KI Media: “Is the Sam Rainsy Party’s candle burning out?” plus 24 more |
- Is the Sam Rainsy Party’s candle burning out?
- Email scam targets ANZ customers
- World Bank urges Cambodia to stop mass eviction
- Customs red tape criticised [-No surprise in the CPP's regime corruption]
- Frenchmen face child sex charges in Cambodia
- World Bank says land titling project failures caused "grave harm"
- World Bank tells Cambodia to halt evictions, offers help
- Celebrating Dignity, Rights, Contribution of Women
- Brain Food
- Khmer-Krom Women and International Women’s Day 2011
- Inauguration of Wat Preah Meada Khantey
- Celebrating Dignity, Rights, Contribution of Women
- Brain Food
- My Rights, My Responsibility (ICCPR) Series
- Celebrating Dignity, Rights, Contribution of Women
- CITA's letter to PM Hun Sen requesting a salary raise for teachers
- Jacqueline Novogratz: Inspiring a life of immersion
- CCHR's public forum in Kampong Cham on Feb 16, 011
- Accelerating the Global Health Initiative: Cambodia's HIV/AIDS Efforts Put Women in the Driver's Seat
- Celebrating Dignity, Rights, Contribution of Women
- Cambodia's amputee volleyball league: The playing fields
- Thailand to cooperate with neighbours on rice trade
- Yuon association's first congress in Xrok Xmer ... BRAVO?!?
- My Rights, My Responsibility (Constitution) Series
- Girly-Man-Dictator
| Is the Sam Rainsy Party’s candle burning out? Posted: 09 Mar 2011 07:32 AM PST  Wednesday, 09 March 2011Dara Saoyuth The Phnom Penh Post People are sitting in a room looking at a large TV screen. They are watching a person on the screen and if they want to speak, they have to get out of their seats and go to a desk and talk in a microphone so that the person on the screen can hear and respond. This is the method employed by Sam Rainsy Party members to communicate with their leader, Sam Rainsy, who is now living in self-exile in France. Sam Rainsy was convicted in January 2010 of destroying public property and racial incitement with Vietnam by pulling up border posts along the Vietnamese border in Svay Rieng province in 2009. On March 1, 2011, Cambodia's Supreme Court rejected his appeal and his sentence of two years in jail still stands. "The court is used as a political tool to shut Sam Rainsy's mouth or eliminate him from the political arena since he is the leader of the opposition party," said Yim Sovann, a spokesman for the Sam Rainsy Party. On the other hand, Cheam Yeap, a senior Cambodian People's Party lawmaker, said the ruling party did not order Sam Rainsy to remove the border posts. "Our country has law, so Sam Rainsy has to face court because of his wrongdoing, and if one day in the future I do something wrong, of course, I will face the court as well," said Cheam Yeap. A press release issued on February 22 by the Cambodian Center for Human Rights stated "the convictions against Sam Rainsy may leave the country's largest opposition party without a leader at the next general election". Sam Rainsy fled the country in early 2009 and will serve 12 years in jail if he returns to Cambodia because in a separate case, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced him to an additional 10 years in jail on charges of forging public documents and disinformation after convicting him of disinformation and falsifying public documents. The executive director of the Khmer Institute of Democracy (KID) in Cambodia, Hang Chhaya, said what has concerned him is that Cambodia is a democratic country, so Sam Rainsy's case should not have reached the level of removing his parliamentary immunity and sentencing him since he had rights as a politician. "What the ruling party want is to make a good leader who people see, love and support, have to stay abroad as long as possible," said Hang Chhaya. While Prime Minister Hun Sen can stand and talk to CPP members and his supporters directly, Sam Rainsy needs support from technology to be able to communicate with SRP members and supporters. However, Yim Sovann said the fact that Sam Rainsy is not in Cambodia is not a problem for the party. "If you want to meet the party leader, we can make a phone call or video conference that you can see the picture and there is no difference in communication by having or not having him present," said Yim Sovann, adding that Sam Rainsy is still the party leader who leads meetings and keeps communicating between all levels of leaders and members. To gain more support in the upcoming election, the HRP and SRP have been working on merging their parties. After the 2008 national election, on January 15, 2009, Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha signed on a joint declaration officially establishing the Democratic Movement for Change. Since then the alliance has not reached 100 percent agreement and recently each party created a working group of five people to discuss the merger. Mu Sochua, a SRP lawmaker and one of the five people in a merger group on the SRP side, said some conflict of ideas and misunderstandings from the past were the reasons for slowing the merger. However, she said she believed it would be successful soon. "We are democratic people and we have the same goal," Mu Sochua said. Mu Sochua said she was sure of success in the next election when the alliance reaches full agreement. She gave as an example Kampot province, where the SRP needs about 10,000 votes more to get one more parliament seat, however the HRU gets more than 14,000 votes. "Because we were not united at that time, about 14,000 votes were useless because none of us got any seats in parliament," she said. "Previously, we didn't work well on the merger, but now we have a clear objective and we have clear steps to take," Keat Sukun, a coordinator in merger group on the HRP side, said. He added that both sides had recently found common ground for a lasting unification of the parties. Keat Sukun said that in Cambodia, each party cannot do everything alone and unification is very important in terms of exchanging human resources. "It is the right decision to join as an alliance," said Phnom Penh-based political analyst Chea Vannath, who explained that the seat allocation formula in Cambodia makes small political parties waste a lot of votes if they are not united. However, she said she's unsure if this unification can last much longer because, based on her observations, it seems easy to break up. "To unite successfully, it's very important to have trust building between the two parties, as wife and husband do," said Chea Vannath. "We have to think that there will be a lot of obstacles with each step we take, and if we can trust each other, this unification will last forever." "While the frog tries harder, the snake also tries harder," said Cheam Yeap, explaining that the ruling party was also working harder. Cheam Yeap said the ruling party did not fear the union of opposition parties. However, he added: "All CPP members are not advised to ride a horse with a free hand." He added that they are not just sitting there happy with their victory, but they are working to keep it.  | ||
| Email scam targets ANZ customers Posted: 09 Mar 2011 07:29 AM PST Wednesday, 09 March 2011 Mary Kozlovski The Phnom Penh Post ANZ Royal Bank customers have been targeted with hoax emails requesting that they activate a new ANZ login, in the second phishing scam to hit customers' inboxes in the space of two weeks. The email, dated March 9, announces a "new ANZ Log in with added security", providing a link and instructing ANZ Royal customers to "activate [your] account on new ANZ now as the old location will be deactivated shortly". ANZ Royal Bank chief executive officer Stephen Higgins said today that phishing was increasingly prevalent in Cambodia. "In developed markets people are more aware of it," said Higgins. "For people here it's still relatively new. "An email that says 'click on this link to reactivate your account' goes through to a fake webpage, catches your ID and password and empties your account." Higgins added that he had "no idea" how many people had seen the email. Internet security consultant Bernard Alphonso said that phishing emails have become more sophisticated. "No more misspelling or wrong languages, it's as if it's coming from your bank, and it's personalised," said Alphonso. "There is only so much the banks can do. Many people think Cambodia is not the US or Japan or Hong Kong, so why would people bother? The fact that we are in Cambodia doesn't present itself as any protection." Pily Wong, country manager of Microsoft's Cambodia office and president of the ICT Business Association of Cambodia, said that knowledge of internet security in Cambodia is low. "It makes Cambodians easier targets for phishing," said Wong. "I am a [ANZ] customer. I received this email asking me to change my details. Luckily for me, I am experienced and I sent an email to ANZ people." Higgins said that educating customers about internet security was a key priority. "We [can] disable their IDs and passwords and reset their passwords, but that relies on people detecting the scam," said Higgins. "Once we find out about these things, we actually go through ANZ and have the website shut down. We try to educate our customers." Alphonso said that Cambodian customers are also vulnerable because many are using pirated operating software with no security updates. "The piracy rate here is notorious, it's one of the highest in the world," said Alphonso. "This is a big temptation for many companies to buy US$2 copies." Wong said that while pirated software was one factor, people were often unwilling to invest in protecting their computers. "When you want to secure your IT infrastructure you may have to hire a consultant to come and help you, and it has a cost which not many companies are willing to pay for."  | ||
| World Bank urges Cambodia to stop mass eviction Posted: 09 Mar 2011 07:23 AM PST 03/09/2011 Agence France-Presse PHNOM PENH—The World Bank called on Cambodia Wednesday to halt a mass eviction taking place in the capital amid mounting criticism over forced displacements in the country. "We are deeply troubled and frustrated about the people who are being forced from their homes," World Bank president Robert Zoellick said in a statement. A private company headed by a ruling party politician is filling in a lake in central Phnom Penh for commercial development, a controversial project that will eventually displace some 4,000 lakeside families. Half the residents living on the shores of the Boeung Kak lake have already left, but they received only limited compensation from the company, according to a local housing rights group. The remaining residents have held frequent protests in recent weeks, urging the company and the government to provide adequate compensation or allow them to stay in their homes. The Bank is offering the Cambodian government "financing and technical advice to find practical solutions," Zoellick said. "We have repeatedly called on the government to end the evictions." Cambodia has faced mounting criticism over a spate of forced evictions in recent years. Last month the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Cambodia, Surya Subedi, said he was "deeply concerned" about land rights violations. In 2009 alone, at least 26 cases of mass evictions displaced approximately 27,000 people across the country, according to a UN report issued last year. Land disputes have been a major problem in the country since land ownership was abolished during the 1975-1979 rule of the communist Khmer Rouge. Many legal documents were lost during that time. The World Bank started a land titling program in Cambodia in 2002 to address these issues, but it failed to include the Boeung Kak lake residents. The government cancelled the program in 2009, saying it was "too difficult." An investigation by the World Bank later found that the lake residents were displaced in violation of policies it had agreed with the government for handling resettlement. The Bank recognized it had been too slow to respond to the evictions, however. A spokeswoman for the Cambodian Ministry of Land Management refused to comment on the statement but said a government response was expected shortly.  | ||
| Customs red tape criticised [-No surprise in the CPP's regime corruption] Posted: 09 Mar 2011 07:18 AM PST Wednesday, 09 March 2011 Jeremy Mullins The Phnom Penh Post Cambodia's customs procedures put the country at a disadvantage to its neighbours and require updating to encourage economic development, according to experts. Domestic infrastructure is improving, but unnecessary regulations in Cambodia were hindering potential investment, said Paul Apthorp, board member of the Greater Mekong Subregion Business Forum. "Freight cargo is like water – it takes the line of least resistance. If the easiest route is that way, that's the way you'll go," he said. "Transport has to do with time. If you want to send cargo, you send it [by] the quickest, most efficient route, not the shortest route." The Asia Development Bank has organised a two-day symposium in Phnom Penh on attracting investment and promoting growth on its Southern Economic Corridor project, which is envisioned initially as a transport and logistics route through southern Thailand, Cambodia and southern Vietnam. Minister of Commerce official Cham Prasidh said in an opening speech that the Southern Economic Corridor had strong potential for development, but added this would not happen overnight. ADB Southeast Asia Department official Arjun Goswami told The Post action had started on building the corridors project, though the SEC lagged behind other similar regional projects. "I think what we now need is a clear, set timetable, an agreement on indicators and a sequence of steps to get the full implementation going," he said. Some infrastructure projects require completion – such as the Neak Leoung bridge spanning the Mekong river on the road between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City, which is set for a 2015 finish. Conversations were required to discuss why the Southern Economic Corridor lagged behind other corridor projects in Southeast Asia, he said, adding it could be due to such reasons as incomplete transport links, issues over trade facilitation, or other problems. Apthorp said the single biggest thing Cambodia can do to improve its transport and logistics industry is to recognise electronic transmission of documents. "Remove the need for original documents for transit. Yes, have the original document for final clearance," he said, adding this was commonplace in most countries. "The law [in Cambodia] has not been updated for the modern trade experience." Apthorp – who is also a strategic development official at TNT Express Worldwide (HK) – said he preferred to send Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh freight via Laos as it is quicker than shipping through Cambodia. He estimates unnecessary paperwork means freight costs 40 to 50 percent higher when shipping in Cambodia than it would if procedures were streamlined. Although "tea money" payments were commonplace across the developing world, he said it was important to differentiate between tea money – which he likened to a tip at a restaurant – and flat-out bribery to cover illegal operations. Sok Chheang, executive director the Cambodia Trucking Association, said that he would like to see an agreement in place for Cambodian trucks to cross the border with Thailand, and vice versa. He claimed customs clearance was not a large problem, though at the Economic Corridor symposium he said he planned to ask the government to reduce time and costs at the border. Customs officials could not be reached for comment today.  | ||
| Frenchmen face child sex charges in Cambodia Posted: 09 Mar 2011 07:01 AM PST Wednesday 09 March 2011 By RFI Two Frenchmen have been charged with child sex offences in separate cases in Cambodia, according to Phnom Penh officials Wednesday. The city's municipal court charged 35-year-old designer and photographer Mathias Cassar with producing and selling child pornography on the internet. Cassar was arrested on Sunday as he was preparing to take pictures of three under-age girls at a rented house in the Phnom Penh. Cassar's Cambodian wife was also arrested and faces the same charges. Cassar is thought to have abused at least eight children, all aged five to 13, according to prosecutor Plang Sophal. The couple face up to 20 years in jail if convicted, he said. In a separate case, 60-year-old Bernard Bouillier was on Sunday charged with sexually harassing three boys aged between 10 and 13 in the southern beach resort of Sihanoukville, said Suon Sophan, deputy chief of the town's anti-trafficking and juvenile protection unit. Cambodia launched an anti-paedophilia push in 2003. Dozens of foreigners have since been jailed for child sex crimes or deported to face trial in their home countries.  | ||
| World Bank says land titling project failures caused "grave harm" Posted: 09 Mar 2011 06:58 AM PST Mar 9, 2011 DPA Phnom Penh - The World Bank said Wednesday that a land titling programme it funded in Cambodia has failed thousands of people living in central Phnom Penh. The bank's mea culpa follows the government's forced eviction of thousands of people from the area around Boeung Kak lake in the capital over the past two years. The bank said the evictions had caused 'grave harm' to residents. Thousands more residents are under imminent threat of being evicted with little or no compensation in a controversial development deal of the 133-hectare site that is linked to a prominent ruling party politician. Few if any of Boeung Kak's residents have been able to get land title documents from the local authorities, despite legal experts saying that many are entitled to them. The World Bank assessment was carried out by an independent inspection panel, which examined the Land Management and Administration Project (LMAP) that began in 2002 and received 24 million dollars from the organization. Cambodia's land tenure system was destroyed during decades of conflict, and the LMAP project was designed to ensure people could get land title documents. The panel pointed out that more than a million households around the country had benefited from LMAP and received land title documents. But its investigation into complaints filed in 2009 by residents of Boeung Kak lake showed key failings by the bank's management, including being too slow to respond to evictions. 'Management did not adequately follow up on strengthening public awareness and community participation, and there were delays in implementing dispute resolution mechanisms and the assistance to improve state land management,' it said. The panel added that residents had been denied due process in assessing their claims and had been evicted by the government in violation of agreed procedures. 'The claims of Boeung Kak lake community are serious. The issues raised involve fundamental questions of their land rights tenure security,' said Roberto Lenton, who headed the inspection panel. 'The panel found that the evictions took place in violation of the bank policy on involuntary resettlement and resulted in grave harm to the affected families and community,' Lenton said. Around half of the area's residents have so far been evicted, and last week the government warned the remaining 2,000 families to accept compensation ahead of their pending evictions or face legal action. Residents and land rights activists have long said the compensation on offer is far too low. World Bank president Robert Zoellick said the organization had 'repeatedly called on the (Cambodian) government to end the evictions' and was 'seeking a positive government response.' 'We are deeply troubled and frustrated about the people who are being forced from their homes,' Zoellick said. The Cambodian government cancelled LMAP in late 2009 after the World Bank asked it to suspend the land titling project in light of complaints about evictions. In recent years land prices have rocketed across Cambodia as the economy strengthened, with tens of thousands of people driven off their land by the powerful and well-connected.  | ||
| World Bank tells Cambodia to halt evictions, offers help Posted: 09 Mar 2011 06:45 AM PST Wednesday, Mar 9, 2011 Reuters The World Bank called on the Cambodian government on Wednesday to halt the eviction of another 10,000 people at a controversial real estate development and offered to help those who had lost their homes. The dispute centres on land around Boeung Kak Lake in the capital, Phnom Penh. Activists say around 2,000 families have already been evicted and forced to accept minimal compensation after the government leased the land to a private developer. "We are deeply troubled and frustrated about the people who are being forced from their homes," World Bank President Robert Zoellick said in a statement. He said the World Bank would help those facing eviction and that it had offered the government financing and technical advice. "We are open to other ways to help these people. We have repeatedly called on the government to end the evictions. We are seeking a positive government response," he added. Land ownership is a big problem in the Southeast Asian country, where legal documents were destroyed and state institutions collapsed under the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s and the civil war that followed. The World Bank had been helping the authorities with land management and administration but the government pulled out of the project in September 2009 because of rows over evictions. "We call on the government to stop the evictions and to find a way to help the people. Over the last decade Cambodia has experienced high levels of economic growth, leading to increased pressure on land," said Annette Dixon, the World Bank's country director in Cambodia. The World Bank statement acknowledged that people evicted from around Boeung Kak Lake had been "displaced in violation of the policies the Bank agreed with the government for handling resettlement" and that the Bank had been slow to respond. A Cambodian government spokesperson declined to comment. An official working on the case said those who had already left the lake area had gone voluntarily and he denied activists' claims that the remaining families had been given a deadline to leave. "We have accepted residents' request for talks on this on Friday," said Keut Chhe, deputy cabinet chief of Phnom Penh City Hall. He said he could not comment on whether the government would renew its work on land management with the World Bank.  | ||
| Celebrating Dignity, Rights, Contribution of Women Posted: 09 Mar 2011 06:44 AM PST CEDAW signed by Cambodia in 17 Oct. 1980, acceded to on 15 Oct. 1992 The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. PART I Article 2
(b) To adopt appropriate legislative and other measures, including sanctions where appropriate, prohibiting all discrimination against women; (c) To establish legal protection of the rights of women on an equal basis with men and to ensure through competent national tribunals and other public institutions the effective protection of women against any act of discrimination; (d) To refrain from engaging in any act or practice of discrimination against women and to ensure that public authorities and institutions shall act in conformity with this obligation; (e) To take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women by any person, organization or enterprise; (f) To take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices which constitute discrimination against women; (g) To repeal all national penal provisions which constitute discrimination against women.
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| Posted: 09 Mar 2011 06:33 AM PST Standing for what is right when it is unpopular is the true test of moral character.  | ||
| Khmer-Krom Women and International Women’s Day 2011 Posted: 09 Mar 2011 04:34 AM PST Sourse:The Prey Nokor News On March 8, the women around the world commemorate the International Women's Day . This year marks the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day. The first time the people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland commemorated International Women's Day on March 19, 1911. This year, the theme of the International Women's Day is Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women. Do the Khmer-Krom women in Kampuchea-Krom commemorate the International Women's Day? On March 6, 2011, VOKK (vokk.net) interviewed a Khmer-Krom woman, Mrs. Neang Chakrya, in Swai Ton district, Moth Chrouk (An Giang) province. Mrs. Chakrya said that the Vietnamese government never invited her to attend any Women activities that are organized by the Vietnamese government. The government only invited the Vietnamese women. Most of the Khmer-Krom women don't know about the women's rights that are defined in the articles of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Mrs. Chakrya said that when the women stood up for their rights to demand returning their confiscated farmlands, the Vietnamese government arrested and interrogated them. In 2007, the Khmer-Krom women, Mrs. Neang Mit, Mrs. Neang Phen, Mrs. Neang Mon, Mrs. Neang Don, were arrested and interrogated in An Hao village, Tinh Bien district, An Giang province. The Vietnamese government always threatens the Khmer-Krom women to stop demanding for their confiscated farmlands and pushes them to live in poverty because they have no farmlands to farm. Mrs. Chakrya said, she will not stop demanding to return her confiscated farmland. She will not scare to die if she dies because of demanding of returning her ancestral farmland.  | ||
| Inauguration of Wat Preah Meada Khantey Posted: 08 Mar 2011 11:40 PM PST  What: Inauguration of Wat Preah Meada Khantey and Buddha Statue When: Sunday March 13, 2011 Starting from 07AM Where: 3633 W. Jensen Ave. Fresno, CA 93706 Contact: Tel. (559) 497-0207, (209) 534-4170, (209) 543-5877  | ||
| Celebrating Dignity, Rights, Contribution of Women Posted: 08 Mar 2011 11:25 PM PST CEDAW signed by Cambodia in 17 Oct. 1980, acceded to on 15 Oct. 1992 The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination. Article I For the purposes of the present Convention, the term "discrimination against women" shall mean any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.  | ||
| Posted: 08 Mar 2011 11:24 PM PST A wise man is superior to any insults which can be put upon him, and the best reply to unseemly behavior is patience and moderation. - Moliere  | ||
| My Rights, My Responsibility (ICCPR) Series Posted: 08 Mar 2011 11:20 PM PST International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Ratified, acceded by UN General Assembly in December 1966, entry into force March 1976. Cambodia ratified the ICCPR (thus, a part of Cambodia's body of laws) and is obligated to submit regular reports to the United Nations. PART VI Article 49 1. The present Covenant shall enter into force three months after the date of the deposit with the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the thirty-fifth instrument of ratification or instrument of accession. 2. For each State ratifying the present Covenant or acceding to it after the deposit of the thirty-fifth instrument of ratification or instrument of accession, the present Covenant shall enter into force three months after the date of the deposit of its own instrument of ratification or instrument of accession.  | ||
| Celebrating Dignity, Rights, Contribution of Women Posted: 08 Mar 2011 11:18 PM PST Every time we liberate a woman, we liberate a man.
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| CITA's letter to PM Hun Sen requesting a salary raise for teachers Posted: 08 Mar 2011 11:16 PM PST Dear All, On 07 March 2011, CITA has released a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen requesting for supplement allowance 20,000 riels to teachers each month for the year of 2011. Best regards, Phoung Sotras Administrative Officer of CITA CITA's Letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen Requesting to Offer Supplement Allowance 20,000 Riels to Teachers E...  | ||
| Jacqueline Novogratz: Inspiring a life of immersion Posted: 08 Mar 2011 11:10 PM PST By Khmer Democrat, Phnom Penh Expanding our Mind Series Cambodian ballet dancers praised for poise and dignity in one of the examples. Deeply inspirational. Why you should listen to her:The Acumen Fund, which she founded in 2001, has an ambitious plan: to create a blueprint for alleviating poverty using market-oriented approaches. Indeed, Acumen has more in common with a venture capital fund than a typical nonprofit. Rather than handing out grants, Acumen invests in fledgling companies and organizations that bring critical -- often life-altering -- products and services to the world's poor. Like VCs, Acumen offers not just money, but also infrastructure and management expertise. From drip-irrigation systems in India to malaria-preventing bed nets in Tanzania to a low-cost mortgage program in Pakistan, Acumen's portfolio offers important case studies for entrepreneurial efforts aimed at the vastly underserved market of those making less than $4/day. It's a fascinating model that's shaken up philanthropy and investment communities alike. Acumen Fund manages more than $20 million in investments aimed at serving the poor. And most of their projects deliver stunning, inspiring results. Their success can be traced back to Novogratz herself, who possesses that rarest combination of business savvy and cultural sensitivity. In addition to seeking out sound business models, she places great importance on identifying solutions from within communities rather than imposing them from the outside. "People don't want handouts," Novogratz said at TEDGlobal 2005. "They want to make their own decisions, to solve their own problems." In her new book, The Blue Sweater, she tells stories from the new philanthropy, which emphasizes sustainable bottom-up solutions over traditional top-down aid. "Acumen Fund is a not-for-profit group (but not a charity) that is supported by investors (not donors) who want a good "social return" on their capital." Fortune  | ||
| CCHR's public forum in Kampong Cham on Feb 16, 011 Posted: 08 Mar 2011 11:09 PM PST http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxln7smPevE&feature=channel_video_title Additional video by CCHR: http://www.youtube.com/cchrcambodia  | ||
| Posted: 08 Mar 2011 10:59 PM PST
February/March 2011 Staff Source: USAID The exchange of sex for money remains a major driver of the spread of HIV/AIDS throughout Southeast Asia, but the karaoke bars, massage parlors, beer gardens, and other settings where these transactions are brokered remain some of the most viable employment venues for vulnerable women. In Cambodia—where more than 10 percent of female entertainment workers are infected with HIV, and more than 25 percent of these women and girls report having no education—USAID programming supported by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is implementing a new approach to reducing HIV risk by focusing on the central principle of the Global Health Initiative: that the health and well-being of women is key to the health of all. Instead of exclusively focusing on distributing condoms and conducting risk-reduction education for high-risk women, the SmartGirl program aims to improve the sexual and reproductive health of its beneficiaries more broadly through linkages to personal counseling, voluntary family planning services, clinical care, savings schemes, and legal services. Late last year, the program received a PEPFAR Heroes award from the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator for its efforts to reduce the risks associated with entertainment work, while also supporting women in the pursuit of other employment. "We're committed to having women in the driver's seat," said Michael Cassell, the coordinator of the PEPFAR initiative in Cambodia. "SmartGirl is largely designed and run by entertainment workers to address their own felt needs. And the skills they acquire in the process help many of them to consider and pursue other careers, including ones in HIV and reproductive health service delivery." Avoiding "Message Fatigue" Previous HIV/AIDS programs have focused on raising awareness of HIV, and educating people about how to avoid getting infected. But by demonstrating that staying healthy is key to the pursuit of education, wealth, happiness, and other personal objectives, SmartGirl strives to engage beneficiaries while sidestepping some of the "message fatigue" and monotony associated with more didactic approaches. Education sessions are run by peers, cover a broad range of topics that are updated regularly, and offer referrals to free HIV testing, family planning, and other services. During a recent visit to a SmartGirl club in Phnom Penh, U.S. Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.) was inspired to join program beneficiaries in a rousing karaoke rendition of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," noting her appreciation for the leadership of club members in providing health education and referrals to health care, vocational training, and legal services to other entertainment workers. "I am so proud of you," Richardson told the club members. The SmartGirl program, which is implemented by USAID-partner Family Health International, currently provides services to 12,600 of the estimated 35,000 women working in clubs and night spots in Cambodia. The program is funded by PEPFAR but is consistent with the overarching objectives of the Global Health Initiative, the U.S. government's six-year, $63 billion commitment to help partner countries strengthen their health systems, with a particular focus on improving the health of women, newborns, and children. "Almost 30 percent of entertainment workers in Cambodia report having an abortion in the past year, suggesting inconsistent condom use and unmet needs for family planning," said Cassell. "By linking these women to sexual and reproductive health services, we stand to prevent new HIV infections while also reducing maternal mortality—the latter arguably being Cambodia's biggest public health challenge." A Model Approach Cambodia is home to one of the most renowned national success stories in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Late last year, the country received international recognition in the form of a Millennium Development Goals country award for cutting adult HIV prevalence in half, from 2 percent to 0.9 percent between 1998 and 2006, while extending HIV-related care to more than 70 percent of HIV-infected adults, and HIV treatment to more than 90 percent of eligible individuals. The estimated proportion of sex workers infected with HIV is down to around 10 percent from over 21 percent in 2003, according to the 2006 HIV Sentinel Surveillance (HSS). However, the maternal mortality ratio in Cambodia remains the second highest in East Asia. "We're particularly excited about the potential of this program to serve as a model for the scale up of higher quality and more holistic approaches to address the needs of populations at high risk for HIV infection," said Cassell. "Many of the service delivery and referral protocols pioneered through SmartGirl are now being implemented as part of Cambodia's national program with support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria." In the past decade, the U.S. government has invested more than $150 million in HIV/AIDS programs in the Southeast Asian nation, providing almost 40 percent of the resources available to the national response.  | ||
| Celebrating Dignity, Rights, Contribution of Women Posted: 08 Mar 2011 10:52 PM PST If you want something said, ask a man...if you want something done, ask a woman. - Margaret Thatcher  | ||
| Cambodia's amputee volleyball league: The playing fields Posted: 08 Mar 2011 10:52 PM PST  Mar 8th 2011By S.M. The Economist PHNOM PENH RELEASED in 1984, "The Killing Fields" was an unforgettable glimpse into the ghastly hell of Cambodia under Pol Pot. For many moviegoers, it illuminated a largely unknown genocide that killed an estimated 1.7m people and ended only with Vietnam's invasion in 1979. Even then another decade of civil war was to follow. The film won a slew of awards and lots of acclaim for its British director, Roland Joffe. Pol Pot and the murderous Khmer Rouge are long gone, but the legacy of war lingers in Cambodia. Look no further than the ranks of amputees in towns and villages. Some are the victims of landmines, of which rival armies scattered at least 4m, along with other unexploded ordnance, during and after the Vietnam's war of independence. The toll continues to rise. Last year, 71 people died and 215 were injured by leftover munitions, according to the Mines Advisory Group, a charity. In recent years Cambodia has tried to turn this handicap to its advantage with a disabled volleyball league. The league has thrived, making heroes of its amputees, who also compete for their country on the international stage. This year's World Cup for disabled volleyball will be held in Phnom Penh in July, for the second time in four years. North Korea and Egypt are among the contenders. Mr Joffe wants to bring Cambodia's sporting triumph to the big screen. Having plumbed its tragic depths, with his new film he would put a more cheerful spin the country's story by concentrating on what happened after the fighting ended. He calls the project a "living postscript" to "The Killing Fields", and laments that Cambodia "keeps getting forgotten" by the rest of the world. An uplifting movie about disabled athletes punching their way out of poverty might be just the ticket. Unlike "The Killing Fields", which was mostly filmed in Thailand, the volleyball picture would be shot on Cambodia's own playing fields—provided Mr Joffe can pull together the necessary financing. These days, there is plenty of money sloshing around Cambodia, which averaged over 9% GDP growth between 2000-2007, before the world's financial crisis struck. The economy is now revving again. Last year, Chinese investors promised to spend billions of dollars on power and agricultural projects. South Korean firms are also increasingly active. This means more potential sponsors for the disabled volleyball league. The 13 teams it fields currently all depend on corporate largesse for their kit, fields and salaries. Chris Minko, a bluff Australian, runs the league on a tight budget. He says more teams are waiting in the wings, mostly in rural towns bereft of sponsors. He hopes that the release of a hit movie by Mr Joffe might bring a raft of new donations and help put the league on a firmer footing. It would also, naturally, shine a spotlight on Mr Minko, a longtime resident of Cambodia: his is one of the current script's lead characters ("a cynical, 40-something alcoholic"). As for Mr Joffe, a cinematic return to Cambodia, where he still does charity work occasionally, would mark a change of pace. His latest film, "There Be Dragons", concerns the Spanish civil war and the founder of Opus Dei. Perhaps it is a sign of the times that his second Cambodian movie could be a more hopeful affair.  | ||
| Thailand to cooperate with neighbours on rice trade Posted: 08 Mar 2011 10:45 PM PST March 9, 2011 By PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI THE NATION To achieve its goal of making Thailand a rice-trading centre, the Commerce Ministry has drawn up a plan to cooperate with Burma and Cambodia, as both countries have high competency as supply sources to Thailand. Meanwhile, the Thai government will directly purchase 2 million tonnes of paddy rice from farmers on March 16 as part of its strategy to shore up rice prices. A senior source from the ministry said Thailand would tighten cooperation on rice trading with Burma and Cambodia by help them export rice overseas. However, the country will not import their rice to the Kingdom, but will set up polishing plants in border provinces, as Thailand has high expertise in rice polishing. "Many Vietnamese and other foreign rice traders have tried to purchase rice from Burma and Cambodia, as it is good-quality but low-priced. Thailand will help both nations develop their rice polishing and exports to emphasise Thailand as a centre of rice trading," said the source. The Cambodian government has called for Thailand's cooperation to halt decreases in its rice price after traders from Vietnam purchased rice from that country at very low prices. Cooperation with Thailand should increase the bargaining power for Cambodian farmers and traders, the source said. Chookiat Ophaswongse, honourable president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, has supported the government's plan to tighten cooperation with Burma and Cambodia. However, the government must ensure that it will prevent Thai rice seeds getting mixed up with other seeds, as that would destroy the reputation of Thai rice as having the best quality. In addition, he said the government should concentrate on development of the quality of Thai rice and on reducing production costs rather than increasing its price guarantee. Chookiat said the rice price had dropped slightly because of increased supply from Vietnam. Thai rice farmers will only enjoy a short-term benefit from increasing the guaranteed price of rice. The government should seek ways to help farmers reduce their costs of production and increase yield per rai in the long run. The association reported the export price for 5-per-cent Thai white rice had dropped slightly from US$520-$530 a tonne last week to $510 (Bt15,490) a tonne this week.  | ||
| Yuon association's first congress in Xrok Xmer ... BRAVO?!? Posted: 08 Mar 2011 10:35 PM PST Vietnamese nationals in Cambodia hold congress 09/03/2011 Who's Chau Van Chi? (VOV) - The Vietnamese Residents Association in Cambodia has held its first congress in Phnom Penh to review activities and elect an executive board for the 2011-2015 term. Present at the opening ceremony on March 6 were Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Le Anh Dung, Cambodian Minister of Cult and Religion Min Khin, diplomats and 250 representatives from the Vietnamese community in Cambodia. The association's chairman Chau Van Chi said the congress was held in the context of growing relations between Vietnam and Cambodia in various fields, including politics, economics and trade. The two countries' traditional friendship and effective cooperation have contributed to strengthening the unity bloc of the Vietnamese community in Cambodia, he added. Since its establishment in 2003, the association, with more than 5,700 members, has helped the Vietnamese community in Cambodia improve their living standards, both materially and spiritually. The association has closely worked with Cambodian agencies and authorities at all levels to protect the legitimate rights of Vietnamese people in Cambodia.  | ||
| My Rights, My Responsibility (Constitution) Series Posted: 08 Mar 2011 10:32 PM PST Constitution of Cambodia (Sept. 1993)
Article 74 The State shall assist the disabled and the families of combatants who sacrificed their lives for the nation.  | ||
| Posted: 08 Mar 2011 10:17 PM PST By Khmer Democrat, Phnom Penh I am Girly-Man Dictator Series I look cruel. I act cruelly. I produce cruel children. I have this amazing ability, without having to say a word, to make the people around me (especially the yes-sir-yes-ma'am handlers!) more cruel than me. (Oh, what people will do when they fear and want to please!). I live by the principle of loving mankind but hating the man--or, in this situation, the woman. But, be kind to me. I am only human in need of love, too, you know? You know? I am really only a girly-man-dictator. You and me, we know basic psychology - meanness and cruelty are only symptoms of insecurity. We're really wimps. Do you see how afraid we are of the women's movement? Cambodia bans women's day rally: organisers |
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Though extreme poverty and poor law enforcement are primarily to blame for child sex trafficking in Cambodia, I think the Cambodian people's casual attitudes toward sexual predation also contribute to the problem. Cambodians generally look up to foreigners, especially Westerners, as wealthy and benevolent. It's unfortunate that some foreigners are in the country to take advantage of children.