Gaming centres back online after gambling crackdown

Photo by: Pha Lina
Boys play online video games at a reopened gaming parlour in Phnom Penh on Monday. The industry is starting up again after a government crackdown.

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Tuesday, 22 June 2010 15:00 Jeremy Mullins and Bun Tharum

Officials issue licences as IT companies begin to progress with gaming plans

ONLINE gaming is showing signs of revival following public statements made by Minister of Information Khieu Khanharith last month, which cleared computer gaming centres to operate.

The Minister went on record to local media to say that online gaming did not involve betting. The industry had been subject to a police crackdown after Prime Minister Hun Sen made a speech condemning the use of gambling machines in the country, which some interpreted to include online computer games.

The operators of game centres confirmed Monday that in recent weeks many had received licences and are now opening their doors to computer enthusiasts.

One centre, located in the capital’s Daun Penh district, opened recently after a three month hiatus.

“I opened my shop after the Minster of Information said that computer game shops could operate, but I was warned it was not for students in their school uniforms,” said owner Rachana, who asked to be identified only by his first name. He showed a reporter a certificate from the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications allowing the shop to provide Internet services from licensed ISPs.

Another shop owner in the same commune, who asked not to be named, showed reporters a certificate from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts allowing the operation of a gaming centre.

She said she had opened her shop three days ago after being contacted by a representative from IT company Sabay, which said that online gaming had been given the go-ahead.

Industry spokesmen say larger firms operating online games also require licences.

Sabay was granted a licence by the Ministry of Information to operate online games at the beginning of June, Chief Operating Manager Mike Gaertner said Monday.

Vietnam-owned rival VTC Online said gaming centres were reopening across the city, allowing with the firm to proceed with its plans.

“We are preparing to start advertising our first game, Audition, again. We are looking for a television advertising agency for early next week,” marketing executive Meas Sokha said Monday.

He said there was still confusion as to which governmental body was a regulator for gaming shops.

“The situation of each district is not the same,” he wrote in an email.

Khieu Kanharith declined comment when contacted Monday. MPTC and MCFA officials could not be reached for comment Monday.

And, despite the issuing of licences, Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Touch Naruth said Monday that police are still targeting online gambling.

“We still continue to crackdown on computer game shops that offer anything relating to gambling. These shops are illegal,” he said.

The Phnom Penh Post News in Brief

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Taiwanese delegates to arrive in Cambodia

Tuesday, 22 June 2010 15:00 May Kunmakara

A GROUP of 27 Taiwanese companies, lead by Wayne W Wu, vice chairman of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), will spend a one-day-business trip to Cambodia on July 1, to pave the way for expansion trade between the both nations. Keo Nimet, International relation manager at the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, said delegates will meet with more than 300 local businesspeople at Phnom Penh’s Cambodiana Hotel.

Land Rights: Ex-soldiers camp out in land dispute

Tuesday, 22 June 2010 15:02 May Titthara

Land Rights

A group of 50 veterans from Banteay Meanchey province have been camped out in Phnom Penh for 11 days awaiting a response to a complaint filed with Prime Minister Hun Sen’s cabinet over a land dispute involving a military official. The veterans represent 338 families from Malai district who have been in dispute with Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Lieutenant Colonel Preab Sarum over 100 hectares of land in Tuol Pongro commune since April 2009, when he allegedly sold their land to businessman Puth Si Ngob. Nuo Leng, a representative of the group, said the land in question was included in a 549-hectare concession granted to the soldiers in 1997. Chhim Mach, another representative, accused Tuol Pongro commune chief Tim Morn and Malai district governor Tep Khunnal of colluding with Preab Sarun, pointing to the arrest in May 2009 of five villagers involved in the dispute. All five remain in custody. But Tim Morn said the land falls within a protected forest area. Tep Khunnal, Preab Sarun and Lim Leang Se, deputy chief of Hun Sen’s cabinet, could not be reached for comment.

KR Education: KR history slogans to be in schools

Tuesday, 22 June 2010 15:02 Mom Kunthear

KR Education

The Education Ministry has approved two slogans concerning the importance of Khmer Rouge history lessons that are set to be displayed in high schools nationwide, officials said Monday. According to an unofficial translation, the slogans, which were suggested by the Documentation Centre of Cambodia (DC-Cam) and amended by the Education Ministry, read: “To study life in the Khmer Rouge period is to learn about reconciling and educating children to be tolerant and forgive each other,” and,“To learn about the history of Democratic Kampuchea means to learn to prevent other genocidal regimes from happening”. Ton Sa Im, an undersecretary of state and head of Khmer Rouge studies at the Education Ministry, said the slogans would be posted in schools to ‘‘remind all people to know and remember our history”. DC-Cam director Youk Chhang said the ministry approved the phrases on Thursday, and that he expects them to appear in schools early next year.

Former sex slave fights illegal trade

http://www.theage.com.au/

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June 22, 2010

Girls are taught only shame and ignorance about their bodies and men have their first sexual experience in brothels. Rape is the only thing they know." Photo: AFP

Somaly Mam emerged from a life of sex slavery in Cambodia to become a champion of women's rights and one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people on the planet.

Abandoned by her parents, Mam was raped at 12, forced to marry at 14 and then sold into prostitution.

She suffered years of abuse before escaping with the help of a Medicin Sans Frontieres worker, whom she later married.

Mam has never had any formal schooling, yet she now speaks five languages.

She has become a tireless activist heading two organisations which fight sexual slavery, and has received international humanitarian awards.

Mam spoke about her extraordinary life during her first visit to Australia, in between a flurry of book signings, public lectures and meetings with politicians.

Her autobiography, The Road of Lost Innocence, has been reprinted many times.

It is a grim story of abuse - young lives broken by rape, torture and starvation together with betrayal by the very people who should have protected their own children.

Poverty also causes Cambodian families to sell their daughters into prostitution.

Mam says her story is symptomatic of a country with a long history of treating females worse than livestock.

"Cambodian society is about violence and submission," she told AAP.

"That smile people associate with gentle Cambodian women is a lie.

"It's always been like that. Women have been beaten slaves since before the Khmer Rouge, who killed any compassion there was.

"Although the situation is changing, 30 years later Cambodian society is still struggling. People only care about themselves."

Cambodians are a silent people, Mam says, and women's suffering is also endured in silence, compounded by a lack of education in all spheres.

"Girls are taught only shame and ignorance about their bodies and men have their first sexual experience in brothels. Rape is the only thing they know."

Up to 70 per cent of brothel clients are Cambodian men and the remaining 30 per cent are foreigners including paedophiles targeting children, she says.

Although Mam was able to escape her past by living in France for a while with her French husband Pierre, she continues to be haunted by nightmares and post-traumatic stress.

Mam says she felt driven to rescue girls like herself. Together with Pierre she started saving victims of sexual slavery in Cambodia even though police and corrupt politicians were as bad as the pimps and clients who wanted her gone.

She was one of the founding members of AFESIP (Acting for Women in Distressing Circumstances), which has rescued and rehabilitated over 4000 women since 1996.

Now divorced, Mam says her traumatic past makes it impossible for her to be in a relationship.

But becoming a mother helped her feel love for the first time.

Mam has three children aged 18, 14 and eight. The oldest girl, Ning, is her sister's daughter whom she adopted.

"I'm not a gentle girl and life has been a fight, but out of this, and becoming a mother, came love."

The motherly love she discovered now fuels her mission in Cambodia, where she lives, to maintain three shelters for rescued sex slaves where their dignity is rebuilt through nurturing and education.

"It takes five minutes to rescue a girl and then the hard work starts," she says.

"First give them love until they feel it and they feel safe. Prove to them they can trust, and then start building life skills."

Bill Livermore, the US head of the Somaly Mam Foundation, says a key to ending trafficking is empowering women.

"Access to education, law and the economy is a must. If you take 50 per cent of the population out of those areas, countries do not thrive. Cambodia is very poor".

Livermore also advocates embarrassing governments who tolerate the sex slavery scourge "because governments won't change unless they are embarrassed to change".

He says the rehabilitation success rate in Cambodia soared after survivors were encouraged to rescue other girls.

"It went up from 65 per cent to 90 per cent because they were able to bond with the prostitutes and that's the kind of skill that a PhD from Harvard will never give you," he says.

The foundation was created in the US in 2007 and has a combination of corporate and private funding - not a cent comes from the United Nations or any government body.

Mam's high international profile helps, although old enemies remain. There have been threats on her life and she has a driver and a full-time bodyguard.

"If they kill me, there will be many more to take my place," she says.

SEX SLAVERY: THE FACTS

One in 40 Cambodian girls is sold into sexual slavery

Human trafficking is the second-largest organised crime in the world, even bigger than the drugs trade

2-4 million women and girls will be sold into prostitution worldwide over the next 12 months

Over a million will be small children

Some girls will be sold for as little as $US10 and will be as young as five

Profits from sexual slavery are estimated at up to $US12 billion annually

Sources: US State Department, UNICEF, UN Office of Drugs and Crime

The Road of Lost Innocence, by Somaly Mam, is published by Virago Press.

For more info go to www.somaly.org and www.projectfutures.com

AAP

KOH Puos investment group to develop tourism centre in Cambodia.

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Source : HVS International

KOH Puos Investment Group (KPIG), funded by a group of Russian investors, will invest more than US$1 billion to develop a tourism and residential centre on a southern Cambodian island.

Located off the coast of Sihanoukville, this mixed-use development will occupy the 120-hectare Koh Puos Island.

The mixed-use development, featuring hotels, a casino complex, sports facilities, luxury residential villas and apartment buildings, and extensive leisure attractions, will be carried out in phases throughout 2016.

Thailand: Thailand's Red Shirts reportedly preparing to group

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/

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Updated June 22, 2010 11:58:13

Thailand's anti-government Red Shirt protestors are reportedly preparing to regroup, following their bloody defeat by the military last month. Hundreds of Red Shirt protestors, many of whom support ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, have been arrested. But many more are in hiding, with some believed to have sought refuge in Cambodia. The government of Abhisit Vejajiva is yet to lift an emergency decree blanketing one third of Thailand, fearing further unrest.

Around 88 people were killed during the 10-week protest which ended after the military stormed the protest encampment in Bangkok's city hub.

Presenter: Liam Cochrane

Speakers: Sean Boonpracong, the international spokesman for Thailand's anti-government Red Shirt movement

Listen:Windows Media

BOONPRACONG: I think it is a bit premature, there's been so much discussion by the government just to make sure that they can justify using the emergency decree a little bit longer and we were told they want to keep it for the rest of the year which to me is highly unconstiutional and I think that the fact that there is huge disatisfaction and rage against what took place last month, I think that there are now confirmed ninety dead and two thousand injured.

LIAM COCHRANE: At this point how any of your supporters are still on the run?

BOONPRACONG: There are at least 819 warrants for arrest nationwide and plus unaccountable incidents that are not reported in the press of constant harassment and intimidation reported all over the country and the fact that people are in incredible fear, they are on the run, no doubt about that. And I think that right now is really not the time to re-organise because we are just trying to survive and stay alive in this brutal crackdown.

LIAM COCHRANE: You say there have been unreported incidents of harassment and intimidation, can you say what those incidents were?

BOONPRACONG: Being beaten up, you know in three and four provinces where there is the emergency decree, but those are not widely reported as much. In the Bangkok case, there are still 150 people being detained, many of whom, both men and women, are charged. There are many reports of death coming out still, including a 12 year old, these are being reported by the mainstream media. So those are real, but besides that of course the media blackout on the Reds is still in force, so we don't know how we can call ourselves a democracy when what we have is a state of dictatorship in place. So we don't want to be overly accused of constantly bringing you bad news, but here you are, this is the current state of Thailand.

LIAM COCHRANE: I'd like to ask you about the Red Shirt protestors who are being detained. There are reports of human rights violations against them, what do you has happened to people behind bars?

BOONPRACONG: Well, the guards especially are being beaten and of course, we haven't had access to them. We haven't had much chance to visit them. There is sketchy information. The picture is a war zone, even in the heart of the capital here so we don't have much to report on.

LIAM COCHRANE: Can I ask you about the reports that some Red Shirt protestors are hiding in Cambodia?

BOONPRACONG: We have heard those reports ourselves but we haven't talked to them, but they're probably trying to stay quiet and not create a diplomatic ruffle with Thailand but of course we are glad that they are alive, if that's proven to be the case. But at this moment we are not mounting anything against the government, just staying alive is the key issue for now.

Firm expands Cambodian rubber plantations

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June, 22 2010

HA NOI —The Dong Nai and Dong Phu companies under the Viet Nam Rubber Group (VRG) unveiled a new phase of rubber plantations in Sombo District of Kratie Province in Cambodia last Saturday.

The move is part of VRG's plan to grow 100,000ha of rubber trees in Cambodia by 2012.

VRG Chairman Le Quang Thung said the group's investment in Cambodia had not only yielded profit but also brought social benefits. The project has so far provided jobs to over 2,000 Cambodian workers at the rubber plantations.

Senior Minister of the Cambodia Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction Im Chhun Lim said that the VRG had contributed to job generation and poverty reduction in Cambodia.

The two companies have been licensed to grow rubber trees on 16,000ha of land in Sombo District.

In the 2008-09 crop, they planted over 2,000ha and plan to cultivate an additional 2,000ha in 2010.

The VRG said it planned to invest $55 million in growing an additional 16,000ha of rubber trees in five Cambodian provinces this year, including 8,900ha in Kampong Thom, 7,500ha in Kratie, 1,500ha in Ratanakiri, 1,100ha in Stung Treng, and 1,000ha in Preah Vihear.

The plantations are expected to begin producing latex in 2017 with a total output of 150,000 tonnes, to be increased to 250,000 tonnes in 2020. — VNS

Problems Beset Cambodia’s Anti-Trafficking Campaign

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By Irwin Loy

PHNOM PEN, June 22, 2010 (IPS) - Worrying trends continue to plague Cambodia and provide considerable concern for the future despite the gains it has reportedly made in combating human trafficking.

Citing renewed attention to law enforcement and the prosecution of offenders engaged in "modern slavery," the 2010 Trafficking in Persons report released earlier this month by the U.S. State Department removed Cambodia from its watch list of countries seen as not doing enough to fight human trafficking.

"The government of Cambodia demonstrated significant progress in law enforcement efforts against sex trafficking during the last year," the report states.

Cambodia was judged to be a Tier 2 country on a three-level scale, indicating that while it does not comply with "minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking," it is nonetheless "making significant efforts to do so."

The report cites increased convictions of people accused of human trafficking as justification for removing Cambodia from the watch list. There were 36 convictions of offenders during the reporting period, compared with 11 in 2008.

Bith Kimhong, director of the anti-human trafficking department in Cambodia’s Ministry of Interior, called the decision to remove the country from the U.S. watch list "just."

"We have worked hard to combat human trafficking," he said.

Samleang Seila, country director for the group Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), which helps child victims of sex abuse, acknowledged that authorities have demonstrated increased commitment to tackling the problem.

"Cambodia is making progress against trafficking," he said. "The number of arrests and investigations done by the police last year has increased. There are more sex offenders sent to court."

Yet, he added, it remains difficult to prosecute offenders accused of abusing the children his organisation helps.

Impunity and corruption – sometimes from police and judicial officials alleged to be both "directly and indirectly involved in trafficking" – continue to impede progress, states the U.S. report.

Children, women and men still fall victim to trafficking within the country and outside of Cambodia’s borders.

And a "weak judicial system," combined with "credible fears of retaliation," means that many victims are unwilling to rely on the legal system for help, the report adds.

These and related warnings have left critics wondering why the U.S. State Department saw fit to lift Cambodia from its human trafficking watch list.

U.S. Congressman Ed Royce, a frequent critic of government corruption in Cambodia, said the country’s removal from the watch list was an unjustified reward.

"For Cambodia to make meaningful progress in addressing human trafficking, it must address the growing problem of government corruption," Royce said in response to e-mailed questions. "The problem is getting worse by the year."

Royce, who is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sponsored a House Resolution last year condemning Cambodian corruption and "the role it plays in furthering human trafficking."

"Having heard scores of accounts from NGOs (non-government organisations) and from eyewitnesses, the Cambodian government’s corruption often hampers trafficking investigations, and at worse, covers up the problem. Rewarding Cambodia, as the State Department Report does, only hampers efforts to curtail human trafficking," said Royce in a statement.

Global Witness, an international anti-corruption watchdog, has accused Cambodia of "widespread corruption and mismanagement of public funds" even as it urged the international donor community to demand that the government fulfill its promised reforms, including those in the judicial system.

"What needs to be improved is the judicial system and the court process, which sometimes discourages victims from participating in the legal system against the defender," APLE’s Seila said.

There is also a fear that economic problems could magnify human trafficking concerns in the near future, with migrant workers looking abroad for job opportunities.

Neighbouring Thailand remains a major destination country for Cambodian migrants, with some 124,000 migrants legally registered to work there. However, it is estimated that many more undocumented labourers head abroad each year.

Fueled by a lack of opportunity at home, trafficked migrant workers are often lured by middlemen who promise lucrative jobs abroad. Instead, they are often smuggled to perform dangerous work on fishing vessels.

"Most of them work under slave labour conditions for a very long time," said Manfred Hornung, a legal adviser with the Cambodian rights group LICADHO.

The escaped migrants he has interviewed report brutal conditions – 22-hour work days, frequent beatings, even murder at sea.

Migrants are rarely paid until after they are released, he said, a timeline that can last for months and even years.

"In May, I had two guys come back after being away for three years," Hornung said. "None of them received salaries."

Hornung calls dozens of smuggled migrants he has interviewed "the tip of the iceberg" when it comes to human trafficking concerns.

Estimates suggest that between 250,000 and 300,000 young Cambodians will enter the labour market each year in search of jobs. If they cannot find them in Cambodia, many will choose to look abroad, potentially putting them at risk.

The U.S. State Department has also warned of this alarming trend.

"Labour trafficking among Cambodians migrating abroad for work is a growing problem that will require greater attention from authorities in the coming year," it says.

Rolling in doughnuts

http://www.rankinledger.com/

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Donut Palace owner Amanda Chea opened her first store in 2003 at Castlewoods. Now she owns five stores in Rankin and Madison counties, with the most recent opening at Crossgates in April. (Melanie Thortis | Rankin Ledger)

June 22, 2010

By Justin Fritscher

Amanda Chea delicately snagged a doughnut and passed it to a hungry customer.

It's late in the morning, and business is steady at her newest - and fifth location - on U.S. 80 at Crossgates. Although her day at the Brandon bakery started at 5 a.m., she still was all smiles.

Why? Business is good, real good for the head of a growing pastry empire in Madison and Rankin counties.

Doughnuts have proved to be recession-proof, and Chea, a native of Cambodia, is looking to open more stores.

"I'm just trying to find the best locations," Chea said, whose newest store opened in April.

One of her late morning patrons, Brandon resident Suzan Harris, said she and her family visit the store about once a week.

"They're cheaper here, and they taste good," Harris said of the variety of doughnuts behind the glass counter.

Chea admits that when she opened her first shop in 2003, she did not have much of a sweet tooth.

"I used to be 100 pounds," said Chea, with a laugh. "It's tempting to work here," the slender Madison resident said.

She opened her first store seven years ago at Lakeland Drive and Crossgates Boulevard.

Donut Palace is a franchise, and a chance meeting with the owner of the McComb location led to Chea opening her original store in 2003.

"He helped me get started. I told him I didn't have any equipment, and he said, 'I have some equipment you can use,'" Chea said.

"He said, 'When you make money, you can pay me back.' I couldn't believe he was taking a risk on me."

At the time, she was managing a Chinese eatery in Northpark mall, and business was weak.

"I knew I had to do something else," she said. "I knew I needed a change."

She discovered what would soon be her first doughnut shop, seeing a "for lease" sign at an old pharmacy along Lakeland Drive.

"I knew it would be a good location," she said. "I thought, 'This could be my big break.'"

But she and her family remained uncertain.

"My family said, 'No, it's not going to work out. We're going to be homeless.' I said, 'Please God.'"

Now they have a different attitude. Now many of her relatives work for the doughnut shops.

Her aunt and uncle are managing her two Madison stores (one on Bozeman Road and one on U.S. 51). Her mom is managing the Lakeland Drive location, and her sister is managing the one on Old Fannin Road.

Doughnuts, in a way, were part of her childhood. Her mom, Kim, owned a doughnut shop in Southern California, her home for 20 years after leaving Cambodia at age 10.

She helped sell the doughnuts there when she was in high school, she said.

"I didn't really want to go back to doughnuts," she said. "But it really is different now."

Hours are not so bad. Her Crossgates store is open from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. and her other stores are open from 5 a.m. to noon.

Her husband, Andy, works the early morning gig at the Crossgates location, starting the baking process at 1 a.m.

Andy and Amanda Chea have four children, ranging from ages 4 to 15, and the older ones enjoy coming to help out around the shop, Chea said.

"They really enjoy coming," she said. "They came last week, and they had a great time."

To comment on this story, call Justin Fritscher at (601) 961-7266.

Cambodia, Vietnam launch new building material company

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June 22, 2010

Cambodia's local company Mong Reththy Group and Vietnam's state mining company Vinacomin have launched a 5-million-U.S. dollar building material company in Preah Sihanouk province called Vinacomin-Reththy, local media reported on Tuesday.

Mong Reththy, senator of Cambodian People's Party, was quoted as saying by The Cambodia Daily that the company, which officially started business last Friday in Prey Nop district, would be capable of producing 10,000 bricks and tiles per hour by using modern kiln machinery.

"It will produce 80 million pieces per year," he said, adding that the company will produce many different types of tile. "We want to reduce the imports of construction materials from other countries and increase exports from Cambodia."

Reththy said the company would employ about 200 workers and increase that number if business proves successful. The main export market for the company will be Vietnam, Reththy said.

Deputy governor of Preah Sihanouk province, Chev Kimheng, welcomed the investment, saying it would help reduce costs for construction projects in the area. "The location of the factory is so close to us and our people."

Source: Xinhua

Rohingya Seek Cambodian Asylum

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2010-06-21

Members of a Muslim ethnic minority from Burma appeal to Phnom Penh.

Photo courtesy of Thai Navy.
Rohingya asylum-seekers aboard a Thai Navy vessel, December 2008.

BANGKOK—Cambodia is weighing asylum bids from a group of 32 ethnic minority Muslims who fled from Burma, according to a United Nations refugee official.

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) country director Christina Planas said Monday the Rohingya had been questioned by the Cambodian government in an interview arranged by her agency.

She added that the UNHCR would provide assistance as needed while the government makes its decision.

“[The Rohingya] have been interviewed by the government of Cambodia with the assistance of the UNHCR. The government is taking responsibility,” Planas said.

But Ministry of the Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak said Monday that he was unaware that the Rohingya, whom Burma's military government doesn't recognize as Burmese nationals, had requested Cambodian asylum, adding that the government would investigate the matter.

“Normally the government will cooperate with the UNHCR to determine whether to give them refugee status, but is it the Cambodian government who will give the final decision,” he said.

Meanwhile the group of Rohingya is running out of food and supplies, the local Kaladan News reported June 7.

It quoted a Rohingya named Mohamad Tayub as saying that members of the group could starve.

All 32 of the Rohingya have been living in the Russei Keo district of Cambodia capital Phnom Penh since traveling to the country in January.

Facing discrimination

Amnesty International says the military regime in Burma, which the junta calls Myanmar, is violating the human rights of the Rohingya, who live in the northern Rakhine state of western Burma.

Authorities discriminate against the group, Amnesty said, by refusing to give its members Burmese citizenship.

The Rohingya drew global attention last year when the Thai military was accused of towing the boats of as many as 1,000 asylum-seekers out to sea and leaving them to drift at the mercy of the currents without adequate food and water.

The Rohingya themselves say they are Muslim descendants of Persian, Turkish, Bengali, and Pathan traders, who migrated to Burma as early as the 7th century A.D. But their ethnic identity isn't widely recognized.

Rights groups say they are particularly vulnerable to human traffickers, and their case is now being taken up by the Bali Process, a human-smuggling summit involving more than 40 regional nations.

Some 200,000 Rohingya, ethnic Muslims who live in fear of arrest and deportation and lack access to the services provided at international refugee camps, have fled to Bangladesh from Burma.

Bangladesh does recognize as refugees some 28,000 Rohingya who live in two official camps run by the UNHCR and the Bangladesh government.

Original reporting by Samean Yun for RFA’s Khmer service. Khmer service director: Sos Kem. Translated by Samean Yun and Vuthy Huot. Written for the Web in English by Joshua Lipes. Edited by Sarah Jackson-Han.

Cambodia's ex-monarch to visit Vietnam this week

http://www.asiaone.com/

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Mon, Jun 21, 2010

AFP

PHNOM PENH, June 21, 2010 (AFP) - Cambodia's former king Norodom Sihanouk and members of his royal family will pay a "friendship visit" to Vietnam this week, boosting ties between the neighbouring countries, officials said Monday.

Sihanouk, one of Asia's longest-serving monarchs, was due to leave for Hanoi on Tuesday and return on Friday, accompanied by his wife and his son, King Norodom Sihamoni, according to sources close to the palace.

It marks his first visit to Vietnam for 15 years.

The ex-monarch is sometimes known as the "king-father" of Cambodia, where anti-Vietnamese sentiment is rife, fuelled by resentment at Vietnam's expansion over centuries and the feeling that Cambodia is losing some of its territory.

Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978, overthrew the communist Khmer Rouge regime in 1979 and occupied the country for 10 years. Relations have been particularly tense in relation to border issues.

Sihanouk's personal secretary Prince Sisowath Thomico said the "friendship visit" would boost the ties between the two Southeast Asian countries, although he would not comment on the schedule.

"Being retired and no longer doing politics nor diplomacy, my journey and trip to the glorious Socialist Republic of Vietnam will have a strictly private character," Sihanouk said in a statement dated June 14.

Sihanouk abruptly quit the throne in October 2004 in favour of his son, citing old age and health problems, but he remains a prominent figure in Cambodia and often uses messages on his website to comment on matters of state.

Cambodia and Vietnam share a 1,270-kilometre (790-mile) border, which has remained vague since French colonial times, but in 2005 they signed a border accord that has helped calm tensions after decades of territorial disputes. They officially began demarcating the contentious border in September 2006.

USNS Mercy Delivers Recovered Artifacts to Cambodia

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Jun 21, 2010 (DEFENSE DEPARTMENT DOCUMENTS AND PUBLICATIONS/ContentWorks via COMTEX) -- SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia (NNS) -- USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), on behalf of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia, returned treasured cultural artifacts while visiting Cambodia June 17 during Pacific Partnership 2010.

"As a Cambodian, I was very happy to learn of the return of these artifacts. On behalf of the Cambodian people, I would like to thank the U.S. government for their commitment to the Cambodian people," said Khim Sarith, Cambodian Ministry of Culture director. "On behalf of the Ministry of Culture, this is indeed a great contribution to Cambodian culture."

The governor of Ratankiri, Sbong Sarath, five Buddhist monks and a crowd of approximately 60 people gathered on the pier to watch the return of the relics of their heritage. As they were unpackaged from their shipping crates, the monks blessed the artifacts, as well as all those who helped to ensure their safe return.

Pacific Partnership 2010 Mission Commander, Capt. Lisa M. Franchetti, and Sarith later signed a document signifying the transfer of the custody of the antiquities from the United States to Cambodia. Following the ceremony, the artifacts were taken to the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh.

The artifacts include several pieces smuggled from Angkor Wat, a Buddhist temple located 200 miles from the capital city of Phnom Penh. The pieces include stone sculptures with ornate carvings of lions, dragons and human figures. The artifacts are believed to be from the Angkor Period, which spanned from 802 until 1431 A.D.

They were seized during Operation Antiquity, an ICE antiquities recovery operation, in 2008. Conducting undercover meetings, ICE was able to identify and prosecute members of a trafficking organization exporting illegally obtained cultural antiquities from Cambodia, which were routed through Thailand and into the United States. The criminal organization is responsible for a 20-year span of trafficking Cambodian and Thai antiquities. The items were smuggled into Thailand and eventually shipped to their final destination in the United States.

"The most rewarding part of today's experience for me was witnessing how much the Cambodian nationals really respect and appreciate these items," said Mercy's First Officer Matthew Bush, one of Mercy's 65 civil service mariners who work for the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command. "For us to return the artifacts to their rightful owners is a token of goodwill, which truly fulfills the goal of this mission."

In the spirit of building and maintaining partnerships in the Pacific region, Mercy was selected to transport and return the artifacts to the royal government of Cambodia. Taking advantage of this opportunity to return the artifacts was an example of successful coordination between the Navy, ICE and the State Department and coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of relations between the United States and Cambodia.

Pacific Partnership 2010 is the fifth in a series of annual U.S. Pacific Fleet humanitarian and civic assistance endeavors aimed at strengthening regional partnerships among U.S. government organizations, host nations, partner nations and international humanitarian and relief organizations.

World Notes: Palestine, Cambodia, Uzbekistan, Angola, Honduras, Iceland

http://peoplesworld.org/

via Khmer NZ News Media

by: W. T. Whitney Jr.
June 21 2010

Photo: Chinese President Hu Jintao, fifth left, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, third right, meet on the sidelines of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, June 10. (AP/RIA Novosti, Vladimir Rodionov, Presidential Press Service)

Palestine: Amnesty International diagnoses collective punishment

Amnesty International reacted to Israel's decision June 17 to allow more civilian goods into Gaza by condemning that nation's continuing siege of 1.4 million Gazans as collective punishment. Quoted by IMEMC News, Amnesty spokesperson Malcolm Smart called upon Israel to "comply with its obligations as the occupying power under international law." He criticized Israel also for destroying Gaza's economy through barriers placed on exports of goods and free movement of residents. Interference with Gazans seeking medical care outside the enclave was seen as particularly odious, a point reinforced by the World Health Organization's condemnation the next day of non-functioning medical equipment at Gaza City's Ash-Shifa Hospital. The blockade excludes spare parts and servicing engineers.

Cambodia: Garment workers plan big strike

Despite Labor Minister Vong Soth's plea two weeks earlier to delay strike action pending completion of negotiations, the Free Trade Union of Workers, representing 86,000 garment workers, on June 15 announced a three-day strike in mid-July. The union is demanding a monthly minimum wage increase from $50 to $70, according to phnompenhpost.com. Union head Chea Mony asserted, "All the workers should raise their voices in order to achieve a reasonable salary and better conditions for work." An Interior Ministry spokesperson warned of legal consequences if the strike leads to violence. The potential strike is also aimed at supporting 87 workers unable to work at the Tack Fat garment factory following their refusal to accept in-factory job transfers.

Uzbekistan: Summit promotes Russia-China cooperation

The June 11 summit meeting in Tashkent of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was the occasion for solidifying relations between Russia and China. In their third encounter this year, Presidents Hu Jintao and Dmitri Medvedev reaffirmed plans for humanitarian and cultural exchanges, widened commercial ties, and Medvedev's upcoming visit to China. SCO member nations China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan agreed to new internal administrative measures and to procedures for admitting new member states. The summit reaffirmed collective efforts aimed at dealing with the world economic crisis and promoting regional stability and economic development. Representatives of Mongolia, India, Pakistan and Iran attended as observers. Afghan President Hamid Karzai was an invited guest.

Angola: Oil riches fuel social gains

A recent nationwide survey, undertaken by the government and UNICEF and reported by Afrol News on June 15, showed progress toward five of eight Millennium Development Goals: malnutrition; education; gender balance; child survival and malaria; and HIV/AIDS. Since 2002, malnutrition is down 12 points to 23 percent, and 76 percent of age-appropriate children attend school, although primary school completion rates lag. Maternal mortality remains high, and only 42 percent of people have access to safe drinking water, a backward step. Angola, ranking 143rd out of 158 nations in the UN 2009 Human Development Report is criticized for corruption in oil income distribution. Some 30 percent of governmental spending, derived overwhelmingly from oil exports, is now dedicated to social programs.

Honduras: Violence mounts

Outside Tegucigalpa on June 14, gunmen killed television reporter Luis Arturo Mondragon, the ninth journalist killed this year. Attempts on her life forced television journalist Karol Cabrera to escape to Canada a week earlier. Amidst agitation by public sector workers for wage increases and a national minimum wage, two men gunned down Oscar Molina, a beverage union leader's brother-in-law, on June 10. In mid-June, gunfire spared labor leaders Carolina Pineda and José Luis Baquedano, the latter active with the National Resistance Front. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier in June had urged Latin American leaders to accept the present government, successor to that of coup-deposed Manuel Zaleya, a "left-leaning president," according to The New York Times.

Iceland: Fraud investigators have worldwide beat

Following collapse of the Icelandic Banks Kaupthing, Landsbanki and Glitnir in 2008, proprietors and directors have lived abroad. Parliament last month blamed them for extracting "inappropriate loans from the banks," reported estrategumtrading.com on June 14. Alleging theft of $2 billion, Glitner Bank liquidation overseers are suing former bank officers for fraud in a New York court. They are also targeting auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers for obscuring fraudulent transactions. The worldwide assets of former bank director Jon Asgeir Johannesson have been frozen, among them two top-end New York City condominiums worth $25 million. And former President Sigurdur Einarsson of Kaupthing Bank "does not intend to return to Iceland so they can arrest him," preferring instead to reply on rights afforded him in Great Britain.

Hunting and eating tarantulas latest tourist rage in Cambodia

via Khmer NZ News Media

Melbourne, June 21 : Hunting for tarantulas and then eating them is the latest craze for tourists visiting Cambodia.olidaymakers are joining locals in hunting tarantulas, which are considered to be a local treat.

Locals hunt spider holes and then consume the creatures immersed in soy sauce, deep fried in salt and garlic, or mixed into rice wine and jack fruit cocktails.

They go to the forests or cashew nut plantations on the outskirts of Sukon and poke sticks down the hundreds of spider holes, catching them as they rush out of the earth, reports news.com.au.

Locals in Kampong Cham Town and Sukon, where tarantulas are more commonly eaten, are giving even the tourists a taste of this experience.

Tarantulas are also bred in fields in these areas, and since they are nocturnal, the hunting is done during the daytime to increase the chance of capture.

Locals found the spiders tasty and began to experiment with flavours and dishes.

Tarantulas in Sukon are sold for around 10 cents each and for 2.5 dollars with rice wine.

Hun Sen Angered by UN Envoy’s Remarks

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
Monday, 21 June 2010

via Khmer NZ News Media

Photo: AP
U.N. special rapporteur Surya Subedi walks through a Cambodian national flag upon his arrival at the U.N. headquarter in Phnom Penh.

“I did not escape the meeting with [Subedi],” Hun Sen said. “I had no other reason other than my own health problems, which caused an abrupt cancellation of the meeting.”

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday lashed out at the UN’s human rights envoy, who said last week he was “disappointed” he was not able to meet Hun Sen during a fact-finding mission this month.

The UN special rapporteur on human rights, Subya Subedi, gave a scathing review of Cambodia’s courts following his 10-day investigation, during which his appointment with Hun Sen was canceled.

Hun Sen said in a speech Monday he had been unable to meet because of a health problem, and he said the diplomatic word “disappointed” was disrespectful and could hurt future visits.

“I am very sorry that Surya P. Subedi used the word ‘disappointed’ for not meeting me,” Hun Sen said. “I think the word lacks the respect for the owner of the country and the leader of Cambodia, which has independence and sovereignty, and [the word] could also be looking down on Cambodians who voted for the [ruling Cambodian People’s Party], through the National Assembly, and for Hun Sen to become prime minister.”

Hun Sen has traditionally had a prickly relationship with UN rights envoys, and he cut off meetings entirely with Subedi’s predecessor, Yash Ghai, who was heavily critical of Cambodia’s human rights record.

“I did not escape the meeting with [Subedi],” Hun Sen said. “I had no other reason other than my own health problems, which caused an abrupt cancellation of the meeting.”

Subedi said last week he was not confident the courts could bring justice to the people of Cambodia. Subedi met with Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and senior government adviser Om Yentieng and will submit detailed recommendations to the UN’s Human Rights Council in September.

In his speech Monday, Hun Sen also took issue with Subedi’s assessment of the courts, which the envoy said lacked the resources, organization and willingness on the part of some judges to “command the confidence of the people.”

“We are not ignorant to the problems that devastate the country,” Hun Sen said. “You [Subedi], do not try to break through the door when the door is open, and don’t tell me that rain is falling when I’m standing under the rain.”

'Enemies of the People' Garners Rights Award

Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer | New York

Monday, 21 June 2010

via Khmer NZ News Media

Photo: Courtesy of Thet Sambath
Filmmaker Thet Sambat interviewing former Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea in his home.

Co-producer Thet Sambath, who remained in Cambodia for the screening, said the film was “very crucial to show to people…to understand human rights violations and the leading of a country to disaster.”

A documentary that explores the leadership of the Khmer Rouge and its decision-making, “Enemies of the People,” has won another award at this year’s Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

The film, which contains rare interviews with Khmer Rouge ideologue Nuon Chea, who is currently detained for atrocity crimes at the UN-backed tribunal, was shown for three days at Walter Reade Theater in New York.

The Nestor Almendros Award was given to "Enemies of the People" for its courage and commitment, John Biaggi, director of the festival, said.

Co-producer Thet Sambath, who remained in Cambodia for the screening, said the film was “very crucial to show to people…to understand human rights violations and the leading of a country to disaster.”

The film also won prizes at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

A second Cambodian documentary, “Red Light,” will have its premiere in New York this week. That film, produced with the help of opposition lawmaker Mu Sochua, examines Cambodia’s sex industry.

Ultimatum Issued in Mu Sochua Court Fine

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
Monday, 21 June 2010

via Khmer NZ News Media

Photo: AP
Mu Sochua, an opposition party lawmaker, stands in front of the Cambodian National Assembly in Phnom Penh.

“If she still opposes, she will be arrested.”

The Phnom Penh municipal treasury department has issued a court order to opposition lawmaker Mu Sochua that requires her to pay a court-mandated fine and compensation to Prime Minister Hun Sen or face a jail term.

Mu Sochua, who lost a Supreme Court appeal in a guilty verdict for defamation this month, is in the US. She has said she will not pay the fine and compensation, a total of around $4,500, in a countersuit brought by Hun Sen after she sued him for allegedly degrading remarks in public speeches.

If a warrant is issued for her arrest, she will be the second Sam Rainsy Party member to be abroad and facing a jail term.

Sam Rainsy himself remains in exile and faces a two-year sentence for destruction of border markers in Svay Rieng province. He is facing additional criminal charges for publishing a map on his website alleging improper border demarcation by the government.

Both lawmakers have been without their parliamentary immunity since 2009, and both have said the courts are being politically manipulated by the ruling party to damage the opposition.

In a letter last week to Mu Sochua, the municipal treasury department said she would have two weeks to pay her fine.

Mu Sochua is currently traveling in the US to promote a documentary film on human trafficking she helped produce. She was not immediately available for comment.

Municipal court prosecutor Sok Roeun told VOA Khmer Monday he will soon issue his own letter giving Mu Sochua 10 days to comply with the fines.

“If she still opposes, she will be arrested,” he said.

Tarantulas Stretch the Definition of "Dinner" in Cambodia

Slashfood

via Khmer NZ News Media

by Nichol Nelson,

Posted Jun 21st 2010

Photo: Santo Chino, Flickr

The "bizarre food" craze shows no signs of abating. Spurred on by television personalities and tell-all books, intrepid eaters continue to search the globe for the strangest -- and most off-putting -- edibles they can get their hands on. Which explains the skyrocketing popularity of the latest extreme tourist activity in Cambodia: hunting and eating tarantulas.

The hairy spiders are considered a delicacy in Kampong Cham Town and Sukon, and locals have begun offering visitors the chance to capture their own. The hunting party visits forests and cashew plantations to find the spiders, catching the nocturnal creatures while they're sleeping by poking sticks into their holes.

And then, cue the dinner bell. Deep frying the spiders is a popular technique -- they're served with salt and garlic. Prefer a drink? No worries. You can get your tarantula mixed into a rice wine and jack fruit cocktail.

Locals began eating the spiders in the 1970s, when residents were forced into the jungle during the Khmer Rouge's regime. Years of eating spiders and other bugs for survival gave the area's population a taste for them. Many Cambodians also believe tarantulas can treat medical problems, everything from backaches to breathing problems.

Want to bag your own tarantula? You'll need to be persistent. The tours aren't advertised, so befriending a local is a must. And it goes without saying that those with arachnophobia need not apply.

Cambodian PM says war left over 90,000 disabled people

via Khmer NZ News Media

June 21, 2010

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday that the civil war that lasted for more than two decades had left over 90,000 disabled people and about 300,000 children who are under their dependence.

Delivering a speech at the marking of the third anniversary of the Cambodian Veteran Day, Hun Sen said that his government has to help these people for their daily survival.

He said that in his name as president of Cambodian Veterans Association (CVA), he along with his wife and other generous people have built nearly 400 homes for the disabled veterans.

Hun Sen said the civil war in Cambodia was a result of the coup staged against then Prince Norodom Sihanouk in 1970.

While talking about the individual difficulties, Hun Sen said CVA has been well cooperated with friends around the world and in particular in the regional cooperation.

He said that CVA was admitted as a full member of the ASEAN Alliance for Veterans on April 26, 2010.

In his speech, Hun Sen highly valued veterans who had sacrificed a lot for the nation.

Source: Xinhua

‘Sail the Mekong River’ in Cambodia

i-to-i Campfire News

via Khmer NZ News Media

Posted 21 Jun 2010

Individuals on a gap year vacation to south-east Asia might want to take in Cambodia as part of their trip.

Writing for the Daily Mail, Amy Watkins has suggested sailing down the Mekong River could be the ideal excursion for visitors to the nation.

The journalist noted the waterways are "the lifeblood of the country", with fishermen working, women cleaning and children playing along the banks.

She observed the largest cruise ship on the Mekong Delta is La Marguerite, which carries 92 passengers between the Angkor Wat temples in Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam.

It has been constructed in the style of a colonial steamer and features traditional Indo-Chinese patterns throughout.

People looking to purchase a souvenir from the journey can do so at the ship’s on-board gift shop, Ms Watkins added.

Suite101 contributor Eric Coggins recently reported Cambodia is renowned by travellers for the great hospitality bestowed on visitors from its inhabitants.

Due to Reforestation and Land Grabbing, Everyone becomes a Song Writer and Singer

UN Special Rapporteur criticizes Cambodia's Judiciary (In Khmer)

Hunting and eating tarantulas latest tourist rage in Cambodia

via Khmer NZ News Media

2010-06-21

Hunting for tarantulas and then eating them is the latest craze for tourists visiting Cambodia.olidaymakers are joining locals in hunting tarantulas, which are considered to be a local treat.

Locals hunt spider holes and then consume the creatures immersed in soy sauce, deep fried in salt and garlic, or mixed into rice wine and jack fruit cocktails.

They go to the forests or cashew nut plantations on the outskirts of Sukon and poke sticks down the hundreds of spider holes, catching them as they rush out of the earth, reports news.com.au.

Locals in Kampong Cham Town and Sukon, where tarantulas are more commonly eaten, are giving even the tourists a taste of this experience.

Tarantulas are also bred in fields in these areas, and since they are nocturnal, the hunting is done during the daytime to increase the chance of capture.

Locals found the spiders tasty and began to experiment with flavours and dishes.

Tarantulas in Sukon are sold for around 10 cents each and for 2.5 dollars with rice wine.

Former Khmer Rouge stronghold gets first textbook about atrocities committed in the 1970s

via Khmer NZ News Media

By The Associated Press (CP)

ANLONG VENG, Cambodia — Cambodian students in a former Khmer Rouge stronghold were issued a textbook Monday that for the first time teaches the atrocities of the past, a little more than a decade after government forces captured the movement's last bastion.

Some 1,000 copies of, "A History of Democratic Kampuchea," were handed out Monday at the Anlong Veng high school, located in the last jungle holdout of the regime that became a killing machine in the late 1970s.

The textbook by a Cambodian genocide researcher was first published in 2007 and entered circulation in 2009. Since then, about 300,000 copies have been distributed to high schools elsewhere in the country.

Most books about the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge era, when some 1.7 million perished through hunger, disease and executions, have been written by foreigners or overseas Cambodians. Very few have been translated into the Cambodian language, and none are cheaply available.

The book's arrival in the northern province of Anlong Veng has special poignancy. The area was home to many of the former regime's senior leaders and almost everyone — from teachers to district officials — was once Khmer Rouge. But students here have remained virtually clueless about the subject.

"I'm so happy to get this book," said 18-year-old student Pen Mom, whose parents were Khmer Rouge cadres. "I have heard from my parents about the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge, but now I will see how bad the regime really was."

The Khmer Rouge regime was toppled in 1979 but continued as a guerrilla force that plagued Cambodia with civil war. Anlong Veng was one of the rebels' last jungle strongholds, finally falling to government forces in 1998 after key rebel leaders surrendered.

The Documentation Center of Cambodia, an independent group that collects evidence of the Khmer Rouge and published the book, says it plans to print 700,000 more copies to distribute to high schools by the end of the year.

"All of us can draw lessons from our history," said Youk Chhang, the centre's director. "By taking responsibility for teaching our children through texts such as this one, Cambodia can move forward and mould future generations to ensure that the seeds of genocide never again take root in our country."

Earlier of this year, the government said it will preserve 14 sites in Anlong Veng as tourist attractions including homes belonging to Khmer Rouge leaders, an ammunition warehouse and the grave of Pol Pot, who died in 1998.

"I will keep this book forever," said Chhun Soklin, a 29-year-old teacher at the high school. "After I read it I will pass it to my children because this book reflects the suffering endured by all Cambodians who experienced life under the Khmer Rouge."

The country is gearing up for the first and long-awaited verdict from the U.N.-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal. The tribunal will hand down its verdict July 26 in the case of Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, the Khmer Rouge prison chief accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes, murder and torture.

Four other aging Khmer Rouge leaders are facing trials expected to begin late this year or early next year.

__

Associated Press Writer Sopheng Cheang contributed reporting from Phnom Penh, Cambodia