Khmerization: August 2012

Friday, 31 August 2012

A Cambodian woman wonders what would happen if she had said "yes" to Angelina Jolie

Cambodian Wonders 'What If' About Angelina Jolie

By Carly Rose Elson

WeNews correspondent

Friday, August 31, 2012

Lida moved from a subsistence existence in rural Cambodia to a senior staff job at a women's advocacy organization in the city. But she still wonders what would have happened if she had said "yes" to a beautiful foreigner at a pagoda three years ago.

*Solida ("Lida") Ley,Credit: Daniel Ostenso Copyright: GetSet-Go nfp 2012.*

Frontier stones planted during the Angkorian Empire បង្គោលថ្មកំណត់ព្រំប្រទល់ដីនៅសម័យអង្គរ

Cambodian Express News

By Prof. Michel Tranet, Ph.D

Angkorian era frontier stones were discovered in Surin and Buriram provinces in present-day Thailand as well as in Siem Reap, Battambang and Preah Vihear provinces in present-day Cambodia.
គេបានជួបប្រទះបង្គោលថ្មកំណត់ព្រំប្រទល់ដីនៅសម័យអង្គរ នៅតាមភូមិស្រុកមួយចំនួន ស្ថិតក្នុងអតីតព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា ដូចនៅខេត្តសុរិន្ទ្រ បុរីរម្យ (ប្រទេសថៃបច្ចុប្បន្ន) និងនៅស្រុកខ្មែរ ដូចជា ខេត្តសៀមរាប បាត់ដំបង និងព្រះវិហារជាដើម។ ប៉ុន្តែរហូតមកដល់សព្វថ្ងៃនេះ គ្មានអ្នកនិពន្ធណាមួយបាន បានយកចិត្តទុកដាក់ទៅលើបង្គោលថ្មកំណត់ព្រំប្រទល់ដីនេះឡើយ ហើយក៏ពុំទាន់មានការបោះពុម្ពផ្សាយនូវបង្គោលទាំងនោះដែរ ដែលបង្គោលថ្មនេះ មានសារសំខាន់ជាអនេកក្នុងការសិក្សាស្វែងយល់ អំពីការរៀបចំទឹកដីខ្មែរនាសម័យបុរាណ។

បង្គោល មានចម្លាក់ព្រះពោធិសត្វភៃសជ្យគ្រុរ នៅស្រុកគូលែន (ម.ត ២០១១)

ដូនតាខ្មែរយើងសាងសង់បង្គោលសីមាទាំងនោះឡើង មិនមែនសម្រាប់តែអំពីបរិស្ថាននោះទេ ដូចករណីបង្គោលសីមាអមវិធី ឬផ្លូវចូលទៅកាន់ប្រាសាទ គឺសម្រាប់កំណត់ព្រំប្រទល់ដីក្នុងសម័យបុរាណ។
ចំពោះអត្ថប្រយោជន៍នៃបង្គោលថ្មទាំងនោះ សិលាចារឹកមួយចំនួននាសម័យអង្គរក៏បានពិពណ៌នាអំពីការដាំបង្គោលថ្ម ដើម្បីកំណត់ព្រំប្រទល់ដី។ សិលាចារឹកខ្លះទៀតក៏បានរៀបរាប់អំពីការប្តឹងផ្តល់គ្នាដល់ ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ អំពីការរំលោភដីធ្លី ដែលបណ្តាលឲ្យមានការបង់បង្គោលថ្មឡើងវិញ ដោយព្រះរាជអាជ្ញាថែមទៀតផង។

ចំនួនបង្គោលថ្មសម្រាប់កំណត់ព្រំប្រទល់ភាគច្រើន ជាបង្គោលថ្មដែលសាងសង់ឡើងក្នុងសម័យអង្គរពីសតវត្សរ៍ទី១០ ដល់ទី ១៣ នៃគ្រឹស្តសករាជ។ បង្គោលថ្មទាំងនោះ ក៏បានបង្ហាញឲ្យយើងដឹងអំពីទិន្នន័យពាក់ព័ន្ធទៅនឹងការគ្រប់គ្រង ប្រទេសនាសម័យបុរាណ ហើយវាក៏ជាសញ្ញាបង្ហាញការផ្លាស់ប្តូរនៃប្រព័ន្ធរដ្ឋបាល ដែលជាសញ្ញាណនៃវឌ្ឍនភាព។ រហូតមកដល់សព្វថ្ងៃនេះ ពុំទាន់មានគេរកឃើញនូវបង្គោលថ្មណាមួយនាសម័យចេនឡានៅឡើយទេ។

President: Iran, Cambodia have high potentials for enhancing ties

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran and Cambodia have high potentials for enhancement of trade transactions and joint investments.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - President Ahmadinejad made the above comments in a meeting with the visiting Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the sidelines of the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran on Thursday.

The president said that both Iran and Cambodia should make use of such potentials for further expansion of their bilateral ties.

'Iran and Cambodia should work for advancement of their bilateral ties in all areas more than before and the embassies of both countries should become more active than before,' the president said while referring to the fact that Iran and Cambodia have always had friendly ties.

US firms suggest ASEAN improve financial services

Friday, 31 August 2012

May Kunmakara and Gregory Pellechi

Phnom Penh Post

US Trade Representative Ron Kirk (left) stands next to Cambodia’s Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidth yesterday in Siem Reap. Photograph: Heng Chivoan /Phnom Penh Post

Although US businesses across ASEAN have expressed a positive investment outlook towards Cambodia and the other members of the regional group, they are unsure of how to take advantage of the free-trade agreement with China, insiders said at the first-ever ASEAN-US Business Summit, which kicked off yesterday in Cambodia.

While praising the Kingdom and ASEAN in general, the US delegation said that their businesses in the region seem unable to take advantage of all the assets that ASEAN has to offer.

US Chamber of Commerce Senior Director of Southeast Asia John Goyer told the Post that much of what was discussed yesterday at a seminar called “Digital Economy and Innovation” concerned the use of e-commerce, digital transactions and credit cards, aspects of the economy that ASEAN’s less-developed countries, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos, do no rate particularly strong. He added that, for all the positive aspects of ASEAN, US businesses were not able to fully utilise everything it had to offer like the free trade agreement (FTA) with China.

មិនដឹងជាខាងណាអាចបំភ្លឺបាន? www.pangsokheoun.wordpress.com

រឿងពិបាកគឺបើសួររកមូលហេតុពីប៉ូលីសព្រំដែន គាត់ថាមិនដឹង ឬថាជាកិច្ចការថ្នាក់លើ តែបើសួរថ្នាក់លើអត់មានអ្នកឆ្លើយ ឬ បើមកឆ្លើយគឺឆ្លើយដូច ហ៊ុន សែន ថា អត់បាត់ទេ មានតែចំណេញដី។ អ្វីដែលចំឡែកគឺព្រំដែន ឬសូម្បីតែបង្គោលបុស្តិ៍ព្រំដែនខ្មែរក៏ដើរថយចូលមកក្នុងដីខ្លួនឯងដែរហើយយួនចេះតែពង្វាតទីវិញ។ ដូច្នេះមានតែសួរប្រជាជនទេ។ សូមបងប្អូនទៅសួរសាកមើលទៅ កុំអោយគេថា មិនបានដឹង និងលឺផ្ទាល់ត្រចៀក។

A new border checkpoint (see arrows) in Memot district, Kampong Cham province, has been moved deeper inside Cambodian territory, but local officials said they knew nothing about it. When asked about it they asked the questioners to ask the "higher authority". When the "higher authority" was asked about it, they said no one was available to give the answers. So, the answers lie with the local villagers who knew clearly who moved the border line/post deeper inside Khmer territory.

Hun Sen met president of the North Korean parliament in Iran សម្តេចហ៊ុនសែន ជួបប្រធានសភាកូរ៉េខាងជើង នៅអ៊ីរ៉ង់

ថ្ងៃទី 31 សីហា 2012| ដោយ: CEN

ភ្នំពេញ: សម្តេចតេជោនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុនសែន បានជួបពិភាក្សាទ្វេភាគីជាមួយលោក គីម យ៉ុងណាម ប្រធានគណៈប្រធានសភាប្រជាជនជាន់ខ្ពស់ នៃសាធារណរដ្ឋប្រជាមានិត ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យកូរ៉េ ឬកូរ៉េខាងជើង នៅក្រៅកិច្ចប្រជុំកំពូលលើកទី១៦ នៃចលនាមិនចូលបក្សសម្ព័ន្ធ ដែលធ្វើឡើងនៅទីក្រុង តេអេរ៉ង់ សាធារណរដ្ឋអ៊ីស្លាម អ៊ីរ៉ង់ កាលពីរសៀលថ្ងៃទី៣០ ខែសីហា ឆ្នាំ២០១២។

នៅក្នុងជំនួបពិភាក្សានោះ លោក គីម យ៉ុងណាម មានប្រសាសន៍លើកឡើងពីប្រវត្តិនៃទំនាក់ទំនងរបស់ប្រទេសទាំងពីរ ដែលបង្កើតឡើង ដោយអតីតព្រះករុណាព្រះមហាវិរក្សត្រកម្ពុជា ព្រះករុណាព្រះបាទ សម្តេចព្រះ នរោត្តម សីហនុ ជាមួយនឹងលោកសេនាប្រមុខ គីម អ៊ីលសុង និងបន្តរហូតមកដល់លោកសេនាប្រមុខ គីម យុងអ៊ីល និងមកដល់បច្ចុប្បន្ន ព្រះករុណាព្រះបាទសម្តេចព្រះ នរោត្តម សីហមុនី ព្រះមហាក្សត្រ នៃព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា បានបន្តយកចិត្តទុកដាក់ជាមួយនឹងឯកឧត្តម គីម យ៉ុងអ៊ុន ដើម្បីពង្រឹងពង្រីកទំនាក់ទំនងការទូត នៃប្រទេសទាំងពីរឲ្យកាន់តែរឹងមាំថែមទៀត។

Non-Aligned Movement Summit held Thursday in Tehran in Iran.

PHNOM PENH (Cambodia Herald) - Prime Minister Hun Sen has appealed to members of the Non-Aligned Movement to support Cambodia's bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

In an address to a two-day summit in Tehran, the prime minister noted that the movement now covered 60 percent of the seats in the United Nations.

NAM should ensure it plays a significant role in protecting benefits for developing countries and "finding solutions for big challenges at both local and global levels," he said.

Angkor restorers ink first bargaining pact

Friday, 31 August 2012

Claire Knox and Mom Kunthear

Phnom Penh Post

Tourists visit Angkor Wat in Siem Reap province last year. Ongoing restoration work can be seen in the background. Photo Naw Say Phaw Waa

Under the shade of Angkor’s canopies and twisted Banyan trees, more than 100 restoration workers watched yesterday afternoon as union delegates signed their first collective bargaining agreement, in what union advocates say should set a precedent for Cambodia’s construction industry.

Over the past two years, the workers had campaigned for insurance that would cover injury and illness, union rights, wages and other benefits.

Dave Welsh, country director of the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, said the workers had formed the independent Angkor Preservation Workers Union in 2010 and had waited a long time to collectively bargain with employer the World Monuments Fund.

Pich Nil Bridge

SIHANOUKVILLE (Cambodia Herald) – Authorities were repairing Pich Nil Bridge on National Road Number 4 on Thursday morning after a bomb exploded overnight, sources said.

The sources said the explosion, which took place two kilometers from Yeay Mao shrine, did not cause any serious damage and that traffic was moving as normal.

Authorities from Kampong Speu and Sihanoukville provinces are investigating the incident.

ព្រះមហាក្ស នរោត្តម សីហមុនី King Norodom Sihamoni

ព្រះមហាក្សត្រត្រូវបានស្វាគមន៏ដោយគ្រាប់មីនអំឡុងទៅកាន់ខេត្តកំពង់ស្ពឺ

King was welcomed with a bomb during his visit to Kampong Speu

ក.និរតី

August 30, 2012 - Free Press Magazine

ព្រះមហាក្សត្រដ៏រម្យទមរបស់ប្រទេសកម្ពុជាបានរួចផុតជីវិត ពីការបំផ្ទុះគ្រាប់មីនច្នៃមួយតែរយៈពេលប៉ុន្មានម៉ោងប៉ុណ្ណោះ មុនពេលដែលទ្រង់ចុះទៅចែកអំណោយដល់អ្នកភូមិក្រីក្រនៅក្នុង ខេត្តកំពង់ស្ពឺ។ The king has escaped death from an improvised explosive device which has exploded a few hours before his scheduled visit to distribute gifts to poor people in Kampong Speu province.

Firm’s ‘hostage’awaits justice

Friday, 31 August 2012

Rachel Will and Mom Kunthear

Phnom Penh Post

Heng Hak (left) sits next to SRP lawmaker Mu Sochua during a press conference yesterday. Heng Hak broke both of her legs in March last year while trying to escape from an office of T&P Co Ltd, a firm based in Sen Sok district that trained domestic workers for employment in Malaysia. Photograph: Hong Menea/Phnom Penh Post

Heng Hak wore a blank expression yesterday, her hair recently dyed a shade of blonde. Though her appearance suggested composure, a lift of her pant leg revealed the manifestation of the trauma she tried to escape last year.

In March 2011, Hak jumped from the third floor of T&P Co Ltd recruitment agency, breaking both her legs. She claims that the company physically held her from seeing her family and children, so she jumped in order to escape.

“I don’t regret jumping down, because to die in Cambodia would have been better than dying in another country,” Hak said yesterday.

Kampong Speu dig turns up unexpected treasure

Friday, 31 August 2012

By Mom Kunthear

Phnom Penh Post

People stand next to a sixth- or seventh-century statue that was found in a pond in Kampong Speu province on Monday. Photo Supplied

An excavator digging a pool in Kampong Speu province’s Samrong Tong district this week struck an unexpected find when its operators unearthed an ancient Hindu statue two metres below ground.

The 1.4-metre stone statue of the Hindu god Vishnu is thought to have been carved in the sixth or seventh centur-ies, around the time of the early Khmer polity of Funan, one expert believes, perhaps travelling some distance to get to the spot it was discovered.

“This one could be interesting . . . because it’s far from the Funan area of Takeo,” former archaeology lecturer Son Soubert said after examining a photo of the headdressed stone figure, now sporting only one and a half arms.

Kidnapper caught: Woman sold girl for $25 and a phone

Friday, 31 August 2012

By Khoun Leakhana

Phnom Penh Post

Kidnapper caught

A 30-year-old woman who allegedly kidnapped and sold a 7-year-old girl for $25 and a cell phone was sent to pre-trial detention by Preah Vihear Provincial Court yesterday.

Li Lon, Preah Vihear provincial prosecutor, said the girl is now back with her family and the suspect, Kong Chanthou, was arrested on Monday on charges of human trafficking.

According to the National Police Commission website, Chanthou kidnapped the seven-year-old in Siem Reap on Monday while her mother was having her nails done in Phsar Leu market.

Friday, 31 August 2012

By Princess Soma Norodom

Phnom Penh Post

With the lack of enforcement of the domestic violence law, this issue is still a social problem in Cambodia. Domestic violence is a human rights violation, and against the law, and it should be taken seriously.

Domestic violence is violence that occurs in the home and between spouses. There are several types of domestic violence, including physical aggression such as hitting, kicking and throwing objects, to threats, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, controlling behaviour, intimidation and stalking. Overall, domestic violence and emotional abuse are behaviours to control the person in the relationship.

Friday, 31 August 2012

By Rann Reuy

Phnom Penh Post

Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast (pictured) yesterday said he would urge Canadians to invest in Cambodia as opportunies become more viable to potential foreign direct investment from countries that have thus far played a small role in the Kingdom.

“I see the environment here, and more specifically the business environment, is very positive, and I think my job is to go back to Canada to tell the Canadian business community that Cambodia is great place to invest,” he said during his first visit to the country, adding that there had been much progress in Cambodia-Canadian relations.

Fast attended a ceremony recognising the first 10 customers at the Cambodian branch of Manulife, a Canadian insurance company that opened two months ago.

Former Khmer Rouge leader ex-social affairs minister Ieng Thirith is seen in a court in Phnom Penh in 2011. Prosecutors at Cambodia's war crimes court on Friday conceded that Ieng Thirith, the Khmer Rouge's former "First Lady", was unlikely to face trial due to ill health and recommended her release.

Ieng Thirith (front, 2nd from left) in 1976

Published: 31/08/2012

Bangkok Post

Prosecutors at Cambodia's war crimes court on Friday conceded that the Khmer Rouge's former "First Lady" was unlikely to face trial due to ill health and recommended her release.

The move came after experts told the UN-backed tribunal that the mental state of ex-social affairs minister Ieng Thirith, 80, had worsened since appeal judges in December requested medical treatment and further tests.

She now appears almost certain never to answer to charges of war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, unlike three other top leaders -- including her husband, former foreign minister Ieng Sary -- currently on trial.

"She is not currently able to exercise her fair trial rights and she's therefore currently unfit to stand trial," prosecutor Tarik Abdulhak told the tribunal.

Khmer Rouge photos solve decades old mysteries

By Claire Slattery

Phnom Penh for Connect Asia

abc.net.au

Photo: Reaksa Chuon poses with a photograph of his father (Claire Slattery)

Audio: Khmer Rouge photographs solve decades old mysteries (ABC News)

Map: Cambodia

For thousands of Cambodians, the fate of their loved ones under the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s remains a mystery, and the focus sometimes of a life-long search for answers.

DC-Cam, the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, is an organisation dedicated to collecting and researching documents from the Khmer Rouge period. From time-to-time, new documents and photographs emerge that provide people with information about how their friends and family members died but, a recent donation to DC-Cam has done just that.

Chuon Reaksa was eight-years-old when he last saw his father in 1976. For 36 years, Mr Reaksa has searched for answers about what happened to his father after he disappeared from Cambodia's Battambang Province during the Khmer Rouge Regime.

Now, he's has come face-to-face with his father again, in a photo.

French architect Patrick Devillers breaks silence about return to China

SIEM REAP, Cambodia | Fri Aug 31, 2012 (Reuters) - A French architect questioned in China as part of an investigation into the country's biggest political scandal in decades has returned to his home in Cambodia, a government official said on Friday.

Patrick Henri Devillers, 52, came back to the capital, Phnom Penh, this month after helping authorities in China with their investigation of Gu Kailai, who was given a suspended death sentence on August 20 after confessing to the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood.

In a statement Tuesday, the envoy, Surya Subedi, says a political solution should be found to enable Sam Rainsy to “play a full role” in the election.

Surya Subedi gave 17 recommendations for election reform in order for next year’s polls to meet international standards.

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer

31 August 2012

WASHINGTON DC - The UN’s special envoy for human rights is calling for a political solution that would allow the return of opposition leader Sam Rainsy ahead of national elections in July 2013.

In a statement Tuesday, the envoy, Surya Subedi, says a political solution should be found to enable Sam Rainsy to “play a full role” in the election. He also said Cambodian elections need the trust of the Cambodian people or the country risks a return to its violent past.

The statement was released alongside his most recent report to the UN on Cambodia’s human rights environment, following a visit earlier this year.

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney campaign buttons are displayed ahead of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Aug. 26, 2012.

Issues that affect Cambodians in America are similar to those the rest of the people in the country.

Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer

31 August 2012

WASHINGTON DC - Cambodian-American voters say that as the US presidential election approaches, they are most interested in a president that will help them with community issues here and political issues back in Cambodia.

Video

Paul Ryan to Speak Tonight at RNC Convention (Cambodia news in Khmer)

Video

Cambodian Community Day Sees Campaigners for Presidential Candidates (Cambodia news in Khmer)

Presidential candidates Barrack Obama, a Democrat, and Mitt Romney, a Republican, are in a tightly contested race for the White House, with both sides campaigning hard before the Nov. 4 election.

Schanley Kuch, a Cambodian-American from Maryland, told VOA Khmer he will vote for a candidate who can better the living standards of Americans, but will also espouse the principles of human rights and democracy that will help Cambodians back home.

“For the Cambodian people, in my view, it’s a necessary obligation to decide whether we choose economic growth in the US or think about our homeland, which is under the restoration of human rights, freedom and democracy, which needs the support of a powerful country.”

Cambodia students hold the Cambodian national flags as they attend the Independence Day celebration at the Independence Monument in the capital Phnom Penh.

About 70 percent of Cambodia’s population is below the age of 30, making them a powerful constituency.

Say Mony, VOA Khmer

31 August 2012

PHNOM PENH - The new US ambassador to Cambodia, William Todd, has initiated an Ambassador’s Youth Council, aimed at engaging young people in issues of national importance. But the new initiative faces a number of challenges, including the attitudes of youths themselves.

The ambassador would like to see more young people involved in social and political affairs that affect them, the embassy’s spokesman, Sean McIntosh, told “Hello VOA” Monday.

“If the young people realize what kind of benefit it is for themselves and for their country to take the interest in the serious issues, then those young people will come around and start being engaged,” Sean McIntosh, spokesman for the embassy, told “Hello VOA” on Monday.

Say Mony hosts 'Hello VOA' from Phnom Penh, on 27 August, 2012

About 70 percent of Cambodia’s population is below the age of 30, making them a powerful constituency, but few in that demographic are socially or politically engaged.

Chheng Niem, a Facebook user, wrote recently, “Cambodian youth spend too much time on entertainment.”

A Japanese oil company, has been granted a rights by Cambodia Tuesday, May 4, 2010, to study a survey for possible oil onshore at the basin of Tonle Sap lake, file photo.

Meanwhile, local officials from the Ministry of Agriculture’s fisheries administration denied such corruption takes place.

By Say Mony, VOA Khmer

31 August 2012

BATTAMBANG Province - Despite a government cancellation of commercial fishing lot permission across the expansive Tonle Sap lake, fishing communities here say bribery of corrupt local officials have meant the illegal practice is actually increasing.

The ban was meant to decrease the rapid overfishing of the lake, a major source of food for much of the country, which has seen its stocks dwindle in recent years.

Mao Penh, the head of a fishing community at the floating village of Preak Tol, in Koh Chiveng commune, Battambang provnce, told VOA Khmer that law enforcement officials are “colluding” with illegal fishing operations.

ថ្ងៃទី 30 សីហា 2012, | ដោយ: លីនណា

ភ្នំពេញ: ទីបំផុតទៅ ក្រសួងមហាផ្ទៃ ដែលជាស្ថាប័ន ចុះបញ្ជីគណបក្សនយោបាយ បានយល់ព្រម ទទួលចុះបញ្ជីបង្កើតគណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិ ដែលរួមគ្នាបង្កើតដោយគណបក្សសមរង្ស៊ី និងគណបក្សសិទ្ធិមនុស្ស។

លោកឧបនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ស ខេង រដ្ឋមន្ត្រីក្រសួងមហាផ្ទៃ បានឆ្លើយតបតាមរយៈលិខិតមួយច្បាប់ ទៅកាន់លោក ប៉ុល ហំម តំណាងស្ថាបនិកនៃគណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិ នៅថ្ងៃទី៣០ ខែសីហា ឆ្នាំ២០១២ ដោយលើកឡើងថា “ក្រសួងមហាផ្ទៃ បានទទួលសេចក្តីជូនដំណឹង ស្តីអំពីសំណើសុំបង្កើតគណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិ ដែលមានទីស្នាក់ការកណ្តាលតាំងនៅផ្ទះលេខ៣៨ ផ្លូវលេខ១៩៧២ សង្កាត់ភ្នំពេញថ្មី ខណ្ឌសែនសុខ រាជធានីភ្នំពេញហើយ។ ដើម្បីទទួលសុពលភាព គណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិ ត្រូវបំពេញបែបទ និងលក្ខខណ្ឌដូចមានចែងនៅក្នុងមាត្រា២០ ជំពូកទី៥ នៃច្បាប់ស្តីពីគណបក្សនយោបាយ"។

Tehran, Aug 30, IRNA – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Iran and Cambodia have high potentials for enhancement of trade transactions and joint investments.

President Ahmadinejad made the above comments in a meeting with the visiting Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on the sidelines of the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran on Thursday.

The president said that both Iran and Cambodia should make use of such potentials for further expansion of their bilateral ties.

Cambodia hosts ASEAN garment, textile exhibition

SIEM REAP, Cambodia, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Garment and textile products from Southeast Asian nations were on display here on Wednesday evening, aiming at further promoting business opportunities, Cambodian Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh said.
Organized by Cambodian Ministry of Commerce in cooperation with the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia, the ASEAN Garment and Textile Fair 2012 will be held until Sept. 1 at the Angkor Coex Exhibition Hall.

Human Rights Activist Arrested in Cambodia

By Luke Hunt

The Diplomat

August 31, 2012

On human rights and freedom of thought and expression, Cambodia has found the going tough. Stories about villagers evicted from their land, human rights workers being arrested, and those who prefer the opposition to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) being harassed are the stuff of daily headlines.
Chief among them is Mam Sonando, 70, Director of the independent Beehive Radio and President of the Democrat Association. He was arrested at his home on July 15 by about 20 police officers after being accused of leading a secessionist movement in northern Kratie province.
He is currently being held without bail even though the he returned willingly from overseas to answer questions despite having been jailed twice before for criticizing the government and taking a vocal stand against forced evictions and alleged land grabbing.

Cambodian Opposition Leader Comes to Long Beach

By Sarah Bennett
The Long Beach Post
Thursday, 30 August 2012
SamRainsyandKemSokha

Kem Sokha (left) and Sam Rainsy in Canada earlier this month.

When Kem Sokha last visited Long Beach in 2002, he was a human rights activist in his war-torn, dictator-ruled homeland of Cambodia. Today, he returns as an even brighter beacon of hope in the country's quest for democracy and will be meeting with local supporters and residents at a community event similar to the ones he is famous for having started in Cambodia.

"I try any which way I can to promote democracy in our country," says Tippana Tith, a Cambodian-American activist who organized the event. "Right now the government is still using the system to suppress people. The world is changing, people are standing up and there is not that much dictatorship anymore. Why does our Cambodian country still have a dictatorship?"

Laos, Cambodia set for more listings

Wichit Chaitrong

The Nation

August 31, 2012

Private companies and state enterprises are expected to raise large amounts of funds via the stock exchanges in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia over the next several years.

More private firms will list on the Cambodian and Laotian bourses next year, their executives told media yesterday at the "Thailand Focus 2012" conference in Bangkok.

Hong Sok Hour, chief executive officer of the Cambodia Securities Exchange, said yesterday that there was currently only one listed firm on the bourse, with market capitalisation of US$140 million (Bt4.4 billion), but five more were expected to list next year. Three of those firms are state enterprises - two port facilitators and one telecom.

Cambodian rice expert produces ‘more with less’

Friday, August 31st, 2012

Yang Saing Koma INQUIRER PHOTO

When he introduced his novel rice production method to Cambodian farmers more than a decade ago, Yang Saing Koma had to battle skeptics who laughed at his idea. How could less irrigation and shallower planting result in higher yield?

But Koma, founder of the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (Cedac), only had to tap one brave farmer to get his program going.

Today, his System of Rice Intensification (SRI) is an official rice production method endorsed by the Cambodian government, credited for doubling the country’s total rice output in the last decade.

Siem Reap: A spiritual journey 2.0

EXISTENTIAL BLABBER By Kara Ortiga

The Philippine Star

Updated August 31, 2012

Thursday Manila
2 p.m. — Just escaped from work half-day in order to accommodate the much-awaited trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia.
3 p.m. — I decide to send some sentimental texts to my friends Kath and Isa and tell them I am ready for my spiritual journey in Cambodia. Considering I have been quite a mess lately, I need to pray, I tell them.
3:05 p.m. — Kath replies, “What did you decide to do again?!”
3:10 p.m. — Isa replies, “I will pray for you!”
4 p.m. — My travel buddies, Lour and Misha, arrive. The three of us have 9-to-5 jobs and three very different personalities. We volt in our hands and say, “Spiritual journey! Break!”
7 p.m. — My last text in Manila is work-related. I don’t bother to wait for the reply.
Siem Reap
11 p.m. — We arrive at Siem Reap, Cambodia and meet our gracious host, Mr. Sokun at the Prum Bayon hotel. Western style hotel rated an underestimated 3-stars. It’s only a few minutes away from the popular Pub Street.
From the room: no high-rise buildings, no lights, no spectacular view. It’s just a small, quiet town. It’s quite nice.

Say cheese: The multitude of smiling faces at the temple of Bayon

11:30 p.m. — We head out to Pub Street to grab late dinner. We settle for a restaurant called Cambodian Soup Kitchen. We have our first taste of Khmer (Cambodian) food and we are in love. Fresh spring rolls, green chicken curry, Cambodian soup and the native amok, which is a delicious, steamed curried fish.
Khmer food is simple, delicate, but makes use of a complex fusion of spices that deliver full taste. It’s similar to Thai food but not overpowering at all.
We decide we want to have Khmer food every day for the rest of the trip.
Friday
8:30 a.m. — We told the tour guide we would meet him at 8 a.m. It’s 8:30. He tells us that we cannot wear our Tomb Raider short shorts to the temples. I’m thinking, holy cow, I didn’t bring anything past the knee. I pretend this scarf is a real skirt.

Visit Ta Prohm, which has been left in an unrestored state. Ta Prohm [google]

Following a recent article on exploring Cambodia, readers offer their advice on visiting the country.

HAPPY EATING

I agree with Maggie O’Sullivan that the Khmer Kitchen (khmerkitchens.com) is the best budget restaurant in Siem Reap. Go there in a tuk-tuk after you have done “happy hour” at the FCC (fcccambodia.com), which is also great value.

If you want to visit a school and orphanage, go to Savong’s School (savong.com), a genuine success story; even if you don’t go, then at least read about it.

Peter Kitto, online comment

BRASH BY NAME

If you’re arriving in Siem Reap by air, make sure you have your camera ready. The small airport affords an excellent photo opportunity on the short walk from the plane to the terminal. Pub Street may sound a bit brash by name but it has several good bars and restaurants.
Michael Johnson, Somerset
BIKE IT
Cycling is a great way to feel part of a country – you’re hailed by every child – and being on a bike among locals is great. We cycled to the Landmine Museum on the way to temple visits. Our holiday, courtesy of Exodus (0845 863 9600; exodus.co.uk), was superbly organised and included rural north Thailand as well as Ho Chi Minh City. Highly recommended.
Vic Green, online comment
BOOK IT

Cambodia steps up Internet surveillance [Burma moving forward, Cambodia moving backward]

By Clothilde Le Coz
The Asian Correspondent

Aug 30, 2012

As Burma loosens its grip on the media, Cambodia has begun to rank high among the countries repressing internet and telephone freedom in the name of national security, safety and social order. It is still not comparable to China or Vietnam, but Cambodia is moving in the wrong direction.

Last February, the Kingdom of Wonders adopted an “inter-ministerial circular”, according to which every Internet cafe in the country has to set up surveillance cameras and any phone shop has to register callers using its services. According to an unofficial translation obtained by the Asian Correspondent, the circular is meant to “promote protection of national security, safety and social order for the country”. Even though nothing has been implemented thus far, the circular is a threat to every phone and Internet user in the country.

“This is not a law. The authorities simply decided to do whatever they want to regulate online content in the country only because it could violate khmer culture,” stated Norbert Klein, the “founding father” of the Internet in Cambodia and now the head of the Cambodia chapter of the Internet Society. To him, the circular is a “means of intimidation for Internet users more than a means to protect their safety “.

Thursday, 30 August 2012

By Chhay Channyda

Phnom Penh Post

Police in Svay Rieng province said yesterday a Bavet town police officer had been under court-ordered supervision since last week on suspicion of being involved in the February shooting at a garment factory protest in the Special Economic Zone there.

Provincial police chief Prach Rim said Sar Chantha, the chief of penal police in Bavet town, had been put under court supervision by Judge Pech Chhoeut in relation to the ongoing case.

Former Bavet town governor Chhouk Bandith (pictured) was charged in April with “unintentional injury” for allegedly firing his gun at random into a crowd of 6,000 workers at the Kaoway Sports Factory in February, injuring three female garment workers.

Ta Mok's house to be sold to a private university

Former Khmer Rouge stronghold might be next academic hub

Wednesday, 29 August 2012

May Titthara and Stuart White

Phnom Penh Post

ទីតាំងផ្ទះតា ម៉ុក នៅខេត្តតាកែវ កំពុងសង់ជាសាកលវិទ្យាល័យ។People stand outside Ta Mok’s house in Takeo. Photograph: Alan Parkhouse/Phnom Penh Post

A road leading to Ta Mok´s residence

A gate to Ta Mok's house

In an ironic twist of fate, the former home of one of the top officials of the Khmer Rouge regime — a government notorious for its purges of intellectuals — may be converted to an institution of higher learning by Build Bright University.

An administrator, who did not wish to be named because he was not authorised to discuss the matter, said on Monday the one-time residence of the Khmer Rouge’s final leader, Chhit Chhoeun — better known by his nom de guerre Ta Mok — was being “reconstructed” to serve as a campus in Takeo province as early as the 2012-2013 school year.

BBU’s upper management, however, would confirm only that the university was looking to expand.

University president Virak Chey said that expected enrolments for the coming year would necessitate more space, but for the time being, expanding onto the Ta Mok property was “just a rumour”.

Posted: 08/30/2012

The Santa Cruz Sentinel

The place to be at noontime in Newcastle, Wyo., is a gas station called Mavericks.

A local sitting in his ATV outside Decker's -- the grocery store I was fleeing after seeing the only sandwich options were prepackaged egg salad or roast beef -- recommended I drive there for the best lunch in town.

I'm traveling through the Great Plains this week, missing food in the Cruz and reflecting on how fortunate we are to have healthy, flavorful and local options every few hundred feet.

My last meal before driving into the salad-barren sunset was at Jia Tella's, the Cambodian place in Scotts Valley. I sat on the patio and ordered amok [emphasis on the second syllable], a traditional Cambodian dish of catfish wrapped in a banana leaf. Amok is unlike anything I've had locally, and a good introduction to Khmer cuisine -- simple and filling, clean and comforting.

Civil society spend about $500 million a year on Cambodia's national development

Cambodia, 30 August 2012 (The Cambodia Herald) - Civil society groups spend about $500 million a year on Cambodia's national development, according to a two-day conference on good governance and cooperation.

The conference, which started Wednesday, released a statement saying that civil society was important for efficiency and evaluating social and political processes.

The statement also said that civil groups were ready to work with the government to improve development and human rights.

Hun Sen is the second Chey Chettha II

Re: Heng Samrin's village changed its name to "the evacuated Vietnamese village" - ភូមិយួនជន្លៀស?

Heng Samrin was born to commit treason

Anonymous said...

It makes me cry to read this article. What is happening here is the case of pleasing the boss using national's land to repay the dept owed by a politician who has no conscience as a person. Heng Samrin would be better off if he was not be born at all. He was born to commit treason to destroy his people/country.What's a coward man!

-------------------------
From King Chey Chettha II to Hun Sen

Anonymous said...

It makes me cry in sorrow. These CPP leaders have no shame at all, even exchanging their ancestors's land for a chance to stay in power for wealth.

I do feel sorrow that Khmers had lost land, but this is old news. We have been losing land in every regime that governed Cambodia, from King Chey Chetha II to Hun Sen. Now we see it in real life. What are we going to do about this when our people in Cambodia don't even give a damn and they still overwhelmingly vote for the Viet puppet, the CPP. The Fake UN doesn't give a damn Cambodia losing a small border land either. We are powerless, so please STOP showing us this kind of news because we can't do a damn thing about it. One day if we were lucky enough we can get these traitors ( IF THEY DIDN'T DIE OF OLD AGE YET) and put them on trial and give them capital punishment.

-------------------------
Hun Sen is the second Chey Chettha II

Kmenhwatt said...

I only learned from history or by words of mouth from generations of story told by those whose care enough to preach history of King Chey Chatha II. Now history repeats itself under Hun Sen, the Viet puppet.

Cambodians abroad should have right to vote: UN

Wednesday, 29 August 2012

By Bridget Di Certo

Phnom Penh Post

A woman votes during nationwide commune elections at a polling station in Phnom Penh’s Chamkarmon district in June. Photograph: Hong Menea/Phnom Penh Post

Cambodian citizens living abroad should be entitled to vote in national elections, UN special rapporteur Surya Subedi emphasised in his 2012 report on electoral reform.

Allowing Cambodian citizens abroad to vote, “at least in the countries where it has diplomatic and/or consular representation”, was one of 18 recommendations Subedi made on Monday

The sentiment was echoed by election monitor Comfrel’s director Koul Panha yesterday.

“Cambodians living abroad contribute in a big way to the economy in Cambodia and they should be able to be connected to Cambodian politics and encouraged to vote,” Panha said. “They sacrifice a lot to live abroad and we should be connecting them with the contribution they make to the economy through democracy.”

Kep resort haunts again Cambodians

Luc Citrinot
traveldailynews.asia
30 August 2012

The old resort city of Kep wants to revive its days of glory. Known as an equivalent to the French Riviera for Cambodian high society in the sixties, Kep is now organizing an exhibition in Phnom Penh, Paris and Kep to highlight the importance of the seaside resort in Cambodia’s history.

PHNOM PENH - Kep is located 152 km South from Phnom Penh, 24 km from the Vietnamese border, on the coast of Cambodia and bordering the Gulf of Siam. The resort has an interesting story. Well known from the French during colonial times as a get-away destination from the heat and dust of Phnom Penh, Kep really took off when Prince Norodom Sihanouk dreamed of turning the small seaside resort into the "Saint-Tropez of South-East Asia" following the independence. For a brief period, from the mid-fifties to the late sixties, Kep enjoyed a mini boom in construction with seaside villas built in a typical modern-tropical style inspired by French architect Le Corbusier.

However, the existence of this chic seaside spot did not exceed twenty years. Kep’s development came to a full stop with the Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge regime. Turning into a ghost city, abandoned villas felt apart due to humidity and lack of preservation.

With Cambodia becoming more prosperous, Kep now looks to its future. Some chic boutique hotels start to be built in Kep and around. The Knai Bang Chatt is now installed into three former villas and offer a sleek stylish atmosphere. Or the Vanna Bungalow, a mid-priced three star hotel also located in a typical late fifties villa. In 2011, the total number of visitors to Kep province doubled, reaching almost 750,000 arrivals with foreign travellers having only a 1.2 % market share.

Hun Sen speaking at the ASEAN Economic Ministers.

Updated: 30 August, 2012

SIEM REAP, Cambodia (Xinhua)- Consultations between the ASEAN Economic Ministers and the United States Trade Representative concluded on Thursday and the two sides agreed to further deepen trade and investment ties.

The dialogue was co-chaired by Cambodian Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh and Ambassador Ron Kirt, the United States Trade Representative.

"They underscored the opportunities for deepening economic ties and reiterated their commitment to further building the trade and investment relationship between ASEAN and the United States," said a joint statement after the meeting.

Chea Sim’s ex-bodyguard takes case to Appeal Court

Thursday, 30 August 2012

Buth Reaksmey Kongkea

Phnom Penh Post

Chhoeun Chanthan (C), former head of Senate president Chea Sim’s bodyguard unit, smiles as leaves the military court in Phnom Penh in February. Photograph: Vireak Mai/Phnom Penh Post

The former head of Senate President Chea Sim’s bodyguard unit will appear in court next month to appeal against military court convictions and a 26-year prison sentence for possessing illegal weapons, forgery and other crimes, his defence lawyer said yesterday.

Lieutenant General Chhoeun Chanthan, also known as Mao, 41, was sentenced in a military court in February, a week after the Phnom Penh Municipal Court jailed him for 10 years for separate offences that included breach of trust, intentionally destroying and embezzling state property and illegally distributing weapons.

Labour leader [Rong Chhun] summonsed to court

Thursday, 30 August 2012

Mom Kunthear and Shane Worrell

Phnom Penh Post

Rong Chhun (C), president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, speaks to reporters during a protest by Tai Yang Enterprises workers in Phnom Penh last month. Photograph: Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post

Global brands Levi’s and Gap had continued slashing orders at the Tai Yang and Camwell factories in Kandal province, costing the company that owns them about US$6 million, its manager claimed yesterday.

Tai Yang Enterprises manager Wu Minghuor said the brands had reduced their orders from the factories by 80 per cent as a result of the strike over seniority bonuses, which began on June 25.

“We have found we have lost about $6 million in revenue and 80 per cent of orders from [Gap and Levi’s],” he said – less than a week after telling the Post the brands had cut orders by 20 per cent.

Duch fails to ID Westerners imprisoned in S-21

Thursday, 30 August 2012

By Joseph Freeman

Phnom Penh Post

The above photographs, of two unidentified men, were found with a cache of recently donated photographs of S-21 prison victims. Photograph: Documentation Center of Cambodia

As part of an ongoing search to confirm the identities of two Westerners whose faces emerged in a recent anonymous donation of photos featuring inmates from the notorious S-21 prison, researchers yesterday turned to a man they believed might have special insight into the duo’s fate – their jailer.

Sitting in a small room outside his detention cell at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, where he is currently serving a life sentence for his crimes as the former chairman of the Phnom Penh detention and interrogation centre, Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, briefly studied the faces of the men, put them aside and began to talk.

There would be, however, no great revelations.

Relief, tales of abuse as fishermen return [Thais practising modern slavery on Khmers]

Thursday, 30 August 2012

By Sen David

Phnom Penh Post

A group of five fishermen who had endured more than a year in forced labour on a Thai fishing vessel returned to an emotional reunion with their families in Phnom Penh last night.

In a scene that has become all too familiar over the past year, a group of five fishermen who had endured more than a year in forced labour on a Thai fishing vessel returned to an emotional reunion with their families in Phnom Penh last night.

The men flew into the capital’s international airport from Indonesia, where the boat they worked on was found illegally fishing.

Sim Yeng, 32, from Kandal province, said he had gone to Thailand believing that a broker in his village had found him work at a high salary for one year.

Cambodian model to hit catwalk in Australia

Thursday, 30 August 2012

By Lim Meng Y

Phnom Penh Post

The 26-year-old model Kouy Chandanich on the catwalk in Cambodia. Photograph supplied

A small step for a woman, a giant step for the modelling industry in Cambodia.

One of Cambodia’s top models, Kouy Chandanich, will take off for Australia to take part in the International Fashion Week.

To help her raise the funds for her trip, Sapors Modelling Agency will host a cocktail party tomorrow at Raffles Hotel Le Royal.

Kouy Chandanich, a model with Sapors Modeling Agency, will represent Cambodia alongside hundreds of other international models in Brisbane, Australia, in early September.

After a tough consideration of International Fashion Week committees, she was proud to be selected to take part as a cat-walk model. Her participation is judged to be a sign that the Kingdom’s modelling industry is gaining international recognition.

Singer keeps mum over wedding plan

Thursday, 30 August 2012

By Kim Soeurn

Phnom Penh Post

After being rumoured to be dating a big spender, Chhet Sovan Panha is said to be about to marry him.

The 24-year-old singer, who works for Hang Meas Entertainment Company that also owns a TV station, is notorious for her private life, rather than her career as a singer.

Previously, she was rumoured to be in a relationship with a Cambodian-Canadian man who spent thousands of dollars throwing a birthday party for her.

Recently, a source close to her revealed that she is going to marry the man soon.

The singer would not respond to the rumour.

“I cannot say anything. You have to ask my agency first,” she said.

TV host worries for career after job loss

Thursday, 30 August 2012

By Kim Soeurn

Phnom Penh Post

Singer Chan Sophany is looking for a new job at a TV station after her career as a host at SEATV came to an end and her hairdressing business closed down.

The 35-year-old and her singer boyfriend Zono shocked the entertainment industry when they eloped eight years ago.

The couple had been living in an apartment near the stadium where they opened a hair dressing business.

Now the love birds are living separately.

“I decided to move to my mother’s,” she said. “Now I’m looking for a job at a new TV station because I don’t want me and my child to depend solely on husband’s income."

First Oscar bid in 18 years

Thursday, 30 August 2012

By Lim Meng Y

Phnom Penh Post

Mariam Arthur, head of COSC (C), poses with the film package that will be sent to the Academy. Photograph supplied

It's been nearly two decades since the last submission Cambodia made to the Oscars.

Now the country has finally made another, and entered the film Lost Loves to the Best Foreign Language category – an historic event for Cambodia’s resurgent film industry.

After the Cambodian Oscar Selection Committee (COSC) voted unanimously to submit the historical drama Lost Loves, the story of a woman’s survival of the genocide was shipped to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on August 18.

The only other film submitted by Cambodia for consideration by the Academy was Rithy Panh’s The Rice People in 1994. [Watch The Rice People here].

Chhay Bora, the director of Lost Loves, and his wife, who was the main actor in the film, used 15 years of personal savings to produce the film. The tale of a woman who lost many family members to the Pol Pot regime was inspired by Leave Sila, Bora’s mother-in-law.

Progress in free trade agreement between China, Japan, Korea

SIEM REAP, 30 August 2012 (Cambodia Herald) - Trade ministers from China, Japan and South Korea have welcome progress towards a free-trade agreement between the three countries.

At a meeting with ASEAN trade ministers Wednesday, the ministers "exchanged views on the global economic situation and recent economic development in ASEAN and in the Northeast Asian countries," a statement said.

They also noted that ASEAN trade with China, Japan and South Korea remains "robust even in the context of the uncertainties of the global economy."

Bomb explodes at Pich Nil Bridge [A Khmer Rouge-style sabotage?]

SIHANOUKVILLE, 30 August 2012 (Cambodia Herald) – Authorities were repairing Pich Nil Bridge on National Road Number 4 on Thursday morning after a bomb exploded overnight, sources said.

The sources said the explosion, which took place two kilometers from Yeay Mao shrine, did not cause any serious damage and that traffic was moving as normal.

Authorities from Kampong Speu and Sihanoukville provinces are investigating the incident.

Cambodia school hope for backpacker Eddie Gibson

Eddie Gibson has not been heard from for nearly eight years

29 August 2012

bbc.co.uk

The family of a teenage backpacker who vanished in Cambodia are fundraising in an attempt to sponsor a school there in his memory.

Eddie Gibson, 19, of Hove, went missing on 24 October 2004, a week before he was due to fly back to Britain.

He was last seen in the capital Phnom Penh, but frequent appeals have revealed little.

His father Mike said the project might help to provide fresh information as to what happened to his son.

'Lasting legacy' Mr Gibson said: "We've really got nowhere in our search for Eddie, that's why we've come up with the idea for the school.

WASHINGTON, Wed Aug 29, 2012 (Reuters) - U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk will discuss how the United States can deepen trade ties with fast-growing nations in Southeast Asia in talks this week in Cambodia, U.S. trade officials said.

Kirk will join trade ministers from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) at their annual meeting on Thursday and take part in the inaugural ASEAN-U.S. Business Summit focusing on innovation and the digital economy.
His trip is also likely to include a stopover in Vietnam.

A Change of Guard

Friday, 31 August 2012

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