Cambodia Villagers Stage 'Avatar' Themed Protest About Land Loss

Cambodian villagers affected by the loss of land in Prey Lang forest in the north of the country pray at a Buddhist shrine in central Phnom Penh, August 18, 2011. Later, most were briefly detained after they distributed leaflets in the capital, but they were all later released.


.More than 100 villagers from rural Cambodia were detained briefly by the authorities in Phnom Penh after handing out leaflets detailing how government land concessions are affecting their lives.

Early Thursday, about 120 villagers gathered to pray at a Buddhist shrine on the riverfront in Phnom Penh.

Many were dressed in outfits designed to evoke a Cambodian version of the hit film "Avatar," which depicts the struggle of an alien race battling to save their forest from commercial exploitation. Protesters had green painted faces, green shirts and wore a green leaf as a hat.

Raising awareness of deforestation
They said they had come to the capital to let the public know of the troubles they face in rural areas where huge tracts of forest have been leased to domestic and foreign businesses.

Villager Kao Chart, who traveled from the northeastern province Kratie, said the forests are being cleared and people like him are losing their livelihoods. He said 20 people came from his area, and are praying to the Buddha for help. He also said taking care of the environment is a priority.

A community group said similar gatherings took place in 145 other locations across Cambodia. The claim could not be confirmed, but a nationwide effort would mark an unusual degree of cooperation on a social issue in Cambodia, where activism tends to be local and small-scale.

Land issues, however, are a significant problem affecting many communities.

Pervasive issue
Earlier this week, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, a local non-profit organization, released a report showing that ownership of at least five percent of land, nationwide, had been disputed in the past four years.

CCHR estimates that 47,000 families are either at risk of land conflict or had been affected by it.

One threatened area in the news recently was Prey Lang, the largest lowland evergreen forest in the region. Large tracts of this unprotected forest recently have been leased to rubber plantations.

Villager Kao Chart, who relies on Prey Lang for a living, said he is optimistic that coming to Phnom Penh would raise awareness of the problems. He said he hopes the demonstration will attract more support, and that the government must control deforestation.

After the prayer session concluded, the villagers dispersed around the capital and started handing out leaflets that highlight the importance of preserving the forest.

Government detentions
But within an hour or so, the authorities had detained more than 100 members of the group. All were released shortly after promising they would not hand out leaflets again without permission.

Despite repeated calls, a ministry of interior spokesman was not available to comment on the detentions or the government’s reasons for preventing the leaflets from being distributed.

Three prominent rights groups spoke out against the detentions and the ban on distributing fliers. They said authorities had claimed the act of distribution could disrupt social order.

Ou Virak, who heads the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said the real reason for the detentions was that such the protests threaten the ability of the elite to exploit Cambodia’s natural resources. Read more!

‘Gods of Angkor’ Exhibit Bids America Goodbye

On the metro platform, in Washington DC, a billboard highlights the “Gods of Angkor” exhibit.

It ran for more than a year, a collection of Cambodian bronze sculptures from the Angkorian period. On loan from the National Museum of Cambodia, the collection drew thousands of museum-goers, first to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian in Washington, and more recently at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California.

But now the exhibit is on its way home, its run at the Getty having ended Aug. 14.

The project began with talks between the Smithsonian and the National Museum of Cambodia, said Jeffery Weaver, associate curator of sculptures and decorative arts at the Getty. That led to a Getty foundation grant to train conservators for the sculptures in Camboida, but went further when organizers decided to highlight the bronzes in the US.

As a result, the bronzes have been here since May 2010, and in Los Angeles, near the Cambodian community in Long Beach, they received a warm welcome and send-off.

The collection spurred a conference on the conservation of art, brief courses on Cambodian culture, art, religion and food, and a festival that included the US-based rock band Dengue Fever.

The very last gallery course was called “The Glory of Angkor,” set up by the Norton Simon Museum, which houses a permanent collection of Khmer art, and the Getty. The first part of the course taught the history of Hindu and Buddhist art in Southeast Asia. The second went into detail of the Angkor kingdom.

As student walked through the Getty gallery on a recent weekend, they were given details on each sculpture’s historic details, its value to the Angkorian period and its conservation history.

Rod-ari, who taught the double-weekend course, said she wanted students “to recognize how important Angkor Wat is to the art history and the culture of Cambodia.”

In her lecture, she also focused on the importance of mountain temples in Khmer religious architecture.

Those who attended the course said it helped them understand more about Cambodia. And the Getty’s Weaver said, now that the exhibit is gone, he’s looking forward to more in the future.

Read more!

Extinction Warning: only 85 endangerred Irrawaddy dolphins on the Mekong

By Amy Lou Jenkins

Today the World Wildlife Fund revealed that its research has confirmed that the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphin population in the Mekong River numbers just 85. Complicating these dismal numbers was the finding that calf survival was found to be very low, leading researchers to conclude that the small population is declining and at high risk of extinction.

With the steep decline in populations of many animal species, from frogs,fish and dolphins to tigers, some scientists have warned that Earth is on the brink of a mass extinction like those that occurred only five times before during the past 540 million years.

Anthony D. Barnosky, UC Berkeley professor of integrative biology, a curator in the Museum of Paleontology and a research paleontologist in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, reported in the 2011 Science Daily:

"If currently threatened species -- those officially classed as critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable -- actually went extinct, and that rate of extinction continued, the sixth mass extinction could arrive within as little as 3 to 22 centuries. Nevertheless, it's not too late to save these critically endangered mammals and other such species and stop short of the tipping point. That would require dealing with a perfect storm of threats, including habitat fragmentation, invasive species, disease and global warming."

Each extinction accerates the threat of extinction to other species. Humans are a species.The WWF and scientist recognize human impact, development/ and climate change as a caustivative factors in the accerated extinction rates. Humans can also act to prevent mass extinctions, and the WWF is today calling for world wide effort on behalf of the Irrawaddy.

According to Dr. Li Lifeng, Director of WWF’s Freshwater Programme, the research is based on photographic identification of dolphins through individually unique features of their dorsal fins. “Most of the dolphins can be identified, and we use that information to estimate the population size.”Although this population estimate is slightly higher than the previous estimate, the researchers were quick to note that the population had not increased over the last few years.

“With a larger dataset and recent analytical advances, previously unidentifiable dolphins which had few marks on their dorsal fins have been included,” Dr. Li said. However, surveys conducted from 2007 to 2010 show the population slowly declining.

“Evidence is strong that very few young animals survive to adulthood, as older dolphins die off and are not replaced,” Dr. Li explained.The population is ranked as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, the highest international threat ranking for endangered species, and Irrawaddy dolphins are fully protected under the highest level of Fishery Law in Cambodia and Lao PDR. Dolphins in the Mekong continue to be threatened by gill net entanglement and the causes of calf mortality remain unclear.

“This tiny population is at high risk by its small size alone. With the added pressures of gill net entanglement and high calf mortality we are really worried for the future of dolphins,” Dr. Li said. The research (research reports available for download) also indicates that the small population resident in the transboundary pool on the Cambodia – Lao PDR border may number as few as 7-8 individuals. This is the only area in Lao PDR where dolphins remain. WWF is working to coordinate transboundary management with government agencies and local communities in Cambodia and Lao PDR at this most critical dolphin site.

“Our best chance of saving this iconic species from extinction in the Mekong River is through joint conservation action,” said Dr. Li. “WWF is committed to working with the Fisheries Administration, the Dolphin Commission, and communities all along the river to reverse the decline and ensure the survival of this beautiful species in the Mekong.”WWF is asking the government of Cambodia to establish a clear legislative framework to protect dolphins in Cambodia. This should include the designation of dolphin conservation zones and should allow a ban or limit on the use of gillnets where needed. Doing so will require formalizing special legislation to protect dolphins or amendments to existing Fishery Law. Read more!

Oil deal: Thaksin to visit Cambodia

By THE NATION


Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will visit Cambodia late this week to meet with leaders and investors in Phnom Penh, notably on an oil-and-gas concession in the Gulf of Thailand where claims overlap, a Pheu Thai Party source said yesterday.

Thaksin, who is expected to be in the country for two days from August 19 on Friday and Saturday, will take some foreign investors to meet and play golf with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Defence Minister Tea Banh to make the business deal, the source said.
Many Pheu Thai MPs are preparing to greet Thaksin while he is in Cambodia, the source said.

Thaksin will help negotiate with Cambodia on a plan for joint development of a petroleum venture in the Gulf of Thailand where both countries claim the rights. He wants state-run PTT to have a stake in the oil-and-gas concession or enter a joint venture with Cambodia, the source said.

Thaksin has asked Energy Minister Pichai Naripthaphan to cooperate with Cambodia on the energy deal, the source said.

Thaksin is always welcome in Cambodia, as he has personal connections with Hun Sen. He was an adviser to the prime minister and the Cambodian government but stepped down after the position provoked serious conflict with Thailand.

However, the maritime deal between Thailand and Cambodia is in limbo, as the former government under Abhisit Vejjajiva scrapped a 2001 memorandum of understanding signed with the neighbouring country. It remains unclear whether the pact has been terminated.

Thaksin began making high-profile visits to foreign countries shortly after his younger sister Yingluck Shinawatra took office as prime minister.

He is scheduled to visit Japan late this month under a plan facilitated by Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul. The private visit needed involvement from the Thai government as Japanese immigration law prohibited any foreigner sentenced to more than one year's imprisonment from entering the country. After the Thai government request, the Japanese Justice Ministry issued Thaksin a special entry visa, according to a Japanese official.

Yingluck said her government did not make the request to Japan but Surapong simply told Tokyo the current Thai government had no policy to block Thaksin's movements abroad.

"It's under consideration by the Japanese government; nobody could order [another] foreign government," she said.

Asked why the government had not asked for Thaksin's extradition from Japan, Yingluck said her government had no special policy concerning the former prime minister.
Read more!

Thailand to protect heritage

By PAKAMARD JAICHALARD
THE NATION

Since Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam are already members of the Unesco Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Thailand would find it very useful if it also joined, because it could get to know others and learn without borders, a senior official said yesterday.

Next week, Thailand will consider entering 30 items, including fish sauce, the recipe for tom yam kung (spicy shrimp soup) and the carving of banana stalks, as part of the national intangible cultural heritage list for this year. If Thailand joined the convention it could easily propose more items to be added to the list.

Somchai Sianglai, permanent secretary at the Culture Ministry, said the minister, Sukumol Kunplome, provided details of a discussion with the Foreign Ministry to the Cabinet yesterday. In the meeting between the two ministries, it was decided that Cambodia registering its heritage did not affect Thailand's right to register its own cultural legacy. Next week the Culture Ministry will hold a meeting with the Foreign and Commerce ministries as well as members of the media to come up with initial guidelines.

Department of Cultural Promotion chief Apinan Poshyananda said that initially 30 items would be registered as national intangible treasures pending the committees' final decision.

The items include readings of the Sepa-Thai poem, carving of banana stalks, the Thai sport of kite flying, the greeting gesture known locally as wai, the Songkran festival, the recipe of tom yam kung and fish sauce.
Read more!

Cambodia talks first task for Yutthasak

Newly-appointed Defence Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapha says solving the Thai-Cambodian conflict is his top priority.

"I am determined to settle the conflict between the two nations as soon as possible. This should be the first matter I accomplish as the defence minister," he said yesterday.

"Once the conflict is solved, I can move on to other missions," he said.

Gen Yutthasak said he would visit Cambodia as soon as possible to attend General Border Committee meeting.

Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh earlier said Phnom Penh would host the next GBC meeting.

"I'm now waiting for an invitation from Phnom Penh," Gen Yutthasak said.

A source said Gen Yutthasak had asked Gen Wichit Yathip, a former deputy army chief, to work with the Cambodian side as he has close ties with its troops.

Meanwhile, Surin's Chong Jom border point is doing business as usual after the two countries agreed to hold a Regional Border Committee( RBC) on Aug 23 and 24 in Nakhon Ratchasima. The RBC meeting is to discuss the two countries' troop withdrawal from areas around the Preah Vihear temple and the demilitarised zone ordered by the International Court of Justice. Read more!

Cambodia lake battle: How Boeung Kak became a puddle

By Guy De Launey

BBC News, Phnom Penh





Residents are watching the lake, and their lives,
change on an almost daily basis

Once a tourist attraction and home to thousands of Cambodians, Phnom Penh's biggest lake is now having muddy sludge pumped into it by property developers. Residents are fighting back, but is it too late to save their homes?

Heng Mom grimly walks through her lakeside home, pointing out the parts which have suffered from flooding. More than two years of sand-pumping have gradually displaced most of the water from Boeung Kak - and the residents complain that it has frequently inundated their houses.

"Lots of us have had this problem, especially in the rainy season," says Heng Mom. "We never used to have flooding before the company came."

"The company" is Shukaku, an entity which does not have a listing in the local Yellow Pages, but is otherwise very well-connected. It is owned by a senator from the governing Cambodian People's Party. His wife runs Pheapimex, which controls vast areas of land through government-granted concessions.



Developers plan to construct residential and
commercial buildings on the lake

The authorities signed a 99-year lease with Shukaku in 2007, allowing it to develop Boeung Kak and the surrounding area. A year later, the company started pumping sand into the lake - and the long-time residents' struggle began in earnest.

Vibrant pastBoeung Kak had been a prime draw for tourists. They saw the lake as a perfect sunset spot - with backpackers particularly keen on reclining, beer in hand, on wooden platforms stretching out over the water.

Meanwhile, locals viewed Boeung Kak as the key to a better life, as they ran guesthouses, restaurants and shops catering for the foreign visitors.

Now the lake is little more than a puddle - and tourist traffic has slowed to a trickle, depriving business-owners of income.

Along with the other families on the east of Boeung Kak, Heng Mom says she has a legal right to be there. Many of them have called the lakeside home for decades - and under Cambodia's land law, that should entitle them to full ownership of their properties.

The World Bank funded a land-titling project which was supposed to make the Boeung Kak residents' status official, along with hundreds of thousands of other Cambodians. But it moved at a snail's pace, before it was finally cancelled by the government two years ago.

Without land titles, the lakesiders were in a vulnerable position. Thousands of them left as their homes flooded, and the leafy vegetables they used to harvest for sale from the lake disappeared along with the water.

In a highly self-critical report earlier this year, the World Bank admitted that it had failed to protect the lakeside residents, and had broken many of its own regulations which were supposed to prevent forced evictions.

This admission of partial responsibility possibly explains why the bank has decided to take the unusual step of suspending its lending to Cambodia. The country's international donors are usually reluctant to attach conditions to their aid.

The bank's country director, Annette Dixon, issued a statement saying that: "Until an agreement is reached with the residents of Boeung Kak lake we do not expect to provide any new lending to Cambodia."

Chinese money
The Cambodian authorities have reacted with little more than a shrug, perhaps mindful that billions of dollars of Chinese money is now pouring into the country, on top of hundreds of millions in aid from long-standing donors.

An official spokesman said that Cambodia "no longer appreciate[d]" World Bank loans.

Shukaku is pressing ahead with its plans to build high-end residential and commercial buildings on the filled-in lake, along with a Chinese partner.

At a ground-breaking ceremony in July, attended by the governor of Phnom Penh, a company official thanked residents who had "volunteered" to move from the area. He accused those who remained of "grabbing" state-owned land around the lake.

But it seems the authorities and the developers may be backing away from a scenario which had the potential to result in Cambodia's biggest forced eviction for decades, involving as many as 10,000 people.

Phnom Penh City Hall has opened negotiations with the residents, offering them cash or apartments in the new developments.

It counts as a concession - but the residents are hoping for more. After spending decades building up businesses on the lake, they want any replacement housing to have ground-floor access so they can start new ventures.

"They've offered us $8,000 to give up our homes," says Heng Mom, barely holding back tears. "But that isn't nearly enough to buy something new - not around here. I just want to thank the World Bank for stopping their funding - and I hope that other donors will do the same."

Read more!

Thais lay claim to Lord of the dance gesture

Lindsay Murdoch, Bangkok


A young Cambodian girl performs the jeeb hand position
during a traditional dance. Photo: AP



TROOPS are withdrawing as tensions have eased between Thailand and Cambodia over the disputed ancient hilltop temple Preah Vihear.

But a new irritant has emerged that is stirring nationalist sentiment in both countries: ownership of a graceful hand position that is part of traditional dance and shadow plays.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is likely to consider the origins of the jeeb - a hand position where the thumb touches the index finger and the three other fingers are fanned out.
Thailand's new Culture Minister Sukumol Kunplome has made ownership of the jeeb a priority.

In 2008 Cambodia had Khmer shadow theatre included on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, along with the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, also known as Khmer Classical Dance. The list included Khmer hand gestures, including the jeeb (right).

Thai officials have advised Ms Sukumol that Thailand can also register the jeeb and other shadow plays with UNESCO.

''This is the first mission and we will proceed urgently because people are interested,'' Ms Sukumol said. ''They are part of the Thai cultural heritage, so if another country has registered them, we have to find a solution.''

Ms Sukumol said the jeeb has been used widely to promote Thailand's culture and it would be controversial if it was branded ''Cambodian''.

To pursue its claim, Thailand will have to first become a member of UNESCO's Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Meanwhile, tensions have eased over Preah Vihear after the installation last week of Thailand's six-party coalition government led by Yingluck Shinawatra, the younger sister of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is living in exile in Dubai.

Thaksin is a former financial adviser to the Cambodia government.

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to set-up a committee to discuss the Preah Vihear dispute over which the two countries have fought each other numerous times.

Thousands of villagers were displaced by armed clashes at the temple and another disputed border zone earlier this year.

There is talk of a summit between Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen and Ms Yingluck within weeks.
Read more!

East Asian gov'ts mull China-Japan joint proposal for region-wide FTA

MANADO (Kyodo) -- Economic ministers or their deputies from 13 East Asian nations met on Indonesia's Sulawesi island Friday and discussed a joint proposal by Japan and China to set up one of the world's biggest free trade areas in the region.

Malaysia's trade minister Mustapa Mohamed told reporters after the meeting that representatives of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, plus Japan, China and South Korea discussed the proposal in Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, and the ASEAN side was "supportive."

"We all agreed that we need this FTA in the longer term but we have to move in stages, we have got to strengthen our position first, and it should be gradual and inclusive," Mustapa said.

Mustapa said a priority for ASEAN -- which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- is to ensure that it will continue to play a central role in deciding the region's future economic architecture.

"We said we recognize the centrality of ASEAN and we will review it (the Japan-China proposal) further at the ASEAN summit in November," he said.

To that end, ASEAN is forging its own concept paper on the proposed FTA, which officials here call a "template."

The joint Chinese and Japanese proposal for a regional FTA initially calls for setting up working groups on trade in goods, trade in services and investment.

An ASEAN source said the ASEAN ministers felt the three working groups "could be convenient, but there is no formal go-signal yet."

"We must wait for the ASEAN paper, and we reassured the partners that the ASEAN paper will consider the proposals of China and Japan."

ASEAN has already set up four working groups related to the proposed FTA -- on rules of origin, tariff nomenclature, customs procedures and economic cooperation

ASEAN sources said not all ASEAN members were willing to accept the proposal of China and Japan for three more working groups, as it could be a burden for some of the group's less-developed members.

China and Japan has been suggesting different concepts for a regional FTA, with China eyeing an "East Asian Free Trade Area" consisting of the 13 ASEAN-plus-three member countries, and Japan opting for a "Comprehensive Economic Partnership for East Asia" for 16 Asian-Pacific countries, including Australia, New Zealand and India.

The two countries only recently agreed to submit a joint proposal, ASEAN officials said.

The joint proposal is expected to be discussed further Saturday in a forum of the 16-member East Asia Summit member countries, which are being expanded to 18 with the addition of the United States and Russia as members.
Read more!

Indian Malaysian gets 8 years in jail for human trafficking

An ethnic Indian in Malaysia has been sentenced to eight years in jail for human trafficking and abusing his Indonesian maid, three months after his wife was jailed for scalding the woman with a hot iron, a news report said on Saturday.

A. Vealu, a 42-year-old grass-cutting contractor, was convicted of exploiting a 26-year-old Win Farida, a maid from East Java, who was found with burn injuries after she was abandoned by Vealu and his wife Poongavanam last year.

Vealu and Poongavanam were jointly charged under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act which carries the maximum 20 years' jail sentence and fine. Vealu has not yet been jailed pending his appeal, the New Straits Times said on Friday. Poongavanam is currently serving an eight year jail sentence after she was found guilty of grievously hurting Faridaa with a hot iron in September last year, the daily said.

A district court in northern Penang state passed the verdict on Friday. Judge Roslan said Vealu's claims that he was forced by his wife Poongavanam to abandon the maid after hurting her was just an afterthought. He said Vealu had also never rebutted the maid's testimony of sexual abuse during the defence stage.

The maid, who was discovered by a roadside, had also accused Vealu of repeatedly raping her. Malaysia relies heavily on foreign workers in its plantation, construction and many other sectors. It also relies Indonesia, Cambodia, India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines for house maids as Malaysians are not keen to take up these jobs.

However, cases of maid abuse have been frequent. Last year, Indonesia banned its maids from working in Malaysia after a case of maid abuse surfaced.

Earlier this week, Tenaganita, a migrant labour activist group, urged Cambodia to stop sending maids, after cases of maid abuse and overwork. The call followed news reports on the recent death of one maid, though police say she was not abused and died of pneumonitis and the alleged abuse of another, including having her head shaved bald.

Tenaganita said in a statement that many of the Cambodian maids remain "in a condition of forced labour with practices of modern day slavery." Read more!

Cambodia to form first life insurer

PHNOM PENH, Aug 13, 2011 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The Ministry of Economy and Finance and four private companies have announced a joint venture to establish the first life insurance firm in Cambodia.

The ministry and four firms had signed an agreement to establish Cambodia Life Insurance on Thursday, Mey Vann, director of the Ministry's Financial Industry Department, told Xinhua Saturday.

The four private firms are PT Asuransi from Indonesia, Asia Insurance from China's Hong Kong, Bangkok Life Assurance and Bangkok Insurance Public from Thailand.

"Under the deal, the Ministry holds 51 percent stake and the four firms own the remaining 49 percent," he said, adding that according to Cambodia's insurance law, it's required to have the minimum capital of 7 million U.S. dollars to open an insurance firm here.

Currently, Cambodia has six insurance companies and one domestic reinsurance company, all are general insurers, and none of them is life insurer.

"The Cambodia Life Insurance will be the first-ever life insurance company in Cambodia," he said. "It will help to develop the country's financial industry and also support the development of the newly formed securities market."
Read more!

PM: It's a new era for Cambodia, Thailand

BANGKOK, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to discuss troop withdrawals from the area near the Preah Vihear temple, where clashes killed several people.

The agreement to meet is a sign relations between the neighboring countries are improving, the Bangkok Post reported Friday.

Commanders from Thailand's Second Army Region and Cambodia's Division 4 will lead the Regional Border Committee meeting, which is set for Aug. 23-24 in Nakhon Ratchasima province in Thailand.

"I declare a new era of cooperation between [the countries] now that Thailand is ruled by the Pheu Thai Party," Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said.

"What was going on in the last few years, which I considered nightmarish cooperation between the two countries, is now over. Now we have to start negotiations at a bilateral level in order to ease the tensions," Hun Sen said.

Hun Sen urged the two sides to set up a General Border Commission to settle disputes near the ancient temple, where border clashes earlier this year left several people dead.
Read more!

Rights group warns Cambodia to stop supplying domestic maids

By Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, AP


A Malaysian workers' rights group has urged Cambodia to stop supplying housemaids to Malaysia, claiming many are abused and made to work like slaves because of inadequate protection.
Malaysia has recruited thousands of Cambodian women since Indonesia barred its domestic workers from coming to Malaysia in 2009 following a string of assaults by employers. Officials estimate there are more than 50,000 Cambodian maids in Malaysia.

A Cambodian maid was found dead in Malaysia last month under mysterious circumstances, while another was rescued by police after she was allegedly abused and had her head shaved by her employer.

Irene Fernandez, a director of the rights group Tenaganita, said her organisation had helped 41 Cambodian maids, some as young as 15, after they were rescued or ran away from their employers in the past six months because of abuse or unpaid wages.

"Today, another nation of domestic workers goes through the same experiences of torture, control and denial of rights," Ms Fernandez said.

Tenaganita urged Cambodia to ban maids from coming to Malaysia until tougher laws were enacted.

Malaysia is among South-east Asia's top importers of foreign labour. Many households rely on maids to cook, clean and look after children and the elderly.
Read more!

Thousands of Homes Flooded in Northeast Provinces

Past flooding in Cambodia. Provincial officials said Friday that flooding has inundated thousands of homes in northeast Cambodia, after heavy rains swelled the Mekong River.



Flooding has inundated thousands of homes in northeast Cambodia, after heavy rains swelled the Mekong River, provincial officials said Friday.

As many as 5,000 homes have been flooded, while hundreds of disaster officials have been mobilized, even as the river’s level continues to rise.

Hardest hit are the provinces of Stung Treng and Kratie, where families have been evacuated and where roads and towns are flooded, though so far no deaths have been reported.

Stung Treng Governor Loy Sophat said 37 villages there have been affected, along with 40 kilometers of road and flooding in the provincial capital.

“We deployed more than 150 provincial police, military and military police, as well as road-crossing agents, to the flooded districts, to help evacuate villagers and transport their animals to safety,” he said. “In general, the water is still rising, and we are still concerned.”

Kratie Governor Kham Phoeun said about 4,000 homes were flooded, along with five pagodas, 26 schools and 5,000 hectares of rice fields across five provinces.

Chhoung Seang Hak, the provincial police chief, said people were still in their homes, despite the flooding. Some 500 police were on alert to help with the emergency. Landslides were also a worry, he said.

Chan Yutha, cabinet chief for the Ministry of Water Resources, said water level will recede in Stung Treng on Saturday, Kratie on Sunday, and Kampong Cham on Monday.
Read more!

Cambodia invites new Thai defense minister for official visit

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Wednesday invited newly appointed Thai Defense Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha to make an official visit to Cambodia in an effort to restore military relations between the two neighbors.

In a congratulatory letter to Yuthasak Sasiprapha on Wednesday, Cambodia's Defense Minister Tea Banh said: "I'd like to take this opportunity to cordially invite you and defense delegation to pay an official visit to Cambodia at your appropriate time in order to strengthen and promote bilateral relations between our two defense forces."

Tea Banh congratulated Yuthasak for being appointed as Thailand 's defense minister and hoped that cooperation between the two countries, especially, in military affairs would be strengthened and expanded.

Cambodia and Thailand have had strained relations since 2008, soon after Cambodia's ancient temple of Preah Vihear was registered as a World Heritage site.

This strained relations were worsen and turned to fierce fighting between the two armed forces that resulted in the loss of lives on both sides, while hundreds of thousands of civilians from both sides were evacuated.
Read more!

Cambodia agrees to talks on troops

Icy relations between Thailand and Cambodia are showing signs of thawing after the countries agreed to hold talks to discuss troop withdrawals from the area around Preah Vihear temple.

Both sides are scheduled to attend a Regional Border Committee (RBC) meeting on Aug 23 and 24 in Nakhon Ratchasima province.

The RBC meeting will be chaired by commanders from Thailand's Second Army Region and Cambodia's Divison 4 following weeks of warming diplomatic relations since the Pheu Thai Party won the election last month, unseating the Democrat-led government.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's elder brother, former prime minister Thaksin, served a brief stint as economic adviser to Cambodia, riling the former government.

See also: Sukhumbhand says, be careful
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday said the bilateral talks would end an atmosphere of "nightmarish cooperation" between the two nations, the Phnom Penh Post reported.

Hun Sen said the talks would pave the way for both the deployment of unarmed Indonesian observers and troop withdrawals from a demilitarised zone created by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July.

The ICJ ruling that created the zone followed deadly border clashes between the two countries earlier this year.

"I declare a new era of cooperation between the government of Cambodia now that Thailand is ruled by the Pheu Thai Party," Hun Sen said.

"What was going on in the last few years, which I considered nightmarish cooperation between the two countries, is now over.

"Now, we have to start negotiations at a bilateral level in order to ease the tensions."

He said he had suggested that Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh, and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, work with their Thai counterparts to set up a long-awaited General Border Commission (GBC) meeting, a mechanism established to settle disputes.

Both Hun Sen and Hor Namhong have written to their Thai counterparts expressing their support for renewed ties between the two peoples.

Hor Namhong invited his Thai counterpart, Surapong Towijakchaikul, to visit Cambodia to strengthen ties.

In Thailand, Defence Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa said he had assigned the Supreme Command, which acts as secretary-general to the GBC, to consider when and where the next GBC meeting would be held.

He said Gen Tea Banh had invited him to visit Cambodia and wanted the GBC meeting to take place soon.

Gen Yutthasak said the GBC meeting would be held by the end of this month.

Meanwhile, Ms Yingluck said she had confidence in Mr Surapong's ability to serve as foreign minister because he was knowledgeable in several fields.

The appointment of the Pheu Thai MP from Chiang Mai has drawn criticism from ministry officials due to his lack of experience in international affairs.

A foreign ministry source said former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama might be asked to serve as an adviser to Mr Surapong.

Mr Noppadon, Thaksin's legal adviser, will help Mr Surapong choose foreign ministry officials who will work with the minister's secretariat team. Former foreign ministry staff will also be invited to join the team.

The source said that shortly after Mr Surapong was named foreign minister, Mr Noppadon phoned ministry officials who worked with him during his ministerial stint in 2008.

Mr Noppadon invited them to join Mr Surapong's secretariat team as Mr Surapong was still new to the ministry and he did not know anybody, the source said.

Mr Noppadon denied reports he had been offered an adviser's role.He said he was still banned from politics and could not assume any political positions. But, considering his prior Foreign Ministry experience, he was willing to render his advice if asked.
Read more!

City Begins Construction on Memorial Stupa on ghost Island

Cambodian flags flutter near a bridge where an accident took place last year during a ground breaking ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia,Thursday, Aug. 11, 2011. At least 353 people were killed and 395 injured when thousands of festival-goers crammed onto a two-lane suspension bridge over the Bassac River and stampeded in panic when it began to naturally sway

Phnom Penh authorities broke ground on a memorial stupa on Thursday to honor victims of a deadly bridge stampede at last year’s Water Festival.

The Diamond Bridge stampede was the worst disaster in Cambodia’s modern history, leaving 354 dead and 393 seriously injured after a crowd panicked during festival revelries in November 2010.

Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema said at a ceremony Thursday the city was erecting the stupa in remembrance of the dead and to help their souls find peace.

“This was as lesson of great suffering that no one can forget,” he said. “The authorities themselves must seriously think about this problem when national festivals take place and when crowds of people join the festivals.
No public officials were ever held accountable for the disaster, which was caused when thousands of people crowded onto the bridge leading to Diamond Island in the midst of festivities. A government inquiry said no one was to blame for what it called an accident.

The stupa, which sits near the foot of the bridge, is planned to be 33 meters wide at its base, 5 meters high and made of sandstone. Kep Chuktema said it would cost more than $120,000 and will be completed before Nov. 22, the one-year anniversary of the tragedy.

Chek Bophy, 49, who lost her daughter, Duch Srey Mom, said she was happy the stupa was being built.

“The city is building the memorial stupa for people killed on the Diamond Island bridge, to preserve history for younger generations and not let us forget that the place was crowded with people,” she said. “That place is dangerous.”

Kep Chuktema said the city had learned lessons from the tragedy and was taking serious measures to improve its crowd control.

“Now we are constructing two more bridges connecting the island to the mainland, to make traffic more comfortable,” he said. “We experienced a deadly accident on the night of Nov. 22, 2010. It was an experience of great suffering, and we must record it and take necessary measures in human management.”
Read more!

Atrocities Suspect Says He’s ‘Not Fearful’ of Tribunal, Hell



Ta An, a former Khmer Rouge commander speaks during an exclusive interview with VOA Khmer on July 27, 2011 at his house in Kamrieng district of Cambodia's northwestern Battambang province. He is among those being investigated by the Khmer Rouge tribunal for the controversial case 004 but has denied overseeing atrocities of the former regime

 In an exclusive interview, Ta An, a former Khmer Rouge commander whose name is among those up for investigation by the Khmer Rouge tribunal, denied overseeing atrocities of the regime and said he is practicing Buddhism and good deeds to pay for past sins.

Ta An is among three former cadre cited by prosecutors at the UN-backed court as worthy of indictments under controversial Case 004, which is opposed by Prime Minister Hun Sen and is currently in the hands of the court’s investigating judges.

According to the prosecution’s introductory submissions for cases 003 and 004, obtained by VOA Khmer from a source close to the court, Ta An is a suspect for investigation by the tribunal, along with mid-level Khmer Rouge commanders Meas Muth, Sou Met, Ta Ith and Im Chaem.
Prosecutors say a number of atrocities were committed by the Khmer Rouge under the oversight of Ta An, also known as Oam An, who rose to deputy secretary of the Central Zone under the regime’s political structure.

As such, he was second in command in the area, based in Kampong Cham province, where up to 150,000 people died under the Khmer Rouge, including a large number of Cham minorities.

Now 78, Ta An lives in a village in Kamrieng district, Battambang province. He was formerly a monk, and participated in the Khmer Rouge after the ouster of then-prince Norodom Sihanouk, by the US-backed regime of Minister Lon Nol.

In an exclusive, rare interview with VOA Khmer in July, Ta An said he was unafraid of the UN-backed court and unafraid to face Yama, Buddhism’s god of the dead, who oversees Hell and determines the fate of a person based on his acts.

“At present, I am not fearful of the court, and in the future, when I die, I won’t be afraid of Yama,” he said. “Not fearful. I am now doing good deeds. I practice religious art. I did not commit killings. But am I afraid of Yama? I am not afraid.”

Ta An denied overseeing major purges, claiming he had been transferred from the Southwest Zone, around Kampot province, in 1977, after mass killings occurred.

“Not at all,” he said. “When I arrived, that was finished already, from the bottom up to the higher levels.” He was tasked with re-organizing new villages and communes, he said. “I wasn’t involved in anything at all.”

In their original court submission, prosecutors accuse Ta An of a joint criminal conspiracy, along with Ta Tith and Im Chaem, in Case 004, for purges that took place under the Khmer Rouge.

The prosecution charges that Ta An was responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity, homicide, torture and religious persecution of the Chams.

“In addition to the elimination of the existing cadre, following the arrival of Ta An and the Southwest cadre in the Central Zone, there was a dramatic increase in the number of arrests, killings and disappearances, and a worsening of general living conditions, amongst the general population,” the prosecutors wrote. “A clear pattern exists throughout the Central Zone—after Ta An and the Southwest cadre arrived, more work was required, less food was provided, and large numbers of people were arrested and never seen from again.”

Prosecutors implicate Ta An in the purge of the Central Zone, which “was organized and systematic, starting with the top level cadre and working down.”

They implicate him in atrocity crimes at the security centers at Wat O Trau Kuon; Wat Batheay; Met Sop; Wat Phnom Pros; and Chamkar Svay Chanty; as well as the Kok Pring execution site and Anglong Chrey dam forced labor site.

At Wat O Trau Kuon, in Kang Meas district, a mass execution of the Chams took place “a mere 10 days” after Ta An visited a nearby worksite and “ordered the unit chiefs to identify the number of remaining Cham and gather them up ‘so that they could be taken to their local bases.’”

“In the events that followed Ta An’s orders, victims were killed solely because they were Cham, the executions were accompanied by statements of genocidal intent, and the killings resulted in the destruction of a substantial part of the Cham population living in that area,” prosecutors wrote.

Ta An’s fate is currently in the hands of the investigating judges, who must now determine whether the charges against him warrant an indictment even as the court prepares for its largest trial to date, of four already jailed Khmer Rouge leaders.

Critics say they worry the investigating judges will not indict him and others named by prosecutors, given the political opposition to the case.

In the July interview, Ta An told VOA Khmer he was a new leader to the area and could not be prosecuted by the court. He called the charges against him “a mistake.” He said even though he had been ordered by Khmer Rouge military commander Ke Pauk to kill supporters of Lon Nol’s regime, he hid them in the fields of the collectives.

“There was saving,” he said. “But killing, executing, I don’t understand.” He told his superior he had “cleaned,” or killed, them, “but they were on the farm.”

“What should I have done more than that?” he said. He laughed, and said, “So I am not frightened, not frightened at all.” Read more!

Cambodia: controversial sand dredging on TATAI river continues

Ruling party senator Ly Yong Phat has defied an order endorsed by the Prime Minster to halt his controversial sand dredging activities on the Tatai river in Koh Kong, prompting authorities to request intervention, documents obtained by The Post reveal.


The dredging operation on the Tatai river has stirred up serious concern from tourism operators and villagers in the area, who have said it is destroying the local environment and driving customers away.

Government officials appear at loggerheads over the tycoon’s operations.

The Water Resources Minister has insisted in a letter that the so-called “King of Koh Kong” cease violating the ban, but provincial authorities have denied that dredging was even taking place. The Ministry of Industry, Mining and Energy, meanwhile, has extended the LYP Group’s dredging licence by a year.

A blunt letter written by Minister for Water Resources Lim Kean Hor, dated August 4, called for the intervention of provincial governor Bun Leut to enforce a July 15 temporary ban on LYP Group dredging.

“The Sand Resource Management Committee already informed the company on July 15, 2011, to postpone the business activity so a study could be re-conducted. But up until now, the company has not yet postponed its business activities,” the letter reads.

The tycoon’s company had been found to be dredging beyond authorised boundaries and using too much equipment, it added.

Just days before the letter was sent, however, the Ministry of Industry, Mining and Energy issued LYP Group with a 12-month permit extension on July 28. The renewed license, also obtained by The Post, shows that Ly Yong Phat will now be allowed to continue dredging at seven locations until September 2012, though the total area of the permit will be reduced from 3,229 hectares to 1,241 hectares.

At that point LYP Group will have been dredging in the area for five years, the licence signed by industry minister Suy Sem stated.

Ly Yong Phat, Suy Sem, Lim Kean Hor and Bun Leut could not be reached for comment yesterday. But Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said yesterday he had visited the upper Tatai river last week and observed dredging near eco-resorts in the area, which he believes should be stopped immediately.

“All the companies shall listen to critical agencies that are involved there like the [Ministry of] Environment. All the businessmen that are involved in dredging in that area shall be stopped immediately,” he said.

He emphasised any halt would be temporary to allow further inspection of impacts from the dredging. Pech Siyon, Koh Kong provincial director department of Industry, Mines and Energy, denied yesterday dredging was taking place in the banned area and said he was not aware of any new licence granted to LYP Group either.

“LYP is still sand dredging in the lower Tatai, but operations at the upper Tatai have remained postponed as normal since the ban by Prime Minister Hun Sen,” he said, adding the sand was destined for export to Singapore.

Political wrangling has done nothing to ease the minds of affected residents.

Dredging operations are now taking place about 30 metres off the shore of the river’s Andaet island, resident Vora Huy Kanthoul said on Monday, raising his concern the entire land mass would collapse into the river.

“We have a problem, nobody can sleep at night, they do it at night and they’ve been doing that for about 10 days,” he said. Villagers who had agreed to embrace ecotourism instead of traditional forms of income had been sold short by dredging, while crab yields had reportedly dropped by 90 percent.

“They used to hunt illegal game and the local NGOs and the environmental NGOs have been very successful in changing their way of living from poaching to ecotourism, but now they say [dredging is] going to affect them so in the long run and that will really affect the economy,” he said.

Pech Siyon said his department wasn’t worried about public concern surrounding the impact of LYP Group’s operations on tourism investment and local livelihoods, but was focused on closely monitoring the company to ensure they respected regulations.

The Singapore Ministry of National Development has repeatedly failed to reply to inquiries.
Read more!

Yingluck, Hun Sen meet urged

A meeting between Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen would probably pave the way for a resumption of border talks, Defence Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa says.

A meeting could help revive the long-stalled General Border Committee talks, he said.

Since Hun Sen appears to be on good terms with Ms Yingluck, their meeting may lead to Cambodian defence minister Gen Tea Banh agreeing to a GBC meeting. "Without holding a GBC meeting, we will not be able to talk about the withdrawal of troops [from the designated provisional demilitarised zone] and allowing Indonesian observers into the area," he said.

Gen Yutthasak said Thailand has no option but to abide by the International Court of Justice's ruling, but it could ensure that both sides are in a win-win situation.

"To be in a win-win situation, we have to be friends," he added.

He said that once Hun Sen gives the green light, he would invite Gen Tea Banh for dinner in Bangkok and after that he would visit him in return.

"Gen Tea Banh and I are old friends. We frequently talked at meetings abroad when I was permanent secretary for defence and deputy defence minister.

"Gen Tea Banh also wants to come to Bangkok, but Hun Sen must first give him permission," he said.

Gen Yutthasak will make an inspection in Si Sa Ket next week to get first-hand information and discuss the matter with commanders of the armed forces.

An army source said Lt Gen Tawatchai Samutsakhon, the 2nd Army chief, will host a Regional Border Committee (RBC) meeting on Aug 23-24 at the 2nd Army headquarters in Nakhon Ratchasima to discuss troop withdrawals.

The meeting's results could be used by the defence minister when he goes to the next GBC meeting which would be hosted by Cambodia, the source said.

Army commander Prayuth Chan-ocha said he wants the RBC meeting to take place as soon as possible because it would open a channel for communication between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Gen Yutthasak said he would pay respects to the president of the Privy Council, Gen Prem Tinsulanonda, this week because his job is to pursue reconciliation efforts.

He said he has discussed the chain of command with Ms Yingluck and it was agreed that he reports directly to her, rather than to a deputy prime minister overseeing security affairs.

Asked how he would defend Pheu Thai against the accusation that it is disloyal to the monarchy, Gen Yutthasak said the situation has improved and senior party members are doing their best to uphold the institution.

He expressed confidence there would be no coup and that if he heard of one he would ask those planning it to try to work out their problems.

He insisted that no armed forces commanders would be removed after he takes office as defence minister.

Gen Yutthasak said he would have discussions with all parties concerned before any high-ranking military officers are transferred.

"I will pick the armed forces leaders. I'll talk to them about the nominations - why this person and not that person," he said.

He said deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has no special tasks for him except pursuing national reconciliation.

"The military must be for the people, not the military for a particular political party. "The military and political parties should be strong.

"When a party is weak it will resort to military power," he said.
Read more!

Airmen enhance relationships, airfield ops in Cambodia

By Staff Sgt. Christopher Boitz
Pacific Angel 11-1 Public Affairs

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia -- Having the ability to deploy anywhere in the world within 12 hours to build an air base and sustain airfield operations is a critical capability that few countries have the capacity to accomplish.

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia – Master Sgt. James Bonk meets with Royal Cambodian Armed Forces during a subject-matter expert exchange here Aug. 8, 2011. The exchange was part of PACIFIC ANGEL 11-1, which partners U.S. and Cambodian military and civilian personnel to provide medical, dental, optometry and engineer programs to local Cambodians as well as airfield operations subject-matter expert exchanges. Sergeant Bonk is a contingency response team lead assigned to the 36th Mobility Response Squadron, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Christopher Boitz
Airmen deployed here in support of Pacific Angel Cambodia 11-1 are exchanging ideas and sharing best practices on this capability and are strengthening partnerships through dialogue on aircrew, loadmaster, airfield management and aerial port operations with Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and local airport staff.

"We're here to show them our capabilities and give them the tools to further themselves ... we're also learning how they do business," said Master Sgt. James Bonk, a contingency response team lead assigned to the 36th Mobility Response Squadron at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. "By being able to integrate our abilities with theirs we're able to help each other out when needed."

Being able to integrate with the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces enhances the U.S. Military's ability to perform operations in an area of responsibility covering more than 100 million square miles and 50 percent of the world's population.

"It's crucial to have an airfield and to be able to sustain operations in order to get items to people like medical supplies and food when they need it," said Sergeant Bonk. "We're partners and we're aiming to improve interoperability."

An aerial demonstration by a North Carolina National Guard C-130H from the 145th Airlift Wing, followed by a walk through of the aircraft provided the RCAF an opportunity to examine how the aircraft works along with receiving cargo, airdrops, managing the airfield and setting up an aerial port.

"We've learned a lot from our friends," said Col. Proeung Phath, Royal Cambodian Air Force. "We can benefit from these exchanges and experiences. It's great to work next to them and I'm happy they're here."

Exchanges that foster partnerships and relationships will enhance future operations for Cambodians and the U.S.

"I'm happy to be here establishing friendships and learning more about the way they do business," said Sergeant Bonk. "Everyone is very friendly and has been very welcoming, I'm glad to be able to share with them now and in the future."

Operation Pacific Angel Cambodia 11-1, is a combined partnership between U.S. and Cambodian military and civilian personnel providing medical, dental, optometry and engineer programs to local Cambodians including airfield operations subject-matter expert exchanges.

The operation is scheduled to conclude Aug. 12. Read more!

World Bank Freezes Loans to Cambodia

In this photo taken on March, 17, 2011, a woman stands by a window of her house on the edge of Boeung Kak, Phnom Penh's largest lake. She and other residents of the area are being evicted from their homes to make way for upscale villas and  buildings. The dispute over Boeung Kak lake has embarrassed the World Bank and led to an unusually tense standoff with Cambodia's government. The bank issued an ultimatum in March demanding a halt to evictions and higher compensation for landowners. A May 8 deadline has been pushed back to next Monday.



The World Bank said Tuesday it will stop loaning money to Cambodia until the government reaches a deal with thousands of residents who are under threat of eviction in a huge development project.

Country director Annette Dixon says the World Bank has not made any loans since December and will not approve any more until Phnom Penh agrees on compensation with lakeside residents.

Dixon says the bank continues to encourage the Cambodia government to reach an agreement to provide on-site housing for the remaining residents of Boeung Kak Lake.

Nobody at the bank was available for further comment.

Two years ago, the Boeung Kak lake area in central Phnom Penh was home to 4,000 families. Now just 1,000 are left and workers have nearly finished filling the lake with sand.

Rights groups say the development has proceeded illegally from the start. They say people have been evicted without proper compensation and the threat of violence by the authorities has seldom been far away.

For years, lakeside residents tried to get land title documents from the local authorities in a program funded by the World Bank. While hundreds of thousands of other Cambodians obtained land titles, residents at the lake did not.

Earlier this year the bank admitted it had let down the residents and quietly informed Phnom Penh to resolve the issue. If not, the bank said it would reconsider its programs in Cambodia.

Today’s statement indicates the bank has stuck by that pledge.

Sia Phearum, secretariat director of the Housing Rights Task Force a local organization that advises lakeside residents of their rights, says local officials started meeting with residents, earlier this year, and the sides have made some progress.

“We found that some parts, some points are moving forward and some parts are not moving forward," Phearnum says. "It seems to be like slowly and people still fear concern about the forced eviction, because during the land survey also the company, they trying to lobby or threaten people to move out with the small compensation. This is the way that some part is a good result and some part is not a good result. But the community they have strong solidarity.”

Cambodia is developing fast and land prices have sharply risen in recent years. Critics say that has caused a wave of land grabbing, driving tens of thousands from their homes.

The capital has changed fast, too. In the past decade, slums have been cleared and their residents relocated outside the city limits. High-rises and apartment blocks are now common.

The companies behind the Boeung Kak development are very well-connected. One is owned by a senator from the ruling Cambodian People's Party; the other is a firm from China, a nation that has pumped billions into Cambodia in recent years.

Cambodian officials say they are not concerned by the bank’s position. Spokesman Phay Siphan says the World Bank has exceeded its mandate in insisting that Phnom Penh abide by such conditions.

Phay Siphan says the government’s only responsibility to the World Bank is to repay monies it has borrowed, and that conditions on one loan should not affect any others.

Sia Phearum, of the Human Rights Task Force, stresses that lakeside residents want the bank to resume lending, once a solution is found.

“I think if everyone talks about the Boeung Kak issue. I think the government at least they will reconsider and work more (for) improving for solving the problem of the people, of their own voters,” Phearum says.

The coming weeks and months will clarify whether the bank’s ultimatum will help with finding a solution. Read more!

Indian American Philanthropist Sponsors Buddha Statue in Cambodia

By LISA TSERING
indiawest.com

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. — Sulata Sarkar, a philanthropist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, has watched proudly as her latest project, the carving of a huge sandstone Buddha in Siem Reap, Cambodia, is nearing completion.

In 2005 on a trip there, Sarkar was moved by the plight of the Cambodian people who were victimized by the brutal regime of dictator Pol Pot.
“We talked to local people through our guide, Mr. BoBo, on what we could do to help local people relieve their past pain and suffering,” Sarkar told India-West in an e-mail.

After meeting with local religious and civic leaders as well a UNESCO representative and India’s ambassador to Cambodia, Aloke Sen, she came to decide that “a large stone Buddha statue depicting peace and harmony would be most appropriate for a gift from my family funds for the local people who have suffered a lot from Pol Pot’s regime.”

Sarkar, a native of Kolkata, first commissioned the ambitious project in May 2006. Now, after a few delays, she expects the seven-meter-tall work of art to be unveiled in December of this year.

The 80-ton statue is ma de out of pink sandstone and sits atop a lotus stand, which is situated on a large pedestal, and was carved by a handicapped former soldier-turned-stone-carver, 78-year-old Him Tour.

“I was first offered a site at the Angkor Wat complex, but this was not suitable because they shut the area early in the evening and I want this statue given to the public so they can enjoy it any time they want,” she told the Phnom Penh Post. So she accepted a donation of land in Siem Reap from a Japanese company working there, and kept in close contact as the construction was assisted by the Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap, known as the Apsara Authority.

The Phnom Penh Post has followed the construction of the statue from the beginning, and covered a colorful ceremony last December marking a construction milestone.

“The pedestal was completed in November 2010 and we invited Hindu priest Pt. Monomohon Mukherjee from the Livermore temple in California to bless the pedestal with vedic rituals and Antram,” she told India-West.

“By the first week of January 2011 the installation of the lotus and Buddha was completed. The Apsara Authority is putting a roof and water pond around the pedestal and completing the pavement and garden around it.

“We expect everything to be completed by the end of December 2011.”

Copyright 2011 India-West Publications Inc. This article may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher.

Read more!

Cambodia will get its artefacts back eventually, says ministry

By Pakamard Jaichalard,
Nanthida Puangthong
The Nation

The Thai Cultural Ministry has told the Cambodian government it will continue to hold 36 historic artefacts seized from smugglers in 2000 pending negotiations and confirmation of their ownership.

Cambodia had asked for the return of the artefacts, which were among a haul of 43 its officials say were stolen. The ministry says the items are being well kept as it examines the case before a committee processes them for return to Cambodia.

On Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported that Him Chhem, Cambodia's minister of culture and fine arts, had said he asked Sompong Sanguanbun, Thai ambassador to Cambodia, to process the remaining artefacts back to Cambodia.

Thailand seized the 43 stolen artefacts in 2000 and returned seven items to Cambodia in 2009. It was also reported that besides the 43 stolen pieces bound for Thailand, at least five others were stolen and smuggled to Switzerland. Another artefact went to Indonesia.

Thai Culture Minister Nipit Intarasombat yesterday said the matter was negotiable between the two countries. The artefact identification procedure could be speeded up if Thailand set up a special committee for the purpose. He said that if the evidence showed the items belonged to Cambodia, Thailand would return them.

Nipit said Fine Arts Department chief Somsuda Leeyawanich told him that Cambodia had confirmed ownership of the seven items already returned, while the remaining 36 were being kept pending clear evidence and bilateral negotiations.

Anan Chuchote, director of the Office of the National Museum, said the 36 items were currently kept at the National Museum in Pathum Thani's Klong 5 area. After talks between the two countries and confirmation of ownership, his office would have a committee process them speedily.

Thani Thongpakdi, director-general of the Foreign Affairs Ministry's Information Department, said he had not heard about the Cambodian request but the two countries had existing agreements and Thailand had already returned some of the stolen artefacts to Cambodia. The rest were under a process of inspection before returning.

After the Thai Customs Department seized the 43 artefacts from smugglers in 2000, the items, mostly temple-decorating sculptures, were sent to the Fine Arts Department for keeping. After a Cambodian request, Thai authorities processed seven items and found they were Bayon Cambodian art pieces from around the 18th Buddhist Era.

On June 12, 2009, prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, during an official visit to Cambodia, returned six demon sculptures and one angel sculpture to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, in accordance with the agreement to return stolen artefacts to their rightful owners.
Read more!

Judges have 'serious doubts' about new KRouge case

PHNOM PENH — Judges investigating a new Khmer Rouge case at Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes tribunal said Monday they had "serious doubts" about whether the suspects fall under the court's jurisdiction.

The statement appeared to support observers' predictions that the court is likely to drop its fourth and final case, thought to involve three mid-level cadres, in the face of political opposition.

The judges also revealed details about the scope of the case, saying they were investigating some two dozen prisons and security centres across the country as well as allegations of mass killings and forced labour.

"So far, the office of the co-investigating judges did not notify the public of the crime sites in case four, because... there are serious doubts whether the suspects are 'most responsible'," their joint statement said.

The court is charged with trying senior Khmer Rouge leaders and those most responsible for crimes committed during their 1975-1979 reign of terror when up to two million people died in a bid to create an agrarian utopia.

Trial monitor Anne Heindel argued that the "most responsible" standard did apply to lower-ranking authorities accused of "extremely serious crimes", as previous examples in international courts had shown.

"If the investigation into case four is dropped on that basis, the reputation of the court will forever be besmirched by allegations that the decision was politically motivated," said Heindel, a legal advisor to the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, which researches Khmer Rouge atrocities.

Like the court's third case, which is officially still under investigation but also appears headed for dismissal, the fourth case is strongly opposed by the Cambodian government.

Prime Minister Hun Sen, himself a former mid-level cadre, has said in the past that cases three and four were "not allowed" and that going after more Khmer Rouge suspects could plunge the country into civil war.

In its landmark first trial, the tribunal sentenced former prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, to 30 years in jail in July 2010 for overseeing the deaths of 15,000 people.

That case is now under appeal, while a second trial involving four of the regime's four most senior surviving leaders had its first hearing in late June, with full testimony expected in the coming months.

The disclosures about case four on Monday were prompted by a request by the international co-prosecutor to give victims more information.
Read more!

Singer gives voice to the new face of Cambodia

Young tenor hopes to change perceptions of his homeland
By Amy Smart, Times Colonist

Tenor Hy Chanthavouth is performing at a concert Monday to raise money for the Cambodian Support Group.Photograph by: Lyle Stafford, Times Colonist, timescolonist.com


Cambodian tenor Hy Chanthavouth has the kind of voice that can change minds.


It may have played a role in changing the minds of high school administrators, who told him that he was too old to enrol when he arrived in Canada at 22.

Before he left the Kimberley school's office, a counsellor asked if he knew the song My Way by Frank Sinatra - it was his father's favourite. By the time Chanthavouth had reached the song's spirited climax, he had drawn a crowd.

"All the teachers just stopped working and came down to follow the voice," he said. "They didn't believe it was me."

Ultimately, they admitted him.

Since then, his voice has undoubtedly worked its magic a few more times, changing his teenage homestay brother's taste in music (he likes opera now) and others' ideas of what a tenor should look like - the slight 26-year-old is neither rotund nor Italian.

And if all goes as planned, he will alter Western perceptions of Cambodia.

"My goal here is to do my best, to finish school and to become well known for my country," said Chanthavouth, who works part-time in the kitchen at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. "I just want to be able to carry the Cambodian flag into the international stage and to show the world a new face of Cambodia."

As a goodwill ambassador for the Cambodia Support Group, halfway through a diploma program at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, he's doing well.

Chanthavouth will perform at Knox Presbyterian Church Monday at 7: 30 p.m. in a fundraising concert for the Cambodia Support Group, a Kimberleybased non-profit. He is joined by soprano Hillary Young and pianists Braden Young, Armand Saberi and Arne Sahlen. Admission is by donation.

It's that kind of goodwill that landed Chanthavouth in Canada in the first place. He met Sahlen, president of the Cambodia Support Group, in his home city of Phnom Penh, where he volunteered for everything from postering to translating for the group.

"Here was this man with an amazing voice," said Sahlen. "And more than that, a great passion to help make a difference."

The Cambodia Support Group, which sponsored Chanthavouth to come to Canada, has helped hundreds of refugees and immigrants adapt to life in Canada, in addition to undertaking development projects in Cambodia.

Now almost four years in B.C. - and just past his first anniversary in Victoria - Chanthavouth is miles away from his youth.

He fell in love with Western music after regularly passing a church in Phnom Penh and hearing the choir. "I used to walk by every Sunday morning and I'd stop and listen to the people in the choir and I just felt something unique," he said.

From there, he couldn't help but sing while doing the dishes, to his single mother's chagrin. He said he has always been the loudmouth among his four siblings, and ultimately persuaded his mother to enrol him in music school.

Besides changing Western ideas about Cambodia - often dominated by associations with the 1970s genocide - Chanthavouth hopes to also affect psyches within his country.

"After the genocide, we all, including my mom and her family, tend to be stuck in their past," he said. He hopes that his success will make them proud, even if Western music is still foreign to his family.

"Music like opera means nothing to the people in Cambodia, but perhaps it might mean something to them when I become well known."
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Facing history in Cambodia

Cambodia is beginning to deal with the legacy of decades of civil war: soldiers and civilians maimed by landmines.


By Akshan deAlwis

Akshan deAlwis will be a freshman at Noble and Greenough School in the fall.

I was nine when I read “First They Killed my Father.” It had a profound impact on me and I wanted to learn more about both the glory that was the Khmer civilization and its more recent history of conflict.

Last month, I visited Siem Reap in Cambodia, a city founded upon fable and legend, and more recently tears.

Siem Reap is home to to the majestic Angkor Temple complex. As I drove down the main road from the airport, I watched as hotel upon hotel passed my window, their lights dimly lit in the still of the night.

A large portion of Cambodia’s economy comes from tourism. But Cambodia has not always been a tourist haven. It has actually been one of the most tragic places in the world, and that legacy remains.

Cambodia was plunged into civil war for more than 20 years. A decade of genocide left more than 25,000 combatants and 2 million civilians dead and countless more disabled.

The main reason for my visit was to meet with the Angkor Association for the Disabled (AAD), a meeting arranged through a much admired family friend. At her request, I did a slide show on the rights of children with disabilities as outlined by the United Nations, which she had translated into Khmer and sent to AAD.

The day of my meeting, I woke up at dawn to see the sun rise over the Angkor Wat, the largest Hindu and later Buddhist temple in the world, built by Suryavarman II in the 12th century. It is the proud symbol of the Khmer Culture, depicted on the Cambodian flag. As I quietly tiptoed around the towering spires, the sun slowly burst into the purple sky. I held my breath, afraid to spoil the beauty of the moment.

As the light broke through the still morning, I gasped at the exquisite bas reliefs that brought to life the churning of the sea of milk by the gods and demons to create Amrita, the elixir of life.

The civil war in Cambodia began with the invasion of US and Vietnamese forces in 1969 to attack Viet Cong and Khmer Rouge forces that were using bases in Cambodia. When Saigon fell in 1975, Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, fell to Khmer Rouge forces, who were lead by Pol Pot.

The city was evacuated, and the population was sent to the countryside to work. All things “western” were destroyed. Libraries and temples were ransacked and razed. The agricultural methods were changed to the “Traditional Cambodian Methods” of the 11th century.

In 1979, when a leftist Vietnamese-Cambodian force captured Phnom Penh, the Khmer Rouge began a guerilla war, laying hundreds of land mines. Although the civil war officially ended in 1993, the mines remain.

Cambodia is the third most land mined country in the world. According to UNICEF, “So common are they in Cambodia that they are now used for fishing, or as property security devices, or even to settle domestic disputes.”

According to the Asian Development Bank, close to 10 percent of the
Cambodian adult population is disabled due to malnutrition, violence, and land mines.

After breakfast, I was picked up by the Director of the AAD, Sem Sovantha who drove a car with levers because he is missing both legs.

Sem was a captain in the army, his future ahead of him, until the day he stumbled upon a “double personnel” mine filled with half a pound of TNT. Both of his legs were ripped off.

Most land mine victims are on their own, he said. No one will employ them, hospitals are already overflowing, and families cannot support them with the average annual income of $805.

Sem hit the streets, begging. But he knew that things had to change, so he put himself through school and set up the AAD. His goal is simple: to make Cambodia a better place, not through foreign intervention, but through self help.

Sem told me about the new disability law that the Cambodian government recently passed. “The law is only on paper,” he said. "This is our law and we were not consulted.''

The law aims to protect the rights of persons with disabilities and to ensure equal opportunities for persons with disabilities. It provides for accessible education, health care, and employment for persons with disabilities. The law also sets up a council to advise on the administration of the law. While the law is sweeping in its rhetoric, the terms are ambiguous and merely aspirational.

Sem said his organization would be educating police and community officials about the rights all persons with disabilities have to live in dignity and equality.

Sem showed off his group's workshop, where he and others teach peers how to make a living by playing traditional Cambodian music and making woven baskets and small wooden figures. “Work creates the first step to empowerment”, Sem told me proudly.

As the Khmer Rouge trials continue in Phnom Penh, I want those on trial and their judges to remember Sem and his peers. The two million dead are not the only victims of the genocide.

To learn more about Sem, go to his website at: http://www.angkorad.org/ Read more!