Thursday, 28 June 2012

Missing songstress is said to be in Singapore [Singer Sok Pisey 'missing in action'?]

Thursday, 28 June 2012

By Seth Kimsoeurn

Phnom Penh Post

Nobody knows the where-abouts of pop singer Sok Pisey (pictured), who has been MIA for more than a month.

Some say she has gone to the US, others say she’s in hospital with a skin disease.

Lay Sokchamroeun, the director of Sunday Entertainment Production, has claimed the singer is in Singapore with family:

“Sok Pisey asked for a three-month break to study aesthetics in Singapore. It is not true that she is hiding because of any kind of severe skin disease.”

The second meeting of Cambodia-Thailand Joint Working Group in Phnom Penh 28 June 2012.

Cambodia and Thailand have moved a step forward toward troop withdrawal from the disputed border area surrounding the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, said both sides' officials on Thursday.

Xinhua | 28th June, 2012
Global Times
By Agencies

Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) and Thailand Mine Action Center (TMAC) will hold a talk in Bangkok in the third week of July this year to discuss measures and planning for a joint mine clearance in the Provisional Demilitarized Zone (PDZ) surrounding the temple ahead of troop withdrawal and observers deployment, according to a joint press release read by Gen. Neang Phat, secretary of state at Cambodia's defense ministry, after the second meeting of Cambodia-Thailand Joint Working Group (JWG).

"The redeployment of military personnel from the PDZ will be implemented within 30 days after CMAC and TMAC have cleared mines in the PDZ," said the joint press release, adding that the troop redeployment will be witnessed by a joint observer team.

"The meeting was held in a close and friendly atmosphere and concluded with good results," Neang Phat said. "Both sides reiterated commitment to comply with the order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)."

PHNOM PENH, 28 June 2012 (Cambodia Herald) - The Cambodia-Thai Working Group agreed Thursday to clear mines along the border around Preah Vihear Temple during the third week of July, a senior Cambodian official said.

Neang Phat (pictured), secretary of state at Ministry of National Defense, said the two sides would discuss withdrawing troops and replacing them with observers a month later. He said they also agreed to maintain peace along the border.

The working group's second meeting, co-chaired by General Neang Phat and General Worapong Sanganetra of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, followed a first meeting in Bangkok in April.

It was scheduled to last one day only but continued until midnight Wednesday and was extended into Thursday after the two sides failed to agree on the troop withdrawal.

Boeung Kak on table as Namhong, Todd meet [Thank you Mr. Ambassador for helping to release these innocent women]

Thursday, 28 June 2012

By Chhay Channyda

Phnom Penh Post

US Ambassador William Todd (l) speaks with Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Hor Namhong yesterday in Phnom Penh. Photograph: Vireak Mai/Phnom Penh Post

The plight of the 13 jailed Boeung Kak protestors was high on the agenda for newly inaugurated US Ambassador Willliam Todd when he met for the first time with Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong yesterday morning.

The meeting between Todd, who took up his post in April, and Namhong lasted just half an hour and coincided with the appeal hearing that saw the 13 Boeung Kak activists freed.

Speaking with reporters after the brief meet, Todd said he was watching the case closely.

“We will be keeping our fingers crossed, and we are waiting to see what will happen. But we are hopeful there will be a positive outcome and the 13 people will be released,” Todd said.

Cambodia plans rice exports to Indonesia [and the Philippines]

Thursday, 28 June 2012

By May Kunmakara

Phnom Penh Post

Plans to export 100,000 tonnes of milled rice to the Indonesian state-owned firm Bulog have been announced in what industry leaders said would be a lucrative market for the Kingdom’s rice sector.

The Indonesian commerce minister and his Cambodian counterpart would sign a memorandum of understanding paving the way for state-owned-rice exporter Green Trade to export by August, Green Trade director Thon Virak said.

Thon Virak also said he had received an MoU from the Philippine government yesterday, but declined to give further details.

“They have sent us a draft of the MoU and we have agreed in principle. We are waiting to set the exact date to sign the MoU,” he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: May Kunmakara at kunmakara.may@phnompenhpost.com

Cambodia's ruling party marks 61st anniversary, hailing remarkably national development

PHNOM PENH, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) on Thursday commemorated the 61st anniversary of its birth, highlighting its significant roles in maintaining peace and political stability and in bringing remarkable development to the country since the fall of the Democratic Kampuchea regime in 1979.
The celebration was presided over by the party's honorary president Heng Samrin, who is also the president of the National Assembly, and Prime Minister Hun Sen, the party's vice-president.
The party's president and head of the Senate, Chea Sim, failed to attend the event due to health problems.
"Under the leadership of the CPP, Cambodia is making a swift and energetic step on the path of development," Heng Samrin told the gathering of about 13,000 supporters at the party's headquarters in Phnom Penh's Chamkarmon district.

The Cambodian government goes to extreme lenghts to boost national agriculture

June 28th, 2012,

softpedia.com

By Laura Sinpetru

Just recently, high officials in Cambodia made public their decision to once again lease out four areas supposedly belonging to the country's protected lands, in an attempt to boost national economy.

Although environmentalists and members of the local communities keep protesting against such decisions, members of the government argue that, but for widening Cambodia's agricultural regions, the nation is to fail in developing.

Thus, they claim that, by pushing for a highly productive agricultural industry, the country will eventually start making enough money to improve on its other trades as well.

To put it bluntly: Cambodia's agriculture is expected to jump-start the country's overall progress.

Manulife Enters Cambodia Market With Phnom Penh Office

By Sean B. Pasternak

Bloomberg Business Week

June 28, 2012

Manulife Financial Corp. (MFC), Canada’s largest insurer, has opened an office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, its first in the Southeast Asian nation.

Manulife has about 40 people in its Cambodian unit, the Toronto-based insurer said today in a statement.

Chief Executive Officer Donald Guloien, 55, has said expansion in Asia is part of Manulife’s plan to reach C$4 billion ($3.9 billion) in net income by 2015. Manulife, owner of Boston-based John Hancock Financial, operates in Hong Kong and countries including China, Malaysia, Vietnam and Japan.

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

By Meas Sokchea

Phnom Penh Post

Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Son Chhay (pictured) sent a letter to the National Assembly yesterday asking that Prime Minister Hun Sen appear in Parliament to explain the recent move to cede two villages to Vietnam.

The letter also asked Hun Sen to explain the planting of border post 314 between Cambodia and Vietnam in Kampot province, a move he claims has cut Cambodians from their land.

“This is a national issue, the prime minister must come to explain officially,” Chhay said.

“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague.”

Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Is there not some chosen curse, Some hidden thunder in the stores of heaven, Red with uncommon wrath, to blast the man Who owes his greatness to his country's ruin?”

Joseph Addison

500 gather to welcome 13 freed women

Tep Vanny, leader of the group, and her fellow inmates celebrate upon hearing the verdict to free them, even with their hands chained together.

PHNOM PENH, 27 June 2012 (Cambodia Herald) - About 500 supporters gathered at Prey Sor Prison Wednesday to welcome 13 female convicts who were being released after getting their prison sentences reduced.

The Court of Appeal ruled earlier Wednesday to release the women who had served a little more than month of their sentences of up to two and a half years for illegally occupying land and obstructing public officials.

"I thank the Court of Appeal for its decision to free these 13 people," said Pung Chhiv Kek, president of the Cambodia League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (Licadho). "But I am disappointed because they did not do anything wrong and were charged."

Flouting moratorium, Cambodia approves four land concessions in protected areas

By Jeremy Hance

mongabay.com

June 27, 2012

A month-and-a-half after Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, declared a moratorium on on new economic land concessions, the government has announced four new concessions, each located in protected areas. Economic land concessions have come under the microscope in Cambodia after large-scale protests by local people and the recent murder of forest activist Chut Wutty. Critics say the concessions, which last year totaled two million hectares (4.9 million acres) sold off to foreign corporations, have resulted in local land conflict and environmental degradation.

According to the Phnom Penh Post, the Cambodian government has granted 35,000 hectares (86,400 acres) of economic land concessions to four companies: 8,200 hectares (20,200 acres) in Kulen Promtep Wildlife Sanctuary; 9,688 hectares (23,939 acres) in Kirirom National Park; 9,068 hectares (22,407 acres) in Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary; and 9,000 hectares (22,200 acres) in Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary.

បទសរភញ្ញ

“Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace.”

Dalai Lama

Cambodian court frees 13 women who were jailed for protesting eviction from their homes

By Associated Press,

Published: June 27, 2012

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — A Cambodian appeals court Wednesday ordered the release of 13 women who had been sentenced to 2½ years in prison for protesting their eviction from their homes without adequate compensation, in a case that was widely seen as an example of injustice.

The women cheered in the courtroom, their supporters applauded and observers from foreign embassies, including the United States, smiled in the audience after the judge’s ruling. Local and foreign human rights groups hailed the women’s freedom, but said the court also should have overturned their guilty verdicts.

“Finally, justice has been done for us,” defendant Heng Mom said tearfully. “From now on I can see my children and live with them.”

Iran invites Cambodian PM to attend Non-Aligned Movement Conference in Tehran

Xinhua 27 June, 2012

Global Times

By Agencies

The Islamic Republic of Iran on Wednesday invited Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to attend the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Conference to be held in Tehran in late September, according to officials.

The invitation was extended to Hun Sen by Mohammad Ali Fathollahi, special envoy of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on Wednesday at the Peace Palace, Eang Sophalleth, spokesman for Prime Minister Hun Sen, told reporters after the meeting.

Mohammad Ali Fathollahi said currently, there are a lot political events happening around the world and the NAM conference will be used to seek peace and stability for the world.

Old school uniforms from Taiwan adored by Cambodian children

27 June, 2012

Focus Taiwan

Taipei, June 27 (CNA) Members of a volunteer team from Chung Yuan Christian University in Jhongli, northern Taiwan, recounted Wednesday the joy they witnessed from a Cambodian boy who was the recipient of a recycled school uniform donated by a Taiwanese school.

Speaking at a presentation ceremony in the university's service learning center to mark the end of the school year, the students, who returned in February from 14-day volunteer teaching stints in Cambodia, said they were particularly touched by the little boy, who said the old winter school uniform was his favorite outfit and who wore it day in, day out.

Chang Yu-ting, one of the eight students who took part in the mission, organized by the university and Cambodia's Khmer Akphiwat Khmer Organization (KAKO), said the 12-year-old, who lives at a care center, could hardly bear to be parted from the long-sleeved sportswear donated by Xinggu Elementary School in New Taipei, even during the hottest of days.

Border post No. 314 makes Cambodia loses 35,000km2 maritime areas

Courtesy of: http://sokheounpang.wordpress.com/

(Khmer maritime areas left after the border marker 314 officially recognized and inaugurated by Hun Sen and Nguyen Tan Dung on 24 June 2012.)

ផ្ទៃក្រឡាសមុទ្រខ្មែរនៅសល់ជាផ្លូវការបន្ទាប់ ពីបង្គោលព្រំដែនលខ៣១៤ត្រូវបាន ទទួលស្គាល់ និងសម្ភោធជាផ្លូវការថ្ងៃនេះព្រោះបង្គោលព្រំដែននេះវាមិនត្រឹមតែជា បង្គោលកំណត់ព្រំដែនគោកទេ តែវាក៏ជាបង្គោលមូលដ្ឋានសំរាប់កំណត់ខ្សែបន្ទាត់ ព្រំដែន សមុទ្រដែរ។ ។

Court frees 13 Cambodian land eviction protesters

Police blocked the children of the jailed 13 women from marching to the Appeal Court where there hearing of their mothers' appeal is taking place.

The released 13 women talked to reporters after the verdict.

By SOPHENG CHEANG,

Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — An appeals court Wednesday ordered the release of 13 women who were jailed for protesting being evicted from their homes without adequate compensation, in a case that had critics had highlighted as an example of injustice.

The women cheered in the courtroom, their supporters applauded and observers from foreign embassies, including the United States, smiled in the audience after the judge's ruling.

"Finally, justice has been done for us," defendant Heng Mom said tearfully, before being driven away again in a prison van. "From now on I can see my children and live with them."

Judge Seng Sivutha upheld last month's convictions of the women for aggravated rebellion and illegal occupation of land, for which each had been sentenced to 2½ years in prison. They had been arrested when they tried to rebuild their homes on land where their old houses had been demolished by developers in 2010.

The judge reduced their sentences to time served of one month and three days and freed them because he said they have children at home to take care of and had little knowledge of the law. They were to be freed Wednesday evening after being processed out of prison.

Prince Naruhito met Hun sen at the Peace Palace

PHNOM PENH, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito said Wednesday that he is pleased to see close relations and cooperation between Japan and Cambodia, according to a senior official of the Cambodian government.
The Crown Prince made the remarks during a 20-minute meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Peace Palace, said Khieu Kanharith, government spokesman and information minister, after the meeting, adding that Naruhito also pledged to further enhance ties between the two countries.
Japan is the second largest provider of grants and concessional loans to Cambodia after China. According to the Cambodian government's records, by 2011, Japan had given some 2 billion U.S. dollars to Cambodia for infrastructure development.
Naruhito arrived here on Wednesday morning for 3-day official visit. During the stay, he will be received by King Norodom Sihamoni and is scheduled to visit Angkor Wat temples, a world heritage site, in Siem Reap province.
Cambodia is the second leg of his three-nation tour. His first stop was Thailand and he will leave Cambodia for Laos on Friday.

Editor: Luan

Hun Sen is mad at Ranariddh, again

By Khmerization

Cambodia Express News

26th June, 2012

Hun Sen is very mad at Prince Norodom Ranariddh (pictured) again after his initiated-alliance between the prince and Funcinpec Party had failed. Nhiek Bunchhay, president of Funcinpec Party, blamed the failure on Ranariddh, accusing him of trying to drag Funcinpec into the opposition camp. However, Ranariddh blamed Nhiek Bunchhay for the failure for unilaterally cancelling the planned congress to formally merge to the two parties. A few days later, Hun Sen seem to parrot Nhiek Bunchhay's comment by also accusing Ranariddh of trying to drag Funcinpec into the opposition camp.

Hun Sen then called Ranariddh "a dog with a coiled tail", which is equivalent to "a leopard never changes its spots".

Hun Sen's alest antics and tirades against Ranariddh seemed to stem from the prince's criticism of Mr. Hun Sen's land swap deal with with Vietnam, which many critics said had given large chunks of Khmer land to Vietnam.

សម្តេច ហ៊ុន សែន ព្រលះចាស់ដៃលើសម្តេចក្រុមព្រះ នរោត្តម រណឫទ្

ធិ 1 7 (ថ្ងៃទី 26 មិថុនា 2012, ម៉ោង 04:23:PM) |

ដោយ: រតនា Cambodia Express News

ភ្នំពេញ: សម្តេច ហ៊ុន សែន បានព្រលះដោយពាក្យសម្តីខ្លាំង លើសម្តេចក្រុមព្រះ នរោត្តម រណឫទ្ធិ អតីតដៃគូ ក្នុងរដ្ឋាភិបាលចម្រុះរវាងគណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា និងគណបក្សហ្វ៊ុនស៊ិនប៉ិច កាលពីឆ្នាំ១៩៩៣។

ចំពោះមុខក្រុម យុវជនស្ម័គ្រចិត្តប្រមាណ ១.១០០ នាក់ ដែលចូលរួមក្នុងប្រតិបត្តិការផ្តល់កម្មសិទ្ធិដីធ្លីដល់ប្រជាជន កម្ពុជា នាព្រឹកថ្ងៃទី២៦មិថុនា ឆ្នាំ២០១២ សម្តេចនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន បានលើកឡើងថា "បើហ្វ៊ុនស៊ិនប៉ិច និងនរោត្តម រណឫទ្ធិ ចូលគ្នាមិនបានទេ ក៏ហីទៅចុះ!។ ខ្ញុំមិនទៅខ្វល់ ឈឺក្បាលអីខ្ញុំទេ ព្រោះខ្ញុំដឹងដែរ។ កុំថា គេមិនដឹង។ អ្វីដែលបានពិភាក្សាគ្នា ពាក់ព័ន្ធនឹងរឿង ចង់ធ្វើតាមបក្សមួយទៀត ដែលជេររដ្ឋាភិបាល ១០០%។ បើមិនបាន ១០០% ទេ ក៏បាន ៥០% នៃបក្សនោះដែរ។ បើអីចឹងទេ ខ្ញុំប្រាប់ទៅឆៃ ( ញឹកប៊ុនឆៃ )។ ខ្ញុំអ្នកប្រាប់ថា បើអីចឹងទេ ឆៃឯងសម្រេចចិត្តទៅ ព្រោះថ្ងៃដែលអ្នកណុង ចូលមក ជាថ្ងៃដែលខ្ញុំដេញឆៃឯង ពីរដ្ឋាភិបាល។ មកធ្វើឡប់អីចឹង។ នៅក្នុងរដ្ឋាភិបាលជាមួយគ្នា មកជេរម៉េច?"។

PHNOM PENH, 26 June 2012 (Cambodia Herald) - Prime Minister Hun Sen named Democrats Association director Mam Sonando (pictured) Wednesday as ringleader of a secessionist group in Kratie that pushed residents to occupy land illegally.

Hun Sen said four of the secessionists were still at large after armed forces cracked down on the occupation in Kampong Domrei commune in Kratie’s Chhlong district.

Speaking at a meeting with youth volunteers in Koh Pich Center, the prime minister said Mam Sonando, currently abroad with Sourn Serey Ratha, wanted to overthrow the government.

"The government cannot accept," he said. "We will convict this ring leader in absentia."

Khmerization: Hun Sen is "killing many birds with one stone" because Mam Sonando is the owner of Cambodia's only real independent radio station "Sombok Khmum" or "Beehive" Radio which many opposition parties, NGOs and Radio Free Asia and Voice of America radios had hired air time to broadcast their voices and political programs. If Hun Sen can arrest, convict, jail or destroy Mam Sonando, his radio station could be ordered to be closed down and the oppositions and the NGOs would lose their only voices. So, Hun Sen is killing many birds with one stone.

Cambodia comforts worried summit

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

By Stuart Alan Becker

Phnom Penh Post

Lawyer and government adviser Sok Siphana (l), who accompanied Prime Minister Hun Sen to the G-20 Summit last week in Los Cabos, Mexico, meets US President Barack Obama. Photograph: supplied

While the financial problems of Europe created a worried mood for the Group of 20 leaders at Los Cabos, Mexico, last week, a bright spot was Prime Minister Hun Sen’s representation of Cambodia’s ASEAN chairmanship, according to lawyer and government adviser Sok Siphana, who accompanied the Cambodian delegation.

Sok Siphana took time yesterday to explain what happened at the G-20 summit, including the prime minister’s performance, as well as encounters with world leaders.

“The mood of the summit was the worry about the euro zone. They discussed how the G-20 nations could come up with additional resources to protect it from future financial risks,” Sok Siphana said.

During a session to pledge resources to the International Monetary Fund, more than $120 billion was pledged, mostly from developing countries, including China, which pledged $43 billion.

A New Chapter of Betrayal Is Being Written in Our History

By Khmer Academy

Our country is presently going through another dark moment of its history as we witness a new chapter of betrayal is being written. The authority has recently admitted that several villages, including the birth place of H.E. Heng Samrin, the current Chairman of the National Assembly, will be ceded as part of the Eastern border demarcation process. This is totally in contrast to what it has said, and unjustly prosecuted those who disagreed, for years that not a single millimeter of our lands would be lost.

The authority, with its justification, wants us to believe that due to the different accuracies found in maps with different scales, some adjustments along the border have to be made, thus unavoidably resulting in some villages on both sides being swapped. If that is really the case, why so far only villages on our side but none on the other side have been identified to the public? It is incomprehensible and unacceptable that the alleged errors and map inaccuracies only occur on our side. How can a village where the Chairman of the National Assembly and his siblings before him were born, raised and farmed, belong to another country? Note that on the 6^th of August 1966, Hanoi declared: "Thlok Trach village [is] on Cambodian territory". Why is it no longer the case?

Son Chhay and the SRP request Hun sen to explain to parliament about a land swap deal with Vietnam

The opposition Sam Rainsy Party has written to the parliament asking it to summon Prime Minister Hun sen to explain to the parliament about the swapping of two villages in Kampong Cham province with Vietnam and about the demarcation of Cambodian maritime border with Vietnam.

The request for Prime Minister Hun Sen was made after there are reports that two Cambodian villages, including the birth village of National Assembly Heng Samrin, were ceded to Vietnam under the agreement.

Mr. Son Chhay, a senior MP from the SRP, told reporters that Prime Minister Hun Sen has to explain to the parliament because the cession of border areas to another country is a very serious issue.

បក្សប្រឆាំងស្នើឲ្យហ៊ុនសែនបំភ្លឺរឿងដូរភូមិខ្មែរជាមួយយួននិងការកំណត់ព្រំដែនសមុទ្រ

ពុធ 27 មិថុនា 2012 - 7:42 am | សិលាពល Free Press Magazine Online

តំណាងរាស្ត្រគណបក្សប្រឆាំងបាន ដាក់ពាក្យស្នើសុំរួចហើយតាមរយៈប្រធានរដ្ឋសភា ដើម្បីឲ្យនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន ចូលខ្លួនបំភ្លឺជុំវិញបញ្ហាដោះដូរភូមិខ្មែរចំនួនពីរនៅក្នុងខេត្ត កំពង់ចាមជាមួយយួន និងការផ្តើមកំណត់ខណ្ឌសីមាទឹក ដែលខ្លួនយល់ថា បានធ្វើឲ្យកម្ពុជាបាត់បង់ទឹកដី ។

លោក សុន ឆ័យ ប្រធានក្រុមអ្នកតំណាងរាស្រ្តគណបក្សសម រង្ស៊ី

លោក សុន ឆ័យ ប្រធានក្រុមអ្នកតំណាងរាស្រ្តគណបក្សសម រង្ស៊ី បានថ្លែងប្រាប់ក្រុមអ្នករាយការណ៏ព័ត៌មានកាលពីថ្ងៃអង្គារម្សិលមិញ ថា ” ខ្ញុំយល់ថាលោក នាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន ត្រូវតែចូលបំភ្លឺក្នុងរដ្ឋសភាម្ដង ។ បញ្ហាព្រំដែនគឺជាបញ្ហាធ្ងន់ធ្ងរមួយ ។ ដូច្នេះនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន ត្រូវតែពន្យល់ពីការងាររបស់ខ្លួន ដើម្បីចៀសវាងការចោទប្រកាន់ដោយមិនច្បាស់លាស់.”។ ដោយបានបន្តលើកឡើងថា ការបោះបង្គោលព្រំដែនសមុទ្រផ្ដើមពីបង្គោលព្រំដែនលេខ៣១៤នឹង ធ្វើឲ្យប្រទេសកម្ពុជា បាត់បង់ទឹកដីទៅប្រទេសយួន។

HNOM PENH, 27 June 2012 (Cambodia Herald) – US Ambassador William Todd (pictured) expressed concern over recent violent land disputes during talks with Foreign Minister Hor Namhong Wednesday.

"These confrontations underscore the need for clearly delineated property rights, as well as the need for a dispute-resolution system that is independent, transparent, well-understood by the public, and treats all Cambodians equally and according to the rule of law," said the US embassy in its press statement.

The meeting Wednesday morning coincided with a clash between authorities and protesters seeking the release of 13 women serving prison sentences for illegally occupying land.

Prime Minster Hun Sen has announced plans to distribute land to poor people with the assistance of youth volunteers.

Cambodia-Thai Joint Working Group meets

PHNOM PENH, 27 June 2012 (Cambodia Herald) – The Cambodia-Thai Joint Working Group began its latest round of talks Wednesday with discussions expected to focus on withdrawing troops from around the Preah Vihear Temple

The meeting at the Peace Palace was co-chaired by General Neang Phat, secretary of state at the Ministry of National Defense, and General Worapong Sanganetra of the Royal Thai Armed Forces, a statement said.

In addition to the Provisional Demilitarized Zone (PDZ), the two sides were expected to discuss outcomes of the previous Joint Working Group meeting in Bangkok in April.

Apple opens 12 iTunes stores across Asia including Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, 27 June 2012 (Cambodia Herald) – US computer giant Apple Inc announced Wednesday the launch of iTunes stores in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and eight other locations across Asia.

In a statement released in Hong Kong, Apple said the stores featured more than 20 million songs that could be purchased and downloaded. Customers can also rent or purchase movies including in high-definition format, it said.

In addition to Cambodia Laos and Vietnam, the other iTunes stores are in Brunei, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

The statement said all music is in iTunes Plus, Apple’s DRM-free format with high-quality 256 kbps AAC encoding for audio virtually indistinguishable from the original recordings.

Torture ‘still plagues Kingdom’ [tortures are widespread in Cambodia and the torturers got away with impunity]

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

Stuart White and Mom Kunthear

Phnom Penh Post

Choun Ny, who was beaten by police in an attempt to extract a confession to a crime he did not commit, attends a conference on torture in Phnom Penh yesterday. Photograph: Pha Lina/Phnom Penh Post

Reports of torture in Cambodia in 2011 rose nearly 30 per cent from 2010, highlighting a culture of forced confessions and prison abuses, officials from rights group Licadho said yesterday at an NGO-hosted event marking the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

Cambodia ratified the UN’s Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, or CAT, in 1992, but the 135 complaints received by Licadho last year only hint at the rampant torture and impunity that still plague the Kingdom, participants said.

Presenter Sok Sam Oeun, executive director of the Cambodian Defenders Project, said that the high priority placed on extracting confessions has led to a system in which forcing statements through torture is de rigueur, despite the Cambodian constitution not recognising the validity of confessions extracted under duress.

The imprecise definition of torture, he added, has rendered that law “inapplicable”.

Faces of the Boeung Kak 13

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

The Phnom Penh Post & Licadho

The imprisonment of 13 women after a three-hour trial on May 24 made international headlines and drew condemnation from far and wide. But who are these 13 activists? Rights group Licadho, which recently published an online photo essay about the women, helps the Post find out.

Tep Vanny, 31, is perhaps the most high-profile of the Boeung Kak activists. The mother of two has been arrested before, but this was her first conviction. Village rival Ly Mom has accused her and others of threatening to kill her. Her family has been granted a land title. She was ordered to serve all of the two-and-a-half-year sentence given to the women.	Cheng Leap is married with five children and is described as a “persuasive” speaker for the Boeung Kak cause. The 45-year-old, who has health problems, had not been arrested before, but was summonsed to court in April over Ly Mom’s accusations. Her five-year-old daughter witnessed her arrest. She received the full sentence.	Heng Mom, 41, has been excluded from the land title process and watched her house destroyed in 2011. Active in protests with her husband, Sok Tong Heng, she had been arrested once before and was summonsed over Ly Mom’s accusations. Sok Tong Heng is concerned about her physical and mental health. She received the full sentence.
Bov Sophea, 36, a housewife and mother of three, has lived at Boeung Kak since 1994 and regularly protested since 2007. Her family has been granted a land title, but she has been a vocal supporter of those who have not. Despite having no prior convictions, her sentence was not suspended. Her family says she requires daily medication for health problems.	Ngoun Kimlang is a 54-year-old street vendor who has been at Boeung Kak since 1979. She lives with six others and has been granted a land title.The May 22 demonstration was the first time she had been arrested, possibly contributing to the suspension of six months of her sentence. Her family says she suffers from high blood pressure and has difficulty walking.	Nget Khun, 72, is the oldest of the imprisoned protesters. A grandmother of three and mother of seven, she requires daily medication for health problems. Prior to her arrest, Nget Khun was the main caregiver for her 85-year-old husband. The couple has been told they will not receive a land title. Eighteen months of her sentence was suspended.
Phan Chhunreth, 54, was arrested for the first time on May 22, but received the full sentence when tried two days later. She is the mother of five and grandmother of three. Her family has been excluded from the land title process and she also requires daily medication for health problems. She lives in village 22 and is a housewife.	Tol Srey Pov, 35, is a mother of three who has been a prominent activist at Boeung Kak. She had been arrested twice before, but detained for no more than a day. She received the full sentence, inspiring her 11-year-old daughter to be active in protests. She was also summonsed to court as part of the group accused of threatening to kill Ly Mom.	Kong Chantha is a 41-year-old resident of village 24 who is fighting two land battles – her family also owns land in Preah Vihear province that has been the subject of dispute. A mother of four, Kong Chantha has lived at Boeung Kak since 2000. She has been arrested four times. Her sentence was not suspended.
Soung Samai, 53, is a widow who has lived in Boeung Kak since 1993. She had been arrested twice before, but not convicted. Since her arrest, her eldest son, 26, has been the family’s main breadwinner; however, added responsibilities have meant he is working less. Soung Samai also has health problems. Six months of her sentence was suspended.	Song Srey Leap is the youngest and least known of the women. The 24-year-old had kept a low profile at previous protests and was arrested as she walked across the sand dunes to go home. The village 22 resident pays her brother’s university fees. Six months of her sentence was suspended.	Chan Navy, 57, has lived at Boeung Kak for more than two decades. She had been a regular protester, but had not been arrested before. With her partner, she cares for six children. Her family is concerned her health problems are getting worse. Six months of her sentence has been suspended.
Tho Davy is a 25-year-old mother of two who has attended protests for three years. She had lived at Boeung Kak since 1994. A waitress, she is her family’s main breadwinner and her mother said she looked “pale” during a prison visit. Six months of her sentence has been suspended.

PM has deal for ‘secessionists’ [A secession born out of Hun Sen's invention]

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

By Chhay Channyda

Phnom Penh Post

A soldier speaks to villagers near the site of a violent eviction in Kratie province last month. Photograph: Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post

An alleged accomplice of “secessionist” leader Bun Ratha has confessed and been granted immunity as a witness, Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday, a deal he left on the table for any of the four remaining fugitives who are willing to co-operate, including Ratha.

Warrants for the five were issued after a forced eviction in Kampong Damrei commune’s Pro Ma village, in which a 14-year-old girl was shot dead by government forces.

The government has described the Kratie operation – in which roughly 1,000 police and military police evicted some 200 families – as an attempt to quell a “secessionist plot” purportedly led by Ratha.

Ratha and other villagers have repeatedly denied any such plot, saying they were simply applying for land titles.

Ex-governor’s drug trial starts [Hun Sen fears Gen. Lay Vireak because he is popular with ex-resistance fighters]

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea

Phnom Penh Post

Former Oddar Meanchey provincial governor Lay Vireak (centre), flanked by family members, enters Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday. Photograph: Hong Menea/Phnom Penh Post

Former Oddar Meanchey governor Lay Vireak and former Deputy Commander of the Special Military Region in the Ministry of National Defence Khuon Roeun are each looking down the barrel of at least 18 years in prison, lawyers said yesterday at the start of the massive drug trial against them at Phnom Penh Municipal Court.

The two officials and their alleged junior accomplices – Chheang Chhunly and Sour Seila – listened as the deputy prosecutor Seang Sok read out the drug trafficking and illegal weapon possession charges levied in the wake of an October sting in which they allegedly attempted to deal about one kilogram of methamphetamines to undercover cops.

“According to police research and investigations, Khoun Roen was the owner of these seized drugs, and Lay Vireak was a person who acted as a broker and sought buyers for his friends’ [Khuon Roeun] drugs,” Seang Sok told the court.

Victims seek PM's help in scam [The scam that was of Hun Sen's own making]

Wednesday, 27 June 2012

By Phak Seangly

Phnom Penh Post

Two hundred representatives of more than 500 families from Preah Vihear made the long journey to Phnom Penh yesterday to seek Hun Sen’s intervention in a bitter, long-standing land dispute involving the now-defunct NGO Drugs and Aids Research and Prevention Organisation.

In 2007, DARPO was granted more than 500 hectares of land by the government to distribute to poor villagers living in Preah Vihear’s Kantuot village.

However, villagers were already living on the land DARPO was granted, a problem that was compounded when the NGO then sold the bulk of the land to a handful of families from Preah Vihear and Phnom Penh.

Village representative Ty Tom, 45, who traveled to Phnom Penh yesterday, said that in 2008, DARPO tricked him out of a 40-by-100-metre plot for which he had paid US$4,000 in 2002.

A view of the home of French architect Patrick Devillers in Phnom Penh (AFP, Tang Chhin Sothy)

By Prak Chan Thul

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A French architect in detention in Cambodia is being held because of alleged financial links to China's biggest political scandal in two decades and a Chinese judge could come to help with his questioning, a Cambodian minister said on Wednesday.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith told reporters that Patrick Henri Devillers had been detained because of suspected financial links to Gu Kailai, wife of deposed Chinese politician Bo Xilai.

Gu Kailai has been named by China as a suspect in the murder last November of British businessman Neil Heywood. Both Heywood and Devillers were known to be close to her.

"Up to now, there has not been any charge against Patrick Devillers and, according to research I have conducted, this Patrick Devillers was importantly in charge of keeping money for the wife of Bo Xilai," Khieu Kanharith said.

Angkor Wat National Museum

June 27, 2012,

totaltravel.yahoo.com

By David S Potts (AAP)

There's one thing very difficult to find around Cambodia's Angkor Wat - solitude. The world's largest religious site attracts around 1.6 million visitors a year.

The symbol of Cambodia, Angkor Wat appears on the national flag and currency - even a beer - and is the nation's top tourism destination. It is sometimes known as the Eighth Wonder of the World. (Angkor means `capital' and Wat means `temple'.)

Lines of mostly Chinese, Korean and Thai tourists - and an increasing number of Australians and New Zealanders - swarm over the amazing 1000-year-old site and the 100 or so other temples spread across many sq km.

It is the heartland of the ancient Khmer empire which reigned from the ninth to 13th centuries. Abandoned in the 16th century, the Angkor temples were buried in thick jungle until the 1800s when their heritage - and tourist - value was recognised. More recently the area was surrounded by landmines from the infamous Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s. (Signs warn visitors not to wander off established roads and tracks.)

Cambodian, Thai defense officials begin talks on troop withdrawal from disputed border

PHNOM PENH, June 27, 2012 (Xinhua) -- The second meeting of Cambodia- Thailand Joint Working Group (JWG) kicked off here on Wednesday, continuing talks on troop pullout from the disputed border area surrounding Preah Vihear temple.

The one-day meeting was co-chaired by Gen. Neang Phat, secretary of state at Cambodia's defense ministry, and Gen. Worapong Sanganetra, chief of joint staff at the Royal Thai Army.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Neang Phat said that the meeting was to continue discussion on procedures to implement the order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dated July 18, 2011.

The order stated that Cambodia and Thailand must immediately withdraw their military personnel from the Provisional Demilitarized Zone (PDZ) surrounding Preah Vihear temple and allow ASEAN observers (Indonesians) to access to the zone to monitor ceasefire.

CAMBODIA: No recourse for enslaved migrant workers

Photo: Brendan Brady/IRIN

Cambodian trafficking victims have little recourse

PHNOM PENH, 27 June 2012 (IRIN) - On most nights, Nara* was allowed to sleep no more than a few hours before he was forced to resume his gruelling routine of casting nets, sorting the catch and mending damaged nets, all while being watched by a captain eager to deliver a beating to any deckhand he thought was slacking.

Nara had paid people smugglers in Cambodia, who promised him a factory job in Thailand, but they tricked him and he ended up as a slave on a fishing vessel on the high seas.

“I worked on the boat for three years but was never paid anything,” Nara said. Like other trafficking victims interviewed by IRIN, he asked that his real name not be used.

Cheam Yeap (pictured), a senior MP from the ruling CPP, said the National Assembly is not opposed to the land swap deal with Vietnam. Opposition politicians and government critics said the land swap deal with Vietnam has caused Cambodia to lose large chunks of territory to Vietnam, including the birth village of National Assembly President Heng Samrin which has reportedly been ceded to Vietnam.

សមាជិកសភា មិនជំទាស់កិច្ចព្រមព្រៀងដោះដូរភូមិ នៅតាមបណ្តោយព្រំដែនកម្ពុជា-វៀតណាម

(ថ្ងៃទី 26 មិថុនា 2012)

ដោយ: រតនា Cambodia Express News

ភ្នំពេញ: សមាជិកសភា បានសម្តែងនូវការគាំទ្រចំពោះការចុះកិច្ចព្រមព្រៀង រវាងគណៈកម្មាធិការកិច្ចការព្រំដែនកម្ពុជា ជាមួយនឹងគណៈកម្មាធិការកិច្ចការព្រំដែនប្រទេសវៀតណាម លើអនុស្សរណៈដោះដូរភូមិរបស់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋនៃប្រទេសទាំងពីរ ស្ថិតនៅតាមបណ្តោយព្រំដែន។

លោក ជាម យៀប សមាជិកសភាមណ្ឌលព្រៃវែង និងជាសមាជិកអចិន្ត្រៃយ៍គណៈកម្មាធិការកណ្តាលគណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា បានលើកឡើងថា ការដោះដូរភូមិរបស់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ ស្ថិតនៅតាមបណ្តោយព្រំដែន យោងតាមកិច្ចព្រមព្រៀងជាមួយប្រទេសវៀតណាម គឺជាការធម្មតា និងធ្វើស្របតាមច្បាប់។

លោក ជាម យៀប បានបញ្ជាក់ថា "ខ្ញុំសុំជម្រាបថា អាហ្នឹងជាការធម្មតា ពីព្រោះថាយើង

កន្លងទៅ មិនទាន់ដឹងថា ខាងណាជារបស់ខ្មែរ ខាងណាជារបស់វៀតណាមទេ។ ប៉ុន្តែនៅពេលនេះ យើងយកផែនទីតម្កល់នៅអង្គការសហប្រជាជាតិ ដែលគណៈកម្មាធិការព្រំដែននៃប្រទេសទាំងពីររៀបចំធ្វើទៅតាមកិច្ចសន្យា របស់ខ្លួន។ អាហ្នឹងគេត្រូវមើលចេញចូលយ៉ាងណានោះ ជាការដោះដូរធម្មតារបស់ប្រទេសទាំងពីរ ឬរបស់ខេត្តទាំងពីរ ឬស្រុកទាំងពីរ ឬឃុំទាំងពីរ នៅភូមិទាំងពីររបស់ខេត្ត នៅជាប់ព្រំដែនជាមួយគ្នា"។

Ranariddh plans to return to lead Funcinpec Party without Nhiek Bunchhay

Prince Norodom Ranariddh plans to return to lead Funcinpec Party without Nhiek Bunchhay and plans to meet Prime Minister Hun Sen to discuss about this issue. However, Hun Sen had already accused Ranariddh of trying to drag Funcinpec into the opposition camp when he called Ranariddh "a dog with a coiled tail" (equivalent to "a leopard never changes its spots").

សម្ដេចក្រុមព្រះគ្រោងវិលត្រឡប់ដឹកនាំបក្សហ៊្វុនស៊ិនប៉ិចដោយគ្មាន ញឹក ប៊ុនឆៃ

ដោយ សុខ សេរី 2012-06-26

សម្ដេចក្រុមព្រះ នរោត្តម រណឫទ្ធិ នៅថ្ងៃទី២៦ ខែមិថុនា ឆ្នាំ២០១២ បានជួបសំណេះសំណាលជាមួយសមាជិកបក្ស នៃក្រុមប្រឹក្សាស្រុក និងសមាជិកនៃក្រុមប្រឹក្សាខេត្ត នៅឯទីស្នាក់ការគណបក្ស នរោត្តម រណឫទ្ធិ នៅខណ្ឌទួលគោក រាជធានីភ្នំពេញ។

RFA/Sok Serey

សម្ដេចក្រុមព្រះ នរោត្តម រណឫទ្ធិ ប្រធានគណបក្ស នរោត្តម រណឫទ្ធិ ជួបសំណេះសំណាលជាមួយសកម្មជន និងជំទប់ឃុំ ដែលជាប់ឆ្នោតថ្មី នាទីស្នាក់ការបក្សខណ្ឌទួលគោក កាលពីថ្ងៃទី២៦ ខែមិថុនា ឆ្នាំ២០១២។

An Escaped Labor Slave Depicts His Plight Through Art

Tuesday, 26 June 2012

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer | Washington, DC

Photo: AP

Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton bows in response to Vannak Anan Prum of Cambodia, before presenting him with a plaque for his work to end human trafficking, during the release of the 2012 Trafficking in Persons Report at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday, June 19, 2012. Prum was held captive on a Thai fishing boat from 2005 to 2009 in slave-like conditions. He escaped by jumping overboard and swimming four kilometers off of Malaysian Borneo.

“I faced hardship.”

Prum Annan Vanak was 27 when he left his home in a remote corner of Pursat province for Thailand. It was, he thought, a prudent decision: his wife was seven months pregnant and the neighboring country would offer the temporary work and resources to sustain his struggling family. The border-crossing was illegal, he recalled later, but the promise of a well-paid job lured him nonetheless. He set course for Thailand in 2006, smuggled in the bed of a pickup truck.

It would be four years before Prum returned to Cambodia. His plans for a brief stint of opportunism fell to a nightmarish reality of abuse, imprisonment and virtual slavery in the Thai fishing industry. He narrowly escaped and has since become an artist and activist who was recently awarded by the US Secretary of State.

Hun Sen Calls for the Arrest of Beehive Radio Owner

Tuesday, 26 June 2012

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

Photo: by Sok Khemara

Mam Sonando, who spoke to VOA Khmer from Switzerland, denied the allegations, but he said he would return to Cambodia next month to face the charges against him.

“Those people who do not comply with his orders, or makes him unhappy, he will arrest and sentence to jail.”

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday made a public call for the arrest or extradition of an independent radio station owner he says is trying to topple the government.
At a public speech at the National Institute of Education, Hun Sen said Mam Sonando, the owner of Beehive Radio and the president of the Democracy Association, should be charged with attempting to establish a state within a state.
“If you are not in the country, we will sentence you first and request extradition,” Hun Sen said.
Beehive Radio is one of the few independent broadcast media outlets in Cambodia. It rebroadcasts VOA Khmer programming, among others.

Swine Flu May Have Killed Far More People Than Thought

by Scott Hensley

npr.org

June 26, 2012

Cambodian women wear masks as they walk in a market in Phnom Penh in Oct. 2009. That month a second Cambodian died from swine flu, health officials said.

Enlarge Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP/Getty Images Cambodian women wear masks as they walk in a market in Phnom Penh in Oct. 2009. That month a second Cambodian died from swine flu, health officials said.

The swine flu pandemic that raced around the world in 2009 seems like ancient history now.

One reason it's easy to forget is that the H1N1 strain of flu virus turned out to be milder than was originally feared. Still, there's no doubt the flu killed a lot of people around the world. But how many?

The answer isn't so easy to come up with. Only a small fraction of cases were actually confirmed with lab tests, even in highly developed countries like the U.S.

But an analysis published in the journal Lancet Infectious Disease puts the worldwide death toll from swine flu at 201,200 during the pandemic. The flu also exacerbated heart trouble in some people with cardiovascular conditions, which would add another 83,300 deaths.

A Change of Guard

Thursday, 28 June 2012

បទសរភញ្ញ

Wednesday, 27 June 2012