KI Media: “Sacrava's Life under the KR: The Wedding Ceremony” plus 24 more |
- Sacrava's Life under the KR: The Wedding Ceremony
- Kem Sokha counting his eggs before they are hatched?
- Speak Truth to Power ("Courage wihout Borders") Series - Marina Pisklakova (Russia) “Domestic Violence”
- Heartache of Khmer Rouge forced marriage victims
- Thailand tries to boost trade with Cambodia despite border dispute
- What VN wants is Khmer & Lao Youth COMMUNIST INDOCTRINATION ... NOT cooperation
- Concerted Thai effort to prevent border meetings in Indonesia: Thailand has something to hide?
- Thais oppose border talks in Indonesia
- Indonesia awaits approval on Thai-Cambodia mission
- Women in Garment Factories Help Cambodia Out of Poverty [-Conclusion: Hun Xen does not help Cambodia out of poverty!!!]
- Border observer plan hits deadlock
- "Sakpheavak Nei Chun Peal" a Poem in Khmer by NhiekKiri
- Lawmakers To Open Session With Corruption Law Amendment
- Asean Border Mission for Ceasefire Only: Cambodia
- Cambodian Students Recount Japan Earthquake
- Sacrava's Political Cartoon: General Prayuth Ocha
- CRCI Condolences to the family of the victims in Japan
- U.S wants joint meeting with Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos on search for U.S remains
- Students raise money for Cambodian town
- PAD's leaflet against JBC memos
- Cambodia the most corrupt country: PERC
- Vietnam urges peaceful resolution to Thai, Cambodia border conflict [-If VN has sincere intention, should the border disputes be resolved by Signatories of the 1991 Paris Peace Conference?]
- Thailand seeks royal pardon for two people jailed in Cambodia
- Cambodia concerned about labour trafficking
- SOUND IS POWER (Spoken Word Poetry)
| Sacrava's Life under the KR: The Wedding Ceremony Posted: 24 Mar 2011 03:56 PM PDT
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| Kem Sokha counting his eggs before they are hatched? Posted: 24 Mar 2011 03:00 PM PDT
24 March 2011 By Yun Samean Radio Free Asia Translated from Khmer by Soy
In the evening of Wednesday 23 March, Kem Sokha, president of the Human Rights Party, indicated that the acceptance of former SRP MP Mao Monyvann to this party will not affect the plan to form an alliance between his party and the SRP. Kem Sokha added that, currently, there are about 20 SRP party members who already joined the HRP. He claimed that the HRP will be the leading opposition party in Cambodia after opposition leader Sam Rainsy was prevented from joining the upcoming 2013 election.  | |||
| Posted: 24 Mar 2011 01:52 PM PDT | |||
| Heartache of Khmer Rouge forced marriage victims Posted: 24 Mar 2011 01:46 PM PDT
By Agence France-Presse When the Khmer Rouge ordered Phalla to marry a man she had never met in 1976, the young woman knew she had to obey if she wanted to survive Cambodia's infamous "Killing Fields" era. Having already angered the superiors in her labour camp by refusing to wed her cousin, she was warned that such defiance would not be tolerated twice. "I was told I was to marry another man and if I still refused, I would be re-educated," she said, a term she knew meant certain death. "Then I agreed because I was very afraid," Phalla, 54, told AFP, not wanting to use her real name. Experts say the Khmer Rouge forced tens of thousands of men and women to wed, often in mass ceremonies, as part of leader Pol Pot's plan to boost the population. Authorities wanted to control every aspect of an individual's life and sought to destroy family bonds, claiming the state was all the family a person needed. The hardline communist regime strove to create an agrarian utopia but was ultimately responsible for the deaths of up two million people from overwork, starvation and execution between 1975 and 1979. Four of the movement's most senior surviving leaders -- "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea, former head of state Khieu Samphan, ex-foreign minister Ieng Sary and ex-social affairs minister Ieng Thirith -- are set to face a UN-backed court for atrocity crimes in the middle of this year. With forced marriage included as a crime against humanity in the indictments, the trial will provide the first forum for these husbands and wives to seek justice. More than 600 forced marriage victims have been included as civil parties in the upcoming case, international civil party co-lawyer Silke Studzinsky told AFP, and many are hoping to give testimony. According to the indictments, the unions "were part of the attack against the civilian population, in particular the imposition of sexual relations aimed at enforced procreation". In stark contrast to a traditional Cambodian wedding, Pol Pot's mass ceremonies were sombre affairs without any sense of celebration and usually without any family members present, witnesses say. "The organisation called out one male name and one female name," Phalla recalled. "They asked us to make a commitment to stay together forever. That was the first time I met my husband." Many couples say there was pressure to consummate the marriage on the wedding night. A wooden dwelling on stilts provided a semblance of privacy for the reluctant couples, but they were hardly alone. "Soldiers stood underneath our building, listening to hear whether we were getting along or having disputes," said Phalla. "But we just lay there, like brother and sister." The next day they were sent back to their own bases and saw each other "only very rarely" at pre-arranged times. It is not known how many unions led to pregnancies or how many couples split up after the regime was ousted from power in 1979. "After the Khmer Rouge, many people tried to get back to their families and their homes, so it was easy to separate," said Studzinsky. "But others stayed together, often because they had children as a result of the forced marriage." Phalla remained married. "Under the Pol Pot regime, my husband listened to me. He respected my rights, did not abuse me or rape me," she said. "In the end, I fell in love with him." Still Phalla insists a crime was committed. "We had no opportunity to choose our own spouse. I want justice for that situation," she said. Unlike forced marriages in Rwanda, Sierra Leone or Uganda -- where husbands were often the perpetrators -- Cambodian men were themselves victims, according to Natalae Anderson, a researcher at Rutgers University in New Jersey. "Forced marriage in the Cambodian context is unique when compared to incidences of forced marriage in other countries," she wrote last year in a paper for the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, which collects evidence of Khmer Rouge atrocities. Observers have warned the case will be lengthy and complex, with all four defendants denying the charges. It follows the landmark conviction last July of Khmer Rouge prison chief Kaing Guek Eav, alias Duch, who was sentenced to 30 years in jail for overseeing the deaths of some 15,000 people. Both Duch and the prosecution have contested the verdict. Their appeals will be heard next week. There will be no individual reparations for the forced marriage victims and the tribunal has instead invited suggestions for alternative forms of "collective and moral" redress. Education programmes and remembrance days are among the ideas mooted. Sin Ban is stepping forward as a civil party "because our rights were abused". Now a 57-year-old farmer, he said the officials in his commune ordered him to marry a woman who had difficulty walking just weeks before Vietnamese forces liberated the country. His eyes downcast, he admits that he considered leaving her when freedom beckoned. "But then I thought about how she had lost her parents and that she was disabled. I felt pity for her so I tried to take care of her," said the father-of-six, who has stuck by his wife to this day.  | |||
| Thailand tries to boost trade with Cambodia despite border dispute Posted: 24 Mar 2011 01:37 PM PDT March 24, 2011 Xinhua Thailand will hold a large trade exhibition here in May in order to boost bilateral trade cooperation despite ongoing military confrontation between the two countries in the disputed border areas near the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, said Thai ambassador on Thursday. During a farewell meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the outgoing Thai ambassador Prasas Prasasvinitchai said that the expo will help to boost closer trade ties between the two countries and Thai commerce minister Porntiva Nakasai will attend it. Meanwhile, Hun Sen expressed his support for the expo and encouraged more cooperation between Cambodia and Thailand on other sectors even though the two countries have border conflict. Jiranan Wongmongkol, director of the Thai embassy's Foreign Trade Promotion Office in Phnom Penh, said, "Every year, we just hold one trade expo here, but this year, we do twice because Thailand is committed to strengthening and expanding trade cooperation with its neighboring Cambodia." She added that the Thai product expo on May 19-22 at Phnom Penh' s Diamond Island Exhibition Center will be larger than the one held in February. There will be 300 Thai companies displaying a variety of products ranging from consumer goods, foodstuffs, drinks, construction materials, household utensils, leather-made products, school stationeries and cosmetics, she said. Bilateral trades between Cambodia and Thailand mounted to 2.54 billion U.S. dollars in 2010, up 54 percent from 1.65 billion U.S. dollars in a year earlier, she said. Cambodia and Thailand have had border conflict just a week after Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple was enlisted as World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008. The latest clashes on Feb. 4-7 this year unleashed a barrage of artillery shells on both sides of the border, which had killed and injured many people of both sides, and caused tens of thousands of the two countries' villagers nearby the disputed areas to escape for safe shelters.  | |||
| What VN wants is Khmer & Lao Youth COMMUNIST INDOCTRINATION ... NOT cooperation Posted: 24 Mar 2011 01:34 PM PDT Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia youths boost cooperation Thursday ,Mar 24,2011 Saigon Giai Phong (Vietcong communist party) Young people from regional countries of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia joined in a friendship meeting in Hanoi on March 23. The event, held by the Hanoi 's Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, aims to create a forum for youths from the three countries to meet and exchange experiences in educating the young generation to treasure solidarity, promote traditional friendship as well as maintain peace and boost cooperation in the future. The exchange, taking place on the occasion of the 80 th founding anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Vietnam Youth Year 2011, is a chance for Vietnamese youths to promote the country's image as well as introduce their Lao and Cambodian counterparts achievements that Vietnamese young people have contributed to the country's construction and defence. In the framework of the event, participants will take part in a talk themed "Vietnam- Laos- Cambodia youths promote traditional solidarity and friendship for mutual peace, cooperation and development" to update each other on mobilising youth and promote youth's roles in cooperation for socio-economic development of the three countries. During the event, which will last till March 30, Lao and Cambodian youths will meet with Vietnamese students and visit the country's historical sites and landscapes.  | |||
| Concerted Thai effort to prevent border meetings in Indonesia: Thailand has something to hide? Posted: 24 Mar 2011 01:30 PM PDT Thai deputy PM opposes presence of foreign troops in disputed zone March 24, 2011 Xinhua Deputy Prime Minister for security affairs Suthep Thaugsuban said on Thursday that he disagreed with a plan to allow presence of foreign troops in the disputed zone on the Thai-Cambodian border. Suthep made the remarks after Army Chief General Prayut Chan- ocha mentioned that he did not want Indonesia or any third country to be involved in the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission ( JBC) or General Border Committee (GBC) meetings. Indonesia, the current chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), earlier this week proposed to hold JBC and military-led GBC on April 7 and 8. The deputy prime minister said the presence of foreign troops at any spot in the overlapping zone should be allowed only with the co-presence of Thai and Cambodian troops, particularly where border demarcation remains unclear. The deputy PM said the JBC meeting could not go forward because Thai parliament has not yet approved the minutes of three previous meetings. He said the minutes would be proposed for the parliament's consideration on Friday so that the border-demarcation meeting would be able to continue. The Article 190 of the 2007 Constitution reads that any agreement which will be made with foreign country and will have impact on the country's territory is required endorsement from the parliament. As for the People's Alliance for the Democracy (PAD)'s plan to rally against the government's move to ratify those three minutes on Friday, Suthep said he was not very worried. Thailand and Cambodia earlier agreed to allow Indonesian observers to monitor a ceasefire in a deadly border dispute between the two countries in February this year. ASEAN foreign ministers said in a statement in Jakarta that they welcomed a commitment made by Thailand and Cambodia to avoid further armed clashes and urged both sides to resume bilateral negotiations as soon as possible.  | |||
| Thais oppose border talks in Indonesia Posted: 24 Mar 2011 01:17 PM PDT Friday, March 25, 2011 The Nation Meetings between Thailand and Cambodia's two border committees will not take place in Indonesia next month as planned because Thailand opposes the site for the talks, senior government officials said Thursday. Indonesia, as the chair of Asean, called the parallel meetings of ThailandCambodia's General Border Committee (GBC) and the Joint Boundary Committee (JBC) - for April 78 in Bogor - to find ways to settle the border dispute between the two neighbours. The meetings became doubtful after Thai Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and Army chief Prayut Chanocha said they did not want the militaryrun GBC to meet in a third country. The meeting should be held either in Cambodia or Thailand, said defence ministry's spokesman Thanathip Sawangsaeng.  | |||
| Indonesia awaits approval on Thai-Cambodia mission Posted: 24 Mar 2011 01:14 PM PDT 24/03/2011 AFP Indonesia said Thursday that an Asean plan to send Indonesian military observers to the disputed Thai-Cambodia border had stalled as it awaited approvals from Bangkok and Phnom Penh. A Cambodian soldier walks past the Preah Vhear temple in Preah Vihear province, some 500 kilometers northwest of Phnom Penh in February 2011. Indonesia said Thursday that an ASEAN plan to send Indonesian military observers to the disputed Thai-Cambodia border had stalled as it awaited approvals from Bangkok and Phnom Penh. At a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Jakarta last month, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to accept Indonesian observers to a flashpoint section of the border where heavy fighting erupted in February. Asean Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan hailed the agreement as a "historic day" for the 10-nation block, but more than a month later the observer teams remain in Jakarta and Thailand's military now says they are not needed. "We're still waiting for further approvals from both countries before we can proceed to go to the area," Indonesian foreign ministry spokeswoman Kusuma Habir told AFP. The observers had not received their operating orders and did not even know where they would be posted or for how long, she added. "We hope that we will receive their approvals as soon as possible," Habir said. Thailand's army chief, General Prayut Chan-O-Cha, said Wednesday the observers were not wanted in the disputed area near an 11th-century temple because it was too dangerous and they would only complicate matters. Prayut said the Thai defence ministry, armed forces and military commanders rejected the idea of outside monitors, but conceded it was up to the government to decide. A Thai government spokesman denied however that there had been any change in Bangkok's position, and said a joint border committee would be convened to iron out the details of the observers' mission. Cambodia insisted on Thursday the delay was being caused solely by Thailand. Foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said the Cambodian government had already sent all the necessary paperwork to Indonesia. "For Cambodia, there is no problem. We have immediately responded to all Indonesian letters involving the TOR (Terms of Reference)," he told AFP. "Cambodia has already agreed to the locations and timing (for the observers). If Thailand does not want the observers, Cambodia accepts them unilaterally," he said. Thailand and Cambodia have each accused the other of starting the border clashes, which erupted around the Hindu temple of Preah Vihear.  | |||
| Posted: 24 Mar 2011 01:10 PM PDT By Marwaan Macan-Markar 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". Better Factories Cambodia has been hailed by labour rights activists as an answer to sweatshops, a still persistent reality in countries that Cambodia is competing with to produce cheaper garments, such as Bangladesh. Such economic rivalry, which also involves garment factories in Vietnam, has intensified following the end of the multi-fibre agreement, an international quota system for garments, at the beginning of 2005. Investors from South Korea and Malaysia are leaders in the flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) to this country, much of it helping to bolster the garment and the telecommunications sectors. The garment industry grew at a rate of 44 percent annually between 1997 and 2007, helping the economy hit an impressive 8.2 percent annual average growth rate during that decade. But rural women in their early 20s who have been drawn to the city to stitch their way out of poverty have also had to pay a price. The freedom, liberty and economic independence they have displayed in their new surroundings have been rebuked by residents of Phnom Penh - including charges of "immorality". "City residents look down on the garment factory workers. They are being accused of destroying the culture of Cambodian women," says Ly Phearak, coordinator of the Workers' Information Centre, a non-governmental organisation championing the cause of garment workers. "They expect the women from the village to live according to their traditional and conservative rules, and not feel empowered, more confident." Ignored, as a result, is the life of vulnerability these single women face in a new environment. "These workers need social protection and care to grapple with issues like nutrition, labour rights, and HIV," asserts Chrek Sophea, a former garment factory worker. "Few want to say thank you to these workers for helping Cambodia's economy improve."  | |||
| Border observer plan hits deadlock Posted: 24 Mar 2011 01:06 PM PDT Indonesia awaits call to monitor flashpoint 25/03/2011 Bangkok and Agencies The Association of Southeast Asian Nations' plan to send Indonesian military observers to the disputed Thai-Cambodia border has stalled as it awaits approval from Bangkok and Phnom Penh, according to Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Kusuma Habir. At the Asean meeting in Jakarta last month, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to accept Indonesian observers to the flashpoint section of the border where heavy fighting erupted in February. But more than a month later the observer teams remain in Jakarta. "We're still waiting for further approval from both countries before we can proceed to the area," Ms Habir said. The observers had not received their operating orders and did not even know where they would be posted or for how long, she added. "We hope that we will receive their approval as soon as possible," Ms Habir said. The Indonesian foreign affairs spokeswoman's remarks came after the Thai army asserted earlier this week that Thailand does not need foreign troops to be deployed. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban yesterday supported the army's stance of opposing Indonesian observers being deployed to the disputed area. Mr Suthep, who is in charge of national security, said Thailand has to try its best to protect its sovereignty. But Mr Suthep said the demand that foreign soldiers should not be deployed to the disputed area before the Joint Border Committee (JBC) talks was not the right move. The talks could be held anywhere and Indonesia, as a third country, could send representatives to observe the meeting. Earlier, army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said he wanted the JBC to take place without the participation of a third country. Moreover, the JBC meeting should be held either in Cambodia or Thailand. Mr Suthep added there has been no progress in the JBC talks because parliament has not improved the minutes of earlier JBC meetings. The government will ask the parliament to approve the JBC minutes today, said the deputy prime minister. "If our parliament doesn't approve the minutes, Cambodia might feel another JBC meeting is useless," said Mr Suthep. "However, we want the discussion on border demarcation between the two countries to continue." Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon also reaffirmed yesterday that the next General Border Committee (GBC) meeting must be between Thailand and Cambodia only, without a third party present. Gen Prawit said he had personally discussed the matter with Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh. Moreover, the Thai Defence Ministry has sent a letter to the Cambodian counterpart, asking it to call a GBC meeting as soon as possible so that the military leaders of the two countries could discuss border problems together. The GBC is co-chaired by the defence ministers of Thailand and Cambodia. It is separated from the JBC under the Foreign Ministry. He said Cambodia was supposed to host the eighth GBC meeting this year. But if Cambodia was not ready, Thailand would be willing to host it. At the next GBC meeting the two sides would discuss problems in implementing agreements over the disputed border area, security along the border, illegal labour, drug smuggling and other crime, he said. Col Thanathip Sawangsaeng, the defence spokesman, said Gen Prawit told the Defence Council meeting yesterday that the GBC must be held in either Thailand or Cambodia only. "However, there would be no problems if Indonesia wants to come as a listener," he quoted Gen Prawit as saying. The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) yesterday distributed about 100,000 leaflets to people in downtown Bangkok to inform them of what it said were the negative consequences if parliament endorses the three JBC minutes. The PAD earlier planned to rally in front of parliament today when the House of Representatives reviews the JBC minutes but it has changed its mind.  | |||
| "Sakpheavak Nei Chun Peal" a Poem in Khmer by NhiekKiri Posted: 24 Mar 2011 06:23 AM PDT   | |||
| Lawmakers To Open Session With Corruption Law Amendment Posted: 24 Mar 2011 12:31 AM PDT The removal of Article 57 would put the anti-corruption law in line with the new penal code passed in December. Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Phnom Penh Wednesday, 23 March 2011 "The amendments to the anti-corruption law's three articles are aimed at speeding up the work of the Anti-Corruption Council to be more effective for various corruption offenses." National Assembly lawmakers are preparing to approve an amendment to the anti-corruption law when their next session opens next week that would give more power to the head of the Anti-Corruption Unit and other minor adjustments. The proposed amendments would allow the head of the ACU to appoint and remove members of the unit who are now there by appointment. The proposed amendments also include moving the funds for the unit from the Council of Ministers to the national budget and the elimination of an article holding up legal implementation of the anti-corruption law. The removal of Article 57 would put the anti-corruption law in line with the new penal code passed in December. "The amendments to the anti-corruption law's three articles are aimed at speeding up the work of the Anti-Corruption Council to be more effective for various corruption offenses," said Sik Bunhok, deputy chairman of the National Assembly's legislative committee. At least senior government officials are facing charges under the new law, for offenses related to drug trafficking and corruption. 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. Mam Sitha, president of the Cambodian Independent Anti-Corruption Committee, said the amendments were an improvement to the law, but that its implementation was up to the will of members of the Anti-Corruption Council and the Anti-Corruption Unit. The council, which currently appoints members of the unit, provides overall management of the law, while the ACU is in charge of investigations. The changes to the law come as officials work to bring it into full effect, including a declaration of assets by public servants. Keo Remy, a spokesman for the council, said more than 100,000 officials so far have submitted their declarations, with more working toward a deadline of April 7.  | |||
| Asean Border Mission for Ceasefire Only: Cambodia Posted: 24 Mar 2011 12:27 AM PDT Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer Washington, DC Wednesday, 23 March 2011 "Cambodia has already elected 15 different sites for the border monitors." Cambodian officials say an Asean observer mission to the Thai border will only seek to regulate a ceasefire and will not be involved in solving outstanding border issues that have plagued both sides and led to deadly violence. An observer mission from Indonesia, the current head of Asean, hopes to put teams on both sides of the disputed border area once both sides agree to the terms of the mission. Var Kimhong, head of Cambodia's Border Committee, told VOA Khmer Tuesday that the mission would be in place to enforce a voluntary ceasefire agreed to by both sides in the wake of deadly clashes in February. The underpinning dispute over ownership of land near the border is a separate issue, he said. While Thailand is still considering the terms of reference for the mission, Var Kimhong said Cambodia has already elected 15 different sites for the border monitors. "There is nothing to conceal," he said. Meanwhile, Thai and Cambodian officials have yet to fully agree on an upcoming meeting, which Indonesia wants to host later this month or early in April. The Bangkok Post quoted a Thai military official as saying military members of Thailand's General Border Committee are insisting on bilateral talks. Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh told VOA Khmer he was waiting to hear whether he will meet his Thai counterpart in an Indonesian meeting.  | |||
| Cambodian Students Recount Japan Earthquake Posted: 23 Mar 2011 11:34 PM PDT
Washington, DC Wednesday, 23 March 2011 "I tried every means to get through to her, but there was no answer." Tea Seang Houng had just been shopping for dinner with a friend in a mall in Sendai city, Miyagi prefecture, when the earthquake began. "When we were out of the shopping mall and got to the car park, our car was shaking, along with others. It was a tremendous shake," Tea Seang Houng, a linguistic student, said Monday, as a guest on "Hello VOA." "My friend told me it was an earthquake, but I thought she was just joking," she said. "Only when it kept shaking did I start to realize it was definitely a strong earthquake." It was Tea Seang Houng's first experience with such a powerful earthquake, which was later measured up to 9.0 on the Richter scale and set off a massive tsunami. So far, the March 11 disaster has killed more than 9,000 people. During the quake, goods fell from the shelves. People ran for cover. Power and water supplies were cut off. Telephone communications closed. "I was worried, realizing that Seng Houng was in Sendai when the earthquake occurred," said Chea Poleng, who was in Tokyo, where the earthquake was also felt. "We could not reach her on the phone. I tried every means to get through to her, but there was no answer." Chea Poleng, who is a student at Hitotsu Bashi University and vice president of the Cambodian Students Association in Japan, used Facebook to look for Tea Seang Houng and other members. With many means of transportation destroyed, Tea Seang Houng was stuck for one week before she could leave Sendai. She traveled from place to place before she reached her home in Tokyo. Japan is still coming to grips with the disaster, and now officials are hoping to quell a mounting nuclear crisis. The Cambodian Embassy has advised residents to stay out of the capital and other cities close to nuclear reactors that have overheated in the days since the tsunami. Tea Seang Houng has moved to stay with a family in Hiroshima. "I will stay here until the situation in Tokyo has returned to normal," she said.  | |||
| Sacrava's Political Cartoon: General Prayuth Ocha Posted: 23 Mar 2011 11:28 PM PDT   | |||
| CRCI Condolences to the family of the victims in Japan Posted: 23 Mar 2011 11:24 PM PDT   | |||
| U.S wants joint meeting with Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos on search for U.S remains Posted: 23 Mar 2011 11:17 PM PDT March 23, 2011 Xinhua The United States wants a meeting together with Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos to speed up searching for the remains of American soldiers missing in the Vietnam War, said Ann Mills Griffiths, head of the National League of POW-MIA Families, on Wednesday. She made the suggestion during a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, and she also thanked Cambodia for helping the U. S search for American soldiers' remains in Cambodia, the spokesman for the Prime Minister, Eang Sophalleth, told reporters after the meeting. Meanwhile, the premier reiterated that Cambodia will cooperate actively on this issue. Gen. Pol Saroeun, commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), has also urged the U.S to speed up search as people who have known this issue are very old now. According to the U.S. POW/MIA (Prisoner of War/Missing in Action) Office, at the end of the Vietnam War, there were 81 U.S. personnel missing in Cambodia. Cambodia has also allowed Vietnam to search the remains of its troops who had lost their lives in the country.  | |||
| Students raise money for Cambodian town Posted: 23 Mar 2011 11:14 PM PDT  Thursday March 24, 2011 By Emily Wilkins TheStateNews.com (East Lansing, Michigan, USA) A few weeks ago, Eda Uong stood before a room of about 30 MSU students and repeated words first spoken to him by a U.S. solider in his home country of Cambodia. "No matter what happens to your family," the solider told Uong, "Go to school and do not quit." On the other side of the world, in Uong's village of Rong DomRey, many children leave school at a young age to help support their families, Uong said. Other problems in the village affect the entire county — a lack of doctors, safe drinking water and sanitation. So when Uong came to the U.S. to study several years ago, he began working to raise money to improve his hometown. After successfully improving the town's school, MSU students are stepping up to raise money for a $3,000 medical center in the village. Currently, Uong said, the town's school is doubling for a center for visiting doctors and dentists to work while they are in the village. Slideshow: Building a Community ... While Uong gave his talk, physiology junior Ryan Abboud found himself inspired by Uong's dedication and hard work. "When you see other people spending all their time and energy just trying to help other people, it's really inspiring," Abboud said. "You want to help." This week Abboud will get his chance. Along with his class in the Bailey Scholar Program, Abboud will sell T-shirts — a gray shirt with the Spartan logo behind the words "Spreading Spartan Love to Cambodia" — from noon to 3 p.m. throughout next week in the International Center. The shirts will sell for $10, and proceeds will go to build the medical center. The Bailey Scholars is an MSU program in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources that allows students to develop personalized learning plans regarding topics in which they are interested. Uong became involved with the group through forestry junior Greg Jones. Although Jones had no ties to Uong or his town, after connecting through a mutual friend, Jones was able to raise $10,000 for the school. "I've always been involved in volunteer stuff like this," Jones said. "It just sounded like something I wanted to help with." The nonprofit school, called Songkahakomar School, or School for Rescued Children, began as a freestanding thatched hut in 2002, when it first opened. Through the raised funds, the school grew last summer to four individual rooms made of concrete. Uong said the school is a powerful force in his community. The school serves 180 students, many who go on to participate more fully in the community and are given an education they may not have had otherwise, Uong said. "The school — it's changed people's lives," Uong said. When he visited campus, Uong presented Jones with a certificate thanking him for his work thus far and expressed hope that relations between the U.S. and Cambodia could continue. "I love your country and you love mine," Uong said. "Please keep this love alive and make it last forever."  | |||
| PAD's leaflet against JBC memos Posted: 23 Mar 2011 10:56 PM PDT 24/03/2011 Bangkok Post The People's Alliance for Democracy will distribute 100,000 copies of a leaflet as part of its campaign against parliament's approval of three memorandums of Joint Boundary Commission meetings under the 2000 Memorandum of Understanding between Thailand and Cambodia. PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongpan and core member Prapan Khoonmee said the leaflet would be distributed to people in such business areas as Silom and Siam Square as well as areas under the Internal Security Act on Friday when parliament would convene a session to consider approving the three JBC memos. They said the PAD would this afternoon announce other measures to persuade MPs and senators to stop them from passing the three memos.  | |||
| Cambodia the most corrupt country: PERC Posted: 23 Mar 2011 10:53 PM PDT Taiwan ranks 7th in integrity: PERC Thursday, March 24, 2011 The China Post In the eyes of foreign investors, Taiwan's integrity index surpassed that of South Korea and mainland China, although it fell behind Singapore and Hong Kong. The findings come from the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd. (PERC), which compiles strategic business information and risk assessments on Asian countries. According to the PERC, foreign investors hailing from the U.S., Australia and other countries see Cambodia as the most corrupt, followed by Indonesia and the Philippines. Taiwan's corruption index came in at number seven out of the Asian countries evaluated, largely due to the negative perception of the nation's political leaders as being corrupt - this is best illustrated by former President Chen Shui-bian's embezzlement scandal. The government land development issue was cited as an example of current corruption, thus the survey showed that the clean and efficient government President Ma Ying-jeou promised is not yet effective. The report targeted over 1,700 investors from the U.S., Australia and Asian-Pacific region. Taiwan ranked seven overall, which means it is more corrupt than Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and Macau, but more honest than South Korea, Malaysia and China. The survey also compiled the corruption rating of a country's politicians and civil servants, public institutions and private enterprises. Singapore topped the list for integrity in every category while Taiwan was middling in most. It is worth noting that South Korea ranked last place in the private enterprise sector, with the report blaming the power monopoly of South Korea's biggest financial institutions, media, and entertainment enterprises for the poor ranking. For Taiwan, the survey pointed to political leaders and the government as being the most corrupt. The report notes that Taiwan remains a business risk as it continues to suffer from political corruption exemplified by the embezzlement conviction and imprisonment of former President Chen Shui-bian. While Ma's personal conduct has not been called into question, news of judges taking bribes within his administration and the scandal-hit military procurement system have left investors pessimistic and distrustful. Regarding the survey results, National Taipei University (NTPU) Assistant Professor Chen Yao-hsiang pointed out that when Ma took office, one of his main goals was to establish a clean and efficient government. Thus far this has not had "much effect," Chen said. Executive Yuan spokesman Jiang Chi-chen responded that while he respects the results of the survey, to purge corruption and establish a clean and efficient government remains the goal of the ruling party. To do so, the central government is in the process of further developing the Department of Government Ethics, he added.  | |||
| Posted: 23 Mar 2011 10:32 PM PDT Mar 24, 2011 DPA Hanoi - Vietnam urged Thailand and Cambodia to find a peaceful solution to recent conflicts in accordance with international law, state media reported Thursday. Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem made the comment at a meeting with his Thai counterpart in Hanoi Wednesday, the report said. According to state-run newspaper Viet Nam News, Khiem welcomed upcoming talks between Thailand and Cambodia on border issues to be held in Indonesia next month. A peaceful resolution over border clashes between the two countries 'was for the benefit of the two countries' peoples and for peace, stability and co-operation in the region,' Khiem was quoted as saying. Vietnam has consistently held a neutral stance on the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. The conflict, which claimed five lives last month, centres on ownership of a plot of land near the region's Preah Vihear temple. The temple itself has changed hands many times over hundreds of years, although the International Court of Justice granted Cambodia sovereignty in 1962. The Association of South-East Nations (ASEAN) has taken the reins of mediating negotiations and the two countries are to meet in Indonesia, the group's chair, to discuss the issue on April 7. Vietnam was chair of ASEAN in 2010.  | |||
| Thailand seeks royal pardon for two people jailed in Cambodia Posted: 23 Mar 2011 10:24 PM PDT March 24, 2011 Xinhua The Thai embassy in Phnom Penh has submitted a petition seeking a royal pardon for two Thais being jailed there for illegal entry and espionage charges, a government official said on Wednesday. The petition was submitted through the Cambodian Foreign Ministry on March 14, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi was quoted as saying by the Bangkok Post online. Thani said he did not know how long the pardon process would take. Veera Somkwamkid, a leader of the nationalistic Thai Patriots Network, whose supporters have been protesting against the Thai government for its mishandling of the Thai-Cambodian border dispute, and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon and five other Thais were arrested by Cambodian soldiers on Dec. 29 for illegal entry. On Jan. 21, the five Thais were found guilty by a Phnom Penh court of illegal entry into Cambodia and trespassing into a military area. Each was given nine months of imprisonment and fined 1 million riels (250 U.S. dollars), but the jail term was suspended. The five returned to Bangkok the next day after spending almost a month in Prey Sar prison in Phnom Penh. Veera and Ratree were later sentenced to eight years and six years of imprisonment respectively without suspension on additional charges of espionage.  | |||
| Cambodia concerned about labour trafficking Posted: 23 Mar 2011 10:20 PM PDT March 24, 2011 ABC Radio Australia The Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has called for a crackdown on labour trafficking and urged Cambodians to seek employment opportunities at home. The call comes as the government itself faces scrutiny over its regulation of so-called training centres for Cambodians seeking work abroad. Human rights groups say the centres hold poor Cambodian women against their will, while they wait to be sent overseas for domestic work. Reporter: Alma Mistry Speakers: Mathieu Pellerin, consultant with Cambodian human rights group Licadho; Nilim Baruah, chief technical advisor, International Labour Organisation, Bangkok MISTRY: The United Nations says Cambodia is a source and a destination for sex work and forced labour. It's also a pool of cheap labour for its larger neighbours Thailand and Malaysia. In 2004, there were over 180,000 Cambodian workers registered in Thailand, according to the International Labour Organisation. In addition, the ILO estimates there were over 80,000 unregistered or illegal workers. Mathieu Pellerin from the Cambodian human rights group Licadho says the rural poor have limited options to find work in the countryside. PELLERIN: The number of opportunities to find work in Cambodia is very low. So I don't think we could call these people opportunists- the risks of migration to find employment to in a foreign country is very high. MISTRY: Matthieu Pellerin says workers are often sought out by recruiters who make offers that may be attractive to poor families in the villages. PELLERIN: Basically misrepresenting what the job will be, luring the families to accepting to give one or some of their daughters to go and work in foreign countries through these recruitment agencies. And there's also a loan that is offered to family by company, roughly 100 dollars, so its a very simple form of debt bondage. MISTRY: It's these recruiters that have come under scrutiny, after accidents and deaths involving women at a so called pre-departure centre in Phnom Penh this month. Matthieu Pellerin says it's not uncommon for women to be confined to the centres for months, with their requests to see their families ignored. PELLERIN: There was one woman who after spending more than five months in the pre-departure centre of a recruitment agency called T and P and has requested many times to visit her children and after five months, she decided to try leaving the compound from the third floor window and fell on the ground. Four days later in that same company, a woman died. 35 year old woman died and the official cause of death the police declared, was heart attack, which could be questioned. MISTRY: After the death Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the Anti-Corruption Unit to look into the growing sector of recruitment. On Monday he also called on relevant local authorities to crack down on illegal labour brokers. But critics say the incidents highlight a weak system of regulation for the recruitment of exported labour from Cambodia. It's a criticism that the International Labour Organisation, which has been working with the Cambodian government, can't ignore. Nilim Baruah is the Chief Technical Advisor with the ILO in Bangkok. BARUAH: There's enough experience to say what kind of laws should be put in place, what kind of regulations regarding cost of recruitment and transperancy regarding cost and also what kind of complaint mechanisms there should be. There can be a much better regulatory system in place but I mean in the case of Cambodia they dont really have it now. They are starting to put it in place. MISTRY: Nilim Baruah says the Cambodian Government is working to legislate better protections for migrant workers. But he says job creation, must be the overall priority. BARUAH: In the ILO while we promote protection of migrant workers and safe migration we emphasise first of all job creation where people so jobs should be created where people are and people, the migration choice should not be a compelling one, it should be an option.  | |||
| SOUND IS POWER (Spoken Word Poetry) Posted: 23 Mar 2011 10:09 PM PDT By Khmer Democrat, Phnom Penh Expanding our Mind Series Here's a POWERFUL submission by Ms. Theary C. Seng with the following note: Dear KD, this amazing performance by Spoken Word Poet Sarah Camille Ramin Osmundsen fits perfectly with your other TED speaker, Spoken Word Poet Sarah Kay. I was blown away when I first heard Sarah O. live this past February in Oslo, Norway when she opened the Human Rights Human Wrongs Film Festival. This particular performance is one day after I left Oslo at the same film festival. She's only 19 ! Norwegian of African-French parents, who are prominent Norwegian politicians. - Peace, Theary Slam poet Sarah Kay - POWER TO THE WOMEN and CREATIVITY!! |
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