Good times roll on for developers

By Sebastian Strangio and Meas Sokchea

Cambodia’s construction boom is set to continue through 2008 but the industry could be vulnerable to fluctuations in global commodity prices and at some point the new building supply could outpace demand, industry insiders warn.

Economic growth has been boosted in recent years by a flurry of urban construction fueled by foreign investment, especially from China and South Korea.

“The construction sector contributes a lot to people’s welfare – both for industry specialists and for unskilled workers,” said Kang Chandararot, head of the economics unit at the Cambodia Institute of Development Study (CIDS), a local research institute.

CIDS estimates that construction now contributes about 7-8 percent a year to the country’s GDP.

“The main factor that has fueled the construction boom is the expectation of future development,” said Chandararot. “This expectation … is helped by political stability and by the fact that the government wants to promote economic development.”

The Cambodian economy has grown an average of 9.5 percent each year since 2000 and is expected to continue growing at about seven percent until the end of 2009, the International Monetary Fund’s resident representative, John Nelmes, announced at an economic outlook conference in February.

Sung Bonna, president and CEO of Bonna Realty Group, is confident that the upward trends will continue. “Once we have nice, modern constructions more tourists and investors will come to visit or invest in Cambodia,” he said.

“In addition, unskilled workers are earning a full day’s wage on construction sites,” further fueling economic growth.

Im Chhun Lim, Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, said at the launch of the Gold Tower 42 project in January this year that the government had received building applications worth over $1.5 billion in the first nine months of 2007.

The minister on March 25 also announced plans to introduce licensing for land brokers in an attempt to harness more of the economic benefits of the boom. Land transference and business taxes brought in approximately $21 million in revenue in 2007.

But inflation topped 10.8 percent in December last year and some analysts fear that rising oil prices – already at record highs – could put a dent in Cambodia’s construction industry.

“Now that we have stability, the people need places to live, to work, to do business,” said Chandararot. “But the high price of oil will have a very negative impact on Cambodia, especially on the construction sector. The cost of investing in [construction] has grown and grown and this has reduced the capability of investors to finance and finish construction projects.”

Even if projects are completed as planned, rising housing costs have the potential to drive buyers out of the market.

Eng Chhay Eang, Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian and former deputy president of the National Authority for Resolving Land Issues, said the high-flying property market is good for Cambodia’s economy but warned that if demand for new housing outstrips supply, there may be problems in the construction sector.

“Construction is advantageous when it offers jobs for workers but it can be a disadvantage when the construction is superfluous,” said Eang.

“Investors could face losses if there is no one to buy or rent the new buildings,” he added.

Chandararot said: “It is clear that there is a need for construction but the issue is the demand, and whether need can be translated into demand or not has to do with future income … and many future buyers may also have a lot of financial difficulties of their own because of rising costs.”

Some of the potential economic benefit of Cambodia’s construction boom is not transferred locally because some large-scale residential projects in Phnom Penh are being developed and built by foreign firms.

Korean developer Yon Woo Cambodia Co., Ltd, which is building the $240-million Gold Tower 42 building at the corner of Monivong and Sihanouk Blvds, has brought in Hanileng Construction of South Korea to handle construction.

New Central City Plaza, an integrated development comprising housing, entertainment and shopping facilities on Russian Federation Blvd, is being developed by the Indonesian Lipo Politan Corporation and will be built by an unnamed Indonesian contractor, according to Lipo Politan spokesperson Mach Forng.

Nhem Sothea, marketing manager of Grand Phnom Penh International City, a joint venture development between Indonesian firm Cinputra and RCAF General Ke Kim Yan, would not disclose Cinputra’s contractors. He said there were “several” companies involved and all are Cambodian.

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Vietnam enterprises join Cambodia’s Telecom Expo

Nhan Dan - Vietnamese companies are participating in the 4th Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) of Cambodia World Expo which opened on April 4.

These include the Vietnam Post and Telecommunication (VNPT) and the Army Telecommunication Corporation (Viettel),

The event is jointly organised by the National Information Communications Technology Development Authority (NiDA) of Cambodia and the International Data Group World Expo Vietnam.

The expo attracted the participation of more than 40 companies from Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, the European Union, and Vietnam.

The exhibition, which lasts till April 6, is the largest telecommunications and information technology expo held annually in Cambodia.

During the event, there are also conferences to introduce and seek for solutions to promote ICT in Cambodia as well as and promote ICT co-operation between regional countries.
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Cambodia strongly opposes any disturbing activities against 2008 Olympics

PHNOM PENH, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia strongly opposes any attempts and actions aiming to interrupt the Olympic Games to be held in Beijing, said Prime Minister Hun Sen on Saturday at a road construction ceremony in Preah Vihear province.

The Olympic Games is sports event only, but why do some people never stop to make the problems, Hun Sen asked.

"I once ordered Minister of Interior to stop a ceremony that some people planned in Phnom Penh against the Olympic Games," he added.

According to official sources, Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni has accepted the invitation from China to attend the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The Cambodian government earlier established a 10-member delegation to participate in the Beijing Games.

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Thaksin in Cambodia to play golf with Hun Sen

PHNOM PENH, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrive in Cambodia on Saturday afternoon, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Saturday.

"Tomorrow morning we will play golf together in Siem Reap province," Hun Sen said at a road construction ceremony in Preah Vihear province next to Thai border.

"I also seem to have a bit of fever. I worried that tomorrow I could not hold the golf club to play with Thaksin," he joked.

"We contacted each other by phone regularly after he was deposed," Hun Sen said previously, adding that they are friends. Read more!

UN Says Markets Crucial to Climate Pact

By Michael Casey

BANGKOK, Thailand -
Back in the late 1990s, Henry Derwent had the unenviable job of selling a British government proposal that markets be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The idea was to create a system in which energy-intensive companies would buy and sell pollution permits, giving them a financial incentive to cut their carbon dioxide emissions.

It was a tough sell. Environmentalists condemned it as morally reprehensible and business leaders said it was bad economics. Even an investment bank refused to take part because it would sully its reputation.

But these days, Derwent is feeling vindicated.

The British set up a carbon trading market in 2002, followed by the European Union in 2005. New Zealand's system is expected later this year. The United States plans a regional greenhouse gas initiative in the nine Northeast states by 2009, and Australia wants a national system by 2010. All global warming bills in the U.S. Congress include a federal cap-and-trade mechanism.

While many people still oppose emissions trading over concerns that it would allow companies to keep polluting, most environmentalists and European governments now view the practice as the easiest and most comprehensive way to regulate industrial emissions.

"You are using profit motive to achieve a public good, and this is just brilliant," Derwent, now head of the International Emissions Trading Association, said on the sidelines of this week's U.N. climate change conference in Thailand.

The carbon market is getting a boost in negotiations this week in Bangkok to piece together a new global warming pact aimed at keeping temperatures from rising so high they trigger an environmental disaster. Negotiators have until late 2009 to complete work on an agreement to take effect when the Kyoto Protocol runs out at the end of 2012.

Emissions trading is seen by many as the glue that will hold the system together by reducing greenhouse gas production while generating funds to develop clean technology and help poor countries adapt to environmental changes such as rising sea-levels.

"A functioning carbon market will be critical to a successful agreement," U.N. climate chief Yvo de Boer told The Associated Press ahead of the Bangkok meeting.

A carbon trading market - or "cap-and-trade" system - works much like any commodities market except that traders make their fees selling a ton of carbon dioxide instead of corn or copper.

Countries that agree to reduction targets are given permits for an amount of allowable carbon dioxide emissions, and the permits are passed onto businesses. Companies can choose to cut their emissions by retrofitting a factory and selling their permits for a profit - or continuing to pollute and buy additional units of carbon dioxide on the open market.

Under the 1997 Kyoto pact, countries also can earn credits by investing in environmentally friendly projects in developing countries.

A major attraction of carbon markets is their ability to generate money to be put toward cutting emissions and helping countries adapt to the effects of climate change.

The World Bank predicts that by 2030, it will cost between $28 billion and $67 billion annually to relocate villages, build sea walls and help farmers adapt to the worsening weather.

But carbon trading has plenty of critics, many of whom argue that it does little or nothing to actually cut greenhouse gases. The EU system, for example, has had a minimal impact on emissions in its first two years.

The system has also been criticized for leaving out sectors like transport and focusing on less profitable companies like cement or chemical producers that must cut output or make major investments to reduce emissions.

Other critics, like research fellows Benjamin Sovacool and Toby Carroll at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, say market solutions increase poor nations' dependence on the industrialized world for such things as clean technology, allow industries to keep polluting, and fail to change consumer consumption patterns.

"Until people consciously realize the situation that the world is in and change their own patterns of behavior, you can't change anything," Carroll said. "One of the reason carbon trading is so acceptable to the powers-that-be is that it doesn't substantially impact on existing operations."

Carroll and others argue that a more effective way to cut emissions would be a pollution tax.

While supporters agree that carbon markets alone cannot reduce emissions, they insist they can change behavior. They noted that the European system has resulted in a number of coal plants being mothballed and they predict they will spur investment in expensive but clean technologies like solar energy and carbon sequestration and storage in which carbon dioxide is stored underground.

"The point of the market is to find the most efficient way to reduce emissions," said Greenpeace's Bill Hare, who supports the market but admits he has concerns about the lack of regulations.

"The tighter the cap, the higher you will see carbon prices and the more incentive to switch to investments to lower emitting technology and practices," he said.

Also, carbon trading will generate money to meet funding needs of developing nations, proponents say.

"There is certainly reason to be optimistic," said Miles Austin, head of European regulatory affairs for the carbon trading firm EcoSecurities. But he also said much of the future growth depends on a new climate pact that includes binding emissions reduction targets.

"The growth will begin to tail off by the end of the year if there isn't increased clarity about what will happen post-2012," when the Kyoto protocol expires, he said.

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ICT and Telecommunications World Expo 2008 launched in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia ICT and Telecommunications World Expo 2008 with the theme "Enable You One Step Ahead" was launched at the Mondial Center in Phnom Penh on Friday, expected to draw up to 50,000 visitors.

This international exhibition and conference is held by National ICT Development Authority of Cambodia (NiDA) and International Data Group (IDG Indochina) annually since 2005, a press release said.

This year, the event attracts the participation of more than 30international and local companies, showcasing the latest computer, cell phone and satellite technology, it said.

The Expo is organized to speedup the country's ICT industry development by calling government sectors, companies, and individual specialists to share their experiences, local and international companies showcase the latest ICT products, services and technologies during the three-day event, it added.

"ICT industry is developing rapidly from period to period leading Cambodia ICT and Telecommunications World Expo to play an important role in gathering local and international ICT companies to display their hottest products and services in order to meet the demand for government, private sectors, SMEs and education," said So Khun, Minister of Posts and Telecommunications of Cambodia.

By the end of 2007, there were 15,950 internet subscribers in Cambodia, compared to about 6,000 subs in 2000, according to official statistics.

In addition, mobile phone market in Cambodia is booming with 2,275,000 subscribers at the end of 2007.
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CityLink Selects Redline's RedMAX Solution for WiMAX Network in Cambodia

By Arun Satapathy

CityLink, a Cambodian Internet service provider, has chosen Redline's WiMAX Forum Certified RedMAX products for use in its multi-city network.
“To meet growing demand for broadband services throughout Cambodia, CityLink required a WiMAX solution that could support a high capacity of users while enabling us to deliver the service packages that meet our customers' needs,” said Rotha Chhay, CEO at CityLink, in a statement.

Chhay continued: “Redline's true open WiMAX (News - Alert) system, with its ease of installation, enabled us to quickly and cost-effectively integrate RedMAX with our existing wired network and immediately offer WiMAX services to our subscribers.”

CityLink has already initiated its two-city, phased deployment in Cambodia's capital city of Phnom Penh and is currently serving hundreds of business and residential subscribers.
The Internet service provider allows its WiMAX subscribers to choose from a variety of service packages, including WiMAX@Night, WiMAX@Home and WiMAX Unlimited.

CityLink also plans to extend its RedMAX network to the tourist city of Siem Reap, a popular tourist destination. The company expects to significantly increase its subscriber base by expanding its network to ten additional cities next year.

CityLink is one of the most recent service providers in Asia to adopt WiMAX technologies as way of expanding its communications network. The CityLink deployment is being managed by ECOMM Tech, a systems integrator and Redline Certified Silver Partner.

“Redline has helped carriers around the world to install and deploy reliable, profitable WiMAX networks to deliver the advanced services its customers need,” said Kevin Suitor, vice president of marketing and business development at Redline Communications (News - Alert) Group, in a statement.

Suitor continued: “There are now more than 150 deployments of our WiMAX Forum Certified RedMAX products worldwide, 49 of which are revenue-generating commercial networks. Working with ECOMM Tech, CityLink has planned a professional WiMAX network that we expect will generate a rapid return on investment.”

Benjamin Fang, Business Manager, ECOMM Tech, added: “Redline's RedMAX WiMAX offering have proven to be a cost-effective and reliable solution for expanding and enhancing communications networks. CityLink’s well-planned WiMAX strategy will enable its customers to benefit from true broadband access.”

Redline’s RedMAX Base Station (AN-100U) supports voice, video, and prioritized data traffic, enabling long-range, high-capacity wireless broadband networks. The company’s WiMAX products also include the RedMAX Indoor Subscriber Unit (SU-I) and Outdoor Subscriber Unit (SU-O), both designed for enterprise and residential services.

The RedMAX 4C, which operates in the 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz spectrum bands, is designed to conform to 802.16e Certification Wave 2 requirements.

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Former hunters help save rare birds in Cambodia: report

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — One-time hunters recruited to a conservation project have helped threatened bird populations in Cambodia's Great Lake recover, according to a report Friday.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) report said populations of some of the bird species had increased 20-fold since the project began in 2001 at Tonle Sap Lake, known as the Great Lake.

The project by the WCS and Cambodia's environment ministry employed about 30 former hunters and egg collectors as park rangers tasked with providing 24-hour protection for breeding colonies, the report said.

The plan was to boost the populations of the spot-billed pelican, milky stork, painted stork, lesser adjutant, greater adjutant, black-headed ibis and the Oriental darter.

The waterbird colonies were first discovered in the mid-1990s. At the time, the birds were threatened with extinction because of villagers' rampant harvesting of eggs and chicks, the report said.

"When first discovered, the colonies were heavily threatened by annual harvesting of the eggs and chicks by nearby villagers, mainly for trade and local consumption," the report said.

But the populations of the birds have increased from a total of 2,500 breeding pairs in 2001 to more than 10,000 pairs in 2007.

The colonies include the largest, and in some cases, the only breeding populations for the waterbirds in Southeast Asia, according to the report.

Tonle Sap lake is Southeast Asia's largest freshwater reservoir, which can expand to 12,000 square kilometres at the peak of the rainy season and recedes to about 3,000 square kilometres in the dry season.

The lake is rich in biodiversity and offers a breeding place for many species of birds and fish.
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Cambodia launches first satellite TV network

PHNOM PENH, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The national Television of Kampuchea (TVK) and the Cambodian DTV Network Limited (CDN), a branch of the Shin Satellite Company from Thailand, here on Thursday launched Techo-DTV, the first satellite TV network of Cambodia.

"From now on, people in all the corners of Cambodia will be able to watch all programs of our TV networks easily through this satellite TV network," said Khieu Kahnarith, Cambodian government spokesman and Minister of Information.

People who live at all kinds of geographical locations will be able to watch TV programs through this satellite TV service, he said.

The Cambodia National Election Committee (NEC) will be able to use this satellite TV network to educate people about election process for the general election in July, he added.

Kem Kunnawadh, director general of TVK, said that Techo-DTV is the country's first satellite television network service that can provide Direct-to-Home (DTH) television programs to every household in the kingdom.

The viewers will enjoy watching all local Khmer channels and some foreign channels, he said, adding that people can also subscribe to pay TV service in the near future.

Dumrong Kasemset, Chief of Executive for the Shin Satellite Company, said that the main benefit of Techo-DTV service includes digital quality of picture and sound similar to that of DVD and convenience to install at every location of houses and buildings.

The DTV service sells 75 U.S. dollars with satellite dish and antenna.

Urban Cambodian people can now access cable TV networks, while about 20 percent of the 14 million population in remote places can't access TV service. Satellite TV will be their solution if they can afford it.
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Rare Water Birds Recovering in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The populations of seven species of rare water birds have recovered significantly in Cambodia's Tonle Sap lake due to a program that employs former hunters as park rangers, conservationists said Thursday.

A report by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society found the populations have increased by as much as 20 times for some of the species since 2001, when the program started.
The findings mark a "success story" in efforts to protect the bird colonies from poachers, said Noeu Bonheur, the Cambodian Environment Ministry's deputy director of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve.

"It is definitely exciting news that we should be proud of," he said.

His office and the WCS have worked together for several years on a conservation project at Prek Toal, a flooded region on the northwestern edge of the Tonle Sap.

The lake is Southeast Asia's largest freshwater reservoir, which can expand to 12,000 square kilometers (4,630 square miles) at the peak of the rainy season and recede to about 3,000 square kilometers (1,160 square miles) in the dry season. It is rich in biodiversity and provides a breeding ground for many species of birds and fish.

The WCS report, released earlier this week, said the Prek Toal bird colonies hold the largest — and in some cases the only — breeding populations in Southeast Asia of the seven globally threatened large water bird species.

The species are the spot-billed pelican, milky stork, painted stork, lesser adjutant, greater adjutant, black-headed ibis and the Oriental darter. There were over 20,000 birds in 2007, compared to 5,000 in 2001, the report said.

All seven species are listed as "threatened or near-threatened" by the World Conservation Union, Tom Clements, a WCS technical adviser in Cambodia, said in an e-mail Thursday.

"Prek Toal is the most important large water bird breeding colony in Southeast Asia. In some cases, Prek Toal supports up to 30 percent of the global population," Clements said.

When the colonies there were discovered in the late 1990s, they were threatened with extinction as a result of villagers' rampant harvesting of eggs and chicks, the report said.

But during the past seven years, a colony protection and monitoring program has resulted in a gradual decline in poaching incidents, allowing the birds to stage "remarkable comebacks," it said.

The program employs some 30 park rangers, many of whom are former poachers, who work in shifts around the clock to monitor the bird populations.

"The approach was extremely effective," Clements said.

He said some of the hunters who were not employed did try to collect the birds' eggs and chicks in the early years of the project, "but since 2004 this threat has effectively ceased."

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Australia Funds Cambodian Tribunal

By Sopheng Cheang

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Australia pledged $458,000 Thursday for Cambodia's U.N.-backed genocide tribunal, whose operations have been threatened by a shortage of funds as it prepares for trials of former Khmer Rouge leaders.

Bob McMullan, the Australian parliamentary secretary for international development assistance, announced the pledge during a meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An.

He said his government made the decision to help pay Cambodia's share of the expenses because "we want to make sure that the resources are available so that this important step in justice is capable of being properly undertaken."

The money is "available now," McMullan said.

Helen Jarvis, the tribunal's chief spokeswoman, said the contribution "takes the pressure off."

The Khmer Rouge is accused of responsibility for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians during its 1975-1979 rule. So far, none of the regime's senior leaders has faced trial.

The U.N.-assisted tribunal opened its offices in early 2006 after years of wrangling between the Cambodian government and the world body. Trials — conducted jointly by international and Cambodian jurists — were originally projected to end by 2009, but are now expected to run through March 2011.

To extend its operation, the tribunal is seeking an additional $114 million. It told donor countries in January it would need $170 million, a sharp increase from the originally budgeted $56 million.

The United Nations was supposed to provide $43 million for its share of the original budget, and Cambodia $13.3 million.

Jarvis said the funds that Cambodia has available are $4.9 million short of its original share. The Cambodian side now has enough money to keep operating until the end of May, rather than April as previously projected, she said.

The pledge announced by McMullan is Australia's first direct contribution to the Cambodian side, which is "very encouraging," Jarvis said.

Australia previously gave about $2.3 million for the U.N.'s share of the budget.
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Exploitation concerns prompt Cambodia to halt processing foreign marriages

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia has stopped processing documents for the marriage of its citizens to foreigners in a move to minimize the possibility of human trafficking.

The suspension follows a recent surge in the number of Cambodian women marrying South Korean men.

Deputy Minister of Women's Affairs You Ay says that as of last Saturday, approval for all paperwork needed for marrying foreigners has been put on hold.

She did not say how long the suspension will last, but that it was introduced so that government agencies handling foreign marriage requests "can work to strengthen their procedures."

The South Korean connection made headlines last month after a report by the Geneva-based International Organization of Migration said some 2,500 Cambodian women had married South Korean men over the previous four years.

Most of the marriages occurred through the services of underground matchmaking businesses.

The report said each man would pay up to $20,000 to marry a Cambodia woman, but that a bride's family would collect only about $1,000, while the rest of the money would go to brokers.

You said the government did not want to deny Cambodians the right to marry foreigners.

"But we have also seen the negative aspects out of such marriages," she said, adding that the suspension affects all foreigners, not just South Koreans.

She was not able to say how many Cambodian nationals had married foreigners.

Although the marriages appeared to be legal, the government has expressed concerns that brokered marriages could become a cover for human trafficking, in which women are tricked or forced into marriage.

Last month, it shut down two South Korean companies for engaging in the matchmaking business. Interior Minister Sar Kheng denounced the firms' activities as "human trafficking."

"You're bound to have this type of problem when it's a business-oriented, profit-making type of environment," said John McGeoghan, a project co-ordinator in Cambodia for the Geneva-based IOM.

He said the suspension "probably is going to upset a lot of people" but is "a good preventive measure" especially "if you want to protect these girls and have more potential for a better marriage."
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At Trial, Cambodian-American Coup Plotter Portrayed as Reckless

By Josh Gerstein

LOS ANGELES — A Cambodian-American tax preparer and self-described freedom fighter, Yasith Chhun, recklessly endangered the lives of civilians and his own followers when he launched a coup attempt in his homeland in 2000, a prosecutor told jurors during opening arguments yesterday at Mr. Chhun's trial in federal court here.

Mr. Chhun's defense replied that he was engaged in a noble, if naïve, attempt to free his countrymen from a despotic regime and that he had no desire to see anyone killed in the process.

"This accountant from the city of Long Beach decided he was going to take over a country," the prosecutor, Lamar Baker, said. "And he was willing to take lives in order to do so."

Mr. Chhun's attorney, Richard Callahan Jr., said the group, which called itself the Cambodian Freedom Fighters, had the laudable goal of removing what he called the "tyrannical regime" of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

"They attempted what they believed was a gallant effort to save Cambodia from the regime of Prime Minister Hun Sen," Mr. Callahan said. "These men put their lives on the line for the cause. ... The effort was misguided and naïve in its execution to be sure, but it was not misguided in its intent."

Mr. Callahan told jurors about the "killing fields" in which an estimated 1.7 million people died in the 1970s during the murderous regime of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. "Hun Sen had been a brigade commander under Pol Pot and unfortunately many of the same abuses continued under his reign," the defense attorney said. Mr. Callahan noted that in 1998, as the plans for the coup were being crafted, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution calling for Mr. Hun Sen to be indicted under international law for a variety of human rights abuses, including attacks on political rallies and the killing of Cambodian opposition figures.

The defense lawyer said Mr. Chhun's contacts with American political leaders in Washington led him to believe America would back the putsch. "His CFF members also believed the U.S. would be there," Mr. Callahan said.

At the outset of his 35-minute argument, Mr. Baker showed jurors a photograph of a bloodied man sprawled on a sidewalk clutching what appeared to be a weapon. The prosecutor said the man was a private security guard at a gas station who was fired on with an AK-47 during the coup attempt and later had a grenade tossed at him by a member of Mr. Chhun's group.

Mr. Chhun, 52, faces charges of conspiracy to kill overseas, conspiracy to damage or destroy property in a foreign country, and conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction outside America. He also is charged with violating the Neutrality Act, a law that dates to 1797 and bars private military expeditions against countries with which America is at peace. Each of the conspiracy counts carries a possible life sentence. Violation of the Neutrality Act carries a possible sentence of 25 years in prison.

In court filings, the prosecution argued that federal law prohibits privately launched military efforts in most circumstances because of the deleterious effects such missions can have on America's relations with other governments. However, Mr. Baker did not make such an argument to jurors yesterday, leaving it to them to speculate about the possible impact of Mr. Chhun's amateur war-making on America.

Mr. Baker did stress that much of the planning for the attack was done on American soil. "It was, as sometimes the labels or the commercials say, 'Made in the U.S.A.,'" he said.

During his 15-minute opening, Mr. Callahan disagreed. "There was actually very little connection to the United States," he told jurors.

Mr. Baker glossed over the manner in which Mr. Hun Sen "came to power." However, the prosecutor acknowledged, albeit briefly, that Cambodia suffers from poverty, corruption, and human rights violations.

"The defendant and his Cambodian Freedom Fighters thought they could solve all of Cambodia's problems if they could just take over the country," Mr. Baker said. The prosecutor also suggested twice that Mr. Chhun was a coward because he stayed behind when the attempted takeover was carried out. "The defendant's encouragement stopped at the Cambodia border. When it was time for Operation Volcano, he remained in Thailand," Mr. Baker said.

Mr. Callahan said military advisers told Mr. Chhun that he could jeopardize the security of the operation by going along.

Press reports from the scene in Phnom Penh said about six people were killed when the coup attempt was easily put down by Cambodian government forces on the morning of November 24, 2000. However, Mr. Baker told jurors yesterday that only three men died and that all of them were insurgents.

The prosecution's opening contained a contradiction of sorts. While the prosecution is contending that any attempt by an American to overthrow Cambodia's government by force is unlawful, Mr. Baker at times seemed to fault Mr. Chhun for failing to use enough force.

Ultimately, Mr. Chhun's guilt or innocence could hinge not on the coup attempt itself but on the smaller-scale "popcorn" attacks that the insurgent group allegedly carried out in the months leading up to the coup attempt. Mr. Baker said Mr. Chhun was willing to cause "injuries and death to others" in order to get publicity for the group.

While jurors may be reluctant to convict Mr. Chhun for leading an assault on the Cambodian government, they may be less willing to forgive the smaller attacks, which prosecutors said involved throwing grenades into coffee shops and karaoke bars where mostly civilians would be present.

The prosecution's first witness was an FBI agent who suggested that Mr. Chhun, who worked out of a small office in a strip mall, suffered from delusions of grandeur. "He said he would become the interim president of Cambodia until new elections could be held," the agent, Donald Shannon Jr., said. Mr. Shannon said Mr. Chhun made the statement in an interview several months after the November 2000 coup attempt.

While Mr. Chhun's openness at that time would seem to suggest he thought he had done nothing illegal, Mr. Shannon said the accountant sometimes switched words to make the attack sound less violent. The agent said Mr. Chhun talked of "attacks" on government officials in Cambodia, but would then say, "I mean 'arrest.'" Read more!

Accused Cambodia coup leader on trial in L.A.

Is United State going to put a Cambodian hero in Jail just to please the Mafia government of Cambodia? The world knew America love justice, but love to use or abuse justice?

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES, April 2 (Reuters) - The head of a California-based Cambodia resistance movement went on trial on Wednesday accused of orchestrating a coup attempt in 2000 against Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's government.

Prosecutors said Yasith Chhun, 52, an accountant from Long Beach, held meetings with former Khmer Rouge members in Thailand, organized fundraisers aboard the Queen Mary in Southern California and planned the "Operation Volcano" plot in November 2000 that ended in three deaths and an unknown number of injuries.

Chhun's lawyer, Richard Callahan, told a Los Angeles jury the only goal of the self-styled president of the Cambodian Freedom Fighters was "to bring democracy to his homeland."

Callahan portrayed Chhun and his followers as naive but "desperately concerned about the people of Cambodia and their future."

"You need to see what he saw and feel what he felt," Callahan told the federal court jury.

Chhun has pleaded not guilty to four charges of conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, conspiracy to destroy property in a foreign country, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction outside the United States, and engaging in a military expedition against a country with which the United States is at peace.

He faces life imprisonment without parole if convicted.

Chhun was arrested at his Long Beach home in June 2005 after returning in the wake of the failed coup. U.S. prosecutors say he orchestrated the 2000 assault on Cambodian government buildings from a safe base in Thailand.

According to Cambodian media reports at the time, a heavily armed group attacked a police station and several government buildings in Phnom Penh in the predawn hours of Nov. 24, leaving at least four dead and more than a dozen wounded.

The Cambodian Freedom Fighters claimed responsibility for the shootout and dozens of suspected members were arrested in Cambodia. Three are already serving life sentences in Cambodian prisons and will give taped testimony at the trial, prosecutors said.

Chhun's trial has been delayed repeatedly because of changes in his defense team.

Hun Sen, an ex-Khmer Rouge fighter who defected to Vietnam in the late 1970s, has been in charge of Cambodia for more than 20 years. (Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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Golf course planned at former Khmer Rouge stronghold

In a move that might make the late Cambodian despot Pol Pot spin in his grave - if he had one - former Khmer Rouge cadres in their stronghold of Pailin have embraced a plan to cash in on the country's tourism boom and build a golf course.

Not that they know much about the game. If football is the beautiful game, to the ultra-Maoist former guerrillas, golf is the mysterious one.

Last week, golf fanatic Prime Minister Hun Sen visited the remote area, more than 100 km of rugged dirt road from the nearest city of Battambang, and proposed a golf course for the municipality.

Pailin is perched on the nation's northwestern border with Thailand and is just four hours by road from Bangkok, but up to 10 hours from the Cambodian capital.

Hun Sen is possibly the only country leader in the world to list his golf scores on his website.

Cambodia is so serious about developing golf as an industry that it has appointed a special representative to the Council of Ministers.

Once rich in gems and timber, these resources were all but stripped bare by the Khmer Rouge as they tried to keep the remnants of the rebel movement alive by selling them off before the rebels finally conceded to join Hun Sen's government in 1996.

Even journalists don't bother to go there anymore since four of its most infamous residents - former Khmer Rouge leaders Ieng Sary, his wife Ieng Thirith, Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea - were arrested on orders from the court set up to try them. They are now languishing in a Phnom Penh jail.

Pailin's biggest draw is currently its mainly Thai-owned casinos, which operators say draw up to 10,000 Thais per month. But they lie within a quick sprint of the border and more than 12 km from Pailin town, so most gamblers drop their money there and go no further.

Nor does Pailin have the attractions of other former Khmer Rouge border strongholds such as Anlong Veng, which at least boasts the makeshift cremation site of the movement's leader Pol Pot and Khmer Rouge military commander Ta Mok's home, complete with war room.

So the former hardline communists, who drove the country to destruction in their 1975-79 failed bid to turn the nation into an agrarian utopia bereft of social classes, which left up to 2 million dead, have joyfully embraced a new ideology - golf.

'We don't understand this game and at the moment it is just a speech by the prime minister, but it would be great for Pailin,' says local Information Chief Kong Duong, once a Khmer Rouge propaganda chief.

He says he has never seen a golf ball, except on television.

'We don't know where we will put (the course), or how big it should be, but the idea is good.'

Pailin Tourism Chief So Korng is candid. He freely admits that to him, an iron is for pressing clothes, a wood is something you cut down to make furniture, and Tiger Woods is a place you never go alone or unarmed.

But he agrees that the concept of this strange foreign game (so foreign that Cambodians don't have a word for it and use the English word instead) is attractive.

'People will have more jobs, and many people inside Cambodia and from overseas will come to visit Pailin and also see our natural attractions like our waterfall, gem shops, mountains and our agricultural programmes,' he said.

Revenue from the golf course may even pay for a road to the municipality's remote afore-mentioned waterfall, which currently offers little more than precarious four-wheel drive access.

A former soldier who fought the Khmer Rouge in the early 1990's says the now-tamed rebels should also make good caddies.

'I've seen them climb mountains with two B-40 rockets strapped to their backs, so golf clubs should be no problem,' he says. That would be a whole new revolution for a movement better known for its infamous black pajama uniform than plaid and plus fours.

But not everyone is convinced. A spokesman for local non-government organization Buddhism for Development says golf is for the rich, and he doubts there will be much trickle down for the impoverished former Khmer Rouge farmers in the area.

'The former Khmer Rouge are poor. They are too busy farming to have time to play golf,' he said.

And then there is the image problem. In a 2006 interview, a senior Pailin tourism official laughingly admitted that the very concept of tourism remained somewhat alien.

'Before, our orders were to kill them, but now we invite them to visit and please spend money,' he said.
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Monument inaugurated in Cambodia to commemorate Chinese peace-keeping soldiers

Were those two Chinese solder heroes defending Cambodia? or were thousands of Cambodian soldiers being heroes who had fought for the country? Thousand Cambodian soldiers who had served the country loosing their lives during Communist Yuon invasion, the government officials had never talked about. Thank you dog Hun Xen

KAMPONG CHAM, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy and the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense here on Wednesday unveiled a monument for two Chinese peace-keeping soldiers who were killed in a rocket attack 15 years ago in this eastern province.

"The monument now stands at the place where the two Chinese soldiers, Chen Zhiguo and Yu Shili, maintained peace for the country, to tell about our commemoration and the praise of the Cambodian government and people," said Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jinfeng at the ceremony.

The six-meter-tall monument bears pictures of the Chinese flag, the logo of the United Nations, the blue helmet and pigeon.

According to the Chinese- and Cambodian-language introduction on the monument, Chen and Yu were killed by anonymous rocket attack at their campsite on May 21, 1993.

The two, together with some other 800 Chinese engineering soldiers, were then stationed in war-ravaged Cambodia to carry out peace-keeping missions under the arrangement of the United Nations.

From April 1992 to September 1993, this team renovated over 500kilometers of roads, established 36 bridges, overhauled two airports and constructed hundreds of camp houses.
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Thailand's fast track economy

Thailand Has the Second Largest Economy in Southeast Asia and is One of the World’s Leading Food Exporting Countries

DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com /reports/c87139) has announced the addition of “Thailand: Food 4Q 2007” to their offering.

Thailand is the world’s number one producer of natural rubber, rice, canned and frozen seafood, canned tuna, canned pineapples and cassava, and the number two producer of sugar.

“Thailand: Food” provides an overview of Thailand’s food industry, looking at sector size and value, the agricultural, livestock and aquaculture sectors in Thailand. It also covers the market trends and outlook, current issues, the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement, the Kitchen of the World Project, HACCP, import and export tariffs, rules and regulations, supporting organizations and economic growth.

In addition it provides a comparative matrix and SWOT of the industry leading players: Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL (CPF) and Thai Union Frozen Product PCL (TUF).

Contents:

1. Industry Profile
1.1 Thailand Overview
1.2 Sector Size and Value
1.2.1 Agricultural Sector
1.2.2 Livestock Sector
1.2.3 Aquaculture Sector

2. Market Trends and Outlook
2.1 Current Issue
2.1.1 Japan Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEPA)
2.1.2 Kitchen of the World Project
2.1.3 Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)
2.1.4 Import and Export Tariff
2.1.4.1 Thailand
2.1.4.2 USA
2.1.4.3 European Union
2.1.5 Import and Export Rules and Regulations
2.1.5.1 USA
2.1.5.2 Japan
2.1.5.3 European Union
2.1.6 Support Organization
2.1.6.1 Thai Frozen Food Association (TFFA)
2.1.6.2 National Food Institute of Thailand (NFI)
2. Market Trends and Outlook
2.2 Market Outlook
2.2.1 Economy Growth
2.2.2 Tourism sector
2.2.3 Population
2.2.4 Exchange Rate

3. Leading Players and Comparative Matrix
3.1 Leading Players
3.1.1 Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL (CPF)
3.1.2 Thai Union Frozen Product PCL (TUF)
3.2 SWOT Analysis
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com /reports/c87139


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Laos highway opening completes all-weather Southeast Asia to China land route

BANGKOK, Thailand: The landlocked country of Laos inaugurated a new highway that will allow a north-south land route connecting Southeast Asia and China to operate year-round, the Asian Development Bank said.

The opening of Route 3 Monday fills in the last stretch of road for what is supposed to be an all-weather route that at its full length connects Singapore to Beijing, the bank said in a news release.

The inauguration of the highway, which links China's Yunnan province with northern Thailand via Laos, was attended by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, Laotian Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh, Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and Asian Development Bank President Haruhiko Kuroda.

The leaders of the six countries sharing the Mekong River — Laos, China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand — were in Laos on Monday for a summit meeting of the Greater Mekong Subregion bloc.

At the end of the two-day meeting they agreed on "a comprehensive five-year Plan of Action that aims to spur growth, reduce poverty, promote social development and enhance environmental protection in the subregion," the Asian Development Bank said.

Measures included a rail link joining Singapore and the southern Chinese city of Kunming.

The bank, a multilateral institution that finances development projects in Asia, said the completion of Route 3 "will create more business opportunities and provide people with easier access to social services."

"Before construction commenced on the new route, the highway was closed four months each year during the rainy season, limiting communities' access to basic social services, and impeding trade and employment opportunities in the region," it said.

Tourism in Thailand, Laos and China will also be boosted, it added.

The bank, as well as the Thai and Chinese governments, each contributed US$30 million (€18.9 million ) for the project, while Laos — one of the region's poorest countries — gave US$7 million (€4.4 million), it said.

The project to modernize the road network from the Thai capital Bangkok to Kunming was under development for more than a decade, the bank said. Read more!

Australia to Co-Sponsor Regional Interfaith Dialogue

Bob Mcmullan Mp Parliamentary Secretary For International Development Assistance Member For Fraser, I will visit Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from 1 to 4 April, to attend the 'Phnom Penh Dialogue 2008 on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace and Harmony.'

Australia, together with Indonesia, New Zealand and the Philippines, is co-sponsoring the Phnom Penh Interfaith Dialogue. With our co-sponsors, we are committed to fostering mutual respect, understanding and tolerance among different religions and cultures across our region.

The Dialogue will involve faith and community leaders and interfaith experts from each ASEAN country, Australia, East Timor, Fiji, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

The Australian delegation comprises individuals from major faiths and religions, community workers and academics, all of whom are active in promoting interfaith values within their broader communities.

While in Phnom Penh I will meet with senior officials from the Royal Government of Cambodia and representatives from major aid donors. I will also take the opportunity to check on the progress of a number of Australian aid activities including work to support landmine victims and activities aimed at improving the incomes of the poor. I will also visit the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.

For further information, please contact:
Sabina Curatolo (Mr McMullan's Office) Tel: +61 0400 318 205 AusAID Public Affairs Tel: +61 0417 680 590
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Cambodia, Qatar sign MOU of direct flight

PHNOM PENH, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia and Qatar set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of direct flight Tuesday afternoon, a Cambodian senior official said here Tuesday.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong made the remarks after Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, Qatar Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, arrived at the Phnom Penh International Airport to pay an official visit in the kingdom.

The Qatar Premier's two-day visit is to strengthen the diplomatic relations between the two countries and to bring investments from the gulf-region countries to Cambodia, Hor Nam Hong said.

"We expand the direct flight service with Qatar to attract tourists and investors to our country," Moa Havannal, Secretary ofState for the Secretariat of Cambodian Civil Aviation, told Xinhua.

After signing the MOU, it will have a direct flight from Qatar to the Phnom Penh International Airport for first step, he said, adding that later the flights will be expanded to other airports.

The Qatar Premier will hold a talk with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and he will also meet with Cambodian King NorodomSihamoni, a press release from the Cambodian Foreign Ministry said.

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