Uighurs using missionary railway to flee China

By ISOLDA MORILLO and CARA ANNA
Associated Press Writers

BEIJING (AP) -- An underground network of Christian missionaries that usually works with North Korean refugees says it has helped smuggle nearly two dozen Muslim Uighurs out of China following last summer's deadly ethnic violence and the subsequent government crackdown.

It's the first time the Christian interfaith network has worked with a group of Uighurs, and it won't be the last, with more currently using the so-called underground railway to make their way out of the country and requests for assistance surging into the hundreds, missionaries said.

Long-simmering tensions between Turkic Uighurs and China's Han majority have increased since July's riots in the western region of Xinjiang. The Chinese government says the violence left nearly 200 people, mostly Han, dead.

A Chinese court sentenced three Uighurs to death Friday for their actions during the rioting, bringing to 17 the number of death sentences handed down over the violence. Overseas Uighur groups say Uighurs have been rounded up in mass detentions since the riots.

Some have turned to the "railway" for help, and one Macau-based missionary who is part of the network said they now have daily contact with major Uighur exile groups.

The network of sympathetic Chinese Christians shelter and guide people, usually North Koreans, as they cross China on their way to UN refugee offices abroad to seek asylum.

The first group of 22 Uighurs, who've been described by exile groups as witnesses to the rioting, made their way through China and Vietnam before arriving over the past few weeks in the Cambodian capital, where they have made contact with the UN refugee office and applied for political asylum.

However, they live in fear of being picked up and returned to China, which has close ties with Cambodia, Uighur groups said.

"China has a very big influence in Cambodia. So their life is in risk, I would say," said Ilshat Hassan, the U.S.-based director of interior affairs for the World Uyghur Congress.

A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry asked that questions about the 22 Uighurs be sent in a fax, and offered no immediate response Friday. The Public Security Bureau in Xinjiang did not immediately respond to a faxed request.

Hassan said the group is the first large one to leave China after the riots. Two other Uighurs were arrested in Vietnam, he said, and he lost contact with another group of four.

A spokesman for Cambodia's Ministry of the Interior, Pol. Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak, said Friday that at least 16 Uighurs are staying at the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Phnom Penh. The office is the closest UNHCR office to China in Southeast Asia.

UNHCR's spokeswoman for Asia, Kitty McKinsey, said she could not discuss the case. "It's our policy everywhere in the world never to speak about individual asylum seekers or refugees," she said.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said the government would consider carefully any repatriation request from China. He said Cambodia has the right to deny such a request if the people are considered political asylum seekers.

"But if they are purely criminal people and there is a request, we may deport them," he said.

It was unclear what role, if any, the 22 Uighurs played in the rioting. They could not be reached for comment Friday.

"They may have been involved in the protest July 5, but it is not clear at the moment," said Dilxat Raxit, a spokesman for the World Uyghur Congress.

Radio Free Asia reported Friday that two of the Uighurs told the UNHCR they watched the July violence unfold. One said he feared retribution for taking photos.

Hassan said the Uighurs still have photos of the riots and government response, but there were no immediate plans to make them public. "We want to get them first to a safe place," he said.

Overseas Uighur groups have been making more and more requests to use the railway, said the Rev. Marcus Ramsey of the Macau Interfaith Network, whose group collaborates with other missionary groups and helped the 22 Uighurs leave China.

Another Macau-based missionary, who didn't want to give his name because of concerns about official retribution, said the network had a few requests for help from Europe-based Uighur Christians before the July violence, but requests have since surged.

He dismissed the idea of possible tensions between the Muslim Uighurs and the Christian Chinese who help them cross China.

"This is what it means when they ask, 'What would Jesus do?'" he said.

Hassan did not want to talk about any involvement with the missionary network, saying only "some locals from the China side helped."

Now, however, China has tightened border controls and passing through Vietnam is no longer possible, he said.

The missionaries sounded more optimistic. "The first group took two months," the Macau-based missionary said, "but some things can be streamlined next year."

---

Associated Press Writers Sopheng Cheang in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Jocelyn Gecker in Bangkok contributed to this report.

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Cambodia opens road building link to Thailand

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen opened Saturday a road building link to the Thai border in northwestern Cambodia.

The 117-kilometer long National Road No. 68, which runs from Kralanh district in Siem Reap province to O' Smach in Udor Meanchey province, will be completed in two years time.

Hun Sen said the construction and restoration of the road which costs 33 million U.S. dollars will be fully financed by the Royal Government of Cambodia to respond to the people's actual needs, in spite of the current global financial and economic crisis.

Thailand signed an agreement with Cambodia in August this year to provide loans amounting to some 41 million U.S. dollars for building this road, but Cambodia canceled it late last month, and instead used its own funding.

Hun Sen said he had identified the area as an economic pole, among Cambodia's other poles, as it is favorable for agriculture and tourism development.

"Thus, after the construction of the National Road No. 68 has been completed, this area will become an important and real economic pole in Cambodia," Hun Sen said.

He added that his government is firmly committed to the restoration and development of all sectors, especially the restoration, maintenance and development of transportation infrastructure which is the prioritized policy of his new fourth-term government beginning from 2008 through 2013.

He said the efforts in building infrastructure apply to Cambodia's slogan that says "wherever there is road there will be hope."

He added that this road network is located on two main corridors that serve both national and international transport purpose from western to eastern part.

The first corridor is the northern sub-corridor of the first southern corridor of the Greater Mekong Sub-region which runs through Laos and heads to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
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Vietnam and Cambodia have agreed to sign agreements

The strangest friendship in the world is the friendship between Cambodia and Yuon Hanoi. The Yuon Hanoi always need more and more deepen tie and cooperation that allowing Yuo Hanoi to grabbed more land, natural resources and freeway for Yuon people encroaching in Cambodia.
Phnom Penh, Vietnam and Cambodia have agreed to soon sign a number of agreements to further deepen their ties for the benefit of their people.

The agreements cover maritime transportation, cooperation in industry, mining and energy, criminal extradition, labour cooperation and legal support.

The accords were reached at the 11th meeting of the Vietnam-Cambodia Joint Committee for Economic, Cultural, and Scientific and Technological Cooperation in Cambodia’s Preah Sihanouk province on December 3-4.

Under the co-chairmanship of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Nam Hong, the officials also agreed to soon address changes in visa exemptions for holders of ordinary passports.

Additionally, they unanimously agreed to boost cooperation, help each other in developing human resources, and to facilitate trade and investment.

They reaffirmed that the two countries will work harder to raise bilateral trade to 2 billion USD in 2010.

The officials pledged to encourage businesspeople to enhance ties, deploy licensed projects more effectively, and expand investment in the areas of oil and gas production, mining, energy, telecommunications, aviation, finance, banking, crop cultivation, farm produce processing, fertilizer and animal feed production.

They vowed to boost cooperation in agriculture, transport and communication infrastructure development, healthcare, labour issues, culture, sports and physical training, and tourism in addition to speeding up border demarcation so as to complete the work prior to the end of 2012 as previously agreed.

At this meeting, pledges were made for pressing ahead with collaboration in security and defence and the fight against cross-border crimes and coordination within sub-regional cooperation frameworks.

Reviewing the results of the implementation of the agreements reached at the committee’s 10th meeting, Vietnamese and Cambodian officials said they were delighted with the development of their comprehensive ties, notably in economy, trade and investment.

The two countries’ defence and security cooperation has been intensified; security and stability in their shared border areas have been maintained, border demarcation and marker planting have been stepped up, and more attention has been paid to cooperation among localities, ministries and sectors, they noted.

The Joint Committee will convene its 12th meeting in Vietnam .

During his time in Cambodia , Khiem paid a courtesy visit to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and paid tribute to fallen Vietnamese volunteers in Cambodia at a monument in Preah Sihanouk province. (VNA)

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Gen Chavalit confident Thai jailed in Cambodia to be freed next week

A Siame spy is in Khmer Hell, The Siame government had been in panic for releasing. But those fool politicians forgot about how many Khmers were jailed and killed in Thailand that had never been solved with justice. In this case, the Cambodian government should make a deal if the Thai government want the Siame spy back.

BANGKOK, Dec 5 (TNA) – The head of Thailand’s opposition, Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, chairman of the opposition Puea Thai Party, said Saturday he is confident that the Thai engineer detained in Cambodia on spying charges will be freed after appearing at his first hearing next week.

Reiterating that his political party is not playing ‘political games’ as suggested by some critics, Gen Chavalit, a former prime minister, said Simarak Na Nakhon Panom, mother of jailed Thai national Siwarak Chutipong, believed that a trial would take a long time if a bail request is made.

The employee of Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS) was arrested by Cambodian police nearly a month ago on charges of passing information on the flight details of fugitive, ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to Thai diplomats in Phnom Penh.

Mrs Simarak said she had decided to cancel her bail request plan as her son's new lawyer advised that the request will delay the case.

The mother also believes that if the Cambodian court finds her son guilty it would be better to seek a royal pardon from the Cambodian king and assistance is given by that government, Gen Chavalit said.

As Mr Siwarak will appear in court for his first hearing on Tuesday, Gen Chavalit said he is optimistic that there should be a “good news on December 9 or 10” and that the man should be released.

Criticism that the Puea Thai Party was behind the scene in the case as it has obtained a lot of information about the case, he said it would be bad if people’s hardships are being used as political ploy.

Gen Chavalit said his party is working behind the scene to help Thailand’s government agencies in helping secure the release of the man. (TNA)

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Vietnam, Cambodia tighten anti-human trafficking ties

PHNOM PENH: Concrete measures to combat human trafficking and provide aid to its victims topped the agenda of a workshop between Vietnam and Cambodia, which was held in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh on Dec 2 to 3.

According to the Vietnam news agency's report, the move is part of joint efforts to implement a co-operation agreement signed in October, 2005, to repel the trafficking of women and children, as well as provide them with assistance.

The Vietnamese delegation to the workshop was led by Vice Minister of Public Security Le The Tiem, and the Cambodian delegation was led by Secretary of State of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation Hav Bunse.

On the sidelines of the workshop, Vietnam and Cambodia also signed another co-operative agreement on confirming and repatriating the victims of human trafficking.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Secretary of State Hav Bunse praised the workshop's success, regarding it as new evidence of tight bilateral cooperation and determination to combat against trans-border crimes for the sake of the safety of their peoples. -- Bernama

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Cambodian PM denies interfering with KRouge court

PHNOM PENH — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday denied interfering with the UN-backed Khmer Rouge court, but repeated warnings that pursuing more suspects from the 1970s regime could spark civil war.

"I am not interfering with the court. But it is not the court that stopped the war. Be careful -- the court will create war, causing division of society again," Hun Sen said in a speech in the capital Phnom Penh.

The premier made his remarks days after lawyers for a former Khmer Rouge leader demanded that investigators at the war crimes tribunal question Hun Sen and government officials over alleged interference.

"Again and again, I see they want to question (more people). Be careful, this is the issue of death," Hun Sen said during a ceremony to mark the international day of disabled people.

Hun Sen went on to repeat warnings that he would rather see the court fail than expand prosecutions beyond the five former Khmer Rouge leaders currently detained for their roles in the regime which killed up to two million people.

Final arguments in the court's first trial, of prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, concluded last week.

The court plans to prosecute former Khmer Rouge ideologue Nuon Chea, head of state Khieu Samphan, foreign minister Ieng Sary and his wife, minister of social affairs Ieng Thirith sometime in 2011.

"Let's try these few senior leaders," the premier said.

"No more, I am sorry. I tell you that I would prefer the court to fail. But I will not let war happen. If it fails, let it fail."

He went on to blast foreign nations for not "daring to talk about the prosecution of the Khmer Rouge" when they were still a strong communist movement.

The tribunal was created in 2006 to try leading Khmer Rouge members, and is holding five former leaders on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. It has not yet ruled whether to prosecute additional suspects.

The process has often been hit by allegations that Hun Sen's administration has attempted to interfere in the tribunal to protect former regime members who are now in government.

The Khmer Rouge were ousted by Vietnamese-led forces in 1979 after nearly four years of iron-fisted rule, but continued to fight a civil war until 1998. Hun Sen was a former Khmer Rouge guerilla who defected in 1977.

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Cambodia confronts UN panel

Free speech, land rights high on list of Western concerns.

LAND rights and freedom of expression dominated discussions as Cambodia came before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva for its formal rights review on Tuesday.

During a three-hour session, the Council’s 47 members questioned Cambodia on rights-related issues after the presentation of a government report by Sun Suon, Cambodia’s ambassador to the UN.

“Cambodia fully shares the view that all human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent,” Sun Suon told the Council, adding that rights promotion should take into account the “historical, political, economic, social and cultural reality of the country and its particularities”.

But in their questions to the Cambodian delegation, several Western nations highlighted the issue of freedom of expression, brought into question after a string of lawsuits against critics of the government.

“We note a number of concerns with regard to the use of justice in order to limit freedom of expression and political freedom,” said John Von Kaufman, representing Canada.

The German delegation pointed to reports of “the intimidation of human rights defenders, NGOs, the media and even in some cases, the lifting of the immunity of parliamentarians”.

“Germany would like to know how the government reconciles such restrictive approaches … with its obligations it entered into when it ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” said German delegate Michael Klepsch.

Lina Van Der Weyden, representing Sweden, also expressed concern about increased reports of forced evictions resulting from “legally doubtful land concessions”, calling for a moratorium on evictions until the necessary “safeguards” are in place.

Other delegations, however, diverged sharply from the criticisms of Western governments. The Indian delegation, led by Gopinathan Achamkulangare, acknowledged the “challenges and constraints” faced by nations after decades of conflict, and said it “appreciates the prioritising of poverty reduction by the government in its efforts to promote human rights through the National Strategic Development Plan”.

Kyam Myo Htut from Myanmar said he was “delighted to hear of the major achievements which came in the implementation of [government development] strategies”.

When asked whether the presence of known rights abusers – including Myanmar, Russia, China and Vietnam – on the council marred the universal periodic review process, rights defenders said its composition gave little measure of its credibility and performance.

“The most important thing is its own mandate, which is comprehensive and far reaching,” Surya Subedi, the UN special rapporteur on human rights to Cambodia, said by email.

“The UPR is a relatively new mechanism, but it already has delivered some positive results for people around the globe.”

Christophe Peschoux, director of the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia, said improvements in the rights situation are largely contingent on the government’s actions.

“It’s not just a one-off exercise – the UPR is one moment in a process,” he said. “But what matters more is the extent to which the government takes the [council’s] recommendations into account.”

The results from Tuesday’s session will go towards shaping an outcome document that is set to be adopted by the council today. Read more!

2 tons of snakes, tortoises seized in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Cambodian police confiscated two tons of live snakes and tortoises and arrested two men trying to smuggle the slithering cargo up a river from Cambodia to Vietnam, authorities said Thursday.

Acting on a tip, police intercepted the boat Wednesday on the Bassac River in southeastern Cambodia just before it crossed into Vietnam. They found 3,640 pounds (1,655 kilograms) of snakes, mostly pythons, and 263 tortoises that weighed a combined 697 pounds (317 kilograms), said Col. Chan Savouen, deputy police chief of Kandal province.

"Snakes and tortoises are rare reptiles in our country and are strongly prohibited from being hunted and trafficked," he said.

Police arrested two Cambodians, aged 17 and 20, who said they were hired to transport the cargo but did not know the identities of their employers. They said some of the reptiles had been illegally hunted in Cambodia and others were trafficked from neighboring Thailand, Chan Savouen said.

The snakes and tortoises were released into the wild on Wednesday, he said.

Vietnam is often used as a transit point for trafficking illegal wildlife from Southeast Asia to China to feed its market for exotic pets and foods. Read more!

Uighur protesters land in Cambodia

By John Pomfret
Washington Post Staff Writer


Twenty-two members of a Chinese ethnic group who participated in violent demonstrations against China last summer have surfaced in Cambodia, sparking concerns that Cambodia will ignore their requests for asylum and return them to China.

The 22 Uighurs, including three children, trickled into Cambodia over the past several weeks, according to Omar Kanat, vice president of the World Uyghur Congress, a group that advocates for the rights of Uighurs in China. He said that two additional Uighurs have been detained in neighboring Vietnam and that five others, who were known to have fled China into Vietnam, have disappeared.

Violent anti-China demonstrations led by Uighurs rocked Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region of northwest China, on July 5.

At least 200 people died in the bedlam that involved Uighurs attacking Han Chinese and then bands of Han Chinese retaliating against Uighurs. Last month, China's state-run media reported that nine Uighurs had been executed for taking part in the riots. Kanat and other sources said that seven of the men who fled to Cambodia were wanted by the Chinese.

The Chinese government blamed the unrest on Rebiya Kadeer, a Uighur businesswoman who had been jailed in China and then exiled to the United States after pressure from the Bush administration.

A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said that Beijing wanted the Uighurs to be returned to China and that only a "handful of Uighurs in China are engaged in national splitism, religious extremism and violent terrorism."

A State Department spokeswoman said it is department policy not to comment on asylum cases.

Uighurs constitute a mostly Muslim ethnic group that speaks a Turkic language. For years, Uighur separatists have conducted a sometimes violent campaign against China's rule of the resource-rich Xinjiang region.

Cambodia has a troubled history when it comes to refugee rights. Human Rights Watch criticized Cambodia in a report this year for sending asylum-seekers back to Vietnam.

"Cambodia is not a good place to be a refugee these days," said Sophie Richardson, advocacy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division. Read more!

Cambodia, Thai troops play volleyball at border

In an effort to build confidence and ease down the situation along the Cambodia-Thai border, 20 Cambodian and Thai troops played volleyball on Tuesday afternoon at the border area, local newspaper the Cambodia Daily reported Wednesday.

The paper quoted Gen. Srey Dek, commander of armed forces' Division 3 based at Preah Vihear Temple as saying that 10 Cambodian soldiers and 10 Thai soldiers joined a "friendly volleyball game" on Tuesday.

He said the move will strengthen the cooperation between the two armies.

At the game, Srey Dek said, the two sides did not keep score, but for fun.

He, meanwhile, said both sides of military wish not to have a repeated armed clash.

Armed forces from the two countries had exchanged two times of gun fires and left several people dead and more than a dozen others injured since their border conflict began in July last year.

Source: Xinhua Read more!

Cambodia hosts regional meeting on economic recession

Cambodia hosts a regional meeting of officials and stakeholders from the four new members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Wednesday to discuss how to improve the economic status in the region.

The one-day meeting is co-organized by Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce and Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP) with the support from Economic Research Institute for the ASEAN and East Asia.

Prince Norodom Sirivudh, founder and chairman of CICP said the meeting was necessary to seek ways on how to curb with the impact of global economic crisis.

He said the four countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, are the new members of the ASEAN and are still poor.

He added that the economic downturn has affected economic growth, tourism and the garment sector.

At the forum, Pan Sorasak, secretary of state of Ministry of Commerce said that the Cambodian government is now working with the United States to open more markets for Cambodian products.

He said that agriculture is another potential resource for Cambodia to help boost the country's economy. But at the same time, the government is not ignoring its capacity building and the human resource development.　
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How to Get a Business Visa for Cambodia

Most people who travel to Cambodia do so with the E-Visa, which is a tourist Visa. If you plan to stay longer than 30 days or do business during your stay, the business Visa is the way to go. Although the tourist Visa can be renewed every 30 days, you must make a Visa run (leaving the country and renewing your Visa upon reentry.) The business Visa is only valid for 30 days, but it is renewable in the country. This saves the traveller a lot of time and money. Unlike the tourist Visa, the business Visa cannot be applied for online and can only be obtained after arriving to the country. Here are the steps to take to get a business Visa for Cambodia.

What to bring with you.

Before departing for the trip, make sure you bring the following items: your Passport with at least one page empty and at least 6 months validity, the Visa application form, which is provided at the airport, a $25 application fee for your business Visa, one passport-sized photo and a pen for filling out the form.

Filling out the application.

Fill out your application form for the business Visa. Make sure to check the business Visa box and indicate that you're planning to stay for more than 30 days.

Submitting the application.

There is a separate line for submitting the Visa application and picking it back up. After submitting the application and paying the $25 fee they will take your passport and work on it. In the mean time, you will be asked to move to another area to wait.

Picking up your business Visa and Passport.

It should take about 20 minutes to fix the Cambodia sticker to your passport, fill in the information, and complete the rest of the paperwork before they call out your name to come and claim your Passport and Visa. Be sure to pay attention, as sometimes they won't call your name and will just raise up the Passport with the photo visible and wait for it to be claimed. After claiming them, the immigration officer will take a digital photo of you before letting you go.

Conclusion

Obtaining a Business Visa for Cambodia is an easy process compared to other countries. It will allow you to work in the country without hassle and the ability to renew it without making a Visa run will save you a good deal of money. Please make sure you follow these steps carefully to ensure the process goes smoothly. Read more!

EU Will Provide Extra $3M for Cambodia's Khmer Rouge Genocide Trial

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The European Union will provide $3 million in additional funding for Cambodia's Khmer Rouge genocide trial, an EU official said Wednesday.

The brutal 1970s rule of the Khmer Rouge left an estimated 1.7 million people dead from torture, execution, disease and starvation. A verdict is expected early next year in the tribunal's first trial for Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, who is charged with crimes against humanity, war crimes, murder and torture.

The tribunal, mostly funded by donations from foreign donors, has faced budget problems with the $56.3 million originally earmarked proving inadequate.

The EU made its decision to provide more funds after discussions with other donors about allegations of corruption and mismanagement at the U.N.-assisted tribunal, said EU delegation charge d'affaires Rafael Dochao Moreno.

Dochao said the EU had been reassured by the dismissal of a Cambodian tribunal official accused of corruption and the creation of a mechanism to deal with such allegations in the future.

The estimated cost of carrying out the tribunal's work through 2010 is $143 million. It is unclear how much of that has been raised so far.

The EU has already contributed $1.5 million to cover the salaries of the Cambodian judges, prosecutors and legal support staff, Dochao said.

Separately, the tribunal announced Wednesday it has appointed a new international prosecutor whose most recent job was defending former Liberian President Charles Taylor at his war crimes trial.

Andrew T. Cayley of Britain, who has also served as a prosecutor at international war crimes courts, was named to the post left vacant in September by the resignation of Canadian co-prosecutor Robert Petit, the tribunal said in a statement.

Taylor, accused of providing arms to Sierra Leone rebels in exchange for diamonds mined by slave laborers, ended 13 weeks on the witness stand earlier this month at the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

The tribunal also said American Nicholas Koumjian was appointed reserve co-prosecutor.

Other than Duch, the tribunal is also holding four former senior Khmer Rouge leaders in custody, and they are expected to be tried next year or later.

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Cambodia set to build 1st stock market

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia will soon start construction on a building to house its first stock exchange which it hopes will help draw foreign investment to the impoverished country, the Finance Ministry said Wednesday.

A South Korean firm, World City Co. Ltd., was awarded the contract to build the $6 million building in Phnom Penh, which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2010, said Mey Vann, director of financial industry at the Finance Ministry.

"We expect that the official operation of our stock market will start once the building is complete," Mey Vann said.

In a statement, the ministry called the creation of a stock exchange "an important and historic event in Cambodia" that will create new jobs, revitalize the local economy and transform Phnom Penh "into a world-class city."

Prime Minister Hun Sen announced plans to launch a stock market in 2007, saying Cambodia needs to find new ways to draw international capital to move beyond relying only on international aid and banks loans.

Soon after, lawmakers approved a securities law on issuance and trading of nongovernment securities to pave the way for a stock market.

The Cambodian economy is small but one of the fastest growing in Asia. The economy is largely driven by just one industry, textiles, which accounts for nearly 80 percent of exports. The economy's development has been heavily reliant on hundreds of millions of dollars (euros) in international aid.

For investors, the country's junk-level credit ratings suggest it is a risky bet because of its weak oversight and rampant corruption.

Neighboring Vietnam started its stock market in July 2000, and it has been a big success, both for companies and investors.

The four-story, 71,900-sq. foot (6,682-sq. meter) Cambodian stock market building will be located in Phnom Penh's financial district on the outskirts of the capital.

The South Korean developer, World City, is providing the land and construction costs, hoping to recoup its investment by having the value of its nearby properties increase due to the stock exchange being sited there, Hang Choun Naron, director general of the Finance Ministry.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Thais allowed to resume fishing in Cambodian waters

TRAT, Dec 1 (TNA) – Local authorities resumed issuing licenses to Thai trawlers to fish in Cambodian water on Wednesday, said Thitikorn Lohakup, chairman of the Trat fisheries association.

Mr Thitikorn said he was informed by a Koh Kong official that a meeting of the Koh Kong authorities finalised fisheries regulations on Tuesday and agreed to allow Thai fishermen to seek licenses to fish in Cambodian waters at a temporary office opposite the Koh Kong Resort from Thursday onwards.

Cambodia's Defence Minister Gen. Tea Banh last week asserted that Cambodia has not closed its waters near Koh Kong as earlier reported. He said that fisheries concession procedures were being amended and that it would not affect the livelihood of the both peoples.

"I reaffirm that we will try to avoid doing things which (negatively) affect the daily life and the living of peoples to prevent any dispute," the Cambodian defence minister said. "There has been some adjustment of concession regulations recently, and if the licence has expired, fishermen can ask for renewal of their licence without any problem."

Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban on Tuesday reaffirmed that the Thai government will not close the Thai-Cambodian border as it has concern for the well-being of the population living along the border.

Mr Suthep reminded the public that the diplomatic row between Thailand and Cambodia flared up right after the visit to Phnom Penh of former Thai premier Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and the appointment of ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra as economic adviser to the Cambodian government.

Prime Minister Abhisit has continued to assert that political and diplomatic retaliation is separate matters, and the commitments made by the two countries which are beneficial to their citizens, particularly aid projects, will not be revoked, Mr Suthep said. (TNA) Read more!

New international prosecutor

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIA'S Khmer Rouge war crimes court has a new international prosecutor, the UN-backed tribunal announced on Wednesday, several months after the previous holder of the post resigned.

Briton Andrew T. Caley, who has worked at the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia has been formally appointed by Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, a court statement said.

The appointment was welcomed by court observers, who said it was important to get a permanent international prosecutor in place as soon as possible.

'There are many critical decisions that should be made in the (next) case in the next two months and they should be made by the international prosecutor who will have the responsibility for carrying them out,' Heather Ryan, court monitor for the Open Society Justice Initiative, told AFP.

Mr Caley is expected to arrive in Cambodia within the next few weeks, said tribunal spokesman Lars Olsen.

Canadian prosecutor Robert Petit announced his resignation from the court in June, citing personal and family reasons after a row with his local counterpart over whether to pursue more suspects of the late 1970s communist regime. He denied his sudden resignation from the tribunal was due to the dispute with Cambodian co-prosecutor Chea Leang. -- AFP

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Thai mother travels to Cambodia to visit arrested son

BANGKOK, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Mrs. Simaluck Na Nakhon Panom, the mother of a Thai man having been arrested in Cambodia Wednesday traveled to Cambodia to visit the detained son.

Mrs. Simaluck's son, Siwarak Chothipong, who worked as an engineer at the Cambodia Air Traffic Services Co Ltd (CATS), has been arrested in Cambodia from Nov. 11, according to an arrest warrant of the prosecutor of the Phnom Penh Municipality Court.

Cambodia has charged Siwarak of having had confidential information affecting Cambodia's national security.

Also, a younger brother of Siwarak accompanied the mother traveling to Cambodia, which is their second trip after Siwarak has been detained in a prison in Phnom Penh, the Thai News Agency reported.

The Thai mother flew to Cambodia with dry foods and clothes for the detained son.

Meanwhile, the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh, which has prepared some money worth from 50,000 baht (1,506 U.S. dollars) to 200,000 baht (6,027 U.S. dollars), has been in the process of seeking a quick release of Siwarak on bail.
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SNC-Lavalin awarded contract for an energy control system in Cambodia

MONTREAL, Dec. 1, 2009 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX News Network) --
SNC-Lavalin is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a contract to design and build Electricité du Cambodge's National Control Centre and Energy Management System in Phnom Penh. The value of the contract is estimated at $5 million.

SNC-Lavalin will provide engineering, procurement and construction services for the complete system, including the control centre building, system software, hardware and system integration with the telecommunication networks and remote metering equipment. Based on SNC-Lavalin's state-of-the-art GENe Energy Management System, the control centre will operate Cambodia's entire electric transmission network. As part of the Rural Electrification and Transmission Project, this system will help provide electricity to a large portion of Cambodia's rural population.
"This project is important for the growth of the country, especially as it adapts to modern automation and Smart Grid technology to secure its electricity supply," said Joe Salim, Vice-President and General Manager of SNC-Lavalin's Power Systems Division. "Thanks to our experience in energy control systems in this region, we are able to support this project with local expertise and capabilities."

Work on the project has begun and the control centre is expected to be operational by June 2011.

SNC-Lavalin (TSX:SNC) is one of the leading engineering and construction groups in the world and a major player in the ownership of infrastructure, and in the provision of operations and maintenance services. SNC-Lavalin has offices across Canada and in over 35 other countries around the world, and is currently working in some 100 countries. www.snclavalin.com

SOURCE: SNC-LAVALIN

Media: Leslie Quinton, Vice-President, Global Corporate Communications, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., (514) 393-8000, ext. 7354, leslie.quinton@snclavalin.com; Investors: Denis Jasmin, Vice-President, Investor Relations, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc., (514) 393-8000, ext. 7553, denis.jasmin@snclavalin.com Copyright (C) 2009 CNW Group. All rights reserved. Read more!

Cambodia Recommended to Diversify Its Market

By Ron Corben Bangkok, Thailand


A new United Nations report says Cambodia needs to diversify the economy to help protect vulnerable groups, such as women workers, from downturns. As Ron Corben reports from Bangkok, the report also calls for the government to see the current slump as an opportunity to speed up structural changes.

The United Nations Development Program urges the Cambodian government to shift away from relying on the garment industry, which is vulnerable to sharp economic shocks such as the recent financial crisis. The report, released last week, focuses on Cambodia's challenges; the country has been among those in Asia hit hardest by the collapse in global exports.

It says the poor, especially those in debt, have felt the pain the most. The garment sector accounts for about 70 percent of Cambodia's export income. The United States is the leading market but exports there fell by over 22 percent in the past year because of the recession.

Nearly all of the workers in Cambodia's garment factories are women, mostly from rural areas. At least 50 factories have closed in the past year, and more than 60,000 workers lost their jobs. Chan Sophal, lead research consultant on the report, said Tuesday the lack of alternatives means more Cambodian women must work in the entertainment industry. The United Nations Inter-Agency Project on human trafficking sees more young women entering the industry.

Mr. CHAN SOPHAL said "Karaoke parlor, the massage places and the beer promotion industry, and all of those have women at risk in terms of being a disguised sex worker and at the exposure of diseases." The global downturn also hit Cambodia's construction industry, tourism businesses and migrant workers. But the UNDP report says the crisis should be seen as an opportunity that spurs efforts to address structural weaknesses in the economy. Chan Sophal says the report calls for institutional reforms, and more equity in public spending to lift the economy and reduce the effects of external shocks. Mr.

CHAN SOPHAL added "This crisis may represent an opportunity for the government to speed up the structural reforms which takes time - but now we have no time. The quicker we can do to improve competitiveness, the economic diversification the better chance we will recover from the economic downturn."

Recently, the International Monetary Fund said garment exports from Cambodia would fall by as much as 15 percent this year. However, the Asian Development Bank forecasts that the economy will grow just over three percent next year, as the global recovery takes hold and increases clothing exports and tourism arrivals.

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Cambodian kids painting with hope

BY ILIANA STILLITANO


CAMDEN Civic Centre will be filled with the colours of hope next week as the artwork of Cambodia's poorest children goes on sale.

The artwork, painted by underprivileged street children, will be sold to raise money for the Cambodian Children's Painting Project, which helps the poorest children in the village of Sihanoukville.

Project director Felix Brooks-Church said residents of the coastal village lacked regular access to food, clean drinking water and medical care.

``We are trying to change that by providing a supportive and safe place to come and play and express themselves in a positive way. And it's art that is our major focus,'' he said.

Mr Brooks-Church has been travelling around Australia since August holding fund-raising art exhibitions.

Camden Council's Family Day Care coordinator Debbie Tuckey is custodian of the unsold paintings, which will be exhibited at Camden Civic Centre.

They will be available for purchase for one week only from Saturday at 1pm.


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Cambodia-Vietnam joint commission meeting to be held later this week

Cambodia and Vietnam are set to hold a joint commission meeting later this week in Cambodia's southwestern province of Sihanouk.

In a statement released on Monday, the Cambodian Foreign Ministry said the 11th Meeting of the Cambodia-Vietnam Joint Commission for Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technological Cooperation will be held in Preah Sihanouk Province from Dec. 3-4, 2009.

It said that Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem will lead a delegation to attend the meeting.

During his stay in Cambodia, Pham Gia Khiem will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Hun Sen, and sign with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong on the agreed minutes of the meeting.
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Cambodia to consider bail request for Thai engineer on Friday

BANGKOK, A Cambodian court will hear Thailand's bail request bid on Friday for the Thai engineer in Phnom Penh on espionage charges and affirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) had done its utmost to help him, according to MFA Department of Information director-general Vimon Kidchob.

Siwarak Chutipong, an employee of Thai-owned Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS), was arrested by Cambodian police November 12 on charges of passing to Thai diplomatic officials what the Cambodian authorities considered as privileged information regarding the flight of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra when he made his recent visit.

Ms Vimon said she believed that Simarak na Nakon Panom, Mr Siwarak's mother, understood the procedure and had made an appointment with the Thai officials to go to Cambodia again next Monday (December 7 to hear the court's verdict) on the next day but she may want to visit him sooner.

However, Ms Vimon said that the mother had not informed the ministry of her desire to visit her son earlier than planned.

Mrs Simarak on Monday met former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama at Thailand’s opposition Puea Thai Party headquarters, seeking his assistance to get bail for her son and permission from Cambodia to visit him again.

She claimed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had moved too slowly for her to help her son.

Mr Noppadon, a legal adviser to convicted ex-premier Thaksin, said he would help her on a humanitarian basis by using his old connections in Phnom Penh to help Mrs Simarak see her son again and he did not want his move to be seen as a political issue. (TNA)

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US says to continue help Cambodia to fight HIV/AIDS

PHNOM PENH: The United States said on Monday that it will continue to help Cambodia in fighting against HIV/AIDS.

"The United States looks forward to continuing our support of successes like these and we are committed to furthering efforts that curb the spread of HIV in Cambodia," it said in a statement released here on Monday by its Embassy.

The US is considered as the largest bilateral HIV/AIDS donor in Cambodia, committing US $18 million in 2009 as part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

The US helped Cambodia cut its HIV/AIDS prevalence rate by half among the general population and by two thirds among brothel- based sex workers, a remarkable success story in the global fight against the disease.

The US assistance is also helping to provide life-saving antiretroviral medication to more than 31,000 Cambodians living with HIV/AIDS, reaching over 90 percent of those in need, the statement said.

Over the next five years, the United States will place a renewed emphasis on partnering with Cambodia to build the country' s national HIV/AIDS response, it added.
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Thaksin and Chavalit's Cambodia plan badly misfired

By Avudh Panananda
The Nation


After their best-laid plan went awry, two cunning schemers now find themselves left high and dry. Thaksin Shinawatra and Chavalit Yongchaiyudh have fallen off the political stage.

Until the two can come up with a new ploy to reclaim pole position, the role of playmaker has now been taken up by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

In the next couple of months, Abhisit has a rare opportunity to rectify ailing politics. If he succeeds in his mission, then there is a glimmer of hope for overcoming Thaksin's gravitational pull.

Just a few short months ago, Thaksin and Chavalit acted and talked like they already had the world in the palms of their hands.

Chavalit stepped out of retirement to accept the Pheu Thai Party chairmanship. He confidently outlined his game plan designed to boost Thaksin's political standing.

He believed that he could overcome political polarisation if the pro-Thaksin camp could outshine the Democrat-led coalition.

Thaksin pulled strings with the red shirts and opposition lawmakers in order to orchestrate a showdown to dislodge the coalition.

It so happened that Thaksin and Chavalit found Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen with a receptive ear to get involved in Thai politics and risk the good neighbourly ties.

Under the plan, the involvement of Hun Sen in the Thai political equation was supposed to be proof of Thaksin's superiority over Abhisit. But the plan backfired.

Friends and foes alike saw Thaksin and Chavalit as traitors, serving as Cambodian lapdogs instead of protecting Thai interests.

The very plan designed to destroy the prime minister yielded the opposite result. Abhisit received an all-time-high popularity rating.

Regardless of his experience as the longest-serving prime minister in Southeast Asia, Hun Sen picked two wrong horses to stage an entrance into the Thai political scene.

The Cambodian government had to switch on damage-control mode by dispatching Defence Minister Tea Banh, seen as Hun Sen's closest ally, to Bangkok on a fence-mending mission last week.

The pro-Thaksin camp fell into disarray. Chalerm Yoobamrung, the leader of the Pheu Thai MPs, became "conveniently" ill so he could sit on the fence and watch how the game played out.

Although some 30 Pheu Thai MPs and hardcore supporters went to meet Thaksin in Siem Reap, much greater numbers of opposition lawmakers followed Chalerm's lead to keep their cards close to their chest.

Even Chavalit tried to salvage his image by back-pedalling from Thaksin's Cambodian card. He turned down Thaksin's offer for him to fly to Phnom Penh to pick up the Thai engineer who is expected to be released from the legal wrangling for spying.

As if adding insult to his own injury, Thaksin made controversial and offensive remarks against the monarchy when he tried to apportion the blame for his predicament.

It came as no surprise that the red shirts were forced to postpone their mass rally, billed as a final showdown with the government. Thaksin is doing everything he can to win back trust in his loyalty.

As Thaksin and Chavalit will likely spend months trying to pick up the pieces of their own undoing, the limelight has shifted to Abhisit.

With the lull in street protests, Abhisit now has a fighting chance to steer mainstream politics to overcome the turmoil.

The key is how to accommodate and appease opposition lawmakers in order to stop them from gravitating toward Thaksin.

Three key events may be the decisive factors in reshaping Thai politics. The anticipated Cabinet reshuffle. The upcoming censure debate. And the twisting and turning of the process to amend the charter.

If Abhisit plays his cards right, then voters will likely go to the polls next year. The polarisation may not end completely with one round of voting, but at least the animosity is likely to dissipate.

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Mother wants Pheu Thai to help free her son

It came as a big slap on the government's face when Simarak Na Nakhon Phanom, mother of Siwarak Chutipong - a Thai national being detained in Cambodia - asked the opposition Pheu Thai Party for assistance yesterday.

She complained that the Foreign Ministry was being too slow in getting her son out of prison.

She went to the party headquarters yesterday to ask former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama to help free Siwarak, who is being held on charges of spying on former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's flight schedule.

"The Foreign Ministry is too slow and my son and I can't wait. I will do anything to get him out," Simarak told a press conference.

Noppadon said he had used his connections in Phnom Penh to help Simarak visit her son again in a couple of days.

Simarak also thanked Thaksin for offering to help her son even though he had done something bad against the former PM.

Siwarak admitted that he had passed Thaksin's flight information on to a Thai diplomat who later was expelled from Cambodia, but Simarak said her son did not know that Thaksin was on the plane.

Siwarak was arrested on November 12 while Thaksin was in Phnom Penh to deliver a speech on economy. His visit intensified tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, especially since Bangkok was already angry with Cambodian PM Hun Sen for appointing Thaksin as his economic adviser. Simarak also called on Pheu Thai Party chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, asking for help yesterday.

Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to the foreign minister, said he understood that Simarak is a mother and would do anything for her son.

"But the Foreign Ministry is doing what it can to help her, too," he said.

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Hun Sen rules out normal ties with Abhisit government

By Rasmei Kampuchea


Phnom Penh - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attacked Thailand again yesterday, saying the Thai government was derisive about his country and that Abhisit Vejjajiva was the most difficult Thai PM he had ever worked with.

Hun Sen told reporters in Phnom Penh that bilateral relations, which have been sour for months now, would only be normalised if Thailand had a new government. He added that his country would "have no happiness" while Abhisit and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya were still in power.
"I'm not an enemy of the Thai people ... But, these two people look down on Cambodia," Hun Sen said.

"Cambodia will have no happiness as long as this group is in power."

Hun Sen claimed that Abhisit called him over the weekend after Phnom Penh sent a note last week telling Bangkok that it was cancelling its request for a Bt1.4-billion loan to construct a road from the Thai border to Siem Reap.

"Abhisit called me, for the first time, asking me to withdraw the note. He said Thailand is still willing to give the loan," Hun Sen said.

However, Abhisit was told that Cambodia needed an official letter from him, but though the Thai premier agreed he failed to send the letter at the time it was promised.

"Abhisit is the most difficult person to work with when compared to other Thai PMs," Hun Sen said, adding that from now on Cambodia would not accept any aid from Thailand.

"We have decided to stop receiving any assistance from Thailand. Cambodia cannot allow itself to be humiliated," he added. "I told Abhisit that my people and I were hurt when we heard you talk about halting aid and loans. Now stop talking like this - it is cheap and childish."

The Cambodian leader also hit back about Thailand's threat to close the border between the two countries, saying: "If you are [an] idiot, if you want losses, please go ahead."

Bilateral relations between the two countries soured when Hun Sen appointed fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as his economic adviser and refused to extradite him to Thailand.

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Thai FM: no plan of talks with Cambodia to end diplomatic dispute

[The Nation report: "Mother meets detained son in P Penh jail"]

Takes soil from house as symbolic link to his motherland

Detained Thai employee Siwarak Chotipong met his mother for the first time yesterday since being arrested on a charge of spying.

Siwarak has been accused of passing on fugitive former prime minister Shinawatra's flight information to an official of the Thai Embassy two weeks ago.

Simarak Ra Khon Phanom flew to see her son in Prey Sor prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh for an hour and a half yesterday afternoon. She took along soil from her house in Nakhon Ratchasima for her son as a symbolic connection with the motherland.

Siwarak has lost some weight but is still in good health and Cambodian authorities are taking good care of her son, she told reporters in Phnom Penh after a visit.

"He wants to get out of jail as soon as possible and is waiting for the court ruling on December 8," she said.

He is not a political victim, but there might have been some misunderstanding and bad luck for him, she said.

Siwarak was arrested on November 12 on the day Thaksin was in Phnom Penh to give a lecture on economic development after being appointed an economic adviser to Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Siwarak, an employee of Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS), was accused of passing Thaksin's flight information to Thai diplomat Kamrob Palawatwichai, who was later expelled from Cambodia.

If found guilty, he would be sentenced to a 7-15-year jail term or fined 5-25 million Cambodian rials (about Bt50,000-Bt250,000) in accordance with article 19 of the Archive law.

Visiting Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh said his country would handle the Siwarak case in accordance with law and international practice.

Tea Banh was in Thailand for a meeting of General Border Committee with his Thai counterpart Prawit Wongsuwan. They agreed to maintain good ties despite the conflict between the two governments.

Siwarak's case is seen as an extension of the diplomatic row between Thailand and Cambodia. Angered by the appointment of Thaksin as Hun Sen's adviser, Thailand downgraded relations with Cambodia and reviewed cooperation projects including a maritime deal.

Meanwhile Cambodia informed Thailand yesterday it was cancelling an agreement to receive a Bt1.4-billion loan to upgrade a highway from the Thai border, Associated Press reported.

Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said his country will not accept the loan because it could afford to build the road on its own.

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World Vision Goes Around the World to Find the True Spirit of Christmas Next stop: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Team began quest in U.S. two weeks ago, will travel to three more countries in next three weeks
$25 million fundraising effort aims to fight poverty and help 625,000 people around the world
Contact: Laura Blank, World Vision, 646-245-2496, lblank@worldvision.org

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Nov. 28 /Christian Newswire/ -- Since November 19, World Vision and thousands of people around the world have been traveling the globe in search of the Christmas spirit as part of the Christian humanitarian agency's "Spirit of Christmas" tour. The month-long tour features interviews and stories with children and families in the United States, Ecuador, Cambodia, Zambia and Ethiopia. In the past two weeks, World Vision's team has been highlighting both the heartbreaking circumstances of the poor and the inspiring impact even small donations of a few dollars can make in helping families provide for their children.

"So far, we've traveled from the neighborhoods of New York City to the mountains of Ecuador to see if we can find the 'true spirit of Christmas' around the world," said Devin Hermanson, campaign manager for World Vision's "Spirit of Christmas" tour. "In a year full of financial scandals, war, natural disasters, and a global recession, we all need a little encouragement. What we've found so far is that people around the world are still helping their neighbor in need."

The team has traveled to New York City and Quito, Ecuador. The team left Ecuador on Saturday, November 28 and traveled to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. There the team will learn first-hand about the sex trafficking industry and meet several young children who have been rescued from sexual slavery and are rebuilding their lives. About 2 million children -- most of them girls -- are enslaved in the global sex trade today.

Fast facts about the "Spirit of Christmas" tour in Phnom Penh, Cambodia:

The team has traveled more than 14, 456 miles since November 19.

So far, more than $4.2 million -- or nearly 20% of the goal -- has been raised toward this year's $25 million goal.

More than 14 million people live in Cambodia.

More than one-third of Cambodians live below the poverty line, and nearly 78% live on less than $2 a day.

Between 50,000 -- 100,000 women and children are involved in the global sex trade.

It is estimated that nearly 30% of children involved in the sex trade are under 18.

The life expectancy for the average person is 61 years old.

World Vision has worked in Cambodia since 1970.

As part of the "Spirit of Christmas" tour, the organization seeks to raise a record-breaking $25 million through the World Vision Gift Catalog to help provide these communities with much-needed resources like water, livestock, medicine, and agriculture -- assistance that could change the lives of nearly 625,000 people. World Vision's cash donations are currently down 4 percent -- or $33 million -- a deficit that could ultimately affect the poorest families around the world. If World Vision meets the Gift Catalog's financial goal this year, it would be far more than the aid agency has ever raised during the holiday period, making it a truly extraordinary response in extraordinary times.

World Vision launched the Gift Catalog in 1996. A gift given through the catalog significantly improves the life of a child or family in need by providing tools and opportunities to overcome extreme poverty, while at the same time honor your friends and loved ones. There are more than 100 gifts (many under $35) to choose from. To order, visit our website at http://www.worldvisiongifts.org/ or call toll-free 1 (888) 511-6511. All items are tax-deductible.
To schedule an interview with the team as they travel, please contact Laura Blank at lblank@worldvision.org or +1.646.245.2496. To follow the team online, log onto Facebook, visit us on Twitter, or check out the "Spirit of Christmas" campaign site at http://www.worldvisiongifts.org/.

Note: The "Spirit of Christmas" World Tour Schedule
Bronx, New York November 17 - 22, 2009
Quito, Ecuador November 22 - 27, 2009
Phnom Penh, Cambodia November 28 - December 5, 2009
Lusaka, Zambia December 6 - 13, 2009
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia December 13 - 17, 2009
Bronx, New York December 18 – 23, 2009

About World Vision

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. We serve all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, visit www.worldvision.org/press. Read more!

Militaries could heal battered bilateral ties

By The Nation


The positive tone of the Thai and Cambodian defence ministers hold hopes for normalisation
The General Border Committee meeting ended on Friday on a positive note as the Thai and Cambodian defence ministers agreed to work for peace. Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and his Cambodian counterpart, Tea Banh, said they would use their good offices and the armed forces to create the political space needed to bring about the comfort level for the two sides to move on.

The two governments are currently engaged in one of their bitterest diplomatic disputes in decades after Prime Minister Hun Sen appointed fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra as his economic adviser. The move was nothing less than a slap on Bangkok's face. Hun Sen, naturally, said it was his and his country's business as to who he should appoint. He went on to cut Thailand's judicial system to pieces for charging his good friend with corruption, and taunted the Abhisit Vejjajiva government of being immature and lacking credibility and suggested that it seek legitimacy.

Nevertheless, the two defence ministers spent Friday mapping out guidelines for future cooperation between the armed forces and identified specific programmes to serve as a platform for such cooperation. The soccer game between soldiers from the two countries might well be back on schedule.

It has been pointed out that the Thai Army and their Cambodian counterparts, in spite of experiencing hiccups every now and then, have effectively turned the page and moved on from the turbulent years of the previous decades when Vietnam and Thailand turned Cambodia into a high-stakes game. Everybody had blood on their hands and no one is in the mood to dig up the past, hence the desire to leave the political baggage behind.

But let's not let the cosy feelings in Pattaya blur reality. Tea Banh may be the defence minister but we all know that the buck stops with Hun Sen. If Hun Sen does not want Tea Banh to get cuddly with the Thais, he won't.

Hun Sen may think he is smart by adopting this two-pronged strategy - a diplomatic spitting contest between the two capitals, but hugs and kisses between the two soldiers. But the problem strongmen with inflated egos have is that they invariably shoot themselves in the foot. And by that time it could be too late, as the damage could be too severe and the situation out of control.

No one can deny that there is a high degree of pretentiousness in diplomacy, as the outcome of the Pattaya General Border Committee meeting has shown. Maybe that is what is needed. Bangkok may have to pretend that its feelings were not bruised as badly as it seemed, while Cambodia could reap the benefits of the political capital sowed by Tea Banh and its armed forces. Who knows? The two countries could be hugging and kissing each other one day.
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Cambodia cancels $41.2 million loan from Thailand

By SOPHENG CHEANG,Associated Press Writer


PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Cambodia informed Thailand on Friday it was canceling a US$41.2 million loan from Bangkok meant to finance the upgrade of a highway from the Thai border.

Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said his country didn't need the loan and could afford to build the road on its own.

The decision comes during a period of bad relations between the two countries over Cambodia's recent welcome to former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a fugitive from Thai justice.

Thai-Cambodian relations took a turn for the worse when Cambodia recently named Thaksin an adviser on economic affairs. The subsequent visit by Thaksin, and Cambodia's rejection of a formal request from Bangkok to extradite him, drew a negative reaction from Bangkok.

Each country has recalled its ambassador and Bangkok has canceled an agreement to negotiate on joint development of offshore territory claimed by both countries. It also said it would review all other assistance agreements and projects with its neighbor.

Cambodia is holding a Thai man on a spying charge for allegedly sending a copy of Thaksin's flight schedule to the Thai Embassy during the former leader's visit earlier this month.

The secretary to Thailand's foreign minister, Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, downplayed the importance of Phnom Penh's cancellation of the loan to upgrade the 73-mile (117-kilometer) road stretching from Cambodia's northwestern border with Thailand to the province of Siem Reap.

He called it a normal procedure, as Friday marked three months after the agreement was signed, and Cambodia was supposed to give notice on whether it agreed to its terms.

The road would in large part serve trade between the two countries, which is heavily in Thailand's favor.

He said Thailand had reviewed the agreement, as part of its earlier threat to cancel all assistance agreements, but took no action on it.

A Thai court last year sentenced Thaksin in absentia to two years in prison for violating a conflict of interest law, but he fled into exile before the verdict. He was prime minister from 2001 until ousted by a military coup in 2006.

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Khmer Rouge prison chief asks Cambodia genocide tribunal to release him, citing time served

By SOPHENG CHEANG and LUKE HUNT , Associated Press


PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - After claiming to feel great remorse for his part in Khmer Rouge atrocities, the defendant in Cambodia's first genocide trial on Friday surprised the court with a last-minute plea for his freedom, saying he should not have been prosecuted and has already spent ten years in jail.

Kaing Guek Eav, who headed a torture center from which about 16,000 men, women and children were sent to their deaths, seemingly stepped back from previous assertions of responsibility for his actions and expressions of sorrow to his victims, as well as willingness to accept severe punishment.

His Cambodian lawyer, Kar Savuth, went a step further and stunned the tribunal by issuing the trial's first clear call for an acquittal of his client, even after his French lawyer, Francois Roux, denied seeking such a verdict.

Only when directly pressed by a frustrated Judge Dame Silvia Cartwright of New Zealand did Kar Savuth say that in calling for Duch's release he was seeking his acquittal.

After consultations, the judges at the U.N.-assisted tribunal accepted the plea for acquittal, even though the legal basis for it was unclear.

Acquittal in legal terms normally means a finding that the defendant is not guilty of the crimes he is charged with, while the defense case hinged generally on claims that Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, ought to have any punishment lightened in view of his cooperation with the court and expressions of remorse.

Cambodian-American human rights lawyer Theary Seng said the call for an acquittal was difficult to understand.

"What he did totally undermines his efforts up until now in terms of remorse and it undermines his request for forgiveness, which I thought was genuine," she said. "It's inexplicable and calls into question his previous efforts of remorse. This is really disturbing."

Friday's dramatic turn of events came as the trial was in its next to last stage, with prosecution and defense making rebuttals to the other's closing arguments. Judges are expected to issue their verdict early next year.

Duch is charged with crimes against humanity, war crimes, murder and torture.

The prosecution earlier this week asked the court to sentence Duch to 40 years in jail, taking into account his cooperation and time served while waiting for trial. The maximum sentence he could receive is life imprisonment. Cambodia has no death penalty.

Some 1.7 million Cambodians died of torture, execution, disease and starvation due to the radical communist policies of the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge regime. Four senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge are also in the tribunal's custody, and they are expected to be tried next year or later.

Even Friday, Duch spoke of acknowledging and apologizing for "the more than one million souls who perished" due to the crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge.

But he went on to claim that the tribunal's mandate was to prosecute senior Khmer Rouge leaders, and didn't apply to him, an argument that had already been rejected by the court.

Also pointing out the time he had already spent in custody, Duch said to the judges, "I ask the chamber to release me."

The tribunal earlier this year ruled that Duch had been held illegally for five of the eight years he was in the custody of Cambodia's military court before being transferred to the tribunal, and that if found guilty, he could get credit not only for time already served but also to compensate for the earlier violation of his rights.

The positions of Duch's two lawyers seemed to diverge in their closing arguments earlier this week, with Kar Savuth seeking an acquittal, and Roux pleading for a lenient prison sentence due to his client's contrition and cooperation with the court.

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Thailand, Cambodia say row won't lead to conflict

BANGKOK — Thailand and Cambodia's diplomatic row over fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra will not cause further clashes between their armed forces, their defense ministers said after meeting Friday.

Relations between the countries, which have fought a string of deadly gunbattles on their border since last year, plunged earlier this month when Thaksin visited Phnom Penh as an advisor to the Cambodian government.

After a two-day meeting in the Thai resort town of Pattaya which ended Friday, the Thai and Cambodian defense ministers said they had agreed to reach peaceful solutions to solve new misunderstandings.

"Thai and Cambodian forces will support every mechanism to strengthen relations between the two countries," Thai defense minister Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters.

Prawit said the meeting focused on issues around the poorly defined, heavily armed border and how to make people who live there live peacefully.

Prawit added that military and diplomatic rows were different, saying: "We have to divide them from each other".

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen appointed Thaksin as an economic adviser earlier this month and the Thai tycoon then visited Phnom Penh for four days from November 10.

Thailand was infuriated when Cambodia refused to extradite Thaksin, who was sentenced to two years in jail in absentia in September 2008 on corruption charges and is currently living in exile.

The two countries withdrew their ambassadors, and the row was further inflamed when Cambodian police arrested a Thai man on charges of spying on Thaksin and expelled the first secretary to Thailand's embassy.

Thailand reciprocated soon after.

But Cambodia allowed the mother of the detained man, Siwarak Chothipong, 31, an employee at the Cambodia Air Traffic Service, to visit him in prison on Friday in a bid to ease tensions.

"They met for one hour and a half at a meeting room in the prison," said Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, a secretary to the Thai foreign minister.

Siwarak's mother, Simarak Na Nokhon Phanom, told reporters at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh that she thanked Hun Sen for allowing her to see her son, but added that he was "unlucky" to be arrested.

Siwarak an employee at the Cambodia Air Traffic Service, was arrested early this month on charges of spying on Thaksin's flight schedule.

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Feature: Mekong Arts Festival: catalyst for social changes

As some 200 artists and media practitioners converge here for the week-long Mekong Festival beginning on Monday, their attention has gone far beyond "arts for arts' sake". What they are advocating is how to promote arts as catalyst for social transformation.

Through workshops, performances, forum, conference, film shows and visual arts, artists from the Mekong sub-region which is composed of Cambodia, China, Laos , Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, showcased their understanding of life in the era of globalization and economic integration.

Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS), one of the organizers of the Festival from the host country, has demonstrated the vigor and power of youth art throughout the festival with the omni-present performers, some 100 in total, disseminating the message of arts as a life-transforming force.

PPS, meaning "the brightness of art" in Khmer, was originated in 1989 from a refugee camp on the Thai border, when child refugees were encouraged to use artistic expression to overcome the trauma of war. After the refugees returned to their homeland, the idea of creative workshops persisted as a group of former children from the camp founded PPS IN 1994.

Today, PPS, a Cambodian non-governmental organization (NGO) which aims to support community development through providing social, educative and cultural services to children and their families, has not only hosted poor, disabled, abused and trafficked children in the Child Care Center, but opens wide its door to children and youth who want to pursue their artistic instincts and interests by enlisting them to its Visual Arts School, Performing Arts School and Music School.

Its iconic circus groups are the most renowned among its schools, touring and performing in Cambodia and Europe, nurturing an independent generation who are capable of supporting themselves while exemplifying their strength.

"Arts is a powerful tool for children to develop their confidence," said Khun Det, founder of PPS. He believes that visual arts and culture is more effective than speeches. He regarded PPS circus as "social circus" which combines elements of theater and music in addition to tradition.

During the Festival, audiences are amazed PPS performers whose vigor, humor and skills are great inspirations to children and youth in the community.

Chinese artists also shared their experiences at the Festival.

Zhang Jinzhong, an ethnic Jingpo dancer from Nengguan Performing Arts and Training Center in Ruili, southwest China's Yunnan Province, has been doing health education through dance for four years, helping ethnic youths learn folk dance, rap, or modern dance while staying away from drugs and HIV/AIDS.

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Lawyers say Khmer Rouge prison chief a scapegoat

By SOPHENG CHEANG and LUKE HUNT (AP)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Closing arguments were expected to conclude Friday in the genocide trial of a Khmer Rouge prison chief, with the two sides sparing over how much the former Cambodian school teacher should be held accountable for the regime's brutality.

Prosecutors earlier in the week demanded a 40-year jail sentence for Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, but the defense insisted he was not a senior Khmer Rouge leader and therefore should not be prosecuted at all.

That prompted an angry rebuttal Friday from Australian co-prosecutor William Smith, who said such defense assertions showed that Duch (pronounced DOIK) was "not facing up to who he was back in 1975 to 1979."

Duch commanded the notorious S-21 prison in Phnom Penh where those accused of disloyalty to the xenophobic communist regime were held. He oversaw the torture and execution of about 16,000 men, women and children during the Khmer Rouge's 1975-79 rule.

Some 1.7 million Cambodians died of torture, execution, disease and starvation under the Khmer Rouge, whose Maoist ideologues led by Pol Pot emptied cities and forced virtually the entire population to work on farm collectives.

Judges in the U.N.-backed tribunal are expected to decide the verdict and sentence by early next year.

French defense attorney Francois Roux told the court Thursday that his client was being made a "scapegoat" for all the wrongs committed by the Khmer Rouge.

"As long as the prosecution's submissions make this man a scapegoat, you will not advance the development of humankind one millimeter," Roux told the packed court. "No, Duch does not have to bear the whole horror of the tragedy of Cambodia on his head."

Roux also criticized prosecutors for portraying Duch as a key member of the regime responsible for the network of terror.

"How dare you!" he declared, telling the court that a mere 1 percent of the Khmer Rouge victims died at S-21.

Duch, 67, is charged with crimes against humanity, war crimes, murder and torture, which carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

He has denied personally killing or torturing the S-21 prisoners, and testified that he only reluctantly carried out the orders from his superiors, because he feared for his life and his family's safety.

Addressing the court Wednesday, Duch apologized to the dead, their families, survivors of the regime and to all Cambodians — something he has done repeatedly since the trial began in March.

He said he was "deeply remorseful and profoundly affected by the destruction on such a mind-boggling scale."

But he emphasized that he was not alone in carrying out torture and killings, which also took place at 196 other prisons across the country, and insisted there was little he could do to prevent the horror at S-21.

"I could do nothing to help," he said. "Pol Pot regarded these people as thorns in his eyes."

Smith, the co-prosecutor, earlier acknowledged Duch's admissions of guilt and the fact that he has given evidence against other Khmer Rouge leaders, but said he still must be held accountable.

"The crimes committed by the accused at S-21 are rarely matched in modern history in terms of their combined barbarity, scope, duration, premeditation and their callousness," he said. "Not just the victims and their families but the whole of humanity demand a just and proportionate response to these crimes and this court must speak on behalf of that humanity."

Some survivors and other victims of the Khmer Rouge attending the U.N.-backed trial said a 40-year prison term, which would likely lock up Duch for life, would not be harsh enough. They want a life sentence handed down.

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Khmer Defence Minister Tea Banh visits Thailand

By The Nation


Cambodia's Defence Minister Gen Tea Banh arrived in Thailand on Thursday to co-chair a meeting of Thai-Cambodia General Border Committee.

The meeting which will be held in Chon Buri's Banglamung district will be held in tight security as Thai-Cambodia relations have been on the line following visit of ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to Phnom Penh earlier this month.

The senior officers of both countries then enjoyed golf games at a golf courses in Chon Buri.

Dozens of police and soldiers in full gear are deployed at Dusit Thani Hotel in Chon Buri where the group was staying.

The mutual relations have been strained following Thaksin's visit with Thailand and Cambodia recalling their ambassadors and first secretaries. Thailand has reviewed mutual cooperations to protest the visit.

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Khmer Rouge torturer had to "kill or be killed"

By Ek MadraPHNOM PENH (Reuters) - The Khmer Rouge's chief torturer and jailer had to "kill or be killed" and operate like an "obedient machine," his lawyer said on Thursday in defending the first member of Cambodia's murderous regime to face justice.

In the final two days of testimony in the U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal, a lawyer for the commander of the Khmer Rouge's notorious S-21 prison said his client's life was at stake when he ordered the murder of more than 14,000 people in the 1970s.

Speaking a day after prosecutors asked the court to sentence Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, to 40 years in prison, the lawyer said the tribunal should show leniency because the 67-year-old former maths teacher had fully cooperated.

"Without Duch, the trial could not have unfolded if he, like others, had decided to remain in silence," Francois Roux, Duch's lawyer, told a courtroom packed with more than 600 people, including many survivors of the ultra-communist regime blamed for 1.7 million deaths in 1975-79.

"The accused was absolutely, himself, in the hands of the party. And in fact, he had to operate like a machine, an obedient machine," said Roux. "He himself was in a situation where he had to choose to kill or be killed."

"We do not wish our client to be the scapegoat," he added.

Duch is scheduled to take the stand again on Friday on the final day of the trial. A verdict is expected by March.

He is accused of "crimes against humanity, enslavement, torture, sexual abuses and other inhumane acts" as commander of Tuol Sleng prison, a converted high school also known as S-21, during one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century.

Only seven of 14,000 people who passed through S-21 survived.

Prosecutors have urged the tribunal's five-judge panel to reject Duch's assertion he had little choice but to carry out orders, saying Duch was "ideologically of the same mind" as the Khmer Rouge leaders and did nothing to stop prison guards from inflicting rampant torture.

QUARTER OF POPULATION DIED

Lead prosecutor William Smith told the court this week "the accused was neither a prisoner, nor a hostage, nor a victim. He was an idealist, a revolutionary, a crusader - prepared to torture and kill willingly for the good of the revolution."

The tribunal seeks justice for nearly a quarter of Cambodia's population who perished from execution, overwork or torture during the Khmer Rouge's agrarian revolution, which ended with the 1979 invasion by Vietnam.

Duch faces up to life in prison if convicted. Smith said on Wednesday he should get 40 years. Cambodia does not have capital punishment.

Now a born-again Christian, Duch expressed "excruciating remorse" on Wednesday for the S-21 victims, most of them tortured and forced to confess to spying and other crimes before they were bludgeoned to death at the "Killing Fields" execution sites.

Witnesses in 72 days of hearings spoke of beatings with metal pipes, electrocution, near-starvation, violent rape and prisoners forced to eat their own excrement.

Duch has asked if he could apologise in person to his victims' families, and has said he was convinced he was fighting to free Cambodia from U.S. imperialism during the Vietnam War.

Four other senior Khmer Rouge cadres are in custody awaiting trial. They are ex-president Khieu Samphan, former Foreign Minister Ieng Sary, his wife Khieu Thirith and "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea. Unlike Duch, they have not publicly apologised.

Pol Pot, architect of the Khmer Rouge's "Year Zero" peasant revolution, was captured in 1997 and died in April 1998.

The chamber of three Cambodian and two foreign judges -- known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia -- requires four to agree on a verdict.

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Thai Foreign Minister stresses Thai-Cambodian problem is bilateral issue

BANGKOK, Nov 26 (TNA) – Thailand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kasit Piromya stressed when meeting with visiting Indonesian Foreign Minister Dr RM Marty M Natalegawa that the diplomatic standoff between Thailand and Cambodia was a bilateral issue and could be settled between the two governments, according to a ministry senior official.

Information Department deputy director general Thani Thongphakdi told reporters after the Thai and Indonesian foreign ministers met that Mr Kasit explained the current situation between Thailand and Cambodia to his Indonesian counterpart.

Mr Kasit added that Thailand and Cambodia are trying to resolve their problem and that both consider the rift is a bilateral issue, not wider, and should be settled by the two governments, according to Mr Thani.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono earlier expressed concerns over the continuing Thai and Cambodian rift and offered to serve as a mediator in the matter.

Mr Thani said Mr Natalegawa had listened to the Thai minister’s explanation and expressed hope that the diplomatic rift can be mended peacefully.

The Indonesian official was in Thailand on an introductory trip after being appointed foreign minister on October 22.

He is a career diplomat with more than 20 years of solid experience in diplomacy and international relations. He served as Indonesia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom and permanent representative to the United Nations in New York before being appointed as foreign minister.

The diplomatic falling out between the Thai and Cambodian governments flared up after the Cambodian government appointed fugitive ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra as its economic adviser. The two kingdoms recalled their respective ambassadors in retaliatory actions.

The Cambodian government also invited Mr Thaksin to Phnom Penh to lecture Cambodian business leaders and economists as his first assignment, at the same time rejecting Thailand's request to extradite the fugitive former premier.

As the diplomatic row continues, Mr Thaksin's interview with Britain’s Timesonline website continued to rankle Thais.

In the article, Mr Thaksin commented about the Thai monarch and his successor, with remarks considered offensive to the monarchy. The ousted premier, however, reportedly defended himself by saying his interview was ‘distorted’ by the reporter.

Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) board decided to investigate TimeOnline, an arm of Britain’s Times of London as a special case due to its exclusive interview with Mr Thaksin deemed offensive to the monarch. (TNA)

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VIP Falls Behind Expectations

Nov 26, 2009 (Zacks.com via COMTEX) -- VimpelCom (VIP) reported third-quarter 2009 earnings of 42 cents per ADS (based on an average exchange rate of 31.26 RUR/US$) that narrowly missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 44 cents. However, the result beat the year-ago earnings per ADS of 27 cents.

The second-largest Russian telecom carrier reported quarterly net income of RUR13.5 billion (US$432 million), more than double the net income of RUR6.5 billion (US$208 million) reported in the year-ago quarter. This significant year-over-year growth is largely attributable to foreign exchange gains from a strong Russian ruble versus the US dollar.

Operating revenue increased 3.5% year over year to RUR71.3 billion (US$2.3 billion) as growth across Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan was partly offset by declines in Ukraine and Armenia. Revenue from the wireless operation was RUR60.7 billion (US$1.9 billion) while the fixed-line business generated revenue of RUR15.1 billion (US$483 million).

Reported OIBDA of RUR36 billion (US$1.2 billion) reflects a year-over-year growth of 7%, yielding an OIBDA margin of 50.4%. The annualized growth reflects the company's ability to reduce costs amid the volatile economic environment. VimpelCom is pursuing various strategies to maximize cash flow through several cost-control measures.

The company's total active cellular subscriber base grew by roughly 7.6 million year over year and by 1.7 million sequentially to 65.4 million. Its broadband subscriber base increased 11% sequentially to approximately 1.9 million.

On a geographic basis, revenue from Russia increased 4.1% year over year to RUR61.2 billion (US$1.9 billion), representing roughly 86% of the company's total sales. Mobile subscriber base in Russia grew 13.2% year over year to 51 million. VimpelCom added 174,000 broadband subscribers during the quarter, bringing the total customer base to 1.83 million. The results were supported by a resurgent Russian economy.

Consolidated revenue from the CIS markets grew 3.9% year over year to RUR11.1 billion (US$355 million). Revenue from Kazakhstan (the largest CIS market) registered RUR5.4 billion (US$173 million), up 11.9% year over year. However, sales declined year over year in other key markets such as Ukraine (down 22.3%) and Armenia (down 3.4%).

During the quarter, VimpelCom spent RUR3.8 billion (US$122 million) in capital expenditures (CAPEX). The company has revised its CAPEX guidance reflecting a stronger ruble versus the dollar. VimpelCom expects CAPEX to be in the range of 10%-12% of its 2009 annual sales. The company plans to lift capital spending by at least 50% in 2010 to support 3G network expansion. VimpelCom's 3G services currently cover all regions of Russia.

VimpelCom repaid debt worth US$690 million during the third quarter. The company successfully reduced its net debt to US$5.5 billion at the end of the quarter from $6.3 billion registered in the previous quarter.

In October 2009, the company's two major shareholders Telenor and Altimo announced plans to merge their holdings in VimpelCom and Ukranian mobile operator Kyivstar to create a jointly owned telecom operator.

VimpelCom remains the second-largest wireless operator in Russia with over a 25% market share. Nevertheless, the company has a higher projected growth rate than its Russian peer Mobile Telesystems (MBT) as it continues to demonstrate the ability to succeed in emerging markets on the strength of sustained subscriber growth.

Besides maintaining its strong market position in the rapidly maturing Moscow metropolitan area, VimpleCom has successfully expanded into incipient Asian markets such as Vietnam and Cambodia. The company completed the commercial launch of its cellular operation in Cambodia in May 2009 under the Beeline brand. This was followed by the launch of wireless operation in Vietnam in July 2009. Moreover, VimpleCom recently signed an agreement to enter the Laos mobile market.

VimpelCom plans to cover more than two-third of Cambodia's population by the end of 2009 and reach over 40 provinces and 41 million people in Vietnam by the end of January 2010. The relatively lower mobile penetration in these new Asian markets offers attractive growth opportunities for the company.

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Cambodia to develop solar power to meet domestic need

PHNOM PENH: Ten companies from eight countries have sought permission to invest in solar energy projects in Cambodia, after the removal of a 15% duty on imports of the materials needed to build solar plants in August, China’s Xinhua news agency cited a local media as saying.

“We have received many proposals for our approval, and we are now instructing them to study the domestic electricity market,” the ministry Secretary of State Sat Samy was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying.

“Two companies, from Japan and Malaysia, are close to beginning development on solar investment projects.” The other companies are from the United States, China, Canada, Australia, South Korea and Singapore, he said.

They were planning developments capable of generating between 10 and 50 megawatts of electricity.

The Cambodian government plans to supply electricity throughout the entire country by 2020 by developing renewable energy resources, specifically looking at solar, hydro and biomass fueled power, Sat Samy said.

Energy demand in Cambodia is expected to grow 3.7% per year from 2005 to 2030 as manufacturing industries are established and more households are connected to the electricity grid, according to a report released this month by the Asian Development Bank.

Just 20% of households are currently connected to the national grid, which is fragmented into isolated power systems centred on provincial towns and cities.

Sat Samy said the unserviced households present an opportunity for environmentally friendly electricity investment, adding that the solar industry had greater potential than in more developed countries such as Thailand and Vietnam.

Sat Samy said he anticipated electricity generated from solar panels would range from US$0.12 cents to US$0.15 cents a kilowatt-hour, higher than the expected price of the power to be generated from hydroelectric dams under construction along the Kingdom’s rivers. -- Bernama

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Death toll of A/H1N1 flu in Cambodia increases to 5

PHNOM PENH, Nov 25, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The death toll of A/H1N1 flu in Cambodia has increased to five and the virus infected rate topped 28 cases for one week, official of the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

"The fifth person who died of the flu late last week is a 20 year-old Khmer man," Ly Sovan, deputy director of the communicable control department of Health Ministry told Xinhua by phone.

He could not elaborate in detail for fatality case. But he said that the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Cambodia are 472, up from 444 cases last week. It spreads in 13 provinces and city in the country including Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Kandal, Takeo, Kampong Speu, Battambang, Kampong Chhnang, Svay Rieng, Kampong Cham, Mondul Kiri, Kampot, Prey Veng and Banteay Mean Chey provinces.

According to a report from the Cambodian Heath Ministry, the ministry will receive 300,000 doses of A/H1N1 flu vaccine by the end of November from the World Health Organization.

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Prosectors seek 40 years for Khmer Rouge jail chief

CNN) -- Prosecutors in the trial of a former Khmer Rouge prison chief asked a U.N.-backed Cambodian court Wednesday to sentence the man to 40 years in prison for his role in the torture and deaths of thousands.

Kaing Guek Eav, known as Duch, is being tried on charges that include war crimes, crimes against humanity and torture during the communist regime's rule from 1975 to 1979.

Soon after the prosecution spoke Wednesday, Duch got up and apologized to the victims' families and asked for their forgiveness -- something he has repeatedly done since he became a born-again Christian.

Duch said he was just an instrument, with no choice but to follow orders from a regime that was determined to destroy all of its enemies, said Lars Olsen, spokesman for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.

Duch, 67, asked the court to consider his actions in the context of the time, saying the torture and killings were inevitable, Olsen said.

Duch's trial began in February just outside the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. Lawyers are making closing arguments this week. A verdict is expected sometime early next year.

Prosecutors contended that Duch, a former school teacher, ran S-21 -- a prison that had been converted from a school.

Here, men, women and children were shackled to iron beds and tortured -- before they were beaten to death, prosecutors said.

Duch not just oversaw the torture and killing of more than 15,000 people -- but actively took part in some of them, prosecutors said.

Many of the victims were military officials or members of the Communist Party who were targeted for not going along with the philosophy of the ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge movement.

The movement swept to power in 1975. Three years, eight months and 20 days later, at least 1.7 million people -- nearly one-quarter of Cambodia's population -- were dead from execution, disease, starvation and overwork, according to the Documentation Center of Cambodia.

The non-profit organization has been at the forefront of recording the atrocities committed during the regime.

S-21 was one of 189 similar institutions across Cambodia. And Duch is the first former Khmer Rouge leader to stand trial.

Spectators, many of them survivors of the abuse, watched the proceedings from an auditorium separated from the courtroom by a large glass window to prevent revenge attacks.

Four other former leaders await trial before the tribunal, also accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The tribunal, which is made up of Cambodian and international judges, does not have the power to impose the death penalty. Read more!

S. Korea to airlift supplies to storm-hit Cambodia

SEOUL, Nov. 25 — South Korea said Wednesday it will airlift about seven tons of supplies this week to Cambodia as part of its pledge to help the Southeast Asian country bounce back from recent storm damage.

A C-130 transport aircraft carrying tuna cans, powdered milk, soap and other supplies will depart Thursday after the leaders of the two countries agreed last month on joint recovery efforts, the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul said in a statement.

South Korea will contribute US$ 200,000 worth of supplies, half of which will be carried on the aircraft while the other half will be delivered by local suppliers in Cambodia, the ministry said.

Typhoon Ketsana killed at least 18 people in central Cambodia in September, injuring 100 others and destroying scores of homes, according to news reports. (PNA/Yonhap)

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Khmer Rouge jailer expresses 'excruciating remorse'

By Ek Madra


PHNOM PENH, The Khmer Rouge's chief torturer and jailer expressed "excruciating remorse" on Wednesday for more than 14,000 people killed under his watch at a notorious prison during Cambodia's ultra-Maoist revolution of the 1970s.

In the final week of testimony for the first senior Khmer Rouge cadre to face the U.N.-backed "Killing Fields" tribunal, Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, said he was solely liable for the killings but that he served a mafia-type group.

"I found I had ended up serving a criminal organisation which destroyed its own people in outrageous fashion. I could not withdraw from it," said the 67-year-old former maths teacher.

"I was like a screw in the machinery of a car that could not be removed."

Duch is accused of "crimes against humanity, enslavement, torture, sexual abuses and other inhumane acts" as commander of S-21 prison during one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century, when the Khmer Rouge ruled from 1975-79 under Pol Pot.

He said he was convinced he was fighting to free Cambodia from U.S. imperialism during the Vietnam War. He has denied personally killing or torturing prisoners and has repeatedly said he was following orders out of fear for his own life.

Karim Khan, a civil party lawyer, urged the tribunal's five-judge panel this week to reject Duch's assertion he had little choice but to carry out orders, saying Duch was "ideologically of the same mind" as the Khmer Rouge leaders.

The tribunal seeks justice for 1.7 million people, nearly a quarter of Cambodia's population, who perished from execution, overwork or torture during the Khmer Rouge's agrarian revolution, which ended in the 1979 invasion by Vietnam.

"I am deeply remorseful of and profoundly affected by this destruction," he said. "I am solely and individually liable for the loss of at least 12,380 lives."

Researchers say more than 14,000 were killed after passing through S-21, also known as Tuol Sleng. Only seven survived.

"PSYCHOLOGICALLY ACCOUNTABLE"

Duch faces up to life in prison if convicted. A prosecutor said on Thursday Duch should get 40 years in prison for his role. Cambodia does not have capital punishment.

Now a born-again Christian, Duch has in the past expressed remorse for the S-21 victims, most of them tortured and forced to confess to spying and other crimes before they were bludgeoned to death at the "Killing Fields" execution sites.

But he appeared to take this further on Wednesday, speaking of his wish to apologise "forever" and telling a court packed with about 600 people, including some survivors of the regime, he would seek help to be recognised again as "part of humankind".

"I am psychologically accountable to the entire Cambodian population for the souls of those who perished," he said.

"May I plead with you to allow me to share with you my immense and enduring sorrow ... in order to express my most excruciating remorse."

Prosecution lawyers say Duch had broad autonomy and did nothing to stop prison guards from inflicting rampant torture.

Witnesses in 72 days of hearings spoke of beatings with metal pipes, electrocution, near-starvation, violent rape and forcing some prisoners to eat their own excrement.

A verdict is expected by March.

"I want him to face up to 80 years or life in jail," said 79-year-old Chum Mey, a rare S-21 survivor.

Mey was accused by the Khmer Rouge of working for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency before he was shackled, confined to a cell and tortured. He testified earlier in the year his toenails were torn off and he nearly starved to death.

A defence lawyer said Duch was unfairly singled out while nearly 200 other Khmer Rouge prison chiefs were never arrested or brought before a judge, including some who oversaw prisons and camps where as many as 150,000 people were killed.

"They have to be brought before the court," he said. "Only then will justice be done."

Four other senior Khmer Rouge cadres are in custody awaiting trial. They are ex-president Khieu Samphan, former Foreign Minister Ieng Sary, his wife Khieu Thirith and "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea. Unlike Duch, they have not publicly apologised.

Pol Pot, architect of the Khmer Rouge's "Year Zero" peasant revolution, was captured in 1997 and died in April 1998.

The chamber of three Cambodian and two foreign judges -- known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia -- requires four to agree on a verdict.


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Cambodian court to rule on spy charges against Thai engineer on Dec 8

A Cambodian court is scheduled to deliver a ruling in the case against a Thai engineer, who was arrested on an espionage charge, on December 8, a senor Thai Justice Ministry official said Wednesday.

Thai News Agency quoted Thawee Sodsong, deputy permanent secretary for Justice, as saying that the court was scheduled to deliver a ruling on the case against Siwrak Chutipong on December 8.

Thawee arrived at the Suvarnabhumi Airport Wednesday morning after meeting the Cambodian justice minister and Siwarak in Phnom Penh, Thai News Agency said.

Thawee said the Cambodian justice minister promised to ensure that Siwarak would receive justice and he would make arrangement for Siwarak's mother to visit him in the prison.

Thawee said Siwarak was being detained in a 5 x 5 metre cell along with four other suspects Read more!

Thais Endorse PM’s Handling of Cambodia Row

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Thailand think Abhisit Vejjajiva has handled recent tensions with neighbouring Cambodia well, according to a poll by ABAC. 51.9 per cent of respondents say the prime ministers calm attitude has been appropriate, while 39.4 per cent say his response to Cambodia should be harsher.

Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of the Democratic Party (PP), has been in office since December 2008.

Relations between Thailand and Cambodia have become increasingly tense as, in early November, the Cambodian government announced that it had named former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic adviser.

Thaksin, who was ousted in a coup in 2006, is a polarizing figure in Thailand. His supporters and critics have clashed on the streets since his departure from the country, and Thaksin has called for a "revolution" against the Abhisit government. The former prime minister has been convicted in cases of conflict of interest and would serve two years in jail if he returns to Thailand.

On Nov. 10, Thaksin arrived in Cambodia. The Thai government called for his extradition, which the Cambodian government rejected. Both countries have recalled their respective ambassadors and top diplomats over the Thaksin appointment.

On Nov. 17, Panitan Wattanayagorn, deputy secretary-general to Thai prime minister Abhisit, confirmed that the Thai government is looking for ways to curb aid to Cambodia over the Thaksin issue, declaring, "Most of the projects discussed are aid and loans for infrastructure projects, which might be delayed or cancelled."

Polling Data

Do you think the actions of Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva regarding Cambodia were appropriate or inappropriate?

Appropriate, he stayed calm in spite of provocation 51.9%

Inappropriate, he should take harsher measures in light of these developments 39.4%

Source: Assumption University of Thailand (ABAC)
Methodology: Interviews with 1,344 Thai adults in 17 provinces, conducted in November 2009. Margin of error is 2 per cent.

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CAMBODIA: Poachers turn gamekeepers in eco-tourism projects

MONDULKIRI, Poaching was a serious business for Chran Thabb - until his tracking skills were put to better use protecting his former prey. He is one of 45 rangers in the remote eastern province of Mondulkiri recruited for a grassroots tourism project that uses employment incentives to encourage environmental conservation.

"Before, whenever I saw an animal in the forest, my first thought was to shoot it," said Chran, now a guide for treks around Dei Ey village, in a protected forest area in Mondulkiri.

"I don't do that any more. The animals would become extinct and I want the next generation to see them," he said.

Because of its forests, mountains and rare wildlife, rugged Mondulkiri has been targeted by the Cambodian government as an area for eco-tourism development, after lobbying by WWF. The wildlife group launched conservation projects more than four years ago in this remote region, which has been likened to Africa's Serengeti for its abundant wildlife.

WWF has recruited former hunters to put their knowledge of the forest and expert tracking skills to good use. The overall aim is to establish an environment where wildlife can recover after years of hunting, poaching and neglect. Richer wildlife, conservationists hope, will attract tourists - and, in turn, create jobs for local communities.

Most of Mondulkiri's impoverished population comprises indigenous communities who practise shifting cultivation but also grow cash crops, although this is under threat from deforestation and changing climate patterns, according to a September 2009 report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Lack of access to education and primary healthcare are key development concerns in Mondulkiri, IOM says, with 59 percent of its population living below the poverty line, according to a 2004 study by the Cambodia Development Resource Institute and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).

"In a poor province such as Mondulkiri, eco-tourism offers a long-term alternative livelihood to combat the short-term illegal activities they do now to earn a living," said Olga van den Pol, head of WWF's eco-tourism operations in Mondulkiri province.

Wildlife in the area, which is near the border with Vietnam, was severely depleted in the 1970s and 1980s when battling Khmer Rouge and Vietnamese soldiers relied heavily on hunting for survival.

But since the launch of conservation projects, rangers are seeing an increase in wildlife for the first time in years.

Community values

Most people in the area belong to the Phnong ethnic group. Bill Herod, a development worker who works with Phnong youth, said cultural forces should operate in favour of conservation efforts.

"Phnong are more likely to see common ownership of the land, and less likely to want to hunt for wildlife on an individual basis," he said.

Given Cambodia's violent past, it is especially important to avoid using violence to deter poaching and instead focus on encouraging livelihoods, conservationists say.

In countries such as Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo, governments have resorted to heavily armed patrols in an attempt to combat poaching. But this method is increasingly being shunned.

"For a poor rural person who wishes to feed their family, no deterrent will be sufficient, but the chances of being killed are far higher," said James MacGregor, a researcher for the London-based International Institute for Environment and Development. "Guns raise the stakes but don't combat the poaching necessarily," he told IRIN.

Challenges

While those employed by the projects hope their fortunes will improve, the initiatives are no panacea for the area's poverty.

Krak Sokny, a teacher and farmer in Dei Ey village, doubted the eco-tourism initiatives would reach a sufficient scale to extend benefits to locals not directly involved, but said they would instil an active interest in conservation in villagers.

And while Dei Ey and other areas appear to be on the path to recovery, other lands in the province still face serious threats from speculators and slash-and-burn practices.

Local development workers also say police and well-connected officials continue to traffic wildlife and timber with impunity.

Against these forces, villagers in Mondulkiri's eco-tourism enclaves are trying to carve out a space for themselves and adventurous tourists.

"I'm hoping there will be more tourists so we can earn money that way and not have to go hunting in the forest," said Am Pang Deap, who previously made ends meet selling fried bananas in Dei Ey, but now works at a new eco-tourism resort. "People are trying to hunt less and maintain what's left for tourists."
Read more!

Boyfriend and Girlfriend Chosen as Rhodes Scholars

University of North Carolina seniors Henry Spelman and Libby Longino are both heading to Oxford next year, joining 30 other students from the U.S. who were selected as Rhodes Scholars. Besides being students at UNC, Spelman and Longino have another thing in common -- they have been dating for nine months.

Longino and Spelman met during freshman year and then reconnected two years later on a summer research trip in Turkey.

"The worst possible situation would have been if one of us won and the other didn’t," said Spelman. "It would have been hard for the winner to celebrate."

The scholarship, worth around $50,000 per year, funds a two to four year graduate study program at the University of Oxford in England.

When the chair of the Rhodes selections committee read off his name last Saturday Spelman said, "I just felt my knees loosen.”

"I staggered a bit and got this big, stupid grin on my face,” he said. “I can't remember anything that was said to me for the next ten minutes."

Longino also found it hard to process information after the announcement.

"I think my first thought was something really profound, like, 'Oh my god, I'm going to Oxford,' " Longino joked.

She said the whole experience will be much more exciting knowing that she and Spelman will be going to Oxford together.

"I couldn’t be happier," Longino said.

A double major in English and public policy analysis, Longino will pursue a master’s degree in forced migration. She says she wants to work for a non-profit or international organization on international human rights.

Spelman, who majors in classical languages and has a minor in creative writing, will pursue a master's degree in Greek and Latin languages and literature. He hopes to become a professor of Latin and Greek, and credits his unique combination of interests as being part of the reason he received the prestigious award.

"I'm passionate about studying Latin and Greek poetry, writing my own poetry, helping refugees and playing squash," said Spelman.

Outside of the classroom, Spelman heads the Amnesty International chapter at UNC and has spent two summers with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Tanzania. He also plays on the club squash team and is the editor of The Cellar Door, UNC's undergraduate literary magazine.

Longino said her extensive international experience in social justice and human rights helped her as a candidate for the scholarship. Her travels have taken her all over the world, including Vietnam, Cambodia and Israel. She spent one summer interning with a microcredit program in Vietnam where she photographed homes and businesses of loan recipients and documented items bought from the loans. Other globetrotting activities included helping to start a group stopping child prostitution in Cambodia, and researching human trafficking in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

At UNC, Longino has served on the Student Attorney General's staff and is currently the president of the Carolina chapter of the Roosevelt Institute, a student think tank.

Read more!

State’s meddling threatens Khmer Rouge trials: report

AFP , PHNOM PENH


Cambodian government interference threatens the Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal, a report by an international monitoring group said yesterday, as the court heard final arguments in the trial of the regime’s chief jailer.

An Open Society Justice Initiative report noted the UN-backed tribunal had made progress in its first trial, against former Khmer Rouge prison boss Duch, but warned that concerns of political meddling could undermine the court.

“Political interference at the [court] poses a serious challenge to both the credibility of the court and its ability to meet international fair trial standards,” the report said.

A refusal by the court’s Cambodian investigating judge to summon high-ranking officials for questioning and statements against the court by senior government members have heightened concerns, the report said.

The organization also said that government delays in selecting a new international prosecutor after Canadian Robert Petit announced his resignation for family reasons in June has left the prosecution “without balanced and strong leadership.”

“While no reason for this delay has been stated publicly, it is becoming increasingly apparent that it will, and perhaps is intended to, weaken the office of the prosecutor by depriving it of long-term leadership,” the report said.

The troubled tribunal, which has also been hit by allegations that local staff were forced to pay kickbacks for their jobs, was created in 2006 to try leading members of the regime on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The process has often been hit by allegations that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s administration has attempted to interfere in the tribunal to protect former regime members who are now in government.

As the court has sought to investigate other suspects, Hun Sen has made fiery speeches warning further prosecutions could plunge Cambodia back into civil war.

After Duch, whose real name is Kaing Guek Eav, the court plans to try former Khmer Rouge ideologue Nuon Chea, head of state Khieu Samphan, foreign minister Ieng Sary and his wife, minister of social affairs Ieng Thirith.
Read more!

Japanese investors on tour in Cambodia

A delegation of Japanese investors has arrived in Cambodia to learn about the country's economic potentialities and investment opportunities, official news agency AKP reported on Tuesday.

The 21-member delegation was received here on Monday by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers Sok An.

During the meeting, Sok An talked about Cambodia's agricultural sector, a priority of Cambodia, saying that the royal government has paid attention to build agricultural infrastructure and seek for markets for the agricultural products.

Sok An further informed his guests of other potential sectors in Cambodia, including tourism, garment and construction. "Cambodia has benefited from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) from many developed countries such as China, South Korea, Japan, the U.S and European countries", he said, adding that the royal government has been planning to operate the stock exchange market by 2010.

For its part, the visiting Japanese delegation said it has lots of investment experience in the fields of real estate and stock exchange market. Delegates also expressed their interest in the future Cambodian stock exchange.
Read more!

Ousted Thai PM rallies supporters to Cambodia

By SOPHENG CHEANG, AP


PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -Thailand said Friday it would not be provoked into violence in its diplomatic tussle with Cambodia over fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, even as the ousted leader taunted the Bangkok government by meeting with political supporters in the neighboring country.

Thaksin's visit to Thailand's doorstep has highlighted his ability to command headlines in his homeland and destabilize its politics, even three years after he lost power and fled into exile.

Dozens of opposition politicians and other Thaksin supporters drove across the border into Cambodia to meet with the ousted leader, irritating Thailand's government, which considers him a convicted criminal and a threat to its power.

Thaksin's warm welcome in Cambodia has strained already uneasy bilateral relations.

On Thursday, Cambodia expelled a senior Thai diplomat and arrested a Thai employee of Cambodia Air Traffic Services — which manages flights in the country — for allegedly stealing Thaksin's flight schedule and giving it to the diplomat.

Thaksin, a former telecommunications billionaire, was ousted by a 2006 military coup. He fled Thailand last year to avoid imprisonment on a corruption charge and now spends most of his time in Dubai.
Thaksin "is using a helping hand from a neighboring country as a tool to overthrow the monarchy and the Thai government," Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said Friday in Bangkok.

Thaksin's political battle with the Thai government — which came to power this year after months of protests aimed at removing the former leader's allies from power — has bitterly divided his country.

He accuses Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of having taken control by undemocratic means. Thaksin remains hugely popular among the rural poor, who have staged frequent rallies calling for his return to power, but he is reviled by many in the educated urban elite.

Abhisit said Friday that Cambodia's expulsion of the Thai diplomat was intended to provoke a "violent response" from his government, but that he would respond peacefully.

"The Thai government didn't fall for their trick," he told reporters in Bangkok.

Thaksin was named an adviser to Cambodia's government on economic affairs last week, causing Thailand to recall its ambassador, with Cambodia following suit. On Wednesday, Cambodia rejected a Thai request for Thaksin's arrest, saying he was being prosecuted for political reasons.
Nationalist passions have been running high on both side of the border since Thailand opposed Cambodia's bid to have an ancient temple designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Preah Vihear temple was awarded to Cambodia by the World Court in 1962, but some land around it remains in dispute.

Both countries deployed troops to the border over the dispute, leading to skirmishes that left at least seven soldiers dead.

Cambodia on Friday withdrew 1,000 special forces troops from the disputed border area, though others remained.

"We are withdrawing our forces because we want Thailand to understand that Cambodia wants the border of the two countries to stay peaceful and for the area to be developed for the sake of both countries," deputy commander in chief Lt. Gen. Chea Tara said. Read more!

Exiled Thaksin in Cambodia kicks up trouble for Thailand

Ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has long provoked Thailand's government by rousing opposition at home. Now he's inflamed regional tensions by becoming an economic adviser to rival Cambodia.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia - At a luxury guesthouse, Cambodia's newest government adviser picks up a copy of his latest book, "Tackling Poverty." It explores how lessons from Thailand can be applied to other developing countries.

"I help tackle poverty worldwide, wherever they need me. Why not my neighbor?" asks Thaksin Shinawatra, the author.

But Mr. Thaksin, a Thai prime minister ousted by a coup in 2006, is no ordinary consultant – and he knows it. The politician's electoral successes antagonized Bangkok's royalist elite. Now, exiled in Dubai and wanted at home on a corruption-related conviction, Thaksin remains a political player who courts controversy.

His recent appointment as an adviser here has injected a new and potentially destabilizing element spilling beyond his home country. A five-day visit earlier this month to Cambodia, which shares a border and centuries of rivalry with Thailand, provoked a nationalist uproar in Bangkok. Both countries withdrew their ambassadors. Thailand tore up a maritime treaty and threatened to seal the border, where rival armies already face off over a disputed Hindu temple. Cambodia later expelled a diplomat for spying.

So far, the diplomatic tensions haven't spilled over to the temple site. The area is one of several poorly demarcated borders that Thailand shares with its neighbors and where sovereignty claims have flared into armed clashes, though rarely for long.

In Cambodia the border also evokes memories of Thailand's arming of the murderous Khmer Rouge during a civil war that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen fought mostly on the opposite side. He has argued that Thailand has no right to demand Thaksin's extradition because it used to shelter senior Khmer Rouge leaders.

Thailand and Cambodia belong to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). But the Thai government has resisted mediation by the 10-nation bloc.

That leaves the two neighbors at loggerheads over Thaksin. A court in Bangkok is expected to rule next month on the confiscation of more than $2 billion of his frozen money. The case is separate from his 2008 conviction and two-year jail term. But Prime Minsiter Hun Sen has offered Thaksin sanctuary and rejected Thailand's request for extradition.

Feted in Cambodia

Arriving by private jet, Thaksin was given a lavish reception at Hun Sen's heavily guarded compound outside the Cambodian capital. On Nov. 12, he gave a talk to 300 civil servants on economic policy that was broadcast on state television.

Some analysts say the sight of Hun Sen embracing Thaksin as an "eternal friend" plays into the hands of critics who label him a traitorous opportunist. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has tried to capitalize on this nationalist anger by talking tough against Cambodia.

"One of the only ways to unite this incredibly divided country is to give them a common enemy," says a Bangkok-based diplomat.

But the row is unlikely to sway Thaksin's large base of supporters, who see him as a political victim. By popping up in Cambodia, which borders Thailand's pro-Thaksin northeast, he has given them fresh hope that he will return.

In an interview, Thaksin says his critics have a "Cold war mindset" toward Cambodia, a smaller neighbor, and argues that economic success there will eventually benefit Thailand. He claims not to be worried by the Thai government's efforts to bring him home.

"It's clear it's [the conviction] politically motivated. The more you try to extradite me, the more you will make the justice system look ugly," he says.

From Dubai, Thaksin travels regularly as a private businessman to Africa and the Pacific. After Mr. Abhisit revoked his Thai passport, he switched to Nicaraguan and Montenegro ones.

But visiting Cambodia with the backing of its leader is far more provocative, given the proximity and tensions between the countries. It also flies in the face of ASEAN's long-held principle that members don't interfere in one another's domestic politics.

Thaksin says that he also made an unannounced visit to Thailand's southern neighbor Malaysia earlier this year, though he didn't meet the prime minister. Thai media has reported previous trips to Cambodia, which Thaksin denies making.

At times, though, his bravado seems tempered by concerns of a backlash among Thais. Asked if Cambodia would become a new base of operations, he shook his head.

"If I were to come back, I would come back quietly and not so often. I don't want the Thai government to be so nervous," he says.

Why Cambodia wants him

To Hun Sen, this nervousness may spell opportunity, says Nidhi Eoseewong, a retired Thai historian. While Thaksin wants to stay in the limelight, Hun Sen is turning Thailand's deep political divisions to his advantage.

Hun Sen "wants to prolong the weakness in Thailand. He's very smart," Mr. Nidhi says.

However, a Cambodian observer, who requested anonymity, says that Hun Sen is driven primarily by frustration over Thai obstruction of Cambodia's plans for the border temple, Preah Vihear. He may have concluded that no favorable resolution is possible with Mr. Abhisit's government, unless international mediators are involved.

For his part, Thaksin describes his alliance with Cambodia's strongman in plainer terms. "I'm unemployed. He's my friend," he says.
Read more!

Abhisit government lacks political maturity - Cambodia

By Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation


Cambodia defends control of CATS as Siwarak admits to report of Thaksin flight plan

Cambodia yesterday lashed out at the Thai government over an allegation of taking control of the Thai-owned air-traffic-control company.

Meanwhile, a detained employee of the company confessed to a Cambodian court yesterday about leaking ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's flight information to a Thai diplomat.

Cambodian authorities temporarily controlled Cambodia Air Traffic Service (CATS) operations for national-security reasons until the case of its employee, Siwarak Chotipong, who has been accused of spying, comes to an end, a statement in Phnom Penh said.

"Cambodia always fulfils agreements it signs, including agreements with the private sector, so as to enhance the confidence of local and foreign investors, including Thai investors," the statement said.

"Without a firm position concerning the respect for agreements and having violated the principles of international law, the Abhisit [Vejjajiva] government must think that Cambodia will follow Thailand's way," it said.

Cambodia accused the Thai government of failure to honour the 1962 ruling on Preah Vihear Temple by the International Court of Justice and a maritime deal signed in 2001.

CATS is at the core of the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. Its employee was arrested on November 12 as Thaksin arrived in Cambodia to give a lecture on economic development strategy to government economists and the business sector.

Siwarak admitted he had reported Thaksin's flight plan to the Thai Embassy's first secretary, Kamrob Palawatwichai, 10 minutes after Thaksin landed in Phnom Penh on November 10, defence lawyer Kao Soupha said.

Siwarak did not know at the beginning that Thaksin was on the plane, the lawyer said.

"My client did not spy on Thaksin, since it is his responsibility as the official of the air-traffic-control company to know about the flight information," Kao Soupha said in a phone interview from Phnom Penh.

Siwarak has worked for the company for about eight years and knows very well that flight information is no secret, the lawyer said.

What Siwarak disclosed to the people who asked him about the matter was a confirmation that a charter flight had landed at Phnom Penh Airport.

The Thai employee did not pay attention to Thaksin's visit to Cambodia, because Siwarak was not in the country four days before the fugitive ex-premier landed in Phnom Penh, Soupha said.

"If he had really wanted to spy on Thaksin, he would not leave Cambodia, because Thaksin was about to arrive in the country," the lawyer said.

Siwarak is being held in pretrial detention at Prey Sor Prison, although a date for his trial has yet to be officially announced.

Soupha said he had filed a bail request for him yesterday and guaranteed Siwarak would not return to Thailand during the court trial. The court has 10 days to consider the bail request, he said.

The lawyer expects the Cambodian court will rule on December 8.

Thai authorities are going all out to provide assistance to Siwarak. A delegation from the Justice Ministry visited Cambodia yesterday, while representatives of the Law Society of Thailand and the Foreign Ministry will land in Phnom Penh today to see him.

His mother, Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, will have a chance to see him this week, a Thai Foreign Ministry official said.

Meanwhile, the local authority in Cambodia's Koh Kong province yesterday sealed its sea, barring Thai fishery trawlers from its water.

Thai Navy commander Admiral Kamthorn Phumhiran said fishery concessions granted earlier to Thai boats were terminated, because Cambodia had changed the Koh Kong governor.

It is a norm of Cambodia to review the concession each time people in authority are changed out, he said.

Kamthorn said the termination of the fishery concession had nothing to do with the ongoing diplomatic row between the two countries and that the concession would be renewed once the new governor was firmly in charge.

Koh Kong's new governor, Lert Promkesorn, will take his time to study the fishery concession before deciding whether to renew it, a source said. Read more!

Samart sees positive signs in Cambodia

By The Nation


Samart feels that the issue of its wholly owned subsidiary Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS) is looking positive.

In a press release yesterday, Samart president Watchai Vilailuck said the company had heard government reports that the Cambodia government had no plans to either seize or buy back the CATS concession.

Watchai said that though they were not yet able to fully resolve problems related to imprisoned CATS engineer Siwarak Chutipong, the company believed that the Cambodian government's statement on the concession was a good sign.

Yesterday, Cambodia issued a statement saying that it always fulfils agreements it has signed, including contracts with the private sector, so as to boost the confidence of local and foreign investors, including Thai businesses.

In the press release, Watchai said that Samart felt uneasy that it had been drawn into a political conflict and hoped the situation would be resolved as soon as possible so CATS could resume its operations.

Samart also notified the Stock Exchange of Thailand yesterday that after Siwarak's arrest over spying charges, the Cambodian government had appointed a senior civil aviation official as a temporary chief to oversee CATS operations. The statement from Cambodian government also said that its officials were put in place temporarily to supervise and manage CATS so they could protect national security and safety of Cambodian leaders. Cambodian officials will continue running CATS until the court reaches a final decision on Siwarak.

Samart has been working closely with the Thai government to help negotiate Siwarak's release and resolve the problems.

The CATS engineer was arrested about two weeks ago for allegedly trying to obtain fugitive former PM Thaksin Shinawatra's flight schedule. Since Cambodia took control of CATS, the nine or 10 Thai employees have not been allowed on the premises.

CATS has been operating the air-traffic control services as part of a 32-year concession from 2001 under a build, co-operate and transfer model with the Cambodian government. Revenue from the operations this year is about Bt800 million, accounting for 5 per cent of the Samart Group's consolidated earnings. CATS is also protected by the Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement between the two countries.

Samart shares closed at Bt6.05 yesterday, up from Bt6 on Friday.

Read more!

SM Goh to visit Cambodia and Laos

SINGAPORE: Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong will visit Cambodia from 23-24 November at the invitation of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

From Cambodia, Mr Goh will visit Laos from 24-26 November at the invitation of Standing Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad.

A statement from the Prime Minister's Office says that these visits will reaffirm the warm and friendly ties that Singapore has with Cambodia and Laos.

The visits will also allow Mr Goh to update himself on developments in these countries.

Mr Goh last visited Cambodia in 2002 and Laos in 1997.

In Cambodia, Mr Goh will meet King Norodom Sihamoni as well as Premier Hun Sen.

Mr Goh will also meet Senate president Chea Sim and National Assembly president Heng Samrin.

In Laos, Mr Goh will meet President Choummaly Sayasone, Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh and Standing Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad.

Mr Goh will be accompanied by Member of Parliament Mr Zaqy Mohamad and senior officials.

Read more!

A Move towards peace and Unity

Thailand is facing difficulty with Cambodia over the latter's decision to appoint former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as its economic adviser, with diplomatic relations beginning to weaken. What's worse is the powers that are to be are somewhat exploiting patriotism to stir up more conflict. 'Muse' asked you last week how we could steer the country through this difficult time. And what should the public, scholars and the authorities do to prevent further rifts, and ensure that the public does not fall victim to ultra-patriotism? Here are your answers!

Muse's PICK
"This is nothing new. The patriotism card has been used as a tool quite a few times in the past to stimulate people to help the country. But to create ultra-patriotism out of rumours or inaccurate information isn't right.

"First of all, everyone has to be informed correctly about what's going on. Accurate information must be accessible to all. The Sunday morning address by the prime minister on Channel 11 can also help answer some of the questions the public have. However, there must be people who disagree with the premier. "The ASTV by the yellow camp or PTV by the red camp are owned by private operators and cannot be controlled. The government, therefore, has to be more open-minded, act fast and create neutrality in the local media for everyone to be able to learn the real facts and not be brainwashed by mere rumours or made-up information. Most importantly, the government must not support the ultra-patriotism in any way.

"I'm not even sure if the current problem was only made up to negotiate with something or whether it's a real one. Border line is just a made up term; everyone in Cambodia and Thailand are still real neighbours."

PHITSANURAK PITATHASANG,

Mass communications lecturer

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"To steer the country through this difficult time of the Thai-Cambodia saga, I would like to share the incident when I attended the summit of an NGO meeting in the Philippines last week. There were delegates from many countries, including Thailand and Cambodia. At first the atmosphere was a bit uneasy due to the political situation. However, when the ice was broken, we were in better harmony to show that politics is not above our movement.

"From this I infer that if each citizen would do their own part in bringing unity and peace, then we would be able to overcome this awkward situation. Like the ocean that started with a drop of water, each voice can unite to bring synergy.

"As for the public, scholars and the authorities, I think everyone should be mindful of what they do - that it is genuinely for the Kingdom's interest rather than a personal one to prevent further rifts.

"However, it may be too late before we see the fruits of such political labour. So for the short-term, I would heed Gen Prem, the Senior Statesman's wisdom to pray 'Phrasayam Thevathiraj' to protect our precious Kingdom from the ill-intentioned force."

LUCY TAN-ATICHAT,

Retiree

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"Apart from the yellow camp, I don't see any ultra-patriotism in our society today. The general public is still going shopping at Siam Paragon, and go to cinemas in the city. However, such a current may draw more people to keep a closer watch on the political news since everything seems to be tied into it. A most recent case of the Thai engineer in Cambodia arrested for some non-sense allegation is the case. I guess if there's any ultra-patriotism in the country, there must be people protesting and submitting an open letter to the Cambodian embassy. Or in a worse case scenario, their embassy could be burned down the same way our embassy was a few years ago. Generally, I see it from the news that people at the Cambodia-Thai border are still working together as usual. And the Cambodian media never played up the issue about Thaksin being appointed as an adviser at all either."

SALMA SRIWANNAYOS,

Office worker


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"Overall, I personally don't think that Thais can become ultra-patriotic easily.

"Just imagine, a lot of people change the channel when there's any political news on. Moreover, the mass media has been providing plenty of entertainment, let alone ultra-patriot encouragement.

"But, of course, this current rift is a matter we all should deal with together. First, the government should do better to be a good leader with strong and proper policies so that citizens won't get too worried.

"And I really think the media should be more responsible in reporting unbiased and factual news, especially on TV.

"When ASTV represents the yellow shirts, D-Station speaks for the red shirts and Channel 11 is the voice of the government, then we need more alternatives. Though, I don't mind the channels. I believe that free TV can make the right patriot.

"When the government is strong and the media does a good job covering events, people won't be as selfish, or ultra-patriotic."

NUTTA SOOKSAWAT,

3rd year student Ramkhamhaeng University


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Next week: Despite being guaranteed the basic rights to religion and expression of faith by the constitution, it's undeniable that in the cosmopolitan city of Bangkok, some devout non-Buddhists, particularly Muslims, are denied basic rights to career and academic opportunities. Many schools still prohibit female Muslim students from wearing a hijab (a head covering worn in public by Muslim women) while a number of government units have a history of turning down Muslim applicants who refuse to take off their hijab during work for the sake of "conformity and uniformity". 'Muse' asks you that, in the age where religious, social and ethnic diversity is much cherished, how do you view the decision of some organisations who cite uniformity to justify their demands that workers to sacrifice religious practice? Do you think the authorities should work more to promote greater religious and cultural sensitivity and how? Send in your opinion along with your name, profession and contact address to muse@bangkokpost.co.th by November 25 to win a special prize.

Read more!

Khmer Rouge prison chief anxious as trial ends

Former Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, the first high-ranking member of Cambodia's ousted regime to be tried for war crimes, is nervous as he prepares to take the stand for a final time at a U.N.-backed tribunal, his lawyer said Sunday.

Closing arguments are expected to start Monday with both sides wrapping up their cases by the end of the week. Kaing Guek Eav, who pleaded guilty, is expected to testify as soon as Wednesday and to be sentenced early next year.

The tribunal is seeking justice for an estimated 1.7 million people who died from execution, overwork, disease and malnutrition as a result of the ultra-communist group's policies while in power from 1975-79.

Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch (pronounced DOIK), commanded S-21 prison in Phnom Penh, where up to 16,000 people were tortured and then taken away to be killed. He is charged with crimes against humanity, war crimes, murder and torture. He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Cambodia has no death penalty.
By JERRY HARMER Associated Press


Duch is the only accused Khmer Rouge leader to acknowledge responsibility for his actions. Four other senior Khmer Rouge leaders are in custody awaiting trial.

"He has said from the start 'I want to explain in front of the judges, in front of public opinion.' This will be the last moment when he can explain," said Francois Roux, Duch's lawyer. "So he's worried about what he's going to say and how he's going to say it."

Roux described his client as "nervous and anxious" about taking the stand for one last time and refused to detail what Duch would say. But he said that his client was hopeful the judges would take into consideration the fact he has admitted his guilt and apologized to his victims.

In earlier testimony, Duch accepted responsibility for his role in overseeing the prison and asked for forgiveness from victims' families. He also told the court that he was ready to accept heavy punishment for his actions.

He has denied personally killing or torturing the S-21 prisoners, and said he felt compelled by fear for his own life to follow the orders of senior Khmer Rouge leaders.

"At this moment it's very important to give credit to Duch for his guilty plea. Duch has recognized his responsibility," Roux said. "He has asked forgiveness from his victims."

The tribunal, which opened March 30, has featured testimony from nine expert witnesses, 17 witnesses on facts and seven character witnesses and 22 "civil parties" representing victims.

More than 23,000 people have observed the trial from the public gallery in the courtroom, tribunal officials said.

Roux said the fact that Duch cooperated with the court doesn't "erase" his crimes but it has gone a long ways to further the understanding of what happened.

"We have moved forward the understanding, the recollection," he said. "We have all moved forward in our understanding of the Cambodian tragedy."

Read more!

Thai official confirms Hun Sen's daughter to take over CATS

BANGKOK, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's daughter plans to hold shares in Cambodia Traffic Air Services (CATS) after the Cambodian government has temporarily taken over management of the firm, a Thai senior official confirmed Saturday.

Panitan Wattanayakorn, Thai acting government spokesman confirmed the news report that Hun Sen's daughter is planning to hold shares in CATS.

Having controlled CATS by the Cambodia government occurs after Siwarak Chothipong, a 31-year-old-Thai man, who worked as engineer at CATS, has been arrested from Nov. 11, according to the arrest warrant of prosecutor of Phnom Penh Municipality Court.

Cambodia has charged Siwarak of having had confidential information affecting Cambodia's national security, a senior Thai official said Wednesday.

According to a news report by the Khmer language newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea, Siwarak spied through copying the letters of flights of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Cambodia and Hun Sen from CATS which has duties to control all flights in country and he sent those reports to Thailand.

Siwarak has been detained in a prison in Phnom Penh since last week as the Thai government is now in the process of seeking a release for him.

Chawanon Intarakomalsut, Thai Foreign Minister's secretary said he expected that the process could be completed next week and the engineer's mother could probably visit her son next week.
He also said it would be difficult for any individual to take over the company, but his ministry would try to assist CATS. So far the company has not requested help.

Panithan said that he did not know whether the company could be protected as other companies registered in Cambodia, and it's up to the company to file a request for the Cambodian government to consider.

Thailand and Cambodia have downgraded their diplomatic relations due to conflict over an appointment of Thaksin as an economic advisor to Cambodia's government and Hun Sen on Nov. 4.

A day after the appointment of Thaksin, the Cambodian government announced recall of its ambassador to Thailand in a move to respond to the Thai government's recall of its ambassador to Cambodia.

Thaksin was ousted by the military coup in September 2006, in accusation of corruption, and has been kept in exile since then. He returned to Thailand in February 2008 to face corruption charges, but he later fled into exile again and was convicted in absentia. Read more!

Safe in U.S., genocide survivor still felt soldiers' presence

By Jessica Tumbull


The Cambodia where author Loung Ung grew up was full of beauty and normal activities, such as going to the movies with her family.

But it also was one where the little girl and her family got caught up in violent political upheaval that led to genocide.

Ung, a petite woman clad in a black T-shirt with "Peace Rocks" in red lettering, spoke at an assembly in the Plum School District Friday about her experience surviving the 1970s genocide in the Southeast Asian country.

Plum students read Ung's memoir, "First They Killed My Father," in class and invited Ung to speak. Ung has written two books about her experiences and is working on a third.

Ung, 39, of Cleveland, was born in 1970 in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, one of seven children. She was 8 when the Communist group called the Khmer Rouge began executing fellow Cambodians.

Between 1975 and 1979, about 1.7 million people — or 25 percent of the population — were killed.

"I didn't know about politics. I didn't know about genocide," Ung said. "But I did know that people, little by little, would disappear from the villages."

Her father was executed by Khmer Rouge soldiers. Several months later, worried that keeping the family together hurt their chances of survival, Ung's mother told the children to leave and separate.

Her mother's hard decision is the basis for her third book.

In 1980, Ung escaped with her older brother and his wife to a refugee camp in Thailand, then was sent to Vermont.

She talked about her adjustment to life in America after living through a war that was deeply ingrained in her mind.

"When I would be trying to learn geometry for a test, the soldiers were there looking over my shoulder," she said, describing the difficulty of erasing the traumatic images even once she was safe in America.

She now works as a peace activist, and even returns to Cambodia to aid survivors.

Her main message is that peace is not a given, but a choice that takes hard work.

"We need to take responsibility for others in the world who are less fortunate," Ung said.

Sophomore Adam Albright, 16, of Plum said he liked hearing directly from the author of a book he read in class.

He said her message of peace struck him because America is perceived as a stable country where citizens don't have to worry about peace.

"It's worth fighting for," he said. "It's ironic that you have to fight for peace."

Sophomore Ian Walla, 16, of Plum said he didn't know anything about Cambodia or its war until he read Ung's book.

"It was a really inspiring story," he said. "It makes you think about other places in the world."

He said Ung's message is important so people can learn from past mistakes. He said a saying by his history teacher summed up the importance of Ung's story.

"The reason we teach history is so we don't repeat it," Walla said.

Read more!

Malaria Shows Signs of Resisting Primary Drug Used to Fight It

By Nathan Seppa, Science News


WASHINGTON—Malaria that is resistant to the best available drug is more widespread in Southeast Asia than previously reported, new research shows. The worrisome finding poses a risk that travelers could carry this strain of the malaria parasite to other parts of the globe and unwittingly spread it, scientists reported November 19 at a meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

The frontline drug in question is called artemisinin, the most potent medication currently in use against malaria. Signs of malarial resistance to artemisinin have surfaced over the past several years in Cambodia (SN: 11/22/08, p. 9). The new findings confirm that resistant malaria has now cropped up beyond a spot on the border of Thailand and Cambodia where it was initially detected. Now it has appeared in Vietnam and in two spots along the Burma border with Thailand and China.

“Things are changing. There’s no doubt the signs are concerning,” said Robert Newman, director of the Global Malaria Programme at the World Health Organization in Geneva. But he added that these signals are early and need further verification.

Patients in these areas take longer on average to overcome a malaria infection when given a standard combination of artemisinin and another antimalarial. This lag results from slower clearance of the malaria parasites from the blood, said WHO’s Pascal Ringwald, a medical officer who presented the update.

Patients who remain ill for longer stretches despite treatment need extra medication to recover from malaria and are also more likely to have severe or fatal cases, Ringwald said.

Malaria is caused by a single-celled parasite that infects the blood. Symptoms include fever, headache, chills, anemia and a swollen spleen. Of the more than 350 million people who come down with malaria worldwide each year, up to 1 million die. Mosquitoes spread the parasite from person to person.

Malaria has a history of becoming resistant to drugs, and artemisinin now risks becoming the most recent addition to that list. The new reports are disheartening to doctors because artemisinin normally packs a considerable wallop. Although artemisinin is a short-acting drug that gets cleared from the body in a few hours, it makes the most of its time — driving down parasite levels dramatically.

Using artemisinin alone invites resistance. So the standard therapy teams it with one of the longer-acting drugs, which perform mop-up duty on the remaining parasites, said Christopher King, a physician and epidemiologist at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

The new flashes of resistance may have arisen because combination treatment isn’t always available. And since artemisinin can be bought over the counter in many parts of Asia, people seeking relief don’t always follow the WHO guidelines of pairing artemisinin with another drug, King said.

Also, taking artemisinin for a fever that isn’t caused by malaria can allow resistant strains of the parasite to take hold, Newman said.

In the past, malaria’s resistance to other drugs has been linked to specific genetic changes in the parasite. The precise mechanism underlying resistance to artemisinin is still unsolved, King said.

Artemisinin is derived from extracts of the sweet wormwood bush. The bush’s leaves have been used as a folk remedy against fevers for roughly 2,000 years in Asia but fell out of use in the 20th century with the introduction of modern antimalarial drugs such as chloroquine.

During the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh appealed to China for traditional remedies for soldiers who had malaria. Tea made from sweet wormwood leaves worked and ultimately became the basis for artemisinin drugs. It’s not clear whether parasites in Southeast Asia are the first to become resistant because they have had a long history with artemisinin, or if other factors are involved, Newman said. Read more!

Luxury Travel Group Promotes 3 Countries One Destination – Luxury Indochina Travel

One ancient Indochina and 3 new faces Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos today, Luxury Travel promote 3 countries, one destination. (www.LuxuryTravelVietnam.com)

These three fascinating countries have both their diverse cultures and beautiful landscapes. Each of them has been subjected to social, political and economic turmoil over the past decades and they are ready to open its doors to the world and show us their hidden treasures.

Discover Indochina right now in 21 days, Luxury Travel Company take you to discover the best of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Indochinese journey starts from either the colonial Hanoi or the bustling Saigon, Vietnam, they fly to Vientiane, the capital of Laos, Luang Phabang with it famous temples and King Palace on the bank of Mekong River.

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Travelers fly from Vientiane to Phnom Penh the colonial of the Kingdom of Cambodia where you will discover the Silver Pagoda and the majestic Royal Palace, Khmer Art Museum.

The Indochina loop should be not complete if you could not visit the ancient capital Seam Reap with the huge Angkor Wat complex of temples, pagodas, ancient walls that reflect a glory of former Khmer Empire.

“We also aim to appreciate the multitude of local cultural traditions-wandering the many colorful markets, street stalls, exploring the tranquil villages along the banks of the Mekong and gaining perspectives across a rural landscape that has yet be down into the 21st century” said Lee Thais, Marketing and Pr Executive of Luxury Travel Group Company.

Visit www.luxurytravelvietnam.com or www.LuxuryIndochinaTravel.Com Read more!

Thai-Cambodia JBC meeting next week

The Thai-Cambodia Joint Border Committee (JBC) will meet on Nov 27 at 28 at the Dusit Thani hotel in Pattaya, defence ministry spokesman Col Thanathip Saengsawang said on Friday.

“It will be a ministerial level defence meeting to discuss border security and military cooperation,” Col Thanathip said.

Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon would use his ties with Cambodian military leaders to help ease the current tension between the two countries.

The spokesman said that military relations between the two countries remain intact despite the diplomatic row between Bangkok and Phnom Penh.

The Defence Ministry hopes to help settle the dispute between the two governments and at the same time to strengthen ties and trust on both sides, Col Thanathip said.

Read more!

Ecstasy factories destroyed in Cambodian rainforests

PHNOM PENH, Ten ecstasy laboratories operated by local drug cartels were destroyed Wednesday in one of Cambodia's most impenetrable and remote jungle areas in the country's southwest Cardamom Mountains, according to a statement released Friday by Wildlife Alliance.

The raid was carried out by an anti-drug task force led by Wildlife Alliance and in close cooperation with forest rangers from Cambodia's armed services and Ministry of Environment.

"At least 35 tons of safrole oil, a main ingredient used in the methamphetamine production of ecstasy, could have been used to make over five million ecstasy pills with a street value of over 100 million U.S. dollars," according to local officials.

Wildlife Alliance-sponsored ranger team from Cambodia's Ministry of Environment and managed by Fauna and Flora International, came across the ecstasy labs several months ago during a routine foot patrol through Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary, 200 miles northwest of Phnom Penh.

Wildlife Alliance Technical Advisor and former French Legionnaire, Eduard Lefter, who planned the complex and dangerous raid with Cambodian Forest Rangers, commented on the operation, saying "The mission was very difficult to organize and the conditions extremely tough. The mountain terrain and dense forest made a helicopter insertion virtually impossible, so we went in by foot."

According to Lefter, the team spent 12 days in the jungle battling leeches and the resulting wound infections, as well as skirting landmines which made forward progress extremely difficult. By the end of the mission much of Lefter's ranger teams were suffering from dehydration from dwindling water supplies.

The teams also carried explosive ordnance in the form of landmines, provided by the Cambodian Military, to destroy the ecstasy labs and safrole distillation equipment.

Read more!

Thai, Cambodian military leaders to meet

BANGKOK, Thai and Cambodian military leaders will meet next week amid growing tensions over Phnom Penh's appointment of a fugitive former Thai premier as an adviser.

The Thai-Cambodia Joint Border Committee will have a two-day meeting starting Nov. 27 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Pattaya, according to a report in the Bangkok Post newspaper.

"It will be a ministerial level defense meeting to discuss border security and military cooperation," a Thai defense ministry spokesman said. Defense Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwon would use his ties with Cambodian military leaders to help ease the current tension between the two countries, the spokesman said.

The meeting is important because it could avoid spontaneous armed clashes by patrols in the Preah Vihear mountains, around 300 miles north of Bangkok. The two armies have been facing each other for months over a disputed area surrounding an 11th-century Hindu temple. The international court of justice ruled in 1962 that the temple was on Cambodian land. But the only access to the mountaintop building is on the Thai side, which Thai troops sealed off last summer.

A military clash is precisely what both countries, whose ambassadors were recalled this month over the Thaksin affair, are hoping to avoid.

But political tensions moved up a notch Thursday when Cambodian police and aviation experts took over the offices of the Thai-owned firm Cambodia Air Traffic Services. CATS is a subsidiary of Bangkok's Samart Corporation which has a 32-year contract to run air traffic control operations.

The Cambodian authorities now in charge of the services also banned the firm's nine Thai employees from entering the building.

The takeover comes after Cambodian police arrested a Thai national working at CATS on spy allegations. Siwarak Chotipong, 31, is being held in Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh. He is alleged to have passed on the flight schedule of the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra during his visit to Cambodia last week, according to a report in the newspaper Phnom Penh News.

The newspaper article quoted a representative for Cambodia's ruling Council of Ministers saying the takeover of CATS was "temporary" and done "to ensure national security and public safety." The financial operations of the company would not be affected.

Cambodia's appointment of Thaksin as an economic adviser was covered widely in the country's media this month, including a television interview with Prime Minister Hun Sen and Thaksin. Hun has called Thaksin a friend of Cambodia.

Thailand has formerly requested the extradition of Thaksin, 60, who was ousted from power in a military coup in 2006. He returned in 2007 and the following year received a two-year jail sentence for conflict of interest in high-level business dealings. He fled the country, leaving an estimated $2 billion in frozen assets. He has since lived mostly in the United Kingdom.

Cambodia has refused to hand him over because, they say, his trial was political and not criminal, meaning they are not bound to extradite him under any bilateral treaty.

Analysts are saying that the issue of his return is, in fact, more political than just a case of evading prison. Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, 45, is a member of the Democrat Party and heads a large coalition government that fears Thaksin could pose a credible election threat if he returns to the country. Thaksin, as a former police officer, could call in favors among senior policemen and also some military leaders in any election, possibly next year.

Many of Thaksin's supporters are in the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship Party that has demonstrated for Thaksin to receive a royal pardon from the ailing but much revered Thai king.

For his part, Thaksin has reportedly used his Twitter site to vent his anger at the Abhisit government and his opponents within Thailand, the Bangkok Post reported.

"Everything you guys do is right, but whatever we do is wrong. So how can we live together? How long can peace last?" He went on to say he did not believe how long it would be before his supporters' "patience will snap," the article stated.

The Bangkok Post has also reported that Thailand's Foreign Ministry has lodged a complaint with the ambassador of Dubai. Ministry officials said Thaksin is using Dubai as a base for political activities Thailand's government.

The Cambodian Ministry of the Interior has also this week ordered its officials to encrypt as much as possible government information and sensitive documents that it is sending over the Internet. The government fear is that more data, such as happened with Thaksin's fight details, could be siphoned off by spies, the Phnom Penh News report said. Read more!

Cambodia pulls out of military sports meet

By The Nation


A sporting event between Thai and Cambodian military personnel scheduled over the weekend has been postponed indefinitely due to the growing tensions between the two countries.

The postponement was initiated by Cambodian authorities, without stating any reasons, said Prawat Ratthairom, a deputy provincial governor of Si Sa Ket, the venue of the event.

He said the provincial authorities were just informed of the postponement by the Thai military.

A series of sports competitions between Thailand's Second Army Area and Cambodia's Fourth Military Precinct, both of which are responsible for duties along each country's borders, were scheduled to be held today and tomorrow at Phumi Srol School in Cambodia's Kanthararak district.

Meanwhile, a Cambodian immigrant worker was axed to death by a Thai worker in a drunken brawl in Chon Buri's Sri Racha district over the detention of a Thai national by Cambodian authorities for alleged spying.

The victim, known only as Tiang, was allegedly attacked by Silchai Namnont, local police said, citing Kraisorn Namnont, the suspect's brother. The three men, all helpers in a local rubber plantation, were drinking late on Thursday and started quarrelling over the detention of the Thai in Cambodia and other diplomatic strains in ties between the two countries.

Nong Kham police said a hunt was on for Silchai but his brother, Kraisorn, was in custody. Police were still questioning him, as they were suspicious that he also took part in the murder.

In Sa Kaew, a goodwill cerฌemony was held by Thai and Cambodian military personnel in Aranyaprathet district yesterday. Highranking commanders of both sides met in the middle of the ThaiCambodia Friendship Bridge and exchanged souvenirs and handshakes in a photo opportunity.

LtGeneral Kanit Saphithak, commander of Thailand's First Army Area, and General Sok Phiab, a deputy chief of Cambodia's joint supreme command, were the highestranking officers from both sides participating in the ceremony. They met without prior appointment while making inspection visits at their local Army units, after local forces on both sides managed to get them to meet each other.

Aranyaprathet border checkpoint and Khlong Luek border town are still open to visits by Cambodians while Thai nationals still visit casinos across the border and Cambodian vendors still enter Thailand and do their businesses at Rong Klue market despite a drop in the number of Thai shoppers.

Read more!

Khmer killed after quarrel with Thai

CHON BURI : A Thai rubber tapper allegedly killed his Cambodian co-worker with an axe after a drinking session in which they had a heated argument over the two countries' diplomatic spat.

The Cambodian worker was identified as Diang, aged about 40. Police found his body lying on the floor in a room of an apartment run by Sri Maha Racha Co, the men's employer.

Blood covered the floor of room No.2, where he lived. A cut about five centimetres deep was found on his left cheek and another on his left shoulder, which was almost severed. Several empty liquor bottles were found in the room along with a bloodstained axe.

Kraisorn Namnont, a rubber tapper who lived next to the Cambodian worker, alerted Si Racha police about the killing about half past midnight on Friday.

He said the murderer was Sinchai Namnont, 44, his younger brother. They were from the northeastern province of Maha Sarakham.

He said Mr Sinchai, who lived with him in room No.1, had been drinking with Diang in Diang's room. They started arguing about the Cambodian authorities' arrest of a Thai engineer for alleged spying. Earlier, Cambodia named convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as its economic adviser.

Mr Kraisorn said he remembered hearing Mr Sinchai say it was not right for Cambodia to act in the way it had and Diang replying, "So, what can you do with my government?"

Shortly after that, Mr Sinchai rushed back to room No.1 to grab some of his clothes, then hurried out without saying anything about what had happened next door, said Mr Kraisorn.

After hearing Diang crying for help in pain, Mr Kraisorn decided to go to check on him but found him dead.

Police, however, said they were not convinced by Mr Kraisorn's testimony and suspected him of being involved in the murder of Diang in some way. Read more!

Vietnamese economy poses no threat to Thailand

Hanoi ensures existence of political stability and cheap labour

The Vietnamese economy poses no immediate threat to Thailand, which has healthy investments in that country, says the Thai ambassador in Hanoi.

Pisanu Chanvitan says Thailand's economy is still far more advanced than Vietnam's.

However, the ambassador told Thai Rath newspaper, Vietnam has certain advantages including political stability, thanks to its one-party rule and cheap labour.

Last year, Vietnam's economy grew 3%.

Mr Pisanu said that medical advances in Vietnam lag far behind Thailand. For difficult cases, well-to-do patients still travel to Thailand for treatment because Vietnam's health care expertise is lacking.

Nor was Thailand's status as the world's top rice exporter under threat from Vietnam.

Mr Pisanu said Vietnam exported about 5 million tonnes of rice last year while Thailand exported 8-9 million tonnes.

Thai rice is more expensive because of its higher quality especially the world famous Hom Mali, while Vietnam exports cheaper varieties.

Vietnam can face typhoons several times a year, causing extensive damage to rice fields.

Vietnam's rice cultivation area is similar to Thailand's, but Vietnam has a growing population. As its population grows, Vietnam will probably export less rice.

Vietnam's rulers like to talk about their plans for the economy, but sometimes these projects can be many years off.

Vietnam said it would put in a high-speed train, similar to the bullet train in Japan, running from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City.

The news excited Thai readers but most did not realise that work on the railway won't start until 2036, or nearly 30 years into the future.

In 1990, Vietnam began to open the country to foreign direct investment, creating special industrial zones and expanding the economic zone in Ho Chi Minh City.

Thailand is ranked 9th among foreign investors in Vietnam. Investment is concentrated in agri-business, cement, real estate, and motorcycle parts.

Mr Pisanu said Thailand exported more than 10,000 tonnes of fruit to Vietnam last year, including longan, mangosteen, durian and mango.

Food processing including canned fish is another bright prospect for Thai exporters. Several Thai canneries have set up operations in Vietnam and are doing good business.

Engineer is a

'political victim'

Sivarak Chutipong, 31, the Thai engineer arrested in Cambodia on a spying charge, is being used as a pawn in the diplomatic dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, argues a Matichon newspaper writer.

Sivarak worked for Cambodia Air Traffic Services, a subsidiary of Thailand's Samart Telecom.

He was arrested last week on a spying charge, after he allegedly transmitted the flight schedule of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Cambodia's premier Hun Sen to Thailand.

The newspaper argues the engineer was a victim of the conflicts between Thailand and Cambodia concerning Hun Sen's appointment of Thaksin as economic adviser.

If Sivarak is found guilty by a Cambodian court, he could be jailed for 7-10 years and/or fined 50,000-250,000 baht.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said Thaksin's flight schedule was not secret information and Thailand already knew Thaksin's likely flight movements.

Suthep argued that Cambodian authorities may have misunderstood the intention of the government, which never intended to inflict any harm.

Yet the Matichon writer was not satisfied with explanations offered by the Thai Foreign Ministry and Samart Telecom in defence of Sivarak.

The government, the writer said, should protect Sivarak's honour and tell international observers that Cambodia's allegations are trumped up.

Miscellany

Cambodia has expelled all Thai staff from Cambodia Air Traffic Services after a Thai engineer on staff was charged with spying.

Phnom Penh has filed national security charges of stealing classified information against engineer Sivarak Chutipong.

Cambodia has now ordered all Thai nationals working for CATS to leave the company and prohibited them from re-entering until the legal proceedings against Mr Sivarak are completed, Samart Corporation Plc president Watchai Wilailuck said.

CATS, a fully owned subsidiary of Bangkok-based Samart, holds a concession to run air traffic control services in Cambodia.

The firm employs nine Thai officials at Cambodian airport, in management or senior engineering positions. About 200 other staff are Cambodians.

Mr Watchai was told Cambodian authorities would send their own people to run the company.

"We need to follow Cambodia's order and are asking the Thai government to negotiate with Cambodia.

'We have nothing to do with their diplomatic dispute, but it is affecting our business," Mr Watchai said.

Thailand and Cambodia are signatories to an investment protection agreement, to protect each other's private businesses.

Read more!

Cambodia takes over Thailand-run company as row deepens

Cambodia has taken over the running of the country's Thai-owned air traffic control firm, in a deepening row between the two neighbouring countries.

Cambodia also barred all Thai employees from turning up for work and put a Cambodian national in temporary charge.

The move comes a day after a Thai engineer working for the firm in Phnom Penh was formally charged with spying.

It is said he passed on details of last week's flight to Cambodia by former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Mr Thaksin, who is wanted in Thailand to serve a jail sentence for corruption, spent five days in Cambodia in his new role as an economic adviser.

'Seizing firm'

On Thursday, the government in Phnom Penh appointed a senior Cambodian civil servant in temporary charge of Cambodia Air Traffic Services (Cats) - a Thai-owned and Thai-operated firm.

It also suspended all Thai nationals from performing their duties.

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya urged Cambodia to respect bilateral deals, regulating the running of Cats.

"The ministry is waiting for reports from the Thai embassy and we will also have to get clarification from the Cambodian government. If it violates bilateral agreements, then we will find way to proceed," the minister told reporters.

"Cambodia is a market economy. Just seizing (a firm) would not seem right," he added.

Internal politics

Phnom Penh's move is said to be temporary pending the outcome of a legal case against a Thai engineer who works for the company, the BBC's Rachel Harvey in Bangkok reports.

Siwarak Chothipong, 31, a Cats employee, was on Wednesday charged with spying.

He is currently under arrest, accused of passing the flight details of Mr Thaksin to a Thai diplomat.

Mr Thaksin's presence across the border infuriated the Thai government, which claims he should have been extradited to serve a two-year jail term.

The former Thai prime minister was ousted in a coup in 2006, and subsequently found guilty in absentia on conflict of interest charges.

Local newspaper reports in Thailand suggest the current Thai government and Mr Thaksin are now competing to offer help to the detained engineer and his family, our correspondent says.

Rachel Harvey adds that this is an indication that the row is as much about the internal politics of Thailand as it is about cross-border rivalries. Read more!

U.N. says Cambodian troops to aid in Chad

N'DJAMENA, Chad, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- The United Nations said Thursday 42 Cambodian troops have arrived in Chad to provide security and humanitarian help there and in the Central African Republic.

The United Nations said in a release that in addition to facilitating humanitarian aid in the African countries, the Cambodian troops will help protect civilians and help in the relocation of U.N. personnel and logistic assets.

The eastern portion of Chad is serving as a refuge for 160,000 displaced Chad residents and nearly 250,000 refugees from the Sudan's Darfur region,.

A number of refugees also fled armed conflict in Darfur in the northern part of the Central African Republic.

The United Nations has been helping the refugees since 2005.

The international organization said equipment difficulties encountered by some participating countries have left the U.N. mission operating at 53 percent of its authorized strength, or 2,750 troops. Read more!

Thailand and Cambodia are not enemies : Panitan

By The Nation


Thailand should re-establish diplomatic ties with Cambodia for the country's interest, it was agreed at yesterday's seminar on bilateral ties.

Panitan Wattanayagorn, the caretaker government spokesman, said that the current spat between the two countries was merely political. The two countries were no enemies and there should be no concern of a war between them, he added.

"The relationships in other aspects, including trade and investment, remain unchanged. At present, Thailand is Cambodia's seventh largest trading partner," he said.

He was speaking at a panel discussion on "Stop, pull in or open a battle: Thai-Cambodian ties amidst the Thai political conflict", which was organised at Chulalongkorn University.

Panitan, formerly a lecturer at the university, said the current conflict required cooperation from the two countries in order to solve it in a diplomatic way.

Former deputy prime minister Chaturon Chaisang said during the panel discussion that the new round of conflict was caused by "a severe wave of nationalism" in both countries.

"All the parties involved should find out a common solution in order to protect the country's interest," he said.

Chaturon, an ally of fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, said the government's decision to cancel a bilateral agreement on maritime overlapping area with Cambodia would cause Thailand to lose rather than gain. He said it was a wrong strategy to freeze Thailand's aid to Cambodia.

Surachai Sirikrai, a political science lecturer at Thammasat University, agreed that Thailand should retain good ties with Cambodia at a time when East Asian is consolidating economically.

"But the problem is that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has interfered with Thailand's politics, which is against the rules of Asean," he said.

The academic said it appeared Hun Sen appointed Thaksin as his government's economic adviser intentionally to coincide with Cambodia's renewed border conflict with Thailand involving the listing of the Preah Vihear temple ruins as a Unesco World Heritage site.

General Waipoj Srinuan, former deputy permanent secretary of the Defence Ministry, told the seminar that Thailand should prevent the conflict with Cambodia from expanding and try to normalise the relationships with the neighbouring country.

He blamed Thailand's "weak foreign policies" for Cambodia's latest "attack" on the country's politics.

The retired general said that Cambodia, which has long been viewed as undeveloped, appeared to be trying to win acceptance from the world community.

He asked Thailand not to use developed countries' bullying tactic with Cambodia but instead should treat the neighbouring country with respect. "To bully them will cause the conflict to expand," he said. Read more!

PM: Cambodia, Jatuporn sharing info

The Cambodian government and opposition Puea Thai Party MP Jatuporn Prompan could be sharing information, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Thursday.

United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) core member Jatuporn earlier claimed that he had an audio tape of Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya ordering the Thai embassy's first secretary, Kamrob Palawatwichai, to find out Thaksin's flight schedule.

"I believe Mr Jatuporn and Cambodia have constantly been in contact. I hope the person behind this will regain a sense of conscience and won't trade off the country's interests to Cambodia," the prime minister said.

"If Thaksin crosses the border into Thailand through the Northeast, he must be face his punishment if the law is to be preserved."

He said the government had no intention of playing political games with the red-shirts, and he was confident the UDD's anti-government rallies would not turn violent.

"I believe the UDD's plan to topple the government by Dec 3 will not succeed, because people want peace," he said. "The government will evaluate the situation again before deciding whether to apply the Internal Security Act during the protests."
Read more!

Spread of artemisinin resistance may hinder efforts to control malaria

As resistance to the antimalarial drug artemisinin increases, efforts to control malaria may be threatened, according to experts who spoke at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's 58th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Currently, the bulk of artemisinin resistance has been observed near the border between Cambodia and Thailand. But experts are warning that it could soon spread throughout Southeast Asia, hampering malaria control efforts in the region and elsewhere.

"Artemisinin combination therapies are the most rapidly and reliably effective treatments for malaria caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite, which is responsible for the vast majority of malaria-related illnesses and deaths," Pascal Ringwald, MD, director of antimalarial drug resistance surveillance at WHO, said. "The loss of artemisinin derivatives to resistance could have a devastating effect on health in tropical countries and would threaten current global efforts to eliminate malaria."

Ringwald said WHO officials first noticed evidence of artemisinin resistance in Cambodia and Thailand after receiving reports about increases in clearance times in patients with malaria treated with artemisinin combination therapies. "These drugs are designed to kill the parasites within 24 to 48 hours, but we are finding that it sometimes takes four or five days to kill them," Ringwald said. "In some studies, half of the parasites are not killed within 72 hours after the beginning of treatment, which indicates a growing resistance problem."

Ringwald added that artemisinin resistance is particularly problematic because there are few antimalarial drugs currently in development that could, if necessary, replace artemisinin in terms of effectiveness.

However, Ringwald also stressed that although artemisinin resistance is a growing concern and health officials are monitoring of the situation, the "vast majority" of patients with malaria throughout the world are still being treated and cured with artemisinin-based therapies.

Read more!

Cambodia strains ties even more

All Thai staff banned from air traffic office

Cambodia intensified the diplomatic spat with Thailand yesterday when authorities in Phnom Penh expelled all Thai officials from their offices at Cambodia Air Traffic Services.

The order by the Cambodian government came after Phnom Penh filed charges yesterday against Sivarak Chutipong, a Thai engineer working for CATS.

"Cambodia has charged him with stealing classified information affecting national security," said Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, the secretary to the foreign minister.

The Cambodian government ordered Thai nationals working for CATS to immediately leave the company and prohibited them from re-entering until the legal proceedings against Mr Sivarak are completed, Samart Corporation Plc president Watchai Wilailuck said.

CATS, a fully owned subsidiary of Bangkok-based Samart, has been granted a 32-year air traffic control concession.

The firm employs nine Thai officials at the Cambodian airport, all of them either in management or senior engineering positions. About 200 other staff members are Cambodians.

Mr Watchai was told Cambodian authorities would send their own people to operate the company.

"We need to follow Cambodia's order and are asking the Thai government to help negotiate with the Cambodian government to solve the problem because it is affecting a private business which has nothing to do with the state dispute," Mr Watchai said.

Thailand and Cambodia are signatories to the Investment Protection Agreement to protect each other's private businesses.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the Foreign Ministry has been ordered to look into the problem of CATS.

Mr Sivarak was arrested on Nov 12 for allegedly obtaining confidential information about the flight details of convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and supplying it to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.

The Cambodian government also expelled the embassy's first secretary, Kamrob Palawatwichai and Thailand retaliated with the same measure.

The 31-year-old detainee and the Thai Foreign Ministry have denied the accusations.

Deputy ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi said the ministry was helping to find Mr Sivarak a lawyer. Cambodian law requires his legal representative to be a Cambodian national.

"The Thai side still believes in Cambodia's judicial process and hopes Phnom Penh will be fair to Mr Sivarak," Mr Thani said.

Thaksin wrote in his Twitter page yesterday he had contacted Cambodian leaders to find ways to help the Thai engineer being detained at Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh.

"I've been in touch with them. They said they would investigate first and will treat him fairly," he said in his posting.

Mr Abhisit refused to comment on the assistance by Thaksin to help secure the release of the engineer and said the government's actions had been helping to improve the situation for Mr Sivarak.

But Mr Sivarak's mother, Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, thanked Thaksin for his efforts to help secure the release of her son.

Deputy director-general of the Consular Affairs Department Madurapochana Ittarong was helping Mrs Simarak and Mr Sivarak's younger sister to obtain access to him in Phnom Penh.

Puea Thai Party chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh also offered to help in talks with the Cambodian government.

Mr Thani said Gen Chavalit's offer was welcome.

The latest conflict between the Thai and Cambodian governments started last month when Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen made Thaksin an economic adviser to himself and to his government. Thailand was offended when Hun Sen said Thaksin's corruption case was politically motivated and refused to hand him over to Bangkok.

The fugitive prime minister left the Cambodian capital for Dubai on Saturday.

Puea Thai MP Jatuporn Prompan yesterday claimed the Cambodian government had an audio clip of Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya ordering Mr Kamrob to seek the flight schedule of the ousted prime minister.

Read more!

Rare crocs found hiding in plain sight in Cambodia

By Michael Casey, Associated Press


BANGKOK — Conservationists searching for one of the world's most endangered crocodile species say they have found dozens of the reptiles lounging in plain sight — at a wildlife rescue center in Cambodia.

DNA taken from 69 crocodiles housed in the moats of the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center showed nearly 50% were Siamese crocodiles, which until recently were believed to have become extinct in the wild, researchers said Wednesday.

"For the first time in Cambodia, we have a captive population of animals that we know 100% are purebred Siamese crocodiles," said Adam Starr, who manages the Cambodian Crocodile Conservation Program, a joint effort between the government and Fauna & Flora International. The Washington, D.C.-based conservation group Wildlife Alliance also took part.

Once common throughout Southeast Asia, the Siamese crocodile or crocodylus Siamensis is locally extinct in 99% of the areas it once roamed and is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Much of the wild population was wiped out by habitat loss and poaching.

Those left in the wild — thought to be less than 250, with nearly all in Cambodia and the rest in Indonesia and Vietnam — face the new threat of hydropower dams being built in two of their three known habitats in the country.

Starr said the discovery of the captive population would give conservationists new options for breeding and reintroducing the crocodiles into the wild, most likely in places not affected by the dams. He said up to 60 crocodiles a year could be released into areas where they once thrived.

DNA analysis, which was done at Thailand's Kasetsart University, is necessary because it is virtually impossible to tell the difference between Siamese crocodiles and the hybrid crocodile species that are also housed at the center.

Nhek Ratanapech, director of the wildlife center, said he was surprised to learn that so many of the crocodiles turned out to be pure Siamese.

"Before we conducted the DNA testing, we thought perhaps only three or four of them in the zoo were Siamese crocodiles," he said.

Siamese crocs are said to be a bit smaller at just under 10 feet (3.5 meters) than hybrids, and their snouts are shorter and wider.


Read more!

Thailand delays action on aid to Cambodia

By Pracha Hariraksapitak


BANGKOK, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Thailand on Tuesday held back on further action against Cambodia -- which caused a diplomatic row by offering a job to fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra -- and welcomed the access it was given to a Thai accused of spying.

"There is still plenty of time to consider (cutting aid and loans). There is no need to hurry," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting.

The latest row between the neigbouring countries flared when Thaksin went to Cambodia last week after its prime minister, Hun Sen, offered him a job as an economic adviser. The Cambodian government rejected Bangkok's request to extradite him.

The two countries recalled their ambassadors and Cambodia arrested a Thai engineer working for Cambodia Air Traffic Services, accusing him of sending Thaksin's flight schedule to a Thai diplomat, who was expelled by Phnom Penh.

The arrest caused further uproar in Thailand, especially as embassy officials were initially denied access to the engineer.

A visit was finally allowed on Tuesday.

"It is a positive move on Cambodia's part to allow our representative to visit him," Abhisit said. "This gives us hope. We will continue to seek legal counsel for now and we believe we will be informed of formal charges soon."

The Thai government says the information the engineer was accused of giving the diplomat was publicly available.

AID MAY BE HIT

Earlier, Panitan Wattanayagorn, deputy secretary-general to Abhisit, said the cabinet could discuss various measures to be taken against Cambodia, including freezing low-interest loans to build roads.

Last week Thailand said it would scrap a 2001 memorandum of understanding on energy development in the Gulf of Thailand.

The agreement was signed under Thaksin's administration, with the aim of finding a way for the two countries to jointly develop oil and gas resources in disputed waters, although little progress has been made.

Thaksin left Cambodia on Saturday.

He spends most of his time in Dubai, having returned to self-imposed exile last year ahead of a court judgment that found him guilty of violating a conflict of interest law while in office and sentenced him to two years in jail.

After winning two landslide elections, Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006. He remains at the heart of a bitter political struggle in Thailand which has at various stages over the past four years scared off tourists and dismayed investors. (For an analysis on Thaksin's strategy, click [ID:nBKK461030]) (Writing by Ambika Ahuja; Editing by Alan Raybould and Jerry Norton)

Read more!

Hun Sen seeks to 'internationalise' spat

Thailand's domestic turmoil has been further complicated by the political tempest that blew through Bangkok from Phnom Penh last week. For the first time, the protracted Thai political crisis is no longer wholly domestic but has direct foreign bearings from next door.

In a flurry of seemingly orchestrated offensive manoeuvres, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen has put the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on the back foot. Mr Hun Sen has achieved several objectives, whereas Mr Abhisit's government has yet to define what it wants out of the retaliatory spiral that has brought contemporary Thai-Cambodian relations to its nadir.

To be sure, Mr Hun Sen's deliberate provocation was designed and timed to rock the Abhisit government. It began with the Cambodian leader's invitation to. and warm reception of, Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's visit to Phnom Penh in mid-October. At that time, Mr Hun Sen expressed sympathy for convicted and exiled Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, hinting the latter could find refuge in Cambodia.

At the Asean Summit in Cha-am a week later, Mr Hun Sen's second move was to follow through with statements to the media indicating that Thaksin should be made an adviser to the Cambodian government.

The Cambodian strongman then returned to Phnom Penh to officially appoint Thaksin as government adviser on the economy.

The fourth move was to invite Mr Thaksin to give a talk last week. All of these moves took place just prior to the Apec leaders' meeting and the inaugural Asean-US summit, which Mr Abhisit was to preside over as Asean chair.

The Abhisit government was behind Mr Hun Sen's curve balls throughout. It should have sent clearer and louder signals that avoided unnecessary ridicule, insult, condescension and sarcasm.

Instead, Mr Abhisit's press conference in Cha-am warned Mr Hun Sen not to be used as a pawn by Thaksin. If the Cambodian ambassador failed to show up when summoned by the Thai government, clear signals should have been sounded as well.

By the time Mr Hun Sen appointed Thaksin, the Abhisit government went ballistic when it should have been measured and nuanced. It could have recalled the Thai ambassador for consultations before sending him back to Phnom Penh.

The intensity and rapidity of Bangkok's level of responses, including the revocation of a memorandum of understanding on overlapping claims in the Gulf of Thailand and suspension of aid and soft loans, made the Abhisit government appear flustered and blustered.

Moreover, it reflected the Abhisit government's misguided estimation of Thailand's leverage over Cambodia and betrays its own shortcomings, which were discussed in detail in Mr Hun Sen's long interview last week.

Indeed, Mr Hun Sen has not been nice but he may have had his reasons for not being nice to Mr Abhisit's government. And there appears little the Thai leader can do about it.

Unlike bygone years, new geopolitical realities now mean Bangkok is merely one among many in the pecking order of importance to Cambodia. China, Vietnam, Russia, Japan, and even South Korea have been instrumental players in Cambodia's economic development. The Thai government needs to accept Cambodia's status as an up-and-coming emerging economy after decades of war, conflict and tragedy, with more than its fair share of natural resources that beckons partners near and far, and relative political stability alongside democratic legitimacy to boot.

On the other hand, Mr Hun Sen has been pent up on a number of old scores, as his interview revealed. The Cambodian leader was miffed, of course, when Mr Abhisit appointed a foreign minister who publicly called him a gangster on a nationalist stage where Mr Hun Sen was a ping-pong ball. Mr Abhisit's misjudgement on his foreign minister choice, owing to his own miscalculation and/or pressure from his backers, doomed Thai-Cambodian relations from the outset.

Moreover, Mr Hun Sen viewed the Abhisit government's reneging on Cambodia's registration of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site as back-stabbing following Mr Abhisit's personal assurance that it could be discussed. The Abhisit government did little to rein in right-wing groups from demonstrating at Preah Vihear areas, some even demanding the return of the temple which belongs to Cambodia by international law.

The bilateral atmosphere was further poisoned by the Abhisit government's allowing Sam Rainsy, an opposition leader in Cambodian politics, to use a forum in Bangkok to attack Mr Hun Sen.

With the expulsion of a Thai diplomat and the arrest of a Thai engineer on spying charges, Mr Hun Sen has not flinched in the face of Thai retaliation. While he is settling old scores, Mr Hun Sen's persistence of harassment and taking sides in Thailand's deep-seated polarisation by allowing Thaksin to use Cambodia as a staging ground, would suggest that Phnom Penh is intent on carrying out this bilateral spat to its logical conclusion in regionalising and internationalising the Thai-Cambodian conflict.

Mr Hun Sen would have an edge not in bilateral dealings but in regional and international considerations, especially if the Abhisit government ratchets up retaliation and ends up with overreaction.

Mr Abhisit must now own up to his misjudgements.

A cabinet reshuffle is imperative. He should treat Mr Hun Sen with respect and appeal for Cambodia to stay out of Thai affairs like other countries, such as the United Kingdom and China, have done.

Most important, Mr Abhisit must come up with an overarching policy objective in order to locate and shape the political and diplomatic tools to achieve it. That objective should be to persuade Mr Hun Sen to not let Thaksin use Cambodian soil as his launch pad to battle his opponents. Read more!

Cambodia won't drop spy charges

Military tries personal appeal to free engineer

Thailand's hopes of a quick release for Sivarak Chutipong have been dashed.

Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh said the alleged spy will not be freed any time soon.

In a phone interview with the Bangkok Post, Gen Tea Banh said legal proceedings against the Thai engineer must be allowed to run their course.

Thai military chiefs, including Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, are using their communications channels with Gen Tea Banh to try and help the government secure the release of the Cambodia Air Traffic Services engineer who is being detained in Phnom Penh's Prey Sar prison.

They hoped the general would convince Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to allow his release.
"I told them I am sorry but that it is not possible," Gen Tea Banh said. "Lawbreakers must face legal proceedings first. They must face investigations and will be taken to court. They cannot be let off scot-free.

"I don't know what to do. The law is there and Cambodia must stick to the law ... the judicial proceedings must be allowed to take their course. It's impossible to release him [Mr Sivarak] straight away."

Gen Tea Banh said Cambodian authorities had questioned Mr Sivarak and found allegations he illegally obtained information about fugitive former primer minister Thaksin Shinawatra's flight schedule had grounds.

Mr Sivarak was arrested on Thursday for allegedly obtaining confidential information about Thaksin's flight details and supplying it to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.

The Cambodian government expelled the Thai embassy's first secretary Kamrob Palawatwichai in response.

Both Mr Sivarak and the Thai Foreign Ministry denied the allegations.

Mr Sivarak has not yet been formally charged, said Thani Thongphakdi, deputy spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.

After blocking several attempts to meet the detained Thai, Cambodian authorities yesterday allowed Chalotorn Phaovibul - the highest ranking diplomat at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh - and two other staff to visit Mr Sivarak for 30 minutes.

"He is in good condition and good spirits. He is also being well taken care of by Cambodian authorities," the deputy spokesman quoted Mr Chalotorn as saying.

Mr Chalotorn has been in charge of the Thai embassy since ambassador Prasas Prasasvinitchai was recalled in protest over Phnom Penh's appointment of Thaksin as an economic adviser.

Mr Sivarak spoke with his mother, Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, in Nakhon Ratchasima by phone after being given permission by prison authorities.

Mrs Simarak, who works at Nakhon Ratchasima Technical College, said she was happy to speak to her son for the first time since his arrest and to learn that he was safe.

She appealed to the government to quickly secure her son's release.

The deputy director-general of the Consular Affairs Department, Madurapochana Ittarong, yesterday visited Mrs Simarak in the northeastern province and offered to help her arrange a visit to see Mr Sivarak in Phnom Penh.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva applauded Cambodia's decision to allow Thai diplomats to visit Mr Sivarak in prison in accordance with international standards.

Mr Abhisit told Mrs Simarak the government would try its best to secure his release as soon as possible.

"The government hopes he will be released soon following proper legal procedures," Mr Abhisit said.

Thaksin said on thaksinlive.com, his internet channel, that he had contacted the Cambodian government and asked it to ensure the engineer receives a fair trial.

"If there is anything I can do to help, I'll do it even though it [the charge] is real," he said.

The recent deterioration in Thai-Cambodian relations started last month when Hun Sen appointed Thaksin as an economic adviser to his government. Tensions increased when Cambodia rejected Thai requests that Thaksin be extradited.

Read more!

Cambodian opposition leader stripped of immunity

Cambodia’s parliament stripped immunity from main opposition leader Sam Rainsy yesterday, clearing the way for charges against him for uprooting markings at the border with Vietnam.

“The National Assembly has lifted the parliamentary immunity of Sam Rainsy,” a statement from the legislative body said.

The statement went on to say Sam Rainsy, currently abroad, had committed acts of “uprooting border posts between Cambodia and Vietnam, and inciting [people] to commit criminal offences” in southeastern Svay Rieng Province.

The move permits court action against Sam Rainsy, who removed six markers at the border during a march in Svay Rieng last month, alleging that they were illegally placed by Vietnam.

Lawmakers from his eponymous Sam Rainsy Party boycotted yesterday’s closed parliamentary vote and held aloft a map of Cambodia as they marched through the streets of the capital, denouncing the decision as “political intimidation.”

The French-educated former finance minister is the main rival to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. He touts liberal democracy and human rights, while promising to raise wages and fight corruption.

Son Chhay, chief of the party’s members of parliament, called the decision a “threat or intimidation against the party leader … [with] political intention to shut up the opposition party.”
Vietnam condemned Sam Rainsy for uprooting the border posts, and asked Phnom Penh to protect the two countries’ sensitive demarcation process.

Sam Rainsy has said he believed the border markers were erected unilaterally by Vietnamese authorities, and that villagers had removed similar posts in the area early this year.

Cambodia and Vietnam officially began demarcating their contentious border in September 2006, in a bid to end decades of territorial disputes.

The border row has sparked virulent anti-Vietnamese sentiment in Cambodia, fuelled by resentment of Vietnam’s expansion over the centuries.

The 1,270km border has remained essentially unmarked and vague since French colonial times, with stone markers and boundary flags having disappeared, while trees lining it were cut down.
Read more!

Carters help build Thai homes

Mr Carter and his wife, Rosalynn (both centre), are among 3,000 volunteers from 25 countries working with Habitat for Humanity this week to help build and repair homes along the Mekong River in Thailand, Vietnam, China, Cambodia and Laos. -- PHOTO: AP

CHIANG MAI (Thailand) - FORMER US President Jimmy Carter helped the housing charity that he champions, Habitat for Humanity, launch a campaign Monday to build homes for 50,000 families in the Mekong River region over the next five years.

Mr Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, are among 3,000 volunteers from 25 countries working with Habitat for Humanity this week to help build and repair homes along the Mekong River in Thailand, Vietnam, China, Cambodia and Laos.

The homes in Cambodia are being built for families currently living in a garbage dump, the ones in Vietnam are for fishermen who now live on their boats, and the project in China involves construction of an apartment building in a part of Sichuan province devastated by a 2008 earthquake.

'In an area of the world where many people live in deplorable conditions, we have a chance to help families improve their housing,' said Mr Carter, wearing sneakers, jeans and a work shirt. He and his wife spent Monday helping build homes in northern Thailand's Chiang Mai province, where 82 will be constructed in honour of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who celebrates his 82nd birthday next month.

Habitat for Humanity's Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Reckford said the Georgia-based non-profit group decided to scale up its activities in the Mekong region over the next five years because the needs were so great.

'This is an area that gets less attention than some other parts of the world,' Reckford said. 'But if you look at income levels, there are huge numbers of families living at terribly low levels at a dollar a day. There is a huge deficit of decent housing, so it starts with the need.' -- AP

Read more!

Govt told to treat Cambodia subtly

Experts warn a more mature stance needed on the issues

The government must exercise "more maturity" in the ongoing diplomatic row with Cambodia, starting with changing its current positions against the neighbouring country, diplomatic experts say.

International affairs and legal experts warned Thailand could risk losing international creditability and long-term economic prospects should the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration continue with its current strategies including the planned termination of a number of agreements with Cambodia.

"The government has failed to use other solutions, except retaliation moves,"Chulacheeb Chinwanno, vice rector of Thammasat University, told a seminar yesterday.

"A refrain from such premature retaliation, should it adopt it, could demonstrate its maturity in dealing with the issue."

The diplomatic spat between the two nations has worsened since last month after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen appointed ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as his personal and economic adviser.

The Thai government has imposed a number of retaliatory moves including recalling Thai ambassador to Cambodia Prasas Prasasvinitchai. It is also in the process of terminating a memorandum of understanding on an overlapping maritime area.

The document was signed in 2001 when Thaksin was prime minister.

The government defended its plan to terminate the agreement, which is still pending parliament approval.

But Chumphorn Pachusanond, an international law expert at Chulalongkorn University's law faculty, said such a decision would not be easy to apply and it would bring joint oil and gas exploration efforts in the Gulf of Thailand back to square one.

"I want the government to consider this more profoundly," he said.

The agreement is a binding treaty in which Thailand would be required to propose an alternative measure should it want the termination, he said.

"Why do we want to make a mess out of this MoU? The Thai government has no reason to fear its existence," he said.

Should both nations go ahead with the MoU, they will mutually benefit from the exploration of hydrocarbon resources, he said.

Puangthong Pawakapan, from the political science faculty at Chulalongkorn University, said a halt to exploration could obstruct both countries' efforts to gain energy security and further affect economic development on both sides.

The government's other move to scrap a 1.4-billion-baht soft loan for a road project linking Surin to Siem Reap is also shortsighted because Thailand would be disadvantaged.

She said the project would help Thai businesses to transport their products to Cambodia and Vietnam and increase trade volumes for Thai industries.

The government's termination of the loan is unlikely to affect Cambodia which will be able to easily seek another loan from other lenders such as China or Japan, she said.

Thailand had also sidestepped softer, preliminary diplomatic approaches and adopted far too aggressive ones.

Read more!

FM claims Thai 'spy' is isolated

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has dismissed a report that a high-level Thai diplomat had met Siwarak Chotphong - who is accused of spying - at a prison in Phnom Penh.

Mr Kasit denied a Thai diplomat was allowed to meet the Cambodia Air Traffic Services engineer who is being detained at Prey Sar prison.

Mr Kasit said he had checked the report with the Thai embassy in Cambodia and believed the meeting did not take place.

His statement countered Cambodian foreign ministry claims that a Thai embassy official was allowed to visit Mr Siwarak, who was arrested on Thursday on charges of supplying details of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's flight schedule to his country's embassy.

"Today, we agreed to allow [a Thai diplomat] to visit the man at 2pm in the prison where he is being temporarily detained," Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said.
Accompanying story: Siwarak's Mom: My son is not a spy

Mr Kasit confirmed that no visit was allowed by Phnom Penh despite requests through Cambodia's Foreign and Interior ministries and Corrections Department since the 31-year-old Thai was arrested.

"We are still waiting for a reply from Cambodia," he said, referring to Thai attempts to meet him.

A Foreign Ministry official said Chalotorn Phaovibul, the embassy's minister, informed the Cambodian government about the Thai request to meet Mr Siwarak at 2pm but he had not been given the green light from Phnom Penh.

The spy allegations prompted Phnom Penh to expel Kamrob Palawatwichai, the Thai embassy's first secretary, on Thursday and Thailand reciprocated hours later.

Mr Kamrob reported to the Thai Foreign Ministry yesterday and Mr Kasit insisted that the Thai diplomat was not a spy and did not collaborate with Mr Siwarak to obtain detailed flight plans of Thaksin's movements.

Thailand appears to be growing frustrated at the denial although Bangkok has insisted that it is international practice to visit those who are arrested and face charges.

Mr Kasit was trying to contact his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong, who is on the way to Italy, to get access to Mr Siwarak.

Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to the foreign minister, said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Mr Kasit and security officials planned to hold talks to find a way to help Mr Siwarak if Mr Siwarak is not released.

The conflict between Thailand and Cambodia started after Thaksin was appointed as an economic adviser to the Cambodian government and a personal adviser to Cambodian Premier Hun Sen.

Thailand was also outraged after Hun Sen called Thaksin a victim of Thai politics and rejected Thai attempts to extradite him.

Thaksin left Cambodia for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, ending a contentious four-day visit that deepened a diplomatic storm between already bickering Bangkok and Phnom Penh.

Thailand yesterday stepped up calls for the UAE government to send the convicted former prime minister back to Thailand.

Panich Vikitsreth, an assistant to the foreign minister, supplied UAE ambassador to Thailand Mohammed Ali Ahmed Omran Al Shamsi with more information about Thaksin to back up the Thai attempt to seek cooperation from the Middle East country. The information included the interview by Thaksin in the London-based Times online edition. Read more!

Cambodian mobile customer base will grow to almost 6.23mn at the end of 2009

Cambodia and Laos Telecommunications Report Q4 2009 - a new market research report on companiesandmarkets.com

http://www.companiesandmarkets.com/Summary-Market-Report/cambodia-and-laos-telecommunications-report-q4-2009-166982.asp

The latest update on the telecoms markets in Cambodia and Laos includes new regulatory and operator data on the size of these two countries’ mobile subscriber, fixed-line and internet access markets at the end of March 2009. Based on the available data, we have made several revisions to our five-year growth forecasts for these markets.

Based on data published by Cambodia’s leading mobile operators
, the report calculates that the Cambodian mobile customer base grew by 15.5% in the first three months of 2009. By the end of March, Cambodia had almost 4.6mn mobile users, equivalent to a penetration rate of around 30%. In the first few months of 2009, Cambodia witnessed the launch of commercial services by three new mobile
network operators.

These were Vietnam’s Viettel, which launched commercial operations in February, Smart Mobile, which commenced GSM operations in March, and Sotelco, which launched services under the Beeline banner in May. Sotelco was acquired by Russian operator VimpelCom in July 2008 from Altimo at a cost of US$28mn for a 90% stake. VimpelCom has pledged around US$200mn to be spent in its Cambodian network in the first three to four years following its commercial launch.

The presence of nine mobile operators in Cambodia is thought to have significant implications for the development of the sector. Firstly, mobile subscriber growth appears to be accelerating as the level of competition increases. Indeed, early indications suggest that 2009 will see much stronger subscriber growth than in 2008. BMI now predicts that the Cambodian mobile customer base will grow to almost 6.23mn at the end of 2009. Our new forecast envisages growth of over 62% in 2009, dropping to 42.5% in 2010.

In neighbouring Laos, recent developments point to the possibility of an increasingly dynamic mobile market in the months ahead. As noted in our previous report, recent months saw the launch of commercial operations by Vietnam’s Viettel, which will operate in Laos under the Star Telecom brand as part of a joint venture with the Laotian government. Meanwhile, in September, it was announced that Russia’s VimpelCom had agreed to acquire a 78% stake in Millicom Lao from Luxembourg-based Millicom International Cellular. Although the completion of the acquisition will require regulatory approval, this is expected to be forthcoming before the end of the year. The report predicts that Laos’ active mobile subscriber base will surpass the 2mn subscriber mark by the end of 2009.

Cambodia and Laos respectively sit in 13th and 15th position in the latest set of business environment ratings for the Asia Pacific region. The two countries generally score below average for the Asia Pacific region. Nevertheless, they continue to perform better than regional neighbours Thailand and Vietnam. As a result of having a more competitive sector, Cambodia continues to have a higher score than Laos in the telecoms market category. . Read more!

At least 5 injured in blast in Thai rally

BANGKOK, At least five people were injured Sunday night when a bomb was thrown at the stage of an anti- Thaksin group's rally here, which was held to protest against the convicted former Thai prime minister's appointment by Cambodian government.

Although 1,500 policemen had been deployed around the city to maintain order during the rally by The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the blast occurred at around 9 p.m., when Sondhi Limthongkul, the PAD leader, was addressing the group's supporters.

Five people got wounded with a boy's leg severely injured, The Nation online quoted a witness as saying.

A man was reported to have been arrested after throwing the bomb.

By 8:30 p.m. local time, over 10,000 PAD supporters were rallying at Sanam Luang in the center of Bangkok after they officially staged their protest from 4 p.m. local time.

The PAD rally, which was participated by the supporters from both Bangkok and many provinces across the country, was held after Thailand and Cambodia have downgraded their diplomatic relations due to conflict over an appointment of Thaksin as an economic advisor to the Cambodian government and Hun Sen on Nov. 4.

The PAD supporters ranged from the general public, students, employees of state enterprises, war veteran members, non- governmental organizations, to taxi drivers.

The PAD protesters announced that they were united to show the world the Thai people's strength and to protect the country's dignity against Cambodia and Thaksin.

The purpose of this rally is that "we want to communicate to the world, Thais, and Cambodians, and to former Premier Thaksin and the Cambodian Prime Minister that what they are doing are not right, and the Thai people can not take this," Pibhob Dhongchai, one of the PAD core leaders, said at the rally.

Read more!

Thaksin opponents rally over Cambodia trip

BANGKOK - Thousands of demonstrators on Sunday attended a protest by Thailand's royalist "Yellow Shirt" movement against a visit to Cambodia by their arch-foe, fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
Four people, including a child, were hurt when men on a motorbike threw a firecracker into the rally in central Bangkok, an organiser said.

Police said the event, attended by an estimated 20,000 people, carried on afterwards.

Criticism

The rally was held to express outrage at the neighbouring country's appointment of Thaksin as an economic adviser and Phnom Penh's refusal to extradite him during his four-day trip there this week, the group said.

The yellow-clad People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) also criticised billionaire Thaksin for comments that he made in a newspaper interview calling for reform of institutions around Thailand's revered monarchy.

The PAD led mass protests against Thaksin before he was toppled in a 2006 coup, and blockaded Bangkok's airports in late 2008 to force his allies out of government.

"Our duty is to protect and preserve the country's honour and dignity and the monarchy. Cambodia violated the extradition treaty and allowed a convicted person to be its adviser," senior PAD leader Somsak Kosaisuk told AFP.

"This action harms our country's prestige. We will denounce both convicted Thaksin and (Cambodian Prime Minister) Hun Sen at the protest," Somsak said.

Controversial visit

Sondhi Limthongkul, the founder of the PAD, told reporters that four protesters were hurt "when two men on a motorcycle threw a firecracker", without giving details.

Police said they were investigating the incident at the Sanam Luang parade ground.

Sondhi survived a gun attack on his car in April, while previous rallies by the Yellow Shirts have been hit by grenade blasts.

Thaksin left Cambodia on Saturday for Dubai, where he has spent most of his time since fleeing Thailand in August 2008.

Thailand has also frozen 2.2 billion dollars of his assets.

His visit to Cambodia sparked a diplomatic crisis between Bangkok and Phnom Penh, with relations already tense after a series of deadly clashes in the past year over disputed land around a temple on the border.

Thaksin could lose public support?

The neighbours recalled their respective ambassadors and expelled the first secretaries of each other's embassies.

Cambodian police have also charged a Thai man with spying for the Thai embassy.

Thaksin's comments on the monarchy proved sensitive because 81-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej -- a major force for stability in the politically divided nation -- has been in hospital for the past two months.

The coalition government of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva -- which took power soon after the Yellow Shirt airport blockade -- has been rattled by the prospect of Thaksin using Cambodia as a base for a political comeback.

Thaksin, a telecommunications mogul, remains hugely influential in Thailand's political scene, which remains bitterly split between largely anti-Thaksin urbanites and his die-hard backers among the rural poor.

His so-called "Red Shirt" supporters have themselves staged several massive protests over the past year, including the disruption of a summit of Asian leaders and subsequent riots in April.

But analysts said that by siding with Cambodia he could lose public support.

"To identify yourself with Hun Sen is a terrible political mistake," said Bangkok-based political analyst Chris Baker, who has written a biography of Thaksin.

In September, Yellow Shirts calling for the Thai government to defend the country's sovereignty clashed with police and Thai villagers during a protest close to the Preah Vihear temple, leaving dozens of people injured. -- AFP Read more!

Thaksin opponents to rally in Thailand over Cambodia trip

BANGKOK: Thousands of members of Thailand's royalist "Yellow Shirt" protest movement are set to rally in Bangkok on Sunday against a visit by fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra to neighbouring Cambodia.

The demonstrators said they were also gathering to express outrage at comments that billionaire Thaksin, who was ousted by the army in 2006, made in a newspaper interview about Thailand's widely revered king.

The yellow-clad People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) blockaded Bangkok's airports almost one year ago to force Thaksin's allies out of government, and also staged mass protests against him in the months before the coup.

Senior PAD leader Somsak Kosaisuk said the latest protest was about Cambodia's appointment of Thaksin as an economic adviser and Phnom Penh's refusal to extradite him when he visited the country this week.

"Our duty is to protect and preserve the country's honour and dignity and the monarchy. Cambodia violated the extradition treaty and allowed a convicted person to be its advisor," Somsak told AFP.

"This action harms our country's prestige. We will denounce both convicted Thaksin and (Cambodian Prime Minister) Hun Sen at the protest," he said.

Police estimated that 10,000 to 15,000 people would join the rally, which starts at 4:00 pm (0900 GMT) at the Sanam Luang parade ground in downtown Bangkok.

Deputy national police spokesman Piya Utayo said around 1,500 police officers would be deployed in the capital for the rally.

The strongly nationalist Yellow Shirts are also up in arms over comments made by Thaksin to British newspaper The Times, in which he called for reform of institutions around the monarchy.
The issue is sensitive because the widely revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 81 - a major force for stability in the politically divided nation - has been in hospital for the past two months.

Thaksin's four-day visit to Cambodia has caused a diplomatic crisis between Bangkok and Phnom Penh, with relations already tense after a series of deadly clashes in the past year over a disputed temple on their border.

Thaksin left Cambodia on Saturday.
. Read more!

Thai PM: Diplomat standoff could end if Cambodia reviews its role

BANGKOK, Urging patriotic Thais to unite amid growing tensions with neighbouring Cambodia, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday that the ongoing problem between the two countries could end if the Cambodian government strictly follows international practice.

Mr. Abhisit, now attending the three-day 17th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Singapore ending later Sunday, said in his weekly address aired on television and radio that relations between the two countries were good until Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen appointed fugitive, ousted former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as economic advisor to the Cambodian administration earlier this month.

Diplomatic ties between Cambodia and Thailand worsened after both countries recalled their ambassadors, expelled one another’s first secretaries and the Cambodian government arrested a Thai man it accused of spying on Mr Thaksin’s flight schedule, but Thailand has said that the accusation was groundless against the Thai citizen. The Thai government cancelled a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia on maritime agreement which included shared access to undersea mineral resources.

Mr. Abhisit said his government had a clear understanding that the diplomatic discord should not affect the livelihood and trade conducted between peoples of the two countries on the border and that the problem would have to be resolved by the two governments.

The Thai prime minister, currently chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), reaffirmed that the dispute would not affect cooperation among members of ASEAN and between the bloc and its dialogue partners.

“What we (Thailand) are doing follows norms and international practices and we want to urge Cambodia to do the same,” Mr. Abhisit emphasised.

“If the Cambodian government reviews its stance and does everything as it was before the ASEAN summit last month,” said the Thai premier, “I believe that with our cooperation and neighbourliness will run smoothly.”

The Thai premier also expressed regret that some groups of Thais ignited the problems.

“Now the most important thing is the solidarity of the Thai people, being patient (with others) and showing our sincerity that we want to be good neighbours by respecting rules,” said Mr Abhisit. (TNA) . Read more!

PM Abhisit: Thai-Cambodian diplomatic standoff must be resolved by both parties

SINGAPORE, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Saturday that the ongoing diplomatic spat between Thailand and its neighbour Cambodia will not affect cooperation among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), emphasising that the problem must be solved by the two countries.

Mr Abhisit, now at the three-day 17th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Singapore, told journalists that ASEAN secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan advised that Thailand and Cambodian should resolve their tensions before ASEAN leaders meet US President Barack Obama on Sunday. He affirmed that Thailand, currently chairman and a member of ASEAN, will not raised the issue at the meeting.

Thailand and Cambodia, along with Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, are ASEAN members.

Mr Abhisit said he would confer with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on the sidelines of US-ASEAN summit Sunday.

Diplomatic ties between the Cambodia and Thailand have worsened after their ambassadors were recalled, first secretaries expelled and the Cambodian government arrested a Thai man allegedly spying on fugitive, ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but Thailand has said that the accusation was groundless against the Thai citizen.

Cambodia Deputy National Police Chief Lt-Gen Sok Phal was quoted by the Associated Press as saying 31-year-old Siwarak Chothipong gave Mr Thaksin’s flight schedule to the first secretary at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh.

Mr Abhisit said Thai government officials would try to meet detained Mr. Siwarak and ask him what charges have been leveled.

The Thai prime minister said he would be surprised if the Cambodian government refuses Thai officials an opportunity to meet Mr Siwarak, an engineer at Cambodia Air Traffic Services (CATS).

He added that the flight information was not considered as secret. (TNA)

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Cambodian gov't guarantees safety for all Thais, no sign against Thais: official

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia will guarantee safety and security for Thais including diplomats, business people and travelers in the country, government official said on Saturday.

"The Cambodian government will ensure the safety and security for all Thais like diplomats, business people, travelers and other foreigners staying in Cambodia," Koy Kuong, spokesman and undersecretary of state of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation told Xinhua.

"Thais should not be afraid of staying in Cambodia, the Royal Government will ensure security for them," he said.

"We do not see any sign to protest against Thais or to run riot at Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh," Koy Kuong said, adding that no sign of riots against Thais at all. Cambodian government has responsibility for all Thais as Thai government does for our people and diplomats in their country, he stressed.

It is a response to some Thais here who expressed their concern over the tit-for-tat moves taken by Cambodian and Thailand governments in recent days.

Relations between the two neighboring countries were further strained recently after Cambodia named ousted former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra its economic adviser on Nov. 4. Thailand recalled its ambassador on Nov. 5, and Cambodia followed suit.

Those Thais worried that the rows between the two countries will result into any riots against Thais in Cambodia as it was in 2003, in which a part of Thai embassy and some property of Thai companies were under fire.
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Suthep denies Cambodia spying

The Thai government had never sent a spy to seek information on flight schedule of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as accused of by Cambodia, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said on Saturday.

Mr Suthep was responding to an accusation by Jatuporn Promphan, a core leader of the pro-Thaksin United front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), that the government was behind the information spying.

“The flight schedule of Thaksin was not a secret as the government knew that he was flying by his personal jet from India to Cambodia on Tuesday morninhg ”, Mr Suthep said.

Cambodian police on Thursday arrested Siwarak Chotepong, an engineer at Samart Coorporation’s sudsiodiary in Cambodia on charge of spying.

Mr Suthep insisted that Mr Siwartak’s arrest will not escalate the diplomatic dispute and lead to a border closure as some fear.

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Democrats: Thaksin 'using' Cambodia

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is using Cambodia as a political base to topple the government, Thepthai Senpong, spokesman of the Democrat Party leader, said on Saturday.

Mr Thepthai pointed out that the withdrawal of Cambodian troop along the dispute border near the Preah Vihear temple on Friday was made because Hun Sen wanted to make Thaksin a hero.

He said the fact was that there was no military tension along the Thai-Cambodian border. The accusation that

“Thai government had sent a spy to Cambodia was purely a pretext to help justify Hun Sen’s latest support for Thaksin”, he said.

Regarding the fund-raising concert to be held in Khao Yai of Nakhon Ratchasima province late this afternoon by leaders of the pro-Thaksin United front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) is aimed at showing that the UDD has no money.

UDD wanted to show that Thaksin has never provided any financial support to the red-shirted people group as alleged by the Democrats.

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Govt ready to fly Thais out of Cambodia

By THE NATION ON SUNDAY,
THAI NEWS AGENCY


Thailand is preparing to evacuate its citizens from Cambodia if the diplomatic row between the countries worsens, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said yesterday.

"The arrest of a Thai national will not lead to closure of the embassy [in Phnom Penh]. The Thai government will ensure security for the Cambodian Embassy in Thailand and we believe Cambodia will also take care of our embassy in that country," Suthep said.

"If bilateral relations become more violent, the government is ready to evacuate Thai citizens from Cambodia immediately," he added.

In early 2003, the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh was burnt by rioters and several Thai-owned businesses in Cambodia were attacked following a rumour that a Thai actress had claimed the Angkor Wat temple - Cambodia's prized cultural icon - belonged to Thailand. An evacuation of Thai citizens followed the riots.

Suthep said the government had provided legal assistance for a Thai engineer arrested in Cambodia last week on charges of spying.

Siwarak Chothipong, 31, who works at Cambodia Air Traffic Service, is accused of supplying the Thai Embassy with details of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra's flight schedule, according to Cambodian police.

Thailand submitted a request to visit the detained suspect, which was being considered by Cambodia's Interior Ministry, said officials from both countries.

"We have to see him, whatever happens," said Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to Thailand's foreign minister. "Thailand categorically denies all of the spy allegations."

There was no reply from the Cambodian authorities yesterday, he said, adding that it was probably because it was a holiday.

Suthep told journalists that flight information on Thaksin's journey to Cambodia was not a secret, as the Aviation Department and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand had been asked to allow his chartered jet to fly over Thai airspace.

After learning that the plane had Thaksin on board, the government refused to allow it permission to pass through Thai airspace as he has been convicted and was also facing charges of threatening national security, Suthep said.

The deputy prime minister said Thailand would use this evidence to defend Siwarak, but the government would not intervene in Cambodia's judicial system. Initially, Samart Corp - Siwarak's employer - sent a lawyer to assist him.

In Singapore, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that the ongoing diplomatic spat between Thailand and Cambodia would not affect cooperation among Asean members, emphasising that the problem must be solved by the two countries.

Abhisit, who is attending the 17th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum meeting, told journalists that Asean Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan had advised that Thailand and Cambodia should resolve the tension before the Asean leaders meet US President Barack Obama today.

He affirmed that Thailand, currently the Asean chair, would not raise the issue at the meeting.

Read more!

Cambodia's arrest of Thai is intimidation : Thai FM

By The Nation


Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said on Friday that Cambodia's arrest of a Thai engineer on spying charges is nothing more than intimidation with the intention to defame Thailand.

Cambodia has charged Siwarak Chothipong, an engineer of Cambodia Air Traffic Services, for "stealing" the flight information of ex-Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra and Cambodia's PM Hun Sen.

Cambodian prosecutors alleged that Siwarak stole the information and sent it to Thai embassy's first secretary Kamrob Palawatwichai.

Cambodia on Thursday expelled Kamrob following the accusation that he had executed work in contradiction to his position. He was ordered to leave the country within 48 hours.

He accused Thaksin of being the major cause of all the problems Thailand having with Cambodia.
He said he had assigned officials of Thai embassy in Phnom Penh to assist and provide legal advice to Siwarak.

Cambodia's appointment of Thaksin as the adviser to Hun Sen and his government has seen the start of the current diplomatic rows between the neighbouring countries. Both have recalled their ambassadors and the first secretaries. Thailand has downgraded relations and reviewed cooperation with and loans given to Cambodia.
Read more!

Cambodia accuses Thai national of spying

By SOPHENG CHEANG, Associated Press Writer


PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Cambodia has detained a Thai man for allegedly spying on fugitive former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the latest sign of worsening relations between the two neighbors.

Thaksin, a fugitive from justice in Thailand, was named an adviser to Cambodia's government on economic affairs last week, angering the Thai government and prompting it to recall its ambassador, with Cambodia following suit. Thaksin then arrived this week for a visit to Cambodia, further straining ties. He was expected to depart late Friday.

Siwarak Chothipong, a 31-year-old employee of the Cambodia Air Traffic Service, which manages flights in the country, was accused of stealing Thaksin's flight schedule and sending it diplomats at the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, said National Police Deputy Chief Lt. Gen. Sok Phal.

Sok Phal said Siwark allegedly handed over the flight schedule to the first secretary at the Thai embassy, who was then ordered by Cambodia on Thursday to leave the country for carrying out activities inconsistent with his official duties. Thailand responded by ordering out the first secretary of Cambodia's mission in Bangkok.

Siwarak appeared in municipal court Thursday and was charged with stealing information that could impact national security. If found guilty, he faces up to 15 years in jail.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva did not comment on the spying allegation but said the expulsion of the Thai diplomat was aimed at provoking a "violent response" from his government.

"The Thai government didn't fall for their trick," he told reporters in Bangkok.

Thaksin, a former telecommunications billionaire, was ousted by a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption and abuse of power. He fled Thailand last year to escape a conflict of interest conviction and a two-year prison sentence.

Critics, including Thailand's government, have portrayed him as a traitor for accepting the Cambodian appointment and have lambasted Cambodia for hosting him while he is a fugitive. The appointment further strained relations already roiled by several deadly skirmishes over disputed territory in the past year and a half.

Cambodia rejected a Thai request Wednesday for Thaksin's arrest, saying the legal case against the former leader was politically motivated.

Thaksin's political battle with the Thai government, which he accuses of being undemocratic, has bitterly divided his country. He retains huge popularity among his rural poor power base who have staged frequent rallies calling for his return to power. But he is reviled by many in the educated urban elite, who led months of street protests against him.

Thaksin claims he was ousted because he threatened the privileges of Thailand's urban-centered ruling class by winning the support of the poor. He came under further attack in Thailand this week for remarks in an interview that critics claimed were insulting to Thailand's revered monarchy.

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Cambodian PM welcomes troops pull out from Preah Vihear Temple

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday welcomed special troops pull out from the area near Preah Vihear Temple, a gesture showing there is no military confrontations along Cambodia-Thai border despite diplomatic and political relations get sour.

Hun Sen who arrived in Siem Reap province on Friday morning welcoming nearly 1,000 special paratroopers who were deployed in the area near Preah Vihear Temple after the area became a disputed center last year.

Chea Dara, deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) told reporters that the pull out of special paratroopers was to show the military situation at the border of the two nations is normal and even eased.

He said the present conflict between the two countries has nothing related to military, but only the two leaders and that he said more troops pull out from the area will likely be taken place if such good situation at the border is realized.

Chea Dara, however, declined to give actual figure of the troops pull out Friday and nor the remaining troops deployed in the area near the temple.

After the border clash last year, both Cambodia and Thailand have reinforced more troops to the area, but were later downsized the number due to less tension.

Relations between the two neighboring countries were further strained recently after Cambodia named ousted former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra its economic adviser on Nov. 4. Thailand recalled its ambassador on Nov. 5, and Cambodia followed suit.

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China to help Cambodia reconstruct national road

STRUNG TRENG, Cambodia, An inauguration ceremony of reconstruction of Cambodia' National Road 78 was launched on Thursday in Strung Treng province, about 500 km northeast of capital Phnom Penh.

The road will be built by Shanghai Construction (Group) Company with the concession loan from China plus five percent of the Cambodian government's budget.

Prime Minister Hun Sen presided over the ground-breaking ceremony of the reconstruction of the National Road 78 linking O Porng Moan of Stung Treng province to Rattanakiri's provincial town.

Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Zhang Jinfeng was also present at the ceremony. Zhang said, "This road will contribute to help transport network in northeastern part of Cambodia."

She said, "It will help to reduce the poverty for people, and reduce the gap between city and rural areas," and "it will also push the social and economic development as quickly as possible."

China and Cambodia will continue to strengthen bilateral cooperation in all fields to serve mutual benefit, and through building infrastructures to push Cambodia's economic growth and social development, she said.

The reconstruction of the 121 km-long road portion will last for 40 months and cost 73.3 million U.S. dollars.

"This road will link the economy from the country's northeastern area to central area," said Hun Sen, adding that "In 2010, we will have 11 road construction projects, of them seven are supported by China." "China has played key role in building infrastructure in Cambodia," he said.
On the occasion, Hun Sen expressed profound thanks to the Chinese government and people for their cooperation and financing, saying it not only helps Cambodia's socio-economic development, but also strengthens the Kingdom's political independence.

The prime minister said the loan from China is aiming at ensuring effective economic development and contributes to help reduce poverty for people and China respected Cambodia's decision in using this loan.

"We could note that China has a good habit of saying less and doing more," the prime minister added.
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Thaksin accusations from Cambodia

Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra has accused the country's rulers of "false patriotism" in a speech in Cambodia.

The lecture, to about 300 business and government figures was part of his new job as economic adviser to the Cambodian government.

Cambodia has rejected a Thai extradition request for Mr Thaksin.

The Thai government is outraged at Cambodia's welcome to Mr Thaksin, who it sees as a criminal - and a powerful political opponent.

"I see a lot of synergy between your country and mine. What is good for you will also be good for my country. Of course not all my compatriots see it that way right now," Mr Thaksin said in the speech.

Hitting back

"I do not believe those who do not share our vision right now are myopic. Their domestic political compulsions force them to false patriotism," he said, without elaborating.

"Let's pray that they too will one day appreciate this partnership for the best," he added.

Reporters were evicted from the lecture, titled Cambodia and the World after the Financial Crisis.

Mr Thaksin is expected to visit the Angkor Wat temple and to play golf with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, but is believed to be staying only a few days and not setting up residence in Cambodia.

"I'll try my best to explain my experiences and share the knowledge that I gathered during my exile," he said.

Outrage

Mr Hun Sen has dismissed Thai government demands that Mr Thaksin be surrendered to serve a two-year jail term for corruption, citing his friendship with Mr Thaksin.

Thailand has frozen an Memorandum of Understanding regarding joint exploration of shared maritime areas, and says it is considering legal options following the extradition rebuff.

Some analysts say the Cambodian leader's belief that the Thai court that convicted Mr Thaksin was politically motivated has particularly angered the Thai government.

Mr Thaksin served as Thailand's prime minister from 2001 to 2006, when he was ousted by a military coup after being accused of corruption and showing disrespect to the country's widely-revered monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

He has been living in self-imposed exile ever since - mostly in Dubai - but has rarely been out of the headlines, giving a series of high-profile interviews and continuing to make contact with his supporters inside the country.

Relations between Thailand and Cambodia are already strained.

Thailand has withdrawn its ambassador from Cambodia, and there have also been series of disputes centred around the 11th-Century Preah Vihear temple complex near the two countries' border. Read more!

Thaksin slams Thai govt in Cambodia speech

Fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra accused his country's rulers of "false patriotism" as he delivered a lecture in his new role as Cambodia's economic adviser Thursday.

The billionaire, ousted in a 2006 coup and living abroad to avoid jail for graft, addressed some 300 members of business and government at Cambodia's finance ministry amid tensions over Phnom Penh's refusal to extradite him.

"I see a lot of synergy between your country and mine. What is good for you will also be good for my country. Of course not all my compatriots see it that way right now," Thaksin said.

"I do not believe those who do not share our vision right now are myopic. Their domestic political compulsions force them to false patriotism. Let's pray that they too will one day appreciate this partnership for the best," he added.

Security officials ushered reporters out of the room three minutes into the Thaksin lecture titled, "Cambodia and the World after the Financial Crisis".

Cambodia outraged Thailand on Wednesday by rejecting its request to extradite Thaksin, saying the charges on which the ousted Thai leader had been sentenced in absentia to two years in prison were politically motivated.

Cambodian Finance Minister Keat Chhon praised Thaksin's reduction of rural poverty and introduction of universal healthcare in Thailand as "eye-catching policies that distinguished him from his predecessors".

After his lecture Thaksin planned to visit the famed Angkor Wat temple and may play golf with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, said cabinet spokesman Phay Siphan.

He has been warmly received by close ally Hun Sen, although Cambodian officials have said he will only stay in the country for two or three days and is not intending to live there. Profile: Thaksin's political life

When Thai diplomats handed over papers for Thaksin's extradition on Wednesday, Cambodian officials promptly handed them back a formal refusal letter.

In Bangkok, around 120 protesters and 30 taxi drivers with their vehicles rallied outside the Cambodian embassy and delivered an open letter telling Hun Sen not to interfere in Thailand's judiciary, police said.

Dozens of police were deployed at the building.

Thailand and Cambodia recalled their ambassadors last week as the quarrel escalated. Bangkok also put all talks and cooperation programmes on hold and tore up an oil and gas exploration deal signed during Thaksin's time in power.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Wednesday condemned Cambodia's refusal to send Thaksin back, and said he had halted aid programmes for the neighbouring country, which is still impoverished after decades of war.

Tensions were already high between the two nations following a series of clashes over disputed territory near an ancient temple and the row threatens to mar a weekend summit of regional leaders with US President Barack Obama.

Twice-elected Thaksin fled Thailand in August 2008, a month before a court sentenced him to two years in jail in a conflict of interest case. He had returned to Thailand just months earlier for the first time since the coup.

But he has retained huge influence in Thai politics by stirring up protests against the current government, and analysts said that in his close friend Hun Sen he had found a new way of pushing his campaign for a return to power.

Thailand's government upped the pressure on Thaksin this week by accusing him of offending the revered monarchy after he was quoted by the website of British newspaper The Times as calling for reform of royal institutions.

Defaming the monarchy, led by 81-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, is a crime punishable by up to 15 years in jail in Thailand. The king has been in hospital since September with a lung and chest infection.

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Modernity casts spell over magic tattoos in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Nov 12 (AFP) - It's much harder to get a magic tattoo in Cambodia than it used to be, laments Chey Cham.

"I do have one tattoo of a python on my right upper-arm but it's for beauty, not magic," says the 30-year-old from the outskirts of Cambodia's capital.

"That's because I can't find anywhere in my town to get a magic tattoo."

Over centuries, Cambodians have endured hours of procedures to obtain hand-drawn mystical tattoos believed to give them magical powers, but the tradition appears to be fading in this increasingly modern country.

Miech Ponn, advisor on mores and customs at Cambodia's Buddhist Institute, says magic tattoos are believed to bring good luck or popularity but are mostly used by soldiers seeking to become invisible to enemies or repel bullets.

"Tattoos were really popular among Cambodian men in the past. Almost every Cambodian male was tattooed," Miech Ponn says.

These days, he adds, superstitious people in rural areas are usually the ones who believe in magic.

"Until now science can’t break this superstition. I don’t know why it cannot."

Tattooist Chan Trea notices the number of customers seeking him out in the belief they will obtain special powers has dwindled over the past decade.

"Usually, the Cambodian customers are police, soldiers, and fighters like boxers and martial artists," Chan Trea says.

"But there is a decrease of people coming for magical reasons. I guess, in the future, things like magic will be very rare in this country."

The tattoos usually feature images of supernatural creatures, Hindu gods or characters from Pali and Sanskrit. Cambodian fighters are often adorned with intimidating images of a dragon, tiger or the monkey king Hanuman.

Chan Trea notes the tattoos can be administered by any traditional healer or Buddhist monk who has strong spiritual beliefs, but only a few remain alive who know how to use traditional long needles and recite magical spells.

These esteemed tattooists draw magic tattoos by hand with two or three sewing needles tied together, poking black, blue or red ink into the skin.

But for those seeking powers, the process isn't as simple as getting poked by a few needles, says the Buddhist Institute's Miech Ponn.

Those who drink alcohol or have extramarital affairs risk decreasing the magic from their tattoos, he says.

He adds that people getting the tattoos also must refrain from eating purple potatoes, gourds or star fruit to ensure the spells work -- while for soldiers on the battlefield, stealing breaks a tattoo's magic.

A national hero, Cambodian heavyweight kickboxing champion Ei Phuthong, says he owes part of his decade-long reign to his magic tattoos.

With a mystical flying creature and the Hindu god Vishnu on his back, as well as a "Great Weight" Pali symbol on his right hand, he believes he gets more power in his punch.

"Of course I believe in magic tattoos, though it is inexplicable," he says. "They have helped me win. With them, I feel more than a match for my opponent in the ring."

The belief in the power of tattoos is most evident among hardened Cambodian troops stationed near the Thai border, where a territorial dispute over the past year has erupted into skirmishes which have killed seven soldiers.

One soldier near the area at the centre of the dispute, a 46-year-old who gives his name only as Oeurn, says he and most of his comrades have magic tattoos for protection.

The value of the magical Sanskrit patterns tattooed on his back and chest was proven, he says, during an April gunbattle which killed three Cambodian troops.

"At that time, many bullets were showered toward me," Oeurn claims, "but magically they were averted away." (By Kounila Keo/ AFP) Read more!

Thaksin gives lecture for his role as adviser of Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Ousted former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Thursday took his role for the first time as adviser of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Royal Government of Cambodia to give a lecture to more than 300 Cambodian economic experts at the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Thaksin's first lecture focused on "Strategy to Fight Financial and Economic Crisis."

Keat Chhon, deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance, said in his welcome speech that "He (Thaksin) initiated many eye-catching policies ... They affected the economy, public health, education, energy, social order, drug suppression and international relations."

"I think that there are a lot of things we can learn from Thaksin's very recent and distinctive experiences in order to design our own policies to address the challenges posed by the crisis and bring our economy back to its high growth record.

Relations between the two neighboring countries were further strained recently after Cambodia named ousted former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra its economic adviser. Thailand recalled its ambassador Thursday, and Cambodia followed suit.

Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 military coup for alleged massive corruption and other charges. His supporters say he should be pardoned and returned to power. Since the coup, Thaksin has lived abroad to escape a corruption conviction and two-year prison sentence.

Thaksin arrived here on Tuesday. After his arrival, Thailand government asked Cambodia to "provisional arrest for the purpose of extradition of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but was turned down by Cambodian government saying it "considers the prosecution and legal process against Thaksin Shinawatra as a politically motivated proceeding."

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Hun Sen held talks with Thaksin for nearly two hours at his Takhmau surburb residence. Hun Sen also said that he has no plan to discuss Thaksin's visit in Cambodia during Saturday's meeting between ASEAN leaders and U.S. President Barack Obama in Singapore on the sideline of APEC meeting.
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Business community hopes Thai-Cambodian rift to be solved peacefully

BANGKOK, Businesspersons who have invested in Cambodia are expressing hope that the rift between Thailand and Cambodia will not lead to the border closure and expect the tensions can eventually be resolved peacefully.

In a seminar on "Thai feelings and business in Cambodia" held at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Somsak Rinruengsin, chairman of the Thai Business Council of Cambodia, said the problem between Thailand and Cambodia was the rift between the two countries' governments.

The Thai government had reiterated that it will not let the problem affect people-to-people relations and the investments of the business community, he said.

Mr Somsak said he wished to convey the message to fellow businesspersons investing in Cambodia not to panic over the problem and said that Thai businesses are still operating in Cambodia as usual, though with some concern.

"The private sector believes the government of Thailand and Cambodia are able to finally find a joint solution. I have been doing business in Cambodia for 10 years and have sailed through various incidents in Cambodia. I therefore believe that the problem will not accelerate but I worry about spreading rumours which could incite both sides," he said.

However, he said, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam are all neighbours they could escape to nowhere when they have problem but should living together with happiness.

Preeda Samkaew of PD Intertrade 92 said that his company had been doing business in Rong Klua border market for quite a long time and he sees Cambodians as important customers.

He did not want to see the border closure as it could affect people in business there.

Wichai Kulwutvilas of Smilephun said the diplomatic spat between Thailand and Cambodia could restrict sales opportunities for Thai products in the Cambodian market as there will be more competition from Vietnamese and Chinese companies. (TNA)

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Thailand-Cambodia Relations Sink Further

By Staff


Thailand moved a step closer to breaking off relations with Cambodia after Phnom Penh officially refused to extradite former Thai premier and fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said all relations with Cambodia are now being reviewed, a report in the Bangkok Post said.

In an effort to allay fears of military confrontation, he said Thailand had no intention of using force against Cambodia and that border crossings would not be closed.

But he also said that border authorities would discourage Thais from crossing into Cambodia to gamble, an activity banned in Thailand. He did not say what form this persuasion would take

Thailand formally requested the extradition of Thaksin under an extradition treaty signed by both countries. But a diplomatic note from the Cambodian government on Tuesday said Phnom Penh cannot send Thaksin to Thailand because they believe his conviction in 2008 was political and not criminal.

Both countries recalled their respective ambassadors last week over the issue. Thailand also said it has torn up a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia that has formed the basis for talks to settle a nagging maritime boundary dispute. A settlement of the disagreement would allow both countries to start more development of oil and gas reserves.

Thaksin was ousted from power by a military coup in September 2006 but returned to Thailand when his political allies won power in 2007. His wife, Pojaman, was sentenced in 2008 to three years in jail for tax fraud, and soon after Thaksin, 60, received a two-year sentence. He fled before handing himself in, leaving an estimated $2 billion in frozen assets.

Vejjajiva, 45, heads a large coalition government and fears Thaksin could pose a credible election threat if he returns to the country after appearing to be rehabilitated.

Cambodia has not been shy of putting Thaksin in front of the media. State television this week showed Thaksin and Prime Minister Hun Sen embracing each other. Hun Sen reportedly called Thaksin an "eternal friend."

A report in the Phnom Penh Post newspaper said today that government representatives greeted Thaksin at the airport on Tuesday, saying "it was an honor for the people and the country of Cambodia."

The report did not say from where he had arrived but did say he would be staying until Thursday at least. He was then taken to a house in the capital that was going to be his while he remains an economic adviser to Hun Sen. The Phnom Penh Post also printed several pictures of the two smiling and shaking hands.

Thaksin's relationship with his homeland could get more disputatious, thanks to a recent interview published in the British newspaper The Times.

Thaksin has ordered his lawyers to investigate what he believes are misquotes that show him calling for a revamping of Thailand's monarchy system of government and by extension the position of the king.

Such language could be used against him in a Thai court under lese majeste laws that make it illegal to speak disrespectfully against King Bhumibol, 81, who is ailing in a Bangkok hospital.

Many people including journalists and tourists have fallen foul of the law and ended up in jail. (c) UPI Read more!

Cambodia Rejects Thailand's Request To Extradite Thaksin

(RTTNews) - Cambodia on Wednesday rejected a formal request made by Thailand for the extradition of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been convicted of corruption charges in his home country.

Earlier in the day, three Thai diplomats handed over a formal request for the detention and extradition of Thaksin to Cambodia's foreign ministry. However, the Cambodian ministry rejected the request within hours of its submission.

Cambodia's foreign ministry said in a statement later that the Thailand's request was not covered by the extradition treaty between the two countries as it considers the conviction of Thaksin on corruption charges to be politically motivated. The statement added that the toppling of the former Thai PM by the country's military came despite Thaksin being "overwhelmingly and democratically elected by the Thai people".

The Thai request for the extradition of Thaksin came after the former Thai Prime Minister arrived in Cambodian capital city of Phnom Penh on Tuesday to take up a position as an economic adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Thaksin had served as Thailand's Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006, before being toppled in a military coup. He has been living in self-imposed exile, mainly in Dubai, after the military ousted him a coup in September 2006, accusing the former PM of corruption.

The military controlled the country for a short period until new elections in 2007 December brought Thaksin's allies back into power. Soon afterwards, Thaksin returned to his home country, but was sentenced to two years in absentia for corruption after he went into exile again.
The present Thai government under Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva came into power in December in a special parliamentary vote after the country's constitutional court ousted Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, an ally of Thaksin, from office and disbanded his ruling People Power Party (PPP) over electoral fraud.

The latest diplomatic row over Thaksin's extradition comes as relations between Thailand and Cambodia are already strained over a disputed ancient temple on their border. Both the countries claim ownership of the temple, which is located inside Cambodian territory. However, the main approach to the temple is from Thailand.

The long-standing dispute over the Preah Vihear border temple began after International Court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, and escalated after Unesco listed it as a World Heritage Site recently. The dispute has led to several clashes between the armies of the two countries near the site of the border temple.

by RTT Staff Writer Read more!

'Heroes don't want to be heroes'

Spc. Jerry Miron with his scout dog, Rebel, during the Vietnam War. - Submitted photo

by Kristine Goodrich
Staff Writer

MAPLEWOOD – Jerry Miron declined the first few invitations to give a Veterans Day presentation at Hill-Murray School. Memories of his year in Vietnam leading troops as a scout dog handler still were too raw to talk about.

“When you put your life on the line every day, when you see friends die next to you, then told to get up and start all over again, you have memories that never leave you,” he said.

Miron, a White Bear Lake resident, still refuses to talk about the air strikes, ambushes, booby traps and other harrowing experiences. Even his family hasn’t heard those details.

But after some coaxing by school leaders and family he finally agreed to share some of his memories. For more than a decade now he’s come to his daughters’ former school to share some aspects of a soldier’s experience in the Vietnam War.

“I didn’t want to talk,” he said. “But if I can help them understand what the soldiers went through and how cruel war is; then it’s worth it.”

A St. Paul native, Miron was drafted into the Army soon after high school in 1967. His two older brothers had already served in the military — one in Vietnam and one in Germany. His younger brother enlisted when he was drafted and they trained together: basic training at Fort Campbell, Ky. and advanced infantry training at Fort McClellan, Ala.

“You’re taught to kill,” Miron said.

At Fort Benning, Ga., he was paired with Rebel, a German Shepard who’d already served three tours in Vietnam and had been featured in Time Magazine. After just three months training they were deployed to Vietnam where they were dispatched into the jungles with various Army units.
Miron and Rebel walked at the head of the patrols and Rebel gave a silent warning of upcoming danger. He could detect enemy camps well in the distance, hiding Viet Cong soldiers, food and weapons caches and booby traps.

Once a commander didn’t believe when Rebel warned of an ambush ahead. The commander sent five men ahead to inspect. All five were killed.

Miron and Rebel survived the attacks and traps, as well as the monsoons, scorpion bites and other hazards.

After approximately 30 days out in the field, Miron had five days leave to rest and train his dog. Basketball and barbequing were the most popular free time activities at base camp.

Mail arrived once every 10 days and Miron subscribed to the St. Paul newspaper. He was in Cambodia when he received his first paper. It featured an article with President Richard Nixon denying U.S. troops were in Cambodia.

Like other draftees, Miron returned home after a year in Vietnam and wasn’t warmly received by the public majority, which disapproved of the war.

“We were treated like garbage,” he said. “We got kicked in the face and it wasn’t right.”

Miron went on to Mankato State College and works from home as a commercial mortgage broker.

Along with war stories, Miron tells students about his heroes.

He lauds the servicemen and women in Operation Enduring Freedom who volunteer to serve multiple tours of duty.

“I can’t imagine having to go back,” he said.

The family members at home left to worry also are heroes, he said. His mother is his personal hero. She was a World War II bride. Her husband was gone in the military two of their nine years of marriage.

Jerry Miron’s father died in a farming accident when he was a toddler, leaving his mother with six children to raise on her own, four of whom served in the military.

“Heroes don’t want to be heroes,” he said. “They don’t think they are heroes. They were thrust into a situation and just responded.”

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Cabinet endorses scrapping of MoU with Cambodia

By Piyanart Srivalo,
Samatcha Hoonsara
The Nation



The Cabinet yesterday endorsed Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's decision to scrap a 2001 memorandum of understanding with Cambodia signed by then-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, in which the countries stated their intention to jointly develop an overlapping area in the Gulf of Thailand.

The House and the Senate are expected to endorse the move which, according to recent polls, has boosted Abhisit's approval rating.

Article 190 of the Constitution requires House and Senate approval for any agreements and treaties made with foreign governments.

However, senators and MPs appear to have backed away from an earlier threat of closing the border, which would hurt Thailand more than Cambodia in monetary terms.

Speaking to reporters prior to his departure for Phuket, Abhisit criticised Cambodia for exaggerating the effect of the cancellation of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) by trying to link it to other bilateral agreements that could detrimentally affect the sovereignty of the two countries.

The move applies to the 2001 MoU on overlapping claims and nothing else, he said. He argued that it had resulted in a conflict of interest because Thaksin - the architect of the MoU - was now economic adviser to the Cambodian government.

The move to scrap the MoU is largely seen as retaliation by the Abhisit administration against Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's decision to appoint fugitive Thaksin as his economic adviser.

Thailand sees the move as a grave insult and interference in the country's internal affairs.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the decision to push for the scrapping of the MoU was in the interest of the country and maintained "There was nothing personal or emotional about the move."

A Thai court last year handed Thaksin a two-year jail sentence on corruption charges.

The MoU covers a 27,000-square-kilometre oil- and gas-rich zone that is claimed by both Cambodia and Thailand. Although it was signed shortly after Thaksin came into power, the two countries have not been able to make much progress because they could not agree on a comprehensive deal.

Thailand exported US$1 billion (Bt33.3 billion) worth of goods to Cambodia in the first eight months of this year, while Cambodian exports to Thailand totalled $39 million.
Read more!

Fugitive Ex-Thai Premier Thaksin Arrives in Cambodia as Adviser

By Bill Austin and Daniel Ten Kate

Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Fugitive former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived in neighboring Cambodia on a visit that threatens to fuel a row between the two and cloud weekend talks between regional leaders and President Barack Obama.

Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, is visiting Phnom Penh in his capacity as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s economic adviser. That appointment, made last week, prompted Thailand to downgrade diplomatic relations and review business deals with its Southeast Asian neighbor.

There is “no limit” to how many days Thaksin can stay in Cambodia, Keo Phalla, an assistant to government spokesman Phay Siphan, said by phone from Phnom Penh.

This weekend’s meeting in Singapore will be the first between a U.S. president and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is set to co- chair the gathering with Obama, with Hun Sen also in attendance.

“We are as nationalistic as anyone but we also love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves,” Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, 77, the leader of Thailand’s Thaksin-linked opposition Puea Thai party, told reporters in Bangkok today. “Therefore we want to create a new atmosphere.”

Chavalit, a former army chief and prime minister, made an Oct. 21 visit to Cambodia, shortly before Hun Sen offered Thaksin refuge in the country. Thaksin was treated unfairly after the coup, Chavalit said.

Thaksin plans to give a speech to about 300 Cambodian businessmen today, China’s Xinhua News Agency said, without citing anyone. Abhisit’s government has said it will seek his extradition.

Disputed Waters

Thailand said last week it would end a 2001 agreement with Cambodia that sought to reconcile 10,422 square miles of disputed waters. Cambodia imported more goods from its neighbor last year than any other country. Bilateral trade reached $2.13 billion, with Thai exports such as sugar, cement and oil accounting for 96 percent of the total, according to Thailand’s Commerce Ministry.

Thaksin fled a two-year prison sentence for abuse of power last year and now lives in Dubai. Cambodia has rejected extr