KI Media: “Kingdom of Nothing Left to Wonder: Koh Pich, out with the poor farmers, in with the "Elite Golf"” plus 24 more

Three women were slightly injured while participating in a strike of about 500 workers outside the Zongtex Garment Factory in Phnom Penh's Dangkor district yesterday, a union representative said yesterday.

Suos Sokha, head of the Rights and Profit Workers Federation of Trade Unions, said yesterday the workers had been protesting against the dismissal of four of their representatives without any reason last Thursday, when about 20 armed police arrived.

"The girls' hands were scratched and they had lumps on their heads and another police officer slapped one of their backs with his hand," he said, adding police had pushed them into a mounted umbrella.

Workers were also demanding the company respect an Arbitration Council ruling handed down on June 19 asking the factory owner to pay each worker US$4.50 to cover the cost of a medical check, he said.

Zongtex's administration chief, who only gave her name as Chheng, said the company would solve the dispute but declined to giver further comment. Va Yuvavadhana, chief of the Ministry of Labour's bureau of labour, said police were legally entitled to break up the workers' protest.

"The four workers ended a three-month contract already and the company informed the ministry of their dismissal correctly," he said.

He would file an application today requesting the Arbitration Council order the protestors return to work, which would have to be respected if approved, he added.

VILLAGERS on Koh Kyong island in Preah Sihanouk province are preparing a complaint over more than 300 allegedly unlicensed fishermen who they say are illegally operating in local waters.

Loung Bunny, chief of the Association for Natural Protection in Ochroy commune, said yesterday that fishermen from Vietnam's Phú Quoc island and provinces around Cambodia were threatening local livelihoods. "Vietnamese fishermen use their modern, mechanised boats to fish [without permission] in this commune" he said. "We are collecting thumbprints for the villagers to file a complaint to the local authorities and the Fisheries Administration in early August." Fisherwoman from Koh Kyong island, 47-year-old Eang Hern, said yesterday her daily earnings had dropped from 50,000 riels (US$12) three months ago to 20,000 riels due to overfishing.

But Duong Sam Ath, chief of the provincial Fisheries Administration , yesterday denied any unlicensed Vietnamese fishermen were operating in the area.

COMFREL is please to release its press release on the result of workshop on voter's voice in remote areas; Prolay commune, Thma bang district, Koh Kong province was held on July 18, 2011.

Please see the attached document for details.

FYI : If you need releases or articles related to workshop on voter's voices, elections reforms, democracy/political reforms, decentralisation and governance, please feel free to visit our website:

Two Indian philanthropists and a Philippine non-profit development organization are among the winners of the Philippines prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Awards.

The annual awards, named after a popular Philippine president who was killed in a plane crash in 1957, are widely seen as Asia's equivalent of the Nobel Prizes.

Harish Hande, a U.S. trained engineer and entrepreneur, was cited by the foundation that administers the awards for his passionate and pragmatic efforts" to provide affordable solar power to over one million poor and rural Indians.

Nileema Mishra has established a center that provides small loans to farmers, plus self-help projects for small villages.

The Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation, based in the central Philippine province of Negros Occidental, was also cited for its work in combating rural poverty. The organization has introduced an environmentally-friendly pumping system that provides villages easy access to clean water.

Other winners of the 2011 Ramon Magsaysay Awards include Cambodian Koul Panha, the founder of a group that advocates for free and fair elections in his country's nascent democracy; Indonesian entrepreneur Tri Mumpuni, who has built community-run hydropower plants in rural communities; and her compatriot Hasanain Juaini, who has established an Islamic boarding school for girls.

The winners will receive a medallion and cash prize at an awards ceremony in the Philippines on August 31.

In many places in the world today, citizens are engaged in a historic struggle to democratize their societies, often under conditions of extreme difficulty and danger. One such place is Cambodia. The country was traumatized by decades of war and the genocide perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge, which left 1.7 million Cambodians dead. Cambodia took its first step to establishing a "multi-party liberal democracy" when it proclaimed a new constitution and embarked on its first democratic elections in 1993. Cambodians have gone through five national and local elections since then. But democracy's progress has been slow and turbulent, and elections have been undermined by factionalism, fraud, violence, and the threat of a return to authoritarian rule. Many know that the central challenge is for Cambodians to claim the electoral process as their own, by protecting it as an instrument for building a democracy. One of those who has bravely stepped up to this challenge is a Cambodian engineer named Koul Panha.

Panha knew firsthand what brutalities are possible in the absence of a true democracy. He was eight years old when his father and relatives were killed by the Khmer Rouge. The indescribable trauma impelled him to dedicate himself to changing his society. He finished his university degree, taught in Phnom Penh, and was already involved in the human rights movement even in the time of the dictatorship. When Cambodia embarked on its first free elections in 1993, he joined the non-partisan "Task Force on Cambodian Elections," and was one of the organizers when this task force became the Committee for Free and Fair Elections (COMFREL) in 1997. Panha assumed the role of COMFREL executive director in 1998; returning home after earning a master's degree in the Politics of Alternative Development, he threw himself fulltime into COMFREL's mission of assuring that Cambodian elections are free and fair.

Under his leadership, COMFREL has become the country's leading independent organization on electoral issues. It aggressively campaigns for responsible voting and electoral reforms, using all available media. In protecting the 2008 electoral process, COMFREL and its partners trained and deployed over 10,000 volunteers, covering 95% of the country's polling stations. For the first time in Cambodia, a citizens' parallel "quick count" initiated by COMFREL helped forestall the manipulation of results by establishing voting trends three days after the elections. They have also proactively campaigned for the wider political participation of women, who constitute half of Cambodia's population, a campaign that has seen an increase of women in public office.

Based in Phnom Penh, COMFREL maintains a nationwide network of partners and has mobilized, since its inception, over 50,000 election volunteers; more than 150,000 Cambodians have participated in COMFREL's training programs, workshops and other activities. This is an impressive show of civic participation in a democracy still so young. Even more significant is how COMFREL has gone beyond elections--into post-election issues of governance. It actively lobbies for reforms in matters like election campaign finance and the national budget. In 2003 it initiated "Parliamentary Watch," which monitors the performance of legislators and officials using benchmarks and concrete indicators in grading government performance at both local and national levels. COMFTREL's monitoring reports are publicly disseminated.

Democracy in Cambodia remains fragile, and the situation complex and dangerous. Panha has experienced harassment, and he knows he has to walk a tightrope for COMFREL to continue doing its work. But despite the fears of friends and family, he remains committed to using every inch of democratic space to empower his people in building a homeland that is democratic and free. Recalling the tragic experience of Cambodians and his own family, the soft-spoken Panha says: "I think Cambodia has suffered enough. This pushes me to do something as a citizen of Cambodia, to make sure the suffering does not happen again."

In electing Koul Panha to receive the 2011 Ramon Magsaysay Award, the board of trustees recognizes his determined and courageous leadership of the sustained campaign to build an enlightened, organized and vigilant citizenry who will ensure fair and free elections--as well as demand accountable governance by their elected officials--in Cambodia's nascent democracy.

PHNOM PENH, July 28 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Cambodia plan to forge cooperation in producing military assets, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said the details would be worked out by the top brass of the militaries of the two countries.

"As Cambodia has a peacekeeping force, several military equipment can be produced together initially. For example, when Malaysia makes the change to replace the M16 assault rifle to the M4 version, Malaysia is also given permission to share the intellectual rights for the assembly of the M4 with several other countries.

"Cambodia welcomes Malaysia's proposal to cooperate in joint production of military assets and maybe also with some other countries towards realising regional collaboration in the defence industry," he told Malaysian journalists after calling on Cambodia's deputy prime minister and defence minister Tea Banh at the latter's office here Thursday.

He said stressed that the cooperation was merely to advance the defence industry regionally and was not aimed at forming any military blocs.

Ahmad Zahid, who arrived here Wednesday for a three-day visit, paid a courtesy call on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen following the meeting with Tea Banh.

Olympic rower Rob Hamill is on a quest. Not for gold, but for justice. Cambodia's Khmer Rouge captured and killed his brother, Kerry, in 1978. And now, Hamill is fighting to bring the murderers to justice. That quest is the subject of a new documentary, "Brother Number One," which premiered this week at the New Zealand International Film Festival.

The cameras followed Hamill as he retraced his brother's path through Cambodia and testified at the first U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal of former Khmer Rouge leaders. The New Zealander said he realized he needed to pursue the case while competing in the first trans-Atlantic rowing race 1997.

"Whether it was the ocean, being on the sea, or whether it was just the exhaustion and on the edge sort of, I ended up grieving for Kerry at sea." Hamill told VOA in an interview. "I realized at that time I was going to have to do something, at some point. I didn't know when that would be or how that would look, but it was certainly going to be at least a trip to Cambodia, along the path that Kerry took."

He went on to testify at the 2009 trial of Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Comrade Duch, who controlled the Tuol Sleng prison where Kerry was held in Phnom Penh. Hamill was accompanied by documentary filmmaker Annie Goldson and researcher James Bellamy.

Hamill said sitting in the Phnom Penh courtroom was wrenching.

"I wrote my testimony, which in itself is hard, dragging up all those painful memories. Then having to deliver it, all the pain and the sequence of events, and talking about my brother's suicide, as a result of Kerry's loss."

Hamill was the only Westerner in the court, and he said Duch tried to stare him down from across the room. He said they locked eyes for a good 10 seconds in a standoff he called "chilling."

"And I thought for a man who's seeking forgiveness - he had converted to Christianity and said he was remorseful, and he was saying all the right things in the courtroom - that first interaction completely belied his words," Hamill remembered. "Culturally, to stare at someone like that in a normal situation is rude, let alone in this courtroom where you are seeking forgiveness from your victims. He was completely the opposite. So he got off to a very bad start with me."

Hamill's brother, Kerry, may have stared at the same Khmer Rouge cadre three decades before. In 1978, the Hamill family's world was forever changed. Twenty-six year-old Kerry had embarked on a sailing journey beginning in Darwin, Australia to his intended destination of Bangkok, Thailand.

But the boat veered off course to a small island in Cambodian waters. It came under fire and was seized by the Khmer Rouge. The Hamills eventually learned of Kerry's fate through a newspaper article published months later.

"The article said that Kerry had been captured by the Khmer Rouge, had been incarcerated at Tuol Sleng prison, had been tortured and had been forced to sign a confession that he was a CIA agent and then had been executed," Hamill said.

The news was devastating. Kerry was the oldest of five children and his siblings looked up to him. The second eldest brother John, just 14 months younger than Kerry, killed himself eight months after the family learned of Kerry's passing.

Hamill's parents mourned the sudden loss of their children and his mother, Esther Hamill, developed a debilitating illness.

"My poor parents, you know? What they went through. I feel more now an understanding of that pain and grief that they went through, as a parent myself now," said Hamill.

Despite the grief, Rob Hamill, the youngest sibling, grew up to become a champion rower, and represented New Zealand in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

He says he redirected his energies to make sure his brother and other Khmer Rouge victims were not forgotten. "I thought yes, this has to be told. And I realized people didn't know much about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge," he said.

The Khmer Rouge seized control of Cambodia in 1975. They killed an estimated 1.7 million people, a quarter of the country's population, before being pushed from power by Vietnamese forces in 1979. The ultra-Maoist leader of the group, Pol Pot, died in 1998.

The U.N.-backed tribunal is set to open its second case, focusing on the four senior surviving members of the Khmer Rouge. It has accepted Hamill as a civil party in that case as well.

But there is a third case involving two former military commanders, including a naval commander whom Hamill believes could have released Kerry when he was first captured.

"He could've decided, look, this guy's not coming to blow up our country or attack our country in any way, and let them go. And he chose not to." he said.

The tribunal rejected Hamill's application to testify, calling his testimony inadmissible on what he called "the most flimsy of grounds."

"To me, it indicates that there is political pressure, outside pressure into their court, that now could be in continuing cases to be brought forward. I find that very, very frustrating," he said.

Hamill is not alone. Critics of the tribunal have accused two of the judges of closing Case 3, without interviewing the suspects or visiting where alleged atrocities may have been committed.

Cambodia's government denies involvement in the court hearings. Siegfried Blunk, one of the court's international jurists, told VOA Khmer this week that the co-investigating judges have to determine whether the suspects are among those most responsible for Khmer Rouge crimes. He said no final decision has been made whether to pursue Case 3.

Hamill is watching closely. He says he holds the suspects in that case as responsible as Duch for his brother's death.

Cambodia's economy is lagging behind other Asean countries, making it hard to meet the level of other Asean countries, finance officials said Wednesday.

Cambodian and Asean economic officials were meeting in Phnom Penh to push for economic integration for 2015.

Hang Chhuon Narong, secretary of state for the Ministry of Finance, said Cambodia was facing inflation of 6.5 percent, which was curbing economic growth.

Cambodia's per capita GDP of $830 is less than all other Asean countries except Burma's $400, he said. By comparison, Singapore's is $35,000; Thailand's is $4,000; and Vietnam's is $1,200.

Yem Ponharith, secretary-general of the Human Rights Party, said during the meeting that Cambodia lacked local markets for production and consumption.

"All kinds of consumer goods are imported," he said. "All these things slow down economic growth and the progress of our economy."

Chan Sophal, president of the Cambodian Economic Association, said Asean countries had done well to narrow development gaps, but years of war and strife put Cambodia well behind its neighbors.

"We have to work hard to push our economy toward a higher rate, not just growth of 5 percent, 6 percent or 7 percent, but growth up to 9 percent or 10 percent," he said. "Then Cambodia can move close to some countries around us."

The World Bank is projecting a 6.7 percent economic growth rate for Cambodia this year. That figure is lower than the Cambodian Economic Institute's estimate of an 8.7 percent rate.

The Ministry of Interior on Thursday called in five officials at Prey Sar prison for questioning over the management of the Phnom Penh facility.

A ministry spokesman said only that the five had been called in for questioning about "irregularities," but human rights groups say bribery is a common practice, allowing rich prisoners better treatment.

The head of the prison was removed from his position last month, after a ministry inspection of Prey Sar, which is the main facility for prisoners from the Phnom Penh courts. The head of Banteay Meanchey provincial prison was removed from his post Wednesday.

Khieu Sopheak, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said the Prey Sar officials were called in for questioning but no decision to their fate had yet been made. He declined to name them.

Chan Soveth, lead monitor for the rights group Adhoc, said wealthy prisoners were able to pay bribes for larger cells and more visitor privileges in prisons across the country.

Thursday's summons was a "very good point for warning other prison officials" and improving the nation's overcrowded prisons, he said.

Am Sam Ath, chief investigator for the rights group Licadho, said the summons signaled a positive step toward overall prison reform.

"The Interior Ministry must make a thorough investigation," he said. "If any prison official commits a penal offense in prison, that official must be sent to court in conformity with the law. This is a model to strengthen prison management."

Cambodia and North Korea agreed on a seven-point agreement on economics, agriculture, information technology, health and other initiatives, in an effort to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

The North Korean delegation was led by Ri Myung-san, deputy minister of trade for North Korea. The agreements included resource sharing for improved production of rice, corn and beef, as well as a reforestation project, in Cambodia. Cambodia agreed to share expertise in aquaculture.

Wednesday's agreements were a revamping of deals the countries have had since 1993.

"And both sides are committed to encourage trade exchange," Ouch Borith, secretary of state for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters following the half-day meeting Wednesday.

Cambodia and North Korea enjoy friendly relations, in part due to former king Norodom Sihanouk's close ties to the government there. North Korea has little investment in Cambodia, however, save for a few restaurants.

Ouch Borith said North Korea showed some interest in importing Cambodian rice and other agricultural products.

The objective is to strengthen cooperation in agriculture. For years, the North has suffered from chronic food crises, caused by the disastrous economic policies of the regime of Kim Jong-il. Ties between Pyongyang and Phnom Penh since the days of King Sihanouk and Kim Il-sung. Conflicting opinions ...

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews / Agencies) – The establishment of a "solid business relationship" with particular attention in the "agricultural sector" is the objective of the delegation of senior North Korean officials visiting Phnom Penh this week. The group, led by Deputy Trade Minister Ri Myong San, met Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong, to discuss "new possibilities of cooperation" for the development of both countries. The attention to the agricultural sector - Cambodia is one of the major rice producers - seems to be related to chronic food shortages that affect citizens of North Korea, because of the disastrous socio-economic policies promoted by the regime of Kim Jong-il.

Re-proposing an initial agreement between the two countries signed in 1993, the parties aim to develop long-dormant trade ties, reports The Phnom Penh Post. Cambodian officials point out that "there are zero economic and trade exchanges between Cambodia and North Korea at the moment". However, the two nations have a long history of friendship and cooperation, so that the former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk - a beloved and controversial figure, who dominated second half of the 1900 - maintained close personal relationships with the "Eternal President "Kim Il-sung, father of the" Dear Leader "now in power.

Analysts and observers express mixed reactions to a possible strengthening of ties between Phnom Penh and Pyongyang. Chantrabot Ros, a professor at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said that on the one hand it promoted the export of agricultural products, but also remembers that visits by senior officials of ASEAN countries (Association that brings together 10 nations of South-East Asia) to North Korea are "very rare".

Other observers note, however, that the North Korean regime is in urgent need of food and agricultural products and this represents "an opportunity" for Cambodia. Phnom Penh offers rice, wheat and potatoes. For years the government has initiated policies to boost exports of food, so much so that Prime Minister Hun Sen has set as a target to market one million tons of rice by 2015 aboard.

PHNOM PENH, July 28 (Bernama) -- The World Quran Endowment Programme organised by the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) with the cooperation of Restu Foundation will print 100,000 copies of the Quran with translation in the Khmer language for distribution to Muslims in Cambodia in the next five years.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the effort was to fulfil the need of the Muslim community in Cambodia and to ensure that each Muslim family would have at least one copy of the Quran.

"There are about 500,000 Muslims in Cambodia and there is only one Quran for every six families. So, we hope generous Malaysians can assist Cambodian Muslims through this programme so that each family will have at least one Quran," he told Malaysian journalists here Thursday.

Ahmad Zahid had earlier handed over 10,200 copies of donated Quran to the president of the Cambodian Islamic Community Development Foundation Othsman Hassan and Cambodia mufti Kamaruddion Yusof at Chrouk Romeat Mosque in Kampung Chhnang and Amar bin Yazid Mosque at KM9, to be distributed to Muslims here.

The minister said the programme aimed to print and distribute 20,000 copies of the Quran annually over a period of five years and this was expected to commence from the month of Ramadan next year.

"Translation of the Quran into the Khmer language has been completed and we are only waiting for sufficient funds to print the copies of Quran," he said.

Earlier, speaking before 1,500 Cambodian Muslims at Chrouk Romeat Mosque, Ahmad Zahid said the 10,200 copies of Quran given away today showed the concern of the Malaysian government and people towards Muslims in Cambodia.

Kamaruddin said he was touched and thankful for the gift of the Quran, adding that the Cambodian Muslim community depended on outside help for copies of the Holy Book.

"We hope there will be enough Quran for us in future," he added.

At the two presentation ceremonies, Ahmad Zahid also handed over 500 Muqaddam booklets and 1,000 prayer rugs for use by the Cambodian Muslims.

One of the country's best known tycoons yesterday delivered an impromptu speech to senators and parliamentarians that was as surprising in its content as it was in context.

Speaking at the end of a four-hour workshop on climate change adaptation at the National Assembly building, Mong Reththy spoke out at investors who evict people from areas covered by economic land concessions.

"Some investors claim that they need to evict people to develop their concessions, but I disagree with this tactic," he said. "These people have been living on their land for generations. Where will they go when they're kicked out?"

The businessman, senator and advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen also urged investors to employ local residents on their concessions rather than hiring outsiders.

Economic land concessions, especially those granted to people and companies closely tied to the ruling party, have drawn intense criticism from opposition MPs, environmentalists and rights groups.

Mong Reththy's portfolio spans transport, agro-industry and construction. He was dubbed "Hun Sen's Money Man" in a cable from the US embassy in Phnom Penh published online by WikiLeaks earlier this month. The cable, written in 2007, claimed that his concession in Stung Treng province exceeded the legal size limit by 10 times.

After the cable was published, Mong Reththy told The Post that all of his business activities were legitimate. He said that his donations to infrastructure and education were intended "to help the people and the nation", not to enable him to skirt the law.

Speaking at yesterday's workshop he also called on the government to create a panel to verify that companies granted ELCs abided by their conditions. "We need to ensure that [the companies] are not using violence against women and children, that they are giving jobs to local people and complying with relevant labour laws," he said.

The panel would function better if it was "supported by the private sector", he said.

President of rights group Licadho, Pung Chhiv Kek, yesterday urged Mong Reththy to push for the reforms he outlined.

"Coming from him the statement has, if sincere, the potential for setting new standards in the way land concessions are attributed to big companies, and control the way the companies implement their contracts and comply with national labour law," she wrote in an e-mail.

"If independent, the committee would not do miracles to solve the vast question of land resources and conflicts in Cambodia, but it certainly would be a way for better dialogue and fewer tensions in society."

An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, who asked not to be named, said: "I do not agree with Mong Reththy's proposal to form the committee. The government already has a national inspection process and each relevant ministry has an inspection department."

For Vanndy Pan joining Khmerican offers her an opportunity to take her interest in community building and advocacy to a larger stage. Growing up in Providence, Rhode Island, she realized how disconnected her peers were with their culture and history. It wasn't until her sophomore year in high school that she took action to break the cycle.

That year she began teaching herself how to read and write Khmer. But this was only her first step. She realized that if she wanted to get involved and help people, she needed to take the initiative to put herself out there and educate herself more.

"However, I felt it shouldn't just be in the academics but also working within the community itself." said Pan. "Therefore, during my college years at Brown, I took some time off to travel to Cambodia alone in December 2008—with no parents, no friends, just me—where I got my first real experience with the Khmer community outside of the US working as an English teacher at a local school in Phnom Penh."

"My experiences both professionally and personally were rewarding because when I returned back to the US, I didn't feel the same anymore and I felt compelled to do much more as I move forward with my life." said Pan.

She believes Khmerican can help foster healthy dialogues and engage people to productive actions in communities, big and small, in regards to Cambodian-related issues. Khmerican is only a symbolic representation to one part of the Khmer diaspora. In the end, she hopes Khmerican can reach out not only nationally but globally as well.

She joins Khmerican as a staff writer focusing on youth, culture and politics.

After police ordered them to quiet down on the third day of their strike, the "beer girls" protesting in front of the head office of Cambrew Ltd took aim at the slogan of one of the Kingdom's most popular brands, Angkor beer.

While about 25 police observed them from the other side of Norodom Boulevard yesterday morning, the women began singing "My country, my beer. My beer does not love Khmer". The brand's slogan is "My country, my beer".

As they had on the previous two days, the women arrived at about 7am. The police arrived about three-and-a-half hours later. They ordered the more than 30 protesters to stop using drums and loudspeakers, telling them they were disturbing the neighbourhood. The women obliged, but soon after the police crossed to the other side of the street the women picked up their drums and started beating them again. They said they were becoming more determined each day of the strike.

"If the company does not resolve the dispute we will lay in the driveway and the trucks will have to run over us to get in," said protester Kong Nuon. "We are always patient and calm with customers. We work so hard for the company, but it will not even talk to us. This is not fair," she said.

The women say they are protesting against the company's refusal to pay them overtime for working on Sunday, despite a ruling by the Arbitration Council earlier this month that sided with the beer-sellers.

An employee contract from the company obtained by The Post does not include overtime for working on Sundays, which is required by law. Sin Chan Thoeun, 32, said that although the police ordered them to stop drumming and shouting into loudspeakers they decided to continue doing so because their protest was non-violent. "We beat drums so that people can hear our sorrow. The actions of the police were a threat to the right to protest peacefully," she said.

Company officials declined to comment yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-ElPoIRp_s&feature=channel_video_title

Between 1 to 3 August 2011, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC) will hold its 10th Plenary Session at the Courtroom of the ECCC. The 10th Plenary Session will discuss proposed amendments to three Internal Rules and to the Practice Direction on Filing.

The media are invited to attend the opening of the Plenary Session, which will commence at 09.00 a.m. on Monday 1 August at the Courtroom of the ECCC. Opening remarks will be made by the President of the ECCC, H.E. Kong Srim and Plenary International Vice-President Judge Silvia Cartwright.

A further Press Statement will be issued at the closing of the Plenary Session on Wednesday 3 August 2011.

Following the nomination by the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and the approval by the Supreme Council of the Magistracy, His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni has appointed Mr. CHUNG Chang-ho (Republic of Korea) as new international judge to serve in the Pre-Trial Chamber of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). Mr. Chung is replacing Judge Catherine Marchi-Uhel who has returned to her post at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Judge Kathinka Lahuis (Netherlands) will continue as reserve judge. The appointment is effective from 1 August 2011.

Mr. Chung has most recently served as Legal Attaché at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and Permanent Mission in Vienna. Since 2004 he has served as a high court judge. Prior to this, Mr. Chung served eight years as district court judge and three years as a court martial judge. Mr. Chung holds a Bachelor of Law and a Master of Law from Seoul National University. He has also been a Research Scholar at the London School of Economics and Political Science and at the Hong Kong University

4,000 workers, mainly women fought for compensation after June Textile factory burned down. After months of facing police, arrest and detention, the women won their fight. June factory agrees to pay compensation. Sam Rainsy Party stood with the workers all the way. Justice prevails.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlLNIo0eys0&feature=channel_video_title

PETALING JAYA: Cambodian opposition MP, Mu Sochua (pix), has promised to badger Malaysian authorities to explain the recent death of a teenage Cambodian maid in Penang.

Police attributed her death to pneumonia but new allegations surfaced earlier this week of Choy Phich being beaten to death by her employer.

In an e-mail to over 400 people – including the Malaysian Embassy, the police and the Cambodian Embassy in Malaysia – a neighbour of Choy Phich claimed that many residents had witnessed Choy Phich being mentally and physically abused.

"She had many times sought help from other maids in the neighbourhood," said Yip Soon Yew.

"Just a day before her death, she passed a note asking that her uncle in Cambodia be informed if she passed away without a valid reason.

"Rumours have been circulating that the local police officer was bribed to cover up the case as the employer is a wealthy and well-known local businessman," said Yip.

Choy Phich was brought into Malaysia by recruiting agency, AP TSE & C Cambodian Resources Co.

The agency's director, Seng Sithichey, however, has insisted that she was 21-years-old and that he had received a medical certificate indicating that she had died from pneumonia.

Mu Sochua has promised to find answers to Choy Phich's death and said that local NGOs have also taken up the case.

"I will take the matter up with Malaysian Embassy in Cambodia and also on the issue of the safety and security of Cambodian workers in Malaysia," she told Cambodian news blog, Khmerization, yesterday.

Khmerization also noted that the Malaysian police had responded positively to its e-mail alert by promising to take "further action as soon as possible".

The Human Rights Watch (HRW), meanwhile, pointed out that Choy Phich's death while unfortunate is not an isolated case in Malaysia.

"On June 5, a 26-year old Indonesian domestic worker died allegedly due to abuse by her employer," said Jyotsna Poudyal of HRW in an e-mail to FMT.

"Ironically, this case came to light just a few weeks after Malaysia signed a new agreement with Indonesia to increase protection for Indonesian domestic workers."

While HRW will be following the case closely with its partners in Cambodia and Malaysia, Poudyal called on both governments to go beyond a mere investigation into Choy Phich's death.

"They should also undertake more systemic changes to prevent similar incidents from taking place in the future," she said.

"Given the Cambodian government's increasing emphasis on "exporting" its labour abroad, the government and politicians should be concerned about any potential abuses they are facing."