KI Media: “What Cambodians should learn from the Thai election: Don't be afraid to express your opinion” plus 24 more |
- What Cambodians should learn from the Thai election: Don't be afraid to express your opinion
- Lake Residents Wary of Commission’s Land Measurements
- Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy visited the Netherland (Holland)
- Angelina Jolie in Louis Vuitton ad in Cambodia
- Court Issues Summons for Opposition Over Finance Report
- Tribunal Chamber Suspends Retraction Order for Prosecutor [-At least some judges still use their heads!]
- Rainsy summoned yet again
- Cambodian 'spy' case draws official criticism
- HFH Cambodia Completes First Test Build For Khmer Harvest Build
- Thai PM rejects Cambodian accusation over spy arrest
- [Thai] Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gives Explanation on the Arrest of nationals of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam in Kantaralak District
- Burmese Troops Look Very Chinese [... so do some Cambodian troops]
- Cambodia urges border peace with Thailand
- A “toxic mistrust” at Cambodia’s dysfunctional genocide trial
- Closing Order of Case 002 against Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith
- Cambodians Demand Justice
- Disorder in the court
- Banality of Evil
- CCHR welcomes the Joint Declaration on Freedom of Expression and the Internet, and releases a briefing note on Internet censorship with specific recommendations for the Cambodian context
- Japanese investment growing in Cambodia
- Global rice prices forecast to rise soon
- COMFREL Release the Result of Workshop on Voter's Voice in Lveng Ruessey, Chi Kraeng, Siem Reap
- Slideshow: The 62nd Annual Kampuchea Krom Loss Commemoration
- Vietnam holds live-fire navy drill amid China spat
- Thai spy arrests a 'deceitful fabrication': Cambodia
| What Cambodians should learn from the Thai election: Don't be afraid to express your opinion Posted: 13 Jun 2011 05:39 PM PDT
 | ||||||||
| Lake Residents Wary of Commission’s Land Measurements Posted: 13 Jun 2011 05:34 PM PDT
Monday, 13 June 2011 Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Phnom Penh
Residents facing eviction from the Boeung Kak lake area in Phnom Penh have asked a city commission to cease land-plot measurements there, saying they want to have a chance themselves to measure the land they could be allowed to live on as a solution to a land dispute that has dogged the development since 2008. Residents say they are worried the land measurements are not being done transparently, raising concerns they could be given smaller plots than anticipated. The land-plotting scheme is a compromise by the city and developers in the ongoing land dispute over the $79-million, 133-hectare development site. However, Tep Vanny, a representative of the lake residents, said they had refused to thumb-print a document affirming the land measurements and had asked for the commission to delay its work until villagers can confirm them. The residents want their own representatives as part of the commission, to ensure fairness, he said. Another representative Ly Srey Mom, said residents want official documentation from the city administration confirming the land plots. A city official said the administration would consider the request.  | ||||||||
| Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy visited the Netherland (Holland) Posted: 13 Jun 2011 11:47 AM PDT On Friday 10 June, 2011 MP Sam Rainsy visited the Netherland where he met with government officials, member of parliament, and NGOs.
 | ||||||||
| Angelina Jolie in Louis Vuitton ad in Cambodia Posted: 13 Jun 2011 11:37 AM PDT
 | ||||||||
| Court Issues Summons for Opposition Over Finance Report Posted: 13 Jun 2011 11:31 AM PDT Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer Phnom Penh Monday, 13 June 2011 "The Cambodian court is keeping an eye on the Sam Rainsy Party only." Opposition leader Sam Rainsy has received yet another court summons from Cambodia, this one over a complaint filed in 2007 over a missing financial report to the Ministry of Interior. Sam Rainsy, who is in self-imposed exile abroad and facing a number of other criminal charges he claims are politically motivated, said Monday the party was meeting over how to handle the most recent summons from Phnom Penh Municipal Court. "The Cambodian court is keeping an eye on the Sam Rainsy Party only," he said. "There are many issues that the court should be taking care of." SRP spokesman Yim Sovann said the party had filed the proper financial reports in 2006, and that the charges they had not were "absurd." Khieu Sopheak, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said Saturday that the ministry had filed similar complaints against a number of parties that failed to file financial reports in 2006. However, Sam Rainsy said the new summons shows a "fear" of the opposition by the ruling Cambodian People's Party. "So that's why the ruling party is trying to provoke the Sam Rainsy Party." Koul Panha, executive director for the Committee for Free and Fair Elections, said the Interior Ministry should have first issued a warning to the party before filing a complaint with the court. A hearing as elections approach, he added, could cause "political turmoil."  | ||||||||
| Posted: 13 Jun 2011 11:24 AM PDT
Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer Phnom Penh Monday, 13 June 2011
The Pre-Trial Chamber of the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal on Monday delayed an order from investigating judges that the court's international prosecutor retract public statements about a controversial case at the court. Chamber judges said the prosecutor's remarks, which outlined several investigation sites and other details in Case 003, were already public and that a retraction ahead of an appeals decision would not erase them from the public record. The decision comes amid increased scrutiny of the investigating judges' office, which has seen a staff exodus since April, when it brought a hasty conclusion to Case 003—a case Prime Minister Hun Sen opposes. International prosecutor Andrew Cayley said in a public statement last month he would file for further investigation in the case, including further investigation of key crime sites and questioning of the two suspects. The investigating judges countered with an order for him to retract portions of the statement they said had revealed confidential information, an order Cayley appealed against. Judge Prak Kimsan, head of the Pre-Trial Chamber, said in the decision Monday that Cayley's public statements could not be retracted and were already part of the public domain. The chamber ordered a suspension of the investigating judges' order ahead of a full decision on Cayley's appeal. Tribunal spokesman Dim Sovannarom confirmed the decision. Chhang Youk, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, said the decision bolstered support for the prosecution's work and exposed the "weakness" of the office of the investigating judges. Meanwhile, local media reported Monday that a group of UN legal advisers for the office have left it dismayed, following the judges' April 29 conclusion of Case 003. Critics of the conclusion order say it signaled an unwillingness of the office to fully pursue the politically sensitive case.  | ||||||||
| Posted: 13 Jun 2011 08:45 AM PDT
Monday, 13 June 2011 Meas Sokchea The Phnom Penh Post Embattled opposition leader Sam Rainsy has been ordered to appear at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on June 22 to answer allegations that his political party did not send its 2006 annual report to the Ministry of Interior on time, sparking the Sam Rainsy Party to threaten a counter-suit. The ministry filed a complaint against the SRP in August, 2007 for the late report. According to the summons, dated June 6 and obtained by The Post yesterday, the SRP failed to file a timely report on its activities, income and spending, bank-account balance and party inventory. Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said yesterday that the SRP submitted the report, required of all parties, after the deadline. The ministry is demanding that the SRP pay 3 million riel (US$734). When asked why the complaint was being dug up nearly four years after it was filed, Khieu Sopheak declined to comment, referring questions to the court. Hing Bun Chea, the deputy prosecutor at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court who signed the summons, could not be reached for comment. Meanwhile, the SRP has demanded that the ministry rescind the complaint, threatening to sue for defamation. In a statement on Friday, the SRP said it had submitted the report by a deadline of December 31, 2006, and that both the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Economy and Finance had received it two days later, on January 2. "The Ministry of Interior's intention in filing a complaint to the Phnom Penh Municipal Court accusing the SRP of not sending its 2006 annual report to the Ministry of Interior is to disturb and defame the SRP," the party said. "The SRP would like to ask the Ministry of Interior to withdraw the complaint … otherwise, the SRP will sue the Interior Minister [Sar Kheng] of defaming the SRP," the statement said. Khieu Sopheak said the ministry would not withdraw its complaint, and said the SRP statement only made the ministry more inclined to file additional complaints against the opposition party. "If [Sam Rainsy] dares to sue the Ministry of Interior, we will file additional complaints," he said. Khieu Sopheak suggested that Sam Rainsy recognise his mistake and "implore" the ministry to withdraw the complaint. SRP spokesman Yim Sovann said submitting a report one or two days late was "normal" and that the complaint was a "laughable" ploy. He countered that the government was often late in responding to questions submitted by SRP parliamentarians, often taking months to reply and sometimes not responding at all. "In the Constitution, it states that the government must answer in seven days, but sometimes in three months the government has not answered," he said. "How does the Ministry of Interior think?" Sam Rainsy, who currently lives abroad in self-imposed exile, would face as long as 14 years in prison from a string of convictions if he were to return to the Kingdom.  | ||||||||
| Cambodian 'spy' case draws official criticism Posted: 13 Jun 2011 08:40 AM PDT Monday, 13 June 2011 Cheang Sokha The Phnom Penh Post Cambodian embassy officials in Bangkok have found legal representation for a Cambodian man who was arrested on charges of espionage last week, an allegation the Foreign Ministry called a "deceitful fabrication". Ung Kimthai, 43, was apprehended by Thai officials on Tuesday in Thailand's Sisaket province along with Wieng Terng Yang, a Vietnamese national, and Suchat Muhammad, a Thai national, Thai newspaper The Nation reported on Saturday. In addition to charges of espionage, additional charges have been brought against Suchat for drunk driving and Ung Kimthai for drug abuse. "This clearly shows Cambodia's intent and disputes its claims that Thailand was the first to start using force and incursion. The arrests, on the other hand, show that Cambodia has been active militarily [against Thailand]," Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was quoted as saying. Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said yesterday that Ung Kimthai, who is from Neak Loeung town in Kandal province, entered Thailand on June 2 as a tourist and was arrested on Tuesday. Embassy officials, he added, had met with Ung Kimthai, who reportedly rejected the charges against him and said he had merely entered as a tourist, citing the recent visa exemption agreement between the two countries that allows tourists from both sides to visit without a visa. "[Ung Kimthai] is being malignly accused," said Koy Kuong, adding that Cambodian authorities would find a second legal representative for him when he is due to appear in court. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected the espionage allegations, saying they are meant to mislead the public. "The Royal Government of Cambodia wishes to assert that the above fabrication is only a pretext to justify future aggression against Cambodia," the ministry said in a statement released on Friday. "Cambodia feels it is very regrettable that the Prime Ministry of a neighbouring country has resorted to lies as an approach for Thai foreign policy." Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said on Saturday that legal action would be taken against all three men, Thai state news agency MCOT reported. When asked whether the Thai government would seek a "prisoner exchange" for two Thai nationals now serving time in Cambodia for espionage, he said he would let the legal process run its course, adding that under Thai law prisoners must serve at least two-thirds of their sentence before such an exchange would be possible. Veera Somkwamkid, coordinator for the Thai Patriot Network, and his secretary, Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, were sentenced in February to eight and six years, respectively, for espionage, illegal entry and trespassing into a military area last year. Koy Kuong, however, said a prisoner exchange was "impossible". "Thailand shows ill-will in making up such a story to exchange for their prisoners," he said. Thai foreign ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi could not be reached for comment yesterday.  | ||||||||
| HFH Cambodia Completes First Test Build For Khmer Harvest Build Posted: 13 Jun 2011 08:37 AM PDT 06 13, 2011 Priya Lopes 12 Volunteers Help A Family To Build A Home In Oudong OUDONG, Cambodia, 9th June 2011: Habitat for Humanity Cambodia has completed its first test build ahead of November's Khmer Harvest Build in Oudong, about 50 km. northwest of Phnom Penh. A team of 12 volunteers worked over five days in late May to build a house made of red soil bricks. The volunteers comprised two from New Zealand and two from South Korea with the remaining from Cambodia. They helped Habitat home partner Kem Sabet and her family to build brick walls. Kem Sabet and her husband Long Sambath have lived in poverty all of their lives. For the past three years they have lived in a crowded one-room bamboo house built on stilts with a plastic sheet roof that leaks heavily in the rainy season. With four children to support, the couple could not afford a proper house of their own. But through the Khmer Harvest Build this coming November, the family of six will be able to live in a new community, in a safer house far away from the dump site where they lived and worked for the past three years. "I'm so happy for my family," said Habitat home partner Kem Sabet. "We have always hoped for one day having our own home but never had the chance. Once this house is finished we plan to move in right away and begin a new life here." Her daughter, Long Davy, 24, said: "I am very happy to be here to work on the house for my family. This is the first house we have ever owned so this is very special for my family. I will never forget this and all the people who came here to help my family." Korean volunteer Ju-yeon Cho was initially sceptical of completing a house in five days but said later: "It's harder than I thought but it was a good experience for me." Spending time building a home for Kem Sabet's family has fostered a team spirit among the volunteers. Sorida Sbong, director of operations at Transitions Global, a non-governmental organization that empowers survivors of human trafficking, said: "I love working with the other volunteers knowing that we are helping a family who really need a house. Few of us have done construction before but we learned quickly and had a great time." During the test build, Andrew Baker from New Zealand said: "It has been an experience building in the hot humid temperature but we are on target to finish this house on schedule. We have had a great time working together with the home owner family and all the volunteers." Baker will return to Cambodia for the Khmer Harvest Build, together with some 150 Kiwi volunteers. His countryman Rob Silcock will be among those making a repeat trip in November. Silcock was a volunteer in the 2009 Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project in Cambodia and revisited the country for the test build. "It's been a fulfilling experience returning here to Cambodia. I just love it here with the people, the community and whole experience. It is a challenge working in the heat and humidity and a completely different type of construction we do back home. But it all works and the experience of being here will stay with you." The Khmer Harvest Build is part of a resettlement project in Oudong for 22 families who are currently living and working near a dumpsite in the capital Phnom Penh. A total of 350 international volunteers are expected to take part in the special build in Oudong. HFH Cambodia has partnered with International Children's Care, Australia, an international NGO, to provide livelihood training for the families once they relocate to their new homes.  | ||||||||
| Thai PM rejects Cambodian accusation over spy arrest Posted: 13 Jun 2011 08:12 AM PDT JAKARTA, June 13 (MCOT online news) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Monday said last week's arrest of three men--a Thai, a Cambodian and a Vietnamese--on espionage charges was not a set-up as alleged by Phnom Penh, saying Cambodian consular officials have been in contact with the Thai authorities on the matter since the day of the arrest. The Thai premier, attending the World Economic Forum in the Indonesian capital, made the denial following the Cambodian government accusation that Thailand had fabricated the story of the spies. Mr Abhisit stated the Thai Foreign Ministry has issued a statement dismissing Phnom Penh's accusation and that any further information obtained from the investigation would be used in international forums. "It's impossible that we conspired with any foreigners to make up the case." Mr Abhisit said. "I have been informed that Cambodian consular officials tried to contact the Thai officials since the day of the arrest of its national. "Such a response would not have been possible had the story been made up," the Thai premier stated. Thai national Suchart Muhammad, 32, Cambodian Ung Kimtai, 43, and Nguyen Tengyang, 37, a Vietnamese, were arrested last Tuesday at a Thai border village in the northeastern province of Si Sa Ket on charges of spying on Thai paramilitary bases and bunkers built to shelter Thai villagers in the event of cross-border attacks or shelling. Regarding the possibility of an exchange of prisoners, Mr Abhisit said the detainees must face legal action under Thai judicial procedures first and that Cambodia should respect the Thai judicial system. A Cambodian court ruled on February 1 that Veera Somkwamkid, Thai Patriots Network coordinator, and his secretary Ratree Pipattanapaiboon were guilty of espionage, illegal entry, and trespassing in a military zone. Mr Veera was sentenced to an eight-year jail term and a 1.8 million riel (US$450) fine, while Ms Ratree was handed a six-year jail term and a 1.2 million riel (US$300) fine. Meanwhile, Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to the Thai Foreign Minister, asserted Monday that the arrest of the three men was neither politically motivated nor had been set up, and that there were sufficient grounds for the arrest. Mr Chavanond however did not say whether Thailand would raise the issue in the International Court of Justice or the meeting of the World Heritage Committee which is scheduled to be held next week in Paris. The foreign ministry's statement released on Monday said the police are investigating the case and will not take legal action if there is no strong evidence.  | ||||||||
| Posted: 13 Jun 2011 08:04 AM PDT June 13, 2011, 4:30 pm Source: http://www.mfa.go.th/web/35.php?id=27540 On 12 June 2011, Mr. Jesda Katavatin, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to media enquiries regarding the arrest of 3 suspects with Thai, Cambodian, and Vietnamese nationality in Kantaralak district on 7 June 2011. Gist as follows; 1. At present, the Thai police are in the process of investigating the case. One thing that can be assured to the general public is that the police will not pursue any legal actions if there aren't sufficient evidence. 2. Thailand's legal procedures are firmly based on the Thai judicial process. After the police investigation, they may submit a case to the Office of the Attorney-General and then the latter will submit charges to the court for consideration. The Deputy Spokesperson further stated that the Thai court is well known for its credibility, honesty and professionalism. Moreover, they are not subject to political influence. 3. Once charges are submitted to the court for consideration, the defendants are afforded the right to an attorney to fight the charges as per the norms of any open society with an impartial justice system. In this connection, the Embassies of Vietnam and Cambodia to Thailand can have consular access to their respective nationals in accordance with the international practices. 4. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirms that Thailand has been fully transparent in moving forward with the legal procedures of this case. In addition, Thailand has never made any allegations against the suspects by fabrication of false evidence. The Deputy Spokesperson also reiterated that Thailand has always been fully committed to building good relations with every country especially its neighbours.  | ||||||||
| Burmese Troops Look Very Chinese [... so do some Cambodian troops] Posted: 13 Jun 2011 07:45 AM PDT June 13, 2011 Strategy Page China recently donated 50,000 field uniforms (including hats and boots) to Cambodia. Last year, China donated 257 military trucks, and has also supplied weapons. The infantry weapons tend to be older models. That's because China is introducing a new and improved model of their QBZ-95 assault rifles (also called the Type 95) to their own troops. The QBZ-95 is a distinctive bullpup design (the magazine is behind the trigger) that China has been issuing to its troops for over a decade now. That means China has plenty of surplus Type 81 (improved AK-47) rifles (which the QBZ-95 replaced) to either put into storage, or distribute to allies. Cambodia has bought some Type 95s, for elite units. But most everyone else has the second hand Type 81. AK-47s have been widely used Burma nearly half a century. Cambodia really needs this Chinese military aid right now. That's because Cambodia is currently at war (sort of) with neighboring Thailand. This dispute is over a badly marked border. The basic problem is that the current 730 kilometer long border with Thailand was defined in 1907 by the placement of only 73 border markers. This has left the exact location of the border open to interpretation. Occasionally these interpretations clash, as is happening now. Neither side wants a full scale war, even though Thailand has a larger and better equipped military. In the last few years, Cambodia doubled its annual military budget to $500 million. But Thailand spends more than six times that, and has done so for decades. Thailand has 300,000 troops, Cambodia only 100,000. Currently, each side has deployed only a few thousand troops to the disputed area. The fighting has consisted of infantry skirmishes. Anything more serious would see the Cambodians at a big disadvantage. But now, some Cambodian troops are showing up wearing Chinese combat uniforms, carrying well-used Chinese weapons. That's got to have some impact on Thai morale, if nothing else.  | ||||||||
| Cambodia urges border peace with Thailand Posted: 13 Jun 2011 07:40 AM PDT 2011-06-13 Xinhua PHNOM PENH - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday called for cooperation with Thailand to settle the border dispute peacefully. During a meeting with new Thai ambassador to Cambodia Sompong Sanguanbun, Hun Sen said that good cooperation and will are very essential to solve the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand, the Prime Minister's spokesman Eang Sophalleth told reporters after the meeting. "We have to cooperate each other in the framework of ASEAN in order to fulfill the ASEAN community by 2015," Eang Sophalleth quoted the premier as saying. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has implemented the roadmap in 2009 toward the realization of the ASEAN economic, political-security, and socio-cultural communities by 2015. "Cambodia still has optimism to achieve the ASEAN goal because the relations between Cambodia and Thailand on tourism, trade, investment and other fields are still going on," he added. Meanwhile, the ambassador pledged to cooperate with the government of Cambodia in order to restore relations and cooperation between the two nations.  | ||||||||
| A “toxic mistrust” at Cambodia’s dysfunctional genocide trial Posted: 13 Jun 2011 07:36 AM PDT Monday, 13 June 2011 By Andrew Buncombe The Foreign Desk The Independent (UK) It's increasingly clear that the genocide tribunal in Cambodia – a court set up to investigate and prosecute senior members of the Khmer Rouge regime who were responsible for the deaths of unknown numbers of people – is in nothing less than a state of utter crisis. At the heart of the problem is the issue of how many former members of the murderous regime out to be brought before the court and how many should be allowed to quietly live out their lives. Last month I reported that Andrew Cayley, a British lawyer who serves as one of two prosecutors at the tribunal, had requested the investigating judges extend their inquiries into the actions of several former Khmer Rouge officials. He did so after the judges announced their investigation into the individuals – a docket that is known as Case 003 – had been concluded, without the individuals themselves even being questioned. Now there is more turmoil. Dr Stephen Heder, a former journalist and Cambodia expert who now lectures on south-east Asia at London's SOAS and who served as an advisor to the court, has resigned his position. Four other staff, said to be full-time UN employees, are said to have also resigned over what is widely perceived to be a reluctance on behalf the judges to pursue Case 003. The academic has declined to comment on his decision to stand down but in his letter of resignation, which he made available to me, Dr Heder wrote that he was quitting because the judges had decided to close Case 003 "effectively without investigating it, which I, like others, believe was unreasonable". But he said more than that, adding that he and others had lost confidence in the leadership of the judges and that they had created a "toxic atmosphere of mutual distrust" in "what is now a professionally dysfunctional office". The $200m tribunal that took more than a decade to establish, has always struggled against a backdrop of interference and opposition from the Cambodian authorities. Five suspects, among them Comrade Duch, or Kaing Guek Eav, the head of the S-21 torture and interrogation centre in Phnom Penh who was convicted last summer, have been formally charged. According to Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen, himself a former Khmer Rouge commander, that is where the matter should end. Last year, he told UN secretary general Ban ki-Moon that he wanted to see no more people brought to trial. He claimed it would be damaging to the nation to do so. But other observers and members of the legal fraternity believe there is adequate evidence to bring cases against other former members of the Maoist-inspired regime. As far back as 2001, when he was at the American University in Washington DC, Dr Heder made a case for prosecuting Meas Muth, a former commander of the Khmer Rouge navy who is accused, among other things, with the kidnap and murder of several foreign tourists, and air force commander Sou Met. It is believed these two men are the defendants listed in Case 003, details of which have not been made public, that the judges so superficially investigated. Few think a case will now ever be brought against these individuals. In that 2001 paper, Dr Heder, (left), wrote: "Documents pertaining to…Sou Met and Meas Muth provide compelling evidence of their direct involvement in the arrest and transfer to S-21 for execution of cadre from their Divisions. The evidence similarly suggests that both officials may be responsible for arrests and executions perpetrated by subordinates in their respective divisions." In a very odd move, the judges in the case, Germany's Siegfried Blunk and Cambodia's You Bunleng, released a statement saying they welcomed the departure of Mr Heder and their staff members since they had questioned the judges' authority to decide on the case. "In view of questions by the media regarding recent attempts by certain OCIJ staff members who have obtained new jobs outside of OCIJ, to portray their departure as "resignation" in protest over the CIJs' decision to close investigations in Case 003, the CIJs emphasize that they welcome the departure of all staff members who ignore the sole responsibility of the CIJs in this issue," it read. The Khmer Rouge, which controlled Cambodia from 1975-79, may have been responsible for the murder and deaths of up to 1.7m people. The country today, despite having a young population, remains traumatised by that dark period in its history. It's remarkable that given the efforts that have been made to bring those responsible to justice, the opportunity is not being taken.  | ||||||||
| Closing Order of Case 002 against Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith Posted: 13 Jun 2011 02:50 AM 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 Dates and Participation 208. With respect to the targeting of former officials of the Khmer Republic, this policy came into existence before 1975 and continued until at least 6 January 1979. Public declarations of intent in February 1975 to execute the most senior Khmer Republic figures upon victory were followed after 17 April 1975 by a secret decision to kill many other members of the Khmer Republic elite709 on the basis that "it was decided to do whatever had to be done in order to make it impossible for them to stage a counter-revolutionary comeback".710 209. During the evacuation of the population of Phnom Penh, former officials of the Khmer Republic, especially high-ranking officials,711 were targeted to be arrested and killed.712 There is also evidence that this group was targeted during the movement of people from other urban centres and subsequently throughout Cambodia, in particular in the Northwest Zone713 and the Southwest Zone714 as set out in the section of the Closing Order regarding Factual Findings of Crimes. 210. With respect to Buddhists, this policy began on or before 17 April 1975 and continued until at least 6 January 1979. High figures in the Buddhist hierarchy were executed during the evacuation of Phnom Penh, according to what Duch says he was told by those who carried out the killings.715 Chapter 15, Article 20 of the DK Constitution purported to regulate religion by stating "Every citizen of Kampuchea has the right to worship according to any religion and the right not to worship according to any religion. Reactionary religions which are detrimental to Democratic Kampuchea and Kampuchean people are absolutely forbidden".116 However, it appears that the purported freedom of religion in this article was a deception and that all religions were deemed to be reactionary. All religion was prohibited by the CPK including Buddhism. Pagodas were destroyed, virtually all Buddhist monks and nuns were disrobed,721 and some monks were threatened with death or killed if they did not comply. People were told to follow, and put their faith in, Angkar rather than in religion. The abolition of Buddhism and the Buddhist monkhood was justified locally by reference to the notion that they were members of the "special class" which was said by local cadre to be an exploitative and oppressor class.724 This policy was implemented throughout Cambodia during the entire CPK regime. 211. With respect to the Cham, this policy began as early as 1970 in some areas725 and escalated throughout the CPK regime until at least 6 January 1979. Forced displacement of Cham villages began in approximately 1973726 and escalated after 1975,727 with some Cham being dispersed through ethnic Khmer villages.728 Telegram #15 dated November 1975 describes a decision of the CPK Centre regarding the policy to "break up"129 the Cham through displacement.730 Throughout the CPK regime, the CPK prohibited the Cham from practising their religion.731 The CPK imprisoned or killed Cham religious leaders and elders732 and Cham people who protested or continued to practice their religion.733 The CPK also prohibited the Cham culture, language and dress. 734 212. Beyond religious persecution, beginning in 1977 and generally from mid-1978, the CPK adopted a policy of destroying the Cham as a group in those parts of Cambodia where most Cham then lived. Mass executions of Cham occurred in 1977 and 1978735 in the Central (Old North) Zone and East Zone. Witnesses gave evidence that the Cham were considered to be an enemy of the revolution736 and that the CPK intended to destroy the group737 by 1980.738 There is evidence that Ke Pork, Secretary of the Central Zone739 and a member of the Central Committee and Centre Military Committee,740 and the district secretaries of the East and Central Zones personally participated in the destruction of the Cham along with Centre and other military units.741 213. With respect to the Vietnamese, this policy came into existence before 1975 and continued to escalate throughout the CPK regime until at least 6 January 1979. From 1973,742 the CPK expelled Vietnamese people from Cambodian territory and sent them back to Vietnam, a policy that had been first implemented by the Lon Nol government since 1970. Expulsions continued in 1975 and 1976.743 The April 1976 issue of Revolutionary Flag addresses the expulsion of Vietnamese people from Cambodian territory and states that "the great typhoon of our democratic revolution swept hundreds of thousands of these foreigners clean and expelled them from our country, got them permanently out of our territory" .744 214. From April 1977, the CPK intended to further this policy by destroying in whole or in part the Vietnamese group as such. This is evidenced by the April 1977 issue of the Revolutionary Flag magazine, which contains a direct call to kill all members of the Vietnamese community remaining in Cambodia. It called for the masses to "seek out" and "smash" them 745 and stated, "as for their old roots, some of whom still remain after we have smashed them to bits, it is imperative to whip-up the people to sweep more of them clean and make things permanently clean.146 Evidence of implementation of the policy is contained in communications from the zone level to the Centre.747 Former cadres also confirm the policy: wherever there were Vietnamese, "everyone had to be careful and to find them and to "sweep them up".748 Indeed, from 1977 onwards,749 mass targeted killings of Vietnamese civilians occurred throughout Prey Veng750 and Svay Rieng751 in the East Zone. There is also evidence that Vietnamese civilians were targeted and killed throughout Cambodia as set out in the section of the Closing Order regarding Factual Findings of Crimes, in particular for the Northeast Zone752 and the North Zone.753 215. The CPK based their policy to destroy the Vietnamese group on the theory of matrilineal descent. If a Vietnamese man was married to a Cambodian woman, only the man would be killed and the woman and any children would be spared. However, if a Vietnamese woman was married to a Cambodian man, the woman and any children of the marriage would be killed, while the man would be spared. This practice seems to have been applied throughout Prey Veng754 and Svay Rieng755 as well as in other parts of the country.756  | ||||||||
| Posted: 13 Jun 2011 01:57 AM PDT
Letters to the International Herald Tribune The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia was established by the government of Cambodia and the United Nations to prosecute "senior leaders" of Democratic Kampuchea and "those who were most responsible" for the atrocity crimes committed from 1975 to 1979. It carried a mandate to include survivors in the litigation process. The first E.C.C.C. case involved S-21's notorious warden, Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Comrade Duch. The second case will start on June 27 and engages four senior Khmer Rouge leaders. As a Cambodian American scholar, I founded a community-based, social action organization dedicated to justice-oriented initiatives. We looked to the E.C.C.C. as a space wherein survivors could find justice. We filed 170 testimonies, which included 41 civil parties and 129 complainants. Time and distance were often not on our side, as we labored to collect testimonies thousands of miles away from Phnom Penh. We endured knowing that Cambodian survivors both wanted and deserved justice. And, we had faith in the "extraordinary" court. Until recently. The E.C.C.C. has shifted to a "no more trials" policy. On April 29 the court announced that the investigation of case 003 was concluded, without conducting any field investigations or interviewing suspects. This shows that the E.C.C.C. is more concerned with expediting process than pursuing justice. It has no regard for survivor testimonies and participation. Tragically, it has now become an impediment to justice. Leakhena Nou Founding director, Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia  | ||||||||
| Posted: 13 Jun 2011 01:17 AM PDT
James O'Toole The Phnom Penh Post "The concern is very much widespread, and I would think that it all seems to revolve around this one person, Judge Blunk – nobody seems to understand what's driving him," the source said. The investigating judges at the Khmer Rouge tribunal have acknowledged that staffers have left their office amid discontent over their handling of the court's controversial third case. The admission follows the abrupt closure of the Case 003 investigation in April, and confirms rumours of discord within the Office of the Co-Investigating Judges. The judges closed their Case 003 probe despite the fact that they had yet to examine a number of alleged crime sites in the case, or even to question the suspects, fuelling allegations that they had deliberately scuttled their investigation under pressure from the Cambodian government. In a statement released late yesterday afternoon, co-investigating judges Siegfried Blunk of Germany and You Bunleng of Cambodia acknowledged frustrations among former investigating staff, though they remained defiant in asserting their responsibility over the case. "In view of questions by the media regarding recent attempts by certain OCIJ staff members who have obtained new jobs outside of OCIJ to portray their departure as 'resignation' in protest over the CIJs' decision to close investigations in Case 003, the CIJs emphasize that they welcome the departure of all staff members who ignore the sole responsibility of the CIJs in this issue," the judges said. "The CIJs also emphasize that they are able to deal with Cases 003 and 004 in a competent and timely manner with remaining staff members, supplemented if necessary by short-term contractors." A source at the court working outside the investigating judges' office said yesterday that three long-term foreign members of staff from the OCIJ had quit their jobs since the close of the Case 003 investigation in April. "Three people have left. They have resigned before their contracts were due to expire. I know that this is indeed because of discontent with the policies of the German CIJ, and I know that people who have stayed on and are staying on are unhappy," the source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "I know that for a fact." The source added that concern was "totally widespread" within the court about the prospect that the judges, and Blunk in particular, may have ignored their legal obligations and sabotaged the case. "The concern is very much widespread, and I would think that it all seems to revolve around this one person, Judge Blunk – nobody seems to understand what's driving him," the source said. "Whether it's his personality or outside influences, we don't know." The source's account was corroborated by two other court staffers working in a separate office. Yesterday's message from the investigating judges was in keeping with the hostile tone they have adopted in recent public statements. On Thursday, they accused a "disloyal" court staff member of leaking a confidential document that names the suspects in Case 003 – former KR navy commander Meas Mut and air force commander Sou Met – and outlines the extensive evidence against them. Members of the media who report on the document, the judges added, may be "liable to be subjected to proceedings for Interference with the administration of justice". Meas Mut and Sou Met are thought to have been responsible for thousands of deaths, and prosecutors have called for their arrest. The judges have rejected requests by British co-prosecutor Andrew Cayley that they question the suspects and investigate the case further. The judges rebuked Cayley for listing these requests in a public statement last month, accusing him of breaching confidentiality rules. Blunk and You Bunleng also lashed out last month following a report in the International Justice Tribune that was critical of their handling of Case 003, branding the article's charges "baseless" and "nonsensical". "The co-investigating judges have worked independently from outside interference, will continue to resist all such attempts, and are resolved to defend their independence against outside interference," Blunk and You Bunleng said at the time. But observers said yesterday's statement provided further evidence that the judges might be submitting to the will of the Cambodian government, which opposes prosecutions beyond the court's pending second case. "The fact that people are resigning … show[s] that there are really serious-minded people working at the court who are trying to do their jobs, so it's a shame the co-investigating judges are really undermining the legitimacy of the whole court," Anne Heindel, a legal adviser at the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, said. She called for the United Nations to intervene at the tribunal to address the matter. "I'd like the UN to be more than ashamed of itself," Heindel said. "I'd like it to take some action. Its mandate to assist this court is being undermined, and it should step in."  | ||||||||
| Posted: 13 Jun 2011 01:09 AM PDT Banality of evil is a phrase coined by Hannah Arendt and incorporated in the title of her 1963 work Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil.[1] It describes the thesis that the great evils in history generally, and the Holocaust in particular, were not executed by fanatics or sociopaths, but rather by ordinary people who accepted the premises of their state and therefore participated with the view that their actions were normal. Explaining this phenomenon, Edward S. Herman has emphasized the importance of "normalizing the unthinkable." According to him, "doing terrible things in an organized and systematic way rests on 'normalization.' This is the process whereby ugly, degrading, murderous, and unspeakable acts become routine and are accepted as 'the way things are done.'"[2] Source: WikipediaI live in the Managerial Age, in a world of 'Admin.' The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid 'dens of crime' that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed and well-lighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smooth-shaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the office of a thoroughly nasty business concern. - C. S. Lewis  | ||||||||
| Posted: 12 Jun 2011 11:06 PM PDT CCHR PRESS RELEASE, Phnom Penh, 13 June 2011 CCHR welcomes the Joint Declaration on Freedom of Expression and the Internet, and releases a briefing note on Internet censorship with specific recommendations for the Cambodian context The Cambodian Center for Human Rights ("CCHR"), a non-aligned, independent, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect democracy and respect for human rights throughout Cambodia, welcomes the 11th Annual Joint Declaration on Freedom of Expression and the Internet (the "Joint Declaration"). The Joint Declaration was issued on 1 June 2011 in Budapest by the four specialized mandates of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Organization of American States, and the African Commission on Human and People's Rights. In many countries around the world – including Cambodia – the Internet has become the main forum for freedom of expression, so it is timely that the focus of the Joint Declaration should be upon the Internet. CCHR today releases a briefing note titled "Internet Censorship: the Ongoing Crackdown on Freedom of Expression in Cambodia". The briefing note provides an overview of new media in Cambodia, the recent trend towards Internet censorship, and the grave implications for freedom of expression in Cambodia. The briefing note concludes with specific recommendations, placing the principles of the Joint Declaration in a Cambodian context. CCHR President Ou Virak commented: "The Royal Government of Cambodia should do its utmost to develop mechanisms to increase Internet penetration in Cambodia and to promote online space for free expression by ensuring that old barriers are not applied to new frontiers: everyone should be able to access the Internet. The Internet is quickly becoming the new battleground for freedom of expression and must be defended." - END – For more information, please contact Ou Virak via telephone at +855 (0) 12 40 40 51 or e-mail at http://www.box.net/shared/hxqzjzvq9dfo5xk25jih http://www.box.net/shared/0zh5ydyfo3vzkqq46hfa http://www.box.net/shared/d5cny3j28e89la9lhv1o  | ||||||||
| Japanese investment growing in Cambodia Posted: 12 Jun 2011 10:41 PM PDT June 13, 2011 PHNOM PENH (Kyodo) -- Despite a troubled economic slowdown at home, Japanese investments in Cambodia are growing, with nine companies starting businesses in the country in the first five months this year, a report said Monday. According to investment statistics provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, by the end of May nine Japanese companies, mostly manufacturers, had Cambodian approval to invest $142 million and another 14 other companies are applying for approvals. In 2010, only six Japanese companies applied for and got approval for investments. Yuji Imamura, a JICA expert who is also an advisor to the Investment Environment Improvement to the Council for the Development of Cambodia, told Kyodo News that Cambodia is one of the four Asian countries attractive to Japanese investment, along with Bangladesh, Laos and Myanmar. He said political stability, low labor costs, labor-intensive export processing and domestic market import substitution are attractive factors for Japanese investors. Last month, Minebea Co. joined with other Japanese companies to construct a main factory in Phnom Penh with capital investment of $59 million. When compared to investors from China and South Korea, Japanese direct investors are considered small, late comers, but are welcome particularly with their emphasis on manufacturing such as electrics, home appliances, garments, sports and medical goods and automotive parts. Chinese and South Korean investors have mostly focused on energy, real estate and construction. By yearend, Japanese companies are expected to invest $211 million into Cambodian operations and will employ as many as 36,000 workers, according to figures provided by JICA. Chinese investment in Cambodia to date amounts to $7.74 billion and South Korean investment is at $3.9 billion. Although much Japanese foreign investment in Asia has been in China, Malaysia, Thailand and other more developed countries, Imamura said Japanese manufacturers now need to find "new locations to survive and Cambodia is one of the promising countries." Among Japanese manufacturers already in Cambodia are Yamaha Motor Co., Suzuki Motor Corp., Ajinomoto Co. and Sumitomo Wiring Systems Ltd. and assemblers such as Sony Corp., Nikon Corp., Olympus Corp., and Brother Industries Ltd. are also interested in investing in Cambodia, Imamura said. Since the early 1990s, Japan has been the largest donor-country to Cambodia, if not the biggest direct investor.  | ||||||||
| Global rice prices forecast to rise soon Posted: 12 Jun 2011 10:38 PM PDT June, 13 2011 By Le Hung Vong VNS World rice prices have remained stable for the past year but that could change soon. According to the Manila-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), rice prices have remained relatively stable, rising only 17 per cent since June last year against a 50-150 per cent hike seen in the prices of other crops. This has been mainly due to the increased supply. In 2010 Thailand, Viet Nam, and the US exported 9 million tonnes, 6.8 million tonnes, and 5.5 million tonnes respectively. With weather conditions being favourable, rice production in Cambodia, India, and Bangladesh is expected to increase this year. The IRRI said, however, the rise in the prices of other crops could make some Asian countries like Indonesia, Myanmar, and Bangladesh either expand their reserves or impose bans on rice exports. Global rice prices, which are expected to increase anyway this year due to the drought in China, would be forced up by the policy, though they are unlikely to hit the records seen in 2008 in Asia. "Global prices may rise on a possible increase in demand, but they definitely would not rise as high as Thai prices, which would be distorted by government intervention," Chookiat Ophaswongse, honorary president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, was quoted by Reuters as saying. The Puea Thai (For Thais) Party, which broadly supports former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, says it will buy (unmilled) rice directly from farmers at 15,000 baht (US$496) a tonne if it wins the July 3 election. That intervention price, some 80 per cent above the current market of 8,000 baht per tonne, would force up export prices (of Thai rice) to as high as $870 a tonne, over 74 per cent above the current $500, traders said. "That would lead to a collapse in Thai exports. Export could drop to as low as five million tonnes next year as we cannot compete with such high prices," Chookiat said. Thailand aims to export 9-9.5 million tonnes this year. A drop to 5 million tonnes could push it to second place behind Viet Nam who has offered price of $465 per tonne for premium grade 5 per cent white rice. According to the Viet Nam Food Association, Viet Nam can ship 3.85 million tonnes in the first half and a total of 7-7.4 million tonnes in the whole year. Kanawat Wasinsungworn, deputy leader of Puea Thai, told Reuters the new Government would look to co-operate with Viet Nam in the rice market and possibly try for an OPEC-style cartel that could influence world prices. Meanwhile, in May 2011 Cambodia offered to sell rice at prices lower than Thailand and Viet Nam to win contracts to supply the Philippines, the world's largest importer. The Philippines National Food Authority's announcement of slashing spending on rice imports from 2.25 million tonnes in 2010 to 860,000 tonnes this year has also diminished opportunities for Viet Nam and Thailand as Manila also looks to add Cambodia as a lower-cost alternative. However, Cambodia still has a long way to go before it can turn a paddy surplus estimated at just under 4 million tonnes this year into processed rice of a quality ready for shipment given inadequate infrastructure, high electricity prices, and a lack of financing options in the industry.  | ||||||||
| COMFREL Release the Result of Workshop on Voter's Voice in Lveng Ruessey, Chi Kraeng, Siem Reap Posted: 12 Jun 2011 10:35 PM PDT | ||||||||
| Slideshow: The 62nd Annual Kampuchea Krom Loss Commemoration Posted: 12 Jun 2011 10:20 PM PDT  The 62nd Annual Kampuchea Krom Commemoration and the Buddhist Offering Ceremony to 1,949 Buddhist Monks to honor Khmer heroic Budhdist monks, heroic emperors, heroic kings, heroes, and servicemen and women, on Friday the 9th Waxing Moon of Jeṭṭha BE2555, June 10, AD2011, held at Wat Siri Sophea Ang Ta Minh, Joam Jao commune, Dangko district, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia Sunday the 11th Waxing Moon of Jeṭṭha BE2555, June 12, AD2011 Year of the Rabbit
 | ||||||||
| Vietnam holds live-fire navy drill amid China spat Posted: 12 Jun 2011 10:08 PM PDT
The Associated Press HANOI, Vietnam -- Vietnam launched a live-fire naval drill off its central coast Monday amid a nasty spat with China following two maritime incidents over disputed territory in the South China Sea. A naval officer based in central Quang Nam province said the first part of the nine-hour exercise began in the morning on and around the uninhabited island of Hon Ong, some 25 miles (40 kilometers) off the coast. He declined to give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the press. He said it was a routine annual training exercise involving various types of artillery and other weapons, but that no missiles would be fired. He declined to say how many troops or vessels would be involved. A second drill lasting five hours was scheduled for the evening. "It has nothing to do with the recent incidents involving China," he said. The drill comes after Hanoi and Beijing exchanged heated jabs over two recent scrapes involving Vietnamese-operated oil and gas exploration vessels in waters claimed by both countries. Vietnam says Chinese vessels cut cables attached to boats conducting a seismic survey off its coast, while China accuses Vietnam of illegally entering its waters and putting fishermen's lives at risk. Both say the incidents occurred in different areas. The neighboring communist countries have a long history of diplomatic tussles over incidents near the disputed Spratly and Paracel islands, which are claimed all or in part by Vietnam, China and several other Asian nations. The area, which straddles vital shipping lanes, is believed to be teeming with fish and rich in oil and gas reserves. However, Hanoi has responded much more angrily to the current uproar. It accuses China of attempting to create new disputed areas in waters within 200 nautical miles of Vietnam's coast, which are guaranteed as an economic exclusion zone by international law. China says the May 26 and June 9 incidents occurred near the Spratly islands, and has issued terse warnings for Vietnam to settle down. China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment Monday. On Sunday, hundreds of Vietnamese staged a second round of rare protests in Hanoi and southern Ho Chi Minh City, calling for China to stay out of its territory. Demonstrations are typically quashed quickly by police. The United States, which has said the South China Sea is in its national interest, has encouraged a diplomatic exchange to keep regional tensions from flaring.  | ||||||||
| Thai spy arrests a 'deceitful fabrication': Cambodia Posted: 12 Jun 2011 09:30 PM PDT Jun 12, 2011 Today Online Cambodia is accusing Thailand of "deceitful fabrication" following the arrests of three men by Thai authorities for allegedly spying near the border. In a statement, the Cambodian Foreign Ministry said: "The Royal Government of Cambodia wishes to assert that the above fabrication is only a pretext to justify future aggression against Cambodia." The trio - a Thai, a Cambodian and a Vietnamese - were nabbed in a town in Thailand's north-eastern Si Sa Ket province on Tuesday. According to police, they were carrying maps with military facilities marked out. Both countries have brought a border dispute - which escalated to armed battles that have seen 28 people killed - to the United Nation's highest court.  |
| You are subscribed to email updates from KI Media To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
