|Written by Meas Sokchea|
| Friday, 31 October 2008 |
Phnom Penh Post
National Assembly says that Sam Rainsy Party’s demand to be recognised violated the Constitution and should not be honoured
The commission said Tuesday the request, submitted by letter, was an illegal attempt to amend Assembly regulations.
SRP lawmaker Son Chhay told journalists Wednesday the Commission's rejection was based on a misunderstanding. The letter submitted by the party was not a request for amending regulations but an attempt to remind the Assembly of comments previously made by Prime Minister Hun Sen.
"The SRP did not request an amendment to the internal regulations of the Assembly. We wrote a letter last week to remind the chairman of the Assembly of what Prime Minister Hun Sen said after the first meeting," he said.
"Samdech Hun Sen said he will accept requests by the SRP to rearrange the Assembly's regulations to guarantee an official role for the opposition," Son Chhay said.
The president of the SRP submitted the letter only to remind Assembly Chairman Heng Samrin of this fact, he said.
"We also included in the letter an assessment by a foreign expert, who also supported giving opposition parties an official role in Parliament," he said.
"The decision of the Commission seems to suggest we requested new regulations, but we have not done this. We know that to do so would require approval of one-fourth of the Assembly, and the SRP doesn't have those numbers," Son Chhay said.
Cambodian People's Party lawmaker Cheam Yeap told the Post Wednesday the SRP request violated the constitution.
"We rejected the letter because the request was illegal. Samdech Hun Sen said we must guarantee a role for opposition parties, but that the assembly must verify the validity of any such requests. So, the assembly saw it was illegal and must be rejected," Cheam Yeap said.
Thun Saray, president of the rights group Adhoc, said the offer of a guaranteed role in government was simply a political tactic to get the SRP to attend the Assembly's swearing-in ceremony in September.
Hun Sen told journalists after the convening of the Assembly on September 24 that he guaranteed an official role for the opposition in Parliament.
Friday, 31 October 2008
|Written by Cheang Sokha|
| Friday, 31 October 2008 |
Phnom Penh Post
A CAMBODIAN worker is in serious condition after being shot in the head by Thai paramilitary troops in Thailand's Aranyaprathet district, as he was waiting for a car to take him to a nearby farm Monday.
Sun Savuth, deputy police chief of O'Chrov district in Banteay Meanchey province, said that the victim, Say Tong Khay, 16, was waiting in the road with his father and four other workers when a Thai paramilitary truck patrolling in the area approached. He said the workers ran away, fearing arrest, after which a Thai soldier opened fire on them from the truck.
Say Tong Khay was taken to Siem Reap Wednesday, where he remains in serious condition.
|Written by Vong Sokheng and Cheang Sokha|
| Friday, 31 October 2008 |
Phnom Penh Post
THE National Assembly is seeking input from local and international stakeholders on a draft of the 2009 National Budget Law, which allocates US$2 billion in state funds, including large increases for the military.
The NGO Forum on Cambodia requested that a public forum be held on November 20, before lawmakers debate the draft law in early December, said CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap.
"We are inviting all stakeholders, including international organisations, government representatives, members of parliament and students [to take part]," he said.
In the draft law, the military budget has been doubled to about US$500 million.
NGO Forum deputy executive director Ngy San said the organisation had asked for a copy of the draft budget in order to make recommendations before the Assembly debate.
"Civil society is ready to join the workshop and will share some ideas with the National Assembly," he said.
But Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Son Chhay said the Assembly should implement procedures allowing the participation of opposition parties, rather than just a single day of talks with civil society groups.
"Last year, the Ministry of Defence wasted a lot of the national budget, so they have to review before adding to the military's budget," he said.
BANGKOK: Siam Cement PCL has delayed cement plant expansion in Cambodia and a new investment in Indonesia as cement demand falls due to a global economic slowdown, its cement division president said yesterday.
Thailand’s biggest industrial conglomerate also saw domestic cement consumption dropping 6%-7% this year from 25.6 million tonnes in 2007, and at least 10% next year, Pramote Techasupatkul told Reuters in an interview.
Rather than expansion, Siam Cement would focus on a 4 billion baht (US$115mil) investment plan to increase energy efficiency at its cement plants in Thailand and Cambodia, Pramote said.
“We are assessing the global situation. We have to be more prudent on spending,” he said.
The company’s domestic cement sales this year would fall to nine million tonnes, in line with the industry-wide decline, although exports would be 8.1-8.2 million tonnes, close to last year, he said.
Siam Cement has been producing cement at 80% of a full capacity of 23.2 million tonnes this year, Pramote added, but might cut production next year in response to weaker demand. – Reuters
SEOUL, Oct 31 (Yonhap) -- A free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and Cambodia will go into effect as of November, the government said Friday.
The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said the moves follows notification by Phnom Penh on Thursday that all domestic administrative and legal processes have been completed for the open trade regime, which is expected to greatly increase two-way trade.
Under the agreement, Seoul will immediately ax import duties on 10,658 manufactured goods made in the Southeast Asian country including those for various clothing and shoes. Tariffs on 108 farm and fisheries goods including bananas, pineapples, rice, beef and pork are to be excluded because of possible impact on the local economy, the ministry said.
"Importers that provide country-of-origin verification papers issued by Cambodia's commerce ministry could import goods free of duties starting Saturday," a official said.
Bilateral trade reached US$300 million last year, with South Korea posting a surplus of $270 million.
Cambodia is the ninth Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member to ratify such a pact, with Thailand being the only holdover.
An FTA with Singapore went into effect on March 2006, followed by Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Myanmar in June 2007. Tariffs were cut for goods from the Philippines starting in January of this year, while those for Brunei Darussalam and Laos became effective in July and this month respectively.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
One of Cambodia’s most amazing heroes, Nuon Phymean has over the past years offered hundreds of children working in Phnom Penh’s landfill a way out through free schooling and job training. She is now one of the nominees for the CNN Hero of the Year Award to be announced on November 19 this year.
As her fellow Cambodians, let’s join hand-in-hand and VOTE for this legendary hero of ours. Please click on the above picture to do your part.
A million thanks for your cooperation!!!
PS: To learn more about project and how to get involved, please visit http://peopleimprovement.org/.
By Sav Yuth
30th October, 2008
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization
Cambodian soldiers said that hundreds of trees near the sites where Thai soldiers set up their camps have been destroyed by Thai soldiers because they cut down the trees to use them to cover their trenches to protect themselves from artillery shells should fighting break out.
A Khmer soldier stationing near the Preah Vihear temple said on 30th October that hundreds of trees the size of human thighs were cut down to build their trenches which made the dense and forested jungle become barren like an empty field. He said: "The trees are the sizes of our thighs. They said that the areas belong to them too so they cut down all the trees, even the ones opposite us. They cut down the trees next to their frontlines."
In regard to the Cambodian allegations, a Thai border official said that he did not receive any information about this matter yet.
A Thai border official based at Sisaket, Mr. Svang Prachumwong, said that he did not know clearly about the issue, but said that he went to the border areas very often and saw that not only Thai soldiers, but Cambodian soldiers also, cut down the trees. He added that they only cut down small trees.
A Khmer border official said that, while the border issues are not yet resolved, the cutting down of the trees are forbidden.
Mr. Var Kim Hong, chairman of the Cambodian Border Committee, said that he did not see with his own eyes about the forest destruction by the Thai soldiers. But if large numbers of trees were cut down by the Thai soldiers, it would be a violation of the joint Memorandum of Understanding on border issues, signed by both countries in 2000 to maintain the status quo.
Mr. Var Kim Hong said: " I did not see with my own eyes but if the allegations are true then it would be a violation of article 5 of the joint Memorandum of Understanding of 2000 because we promised to maintain the status quo, and not to change anything."
Cambodian soldiers said that since troops were sent to occupy Wat Keo Sekha Kirisvarak pagoda on the 15th of July, many Thai troops have set up camps opposite the Preah Vihear temple and they have cut down many trees to build their camps or to use as firewoods. They said that some high quality hardwood have been cut down to make axe handles or even cut down into small pieces and put in their knapsacks and took with them to Thailand.
Since 1997, Cambodia has banned logging which has seriously destroyed the environments and perpetrators of forest destruction will be severely punished by laws.//
The map showing where the fighting on 15th October, 2008 took place. The yellow line is the delimitation line drawn up by Franco-Siamese Commission in the 1907 Franco-Siamese treaty. The red spots with red arrows pointing at them are the sites of the 15th October fighting. Top of the yellow lineis Thailand and bottom of the line is Cambodia, so the fighting took place inside Cambodian territories.
What do people often hear from Thailand saying about Cambodia? Well, Cambodia is known to many Thai people, Thai politicians, Thai intellectuals, and Thai scholars as the “betrayer, the insincere, and the distrustful,” written in their history, published by Thai media, and spoken out by their leaders and remembered in their people’s hearts.
Why are these terminologies used to paint the bad image of Cambodia? Has Thailand historically been affected and suffered by its relations with Cambodia? Yes, as Thailand has always claimed it.
The word which paints Cambodia as “the distrustful” is historically noted to hundreds of year back to the reign of king Naresuan, the king who freed Thailand (Siam) from the Burmese invasion in the 16th century. In the Thai history, it states that, the Khmer betrayed them by taking advantage of Thai weakness during the war with Burma, the Khmer attacked them. This word is thoroughly taught at school and learned and from then on they have labeled the Cambodians as “the distrustful.”
The word “insincere” is newly used after the border conflict between the two countries led to military clashes on 15th October 2008 which is written by Thanida Tansbpapo who raised questions about Phnom Penh’s sincerity in settling the border dispute through diplomacy.
There is still another one which is just recently termed that is, “the betrayal.” The term is painted when Thailand accuses Cambodia of planting new landmines, at the Veal Entry next to Preah Vihear temple which seriously wounded three Thai soldiers, the the betrayal of the Ottawa Conevention, 1997.
Of course, these words sound good to the Thais but they really disturb the Cambodians and they even reflect back to the Thais themselves regarding to history and legality and as reaction to the Thai accusation, the Cambodians always react with the word “thief” or “the ungrateful” to term the Thais, but rarely officially publicized.
Historically, Naresuan was not able to win the war against Burma in his leadership without the full support of Khmer King, Sattha. King Sattha sent his brother, Prince Srisuphanma, to lead troops who were experts of war elephants and martial art to help king Naresuan to fight against the Burmese King Bayinnuang. The war was successfully fought and freed Thailand from Burma. The Khmer Prince pulled the troops back to the Khmer Kingdom after helping Naresuan to win the war and hoped to continue to build peace with Thailand. Yet Naresuan, in stead of being grateful to the Khmer King, was so worried about the Khmer power reemergence, so he ungratefully decided to completely destroy the Khmer might when the Khmer were tired of war after helping Thailand and without preparation. Thai leaders really don’t want this truth be revealed to their next generations being afraid of losing the chance to claim for superiority to the Khmer among their people, condemning from the public or independent scholars, losing political sympathy from the general Thais and most importantly this can play a role as the political instrument in order to inspire and strengthen the spirit of nationalism among the Thai future generations.
Who must be demanded for “sincerity” in the part of Cambodia or Thailand? It would be Cambodia if Cambodia doesn’t respect the 1904 and 1907 Siamese-French treaties and the verdict of International Court of Justice (ICJ), 1962. But the Cambodia does respect these conditions. How about Thailand? As a matter of fact, Thailand must be the one that needs to show its sincerity at the first place because Thailand politically and intentionally shows that it doesn’t respect the 1904 and 1907 Siamese-French treaties, the verdict of ICJ, and the Paris Peace Accord, 1991 which Thailand itself legally recognized and signed and, in addition, it is even invading Cambodia. If Thailand were not a state but just an individual person, such an insult or abuse must be demanded for official apology, compensation, and other kinds of serious punishment according to law should there be any international judgment again.
The world clearly knows that Cambodia is ranked as one of the countries which have the most landmines in the world which planted from the Cambodian war of the 1970s into the 1990s. The landmine areas are geographically and politically marked the existence of Cambodian territory. So how can Thailand come up to such an accusation that Cambodia is the betrayal of the Ottawa Convention, 1997? Is Thailand really ignorant, as some Cambodians say about them, about history? Or is Thailand a perfect pretender?
In Thai territory, landmines do not exist since Thailand is always at peace. So, instead, Thailand should deserve the word “betrayal” or “thief “ named by Cambodia and the world for not respecting the spirit of the Paris Peace Accord, 1991.
Through centuries, Cambodia has been endured through all kinds of attack with both verbal and physical from her neighbors and remarkably Cambodian soft and compromised foreign policy has always been negatively paid back which historically happened with her neighbors.
With Thailand, the Thais always claimed that they helped Cambodia after the fall of the Khmer Empire and from the Pol Pot Regime to the present. How about the Khmers helped them to survive from the Mongolian huntin in the 12th century? How about the Khmer helped them to free from the Burma in the 16th century under the reign of Naresuan and the 18th century during the leadership of Taksin?
After the fall of the Khmer Empire, Thailand never helped Cambodia, but consistently invaded Cambodia in order to take control and compete for power balance against Vietnam.
During the Pol Pot regime, Thailand was not helping Cambodia to survive as they claimed but they helped push Cambodia destructively to die by secretively supporting the genocidal Khmer Rouge (KR) and other guerrilla groups in Cambodia during the1970s and 1980s through financial support and weapon trade, as Morton Abramowitz, former U.S. ambassador to Thailand, said in a 29 May 1994 Washington Post editorial that, “By graft or statecraft, Thailand has become [KR leader] Pol Pot’s best ally.” Interestingly, in April the new strongman in Bangkok, Army Commander Suchinda Krapayoon, told a US senator that he considered Pol Pot a “nice guy,” just as in 1985 the Foreign Minister of the previous dictatorship had described Pol Pot’s deputy, Son Sen, as “a very good man.” So, are all the good Thais in Thailand like Pol Pot and Son Sen? Is that what Thailand calls “help”?
In contradict to the spirit of Asean and United Nations and especially the memorandums and agreements signed by Thailand with its neighbors for respecting each country’s territorial integrity and strengthening friendship, Thailand is treacherously adopt the two-facial policy towards its neighbors as explicitly stated by a senior Thai official with security responsibilities, General Channa Samudvanija, to Milton Osborne, during an extended discussion of Thai-Cambodian relations in 1980 that, in essence, Thai policy towards Cambodia was to support those forces within the country that opposed the existing government. The rationale behind such a policy as the Realpolitik view of seeking to weaken a neighbor with which Thailand had substantial policy differences… According to this, can Cambodia trust Thailand in term of border resolution as it has publicly claimed? It can be trusted only if Thailand show its respect for all treaties it has signed and accepts the international body mediator such as UN or ICJ as proposed by Cambodia.
Respectively, the accusation game must be stopped because it gains for nothing but deepens the conflicts and hatred between the two countries and especially Thailand should take this chance to show the world that it is respecting the 1904 and 1907 Siamese-French treaties, the verdict of International Court of Justice (ICJ), 1962, and the spirit of the Paris Peace Accord, 1991 and withdraws its troops unconditionally from Cambodia. If Thailand can do so, friendship between the two countries will be re-strengthened, hatred will be healed, and accusations will be ended. Then, the two countries will peacefully co-exist.
|Photo: Geoffrey Cain/IRIN|
|Many of Cambodia's urban poor are in danger of eviction - a significant human rights concern for many activists today|
Under the new system, the rapporteur reports to the HRC, not to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
"The rapporteur position is slightly downgraded, but the mandate remains essentially the same as the special representative," Christophe Peschoux, director of the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Cambodia, told IRIN.
Former envoy Ghai, a Kenyan lawyer, had experienced repeated personal attacks from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen after his criticisms of the government.
"This is a question of personality, and interpretation about how to conduct this sensitive mandate, not of the mandate itself," Peschoux said. "The Prime Minister said he will never receive Yash Ghai but will receive his successor, who is to be appointed by the Council."
Rather than being limited only to Cambodia, Peschoux said the change was part of a wider consolidation trend among member states to simplify UN human rights procedures.
|Questions over legality of evictions in name of development|
|Coastal development threatens livelihoods|
|Cambodia RSS feed|
According to a report by Ghai, land laws are "regularly" violated "with impunity by influential individuals, companies and government entities".
Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith could not be reached to comment on Ghai’s report despite repeated phone calls.
Adhoc, a Cambodian human rights watchdog, estimated 50,000 people were evicted for development in 2006 and 2007. Licadho, another Cambodian NGO, said 30,000 have been displaced by evictions in the past five years.
"It appears that the office [OHCHR] is not holding the Cambodian government ... to its promises on UN conventions," Ou Virak, director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, told IRIN. "The government has failed to file its human rights report to the [UN] Human Rights Committee in the past."
"The new programme [the special rapporteur] means the UN and government are making weak compromises on human rights," Pa Ngoun Teang, secretary-general of the Cambodia human rights working group for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), told IRIN.
But Peschoux said cooperation made more sense than stirring controversy.
"My experience with several major international human rights and humanitarian organisations, with different approaches to human rights protection," he said, "has taught me that there is no effective rights protection without effective dialogue and practical engagement with those who have the power to effect changes, [which are] government authorities."
The UN special representative and Cambodian government have been at loggerheads over rights issues since 1993, after the UN peacekeeping force (UNTAC) completed its mandate.
"The law of the gun has been replaced with the law of the dollar," Peschoux said, having worked for OHCHR from 1993 to 1999 before he returned in 2007. "The 1990s was a decade that was heavily influenced by the previous 30 years of conflict. This really was a post-conflict situation."
This decade, Peschoux said, is "marked by peace and its consolidation" and issues of development have taken over from issues of violence.
"Another form of violence has appeared, generated by unregulated economic development practices, violence against the poor and the most vulnerable," he said.
|Volunteer Abroad in Cambodia: The Kingdom of Cambodia is an independent country with a population of more than 7 million people. Located in the heart of South East Asia, Cambodia is bordered by Thailand to the West, in the North by Laos.|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Volunteer Abroad in Cambodia: The Kingdom of Cambodia is an independent country with a population of more than 7 million people. Located in the heart of South East Asia, Cambodia is bordered by Thailand to the West, in the North by Laos and in the East by Vietnam. Once a French colony, Cambodia is the least known of the Indochinese countries.
The dominant ethnic group is the Khmer, about 95 % of the population. The Khmer people, impress visitors as some of the friendliest, 'happiest' (sabai), and most gentle people they have ever met.
The ubiquitous Khmer smile is legendary, as is traditional Khmer hospitality and openness. Other groups include Vietnamese, along with around ethnic Chinese, and Muslim Chams. There are also a number of primitive tribes located throughout the country side. Cambodia is divided into 20 provinces and rich in resources, forests, rubber, gems, fish and has a big potential in tourism.
Cambodia is a poor country, currently ranking 129th out of 177 countries in the United Nations Human Development Report. Much of the population of Cambodia survives on less than US$1 a day, there is a lack of basic health and educational services in large parts of the country and the political intrigue remains as complex as ever. After 25 years of civil war Cambodia's number of illiterate people is among the highest worldwide.
About 65 % of the Cambodian population above the age of 15 can neither read nor write. But in the last few years the security situation has improved immeasurably, the government is stepping in to provide more education and infrastructure building and the country has seen an increasing numbers of foreign visitors. Cambodia is truly a land of light and dark, of wonder and of tragedy - awe-inspiring, heart wrenching and completely unique.
Our programs allow you to take part in meaningful community service work, while discovering the people, sights, smells and tastes of the Cambodia.
Volunteering while traveling in Cambodia is a way to totally immerse yourself in the local culture.
Volunteering in Cambodia provides a great opportunity to make life-long friends, learn a new culture from the inside out and discover that one person really can make a difference.
Volunteer overseas with us and see A Broader View of the World.
* Phnom Penh
Volunteering abroad in Phnom Penh, Cambodia: Phnom Penh, once considered to be the loveliest of Indochina's French-built cities, was called the "Pearl of Asia". The city has a mix of French colonial and Khmer architecture, and sits at the base of the Mekong, Bassac and Tonlé Sap Rivers. Phnom Penh has a number of Wats (temple-monasteries)
For some, the capital city can be quite a shock. Phnom Penh can be a very hot and dusty, the streets are busy with cars, people, motorbikes and street children begging for hand outs. In the past 30 years the country has undergone extreme challenges, war and destruction.
But things are changing, and improvements are growing. The infrastructure is improving rapidly - fewer power outages, streets are paved, traffic is flowing and rubbish is collected more frequently. There are beautiful wide boulevards, fine colonial architecture and a park like riverfront with cafés and restaurants that make Phnom Penh a unique destination.
There is real poverty in Cambodia, especially on the streets of Phnom Penh, where many wary countryside villagers end up in search of a better life. Rural poor people generally have small plots of low-quality land or are landless, and opportunities for off-farm employment are scarce. As the came into the city looking for opportunities they end of living on the streets, begging to make a living and supporting their families. Poor households tend to include more dependents, especially children. Among age groups, poverty disproportionately affects children. Poor people, particularly ethnic minorities, are often uninformed about their rights and lack access to legal assistance, health care and especially education.
Our programs focus on orphan children, rescued from a life on the streets.
Providing a home based, love and support, and some education will help break the vicious poverty cycle that these kids would otherwise be destined for.
We offer the following programs in Phnom Penh:
Program Length: From 1 to 12 weeks
Meals: Lunch and dinner daily
Program Date: Flexible Start & End Date
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 35-40 hours per week.
Orphanage/Child Care Assistance
The orphanage provides a home and education to over 100 children, ages 2yrs to teenagers. All these children are orphans, or have been abandoned by their families.
Most of the children previously worked as garbage pickers at the Steung Mean Chey landfill in Phnom Penh. The children at the orphanage thrive on the attention and love our volunteers can share with them.
This orphanage provides a stable and loving home for the children, as well as to teach them to be good, productive citizens and to give them an education and vocational or university training so that they can become independent. Vocational training includes sewing, tailoring, cooking, car mechanics and other life skills necessary for the children to one day be self-sufficient.
Volunteers are free to tutor the children, organize arts and crafts or sports activities, and help out with basic chores such as feeding the kids, and folding laundry. This is a meaningful way to learn first hand the hardship most children in the world face, and give back to the underprivileged children growing up in a Third World country.
This placement is suitable for volunteers who wish to share their love and compassion for orphans.
The placement is sure to provide numerous opportunities to serve these destitute children.
All activities at the center are related to taking care of these infant children.
Prior experience not necessary, volunteers should have a lot of patience and come prepared with creative ideas and games to share with the kids.
Accommodation with a local English speaking host family, private bedroom with ceiling fan, shared bathroom, 2 meals a day provided. Welcome Dinner on arrival. Airport pick up and drop off in Phnom Penh. Our local Project Coordinators will provide welcome orientation including city tour, project introduction and placement and supervision in the program. The project coordinator is available 24/7 in case of emergency, health-related or otherwise. They can assist in arranging sightseeing excursion before, during or after the volunteer program.
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We offer international volunteer projects for the globally-minded individual searching for a unique travel experience. We are a 501 non-profit international volunteer organization offering short and long term volunteer programs in developing countries.
Phnom Penh—Impoverished North Korea and Cambodia have agreed to host each other’s art shows and movies as part of a cultural exchange to boost relations, a senior Cambodian official said Thursday.
The agreement, which outlines an exchange of cultural events from 2009 to 2011, was signed in Phnom Penh on Monday during a visit by a North Korean cultural relations delegation, said Chuch Phoeurn, secretary of state at Cambodia’s ministry of culture.
“The cultural exchange includes exhibitions, a week of movies and art performances,” he told AFP. Chuch Phoeurn said Cambodia sends performers to North Korea every year to participate in shows, particularly the isolated country’s national ceremonies.
Former Cambodian king Norodom Sihanouk is a long-time friend of North Korea who, during his frequent visits, stays in a palace in Pyongyang provided to him by the North’s first leader, Kim Il-Sung.
North Korean Prime Minister Kim Yong-Il last year made a rare visit to Cambodia focused on boosting trade between the two nations.—APP
The two countries will hold official talks over their border dispute, from November 10 to 14 in a meeting in Cambodia.
Sources from the Thai foreign ministry forwarded that the talks would also include a border dispute for the Preah Vihear temple.
According to the General Director of Treaties and Legal Matters Virachai Plasai, the meeting was organized after the Senate-House of Representative joint session that backed the Bangkok representation in the Joint Border Committee to negotiate a bilateral agreement in this field.
Differences between the two neighboring countries dated from decades ago although Phnom Penh has held its sovereignty since 1962, by decision of The Hague International Court of Justice.
The recognition awarded to those ruins prompted nationalist complaints by the Thai opposition.
Cambodia's 102 landmine-detection dogs were rigorously chosen and trained.
Now the dogs need replacing. However, the programme, which began in 1996, is desperately short of funds, reported Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA).
The director of the Cambodian Mine Action Centre, Mr Khem Sophoan, said the mine-detecting dogs were ageing, while the landmine problem was far from solved.
'Dogs are just like people: When they get old, they have to retire,' he was quoted as saying.
'We love our dogs, and they never fail us...but now we need new dogs to train and financial assistance to maintain them.'
Cambodia is one of the world's most heavily-mined countries, after many years of bitter war. About 400 people are killed or maimed annually when they set off mines. Sweden set up the canine mine-detection programme using mostly German and Swedish shepherd crosses.
The programme was transferred to Cambodia in 2002. Training the dogs to sniff out explosives concealed underground or in rocky terrain littered with shrapnel is a tricky business.
Of every 100 canine candidates, "maybe only four or five make it", Mr Sophoan told DPA.
He said the programme cost around US$1.2 million (S$1.8 million) a year. Even an untrained dog may cost US$4,000, whereas a fully-trained animal could be worth US$30,000.
Cambodia bred its first litter of 10 puppies earlier this year from a pair of demining Belgian Shepherds from Bosnia.
But an intestinal disease killed half the puppies. Veterinary supplies are also in short supply.
| By Rory Byrne |
30 October 2008
Byrne report - Listen (MP3)
In countries around the world, hundreds of thousands of poor people face daily hazards to earn meager livings by scavenging for recyclable goods. In Cambodia, hundreds of scavenger families find their lives changing - they will lose their homes and livelihoods when the government closes the dump where they work. Rory Byrne has this report from Phnom Penh.
|Steung Meanchey dump on outskirts of Phnom Penh|
Steung Meanchey dump is a seven-hectare mountain of smoking garbage on the outskirts of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. Here some 2,000 workers, including about 600 children, sift through 700 tons of garbage a day.
In developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, garbage scavengers are among the poorest workers. In Cambodia, they typically earn about one dollar a day.
Ten-year-old Ya has been recycling bottles and cans at the dump for three years.
" alt="For children like Ya, going to school remains a distant dream
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|For children like Ya, going to school remains a distant dream |
Most of the scavengers live in wooden shacks around the dump. There is no access to clean water or sanitation and epidemics are commonplace.
The risks here are high. Sharp-edged metals and broken glass leave nasty wounds. And garbage scavengers suffer high rates of serious diseases, such as hepatitis, tuberculosis and even AIDS. A number of scavengers have been killed or seriously injured when they were run over by garbage trucks.
|Sok Kanhha has been working at dump for more than five years|
Annette Jensen is the director of A New Day, a charity that provides free food, shelter and schooling to more than 100 children from Steung Meanchey dump.
"To see the children miserable, dirty, sad looking at the garbage dump and then have them arrive with their little plastic bag with all their belongings and move into the center. And to see their excitement about taking a shower. To see their excitement about getting their little bag of shampoo. And to see them clean, putting on their school uniform and going to school has just been amazing," says Jensen.
" alt="Annette Jensen, director of A New Day
" src="http://www.voanews.com/english/images/VOA_Byrne_cambodia_annette_jensen_scavengers_30oct08_eng_175_1.jpg" vspace="2" width="182" border="0" height="190" hspace="2">
|Annette Jensen, director of A New Day|
Ya has he would go to school if he could stop working at the dump. He says he wants to go to school but cannot because his family is so poor.
Ya and his family now face a new challenge: the government plans to close Steung Meanchey and relocate the 535 families living there to land about 50 kilometers south of Phnom Penh.
The government will let them have tiny plots on which to build new homes. An official in charge of the project notes the location is near Udong Mountain, a tourist site, so that there are jobs available in the region. And he says, families are not being forced to move, but most are volunteering.
Still, no families have left so far. Many scavengers say they will be happy to leave the dump, but they are worried that they will not be able to make a living because the relocation camp is too far away from the city.
After receiving the report a naval rescue team in a rubber dinghy rushed to the island. They found 5 men, aged between 19 and 25, all Cambodian, in a serious physical condition. They had been starving for 4 days on the island.
They told police that they came from a village near Poipet on the Cambodia border. A Cambodian friend who had lived in Thailand for a long time told them he operated some kind of agency and had found a job for them. They decided to pay their friend 3000 baht each for taking them to Samutprakarn to work.
They traveled by train to Hualumpong railway station in Bangkok and then by taxi to Paknam, Samutprakarn, where they believed they would work at the Paknam Harbuor for 4000 baht a month salary.
However the friend had also taken 5000 baht commission for each person from a fishing boat owner. They were duly transferred onto the boat as soon as they arrived at Paknam and ended up working in the middle of the deep sea.
They had been working for 8 months without any salary and without one visit onshore or a single day off. Every now and then boats brought them food and took fish back to shore during which time their boat would have to travel to about 10 miles from Sattahip harbour.
Mr. Tah (25), one of the men said, "Eight months was too long to suffer, it was just like being in a prison. We were physically and mentally hurt and never had a chance to ask for some money to send to our families. We were not allowed to visit our folks. It was as if we were already dead so we decided to run for our lives"
He said, on the night of 25th October, while people were busy loading fish, they jumped into the sea and swam to an island they could see a long distance away. They had some drinking water in plastic bags with them. Two of the men, Mr. Tee and Mr. Aeun , who could not swim well, slowed everyone down but they finally managed to reach the island four hours later.
They spent 4 days and 4 nights on the island, catching fish and crab and drinking some rain water from the rock swamp until they saw the fisherman’s boat and waved for help. They were happy to be safe and would soon be heading back home to be with their families.
Thursday, 30 October 2008
|Written by Thet Sambath|
| Thursday, 30 October 2008 |
Phnom Penh Post
A Chinese warship will make a port call at Sihanoukville on November 5 and an assortment of equipment, including a number of ambulances, will be donated to the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), officials say.
"China is going to give us 10 minibuses and 31 ambulances next month because they see RCAF currently has no capacity to transport sick soldiers," Pang Savan, director of the International Relations Department at the Ministry of Defence.
"Their visit to Cambodia is to strengthen their relationship with the Cambodian navy and friendship between both countries," Pang Savan said.
|Written by Meas Sokchea|
| Thursday, 30 October 2008 |
Phnom Penh Post
The government is larger than ever with about 50 more senior positions than last time round but some are asking: what are they all doing?
A RAPID post-election increase in the number of government positions has left many newly appointed officials with little to do despite the fact they are now on the payroll.
"Most of the secretaries of state at the Council of Ministers have nothing to do," said a senior official from the Council of Ministers who declined to be named.
"What work have they got to do? They are new officials in new posts. Some of them just do some work for other Cambodian Peoples' Party secretaries of state," he told the Post Tuesday.
In the fourth mandate of Prime Minister Hun Sen's CPP government the size of the executive has increased from 200 secretary of state, minister, senior minister and deputy prime minister positions to 247.
"They have seats but they have nothing to do," the CoM official said.
"Until now, all the work has not been divided us and shared out with them."
The problem has arisen as more official positions have been created and filled, but the original officials are still in their positions and still doing their jobs, he said.
The problem extends from ministerial positions down through under-secretaries of state to deputy provincial governors, he added.
He said that in the CoM there are sixteen secretaries of state some of whom who have no work to do.
"We have a huge number of members of government and some of them must be free. They have seats but they sit and do nothing," said Puthea Hang, the executive director of monitoring organisation, Nicfec.
Too many cooks
"There are a huge number of officials who not only do nothing but are also an obstacle for the Kingdom's ongoing development because of the corruption issues," opposition Sam Rainsy Party law maker Yim Sovann said Tuesday.
"I have never seen any country the same as Cambodia, this is a very strange country," he added.
According to secretary of state and spokesman for the Council of Ministers, Phay Siphan, all secretaries of stateshould be busy working as they have positions with specific duties attached to them.
"If any secretary of state said that he has no work to do, it means that he is not a secretary of state," Phay Siphan told the Post Tuesday.
He said that duties were being arranged for new positions but acknowledged that some of the new positions have not yet had work responsibilities assigned to them. This had resulted in some ministers being short on day-to-day work - a problem the government is trying to rectify, he said.
Phay Siphan said every effort was made to ensure that the individual strengths and experiences of newly appointed secretaries of state were used as best they could be for the benefit of the country as a whole.
Phnom Penh Post
THEY'RE known as the Temple Boys, and they're part of a small group of businessmen who have become major players in the downtown Siem Reap tourism scene.
The Boys, brothers Lee Kong Srin and Lee Kong Vong, have notched up successes such as the popular Temple Club Pub Street venue, a hotel and a chain of Khmer restaurants.
Their start in life wasn't easy. When Lee Kong Srin was a year old and his brother 22 days old, their Chinese father fled the country.
Nine years ago, Lee Kong Srin, 28, and Lee Kong Vong, 27, finished high school and worked as moto-taxi drivers for a small guesthouse. Then the guesthouse owner asked the Lees to manage the rooms for her.
"That was my first job," Lee Kong Srin said, "It's where I got my experience."
Later the brothers rented and managed a small eight-room guesthouse called Get Lucky. "From Get Lucky, we learned how to attract customers," said Lee Kong Srin. "We then acquired the Golden Temple Villa, which has 40 rooms and does very well."
Six years ago, the brothers also rented the Temple Club, which relocated to Pub Street four years ago.
"It usually takes only one to two years for Western clubs to become successful, but it took longer for us," said Lee Kong Vong But now the club is one of the most popular venues on the strip, and in addition to the club and Golden Temple Villa, the brothers' empire also includes four restaurants.
"A hotel is harder to run than a club," said Lee Kong Srin. "It's hard work to attract customers to a hotel, and you have to make sure the service is perfect."
Parliament is set to approve the new military budget in a session in early November, said Cheam Yeap, head of the parliament's finance commission.
"We need our soldiers to have enough capacity to protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity and have proper equipment and weapons," he told AFP.
"We also want our soldiers to have better training and to be better equipped with weapons and other military tools," he said.
The lawmaker added that Cambodian soldiers also needed new bases and better pay from the government.
But the decision to vastly increase military spending will likely rankle many international donors, who provide about 600 million dollars per year for the impoverished country's national budget.
Many of Cambodia's Cold War-era weapons mis-fired during the October 15 firefight between troops on disputed land near the ancient Preah Vihear temple which left one Thai and three Cambodians dead.
While Thailand has a 300,000-strong armed force and a well-equipped air force, Cambodia's much smaller military is badly equipped, badly trained and disorganised, according to a Western military official in Bangkok.
Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia flared in July when the 11th century Preah Vihear temple was awarded United Nations World Heritage status, rekindling long-running tensions over ownership of land surrounding the temple.
Although the World Court ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia, the most accessible entrance is in Thailand's northeastern Si Sa Ket province.
Published on October 30, 2008
New round of talks on boundary demarcation with Cambodia will begin on November 10 following the approval of the negotiation mandate from parliament.
The boundary at the disputed area near the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear which has been at the core of the conflict for a long time would be recommended as priority for demarcation, said Foreign Ministry's Director of Treaties and Legal Affairs Department Virachai Plasai.
Prior to the parliament's mandate, the cabinet approved the appointment of Vasin Teeravechyan, former Thai Ambassador to South Korea, as the new Chairman of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) of the Thai side.
The framework of the JBC negotiation was based on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on survey and land boundary demarcation signed by both countries in 2000.
Although mentioned by the MOU as related documents in the negotiation, Thailand would never accept the France-made maps, Virachai said.
"We acknowledge the existence of the maps which are the results of the demarcation works of commission of delimitation of the boundary set up under the 1904 and 1907 treaties of Siam-France but we don't accept," he said.
Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva expressed his concern over the maps since they were made in favour of Cambodia. The International Court of Justice had ruled in 1962 that the Hindu temple of Preah Viehar belonged to Cambodia in accordance with those maps.
Attempt to convene the JBC was speeded up after a border skirmish at the area near Preah Vihear on October 15 which killed four soldiers of both sides and injured many others.
Meanwhile, Virachai said Thailand would raise the issue of antipersonal mines found in the area of Phu Ma Khua in Si Sa Ket province to the meeting of state parties of the Ottawa mineban convention in late November.
The Foreign Ministry has sought explanation from Cambodia over the recently planted PMN2 type landmines which seriously injured two Thai paramilitary rangers who lost their legs on October 6.
The move would not jeopardise the boundary demarcation talks since both Thailand and Cambodia were obligated as state parties of the Ottawa convention not to plant antipersonal mines, Virachai said.
Thailand rejects France’s 1904 Maps [-Cambodia should reject Thai occupation of Khmer provinces such as Nokoreach Seima, Chantabor, Kuckhan, etc...]
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
A foreign ministry official says parliament granted the government two frameworks for the negotiation.
The first, beginning with a meeting from November10-14, will cover redeployment of troops on disputed land near Preah Vihear temple and clearing landmines from the area.
In the second part, the two countries will try to settle ownership of patches of disputed land along Thailand and Cambodia's 798km shared border.
The border has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.
Tensions between the neighbours flared in July when the 11th century Preah Vihear was awarded United Nations World Heritage status, rekindling long-running tensions over ownership of the surrounding land.
Two rounds of emergency talks after armed clashes on October15 that killed one Thai and three Cambodians made little progress, although there was agreement for the soldiers not to fire on each other again.
I’ve seen occasional recent references comparing Pakistan to Cambodia during the Vietnam War. If the Bush administration, or Barack Obama, thinks the two are comparable it is making the biggest miscalculation since the U.S. made the mistake of getting too close to China in the Korean War. Obama wants to expand the current Bush attacks on border areas to include an attack on Osama bin Laden where ever he might be in Pakistan.
U.N. forces had routed the North Korea Army and appeared to on the verge of winning when China became concerned that the Americans might decide to go ahead and conquer China as well because China had been supplying the North Koreans. China responded by sending in its army. President Harry Truman decided that it was best not to antagonize the Chinese any more than necessary and prohibited bombing supply bases in China.
Enemies using sanctuaries isn’t a new situation for the U.S. Andrew Jackson faced such a situation along the border of what was then Spanish owned Florida during the administration of President James Monroe. Jackson took care of the problem by in effect declaring war on Spain with nothing more than an ambiguous letter from President Monroe. Jackson invaded Florida without any authorization from Congress and captured the Spanish governor at a poorly defended fort at Pensacola. Spain after a protest decided Florida wasn’t worth the trouble and ceded it to the U.S.
During the Vietnam War communist forces started using areas of Cambodia along the Vietnam border as sanctuaries for supply depots and troop bases. Cambodia with a population of only 7 million and no military force to speak of couldn’t force the Vietnamese out and was afraid that acknowledging their presence would draw the country into the war. North Vietnam denied having any forces in Cambodia.
The U.S. occasionally bombed these forces and sent in commando type forces, but denied doing either. The U.S. didn’t want to formally enter the country because it didn’t want to risk forcing Cambodia to ask for assistance from someone like China or the U.S.S.R. Cambodia also ignored the actions of the U.S. claiming it wasn’t aware of the presense of foreign troops or any bombing.
In early 1970 Prince Norodom Sihanouk’s efforts to keep the country out of the conflict failed and he was overthrown in a coup by pro-U.S. officials. The new government invited the U.S. in to eliminate the communist bases. Subsequently the country endured a civil war that resulted in over a million deaths.
Pakistan with an estimated 2006 population of 165 million is the 6th most populous nation in the world with a population equal to the population of Iraq plus the population of Russia. It has the world’s 7th largest military force, including nuclear weapons and missiles to deliver them. Pakistan’s population is approximately equal to the combined populations of World War II Germany and Japan.
Militants are a potential threat to overthrow or even take over the government. They would welcome an incident they could use to attract support for a Jihad type war.
Al Qaeda may be using Pakistan as a sanctuary as part of a strategy to create an incident to draw Pakistan into their Jihad. Osama bin Laden might welcome being killed if he could achieve martyr status and induce Pakistan to declare war or to start supplying his forces with conventional or nuclear weapons.
Pakistan has already had a problem with a government scientist helping other countries develop nuclear weapons without government approval. Other government officials might respond to a U.S. incident by allowing militants to “steal” nuclear weapons. If those militants could also “steal” a missile that could be fired from a ship, they might be able to destroy a U.S. city.
The United States have enough to handle without having to take on a major military power like Pakistan. Al Qaeda sanctuaries in Pakistan do increase the hazards of those serving in Afghanistan just like the Cambodian sanctuaries increased the threat to those of us who served in Vietnam. The rockets and mortars fired in my direction may have been stockpiled in Cambodia before being provided for attacks. The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces where I was took their R & R in Cambodia.
However, the potential threat of a much wider war makes the risk of attacking sanctuaries, or attempting to attack Osama bin Laden as Barack Obama wants to do, too great to take the chance. Pakistan isn’t a weak nation like Cambodia or early 19th Century Spain. Pakistan has a stronger military force than China had during the Korean War. Little Iraq ignored an ultimatum. Why would any intelligent person think Pakistan would take orders from the U.S.?
The Phnom Penh Post says that in a letter to Assembly president Heng Samrin, the NEC said Sam Rainsy had yet to be punished for violating electoral law during campaigning.
The fine resulted from speeches given by Sam Rainsy (pictured) referring to a report by the environmental watchdog Global Witness on illegal logging.
This Post says it implicated a number of high-ranking officials and relatives of Prime Minister Hun Sen in corrupt activities.
The report, titled Cambodia's Family Trees, was banned in Cambodia following its publication in January 2007.
Radio Free Asia
29th October, 2008
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization
Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday has warned a state-owned television (NBT) about its unreliable sources which said that Vietnam has sent its troops to Cambodia to fight against the Thai soldiers along the Khmer-Thai borders.
In its statement released on the 28th of October, the Ministry of Foreign affairs stated that it is seeking co-operation from NBT by requesting it to be cautious in its usage of unreliable sources before going to air.
The reactions of the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs happened after Vietnam last week officially denied that it has sent any troops to Cambodia as claimed by NBT.
In its broadcasting on the 16th of October, NBT quoted an unnamed source which said that Vietnam has sent its troops to support Cambodian troops in fighting against the Thai troops along the disputed borders.
In the middle of October, PM Hun Sen has said that the claims from within Thailand that Vietnam has sent troops to assist Khmer troops to fight against the Thai troops was an insult to the ability of the Khmer troops. He said: "Cambodia does not need any troops from any country. What people have seen in the fighting was the real ability of the Cambodian troops. The fighting was very insignificant, if we compared it to the battles that our soldiers have fought in the past. This war is what we called an armed clash by accident. And for me, who has fought in many battles in the frontline in the past, I don't call this a war yet. This is just an armed clash of small proportion. But they still accuse some neighbouring countries, like Laos or Vietnam, of supporting Cambodia from behind? This is an insult to the ability of the Cambodian army."
29th October, 2008
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization
There are reports that there is a mine explosion on Tuesday night at the areas where fighting between Khmer and Thai troops took place on the 15th of October which caused the Khmer soldiers to take up positions.
Many Khmer soldiers at Prolean Entry, Phnom Trop and at the frontline areas near Preah Vihear temple took up positions from Tuesday night until Wednesday morning when they heard a mine explosion 250 metres from their positions at Prolean Entry.
Deputy Commander of Division 43, Col. Bun Thean, said that at 11 PM on Tuesday night there was a mine explosion 250 metres from the frontline, but till Wednesday morning they still didn't know what exactly caused the mine to explode. He added that maybe the animals stepped on it or maybe the Thai soldiers stepped on it because the Cambodian soldiers dared not go to ckeck the area because it was laden with landmines left from a long time ago.
Col. Bun Thean said: "We heard the explosion at 11 o'clock and 10 minutes last night. But when I asked our soldiers to check they didn't find anything. We did not dare to go deep into that area."
On Wednesday, the Thai military cannot be contacted for the information about whether there were any Thai soldiers who were injured from the explosion.
But a Khmer military official from Division 12 said that at around 8 AM on Wednesday, they saw a Thai helicopter landed near the explosion site but they are sure if the helicopter came to pick up the wounded soldiers or came for other purposes. He said: "This morning we saw a helicopter landed there but we are not sure if it came to pick up the wounded soldiers or for other purposes."
Sources from the Cambodian soldiers said that after they heard the explosion, both the Cambodian and Thai soldiers jumped into their trenches and stayed there until the next morning.
In relation to mine clearing, Chairman of Cambodian Border Committee, Mr. Var Kim, said that on Tuesday morning he when to the disputed zone at Preah Vihear to investigate the sites for mine clearing for future border demarcations, if the Thai agrees to do the same thing.//
Dear Lauk Ly Sokha (SRP-Canada),
I would like to thank you and to congratulate you for the exemplary role you have played in order to make our Kathen in favor of a humble Cambodian pagoda in a most remote area, a world success. This success shows that, on the five continents, Cambodians form a large family. This family is first united by our will to preserve our religious and social customs as well as our popular traditions which are part of our national identity and uphold the Khmer soul. But above all, we are united by our love for our Motherland which is victim of aggression from everywhere. Border problems in the country's Western part have been in the limelight over the last few months. But our Eastern neighbor (Vietnam) has been infringing on our territory on a much larger scale and for a much longer period than our Western neighbor (Thailand). Our Kathen in favor of a derelict pagoda located on the border with Vietnam, in Choam commune where the SRP won the last commune election in 2007, is a highly symbolic gesture to encourage Khmer patriots to hold firm. We must help those of our fellow compatriots who are on the most sensitive frontline to resist. Choam pagoda's fence which we must help erect with our Kathen will be at the same time a small portion of Cambodia's border. This border, on the Eastern side, has been continuously moved to the detriment of our country since 1979.
On behalf of Buddhist monks and all villagers in Choam commune, I express my deep gratitude to you and to all Khmers from the Diaspora who are taking part in our Kathen from far away with their thoughts and prayers.
Cher Lauk Ly Sokha (PSR-Canada),
Je tiens à vous remercier et à vous féliciter pour le rôle exemplaire que vous avez joué pour faire de notre Kathen vers une modeste pagode cambodgienne au fin fond du Cambodge, un succès mondial. Ce succès montre que, sur les cinq continents, les Cambodgiens forment une grande famille. Cette famille est unie d'abord par notre volonté de préserver nos coutumes religieuses et sociales ainsi que les traditions populaires qui contribuent à notre identité nationale et nourrissent l'âme khmère. Mais nous sommes surtout unis par l'amour de notre mère-patrie qui est agressée de toutes parts. Les problèmes frontaliers à l'Ouest du pays occupent depuis quelques mois le devant de la scène. Mais notre voisin de l'Est (Vietnam) empiète et continue d'empiéter sur notre territoire sur une bien plus grande échelle et depuis beaucoup plus longtemps que le voisin de l'Ouest (Thaïlande). Notre Kathen au profit d'une pagode délabrée située sur la frontière avec le Vietnam, dans la commune de Choam où le PSR a gagné les dernières élections communales de 2007, constitue un geste hautement symbolique pour encourager les patriotes Khmers à tenir bon. Il faut aider ceux de nos compatriotes qui se trouvent en toute première ligne à résister. La barrière de la pagode de Choam qu'il faut aider à ériger avec notre Kathen, sera en même temps un petit bout de la frontière du Cambodge qui, à l'Est, n'a cessé de reculer depuis 1979.
Au nom des bonzes et des villageois de Choam (province de Kompong Cham), je vous dis un grand Merci ainsi qu'à tous les Khmers de la diaspora qui participent à notre Kathen par la pensée.
Avec mes salutations fraternelles,