Khmerization

Sunday, 2 May 2010

Confrontation during the attempted screening of "Who killed Chea Vichea?" documentary

By Khmerization
Source: DAP News

Authority and unionists led by Mr. Rong Chhun and a number of opposition MPs have engaged in a confrontation during the attempted screening of the banned "Who killed Chea Vichea?" documentary film during the International Labour Day, reports Deum Ampil.

The authority earlier rejected permission for the screening of the documentary film, but Mr. Rong Chhun went ahead with the screening regardless of the ban. He attempted to raise the white screening, but was taken down by authority. He against attempted to raise the white screen a second time but was taken down against by the authority and the police saying that it affects laws and orders.

1. Raising the screen at Wat Laingka

2. Local authorities forcibly removing the screen

3. Mr. Rong Chhun and Mu Sochua interviewed by local and international press

4. District authority demanding removal of second screen

5. Police pushing for removal of second screen

6. Long Ri speaking with local and international press

On Saturday 1st May, many SRP MPs, including Mu Sochua, Ho Vann, Long Ri, Son Chhay, Men Sothavarin and provincial councilor, Thach Seitha, brought their support to Mr. Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association and the Confederation of Cambodian Unions. Mr. Chhun had planned on screening the documentary "Who killed Chea Vichea" by filmmaker Bradley Cox at Wat Laingka on Labour Day at 5pm .

The video has been banned from being screened by the Cambodian authorities across the country due to the Union not being provided a proper authorization by the relevant government ministries. Yet, many including the SRP and foreign diplomats considered this non-provision a violation of freedom of speech. The SRP, through this act, aimed at emphasizing the need to respect freedom of expression by all in the country, and most importantly by official authorities.

During the event, Mr. Chhun placed a white screen to display the documentary. Very shortly after, the anti-riot police intervened and asked Mr. Chhun to bring it down. At his insistence to keep the screen up, the police resorted to bringing it down themselves and removing it to their vehicle by force. Mu Sochua and fellow MPs arrived shortly after. Mr. Chhun and MPs expressed their disappointment and disapproval to the local and international press concerning the authorities' actions. After a period of discussion with the police authorities, Mr. Chhun, with the support of MPs, brought another screen, in an attempt to go ahead with their original decision. However, the police forcibly removed the second screen. Mu Sochua announced that the video would now be screened at the SRP headquarters and again next week at Wat Laingka. "The people want the truth and justice. Chea Vichea is our hero. The video must be shown"(Mu Sochua).

SRP Cabinet

Workers [around the world] Demand Better Jobs, Pay On May Day

Associated Press

People march to commemorate Labor Day near Revolution Plaza in Havana, Saturday, May 1, 2010.

Enlarge Associated Press

Taiwanese laborers painted in red shout slogans for their labor rights during a rally to mark May Day in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, May 1, 2010.

Associated Press

Taiwanese laborers painted in red shout slogans for their labor rights during a rally to mark May Day in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, May 1, 2010.

Associated Press

A protester covers her mouth with a banner, reading "Stop GST (Goods and Service Tax)" during a rally in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, May 1, 2010. Several hundred Malaysian workers staged a May Day rally to protest a proposed sales and services tax which they said will burden the poor.

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Workers display three mock coffins as they stage a rally near the presidential palace marking May Day Saturday, May 1, 2010 in Manila, Philippines. The workers rally was mixed with political campaigns as some of their leaders are candidates in the May 10 national elections.

Associated Press

Enlarge Associated Press

Cambodian garment factory workers hold banners during their May Day rally in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, May 1, 2009. Hundreds of Cambodian garment factory workers took part in the May Day celebrations, demanding the government to enhance the minimum wage and their working condition.

Associated Press

Enlarge Associated Press

Thai laborers march on the street with placards displaying names of their Labor Union while celebrating May Day in Bangkok, Thailand Saturday, May 1, 2010. Thousands of laborers took part in the ceremony.

Associated Press

Enlarge Associated Press

Thai laborers march on the street with banners displaying their demands to government while celebrating May Day in Bangkok, Thailand Saturday, May 1, 2010. Thousands of laborers took part in the ceremony.

Associated Press

Enlarge Associated Press

Thai laborers form up lines before marching on the street to celebrate May Day in Bangkok, Thailand Saturday, May 1, 2010. Thousands of laborers took part in the ceremony.

Associated Press

Thai laborers form up lines before marching on the street to celebrate May Day in Bangkok, Thailand Saturday, May 1, 2010. Thousands of laborers took part in the ceremony.

Associated Press

A man poses for a photo with a giant portrait of Sun Yat-sen, a Chinese revolutionary and political leader, widely regarded as the founding father of modern China, near Monument to the People's Heroes at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Saturday, May 1, 2010. Millions of Chinese travel domestically visiting the major tourist destinations during the week of May Day, which is an annual holiday.

Enlarge Associated Press

visitors take souvenir photos with a giant portrait of Sun Yat-sen, a Chinese revolutionary and political leader, widely regarded as the founding father of modern China, near Monument to the People's Heroes at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Saturday, May 1, 2010. Millions of Chinese travel domestically visiting the major tourist destinations during the week of May Day, which is an annual holiday.

Associated Press

Associated Press

A Sri Lankan daily wage laborer smokes as he waits to be employed for the day, in the commercial area of in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, May 1, 2010.

Associated Press

Thai laborers march on the street near Royal Plaza during the celebration of May Day in Bangkok, Thailand Saturday, May 1, 2010. Thousands of laborers took part in the ceremony.

Enlarge Associated Press

Indonesian workers march during a May Day rally in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday May 1, 2010. Tens of thousands of workers thronged the streets of Asian cities Saturday in annual May Day marches, demanding job creation and minimum wage hikes.

Associated Press

Enlarge Associated Press

Indonesian workers shout slogans during a May Day rally in Jakarta, Indonesia, May 1, 2010. Tens of thousands of workers thronged the streets of Asian cities Saturday in annual May Day marches, demanding job creation and minimum wage hikes.

by The Associated Press
ISTANBUL May 1, 2010

Tens of thousands of workers marched in cities from Hong Kong to Istanbul Saturday to mark international worker's day, demanding more jobs, better work conditions and higher wages.

About 140,000 jubilant workers gathered in Istanbul's Taksim Square in the first celebrations at the site since dozens of people died there in a May 1 gathering more than three decades ago.

The demonstrations in Istanbul, which sits on both European and Asian continents, marked a special victory for the Turkish unions, which had been denied access to the Taksim Square since 1977, when 34 people died after shooting triggered a stampede. The culprits were never found and workers demanded Saturday an inquiry into the deaths of the demonstrators.

Most of the annual May Day marches were peaceful, but in the Chinese territory of Macau police used water cannons and pepper spray against rowdy protesters who tried to break away from the approved route. Hong Kong radio RTHK reported at least eight people injured, including a photographer.

Athens also witnessed riots, with police using tear gas to disperse demonstrators who threw firebombs and stones in a large May Day rally against austerity measures needed to secure loans for near-bankrupt Greece. In Switzerland, Zurich police used water cannons in an attempt to disperse dozens of stone-throwing protesters as unions and politicians protested against "excessive" Swiss banking bonuses.

German police detained 250 neo-Nazis who attempted to attack them in downtown Berlin, while they braced for further clashes after sundown.

Nadine Pusch, a spokeswoman for Berlin police, said 7,000 officers were scattered throughout the city in an effort to ensure peaceful demonstrations.

Overnight in Hamburg, 17 officers were injured in clashes on the eve of May 1 and at least nine demonstrators were detained, the German news agency ddp reported Saturday.

The turnout in Cuba was massive, as expected, and authorities claimed the march by hundreds of thousands of Cubans amounted to approval of the island's communist system amid mounting international criticism over human rights.

Thousands joined peaceful May Day marches in Stockholm, where opposition leader Mona Sahlin blamed the center-right government for failing to stem rising unemployment and eroding the nation's cherished welfare system. Sahlin is hoping to become Sweden's first female prime minister after national elections in September.

Several thousand demonstrators in Paris also took to the streets amid concerns about conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to overhaul the pension system.

In Manila, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announced she had ordered the labor secretary to speed up negotiations between unions and employers on a 75-peso ($1.67) increase in daily minimum wage.

In Indonesia's capital, thousands of workers marched on the presidential palace, shouting: "Workers unite! No more layoffs!". Rally organizer Bayu Ajie said a free trade agreement with China had cost jobs, decreased wages and encouraged corruption. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono promised to create safer working conditions and improve job prospects if the workers maintained political and economic stability.

Thousands of Communist demonstrators, carrying red balloons, red Soviet flags and portraits of Soviet leaders Vladimir Lenin and Josef Stalin, called for the Russian government's resignation over rising prices and unemployment in Moscow. Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov led hundreds of opposition activists in a separate rally. They also called for the ouster of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, whom they accuse of stamping out democracy. A few thousands also rallied in Ukraine's capital.

In Seoul, South Korea, Tokyo and Taiwan, thousands marched for better working conditions and permanent jobs. Jeong Ho-hee, spokesman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Union, vowed to fight against long working hours and high death rate related to industrial accidents.

In the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, several hundred workers protested a proposed 4 percent goods and services tax while about 1,000 protesters, including janitors, construction workers and bus drivers, demanded the government in Hong Kong to introduce a minimum wage of 33 Hong Kong dollars ($4.30).

This freewheeling capitalist Chinese enclave is one of the world's wealthiest cities, but critics say its wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few.

"A lunch box at a fast-food restaurant costs about HK$30 ($4). It's an insult if you can't afford a lunch box after working for an hour," pro-democracy legislator Leung Yiu-chung said on the sidelines of Saturday's protests.

———

Associated Press writers Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara, Turkey, Demetris Nellas in Athens, Jean-Marie Godard in Paris, Melissa Eddy in Berlin, Will Weissert in Havana, Cuba, Tanalee Smith and Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Min Lee in Hong Kong, Kwang-tae Kim in Seoul, South Korea, Oliver Teves in Manila, Philippines, Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Annie Huang in Taipei, Taiwan contributed to this report.

Human Trafficking, There and Here

Picture of Somaly Mam.

May 1, 2010,
New York Times

By NICHOLAS KRISTOF

On Friday I was on a panel at Bay Path College along with Somaly Mam, my friend and hero. Somaly is a Cambodian who was trafficked into a brothel as a little girl but managed to escape — and then started an anti-trafficking organization to fight the brothels and help other girls escape. She has been extraordinarily courageous in keeping up the fight when the brothel-owners just want to kill her, and she seems so unbelievably poised when she speaks in English — her fourth language — before large audiences under a spotlight. But on Friday, I saw a reminder of how that past haunts her and anyone who went through such a trauma.

To get to the stage, we took a freight elevator, and it was vaguely like a dark cage. That terrified Somaly, because it reminded her of the cages in which she had been punished and tortured when she was in the brothel. Many of the Cambodian brothels have underground rooms in which they beat and terrorize girls who are considered insufficiently cooperative. Just entering that elevator was enough to bring back those hideous memories of torture for Somaly, and it left her shaken and rattled.

To me, that was a sobering reminder of just how traumatic those experiences are and how long-lasting the mental impact. Westerners who see the brothels in Cambodia or Malaysia or India or Pakistan see girls smiling and gesturing, and rarely appreciate the brutality that makes those operations work. To learn more about Somaly’s heroic work, check out her website.

But we shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking that terrible abuses happen only on the other side of the world. Americans sometimes are willing to accept that girls are enslaved in Delhi, but can’t imagine that it happens in New York. In truth, the abuses tend to be worse in Asia, but they certainly happen in America as well. My take is that the worst exploitation and mistreatment is often directed not at foreign women trafficked into the U.S. but rather at American teenage girls who flee abusive homes, end up at the bus station — and then the only person there to “help” is a pimp.

The Houston Chronicle has an article looking at a 13-year-old girl who was arrested for the crime of prostitution, while her pimp apparently wasn’t even investigated. The article, by Dottie Lester, writes:

Pending before the Texas Supreme Court is In the Matter of B.W., a case in which a 13-year-old child was found to have engaged in delinquent conduct for agreeing to have sex for money. She was found to be in need of rehabilitation and placed on probation for 18 months in the custody of juvenile probation officials. At the time B.W. was arrested by a Houston police officer, she was living with a “boyfriend” more than twice her age. According to briefs filed with the state Supreme Court, he was never investigated. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act states that any minor involved in commercial sex is a victim of trafficking and anyone prostituting a minor under 14 years of age can face a federal life sentence. To date, only B.W. has faced prosecution in this case. How is this possible?

Alas, that happens far too often. There is a bizarre misperception that pimps are business partners of prostitutes, even though the pimps beat the girls, sometimes brand them with tattoos, and take every penny they earn. Yes, they sometimes manipulate the girls emotionally and pretend to be their boyfriends, but in no way is it a partnership. And the way to end this kind of exploitation is to arrest the pimps and throw them in prison, not to go after the girls as criminals. There’s also some evidence that going after johns will help.

So there we have it. Two reminders of human trafficking both far away and at home, and of the toll of modern slavery in the 21st century.

Gambling trap bankrupts families

30th April 2010
Local conmen lure kids to casinos across the border, where they are forced into debt and held for ransom

A gambling table at a casino in Cambodia. Many Vietnamese families say their children have been lured to casinos in the neighboring country and held for ransom. (Photo by Tien Trinh)

In February, the US$100-million Titan King Resort and Casino opened in Bavet City in Cambodia’s Svay Rieng Province, about a kilometer from the border with Vietnam, becoming the tenth casino in the province.

Including the January opening of the Diamond Casino bordering Vietnam in Kirivong District, Takeo Province, there are now 32 licensed casinos in Cambodia, according to the English-language Phnom Penh Post newspaper.

Some Cambodian casinos suffered losses during the global financial crisis, but those along the Vietnamese border weathered the slump well.

Vietnamese making land crossings made up the highest number of visitors to Cambodian casinos last year, according to the Phnom Penh Post.

“Most gamblers will be Vietnamese but my goal is also to attract people from other countries,” Kith Thieng, Titan King owner, told Reuters.

But an increasing number of Vietnamese families are reporting that their children are being lured, even abducted, to the Cambodian casinos, where conmen supply them money to gamble with. When the naïve kids, mostly students, then rack up thousands of dollars of debt, the conmen kidnap them and call their families for ransom, according to local police.

Life’s a gamble

In a recent case, police in the southern Binh Duong Province, which neighbors Ho Chi Minh City, have launched an investigation into accusations that a criminal gang has been luring local youths to Cambodian casinos in order to run them into debt and extort ransom.

Vuong Tan Phuong, chief of police in Lai Uyen Commune, Ben Cat District, said detectives were investigating around ten people allegedly involved in the scam. He said police were also broadening the investigation outside of those ten suspects.

Many Ben Cat residents have reported to police that a group of locals has been visiting villages and luring local youths to join them on trips to Cambodian casinos

Tang Thi Hong Thanh of Binh Duong’s My Phuoc Town said she had paid $5,000 for the release of her 17-year-old son, Nguyen Thanh Tu, after he had been lured to a casino in Cambodia a month ago.

Tu said he was invited by some friends to take a trip to Cambodia, where he was given $200 and told to try his luck at a casino. However, he later lost $3,000 and was told to write a debt note.

“I lost another $2,000 after a man handed me the sum and told me to play and get back what I had lost,” he said.

Vietnam’s annual per capita income is around $1,000.

Nguyen Thi Nghia of Hoa Loi Commune in Binh Duong’s Ben Cat District told Thanh Nien on April 25 that her 18-year-old son was being held for a $5,000 ransom in Cambodia after being coaxed into a gambling trip by a mysterious man named Binh who met the boy at a café.

Nghia said her son had left the house on the night of April 20 and sent an SMS a day later to inform her of the situation.

Police in Hoa Loi Commune said there had been ten cases in which locals had been lured by similar cons. Investigators said a total of at least $40,000 in debts was involved in the cases.

Another 26 cases were reported in Chanh Phu Hoa Commune, including five people still being held in Cambodia because their families couldn’t afford the ransom. My Phuoc Town has also reported that two of its residents had been kidnapped in Cambodia the same way.

Most families said they were poor and had to borrow from loan sharks to pay for their children’s release.

Le Thi Tuyet of Hoa Loi Commune said her son had been kept in Cambodia for several days because she couldn’t afford a ransom of $2,400. She had already paid $4,000 when her son was first caught in the trap two months ago.

And as if problems with overseas casinos weren’t enough, Canadian developer Asian Coast Development Limited is developing the $4.2 billion MGM Grand Ho Tram in the beach town of Vung Tau 130 kilometers from HCMC. The resort and casino will be managed by MGM Mirage, which has left its grotesque mark on Las Vegas with its 16 multicolored resorts that rake in billions in total annual profits.

Alongside the problems of Cambodian casinos, Vietnam has seen the rise of illegal Internet gambling, which is victimizing an increasing number of people each year.

Conned gamblers threatened with organ removal

Pham Quoc Trung of Binh Duong Province was rescued on April 22 by his family who paid VND45 million (US$2,373) to some men at Winn Casino in Cambodia for his release.

This Thanh Nien reporter, who pretended to be one of Trung’s relatives, accompanied his uncle Phan Kinh on the trip and found a well-organized racket to lure Vietnamese victims to gambling traps in Cambodian casinos

As we arrived at Go Dau District, some 20 kilometers from the Moc Bai Border Gate in southern Tay Ninh Province, many men on motorcycles offered to illegally take people across the border to gamble.

A man named Hung, who had contacted Trung's family, later arrived near the border and took Kinh and this reporter through many rice fields to the Winn Casino in around 15 minutes.

Trung was freed after Kinh paid VND45 million to the men at the casino, and an extra VND1.5 million for being taken back to Vietnam.

The motorcycles stopped mid-way and hid behind a house after the drivers said there was a police patrol somewhere. Another Vietnamese woman and her son, who she had rescued after paying a ransom, were also found hiding at the same place.

Trung said he was tempted by Tran Thanh Hoai of Ben Cat District’s Cay Truong Commune to go to the Cambodian casino when he was at a café in the commune on April 17. He said Hoai told him about beautiful girls and free food and beer given there.

Arriving at the Winn Casino, Trung was told by a man named Phong to take 1,000 chips from a woman named Tham and to join him to play. After losing $1,000, Phong took Trung to have free food and beer before telling him to take another 1,000 chips from Tham. They also lost this time.

Trung was later locked in a room where he was kept for several days and told to call home to ask for a ransom payment.

Trung was also beaten by a Cambodian man who threatened to immerse him in ice and sell his organs. He was also forced to ink his fingerprints on a debt note.

Several other youths also told similar stories of being lured to Cambodian casinos and detained for ransom. One of the victims, identified only as B., also said some men had threatened to “treat” him badly because his mother had reported the case to the media.

Another victim, who wished to be known only as Th., said he had been enticed to a Cambodian casino on April 20 with an offer of $1,000 to gamble. He was forced to sign the debt note and detained for seven days before his family paid for his release.

“They threatened to sell our kidneys at $3,000 each if our families failed to pay ransom,” he said, adding that he had been detained with two other Vietnamese.

Saturday, 1 May 2010

Thai ultra-nationalists failed to uproot border post near Ta Moan Toch temple

By Khmerization
Source: DAP News

About 500-600 Thai ultra-nationalists have travelled to the border area today (1st May) in an attempt to uproot border post number 23 near Ta Moan Toch temple, but they were prevented from reaching the border post by Thai border guards, reports Deum Ampil.

Gen. Chea Dara (pictured), top Cambodian commander of the Khmer-Thai border area, told Deum Ampil by telephone at about 3pm Cambodian time that the Thai protesters dispersed after they were prevented from reaching the border post by Thai border guards personally commanded by commander of Thai Military Region Two, Gen. Wiwalit Chornsamrit.

He said the Thai side took a no-compromise stance against the Thai protesters and only allowed them to protest about 300 metres from the border post after he and a number of Cambodian commanders made it clear that Cambodian troops have been ordered to shoot if the protesters crossed into Cambodian territory and uprooted the border posts.

Prince Sirik Matak's letter to US Ambassador

Dear Readers, The following is a letter Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak, a cousin of Prince Sihanouk, wrote to U.S Ambassador John Gunther Dean a few days before Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge on 17th April 1975. He refused to flee to the U.S but took refuge in the French Embassy when the Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh. The Khmer Rouge forced the French Embassy to hand him over and he was executed shortly.
----------------------------
Dear Excellency and friend,

I thank you very sincerely for your letter and for your offer to transport me towards freedom. I cannot, alas, leave in such a cowardly fashion.

As for you and in particular for your great country, I never believed for a moment that you would have this sentiment of abandoning a people which has chosen liberty. You have refused us your protection and we can do nothing about it. You leave us and it is my wish that you and your country will find happiness under the sky.

But mark it well that, if I shall die here on the spot and in my country that I love, it is too bad because we are all born and must die one day. I have only committed the mistake of believing in you, the Americans.

Please accept, Excellency, my dear friend, my faithful and friendly sentiments.

Sirik Matak.

Cambodian workers mark international labour day

Cambodian garment factory workers march in front of National Assembly to mark May Day celebrations in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, May 1, 2009. Hundreds of Cambodian garment factory workers walk on the street in Phnom Penh to mark May Day celebrations, asking the government to enhance the minimum wage and their working condition. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian opposition party law-maker Mu Sochua together with garment factory workers march during their May Day rally in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday,May 1, 2009. Hundreds of Cambodian garment factory workers took part in the May Day celebrations, demanding the government to enhance the minimum wage and their working condition. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Cambodian police attempt to block a road as teachers and garment workers march to mark Labour Day on the streets in Phnom Penh May 1, 2010 . About a thousand garment workers rallied in Phnom Penh on Saturday to commemorate Labour Day, while demanding for their pay to be increased to a minimum of $75 (315,298 Riels) per month, according to protest organizers. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Cambodian garment workers hold a placard as they march on the streets to mark Labour Day in Phnom Penh May 1, 2010. About a thousand garment workers rallied in Phnom Penh on Saturday to commemorate Labour Day, while demanding for their pay to be increased to a minimum of $75 (315,298 Riels) per month, according to protest organizers. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Cambodian police attempt to block a road as teachers and garment workers march on the streets to mark Labour Day in Phnom Penh May 1, 2010 . About a thousand garment workers rallied in Phnom Penh on Saturday to commemorate Labour Day, while demanding for their pay to be increased to a minimum of $75 (315,298 Riels) per month, according to protest organizers. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

Sat, May 01, 2010

PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Thousands of Cambodian workers marked international labour day Saturday by marching through the capital to demand better work conditions and the establishment of a labour court.

The marchers, mostly textile workers carrying banners, made their way from a park to the national assembly, where they handed a petition to 10 opposition party lawmakers.

"We want the government to establish a labour court to resolve workers' conflicts with employers," said Chea Mony, head of the country's most prominent workers' group, the Cambodian Free Trade Union.

"The workers need better protection of their rights so that they're free from exploitation."

Toun Touch, 35, who works at a garment factory outside Phnom Penh, told AFP she wanted the government to raise her monthly wage from 50 dollars to 93 dollars.

The workers later marched to the news stand where Chea Vichea, who headed the country's largest labour union and was a vocal critic of Prime Minister Hun Sen's government, was gunned down in January 2004.

The daylight murder was condemned by rights groups as a brutal attempt to silence opposition-linked unions and two men jailed over the killing were later released. A retrial has not yet been scheduled.

Garment exports, the impoverished country's largest source of foreign exchange, have dropped sharply amid the global economic downturn, causing tens of thousands of workers to lose their jobs this year.

Total 's Cambodia deal needs scrutiny: watchdog

An environmental watchdog has urged Cambodia's donors to scrutinize payments made by the French oil company Total

PHNOM PENH (AFP)— An environmental watchdog Friday urged Cambodia's donors to scrutinize multi-million-dollar payments by French oil company Total to secure the rights to explore an offshore area.

London-based Global Witness called on donors to "ask some tough questions and get some answers" about petroleum concession revenues, after Cambodian premier Hun Sen on Tuesday announced a 28-million-dollar contract with Total.

"We welcome the prime minister's openness on this latest round of oil payments," Global Witness campaigner George Boden said in a statement.

"But we still don't know whether the money from Total has turned up in national accounts because the information has not been made public," he added.

Total has won the right to search for oil and natural gas in Cambodia's offshore "Block 3" in the Gulf of Thailand.

While disclosing the price paid by Total, Hun Sen on Tuesday said that eight million dollars of the money would go towards a "social fund".

Hun Sen also denied that Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton had paid a large bribe for an exploration contract in Cambodia, saying that money had also gone into a social fund.

Global Witness said "questions regarding oil and mining payments made to the Cambodian government should top the bill" at a meeting of aid donors in June.

Foreign aid to Cambodia will top one billion dollars in 2010 when international donors make their pledges during the June meeting, said a local media report citing Finance Minister Keat Chhon.

Following the discovery of oil in 2005, Cambodia was quickly feted as the region's next potential petro-state.

But concerns have also been raised over how Cambodia -- one of the world's most corrupt countries -- will use its new-found oil and gas wealth.

In a February 2009 report, Global Witness said earnings from oil, gas and minerals were being "jeopardised by high-level corruption, nepotism and patronage".

From the visit of James Loving to social com section

Sihanoukville. Last Thursday, April 29, the social communication and journalist section of the Don Bosco Technical School, was visited by American producer and NBA reporter James Loving, who is currently working in Phnom Penh in his National Radio network. The veteran journalist who has come to Cambodia since 1997 and follows the development of the country, shared with students and teachers of the newest section of the port-city school.

--
Don Bosco Technical School Sihanoukville
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Gen. Chea Dara: Cambodian troops will use force to stop Thai ultra-nationalists from uprooting border post

Ta Krabey temple.

By Khmerization
Source: DAP News

Cambodian top border commander said that Cambodian troops will use force to stop a group of Thai ultra-nationalists from uprooting border post number 23 near Ta Moan Toch temple, reports Deum Ampil.

A group of Thai ultra-nationalists, led by the firebrand Veera Somkwamkid, said on 16th April that it will travel to Surin province today and then head to Ta Moan Toch temple on 2-3 May to uproot border post number 23 it said planted illegally. Border post number23 was planted by the mixed Cambodian-Thai Border Commission during the term of Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, the leader of the Thai Democrat Party currently headed by Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva.

A Cambodian soldier based at Ta Moan Toch temple, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Cambodian troops are ready to protect the border post and have been ordered to shoot if those Thai ultra-nationalists try to destroy it. "In whatever form, whether they are civilians or soldiers, whoever dare to cross into Cambodian territory to uproot border post number 23 near Ta Moan Toch temple, Cambodia will no longer tolerate this anymore", he said.

On 23rd April, Mr. Veera Somkwamkid, through an open letter, said his group will travel to the border area to uproot border post number 23 in order to protect Thai territorial integrity saying that it had encroached into Thai territory.

Mr. Pen Voy, commander of Battalion 422, said he had met Thai commanders over the issue, but said if those Thai ultra-nationalists crossed into Cambodia to uproot the post, armed clash in unavoidable. "If they still want to come to uproot border post number 23, there will be explosions of arms. This is what will happen because this is necessary to defend our territorial integrity because we will not allow this group to come and uproot our border post", he said.

Gen. Chea Dara, Cambodia's top commander of the Khmer-Thai border areas, echoed Mr. Pen Voy's strong stance. "Cambodia[n troops] will shoot if they cross into Cambodian territory in whatever form. We will destroy them inside our territory, even if they come in one milimetres inside our territory", he said.

On 23rd April, 58 Cambodian NGOs have jointly issued a statement denouncing the action of these Thai ultra-nationalists and have called on the Cambodian government and the military to do what is necessary to protect Cambodian territorial integrity.

Border post number 23, located near Ta Moan Toch temple, was planted by Franco-Siamese Border Commission in 1908. However, the original post was missing and the present Cambodian-Thai Border Commission planted new temporary posts in 2000, while waiting for the original post to be found. According to documents left by the Franco-Siamese Border Commission concerning about border delimitation titled "A Track Toward the Ta Moan Temples" dated 30th December 1908, they stated clearly that all the clusters of Ta Moan temples (Ta Moan Thom, Ta Moan Toch, Ta Krabey...) are located inside Cambodian territory, of which their locations contained inside the Annex Map I used by the International Court of Justice in reaching its verdict in 1962 which adjudicated to give ownership of Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia.

Opposition parties rebuked the govt for issuing a warning to foreign diplomats

By Khmerization
Source: RFA

The Cambodian opposition parties strongly rebuked the Foreign Ministry for issuing a warning to foreign diplomatic missions not to interfere in the internal affairs of Cambodia, saying that the government's unnecessary warning reflects that of actions taken in communist countries, reports Radio Free Asia.

On 26th April, the Foreign Ministry sent a diplomatic note to all foreign diplomatic missions warning them not to interfere in the internal affairs of Cambodia after some embassies, notably the U.S Embassy, have been very vocal about corruption and human rights abuses in Cambodia.

Mr. Yim Sovan (pictured), spokesman for the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), told RFA on 28th that the government should not use the word "interferences" to refer to criticism from foreign diplomats or UN officials saying that Cambodia must respect international norms as Cambodia had signed many international conventions and treaties relevant to diplomatic protocol. He said the criticism were aimed at making Cambodia fulfill its duties and obligations. "Cambodia has signed many conventions, treaties and protocols in order to fulfill its international obligations relevant to the respect of human rights, democracy, social economy and anti-corruption measures. So we must respect our international obligations. What the international community did (criticised) up until now, I see that it is not a case of interfering in the internal affairs of Cambodia, but trying to ensure that Cambodia respect its international obligations which it has signed up to. Only the dictatorships and tyrannical communist countries have ever used the word 'interference in the internal affairs of their countries' (whenever they were criticised)", he said.

Mr. Kem Sokha, president of the Human Rights Party (HRP), said only democratically strong and fully developed countries have never received international criticism, but countries with bad leadership must be receptive to international criticism in order to correct their own mistakes. "If we have many flaws, the international community, especially democratic countries, will give us advice so we won't make mistakes, like our countries which is rampant with corruption and therefore we received many criticism. Countries that are dictatorships and systemically committed human rights abuses have also received heavy criticism, and countries which have devastatingly destroyed their forests and the environment also received criticism. So, I believe that if we do not want any criticism, we must make ourselves strong. This means that we must contain corruption. Secondly, stop human rights abuses. Thirdly, we must not destroy our natural resources. I think that the criticism or the raising of any issues (by international community) are not interferences", he said.

Mr. Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the diplomatic note was aimed at reminding all diplomatic missions of its obligations under article 41.1 of the Viena Convention which prohibits foreign diplomatic missions from interfering in the internal affairs of the host countries. "The important thing is to remind them of the context of that article so that all heads of diplomatic missions are informed. The diplomatic note stated clearly that in the past there were some diplomats who have gone beyond their duties and obligations to the point of interfering in the internal affairs of the host countries", he said.

Mr. John Johnson, spokesman for the U.S Embassy, declined to comment on the matter when reached by phone.

UN-backed tribunal denies appeal for release of three Khmer Rouge leaders

Friday, April 30, 2010

By UN News

The United Nations-backed tribunal in Cambodia dealing with mass killings and other crimes committed under the Khmer Rouge three decades ago today dismissed appeals by three of the regime"s leaders to release them from provisional detention ahead of their trials.

The pre-trial chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) found that provision detention is necessary to prevent Ieng Sary, who was foreign minister under the Khmer Rouge regime in the late 1970s, from fleeing.

His wife, Ieng Thirith (pictured), who served as Minister of Social Action during the Democratic Kampuchea regime, was also denied release to prevent her from exerting pressure on witnesses or destroying evidence.

Khieu Samphan, who served as Head of State during the regime, also had his appeal against extending his provisional detention denied today after the ECCC found that detaining is necessary for his protection and to preserve public order.

All three were arrested in November 2007 and have been charged with genocide; crimes against humanity and war crimes; and murder, torture and religious persecution under Cambodia"s 1956 penal code.

Under an agreement signed by the UN and Cambodia, the ECCC was set up in 2003 as an independent court using a mixture of Cambodian staff and judges and foreign personnel. It is designated to try those deemed most responsible for crimes and serious violations of Cambodian and international law between 17 April 1975 and 6 January 1979, when up to three million people perished at the hands of the Khmer Rouge.

Last week, UN Legal Council Patricia O"Brien called for donors to provide funds to support the ECCC, voicing concern about the financial situation, including the cash flow.

After a meeting in the capital with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, they issued a joint statement in which they urged the international community to provide contributions and pledges to national and international components of the tribunal.

The two officials stressed their continued strong support for the ECCC and their intention to work closely together to ensure that the tribunal is successful.

They noted the completion of the trial phase in the case of Kaing Guek Eav, also known as "Duch," who is charged with crimes including torture and premeditated murder while he was in charge of the notorious S-21 detention camp.

Source: UN News

Cambodian crackdown decimates illegal pharmacies

By Phil Taylor
30-Apr-2010

Artesunate product - The Cambodian government has completed a major anti-counterfeiting operation which has led to the closure of around 65 per cent of the illegal pharmacies operating in the country, according to the US Pharmacopeia.

Five manufacturers have also been banned from supplying products in Cambodia, said the USP, which supported the operation via its work on the Promoting the Quality of Medicines (PQM) project, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The crackdown, conducted over five months, targeted the illegal pharmacies because of evidence they were "among the primary sources of substandard and counterfeit medicines in the country," said the USP in a statement.

Between November 2009 and March 2010 the number of illegal pharmacies in operation was slashed from 1,081 to 379, according to data from the Cambodian Ministry of Health.

The operation is a major success for Cambodia's Inter-Ministerial Committee to Fight against Counterfeit & Substandard Medicines (IMC), which was set up in 2005 after a study showed that 16.2 per cent of malaria drugs sampled from retail pharmacy outlets in four Cambodian provinces were of poor quality.

Since then, there has been an alarming decline in therapeutic efficacy of recommended first-line antimalarials, e.g. artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) on the Cambodia-Thailand border which has been attributed to the prevalence of counterfeit and substandard antimalarial drugs, as well as general problems with healthcare provision.

The counterfeiters have also become increasingly sophisticated, carrying various types of fake holograms, and researchers headed by Paul Newton at the Centre for Tropical Medicine in Oxford, UK, have been engaged in chemical, mineralogical, biological, and packaging studies which indicate at least some the counterfeits were manufactured in the southeast region of China.

And the problem is also not confined to malaria drugs. More recently, a similar survey of antihelminthic medicines used to treat parasitic worm infections, published in the journal Tropical Medicine & International Health (May 2010), revealed that around 4 per cent of samples collected from private drug outlets were fake.

The emphasis of the PQM programme in the country is currently on antimalarials and antibiotics, according to the USP.

Meanwhile, through the IMC, Cambodia has also been running public awareness campaigns on television to warn of the dangers of counterfeits, focusing particularly on antimalarials, as well as alerts to warn healthcare professionals to be on the lookout.

Other partners in the latest operation included the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
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Cambodia Takes Action In Fight Against Substandard And Counterfeit Medicines

Medical News Today

In a major crackdown, Cambodia has forced nearly 65 percent of illegal pharmacies operating in the country to close within the past five months. Led by an Inter-Ministerial Committee to Fight against Counterfeit & Substandard Medicines (IMC), the shops were targeted because of evidence that they were among the primary sources of substandard and counterfeit medicines in the country. This evidence was generated from medicines quality monitoring activities conducted in Cambodia by the Promoting the Quality of Medicines (PQM) Program, a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded program implemented by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), with additional support from The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria and the World Health Organization.

The string of recent activity by the Cambodian government has resulted in a reduction of illegal outlets from 1,081 in November 2009 to 379 in March 2010, or 64.9 percent, according to an April report by the Cambodian Ministry of Health. As part of this effort, the government also banned sales of products from five manufacturers in the country. These actions are an outgrowth of the IMC, which consists of Cambodia's Ministries of Health; Interior; Justice; Information; Commerce; Education, Youth and Sport; Economy and Finance; Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; and Municipality of Phnom Penh.

The IMC was formed in 2005 under the direction of the Cambodian government after 2004 figures showed that 16.2 percent of antimalarials sampled from retail pharmacy outlets in the private sector of four provinces were of poor quality. A major barrier identified in combating the presence of these medicines was lack of coordination among the various ministries. With financial and technical support from the USAID-USP program, the group developed an action plan to significantly reduce the number of substandard and counterfeit medicines. A January 2010 official order to close down illegal health services, including pharmacy outlets across the country, was the impetus for much of this recent progress.

"The resolution in such a short period of time is a major accomplishment on the part of the Cambodian government - and a significant step forward in assuring the quality of life-saving medicines for patients in the country," said Richard Greene, director of the USAID Office of Health, Infectious Diseases and Nutrition, Bureau for Global Health.

According to Patrick Lukulay, Ph.D., director of the PQM Program, "In the face of many challenges and spotty public awareness of the dangers of taking poor-quality medicines, this represents momentous progress. I am gratified that USAID-USP's PQM Program was able to contribute in this effort - part of our broader work to combat the proliferation of substandard and counterfeit medicines. We look forward to a continuing partnership with Cambodia to address this problem, which will ultimately result in advancing the public health."

The PQM Program (and a predecessor USAID-USP program) has been active in Cambodia since 2003, providing technical assistance to support the establishment and continued strengthening of a postmarketing surveillance program tracking the quality of antimalarial, anti-tuberculosis, antibiotic and antiretroviral medicines available to citizens. The current emphasis of the PQM Program in the country is on antimalarials and antibiotics. Much of this work is done through 12 "sentinel sites" established in the country by the PQM Program with additional support from The Global Fund, which are equipped with portable laboratories called Minilabs® that are used to detect substandard and fake medicines. Other PQM activities include organizing and conducting training workshops on good manufacturing practices and other topics, and providing critical laboratory equipment, supplies, and training on proper use and maintenance of equipment to the National Health Product Quality Control Center.

The PQM Program serves as a primary mechanism to help assure the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines that are essential to USAID's priority health programs. USAID is a U.S. government agency that provides economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States. USP, which implements the program, is a nonprofit scientific organization that develops globally recognized standards for the quality of medicines. The PQM Program is currently active in 30 countries throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Source:
Francine Pierson
US Pharmacopeia

Radio Free Asia Responds to Freedom House's Media Freedoms Survey

All six RFA broadcast countries 'Not Free': Report

Today, Radio Free Asia President Libby Liu responded to the findings released in the Freedom House's 2010 Freedom of the Press survey that classified all six RFA target countries as "Not Free."

"This year's edition of Freedom House's Freedom of the Press survey is an urgent reminder of the need to empower citizens in Asian countries that limit free speech and free media," Liu said. "Despite recent economic gains, media freedoms throughout Asia have continued to decline and worsen, as confirmed in this index.

"It is especially important for Radio Free Asia to keep carrying out its mission to provide its listeners with timely, reliable information and news happening within Asian countries that lack free media."

Liu participated in Freedom House's release of its annual report at the Newseum as moderator of a panel of distinguished experts, including Bob Boorstin of Google, Frank Smyth of Committee to Protect Journalists, and Chris Walker and Karin Karlekar of Freedom House. Freedom House's comprehensive report, which examines the media environment in 196 countries and territories, cites the governments of all six countries into which RFA's nine language services broadcast - China, North Korea, Burma, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia - as actively taking steps to censor news and information in print, on television and radio, online, and throughout all new media formats. These countries' governments also intimidate and harass reporters, prevent public access to uncensored news and information, and restrict media freedoms in general, earning the survey's designation of "Not Free."

Most global press freedom rankings of RFA's target countries remain consistent with previous surveys, with North Korea ranked at the top as the world's worst free media environment. Notably, however, Cambodia's ranking as a repressor of free press jumped up six places, after the recent spate of criminal disinformation lawsuits by Cambodian government officials against reporters, editors, and publishers to silence voices of opposition.

Cambodia’s Charm [for investors]

Financial Times, UK

Cambodia’s insurance market could also be an upcoming investment hotbed because of three reasons, said a deal maker focused on the Indochinese peninsula. First, as the US dollar is the de facto currency in the country, that allows international insurers to collect and repatriate premium incomes without the difficulty that could have seen in neighbouring Vietnam.

Second, in a country whose economy is one of the fastest growing in the ASEAN region with an estimated 5% growth this year, international heavyweights’ footprints remain very limited. Forte Insurance and Infinity Insurance, two leading insurers in Cambodia, are not controlled by any international big boys, he continued.

Third, there is no foreign ownership cap in the country’s financial services sector, he said. Banking and insurance businesses are combined into one license, meaning that if an entity secures a license, it can provide both services at the same time. However, as it takes time to build a brand, international players interested in venturing to the Cambodian market may find it easier to take over an existing local brand.

Unlike many other Southeast Asian nations, Cambodia’s non-life insurance market is more developed than the life one, as the majority of its citizens still cannot afford the personal life insurance products. Corporate insurance and auto insurance are two of the biggest segments in Cambodia, he said.

Russian rice deal on the cards, CSMIA says

Cambodian farmers harvesting rice.

Friday, 30 April 2010
By Chun Sophal
Phnom Penh Post

RUSSIAN company Prod Gamma is set to order 20,000 tonnes of rice from Cambodia this year, a report released by the Cambodian Small and Medium Industries Association (CSMIA) stated Thursday.

Outh Renne, secretary general of the association, said that the company wants to order 10 percent broken rice from Cambodia at US$430 per tonne.

“We are negotiating the price with the Russian company and expect that we will reach an agreement soon,” Outh Renne said, and added that if an agreement is made, supply can begin in May.

As a trial, Prod Gamma bought 240 tonnes of rice from the CSMIA on April 11.

The CSMIA has exported 2,500 tonnes of rice to European markets since the beginning of the year.

The association plans to export another 1,200 tonnes in May. The group has also signed export agreements with companies from Germany, Lithuania and Latvia.

“We have a lot potential rice that is left over from local use for export. But we have exported only a small amount only because our rice is not yet known in international markets,” Outh Renne added.

Un Buntha, deputy director general of the General Department of Domestic Trade at the Ministry of Commerce, said on Thursday that Cambodia’s rice is gaining more interest on international markets as world demand for the grain is growing.

“We hope that with this world demand and the effort made by local rice producers, Cambodia will be able to export rice to international markets in larger amounts soon,” Un Buntha said.

A Change of Guard

Sunday, 2 May 2010

Saturday, 1 May 2010