Assembly Adjusts Corruption Law for Better: Analysts

Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a recent statement to the National Assembly that the amendments are needed to improve the speed and effectiveness of the law.


The National Assembly approved amendments to the country’s anti-corruption law Friday in what analysts say moves a key investigative body away from the administrative cabinet.

The amendments to the law will give more power to the head of the Anti-Corruption Body, which has executive power to conduct investigations.

A key amendment takes the ACU’s budget away from the Council of Ministers and puts it under the overall national budget, which is controlled by the Ministry of Finance.

Proponents of the amendments said Friday they would help activate anti-corruption legislation.

Om Yintieng, the head of the ACU and a senior adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen, told lawmakers in session Friday the amendments would help him fight corruption. Under the amendments, he will now have more say in staffing the unit.

Thun Saray, president of the rights group Adhoc, said the removal of the ACU’s budget from the Council of Ministers would give the unit more autonomy, but he urged the unit to work independently and without fear of senior officials.

He also welcomed the provisions that would allow the head of the ACU more control over the unit, which he said would help improve its work and give it more prestige.

However, Am Sam Ath, head of investigation for the rights group Licadho, said the new law, as others, will only help if it is properly implemented by the ACU.

With more independence of budget, the ACU now must show the will to fight corruption, he said.
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Cambodian PM declares assets in anti-graft push

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen holds up a document detailing his personal assets Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) office in Phnom Penh. -- PHOTO: AFP

PHNOM PENH - CAMBODIAN Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday declared his personal assets to the country's new anti-corruption unit and urged officials to follow his lead in a bid to tackle rampant graft.

'Today, I have fulfilled my obligation under the anti-corruption law,' the premier said as he personally delivered his documents to the unit's headquarters in the capital Phnom Penh.

Although the asset declaration is confidential, Hun Sen told reporters he earned a monthly salary of 4,600,000 riel (S$1,450).

He also encouraged senior government and military officials to follow his example ahead of a deadline next week. 'Don't be hesitant or afraid,' he said.

More than 100,000 state officials and heads of civilian organisations in Cambodia are required to make declarations of property, vehicles, business interests and other assets under the anti-graft law that was approved in 2010.

The confidential declarations will happen in stages and the April 7 deadline only applies to some officials, the anti-corruption unit said in a statement. -- AFP Read more!

In Cambodia, Women Fear Death at Childbirth

By Marwaan Macan-Markar

KRAING KAOK, Cambodia, Apr 2, 2011 (IPS) - Death haunts women in this Cambodian village at a moment of happiness - when they give birth.

"Today, nothing frightens Cambodian women more than having to give birth," says Mu Sochuea, former minister of women’s affairs. "It is costly, risky and not safe for the mothers and the babies."

Cambodia has acquired the notoriety of having among the highest maternal mortality rates in the region. Five women die every day during childbirth, according to U.N. reports.

Public health experts attribute the high death toll to lack of sufficient midwives, limited health care centres, the cost of health services, and a bias in remote rural areas towards untrained traditional birth attendants.

Hak Sam Ath still fights back tears as she recalls how Ouch Lay, her eldest daughter, died at a health clinic that serves this fishing and trading community on the banks of the Stung Slot River. "She had high blood pressure at the time she had checked into the health clinic for her delivery," said Sam Ath. "But this was overlooked and she died on the night she was to give birth."

The death of mothers like 28-year-old Lay, over one year ago in this village some 60 kilometres southeast of Phnom Penh, confirms why a common saying in the local Khmer language about the dangers of childbirth still resonates in this country of some 14 million people. "The expression ‘crossing the river’ is used in Khmer to describe the moment when a woman is to give birth," says Sochuea, now an opposition parliamentarian. "It illustrates the risk and the danger of crossing a river, a totally uncertain experience, which is how childbirth is viewed by many here."

The country’s maternal mortality rates reflect this fear. There are 461 maternal mortality cases per 100,000 living births here, which is "among the highest in the region and which has not changed much since 1997," noted a report released Mar. 28 on the country’s progress towards achieving the U.N. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - a set of global targets to reduce poverty, ensure basic education, achieve gender equity, and overcome major health challenges.

Such frequent maternal mortality has condemned Cambodia to fall well short of meeting the fifth of eight MDGs by 2015, which specifically calls on countries to improve maternal health by reducing maternal mortality ratios. Cambodia is also trailing to meet the first MDG: slashing the number of people living in extreme poverty and hunger.

"It is highly unlikely that the original [Cambodian MDG] target of 140 deaths per 100,000 live births can be reached," revealed the ‘Cambodian Millennium Development Goals (CMDG) Update 2010’, the report that was jointly produced by the government and U.N. agencies. "The target for 2015 has therefore recently been adjusted to a more realistic level of 250, which still represents a major challenge."

To meet such a challenge in a country still struggling to rise to its feet after the 1991 peace accords - which ended two decades of deadly conflict, genocide and occupation - the U.N. has courted a prominent ally: Bun Ray Hun Sen, the wife of Cambodian Prime Minster Hun Sen. The former nurse was recognised in late February as the national champion for U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon’s Action Plan for Women’s and Children’s Health.

"We are tackling the maternal mortality issue at an extremely high level," Douglas Broderick, the U.N. resident coordinator here, told IPS. "We will be working with the first lady to raise the profile of the maternal mortality challenge in the country."

Limited numbers of midwives and skilled birth attendants in the hospitals and health centres has contributed to maternal mortality, with the rural rice- growing areas - home to nearly 85 percent of the population - being the worst hit. Nearly 40 percent of births in Cambodia are "unattended by skilled birth attendants, who could save women’s lives in case of emergencies," according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"Maternal mortality in rural areas is three times higher than in the urban areas," says Chea Thy, the national health advisor at the Cambodia office of Plan International, a British child rights agency. "Some health centres don’t have qualified midwives."

Midwives are paid approximately 10 dollars for assisting in a birth and the profession is struggling to attract larger and committed numbers to meet the health ministry’s national health plans. The government has set its sights on opening 1,600 health centres across the country, with each having up to two midwives. This would mark a sizeable increase from the less than 1,000 health centres that currently dot Cambodia.

The high cost of health services in a country where over a third of the population live in poverty is also fingered as an explanation of why maternal care is so poor.

"The average payment for a four to six day stay at a hospital is 130,000 riels (about 27 dollars)," Henk Bekedam, director of health sector development at the WHO’s regional office, told IPS. "That includes mothers going for delivery, a patient who has broken a leg, or somebody hospitalised for diarrhoea." Read more!

Cambodia Honors 2 Chinese Peacekeeping Soldiers Killed in 1993 Blast

Cambodia on Friday commemorated two Chinese U.N. peacekeeping soldiers killed in a blast in the country's Cheung Prey district in Kampong Cham province on May 21, 1993.

The ceremony was presided over by Lieutenant General Nim Sovath, chief of Cambodian Defense Ministry's Department of Politics and Foreign Affairs, and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Pan Guangxue, with the participation of local Chinese communities and some 100 locals.

The ambassador recalled that nearly 800 Chinese U.N. soldiers were on mission in Cambodia in 1992, and there was a mid-night explosion on May 21, 1993, killing the two soldiers -- Chen Zhi Guo and Yu Shi Li, other three were wounded.

"Even though they passed away, their braveness is still kept in our hearts forever," he said, "Their sacrifices have made closer relations between Cambodia and China."

On behalf of Cambodian Royal Armed Forces, Nim Sovath expressed deepest condolences to the Chinese government and the victims' families for the death of the two Chinese U.N. peacekeeping soldiers in the engineering unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.

"The government of Cambodia would like to express its gratitude to Chinese Communist Party and the government of China for sending engineering forces under the U.N. umbrella to Cambodia for peacekeeping," he said, "Their sacrifices were in the cause of seeking peace and security for Cambodia." Read more!

Cambodia Ready to Talk on Border Row: PM

Cambodia has received mixed information from Thailand about its participation in next week's meetings in Indonesia on border conflict between the two countries, said Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday afternoon.

"Now we have received mixed information from Bangkok on the meetings," he said in a press briefing, referring to the meetings of Cambodia-Thai General Border Committee (GBC) and Joint Border Committee on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC) on April 7-8 that are to be held in Bogor, Indonesia.

He said that Cambodia has already prepared itself for the meetings. Cambodia's GBC will be led by Defense Minister Tea Banh and JBC by its president Var Kimhong.

The premier made the remarks after Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya on Thursday said that there is a possibility that only the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Committee (JBC) meeting will be held in Indonesia, without convening a General Border Committee (GBC) meeting.

"Until now the Thai Defense Ministry still hopes that Cambodia will host the 7th GBC meeting so that the JBC meeting would be the only meeting to be convened in Indonesia on April 7-8," the Thai state media MCOT online quoted Kasit as saying.

Cambodia and Thailand's troops exchanged fire just a week after the disputed Preah Vihear temple was enlisted as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. Since then, both sides have built up military forces along the border, and periodic clashes happened, resulting in the deaths of troops on both sides.

The latest clashes took place on Feb. 4-7, killing and wounding many soldiers and citizens of both sides.
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HELP International Corp sees potential in Sri Lanka and Cambodia

It also intends to franchise education programmes in Mideast and Africa KUALA LUMPUR: HELP International Corp Bhd (HIC) is looking to expand into Sri Lanka, Cambodia, the Middle East and Africa to franchise its education programmes as well as offer professional niche courses for business continuity to rev up its revenue stream. Group chief executive Datin Chan-Low Kam Yoke said the company would be expanding into Sri Lanka and Cambodia by the third quarter and the Middle East and Africa probably by the first quarter of next year. “Sri Lanka and Cambodia are potential markets for the group. The former, for example, has a growing demand for good education coupled with rapid development taking shape in the country. In addition, the culture and history is almost similar to that of Malaysia and this bodes well for HIC to venture there,'' she said in an interview. Although the population of Cambodia was relatively small, Low said the economy was picking up, further strengthened by the discovery of oil reserves there.

Datuk Dr Paul Chan Tuck Hoong and Datin Chan- Low Kam Yoke looking at a model of its Subang 2 campus.

Since Cambodia was progressing and forthcoming in education, she added, the company felt it was a good market for the group to expand into.

Low said its colleges in the country were receiving good response from Middle East students and expected 100 plus students, which she described as a conservative figure, to enrol at its campuses by the third quarter.

Currently, 80% of HIC's revenue is derived from its local student population.

The group also has presence in Indonesia, Vietnam and China.

To date, it has more than 10,000 students in total at its campuses in Pusat BandarDamansara and Sungei Besi. It planned to set up two more in Subang 2 (near Sungei Buloh) slated in 2013 and Seri Alam in Johor in 2016.

HELP University College, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary today, is among the few listed education groups in the country which are constantly on the radar of investors.

The co-founders are Low and her husband, who is HELP University College president Datuk Dr Paul Chan Tuck Hoong.

For its first quarter ended Jan 31, HIC posted a higher net profit of RM2.73mil against RM2.42mil in the previous corresponding period. Revenue stood at RM24.3mil against RM23.5mil previously.

The group's net profit for the financial year ended Oct 31 (FY10) was RM19.1mil as opposed to RM15.5mil FY09, while revenue stood at RM105.2mil compared with RM96.6mil previously.

Chan, who is also the group president of HIC, said in collaboration with foreign universities, HELP University College planned to offer professional niche courses designed for CEOs and policy makers to prepare them to handle crises effectively, for example the nuclear crisis in Japan, among others.

He said the professional development courses would probably take off by year-end, adding that this was to ensure continuity of a business in the event of a catastrophe or crisis that would hinder growth and sustainability.

Chan said, for a start, it would get international experts in relevant expertise to conduct training at HELP colleges.

Online learning was another important source of revenue for the group as offering such courses would help to cut costs substantially and facilitate global reach of students, he said, adding that online learning was part of the group's Internationalisation, Diversification and Expansion strategy.

In this regard, it recently entered into a collaboration with Pearson e-College, a leading platform provider for top online universities in the US, and was also finalising investment in a Swiss online learning company that focused on the corporate sector.

HIC, in collaboration with the Naza Group, would also be setting up the country's first comprehensive automotive college.

The college of automotive and transportation management would offer programmes ranging from certificate to master's degrees and vocational training relevant to the industry to address the shortage of skilled workers faced by the sector.

The college would be run by a 50:50 joint venture company set up by Naza and HIC.

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Observers See Role for Former King on Border Issue

Former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk and Queen Norodom Monineath Sihanouk are greeted by students along a Phnom Penh road during during the marking of the country's 50th Independence Day in 2003.

Former king Norodom Sihanouk could be a valuable asset in the Thai-Cambodian border dispute, a Cambodian historian says.

As monarch, Norodom Sihanouk led Cambodia’s bid to regain Preah Vihear temple from Thai occupation in 1962 through the International Court of Justice.

The court determined the temple belonged to Cambodia, but Thailand continues to dispute the ownership of land nearby, an issue that has led to a prolonged, deadly military standoff.

Michel Trane, a history professor in Cambodia, told VOA Khmer in an interview that Norodom Sihanouk is a living witness to those events and could shed light on the court’s decision and the border standoff.

“Before he is gone, we should make a request to him asking his opinion,” Trane said.

Both sides remain at odds over the disputed area, with the most violent clashes, in February, followed by a peace effort led by Asean and its president, Indonesia.

Officials are scheduled to meet in Indonesia next week to hammer out the details of a potential Indonesian monitoring mission to the border to help ensure a ceasefire.

Trane said it was regretful the former king’s knowledge has not yet been tapped in dealing with the standoff, even as Cambodia prepares a legal request from the international court on the 1962 decision.

“The most regretful thing is that his great merit was not thought of,” Trane said of th former monarch, who relinquished the throne in 2004. “I remember that His Majesty fairly said that even a hand-span of land we would not lose. And he achieved this effective goal.”

Son Soubert, an advisor to the former king whose father helped prepare the legal case for Preah Vihear in the 1960s, said Norodom Sihanouk, now 88, could advise on the current dispute.

“He has a lot of experience in diplomatic affairs, legal affairs, and all of this,” Son Soubert said. “Because indeed it’s a national issue. It is not the issue of any political party or individual. There must be unity, all together, to solve our land problem.”

Government spokesman Phay Siphan said the former king does at times advise the government, including letters of support in the Preah Vihear issue. However, he said, the current dispute is not the same as the historical case.

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Friends Without A Border's Gala Features Pulitzer Prize-winner Nicholas D. Kristof

NEW YORK, March 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Friends Without A Border (Friends) announces that its 9th Annual Gala will take place on Thursday, April 14, 2011 (6 to 9:30 p.m.) at Espace, 635 West 42nd St., New York City. Celebrated writer Nicholas Kristof will present the inaugural Healing Cambodia Award to humanitarian Bernard Krisher. Based in New York, with chapters in Canada, Japan, and France, Friends is a 501(c)(3) organization which raises awareness and funds to support Angkor Hospital for Children, a leading pediatric hospital in post-genocide Cambodia. Founded in 1996 by photographer Kenro Izu, Friends raised the funds to construct AHC in February 1999 and continues to raise millions each year for pediatric healthcare in Cambodia. AHC is internationally respected for quality, compassionate care provided to more than 125,000 sick, malnourished, and impoverished children annually. Since 1999, AHC has treated more than 870,000 children. Bernard Krisher's contribution to the restoration and enhancement of civil society in Cambodia is unparalleled. He drew forth the assistance of many influential persons he met during his long career as a journalist and later as Tokyo Bureau Chief of Newsweek. Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner, best-selling author, and New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof will present the award on behalf of Friends. Mr. Kristof has earned accolades for his incisive chronicling of social injustice. Cambodia has loomed large in Mr. Kristof's examination of global poverty and the effort to defeat it. "It is a true pleasure for Abbott and Abbott Fund to join Friends Without A Border, Nicholas Kristof, and many others in honoring Bernard Krisher for his incomparable contribution to Cambodia's welfare," said Katherine Pickus, Divisional Vice President, Global Citizenship and Policy, Abbott. "We're also proud to share a broader commitment to advancing the health of children in Cambodia and countries around the world." As one of only five teaching hospitals in Cambodia, AHC has trained thousands of Khmer nurses and doctors as part of its mission to help rebuild the nation's healthcare infrastructure. Outreach programs instill preventive health, nutrition, and hygiene practices among rural residents and upgrade local health centers. Its Homecare program is the largest hospital-based pediatric HIV antiretroviral therapy program outside the nation's capital, Phnom Penh. Contact: Mayanna Prak Friends Without A Border, 1123 Broadway, Suite 1210, New York, NY 10010 mayanna@fwab.org 917-817-3224 www.fwab.org SOURCE Friends Without A Border Read more!

Cambodia fully supports Timor-Leste to enter ASEAN: PM

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) - Cambodia will fully support the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste to become the 11th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year or next year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday. Hun Sen made the remarks during a 30-minute meeting with the visiting President of Timor-Leste, Jose Ramos-Horta at the Peace Palace. "Cambodia fully supported Timor-Leste to become the 11th member of ASEAN," said Hun Sen during the meeting. "Cambodia's support is regardless Timor-Leste is a small or big, poor or rich country, but to reflect the equal rights of the countries in the region." Hun Sen expressed his hope that Timor-Leste will be able to join the association this year or next year. Meanwhile Jose Ramos-Horta said that today Timor-Leste is full of peace and stability, and its economy has a growth of over ten percent since 2007. He added that the country now has no external debt, instead, it has money surplus deposited in the bank. "Therefore, the Timor-Leste's request to enter the ASEAN will not be a burden for any country in the bloc," said Jose Ramos- Horta. "Timor-Leste's intention to join ASEAN is to integrate into the ASEAN region and to strengthen and expand regional cooperation." Timor-Leste submitted a formal application on March 4 to join the ASEAN to the current chair of Indonesia. Koy Kuong, the spokesman for the Cambodian Foreign Ministry, said after the meeting that Cambodia and Timor-Leste also pledged to cooperate on oil and gas sector and Cambodia will send a delegation to study about the management of oil and gas in Timor- Leste. Jose Ramos-Horta, accompanied by Minister of Commerce, Tourism and Industry Gil Da Costa Alves, arrived here on Tuesday morning for a three-day state visit. Earlier in the day, he was granted a royal audience to King Norodom Sihamoni, and he will pay courtesy calls on Cambodia's Senate President Chea Sim, the National Assembly President Heng Samrin on Wednesday. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Read more!

India fourth most corrupt nations in Asia: Survey news

India is the fourth most corrupt country after the Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia, according to a ranking of 16 Asia-Pacific countries. India was found to be the fourth most corrupt nation among the 16 countries of the Asia Pacific region surveyed by leading Hong Kong-based business consultancy firm PERC. The Political & Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd (PERC) has rated India at 8.67 on a scale of zero to 10, with the high end being the worst case of corruption scenario, just below the Philippines (8.9 points), Indonesia (9.25 points) and Cambodia (9.27 points). Thailand was rated at 11 with a scale of 7.55, followed by China (7.93) and Vietnam (8.3). Singapore, on the other hand, was given a clean sheet with a score of 0.37, followed by Hong Kong (1.10), Australia (1.39), Japan (1.90) and the US (2.39), putting them in the top five. According to the report, civil and other local-level political leaders in India were found more corrupt than the national-level political leaders, with the former getting a score of 9.25 and the latter a slightly better 8.97. Civil servants at the city level too were rated at 8.18, worst than the civil servants at the national level. "The issue of corruption has grown and overshadowed the second term in office of the Congress-led coalition headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," PERC said in its Asian Intelligence report on Asian business and politics. The report has also considered the serious allegations against the government like the 2G Spectrum allocation, scandals involving the sale of telecom licences, mismanagement of the Commonwealth Games, land scam involving high level military officers, and improper property loans made by state-owned financial institutions, among others. Prime minister Manmohan Singh has put himself in a defensive position through his inaction in almost all cases of corruption, although he himself is considered above board. Meanwhile, the recent WikiLeaks report that the ruling Congress Party paid off parliamentarians back in 2008 to pass the US-India civil nuclear deal, has also helped dent the image of the UP government led by Manmohan Singh. Read more!

Risks, Rewards as Economic Corridor Develops

Cambodia is building up its rural infrastructure in an effort to link itself to its neighbors, under an “economic corridor” project aided by the Asian Development Bank. Proponents of the southern economic corridor, part of the Greater Mekong Subregion project, say it will bring benefits to villagers like those in Kampong Thom district’s Sambo Prey Kuk temple, in Prasat Sambo district. Here, a bumpy dirty road connecting the temple to the main provincial town was recently improved. “When the road was rough, not many people came,” said Kong Sophy, who owns a restaurant near the ancient temple, where buses of tourists now visit. “But now that the road is good, more visitors are coming. So I do well in sales.” Tem Bunteng, a local tour guide, agrees that better infrastructure has improved tourism numbers to the temple, which is one of the most-visited temples in the country outside those of Angkor Wat. “The people here want a good road because it can bring in more tourists,” Tem Bunteng said. “It’s very important because this is one of the most attractive spots in the country,” Ingrid Overstegen, a Dutch tourist said one afternoon at the temple. “Tourists want to come here, and they bring money to your country, so it's good for your economy.” Economists say the connection between rural and urban areas across borders in the Mekong countries can help boost economies across the region. “There's a huge potential in tourism and agriculture,” Arjun Goswami, the ADB’s director for regional cooperation, said in an interview during a regional forum on the economic corridor last month. “Now, both of these sectors, in terms of cross-border movement of people or cross-border movement of agricultural goods and produce, depend on the husbanding of natural resources.” However, that potential can also bring some strife to communities who say they are not benefiting. That has been the case for 500 villagers from the Prey Lang forest, which spans four eastern provinces and is the site of at least two large rubber plantation concessions to Vietnamese companies. Villagers say the cross-border concessions are threatening their livelihoods from the large expanse of natural forest. While tourists were admiring Sambo Prey Kuk temple earlier this month, these villagers were holding a forum in Kampong Thom to express their grievances. “The other 20 provinces know clearly that in history, there are no other forests left in Cambodia,” Ros Soeunn, a 77-year-old villager told the forum, which had gathered under a tent in Kampong Thom town. “Only this Prey Lang still exists,” he shouted into a microphone at a gathering of lawmakers and local authorities. “Do you want to destroy it all? And where can the people live?” “You give companies millions of hectares, but your own people, nothing,” he said. “You just allow others from outside to develop, but what is development for, if the people weep bitterly?” Goswami said the risks that may come from increased development will have to be addressed. “Of course countries that have natural resources will want to use that natural resource base for growth, and other countries will want to get access to it,” he said, referring to agricultural development in general. “The issue is not trying to stop it; the issue is trying to make sure that the risks are best mitigated.” Read more!

Cambodia, DPRK defense officials meet to share experience

PHNOM PENH, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) defense officials met here on Monday aiming to strengthen cooperation and share experience on national defense, said a Cambodian spokesman. A nine defense officials delegation from the DPRK, headed by Pak Jae-gyong, vice minister of the People's Armed Forces of the DPRK, held a meeting with Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh on Monday afternoon, Chhum Socheat, the spokesman for the Cambodian Defense Ministry, said after the meeting. "The delegation's visit in Cambodia is to re-strengthen cooperation between Cambodia and the DPRK in all sectors," he said. "Also, both sides have shared experience on national defense." Later in the day, the delegation met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. Pak Jae-gyong conveyed greetings from President Kim Jong-il to Hun Sen and thanked Cambodia for the warm welcome to his delegation during the visit, the premier's spokesman Eng Sophalleth told reporters after a 30-minute meeting. Pak said the relation between the DPRK and Cambodia has been built by Marshall Kim Il Sung and former King Norodom Sihanouk and it has lasted for more than 40 years since. Pak Jae-gyong also invited Hun Sen to visit the DPRK. In response, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Cambodia is pleased to expand cooperation with the DPRK in all sectors, especially in trades and commerce, according to Eang Sophalleth. Hun Sen accepted the invitation to visit the DPRK at a proper time in the future. The delegation arrived in Cambodia on Sunday for a three day visit. They will also visit engineering schools for Cambodian armed forces. Read more!

Prawit: Border talks must remain bilateral

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon agrees that Thailand and Cambodia can discuss their border disputes in Indonesia, but insists that any such talks must be bilateral and Indonesian authorities must not be involved. Gen Prawit was responding on Monday to a report that his Cambodian counterpart Gen Tea Banh proposed that the next meetings of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) and of the Thai-Cambodia Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) be held together in Indonesia. Gen Prawit said Gen Tea Banh had not informed him of his proposal yet. He said the next meeting of the GBC and JBC should not be held at the same time. The JBC meeting should come first because the GBC meeting's agenda is security along the Thai-Cambodian border and was ‘’discussable’’. There should not be a problem, the defence minister said. At the next GBC meeting the two sides will discuss problems in implementing agreements over the disputed border area, security along the border, illegal labour, drug smuggling and other crime. When Gen Prawit was asked by the reporters what he would say if Cambodia insisted the meeting take place in Indonesia, he said Thai authorities would have no problem with that, but both sides would need to talk first. However he insisted the GBC meeting must be bilateral. ‘’ Asean (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations) has agreed that Indonesia will take part only in the news conference and will not attend the meeting. We have no problem if things remain this way,’’ Gen Prawit said. The general reiterated his previous position that the Thai-Cambodian border dispute does not affect the travel or trade of people in either country and the two sides can still sit around a table and negotiate,. There, there should be no need to hold the JBC and GBC meetings in a third country. Meanwhile, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) spokesman Panthep Puapongpan has filed a petition with the House of Representatives, again demanding that parliament refuse to endorse the three JBC memos under the 2000 MoU regarding border issues. The PAD claims that parliamentary endorsement of the three memos, which were signed in 2009 and in 2008 by the Joint Boundary Commission, would result in a significant loss of territory. The government will table the three memos in parliament tomorrow. Read more!

Police beat Cambodian garment workers

At least eight female garment workers were injured on Monday in clashes with Cambodian riot police, who used shields and electric shock batons to end a protest over a factory closure, witnesses and a union said. At least eight female garment workers were injured on Monday in clashes with Cambodian riot police, who used shields and electric shock batons to end a protest over a factory closure, witnesses and a union said. Some demonstrators were pushed to the ground and shocked with batons when police with guns and riot gear were deployed to forcibly end a road blockade by an estimated 1,000 female workers who were demanding unpaid wages and compensation after a local factory went bankrupt. The clashes were the latest setback for an industry that forms a vital part of Cambodia's fledgling $10 billion economy. The garment sector was badly hit during the global economic slump from 2008 and more recently has been plagued by strikes over low pay and working conditions. "Police were ordered to beat up workers, some were hit in the heads and shoulders and others were pushed to the ground," said Chhoeun Chanthy, a 30-year-old garment worker . "We were not afraid, we were peaceful." Chea Mony, president of the Cambodia's Free Trade Union (FTU), told Reuters the total number of injured was unknown and some workers were being held in police custody. "This is very serious. These workers were only in dispute with employers," Chea Mony said. "This violence is not justified," he said, adding that a government committee tasked with dealing with such disputes was "useless". Phnom Penh police chief Touch Naruth declined to comment and a legal representative for the factory was unavailable. Garment manufacturing is Cambodia's third-biggest currency earner after agriculture and tourism. About 30,000 jobs were lost in 2009 after a drop in sales to the United States and Europe. The downturn led to a strike by more than 210,000 garment factory workers last year and more mass strikes have been threatened over a controversial move by the government to regulate trade unions. Cambodia exported garments, textiles and shoes to the value of $2.3 billion in 2009, down from $2.9 billion in 2008. According to the World Bank, the sector is in recovery and exports grew 24 percent in 2010 after a 20 percent contraction. An estimated 300,000 of Cambodia's 13.4 million people work in the sector and send vital cash to impoverished rural villages where many people live on less than $1 a day. Reuters Read more!

Trimming the cost of an Asia trip

By Michelle Higgins

New York Times

Planning a trip to Asia this year? Better get booking.

International tourist arrivals to the region increased 11 percent in 2010, according to the Pacific Asia Travel Association. And tour operators that cater to U.S. travelers say bookings this year are already well ahead of last year.

"Our most popular 14-day tour of China already has more passengers booked to travel in 2011 than the entire 2010 season," Marty Seslow, vice president for sales and marketing at Gate 1 Travel, based in Pennsylvania, said a few weeks ago.

That means bargains will be harder to come by for travelers only now planning vacations. Rising jet fuel costs aren't helping matters. And stronger Asian currencies, from the Taiwan dollar (up about 8 percent against the dollar compared with a year ago, according to Travelex, a currency exchange company) to the Malaysian ringgit (up roughly 11 percent), means Americans have less buying power. (One exception is Vietnam -- where U.S. travelers are getting about 12 percent more for the dollar than a year ago.) But it's still possible to save on your Asian vacation if you plan carefully.

One of the biggest expenses of any trip to Asia, whether a whirlwind tour of China or a beach holiday in Bali, is simply getting there. Discounts, offered sporadically, aren't as deep as they were a few years ago.

Want to take advantage of the few discounts out there? George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com, advises: "Sign up for frequent-flier programs, and airline emails, even if you won't really be doing it for the miles." Asian airlines often reserve their best fares for their own websites, he said, noting that Singapore Airlines recently slashed fares by $300 to $400 on more than two dozen routes -- a sale it disclosed via email to its frequent-flier members.

If you have a stockpile of frequent-flier miles on an airline that doesn't fly to your Asian destination, you still may be able to use those miles, thanks to airline alliances. For example, American Airlines does not fly to Hong Kong, but Cathay Pacific, a OneWorld alliance member, which has a code-share agreement with American Airlines, does and accepts American miles.

Jetting around Asia

Once in Asia, use budget airlines such as AirAsia or Tiger Airways. "They have ridiculously low fares," said Stephanie Trzaska, a U.S. expatriate who has been living in Asia for the past four years, including in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.

She recently paid $226 total for round-trip flights on Tiger Airways from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for herself, her husband and their daughter. The same flight on a mainstream airline, she said, would have been at least double that amount.

She added that Zuji.com, Travelocity's Singapore-based affiliate, can be helpful when searching for budget carriers. But be sure to check the airline site directly before you book in case the fare is lower on the carrier's site.

Many Asia-bound travelers have several destinations on their itineraries. If you fall into this category, consider an air pass. Cathay Pacific, OneWorld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance are among the airlines and alliances that offer passes, which allow travelers to fly to multiple cities within a country or region, often for hundreds of dollars less than if you bought individual tickets. But read the fine print; the tickets often come with booking restrictions and hefty change fees.

One with fewer restrictions, said Simone Farbus, air travel manager at Asia Transpacific Journeys, is the Discover Asia Airpass, operated by SilkAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, which offers flights between 22 Asian destinations, ranging from $145 to $345 per segment.

"There are no minimum or maximum restrictions on the amount of coupons or segments, and there's also no minimum stay requirement," she said. "We also like the fact that if circumstances change and the client has to cancel or change their ticket, it will only cost $25."

One drawback: Because the air pass uses Singapore as a hub, travelers who want to fly to, say, Siem Reap in Cambodia from Yangon, in Myanmar, must first fly to Singapore. But that additional flight can shave a lot off your costs. A trip in late April along that route starts at $980 when using the air pass, versus $2,885 if booked as individual tickets, Farbus said.

One air pass that doesn't require backtracking is the Discovery Airpass, operated in a joint venture by Bangkok Airways, Lao Airlines and Berjaya Air, with flights between Thailand, Cambodia and Laos and many small island resorts in the region. Flights between countries are typically $120 per segment, according to Farbus, and domestic flights range from $65 to $113.

Hotel savings

Agoda.com, purchased by Priceline in 2007, is a good place to begin your search. It offers deals at more than 10,000 hotels in the Asia-Pacific sphere, including specially negotiated last-minute rates that can offer savings. For example, a "family" room, which comes with a double and a single bed, at the Yeng Keng Hotel, a 20-room boutique hotel in the City of George Town in Penang, Malaysia, was offered for $118 in mid-March on Agoda versus the promotional rate of 380 ringgit, or about $125, listed on the hotel's own site.

You can also bid for hotels in major Asian cities on Priceline.com.hk, choosing trip dates, hotel star rating and the general neighborhood you wish to stay in, and then naming your own price -- just as you do on the U.S. site but this time in Hong Kong dollars. As on Priceline's U.S. hotel site, you learn the name of the hotel after you pay.

Package, seasonal deals

Packages that combine air and hotel are another way to save. For example, Singapore Airlines Vacations' Amazing 5 Nights Bali Package offers five nights at the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, round-trip flights from Los Angeles for two, airport transfers and daily breakfast for $3,028, including taxes, in early May. If booked separately, five nights at the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel ($640) and the airfare for two ($3,068) came to $3,708 for the same trip.

You'll get the best rates in the offseason, of course, but there are trade-offs. You can have the Forbidden City practically to yourself in Beijing in December, but you'll have to bundle up, with daytime temperatures hovering around freezing.

The so-called shoulder season offers something of a sweet spot for travelers looking for deals. For example, the 10-day Taste of China Tour offered by Friendly Planet Travel costs a few hundred dollars less in April, when the weather is milder, than during peak summer season.

"All the components for the various prices are the same," said Peggy Goldman, president of Friendly Planet Travel. "The only thing that changes is the departure date."

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Police to question Orphanage paedophile over rape claim

By Darren Devine A LIFELONG friend of paedophile Nick Griffin has told Wales on Sunday she became suspicious after he took a teenage boy who has since accused him of rape on a camping trip alone. Janet De Selincourt allowed Griffin to live on the trout farm she one ran in North Wales and spoke out after we revealed the teenager’s allegations last week. Following our exclusive story, North Wales Police have also promised to quiz Griffin, 53, about the alleged two-year campaign of abuse against a teenager in the Llangollen area when he is released from jail in Cambodia. The orphanage-founder is serving a year behind bars for abusing boys younger than 15 at his charity institution in South East Asia. Mrs De Selincourt, 69, admitted that despite her suspicions about Griffin she has written to him in Cambodia and will stand by him because “a friend is a friend”. She said: “I know he’s been convicted, but I find it very difficult to believe what I’ve heard. “I did write to him. I sent a letter to the British Embassy in Cambodia and enclosed a birthday card for him. “In the birthday card I said: ‘We’re with you all the way whatever.’ A friend is a friend regardless.” Mrs De Selincourt has known Griffin since the mid 1980s when he became her lodger in Addlestone, Surrey. In the early 1990s Griffin went to live in Shepherd’s Bush, London, where he set up his own business and employed Mrs De Selincourt’s daughter. In 1996 Mrs De Selincourt came to Glyn Ceiriog, near Llangollen, to run the Upper Mill’s trout farm. About two years later Griffin joined her in North Wales, from where he ran the Ives Management Services property firm, met his alleged Welsh victim and became a scout leader. The alleged victim last week told Wales on Sunday Griffin wormed his way into his confidence for two years before abusing him for two years between the ages of 13 and 15. The man, who is now 23, has since been convicted of possessing child porn and is on the sex offenders’ register. But Mrs De Selincourt said despite her unease over the camping trip she is certain the alleged victim was never abused at the trout farm. She said: “There was nothing going on at the house – I can guarantee that. “There was one occasion when I sort of didn’t like the idea that Nick had gone camping (with the boy). But I wasn’t (the boy’s) mother. His mother and father were the people who had the say.” When the police began looking into the allegation in 2009 she told them the alleged victim slept on the floor in Griffin’s room only once at the trout farm. The alleged victim told WoS last week he originally complained to police about the abuse in 2004, but his allegation was not properly investigated. A spokesperson for the force confirmed they had been investigating since 2009, but said there was no record of a complaint going back to 2004. Detective Inspector Arwyn Jones said they hoped to arrest and interview Griffin once he is released from his Cambodian jail. The pervert will be thrown out of the country he left for in 2006 once he is released in about 12 months’ time. Cops here will immediately arrest him if he returns to the UK or goes to a country with which there is an extradition treaty in place. Mr Arwyn Jones said the force had been in regular contact with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOPS) throughout the investigation. North Wales Police put Griffin on the police national computer as a wanted man before being told by CEOPS he was under investigation in South East Asia. Mr Arwyn Jones added: “The enquiry will be pursued and brought to a conclusion once Griffin is released from custody.” Read more!

Cambodia to see more participation in Earth Hour event

PHNOM PENH, Mar 26, 2011 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Some eighty businesses, and groups of individuals in Cambodia switched off their lights and electrical devices for an hour, starting at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday to celebrate "Earth Hour".

About 80 hotels, restaurants and shopping malls in the capital, including Hotel Cambodiana, Hotel Le Royal and Hotel Inter- Continental, as well as many individuals from across Cambodia have turned off their lights or partly turned off their lights for one hour to celebrate their action in protecting the environment.

"We have turned off the lights and lit candles instead during the Earth Hour, let the guests enjoy the unique atmosphere of romance, they feel very happy," a manager of Hotel Le Royal said.

Earth Hour is the world's largest environmental movement which encourages individuals, businesses and communities around the world to turn off their lights for one hour on March 26 at 8.30 p. m. local time in a bid to raise awareness about climate change.

Seng Teak, WWF-Cambodia's director, said Saturday that this is the second year that WWF has encouraged people in Cambodia to participate in this international event.

"It's still few participants, but it has doubled the number in 2010's event and I believe that year by year, more people will be aware of it and there will be more participation," he said.

WWF-Cambodia has assumed two Cambodian famous actors Yuthara Chhany and Tep Rindaro as the Earth Hour Ambassadors.

"Action for earth of these legendary actors will be a great example and will influence fans, families and friends to join forces with the rest of the world in the celebration of one thing that unites all of us -- the planet," he said.

Yuthara Chhany said, "The planet is ours and we can do our part to protect it, make your action for our only planet with the rest of the world."

"As individuals, we can do our own part to reduce the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere and take action on climate change for 365 days," he added.

The event was launched in 2007 in Sydney, Australia.

In 2010, hundreds of millions of people, in 128 countries and territories across the world, took part in the event.

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WT students return from Cambodia

By Matt Hamilton

Two weeks ago we brought you the story about the West Texas A&M University Readership Program and their trip of a life time.

Well, those 14 students have returned from their trip to Cambodia and they say the experiences they gained on the trip are irreplacable.

"It was a life changing trip. We went to different NGO's and basically learned to research where your money goes, because what some organizations seem as, they sometimes aren't," said Tyler Sweeney, a Senior Peer Leader and documentary filmmaker who went on the trip.

The trip also made the students realize how lucky they are.

"I also saw all of Cambodia and it made us thankful for all we have."

12 freshman along with two Peer Leaders were chosen out of hundreds who wrote essays to win the trip. This year marks the fourth international trip WTAMU has taken in conjunction with its Freshman Readership Program. The WT students traveled with student essay winners from Texas A&M International University in Laredo.

Cambodia was chosen as the destination because this year's common reader for Freshman Readership Program was The Road of Lost Innocence by Somaly Mam. In the book, Somaly talks about her experience of being sold into sex slavery and how she helps others.

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Labor Leaders Threaten Protest Over Draft Law

A Cambodian garment worker speaks on a loud speaker as she leads a strike in front of a factory on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Monday, Sept. 13, 2010.


Labor leaders say they want the Ministry of Labor to accept their recommendations to a law now being drafted to regulate union activity, threatening they will hold mass demonstrations otherwise.

“If they do not take the recommendations of the unions, there will be a big, peaceful demonstration until they change it,” said Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions, as a guest on “Hello VOA” Thursday.

Union officials say they are opposed to the current version of the Ministry of Labor’s draft law, which they say will make it harder for unions to function and easier for factories to sue labor leaders. Proponents of the law say it will help regulate a sometimes unruly sector and important economic engine.

A second “Hello VOA” guest, Ath Thun, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union, said too that his and other unions will protest if their recommendations are not adopted.

“In the first stage, we have had discussions with all union leaders in Cambodia, from every political spectrum, and we are all agreed and share the same concerns,” he said.

Ath Thun said the current draft does not allow freedom for unions to execute their duties and makes it more difficult for them to recruit members, by requiring regular reporting to ministries and increasing fines and punishment for union leaders.

The draft will also require unions to run their membership dues through the employer, he said. “That we can’t do, as the employers do not want unions,” he said.

The draft also makes it easy for authorities to suspend or cancel a union’s license or to “punish” unions, he said, a contravention of international conventions.

“If this law is passed without incorporating the opinions of the unions and workers, that means there are no unions’ rights, and violations of the law will increase, because no one will take the risk to be a union leader anymore,” he said.

Rong Chhun said the unions will resubmit their recommendations to the Ministry of Labor on Friday.

The ministry said this week that the draft is meant to benefit workers, not restrict unions. Cambodia has at least 62 unions that represent many of the nation’s 300,000 factory laborers.

Both labor leaders said Cambodians are traveling to outside countries like Malaysia, South Korea, Vietnam or Thailand in search of work, because the government has not created jobs for them at home.

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Women in Garment Factories Help Cambodia Out of Poverty

PHNOM PENH, Mar 25, 2011 (IPS) - Cambodia’s rise out of poverty continues to depend on the nimble fingers of young women like Khiev Chren. She has spent the last three years in a garment factory on the outskirts of this capital city, churning out clothing for international name brands such as Levis, Dockers and GAP. "This is my first job and I need the money to help my family in the province," the 23-year-old said, barely pausing as her fingers guided the left leg of a white trouser under the needle of her electric sewing machine.

Around her rose a hum from nearly 2,000 sewing machines, behind which sat women stitching garments from jeans to shirts, in a well-lit cavernous hall. "This is a more secure job than working in the rice fields back home," Chren admitted, alluding to the hardship of life in her rural-rice-growing province of Takeo, south of Phnom Penh.

The increasing dependence on women like Chren for this Southeast Asian country’s journey out of poverty was brought home Monday by the World Bank’s ‘East Asia and Pacific Economic Update’. "Garment exports registered a 24 percent growth in 2010 after shrinking 20 percent during the 2009 [global financial] crisis," the international financial institute revealed of the main driver of Cambodia’s fledgling export economy.

"Two of Cambodia’s growth drivers rebounded faster than expected," the Bank added in its assessment of the country’s economy, referring to the garment and footwear sectors. "As a result, some 55,300 new jobs have been created by both industries in 2010, recovering most of the jobs lost during the 2009 economic downturn."

Women in this country of 14 million have benefited from this windfall in new jobs, amplifying the trend in the garment sector from the time it set its roots in the mid-1990s helping Cambodia recover from decades of conflict, genocide and occupation - which ended with the 1991 Paris peace accords - and extreme poverty. Today, the face of the 320,000 workers in the country’s 270 garment factories remains a feminine one.

The garment factories, which serve as a base for this country’s limited industrial sector, are also pivotal as an employment magnet for the bulging youth population. Nearly 35 percent of the population is between 10 and 24 years old, earning this country the distinction of having the biggest youth population in Southeast Asia, according to U.N. estimates.

It is the labour of the female workforce, in fact, that has contributed to over 70 percent of export earnings from garment sales to markets in the United States and Europe. In 2008, before the global financial crisis, exports earned 4.07 billion U.S. dollars, dropping to 3.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2009 following the crisis - which saw U.S. markets shrink. But by last year, the export market, led by garments, had rebounded, with earning inching close to 4.6 billion U.S. dollars.

And the monthly income of the female labour-force - above 90 U.S. dollars - has been a significant element in helping alleviate poverty in a country still ranked among the world’s 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates that Cambodia, which has a third of its population living below the poverty line, will fall short of meeting a 2015 global millennium development goal (MDG) of slashing by half the number people who had been living on less than one dollar a day in 1990.

In rural Cambodia, where close to 85 percent of the population live, the number of people living below the poverty line was as high as 43 percent of the population in 1994, but had dropped to 34.79 percent prior to the 2009 financial crisis. It is a drop for which the garment sector earns kudos.

"The garment factories have been an equaliser in alleviating poverty in rural Cambodia," says Tumo Poutiainen, chief technical advisor of Better Factories Cambodia, a special initiative to ensure high labour standards involving the International Labour Organisation (ILO). "Women come to work in the garment factories not just for themselves, but to send money home."

The remittances that the 350,000 garments factory workers sent home prior to the crisis helped two million people in rural areas, ILO estimates reveal, not counting the additional 150,000 jobs the factories spawned on the fringes of Phnom Penh creating a "secondary economy".

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