KI Media: “[S.Korea's] Haedong boss probed on Cambodia project” plus 20 more

Prosecutors investigating the Busan Savings Bank corruption scandal are now looking into whether Haedong Construction Chairman Park Hyeong-seon is actually behind a development project in Cambodia run through paper companies set up by the bank.

According to prosecutors, Park is Busan Savings Bank's No. 2 shareholder and holds a 11.17 percent stake in the company.

The prosecution suspects that executives and major shareholders of Busan Savings Bank aggressively pushed construction projects in and out of Korea by using the institution as their personal piggy bank since Park become the bank's No. 2 shareholder in 2003.

According to the prosecutors, Busan Savings Bank established nine special purpose companies under false names to develop highways, islands and an airport for Cambodia's Camco City Project, a development on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. The bank used a total of 496.5 billion won ($459 million) for the mega-project.

"There's speculation that Park is the actual owner of the nine special purpose companies and we're currently examining it," a prosecutor said. "We're also looking into how the bank got involved in Cambodia."

Prosecutors said Park established Haedong Engineering and Construction, a Cambodian office of Haedong Construction, in 2009, and they're looking into whether Haedong Construction's Cambodian branch is linked to the bank's nine special purpose companies.

Park was arrested on May 27 for allegedly taking out 120 billion won in illegal loans from the group's five affiliates in 2005 to build a mausoleum at a temple in Gyeonggi.

He's also suspected of lobbying government officials and politicians in the Roh Moo-hyun government to help the bank avoid getting caught for taking out 4.59 trillion won in illegal loans to establish 120 special purpose companies under false names.

The management and owners of the Busan Savings Bank Group, the nation's largest savings institution, are under investigation for using the corporation to get illegal loans, misstating accounts, colluding with financial regulators to avoid being exposed and giving inside warnings to privileged clients before its operations were suspended Feb. 17.

A Grand National Party representative who asked not to be named told the JoongAng Ilbo that Park was known as one of top three financial backers of former president Roh, along with Taekwang Industrial Chairman Park Yeon-cha and Changshin Textile Chairnman Kang Geum-won.

"I'm aware that Busan Savings Bank and Haedong Construction participated in the Cambodia city development project after then-President Roh Moo-hyun visited Cambodia in November 2006," the GNP representative said. "There are also allegations that Park was in Cambodia around that time, too."

GNP Representative Shin Ji-ho said he confirmed Park and Kim Yang, vice chairman of Busan Savings Bank, visited Cambodia.

BANGKOK, June 5 (MCOT online news) -- Thailand's Foreign Affairs Ministry has denied accusations made by the Cambodian government that Thai military aircraft had violated that country's airspace recently, said Thani Thongpakdi, director-general of the Ministry's Information Department, on Sunday.

Mr Thani told journalists that the Cambodian foreign ministry had sent a protest letter to the Thai government as well as informing the Thai ambassador in Phnom Penh that Thai military aircraft had repeatedly violated its airspace recently and that Thailand planned another offensive against Cambodian territory.

The accusations were groundless, Mr Thani said.

He said the Thai foreign affairs ministry had inquired on the issue with the Thai military and was informed that Thai military planes had never intruded into Cambodian territory.

However, the ministry will send a letter to the Cambodian government denying the charges, he added.

The protest letter, issued by Cambodia's foreign ministry and handed to the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh yesterday, charged that Thai military aircraft intruded into Cambodian airspace over Poi Pet on May 31.

It said that a Thai L-19 military aircraft again violated Cambodia's airspace over Thmor Pouk district on Wednesday while two days later, on June 3, a Thai soldier flew on a private aircraft and conducted unspecified activities over Battambang province.

"While remaining committed to exercising utmost restraint in order to avoid further armed clashes between the two armed forces, Cambodia reserves its legitimate rights to self-defense and to safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity," the protest note said.

Relations between the two neighbouring countries have cooled in recent years after UNESCO named the ancient Preah Vihear temple a World Heritage site in July 2008 after Cambodia applied for the status. The country also submitted a management plan for the temple to UNESCO's World Heritage Committee which has deferred making a decision.

Bloody clashes have occurred along the poorly demarcated border occasionally as both countries claim a 4.6-square-kilometre patch of land near the 11th century temple.

Ignorant men raise questions that wise men answered a thousand years ago.

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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

A mistake is simply another way of doing things.


- Katharine Graham

BANGKOK, June 5 (MCOT online news) -- Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday that he is prepared to discuss with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen on ways to end the two countries' border tensions.

Mr Abhisit noted talks can start on under the conditions that: discussions must be held under the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) framework, a joint management plan for the disputed area near Preah Vihear temple must be made, and that Cambodia must also withdraw the temple from world heritage listing.

The Phnom Penh government must also display its sincerity by withdrawing its case handed to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to interpret its 1962 ruling on the ancient temple before talks can start, Mr Abhisit said.

His remarks were made after a close aide to Thailand's ex-prime minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh reportedly said that the latter had recently held talks with Mr Hun Sen in which both men agreed that forces of the two countries posted at the disputed 4.6-square-kilometre patch of land near the cliff-top Preah Vihear temple must be withdrawn and the area would be jointly managed thereafter while boundary demarcation would be handled by JBC members.

It must be understood that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries in 2000 clearly stipulated that changes in the disputed area could not be made by either country, which means that Cambodians must leave the area first if the Phnom Penh government respects the MoU, Mr Abhisit said.

He said the Phnom Penh government must also display its sincerity if it wants to solve the border problem by withdrawing the World Heritage status for the temple before talks could start.

Mr Abhisit said talks could "end in futile" if Cambodia continues to move on the issue with other channels.

The International Court of Justice in 1962 ruled that the 11th century temple belongs to Phnom Penh.

UNESCO named the temple a World Heritage Site in July 2008 after Cambodia applied for the status. The country submitted a unilateral management plan for the temple last year to UNESCO's World Heritage Commission, which then deferred a decision.

The Cambodian-Thai border relations authority in Banteay Meanchey province issued a call to the family of a Cambodian boy who was recently beaten up and injured by the Thai cops, to come forward so that they can file a legal complaint to the Thai authority.

Officials at the Cambodian-Thai border posts is conducting a search for the parents of a boy who sneaked across the border and was subsequently severely beaten up by the Thai cops on 02 June, one day after the celebration of the International Children's Day. The Cambodian authority wants to have the family of the boy file a complaint as stipulated by the agreement signed between the two governments.

General Dy Them, the director of the Cambodian-Thai border relations office in Banteay Meanchey, said on 04 June that his office learned that a Cambodian boy was beaten up and injured by the Thai cops, that is why his office is pushing the family of the victim to come forward to file their complaint as this case violated human rights and children's rights. "We can only complain to the Thai authority to take action and to find justice because this boy is still a minor. If there is any problem, the parents can take this as a basis to complain to the Thai office and the Cambodian consulate (in Thailand)."

According to report, about 7 Thai cops beat up and kicked a 13-year-old boy by the name of Pheng Sophea. The cops accused him of theft in Ruang Kluea market in Aranyaprathet, Sakeaw province, Thailand at 7PM on 02 June 2011.

Mrs. Chan Em, a 38-year-old woman who is the mother of the victim, indicated that, currently, she lives in Kbal Spean village, Poipet city, Banteay Meanchey province. Her son was sent to the support hospital in Mongkol Borey. She added that her son was injured in the chest and his bladder was seriously injured as well: "I was very scared then I saw my son peeing and shaking all over, I have no money whatsoever, and my son was only picking up trash. I was very frightened, I want to bring a complaint for my son's case to the border police, this is a very bad action [by the Thai cops]."

Theng Chhavyrith, an official with ILO IPEC who is involved in the reduction of child labor, said that this tragedy took place due to poverty and the boy had to look for a job in order to support his family. Minor children could face several dangers when they leave home: "Our organization is provided professional training and education, just like the civil society organizations and company owners. I will bring this case to them [civil society organizations] so that they can follow up and find a resolution.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) in Cambodia indicated that in 2002, 750,000 Cambodian children are employed to help support for their family. It also indicated that about 250,000 children are involved in intensive child labor, such as manual labor, prostitution, sex trade, drug trafficking, domestic labor, working in fishing boats, in salt fields, in brick kilns, rubber plantations and mining etc… These children are not subjected to any labor conditions and they usually suffer from labor accidents.

I am not here to lecture Mr. Sam Rainsy and Mr. Kem Sokha on how to run their parties or on how to conduct their political life, but just to offer my sincere opinions regarding their political fallout and personal animosity.

I have previously warned that the oppositions would kill each other off before they do it to their nemesis, the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP). I have also warned the Human Rights Party (HRP) that the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) would retaliate against its orchestration of defections from the SRP previously. Now, after the leaking of the so-called 'secret' telephone conversation between HRP president Mr. Kem Sokha and Prime Minister Hun Sen, my warnings have proven correct and it has come to realization that the two parties have now come to a head on collision course and beginning to kill each other on a grand scale.

The reaction and over-reaction to the so-called 'secret' telephone conversation between Mr. Kem Sokha and Prime Minister Hun Sen, with widespread condemnation by internet bloggers, should serve as a warning lesson to all democrats that when it comes to the enemy's baits they cannot readily jump into the bandwagon and starting to attack each other and capitalizing on each other's downfall, without looking around. In fact, the SRP and the HRP have shown to the Cambodian voters that fighting each other, and not unity, is what they can do best.

It took them years to form a fragile alliance and yet it only took them just a few minutes of Mr. Hun Sen-incited phone call for them to tear each other apart, ignominiously.

Knowingly or unknowingly, the SRP and the HRP have fallen into Mr. Hun Sen's trap. Mr. Hun Sen, by ordering the leak of the so-called 'secret' phone conversation, has deliberately set out to trap the democratic camps and incite them to fight among themselves, which the SRP and the HRP so far did very well and Mr. Hun Sen's strategy of 'a divide and conquer rule' had worked so effectively.

On this turf, the SRP has waited no time to capitalize on this issue by presenting itself as the only hope, cutting and severing ties and alliance with the HRP in phenomenal speed. The SRP's severance of ties and alliances with the HRP is too premature and was done out of a thirst for revenge. This kind of premature actions will do nothing to benefit the democratic camps, but caused further divisions. This is what the democratic camps can do without in time of mounting pressures from the ruling CPP as they both need to present themselves as the alternatives to the CPP by reinforcing the voters' confidence in their ability to govern, instead of their ability to divide.

Mr. Kem Sokha's telephone conversation with Mr. Hun Sen was a normal conversation that should not warrant and attract so much attacks that have been seen so far. There was nothing sinister and no evidence that Sokha had made any promises in exchange for anything from Mr. Hun Sen, however, both had attacked the SRP and Mr. Sam Rainsy's leadership style. This should be the only factor that should cause the SRP to sever ties and alliances with the HRP.

After the leaking of the recorded conversation, many netizens, internet citizens, had jumped into conclusion that Mr. Kem Sokha and his HRP have long been a puppet of Mr. Hun Sen and the CPP. However, since the 2008 election there is no evidence of the HRP or Kem Sokha being the puppet of Mr. Hun Sen or the ruling CPP, as compared to the Funcinpec and Norodom Ranariddh Party. From the beginning, the HRP had shown its strong stance against Mr. Hun Sen by not attending the National Assembly's swearing in ceremony. It has consistently attacked the ruling CPP's immigration policies, boycotted the parliamentary session to debate about the Cambodia-Lao-Vietnam border Convention and criticized CPP's border policies, especially with Vietnam.

The Cambodian oppositions have a habit and good reputation of capitalizing on each other's downfall, right from the downfall of Mr. Son Sann's Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party in the mid 1990s and then the downfall of the Funcinpec Party in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Waiting to capitalize on each other's downfall has shown and reinforced the belief that fighting and divisions, not unity, is what the Cambodian oppositions know and can do best. The oppositions, the SRP and the HRP or other parties for that matter, should come out and defend each other in time of crisis, instead of trampling on each other's head.

So far, neither the SRP nor the HRP has shown any political maturity when it comes to dealing with one another's downfall. They have always tried to take advantage of one another when one had fallen. The HRP has done it to the SRP and now it is time for the SRP to pay back. This sort of infighting and squabbling can only benefit Mr. Hun Sen and his CPP and Mr. Hun Sen is laughing happily now to see the HRP and SRP killing each other on his behalf.

One should not blame one single party for this political mess and disunity. One must blame both of them. First, the HRP had cunningly made a dishonest move in capitalizing on the resignation and expulsion of Mao Monivan from the SRP by orchestrating many defections of SRP's officials to its side. It has also publicly blamed and attacked the SRP for the failures of the merger talks. It is anticipated and expected that a tit-for-tat will happen some times in the future. Now, the SRP has proven that it has not forgotten about that incident and is now capitalizing on the HRP's crisis and downfall by severing all ties and alliances and, to a certain degree, publicly berating and chastising Mr. Kem Sokh's 'betrayal'.

It would be of tremendous political benefits to both parties, and to a large degree to Cambodia's democracy in general, for the leaders of both parties, Mr. Sam Rainsy and Mr. Kem Sokha, to come to the roundtable and talk discreetly and nicely to one another, instead of negotiating through the media and press conferences like what they have done in the past that have caused so much misunderstandings among themselves. By sitting down face to face, it conjures up an image and a sense of closeness and the spirit of brotherly engagement. This is the only way they can move forward and to avoid any misunderstandings.

Caretaker Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Sunday morning he would hold talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen if Cambodia, among other conditions, withdraws its troops from the disputed area around the Preah Vihear temple ruins.

Mr Abhisit was responding to a report that Hun Sen had offerred to hold talks with Thailand for both countries to jointly make use of the 4.6 square kilometre disputed area.

Thailand and Cambodia already have the Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) as a mechanism to work on this matter.

If Cambodia wants to use this mechanism, it should observe the Thai-Cambodian memorandum of understanding of 2000 by halting its plan to unilaterally register the Preah Vihear temple as a world heritage site, Mr Abhisit said.

He said Cambodia should also withdraw its troops from around the temple and stop forwarding bilateral conflicts to various international forums.

It would be the best for both countries to comply with the MoU of 2000.

If Cambodia complies with these conditions, the Thai government would be ready for talks to solve problems between the two countries, Mr Abhisit said.

Saturday the 3rd Waxing Moon of Jeṭṭha BE2555, June 3, AD2011 Year of the Rabbit

The Khmer Kampuchea Krom organizations and associations express our unhappiness and deploring the Phnom Penh City Hall authority for banning the Khmer Kampuchea Krom organizations-associations from organizing an Offering Buddhist Ceremony to 1949 monks in a public square. This ceremony receives a support and donation from the Khmer monarch by providing Their Highest Representative to preside over the ceremony every year without a miss.

Since [the new millennium] 2000, the Khmer Kampuchea Krom organizations and associations granted to organize the ceremony at the Field of Meru by the Royal Palace Ministry. On the contrary since Hon. Kep Chuktema becomes the Governor of Phnom Penh, our ceremony has been met with difficulty every year.

Phnom Penh City Hall's action is a serious religious right violation, racial discrimination on the Khmer Kampuchea Krom Buddhist monks and people, highly disrespectful upon the heroic Khmer Buddhist monks, heroic monarchies, heroes, heroines, heroic armed forces servicemen and women and highly disrespectful upon the king without a doubt.

The Khmer Kampuchea Krom organizations-associations condemn the Phnom Penh Governor in the strongest language for not complying with the Constitution, the supreme law of Cambodia, numerous international religious rights treaties, sub-treaties and covenants and declaration on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination.

Phnom Penh, June 3, 2011

012 908 882

012 481 161

090 477 007

E-mail: thachsetha@gmail.com

Kandal provincial police have arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of killing a popular opposition activist earlier this week.

Police say they arrested Lim Veasna, a father of two in Kien Svay district, Thursday evening with traces of blood on his clothes, and said they had suspected him because he belongs to a group of drug users.

They are still looking for two more suspects and are assuming a motive of robbery in the Wednesday killing of Ouk Chhan, 64, a Sam Rainsy Party activist and likely candidate commune council in 2012.

But Sam Rainsy Party officials said Friday they believe the true killer or killers remain at large.

"It was politically motivated, and the Sam Rainsy Party will follow up closely and request that the authorities find the real murderers," said Chan Cheng, an opposition lawmaker for Kandal province.

Eav Sam Roeun, chief of Kandal police, said an investigation was ongoing. "We are searching for two more, to show and reply to the political allegations", he said.

Am Sam Ath, lead investigator for the rights group Licadho, said the murder could have been a coincidence and a robbery. "We will continue to investigate and to verify," he said.

Kenny King and Kurt Berning, students at the University of Portland, have raised more $20,000 for education in Cambodia. King and Berning are the founders of Global Alliance for Developing Education, a non-profit that is dedicated to building education in developing countries. The money was raised at a gourmet meal and auction held at the North Portland school.

King and Berning also took first place in the non-profit category at the $100K Challenge, a business plan competition hosted by the University's Entrepreneur Scholar program and Pamplin School of Business.

The organization's strategies include expanding an existing microfinance program, building a secondary school, training teachers and providing scholarships for high school students to attend college.

The two recently traveled to Cambodia.

"The trip has inspired me to work tirelessly to improve the quality of schools in Cambodia and offer opportunities to the deserving students," said Berning. "The need in these schools is dire, and even a relatively small amount of money in the U.S. can make a dramatic impact on the life of a Cambodian student."