KI Media: “Slide Show by Dr. Gaffar Peang-Meth” plus 24 more

I invite you to view the slide show, "Cambodia in Pictures," a compilation of unattributed photos of the "Old Cambodia" of pre-1970 and of "Political Cambodia," covering the period of the Vietnam War and subsequent years.

The photos speak for themselves. Commentary is embedded into only one photo, slide 36, an aerial photo of Khmer refugees fleeing in Kompong Thom in 1974. The pre-1970 photos should bring great memories to Cambodians of my generation and those older than I. They depict a country that has greatly changed in the intervening years. The photos of "Political Cambodia," represent a brief history of the country – published photos taken from various sources.

I hope my younger compatriots will appreciate the opportunity to have a window into the country as it was when their parents were young.

Please enjoy the slide show!

Sincerely,

The UN's rights envoy to Cambodia, Surya Subedi, wrapped up his fifth fact-finding mission to Cambodia on Friday, saying he remained concerned over land rights, forced evictions and the freedom of expression.

"While the general situation of human rights has progressed in certain areas, it has not improved much in others," he said in a statement. "Because of the fear of possible charges of defamation, disinformation and incitement against them, many people such as journalists, human rights defenders and political activists seem to be resorting to self-censorship."

Subedi also said he remains concerned about legal charges against land activists and people embroiled in land disputes.

"I am dismayed to hear about disproportionate use of force by law enforcement officials during peaceful protests by individuals involved in land disputes," Subedi said, citing violence in demonstrations by Boeung Kak lake residents in April.

The rights group Adhoc has so far recorded at least 124 arrests in land disputes so far this year, with at least 18 people now in detention.

Subedi said the judiciary and parliament are not functioning as they should in a proper democracy, claiming that some people are denied fair trials, while rules of parliament have curbed free speech there and lessened healthy debate.

However, he said that he expected ongoing cooperation with the government on these and other issues.

Government spokesman Phay Siphan said Friday the administration was working on legal and judiciary reform, and he called the government and the UN "partners."

Both of the country's opposition parties are now ensnared in a number of challenges as they prepare to face elections in the next two years, analysts said this week.

The Sam Rainsy Party's leader is already in exile over a number of criminal charges he says are politically motivated.

And now the president of the minority opposition Human Rights Party, Kem Sokha, is facing a challenge to his credibility, after a recording was leaked to the media in which he appears to be colluding with Prime Minister Hun Sen to divide the opposition.

Kem Sokha has denied any collaboration with the ruling Cambodian People Party, but the allegations come amid a continued failure by both parties to unite.

Hang Puthea, executive director for the Neutral and Impartial Committee for free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, said that all the parties are looking head to the election campaign, "so any picture can happen."

The leaked tape can even be considered a type of politics, he said. "I think that this is a form of democracy."

Hang Chhaya, executive director of the Khmer Institute of Democracy, said the leaked tape will likely mark the end of any chance for collaboration between the parties. Both parties have struggled to find common ground and unify their electorate, following national elections in 2008, when the CPP posted a resounding victory.

Cambodians will vote for local commune leaders in 2012 and a national parliament in 2013. However, Sam Rainsy remains abroad to avoid 12 years in prison sentences on charges stemming from an anti-Vietnamese demonstration in 2009.

Now Kem Sokha must face the accusations about his conversation with Hun Sen, reportedly recorded in July 2007. In that recording, the two men sound congenial. Kem Sokha reports on internal party matters, including finances, and discusses defections to his party from the Sam Rainsy Party. He also thanks Hun Sen for helping him form the Human Rights Party.

Sam Rainsy, who is currently in the US, told VOA Khmer on Wednesday that the leaked tape is evidence of a conspiracy to weaken his party. However, he said, the party has actually strengthened in recent years, having grown from 24 parliamentary seats in 2003 to <s>24</s> 26 in 2008.

In a phone interview, Kem Sokha said the leaked tape was in fact an attempt to weaken his own party, although he did not elaborate.

"Even though the ruling party causes any number of thunder and storms," he said, "people who love democracy, love the nation, they have a clear choice, and they are very much participating with the Human Rights Party."

Senator for Phitsanulok Phikulkaew Krairiksh, who chairs the Senate committee on foreign affairs, has played a key role in finding a solution to the Thai-Cambodia border dispute.

She was involved in preparations to defend the country's position at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) after Cambodia asked it to interpret its 1962 ruling on sovereignty over the disputed land near Preah Vihear temple.

The panel has studied the border conflict for some time although its work has gone unreported by the media.

Ms Phikulkaew discussed the panel's work with NAUVARAT SUKSAMRAN.

Ambassador [to the Hague] Virachai Plasai assessed the situation and believed the issue would eventually end up with the ICJ.

The ambassador came under political pressure and asked to be transferred to The Hague. That happened to be the right move as he helped to prepare the country's legal team.

It took more than two years to put together the legal team and gather all the necessary information, but we worked together quietly.

We might have run into problems had details of our preparations and information to be presented to the court been released. The lawyers could have been lobbied [by the other side].

However, the cultural side of the issue must also be taken into account. People on both sides of the border have been crossing back and forth for a long time. They are so culturally related they are almost like family.

Nobody ever thought that we would one day have to be separated by fences. This is about civilisation and all sides learning to live together in harmony.

The Preah Vihear issue also concerns the internal affairs of both countries. It is a game to woo voters and to maintain the hold on power by politicians in Cambodia.

When we provided them with the information, they seemed to have more understanding. Apart from France, we have also explained to lawmakers of other countries which are members of Unesco and the ICJ. Most of them agree with the committee's position that Thailand and Cambodia should jointly develop the temple and the disputed areas surrounding it.

However, they said Thailand had done too little to explain the issue to foreign organisations.

This is our weakness. Cambodia is better prepared to put its case to the world. The government must set up a central agency comprising representatives from all the agencies concerned to explain the issue to foreign countries.

This is a fresh move by Cambodia to complete the listing of the Preah Vihear temple as a world heritage site.

Cambodia is acting with a new determination and new ambition.

Pictures and comments on the left are from KI-Media blogspot.com.

A secret phone talk between Samdech Hun Sen and Kem Sokha on July 25, 2007 has brought storms of criticisms from all sides.

The leak had caused Kem Sokha to become the instant spin doctor for his HRP trying to explain why he had to speak to Premier Hun Sen regarding their strategy to weaken SRP, etc...(click here to read the transcript).

In Cambodian politics, lies can be called maneuvers. When a politician lies and get caught he may get away with it, if he/she can charm his/her way out of such a deception. After all, many voters may have a short memory.

Kem Sokha's reasons why he needed to talk to Samdech Decho Hun Sen are ridiculous and unreasonable for many of us, but those who are on his side including his yes-men/women will find ways and means to justify Kem Sokha's actions.

One may question why many other party's leaders were not given the same opportunity (or didn't need) to talk with the premier to get his green light. However, Kem Sokha believes it is OK to have some candid conversations with different party leaders; after all Samdech is a Khmer, too (!).

It pays to know someone on the top, doesn't it?

Some HRP's members might suggest HRP's Disciplinary Committee to take some actions against Kem Sokha, except they knew too little how HRP operates. The "democratic processes" inside this party exist only on paper. What Kem Sokha wants, Kem Sokha gets it. Nepotism does exist.

Many HRP's founders and key members have left because they had lost confidence in Kem Sokha and his organization. Others, who got smarter, have completely stopped supporting HRP. Nevertheless, other fanatic members will continue to believe in his "maneuvers" hoping some days they will reap personal and political benefits together. Those who knew about the talk (between Samdech and Kha) or other secrets and believed they were misled have already made their decision to jump ship.

It is believed that after this first little leak and little lie; many HRP members will have to reconsider their support. Members who believe that Kem Sokha directly or indirectly deals with Samdech Decho, will probably have to join CPP openly rather than working with its proxy.

SRP on the other hand will reap some immediate benefits from the leak. Many SRP's leaders have questioned Kem Sokha's motive and sincerity well ahead of the inception date of HRP.

The relationship between SRP and Kem Sokha turned bitter when SRP boycotted all Kem Sokha's CCHR public forums in the early part of 2006 claiming that Kem Sokha had repeatedly attacked SRP in the open.

Recently, Kem Sokha stated that the difference between him and Sam Rainsy was like oil to water. If that is the case, what can we say about his relationship with Samdech?

Kem Sokha's attitude toward SRP seems to be consistent. His conversation with Premier Hun Sen further reveals his true intention: to split SRP.

His primary target was not the CPP but the oppositions. Cambodian professional politicians who live on politics know very well that most members of the CPP are completely loyal to their leaders at all levels. There is little chance any CPP member will jump ship to be with a HRP; therefore, it is obvious that the creation of HRP has only helped weaken SRP as well as other oppositions.

Meanwhile, some Khmer overseas are still vulnerable to the belief that many members of the ruling party as well as the other oppositions will switch to support HRP because Kem Sokha's HRP is "the best and the last choice Cambodians have."

However, such a theory was just a propaganda aiming to find monetary support from naïve Cambodians abroad. It is unquestionable that the overseas Khmers love Cambodia and its people that is why some shrewd politicians manage to use the pain and suffering of poor Cambodians to squeeze our heart, soul and bank account.

More and more Cambodians in Cambodia now are much better off than they were and yet HRP have not been able to raise enough funds to support its operation. What are they trying to tell us?

Regardless of what Kem Sokha says or swears, the private discussion between him and Hun Sen helps enlighten Cambodian people that both HRP and CPP do have at least one common goal and the same opponent: the Sam Rainsy Party.

With this in mind Cambodians can put an end to their long waiting dream—a unity among the Non-CPP. At the end the CPP and its affiliates will be the winner(s).

A little leak, a little lie and it is little too late for the UNITY.

KI-Media Note: Regarding Mr. Ly Diep's item No. 1, the statement is signed by the SRP office and it was sent to us by email from the SRP office at following email address: srpcabinet@gmail.com. Additional information can be obtained from that email address directly. To protect our sources, we will NOT reveal the source of opinions and op-eds sent to us by private parties who would like to remain anonymous.

A gang of big, "sharp-toothed" monkeys have been caught at a Phnom Penh temple as part of a crackdown on the unruly animals after a spate of attacks on visiting tourists, a zoo official said on Friday.

Silvered langurs monkeys climb a tree in Mondulkiri, Cambodia. A gang of big, "sharp-toothed" monkeys have been caught at a Phnom Penh temple as part of a crackdown on the unruly animals after a spate of attacks on visiting tourists, a Cambodian zoo official says.

"Phnom Penh authorities asked us to remove the violent monkeys from the temple... The guards there said many visitors had been bitten by big monkeys," Nhek Rattanak Pich, director of Phnom Tamao Zoo and rescue centre, told AFP.

Veterinarians from the zoo tranquilised 13 macaques at the Wat Phnom pagoda on Tuesday and Friday and the operation is set to continue.

The temple is crowded with some 200 semi-tame macaques who occasionally cause havoc when they stray towards nearby homes and hotels, tearing tiles off roofs, destroying laundry and making off with items left lying around.

Cambodian police have described the macaques as "gangster" monkeys in the past after a failed attempt to trap them with eggs laced with sleeping pills. Authorities even put a $250 bounty on several of the animals' heads.

A violent 20-kilogram (44-pound) monkey was shot dead in 2008 at the temple after it attacked visitors.

Pich said blood samples from the monkeys would be tested to check for diseases before the animals are sent either to the zoo or freed in remote forests near Tonle Sap lake, far away from the capital.

PHNOM PENH — Cambodia is failing to address concerns about a worsening climate for freedom of expression, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in the country said on Friday.

"The situation I'm afraid has not changed much with regards to freedom of speech. That's where I would like to see some progress made," Surya Subedi told reporters at the end of his fifth fact-finding mission to Cambodia.

Subedi said the situation had showed little improvement since his previous visit in February, when he voiced alarm over the narrowing space for people to express their views and told the government that criticism was not a crime.

"Because of the fear of possible charges of defamation, disinformation and incitement against them, many people such as journalists, human rights defenders and political activists seem to be resorting to self-censorship," he said at a news conference in the capital.

The Cambodian government has come under fire in recent years for launching a number of lawsuits against critics and opposition members.

Last year it also introduced a new penal code that makes it easier to jail a person for voicing dissent.

"People who should not be in prison in a properly functioning democracy are in prison," Subedi said, referring to the case of a World Food Programme employee who was jailed for six months in December for distributing material from an anti-government website.

Touching on the sensitive issue of land rights violations, a high-profile problem in Cambodia, he said "not much progress has been made".

He said he had visited some disputed sites, including a lake area in Phnom Penh where thousands of people are being forcibly evicted to make way for a private development project.

A rally by dozens of lake residents in April ended violently when baton-wielding policemen beat protesters, including elderly women, and made several arrests.

Subedi called the incident "regrettable" but said he was encouraged by the recent dialogue between the lake-dwellers and city officials.

Phnom Penh - The UN human rights envoy to Cambodia said Friday that land rights and freedom of expression dominated his concerns as he wrapped up a five-day visit.

Surya Subedi said he was also monitoring closely the tendency of parliament, which is dominated by the ruling Cambodian People's Party, to strip the immunity of opposition legislators who speak out.

'Democracy is about dialogue and debate on all issues of national importance, and this is especially so in the case of parliament, which by definition is a chamber where members of parliament can debate freely any issues of national importance,' he said.

'It is for this reason that they have been accorded parliamentary immunity,' Subedi said, adding that some legislators who had been prosecuted were unable even to represent themselves.

'[That] goes against the basic principles of natural justice, let alone international human rights standards,' he said.

Subedi applauded the government's work in some areas, including consulting with civil society and trade unions on pending laws that would regulate them.

But his major concerns revolved around land and housing rights, an issue he said had been 'at the top of my agenda' since he took up the post in March 2009.

'The problem has not gone away,' he said. 'Land grabbing by the rich and powerful has been a problem, and economic and other forms of land concessions have affected the rights of the indigenous people living in rural areas.'

He said much work was still needed to strengthen the independence and capacity of the judiciary.

Phnom Penh has long had a rocky relationship with human rights groups. This year, the head of the UN human rights office in Cambodia, Christophe Peschoux, left the country for Geneva.

His departure came months after Prime Minister Hun Sen said he wanted the UN human rights office shut and Peschoux fired. The United Nations denied Peschoux's departure was linked to Hun Sen's comments.

A native of Nepal and a British-trained lawyer, Subedi is mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to report on human rights in Cambodia. He is to submit his next report to the body in September.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Cambodia Surya Subedi wrapped up his fifth visit to Cambodia on Friday expressing concern about the lack of progress on land rights and freedom of speech in the country.

The main purpose of the visit - his fifth --was to assess how well parliament functions in upholding the rights of ordinary Cambodians.

On that score, he said that while human rights had improved in some areas, it had noticeably failed to do so in others such as land rights and freedom of speech.

Cambodia's ruling party holds more than two-thirds of the seats in parliament. The opposition complains that allows it to push through legislation without taking anyone else's concerns into account.

Opposition MPs that have spoken out on a number of issues in the past have found themselves stripped of their parliamentary immunity and even convicted for talking about issues of national importance. Subedi said that sort of action is not what democracy is about.

Subedi said he had discussed the topic of stripping parliamentary immunity with the head of parliament, the ruling party's Heng Samrin, who replied that the legislature was merely following its own internal rules.

"But I am examining the internal rules and procedures themselves to see to what extent they are compatible with Cambodia's international human rights obligations," he said.

Subedi said there were some positive developments, such as the fact that government had consulted with civil society and trade unions on pending laws that would affect them.

But he warned that talking was not enough, adding that the government needs to demonstrate that it is incorporating the concerns of others.

During his stay, Subedi met senior government officials, as well as donors, representatives from civil society, members of the political opposition and ordinary Cambodians. He stressed that land and housing rights had been one of his major concerns since he took up the post of U.N. human rights envoy two years ago.

"The problem has not gone away," he said. "Land grabbing by the rich and powerful has been a problem, and economic and other forms of land concessions have affected the rights of the indigenous people living in rural areas."

Subedi said he had met with citizens threatened by eviction, including residents from a site in Phnom Penh that was awarded to a ruling party senator.

"I am aware of their problem. I am sympathetic to their problem. I have made my representation at the highest level possible with the government. That was one of the reasons why I included in my recommendations that when people have a land dispute they should be able to go to court and receive fair and impartial justice," he said. "That was the reason why my last report was focused on the judiciary, on strengthening the independence and capacity of the judiciary."

Subedi said a great deal of work was still needed in that area.

Cambodia's constitution provides for freedom of speech, but that right is often squashed by what authorities say is a need for public security. Earlier this year, Subedi expressed concern that the space to express government criticism was narrowing. He said he did not see the situation improving.

"The situation I am afraid has not changed in this country with regard to freedom of speech. That is where I would like to see some progress made," he said.

Subedi will submit his report to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva in September.

 I painted it in 1980  after I arrived in Brisbane,QLD,Australia.

Fishery administration officials were reportedly slashed with a knife and beaten during a raid on a Vietnamese fishing boat found deep inside Cambodian territory.

According to local newspaper Nokorwat News, the two government officials had to jump in the sea to escape after being attacked during an operation to stop a Vietnamese vessel fishing illegally near Polovai Island in Preah Sihanouk province on Monday.

The officials, it was reported, captured a boat containing seven fishermen. But when they ordered the captain to take it to a port, 47-year-old Cambodian official Som Darapoc was knifed while his colleague, 48-year-old Nuch Puthreary, was beaten with a stick.

The attack forced them to flee for their lives, according to the newspaper, while the boat returned to Vietnamese waters.

Nao Thuok, director of Fishery Administration, confirmed yesterday that the men had been injured after a scuffle between fishery officials and Vietnamese fishermen. One of the officials, he said, was still being treated at Phnom Penh's Calmette Hospital.

Nao Thuok was not available to comment further but it was reported that Som Darapoc received five stitches for his knife wounds.

Duong Sam Ath, chief of Fishery Administration at Preah Sihanouk province, denied that the officials came from his province. "Maybe the officials are from other units, but my officials are fine," he said yesterday.

An employee at the Vietnamese Consular General in Preah Sihanouk province said "I don't know, ask my colleague" when asked for comment by reporters yesterday.

Chum Nith, coordinator of Fisheries Action Coalition Team based in Preah Sihanouk province, said he had no information.

The history of the world is the world's court of justice.

- Friedrich Schiller

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

Preamble

The States Parties to the present Convention,

Considering that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,

Bearing in mind that the peoples of the United Nations have, in the Charter, reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person, and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Recognizing that the United Nations has, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the International Covenants on Human Rights, proclaimed and agreed that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status,

Recalling that, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations has proclaimed that childhood is entitled to special care and assistance,

Convinced that the family, as the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children, should be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that it can fully assume its responsibilities within the community,

Recognizing that the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding,

Considering that the child should be fully prepared to live an individual life in society, and brought up in the spirit of the ideals proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, and in particular in the spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and solidarity,

Bearing in mind that the need to extend particular care to the child has been stated in the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1924 and in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child adopted by the General Assembly on 20 November 1959 and recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (in particular in articles 23 and 24), in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (in particular in article 10) and in the statutes and relevant instruments of specialized agencies and international organizations concerned with the welfare of children,

Bearing in mind that, as indicated in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, "the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth",

Recalling the provisions of the Declaration on Social and Legal Principles relating to the Protection and Welfare of Children, with Special Reference to Foster Placement and Adoption Nationally and Internationally; the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (The Beijing Rules); and the Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict, Recognizing that, in all countries in the world, there are children living in exceptionally difficult conditions, and that such children need special consideration,

Taking due account of the importance of the traditions and cultural values of each people for the protection and harmonious development of the child, Recognizing the importance of international co-operation for improving the living conditions of children in every country, in particular in the developing countries,

Have agreed as follows:

The United Nations has recently given Mrs. Bun Rany, the wife of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the title of "famous person." Mrs. Bun Rany Hun Sen is expected to be received later this month by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon at the UN headquarters in New York.

A totally uneducated person, Mrs. Bun Rany Hun Sen has recently secured for herself the laughable title of "Doctor" from a "University" that exists only on paper.

More seriously, Mrs. Bun Rany Hun has some blood on her hands.

When they meet in New York Mr. Ban Ki-Moon should ask Mrs. Bun Rany Hun Sen, for instance, whether she remembers anything about the death of Ms. Piseth Pilika, a famous and very popular Cambodian actress who was assassinated in Phnom Penh in July 1999, at a time when Prime Minister Hun Sen was having an affair with her.

If Mrs. Bun Rany Hun Sen's answer is not clear, we suggest Mr. Ban Ki-Moon to ask the UN staff to do some research on this topic.

They may want to visit http://tinyurl.com/3n3lbls , a Web site dedicated to honor the memory of Piseth Pilika, and they will learn how Piseth Pilika was assassinated by Mrs. Bun Rany Hun Sen's henchmen.

They will remember Piseth Pilika's last words (excerpts from her diary, 10 May 1999): "Mr. Hok Lundy, the Director General of the National Police, had asked me to go to meet with him because he had something important to tell me. He sent two bodyguards to pick me up. I met with Hok Lundy at Kien Svay, at a restaurant situated in a quiet place. He told me to go into hiding because Mrs. Bun Rany Hun Sen was very angry against me and was plotting to kill me."

They will remember how Piseth Pilika was seriously wounded on 6 July 1999 in a broad daylight attack in downtown Phnom Penh by unidentified gunmen. She died on 13 July 1999 at Phnom Penh's Calmette Hospital shortly after Mrs. Bun Rany Hun Sen called and asked Dr. Heng Tay Kry, the Hospital Director and a member of the ruling CPP's Central Committee, not to let Piseth Pilika survive because she was expecting a baby she had conceived following her relations with Mr. Hun Sen. On the day of her death, to the surprise of the medical staff tending Piseth Pilika who seemed to be recovering from her bullet wounds caused by the attack a week before, Dr. Heng Tay Kry unexpectedly took her to the operating room to conduct a second, unnecessary and fatal surgery on her. She died on the operating table.

The UN staff may also want to read the report "Révélations sur un crime d'état" (Revelations on a state crime) in L'Express, 07 October 1999, available at http://tinyurl.com/3jqm4oc

They would continue their research by reading "Assassinat d'une star du Cambodge" (Assassination of a Cambodia's star) in L'Express, 21 October 1999, available at http://tinyurl.com/3elymyg

They could learn even more about impunity for powerful people in Cambodia by reading "Les basses œuvres de Hun Sen" (Hun Sen's dirty works) in L'Express, 17 August 2006, available at http://tinyurl.com/3kflnsx

From now on, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, after shaking Mr. Hun Sen's hands or his wife Mrs. Bun Rany's, look at your own hands: they are also tainted with blood.

About 400 stalls at Kratie town's market burned down yesterday in a blaze that vendors, many of whom have lost thousand of dollars worth of goods, fear could have been deliberately lit.

Military police chief of Kratie province Keo Chea said the fire started at about 12.45am yesterday and was extinguished by 8am with the help of two police fire engines and local residents.

"An estimated 60 to 70 percent of goods and stalls were completely destroyed by fire, but some of goods were taken from the fire in time," he said.

Police, said Keo Chea, assume it was an electrical fire, as the market was closed when it began. "The authorities need to find a new place and build temporary stalls for them to sell. We will clean up this market again," he added.

Some vendors, however, believe the blaze was arson and travelled to Phnom Penh yesterday to ask for Hun Sen's help.

A representative for the stallholders, Ung Kimphoeun, said yesterday that the fire was started deliberately – rather than due to electric faults – as the market's electricity supply was turned off at night.

Ung Kimphoeun, who lost an estimated US$50,000 worth of goods from his clothes stall in the fire, asked Prime Minister Hun Sen for help to build a new market and find the suspected culprits.

"We haven't asked for help from the local authority because they have never solved the vendors' problems," he explained.

Tearful vendor Prak Chhroeun, who estimated she lost around US$10,000, said no one could help besides the Prime Minster. "Someone set fire to the market," she said.

Chae Samath, Kratie town governor, said yesterday that vendors did not have to ask for intervention from Phnom Penh as the provincial authorities were finding them a temporary home – perhaps on land owned by tycoon Thai Bun Rong.

Hun Sen's cabinet accepted the vendors' submission for a new market.

One man was arrested yesterday following the beating death of a Sam Rainsy Party commune official in Kandal province, amid competing claims from police and the opposition party over whether the killing was politically motivated.

The 64-year-old Ouk Chhanteak, second commune councillor in Kien Svay district's Chhoeu Teal commune, was bludgeoned to death at around 10pm on Wednesday evening as he returned home from patrolling the area, SRP officials said. His body was reportedly dumped roughly one kilometre from the site where he was attacked, with his motorbike, camera and telephone having been stolen.

Kien Svay district police chief Pa Sam Eth said yesterday that one of three suspects in the case had been arrested yesterday afternoon, adding that police believe the incident was a robbery that was unrelated to politics.

"The suspect we arrested already admitted in front of us that he and another two men really robbed the victim for his motorbike," Pa Sam Eth said. "Now we know the identities of the other two and we are investigating to arrest them."

The SRP alleged, however, that the murder was connected to Ouk Chhanteak's work on behalf of the opposition. "The murder was related to [a] political case because Mr Ouk Chhantak was the most popular SRP second commune councillor in his commune and would become a commune chief in [the] upcoming commune election [in] 2012," the SRP cabinet said in a statement yesterday.

"The Sam Rainsy Party would like to appeal to the authorities at all levels to take action to arrest the murderers."

Chan Cheng, an SRP lawmaker representing Kandal, said Ouk Chhanteak had always "worked to serve the people without taking money".

"Three days before his murder, he said the SRP was not worried about the upcoming election because he will be elected commune chief," Chan Cheng said. "He is very popular in Chhoeu Teal commune."

Chan Cheng added that Ouk Chhanteak's killers had not removed a pair of rings from his fingers, expressing doubt that the case was a simply a violent theft. But Pa Sam Eth said the missing motorbike was clear evidence of a robbery, dismissing Chan Cheng's allegations.

"It is his right to say that, but based on our assessment, we see that this case is a robbery," Pa Sam Eth said. "We are not indifferent and we are going to find the murderers."

Men Makara, an investigator based in Kandal for the local rights group Adhoc, said an investigation is required before a determination is made on whether or not the killing was politically motivated.

On Thursday, Thach Setha, President of the Khmer Krom Association, said that the Khmer Krom Association will hold a religious ceremony and will commemorate the 62nd anniversary of the loss of Kampuchea Krom on 04 June 2011 at the public park located in front of Botum Pagoda, in spite of the ban imposed by the Phnom Penh city hall. On 31 May, Kep Chuktema, the Phnom Penh city governor, issued a letter to Thach Setha, telling him that the city does not allow this commemoration because another Khmer Krom committee asked to hold this ceremony at the same location. Thach Setha said that the city is discriminating against Khmer Krom monks and people.