Cambodia drug-resistant malaria stirs health fears

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PAILIN, Cambodia (Reuters) - In a dusty village near the Thai-Cambodia border, 24-year-old Oeur Samoeun sits on a dark green hammock recovering from a strain of malaria that has resisted the most powerful drugs available.

Ravaged by days of fever and chills, he is considered lucky: the parasite has left his body. But for many others, the potentially deadly disease never quite disappears.

His province of Pailin is the epicentre of strains of malaria that have baffled healthcare experts worldwide, raising fears a dangerous new form of malaria could already be spreading across the globe.

"The fear is what we're observing right now could be the starting point for something worse regionally and globally," said Dr. Charles Delacollette, Mekong Malaria Programme Coordinator at the World Health Organisation.

A new England Journal of Medicine study last year showed that conventional malaria-fighting treatments derived from artemisinin took almost twice as long to clear the parasites that cause the disease in patients in Pailin and others in northwestern Thailand, suggesting the drugs were losing potency in the area.

That is echoed by U.S. development agency USAID, which says artemisinin-based combination therapy is "now taking two to three times longer to kill malaria parasites along the Thai-Cambodian border than elsewhere." The agency has helped to monitor the situation in the area for years.

The disease transmitted via mosquito bites kills more than 1 million people worldwide each year and children account for about 90 percent of the deaths in the worst affected areas of sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia.

The studies shine a spotlight on the remote province of Pailin, a former stronghold of ultra-communist Khmer Rogue rebels and once reknown for blood-red rubies and lush forests.

MULTIPLIED AND DISPERSED

Pailin is the origin of three drug-resistant malaria parasites over the past five decades. Thanks to prolonged civil conflict, dense jungles and movement of mass migrants in the gem mines in the 1980s and 90s, the strains multiplied and dispersed through Myanmar, India and two eventually reached Africa.

Few can say why it is a hotbed for drug-resistant malaria but experts point to a combination of sociological factors and a complicated history spanning the Khmer Rouge era when 1.7 million people, nearly a quarter of Cambodia's population, perished from execution, overwork or torture during their 1975-79 rule.

Driven from the capital, the rebels waged an insurgency from western Cambodia with Pailin one of their last holdouts until their defeat in the late 1990s.

"During the Khmer Rouge era, people came here illegally and when they get malaria, they go to the market, buy pills and self-medicate," Sophal Uth, a Pailin-based field officer for non-profit Malaria Consortium said. "It was difficult for the government to control."

With weak public health infrastructure and rising malaria cases, Cambodia made malaria drugs available over the counter more than a decade ago. Most Cambodians don't have access to public health services and rely on private medical centres.

The strategy carried risks. Easy access reduced the number of cases but also led to incorrect dosages and substandard or counterfeit medicine, which instead of killing the parasites only make them stronger.

For some like Oeur, a migrant worker who likely caught malaria on a logging trip or while sleeping in his rickety shed without a mosquito net, artemisinin-based medicine still works.

Artemisinin, derived from the sweet wormwood, or Artemisia annua plant, is the best drug available against malaria, especially when used in artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) medicines made by firms such as Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG and France's Sanofi-Aventis.

MOST HAVE HAD MALARIA

After three days of ACT, Oeur is weak but parasite-free.

The Mekong River region of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos use ACTs against the "falciparum" parasite, the most severe form of malaria, as suggested by the World Health Organisation.

"Artemisinin is the most effective antimalarial we have left," Dr. Chansuda Wongsrichanalai of USAID's office of public health in Bangkok said. "We don't have any ideal alternatives available and ready to for use in a control programme right now."

Pailin's gem mines are gone and so are most foreign migrants and the troops. Severe deforestation has left most hill tops barren. Yet the parasites are as virulent as ever. Most of its inhabitants have had malaria at least once in their lives.

Malaria experts, weary of being called alarmists, are quick to point out ACTs still work -- they are just taking longer. The WHO isn't even calling it drug-resistance, they preferred to use the term "altered response" or "tolerance to artemisinin."

"From a public health perspective, I don't think it really matters much if it's resistance or something else given that at the end of the month, patients are returning to the health facility with the same malaria," Dr. John MacArthur, chief of the President's Malaria Initiative at the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Potential fallout from ACT resistance led the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund a $22.5 million (15 million pound) containment programme. Cambodia will also receive $102 million from The Global Fund to fight malaria in the next five years.

The Gates Foundation programme aims to use screening, bed nets and grass-roots muscle to contain the parasites along the border area and eliminate them before they can spread further.

Last November, Malaria Consortium said studies show artemisinin resistance already may be present in Myanmar, China and Vietnam, where between 12-31 percent of patients still had the parasite in the system after three days of treatment.

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CAMBODIA: War crimes court juggles public demands

PHNOM PENH, 10 March 2010 (IRIN) - Competing pressures in Cambodia's Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal could work against the victims it is supposed to represent, human rights groups warn.

Since its establishment in 2006, the UN-backed tribunal has sought to provide a greater voice to victims of the regime, while at the same time expediting a legal process bogged down by delays. As a result, the court decided last month to filter the representation of all victims through two lawyers because of the high number of applicants seeking to participate in the second case.

Known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) [http://www.eccc.gov.kh/], the tribunal includes a "civil party" system designed to give lay people an official role to provide testimony, question suspects and request reparations.

More than 4,000 people applied and about 250 had been accepted by the end of last year. By contrast, just 90 civil parties participated in the tribunal's first case.

Court delays

In the tribunal's first case last year against the regime's most notorious prison chief, Kaing Guek Eav, civil parties were represented by four legal teams, giving victims a strong presence in the courtroom.

But participation was often muddled by repetitive and irrelevant questions from some lawyers that steered testimony away from the core issues of the trial and slowed proceedings.

This, coupled with the ballooning number of civil parties, prompted the tribunal to seek victim participation reforms for its remaining case.

Still awaiting trial in the second case are four ageing leaders, widely considered the architects of the Khmer Rouge's vision to transform the country into an agrarian utopia. Some 1.7 million Cambodians died in the process, according to estimates.

In a 9 February ruling, the court said victims would be represented in the second case by two lead lawyers, one Cambodian and one international, whose strategy and views are supposed to reflect a consensus among the individual civil party lawyers.

"The number of Civil Party applicants, combined with the complexity, size and other unique features of the ECCC proceedings, make it necessary to adopt a new system of victim representation during the trial and appeal stage," the court said in a statement. [http://www.eccc.gov.kh/english/news.view.aspx?doc_id=336]

But while most observers recognize that the original system of individual legal representation would be impractical in the much larger second case, they warn that their diminished role could make victims feel disenfranchised.

"A lot of people's stories will be lost," says Thun Saray, president of the local rights group Adhoc. "The victims have an important role to play and this gives them a smaller role."

Applications limited

The charges against the suspects in detention are restricted to particular crime sites, which means prospective cases pertaining to other sites will not be able to participate in the trial.

"It's common in all courts dealing with crimes of this magnitude to limit the investigation to a representative sample of all the crimes committed because of time and resource constraints," court spokesman Lars Olsen told IRIN.

While the court's investigation into the second case began in 2007, the public was not told which sites were involved until last November – leaving them little time before the deadline in January.

"I think it will be a very big problem when many of the victims who want to be civil parties are told the crimes against them don't apply [to the trial]," said Sok Sam Oeun, director of the Cambodian Defender's Project [see: http://www.cdpcambodia.org/] , a legal aid group. "Many didn't know about the guidelines until very late."

The court, in turn, says victims should not regard their status in the court as an official judgment of their suffering.

"It's a technical decision as to how they relate to the particular cases," Helen Jarvis, head of the court's Victims' Support Section, told IRIN.

"Even if they're not designated a civil party, their information is valuable to the court's investigation of the systematic nature of the crimes. There is bound to be some disappointment but they should not feel there are first-class victims and second-class victims." Read more!

JETRO opens office in Cambodia to promote trade, business ties+

PHNOM PENH, March 10 (AP) - (Kyodo)—The Japan External Trade Organization officially opened its office in the Cambodian capital Wednesday to promote trade and business ties between Japan and Cambodia.

Cambodian Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh said at the opening ceremony in Phnom Penh that JETRO will play an important role in "bridging business ties" between Cambodian and Japanese businesspeople, and expressed his strong hope that two-way trade as well as and Japanese investment in Cambodia will rise in the near future.

JETRO Chairman Yasuo Hayashi said at the ceremony that the new office in Cambodia will focus not only on promoting Japanese investment in Cambodia and bilateral trade, but also on developing Cambodia's export industries.

The Japanese government-backed organization, which was set up in 1958 to promote Japanese exports, changed its charter after Japan became a major exporting country and now helps Japan's trading partners to tackle the Japanese market.

Hayashi said two-way trade between Japan and Cambodia has more than doubled over the past decade, from $104 million in 2000 to $255 million in 2009.

Japanese exports to Cambodia declined by 39.4 percent in 2009 year on year to $112 million, mainly because of the financial crisis, but imports from Cambodia grew by 18.3 percent to $143 million, he said.

Japan's main exports to Cambodia are vessels, machines and transportation equipment, and its main imports are footwear and sewn products.

Hayashi said the number of Japanese companies investing in Cambodia has increased from 36 in 2008 to 57 as of the end of January this year, a growth of over 20 in less than two years.

Cham Prasidh noted that Japan ranks 14th among foreign countries investing in the country, far behind China and South Korea which rank first and second respectively in terms of size of capital investment.

He said Cambodia can offer Japanese investors a central location in Southeast Asia, a good seaport and cheap labor.

Including the newly launched office in Phnom Penh, JETRO now has offices in eight of the 10 ASEAN countries -- all except for Brunei and Laos.

Read more!

Cambodia to preserve for tourism sites at Khmer Rouge stronghold, including Pol Pot grave

By Associated Press


Phnom Penh, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia will preserve 14 sites at the last bastion of the murderous Khmer Rouge, including the home of their leader Pol Pot, as tourist attractions, an official said Wednesday.

Following Cabinet approval last week, the sites at Anlong Veng will be protected from destruction by local people and illegal encroachment, the area's district chief Yim Phana said.

Anlong Veng, about 185 miles (300 kilometers) north of Phnom Penh, fell to government forces in 1998 after nearly 20 years of fighting.

The Khmer Rouge regime, under which an estimated 1.7 million people died from execution, disease and malnutrition, was toppled in 1979 but its guerrillas fought on in the jungles, with Anlong Veng becoming their last stronghold.

Yim Phana said the 14 sites include homes belonging to Khmer Rouge leaders, an ammunition warehouse and the grave of Pol Pot, who died in 1998.

Once a remote town, Anlong Veng is now connected by good roads to nearby Thailand and Cambodia's greatest tourist attractions, the temples of Angkor.
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Cambodian rubber exports rose 36pc last year, government says

CAMBODIA’S rubber exports to international markets increased by an annualised 36 percent in 2009, according to official figures obtained from the Department of CamControl Tuesday.

Data show that the Kingdom exported 32,871 tonnes of rubber worth about US$61 million to Vietnam through the Trapaing Thlong border in Kampong Cham province and O’Yadav crossing in Ratanakiri province last year.

Around 24,199 tonnes of rubber, worth about $45 million, were exported in 2008.

Commentators believe the real amount of rubber leaving the country may have been even higher than CamControl’s statistics, due to still-prevalent illegal smuggling.

Ly Phalla, director general of the Cambodian Rubber Plantation Department (CRP), told the Post Tuesday: “We believe that the real quantity of rubber which Cambodia exported last year would be more than what was shown in the official statistics, considering the amount of rubber plantations in the country in 2009.”

The real quantity of rubber which Cambodia exported last year would be more.

According to statistics from the CRP, Cambodia had 34,000 hectares of yielding rubber plantations in 2009.

Ly Phalla added that Cambodia may be able to harvest at least 60,000 tonnes of rubber in 2010, as 50,000 hectares of trees would reach yielding maturity this year.

However, Mork Kim Hong, president of the Cambodian Rubber Association, said he believes that although the country has produced newly yielding trees, others have been cut down and replaced with other crops.

“We agree that there are newly yielding trees, but we do not think that rubber output will be very high,” he said, adding that at present, average output at big plantations is 1.4 tonne per hectare. At smaller plantations it can be up to 2 tonnes per hectare, he said.

Nevertheless, Cambodia’s rubber exports have increased each year since crop prices on international markets increased in 2008.

In 2009, Cambodia’s rubber price was between $1,000 and $3,100 per tonne. This high price has been echoed in recent months on international markets.

According to Bloomberg, rubber futures traded in Japan have advanced 7 percent so far this year, after doubling in 2009.

Production has fallen, while global economic recovery and government stimulus measures in China and the United States have boosted demand for tyres.

Regional rise in output
Rubber output in Malaysia, the world’s third-largest grower, is set to rise by 17 percent this year as farmers boost yields to benefit from high prices, a Bloomberg report said Tuesday.

Malaysia’s Minister for Plantation Industries Bernard Dompok said that production may reach 1 million tonnes in 2010 from 856,189 tonnes last year.

India, the world’s fourth-biggest producer, increased production by 6.7 percent last month after record prices prompted farmers to boost yields in the main growing region, the state-operated rubber board said.

Predictions that rubber production will continue to be on the rise worldwide during this year have also been echoed by the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries, an organisation of which Cambodia is the newest member following admission last year.

On March 1, the association said that output was set to surge in Vietnam, Malaysia and India between February and April this year, typically a period of low production. Read more!

Man to be deported after 27 years in Oz

KARLIS SALNA

Authorities are seeking to deport a Cambodian-born man, raised and educated in Australia since arriving as a nine-year-old some 27 years ago.

The unidentified man does not want to return to Cambodia where six of his eight siblings are reported to have been killed.

He says he no longer has any family or other contacts in Cambodia.

A report by the Commonwealth and Immigration Ombudsman, tabled in the federal parliament on Wednesday, reveals his tragic past.

It includes time spent in jail, where he had a history of self-harm that continued after being placed in immigration detention.

In May 2009, a noose was discovered in his room at the Villawood Detention Centre where he has been for almost three years.

"He is recorded as having attempted self-harm a number of times when previously in gaol, including at least one attempt at hanging," according to the Ombudsman's assessment.

While the report concedes the man has not responded well to attempts at rehabilitation, it points out that having been in Australia for the majority of his life, he is basically a member of the community.

"It nevertheless remains relevant that Mr X came to Australia as a child of nine, was raised and educated here, and, despite his poor record as a member of the community, has been part of the Australian community for almost 27 years."

But despite having been here for much of his life, he is considered a non-citizen, and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship wants to "remove Mr X to Cambodia".

The ombudsman has recommended the man be considered for a suitable visa until a decision is made about his long-term immigration status.

He is one of seven individuals the Ombudsman has reported on.

Five of those included in the document have been in detention for more than three years, including one for almost seven years and another for five years and nine months.

Four of the detainees are being held at Villawood while the other three are in community detention.

Read more!

Cambodian NGOs slam anti-graft bill before debate

By Prak Chan Thul

The anti-corruption law in Cambodia is just a game play under the eyes of donors. The law is in a protection of all CPP elite criminals.

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Rights groups in Cambodia on Tuesday deplored an anti-corruption law that parliament will debate this week, saying it would not stop graft and offered no protection to whistle-blowers who uncovered corruption.

A coalition representing about 245 local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) told a news conference that debate on the anti-graft law -- in the works for 15 years but put quickly before parliament after being published on March 4 -- should be delayed for a month so the public could be consulted.

In particular, the groups wanted officials' assets to be declared publicly and whistle-blowers protected.

"If witnesses can't have protection, no one is going to come forward and report," said Pung Chhiv Kek, president of rights group Licadho, adding that witnesses could lay themselves open to defamation suits.

The debate is due to start on Wednesday.

Phay Siphan, a Cambodian government spokesman, rejected the criticism.

"The anti-corruption law will make the country an equitable society. The country will provide better public services and become a moral society," he said.

The main opposition Sam Rainsy Party said it joined the civil society groups in asking for a delay to the parliamentary debate.

"The draft is not good enough and was sent to parliament hurriedly," said party spokesman and lawmaker Yim Sovann.

"This law is not good, both in terms of the mechanism and the legal means to prevent corruption. There is not enough political will to fight corruption," he added.

(Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Editing by Alan Raybould) Read more!

ASEAN chief clarifies statement on Cambodia issues

The Secretary-General of ASEAN clarified that media reports quoting him over a military exercise in Cambodia on March 4, 2010 were taken totally out of context, a statement released by the ASEAN Secretariat said here on Tuesday.

Dr Surin Pitsuwan said his comments were with specific reference to the prevailing situation along the Cambodian-Thai border and not to any particular military exercise in Cambodia.

"The question directed at me was of a general nature, and my responses were with specific reference to the prevailing situation along the Cambodian-Thai border which I have expressed on many occasions before to all ASEAN Foreign Ministers and to the ASEAN Leaders," said Dr Surin in response to media reports on his comments.

Dr Surin was quoted by a news agency on March 5 as saying, "We are very concerned with such development," in response to a question from the media after attending a conference in Bangkok.

Dr Surin added that his concerns on the border situation had been publicly expressed on numerous occasions and were a routine response to media enquires.

He stressed that no other media, foreign or Thai, had reported on his statements made following the Bangkok conference.

Expressing his deep regret that the issue has caused much misunderstanding and discomfort and had "a very unfortunate and unwarranted effect", Dr Surin said he had no intention nor was he referring to any particular military exercise in Cambodia which he had no knowledge of at that point in time.

Source: Xinhua Read more!

Khmers complicit in Vietnamization

My apologies. It's impossible to answer all e-mails on or related to any week's topic. But be assured that I read every one and even retrieve some that my ISP sends to a spam folder. My answers will sooner or later find their way to my columns.

To some who urge that I translate my writing into Khmer, I respond that God never meant a day to exceed 24 hours. Can't someone translate them?

A few days ago, the Hun Sen military test-fired 100 miles from the disputed border with Thailand, some 200 Russian-made Katyusha rockets, a Stalin-era weapon known today as BM21. A bank of 40 launch tubes mounted on a truck can fire in 20 seconds, with a range of about 20 miles and more.

Sen's military spokesman said the test was to strengthen Cambodia's abilities for "national defense against invaders." The test firing helped keep people intimidated and Sen in power.

Did it sidetrack the issue of Vietnamization of Cambodia? It seems only retired Johns Hopkins professor Naranhkiri Tith keeps a focus on the issue on his Web site. http://cambodiana.org/default.aspx. His proposed "roadmap," is a path he describes as "necessary but not sufficient," to save the Cambodian people.

His schematic should have been translated into Khmer long ago, because, if I rephrase a common saying to relate to Tith: "I know that you believe you understand what you think Tith said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what he meant."

A reader e-mailed me George Santayana's quote -- "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it" -- but I am reminded of Karl Marx's, "History does nothing; it does not possess immense riches, it does not fight battles. It is men, real, living, who do all this." I like Thomas Jefferson's "I like dreams of the future better than the history of the past" and American poet and champion of individualism Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said, "Make the most of yourself for that is all there is of you."

Today, let me examine the 25-year "Treaty of Peace, Friendship, and Cooperation" that effectively integrated Cambodia into a greater Vietnam.

As people educated in the culture of Confucianism, Vietnamese leaders' actions are, generally, carefully thought-out and calculated to maximize Vietnam's interests. They know what they want, what their national interests are and they move methodically to attain them.

Unfortunately for Khmers and their country, King Sihamoni, son of King Father Sihanouk, signed the supplements to the treaty, giving Vietnamese full access to colonize and Vietnamize Cambodia. The treaty cites "the traditions of Vietnam-Kampuchea militant solidarity and fraternal friendship."

Recall the Vietnamese revolutionary activities in Cambodia, described in my earlier column: Among them, in 1949, Hanoi's Canvassing Committee created the Revolutionary Kampuchean People's Party and, in 1950, Hanoi created the Kampuchean People's Liberation Army. That was the near 30 years of "great revolutionary gains" for Cambodia?

In its preamble, the treaty cites the "closely interrelated" independence, freedom, peace and security of Vietnam and Cambodia -- what affects one affects the other -- and that both countries are "duty-bound to help each other wholeheartedly and with all their might" safeguard and consolidate the products of their "revolution." It cites both countries' "militant solidarity" and "long-term and all-round cooperation and friendship" as representing their "vital interests."

In the treaty's first three articles, the Cambodians hand Ho Chi Minh the goal he had dreamed about.

In Article 1, the two countries pledge to "do all they can" to maintain their "traditions of militant solidarity" and to develop "mutual trust and assistance in all fields." In Article 2, they pledge to "wholeheartedly support and assist each other in all domains and in all necessary forms," as well as to take "effective measures to implement this commitment whenever one of them requires."

Cambodian leader Hun Sen can "require" Vietnamese intervention and Sen will be assisted "in all domains and in all necessary forms," and vice versa.

In Article 3, both countries pledge "mutual fraternal exchanges and cooperation" and mutual assistance in the economic, cultural, educational, public health, scientific, and technological fields, as well as the training of cadres and the exchange of "specialists and experience in all fields of national construction."

Article 4 stipulates a border agreement based on the "present border line." In Article 5, both parties pledge a "long-standing tradition of militant solidarity and fraternal friendship" to which they "attach great importance." Article 6 requires that the parties "frequently exchange views" on all questions concerning both countries' relationships and on "international matters of mutual interest." Articles 7, 8, 9, speak of the right and obligation of each party to any bilateral and multilateral agreements.

The treaty opens the door for Vietnam to operate in Cambodia. For example, Vietnam always has been short of food, and Cambodia is historically rich in fertile land and fish and natural resources.

In 1962, Prince Sihanouk wrote: "Whether he is called Gia Long, Ho Chi Minh, or Ngo Dinh Diem, no (Vietnamese) will sleep soundly until he succeeds in pushing the Khmer toward annihilation, after having made them go through the stage of slavery."

Pol Pot and his French-trained Marxists handed Cambodia to Vietnam. Then Heng Samrin and company agreed to a Vietnamized Cambodia. Now the King has ratified it.

Why blame the Vietnamese for expansionism when Khmers have acquiesced to it?

A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam, where he taught political science for 13 years. Write him at peangmeth@yahoo.com. Read more!

Helping communities in Cambodia save for change

When Sean Ing first heard of "Saving for Change" in January 2009, she was skeptical. But Ing had a big expense coming up - her daughter's wedding, which she wasn't sure how to fund. Ing owns 1.5 hectares of farm land, but it takes her half a year to harvest the rice and she had limited access to banking services. So she decided to listen.

"First I decided to just listen to what the trainer had to say about saving money. Then it got more interesting, and I thought I would want to give it a try," the 53-year-old thin, jovial farmer said.

Then Ing found out Saving for Change allows members loans not only to solve short-term credit needs, but also to expand their income sources such as by raising livestock and growing vegetables.

She decided to join a savings group to help address her family's financial difficulty.

Ing lives in Bantoat Bos, a village some 400 km from the Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. People in Ing's village depend heavily on rain-fed agriculture for their living. The majority grow wet-season rice. During the dry season, some migrate to other provinces and some cross the border to look for work in Thailand.

Many are poor, earning less than a dollar a day. And like many poor Cambodians, most villagers in Bantoat Bos consider themselves too poor to save money.

The Saving for Change program aims to address this misconception.

Never too poor to save Five men and five women in Ing's village started their Saving for Change group in mid January 2010. With the support of a trainer, they established group rules, selected group leaders, and named their group Bantoat Bos Prosperity.

This group meets and saves three times a month, and members can borrow money at the second meeting of every month. When the group meets, each member puts in savings ranging from 5,000 Riels ($1.25) to 15,000 Riels ($3.60) into the group's savings box.

In January, Bantoat Bos Prosperity saved 305,000 Riels ($75) and Ing was the first beneficiary. She borrowed 300,000 Riels to prepare meals - buying chickens, pork, and vegetables - for her daughter's wedding.

According to the group's rules, Ing will pay a two percent interest per month, and she has three months to pay back the loan. That will give her enough time to harvest and sell her rice.

The Saving for Change program shows poor, rural communities how to save their money as a group and make small but important loans to each other. Members of Ing's group act as their own community bank - they save, lend, and pay each other interest.

This approach has helped Ing and thousands of other Cambodian families to reduce dependency on credit providers, moneylenders, and intermediaries who would demand collateral like land titles and charge high interest.

From small savings to big changes During an Oxfam's recent visit, all 10 members of Bantoat Bos Prosperity gathered under the shade of some banana, coconut and mango trees. They sat in a circle on a blue plastic sheet and began their group meeting.

Everybody had some money to save. Ing handed over 10,000 Riels ($2.50) for savings and 6,000 Riels ($1.50) to cover the interest on her loan.

These savings are tiny amounts but they add up over time, and in return, can help people like Ing overcome financial difficulty and bring changes in their lives.

They also teach Bantoat Bos Prosperity members basic skills in managing financial resources.

In Cambodia, the Saving for Change program has been helping people in Banteay Meanchey and Preh Vihear provinces since 2009 to work their own way out of poverty.

Since Oxfam America launched the program in Mali in 2005, it has spread to three other countries - Senegal, El Salvador, and Cambodia - and is reaching 351,000 families who have mobilized savings of more than $6 million.

Working with local organizations in Cambodia such as RACHA and Save Cambodia's Wildlife, Oxfam America has formed Saving for Change groups for 41,000 people and about 80 percent of them are female. The organization expects to reach 91,000 Cambodians in the next three years. Read more!

Lending Scheme to Bring Solar to Cambodia’s Poor

By SIMON MARKS


With access to solar-powered energy products for Cambodia’s rural poor extremely limited, the solar energy company Kamworks and the Cambodia Mutual Savings and Credit Network are partnering to provide low-interest loans to customers hoping to outfit their homes with solar panels, while Kamworks will provide and install the equipment.

Directors at the two companies said the scheme — the first of its kind in Cambodia — will help the country’s rural poor gain access to renewable energy.

“You have to say the investment for solar-powered technology is higher initially than fossil fuels,” said Jeroen Verschelling, a director at Kamworks. “Even though there is a payback time of less than one year, people still find it very hard to make the investment.”

Mr Verschelling said all the equipment Kamworks produces will have to be of the highest quality as “the moment it stops working the client will stop paying” back the loan and the foundations of the entire partnership will come undone.

Buyers interested in equipping their homes with solar technologies will first pay a visit to Cambodia Mutual Savings, which will share retail space with Kamworks at a building in Cambodia’s Kandal province, to take out a loan ranging from $25 to $599, depending on the product. A visit to Kamworks would complete the purchase.

Customers can go for a small solar-powered lantern, which aims to replace kerosene lighting at a cost of $25, or they can purchase a complete solar home system, which ranges from $199 for a 20-watt array to $599 for 80 watts.

The lantern comes with a one-year warranty, while the panel systems are covered for 20 years.

“This should create less dependency on fossil fuels for power,” said Mr Verschelling. “We are trying to do something about climate change.”

Mr Verschelling said that entering the market before the national grid expands is probably its best bet with less than 20 percent of rural inhabitants with a sustained power supply for electricity.

“I’m not sure if the grid is really the answer for the poor parts of society,” he said. “It’s not a clean energy source as most of the energy comes from fossil fuels.”

Moreover, once the loan is paid off, households fitted with the solar products should see their living costs decline.

“It is totally new and if it is efficient we can develop it further,” said Christine Dellocque, managing director at Cambodia Mutual.

Ms. Dellocque said the lender had determined interest rates for the loans — which could be as low as 1.7 percent — by conducting studies of household wages and saving capabilities among potential borrowers in Kandal province.

Before a loan is handed out, Cambodia Mutual will ensure that borrowers have set up a savings account at the company, a measure Ms. Dellocque said will act as security to the loan.

“If clients have a capacity for saving, they also have the capacity for credit,” she said.

Ms. Dellocque added that using traditional collateral — land titles and property — as security for such small loans was unbalanced. Instead, the solar panels themselves will be used as collateral, she said.
Read more!

Rape victims face bribes, corruption

Associated Press


PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Rape victims seeking justice in Cambodia face serious obstacles such as police who demand bribes before making an arrest, a human rights report released today said.

The report by Amnesty International says the incidence of rape appears to be growing in Cambodia, but corruption and discrimination within the police and courts prevent rapists from being prosecuted.

The London-based group based its findings on research in 10 provinces last year and dozens of interviews with rape victims between the ages of 10 and 40, family members, government officials, rights groups, medical personnel, police and lawyers.

One of those interviewed was the father of an 19-year-old woman with a learning disability who was raped twice. The father said police asked him for 100,000 riel ($25) to arrest his daughter's attacker — an amount roughly equivalent to the monthly salary of a civil servant.

"Police only work if you have money, if you can pay," the father was quoted as saying in the report. "But we don't have that. And if you don't, the police just ignore the case."

Donna Guest, Amnesty's Asia-Pacific deputy director, said some rape victims were forced to marry their attackers as part of a deal between the families involved, who see it as a way to marry off a woman stigmatized by rape while dropping the complaint against her attacker.

"For too many survivors of rape, the pursuit of justice and medical support adds further distress to the initial abuse," Guest said.

Amnesty urged the Cambodian government to "publicly condemn sexual violence," saying much more needs to be done to dispel the stigma associated with rape.

There are no comprehensive statistics on rape and sexual violence against women and girls in the country, but officials at the National Police, the Ministry of Women's Affairs and elsewhere "believe the incidence of rape in Cambodia is increasing and that a growing number of victims are children," the report said.

Police recorded 468 cases of rape, attempted rape and sexual harassment in 2009, a 24 percent increase over the previous year, but those figures are considered low and unreliable, the report said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak confirmed that rapes cases in Cambodia appear to be increasing, but he criticized the Amnesty report as overly negative.

"Even though there is an increase in rape cases, I can assure you that all of the rapists we have arrested are in jail," he said.

Read more!

Rape risk rises in Cambodia, says Amnesty International

By Guy DeLauney
BBC News, Cambodia


Human rights organisations in Cambodia have called for the government to tackle the rising incidence of rape.

A report by Amnesty International says victims have limited access to justice, medical services and counselling.

It claims that rape cases are often settled by cash payments to the victim - or bribes to the authorities.

Official statistics show a significant increase of the number of rapes reported to police last year - almost a quarter more than in 2008.

But Amnesty says the true figure may be much higher - because many victims never tell the authorities about their attacks.

Commander's block

Its report highlights a lack of faith in law enforcement officials and the judicial process.

One incident cited involved a policeman accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a karaoke bar.

His commanding officer refused to press charges - and insisted the attack could not be considered rape, as the woman had not been a virgin.

The government has acknowledged that sexual violence is a problem.

In a speech last week, the minister of women's affairs said there were increasing fears of gang rape.

She suggested that increasing access to alcohol, drugs and pornography was responsible.

Social workers say that a change in attitude towards victims of sexual violence is sorely needed.

Sun Maly runs a women's safe house in Battambang province.

"When they become victims of rape like this they become stigmatised by their own community. Especially in the case of children - when they've been sexually assaulted they drop out of school because of discrimination or embarrassment," she said.

Amnesty says that that many cases are currently settled by cash payments - or not pursued because the victim cannot afford to pay police and court officials.

It is calling on the authorities to make sure that those who commit rape or sexual violence are punished through the judicial process.

Read more!

Full steam ahead for new rail link in south-east Asia

By Elaine Moore in Phnom Penh


Plans for a long discussed rail network to link China to six south-east Asian countries are advancing as critical gaps are filled in Cambodia.

An antiquated line to Vietnam built by the French a century ago is at present China's only rail link to the region, but officials began plotting the new network in 1995 to extend the French connection through various national lines all the way to Singapore, the southern tip of mainland south-east Asia.

The network is expected to strengthen economic ties by reducing transport costs and making travel more convenient. A new trade agreement came into effect in January slashing tariffs on most goods exported between China and members of the Association of South East Asian Nations.

The Asian Development Bank recently agreed to extend a second $42m loan for the $141m reconstruction of Cambodia's rail network. Australia and Malaysia have also advanced funding.

Cambodia's rail network collapsed over decades of war, neglect and vandalism. Phnom Penh, the capital, lacks a functioning train station. In the north-west, locals ride along the tracks on bamboo platforms balanced on wheels.

More than 650km of track is to be renovated, including a 48km section running west to Thailand that will then connect Cambodia onward to Malaysia and Singapore. The first segment of renovated track, between Phnom Penh and Touk Meas on the coast near Vietnam, is to open to freight trains late this year.

The other segments are to be finished by 2013.

The national network will be operated by Toll Holdings, an Australian company, and Royal Group, a local company.

Cambodia's roads often become waterlogged and impassable during the rainy season, so Senaka Fernando, the chairman of the British Business Association of Cambodia, welcomed the railway project's potential to improve transport.

The next project will be to fill the gap between the Cambodia-Singapore and Vietnam-China lines.

A feasibility study is under way. Preliminary estimates put the cost at $600m-$700m.

Read more!

Block Cambodia's military-business ties, donors urged

Global Witness urges Cambodia’s donors to condemn sponsorship of military units by private businesses

Aid donors to Cambodia, including the US, EU, Japan, China and the World Bank, should send a strong message to the government that they will not countenance the bankrolling of Cambodia’s military by private businesses, said Global Witness today.

The call follows the announcement last week by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen of the formation of 42 official partnerships between private businesses and Cambodian military units. The partnerships will “solve the dire situation of the armed forces, police, military police, and their families through a culture of sharing” according to a government memo.

Global Witness is concerned that this policy officially sanctions an arrangement where businesses get military protection in return for financial backing. A number of the companies named as military sponsors already have track records of using the military to protect their business interests. For example, Global Witness’s 2009 report, Country for Sale, described how the Try Pheap Company used armed forces to guard a mine in Stung Treng Province.

Other high-profile Cambodian companies allegedly providing sponsorship include the Mong Reththy Group, the Ly Yong Phat Company, and the Chub Rubber Plantation Company.

“Since the end of Cambodia’s civil war, the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces has operated as a vast organised crime network,” said Gavin Hayman, Campaigns Director at Global Witness. “It is unacceptable for private companies to be financing a military renowned for its corruption and involvement in illegal activities and human rights abuses.”

The arrangement also threatens to undermine the legitimacy of international aid, especially in the case of donors such as the US who are directly funding the military. In 2009 the US spent more than $1 million on military financing, education and training in Cambodia.

“Yet again, Cambodia’s donors are being mocked by the government’s blatant violation of basic governance and transparency standards. The existence of a strong patronage system between the military and private business is not new. But what is different and shocking is that it has become official government policy,” said Hayman. “Donors should send a firm and decisive message that Cambodia’s military exists to protect the people, not the financial assets of a privileged few.”

“This fire-sale of military units represents an appalling breach of governance standards and threatens to undermine the country’s future stability,” said Hayman. “The donor community has collectively poured billions into the restoration of peace and democracy in Cambodia since the fall of the Khmer Rouge. Surely they are not going to stand by and allow this to be undercut by a policy of selling off the armed forces to private business interests? This is tantamount to sanctioning a mercenary force.”

/Ends

Notes

1. Global Witness has worked in Cambodia for over 15 years and published 18 reports on corruption within the management of the country’s natural resources. For examples, see www.globalwitness.org

2. The policy of military-business partnerships was first reported in the Cambodia Daily on Friday 26 February in an article titled Businesses Tie Official Knot With Military. For a full list of companies and military units allegedly involved, contact Global Witness.

3. In the 2009 financial year, the US spent an estimated $1,106,000 on Foreign Military Financing and International Military Education and Training in Cambodia, according to the US Department of State’s Executive Budget Summary: Function 150 & Other International Programs Fiscal Year 2011, accessed at www.state.gov/documents/organization/135888.pdf

Global Witness investigates and campaigns to prevent natural resource-related conflict and corruption and associated environmental and human rights abuses.
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Cambodia's proposed NGO law stirs suspicion and concern

Written by: Thin Lei Win


PHNOM PENH (AlertNet) - A proposed law regulating non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Cambodia is raising concerns among advocacy and aid groups that it will be used by the government to restrict their activities in the impoverished Southeast Asian country.

During a ceremony in November to mark 30 years of NGO-government cooperation, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said a law governing the non-profit sector would be next on the agenda after the enactment of an anti-corruption bill.

Hun Sen has talked about enacting an NGO law since 2008, but this was the first time he indicated a time frame -- the anti-corruption bill is headed to the National Assembly and many expect it to be passed soon after.

"NGOs demand that the government shows transparency, but they can't show the same to us," The Phnom Penh Post newspaper quoted Hun Sen as saying.

"We respect the local and international NGOs whose activities serve humanity and help the government of Cambodia ... They will not be threatened by this draft law," he added. "But we believe that some NGOs whose activities seem to serve the opposition party will be afraid of it."

Detractors say the draft law is an attempt to muzzle a burgeoning civil society that has become openly critical of Hun Sen who has been prime minister for the past 25 years.

His ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has faced growing criticism that it has abused its power by using its parliamentary majority to interfere with the judiciary and restrict political freedom since its last election win in 2007.

"DETERIORATING" HUMAN RIGHTS

Last year, Cambodia passed legislation tightening defamation laws and outlawing public protests by more than 200 people, which rights groups and donors said were moves to stifle criticism of the ruling party.

The United Nation's special rapporteur for human rights, Surya Subedi, has also flagged up concerns about many of Cambodia's institutions, like the courts, saying they were weak.

Against this backdrop, the Cooperation Committee for Cambodia (CCC), an umbrella organisation representing more than 100 local and international NGOs, released a statement in December to say the time was not right for an NGO law. It was signed by some 230 NGOs.

"NGOs are also concerned about possible restrictions of activity on grounds of discretionary interpretation and use of the law, particularly given the deterioration of human rights situation in Cambodia since 2008," Borithy Lun, CCC's executive director, told AlertNet.

NGO officials say they have not seen a draft of the law and there have been no discussions, despite formal requests to various government ministries.

"We are not against the law. If we are spending money on behalf of the people of Cambodia, it is right that we should report to them," Sharon Wilkinson, CARE International's Cambodia country director, told AlertNet.

However, she expressed concern that a 2002 draft law was vague on the basis on which the government may refuse to register an NGO whose staff, it said, could face a fine and jail if found to be operating without the necessary registration.

TOO MANY NGOS?

Supporters of the draft law say, in a country of only 15 million people, it would help regulate a sector accommodating more than 3,000 NGOs and associations -- according to some estimates -- working on issues ranging from health, education and infrastructure to environmental protection and governance.

Although Cambodia has been peaceful for over a decade and recently enjoyed several years of economic growth and political stability, 40 percent of its population still live below the poverty line.

According to the latest U.N. human development index, four out of 10 people live below the poverty line of $1.25 a day, more than a third of children under five are underweight, life expectancy at 60.6 years is just above Namibia and Gabon and close to a quarter of the adults are illiterate.

"In Cambodia, it is easy to set up shop or register as an NGO and relatively easy to hire expatriates. It is very open and there is almost no restriction," said Francis Perez, country director of Oxfam in Cambodia.

However, he added: "The concerns of different sectors around the NGO law are legitimate and should be discussed openly."

The plethora of NGOs in Cambodia has raised questions about their own levels of transparency and accountability as well as the hefty salaries earned by expatriate staff compared to Cambodian ones.

However, it is still unclear to what extent a new NGO law would address these issues.

"The need for regulation should not be determined by the amount of NGOs, but by the actual need for further regulation," said CCC, which says self-regulation through the Good Practices Project, a voluntary certification system it has set up, is the best way to ensure NGO transparency. Read more!

Cambodia makes Khmer Rouge bastion tourist site: cabinet

PHNOM PENH (AFP) – Cambodia's government said on Friday it was designating the final Khmer Rouge rebel stronghold a historic site for international and domestic tourists.

The cabinet approved a sub-decree to "preserve and develop" Anlong Veng in northern Cambodia, the final centre for the Khmer Rouge before the movement was defeated in 1998, a statement by the government said.

Anlong Veng will be made a "historic tourism site for national and international guests to visit and understand the last political leadership of the genocidal regime."

Among the anticipated attractions is the spot where late Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot was unceremoniously cremated under a pile of garbage and rubber tires in 1998, after he was purged from the movement.

Other attractions are a munitions warehouse, homes belonging to former Khmer Rouge cadres, and the fenced-off area where Pol Pot spent his last months under house arrest.

Officials have been planning since 2000 to transform Anlong Veng into a showcase of the communist regime?s final days. The tourism ministry has picked out some three dozen sites of interest in the isolated hilly area.

Prime Minister Hun Sen also asked cabinet officials to compile a guidebook to the area and his "win-win policy" to defeat the Khmer Rouge, the statement said.

Tourism is one of the only sources of foreign exchange for impoverished Cambodia, which is recovering from nearly three decades of conflict that ended in 1998.

The kingdom aims to lure three million tourists annually by next year, and in 2009 attracted more than two million foreign visitors.
Read more!

Cambodia tests rocket launcher in show of force

The Soviet made BM-21 multiple rocket launchers proved to be deadly Hun Sen Muscle for Thai crocodile invaders.

Cambodia successfully tested a multiple rocket launcher Thursday, the country's defense minister said, in a show of force that comes amid simmering tensions with its neighbor Thailand.

Some 200 rounds from the Soviet-made, BM-21 rocket launcher were fired in the mountains of remote Kampong Chhnang province, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of the capital Phnom Penh.

Defense Minister Tea Banh said the launch of the truck-mounted, 122-mm rockets was part of ongoing efforts to protect Cambodia's territory.

"The firing was not to prepare for war with any neighboring country, rather we want to see the quality and the efficiency of those rockets," Tea Banh said.

Last week, Prime Minister Hun Sen said the launch was a routine military drill and not intended to demonstrate Cambodia's military muscle.

Relations between Cambodia and Thailand have been strained over the status of a historic temple along a disputed border. Both sides have repeatedly rushed troops to the area, which resulted in several gunbattles.

Thailand was also angered last year when Cambodia named fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an adviser on economic affairs. The subsequent visit by Thaksin, and Cambodia's rejection of a formal request from Bangkok to extradite him, drew a negative reaction from Bangkok.

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ACTIVE TRAVEL ASIA launches Vietnam & Cambodia Summer Promotions

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA) is offering Great Summer Promotion 2010 in Vietnam and Cambodia. These promotions are guaranteed by luxurious adventure tours, add-on values and reasonable prices.

Online PR News – 04-March-2010 – ATA kicks off Special Summer Promotion 2010 covering all kinds of adventure tours include trekking, biking, motorcycling, kayaking and family adventure in Vietnam and Cambodia. There are eight tours in Vietnam (www.activetravelvietnam.com), eleven ones in Cambodia (www.activetravelcambodia.com) and three others combining between Vietnam and Cambodia. Each tour is provided with unique and special value-added services.

In this promotion, the offers are different from each area in Vietnam and Cambodia. In the Northern Vietnam, travelers are learned how to cook local dishes at the homestay or at Hidden Hanoi Restaurant. If travelers decide to visit to Central Vietnam, a free half-day guided tour to Imperial Citadel in Hue city or a body massage in Hoi An is added on the trips. In the Southern Vietnam, when the group is up to 5 persons, travelers get a free of charge half-day tour guided in Saigon. In Cambodia, travelers receive free Visa-on-arrival arrangement when they book any package tour.

The promotion provides travelers the real experiences in hidden Indochina with add-on valued services. This big hit suits for all types of group and who love any kind of adventure activities.

Sea kayaking Halong Bay is a highlight in this promotion. The calm sea provides an ideal location for sea kayaking as paddling through a maze of islets amid dramatic natural scenery recognized by UNESCO.

Promotion detail: http://www.activetravel.asia/special_offer/2010_summer_promotions.html
Kayak Halong Bay 3 Days

Besides, Trekking Tours of ATA lead travelers to outstanding natural beauty and interesting glimpse of Vietnamese & Cambodian culture and history.

Promotion trekking tours detail: http://www.activetravel.asia/special_offer/2010_summer_promotions.html
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2. Bach Ma National Park Trek & Camping (2D/1N)
3. Trekking Nam Cat Tien National Park (2D/1N)
4. Trek Angkor Temples
5. Trek Rattanakiri

Biking Mekong delta with ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA

Joining biking tours, travelers will pedal through beautiful areas, interact with local passers-by. And this is best way to get to the remote and hidden corners in each country.

Promotion detail: http://www.activetravel.asia/special_offer/2010_summer_promotions.html
1. Mekong Explorer (4D/3N)
2. Biking Mai Chau (2D/1N)
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5. Biking Coastal towns and Phnom Penh
6. Biking Coastal towns and Angkor Wat
7. Biking Phnom Penh to Angkor Wat

ATA also offers promotion for motorcycling tours in both Cambodia and Vietnam. Travelers will get incredible driving and deep in the countryside and historical trails.

Promotion detail:
1. Taste of Ho Chi Minh Trail (3D/2N)
2. Motorcycling the Ho Chi Minh Trail - Half Challenge (11D/10N)
3. Motorbiking Adventure Cambodia

Especially, if travelers plan to travel both Cambodia and Vietnam, the trips offer a great combination of the two exotic lands and cultures in Mekong delta and World heritage sites.

Promotion detail: http://www.activetravel.asia/special_offer/2010_summer_promotions.html
1. Mekong Delta & Angkor Wat (10D/9N)
2. Biking Mekong Delta and Cambodia (11D/10N)
3. Cycling Angkor Temples and Kayaking Halong Bay (12D/11N)

Travel with family in Cambodia, the trip take travelers to ancient temples, empty beaches, mighty rivers, remote forests... Angkor Wat and Tonle Sap Lake is the highlight for the holiday.

Promotion detail: http://www.activetravel.asia/special_offer/2010_summer_promotions.html
1. Angkor Wat Highlights
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3. Cambodia Discovery

For the whole Summer Promotion Tours, please click: Great Promotion in 2010 with ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA

In conclusion, with the best add–on values from this Great Summer Promotion of ATA, the hesitance will be replaced by the smart decision from who are exited in traveling and getting more real experience.

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Cambodia tests rockets

Cambodia's military mounted a rare public test of rockets on Thursday amid a lingering troop standoff over disputed territory with neighbouring Thailand. --PHOTO: AFP

KAMPONG CHHNANG (Cambodia) - CAMBODIA'S military mounted a rare public test of rockets on Thursday amid a lingering troop standoff over disputed territory with neighbouring Thailand.

In their first public drill since the country's civil war ended over a decade ago, Cambodian troops fired some 200 rockets from truck-mounted rocket launchers at an airfield 180km from the Thai border.

However defence ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat told AFP the display was 'not about flexing our muscles' against Thailand. 'The drill is not a threat or a show of force against neighbouring countries or foreign countries,' Mr Chhum Socheat said before the rockets were fired in front of assembled media and top brass.

'It is about the strengthening of the abilities of our forces in order to fulfil the duties of national defence against invaders.' Prime Minister Hun Sen declared in a speech last week the rockets would be fired to gauge the quality of the Russian and Chinese-made Cold War-era weapons which have long laid unused in warehouses.

Thailand's government downplayed the Cambodian rocket drill and said there had been no troop reinforcements on the disputed border. 'I don't think Cambodia wants to intimidate us, as we have sent them a clear signal that we don't want the dispute to go out of control and affect people in both countries,' deputy Thai prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban said.

Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the drill was 'nothing to do with us, they are not firing into our territory.' Cambodia and Thailand have been locked in nationalist tensions and a troop standoff at their disputed border since July 2008, when Cambodia's 11th century Preah Vihear temple was granted Unesco World Heritage status. -- AFP

Read more!

Q & A with Cambodia national team coach Scott O’Donell

The Australian football public would not know much about Scott O’Donell.

The 42-year old New South Welshman is a former player who represented a few NSW Premier League clubs in and around Sydney before making the move to Malaysia as a 27-year old.

Since then has played in Malaysia and Singapore and is currently in his second stint as head coach of the Cambodia national football team.

tribalfootball.com caught up with O’Donell to discuss certain aspects of his footballing life along with the status of football in Asia and upcoming plans for the Cambodia team, otherwise known as The Royals.

tf.com: How did you get over to Asia in the first place? Was it purely for football or were you also interested in other things such as the culture, lifestyle etc?

SO’D: “I first went to Malaysia in 1994. I had always wanted to play football full-time. At the time I was playing for Parramatta Melita in the NSL (National Soccer League) and teaching economics and business studied in Sydney’s western suburbs.

“When the opportunity came, I jumped at it. I was coached by former Chelsea player and manager Ken Shellito at Kuala Lumpur and had a relatively successful season.

Parramatta loaned me to KL for the season and I came back to play the last few NSL games in 1995 under Washington Gonzales. After Parramatta were subsequently kicked out of the NSL for the 95/96 season, I signed for Tampines Rovers FC for the inaugural S.League season in Singapore.

“I played for four seasons in Singapore before getting my coaching licenses back in Australia before commencing my coaching career at Geylang United. After Geylang, I was offered the Cambodian national coaching position in 2005.

“I jumped at the chance because my two daughters (Emma and Ellie) were adopted from Cambodia and we always intended to try and go back and live there one day, so it worked out well.”

tf.com: Can you identify the major differences between football in Australia and football in Asia, predominantly in Cambodia where you are based now and in Malaysia and Singapore where you played?

SO’D: “There is no doubt that the football in Australia is a lot more physical. The level of professionalism has also greatly improved compared to the old NSL. The A-League is light years ahead of the NSL.

“Technically, I don’t think there is a big difference between the better players in South East Asia and Australia.

“Professional football in Cambodia is in its infancy. We have a professional league and have foreign players but the standard is fairly average. Having said that, the competitiveness and the quality is slowly improving. A lack of youth development in year gone by certainly hasn’t helped.”

“Malaysian football has struggled over the last decade or so. When I first went there, there were Australian internationals like Darren Stewart, Alan Davidson, Alistair Edwards and Abbas Saad playing, the crowds were great and the press coverage was unbelievable. But it has gone downhill fast.

“There are no foreigners anymore, the crowds are poor and the media coverage is too. There are some very good players and hopefully the success they had at the SEA (South East Asian) Games last year will help kick-start Malaysian football. They have great facilities and a great passion for football.”

“The S.League has constantly struggled to get crowds. It is one of the best organised leagues in South East Asia. Most of the clubs are very well run but it struggles to compete with the English Premier League, which is hugely popular in Singapore.

“In the first year of the S.League, the crowds were good, it was a new league and like Malaysia, there were some very good foreigners like Vlado Bosinovski, Ernie Tapei, Ivan Kelic and some excellent foreigners from Croatia, Iran and Brazil. Unfortunately the quality of foreigners has declined and the interest seems to be waning.

“One of the benefits of the S.League has been the rise to prominence of the Singapore national team under Serbian coach Raddy Avramovic. The S.League has allowed more players to become professional players therefore giving Raddy more players to choose from. The standard is not bad. SAFFC (Singapore Armed Forces) have qualified for their second successive AFC Champions League, which I think, is a reflection of the quality of the S.League.”

tf.com: What’s planned for Cambodia national team in the next six to twelve months? Do you envisage staying in the role or are you likely to move on?

SO’D: “The Cambodian national team have the opening rounds of the Asian qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup in early October as well as the Suzuki Cup (ASEAN Football Championships) qualifiers at the end of October in Laos.

“My current contract ends in May 2010. I will be having discussions with the Federation in the coming weeks and will see what transpires. I would love the chance to come back and work in Australia but as you know, full-time opportunities in football are fairly limited. I have had approaches from other clubs in the region but I have not confirmed anything yet.”

tf.com: You have worked closely with the AFC. Have you seen an improvement in Asian football over the past few years and if so, what have been the main factors for this improvement?

SO’D: “I really enjoyed my time as director of coach education at AFC. Without a doubt I think there has been a massive improvement in Asian football.

“I think Australia would be the first to admit that competing in Asia is not as easy as many first though. (AFC) President Hammam has been instrumental in implementing policies and projects aimed at improving football across Asia.

“The Japans and Koreas can look after themselves but countries like Uzbekistan and Vietnam are really taking off. Improvements in coach education, club administration, referees and overall professionalism is taking football in Asia to greater heights. I think Uzbekistan is a country to watch out for in the coming years. They have a group of passionate people working to improve all aspects of football and they have the money to employ the likes (Luiz Felipe) Scolari and (ex-Brazil star) Rivaldo to help raise the profile of football.

“The AFC Champions League is also gaining in popularity and is great for the Australian clubs and players to travel across Asia to experience playing in different conditions against different styles of play.”

tf.com: Do you look back on your time with Tampines Rovers (particularly) and other Asian clubs with fondness and would you suggest it worthwhile for Australian players to experience Asian football?

“I really enjoyed my time playing in Asia. The opportunity to play full-time and to play with and against other foreign and local players was a challenge that I enjoyed.

“I think the 3+1 rule has definitely opened the door for more Australian players to play in Asia. Players like (Brendon) Santalab and (Joel) Griffiths are doing well and hopefully that will open the door for more Australian players in Asia. I think if you asked the players like Peter Bennett, Alex Duric, PJ Roberts and Santalab who all played for me at Geylang United, they would all say that they enjoyed their time playing in Singapore.

“Playing for Tampines was very enjoyable. They are a real community club based in the east of Singapore. They have very loyal supporters who are very passionate. They have gone from strength to strength in recent years and have achieved a great deal of success under the chairmanship of Teo Hock Seng, a successful businessman in Singapore.

“With full-time playing opportunities in Australia being limited, I would strongly advise young players who have not yet been signed by A-League clubs, to head to countries like Singapore to gain some experience. Singapore is a great place to live and the Aussie boys would have no problems adapting to life in Singapore.

“There is some decent money in some of the other South East Asian league like Vietnam and Indonesia and the quality is good.”


Read more!

Russian experts offer training to Cambodian anti-drug officials

Mar 03, 2010 (BBC Monitoring via COMTEX) -- [Report by Visal: "Anti-Drug Law Enforcement Officials Are Trained To Have Sufficient Capacity"]

Phnom Penh: 57 Cambodian anti-drug law enforcement officials, from the Departments of Customs and Camcontrol, Anti-Drug Bureau, National Military Police, Phnom Penh Municipality, and Kandal Province, are receiving, starting from 1 March morning, training instructed by Russian experts to increase their capability and knowledge so they will have sufficient skills to enforce the drug control law.

Kao Khondara, vice-chairman of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, said that this training course would help drug law enforcement officials, who were having difficulty in combating illegal drug trafficking, production, and transaction, to obtain higher possibilities in drug control.

Alexander I. Ignatov, Russian ambassador to Cambodia, said that the Russian Government, like the Russian people, had always helped Cambodia in national rehabilitation and construction. Particularly, the Russian drug control institution had provided technical assistance and expert trainers to make presentation in this training course.

It should be pointed out that the four-day training course on drug control law enforcement will focus on a number of themes, including cooperation with public and non-government organizations in combating drugs trafficking and preventing drug use, cooperation offered with the monitoring of measures to thwart money laundering [sentence as published], and investigation into crimes relating to the theft of drugs from legal drug circulation.

Source: Reaksmei Kampuchea, Phnom Penh, in Cambodian 3 Mar 10

BBC Mon AS1 AsPol FS1 FsuPol tbj

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Ex-war correspondents plan reunion in Cambodia+

PHNOM PENH, March 3 (AP) - (Kyodo)—A group of war correspondents plans to hold a reunion next month in Phnom Penh in memory of colleagues who perished in Cambodia during the Indo-China War in the early 1970s, organizers of the event said Wednesday.

Chhang Song, an information minister during the U.S.-backed Lon Nol government, told Kyodo News that the event was set for April 20-23 with a gathering of war correspondents who covered Cambodia from 1970, when the Lon Nol government was inaugurated, to 1975, when the Lon Nol regime collapsed and gave way to the Khmer Rouge government.

Carl Robinson, a former Associated Press correspondent and another organizer of the event, told Kyodo News via e-mail that while there had been reunions in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, among war correspondents who covered the Vietnam War, none had been held in Cambodia.

Chhang Song said the commemorative plan had received full backing from Khieu Kanharith, the Cambodian minister of information.

Robinson, who was based in Saigon from 1968 through 1975, said that between April 1970 and April 1975, 33 foreign journalists and 21 Cambodian journalists were killed or went missing while performing their jobs.

Among foreign journalists who died during the Cambodia conflict were 10 Japanese, eight French nationals, seven Americans, and others from Switzerland, West Germany, Austria, Netherlands, India, Laos and Australia.

"Chhang Song and I are the inspiration behind this one. I think for many of us, the experience of Cambodia was so painful -- not only the war itself but what followed -- that it's been very hard for us to come to terms with over the years," Robinson said.

Robinson said he expects more than a dozen of the 40 or so surviving war correspondents to attend the reunion.


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Kbal Spean or the River of 1000 Lingas : The combination of natural and cultural attraction

Located about 50 kilometers from Siem Reap town, Cambodia, Kbal Spean is one of the foremost attraction sites in the Province. The site is also commonly known as the River of 1000 Lingas.

Mar 03, 2010 – Located about 50 kilometers from Siem Reap town, Cambodia, Kbal Spean is one of the foremost attraction sites in the Province. The site is also commonly known as the River of 1000 Lingas. If traveling from Banteay Srey, the finest architectural temple, it will take 12 Km. Kbal Spean offers both natural and cultural attraction to visitor at the same time. It can be argued that Kbal Spean is a unique Angkorain area due to its holy and cultural aspects accompanying with the pure forest and water fall. The River of 1000 Lingas, which is located in Phnom Kulen, represents the combination of natural beauty and the religious carving stone.

The Angkorain area was constructed under the reign of King Jayavarman II in the early of 9 century. The linga is a simple phallic shape, the symbol of the god Shiva and his powers of creation. There are reportedly around 1,000 images in all. They probably served a purification purpose. In addition to the lingas along the riverbed, there are bas-relief carvings in many of the boulders along the stream. The carvings end in a small but pretty waterfall that apparently was once used as a ritual bathing spot by the king. The landscape around the stream is also rather spectacular in itself. It is no doubt that the place was the hiding spot of the Khmer Rouge during the war time. With the reclining Buddha,remarkable riverbed caving, water fall, and pure forest, Kbal Spean can be a good attraction, especially during the raining season when the place contains large volume of water, where visitor can enjoy. Regarding to religious belief, some visitors believe after getting bath there, it will bring good things and even help cure the illness.

This attraction is popular for domestic tourists while probably the international tourists may lack information and the long distance from Siem Reap town. However, to complete and explore the real travel experience in the top destination of Cambodia, Kbal Spean WOULD NOT BE MISSED. It is the golden opportunity to view all attractions of the world heritage site and economically contribute to local resident and help enhance living standard and be apart of sustainable tourism development solution in Cambodia.

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Drought drops Mekong River to nearly 2-decade low

By DENIS D. GRAY (AP)

BANGKOK — Severe drought has dropped the Mekong River to its lowest level in nearly 20 years, halting some cargo traffic and boat tours on the Asian waterway that is the lifeblood for 65 million people in six countries, a draft report said.

The decrease was caused largely by an early end to the 2009 wet season and low rainfall during the monsoons, rather than dams built upstream in China, according to documents drafted by the Mekong River Commission.

"At this stage there is no indication that the existence of dams upstream has made the situation more extreme than the natural case," said the draft report seen by The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Nongovernmental organizations have long blamed China for shrinking the Mekong and causing other ecological damage by building dams. A dozen exist or are planned on the river in the country where it originates.

But dams have also been built or planned in other countries, principally on the river's many tributaries in Laos.

Senior officials from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam met Wednesday in Luang Prabang, Laos, to discuss the river. China and Myanmar, the other two riparian countries, are not commission members.

The report said the river level in southwestern China is the lowest in 50 years, with only half the volume that would be normal in February. Levels at mainstream measuring stations in Laos and northern Thailand are below those in 1992.

River tour operators have stopped services on stretches of the river in Laos and cargo vessels have been halted in China's Yunnan province, the report said.

The commission said the water scarcity has sparked fears of food shortages, lack of access to clean water and impoverishment in some of Southeast Asia's poorest regions.

"This situation represents a wide regional hydrological drought affecting all countries in the upper part of the (Mekong) basin," the report said. It also noted the commission will hold further discussions with China but gave no details.


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Voyage of discovery: Vietnam, Camboidia

Written by Catharine Stewart-Roache


After docking in Ho Chih Minh City (Saigon) we immediately got on an airplane and flew to Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia. We visited museums, palaces, and took a sunset boat trip on the Mekong. But the transforming moment for 60 of us (students, faculty and Lifelong Learners) was our visit to the Palm Tree Orphanage where 80 children ages 1-24 live as one big family, taking care of each other and getting more education than the government schools.

As we walked down a dark but crowded street on Friday night, we felt small hands in ours to take us to their home. The children were ready to show us where they have classes and go to sleep, play and eat. They know only a little English, but hugs and warm smiles went a very long way. We sang songs to each other and played silly games. We had met 14 of these students who are trained classical Cambodian dancers. They had come onto our ship in the morning and we were amazed at their dancing skills. No professional troop is any better.

As we left Palm Tree there were tears in many a students' eyes as it really hit home how tough a life many, many people on Earth have. The war with the Khymer Rouge took almost half of the population and the lives of almost 100 percent of all teachers, professors and "cultured" people.

The continuing result is a country that struggles. There is 50 percent unemployment and more than 35 percent live on less than $1 a day. Corruption is widespread. Many (some guides said most) of the government is very corrupt and are left over from the leaders of the hated Khymer Rouge, who are associated with Chinese interests and ethnicity. There is no industry save tourism. Angkor Wat is their economic salvation. About 300,000 Cambodians are in tourist-related fields.

We got to experience knowledgeable guides and pesky, begging children at the World Heritage site, Angkor Wat — which was built up in my mind so much that I thought I would be disappointed. Not so. It is truly fantastic and covers a huge area of buildings and interior rooms. Pat and I both wished that we were there for a week with our bicycles. That would be a terrific way to see it.

Oh, but it was hot! And the humidity was in the 90s. We climbed and climbed, and drank and drank water. I would be surprised if anyone was a runner or tri-athlete here. But I did see an aerobics class going on during the weekend. I could never be that dedicated.

Our return to Vietnam gave us an exciting experience of traffic. It is more organized than in 1998 (we now know which side of the street people are supposed to ride on), and there are far less bicycles and rickshaws, but there are masses of people zipping in and out of each other's way. Pat says Saigon may become the first city to have "carpool" lanes for motor bikes with three or more people! Babies are sandwiched in between parents; sometimes two or three children hang on to mom and dad. Add to this, bikes going against the traffic and making lefthand turns in front of cars and buses from two lanes to our right.

We ended our travels in this part of Southeast Asia by visiting the Mekong Delta. In this part of South Vietnam the river is sometimes 2-3 kilometers (3-4 miles) wide. We spent the day on the water and on jungle walks. We were refreshed with Jackfruit, sapodilla, mango, and bright pink dragon fruit. The main meal of the day was one of the best meals of the trip.

We will be sailing before dawn in order to catch the tide and make it out of the Saigon River, which empties into the South China Sea. Then on to India. This will take more than a week and will give me time to catch my breath and reflect on what I have seen and learned. It is almost overwhelming.

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ANZ subsidiary linked to Cambodian army

By Liam Cochrane for Radio Australia


ANZ Royal, a subsidiary of one of Australia's largest banks, has denied it is involved in a scheme that creates partnerships between private businesses and Cambodian military units.

Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen announced the initiative last week and said more than 40 partnerships had been established to provide food, medicine, tools, buildings and transport for troops and their families.

One of the businesses named as a sponsor of the Cambodian army was Metfone, a subsidiary of a mobile phone company owned by the Vietnamese military.

Another on the list was ANZ Royal, a joint partnership between Australia's ANZ Bank and one of Cambodia's biggest business conglomerates, The Royal Group.

Cambodian council of ministers spokesman Phay Siphan says the scheme reflects Cambodian culture.

"Some Cambodians on management [at ANZ Royal], they have the chance to mobilise their charity to support some [soldiers]," he said.

"The charity hasn't just been supported today, it's been years already. It's just that they have been assigned it so that the people understand who they help."

ANZ Royal has declined to comment to ABC's Radio Australia, but chief executive Stephen Higgins has been quoted in local media saying that he is unsure how his company's name appeared on the list of military sponsors, saying it might be "some type of printing error".

A statement from ANZ in Australia said "it is not appropriate for ANZ to provide support or sponsorships to individual military units in any country in which we operate".

"ANZ Royal Bank, as a subsidiary of ANZ, has not and will not be providing such support," the statement said.

Seeking answers

The initiative to formally link businesses with the military has raised concerns among human rights groups that work in Cambodia.

Naly Pilorge, a spokeswoman for the rights group LICADHO, says "it is especially concerning because some of these ministries [involved] have absolutely no link to the military, such as those that are supposed to focus on youth or women or health".

"That's the question we are trying to find the answers to, because right now it is very unclear.

"It is alarming because some of these ministries have nothing to do with the military, and for good reason."

Ms Pilorge says a similar scheme would not be tolerated in other countries.

"In most countries, developed countries and developing countries, it would be illegal for business in the private sector to openly and directly fund the milliary," she said.

"But by dealing so openly there is an assumption that the military is open to any group or any company that wishes to use the military to protect its interests and its private interests.

"We have see this over the country over the years in terms of land grabbing. We have seen the military used, especially in the rural areas... to evict people to protect the interests of economic concessions.

"This is really disturbing because legislation says the miliary is to protect citizens equally and not be used for the private interests of companies."

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LDS Church works with Cambodian government to aid rice farmers

By Carole Mikita


KAMPONG CHHNANG, Cambodia -- Last November, KSL 5 News showed you how Utahns were helping Cambodian children receive education and training that changes their lives. Now, other Utahns, also missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are working to help rice farmers double their production.

The rice fields of Kampong Chhnang province in Cambodia are brown in the dry season, but the farmers who own them have increased production substantially in the last three and a half years.

"I went around and spoke to a number of them, and almost every one of them indicated that, personally, the amount of rice that they raised on a particular piece of ground doubled, in terms of the yield received," said LDS missionary Elder Lowell Curtis.

Lowell Curtis and his wife, Cheryl, are from Riverton. They are serving a humanitarian mission in Cambodia.

The farmers the couple are helping belong to a cooperative and participated in a project with Latter-day Saint charities and CEDAC -- the Cambodian Center for Study and Development of Agriculture. After centuries of doing it the same way, now they plant fewer seeds and plant them differently.

The farmers see a difference.

"New rice machine; the farmer come here, and testing, and [I] feel that the rice that come out is very good," Oum Sok said through a translator.

He was talking about the rice mill. LDS charities provided the funds to build it; the farmers from the village and surrounding villages financed the machinery. With a larger crop and their own mill, they have enough for their families and plenty of yield to sell.

The program also encourages the families to raise other crops, which create a healthier diet. The farmers also learn to raise chickens or pigs and increase their numbers. The money they earn from sales now goes here to the savings bank the farmers built, and they have moved out of poverty.

These villagers are not Latter-day Saints, most are Buddhists or Muslims.

"This particular project, the number of beneficiaries would be well over a hundred thousand, I suspect," Curtis said. "There aren't any members of the Church who have directly benefited from it. It's just an attempt to help individuals wherever the help may be needed without consideration for religion or national origin."

The rice program started in 2006 and concluded at the end of 2009. The farmers saw an increased success every year; and with the savings program, many have become financially independent.


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More Cambodian farmers shift toward organic crops

PHNOM PENH, Mar. 3, 2010 (Xinhua News Agency) -- The number of organic farmers producing crops in Cambodia is growing thanks to efforts aimed at training agricultural workers in organic farming techniques, local media reported on Wednesday, citing the Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC).

Marking the first organized meeting for organic farmers, CEDAC president Yaing Saing Koma was quoted by The Cambodia Daily as saying that the number of organic farmers registered with his organization reached 61 in 2009, up from just five in 2004 when CEDAC started to train farmers in the use of natural fertilizers.

"It is not easy to grow organic vegetables as we must be careful about the health of consumers," he said, making reference to the heightened risk of disease from insects in crops grown without the use of chemicals. "We don't use chemical substances to grow vegetables, only natural fertilizers."

Organic produce amounted to just 30 tons in 2009, according to CEDAC, which helps farmers earn a fair price for their produce at five shops in Phnom Penh and another located in Preah Sihanouk city.

In a statement released on Tuesday, CEDAC said that organic produce sells for an average of 15 to 25 percent more than non- organic vegetables sold in local markets.

The German development service, or DED, has been assisting CEDAC in their quest to link organic farmers to the domestic markets.

Anna Meusinger, a junior adviser to CEDAC working with DED, said despite recent progress a lack of irrigation systems was limiting the growth rate of organic farmers.

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Aid given for Cambodia's railways

The Asian Development Bank and Australia on Tuesday launched a multimillion dollar project to restore Cambodia's dilapidated railway network as part of a larger goal to boost regional rail traffic and trade.

Funding for the effort includes a bank loan of $42 million and $21.5 million in grant aid from the Australian government, according to a bank news release.

Cambodia's railroads are in serious need of repair following three decades civil war and of neglect, with a 30-mile (48-kilometer) link to Thailand destroyed.

Officials at the signing ceremony said the upgraded network, to be operational by 2013, would create jobs and business opportunities; reduce road congestion, road maintenance costs and environmental degradation; and help farmers and manufacturers transport their goods to regional markets.

The ADB, OPEC and Malaysia had earlier helped fund the rehabilitation project which will cost a total of $141 million.

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Cambodia PM warns of cosmetic surgery dangers

PHNOM PENH (AFP) – Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday warned women to beware of dubious standards in the country's booming cosmetic surgery industry, in which doctors often practise without licences.

Despite a sluggish economy in Cambodia from the global financial crisis, health experts say the business of cosmetic surgery, including nose jobs and breast enlargements, has doubled or even tripled in recent years.

However Hun Sen said health officials needed to more stringently monitor lax standards in the industry and urged women to be careful or they might "go into a coffin" rather than obtain beauty.

"The problem is whether or not (we) understand clearly the materials or chemical substances that are used for beauty surgery," Hun Sen said, citing the recent case of a Cambodian woman who died after receiving an injection.

Many Cambodian women are aiming for the what they perceive as the more delicate looks of popular Korean and Chinese film stars.

But even as operations become popular among the emerging middle class, Cambodia remains a country where laws are loosely enforced and many people calling themselves doctors have little training.

Although cosmetic surgeons are required to register with the health ministry and have proper qualifications, officials say many operate freely and illegally without licences.

Hun Sen went on to urge Cambodian women to embrace their natural beauty.

"I would like to appeal to all women -- not only single women, but also married women -- that it is good to keep natural beauty," Hun Sen said.
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Cambodians complicit in Vietnamization

I promised last week to discuss today the 25-year treaty of peace, friendship and cooperation concluded by Heng Samrin, a former Khmer Rouge commander who is now a leader in Cambodia's government, and Vietnam's prime minister Pham Van Dong on Feb. 18, 1979.

This treaty binds Cambodia and Vietnam in what the treaty terms, "militant solidarity and fraternal friendship." In a stroke of the pen, the signatories extol a symbiosis of interests between Cambodia and Vietnam, opening the door to an even more thorough Vietnamization of Khmer land and culture than might have taken place in a federation of the states of the former French Indochina.

Retired Johns Hopkins professor Naranhkiri Tith observes on his Web site that the 1979 treaty between Hanoi and its puppet in Phnom Penh "became official in 2005" when Cambodia's King Sihamoni, "with the support of his father Sihanouk," put his royal signature on "supplements" to the treaty, thereby making Cambodians complicit in the Vietnamization of Cambodia.

Some readers have requested a review of Vietnam's historical expansionism and its contemporary revolutionary activities that ended with the 1979 treaty. I will provide that review today and then deal with the treaty.

A saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of invention."

Vietnam, which broke off its thousand-year bondage to China in 939, began its southward movement a few decades later, to escape Mongol and Chinese military threats in the north. Migration to the west was hampered by natural and physical barriers. To the south, the territory was unoccupied and the land was fertile. The horizon seemed infinite.

The migration was ongoing, even as other kingdoms were encountered. In 1406, the ancient kingdom of Champa's capital, Vijaya, was seized and the kingdom was extinguished in 1471. Then, in 1630, Vietnamese princess Ngoc Van, married to Khmer King Chey Chetha II, promoted Vietnamese settlements in the low delta in Khmer Preah Suakea (Ba Ria) and Prey Nokor (Saigon).

The 1979 friendship-cooperation treaty brings Hanoi's influence as far west as the border with Thailand.

What started as a necessity dictated by the search for security and growth became a strategy for expansionism. The intention to expand its influence is illustrated even in the name of the political party founded by modern Vietnam's leader, Ho Chi Minh, in 1930 -- the "Communist Party of Indochina." Ho Chi Minh didn't just want to liberate Vietnam from the French; he defined the task of CPI "to make Indochina completely independent."

In 1941, Minh created the Viet Minh, an abbreviation of "Vietnam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi," or "League for the Independence of Vietnam," and spread its anti-French activities to Laos and Cambodia, where the Viet Minh later fragmentized the anti-French local Khmer Issarak front into a Khmer Viet Minh front.

In 1949, the Viet Minh instituted the "Ban Van Dong Thanh Lap Dang Nhan Cach Mang Cao Mien" -- "Canvassing Committee for the Creation of the Revolutionary Kampuchean People's Party" -- and created the Kampuchean People's Liberation Army in 1950.

Although the CPI was dissolved to demonstrate Vietnam did not harbor expansionist intentions toward its neighbors, it resurfaced in February 1951 as the Vietnam Workers' Party (Lao Dong), with the same agenda. In November of that year, the Revolutionary Kampuchean People's Party was created. It has been said the RKPP and the Cambodian local Communist Pracheachon Party were one and the same.

As Prince Sihanouk wrote in February 1960, the Pracheachon Party was "working indefatigably ... and specifically to bring Cambodia under the heel of North Vietnam."

Finally, in 1952, the Hanoi-created "Kampuchean Resistance Government" emerged to rival Sihanouk's royal government.

When the 1954 Geneva Accords ordered the Viet Minh to leave Cambodia, they took with them to Vietnam between 4,500 and 8,000 Cambodians, mostly young children.

According to Cambodian Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Kampuchea was born on Sept. 30, 1960, after the first party congress of 21 people met for three days and three nights. According to Pol Pot, a Cambodian revolutionary movement that "truly belonged to our people," existed prior to the Geneva Convention, but its dissolution after the 1954 agreement was acknowledged because "people lacked a correct and enlightened guideline." Pol Pot described 1968 as the year when armed struggle -- civil war -- began.

Undoubtedly, Hanoi was aware that its publicly proclaimed "fraternal brothers and sisters," the Khmer Rouge, were not so "fraternal" privately, and it knew its relationships with the Khmer Rouge were unsatisfactory. But Hanoi let the Khmer Rouge be while it looked to building its own Kampuchean puppets. Hanoi was biding its time.

And as it was fighting a war against the Americans in Vietnam, Hanoi threw in its battle-tested troops to fight Lon Nol's republican army, enemies of Prince Sihanouk, who had allied himself with Hanoi. It was Hanoi's troops that routed Lon Nol's army and put Pol Pot in power in Phnom Penh.

Neither Hanoi nor the world governments intervened to stop the genocide that followed. However, when the Khmer Rouge's fierce independence of Hanoi was more than the latter would tolerate, Hanoi concluded it was time to teach its insolent comrades a lesson. The invasion of Cambodia followed, on Christmas Eve 1978.

Phnom Penh was captured and a subservient regime was installed, leading to the signing of the February 1979 treaty between the master and the puppet comrades.


A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam, where he taught political science for 13 years. Write him at peangmeth@yahoo.com. Read more!