KI Media: “Cambodian Politics: The enemy of my enemy is my friend” plus 24 more

Cambodian Politics: The enemy of my enemy is my friend

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 01:47 PM PDT

Will Kem Sokha (L) and Mao Monyvann (R) line themselves up with the CPP? (Photo: CEN)

Op-Ed by Timothy Chhim
Originally posted at: http://timothychhim.blogspot.com

"The enemy of their enemy is their friend"

Perhaps Kem Sokha is taking Soy Sopheap's advice.

Please see: http://youtu.be/6J60RKfpAUo for Soy Sopheap's comment.

Soy Sopheap urged SRP members to follow Mao Monyvan wherever he goes.

If we read between the lines, it appears that Soy Sopheap is siding with HRP and Mao Monyvan in their efforts to chop down SRP.

Knowing that Soy Sopheap has better relationship with the CPP than with any other parties, his advice to Kem Sokha brings HRP closer to the CPP not to SRP. This makes Sam Rainsy's statement relevant when he questioned Kem Sokha's motives behind all activities done by Kem Sokha.

The lingering and dubious questions behind such motives started even before HRP was created. It will linger indefinitely until the issues of HRP's relationship with the ruling party are clarified. I doubt that all questions can be explained satisfactorily given the nature of HRP's business activities and Kem Sokha's family and personal connection with the CPP. However, most SRP members know Kem Sokha and his HRP's operation better than many of us do.

Realistically speaking, (if the politic is real) in the tightly controlled political arena where it is tough for HRP to compete, HRP has nowhere to go besides trying to take some advantages over SRP's problems. Hence, Mao Monyvan's case was boasted to drum up for monetary support. The excitement will not last when those defectors learn more that there is no different between the two parties.

Undoubtedly, only the CPP will benefit from all of this—with or without the political UNITY between SRP and HRP.

Leaders of the CPP know this quite well; hence the enemy of their enemy is their friend.

Educated are Cambodia's 'critical mass'

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 01:23 PM PDT

April 20, 2011
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
PACIFIC DAILY NEWS

Even if the Hun Sen regime returned all the dollars from theft of national resources to the education pot, it would take a long, long time before young Cambodians' secondary school net enrollment would move from the current dismal 34 percent of eligible students to even 80 percent, which might be the percentage that would create the catalyst to foment meaningful change.

My email box has been flooded with messages. Some made me smile. Two hard-hitting messages from Cambodia made me look for some spiritual balance. A friend from a different continent who used to discuss with me the value of education wrote, after reading my columns, about the necessary "critical mass" needed to catalyze change.

I combined all three messages to writing this column.

It's no revelation that if we want to look for something in a person or a regime, negative or positive, we can find it. And we can be sure that there are supporters and critics of any position: A thesis is followed by antithesis. Opposites are a fact of life -- the yin and the yang

I have written about alleged bribes demanded by instructors at Cambodia's universities, but an email from a reader in Cambodia, most likely from a teaching circle, reported also on corrupt practices among primary and secondary school teachers in his area. The writer reported that teachers extort money from students in return for one thing or another. The reader was livid, saying the "authorities concerned" know but do nothing: "I fear if these practices are ingrained in the culture of corruption, the young Cambodian generation will be severely affected in thoughts and behaviors."

Another email, under the rubric, "Cambodian people are living in starvation, except corrupt officials," reads: "Millions of times, millions of words from officials, millions of promises and of plans, but nothing has changed: The rich become richer, the poor become poorer. ... I saw people in my village ... including my parents, go hungry because they can't pay the loans from banks and financial institutions, and are forced to sell their lands and their homes. Some decided to go to Thailand for work. My parents and their neighbors used to live without worries, but now they are miserable. At each election, money was waved in their faces, they needed the money, they voted for the money."

On April 6, I quoted a Cambodian reader's email about the "visible hardware" -- the new buildings, bridges and roads which led 76 percent of respondents in a survey to cheer about progress and development under Premier Hun Sen, as opposed to the lack of much-needed "software" -- informed citizens and critical thinkers. The reader charged that Cambodia's "strong culture of suspicion and mistrust will cripple society even deeper into a passive coma." He lamented, "Even many of the young are now in this unfortunate trend."

Of course, I expected supporters of Premier Hun Sen to vociferously denounce the authors of the emails above. Yet, even Hun Sen agreed that 35 percent of Cambodia's populace live below the poverty line, and rights groups continue to accuse government officials of stealing the nation's resources for personal gain.

Critical mass

In physics, a "critical mass" refers to necessary amount of fissionable material to maintain a chain reaction at a constant rate.

Buddha's truth of the inevitability of change means that at a certain point or time or situation, change occurs, and that "something" must reach a certain level, amount or size, and then it will unleash an activity or event that will change the status quo. Thus, the water that is hot at 211 degrees boils at 212. It produces steam; steam yields energy. [KI-Media Note: water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 degrees Celsius]

My friend reminded me: You need a "critical mass" to bring about change, sustain it and render it long-lasting. Amen.

As I examined statistics compiled by the United Nations Children's Fund, I saw vicious circles that should drive conscientious citizens to coalesce to create that critical mass. UNICEF reported Cambodia's net secondary school enrollment for 2005-2009 for males at 36 percent and females at 32 percent -- a net secondary school enrollment ratio of 34 percent.

This refers to students who are actually enrolled in school. How many of them actually attend (Cambodia's schools are open only a few hours per day) or how many actually graduate from secondary school are different problems.

Though unlikely, let's assume that 90 percent of young Cambodians who are enrolled in secondary school do graduate. That's only 90 percent of the total 34 percent enrolled.

To develop quality thinking to contribute to Cambodia's development and progress, we should want to know how many graduates go on to university. Let's assume that half of the graduates (which is, again, very unlikely) go to university. Statistically, half of the 90 percent of the total enrollees of 34 percent yields about 15 percent who may go to university. Of course, not everyone of those who go to university graduates, but let's say 70 percent do. This would yield about 10 percent of a certain age group who might be considered educated.

This is hardly a "critical mass" to bring change to Cambodia.

No room for despair

Even if the Hun Sen regime returned all the dollars from theft of national resources to the education pot, it would take a long, long time before young Cambodians' secondary school net enrollment would move from the current dismal 34 percent of eligible students to even 80 percent, which might be the percentage that would create the catalyst to foment meaningful change.

Until then, Cambodians will have to rely on the handful of educated individuals and independent non-governmental organizations -- a small "critical" group to swim against the current to inspire the young ones in the face of corruption, violations of rights and freedom, to want to go to school, to stay in school, to graduate.

They are the "critical mass" needed to effect the change!

A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam. Write him at

peangmeth@yahoo.com.

Asia: Following Vietnam protests, Laotian govt puts off Xayaburi dam decision

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 08:52 AM PDT

The four-nation (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand) Mekong River Commission met today. There is "still a difference in views" over the project, which Vietnam vehemently opposes. Environmentalists back a ten-year moratorium. Vientiane gives in and postpones decision.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Asia News

Vientiane – The Laotian government has decided to postpone any decision concerning the Xayaburi dam because of strong opposition from its neighbours, including its historic ally Vietnam. The decision was announced at a meeting today in Vientiane of representatives of Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. The project is the first of its kind in the lower Mekong River—four already exist in China. Environmentalists had criticised the dam because of its huge region-wide impact. The issue has also led to heated debates online. Vietnamese opponents have set up their own Facebook account (Những người phản đối đập Xayaburi) to oppose the dam.

Recently, US-based environmental group International Rivers waded into the controversy by criticising the start of construction, which Lao authorities decided despite protests and without informing its neighbours. Laos in fact appears to have started building a road to the future dam site. Laotian government officials refused to comment reports on the matter, leaving everything to today's meeting.

The Vientiane summit ended without an agreement. There was "still a difference in views" between the four nations over the project, the Mekong River Commission (MRC) said in a statement.

Nevertheless, Vietnam's staunch opposition convinced Laos to postpone its final decision. International observers were initially surprised to see Laos go ahead against one of its historic allies.

According to an MRC study, the 11 planned dams on the Mekong would result in estimated losses in agriculture of more than US$ 500 million a year, cutting the average protein intake of Thai and Lao people by 30 per cent.

The location of the US$ 3.5 billion, 1,260 megawatts Xayaburi dam is in a remote region in northern Laos. It is expected to displace about 2,100 people living in villages spread out over the area as well as negatively affect tens of thousands of people living along the river.

The contract to build the dam went to a Thai company and Thailand would have been the main beneficiary of the project. But Laos still expects to become "the battery of Southeast Asia".

For its part, the MRC has called for a ten-year moratorium on construction to carry out more environmental impact studies.

About 65 million people live along the Mekong River, which starts on the Tibetan plateau and flows through China's Yunnan province before making its way to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

The value of its fishery and fish farming has been estimated at around US$ 3 billion a year.

Now the 4,880-kilometre waterway, considered the second most bio-diverse river in the world, is threatened by hydroelectric dam projects, like the Xayaburi dam, which could radically upset its ecological balance.

Sam Rainsy's letter in reply to Kem Sokha's question about a formula for uniting SRP and HRP

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 08:46 AM PDT

Click on the letter to zoom in

Cluster Bombs Cloud Prospects for Peace

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 08:39 AM PDT

A de-miner holds fragments from an exploded cluster submunition. (Credit:Irwin Loy/IPS)

By Irwin Loy

PHNOM PENH, Apr 19, 2011 (IPS) - Allegations that Thailand used controversial cluster munitions during recent border clashes with Cambodia have become the latest wedge driving tensions between the two neighbours.

The disarmament advocacy group Cluster Munition Coalition earlier this month announced that it had confirmed the Thais used the weapons as part of February skirmishes between Thai and Cambodian troops around a disputed area near the Preah Vihear temple.

The group said this marked the first time such weapons have been deployed since a landmark treaty banning their use came into effect last year – though Thailand continues to dispute whether or not the weapons should be classified as cluster bombs.

The CMC said Thailand's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Sihasak Phuangketkeow, acknowledged in an April meeting that Thai troops used 155mm Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions, or DPICM, during the February clashes.

Laura Cheeseman, director of the CMC, said it was "appalling" that Thailand had resorted to using cluster munitions. "Thailand has been a leader in the global ban on antipersonnel mines and it is unconscionable that it used banned weapons that indiscriminately kill and injure civilians in a similar manner," Cheeseman said in a statement.

However, Thailand is refusing to classify the weapons as cluster bombs. Thai officials said soldiers used the weapons in response to Cambodian forces firing rockets into Thai territory.

"(Thai) soldiers defended themselves when attacked by multiple rockets," government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn told IPS. "When the civilian targets in Thailand were attacked, they defended themselves by using a particular kind of weaponry, including (DPICM)."

Cluster munitions are designed to explode in mid-air over their targets, unleashing smaller bomblets over the blast radius. But critics have sought to outlaw the weapons, arguing high fail rates mean the bomblets often fail to explode on impact, leaving a deadly legacy for civilians long after fighting has stopped.

The CMC said its members have examined two contaminated areas around the UNESCO-listed Preah Vihear temple and found multiple kinds of cluster bomblets, including M85-type DPICM submunitions.

A 2007 report by the group Norwegian People's Aid found that failure rates for the Israeli-produced M85 submunitions were unacceptably high. Though equipped with self-destruct mechanisms meant to ensure no more than 1 percent of the bomblets fail to explode, the report estimated previous use of the weapons in Iraq and Lebanon resulted in 'dud rates' as high as 12 percent in some cases.

A typical 155mm projectile can carry 49 M85 bomblets, meaning that a single fired rocket could leave at least five unexploded submunitions over a three-hectare blast radius.

Denise Coghlan, director of the group Jesuit Refugee Service in Cambodia, was part of a group that visited the Preah Vihear area shortly after the February fighting. She said two men were killed and another two people lost appendages after the cluster bombs exploded.

"I was really outraged that people were killed and that people were injured by cluster munitions," Coghlan told IPS. "This is such a flagrant breach of the new international law."

Though Thailand continues to insist the DPICM are not cluster bombs, other observers have issued sharply worded criticisms nonetheless.

"Norway condemns all use of cluster munitions," Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre said in a statement this month. "These weapons kill and maim civilians and have unacceptable humanitarian consequences long after they are used.

"South-east Asia is a region that is already badly affected, and the incident on the border between Cambodia and Thailand demonstrates clearly why this weapon is now prohibited."

The United Kingdom has also raised its concerns over the allegations with Thai authorities, a spokeswoman with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office told IPS. "That cluster munitions may have been used is of serious concern to the UK," she said. "We condemn in the strongest terms the use of cluster munitions, which cause unacceptable harm to the civilian population."

The CMC, meanwhile, says Thailand's apparent use of the weapons should provide further impetus for both countries to sign on to the global Convention on Cluster Munitions. The treaty banning signatories from using and stockpiling the weapons came into effect last year with neither Cambodia nor Thailand on board.

But it appears the February incident may hinder, rather than encourage, either country from doing so.

Cambodia had been a vocal proponent of the treaty. But it surprised observers by not signing on to at its first opportunity in 2008, citing the on-going border tensions with Thailand as well as a need to ascertain its current stock of cluster bombs.

Analysts say the question of signing the ban in Cambodia has been one that balances political will with caution from military officials. Any confirmed use of cluster bombs by the Thai side, then, could add more weight to the arguments of Cambodian defence officials already hesitant to join the treaty.

Cambodian Secretary of State Prak Sokhon is an advisor to Prime Minister Hun Sen on the cluster bomb issue. He said his country's goal remains to sign on to the global pact. But Thailand's reported deployment complicates the matter.

"We're still studying. But from a military point of view, it's hard to make a decision while the other side uses these kinds of munitions against us," Sokhon told IPS. "If the two countries can find a peaceful solution in the future, then we will reconsider our stance."

Thai officials say they are still considering the treaty.

Cambodia to reduce HIV/AIDS infection rate from mother to child to 5 pct by 2015

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 08:35 AM PDT

PHNOM PENH, Apr. 19, 2011 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Ministry of Health set the target to reduce HIV/AIDs infection rate from mothers to children from the current 8 percent to 5 percent by 2015 and as low as 2 percent by 2020, said a senior health official on Tuesday.

Mean Chhivun, the director-general of Cambodia's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), said that the target was set following the increasing rate of pregnant women who have their blood tested for the virus in the last three years from 30 percent to more than 80 percent by 2010.

He added that last year, 170,000 pregnant women had their blood tested for HIV/AIDS and it found that 0.3 percent, or 510 of them have HIV/AIDS.

"The prevalence rate of pregnant women contracting with HIV/ AIDS is low," he said.

"Thus, with the participation from pregnant women themselves and the efforts by the Ministry of Health with financial and technical supports from donors, I believe that Cambodia could achieve its target," he said.

He added that important measures to achieve the target included the increase of blood test, the education of pregnant women with HIV/AIDs to prevent themselves from infecting other dermatology and Sexually Transmitted Infections and strengthening health officials' ability to take care of them in pre-and-post-birth phases.

Currently, the country has 58,200 people living with HIV/AIDS, of them, 42,799 people have received anti-retroviral drugs.

Japan-supported Cambodian villagers give back with disaster aid donation

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 08:31 AM PDT

Cotton threads produced by Cambodian villagers supported by Japanese NPO Nature Saves Cambodia are seen in this recent photo. (Mainichi)

April 19, 2011
Mainichi Japan

Large amounts of financial and material aid have poured into Japan since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami ripped into the country's northeast, and while amidst such a huge volume a mere 80,000 yen may tend to go unnoticed, the donation from poor villagers in Cambodia, who have been helped by Japanese aid in the past, is worthy of special mention.

"The amount may be small, but for the poor people who gave it, this is a great deal of money," Japanese non-profit organization Nature Saves Cambodia -- which is helping the villagers build a small-scale cotton industry -- told the Mainichi. "We were deeply moved that these people in such difficult circumstances would think of Japan in its time of crisis. We want to communicate their feelings to the disaster area."

The money was collected from villagers in Cambodia's mine-ridden northwest and the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Many of these villagers, now raising organic cotton and making it into finished products like stoles, have lost a limb to the mines that dot the countryside -- a grim remnant of the country's long and bloody civil war. Nature Saves Cambodia began its support program for the impoverished villagers in 2009, helping them build a steady income through cotton products.

The 80,000 yen was collected over the course of about a month from the 30-some artisans and dyers working in the small cotton industry. The sum is about 10,000 yen more than the average annual income for a family in this poor district.

After the March 11 disaster, women from the outskirts of Phnom Penh apparently went to local temples to make offerings and pray for the victims. People from a village still surrounded by a minefield also sent a message to the NPO reading: "We landmine victims were shocked and saddened by the news that so many Japanese had died in the earthquake and tsunami. Please let us share in your sadness in some significant way."

Nature Saves Cambodia spokeswoman Maki Ishii told the Mainichi, "These people who have benefited from Japanese aid asked to give us support of their own. Considering how deeply they sympathized with Japan, we decided to accept the donation. It's really something to be proud of."

VN opposes Laos dam

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 07:40 AM PDT

19/04/2011
AFP

Laos faced pressure from its neighbours on Tuesday to delay construction of a controversial dam on the Mekong River as they failed to agree on a project that has sparked deep environmental concerns.

Officials from Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam met in Vientiane to discuss the planned $3.8 billion Xayaburi dam in northern Laos, an impoverished Communist nation which sees hydropower as vital to its future.

Laos's neighbours raised worries about insufficient environmental studies of the dam's likely impact, according to a statement released after the meeting, while Laos said there was no need for further consultation.

Vietnam in particular expressed "deep and serious concerns'' about a lack of adequate assessments, calling for the deferment of planned hydropower projects on the mainstream Mekong for at least 10 years.

Discussions about the dam, which is the first of 11 proposed for the mainstream lower Mekong and will be capable of generating 1,260 megawatts of power, are now set to move to ministerial level.

Around 95 percent of this electricity will be exported to Thailand, which is backing the project financially, and Thai construction group CH. Karnchang Public Co is playing a leading role in the project.

The four member states of the intergovernmental Mekong River Commission (MRC) have an agreement to cooperate on the sustainable development of the waterway and have been in consultations over the Xayaburi project.

But the final decision on the dam rests with Laos, which seems determined to press ahead.

"We understand the concerns of neighbouring countries. We will keep up our efforts to persuade them and make them understand why Laos needs to construct this dam,'' Daovong Phonekeo, deputy director general of Laos's Department of Electricity, told AFP by telephone from Vientiane after the meeting.

Even before Tuesday's talks started, Laos state media signalled that construction was expected to begin soon, saying the Laos government "has full rights'' to decide whether to approve construction of the dam.

Work has already started to build roads to the site.

"Developers expect construction of the Xayaburi Mekong hydropower plant to begin in the near future and take eight years to complete,'' the Vientiane Times reported on Tuesday.

Environmental groups have long objected to damming the river, which winds from the Tibetan Plateau through China and much of Southeast Asia. China already has several dams on the upper Mekong.

The wildlife organisation WWF has warned that dams could irreversibly change the Mekong's ecosystem, damaging fisheries crucial to the livelihoods of over 60 million people in the region.

It fears that the Mekong giant catfish, one of the world's biggest freshwater fish, could be driven to extinction if plans to build hydropower dams on the river go ahead.

Communist Laos is Southeast Asia's smallest economy and one of the poorest countries in the world.

The landlocked former French colony of about six million people is seeking to reduce its dependency on agriculture and foreign aid, helped by growing exports of minerals and electricity from hydropower generation.

The government is aiming for at least eight percent annual economic growth, with the aim of escaping from underdevelopment by 2020.

"To reach the target, Laos needs development projects, including hydropower,'' Daovong said.

A Strategic Environmental Assessment report commissioned by the MRC in October urged countries in the lower Mekong River region to delay any decisions about building hydropower dams for 10 years.

There is also concern in the United States, where Senator Jim Webb, head of a congressional committee on Southeast Asia, said last week that signs Laos may press ahead with the dam were "very troubling.''

"Numerous scientific studies have concluded that construction of the Xayaburi Dam and other proposed mainstream dams will have devastating environmental, economic, and social consequences for the entire Mekong sub-region,'' he said in a statement.

Mekong river dam decision delayed

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 07:38 AM PDT

April 19 2011
By Tim Johnston in Bangkok
Financial Times

A decision on whether to allow a controversial $3.8bn hydroelectric dam across the Mekong river has been delayed, raising fresh doubts over a project that Laos hopes will establish it as the "battery of south-east Asia".

The Mekong River Commission, which is made up of representatives of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, had been due to make its decision on Tuesday. But instead it has passed the final judgment on whether to give the green light to the Xayaburi dam in Laos, to regional ministers.

The delegates did not set a date for a final decision but the delay will be seen as a further example of how competing environmental, energy and food interests are becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile in one of the world's fastest-growing regions.

Laos urged the meeting to support the plan, arguing that the transnational effects would be minimal, but Cambodia and Vietnam, both of which are downstream of the proposed project, said that there were too many gaps in environmental surveys to allow it to go ahead. Vietnam called for a 10-year moratorium on dams on the mainstream of the lower Mekong.

The project is central to a Laotian desire to become the "battery of south-east Asia", harnessing its vast hydroelectric potential to work for the already energy-hungry economies of Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Most of the output from the project, which is 30 per cent owned by Thailand's CH Karnchang, the dam's developer, is earmarked for sale to the Thai grid.

But Laos has been criticised for allowing preparatory work, including the building of an access road, before the commission's decision, although even that would not be binding.

The Xayaburi dam is central to plans to boost income in impoverished Laos, but opponents say it would have a devastating effect on the region's food security and environment.

Ecologists warn that although hydroelectric dams have a relatively small carbon footprint, they do not come without a cost.

The 1,285MW Xayaburi would be the first of 11 hydroelectric schemes proposed for the lower Mekong – nine in Laos and two in Cambodia – with a combined capacity of 13,600MW.

While some environmentalists recognise the energy needs of the region and the benefits of avoiding fossil fuels in generating power, they argue that these needs could be satisfied with a larger number of smaller dams on the Mekong tributaries that could be less damaging.

International Rivers, a US-based environmental group, says that the project would harm migratory fish species that are key to the livelihoods of millions of riparian residents.

Some 70 per cent of the protein eaten by the 60m inhabitants of the Mekong basin comes from fish, and the MRC says that 70 per cent of the annual Mekong catch of some 2.5m tonnes is migratory.

The commission estimates that the six Laotian dams planned for north of the capital Vientiane alone would cut the catch by 6 per cent, a significant loss in a region where food demand is forecast to increase by 50 per cent by 2040.

[Thai] Parliament drops JBC minutes from agenda

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 07:26 AM PDT

19/04/2011
Bangkok Post

The joint sitting of parliament on Tuesday approved the withdrawal of three minutes of the 2008 and 2009 Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meetings as requested by the government.

The government made the request after the Council of State issued an opinion that the documents did not fall within Section 190 of the constitution.

The Council of State was asked last week by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to interpret the Constitution Court's ruling last month not to accept a request by lawmakers to rule on the need for parliamentary approval.

A group of 80 Democrat MPs led by Songkhla MP Sirichoke Sopha filed the request to the court through House Speaker Chai Chidchob, the ex officio parliament president, in February.

The joint sitting, chaired by Parliament President Chai Chidchob, approved the government's request to withdraw the three JBC minutes by a vote of 240-12, with 86 abstentions and six "no votes".

There are currently 622 members of parliament - 473 MPs and 149 senators. At least 312 members are required for a quorum.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said Prime Minister Abhisit wanted Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti to continue as the government's chief negotiator with Unesco about the disputed Preah Vihear temple.

"If Mr Suwit wants to leave the job he will have to discuss it with the prime minister," Mr Kasit said.

The minister said he was not at odds with Mr Suwit, but they had conflicting ideas at times. All issues concerning Preah Vihear went through the cabinet, not just the foreign and natural resources and environment ministries.

Mr Kasit said he and Mr Suwit talked openly for a few hours yesterday and they had no problems with their differences.

When reporters asked Mr Kasit whether the disagreement came about when Mr Suwit disagreed with the plan to jointly list Preah Vihear with Cambodia as a world heritage site, he said the issue had yet to be resolved.

The minister said he had met with the Unesco representatives and reiterated Thailand's position that the Preah Vihear management plan proposed by Cambodia should be delayed or scrapped because the border negotiations were not finalised yet.

He said the temple management plan, if implemented, would violate the sovereignty of Thailand. If negotiations were not completed first there might be conflict, which would not be unusual.

He insisted that Thailand has not lost any sovereignty at this stage.

Suwit said he is quitting, Suthep says he is not quitting, is there anybody in charge in Bangkok?

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 07:21 AM PDT

Suwit not quitting as negotiator : Suthep

Tuesday, April 19, 2011
The Nation

Natural and Environment Minister Suwit Kunkitti has not yet officially informed the premier he wants to resign as the chief negotiator for Unesco's listing of the Preah Vihear temple dispute, Deputy Suthep Thaugsuban said Tuesday.

Suwit led a Thai negotiation team to Brazil last year to protest against Unesco's listing of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site. The protest resulted in Unesco postponing the decision.

The Unesco World Heritage Committee is scheduled to hold its annual meeting from June 19 to 29 in France. Suwit is scheduled to lead the Thai team.

"As long as he serves as minister, he has to remain as chief of the Thai negotiation team," Suthep said.

Suthep said he personally did not believe that Suwit would resign because he was a responsible man.

He said he had only learned about the issue through news reports and that Suwit had not yet officially informed the prime minister, himself or the cabinet.

However, if Suwit really wanted to resign, Suthep said he would talk with Suwit and try to convince him not to do so.

Suthep denied to comment on news reports about Suthep's conflicts, which implied that Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya may be the reason behind his resignation.

Hmmm.... if we were to vanish ("rorleay"), who and how will you curse anymore?

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 07:13 AM PDT

H.E. Duck Shot, Cambodia's minister of Defenseless Border

Upon hearing us posting about H.E. Duck Shot (aka Tea Banh), an Anonymous said...

Ah rorleay KI, his name doesn't mean Duck Shot. Go back to finish your Elementary school.

8:44 PM

We are wondering: If we were to vanish, who will be left for this anonymous reader to curse? Furthermore, if we were to vanish, KI-Media will also vanish with us, then how will this anonymous reader curse again in the future?

We would gladly go back to finish Elementary school, but mind you, by the power of this anonymous reader's curse we no longer exist ("rorleay"), so how can we go back to Elementary school? That leads us to wonder what does this anonymous reader want us to do first: vanish first or go finish Elementary school first?

C'est la vie!

Yo soy Heng - Hasta la vista!

COMFREL will conducts workshop in remote area of Kratie, Koh Kong, and Prey Veng provinces on the 4th week of April 2011

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 06:45 AM PDT

Dear all,

COMFREL will conducts Voter Voice Workshops in remote areas of Kratie, Koh Kong, and Prey Veng province on 4th Week of April 2011.

Please see the announcement below for details.

Best regards,

COMFREL

Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia

Head Office : # 138, Street 122, Sangkat Teuk La ak, Khan Tuol Kork, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

P.O.Box 1145, CCC Box 439

Phone : (855-23) 884 150

Fax : (855-23) 883 750

E-mail : comfrel@online.com.kh

Website : www.comfrel.org

COMFREL Vision : A democratic society that democratization in particular democratic elections are promoted and qualified to bring benefits to people.

U.n.fair Justice at ECCC

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 04:26 AM PDT

I will address the substance of whether I possess a legal nexus of injury to the Charged Persons, if necessary after the response by the Co-Investigating Judges (CIJs)—if they don't first altogether dismiss Cases 003/004, a rising concern for us victims who are following closely the activities of this Extraordinary Chambers, ECCC.

To be sure, it will be scandalous and damaging to the ECCC's legacy should this happen.

And if it does happen—God forbid!—it would be even more scandalous if the UN Co-Prosecutor—who initiated the Introductory Submission, now reincarnated in the person of Andrew Cayley—does not appeal the dismissal.

- Theary C. Seng, civil party applicant to Cases 003 and 004

ECCC/UN Asleep, Hiding behind Veil of Confidentiality

U.n.fair Justice at ECCC

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 04:15 AM PDT

Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through.

- Jonathan Swift



In the Kingdom of ECCC Wonder:

Small flies = Mith Duch, director of one KR security center (out of 200)

Wasps = Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith ?

Hornets = Meas Muth, Sou Met, Im Chaem ?

Kasit: Suwit still main negotiator

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 01:55 AM PDT

19/04/2011
Bangkok Post

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva wants Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti to continue working as the government's chief negotiator with Unesco on the disputed Preah Vihear temple, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said on Tuesday.

"If Mr Suwit insists that he will resign, he would have to discuss it with the prime minister," Mr Kasit said.

The minister said he was not at odds with Mr Suwit as they had conflicting ideas at times. All issues concerning Preah Vihear were not dealt went through the cabinet's consideration, not just the foreign and natural resources and environment ministries.

Mr Kasit said he and Mr Suwit talked openly for a few hours yesterday and they had no problems with the differences.

When reporters asked Mr Kasit whether the disagreement came about when Mr Suwit disagreed with the plan to joint list Preah Vihear with Cambodia, he said the issue had yet to be resolved.

The minister said he had met with the Unesco representatives and reiterated Thailand's stance that the Preah Vihear management plan proposed by Cambodia should be put off or scrapped as the border negotiation between both countries had not finalised yet.

He said the temple management plan, if carried out, would violate the sovereignty of Thailand. If negotiations are not over, there might be conflicts, which would not be unusal.

He insisted that Thailand has not lost its sovereignty.

Withdrawal of JBC minutes approved [by Thai Parliament]

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 01:51 AM PDT

19/04/2011
Bangkok Post

The joint sitting of parliament on Tuesday approved the withdrawal of three minutes of the 2008 and 2009 Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meetings as requested by the government.

The government made the request after the Council of State issued an opinion that the documents did not fall within Section 190 of the constitution.

The Council of State was asked last week by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to interpret the Constitution Court's ruling last month not to accept a request by lawmakers to rule on the need for parliamentary approval.

A group of 80 Democrat MPs led by Songkhla MP Sirichoke Sopha filed the request to the court through House Speaker Chai Chidchob, the ex officio parliament president, in February.

The joint sitting, chaired by Parliament President Chai Chidchob, approved the government's request to withdraw the three JBC minutes by a vote of 240-12, with 86 abstentions and six "no votes".

There are currently 622 members of parliament - 473 MPs and 149 senators. At least 312 members are required for a quorum.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: Xayaburi Dam

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 01:46 AM PDT

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

The more dictator Bashar al-Assad brutalizes Syria, the more determined the people are to oppose him [-Hear that KR Hun Xen?]

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 01:43 AM PDT

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad addressed the Parliament on March 30, 2011. (Getty)

Tuesday, April 19th 2011
Editorials
NY Daily News (New York, USA)

It looks like they have finally had enough, and how could they not? The people of Syria, their will stiffened, are coming out in growing numbers to protest the rule of Bashar al-Assad - the man who calls himself president but has no more democratically legitimate claim to that mantle than you do.

But far more than Assad's legitimacy is at issue. There is also the brutality with which he has thrown into prison, or into graves, any who dared to challenge the state.

There is his attempt to suffocate expression by banning Facebook, YouTube, Wikipedia and other sources of communication.

There is his ongoing crackdown on mostly peaceful protests, in which dozens of ordinary Syrians have been killed and hundreds have been thrown into jail without charges.

The Syrian opposition last week released what it claimed was an official document detailing the regime's internal strategy for snuffing out dissent.

Among the orders: "Link the anti-regime demonstrations and protests to figures hated by the Syrian populace such as the usual Saudi and Lebanese figures, and connecting the lot of them to Zionism and to America."

And this, aimed at security forces who open fire on protests: "The number of people killed must not exceed 20 each time, because it would let them be more easily noticed and exposed, which may lead to situations of foreign intervention."

Perhaps heeding orders, security forces killed about 14 in their latest spree; in response, the mourners came out in force. It is a cycle: The more they kill, the more come out. The more they kill, the bolder the people get.

According to press estimates - which, thanks to Assad's repression, are sketchy - more than 10,000 filled the central square in the city of Homs yesterday. The security forces fired their weapons into the air. The people did not disperse.

And so there are finally signs Assad may be feeling some heat himself. In a televised address Saturday, he pledged to lift the country's 48-year-old state of emergency before the end of the week. The people are not fooled. Let us hope they will not have the nerve beaten out of them - but that their "leader" has the gun pried from his hands.

Defence minister denies export claim

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 12:43 AM PDT

Duck Shot aka Tea Banh

Monday, 18 April 2011
Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
The Phnom Penh Post

Defence minister Tea Banh yesterday denied allegations from a lawyer for a Taiwanese mining company who claimed that a firm linked to a general in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces had exported copper through a naval port using military vessels.

A lawyer for Taiwan's Hong Tung Resource Co Ltd announced plans last week to sue the Nim Meng Group for US$96 million for allegedly defrauding his clients and seizing imported mining equipment. RCAF Major General Nim Meng and his wife, Lay Sineang, served on the board of directors for the aborted joint-venture project between the two companies, and Lay Sineang is the director of Nim Meng Group.

Hong Tung and Nim Meng Group began working together in July of last year on a copper mining project in Siem Reap province's Chi Kraeng district, formalising their partnership in January of this year under the name Nim Meng Sinohope Group Company, according to a draft copy of the Hong Tung complaint.

The Nim Meng Group abruptly terminated this partnership in February, the complaint alleges, adding that the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy subsequently transferred the licence for the concession from Nim Meng Sinohope Company, the joint venture, to Nim Meng Group.

The complaint also alleges that the Nim Meng Group has exported nearly 3,500 tonnes of copper though the Ream military port in Preah Sihanouk province using Cambodian naval vessels, a claim rejected by Tea Banh.

"I would like to confirm that so far, no Cambodian naval vessels and soldiers have been involved with the export of copper or other business activities at the Ream military port in Sihanoukville," Tea Banh said.

"Naval vessels are used for the benefit of military works and activities," he said. "They are not allowed to be used for private business purposes."

Photos provided as part of the complaint and seen by The Post depict men loading cargo onto a large ship. Hong Tung claims the men in the photos are loading copper onto Cambodian naval vessels in July of last year on behalf of the Nim Meng Group, though no identifying markings are visible on the ship and the claims could not be independently verified.

Kouy Thunna, a lawyer for Hong Tung chairman Cheng Tung Ko, said last week that the use of such vessels by Nim Meng Group constituted a breach of the joint venture agreement with Hong Tung.

"I think that this is a violation of the agreement made by Nim Meng Group, because my client has demanded that any export of minerals must come through the Sihanoukville port, but they made it through the military port," Kouy Thunna said.

Nim Meng Group representatives could not be reached for comment yesterday, though Chea Sok Chan, a lawyer for Nim Meng and Lay Sineang, told Voice of America last week that his clients planned to file a defamation lawsuit against Hong Tung in relation to the naval vessel allegations aired publicly by Kouy Thunna.

"This accusation is not true and it has really affected my clients' names and their honour," Chea Sok Chan said.

Nim Meng Group has already filed complaints accusing Hong Tung of fraud and breach of trust, Chea Sok Chan added, with the parties set to appear before the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on April 25.

Mu Sochua’s immunity bid rejected

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 12:27 AM PDT

SRP MP Mu Sochua

April 19, 2011
Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

NATIONAL Assembly President Heng Samrin has rejected a request for the restoration of immunity for Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Mu Sochua, who was stripped of her immunity in 2009 in connection with a now-resolved legal dispute with Prime Minister Hun Sen.

In response to a letter sent by a group of 17 SRP parliamentarians earlier this month, Heng Samrin said that according to the Kingdom's criminal procedure code, the assembly needed to wait for permission from the Ministry of Justice before restoring Mu Sochua's immunity.

This permission, he said, could only come one year after Mu Sochua finished repaying the fine levied in her case, or as early as September this year.

"I would like to tell your excellencies that the assembly does not now have the ability to consider the restoration of Her Excellency Mu Sochua's immunity because Her Excellency has not received rehabilitation from the court," Heng Samrin wrote. In January, the Ministry of Justice wrote a letter to the National Assembly stating that Mu Sochua could remain without her parliamentary immunity for up to five years.

Justice Minister Ang Vong Vathana could not be reached for comment yesterday, and Bun Hun, an undersecretary of state at the ministry in charge of penal cases, declined to comment.

The SRP letter called for the immediate restoration of Mu Sochua's immunity, claiming that its continued withholding constituted an attempt at political intimidation.

Opposition lawmaker Ho Vann, one of the MPs who signed the original letter, said yesterday that he saw no legal basis for the assembly's refusal to act in Mu Sochua's case.

"I have seen nothing stating that we must wait for an answer from the Justice Ministry before we receive immunity," Ho Vann said.

"I think Samdech Heng Samrin, the assembly president, has the complete right to restore Her Excellency Mu Sochua's immunity."

Mu Sochua's parliamentary immunity was suspended in 2009 to allow for her prosecution in a defamation case brought by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Her highly publicised legal battle with the premier started in April that year, when she filed a defamation suit against Hun Sen in relation to comments he allegedly made about her during a speech in Kampot province.

The Premier countersued and the court ruled against her, ordering her to pay 16.5 million riel (US$4,084) in fines and compensation.

Though Mu Sochua refused to pay – saying she was willing to go to jail if necessary – the court issued an order authorising the docking of her salary for four months.

In a statement issued last month, the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights called for Mu Sochua's immunity to be restored immediately, citing "the absence of clear provisions expressly allowing for the refusal to restore parliamentary immunity to a member of the National Assembly who has been convicted of a crime but not sentenced to a term of imprisonment".

The Great Danger of the Khmer Nation by Tieng Narith - Corrected edition

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 12:17 AM PDT

Click on the link below to read the book online or to dowload it (PDF)

http://www.box.net/shared/py1megz7zv

Khmer Surin Associatio​n Newsletter April 2011

Posted: 18 Apr 2011 11:53 PM PDT

Khmer Surin Associatio​n Newsletter April 2011
http://www.scribd.com/full/53320550?access_key=key-tc0qiiqhywlzjkxnbg8

Vietnam calls for more research on Mekong dam planned in Laos [-The same could be said about the Viet dams on the Sesan River!!!]

Posted: 18 Apr 2011 11:19 PM PDT

Apr 19, 2011
DPA

Hanoi - The Vietnamese government has called for more research into the impact of a hydropower dam on the Mekong River before construction begins in Laos, local media reported Tuesday.

The river is important to the people along its banks, the Viet Nam News newspaper quoted Nguyen Phuong Nga, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as saying.

'Mekong nations need to work closely together to exploit and use the natural resources in a fair and proper manner in order to protect the environment,' she said.

She made the statement before the Mekong River Commission - consisting of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia - was scheduled to meet Tuesday in Vientiane to discuss the Xayaburi dam.

Even if Laos does not receive the regional committee's approval, it may proceed with the 3.5-billion-dollar dam on the lower Mekong River, which flows through the four counties. Most of the electricity it would produce would be exported to Thailand.

Both Vietnam and Cambodia oppose the dam. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) environmental group warned that the dam's environmental impact assessment was 'woefully inadequate and fell well below international standards for such studies.'

The WWF and 263 international non-governmental organizations have called for a 10-year moratorium on all lower Mekong dams until full assessments are made on their impacts.

Environmentalists said they fear that the construction of the Xayaburi dam would disrupt fish migrations in the lower Mekong, which would have devastating impacts on food supplies for millions of people.

China has already built four hydropower dams in Yunnan province on the upper Mekong, projects that have also been criticized by environmental groups and downstream governments.

Slideshow: A Groundbrea​king Ceremony for the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community Headquarte​rs

Posted: 18 Apr 2011 11:15 PM PDT

 

A Groundbreaking Ceremony for the

Khmer Kampuchea Krom Community Headquarters

Monday the 15th Full Moon, Day of Abstinence, of Citta, BE2554, April 18, AD2011
Year of the Rabbit 

Click here to view the slideshow