New joint venture: Singaporean invests in pawn shop

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 29 July 2010 15:01 May Kunmakara

A SINGAPOREAN investor has put US$500,000 into a joint-venture pawnshop in Phnom Penh that is only the fourth to be registered in the Kingdom.

Steven Lam, director of the new business, Cash-U-Up, said the company would offer more financial solutions to Cambodians who had difficulties in accessing bank services.

“We intend to implement the skills brought from Singapore to succeed in our business here,” he said.

“We offer [services] to everyone who needs financial services or cash in advance that would be difficult to get from the bank or financial institutions.”

Cash-U-Up is set to provide small loans with a 3 percent interest rate against collateral of all kinds of property, such as jewellery, phones, cars, motorcycles and laptops.

The licensed store opened yesterday in Phnom Penh’s PGCT center on Street 274, but will compete with a host of unlicensed operators.

Under a January prakas, or edict, pawn shops require a permit to operate. Operators must have minimum capital of 80 million riels (about $18,823), of which 10 percent is required for a deposit at a Finance Ministry account at the National Bank of Cambodia.

Mey Vann, the MoF director of financial industry, said: “Our goal is to avoid them from accepting the stolen things to curb robbery in the country.

“Relying on the prakas

requires them to get registered but we cannot force them. We have to educate them to understand clearly about the law first,” and the government would take action in the future, he said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen returned from Singapore on Tuesday, where he highlighted investment opportunities.

ASEAN valuers plan to train Cambodians

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 29 July 2010 15:01 Soeun Say

THE Association of Southeast Asian Nation Valuers’ Association will hold a conference on real estate appraisals in Cambodia next year, the first time the event has come to the Kingdom.

“Our country has little experience in valuing real estate, but Singapore and Malaysia will send experts to the conference next year to train us to an international standard in property valuation,” said Sung Bonna, president of the National Valuers’ Association of Cambodia, yesterday.

The ASEAN Valuers’ Association allows regional real estate valuers to share opinions and exchange experience in a bid to keep up with the latest developments in the field.

Cambodia obtained membership last year, Sung Bonna said.

Membership in the association promotes transparent practices in appraisals, which helps to keep keep the market stable, he said. It also allowed real estate agents to gain experience managing property transactions.

“We are happy to hold the event for AVA,” he said.

“It is very important for our country to reach an international standard in property valuation.”

The decision to hold a meeting in Phnom Penh was made at its 16th annual congress, which was held in Bangkok last week.

The regional association was established in 1981 with five founding members: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Brunei joined in 1990, Vietnam in 1997 and Cambodia in 2009, according to the organisation’s website.

Rubber group sees rosy future

Vietnamese Rubber Enterprise Federation President Leng Rithy. Phnom Penh Post

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 29 July 2010 15:01 Chun Sophal

The Vietnamese Rubber Enterprise Federation includes 17 companies and has invested US$1 billion in growing rubber in Cambodia. The Post talked to Leng Rithy, its president.

Why is Vietnam interested in investing in Cambodian rubber plantations?

Vietnam is interested in growing rubber in Cambodia for several reasons.

First, Cambodia has a lot of potential free land which is suitable for rubber.

Cambodia is also next to Vietnam, which makes communication easy. The two countries have similar weather, and their people also have similar cultures.

How much capital will Vietnam invest and how many hectares of land area will the federation grow rubber on?

We have prepared a total amount of nearly US$1 billion to grow rubber, on a total economic concession land area of 100,000 hectares.

Of this amount, $600 million will be used for plantations, $200 million will be used for building infrastructure in the rubber plantation areas.

The other $200 million will be used for building rubber-processing factories.

How did the Vietnamese Rubber Enterprise Federation get such a large area to grow rubber on?

It was very difficult to find large areas of land to grow rubber on, but we were able to receive such a large area because [the project] has got support from the prime minister of Cambodia, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and local authorities of all levels.

What kind of encouragement did the project receive from the Cambodian government?

Cambodian law gives very broad encouragement to investment.

Under these laws the federation has been facilitated by the Cambodian government to import agricultural materials, fertiliser, and rubber breeds with import tax at zero percent.

When will the project be finished?

At first we planned to finish it by 2015. But because of the support and facilitation we received from the government, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and local authorities of the provinces in which we are growing rubber – including Preah Vihear, Kampong Thom, Kratie Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri – we have speeded up.

Our plantation is set to be finished by 2012. We planned to grow 10,000 hectares in 2009, 20,000 hectares this year, 30,000 hectares in 2011 and then 40,000 hectares in 2012.

How big will your workforce be?

We plan to employ 40,000 workers. Of those, 30,000 would work on the plantations and the other 10,000 would be employed in the technical work, administrative work and in factories.

These workers are from Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Kampong Thom, Pursat, Takeo and Kampong Chhnang provinces.

Is it difficult to recruit a large number of workers?

At first, it was very difficult for us to recruit workers because most of them did not trust our investment very much.

But now, seeing our achievements, many people who used to migrate to work elsewhere have been returning home to grow rubber for us.

So far, the federation has been building houses to provide accommodation to workers at the base of each plantation.

Moreover, we are building schools and health-care centres to provide health-care services.

Workers who came here first saw that their lifestyle was improved and have been persuading their relatives to come to work for us more and more.

Besides growing rubber, does the federation have plans to do anything else?

We plan to build two big rubber-processing factories in Kampong Thom and Kratie provinces in late 2011.

We will equip the two factories with modern facilities and high-tech systems to produce international-standard-quality rubber.

Moreover, we plan to choose a place in one of the two provinces to use as location for us to transform rubber into finished products such as car tyres, medical tools, condoms and gloves.

We will complete all these projects by 2016 and in 2017 the federation will start to harvest resin.

How much rubber does the federation expect to produce per year?

We expect to get 20,000 tonnes of rubber in 2015, and the output will increase up to as much as 200,000 tonnes by 2018 when all rubber we have grown will yield.

We believe our estimation will not be wrong because the rubber breeds we have chosen to grow in Cambodia are the best ones, which will yield at least 2 tonnes per hectare.

What do you think of the investment environment here?

Vietnam dares to invest as much as $1 billion to grow rubber like this because we found that the Cambodian government has been giving priority and paying a lot of attention to the agro-industrial sector, which provides a good opportunity for all investors in general.

In the name of investment, we must be aware of and able to take hold of opportunities for investing, especially in such circumstances, because a quick decision can also bring us more benefits.

Farmers join freshies in art show

Nov Cheanick, Farmer 8, Farmers series, 2010, ink on paper.

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 29 July 2010 15:00 Roth Meas

CAMBODIAN artists Nov Cheanick and Ouk Sochivy are showing their paintings at an exhibition titled Farmers and Freshies, opening tonight at Sa Sa Art Gallery in Phnom Penh.

Ouk Sochivy, Freshie 6, Freshies series, 2010, oil on canvas.      Vuth Lyno, the manager of Sa Sa, said the exhibition marked the first time paintings had been displayed at the gallery since it opened last year, as all previous shows featured photographs.

“We’re organising this exhibition not only to show paintings that reflect social issues in Cambodia but also to introduce everyone to new artists,” he said.

Vuth Lyno said he decided to exhibit the two artists together because, although they are both young Cambodian painters, they used their work to explore completely different topics.

Nov Cheanick, 21, who lives in the countryside, paints the farmers he sees around his house in Battambang province. He said he wanted other people to understand how hard farmers work to grow rice.

Ouk Sochivy, 25, who lives in Phnom Penh, is more concerned with painting urban youths who copy the styles of the effeminate “freshie boys” and “freshie girls” they see on television.

“This exhibition will show the differences in young people from different parts of the country,” Vuth Lyno said. “Youths in the city are modernised, but those in the countryside seem separated from society, even though they play an important role in Cambodia’s economy.”

Nov Cheanick, who lives with his father and brother in Battambang province, said he didn’t get a good education as a result of his parents’ divorce. He dropped out of school in 2003, but the following year started attending art classes run by the Cambodian NGO Phare Ponleu Selpak, whose school was near his house.

“I spent six years learning how to paint and make wood carvings there,” he said.

Although he has experimented with different colours in his paintings, he mostly creates black-and-white images, a preference reflected in the artwork on display at the Sa Sa Art Gallery show.

“I just think black-and-white paintings are livelier than colourful pictures,” he said.

Nov Cheanick said his method was to spray water onto white paper, drop black ink onto the paper and then use a brush to make the painting.

“I paint farmers I see near my house,” he said. “I hope my paintings will remind viewers that farmers are always working hard. Some of them never get proper educations, and their lives can seem out of touch with modern society.

“The emotions on the faces in my paintings show the situation of our farmers.”

Since finishing his classes at Phare Ponleu Selpak, Nov Cheanick has been teaching art to drug addicts at rehabilitation centres in Bovel and Battambang, making his own paintings in his spare time.

“In the future I just want to be an artist who paints pictures for people to see,” he said.

The other artist in the show, Ouk Sochivy, is the granddaughter of the famous contemporary folk painter Svay Ken, who died two years ago.

“Several months before he died, Svay Ken taught me how to paint in his style and even asked me not to learn art from anyone else so the style would not be influenced by others,” she said.

Like her grandfather, she works with oil on canvas. But while Svay Ken focused on rural scenes and autobiographical images, Ouk Sochivy paints young Cambodian urbanites who sport western clothing and overdone hairstyles.

“Through my paintings, I want to show that many Cambodian youths in the city are influenced by Western styles, such as girls who wear short skirts,” she said. “Cambodian tradition dictates that people should wear appropriate clothing, so these styles can impact our traditional values.”

Ouk Sochivy said that as long as her paintings attracted viewers, she would continue painting in her grandfather’s style.

Farmers and Freshies opens at Sa Sa Art Gallary at (7 Street 360) tonight at 6pm and will continue through September 15. Both artists will be present at the opening.

Contest winner seeks high profile for Khmer music

Photo by: Uy Nousereimony
Contestants take part in the Universal Khmer Song Festival 2010

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 29 July 2010 15:00 Ou Mom

IN the past decade the onslaught of hip-hop, alternative rock and vapid Korean pop music has increasingly overpowered and displaced the Cambodian music of the 1960s and 1970s on Phnom Penh’s airwaves.

But the Cambodian music of yesterday took centre stage during the Universal Khmer Song Festival 2010, which started in April and culminated with a finals smackdown on July 22 and 23 at Diamond Island in Phnom Penh.

The competition divided contestants into two categories: those singing pop songs composed by Cambodians, mostly from the 1960s and 1970s; and those focusing on classical Khmer songs, which are mostly heard these days at traditional weddings.

The contest started in April in May with the selection of four candidates (two male and two female) from each province. Through provincial heats, the numbers were whittled down to 48 singers, who joined 20 Cambodian candidates living abroad for the semifinal competition in Phnom Penh from July 2 to 4.

From among these, 28 candidates were selected to take part in the finals, during which awards were given to the top five males and top five females in each of the two categories.

The first-place male in the pop song category, 31-year-old Thon Samut Sithun, said he never expected to win when he first entered the competition.

“I took part in the contest because I thought it would give me the opportunity to meet other Cambodian singers and song lovers, and help promote Khmer music,” said Thon Samut Sithun, who works as a chef in France.

He won the contest by singing Sin Si Samut’s famous song “Pruat Phnom Sampov” (“Separated from Sampov Mountain”). “I started singing when I was 12 years old and was only interested in Sin Si Samut, who was known as the Golden-Voiced Emperor of Cambodia,” he said.

Thon Samut Sithun said he enjoyed the support of his father, who, seeing his talent as a singer, bought him a cassette player and a collection of Sin Si Samut song cassettes so he could practice.

Thon Samut Sithun said he started working as a singer in Phnom Penh in 1998, at first earning US$2 a night but later doubling his salary.

“In 2003 I got my first chance to sing on Bayon TV,” he said. “It was at that point that I added ‘Samut’ to my name since I was singing the songs of Sin Si Samut.”

“By adding ‘Samut’ to my name, I don’t mean to compare myself to the Golden-Voiced Emperor,” he said. “I just regard him as my idol and like to remind people how grateful I am for his contribution to Cambodian culture and art.”

In 2004 Thon Samut Sithun moved to Paris and married Tang Srey Pich, who is also a Khmer song lover and owns a music production company in Paris called Ponlee Reachsey.

As a first-place victor in the Universal Khmer Song Festival, Thon Samut Sithun earned a winner’s certificate, a laptop computer, 6 million riels (about US$1,400) and other small gifts.

“The prizes were not important to me. The important thing was to meet fans of Cambodian music and help develop the music scene here,” he said.

He said his ambition is to eventually establish his own music production company in Cambodia.

“I plan to come back to Cambodia in 2014 with more experience and more knowledge about the music industry,” Thon Samut Sithun said.

Premium revenues rising

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 29 July 2010 15:00 Nguon Sovan

CAMBODIA’S insurance premium revenues significantly increased in the first six months of the year, and growth was set to continue, the General Insurance Association of Cambodia said.

According to figures from GIAC, the Kingdom’s six insurance firms racked up US$11.22 million in premium revenue in the first half – 33 percent more than the $8.48 million accrued during the same period last year.

Chhay Rattanak, GIAC chairman, said the growth would be steady for rest the year.

“I think that the premium revenues will increase around 20 percent to 25 percent in 2010,” he said yesterday.

The growth was attributable to an increase in engineering projects seeking cover, he said.

“Up to June 2010, we saw a big increase of premium revenue in engineering, but for other products there was not a big change,” he said.

According to GIAC figures, the sector derived 22.4 percent of its revenues from fire insurance and 21.4 percent from motor coverage. It drew 23.8 percent from miscellaneous and personal accident insurance, 17.3 percent from engineering, 13.8 percent from medical and 1.2 percent from marine coverage.

He added that the sum of claims in the first six months was just $3.2 million.

Youk Chamroeunrith, Forte Insurance general manager, forecast 35 percent growth for Forte’s premium revenues for the remainder of the year.

Cao Minh Son, Cambodia Vietnam Insurance chief executive, said earlier this month that the market was very competitive. CVI, which only opened in November, hit $508,000 revenue for the first six months of the year, roughly 50 percent of its target. Most came from aviation insurance to Cambodia Angkor Air.

Last year, the industry earned a total premium revenue of $20.07 million – a 2.86 percent drop from 2008.

The Phnom Penh Post News in Brief

via Khmer NZ

Elixir changes name

Thursday, 29 July 2010 15:00 Jeremy Mullins

ELIXIR Gaming Technologies, which runs up to 670 gaming machines at Phnom Penh's sole casino NagaWorld, has changed its name to Entertainment Gaming Asia. The change came as the firm planned to expand beyond gaming machines to build its first casino in Cambodia’s Takeo province, it said in a release. The firm will continue to trade on New York’s AMEX exchange under the EGT ticker symbol.

Loran announces deal to export jasmine rice

Thursday, 29 July 2010 15:00 Chun Sophal

LORAN Import Export Company has signed an agreement to export 820 tonnes of jasmine rice worth US$762,600 to Europe by the end of August. Lim Bun Heng, company president, said Loran would export 500 tonnes to Portugal, 110 tonnes to France, 110 tonnes to Switzerland, and 100 tonnes to Italy for US$930 per tonne, shipped via Sihanoukville Autonomous Port.

Bangkok and Phnom Penh again at loggerheads over Preah Vihear

Source: http://www.asianews.it/

via Khmer NZ

07/28/2010

THAILAND – CAMBODIA

by Weena Kowitwanij

Cambodia plans to use the 34th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee to present its management plan for the Preah Vihear Temple, an area Thailand considers its own. Yesterday, a thousand Thais protested against the UNESCO in front of its offices in Bangkok. Thailand’s prime minister complains that the “world-heritage inscription often turns tourist zones into areas of conflict”.

Bangkok (AsiaNews) – Thailand and Cambodia continue to be at loggerheads over the Preah Vihear Temple. About a thousand protesters gathered outside UNESCO offices in Bangkok to oppose the UN agency’s decision to view the ancient temple as a Cambodian World Heritage Site. During the 34th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee currently underway, Cambodia is set to submit its management plan for temple compound.

The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia goes back to 1962 when the International Court of Justice ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia, but failed to make a decision on the land adjacent the complex, giving rise to constant spats between the two nations. Although perched on a hill top in Cambodian territory, the temple is easily accessible only from the Thai side.

After years of negotiations, the dispute flared up again in 2008, when UNESCO decided to add the temple to its list of world Heritage sites, which would have required Thailand to make it accessible from its side of the border.

Since then, Thai and Cambodian troops have clashed. In the latest incident in April 2009, four Thai soldiers died.

Major General Chamlong Srimuang, leader of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) who led the recent protest in front of UNESCO’s Bangkok headquarters, said that the border was drawn by French colonial experts, but that Thailand never accepted it. He also slammed the Thai government for not putting sufficient pressures on UNESCO to solve the issue. In his view, the government should boycott the session.

“Even though Thai representatives will attend the conference,” he said, “there is nothing on their agenda to indicate that Thailand plans to protest in the matter. If UNESCO has accepted the Temple of Phra Viharn (alternative spelling) case, it will be to the disadvantage of Thailand,” he added.

Yesterday, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said that the Thai delegation at the World Heritage Committee session would defend Thailand’s rights and interests.

"We think the World Heritage Committee should not consider this [Cambodia’s] plan until Thailand and Cambodia have agreed upon the demarcation line," Abhisit said.

"The United Nations and its related agencies were established to promote peace. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee needs to review why its world-heritage inscription often turns tourist zones into areas of conflict," he added.

Unesco delays pondering management plan to tonight

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/

via Khmer NZ

PREAH VIHEAR CONTROVERSY

Unesco's World Heritage Committee has decided to postpone consideration on the controversial Preah Vihear Temple management plan from yesterday to tonight.

The postponement came after Cambodia's representatives requested an urgent talk with Thai Natural Resource and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti who is at the WH committee meeting in Brazil.

The panel will decide the matter again at about 10pm Bangkok time.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday considered options to retaliate against Unesco if the WH Committee approved the controversial Preah Vihear temple management plan.

PM revealed the option although the United Nations agency has guaranteed that the Hindu temple's inscription has nothing to do with the disputed border areas with Cambodia.

Among the options suggested by ministers was for Natural Resource and Environment

Suwit Khunkitti threatened to stage a walkout, and withdraw Thailand's membership from the Unesco committee.

Abhisit blamed the Unesco committee for listing Preah Vihear, which had created conflict between the two neighbouring countries. "If Unesco accepts the plan, it will create a wide rift between the people of the two countries," he was quoted by a source as saying at the Cabinet meeting.

Abhisit had instructed Suwit to lobby for a delay of the Preah Vihear management plan until the border dispute with Cambodia could be settled.

Thailand Emergency Rule under Fire

via Khmer NZ

Simon Roughneen
July 28, 2010

Demonstrators clash with police in Bangkok in April.

The retention of emergency law will be reviewed by the government on a week-by-week, district-by-district basis—a policy that is coming under increasing fire.

William Burns, the third most senior official in the U.S. State Department, spoke at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University on July 16, saying that the retention of emergency powers was "not healthy for a democratic system."

Thailand's already-shaky press freedom is coming under renewed pressure. According to the Southeast Asian Press Alliance, 26 more radio stations were recently closed by authorities using the emergency powers. Many of these are linked to the Red Shirts and stand accused of fomenting protestors to come to Bangkok to take part in the March 12-19 May rallies, which turned violent on April 10.

One Black Shirt has been arrested, but otherwise there is little clarity on the 90 deaths and around 2,000 injuries sustained during the protests, amid numerous acts of violence apparently perpetrated by protestors and the army.

Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International representative in Thailand, said, "The decree is exacerbating the problem the government wants to eliminate. As the decree is the prime driver making the Red Shirt movement go underground, it is counterproductive to retain this. The government is suppressing legal and lawful dissent."

Under the terms of the emergency law, detainees are being held at military camps, but precise numbers and whereabouts are unknown.

Dubious deployment

While some argue that a protest movement would not be permitted to successively occupy two important districts of a major capital city anywhere in the world, others believe that the deployment of the army to disperse the protestors was wrong, perhaps illegal.

The government bases its case on its view that the protest was not peaceful, while Red Shirts try to disown any connection with the armed black-clad faction, which refused to stand down when the Red Shirt leaders called an end to the rally as the army advanced on their stronghold back on May 19.

While the government says it seeks reconciliation via a series of reform measures, there seems to be an inherent contradiction between the stated goal and the methods used—some of which seem likely to foster division and recrimination.

Thailand's Department of Special Investigation recently got the green light to investigate an anti-monarchy plot—which the government earlier alleged by way of a much-derided network mapped out on a diagram given to media before the Red Shirt protest was disbanded. The government says that it will seek to prevent politicization of the country's revered royal institutions, which officially transcend politics. In a country where lèse-majesté convictions can lead to double-digit prison sentences, such allegations may hinder any attempt to reconcile Thailand's divides.

In a letter sent to media on July 20, Red Shirt leader Jaran Dittapichai said that the government was "deceiving the world" with its creation of five committees for political-media reconciliation and reforms—committees he said were composed of the enemies of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the Red Shirts.

Former PM under fire

The Thai government is homing in on the role of former PM Thaksin in financing and fomenting the protests. He is deemed a terrorist by the country's courts and faces a two-year jail sentence for corruption while in office. While he made history by winning successive elections in a country noted for fickle electorates, his administrations were marked by a combination of economic populism and draconian media curbs.

His ouster by a military coup, following Yellow Shirt protests in 2006, still rankles with Red Shirts, as does the circumstances—or machinations—behind how the current Democrat Party government led by Abhisit Vejajjiva came to power in late 2008. Although Abhisit's accession was legal and constitutional, Red Shirt leaders see a double standard.

Yellow Shirt protestors occupied the capital's two international airports in late 2008, days before Abhisit became prime minister. While Red Shirt leaders are currently incarcerated or on the run, Yellow Shirt leaders are not, and one, Kasit Piromya, is Thailand's foreign minister.

Economics and elections

Thailand's export-oriented economy seems to have come through the unrest relatively unscathed. Outgoing Bank of Thailand Governor Tarisa Watanagase said the unrest "was localized" and that "tourism, the most vulnerable sector, was not as badly hit as we feared."

Red Shirts sought early elections as a condition to ending their protest, and while a government offer of November 14 this year was rejected—an outcome the government blamed on Thaksin rather than the protest leaders in Thailand—there is still talk that voting could take place before the end of 2011.

The current administration may understandably prefer to hold the election when Thailand's economic recovery is having the greatest impact among ordinary Thais, and the government is making "pro-poor" social spending a key aspect of its reconciliation plans.

However, the incumbent Democrat Party faces two other legal challenges that might undermine all this. Charges that the party misused campaign donations could lead to its dissolution, while a gambit undertaken by PM Abhisit and Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij in early 2009 is being reviewed—slowly—by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). They are accused of violating the Anti-Corruption Law by asking mobile-phone operators to send text messages to 17 million mobile numbers free of charge, in contravention of Article 103 of the Anti-Corruption Law, which prohibits office holders from accepting any gifts worth 3,000 Thai baht ($90) or more.

On July 20, the NACC said it could not decide on the case, which could automatically suspend Abhist and Korn from office. To Red Shirts it sounds like a reprise of the slow judicial processing of Yellow Shirt cases, given that the same NACC quickly ruled that Thaksin-proxy PM Samak Sunderavej was in breach of his terms of office by taking part in a TV cookery show, removing him from office in the tumultuous months leading up to the Democrat-led coalition's accession to power.

This article was originally published by the International Relations and Security Network: www.isn.ethz.ch/isn/.

Vietnam strives to link regional power systems

via Khmer NZ

07/29/2010

Vietnam currently has 15 power projects with ASEAN countries, said the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Of the projects, four have gone into operation, three are under construction and eight are in the making with feasibility studies already underway.

The ministry said the operating plants have ensured the stable electricity supply of the regional power system and increased its standby system.

Vietnam has sold nearly 900 million kWh of electricity since 2009 when the 220kV line from Chau Doc, Vietnam to Phnom Penh, Cambodia was connected. The electricity source provided by Vietnam has partly helped the country stabilise its power supply for socio-economic development.

The Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) group regularly provides electricity to Lao and Cambodian communes located near the border with Vietnam.

Vietnam continues to actively engage in a programme to establish an ASEAN electricity grid and the first priorities are to link up its power grids with Laos and Cambodia.

Under a bilateral electricity cooperation programme, Laos expects to export 3,000 MW of electricity to Vietnam by 2015 and 5,000 MW by 2020. Both countries have started constructing transmission lines to conduct electricity from Vietnamese-invested power plants and other plants built by independent investors in Laos to Vietnam. VOVNews/Vietnamplus

Canadian man gets 11years for sex tourism charges

via Khmer NZ

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A Canadian man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for committing sex tourism with children and importing child pornography.

Prosecutors say the sentence is the highest so far for charges under Canada's sex tourism law.

The B.C. Superior Court in Vancouver, British Columbia, sentenced Kenneth Klassen on Wednesday to 10 years for 14 counts of sex tourism and one year for one count of importing pornography.

Klassen had pleaded guilty to having sex with more than a dozen underage girls in Cambodia and Colombia. The prosecution said some girls were as young as eight.

He unsuccessfully challenged Canada's sex tourism law when he argued the incidents happened in other countries where Canadian courts have no jurisdiction.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A Canadian man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for committing sex tourism with children and importing child pornography.

Prosecutors say the sentence is the highest so far for charges under Canada's sex tourism law.

The B.C. Superior Court in Vancouver, British Columbia, sentenced Kenneth Klassen on Wednesday to 10 years for 14 counts of sex tourism and one year for one count of importing pornography.

Klassen had pleaded guilty to having sex with more than a dozen underage girls in Cambodia and Colombia. The prosecution said some girls were as young as eight.

He unsuccessfully challenged Canada's sex tourism law when he argued the incidents happened in other countries where Canadian courts have no jurisdiction.

Cambodia under pressure to try remaining Khmer officials

AlJazeeraEnglish

Following the conviction of Kaing Kek Eav, better known as Duch, in the first trial of a former senior Khmer Rouge official in Cambodia, attention is now on the four other former officials of Pol Pot's regime in custody.

Their trial is expected to start next year, and it could take up to two years before a verdict is reached.

But with all the defendants ageing and in poor health, the pressure is on to get their cases under way.

Harry Fawcett explains. (July 27, 2010)

Khmer Rouge Leader's Prison Sentence Gets Mixed Reaction

Robert Carmichael | Phnom Penh
28 July 2010

via Khmer NZ

Photo: AP
Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, center, the former Khmer Rouge prison chief at Tuol Sleng prison, sits in a dock during a hearing in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, (2007 File)

On Monday, a United Nations-backed tribunal convicted Kaing Guek Eav, known as Comrade Duch, of war crimes and crimes against humanity - the first major Khmer Rouge figure to be tried since the regime was overthrown. He has already spent 16 years in prison, and the tribunal sentenced him to another 19 years.

Eight months after his trial concluded, Comrade Duch was sentenced to 35 years by the U.N.-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal in Phnom Penh.

The court deducted 11 years for time already spent in pre-trial detention for Duch, who headed the movement's main torture and execution center known as S-21. And it granted a further five-year credit because Duch was held illegally for some of that time.

The end result is that Duch will likely serve just 19 more years.

His sentence surprised and angered many people, including Bou Meng and Chum Mey, two of the survivors of S-21 prison. They felt it was unduly lenient for a man who had overseen the torture and execution of more than 12,000 people.

Speaking outside the court Theary Seng, a Cambodian-American lawyer who lost members of her family to the Khmer Rouge, said 19 years was insufficient for the horrific acts the 67-year-old defendant had overseen while head of S-21.

"That is not acceptable," Seng said. "What is unacceptable is to envision him as a free man even for one minute in the public sphere."

But was reaction was mixed. While some welcomed the verdict, including a third S-21 survivor, the artist Vann Nath, others felt Duch should have been executed.

The reaction from Cambodians living overseas was also mixed.

Professor Leakhena Nou, a Cambodian-American sociologist, was in court on Monday along with three Cambodian-Americans who have applied to be civil parties in the court's second case, which should start next year.

"As you heard from one of our civil parties in today's meeting, she was not very happy with the verdict, having lost one of her parents and her siblings. But from our older survivor, who is in his late 70s, he felt that one positive thing that came out of the trial was the transparent process on how the rule of law was implemented," Nou said. "Although he was not happy with the number of years, he felt the court did make a concerted effort to find justice."

Speaking on Wednesday, Theary Seng said civil society must now focus on the second case involving four senior Khmer Rouge leaders who will be tried for their alleged roles in the deaths of around 1.7 million Cambodians.

"That responsibility rests with the senior Khmer Rouge leaders, and that's case 002," Seng said. "So we need to shift our anger now and our energy from anger toward energy in lobbying and advocating and demanding that case 002 involving the senior Khmer Rouge leaders take place, and take place soon before these old men die of ill health and of old age.”

Beyond case two, the court's international investigating judge said he wants to look at another five suspects.

The court has faced complaints of political interference as well as a series of cash crunches over the years.

Anne Heindel is a legal adviser at the Documentation Center of Cambodia, an archive of papers on the Khmer Rouge period. She says there is a risk that donors simply won't pay for any further prosecutions.

"In many ways, I think funding might be the greater issue actually," Heindel stated. "It could very well be that when it comes to it, it will be the donors that aren't willing to pay for cases 3 and 4 rather than the government saying we aren't willing to let these cases move forward. And that's actually my greatest concern right now, because Japan is not putting forward as much support as it has in the past and thus far there's been no other state willing to take its place."

Sociologist Leakhena Nou notes that a successful tribunal process would have huge benefits for Cambodian society and for Cambodians living overseas.

Not only would it help survivors get recognition of their suffering and provide a sense of closure, she says, it would also leave a beneficial legacy for current and future generations.

Two days after his verdict was handed down, many are looking to a brighter future in which the catastrophe that Duch and others wrought on Cambodia is - in some small way - repaired.

TED Prize Winner Cameron Sinclair of Architecture for Humanity Dishes on Cambodia and Design Like You Give a Damn

via Khmer NZ

BY Jenara NerenbergToday

Cambodia has "yet to be spoilt by poorly built ‘Westernized’ block construction."

Cameron Sinclair is best known as the co-founder of Achitecture for Humanity and the winner of the TED Prize in 2006, but what you don’t know is that he literally never sleeps. Jet-setting from Sausalito to Uganda to Kosovo, we get the rare snapshot of one of his recent trips to Cambodia, right during the historic Khmer Rouge trial this week, and find out who he hung with there (it wasn’t Cameron Diaz this time) and why he forsakes sleep for the cause of sustainable, open-source architecture.

Also there on assignment for Design Like You Give a Damn 2, a book that celebrates creative community-centered design, Cameron wants everyone to know that this week is your last chance to nominate a product, design, or innovation to be published in the book.

Why were you in Cambodia this month?

I went for a number of reasons. The first was to fulfill a promise I made two years ago to help Lulan Artisans expand their Cambodian operations. It coincided with a Lulan trip planned for the winner of a TED stage prize, Todd Grant, and his son Whit. This meant I got to actually take Saturday off to visit Angkor Wat and the Angkor Thom Complex. Thanks to the World Monuments Fund, who I worked with over 12 years ago, we got a tour of their amazing work on Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakheng and Preah Khan Temples.

Additionally we are in the midst of writing the second volume of Design Like You Give A Damn and we have three Cambodian projects short-listed for the book that I wanted to visit. I only managed to make two of them, the new visitors center at the Angkor Childrens’ Hospital and a preservation irrigation and reservoir reconstruction project 15km outside Siem Reap. The book will be available in Spring 2011 and fingers crossed my write-ups make the cut.

Tell me about Lulan Artisans.

Founded by social entrepreneur Eve Blossom, Lulan Artisans is a for-profit social venture that partners with artisan cooperatives and takes a holistic approach to sustainable development. Over 800 weavers, dyers and spinners in 5 Asian countries develop fabric and product for local and western markets. Eve, a former architect, has been working in the region for the past 20 years and has developed this business to create local sustainable businesses to assist in the prevention of human trafficking. Her weavers not only get a housing stipend but their children also get an education. You can find out more from a recent talk she gave at the 99 percent conference.

How is food security linked to the preservation irrigation project?

What I love most about my job is stumbling across interesting projects that tackle multiple issues – access to clean drinking water and food security are the most important ones out there right now. I was lucky to meet Yinh Ya of Human Translation and Bryse Gaboury, Co-Founder of Advancing Engineering and Project Manager at Engineers Without Borders – NY and find out about their collaboration to restore a reservoir that was first developed in the Angkor period. The project has created a stable supply of water to help grow crops for the Balang Commune, representing over 9000 people, that have been faced with a severe food shortage since an earthen levee was destroyed during the 2000 rainy season. The project was first proposed by Tobias Rose-Stockwell of Human Translation who worked with the community for many years to enable this project to happen.

How does Cambodia fare compared to other Southeast Asian nations with regards to sustainable architecture?

There isn’t much fanfare about it but Cambodia has yet to be spoilt by poorly built ‘Westernized’ block construction. There is an incredible richness in the indigenous architecture in the rural communities and the real need is to empower and support local building professionals, folks like Yinh Ya, to utilize appropriate technologies and materials to continue the sustainable building that has existed in the country for centuries. I think there is a lot more we in the west can learn from advancements in sustainable architecture in emerging markets than vice versa.

We wrote about the historic Khmer Rouge trial this week. What was the mood like while you were in Cambodia?

Very subdued. It reminded me of my time in Rwanda during the genocide trials. It is more interesting to figure what is not being discussed over what is. Communities are very open to talk about the affects on their families during that dark period but it is hard to get a true read on the mood.

What are AFH's main projects right now?

We are expanding greatly and have around 35 architects and designers in the field. We have a dozen education buildings and youth centers underway in Haiti, Peru, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. We are finishing up our tenth health clinic in India and are still working on an orphanage. Naturally Haiti is taking up the bulk of our work but with the current economic downturn limited funds have forced us to say no to most requests we have coming in right now. Hopefully that will change.

We’ve got a number of domestic projects, although a majority of work in the United States is done by our amazing city-based chapters. Finally in the next month or so will announce the topic of our 2011 Open Architecture Challenge.

What can we expect to see from AFH in Asia in the next couple of years?

Architecture for Humanity has had a presence in Asia since 2003, although small. Most people don’t know we’ve been working quietly in post-cyclone Myanmar for the last few years and recently completed our work in India and Sri Lanka after the 2004 Tsunami. Our Dhaka chapter in Bangladesh has been doing incredible work in the country and given it is ground zero of climate issues I expect to see a lot more work happening there. We’ve been talking to groups about school building in Indonesia, low-income housing in Papua New Guinea and we have a number of local city-based chapters opening in China and Japan in the next year.

Govt issues temple ultimatum

via Khmer NZ

Thais will quit heritage body if plans are passed

Published: 29/07/2010

Thailand is threatening to resign its membership of the World Heritage Committee if it goes ahead and approves Cambodia's management plan for Preah Vihear temple.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday sent a strong message to the committee, meeting in Brazil, that approval of the plan proposed by Phnom Penh could mean the end of Thai membership of the body.

Thailand's main concern is that the plan could include part or all of a disputed 4.6 square kilometre area buffer zone claimed by the two countries.

Thai PBS television quoted Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti as saying in Brazil that the plan to manage the Hindu temple and surrounding areas included a square kilometre of the disputed land.

Mr Suwit, who heads the Thai delegation in Brasilia, told the prime minister he believed Cambodia had won the backing of several committee members for its plan.

"If the WHC takes into consideration the matter, we will veto it and would consider withdrawing as a world heritage member," the prime minister said after the cabinet meeting.

But Thailand will cooperate with the WHC if its decision on Cambodia's management plan for the temple and its surrounding areas does not affect the country's sovereignty.

The prime minister's warning came hours before the 21-member committee planned to discuss the issue. The issue was expected to go on the agenda for talks last night.

Cambodia was asked to submit the plan for approval after the Hindu temple was listed as a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in 2008.

Mr Abhisit said the WHC could stop helping oversee management of Thailand's world heritage sites if Bangkok withdrew its membership.

Thailand could also lose the chance of asking the committee to inscribe new ones.

But he stressed that Thailand had to send a message to the WHC as Thailand and Cambodia have yet to demarcate the overlapping area.

If the committee endorsed the plan, it would show the panel did not respect Unesco's will in protecting cultural heritage and building peace, he said.

He also warned that approval could lead to simmering conflicts and violence between the two countries.

The People's Alliance for Democracy against Dictatorship protested in front of Unesco's Bangkok office on Tuesday. Two more protests took place yesterday, in Hat Yai district in Songkhla and Muang district in Kanchanaburi.

The Bangkok protest prompted Unesco director-general Irina Bokova to issue a statement from Brazil yesterday calling for dialogue in safeguarding the temple.

Ms Bokova said she had met the Thai and Cambodian representatives to stress the committee's mission, which was to promote heritage "with full respect and without prejudice to the sovereignty of member states or to any territorial claims".

"Protecting and enhancing our natural and cultural heritage, means building the peace, respect and solidarity which lies at the heart of Unesco's mission. It is our common responsibility to make these sites emblems of peace, dialogue and reconciliation," she said.

A senior Thai official working on the issue considered the Thai move as "serious action" which would put Unesco under pressure to drop the Cambodian plan.

"I don't think the government's decision will result in any difficulty for the country," the official said.

Adul Wichiancharoen, former president of the WHC, backed the government's decision to consider withdrawing Thailand's membership if the WHC did not delay consideration of Cambodia's management plan.

He said the move might be necessary because Unesco had apparently acted in favour of Cambodia. This included delays in releasing Cambodia's management plan, which put Thailand at a disadvantage.

Mr Adul said the government would have to justify any decision to quit by showing the international community how Cambodia's management plan would affect Thai sovereignty.

He saw no drawbacks if Thailand withdrew its WHC membership.

"We don't have to stick to the body's principles or rules if they compromise the national interest," he said.

"I don't think there will be any affect on the world heritage sites in Thailand. There is no rule saying world heritage status will be revoked if we quit."

Meanwhile, Thailand has closed the Khao Phra Viharn National Park in Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district temporarily for safety reasons.

Theerayuth Wongpongprai, chief of the park, said the 2nd Army Region ordered him not to open the park until the security situation returned to normal.

"Although there is no sign of violence at the time being, we have been told to keep the park closed for security reasons," he said.

The park opened for public visits in April. But it was ordered to close again during the red shirt rallies, which ended in May.

Sex tourist sentenced, coverage online at vancouversun.com July 28, 2010

VancouverSunOnline | July 28, 2010

Kenneth Klassen, who pleaded guilty to 14 counts of sex with children and one count of possession of child pornography, has been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison. Deputy Managing Editor Harold Munro discusses this and other stories that reporters and editors are posting online at vancouversun.com today.

Preah Vihear's borders 'must come first'

via Khmer NZ

Published: 29/07/2010

Concern that the World Heritage committee will back Cambodia's management plan for Preah Vihear temple overshadowed the cabinet meeting yesterday.

Mr Suwit toldme that it is likely that Thailand will lose [and Cambodia’s plan will be accepted]. - ABHISIT VEJJAJIVA

Ministers spent 40 minutes discussing countermeasures after being told by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti in Brasilia that Cambodia had gained the upper hand over the temple.

"Mr Suwit told me that it is likely that Thailand will lose [and Cambodia's plan will be accepted]," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was quoted as saying by a source to the other ministers.

The plan submitted by Cambodia includes a map involving the disputed 4.6 square kilometre area.

Thailand's main concern is that the plan could include part or all of the disputed area.

Thai PBS television quoted Mr Suwit as saying in Brazil that the plan to manage the Hindu temple and surrounding areas included a square kilometre of the disputed land.

Cambodia plans to ask for Thai cooperation to manage any area still claimed by the two countries, Mr Suwit said.

The lead Thai delegate admitted to the prime minister that the Cambodian delegation had lobbied for support from other committee members, the source said.

Mr Abhisit spelled out the government's position to cabinet.

"It is not the time for talks about world heritage because the two countries should talk about demarcation first," the source quoted the prime minister as saying.

Mr Suwit also complained about Cambodia not sending the plan to Thailand to inspect six months ahead of the meeting, as required.

Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga and Deputy Education Minister Chaiyot Jiramethakorn said Thai sovereignty must come first.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said the process of discussing the Cambodian plan had not been transparent and Thailand had not been treated fairly.

The debate at the cabinet meeting led to a decision by Thailand to warn the meeting in Brazil that Thailand would consider withdrawing from the World Heritage Committee.

US Press Briefing comments on Duch verdict

Duch Victims Want Stupa in Remembrance of the Dead

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer | Washington, DC
Wednesday, 28 July 2010

via Khmer NZ

Photo: AP
Skulls of victims during the Khmer Rouge regime, on display at Cheoung Ek, in Phnom Penh.

“That means we recall those who died, especially family members of the victims, who want to see the names of the deceased, because there might be a place to commemorate the souls of the victims.”

Victims of the Khmer Rouge say they should be granted more compensation than was handed over by the Khmer Rouge tribunal on Monday.

The court sentenced Khmer Rouge torture chief Duch, whose real name is Kaing Kek Iev, to a further 19 years in prison, and it read the names of some victims as part of its judgement.

Now, a number of victims say a stupa should be erected to commemorate the more than 12,000 people who died within Tuol Sleng prison under Duch's supervision.

The tribunal is meant to include the needs of victims, as part of national reconciliation under a scheme called “collective compensation.” As part of the compensation, tribunal judges ordered the names of victims be listed on the tribunal website.

But Chum Sirath, a civil party complainant in the Duch trial, said few people will be able to see the website, and that a stupa erected in a public place would be better compensation.

Chum Sarith lost four members of his family, including a baby, at Tuol Sleng. He said the 35-year sentence, commuted to a remaining 19 years, sent the wrong message to the public. The murderer of a single person can receive a similar sentence, he said.

Chum Mey, who survived the torture center, said even perpetrators of crimes at Tuol Sleng lost family members, making a stupa an important part of reconciliation. “So when we all together commemorate a ceremony at a temple again and again, then we know each other and become mutual friends,” he said. “Then reconciliation will be done.”

Long Panhavuth, a tribunal monitor for the Cambodian Justice Initiative, said he agreed with the stupa proposal.

“That means we recall those who died, especially family members of the victims, who want to see the names of the deceased, because there might be a place to commemorate the souls of the victims,” he said.

The Duch verdict was a landmark for the UN-backed court, as it seeks to try those most responsible for the mass atrocities of the Khmer Rouge.

In a press briefing in Washington Tuesday, US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley applauded “the commitment of the national and international judges for their comprehensive and independent work to uphold an international standard of justice and due process in this case.”

The verdict provided relief for some victims. Van Nath, who also survived Tuol Sleng, told VOA Khmer he felt better after Monday's announcement.

The tribunal will now move forward with its second case, against senior leaders of the regime now in detention, including Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith.

Dance Troupe Prepares for Smithsonian Perfomance

Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer | Washington, DC
Wednesday, 28 July 2010

via Khmer NZ

Photo: by Men Kemseng
Madame Tes Sam Oeun, (left) along with her husband Tes Saroeum on 'Hello VOA' on Thursday July 22nd, 2010.

“This story is very popular in Cambodia.”

A US-Cambodian dance troupe under a renowned director is set to perform in Washington. The Dance Troupe of Cambodian American Heritage will perform classic stories of Hinduism and Buddhism Aug. 7 as part of the ongoing “Gods of Angkor” bronze exhibit at the Smithsonian's Free and Sackler galleries.

The dance troupe will be guided by its director, Tes Sam Oeun, a National Endowment for the Arts heritage fellow.

“Under her direction, the dance troupe has performed in numerous venues, including events of the Smithsonian Institution, the White House, the Kennedy Center, the World Monument Fund, and numerous folk festivals,” Tes Saroeum, president of the Cambodian American Heritage, told “Hello VOA” Thursday.

Tes Saroeum, who is also Tes Sam Oeun's husband, said the troupe will perform scenes from the mythical Vessantara Jataka, a Buddhist story.

“This story is very popular in Cambodia,” he said.

The story depicts the travails of a prince, Vessantara, who gives away his possessions and even his family in service to charity.

The troupe will also perform scenes from the Ramayana, Tes Saroeum said. All the performances will match the dual influences of both Buddhism and Hinduism in the “Gods of Angkor” exhibition.

Khmer classical dancing can be called Apsara dancing, he said, reflecting a belief that the style stems from the dance practiced in the courts of Angkorian kings.

“So when the Smithsonian asked us to perform something related to the ‘Gods of Angkor’...we decided to perform the story of Prince Vessantara, which is close to the exhibit’s crowned Buddha, and the story of Ramayana, which is related to the Hindu bronze sculptures.”