Tay Ninh to increase trade with Cambodia

HCM CITY — The authorities of Tay Ninh Province plan to take advantage of the province’s excellent roads and proximity to major highways to build up trade and tourism with Cambodia, provincial officials have said.

Nguyen Van Nen, chairman of Tay Ninh People’s Committee, cited the Trans-Asia Highway, which runs through the province and links HCM City and Phnom Penh and is considered a gateway to member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The HCM Highway and the HCM City-Moc Bai expressway also run through the province and the road network is accessible to cars throughout the province.

Nen said local authorities would make greater efforts to fully tap these advantages to further develop two major border economic zones.

To attract domestic and foreign investors to the economic zones, provincial authorities have pledged to offer preferential taxes and land rentals and meet regularly with investors to settle difficulties.

The local authorities will focus on development of the two zones as a way to expand trade and tourism between southern Vietnamese provinces and ASEAN countries via the Moc Bai bordergate.

Provincial authorities said trade, industrial production, and the processing and tourism industries would be at the top of the investment agenda until 2020.

On the borderline

The Moc Bai border economic zone in the two districts of Trang Bang and Ben Cau covers 21,283ha and houses a 1,356-ha urban, trade and industrial ucentre.

Trade in the zone bordering Cambodia, established in 1999, has flourished as a result of the Government’s special tax exemption policy.

The zone has set up a duty-free office to sell goods for customers going through the Moc Bai border gate.

According to the province’s tourism department, the number of tourists travelling through the border gate has increased sharply in the last few years, opening up new investment opportunities. —VNS


Read more!

Cambodia focus next weekend at EWC

Advertiser Staff

The University of Hawai'i and the East-West Center will present three days of discussion, lectures and exhibits about Cambodia on Friday, Saturday and Nov. 11 that are free and open to the public.

A Cambodia roundtable symposium will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday at the East-West Center's Burns Hall, Room 4005, and will focus on projects related to Cambodia, especially in conservation and cultural revival, by UH faculty, East-West Center fellows and others.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, a conference in the UH Korean Studies Center auditorium will focus on past, present and future initiatives in Southeast Asia and Cambodia by UH and Cambodian experts.

From 2 to 4 p.m. next Sunday, the East-West Center Gallery will feature an exhibit by National Geographic photographer Paul Chesley titled "Living Angkor," along with lectures on conservation efforts in Cambodia, with an emphasis on the living culture.
Read more!

Thais revive talks with Cambodia

Cambodia is exploring gas in the Cambodian sea water, but Thailand needs free gas in sharing 50% from Cambodia. Thailand had been stealing lots of on land natural resources from Cambodia and now they are planning to steal under ground property from Cambodia too.

Talks between Thailand and Cambodia on the joint development of petroleum resources are likely to resume early next year after a decade-long delay, according to Krairit Nilkuha, the director-general of the Mineral Fuels Department.

The two governments have long been at odds over exploration and development in overlapping offshore territories. A deal appeared imminent in 1997 but plans were scrapped because of the Asian economic crisis.

Mr Krairit said the timing was right to promote petroleum exploration and production in the area, given the soaring costs of imported oil and volatility in world prices.

At issue are nine exploration areas, designated as Blocks 5 to 13, in the overlapping claims area. Thai officials believe they could contain abundant gas and oil reserves since some blocks are located close to highly productive fields operated by Chevron and PTT Exploration and Production Plc.

Any agreement between Thailand and Cambodia is likely to be modelled on the Thailand-Malaysia Joint Development Area (JDA), in which each country holds 50%. Thailand is represented by PTT Plc and the Malaysian partner is the state energy company Petronas.
Amerada Hess and Petronas Carigali, the joint operators of the JDA, recently informed the Mineral Fuels Department that field A18 would be ready to start pumping natural gas in February, at a rate of 390 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd).

PTTEP has also confirmed additional supplies of 330 mmcfd from its Arthit field in the Gulf of Thailand off Songkhla, which would be available starting in February.

Mr Krairit said the new output would ensure natural gas supply to serve the high demand of the industrial and electricity sectors at a time when other sources remain uncertain.

The country wants to import more liquefied natural gas (LNG) to feed power plants by 2011 but has been unable to secure deals with potential suppliers from the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the government has attracted bids for exploration licences in 28 of the 65 blocks that have been on offer since earlier this year. Of the 28 blocks, 20 are onshore and the rest offshore.

Authorities expect around three billion baht in capital investment to be made in exploration between 2008 and 2010.

Mr Krairit said new bids could also be called for at least 40 petroleum fields that previously had been deemed not commercially viable. Improved exploration technology, combined with the prospect of high oil prices, are seen as making previously marginal fields more attractive to investors.

Read more!

Cambodia inaugurates Intelligence Department at Interior Ministry

Cambodia has officially established an Intelligence Department under the Central Security Department of the National Police General Commissioner's Office at the Interior Ministry, local media said on Saturday.

The department will collect information from abroad for purpose of national security, said newspaper the Phnom Penh Post.

The effort will include appointing operation officials attached to Cambodian embassies or other organizations overseas to perform intelligence services, it said.

It will also propose security measures to the Interior Ministry and cooperate with foreign intelligence institutions to exchange information and prevent international terrorism, it added.

Source:Xinhua Read more!

U.S. warfare ship to visit Cambodia soon

The USS Essex, one of the largest class of amphibious warfare ships in the United States fleet, will dock in Sihanoukville in late November with 1,000 U.S. marines on board, local media said on Saturday.

"They will help with health programs and engineering projects -repairing schools and bridges," Jeff Daigle, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy was quoted by newspaper the Phnom Penh Post as saying.

The USS Essex, 844 feet long, is based in Japan and will stay in Cambodia from Nov. 26 to Dec. 2.

Source:Xinhua Read more!

Cambodia to build rail link to Thailand

Cambodia will build a rail link to Thailand after it received $US80 million ($A87.9 million) in funds from the Asian Development Bank and the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Cambodia's transport minister says.

Work on the 48-kilometre connection between Sisophan in Cambodia and Poipet near the Thai border will start early next year and be completed by 2010, said Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol.

The funding will also cover improvements to other parts of the Cambodian railway system, he told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of transport ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nation, or ASEAN.

The link between Cambodia and Thailand is part of plans for a 5,500km railway linking Singapore to Kunming, which was first proposed by ASEAN in 1995.

The project, which envisages connecting domestic rail networks to form a continuous link from Singapore to Kunming in China, is aimed at easing travel between various Southeast Asian countries and China.

Besides the connection to Thailand, Cambodia will also have to build 257km of tracks linking its capital Phnom Penn to Loc Ninh in Vietnam.

Sun Chanthol said the Vietnam rail link will cost around $US500 million ($A549 million) and his country was seeking funding for the project.

ASEAN, which groups Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, on Friday also signed a maritime agreement with China.

Read more!

Southeast Asia remains magnet for sexual predators

Bangkok — A police warrant issued for a Canadian accused of sexually abusing children comes hard on the heels of arrests of other alleged sex offenders, highlighting concerns that Southeast Asia is a magnet for sexual predators.

Despite strengthened laws and lobbying efforts by child protection groups, child pornography and child sexual abuse continue to flourish in the region.

Several Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, are popular with pedophiles due to lax law enforcement, corruption in the justice system and the easy availability of young boys and girls who are forced into prostitution by poverty.

Police in the Thai beach resort town of Pattaya issued an arrest warrant for Canadian Orville Frank Mader, 54, after an eight-year-old Thai boy said he had been lured to his room and then sexually abused. Police say they believe Mr. Mader abused at least three other boys.

Mr. Mader was arrested by police in Cambodia in 2004 on charges of sexually abusing two boys, ages 11 and 14, but the case apparently did not go to court. Cambodian officials said at the time that he used to teach English in Japan. His current occupation is unknown.

Mr. Mader was initially identified as from Kitchener, Ont., but it's believed he has not lived in the city for decades. Relatives have said they believe he has lived in Vancouver.

The issue of Western pedophiles was freshly spotlighted earlier, with the Oct. 19 arrest of Christopher Paul Neil of Maple Ridge, B.C., on charges of having sex with several young Asian boys. Thai police captured Mr. Neil after Interpol initiated an unprecedented worldwide appeal to identify and apprehend him.

Interpol began its manhunt after finding about 200 pictures on the Internet of Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese boys being sexually abused by a man whose face was digitally obscured.

After German police computer experts unscrambled the photos so the man's face was recognizable, Interpol circulated them publicly. Tip-offs led them to name Mr. Neil as a suspect. He has been charged with child sexual abuse, and remains in police custody.

The charges against Mr. Neil have not been proven in court.

On Wednesday, police said they may begin making background checks on foreign teachers in Thailand, who have been implicated in several cases.

“It shouldn't be enough to wear white shirts and have a university degree. We need to know their background,” said police Col. Apichart Suribunya, head of Thailand's liaison office for Interpol, the international police agency.

Mr. Neil has also worked as a teacher in Asia, as has Paul Cornelius Jones, 39, a Briton who was arrested Tuesday after police raided his Bangkok apartment and found a computer containing photos of naked boys and girls.

Thai police acted on a tip from their British counterparts, who alleged Mr. Jones had been sending photos of naked children to Britain over the Internet, said Col. Apichart. The British government's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre said he was a registered sex offender in his homeland.

Mr. Jones has been charged with distributing pornographic photographs of children under age 15, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, police said.

“This is not a new problem,” Montri Sinthawichai, a child rights advocate for Thailand's Foundation of Children's Protection, said Thursday. ”These few high-profile cases involved Western men. We have a lot of cases that involve Thai teachers, too.

In another recent case, a 74-year-old British man was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy. Hundreds of photos and pornographic videos of naked boys and men were found when Alan Charles Mawson, of Barrow-in-Furness, was arrested on Oct. 23 in his apartment in Pattaya, said police Capt. Sorakit Thanyasri.

Mr. Mawson was charged with sexual abuse of a child under 15. He denied the charge, Capt. Sorakit said.

Thailand and Cambodia figured in another case announced Wednesday by French police.

They said they arrested 20 people in October as part of a European-wide crackdown on people who shared child pornography over the Internet, and three of those rounded up were suspected of having abused children during trips abroad.

Three of the French suspects were believed to have appeared in child pornography shot abroad, principally in Cambodia, said police, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the press.

A former French doctor who moved to Thailand after being thrown out of France's order of doctors was a suspect, police said. He was taken into custody when he returned to France recently, police said.

Read more!

Cambodian Police Arrest German on Child Sex Abuse Charge

By Sopheng Cheang/AP Writer/Phnom Penh

Police caught a German man in bed with a 14-year-old girl in the Cambodian capital and arrested him on debauchery charges, two of the arresting officers said Friday.

Police raided the suspect's Phnom Penh hotel room Thursday and discovered him with the teenage girl, said Keo Thea, deputy chief of Cambodia's anti-human-trafficking police.

Keo Thea declined to give any details, but one of the arresting officers, who asked not be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the 61-year-old man came from Cologne in Germany.

Keo Thea said the suspect would face formal charges in a court, but he did not say when or define the charges.

The other officer said the suspect was arrested for debauchery—a legal term for the sexual abuse of children under the age of 16—a charge that is punishable by up to 20 years in jail.

He said police officers burst into the German's hotel room and found him—dressed only in his underwear—lying asleep on the bed with the fully clothed girl.

The girl later told police that she and the man had sex several times before the raid. It was not immediately clear if she also faced any charges.

A French child rights group had been watching the suspect for some time. Action Pour Les Enfants investigators saw the man hanging around with two teenage girls, including the one whom he was with during the arrest, said Samleang Seila, the group's director in Cambodia.

The detention of the German is the latest in a string of arrests of Westerners suspected of child sex offenses in Cambodia.

In March, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced two German men to a total of 40 years in prison for sexually abusing ethnic Vietnamese girls aged 10 to 14 years.

Then in April, the same court charged Walter Muze, a 62-year-old German from Stuttgart, with debauchery for having sex with a 13-year-old Cambodian girl. Last month, a Russian businessman was arrested in Cambodia on charges of having sex with at least six girls. Read more!

DETAILS: Cambodia

GETTING THERE: The quickest way to Siem Reap is the 22-hour fight from Dulles on Korean Air (connecting via Seoul); the round-trip fare is about $1,500, with restrictions. An alternate route is to fly to the capital of Phnom Penh (various airlines, from about $2,250), spend a day or two exploring the city, then catch a short domestic flight (about $80 one way) to Siem Reap on Phnom Penh Airways.

Or to see a bit of the countryside, hire a taxi for the four-hour drive from Phnom Penh; the road is good, the views are interesting and the price (about $70) is hard to beat. There are also daily flights from Bangkok to Siem Reap (about $195 each way) on Bangkok Airways.

Cambodia requires visas, which can be obtained on arrival or online at http://evisa.mfaic.gov.kh ($25).

WHEN TO GO: Most tourists visit during the peak season of November to February, when skies are clear; avoid the brutally hot and dusty months of March and April. Start planning now if you want to visit in the rainy season (May-October), which is an excellent option to consider, especially if you don't plan to visit remote parts of the country.

WHERE TO STAY: All the hotels serving Angkor are in Siem Reap, just a few miles from the temples. It's easy to get a clean, comfortable room in a friendly guesthouse for less than $25 -- try the Villa Siem Reap (153 Taphul Rd., 011-855-63-761-036, http://www.thevillasiemreap.com) -- but luxury rooms are so cheap in the rainy season that it's hard not to splurge.

At the very top end is the Amansara (Road to Angkor, 011-855-63-760-333, http://www.amansara.com), where many of the private suites have their own pools. It's an architectural tour de force, and has the Amanresorts' trademark sophistication and attention to detail, but at $850 and up per night (no discount for off-season), you'd expect nothing less.

Five-stars geared toward mere mortals include the historic Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor (Vithei Charles de Gaulle, 800-768-9009, http://www.siemreap.raffles.com; about $200 per night double in the off-season) and the Sofitel Royal Angkor (Vithei Charles de Gaulle, 011-855-63-964-600, http://www.sofitel.com; about $130), set in a vast tropical garden.

But the best deals in town may be the airy, Asian-styled La Residence d'Angkor (River Road, 011-855-63-963-390, http://www.residencedangkor.com; about $150), and the jazzy Hotel de la Paix (Sivutha Blvd., 011-855-63-966-000, http://www.hoteldelapaixangkor.com; about $190); the former is more subdued than the latter, but neither will disappoint. The hip-and-we-know-it Foreign Correspondents Club (Pokambor Avenue; 011-855-23-992-284, http://www.fcccambodia.com/angkor) has contemporary-style rooms at about $120 per night but is well below the others in terms of comfort and privacy.

Note: Prices at most hotels will be at least twice as high in the dry season.

WHERE TO EAT: Khmer cuisine, which is similar to Thai but not as spicy, is coming back to life after decades of neglect. The best place to try it may be Meric, in the Hotel de la Paix, where chef Joannes Riviere is leading the revival. Try his theatrical seven-course Khmer sampler, served on pieces of slate, antique serving spoons, artfully broken pots -- everything except plates. At $30, it's pricey by Cambodian standards, but it was one of the most memorable meals we've ever had.

Dozens of great restaurants and open-air bistros are in the French Quarter; start at the main thoroughfare, nicknamed Pub Street, and explore the surrounding streets. Good bets include Khmer House (traditional Cambodian dishes for less than $5, in the alley behind Pub Street), kamasutra for Indian food and the charming Le Tigre du Papier (on Pub Street), with its free book exchange, (slow) Internet access, cooking classes in the upstairs kitchen and a grill offering everything from alligator to kangaroo ($4-$12).

If you're in the mood for "2001"-style futurism, head around the corner from Pub Street to the Blue Pumpkin, where you can lounge on bulbous white furniture and cool off with snacks and organic teas ($2-$12). And definitely try the Dead Fish Tower on Sivutha Boulevard, which has delicious Khmer and Chinese food ($2-$8), an eclectic art collection and six alligators in a tank.

WHAT TO DO: Well, temples, obviously. But skip the trip out to the "floating village" at the huge lake called Tonle Sap; it's cheesy, touristy and depressing. There are several museums; one of the most unusual is the Land Mine Museum ( http://www.cambodialandminemuseum.org; $1), on the road to the temple of Bantey Srei.

It's impossible to get out of Siem Reap without seeing some traditional Apsara dancing. This is exotic and beautiful stuff, as is the Khmer music that accompanies it. Many of the hotels host dinnertime performances, so call around to see what's available. And if you have a chance to see a traditional shadow puppet show, grab it.

For shopping, most people head to the tourist-oriented Artisans d'Angkor (Stung Thmey Street) or the huge Old Market in the heart of the French Quarter. Unless you're really into vegetables or cheap Cambodian underwear, though, skip the market and head into the warren of nameless streets and alleys that surround it. You'll find an amazing range of boutiques and art galleries; some of the best include Kokoon for silks and Hagar Design for hip, fashionable stuff made of recycled rice bags. Siem Reap has started to attract a small international artist community, and there are sophisticated, affordable works at the McDermott Gallery (on the passageway behind Pub Street) and hand-tinted photographs at the Klick Gallery next door.

And when you're worn out from climbing temples all day, check into one of Siem Reap's ubiquitous spas. There are dozens of them, from Seeing Hands, whose masseurs are all blind (about $10), to our favorite, Bodia (in the French Quarter), where the organically Space Age architecture will unwind you even before the massage (about $26) begins. Read more!

Cambodia coal plant planned

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand plans to co-invest in a new coal-fired power plant in Cambodia to source 3,000 megawatts under a project worth up to US$4.5 billion.

The new project is in line with Egat's plan to diversify its power sources across the region.

Acting Egat governor Santi Sarntijaree said the state enterprise was negotiating with potential investment partners.

''We expect the Chinese government will hold the largest stake. Other stakeholders will be Cambodian authorities and Egat,'' he said.

Under the agreement, Egat would buy all of the electricity generated from the project.

The project would require investment of $4.2 to $4.5 billion, or 142.8 to 153 billion baht.

The figure assumes an average cost of $1.4 million per megawatt.

The electricity from the project is scheduled to link with the Thai national power grid after the completion of the Hongsa lignite project.

Mr Santi said that the project is the first energy collaboration between Thailand and Cambodia after long negotiations.

Previously, the two governments discussed a smaller 1,400-1,600 mw project, but decided on a larger project for cost reasons.

''To buy power from neighbouring countries is our top choice to secure power to meet Thailand's growing demand, particularly in case we are unable to build more power plants,'' he said.

However, power supplies from neighbouring countries still account for less than 20% of total power generation in Thailand

Read more!

NKorea PM in Cambodia to boost trade

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — North Korean Prime Minister Kim Yong-Il arrived in Cambodia Thursday under heavy security, starting a rare visit focused on boosting trade between the two impoverished nations.

Kim and Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen later oversaw the signing of the countries' first investment agreement, as well as a deal to increase trade between their sea ports.

"The main topic (of Kim's visit) is economic and trade relations. They would like to buy some more Cambodian products in the future," said Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.

He added that while the two countries were politically close, trade relations remained very low.

Kim asked that Cambodia and North Korea exchange views on international issues and support each other "to avoid pressure from powerful countries," Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith told reporters following afternoon talks.

The North's premier blamed the United States, one of Pyongyang's biggest adversaries, for escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula, Khieu Kanharith said.

Kim, the highest-ranking North Korean official to visit Cambodia in six years, was greeted earlier in the day at the airport by Prime Minister Hun Sen and hundreds of flag-waving students.

During his four-day stay he will also call on former king Norodom Sihanouk, a long-time friend of North Korea who frequently stays in a palace in Pyongyang provided to him by the North's first leader, Kim Il-Sung.

"Our current visit will mark a significant occasion in... giving a vital and extensive boost to friendly and cooperative relations in several fields," said a statement from the North's delegation.

Last month Cambodia's Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh said North Korea wanted to build business ties with Cambodia as a way to gain access to world markets largely closed to the communist state by sanctions.

"Through investment, North Korea may see Cambodia as a bridge by which to produce goods and export to bigger countries," he said at the time.

More than 4,000 military and security personnel have deployed throughout the capital Phnom Penh during Kim's visit, the interior ministry said.

Kim visited Vietnam and Malaysia before arriving Cambodia. He will also tour Laos before returning home.
Read more!

Animal rights group threatens to protest Cambodia's KFC restaurants

Phnom Penh - An international animal rights group has urged Prime Minister Hun Sen to ban proposed Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlets from the country and threatened protests by celebrities if the fast-food chain opens, a spokeswoman said Wednesday. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) spokeswoman Ashley Fruno said by email that celebrities like actress Pamela Anderson and singer Morrissey were staunch supporters of PETA's campaign against KFC.

"We hope to use creative ways and colourful protests to educate Cambodians about KFC's horrific treatment of animals in the future," she wrote in an email Wednesday.

PETA has mounted a sustained campaign against KFC, dubbing it "Kentucky Fried Cruelty" for alleged infringements of animal rights. KFC would be Cambodia's first global food chain.

KFC plans to open outlets imminently in the major tourist centres of Sihanoukville, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh in partnership with Malaysian-based QSR Brands Bhd, Rightlink Corp Ltd and Cambodian partner Royal Group Ltd.

"We hope you will act to protect Cambodia's health and culture by refusing to allow KFC and the abusive farming practices it perpetuates from entering your country," PETA Asia Pacific director Jason Baker wrote in an open letter to Hun Sen.

"With every KFC restaurant comes cruelty to animals, the threat of deadly diseases and blight on the urban landscape," Baker wrote in a separate press release. "We are asking Hun Sen to do his people, his country and his legacy - not to mention countless chickens - a big favour."

Under secretary of state for the Ministry of Culture, Ching Chhorng, said by telephone Wednesday that he doubted KFC would destroy Cambodian civilization. "Cambodians need jobs. Chains like KFC can provide them," he said.
Read more!

Thai police seek another Canadian in child-sex case

TORONTO -- Thai police have issued an arrest warrant for a Canadian man for allegedly paying to have sex with an eight-year-old boy, two weeks after a teacher from British Columbia was apprehended in Thailand on similar charges.

Officials in Pattaya, about 110 kilometres south of Bangkok, confirmed Wednesday they were searching for Orville Frank Mader, a 54-year-old teacher originally from Kitchener, Ont., who was imprisoned in Cambodia three years ago on accusations of sexual crimes against children before those charges were dropped.

According to Pattaya City News, a local media outlet, Mader is accused of paying 500 baht -- roughly $15 in Canadian funds -- to have sex with an eight-year-old child at a hotel in the resort town.

The boy was reportedly abducted from a shopping centre and then sold to foreigners for sex. His mother reported his disappearance to Pattaya police on Sunday.

Two days later, she says she spotted him in the company of a 24-year-old man at a local plaza. Police arrested the man, who said he gave 100 baht ($3) to the boy each time he went with a customer.

As part of their investigation into the boy's abduction, local police released pictures Wednesday of Mr. Mader taken by security cameras at the Ben Mansions hotel in Pattaya.

The same hotel was reportedly frequented by Christopher Paul Neil, a 34-year-old Canadian who was the subject of an international manhunt earlier this month. Mr. Neil, who worked as an English teacher in South Korea, was eventually arrested in Thailand and now faces molestation and kidnapping charges.

Pattaya City News reported Wednesday that Thai police had instructed border officials to detain Mr. Mader if he attempted to leave the country.

Marina Wilson, a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs. confirmed the Canadian government was "aware" of reports Thai police had issued an arrest warrant for a Canadian.

"Officials are monitoring the situation closely. At this time, due to the Privacy Act, no further information can be released," Mr. Wilson said.

An RCMP spokeswoman was similarly unable to comment on whether Canadian police were assisting with the investigation into Mr. Mader.

Reportedly the son of a high-school guidance counsellor, Mr. Mader comes from a large family that sprawls across southwestern Ontario.

No one answered the door at the home of Mr. Mader's parents or his brother's home in Kitchener Wednesday. Neighbours at an uncle's home said the family had received word of the arrest warrant and left to avoid media attention.

Relatives contacted by phone said Mr. Mader moved to the Vancouver area about 30 years ago and had little contact with relatives since leaving. A woman married to one of his first cousins said she had never met Mader, saying the family is not particularly close.

An aunt declined to discuss his case before hanging up while another cousin expressed surprise that Mader was still free.

Mr. Mader has been accused of similar crimes in the past.

In 2004, Cambodian police arrested him in Phnom Penh, alleging he committed sexual offences against two boys, aged 11 and 14. While he was imprisoned for five months, charges were eventually dropped against him.

At the time of his arrest, Mr. Mader's mother, Elise Mader, told the National Post it was unlikely he had committed any crime.

"I don't see how they could charge him with anything like that, because he teaches children. He's so good with children and all that," she said, adding she thought the arrest related to noise complaints at his hotel.

Elsie Mader said Mader had taught English to children in Nagoya, Japan, between 2002 and 2004. Scant additional information is available on his life since he was released from Cambodian custody.

He appears to have renewed his passport in Jakarta, Indonesia, last year. In addition, he seems to maintain a residence in Surrey, B.C., although phone calls to the home were not returned Wednesday.

-- with files from Tom Blackwell

Read more!

Lonely Planet guide to Cambodia

You've trusted your eyes your whole life, but visit Cambodia and you just may start doubting them.

How else to explain the unthinkable splendour of the 9th- to 13th-century Khmer temples, the tropical islands with barely a beach hut in sight and the untold adventures lurking in northern forests?

Cambodia promises a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences to the intrepid traveller. Your heart will race at Angkor Wat, one of the world's greatest achievements, only to haltingly derail when faced with the impact of humankind's darkest moments.

After two decades of war and isolation, only now is Cambodia truly starting to recover from the Khmer Rouge's genocidal 1975-79 rule.

When To Go:

The ideal months to be in Cambodia are December and January, when humidity is bearable, temperatures are cooler and it's unlikely to rain.

From early February temperatures start to rise until the killer month, April, when temperatures often exceed 40°C (104°F). Come May and June, the southwestern monsoon brings rain and high humidity, cooking up a sweat for all but the hardiest of visitors.

The wet season (May-Oct), though very soggy, can be a good time to visit Angkor, as the moats will be full and the foliage lush - but steer clear of the northeast regions during those months, as the going gets pretty tough when the tracks are waterlogged.

The country's biggest festival, Bon Om Tuk, is held in early November, and is well worth catching. Others you might like to plan around include the water festival in Phnom Penh, or Khmer New Year.


Cambodia - Fast Facts:

Full Name: Kingdom of Cambodia
Capital City: Phnom Penh
Area: 181,040 sq km / 69,900 sq miles
Population: 14,000,000
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +7 ()
Languages: Khmer (official), English (other), French (other)
Religion: Buddhist, Animist, Cham Muslim, Christian
Currency: Riel (CR)
Electricity: 230V 50HzHz
Electric Plug Details: European plug with two circular metal pins; Japanese-style plug with two parallel flat blades
Country Dialing Code: 855

Read more!

Cambodia PM slammed for disowning lesbian daughter

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Women's rights campaigners in Cambodia lashed out at Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday for trying to disown his adopted daughter because she is a lesbian.

"You do not have to agree with her decision, but you have to respect her rights," said Theary Seng, executive director of the Center for Social Development in the war-scarred southeast Asian nation's capital.

Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge soldier, told a graduation ceremony this week he was "disappointed" that his 19-year-old daughter, whom he adopted in 1988, was a lesbian.

"I have my own problem -- my adopted daughter has a wife," he said. "Now I will ask the court to disown her from my family."

Hun Sen has been in charge of Cambodia for the last two decades and is not known for a liberal outlook to life or politics.

He and his wife, Bun Rany, have three sons and two daughters, and had kept the adoption of a third daughter a closely guarded secret. He did not reveal her name in his speech.

"I can educate people in the whole country, but I cannot educate my adopted daughter," he added. "We sent her to study in the U.S., but she did a bad job. She returned home and took a wife."

However, Hun Sen asked Cambodia's 13 million people to be more tolerant of homosexuals.

"I urge parents of gays not to discriminate against them, and do not call them transvestites," Hun Sen said.

Read more!

Cambodia's 'demoralised' ex-king celebrates quiet birthday

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — A seemingly despondent Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodia's former monarch, quietly passed his 85th birthday Wednesday amid muted public celebrations, the palace said.

Saying that Sihanouk was "very elderly, very weak, very demoralised," the palace said in a statement that the former king, once known for his vibrant public persona, was increasingly disturbed by "unnecessary" emails, telegrams and faxes from well-wishers.

In a separate statement, the palace pleaded with supporters "to not call on him, to not dispatch to him messages of greetings and congratulations, even on the occasion of his birthday."

Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh was decorated with only one large portrait of Sihanouk, who grandfatherly visage used to be commonplace throughout the city.

Palace officials said Wednesday he had marked his birthday with a low-key Buddhist ceremony, accompanied by family and monks.

Sihanouk, who suffers from a number of serious illnesses, including cancer, is expected to travel to China for medical check-ups during this year's Water Festival, one of the country's largest holidays which begins next month.

Sihanouk, one of Asia's longest-serving monarchs, abruptly quit the throne in October 2004 in favor of his elder son, Norodom Sihamoni, citing old age and health problems.

Despite giving up his role as king, he remains a popular figure, particularly among rural Cambodians.
Read more!

Cambodia's leader cuts ties with gay daughter

SUMMARY: Cambodia's prime minister severs ties with his adopted daughter, who is a lesbian, but appeals to people not to discriminate against gays.

Cambodia's prime minister said Tuesday he was severing ties with his adopted daughter, who is a lesbian, but appealed to people not to discriminate against gays.

"My adopted daughter now has a wife. I'm quite disappointed," Hun Sen said.

He made the rare revelation about his closely guarded family life during a public speech at a student graduation ceremony.

Hun Sen said he plans to file a civil court case to disown his adopted daughter so that she cannot claim any inheritance from his family.

"We are concerned that she might one day cause us trouble . . . and try to stake her claim for a share of our assets," he said.

The prime minister and his wife Bun Rany have three sons and two other daughters. He said they adopted their third daughter in the mid-'80s when she was 18 days old. She has carried his family name "Hun" just like his biological children. Hun Sen did not reveal her given name.

Although he is cutting ties with her, Hun Sen said he was not discriminating against gays and appealed to society to show respect for them.

Sam Vuthy, coordinator of Women's Agenda for Change, a nonprofit Cambodian group advocating gay rights, declined to comment on Hun Sen's decision regarding his daughter but applauded his appeal not to discriminate against gays. (AP)

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Read more!

Temples and bones

SIEM REAP, Cambodia: At sunset, many visitors to Angkor, the vast temple complex in the Cambodian jungle, go to the only hill in the area, a place called Phnom Bakeng. Hoping to have the view to myself, I hiked up in the morning instead. I reached the temple ruins at the top only to find that a tour group of French-speaking senior citizens had beat me there.

That would not have happened 20 years ago, when the area was within the reach of Khmer Rouge guerrillas who decamped to the wilds of northwest Cambodia after being driven from power in 1979. Today, the country is at peace, and its glorious temples are crowded with tourists.

A couple of miles to the south of Angkor, the dusty streets of once-sleepy Siem Reap are full of tour buses and the motorcycle-drawn taxi carriages known as tuk-tuks. Out along the road near the city's international airport, hotels are going up quickly.

Strange as it may sound in view of Cambodia's history, the country has a thriving tourism industry and ample room to develop it further.

But tourism has a downside: not just the wear on 12th-century structures or the continuing theft of antiquities, but also the uncertain effects of a fast-money industry on a poor country with a sketchy political system.

Cambodia's economic picture has improved markedly in recent years, and tourism is just about the brightest spot in it. Construction, another engine of growth, depends on infusions of foreign aid. The garment industry flourished last year, but local experts fear that over time China and Vietnam may prove to be cheaper places for clothing factories. Meanwhile, the number of foreign visitors grew 27 percent in 2006 alone, according to the Economic Institute of Cambodia, an independent research group.

It's now relatively convenient to visit one of the world's architectural marvels. Lodging, food and local transportation are easy and cheap.

The temples at Angkor aren't the only appealing sight. Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, has a pleasant, French-influenced downtown. The city abounds with ex-pat hipsters and bohemians lured by the possibility of adventure or the chance to do good.

In some ways, though, Cambodia remains a rather noirish place for a vacation. Despite years of mine-clearance efforts, unexploded ordnance still dots the countryside. In urban public places where tourists gather, so too do maimed land mine victims reduced to beggary.

The Khmer Rouge period still exerts its dark pull. One popular attraction outside Phnom Penh is the Choeung Ek killing field, where the clothes and bones of people thrown into mass graves are still visible in the ground upon which tourists tread.

Another attraction near the capital is Tuol Sleng, a school that became a torture center. One walks across bloodstained tiles to the metal bedframes where suspects were found shackled and bloodied. To the extent that the museum's curators offer any interpretation, it's meant to shock.

Such images serve the current government, led by the heavy-handed former communist Hun Sen, to remind Cambodians that it is a more benign presence than the Khmer Rouge. And if Tuol Sleng and Choeung Ek are popular with international visitors, so be it. The problem with tourism in Cambodia isn't the attractions themselves, but rather its potential to delay the political and economic reforms needed to move the country forward.

In neighboring Vietnam, the foreign companies investing billions in equipment, factories and other businesses are asking the government to fix an education system that, they say, doesn't cultivate scientific or management skills. In contrast, the tourism industry doesn't require the same skills, so it doesn't make the same demands, and more of the money it generates moves under the table.

This is a worrisome fit for Cambodia, a country that ranks low on the United Nations human development index and near the bottom of Transparency International's corruption index.

Sure enough, for a one-day visit to Angkor Wat and surrounding temples, foreigners pay a $20 fee that's collected by a politically wired hotel company. Critics complain that only a small percentage of ticket sales end up being used to maintain the temples. Indeed, the preservation and restoration efforts now underway depend on overseas benefactors.

As long as Cambodia is at peace, there will always be tour groups at Angkor. Whether the country can move beyond a tuk-tuk-based economy is another question entirely.

Dante Ramos is deputy editor of the editorial page of The Boston Globe
. Read more!

Cambodia's general election to cost over 16 mln USD

Next year's general election in Cambodia will cost more than 16 million U.S. dollars, 60 percent of which will be covered by the government while the rest from donor countries, local media said on Monday.

The National Election Committee (NEC) will need 16,758,451 U.S. dollars to run the election smoothly, or about two U.S. dollars per voter, Cambodian-language newspaper the Rasmei Kampuchea quoted NEC president Im Suosdey as saying.

The 2008 election needs an increased budget from the 2007 commune council election because of additional technical preparations such as an improved registration process and voter list clean-up, he said.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Sar Kheng also confirmed that the government has approved the budget and decided to contribute approximately about 60 percent of it.
The government has called on development partners to contribute the rest, said Sar Kheng, adding that the increase in the budget has resulted from an increase in the number of voters and polling stations and the inclusion of some new tasks to strengthen the quality of the election.
During the election scheduled for July 2008, both the National Assembly and the government will renew their members.

Source: Xinhua Read more!

Cambodia marks third anniversary of Sihamoni s ascension to throne

Cambodia on Monday celebrated the third anniversary of King Norodom Sihamoni's ascension to the throne with media campaign and public exposure.

Best wishes from top country leaders for the king were broadcast on most television channels and radio stations and printed on some newspapers and magazines.

The exhibition of the king's portraits can also be seen at some public places in Phnom Penh to feature his charity activities.

In addition, the government will set off fire fireworks in front of the Royal Palace on Monday night.

Sihamoni, 55 years old, succeeded his father Norodom Sihanouk upon his retirement in 2004.

He is the constitutional monarch of the kingdom and does not exercise power in the government.

Source: Xinhua Read more!

Living in a water world

By Penny Watson

In the jungle and farmland surrounding the Cambodian city of Siem Reap, the famous Angkor temples punctuate the landscape. Remains of the ancient Khmer empire, these magnificent edifices, numbering more than 1,000, vary in scale, design and state of repair.

Tourists descend on the complexes particularly during the dry season, starting in October. But for an escape from the Angkor audience, you can take an easy side trip to the nearby floating village of Kompong Phluk. We traveled only 25 kilometers via motorbike, boat and tuk-tuk, a type of motorized rickshaw, to leave the busy tourist hub far behind. Our wooden longboat slipped through the narrow waterways, past ravaged banks battered by the wet season. As we stared in awe at this strange landscape, our guide explained how Kompong Phluk came to be.

The result is nature's own anomaly — a sunken mangrove forest, home to a curious species that survives almost completely submerged in water, and Kompong Phluk, a floating stilt village, ebbing and flowing with the coming and going of the seasons.

We pulled up beside a crude-looking jetty servicing a row of stilt houses 8 or 9 meters above us. The jetty led to a strip of dry road running up the middle of the village. In the worst of the wet season we would have been treading water, but at the start of the dry season we had the advantage of being able to explore on foot.

We climbed a bamboo ladder to the abode of a wiry old man, who was happy to receive guests for the customary exchange of a small tip. His hut was made of ad hoc bamboo scaffolding and sheets of rusted, corrugated iron. Inside, barely-there walls made of overlapping palm leaves separated three small living areas, home to a family of six, maybe seven.

We continued our walk to the pagoda, one of Kompong Phluk's few concrete buildings, where two smiling monks were biding their time, smoking and talking. Come the flooding waters, this small patch is the only dry land in the village, the only constant in an environment where water dictates a way of life.

Getting there and around: Bangkok Airways (www.bangkokair.com) and Vietnam Airlines (www.vietnamair.com.vn) fly to Siem Reap from Bangkok and Saigon, respectively. To get to Kompong Phluk, find a tuk-tuk-driving guide in Siem Reap. He will negotiate cheaper fares and establish the best route to the village depending on whether you travel in the wet season (April to September) or the dry season (October to March). It will cost $40-$75 for two people, including tips.

Most visitors stay in Siem Reap. Jasmine Lodge (www.jasminelodge.com) goes the extra mile with clean fan rooms and a free rooftop pool table by the restaurant. Hidden down the back streets, Red Lodge (www.redlodge angkor.com) is a modern villa with free bicycles. Khmer, Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, Japanese and Western eateries abound in town.

Richard I'Anson / Lonely Planet Images After rainy season, Tonle Sap Lake rises, creating floating markets and villages in Cambodia. One floating village, Kompong Phluk, is just 25 kilometers from the bustling city of Siem Reap.
Living in a water world

Read more!

Cambodian tyrant Pol Pot's limousine for sale on eBay

PHNOM PENH - CAR collectors with macabre tastes and at least £35,000 (S$104,000) to spare now have a chance to own a limousine reportedly used by Pol Pot, the late chief of Cambodia's notorious Khmer Rouge.

'For sale - one classic 1973 Mercedes Benz stretch limousine ... previously used by one infamous owner Pol Pot, who led the Khmer Rouge during its genocidal regime in Cambodia from 1975-1979,' reads a listing on the online auction site eBay.

The car, reportedly purchased in 2001 by the current owner, who used it 'for Sunday drives around Phnom Penh and the outskirts,' had attracted one bidder by Sunday afternoon, with bidding due to end Tuesday.

The seller is apparently an expatriate British banker, Paul Freer, who bought the car when he lived in Phnom Penh, but moved to neighbouring Laos a year ago. He could not immediately be reached for comment.

Whether the vehicle was actually used by Pol Pot could not be independently confirmed.

Records of virtually everything were lost during the regime of the Khmer Rouge, who abolished private ownership and attempted to turn Cambodia into a primitive agricultural society. The communist group's radical policies also led to the deaths of some 1.7 million people from hunger, diseases, overwork and execution.

'Part of the proceeds of the sale will be given to a Cambodian children's charity,' says the car's description on eBay, which added that the vehicle was originally acquired by a foreign journalist who discovered it being used by Cambodian farmers to transport watermelons to market.

The ad claims the car was also used by Hollywood movie star Matt Dillon when he filmed his movie 'City of Ghosts' in Cambodia in 2001.

The car, waiting for a new owner, has been on display at the Renakse Hotel opposite the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh for about a year now, Yan Phirun, a hotel worker, said on Sunday. He said he is a nephew of Mr Freer's Cambodian wife, Chhea Lina.

'I used to hear my aunt saying that the car used to belong to Pol Pot. She bought it from a previous owner,' he said.

Mr Sep Yan, a receptionist at the hotel, said many people have looked at the car and left because the asking price may be too high.

'I don't know the real history of the car because I was not yet born' when the Khmer Rouge were in power, he said.

Mr Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, an independent group researching Khmer Rouge crimes, said there were quite a few black Mercedes Benz vehicles used by Khmer Rouge dignitaries.

'There is no way you can confirm which one belonged to Pol Pot,' he said. -- AP


Read more!

Cambodia given more patrol boats

China is giving Cambodia nine naval patrol boats to safeguard oil installations in the Gulf of Thailand, another sign of Beijing's deepening ties with the Southeast Asian nation, military officials said.

"These boats will enable us to prevent maritime crimes such as terrorism, but also to protect natural resources within our sea territory," said General Nim Sovath, who attended a signing ceremony in the Chinese city of Guangzhou this week.

An army-run Cambodian TV channel heralded the deal as evidence of stronger military cooperation with China, which provided Phnom Penh with six naval patrol boats in 2005 to help combat people and drug smuggling.

Beijing followed up the next year with $600 million (NZ$794 million) in aid and grants - a sum equal to the annual amount given by Cambodia's traditional donors.

Cambodia is expected to take possession of the vessels, believed to be worth around $60 million (NZ$79.4 million), early next month.

Even though Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen spent much of his life fighting Pol Pot's Beijing-backed Khmer Rouge, he has worked hard in recent years to build ties with China as a counterweight to Vietnam, which lies between them.

The improved relationship also works well for Beijing, keen to negotiate access to friendly deep-sea ports in Southeast Asia, its main fuel gateway.

Sihanoukville, Cambodia's only such port, will be the processing centre for oil and natural gas expected to flow from its Block A chunk of the Gulf of Thailand by 2010.

US oil giant Chevron Corp is leading exploration drilling.

Read more!

Deadly Dengue Fever Outbreak Hits Southeast Asia

Hanoi, Vietnam (AHN) - The World Health Organization has called for better prevention campaigns following the worst outbreak of dengue fever in Southeast Asia. The outbreak of this "bone-breaker" disease is seen in parts of Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.

A large number of the victims of this disease are children. The main symptoms are fever and crying from intense joint pain, a common symptom of the disease that spreads to humans by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which feeds during the day.

Michael Nathan, a dengue expert at WHO in Geneva told the Associated Press, "We should really be in prevention mode, putting in place sound measures for suppressing the vector population so we can at least dampen down the epidemic."

Since the past two months, some 350 patients have been admitted to hospitals in Vietnam's southern Ho Chi Minh City every week, almost double the number from the same period last year, the AP reports.

So far there have been nearly 80,000 cases of dengue fever registered in Vietnam this year, including 68 deaths, with maximum cases reported in the country's southern provinces where the monsoon season runs from June through December. It is also a 50 percent increase over the same period in 2006.

The number of cases has dropped down to about 2,000 cases each week since early October, from nearly 3,000 new cases reported weekly in September. "We are now concentrating our efforts to completely wipe out dengue outbreaks to prevent possible flare ups next year," he said.

In Indonesia, more than 123,500 cases and 1,250 deaths are reported because of dengue so far. It has already surpassed the 114,000 cases for all of 2006. Jakarta is worst hit area. Cambodia also has been hit hard, with some 38,500 cases and 389 deaths, more than double the same figures from 2006. Large number of those sickened were children younger than 15. Thailand and Malaysia have recorded a combined 80,000 cases, with 67 and 88 deaths, respectively.

The last major dengue outbreak to hit Southeast Asia was in 1998, when about 350,000 cases and nearly 1,500 deaths were reported. Indonesia and Thailand were not included in that tally.

There is no commercially available vaccine for the dengue flavivirus. However, one of the many ongoing vaccine development programs is the Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative which was set up in 2003 with the aim of accelerating the development and introduction of dengue vaccine(s) that are affordable and accessible to poor children in endemic countries.

Read more!

China gives Cambodia more patrol boats

PHNOM PENH, Oct 25 (Reuters) - China is giving Cambodia nine naval patrol boats to safeguard oil installations in the Gulf of Thailand, another sign of Beijing's deepening ties with the Southeast Asian nation, military officials said on Thursday.

"These boats will enable us to prevent maritime crimes such as terrorism, but also to protect natural resources within our sea territory," said General Nim Sovath, who attended a signing ceremony in the Chinese city of Guangzhou this week.

An army-run Cambodian TV channel heralded the deal as evidence of stronger military cooperation with China, which provided Phnom Penh with six naval patrol boats in 2005 to help combat people and drug smuggling.

Beijing followed up the next year with $600 million in aid and grants -- a sum equal to the annual amount given by Cambodia's traditional donors.

Cambodia is expected to take possession of the vessels, believed to be worth around $60 million, early next month.

Even though Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen spent much of his life fighting Pol Pot's Beijing-backed Khmer Rouge, he has worked hard in recent years to build ties with China as a counterweight to Vietnam, which lies between them.

The improved relationship also works well for Beijing, keen to negotiate access to friendly deep-sea ports in Southeast Asia, its main fuel gateway.

Sihanoukville, Cambodia's only such port, will be the processing centre for oil and natural gas expected to flow from its "Block A" chunk of the Gulf of Thailand by 2010. U.S. oil giant Chevron Corp (CVX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) is leading exploration drilling.
Read more!

Cambodian tribunal summons former Khmer Rouge prison photographer

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia's genocide tribunal has summoned a former photographer who captured thousands of haunting images of prisoners before they were tortured and executed by the Khmer Rouge, the photographer said Tuesday.

Nhem En, 47, said the tribunal's judges ordered him to appear before them on Nov. 1 "in regard to the criminal case of Duch," referring to his former boss, Kaing Guek Eav, who headed the Khmer Rouge's notorious S-21 prison and torture center.

Duch has been detained by the U.N.-backed tribunal on charges of crimes against humanity committed when the Khmer Rouge regime held power in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.

The group's radical policies caused the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people from starvation, overwork, disease and execution.

Up to 16,000 suspected enemies of the regime were tortured at the prison before being executed in an area near the capital, Phnom Penh that later became known as the killing fields.

Only about a dozen of the prisoners are thought to have survived. The prison is now known as the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and is frequented by tourists.

Nhem En photographed thousands of prisoners before they were locked up, tortured and executed and their images are the centerpiece of the museum.

He has denied any involvement in the atrocities and said his job was merely taking pictures of the prisoners after they were brought to the prison.

"I will not oppose the summons. I support the tribunal to try the former Khmer Rouge leaders," Nhem En said.

Besides Duch, Nuon Chea, the former Khmer Rouge ideologist, is the only other suspect detained by the tribunal, which has charged him with crimes against humanity and war crimes. Read more!

Cambodia requests more funds for genocide tribunal

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia appealed Thursday for more money to fund a U.N.-assisted genocide tribunal, saying the trials of former Khmer Rouge leaders would likely drag on longer than originally expected.

The appeal follows international pressure for greater transparency at the tribunal, a hybrid court jointly run by Cambodian and United Nations staff, amid accusations of mismanagement and kickbacks.

The trials, which have been plagued by delays, are expected to start next year.

The tribunal was originally projected to complete its work by 2009.

"There is a budget shortage for the operation of the tribunal, which could extend into 2010," Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told reporters Thursday.

The tribunal's head of public affairs, Helen Jarvis, said the US$56.3 million (€39.5 million) originally budgeted for the tribunal would not be enough, mainly because of delays in adopting rules at the tribunal.

"The original budget was just for three years until mid-2009 and we need to envisage going a bit longer than that," Jarvis said. "The extra funding and time we will need ... will be fully justified in our budget appeal."

She said fundraising meetings would take place in Cambodia and New York by the end of the year.

Of the US$56.3 million budgeted for the tribunal, there was still a US$7.5 million shortfall, she said. She declined to say how much more money would be needed, over and above the amount already budgeted.

She said the Cambodian tribunal funds will last until the first quarter of 2008 while the U.N.'s portion will last until later that year.

The radical policies of the Khmer Rouge, when in power from 1975 to 1979, led to the deaths of 1.7 million people from hunger, disease, overwork and execution.

The tribunal has so far detained only two senior former Khmer Rouge officials on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes.

U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said Washington was mulling over whether to donate funds for the tribunal but that no decision would be made until the tribunal has properly addressed the "serious" allegations of mismanagement and corruption in its administration.

"No one is going to want to spend American taxpayer money on an administrative process which is not transparent," he said, adding the tribunal's "administrative problem is so huge and so obvious."

A U.N.-commissioned audit last month slammed the Cambodian side of the tribunal for mismanagement, including hiring unqualified staffers.

Earlier this year, the New York-based Open Society Justice Initiative alleged that Cambodian judges and other court personnel had paid off government officials for their positions at the tribunal — claims the Cambodians dismissed as groundless.

"The bottom line is that the Khmer Rouge tribunal needs more money," Mussomeli said. But "even those donors who have been most generous in the past will have a difficult time giving more funding to the Khmer Rouge tribunal unless the administrative issues are fixed." Read more!

Cambodia grounds aging Russian-made planes following recent crash

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia has ordered two local airlines to suspend flights of four aging Russian-made cargo planes following a recent crash, government officials said Wednesday.
The order was issued Tuesday to the two companies, Imtrec Aviation Co. Ltd. and PMT Air, said Mao Has Vannal, director of Cambodia's Civil Aviation Secretariat.

He said the government took the measure following a crash last week of a Russian-made AN-12 cargo plane operated by Imtrec Aviation.

"The main intent of the order is for the safety of aviation and to avoid more risks," Mao Has Vannal said.

Two of the five Uzbek crew members were injured in the crash about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the main airport in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

The plane, carrying 11 tons of clothing, was on its way to Singapore but was forced to turn around because of engine problems. It crash-landed in a flooded rice field.

It was not clear when the order would be lifted. Mao Has Vannal said Cambodia would also seek recommendations from the International Civil Aviation Organization about the safety of the planes.

The order will affect four Russian-made planes, said Chea Aun, director-general of the Civil Aviation Secretariat's technical department. He said the planes are more than 30 years old.

He said two are AN-12 and AN-26 cargo planes belonging to Imtrec Aviation. The other two are AN-12 cargo planes operated by PMT Air, a small Cambodian airline whose Russian-made AN-24 passenger plane crashed in mountainous jungle in southern Cambodia in June. Thirteen South Korean tourists were among 22 people who died in the crash. Read more!

New eBay site helps finance poor

Ebay, the world's largest online auctioneer, has launched a website that allows people to invest in loans that lift people out of poverty.
The website, called MicroPlace, acts as a broker between ordinary investors and microfinance organisations.

For as little as $100, US investors will be able to help entrepreneurs in poor countries, be they coffee sellers in Cambodia or hairdressers in Ghana.

The investments last between two and four years and offer a small return.

"We really wanted to make it accessible for small everyday investors," said Tracey Pettengill Turner, the founder and general manager of MicroPlace.

"You can earn a return on your investment and help the world's working poor," she said.

Business not charity

Microfinance is the supply of small, usually unsecured loans to poor households and small businesses in developing countries.

The rates of interest are usually quite high but allow access to credit in places where people cannot readily obtain bank loans.

Its role in helping people out of poverty was highlighted when microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel peace prize in 2006.

Ms Turner said MicroPlace vets the loan providers that appear on the site and said issuers have good track records and few defaults.

She said that microfinance honoured the hard-working nature of many poor people and borrowers preferred loans to donations.

"It puts them on an equal footing with business people not charity cases," she said.

The investments available offer investors a return of 1.5% to 3.0% a year

Ebay said it would reinvest any profits back in its own social initiatives.

For the time being, Ms Turner said only US residents will be able to make investments on the site via eBay's paypal service or through a regular bank account.

Read more!

INTERNET LAW - TRADEMARKS IN CAMBODIA

The Cambodian act known as the Law Concerning Marks, Trade Names and Acts of Unfair Competition (Trademark Law) was put into effect in 2002, and was the first of its kind in the country. In general, intellectual property laws and its respective rights in Southeast Asia are newly developed areas, and all countries in ASEAN, the Association of South East Asian Nations, realize much is at stake in this undertaking. But every country that buys into the global intellectual property model will ultimately profit. No economy can be built to sustain long-term success while ignoring the importance of intellectual property or tolerating piracy. This article answers the following questions: What is a “Mark” & “Trade Name” in Cambodian Law? What is the Definition of Trade Names in Cambodian Law? What are the Rules of Registration & Rights of Trademarks? What are Acts of Unfair Competition for Trademarks? What are the Infringements and Remedies of Cambodian Trademarks?

Cambodia had no legislation on Trademarks before the Law Concerning Marks, Trade Names and Acts of Unfair Competition (Trademark Law) was promulgated in 2002, the issue being novel to the national legislation of this country. Since there was no civil Cambodian law on intellectual property (IP), trademark issues were guided essentially by practices, ministerial decrees and by reference to related topics in other laws. The country was motivated to build a tradition of Intellectual property, and so worked with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to help craft the present provisions.

Intellectual Property laws are essential, but useless without enforcement. This has been a sore spot in Southeast Asia’s developing countries, as they have seen little legal protection of intellectual property rights (IPR). This fact has spawned many related problems. First, there has not been the enthusiasm to develop inventions, since there was not as much protection or reward as in the West. Second, a culture of piracy has developed, as the idea of Intellectual Property had not caught on, whether as a defense, or prohibition. Third, the net result has been impoverished economies that lack entrepreneurship in these vital areas.

As in any other country, IP laws in Cambodia were needed not only to stop unfair competition, but also to encourage creativity. World IP organizations are helping turn the tide in countries like Cambodia. For instance, WIPO has helped to develop comprehensive IP laws, including enforcement mechanisms, and other organizations are teaching, helping get related laws passed, and ushering countries on compliance issues.

What is a “Mark” & “Trade Name” in Cambodian Law?

The law lists, in Chapter 1, Article 2, three Trade Name elements to be protected: Marks, Collective Marks, and Trade Names. A mark is “any “visible sign” usable for “distinguishing the goods (trademark) or services (service mark) of an enterprise.”

A “collective mark” means any “visible sign” that is designated as able to be registered as a unique mark, and used for designation on goods and services. A Trade Name means the “name or/ and designation identifying and distinguishing an enterprise.” Marks and Names shall be registered, and cannot be against public morality or confusing of another, whether local or international. (Articles 1, 2).

An example of Marks would include, drawings, brand names, a word, styled numbers, a design, a logo, graphic devices, Trade Dress labels, colored marks, combos of colors, signatures, 3-D marks, slogans, a shape or figure of objects, persons, or any combination of the previous.

What is the Definition of Trade Names in Cambodian Law?

A Trade Name “means the name or/ and designation identifying and distinguishing an enterprise.” Marks and Names shall be registered (Article 3, 4).
Chapter 6 deals with the issue of Trade Names. First, a word or designate may not be used as a Trade Name if its use goes against public morality or is deceptive. (Article 20) Also, pre-established Trade Names in Cambodia will be protected from 3rd parties, outside of any law or regulation regarding registration. Moreover, use of such an unregistered but existent Trade Name by any 3rd party is illegal. (Article 21 (a), (b)).

What are the Rules of Registration & Rights of Trademarks?

Chapter 2 establishes Registration and Rights for Trademarks, Articles 5-12.

Application: An application for all kinds of registration of marks is filed with the Ministry of Commerce.

Contents of Application: The application for registration of Mark shall contain a “reproduction of the mark and a list of the goods or services for which registration of the mark is requested, listed under the applicable class or classes of the International Classification as mentioned in the annex.” An “affidavit of use or non-use” for the mark, along with payment shall be included, as detailed by the joint declaration of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Commerce. (Article 5(a), (b)).

Right of Priority is established by including in the application a certified claim of priority of a previous regime’s application filed by applicant or predecessor in title of any state member of the Paris Convention. (Article 6 (a), (b)).

When the Registrar of Trade Names receives a proper application, he registers the mark, issues a certificate of registration to the applicant, and then publishes a reference in the Official Gazette of the Ministry of Commerce. (Article 10(a)). If the application is defective, the submitter has 45 days after receiving written notice from the Registrar to amend the application. (Article 10(b)). Within 90 days of publication, the registration can be challenged for cause. (Article 10(c)).

Rights: Any use of the Trade Mark must be done with the owner’s permission. If breached, the owner has the right to proceed to court to ask for action against the infringement. He has the right of asking for cessation of the infringement or damages. (Article 11 (a), b)).

Period: The period of ownership of a Trade Mark shall be ten years, and upon filing, more periods of ten years may be granted, by fee. A six months lapse may be allowed for renewal. (Article 12(a),(b),(d)).

What are Acts of Unfair Competition for Trademarks??

Chapter 7 covers this issue, terming “Unfair Competition” as competitive behavior “contrary to honest practices in industrial, commercial, or service matters.” (Article 22).
The chapter lists specific acts of Unfair Competition, being competitive acts that “create confusion” regarding products of consumer, or industrial goods or services. Attempts to discredit business competitors via “false allegations” regarding their practices or produce, also qualify. Moreover, the use of misleading statements about one’s own products or services as regards the process of manufacture, use, effectiveness, or other essentially dishonest claims, are also sanctioned. (Article 23 (a), (b), (c)).

What are the Infringements and Remedies of Cambodian Trademarks?

Infringement: Chapter 8, Articles 24-28 deal with this issue. An infringement is the use of the same or a confusingly similar mark, owned by another, without permission, for the same type or a similar good. For goods not the same, but related, and where the sign is well-enough known as to make the application seem plausible, there may be Infringement. (Articles 24 & 25 a),(b)). Infringement on an “unregistered well-known mark” is similar. (Article 26)

Remedies: After a Mark owner has proven his Infringement, he may ask the court for specific relief, and be granted a judgment for cessation of the use of the competitor’s mark, have imminent infringement stopped by court order, or be granted damages. (Article 27).



Read more!

Germany commits over 48 mln USD in grants for Cambodia

What kind of future will come for million children of Cambodia? The corruption government of Cambodia has earned billion dollars every year from all sources of economy, but the where did the mony goes? Million of future gerneration children of Cambodia will be the slave of a small group of people who robbed the nation (cambodian children owed another 48.6 million U.S dollars to Germany).

Germany has committed 34 million euros (about 48.6 million U.S. dollars) in grants for Cambodia in areas of health, rural development and strengthening governance, a press release said on Tuesday.

The Cambodian and German governments held their biannual government negotiations in Bonn on Oct. 16-17, the press release from German embassy here said, adding that an agreement was reached on programs for technical and financial cooperation with a total volume of 34 million euros.

With this new commitment for the period 2007-2008, Germany increased its support to Cambodia by 25 percent in comparison to the last two years cycle, it added.

The major part of this new pledge will be spend to continue ongoing cooperation in the focal areas of German Development Cooperation with Cambodia, including health sector reform, rural development as well as crosscutting activities to strengthen good governance, it said, adding that as a new field of activities both sides agreed to earmark funds for the exploration and promotion of renewable energies, such as biogas and micro-hydropower, in rural Cambodia.

The total volume of bilateral technical and financial cooperation since cooperation began amounts to more than 224 million euros (about 320 million U.S. dollars), according to the press release.

Source: Xinhua
Read more!

Akron Man Dies While Traveling In Cambodia

AKRON, Ohio -- A northeast Ohio mother and father are mourning after their son died in Cambodia on Friday.

The circumstances since Todd Wunderle's death have taught the family some tough lessons about overseas travel, reported NewsChannel5.

"Parent's worst nightmare. Four in the morning. 'Hello, is this Mrs. Wunderle? This is the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia and we regret to inform you that your son Todd is dead,'" said Carl Wunderle.

Bringing their son's body home for a proper burial would cost the Wunderles $15,000, money the couple doesn't have.

"We're going to need help with the money because we had to beg and borrow the money. We just don't have that laying around but you do what you have to do. Sometimes you make a deal with the devil if that's what you have to do because it's our son," said Carle Wunderle.

Todd graduated from Kent State and was teaching English in Korea. He was in Cambodia when he needed to refill a prescription for his thyroid medication.

The thought is that he had an allergic reaction to the different medicine, and he died of a heart attack at the age of 26.

Now his family says that anyone traveling overseas should get travel insurance. Without it, paying for something like bringing a body home is very difficult.

The Wunderles expect Todd's body to be home this weekend.

Donations to the Todd Wunderle fund can be made at any Huntington Bank location. Read more!

The price of peace

Today marks the anniversary of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords - the agreement which signalled the beginning of the end of decades of violent conflict in Cambodia and the start of the biggest and most costly peacekeeping operation in history. Yet 16 years later, the country once regarded as the international poster-boy for post-conflict nation building is fast becoming South-East Asia's newest kleptocracy; its reputation marred by allegations of massive corruption, impunity, human rights abuses, and repressive, undemocratic governance. The international community - whose money has bankrolled this shattered state's rehabilitation - has singularly failed to stop the rot. Lessons must be learned if other fragile, newly post-conflict states are to avoid a similarly disastrous outcome.

On paper, Cambodia's natural resources and state assets - the land, forests, minerals and heritage sites - were the basis for kickstarting the post-conflict economy. The revenue generated from this exercise should have gone towards poverty alleviation and rebuilding infrastructure. Instead, systematic and institutionalized corruption has deprived the entire population of the revenue that could have come from these public goods.

A cursory glance at today's Cambodian business sector reveals the country's forests, land, mining, ports, national buildings and casinos to be predominantly controlled by a handful of government-affiliated tycoons or family members of senior political figures. Information about these deals is not made available to the Cambodian people to whom the state's resources belong. Similarly, consultation with local populations dependent upon the country's forests or land for their livelihoods is often non-existent. For many Cambodians, the first they know of such deals is the sound of a chainsaw revving or a bulldozer arriving to flatten their crops.

Cambodia's forests are a case in point. In the 1990s they were described by the World Bank as the country's "most developmentally important resource". Today they are largely degraded, having been sold off over the years by the political elite to private companies or individuals intent on logging as much as possible to turn a quick buck. Most of the vast wealth generated from this logging has not reached the national coffers: instead it appears to have been siphoned off into the private bank accounts of the loggers and their political patrons.

While a booming textile and tourism industry has resulted in double-digit economic growth in recent years, the reality is that Cambodians are still among the world's poorest people and wealth inequality is increasing. With an estimated 35% of the population living below the poverty line, and the vast majority without electricity or mains water, survival remains a challenge for millions. Meanwhile, government-sanctioned forced evictions and land grabs are rife, human rights violations are common, corruption is endemic and impunity is the norm. Over the past five years, this has been accompanied by a backward-slide in space for civil society and political opposition to operate, resulting in a governance system recently described by the UN Rapporteur on Human Rights as "a shaky façade of democracy".

Cambodia's donors have provided the equivalent of over 50% of the government's annual budget for over a decade now. Having spent billions of dollars in setting up a democratic system in Cambodia, one would assume that its donors and their domestic tax payers have an interest in preserving it. Yet the international donor community has consistently failed to bring the government to book for blatant violations of its commitments to protect human rights, fight corruption, and ensure the protection of land and natural resources. In the 1990's, turning a blind eye to these actions was justified by the need to ensure 'stability'. From stability would flow economic development, and from economic development would flow political pluralism. The past 16 years have revealed the impotence of such logic. With each successive failure of the donor community to ask tough questions and deal realistically with the regime's failure to honour commitments to good governance, those responsible have increased their wealth and impunity. The end result is that Cambodians find it harder and harder to call their government to account.

It is not too late for the international community to redefine its terms of engagement with Cambodia, but it will require a fundamental shift in mindset. At its core must be a recognition that stripping a country of its assets for personal gain represents a mass violation of the social and economic rights of the country's people. Next, Cambodia's donors must impose sanctions on those individuals and their family members who they have good reason to believe are corruptly profiteering from the exploitation of the state's resources. These measures should include a freeze on all assets, restrictions on international travel and a ban on doing business with nationals of the donor country.

This will be a bitter pill to swallow for those donors who would prefer to enjoy an amicable relationship with the Cambodian government. Yet, if the international community cannot get it right in a small and relatively non-strategic country such as Cambodia, what hope for the likes of Sudan, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo? To continue to give overseas aid without the courage to tackle blatant mass corruption and poor governance is the equivalent of pouring good money after bad. Worse, it confers a badge of approval and reinforces the legitimacy of a government which is not acting in the interests of its own population. Cambodia and its people deserve better.


Read more!

ADM tackles distressed situation in Cambodia

By Simon Osborne

Hedgies Appleby, Botsford and Firth aim to clean up drugs and child prostitution in Sihanoukville.

1,000 street kids are being fed, educated and helped by Hong Kong special situations fund managers ADM Capital, whose philanthropic fund ADM Foundation is ploughing money into worthy causes in Asia.

Cambodia, a borderline failed state, does not protect the most vulnerable in its society. Children in erstwhile seaside resort Sihanoukville, particularly those subject to dodgy parenting and chronic poverty, frequently descend to a life of drug abuse and child prostitution.

A new facility for local kids is being opened this week by the three ADM principals. It has been built for Sihanoukville foundation M’Lop Tabang and it includes classrooms, sports facilities, a canteen and a health clinic. advertisement

As well as this project, ADM takes an interest in the animal kingdom, by virtue of Rob Appleby’s period in academia as a marine biologist, and it contributes to programmes that seek to keep sharks from the cooking pot. (ADM’s corporate insignia is a shark.)

On dry land in Hong Kong, the ADM Foundation has commissioned a study into Hong Kong’s feculent air, and found that contrary to popular spin-doctoring, all the foul pollution does not blow in from across the PRC border.

“A great deal of it comes from the vehicles in Hong Kong, especially the ships in Hong Kong waters burning bunker fuel, which is incredibly dirty and a major pollutant,” Rob Appleby tells AsianInvestor.

In Asia, as well as the ADM Foundation, there is the Rice charity, which is run by a number of figures from the alternative investment industry. Charity among hedge fund managers is perhaps best known in Europe, with donations from Christopher Hohn’s Children’s Fund making him one of the world’s most generous benefactors. He donated $230 million during the last year and over $1 billion in total.

ADM Capital, founded by Chris Botsford, Denys Firth with Robert Appleby, is one of Asia’s best known distressed and special situations funds managing assets of over $1 billion. It won Asian Investor’s award for Best Distressed Fund in 2007 for its triptych of Maculus Funds.

Read more!

U.S. striving to improve ties with Cambodia

PHNOM PENH — The U.S. has improved its relations with Cambodia and increased assistance as the country and its growing economy become more strategically important in Southeast Asia.

Chevron's recent discovery of offshore oil and gas deposits, and concern about China's rising influence in the region, are among many factors that contribute to U.S. policy here.

Cambodia's location between fast-growing Thailand and Vietnam, and its natural resources and potential for growth, could make it an important ally.

"We believe the extractive industries — gas, oil and mining — have a huge potential in Cambodia," said U.S. Embassy Charge dAffaires Piper Campbell. "But there is concern about how those resources will be managed."

The U.S. is encouraged by recent dialogue about cracking down on corruption, but is awaiting solid results, she said.

"We are engaged in a fruitful discussion with the government regarding corruption and anti-corruption legislation," she said. "We are very encouraged by what the government has said."

The U.S. expects to provide more than $65 million this year for a wide range of programs aimed at improving education and public health, preventing corruption, and managing natural resources.

In February, the guided missile frigate USS Gary became the first United States warship to visit Cambodia in more than 30 years.

In August, Hawai'i-based Adm. Timothy Keating, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, met with Cambodian defense minister Tea Banh here and offered to provide military training and other assistance meant to prevent the country from becoming a haven for international terrorists.

The U.S. had ended military assistance after a 1997 coup, in which current Prime Minister Hun Sen ousted his co-premier, Prince Norodom Ranariddh.

Cambodia's navy is now expanding to better secure the coastline and protect offshore drilling sites. Cambodia and Thailand have contesting claims to some potentially lucrative oil and gas fields in the Gulf of Thailand.

The U.S. recently established its first-ever contingent of Peace Corps Volunteers here.

"Cambodia is a country that is rich with hope and talent," U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said during a swearing-in ceremony for the volunteers in April. "Cambodia is a country with a nightmare past and a future of bright dreams. Cambodia is a country that was once isolated and is now eagerly embracing the world community."

More than $30 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development will pay for health and education programs and infrastructure this year.

The money will help promote a variety of activities meant to reduce the transmission and impact of HIV/AIDS, and control major infectious diseases such as tuberculosis.

U.S. Pacific Command has pledged nearly $2.4 million to build and repair schools and medical clinics, and distribute mosquito nets in impoverished rural provinces.

Read more!

Short on time? Try Creative Holidays’ Taste of Cambodia

A holiday is a holiday no matter how long or short, so make the most of it. If you have a little less time take advantage of Creative Holidays’ three-night Taste of Cambodia. This short journey will take you to the amazing Temples of Angkor and the beautiful Toule Sap River.

Taste of Cambodia priced from $430 per person, twin share (land only). Package includes three nights accommodation (at your choice of the three star - Royal Crown Hotel, four star - Angkor Palace Resort and Spa or five star - La Residence D'Angkor Hotel), breakfast daily, transportation and sightseeing as per itinerary, all entrance fees and local English speaking guides.

The highlights of the itinerary include:

*Siem Reap – see the fabled temples of Angkorm the ancient capital of the Khmer empire. A tour of the temples includes the South Gate of Angkor Thorn, the famous Bayon, Baphoun, the Terrace of Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King.
*The magnificent 12th century Angjor Wat
*See the sunrise over Siem Reap and Angjor Temples
*Visit Srah Srang, Banteay Kdei, Chau Say Tevoda, Thommanon and the fabulous Ta Prohm Temple
*Tonle Sap River - visit a local village and embark on a local boat for a cruise on the great lake, Tonle Sap
*Visit the Rolous Group of Temples including Preah Ko, Bakong and Lorei temples.
Package is priced on three-star accommodation option (price varies for four and five star option). Package is valid for sale and travel until 30 September, 2008. Conditions and seasonal surcharges may apply.

Creative Holidays is Australia’s leading independent holiday company with a range of holidays to suit everyone, especially those who enjoy the independence and flexibility of planning their own holiday.

Read more!

Let's promote the great Indic civilisation

‘‘You Indians have allowed yourself to forget that there is such a thing as Indic civilisation. And we are its last outpost.’’

The words were spoken to me 25 years ago by the Khmer nationalist politician and one-time prime minister Son Sann, lamenting India’s support for Vietnam in its conquest of Cambodia in 1979. To Son Sann, a venerable figure already in his late 70s, Cambodia was an Indic civilisation being overrun by the forces of a Sinic state, and he was bewildered that India, the fount of his country’s heritage, should sympathise with a people as distinctly un-Indian as the Vietnamese. Given that Vietnam’s invasion had put an end to the blood-soaked terror of the rule of the Khmer Rouge, i was more inclined to see the choice politically than in terms of civilisational heritage. But Son Sann’s words stayed with me.

They came back to mind during a recent visit to Angkor Wat, perhaps the greatest Hindu temple ever built anywhere in the world — and in Cambodia, not India. To walk past those exquisite sculptures recounting tales from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, to have the Cambodian guide explain the significance of the symbols protecting the shrine — the naga, the simha and the garuda, corresponding, he said earnestly, to today’s navy, army and air force! — and to marvel at the epic scale of a Hindu temple as impressive as the finest cathedral or mosque anywhere in the world, was also to marvel at the extraordinary reach of our culture beyond its own shores. Hinduism was brought to Cambodia by merchants and travellers more than a millennium ago, and it has long since disappeared, supplanted by a Buddhism that was also an Indian export. But at its peak it profoundly influenced the culture, music, dance and mythology of the Cambodian people.

Even today my Cambodian guide at Bayon, a few minutes’ drive from Angkor Wat, speaks with admiration of a sensibility which, in the 16th century, saw Hindus and Buddhists worship side-by-side in adjoining shrines within the same temple complex. (If only we could do that at Ayodhya, i found myself thinking.)

Perhaps Son Sann was right, and Cambodia is indeed the last outpost of Indic civilisation in a world increasingly Sinified. But what exactly does that mean? At a time when the north of India was reeling under waves of conquest and cultural stagnation, our forefathers in the south were exporting Indianness to South-east Asia. It was an anonymous task, carried out not by warrior heroes blazing across the land bearing swords of conquest, but by individuals who had come in peace, to trade, to teach and to persuade. Their impact was profound. To this day, the kings of Thailand are only crowned in the presence of Brahmin priests; the Muslims of Java still sport Sanskritic names, despite their conversion to Islam, a faith whose adherents normally bear names originating in Arabia; Garuda is Indonesia’s national airline and Ramayana its best-selling brand of clove cigars; even the Philippines has produced a pop-dance ballet about Rama’s quest for his kidnapped queen. But contemporary international politics has rendered all this much less significant than the modern indices of strategic thinking, economic interests and geopolitical affinities. India is far less important to the countries that still bear the stamp of ‘Indic’ influence than, say, China, whose significance is contemporary, rather than civilisational.

Should we care, and is there anything we can do about it? Of course we should care: no great civilisation can afford to be indifferent to the way in which it is perceived by others. But what, today, is Indic civilisation? Can we afford to anchor ourselves in a purely atavistic view of ourselves, hailing the religious and cultural heritage of our forebears without recognising the extent to which we ourselves have changed? Isn’t Indian civilisation today an evolved hybrid, that draws as much from the influence of Islam, Christianity and Sikhism, not to mention two centuries of British colonial rule? Can we speak of Indian culture today without qawwali, the poetry of Ghalib, or for that matter the game of cricket, our de facto national sport? When an Indian dons ‘national dress’ for a formal event, he wears a variant of the sherwani, which did not exist before the Muslim invasions of India. When Indian Hindus voted recently in the cynical and contrived competition to select the ‘new seven wonders’ of the modern world, they voted for the Taj Mahal constructed by a Mughal king, not for Angkor Wat, the most magnificent architectural product of their religion. So, doesn’t Indianness come ahead of the classically Indic?

I would argue in the affirmative, which brings me to the second part of the question: what can we do about it? It seems to me that we ought to be pouring far more resources into our cultural diplomacy, to project the richness of our composite culture into lands which already have a predisposition for it. I’m not a fan of propaganda, which most people tend to see for what it is: i believe the message that will really get through is of who we are, not what we want to show. But just as, in economic terms, the government must provide the basic infrastructure and let the private sector get on with actual ventures, so, too, in the field of cultural promotion, the government has to create the showcases which individual Indians can then proceed to fill.

The Nehru Centre in London is a great asset for India, but why on earth is there only one such centre? We should have them in Cambodia, in Indonesia, in Thailand, in Malaysia, and for that matter in South Africa, in Nigeria, in Brazil, in Canada. Once they exist, they can serve as a catalyst for locals and visiting Indians to perform, speak, sing, argue and screen their work, thus enabling others to see the products of our civilisation, the multi-religious identities of our people, our linguistic diversity, the myriad manifestations of our creative energies. Then we can speak of a civilisation that is ‘Indic’ in its heritage, Indian in its contemporary relevance. Read more!

Companies to invest more in oil, gas exploration in Block B, Cambodia

The Singapore Petroleum Company (Cambodia) Limited (SPC) and its two partners said here on Friday that they will invest another 2.5 million U.S. dollars progressively in oil and gas exploration in Block B in off-sea Cambodia.

"We are interested in exploring oil and gas in Block B," said Lim Beng See, who is in charge of investor relation and communication for SPC.

So far, SPC and its two partners, the PTTEP International Limited and the Resourceful Petroleum Limited, have invested about one million U.S. dollars in Block B, he said.

"We don't know how many barrels of oil and gas there are, yet we are at the exploration stage in Block B," he added.

Block B is located in the Gulf of Thailand, some 250 kilometers off the coast of Cambodia. Is located to the southeast of the Khmer Basin, where a number of oil and gas discoveries have been made, said a SPC statement.

Each company has one-third of the shares in Block B in accordance with the approval of the Cambodian National Petroleum Authority (CNPA), it added.

Investors from early 10 countries have been trying to find oil and gas in Block A to F near the seashore of Cambodia in the past decade, but none of them starts production yet.

Cambodia is preparing a draft law for oil and gas management and expects to get benefits from oil and gas in 2010.

Millions of barrels of oil and gas are estimated to lie beneath the sea southwest to Cambodia.

Source:Xinhua Read more!