Wrestlers pin their hopes on SEA Games squad selection

Chab Loueng (left, blue suit) gets squeezed under Chum Chivin during the men’s modern wrestling freeweight class final Saturday.

The Phnom Penh Post
Wednesday, 12 August 2009
DAN RILEY

The Cambodian Wrestling Federation remain quiet about which champions to send to the SEA Games after the National Championships concluded Saturday

Gargantuan 140-kilogram wrestler Chum Chivin claimed first place in the men's modern wrestling freeweight division Saturday, but was told he'll need to lose 20kg in weight in order to be eligible to compete in the 2009 Southeast Asian Games in Vientiane in December.

Chab Loeung, who gained a bronze medal at the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand and came second Saturday to Chum Chivin, claimed he was incorrectly weighed as 60kg at the tournament, after which he was told to gain weight to compete in the 74kg division in December.

In the women's modern wrestling freeweight class final, Chov Sothera took first place, with Chay Chanraksmey in silver, and Chab Sokneang in bronze. The Cambodian Wrestling Federation have refused to reveal all their selection of wrestlers to travel to Laos, claiming it will incite jealously.

Modern-style wrestling is a combination of Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling. In the other men's modern-style divisions, Kang Denpiseth won at 51kg and Don Sao triumphed at 60kg. In the women's section, Chab Sokneang claimed the 48kg title and Try Sothavy took first in the 55kg class.

Women's modern wrestling freeweight champion Chov Sotheara (left, red suit) grapples during her final at Olympic Stadium on Saturday.

Results of other disciplines
Men also competed in classic and Greco-Roman disciplines. In the classic style, Sem Song won the 48kg class, Ear Sokchea took the 55kg title, Chhi Chhary took first in 59kg, Kong Luch was victorious in 63kg, Kong Mon triumphed at 66kg, and Nuth Sreyratha was crowned freeweight champion.

In the Greco-Roman discipline, Kang Denpiseth took his second gold in the 55kg division, and Chum Chivin flattened opponents to claim the freeweight division.

Though there are eight weight divisions for men at the SEA Games, and five divisions for women, the games' policy is to allow only participants in only five classes for men and three for women from each country in an attempt to prevent a particular nation from dominating the podium.

Squad needs sponsorship
Hok Chheang Kim, technical director of the Cambodian Wrestling Federation, said he wishes all national champions to compete at the SEA Games, but noted that places on the travelling team depend on the availability of funding from the government to sponsor their trip.

With all these restrictions and obstructions, it seems representing Cambodia at Wrestling in the SEA Games in December will be an epic struggle in itself.

Photos by Nick Sells (www.nicksellsphotography.com)

Police Blotter: 12 Aug 2009

The Phnom Penh Post
Wednesday, 12 August 2009
Lim Phalla

BROKE KARAOKE PATRONS BUSTED
Three men were arrested by the police for not having money to pay their bills at two karaoke parlours, where they drank, sang and enjoyed many karaoke girls very happily for many hours on Sunday night in Battambang town. Police identified the three men as Him Kik, 22, Khim Soeun, 29, and 27-year-old amputee Lun Pros. Their bills totalled more than US$100. They were arrested after the karaoke owners reported them to the police.
KOH SANTEPHEAP

GIRL'S BODY TURNS UP ON CASHEW FARM
A body was found on a cashew nut farm in Kampong Cham province's Memot commune on the Friday night. Police said the dead girl, Him Sineth, 16, had been wounded with many cuts on her body and had been lost since the afternoon of the previous day. Police inferred that the killing stemmed from personal motives because the body was still properly covered, and her clothes and her jewelry had not been stolen.
RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

CRAFTY PAIR NABBED FOR UNCRAFTY THEFT
A 30-year-old garment worker, Sok Chamnan, from Phnom Penh's Meanchey district, was arrested for allegedly colluding with her Cambodian-American boyfriend to steal a car from a spare-parts shop in Boeung Kak I commune. She reported to the police Norng Sereirith, 35, who was arrested Sunday afternoon. The suspect pretended to buy the car for US$6,600. Before giving money, he pretended to try the car and fled in it.
RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

GOLD, PHONE CARDS, CASH LOST IN HEIST
A gold shop at Malai market in Thmey village, in Banteay Meanchey province's Malai commune was robbed on Sunday morning. The victims, Sam Saing Heng, 39, and his 38-year-old wife, Meng Ry, lost 10 damlung (370 grams) of gold, 50 damleung of platinum, a pile of phone cards worth about US$300, $1,000 in cash, 12 million riels ($2,915) and 60,000 Thai baht ($1,758).
RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

TWO WOMEN TAKE FALL FOR ROBBERY
A taxi driver was shot dead and robbed of his car by seven assailants. The robbers hired the taxi from Phnom Penh to Poipet town and robbed him in Battambang province's Mong Ruessei district on Friday night. The robbers were then chased by district police, who were alerted by villagers who had heard the gunshots. The car was recovered, but the five men managed to escape. Two women who were left behind at the scene were arrested by the police .
RASMEY KAMPUCHEA

The Phnom Penh Post News in Brief

Brief: Midweek double-header

Wednesday, 12 August 2009
DAN RILEY

Rearranged CPL fixtures due to international commitments of U19 team members in the recent Youth Championships in Vietnam, as well as Phnom Penh Crown's trip to Singapore for the Singapore Cup quarterfinals August 26 mean a midweek double-header today at Olympic Stadium. First up, at 2pm, is a classic contest between storied rivals Phnom Penh Crown and Khemara Keila. Both have a chance to go top above Preah Khan Reach (PKR) with victory today, although Khemara will need to win by two clear goals or more to beat PKR's goal difference. In the season's first-half fixture, the teams got stuck in the mud, ending in a goalless draw. Today's second game at 4pm sees National Defence Ministry (MND) take on Spark FC. Though the result will not have an affect on league standings, MND will want to push further from the drop zone, and Spark will want to consolidate their fifth place, which commands a 5 million-riel (US$1,201) cash prize come the end of the season.

Brief: Cellcard donates prizes

Wednesday, 12 August 2009
DAN RILEY

Local phone company Cellcard has released a statement confirming sponsorship of the Post Fantasy League 2009. They will be awarding Cellcard scratchcards throughout the entire season, and a grand prize of a 3G phone to the best overall manager. However, Employees of Cellcard, CTN and Phnom Penh Post will not be eligible to win the prizes, but are still encouraged to join for fun. So hurry up and get your team registered before the first round of matches kick off this Saturday. Go to Fantasy.premierleague.com and register a team for free (one team per email address) and join our group using the code 112590-31633.

PM 'angry' at Suu Kyi sentence

itnnews

Gordon Brown has condemned the sentencing of Burmese pro-democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi. .. Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/itn_news

Judicial Terror

Sandro Tucci / Getty Images
The conviction of Aung San Suu Kyi, pictured here before her longtime house arrest, shows how insecure the junta feels.

http://www.newsweek.com/

The conviction of Burma's opposition leader doesn't show clemency or compromise; it's a sign of the regime's desperation.

By Melinda Liu Newsweek Web Exclusive
Aug 11, 2009

Some people are saying that Aung San Suu Kyi's verdict today—18 months of house arrest, commuted down from three years of hard labor—is a sign that Burma's junta leader Than Shwe really is beginning to show more flexibility. They're wrong. The junta is subjecting the opposition leader's freedom to "death by a thousand cuts," the notorious Chinese torture technique that prolonged prisoners' lives but only temporarily, and at a ghastly price.

The generals who rule Burma are trying to take a page from Beijing's playbook, hoping that the world—and their own citizens—will tolerate continuing government repression as they do in China, which happens to be a key ally of the Burmese generals. But the junta has forgotten one important thing. The grand bargain that has prevailed between the Chinese government and its people goes like this: Beijing promises to keep delivering better and better living standards to its citizens, who in turn accept its benign autocracy and refrain from toppling the government. Though that Chinese deal has come under strain at times, it has survived better than expected for more than three decades.

Problem is, Burma's junta has presided over a steady deterioration in the country's economy, which used to be the world's largest exporter back in British colonial times. (Burma became an independent country in 1948; for more than 100 years before that, it was mostly ruled as part of the British Raj.) Since the Burmese military grabbed power in 1962, ending a period of democratic government, the country has been wracked by civil unrest, a languishing economy, natural disasters, and simmering insurgencies. Per capita GDP is about $1,200, slightly better than Rwanda, and the most violent incidents of antigovernment unrest have been rooted in economic grievances. In August 1988, the regime brutally crushed student-led demonstrations that erupted after authorities (apparently on numerologists' advice) abruptly demonetized many currency notes. Another bout of civil unrest was ignited in September 2007 by drastic fuel-price hikes. The only thing truly flourishing today is the military itself, which now eats up 40 percent of the national budget. It has doubled in size since Suu Kyi's electoral victory was stolen 19 years ago.

The grand bargain that prevails in China does not, and cannot, work in today's Burma. But Than Shwe's junta keeps trying to replicate its techniques. Today was the last chance for the strongman to make a genuine bid for the legitimacy that has so obsessed the country's ruling generals. The charismatic opposition leader Suu Kyi, who has spent 14 of the past 19 years under house arrest, is widely seen to have been charged with violating the terms of her detention as an excuse for the junta to continue detaining her.

She was due to be freed when a traveling American, John Yettaw, swam across a Rangoon lake in May to warn her of assassins whom he'd glimpsed in a vision. She allowed him to stay at her residence for two nights—and for the "crime" of hosting this uninvited visitor, Suu Kyi's detention was prolonged. (Yettaw was sentenced to seven years, including four years' hard labor, for violating immigration law and for illegal swimming.)

Suu Kyi's sentence pretty much ensures the junta will not be seriously challenged in next year's parliamentary elections—but also that Than Shwe has lost Burma for good. Had she been freed, Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party would almost certainly not be able to duplicate its resounding electoral victory in the last election 19 years ago. Her followers have been harassed, intimidated, and co-opted to such a degree in the intervening years that it's a shadow of the political organization it had once been. Even so, the junta was still too insecure to allow elections that might bestow legitimacy upon the winner. It's a sign Than Shwe knows his government is unlawful.

The magnanimity he tried to show is a tactic often seen in Chinese political trails. The court initially sentenced Suu Kyi to three years of hard labor, then called a five-minute recess. At that point, a commutation order from the general himself was read aloud in the courtroom. But this was not compromise; it was desperation. Now, the 2010 parliamentary vote that the junta is taking such pains to prepare for will be seen as a sham. That means it will be up to Suu Kyi or a younger opposition leadership—or maybe a more pragmatic set of generals—to give the Burmese a government they can believe in again.

Aung San Suu Kyi Sentenced to 3 More Years in Prison

Rights activists hold portraits of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest in front of Burmese embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia (file photo).

http://english.chosun.com

August 12, 2009

Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to 18 more months of house arrest. The sentence drew condemnation from foreign governments and human rights groups.

Security forces surrounded Insein Prison in Rangoon Tuesday as the verdict was handed down. The court sentenced Aung San Suu Kyi to three years in prison. But in a move that demonstrated the supremacy of the ruling military, the home minister shortly announced that the country's top general, Than Shwe, had ordered the sentence commuted to one-and-a-half years under house arrest.

The 64-year-old has been imprisoned at Insein since she was charged of violating her house arrest in May when American John Yettaw swam to her lakeside house and stayed there for two days. Shortly after the verdict, she was returned to her home.

Critics say the charges against Aung San Suu Kyi were fabricated and her punishment aimed at preventing her from participating in elections scheduled next year.

Debbie Stothard is coordinator of the rights group Alternative Asean Network on Burma in Bangkok. "Because of international pressure, they [the military government] made it a lighter sentence but it doesn't change the fact that Aung San Suu Kyi has been unjustly detained for more than 14 years already," said Stothard.

In a statement Tuesday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "saddened and angry" at the verdict and called the sentence "purely political." The European Union, Australia and France have also condemned the sentence.

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won elections in 1990 but the military never allowed it to govern. State-owned newspapers Tuesday warned supporters of the Nobel Peace laureate against riots and said only the law could decide who is qualified to run in the election.

Bo Kyi, secretary of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners in Burma in Mae Sot, Thailand, says the sentence could spark anti-government actions. "I expect more domestic pressure," Bo Kyi said. "People in Burma are really angry and they want to show their desire for release of Aung San Suu Kyi. Therefore, the military regime is also afraid of mass mobilizations."

In September 2007, government forces violently ended anti-government marches led by monks across Burma.

Western governments including the United States and Britain have imposed sanctions on Burma's government. The pressure has yet to result in reforms in the isolated state or brought Aung San Suu Kyi's freedom. Her conviction on Tuesday brought new calls for tougher sanctions.

John Yettaw was sentenced to seven years in prison, including four years in hard labor for immigration offenses and for "swimming in a non-swimming area." Two women who live in the house with Aung San Suu Kyi also were convicted and sentenced to three years, which was reduced to 18 months.

IFC Helps Establish Cambodia's First N​​ational Arbitration Center to Resolve Commercial Disputes

http://media-newswire.com/

Phnom Penh, Cambodia, August 10, 2009-IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to implement a three-year project to set up a National Arbitration Center to resolve business disputes and bolster confidence in the commercial system.

(Media-Newswire.com) - Phnom Penh, Cambodia, August 10, 2009—IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce today signed a Memorandum of Understanding ( MOU ) to implement a three-year project to set up a National Arbitration Center to resolve business disputes and bolster confidence in the commercial system.

The National Arbitration Center will be the first commercial arbitration body in Cambodia offering the business community an alternative commercial dispute resolution mechanism to the courts and enabling businesses to resolve their disputes quickly, inexpensively, fairly, and with certainty. It thus promises to enhance the private sector’s comfort level with engaging in business transactions.

IFC will support the establishment and operation of the center for the first three years, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank and other partners. The support will include advisory services to the Secretariat of the Inception and Selection Commission in selecting and training an initial group of arbitrators, establishing procedures, and supporting the center’s initial operations.

“The government has worked hard to create the legal framework for alternative dispute resolution by passing the commercial arbitration legislation in 2006 and recently issuing a sub-decree on the operations of the National Arbitration Center,” said Cham Prasidh, Senior Minister and Minister of Commerce, speaking at the signing ceremony. “We are committed to supporting its development, and I believe it will be an effective mechanism for resolving commercial disputes.”

Trang Nguyen, Head of IFC Advisory Services in the Mekong, said, “IFC is pleased to work with the Ministry of Commerce and the private sector on this important initiative. As the Cambodian economy grows and there are more commercial transactions, a streamlined dispute resolution mechanism gives the private sector more comfort to engage in business transactions.”

In Cambodia, IFC Advisory Services are delivered in partnership with the European Union, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, creates opportunity for people to escape poverty and improve their lives. We foster sustainable economic growth in developing countries by supporting private sector development, mobilizing private capital, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. Our new investments totaled $15 billion in fiscal 2009, helping channel capital into developing countries during the financial crisis. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

Drug-Resistant Malaria Emerged In Cambodia

http://www.emaxhealth.com/

Submitted by ruzik_tuzik on Aug 11th, 2009

Malaria parasites in western Cambodia have become resistant to artemisinin-based therapies, the first-line treatment for malaria. Resistance to the drugs makes them less effective and could eventually render them obsolete, putting millions of lives at risk.

Signs of artemisinin resistance have been reported in the region already, but this new research is the first detailed study of the problem. The study was funded by the Wellcome Trust, the Li Ka Shing Foundation, and the Global Malaria Programme of the World Health Organisation.

The most effective anti-malaria drug is artemisinin. The artemisinin derivatives have the advantage over other anti-malaria drugs, such as chloroquine and mefloquine, in having few side effects and until now malaria parasites have shown no resistance against it.

The researchers studied forty patients in each of Pailin, western Cambodia, and Wang Pha, north-western Thailand. In two open-label, randomised trials, each was given the relevant dosage appropriate to their body weight of either artesunate or a combination of artesunate and mefloquine. On average, patients in Thailand were clear of parasites in 48 hours; in western Cambodia this took 84 hours - almost twice as long.

During the treatment period, as the number of parasites in the blood falls, the infection should clear. Its recurrence can be a sign that the drug treatment is not working effectively. Artemisinin-based drugs have been in use in western Cambodia for around thirty years and the country was one of the earliest to switch to ACTs in 2001.

However, the majority of patients in the region receive their medication from the private sector, which is less well regulated. Patients in the private sector are frequently provided with monotherapies or incomplete treatment courses. Added to this is the problem of substandard or counterfeit drugs with sub-clinical doses of artemisinin. This extended period of sub-optimal use of artemisinin-based drugs may have contributed to the emergence of resistance.

Source: Public Health Agency of Canada

Cambodia bans Miss Landmine pageant

Miss Kompong Cham

From the Wide World of What the Gov

http://ohmygov.com/
By Samuel Knight Aug 11 2009

The words "ban" and "landmines" go together in many people's minds, and for good reason. Tens of thousands of innocent civilians, many of them impoverished, are tragically maimed or killed by unexploded landmines every year.

The Cambodian government recently missed this point entirely when they acted to ban not landmines, but the Miss Landmine pageant, a beauty contest for women who have been victims of landmine explosions. (Cambodia is a party to the Ottawa treaty on anti-personnel mines, lest you think they are completely ruthless ... like the U.S., which has not signed the treaty.)

Beauty pageants are considered to be illegal in Cambodia, but the decision has nonetheless angered many activists worldwide, who have accused the government of violating fundamental human rights by shutting down the event.

Empowerment Pageants

Morten Traavik, a Norwegian theatre actor and director who founded Miss Landmine, is well aware of the stigma attached to beauty contests. But his opinion of them changed drastically while living in Angola. Some of the more destitute children of Luanda, Angola's capital, once asked Traavik to judge a beauty contest they were holding called Miss Backstreet. "It was a very inclusive event," he told the Abu Dhabi-based English language paper The National. "It made me see how uncomplicated it can be, a playful celebration of life and beauty."

Traavik was then inspired to apply this concept to landmine victims. He started Miss Landmine in a bid not only to raise awareness through a beauty pageant that exclusively featured women maimed by landmines, but also to give these women a sense of empowerment and an improved self-image, too. The Angolan and Norwegian governments, though initially skeptical, were eventually convinced and gave Taarvik a grant. The first pageant was held in Angola in 2008, despite some NGOs concerns that it would devolve into a "freak show".

When Traavik wanted to take his idea to Cambodia, at first the authorities cautiously accepted it. Beauty pageants may be illegal, but landmine victims are plentiful-about one a day in Cambodia in 2008-and still in need of assistance. The Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) and other official organizations offered their support, and a pageant was planned for August.

Amidst what some decry as a general crackdown on human rights, the government then reversed its decision. Miss Landmine was ordered to cease operations in the country by the Ministry of Social Affairs on July 31, claiming that the affair "would make a mockery of Cambodia's landmine victims." Traavik would have to return to Norway.

Expression Pageants

The decision to cancel the pageant didn't exactly cause any massive social upheaval in Cambodia, where many saw the contest as an offense to their sensibilities. "Yes, the competition is supposed to show that women with missing limbs can be beautiful," one reader, Ambreen Mirza, wrote to The Phnom Penh Post, "but could this not have been highlighted in a different way?" Something else that Mirza found offensive was the whole competition aspect. "Could the organisers have...given ALL these women custom-made prosthetics that they wouldn't have to ‘compete' for?"

For Traavik and the women planning to compete, however, the cancellation is a massive letdown. "I feel unhappy because when the party was canceled it meant that I, a disabled person, lost my right of expression," Song Kosal, a contestant, amputee and landmine awareness activist told the The Global Post.

Beauty pageants may not be thought of as a pillar of freedom of expression, but these women were clearly keen on the idea that amputees should have nothing to be ashamed of physically. The incentive offered by the prosthetic limb may have encouraged them, but the contestants entered on their own free will. Any accusations of exploitation can be countered by the argument that these women did not have anyone else lining up at their doors, offering them top of the line prosthetic limbs. Beauty pageants may be considered demeaning to women and are thus illegal in Cambodia, but why not make an exception for one that raises awareness and allows contestants to express themselves in a positive way, where a public outlet for such expression from impoverished amputees barely exists?

Furthermore, was Miss Landmine even primarily a pageant? Can't it make a claim to being a form of artistic expression, first and foremost?


Cultural Differences or Government Crackdown?

Freedom of expression isn't the only human right that the Cambodian government is suppressing, either. Traavik was denied permission to host a dinner with the contestants shortly after, where he wanted to thank them and give them a gift of $200. He is still planning on conducting the pageant online, though, and claims he will deliver the prosthetic leg to the winner, even if he has to do it "Rambo-style."

Cambodia Has to Cope With its Global Connection

_____________________

Once the poster child for the benefits of globalization, Cambodia is now being asked to cope with its darker side in the aftermath of the financial crisis. The four pillars of the country’s economy – tourism, garment-making, construction, and agriculture – are feeling the global pinch in their various ways, writes journalist Anne-Laure Porée. Tourism is down thanks to the global stay-at-home vacation trend. Garment-making has collapsed due to lower US demand and choosey shoppers. Construction, like the rest of the world, plummeted with knock-on effects in consumer banking as rising unemployment led to greater personal loan defaults. Even agriculture, which could still provide positive growth in 2009, faces the uncertainty of weather and the challenges of foreign investment choking off local farmers. Perhaps the only ray of light is the natural resource industry – a sector that has long promised to provide limited value-added components to the economy. The sad part of this story is that the government seems content to wait for a rebound in the global economy, hoping the rising tide abroad will lift Cambodia’s boat. But as Porée notes, to integrate fully into the world economy, Cambodia has to learn how to be more than a supplier of garments based on cheap labor. – YaleGlobal

_____________________

Waiting for a rebound, Cambodia needs to be more than dressmaker to the world

Anne-Laure Porée
YaleGlobal, 11 August 2009
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/

Global misery: Cambodian women workers, who once benefited from foreign orders for garments, are now facing unemployment. (Photo: Anne-Laure Porée)

PHNOM PENH: Defying the gloom descending on the tourism sector brought about by the global crisis, the capital’s airport recently launched a hopeful initiative: a new airline. Cambodia Angkor Air was launched to boost tourism between the capital and Siem Reap near the famed ruins of Angkor Wat. With tourist arrivals falling sharply since late last year, this may signal a triumph of hope over reality. If anything, the hopes and fears surrounding Cambodia’s tourist revenue and garment trade underline how the fortune of the country has become intertwined with the larger world.

Since peace came to Cambodia in the last years of the last century, the country has emerged as a poster child of globalization in Southeast Asia. In the middle of this decade, Cambodia enjoyed double digit growth and even hoisted itself up to 6th place in the rank of the fastest growing economies for the 1998-2007 period.

And now the country is experiencing the downside of dependence on the world. The sectors most affected by the crisis – tourism and garment export – are the ones that have seen the most development thanks to the integration of Cambodia into the global economy a decade ago, after peace was restored in the country. At this time, the economy was opened to foreign investors, who poured money into the garment industry, taking advantage of supports granted to Cambodia such as the Most Favored Nation (MFN) and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). This status provided access to the American market and it enabled other Asian investors – Chinese in particular – to get round their own quotas or the Least Developed Country status conferred upon them by the United Nations.

But the happy days are now threatened by the shrinking world market. Of the four major pillars of Cambodian economy – the garment industry, tourism, construction and agriculture – three are seriously impaired by the global crisis. With 70 percent of Cambodia’s garment production going to the US, the declining American economy, choosey shoppers and stay-at-home tourists have led to job losses in Cambodia.

The figures released in late July by the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC) showed a worse than anticipated loss: exports dropped almost 30 percent and one garment worker in 6 lost her job in the first six months of 2009. Most of these workers are women who transfer a substantial part of their earnings to their family living in rural areas in order to supplement farming-based incomes. In some villages, every family has one or several members working in the garment factories based in the Phnom Penh suburbs. Some go for unpaid leaves or part time jobs, some enter prostitution, but most decide to go back to their village in order to work in the rice fields.

According to Van Sou Ieng, GMAC president, Cambodia is much more severely affected by the crisis than other Asian countries like Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh or China because the industry sector in Cambodia is less competitive. “We need more time to produce than China or Vietnam,” he says. Though the government helps with profit tax exemptions or export charge reductions, there’s no miracle cure for Ieng.

Tourism – the second pillar of the economy – has suffered from the economic crisis, and the fallout from the swine flu. In Siem Reap, located next to the famed Angkor temples, a spot visited by more than 1 million tourists in 2008, the situation is described as “catastrophic” by hotel managers. The hotels’ occupancy rate has fallen 25 percent compared to the same period in 2008. Several three or four star hotels have definitely closed their doors, and the mid-range hotels have been multiplying promotional offers for months.

The drop in Western tourists’ arrivals (down 14 percent during the four first months of 2009 according to the Minister of Tourism) has a direct impact on tourism generated incomes – foreigners spent 1.6 billion dollars in 2008. The Ministry of Economy and Finance expects a drop in tourism growth of 7 to 8 percent this year.

The construction sector is also affected: many foreign investors have delayed, reduced or slowed their projects. The capital Phnom Penh started to change face in 2008 with the building of huge towers, business centers and shopping malls but activity slid in the second half of 2008, leaving workers without employment. Such trends have had significant consequences, particularly among the banking sector. The Acleda bank, which has the largest branch network in all provinces, reported a fall in profits in the second quarter of 2009 because of late payments and less lending. The Cambodians, who speculated on land as investment, are now facing difficulties because the prices of land and real estate have plunged and they can’t sell and get cash.

The hardest hit, of course, are the poorest of the poor who count each riel. For them, any drop in income, as well as any unexpected crisis, immediately results in cutting down the number of meals per day.

Agriculture, the fourth pillar of the Cambodian economy and the least exposed to global currents, could bolster the country’s 2009 growth, which is forecast at 2.1 percent. The agricultural sector (with 4.3 percent growth expected in 2009 depending on weather conditions) is essentially based on rice farming and fishing.

But the part of agriculture that has drawn foreign interest proves to be a mixed blessing.

In northeastern Mondolkiri province, plans by a French company to set up a rubber plantation have created a conflict that symbolizes the double edged sword of globalization. For several months, Bunong, a Montagnards ethnic group, has been fighting against the project – as their farmland gets swallowed up by the rubber company that has an agreement with the Cambodian government. The company is expected to make huge profits, a part of which could return to the community via the salaries of the plantation workers and the development of a new city.

The crisis has forced the government to pay attention to those left behind by globalization. “We thought that the private sector could solve every problem but we have to reconsider the role to be played by the State in order to palliate the deficiencies of the market,” says Hang Chuon Naron, Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

The crisis has also led the leader of political opposition Sam Rainsy, former Economy Minister, to call for injecting government funds into the economy and for pushing reforms, in particular against endemic corruption. But the government would rather let the storm blow over, waiting for growth to come back in developed countries, hopefully pulling the country out of its recession in the process.

In the meantime, some hopes turn to the mineral, oil and gas resources development. But the revenues from these productions will be mainly derived from exports of raw materials with no local added value, whereas imports of manufactured goods will increase. Even after growth returns, Cambodia will still have to figure out how to hitch its industry to the global economy profitably rather than be a supplier of garments produced by cheap labor. Cambodia is beginning to learn the challenge of being part of an integrated world.

Anne-Laure Porée is a journalist based in Phnom Penh. She can be reached at

alporee@hotmail.com.

In the First Six Months of 2009, Most Investment Was in Tourism – Tuesday, 11.8.2009

Posted on 11 August 2009
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 625
http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/

“Phnom Penh: According to figures form the Council for the Development of Cambodia announced recently, in the first six months of 2009, tourism was the sector that absorbed the most investment of more than US$300 million.

“The announcement said that among the investment projects that the Council for the Development of Cambodia agreed upon with private companies of approx. US$1,222 million, investment projects in tourism constitute approx. US$354 million.

“Based on the same figure, the projects that follow are investments in agriculture with approx. US$323 million, in industry approx. US$303 million, and in services such as investments in telecommunication and water supply worth approx. US$241 million.

“The same source continued to say that within the first six months of 2009, there were 53 investment projects, where 7 projects were in tourism, 12 projects in the agro-industry, 14 projects in the garment industry, 3 projects in the energy sector, 5 projects in the sector of mining, 2 projects in shoes producing, 8 other industrial projects, 1 project in telecommunication, and 1 project in water supply.

“Within the first six months of 2009, there were four more projects than in the same period in 2008, but looking at the total amount of money to be invested, there was a decline by US$3,205 million.

“The same source added that in the first six months of 2008, Cambodia received 49 projects with a total worth of US$4.427 million.”

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #4949, 11.8.2009
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Tuesday, 11 August 2009

Silence allows dictatorship to exist

A. Gaffar Peang-Meth

Pacific Daily News

http://www.guampdn.com/

August 12, 2009

After three years, eight months and 20 days of the Khmer Rouge's brutal rule, during which 1.7 million Cambodians lost their lives, the signing of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords offered Cambodia and her people a respite from suffering and the destruction, and the promise of a bright future.

The Paris Conference's Final Act, signed on Oct. 23, 1991, by representatives of 18 governments (Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam with the participation of officials from Zimbabwe and Yugoslavia representing the non-aligned movement and the United Nations Secretary-General and his representative) contains a comprehensive political settlement of the Cambodian conflict: a settlement that provides for a constitution based on democratic principles; the recognition of the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability, neutrality and national unity of Cambodia; and provisions for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the country.

The accords offered a foundation for liberal democracy and for human rights and freedom of the Cambodian people.

But the accords are only words on paper. Short of implementation, they are all but meaningless.

Liberal democracy and rights and freedoms do not appear automatically. Man has to work to bring them about. The creation of a framework incorporating three branches of government with limits on the powers of each does not mean a system of checks and balances is established -- not if, in spite of their institution, one man or group of men dominates, influences, pulls strings from above.

Take the case of today's Cambodian system of government. James Madison would call it "tyranny" because one man, Hun Sen, the chief executive, and a group of men, the Cambodian People's Party, his party, control all three branches of government, making a mockery of international norms for an independent legislature and judiciary.

Following the signing of the accords, there were lavish self-congratulations and the touting of Cambodia's transformation as a "success story." Yet, the Cambodian People's Party, brought to power by Vietnam's 1978 military invasion, and propped up, since the 1979 routing of Pol Pot by Vietnam's troops, busily built its party power structures, organization and discipline, and forcefully pushed party interests ahead of the nation's interest.

The first UN-supervised 1993 general elections gave the mandate to govern to the democratically elected victor, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, but the CPP and Sen demanded that Sen, who lost the elections, be made co-prime minister of Cambodia, and that existing governing state institutions be co-governed.

And so, the country had a two-headed government, two armies, two systems, two policies. The 1997 military coup launched by Sen killed many and sent Ranariddh and his loyalists fleeing the country. This happened before the eyes of state signatories of the accords and of the United Nations.

American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. said: "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people." And British political philosopher Edmund Burke said: "All that is needed for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Nearly 18 years after the accords, Cambodia has not become a liberal democracy nor do her people enjoy fundamental rights and freedoms. The failure has been a collective one, with Cambodians unable to work together and signatory governments' Cambodia fatigue leading them to want a semblance of political stability, even if they must turn a blind eye to rights violations.

It's in human nature in general to deny one's culpability in an unpleasant situation and to blame others for it. Yet each day that passes is one more day too many for the Cambodian people and their country to be denied what the accords promised.

Furthermore, an issue that could result in a hot war between Cambodian and Thai troops, neighbors to the west, over the Preah Vihear temple, has been left unsolved as soldiers eyeball each other, their fingers on the trigger, separated by only a few hundred yards. The accords' signatory states agreed to the maintenance, preservation and defense of Cambodia's sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity. What does a bubbling conflict mean to them?

For the moment, absent open warfare, the world is content to let Cambodia remain under the control of a corrupt dictator. Still, in an authoritarian atmosphere, stable commerce cannot be expected to flourish; the economy will continue to benefit the few and consign the majority to the poverty that has become their norm.

There cannot be liberal democracy where fundamental rights and freedoms are not allowed. Innovation must be encouraged. "Outside the box" thinking must flourish; people must have the hope that the power to improve their circumstances is within their grasp.

After Cambodians learn to reconcile with one another, unlearn a culture that harbors generational memories of slights and disrespect, and move forward with self confidence, they may recall Buddha's teachings and practice them. At that juncture, the world community may feel it is in its interest to renew a commitment made long ago to Cambodia and her people.

A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam, where he taught political science for 13 years. Write him at peangmeth@yahoo.com.

Khmer Krom: Memorial To Heal Past Atrocities

Tuesday, 11 August 2009

Phnom Penh will rebuild a Reconciliation Memorial in the name of past victims of the Khmer Rouge, including 2,000 Khmer Krom.

Below is an article published by The Phnom Penh Post :

Thirty years after the Khmer Rouge executed thousands of Cambodians on a sugarcane field in Pursat, the Documentation Centre of Cambodia [DC-Cam] announced that a new memorial stupa will be built by the community with its assistance.

DC-Cam members and about 500 villagers from Pursat's Bakan district gathered next to that same field last Sunday, DC-Cam director Youk Chhang said, adding that it was then that he decided to help build a memorial to replace one that had rotted away.

On his return to Phnom Penh, he said he contacted Columbia University's architecture school for assistance.

More than 2,000 Khmer Krom were killed by the Khmer Rouge at the site, along with thousands more Cambodians brought from the Eastern District, Youk Chhang said .

The Cambodians from the Eastern District who tried to escape "ran to the houses of villagers, hoping to be saved. But they were killed right there by the villagers," he said.

This, he said, has led to lingering anger he hopes the memorial will help ease.

But Youk Chhang's interest in the site is also personal. His sister, a niece, nephew and brother-in-law all died in that commune.

"My sister was accused of eating stolen food," he said.

"So they brought my sister to the hospital where they cut her open to see if the food was there."

When Youk Chhang gave a speech to the Pursat community on August 2 [2009], he was facing that very hospital.

The Rumleach commune chief, Ouk Chanmuon, said the memorial will also educate the village's youths.

"It will be a historic place for the younger generations to learn about the place where a lot of people were killed during the Pol Pot regime," he said.

Duch Concedes to Beating Prisoners

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
11 August 2009

The former Khmer Rouge prison chief known as Duch on Tuesday confessed to beating a prisoner himself, following testimony from a former guard at his Tuol Sleng prison Monday.

Duch, whose real name is Kaing Kek Iev, told the UN-backed court he did not deny the testimony of Saom Met, who told judges he had seen Duch beating a prisoner with a rattan stick.

Duch said he “risked a heavy crime” by his admission, but said, “I do not hesitate at all, and I recognize all my crimes.”

Duch is charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture and murder for his role as the administrator of the notorious prison, where prosecutors say 12,380 people were sent to their deaths.

He has admitted to sending people to their deaths, but in the past has sought not to implicate himself in murder by his own hands.

Duch said Monday he had abused the prisoner, but not seriously, and said the “most serious” crimes for him had been passing communist doctrine to his staff the prison, known the Khmer Rouge as S-21.

“In my capacity as director of S-21, the crime that seems the most serious for me is the policy lectures I gave to them,” he said. “For instance, [that] those where were arrested by the party must be considered enemies.”

If interrogators did not recognize the inmates as enemies, they would not have gotten “confessions” from them, he said.

“This is the most serious crime, that I am responsible for more than 10,000 lives,” he said.

The former guard, Saom Met, told the court Tuesday the rule on torture as Tuol Sleng wsa to exact answers from prisoners, even if it meant torturing them to death.

US Senator To Visit Cambodia, Region

By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
11 August 2009

US Senator Jim Webb, a Democrat from Virginia, is on a two-week tour to five Southeast Asian countries, including Cambodia, exploring opportunities to advance US interests in the region, officials said.

The senator left on Sunday for a visit to Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, a statement from his office said.

The US Embassy in Phnom Penh was working on a schedule for Webb to meet with Cambodians on a brief stopover here, officials said.

The senator’s visit was welcomed by Cambodians, who have seen relations with the US improve steadily since the country withdrew aid in 1997. Most recently, Cambodia was removed from a US list of countries considered Marxist-Leninist, paving the way for more trade.

“The removal of Cambodia from the US trade blacklist is seen as helping alleviate the living conditions of Cambodians, especially those who live below the poverty line,” said Nguon Nhel, vice president of the National Assembly. “This trade will bring in more investors and exchange of goods.”

Webb, a former soldier, defense planner, writer and business consultant, is the chairman of the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee, overseeing US relations in the region and building relationship with organizations such as Asean.

Micro-Lenders Drop Rates, Seek Borrowers

By Ros Sothea, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
11 August 2009

Cambodia’s microfinance institutions are competing with each other with various strategies to extend growth, following a decline in their number of borrowers in the wake of the economic downturn.

The Prasac Microfinance Institution has implemented three strategies over the past two months in order to bring in more borrowers, said Sim Senacheert, general manager of the lender. These include the reduction of interest rates, of up to 0.6 percent, a loosening of credit requirements and promotions through the mass media.

“We put down strategies to boost lending growth, and after these strategies were implemented, our credit demand grew between 4 percent and 5 percent,” he told VOA Khmer in an interview.

Interest rates for microfinance lending are some of the highest in the region, between 2 percent and 4 percent per month, and also require collateral and a guarantor.

But microfinance lenders have reported a drop in demand, as less people seek to expand their businesses in a slowing economy. As a result, these rates are coming down.

The Sathapana Microfinance Institution announced a rate reduction of 0.2 percent, starting in August, and the president of the lender, Bun Mony, said he had organized a special research team to learn more about customer demand.

“They will interview people directly to see what they don’t have,” he said. “If we are able to fulfill their needs, we will positively respond to that.”

Huot Eang Tong, president of the Hattha Kaksekor Microfinance Institution, said his company will reduce the waiting period for borrowers from three or four days to just one or two.

The new policies are a turnaround for the lenders, who in late 2008, in the midst of the global economic downturn, tightened their lending policies or increased their rates to protect capital.

The reported decline in borrowers is a first in the ten years since micro-lending became popular in Cambodia, which now has 20 microfinance companies that play a key role in economic development in rural areas.

Facing the new situation, lenders like the Credit Microfinance Institution are considering raising the amount of money they will lend beyond $10,000.

“I think this can keep us alive and competitive,” Credit President Chan March said.

Credit plans to open three to five sub-offices in the provinces in a bid to extend its lending.

Huot Eang Tong, who is also chairman of the country’s Microfinance Institutions Association, said the new strategies might help in the short term, but “only better economic conditions will make people start businesses and need capital.”

Hang Chuon Naron, secretary-general of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, said the ministry supported the initiatives, especially the reduction in interest rates, saying this could provide better for Cambodian farmers.

However, the ministry wants to see interest rates decrease from 30 percent per year to 16 percent annually, he said.

Decentralization Demands Participation: Expert

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington
11 August 2009

People in local communities can exercise their rights to speak with representatives and the authorities and watch the development of Cambodia’s recent decentralization bid, a leading democracy monitor said Monday.

“People can make a request if they have any concerns about the community,” said Kim Chhorn, a senior program coordinator for the Committee for Free and Fair Elections.

“Those are the internal rules of the commune council,” he said, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”

A community of 6,000 people needs to have the support of just 50 to bring a concern the meeting agendas. A community of 30,000 people needs 150 people to make such a request, he said.

“People can have a pre-meeting among themselves to define what the problems are and send three representatives to the commune council,” he said.

Encounters they expect are that some local authorities will not cooperate with the people or allow them to join forums.

Kim Chhorn said the rights of the people were under a local rule but a constitutional stipulation guaranteeing the right of assembly and participation.

Development without the participation of the people is “useless,” he said, because it’s not the development that people want.

Comfrel plans to have forums in 12 provinces to help people meet the local authorities and representatives to share their concerns and problems and find solutions. The forums will also help people understand the roles of local authorities in the communes and districts, and to understand the role of the citizen.

27 Judges Ordered Into Retirement

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
11 August 2009

King Norodom Sihamoni issued an official decree this month to retire 27 judges and prosecutors in the national court system.

The royal decree, dated Aug. 4 and obtained by VOA Khmer Monday, follows a request from the Ministry of Justice to the Supreme Council of Magistracy, which met July 29, to retire 43 different court officials.

Some of the officials to be retired welcomed the decision, which is meant to help the government reform the court system, but others said the decision was unlawful.

A second decree demoted two chief prosecutors, to positions of deputy chief, following findings of wrongdoings, namely Kong Seth, from Kampong Speu provincial court, and Lin Seang, from Stung Treng provincial court.

Cambodia committed to democracy, human rights with rule of law: official

www.chinaview.cn
2009-08-11

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia is more than ever committed to human rights promotion and protection approach with its organic laws, said a government statement released on Tuesday by the Foreign Ministry's spokesman.

The statement was made after Ouch Borith, secretary of state for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, on Friday exchanged views on the issues of human rights with European Union's delegation led by the British Ambassador Andrew Mace, who is representing Sweden in their presidency of the EU.

During the meeting, Ouch Borith underlined that "Cambodia is more than ever committed to human rights promotion and protection approach with its organic laws."

At the same time, Ouch Borith stressed that Cambodia's democracy is based on the fundamental rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

"While individual rights, freedom of expression and a culture of debates are taking deeper roots in Cambodia, we must recognize that the exercise of these rights and freedoms in any democratic society must be within the rule of law," he said

EU's meeting with the government follows a Phnom Penh Municipal Court ruling on Aug. 4 that found opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) lawmaker Mu Sochua guilty of defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen and ordered her to pay about 4,100 U.S. dollars in fines and compensation.

The EU expressed "concern over a number of instances in which criminal charges of defamation and disinformation have been used against representatives of civil society, the media and the political opposition," according to the report of the Cambodia Daily.

"Laws and regulations concerning defamation and disinformation exist worldwide, particularly in developed countries, to protect and guarantee the right to dignity of everyone," Ouch Borith said.

"The verdicts by the Cambodian Court on the recent defamation and disinformation cases are in compliance with the existing laws in relation to these offences," he added.

Admitting "the country still faces many challenges," Ouch Borith reassured the delegation of the EU that "Cambodia is firmly committed to ensuring that the country embraces the principles of democracy and human rights with the rule of law."


Editor: Li

UPDATE: Millicom To Sell Cambodian Operations For $346M

http://online.wsj.com

AUGUST 11, 2009

STOCKHOLM (Dow Jones)--Telecom operator Millicom International Cellular SA (MICC) said Tuesday it has agreed to sell its Cambodian operations for $346 million in cash to The Royal Group, its partner in the country.

The transaction, which is expected to be completed before the end of 2009, comprises Millicom's 58.4% holdings in each of CamGSM, Royal Telecam International and Cambodia Broadcasting Services.

It values the Cambodian operations at an enterprise value of $605 million, representing an estimated 7.1 times 2009 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or Ebitda.

Luxembourg-based Millicom, which is listed on Nasdaq and the Stockholm stock exchange, earlier this year decided to divest its Asian operations and focus on Africa and Latin America.

It said July 2 that the units in Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Laos will be classified as "assets held for sale" and that it had received expressions of interest from a number of parties.

"We don't think that we have the critical mass to operate in Asia," Millicom Chief Financial Officer Francois-Xavier Roger told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview last month, adding that the proceeds from a sale of the Asian assets will be used to invest in external growth, repaying debt, or distributing part of the money to the owners through dividends and share buybacks.

At 1055 GMT, Millicom shares in Stockholm were up 0.2% at SEK538, against a 0.5% drop in the wider market.

Company Web site: www.millicom.com

-By Gustav Sandstrom, Dow Jones Newswires; +46-8-5451-3099; gustav.sandstrom@dowjones.com

Raw video: Deadly landslides in northern India

A police official says 43 people have been killed in landslides triggered by heavy rain in northern India. 20 bodies have been pulled from the debris after the landslide Saturday buried three remote villages in Uttarakhand state.

Hundreds Missing, Typhoon Hits Taiwan, Japan

At least two typhons and a tropical storm are hitting several Asian countries hard. China, Japan and Taiwan have seen at least 33 deaths and officials expect the death toll to continue to rise. (Aug. 10)

Typhoon Morakot hits southern China - 10 Aug 09

AlJazeeraEnglish

Typhoon Morakot has moved into China, with torrential rains flooding thousands of hectares.

One million people have been evacuated.

Al Jazeera's Tony Cheng, reporting from Hong Kong, says the danger for China is far from over, with landslides posing a serious threat to the southern coast.

Typhoon Morakot Collapses the Chin Shuai (Jinshuai) Hotel in Taiwan

ConservativeNewMedia

Southeast Taiwan, in the town of Chihpen. See the location on Google Maps (tabs "A" and "C"): http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&...

Chihpen is about 7 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. The hotel sat along the Jhihben River, which feeds directly from the ocean.

All thoughts and prayers go out to those in the path of this destructive storm.

Nearly one million people in China have fled to escape the typhoon:

Jailed Cambodian editor loses appeal hearing

Hang Chakra (R) at his arrival in court for appeal hearing (Photo: DAP news)

The Sun Daily

http://www.thesundaily.com/

Phnom Penh (Aug 11, 2009) : Cambodia's Appeal Court today rejected the appeal of a newspaper editor jailed in June on disinformation charges.

Hang Chakra, the editor-in-chief of Khmer Machas Srok, was jailed by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court for one year on June 26 and fined 9 million riel (2,250 dollars) for articles written earlier this year alleging corruption in the office of a senior government minister.

Hang Chakra's lawyer, Choung Choung Y, said the ruling by Appeal Court Judge Seng Sivutha was unfair because his client had not printed false information.

"I will meet with my client and appeal to the Supreme Court," he told the German Press Agency dpa.

The court's June ruling was condemned by human rights groups and media rights organizations which expressed concern that the conviction was part of a growing crackdown by the government on critical voices.

Sara Colm, country specialist for Human Rights Watch, said the Appeal Court decision was "more than disappointing."

"This is yet another indication that the space for opposition journalists and NGOs and human rights defenders in Cambodia is shrinking," Colm said.

"The fact that this was upheld on appeal will only solidify the control of the ruling party over the press and dissenting voices."

Some donor governments have also spoken out. On Friday, the European Union's representatives based in Phnom Penh met with government officials to voice their misgivings.

In a statement released after the meeting, the EU representatives expressed concern over "a number of instances in which criminal charges of defamation and disinformation have been used against representatives of civil society, the media and the political opposition."

The government has this year brought a number of defamation and disinformation charges against opposition parliamentarians, media workers and members of civil society. -- dpa

Britain is 'a safe haven for evil'

Jack Straw said he would change war criminals law

The Press Association

UKPA

The Government is doing too little to close legal loopholes which make Britain "a safe haven for evil," MPs and peers have warned.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw announced last month that he would change the law to ensure suspected war criminals living in the UK could not escape prosecution.

A 10-year extension of the cut-off period to cover crimes committed as far back as 1991 was hailed as a victory for victims of the Rwandan genocide and other conflicts.

And the Government said it would also reconsider the definition of a UK "resident" amid warnings many serious criminals were able to visit and pass through the country with impunity.

But a report by the Joint Committee on Human Rights said the Government's failure to go further meant there would remain "impunity gaps for the world's worst criminals".

It said the UK should copy the US and allow anyone "brought into or found in" the country to face prosecution for crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes in internal conflict. That would bring it more into line with other heinous offences such as war crimes in international conflicts, torture and hostage taking which have no "residency" requirement.

Ministers told the committee the UK did not aim "to become a policeman for the world". During its inquiry, the committee heard evidence that the UK Borders Agency had investigated 1,863 individuals in the UK for genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity.

Campaign group Aegis told members there were "significant numbers of suspected war criminals and genocidaires who are either in the UK or have visited this country."

The committee also questioned why ministers had set the cut-off point for genocide and war crimes in internal conflicts at 1991, as well as crimes against humanity, when international law allowed alleged crimes committed in those two categories as far back as 1948 and 1949 to be prosecuted.

Having different cut-off dates was not "an exercise beyond the capacity of the UK Government or beyond the understanding of the public", the report said. It also called for a specialist war crimes unit to be set up and given "resources commensurate with the seriousness of the crimes they need to investigate and the importance of leading the world in bringing international criminals to justice."

Hundreds hand in petitions to protest Cambodia land grabs details on government ministries targeted (1st Lead)

M&C
http://www.monstersandcritics.com

Asia-Pacific News
Aug 11, 2009

Phnom Penh - About 300 Cambodians handed in petitions to government ministries and organizations in Phnom Penh to protest the growing national problem of land grabs and forced evictions.

Seng Sokheng, a spokesman for the group, said the petitions represented the concerns of 15,000 villagers in 19 of the kingdom's 24 provinces and municipalities.

He said the petitions were submitted to the National Assembly, the cabinet of Prime Minister Hun Sen, the Council of Ministers, the National Authority on Land Disputes and three government ministries.

'Some ministries were happy to receive the petition, and others were not,' Seng Sokheng said of the reaction the villagers had received.

Organizers said 200,000 hectares of land are at risk in this predominantly rural society, where more than 80 per cent of the population lives in the countryside. The petitions contained more than 15,000 thumbprints, a standard way of signing in Cambodia, where literacy rates are low.

The land seizures are carried out by companies with government connections or by politicians and the military. Development is the standard reason the government gives for granting mining or land concessions.

In a statement, the organizers said forced evictions, displacement and landlessness are reaching 'crisis proportions.'

'Evictions and land confiscation continue in Cambodia, despite calls by the World Bank, the ADB [the Asian Development Bank], the UN and Cambodia's donors for the government to enact a moratorium on forced evictions and land confiscation until it establishes effective conflict resolution mechanisms and relocation procedures meeting international standards,' they wrote.

The organizers said communities are being driven into poverty by land grabs, and their efforts to find peaceful solutions are met with intimidation, court action and even violence from the police and military.

'When we try to protect our legal rights, we receive intimidation,' villager Pol Cheoun from Battambang province in western Cambodia said in the statement. 'We want the government and the donors to know what is happening. We are losing our land, forest and fisheries we depend on. We are getting poorer and poorer, and the rich are getting richer.'

A community activist from the northern province of Oddar Meanchey told the Cambodia Daily newspaper that he is in favour of development, 'but I don't want to see development lead people to tears.'

Amnesty International wrote last year that 150,000 Cambodians are at risk of losing their land.

The Blood Vessels and the Spine to Sustain Democratic Development in Cambodia Are Almost Totally Cut Off – Monday, 10.8.2009

Posted on 11 August 2009
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 625
http://cambodiamirror.wordpress.com/

“In 2009, major donor countries seem to be disappointed with their efforts in which they have donated almost US$4 billion since 1993 to support the development of the economic and social infrastructure, of democracy, and of the rule of law in Cambodia – but there is little progress.

“Major donor countries such as the United States of America, Canada, Germany, Australia, and the European Union, have cut down their financial aid to non-government organizations that act to strengthen and to expand democracy and the rule of law in Cambodia. Due to financial problems, some international organizations had announced to reduce their activities and their personnel in Cambodia. Some non-government organizations were forced to reduce staff and to close down some of their branches at some provinces.

“These donor countries have changed their attitude, keeping quiet about democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, in contrast to their previous attitude more than 10 years ago, when they frequently openly criticized. Moreover, aid for the Royal Government was no longer linked with conditions about human rights and democracy.

“Observers in Cambodia said that democracy in Cambodia did significantly progress between 1993 and 1997, when Cambodia was ruled by a government with two prime ministers: the first prime minister, Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh, and the second prime minister, Mr. Hun Sen. After the bloodshed of the coup in July 1997, the progress of democracy slowed down.

“Since 2004, Cambodia has been entirely controlled by the Cambodian People’s Party government, where the democratic space was becoming narrower. The Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) said in its report on human rights for 2008, ‘The space for democracy and politics is becoming narrower.’

“Civil society officials said that the blood vessels and the spine supporting democratic developments are almost entirely cut off, because the court system is corrupt and not independent, the role of the opposition party in the National Assembly is restricted by muzzling their freedom of expression, and by not including opposition parliamentarians into the commissions of the National Assembly; press freedom and the freedom of expression are limited and under threat, and the roles of non-government organizations are limited etc…

“The Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights in Cambodia released a report on 15 June 2009 with the title ‘A briefing note on freedom of expression, defamation and disinformation,’ expressing their concern, ‘The use and abuse of defamation and disinformation lawsuits dangerously undermine constitutional freedoms of opinion and expression and democratic development.’ The United Nations warned that these restrictions can cause the fragile development of democracy in Cambodia to derail.

“[The US based NGO] Human Rights Watch condemned the Phnom Penh Municipal Court’s verdict released on 4 July 2009 finding Ms. Mu Sochua guilty and ordering her to pay Riel 16.5 million [approx. US$4,100] for defaming Prime Minister Hun Sen. This organization considers this verdict as a serious threat against the freedom of expression and democracy in Cambodia.

“On 6 July 2009, Prime Minister Hun Sen warned that he will file an accusation with the court against anybody who calls the present regime, which is a ‘constitutional monarchy’ a ‘dictatorial regime.’ Mr. Hun Sen said that if ones call an individual or the Royal Government a dictator or a dictatorship, that is alright. The Prime Minister had previously said publicly that there had been accusation that he gathers power for himself alone, and he had agreed with it, because many fellow officials do not act according to their roles and just wait, until there is an order from the Prime Minister.

“Civil Society organizations had voiced their concern about the change of the attitude and of the politics of donor countries, and this can lead to serious impacts and threats against the progress of democracy in Cambodia, and can make billions of dollars of aid provided to build democracy and the rule of law in Cambodia since 1993 a failed investment.

“Civil society organizations reminded the 18 signatory countries of the Paris Peace Agreement of 23 October 1991 that they have the international legal obligation to guarantee the progress of democracy and the respect of human rights, specifically to help to guarantee and to protect the integrity of the territory of Cambodia. Democracy, human rights, integrity, and territorial integrity are still major delicate issues.”

Khmer Amatak, Vol.17, #635, 10.8.2009
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Monday, 10 August 2009

Khmer Rouge prison chief admits torture

AAP

August 11, 2009

The Khmer Rouge's main jail chief has admitted for the first time before Cambodia's war crimes tribunal that he tortured a prisoner personally.

Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, is on trial for overseeing the torture and execution of about 15,000 people at Tuol Sleng detention centre in the late 1970s.

Duch's confession came a day after a guard, Saom Meth, told the court that he saw his boss beat an inmate with a rattan stick.

"Regarding the testimony of comrade Meth, in general, it is true," Duch told the court on Tuesday.

"The point that I went to torture a prisoner at Tuy (an interrogator's) location, I would not deny it," the 66-year-old former maths teacher said.

But Duch said the most serious crime he committed was the "political indoctrination" of his staff at the prison, also known as S-21, to make them consider the inmates as enemies of the Khmer Rouge party.

"That was the most serious crime that I committed, and that I am responsible for more than 10,000 lives lost at S-21," he said, adding that he was also "the one who initiated" the arrest of many people.

"All the crimes committed at S-21, regardless of forms of torture used and regardless whether the special forces used or transported the prisoners to be executed somewhere else, they had to do it because of my instruction," he said.

"I do not deny all these crimes, I accept them," Duch said, adding that he also used to enter a room where a "very humble" Briton was being interrogated.

Earlier on Tuesday, Saom Meth told the court that he heard an ex-colleague report to record-keepers that many foreign prisoners, including Americans, were burned on the street.

The prison in the capital Phnom Penh was at the centre of the Khmer Rouge's brutal campaign of repression and was later turned into a genocide museum after the movement was overthrown by forces backed by neighbouring Vietnam.

Led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge emptied Cambodia's cities in a bid to forge an agrarian utopia, resulting in the deaths of up to two million people from starvation, overwork and torture.

VN, Cambodia agree on ‘special rapport’

http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn

11-08-2009

PHNOM PENH — The commissions for external relations of the Central Committees of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and the Cambodian People’s Party are to jointly work to further co-operation and strengthen relations between their parties.

This was agreed at talks in Phnom Penh on Sunday during a working visit by the Vietnamese commission led by its head Hoang Binh Quan, which ends today.

During the talks, the two sides outlined their political and economic situations and shared experiences on external activities.

The Cambodians agreed to a proposal to increase high-level meetings to exchange views and experiences and work to educate and provide information which would help people from both nations learn more about the traditional relationship.

They also agreed to work to prevent hostile forces from distorting and destroying their special rapport.

The Vietnamese delegation also visited Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, and met Cambodian People’s Party Chairman and Senate President Chea Sim, CPP Honorary Chairman and National Assembly Chairman Heng Samrin, and CPP Vice Chairman and Prime Minister Hun Sen. — VNS

Strong quakes strike in Indian Ocean, Japan

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com

Tuesday 11th August, 2009

IANS Monday 10th August, 2009

Washington/A tsunami watch was cancelled for South and Southeast Asia after an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck in the Indian Ocean, while a second earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.6, struck in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan Tuesday.

The earthquake in the Indian Ocean was centred about 262 km north of the Andaman Islands and took place at 1956 GMT, the US Geological Survey (USGS) in Denver, Colorado, reported. It struck in the early Tuesday (local time) and was 30 km below the earth's surface.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii issued a tsunami watch for Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand, saying the earthquake was strong enough to produce a tsunami along coastlines within 1,000 km of its epicentre.

However, it cancelled the warning a few hours later 'as sea levels indicated that a significant tsunami was not generated'.

The quake in the Pacific Ocean took place at 2007 GMT, about 170 km southwest of Tokyo, the USGS said. No tsunami watch was issued.

The quake was felt in Japan's central province of Shizuoka, but there were no early reports of damage or injuries. The epicentre was about 20 km below the seabed.

On Sunday, a 6.9-magnitude quake shook Tokyo and surrounding areas.

In December 2004, an earthquake at sea generated a massive tsunami that hit the shores along the Indian Ocean, leaving 230,000 people, mostly in Indonesia, dead.

Blogs Taking Off in Cambodia

http://www.wired.com

Matt Reed

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Like many young Cambodians just now getting used to the idea of surfing the web, Mean Lux only recently heard about blogs. But his work traveling this country's back roads may soon bring a rush of Cambodians to the blogosphere.

As part of a project launched by a pro-democracy nonprofit, Mean spent most of June in dusty provincial capitals showing high-school and university students how to publish an online diary.

In an interview last week, he said the most common question was whether people in other countries could read blogs from Cambodia. He said they could.

"They also asked, 'How will people know where my blog is?' I said, 'How will they know what your phone number is? It is the same way,'" he said.

In one town, Mean wasn't able to get a reliable connection to the internet, which is not surprising considering that until two years ago, net access in Cambodia was only available in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, a tourist destination in the north. (The International Telecommunication Union estimated that only 25 in 10,000 Cambodians were net users in 2003, one of the lowest internet-penetration rates in Asia.)

Nonetheless, about a dozen students who attended Mean's training sessions were inspired to create their own English-language blogs after the three-hour workshop.

One of those blogs, called Youth Vision, contains five brief postings written in rough English. Another, entitled Cambodian Children, laments the fact that many Cambodian children can't go to school because their families are too poor, or because they do not live near a school or have access to transportation.

Nearly all of the blogs are heavy on photos. And much like Cambodia's stale, state-run television news, many of the images are unremarkable group photos from official-looking meetings and training sessions.

For example, a blog entitled Battambang Network reports on a workshop held at a university in Battambang, a provincial capital near the Thai border.

"Fifty-five Youth Network members attend(ed) the meeting, including 10 monks," the post said.

Other blogs keep it light, looking at the new venue as a way to network with others: "What are you doing? How are you?... If you have free time, can you join with us?" asks the blogger behind sonn-veasna, in what is a typical first post for many of the trainees.

Despite the modest beginnings, the local office of the International Republican Institute, or IRI, which sponsored the project, is excited about the potential for Cambodian blogs to generate more political dialogue.

"There's a growing interest. It's not overwhelming, but it's growing," said Alex Sutton, the IRI's resident program director.

Officials from IRI came up with the idea for the training workshops after hearing of the website of Cambodia's retired King Norodom Sihanouk.

Sihanouk, a revered figure in Cambodia and a political force for the last 60 years, has published his scanned-in, handwritten scribblings online since 2002. He often comments, usually in French, in the margins of local news articles and hasn't hesitated to criticize Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his government. His writings have prompted sharp responses from Hun Sen in public speeches.

"The reality is that internet access is limited," Sutton said last week. "But the value of blogs is not in who is doing it. It is the power of how much conversation it then generates face to face, or on radio or television. It's the buzz they create."

Blogs in Khmer, the official language of Cambodia, would create even more of a buzz. At least that's the thinking of the coordinator of a group planning to unveil Khmer-language blog software in the next month.

"Our purpose is to foster and facilitate communication for democracy. Blogging fits really well into that," said Javier Sola, coordinator of Open Forum of Cambodia's Khmer Software Initiative.

Cambodia has a free press law, implemented in the 1990s in the aftermath of its 1993 U.N.-sponsored election. But the government has authoritarian tendencies, and it's common for politicians to sue newspapers -- as well as other politicians -- for defamation.

But young people make up most of the country's population (the median age in Cambodia was under 20 in 2004), and one of the more inspiring sights in Phnom Penh is the rows of English-language schools behind the royal palace, where high-school and university students flock for private lessons in the afternoon and evening. Studying computers is also popular, and Cambodian youth enthusiastically take to new technologies, such as text messaging, as soon as they're introduced.

Harvard University's Global Voices Online, which recently predicted that the Cambodian blogosphere was "ready to take off," lists more than 20 blogs produced by Cambodians, not counting expatriates and Cambodians living abroad.

Bun Tharum, an Open Forum employee who has been blogging since June 2004, has ventured beyond his usual personal observations of life around Phnom Penh in recent weeks. He posted parts of a local news article on government corruption and about the problem of domestic violence.

Bun Tharum writes his twice-a-week postings at internet cafes on weekends, or at the office during the week. Whether he will start writing serious criticisms of the government is still in question.

"Oh, I'm afraid to. But maybe I'll start later," he said. "As more people learn to blog, then I think the government will try to shut them down."

Mean, who conducted the provincial trainings, recently started his own blog and has invited his friends to post as well.

Photos of his workshops make up most of the entries. In one post, he calls the Battambang training, in which several blogs were created, "a good start."