Irate Sivarak demands answers

Govt, Kasit under fire to explain 'spy' drama

Pressure is mounting on the government and the Foreign Ministry to take responsibility for the arrest and conviction of Sivarak Chutipong who returned to Thailand yesterday.

Mr Sivarak was the first to attack Thai authorities, demanding that Kamrob Palawatwichai, the first secretary of the Thai embassy in Cambodia, speak out and restore his damaged reputation by confirming he was not involved in a government attempt to get the flight schedule of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The Puea Thai Party which, with the help of de facto leader Thaksin, pushed hard to get a pardon for Mr Sivarak after he was convicted last week by a Phnom Penh court for spying, vowed to take the issue to parliament to grill the government during the censure debate next month.

Yesterday the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, chaired by the opposition party, made further moves on the issue by demanding Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and Mr Kamrob appear before it to clarify the spying allegations.

Mr Sivarak, an engineer for Cambodia Airport Traffic Services, was sentenced to seven years in jail and fined 10 million riel (100,000 baht) on Dec 8 after being arrested by Cambodian authorities and detained since Nov 12. He was granted a pardon by King Norodom Sihamoni on Friday.

"He [Mr Kamrob] should come out and tell the truth to the public about whether he really made a phone call to me to ask about the VIP plane's schedule. I didn't know who was on board, especially Dr Thaksin," he told reporters shortly after landing at Suvarnabhumi airport from the Cambodian capital.

"I am not a spy. If I were a spy, there would not have been any evidence left," he said. "From now on I want to spend my life with my family. I have not decided yet whether to return to work in Cambodia."

Mr Sivarak denied widespread speculation that the entire incident was a plot by Puea Thai and Thaksin to discredit the government and boost the popularity of the convicted former prime minister, who on Sunday arrived in Phnom Penh to arrange for his release.

The 31-year-old engineer briefed Thaksin on every detail of his case, but said he had no political motive in talking about the issue.

His mother, Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, refused to accept she and her son were part of a political game.

"No mother in the world would set up a situation which would send her son to jail. If I were that type of mother, I would be a very bad person. I have to thank everyone for helping to get my son released," she said.

"I want everything to come to an end because my family wants to return to a normal life."

Puea Thai MP for Udon Thani Torpong Chaiyasarn, who heads the house foreign affairs committee, said Mr Kasit and Mr Kamrob had been sent a letter demanding they clarify the issue at a committee hearing.

"Even though Mr Sivarak has been released, the foreign minister should step forward to do something, or even apologise to Mr Sivarak. Justice must be served in this case," Mr Torpong said.

Mr Kasit was not available for comment as he was not in the country.

His secretary, Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, insisted there would be no reaction from Mr Kamrob and stressed there was no misconduct on the part of the first secretary or Mr Sivarak. "It will make no difference whether he speaks out or not," Mr Chavanond said.

A ministry source said Mr Kamrob was still turning up for work at the ministry after having been expelled by Phnom Penh in connection with the spying charge.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the government was already in possession of the information on Thaksin's flight schedule so there was no need to try to steal it as alleged.

The issue should now be laid to rest and should not be exploited to create further problems, he said.

Democrat Party spokesman Buranaj Smutharaks said he still believed the case was a publicity stunt.

Thepthai Senpong, Mr Abhisit's spokesman, said it was not beyond anyone's expectation that Thaksin would fly in to "inspect the filming of a drama which was coming to an end". As "a producer", Thaksin had to be there to see for himself and make sure the drama was properly done, Mr Thepthai said.

After his release from Prey Sar prison, Mr Sivarak went to the home of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to be presented with his signed royal pardon.

Read more!

Q+A-What is ex-Thai PM Thaksin doing in Cambodia?

Dec 14 (Reuters) - Fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra has returned to Cambodia for the second time in a month, baiting his political rivals back home and adding fuel to a diplomatic row between the two neighbours [ID:nSGE5BD03Q].

The billionaire, who is on the run from a two-year prison sentence for abuse of power, says he plans to further his work as an economics adviser for Cambodia. His critics say the visits are stunts aimed at raising the political stakes in Thailand.

WHAT IS THAKSIN'S STRATEGY?

Thaksin's presence in Cambodia is attracting a lot of attention back home and is seriously testing the patience of the Thai government, which has shown restraint in the face of his provocation and Cambodia's refusal to extradite him.

Thaksin is probably seeking to use Cambodia as a temporary base to meet his political allies, fortify his sizable support and discredit the government. He will take pleasure from the fact that there is little his enemies in Thailand can do to stop him.

WHY IS HE VISITING NOW?

Thaksin has turned a recent feud into a public relations coup for himself and his Puea Thai party by ensuring a Thai sentenced to seven years in a Cambodian prison for spying -- by leaking the former tycoon's flight details -- received a royal pardon.

Thaksin's "red" movement is gathering momentum back home and the Cambodian visit comes ahead of a big push by his parliamentary and extra-parliamentary forces, starting next month.

"Red shirt" demonstrators are planning prolonged anti-government protests while Puea Thai will seek to undermine Abhisit Vejjajiva's shaky coalition in a censure debate.

Also looming is a court ruling on whether Thaksin's family should be entitled to almost $2.3 billion worth of seized assets.

WHAT'S THE ECONOMIC IMPACT?

Cambodia's economy depends heavily on China, Japan and South Korea and very little on Thailand, which in turn relies on its neighbour for just 0.05 percent of total imports.

It is unlikely a tit-for-tat row with Thailand will change anything, unless the border is closed, in which case Cambodians would have to find other suppliers of goods such as building materials and electrical appliances.

Investors in Thailand, however, might not be so comfortable. Thaksin's provocative alliance with Hun Sen risks further destabilising a country mired in political strife for almost five years and continues to distract Abhisit, hampering his efforts to govern properly.

WILL TENSION GET WORSE?

Television footage in Thailand of Thaksin receiving statesman-like treatment in Cambodia, and appearing as a healer of diplomatic wounds, will further vex the Thai government and probably prolong the row.

Thailand and Cambodia are barely on speaking terms. Cambodia has least to lose from a protracted feud and by cosying up to Thaksin, Prime Minister Hun Sen appears to be in no rush to fix the problem, suggesting it could go on for some time. (Compiled by Martin Petty; Editing by Alan Raybould and Bill Tarrant) Read more!

Thaksin Back in Cambodia to See Release of Thai Man Held for Spying

By SETH MYDANS



With Thailand’s fugitive former prime minister standing by, Cambodia on Monday released a Thai citizen convicted of spying, in what Thaksin Shinawatra has called a Thai plot to kill him.

Mr. Thaksin arrived in Cambodia on Sunday for the second time in a month, an appearance that seemed to be a calculated insult to his own nation. This time he presented himself as a mediator, meeting with his countryman as he was released from prison.

The Thai citizen, Sivarak Chutipong, 31, worked for a Thai air services company in Phnom Penh and was sentenced to seven years in prison last week after passing on to his embassy the flight details of Mr. Thaksin’s earlier visit to Cambodia on Nov. 10.

Mr. Sivarak was pardoned Friday by King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia. Mr. Thaksin claimed that Mr. Sivarak had been part of a plan by Thailand to shoot down his plane.

During that first visit, Cambodia rejected a request by Thailand for Mr. Thaksin’s extradition, intensifying tensions between the two unfriendly neighbors. Thailand and Cambodia have both withdrawn their ambassadors and first secretaries in a sign of deteriorating relations.

For more than a year, both nations have stationed troops at a disputed temple on their border, and brief firefights have taken several lives.

Mr. Thaksin was convicted last year of corruption and abuse of power during his tenure as prime minister. He was ousted in a coup in 2006 but has continued to rally his supporters with speeches and defiant gestures like his trips to Cambodia.

As The Nation, a Thai English-language newspaper, put it in a front-page caption on Monday, “The man who set off the Thai-Cambodian diplomatic crisis goes gleefully back to Phnom Penh yesterday to, ironically, oversee the release of a man he claimed was part of a plot to kill him.” Cambodia’s minister of information, Khieu Kanharith, said that Mr. Thaksin had telephoned Prime Minister Hun Sen requesting the release.

Along with the caption, The Nation printed photographs of Mr. Thaksin grinning as he stepped down from an aircraft Sunday and sitting with Mr. Sivarak with Cambodian flags displayed in front and behind him.

It was a complicated image, associating Mr. Thaksin with the release of a fellow citizen but also with the nation that had arrested him, setting off a new wave of nationalist anger in Thailand.

Mr. Hun Sen has stoked this anger with antagonistic statements directed at the Thai government, which Mr. Thaksin’s supporters say they want to topple.

“Cambodia will have no happiness as long as this group is in power in Thailand,” Mr. Hun Sen said earlier this month.

Underscoring that political bias, Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Cambodian Council of Ministers, said the government was to receive a delegation of four members of Thailand’s Puea Thai party, which supports Mr. Thaksin.

“This is to show the good atmosphere and the good ties between the Puea Thai party and the Cambodian government,” Phal Chandara, a government lawyer, told The Phnom Penh Post.

Thai officials said they would renew their demand for Mr. Thaksin’s extradition. Mr. Hun Sen has invited him to visit as an “economic adviser,” and officials said that Mr. Thaksin planned to give seminars about the economy while he is there. On his last visit he stayed five days.

In Bangkok on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said it would be difficult to restore good relations if Cambodia continued to refuse to extradite Mr. Thaksin.

“I’m deeply concerned if Cambodia refuses to extradite Thaksin, because I don’t know how to continue relations between the two countries,” he said. Read more!

FBD: Cambodia's pepper industry in need of big changes

By FoodBizDaily.com staff writer


December 14 2009 - If Cambodia’s currently small black pepper industry is to become a global player, the industry needs major changes: A proper grading system, state-of-the-art processing plants and real quality control are all good starts. This then should enable the industry to make exports to the EU and Japan quite soon.

Pepper from Kampot, a province in Southern Cambodia, will get a boost next year when it receives a geographic indicator shared by products such as Champagne. The issues of quality and sustainability will be addressed next. In addition, raw materials will need to meet buyer specifications; after that, customer satisfaction needs to be achieved.

The Kingdom’s pepper, though centred in Kampong Cham province, must still be shipped to Vietnam for processing due to the fact that there are no domestic processing facilities in Cambodia other than Kampot.

Approximately 1,000 to 2,000 tonnes of pepper is produced annually in Cambodia. This is a tiny fraction of the total global production of some 281,974 tonnes, as measured by the International Pepper Community (IPC).

As of now, Cambodia’s pepper industry is stuck in a mostly ad hoc system. Furthermore, the government, despite pleas from major producers of pepper worldwide, has chosen not to join the IPC.

In contrast to Cambodia, Vietnam’s pepper industry has benefited greatly from IPC membership. In fact, Vietnam is now the world’s largest exporter of pepper, sending abroad around 120,000 tonnes in just the first 10 months of this year (2009).



Read more!

Hun Sen must cool this feud

The farcical episode of the Thai "spy" in Cambodia is over today. Sivarak Chutipong, sentenced to seven years by a Phnom Penh court and then just as quickly pardoned, is to return to Thailand accompanied by Puea Thai MPs after being farewelled by ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

He loses his job at the air-controller firm in Cambodia, but regains his freedom after weeks in the squalid Prey Sar prison. It seems likely, however, that the equally squalid crisis in Thai-Cambodian relations engineered by Prime Minister Hun Sen may still continue, and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva must consider his options carefully.

Sivarak was a classic version of a bystander caught up in a whirlwind of events. His alleged crime was not much more than doing his job, which was to keep track of aircraft into and out of Pochentong airport on the edge of Phnom Penh. He worked for Cambodia Air Transport Services, a Thai-owned firm despite the name. He knew the arrival details of the flight into Cambodia by Thaksin. Apparently, when asked, he gave those flight details to a senior Thai diplomat, embassy first secretary Kamrob Palawatwichai. Hun Sen or one of his supporters blew that harmless exchange of information into a diplomatic incident - Mr Kamrob was expelled - and Sivarak's show trial.

The scripted verdict and pardon of Sivarak closes the chapter but not the book. Hun Sen remains at loggerheads with Mr Abhisit, and perhaps even more with Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya. The Sivarak trial and the expulsion of Mr Kamrob allowed the Puea Thai Party to get some credit and, just as importantly, shut Thai diplomats and the government out of the equation.

Mr Abhisit and Mr Kasit, correctly, have refused to escalate the dispute engineered by Hun Sen. But the simmering state of affairs between the two governments is harmful to relations and puts several Asean agreements at risk. Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan has officially opted out of the dispute, saying the group will neither take sides nor attempt to negotiate an easing of relations. Another half-cocked move by Hun Sen or a mistake by border troops could even risk violence.

Mr Abhisit never has been clear why he chose Mr Kasit as foreign minister early this year. Mr Kasit was a key supporter, a fervent speaker and an unrepentant apologist for the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). At his worst moments, the minister personally attacked Hun Sen, and even attempted to defend the indefensible seizure of the two Bangkok airports late last year. He has been called ''the minister from the PAD'', and there have been frequent calls for his dismissal by the opposition.

Mr Kasit should consider his personal options against the national interest. He might conclude that a more politically neutral foreign minister could help the country at this juncture. Foreign governments, most especially Hun Sen's Cambodia, cannot have a say in the make-up of the Thai government. At the same time, Mr Kasit is an unelected minister, and the needs of the country are far more important than any cabinet member.

Hun Sen in any case can be expected to keep up his unreasonable vendetta against the Thai government. The Cambodian leader should know that Mr Abhisit played no part in the coup that ousted Thaksin. Instead of standing back in embarrassed silence, Mr Surin and other Asean leaders should stress this to him. Hun Sen should stop trying to interfere in Thai politics and resume conducting foreign policy, with Thailand and others, in a professional manner.

Read more!

Chinese vice president leaves for four-Asian-nation visit

BEIJING, (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping left here Monday morning for an official visit to Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Myanmar and Cambodia.

The visit will last to Dec. 22, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Xi's entourage included senior officials from the Foreign Ministry, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Culture, the Policy Research Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the China Development Bank.

Xi paid the visit as guest of the governments of Japan, ROK and Cambodia, as well as Vice Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council of Myanmar Maung Aye.

Read more!

Thaksin meets pardoned 'spy' on second Cambodia visit

News Desk
The Nation (Thailand)


Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra swooped into Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh yesterday (December 13) and headed directly to the prison holding the Thai engineer convicted of spying, in a move destined to further strain ties with Cambodia.

Sivarak Chutipong, who was sentenced by a Cambodian court to seven years jail for leaking the flight plan of Thaksin's previous trip but was pardoned by Cambodia's king on Friday, will return to Thailand this afternoon, his mother Simarak na Nakhon Panom said.

Yesterday's meeting appeared to be the first time Sivarak had met Thaksin whose visit, the second in about a month, is certain to further stoke tension between the neighbouring countries. It has also been confirmed yesterday that Thaksin had requested Sivarak's pardon in a phone call to Cambodian leader Hun Sen.

Amid speculation in Thailand that the Sivarak saga was a political manipulation to reboost his image, Thaksin was driven straight from the airport to Prey Sar prison. Some 300 special forces troops were deployed along the route of his motorcade and around the penitentiary's compound.

Thaksin was seen entering the facility's entrance and having a chat with Sivarak, who is due to be released today (December 14) on a royal pardon from Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni.

Sivarak's attorney Khieu Sambo said Thaksin met briefly with Sivarak, asking about his health and the names of those who ordered him to commit espionage.

Thaksin recently claimed the Thai government wanted his flight plan because it was plotting to use F-16 to attack his airplane.

Thaksin's stint in Phnom Penh last month as an economic adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his government has drawn strong protest from the Thai government, as Thaksin is running from a two-year jail term in Thailand for corruption and abuse of power.

His reappearance further puts Thai-Cambodian ties on the line as the Hun Sen government has rejected the Thai requests to extradite Thaksin promptly. According to their extradition treaty, Cambodia should forward the request to its courts for consideration.

Thailand protested by recalling its ambassador and Cambodia followed suit. Both countries later expelled first secretaries.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said Thaksin played a role in winning Sivarak's freedom by calling Cambodia's prime minister and asking for leniency, There is widespread suspicion in Thailand that the secret agent case was orchestrated to allow Thaksin to step in behind-the-scenes to secure Sivarak's royal pardon - a move that would promote Thaksin's image among his supporters back home and embarrass the Thai government, which has bitter relations with Hun Sen.

Sivarak's mother and Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, chairman of the Thaksin-linked opposition party in Thailand, submitted a written request for the pardon to Hun Sen, who forwarded it to the king, Khieu Kanharith said.

Thaksin spoke to Hun Sen by telephone to request the pardon, Khieu Kanharith claimed.

Thaksin is scheduled to be present today (December 14) at an informal ceremony at Hun Sen's residence to hand over Sivarak to his mother. He will conduct one or two economic workshops during his stay.

Acting Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayakorn said Bangkok would submit a new request for Thaksin's return.

"The Thai government will follow the same procedure as last time. When people wanted for crimes in this country travel to a neighbouring country we will ask them to detain them and request extradition," Panitan told reporters.

The foreign ministry is also considering whether to again appeal to the Cambodian government to send Thaksin, who is facing several charges in Thailand, back.


Read more!

Killing fields to harvest fields: AEF launches work in Cambodia

“God is opening a new door in Cambodia, transforming the killing fields into the glorious harvest fields for the Gospel,” declared Dr Jonathan James, the international director of AEF as he officially launched the new ministry of Asia Evangelistic Fellowship (AEF) Cambodia in Kampong Thom province, the one time home of the infamous Pol Pot, on December 5th 2009. Dr James, in his message, encouraged the Cambodian church to marvel at the providence and grace of God in that after prolonged years of unrest, war, genocide and instability, “Cambodia’s day has come”.

Nearly 120 national pastors and leaders attended the launch and commissioning service of the newly-elected board of AEF Cambodia with Dr Felipe Castro as national director and regional director for Indo-China and Pastor Khan Khon as chairman of the board of directors. Representatives from twenty churches in various districts pledged their support for the AEF vision of training nationals to reach nationals and joined the fellowship as its initial members.

Dr Felipe Castro shared that what Cambodia needs is culture-specific evangelism and discipleship strategies and AEF, an Asian mission with nearly 50 years of experience in Asia, founded by Asian evangelist, the late Dr G D James, has come to Cambodia at such a time as this for the undergirding and strengthening of the Cambodian Church. “AEF will assist village churches in training and mission development”, he added. In an earlier meeting, Dr Jonathan James and Dr Castro met with Rev Timothy Ith, the Principal of the Phnom Penh Bible College in Phnom Penh, the capital city. Rev. Ith warmly welcomed AEF’s presence into the nation and agreed to serve on the Advisory board of the local fellowship.

Outreach plans

Pastor Khon, the AEF Chairman said that AEF Cambodia hopes to train and appoint local workers to be placed in mission points in all the 14 provinces. After the initial business meeting of the board, the Secretary, Mr. Choun Kimyan shared the minutes of the meeting mentioning that the AEF Board has appointed a worker to reach out to the Kuoy tribal group, one of the unreached cultural minorities in the nation. Kimyam also shared that within a year; the board hopes to establish a training centre in Stung Treng, in the north east section of the country to train Indo-Chinese people for missions and evangelism from the surrounding regions. An annual Bible teaching conference will be organized to fall in place with the launch date of the fellowship in December.

Harvest

On the Sunday after the launch of AEF, the international director Jonathan James spoke at a special evangelistic outreach rally, organized by the Chairman, Pastor Khan on the grounds of a local Church in Kampong Thom. Some 200 people from the surrounding villages attended the rally and 20 people from Khmer and tribal backgrounds accepted the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior at the close of the meeting. There was much praise to God for the blessings of His word and local pastors shared that this is indeed another evidence of the great hunger for the Gospel in the land.

Prayers needed

AEF International and AEF Cambodia would like to solicit fervent prayers for the nation of Cambodia and for the Church to grow and mature in every way. Prayers are also appreciated for the vision and mission of AEF that it will be established in Cambodia for the glory of His name Read more!

Thaksin Cambodia trip upsets Thailand

Thailand's fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra has landed in Cambodia, setting the stage for another diplomatic fracas between the countries.

Thaksin, who was ousted in a coup in 2006, was escorted from a small private jet at Phnom Penh International Airport on Sunday into the capital by a convoy of cars under tight security, an AFP reporter said.

Thaksin's visit to Cambodia last month to take up a government economic advisory role caused a diplomatic row when Cambodian premier Hun Sen refused to extradite the tycoon to Thailand to serve a two-year jail term for corruption.

Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayakorn said on Sunday Bangkok would submit a new extradition request.

'The Thai government will follow the same procedure as last time. When people wanted for crimes in this country travel to a neighbouring country we will ask them to detain and request an extradition,' Panitan told reporters.

But Cambodian foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong told AFP that sending a further request 'is just a waste of time'.

'Cambodia's position on the issue will not change. We will not extradite or arrest Mr. Thaksin,' he said.

After his arrival, Thaksin went to Prey Sar prison for a brief visit with a Thai man jailed for spying on him last month.

Siwarak Chothipong, 31, is due to be released on Monday after Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni issued a pardon.

Thaksin is expected to attend an official ceremony following Siwarak's release to be held at Hun Sen's home along with members of Thailand's opposition party and Siwarak's mother.

Siwarak's mother was seen smiling outside the prison on Sunday after the meeting with Thaksin.

The air traffic control employee was sentenced to seven years in jail for supplying Thaksin's flight schedule to the Thai embassy.

During his trial last week, Siwarak denied stealing documents and told the court that although he had informed the embassy's first secretary by telephone of a flight arrival, he had not been aware that Thaksin was on board.

As a result of the case Cambodia expelled the first secretary to the Thai embassy and Thailand retaliated in kind.

Both countries had earlier withdrawn their ambassadors in the dispute over Thaksin's appointment as economic adviser.

Angered by Thaksin's presence in Cambodia, Thailand also put all talks and cooperation on hold and tore up an oil and gas exploration deal signed during Thaksin's tenure as prime minister.

Tensions were already high between the two countries following a series of deadly military clashes over disputed territory near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple on their border.

Billionaire telecoms mogul Thaksin is living abroad, mostly in Dubai, to avoid a two-year jail term for abuse of power handed down by a Thai court in absentia in September 2008.

Thaksin won two elections in Thailand and remains a massively influential political figure at home, stirring up mass protests by so-called 'Red Shirt' supporters against the current government.

Read more!

Germany donates $300,000 for typhoon victims in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Federal Republic of German has donated another 200,000 Euro (about 300,000 U.S. dollars) for typhoon Ketsana relief in Cambodia, bringing a total aid so far to428,920 Euro (some 643380 dollars).

The aid was aimed at supporting the victims of typhoon Ketsana who have lost their houses and suffer from food shortages due to the devastating tropical storm, according to a statement released by Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany seen on Saturday.

"The assistance will bridge humanitarian assistance provided earlier and will support efforts to reconstruct communal infrastructure in Ratanakiri Province. The affected population will also receive agricultural inputs in order to prepare for the next harvesting season," it said.

In October, Germany provided its immediate assistance to Cambodia for the same relief amounting 228,920 Euro (about 343380 dollars).

Earlier, the international aid agency Oxfam warned that a food crisis is looming in flood affected communities in Cambodia following typhoon Ketsana hitting this country in September.

Oxfam estimated that 100,000 people are affected by the floods and 15,000 households are in need of immediate food assistance.

Ratanakiri province is one of eight provinces in the central and northern Cambodia that were affected by flooding.
Read more!

Thaksin announces visits to three Asian countries

PERMISSION: The former Thai leader did not confirm his itinerary, though he will likely visit Cambodia. Thai authorities said they would again seek his extradition

AFP, BANGKOK


Fugitive former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced yesterday on his online Twitter page that he would make a week-long trip to visit three Asian countries.

His visit to Cambodia last month, to take up an economic advisory role with the government, caused a diplomatic row after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen refused to extradite Thaksin to Thailand to serve a two-year jail term for graft.

“I have asked permission to visit and exchange views with three leaders in Asia for seven to eight days,” Thaksin said on his Twitter page, giving no further details.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Friday responded to rumors that Thaksin was planning a return to Cambodia and said the government would probably submit another extradition request if he did so.

“If he enters our airspace we will try to arrest him because he is facing a jail term. We are likely to request for his extradition once again,” Abhisit told reporters.

On Friday, Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni pardoned Thai national Siwarak Chothipong, who had been sentenced to seven years in prison for spying on Thaksin during his visit to Phnom Penh.

The 31-year-old employee at the Cambodia Air Traffic Service will be released from prison on Monday, following his conviction on Tuesday for supplying Thaksin’s flight schedule to the Thai embassy.

The pardon drew immediate praise from the Thai government, which also called the case politically motivated.

Read more!

3RD LD: Cambodia's king pardons Thai engineer convicted of spying+

Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni on Friday pardoned a Thai man who was earlier this week imprisoned after being convicting on a spying charge, a government spokesman told Kyodo News.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said the king granted the royal pardon to 31-year-old Siwarak Chothipong at the request of his family and lawyers.

Siwarak, who was sentenced to seven years in prison on Tuesday, will be personally handed over to his mother by Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen at a ceremony Monday to be witnessed by representatives of Thailand's opposition Pheu Thai Party, he said.

Siwarak, an engineer at Thai-owned contractor Cambodia Air Traffic Services Co., which supervises air services in Cambodia, was arrested on Nov. 11, one day after ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's arrived in Phnom Penh by private jet at Hun Sen's invitation.

Siwarak was charged with collecting information on the flight schedule of Thaksin, regarded by the Thai government as a fugitive from justice, and passing it on to a diplomat at the Thai Embassy.

After confirming Thaksin's presence in Cambodia, the Thai government formally requested his extradition. The Cambodian government refused to on grounds that's Thaksin's corruption convictions were politically motivated.

Former Thai Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, a leader of the pro- Thaksin Pheu Thai Party, is expected to attend the handover ceremony. Sources who asked not to be named suggested Thaksin himself might also take part in the event.

In Bangkok, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva later Friday welcomed the move, but said the Thai government regards the issue as separate from the ongoing row between the two countries.

Cambodia's relations with the Thai government, already tense due a border dispute that flared up last year, further deteriorated early last month with the appointment of Thaksin as personal advisor to Hun Sen as well as an economic advisor to the Cambodian government.

Thailand subsequently recalled its ambassador from Phnom Penh in protest and has since been reviewing bilateral agreements and commitments signed between the two countries.

Thaksin, who Hun Sen regards as a good friend, was ousted from the premiership in 2006 in a bloodless coup. He fled Thailand in August last year shortly before a court sentenced him to two years in jail for breaking a conflict of interest law while he was in power.


Read more!

Khmer Rouge victims seek new voice

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Victims of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia are seeking a new voice in the U.N. tribunal dealing with alleged atrocities of their day, observers say.

Five former Khmer Rouge leaders were charged with crimes against humanity are being tried in Phnom Penh.

Victims were allowed to take part in the first trial but they complained the court showed little interest in their testimony. They want more input as the second trial is about to begin, the BBC said.

The Khmer Rouge was a Maoist regime that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, founded and led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998. It abolished religion, schools and currency in a bid to create an agrarian utopia.

Read more!

Canada drops to 63rd in number of UN peacekeepers: report

Canada has dropped to 63rd place on the list of nations contributing troops to United Nations missions, just behind Cambodia, according to a new report.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives report points out that, contrary to claims often heard in Canada that UN peacekeeping is dead, the demand for such troops has actually grown in recent years. As of September, there were 83,853 UN peacekeeping soldiers participating in 15 operations around the world.

The study points out that Canada was contributing just 55 military personnel at that time, while Cambodia contributed 58. Romania was right behind Canada, at 52.

At times in the 1990s, there were more than 3,000 Canadian troops assigned to UN missions.

“There has been a real decision by Canada to abandon peacekeeping, certainly in the military and government,” said the report’s author, Bill Robinson. “Peacekeeping, however, didn’t go away.”

He said senior Canadian military leaders and members of the defence lobby have been successful in convincing Canadians that “peacekeeping is dead.”

“What they haven’t been successful at is convincing Canadians that peacekeeping has no value,” said Robinson, who works as a researcher with the Ottawa-based Rideau Institute. That organization supports Canada’s return to United Nations peacekeeping operations.

“Canadians take pride in peacekeeping and want to get back to it,” he said.

In September, the government released the results of a public-opinion poll conducted for National Defence in which half of those Canadians surveyed said they wanted their soldiers to return to a “peacekeeping-only” role.

The Ipsos-Reid poll, done in March 2008, noted there was “a small, but statistically significant increase” in the number of people who supported a peacekeeping-only international mission for Canadian soldiers.

Military officers and soldiers, however, prefer combat-oriented operations, such as those in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Italy has expanded its contribution to UN peacekeeping, assigning 2,500 troops to missions, Robinson said. China, which had no peacekeepers assigned to the UN in 1990, now has 2,000 personnel operating on such missions.

“This is about national interest as much as it is about global security,” Robinson said.

Some missions are traditional peacekeeping operations, where soldiers separate two warring sides. Other missions require more robust military action on the part of the UN and the world organization has had mixed success in some of those, he said.

“There has been some successes, but that could be improved with more highly trained soldiers,” Robinson said.

The report also noted the significant increase that Canadian governments have made in defence spending. Canada is the 13th-largest military spender in the world in terms of actual dollars spent.

It is also the sixth-largest military spender among the 28 countries in NATO. It trails the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, all of which have much larger populations and economies, the report noted.

Before the mid-1990s, Canada was consistently among the top 10 contributors to UN peacekeeping missions. Read more!

Sivarak pardon plans hit snag

The Puea Thai Party has postponed its plans to seek a pardon for Thai engineer Sivarak Chutipong and is considering other ways to approach Cambodian authorities.

Originally it had decided to send a team of lawyers to Phnom Penh on Monday to present letters to Cambodian officials pleading for a pardon for the Thai man convicted of spying and sentenced to seven years in jail.

But the plan was cancelled at the request of Sivarak's mother, Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, who raised concerns about how long it would take. Mrs Simarak is a teacher and has not been granted leave of absence by the Education Ministry, Puea Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit said.

It was then decided the letters appealing to Cambodian King Sihamoni via Prime Minister Hun Sen would be formally handed to the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok today.

But late last night, Puea Thai told the media via SMS it was cancelling the plan.

A Puea Thai source said there had been a coordination problem with the Cambodian representatives. He gave no explanation, saying only the request would have to be postponed.

Three copies of the letter were to have been handed over, one signed by party chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, one by the party's MPs, and another by Mrs Simarak.

The engineer's mother has remained in Phnom Penh and was hoping to return home with her son if a pardon was granted, the source said.

Puea Thai lawyers will go to the Education Ministry today to submit a letter on behalf of Mrs Simarak, a teacher at Nakhon Ratchasima Technical College, seeking special leave to help her son.

Sivarak, a 31-year-old engineer with Thai-owned Cambodia Air Traffic Services, was sentenced on Tuesday to seven years in jail and fined 10 million riel (100,000 baht) for stealing information about former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's flight plans to Cambodia and giving them to a Thai diplomat based in Phnom Penh.

Mr Prompong said Mrs Simarak wanted Puea Thai to help her son because she believed the party had good relations with Cambodia.

"This is neither a publicity stunt nor a move to steal the show," Mr Prompong said.

He said Thaksin, as an economic adviser to the Cambodian government and a personal adviser to Hun Sen, had also spoken to the Cambodian leader in a bid to help Sivarak.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the government was ready to support any pardon attempt for Sivarak.

He said it was understandable that Sivarak's mother and his family members chose to opt for the best course of action to obtain his freedom.

Mr Abhisit did not reject speculation Sivarak could be given his freedom soon after the request was submitted.

"That's possible. This issue has long been speculated," he said. "Those who have followed the developments from the beginning should know the reasons behind them."

Democrat Party spokesman Thepthai Senpong said: "I'm surprised by Mrs Simarak's decision to help her son without asking for the Foreign Ministry's assistance, because this is not in line with international practice.

"I wonder if Thaksin, Gen Chavalit and Hun Sen have more prominent roles than the Cambodian king."

Noppadon Pattama, Thaksin's legal adviser, said he had discussed Sivarak's conviction with Thaksin and what steps should be taken to help him. Read more!

Thai soldiers again accused of shooting dead Cambodian logger

Phnom Penh - Thai troops shot dead a Cambodian man who crossed into Thailand to fell trees illegally, local media reported Friday. Phlok Lai, 55, is the third Cambodian national to be shot and killed by Thai troops in the past three months.

District police chief Keo Tann said another man in the group of 10 was seriously injured while a third is missing after the incident late Tuesday. The remaining seven made it back safely to Cambodia.

"The Thai officers at the border said they would find the missing man if we ordered people to refrain from going to Thailand to log illegally," Keo Tann told the Phnom Penh Post newspaper.

Earlier this month a Cambodian man was shot dead by Thai soldiers while illegally logging inside Thailand. In the most notorious case Thai soldiers were accused of shooting and then burning alive a 16-year-old Cambodian youth in September. Thailand denied the youth was burned alive.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong described the Thai soldiers' behaviour as "very cruel."

"In previous years the Thai military would just arrest our people who were illegally crossing the border and sentence them to jail," he said. "But now they are shooting our people."

Earlier this week the Cambodian government warned its citizens living along the 800-kilometre long border, much of which has yet to be officially demarcated, to avoid crossing the border into Thailand.

The shootings come at a time of heightened tensions between the two nations. Both withdrew their ambassadors last month after Cambodia appointed Thailand's fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra as an adviser to the Cambodian government.

Cambodia and Thailand also have a long-standing dispute over the land surrounding the ancient Preah Vihear temple in northern Cambodia. Over the past 18 months clashes between troops at Preah Vihear have cost the lives of at least seven soldiers.
Read more!

Cambodia faces worrying human rights trends: UN

PHNOM PENH (AFP) – Rising land disputes and crackdowns on government critics are "worrying trends" in Cambodia, a UN representative said Thursday in a speech marking international human rights day.

Christophe Peschoux, head of the UN's office of the high commissioner for human rights in Cambodia, said there had been some improvement in human rights but urged the government to behave in a "tolerant manner" towards the issue.

"We have also observed some worrying trends in recent years," he said in his speech at a rally where thousands of people gathered to mark international human rights day.

He mentioned people being forcibly evicted from their property in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh as well as ethnic minorities who have been robbed of their land in northeastern areas of the country.

"As land has become a new source of wealth, they (minority people) are being dispossessed of their lands," Peschoux said.

"And day after day villagers are robbed of their land by powerful economic interests, often with the support of the authorities," he added.

The Cambodian government has faced mounting criticism for a spate of forced evictions throughout the country over the past few years at the hands of army and police.

The Cambodian administration has also been heavily criticised by rights groups over the past year for launching a number of defamation and disinformation lawsuits against critics and opposition members.

Peschoux's speech also criticised recent crackdowns on government critics who have been sentenced to jail or fined for their comments.

"In a tolerant political environment, differences of opinion should not be dealt with through threats, intimidation or criminal action, but through public debate," he said.

In a joint statement marking international human rights day, 18 local rights groups also called on the government to open more space for the freedom of expression and to stop forced evictions around the country.
Read more!

MIGRATION-US: No Second Chance for Troubled Youth

By Ngoc Nguyen*


SAN FRANCISCO, May 28 (IPS) - Kew Chea's college graduation party was also to celebrate the release of her older brother from prison.

"I had made music and a slideshow, and I invited everybody," recalled Chea. "Two months before the party and release, we found out he would be deported. My family had no clue what deportation was at the time."

Chea's family had fled Cambodia as political refugees in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge regime. She was not yet one, and her brother was four when they arrived in the United States in 1981.

As U.S. legislators discuss the latest immigration proposal, called the STRIVE Act, immigrants rights advocates are closely considering the proposed bill's impact on family reunification policies. However, immigration policies enacted in 1996 which have led to the imminent deportation of thousands of Southeast Asians are not addressed in the bill.

Chea's brother's story is similar to that of many refugee children adjusting to life in a new country.

Their parents opened a convenience store and worked long hours to support the family, but had little time to watch over them. He got caught up with bad friends and landed himself in some trouble. When he turned 18, Chea's brother, along with four friends, were arrested for a crime they committed while still juveniles.

Due to bad legal advice, he was tried as an adult. His friends were sentenced to two to three years in the California Youth Authority, while he received triple the sentence in the state penitentiary.

His family believed that after he served his time, he would eventually return home as a free man. But, in 1996, immigration laws took effect that allowed non-citizens who were convicted of crimes labeled as "aggravated felonies" to be deported.

"My brother had a Green Card [residency permit], and we were political refugees escaping a country the United States recognised as a country of persecution...and they embraced us as part of their resettlement programme, so it was unbelievable to us that they would send us back to this very country that they knew we were escaping from," she said.

Previously, permanent residents convicted of a crime and facing deportation would be entitled to a fair hearing before a judge. In 1990, the aggravated felony category was created, and the law said those convicted of such crimes and who served five years in prison would not be allowed to have a hearing. The 1996 law lowered the bar even further, according to Joren Lyons, a staff attorney with Asian Law Caucus.

"Let's say I steal a computer. I'm convicted of misdemeanor theft, given a suspended one-year jail sentence, ordered to serve 30 days in jail, and the rest of my jail sentence is suspended," he said. "From a criminal standpoint, I only have to serve 30 days in jail, but from an immigration standpoint, I have now become an aggravated felon."

Lyons said, in these cases, the judge does not have to weigh extenuating circumstances.

"Regardless of how long how long I've lived in the U.S., whether I'm married to U.S. citizen, have U.S. citizen children, have a good work history, no prior criminal history - none of these things matter. The only thing I can discuss with the immigration judge is whether I'm likely to be severely harmed in the country that the U.S. government is going to deport me to. I can't talk about whether I'm sorry for what I did, apologise to the computer owner or pay restitution, none of that matters," he said.

And the law applies retroactively, taking into account criminal convictions before 1996, even if the sentences have already been served in full.

Chea says her brother was picked up by immigration officials upon his release from prison and shipped to Arizona, even though there were detention facilities nearby.

"For the next three years, they told us that my brother would be deported in the next month, they told us this for 36 months. Each day my brother started to lose hope. He started thinking he might spend the rest of his life in detention," said Chea.

She described situations her brother encountered while under detention: "It seemed like so many times they had forgotten about him. They didn't know who he was. His identity was mistaken twice. He was picked him up from a detention centre in Los Angeles, and they flew him out to North Carolina and then to Texas saying he would be deported to Cambodia in the next couple of days."

"They prepared him for it, and two hours before his flight to Cambodia, they woke him up in the middle of the night...the day before Thanksgiving, and said 'sorry, we have the wrong guy' and this is three states later," she said.

In 2001, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a non-citizen who is ordered deported could not be detained beyond 180 days if his or her home country does not accept deportees. Lyons says the Strive Act has a provision that allows for indefinite detention.

"This bill would authorise the Department of Homeland Security to keep people in indefinite detention under certain circumstances," said Lyons. "What's disturbing about this is that these are people who have served full sentence for criminal conviction, but held under civil detention for years and years and years...because of a political dispute between their country of birth or citizenship and the U.S."

When Chea's brother signed his deportation order, the U.S. had no repatriation agreement with Cambodia. Several months later, however, in 2002, the countries signed one. Currently, 14-hundred Cambodian Americans are under deportation order. One hundred and twenty-six have already been deported, including Chea's brother who was deported in August of 2004.

She has visited her brother twice in Cambodia and says the law affects deportees and their children, spouses and parents in the United States.

"There are few that have jobs, those with college degrees can't find jobs, it's a struggling country...a lot of guys have the stigma, U.S. has kicked back, nobody wants them, U.S. threatened economic aid and travel visas," said Chea.

"The Cambodian government doesn't want them, the civilians are afraid of them, it's really hard for them to survive. A lot of guys who were sent back are breadwinners - they supported mothers, fathers, and wives and children. When they're deported, their wives pick up the work, often times working two jobs, raising their children, taking care of parents and sending money back to Cambodia to make sure their husbands survive in Cambodia."

Immigrants' rights advocates, like Chea, want due process restored in deportation cases and re-entry for those who have already been deported. As a public interest attorney, she says she still has faith in the legal system, but she says it has robbed her of her innocence and her brother of his life.

"My brother made a mistake as a kid, but he never had a second chance and he tried to prove it in so many ways that he was a changed individual and ready to start his life again and yet they never gave him the opportunity," said Chea.

"No judge heard his situation, nobody knew what his circumstances were. They didn't think about the fact that he came here when he was four years sold, he doesn't speak Cambodian, doesn't know what a Cambode even looks like. He has no memory and in every sense of the way, aside from the way he looks and the fact he was born in Cambodia, he's not Cambodian, he's an American...and everything he knows is American culture that he's been raised under. What we've created is an American kid and they sent him back.."

*This article is part one of a two-part series on the impact of U.S. deportation policies on the South Asian immigrant community. Part two appears on May 29. (END/2007)
Read more!

Thousands in Capital March for Rights

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh


Some 5,000 human rights activists and supporters marched through Phnom Penh on Wednesday, as Cambodia marked International Human Rights Day.

The group marched from Wat Phnom in the north of the city, to the central Wat Botum Vadei. City and police officials allowed the march, the largest such gathering since national political campaigning in July 2008. No incidents were reported.

“We still have concerns about serious rights violence related to the slow pace of judiciary reform and continued impunity,” Thun Saray, president of the rights group Adhoc, told the marchers.

Land grabs, forced evictions and threats to human rights advocates and government critics remained problems, he said, while freedom of expression was under threat.

Human trafficking remains a concern, he said, as well as the theft of ethnic minority land in Ratanakkiri province by “powerful men conspiring with companies.”

The march came the same week that 1,700 families were evicted from land in Kampong Thom province, in a three-year land dispute with a Vietnamese rubber plantation. Seven people were jailed after villagers torched three bulldozers and a company generator in protest of an eviction order.

Rights advocates also pointed to recent attacks on the opposition and other government critics, citing criminal cases and the suspension of parliamentary immunity for three Sam Rainsy Party lawmakers, including the opposition leader himself.

Of concern, too, was the sentencing of Hang Chakra, an opposition newspaper editor, to a year in jail after he published articles alleging corruption in the powerful Council of Ministers.

“You can be sure that you are not alone here today,” the European Commission Charge d’Affaire, Rafael Dochao Moreno, told participants Thursday. “You have all Europeans with you.”

The EU has 20 human rights projects in Cambodia, he said, but added, “We are not here to solve your problems. We are here to facilitate dialogues between the government and civil society.”

The EU announced Wednesday a donation of $1.3 million for human rights projects in Cambodia.

Read more!

Asian political parties exchange views on "social market economy"

SIEM REAP, Cambodia, Cambodia, co-chaired with Pakistan, on Thursday, a two-day seminar on "social market economy" with the participation of 16 representatives of Asian political parties aimed at exchanging views and experience to find a suitable policy, which could be applied for their own national strategy.

Yos Son, Chairman of the Commission for International Affairs of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), said at the opening session that the participating political parties, many of them the ruling parties, can share their experience in contribution to the establishment of an "Asian Community," according to the Press and Quick Reaction Unit of the Office of the Council of Ministers.

"We are hoping that this Community would become one-family in which all members will obtain peace, security, stability, prosperity and sustainable development," Yos Son addressed in the meeting, which was held in Siem Reap, the location of world famous Angkor Wat temples.

He also said that "the leaders of the CPP have highly valued the key role of the social market economic system, which guaranteed the balance between the free market economy and the social security system."

"The CPP has acquired a number of great experience from the implementation of its economic policy along the line of free market economic system," he said.

Cambodia's growth hit double digits between 2005 and 2007 thanks to the government's policy of free market economy, which brought along the multi-billion foreign direct investment (FDI).

Cambodia's officials have said, despite the global downturn since mid-2008, the impact on its economy was not much, given the country's key sector of agriculture and tourism are in good shape.

Some participants praised Cambodia's efforts to overcome the financial crisis. The representatives attending the seminar were from Pakistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia and Bangladesh and etc.

This seminar will be concluded on Friday with the keynote remarks by Sok An, deputy prime minister, member of the Standing Committee of the CPP and also Vice-President of CDI (Centrist Democrat International)- Asia Pacific since 2006.

Read more!