Former White House counsel promotes economic development in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Bretton G. Sciaroni of Sciaroni & Associates will represent the Kingdom of Cambodia at the first-ever Global Business Conference hosted by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in Washington, DC Feb. 21 and 22.
Sciaroni, senior partner at the Phnom Penh-based professional services firm, is chairman of the American Cambodian Business Council (AmCham). He has provided advice and counsel to foreign investors seeking to do business in Cambodia since 1993 and also serves as legal advisor to the Royal Government of Cambodia as well as chairman of the International Business Chamber.
"It's an honor to represent Cambodia at such a high level meeting, bringing together leading businesses and representatives from around the world to discuss ways we can work together to contribute to economic prosperity," he said.
The two-day conference will feature opening remarks by Gen. Michael Hayden (“An Insider’s View of the World”) and presentations by executives of IBM, General Electric and Microsoft. More than 100 countries will be represented at the forum.
The first day of the event will feature sessions on export promotion, increasing foreign investment in the United States, creating public-private partnerships, facilitating business and leisure travel to the United States, and key policy topics of interest to businesses abroad. The second day will include breakout sessions, hosted by the State Department’s regional Assistant Secretaries, to discuss regional strategies to advance shared economic interests.
Sciaroni, who was nominated to represent Cambodia by the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, said the conference “is an opportunity to promote Cambodia as an investment destination among top US Companies.
“Given the fact that Cambodia is chairing the ASEAN summit this year, it’s perfect timing to present the country to the international business community,” he said. Sciaroni added that the Washington meeting also provides a platform to “promote the idea of a US-ASEAN business summit that is currently under active discussion.”
The conference will cover general international business subjects concerning US trade policy and the potential for international collaboration.
Sciaroni, a former White House counsel, has provided investment and legal advice to multinational companies, development agencies and the diplomatic community in Cambodia for nearly 20 years. His firm of Cambodian and expatriate staff provides counsel to many of the world’s leading companies who have investment interests in the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia.
In addition to serving as heads of the local business councils, Sciaroni, along with the Minister of Finance, co-chairs the Working Group on Law, Tax and Good Governance for the Royal Government of Cambodia.
While in Washington, Sciaroni will also attend a meeting sponsored by the US Chamber of Commerce to discuss Sec. Clinton’s planned trip to Cambodia in July as well as the October ASEAN Economic Minister meetings.
About Sciaroni & Associates
Sciaroni & Associates is a leading legal and professional services firm based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Since 1993, the firm has provided advice and business insight to many of the world’s leading companies as well as the Royal Government of Cambodia. Senior Partner Bretton G. Sciaroni has nearly 20 years of experience advising clients in Cambodia and is a leading contributor to the development of the Cambodian economy. Managing Partner Matthew Rendall has worked in Cambodia since 1994 and has extensive property and labor law expertise as well as considerable experience in general investment structuring. Managing Partner John Pike has more than 25 years of investment banking and legal experience in the United Kingdom and throughout Asia. The firm provides guidance and expertise in all facets of law and investment, from company creation to licensing, labor, property and government relations. Additional details may be obtained via the firm's website at http://www.sa-cambodia.com/ .
Contact:.
Sciaroni & Associates
Office Manager
Greg Regan, (855) 23 210 225
greg@sa-cambodia.com.
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Monday, February 20, 2012
Sciaroni to Represent Cambodia at US Business Conference
Cambodia's fainting workers
Last year, more than 200,000 workers in the garment sector went on strike in protest over their pauperized working conditions. The government responded by reminding employers to strictly enforce the occupational safety and health standards required by law.
To further highlight the demands of garment workers, the Asia Floor Wage network organized Cambodia’s first ever People’s Tribunal on Minimum Living Wage and Decent Working Conditions early this month. It was also the first tribunal in the Asia-Pacific aimed at establishing a standard on the issue of fair pricing for garment manufacturers and, in particular, strengthening the bargaining power of female workers within the global supply chain.
Aside from the wage issue, the tribunal also discussed the alarming rise of mass fainting incidents in many garment factories. In 2011 alone, the Free Trade Union reported that 2,300 workers fainted in five factories. Initial investigations revealed that many workers suffered from low blood sugar, malnutrition, dehydration, food poisoning and over-exertion. The government later confirmed that the fainting cases were related to poor working conditions in many factories.
During the tribunal, workers in the “fainting factories” recalled how they regularly work for 12 to 14 hours a day while being exposed to strong chemicals in hot and poorly ventilated environments. Most of the female workers said they also have to travel long hours, standing in overcrowded trucks, to get to work each day.
To stop the fainting, factory owners merely need to ensure that occupational safety and health policies are implemented. Specifically, workers should be taught how to properly handle chemicals and electrical equipment. In addition, workers should be given time to rest at the weekend, while any overtime worked during peak factory production periods should be undertaken in compliance with the law.
The tribunal succeeded in articulating the demands of garment workers, but the proposed reforms still need to be aggressively presented to the government and the global clients of Cambodia’s garment factories. Just a week ago, 162 garment workers in a Preah Sihanouk factory were reportedly rushed to various hospitals and clinics after they fainted at work.
A few years ago, there was a global outcry over the recruitment of child workers in Southeast Asia’s infamous sweatshops, an outcry that forced Western companies, employers, buyers, and local governments to sign a pact against this unfair labor practice. Today, consumers should likewise be informed that clothing companies are able to cut the prices of goods at the expense of Cambodia’s fainting workers.
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Cambodia, China willing to further enhance cooperation in all fields: officials
PHNOM PENH, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia and China are willing to further promote bilateral cooperation in all fields in the framework of ASEAN-China relations, officials said Monday.
The commitment was made during the official visit of Ma Mingqiang, secretary general of ASEAN-China Center, to Cambodia.
In a meeting with Cambodia's Minister of Tourism Thong Khon, Ma Mingqiang said this was his official visit to Cambodia since the ASEAN-China Center was launched on Nov.18,2011.
"The visit aims at promoting ASEAN-China cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, education, and culture," he said.
Meanwhile, Thong Khon said Cambodia saw China as a big source of visitors to Cambodia in the near future.
He added that last year, Cambodia received 247,000 Chinese tourists, up 39.2 percent, making Chinese tourists the third largest arrival groups to Cambodia.
"Based on the trend, the country expects to see about 600,000 Chinese visitors here in 2015 and up to 1 million in 2020," said the minister. "To achieve this goal, we have been strengthening our tourism product quality and services, and encouraging hotels, restaurants and resorts to use Chinese language in order to meet the needs of Chinese tourists."
Cambodia and China signed tourism cooperation on Feb. 9, 1999, he said.
On Monday, Ma had also met with Pich Rithi, director general of the commerce ministry's general directorate of domestic trade, and both sides had affirmed the necessity to boost bilateral trade and investment cooperation for mutual interests.
Pich Rithi said Cambodia saw China as the largest market for Cambodian agricultural products, especially rice and cassava, so that he asked Ma to help attract Chinese businesspeople and investors to do business in the fields in order to increase Cambodia's exports to China.
Ma said that through the ASEAN-China Center, he would try to promote Cambodia's investment potentials to Chinese investors and the world.
Also, on the day, Ma had met with Chea Sienghong, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, and Soeung Rathchavy, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Ma and his delegation arrived here on Feb. 19 for a 3-day visit. They will leave Cambodia for Vietnam on Tuesday.
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OZ Minerals to sell off Cambodian gold assets
OZ MINERALS announced plans yesterday to sell off its gold assets in Cambodia, closing a controversial chapter for the company that was forced to deny allegations of impropriety last year in relation to this business.
The Cambodia Daily newspaper last year alleged relatives of government officials had received hundreds of thousands of dollars after the Australian company bought out its local partner in a goldmining venture.
The newspaper said the trio were appointed in 2006, just before Shin Ha concluded a joint-venture agreement with Oxiana, headed by Owen Hegarty. The company was later named OZ Minerals after merging with Zinifex.
OZ Minerals and the Cambodian government denied any impropriety. A company spokeswoman said in July last year that an internal investigation could find no evidence of wrongdoing.
Last week this newspaper reported that documents released by the federal Attorney-General's Department under freedom of information laws showed that officials in the financial crime section were last year taking a keen interest in the allegations.
OZ Minerals has had the Cambodian business under review since April last year when it became clear that the gold exploration program was not going to yield the 2 million ounce resource the company needed to make it a starter project.
The company sold off its rights to Renaissance Minerals yesterday for $17.8 million in cash, shares and options with a further $22.5 million due if project milestones are achieved from the deposits with estimated gold reserves of 729,000 ounces.
''We have concluded that this project does not fit within OZ Minerals' strategy with regard to scale in relation to the commodity and our overall preference for mid-tier copper projects,'' said OZ Minerals chief executive Terry Burgess.
OZ Minerals sold all its operating mines, except Prominent Hill, to China Minmetals in June 2009 for $US1.39 billion after it failed to reach an agreement with its banks to repay debt.
It only survived as a separate company when the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, blocked the sale of Prominent Hill, a copper and gold mine in South Australia.
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Gunfire hits at least 3 striking Cambodian workers
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia
At least three striking garment workers were wounded by gunshots Monday while protesting outside their factory in southeastern Cambodia.
Keo Kong, police chief of Bavet town in Svay Rieng province, said three women were hurt, one seriously, by an unknown gunman who fired at them when the protest by more than 1,000 workers turned rowdy.
The workers at the Kaoway Sports Ltd. factory have been striking since Friday to demand better working conditions and benefits.
The factory is Taiwanese-owned and makes footwear for Germany's Puma brand, according to the Phnom Penh Post newspaper. Commerce Ministry statistics show that most of its production is shipped to Europe, especially Germany and Italy.
The Cambodian human rights group Licadho last month lamented the increasing use of armed force against protesters.
It said there had been at least five incidents in two months in which public security forces or private armed guards opened fire on people protesting land grabs, with 19 people hurt, including seven by gunfire.
Striking workers said the gunman Monday was a factory security guard. Police said the man fled the scene, and they were investigating.
Keo Kong said the shooting began after workers started throwing stones at the factory, shattering mirrored glass.
Licadho official Nuth Bopinnaroath said the victims were aged 18, 21 and 23, and the seriously injured one received a chest wound.
The factory is located in an industrial estate, the Manhattan Special Economic Zone, close to the border with Vietnam. Last week, workers at another business in the zone, Taiwanese bicycle maker Bestway Industrial Co. Ltd., ended a two-day strike after most of their demands for better working conditions were met, the Phnom Penh Post said.
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Friday, February 17, 2012
Good ties boost investment, trade, tourism between Cambodia, China
PHNOM PENH, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- The bilateral relations between Cambodia and China in terms of investment, trade and tourism have become stronger in the past year thanks to the two countries' good relations, said officials Friday.
Cambodia attracted China's investments of 1.19 billion U.S. dollars in 2011, up 71 percent from 694 million U.S. dollars in a year earlier, according to the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC).
China's 22 investment projects last year focused on property development, mineral business and processing plants, motorcycle assembly factories, gold mining, rice mill and garment factories.
The bilateral trades amounted to 2.5 billion U.S. dollars last year, up 73.5 percent, the highest growth rate among the bilateral trade between China and other ASEAN countries, according to the statistics provided by the Chinese Embassy.
Chheng Kimlong, an economics lecturer at the University of Cambodia, said the strong bilateral relations between the two countries are the most important factor resulting in sharp rises in the bilateral trade and investment.
In addition, he said, Cambodia has a number of potential sectors for investors and the country remains peaceful and political stability.
"These factors in combination with Cambodia's constant supports and incentives to Chinese investors, more and more Chinese see Cambodia as safe place for their investments," he said.
Cambodia attracted 247,200 Chinese tourists last year, an increase of 39 percent--the highest growth rate among foreign visitors to this impoverished country, said Tith Chantha, director general of the Tourism Ministry.
He said the sharp increase in Chinese visitors to Cambodia was due to attractive tourism sites, broad promotion and increasing direct flights.
"We hope that Cambodia will receive at least one million Chinese tourists by 2020," he said, adding that to achieve the target, the ministry has encouraged more training courses for Chinese speaking guides and urged hotels, restaurants and other entertainment facilities to use Chinese language.
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
'Cambodia vows to deepen ties between ASEAN and dialogue partners'
PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) - As the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, Cambodia is committed to build closer relations and cooperation between ASEAN and its dialogue partners, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thursday.
"As the ASEAN chair, Cambodia will play a model role to deepen ties between ASEAN and East Asia nations such as China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), South Korea and Japan as well as countries in the region including the United States and Australia," he said.
Cambodia wanted to see ASEAN to be stronger and more influential in order to work more effectively in regional and global levels, he said at the opening of the 2012 Cambodia Outlook Conference under the theme "Cambodia's Priorities for Inclusive Growth, Regional Integration and ASEAN Leadership."
Meanwhile, the premier highlighted the important role of China in the help to develop economics and societies in ASEAN.
"Cambodia, ASEAN member states alike, is situated very close to China, which is the world's second largest economy and the world's largest market for agricultural products," he said. "These are valuable assets and good opportunities for ASEAN to tap China's market for their social and economic development."
The premier also reiterated that as the ASEAN chair, the country would try all its best to push ASEAN to realize a community by 2015.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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Angkor Gold Corp.: Diamond Drilling Commences on the Okalla Gold Prospect
VANCOUVER, British Columbia
ANGKOR GOLD CORP. CA:ANK +9.30% ("ANGKOR") is pleased to announce that a contract for a minimum of 2000m NQ cored diamond drill holes in the Okalla Prospect on Banlung tenement, Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia, has been awarded to Kluane Drilling Inc, a Canadian owned and operated contractor operating in Cambodia. The rig is on site and drilling of BL12-028 commenced on February 15, 2012.
Deployment of this rig means that the company now has 2 diamond drilling rigs working in Cambodia. An earlier press release (November 21, 2011) announced that a Cambodian company, Veriak, had started drilling on the Border prospect, Oyadao tenement.
The Okalla drill program is aimed at a large disseminated gold-copper occurrence in diorite that coincides with a 'C' zone soil geochemical gold-copper-molybdenum anomaly on the prospect. The geochemical anomaly terminates to the north against an overlying Quaternary flood basalt flow, and reappears about 1km to the northeast, beyond the basalt ridge. Two holes drilled into this anomaly prior to the onset of the last monsoons were reported previously (press release dated October 25, 2011), and they and 3 others showed encouraging thicknesses and gold and copper values:
-- BL10-010D: 121.0m @ 491ppm Cu from 3.0m
-- BL10-020D: 100.1m @ 796ppm Cu, 0.23g/t Au from 0.0m
-- BL10-021D: 98.0m @ 880ppm Cu from 3.0m
-- BL11-026D: 94.9m @ 850ppm Cu, 0.55g/t Au from 28.0m
-- BL11-027D: 72.8m @1180ppm Cu, 0.24g/t Au from 16.2m
All cores will be saw-split before sampling. Cores will be stored at the Company facility in the city of Banlung, Ratanakiri province. All analyses will be done by a reputable internationally recognized laboratory. In the past, Angkor has used ALS-Chemex in Vientiane, Laos for gold by single assay ton fire assay with an AA finish, and in Brisbane, Australia for base metals by ICP-MS following acid digestion. Higher value results will be analysed in duplicate. Company QA/QC protocol requires the insertion of some 20% of blank and standard samples on a randomized basis throughout the sample sequence. The protocol further requires that no sample interval be greater than 1.0m or less than 0.5m.
The QP for this release, which he wrote and approved, is Adrian G. Mann, P. Geol., VP Exploration for ANGKOR GOLD CORP.. He is a graduate of London University and of the University of the Witwatersrand, with over 40 years world-wide experience in mineral exploration and mining geology. Dr. Mann lives in Calgary, Alberta.
ANGKOR GOLD CORPORATION is a public company listed on the TSX-Venture exchange. The company has 4 exploration licenses in the Kingdom of Cambodia covering a total of 1167 km2 and 3 Memoranda of Understanding with the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Energy covering a further 1499 km2. The company has been actively exploring these concessions over the past 21/2 years, and has now covered all 7 tenements with stream sediment geochemical sampling, has flown low level aeromagnetic surveys over much of the ground, drilled some 9,775 metres of NQ core in 89 holes, and has collected in excess of 14,000 'C' zone soil samples in 7 centres of interest, over a combined area of 18km2, in addition to numerous trenches and detailed geological field mapping. Exploration on all tenements is ongoing.
THIS PRESS RELEASE, REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE CANADIAN LAWS, IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES, AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO SELL OR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO SELL ANY OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED HEREIN IN THE UNITED STATES. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN, AND WILL NOT BE, REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO U.S. PERSONS UNLESS REGISTERED OR EXEMPT THEREFROM.
Reader Advisory
Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. In particular, forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the timing and completion of the Corporation's financings and related information. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information.
Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are founded on the basis of expectations and assumptions made by the Corporation. Such forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in Canada, Cambodia, the United States and globally; industry conditions, including fluctuations in the prices of gold and other base metals; governmental regulation of the mining industry in both Canada and Cambodia, including environmental regulation; unanticipated operating events or performance which can reduce production or cause production to be delayed; failure to obtain industry partner and other third party consents and approvals, if and when required; competition for and/or inability to retain mining equipment and other services; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; stock market volatility; liabilities inherent in mining operations; competition for, among other things, capital, undeveloped lands, skilled personnel and supplies; incorrect assessments of the value of acquisitions; geological, technical, drilling, processing and transportation problems; changes in tax laws and incentive programs relating to the mining industry; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions and dispositions; and other factors. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive.
The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.
Neither the TSX Venture nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
This news release was distributed by GlobeNewswire, www.globenewswire.com
SOURCE: Angkor Gold Corp.
CONTACT: ANGKOR GOLD CORP.
Mike Weeks, President
Telephone: (780) 518-0326
Email: mw@angkorgold.ca
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Chinese Red Cross donates water pumps to Cambodia
PHNOM PENH - The Red Cross Society of China on Thursday donated 146 water pumps worth $200,000 to Cambodian Red Cross to help those provinces hit hard by floods last year.
The hand-over ceremony was presided over by Annie Sok An, the first vice president of Cambodian Red Cross, and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Pan Guangxue.
Annie Sok An expressed her gratitude to the Chinese Red Cross and the Chinese people, saying that their selfless help to Cambodia will significantly improve Cambodian people's standard of living and enhance Sino-Cambodian ties.
She added China had been helping Cambodia in various fields, including infrastructure construction, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Pan said that China's water pump donation was a sincere help between friends, adding that as Cambodia's biggest donation partner, China will continue assisting Cambodia in the long-run.
Pan told Xinhua that the two Red Cross societies share a long history of frequent exchanges and the cooperation between them includes humanitarian assistance and long-term staff training.
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Chinese Red Cross donates 146 water pumps to Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Red Cross Society of China on Thursday donated 146 water pumps worth 200,000 U.S. dollars to Cambodian Red Cross to help those provinces hit hard by floods last year.
The hand-over ceremony was presided over by Annie Sok An, the first vice president of Cambodian Red Cross, and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Pan Guangxue.
Annie Sok An expressed her gratitude to the Chinese Red Cross and the Chinese people, saying that their selfless help to Cambodia will significantly improve Cambodian people's standard of living and enhance Sino-Cambodian ties.
She added China had been helping Cambodia in various fields, including infrastructure construction, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Pan said that China's water pump donation was a sincere help between friends, adding that as Cambodia's biggest donation partner, China will continue assisting Cambodia in the long-run.
Pan told Xinhua that the two Red Cross societies share a long history of frequent exchanges and the cooperation between them includes humanitarian assistance and long-term staff training.
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Cambodia: Judicial harassment against Mr. Soum Chankea
URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY
KHM 001 / 0212 / OBS 020
Judicial harassment
Cambodia
February 15, 2012
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Cambodia.
Description of the situation:
The Observatory has been informed by the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) of the judicial harassment faced by Mr. Soum Chankea, its Provincial Coordinator in Banteay Meanchey province.
According to the information received, on February 9, 2012, Mr. Soum Chankea was summoned by the Prosecutor’s Office in Sisophon, capital of Banteay Meanchey province, following a complaint lodged by Mr. Oum Socheath, Head of the Banteay Meanchey branch of the Cambodia Mine Action Centre (CMAC) and Coordinator of the UNDP-CMAC mine clearance programme. The questioning is scheduled for February 20, 2012. The Prosecutor will then decide whether charges will be officially brought against Mr. Soum Chankea. These include “slanderous denunciation”, an offence punishable by up to one year in prison and a up to two million riels (380 euros) fine under Article 311 of the Criminal Code.
The complaint against Mr. Soum Chankea follows ADHOC’s intervention in a gender-based violence case. The victim filed complaints against Mr. Oum Socheath and Mr. Pong Piseth, also known as Mr. Veth, a business man in the area of real estate and construction, on November 4 and 9, 2011 respectively, accusing them of sexual harassment and assault. Following the victim’s complaints, the authorities allegedly took no action to investigate the allegations. Mr. Soum Chankea intervened several times in her favour to urge the police and the Prosecutor to investigate the case. According to information gathered by ADHOC, Messrs. Oum Socheath and Pong Piseth would be benefiting from the protection of a businessman whose brother is a high-ranking government official.
The Observatory expresses its deepest concern about Mr. Soum Chankea's summons for questioning, which seems to merely aim at sanctioning his human rights activities, and accordingly calls upon the Cambodian authorities to put an end to all acts of harassment - including at the judicial level - against him.
Actions requested:
Please write to the Cambodian authorities and ask them to:
i. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Soum Chankea;
ii. Put an end to acts of harassment - including at the judicial level - against him as well as against all human rights defenders in Cambodia;
iii. Conform in any circumstances with the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted on December 9, 1998 by the United Nations General Assembly, and in particular :
- Article 1, which states that “everyone has the right, individually or in association with others, to promote the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”,
- and Article 12.2 which provides that “the State shall take all necessary measures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone, individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats, retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any other arbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of the rights referred to in the present Declaration”.
iv. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments ratified by Cambodia.
Border demarcation marks ‘new chapter’
By Vong Sokheng
Cambodia and Thailand agreed to sideline domestic politics and begin actually mapping border markers as the two countries seek to make progress demarcating their contested border at the latest meeting of the Joint Border Committee yesterday.
Var Kimhong, Cambodia’s chief border negotiator, said Thailand would no longer require that border surveys be approved by its National Assembly, marking a “new chapter” in the neighbours’ demarcation process, after the meeting in Bangkok yesterday.
“There was a good environment at the meeting from which Thai political issues will no longer be an obstacle and the Cambodian JBC will be able to carry out its work on the actual land,” he said.
The two sides had agreed to employ highly accurate orthophoto mapping technology in the process of border demarcation, as experts from both countries spent two months establishing 23 survey markers from Poipet in Banteay Meanchey to Ta Moan temple.
A Thai government source who declined to be named said yesterday that four permanent checkpoints would also be established along the border.
Cambodia and Thailand have never fully demarcated their 805-kilometre shared border, and the process has stalled since a dispute over the area surrounding the Preah Vihear temple flared when Cambodia was awarded World Heritage recognition for the site in 2008.
Demarcation talks at a meeting of the JBC last April failed to yield any progress on the issue during a low period of Cambodian and Thai relations.
Those negotiations came on the heels of fierce, bloody clashes near disputed territory surrounding the Preah Vihear temple in February and April that left at least 28 people dead and displaced thousands of villagers.
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PM greets Cambodian King
VietNamNet Bridge – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni expressed their delight to the good terms between the two neighbouring countries, as the two met in Ha Noi yesterday, Feb 14.
He also expressed Viet Nam's gratitude to the Cambodian royal family and people for supporting Viet Nam in its fight for national independence in the past and in its current process of national construction.
He also congratulated Cambodia for its own huge achievements and hoped better outcomes would be reached. Both sides noted 2012 was a year of friendship during which Viet Nam and Cambodia would celebrate 45 years of diplomatic relations, and vowed to do their utmost to consolidate the positive relationship. Read more!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Cambodian Official Says Border Talks with Thailand Make Significant Progress
Cambodia's border chief said Tuesday that the two-day border talks with Thailand had made remarkable progress, and both sides have agreed to resume the search for remaining border markers from March 5.
"It is a positive step towards solving the border issues between the two countries," said Var Kimhong, senior minister in charge of border affairs, in Tuesday evening before his return from attending the fifth meeting of Thailand-Cambodia Joint Commission on Demarcation of Land Boundary in Thailand.
He said the Cambodia-Thailand border demarcation process has begun in June 2006, but it was stalled since 2008 when the two countries had sporadic border clashes.The issue became thornier as the Thai constitutional laws require that every agreed minutes signed by both sides should go through the Thai Parliament.
"From now on, there will be no more obstacles for border talks as the Thai side dropped the idea that the agreed minutes should receive approval from the Thai Parliament," he said.
The meeting in Bangkok was co-chaired by Var Kimhong and Bandhit Sotipalalit, chairman of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary.
The two neighboring countries share an approximately common border of 805 kilometers. But, the demarcation has never been fully completed.
The two sides have only found 48 border pillars out of the total 73, 33 of the found ones received mutual agreement.
The meeting avoided the border demarcation process at the disputed areas next to the 11th century Preah Vihear temple due to the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The two neighbors have had border conflicts over areas near Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple since the UNESCO listed the temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.
On April 28, 2011, Cambodia submitted a request for interpretation of the judgment given by the ICJ on June 15, 1962 in the case concerning the ancient temple. It was accompanied by an urgent request for provisional measures in which Cambodia demands Thailand immediately and unconditionally withdraw troops from area surrounding the ruins.
On July 18, 2011, the ICJ ordered Cambodia and Thailand to immediately withdraw their military personnel from the Permanent Demilitarized Zone of about 17 kilometers on the disputed border near Preah Vihear temple and allow ASEAN observers access to the zone to monitor ceasefire.
However, so far neither Cambodia nor Thailand has withdrawn its troops from the area.
Read more!
Boxing champion Donna Pepper dies in holiday tragedy in Cambodia
A family photo of Donna Pepper in the ring.
DONNA Pepper was good at most things. At the rest, she was great.
Nothing proved that more than when female state boxing champion in 2006, she gave up her gold medal to fight an opponent from a heavier weight division, and then gave her a boxing lesson.
The title was the crowning moment of Donna's career, which was tragically cut short on Monday when she was killed in a motorcycle crash in Cambodia.
Donna, 30, died during a tour of the Forbidden Temple while on a five-month Asian holiday.
Her father, David Pepper, said Donna was an outstanding boxer who was as talented out of the ring as in it.
"They gave her the outstanding boxer of the tournament, it was a beautiful fight," he said, recalling the moment she beat the odds.
"She was a champion."
Mr Pepper said Donna had planned to do volunteer work with orphans and at an animal refuge during her trip before spending a month kick boxing.
Born in North Haven, Donna worked mainly in payroll and had just finished work at Clipsal.
"She's just a genius. She had a go at everything and was good at most things and great at some things," Mr Pepper said.
Donna's former boxing coach, Tiny Lennell, said she was a good student of the sport.
"She was a good boxer with a beautiful right hand," he said.
Former Boxing South Australia president Phillip Goodes said Donna was a strong and competitive boxer with a good nature.
Donna leaves behind parents David and Dianne and her brother, David Jnr.
Read more!
Cambodia Begins Road Project with China's Loan
Cambodia on Tuesday broke ground to broaden a 40.5 kilometer section of the national road No. 6, which is a major road for tourism and trade activities.
The work began from eastern Phnom Penh's Russei Keo district to Bateay district of Kampong Cham province. The road will be widened from the current 7 meters to 26 meters.
The ground-breaking ceremony was presided over by Prime Minister Hun Sen and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Pan Guangxue.
Hun Sen said the project was to keep up with the rapid development of the country's economy and tourism sector.
The road connects Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, to Siem Reap's Angkor, a world heritage site, and Banteay Meanchey province bordering Thailand. "It is quite essential for tourism and trade activities," he said.
The project is made possible with China's soft loan of 70.25 million U.S. dollars and the Shanghai Construction (Group) General Company will undertake the construction, which is expected to complete in 38 months.
"China is the largest donor to Cambodia's road and bridge construction," the premier said. "Every achievement today has come from the very good ties between Cambodian and Chinese leaders, especially between former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk and former Chinese leaders Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi and Zhou Enlai," he said.
"On behalf of the government of Cambodia and Cambodian people, I'd like to express sincere and heartfelt thanks to the Chinese government and people for the technical and financial supports for Cambodia's social and economic development," he said.
Meanwhile, Pan Guangxue said the government of China considered providing soft loans to Cambodia for broadening the remaining 270 kilometers national road 6 from Kampong Cham province to Siem Reap province.
"China sees this road as the artery of Cambodia's economy," he said.
He added that China would continue assisting Cambodia in its effort to develop the economy with the respect of Cambodia's independence and territorial integrity.
Read more!
Peace Corps volunteer in Cambodia orders hearts for his family in Loveland
Evan Miller views Reporter-Herald website weekly
By Jessica Benes Reporter-Herald Staff Writer
Evan Miller, 25, visits the Reporter-Herald website every week to remind himself of home. When he saw the notice about ordering painted hearts for Valentine's Day, he ordered two as a surprise for his family.
From Cambodia.
Miller is a Peace Corps volunteer serving as a community health extension agent in Cambodia. His job is to provide health education and awareness to hospitals, schools, marketplaces and pagodas.
The hearts say "Evan M loves his family" and "Peace Corps Cambodia."
He feels blessed that he has a great support system at home in his family and wanted to show his gratitude and love in a special way.
He didn't tell his family that he had ordered the hearts. Instead, he emailed several consecutive riddles a few days before the hearts were scheduled to be posted and his family had to figure outthe surprise.
Miller requested that the hearts be posted near Anthology Book Co. on Fourth Street, because of how much time he spent there.
He said his family includes his grandmother, Mary Louise Krieger; father, John; mother, Moofie; and sister, Ivy, who all live in Loveland. It also extends to his childhood friend Nick Stahlin and the community at Anthology Book Co.
"I think the hearts were real thoughtful, although a little unexpected," laughed his grandmother. "I'm going to have to take a drive down there."
His mother said, "We are very proud of a kid who could remember us from that far away. It pretty much knocked our socks off."
Miller said that sweethearts take on a completely different significance in Cambodia. Marriages are still sometimes arranged and the wives are bought with a bride price.
Dating before age 18 is awkward as public affection is discouraged. The wedding ceremonies are wild and brightly-colored with meals and bottomless rice wine.
"I miss autumn in Colorado when the air is cool and fresh, the aspen trees turn their deep golden color and the mountains receive the first light dusting of snow," Miller said in an email. "However, the Cambodian countryside has left a lasting impression on my heart. I won't soon forget the white cranes in florescent green rice fields before harvest season or the slow, picturesque sunsets."
He is scheduled to return October 2013.
Jessica Benes can be reached at 669-5050, ext. 530, or jbenes@reporter-herald.com.
Read more!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Judge’s order draws praise
Rights groups and civil society have applauded the order to resume investigations into controversial Case 003 by the international reserve co-investigating judge last week.
Court monitors, Open Society Justice Initiative on Thursday called the decision an “important development in recognizing the inherent unfairness in the premature decision to terminate investigations”.
“The proper handling of these two cases still under investigation will be a litmus test of the court’s ability to meet the basic standards of international law, in order to bring justice for victims of the Khmer Rouge,” OSJI executive director James Goldston said in a press release after the announcement.
In a decision released on Thursday, UN-nominated Swiss judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet had determined to reopen the investigations into Case 003 on the basis of requests for further investigation from international co-prosecutor Andrew Cayley in May last year.
Investigations into Case 003 were abruptly closed in April last year by Cambodian co-investigating judge You Bunleng and German judge Siegfried Blunk. After they closed investigations, international co-prosecutor Andrew Cayley said a serious amount of investigation into the government-opposed case still needed to be undertaken. Blunk later quit the court, citing perceptions of political interference as his motivation.
Kasper-Ansermet’s decision said the investigation into the controversial case so far had been “defective and prejudicial to all the parties.”
His Cambodian counterpart You Bunleng, who has refused to work with the UN-nominee, said in his own press statement on Friday Kasper-Ansermet’s actions were “not legally correct”.
“Is he a judge or a press officer?” You Bunleng quipped in his press statement. The Cambodian judge refuses to work with or acknowledge Kasper-Ansermet in an official capacity until the Swiss national is “appointed as a legally accredited judge”.
Ek Tha, of the Council of Ministers’ spokesbody, the Press and Quick Reaction Unit said the government had no comment on the resumption of investigations into the government-opposed Case 003, by the judge the government has refused to acknowledge.
Tribunal legal affairs spokesman Lars Olsen said he had nothing to add to the press statement of the international reserve co-investigating judge at this stage.
Ou Virak, executive director of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, said that the Order from Kasper-Ansermet was a “welcome bold move.”
“This is what is necessary and what is needed from the international side at the court,” Ou Virak told the Post yesterday. “I hope now the government will allow this judicial investigation process to proceed.”
Ou Virak called on the international side of the tribunal to step up to the plate in pushing back against political interference and a culture of impunity.
“This is saying more than just for Case 003 – it sends a very strong statement of principle of judicial independence and I would hope the judges in the domestic system would stand up and take notice,” he added.
Victims’ advocate and president of Civicus, Theary Seng similarly welcomed what she called change to “the stank of past UN lethargy of "seeing no evil, hear no evil”.
“The uncommon courage, integrity and persistence shown by reserve international co-investigating judge Kasper-Ansermet has buoyed the spirit of Cambodian victims and KRT watchers alike,” Theary Seng, who was orphaned by the brutal regime said yesterday.
“It is a very positive message of hope and integrity,” Theary Seng added. “But one that needs to be backed up with sustained, muscular action by the UN here as well as at Headquarters.”
Amnesty International’s Rupert Abbott told the Post government obstruction of cases 003 and 004 was shattering the reputation of the tribunal.
“The Cambodian government’s continuing obstruction of Cases 003 and 004 amounts to impunity for serious crimes committed during the period of Khmer Rouge rule in Cambodia,” Abbott said by email. “Further, this obstruction is undermining the reputation of the Tribunal and therefore risks tainting - in the eyes of the victims and the Cambodian public - judgments issued in Cases 001 and 002.”
One day before Kasper-Ansermet made his order on the resumption of investigations public, the UN jobs website posted a job advertisement for international investigators to join his team. Read more!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Not your daughter's backpacking trip
By avoiding tours and allowing for adventures, women craft an unforgettable Asian journey
By Liisa Atva, Special To The Sun
"Please feed our fish your dead skin" read the sign over a large fish tank in the night market of Siem Reap, Cambodia. The perfect solution for sore feet after a day exploring the nearby Angkor ruins - foot spas where fish nibble away your calluses, leaving your feet silky smooth. Sitting around the tank soaking their feet, happily chatting, beers in hand, were three twenty-something young women, all with sun-bleached hair in beaded or dreadlocked strands. Cheery Australian accents intermingled with a Swedish "yah, yah." Backpackers, we presumed. We were two ladies, old enough to leave backpacking to our kids, adventurous enough to pass on a group tour, but not carefree enough to try the foot spa.
Using travel guide books, and sample itineraries from the tours we didn't book, we planned a 17-day trip through Vietnam and Cambodia. My travel companion's daughter, Julianne Austman, joined us in Hanoi for a few days at the end of her three-month back-packing trip through Australia and Southeast Asia.
We booked a hotel for the first two nights before we left Canada; the rest we sorted out along the way. As we left one hotel, we booked the next, using Expedia online, paying $120 to $130 per night until we learned that four-star hotels could be had for less than $50 dollars. Julianne began her search for a hotel upon arrival at her destination, paying no more than $12 dollars per night for hotels that had no amenities, but were clean and fairly new. Having a look at the room before taking it, Julianne ruled out those that she said had, among other things, "sheets that looked like they were from your grandmother's basement."
Hanoi offered a sidewalk smorgasbord: cinnamon-flavoured Vietnamese coffee at lakeside cafés, fresh French baguettes, and steaming pots of soups and noodles. Many street vendors provide sidewalk seating on child-sized plastic chairs and tables. As Vietnamese are typically small in stature, the tiny furniture suffices. We squeezed ourselves onto the tiny chairs after Julianne passed on back-packer lore; "the shorter the stool, the cheaper the beer."
From Hanoi we took a day tour to the Perfume Pagoda, a destination a guide book referred to as an important pilgrimage site visited by hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese annually. After several hours on a bumpy road in a rickety minivan, we reached a river and boarded a sampan. Engrossed with the dead rats floating beside us, we failed to notice until we were in the middle of the river, that there were no life jackets, and that the water was inches from swamping the sampan. Thankfully, the boat ride was short. After a hike, and a gondola ride, we reached the limestone cave wherein lay a small, unimpressive shrine, reminding us that a pilgrimage is about the journey not the destination. The tour included lunch at one of the riverside restaurants that advertise their menu by hanging dead animals out front, including at one, a freshly caught deer still dripping blood.
In Halong Bay, three hours east of Hanoi, we set sail on an overnight cruise. With hundreds of boats plying the same waters, Halong Bay is not a pristine wilderness, but the bay, dot-ted with islands of limestone hills and caves with stalagmites and stalactites, is beautiful. The twelve-cabin "Calypso Cruiser" built in 2009 resembled an old-fashioned Chinese junk, and was one of the nicest boats on the bay. A few months earlier, one of the boats sank, drowning all twelve tourists aboard. Since our boat was a newer one, we didn't let that deter us and the cruise was a trip highlight.
With a population of 90 million in an area one-third the size of British Columbia, Vietnam is crowded, and the streets choked with traffic. With ten rows of motorbikes approaching from both directions and few traffic lights, trying to cross a street can seem futile. The Vietnamese simply saunter slowly across, letting the traffic swerve around them. In Hue, my travel companion plucked up her courage and crossed the street Vietnamese style. When I was unable to do the same, a local man, chuckling at my predicament, marched over, took my arm, and led me across.
The main attraction in Hue is the Imperial City, built in 1805 and modelled after the Forbidden Palace in Beijing.
We took the local train from Hue to Da Nang; it was old, but adequate, and the fare only three dollars. According to a guide book, it was a four hour trip. After two hours, the train made its first unannounced stop. As there were no signs in English, or other English-speaking passengers to ask, we assumed that it wasn't our stop and stayed on board. As the train pulled out of the station, the conductor appeared, glanced at our tickets, threw her arms up and exclaimed, "Ah your stop!" Realizing that the next station was hours in the opposite direction, half-jokingly I asked if she could stop the train. She rushed away but soon returned saying, "Hurry, train stop, not long." The train groaned to a stop, the other passengers helped throw our luggage out, and we jumped into a pile of rubble at the side of the tracks. After we'd cheerily waved goodbye to the laughing passengers, we realized we were miles from the nearest town. We were spared a long hike by a helpful local.
Having admired a dress that Julianne had made in Hoi Ann, a shopping paradise famous for its tailors and seamstresses, we went on our own shopping spree and had 16 items custom-made in two days. Our best buys included cotton sun dresses for $15 dollars, embroidered silk dress for $30 dollars, and a cashmere wool winter jacket lined with silk for $45 dollars. The quality and service ranged from excellent at Mekong Tailor, to poor from seamstresses in the cloth market.
Although custom-made clothing can be made overnight, with an over-whelming choice of fabric, designs and tailors, three full days in Hoi Ann would have given us time for last minute alterations.
In Siem Reap, the town closest to the famed Angkor ruins in Cambodia, we stayed at the Borei Angkor Resort and Spa. The service was, by far, the best I have experienced anywhere in the world. Upon entering the lobby resplendent with mahogany wood, we were greeted by a hostess offering glasses of pandan ice tea. After inviting us to sit, she checked us in as we were serenaded by a lady playing a Khmer xylophone. Our hotel room was a luxurious retreat swathed in raw silk, with a spa-like bathroom complete with a rain shower. All this luxury cost $60 dollars per night, including airport shuttle, and an extravagant breakfast buffet.
At the Angkor ruins we marvelled at their architectural complexity, elaborate carvings, and vastness. Some sources say that at its peak in the 12th century, Angkor, the former capital of the Khmer empire, was the largest city in the world, with an area of 1,000 square kilometres, and one million people. Two of the more well-known sites, Angkor Wat, and Phom Bakehng, are part of the tour group circuit, and can be crowded, especially at sunset; the perhaps even more impressive Ta Prohm site was almost empty.
During late April and early May, the weather in Cambodia was hot and steamy, with temperatures in the high 30s. We stayed cool by hiring a driver with a tuk-tuk, a carriage pulled by a motorbike ? less expensive and more fun than an air-conditioned car. Julianne opted for a cheaper "moto," a ride on back of a motorbike ? possible with a backpack, but we didn't try it with suitcases.
However, in Chau Doc, we did bring our luggage on a "cyclo," a pedal bike with a buggy in front.
A locally arranged two-day tour took us from Phnom Penh back to Vietnam through the Mekong Delta on many different modes of transportation. On the first leg, it was only the two of us in a private min-van ? possibly that of the travel agent's uncle. As the road narrowed and sightings of other tourists became scarce, we wondered what we had got ourselves into. The road became a dirt lane so narrow that an arch strung across it for a wedding had to be dismantled to let us pass. Eventually we reached the Vietnamese border crossing of Ving Xuong, where a sampan and boatman awaited us. The slow, peaceful trip down a tributary of the Mekong River evoked 1930s Vietnam.
Although the two-day tour was a budget one popular with backpackers, we modified it by paying extra to upgrade the hotels. As well, if we weren't thrilled with the looks of the restaurants that the tour guide led us to, we searched out our own.
Did we feel safe? Other than rickety boats and death-defying traffic, we had only one unsettling incident. In Ho Chi Minh City after paying a taxi fare in full, the driver swapped the fifty dong bill we'd given him for a ten from his own pocket, and then insisted that we hadn't paid him enough. When we hopped out of the taxi, he chased us menacingly, but backed off when a policeman approached. On a few occasions in Northern Vietnam we received hostile looks from older people but otherwise, young and old alike smiled, waved, or flashed the peace symbol.
Despite the mishaps, we never once wished that we'd opted for a group tour. Not only did we save money, but we had an exciting adventure with experiences we might otherwise have missed. The 17-day trip, including hotels, meals, entrance to tourist attractions and travel within Vietnam and Cambodia (but excluding airfare to and from) cost $1,500 dollars each. The $800 to $1,200 dollars saved by not taking a group tour was more than enough to finance the shopping sprees.
IF YOU GO:
WHERE TO EAT:
Hanoi: The Movenpick Hotel Hanoi serves an outstanding seafood buffet on Friday nights for $40 dollars per per-son, pricey by Vietnamese standards, but included all the French wine we could drink.
Hoi Ann: We had an excellent meal at "Streets", one of several restaurants in Vietnam that help street children learn the restaurant business.
WHERE TO STAY:
Hanoi: Movenpick Hotel Hanoi: an attractive 4-star, centrally located, $130 dollars per night
Hue: Thanh Noi Hotel: a decent 3-star, swimming pool, breakfast buffet, located across the street from the Imperial Palace, $36 dollars per night
Hoi Ann: Hoi Ann Glory: 4-star, convenient location, friendly service, break-fast buffet, $46 dollars per night
Siem Reap: Borei, Angkor Resort and Spa: 4 ½-star, excellent service, break-fast buffet, swimming pool, airport shuttle, $60 dollars per night
Ho Chi Minh City: Riverside Renaissance Hotel: rooftop pool with stunning city views, breakfast buffet, $120 dollars per night
BOOKS TO READ ON YOUR TRIP:
The Killing Fields by Christopher Hudson
First They Killed My Father by Luong Ong
The Girl in the Picture: The story of Kim Phuc, the photograph, and the Vietnam War by Denise Chong
Dogs at the Perimeter by Madeleine Thien
The Lover by Marguerite Duras
Read more!
VN big investor in Cambodia
Investment? it is sound very good Vietcong friend, we had never heard in history. But instead, we heard Yuons' encrouchment in Cambodia. How many millions of Yuons in Cambodia now?
HA NOI — Viet Nam led other ASEAN nations in investments in Cambodia last year, contributing US$631 million out of the total $880 million invested by nations in the bloc, the Council for Development of Cambodia (CDC) reported on Thursday.
Malaysia came second with $235 million and Singapore third with $14 million, according to the CDC.
Viet Nam had 17 projects in the neighbouring country last year, focusing on rubber plantations and mining, while Malaysia mainly invested in real estate investment, garment-making and rice milling.
According to the Viet Nam-Laos-Cambodia Economic Co-operation Development Association, Viet Nam has so far invested in more than 90 projects in Cambodia with a combined worth of over $2 billion. However, the association's vice chairman, Bui Tuong Lan, said the figure still fell below the potential for investments in Cambodia.
Cambodian encouraged overseas investment in agriculture, including cash crops like rubber and tea, as well as in banking, urban development, energy, and mining, all sectors in which Viet Nam had ample experience, said Lan, expressing hopes that Viet Nam's investment in the country could reach $6 billion by 2015.
Viet Nam also has an opportunity to boost trade with the neighbouring kingdom. According to the Vietnamese Trade Office in Cambodia, bilateral trade totalled about $2.8 billion last year, up 54.7 per cent over the previous year. Of the total, Viet Nam exported about $2.4 billion, a year-on-year increase of 55.6 per cent.
Viet Nam's exports included garments and textiles, cables, home appliances, food products and electrical parts, while its main imports were rubber, wood and wood products, and raw materials for the garment and tobacco industries.
Chan Nora, secretary for foreign affairs of the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce, said Vietnamese goods were popular in Cambodian market due to their good quality and reasonable prices. — VNS
Read more!
Public Row Erupts Between Tribunal Judges
“This situation raises serious concerns about the lack of impartiality of Mr. Prak Kimsan,” he wrote. “On these grounds, an application for his disqualification was submitted to the Pre-Trial Chamber calling upon Mr Prak Kimsan to step down voluntarily from any proceedings related to [cases 003 and 004].”
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| Judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet was appointed as Reserve Co-Investigating Judge on 1 December 2010 |
More controversy has emerged at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, with an international Swiss judge calling for a Cambodian judge to step away from decisions regarding two controversial cases at the court.
Late Thursday, Swiss reserve judge, Laurent Kasper-Ansermet, who the Cambodian government has refused to officially approve, said in a statement that the head of the Pre Trial Chamber, judge Prak Kimsan, had failed in some of his main procedural duties regarding cases 003 and 004.
On Friday, Kasper-Ansermet’s counterpart, You Bunleng, issued his own statement, saying the Swiss judge’s statement was meant to “confuse public opinion.”
The two statements are an escalation of a series of public splits between Cambodian and international judges at the UN-backed court, which is currently trying three Khmer Rouge leaders.
The latest row comes after Kasper-Ansermet took on duties as the investigating judge in December and filed with the Pre-Trial Chamber to continue investigating two controversial cases before the court.
Cases 003 and 004 would require five more indictments of Khmer Rouge suspects and are strongly opposed by Prime Minister Hun Sen and other senior government officials.
Pre-trial judge Prak Kimsan rejected the filing on the grounds that Kasper-Ansermet’s appointment has not been approved by the Cambodian government’s judicial oversight body, the Supreme Council of Magistracy.
And that is where the major disagreement lies. The UN and Kasper-Ansermet say he does not need approval from the council to conduct duties as international investigating judge. Cambodian officials disagree.
Kasper-Ansermet said in his official statement Thursday that under UN agreements he was “under the legal obligation to investigate” both cases, which were handed up from the international prosecutor in 2008.
Kasper-Ansermet also said he “enjoys full legal authority to undertake his functions regardless of the Supreme Council of Magistracy’s rejection of his appointment as standing co-investigating judge.”
Kasper-Ansermet said Prak Kimsan failed to move his requests forward.
“This situation raises serious concerns about the lack of impartiality of Mr. Prak Kimsan,” he wrote. “On these grounds, an application for his disqualification was submitted to the Pre-Trial Chamber calling upon Mr Prak Kimsan to step down voluntarily from any proceedings related to [cases 003 and 004].”
Prak Kimsan has not responded to the charges.
However, in a statement Friday, Cambodian investigating judge You Bunleng said Kasper-Ansermet’s references to UN-Cambodian agreements were “an exaggeration.”
Reserve judges must be “legally accredited,” he wrote, without specifying whether this meant by Cambodian or international norms.
“Mr. Laurent Kasper Ansermet’s actions reflect his lack of knowledge of and respect for the Internal Rules and the legal principles governing procedures applied so far at the ECCC, and hence leads the National Co-Investigating Judge to doubt the real motives for his obstinacy and disrespect of the Law and the Internal Rules of the ECCC,” You Bunleng wrote.
The ongoing disagreements within the court have fueled widespread concerns the tribunal will only complete two cases, at a cost of nearly $200 million.
Tribunal spokesman Neth Pheaktra attributed the disagreement to an “interpretation of the law.”
However, Clair Duffy, a tribunal monitor for the Open Society Justice Initiative, called for an end “to this political fighting,” and urged the government and You Bunleng should allow Kasper-Ansermet “to do his job.” Read more!
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Judge to Probe Khmer Rouge Case Despite Cambodian Resistance
An international judge attached to Cambodia's Khmer Rouge war crimes tribunal says he has begun investigating a new case of suspected atrocities, without the support of his Cambodian co-investigating judge.
Swiss Judge Laurent Kasper-Ansermet, in a statement Thursday from Phnom Penh, said he does not need the approval of Cambodian colleague You Bunleng to move forward with the new probe. Details of the new case have not been released.
Kasper-Ansermet has the backing of the United Nations in the escalating dispute with the Cambodian government, which has sought to block the jurist from assuming his post and to limit the scope of tribunal investigations.
Kasper-Ansermet was named by the world body to fill the vacancy created when German judge Siegfried Blunk quit the tribunal last year to protest alleged Cambodian interference in judicial matters.
The tribunal has so far convicted former Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch. It is currently trying the three most senior surviving members of the regime, who face genocide and other charges in the deaths of up to 2 million people during the regime's 1975-1979 reign.
The Cambodian government includes many former Khmer Rouge members, including Prime Minister Hun Sen. It has voiced strong opposition to pursuing more cases, saying any further prosecutions could divide Cambodian society and spark a civil war. The government also argues that the tribunal's mandate is limited to cases against top Khmer Rouge leaders and those most responsible for atrocities.
For their part, both prosecutors and defense lawyers have for months complained of government interference in judicial matters and accused Cambodian members of the tribunal of failing to pursue other cases against key war crimes suspects.
In October, defense lawyers for defendant Nuon Chea, the number two Khmer Rouge leader, accused the prime minister and several other officials of interfering with their client's right to a fair trial. The lawyers said the interference included unlawfully blocking witnesses from testifying as well as government pressure aimed at preventing new investigations.
The government has denied the accusations.
Read more!
Viewpoint: Cambodia's garment sector faces continued challenges
With much of the success of Cambodia's garment industry based on its well-publicised commitment to basic labour standards, it's perhaps not surprising that the sector finds itself under a spotlight when it comes to wider worker welfare issues.
Indeed, several events that have taken place in recent weeks highlight some of the challenges faced by the local industry.
The most recent has been a two-day "people's tribunal", which took place this week in Phnom Penh to investigate pay and conditions at factories making clothes for brands including Adidas, Puma, H&M and Gap.
Spurred by a spate of mass faintings in at least 11 garment factories over the past year - which have been linked to low salaries and the knock-on impact on workers' nutrition, as well as poor ventilation and excessive working hours - the hearing called on international brands and retailers to take "immediate steps" to commit to a living wage for factory workers.
The minimum wage for Cambodia's garment workers rose by $5 to $66 a month in January, but remains among the lowest in Asia. Massive inflation has also meant Cambodian garment workers have seen a real wage loss of over 14% during the last 12 years.
Harrowing testimonies included one from a 27-year-old worker, a mother of a two-year-old son, working at a factory producing for Adidas. "As my income is not able to cover all my family's basic needs, I took a loan from the landlord," she explained.
"I owe him $50 in addition to $10 interest every month. Usually I can only pay the $10 interest and not start paying back the loan. If I get sick I don't have any money for treatment. I don't know what I will do if it happens. I also worry that I don't have money to support my son in going to school."
Delicate balancing act
Comments like this reflect the delicate balancing act facing international brands and retailers for whom Cambodia appeals as an ethically sound production base thanks to a monitoring programme overseen by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) - combined with the added advantage of low costs.
The industry is growing fast, with data from the Ministry of Commerce showing garment exports from Cambodia rose to US$3.47bn during the first ten months of 2011, an increase of 34% compared with the same period the year before.
And a new report from the ILO's Better Factories Cambodia initiative shows employment in exporting garment factories has reached its highest level since 2008.
There are now 345,364 workers in the 300 active factories registered with the project - a rise of 9% in the number of factories, and a 7% increase in the size of the workforce, in the six months to 31 October 2011. Fewer than 91% of the workers are women.
But while the "27th Synthesis Report on Working Conditions in Cambodia's Garment Sector" notes the industry "has demonstrated consistent compliance on indicators such as payment of the proper minimum wage and overtime wages and provision of annual leave," there is no room for complacency.
In particular it points out that "improvements can be made in other areas that contribute to the health and welfare of workers" - including triggers that may have contributed to the mass faintings, which have so far seen more than 1500 workers collapse during working hours.
Possible causes, the report notes, include poor nutrition and hygiene, the lack of a morning meal, heat stress, poor ventilation, excessive working hours, poor industrial relations and "mass psychogenic behaviour" in which one worker falls unconscious and others who witness this collapse as well.
And alarmingly, the latest research demonstrates that compliance levels are lower than 50% on several areas that are relevant to the fainting incidents, such as exceptional overtime (5%), overtime limited to two hours per day (16%), soap and water available near the toilets (48%), and acceptable heat levels (38%).
In other findings, BFC monitors found 66% of factories have at least one union, down 10% from the previous report. While no evidence of forced labour was found, seven workers were confirmed to be below the legal working age of 15. And just 5% of the factories monitored complied with legal requirements on "exceptional overtime," while 16% complied with the two-hour overtime limit.
The percentage of factories paying the $7 attendance bonus when workers take annual leave also dropped to 62%.
As well as offering a degree of industry-wide transparency not seen elsewhere, the number of incidents continue to raise questions about working conditions at Cambodian garment factories.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion on the report last week, Jill Tucker, chief technical advisor of ILO Better Factories Cambodia, said that while BFC has no enforcement power, it is still working to drive change.
"BFC needs strong and continued cooperation from all constituents in implementing its programme, especially when BFC expands its working scope in sub-contracting factories and into the footwear industry in 2012.
"In addition, BFC has worked with buyers and international brands to ensure enforcement when factories fail to comply with the law. Shifting orders is one of the means; however, this is not necessarily the preferred solution."
Read more!
Global gambling revenue up 5.6%, led by Asia growth
Global gambling revenue climbed to a record $419 billion last year, led by growth in Asia, according to Global Betting & Gaming Consultants.
Revenue rose 5.6% from $397 billion in 2010 and is forecast to reach $448 billion this year, according to Lorian Pilling, a director at Isle of Man, U.K.-based GBGC. The strongest growth was in Macau, Singapore and Cambodia, as emerging markets proved more resilient to the global economic crisis than developed countries, he said.
"It's closely linked to the wider economic situation," Pilling said by phone today. "In 2009, at the height of the crisis, gambling was hit like any other sector."
GBGC expects commercial casinos to overtake lotteries as the main source of gambling revenue this year, bolstered by openings in the Philippines in the first half of 2012. Lotteries brought in more than 28% of revenue in 2011, followed by casinos in jurisdictions such as Macau, Singapore and Cambodia, excluding U.S. tribal gaming, at just under 28%.
"Lotteries tend to do quite well in recessions, but we need a resolution in the crisis in Europe because uncertainty is hitting the market," Pilling said.
Doubts about how to resolve the European debt crisis have undermined a recovery. Greece faces a 14.5 billion-euro ($19.3 billion) bond payment on March 20 and is struggling to secure financing to avert a collapse of the economy that could spark a new round of contagion in the euro area.
Developments in China will determine how much gaming grows in Macau, Pilling said. "If China's economy does have a crash landing, it is difficult to see Macau's gaming growth rates being maintained," he said.
Gross domestic product in China expanded at an annual pace of 8.9% in the last three months of 2011 -- the least in 10 quarters and down from 9.1% in the third quarter. Growth may slow to 7.5% this quarter, Nomura Holdings Inc. estimates.
Revenue from gaming machines outside casinos in North America fell about 14% last year, while sales from lotteries rose 2%, Pilling said. Gambling revenue increased about 5.5% in Europe after shrinking almost 6% in 2010, he said.
"A strong recovery in the U.S. would help gaming revenues that have been hit hard in recent years," Pilling said. "North America will continue to recover. We're fairly cautious on Europe; growth is seen at 3.5% across all gambling categories because of the uncertainty in the euro zone."
Global gambling revenue will reach $500 billion by 2014 as several casinos in Asia are due to open in the coming years and Singapore's integrated resorts are still only in their second full year of operations, Pilling said.
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Nuon Chea Denies Role in Security Apparatus, Killings
“I was the president of the National Assembly,” he said. “How could I work for the military?”
Jailed Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea was given the right to order killings under the regime’s policies, a tribunal prosecutor told the court Thursday.
Dale Lysak, international deputy prosecutor for the UN-backed court, said documentation of the regime showed that the security committee, which included Nuon Chea and Pol Pot, decided on “all the killings.”
Nuon Chea, as he has done continuously during his atrocity crimes trial, denied the charges.
None of the three leaders currently on trial—Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan or Ieng Sary—have taken responsibility for the 1.7 million or more deaths that took place under their leadership, despite a large body of evidence, research and scholarship.
“I was the president of the National Assembly,” he said. “How could I work for the military?”
Nuon Chea has so far been the only one of the three men willing to openly face the court, but he has spent much of his testimony issuing similar denials.
Citing international media reports, Lysak showed that Nuon Chea acted as leader of the Khmer Rouge at a time when Pol Pot was receiving medical treatment in China.
Nuon Chea said he wanted to see original documentation and hear recordings of his own voice before giving the accusations credence. Read more!
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Asia’s Newest Stock Market Is Risk to Investors, Sam Rainsy Says
By David Whitehouse
Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Investors in Cambodia, tied with Yemen as the world’s 164th-cleanest country for doing business, face risks in a planned stock market because of ineffective financial and legal systems, the country’s exiled opposition leader said.
“Among the little dragons of Southeast Asia, Cambodia is the least encouraging,” Sam Rainsy, 62, a former fund manager with Banque Paribas and ex-Cambodian finance minister, said in an interview in Paris. “The country needs a much longer period of preparation in terms of company accounts and corporate governance. Investors risk paying for nothing.”
Cambodia’s stock exchange may open as early as April, listing a state-run port, telecommunications operator, and manager of the capital’s water system, according to partner Korea Exchange Inc. Developing a capital market may lessen reliance on aid, equivalent to a tenth of the nation’s $11 billion economy, and the government says it has delayed starting the bourse until conditions are right.
“Frontier markets need not be perfect democracies to be lucrative investments,” said Douglas Clayton, chief executive officer of Leopard Capital, whose $34 million Leopard Cambodia Fund invests in closely held companies. “China and Vietnam are one-party states but at certain times those countries have been very good places to invest.”
Lack of support from the financial-services industry for agriculture is a constraint on Cambodia’s economic expansion, according to the Asian Development Bank. The country’s economy may grow 6.5 percent this year, according to the ADB. That’s less than an average of 8 percent from 2001 to 2010, and compares with an ADB prediction of 8.8 percent expansion for China and 6.3 percent for Vietnam.
Facing Arrest
Sam Rainsy, whose party controls 26 out of 123 national assembly seats, faces arrest if he returns to contest elections in 2013 following a 10-year conviction in absentia for removing border posts along the frontier with Vietnam, charges he says were politically motivated. Cambodia needs to tackle corruption and bolster democratic institutions to propel growth, he said.
Cambodia is ranked by Transparency International as 164th in the world by perception of corruption, behind only North Korea, Myanmar and Afghanistan in the Asia-Pacific zone, with more than 5 percent of its health budget swallowed up by graft before it leaves government coffers.
“The country is a banana republic where corruption is an ingrained part of government,” Sam Rainsy said, flanked by Buddhist miniature statues in his family’s apartment near Montparnasse in Paris. “Investors taking part in the new Cambodian stock market will be taking large, unconsidered risks because the conditions do not yet exist to create a securities market worthy of the name.”
Not Involved
The government is not involved with the charges against Sam Rainsy, and other members of his party are operating as normal, spokesman Phay Siphan said by phone from Phnom Penh, the capital. Sam Rainsy must respect the rule of law and fight his case in court, he said.
“It’s the first time Cambodia is involved with a stock market, which is why we delay and delay and delay,” Phay Siphan said. “We are not perfect, but the government and private sector are trying our best to facilitate and make everything clean, transparent and fair for everyone.”
Elections in 2008 fell short of international standards, according to European Union observers. Though fairer than earlier polls, they were marred by the use of state resources and the distribution of money by the Cambodian People’s Party, according to the EU. Prime Minister Hun Sen, 59, a former Khmer Rouge member, has held power since 1985.
Raise Taxes
Sam Rainsy, who leads a political party named after him, said he’d raise taxes and increase salaries for public servants in a bid to reduce corruption if he came to power.
His political career echoes that of his father, Sam Sary, who was a member of the Cambodian delegation that negotiated independence from France in 1954. The family was exiled to France in 1965 after Sam Sary founded a political party in defiance of the French-appointed head of state, Norodom Sihanouk.
Sam Rainsy returned as finance minister in 1993 following the nation’s first democratic elections. He lost the position in 1994 and set up his own party the following year.
“I would have done it in any case,” he said, when asked if the Sam Rainsy Party represented a continuation of his father’s political efforts.
First Listings
State-run Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority, Telecom Cambodia and Sihanoukville Autonomous Port will be the first three companies to list on the stock exchange, Shin Gil Soo, senior vice president of Korea Exchange’s emerging markets business team, said in an interview in Seoul. Several private sector companies are considering selling shares, he said, declining to name the companies.
In 2011, Korea Exchange also started a stock market in neighboring Laos. The two-stock Composite Index soared 86 percent in the first three weeks of operation a year ago. It now trades 51 percent below its Feb 2, 2011, peak.
“It’s a question of whether the stock-exchange operators can isolate themselves from an environment that is perceived to be pretty corrupt,” said Lao Mong Hay, a political analyst and retired researcher at the Asian Human Rights Commission. “Once started, I think it will run smoothly. The government cannot afford to have such a bad perception of a newly created stock exchange.”
--With assistance from Daniel Ten Kate in Bangkok, Caroline Connan in London and Saeromi Shin in Seoul. Editors: Stephen Foxwell, Jerrold Colten
To contact the reporters on this story: David Whitehouse in Paris at dwhitehouse1@bloomberg.net; Daniel Ten Kate in Bangkok at dtenkate@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Stephen Foxwell at sfoxwell@bloomberg.net; Jerrold Colten at jcolten@bloomberg.net
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Cambodia: Huge increase in cassava exports in 2011
The Ministry of Commerce in Cambodia have released figures which show an incredible growth rate of 111% in 2011 for cassava exports.
Cambodia exported 277,291 tonnes of fresh and dry cassava worth US$12.44 million in 2011, up from 131,312 tonnes worth about $4 million the year before.
Next year's exports could face challenges however, as buyers are expected to delay purchases. Some farmers have also reported a ban on Cambodian cassava in Thailand.
Cassavas exports grew because farmers increased production on increased international demand and rising prices, Ministry of Commerce secretary of state Chan Nora said.
“Farmers saw the increase in cassava price and that made them grow more.”
But the price has since fallen after farmers in Cambodia’s western provinces flooded the market with the crop, Chan Nora said.
Delayed orders in Thailand have caused difficulty for many Cambodian farmers who abandoned other crops, such as corn, to harvest cassava, he said.
Sam Yin, president of Malai Trading Company in Banteay Meanchey province, said Thai border authorities banned cassava exports from Cambodia on January 24. Farmers have been left with excessive unharvested cassava, he said.
“Now farmers are very worried because the cassava market is not stable and 50 per cent of the cassava in Banteay Meanchey has yet to be collected,” Sam Yin said, noting the surge in cassava farming in 2011.
Prices have dropped substantially since farmers turned to cassava as a cash crop, he said. But exports to Thailand could resume as soon as next month when the Thai supply of cassava runs out.
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Tuesday, February 07, 2012
PTTEP eyeing Burma, Cambodia
PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) sees opportunities for growth in Burma and Cambodia, said Anon Sirisaengtaksin, the firm's president and chief executive officer.
He said this yesterday at the International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC), hosted this year by Thailand. The seminar, which began yesterday, is a forum for businesses to exchange knowledge on the development of petroleum exploration and production technology. Given the decline in petroleum sources worldwide, new technology is needed to explore potential new sources.
Burma has high potential for petroleum production, Anon said. PTTEP has long invested in petroleum exploration and production in the country, and will soon be granted concessions to explore two more fields there.
PTTEP is investing US$2 billion (Bt62 billion) from 2011 to 2013 to build an oil rig and to produce petroleum in Burma's M9 field, and to install a 300-kilometre-long natural-gas pipeline to link the site with its existing pipelines in Kanchana-buri. Starting next year, this will enable it to deliver 240 million cubic feet per day of natural gas to Thailand and another 60 million cubic feet per day to Burma.
The company is also waiting for the government to complete negotiations with Cambodia on the countries' overlapping maritime claims. Anon said PTTEP would spend Bt600 billion to expand petroleum exploration and production business in Asean, Australia, Africa and North America.
Pailin Chuchottaworn, president and chief executive officer of PTT, said of PTT Group's overseas investments between 2012 and 2016, 50 per cent would be conducted by PTTEP, with priority given to upstream businesses.
PTT Group has investments in all Asean countries and East Timor.
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An is attending the IPTC seminar and will visit PTT's gas-separation plant in Map Ta Phut, Rayong.
Pailin added that if the two countries could solve their overlapping maritime claims, it would bring tremendous benefits to both countries, and give Thailand access to a new petroleum source.
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