KI Media: “Cambodia Supports China in The Defense of Her Sovereignty Over The South China Sea” plus 24 more |
- Cambodia Supports China in The Defense of Her Sovereignty Over The South China Sea
- Sorry, Queen Monineath Sihanouk, the first lady of Cambodia is ... Chumteav Bandit Bun Rany Hun Xen
- Restaurateur shares how he survived Killing Fields in memoir
- DNA links rapist, Pov Srun to earlier assault
- [Thai] Premier says suspected spy leader has fled country [-Is it an admission of Thai intelligence incompentency?]
- UN Fails to Address Crisis of Credibility Facing Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge Tribunal
- UN Blasted for Failure to Address Tribunal Credibility
- Internet Access is a Human Right, says United Nations report
- Arrest warrant out for Cambodian spy
- Land-grabber Lao Meng Khin's coal-fired power plant to be approved without transparency
- Independent Media in Exile - report 2011 [-Cambodia's case: The Free Press Magazine]
- Statement By The International Co-prosecutor Regarding Case File 004
- Funcinpec to learn the communist experience?
- Border issues: HRP plan to boycott debate
- Thai PM says Cambodian spy escapes
- Hundreds sick in mass fainting in Cambodian factory
- ECCC Law
- Convention on the Rights of the Child
- 5,000 troops recruited
- Protest turns violent
- Press Release: Agenda for Case 002 Initial Hearing
- Khmer Rouge war crimes panel depicted in crisis
- Closing Order of Case 002 against Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith
- Sinatoon: Tep Vong, the powerful monk
- The World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index 2011
| Cambodia Supports China in The Defense of Her Sovereignty Over The South China Sea Posted: 16 Jun 2011 02:33 PM PDT 17 June 2011 CAMBODIA SUPPORTS CHINA IN THE DEFENSE OF HER SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA On behalf of the Cambodian people, the 28 elected Members of Parliament (26 National Assembly Members and two Senators) from the Sam Rainsy Party would like to express their support to, and their solidarity with, the Peoples' Republic of China at a time when this great friend and ally of Cambodia is rightfully asserting its sovereignty over the South China Sea including the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands. We have been denouncing and condemning Vietnam's arrogance and groundless claims to territories belonging to neighboring countries. The continuous violation of Cambodia's territorial integrity by expansionist Vietnam and the bellicist position Hanoi is adopting in South East Asia and in the South China Sea constitute a serious threat to peace and stability in the region. We urge Vietnam to stop stirring up tensions with provocative military exercises and to stop using her current position as chair of the Association of South East Asian Nations to try to internationalize any conflict Hanoi wants to exacerbate in the South China Sea. SRP Members of Parliament  | ||||||
| Sorry, Queen Monineath Sihanouk, the first lady of Cambodia is ... Chumteav Bandit Bun Rany Hun Xen Posted: 16 Jun 2011 02:04 PM PDT
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| Restaurateur shares how he survived Killing Fields in memoir Posted: 16 Jun 2011 01:24 PM PDT
16 June 2011 By Irfan Shariff Northwest Asian Weekly Sam (Seng) Ung and Thomas McElroy have known each other for 15 years. They were neighbors in the same South Seattle neighborhood. Ung introduced himself to McElroy's dog in Chinese. McElroy knew then, as his dog listened patiently to Ung, that this would be a long-lasting friendship. Over the years, Ung, his wife, and three daughters became like family to McElroy and his wife. Although no longer neighbors, their bond has only strengthened. In 2009, Ung and McElroy embarked on a journey to write Ung's memoir, "I Survived the Killing Fields: The True Life Story of a Cambodia Refugee," which was published earlier this year. "It was my first dream," said Ung. Since 1980, when he arrived in Seattle, he had wanted to write about his history so that future generations would know what happened to him and other Cambodians. "[Until] the book came out, even the kids (Ung's daughters) had no idea what their dad had been through," said McElroy. "You don't talk about those things." McElroy noticed the same thing about other Cambodian refugees. Since 1987, Ung has been the owner of the Phnom Penh Noodle House in the International District, where he works every day, except Wednesdays. The restaurant specializes in the cuisine of Ung's native Cambodia, Phnom Penh being its largest city and capital. The past Ung, however, grew up in Battambang, the country's second largest city, located almost 200 hundred miles northwest of Phnom Penh. His father owned a successful noodle house and raised Ung and his nine siblings in a comfortable, yet very hardworking household until 1975, when the Khmer Rouge regime took control of Cambodia. The term Khmer refers to the main ethnic group in Cambodia, or ethnic Cambodians. Rouge, French for "red," connotes the Communist leanings of the regime. Ung and his family were of ethnic Chinese descent and a key target of the Khmer Rouge, which aimed to clear Cambodia of outsiders. "The Khmer Rouge stopped the economy dead in its tracks in three days," said McElroy, who was asked by Ung to help write his story. "It was a total cultural devastation." The book describes the process by which families and populations were uprooted from their cities and villages to work the Killing Fields, where Cambodians were killed or worked to death. "They were trying to build a truly agrarian society," said McElroy, who estimates that up to 3.5 million Cambodians were directly or indirectly killed by their own government. The book "I Survived the Killing Fields" is both Ung's and McElroy's first book. Ung knows several languages, but English isn't his strongest. Although coming from an educated family, Ung's formal schooling was cut short because he was needed to help at his father's restaurant. "He was more of the street-wise brother," said McElroy. "Street-wise people can make things happen." McElroy, who holds degrees in both music and computer science, put the words behind Ung's emotions. Every Wednesday, when the restaurant was closed, McElroy and Ung would meet to write. The 25-month process was "also a growth experience for me," McElroy said. "We went through 30 versions." The process would later take them both to Cambodia. During their meetings, McElroy would record Ung as he remembered his past. He would then formulate those memories into the story and match them, for a backdrop, with the corresponding historical events that plagued the country. "It was hard to write. Sam would start crying, then I'd lose it," said McElroy. "My head is full," Ung would tell him. Sometimes, Ung would call McElroy late at night as he remembered new details. "I feel proud about what I have done," says Ung. "A lot of people believe that since these events are in the past, it doesn't need to be brought up again," said Ung. "It has passed, but it stays inside." Dani Morton, a volunteer and community activist from Shoreline, is glad that Ung shared his story. Morton also experienced the Killing Fields, where her father was killed. "It was very courageous of him to write this. The majority of us are crippled," she says. "We have the experience of not talking to anyone because of fear of torture." Ung's book emphasizes the level of paranoia among the Cambodians during the time. Morton believes this fear continued as refugees came to the United States. Morton advocates for Cambodian American health issues at the national level. "Because of the war, the majority of Cambodian Americans have tremendous hardship, both physical and psychological," she says. The Cambodian community The community in Seattle ranks third in the country after cities in California and Massachusetts. Cambodian Americans in Seattle, however, are both socially and linguistically isolated, said Morton. "We continue to face many challenges from becoming fully integrated into American society," she said. "Even after three decades, we can't get back up because of the experiences we had." Ung's story is also that of living out his dream and succeeding. He wants to tell the world about a country whose history is sometimes forgotten. "The American consciousness was fixated on Vietnam, and Cambodia got kind of lost," said McElroy. "There was awareness, but not enough." Morton also recalls an incident where she met an American professor who had never met a Cambodian before. The professor had heard about the war, but he didn't know how badly it had affected the Cambodian people. "His experience is similar to the rest of us," said Morton. "With this story, we all have a responsibility to tell the world." "I never forget who I am and where I come from," said Ung, who hopes his book will help others tell their stories. "I Survived the Killing Fields" was published by S & T Publishing, a joint venture between Ung and McElroy. They hope to issue a second edition of the book that incorporates more details from Ung's brothers, as well as an anthology of writings from other survivors. Ung will be available for book signings at the Wing Luke Museum on June 18, July 16, Aug. 20, and he will do a reading on Sept. 17. To purchase "I Survived the Killings Fields," visit the Marketplace at the Wing Luke Museum or Phnom Penh Noodle House. Irfan Shariff can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.  | ||||||
| DNA links rapist, Pov Srun to earlier assault Posted: 16 Jun 2011 01:13 PM PDT
One victim was snatched from lot at Waynesboro Mall Jun 16, 2011 By Staff reports The Record Herald (Pennsylvania, USA) Waynesboro, Pa. — A man convicted of mid-2000s rapes in Pennsylvania and Maryland has been indicted by a grand jury in connection with a 1998 sexual assault in Washington County, Md. Pov Srun, 40, a native of Cambodia and formerly of Hagerstown, was indicted on charges of first- and second-degree rape, kidnapping, first- and second-degree sex offenses, unlawful restraint and second-degree assault. DNA found on clothing in the Dec. 8, 1998, rape matches Srun's, according to documents filed in the case. Srun is accused of hiding in a woman's vehicle and kidnapping her as she was leaving for work. He allegedly forced her to drive to an area ballfield at knifepoint before raping her, the documents said. Previous convictions Srun, also called the duct-tape rapist, is serving the 35-year sentence in Jessup, Md., for 2006 convictions of rape. He was accused of abducting a woman from a school parking lot in 2005, and assaulting a teenager in a shopping center parking lot. He was also convicted of raping two women in Franklin County Court in 2007 and was sentenced to an additional 34 1/2 to 170 years in prison, to be served consecutively with his Maryland sentence. In both Pennsylvania cases, Srun kidnapped the women from parking lots — the Waynesboro Mall parking lot and the Weis parking lot in Chambersburg. He wore duct tape over his face and drove the women to remote locations before sexually assaulting them and driving them back to the parking lots.  | ||||||
| Posted: 16 Jun 2011 01:08 PM PDT 17/06/2011 Bangkok Post Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has admitted that the suspected leader of three men arrested for alleged spying on the Thai-Cambodian border has managed to flee the country. Mr Abhisit yesterday said he had received information from authorities concerned that the suspected leader of the group, who is a Cambodian colonel, had escaped from Thailand. Police are now questioning the three men who were detained in connection with the alleged spying to find out further information, Mr Abhisit said. He insisted that Thailand had not fabricated the spying allegations against Cambodia. A Thai, a Cambodian and a Vietnamese, were arrested in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket on the evening of June 7 carrying maps with military bases marked on them, according to police. The three were identified as Suchart Muhammad, a 32-year-old Thai Muslim, Cambodian citizen Ung Kimtai, 43, and Nguyen Teng Dang, 37, a Vietnamese national. All three suspects denied they were spying in the area. Cambodia accused Thailand of "deceitful fabrication" following the arrests. Phnom Penh said the spy claims were fabricated to justify Thai aggression against Cambodia along the border. Police said Mr Suchart had admitted that he was paid 5,000 baht to drive a pickup truck for a group of six men to gather information on Thai military bases and bomb shelters at villages along the border in Si Sa Ket. Mr Suchart told police that the group was led by a Cambodian man called Wichai. Mr Wichai and three other men managed to escape police arrest while the three others were arrested. Mr Suchart alleged that Mr Wichai had managed to get away with maps with information on the Thai military bases in the area. On Wednesday, the provincial court in Kantharalak district issued a warrant for the arrest of Mr Wichai on a charge of espionage. The name on his passport is reported to be Ya Pov or Chea Pov. The 48-year-old Cambodian man is believed to have the military rank of colonel and runs a business in Cambodia, according to police. An Immigration Police source said it was believed Mr Wichai left Thailand and crossed into Cambodia on June 9 via the immigration checkpoint at Sa Kaeo's Aranyaprathet district. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban yesterday defended soldiers and police who failed to capture the suspected leader of the alleged spying gang. Mr Suthep said the army had done its best to prevent Cambodians from spying on Thai territory. He said he did not think the escape was the army's fault. Mr Suthep, who is in charge of national security, said the information on Thailand's military bases which Mr Wichai had obtained was not strategically important. The bitter border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia has seen 28 people killed this year, and the row has since moved to the United Nations' International Court of Justice.  | ||||||
| UN Fails to Address Crisis of Credibility Facing Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge Tribunal Posted: 16 Jun 2011 01:00 PM PDT Press Release Date: June 15, 2011 Contact: Will Cohen wcohen@sorosny.org 1-917-294-2641 Source: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/news/cambodia-un-20110615 NEW YORK—The Open Society Justice Initiative notes with dismay the recent statement by the spokesperson of Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations in New York, which failed to address the crisis of credibility facing the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal in Cambodia. In the remarks, made in New York on Tuesday, June 14, the spokesperson dismissed what he described as "media speculation" that the UN has instructed the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia to dismiss charges against former Khmer Rouge officials who are the focus of its third potential case (Case 003). However, the statement failed to respond to the serious questions of judicial independence, misconduct and competence, at the tribunal raised by the premature conclusion on April 29, 2011, of the investigation into Case 003, and the refusal of the tribunal's two co-investigating judges to pursue further inquiries as requested by the international co-prosecutor. Instead, the UN argued that the principle of judicial independence precludes it making any comment on the operations of the court, or the conduct of its judges. James A Goldston, executive director of the Open Society Justice Initiative, said the position ignores that well-founded allegations of judicial impropriety can and should be subjected to impartial review without undermining independence. "The UN is failing to address the egregious nature of the allegations made in the Justice Initiative's report concerning judicial misconduct, breach of legal and ethical duties, and incompetence," he said. "The UN has available to it the power and the mechanisms to conduct further inquiries, and it should do so," he added. The Justice Initiative report, "Latest Developments in the Extraordinary Chambers of the Courts of Cambodia: June 2011", calls on the Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and other appropriate UN officials to initiate a range of investigative acts.  | ||||||
| UN Blasted for Failure to Address Tribunal Credibility Posted: 16 Jun 2011 12:56 PM PDT 
Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer Phnom Penh
The UN came under renewed criticism on Thursday for its handling of a controversial case at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, while the court's international prosecutor moved for even more investigation. In a statement, the international court monitor Open Society Justice Initiative said the UN had failed to address major questions regarding the credibility of the court, after judges hastily concluded an investigation into two unnamed Khmer Rouge suspects. OSJI said a statement from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued Wednesday "failed to respond to the serious questions of judicial independence, misconduct and competence of the investigation into case 003." Investigating judges at the UN-backed court have come under increased pressure in recent weeks over their handling of Case 003, which international prosecutors have said deserves indictments. Also on Thursday, international prosecutor Andrew Cayley, who has been at odds with the investigating judges since April, issued a statement saying he would require them to add charges to their investigation of Case 004, another controversial case that could potentially mean more indictments by the court. The Cambodian government publicly opposes the pursuit of both cases, for fear it could destabilize the country's security situation by upsetting former Khmer Rouge. However, court observers say the appearance of government interference in the work of the court is threatening to undermine its credibility. The statement from Ban's office rejected speculation that Case 003 could be dropped or that the UN was instructing its investigating judge, Siegfried Blunk, to do so. But OSJI said the UN statement had "failed also to respond to the refusal of the tribunal's two co-investigating judges to pursue further inquiries as requested by the international co-prosecutor." Tribunal spokesman Dim Sovannarom declined to comment on Thursday, and there was no immediate response from the investigating judges to Cayley's submission statement. In that statement, he said he is now requesting the judges to add charges to Case 004, for three Khmer Rouge leaders, to include crimes committed against the Khmer Krom. He is also requesting the judges to "notify the public and potential civil parties of the specific crime sites" included in his supplementary submission. Dim Sovannarom said the prosecutor's submission was according to tribunal regulations. Court observers say the statement from OSJI and the submission of Cayley do not necessarily signal a problem at the court, but rather a push by some to move the court forward. "This controversy comes because we are concerned about justice in the future for Cambodia and for victims," said Chhang Youk, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia. Latt Ky, a tribunal monitor for the rights group Adhoc, said he supported the OSJI statement and the new submission from Cayley because they both serve to keep the court's work in the public eye.  | ||||||
| Internet Access is a Human Right, says United Nations report Posted: 16 Jun 2011 12:49 PM PDT June 16, 2011 By Bun Tharum VOA News Blog VOA Khmer's Heng Reaksmey reported Tuesday that a rights group called for "greater Internet freedoms" as it released its report on "Internet Censorship: the ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression in Cambodia." The Cambodian Center for Human Rights concluded the report saying that
The report came following the United Nations last month published a report declaring "Internet access is a human right."  | ||||||
| Arrest warrant out for Cambodian spy Posted: 16 Jun 2011 12:28 PM PDT
June 17, 2011 The Nation A Cambodian army officer, who went on the run recently, now faces an arrest warrant over espionage charges, Si Sa Ket Governor Somsak Suwannasujarit said yesterday. The man, identified as Ya Pao or Wichai, is believed to be a colonel attached to the Cambodian army's intelligence corps. He was one of the men arrested last week for allegedly supplying Cambodia with details of Thai military installations and shelters. The other two alleged spies, currently in court custody, are a Thai and a Vietnamese. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva admitted that the Cambodia suspect had escaped, but added that an investigation was underway and that Thai military had no problem handling national defence despite the escape. Meanwhile, a senior Vietnamese diplomat has contacted the prison authorities in Kantharalak district to visit suspect Wiang Teng Yang, but an approval from the military is still pending. The Second Army Area, which is in charge of all military operations in the Northeast, is coordinating with the Foreign Ministry over the request. A media website, quoting a Voice of America report, said the Cambodian army was now recruiting 5,000 reservists. However, a military spokesman said this was a routine operation, and had nothing to do with the armed conflicts with Thailand.  | ||||||
| Land-grabber Lao Meng Khin's coal-fired power plant to be approved without transparency Posted: 16 Jun 2011 08:46 AM PDT
Thursday, 16 June 2011 Thomas Miller The Phnom Penh Post The National Assembly is set to discuss today whether to approve guaranteed payments for electricity, potentially worth millions of dollars, which will be generated from a coal-fired power plant in Preah Sihanouk province constructed by a company owned by ruling party Senator Lao Meng Khin. Observers said the deal represented yet another example of the ruling oligarchy close to Prime Minister Hun Sen enriching itself via state coffers. The Ministry of Economy and Finance has submitted a proposed guarantee of payments agreement to the National Assembly for approval. The proposal, a February 9 copy of which was obtained by The Post yesterday, reveals that state power company Electricité du Cambodge entered into a power-purchase agreement with a firm known as Cambodia International Investment Development Group Co Ltd on January 6. The Ministry of Economy and Finance is asking the National Assembly to ratify the agreement, which would "irrevocably and unconditionally" guarantee that the government would pay any debts owed to the company. Chiv Bunly, an assistant to Lao Meng Khin's son, Lao Vann, confirmed yesterday that CIIDG is in fact owned by the senator. He did not know, however, how much the company will make on the Preah Sihanouk plant. In December, Hun Sen signed off on an agreement during a trip to China that approved a joint venture between a Chinese company and CIIDG to build the US$362 million power plant, which has an expected capacity of 270 megawatts. Cambodia International Development Group Co Ltd, the joint venture company, was granted a 33-year concession to build and operate the plant starting this year. Lao Meng Khin and CIIDG are also involved in the 133-hectare real estate development at Boeung Kak lake in Phnom Penh, which has attracted international condemnation and is set to displace more than 4,000 families who have so far been short-changed of adequate compensation. In 2007, local developer Shukaku Inc, also run by the senator, was granted a 99-year lease at Boeung Kak. Shukaku established a joint venture with Chinese-owned Inner Mongolia Erdos Hung Jun Investment Co last year, according to an official letter that Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema wrote to Hun Sen, who later signed off on the agreement. Son Soubert, a former member of the Constitutional Council, said yesterday he believed it was "illegal" for Lao Meng Khin to be involved in such business ventures as a senator. "I can't understand how they can do that," he said. "A senator, like the member of the National Assembly, cannot deal with business at the same time." Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, said the fact that Lao Meng Khin was involved in yet another costly development scheme was "basically expected", calling him "one of the few close allies of the ruling elites who will be involved in all of these deals". Lao Meng Khin's wife, Choeung Sopheap, owns Pheapimex Group, which has numerous assets including a 315,028-hectare concession in Pursat and Kampong Chhnang provinces. "The reality is that most of these people create these contracts and agreements so they can sell them to another company. Same thing with Boeung Kak ... The senator's job is to broker a deal and he gets a big amount of money for doing that," Ou Virak said. The proposal sent to lawmakers for the Preah Sihanouk power plant does not specify at what price or quantity electricity will be purchased, though the deal is likely worth millions of dollars. Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Mu Sochua said lawmakers were being used as a "rubber stamp" to approve a "sweetheart deal", noting that she had seen neither the terms of the agreement between the government and CIIDG nor an environmental impact assessment. "The fact that they come to the National Assembly without even giving us the contract that they signed … it is a total abuse of power from the executive branch, and it's a total manipulation," she said. "How can we accept this?" Mu Sochua said numerous questions remained about the project, ranging from the unspecified costs for the Cambodian public to the impact a coal-fired power plant might have on the environment in the tourist hub of Sihanoukville. "Until we can see that it is a transparent bidding system, the contract is available, we know exactly who is behind it... it's more or less a secret and then we are used, the National Assembly is used as a rubber stamp," she said. Ou Virak said the lack of information about the project and the abuse of parliament was "a great indicator in what the role of the National Assembly is". "This is normal. Everything is in secrecy," he said. "If we hired 123 people to just rubber stamp, we don't need to pay them that much." Pan Sorasak, secretary of state at the Ministry of Commerce, declined to comment yesterday. Sok Chenda, head of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, could not be reached. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SAM RITH  | ||||||
| Independent Media in Exile - report 2011 [-Cambodia's case: The Free Press Magazine] Posted: 16 Jun 2011 08:18 AM PDT CIMA is pleased to release a new report, Independent Media in Exile, by Bill Ristow, a veteran journalist and international journalism trainer. The report explores the challenges faced by journalists living in exile from countries with repressive regimes and examines the impact that their courageous reporting makes in their home countries. Drawing on the results of a survey of 36 individuals representing 33 exile media organizations from 18 countries, the report calls for increased coordination among journalists and organizations operating in exile and encourages donors and trainers to actively assist exile media.
CIMA- Independent Media in Exile - 06-15-11 http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/58007603?access_key=key-27lcfzzhrn3afpeknfpp  | ||||||
| Statement By The International Co-prosecutor Regarding Case File 004 Posted: 16 Jun 2011 08:10 AM PDT   16 June 2011 PRESS RELEASE STATEMENT BY THE INTERNATIONAL CO-PROSECUTOR REGARDING CASE FILE 004 The International Co-Prosecutor, Andrew Cayley, makes this public statement pursuant to ECCC Internal Rule 54 to ensure that the public is duly informed about ongoing ECCC proceedings in Case 004, taking into consideration the interests of victims and witnesses, the rights of suspects and the requirements of the investigation. Yesterday, the International Co-Prosecutor filed a Request for Investigative Action and Supplementary Submission in Case 004. The Supplementary Submission adds additional crimes to Case 004, including crimes committed against the Khmer Krom population in Takeo and Pursat provinces, based primarily on civil party applications, complaints and other new evidence that the International Co-Prosecutor became aware of subsequent to the original filing of the Case 004 Introductory Submission. The International Co-Prosecutor will request the Co-Investigating Judges to notify the public and potential civil parties of the specific crime sites that are included in both the Introductory and Supplementary Submissions in Case 004.  | ||||||
| Funcinpec to learn the communist experience? Posted: 16 Jun 2011 08:03 AM PDT CPC to exchange party-building experience with Cambodia 2011-06-16 Xinhua BEIJING - A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said the party and Cambodia's co-ruling Funcinpec Party should exchange experience in improving party building at grass-roots level. Zhou Yongkang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks during a Wednesday meeting with a Funcinpec Party delegation headed by Secretary General Nhiek Bun Chhay. Zhou hailed the friendship between China and the South Asian nation, saying China is happy about Cambodia's achievements in various fields under the leadership of the royal family and the government, Zhou's office said in a press release on Thursday. Zhou appreciates Cambodia's support on major issues and its important role in promoting relations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian States, it said. Nhiek Bun Chhay, also Cambodia's deputy prime minister, thanked China for its assistance, saying Cambodia will stick to the one-China policy and the Funcinpec Party will stand firm with the CPC.  | ||||||
| Border issues: HRP plan to boycott debate Posted: 16 Jun 2011 07:58 AM PDT Thursday, 16 June 2011 Meas Sokchea The Phnom Penh Post Cambodia's Human Rights Party said it will boycott a National Assembly meeting today regarding a draft law on the demarcation of boundaries between Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. A Cambodian People's Party lawmaker said yesterday they could face having their salaries docked for the boycott. The HRP issued a statement on Tuesday which said the reason for the boycott was because they had received complaints from residents living along the border who said the revision of border demarcation posts would cause them to lose farmland to Vietnam and Laos. The Sam Rainsy Party said that it would attend the National Assembly meeting but emphasised that it will not vote to support the draft law because they have received similar complaints from residents. "The participation in the meeting does not mean that [we] support the government," SRP spokesman Yim Sovann said. Cheam Yeap, senior lawmaker for the ruling CPP, said yesterday: "This is historic work and it is necessary that we must have boundary posts, to avoid accusing them of invading our land." Cheam Yeap also said that he would ask National Assembly President Heng Samrin to dock their salaries of HRP if they boycotted. He declined to say how much.  | ||||||
| Thai PM says Cambodian spy escapes Posted: 16 Jun 2011 07:51 AM PDT BANGKOK, June 16 (MCOT online news) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Thursday said he has received a report that a Cambodian spy has escaped and that the incident confirmed that Thailand did not fabricate the spy case. Three suspects on spying charges --Thai, Cambodian, and Vietnamese nationals-- were arrested in Si Sa Ket's Kantaralak district on suspicion of spying on Thai military facilities. Mr Abhisit said he could confirm that the one who has escaped was a Cambodian military officer but his rank remains unknown. He also denied Cambodia's accusation that Thailand fabricated the spy case, saying the country did not arrest innocent people as the investigation found evidence that implicated them. Thailand will in consequence present the information to the international community, the prime minister said. Suchart Muhammad, a 32-year-old Thai, Ung Kimtai, a 43-year-old Cambodian and Nguyen Tengyang, 37, a Vietnamese, were arrested ten days ago at a Thai border village in the northeastern province of Si Sa Ket for alleged spying on Thai military facilities and bunkers built to shelter Thai villagers in the event of cross-border attacks or shelling. The Cambodian Foreign Ministry said in its statement released Friday that it "categorically rejects this deceitful fabrication by the Thai authorities and prime minister, intending to mislead the public and malign Cambodia", adding it had no need to spy on Thailand. "The Royal Government of Cambodia wishes to assert that the above fabrication is only a pretext to justify future aggression against Cambodia," the Agence France Press news agency quoted the statement as saying.  | ||||||
| Hundreds sick in mass fainting in Cambodian factory Posted: 16 Jun 2011 07:48 AM PDT 06/16/2011 REUTERS PHNOM PENH - Three hundred garment workers have fallen ill this week at a factory in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, the latest outbreak of "mass fainting" in the country blamed on poor working conditions. About 200 female garment workers at King Fashion Garment fell sick on Wednesday afternoon, followed by another 100 people on Thursday morning, said district police chief Born Sam Ath. "A committee has not yet settled on one particular cause, but the workers' health is not good, they don't eat enough and the workplace is stuffy," Born Sam Ath said. In April, the Cambodian authorities opened an investigation into what local activists called the "mass fainting" of about 800 workers at two garment factories.  | ||||||
| Posted: 16 Jun 2011 05:20 AM PDT Law on the Establishment of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia for the Prosecution of Crimes Committed During the Period of Democratic Kampuchea ("ECCC Law") with inclusion of amendments as promulgated on 27 October 2004 CHAPTER VII: INVESTIGATIONS The Co-Investigating Judges shall be appointed from among the currently practising judges or are additionally appointed in accordance with the existing procedures for appointment of judges; all of whom shall have high moral character, a spirit of impartiality and integrity, and experience. They shall be independent in the performance of their functions and shall not accept or seek instructions from any government or any other source.  | ||||||
| Convention on the Rights of the Child Posted: 16 Jun 2011 05:17 AM PDT Convention on the Rights of the Child Ratified by UNGA in Nov. 1989, entered into force 1990 Cambodia ratified this Convention on October 15, 1992 PART IArticle 81. States Parties undertake to respect the right of the child to preserve his or her identity, including nationality, name and family relations as recognized by law without unlawful interference. 2. Where a child is illegally deprived of some or all of the elements of his or her identity, States Parties shall provide appropriate assistance and protection, with a view to re-establishing speedily his or her identity.  | ||||||
| Posted: 16 Jun 2011 12:49 AM PDT 16 June 2011 Everyday.com.kh Translated from Khmer by Soch Chhum Socheat, spokesman for the ministry of Defense, indicated yesterday that the government issued a decision to recruit 5,000 additional troops to fill in the army rank due to retirement and invalid soldiers. Chhum Socheat indicated that the new recruitment of troops is not related to the border dispute with Thailand, but that it was done to replace soldiers who retired or are invalid. He said that the recruitment is conducted through an announcement issued by the ministry of Defense to fill army intervention unit no. 2 and brigade no. 41.  | ||||||
| Posted: 16 Jun 2011 12:19 AM PDT
Thursday, 16 June 2011 Kim Yuthana The Phnom Penh Post A protest allegedly turned violent outside Kampong Speu provincial court yesterday after security guards confronted about 1,000 garment workers, who were demanding the release of an arrested union representative. Free Trade Union representative Sun Pisey was arrested last Friday after allegedly scarring fellow Sang Vo garment factory employee Soem Voleak during a scuffle. Sang Vo workers, who protested outside the court for a second day yesterday, said Sun Pisey was advocating the benefits of joining the union when Soem Voleak attacked him and was arrested because of his union affiliations. Protestor Man Thavy claimed yesterday that security guards from Sang Vo hit her across the head with sticks as they confronted demonstrators. "I lodged a complaint to ... [the] district police chief to hunt for justice," she said. Meng Sokha, chief of administration at Sang Vo, denied yesterday that company security guards had interfered with the protest. "The factory does not fine, punish or remove union representatives from the factory's [books]," he said. Mich Sophorn, chief of the crimes department at the district police, said yesterday that he would investigate the allegations. FTU president Chea Mony yesterday condemned the alleged violence and requested that the government take action against the factory. Provincial chief prosecutor Khut Sopheang could not be reached for comment by The Post yesterday.  | ||||||
| Press Release: Agenda for Case 002 Initial Hearing Posted: 15 Jun 2011 11:59 PM PDT | ||||||
| Khmer Rouge war crimes panel depicted in crisis Posted: 15 Jun 2011 11:51 PM PDT 2011-06-16 By MIKE ECKEL Associated Press It was supposed to be a model for international justice and national reconciliation: a U.N.-backed tribunal to hold trials on one of the 20th century's grimmest chapters - the Khmer Rouge's murderous 1970s regime in Cambodia. Eight years after its creation, however, the multinational panel is riven by suspicion, infighting and angry resignations over whether to try more Khmer Rouge defendants on war crimes charges, in addition to the jailer already convicted and four top officials scheduled for trial June 27. Critics fear the panel is caving to pressure from Cambodia's strongman prime minister - himself a former Khmer Rouge cadre - to quash any further indictments, or that the United Nations' resolve to continue the trials may be waning. The tussle raises questions about whether the panel can find full justice for the estimated 1.7 million people who were killed, starved, worked to death or died of disease in the "Killing Fields" of the Khmer Rouge's savage 1975-1979 rule. "The integrity of the (tribunal) hangs in the balance," warned former U.S. war crimes ambassador David Scheffer, who helped establish the court. One of five panel employees who recently quit in frustration, London-based researcher Stephen Heder, chastised investigative judges in his resignation letter for what he described as closing the case on the additional suspects "effectively without investigation." Heder also cited the "toxic atmosphere of mutual distrust" at what he called "a professionally dysfunctional office" of the tribunal's investigating judges, according to a copy of the letter obtained this week by The Associated Press. The United Nations weighed in Tuesday, with the chief spokesman for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon strongly supporting the panel and its impartiality. Prime Minister Hun Sen's government sought the United Nations' help in the late 1990s to create the tribunal. But he didn't want a fully international court, like for the former Yugoslavia. Despite misgivings from negotiators, the final agreement in 2003 set up a hybrid system, with Cambodian and international judges and prosecutors working with Cambodian and international laws, under French-style rules. "I did not want ... the U.N. emblem to be given to an entity that did not, shall we say, represent the highest international standards," Hans Corell, the chief U.N. negotiator at the time, told AP. "But of course what we predicted seems to have developed into the problem that we were concerned would occur." Prosecutors have compiled substantial evidence for so-called Cases 003 and 004, which include two top military commanders who also were top officials in Cambodia's post-Khmer Rouge military, according to confidential court documents obtained by AP. The documents allege both took part in purges that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. The government, however, has openly stonewalled. Hun Sen told Ban last year that new cases would "not be allowed." He has warned that new cases could spark renewed civil war, though his opposition likely stems from the many Khmer Rouge officials, like himself, who are now in government and who fear investigators could dredge up new evidence of war crimes. "The Cambodian government has been forthright all along that there would be no new cases," said Anne Heindel, legal adviser to the Documentation Center of Cambodia, which researches the Khmer Rouge. "It's the failure of the United Nations to act that's been surprising." Scrutiny recently has focused on the two investigating judges who, under the French-style rules, are primarily responsible pretrial investigations. Separate seven-judge panels try the cases. Many had hoped that German investigating judge Siegfried Blunk would pursue the new cases despite objections of his Cambodian counterpart. Instead, the judges' office has made a series of controversial rulings that many observers say are without legal basis and appear intended to pre-empt at least one of the cases. British co-prosecutor Andrew Cayley has fought the rulings and released new details about the investigation, prompting a harsh rebuke from the judges, which Cayley slammed as "abusive," "unreasonable," "capricious," unprecedented." Tensions among some court employees and U.N. legal advisers reached a boiling point last month when several employees sent an angry letter to Ban complaining about Blunk, according to two officials who have seen the letter, but asked to remain anonymous in order to discuss the court's internal matters. Blunk also sent a letter to Ban, though its contents are unclear. At least five employees have resigned in protest over Blunk's actions, including Heder, a consultant who compiled extensive evidence about new suspects. Blunk was also the focus of Cambodian rights activist Ou Virak, who complained that his conduct was "a matter of utmost concern" and suggested that the U.N. had acquiesced to Cambodia's government. Blunk declined to answer questions from AP, but issued a statement through a court spokesman: "The co-investigating judges have worked independently from outside interference, and are resolved to defend their independence against all interference wherever it may come from." The feud, and concerns about public perception, prompted officials from the court's main donors, which includes the United States, Australia and others, to intervene directly with Blunk and Cayley multiple times - by phone and in person. "I believe in the good faith in each of the good people that I'm talking with. They have very good reason for doing what they're doing," the current U.S. war crimes ambassador, Stephen Rapp, said in an interview with AP. "Reasonable people can disagree, but people need to see that this is an issue that this is being decided on the law not on the basis of political pressure." Ban's chief spokesman Martin Nesirky in a statement released Tuesday denied speculation that it was pushing judges to close cases 003 and 004. "The judges and prosecutors must be allowed to function free from external interference by the Royal Government of Cambodia, the United Nations, donor States, and civil society," he said. "It follows that the United Nations categorically rejects media speculation that we have instructed the (judges) to dismiss Case 003." Clair Duffy, who monitors the tribunal for the Open Society Justice Initiative, said the damage the court has suffered could be mitigated by how the upcoming trial _ which includes the man who was second only to the infamous Pol Pot _ plays out, "and in particular whether it was able to withstand political pressure from the Cambodian government." But the final judgment will rest with Cambodians and whether they embrace the court's decisions as model justice or political charade. ___ Associated Press writer Edith Lederer in New York contributed to this report from New York.  | ||||||
| Closing Order of Case 002 against Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith Posted: 15 Jun 2011 11:47 PM PDT In preparation for the start of trial hearings beginning on 27 June 2011 of Case 002 against the surviving Khmer Rouge senior leaders Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith, KI Media is starting a new series in posting installations of the public document of the Closing Order of Case 002. The Closing Order of the Co-Investigating Judges forms the basic document from which all the parties (Co-Prosecutors, Co-Lead Lawyers for all civil parties, Defense Lawyers) will be making their arguments before the Trial Chamber judges (one Cambodian President, 2 Cambodian Judges, 2 UN judges). Up until now, the hearings involving these four surviving senior Khmer Rouge leaders have been in the Pre-Trial Chamber over issues of pre-trial detention and jurisdictional issues. Beginning in June 2011, the Trial Chamber will hear the substantive arguments over the criminal charges (e.g. genocide, crimes against humanity, penal code of 1956). Available in Khmer and French. Contact the ECCC for a free copy.CLOSING ORDER of Co-Investigating Judges You Bunleng and Marcel Lemonde, 15 September 2010 E. THE REGULATION OF MARRIAGE Dates & Participation 216. There is evidence that the CPK forced people to marry as early as 1974.764 In September 1977, Pol Pot articulated a CPK objective of increasing Cambodia's population to 20 million within ten to fifteen years.765 He also stated that marriage ceremonies were to be held for groups of couples at the same time.766 The policy relating to population growth was reaffirmed at a national medical conference opened by Pol Pot and attended by representatives of the CPK government ministries and offices, zones and sectors and the armed forces.767 The implementation of a system of marriages arranged by the Party authorities among the population and within the Party itself was disseminated through CPK publications768 and reported to superiors through CPK telegrams.769 A report from the West Zone to Angkar provides information about marriage statistics and birth statistics.770 217. Official documents and statements refer to the supposed voluntary basis of such marriages: Pol Pot stated that "young men and young women [were to] build up families on a voluntary basis"111 and marriages were said to be based upon a person's proposal of a spouse according to the decision of the command committee.772 Numerous witnesses state that they were forced to marry.773 Even those officials who stated that individuals freely agreed to marriage note that, in practice, people were not able to assert their opposition for fear of violence or death.774 218. In furtherance of this policy, single people in their twenties or early thirties775 were forced to marry776 by CPK authorities,777 usually in official buildings or in public places.778 After being made to spend a short period of time together, couples were required to return to their daily work and were brought together only when the CPK regime required779 including in some cases to ensure consummation of the marriage.780 Some persons who did not agree to marriage in accordance with the Party line were deemed to be "enemies"781 however this was not applied in all instances of refusal.782  | ||||||
| Sinatoon: Tep Vong, the powerful monk Posted: 15 Jun 2011 11:40 PM PDT
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| The World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index 2011 Posted: 15 Jun 2011 11:36 PM PDT Cambodia is ranked much lower than most other countries in the region on all dimensions. The overall legal and institutional environment remains quite weak, which is highlighted by the low scores in key areas, including effective limits on government powers (ranking 65th out of 66); regulatory enforcement; access to civil justice; and absence of corruption, where the country ranks last in the world. Property rights are very weak (ranking 66th), and police abuses remain a significant problem. On the positive side, Cambodia displays lower crime rates than most countries in the lower-middle income group. The World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index 2011 http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/57978914?access_key=key-1if7vaqdfozvwo0rjpxt  |
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