

Don McKinnon, the former secretary general of the Commonwealth, told the BBC going home empty-handed was bad for the UN and bad news for Mr Ban. He suggested the secretary general had been badly advised.

One senior UN official expressed frustration with the argument that visiting rogue governments legitimised their image: "The SG can't talk to questionable regimes without someone saying you're putting the nice label on them."

The generals' assurances

So what did Mr Ban achieve?

The generals have assured him they will conduct free, fair and transparent elections next year.

These will be the first elections for 20 years, since Ms Suu Kyi's party won and the generals annulled the result.

The generals' roadmap to what they call disciplined democracy has been widely criticised for underscoring their grip on power.

A quarter of the seats in the new parliament building which I saw under construction in the capital will go to the army.

Given what happened in 1990, assurances about the conduct of an election have to be carefully monitored.

Than Shwe did tell Mr Ban that when he came next, the generals would be ordinary citizens, because the handover of power to a civilian government would have taken place.

Some analysts say Than Shwe is genuinely thinking about the succession and how to hand over power, and Mr Ban could be the person to help bring Than Shwe and Ms Suu Kyi together.

The generals are seriously considering whether to release political prisoners before the election, reported Mr Ban. Another one to watch, but will they?

Senior UN officials say the secretary general did speak truth to power, both when he met Than Shwe and when he delivered a speech in Rangoon's drug elimination museum in public.

He laid it on the line, said one source, and told them what is required of them for international respectability.

Western diplomats say Mr Ban has kept the spotlight on the situation in Burma and this is a process which has some way to go.

The worry is that a UN process is exactly what the generals want, since they can look as though they are engaging with the outside world while actually doing very little.

Tensionsput aside as new road opens

Bangkok Post
http://www.bangkokpost.com

Published: 5/07/2009

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia could ease as friendly feelings were recalled yesterday in a joint ceremony opening a new road linking the two countries, said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen together inaugurated the 131km road running from the Sa-ngam border pass in Si Sa Ket's Phu Sing district to Anlong Veng and Siem Reap in Cambodia.

Thailand hopes the route will boost tourism for the northeastern province as it is a new link to the home of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap.

The road opening was a good opportunity to "correct some misunderstandings and work for a better atmosphere", said Mr Abhisit.

Mr Suthep and the Cambodian leader met for the second time in two weeks. On June 27 he met Mr Hun Sen at his home near Phnom Penh to mend fences after Thailand's protest to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation about Cambodia's unilateral bid to register Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site.

Thailand objected before Unesco's World Heritage Committee in Spain late last month, arguing that Thailand should have been party to the registration process as well.

Troops from the two countries have clashed over overlapping areas surrounding the temple, which has yet to be demarcated.

The Cambodian government was upset about the Thai decision to renew protest action, leading to renewed border tensions.

Mr Suthep did not raise the Preah Vihear issue during the opening ceremony yesterday. He said the atmosphere was good, especially when Mr Hun Sen thanked Thailand for building the road.

"He told people the two countries have good relations and are friends," Mr Suthep said.

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said on Friday that talks with Cambodia were necessary if Thailand wanted to cut troop numbers at the border with Cambodia, to lessen tensions.

"I guarantee [this time] there will not be a fight between Thailand and Cambodia," Gen Prawit said.

Local Rotary gets $300,000 grant for Cambodia project

Gainesville
http://www.gainesville.com/

By Christopher Curry
Staff writer

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Since 2005, the Rotary Club of Gainesville and locally run nonprofit organization Sustainable Cambodia have worked together to improve the quality of life in impoverished villages of rural central Cambodia's Pursat province.

They have established a school for children, funded the construction of wells for clean drinking water supplies and crop irrigation and helped bolster the area's sustainable food supply of with gardens and the donation of livestock to village families.

But their past ventures together have never had the one-time infusion of funds the groups just received — a $300,000 grant from Rotary International.

Richard Allen, the president and co-founder of Sustainable Cambodia and a member of the Rotary Club of Gainesville, said the majority of the money will go toward additional water wells in the dry region, where drought lasts some five months a year.

Drinking supplies, crops and the survvial of livestock all depend on those wells, Allen said.

"Water, over there, is the linchpin of everything that takes place," Allen said.

To date, Sustainable Cambodia has funded more than 100 water wells in the Pursat province. The grant money will fund 80 additional wells and 8,000 water filters to supply clean water to the region.

It will also fund construction of 800 new latrines, 20 community ponds for farming fish, raised gardens able to withstand floods, and road repairs in the Pursat's Kravanh district, according to a press release from the Rotary Club of Gainesville.

In addition to the infrastructure projects in Cambodia, the Gainesville groups have helped establish a partner organization in Cambodia — the Rotary Club of Pursat.

Elena Casson, chair of the Rotary Club of Gainesville's Cambodia committee, said that, working with the club in Cambodia, planning has already started on the projects the grant will fund so construction work will be able to begin by the end of the year.

The Rotary Club of Gainesville was one of 15 worldwide recipients of the rotary International grant. The local group had to pledge $30,000 in matching funds.

Contact Christopher Curry at 374-5088 or chris.curry@gvillesun.com.

Myanmar denies UN chief a meeting

The Tehran Times Daily Newspaper
http://www.tehrantimes.com

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar (The New York Times) — Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, said Saturday that his request to see the democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had been rejected by the country’s ruling generals.

Mr. Ban said he had asked the generals to free their many political prisoners, including Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi, but there was no sign yet of movement on the issue from the junta. He said Friday that the military leaders reminded him that Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi was on trial.

Mr. Ban is hoping to win the release of political prisoners — estimated at 2,100 by international humanitarian organizations — ahead of elections scheduled for 2010.

Mr. Ban’s rare meeting with Senior Gen. Than Shwe and the other four generals who constitute the ruling State Peace and Development Council came as the government declared a one-week pause in Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial.

Mr. Ban called his exchange with the generals “frank,” and a senior United Nations official described the discussion as “forceful” on both sides.

Mr. Ban said he told the generals it would be important to release Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi and the other political prisoners to ensure the broadest possible participation in the election.

“This election should be a credible, fair, inclusive and legitimate one where all the Myanmar people can express their will in a free way,” Mr. Ban said after meeting with the generals. “I was assured that Myanmar’s authorities will make sure that this election will be held in fair and free and transparent manner.”

At the same time, Mr. Ban asked for a series of steps toward that goal, though it was unclear whether the military government would endorse such a development, senior United Nations official said. The steps include revamping the election laws publicly and establishing an electoral commission. Not even the aborted election of 1990, which Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi’s party won, truly covered the whole nation, so another step would be allowing the party, the National League for Democracy, to open offices across the country and to permit her to campaign.

Mr. Ban said he also urged the generals to resume their dialogue with the opposition in a substantive and meaningful way, including with Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi.

Mr. Ban is expected to have an additional, unscheduled meeting with General Than Shwe and is due to make a speech about the country’s future to a group of nongovernmental organizations involved in relief efforts for the past 14 months. He also plans to tour the Irrawaddy Delta, where Cyclone Nargis struck a devastating blow in May 2008, killing 138,000 people. His visit at that time opened the door for international aid organizations to play a greater role in relief efforts.

But Bishow Parajuli, the humanitarian coordinator for the country, said there was currently a backlog of about 219 international aid workers seeking visas to work in the country. The visa process has slowed since March, he said, another issue Mr. Ban took up with General Than Shwe.

International human rights groups have urged Mr. Ban to take a tough line on the junta. He tried, however, to play down expectations, saying that it would be a difficult trip, but that it was important to engage the ruling generals.

“I am very pleased to continue our discussion,” Mr. Ban said in his opening remarks to General Than Shwe. “I appreciate your commitment to move your country forward.”

The meeting was held in a soaring reception room painted with a mural of Buddhist temples set in the jungle, the landscape around Naypyidaw (pronounced nay-pee-DAW), the sprawling, isolated capital the generals constructed out of the rice fields and jungle about 200 miles north of Yangon. Yangon, formerly Rangoon, is the country’s main city.

The official reception building here is called Bayinnaung Hall, named after a 16th-century warrior king who united much of what is today Myanmar, as well as parts of India, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.

The monarch is the favorite historical figure of the authoritarian government.

Shortly after Mr. Ban arrived in the country, the authorities said that the current trial of Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for 13 of the past 19 years, would be adjourned for one week until July 10. The trial was delayed because of what was described as an administrative error, according to Kyi Win, a lawyer representing her.

“When the judges came onto the bench they announced that the files from the higher court had not been returned,” Mr. Kyi Win said.

“There must be other reasons,” he said in an interview. “But we hate to speculate.”

Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi is on trial on charges of violating the terms of her current house arrest after an American man swam uninvited across a lake to her home.

Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi has denied the charge, but could be sentenced to five years imprisonment if found guilty. She is being held at the infamous Insein Prison. John Yettaw, the 53-year-old American intruder, was charged with trespassing and is also detained there.

The Ministry of Education Reduces Some Unnecessary Subjects – Saturday, 13.6.2009

Posted on 4 July 2009
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 619
http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/

“Phnom Penh: Education officials said that starting with the coming academic year 2009-2010, the Ministry will introduce the possibility to chose subjects oriented towards different directions for Grade 11 and Grade 12 students.

“The head of the Department for Higher Education, Mr. Chreng Limsry, said, ‘This new program will allow Grade 11 and Grade 12 students to chose subjects that they are good at.’ He added, ‘This new program will reduce some unnecessary subjects that are not so important for the students in their future life.

“This program is divided into two types: The first one has a basic level of mathematics, in which the students are required to study mathematics four hours, then Khmer literature six ours, English or French four hours, and sports two hours per week, and they have to choose four more subjects, choosing among thirteen subjects in total.

“He went on to say that the second type has a higher level of mathematics, which requires the students to study mathematics eight hours, Khmer literature six hours, English or French two hours, and sports two hours, and in addition three more subjects.

“He added that because this program is new, the Ministry of Education requires every high school to apply, based on their possibilities, as some schools lack teachers, classrooms, and other basic materials. He said, ‘We do it following the possibilities, we have to do it step by step.’

“The head of the Department for Educational Program Development of the Ministry of Education, Mr. Eng Kimly, said that this curriculum is a mixture of regional and European educational programs, abandoning the Francophone or Anglo-Saxon systems. The Ministry of Education worked on this curriculum since 2006, but it can be introduced only as the curriculum of the new year, after it has been further developed continually.

“Mr. Eng Kimly said that the program provides three benefits: First, it does not waste students’ money to buy many books; Second, it excludes unnecessary subjects as they are not beneficial for future use; and Third, it more clearly directs students towards job profiles or careers in the future.

“Asked whether his school is prepared for this new program, the Bak Tuk High School director, Mr. Sok Sovanna, said that as the Ministry of Education allows each school to apply this program according to their capability, his school will not allow students to choose all subjects as they want, as there are not enough teachers, classrooms, and basic materials.

“He added that when students choose one of the two types, the school suggests that they discuss it with their parents, and then the school will explain to which extent the school is able support it.

“He added, ‘We ask the students whether they can handle it or not, if they choose the basic, or the high level of mathematics, and we ask them what skill they will choose for their higher education. The school can direct students better than their parents, because it knows which subjects the students are good at.’

“The acting director of the Preah Reach Samphear High School in Kampot, Mr. Kong Sophat, welcomes this new program, but the challenge for his school is to have the necessary teachers, as his school lacks about 50 teachers. Also, his school has not enough classrooms.

“The Ang Sophy High School director in the Kompong Tralach district in Kampot, Mr. Heng Seng, said, ‘The students of my school are satisfied with this new program.’ However, he said that his school lacks teachers and books for Khmer literature, mathematics, and English.

“The president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association, Mr. Rong Chhun, said that other countries can implement this program well, but in Cambodia, the quality of education is very poor, so this reform can not proceed smoothly, and the Ministry of Education should first find ways to improve the quality of education.

“He added, ‘This program should not be implemented, because there is not yet a situation that allows active participation by teachers and students.’

”Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #4937, 4.7.2009
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Saturday, 4 July 2009

Migrant fishermen fall through cracks in Thai trafficking laws

Taiwan News

http://www.etaiwannews.com/

By Joel BrinkleyMcClatchy
Tribune News Service
2009-07-05

Don't ever accept an invitation to go fishing in Thailand. You might not come back.

Almost daily, bodies are washing ashore along the coasts of Thailand, Malaysia, Burma, Cambodia. These are unfortunate migrants, most of them from here in Cambodia. These people were sold to Thai fishermen who took them out to sea, worked them until they starved to death and then threw them overboard. It happens all the time.

The problem got so bad that the United States Senate's Foreign Relations Committee and the United Nations both but put out reports in recent weeks excoriating Thai and Malaysian authorities for selling Cambodian and Burmese migrants to Thai boat captains, sending them to a near-certain death. "If they are unable to pay for their release," the Senate report said, "the refugees are sold into forced labor, most commonly on fishing boats."

Once on the boat, "they don't come back," said Maj. Gen Visut Vanichbut of the Thai police. "All they get to eat is the fish that get left over in the net. They aren't paid. If they get sick, they're thrown overboard."

When they die, from overwork or starvation, their bodies are thrown to the sharks. In most cases, no one knew the victim was on the boat, and so no one claims the body if it washes ashore.

The general told me about this last year. But the United Nations report shows that the hideous problem continues at full force even now. It quotes several Cambodians who watched fishermen decapitate captives or throw them overboard. Several governments, not just Thailand's, are at fault. And by all accounts, the economic crisis is exacerbating the problem.

Until just now, the Cambodian law governing trafficking did not even recognize men as potential victims. The laws were written to protect women and children drawn into sexual slavery. But in June, the government in Phnom Penh announced that it was revising the statute.

"Today we change our strategy also to focus on men," Kong Chhan, a deputy director in the Ministry of Social Affairs, told the Phnom Penh Post.

Now we can only wait for Thailand to change its strategy.

Most of the news you hear from Thailand these days involves the riots and demonstrations to overturn whatever government happens to be in power. No one talks about the fishing-boat problem. The fishermen pay off the police. The police then cover up the crimes, and so hundreds of victims continue to die month after month.

If a victim manages to survive, then Thailand is well-equipped to care for him and then use international agencies to help send him home. The Thai government has shelters and administrators whose jobs are to help human-trafficking victims. I have seen them. The shelters are quite nice. And that serves as a stark illustration of a noxious paradox that afflicts human-trafficking enforcement in Thailand, Cambodia and much of the world.

When human trafficking first came into focus for law-enforcement a decade ago, legal and political officials everywhere put primary emphasis on protecting the victims - the people who were lured into slavery and abused. Stories a decade ago of police and immigration agents jailing and then deporting the trafficking victims along with their captors horrified human-rights advocates, and their complaints were quite influential when the first human-trafficking laws were drafted.

No pressure

That victim-oriented approach has held firm all these years, and "it has proved to work perfectly for the Thai," said Lance Bonneau head of the International Organization of Migration office in Bangkok, his tone oozing disgust. His organization works with the Thai government to send trafficking victims back home to Cambodia, Burma - just as other IOM officers do all over the world.

"If you 'have' the victim," Bonneau told me, "there's no pressure to go after the traffickers" who are paying off the police. "It doesn't upset any of the arrangements the police have" with the fishing boat captains, the brothel and dance-club owners or others who enslave hapless victims. The traffickers can pursue their unconscionable work; the police can continue taking their kickbacks.

When the State Department researches its annual Trafficking in Persons report each year and asks Thailand what it is doing to fight trafficking, the Thai can point to their anti-trafficking laws and to those lovely shelters for victims. Usually, that's enough to save Thailand from a poor rating.

Thailand officials responded to the Senate and United Nations allegations with angry denials. Maybe in Washington's next report, it will look a little deeper at Thailand.

U.N. chief to meet Thai PM after Myanmar visit

www.chinaview.cn

2009-07-04

BANGKOK, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said that he will meet with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon after Ban concluded his visit to Myanmar late Saturday.

The two sides will talk about ties between ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the United Nations, Myanmar and Thai-Cambodia border dispute, Abhisit was quoted by the Nation news website as saying.

Thailand currently chairs the ASEAN, which includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Ban will end his two-day official visit to Myanmar late Saturday and will make a stop over at Thailand's Suvarnabhumi Airport at around 10:00 p.m. local time.

During his visit, Ban met with Myanmar top leader Senior-General Than Shwe, who is Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council in Myanmar's new capital of Nay Pyi Taw. A broad range of issues including long standing concerns to the U.N. and the international community as well as Aung San Suu Kyi's were discussed.

Ban also met with leaders of legal political parties and inspected the reconstruction in cyclone-hit areas.

Abhisit told reporters that he is well-prepared to talk with Ban about the current Thai-Cambodia disputes which have Preah Vihear Temple at the heart of the problem.

The area around Preah Vihear Temple, which was inscribed as a World Heritage Site on July 7 last year, has been the scene of a tense standoff between the Cambodian and Thai armed forces. The Cambodian government insisted that Thai troops have deployed on Cambodian soil, while Thailand said its troops are only in the disputed zone.

Editor: Fang Yang

Thai PM Abhisit to meet UN chief Ban Ki-moon after Myanmar visit

MCOT English News
http://enews.mcot.net

BANGKOK, July 4 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he is ready to discuss with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in transit from Yangon to New York late Saturday regarding relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the world body, Myanmar and on the Thai-Cambodian border problem.

Mr. Ban ends his two-day visit to Myanmar late Saturday and will make a brief stopover at Suvarnabhumi international airport at about 10 pm. The Secretary-General has reportedly asked the Myanmar government to release many detained political prisoners including democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

Several regional issues are expected to be discussed by the two men as Mr. Abhisit said he is well-prepared to discuss with Mr. Ban on the ongoing Thai-Cambodian border problem, if raised, by the UN chief.

Mr. Abhisit said he is confident that a joint inauguration on the construction of a highway in Cambodia with Prime Minister Hun Sen, held early Saturday, would help lower border tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

But troop reductions at the border, especially at the ancient Preah Vihear temple will have to depend on talks between military commanders of the two countries, Mr. Abhisit said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Suthep told journalists on arriving from Cambodia that his brief visit was only aimed at promoting bilateral relations and that he had discussed with Mr. Hun Sen neither Preah Vihear temple nor troop reductions.

What Mr. Hun Sen told his people during the ceremony was that the two countries enjoy warm and friendly relations and the highway would help promote tourism, trade and industrial cooperation, Mr. Suthep reported.

The 131-kilometre highway linking Anlong Veng and Siem Reap provinces will reach Thailand at a border checkpoint in Si Sa Ket province upon completion, set for 2010. Thailand in August 2006 signed a Bt1.3 billion loan agreement to finance the highway construction. (TNA)

Cambodian air authority tightens measures against A/H1N1 flu at airports

07-04-09
(Beijing Time)
Xinhua English

PHNOM PENH, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Secretariat of State of Civil Aviation (SSCA) has taken more actions against A/H1N1 flu in prevention the spreading of the flu through the airports, the press release of the SSCA obtained Saturday said.

All concession companies at airports have set the respond plans in prevention of the flu and we need the cooperation each other if the flu cases occur, Mao Havannal, secretary of state of SSCA said in a press release.

Terminate all hospitalities with national and international travelers at the stairs of planes, and all travelers have to pass through the monitoring system of the health ministry, he added.

Terminate all study trips at the international airports during the flu epidemic, he said, adding that all staff at the airports need to wear facial masks.

"All liquid waste materials from planes, the concession companies at the airports need to pack them and destroyed them properly and regularly," he stressed.

"We hope that all diplomatic corps, NGOs, governmental officials and all involving institutions will join with us in the cooperation in all these cases with this convenient information to combat against the flu," he said.

According to report from health ministry, so far Cambodia has seven confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu.

Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Towers of the legendary Angkor Wat temple are seen north of Siem Reap provincial town, about 230 kilometers, 143 miles, northwest of the capital Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Siem Reap is Cambodia's main tourist destination where the famed Angkor temples are located and attracting millions of dollars in revenue every year for the poor Southeast Asian nation.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

A Cambodian mahout and two Asian tourists ride an elephant as they tour Angkor archaeological park north of Siem Reap provincial town, about 230 kilometers (143 miles) northwest of the capital Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Siem Reap is Cambodia's main tourist destination where the famed Angkor temples are located and attracting millions of dollars in revenue every year for the poor Southeast Asian nation.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

An unidentified foreign tourist passes a name card to a Cambodian Buddhist monk at the top of the 10-century Bakheng monument at Angkor archaeological park in Siem Reap province, about 230 kilometers, 143 miles, northwest of the capital Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on June 4, 2006. The temple is a popular place for both Cambodian and foreign tourists, who climb it everyday to view the sunset.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

This is an overview of the center of Siem Reap provincial town, about 230 kilometers, 143 miles, northwest of the capital Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Siem Reap is Cambodia's main tourist destination where the famed Angkor temples are located and attracting millions of dollars in revenue every year for the poor Southeast Asian nation. Most of the buildings in the picture are hotels.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Foreign tourists tour the legendary Angkor Wat temple north of Siem Reap provincial town, about 230 kilometers (143 miles) northwest of the capital Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Siem Reap is Cambodia's main tourist destination where the famed Angkor temples are located and attracting millions of dollars in revenue every year for the poor Southeast Asian nation.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Foreign tourists tour a site inside Angkor archaeological park north of Siem Reap provincial town, about 230 kilometers, 143 miles, northwest of the capital Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Siem Reap is Cambodia's main tourist destination where the famed Angkor temples are located and attracting millions of dollars in revenue every year for the poor Southeast Asian nation.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Rays of morning sunrise beam behind the towers of the legendary Angkor Wat temple north of Siem Reap provincial town, about 230 kilometers, 143 miles, northwest of the capital Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Siem Reap is Cambodia's main tourist destination where the famed Angkor temples are located and attracting millions of dollars in revenue every year for the poor Southeast Asian nation.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Tourists gather atop one of the many shrines at Angkor Wat temple complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Destinations once deemed to dangerous or remote for travelers such as Angkor Wat are now being overrun with tourist seeking that one last great destination.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File)

Tourists gather at Angkor Wat temple complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Destinations once deemed to dangerous or remote for travelers such as Angkor Wat are now being overrun with tourists seeking that one last great destination.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File)

Tourist ride elephants at one of the main shrines at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Destinations once deemed to dangerous or remote for travelers such as Angkor Wat are now being overrun with tourist seeking that one last great destination.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File)

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban meet with Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban cuts a ribbon as Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen (C) looks on during an inauguration ceremony of National Road 6, at Bakong commune in Siem Reap province, northwest of Phnom Penh July 4, 2009. National Road 6 runs from Siem Reap province to Anlong Veng district near the Cambodia-Thai border.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban (R) listens as Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks during an inauguration ceremony of National Road 6, at Bakong commune in Siem Reap province, northwest of Phnom Penh July 4, 2009. National Road 6 runs from Siem Reap province to Anlong Veng district near the Cambodia-Thai border.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban (L) and Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen (R) applaud during an inauguration ceremony of National Road 6 at Bakong commune in Siem Reap province, northwest of Phnom Penh July 4, 2009. National Road 6 runs from Siem Reap province to Anlong Veng district near the Cambodia-Thai border.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban (L) and Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen (R) talk during an inauguration ceremony of National Road 6 at Bakong commune in Siem Reap province, northwest of Phnom Penh July 4, 2009. National Road 6 runs from Siem Reap province to Anlong Veng district near the Cambodia-Thai border.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban (2nd L) and Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen (C) walk on National Road 6 during its inauguration ceremony at Bakong commune in Siem Reap province, northwest of Phnom Penh July 4, 2009. National Road 6 runs from Siem Reap province to Anlong Veng district near the Cambodia-Thai border.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Vietnam Plans To Build Border Economic Zone With Cambodia

http://www.bernama.com

HANOI, July 4 (Bernama) -- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a master plan to build the region along the border with Cambodia into a major economic zone, according to the Vietnam news agency's report.

Under the ambitious scheme, the southwestern border areas, comprised of four provinces in the Central Highlands and six provinces in the southern region, will be developed into an economic zone of national and international importance by 2020.

The border economic zone including Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dac Lak, Dak Nong, Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang and Kien Giang provinces, will act as an entry point for trade, services and cargo transportation between the Greater Mekong's Sub region and the East Sea.

The area, which totals 73,369sq.km, is home to 12,650,000 people and expected to become a national economicdriving force in terms of agriculture, forestry, hydropower and transportation, according to the plan announced by the Government website.

By 2030, the areas along the Cambodia border will become a major economic zone of national and international importance, which can have a special influence to the Central Highlands and the central and southern regions of Vietnam, as well as to other economies in the Gulf of Thailand.

The area is expected to become the nation's biggest natural reserve of biological diversity and ethnic cultures, and one of the major tourist attractions in the ASEAN region, the news agency said.

The cities of Buon Ma Thuot and Pleiku in the Central Highlands, Long Xuyen in the Mekong Delta and Trang Bang Town in Tay Ninh will be developed into the development cores of the region.

Priorities will be given to developing urban centres and economic zones along the border with Cambodia. Phu Quoc Island will become a special administrative and economic zone under the plan, which has a vision through 2030.

Chinese senior CPC official visits Cambodia

www.chinaview.cn

2009-07-04

SIEM REAP, Cambodia, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Liu Qi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPC, arrived here on Saturday afternoon for his four-day visit to Cambodia.

Liu, leading a delegation of the CPC, makes the goodwill visit at the invitation of Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and the Funcinpec Party of Cambodia.

Liu and his delegation will arrive in Phnom Penh on Sunday afternoon. During his stay in Cambodia, Liu will pay a courtesy call on Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and other government officials and party leaders.

Cambodia is the first leg of Liu's four-nation visit which will take him to the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Editor: Wang Guanqun

Deputy PM confident tensions at Thai-Cambodian border will ease

MCOT English News
http://enews.mcot.net

BANGKOK, July 4 (TNA) -- Tensions at the Thai-Cambodian border are expected to ease as concerned army officers of the two countries progress in negotiations, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said on Saturday.

Mr. Suthep, who oversees Thailand’s security affairs, told journalists before leaving for Cambodia that he would have an opportunity to meet Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, but troop reductions at the border -- which Cambodia asked Thailand to begin reducing troops first -- will not be discussed.

He said he would not go into detail on the issue as military commanders of both sides would have to negotiate.

However, Mr. Suthep said he is confident that situation at the border would not deteriorate.

Mr. Suthep is scheduled to inaugurate the construction of a 131-kilometre highway linking Anlong Veng and Siem Reap province along with Mr. Hun Sen.

Thailand in August 2006 signed a Bt1.3 billion loan agreement to finance the highway construction.

The highway will reach Thailand at a border checkpoint in Si Sa Ket province upon completion, set for 2010. It will benefit peoples of both countries for land transport and simultaneously help boost bilateral trade and investment. (TNA)

Suthep: No plan to scale down troop at border

http://www.bangkokpost.com

By: BangkokPost.com
Published: 4/07/2009

Deputy Prime Minister for security affairs Suthep Thaugsuban said before leaving for Cambodia on Saturday morning that Thailand has no policy to cut number of military force deployed along Thai-Cambodia border for the time being.

Mr Suthep stated that he was assigned by the prime minister to attend the opening ceremony of No 67 highway in Cambodia on his behalf. Thailand had provided 1.2 billion baht soft loan for the construction of this highway which links cities of the two neighboring countries. The highway will help promote trade and tourism between the two nations. Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen will preside over the ceremony today.

The deputy premier insisted that the troop withdrawal was not on the discussion agenda of his today trip as it is the matter of security units of both Thailand and Cambodia. He was confident that the situation along the border will not escalate to violent confrontation between the two countries.

Gen Prawit: Border dispute won’t lead to war

http://www.bangkokpost.com

By: BangkokPost.com
Published: 4/07/2009

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said on Saturday afternoon that the Army Region 2 commander will hold talks with Cambodia’s army region 4 commander to ease tension along Thai-Cambodia border and to reduce military forces of the two countries deployed near Preah Vihear temple.

Gen Prawit was confident that the border dispute will not lead to war between Thailand and Cambodia as some fear.

Troop reductions not seen at Preah Vihear; Thai village defence volunteers ready

MCOT English News
http://enews.mcot.net

SI SA KET, July 4 (TNA) – Neither Thailand nor Cambodia have reduced their military personnel at the ancient Preah Vihear temple, and Thai village defence volunteers in the area are now fully prepared to defend their villages if Cambodian troops intrude into Thai territory.

The situation around the temple, listed as a World Heritage Site in July 2008 following Cambodia’s application to a committee of the United Nations for Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), remained tense Saturday, one day after Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the two countries had started reducing the numbers of their military personnel deployed along the border to ease tension between the two neighbouring countries.

But Mr. Suthep on Saturday said the cut in military personnel at the border would have to be dealt with by senior military officers of both countries.

Thai and Cambodian soldiers posted at Preah Vihear temple were seen only 50 metres apart, with their combat gear ready, while villagers living near the border had already changed from collecting forest products to other occupations from collecting forestry products for sale, at least for the time being, as they were told not to go near the tense border.

A village chief in Kantharalak district bordering Cambodia said that so far no villagers had been evacuated from their homes, but village defence volunteers were ready to join with Thai government soldiers to fight if national sovereignty is violated.

The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia. Clashes have occurred frequently near the 11th-century monument after the temple was listed as a World Heritage Site as both countries maintain their claims on area adjoining the temple. (TNA)

No Troop Cut along Disputed Border: Thai Deputy PM

2009-07-04
Xinhua
Web Editor: Zhang Jin

Thai Deputy Prime Minister for security affairs Suthep Thaugsuban said on Saturday that Thailand has no policy to cut number of troop deployed along Thai-Cambodia border for the time being.

The troop withdrawal was not on the discussion agenda of his trip as it is the matter of security units of both Thailand and Cambodia, Suthep was quoted by the website of the Bangkok Post as saying before leaving for the neighboring country, his second visit within two weeks.

Meanwhile, he expressed confidence that the situation along the border will not escalate to violent confrontation between the two countries.

Suthep's Saturday visit was assigned by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to attend the opening ceremony of No 67 highway in Cambodia, which will be preside by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Thailand had provided 1.2 billion Baht (35.2 million U.S. dollars) soft loan for the construction of this highway which links cities of the two neighboring countries. The highway will help promote trade and tourism between the two nations.

Just on Friday, Suthep was quoted by the Bangkok Post as saying that the two neighbors will begin reducing troop levels along the area around Preah Vihear Temple, a move should help ease the tension along the sensitive frontier.

The area around Preah Vihear Temple, which was inscribed as a World Heritage Site on July 7 last year, has since been the scene of a tense standoff between the Cambodian and Thai armed forces. The Cambodian government insists Thai troops have deployed on Cambodian soil, while Thailand says its troops are only in the disputed zone.

In mid-June, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit said the government would ask UNESCO to review last year's decision to register Preah Vihear as a World Heritage Site when the meets this week in Spain.

On Cambodian side, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said his country was ready for any situation which might follow the reinforcement of troops on the Thai side of the border.

Tensions have escalated at the Thai-Cambodian border, with Thailand's Second Army Area commander Lt General Wiboonsak Neeparn recently rotated troops at Preah Vihear so that they are fresh and ready for a possible attack from Cambodia.

Cambodia has already boosted its presence in the border area.

Prostitution in Cambodia: 'New law doesn't protect me'

Guardian News and Media

http://www.guardianweekly.co.uk/

In March 2008, Cambodia saw the implementation of a new law entitled: Suppression of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation. Aimed at offering protection to women in prostitution by making the selling of sex illegal, it has resulted in clean-up operations and police raids of red light areas. Women in prostitution are being arrested, reporting police brutality and imprisonment. It's also resulted in decreased safety for women as brothels are closed down and women are forced into street work. Mei, a young prostitute in Phnom Penh, describes how she fell into prostitution and the horrific experiences she has had as a result of the new law

Comment on this article

Cambodian sex workers sit on the sidewalk along a street in Phnom Penh. Photograph: Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP

My name is Mei and I’m 19 years old. I live in Phnom Penh but I’m from a small village in Prey Veng province. I went to school when I was younger, but I had to leave to work in the rice fields when I was 13. My family is poor and when there is no food to eat, you have to do what you must to support them – as I’m the oldest it’s my responsibility.

When I first came to Phnom Penh, I got a good job in a garment factory. I was making $50 a month but, after I paid debts, I could only send home $20 a month. This wasn’t enough for my family. I worried all the time about them; my mum is old and ill, and I wanted my brother and sister to stay in school.

At the time, I was living in a room with other factory workers, and one of them had a friend who worked in a beer bar. My friend said she was earning good money from this and that I could do it too, so I went there to work. At first things were OK as I earned more money. I would sit outside the bar and ask men to come in and drink. The men would ask me for sex but I always said no, I wouldn’t sell my body. Sometimes they’d grab me or fondle my breasts, which I hated, but if I complained the boss would shout at me.

A man called Sothy used to come to the bar a lot. He was so nice to me, he spoke to me romantically. One night, he offered to walk me home. I went with him, and he asked me to his room. I really liked him so I said I would, we sat and talked. When I wanted to go, he wouldn’t let me. He pinned me to the bed and raped me. I was a virgin and the pain was huge and I bled a lot. He told me he would beat me if I told anyone and that no-one would care anyway as I was a beer girl.

I was so scared after this and so ashamed that I wasn’t a virgin anymore. The owner of the bar said he had a friend I could stay with, somewhere safe, and he took me to a guesthouse in the Toul Kork area. I realised it was a brothel when we arrived, but he said I didn’t have to sell sex but could work as a cleaner. He lied.

After a week, the "aunty" there said I had to sell sex, that I owed her money. Because I’d lost my virginity, I was ruined already so I had no choice. When a man came to the brothel, he took me into a room. He took off all my clothes and had sex with me. He paid me $6. I realised then in my heart that I’d become a prostitute. I cried a lot. The other girls said it would get easier but it didn’t. I slept with between five and 10 men a day. I tried to stop myself from being there in my head and drank a lot.

Last year, a new law was introduced and the police came and arrested everyone in the brothel. I was taken to the police station and they asked me for $100. I didn’t have it so they kept me in a cell for three days and beat me with sticks. In the end, they let me go. After that, I started going to the park or street, but it’s much less safe for me. At the brothel there would be a gangster to help if there was trouble, but I’m on my own now. I’m scared to even carry condoms because if the police find these, they arrest you.

I’ve been hurt many times since working outside and gang-raped often. Recently, a man came and we agreed $8 for the whole night and he took me 20 kilometres out of Phnom Penh. When we arrived, there were four other men waiting for me. They had two knives and I was very frightened. They told me not to scream. I was scared they were going to kill me. But in my heart I thought: “I’m a good person, the spirits in this area will protect me.” After three men had raped me, a man passed by on a motorbike and I screamed and ran to the man, naked. The other men ran off then.

Another time, a man came and took me to a pagoda and there was a Buddhist monk there. I was so shocked. I begged not to be raped. The monk looked very skinny, like he might be HIV positive, but also sleeping with a monk is against my religion. He kept me for the whole night. I’m so ashamed – this has caused me great spiritual pain.

It wouldn’t have happened in the brothel. The law is supposed to protect women, but it doesn’t. I don’t know how I cope, all I can do is cry. Sometimes when I try and express my anger, I can’t. No woman wants this life, but what can I do, I have to care for my family. This is my karma. I must have done very bad things for this to happen to me.