KI Media: “Political Economy of Cambodia in 1960-1990 - by Chitharo Thach” plus 24 more

Political Economy of Cambodia in 1960-1990 - by Chitharo Thach

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 04:59 PM PDT

Political Economy of Cambodia in 1960-1990 - by Chitharo Thach
http://www.scribd.com/full/52452629?access_key=key-25vjq94qhi25x1etr25a

Khmer Srin - Book Donation and First Day

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 04:50 PM PDT

Khmer Srin - Book Donation and First Day
http://www.scribd.com/full/52452284?access_key=key-2j9x62b7nha9j4h4a5ol

"Who Killed Chea Vichea?" - A VOA Interview of Rich Garella

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 03:25 PM PDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITTgv9qlJDk&feature=relmfu


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW6Ft4dOzKI&feature=relmfu


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd_Iif4uZq8

Amnuot Kem Sokha - "Kem Sokha's boasting": Poem in Khmer by Srey Sra'em

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 03:15 PM PDT

‘Little Cambodia’ Under Development in Lowell

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 03:13 PM PDT

Bernard Lynch, far left, Lowell city manager, and five other city officials addressed about 100 Cambodians to ask for their participation in the project. (Photo: by Pin Sisovann)

Pin Sisovann, VOA Khmer
Lowell, Massachusetts Wednesday, 06 April 2011

"I'm delighted with the city plan and the fact that they came to listen to our ideas."

Cambodia-Americans in Lowell, Mass., are working with city officials to develop a "Little Cambodia," which they hope will improve businesses and bring more jobs.

On March 31, representatives of the city met with members of the Cambodian community to present an idea for an area that would include businesses, an association and other services.

Suggested names for the area include "Little Cambodia in Lowell," "Khmer Town in Lowell," or "Khmer Cultural Village in Lowell."

Bernard Lynch, Lowell city manager, and five other city officials addressed about 100 Cambodians to ask for their participation in the project.

"What we really want to do is honor the Cambodian community's contribution in Lowell and designate the area as truly a little Cambodia," he said. "And we also looking to work with businesses, to help them succeed and bring people into the city, into this neighborhood, to recognize and to partake in the Cambodian culture that we have here."

Lynch said the city of Lowell, which has the second-largest population of Cambodians in the US, would spend up to $700,000 when the project kicks off this summer, along with contributions from Cambodian businesses.

The plan includes four main streets leading into the area, which would have gates or statues to mark the entrances. It also includes a facility for senior Cambodian citizens.

"As a way to make it known and bring it to the attention of a wider audience, we will need to look to promote some festivals or special events that will draw people to the area to recognize this new identity," said Adam Baacke, Lowell city assistant manager said during a presentation of the plan.

Rasy An, executive director of Cambodia Mutual Assistance of Great Lowell, Inc., said many business owners are interested in developing the project, including decorating properties in the area with Cambodian characteristics.

The new area would draw businesses, tourists and events and bring more jobs, benefitting the tax base for the city, he said. The city will help owners by subsidizing efforts "to develop or beautify their businesses with the look of Khmer culture," he said.

Participants of the March meeting welcomed the initiative.

"I promise to contribute some money," said Chhuor Heng, 54. "I don't have much money, but I'll give as much as I can afford."

"I'm delighted with the city plan and the fact that they came to listen to our ideas," said Hak Siphorn, who came to the US as a refugee in 1985 with her husband and four children.

Dian Hang, who arrived as a refugee in 1981, said she supported the project "100 percent."

"It will help drivers from other places recognize that they have arrived in Khmer town," she said.

Ou Sovann, Cambodian honorary counsel in Lowell, said the proposed area would also increase business connections between Cambodia and the city, especially in the food service industry, while increasing jobs for Cambodians.

Cambodian businesses saw an increase in the rice exports to Long Beach, Calif., when that city built it's own "Cambodia Town," he said.

Kasit to clarify army view

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 02:37 PM PDT

Indonesia will be told of border observer position

7/04/2011
Bangkok Post

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya is to outline the military's opposition to Indonesian border observers with his Jakarta counterpart on Saturday.

Mr Kasit is scheduled to attend an Asean-Japan meeting in Jakarta to discuss assistance for disaster-stricken Japan.

However, he will take the opportunity to meet his Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa to discuss Indonesia's role in the Thai-Cambodian conflict over the 4.6-square-kilometre area around Preah Vihear temple.

Mr Kasit has agreed with Phnom Penh and Jakarta that Indonesian observers could inspect the area.

However, the Thai military is upset with the minister's move as he had not first consulted them on the issue. Military top brass announced on Tuesday that they would not allow Indonesian observers to enter the disputed area.

Mr Kasit said yesterday the Foreign Ministry agreed with the stance of the security forces.

He said 15 Indonesian observers would be each deployed in Thailand and Cambodia. They would be allowed to approach the disputed area but would not be permitted to enter it. They must not be armed or wear a military uniform but arrive as diplomats.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday confirmed that Mr Kasit would discuss the roles of Indonesian observers at the Asean-Japan meeting.

Mr Abhisit also said the Indonesian observers must not be armed and their status would be as officials of the Indonesian embassy in Thailand.

According to Mr Abhisit, he already discussed the issue with the Thai army chief on Tuesday. The military did not oppose the Indonesian observers but disagreed with the presence of "foreign soldiers" at the border.

The prime minister has expressed his opposition to any attempt by Cambodia to bring Indonesian observers into the disputed border area.

He said the area belonged to Thailand and that Cambodia could not bring the observers in. He added that Indonesia understood this stance.

Mr Kasit's attendance at the Asean-Japan meeting will follow a meeting of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) in Indonesia.

Mr Abhisit said he hoped negotiations through the JBC could progress because other countries were watching this negotiation mechanism.

He noted that the work of the JBC would show the world community the bilateral body still existed and functioned.

Thailand and Cambodia formed the JBC to jointly demarcate the borderline in their disputed areas.

Mr Abhisit said he had no problems with Cambodia's postponement of organising the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) as the panel dealt with general affairs along the Thai-Cambodian border.

"If Cambodia is not ready to host the next GBC meeting, we can wait," Mr Abhisit said.

In a related development, Thai and Cambodian soldiers laid down their arms to join friendly volleyball and petanque games at the border in Surin yesterday.

The activities were organised by Thailand's Second Army and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey provincial authority to promote relations between soldiers of the two countries at the border area.

Thai and Cambodian villagers living near Chong Krang border pass showed up in force to provide moral support for their players during the fun-filled event, staged for the first time after recent deadly border fighting at Preah Vihear temple near the Si Sa Ket border.

The friendly games were witnessed by Suranaree Task Force Commander Maj-Gen Chavalit Choonprasarn and Oddar Meanchey governor Pek Soudden.

Appeal for killer of Hamill's brother 'a circus'

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 02:32 PM PDT

Rob Hamill says that an appeal hearing for a Khmer Rouge leader was farcical. (Photo: Waikato Times)

07/04/2011
BELINDA FEEK
WAIKATO TIMES (New Zealand)

A recently completed appeal hearing for a Khmer Rouge leader was farcical, Rob Hamill says.

Mr Hamill's brother Kerry was one of those tortured and executed at the notorious S-21 prison in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital in 1978.

Mr Hamill has just returned from Cambodia where he attended an appeal hearing for

Kaing Guek Eav, 67, more commonly known as Duch, who received a 35-year sentence last year after pleading guilty to crimes against humanity, war crimes, premeditated murder and torture.

Mr Hamill hoped to meet with his brother's killer face-to-face at the appeal which began on March 28.

Speaking from his Te Pahu home yesterday, Mr Hamill said although he was confident his request for a meeting got through to Duch, he had heard Duch would have declined.

He was relaxed about that stance, but was concerned about rumours Duch was penning a book.

''There's speculation that a book is pending from him, but that's total, complete speculation ... the possibility of him gaining financially from his crimes would be abhorrent. I think if he had any desire to do good he could make 100 per cent of the proceeds go to the victims in some form. It could be deemed as an historical narrative too. But it depends on his motives and agenda. You could question the political pressure that is being applied to him and that's unrealistic.''

As for the appeal hearing, Mr Hamill labelled it a ''circus'.

''The impression I got was almost a mocking of the defence counsel from the public's perspective. I feel there was a particular, almost mocking derision of the defence strategy and behaviour in the court. I likened it to a circus really, the way they behaved. They were hyper animated, they yelled in the court, just yelling in to the microphone at high pitches ... talking with some of the civil party lawyers that seemed to be a general consensus as well, that they were not helping themselves, that they didn't really have a strong case.''

The eight judges sitting in the Supreme Court were expected to deliver a decision in July.

Given the defence lawyer's sideshow, he suspected the appeal would be thrown out and Duch's sentence increased to 45 years, as pushed for by the prosecution.

''I think there's a big risk that Duch's sentence may be increased.''

As he qualified for 16 years' off, a 35 year sentence would only mean another 19 years behind bars.

''I think there should be just a call for a life sentence for the rest of your living days, but that's (45 years) probably the best we're gonna get.''

As for the emotional toll, Mr Hamill said sitting in the public gallery enabled him to be a step back from proceedings.

''I was more detached from it than what I have been previously. And that was a good thing, it allowed me to focus on the process and legal arguments more.''

Discovery of major ancient iron foundry sites by Cambodian researchers

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 02:02 PM PDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9bseTrk-fo&feature=channel_video_title

Top Cambodian officials leave for Indonesian meetting on border issue with Thailand

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 01:59 PM PDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y6ovULwaYI&feature=player_embedded

Humanity in the Midst of War: An American Red Cross training in Seattle, Washington

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 01:55 PM PDT

Greetings!

We are pleased to announce the date of the next International Humanitarian Law workshop - Friday, May 6th. If you have not yet had the opportunity to take this course, we hope you can join us! Please see details below and feel free to share with others who might be interested.

--
Hang, Sokmakara
Cell: (425) 322-6480
Email: hangsokmakara@gmail.com

Thai army used DPICM, a cluster bomb that is not considered a cluster bomb: Thai army's STUPID dichotomy of "CLUSTER BOMB"

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 12:30 PM PDT

The Israeli made cluster ammunition (DPICM) is fired from artillery. Thai forces used M85 cluster ammunition, similar to those in this graphic on the Israeli weapons.

Thailand 'used cluster munitions'

7/04/2011
Bangkok Post, Agencies

Thailand used cluster bombs on Cambodian territory in February in contravention of an international agreement banning their use, a campaigning body said Wednesday.

The Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC) claimed Thailand had confirmed the findings of CMC officials at a meeting on Tuesday, acknowledging the first known use of such arms since the ban came into force last year.

Their use killed two people, said the CMC - an umbrella body for non-government organisations which played a major role in getting a wide range of countries to sign up to a ban.

The Thai army has constantly denied using cluster bombs during the border clashes with Cambodia.

Acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn Wednesday said the Thai army had explained to the public that the munitions it had used to attack Cambodian soldiers were not considered the same type of cluster munitions that the CMC mentioned.

Mr Panitan said in fact there were several types of cluster munitions being used in several countries but it depends on how each army categorises them.

He said the Thai army used Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM) which is artillery designed to attack missiles and Thailand does not consider it a cluster bomb.

"It's appalling that any country would resort to using cluster munitions after the international community banned them," said Laura Cheeseman, director of the CMC.

"Thailand has been a leader in the global ban on anti-personnel mines, and it is unconscionable that it used banned weapons that indiscriminately kill and injure civilians in a similar manner." Cambodia and Thailand are not among the 108 countries that have signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, but each has joined a 1997 landmine ban treaty.

The convention, under which signatories pledge to ban production, stockpiling and use of cluster weapons, went into force in August last year.

"These cluster munitions have already robbed two men of their lives, two more have lost their arms and a further five were injured," said Sister Denise Coghlan, a CMC leader.

"The area must be cleared immediately to prevent more suffering. Cambodia must make every effort to ensure the safety of civilians."

On Hun Xen's wealth declaration - By Anonymous

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 12:13 PM PDT

Rob Hamill to file civil party applicatio​n in Case 003/004 against Meas Muth and Sou Met

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 11:42 AM PDT

Rob HAMILL Files Civil Party Application

in Case 003/004 against

Khmer Rouge Military Commanders MEAS Muth and SOU Met

at the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts in Cambodia (ECCC)

_______________________

PRESS RELEASE

_______________________

Between 17 April 1975 and 6 January 1979 more than 1,700,000 people were murdered, starved or worked to death during the rule of the Khmer Rouge regime, yet to date only one person has stood trial for the atrocities. 

An 26 July 2010, Kaing Guek Eav (alias Duch) was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his role as commandant of S21 (aka Toul Sleng), the Phnom Penh based prison that tortured and murdered approximately 14,000 people.

The Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts in Cambodia (ECCC) is close to beginning Case 002, the trial of the four highest ranking surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime: Mr. NUON Chea, Mr. IENG Sary, Mr. KHIEU Samphan and Mrs. IENG Thirith.

However, investigations into Case 003/004 of five unnamed individuals who operated in the high echelons of the Khmer Rouge regime is sitting in limbo largely due to overt political interference and UN lethargy.

HAMILTON, NEW ZEALAND, 7 April 2011:

Friday, 8 April 2011, Mr Rob HAMILL, in his private capacity, is lodging an application to become a Civil Party in Case 003/004 against Khmer Rouge commanders Mr MEAS Muth and Mr SOU Met, two of the five individuals believed to be under investigation by the United Nations personnel at the Office of Co-Investigating Judges of the ECCC.

Mr HAMILL's Civil Party application will be only the second to be submitted to the ECCC for Case 003/004, the first being from Cambodian human rights activist and Khmer Rouge survivor Ms Theary SENG (www.thearyseng.com) on Monday 4 April 2011.

Mr HAMILL holds Mr MEAS Muth and Mr SOU Met personally, individually, criminally responsible for the death of his brother Kerry Hamill, inter alia, for their roles as military commanders who contributed to the common purpose and design in the arrests and executions specifically in their respective divisions and generally for the whole of Cambodia and who also controlled the Navy and Air Force of Democratic Kampuchea, respectively.

Particular emphasis is given to MEAS Muth, who, in his role as commander of the Khmer Rouge navy played a pivotal role in the capture of Rob Hamill's brother, Kerry Hamill who, on 13 August 1978, was moored off Koh Tang Island when attacked by a Khmer Rouge gunboat and taken prisoner at Toul Sleng prison in Phnom Penh.  Kerry Hamill was tortured, forced to sign a confession that he was a CIA operative, then executed.  Both Meas Muth and SOU Met knew of and contributed countless victims to Toul Sleng prison.

"One of my concerns lies in the fact that Case 003 and 004 appear to be dormant.  In fact, there is growing information suggesting the imminent dropping of the case," says Mr Hamill.

"For me and my family this is not good enough.  It harks back to the post Khmer Rouge cold war politics of the time.  In the late 1970's through to the mid 1980's many countries still recognised the Khmer Rouge leadership at the UN.  This included the National Party lead Government of the time here in New Zealand that still acknowledged Pol Pot's regime at the UN." 

"At the time my father, Miles Hamill, wrote many letters to our government.  In one letter to the Prime Minister he wrote 'Mr Muldoon Sir, if you can faintly understand the shock and grief I and my family are suffering over this ghastly affair, then you will surely do all in your power as the Head of New Zealand's governing body to investigate my son's death.'  He went onto ask 'Why has New Zealand ever recognised the Pol Pot regime in Kampuchea?  To recognise must surely mean to condone their actions as a Government?'"

"The recognition of the Pol Pot regime at that time was politically driven and was totally unacceptable to my father," says Rob Hamill.  "If the ECCC drop Case 003/004 this would be equally unacceptable."

Immediately after the lodging of his application, he will be available for comment to discuss the matters with interested media:

For further information, please feel free to contact Rob HAMILL at rob@wave.co.nz +64 (0)7 825 9921 or +64 (0)274 936677 or Ms Lyma NGUYEN lymanguyen@gmail.com +61 (0)404 111 579This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

. . . . .

Power of Attorney

Ms Lyma NGUYEN lymanguyen@gmail.com +61 (0)404 111 579 (international lawyer)

Mr SAM Sokong (national Cambodian lawyer)

.........

Other reading material available:

ECCC Internal Rules, 23 Feb. 2011 (Rev. 7)

. . . . .

Seven Candidates for Prosecution:

http://www.wcl.american.edu/warcrimes/khmerrouge.html

Accountability for Crimes of the Khmer Rouge

By Prof. Stephen Heder and Brian D. Tittemore

American University, War Crimes Research Office (June 2001)

. . . . .

Judgement of ECCC Case 001

http://www.eccc.gov.kh/documents/court/judgement-case-001

.....

Closing Order of ECCC Case 002

Sept. 2010

. . . . . .

Open Society Justice Initiative Reports

Growing Economy at a ‘Crossroads’: ADB

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 08:06 AM PDT

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Wednesday, 06 April 2011

"We think that Cambodian recovery is firming up, but the country remains heavily dependent on a few sources of driver growth that includes the agri-sector, garment, tourism, construction and real estate."

The Asian Development Bank said Wednesday Cambodia's economic growth in coming years will reach up to 6.7 percent, driven by recovery in key sectors following the 2008 economic crisis.

Peter Brimble, a senior economist for the Bank, said growth in 2010 showed Cambodia on a strong footing. But he warned the country is now at a "crossroads," with economic drivers showing a lot of potential.

"The pressure is now on to intensify efforts at meeting the longstanding challenges of accelerating economic diversification and improving the general investment climate," Brimble said in a statement.

Poulang Doung, an economist for the Bank, said Wednesday that the country's growth derived from recovery in clothing exports and tourism that had flagged in 2009, as well as growth in agriculture.

"We think that Cambodian recovery is firming up, but the country remains heavily dependent on a few sources of driver growth that includes the agri-sector, garment, tourism, construction and real estate," he said.

Cambodia's economy still relies on the US and EU markets, especially for its garment exports, he said.

Garment export to the US grew from about $1.9 billion in 2009 to $2.2 billion in 2010, according the US Department of Commerce.

Tourist arrivals, meanwhile, climbed from 2.2 million to 2.5 million during the same period, bringing in a total revenue of $1.8 billion in 2010, Poulang Doung said. The agricultural sector grew by about 4.2 percent in 2010, thanks in part to an increase in rice production.

The Bank estimated Cambodia's gross domestic product would grow 6.5 percent in 2011 and 6.8 percent in 2012, up from a growth rate of 6.3 percent last year.

Chan Sophal, an economist and president of the Cambodia Economic Association, said he expected growth over the next two years to reach up to 8 percent, thanks to strong improvements in many sections of the economy.

The country cannot depend only on rice, garments, tourism, construction and real estate, he said, but must invest in the production of vegetables and fruit, cattle, pork, poultry, and the production of consumer goods, like sugar or furniture.

Planning Under Way for Trials of Aging Khmer Rouge

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 08:03 AM PDT

Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Wednesday, 06 April 2011

"The hearing will be scheduled once their health conditions are determined."

Defense lawyers for accused Khmer Rouge leaders said Tuesday they want the court to consider the health problems of their aging clients, as officials met to begin planning for an upcoming trial.

The UN-backed tribunal is heading into its second trial of Khmer Rouge leaders, in what promises to be a drawn-out process, even as the defendants continue to report health concerns.

Observers have long worried that a lengthy trial process would mean defendants Nuon Chea, 85; Khieu Samphan, 79; Ieng Sary, 85; and Ieng Thirith, 69; would not see their day in court.

"The accused persons are all old and often sick," Son Arun, a defense lawyer for Nuon Chea, told VOA Khmer. "So I asked [court officials], when they are sick, how can the court solve the problem?"

Nuon Chea has high blood pressure and problems with his eyes. Ieng Sary has heart trouble, and his wife, Ieng Thirith, suffers from mental health problems. Khieu Samphan, the healthiest among them, has fallen ill from time to time while in the custody of the tribunal.

Defense lawyers say they need specialist doctors to evaluate the condition of the accused before a hearing is fully set in motion.

"The hearing will be scheduled once their health conditions are determined," said Phat Peou Seang, an attorney for Ieng Thirith.

Tuesday's trial management meetings also focused on internal rules of the court, especially for recognizing foreign lawyers a defense motion challenging the indictment stage of the case—including whether an indictment of Ieng Sary constitutes the second time he has been charged with the same crime, following a State of Cambodia trial in 1979.

Micheal Pestman, an attorney for Ieng Sary, said the health question was also discussed and that he hoped the problem will be solved properly.

Khieu Samphan lawyer Sar Savan said he had not claimed anything related to the health of his client, but he insisted the court apply a balance of common law and civil law.

Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath declined to provide further details on the meetings.

Border Conflict Helped by Ignorance: Scholar

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 08:00 AM PDT

Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Tuesday, 05 April 2011

"Students in Thailand know little about the history of Angkor Wat, while Cambodians remain unaware of their religious ties to Thailand."

While Cambodia and Thailand continue their protracted dispute over the border, scholars in the US said last week both neighbors should look deeper into their history and remove internal politics to ease the tension.

John Burgess, a longtime Washington Post reporter who has written a book about a Khmer temple in modern Thailand, told an audience in Washington last week the current crisis will ease once Thailand's internal political situation calms and once Cambodia's system of government opens up.

Burgess, author of "Stories in Stones: The Sdok Kok Thom Inscription and the Enigma of Khmer History," told the Asian Society the situation would be calmer without Thais "thronging the streets and citing the loss of land to Cambodia" as a point of contention with the ruling administration.

While acknowledging that Thai-Cambodian conflicts have deep roots, he also noted that both countries have little understanding of their related histories. Students in Thailand know little about the history of Angkor Wat, while Cambodians remain unaware of their religious ties to Thailand, he said.

"I've always been shocked at how ignorant the two sides are of each other," said the author, who became interested in the Sdok Kok Thom temple, near Aranyaprathet, Thailand, while covering Cambodian refugees in 1979. "Other than these wars that everybody knows about, there is basically almost zero comprehension on both sides of the border."

Professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak of the Chulalongkorn University, who was a speaker at the discussion, agreed, saying both countries need to rewrite their textbooks and stop stereotyping each other.

"If you take the government and army aside in that area, people are okay," he said. "They've been trading from 1962 to 2008 without a problem. In fact Thais can visit the temple and Cambodians vice versa, and foreign tourists."

Now, however, troops from both sides are locked in a border standoff, one that has led to skirmishes and killings since 2008. Nationalistic groups in Thailand have seized on the border issue in an attempt to oust different administrations in Thailand since that time, while Cambodian officials have accused Thailand of attempting to take Cambodian land.

Thitinan said Cambodia had become a "pawn" in Thai politics, which are now heading toward an election, with anti-government protesters hoping to oust the current prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Kem Sos, an independent analyst, agreed.

"There're a lot of emotion, a lot of muscle, not much wisdom, not much legal procedure to solve the problem," he said.

Asean Lawmakers Seek to Protect Region’s Migrants

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 07:57 AM PDT

In March, Hun Sen ordered the Anti-Corruption Unit to look into the growing sector of recruitment, following death of Seung Sina earlier this month at the T&P company's center in Phnom Penh.

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer

Phnom Penh Tuesday, 05 April 2011

"If Cambodian migrant workers are illegal, we ask that country to allow them to meet with Cambodian diplomatic officials there to send them back home, not to imprison them and not to mistreat them."

A group of Asean lawmakers in Phnom Penh Tuesday passed a resolution to help protect migrant workers, including Cambodians who are increasingly reporting abuse in their jobs abroad.

Cambodian domestic laborers, especially those bound for Malaysia, have reported numerous abuses in recent months, underscoring the dangers in Cambodia's efforts to ease unemployment through migration.

However, officials of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly say they will seek to protect the rights of migrant workers across the region, while improving their wages and working conditions.

"AIPA is concerned with the abuse, violence, discrimination as well as violation of human rights of migrant workers," according to the resolution passed Tuesday, under the 32nd General Assembly of the group.

Ho Naun, head of the labor committee for the National Assembly, told reporters Tuesday that Cambodian workers—legal or not—in Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and other countries would benefit from the resolution.

"We ask that the receiving countries protect the rights of Cambodians and not punish migrant workers," she said. "If Cambodian migrant workers are illegal, we ask that country to allow them to meet with Cambodian diplomatic officials there to send them back home, not to imprison them and not to mistreat them."

Tep Ngorn, vice president of the Senate, said in closing remarks Tuesday the resolution would help countries stop human trafficking and would protect migrant workers.

However, Cambodia is facing a problem of abuse of its workers abroad.

According to the Ministry of Labor, Cambodia sent nearly 5,800 legal workers in Malaysia in 2010, nearly two-thirds of them women.

Workers have reported sexual abuse and other mistreatment, long hours and malnourishment once they get to Malaysia, along with recruiting agencies here that are reluctant to let them go once they have paid for their passports, documents and incentives.

At least two women bound for Malaysia have died at recruiting centers this year.

On Monday, Srey Sophal, the mother of a maid in Malaysia, told reporters her daughter was raped at least twice last month by her Malaysian employer.

"My daughter called me, crying, saying that the house owner beat her and threatened to drop her from the top of the house," she said Monday. She appealed to the government to help bring her daughter home.

Van Sakrany, general director of the Champa Manpower Group Ltd, which recruited the woman, said he was flying to Malaysia to investigate.

American Laments Injustice for 1997 Grenade Attack

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 07:54 AM PDT

Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Tuesday, 05 April 2011

While the US FBI has closed its investigation into a deadly grenade attack on an opposition rally 14 years ago, an American injured in the attack says he has not given up.

Ron Abney, the former head of the International Republican Institute in Cambodia, was the sole American injured among at least 150 others when unknown assailants threw a series of grenades into an opposition rally in Phnom Penh.

Sixteen people died in the attack, which took place on March 30, 1997.

In September 2010, Abney filed a complaint with the New York Attorney General's office, claiming Prime Minister Hun Sen, who was visiting the state at the time, and his subordinates had obstructed justice during an ensuing FBI investigation of the attack. Hun Sen and his representatives have repeatedly declined to comment on the case.

"It's about those families, the cane seller, Japanese photographer, and myself," Abney told VOA Khmer in an interview, referring to those who were injured or killed. He called the attack "attempted murder."

"It's not about me," he said. "It's never been about me."

However, it was Abney's US citizenship that led to an FBI investigation. The FBI interviewed witnesses in and out of the presence of Cambodian officials, in sites from Cambodia, Thailand and the US, according to FBI documents released to VOA Khmer.

The FBI interviewed former bodyguards of Hun Sen, who was co-premier at the time, questioning them about their unusual deployment at the rally and accusations they had abetted the escape of the attackers.

No conclusive results came as a result of the investigation, which was later closed, and no one has ever been convicted for the attack. The FBI concluded that Abney was not the intended target.

Morton Sklar, Abney's attorney for the New York suit, said in an email the criminal complaint was filed as "part of a larger effort that we have been engaged in to bring pressure on Hun Sen concerning his widespread human rights abuses, past and present."

Hun Sen can invoke immunity as the head of state as long as he is in power, Sklar added.

Samrith Duonghak, a former journalist who was injured as he covered the 1997 rally, said in an interview recently he was not able to walk for two months after he was hit with shrapnel.

"Worse than my case, some people have lost their husbands and relatives," he said. "Per rule of law, shall we continue with this culture of impunity?"

Abney, who returns to Cambodia regularly to maintain an orphanage he established here, said he too retains a painful memory of the attack. However, he said he is not afraid to pursue justice for it.

"They always tell me, if you miss the first time with a hand grenade, you'll miss the second time too," he said.

Hun Sen advisers contacted by VOA Khmer declined to comment on the case. Adviser Prak Sokhun said the case was out of date. In New York last year, adviser Sry Thamarong said Hun Sen's administration would pay no heed to Abney's suit.

In Cambodia, Abney said, there is little remembrance of the attack, which came during a turbulent time in Cambodian politics—and just ahead of the July 1997 coup that put Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian People's Party firmly in power.

However, each year the opposition Sam Rainsy Party commemorates the attack, which took place at the north end of Botum Vatey park, where a memorial to victims now stands.

Abney said the case has similarly fallen off the US radar.

"I'm going to have to do a lot of work," he said. "Now that I'm back from Cambodia, I'll try to get the legislature involved. So I'm going to work on that every day."

Hero of Khmer Border

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 07:45 AM PDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loeOto2RKHQ

Kasit: Decision on whether to attend border meeting in Indonesia up to Thai military

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 07:37 AM PDT

BANGKOK, April 6 (MCOT online news) -- Foreign Affairs Minister Kasit Piromya said Wednesday the decision on whether or not to attend the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) meeting to be held in Indonesia rests with the Thai military brass themselves.

Past GBC meetings were held both in Thailand and Cambodia, but the military of both countries still had not agreed on whether to allow Indonesian observers to be posted to the disputed 4.6 square-kilometre zone in order to prevent clashes from reoccurring. It is up to the Thai military themselves to decide on whether they attend the meeting in Indonesia, Mr Kasit said.

His remarks were made after Supreme Commander Gen Songkitti Jaggabatara said Tuesday that Thai army officers would not attend the GBC meeting and that Thailand would not allow Indonesian observers to be present at the disputed border.

Indonesia, currently chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), called earlier for both the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission and GBC meetings to be held tomorrow and Friday in Bogor, Indonesia.

The arrangement was part of an agreement to settle the boundary conflict between the two ASEAN neighbours and included a plan to dispatch Indonesian observers to the disputed area adjacent to the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

Gen Songkitti added that the Thai army is ready to attend the GBC meeting in Cambodia when the right time and place comes.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, responsible for national security affairs, meanwhile, said the GBC meeting is held annually and the two neighbouring countries take turns to host it.

"If the meeting does not adhere to the commitment then it is the duty of the (Thai) military to negotiate and display the right stance," Mr Suthep added.

Thai Cambodia Border tensions loom again

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 07:33 AM PDT

April 6, 2011
Posted by Michael Vatikiotis
Asia Security Initiative
MacArthur Foundation

A landmark agreement among ASEAN Foreign Ministers in February effectively defused a dangerous stand-off between Thai and Cambodian forces along their common border by agreeing on the deployment of Indonesian monitors on either side of the border and also the convening of bilateral talks between the two sides in Indonesia.

However, since then, little has moved on either of these fronts. Indonesia has not yet managed to deploy the observers – now set at 15 on each side of the border. More worryingly, Thai military officials have said they do not want to join bilateral talks on the border dispute in a third country. Cambodia, for its part insists on the talks taking place in Indonesia. The talks are set to start on April 7th in Bogor, a city outside Jakarta where ironically the first round of the Cambodian peace process meetings was convened in 1988.

Should the agreement unravel there is the threat of renewed fighting along the border. This could then lead to further international diplomatic maneuvering that could see the issue return to the floor of the UN Security Council in New York. 

ASEAN stands to lose a lot of diplomatic face. The 22nd February agreement among ASEAN Foreign Ministers boosted the regional organization's conflict management credentials and lent impetus to further development of ASEAN's mediation role. It would be a particular blow for Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, whose personal diplomatic intervention, involving visits to Thailand, Cambodia and the United Nations in New York, helped broker the deal that reduced tensions.

Indonesia is chairman of ASEAN for the year and is hoping that the reinforcement of ASEAN's role in preserving regional security will be a crowning achievement for the year. The ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint, formally adopted at the 14th ASEAN Summit in 2009, calls for the strengthening of existing mechanisms for the settlement of disputes. It also urges the development of ASEAN modalities for good offices, conciliation and mediation.

So how can the situation be fixed? Thai officials are hoping to persuade their military colleagues that the bilateral meetings with Cambodia can be held in Indonesia. The diplomats can go ahead and meet under the auspices of the civilian-run Joint Border Committee, whilst the military is involved in a separate general Border Committee. They will insist that Indonesian officials stay out of the meetings and hope that Cambodia accepts this too.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's defence attaches are in the process of visiting the border areas of both countries to prepare for the monitoring mission. Given the extreme sensitivities, it is hardly surprising that the process is taking some time.

Privately, Thai officials say it is important for the Indonesian monitors to steer clear of the disputed zone in the immediate vicinity of the disputed Hindu temple.

But more importantly it is now time for other agencies such as UNESCO, which helped spark renewed tensions along the border after considering an application for listing the disputed temple as a world heritage site, to contribute to a de-escalation of the conflict. This might be possible. It has been suggested that UNESCO consider a multiple listing of other ancient sites that litter the long Thai-Cambodian border – thereby taking the heat of the disputed Preah Vihear temple.

It would of course also help a great deal if politicians on both sides of the border stopped stoking the border dispute for their own selfish reasons.

Nationalism is one of the crudest but also the most lethal of weapons, as it turns differences of opinion into war.

Thailand Uses Cluster Munitions Against Cambodia

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 07:29 AM PDT

Robert Carmichael, Voice of America
Phnom Penh April 06, 2011

A group that campaigns against the use of cluster munitions says Thailand used the outlawed weapons against Cambodia during border clashes in February this year.

The Cluster Munition Coalition, or CMC, says it carried out two inspections of areas in northern Cambodia that were shelled by Thailand during several days of fighting in February and concluded that Thailand did fire cluster munitions.

CMC director Laura Cheeseman says Thailand's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva admitted in a meeting this week that his country used the weapons.

The Thai ambassador claimed his country acted in self defense and in accordance with military codes.

Cluster munitions are small bombs that are typically packed 50 to 60 at a time into an artillery shell. On impact the munitions scatter widely and are meant to explode. But they have a high failure rate, which means many remain armed and lethal, and end up killing civilians often years later.

The CMC says this is the first use of the weapons since the global Convention on Cluster Munitions took effect in 2010. The treaty, signed by 108 countries and ratified by about half of them, bans countries from producing, stockpiling and using cluster munitions. Thailand was not one of the signers, while Cambodia has signed but not yet ratified it.

Heng Ratana is the director-general of Cambodian Mine Action Center, the government agency that is tasked with ridding Cambodia of landmines and bombs. He says when news of cluster munitions first arose in February, CMAC was concerned the issue would be highly politicized.

"But from the CMAC point of view it is a humanitarian issue, because we identify cluster on the ground and we were so worried about 4 to 5,000 families will return to their community and will be affected by cluster munitions on the ground," Ratana explains.

Ratana says CMAC has already taken steps to inform people in the shelled area about the dangers of cluster munitions.

"We already provide some cluster awareness to at least around 4,000 families who are affected by this cluster already. And we also provide posters on the trees and so on, or on the walls of schools to provide that kind of awareness in place as well. So we hope that this will provide good safety for them," Ratana said.

Meanwhile, the Cluster Munition Coalition says both Thailand and Cambodia should immediately agree that neither will use the banned weapons, and that both will sign the treaty.

Cambodian girl dies of H5N1

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 07:26 AM PDT

PHNOM PENH, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization announced Wednesday that an 11- year old girl from the eastern province of Kompong Cham has died of avian influenza H5N1.

A joint statement sent to the media said the 11-year old girl from Kbal Au Village, Steung Trang District, Kompong Cham province died on March 31 as a result of respiratory complications after contracting human avian influenza virus H5N1.

"The girl is the 14th person in Cambodia to become infected with the H5N1 virus and the tenth to die from complications of the disease," the statement said.

The patient became sick on March 22 and she was initially treated by local villagers with no effect and was admitted to a local hospital on March 29 before she was later on March 31 sent to a hospital in Siem Reap province where she died just four hours after admission.

"Avian influenza is still a threat to the health of Cambodians - - early identification of potential patients is the fastest way of ensuring they can have correct treatment," said Minister of Health Mam Bunheng.

"I urge communities to be on the look-out for respiratory infection with history of contact with dead or sick poultry to promptly seek medical attention at the nearest health facilities," he added.

Cambodian girl dies from bird flu

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 07:22 AM PDT

Apr 6, 2011
AFP

PHNOM PENH - AN 11-YEAR-OLD Cambodian girl has died from bird flu, officials said on Wednesday, bringing to four the number of fatalities from the virus since the start of the year.

The child, from eastern Kampong Cham province, died on March 31, the health ministry and the World Health Organisation said in a joint statement. Tests confirmed she had contracted H5N1 avian influenza.

'The girl is the 14th person in Cambodia to become infected with the H5N1 virus and the 12th to die from complications of the disease' since 2003, the statement said.

In early February, Cambodia reported its first bird flu fatality in nearly a year with the death of a five-year-old girl.

Later that month a mother and her 11-month-old son also fell victim to the virus.

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza has killed more than 300 people worldwide since 2003.

Cambodia's economy to grow 6.5 pct in 2011: ADB

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 07:21 AM PDT

PHNOM PENH, Apr. 6, 2011 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's gross domestic product (GDP) is set to increase by 6.5 percent this year, up 0.2 percentage points from last year, thanks to agriculture, tourism and garment industries, said the Asian Development Bank's Outlook 2011 released on Wednesday.

The forecast is the same as the prediction by the World Bank and similar to the forecast of the government of Cambodia at between 6-7 percent this year.

"Agriculture is estimated to expand 4.3 percent this year, thanks to continuing investment in irrigation and broader access to fertilizers and high-yield seeds," said the report, "Growth in industry is projected at around 10.8 percent based on positive indications for future garment orders from the United States and Europe."

It forecast the growth of services at around 5 percent and higher tourism receipts will contribute to a surplus in services trade.

"The continued recovery of exports and tourism in 2011 is expected to help Cambodia sustain its return to a long-term growth path of 6-7 percent," said ADB senior country economist Peter Brimble at the launch of the report.

The bank forecast the inflation rate as 5.5 percent this year, up from 4 percent last year, due to external events such as unexpected global economic weakness or higher-than-assumed oil prices.

The report also warned that the lack of progress on fiscal consolidation, combined with low tax revenue and the absence of government debt securities, may eventually lead to problems in funding the fiscal deficit.

"This will require continued prudent handling of monetary policies and government expenditures, combined with intensified efforts to build capital markets and to broaden the tax base and increase the low levels of revenue collection," said Brimble.

Meanwhile, Brimble said that to date, Cambodia has the external debt of estimated 3.5 billion U.S. dollars. In 2010, China is the largest lender to Cambodia, accounting for 58 percent of the total loans Cambodia received.

The bank also forecast that the country's gross international reserves are projected to grow to 2.84 billion U.S. dollars this year.

Moreover, it stresses the potential benefits of enhanced connectivity with regional neighbors Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, and emphasizes the need to improve the competitiveness of the garment, agriculture, and tourism sectors by reducing the high cost of transport, energy and related infrastructure, raising the quality of existing products and services, and developing skills to add value to products.