KI Media: “Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Top Rank of PERC” plus 24 more |
- Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Top Rank of PERC
- "Lub Bambatt Pheap Kror?" a Poem in Khmer by Nore Yutt
- Cambodia is a potential heaven-sent market for Vietnamese businesses [...thanks to Hoon Xhen]
- Cambodia: where fear, magic and murder intertwine
- Cambodia to grant visas-on-arrival to Macau passport holders
- Another Setback For Thai-Cambodia JBC Endorsement [by Thai Parliament]
- [Thai] House defers decision on JBC minutes
- Cambodia "STILL" the most corrupt nation in Asia: No surprise there under Hoon Xhen
- Confusion rife over Bogor
- Letter from Sendai, Japan
- Cambodians evicted in 'land grab'
- Boeung Kak Tears - Comment by Ta An Srok Khmer
- COMFREL Release the Result of Workshop on Voter's Voirce in Tropeang Chour Commune, Aoral District, Kampong Speu province
- Seen in Phnom Penh...
- Announcing CambodiaWatch Australia Blog
- The 30 March 1997 grenade attack
- Smao Euy Té Mok - "Grass bend over!" - A Poem in Khmer by B. Boy
- “Who Killed Chea Vichea?” to be screened at the Univ. of Washington, Seattle Campus on April 12th, 4.30- 7.30 pm
- Young Khmers key to the future
- Duch's appeal to the Supreme Court of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal
- Strike at Tack Fat garment factory
- Tea Banh non-committal over pardon
- Cambodia's Disabled Fight Poverty, Inequality
- Tea Banh: GBC in Indonesia only
- Stiffer penalty sought for Khmer Rouge jailer
| Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Top Rank of PERC Posted: 29 Mar 2011 06:19 PM PDT
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| "Lub Bambatt Pheap Kror?" a Poem in Khmer by Nore Yutt Posted: 29 Mar 2011 03:33 PM PDT   | ||||||||||||||
| Cambodia is a potential heaven-sent market for Vietnamese businesses [...thanks to Hoon Xhen] Posted: 29 Mar 2011 03:10 PM PDT 29/03/2011 (VOV) - Cambodia is a potential market for Vietnamese businesses, however, to conquer this market they must have specific production and trade promotion strategies. This assessment was made at the seminar "Cambodia-open market for Vietnamese businesses" held in Ho Chi Minh City on March 29. Vietnamese products are favoured in Cambodia thanks to their reasonable prices and high quality. Two-way trade between the two countries reached US$382 million in the first two months of this year, up 65 percent compared to the same period last year. Vietnam exported goods to Cambodia worth US$306 million, up 44 percent and the main products included plastics, garments, steel and seafood. Experts said that Vietnamese businesses have not fully exploited this export market as Cambodian infrastructure is poor and lacks a banking payment system, commercial centres, stocks and telecommunications. They have also not paid due attention to long-term investment in the market. At the seminar, businesses were updated with the latest information about preferential commercial and investment policies in Cambodia and the developing retail distribution network. Vietnamese trade counselor in Cambodia, Vu Thinh Cuong, said businesses seeking investment opportunities in Cambodia should research partners and projects at Vietnamese representative offices there. He also said that businesses should focus investment on agriculture and industry.  | ||||||||||||||
| Cambodia: where fear, magic and murder intertwine Posted: 29 Mar 2011 03:07 PM PDT
An average of three Khmer are accused of sorcery and killed every year. March 29, 2011 Terry McCoy Global Post BOMNOK, Cambodia — In the midday swelter of early hot season, Pah Eang shivered and walked into a mountainous forest she'd once visited every day. She said she was scared. She hadn't been to this place, open and silent, in five months. Not since the killings and whispers of magic. Pulling at her red sweatshirt, Pah dissolved into the Cardamom Mountains that ripple through western Cambodia, and began her search for a place that keeps this 22-year-old awake at night and plagues what's left of her family. Her path wound deeper until everything was quiet and the only mark of humanity was a bamboo-thatched hut in a clearing so idyllic the savagery of what had occurred there was difficult to imagine. Last September, Pah's father and younger brother were killed around 1 a.m. in this hut. The father, Pheng Pah, 46, was stabbed to death while his son, Pah Broh, 15, had his throat slit. When the bodies were discovered the next morning, some villagers in this deeply rural community 25 miles from a paved road rejoiced. They said the father and son were "sorcerers" and had deserved to die. The killings reflect a disturbing trend in rural Cambodia, where magic is a very real thing and the only way to silence it is through violence, and sometimes, death. An average of three Khmer are accused of sorcery and killed every year, and such witch hunts illustrate the growing chasm between increasingly urban cities and countryside mired in poverty, while showing how deep belief in the occult runs in this culture. Since 2006, 17 accused sorcerers have been killed in provincial Cambodia, usually following a sickness in the community that villagers found suspicious, according to local non-governmental organizations. This is a far lower rate, however, than in the past. In 2001 alone, eight people were killed for suspected sorcery, a 2002 United Nations human rights report shows. "They think the sorcerers are without morality. That they are evil." ~Ek Sothea, a researcher for rights group LicahdoAnd always behind these killings, there's the victim's family, left to struggle against discrimination and question why such a thing had happened — and whether they may be killed too. "We don't have any way to make money now," said Pheng Pah's wife, Nith Oun who moved her family to a relative's house following her husband's death. "I don't have my husband. I don't have my son. Because of [my neighbors'] superstitions. Because of magic. I'll never forgive them for this." What's more, roughly two-thirds of homicides involving sorcery don't make it to criminal court. Of the 15 different cases involving sorcery accusations and homicide since 2006, only six have led to prosecution, Licahdo, a human rights group in Cambodia, recently reported. It's as though such cases fall somewhere between the tangible world where laws and evidence are trusted — and the metaphysical, where vigilante justice warrants more faith. After all, how can you prove magic? .The farther out you go into Cambodia's countryside, however, down cracked dirt roads and into under-policed areas, the less proof matters. Belief does. Nearly everyone wraps talismans around their waists to protect against sorcery and evil spirits, and soldiers flex Sanskrit tattoos that they believe will fend off bullets in battle. Such practices and beliefs create an alternate geography that most rural Khmer inhabit where culture, fear, and magic coalesce. "Most Cambodians live in a magical worldview," said Jan Ovesen, a professor of anthropology at Uppsala University in Sweden who is researching magic in Cambodia's countryside. "And accusations of sorcery are a function of this magical world view. You have to attribute misfortune to someone or something. Misfortune is not by chance. They think, 'Someone must be wishing us evil.' " According to NGO reports and more than a dozen additional interviews with villagers and local officials, a chilling story of revenge and delusion has emerged that describes what happened to Pheng Pah and his family. By all accounts, the accusations of witchcraft began as murmurs. It was last August, one month before Pheng's death, as planting season swept through this agrarian village called Bomnok at the base of the Cardamoms. A 23-year-old neighbor, recently-engaged Mao Chanly, had become devastatingly ill following an attack by a family dog her parents swore wasn't rabid. No one in the village knew what was happening. People were panicked and confused. The murmurs grew louder and louder. Mao's family gave her an IV and mountain herbs, but nothing worked. Weeks passed. The sickness came at night; Mao described it to her parents as invisible hands grabbing and ripping her. Growths surfaced. Her parents grew desperate and they took her to the community pagoda. What the monks said there confirmed the rumors: There was a sorcerer in the community. And Mao would die because of it. The scene seems surreal, but it closely echoes what can often happen in rural Cambodia, according to Licadho and Adhoc, another human rights group in Cambodia. In places far removed from substantive education, superstition can quickly supplant rational explanation. "After the sicknesses, the villagers create a plan to kill the [accused] sorcerer — by secret," said Ek Sothea, a Licadho researcher, describing a typical homicide of an accused sorcerer. "They don't tell the police. They think the police won't believe them; the law protects sorcerers. They don't have any evidence, but they believe that there are sorcerers. So everyone plans to kill by secret. "They think the sorcerers are without morality. That they are evil." Soon, Mao was dead. And for a week afterward, the threats against Pheng and his family intensified, finally hitting a crescendo on a late September night when an unknown number of assailants descended on his forested hut where Pheng and his son slept guarding their rice fields. No arrests were made after the killings. Commune police say all related suspects have fled, and there's no way of knowing where to. "The monks were certain — very certain — that there was someone who performed magic on my daughter," Mao's mother, Sian Sok Van said. "But I'm not mad at anyone. I'm not mad at anyone. We don't know anything about the killings. I only have feelings of sadness and regret for the death of my daughter." In rural Cambodia, such occurrences, especially when there aren't any arrests, usually end like this, without firm closure. The effects linger. And no one forgets.  | ||||||||||||||
| Cambodia to grant visas-on-arrival to Macau passport holders Posted: 29 Mar 2011 03:02 PM PDT 3/29/2011 MacauBusiness.com Macau passport holders can now obtain visas for tourism and business purposes upon their arrival at the international checkpoints of Cambodia. The information was passed to Macau authorities by the consulate general of Cambodia in Hong Kong. At present, a total of 88 countries and territories have agreed to grant visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to the Macao SAR passport holders.  | ||||||||||||||
| Another Setback For Thai-Cambodia JBC Endorsement [by Thai Parliament] Posted: 29 Mar 2011 03:01 PM PDT BANGKOK, March 29 (Bernama) -- The debate on the long-delayed approval of the minutes of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Commission on Demarcation of Land Boundary (JBC) suffered another setback Tuesday, when the parliament adjourned the matter to next Tuesday, due to lack of quorum. This means the joint Thai parliamentary sitting will debate the minutes just two days before the proposed JBC meeting to take place in Bogor, Indonesia on April 7 and 8. There were only 262 Members of Parliament and senators during Tuesday's debate on the matter, 15 short of quorum. The government has asked parliament to endorse three documents drafted from previous JBC meetings in 2008 and 2009 between the two countries on border demarcation. Last Friday, the parliament failed to debate the matter in the morning as planned due to lack of quorum but did not reach any conclusion when the quorum was met in the afternoon, thus postponing the debate to Tuesday. The border dispute involved both nations claiming an area of 4.6sq km, surrounding the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihar Hindu Temple, as the area has yet to be demarcated, including access routes to the temple. The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that the temple was located in Cambodia, and it was listed as a world heritage site by Unesco in 2008. Four clashes were reported at the border - July 15, 2008, a week after the inscription of the temple on the world heritage site on July 8, 2008, October 2008, April 3, 2009 and the latest on Feb 4, this year. The Thai-Cambodia JBC is an important mechanism used by both countries for border demarcation efforts based on the memorandum of understanding signed in 2000. However, the JBC meeting could not move forward as the Thai Parliament has yet to endorse the previous three minutes of JBC meetings. Thai multi-colour pressure groups are against the approval of the matter as they claim Thailand would lose its territory, and also tantamount to the Thai Parliament admitting that Thai soldiers had encroached on the Cambodian territory as detailed in the minutes. The group had earlier submitted letters to parliamentarians asking them not to approve the three documents. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had said that the parliament's endorsement would not cause the country to lose any territory to Cambodia. "If we did not do anything and allowed Cambodia to claim that Thailand has not sincerely tried to hold talks through bilateral mechanisms, could you guarantee that in the future international organizations will not intervene in disputes between Thailand and Cambodia," said Abhisit. This is probably the last parliament session as the house is expected to be dissolved by first week of May, paving way for the general election. At the height of the recent border tension, both nations referred their case to the United Nations Security Council while Asean extended its hand in facilitating efforts to reduce tension.  | ||||||||||||||
| [Thai] House defers decision on JBC minutes Posted: 29 Mar 2011 02:58 PM PDT Lack of quorum forces delay till next Tuesday 30/03/2011 Manop Thip-Osod Bangkok Post Parliament has deferred its decision on the results of a study into the three minutes of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission due to the lack of a quorum. The House will discuss the matter again next Tuesday, House Speaker Chai Chidchob said yesterday. The study was conducted by a joint committee of MPs and senators, following fierce disagreements among MPs over the motion that parliament approve the three minutes. However, a group of about 80 MPs led by Democrat MP for Songkhla Sirichoke Sopha previously petitioned the Constitution Court to rule on the exact status of the three documents. Chaowana Traimas, secretary-general of the court's office, said yesterday the court had already accepted the petition and notified parliament on Friday about the petition being submitted and accepted for consideration. As a result, the joint parliamentary sitting yesterday was split on whether it should proceed with the meeting agenda to deliberate the study results of the three JBC documents while the court decision was still pending. One group of MPs and senators said parliament should put on hold its consideration of the study results while the other group wanted to first consider approving an associated recommendation by the same committee that studied the JBC documents. Government chief whip Witthaya Kaewparadai proposed that parliament at least approve the five-point recommendation by the committee which he said should be treated separately from the study results. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who also encouraged members of the parliament to approve the five-point recommendation, said the government might have to request a postponement of a new JBC meeting pending parliament's consideration of the study results of the minutes. To acknowledge the recommendation was a way of showing to Cambodia that Thailand was trying to resolve the border issue through a bilateral mechanism as it has promised, he said. But the motion to consider approving the study results of the JBC minutes was overridden by a new motion filed during yesterday's session by Chon Buri senator Surachai Chaitrakulthong. After that Democrat MP for Songkhla Wirat Kalayasiri submitted another motion to end the disagreement by voting to decide whether the study results should be approved by the House. House Speaker Chai Chidchob then called a quorum count and found that the meeting lacked a quorum and the vote had to be deferred to next Tuesday. The five-point recommendation included that the border survey and demarcation under the 2000 memorandum of understanding between Thailand and Cambodia is only a bilateral means of peacefully seeking collaboration of both sides, and not acknowledgement of the 1:200,000 map made by France. The committee also recommended that Thailand should switch to informal negotiations with Cambodian premier Hun Sen as there has been no progress on previous efforts to demarcate the border with Cambodia.  | ||||||||||||||
| Cambodia "STILL" the most corrupt nation in Asia: No surprise there under Hoon Xhen Posted: 29 Mar 2011 02:56 PM PDT India fourth most corrupt nations in Asia: Survey news 29 March 2011 Domain-b.com India is the fourth most corrupt country after the Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia, according to a ranking of 16 Asia-Pacific countries. India was found to be the fourth most corrupt nation among the 16 countries of the Asia Pacific region surveyed by leading Hong Kong-based business consultancy firm PERC. The Political & Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd (PERC) has rated India at 8.67 on a scale of zero to 10, with the high end being the worst case of corruption scenario, just below the Philippines (8.9 points), Indonesia (9.25 points) and Cambodia (9.27 points). Thailand was rated at 11 with a scale of 7.55, followed by China (7.93) and Vietnam (8.3). Singapore, on the other hand, was given a clean sheet with a score of 0.37, followed by Hong Kong (1.10), Australia (1.39), Japan (1.90) and the US (2.39), putting them in the top five. According to the report, civil and other local-level political leaders in India were found more corrupt than the national-level political leaders, with the former getting a score of 9.25 and the latter a slightly better 8.97. Civil servants at the city level too were rated at 8.18, worst than the civil servants at the national level. "The issue of corruption has grown and overshadowed the second term in office of the Congress-led coalition headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," PERC said in its Asian Intelligence report on Asian business and politics. The report has also considered the serious allegations against the government like the 2G Spectrum allocation, scandals involving the sale of telecom licences, mismanagement of the Commonwealth Games, land scam involving high level military officers, and improper property loans made by state-owned financial institutions, among others. Prime minister Manmohan Singh has put himself in a defensive position through his inaction in almost all cases of corruption, although he himself is considered above board. Meanwhile, the recent WikiLeaks report that the ruling Congress Party paid off parliamentarians back in 2008 to pass the US-India civil nuclear deal, has also helped dent the image of the UP government led by Manmohan Singh.  | ||||||||||||||
| Posted: 29 Mar 2011 02:51 PM PDT 30/03/2011 Bangkok Post EDITORIAL The partial turnaround by Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon on attending a General Border Committee meeting in Indonesia is a step in the right direction. Gen Prawit last week said he would never attend a meeting with Cambodian military counterparts in a third country. He has had second thoughts, however. He said on Monday that he may attend the meeting next week in Bogor. But he put a condition: that no Indonesian sit in on the talks. The impression remains that the government and military brass are not together on the negotiations with Cambodia. Gen Prawit has given no clue on why he reversed his several statements last week that he would not attend a border meeting except in Thailand or Cambodia. He was voluble about the point, talking to reporters for several days in a row to make his point. No third party was needed, not as organiser and certainly not as participant, he said. "If Cambodia is not ready to host" the meeting, then "Thailand is willing to host it". And then, both in person and through his spokesman Col Thanathip Sawngsaeng: "We will not go to Indonesia." His unexplained U-turn is welcome. But there is work to do before Gen Prawit, army commander Prayuth Chan-ocha and their subordinates head for Bogor next week. The defence minister and top army commander are not in sync with the government. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said earlier this month that he had no objections to Indonesian observers at the border talks, or stationed at the actual border. Gen Prawit and Gen Prayuth said they only felt comfortable dealing directly with their Cambodian counterparts, with no third party involved. Gen Prayuth has said he will never allow Indonesian observers into the area of the disputed 4.6 square kilometres around the Preah Vihear temple. Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said he wants Indonesian observers directly embedded with Thai forces at the front lines. It is vital that Thailand always present a totally united face in any negotiations. There also is the matter of who is in charge. Gen Prawit's announcement last week that he and Gen Prayuth would not attend the Bogor talks was surprising. The Cambodian border has become something of a flash point. There have been several deadly clashes between the two armies. Only the shakiest of informal agreements currently separates the two forces. Relations between Cambodia and Thailand are cool at best, unfriendly at times. Even the slightest appearance of division at the top of the Thai government will be exploited by the Cambodian authorities, including Prime Minister Hun Sen. The GBC is staffed by military officers and tasked with keeping the peace and other bilateral matters. But GBC meetings, like all action under the constitution, are subject to government control and liable to government accountability. National policy matters such as this must be directed or delegated by the prime minister. Mr Abhisit is responsible for mediating and then deciding on differences between the ministries when necessary. Ministers may enter a cabinet meeting with different ideas, but all must speak with one voice after the issue has been discussed. The premier must clear up discrepancies over who is in charge before the Bogor meeting next week.  | ||||||||||||||
| Posted: 29 Mar 2011 02:47 PM PDT Dear KI-Media Readers, Please find below a letter written by a French woman teaching in Sendai, Japan, recounting her daily life after the magnitude 9 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. A rough translation in English is also provided at the end of the French letter. Thank you, KI-Media team --------------Une femme qui enseigne à Sendai depuis quelques années a écrit cette lettre à sa famille. Le Japon : une culture très différente qui répond au catastrophe par......la compassion :  "Salutations à ma très chère Famille et à mes Amis, Premièrement, je voudrais vous remercier pour vos bonnes pensées à mon égard. Je suis vraiment très touchée. Je voudrais également m'excuser de vous adresser un message collectif. Mais il semble être la meilleure moyenne de vous envoyer mes nouvelles. Les évenements ici à Sendai ont été plutôt surréels. Mais je me sens bénie d'avoir des amis merveilleux ici qui m'aident énormement. Depuis que ma hutte mérite encore plus son nom, je suis hébergée chez une amie. Nous partageons nos vives comme l'eau, la nourriture et un chauffage d'appoint au kérosène. La nuit nous dormions alignés dans une pièce, nous mangeons à la lumière des bougies, nous nous racontons des histoires. C'est chaleureux, amical et beau. Pendant la journée nous nous aidons les uns les autres à nettoyer ce qui reste de nos maisons. Les uns sont dans leurs voitures, regardant les informations sur l'écran de navigation, les autres font le queue pour avoir de l'eau potable lorsqu'une source devient disponible. Si quelqu'un a de l'eau courant dans sa maison, il le signale à ses voisins par un affiche ; ainsi ceux qui le désirent peuvent venir remplir leurs sceaux et leur bidons. Chose étonnant ici où je suis, on ne pille pas et il n'y a pas de bousculade dans les queues. On laisse les portes d'entrée ouvertes, parce que c'est moins dangéreux en cas de nouveaux tremblements de terre. Les gens ne cessent de répéter, "Ah, c'était comme ça autrefois lorsque nous nous aidons les uns les autres." La terre continue de trembler. La nuit dernière il y avait des sécousses toutes les quinze minutes. Les sirènes sonnent continuellement et les hélicoptères survol la ville en permanence. Hier soir nous avions de l'eau courant pendant quelques heures, et maintenant nous avons de l'eau durant une démie journée. L'électricité est revenue cet après-midi. Nous sommes toujours privés de gaz. Mais tout ceci est par secteur. Certaines personnes sont dépannées, d'autres pas. Personne a pu se laver depuis plusieurs jours. L'hygiène nous manque, mais il y a portant des choses plus importantes que cela. J'aime le fait d'être réduit aux essentiels. De vivre complètement au niveau de nos instincts, de l'intuition, de prendre soin des autres, de ce qui est nécessaire pour la survie, pas seulement pour moi, mais pour tous. Étranges univers parallèles apparaissent. Les maisons sont détruites dans certains endroits, et au milieu on trouve une maison avec futons (édredons) ou le linge qui sèchent au soleil. On voit des gens qui font le queue pour l'eau et la nourriture, et en même temps on voit d'autres gens qui promènent leur chien. Tout ceci a lieu simultanément. Il y a des moments inattendus de beauté, comme le surprenant silence pendant la nuit. Il n'y a pas de voitures. Il y a personne dans la rue. Et le ciel la nuit est parsemée d'étoiles. Normalement je peux voir seulement deux étoiles, mais maintenant le ciel entier est rempli d'étoiles. Les montagnes de Sendai sont solide et avec l'aire vivifiante nous pouvons voir leurs silhouettes magestueuses contre le ciel de nuit. Et les Japonais eux-mêmes sont si merveilleux. Chaque jour je retourne à ma hutte pour vérifier l'état des choses, et maintenant d'envoyer cet e-mail depuis que l'électricité est revenue, et je trouve de la nourriture et de l'eau laissées sur le pas de la porte. Je n'ai aucune idée qui les a laissé, mais ils sont là. De vieux messieurs avec des chapeaux verts vont de maison à maison pour voir si tout le monde va bien. Les gens parlent aux étrangers leur demandant si ils ont besoin d'aide. Je ne vois pas de signes de la peur. La résignation, oui, mais la peur ou la panique, non. On nous a dit qu'il y aura des post-sécousses et même d'autres tremblements de terre importants, et ceci pendant au moins un mois ou plus. Et nous ressentons la terre continuer à trembler, de roulements, de sécousses et de bourdonnements. Je me sens bénie d'habiter une partie de Sendai qui est en surélevation, un peu plus solide que d'autres parties de la région. Jusqu'à maintenant ce quartier est relativement épargné. La nuit dernière l'époux d'une amie est revenu de la campagne, nous apportant de l'eau et de la nourriture. Une bénédiction de plus. Il me semble en ce moment que je prend conscience à travers l'expérience directe qu'il y a, en effet, un gigantesque étape Cosmique évolutionnaire qui a lieu sur la terre entière en ce moment même. D'une manière pas tout à fait claire, à fur et à mesure que j'expérimente les évenements qui ont lieu au Japon maintenant, je peux ressentir mon coeur s'ouvrir très grand. Mon frère m'a demandé si j'avais l'impression d'être toute petite en raison de tout ce qui se passe ici. Non, je n'ai pas cette impression. Au contraire, j'ai l'impression de faire partie de quelque chose qui est beaucoup plus grand que moi. Cette vague de naissance (mondiale) est difficile, et en même temps magnifique. Merci encore pour votre tendresse et votre amour. Je vous aime tous aussi. Anne" ------------ A woman who teaches at Sendai in recent years has written this letter to her family. Japan: a very different culture that responds to disaster ... with compassion: "Greetings to my dear family and my friends, First, I want to thank you for your kind thoughts about me. I am really very touched. I would also like to apologize for sending you a collective message. But it seems the best way to send you my news. The events here in Sendai were rather surreal. But I feel blessed to have wonderful friends here who helped me enormously. Since my hut still deserves its name, I am hosted by a friend. We share our food, such as water, food and kerosene heater. At night we slept in a room all lined up, we eat by candlelight, we tell stories. It's warm, friendly and beautiful. During the day we help each other to clean up what remains of our homes. Some are in their cars, watching the news on the navigation screen, others are lining up for the drinking water source when it becomes available. If anyone has running water in his house, it reports to its neighbors by a poster, and those who wish can come fill their buckets and cans. Amazing thing here where I am, you do not rob and there is no jostling in the queues. Doors are left open, because it is less dangerous in case of future earthquakes. People keep saying, "Oh, it was like that once when we helped each other." The earth continues to shake. Last night there were shaking every fifteen minutes. The sirens sound continuously and helicopters overflying the city permanently. Last night we had running water for a few hours, and now we have water for a half day. The electricity came back this afternoon. We are still without gas. But this is by sector. Some people have a reprieve, others not. Nobody has been able to wash for several days. Hygiene is missing, but there are more important things than that. I love being reduced to the essentials. To live fully in our instincts, intuition, caring for others, what is necessary for survival, not only for me but for everyone. Strange parallel universe appear. The houses are destroyed in some places, and in the middle we find a house with a futon (quilts) or the laundry drying in the sun. You see people who are lining up for water and food, and at the same time we see other people walking their dogs. All this takes place simultaneously. There are unexpected moments of beauty, like the surprising silence during the night. There are no cars. There is nobody in the street. And the night sky is dotted with stars. Normally I can only see two stars, but now the whole sky is filled with stars. The mountains of Sendai are strong and invigorating with the area we can see their silhouettes majestically against the night sky. And the Japanese themselves are so wonderful. Each day I returned to my hut to check on things, and now to send this e-mail since the electricity came back, and I find food and water left on the doorstep . I have no idea who left them, but they are there. Old men with green hats go from house to house to see if everyone is okay. People talk to strangers asking them if they need help. I see no signs of fear. Resignation, yes, but fear or panic, no. We were told that there will be post-earthquake and even other large earthquakes, and this for at least a month or more. And we continue to feel the earth shaking, rumblings, shocks and buzzing. I feel blessed to live in a part of Sendai, which is in higher altitude, a little stronger than other parts of the region. Until now this area is relatively spared. Last night the husband of a friend returned from the countryside, bringing us water and food. An additional blessing. It seems to me then that I became aware through direct experience that there is indeed a giant Cosmic evolutionary step taking place on the whole world right now. It is not quite clear, as I experience the events that take place in Japan now, I can feel my heart open very wide. My brother asked me if I had the impression of being very small because of everything that happens here. No, I do not have that impression. On the contrary, I feel part of something that is much bigger than me. This wave of (World) birth is difficult, and at the same time beautiful. Thank you again for your kindness and your love. I love you all also. Anne"  | ||||||||||||||
| Cambodians evicted in 'land grab' Posted: 29 Mar 2011 02:23 PM PDT
Residents lose homes around Phnom Penh lake to make way for real estate development Tuesday 29 March 2011 Jon Gorvett Guardian Weekly
It was early in the morning when housewife Ngin Savoeun woke to cries for help from her neighbours. A survivor of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime – whose soldiers had murdered her husband in 1979 – she had not imagined she would hear such cries again in her lifetime. Yet on that night in November, she heard the screams of neighbours as they rushed from their homes around the shore of Boeung Kak Lake, located in the heart of the country's capital, Phnom Penh. And then she had to flee as well. This time, however, her home was not under threat from Khmer Rouge guerrillas, but was instead demolished by armed construction workers, hired by a land development corporation to carry out one of the capital's most ambitious new property developments. As part of this work, thousands of tonnes of mud and sand, scooped up from a nearby river, were being pumped directly into the homes of hundreds of local residents – often, the residents say, without warning. "They started pumping the water and sand in at night," says Tep Vanny, "while we were sleeping." In this way, developers were attempting the complete removal of a 90-hectare historic lake from the heart of the capital and its replacement by a residential, commercial and entertainment district. About 20,000 people, many of whom have lived on the lake and around its edges for decades, are in danger of losing their homes. According to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Cambodia, Professor Surya P Subedi, this is "not an isolated case". It is "representative of the problems of this nature that exist in the country. Land grabbing by the rich and powerful is a major problem." Cambodian civil rights group Adhoc says that last year alone, 12,389 families became the victims of forced evictions. Another rights group, housing advocates STT, estimates that around 10% of the population of Phnom Penh has faced eviction in the last decade. At the same time, the Cambodian ministry of agriculture, forestry and fisheries says that the government granted more than 1.38m hectares of land in concessions to 142 different private companies between 1993 and June 2010. Many of these evictions – including those at Boeung Kak – have taken place under the noses of international agencies. Last month the World Bank announced the results of an internal inquiry into evictions that had taken place during a land-titling project involving the bank and the Cambodian government that ran from 2002 to 2009. The World Bank concluded in an official statement that the evictions at Boeung Kak had taken place "in violation of bank policy on involuntary resettlement" and "resulted in grave harm to the affected families and communities." Residents had been "denied access to due process of adjudication of their property claims" and were displaced "in violation of policies the bank agreed with the government for handling resettlement", it said in the statement, calling on the Cambodian government to end the evictions. Cambodia's ministry of land management countered that the Boeung Kak settlements had been outside the remit of the land-titling project, and were therefore "not under the conditions set for social safeguards". "The problem goes back to the war," says Sung Bonna, chief executive officer of Bonna Realty Group and vice-president of the Cambodian Real Estate Development Association. "When the Khmer Rouge took over in 1975, they destroyed all the records of who owned what and made everything the property of the state." The Khmer Rouge forcibly evacuated the population of Phnom Penh. Many Cambodians' homes were destroyed, while many people tried to settle away from the violence. Boeung Kak Lake was one such place. In 2001, the government recognised the lack of land title and ruled that those who could prove more than five years of continuous, unchallenged occupancy of a property could apply to own it. Many Boeung Kak residents applied, but were denied title en masse, according to a January report on the issue from Bridges Across Borders Cambodia, an NGO advocating for the residents. "In the same month, the Cambodian government entered into a 99-year lease agreement with private developer Shukaku Inc," the report also said. Representatives from Shukaku Inc declined to comment on the matter. "The problems have all arisen first because of the war and second because of a lack of proper management of the changes," says Bonna. "But now, though, we have a much-improving situation and more or less soon, the problem will be no more." Indeed, now only around a quarter of Boeung Kak Lake remains. "I spent three and a half years living in hell under the Khmer Rouge," said Ngin, surveying the half buried remains of her home of 32 years. "And now I am in hell again."  | ||||||||||||||
| Boeung Kak Tears - Comment by Ta An Srok Khmer Posted: 29 Mar 2011 02:09 PM PDT  STARVATION under the Pol Pot regime, LANDLESS farmers under the Hun Xen regime  | ||||||||||||||
| Posted: 29 Mar 2011 02:04 PM PDT Dear all, COMFREL is please to release its press release on the result of workshop on voter's voirce in Tropeang Chour commune, Aoral District, Kampong Speu province held on 24 March, 2011. Please see the attached document for details. Best regards, COMFREL COMFREL Release the Result of Workshop on Voter's Voirce in Tropeang Chour Commune, Aoral District, Kampong... http://www.scribd.com/full/51836039?access_key=key-dumv6szjdebvu1icboh  | ||||||||||||||
| Posted: 29 Mar 2011 01:57 PM PDT
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| Announcing CambodiaWatch Australia Blog Posted: 29 Mar 2011 01:43 PM PDT  Dear All, Cambodia Watch Australia would like to invite all Khmer Compatriots from all over the world to check out the following Camwatch blog. Our objective is to bring about awareness and education on any Khmer related subjects (i,e, Khmer culture, history,music,politics, human rights and so on) and to foster rigorous debates on any Khmer issues basing on facts and academic researches/papers. We appreciate if you kindly link our blog to your website(s) or blog(s). Please don't forget to give us feedback by adding comments under each post. Thank you once again for taking your valuable time looking at the blog. http://camwatchblogs.blogspot.com/2011/03/where-is-cambodian-culture-heading.html http://camwatchblogs.blogspot.com/2011/03/idea-of-kingship-in-buddhist-cambodia.html http://camwatchblogs.blogspot.com/2011/03/idea-of-kingship-in-buddhist-cambodia_28.html http://camwatchblogs.blogspot.com/2011/03/sometimes-we-have-to-speak-out-we.html http://camwatchblogs.blogspot.com/2011/03/who-owns-preah-vihear-in-khmer.html http://camwatchblogs.blogspot.com/2011/03/first-golden-age-of-cambodia.html Best Regards, Cambodia Watch Australia Team  | ||||||||||||||
| The 30 March 1997 grenade attack Posted: 29 Mar 2011 01:36 PM PDT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpOulAfPy6E&feature=player_embedded Part 1 of 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9Ig9HKUZ60&feature=player_embedded Part 2 of 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGl1LfgMO7E&feature=player_embedded Part 3 of 3  | ||||||||||||||
| Smao Euy Té Mok - "Grass bend over!" - A Poem in Khmer by B. Boy Posted: 29 Mar 2011 01:32 PM PDT  http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2011/03/disastrous-zoo-owned-by-national.html  | ||||||||||||||
| Posted: 29 Mar 2011 01:18 PM PDT  "Who Killed Chea Vichea?" In Cambodia, if you know things you could die. April 12th, 4.30- 7.30 pm Allen Auditorium, University of Washington, Seattle Campus Located on the ground floor of Allen Library, North wing, Room 181L Please join us for a Q&A after screening the film with producer Rich Garella, Virak Ou, Director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, and UW faculty. This courageous film documents the murder of Free Trade Union President Chea Vichea and highlights the misuse of power in Cambodia. Please forward this information on to others who are interested to learn about the human rights situation in Cambodia. ------- Film Banned in Cambodia (3/8/2011)A third attempt to show Who Killed Chea Vichea? to garment workers in Cambodia was blocked on Tuesday March 8, this time by management of the restaurant where the union federation was screening it. Two previous attempts to screen the movie have been broken up by riot police. A restaurant employee told Voice of America that local authorities called the restaurant and ordered the screening halted. Also on Tuesday, the governor of Phnom Penh barred a coalition of women's groups from holding a gathering to celebrate International Women's Day.  | ||||||||||||||
| Young Khmers key to the future Posted: 29 Mar 2011 01:13 PM PDT March 30, 2011 A. Gaffar Peang-Meth PACIFIC DAILY NEWS At this time, more than any other time, a "no can do" attitude and unproductive activity, including gossip, back-biting, character assassination, etc., that distracts from a common effort to struggle against a repressive autocracy should be discarded. A positive "yes, we can" attitude and activities aimed at uniting Khmers to fight for change need to be promoted.  For the last two weeks, my columns focused on the necessity for Khmer youths to cultivate quality thinking, because change is inevitable and pro-activity does influence the change they want to see. Their nation's future depends on this.Although I am encouraged by ensuing discussions on the subject, some readers raise concerns, justifiably, that today's Khmer youths are caught in a regime that has confiscated school books, in an economy in which four million live in excruciating poverty, and attend public schools that received a mere 1.6 percent of GDP, compared to 5 percent of GDP in one of the world's poorest countries, Mozambique. Last week, an e-mail from a young Khmer in Phnom Penh informed me that schools are open only a few hours a day, and that many young Khmers don't even know what computers are. A former American State Department official who served in Phnom Penh, Donald Jameson, wrote of the need for "an urbanized, better educated and informed citizenry," in his article, "Cambodia's Bumpy Road." But the current regime's inexcusable neglect of the education system will only accelerate the increasingly unbridgeable economic and social disparities. Remember that of Cambodia's 14.7 million people, more than 50 percent are younger than 21 years old -- 4.7 million are 14 and younger; 9.4 million are between 15 and 64. The median age is 22.9 years. The impact of a poorly educated citizenry is incalculable, and that impact will persist for generations. Yet despair is not an option. At this time, more than any other time, a "no can do" attitude and unproductive activity, including gossip, back-biting, character assassination, etc., that distracts from a common effort to struggle against a repressive autocracy should be discarded. A positive "yes, we can" attitude and activities aimed at uniting Khmers to fight for change need to be promoted. Long journey Recall the words of India's great leader, Mahatma Gandhi, "I look only to the good qualities of men. Not being faultless myself, I won't presume to probe into the faults of others." And recall the advice of one of the world's great civil rights icons, Martin Luther King Jr.: "Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness." My regular readers know I am not a fan of petitions and appeals and that my inalienable rights are non-negotiable, but I stand in no one's way who does petition and appeal. I take off my hat in respect to the expatriates and others who set aside their differences to demand their inalienable rights during demonstrations sparked by the March 18 anniversary of the overthrow of Prince Sihanouk. These members of the "Lotus Revolution" hoped to focus attention on the Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia and to demand that Hun Sen step down. March 18 was their first step. "A vieach york mok thveu kang; A trang york mok thveu kamm; A sam ro'nham york mok thveu oss dot," say the elder Khmers. That translates to: "Curved wood makes wheel; straight wood makes spoke; twisted-crooked wood makes firewood." The different participants of the Lotus Revolution showed that everyone and everything has a place in the struggle for freedom! The journey promises to be long and full of risks. Though not everyone is fit for the journey, everyone can find his or her place in the struggle. Fear is counter-productive. Neither poverty nor economic inequality, nor the inevitability of political repression are ordained. With courage and persistence and a strong conviction, nothing is impossible. As Lord Gautama Buddha, the critical thinker, said 2,500 years ago, "I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act." Personality paradigm Equivalent to the saying, "Apples don't fall far from the tree," a Khmer reader spoke astutely of bamboo shoots, that grow into thick, tall, and rugged bamboo trees, as he lamented about the young Khmers who have been raised in a corrupt society. He wonders what kind of people they will become if this is the only culture they have known? A fair concern. The "nature vs. nurture" debate is an old one. Various studies have posited that 45 to 50 percent -- I also read 35 to 40 percent -- of a person's personality is shaped by innate qualities or genes (nature), and the remainder is shaped by personal experiences (nurture). At school, I taught a personality development paradigm: Man acts, or not, based on perception. One's values and beliefs (taught, or not, by parents, schools, and society), and experiences influence one's opinion and interest, and make up attitudes. When this process is at play with his innate qualities, a person's personality emerges. A creature of habit, of repetitive thought and behavior that become ingrained, man's personality is more often predictable than not. If thoughts and behaviors are learned, so they can be unlearned. So learn from what the elders have done, keep what is beneficial and discard what is not. There are many things to learn and unlearn. Someone advised to achieve what one has never had, one must do what one has never done -- a corollary to Albert Einstein's definition of insanity as doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. It's important to persevere. One can hypothesize that Hun Sen perpetuates a miserable education system by design to hold back progress and discourage an empowered citizenry. Nevertheless, there is more than one route to learning. One must not acquiesce to circumstance. It's important that young Khmers focus and engage their energy in attitude and value changes. These will precede regime change. A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam. Write him at  | ||||||||||||||
| Duch's appeal to the Supreme Court of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal Posted: 29 Mar 2011 12:52 PM PDT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoA4sXFhzy4&feature=player_embedded  | ||||||||||||||
| Strike at Tack Fat garment factory Posted: 29 Mar 2011 12:48 PM PDT 29 March 2011 Radio Free Asia Translated from Khmer by Soy About 500 workers at the Tack Fat factory held a strike on 28 March 2011. The workers burnt tires and closed National Road No. 2 in Chak Angre Leu commune, Meanchey district, Phnom Penh city. The workers refused to accept the resolution imposed by the factory owners who claimed that they went bankrupt and they refused to pay the remaining of their salary as stipulated by law. The following photos are by Leng Maly and Kher Sonorng:
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| Tea Banh non-committal over pardon Posted: 29 Mar 2011 01:45 AM PDT 29/03/2011 Wassana Nanuam Bangkok Post Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tea Banh said he has no idea when Thai Patriots Network coordinator Veera Somkwamkid and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon will be granted a royal padon. He said this in an interview with the Bangkok Post in Phnom Penh. Gen Tea Banh said procedural steps must be taken in seeking a royal pardon for the convicts, adding that he did not know if Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had forwarded the petition for a royal pardon filed by Mr Veera and Ms Ratree to the king. Nobody can tell how the decision would be and when they would be released, he added. "It's not that anybody can easily ask ask to be released. The Cambodian justice process cannot be interfered with," he said. Gen Tea Banh said this when asked to comment on Veera and Ratree's petition for a royal pardon. Gen Wichit Yathip, a former deputy army chief and a close aide to former prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, said the Democrat-led government should seek help from people who could talk to Cambodia in order to help the two. "But the government and the Foreign Ministry have never asked Gen Chavalit or me for help," Gen Wichit said. Gen Wichit was in Phnom Penh today to take part in the opening of Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra hotel of Thai businessman Supachai Veeranarong. The opening ceremony was chaired by Gen Tea Banh. However, Gen Chavalit did not attend the event, but sent his wife Khunying Phankrue to represent him. Mr Veera and Ms Ratree were sentenced to eight and six years in jail respectively after being found guilty of illegal entry and espionage. They and five other Thais were arrested on Dec 29, initially for illegal entry. The five other Thais, found guilty on illegal entry, have been freed after their remaining eight months jail sentences were suspended.  | ||||||||||||||
| Cambodia's Disabled Fight Poverty, Inequality Posted: 29 Mar 2011 01:41 AM PDT
By CATHERINE WILSON ASIA SENTINEL Cambodia remains littered with millions of unexploded devices left over from 30 years of civil war, the brutality of the Khmer Rouge and conflict with Vietnam. The government itself believes that as many as 2 percent of the country's 14.7 million people are disabled with landmine casualties a significant proportion. Poung Mai, who lost both legs when he stepped on a landmine, is one of those victims. He and Chhum Sopheap, who has suffered from polio, are seated on the ground in the midday sun next to the ticket kiosk inside the entrance gates to the National Museum in Phnom Penh with a basket of books to sell, each one carefully wrapped in plastic to lessen the inevitable damage from perpetual sun and dust. They are among more than 60,000 physically disabled in Cambodia who struggle against poverty, discrimination, unequal access to education and employment and an under-funded and under-resourced state support system. Cambodia is one of the poorest and most landmine contaminated countries in the world and the challenge of achieving economic inclusion, education and rehabilitation of the disabled is considerable. Numerous demining organisations, such as the Cambodian Mine Action Center, are steadily working to clear the country of millions of unexploded bombs and ordnances in rural regions, especially in the northwest close to the border with Thailand. With 80 percent of the population residing in rural provinces, the prevalence of landmines has significantly reduced access to agricultural land, forests and water resources, and led to one of the highest rates of disability in the world as people in farming communities are maimed and killed as they go about their daily lives. According to the Cambodia Mine Victim Information System (CMVIS), there were 286 landmine casualties in 2010, an increase on the 244 reported in 2009 and 271 in 2008, with 15 new casualties in January this year. It estimates that since 1979 there have been 63,821 mine casualties, which corresponds to 39 landmine deaths and injuries every week for 31 years, with about 44,000 survivors. Poung Mai is from Prey Khmoa village in Prey Veng province where his family were rice farmers. "During the civil war in Cambodia, the government [Khmer Rouge] arrested me and I was made to work in forestry, woodcutting," he said, "and then I stepped on a landmine." He was 28 years of age when both legs were amputated. "After I stepped on the landmine, it was difficult," he continued, "I went around begging everywhere, at the market, to feed my family." Poung has seven children. In 1990 he was removed by authorities to a center that provided food and shelter, but no prospect of livelihood. He subsequently left and found his way to Phnom Penh, where he continued to beg until he joined the Angkor Association for the Disabled in 2009, an organization of people with disabilities founded by Sem Sovantha, who suffered double amputation by a landmine, to provide shelter and training to members and campaign against discrimination. Chhum Sopheap, also from Prey Veng province, came to Phnom Penh in 1997, sleeping on the streets until he started selling books at the National Museum in 2007. Both say that the very small income they earn from selling books, on average $4.00 per day, enables them to rent a room and leave behind homelessness, which is often accompanied by alcoholism, mental ill-health, hunger and disease. Belonging to a disabled organization has also marginally improved their experience with the public, they say. "When they are not with an association," Sem Sovantha explained, "there is a problem with the authorities. When they have an association, people will accept them and talk to them." However, negative social attitudes and discrimination toward the disabled, such as physical harassment, social ostracism and economic exclusion, remain widespread. Chhum claims that he mostly receives a positive response from visitors and tourists at the National Museum, "but the official in the area is not so happy about us, because he thinks it is not appropriate for us to be selling to tourists." Local tour guides also attempt to dissuade visitors from being patrons. "The customer would like to buy," Chhum explains, "but the customer believes the tour guide when he says 'no, no', because at another shop the tour guide will get a commission." According to a 2009 ILO report, "People with disabilities are among the most vulnerable groups in Cambodian society. They lack equal access to education, training and employment. While many workers with disabilities have considerable skills, many have not had the opportunity to develop their potential." The Cambodian government introduced a Law on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of People with Disabilities in 2009 to support the right to employment without discrimination, and in the same year adopted a National Plan of Action for Persons with Disabilities, including landmine survivors, in order to better address needs and provide services. The stated priorities of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation include strengthening and expanding welfare and rehabilitation services for the disabled, but, according to the Cambodian Disabled Peoples Organization, lack of human and financial resources has hindered real progress toward these goals, although the work of NGOs has resulted in the provision of more vocational training courses. "Social acceptance and social attitudes toward disabled people and landmine amputees can be improved step by step through the Royal Government having a Disability Law and National Plan for persons with disability," a CDPO spokesperson said, "The problem in Cambodia is that we have the laws, but no budget to implement them." In the meantime, Chhum Sopheap and Poung Mai strive to sell their books, many of which are biographies and stories of Cambodians, like themselves, who have struggled through the tragedy of the Khmer Rouge era and are determined to not only survive, but live to see a better future.  | ||||||||||||||
| Tea Banh: GBC in Indonesia only Posted: 29 Mar 2011 12:56 AM PDT 29/03/2011 Wassana Nanuam Bangkok Post The Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) meeting must be held in Indonesia only, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tea Banh said on Tuesday. Tea Banh, in saying this, turned down Thai Defence Minister Prawit Songsuwon's proposal for the 8th GBC, which was supposed to be hosted by Cambodia this year, to be held bilaterally in either Cambodia or Thailand. He said at this stage talks between Thailand and Cambodia cannot be held bilaterally because it is a resolution of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) for Indonesia to act as a mediator. "Therefore, I will talk to Thailand only in the presence of Indonesian mediators and in Indonesia only," he said. Moreover, it is Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen not to hold bilateral talks with Thailand, be it the GBC or the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting, Gen Tea Banh said in an interview with Bangkok Post in Phnom Penh. "Whether or not the GBC will be held depends on the Thai side. So I cannot tell whether the GBC will be held at all if Thailand insists in not going to Indonesia. Cambodia's stand on this matter is clear," he said. On the border situation, Gen Tea Banh said Cambodian soldiers would remain at their present positions, so would Thai soldiers, as long as there are no talks between the two sides. He said Cambodia will continue to work on the development plan on the area around the Preah Vihear temple. "In fact, I don't want the situation between Thailand and Cambodia to remain unresolved like this, because we are neighbours. We can't move away from each other nor be separated. No matter what, we have to hold talks, but I don't know when," Gen Tea Banh said. He said Thai and Cambodian soldiers had frequently clashed because some political group in Thailand wanted the situation to be this way, despite the fact that the conflict between the two countries was negotiable. On Gen Prawit's proposal for Thai and Cambodian soldiers to set up joint checkpoints in the disputed area without involvement by Indonesian observers, Gen Tea Banh said it is an Asean resolution for Indonesia to do that because Thailand and Cambodia had never been able to reach a settlement between themselves. "I would like the Thai media to help promote relations between the two countries. Don't let a group of people to destroy our long relationship. Somdej Hun Sen said the two countries are inseparable. So we need to talk and cooperate," he said. An informed source in Cambodia said Maj-Gen Hun Manet, deputy commander of Hun Sen's Body Guards Unit, had travelled to Indonesia to prepare for the JBC and GBC meetings although the Thai Defence Ministry had not made a commitment to take part in them. Indonesia has proposed the GBC and JBC be held at Bogor on April 7-8. The source said Hun Sen and the Indonesian government are very close as Indonesia has provided military assistance to Cambodia. According to the source, Thailand had tried to persuade Cambodia to allow Thai Buddhist monks to stay with Cambodian monks at Wat Kaeo Sikha Khiri Svara in the 4.6 square kilometre disputed area so that Thai soldiers would not have to be sent there.  | ||||||||||||||
| Stiffer penalty sought for Khmer Rouge jailer Posted: 29 Mar 2011 12:47 AM PDT March 29, 2011 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Prosecutors have urged a U.N.-backed tribunal in Cambodia to impose a stiffer sentence of up to life imprisonment on the Khmer Rouge's chief jailer and to convict him of new, separate crimes against humanity. The arguments came on the second day of appeal hearings for Kaing Guek Eav — also known as Duch. The 68-year-old Duch was sentenced last July to 35 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity. His sentence was reduced to 19 years due to time served and other technicalities. On Tuesday, prosecutors called for "a life term, reduced to no less than 45 years." Duch headed the Khmer Rouge's Tuol Sleng prison, known as S-21. Up to 16,000 people were tortured under Duch's command during the regime's 1975-1979 rule.  |
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