Trial Opens in Cambodia for Thai Nationals

Thai 'Yellow Shirt' activist Veera Somkwamkid (L) and Thai Democrat Party lawmaker Panich Vikitsreth (R) walk at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, 6 Jan 2011


A Cambodian court has begun hearings into the cases of seven Thais arrested last month for illegally entering the country. Some political analysts say the episode raises questions over the government’s close ties with nationalist group, the People’s Alliance for Democracy.

The Thais, including a member of parliament, were brought before a judge Thursday in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. They were detained December 29 after crossing into Cambodia.
If found guilty of illegal entry and entering a military area, the seven could face jail terms of up to 18 months.

The leader, Panich Vikitsreth, is a member of the Democrat Party of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Among those arrested was Veera Somkwamkid, a former leader of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, and of the Thailand Patriot Network, an offshoot of the PAD. Veera was briefly detained last year in the same area but was quickly sent back to Thailand.

The Thailand Patriot Network says Cambodian nationals occupy Thai territory along the border in Sa Kaeo province, 245 kilometers from Bangkok.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, says the evidence indicates a deliberate crossing into Cambodia.

"The videos, the evidence so far and the statements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - including senior officials - suggest that the seven Thais who have been arrested did indeed cross over into Cambodian territory," Thitinan said. "But what it says about the Patriotic Thais or the Patriot Thai Network is that it is intent on stirring up trouble."

In video clips posted on the Internet, Panich is seen speaking on a mobile phone, saying he crossed into Cambodia and asks that Abhisit’s secretary be told.

Thitinan says the incident points to the PAD’s influence on the Abhisit government. The PAD played a key role in protests that led to a military coup to oust former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006.

And in 2008 PAD demonstrators shut down Bangkok’s airports and occupied the prime minister’s office building, until court rulings removed two pro-Thaksin governments.

After that, parliamentary maneuvering brought Abhisit to power. Thitinan says those ties to the PAD are now hurting the government.

"This is a reminder that the liability from having been so closely tied to the PAD has come back to haunt and boomerang against the Democrat Party and the Abhisit government. It shows also that the government does not seem to know what its doing," Thitinan said.

The arrests have hurt efforts to improve relations with Cambodia. Ties had deteriorated after Thaksin visited Cambodia in 2009. He faces corruption charges at home and lives abroad.

Thai foreign ministry officials said the Phnom Penh court Thursday completed hearings for three of the detainees. More hearings must be held before a verdict is handed down.

The Thai government says it is working to get the seven released and sent home.

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Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra hotel unveiled in Cambodia

Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra hotel, styled in grand colonial style with wood details and marble floors, has been unveiled in Penh, Cambodia.

Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra is set on riverside amongst landscaped gardens in the old quarter of the city. The 12-storey colonial style hotel features 201 luxurious rooms and suites with Mekong or Bassac river views. An array of accommodations are featured ranging from 121 Superior rooms to 45 Luxury Suites, 23 Junior Suites, 11 Prestige Suites, and one Opera Suite, all marked by glass-walled baths.

Featuring a unique combination of classic European design and contemporary Cambodia sophistication, the new $50 million five-star hotel is distinct for its wooden floors, high coffered ceilings, and wooden latticework.

A range of chic restaurants and bars, an upscale spa, two swimming pools, a sports club and the finest conferencing facilities in Cambodia are some other notable features of this new hotel. The So Spa features 10 treatment rooms, two squash courts, four tennis courts, a So Fit fitness center, the Phokeethra Sports Club, and two pools.

The Club Millésime at the hotel is designed to offer stunning views of the city and the river, and combines outdoor space and sophisticated décor. Nearly 20,000 square feet of meeting space is included. The ballroom and a grassy lawn by the pool have been designed to accommodate 2,000 guests in an outdoor setting.

Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra is close to key attractions, embassies and the central business district. Sofitel is an upscale brand of French hospitality company Accor.
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Thai detainees in Cambodia seek bail

Prem concerned about fate of seven 'trespassers' as they head to court and Kasit insists no preferential treatment for Democrat MP Panich


Seven detained Thai nationals, including a lawmaker from the ruling Democrat Party, will today submit bail requests as they face trial in Cambodia over trespassing charges.

Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda has expressed concern over their fate, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday.

Abhisit said he had briefed Prem on the situation and the related boundary issue, which is a matter of dispute with Cambodia.

The seven Thais will testify in court one by one and a bail request will be submitted for each of them, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi.

The seven, including Democrat Party MP Panich Vikitsreth and yellow-shirt activist Veera Somkwamkid, were arrested last week while inspecting a disputed border area near Ban Nong Chan in Sa Kaew province.

A Cambodian court charged them with illegal entry and unlawfully entering a military area, which could lead to a combined sentence of 18 months in prison for each of them.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya yesterday said the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh would stand bail for the accused.

Any assistance to the Thai nationals will be conducted step by step and without intervention in the Cambodian justice system, he said.

The minister dismissed an earlier report that he had recommended a Cabinet review of relations with Cambodia unless Phnom Penh were to speed up the trial process and ensure leniency. The government plans no measures to retaliate against Cambodia over the case, he added.

"The Foreign Ministry has an obligation to maintain good relations, not to make trouble and spoil the relationship," he told reporters, adding: "I beg all parties not to create any misunderstanding between the two countries."

The ministry will provide equal assistance to all the detained Thai nationals, he said, rejecting a report that only Panich would be regarded as a priority case for obtaining bail, while the others, notably Veera, would be left to their own devices as they had provoked the arrests.

Veera and his group were briefly held in the same area last August, but Border Police managed to release them shortly after their capture.

The group believed the area where they were walking last week belongs to Thailand, but has been occupied by a Cambodian community since the late 1970s when many Cambodians fled civil war to settle there. They later refused to move out after the end of the war.

However, many Thai agencies, including the Foreign Ministry and the Royal Thai Survey Department, have indicated that the group walked at least 55 metres farther than that area - into territory under Cambodian sovereignty.

A leaked video clip showed Panich was apparently aware of the fact that he was walking into Cambodian territory, as he was speaking on the phone with an unknown person and requested that a message to that effect be conveyed to Abhisit.

The clip and the information provided by agencies has dismayed many yellow-shirt activists, as they insisted that the seven Thai nationals had been arrested on Thai territory.

Yellow-shirt activist and senator Kamnoon Sithisaman said areas near the disputed boundary belonged to Thai people, as the Thai authorities had issued land titles to them long ago. The area was indeed used as a shelter for Cambodian refugees in 1975, but has not been returned to the rightful Thai owners since, he said.

"I don't know why Foreign Minister Kasit said the seven Thai people had invaded Cambodian territory," he added.

Kamnoon and his group of 40 senators yesterday inspected the area near Ban Nong Chan and met some of the people who had lost their land to the Cambodians.

He urged the prime minister to listen to local residents and help them solve the problem.

Separately, another group of yellow-shirt activists yesterday rallied from Sa Kaew's Aranyaprathet district to see the disputed area in which their comrades had been arrested.

Local authorities provided tight security, fearing they would clash with residents in Non Mak Moon subdistrict, who disagreed with their presence out of concern that it could cause tension with Cambodia and make life difficult for them.
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'Postcards of Cambodia' shows a sunny side

By Chris Bergeron


"Picture Postcards of Cambodia 1900-1950" by Joel G. Montague.

"Postcards are, of course, artifacts ... They are clouds of fantasy and pellets of imagination." Susan Sontag, "On Photography"

Joel Montague isn't your typical tourist who stays in 5-star hotels, visits a few landmarks in the capital and buys some gift shop postcards before flying home in business class.

A frequent expatriate, the Wellesley, Mass., resident has spent much of the last 30 years in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, directing health and development programs for relief organizations and local governments.

"Over the years, I've got to know my way around," said Montague, relaxing in his home decorated with Buddhist statues, African carvings and paintings from the Middle East.

In Cambodia he runs a malaria-control program for Partners for Development, an organization dedicated to improving quality of life for those in developing countries. In September, he traveled to a remote mountainous area that is still peppered with land mines in order to visit the cremation site of dictator Pol Pot whose Khmer Rouge regime killed millions of its own people.

Montague has brought to light a sunnier side of Cambodia's tormented history in his recently published second book, "Picture Postcards of Cambodia, 1900-1950."

He has chronicled the people, culture, arts and architecture of one of Asia's most exotic jewels as portrayed by French colonizers via inexpensive postcards created for domestic consumption.

In the early 1900s, Montague observed, 18,000 postcards were produced depicting Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, which France ruled under the popular name Indochina.

Montague, whose resume lists 20 countries where he's worked, found that French colonizers used postcards as a sort of "marketing tool" to justify their self-proclaimed "civilizing mission" in Cambodia.

Published by White Lotus Press in Thailand, his 327-page book provides a rare visual archive of Cambodian history as revealed through about 650 black-and-white and color postcards in 16 categories, such as "The Mekong River," "The Monarchy" and "Khemer Dance and Music." Montague believes his collection of about 1,700 colonial-era postcards, purchased in flea markets and over the Internet, is the largest of its kind in the world.

During a century in which Cambodia's true history has been erased by colonization and revolution, Montague wrote in his book's introduction that picture postcards provide "an ephemeral record of early 20th-century Cambodia."

Since first visiting Cambodia in 1991, after the Khmer Rouge's overthrow and withdrawal of the invading Vietnamese, Montague began acquiring postcards that depicted the nation's visual history as seen through Western eyes during the first half of the 20th century.

The postcards depict life there as the kind of Indochinese paradise that has excited Westerners' imagination since Marco Polo -- and still does.

Viewers will see very little genuine interaction between French and Cambodians in the postcards, which seem, instead, to show two distinct worlds.

"In the eyes of the French, Cambodians were like infants who needed their protection," said Montague. "Some postcards made a pretense at pseudo-science that saw Cambodians as 'types' for anthropological study."

In the postcards, the French built stately mansions while locals lived in picturesque villages. French administrators built schools, hospitals and roads while monks in robes lounged in temples.

French children wore costumes to catch butterflies or perform in plays while bare-breasted Cambodian women bathed or posed with a casualness not found in France.

Born in New York, Montague graduated from Oberlin University in 1956, earned his master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and served in the U.S. Army. Since 1990, he has been trustee and chairman of the board of Partners for Development, which operates several health programs in Cambodia.

He is married to Dr. Shahnaz Montague, a specialist in internal medicine whom he met while working in Iran. They have two adult children.

Several years ago, Montague wrote with Michael Vann "The Colonial Good Life: A Commentary on Andre Joyeux's Vision of French Indochina," about a French artist whose cartoons about turn-of-the-century life in Saigon were remarkably insightful.

In addition to postcards, Montague also collects pharmaceutical labels and shop signs, which he has exhibited in the Wellesley Library.

For historians, the most striking postcards in Montague's book feature photographs from 1905 of the majestic temple complex at Angkor Wat, which was then being recovered from the jungle, and photos of considerable artistry by French photographer Pierre Dieulefils, who captured many scenes of everyday life.

Montague is now working on a book project about Scotsman John Thompson, who was the first man to photograph Angkor Wat in 1866.

Since first visiting Cambodia 20 years ago, Montague has been intrigued by the question of how people in such a devout Buddhist country degenerated into such violent chaos.

"I looked at postcards all those years until I had a sort of gradual awakening that helped me understand why they show Cambodia they way they do and not the way it really is," he said. "Cambodia went through a horrible stretch of history, including the bombing along the border by the U.S. during the Vietnam war. I hope this book could be helpful in its small way by filling in some of its history."


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No Response, as Sit-In Protest Passes Second Day

Residents say they want $1,500 per square meter, or 15 hectares slotted for themselves in the new development


Protesters sat for the second day at Freedom Park on Tuesday, shouting into loudspeakers and demanding fair compensation from a city developer for their land. But they mostly shouted to each other.

No city officials or company representatives came to meet with them.

Residents at the Boeung Kak lake development site say they want $1,500 per square meter for a buyout, or 15 hectares of the 133-hectare development, a demand the developer, Shukaku, Inc., has refused.

Residents say they will sit at Freedom Park, in the shadow of one the largest bank building in the country, Canadia, for a week in search of mediation.

“There have been no government officials, no lawmakers, to come see what we need,” said Ly Mom, a representative of the residents.

The protesters sit on the ground, roped in by nylon cord, calling out for intervention from Prime Minister Hun Sen, former king Norodom Sihanouk, and countries like China, Japan and the US.

“We insist that [Phnom Penh] Governor Kep Chuktema come and discuss this with us to find a positive result,” Ly Mom said.

Shukaku, which will develop the lake area after it is filled in, has offered $8,500 to families. Some have been forcibly removed. Others have stayed, even as their houses are flooded from lake overflow while Shukaku dredgers pump sand and mud from the bottom of the Tonle Sap river into the lake.

Protesters say they have asked for meetings with the governor five times and sent four letters for help to Hun Sen, to no avail. One said he would “better die at home than to leave.”

City officials declined to comment on Tuesday, as they have in the past.

Government spokesman Phay Siphan said the protesters “can file a complaint with the court if they do not obtain any result.”

However, Yim Sovann, a spokesman for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, said it was the government's “responsibility” to settle the problem.

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Groups Prepare for Tough Discussions on NGO Law

The Ministry of Interior prepared the draft law late last year. Thun Saray, president of the rights group Adhoc, said some articles of the new law violate the constitution by making it difficult to establish NGOs or associations by citizens.


Non-governmental agencies and other organizations are preparing to discuss a controversial law on NGOs with the government next week.

Many NGOs say they are worried the law needs corrections lest it be used to crackdown on organizations deemed anti-government. In a joint statement, a group of NGOs said the law in its current form would restrict their work, thanks to barriers for registration and other impediments.

That could lead to restriction on funding sources and hurt long-term development, the groups said.

For example, the draft law calls for complicated registration and the submission of work reports, action plans and change of staff to the Ministry of Interior, all of which could eat up time and resources and become increasingly complicated.

“This draft law has complicated duties and stirs up difficulties to the civil society,” said Yong Kim Eng, president of the People's Center for Development and Peace. “In general, this law seems to manage NGOs and associations, but it is not a law to protect their interests or to provide rights and freedom to civilians to ensure freedom of their activities. In our view, that is worrisome, and we wonder about some points in the law.”

Thun Saray, president of the rights group Adhoc, said some articles of the new law violate the constitution by making it difficult to establish NGOs or associations by citizens.

“It has many conditions, statutes and principles for registration,” he said. “So NGOs and associations in rural areas cannot undertake their activities.”

However, Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said the draft was “no better and no worse” than laws in other countries. While some points of the law are worrisome, it would weed out about a third of the countries NGOs, which either do no activities or will have a hard time meeting registration requirements, he said. “I think it is between good and bad,” he said.

Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said the government “will receive their good and constructive recommendations for making this law better, but their recommendations must serve the interest of Cambodia and its people.”

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Leopard Cambodia Fund backs local microfinance group IPR

Developing market-focused private equity group Leopard Capital has acquired a 33.7 per cent stake in a Cambodian microfinance institution (MFI), Intean Poalroath Rongroeurng (IPR).

The Cayman Islands-domiciled firm’s Leopard Cambodia Fund will back IPR, giving it the capital to fund new microfinance loans and update its information technology systems.

“IPR is unique among local MFIs as it supports Cambodia’s rice industry by helping farmers invest in better seeds, fertiliser and equipment,” said Douglas Clayton, Leopard Capital’s CEO.

The company was established and granted a MFI license in 2005. It was set up by entrepreneur Okhna Phou Puy in response to capital constraints faced by the Federation of Cambodian Rice Millers Association, of which he serves as Chairman.

Okhna Phou Puy is based in Battambang, Cambodia’s second largest city, and has set up businesses in rice milling, microfinance, consumer goods distribution,and real estate development primarily in Northwest Cambodia.

IPR provides individual loans to farmers and small agricultural businesses primarily in rural areas of Cambodia. The business offers working loans of between one and 12 months and investment loans from 12 to 36 months.

It operates in six provinces in Cambodia and has its headquarters in Phnom Penh.

“Leopard’s participation will help strengthen our management and reporting systems while facilitating further expansion of our loan book, foreign borrowings, and branch network,” said Hort Bun Song, CEO of IPR.

The Leopard Cambodia Fund, the southeast Asian country’s first private equity fund. was launched in April 2008, and raised $34m even during global financial turmoil.

It has since made eight investments in Cambodia in the telecommunications, banking, agriculture, food processing, energy, and housing sectors.

Leopard has raised other funds to invest in other Asian countries including Laos, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.


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Road Deaths Leveled Off in 2010: Report

More than 1,600 Cambodians died in road accidents in 2010, a number that has leveled off compared to the previous year, officials said Tuesday.

Him Yan, director of the Interior Ministry’s department of public order, said the death toll had dropped by five people, from 1,654 in 2009, while the number of injured also fell, by 770 people from 10,310 last year.

The slight decrease in fatalities was linked to stricter enforcement of helmet laws and measures to prevent drunk driving, Him Yan said. This was done through stricter law enforcement overall and public awareness campaigns, as well as the construction of better roads, he said.

In an annual report discussed by police and road safety advocates in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, speeding was identified as the No. 1 cause of accidents, accounting for nearly half, while drunk driving accounted for about 12 percent. Other causes include drivers not respecting the right-of-way, carelessness, and breaking of traffic laws.

Kong Sovan, a project manager for traffic safety for the World Health Organization, said tighter controls on helmet use and crackdowns on drunk drivers helped.

“In addition, we've provided training and professional equipment and materials to police to strengthen traffic laws and reduce road accidents in the future,” he said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen last year lambasted road accidents as the leading cause of death for Cambodians.

Sa Hua, undersecretary of state for the Ministry of Health, said road accidents were a cause for concern not only for people's health, but the national economy as well.

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Thai PM: Government will help obtain quick release of seven Thais jailed in Cambodia

BANGKOK, Jan 4 – Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday reasserted that all parties concerned are working to help secure the release of seven Thais, including Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth, detained in Cambodia, to prevent the problem from escalating.

Thai authorities have cooperated with Cambodia using all channels to end the problem as soon as possible, Mr Abhisit said.

Mr Panich and members of the so-called 'Yellow Shirt' People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protest movement were detained by Cambodian troops last Wednesday as they inspected the border of Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province with Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province.

Referring to the video footage showing Mr Panich talking on a cell phone, saying he is in Cambodia and suggesting that the premier knew about it, the prime minister said that Mr Panich had just informed him that he would go to Prachinburi province to gather information about land occupancy problems facing local people, but he did not know who went with him.

Mr Abhisit said the video clip posted on YouTube was cut short to only one minute and that has caused confusion. In the full 4-minute clip, Mr Panich said he believed he was still in Thai territory and was on the way to Border Marker Number 46.

Seven Thais have been held in prison after they were charged by the court with illegal entry and illegally entering a military base along the border, crimes which in Cambodia carry penalties of up to six months and one year, respectively.

Meanwhile, Secretary-General to the Foreign Minister Chavanont Intarakomalsut said the border dispute must be verified under the process of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC). Thai-Cambodian border markers Number 46 and 48 are still in dispute and the border demarcation process must go forward. However, the case of the seven Thais should not be mixed with the issue of border demarcation.

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya will clarify the situation of the seven at 8.30pm on Bangkok's state-owned television Channel 11 Tuesday, Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said.

Mr Kasit earlier reported to the Cabinet that the process to help seven Thais including Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth detained in Cambodia was underway and the situation would be clearer in one or two days. Two lawyers are being appointed to defend the detainees against the charges.

The Cambodian court has scheduled the first hearing on Thursday at 8am.

Dr Panitan said the foreign ministry reaffirmed that the seven did not intend to trespass on Cambodian territory but they investigated the area after local residents complained that they could not work on their land. Mr Panich believed that the plot of land is located in Thai territory and did not intend to cause any adverse effects on the two countries’ relations, according to Dr Panitan.

However, the Royal Thai Survey Department has inspected the specific area where the Thais were arrested and its inspection report will be given later on Tuesday. (MCOT online news) Read more!

Clips show Panich in Cambodia

MP's video phone call suggests Abhisit knew

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva knew Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth had intruded on Cambodian territory before Mr Panich and six other Thais were arrested by Cambodian soldiers, video footage posted on YouTube shows.

One of the video clips shows Mr Panich making a phone call to his secretary, named in the conversation as Q. Mr Panich asked Q to inform the prime minister through Mr Abhisit's secretary, Somkiat Krongwatanasuk, that they had crossed the border into Cambodia.

"Please tell Somkiat to inform the prime minister that we are already inside Cambodia. I planned to call the prime minister myself but it is okay now," Mr Panich says on the phone to his secretary .

"Call him [Somkiat] so in case there are problems, we can coordinate because we are already in a Cambodian area. And make sure that he does not tell anybody because only the prime minister must know this."

Mr Panich was vice minister for foreign affairs before he resigned last year to contest a by-election and win a seat as an MP. He is now a member of the lower house committee which vets the memorandums of understanding agreed to by the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission, which is responsible for demarcating the shared border.

The video footage is seen as contradicting claims that the Bangkok MP and six others including Veera Somkwamkid, a member of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), did not cross the border into Cambodia from Khok Sung district in Sa Kaeo on Dec29.

The footage is believed to have been recorded by one of the Thais now being held in prison for trespassing on Cambodian territory.

The voice of one of the Thais is heard on the videos as warning the other members of the group that they could be arrested for entering Cambodia.

Mr Panich and his group were on an inspection tour of the border area after a villager claimed he had evidence to prove the land was part of Thailand.

The seven are now being detained at Prey Sar prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. They are expected to be tried possibly today for trespassing on Cambodian territory.

Acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said yesterday it could not be interpreted from Mr Panich's comments recorded on the footage that Mr Abhisit had ordered him to enter Cambodia.

"It is impossible for the prime minister to order a party MP to do that. Why would he do that?" Mr Panitan said.

Mr Panitan said Mr Panich was doing his duty as a member of the lower house committee and was unaware he had entered Cambodia at the time of his arrest.

Mr Somkiat said yesterday he had received a phone call from Mr Panich but that was after the Democrat lawmaker had been detained. He stressed that he did not know about the trip in advance.

The army, meanwhile, is trying to stop a rally by the PAD-allied Thai Patriots Network planned for today in Sa Kaeo for fear of further damage to the already fragile but improving relations between Thailand and Cambodia.

First Army commander Udomdet Sitabutr warned the demonstrators not to gather near the border for fear they might unintentionally enter Cambodian territory.

It would be better if the protesters sent their representatives to submit their requests to the Sa Kaeo administration office instead of gathering in a large crowd near the border, he said.

Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, also called on the Thai Patriots Network to call off its rally to demand the release of the seven Thais.

He said the action would only lead to confusion in Cambodia that Thailand was using the political group to put pressure on it.

Over 500 villagers in Khok Sung district gathered yesterday in front of the district office to protest against the planned rally by the network and PAD supporters in the district.

The villagers said they had suffered enough from the latest dispute that had led to the closure of the border. Cambodian labourers could not come to work as usual.

Phatcharee Vikitsreth, the wife of Mr Panich, and the families of the other six detainees are in Phnom Penh in a bid to seek bail for them.

They visited them yesterday at the prison, Mr Chavanond said, adding that Thai embassy staff had also visited the seven detainees and given them clothes and food.

"Now we are focusing on how to help the seven Thais ... we can't really say if they will be brought to court today [as expected] or not," he said.

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Thai \yellow shirts rally in Bangkok

Activists from Thailand’s Yellow Shirt movement have burned Prime Minister Hun Sen’s photo and staged rallies in Bangkok to protest against last week’s arrest of a Thai parliamentarian and six other Thais for allegedly trespassing on Cambodian territory.

Panich Vikitsreth, an MP from Thailand’s ruling Democrat Party, was arrested along with six others near a Cambodian military encampment in Banteay Meanchey province’s O’Chrou district, across the border from Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province, while attempting to “investigate” the border demarcation process.

The group were charged in Phnom Penh Municipal Court last week with illegal entry and unlawfully entering a military base, charges that carry a combined maximum sentence of 18 months in prison.

Also among those arrested was Veera Somkwamkid, a former activist with the People’s Alliance for Democracy, as the mainstream Yellow Shirt movement is formally known, who now heads a PAD splinter group called the Thailand Patriot Network.

On Friday, Yellow Shirt protesters gathered outside the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok and burned a coffin with Hun Sen’s photo on it.

The protests in the Thai capital continued Sunday, and the Yellow Shirts have vowed to stage a thousands-strong rally in Sa Kaeo province on Tuesday.

“We don’t have any reaction to these unlawful extremists,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said. “We’ll just let the court officials proceed with their work.”

PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongpan claimed the group had evidence that last week’s arrests took place on Thai soil and were thus unlawful. He accused the Cambodian government of staging the incident to distract from alleged Vietnamese incursions on the Kingdom’s eastern border, where the opposition Sam Rainsy Party has staged repeated protests.

“The Cambodians have been invaded by the Vietnamese and they cannot protest,” Panthep said. “[Cambodian leaders] want to deviate the attention of the Cambodian people and fight with the Thai government.”

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said, however, that the Thai government had conducted its own investigation of the case and had concluded that the arrests were in fact made on Cambodian soil.

Thani said Bangkok had no comment on the protests against Hun Sen and Cambodia.

“The issue is being covered by the court,” he said. “We should leave it to the court.”

Pich Vicheka, a lawyer representing Veera and three other defendants in the case, said yesterday that he had yet to receive any information on a trial date, adding that he was considering submitting a bail request for his clients....read the full story in tomorrow’s Phnom Penh Post or see the updated story online from 3PM UTC/GMT +7 hours. Read more!

UN urged to help Arrested 7

The Thai Patriots Network has asked the United Nations to help secure the release of seven Thais held in Phnom Penh on charges of illegal entry into Cambodia, and claims to have proof of their innocence.

The network, led by Somboon Thongburan and allied to the People's Alliance for Democracy, gave a petition to the UN at its regional headquarters on Ratchadamnoen Avenue yesterday.

The petition included a copy of land title deeds and receipts of tax payments on the land, which is said to prove that the Thais, including Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth, were actually arrested on Thai soil in Khok Sung district, Sa Kaeo.

Mr Somboon said the land belonged to Khem Paengsungnern and was connected to border marker No 46, and the Thais were about 300m from the border mark when they were arrested last Wednesday.

This contradicts findings by the Thai Foreign Ministry, which admitted earlier that the Thais were about one kilometre inside Cambodian territory at the time of the arrest.

Thai ambassador to Cambodia, Prasas Prasasvinitchai, has visited the seven Thais at Prey Sor prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

The detainees are poised to meet family members when Cambodian officials resume work after New Year.

Chavanond Komalayasut, secretary to the Thai foreign minister, said Mr Panich's wife, Patchareeporn Vikitsreth, left Bangkok yesterday for Phnom Penh, where she will wait for approval for the prison visit.

Lawyers plan to file bail requests to the court for the Thais as soon as the court resumes duty next week.

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PAD calls anti-Cambodia rally

Members of the yellow-shirt people group and the Thailand Patriot Network will hold a protest in the eastern province of Sa Kaew on Tuesday, Jan 4, to call for a the release of detained seven Thais, core leader of the network Chaiwat Sinsuwong said in a press conference on Sunday.

The yellow-shirt supporters of the People’s Alliance for Democracy and the Thailand Patriot Network are now staging protest against the government in front of Government House for failing to rapidly seek the release of their leaders and colleagues being jailed in Cambodia.

Mr Chaiwat said the Tuesday rally against Cambodian government will be held on Sripen road in Sakaew province.

“The yellow-shirts will continue rallying in front of Government House on Monday, Jan 3, and on Tuesday, they will regroup at the venue in Sa kaew as planned”, He said.

He expected at least 5,000 yellow-shirts would join the planned anti-Cambodian government rally. Read more!

Minbear: to spend Y5 Billion to build new motor plant in Cambodia-Smart money

TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- Minebea Co. (6479.TO) said Monday it will spend about Y5 billion to construct a new motor plant in Cambodia

The Japanese precision component company said the plant will be its first major new production facility since it built a plant in Shanghai in 1994.

Aimed at strengthening its production network in Southeast Asia, the new facility will receive parts from a Minebea plant in Thailand, and will manufacture small and mid-sized motors for home electronics and other uses.

Minebea said it will first lease production facilities in the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone and will kick off production there from April 2011. The company will then construct a new plant in the zone, which is slated to begin production by the end of 2012 with a maximum of 5,000 workers.

-By Hiroyuki Kachi, Dow Jones Newswires; 813-6269-2789; Hiroyuki.Kachi@dowjones.com


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UN urged to help Arrested 7

The Thai Patriots Network has asked the United Nations to help secure the release of seven Thais held in Phnom Penh on charges of illegal entry into Cambodia, and claims to have proof of their innocence.

The network, led by Somboon Thongburan and allied to the People's Alliance for Democracy, gave a petition to the UN at its regional headquarters on Ratchadamnoen Avenue yesterday.

The petition included a copy of land title deeds and receipts of tax payments on the land, which is said to prove that the Thais, including Democrat MP Panich Vikitsreth, were actually arrested on Thai soil in Khok Sung district, Sa Kaeo.

Mr Somboon said the land belonged to Khem Paengsungnern and was connected to border marker No 46, and the Thais were about 300m from the border mark when they were arrested last Wednesday.

This contradicts findings by the Thai Foreign Ministry, which admitted earlier that the Thais were about one kilometre inside Cambodian territory at the time of the arrest.

Thai ambassador to Cambodia, Prasas Prasasvinitchai, has visited the seven Thais at Prey Sor prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

The detainees are poised to meet family members when Cambodian officials resume work after New Year.

Chavanond Komalayasut, secretary to the Thai foreign minister, said Mr Panich's wife, Patchareeporn Vikitsreth, left Bangkok yesterday for Phnom Penh, where she will wait for approval for the prison visit.

Lawyers plan to file bail requests to the court for the Thais as soon as the court resumes duty next week.

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Vietnam securities firms eye foothold in Laos, Cambodia

With Laos and Cambodia’s first stock exchanges slated to begin trading next year, Vietnamese securities companies are seeking to expand their operations and Vietnamese stock market players see more investment options.

The Lao Securities Exchange was established in October and will commence trading operations on January 11. Banque pour le Commerce Exterieur Lao (BCEL), one of the largest commercial banks in the country, and EDLGeneration Pcl, a unit of state-owned Electricite du Laos, will be the first two enterprises to be listed on the bourse.

The exchange’s opening has helped Vietnam’s Sacombank Securities expand its business to the smallest economy in Southeast Asia. The brokerage firm and the Lao Development Bank (LDP) have set up the first securities firm in Laos, named Lane Xang Securities Public Co. Sacombank Securities holds a 51- percent stake in the joint venture.

Lane Xang was financial adviser for the initial public offering (IPO - a necessary process before being listed) made by BCEL.

The firm has also signed deals to do the same for other Lao enterprises.

“Lane Xang has won in competition with many Thai and Korean securities companies [to become advisers to the BCEL IPO] as the Lao economy is similar to Vietnam’s, which has begun from a state-owned base and then entered the equitization stage,” said Nguyen Hoang Giang, consultancy director of Sacombank Securities.

Giang said Lane Xang Securities not only provides financial consultancy services for enterprises seeking to list their shares on the Lao stock exchange but also acts as a broker for investors wanting to trade shares on the bourse.

The IPO of BCEL, the first-ever in Laos, closed on December 23. The atmosphere was exciting and the shares were oversubscribed, said Giang.

Nearly 20.5 million BCEL shares, or 15 percent of the lender’s registered capital, were offered on auction at an average bid price of 5,910 kip (74 US cents), he said.

Only Lao investors were permitted to subscribe for shares in the bank as the Lao Securities Exchange Commission is yet to decide on the portion of shares that foreign investors can hold in a company, the Vientiane Times said on December 15.

However, many Vietnamese investors are hopeful that they will get the opportunity to buy shares of Lao companies in future IPOs.

As for the Cambodia, the Kingdom’s first stock exchange is also due to open in 2011.

The launch of the US$6 million bourse, which is being built by a South Korean developer, has twice been delayed but the Finance Ministry says it will begin trading by July 2011 “at all costs.”

The ministry has given priority to state companies for listing, and has asked Telecom Cambodia, port operator Sihanoukville Autonomous Port and the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority to list their shares, Reuters said last month.

Meanwhile, two Vietnamese firms, Cambodia-Vietnam Securities and Sacombank Securities (Cambodia), are among fifteen companies that have been granted licenses by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia to operate on the bourse.

The former is permitted to operate as an underwriter that will provide advice on the issue of securities - such as pricing, public offerings and distribution timelines.

The Cambodia-Vietnam Securities Company belongs to the Bank for Investment and Development of Cambodia Plc, a subsidiary of the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam, also known as BIDV.

Several other Vietnamese companies that wished to remain anonymous said they had plans to open securities firms in Laos and Cambodia in the near future.

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Visitors to Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple increase sharply in 2010

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Tourists visiting Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple increased by 3.6 folds in 2010 thanks to good security and better infrastructure in the area, director of Preah Vihear province's tourism department Kong Vibol said on Saturday.

There had been 80,356 people visiting the temple in 2010, increased by 3.6 times from 17,174 people in 2009, he told Xinhua by telephone. Of the figure, the domestic visitors were up 3.7 times to 78,419 from 16,405 and the foreign tourists increased by 1.5 times to 1,937 from 769.

"It's a huge increase of the tourists to the temple in 2010 due to better security and stability as the border tension with Thailand has been eased, and the good condition roads--easy to travel,"said Kong Vibol, adding "so visitors feel safe and more confidence to visit the temple."

Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple was enlisted as World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. Just a week after the enlistment, Cambodia and Thailand have had border conflict due to Thai claim of the ownership of 1.8 square miles (4.6 sq km) of scrub next to the temple, triggering a military build-up along the border, and periodic clashes between Cambodian and Thai soldiers have resulted in the deaths of troops on both sides.

The border issue, however, has been eased as the top leaders of Cambodia and Thailand have held four meetings since September.

In 2010, the province as a whole received 135,657 tourists, up 119 percent from 61,903 in 2009, Kong Vibol said. Of the figure, foreign tourists were up 32 percent to 11,249 from 8,512 in 2009.

Preah Vihear province has three attractive ancient temples for tourists. They are Preah Vihear temple, Koh Ker temple and Preah Khan Kampong Svay temple.


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Massive Hydropower Project Begins Amid Warnings

Cambodia broke ground on a new Chinese-funded hydropower dam in Koh Kong province on Tuesday, despite warnings from conservation groups of a heavy impact to the surrounding environment.

The $495 million dam, which China Huandian Corporation will control in a build-operate-transfer scheme for 35 years, is expect to produce 338 megawatts by 2015. NGO Forum, a group of organizations, has called the project “outdated, expensive and risky.” Other critics say the negative impacts of the dams outweigh the benefits.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has called concerns over the dam “extremist.”

“Is there any development that doesn’t have an impact on the environment and natural resources,” he said in a speech. “Please provide a reasonable response. If we can reduce our dependence on petroleum, oil or gasoline, our energy security will be ensured.”

At least five Chinese companies are investing in dam projects—in the provinces of Kampong Speu, Kampot, Koh Kong and Pursat and along the Mekong river.

Hun Sen said he expects power to flow from different projects by the end of 2011, and into 2012, 2013 and 2015. Read more!

Dentist volunteer sees sad sights in Cambodian prison

Dunedin dentist Gary Marks had good reason to savour his Christmas dinner this year, having experienced a taste of the squalid conditions of a French colonial-era prison in Cambodia.

Mr Marks (61) returned to Dunedin last month after about four weeks working as a volunteer for an international dental school in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.

The assignment included a week on Cambodia's south coast, working inside Kampot Prison helping supervise 15 dental students treating the facility's inmates.

Mr Marks told the Otago Daily Times yesterday the inmates' dental problems included chronic decay requiring numerous tooth extractions, but the challenges did not stop there.

Cramped and "fairly squalid" conditions meant the inmates slept about 50 people to a room, on thin mattresses over concrete floors, and health problems - including HIV, scabies and conjunctivitis - were prevalent, he said.

"They were pretty sad sights in there."

Despite that, Mr Marks and his students were only allowed to work after agreeing to provide their own power generator and treat the prison's staff and families first.

Treating the staff and families took the best part of a day and a-half out of the group's week-long trip to the prison, Mr Marks said.

The international dental school in Phnom Penh, established five years ago, was one of only two in Cambodia.

The school's dean, Callum Durward, is a former dental school classmate of Mr Marks and had invited his former colleagues to volunteer to work in Cambodia.

The country lacked trained dentists as well as dental schools, with those who did practise dentistry not requiring formal qualifications, he said.

"But you know what you're getting, of course.

A lot of these back-street boys have just learnt off their parents or learnt off someone else."

Poverty had actually prevented the worst dental problems associated with the consumption of refined carbohydrates or sugars, but that was changing as people became more affluent and could afford junk food, he said.

Mr Marks' work in Kampot Prison was supported by the New Zealand-based One-2-One Charitable Trust, which assisted in orphanages and aimed to help prisoners in the country's 35 prisons over the next few years, he said.

While conceding his work was "a drop in the bucket", Mr Marks believed it was rewarding for both the prisoners and students.

He previously worked as a volunteer treating children in Nepal, and planned to return to Cambodia to continue his work in "a couple of years". Read more!

Good Governance Could Grow Economy: Analyst

With strong recovery in garments and tourism, and strong growth in agriculture, the International Monetary Fund and government predict a growth rate of 6 percent to 7 percent next year.

But an independent analyst says Cambodia could see growth as high as 10 percent in coming years if governance is improved.

“If there is good reform on good governance, we will have powerful growth, more than 10 percent,” said Chan Sophal, director of the Cambodian Economic Association. “If we reform slowly, we’ll get growth of 6 percent to 7 percent a year.”

Shared wealth and the benefits of that growth will also depend on good governance, he said. Economic equity means that people receive a good base depending on their capacity, knowledge and resources.

Better governance will attract more foreign investment, create more jobs and reduce corruption, he said. More workers will be trained, and less land disputes will sow discontent.

Cambodia is located in a part of the world that is growing, attracting Chinese and Vietnamese investment along with the big markets of the US and EU for garments, he said. And while regional neighbors are growing out of garment production, that creates an opportunity for Cambodia to move into more of it, leading to more growth.

Cambodian garment workers have low salaries, making it more attractive amid strong competition, he said.

Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union of the Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, said more orders had been made in recent months and that some factories are now operating around the clock. Read more!