By Christopher Cox
Travel + Leisure
(Travel + Leisure) -- Ancient Siem Reap, a stone's throw from Angkor Wat, introduces a new way to design a hotel: with just one bedroom. Christopher Cox checks into the One to see if it offers singular service that lives up to its name
THE OVERVIEW Home to the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, Amansara, and the up-and-coming Hôtel de la Paix, Siem Reap is no stranger to luxury. But the new One Hotel Angkor is putting a modern spin on the concept with something the town has never seen before -- a one-room hotel. Think of it as your own stylish pied-à-terre. While the row house's wooden jalousies, potted plants and thatched roof are straight out of a Graham Greene novel, the neighborhood itself is of the moment, with art galleries, a day spa and owner Martin Dishman's funky lounge, Linga Bar, just across the street. 415/992-5431 or 855-12/755-311; www.theonehotelangkor.com; $250 a night.
THE PENTHOUSE The second story's shaded breakfast area overlooks the cobblestoned street; an open-air Jacuzzi is screened by yellow palms. There's also a queen-size day (or night) bed. Just mind the low-hanging ceiling fan.
THE SERVICE An alfresco massage? Done. A private car and guide to the ruins? No problem. The best caipirinha in town? Coming right up the stairs. Staff members are shared with the nearby Linga Bar, so there are occasional delays -- but there are four of them to each one of you.
THE MASTER BEDROOM A curvaceous, king-size platform bed, custom-made from phdeak wood, dominates the 320-square-foot space. We love the slide-out night tables built into the base of the bed, and the angled, five-foot-high headboard, which offers ideal support for viewing the 32-inch flat-screen television.
THE BATHROOM Everything is built for two: a doorless, three-foot-wide shower; a seven-foot-long step-in tub; and a vanity (set into the back of the bed) with deep twin sinks. Harnn & Thann's spa-quality lemongrass soap and aromatherapy shampoo are a nice local touch.
THE AMENITIES It's all about you in a one-room hotel. Guests are issued a complimentary mobile phone while in residence; order from any area restaurant (menus are provided), and a staffer will fetch your meal for you. Of course, certain services (such as turndown slippers and morning pastries) are automatic.
THE AREA The One is set on the Passage, a pedestrians-only lane between the souklike Psar Chas (Old Market) and rowdy Pub Street, in the heart of the former Colonial Quarter. For tranquillity, try Amansara; at the One, you're knee-deep in city flavor.
THE DESIGN Accessories are a mix of the international (iPod, egg chairs) and the indigenous (artisan Sopheap Pich's split-bamboo lamp; designer Eric Raisina's hand-loomed silk pillows). A side table-closet cleverly brackets the bed, though the drawers are a bit cramped. And the room's multiple levels could present an after-dark challenge. (T+L Global Hotel Guide)
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Friday, January 05, 2007
Cambodia hotel: It's the One
Commercial area opens in Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia border
Fourteen projects have been allocated land, and construction has started on nine of them.
Embattled Cambodia prince postpones his day in court
By DPA
Jan 5, 2007, 12:45 GMT
Phnom Penh - Embattled Cambodian politician Prince Norodom Ranariddh skipped a scheduled court appearance Friday after his lawyer applied for a delay to ensure other sacked former royalist Funcinpec Party colleagues could appear with him.
Ranariddh was ousted as president of the governing coalition partner Funcinpec along with a number of prominent loyalists in an October 18 party election result engineered by his bitter rival, Funcinpec secretary-general Nhek Bun Chhay.
The prince has filed a complaint with the Phnom Penh Municipal Court claiming the election was unconstitutional and as such, the royalist Funcinpec Party is illegal and therefore ineligible to compete in the April commune elections under its current leadership.
'Today the prince was in Kampong Cham province. He still plans to go to the court but asked to delay because he wants all sacked Funcinpec leaders to be present and he wants to face Nhek Bun Chhay personally in the court,' the prince's spokesman Ork Socheat said by telephone.
Socheat also confirmed that Ranariddh, who chose to leave Funcinpec rather than accept the title of 'historical president' left to him by the party's new regime, and form his own Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), had visited US Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph Mussomeli Thursday.
'The prince met with the US ambassador because the NRP will use all means to protect our party because, as you know, on October 18 a group dared to topple Ranariddh from Funcinpec and now we seek any means of support for justice,' Socheat said.
In a speech broadcast on national radio Friday, Prime Minister Hun Sen reiterated previous warnings that anyone plotting a coup against him would be arrested in their homes, but the reference appeared general and not aimed at any party or person in particular.
Ranariddh, whose slide from power began with his resignation as National Assembly chief last year, also faces a barrage of counter lawsuits from Nhek Bun Chhay, including charges that he embezzled millions of dollars from the party earned by the sale of Funcinpec headquarters.
Ranariddh has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated mudslinging. However, his resignation from Funcinpec to form his own party meant he was stripped of his parliamentary seat and therefore political immunity and if convicted he potentially faces jail.
Analysts have given Ranariddh little chance of winning his suit against the legality of the new Funcinpec leadership, which is headed by former Cambodian Ambassador to Germany Keo Puth Rasmei, pointing out that the election results have already been ratified by the Ministry of Interior.
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Roundup: Cambodia cherishes ambition to tap potential of rice production
As its rice production chalked up an harvest again in 2006, Cambodia, a traditional agricultural country with rice as its major crop and staple food, has been fueling its dream to build a rice exporters' coalition in order to share more profits and procure economic power.
The kingdom's rice production rose to six million tons in 2006, five percent higher than 2005, according to the Cambodian Sin Chew Daily on Thursday.
Market also responded positively in 2006 as rice price jumped to a range between 120 U.S. dollars and 135 U.S. dollars per ton, while seeds of top-quality fragrant rice were sold at 180 U.S. dollars per ton, the paper quoted statistics form Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries as saying.
However, Pu Kea, Chairman of the Rice Hulling Mills' Association in Battambang province, told reporters that huge profits went to the exporters from Malaysia, Singapore and African countries, while the farmers and the mill owners could only make limited incomes from simple processing procedures.
"They don't have enough money to run export business," Pu Kea said.
Pu Kea found echo with Prime Minister Hun Sen, in his perception of the kingdom's awkward situation of surrendering profits to foreigners instead of its own planters and processors.
Back to Dec. 20, 2006, as part of his efforts to turn the table, Hun Sen called on Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam to join hands with Cambodia to form an association of rice exporting countries to stabilize rice price and share more profits from rice sales.
An association of the rice exporting countries along the Mekong River could be important for the world market, he said, adding that the association was somewhat like the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
The association could have said in rice price adjustment and play a role in balancing OPEC's influence, he said.
"If they want cheaper rice, then they should decrease oil prices," he added.
According to official statistics, Cambodia planned to export 1. 5 million tons of rice in 2006. Annual rice exports in the region of the Mekong River stand at over 10 million tons, almost half of the world's annual rice exports.
Source: Xinhua
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Parties joining Cambodia's commune councils election up to 12
Another party submitted its candidates' registration forms for Cambodia's 2007 commune councils election, bring the number of participating parties up to 12, the National Election Council (NEC) said on Thursday.
The new participant, Cambodian Progress Party, will compete in one commune in one province, according to a press release from NEC.
Before its entry, 11 political parties have submitted their candidates' registration forms, NEC said earlier on Thursday.
These political parties are Cambodian People's Party (CPP), Funcinpec Party, Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), Norodom Ranariddh Party, Khmer Democratic Party, Sangkum Jatiniyum Front Party, League for Democracy Party, Hang Dara Democratic Movement Party, Khmer National Party, Democratic Society Party and United People of Cambodia Party, it said.
CPP is to compete in 1,621 communes in 24 provinces or municipalities, Funcinpec in 763 communes in 23 provinces or municipalities, SRP in 992 communes in 23 provinces or municipalities, Norodom Ranariddh Party in 769 communes in 22 provinces or municipalities, and Khmer Democratic Party in 30 communes in seven provinces or municipalities, it said.
In addition, Sangkum Jatiniyum Front Party in 42 communes in 10 provinces or municipalities, League for Democracy Party in 11 communes in five provinces, Hang Dara Democratic Movement Party in 47 communes in four provinces, Khmer National Party in two communes in one province, Democratic Society Party in one commune, and United People of Cambodia in four communes in three provinces, it added.
The 2007 commune councils election's process started on Sept. 21, 2006, and will end on May 23, 2007. April 1 will be the polling day, ballot counting, and publishing of results at polling stations.
Source: Xinhua
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Cambodia's ex-king regrets continued violence, sex abuse in his country
The Associated Press
Thursday, January 4, 2007
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia's retired King Norodom Sihanouk bemoaned killings, child sexual abuse and other violent crimes in his country, in a New Year message to his fellow citizens.
Sihanouk, 84, said he has been "very perturbed morally and psychologically" by such acts as jealous husbands killing their wives, women cutting off their partners' penises and jealous women throwing acid at their husbands' mistresses.
The former king, who is being treated for various ailments in Beijing, implored fellow Cambodians to refrain from violence.
"Please stop acid throwing, killings ... pedophilia, rape," he said in his handwritten message dated Monday and seen on his official Web site Friday.
Sihanouk also took aim at the pedophiles, who "maltreat, torture, kill children." The message was written in French.
"All these crimes or acts of cruelty are anti-Buddhist and dishonor our country, nation and race," Sihanouk said. "They are unacceptable."
He did not mention any specific incidents. Sex offenses against minors remain a major problem in the impoverished Southeast Asian country, and many of the abusers are foreigners preying on poor children.
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Thursday, January 04, 2007
Clarksville man arrested in Cambodia for chile sex crime
Roger Green, 59 of Clarksville, sits in a Cambodian jail, but his family feels a misunderstanding about generosity put him there.
Cambodia to get 31 mln USD donation for fighting malaria
Wednesday Jan. 03, 2007
The Global Fund has approved to donate 31 million U.S. dollars for Cambodia to fight against malaria from 2008 to 2012, a senior Cambodian official said on Wednesday.
Doung Socheat, director of National Center for Parasiteology, Entomology and Malaria Control, told Xinhua by phone here that the part of the fund will be used by Ministry of Women's Affairs and Veterans for educating women about malaria and gender.
Part of the fund will be used by Ministry of National Defense to take care of soldiers living in malaria-affected areas, and part of it will be used to fight against fake malaria medicines, buy bed nets and medicines for poor people, and promote awareness for prevention of malaria, said Socheat. The fund will be handed over to the health NGOs which are involved in malaria programs, he added.
In 2006, malaria was found on some 70,000 Cambodians and over 240 of them died, said Socheat, adding that the infection rate was down by more than 1 percent from 2005.
The victims were usually men from 15 to 49 years old, who went into deep forests for logging, land clearing and crop planting to support their families, he said.
Among all the provinces, Kompong Speu, Battambang, Rattanakiri, Modulkiri, Preah Vihear, Bantey Meanchey, and Oddar Meanchey saw more victims of malaria in 2006, he added.
Source: Xinhua
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11 parties to compete in Cambodia's commune council elections
Eleven political parties have submitted their candidates registration forms for the 2007 commune councils election, a press release from the National Election Council (NEC) said on Thursday.
These political parties are Cambodian People's Party (CPP), Funcinpec Party, Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), Norodom Ranariddh Party, Khmer Democratic Party, Sangkum Jatiniyum Front Party, League for Democracy Party, Hang Dara Democratic Movement Party, Khmer National Party, Democratic Society Party and United People of Cambodia Party, it said.
CPP is to compete in 1,621 communes in 24 provinces or municipalities, Funcinpec in 763 communes in 23 provinces or municipalities, SRP in 992 communes in 23 provinces or municipalities, Norodom Ranariddh Party in 769 communes in 22 provinces or municipalities, and Khmer Democratic Party in 30 communes in seven provinces or municipalities, it said.
In addition, Sangkum Jatiniyum Front Party in 42 communes in 10 provinces or municipalities, League for Democracy Party in 11 communes in five provinces, Hang Dara Democratic Movement Party in 47 communes in four provinces, Khmer National Party in two communes in one province, Democratic Society Party in one communes in one province, and United People of Cambodia in four communes in three provinces, it added.
The NEC is scheduled to publicize the candidates registration lists for the 2007 commune councils election later on Thursday.
The 2007 commune councils election's process started on Sept. 21, 2006, and will end on May 23, 2007. April 1, will be the polling day, ballot counting, and publishing of results at polling stations.
Source: Xinhua
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Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Learn how Asia is changing the world
January 2, 2007
CORDILLERA - What do Korea's broadband revolution, Singapore's massive investment in biotechnology and China's growing economic and military strength have in common? They are all evidence of how changes in Asia will transform the world as we know it, in ways we would not expect. The Vail Symposium's Hot Topic series kicks off Thursday presenting insights on these current events and explaining how Asia is changing the world.
Asia Society Executive Vice President Jamie Metzl will lead the discussion from 5:30-7:15 p.m. at Chaparral, Cordillera Valley Club, in Edwards. Metzl is an expert on Asian history and politics. His government appointments have included deputy staff director and senior counselor of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, senior coordinator for international public information and director for multilateral and humanitarian affairs on the National Security Council. At the White House, he coordinated U.S. government international public-information campaigns for Iraq, Kosovo and other crises.
A Khmer speaker, he was a human rights officer for the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia from 1991 to 1993, where he helped establish a nationwide human rights investigation and monitoring unit for Cambodia. Metzl has appeared widely on national media, including "Meet the Press" and the "Today" show.
He is the author of a book on human rights in Southeast Asia, as well as the novel "The Depths of the Sea." His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Foreign Affairs and many other publications. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a co-chair of the Board of the Partnership for a Secure America and a former White House Fellow.
He holds a doctorate in Southeast Asian history from Oxford University, a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School, and is a magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown University. Metzl's presentation is the inaugural event of a new partnership between the Vail Symposium and the international organization the Asia Society.
The Asia Society is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization dedicated to strengthening relationships and deepening understanding among the peoples of Asia and the United States. The society provides a forum for building awareness of the more than 30 countries broadly defined as the Asia-Pacific region - the area from Japan to Iran - and from Central Asia to New Zealand and the Pacific islands.
The organization presents the uniqueness and diversity of Asia through art exhibitions and performances, films, lectures, seminars and conferences, publications and assistance to the media, and materials and programs for students and teachers.Metzl's presentation will take place Thursday at Chaparral, Cordillera Valley Club, in Edwards (near Singletree).
Admission to this event is $20 for Vail Symposium supporters and $25 for all others. Light hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar will be available from 5:30-6 p.m., followed by Metzl's lecture from 6-7:15 p.m.. For more information or to make reservations, visit www.vailsymposium.org or call (970) 476-0954.
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Cambodian honour for Swaminathan
Special Correspondent
CHENNAI: The Royal Government of Cambodia has awarded the Sahametrei Medal to M.S. Swaminathan, agriculture scientist, in recognition of his contributions to the revival of rice research and development in Cambodia in the 1980s.
The medal was also in recognition of Dr. Swaminathan's work that led to the establishment and strengthening of the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI).
The presentation of the medal was to be held in Cambodia in the second week of January.
Dr. Swaminathan expressed his inability to receive the medal in view of his other preoccupations. Recalling his association with Cambodia, the agriculture scientist said he had trained a large number of Cambodians. Recently, the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation prepared a food security atlas, which was adopted by the Cambodian Government as its official document.
Calling for strengthening ties with Cambodia, Dr. Swaminathan said there was a lot to share with such countries, considering the fact that Cambodia too was a rice-raising nation.
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Tourist arrivals in Cambodia up 20 percent in 2006
Cambodia's tourist arrivals went up 20 percent in 2006 from 2005, recording a third straight year of increase for its tourism sector, the Cambodian Daily reported on Wednesday.
During 2006, some 1.7 million tourists visited Cambodia, pumping 1.4 billion U.S. dollars into the country's economy, equivalent to 12 percent of the kingdom's GDP, Tourism Ministry's Secretary of State Thong Khon told the newspaper on Tuesday.
In 2005 and 2004, 1.4 million and 1 million tourists respectively visited Cambodia, according to the Tourism Ministry. "This has been a good year because there were no obstacles [to tourism] such as SARS or bird flu," Khon said of 2006, adding that he expects the number of visitors in 2007 to increase by a further 20 percent.
The main Cambodian attraction in 2006 remained Angkor archeological complex in Siem Reap province, with Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville as well as Ratanakkiri and Stung Treng provinces getting some visitors, he said.
By October 2006, more than 650,000 people had visited Siem Reap, accounting for nearly half of all tourist arrivals in Cambodia, according to Tourism Ministry statistics. However, the Ministry estimated that more than one fifth of tourism-sector revenue in 2006 went abroad due to remittances by foreign companies and consumption of imports such as gasoline and luxury foods, Thong Khon said.
Such revenue "leakage" was down by 30 percent from 2005 and was projected to continue dropping as Cambodia supplied more of the foods consumed by foreign visitors, he added.
Source: Xinhua
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Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Cambodia say Anti-corruption laws delayed by foreigners
Last Updated 03/01/2007, 00:50:59
The Cambodian Government says its efforts to implement an anti-corruption law have been delayed by international organisations. Last week, nearly 200-thousand Cambodians signed a petition calling for the government to pass its long-awaited anti-corruption law. Cambodians have now been waiting more than ten years for the law to be enacted.
But Om Yienting, Head of the Head of Cambodia's Anti-Corruption Unit, says the government has been attempting to implement the law for a number of years.
He says delays are being caused by international organisations objecting to elements of the draft law. And when the national assembly sent back to the government... the same NGO, the same foreigner country starts to involve, to review everything. When someone blocks this procedure and says please go ahead, what can we do?
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Tennessee man arrested in Cambodia on child sex charges
Last Updated: 1/2/2007 10:07:56 AM
A Tennessee man is accused of sex crimes in Cambodia with girls ages 11 and 12.Authorities there say 59-year-old Roger Dale Green was with the two girls when police raided his hotel room in Phnom Penh. Authorities did not say where in Tennessee Green is from.Green is charged with debauchery, which covers child sex abuse. Green was arrested yesterday and denied the allegations.
Lax law enforcement and poverty have made Cambodia a destination for foreigners seeking sex with minors. But police have recently stepped up their efforts to fight the crime.
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Monday, January 01, 2007
Cambodian mine victim, clearing land to save others
Khoeun Sokhorn, Cambodia’s only female amputee deminer, shows how she prepares ground before removing mines. However, in the first 11 months of 2006 that figure fell to 418, a drop of 50 per cent on the same period last year. Rupert Leighton, the country manager of the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), said more land was being cleared and police were enforcing a ban on trade in ordnance for scrap.
Her foot had been blown off entirely, most of her calf was a bloody mess and within half an hour she was in agony. "I wanted to die," said the mother of a two-year-old daughter. "Giving birth is not as painful as that and is just pain for a few days. My leg hurt for two months."
Vietnam-Cambodia-Thailand tours to open
Phu Quoc Island
The land tour will begin from Rach Gia city of Kien Giang province through Xaphia border gate of Ha Tien to Sihanoukville city of Cambodia and end in Kathaburi province of Thailand.
The sea tour by high-speed cruise ships will start from Rach Gia city to Phu Quoc island of Vietnam and end in Kathaburi province. A recent survey says that travel firms of Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand have agreed on the land and sea routes.
These tours will be opened because “The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has planned to turn Kien Giang province into a national tourism site due to its great tourism potential,” explained Mr Hoang.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
TWIN BANGKOK BOMBING WAVES KILL 2; New Year's Eve Countdown cancelled
(BangkokPost.com)
Two people died and more than 30 were wounded including six foreigners as two waves of at least nine bombs and grenades exploded in Bangkok at nightfall and again at midnight. Authorities cancelled all public New Year's Eve parties in Bangkok. Outdoor parties were also cancelled in Chiang Mai, although no disturbance was reported in the northern city. After a first wave of six coordinated explosions, three other bombs went off at midnight - one at the famous Khao San Road area for budget travellers, and two near the site of what was to have been the nation's biggest New Year's Eve party, normally telecast live around Thailand and overseas.
Seven people, including six foreigners, were injured in the second bombings just before midnight, although the cancellation of the New Year's Eve celebrations kept the toll down, police said. After the midnight bombings, the Bangkok city administration cancelled the annual New Year's dawn ceremony to present alms to monks at Sanam Luang.Instead of half a million people at the second wave of bombing, there were only relatively few passers-by in the area in front of the shuttered Central World store, formerly known as the World Trade Centre.
The worst bomb was at a nearby seafood restaurant, where three foreigners were badly hurt, including one whose leg was torn off by the blast. Another bomb "exploded in a telephone booth opposite Central World Plaza," where the Bangkok Countdown 2007 was to have taken place, said Pol Col Vanlop Patummaung. "The injured have been sent to the police hospital," he said.
"Six foreigners and one Thai were injured. We don't know when the bomb was placed there, because we had carefully searched the area before the party. Another bomb exploded on a pier that sits on the klong (canal) beside the plaza at the same time, just before midnight, but no injuries were immediately reported, he said.
Bangkok authorities ordered all public New Year's Eve parties cancelled after the first six explosions. Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin appeared at the huge Bangkok Countdown 2006 venue and told the crowd to "go home and stay in peace."There had been confusion for an hour over whether New Year's parties would be permitted after the bombing. New Year's is the biggest public party in Thailand. The national government indicated celebrations might proceed including - especially - the massive and internationally famous New Year's Countdown outdoors party attended by upwards of half a million people outside CentralWorld near Siam Square in central Bangkok.
Police Commissioner Kowit Wattana, at a televised news conference, said, "Don't be afraid, but be careful," and urged Bangkokians not to cancel New Year's Eve plans.But the capital was extremely tense. All major department stores, due to stay open until late for holiday shopping, were all shut by 8 p.m. including the luxury Emporium and Paragon stores in the main tourist areas of Sukhumvit and Siam Square. Central, the biggest Thai department store operator, closed its stores. Many would-be party-goers headed for home, either because the party mood has faded, or because they were unwilling to risk a public party.
By the time Mr Apirak personally ordered the Countdown to halt, the mood was off anyhow. Earlier, government spokesman Yongyuth Malyalarp said the capital should remain calm and alert, and keep an eye out for unusual activity. He said police had been ordered on high alert. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said people hoping to celebrate the new year should avoid crowded areas. During a visit to a hospital where some of the victims were taken for treatment, the prime minster said the government will do all it can to prevent further trouble. The situation is under control, he said.
There were six explosions in various parts of the capital. Two were reported near the Klong Toey market, where a 61-year-old man was killed, and near a bus stop at the busy Victory Monument, where a man was killed and more than a dozen other people wounded.Graphic footage shown on television showed damaged vehicles and blood-stained streets and pavements. TV reports said a man was seen throwing a grenade off a pedestrian overpass near a police box in the Saphan Kwai area of Bangkok, injuring several people in the explosion.
At Seacon Square in eastern Bangkok, Asia's largest mall, an explosion in the outdoor parking lot sent hundreds of shoppers scrambling, but no injurites were reported.Shoppers who called BangkokPost. com said the mall was evacuated and shuttered for the night. Another explosion was reported from Sukhumvit Soi 62, a major intersection with the capital's main expressway system in southeast Bangkok, and another in suburban Nonthaburi province north of the city centre."There was no warning. It is quite shocking. We've got at least one child very seriously injured in my area and others are injured," said Police Maj-Gen Anand Srisiran, chief of Metropolitan Police District Five.
Witnesses told police in some places that they saw people throwing what looked to be grenades shortly before the explosions. The coordinated attacks are unprecedented in Bangkok. However, political feelings have run high for more than a year, and there have been reports of political violence aimed against the military junta which ousted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra on Sept 19 - primarily the suspected burning of schools. In addition, some intelligence sources had suggested in the past two weeks that Islamist extremists leading the southern insurgency might try to spread their attacks to the capital. They have never operated out of the deep South.
The Bangkok bombings, however, bore little resemblance to bomb attacks in the South, which usually involve improvised explosive devices (IEDs) copied from the Iraq model, and set off by mobile phones, and vehicle bombs, especially in motorcycles. An intelligence source told the AFP news agency that the attacks were likely politically motivated. "The bombs are not involved with southern unrest," the source said, but did not elaborate. "It is a political issue, it is undercurrents" - the military regime's code word for pro-Thaksin elements.
The Voice of America reported a similar reaction. It quoted "Thai officials" as saying Muslim insurgents were probably not behind the New Year's Eve bombings. "Security sources said Sunday the bombings might have been politically-motivated," said the radio network.
Except for the insurgency in the four southernmost provinces, there has been no deadly political violence in Thailand for more than 14 years, when a popular protest overthrew the last military government. In that case, the violence and deaths were caused by the military government and armed forces. Martial law was lifted in Bangkok and surrounding provinces just a month ago, but the military is authorised to act when necessary.
The coup passed its 100-day anniversary on Dec 28.The junta leader and army commander, Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, is currently out of Thailand, on the Haj in Saudi Arabia, and will not return until Thursday.
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Famed Cambodian ruins face that sinking feeling
Author: Ker Munthit
Ra Pheap is a garbage sweeper at Cambodia's world-famous Angkor Wat archaeological site, and is keenly grateful for the influx of tourists to the centuries-old ruins - it's because of them that the 19-year-old has her 205,000 Cambodian riel (US$50) a month job.
Suos Samnang, a 17-year-old souvenir vendor, also knows that her livelihood is closely linked to the busloads of camera-toting foreign visitors that arrive in Siem Reap every day.
But as they witness the frenzied construction of hotels and guest houses to tap the flow of visitors' dollars in this once-quiet town, even these two poor country girls realize that the blessings of tourism are mixed ones.
"I am worried that this will cause more pollution and migration to the town. The number of people living here just keeps growing. The streets are getting more crowded now," Suos Samnang said.
And some experts are even more concerned than that. They fear the unregulated development - specifically, unrestricted local pumping of underground water to meet rapidly rising demand - may literally be undermining Angkor's foundations, destabilizing the earth beneath the famous centuries-old temples so much that they might sink and collapse.
Tourism is a key moneymaker for cash-strapped Cambodia, about one-third of whose 14 million people earn less than 2,000 riels (56 US cents) a day.
Last year, about half of the 1.4 million visitors who came to Cambodia went to see the Angkor monuments, architectural masterpieces built at the height of the Khmer empire from the ninth to the 15th centuries. Total tourist arrivals for Cambodia in 2005 were an impressive 34.7 percent above 2004's figures.
The steady boom has already transformed Siem Reap into a bustling town filled with luxury hotels and vehicles. Its streets are adorned with billboards promoting the latest mobile phones, pizza and burger joints and shopping malls. Several notable old buildings have been razed to make way for visitors' lodgings, and honky-tonk strips have sprung up catering to low-budget travelers.
"The identity Siem Reap had for centuries is gradually disappearing, or maybe almost disappeared," said Teruo Jinnai, director in Cambodia of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and a 10-year resident of the country. "You have restaurants, massage parlors, hotels, and it's very sad to see that."
Culture shock aside, the health and quality of life of many of its 120,000 residents is imperiled by the boom, as is plain to see when traffic snarls the roads and streets get flooded by rain because of clogged sewers.
"This tremendous growth added to population increase has been exacerbating pressure on infrastructure," said a World Bank report on Cambodia's tourism sector last year. "Energy, water, sewage and waste are all significant problems."
It noted that hotels are not legally required to have sewage treatment facilities, though larger ones do have their own plants.
"But most guesthouses reportedly dump used water directly into the river, causing noticeable river pollution," it said, adding that E. coli, the bacteria found in human feces, has reportedly begun seeping into local wells.
At least as threatening over the long run is the uptake of water, with unrestricted pumping from the water table underlying the area.
"Water is being drawn from 70-80 meters underground by hotels and treated for use," warned the World Bank, noting that no one was quite certain how this affects the aquifers, or underground layers of rocks and sand, from which it is pumped.
Already though, "one of Angkor's temples is reportedly falling into a sinkhole, suggesting that the underground aquifers may be rapidly disappearing," said the report.
Japanese Ambassador Fumiaki Takahashi, whose country has drawn up a development master plan for Siem Reap to deal with the tourism boom, said most of its hotels are pumping underground water for their own use, "and there is no control."
It is the Cambodian government's "urgent task" to control the practice, he said, because "if you take too much water, it might affect the Angkor site. In the long run, the underground water will go down and the site would sink."
The plan of the Japan International Cooperation Agency calls for tapping underground water from near Phnom Kraom, a hill near the edge of the Tonle Sap lake about 12 kilometers south of the town, to avoid depletion of Siem Reap's underground water and reduce the risk of endangering the fragile temples, he said.
Deputy Tourism Minister Thong Khon said the government is ready to accept the master plan to address existing problems and accommodate future growth.
He sees a bright future for Siem Reap, in which the province won't just be a destination for touring the temples but will also become a hub providing air links for tourists to enjoy the sandy beaches of southwestern Cambodia and eco-tourism in the jungles of the northeast.
He envisions that by promoting a diversity of destinations, the crowds will be distributed around the country, and the Angkor temples won't get "too jammed up."
Meanwhile, though, the tourist hordes continue to tramp through fabled Angkor Wat and its satellite temples of Angkor Thom, Bayon, Ta Prohm and Bakheng. Even at the lesser-known 10th-century Bakheng temple, an average of 3,000 tourists climb the 67 meters just in the two hours before dusk each day to view the spectacular sunset.
Ra Pheap, the 19-year-old sweeper, said she knows the onslaught could damage the delicate monuments.
She is employed by a Cambodian company that sells entry tickets to the temple site, and the visitors there are essentially paying her salary.
With her earnings, she has reduced her family's reliance on rice farming and been able to help pay for Japanese-language classes for her younger brother and sister.
"I want them to become tour guides because I am confident more tourists will visit here," she said.
Fundraiser aims to help girl in Cambodia
About two years ago, her case came to the attention of Western aid workers. Doctors determined her leg muscles work and that with surgery and physical therapy, Leam should be able to walk.
When Leam arrives, local Cambodian families will take care of her until she is admitted to Shriners and while she is an outpatient.
This is not the first time Medicorps has brought a Cambodian teenager to Hawaii.
After three operations in Cambodia, 10 surgeries in Hawaii and physical therapy, Ouey returned to Cambodia in 2001. He is now a student and part-time worker at the Angkor Hospital for Children in Siem Reap.
King Norodom Sihamoni returned from internaional visits
Cambodian king Norodom Sihamoni returned to Cambodia Sunday from a series of international visits in time to see in the International New Year from his palace in the capital. The king's return followed an international tour which took in Germany, France and China and also included time spent with his father, former king Norodom Sihanouk, who continues to undergo routine medical tests in Beijing.
Sihanouk, who turned 84 this year, abdicated in favour of his son, King Sihamoni, in October 2004 citing his age and a range of health complaints including colon cancer and diabetes. Sihamoni arrived at Phnom Penh International Airport late afternoon local time and was greeted by a number of dignitaries before proceeding straight to his palace, located in the heart of the capital.
Although International New Year is celebrated in Cambodia it is a relatively low-key event in the mainly Buddhist country, which celebrates its own Cambodian New Year in April. Sihamoni's latest international trip had seen him absent from Cambodia since November.
© 2006 DPA
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