Cambodian Classic

via CAAI

Published: 12/01/2011

Rithy Pahn is the best internationally known Cambodian film-maker, one who has been recounting the tale of tragedy and hope of his country for nearly two decades. Most chilling is his documentary S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine (2003), an investigation into one of the most horrible crimes ever committed against humanity.

Pahn fled the Khmer Rough and has been living mostly in France, yet his films about Cambodia have the distinctive flavour of an insider. Today, the Alliance Francaise will screen Pahn's 1994 film Les gens de la riziere (The Rice People), at 7:30pm. The film, which employs a stark documentary style, tells the story of a rice-farming family that struggles to continue its livelihood after surviving the horror of the Khmer Rouge years.

TODAY: 7:30PM THE RICE PEOPLE

At the Alliance Francaise, Sathon Road

The film was in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994 (so Cambodia beat Thailand in that regard; we first had a film in the Cannes competition, considered the most elite, in 2004). It also represented Cambodia in the Oscar nominations for best foreign language film.

Veera, his secretary face new trial over espionage charges

 via CAAI

By Piyanart Srivalo

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

Published on January 12, 2011

New turn in the case makes it more difficult for govt to help: Foreign Ministry

Detained yellow-shirt activists Veera Somkwamkid and his secretary face a new trial over charges of espionage, which could have them facing severe punishment in Cambodia, while the Thai government faces more difficulties in trying to help.

The Cabinet okayed a budget of more than Bt500 million for preparing the military to protect the border, as yellow-shirt activists mount further pressure on the government to help their detained colleagues.

Only Veera, who is leader of a People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) faction called the Thailand Patriots Network, and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, will be tried today, while the other five Thai nationals, including Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth, await court decision on their bail request.

"The additional charge faced by Veera and Ratree is causing more difficulty for the government to seek ways to help them," Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, the foreign minister's secretary, said.

The seven Thai nationals were arrested late last month while allegedly inspecting the disputed border area near Sa Kaew province's Ban Nong Chan district. This was Veera's second arrest since he was briefly held once last August.

Thailand and Cambodia have been disputing over this area since the late 1970s, but information from the Royal Thai Survey Department and the Foreign Ministry indicates that the group had walked 55 metres deeper into Cambodian territory.

This statement infuriated the yellow-shirt PAD movement, who labelled Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and many other ministry officials as "traitors". They insist that the men were on Thai territory when they were arrested, and dismissed Cambodia's authority to prosecute them.

Kasit instructed concerned officials at the ministry yesterday to rephrase the statement, saying that "the group had gone beyond the [existing but unsettled] boundary line to an area that is effectively under the control of Cambodia". This is despite the fact that it was Kasit himself who had publicly said earlier that the group had walked 55 metres into Cambodian territory.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that from now on, the Cabinet only authorised the Foreign Ministry to provide information about the plight of the seven detainees in order to avoid confusion. Even the prime minister would not say anything on the matter, he said.

"All I have to say is that we have three policies for this: first we have to take care of and do our best to help the seven detainees; second we have to maintain good bilateral relations; and third we have to protect our sovereignty," Abhisit said.

During the Cabinet meeting yesterday, Abhisit brought up the issue of the detainees, saying that though Panich and the rest were not too well, they were in good spirits.

Kasit, meanwhile, told the Cabinet that he expected the Cambodian court to issue a verdict by this week but he did not know exactly when.

In related news, Defence Minister Pravit Wongsuwan has asked for a "secret" budget of Bt517 million for the military to take care of security matters in the border areas with Cambodia, a source said.

Thailand has boundary conflicts with Cambodia in many locations, including the areas near Ban Nong Chan and near the Preah Vihear temple.

The government dispatched the Thailand-Cambodia joint boundary committee's new chief, Asda Jayanama, to Phnom Penh yesterday to help seek solutions for the boundary dispute. Asda met his counterpart Var Kimhong and agreed to carry on negotiations to settle the conflict peacefully. The JBC chief is connected to the yellow-shirt movement.

Let this case proceed fairly

via CAAI

Published: 12/01/2011

The arrest and legal proceedings by Cambodia against the Thai Seven is spiralling downward far too quickly into a soap opera with real-life implications. The government, including Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, should take a collective deep breath and reconsider the fast escalating case. Authorities should strongly encourage the noisy and decidedly unhelpful members of the anti-Cambodia nationalist movement to do the same. The decision by Cambodian authorities to charge two of the seven men with espionage is a petty and legally insupportable move. It should encourage Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to take the necessary steps to move the original trespassing cases along and seek an end to what is quickly becoming yet another crisis with the eastern neighbour.

There are many unanswered questions, but everyone now knows the basics of this simmering case. Mr Abhisit assigned the high-profile Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth to gather facts about Thais who live at the Cambodian border. Mr Panich, for unknown reasons, went there with Veera Somkwamkid, who is both a leader of the Thai Patriots Network and a well-known instigator of anti-Cambodia actions. The two men and five companions were recorded on video while Mr Panich stated calmly that they were inside Cambodia. All seven were arrested, charged with trespassing, and taken to Phnom Penh for trial.

PM Abhisit, apparently because of Mr Panich's arrest, has tried aggressively and publicly to win release of the Thai Seven _ "They meant no harm." Hun Sen, apparently because of Mr Veera's arrest, has aggressively and frequently refused to intervene in the case _ "No one can intervene in the judicial system."

On Monday, however, someone in Cambodia intervened rather forcefully. Prosecutors filed the absurd charges of espionage against Mr Veera and the activist's secretary, Ratree Pipatanapaiboon. They allegedly collected information which might damage Cambodia's national security, said the charges. Presumably, the other five men did not collect such information. It is a clearly a vindictive charge, meant to intimidate and to punish Mr Veera for his past actions.

The irony, lost on few if any of the Thai public, is that Mr Veera is at least as large a thorn in the government's side as in Cambodia's. The arrest of the Thai Seven, now followed by the further serious charges against Mr Veera, will serve to spur a large rally against the government, scheduled in two weeks. Daily utterings by PM Abhisit on the case are fuelling emotions. There is a strong chance that the Jan 25 rally could descend into xenophobia. It is certain that some activists will attempt to steer the rally against Cambodian relations. It is arguably the only serious issue that the People's Alliance for Democracy can use in its anti-government campaign.

In effect, then, both Mr Abhisit and Hun Sen are acting against their own interests by treating the trespassing charges as a continuing and high-profile case. The rather feverish and daily news conferences feed the extremists. Both men and their spokesmen are providing more ammunition to the PAD and the self-styled "patriots" in both countries.

Mr Abhisit and the government need to do their best to protect Thais in trouble overseas. They need not and should not attempt to intervene directly into ongoing cases. As for Hun Sen, it is always appreciated when he dials down his rhetoric. It may be too much to hope, but if he allows the case to proceed to the judiciary without interference, it would be appreciated.

Leslie Sanazaro Returns with Daughters of Cambodia Tour, Album

 via CAAI

By Annie Zaleski
Tue., Jan. 11 2011

Singer-songwriter Leslie Sanazaro has a free show tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Wine Press (4436 Olive Street). This show holds particular meaning for her, though: She'll be debuting new songs from a forthcoming album, Daughters of Cambodia, which is due in May 2011. The album is part of a bigger project whose aim is to raise money for a girls' school in Cambodia.

"It's a little bit of an outside-the-box project," Sanazaro said in a press release. "We make the record with the help of musicians all over the country, raise money for the tour, and let the tour stops raise the money for the school in Cambodia. Each show is a fundraiser and is linked with a local women's organization. It raises awareness for women's issues at home and abroad at the same time."

Sanazaro first became interested in this cause while performing in South Korea in 2008.

"I played 70 shows there that year and would read about women sold into marriage to wealthy men from Seoul," she tells A to Z. "Many of them didn't make it. It was very hard to read.

"Then last year I came upon New York Times writer Sheryl WuDunn's book, Half the Sky. I also heard her speak at Webster this past fall. The detailed stories of women who had survived (and some who had not survived) being sold against their will into the sex trade (brothels), well, it just hit me very deeply. For weeks it was the first thing I thought about waking up and the last thing at night. It made me re-think many things."

A planned break from writing music soon fell by the wayside; Sanazaro says she "was suddenly filled with a reason to write new music! While my heart still aches and I still spend a strong portion of each day in thought about the realities of human trafficking, I feel like I've come alive again working on this project.

"I couldn't be more excited to work on something so important," she adds. "The importance of this issue is deeper than I can express. That is why I began writing this music. When words fail, music, time and intent can deliver!"

Sanazaro will follow the album's release with a U.S. tour and a show at the beneficiary Cambodian school. She's currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the project. Tonight's Wine Press show will have a raffle of prizes, including music from bands such as Bill Deschand, Bottoms Up Blues Gang, Auset, Javier Mendoza and Dub Kitchen.

Top Glove to invest RM160mil in Cambodian rubber plantation

via CAAI

By DANNY YAP

danny@thestar.com.my

Wednesday January 12, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR: Top Glove Corp Bhd, the world's largest rubber glove manufacturer, is investing RM160mil in Cambodia to plant rubber trees to reduce its dependency on latex which is bought at market prices.

Chairman Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai said the company was targetting to obtain 20% of its latex requirement from the plantation over time.

“We have about 8,000 ha of net plantable land for rubber trees,” he said at a briefing for analysts and reporters on Top Glove's first quarter results ended Nov 30, 2010 here yesterday.

By owning its own rubber plantation, Top Glove would be able to mitigate the rising cost of buying latex at market prices in future.

Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai (right) says the company is targeting to obtain 20% of its latex requirement from the plantation. On his right is managing director Lee Kim Meow.

“We had to revise our rubber glove prices several times in the last quarter due to the volatility of latex prices,” he said.

The average latex prices rose by 57% from RM4.58 per kg in the first quarter of 2010 to about RM7.20 per kg currently.

Lim said about 80% of the company's profit was still in manufacturing latex glove.

Top Glove would focus more on producing nitrile gloves as they command better margins and were not subjected to the volatility in latex prices.

In its first quarter ended Nov 30, 2010, the group's production mix for nitrile was 7%, while its nitrile production for December last year stood at 10%.

“We have a large number of nitrile raw material manufacturers in Malaysia, so we have better cost advantages over China in terms of raw materials and labour,” he said.

“Because of the higher prices of latex glove, customers have kept their inventory levels at a minimum level,” he said.

For the first quarter ended Nov 30, Top Glove posted a 44.6% drop in net profit to RM36mil compared with RM65mil in the corresponding quarter a year earlier.

Revenue stood at RM491.5mil against RM472.3mil previously.

Lim said the company had exceptional sales up till the third quarter of last year, due to concerns of A(HINI) and other factors.

“This year will be challenging but we hope to do better than the previous financial year,” he said.

He added that the company was planning to size up by acquiring smaller rubber plants to improve on its economies of scale and synergy.

Lim said the company had RM343mil in cash reserves to undertake such acquisition activities.

“We are in talks with several parties and hope to secure a deal before year end or earlier,” he said, adding that timing of the acquisition was important.

Lim pointed out that this adverse situation of higher latex prices would possibly lead to further consolidation among the industry players,

“We are in a good position to further enlarge our business when opportunities arise,” he noted.

Top Glove currently has 14 plants in Malaysia, four in Thailand, and two in China, with a total capacity of 33 billion pieces of glove per annum, which is nearly one fifth of the world's demand.

Cooperation Between Sweden and Cambodia

In the meantime, Sweden and Cambodia have been working on drafting a development strategic plan for year 2011-2015, which will be completed every soon, said Mrs. Anne Hoglund, adding that many Swedish companies are interested in doing business in Cambodia.(Photo: Bjarne Wildau)

via CAAI

11 January 2011 | Newsdesk

The Royal Government of Sweden has decided to set up an Embassy in Cambodia to boost up the ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries – Sweden and Cambodia.

Newly appointed Ambassador of Sweden to Cambodia Mrs. Anne Hoglund told Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance H.E. Keat Chhon during their meeting here last Thursday, according to the spokesman of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

The Swedish diplomat further said her government had provided a financial aid for the mutual cooperation and development to two countries in Asia, including Cambodia.

This year, she added, Sweden took over the rotating presidency of the EU and she also became president of EU in Cambodia, which is a task to share effort in the development activities in Cambodia.

In the meantime, Sweden and Cambodia have been working on drafting a development strategic plan for year 2011-2015, which will be completed every soon, said Mrs. Anne Hoglund, adding that many Swedish companies are interested in doing business in Cambodia.

For his part, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance H.E. Keat Chhon expressed his warm welcome to the diplomatic mission of the newly-appointed Swedish ambassador to Cambodia, which he said is a sign of strengthening the ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

Sweden is a development partner, which has played an active role in the national development of Cambodia and has been providing grant aid to Cambodia since 1979 by starting from a humanitarian aid, he said.

Up to the end of 2009, Sweden provided US$280 million in grant aid to Cambodia to support the fields of education, good governance, human rights and environment. –AKP

British man in Cambodia charged with sexual abuse of 4 teenage boys

via CAAI

By: The Associated Press
11/01/2011

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - A British man in Cambodia has been charged with sexually abusing four teenage boys.

Sok Keo Bandit, a prosecutor in Siem Reap province, says Robert Layland was charged Tuesday with paying to procure a child for prostitution and indecent acts with a minor.

He alleges the 54-year-old Layland, who runs a souvenir shop in the province, had sex with four boys, ranging from 14 to 18 years old. He says the boys worked in Layland's shop.

The anti-child sex group Action Pour Les Enfants says Layland was arrested Monday. Layland is in custody and was not available for comment.

Cambodia has long been a magnet for foreign pedophiles, but in recent years has cracked down on offenders.

Siem Reap is popular with tourists for its Angkor temples.

Little Time Left To Organize Tribunal Civil Parties

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Tuesday, 11 January 2011

via CAAI

Photo: AP

Cambodian villagers tour the Tuol Sleng genocide museum, former Khmer Rouge S-23 prison, in Phnom Penh.

“They should know their individual clients, how this client suffered at what level, who is giving testimony, about which crimes.”

The Khmer Rouge tribunal is now facing testimony from more than 2,000 victims that court officials must organize ahead of a trial for four senior leaders of the regime.

Around 2,120 victims who have registered as civil party complainants have been accepted from more than 4,000 applications, and it is now up to the Trial Chamber of the court to decide how they will be used.

Seng Theary, a lawyer who is also a tribunal complainant, says the short time is a concern. Little time remains for preparation, she told VOA Khmer.

Lawyers for the civil parties must study the facts of the case, the crimes and the testimony in advance of questioning of defendants, in this case the four senior-most leaders of the Khmer Rouge: Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith.

Seng Theary says that means a lot of preparation, lest civil parties be left out of the process. The trial is supposed to begin early this year.

“They should know their individual clients, how this client suffered at what level, who is giving testimony, about which crimes,” she said. “And this relates to more than 2,000 people. And each one has a deep story and needs time.”

Long Panhavuth, a tribunal monitor for the Cambodia Justice Initiative, said a tribunal management meeting should take place soon to help organize the process.

Latt Ky, who observes the tribunal for the rights group Adhoc, said civil parties are critical to the trials, and their participation lends a voice to reconciliation.

Meanwhile, the tribunal's Victims Unit has worked to coordinate meetings between lawyers and civil parties, including in the provinces, to help them prepare.

“In fact, lawyers for the civil party complainants have worked since the end of 2010,” said Im Sophea, head of the unit. “They visited grassroots, visited other target areas where victims or civil party complainants lived, in order to explain to them and identify categories of witnesses” for the trial.

Former Provincial Police Chief Arrested for Drug Trafficking

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Tuesday, 11 January 2011

via CAAI

Photo: by VOA Khmer

The recently demoted police chief of Banteay Meanchey province was arrested on Monday and is being held on suspicion of drug trafficking, officials said.

The recently demoted police chief of Banteay Meanchey province was arrested on Monday and is being held on suspicion of drug trafficking, officials said.

Hun Hean, who was removed from his position as chief on Friday, was being held at the Ministry of Interior for questioning late Monday, Khieu Sopheak, a spokesman for the ministry, said.

He was invited to the Ministry of Interior on Monday to explain accusations of drug smuggling and was subsequently seized by security police, Khieu Sopheak said.

Hun Hean's deputy, Chheang Son, was also arrested.

Hun Hean, who is not related to the prime minister, Hun Sen, was removed from his post following January 7 holiday celebrations and told local media he would report to the Ministry of Interior on Monday for a new assignment.

He has previously denied involvement in trafficking.

Youth Can 'Bridge Gap' for Legacy of Khmer Rouge

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Tuesday, 11 January 2011

via CAAI

Photo: by Heng Reaksmey

Long Khet, executive director of Youth for Peace, on 'Hello VOA' on Monday.

“In our community, we've lost our values, solidarity and trust among each other, especially with the Khmer Rouge survivors.”

Youth can play a vital role in bringing back some of the trust that was lost in the Khmer Rouge and intervening war years, an youth leader said Monday.

“In our community, we've lost our values, solidarity and trust among each other, especially with the Khmer Rouge survivors,” said Long Khet, executive director of Youth for Peace, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”

“So the role of the youth in bring back inter-generational dialogue between survivors and victims and the younger generations is vital...so that we can rebuild our society,” he said.

Fear, anger, anxiety and mistrust have become everyday realities for Cambodians after the Khmer Rouge. Under the regime, people were taught to keep silent, and often their survival depended on that silence.

That has made honest dialogue rare, and fear or suspicion the norm, Long Khet said. “So the young generation plays an important role in bridging this gap.”

Those belonging to the older generation may be more likely to tell of past suffering one they know the young are interested, he said. “They would feel relieved.”

Not all survivors are convinced.

“I will feel relieved only when my mother, brothers and sisters come back to life,” a “Hello VOA” caller who gave his name as Mary said. “How can you be 'relieved' when only a few Khmer Rouge at the top were brought to justice and when those with bloodied hands under them are still living in the same village as you?”

Cambodia charges two detained Thais with espionage

 via CAAI

11 January 2011

Yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid (2nd L) has been charged with espionage, reports say

Cambodia has charged two Thai nationals with espionage, in a move that could reignite a diplomatic row.

They were among seven Thai politicians and activists charged with illegal entry after crossing into a disputed border area in December.

Cambodian officials cited "new evidence" for bringing the additional spy charges against two of the men.

Ties between Cambodia and Thailand, fractured by a border dispute, have only recently been repaired.

"According to new evidence the authorities have gathered, we also charged two of them with attempting to gather information which affects national defence," Cambodian prosecutor Sok Roeun said.

Espionage carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in Cambodia.

Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has insisted the men "meant no harm", and the foreign ministry is seeking their release on bail.

'Flashpoint'

The Thai group were arrested on 29 December and charged with illegal entry and trespassing on a restricted military zone in Cambodia.

Analysts are watching the current case closely, as several of those detained are members of the "yellow-shirt" People's Alliance for Democracy.

This group has made nationalism, and in particular border disputes with Cambodia, a key part of its political platform.

Yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid has been charged with espionage, as well as his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon, the Bangkok Post reported.

Another of those detained for trespassing is a member of parliament from Thailand's governing Democrat Party, Panich Vikitsreth.

The border issue is a flashpoint for the two neighbours. In recent years there have been sporadic exchanges of fire in areas around a disputed hill-top temple that both sides claim.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen had also angered the Thai government by giving an advisory role to ousted Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra.

But three Thais held for trespassing were recently returned to Thailand without fuss.

Cambodian NGOs fear law will tie their hands

A service provided by a Catholic NGO in Cambodia

via CAAI

Published Date: January 11, 2011

Aid workers fear that a draft law to “regulate” NGOs in Cambodia is an attempt to control community organizations but Catholic groups will not be affected, says a local Church worker.

The law may affect NGOs working on sensitive issues such as human rights and may inconvenience some small village-based NGOs, according to Rene Ayala Moreira, assistant director of New Humanity, a Catholic-based NGO.

“But I think Catholic Church activities will not be affected,” Moreira told ucanews.com following a Jan. 10 consultation hosted by the interior ministry with representatives of around 400 local and international NGOs.

The meeting was to seek the views of NGOs on the draft law made public in December.

The proposed law purports to increase transparency among the country’s vast network of NGOs and to fight terrorism and crime.

Moreira said that the draft law, which includes 11 chapters and 58 articles, requires NGOs to renew their registration every year.

“If an organization does anything sensitive, it may have problems renewing its registration. Our Church NGOs mostly work with poor and vulnerable communities and on development projects. We are not working on sensitive issues,” Moreira said.

Besides New Humanity, two other Catholic NGOs - Caritas Cambodia and the Don Bosco Foundation of Cambodia - participated in the consultation. The Catholic directory lists 12 Catholic NGOs in the country.

Interior minister and deputy prime minister Sar Kheng told consultation participants that the draft law is not aimed at threatening NGOs or violating their rights but is a step to prevent terrorists from misusing NGOs.

Civil society organizations last week released a statement saying the draft law confirms long-standing fears that the government desires to control rather than strengthen civil society.

Source: ucanews.com

AKP - Agent Kampuchea Press

via CAAI

NA President Meets Newly Appointed Australian Ambassador

Phnom Penh, January 11, 2011 AKP – National Assembly President Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakrei Heng Samrin received here on Jan. 10 newly appointed Australian Ambassador to Cambodia Ms. Penelop Ann Richards.

In the meeting, Samdech Heng Samrin warmly welcomed the diplomatic mission of the Australian ambassador to Cambodia, through which he said the diplomatic relations as well as the bilateral cooperation between the two countries will be further strengthened and expanded.

The Cambodian National Assembly president deeply thanked the Australian people and government for their assistance to the Cambodian people for the cause of peace, national reconciliation and development of the country.

The Australian government has also helped Cambodia in human resource training, socio-economic development by focusing on three main fields – rural poverty alleviation, economic improvement and natural resource management, and law enforcement, he said.

For her part, Ms. Penelop Ann Richards pledged to do her utmost to boost the relationship between both countries, especially between the two legislative bodies.

She further highly appreciated the role of the Cambodian National Assembly under the wise leadership of Samdech Heng Samrin in setting up policies for the national development and the enforcement of the rule of law.

Meanwhile, the Australian diplomat lauded Cambodia’s active role on the international arena, particularly the participation of Cambodia in the peacekeeping missions under the UN umbrella.

She also told Samdech Heng Samrin of the visit of a high-ranking delegation of the Australian Assembly to Cambodia next week. –AKP

By SOKMOM Nimul

Cambodian PM: Nobody Can Interfere in Court’s Competence

Phnom Penh, January 11, 2011 AKP – Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen said nobody can interfere in court’s competence in response to seven Thais entering illegally in Cambodia and being now held in prison awaiting trial.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony held at the National Institute for Education in Phnom Penh on Jan. 10, the Cambodian prime minister said “no matter what the governments or foreigners and the royal government or Cambodians are, it is a judicial procedure,” asking not to make any comments leading to the impact on the trial.

“Let the court continue with the legal procedure,” he said, citing the penal court, the Supreme Court and afterwards the reconsideration of the case.

This second statement of the Cambodian premier was made following those made by Thai leaders including Thai Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva. And there is also a rumor that Puea Thai Party and former Thai Premier Thaksin Shinawatra get involved in freeing the arrested Thais.

“I would like to say this case is related to legal procedure, nobody intervenes, law is a law, court is a court and government cannot order the court to be arranged politically,” he stressed.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen also warned any groups from the United Nations not to intervene with the case, saying “Don’t say too much, be quiet better than talking and eating green banana better than nothing.”

The Thais had been arrested by Cambodian border protection army at the border pole No. 46 in Chok Chey village, O Beichuan commune, O Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province.

After inquest on the arrested Thais, the Cambodian court decided to charge them two cases. The former is the illegal entry into Cambodian territory according to the article 29 of the Cambodia’s immigration law and the latter is on the bandit deed to enter military base based on the article 473 of the penal code.

For the first case, they could face between 3 and 6 months in prison, and the second case from 6 to 12 months in prison and fine from one million to two million Riel (about US$250 to US$500). –AKP

By THOU Peou

Colombian Foreign Minister To Visit Cambodia Soon

Phnom Penh, January 11, 2011 AKP – Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Colombia Ms. Maria Angela Holguin will pay an official visit to Cambodia from Jan. 16 to 20 at the invitation of Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation H.E. Hor Namhong.

During her visit in Cambodia, the Colombian foreign minister will be received in royal audience by His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni and pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, according to a press release of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation issued today.

Ms. Maria Angela Holguin will also hold bilateral meeting with her Cambodian counterpart H.E. Hor Namhong.

Besides, the press release added, she will visit Tuol Sleng Genocidal Museum in Phnom Penh and Angkor Temples in Siem Reap province. –AKP

United States Awards New Food Security Program

Phnom Penh, January 11, 2011 AKP – The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has awarded a five-year, US$56 million contract designed to improve food security through enhanced agricultural development and rational management of natural resources.

The five-year, US$56 million contract was awarded to Fintrac Inc., a highly respected U.S.-based agribusiness consulting firm that develops agricultural solutions to end hunger and poverty, according to a press release of the U.S. Embassy dated Jan. 10.

This U.S. Government award will now serve as USAID’s flagship food security activity in Cambodia, Helping Address Rural Vulnerabilities and Ecosystem STability (HARVEST) Project, will work with public, private and civil society to strengthen food security by increasing agricultural productivity; raising the incomes of the rural poor; preparing the country to adapt to climate change; and reducing the number of Cambodians, especially women and children, suffering from malnutrition.

HARVEST is supported by Feed the Future (FtF), a U.S. Presidential Initiative for food security, as well as other U.S. Government priority initiatives, including global health and climate change. Cambodia is one of twenty priority countries receiving FtF support, and the only country in Southeast Asia.

U.S. Government Feed the Future investments will address key determinants of food security:

• investments in agricultural productivity, agribusiness and market development, and equitable distribution of and control over productive resources

• a multifaceted approach to nutrition

• a long term perspective to foster permanent solutions to chronic food insecurity

Investments will build on existing successes, U.S. and Cambodian expertise and strengths, and be concentrated in strategic areas based on U.S. and Cambodian comparative advantage. They will be designed in close coordination with the Royal Government of Cambodia and with other development partners in order to maximize the collective impact on sustainably reducing hunger and poverty.

A “focus on food” approach to rural income diversification and value-chain strengthening will help the Cambodian agricultural sector to become a major contributor to stable and sustainable economic growth for Cambodia and the region. Improved land and other resources management will conserve and maintain the economic value of Cambodia’s sensitive ecosystems and rich biodiversity as well as reduce the vulnerability of agriculture and rural communities to climate change. Permanently reducing hunger and maintaining sustainable use of natural or communal resources are the central goals of HARVEST; goals that will effectively tackle two of the worst aspects of poverty. –AKP

CAmbodia promoting smokefree city

Cambodian pedicab drivers, in green shirts promoting smokefree city, waiting for foreign tourists in front of Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

 

Cambodian pedicab drivers, in green shirts promoting smokefree city, pedal their three wheelers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodia Watchdog Council Says 3 Khmer Villages In Ponhea Kraek District Lost To Vietnam

Chemical Pesticides Still Recklessly Used, Farmers Say (Cambodia news in Khmer)

A Prince Joins the Fray

via CAAI

January 11, 2011

Former Cambodian Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh is coming out of retirement. But will he be able to recapture his glory days?

Last month, former Cambodian Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh announced his return to political life after two years of quiet retirement. Speaking to a small gathering of supporters in rural Kampong Cham Province, the 66-year-old prince—a son of Cambodia’s mercurial former King Norodom Sihanouk—promised to breathe new life into the country’s downtrodden and divided royalist movement.

Coming at a time of overwhelming dominance by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, which holds 90 of the 123 seats in the country’s National Assembly, the move seemed more than a little quixotic. When he retired in October 2008, Prince Ranariddh’s political capital seemed all but spent: expelled from his former party Funcinpec over accusations of embezzling party funds, his breakaway royalist faction, the Norodom Ranariddh Party, performed poorly in that year’s elections, winning just two seats. (Funcinpec, once a powerhouse of Cambodian politics, won another two).

The electoral disaster of 2008 also capped off a long period of decline for the royalists, who have sought to capitalise on widespread popular reverence for the country’s monarchy. Since Ranariddh led Funcinpec to victory at the UN-backed elections of 1993, the party has been adroitly out-manoeuvred by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s CPP. In July 1997, Funcinpec was ousted from government by military forces loyal to Hun Sen, and Ranariddh fled Cambodia.

Since then, the party has accommodated itself to the ruling party, joining it as a junior coalition partner in exchange for a token role in government. Once a robust source of opposition, the party is today little more than an empty shell of patronage, clinging barnacle-like to the ship of state. The NRP, again under Ranariddh’s leadership, spent the two years of his retirement in the political wilderness.

Announcing his planned return to politics on December 5, Ranariddh accused his former Funcinpec party colleagues of selling out to the ruling party in exchange for personal benefits and ‘rotten posts’ in government. He has since also issued calls for unity, appealing for Funcinpec members to abandon their bankrupt leadership and join a new party—to be named Funcinpec 81, after the year of the party’s founding—under his own leadership.

In person, Ranariddh bears more than a passing resemblance to his father Sihanouk, the patrician dynamo at the centre of modern Cambodian history. Like his father, the trilingual Prince—French-educated and cosmopolitan—today seems almost antiquated, a figure from a bygone era of Cambodian politics.

In a recent interview at his party’s Phnom Penh headquarters, the Prince said his decision to return to political life was made in part in response to thousands of letters and appeals from party members, upset at the current parlous state of the movement. ‘The royalist group has been divided into hopeless pieces, like children who have no parents,’ Ranariddh said. ‘I believe I must return and gather all the royalists.’

Ranariddh was relatively candid about the errors that brought his party low after its initial successes in the 1990s. Too many party officials, he said, entered into the game of patronage, and the competition for political spoils tainted their political credibility. ‘Flexibility is not always a good thing,’ Ranariddh said. ‘Most of our ministers applied a flexible theory: when they saw others get involved in corruption, they did so as well. They forgot their basic values and origins and political approach. This was our big mistake.’

On the other hand, he faulted Cambodia’s current liberal opposition—embodied by the Sam Rainsy Party, the second-largest party in parliament—as being defined only by its oppositionist stance.‘In Cambodia’, Ranariddh said, ‘the culture of the opposition party is only to oppose. I’ve never seen any actual results of any proposal from the opposition party. Corruption is still an issue, land is still an issue, so is the independence of the judiciary. There are many issues which remain the same—the CPP still rules.’

Ranariddh’s newest pledge is to hew to a ‘middle path’—to stake out a space within government, and promote change from within the system. He said he believes there’s ample time for the royalists to turn around their fortunes before commune council elections scheduled for 2012, and national elections the year after.

The prince said: ‘I don’t like the word “collaboration”—collaboration sounds like during the Second World War when Petain of France collaborated with the Nazis. I rather like to talk about cooperation. I share some concerns with the opposition parties; only the approaches are different. I believe that if we cooperate with the ruling party in the same system, maybe it will be more efficient.’

But after so long out of the game, analysts say he faces significant obstacles both in uniting his own camp and re-establishing his political credentials. Son Soubert, a political observer and former member of Cambodia’s Constitutional Council, says that with Funcinpec having relinquished its critical stance for a role in government, only a genuinely fresh approach from the royalists can attract fresh support. ‘If Prince Ranariddh is willing to positively criticise the government, it’s a good thing,’ he says, but adds that it would be ‘hopeless’ unless he sticks to his guns.

In a political system that pays little respect to the concept of a loyal opposition, it’s unclear how Ranariddh intends to toe the line between working with the government and taking stands on principle. Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, says that though Ranariddh retains a small amount of political capital—mainly gleaned from his father Sihanouk’s lofty reputation—whether he has a role in government will depend largely on the whims of Hun Sen and the ruling CPP. Though he will likely try to play the royalist card to gain support at the ballot box, it’s by no means assured that Cambodian voters will rally to his call.

‘It will probably surprise him that the people won’t immediately support the son of the former king,’ he says. ‘I don’t think Ranariddh can play the (royalist) card and get votes just because he’s the prince.’ Ou Virak says that the best he can hope for instead is a minor coalition deal with the CPP, with perhaps a prestige post in government for himself thrown into the bargain.

The timing of Ranariddh’s announcement may also pose troubles for the rest of the royalist camp. Funcinpec and the NRP had previously embarked on an ambitious plan to reunite ahead of the 2013 national elections in a bid to rebuild their vote. The parties have engaged in months of talks, which have become snarled on issues of what the new party should be called and how plum posts should be divided up among the parties’ powerbrokers.

Now that Ranariddh has re-entered the scene, touting his own merger plan, his criticisms of Funcinpec’s current leadership threaten to deepen old divides. Whether he can bring the royalists back together without his former comrades—by force of personality and principal alone—remains to be seen.

‘I still don’t believe these personalities can be reconciled,’ Son Soubert says, referring to the Funcinpec leadership. ‘It’s better for Prince Ranariddh to keep his own agenda and see what he can do for the rest of the country.’

The Prince, like his father, may not be able to resist the lure of the limelight—‘doing politics is the same as being addicted to opium,’ he admitted to supporters last month. But whether his royalist appeal will be as magnetic as in the past awaits 2013, and the test of the Cambodian voter.

Cambodia sees reduction in parasitic disease

via CAAI

Jan 11, 2011

In Cambodia, more than 80,000 residents living along the Mekong River are estimated to be at risk of schistosomiasis.

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease which affects more than 200 million people worldwide. Commonly known as ‘snail fever’, it is caused by blood flukes or trematode worms which are released by freshwater snails in tropical and sub-tropical areas. Schistosomiasis is present in 74 countries, but people living in poor communities without access to clean water and adequate sanitation are particularly at risk from these parasites. The play and hygiene habits of children make them especially susceptible and in some areas a large proportion of school-age children can become infected.

The parasites penetrate the skin and the larvae develop into adult schistosomes in the body. Here they can cause an immune reaction or damage to the organs. If the worms become trapped in the urinary system, they damage the bladder, urethra and kidneys. In the intestinal system, progressive enlargement of the liver and spleen can result, as well as damage to the intestines and hypertension. Though mortality is low, the health of those infected can be seriously impaired. In children, the parasites cause malnutrition and growth retardation, as well as short and long-term memory problems and difficulties with mental reasoning and comprehension.

In Cambodia, more than 80,000 residents living along the Mekong River are estimated to be at risk of schistosomiasis. In two remote provinces – Kratie and Stung Treng – the disease was particularly prevalent, with between 30 and 70 per cent of people infected during the 1990s. Now officials at the National Centre for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control are pleased to report a drastic reduction in cases. Since 2002 the government has organised an extensive de-worming programme and in 2004 was the first to reach the World Health Organisation’s goal of covering three-quarters of school-aged children. In the two provinces where the parasite is most prevalent, patients are treated with the drug Praziquantel, which is usually effective with a single dose. Overall, the government’s programme over the last eight years has resulted in prevalence rates of schistosomiasis dropping to less than 5 per cent.

However, officials are still alert to the dangers, particularly in areas where villagers regularly go fishing, bathing or washing clothes in rivers, where they contract the disease from infested water. The parasite’s eggs enter the water through human urine or faeces. Less than a fifth of rural Cambodians have proper sanitation facilities and many people still use rivers as toilets. As well as controlling the number of snails and providing access to drug treatment, it is clear cases of this terrible disease can be reduced with basic improvements to sanitation and better health education.

Cambodia charges two detained Thais with spying

via CAAI

By Prak Chan Thul

PHNOM PENH | Tue Jan 11, 2011

(Reuters) - Cambodia has slapped charges of espionage on two of seven Thai nationalists who trespassed into its territory last month, a move that could reignite a diplomatic row between the two neighbours.

"According to new evidence the authorities have gathered, we also charged two of them with attempting to gather information, which affects national defense," Cambodian prosecutor Sok Roeun told Reuters on Tuesday.

Espionage carries up to 10 years in prison in Cambodia.

Thailand continued to exercise restraint in its response.

"I do not want to say much because it's currently under the consideration of Cambodia's court," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters in Bangkok after a weekly cabinet meeting.

Most of those arrested are part of a splinter faction of a Thai activist group, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which has been pressing Abhisit's government to take a tougher stand with Cambodia over border disputes.

One of the seven, Panich Vikitsreth, is close to Abhisit and a member of parliament for his ruling Democrat Party. He has not been charged with espionage.

The PAD has until recently backed Abhisit and taken credit for helping his rise to power, but it has grown increasingly critical of the premier and will field its own political party in a general election that may come this year.

It plans to hold a mass protest in Bangkok on January 25 over the detentions.

Relations between Thailand and Cambodia have thawed in recent months after diplomatic ties were severed because of a row over jurisdiction of border land surrounding a 900-year-old temple and Cambodia's provocative decision to employ, rather than extradite, fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Relations were restored in August when Cambodia said Thaksin, who lives in exile to avoid a jail term for graft, had resigned as an economic adviser to its government.

The Thais were arrested by Cambodian soldiers on December 29 when they entered a disputed border area. They were initially charged with illegal entry and unauthorized trespass in a military zone, offences that could put them in prison for up to 18 months.

China aid floods Cambodia

http://atimes.com/

via CAAI

By Marwaan Macan-Markar

BANGKOK - A steady rise of new dams in Cambodia is becoming a platform for the country's prime minister to showcase where the Southeast Asian kingdom's ties with China - a late arrival among Cambodia's foreign aid and development partners - is headed.

"The hydropower dam is just one of the numerous achievements under the cooperation between Cambodia and China," Premier Hun Sen said in December at a ceremony in a remote South-western province of the country where the 338 megawatt Russei Chrum Krom hydropower dam is being built.

This US$500 million dam - being built by the Huadian Corp, one of China's biggest state-owned power companies - is the largest of five Chinese dams under construction in energy-poor Cambodia, where only a fifth of the population of nearly 14.5 million have access to electricity.

Chinese companies are already carrying out feasibility studies for four more dams to be built, say environmentalists and grassroots activists worried about what such future hydropower projects portend.

"China plays a very important role in investment and development in Cambodia. But it should take account of the importance of EIAs [environmental impact assessments] and SIAs [social impact assessments],"

Chhith Sam Ath, executive director of the NGO Forum on Cambodia, said during a telephone interview from Phnom Penh, where his grassroots network for local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is based. "At times the EIA process is not open to the public and there is little time to comment," Ath told Inter Press Service.

Global environmental lobbies, such as the US-based International Rivers (IR), confirmed that a full EIA for the Kamchay Dam has still not been completed four years after construction began. "Within the EIA process, the Chinese companies have not pursued best practices," says Ame Trandem, a Southeast Asia campaigner for IR. "Public participation is limited or there is no participation. And the developer has not looked at alternatives."

The Kamchay Dam is located "within Bokor National Park and will flood two thousand hectares of protected forest," notes IR in a study titled 'Cambodia's hydropower development and China's involvement'.

But Hun Sen leaves little room for such criticism leveled by environmentalists toward China. "Is there any development that happens without an impact on the environment and natural resources? Please give us a proper answer," the region's longest-serving leader said in a broadside fired at green groups during the December ceremony for the Russei Chrum Krom Dam.

For their part, some Chinese funders of development projects in Cambodia have begun to engage with local activists - worried at the price a country still recovering from two decades of civil war and the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime has to pay now that China's footprint is expanding.

"I told a delegation of Chinese at a meeting last month that there were few EIA being done for Chinese projects," Meas Nee, a Cambodian social development researcher, told IPS in a telephone interview. "And even when done and it looks good on paper, there are flaws because they have not been done properly."

"The prime minister always praises Chinese support and the government prefers economic assistance from China because it comes with no conditions, unlike aid from the Western donors," Nee says.

In fact, Hun Sen's ability to play his newfound economic support from China against the country's long-standing development partners from the West has highlighted their contrasting aid and development practices.

Until 2006, when China stepped in to help Cambodia, the aid and development agenda had been dominated by the countries that were part of a pro-free market, pro-western Washington Consensus. They entered a war-ravaged country after the 1991 peace accord to help rebuild the country.

In mid-2010, Western donors assured Cambodia $1.1 billion in aid - up from the previous year's $950 million.

Such largess has come despite the Cambodian government falling short of standards the Western governments were pushing for - ranging from "good governance", better laws and reducing corruption to strengthening fundamental rights.

But China - which has gone from having only $45 million in investments in Cambodia in 2003 to signing 14 deals worth $850 million in December 2009 - challenged the Western donors' monopoly in the country by "dealing directly with the political decision makers only," says Shalmali Guttal, senior researcher at Focus on the Global South, a Bangkok-based regional think-tank.

China is enjoy an edge over the West through its 'no-policy-conditions' approach, said Guttal, noting also that China did not follow the Western donors route of pushing for Cambodian NGOs to monitor the aid process.

(Inter Press Service)

Top Glove To Invest RM160 Million In New Plant In Cambodia

via CAAI

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 (Bernama) -- Top Glove Corporation Bhd, the world's largest rubber glove maker with 20 factories mainly in Malaysia as well as in Thailand and China, will invest RM160 million to set up a new plant in Cambodia as part of plans to expand its production capacity.

Its chairman, Tan Sri Lim Wee Chai, told an analysts' briefing today that the investment in Cambodia including land, planting and facilities over a concession area 8,000 hectares would cover a period of six years.

He also said that production from the group's 20 factories by August this year was expected to increase to 41.25 billion pieces based on 459 production lines compared with 33.76 billion pieces per annum currently based on 379 lines from 17 factories.

The company, which has 10,900 employees, exports its products to more than 180 countries. He said China and India were large untapped markets where current gloves usage was low.

Three new factories with two in Klang and one in Ipoh, as well as one in Sadao, in Thailand, would add 7.5 billion peices to the expected production by August this year, he said.

Lim also said that Top Glove would focus more on producing nitrile gloves as they command better margins and were not subjected to the volatility in latex prices.

In its first quarter ended Nov 30, 2010, its production mix for nitrile was seven per cent, meanwhile its nitrile production for December last year was 10 per cent.

"We have a large number of nitrile raw material manufacturers in Malaysia, so we have better cost advantages over China in terms of raw materials and labour," he said.

Top Glove chalked up a lower pre-tax profit of RM44.4 million in the first quarter ended Nov 30, 2010, from RM86.6 million in the same period in the previous financial due to higher latex prices and continued weakening in the US dollar coupled with the time lag in passing on the higher costs to consumers.

However, revenue was higher at RM491.5 million compared to RM472.3 million previously.

In addition, demand for rubber gloves, which has been normalising coupled with the excess capacity situation, have also impacted the industry.

At the same time, customers kept their inventory level at a minimum level due to high selling prices of latex gloves, which reflected the increasing cost of latex prices.

Nevertheless, this adverse situation will possibly lead to further consolidation among the industry players, Lim said, adding that the company was in a good position to further enlarge its business when opportunities arose.

Lim said that demand was expected to pick up over the longer term especially from the healthcare sector and emerging market.

Bail Requested For Seven Thai Detainees In Cambodia

via CAAI

ANGKOK, Jan 11 (Bernama) -- Thailand's lawyers have submitted a bail request for seven Thai detainees in Cambodia, whereby two of them have now faced additional charges, making attempts to seek for their release more complicated, according Thai news agency on Tuesday.

The bail request was submitted to the Cambodian court on Monday (Jan 10) and will take about five days for the Phnom Penh court to consider and decide on the request, resulting in the seven Thai nationals' continued stay in the Prey Sar Prison in the Cambodian capital in the meantime.

The seven Thais, including a Bangkok MP of the ruling Democrat Party Panich Vikitsreth, and a leading activist of the Thai Patriots Network aligned with the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy or PAD, Veera Somkwamkid, were arrested by Cambodian soldiers on December 29.

While being on an inspection trip in a border area in Thailand's eastern Sa Kaeo's Province adjacent to Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey Province and have been detained in the neighbouring country since then.

The Cambodian court charged them with illegal entry and illegal trespass on a Cambodian military zone.

The two charges carry a combined maximum penalty of 18 months in jail.

However, the plight of the seven Thai nationals appeared to be worsened Monday when two of them including Veera and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon--were additionally charged with illegally collecting security information and could face a 5-10 year imprisonment each if found guilty by the Cambodian court.

Meanwhile, Veera's Thai Patriots Network, whose supporters have rallied at the Government House in Bangkok to pressure the Thai government to exercise tougher stance against Cambodia for a quick release of the seven Thai people, submitted a letter to UN Secretary-general Ban Ki Moon through the UN regional headquarters in the Thai capital on Monday.

They appealed for the UN's action to assist the seven Thai citizens.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen insisted that no one could intervene in the Cambodian judicial system, vowing that attempts by any party to have the seven Thai nationals released would not bear fruit as only the Cambodian court has the right to rule on the case.

But Hun Sen said that he did not expect the case would affect bilateral relations between Thailand and Cambodia.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva called an urgent meeting on Monday with Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, but no new measures have yet been announced related to the case.