Destructive flooding puts Southeast Asia at risk

HANOI: Torrential rains and overflowing rivers have brought some of the worst flooding in decades to Vietnam and its neighbors, flooding cities and farmlands in five nations.

At least 130 people were killed, dozens were missing and thousands were driven from their homes in northern Vietnam and hundreds of tourists were evacuated near the hill tribe resort area of Sapa.

Flooding has also hit parts of Thailand, Cambodia and Laos as well as Myanmar, where waters rose in the Irrawaddy Delta, which is still recovering from a cyclone that left 38,000 people dead or missing in May.

According to the official press in Myanmar, the floods affected much of the country, including the main city, Yangon, as well as Mandalay in the center and the Karen and Mon states in the southeast.

In Vientiane, the capital of Laos, officials said the Mekong River had brought the worst flooding in memory, rising to nearly 14 meters, or 45 feet, above its lowest level in the dry season. The high water in Vientiane broke a record set in 1966 and overflowed a levee that was built after that flood.

Mudslides also cut the main road from Vientiane to the ancient capital of Luang Prabang, a city of temples and monasteries where the Mekong waters also rose.

In parts of northeastern Thailand, officials said the Mekong had reached its highest level in 30 years, inundating farmlands and forcing the evacuation of thousands of people in three provinces along the river, which divides Thailand from Laos.

Officials said the high water was caused by heavy downpours in southern China, Laos and Thailand.

As the high waters of the Mekong moved downstream, Cambodia and eastern Thailand prepared for major floods and officials warned residents in some areas to move to higher ground along with their livestock.

In Vietnam's southern Mekong delta, where the 4,345-kilometer, or 2,700-mile, river flows into the sea, forecasters said that rising waters had reached a critical level two weeks earlier than last year and that worse flooding lay ahead.

In northern Vietnam, the government said floodwaters peaked at close to their record levels of 1968. Military helicopters brought instant noodles and other supplies to stranded residents and airlifted hundreds of Vietamese and foreign tourists from Lao Cai, on the border with China.

Several hundred train passengers en route to the popular tourist area, including about 50 foreign tourists, took refuge in hotels before being airlifted out, according to the Vietnamese press.

In the neighboring province of Yen Bai, according to official reports, at least 35 people were killed, many of them buried under landslides that hit at night as they slept.

The government's Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control said in May that over the past three years, floods and storms had become stronger and more destructive. Last year's floods were followed by a rare prolonged cold spell at the end of 2007. That was followed in turn by unexpected scorching weather and early storms in the first months of 2008, the committee said.

The most destructive flooding in recent years came in late 1999 in the country's central provinces, leaving 750 people dead or missing. Read more!

Cambodia, Thailand to meet for new border talks

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodia and Thailand geared up Sunday for renewed border settlement talks after both sides ended a monthlong armed confrontation by withdrawing most of their troops from disputed territory around an ancient temple.

Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin on Monday in a bid to find a lasting solution to a lingering border dispute that brought the two neighbors close to an armed clash.

The new meeting follows two inconclusive rounds of talks.

On July 28, the two nations' foreign ministers agreed on a plan to withdraw their troops from disputed area near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple to reduce tension.

Both countries completed moving most of their troops from a nearby temple on Saturday, said Hang Soth, director-general of the Preah Vihear National Authority, a government agency managing the historic site.

He said the two sides are currently keeping only 10 soldiers from each side in the compound of the pagoda, which is located in a border area claimed by both countries.

"The tension has eased considerably. There is no more confrontation," Hang Soth said Sunday, calling the troop withdrawals a "good process giving us hope" about the new talks.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith confirmed Sunday that there were only 20 soldiers — 10 Cambodian and 10 Thai — in the grounds of the pagoda.

The standoff began on July 15 after UNESCO, the U.N.'s cultural agency, approved Cambodia's application to have the Preah Vihear temple named a World Heritage Site. Both countries have long held claim to the temple, but the World Court awarded it to Cambodia in 1962.

About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand confronted each other in the area for a month.

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej had backed Cambodia's World Heritage site bid, sparking demonstrations by Thai anti-government protesters who claimed it would undermine Thailand's claim to the surrounding area.

The protests left Samak politically vulnerable, and he sent troops to occupy the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Buddhist pagoda compound adjacent to Preah Vihear to appease his critics. Cambodia responded with its own troop deployment. Read more!

Thai, Cambodian troops leaving disputed territory

By Sopheng Cheang

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - A monthlong standoff between Thailand and Cambodia appeared to be ending as both sides pulled back their troops Saturday from disputed territory around a temple near their shared border, a Cambodian official said.

The redeployment from the Preah Vihear temple area began Friday evening and was continuing on Saturday, said Hang Soth, director-general of the Preah Vihear National Authority. The authority is the government agency that manages the historical site.

The standoff near the 11th-century shrine began on July 15 after UNESCO, the U.N.'s cultural agency, approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site. Both countries have long held claim to the temple, but the World Court awarded it to Cambodia in 1962.

About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand had been in the area.

The Cambodian military refused to answer questions about the pullout and it was not certain when it would be completed.

On Thursday, Cambodian Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Neang Phat said the two countries had agreed to a gradual redeployment of troops from the area ahead of talks Monday between their foreign ministers on territorial disputes.

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej had backed Cambodia's World Heritage site bid, sparking demonstrations by anti-government protesters who claimed the temple's new status would undermine Thailand's claim to the surrounding area.

The protests left Samak politically vulnerable, and he had to take action to appease his nationalist critics. On July 15, Thailand sent troops to occupy the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda _ claimed by Cambodia and near Preah Vihear.

Cambodia responded with its own troop deployment. The two sides came close to a shootout on July 17 when Cambodian monks sought to celebrate Buddhist lent in the pagoda.

Troops on both sides raised their weapons, but no shots were fired, and the Cambodians eventually backed down.

The border dispute has not been resolved despite two rounds of talks since last month, with the countries referring to two different maps.

Cambodia uses a French colonial map demarcating the border, which Thailand says favors Cambodia. Thailand relies on a map drawn up later with American technical assistance.
Read more!

Pagoda housing throws lifeline to poor students

Written by May Titthara

Phnom Penh pagodas offer free accomodation to poor but talented students from the provinces who otherwise couldn’t afford to complete their degrees

M TEMPORARY residence in one of Phnom Penh's many pagodas remains the best and sometimes the only way for provincial students with limited resources to pursue their dream of a university education.

"I was worried after graduating from high school because I had no relations in Phnom Penh," said Kang Rotha, a second-year information technology student at the University of Sachak Asia.
In a book-lined room filled with hanging monks' robes, the young scholar considered his good fortune to have been given accommodation at a pagoda.

His parents came to the capital to find him housing at one of the capital's temples. They eventually found space at Svay Popey pagoda.

"My family is poor, so without the option of living at the temple I could never achieve my dream of attending university," Kang Rotha said.

He added that life at the pagoda can be strict. The gates close at 11pm, so stragglers could find themselves out on the street for the night.

Despite such restrictions, Kang Rotha is quite happy living with the monks. "It is quiet here and good for studying. The monks always give us good advice," he said.

The pagoda boys

Chea Ly, secretary general of The Khmeng Wat Association, said that some 4,000 students currently live at pagodas in the capital while they complete their university studies. Children in Cambodia's provinces have few opportunities for higher education, and the cost of living in Phnom Penh makes the goal of a university degree a difficult one to achieve.

Even students with family in the capital find that life as a "pagoda boy," as the poor scholars are commonly known, has its advantages.

"I have family in Phnom Penh, but I don't want to live with them because they always disturb my study time," said Veng, who lives at Dam Dek pagoda.

Tip Sao, a monk at Wat Botum, explained the basis by which students are chosen for residence at a pagoda.

"They must come from poor families, mainly in the provinces," Tip Sao said.

"They also must be committed to their studies."

Residents live at the pagodas during their four years of university study, after which they move on to make room for a new crop of needy students.

In addition to their course work, residents must spend one day each month - at the full moon - studying the Pali language, Tip Sao said, adding that about 1,000 students currently live at Wat Botum.

"We have a great concern for students from poor provincial families who have such a strong desire to continue their education," said Tip Sao. "We are happy to help them as best we can." Read more!

Official: Lao flooding not danger for Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The current flooding in Laos wouldn't cause any serious danger for Cambodia, although the two neighboring countries share water from the Mekong River, English-Khmer language newspaper the Cambodia Daily Saturday quoted an official as saying.

"The water (here) hasn't risen (to those levels in Laos) and there is nothing to be worried about," said Nhim Vanda, vice president of the National Committee for Disaster Management

He had contacted his equivalent department in Laos for information about rising water levels and then became confident that the problems there wouldn't extend downstream to Cambodia, he said.

Cambodia was well insulated from rising water levels in Laos because of the number of lakes available here for any excess water to drain into, he said.

The Mekong River in Kratie province was around 20 meters high, a normal level for this time of the year and the secondary rivers, lakes and the Tonle Sape River were all at safe levels, he said.

"Even if the water comes strongly, we have a lot of places to store," he added.

The Mekong River Commission Friday reported that the Mekong River hit its highest level in Laos in 100 years, adding that Cambodia would likely suffer from the after-effects as the flood water moved downstream.
Read more!

Mekong hits highest level in 100 years

BANGKOK — Four people have been killed in flooding and landslides in Laos, where the Mekong River has hit its highest level in at least 100 years after several months of unusually heavy rain, officials said on Friday.

The communist government and private citizens in the landlocked Southeast Asian country have been rushing to complete a 2.5-metre wall of sandbags to stop water inundating the capital, Vientiane.

Police have closed roads leading to the riverbank to make it easier for trucks delivering sandbags, the official Vientiane Times reported.

"We've been fighting very hard day and night for four days, but after today the water level should recede," government spokesman Yong Chanhthalansy told Reuters in Bangkok.

The Mekong, which starts in the glaciers of Tibet and ends 4,350 kilometres away in the rice-rich delta of southern Vietnam, hit 13.68 metres in Vientiane on Thursday, trouncing a high of 12.38 metres recorded in 1966, the worst floods in living memory.

That depth – measured roughly from the river's lowest level in the dry season – could rise slightly on Friday before retreating, Mr. Yong said.

Vietnam was recently hit by heavy rains, floods and mudslides as the remnants of a tropical storm caused the country's worst floods in four decades. At least 120 people were killed and another 44 remain missing.

In Vientiane, a levee built along the Mekong's northern bank after the 1966 flooding has been overrun in places, causing flooding in parts of the city of 200,000, one resident said.

There had been widespread flooding upstream and north of Vientiane, although the former royal capital of Luang Prabang had escaped with no damage to its ancient Buddhist pagodas, Mr. Yong said.

Downstream, eastern Thailand and low-lying Cambodia, where the annual flooding of the Mekong is crucial to rice and fish production, are braced for the rising waters. Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, sits right on the bank of the river.

Government officials said they had warned people living near the Mekong in the provinces of Kompong Cham, Kratie and Stung Treng to move their families and livestock to higher ground.

Read more!

Office space market primed to explode on rising demand

Written by George McLeod

A shortage of high-end office rentals in Phnom Penh will drive a boom in new office construction over the next two or three years, analysts say

RISING foreign investment is leading to an office shortage in Phnom Penh, with some analysts expecting pent-up demand to generate a building boom over the next two years.

"There is nothing of an international standard in Phnom Penh right now," said Naim Khan-Turk, director of research at CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) in Ho Chi Minh City. "Many businesses are having to rent out villas."

Analysts say the office market has not had time to catch up to the pace of economic growth, with only low- or medium-quality offices for rent in the capital. Phnom Penh has only about eight major office buildings available, with most of the space in converted colonial villas, hotels, or refurbished shophouses.

Office space is graded by its location, the quality of the construction and the amenities offered in the building. None of the existing or planned space exceeds B grade, said international property experts.

"We class Grade A as having at least 1,000 square metres of floor space, quality mechanical engineering such as high-speed lifts, efficient buildings, and car parks - but that's a loose definition.... We don't see anything in Phnom Penh meeting those standards," said Khan-Turk. "It is hard to say exactly how much pent-up demand is there, but in the next five years, if 150,000 square metres of office space hit the market, I don't think it would be saturated."

'Strong growth for 2-3 years'
Knight Frank chairman Eric Ooi said that the shortage of prime office space could make Phnom Penh a potential boom market over the next two-years.

"Phnom Penh is like Ho Chi Minh City eight or 10 years ago....I expect strong growth for the next two to three years."
Rents were rising accordingly, he noted. "In March, offices were renting for about US$10 per metre. Three months before it was $7 and now space is going for $14."

That figure is still much lower than in Ho Chi Minh City, which has more than 77,000 square metres of Grade A office space available, according to CBRE estimates. Grade B offices in Ho Chi Minh City range from $17-53 per square metre and average $36, said CBRE, even though the top-end market there has taken a hit recently due to inflation and excessive supply.
Few expect the troubles to spread to Cambodia.

A local real estate company reported surging sales this year on mainly foreign demand.

"There are a lot of companies coming to Cambodia [and] most of the growth is from Korean companies," said Heang Rental from VTrust real estate. "The quality is not up to international standards, but it is acceptable for offices." Read more!

Win-win possible at Preah Vihear

Written by Ronnie Yimsut

Dear Editor,

It is most unfortunate that Thailand is making deeper incursions into Cambodian (Khmer) territory following the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation of Preah Vihear temple.

The reported additional incursion (and immediate denial by the Royal Thai Government) into Ta Moan Thom temple by Thai armed forces only adds additional fuel to the already raging inferno of nationalistic pride – in both countries.

Was it really pride or prejudice?

Either way, this silliness will only lead to even more tension, if not bloodshed, between the two neighbours, which have been enjoying a rather cosy relationship since the 2003 fiasco.

A “lesson” never learned is really a “mistake”. It is sad because it need not be this way.

Needless to say, much of the present-day land where Thai people now stand (aka Thailand) was once Khmer territory – simply annexed by way of invasion (aka robbed and stolen and other politically incorrect terms) by Thailand. It is never enough for Thai folks. They wanted and needed more, now that the Khmer have been weakened by internal strife.

Now it is this new incursion into Khmer territory (onto legally binding and recognised Khmer land) yet again by Thailand. How much more will be enough for Thailand? Of course, it is never enough for greedy folks.

There is a Khmer prophecy that stated: “Bangkok rolom, Phnom Penh roleiy, Saigon kjat Kjai, Sabay Angkor Wat (in Cambodia not Thailand).”

It is an old saying that has been repeated for generations.

Today, Saigon is already Kjat Kjai, or broken apart, Phnom Penh already roleiy, or melted (now being rebuilt – with Korean and Thai money, mostly), and Angkor Wat is already sabay, or happy with some 1.1 million tourists and growing as of June 2008.

The only thing missing thus far is this: “Bangkok Rolom, or fallen”. Perhaps this latest temple row might just do the trick and fulfill the old saying – who knows?

At any rate, there is no need for armed confrontation or conflict, which neither side will win.

Besides, Thai soldiers don’t really have the stomach for a real fight with the Khmer even with all of their fancy weaponry.

Perhaps economic cooperation between the two countries is a better way to go, as both will greatly benefit from tourism development in this poor and remote area. Yes, I am merely suggesting Thailand’s money (and ingenuity) and Khmer temples. It would be a win-win situation, the smarter way to go.

Besides, both Thailand and Cambodia will eventually share a common union, like the United States and the European Union. Yes, a deeper and more meaningful Asean ... where common money and people flow freely throughout the region, where everyone prospers under one roof. That day is coming and so this immature act by Thailand’s military along the two neighbours’ common border will look rather silly.

Do send the soldiers back home to their respective families and warm beds before it is too late; that’s [advice] for both sides. Do leave the silliness of politics to silly folks in Bangkok and Phnom Penh – that is my suggestion.

Ronnie Yimsut
Oregon, United States Read more!

Dying to be pale: Cambodia's obsession with whitening cream

Written by Khouth Sophakchakrya

Many whitening creams contain dangerous chemicals that can harm skin but a lack of regulations means consumers remain in the dark

FOLLOWING the passage by the Council of Ministers of a new sub-decree last Friday to prevent the import of potentially harmful cosmetics, proponents of alternative medicine have been swift to raise their voices about the vulnerability of women purchasing skin cream in an unregulated market.

Commercial manufacturing of skin whitener, which comes under tight control in the US and Europe, has, up to now, gone largely unsupervised in the Cambodian market, despite wide reports of side effects.

Most of the problem products, which circulate on the black market, include over-chemicalised lotions and illegal creams.

"Many Cambodian women, especially youth, love the white bodies and faces," said Ing Sovanly, director of Neary Khmer Association for Health and Vocational Training in Phnom Penh which produces chemical-free cosmetics. "They are embarrassed when their skin is damaged later," she said, adding women have come to her with damaged and even blackened skin after using some products.

Banned chemicals common
The cast of skin whitening products currently available include chemicals such as steroids, peroxide and the popular hydroquinone bleach. The EU banned hydroquinone in 2001 after it linked it with adverse side effects.

But in Cambodia, where the market has been unmonitored for years, skin damage is so prevalent that mixing the creams with antibiotics is common.

Hao Daneth, a garment worker for Sun Tex Garment Factory in Phnom Penh, said her face went black after she used a cream mixed with antibiotics many times.

"I did not go outside except to go to work," Hao Daneth said.

Dr Soeur Chan Than, a dermatologist in Phnom Penh, said this was a sad reality.

"People know that it damages their skin, but they use it anyway."
Read more!

Thousands displaced by Cambodia lake development

Cambodia's Boeung Kak Lake is set to be filled with sand and thousands of people removed from their homes, as part of a development project starting next month.

While the exact nature of the development is unclear, the developer will dredge the water and replace it with sand with a view to build shops, apartments and hotels.

Radio Australia's Sonja Heydeman reports the plan leaves the fate of four thousand lakeside families unclear.

Boeung Kak Lake and surrounds, an area of around 133 hectares, was leased in February last year to a private developer by the Municipality of Phnom Penh.

The decision has sparked a human rights outcry.

The director of Bridges Across Borders in Southeast Asia, David Pred, told the Connect Asia program the lease agreement is illegal under Cambodian law.

"Under international law, Cambodia's human rights obligations under the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights, the circumstances surrounding the development and the impending eviction have also constituted serious violations of law," he said.

"People have been intimidated, there's been lack of consultation serious lack of information, there's been no transparency surrounding the development of what's happening."

The $US79 million leasehold agreement has been made with Shukaku Inc.

Cambodian opposition MP from the Sam Rainsy party, Son Chhay, says there is some background to the deal.

"The company which is led by Senator Lao Meng Khin will be involved in the busienss of deforestation, land concession," he said.

"They are invloved with this kind of business that not many people are able to do, unless you are very close to the ruling CPP.

"We believe that there was some share from the Hun Sen family in the company."

The amount of compensation on offer to families remains unclear, while some reports suggest there's a figure of around $US10,000 per house.

Son Chhay believes the people will be given a small fraction of what the market price actually is.
Read more!

Thousands displaced by Cambodia lake development

Cambodia's Boeung Kak Lake is set to be filled with sand and thousands of people removed from their homes, as part of a development project starting next month.

While the exact nature of the development is unclear, the developer will dredge the water and replace it with sand with a view to build shops, apartments and hotels.

Radio Australia's Sonja Heydeman reports the plan leaves the fate of four thousand lakeside families unclear.

Boeung Kak Lake and surrounds, an area of around 133 hectares, was leased in February last year to a private developer by the Municipality of Phnom Penh.

The decision has sparked a human rights outcry.

The director of Bridges Across Borders in Southeast Asia, David Pred, told the Connect Asia program the lease agreement is illegal under Cambodian law.

"Under international law, Cambodia's human rights obligations under the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights, the circumstances surrounding the development and the impending eviction have also constituted serious violations of law," he said.

"People have been intimidated, there's been lack of consultation serious lack of information, there's been no transparency surrounding the development of what's happening."

The $US79 million leasehold agreement has been made with Shukaku Inc.

Cambodian opposition MP from the Sam Rainsy party, Son Chhay, says there is some background to the deal.

"The company which is led by Senator Lao Meng Khin will be involved in the busienss of deforestation, land concession," he said.

"They are invloved with this kind of business that not many people are able to do, unless you are very close to the ruling CPP.

"We believe that there was some share from the Hun Sen family in the company."

The amount of compensation on offer to families remains unclear, while some reports suggest there's a figure of around $US10,000 per house.

Son Chhay believes the people will be given a small fraction of what the market price actually is.
Read more!

Cambodia says ready for troop pullback

By SOPHENG CHEANG

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian officials said Friday that their troops are ready to pull back from the frontier with Thailand under an agreement to ease a month of military tension on disputed territory near an ancient border temple.

The standoff erupted near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple on July 15 after UNESCO, the U.N.'s cultural agency, approved Cambodia's application to have the complex named a World Heritage Site. Both countries have long held claim to the temple, but the World Court awarded it to Cambodia in 1962.

About 800 troops from Cambodia and 400 from Thailand have been facing off in the area for a month.

"We are waiting for an order to follow, but both sides must act together," Col. Meas Yoeurn, a deputy commander of Cambodian troops in the area, said by phone Friday. "If Thai troops begin pulling back, we will also begin pulling back."

Other Cambodian officials in the area said the two countries' troop pullback will begin Saturday.

But the event will take place mostly under a media blackout, targeting especially photo and television journalists, who will not be allowed near the site, said Min Sovann, a police official.

At the request of Thai officials, Cambodian authorities will also close the road to Cambodian travelers up the mountain, where the temple is located, said Hang Soth, director-general of the Preah Vihear National Authority, a government agency managing the historic site.

He declined to elaborate but only said "we just do not want to see any problems" that would interrupt the process of the pullback.

The attempt to minimize publicity appeared to be a face-saving gesture after weeks of overheated nationalist rhetoric on both sides.

On Thursday, Cambodian Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Neang Phat said the two countries have agreed to a gradual redeployment of troops from the area ahead of talks between their foreign ministers on territorial disputes next Monday in Thailand.

He said the redeployment, slated to begin during the weekend, will first apply to Thai and Cambodian troops stationed inside the compound of the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Buddhist pagoda near the temple.

He said Thai and Cambodian military officials, during a meeting in Thailand's Surin province Wednesday, agreed to reduce the number of their troops "to the lowest number possible."

A similar step will be applied on troops stationed in areas surrounding the pagoda and Preah Vihear temple after the foreign ministers' meeting, he said.

"We hope Thailand will honor its commitment" to the agreement, Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said Friday.

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej had backed Cambodia's World Heritage site bid, sparking demonstrations by anti-government protesters who claimed the temple's new status would undermine Thailand's claim to the surrounding area.

The protests left Samak politically vulnerable, and he had to take action to appease his nationalist critics. On July 15, Thailand sent troops to occupy the Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda — claimed by Cambodia and near Preah Vihear.

Cambodia responded with its own troop deployment. The two sides came close to a shoot-out on July 17 when Cambodian monks sought to celebrate Buddhist lent in the pagoda.

Troops on both sides raised their weapons, but no shots were fired, and the Cambodians eventually backed down.

The border dispute has not been resolved despite two rounds of talks since last month, with the countries referring to two different maps.

Cambodia uses a French colonial map demarcating the border, which Thailand says favors Cambodia. Thailand relies on a map drawn up later with American technical assistance.

Read more!

Cambodia 6th leading destination for Korean overseas investment

Cambodia has become the sixth leading destination for South Korean overseas investment, English daily newspaper the Phnom Penh Post Thursday quoted South Korean Ambassador Shin Hyun-suk as saying.

The total amount of South Korean investment in Cambodia to March 2008 stood at 1.46 billion U.S. dollars, followed by China, the U.S., Hong Kong of China, Vietnam and Malaysia, he said.

The number of South Korean investors in Cambodia was above 500 and they used to focus on the garment sector, but in recent years became diversified to banking, agriculture, food processing, tourism, manufacturing, construction and IT, he said.

"In terms of amounts, construction is the dominant field for South Korean investment in Cambodia in these days," he added.

Meanwhile, South Korea's imports from Cambodia totaled 8.9 million U.S. dollars in 2007, an increase of 62.5 percent over 2006, and South Korea's exports to Cambodia have posted big rises over the past three years, amounting to 144 million U.S. dollars in 2005, 206 million U.S. dollars in 2006, and 281 million U.S. dollars in 2007, he said.

"Once the South Korea-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement is ratified, the trade volume between South Korea and Cambodia will be boosted immensely," he added.

Source:Xinhua. Read more!

Trade, aid fail Cambodia's poor

The future is bleak for Cambodians and Burmese when corruption is rife.

BURMA and Cambodia occupy significant geopolitical positions in Asia. The West has an interest in controlling this area as a buffer against China's growing power. As a pawn in global politics, Cambodia is being controlled through international aid at the expense of its people.

Burma is possibly heading in the same direction. As Burma bows to pressure from the West to allow aid into the country after cyclone Nargis, critics argue the aid will come tied to economic liberalisation.

Cambodia and Burma share striking similarities: both are extremely poor and are governed by corrupt elites. But Cambodia is about 10 years ahead in accepting Western aid. Its present does not augur well for Burma's future.

The outcomes of Cambodia's development have been mixed: extremely beneficial for economic growth, the ruling elite and crony capitalism, and less advantageous for the poor. The development has been centred on trade liberalisation, with open markets for the country's timber and textile exports. The World Bank has reported that local corruption has impeded the country's development, particularly poverty reduction, but the real difficulty may be the porous state of Cambodia's economy.

Corruption is common in Cambodia. Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index ranks Cambodia at 162 out of 179 countries (Burma ranks at 179, the worst country along with Somalia). Some claim that much aid from the international community has gone to private pockets.

Since the Paris peace agreement of 1991, Cambodia has been subjected to the scrutiny of international donors, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank. Aid constituted more than 10% of gross national income in 2004, far more than the low-income country average of 2.8%. In 2006, the amount of aid reached $US595 million. Cambodia is also a fast-growing economy, with annual economic growth at nearly 11% in 2006. But poverty has fallen at a rate of only 1% a year. Two key features of Cambodia's National Strategy Development Plan 2006-10, funded by the World Bank, are trade liberalisation and the creation of export-processing zones.

Development projects have done little to limit corruption in Cambodia. The World Bank's Forest Concession Management and Control Pilot Project (FCMCPP) began in 2000, funded by a $US5 million Learning and Innovation Loan. In June last year, Global Witness published Cambodia's Family Trees, which detailed the intimate connections between the owners of logging companies and the Cambodian Government. Owners of the largest logging companies — Kingwood Industry, Everbright CIG Wood and Colexim Enterprise — are friends and relatives of Prime Minister Hun Sen. They have been repeatedly involved with extensive logging outside of their plantation areas, terrorising locals and exempted from paying royalties and taxes.

In 2002, under pressure from international donors, the Cambodian Government imposed a moratorium on harvesting in logging concessions, after the companies failed to submit forest management plans. The moratorium ended in December 2004, on the condition that logging was supervised to ensure no fresh logs entered the supply chain. But no measures were taken to prevent further illegal logging. The FCMCPP has grievously failed Cambodia.

International donors are quick to point to political corruption in Cambodia to explain its lack of progress in decreasing poverty, but such moral judgements ring rather hollow when $US600 million in Asian Development Bank funds are invested in offshore private equity funds, many domiciled in tax havens such as the Cayman Islands.

National institutions are required to divert money back into the country. Development policies focused on economic liberalisation will not foster them. Without the political will to create these institutions, any benefit will continue to be siphoned off into the hands of international business and corrupt local political and business elites. The future for the people of Cambodia and Burma is bleak without policies that focus on their wellbeing.

Joanne Knight worked for seven years as a consumer credit and housing adviser for the Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Victorian Government. Read more!

Cambodian, Thai troops to pull back from temple at weekend: general

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to sharply reduce troop numbers around a disputed temple before a new round of border talks open Monday, a top general said.

The agreement was reached Wednesday during a meeting of military officials from the two countries, Cambodian General Neang Phat, a top official at the defence ministry, told reporters.

A Thai military official confirmed the deal, saying some troops had already begun the pullback on Thursday. Neither country would reveal exactly how many troops would be withdrawn from around the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple.

"Both sides agreed to redeploy the troops, who are stationed in the pagoda (near the temple), to the lowest possible number in order to avoid confrontation with each other," Neang Phat told reporters Thursday.

More than 1,000 troops from both countries are stationed around the ruins of the ancient Khmer temple.

"The redeployment of the troops that we have agreed to will finish before the ministerial meeting on August 18," Neang Phat said.

Neang Phat said the remaining troops would be allowed to carry only simple rifles and guns. Their future positions would be determined after the ministerial meeting next week, he added.

The border dispute erupted July 15, after three Thai nationalist protesters were arrested for trying to illegally cross into Cambodia to reach the temple.

Thai nationalists were incensed that Cambodia last month won world heritage status from the United Nations for the ruins, which Thailand has long claimed despite a World Court ruling giving the ruins to Cambodia.

The Cambodian-Thai border has never been completely demarcated, in part because the frontier is littered with landmines left from decades of conflict in Cambodia.

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Thursday that he had approved 1.4 billion baht (41.7 million dollars) to begin a new demining operation on the border.

He said that a 10-year programme to clear landmines had only removed two percent of the explosives believed to be on the border. The new money is the first tranche in a new decade-long scheme to further the demining work.
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Cambodia presses Asean for anti-drug cooperation

Phnom Penh (dpa) - A senior Cambodian official said Wednesday that methamphetamines were an increasingly serious regional problem and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations should fight them together.

Lou Ramin, secretary general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, said Cambodia believed it had virtually eradicated marijuana and heroin trafficking, production and processing but methamphetamines were a much more invasive problem.

"People can make methamphetamines with very basic, easily acquired ingredients," he said. "We have had success, but policing against this drug is the biggest challenge we have ever faced because you can buy ingredients at a shop and make it in a small place."

He said Asean anti-drug chiefs would meet soon to discuss ways to combat trafficking in the region.

"Cambodia is very proud of its achievements, but no country can fight this alone," he said.

Ramin was speaking after the release of an annual report on illicit drug data and surveillance systems.

In April 2007, Cambodian authorities seized 3 tons of chemicals used to produce methamphetamines during a raid on a farm in Kampong Speu, around 40 kilometres southwest of Phnom Penh.

The operation inflamed fears that Cambodia might be becoming a new regional hub for manufacturing the drug after neighbouring countries, including Thailand, cracked down on drug smuggling and tightened border surveillance.

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Thailand, Cambodia agree to reduce troops at border temple

BANGKOK, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Thailand and Cambodia on Wednesday agreed to reduce the number of their military personnel guarding the disputed border temple of Ta Moan Thom after a bilateral defense meeting in Thailand's northeastern province Surin.

The agreement was reached following a meeting between Lt-Gen. Suchit Sitthiprapa, Thailand's Second Army commander, responsible for security affairs in northeastern Thailand, and Cambodian Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Neang Paht at a hotel in Surin province bordering Cambodia, according to a report by Thai News Agency.

Both sides agreed at the meeting to reduce the number of armed forces personnel guarding the Ta Moan Thom, 13-century Khmer-styletemple ruin which is located between Surin's Phanom Dong Rak district and Cambodian province of Uddor Meanchey.

Thailand and Cambodia also agreed to open the barbed wire installed at the ruin early Thursday so that military and residents of both countries could communicate with each other and visit the temple. Thais will also be allowed to visit another ruin about a km deeper inside Cambodia.

Tensions in the area heightened after Thailand's Supreme Commander Gen. Boonsang Niempradit, on Aug. 4 asked Cambodia to withdraw its soldiers from the environs of the temple.

A Thai foreign ministry spokesman has said the Ta Moan Thom ruin is only one of a number of sites along the yet-to-be-demarcated boundary between the two countries.

Both countries have agreed to hold another meeting next Monday in the Thai central resort town of Hua Hin.

On Monday and Tuesday, foreign ministers from both countries will also hold their second-round talks regarding the long-disputed border area around the Preah Vihear Temple.

The 11th-century Preah Vihear Temple was awarded a World Heritage site honor after the UNESCO last month approved Cambodia's application, which has sparked nationalist sentiment in Thailand amid its recent domestic political turmoil.

Thai and Cambodian military have beefed up military presence along the disputed border since July 15 after three Thais including a monk was briefly detained by Cambodian soldiers for breaking into the temple, which had been closed for public by Cambodian authorities to public as border tension rose.

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Khmer Rouge survivors say justice nears in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH - Survivors of the Khmer Rouge's notorious Tuol Sleng prison on Wednesday hailed the indictment of their former chief tormentor, Duch, saying justice was one step closer for victims of the regime.

Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, became the first suspect indicted by the UN-backed genocide tribunal on Tuesday.

The 65-year-old was charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity for allegedly overseeing the torture and extermination of more than 12,000 men, women and children when he headed Tuol Sleng.

Investigations are still underway into four other former Khmer Rouge leaders detained by the court for crimes committed by the bloody 1975-1979 communist regime, under whose rule up to two million people died.

"We are happy to see this outcome. Justice is getting closer for us," said artist Vann Nath, one of 14 survivors of Tuol Sleng. "I have been waiting for justice for 30 years. This time, I have high hopes for justice."

Fellow survivor Chum Mey, a mechanic who like other Tuol Sleng survivors was spared only because he had a skill that was useful to his captors, echoed Vann Nath's sentiments, saying: "Justice is nearer."

"I am very pleased with the indictment. I am happy. I have been waiting for justice for so long," he told AFP.

Chum Mey, however, warned that the cash-strapped court may not be able to try all of the ageing Khmer Rouge leaders, who are suffering from poor health.

"I am very concerned... I am afraid that the court will not be able to bring all five leaders to justice because they are very old."

Duch's trial is expected to open in late September or early October and could last up to four months, tribunal officials have said.

Duch, a former mathematics teacher, has been in prison since 1999 for his role at Tuol Sleng.

He was transferred to the custody of the UN-backed court in July last year, becoming the first top Khmer Rouge cadre to be detained by the tribunal.

The indictment order, posted on the tribunal website, said more than 12,380 people were executed at Tuol Sleng -- also known as S21 -- most after suffering inhuman detention conditions and prolonged mental and physical torture.

Thousands of inmates were also taken from the centre for execution at Choeng Ek, now known as the Killing Fields.

Established in 2006 after nearly a decade of negotiations between Cambodia and the UN, the long-stalled tribunal seeks to prosecute crimes committed 30 years ago by senior Khmer Rouge leaders. Read more!

Graft allegations hit Cambodia's Khmer Rouge trial

PHNOM PENH, International donors have been withholding payments to Cambodia's Khmer Rouge "Killing Fields" tribunal because of concerns about corruption, officials said on Tuesday.

Helen Jarvis, an Australian working on the Cambodian side of the joint Cambodian-U.N. tribunal, said 250 Cambodians had not been paid a total of $700,000 since June, threatening the future of the long-awaited court, which is running over time and budget.

"It is becoming increasingly difficult for Cambodian staff," Jarvis told Reuters.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which has been managing donor funding for the trial, said it had decided to freeze payments last week following a renewed series of allegations of kickbacks involving local staff.

"UNDP is taking the matter very seriously. We have met with donors to keep them informed," UNDP official Aimee Brown said.

The tribunal is in the middle of trying to secure an extra $87 million in funding to supplement the initial budget of $56 million, and allow the procedings to run until 2010.

Five top Khmer Rouge cadres have been charged with war crimes or crimes against humanity for their part in the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people under Pol Pot's four-year reign of terror. (Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Ed Cropley and Paul Tait) Read more!

Cambodia rejects Thailand's claim over two temples at border area

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia Tuesday rejected Thailand's claim over the temples of Tamone Toch and Tamone Thom in northwestern Otdar Meanchey province, which borders Thailand.

"The Tamone temple complex, composed of the temples of Tamone Toch and Tamone Thom and located in the Phnom Dang Rek range, is clearly situated in the Cambodian territory," said the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia in a statement.

"Cambodia rejects any claim contrary to the legal rights of the kingdom," the statement said.

Cambodia is confident that the Cambodian-Thai joint Commission on the Demarcation of Land Boundary (JBC), which will meet in the near future, will be able to settle bilateral border matter peacefully in legal way, it added.

Cambodian-Thai military standoff at the border area over disputed sovereignty of the temples and land there Tuesday entered the 29th day, as both sides promised to settle it through diplomatic channel. But no sign has occurred so far for withdrawal of the accumulated thousand-strong troops near the border.

On July 15, Thai troops went into the border area to fetch three trespassers who had intended to claim Thai sovereignty over the Preah Vihear Temple in the eponymous province of Cambodia. The troops stationed there ever since, thus triggering the military stalemate.

During the time, Thai troops occupied one pagoda in Preah Vihear province and one temple in Bantey Meanchey province that the Cambodian government claimed should belong to its kingdom.

Preah Vihear, Otdar Meanchey and Bantey Meanchey are the three major Cambodian provinces that border Thailand. The Phnom Dang Rekrange, or the Dangrek Mountain, runs through the provinces, serving as a natural defense line against Thailand.
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