Cambodia's drug rehab system decried

By BRENDAN BRADY AND MARK MAGNIER - Los Angeles Times

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- He meanders through a city park with friends, sniffing glue out of a plastic bag. Many nights he passes out on the sidewalk nearby.

It's a bleak routine, but this 17-year-old prefers it to his stints at Choam Chao, one of the Cambodian government's controversial drug rehabilitation centers, where he was twice detained.

"At night, when they got drunk, sometimes they'd beat me," he said, referring to older detainees deputized by the guards to enforce discipline. His tormentors were rewarded, he said, with occasional trips out of the center's compound, when they could buy their liquor.

"When I stopped doing the (enforced physical) exercises, they'd kick me in the stomach," said the teenager, who, along with other former detainees, requested anonymity because he feared official retribution.

Although his account could not be independently verified, it is consistent with what human rights groups and other detainees say is a widespread pattern of unlawful detention in Cambodia that masquerades as rehabilitation. Those unfortunate enough to be unwillingly caught inside this harsh system are often subject to physical and emotional abuse and deprivation.

The teenager said he started using drugs at age 8, soon after his father died. He lived for a few years with his mother, who scraped by scavenging garbage, then struck out on his own, earning money watching parked cars for tips.

His first "rehabilitation" detention, at age 11, lasted six months after he was picked up in a police sweep of his neighborhood. That was followed, at age 13, by 21/2 years of incarceration, during which guards and their stooges attacked him with braided electrical wire and belt buckles. He said he was never officially charged with any crime or allowed to see a lawyer.

The teen, who said he has lost touch with his mother, said the only pretense of therapy while in detention was an occasional medical checkup, by officials from a visiting charity, and three hours of daily military drills designed to "sweat out" the drugs. New arrivals suffering severe withdrawal symptoms were lashed down to their beds at night, he added.

Civic groups said the boy's account is hardly unusual.

"Human rights abuses are intrinsic to how these centers operate," said Joe Amon, a New York-based director of Human Rights Watch, which has released a report on the issue. "Arduous physical exercise and military drills appeared to be happening everywhere, as were beatings and whippings by center staff or detainees ... for disciplinary purposes."

The watchdog group characterized this approach to supposed rehabilitation as "sadistic," adding that wholesale detention of drug users, homeless people, sex workers and beggars in holding centers out of public view is common, with street sweeps occurring especially before holidays and visits by foreign dignitaries.

"This practice takes its roots from (Cambodian) history," said Mathieu Pellerin, a consultant with Licadho, a Cambodian human rights group that has campaigned against forced detentions. "It's very deep in their DNA. To this day, the government denies that it's unlawful detention."

In mid-2008, Pellerin got word of a wholesale roundup of "undesirables." He went with a team to a government detention center, where he found the director drunk.

A member of his team lured the official aside as others went inside and photographed the dire conditions being endured by entire families, the mentally disabled, epilepsy patients without medicine and pregnant women who were hauled off the street by police and government workers, most without their family's knowledge.

When Pellerin and his team presented their evidence to the government, he said, officials denied wrongdoing and said the disclosures were politically motivated.

Human Rights Watch said it has also received reports of police and Social Affairs Ministry officials making money by leasing out detainees as laborers or selling their "donated" blood.

The so-called rehabilitation system's real aims appear to be social control, profit and retribution for perceived moral failure, watchdog groups said. More than 2,000 people were detained in 11 Cambodian facilities nationwide in 2008, the vast majority involuntarily. For drug users put through the state rehabilitation system, the relapse rate was nearly 100 percent, according to one World Health Organization report.

Pellerin blames the Cambodian government for the alleged abuses, but he also points a finger at United Nations agencies and countries that donate aid but don't use their money or leverage to force change.

"Donors seem unwilling to draw conclusions that should be drawn after two decades," he said. "Maybe they don't want to admit their own failure."

Cambodian authorities have denied the charges of abuse. At an anti-narcotics conference in March, Prime Minister Hun Sen acknowledged that the centers were not "medically appropriate," but he accused human rights groups of "blindly attack(ing) without seeing the government's charity."

Drug users should appreciate the food, shelter and training they receive, Cambodian officials say. Although some facilities may be substandard, they add, that only reflects the limited resources of a nation still recovering from decades of war.

The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime is discussing a $9.7 million project to create voluntary, community-level drug rehabilitation in Cambodia as an alternative to the government program.

"Research tells us empathy is key to the effectiveness of drug-dependence treatment," said Juana Tomas-Rossello, a drug treatment adviser with the office who is working on the plan.

Cambodia is not alone. China, the regional powerhouse, reportedly holds half a million drug abusers in compulsory rehabilitation at any given time, civic groups and academics said. Thailand, Laos and Vietnam have recently embraced or long resorted to compulsory detoxification and punitive detention amid concern over a recent, sharp rise in methamphetamine use.

Some former detainees in Cambodia note glimmers of humanity in the system. The 17-year-old glue sniffer was instructed in traditional drums and hair cutting. And a recently released 15-year-old said his term was "easy" and included English lessons, although he was forcibly detained without charges and saw others beaten.

The basic problem, say critics and detainees, is that Cambodia's system focuses more on punishment than rehabilitation.

"Those places will harden you," said a 22-year old former detainee, sipping moonshine in a vacant lot where he was preparing to spend the night.

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Cambodia asks ASEAN to mediate border dispute with Thailand

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) - The Cambodian government on Saturday asked the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to mediate Cambodia's border dispute with Thailand.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong on Saturday sent a letter to Pham Gia Khiem, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs of Vietnam, who is the current chair of ASEAN.

In his letter, Hor said "until now, Cambodia has exercised utmost restrain and attempted to find a peaceful solution to the problem bilaterally, but to no avail."

"As the current stalemate has extinguished any hope on further bilateral negotiations and in order to avoid any large scale armed conflict..., I earnestly seek Your Excellency's assistance, as chair of ASEAN, to mediate on the matter under the ASEAN framework either as a whole or on an individual basis involving only certain ASEAN members, in line with the Principles of the ASEAN Charter, Article 2 (c) and (d)," Hor said.

Cambodia and Thailand got into border conflict just one week after Cambodia got the Temple of Preah Vihear registered as World Heritage Site in July 2008. The Cambodia-Thai border has never been fully demarcated, and Thailand continues to stake territorial claims of the 4.6 square kilometer area in the vicinity of the Temple of Preah Vihear.

Hor Namhong reiterated that the Temple of Preah Vihear is situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia, citing the adjudication of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on June 15, 1962.

ASEAN groups 10 countries including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Read more!

Aurora Travel Releases Seat-in-Coach Tours in Vietnam and Cambodia

Reporting an increase of 150% in profit as compared to the same period last year regardless of the severe aftermath of the global economic crisis, Vietnam’s respected tour operator Aurora Travel just decided to keep on with its ongoing triumph by unveiling carefully tailored Seat-in-Coach Tours highlighting both Vietnam and Cambodia.

Hanoi, Vietnam, August 14, 2010 --(PR.com)-- While most of the other local tour operators and travel agents are still trying to recover from the consequences of the global economic crisis, which has been evidenced by the significant decrease in the number of international travelers the world over, the country’s prestigious tour operator Aurora Travel seems to be an exception. The company’s report saw an increase of 150% in profit in the first half of 2010 as compared to the same period last year. As a reward, it just moved to a new and better equipped office in the capital city of Hanoi in order to meet the increasing workload.

During the last 7 years of operations, the company has earned a solid reputation for organizing private customized tours to all the tourist destinations in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand. However, it just released a number of Seat-in-Coach Join-in tours, firstly in Vietnam and Cambodia, as a response to the requirements of a considerable number of travelers who wish to grasp more opportunities to meet up and communicate with other fellow travelers – “It’s the major difference from our traditional private tours,” said Mrs. Mai Anh – Aurora’s General Director, at a press conference held in Hanoi last week.
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"By booking any of our 5 Seat-in-Coach Tours, travelers are expected to do almost nothing but sit back and enjoy the pleasures that the wondrous land of Vietnam and Cambodia has to offer by a fleet of modern, air-conditioned coaches, experience historic and cultural destinations with beautiful sightseeing opportunities; sit back and relax whilst we take you to Halong Bay, Hanoi, Sapa, Hoi An, Hue, Ho Chi Minh city, which are followed by the world renowned wats and landscapes of Cambodia where you can see breathtaking scenery, lakeside retreats, quaint coastal towns and taste a host of varied cuisine to suit all palates. Whatever you're after – whether it's a beach break, city escape or cultural experience – we're sure to have something for you to choose," Ms. Hoai Van – Aurora Travel’s Sales Manager, added.

In addition, these coach tours will also provide travelers with a flexible variety of accommodation options, perfect English speaking guide and impeccable catering service at each and entire length of the trip. Since the number of group members are limited and the tours are set for certain dates every month only, you are advised to contact Aurora Travel at tour@vietnamstay.com for reservations or visit its official website at http://www.vietnamstay.com for more details.
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Suthep: No order 'yet' from PM to discuss temple row with Cambodia

BANGKOK, Aug 14 -- Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said Saturday that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has not yet ordered him to Cambodia to discuss ending the two countries’ disagreement regarding the ancient Preah Vihear.

Mr Suthep said he still had no details of the planned visited of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Cambodia during which the UN chief is expected to discuss the temple issue with Cambodian government leaders.

A report by the Associated Press from Phnom Penh on Thursday said that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will raise the temple issue with Mr Ban during his official visit to Cambodia October 27-28.

Mr Hun Sen on Monday proposed an international conference to discuss the dispute “because the bilateral discussion is at an impasse now.”

The Thai government, however, opposes the idea as unnecessary because the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding, signed by the two governments, provides a sufficient framework for a solution.

Urging the Thai public to not pay much attention to Mr Hun Sen’s criticism of the Thai government, Mr Suthep said both countries are close neighbours and the Cambodian government could “say anything as long as it neither hurts Thai sovereignty nor its image”.

The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the 11th century temple belongs to Cambodia, and UNESCO named it a World Heritage site in 2008 after Cambodia applied for the status.

The latest problem arose when Thailand objected to Phnom Penh's submitting a management plan for the temple late last month to UNESCO’s World Heritage Commission (WHC). The agency decided on July 29 to defer the decision until it meets next year.

The two countries have been locked in a dispute over a 4.6 sq km patch of land near the cliff-top temple. (MCOT online news)
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Apache Junction man, 61, gets 10 years in child porn case

by Nathan Gonzalez
The Arizona Republic


An Apache Junction man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to transporting and possessing child pornography.

Mark Stephan Freitag, 61, pleaded guilty on April 14 and was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court on one count of transportation of child pornography and possessing child pornography, court documents state.

Freitag was initially arrested in Cambodia on May 18, 2008, after flying there from Arizona, court documents state. Cambodian National Police apprehended Freitag after "citizen complaints and victim reports" surfaced that he was engaging in sexual conduct with Cambodian boys.

"Freitag was interviewed and admitted that he was interested in and collected child pornography," court records state.

Witnesses and fellow tourists reported Freitag to Cambodian authorities after they saw him with four young boys aged 6 to 14 years old. One boy told authorities "Freitag had paid them for sex," which he did not deny, court documents state.

Authorities eventually were able to get Freitag back to the United States.

Freitag also admitted to downloading, collecting and saving child pornography, much of which was found downloaded to a computer inside an Apache Junction storage locker.

Freitag had 65 DVDs of child pornography in his possession when arrested by Cambodian police, court records show. In the storage locker, FBI investigators recovered 2,066 explicit images and 12 additional videos with children as young as 5 years old.
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Government Unveils Traffic Safety Initiative

The government has unveiled a new set of measures to decrease the number of deaths on Cambodian roads.

The National Road Safety Action Plan calls for better designed roads, better law enforcement, better treatment of accident victims and other measures aimed at lowering the fatality rate 30 percent, or about 4,700 lives, over the next 10 years.

Nearly 1,000 people died on the roads in the first six months of 2010. That number is an apparent increase from the total 1,700 deaths in all of 2009.

The plan, devised by a multi-agency road safety committee, calls for increased funding and the development of expertise in order to improve road safety.

Improved safety will require better infrastructure, better trained drivers and speed and traffic flow management, according to the plan, released earlier this week.

The plan also calls for improved major national roads and the training of engineers for road safety audits and other oversight. It will target major risks, including speeding, driving without a helmet, seatbelt or child restraint and drunk driving. It will also target overloaded vehicles and improve the reaction time for first responders.

Other strategies include public education, road safety curriculum in schools and universities and peer-to-peer education. Education campaigns will be linked to law enforcement initiatives.

Under the plan, the Ministry of Health hopes to strengthen national emergency medical services, including first aid, transport, capacity of hospitals, mechanisms to manage the system and integrated information systems. Physical rehabilitation of the victim post-crash will also become a feature in the plan.

Traffic legislation will also need updated for modern traffic conditions, and the laws must be better enforced, according to the plan. This will include better drivers licensing in a database linked between police and the judiciary.
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Ban to visit Cambodia

Hun Sen seeks talks over dispute


PRIME Minister Hun Sen said yesterday that he planned to discuss the Preah Vihear border dispute with Ban Ki-moon when the United Nations secretary general visited Phnom Penh later this year.

In remarks at a meeting on the protection of the Tonle Sap lake at the Ministry of Water Resources yesterday, the premier said that Ban Ki-moon would come to Cambodia for an official visit.

“I will talk [about the border dispute] with Ban Ki-moon on October 27-28 when he visits here,” Hun Sen said.

“I will seek a compromise from the UN representative.
“Thailand should not be afraid of international intervention … and if Thailand is afraid, it means Thailand does not have good intentions.

“Real gold is never afraid of fire.”
A statement from the Thai government’s public relations department on Wednesday said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva would meet Ban during
a trip to New York next month.

Abhisit planned to “clarify the Thai-Cambodian rift resulting from the registration of the Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage site” and “discuss with Mr Ban an exit for the dispute”, the statement said.

Margaret Lamb, a spokeswoman for the UN in Phnom Penh, and Farhan Haq, an associate spokesman for the UN secretary general in New York, said they could not confirm Ban’s visit to Cambodia.

Thai ministry of foreign affairs deputy spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said yesterday that Thailand’s position on the issue was “unchanged in that we believe that any outstanding issues between Thailand and Cambodia should be addressed bilaterally within the existing mechanisms”.

In a speech on Monday, Hun Sen called for an international conference to resolve the ongoing border dispute, saying that the existing bilateral mechanisms were not working. A day earlier, he wrote to the UN Security Council and General Assembly to denounce comments printed in Bangkok’s The Nation newspaper in which Abhisit reportedly contemplated the use of military force at the border.

“No Thai prime ministers have ever spoken of using armed force against Cambodia, only Abhisit Vejjajiva,” Hun Sen said yesterday.

“This matter is very serious, and it looks down on the Cambodian people as well as [abuses] the UN Charter.”

The Thai government has since said Abhisit’s comments were misquoted and “taken out of context”.

The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia stretches back to July 2008, when Preah Vihear temple was listed as a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. Both countries claim a 4.6-square-kilometre zone adjacent to the temple.

The latest round of bilateral antagonism came to a head after a meeting of UNESCO’S World Heritage Committee in Brazil that concluded earlier this month.

The Cambodian delegation to the meeting submitted a management plan for Preah Vihear that will be discussed by the committee next year. Read more!

Center Seeks To Publish Names of All Khmer Rouge Victims

A Cambodian child holds a recent verdict book of Khmer Rouge leader Duch, during the books delivering by the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal staff officials at Prey Sar villag.
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The Documentation Center of Cambodia is preparing a book that aims to list the names of every person who died under the Khmer Rouge.

An estimated 2 million people, or a quarter of the population, perished under the regime. The book will be a legacy to those victims, said Kok Thai Eng, deputy director of the center, as a guest on “Hello VOA” Thursday.

“For Cambodia, we have never listed the names of those who died, so I think those 2 million victims should be named in a book, as history, to be distributed to all institutions in Cambodia,” he said.

Other countries have similarly listed those who died in plane crashes or wars, he said. The Documentation Center will seek to do the same, soliciting e-mails or phone calls from the families of the dead. Family members who wish to participate can call 012 95 58 58, he said.

The book aims to list where people died, where they were from and other basic information. The center hopes to publish it over the next two years and place one in each of Cambodia's 1,621 communes.

Kok Thai Eng said he hoped the book will bring peace of mind to people after they see their loved ones listed.

“People who have called in to tell the center to list their family member's names have been really supportive and very happy,” he said.

The book project marks a next step for the Documentation Center, which has already collected thousands of documents related to the Khmer Rouge and submitted them to the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal.

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Cambodia wants UN chief to mediate with Thailand

By SOPHENG CHEANG
Associated Press


Cambodia's prime minister said Thursday he will ask United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to help mediate talks he is proposing to help settle a border dispute with neighboring Thailand.
Speaking to government officials in the capital Phnom Penh, Hun Sen said he will raise the issue with Ban during the U.N chief's official visit to Cambodia on Oct. 27-28.

Thailand and Cambodia both claim a 1.8-square-mile (4.6-square-kilometer) patch of land near the cliff-top Preah Vihear temple. Hun Sen on Monday proposed an international conference to discuss the dispute "because the bilateral discussion is at an impasse now."

"We will request the United Nations Secretary-General to be the coordinator," Hun Sen said Thursday.

Thailand opposes the idea as unnecessary because a 2000 agreement between the two countries provides the framework for a solution.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday accused Cambodia of causing the current problem by moving people onto the disputed land. Both countries have a heavy troop presence in the area and have had several small but sometimes deadly clashes in the past few years.

The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled that the 11th century temple belongs to Phnom Penh.

UNESCO named it a World Heritage site in 2008 after Cambodia applied for the status. The country submitted a management plan for the temple recently to UNESCO's World Heritage Commission, which deferred a decision until next year.

Abhisit is under pressure to move aggressively because Thai right-wing nationalists have protested that Cambodian actions there threaten Thailand's sovereignty.

Domestic political pressure limits Abhisit's ability to make compromises, while Hun Sen _ who runs Cambodia with an iron hand _ can act without much fear of criticism, and seems to enjoy taunting his Thai counterpart. His antagonism toward Abhisit's government may be ascribed to the Thai leader appointing as his foreign minister Kasit Piromya, who before taking the post had insulted Hun Sen in public speeches as a gangster and a bum.
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Having faith in Cambodia’s youths

Today marks our celebration of both the annual International Youth Day and the launch of the International Year of Youth, under the theme “Dialogue and Mutual Understanding”.

The United Nations in Cambodia recognises the importance of Cambodia’s young people to the future of this country, and we welcome this spotlight on the needs and aspirations of one-third of Cambodia’s people.

It is our duty to listen to those voices and engage in that dialogue, to include Cambodia’s young people in the development process and in the future of their country.

The UN General Assembly defines youths as individuals aged between 15 and 24 years, and young people between 10 and 24 years of age. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, however, takes a broader view and defines youth as those between the ages of 14 and 30 years of age.

Cambodia’s population iof young people, proportionately one of the largest in Southeast Asia, presents significant opportunities, but it also presents tremendous challenges.

Despite recent rapid economic growth, there are simply not enough jobs for youths.

Unemployment among youths is higher than for any other age group. At the current pace of job creation, Cambodia will not have the capacity to place the increasing numbers of young people who are entering the workforce each year.

Currently estimated at 250,000-300,000 new entrants to the labour market each year, this number is expected to rise to 400,000 in the coming years.

The significant numbers of young people who find themselves unemployed or underemployed are all vulnerable to trafficking, entry into illegal sectors and use.

Rural poor who migrate to cities for work are more likely than others to be homeless and unemployed, and are more likely to turn to criminal behaviour or to migrate in search of employment as unskilled labourers.

We know that education is one of the best options to link youths with decent employment opportunities, but access to education at all levels in Cambodia continues to be unevenly distributed between urban and rural areas, as well as between rich and poor.

Additionally, poverty and economic shocks force many young people to leave school without acquiring the basic skills they need for work and for life. Only half of young people complete primary school, and only a quarter proceed to lower secondary school.

And it is important to note that school attendance alone is not a panacea. The quality and substance of their education is what will allow the young people of Cambodia to take their place in an increasingly competitive region.

Education will also enable the youth of Cambodia to make valuable contributions to their country’s development. Soon today’s youth will be Cambodia’s leaders, educators, businesspeople and farmers. If youths are to become an engine of growth for this country, much more needs to be done to ensure their meaningful participation in education, employment, development and governance.

The United Nations system in Cambodia works with youths to ensure that their voices are heard and that their needs and concerns are addressed in our work. The issues and concerns affecting youths are integrated into each area of the UN Development Assistance Framework 2011-2015, and this will continue to inform the work we undertake.

For example, in education, the UN in Cambodia is supporting government to: strengthen and implement policies and strategies for technical and vocational education and training; increase the quality of training programmes through developing skills standards, testing, accreditation and certification procedures; and increasing the evidence base for monitoring equitable access to quality basic education.

The UN Youth Advisory Panel, the first of its kind in the world, gives youths an opportunity to become more informed about development, the United Nations, and our ongoing commitment to the issues that affect young people. And it also serves to remind us of the importance of youths to development.

The Situation Analysis of Youth in Cambodia, published by the UN in Cambodia in October 2009, laid the groundwork for future work in this area, and the findings of this study contributed to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport’s crucial work on the National Youth Policy.

Cambodia’s youths are the most affected sector of society in terms of coping with rapid economic growth and social change, but they are also the most resilient and adaptable segment of the population.

The UN in Cambodia will continue to work with young people as they strive to create a better future for themselves, for their families and for their country.
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Villagers Avoid Farming At Thai-Cambodian Border Amid Tense Situation

BANGKOK, Aug 11 (Bernama) --- The situation along Thai-Cambodian border became more tense Wednesday as villagers avoided farming at border areas, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported Wednesday.

The villagers fear that they could be captured by Cambodian troops following a recent opinion survey backing the government to push Cambodians out of the contested area near Preah Vihear temple.

Some villagers at Phoomsarol village in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket province on the Cambodian border told reporters they were fearful regarding the tense situation and dared not work on their farms near the border area for fear that they could be captured by Cambodian troops.

Meanwhile, soldiers from the Suranaree Task Force and the 16th Infantry Regiment set up barricades using concrete tubes and barbed wires, to strictly control the entrance and exit road to Preah Vihear.

At Surin province, Thai and Cambodian troops were deployed along the border line particularly at the ancient Ta Muan Thom ruins, Phanom Dong Rak district.

Patrol units and soldiers were stationed at the entrance to the ruins round the clock but the situation was normal. The Thai army however has reportedly prepared a contingency plan in response to any incident.

Meanwhile, Chong Chom border market in Kab Cheng district became quiet as Cambodian villagers are fearful about crossing into Thai territory amid tensions building up.

According to TNA the uneasy situation arose after Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said in a recent interview that his government was not interested in joining Thailand to develop Preah Vihear temple, awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962.

The Suan Dusit Poll of Rajabhat Suan Dusit University survey released Tuesday found that a majority of respondents supported the Thai government to push Cambodians out of the disputed area near Preah Vihear temple.

UNESCO named the temple a World Heritage site in 2008 after Cambodia applied for the status. UNESCO's World Heritage Commission during its meeting in Brazil on July 29 postponed reviewing the management plan proposed by Cambodia to its 2011 session to be held in Bahrain.
Preah Vihear temple is located atop a 1,722-foot escarpment in the Dangrek Mountains, about 150 miles north of the Cambodian capital. Reaching it by road is easiest from the Thai side of the border. The two countries are disputing a 4.6 sq km area near the temple.

-- BERNAMA
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Thai-Cambodian border talks postponed

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to postpone indefinitely the 7th General Border Meeting (GBC) set for Aug 27-28 in Pattaya because of 'some important reasons,' defence spokesman Col Thanathip Sawangsaeng said on Wednesday.

The spokesman said Defence Minster Prawit Wongsuwon and his Cambodian counterpart Gen Tea Banh had agreed to the delay.

It was earlier reported that the postponement was made at the request of Cambodia because of an unfavourable atmosphere as a result of the conflict over the Preah Vihear temple.

Col Thanathip said the postponement was agreed on after Thailand, as the host, asked Cambodia whether it was ready for the meeting. Cambodia replied that documents to be signed at the meeting had not yet been properly prepared.

The spokesman said it was not the Preah Vihear conflict that forced the postponement.

The GBC meeting was originally intended for the two sides to sign agreements on border security cooperation over landmine disposals, suppression of drug smuggling and human trafficking, marine security and joint operations by police and soldiers along the border.

Col Thanathip said the GBC would not discuss border demarcation, since that is the responsibility of the Joint Boundary Committee of the foreign ministries of the two countries.

He said the situation along the Thai-Cambodian border was normal, so was the cross-border trade, and troops of both sides were in contact as usual.

The GBC is co-chaired by the defence ministers of the two countries. There are 18 members from each side, including the supreme commanders and heads of the three armed forces.

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Vietnam and Cambodia co-operate on drug control

The Vietnamese National Assembly supports exchanges and co-operation with Cambodia in drug control, said NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong.

Chairman Trong made the commitment while receiving the visiting delegation of the Cambodian National Committee for Drug Control headed by Deputy Prime Minister and the committee’s Chairman Ke Kim Yan in Hanoi on August 10.

NA Chairman Trong expressed his pleasure at the fine development of co-operation between the two countries in recent years, not only in the economy, trade and investment, but also in fighting crime and drugs.

He informed his guests that Vietnam has carried out many drastic measures to prevent and fight drugs by raising people’s awareness in the danger of drugs, building a strong legal system and developing the drug control programme into a national target programme to mobilise people power. However, he added, drug control was a long-lasting and tough fight which needs common efforts and close co-operation between nations, especially neighbouring ones like Vietnam and Cambodia.

Cambodian Deputy PM Ke Kim Yan expressed thanks to the Vietnamese Government and people for effective assistance in many fields, including drug control. The two sides also co-operated in ensuring political security and social order in the border areas between the two countries, he said.

He expressed his wish to learn from Vietnam’s experiences in national development and affirmed that Cambodia was ready to coordinate with Vietnamese relevant agencies and localities to fight drug evils.

The same day, the Cambodian delegation was received by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong, who is also Chairman of the National Committee for AIDS, Drug and Prostitution Prevention and Control.

Deputy PM Trong briefed the Cambodian delegation about Vietnamese works in drug control and stressed that international co-operation, including co-ordination with Laos and Cambodia, contributed markedly to reduced trading of drugs across border.

In the area of treatment of drug addicts, Deputy PM Trong said Vietnam had, on a trial basis, used methadone medicine in detoxification in Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong city and got good results.

The Cambodian Deputy PM asked Vietnam to help Cambodia build a detoxification centre and share experiences in the treatment of drug addicts in the community and families, as well as train medical experts for Cambodia.

Also on August 10, the Cambodian guests met with Vietnamese Public Security Minister, General Le Hong Anh.

Minister Anh said that co-operation between the Public Security Ministry of Vietnam and the Interior Ministry of Cambodia has been boosted in line with the 1997 Agreement on Co-operation in Crime Prevention and Fighting and brought about practical results.

The Vietnamese minister expressed his hope that in the future the two sides would closely co-operate in protecting national security and building a common border of peace, friendship, stability and development. (VNA)


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Power through photos

LUNENBURG — Powerful photos line G. Ryan Ansin's studio walls — a pensive face peering from behind a hospital wall, a prosthetic leg showing a Cambodian child's visualization of fear side-by-side with sneakers in a star formation, an American child's visual depiction of fun.

The photos were taken by his students from Cambodia and Massachusetts; the students from Cambodia were patients at an amputee rehabilitation center and a sex trafficking rescue center.

The 23-year-old founder of EPHAS (Every Person Has A Story) Productions is on a plane to Rwanda today to start up an educational media arts program at Karambi High School and at a local hospital in Gitwe.

Mr. Ansin and his team will teach between 80 and 100 students the basics of digital photography in advance of the installation of a clean water system that will service more than 250,000 people in the Gitwe area.

The students will document the immediate and long-term health and cultural impacts clean water will bring to Gitwe's residents.

“They now have to walk 11.6 kilometers to a source of relatively clean water, a river, and then back again,” Mr. Ansin said.

After the workshop program is completed, Mr. Ansin and his students will be going on that 11.6 km walk, photographing and talking with people on the way.

Why photography?

Mr. Ansin, an internationally experienced photographer who has made videos for nonprofits, including Veterans International, Epic Arts, Rural Black Women's Rights and others, began making films as a 7-year-old at Fitchburg's Applewild School and then learned about photography at Lawrence Academy.

At 15, he was invited to join a trip to view the rehabilitation centers that the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundations started in Cambodia and Vietnam and found the work to which he has dedicated himself ever since.

He was asked to make a film of the trip, a film that was shown at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

“I took a year and a half off after high school and traveled the U.S., Cambodia and the Cayman Islands doing promotional videos for nonprofits, which were successful in raising money,” Mr. Ansin said.

After graduating from Emerson College, he went back to his roots in photography and started developing an educational media arts program with his past experiences in mind.

“I needed to make changes in the way I was helping. Here are these people being faced with a white male, another guy holding a big mike in their faces, telling them to move this way and asking questions through a translator; I didn't think it was an honest depiction of life in those villages,” he said.

So he decided to teach people to document their own experiences, to empower them to record their feelings with digital photography.

During his three weeks in Rwanda, students will first learn the basics of taking a photograph with a point-and-shoot digital camera.

“Then what I think of as the best part of the workshop, the students will be paired up and then sent out to find another person who has never taken a picture who they will teach. Afterward we go over the pictures together and usually find a few that are very good and they will proudly say ‘my student took that picture.' It helps them to gain confidence,” he said.

During the instruction period, a local artist/assistant is also learning how to run workshops. That assistant oversees the program, downloads pictures and sends them back to Mr. Ansin, who selects photos that best represent the location and puts them online for the public to view.

The pictures will eventually be sold at galleries in the United States for fundraising purposes. All of the proceeds will directly benefit the workshop location programs and the hosting organization.

In the Rwanda program, 75 percent of the funds will benefit the educational program to purchase additional equipment and continue instruction. The remaining 25 percent will be sent to Medical Missions for Children co-founder Andrew Kurban's 1For3 organization for a piping and purification water system for the area.

The Rwandan students can continue to access the program and use the equipment by donating their time to help new students.

Meanwhile, back in the United States, Mr. Ansin will begin to expand his school program with the help of author Loung Ung. Her two books, “First They Killed My Father” and “Lucky Child” are on the curriculum of 250 schools nationwide.

“When she is invited to speak at these and other schools she will be talking about our program. It's important to connect the hosting organizations like Veterans International and 1For3 back here.

“We hear about suicide bombings and atrocities on a daily basis, but it's not the only things that are happening in the developing world. I was lucky to be invited to Cambodia at a young age, and if I can give students here the same eye-opening experience without having to travel, well, it would help the hosting organizations become sustainable, and perhaps bring philanthropy to our kids at a young age,” Mr. Ansin said.

Mr. Ansin is planning a return trip to Cambodia later this year and will begin start-up programs to benefit reconstruction in Haiti, focus on gangs and teen violence in the Dominican Republic, schools/orphanages/soccer in Vietnam and rape in the Congo and Brazil, and a return trip to Rwanda scheduled for 2011.

“It's all about giving people a voice in their community,” Mr. Ansin said. Read more!

Abhisit: No help needed

BANGKOK - THAILAND'S Prime Minister said on Tuesday he would strive to peacefully resolve a bitter border dispute with Cambodia, and outside mediation, as Cambodia has sought, was not needed.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Cambodia's recent appeal to the United Nations to help negotiate is unnecessary because a 2000 agreement between the countries provides the framework for a solution.

He accused Cambodia of causing the problem by moving people onto 1.8 square miles (4.6 square kilometres) of disputed land around the Preah Vihear temple. Both countries have a heavy troop presence in the area, and have had several small but sometimes deadly clashes in the past few years.

The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled that the 11th century temple belongs to Phnom Penh.

UNESCO named it a World Heritage site in 2008 after Cambodia applied for the status. The country submitted a management plan for the temple recently to UNESCO's World Heritage Commission, which deferred a decision until next year.

Mr Abhisit is under pressure to move aggressively because Thai right-wing nationalists have protested that Cambodian actions there threaten Thailand's sovereignty. They also want Thailand to revoke the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding as jeopardising Thai territorial claims, which Mr Abhisit denies. -- AP

Read more!

Iran, Cambodia Agree to Boost Mutual Cooperation

TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki announced on Tuesday that Iran and Cambodia plan to further boost their political, economic and diplomatic cooperation.

Speaking at a press conference after his meeting with Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong here in Tehran today, Mottaki lauded the close political ties and constructive cooperation between the two countries within the international bodies.

"Mutual support (by Iran and Cambodia) has paved the way for the start of a new era of economic cooperation between the two countries," Mottaki told reporters.

Referring to the agenda of his talks with the Cambodian minister, Mottaki said that he and Namhong had conferred on different issues such as trade, implementation of projects and investment.

"As regards trade, we agreed to bring Tehran-Phnom Penn relations into a new era through holding national fairs in each other's countries, active participation in the two countries' international fairs, and reciprocal meetings between the two counties' chambers of commerce and ministries of commerce," he added.

Mottaki said that he and his Cambodian counterpart had also agreed to work on tourism as a main part of their agenda for the expansion of ties.

The minister further noted that they had also agreed to put on their agenda principal agreements on boosting economic cooperation in areas of tariffs, avoidance on double taxation and joint ventures and investments in both countries.

Read more!

Government Bolsters Policy To Export Labor

Cambodia is hoping to increase the number of workers it sends abroad to absorb the some 300,000 young people entering the job market each year.

In a report made public Tuesday, the government said its labor migration policy will seek to make the export of labor the second-most robust sector, following garment factories.

There are more than 10,000 Cambodians working legally in Thailand, and nearly 20,000 working in Malaysia, Seng Sakada, director general of the Ministry of Labor, told VOA Khmer. South Korea employs nearly 9,000 workers.

“They are employed especially in small and medium factories, in fishery factories and in housework,” he said.

Labor Minister Vorng Soth told reporters Tuesday these numbers were small compared to other countries, which “send millions of their citizens to work abroad.”

The UN estimates that about 300,000 youths enter the work force each year, a number expected to climb to 400,000 in the near future. The construction and garment sectors have not developed quickly enough to employ all the new workers.

Among the countries Cambodia is eying for labor export are Kuwait, Hong Kong and Sinapore, Seng Sakada said.
Read more!

Dengue Outbreak Prompts Government Campaign

Officials from the Ministry of Health met with provincial health authorities on Tuesday to begin a campaign to curb an outbreak of dengue fever.

At least 10 people have died from the disease since June, with another 3,700 infected in what health officials say is a sharp increase from last year.

“We are very concerned about the outbreak of dengue fever over the last few months,” Huy Rekol, deputy director of the Ministry of Health's dengue control department, told the meeting. “So we must have a strong response to this outbreak.”

The outbreak began at the onset of the rainy season, in June, and has spread across provinces of Banteay Meanchey, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampot, and Kandal, as well as Kep and Phnom Penh.

The virus has become more potent in recent years, Kuy Rekol said.

“We must increase health education in communes and schools, so the people can understand how to prevent dengue fever,” Huy Rekol said.

Dengue is carried by mosquito, so people should kill their larvae by using the chemical known by its brand name Abate in water pots and other still water sources and fill in puddles around their houses, he said.

People should also sleep under mosquito nets at night to prevent the early morning bites of the Aedes mosquito, which carries the dengue virus, he said. The mosquitoes are most active between 5:30 am and 5:30 pm.

Beginning next week, the Ministry of Health will send around 5 tons of Abate to the worst hit provinces so that it can be distributed by local authorities.

People are also encouraged to by “seven-colored” fish from markets to put in water pots, which keep down mosquito larvae. Children should wear long sleeves and pants to prevent mosquito bites that can carry the disease, Huy Rekol said.
Read more!

Thailand Asks Cambodia To Leave Encroachment Area

Prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva seem to forget that Preah Vihea Temple was built by Khmer King. And thais should leave Sesaket Province and returning everything back to Cambodia.

By Jamaluddin Muhammad

BANGKOK, Aug 10 (Bernama) -- The Thailand-Cambodia border dispute took a new twist on Tuesday, when Thailand told Cambodians who encroached on its territory at the border, to leave.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the government had asked its foreign and defence ministries to discuss ensuring their withdrawal from the occupied territory.

However, Abhisit refused to provide details of the tasks given to the two ministries, as well as the deadline for the withdrawal.

"All the problems arose because Cambodians encroached into our areas. It is our right to protect our sovereignty," he said.

He reiterated the country's stand to use peaceful means in solving the border issue, in line with the United Nations resolution and the Thailand-Cambodia border memorandum of understanding inked in 2000.

It is not clear on the number of Cambodians alleged to have encroached in the area, as well as the size of the occupied territory as alleged by Thailand.

The two countries are at loggerheads over a 4.6 sq km area surrounding the Preah Vihear Temple, with Thailand claiming the disputed area is part of its Si Sa Kets Karntharalak district while Cambodia says it is in its Preah Vihear province.

The 11th century Hindu temple is located in the Cambodian territory as ruled by the International Court of Justice in 1962, and Unesco listed it as a world heritage site in 2008, which led to strained relationship as both countries claimed the disputed area.

Except for the border issue, Abhisit stressed that both countries enjoyed good relationship in other areas, including trade, adding that border trading was not affected by the conflict.

He also said Thailand would explain to the United Nations and Security Council based on four points in countering his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen's allegation that Thailand threatened to use military force in solving the issue.

The points are that Hun Sen had misquoted him; the two neighbours enjoyed good relationship in other areas; Thailand would adhere to peaceful resolution and, the country respected the International Court of Justice's decision on the ownership of the temple even though it may not agree with it.

The letters to the two world bodies were in response to the letters sent by Hun Sen to the same bodies on Sunday.

Last week, the border issue heated up again when Cambodia submitted the management plan for the temple at the Unesco World Heritage Committee meeting in Brazil.

Thailand had protested as the plan included part of the disputed territory and the meeting postponed its decision on the management plan to next year's meeting in Bahrain.

Thailand Patriot Network led by People's Alliance for Democracy yellow shirts leaders held a protest in this capital last Saturday, demanding the government revoke the 2000 border memorandum of understanding.

The next day, Abhisit led the government team for a three-hour live telecast debate with the group.

It was during the debate that Abhisit stated that Thailand would use diplomacy to solve the border issue and the use of military force as the last resort, in protecting the country's sovereignty.

-- BERNAMA
Read more!

Cambodian PM warns of 'bloodshed' over Thai border

PHNOM PENH — Cambodia's premier warned Monday that a border dispute with Thailand was "very hot" and could result in violence, reiterating his call for international assistance to end the row.

"Cambodia would like to ask for intervention to have an international conference on the issue of the Cambodian-Thai border dispute," Prime Minister Hun Sen said during a ceremony attended by foreign diplomats.

"The issue is very hot. It may cause bloodshed," he added.

He said bilateral efforts to resolve the conflict with Thailand would not work and called on the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other countries to help resolve the spat.

Tensions between the two nations over the disputed border have flared up following protests in Bangkok by the royalist "Yellow Shirt" movement over the issue.

Thai media quoted Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva as saying over the weekend that he was ready to use both diplomatic and military means to settle the dispute.

Thailand's opposition has accused the government of using the spat to fuel patriotism and boost its domestic political support.

Hun Sen wrote to the United Nations on Sunday accusing Thailand of violating UN rules by threatening to use military force against Cambodia.

Cambodia reserves its "legitimate rights to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity in case of deliberate acts of aggression," Hun Sen wrote in the letter, which was distributed to the media.

Abhisit said Monday that the letter was based on incorrect information.

"Cambodia wants to give an image of Thailand as an intruder or using force, which is not true," he told reporters.

"We are Thais, whatever the problem we should talk."

Cambodia and Thailand have been locked in a troop standoff at their disputed border since July 2008, when the ancient Preah Vihear temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.

Troops from both countries exchanged fire briefly on their border in June, the latest in a series of clashes between the neighbours.

Read more!

Torture Center Marks First Year as ‘Memory of the World’

Tuol Sleng museum, the former Khmer Rouge torture center, marked its first anniversary as a Memory of the World Monday, as officials set a giant stone on the southern side of Building A.

More than 12,000 people were sent to their deaths at Tuol Sleng under Kaing Kek Iev, the Khmer Rouge prison chief who was sentenced to a commuted 19 years by a UN-backed tribunal last month.

Known as S-21 to the Khmer Rouge, the former high school now goes by the official title of the National Museum of Tuol Sleng, following its Unesco Memory of the World listing on July 31, 2009.

The museum holds an archive of 4,186 prisoner confessions, 6,226 prisoner biographies and 6,147 photographs.

“Its significant and outstanding value were a part of the Memory of the World, stemming from its testament to man’s inhumanity to man, women and children, and from the documentation of one of the most extreme examples of crimes against humanity of the 20th Century,” Unesco’s representative to Cambodia, Teruo Jinnal, said during a ceremony Monday morning.

The anniversary comes just two weeks after the sentencing of Kaing Kek Iev, better known as Duch.

Chuch Phoeun, a secretary of stat the the Ministry of Culture, said the archives will be protected but that will require some technical assisance.

Van Nath, who survived the torture center under Duch, said he was satisfied that his former prison was now a Memory of the World.
Read more!

Hun Sen Issues Missives to UN After Thai Border Threats

Letters over the weekend from Prime Minister Hun Sen to key UN officials may be an attempt to prevent Thailand from resorting to violence over the border issue near Preah Vihear temple, a local analyst said Monday.

On Sunday, Hun Sen wrote the heads of the UN Security Council and its General Assembly, claiming Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had threatened to use military force to resolve the longstanding border issue.

Hun Sen was responding to Thai media reports that quoted Abhisit telling a pro-government rally that Thailand could walk away from a border agreement signed in 2000 and “use both democratic and military means” to settle a standoff.

“I think this is a sign of alarm to the United Nations Security Council to prevent the border dispute not going toward war and bloodshed,” Chheang Vannarith, the president of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, told VOA Khmer Monday.

“Cambodia is a small country” that needs multilateral support, “particularly the UN,” he said. “So these letters are diplomatic politics from Cambodia to put pressure on Thailand to not use illegal military force.”

Cambodia and Thailand remain at odds over a 4.6-kilometer stretch of land west of Preah Vihear temple, which was made a Unesco World Heritage site under Cambodian protection in 2008. Thousands of troops on each side are amassed on the border, where skirmishes since 2008 have left at least eight soldiers dead.

Both sides severed diplomatic ties last year after Cambodia hired ouster Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic adviser to Hun Sen.

“I think the letters to the UN are a step toward peaceful resolution with UN intervention,” Cheang Sokha, director of the Working Group for Peace, said Monday. “The letters are a call for the help from the international community on the Cambodia-Thailand border problem and provide information to UN about the possibility of Thailand using military force to invade Cambodia.”

Hun Sen discussed the letters in a public speech on Monday, saying Cambodia would “fight against a warlike Thai invasion inside Cambodia” and “call an urgent [UN] meeting on the Cambodia-Thai border situation” if Thailand were to resort to military violence over the border.

The Bangkok Post reported Monday that Thai Foreign Ministry officials are preparing a response to the UN that claims, “Thailand had never changed its position, of wanting to cooperate with its neighbor and share common interests.”
Read more!

Thailand Will Not Revoke Border MoU With Cambodia

By Jamaluddin Muhammad

Thailand has no intention of revoking the border Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cambodia inked in 2000 as it is beneficial to Thailand, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Sunday.

He said under the MoU, Cambodia and Thailand need to consult each other if they want to carry out any activities in the disputed 4.6 sq km territory claimed by both countries near the Preah Vihear Temple.

"The MoU will not accept the map for the temple management plan submitted by Cambodia to the Unesco World Heritage Committee because it included part of the disputed territory," he said.

The MoU did not allow Cambodians to occupy the area, he said when leading the four-member government team in a live telecast three-hour debate with four members of the Thailand Patriot Network.

The debate was held after the network's peaceful demonstration in the capital yesterday demanding the Thai government to cancel the MoU as they feared it would cause Thailand to lose the disputed area.

The group claimed that Thailand was at a disadvantage because the MoU was the source of the problem as it gave Cambodians a chance to trespass and settle in the disputed area.

Abhisit said the MoU did not put Thailand at a disadvantage, instead it was beneficial to the country.

The 11th century Hindu temple is located in the Cambodian territory as ruled by the International Court of Justice in 1962 and Unesco listed it as a world heritage site in 2008.

This led to a strained relationship as both countries claimed the disputed area.

The issue heated up again last week when Cambodia submitted the management plan for the temple at the Unesco World Heritage Committee meeting in Brazil.

Thailand protested as the plan included part of the disputed territory and the meeting postponed its decision on the management plan to next year's meeting in Bahrain.

The group yesterday rallied at the Government House where the Prime Minister's Office is located before moving to the Army Region 1 headquarters and later to the Thai-Japanese Stadium.

The group is led by leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) also known as yellow shirts -- the group that seized the Government House in August 2008 and two airports in the city three months later.

Veera Somkwamkid led the group's debate team while the government side included Natural Resource and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti. The group distanced itself from the yellow shirts although it was led by yellow shirts' leaders.

Its rival, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), known as the red shirts, blamed the government for practicing double-standard for allowing such demonstrations to take place while Bangkok was still under state of Emergency which prohibits the assembly of more than five people.

Red shirts leaders also claimed that government was practicing double standards as the yellow shirts' leaders had yet to be charged for terrorism for the offences they committed two years ago following the seizure of the Government House and two airports.

Most of the red shirts leaders are in detention now facing possible terrorism charges following the unrest in the capital which ended May 19 and left 91 people dead and 1,800 injured.

-- BERNAMA Read more!

Cambodia says Thai demands for joint listing of temple is "out of date"

Cambodian government said Friday that Thailand's demand for joint listing of Preah Vihear Temple is "out of date".

Hor Namhong, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, told reporters at a news conference on Friday that a demand suggested by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on a joint listing of Preah Vihear Temple as World Heritage Site was "out of date" and that was only "Abhisit's dream".

Hor Namhong's remarks were in response to media report that quoted Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva as saying a joint World Heritage listing of Preah Vihear and its adjacent compound - claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia - was the "best and smoothest path to take" to end conflict over Cambodia's controversial management plan for the ancient Khmer temple.

Hor Namhong said Thailand had "no real intention" to end the conflict at which during the past meetings, Thailand still even claimed a simple name of the temple as Preah Viharn, instead of original name as Preah Vihear that was built by Cambodians in 11th century, the name that was officially spelled out in convention 1904 and treaty in 1907 and the name that was called at the international court's ruling in 1962.

However, Hor reiterated that Cambodia hopes to solve the issue peacefully with Thailand through negotiation and dialogue.

The border conflict came just one week after Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple was registered as World Heritage Site in July 2008.

And over the past days, Cambodia and Thailand have exchanged war of words concerning who won at the recent UNESCO's meeting in Brazil on the conservation and management plan submitted by Cambodian side over the world cultural heritage site.

Cambodia was due to present its progress report on the conservation and management plan of the Preah Vihear Temple to UNESCO's committee for World Heritage, but that was opposed by the Thai side, saying that to be done only after the border issues between the two nations have been finalized.

However, UNESCO accepted the report but suggested it to be examined next year in Bahrain.

Source: Xinhua Read more!

Vietnam, Cambodia share similar growth issues

Vietnam and Cambodia in general, Ho Chi Minh City and Cambodian cities in particular have to face the same difficulties regarding infrastructure, traffic systems, environmental pollution and water resources during the economic development phase.

So said Pham Phuong Thao, chairwoman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council on August 6 while meeting with Try Chheang Hout, head of the Cambodian National Assembly’s Commission of Planning, Investment, Agriculture, Rural Development, Environment and Water Resources (Commission 3), who is visiting Ho Chi Minh City from August 6-8.

With the similarities the two sides have shared during the process of national construction and development, Vietnam and Cambodia need to bolster co-operation and the exchange of experiences, she said.

For his part, the Cambodian leader praised Ho Chi Minh City’s rapid development and its potential to be exploited in the future. He said Cambodia wishes to exchange with and learn from Vietnam’s experience in terms of economic development, especially in the agricultural sector and settling environmental issues.

The Cambodian officials are scheduled to have talks with several departments and agencies in Ho Chi Minh City and visit a number of economic models in the city and Binh Duong province. (VNA)
Read more!

Angelina Jolie: 'I miss anonymity'

Actress Angelina Jolie has revealed that she misses anonymity.

The Salt star, who is married to fellow actor Brad Pitt, admitted that she misses walking through New York without being recognised.

According to Virgin Media, she said: "I do miss anonymity. I lived in New York in my early twenties and I used to just walk block after block. I loved it.

"In Cambodia we live very locally and ride elephants and hang out in the streams and be with local people who are our friends."

Speaking of her children, she said: "They have more freedoms when we're not around. They do have an understanding of fame, it bothers them sometimes and it scares them sometimes." Read more!

Lowell immigrant soccer tourney set to crown champ

LOWELL, Mass.—An annual World Cup-style soccer tournament in Lowell created for Massachusetts immigrant groups will crown a champion this weekend.

The 20 team competition is scheduled to continue Saturday at Lowell's Cawley Stadium with knockout stages. The final is slated for Sunday.

The tournament has attracted immigrant players from countries including Somalia, Mexico, Brazil and Cambodia.

Under the rules of the tournament, 17 of a team's 22 players must be from the country of the team, or be children or grandchildren of a person from that country. The winner gets $600 and a replica of the World Cup trophy.

ONE Lowell, an immigrant advocacy group, started the annual competition four years ago as a way to bring the area's diverse immigrant groups together. Read more!

Cambodia, Iran Plan Energy Cooperation Deal

Cambodia's foreign minister is expected in Iran next week seeking investment and technical know-how to help develop his country's offshore oil fields.

A spokesman told VOA Khmer Service that Hor Namhong and other senior officials expect to sign an agreement on petroleum cooperation. They hope the visit will also boost diplomatic relations, trade and tourism.

Oil exploration is under way off Cambodia's coast and production could begin by 2012.

However the visit, scheduled for August 10 and 11, comes at a time when the United States is trying to rally support for international sanctions on Iran's oil and gas industry.

New U.N. sanctions approved in June target Iran's military and its ability to procure equipment for its nuclear program. The U.S. and EU have imposed additional sanctions aimed at deterring investment in Iran's energy sector.

U.S. diplomats have been traveling in Asia this month seeking additional support for the sanctions.

But a senior Cambodian official, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary of State Koy Kuong, told Reuters news agency that Cambodia is a "non-partisan" country and that it is "friends with everyone in the world." Read more!

Thai 'Yellow Shirts' plan Bangkok rally

BANGKOK — Thailand's royalist "Yellow Shirts" said Friday they would rally in Bangkok this weekend to pressure the government over a territorial row with Cambodia, in a show of strength by the movement.

At least 2,000 people are expected to attend the protest on Saturday, organisers said.

But the Yellows agreed to change the venue to a stadium in the city to avoid confrontation with the authorities, who earlier warned they would not be allowed to protest outside Government House as planned.

The compromise came after two hours of talks between Yellow representatives and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, a spokesman for the movement said.

Under a state of emergency imposed in Bangkok in April during mass anti-government protests, political gatherings of more than five people are currently banned.

The Yellows, formally called the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), have previously allied themselves with the current Thai political leadership but the spat is the latest sign that relations have soured.

Key PAD figure Sondhi Limthongkul accused Abhisit on Friday of "lying to the entire Thai nation" about the territorial issue.

The PAD has criticised the governing Democrat party of signing up to a deal with Thailand's neighbour in 2000 that the Yellows believe paved the way for recognition of a Cambodian land claim.

The group has demanded that Thailand tear up the memorandum of understanding, eject Cambodian citizens from the disputed 4.6 square kilometre (1.8 square mile) area, and try to regain control of the Preah Vihear temple.

Relations between the neighbouring countries, already strained by Cambodia's refusal to deport fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have been further tested by the dispute.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on Friday dismissed a Thai compromise proposal for the temple as "a dream".

The Yellow Shirts, who are backed by the Bangkok-based elite, are a force to be reckoned with in Thailand's colour-coded political landscape.

The group's rallies in 2006 helped trigger the coup that unseated Thaksin, the hero of the mostly poor, working class "Red Shirts", whose mass protests in Bangkok in April and May culminated in deadly clashes with troops.

The Yellows also mounted a siege of Bangkok's two main airports in 2008, which stranded hundreds of thousands of foreign tourists and helped to topple a government allied to Thaksin.

Many Red Shirt leaders are in jail for their roles in this year's protests, and the movement has complained that the lack of charges against Yellows showed a double standard of justice.

This week prosecutors again postponed a decision over whether to indict individual Yellow Shirts over the airport siege.

Red supporters plan a small demonstration of their own in Bangkok on Sunday to protest at the May crackdown on their rally, during which about 90 people died and nearly 1,900 were injured.
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British man wanted over murder arrested in Thailand

A British man wanted in the UK over the 2008 murder of his south London landlord has been arrested in Thailand, police said.

Stuart Scott Crawford, 44, was picked up on Tuesday after an extradition warrant for the fugitive was issued.

Thai authorities also announced the arrest of a second Briton, David Fletcher, on charges of sexually assaulting children in Cambodia.

Crawford is wanted in connection with the murder of Michael Ryan at the pair's home in Sutton, Surrey.

The 67-year-old's body was found at the address on September 10, 2008, but it is thought he had been dead for a number of days. The corpse had been rolled in carpet and pinned under a bookcase to conceal it.

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Ryan died as the result of a heavy blow to the head from a blunt instrument.

Crawford, who lived with the victim, fled the UK after the murder. Before leaving, it is alleged that he withdrew £6,500 from Mr Ryan's bank account.

Police in Thailand said the suspect had been living in the country for almost two years. He was arrested at an apartment in the resort of Pattaya. Crawford is now set to be extradited. A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "Proceedings continue to return him to the UK."

Meanwhile, Fletcher could be extradited to Cambodia, where he is wanted over child sex offences. He had been awaiting deportation from Thailand after being arrested on June 27 on immigration charges. The sex offender had failed to inform the Thai authorities of a conviction in the UK for raping a 16-year-old girl, a crime he served 18 months in prison for.

Whilst awaiting deportation, Interpol in Cambodia notified the Thai authorities that he was wanted in connection to child sex offences.
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Minority Opposition Leader Claims Intimidation by Ruling Party

Kem Sokha, director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, stands outside his office in the capital Phnom Penh

One of Cambodia's opposition parties continues to face political repression and discrimination that need international attention, the leader of the minority party says.

Kem Sokha, president of the Human Rights Party, said in an interview with VOA last week that his party faces repression both on the parliamentary floor, where time is limited for his three parliamentarians, and in the field, where his meetings with grassroots supporters find it hard to get permission to gather and participants are intimidated.

“In some places the local authorities don't allow us to have a meeting, even though I use my name as a member of parliament visiting my constituency,” Kem Sokha said, as he continued a two-month tour of the US and Canada.

“In some places the ruling Cambodian People's Party officials disturbed our meeting by verbally attacking our supporters during the session and threatening them with chair fighting,” he said.

Kem Sokha said the US should look into critical issues like land grabbing, elections and freedom of expression.

“The ruling party has classified Cambodian people into three different categories: black, grey and white," he continued, referring to lists the ruling party initiated earlier this year.

Those who support the Human Rights Party are labeled “black,” while those who support the CPP are labeled “white,” he said.

Kem Sokha is scheduled to meet US officials before attending his party congress on Aug. 28 and Aug. 29, when party officials will review their strategy for the 2012 and 2013 elections. He is due to return to Cambodia at the end of September.

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Farmers Watch as Tonle Sap Authority Crushes Reservoirs

The machines had come to tear down more than 10 reservoirs local farmers had built to capture the receding waters of the swollen Tonel Sap lake.

One morning in early July, about a dozen bulldozers and excavators came to Msa Krong commune where Kong Heuv lives, about 50 kilometers outside Kampong Thom provincial town.

The machines had come to tear down more than 10 reservoirs local farmers had built to capture the receding waters of the swollen Tonel Sap lake.

“I was very disappointed with the destruction of my reservoir,” said the 67-year-old farmer, as he walked along the flattened dam one recent day.

“If I were rich, this would not be a problem,” he told VOA Khmer. “But I am still in debt due to the construction of the reservoir.”

The government has been tearing down these kinds of reservoirs since late June, under the new Tonle Sap Authority, which has a mandate to protect the flooded forests around the great lake.

There are about 1 million hectares of these forests around the lake; nearly 400,000 hectares have been destroyed already. Since 2002, villagers have been expanding their farmlands, while business owners have looked for other means to catch fish as the water recedes each year.

Kong Heuv said he spent about $5,500 two years ago to keep water for his rice paddies during the dry season.

“I don’t know how to deal with my debt now that I can’t work on the paddies I depend on,” he said.

Chan Yuttha, secretary general of the Tonle Sap Authority, said 35 of 239 reservoirs have now been destroyed across six provinces.

“And there will be no compensation for any loss of the reservoirs, because they were all built illegally,” he said.

Tri Horn, chief of Msa Krong commune, said the destruction of the reservoirs is good for the sustainability of the flooded forests. But, he acknowledged that the dismantling some of the small ones owned by poor farmers in his commune has caused problems for them.

“They borrowed the money from banks to build those reservoirs, so they are now in debt,” he said in an interview at this house. “Some almost want to commit suicide due to the debt.”

Most of the 9,000 people in his commune depend on farming, while a smaller number need the reservoirs for dry-season fishing, he said.

“In addition to keeping water for farming, the building of reservoirs is also meant to catch fish,” said Lim Kean Hor, Minister of Water Resources and head of the Tonle Sap Authority.

The reservoirs are especially problematic in Kampong Thom province, where they are built consecutively and impede the flow of the river, he said.

“So, all of the remaining reservoirs around the great lake will be dismantled to preserve the lake,” he said.

Read more!

Hun Sen Praises Tribunal Verdict in Duch Case

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday praised the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s sentencing of torture chief Duch, in the premier’s first public statement since the decision last week.

Victims have said they are unsatisfied with the commuted sentence of the prison chief, under whose supervision more than 12,000 people were tortured and executed.

Hun Sen said the courts had made an independent decision free of political influence.

“The Royal Government of Cambodia respects the Khmer Rouge tribunal’s decision because the court is independent,” he said in public remarks. “We respect the independence of the court. The court sentenced Duch to 35 years in jail. It is up to the court, which the Royal Government of Cambodia must respect.”

In fact, Duch was handed a commuted sentence of only 19 years, following leniency and time served.

And tribunal observers say the court risks being tainted by political influence, with a number of senior officials refusing to cooperate with the international investigating judge and public statements by the premier against further indictments at the UN-backed court.

“The tribunal is facing problems of independence…relating to summonses of witnesses and progress on Case Nos. 003 and 004,” said Long Panhavuth, a tribunal monitor for the Cambodian Justice Initiative. “The government has not allowed the arrest of more suspects.”

Bu Meng, a former prisoner in Duch’s S-21, was not convinced of the court’s independence.

“The tribunal verdict seems to have had pressure from some circle or someone,” he said. “But [Prime Minister] Hun Sen said the court has independence and non-interference. That’s his right. The rights of the victims are different.”

Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said the verdict had the support of donor countries in a decision that was jointly arrived upon by international and national judges.
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Author Undertakes Battambang School Rehabilitation

The author of a Khmer Rouge memoir who now lives in the US is raising funds to help education in Cambodia.

Ung Kilong, the 50-year-old author of “The Golden Leaf,” said he hopes better education will promote free thinking and a break from the kind of political ideology that led to the disaster of the Khmer Rouge.

“Young people joined the Khmer Rouge because they lacked understanding,” he said. “With the schooling in place they will have more knowledge.”

Ung Kilong is working with a group of associates to build a primary school in Thmor Kol district, Battambang province, where students are taught by underpaid teachers in a dilapidated school and without proper uniforms.

Ung Kilong is himself originally from Battambang, but he fled to the US with his sister following the Khmer Rouge and the loss of their parents and other siblings.

“I was lucky to come here, so I want to help Cambodia, so that in the future, Cambodian children can raise up the face of the country,” Ung Kilong told VOA Khmer from Portland, Oregon, where he was fundraising for the school project.

Cambodia’s ambassador to the US, Hem Heng, who attended the fundraising ceremony, urged other Cambodians to do more to help education, health and social issues.

“As Cambodians, no matter where we go and no matter what citizenship we hold, our blood is still Khmer,” he said. “Therefore, we always think of our country.
Read more!

Cambodia to celebrate day for indigenous people near Angkor Wat

About 1,000 people will get together next week in Cambodia's northern province of Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat Temple complex to celebrate international day for indigenous people.

In a joint statement released Tuesday, Oxfam America in cooperation with 17 other local and international organizations said about 1,000 people representing the Cambodian government, civil society, the United Nations and indigenous communities from across Cambodia will come together for the first time to celebrate the 16th International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples in Siem Reap on August 9, 2010.

The celebration is to recognize the aspiration of Cambodian indigenous peoples to exercise control over their ancestral lands, forest and other natural resources vital to their ways of life and economic development, and to maintain and develop their identities, languages and cultures.
Indigenous peoples, making up 5 percent (about 340 million) of the world's population, are among the poorest of the poor, according to the statement.

The statement, however, did not say how many percent that the indigenous people in Cambodia represent the country's total populations of more than 14 millions.

But it did say Cambodia has about 30 indigenous groups, and on the day some 300 indigenous peoples from across the county will join a parade to call for respect for their own rights.

They will present their ways of life in an exhibition and a cultural performance, the statement said.

Source: Xinhua Read more!

Mystery Pig Deaths Spread Through Three Provinces

Animal health authorities are trying to learn what has killed nearly 200 pigs in three separate provinces.

An unknown number of pigs have died in the provinces of Battambang and Kampong Cham, while nearly 150 have perished in the southern province of Kampot.

Health officials said the disease appears to be bacterial, making an outbreak of H1N1, sometimes called swine flu, unlikely.

On Monday, officials began blood tests of pigs in Kampot, where the latest and most severe outbreak has occurred.

“On Saturday, we started the blood tests on seven pigs,” Kao Phal, director of the animal health department of the Ministry of Agriculture, said Monday. “But unitl now we do not know exactly the disease that happened to the pigs is.”

The animal health department is also appealing to farmers not to transport any pigs from their farms to market for the rest of the month of August, he said. Read more!

No Cluster Munition Ban for Cambodia

Cambodia has not yet signed a cluster munition ban that went into effect Sunday. Thirty-seven countries have ratified the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions.

“As a heavily cluster-bombed country, we are willing to become a party to the convention,” Prak Sokun, a secretary of state for the Council of Minister, told VOA Khmer last week. “But we have to consider thoroughly any impact to our national security.”

The cluster munition convention bans the production, use, transport or stockpiling of cluster munitions.

It was opened to states for signatures in 2008 in Oslo, Norway.

“Countries like Thailand and Vietnam have not signed it either,” said Prak Sokun, who is an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen on landmine issues. Read more!

A small measure of justice in Cambodia

The punishment given the ex-chief of the Khmer Rouge's most notorious prison appears to be too lenient. And culpability for the reign of terror extends far beyond him.

By James Pringle

Last week in a Cambodian courtroom, I watched as the former commandant of the Khmer Rouge's notorious Tuol Sleng prison and torture center was sentenced to 35 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

During Monday's 70-minute session, the former executioner, now a born-again Christian, listened attentively from the dock, holding what appeared to be a small Bible. "If you want to stone me to death, as they did when Christ was with us, the Cambodian people can do so and I will accept it," he told the tribunal during his trial. But he also asked for mercy.

Kang Kek Ieu — known in tribunal filings as Kaing Guek Eav but best known by his revolutionary name, Comrade Duch — fled Phnom Penh when the Vietnamese invaded and deposed the Khmer Rouge in 1979. He remained at large for more than 20 years until he was found, working for a Christian aid agency, by Irish photographer Nic Dunlop

To many survivors of the Khmer Rouge era, last week's sentence seemed far too light for a man who was "addicted to the sight of blood," as one of them described Duch in trial testimony. After taking into account the time he's already served and other considerations, he is likely to serve 19 more years, which leaves the distinct possibility that the 67-year-old will live to see freedom again.

Is that too lenient a sentence? Probably. But it's hard not to also think about how the culpability for Cambodia's horror extends far beyond one prison commander.

The first time I saw Cambodia was during the American "incursion" in the spring of 1970. Flying over the country in a rickety Vietnamese helicopter, I beheld a landscape pocked with craters, the result of the secret bombing that had been ordered by President Nixon and his national security advisor, Henry Kissinger, in 1969.

Some commentators have wondered since just how much the American bombings, which killed tens of thousands of Cambodians before being stopped by Congress in 1973, had to do with the ferocity of the Khmer Rouge, under whose rule an estimated 1.7 million people were put to death or died of hunger or overwork.

In 1979, I went to Phnom Penh as part of a press tour for half a dozen Western journalists who had been brought to see the "new" Cambodia. But everywhere we looked were signs of the despot Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge.

In the countryside, skinny oxen pulled wooden carts along mine-laden and bomb-blasted roads. In the city, mountains of wrecked automobiles stood alongside hillocks of rusting refrigerators, unacceptable bourgeois toys in Pol Pot's "glorious" Democratic Kampuchea.

At one point, having evaded our minders, we came across a handful of ordinary Cambodians who had crept past government barriers into Phnom Penh. They were kneeling in tattered clothes on the ground picking up individual grains of rice. The pathetic cavalcade of skeletons smiled shyly at a couple of foreigners before hauling themselves to their feet and tottering off, as if they felt their suffering was an eyesore to us.

Among the places we visited on that trip was Tuol Sleng, also known as the S-21 prison, where Duch had ordered the killing of thousands of Cambodians. Blood was still congealed on the prison floor when we visited, and it felt as if the last desperate scream still hung in the air. The whole awful place stank of death, fear and neglect.

Today, of course, Phnom Penh is a very different place, a busy city full of bars and restaurants. For decades, Cambodians have wanted to forget the past and move on with life, and it remains to be seen whether the government will muster the will to aggressively prosecute other war criminals. Only recently have young people even been taught much about the Khmer Rouge regime.

But as I watched Duch's sentencing last week, I found the past hard to forget. I remembered speaking to a mother and her 11-year-old son in 1979, soon after Pol Pot's ouster. The boy had lost both his legs in a mine blast while watching their cow. And he wasn't alone.

"The children of Cambodia have no legs," his mother, half-demented with grief, told me.

James Pringle covered the war in Vietnam and Cambodia as a correspondent for Reuters and Newsweek. Read more!

Poll: Respondents fear temple row will impact Thai-Cambodian relations

BANGKOK, August 1- The Thai public is concerned about the impact of the current diplomatic wrangling and four out of 10 respondents in a new poll -- 40 per cent -- expressed concern that the current dispute over Preah Vihear temple could negatively affect relations between Thailand and Cambodia, according to a survey conducted by Dusit Poll.

The survey conducted among 1,148 people from July 30 through August 1 showed that one in four -- some 25 per cent of respondents worry that Thailand might eventually lose the area adjoining Preah Vihear temple.

Almost 21 per cent of the respondents fear that more clashes between soldiers of the two countries would take place, causing unsafe conditions for residents living near the border, while 14 per cent said the dispute would affect the livelihood of people living near the border and those in the tourism business.

The survey was conducted after UNESCO's World Heritage Commission on Thursday deferred its decision on Cambodia’s request to review its management plan for the temple for one more year. It will be reviewed during next year's WHC meeting in Bahrain.

Thailand and Cambodia recognise different border demarcations, having resulted in clashes along the disputed border between the two countries. The clashes have occurred periodically since the temple was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962.

The situation has worsened after the UNESCO named the temple a World Heritage site in 2008 after Cambodia applied for much-valued status.

The Dusit Poll said one third of the respondents -- 33 per cent -- believed the government should present facts on the temple to Thais and foreigners, 26.5 per cent said Thailand must prepare information and maps marking the boundary between the two countries in details and that it must work on an proactive basis.

Twenty-one per cent said Thailand must monitor Cambodia's movements and provide security to residents the border and 19 per cent suggested the Thai government to be patient and resolve the problem through negotiations. (MCOT online news) Read more!