Cambodia Non-Stop Feeding

I created a Slide Show!

2006-09-09T00:35:00.000+07:00

Biologist on hunt for supersize fishes

2005-09-06T21:36:00.000+07:00

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Floating down the Mekong in his dinghy, Zeb Hogan is on the ultimate fisherman's quest: to find the world's largest freshwater fishes.

The American biologist's search is to take him to 10 rivers around the globe including the Nile, Amazon and Mississippi, looking for about 20 species of hulking fish such as the goliath catfish, Chinese paddlefish and North American lake sturgeon _ not to catch them, he says, but to save them.

"These big, amazing creatures all over the world, they might be goners, on their way out," he says.

Right now Hogan is on the Mekong that flows through the Indochinese peninsula, looking for a stingray said to weigh over 1,300 pounds _ as much as a full-grown longhorn steer.

He knows it's out there; he photographed one in 2002. And smaller stingrays abound. As he passes villages on riverbanks or floating on the water, he sees children playing with severed stingray tails.

The 2,600-mile Mekong is known for its diversity of river creatures, as well as their size, to judge from places along its banks named the Pool of the Giant Catfish, or the Pool of the Giant Carp. Just last May, fishermen in Thailand landed a Mekong catfish that weighed 646 pounds and was 8 feet, 10 inches long. It's believed to be the largest freshwater fish ever caught and measured. It ended up on dinner tables.

On his voyages, says Hogan, "The main question I'll be asking everywhere is what were populations like in the past, what are they now?" He believes, "you'll see a pattern that these populations of these large fish species are declining _ a lot."

These are not aquatic sasquatches he's looking for, but fish whose existence is proven fact. The goliath catfish is still fairly common, Hogan says, and Wisconsin has a fishing season for lake sturgeon. The Chinese paddlefish is very rare, but a 275-pounder was caught on the Yangtze River in China on Dec. 11, 2003. There are said to be 650-pound carp, but none over about 300 pounds has been seen in recent times, Hogan says.

Almost all maximum lengths and weights come from accounts over the ages by scientists, explorers and taxonomists, and "in many cases have been verified by present-day scientists like myself. That is, after all, one of the main objectives of the project," Hogan says.

Hogan, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is 31 and has worked on the Mekong since 1996. His research is supported by the World Wildlife Fund, the National Geographic Society's Emerging Explorers Program, and outdoor-gear companies Marmot and Patagonia.

He'll be working with other scientists studying the creatures, such as a biologist researching the Amazon's arapaima, which can weigh 450 pounds, and a Texas freshwater guide who will help him study the alligator gar, which can reach 300 pounds.

As they putter down the Mekong, Hogan and his two Cambodian assistants pass constant reminders of the importance of the Mekong's fish population to the 73 million people living along its banks. People busily mend nets, and at night, dozens of tiny candles in floating containers mark where nets have been laid in the water off Phnom Penh's riverfront.

Along the way, Hogan and his assistants pepper fishermen with questions and pictures of their quarry.

The fishermen may not have caught or even seen the fish, Hogan said, but often will say they have heard about it being somewhere else. "Theoretically, that's supposed to lead us to where the fish are."

Not always, though. He says fishermen are hesitant to admit they've hooked a big one, for fear of running afoul of Cambodian and international restrictions on hunting rare species. The penalties are small, but the fishermen don't want the bother.

Hogan expects to finish in December 2006 and give his fish counts to IUCN, the World Conservation Union, which compiles a Red List of Threatened Species _ creatures threatened by overfishing, pollution, dams and alien aquatic life introduced by humans.

IUCN lists some of the giants as endangered or critically endangered, but for others, there simply isn't enough data to judge.

"We have a sense that the world's largest freshwater fish are disappearing really fast," said Robin Abell, a WWF freshwater conservation biologist. "We do need to work to understand both the species and the threats to them."

"The most exciting part for me," says Hogan, "is that that no one's done this before."

He believes the stingray ultimately will take the title, but says he will adhere to tough standards.

"If I don't have a photo or a weight, to me, it's not legitimate," he said. "I can't go just by word of mouth ... fishermen are famous for exaggerating the size of fish that they catch."

Japanese MSDF vessels arrive in Cambodian port

2005-09-06T21:32:00.000+07:00

(Kyodo) _ Three vessels of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force arrived in Cambodia on Tuesday, the last destination in the training squadron's 155-day cruise around the world, the Japanese Embassy said.

Naoki Mitori, the embassy's first secretary, told Kyodo News that the vessels Kashima, Murasame and Yugiri, with about 750 officers and crew aboard, including approximately 180 newly commissioned officers, arrived in the southwestern port of Sihanoukville in the morning and will stay until Friday.

In a statement, the embassy said the overseas training cruises by the MDSF have been conducted annually since 1957, but this is the first time for a training squadron to visit Cambodia.

The cruises are aiming at developing the newly commissioned officers' leadership and seamanship skills through training at sea, broadening their international outlook and enhancing mutual understanding and goodwill at each port of visit, it said.

Before coming to Cambodia, the training squadron visited 13 ports in 12 countries -- the United States, Russia, Britain, Germany, France, India, Turkey, Malta, Egypt, Mexico, Panama and Norway.

It left Tokyo on April 19 and is scheduled to return to Japan on Sept. 20, having covered an approximate distance of 55,042 kilometers.

During the Cambodia stopover, the vessels will be open to the public on Wednesday and Thursday.

Also during the visit, MSDF members will visit Cambodia's capital of Phnom Penh, where a music band comprised of members of the training squadron will give a performance, playing Japanese and Cambodian songs.

Cambodia 'suffering land crisis'

2005-09-02T21:59:00.000+07:00

Cambodians are losing their homes to developers

There is a major land crisis in Cambodia, a leading United Nations human rights official has said.

The special rapporteur on adequate housing, Miloon Kothari, spent the past two weeks travelling around Cambodia.

He said that rich and powerful interests were grabbing land, leaving thousands of people dispossessed.

Over the past year land deals have been an increasing source of controversy, but this is the first time they have gained international attention.

The UN official has been to several disputed sites. They include a village in Poipet near the Thai border where five people died during forced evictions, and a river island in Phnom Penh, whose inhabitants are under pressure to sell up to a property developer.

There is a frenzy now across the country by the rich and powerful in Cambodia to acquire land

Miloon Kothari, UN special rapporteur on adequate housing

Mr Kothari is particularly concerned about the practice of land swaps. In recent months, dozens of publicly owned facilities have been given to private companies for redevelopment without any bidding process.

The companies are supposed to build new public facilities and housing in return, but Mr Kothari said they were using poor land which did not have access to electricity or running water, and thousands of families had been displaced. He is asking for more transparency in the government's dealings.

"There is a frenzy now across the country by the rich and powerful in Cambodia to acquire land. I think the donor communities and the UN agencies need to be much more outspoken. What I find missing here is a sense of outrage that should be there," he said.

Cambodia's Prime Minister, Hun Sen, announced a moratorium on land swaps at the beginning of June, but deals are still coming to light.

Last week, the interior ministry announced that part of Phnom Penh's royal palace had been given to a property developer.

Infamous tiger hunter given 7 years in jail in Cambodia

2005-09-02T21:56:00.000+07:00

(Kyodo) _ An infamous tiger hunter in Cambodia, who had been on a conservationist group's list of most-wanted hunters since 2001, has been convicted of poaching and given seven years in jail, the group said Friday.

According to a statement released by WildAid, a U.S.-based environmental group, a court in the southwestern province of Koh Kong handed the sentence down Wednesday to Yor Ngun, 57, for his illegal hunting of endangered animals.

Yor Ngun, regarded as a skillful hunter, had been on the group's most-wanted list since he was first identified and interviewed by conservationists in the northern province of Preah Vihear in 2001.

According to the statement, he was first arrested by the Forestry Administration in September 2004, but was released after signing a document in which he pledged not to become a repeat offender.

On March 29, 2005, he was rearrested by the Forestry Administration in Koh Kong for transporting 25 bear jaws and 82 bear nails.

The provincial court's verdict concluded that Yor Ngun had killed "many endangered species" and gave the prison sentence based on Article 97 of Cambodia's Forestry Law.

Yor Ngun is known to have tracked and killed 19 tigers, 40 leopards, 30 elephants, 40 Malayan sun bears and three Asiatic bears, and 500 gaur, banteng and sambar in over 10 provinces, WildAid's statement said.

A government official told Kyodo News on Friday that the offender claimed during a court hearing Wednesday that he was poor and therefore had to hunt to earn his living.

"He actually was not poor because when he was arrested, he had $500 in his pocket," said Sun Hean, chief of international operations for the Agriculture Ministry and an adviser to WildAid.

He said the offender "moved very fast to different parts of the country for hunting animals...He was all over the potential places where animals live."

Suwanna Gauntlett, WildAid's country director for Cambodia, welcomed the successful prosecution.

"It is very important step forward for wildlife law enforcement which shows that the Forestry Administration is increasing its capacity to investigate and prosecute forest crimes," she said.

She said that since 2001, the Wilderness Protection Mobile Unit, a joint venture between the Forestry Administration and WildAid, has discovered 700 illegal hunters or traders and has rescued 28,000 live animals.

In 2000, the number of tigers in Cambodia was estimated at about 700 nationwide, but now there remain only some 200 to 300, Sun Hean said.

Tigers are hunted mainly for buyers in China and Thailand. In China, they are especially in demand for traditional medicines and gourmet dishes, while in Thailand their pelts are in demand for decorative purposes.

U.S. Creates Endowment for Cambodia Group

2005-09-02T21:52:00.000+07:00

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- The United States has established a $2 million endowment to assist a Cambodian group researching crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge government in the late 1970s, the U.S. Embassy said Friday.

The fund will provide annual funding for the Documentation Center of Cambodia, which also tries to raise awareness about Khmer Rouge atrocities, embassy Charge d'Affaires Mark Storella said.

The radical communist policies of the Khmer Rouge, which ruled Cambodia in 1975-79, led to the deaths of some 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution. But none of its top leaders has faced trial.

Youk Chhang, the group's director, signed an agreement establishing the permanent endowment with a representative of the United States Agency for International Development on Aug. 30, the statement said.

Youk Chhang said Friday that interest from the endowment will help sustain his institute -- also known as DC-Cam -- which is in the process of turning itself into a permanent center for new generations of Cambodians to learn about the genocide.

"In that way, we have a secured foundation," he said. "The center will become a place where genocide survivors' children can reconnect to the past while trying to move on with their lives into a better future."

DC-Cam is an independent research institute that originated in the Cambodian Genocide Program at Yale University in 1995 with a grant from the State Department.

It holds a large quantity of documents and evidence of Khmer Rouge crimes.

Cambodians like to see ex-king's portraits remain on public

2005-09-01T18:05:00.000+07:00

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Most of Cambodians would like to see their former King Norodom Sihanouk's portraits remain on public display.

An informal poll published by The Cambodia Daily on Monday shows that most would like to see the retired King's portraits remain.

The former king, who is currently in Beijing for medical treatment, asked the government and private citizens to take down images of himself and former queen Monineath from schools and public buildings.

Only portraits of the reigning king should be displayed, he said in a message in French posted on his website dated Wednesday.

"The retired King is a symbol of a whole nation," Diep Chhuon, deputy governor of Banteay Meanchey province, was quoted as saying."Taking (the royal portraits) down would make people wonder, worry.It would be a bad omen," he added.

"His Majesty King Sihamoni's portrait would look lonely," PraunVa, a high school director in Kandal province said. The royal couple's portraits have now hung side by side with the new monarch in schools, pagodas and government buildings.

King Norodom Sihamoni asked his father to reconsider his request, suggesting that doing so would unsettle the Cambodian people.

"Monks, Buddhists, ordinary people and government officials think the King-Father and Queen-Mother have done great deeds for the nation," the King wrote in the letter to his father. "If there are no portraits of your majesties, we will feel ill at ease and far from your great generosity."

Meanwhile, FUNCINPEC party President Prince Norodom Ranariddh also requested that his father should rethink his request.

But there were also some critics saying the former king has good reason for wanting to see his portrait removed. He (Sihanouk)was likely sending a necessary message by asking that his portrait be removed, opposition leader Son Chhay said.

"A new King is on the throne, but we want to believe (Norodom Sihanouk) is still our King," he said.

Cambodia to strength nuclear transport law

2005-09-01T18:03:00.000+07:00

With the ratification of three draft laws, Cambodia will become a signatory to several international conventions, local media reported on Tuesday.

Cambodia's National Assembly on Monday ratified the three draft laws, including one which will bring Cambodia in line with international standards on the transportation of nuclear materials.

Another draft law will make Cambodia part of an international convention against illegal activities on sea borders, according to The Cambodia Daily.

National Assembly President Price Norodom Ranariddh told the assembly that sea border issues, which are complicated by the matters of oil exploration, are more tangled than those on land.

The third draft law passed by the National Assembly is on the international convention against illegal activities at sea.

Defense Minister Tea Banh on Monday pledged that government will pay attention to the nuclear issues and will form a committee to cooperate with international partners to prevent the nation from ever being used as a transit route for such material.

But he also raised concerns about the country's ability to deal with nuclear problems, stating Cambodia does not have specialized laboratories to identify nuclear substances and local nuclear experts still have limited competence. He appealed to the international community to provide more human resource training in the field.

In 2000, the National Assembly unanimously agreed to ratify the nuclear test ban treaty, aligning Cambodia with most of the world's nations in a global campaign aimed at preventing nuclear proliferation.

Cambodia supports Thailand's IPU Executive Board membership

2005-09-01T18:02:00.000+07:00

Phnom Penh (VNA) – Chairman of the Cambodian National Assembly Norodom Ranaridh has said that he completely supports the Thai Parliament's bid for a seat in the International Parliament Union (IPU)’s Executive Board.

During August 29 talks with visiting second Deputy Speaker of the Thai Parliament Lalita Lerksamran, Chairman Ranaridh said that relations between the two parliaments should be strengthened and developed not only at bilateral but also multilateral levels including the ASEAN Inter-Parliament Organisation (AIPO)’s General Assembly, the IPU and the Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP).

Regarding bilateral relations, Ranaridh asked the Thai Government to pay due attention to solving outstanding issues between the two countries, covering legalising procedures for Cambodian guest-workers to work in Thailand and border issues.

He also urged Thailand to further bilateral cooperation in the fight against trans-national crime, particularly women and children trafficking.

For her part, Lerksamran affirmed that Thailand’s foreign policy aims to enhance its relations with other countries, especially neighbours. She asked Cambodia to increase the exchange of visits with Thailand to promote their bilateral ties.-Enditem

Cambodia's aid spent on hiring foreign expertise

2005-09-01T18:01:00.000+07:00

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen says about 20 percent of the foreign aid given to the country is spent on hiring expensive foreign experts.

He says in 2002 alone, around 115 million US dollars was spent on such overseas technical aid.

But Hun Sen has also told a gathering of government officials that much of that money is spent on first-class air tickets and five-star hotels for the foreign experts, who sometimes only polish the results of hard work done by Cambodians.

The prime minister says much of the money could be better spent on improving infrastructure...and he's called on government officials to work harder themselves.

Cambodia receives foreign assistances of about 500 million dollars a year.

Cambodia Introduces Energy Saving Measures

2005-09-01T18:00:00.000+07:00

Cambodia's government has slashed the amount of fuel allocated for state vehicles by 10 percent as part of austerity measures to offset rising oil prices, a minister said Thursday.

The move was ordered by Prime Minister Hun Sen - who also urged officials to refrain from unnecessary trips using state vehicles and to minimize electricity use in their buildings - said Finance Minister Keat Chhon after a National Assembly session.

The measure was deemed necessary to curb the outflow of much-needed hard currency from the country, and to reserve fuel for emergencies such as natural disasters, he said.

Hun Sen issued the order at a Cabinet meeting nearly two weeks ago, he said. It took effect immediately.

The total amount of fuel used by state vehicles was not immediately known.

"The whole country must save (fuel), but not so that ambulances also have to cease running. We are not letting this affect services necessary for the people's well-being," Keat Chhon told Parliament.

Cambodia has been hit hard by rising oil prices because the country relies entirely on imported oil, he said.

Since January, the retail price of fuel at the pump has risen by 18 percent, the minister said.

Rising oil prices have also led to a rise in smuggling from Vietnam and Thailand into Cambodia. A recent crackdown led to the seizure of about 1.5 million liters (396,269 gallons) of oil from smugglers, Keat Chhon said.

He said it was questionable whether the government would achieve its goal of 6.3 percent economic growth for the country this year because of the skyrocketing oil prices, which recently passed $70 per barrel.

Sluggish economic growth would also impede efforts to reduce poverty, Keat Chhon said.

Cambodia is one of Asia's poorest countries. More than 40 percent of its 14 million people live on less than $1 per day, and the country depends heavily on foreign aid for development.

China donates 6 patrol vessels to Cambodia

2005-09-01T17:59:00.001+07:00

Chinese government Thursday donated 6 patrol vessels to Cambodia to help it strengthen marine security.

More than 300 people attended the hand-over ceremony at the Port of Sihanoukville, about 230 km southwest of capital Phnom Penh.

Em Sam An, Secretary of State of Interior Ministry, and Chinese Economic and Commercial Counselor to Cambodia Sun Weiren presided over the ceremony.

Em Sam An highly valued the Chinese donation of the patrol vessels, saying that the donation again demonstrated the traditional friendship between Cambodia and China.

He said that he firmly believed that the patrol vessels will play an important role in Cambodia's fighting of pirates and smugglers and will further strengthen Cambodia's social stability and territorial security, as well as the economic development.

Expressed his thanks for China's persistent assistance, Em said, "The traditional friendship between our two countries has stood the test of time, and has been developed and consolidated in recent years."

"The assistance offered by the Chinese government, such as telecommunication equipment, cars, motorcycles and fire engine, has already played an important role in strengthening Cambodia's public security and safeguarding the security of people and property," Em added.

Sun Weiren hopes the police of the two countries to further enhance cooperation and support in various fields.

He said that the Chinese government would like to strengthen the cooperation with Cambodia in the fields including agriculture, human resources development and infrastructure, and would encourage more Chinese companies to invest in Cambodia.

Cambodian malaria cases drop in first half of year

2005-09-01T17:59:00.000+07:00

Cambodia's malaria cased dropped in the first six months compared with the same period of last year, but the fatalities were up, local newspaper reported on Thursday.

Statistics from the National Malaria Center show that the number of malaria cases treated through the country's healthcare system during the first six months of the year dropped by a third compared to the same period last year.

From January through June, 29,092 patients were treated for malaria, compared to 39,704 for the first six months of 2004, The Cambodia Daily quoted Duong Socheat, director of the center as saying.

Duong Socheat contributed the results to the net distribution on time and the hard work of health volunteers in the villages who were trained by the government.

However, he said that 117 people died due to malaria during that period, an increase of 11 fatalities compared to the first six months of 2004. Still, Duong Socheat believes that the total number of fatalities for the whole year will be lower than in 2004.

Cambodian lawmakers approve UN convention on organized crime

2005-09-01T17:57:00.000+07:00

Cambodian National Assembly on Wednesday ratified the UN convention on transnational organized crime in order to join the regional and international efforts.

Interior Minister Sar Kheng said at parliament that "joining in this convention will help Cambodia to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"Cambodia is a developing country and is also facing threat of transnational organized crime. So it is important for Cambodia to ratify this convention, it will not only strengthen our cooperation with international community but also the peace of the nation and the region," he said.

When answering the questions put forward by the opposition lawmakers, Sar Kheng said that the royal government always committed to making efforts to combat organized crime and has already made some progress these years.

The protocols cover trafficking in persons, especially women and children, smuggling of migrants and manufacturing and trafficking in firearms.

At a Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) meeting held in May, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen even described the transnational crime as "many-headed monster", saying that "with the openings of international borders and the strengthening of economic and social cooperation among the region, we are facing more transnational crime, especially drug production and trafficking."

The premier also called on the countries to work out more clear strategies and targets to combat the cross-border crime.

Cambodia approves child labor convention

2005-09-01T17:56:00.000+07:00

Cambodia's National Assembly on Tuesday approved a convention initiated by the International Labor Organization (ILO) on efforts to ban and eliminate the most serious forms of child labor, The Cambodian Press Review reported on Wednesday.

Labor Minister Nhep Bunchin said approving the treaty will help more than not having any legal framework.

He insisted that with the ILO's cooperation, the government did well last year in dealing with excessive forms of child labor in Sihanoukville, Kampot and Kompong Cham provinces.

Children in Kampot's salt fields can now work in more appropriate sectors, Nhep Bunchin explained, highlighting also that children working on fishing boats in Sihanoukville can now perform jobs on land.

The government's efforts to stop child labor motivated the US to donated 1 million US dollars to the ILO to carry out programs to reduce excessive child labor in another four cities and provinces, Nhep Bunchin said.

Sixteen percent of Cambodia's 200,000 minors are working, said Cambodian People's Party (CPP)'s lawmaker Khoun Sodary, urging the government to take effect measures to reduce the number to 5 percent.

Khoun Sodary also suggested the Ministry of Justice classify underage and adult prisons in separate jails or send minor criminals to rehabilitation centers.

Opposition lawmaker Yim Sovann complained that due to poverty, forced labor and school dropouts among Cambodian children are increasing, which will affect the country's future economic development.

Thailand, Laos, Cambodia to jointly suppress cross border crime

2005-09-01T17:55:00.000+07:00

BANGKOK, Aug. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- Thailand, Laos and Cambodia have agreed to cooperate in prevention and suppression of cross border crime, including drug trafficking and goods smuggling, particularly timbers, reported the state-run Thai News Agency Wednesday.

The agreement was reached during two separate meetings between the Thai and Lao delegations and the Thai and Cambodian delegations in Thailand's northeastern Ubon Ratchathani Province Tuesday.

The Thai and Lao authorities also agreed on joint border patrols -- both by army and marine officers -- and on promotion ofcross border tourism. Enditem

Pakistan to open embassy in Cambodia

2005-08-24T00:00:00.000+07:00

The Pakistani government is in the process to open its first embassy in Cambodia, a Cambodian Foreign Ministry official said Tuesday.

Eat Seyla, director of the ministry's Protocol Department, told Kyodo News that the two countries are now working out the first installation of the embassy in Phnom Penh, bringing the total number of foreign missions in the country to 27.

Diplomatic matters between the two nations have until now been handled through the Pakistani Embassy in Bangkok, he said.

In an interview with a local English newspaper, Charge d'Affaires and future Pakistani Ambassador Nisarullah Baluch said he hoped the embassy would officially open on March 23, Pakistani national day.

The opening will be marked by a trade exhibition of Pakistani surgical instruments and pharmaceutical products, Baluch said, according to the Cambodia Daily.

"In terms of trade, there was much potential for commerce to grow between the two countries. Cambodia has a lot of potential --untapped, huge potential," he said.

The opening of the embassy in Phnom Penh is part of Pakistan's new "Look East" policy and its new focus on building closer relations with member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, he said.

Last year, trade with ASEAN amounted to approximately $7 million, most of it in exports from Pakistan.

"The world is now a world of friends. Those countries who will survive are countries with friends, be they superpowers or small nations," he said.

In April 2004, then Pakistani Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali during a visit to Cambodia signed a cooperation agreement between the two countries, which included joint forces to fight terrorism.

He also pledged Cambodia a $10 million long-term loan for irrigation projects, but the details for the credits are still being negotiated.

A career diplomat, Baluch has previously worked in China, Iran, Canada and Bahrain.

Cambodia's king returns from state visit to China

2005-08-23T23:58:00.000+07:00

Kyodo _ Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni arrived in Phnom Penh on Tuesday after an almost two-week visit to China.

The 52-year-old monarch paid a state visit to Beijing on Aug. 12-14 and extended the stay until Tuesday because his father, retired King Norodom Sihanouk, is undergoing medical treatment there.

A senior palace official said the king met with Chinese President Hu Jintao, and other Chinese leaders during the visit, his first official overseas trip since ascending the throne last year following his father's abdication.

Cambodia sentences Singaporean for drug trafficking

2005-08-23T11:54:00.000+07:00

Phnom Penh (VNA) - A Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Thursday sentenced a Singaporean man to 19 years in jail for attempting to smuggle 3 kg of heroin out of the country in January, the Cambodia Daily quoted court officials as saying.Low Ming Kwang, 35, was also fined approximately 12,000 USD, said Tan Senarong who presided over the trial.

Low Ming Kwang was arrested at Phnom Penh International Airport with bags of heroin taped to his legs beneath his trousers. In July, the court also sentenced a Nigerian man 14-year in prison for his attempt to smuggle heroin out of Cambodia.-Enditem

Cambodia opposition boycott ends

2005-08-23T11:50:00.000+07:00

The main opposition party in Cambodia, led by Sam Rainsy, has put an end to a six-month parliamentary boycott.

The opposition began the protest in February after Mr Rainsy and two of his MPS were stripped of their immunity, accused of a range of crimes.

One of the MPs was later arrested and jailed. Mr Rainsy is living in exile.
On Monday, 16 of the party's 24 members resumed their seats in the National Assembly, saying they had to speak out against corruption and other issues.

"We felt compelled to return to the parliament to use its forum to speak in defence of the people's interests," opposition MP Yim Sovann said.

"We are not giving in to any pressure."

But the BBC correspondent in Phnom Penh, Guy De Launey, says there are other reasons for the opposition's return.

They hope they might be able to exert some influence over the long awaited anti-corruption legislation, he says.

The move also paves the way for Sam Rainsy himself to return to Cambodia, possibly as early as next month.

His party says it has not made any deals with the government, but hopes the move will be treated as a gesture of goodwill.

The government has welcomed the end of the boycott. Without the opposition parliamentarians, the National Assembly has struggled to reach a quorum on many issues, resulting in a backlog of business.

Controversial trial

Sam Rainsy is facing defamation charges, stemming from his claims that the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen had plotted to kill opponents and that coalition partner Prince Ranariddh took bribes to join the government.

Mr Rainsy and fellow opposition MP Chea Poch fled the country in February after their immunity was lifted.

Mr Poch returned home last week, saying he did not fear arrest.

The other MP who lost his immunity, Cheam Channy, was arrested in February and is serving a seven-year sentence for allegedly trying to recruit an armed group.

Human rights activists have criticised his trial, seeing it as a move by the government to stifle political dissent.

China offers Cambodia aid in improving infrastructure

2005-08-23T11:47:00.000+07:00

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- The Chinese government on Monday provided Cambodia with goods and materials worth of more than 81.8 million RMB yuan (about 10.1 million US dollars) to help the country improve its infrastructure.

Attending the hand-over ceremony were Minister of Public Works and Transportation Sun Chan Thol and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Hu Qianwen, and other government officials.

The donated goods and materials were 1,500 extension meters of ZB200 beret steel bridges, four bulldozers, four graders, six roadrollers, one vibratory road roller and their spare parts.

Sun Chan Thol thanked the Chinese government for its grand and persist assistance to Cambodia, saying the aid once again reflects the friendship and cooperative ties between Cambodia and China.

"The assistance will greatly help Cambodia's economic and social development, as well as the implementation of poverty reduction strategy of the royal government in order to bridge the development gap to our neighboring countries," he said.

Since 2002, the Chinese government has donated 3,500 extension meters of beret steel bridges to Cambodia.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in March named a steel bridge assisted by China as "Cambodia and China Friendship Bridge". Enditem

Thailand-Cambodia sign MOU on labour cooperation

2005-08-20T21:50:00.000+07:00

BANGKOK, Aug 19 (TNA) -- The Thai and Cambodian governments today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) under which Cambodian immigrants in this country will be legally employed.

Thai Labour Minister Somsak Thepsuthin and his Cambodian counterpart Nhep Bunchin signed the MOU, which aims to promote legal employment and provide
protection for the Cambodian workers.

An estimated 180,000 Cambodian workers were believed to be illegally employed in Thailand.

Of that total, only 74 obtained legal documents last year.

For that reason, Mr Somsak said the 1979 Royal Decree on Alien Occupation has been revised to facilitate the employment of the Cambodian migrant workers.

Apart from that a ministerial regulation on immigrant employment will also be revised so the visa fee for foreign workers will be reduced from 2,000 baht to 500 baht each.

The Cambodian labour minister said Phnom Penh had adopted the policy to support legal employment of Cambodians, most of whom had intended to stay on a
permanent basis in Thailand.

Meanwhile, Employment Department director general Chuthatawat Indrasuksri said the Thai-Cambodian MOU on working Cambodian immigrants followed a similar
agreement dealing with Lao immigrants.

An agreement for Myanmar immigrants is yet to be effected.

Nonetheless, the legal foreign workers will only be hired for jobs which Thai nationals may refuse to do, Mr. Chuthatawat said.

Effective at the end of August, employers will be subject to legal penalties should they be found hiring or harbouring illegal aliens.

The penalties for such employers will be more severe than those for their employees.

Eight Chinese sentenced to death for Cambodian crimes

2005-08-20T18:18:00.000+07:00

A court in China has condemned eight Chinese to death for a series of kidnappings and robberies in Cambodia in which at least 10 people were killed.

State media says the eight, sentenced in a court in eastern Nanjing city, were part of a 28-member gang that committed 12 robberies in Cambodia between 1999 and 2004.

The robberies resulted in the deaths of seven people, including South Koreans.

The Chinese were also reportedly convicted of four kidnappings in which three people held for ransom were killed.

Cambodian Delegates Visit Cuba

2005-08-19T22:20:00.000+07:00

Havana, Aug 18 (AIN): Members of the delegation from Cambodia to the recently concluded 16th World Youth Festival are currently visiting Cuba.

The Cambodian delegation led by Men Kuon, president of the youth association of his country, was received by Rolando Yero and Kenia Serrano, leading members of the Cuban Youth Communist League - who explained to the visitors the main aspects of the Revolution's programs and the role of youth in their achievement.

The Cambodian delegation showed special interest in the Cuban family and the ideological preparation of the young generation. They were also pleased with the success of the new education programs implemented on the island which have brought about a reduction in the number of students per classroom.

"We have one teacher for each 50 students," stated Kuon. "Cuba has truly won our hearts and we promise to continue strengthening the ties of friendship existing between our countries," he added.

Thousands of children infected with dengue in Cambodia

2005-08-19T22:19:00.000+07:00

Phnom Penh (VNA) - More than 4,300 children in Cambodia were reported to have contracted dengue fever, of them 68 died, in the first eight months of this year, the Ministry of Health's Dengue Prevention Centre announced.

The fatality rate of children infected with dengue has been reduced by haft against the same period last year, the ministry said. However, the rate is still high because most parents are not fully aware of the dangers of the fever.

The ministry is promoting prevention campaigns across the country such as spraying chemicals to kill mosquitoes and larvae and disseminating information on preventive measures against the fever.-Enditem

Cambodian Monk Found Electrocuted in Thailand

2005-08-19T22:17:00.000+07:00

A Buddhist monk-in-training from Cambodia was electrocuted in northeastern Thailand when he touched a live electric wire set as a trap for Peeping Toms seeking to peer at women using a nearby bathroom, police said Thursday.

The body of the 19-year-old Buddhist novice from the northwestern Cambodian province of Siem Reap was found Thursday morning near the bathroom built outside the home of Thongkhao Hajhom in Thailand's Sisaket province, 430 kilometers north of Bangkok, police Captain Waranon Jullanon said.

Thongkhao told police he set up a live electric wire outside the bathroom to shock people peeping after he heard that young men in the area were peering at his daughter when she took her bath.

No one had been caught in the trap until Thursday, when police were informed that the body of the young monk in his saffron-coloured robe was discovered near the bathroom and an autopsy found that he had been electrocuted.

No charges have been filed against Thongkhao and an investigation was continuing, police said.

The name of the monk, who was staying temporarily at a temple near the house, was not available.

Amid emerald rice fields, Cambodia's first winery startles but pleases

2005-08-19T22:16:00.000+07:00

Photo: AFP
Click to enlarge

PHUM BOT SALA, Cambodia (AFP) - The fresh grape juice ferments in plastic water containers, bottles are labelled in a loungeroom and cheese has never passed the lips of the producer.

But Cambodia's first home-grown wine is proving a hit, startling foreign tourists and winning over domestic tipplers in the tropical country.

Despite being a former colony of wine-loving France, most Cambodians only drink rice wine, a cheap and dangerously potent concoction many farmers make themselves in the predominantly agricultural country.

The twisting, gnarled grapevines at Chan Thai Chhoeung's farm are an anomaly amid northwestern Battambang province's lush green rice fields and orange groves, set near a river swollen with tropical monsoon rains.

"At first I wasn't thinking about starting a winery. I was only thinking about growing grapes because some neighbouring countries produce them," says orange farmer-turned-oenophile Chan Thai Chhoeung.

Both Vietnam and Thailand, which border Cambodia, have begun producing grape wines with varying degrees of success in recent years despite wine-making traditions which dictate that grapes be grown in cooler climes.

Chan Thai Chhoeung planted his first vines sourced from Thailand in 2000, followed by some sent to him by a brother in France.

When the grapes failed to fetch a decent price at the local market, the unassuming 39-year-old sought to find out whether the extra effort of turning the fruit into wine might be a better money-spinner to support his family of six.

Although he rarely drinks wine himself he decided to try, and completed his first harvest of five tonnes (tons) of grapes at the end of 2004.

Chan Thai Chhoeung now has more than 4,500 plants growing across about two hectares (five acres) divided between three separate farms. Varietals plunged into the fertile dark soil include Black Queen, Shiraz and Kyoho.

"While growing them, I met with many difficulties. This type of plant is not easy to grow," Chan Thai Chhoeung says, describing the mysterious demise of 50 Chenin Blanc vines which irretrievably withered.

"In Cambodia, there is a lot of rain and this kind of plant needs not so much water -- and winter," he says, describing the battle wine producers must endure in the tropics.

After its first soak in the plastic water containers, the wine is transferred to large silver vats where it is infused with French oak chips -- a typical budgetary shortcut among wine-makers unable to afford oak barrels.

At this stage, the wine is kept below 30 degrees Celsius (86 F) for the best results, although 20 C is usually preferred, Chan Thai Chhoeung says.

"It's hard to get a stable electricity supply," he complains. Cambodia is beset with a generally poor electricity infrastructure.

Tasting his product five months into the fermentation process, he decided it was flavoursome enough to bottle, eschewing guidelines that suggested a year-long soak.

"Plus I don't have much money, so I tried to produce the wine earlier."

The wine-maker and his wife, Leny Chan Thol, spent 10,000 dollars setting up the business, including a 5,000-dollar loan from a microcredit institution. The largest expense was a 1,500-dollar imported Canadian filter. The amount is significant in post-conflict Cambodia, where the average annual income is about 290 dollars per year.

"According to the ministry of industry, it's Cambodia's first wine," Chan Thai Chhoeung says.

He recommends sipping his 12.5 percent alcohol volume rose or red wine -- he has given up on white -- with a nibble on cashew nuts or a meal of beef steak.

"I've never tried cheese, only prahok," he says when asked whether cheese might accompany it. Prahok, a pungent salted and fermented fish paste, is a Cambodian staple sometimes dubbed fish cheese.

The wine sells for six dollars a bottle at the cellar door and a little higher elsewhere.

"I dream about being able to produce more and sell to other countries. My main problem now is getting the money together to buy more equipment," he says, adding that he'd also like to snap up more land for his vines.

The provincial governor has stepped in to lodge a request for Chan Thai Chhoeung's businesses to be granted tax-free status for the next three to five years, in an effort to help them grow.

Another market are the 20 or so people who stop by the vineyard every day. Among them are French tourists Elizabeth Heitz, 55, and Alain Hummel, 53, whose motorbike taxi drivers suggested a visit.

"This is an event for us," Heitz says of discovering the winery. The couple live above a wine shop in Strasbourg and are pleased to put the knowledge they gained at a wine course last year to the test.

"For us, it's a sweet wine, not a rose... It's a wine to drink before a meal in the summer or with an appetiser," Heitz assesses after a swirl and sip of the apricot-hued rose wine.

Hummel points out that the rose should be served chilled, not poured at the steamy temperature in the hut.

"But in the south of France, we have the same wine as this. It's drinkable," he concludes. Both prefer it over the "red" wine which they say is really a dark rose and "empty".

Hummel is concerned about the size of the vines, too, saying they look up to 20 years old despite their youth. "They have developed quickly, maybe too quickly," he says.

Regardless, the couple is taken aback by the vineyard and the obvious effort Chan Thai Chhoeung has expended in an attempt to put Cambodia on the world's wine-making map.

"All the people who make wine are a little bit crazy," Heitz laughs.

Cambodia to upgrade three local border gates

2005-08-18T23:51:00.000+07:00

Phnom Penh, August 18 (VNA) – The Cambodian Government has decided to change the status of three local border gates to Viet Nam.

According to a notice sent by the government to the Ministry of Home Affairs on August 18, the T’ropeng Plong border gate in Kompong Cham province and the T’ropeng Sre border gate in Kratie province will become international gates, while a local border gate in Chrey Thom district, Kandal province, will become a border gate shared by Cambodia and Viet Nam.

Cambodian customs officers said the move will help facilitate official trade between Cambodia and its neighbouring countries, and also strengthen the control of immigration activities of tourists.-Enditem

Cambodian Anti-Graft Body Must be Free of Political Influence, US Official Says

2005-08-18T23:50:00.000+07:00

Cambodia must keep a planned anti-corruption agency free of political influence if it expects it to have credibility, a senior U.S. diplomat said Wednesday.

Mark Storella, acting head of the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia, made the comment at a government workshop to discuss long-awaited draft legislation to fight endemic corruption in the impoverished Southeast Asian nation.

"If the anti-corruption body is seen as under political influence, then it may also be seen as a political tool. If that is the case, rather than fighting corruption, the body could be seen as corrupt itself," Storella said.

Cambodia loses an estimated US $300 million to $500 million annually to corruption, according to a study prepared for the US Agency for International Development last year.

International donors—who pledged $504 million in aid to Cambodia last year—have linked the disbursal of funds to the country's adoption of an anti-corruption law and an agency to enforce it, as well as other reforms.

Donors have warned that the size of assistance may be reduced in the future if Cambodia fails to deliver on the promised reforms.

The proposed Supreme National Council Against Corruption will investigate allegations of impropriety in public agencies. It is unclear when it will be set up, however.

Storella described the independence of such a body as "fundamental," referring to widespread concerns about political influence in Cambodia interfering with key institutions such as the judiciary.

"Ultimately, corruption is not just a matter of economics or law, it can also pose a threat to stability," he said.

Government officials and representatives of private groups and donor organizations are attending the workshop, which runs through Thursday.

The participants are expected to suggest amendments to the draft law. It is not clear when it would be submitted to parliament for approval.

In his opening speech, Prime Minister Hun Sen said his government is serious about combating corruption—a promise similar to ones he has made in the past.

"(It) undermines confidence in investment ... and thwarts poverty reduction programs," he said.

Cambodian PM reaffirms determination to combat corruption

2005-08-18T07:09:00.000+07:00

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday reiterated that combating corruption, in all forms, is a firm commitment of the government.

The premier made the remarks at the seminar on Draft Law on Anti-Corruption.

"The effect of corruption that we should not overlook is the lost of public confidence in the government which is a cause to weaken national unity and impede economic development," Hun Sen said.

"Corruption undermines confidence in investment, obstructs sustainable development and thwarts poverty reduction program," hesaid, adding "In short, corruption is the key constrain in development and poverty reduction that is the fundamental policy of the current government."

At the same time, the premier acknowledged that the government had not obtained "expected result in fighting against corruption."

The Draft Law will be consulted and debated at the two-day seminar attended by about 200 national and international experts, law makers as well as experts from countries that have tremendous experience in combating corruption.

Aspects of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption andAnti-corruption Action Plan for Asia Pacific were included in the draft law.

In order to wipe off corruption, to bring justice to society, to achieve value of democracy and to promote law and judicial reform, the Cambodian government has exerted utmost efforts in creating laws to be approved, according to Hun Sen. Cambodia so far has 203 laws and plans to add some new laws in the future.

The Cambodian government vowed to approve the anti-corruption law this year. "To free society from corruption, I believe that weneed good laws and good governance both in public management and private business," the premier stressed. Enditem

Scores killed in floods in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand

2005-08-17T21:36:00.000+07:00

Flash floods have killed dozens of people and left tens of thousands camped out on higher ground in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

In Vietnam, floods in the north and the central highlands have killed at least 17 in the past week, while unseasonably early floods are expected to reach danger levels in the southern Mekong Delta on Thursday.

In the eastern Cambodian province of Kompong Cham, three children have drowned after strong winds overturned their boat as they evacuated to higher ground.

Disaster officials in Phnom Penh say flood warnings had been posted in three provinces along the Mekong.

Meanwhile, residents of northern Thailand are still assessing the damage from flooding described as the worst in decades.

At least six people have been killed and nine are still missing.

UN human rights official calls for release of Cambodia's opposition MP

2005-08-17T21:35:00.000+07:00

A United Nations human rights official on Tuesday called for Cambodia's immediate and unconditional release of opposition parliamentarian Cheam Channy, calling the trial lack of fair.

In a statement released here on Tuesday by the United Nations' Cambodia Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Peter Leuprecht, the special representative of the Secretary-General for human rights in Cambodia, "denounced the outcome of two trials in Cambodia earlier this month."

On Aug. 8, the Military Court sentenced opposition party parliamentarian Cheam Channy to seven years in prison for fraud and for forming an illegal army. Earlier on Aug. 1 the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced two persons to 20 years in prison for the murder of trade union leader Chen Vichea on Jan. 22, 2004.

These latest convictions are "in breach of Cambodia's Constitution and the international human rights treaties to which Cambodia is party. The conduct of the investigations and prosecutions... raise fundamental questions about Cambodia's progress towards the rule of law," he said.

The special representative called for "a thorough, impartial and credible investigation into the murder of Chea Vichea" and " for Cheam Channy's immediate and unconditional release and the restoration of his immunity."

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday defended the independence of Cambodia's courts and criticized foreign organizations for encouraging jailed opposition lawmaker to create a "shadow army."

"The phrase I hate most is 'international pressure,'" Hun Sen said. "International pressure only keeps detainees behind bars longer," he said.

"Cambodia needs security. Don't destroy one country under the pretext of democracy," the prime minister said.

Hun Sen pointed out that Cheam Channy's "shadow army" posed a grave threat to national security. Any nation would have acted as Cambodia did under similar circumstances, he said.

Cambodia to build second Special Economic Zone

2005-08-17T21:22:00.000+07:00

Cambodia will build its second Special Economic Zone after the first was inaugurated last week, local media reported on Wednesday.

Cambodia's Attwood Investment Group unveiled a master plan Tuesday to invest 89 million US dollars in the country's second Special Economic Zone, to be built in October.

The zone will cover 200 hectares of land in Sihanoukville's Stung Hav district, where a port, utility supply facilities and other infrastructure will be built, according to Khmer newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea.

"We intend to develop this area into an economic and commercial zone to improve the living conditions of rural residents and to provide jobs for young people," said Attwood President Lim Chhiv Ho.

The zone will also make it easy to import raw material and export products thanks to its proximity to the Sihanoukville International Port, she added.

Cambodia's first special economic zone officially began construction in Svay Rieng province, bordering Vietnam, last week.

Deputy Prime Minister Sok An praised Attwood for its active role in local investment, saying it was in line with the government's policy to set up special economic zones to reduce poverty among Cambodian people.

Attwood will receive a nine-year tax break, in accordance with a draft law on Special Economic Zones, and investors could import raw materials duty-free as soon as construction is completed, The Cambodia Daily said.

Cambodia also plans to build special economic zones in the provinces of Koh Kong, Takeo, Kompong Cham, Kratie, Banteay Meanchey and possibly in Pailin.

Cambodia's economic growth likely to reach 6.7 percent

2005-08-16T20:30:00.000+07:00

Phnom Penh (VNA) - Cambodia's State Bank governor Chea Chanto has said that the national economic growth rate is expected to stand at 6.7 percent in 2005, against the 5.6 percent growth in 2004.

Speaking at a conference on August 15, he said this is attributed to political stability and high growth of some spearhead economic sectors such as tourism, construction, agriculture and garments.

He added that the bank has taken measures to stabilise domestic currency, minimise and prevent the dollarisation of the Cambodian market, and boost economic development.

The bank will continue to strengthen the banking system in accordance with current situation of the country, he said.-Enditem

Flood warnings expected for Mekong river

2005-08-16T11:25:00.000+07:00

Water levels along the Mekong River are reaching emergency levels, and officials are expected to issue flood warnings in the coming days.

"kratie province will declare a state of emergency because of flooding," The Cambodia Daily on Monday quoted Long Saravuth, deputy director of the Hydrology Department at the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology, as saying.

Water levels in Kratie province are as high as 22 meters in some places, he said.

The Mekong has reached nine meters in Phnom Penh, one meter short of the flood warning level for the river, and Stung Treng province, with a water level of 10.7 meters, has already issued flood warning, Long Saravuth said. While Kompong Cham province declared a state of emergency on Saturday.

Officials in all provinces along the Mekong have been working hard to prevent flood damage as much as possible by warning people ahead of time, Long Saravuth said.

Some families have already evacuated to higher places, and hundreds of hectares of rice fields have been flooded in some provinces.

Earthquake Strikes North of Tokyo; Injuries Reported

2005-08-16T11:22:00.000+07:00

Aug. 16 (Bloomberg) -- A magnitude 7 earthquake struck the Tohoku region north of Tokyo at 11:46 a.m., The U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site. The quake caused `many' injuries in the city of Sendai, Kyodo News reported.

The earthquake struck 55 kilometers (34 miles) below the surface off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, the USGS said. The epicenter was located 354 kilometers north-northeast of Tokyo, where buildings shook for as long as two minutes.

As many as 80 people were injured after the roof of an indoor swimming pool in Sendai collapsed, NHK Television reported, citing local authorities. The government set up an emergency task force in the Prime Minister's official residence in Tokyo to coordinate its response to the earthquake, it said in a statement. Many people were injured by falling objects in Sendai, Kyodo News said, citing Sendai's fire prevention and control administration.

Haneda Airport was closed for checks on the runway, a spokesman said. Three expressways were closed in the Tohoku region north of Tokyo. East Japan Railways Co., Japan's biggest operator of train services, halted its Tohoku bullet train for safety checks, the company said.

Nippon Oil Corp., Japan's biggest petroleum refiner, said operations at its Sendai refinery in Miyagi prefecture were stopped after the quake.

A tsunami warning was issued for a 50 centimeter wave (20 inches) to reach the coast by noon local time, NHK Television reported, citing Japan's Meteorological Agency.

ទឹកទន្លេនៅចតុមុខកើនឡើងដល់កម្ពស់៩,១៥ម៉ែត្រ

2005-08-16T08:00:00.000+07:00

ភ្នំពេញ-- កម្ពស់ទឹកទន្លេមេគង្គនៅភាគខាងលើ ដែលបានឡើងជិតដល់ចំណុចប្រកាសអាសន្នកាលពីថ្ងៃទី១១ សីហា បានស្រកចុះបន្តិចវិញ តែនៅស្ថានីយ៍ជលសាស្ត្រទន្លេបាសាក់ចតុមុខបានឡើងដល់កម្ពស់ ៩,១៥ម៉ែត្រនៅថ្ងៃទី១៣ សីហានេះ។ កំពង់ចាមទឹកឡើងដល់ចំណុចប្រកាសអាសន្ន។

លោក ម៉ៅ ហាក់ ប្រធាននាយកដ្ឋានជលសាស្ត្ររបស់ក្រសួងធនធានទឹកនិងឧតុនិយមបាននិយាយឲ្យដឹងនៅថ្ងៃទី១២ សីហាថា មិនទាន់មានខេត្ត-ក្រុងណាមួយទទួលរងការលិចលង់ដោយទឹកជំនន់ទន្លេមេគង្គនៅឡើយទេ តែទឹកបានជន់ឡើងទៅដល់ជិតចំណុចត្រូវប្រកាសអាសន្ននៅខេត្តក្រចេះ និងស្ទឹងត្រែង កាលពីថ្ងៃទី១១ សីហា តែបានស្រកចុះវិញបន្តិចនៅថ្ងៃទី១២ សីហានេះ។

ប្រភពដដែលបាននិយាយឲ្យដឹងទៀតថាៈ ទឹកជន់ឡើងទៅដល់ចំណុចជិតប្រកាសអាសន្ននោះបានហូរចូលតាមព្រែកទៅក្នុងបឹងនានាដែលរីងទឹកអស់កាលពីពេលកន្លងទៅ ហើយក្នុងរយៈពេល ២ ទៅ៣ថ្ងៃខាងមុខនេះទឹកទន្លេមេគង្គនៅភាគខាងលើមិនឃើញមានសញ្ញាជន់ឡើងថែមទៀតទេ តែនៅស្ថានីយ៍ជលសាស្ត្រទន្លេបាសាក់ចតុមុខទឹកនៅបន្តឡើង។

តាមប្រភពដដែលបាននិយាយឲ្យដឹងនៅថ្ងៃទី១៣ សីហានេះថា ទឹកទន្លេមេគង្គនៅស្ថានីយ៍ជលសាស្ត្រទន្លេបាសាក់-ចតុមុខនៅថ្ងៃទី១៣ នេះបានឡើងដល់កម្ពស់ ៩,១៥ម៉ែត្រ ហើយនៅជន់ឡើងថែមទៀតនៅថ្ងៃបន្តបន្ទាប់។ នៅខេត្តកំពង់ចាមថ្ងៃនេះទឹកបានឡើងដល់ ១៥,២០ម៉ែត្រ ដែលជាចំណុចត្រូវប្រកាសអាសន្នហើយ។

ទាក់ទិនទៅនឹងទឹកទន្លេមេគង្គជន់ឡើងនេះ កាលពីថ្ងៃទី១១ សីហា សម្តេច ហ៊ុន សែន នាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តីបានថ្លែងអំពាវនាវឲ្យប្រជាជនរស់នៅតាមដងទន្លេមេគង្គចាប់ពីប្រទេសឡាវរហូតដល់វៀតណាម និងនៅតាមសងខាងដងទន្លេបាសាក់ផងត្រូវមានការប្រុងប្រយ័ត្ន ព្រោះទឹកបានឡើងជិតដល់ចំណុចត្រូវប្រកាសអាសន្នហើយ។ សម្តេចបានបញ្ជាឲ្យកងកម្លាំងប្រដាប់អាវុធទាំងអស់ត្រូវប្រុងប្រៀបដើម្បីជួយសង្គ្រោះដល់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋនៅតាមដងទន្លេក្នុងករណីជាយថាហេតុ។

នៅព្រឹកថ្ងៃទី១២ ខែសីហា ក្រសួងការពារជាតិដែលអនុវត្តតាមប្រសាសន៍របស់សម្តេច ហ៊ុន សែន នាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តីបានបង្ហាញពីយុទ្ឋនាការសង្គ្រោះជនរងគ្រោះដោយទឹកជំនន់ ដែលបានធ្វើឡើងនៅតាមដងទន្លេសាបរួមមានទូក អូប័រ ម៉ារីន សាឡង់ ផ្ទះបណ្ដែត រថយន្តសង្គ្រោះ និងឧទ្ឋម្ភាគចក្រចម្លាក់ពោងសង្គ្រោះជាដើម។

នាយកដ្ឋានជលសាស្ត្របានព្យាករណ៍កាលពីដើមឆ្នាំនេះថា ឆ្នាំនេះទឹកទន្លេមេគង្គអាចឡើងដល់កម្ពស់ ១០,៣០ម៉ែត្រ។ កាលពីឆ្នាំ២០០៤ ទឹកទន្លេមានកម្ពស់ត្រឹមតែ ៩,៩៧ម៉ែត្រ។ កម្ពស់ទឹកឆ្នាំនេះខ្ពស់ជាងពីឆ្នាំ២០០៤ តែវាមិនទាន់ដល់ចំណុចត្រូវប្រកាសអាសន្ននោះទេ។ កម្ពស់ទឹកដែលត្រូវប្រកាសអាសន្ននៅទីក្រុងភ្នំពេញគឺនៅកម្ពស់ ១០,៥០ម៉ែត្រ។ ទឹកទន្លេមេគង្គកាលពីឆ្នាំ២០០០ បានឡើងដល់កម្ពស់ ១១,២០ម៉ែត្រ ក៏ទីក្រុងភ្នំពេញលិចទាន់លិចនៅឡើយដែរ។

សម្តេច ហ៊ុន សែន នាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តីមានប្រសាសន៍អំពាវនាវនៅក្នុងកិច្ចប្រជុំគណៈរដ្ឋមន្រ្តីកាលពីពេលកន្លងទៅនេះឲ្យអាជ្ញាធរគ្រប់ខេត្ត-ក្រុងនៅតាមដងទន្លេមេគង្គយកចិត្តទុកដាក់ទប់ស្កាត់គ្រោះទឹកជំនន់ ព្រោះទឹកទន្លេមេគង្គឆ្នាំនេះធំជាងឆ្នាំមុន។

Cambodia says KR tribunal at risk

2005-08-16T07:20:00.000+07:00

Khmer Rouge victims have already had to wait 30 years for justice

Cambodia's prime minister has said a tribunal to try former Khmer Rouge leaders is at risk unless Phnom Penh gets help with its share of the cost.

Hun Sen said Cambodia was $11.8m short of the funds it agreed to contribute.

"It has been quite a headache for me. Sometimes, I have even thought of letting it [the tribunal] slide," he said on Monday.

The tribunal, which is expected to run for three years, is mainly being funded by the UN.

Hun Sen now wants the international community to pledge more than its $43m share.

"If they don't give money, no trial will be convened," he said.

Cambodia, one of Asia's poorest countries, has said it can only contribute $1.5m - well short of the $13m it was expected to give.

The UN announced in April that it had raised enough money on its side for the tribunal to go ahead.

Long process

The communist Khmer Rouge regime, which ruled from 1975-79, is blamed for the deaths of more than one million people out of an eight million-strong population.

Cambodia first sought UN funding for the court eight years ago.

There are concerns that the ageing top figures of the murderous regime, who have never been prosecuted, might die before being taken to court.

The regime, headed by Pol Pot, persecuted its political opponents as well as minority groups.

They allowed food shortages to kill people by starvation, while others were forced to move from the cities to the countryside, where they died from overwork in labour camps.

Cambodian Opposition Lawmaker Returns Home Despite Threat of Prosecution

2005-08-16T07:19:00.000+07:00

Opposition lawmaker Chea Poch has returned home to Cambodia after fleeing the country six months ago for fear of arrest on criminal defamation charges. The lawmaker returns to a country whose government has becoming increasingly intolerant of political dissent.

At the airport in Phnom Penh Monday, Chea Poch said he returned to Cambodia to fulfill his duties as a member of parliament. He had spent six months in self-imposed exile in the United States. The lawmaker fled Cambodia in February to avoid arrest after the National Assembly revoked his legislative immunity, allow the court to prosecute him on criminal charges.

Two other members of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party also lost their immunity. Party chief Sam Rainsy fled the country, but Cheam Channy was arrested.

Chea Poch spoke briefly with reporters before climbing into a car at the airport. He said he was more worried about Cambodia's impoverished farmers than he was of being prosecuted. The politician says he is prepared to go to court, but is concerned that he will not receive a fair trial.

"I am not confident in the court because the court of Cambodia, as the local and international newspapers state, is the puppet of the government," he said.

Last week, the Phnom Penh Military Court convicted lawmaker Cheam Channy on charges of fraud and creating an illegal army, and sentenced him to seven years in prison. The opposition says he merely led a shadow cabinet to oversee government activities.

The U.S. government has condemned the verdict and urged the court to reexamine the case. Washington also has pressed the National Assembly to immediately restore the lawmakers' immunity.

Human rights activists in Cambodia say Chea Poch is courageous to return because he could face the same treatment as Cheam Channy. They warn that Cambodia's judiciary is heavily influenced by the government

Chea Poch was charged with criminal defamation after he claimed National Assembly President Prince Norodom Ranariddh accepted bribes to join the coalition government with the ruling Cambodian People's Party.

Sam Rainsy faces defamation charges for claims of government corruption and for suggesting that Prime Minister Hun Sen had masterminded the assassination of a prominent union activist, a staunch opposition supporter.

A Cambodian military judge said last week the court is considering prosecuting Sam Rainsy for ordering his party to create a secret army. The judge said Cheam Channy's testimony incriminated the opposition leader.

Sam Rainsy has announced he will return to Cambodia in mid-September, despite the threat of prosecution.

Cambodian PM dismisses criticism over trial of opposition lawmaker

2005-08-16T07:17:00.000+07:00

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday dismissed criticism on the court's conviction of opposition lawmaker Cheam Channy for allegedly creating an illegal armed force.

"Some people want to use foreign c ountries to press the government to reverse its decision and resume their lawmakership for this guy or that guy," the premier told reporters after meeting with outgoing Malaysia's ambassador to Cambodia.

Hun Sen said he supported the court's decision, and was disgusted with the "so-called wording of exerting international pressure on Hun Sen's government".

Cambodian Military court convicted and sentenced the opposition Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Cheam Channy seven years in prison on Aug. 9 on charges of fraud and forming illegal army to topple the government.

Cheam Channy had been stripped of parliamentary immunity in February along with Sam Rainsy and a third MP Chea Poch.

The US Embassy in Phnom Penh and the US State Department in Washington immediately issued statements condemning the verdict inthe Cheam Channy case and calling on the National Assembly to restore the parliamentary immunity of three opposition lawmakers.

"The conduct of the trial raises again questions about the competence and independence of Cambodia's judiciary, and constitutes further intimidation of opposition voices," the statement said.

"Any pressure on the government from the international community will be worthless, because on the contrary it will only make the jailed man stay in jail longer," Hun Sen pointed out.

"Even if Cambodia needs to eat grass roots and banana trees, Cambodia has to preserve national independence," the premier stressed, adding that "Cambodia is an independent country which needs peace and security."

"The court's business is independent..., Investigation of the case must go on, no matter how far it will lead," he said.

Sam Rainsy fled Cambodia after he and two other party members had their parliamentary immunity revoked in February. Enditem

Carlsberg acquires 50 pct of Cambodia's Cambrew

2005-08-15T17:45:00.000+07:00

COPENHAGEN (AFX) - Carlsberg AS said it has acquired a 50 pct stake in Cambrew Ltd, which is located in Sihanouk Ville on Cambodia's west coast.

The Cambrew brewery has a total capacity of 450,000 hl (hectolitres) and holds a 45 pct market share in Cambodia. It owns the Angkor Beer brand, named after the famous temple Angkor Wat.

Carlsberg gave no financial details but said the potential for growth in the Cambodian beer market is significant.

It also said the acquisition is part of Carlsberg's strategy to enhance its strong position in South East Asia.

Viet Nam, Cambodia boost cooperation in culture, information and arts

2005-08-02T07:45:00.000+07:00

Phnom Penh (VNA) -- Vietnamese Minister of Culture and Information Pham Quang Nghi has been in Cambodia for a four-day working visit from July 30.

Minister Nghi and his entourage were received by Prime Minister Hun Sen who said Viet Nam and Cambodia, two neighbouring countries which share many similarities in culture, should conduct regular exchanges and bolster bilateral cooperation at the grassroots level.

PM Hun Sen stressed that his country has passed a struggle to defend and maintain peace, social stability and is implementing policies to protect and utilize its cultural and art values.

He acknowledged the fruitful cooperation between the two countries recently and pointed to the need to further speed up the cooperative ties between Viet Nam and Cambodia in culture, arts and information.

While in Cambodia, the Vietnamese delegation met with leaders of the Cambodian Ministries of Culture and Fine Art, and Information. The two sides discussed ways to boost cooperation to strengthen mutual understanding and share experiences in preserving and promoting historical and cultural relics in each country.

Also on this occasion, the delegation visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia and met with the association of Vietnamese nationals in Phnom Penh.-Enditem

A Cambodian court sentenced two men to 20 years in jail each

2005-08-01T22:16:00.000+07:00

(Kyodo) _ A Cambodian court sentenced two men to 20 years in jail each on Monday for murdering a labor leader last year.

Kong Seth, chief of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, meted out the ruling to Born Samnang, 23, and his accomplice Sok Sam Oeun, 36, for killing Chea Vichea, the 40-year-old head of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and for possessing arms illegally.

Chea Vichea, also a well-known activist for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, was gunned down by two men on a motorcycle in January last year as he was reading a newspaper at a kiosk in central Phnom Penh.

After the ruling, Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun cried for help from former King Norodom Sihanouk and current King Norodom Sihamoni, saying they had committed no crimes.

Chea Mony, younger brother of the late union worker, also urged the government to release the two men, saying they were not the real murderers, but only used as scapegoats by the government to "show its commitment to punish culprits."

Opposition politicians have said Chea Vichea's assassination was conducted out of political motivation.

Japanese charity fund launched to help victims of Khmer Rouge

2005-08-01T22:11:00.000+07:00

(Kyodo) _ A private Japanese charity fund was launched Monday in Cambodia as a "symbolic gesture" to console and support people facing psychological, physical and economic difficulties as a result of the policies and actions of the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge regime.

The Dr. Handa Compensation and Memorial Fund for Victims of the Khmer Rouge Genocide was initiated by the University of Cambodia in Phnom Penh with a reserve budget of $1.3 million for the initial three years.

It was named after its main contributor, Japanese philanthropist Haruhisa Handa, who is also the university's chancellor and heads the Japanese charity organization World Mate, as well as various other business, charitable, cultural and religious organizations.

Of the $1.3 million, Handa personally contributed $300,000 while the remainder comes from World Mate.

Handa said the project will soon commence with a planned initial allocation for 10,000 victim families, each of which will receive $100 in cash.

He said he hopes that further support for the fund will arrive from other sources.

"The fund...is really intended to make positive contributions to the Cambodian society by providing a token of compensation, in its own way, for those who died as well as for those who survived the Khmer Rouge regime," Handa said.

"I truly feel that there is no way -- in whatever terms -- that we can fully compensate anyone for the tremendous loss of many lives, as well as those who had survived the Khmer Rouge regime," he said.

Khmer Rouge leaders are blamed for the deaths of at least 1.7 million Cambodians in late 1970s.

Men pedal for Asian women power

2005-08-01T21:38:00.000+07:00

Raphael Parker, right, and Jacob Richardson ride their bicycles in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- The two young American men rolled up the dusty street on bicycles, stopping at the feminist-run labor rights center to earnestly deliver a message they have been pedaling across Southeast Asia to spread: "Real men support women."

Raphael Parker and Jacob Richardson scribbled notes while former workers from a nearby garment factory gather round to tell how thousands of them toiled under tough conditions and then got scant compensation when the plant closed.

The bicyclists, high school friends from Cincinnati, took turns explaining their purpose: to teach people back in America about the plight of women in Southeast Asia -- "because we believe that real men support women," Parker said.

That elicited chuckles from some of the workers who apparently found the sentiment a novel one, especially coming from men.

The curly haired Parker, 24, who is fond of cracking jokes, started Tour for Equality -- a project that is taking him and Richardson, 23, over the bumpy back roads of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos to talk with local people and humanitarian groups.

They relay their findings on a blog, or Internet journal, whose readers include supporters around the globe, Parker said.

Their small organization, a partner of the Washington-based Men Can Stop Rape, received a US$4,000 grant from the Ford Foundation and other donations for the Southeast Asian trip.

"They have an inspiring and worthy project and goals," Tade Aina, a Ford Foundation representative, said in an e-mail. "It is indeed most gratifying to see young people think beyond their own immediate needs and want to work for social change and social justice."

Tour for Equality had its beginnings in a different field of activism: voter registration. During the 2004 U.S. presidential race, Parker rode his bike from New York to Florida, registering more than 3,000 people.

He said the experience taught him that a bicycle is a "good vehicle for social change," and a way to reach people who "don't read The New York Times."

After that, Parker rallied friends and family behind a three-month Tour for Equality bicycle trip around the United States to talk with children about women's rights and masculinity as they are in real life, distinct from the images projected by pop culture.

The group chose Southeast Asia for its next mission due to the region's serious problems with the trafficking of women and children.

The State Department recently put Cambodia on its list of worst trafficking offenders, citing its failure to combat severe forms of the trade -- and to convict public officials who are involved.

Many Cambodian women and children are trafficked into Thailand and Malaysia for labor and commercial sexual exploitation, while most male victims are sent to Thailand as laborers, the State Department said.

Parker said Americans become incensed when they hear about human trafficking.

But many still have to learn about it, chimed in Richardson.

"It's just so far away and you feel distant from that, so we're trying to ... help bridge that gap quite a bit, through mainly our Web site and visiting these organizations over here," he said.

The pair have had their tough moments. They were robbed in Bangkok, Thailand, unknowingly ended up at brothels that appeared to be guesthouses in Cambodia, and slept among pigs and cows on a stormy night when a kind Cambodian family took them in.

In Phnom Penh, the garment workers seemed impressed with their efforts. One woman called them heroes and models for Cambodian men.

But after meeting the garment workers and hearing about their difficult social and working conditions, including low pay and long hours without even trips to the restroom, the feeling was more than reciprocated.

"It was amazing to see the determination of these people who are in worse situations than I could ever imagine," Richardson, an aspiring music journalist, wrote in his blog.

He and Parker have been "witnesses to slavery," he added. "There needs to be a change and if they have the perseverance to do something, I would like to think that everyone reading this does too."

Cambodian ballplayers turn rice paddy into "Field of Dreams"

2005-08-01T17:06:00.000+07:00

A bush serves as a marker for home runs, motorcycles laden with goods cruise by second base and rice planters and water buffaloes look on as a ragtag collection of ballplayers embrace America's favorite pastime in steamy rural Cambodia.

The former rice paddy, cleared by the players to make a ballpark, is Cambodia's "Field of Dreams," where the children and young adults of Kraing Khmer village compete each day in the impoverished nation's first foray into baseball.

The unlikely spectacle of young villagers wearing a hodgepodge of uniforms donated by Americans, tossing balls and practicing their swings is the brainchild of Joe Cook, a Cambodian-American living in Dothan, Alabama, who introduced baseball to his former homeland two years ago.

"You can see the kids, so inspired with the game of baseball. Without that, they have no hope," said Cook, a 35-year-old chef and father of two. "They don't have proper uniforms or just wear flip-flops, or go bare foot ... but baseball is baseball, it doesn't matter if you're bare foot or flip flopped."

Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the world, with the World Bank estimating that 42 percent of its nearly 15 million people live on US$1 (euro0.83) a day or less. Baseball followers here would be hard-pressed to find a glove or bat available for sale in the country, much less be able to afford it.

Cook has spent about US$37,000 (euro31,000) of his own money to bring baseball to the Kraing Khmer youth. His efforts include building a local house for visiting baseball coaches and orphans who want to learn the sport, sending videos of baseball matches to the players to watch, and collecting donated equipment from many southern states to send to the village in northwest Cambodia _ which has no running water or electricity.

Cook landed in the U.S. state of Tennessee at the age of 12 as a refugee fleeing the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, blamed for the deaths of nearly two million Cambodians during the late 1970s.

He quickly took up baseball as a way to learn English, to make friends and fit into his new American setting.

When he returned to Cambodia a few years ago to unite with a sister he believed had perished under the Khmer Rouge, he saw children who weren't able to enjoy themselves like their American counterparts because they had to work on rice farms or tend to the family livestock, such as water buffalos.

Cook wanted to show them they could do something more with their lives, sharing with them a sport that had motivated him, given him confidence and a sense of professionalism.

"I see in their eyes. I look around and they need hope and they need opportunity," said Cook who speaks with a distinctive Southern drawl and whose legal name is Joeurt Puk. "They need to understand about other cultures, other countries, what is offered to them, what they can become."

The players also send Cook stats and videos of their matches so he can coach them via telephone and the Internet.

So far the players have responded enthusiastically to baseball.

"When Mr. Joe talked about baseball, we were surprised. This is strange for us because there was no baseball in Cambodia. We never heard about this sport before," Poun Phybo, a 23-year-old local, said through a translator.

"Everybody, all of us wanted to try it and then we were part of baseball," he said. "Then, in our minds, it was like we fell in love with baseball."

Cook's efforts got a major boost last week when Major League Baseball officials and U.S. coaches visited the village as part of its foreign outreach program to hand out much needed equipment in the form of crisp leather gloves, shiny bats, helmets and protective gear.

"Every year, we'll do five or six donations of equipment to people like Joe Cook," said Jim Small, vice president of market development for MLB International. "Places where, you know, baseball's not established but they need a little bit of equipment and we can put it in the hands of people like Joe Cook, that we trust that the stuff's going to go into the right hands and help kick start baseball."

Small acknowledged that Cambodia probably wouldn't have been on MLB's radar if it weren't for Cook.

"We probably wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him because the world's so big and there's only so many things that you can do to get baseball started," Small said. "We had no choice, we had to get involved. When you hear about what he's done and the fact that he's made such a commitment because he love's baseball, you can't turn your back on someone like that."

The American coaches schooled dozens of youngsters, some wearing a mix-match of jerseys, caps, cleats or pants donated by American high schools and universities, while others donned T-shirts, pants or flip-flops _ typical footwear in the Southeast Asian country.

Bill Thomas, assistant coach at California State Polytechnic University, led the youngsters through fielding exercises and calling out encouragement.

"The players are great, enthusiastic. They're just like sponges trying to absorb as much as they can," Thomas said.

Cambodia embraces cell-phone craze

2005-08-01T17:02:00.000+07:00

By Samean Yun, Rocky Mountain News
August 1, 2005

Cambodia, a developing country in Southeast Asia, illustrates how cell phones are catching on, especially with young people, thanks to new technology, competition and declining prices.

Only a small percentage of households in Cambodia have telephone land lines, partly because of high monthly fees and the lack of infrastructure throughout the country.

But today, cell phones can be found everywhere in the capital city of Phnom Penh.

Competition and the country's low incomes have forced carriers to come up with ideas such as prepaid phone cards. About 90 percent of cell-phone subscribers use prepaid phone cards, with cards available for as little as $5.

The prepaid phone card, or pay-as-you-call, has allowed even a poor motorbike taxi driver to use a cell phone. Calls cost about 3 cents per minute.

Teenagers especially have gone crazy about cell-phone technology.

New technology has driven them to buy some of the most advanced cell phones on the market, phones that can cost as much as $300 to $500.

They have stopped using black-and-white screen cell phones, opting for cell phones with color screens, built-in cameras and Internet access.

Teenagers like to use the phones to download games, video clips and music. They often change their phones when new products are introduced to the market.

It is common for teenagers to talk to their friends about the new phones rather than what they have learned in classes.

There are three major telephone companies: Mobitel-CamGSM Co. Ltd., Cambodia Samart Communication and Cambodia Shinawatra Co. Ltd.

The three companies are owned by foreign businessmen.

To draw more customers, Samart launched new phones last year that allow Cambodians to send text messages in Khmer characters.

But the local telephone companies haven't been able to provide services to satisfy all of the teenagers' demands.

The companies don't have networks that enable users to send pictures from camera phone to camera phone. Some of the most popular games also aren't supported by the carriers.

Young technology students have set up lucrative businesses to transfer music, pictures, video clips, games and even English dictionaries from computers to cell phones.

Cell phones in Cambodia have become so common that businesspeople have set up hundreds, if not thousands, of phone boxes, or booths, on the street, where people can make a phone call using a cell phone and pay according to how many minutes they talk.

Samean Yun is associate editor of The Cambodia Daily in Phnom Penh. He is at the Rocky Mountain News this summer as part of the Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships program.

Cambodia loses 100 mln US dollars annually due to HIV/AIDS

2005-08-01T16:59:00.000+07:00

Around 100 million US dollars is lost every year because of HIV/AIDS and its impact on the country's economy and population, according to Cambodia's National Aids Authority (NAA).

"Although the HIV/AIDS infection rate has declined in the last three years, the negative impact still exists," The Cambodian Press Review quoted NAA Communication Officer Kim San as saying on Monday.

Since 1999 the country has paid out a yearly 100 million dollars.

As the government lacks the appropriate funding, many people have to pay the cost for treatment by themselves and become poorer in the process, it said.

Since the government can only provide a limited amount of services, many communities have to take the burden of the disease on their own.

The money spent on fighting the disease goes to buying medicine, offering care and food, and providing help for orphans whose parents have died of AIDS. The country's human resources are also affected, causing indirect financial losses.

According to experts, 20,000 people will die of HIV/AIDS annually in the next five years. An estimated 90,000 people died of HIV/AIDS from 1991 to 2002.

Today's major concern is the effect of the disease on the country's housewives, who are becoming the main victims of the disease, Kim San said. In 2003, the infection rate amongst housewives reached 2.2 percent.

Cambodia's development strategy discussed

2005-07-28T21:58:00.000+07:00

Phnom Penh- A seminar called "Plan for National Strategy Development for 2006-2010" was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on July 27-28, to review the implementation of the government's strategy of quadrangular development.

Representatives from government agencies, the community of donors, the World Bank (WB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), UN Development Programme (UNDP), Non-government organisations and private sectors took part in the event.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Planning Chhay Thon said the strategy was built with the country's current situation and past experiences, as well as on the basis of the government's second five-year socio-economic development plan and national poverty reduction strategy. The plan has been adjusted in accordance with quadrangular development strategy's objectives of the government in its third tenure.

Delegates from the WB and the UNDP said Cambodia should build a national development strategy in conformity with the real situation and its state budget capacity.-Enditem

Good economic performance boosts Cambodia's building boom

2005-07-28T21:55:00.000+07:00

Cambodia's construction industry is rapidly expanding in recent years, thanks for the political stability and better economic performance.

The number of new apartment built in Phnom Penh is increasing by 8,000 to 10,000 each year, and new houses are gradually selling out after construction is complete, according to a Municipal land management official recently.

And in tourist city of Siem Reap, home of world famous Angkor Wat temples, more restaurants, hotels and guest houses have been built to meet the demand of the increase of tourist arrivals.

Five years ago the total number of building permits approved was 671. By last year that number had jumped 46 percent to 981, local newspaper Phnom Penh Post reported.

At the same time, over the same period, the total number of homes being built has skyrocketed - 8,879 new home constructions approved in 2004 compared with 1,182 houses built in 2000, a jump of more than 650 percent.

In Phnom Penh's emerging building boom, one of the biggest private projects is a 6,000 square-meter villa under construction on Norodom Boulevard, south of the Phnom Penh International School. With a total land area of 10,000 square meters, the new home will include a 30-meter outdoor swimming pool built on a first-floor terrace.

The booming of Cambodia's construction is driven by three major factors, according to industry analysts: the political stability; the robust economic performance in recent years; and continuing assistance from the international community.

Cambodia is one of the most open economies in the developing world. Since early 1999, the government has intensified its economic reform program.

Some business experts say the boom suggests the economy is doing better than organizations like the World Bank have estimated.

The country has achieved high economic growth of 6 percent to 7 percent annually these years, with single-digit inflation and stable exchange rate and steadily increased international reserves.

Development assistance to Cambodia from the donor community, including multilateral and bilateral donors and international organizations, has averaged about 500 million US dollars every year since 1993.

Moreover, the country is under-going a gradual shift from the agricultural economy of the 1980s towards one emphasizing textiles, tourism and services.

Thanks for political stability, the improved macroeconomic situation and the openness of the economy, Cambodia attracted increased amounts of foreign direct investment.

And another factor, according to the government, is that each year 40,000 people are moving from the provinces into the capital, driving a flourishing market in suburban housing development.

As property prices in the center of the city surge, more families are opting for more affordable housing in satellite suburbs on the outskirts of town.

At least 10 housing developments are under construction around the city at present. Examples include Happiness City, Very Lucky City and New World Two.

"Mostly high-ranking officials working with the government will live here," Happiness City's marketing official Sokun Monika was quoted by The Cambodia Daily as saying. He said that villas sell for up to 170,000 US dollars.

Well before its scheduled 2007 opening, it has sold almost all its 300 villas and apartments, Sokun Monika added.

However, Chhuon Sothi, chief of the Municipality's Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction Department, said recently that the construction of apartments is enjoying a windfall on the market for the time being, but in the next three or four years, the market could peak.

And the lack of standards for local architecture, engineering and construction firms is inhibiting Cambodian companies from competing with their foreign counterparts.

The country's entrance into the World Trade Organization urges local companies to become more competitive, ultimately developing the domestic construction industry.

Cambodia has 35 architecture companies, 58 engineering companies and 212 construction firms.

ASEAN sets up development fund to bridge economic gap between members

2005-07-27T21:38:00.000+07:00

VIENTIANE : Southeast Asian foreign ministers agreed on Tuesday to set up an ASEAN Development Fund aimed at narrowing the economic and development gap among its 10 members.

Each country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) group would contribute an initial US$1 million to the fund, according to an agreement signed by the foreign ministers meeting in Laos.

Malaysia, which has taken over the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN from Laos, would add an additional US$500,000 on top of its contribution, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said.

The fund would be used to finance programmes aimed at reducing a considerable development gap between its bigger and older members the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and newer members Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.

It would serve as a "common pool of financial resources" to support a six-year plan signed during an ASEAN leaders' summit in December which focuses on deepening regional integration as it moves towards its goal of a single market by 2020.

Other public or private entities were welcome to contribute to the fund
which would be managed by the ASEAN Secretariat.

Brunei is the 10th member of ASEAN. -

Cambodia to join OPCW

2005-07-27T21:35:00.000+07:00

BRUSSELS- Cambodia is to join the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) next month, making it the 170th member state of the OPCW, the OPCW announced on Monday.

"The Kingdom of Cambodia deposited its instrument of ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) with the United Nations Secretary-General on 19 July 2005 and will become the 170th State Party to the Convention and a Member State of the OPCW on 18 August 2005," said an OPCW press release sent to Xinhua on Monday.

According to the CWC rules, thirty days after the deposit of its instrument of ratification, an applicant country will become a full member state of the OPCW.

"Cambodia is the ninth member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to join the Convention. Cambodia`s ratification brings Asia closer to universal membership as only a few States in Asia remain outside the jurisdiction of the Convention," said the OPCW.

The CWC is an international, multilateral disarmament treaty which bans the development, production, stockpiling, transfer and use of chemical weapons.

The States Parties to the CWC are obligated to declare any chemical weapons-related activities, to secure and destroy any stockpiles of chemical weapons within the stipulated deadlines, as well as to inactivate and eliminate any chemical weapons production capacity within their jurisdiction.

The CWC entered into force in 1997 and mandated the OPCW to eliminate chemical weapons forever. The OPCW verifies the irreversible destruction of declared chemical weapons stockpiles, as well as the elimination of all declared chemical weapons production facilities.

Cambodia's PM reaffirms support for Khmer Rouge trial

2005-07-26T07:19:00.000+07:00

British foreign office minister Ian Pearson has met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to discuss a trial of former Khmer Rouge leaders.

Mr Pearson says the premier told him he wants to push ahead with a UN-backed trial of ex-Khmer Rouge leaders, for which funding and staffing is being finalised.

Britain is contributing towards the expense of the trial which is expected to cost 56 million US dollars.

Pol Pot's 1975-79 Khmer Rouge regime is held responsible for the deaths of up to two million Cambodians, but no surviving leader has ever faced justice.

Cambodian drought eases but some areas face food shortfall

2005-07-25T19:16:00.000+07:00

PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Cambodia's worst drought in 50 years has eased with rainfall since last month across much of the impoverished country but some areas may still face food shortages, a senior minister said.

AFP/File Photo: Cambodian children walk
in a dried irrigation canal in search of crabs in the drought-hit...

At least 14 of Cambodia's 24 provinces were hit by drought this year, with up to 700,000 Cambodians suffering from food shortages due to poor rice harvests.

"For several weeks there has been a lot of rainfall across Cambodia but it has missed some areas, such as Kampong Speu, Kandal and Takeo provinces," senior minister Tao Seng Huor told reporters on Monday.

The minister, also vice chairman of the Council for Agriculture and Rural Development, said the rice crop in the predominantly rural kingdom was expected to be larger than last year.

"If the drought ends and there are no floods then rice production for the rainy season could equal that of 2003, which was 3.8 million tonnes," he said after talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen and Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun.

Rainy season production in 2004 dipped to 3.1 million tonnes, according to agriculture ministry figures.

"At the national level we are not worried about food shortages but some areas may face shortages," he said, noting that forecasters were predicting a short dry spell to hit in August.

The monsoon season in Cambodia typically lasts from late April to November with harvesting from December to February.

Tao Seng Huor said the government would next month boost efforts to encourage farmers to plant crops requiring less water such as corns and beans. Hun Sen has already made such pleas with farmers.

Thousands of Cambodia's cows hit by foot-and-month disease

2005-07-25T19:13:00.000+07:00

PHNON PENH, July 25 (Xinhuanet) -- Thousands of Cambodian cattle and oxen have been hit by foot-and-month disease since the beginning of the rainy season, local newspaper The Cambodia Daily reported Monday.

The disease, which weakens adult animals and kills calves, has affected Kompong Chhnang and Kompong Thom provinces the most, Yim Voeunthan, Agriculture Ministry secretary of state was quoted as saying.

"There are more than 10,000 sick animals in Kompong Chhnang," he said. "This is a forest area and cows are easily infected from the water flowing from the forest."

Yim Voeunthan said that vaccines have been given to 1.5 millionoxen nationwide to control the spread of the disease.

"This year is the worst ever for this disease," Deputy Governorof Kompong Chhnang King Sarim said.

In developed countries, mass slaughter of infected cows is the recommended procedure, but Cambodians are too poor for this policy,the newspaper said.

Yim Voeunthan said that Cambodia cannot export cattle because foot-and-mouth disease is widespread in the country. Cow and buffaloes are the main livelihoods for many Cambodian farmers. Enditem

Prince Ranariddh applauses FUNCINPEC-CPP relations

2005-07-25T19:11:00.000+07:00

Phnom Penh (VNA) - Cambodia's National Assembly President Prince Norodom Ranariddh has affirmed that FUNCINPEC, which is led by himself, and the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) with Prime Minister Hun Sen as its Vice Chairman, will continue cooperating for a long time in national governance, management, construction and development, because their cooperation remains indispensable in maintaining durable stability and long-term peace in the country.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith, who is also a CPP spokesman, said stability and development are the most important necessities for Cambodia, and the Cambodian people and the CPP will give their full support to national reconciliation between political parties in the country.

According to newspapers in Cambodia, since the ruling alliance, made up of the CPP and FUNCINPEC, was founded in July 2004, leaders of the two parties in general, and Prime Minister Hun Sen and National Assembly President Norodom Ranariddh in particular, have praised each other for their national governance and leadership.-Enditem

UK Minister to Visit Cambodia

2005-07-25T08:04:00.000+07:00

UK Foreign Office Minister for Trade Ian Pearson MP will visit Cambodia, Thailand and Laos from 25 - 29 July.

From 25-26 July Mr Pearson will visit Cambodia. He will meet Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen, members of the British community in Phnom Penh and a local NGO training former street children in the catering industry.

In Thailand, from 26-27 July, the Minister will meet Deputy Prime Minister Dr Surakiart Sathirathai and other senior Ministers. The visit will focus on the burgeoning trade and investment relationship between the UK and Thailand. Last year, the UK was the second largest European exporter to Thailand, whilst the UK was Thailand's largest export market in Europe.

From 28-29 July, the Minister will attend the EU/ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference and the ASEAN Regional Forum Meeting in Laos alongside Javier Solana, the EU's high representative. The main topics for discussion will be regional security, trade and counter-terrorism.

Speaking ahead of his trip, Mr Pearson said:

"I look forward to meeting Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh, and raising issues of mutual interest including the forthcoming Khmer Rouge tribunal and good governance issues. One of the Foreign Office's international crime priorities is helping Cambodia to tackle child sex tourism and to assist the victims of the trade. During my visit, I will attend a training session for Cambodian police on using a UK-funded child sex offenders register, and see the Cambodian version of ChildLine, where cases of abuse can be reported in confidence.

"In Thailand I will learn what further opportunities there are for UK businesses to invest in the growing market there. I will be giving a speech to the British Chamber of Commerce, setting out the benefits for Thai companies looking to invest in the UK.

"At the meetings in Vientiane the EU will push forward the World Trade Organisation agenda, and discuss how we can enhance counter-terrorism cooperation within the region. This will be a key opportunity to raise our concerns about Burma in bilateral meetings with Asian countries."

Cambodia weathering global trade changes

2005-07-25T08:03:00.000+07:00

Cambodia's garment sector has bounced back after the end of a global quota system saw orders dip because of competition from China.

The $US 1.9-billion sector provides more than 80 percent of the kingdom's export earnings and employs some 270,000 people.

For the first few months after the end of the quota system in January, orders shifted to China.

But by May, the United States, which buys more than three-quarters of Cambodia's exports, had imposed quotas on seven types of textiles from China.

The European Union, which purchases most of the rest of Cambodia's production, took similar action in June.

Cambodia keen on farming plan with Thailand

2005-07-25T07:59:00.000+07:00

The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry is upbeat at the enthusiasm shown by Cambodia towards contract farming under a regional cooperation scheme to foster ties with neighbouring countries.

Contract farming under the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (Acmecs) was high up on the agenda of the four-day talks between members of the two countries' agriculture ministries that ended on Wednesday.

Thailand plans to introduce contract farming in Cambodia's Battambang, Oddar Meanchey, Siem Reap and Banteay Meanchey provinces along the Thai border. Target crops are soybean, maize, castor bean, tapioca and palm.

''Cambodia wanted to know more about contract farming and showed great interest in our proposal. We will send a team there to introduce new planting techniques to Cambodian farmers,'' Suthiporn Chirapanda, the ministry's deputy permanent secretary, said.

Acmecs, initiated by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is aimed at strengthening cooperation in tourism, agricultural and industrial development, trade and investment, regional transportation links and human resources development.

Members include Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.

Under the proposed contract farming scheme, the Thai private sector will buy selected crops from Cambodian farmers which would be exempt from import tax.

''What we have planned to plant in Cambodia is crops that we usually import from other countries and has no bearing on Thai farmers,'' Mr Suthiporn said, citing maize, which Thailand imports over two million tonnes a year from overseas. The ministry's main concern now was the quality of crops that would emerge from Cambodia, which may not be up to standard, a ministry source said.

''Everything is very new for Cambodia, so we need time for them to adjust to the new system and technology. We don't want to speed up all the projects,'' the source said.

PM urges further cooperation between Ha Noi and Phnom Penh

2005-07-23T19:57:00.000+07:00

Ha Noi, July 22 (VNA) - Prime Minister Phan Van Khai has urged Viet Nam's capital city of Ha Noi and its Cambodian counterpart, Phnom Penh, to strengthen cooperation in the future.

Talking to Phnom Penh's Governor Kep Chuk Tema in Ha Noi on July 22, PM Khai said Ha Noi and Phnom Penh should increase their cooperation in all areas, including trade and tourism, and broaden consultation on urban planning and management.

"The Vietnamese Government encourages Ha Noi and Phnom Penh to implement cooperation programmes, contributing to and boosting the traditional friendship between the two capital cities and peoples," Khai stressed.

The visiting Governor thanked PM Khai for his comments and praised the socio-economic achievements of Viet Nam in general and of Ha Noi in particular. He expressed his desire to boost cooperation with Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City in housing, urban management among other areas. Particularly, he said he hopes a branch of the Ho Chi Minh City-based Cho Ray Hospital will open in Phnom Penh. - Enditem

Inspectors of Viet Nam, Cambodia bolster cooperation

2005-07-23T19:54:00.000+07:00

Ha Noi, July 22 (VNA) - Viet Nam and Cambodia have signed minutes of inspection cooperation under which the two sides will intensify the exchange of information and Viet Nam will organise professional training courses for a number of Cambodian inspectors.

The minutes were signed after talks between Vietnamese Government Chief Inspector Quach Le Thanh, and the Cambodian Minister of Relations with the National Assembly, Senate and Inspection Men Sam An.

During a working visit to Cambodia from July 18-22, the Vietnamese delegation was welcomed by Prime Minister Hun Sen who spoke highly of the two countries' cooperation in inspection work. He stressed the important role played by inspection affairs, saying that it is necessary for all nations to enhance inspection cooperation as the fight against negative phenomena and corruption is not a national butaglobal issue.-Enditem

Cambodian rights groups voice anger over forced return of Vietnamese

2005-07-22T07:44:00.000+07:00

A coalition of Cambodian human rights groups has condemned the forced repatriation of 107 Vietnamese Montagnards to their homeland, claiming violence was used to make them leave Cambodia.

On Wednesday, Cambodian authorities escorted the Montagnards back to Vietnam after the United Nations turned down their request for refugee status.

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee says there should be no forced returns of Montagnards to Vietnam and that any repatriations of Montagnards from Cambodia should be voluntary.

The 18-member coalition says the returnees could be in danger of torture in Vietnam.

Montagnards, a largely Christian hilltribe first arrived en masse in Cambodia from Vietnam's Central Highlands in 2001, because of land confiscation and religious persecution.

In January, Vietnam, Cambodia and the United Nations refugee agency agreed to resettle the Montagnard asylum seekers to a third country or repatriate the ethnic minority arrivals back to Vietnam if they wished.

Women infected with AIDS increase in Cambodia

2005-07-21T17:26:00.000+07:00

PHNOM PENH, July 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Cambodia's women infected with HIV/AIDS have increased at an alarming rate in recent years, local media reported on Thursday.

Since 1997, more women than men are infected with HIV/AIDS eachyear, though efforts made to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS has resulted a drop in cases in Cambodia from 2.1 percent in 2002 to 1.9 percent last year.

According to the Ministry of Health, 60 percent of HIV/AIDS patients were women between 2003 and 2004. Among 100 women with HIV/AIDS, 42 were housewives infected by their husbands.

This trend may be more a social than a health problem, officials warned on Wednesday at a national forum. Women are afraid of being hit by their husbands if they suggest using condoms, The Cambodia Daily quoted Thida Khus, executive director of the Cambodian NGO Siaka, as saying.

Officials call for giving women greater importance in society, saying if they feel valued, women will be more comfortable negotiating with their husbands and protecting themselves and their children from infection. Enditem

WHO: Cambodia one of nations hardest hit by TB

2005-07-21T17:24:00.000+07:00

PHNOM PENH, July 21 (Xinhuanet) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has singled out Cambodia as one of the countries hardest hit by tuberculosis (TB), local press reported on Thursday.

With 70,000 people infected with the respiratory illness each year, TB killed 107 people for every 100,000 Cambodians last year, according to WHO estimation on Wednesday.

The global health body has set a specific strategy for Cambodia to fight the illness, calling for the provision of TB-specific treatment programs, an 85 percent recovery rate and the identification of 70 percent of all cases of BK, a new strain of TB, Khmer newspaper Island of Peace reported.

Approximately 33,000 of the 70,000 TB patients have tested positive for BK, Mao Tan Eang, director of the National Tuberculosis Center, was quoted by Rasmei Kampuchea as saying. He said 225 of every 100,000 Cambodians develop BK each year, while 508 of every 100,000 Cambodians are infected with all forms of TB.

Speaking at the National Tuberculosis Center's biannual evaluation meeting on Wednesday, Mao Tan Eang said Cambodia discovered 35 percent of BK or 10,500 positive patients in the first half of this year, Chinese newspaper Jian Hua Daily said.

Last year, Cambodia cured 90 percent of TB cases, identified 64 percent of BK cases and provided treatment to 100 percent of all TB cases. Meanwhile, the government spends 6 million to 7 million US dollars annually on the fight against TB. Enditem

UN approves Khmer Rouge tribunal location

2005-07-21T07:57:00.000+07:00

Phnom Penh (VNA) - The United Nations has approved the newly-constructed military headquarters on the outskirts of Phnom Penh as the venue for the planned Khmer Rouge tribunal, according to the Cambodia Daily.

The decision was made during a recent closed-door meeting in New York between the UN and representatives from countries that are involved in the tribunal, said a diplomat who asked not to be identified.

"The group of Interested States is of the view that the UN should accept the premises offered by the Royal Cambodian Government at the Royal Armed Forces High Command headquarters" for the tribunal, the diplomat quoted the meeting's minutes as saying.

The meeting ended with the representatives agreeing to notify the Cambodian government of the decision. Originally, the tribunal was to have been held at two sites in Phnom Penh, namely Chaktomuk Theatre and the National Cultural Centre. But the government said using the military headquarters will save money and simplify the logistical requirements.-Enditem

Montagnards Deported from Cambodia to Vietnam

2005-07-21T07:45:00.000+07:00

Cambodia has deported more than 100 members of the Montagnard ethnic minority to Vietnam, after a UN agency ruled they do not qualify for refugee status. Human rights officials are concerned the asylum seekers could be heading home to a hostile country.

Cambodian police with shields and electric batons blocked off the street leading to a UN refugee camp in the capital's suburbs early this morning, to prevent Montagnards from fleeing the compound before police loaded them into buses headed for Vietnam.

The Montagnards had slipped across the Cambodian border over the past several months, seeking asylum from what they say is a brutally oppressive government. They claim Vietnam has persecuted them for their Christian beliefs and taken their ancestral land in central Vietnam's highlands.

But the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said this group of Montagnards did not qualify for refugee status, which would allow them to resettle in a third country.

UNHCR associate protection officer Inna Gladkova said the UN refugee agency had fulfilled its obligations to the Montagnards, with the asylum seekers going through a thorough interview and appeal process. Other Montagnards are still in Cambodia awaiting a ruling.

Human rights groups have condemned the deportations and criticized the Cambodian government for forcing the asylum seekers back to Vietnam.

Ny Chakrya, head of the monitoring section at the local rights group ADHOC, says the Montagnards could not be assured of security at home.

"We have concern that the UNHCR has not a monitor or has not office to monitor on the Montagnards who was today returned," said Ny Chakrya. "The problem is that the Vietnamese government can threaten or can make a problem with the Montagnards because we have information that Vietnam government punish some Montagnards who were returned."

Through police radios, the sound of Montagnards crying and shouting behind the camp's tall fence could be heard as officers ordered them onto the buses that would take them to the border. Members of the group tearfully peered through the bus windows or covered their heads as the vehicles drove away flanked by a half dozen police cars and motorcycles blaring sirens.

Speaking by phone from inside the camp before the deportations, Montagnard Romas Ing said the group does not want to live in Cambodia or the US. He said they want to live in Vietnam, but only if they have freedom and their land is returned.

ASEAN in tariffs progress

2005-07-21T07:42:00.000+07:00

Martin Abbugao

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is said to be on track to achieve a zero-tariff regime by 2015, a key ingredient for its ambitious plan to create a single market and production base by 2020.

Regional trade officials said the 10-member group was working its way through the difficulties of implementing the proposed ASEAN Free Trade Area.

The process has been fraught with problems due to the wide variations in economic development of the nations, from wealthy Singapore at one end of the spectrum to Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam at the other.

Overall, AFTA aims to abolish tariffs on traded goods by 2010 for Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei and Thailand, the most developed nations of the group collectively known as the ASEAN 6.

Tariffs for the four poorer countries will be wiped out by 2015.

While trade is not normally a frontline issue at ASEAN's annual foreign ministers' meeting, the issue of economic integration is expected to be touched at this year's session in Laos next week.

ASEAN trade officials point out the successes for the region - a market of 550 million people with a combined gross domestic product of US$1 trillion (HK$7.8 trillion) - since the AFTA process began in 1993. In particular, the ASEAN 6 have already trimmed tariffs on goods in their inclusion list to not more than 5 percent as of 2003.

Vietnam was given until 2006 to slash tariffs to 0-5 percent, Laos has until 2008, while Burma and Cambodia have until 2010.

Thai exports to the region rose to US$21.2 billion in 2004 from US$6.5 billion in 1993, and ASEAN has become Thailand's largest export market.

But analysts say the group still has many big challenges to overcome if it is to realize its AFTA goals, particularly in removing protectionist barriers on certain sectors deemed ``sensitive'' to domestic interests.

The group must also ensure that members' tariff liberalization commitments are honored and prod the bloc's less-developed members to include more products in a basket headed for tariff cuts.

Moreover, ASEAN should also speed up implementation of non-tariff measures - another pillar in the overall goal to create a European Union-style economic community by 2020 or earlier.

``ASEAN has a window of opportunity in which it is still viewed as a major and important trading bloc,'' said Ernest Bower, a US business consultant and former president of the US-ASEAN Business Council. ``China and India are growing fast, and in the process they are drawing attention away from an ASEAN viewed as not entirely serious about economic integration.''

Already, some ASEAN countries have sought to protect certain industries under an AFTA provision allowing the temporary exclusion of certain sectors from tariff reductions.

Malaysia has sought a delay in the opening up of its auto sector, sparking a demand for compensation from Thailand, a regional manufacturing base for the world's major carmakers.

The Philippines asked to protect its nascent petrochemical industry.

Singapore's trade ministry said it had conducted bilateral talks with Manila on the issue and this was resolved amicably.

ASEAN's biggest member, Indonesia, has also put rice and sugar on a ``highly sensitive'' list of items that are to be excluded from drastic tariff cuts, according to Indonesian trade ministry spokesman Imam Pambagyo. He said Indonesia expects rice and sugar to be liberalized in 10 to 15 years.

Vietnam has asked for a delay in opening up the automobile accessories and light trucks market, which again led to negotiations for compensation with Thailand.

Some other countries may ask to protect certain sectors when the deadline to slash tariffs to 0-5 percent draws nearer. But Bower said ASEAN should put a stop to ``backsliding and side-deals'' if it wished to be seen as a unified market, especially as it negotiates free-trade deals with neighbors like China, Japan and India. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Thailand inks contract-farming deal with Cambodia

2005-07-20T20:27:00.000+07:00

BANGKOK, July 20 (TNA) – Thailand pledged to help develop farming for a number of plants in Cambodia that will supply the feedstock industry.

Speaking after hosting the second meeting of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Committee on Agricultural Development, Mr. Suthiporn Jiraphan, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Agriculture and Co-operatives said Thailand is going to offer technical support for Cambodia to grow canola oil seeds, cassava, soy, maize and oil palms. The Cambodian delegation to the meeting was led by Mr. San Vanty, Mr. Suthiporn’s counterpart.

The transfer of technology is incorporated in the contract farming agreement, in which Thailand will also offer expertise in post-harvest technology and processing. Meanwhile, Thailand can buy produce of these trees to produce feed stock and alternative energy.

Cambodia will benefit from income generation to the farmers as well as the technology. At the same time, Thailand gets to buy the raw materials it needs, said Mr. Suthiporn. Currently, Thailand has to import about two million tonnes of maize to produce chicken feed.

The areas identified to pilot these projects are in the provinces near the border such as Udonmeanchey,Siem Reap and Battambang where transport link is easy to enable regular follow-up. (TNA)-E007

Cambodian-Australian man convinced of drug trafficking

2005-07-20T20:21:00.000+07:00

PHNOM PENH, July 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Phnom Penh municipal court convicted a Cambodian-Australian man of cross-border drug trafficking, sentencing him to 18 years in prison and a 10,000 US dollars fine, The Cambodian Press Review reported Wednesday.

Yen Karat, 23, was ruled on Tuesday guilty of trafficking two kilograms of heroin in late January. His uncle, Ek Sam Oeun, was also sentenced to 10 years in prison for transporting drugs.

Ek Sam Oeun, a 48-year-old farmer in Kandal province, admitted he stored machines for Yen Karat, but said he did not know they were used to package heroin. He said he threw the equipment in his toilet after receiving orders from Yen Karat.

The Municipal Court also sentenced in absentia two Australian citizens to 18 and 19 years in prison plus a 10,00 dollars fine respectively, Khmer newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea said.

Trafficking in drugs and other illicit items become a chronic problem in Cambodia in recent years despite that the government has strengthened the law enforcement and border security. Enditem

Cambodian police break up Vietnam refugee protest

2005-07-20T17:10:00.000+07:00

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodian riot police on Wednesday broke up a protest by ethnic minority asylum seekers against the forced return of over 100 of their people to Vietnam, human rights workers and the United Nations said.

Around 30 Montagnards, the mainly Christian tribespeople from Vietnam's Central Highlands, staged a brief demonstration outside offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Phnom Penh.

But their protest against Wednesday morning's repatriation of 101 Montagnards to Vietnam, where human rights workers say they face persecution, was cut short by the arrival of riot police.

"Some of them got upset about the return of these people to Vietnam and they got out of the (asylum seekers' holding) center," Inna Gladkova, a UNHCR official. "But police escorted them back to the shelter. They are fine now."

Gladkova said the 101 had been sent back to Vietnam after the UNHCR rejected their claims for asylum. Another 541 Montagnards, many of them women and children, are in UNHCR holding centers in Phnom Penh while their claims are processed.

Vietnam's government, accused of rights abuses against the Montagnards who sided with the Americans during the Vietnam War, has given assurances that returnees will not face discrimination.

However, human rights workers said the way Cambodian police went about sending them back did not bode well.

"They dragged them into the trucks," said Naly Pilorge, director of human rights group LICADHO. She said at least three human rights observers had seen police wielding electric batons to force the Montagnards, including women and children, on board.

Phnom Penh police chief Heng Peov denied officers used excessive force. A Reuters television cameraman covering the subsequent protest was forced by police to erase his footage.

Since 2001, well over 1,000 Montagnards have been granted asylum in the United States after fleeing to Cambodia from central Vietnam.

However, there have been consistent reports of Cambodian troops rounding up Montagnards and sending them back for a bounty, leading to accusations Phnom Penh is taking direct orders from its larger neighbor not to admit refugees.

Cambodia to hold first film festival since 1990

2005-07-20T17:09:00.000+07:00

PHNOM PENH, July 20 (Xinhuanet) -- Cambodia is to hold its first film festival in 15 years, local media reported on Wednesday.

The film festival featuring recent Cambodian films will take place from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2, khim Sarith, secretary of state of Ministry of Culture, announced Tuesday.

"The aim of the film festival is to promote Cambodia's film industry to a new high level through exchanges and learning from each other," he said.

Cambodia's films produced in 2004 and 2005 and with more than 90-minute long will be eligible for the first festival since 1990. Ministry of Culture Undersecretary Som Sokun said that 53 Cambodian films were made last year and 32 so far this year, despite lack of film or acting schools.

"The number of productions is increasing but the quality is lacking," he was quoted by The Cambodia Daily as saying.

Cambodia's film-making had its heyday in the 1960s and early 1970s, led by the prolific productions of former King Norodom Sihanouk, who produced, directed, wrote, acted, and scored 28 films.

Films again sputtered into production in the late 1980s but their dismal quality and competition from cheap imported movies saw them peter out. Cambodia's film revival started in 2000 and has developed gradually since then. Enditem

Blogs Taking Off in Cambodia

2005-07-20T17:08:00.000+07:00

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Like many young Cambodians just now getting used to the idea of surfing the web, Mean Lux only recently heard about blogs. But his work traveling this country's back roads may soon bring a rush of Cambodians to the blogosphere.

As part of a project launched by a pro-democracy nonprofit, Mean spent most of June in dusty provincial capitals showing high-school and university students how to publish an online diary.

In an interview last week, he said the most common question was whether people in other countries could read blogs from Cambodia. He said they could.

"They also asked, 'How will people know where my blog is?' I said, 'How will they know what your phone number is? It is the same way,'" he said.

In one town, Mean wasn't able to get a reliable connection to the internet, which is not surprising considering that until two years ago, net access in Cambodia was only available in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, a tourist destination in the north. (The International Telecommunication Union estimated that only 25 in 10,000 Cambodians were net users in 2003, one of the lowest internet-penetration rates in Asia.)

Nonetheless, about a dozen students who attended Mean's training sessions were inspired to create their own English-language blogs after the three-hour workshop.

One of those blogs, called Youth Vision, contains five brief postings written in rough English. Another, entitled Cambodian Children, laments the fact that many Cambodian children can't go to school because their families are too poor, or because they do not live near a school or have access to transportation.

Nearly all of the blogs are heavy on photos. And much like Cambodia's stale, state-run television news, many of the images are unremarkable group photos from official-looking meetings and training sessions.

For example, a blog entitled Battambang Network reports on a workshop held at a university in Battambang, a provincial capital near the Thai border.

"Fifty-five Youth Network members attend(ed) the meeting, including 10 monks," the post said.

Other blogs keep it light, looking at the new venue as a way to network with others: "What are you doing? How are you?... If you have free time, can you join with us?" asks the blogger behind sonn-veasna, in what is a typical first post for many of the trainees.

Despite the modest beginnings, the local office of the International Republican Institute, or IRI, which sponsored the project, is excited about the potential for Cambodian blogs to generate more political dialogue.

"There's a growing interest. It's not overwhelming, but it's growing," said Alex Sutton, the IRI's resident program director.

Officials from IRI came up with the idea for the training workshops after hearing of the website of Cambodia's retired King Norodom Sihanouk.

Sihanouk, a revered figure in Cambodia and a political force for the last 60 years, has published his scanned-in, handwritten scribblings online since 2002. He often comments, usually in French, in the margins of local news articles and hasn't hesitated to criticize Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his government. His writings have prompted sharp responses from Hun Sen in public speeches.

"The reality is that internet access is limited," Sutton said last week. "But the value of blogs is not in who is doing it. It is the power of how much conversation it then generates face to face, or on radio or television. It's the buzz they create."

Blogs in Khmer, the official language of Cambodia, would create even more of a buzz. At least that's the thinking of the coordinator of a group planning to unveil Khmer-language blog software in the next month.

"Our purpose is to foster and facilitate communication for democracy. Blogging fits really well into that," said Javier Sola, coordinator of Open Forum of Cambodia's Khmer Software Initiative.

Cambodia has a free press law, implemented in the 1990s in the aftermath of its 1993 U.N.-sponsored election. But the government has authoritarian tendencies, and it's common for politicians to sue newspapers -- as well as other politicians -- for defamation.

But young people make up most of the country's population (the median age in Cambodia was under 20 in 2004), and one of the more inspiring sights in Phnom Penh is the rows of English-language schools behind the royal palace, where high-school and university students flock for private lessons in the afternoon and evening. Studying computers is also popular, and Cambodian youth enthusiastically take to new technologies, such as text messaging, as soon as they're introduced.

Harvard University's Global Voices Online, which recently predicted that the Cambodian blogosphere was "ready to take off," lists more than 20 blogs produced by Cambodians, not counting expatriates and Cambodians living abroad.

Bun Tharum, an Open Forum employee who has been blogging since June 2004, has ventured beyond his usual personal observations of life around Phnom Penh in recent weeks. He posted parts of a local news article on government corruption and about the problem of domestic violence.

Bun Tharum writes his twice-a-week postings at internet cafes on weekends, or at the office during the week. Whether he will start writing serious criticisms of the government is still in question.

"Oh, I'm afraid to. But maybe I'll start later," he said. "As more people learn to blog, then I think the government will try to shut them down."

Mean, who conducted the provincial trainings, recently started his own blog and has invited his friends to post as well.

Photos of his workshops make up most of the entries. In one post, he calls the Battambang training, in which several blogs were created, "a good start."

Microchip saves rare Cambodian turtle from landing in Chinese soup pot

2005-07-20T17:06:00.000+07:00

Wildlife Conservation Society Field Veterinarian Martin Gilbert of Britain shows "the lucky royal turtle" a rare and endangered terrapin that likely was headed for a Chinese soup pot but saved by keen-eyed wildlife officers and a tiny microchip at his house in Phnom Penh. (AP/Andy Eames)

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - They're calling him "the lucky royal turtle" - he's an endangered reptile that was saved from a Chinese soup pot by keen-eyed wildlife officers and a tiny microchip.

He was taken from a Cambodian river two months ago and toted across the Vietnamese border on a motorbike, along with a stash of other, more common, turtles. Conservationists say that at 15 kilograms, the animal was sure to have fetched a good price when it reached the smuggler's destination - food markets in China.

Turtle meat is a delicacy in China, and is often made into soup.

But a raid on the smuggler's house in southern Vietnam saved the turtle, and wildlife officers were surprised to see how big he was, and later, the microchip in his wrinkly skin.

The microchip pinpointed the turtle's exact home, where he is now being shipped back to.

He was shipped back to Cambodia last week and is undergoing health checks before being released back into the wild.

Experts say there are only about two to eight females remaining there, making this adult male turtle's return even more vital. It was tagged for research two years ago and had not been seen until its discovery in Vietnam.

Many Asian turtles are in danger because of the thriving trade in animals in the region, where a species' rarity can add to its value on a menu or as a traditional medicine.

The Batagur baska is found only in parts of India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia, and populations have been sharply declining in recent years.

After being rescued, the Vietnamese wildlife officials consulted an endangered species book, then called Doug Hendrie, an Asian turtle specialist in Hanoi for the New York-based World Conservation Society, and told him they thought they had a Batagur baska, or Asian river terrapin.

At first, Hendrie thought the wildlife officers must be joking.

"I was very surprised when I heard they had a Batagur baska down there," said Hendrie, who also works for the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. "Initially I said, 'What else do they have? A lion? A zebra?"'

But a photo soon confirmed it was indeed a Batagur baska, a species thought to have disappeared in Cambodia until it was rediscovered in 2001. Conservationists later began tagging the animals with tracking devices and monitoring their nests, and King Norodom Sihamoni personally ordered their protection.

On one river in western Malaysia, 690 Batagur baska turtles were found in 1999, compared to only 40 last year, Hendrie said.

"Every single turtle is important to the population," he said. "This was the first case where an animal had been transferred back to where it came from in Cambodia. It was a landmark event."

Analysis: Dragon breathes down the Tigers' neck in textiles

2005-07-20T07:49:00.001+07:00

By Ng Boon Yian

SINGAPORE - With the high-profile textile trade row between China and the US hogging recent headlines, scant attention has been paid on how the less developed economies in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) have been coping with the lifting of textile quotas since the Multifiber Agreement expired at the start of this year.

Textiles and apparel are a principal export item for some countries such as Cambodia, Laos and Indonesia. The tectonic shift in the textile trade landscape since China jumped into the fray has certainly caused some impact on the textile and apparel industries in ASEAN. Contrary to popular fears, however, the regional industries did not immediately tank when vast Chinese exports flooded major markets in the West.

According to the US Department of Commerce, ASEAN's total exports of textile and apparel to the United States fell by just 1.62% in the first four months of 2005 compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, China's cheap exports, not surprisingly, saw a big rise of 44.95%. While the overall impact on ASEAN does not seem so severe, the picture becomes more interesting when the figures for the textile and apparel industries are examined separately.

In this light, it is clear that ASEAN's textile industries, rather than garment production, are bearing the brunt of competitive forces from low-cost powerhouses like China. In fact, while ASEAN's textile exports to the US fell 19.3%, its apparel exports actually rose by 7.9%, as all ASEAN apparel exports - except from the Philippines and Singapore - reaped gains in the first four months of the year.

Even as China is now the biggest exporter of apparel to the US with an 18.2% market share, ASEAN is not far behind with 17.2%. This suggests that ASEAN countries' apparel industries may be more resilient than is generally believed. To be sure, these indicators should be taken tentatively as it is too early to posit a long-term trend from the early figures. This is especially so since apparel buyers are not likely to shift their buying patterns too quickly so as to avoid supply chain disruption. Meanwhile, China can still be restrained from fully flexing its textile muscles because of safeguard quotas, which WTO (World Trade Organization) member countries can, until 2013, impose to restrict Chinese imports - as the US recently did.

Despite these caveats, since the Chinese textile machine kicked into overdrive, media reports suggest that it has caused painful fallout for a number of small developing countries that are dependent on textiles for exports. The latest cry of pain came from South Africa, where textile workers are clamoring for protection against the surge of cheap Chinese imports; about 75,000 jobs in the industry have been lost since 2002.

The ASEAN region, too, is not free from such transition pains, particularly on the textile front. These have been manifested in terms of factory closings, job losses or even the lowering of labor standards. Take Indonesia, for instance. According to the latest labor survey, some 300,000 jobs were lost in the textile-weaving sector in 2004. The problem is likely to worsen, given that the country's textile exports to the US fell by 21.2% in the first four months of this year, compared to the same period last year. Malaysia and the Philippines were also badly hit, as their exports fell by 31.8% and 44.6% respectively.

Like South Africa, the flood of cheap imported textiles from China - legal as well as illegal - is displacing a lot of local jobs. But how cheap is cheap? In Indonesia, for example, a meter of locally made polyester reportedly costs Rp7,000 (71 US cents) compared to Rp2,300 for the Chinese version. The cost savings are therefore irresistible. Add economies of scale to low Chinese prices, and it is simply too difficult for local competitors to maintain reasonable margins and survive.

Amidst the gloom for small low-cost operators, a silver lining in Indonesia, however, is that the mid- to high-end textile manufacturers still remain competitive, as American and European buyers continue to source such supplies there for reasons of price, quality and labor standards compliance, based on a report by the US embassy in Jakarta. While Cambodia has also been suffering from some factory closings and job losses, another social fallout - the lowering of labor standards - has been observed.

As the deluge of made-in-China products push prices down, more employers in Cambodia have allegedly been trying to justify lower pay and longer working hours by waving the "compete with China or perish" card, according to a report by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. This is a step back for Cambodia, which has been carving out a niche for itself by producing clothes with "sweat-free" status for trendy names like Gap, H&M and Levis - an outcome of the 1999 US-Cambodia trade deal in which access to the US market was tied to labor standards.

Although the trade deal no longer holds in the post-quota world, the strategy of protecting labor standards in order to keep sewing up orders from socially conscious companies will be crucial, as Cambodia still cannot compete with China in productivity terms. In fact, according to a World Bank survey of international buyers in 2004, more than 60% of companies who bought apparel from Cambodia said compliance with labor standards was of equal or greater importance than price, quality, and speed of delivery. Companies like Gap and Marks & Spencer are still continuing to source supplies from Cambodia for the same reason.

Given that the Cambodian textile and clothing accounts for 87% of exports and employs about 200,000 workers, it is crucial that the industry holds on to this advantage and stays afloat before other sources of growth can be cultivated. Like Cambodia, Laos too is highly dependent on the textile and clothing industry. However, due to its continued trading privileges with the EU - its largest market - the poverty-stricken country is still relatively shielded from the pressures. This advantage, however, will not last and it is important that Laos find new sources of growth as well.

While Vietnam is watching China's burgeoning exports nervously, it has held its own quite well so far as its exports of textiles and garments to the US rose by 9.8% in January-April 2005, thanks to more productive labor and better infrastructure. The positive outlook has led to more investment into the country's textile industry from big names like Mast Industries, one of the world's largest contract manufacturers, importers and distributors of apparel, including brand names like Abercrombie and Fitch.

Hence, while the overall picture for the region is not one of a total disaster, the challenge from China, particularly as the lower prices cut into profits, is palpable. This, however, does not mean that it is impossible for the ASEAN to maintain its competitive edge. Even if China is the cheapest and the most efficient producer of textiles and garments, it is unlikely that savvy apparel buyers will want to put all their eggs in one basket and make China their sole supplier.

As global garment manufacturing consolidates into a few key nodes, ASEAN could aspire to be one of the key players, especially when it comes to garment production, which still accounts for a chunk of its earnings. To so do, however, ASEAN needs to fine-tune its competitive edge by, for instance, enhancing vertical integration. After all, one of the major advantages that China enjoys is a high level of vertical integration. Garment assembly time has been estimated to be as much as 30% less in many Chinese firms, according to an ASEAN study.

Meanwhile,an efficient infrastructure allows for a short lead time for apparel to be exported through the ports of China and Hong Kong, which is especially important for high-fashion items such as women's and designer clothing. Against this backdrop, it is important that ASEAN hastens its efforts to enhance the regional integration of the textiles and apparel industry - one of the 11 priority areas for such an objective - by, for instance, eliminating all tariffs on the products.

As it will be difficult for ASEAN garments to compete with the likes of China on price, it is crucial that countries in the region work to differentiate their products by design and quality, by investing in research and development in these areas. Given that Western consumers are increasingly sensitive to environmental and labor issues, it is important for countries like Cambodia and Laos to enhance such standards in order to increase the appeal of their products as well as justify the higher prices.

In addition, such product differentiation will help facilitate greater intra-industry trade between China and ASEAN, taking some sting out of the competition from China. Therefore, while the challenge from China appears to be serious at this point, it is not insurmountable if the right measures are taken, quickly.

Ng Boon Yian is a research associate at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore.

Changzhou and Cambodia Sharing a Promising Future

2005-07-20T07:49:00.000+07:00

According to fdi.gov.cn: A 12-person Cambodian delegation led by the country's minister for public projects and transportation recently paid a field visit to the city of Changzhou to learn about its economic and trading potential. The visit was primarily for a study of Qishuyan Locomotives Plant, its equipment and production capacity as well as for cooperative possibilities between the two sides.

Last year, the plant exported 2 combustion locomotives to Cambodia. Zhang Lihang, Vice Mayor of the city briefed the guests on the economic and social aspects of its latest development. He hoped that more cooperation and exchanges could be forged in the future, especially bilateral cooperation in railway transportation. The Cambodian transport minister expressed his gratitude for the warm hospitality extended by his host. He said, after his visit, he would strive to further enhance the bilateral friendship and purchase more combustion locomotives from Changzhou.

Global Witness Employee Kicked Out of Cambodia

2005-07-19T17:31:00.000+07:00

A Global Witness employee was ordered to leave Cambodia as soon as he landed at the Phnom Penh International Airport Monday, according to police sources and sources close to Global Witness.

Cambodian authority did not give details as why the man was forced to leave Cambodia but police said four Global Witness employees are barred from entering Cambodia.

The names of the four foreigners are not revealed but the German man who was turned back to Thailand today was identified as Markoff.

Mac David of Global Witness in Phnom Penh declined to comment on the government's action. He said there will be comment later.

Several years ago, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen threatened to kick the environmental observer out of the country accusing it of reporting inacurrately on the environmental issues in Cambodia by hiring another watchdog group instead.

Global Witness continues to work in Cambodia because of the pressure of donor countries.

Cambodian drug trafficker nabbed

2005-07-19T17:30:00.000+07:00

SA KAEO, Thailand : A Cambodian was arrested yesterday in Aranyaprathet district on charges of drug trafficking, police said.

Ay Tee, 23, was caught with 1,000 methamphetamines in his possession. The drug was hidden in his underwear.

The suspect said he was on his way back to work at an ice-making factory in Bangkok when another Cambodia man approached him in Poi Pet and hired him to deliver the drug to the northern bus terminal.

Analysis: Khmer Rouge tribunal needs more than money

2005-07-19T07:30:00.000+07:00

By NATHANIEL MYERS

After nearly a decade of negotiations and planning, the Khmer Rouge tribunal continues to inch closer to reality in Cambodia.

Earlier this year, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced that pledges from member states now covered the UN's $43 million share of the tribunal's $56.3 million budget.

The process hit a snag in March, however, when the Royal Government of Cambodia unexpectedly announced that it could not cover most of its own share, and appealed to international donors to help it come up with the remaining $11.8 million it owed.

Little progress has been made in the months since. International donors are reluctant to give again, and the Cambodian government has rejected suggestions of a national fund-raising campaign, even though some local business leaders have expressed interest in donating.

Yet, in the midst of this confusion, the government appears to have begun the process of selecting judges and prosecutors to staff the future tribunal, but it has shrouded the process in secrecy. No official list of candidates has been released, and the government has refused to describe the selection process, keeping secret the criteria for evaluation and the timeframe for its undertaking.

Both of these developments are worrying. The first has been taken by some observers to suggest that the government does not fully support the tribunal.

As one observer noted, the government didn't seem to have much trouble finding the millions of dollars needed to pay for damage caused in the infamous anti-Thai riots in 2003. If the tribunal does come to fruition _ as still seems likely _ it may not be able to count on full cooperation from the government. At the same time, the lack of transparency in the jurist selection process suggests that the court may not take place in the open and transparent manner advocates had hoped.

This would be a tragedy. The Khmer Rouge tribunal holds great potential benefits for the Cambodian people; chief among them is its potential impact on the deeply troubled judicial system. A tribunal that respected international norms of fairness and due process would provide a powerful example to the national system, and could inspire increased independence and reform while dealing a significant blow to the entrenched culture of impunity.

At the end of this month, the consultative group of leading foreign donors is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Hun Sen to discuss progress on commitments made last December.

Donors have already done much for the tribunal, but their work is not done. In order for the tribunal to make good on its potential for the Cambodian people, it is now clear that these major donors will have to exercise their political influence on its behalf. At their upcoming meeting with Mr Hun Sen, they should push the following three points:

First, the selection process for judges, lawyers and court staff must be made open and transparent. The public deserves to know who is being considered, what criteria will be used to evaluate them, and when decisions will be made. Civil society, particularly those NGOs who work in the legal sector, should be approached for comments and recommendations.

Second, the government must explain, to donors and the public alike, how it plans to cover its share of the tribunal's budget. It cannot expect donors to rush to bail it out, and it must adequately explain why it rejected the idea of a national fund-raiser.

Though not all Cambodians can afford to donate money, many have suggested they would like to give as a way of feeling involved in the process of holding the former Khmer Rouge leaders accountable.

At the absolute least, the government should accept donations offered freely by private citizens.

Third, donors should impress upon the government the importance of a successful tribunal outreach campaign to educate the general population. There have long been misconceptions amongst the public as to how the tribunal will work and who it will prosecute; it is time they be cleared up.

Such misunderstandings have the potential to ferment unrest _ particularly if former Khmer Rouge cadres mistakenly fear they may be jailed _ and they will certainly lead to disappointment with the tribunal when victims notice that ex-Khmer Rouge in their communities are still at liberty.

Though many Cambodian NGOs are preparing outreach programmes, their plans do not excuse the government from its own responsibility to educate. Mr Hun Sen could begin to demonstrate his commitment to a successful process by recording public service announcements for radio and television which introduce and describe the tribunal. Donors have much to discuss and there is much work that still needs to be done in Cambodia to help its people. But given the enormous potential and equally enormous cost of the Khmer Rouge tribunal, it deserves a high place on the agenda.

Nathaniel Myers is an adviser to a non-governmental organisation on tribunal-related issues. He also specialises in hybrid courts and post-conflict justice.

ADB Supporting Research on Inland Fisheries in Cambodia

2005-07-19T07:25:00.000+07:00

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - ADB will support further capacity building of Cambodia's Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute (IFREDI), to help promote the sustainable management of the country's inland fisheries, through a technical assistance (TA) grant approved for $300,000.

Cambodia's inland fisheries are the fourth most productive in the world in terms of total freshwater fish catch. And, given the size of Cambodia's small (but fast growing) population, their contribution to income, jobs, and food security is likely higher than that in any other country.

However, population and development pressures coupled with poor governance and technology have intensified exploitation as well as habitat degradation and change, especially in the flooded forest. These have led to smaller average catches, biodiversity loss, worsening poverty for many fisher folk and fish-dependent households, weaker access rights for the poor, and escalating conflict. Inland fisheries are now close to their maximum production.

"Cambodia's inland fisheries will not be available forever if they are not cared for, protected, and tapped in a sustainable way. Without fish to provide protein and income, many people will starve," says Olivier Serrat, an ADB Senior Project Economist. "Understanding of the factors that are detrimental to sustainable management of this vital resource is limited and requires continuous, intensive scientific and social science research."

The TA builds on a 2003 ADB-backed TA that helped make IFREDI an efficient, effective, and relevant research and development institute through on-the-job training and formal training courses. That TA resulted in much-enhanced, if not newly created, indigenous capacity for institute management, research and development, technology transfer, and policy development and dialogue.

The new TA will build further the ability of IFREDI staff to disseminate research findings by accelerating technology transfer, support more research and development, and strengthen policy development and dialogue.

"The success of IFREDI hinges on its ability to develop and disseminate research findings to policymakers, fish farmers, fish workers, women, traders, and other key stakeholders," adds Mr. Serrat. "At the same time, IFREDI staff need to hone and practice their research skills to remain current and continue to feed policy development. Early exploration of what governance structure can best sustain IFREDI is also desirable."

The Department of Fisheries is the executing agency for the TA. The International Center for Living Aquatic Resource Management, otherwise known as the WorldFish Center will implement the TA. The WorldFish Center will also contribute $50,000 equivalent toward the TA's total cost of $410,000. The Government will contribute $60,000.

The TA is due for completion in November 2005. It will complement the suite of loan and TA projects that ADB promotes under the Tonle Sap Initiative.

Cambodia unveils Phnom Penh development plan

2005-07-18T21:08:00.000+07:00

The Bureau of Urban Affairs of Phnom Penh Municipality has made a plan to expand the city and build major new infrastructures by 2020 to accommodate Phnom Penh's growing economic activities and population, local press reported on Monday.

Chhay Rithisen, chief of the Municipality's Department of Basic Construction and Land Planning, said on Friday that the Phnom Penh area will be broadened north, south, east and west, with Wat Phnom as the central point and city limits forming a radius of 30 km, the Chinese-language newspaper The Commercial News reported.

The area opposite Chaktomukh River will be developed into a ' new' area and some urban zones will become Phnom Penh affiliated towns.

Growing annually by 3.2 percent, the capital's 1.3-million- strong population is expected to reach 2.5 million by 2020.

Necessary infrastructure to be built includes roads, boulevards, canals and a railway system to link the city's growing and dispersed areas, according to The Cambodian Press Review.

High-rise buildings, which are absent from Phnom Penh's skyline, will be built at the entrances of the city and by the river and lake, said The Commercial News. To fund the future boom of the city, the Phnom Penh Municipality will promote investment in the construction of buildings and apartments.

Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema, on a visit to Bangkok last week, has said that the capital has 569 poor communities with 25 percent living on public land, which he said is a problem that needs to be solved, reported khmer newspaper Island of Peace. To reduce the number of poor communities, the city is seeking partners to improve the capital's urbanization.

The Phnom Penh 2020 plan has already been approved by the Ministry of Land Management and now it needs to be ratified by the government.

INTERVIEW - London blasts seen as lesson for Southeast Asia

2005-07-18T21:07:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Copycats could stage deadly London-style bombings in Southeast Asia's major cities, many of which are ill equiped to deal with such carnage, the secretary general of the region's main political grouping said on Monday.

The July 7 London attacks serve as a valuable lesson to remain alert for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is battling its own forms of home-grown terrorism.

"Vigilance against such kinds of terrorist attack must be maintained. We have many urban centres in the ASEAN region and our public transport systems are just as vulnerable," ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong told Reuters in an interview.

"At the moment, we are doing a lot of cooperation that we cannot talk about publicly. But we have been active in at least two things. One is educating each other about the modus operandi of such groups. And two, how do we deal with a situation when it actually happens?" he said.

"We can't prevent it. We try our best ... but if it happens we must not let further damage be done. That's what we are working on."

Ong, a Singapore national, said there was some concern of "copycat actions" by militants in the region who had been following events in London, and a key lesson should be for governments to engage all parts of society.

"What happened in London is a very obvious example of how people who have been part of society ... could be motivated (to violence)," the secretary general said.

"So we need to engage our Muslim populations, our Islamic authorities ... all the segments in the population."

Initial investigations in London revealed that four British Muslims, the youngest only 18, blew themselves up in separate attacks on three underground trains and a bus during the main rush hour, killing more than 50 people.

U.S. MAKES A POINT

Southeast Asia's most populous nation, Indonesia, is no stranger to suicide attacks by home-grown Muslim militants, but most have been aimed at Western targets using car bombs.

There have been a string of attacks in Indonesia in recent years blamed on the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah network, including the Bali nightclub blasts in 2002 that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

Ong, speaking ahead of a security meeting of more than 20 Asia-Pacific foreign ministers, including those of the 10 ASEAN members, in Laos on July 28-29, said the issue of terrorism would be a key topic of discussion.

The ASEAN Regional Forum, which includes representation from the United States and the European Union among others, is held every year and is the region's primary security forum.

ASEAN groups Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia and Cambodia.

Ong said the upsurge in violence in southern Thailand was likely to be one of the issues of concern to ministers in Laos, along with the threat that terrorists pose to the vital Malacca Strait shipping lane.

He said ASEAN members were disappointed by Washington's apparent decision not to send its top diplomat, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, to the meeting, but that the decision was not seen reflecting changing security priorities.

"There is a feeling among ASEAN colleagues that maybe there is a point being made," said Ong.

He said Washington may be partly registering concern over its perception of a lack of democratic progress and poor human rights records in some Southeast Asian countries.

"I think there could be a combination of factors. It would not just be Myanmar. In the U.S. Congress there are also people unhappy with Lao policy (on ethnic minorities) or Vietnamese policy on religious freedom."

BLOOD on the hands

2005-07-18T13:14:00.000+07:00

As two Cambodian sisters hope for a pardon, how deep does Thailand's support for the death penalty run?

RICHARD HERMES

In the visiting area of the Klong Prem women's prison, Cambodians Montha Khuon, 27, and her sister, Srey, a 35-year-old mother of four, stand behind several layers of Perspex and strain to make themselves heard. Everyone shouts here: Family and friends crowd into the booths, leaning close to scratchy speakers. When guards cut the microphones at the end of the strictly enforced, 20-minute visiting period, Montha is left mouthing words in mid-sentence, trying to explain how she and her sister came to be on death row.

While government and police tactics during the "war on drugs" _ including an alleged 2,500 extrajudicial killings and disappearances _ have received much attention in the local and international press over the past few years, the legal administration of the death penalty in Thailand has largely been absent from national discussion. However, when a Thai delegation appears before the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva tomorrow and on Wednesday to answer 26 human-rights queries, several will relate directly to the way that the death penalty has been applied here in hundreds of cases like the Khuons.

During the mid-1990s, Montha Khuon ran a small shop in the market near the Cambodian border in Had Lek, Trat. In interviews conducted during prison visits by the Bangkok Post and Forum-Asia, a regional human-rights organisation based in Bangkok, the Khuon sisters said that in 1997 Montha was approached by a soldier who asked her to contact a drug dealer on his behalf. Montha agreed, she said, because another soldier had run up a 100,000-baht debt at her shop, and she was hoping to recoup some of her losses.

On October 7, 1997, the soldier who had contacted Montha carried five plastic bags full of pills into the bedroom of Srey's house with the help of two men, the sisters say. The men promptly placed the women under arrest.

"I wasn't afraid then, because I knew those bags weren't mine," recalls Srey. "I became very angry as the process went on and I realised the severity of the charge." It was the sisters' first offence. Their 14-year-old brother and Srey's husband, Thai national Bunchu Kesee, were also arrested, but the brother was later released.

A document obtained by Forum-Asia, that draws on court records, says that according to the police, the soldier who approached the Khuon sisters was a "spy", or informant, who organised the drugs bust. Police claim they came to the house as undercover agents and saw Montha, Srey and Bunchu exchange 3 million baht in cash for 100kg of amphetamine pills.

The defendants were sentenced to death on April 3, 2001. Last August they lost their final appeal to the Supreme Court. Their only remaining chance to avoid execution is a royal pardon.

From January 2001 to December 2003, the height of the Thaksin administration's "war on drugs", the number of people convicted of capital crimes tripled to nearly 1,000, according to Amnesty International, a figure also cited in a report by the European Union-funded International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the local Union for Civil Liberty.

Wasant Panich, a member of the National Human Rights Commission, says that the Thaksin administration's fixation on blacklists, quotas and timetables during the "war on drugs" has had a dramatic effect on the way that capital cases were prosecuted and sentences meted out in the last few years.

"Setting targets and deadlines puts pressure on officials," Wasant says. Under normal circumstances the police know that they should wait for enough hard evidence before pressing charges, "but under the 'war on drugs' policy they skipped the waiting part, and this caused a lot of problems". Courts had to dismiss too many hastily brought cases due to a lack of solid evidence, he says. The policy may also have pressured officials into resorting to "irregular" methods, such as planting evidence.

"We got consistent reports of police beatings, and of people signing confessions admitting to trafficking drugs in an attempt to bargain for a lighter sentence," says Siobhan Ni Chulachain, an Irish barrister and one of the authors of the FIDH report, which also raises other concerns, including 24-hour shackling of prisoners, inadequate defences for people who aren't able to afford their own legal representation, and no requirement for the police to notify detainees of their right to a lawyer.

Still, executions in Thailand are surprisingly rare. No one has been put to death since December 2003, when four people _ two men and a woman convicted of drug trafficking and a man convicted of murder _ were given lethal injections two months after the official method of execution was changed from death by shooting.

Royal pardons (commuting a death sentence to life imprisonment) may be granted to individual applicants, or en masse to mark a special occasion, as happened last August on Her Majesty the Queen's 72nd birthday. In the last two years His Majesty the King has pardoned around 52 prisoners.

Thaksin's first "war on drugs" enjoyed widespread support. Nathee Chitsawang, director-general of the Department of Corrections, cites the popularity of the death penalty as one reason for keeping it. He says that while he himself would like to see the day arrive when Thailand does not need the death penalty, "now we still have too much crime. As a society we are not as mature as places like Europe".

A survey conducted in 2000 by the Poll Research Centre of Rajabhat Institute Suan Dusit, found that 91.5 percent of the population believes that Thailand should retain the death penalty.

But five years on, Thai society seems more divided over the issue, says Thammasat law professor Kittisak Prokati. Opinions tend to break down along socio-economic and educational lines. Buddhism still holds significant sway over the culture, and Buddhism prohibits killing of any kind, including by the State.

It's "out of the question", says Phra Phaisan Visalo, a respected monk and noted writer on Buddhism. Phra Phaisan tells a story from the Jataka about a previous life of the Buddha: The young prince had learned from his father that one of the duties of a king was to order executions, so he pretended to be deaf and mute so he wouldn't have to succeed to the throne and take on that responsibility.

"Killing is bad for the killer," Phra Phaisan says. "Hatred and violence can not be eliminated by violence."

That's why His Majesty is so careful about reviewing death-sentence appeals, says Kittisak; he understands that the punishment is irrevocable.

Not all of Phra Phaisan's fellow members of the Sangha agree with his stance. The Matichon newspaper reported that in September 2003, a popular monk from the Northeast, Luang Por Khoon Parisutto, told Thaksin, "The sin from killing a ya ba dealer is the same as from killing one mosquito. Nothing to be afraid of."

In fact, Thais have long had a healthy fear of taking human life in the name of justice. During the Ayutthaya period, criminals arrested for stealing or killing were sent to the victim's family, who decided whether the offender should be put to death or given a chance to redeem himself by becoming a monk. In almost all cases, Kittisak says, the family chose to pardon the criminal. In 1435, methods of execution included cracking open the skull and filling it with red-hot pieces of metal, but by 1934 Prime Minister Phraya Phahol Polphayuhasena proposed to his Cabinet that the death penalty _ carried out by beheading at the time _ be repealed. It wasn't, but the method of execution was declared "clearly inhumane". It was changed to firing squad and an effective moratorium was put in place until 1950. Prior to the change to lethal injection in 2003, the executioner used a screen so that he could aim his sub-machine gun at a target rather than at the blindfolded prisoner, who, typically, was given flowers, joss-sticks and a candle to hold. Before pulling the trigger the executioner would ask for forgiveness from the condemned.

By and large, says Kittisak, the influence of Buddhism on Thai society still means that while many people may want the primal satisfaction of revenge, they maintain a profound ambivalence toward the taking of life. Kittisak believes that contemporary Thais adopt an "it's not my business" approach to the death-penalty issue because to engage in the process would mean shouldering a responsibility they don't want to bear. Like their Ayutthayan ancestors, they don't want to feel as though they have blood on their hands.

A recent proposal by the Department of Corrections to broadcast the lives of death-row inmates up until the time of their execution was dropped when the public voiced its strong disapproval. Last August a 12-year-old girl in West Bengal was one of at least six children across India who died imitating a criminal's widely publicised execution. The girl was trying to show her younger brother how the man had been hanged.

Kittisak disagrees with the notion that the death penalty deters crime. "All of the scientific research shows that it is clear _ that the only reason for the death penalty is revenge.

"The question is, 'Do all Thais really want revenge?"'

There is also the possibility of error. Since 1976, when the US Supreme Court re-instated the death penalty (the same court had declared it unconstitutional in 1972), at least 100 people awaiting execution have been released after evidence emerged proving their innocence _ 12 because of DNA evidence.

In 2003, two days before leaving office, the conservative governor of the state of Illinois, George Ryan _ strongly supportive of the death penalty when he was elected _ cancelled court orders to execute all 167 men and women on death row after a number of investigations by journalists convinced him that the system was flawed.

A number of NGOs, including Amnesty International and the Cambodian rights group Licadho, have petitioned His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the Khuon sisters' behalf. King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia has also sent a letter. "The Royal Government of Cambodia has attached great interest to this case," says Cambodian Ambassador Ung Sean. "We don't want to see Cambodians executed. We have no death-penalty law." The envoy says that had the Cambodian embassy been made aware of the Khuon sisters' arrest in 1997, it would have sent officials to help them. Cambodia generally asks the Thai authorities to inform its mission in Bangkok of such arrests.

A treaty currently under consideration by the Cambodian government would allow for extradition between Thailand and Cambodia, but it's been two years since the latter country began considering that document.

In the meantime, the sisters wait. Teary-eyed, Montha says she wants a chance to hold her young son. The psychological stress took such a toll on Srey that she had to be medicated and became sickly and frail.

"Whenever I thought about this whole thing," she recalls, "I would shake from anger." She's feeling a bit better now. To keep herself occupied she sews her own clothes, and says she's trying not to get her hopes up too much.

"I don't mind being in prison for 50 years," she says. "I just don't want to die this way."

Bayon temple tower at risk

2005-07-17T13:24:00.000+07:00

The central tower at Bayon temple, one of the key Angkor temples in
Cambodia, is at risk of collapse, according to research by the Japanese
Government Team for Safeguarding Angkor.

Plans to shore up the Cambodian World Heritage site are being made, research team says

TOKYO - The central tower at Bayon temple, one of the key Angkor temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia, is at risk of collapse, according to research by the Japanese Government Team for Safeguarding Angkor.

Siem Reap also is site of the famous Angkor Wat temple complex.

The team said it will map out a restoration plan during the next five years for the monument, which is part of the Angkor area registered on the U.N. Environmental, Scientific and Cultural Organization's World Heritage List.

The Bayon temple is built of sandstone blocks with twin corridors and a number of towers.

The central tower is nearly 150 feet high, with sculptured faces on all four sides.

Parts of the sculptured faces already have fallen off, altering the symmetry the tower had when it was constructed during the late 12th century and the 13th century.

In its normal observation of the temple, the team detected no indication of the tower tilting. But during research at the nearby Prasat Sour Prat tower, the team discovered that the stone of which the Angkor monuments are constructed is vulnerable to extreme weather, including heavy rain and strong winds, and is at high risk of tilting drastically.

"The parts that have already fallen from the sculptures on the Bayon temple were presumably caused by extreme weather," said Yoshinori Iwasaki, of the Geo-Research Institute, who led the team research into the structure of the monuments and the stability of the ground.

"Some of the stone pillars supporting the (central) tower have cracks, which could lead to the collapse of the whole tower if extreme weather conditions continue."

In its "Master Plan for the Conservation and Restoration of the Bayon Complex," the team stressed that reinforcement is needed.

Those include an injection of glue between cracks or securing the tower with ropes.

Cheam Channy's Accuser Committed Suicide

2005-07-16T21:22:00.000+07:00

Heng Savy the accuser of Cheam Channy, opposition Sam Rainsy party's Member of Parliament, committed suicide in April in Pursat Province.

The news of Heng Savy's death just emerged a few weeks before Cheam Channy's trial starts in the military court.

Cheam Channy is accused of forming illegal armed forces against Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Ker Thy, Cheam's lawyer, said that the death prevents him from asking the plaintiff at the court hearing if he acted alone or if he had received orders from someone else.

SRP's Secretary General Eng Chhay Eang reacted by saying the suicide should be investigated.

A Human Rights activist in Pursat Province investigated the death and told VOA that Heng Savy hung himself near a police post, but gave no further details.

Provincial police chief and military court investigating judge, Pok Porn, confirmed the death.

Hun Sen's Counter on Terrorism

2005-07-16T21:10:00.000+07:00

Prime Minister Hun Sen

Cambodia's government officials claimed Prime Minister Hun Sen told his cabinet members at a Friday meeting to cooperate with international police in the fight against terrorism.

Minister of Information and government spokesman, Khieu Kanharith said PM Hun Sen appealed to his cabinet members to exchange and share information with international police.

Secretary-General of the Sam Rainsy party Eng Chhay Eang said he welcomed the move.

President of the human rights organization ADHOC Thun Saray, agreed with Hun Sen's action, but worried that it might interfere with the people's freedom of speech.

Editorial: HM King Sihamoni's dignified settling in

2005-07-16T08:56:00.000+07:00

By Verghese Mathews

Former King Norodom Sihanouk and Queen Mother Monineath Sihanouk returned to Phnom Penh on Thursday June 23 accompanied by their son King Norodom Sihamoni, who flew to Beijing a few days earlier to travel home with them. The King's open devotion and show of respect for his parents and their obvious love for him on this and other occasions have touched many hearts.

Sihanouk, who left for medical treatment in January after having passed on the crown to Sihamoni in October 2004, had been away for almost six months and much has happened in the interim in the country, including in the public perception of the new King.

Sihamoni, the reluctant monarch, who was little known on assuming the throne a few months back, has settled in with charm and dignity and endeared himself very quickly to his people. He has surprised most observers and even some Cambodians themselves, in the manner and the sincerity of his outreach and his concern, like that of his father before him, for the poor and the marginalised in his country - and there are many of them.

From the onset it was very clear that Sihamoni was extremely keen to know his people and that he wanted them to know him. He has more than succeeded on both counts and the increasing public demonstrations of affection for him are indicators of this.

In a post-conflict third world society that is Cambodia, bedevilled as it is with unceasing political infighting, Sihamoni is fast becoming a rallying point for national unity and national reconciliation.

One of his earliest comments on assuming the throne put politicians at ease with his unsolicited undertaking not to directly involve himself in the political arena. He has kept his word. He has also made good his promise to go to his people by visiting many of the provinces.

Early last month, on a visit to the four northwestern provinces, he stopped in Pailin, the former stronghold of the dreaded Khmer Rouge, who had imprisoned him and his parents in the Palace at Phnom Penh and who were responsible for the deaths of several of his immediate relatives. There was no rancour on either side as thousands of former Khmer Rouge soldiers, now mostly farmers, came out to greet the new King. He embraced them with his by-now-much-photographed smile and outstretched hands.

All this achieved in less than eight months. Small wonder that Sihanouk, on the recent occasion of his favourite son's 53rd birthday, proudly congratulated Sihamoni for "serving as a bridge uniting the Cambodian population to understand one another and to strengthen their cooperation."

Despite these expressions from the public, there are still a few skeptics who argue that the King has not been really tested and that without Sihanouk around, the new King would be weakened and would falter. There were more who thought so initially.

However, those who have now come to know the new King confide that this concern is misplaced.

The King's first nine months has generated the popular belief that with this support of the people he will grow in his role as a unifying and a rallying force for Cambodia, and that should anything happen to Sihanouk there would be enough trusted advisors and experts at Sihamoni's service, if need be.

While Sihanouk should undoubtedly be credited for the smooth succession process and for the expert tutelage of his son, it was the new King's own efforts that gained him the affection and respect of the Cambodian people.

Moreover, Sihamoni has proven that his father's preference for him to succeed the throne was well-placed.

A related observation is that Sihanouk has in his inimitable way ensured that the monarchy did not end with him, and that in Sihamoni the Cambodian people have a worthy successor. So long as the King remains above politics and continues to relate to his people, he will be a natural rallying point and a unifying factor.

In this context, the royal father and son have disproved a favorite theory of the late King Farouk of Egypt. There is the old story of how Farouk, after he was forced to abdicate his throne in July 1952, boldly predicted that by the end of that century there would be only five Kings left in the world - the King of Hearts, the King of Diamonds, the King of Clubs, the King of Spades and the King of England.

If Farouk were still around, he should not be surprised that King Sihamoni of Cambodia reigns with dignity.

The writer, Singapore's former Ambassador to Cambodia, is presently a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore.

Prime Minister's 'iron fist' campaign has judges, prosecutors in cross hairs

2005-07-16T08:54:00.000+07:00

By Cheang Sokha, Sam Rith and Timothy Wheeler

The Supreme Council of Magistracy (SCM) are continuing to review a list of court officials who may face expulsion if they are judged guilty of wrongdoings, said Hanrot Raken, a member of the SCM.

Phnom Penh municipal court judge Kong Sarith and deputy prosecutor Siem Sok Aun were sacked this week, according to Ministry of Justice officials.

In addition, judges Ham Mengse and Hing Thirith, and deputy prosecutor Khut Sopheang have been suspended for one year, while Phnom Penh municipal court chief prosecutor Ouk Savouth was given a warning.

The decision to expel a judge and a prosecutor, and suspend two more judges and a prosecutor, is the first time that the SCM has punished court staff since the council's honorary head, King Norodom Sihamoni, came to power in October, Raken said.

"The SCM took about one month to make a decision about the punishment of these judges and prosecutors," said Raken, "The SCM decision cannot be appealed."

Judge Kong Sarith told the Post on July 14 that he has heard rumors about his expulsion but has not yet received any official word from the SCM.

"If [SCM] expelled me, it would be an injustice to me," said Sarith. "I am shocked after hearing this information."

The other court officials involved were not available for comment.

Raken attended a July 11 meeting with the SCM - presided over by King Sihamoni - in which they discussed punishing the judges and prosecutors as well as rotating the placement of judges and prosecutors every four years so that they will avoid creating networks of power that may foster corruption or bias.

"If we talk about procedure, the decision is correct because it was made by the Supreme Council of Majesty that has the King and other members participating in making decisions," said Ouk Vandeth, director of Legal Aid of Cambodia.

"If we depend on law, the decision was not correct because laws pertaining to the ethics of judges have not been established yet," Vandeth said.

Raken said the real problem was a shortage of staff at the courts.

"In Cambodia there are 200 judges and prosecutors. This amount is not enough. We need double the judges and prosecutors to handle the upcoming cases at the moment," Raken said.

"The changing of judges and prosecutors will affect the judges and prosecutors that take their place because they will have to re-investigate cases and that it a waste of time," he said.

Cam-Americans Returnees shortchanged by project

2005-07-16T08:47:00.000+07:00

By Leonie Sherman

USAID is looking to shakeup the way assistance is offered to Cambodians deported from America, following a highly critical report on the current Returnee Assistance Project (RAP).

On July 8, the United States Agency for International Development began advertising for organizations interested in managing RAP, after the previous administering body - the Center for Social Development (CSD) - pulled out of its two-year contract with the current program after just nine months.

The move follows an independent review of current RAP services. Commissioned by USAID, researched in five days, and released in May, the review was co-authored by clinical psychologist Nicholas Tenaglia and independent contractor Kevin Lineberger. It has not been released publicly but was obtained by the Post on July 12.

The review highlighted a laundry list of shortcomings and proposed an overhaul of nearly all areas of what it described as a "dysfunctional system".

"The present RAP program lacks a formal structure and therefore services are not clearly defined and not consistent as reported by some of the returnees interviewed," the review stated.

"The RAP Review Team recommends that significant change is required within RAP management systems, staffing, facilities, and overall budget to allow RAP to provide the services envisioned in the Grant agreement," the review said.

Since 2002, 129 Cambodian nationals convicted of felonies have been returned from the US. Many arrive with serious substance abuse and mental health issues. Recently, the number of deportees has dwindled, with the last group of three people arriving in March.

As the only known project of its kind in the world, the review noted that RAP had the potential to be a model for other countries in the future and warned that failure to help resettle these convicted felons could pose a risk to the community.

"All the elements for public safety disaster and/or narco terrorism are present in Cambodia: e.g. drug cultivation and preparation, rampant corruption in the local law enforcement community and easy access to weapons," the review stated.

Some of the most serious criticisms of the project included financial mismanagement, untrained and unsupervised staff, and allegations of extortion and physical abuse by a former employee.

"There were a couple of altercations where [Meas] Bopha slapped returnees who were being obnoxious," said Bill Herod, RAP project coordinator and Bopha's spouse. "I was present on one occasion and heard about several others."

The 15-page assessment reported that returnees were afraid of Bopha, RAP's former community services officer, and as a result many were reluctant to visit one facility.

The review team also heard allegations from returnees that Bopha had clients arrested by local police and then attempted to extort money from their families. There are currently four returnees in prison, three involving incidents that occured on RAP property.

Herod called the extortion allegations libelous and baseless.

Bopha is no longer employed by RAP, but Herod said July 13 that she was "still doing this work" and had met with top government officials recently about the project's future.

Financial issues have plagued RAP, which was set to receive $300,000 from USAID over two years. The project does not employ an accountant but uses a former returnee with no formal training as an "administrative assistant" responsible for preparing all financial documents associated with the program.

"We have provided a lot of technical assistance for financial accountability and feel that all RAP finances can be properly accounted for," said a top USAID official involded with RAP issues.

In an email dated July 13, however, Herod admitted to having cash flow problems.

"We are perpetually weeks or months behind in paying staff and others to whom we owe money," he wrote. "... Over the last ten months, it has not been unusual to be $20,000 in debt."

In assessing RAP's ability to help returnees reintegrate into society, the review highlighted poorly implemented support services, untrained and unsupervised staff, and residential arrangements that could pose a risk to returnees, staff members and their families.

On RAP's website, the program claims to provide a support network for returnees through orientation, training, employment and housing. Herod, however, claimed that RAP acts only as a "safety net" program for returnees, and often returnees have no for the services they provide.

The assessment states that in some instances, the lack of clinical training and experience among staff is leading to "non-existent professional boundaries that only reinforce negative behavior."

One incident cited in the report detailed the use of alcohol as a sedative for returnees with mental health issues.

"Under the direction of the program director this staff member [a returnee employed as a residential site manager], in his own words, escorts these mentally challenged and heavily medicated returnees to purchase alcohol on a daily basis. The mixing of alcohol and psychotropic medications is potentially life threatening," stated the review.

Herod defended his actions, saying the client was prone to violence if he did not have access to alcohol and RAP staff were only trying to limit the amount of rice wine purchased.

The review criticized Herod's role as "clinically unsound", arguing that he saw himself as a "pastor" who never gave up on a "black sheep".

Herod admited that his 30 years of development experience didn't give him even "the most rudimentary qualifications for doing this job", and he would be happy to step down as project coordinator and continue on as a consultant.

Early on, Herod decided to ditch formal orientation in favor of ad hoc guidance. While jobs had been found for approximately 50 returnees, substance abuse and discontent with low salaries resulted in short-lived employment for many.

However, Holly Bradford, director of Cambodian Harm Reduction Collaborative, a program administered by RAP but operating independently, currently employs about 10 returnees and is optimistic about their abilities.

"The majority of returnees, they want to make a change in their lives ... These guys are educated in America, they're bilingual, there's no reason they shouldn't be able to get a job out here," Bradford said.

While RAP does provides services such as emergency medical assistance, Khmer language classes, transitional housing, and assistance with job placement, many returnees have been critical of the implementation of some of these services.

"The RAP program didn't do shit for me," one returnee told the Post on condition of anonymity. "They talk a good game, about job training and all that shit, but I couldn't get none of that stuff."

"This program ain't working," said another. "I just don't want to see the next group of people suffer like what we went through."

In addition to expanding and improving the services offered, the review also recommends increasing the operating budget for returnee assistance to almost three times the current amount.

However, some of the recommendations contained in the review may attract further controversy.

The authors suggest expanding the project to include a 30-day orientation during which returnees must be accompanied when leaving the project residence. After completing this phase, the returnee would be given ongoing support with housing, jobs, medical care, counseling, detox and vocational training.

"Failure to enter or complete the 30-day orientation and assessment program will result in a waiver in the returnees rights to access RAP services," the review recommended.

Herod described this model as effectively a "mandatory 30-day detention", and said that he would not work under this "re-education camp" arrangement.

USAID stressed that while parts of the review would help inform the agency's approach, "the comments and recommendations do not necessarily reflect or establish USAID policy."

Despite the critical report, Herod said that he has been in discussions with three organizations in Cambodia interested in partnering with the current RAP team. According to Herod, all of these organizations have read the May review, and he expected them to turn in submissions to USAID by the July 14 deadline.

Drug addiction rampant in Koh Kong

2005-07-16T08:45:00.000+07:00

By Joshua Kraemer and Sam Rith

Yama addiction in Koh Kong province is growing so quickly that officials fear widespread social and economic breakdown.

In some areas, an estimated three-quarters of fisherman rely on the drug to get through work, and use is rapidly increasing in other parts of the population.

Hou Thy, villge chief of Phum Pe in Pack Khlang commune, said that 70 to 80 percent of fishermen in his village use the drug, and 50 percent of all the village's residents are addicted to the amphetamine.

"Their bosses put yama in the water and offer them [the fishermen] to drink. It affects the peoples' health and security in the village. It causes a lot of robberies, and people are killing each other," said Thy.

Yama has the short-term effects of creating feelings of intense energy and suppressing sleep and hunger, which boosts productivity among fishermen. The long-term effects, however, include violent or unpredictable behavior, schizophrenia and psychosis.

There are no formal studies documenting the use of yama among fishermen, but anecdotal evidence suggests the drug has become alarmingly popular in Koh Kong.

"I used yama for six years when I was a crab fisherman," said Ngean Hong, 39, of Phum Pe village. "When I used yama, I had power like an elephant. But on days that I did not use yama, I was tired like an ant. I smoked seven to eight tablets a day."

"There were 30 people in my crab fishing group [and] they all used the drug," said Hong. "I bought it from the boat owner [and] if I did not use the drug, the boat owner would not rent the boat to me and my group would kick me off."

"After I stopped using the drug, I had to change my career from crab fisherman to carpenter," he said.

In Koh Kong, yama pills sell for around 6,000 riel each, a price that can quickly consume the income of a fisherman and his family.

Hong said the strain that his addiction placed on his marriage and on the health of his family was too much to bear.

"When I used yama, my wife and my children had no rice to eat and had no house to live in. Gradually, my family suffered more and more, so I decided to stop using the drug," Hong said.

Hong is one of the fortunate few fishermen who have kicked the habit, but ADHOC human rights activist Chhang Cheang fears a widespread deterioration of the family unit throughout Koh Kong if the drug use trend continues.

Cheang works directly with addicted fishermen in Pack Khlang commune, a 10 minute boat ride from the provincial capital of Koh Kong. He estimated that between 60 and 70 percent of the local residents were using yama, mostly fishermen over the age of 15.

The sociological effects of yama addiction can be severe, and the spiraling trend among fishermen is not unique to Koh Kong.

"There is a direct link between poverty and drug use," said Graham Shaw, programme officer at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

"People just above the poverty line often think that they can take a drug and work more efficiently and make more money, however, there is a knock-on effect, and as the addiction worsens they will not be able to function as normal human beings," Shaw said.

"They become unable to work and generate income because of the cost of the drug, and in the end, it impacts the family and community, causing them to fall below the poverty line," he said.

Shaw said that Cambodian provinces bordering Thailand have had the most chronic drug use and trafficking problems because of their proximity to trade routes.

"People working in the fishing industry in border areas are at even greater risk [of drug abuse] because they have easy access to their contacts in Thailand," Shaw said.

In a report on drug use and trafficking released by the Center for Social Development (CSD) in August 2004, the second deputy governor Chea Him described Koh Kong as the province most effected by drug use.

"Most victims are fishermen workers because they need to use the drug to be able to endure the heavy work," Chea said.

Cheang believes the only hope for the fishermen of Koh Kong lies in the hands of the government.

"If there is no intervention from top provincial officials, everyone, including youngsters and elders in the communes, will become addicted in the next few years. Village and commune chiefs have never walked around and looked at the situation firsthand," Cheang said.

Lim Shy, a 63-year-old resident who lives in Phum Bei in Pack Klang, said that yama addiction extends beyond just fishermen.

"Right now, it is very difficult to survive, because my son goes fishing just to buy more yama," Lim said. "Phum Bei is full of people using and selling the drug. Not only fisherman use it, but also many other people in the village."

Thy said he had reported the yama crisis to the district chief, and that the district chief had reported to the provincial governor.

On July 11, a deputy governor of Koh Kong said authorities had arrested a man identified as only Ngov, his wife, and his mother for the possession of 30 yama tablets.

"We just cracked down on the biggest drug seller last night in Pack Klang," In Sokhom said. "Ngov had only 30 tablets last night due to the fact that he is sick and cannot import more drugs to sell. Since June we have cracked down on seven other drug dealers."