Thirteen Khmer and Khmer Krom men are being accused of conspiring to overthrow the Cambodian government, despite a lack of evidence. Human rights groups have called on the court to drop these politically motivated charges.
On the eve of a court ruling, rights groups yesterday [10 April 2014] called on the court to drop “politically motivated” charges against men accused of plotting to overthrow the government.
Today’s [11 April 2014] sentence could mean up to 10 years’ imprisonment for 13 Khmer and Khmer Krom men who allegedly conspired to topple the Cambodian government while forming an armed wing of the Khmer National Liberation Front (KNLF), a Denmark-based organisation the Kingdom considers a terrorist network.
Advocates of the accused maintain the government has no credible evidence against the defendants, seven of whom claim police coerced or tortured confessions out of them, while the other six remain at large.
“Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Cambodia government have a long history of creating make-believe cases against minor exile groups that they then use as a cudgel to smear the political opposition,” said Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watch’s Asia deputy director. “This is yet another politically motivated spectacle in Cambodia’s kangaroo courts where the rights of the accused … go out the window.”
Before last year’s [2013] election, the government tried to discredit the opposition by linking it to armed rebels from the KNLF, according to the Minority Rights Organization.
But according to Sam Serey, KNLF president and one of the accused, the group is nonviolent, and “has been peacefully struggling for justice, peace, freedom and democracy”.
Government spokesman Phay Siphan and Ministry of Interior officials were unable to specify yesterday [10 April 2014] why the KNLF is considered illegal.
“I do not remember the evidence, but the courts know, they have the proof,” Kirth Chantharith, National Police spokesman, said.
FILE - Cambodian men use the internet at a coffee shop in Phnom Penh.
VOA News
April 15, 2014
A senior Cambodian government adviser on information technology says a draft cybercrime law is unnecessary and could lead to demonstrations and unrest if passed as currently written.
Phu Leewood says the current criminal code can be used to prosecute offenders, so a separate law is not needed.
He adds that the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, which drafted the law, should have had a public comment period and consulted with civic organizations.
“If there is no such process, it means Cambodian voices are ignored,” he said. “If such a law is passed, there will be strong reaction from the public, as it hasn’t been involved.”
He adds the law was written by people who lack technical knowledge, and without consultations with legal experts, judges or prosecutors.
Government officials have not been available for comment on the draft law, which was publicized online last week by the Cambodian Center for Human Rights. Chak Sopheap, the center's executive director, says the law, if passed in its current form, will be dangerous to free speech.
PHNOM PENH (The Cambodia Herald) -- A giant Khmer traditional cake, Ansom*, weighing 2 tons has been on display in front of Ankor Wat temple this morning and attracted a lot of attention from the tourists.
Som Ratana, spokesman for the Angkor Songkran Event, said that one of the reasons to make this giant Ansom is to create something new to entertain both foreigners and local folks alike, who are attending the Angkor Songkran event during this Khmer New Year, starting from April 14.
He added that another reason is to show tourists that Cambodia has more to provide besides the spectacular view of Angkor Wat. Also, Ansom is an apt representation of Khmer tradition.
Tomorrow the giant Ansom will be officially cut and there will be an Ansom eating contest.
This is the biggest Ansom ever made, which weighs 2 tons with a dimension of 5 meters long and 1 meter wide. The height of the cake is also one meter. It is made by the Cambodian Chefs Association and costs seven thousand dollars.
Ansom = A cake made of sticky rice wrapped with banana leaves and stuffed with ripe banana or seasoned pork inside as ingredient.
Kith Meng (pictured), head of the Cambodian conglomerate Royal Group, has nominated himself for chairperson of the newly created Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), according to the Ministry of Commerce’s finalised short list obtained by the Post yesterday.
Nominated in his capacity as director general of ANZ Royal Group, Meng will be running against Yorn Sovann, president of Bayon Cereal Company; Lim Bunheng, president of Cambodia Rice Exporters; Sok Puthyvuth, president of Soma Group and son of Deputy Prime Minister Sok An; and Te Taing Por, chairman of the Federation of Associations of Small and Medium-size Enterprise of Cambodia in a May election.
Meng, also the president of the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce, could not be reached for comment.
Fellow candidate, Taing Por told the Post that his own experience working with small businesses put him in strong stead for the highly coveted role.
“For me, I don’t want to get anything from this. What I want is to boost and promote the sector to achieve the goal,” Por said, referring to the government’s goal of a million tonnes of rice to be exported by 2015.
The ministry announced the creation of the CRF last month, a leading industry body tasked with improving the sector’s competitiveness overseas.
The Federation of Cambodian Rice Exporters released a statement yesterday urging rice millers and exporters to apply for membership of the CRF, a status that grants voting rights in May’s election.
The leader of Cambodia’s largest independent garment union may soon be in jail, with the group fearing it will not be able to afford the $25,000 bail a judge has ordered be paid by April 25, its vice president said yesterday.
Ath Thorn, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union (C.CAWDU), yesterday received a letter from Phnom Penh Municipal Court ordering him to pay the entire sum within two weeks or be arrested and held in pretrial detention while judge Chea Sok Heang investigates charges of incitement.
“It’s too much,” C.CAWDU vice president Kong Athit said, adding that Sok Heang is unwilling to accept less than the full amount. “There’s no room for negotiation.”
C.CAWDU members are trying to pool money to help pay the bail, Athit said.
Deputy prosecutor Ek Cheng questioned Thorn and C.CAWDU activist Pav Phanna on Tuesday, following up on a complaint filed by Sath Sophai, a security guard at the SL Garment factory, who alleges both defendants incited several violent incidents during a C.CAWDU-led strike between August and December.
Phanna was released under the court’s supervision without bail, but must report to police once a month.
The high bail and short deadline make it apparent the court wants to detain Thorn, legal expert Sok Sam Oeun said yesterday. “They want to put him in jail.”
A strike-ending December 3 agreement between SL and C.CAWDU included a stipulation that SL drop all cases against C.CAWDU, Dave Welsh, country director for labour rights group Solidarity Center, said.
Sam Rainsy (L) speaks to media during a press conference in Phnom Penh, April 10, 2014.
AFP
Cambodia’s opposition leader Sam Rainsy has left on a European visit but expressed the hope that a deal can be reached with Prime Minister Hun Sen to end the country’s eight-month political deadlock as early as Friday.
Rainsy traveled to the Netherlands Sunday where he is expected to “discuss the current political situation” with leaders from liberal parties around the world, as well as to meet with Cambodians living abroad, Men Sothavrith, a lawmaker from his Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), told RFA’s Khmer Service.
Rainsy is scheduled to return to Cambodia on April 29, he said.
But according to the Cambodia Daily, the opposition chief said he could fly home as early as Friday, if the CNRP and Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) can come to terms on a date for new elections—the main sticking point on an agreement between the two parties.
“I can come back any time, if there is an important event requiring my presence,” Rainsy told the daily on Sunday.
“I think [an agreement on the election date] can be reached any time after Khmer New Year, meaning the 18th. I may be back on the 18th if there is any meeting.”
On his Facebook page, Rainsy also indicated that a deal could be reached by the end of the New Year, which is celebrated April 14-16.
"We will work together to bring a change for this New Year—the change that the people have demanded,” the opposition leader posted.
“We will work to achieve our goals, including protecting our territory, fighting corruption and deforestation, and providing justice to victims of land disputes and other social injustices.”
No deal
Last week, Sam Rainsy did not accept an invitation by Hun Sen to sign an agreement in front of King Norodom Sihamoni to end the standoff that has lingered since July 28 disputed elections, on terms which Rainsy and Hun Sen had hashed out during talks via telephone.
The two leaders agreed to revamp the government-appointed National Election Committee (NEC), which had declared the CPP the victor in the July 28 elections, despite CNRP claims of widespread election irregularities.
The NEC membership is currently handpicked by the ruling CPP. The CNRP wants the membership to be more representative of the electorate and to be approved by two-thirds of the National Assembly, the country’s parliament.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed his well wishes to South and Southeast Asian countries celebrating New Year's.
By JC Finley | April 14, 2014
An undated photo of a Pahela Boishakh (Bengali New Year) celebration in Dhaka, Bagladesh. (Niloy)
WASHINGTON, April 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of State wished the people of Bengal, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand a Happy New Year.Secretary of State John Kerry sent the following message to Bengali communities on their April 14 New Year's Day:
"On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send warmest greetings to Bengali communities around the world as you celebrate Pahela Boishakh."The United States joins you in celebrating the vibrant history and culture of the Bengali-speaking people. Your rich cultural heritage, from food and song to poetry, art, and literature has greatly enriched our own.
"As you gather with family and friends to celebrate the New Year, know that the United States stands with you as a partner and friend. Shubho Nobo Borsho!"
"On behalf of President Obama and the American people, I am delighted to send best wishes to the Cambodian people as you celebrate the Khmer New Year starting on April 14."Since my time as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee I have been strongly committed to helping the Cambodian people build a better tomorrow for future generations. I believe the path to a better tomorrow includes addressing the atrocities of Cambodia’s past and building a more democratic future.
"The United States and Cambodia share common interests in promoting regional stability, fostering economic development, and improving health and education in Cambodia. And we look forward to strengthening our partnership in the years to come.
"I wish your country peace, prosperity and a joyful New Year celebration."
To the country of Laos, which celebrates New Year's from April 14-16, Kerry wrote:
"On behalf of President Obama I am delighted to extend my greetings to the people of Laos on the occasion of the Lao New Year."The American people join you in the spirit of hope, celebration, joy, and renewal. May the New Year bring prosperity to Lao people all around the world.
"The New Year is a time of great opportunity and expectation and I hope this year will provide even greater opportunities to work together and enrich the important friendship between Laos and the United States."
Kerry wished the people of Myanmar well in peace and democracy efforts as they celebrate New Year on April 17.
SIEM REAP, Cambodia –- In a courtyard of Angkor Wat, the famous 12th century Hindu/Buddhist temple here, a policeman approached me as I was taking pictures of an ornate spire.
What had I done? Was I someplace I wasn’t supposed to be? Was I photographing something I wasn’t supposed to photograph?
He pointed to the silvery, official badge that hung on a ribbon from his shirt, as if to invoke the symbol of his authority. I thought he was about to give me a stern lecture.
“You want to buy?” he said, almost in a whisper. “I will sell to you.”
I was tempted. Surely a Cambodian police badge would boost my already significant authority as editorial director of The Huffington Post. I could wear it around the D.C. bureau and in the New York headquarters. Arianna might listen to me.
But I shook my head, said no, and waved the cop away politely.
It wasn’t a funny moment. It was sad, embarrassing and disturbing.
In the most glorious edifice of an ancient empire, a legatee of that culture was treating a symbol of his government's power as a trinket for sale. It was a small gesture, an uncomfortable moment, but all too symbolic of what is going on throughout Southeast Asia.
Government corruption is rampant. Income inequality is on the rise. Resentment among average people, including underpaid, public-sector workers (even police), is growing.
Yes, I know it sounds like the United States, but we still have the resources and freedoms to right the ship, if we pull together. In Southeast Asia, as well as other parts of the world, it’s a much tougher -- at times, a seemingly almost hopeless -- task.
To paraphrase Marx and Engels from the revolutionary year of 1848, a spectre is haunting the world. But it is not the spectre of communism. After wars, both cold and hot, that lasted for a century, communism as a respected theory -- and an avowed organizing principle -- is dead.
Instead, survivalist communist regimes have found a way to bond with a particularly virulent form of big-time cowboy “state” capitalism -- that is, profit via one-party permission.
At first, lovers of markets crowed at the triumph of Adam Smith. But there is always a flaw in human affairs, and more than two decades after the fall of the Wall, we can see what this one is: The evil spawn of the marriage of convenience between Adam Smith and Karl Marx is corruptionism.
It’s a flat-out and often secret conspiracy between government officials and for-profit business, with the latter paying the former vast sums for the privilege of access to markets, resources and the cheap labor of the citizenry.
Russia under Vladimir Putin is the most powerful and one of the most extreme examples. In the West we call it Putinism. But one of the worst regions in the world when it comes to this problem is Southeast Asia, and the one of worst countries, according to international surveys, is Cambodia. A 2013 Corruption Perception Indexby Transparency International ranked Cambodia 160 out of 177 countries surveyed when it comes to how corrupt the public sector is perceived to be. Other highly corrupt countries included Vietnam (116), Laos (140), Thailand (102), Indonesia (114) and Singapore (86).
Corruption and growing income inequality don’t correlate exactly, but it’s close, and both phenomena are on the rise in the region.
Agriculture tycoon Mong Reththy yesterday confirmed a second shipment of Koe Romeat mangoes, twice the size of the first, will be headed for China this week from his Preah Sihanouk plantation.
Reththy, president of Mong Reththy Group, said he received the order soon after sending the first order of 23 tonnes on April 6.
“After the first export, they recognised our product and support us,” he said, adding that he anticipates expanding to Korea and Japan.
Reththy has invested $2 million in a new mango cleaning and packaging plant, which will be located on his 800-hectare land concession in Preah Sihanouk province.
Chorn Dalis, director of PRL Co, a dried mango producing company in Kampong Speu province, welcomed the news, but said unfit sanitary standards and poor fruit quality had hampered Cambodian mango traders’ ability to export to international markets in the past.
Cambodia earned $2.5 billion from the tourism sector last year, a senior government official said Monday.
Sok An, head of the Office of the Council of Ministers, said the number of foreign tourists to Cambodia has been steadily increasing from only around 120,000 in 1993 to more than 4.2 million in 2013, most of them visitors to Cambodian cultural heritage sites such as the Angkor Wat temples.
Last year's income from tourism accounted for around 16 percent of the nation's gross domestic product and provided jobs directly to about 400,000 people, Sok An said.
The Cambodian government hopes to attract 6.5 million foreign tourists to the country in 2018 and earn $4 billion in income from tourism, providing jobs directly to about 650,000 people.
Sok An made the statement at the celebration of the Cambodian New Year at Angkor Wat temple.
It's three and a half decades since the genocidal regime of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge was driven out of power in Cambodia, and it's four years since the international crimes court investigating the Khmer Rouge sent three leaders for prosecution, but there's still no judgment. One of the co-accused, Ieng Sary, has died in the meantime. PM speaks to Tarik Abdulhak, an Australian lawyer who's senior assistant prosecutor at the trials.
Much Chanthoeun, a Cambodian-Australian living in Perth, Australia, where Cambodians are estimated to number 1,000 families.
Sophat Soeung
15 April 2014
WASHINGTON — The shift of the search for missing Malaysia airliner Flight 370 from the Gulf of Thailand to the southern Indian Ocean has brought world attention to the distant western Australian city of Perth, home to about 1,000 Cambodian families.
Much Chanthoeun, a city resident, told VOA Khmer via phone that the accident has also galvanized local media and many Australians; six of their compatriots were on the missing flight.
Much Chantheoun, who immigrated to Australia on a Boeing 777—the same type of plane as the missing Malaysian flight—said the accident will not deter him from future travels.
PHNOM PENH (The Cambodia Herald) Several senior police officials will have their positions changed after the Khmer New Year, according to a source at the ministry of interior.
The police officials, who will be transferred, are two deputy national police commissioners and several chiefs of police departments.
Khieu Sopheak, the spokesman of the Interior Ministry, said deputy National Police commissioner Sok Phal will be transferred to be in charge of the department of migration and deputy national police commissioner Mao Chandara will be appointed to be in charge of the identification department which was newly established.
Gen. Chhay Sinarith, the director of internal security will replace Gen. Sokphal as deputy national police commissioner.
Several directors of police departments will be also reshuffled, according to a police source.
PHNOM PENH (The Cambodia Herald) – The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has issued nine points of its policies for upcoming local council Election which will be held on May 18, 2014.
According a statement issued on Saturday, the policies included a promise to increase the monthly salary to 1,000,000 riel or 250 dollars for civil servants and soldiers and US$160 for garment and footwear factory workers in 2018 and strong commitment to solving land disputes.
CPP also mentioned the good governance, social order and development as its priorities.
The campaign for the Council Election will last from 2-16 May. Five political parties are eligible for the election.
On behalf of our compatriots, Mr. Sam Rainsy "dances with the devil". He does it with the conscience of our nation in his mind. Mr. Sam Rainsy does the "dance with the devil" on high moral ground and with transparency by providing the full report to the people. The devil recorded the entire conversation.
Before the Paris Peace Accords was signed, or any peace agreement is signed, to reach peace, "dancing with the devil" is inevitable and not "dancing with the devil " would mean tolerating the devil to destroy the entire nation.
By " dancing with the devil" Mr. Sam Rainsy reveals even more the real face of the devil.
Standing firmly on his moral ground and his principles, Mr. Sam Rainsy pushed forward the people's agenda when speaking with the devil ( Mr. Sam Rainsy is the first one to know who he is dealing with).
1/ electoral reforms;
2/ date for re-election;
3/ a media license for CNRP.
Mr. Sam Rainsy did not sway out of the people's agenda. It is all recorded by the devil. Nothing to hide.
What has been achieved for the people so far:
1/ an agreement to reform the body in charge of conducting elections. That is the point that the devil never wanted to reform.
2/ date for new election: the devil wants to fool the nation by agreeing to give an early date but Mr. Sam Rainsy pulled back from the talk by standing firm for a date that truly means re-election-within the next two years in order for true reforms to be conducted.
3/ media license : the devil wants to wait.
Mr. Sam Rainsy let the devil wait and ended the phone conversation.
Every single point discussed was discussed with Mr. Kem Sokha -who will also have to "dance with the devil" when he returns and this dance will have to take place in order to resolve the political deadlock and for our nation to move forward.
PHNOM PENH (The Cambodia Herald) -- Two decades ago, a 9-year-old child Hun Many was sent by his father, Prime Minister of Cambodia, to study in France with his brother Hun Manith. Now, he becomes the youngest member of the 123-seat National Assembly, which is currently boycotted by the opposition party.
He is a young politician, who is in the focus of local and international media because he is a son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, one of the longest-serving Asian leaders.
How can Hun Many become a rising-star in Cambodian politics?
Hun Many studied in France until 1998 before moving to the United States to complete his high school education and to study bachelor degree in political science until 2005.
After graduating from a university in the United States, Mr. Hun Many studied the Master’s Degree in International Relations in Melbourne, Australia. From 2009 to 2010 Mr. Hun Many, who is an assistant to the Prime Minister, pursued the Master’s Degree in the National Defense University in the United States in the field of Strategic Security Study focusing on counter-terrorism. Now, Mr Hun Many is a member of the National Assembly for Kampong Speu Province and the youngest lawmaker from the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), whose father is the Prime Minister.
“I think that Hun Many as the son of the Prime Minister was always mentioned by the media. They used to ask me (in the National Assembly) how I felt when I, as the son of the Prime Minister, sit in the National Assembly with my father. I said that I was a member of the CPP who was supported by the people to be a lawmaker. I am in the National Assembly as a lawmaker, but not a son of Prime Minister,” said Hun Many.
“ To make it simple, I am a lawmaker from the CPP named Hun Many and my youngest age is just a coincident,” he added.
PHNOM PENH (The Cambodia Herald)- The leader of Khmer People Power Movement (KPPM) who was accused of terrorism and setting up armed forces to overthrow the Royal Government is planning to register a political party at the Ministry Of Interior.
Sourn Serey Ratha, KPPM’s leader, said that he plans to create a political party called KPPM with the intent to protect its activists and supporters in Cambodia from being accused of terrorism.
The government alleged that the KPPM with its base in the US is a terrorist organization with its own arm forces.
Sourn Sereyrotha said this is not true and what he is trying to do is to protect and enforce the rights of Cambodian people based on both the local and international law. Thus, his decision to stand for the next general election mainly aims to show that they are not terrorists but a political group who try to make change with firm respect to the existing laws.
He added that without receiving a legal permission to operate its movement in the country, it is pointless having branches in the US, Canada and France as their movement cannot be fully open to the Cambodian public. He said KPPM wants to keep in touch with its supporters and provide a legitimate shelter for them in Cambodia.
For now, KPPM has already prepared its necessary documents following the MOI’s guidance with its membership of 80 co-founders and 5000 supporters. Right after Khmer New Year celebration, KPPM will send them to the Minister of MOI for registering their party for the next election.
PHNOM PENH, April 13 (Xinhua) -- The number of Chinese visitors to Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple, one of the World Heritage Sites, has continued to grow in the first two months of this year, a tourism official said Sunday.
Some 71,100 Chinese had visited the 12th century temple during the January-February period this year, up 10.5 percent compared with the same period last year, said Chhoeuy Chhorn, administration chief of the tourism department in Siem Reap province, where the temple is located.
"China is the second largest source of tourists to the temple after South Korea," he told Xinhua by telephone.
He said last year, the temple greeted about 266,500 Chinese tourists, up 50 percent year-on-year.
"The continued increase in Chinese tourists to the ancient temple is thanks to excellent Cambodian-Chinese ties, broader promotion of the Angkor to the globe, and more direct flight connection between Cambodia and various cities in China," he said.
In December, Air China began operating regular flights between China's Beijing and Cambodia's Siem Reap province, and Cambodia' s national flag carrier Cambodia Angkor Air launched its regular flight linking Cambodia to China's Shanghai.
AFP
