KI Media: “2005 Correspondances between Norodom Sihanouk and Ranariddh/Hun Xen in the cases of SRP MPs Sam Rainsy, Cheam Channy and Chea Poch” plus 24 more

The border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia could end with an order from the International Court of Justice in The Hague today.

In a petition submitted in May, Cambodia asked the court to issue a temporary injunction forbidding Thai troops from carrying out any activities in a disputed area near the Phrea Vihear temple, which is listed as a World Heritage Site.

In 1962, the court ruled that the ancient Hindu temple belongs to Cambodia. In recent years, Thailand has insisted the ruling covered only the temple and the area around it is Thai territory.

Regardless of the court's ruling, we believe a Pheu Thai-led government will seek a rapprochement with the Hun Sen government, which is not on good terms with the government of outgoing prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Thai-Cambodian relations is one of six urgent matters that Pheu Thai has pledged to resolve as soon as it takes power. The party will also reduce the prices of gasoline, diesel and cooking gas as promised.

Because he has a longstanding good relationship with Hun Sen, ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra can help improve bilateral ties that had been soured under the Democrat-led administration.

As close neighbours, Thailand and Cambodia has common interests to share. Good political ties will help improve cross-border trade and investment, to the benefit of both countries. However, the Pheu Thai-led government must take care that personal gain does not take precedence over the interests of the country.

The ICJ will hold a public hearing at the Peace Palace in The Hague at 3pm Thailand time [KI-Media: it will be 3pm Phnom Penh time also], during which the president of the court, Judge Hisashi Owada, will read its deliberations on the issue.

The verdict will be based on the decision of the majority of its 15 judges.

Outgoing Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya is heading the Thai legal team at the hearing, while the Cambodian team will be led by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.

Mr Kasit said the Thai team felt excited ahead of the decision and the members were hopeful that the hearing would be favourable to Thailand, as it has prepared for many years to fight the case.

"Although I am not a lawyer, I believe our arguments are reasonable under legal principles and cover all issues raised in Cambodia's request," Mr Kasit said.

"I hope our arguments will be reasonable enough for the 15 judges."

Cambodia submitted its request to the ICJ on April 28 to interpret its 1962 ruling on the case concerning Preah Vihear.

The petition was accompanied by Phnom Penh's request for provisional measures that include an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Thai troops from areas around the temple, a ban on all Thai military activity in the area, and that Thailand refrain from any act which could interfere with Cambodian rights over the temple.

Two rounds of oral testimony on Cambodia's request for the provisional measures were held on May 30 and 31.

Thailand and Cambodia were later asked to send additional information about the situation and evacuees affected by the fighting at Ta Muen and Ta Kwai temples, which are near Preah Vihear, to the court on June 7.

Thai ambassador to the Hague Virachai Plasai and three foreign lawyers have been assigned to defend the Thai position.

A legal source said there were two criteria which the ICJ could consider when deciding provisional measures: to stop any further damage if it has already occurred; and to protect the temple from any damage that might occur.

During the oral testimony to the ICJ, Thailand argued that Bangkok and Phnom Penh had no conflict over the scope and meaning of the 1962 verdict.

Therefore, the court has no jurisdiction to interpret its three-point verdict to which Thailand had already complied since it was issued in 1962.

The three-point ruling included Thailand's acceptance that Preah Vihear temple is situated on Cambodian soil, an agreement to withdraw troops from the temple and to return antiques to Cambodia.

In principle, the court has no jurisdiction to consider the boundary issue, the source said.

Thailand and Cambodia signed a memorandum of understanding in 2000 which also covered the boundary issue.

It is not necessary for Thailand to send a letter to oppose the court's jurisdiction in interpreting its previous verdict because Thailand has opposed it all along and this position has not changed.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said there are three possible scenarios in the ICJ's ruling.

The ICJ might endorse Cambodia's request and order Thailand to comply with it, or the court might see it is unnecessary to issue any provisional measure because the request is outside the court's jurisdiction.

Finally, it might order provisional measures different from those which Cambodia has requested.

The ICJ will explain its order, whichever scenario it goes for, he said.

Thailand continued to insist the boundary issue was not under the court's jurisdiction, he said.

The source said if the court considered it has no jurisdiction to issue the provisional measures, the issue will be put to rest immediately.

But if the court said it has jurisdiction and the situation now is not considered harmful to the temple, it could choose not to order any action.

Second Army commander Lt Gen Thawatchai Samutsakhon said he will wait for the government's instructions after the ICJ's ruling.

In Si Sa Ket province, a group in Kantharalak district put up a huge sign yesterday calling on all Thais to unite and to protect Thai sovereignty ahead of the ICJ's verdict today.

Thongkham Kanthawong, a villager from Phum Srol in Kantharalak district, said he disagreed with any troop withdrawal from the disputed area as the demarcation work there has not yet been completed.

Mr Thongkham said most of the residents in the village were still worried about the border situation.

So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

- Jesus Christ

PART I

Article 21

States Parties that recognize and/or permit the system of adoption shall ensure that the best interests of the child shall be the paramount consideration and they shall:

(a) Ensure that the adoption of a child is authorized only by competent authorities who determine, in accordance with applicable law and procedures and on the basis of all pertinent and reliable information, that the adoption is permissible in view of the child's status concerning parents, relatives and legal guardians and that, if required, the persons concerned have given their informed consent to the adoption on the basis of such counselling as may be necessary;

(b) Recognize that inter-country adoption may be considered as an alternative means of child's care, if the child cannot be placed in a foster or an adoptive family or cannot in any suitable manner be cared for in the child's country of origin;

(c) Ensure that the child concerned by inter-country adoption enjoys safeguards and standards equivalent to those existing in the case of national adoption;

(d) Take all appropriate measures to ensure that, in inter-country adoption, the placement does not result in improper financial gain for those involved in it;

(e) Promote, where appropriate, the objectives of the present article by concluding bilateral or multilateral arrangements or agreements, and endeavour, within this framework, to ensure that the placement of the child in another country is carried out by competent authorities or organs.

The low-level civil war that has been going on for the last six years is over. The Royalists (yellow shirts) have acknowledged that the majority of Thais do not support them and are abiding by the results of the July 3rd election. The royalists (also called the urban elite) gained power via a coup in 2006, and held onto it using tainted elections. For years, the Royalists tried to capture and prosecute the Populist (red shirt) leader, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The royalists and urban elites believed that the capture, trial and imprisonment of Shinawatra might break the will of the populists, or convince Shinawatra to switch sides. Last year, the courts moved to seize half of Shinawatra's fortune ($1.4 billion) as a fine for being corrupt. This was an unpopular move, since nearly all Thai politicians are corrupt, and people wondered who was going to get the $1.4 billion. The red shirts threatened violence over the seizure, although Shinawatra, from exile in Dubai, urged calm and only non-violent demonstrations. Many Royalists believed that Shinawatra was financing the populist violence with this money. The royalists have contempt for the poor and less educated red shirts, and this is returned with resentment and growing anger towards the wealthier and better educated urban population that opposes majority rule. This anger has not been extinguished by the government use of force against those demonstrating for fair elections and a restoration of democracy. Such class warfare is nothing new. There were similar outbreaks in the 1970s and 1990s. But the current one is more widespread and having more of a negative impact on the economy. 

 

This time Thaksin Shinawatra outsmarted and outmaneuvered his opponents. He managed to get a new political party (the PTP, or Puea Thai Party) organized and then, two months before the July 3rd parliament elections, he introduced something no one expected. His younger sister, Yingluck Shinawatra came forward as the lead candidate of the new party. She is young (44), pretty, rich and has many of the same political and business skills as her brother. Yingluck only began campaigning in May, but immediately shot to the front in the polls, taking her party with her. Although long active in here older brother's businesses (which grew from Shinawatra family firms that have been around since the 19th century) Yingluck was considered untouchable by prosecutors seeking to nail her brother for corruption. Moreover, until two years ago, Yingluck expressed no interest in politics. In 2009 she began getting involved, but in a low key way. Thus the government never really had her on their radar, and were caught by surprise when Yingluck suddenly entered the electoral campaign and attracted widespread popularity. The red shirts were electrified by the appearance of Yingluck, who was seen as the same kind of energetic and dynamic politician as her brother. She will also be the first woman to run Thailand. By law, the new parliament must convene 30 days after the election, and the new prime minister must be selected and take control of the government within 60 days.

The defeat of the royalists was celebrated in Cambodia, as it is generally agreed that the royalists have encouraged the current border dispute with Cambodia, as an attempt to gain some political popularity in Thailand. That did not work, as the results of the July 3rd elections demonstrated. The new government is expected to quickly settle the border dispute.

In the south, three Moslem farmers were killed, probably by Islamic terrorists seeking to keep the Moslem population in line. This has proved increasingly difficult as all locals come to regard the Islamic militants as what many of them actually are; gangsters trying to operate behind religion.

July 15, 2011: In the south, a teenage student was killed and two bystanders wounded by an unidentified gunman. It's unclear if this attack was Islamic terrorism or some gang related dispute. Often the two are intertwined.

On the Cambodian border, a Cambodian Moslem religious teacher was arrested after he was found to be carrying videos of weapons training in southern Thailand.

July 13, 2011: The election commission has refused to confirm 142 of the 500 members of parliament (MP) and has accused Yingluck Shinawatra of corruption. This move represents the diehard attitude of some royalists, who are not willing to give up power. This effort to block Yingluck Shinawatra from taking over the government is expected to fail (the diehards are too few in number), but it will take at least a week to deal with.

July 12, 2011: The last official act of the outgoing government was to extend the state of emergency (first declared in 2005) in the three southern provinces.

July 11, 2011: In the south, a moderate Islamic religious teacher and his wife were killed by Islamic terrorists. The Islamic radicals had tried before, and threatened the man many times. Elsewhere in the south, four terrorist bombs went off, wounding 12 people.

July 8, 2011: The army accepted the results of the July 3rd election, even though the generals had led the illegal efforts to keep the minority royalists in power for the last five years. What helped the generals decide was the fact that most of the lower ranking soldiers voted for the PTP. While some generals are still willing to risk a civil war, they are a minority, and that keeps them from taking action.

July 7, 2011: The army will recruit Moslem soldiers for a counter-terrorism regiment that will specialize in dealing with the unrest in the three southern Moslem provinces. The regiment will be permanently stationed in the south and is something of an experiment. It might not work.

July 4, 2011: Yingluck Shinawatra, despite having 265 of 500 seats in parliament, formed a coalition with some smaller parties, and now controls 299 seats.

July 3, 2011: Yingluck Shinawatra, the youngest sister of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, and her Puea Thai Party won today's election. PTP and its red shirt supporters won most of the seats in parliament, so Yingluck Shinawatra will not need a coalition to form a government.

July 1, 2011: In the south, a car bomb was found, and went off as a bomb disposal technician was approaching in a special protective suit. He was slightly injured.

The International Court of Justice will deliver its decision today on Cambodia's request for a temporary injunction against Thai troops occupying the disputed area around Preah Vihear Temple amid fears by Si Sa Ket border residents of further fighting.

Virachai Plasai, Thai ambassador to The Hague and Thai agent to the court, said yesterday he was confident "the case would prove the ICJ's justice again".

The high court ruled back in 1962 that the Hindu temple was located in an area under Cambodian sovereignty.

Thailand accepted the outcome but claimed the soil on which the temple is sitting belongs to Thailand.

On April 28, Cambodia sought a clarification from the court on the scope and meaning of the 1962 ruling giving control of the temple to Cambodia.

Phnom Penh also asked the high court, pending its interpretation of the 1962 ruling, to order the withdrawal of Thai military personnel, plus a ban on Thai military activities in the disputed area and to prohib any act that could violate Cambodia's right over the territory.

Outgoing Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and his Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong, who is the Cambodian agent to the court, will attend the reading at the Peace Palace in The Hague, where the court sits, at 10am local time (3pm Bangkok time).

Virachai said the court's response could take one of three forms.

"Rejecting Cambodia's request is the best way for Thailand," Virachai said.

The Thai legal team tried its best to defend Thailand's stance when oral arguments were heard on May 30-31, as it had prepared for years to face the court battle with Cambodia, he said.

"We did our best under the framework of the previous ruling, which was not made in favour of Thailand," he said.

Villagers in Ban Phumsrol, which is next to the temple, said they were worried the court would back Cambodia rather than Thailand.

"I don't know what to do if the court orders Thailand to withdraw troops from the area," Thongkham Kantarawong said. "I don't know if Cambodian troops will move in if Thai soldiers leave the area," he said.

"I don't know how the new government will handle the case if the court really orders the troop withdrawal," he said.

"We all know and accept that the temple belongs to Cambodia, so let it go, but the government should protect our territory," he said.

Veerasit Koksri said if the court ruled as Cambodia requested, the government should rush to solve the problem.

"Otherwise, people living along the border could be in trouble," he said.

Locals had prepared well for any unexpected developments after the court's verdict on the injunction, he said.

Dear Samdech Prom Keah Norodom Ranariddh,

Your Royal Highness, Cambodia needs change. Every day, the best land in the country is being taken from poor villagers and given to foreign-owned companies, disloyal politicians who hold passports from Thailand or Vietnam, or to family members of the corrupt political elite. Police are becoming brutal in defending the rich from the poor. The streets of Phnom Penh, for the first time in Cambodian history, are becoming filled with beggars and hopeless young men and women addicted to drugs. The Cambodian government sells rice to foreign countries while its own people go hungry.

To achieve success in the 2013 national elections, I humbly suggest that the Norodom Ranariddh Party ("NRP") needs to change its political platform to respond to the needs of the Cambodian people. NRP must adopt brave new ideas to make clear to voters the differences between its goals and those of the Cambodian People's Party. Accordingly, with deepest respect, I humbly present to you the following proposed new platform for the NRP, which follows the principles of Nation, Religion, King:

The NRP believes in the principle of "Cambodia for Cambodians." The Cambodian people should enjoy all of the best things available in the blessed Cambodian nation; citizens should hold the best land and eat the best food and obtain the best products. Accordingly, the NRP does not support foreign investment in Cambodia, nor the production of export goods.

The NRP will work to return Buddhism to the highest position in national life, and its policies will be intended first not to harm sentient life and second to assist Cambodian citizens' pursuit of enlightenment. Buddhist principles will become part of all aspects of public life, including law enforcement and the court system. The NRP will promote friendly relations with similar Buddhist nations, and will work with the Sangha to create a council of monks to advise the government.

The NRP will work to strengthen the King's role in the religious and social life of Cambodia, and promote the King as a father figure to all Cambodian people and as the most dedicated protector of the Khmer people. In respect to the glorious Khmer traditions and history under the monarchy, the NRP will also work to promote the arts, both in traditional forms and via the new idea of young Khmer artists. The NRP recognizes and honors the King as a symbol of Khmer strength and pride throughout history.

In addition to the above general principles, I propose that the NRP promise to the Cambodian people that it will make the following changes in Cambodian government if it is voted into a majority of the seats in the Cambodian Senate and National Assembly:

The ideas and policies of development have failed the Cambodian people. Foreign institutions and foreign companies have corrupted the function of the Cambodian government such that it now serves the interests of foreigners and a small number of politicians, instead of bowing down in service to the sovereign Khmer people. The time has come for Cambodia to create its own, uniquely Cambodian style of government, following the principles of Nation, Religion, King, and carried out for the benefit of all of the country's citizens.

With profound respect and gratitude to you, I therefore submit this proposal and offer my assistance in implementing the political platform it contains. Although I had the misfortune of not being born Khmer, I love the nation and its people with all my heart, and I wish to serve them to the best of my ability. I humbly await your response.

Yours,

p.s. I would be most grateful if a qualified scholar could accurately translate this document into Khmer, and share it with news media in and about Cambodia.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya will make a long-distance call to give an interview on Monday after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has made a ruling on Cambodia's request concerning the Preah Vihear temple, Foreign Ministry's Information Department deputy director-general Jessada Katawethin said on Sunday.

Mr Jessada expected Mr Kasit to phone in at 5pm from The Hague, the Netherlands.

Cambodia asked the ICJ to make an interpretation of its verdict on the Preah Vihear temple in 1962 and issue an injunction for Thailand to withdraw its troops from the 4.6 square kilometre disputed area.

Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd, the army spokesman, said regardless of what the ICJ ruling may be the army will comply with an order from the government only.

He said this when asked what the army would do if the ICJ ruled as requested by Cambodia.

BANGKOK, July 17 (MCOT online news) -- Thailand's Ambassador to the Netherlands Virachai Plasai said he believed the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN's highest court based in The Hague, would rule fairly on Tuesday, July 18, when it is scheduled to issue clarifications on Thai-Cambodian border measures.

The ICJ is set to rule on Cambodia's request to issue provisional measures forcing Thailand to withdraw troops from the disputed area near Preah Vihear temple and banning military activity in the vicinity, following sporadic deadly clashes between troops of both countries.

A public hearing would take place at the Peace Palace in The Hague and the President of the Court will read the court's order.

Mr Virachai said the direction of the ruling was expected to be one of three scenarios: the court will issue provisional measures as requested by Cambodia, it will decide that it has no jurisdiction and drop the case, or the court may order both Thailand and Cambodia to jointly carry out actions.

The first order would of the most benefit for Thailand, he added.

The ambassador said Thailand was well prepared for the oral hearing at The Hague during May 30-31, concerning Cambodia's request for indications of provisional measures pertaining to its other request for interpretation of the Court's 1962 judgment in the case concerning the Preah Vihear Temple.

Thailand's legal team had done it best and believed in the fairness of the ICJ, he said, adding that the case could be used to affirm the justice of the ICJ.

A Thai delegation led by outgoing Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and his entourage, including Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to the foreign minister, Theerakul Niyom, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ittiporn Boonpracong, Director-General of the Department of Treaties and Legal Affair and representatives from Royal Thai Army Survey Department, the Office of the Attorney General and Fine Arts Department left Bangkok Saturday for The Hague to be present at ICJ.

In 1962, the court ruled that Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia. Thailand complied with the ruling but argued that the verdict covered only the sandstone ruins themselves, while the area around it belonged to Thailand.

Since then, both sides have built up military forces along the border and periodic clashes have occurred, resulting in the deaths of troops and civilians on both sides.

On April 28, Cambodia asked the ICJ to interpret its 1962 judgment to establish if the land in the temple's vicinity also belonged to it. The application was accompanied by an urgent request to indicate provisional measures.

In a related development, the border trade between Thailand and Cambodia at Chong Sangam border crossing in Si Sa Ket province was robust, as Cambodians crossed the border to shop for goods in Thailand to sell in Cambodia.

Thai troops were on full alert at the checkpoint by the entrance of the Khao Phra Wihan National Park in Kantharalak district to prevent untoward incidents.

Meanwhile, Cambodian troops reportedly reinforced at Preah Vihear Temple with at least five tanks moving into the area. The Cambodians were also reportedly building a road in the area to facilitate troop movements.

In anticipation of tomorrow's decision by the International Court of Justice with regard to the territory surrounding Preah Vihear Temple, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) today, 17 July 2011, issues a press statement calling for a permanent peace between Cambodia and Thailand and a briefing note on the tensions between the two countries. Please find these documents attached in PDF (see below).

Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namong (pictured) has strongly protested to US officials over a leaked diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks repeating allegations that he was a former Khmer Rouge prison chief who had collaborated in the killing of many prisoners, according to the statement released yesterday.

The Cambodian Foreign Ministry statement said Hor Namhong had summoned the US charge d'affaires in Phnom Penh, Jeff Daigle, on Thursday and strongly protested against the "highly defamatory" 2002 cable, which was released via WikiLeaks this week.

In the meeting, Mr. Hor Namhong asked Mr. Daigle "to convey to the US state department his strong protest" over the cable, "which is full of unacceptable maligned indictment", said the statement.

The cable cites an "undated, unattributed report" on file at the US embassy, which said Hor Namhong took charge of Boeung Trabek camp in the capital after the brutal communist movement took power in 1975. "Hor Namhong came back to Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge took over, but was not killed because he was a schoolmate of Ieng Sary," the report said. Ieng Sary was foreing minister of the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 till he defected to the government in 1996. He is now standing trial for genocide in the Khmer Rouge Tribunal.

Hor Namhong "became head of the Beng Trabek (sic) camp and he and his wife collaborated in the killing of many prisoners. Among the victims were the Queen Mother's sister Nanette and her husband Metevi [Methavi] (a relative of Sirik Matak). Hor Namhong almost killed Chem Snguon and his family (including Widhya who was with his father in the camp because someone heard Widhya listening to a French radio broadcast," it added.

Prince Sisowath Methavi is the father of Prince Sisowath Thomico, the advisor to the current King Sihamoni and Ex-King Sihanouk and the younger brother of Prince Sisowath Sirik Matak, the chief coup leader of the 1970 that toppled the then Prince Sihanouk from power and cousin of Ex-King Sihanouk and also married to Nanette Izzi, younger sister of Monique Izzi, the wife of Ex-King Sihanouk who took the title of Queen Mother. Chem Sguon was a fellow diplomat with Hor Namhong in the 1960s and Minister of Justice in the current government from the same ruling Cambodian People's Party as Mr. Hor Namhong from the 1980s till his death in the 2000s.

The cable said that Chem Snguon and his family was spared because of the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia. "The Vietnamese invaded just before the Chem family was to be killed. Hor Namhong's wife asked Ieng Sary to help their daughter to work with the Khmer Rouge regime. She pointed out that she helped Ieng Sary bring back a lot of people to be killed", added the cable.

Many people, including former victims of the Boeung Trabek Re-Education Camp, claimed that Hor Namhong, his wife and children were in charge of Boeung Trabek Re-Education Camp and that they were involved in sending people to their deaths at Tuol Sleng Prison and Choeung Ek Killing Fields. But, the minister himself has long said that he and his family were prisoners at a Khmer Rouge camp, and he has successfully sued people, like opposition leader Sam Rainsy in 2008 and ex-King Sihanouk in 1991, for claiming that he had links to the blood-soaked communist movement. However, in early 2011, the French highest court, French Supreme Court (Cour de Cassation) , had overturned that conviction and exonerated Mr. Rainsy of all charges.

The US embassy in Cambodia confirmed that Daigle met Hor Namhong on Thursday but said it was unable to comment on the content of any allegedly leaked US government documents.

Up to 2mn people died of overwork and starvation or were executed under the Khmer Rouge, which outlawed religion, property rights, currency and schools during its four-year rule.

A number of the current administration in Cambodia had links to the regime, and Prime Minister Hun Sen himself, Senate President Chea Sim, National Assembly Chairman Heng Samrin were senior Khmer Rouge cadres.

In April, a Cambodian court slapped opposition leader Sam Rainsy — who lives in exile in France — with a jail term and a fine for accusing Hor Namhong of being a former regime member.

He was found guilty in absentia of defamation and inciting discrimination for claiming in a 2008 speech that Hor Namhong once belonged to the movement.

The Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the leaks will not cloud the relationships between the two nations.

CHRAING CHAMRES, Cambodia — Zakaria Bin Ahmad cannot forget the years of horror under the brutal Khmer Rouge when even praying was to risk death for Cambodia's persecuted minority Muslims.

Many others in his community did not survive the late 1970s reign of terror by the hardline communist regime, which executed Islamic scholars, destroyed mosques, forced Muslims to eat pork and forbade headscarves.

"People tried all kinds of ways to pray. Sometimes while they were driving an ox cart... sometimes in the jungle when we asked to use the toilet, and sometimes while we were washing," the 61-year-old recalled.

But mostly, he remembers people disappearing, never to be seen again.

"Many were killed," he said quietly in his modest home in the shadow of a modern blue-domed mosque, a source of pride for the town of Chraing Chamres, whose earlier place of worship was destroyed by the Khmer Rouge.

Cambodian Muslims, known as Cham, hope finally to see justice as the most senior surviving Khmer Rouge leaders stand trial for genocide at Cambodia's UN-backed court over the treatment of the ethnic and religious minority.

"Now we can tell our story," said Sales Pin Apoutorliep, the religious leader, or hakem, of the Chraing Chamres mosque.

"We fully support the trial to tell the truth and to say what happened under the Pol Pot regime," he said, referring to the regime's main founder, who died in 1998 having escaped justice.

The high-profile genocide trial, which opened in late June, carries particular poignancy for the Cham, whose bloody persecution is an often overlooked chapter of the country's "Killing Fields" era.

Before the genocide charges were filed against the former Khmer Rouge leaders, the treatment of the Muslim minority was rarely discussed.

"In the past, there was little mention about the suffering of the Cham under the Khmer Rouge regime," said Farina So, an expert at the Documentation Centre of Cambodia (DC-Cam), which researches Khmer Rouge atrocities.

"The Chams' suffering has not been investigated much," she added. "They need recognition from the people."

Nobody knows exactly how many Muslims died under the totalitarian movement, which wiped out nearly a quarter of the population.

But the DC-Cam estimates that somewhere between 100,000 and 500,000 of the country's 700,000-strong Cham community died at the hands of the regime.

"It's still fresh in our eyes," Sales, who lost his parents and four of his siblings under the Khmer Rouge, told AFP after finishing his midday prayers. "Every family has pain."

The mass killings of Muslims, along with an estimated 20,000 Vietnamese, form the basis of the genocide charges against the four Khmer Rouge defendants, who include "Brother Number Two" Nuon Chea and former head of state Khieu Samphan.

The four also face a string of other charges including war crimes and crimes against humanity for the deaths of up to two million people through starvation, overwork or execution in a doomed bid to create an agrarian utopia.

Most of those deaths do not fall under the charge of genocide, which is defined by the United Nations as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group".

The indictment file against the four elderly defendants states that "the Cham were systematically and methodically targeted and killed" and that the Khmer Rouge sought to eliminate Cham culture, traditions and language.

Today, there are around half a million Cham in Cambodia, the majority of them followers of Sunni Islam, and they enjoy full freedom of religion.

But like so many in the southeast Asian nation, they remain haunted by the past.

"They reconstructed mosques, they revived their religious and ethnic identity, they opened Islamic schools and taught Islam," Farina So said. "They are trying to recover from this trauma but it's a slow process."

Ahmad's daughter-in-law Yakin El, wearing a traditional, long-sleeved dress with matching headscarf, said she was "shocked" when as a young girl she first learned of her relatives' ordeal under the Khmer Rouge.

"I'm pleased that they will bring up the Cham suffering during the trial," the 24-year-old said. "It's the past but I can't forget it because most of the Muslims were killed at this time. We have to remember them."

A meeting was held in Havana on July 15 to mark the 35th founding anniversary of friendship associations between Cuba and Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Addressing the event, President of the Cuba-Vietnam Friendship Association Yolanda Ferrer recalled the milestones since Cuba's friendship associations with the three Indochinese countries were set up on July 15, 1976, affirming that this marked a new stage of development in the traditional friendship between Cuba and those countries.

With time, the friendship between Cuba and Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia will continue to develop to a new height and always be illustrated the most effective manner, Ferrer stressed.

The Cambodian Ambassador to Cuba, Hay Sonnarin, on behalf of the three countries' diplomats expressed her thanks to the Cuban Party, Government and people for their fraternal sentiments, solidarity and valuable support to the national liberation causes of the three countries.

She noted that the establishment of the three friendship associations immediately after the end of three Indochinese countries' struggle for national liberation was an important element to help them overcome difficulties and rebuild and develop the country.

Also at the meeting, Cuban figures who are close friend with Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, such as journalist Marta Rojas, doctor Julio Lopez and former Cuban ambassador to Vietnam Mauro Garcia recalled their never-forgotten memories about the three countries as well as the brave fighting spirit for national independence of the people of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

The event also honoured the contributions by Moncada heroine Melba Hernandez, the first President of the Cuban Committee for Solidarity with South Vietnam, which was the predecessor of the friendship associations with Vietnam Laos, and Cambodia.

LONG BEACH — It's a simple sign, but it took almost a decade to get there.

On Saturday, about 100 residents and dignitaries gathered to officially unveil one of two signs that proclaim the Cambodia Town area of Long Beach on the southeast corner at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Anaheim Street.

"This has taken a long time," said Councilman Dee Andrews, in whose 6th District most of Cambodia Town is located. "This is long overdue, long overdue for a little small sign."

Also on hand were leaders in the Cambodian community, from Richer San and Sithea San, the outgoing head of Cambodia Town Inc., to Kimthai Kuoch and Sara Pol-Lim, who head up the Cambodian Association of America and United Cambodian Community, respectively.

All were there to finally celebrate what had long been talked about, but remained puzzlingly elusive.

The idea began innocently enough 10 years ago after the Press-Telegram ran a series of articles about the Cambodian community in Long Beach, home to the largest Cambodian refugee population in the United States.

After politicians and bureaucrats, not to mention opposing factions within the Cambodian community, got hold of the idea, it took several years to get the City Council to officially recognize the area and four more years to get the first two signs put up.

Even the name, between the older informal nickname of Little Phnom Penh and the new designation, officially the "Cambodia Town Cultural District," caused debate.

However, last week, the signs went up.

The second sign is at the other end of the main Cambodia Town strip, on the northwest corner of Anaheim Street and Junipero Avenue. The area is lined with Cambodian- owned businesses, social organizations and signs in Khmer.

Yet even the Saturday unveiling proved to be difficult, with the banner that was covering the sign getting stuck until city workers finally removed it.

The event was celebrated with dance, a blessing by monks and other festivities.

John Edmond, Andrews' chief of staff, said a complicated web of issues of liability, policy and council votes had to be negotiated merely to install the simple sign high on a light pole in the city's standard blue with block letters.

Organizers say, however, that the installation of the two signs is just the start. Several others are in the process and freeway signs directing drivers to Cambodia Town are apparently already in the state's legislative pipeline.

Congresswoman Rep. Laura Richardson, D-Long Beach, who represented the 6th District as a councilwoman when the Cambodia Town designation was officially adopted, said the sign would serve as a reminder to residents to retain their cultural, business and historic identity.

Song Chhang, a former Cambodian government official, said the sign would help build a bridge between America and Cambodia.

Richardson and Andrews both said plans were also under way to build a larger and more distinctive sign that would arch over Anaheim Street and more prominently display the area. No dates for when that will occur have been announced.

The existence of 'ghost' soldiers is no secret to Prime Minister Hun Sen. Millions of dollars of State funds have been lost to corruption committed during the demobilization of soldiers following the 1991 Paris Peace Accords and a second stage of demobilization followed with a US$18.4 million World Bank loan. Marred with corruption, the World Bank discontinued the project.

Last week a request was made by the Ministry of Economy and Finance for the Ministry of Social Welfare to return more than US$5 million embezzled through falsified budgets and pensions collected in the name of 'ghost' veterans. They also have demanded an immediate and in-depth inquiry of all Ministries concerned. Embezzlement of public funds, falsification of documents are crimes with stiff penalties under the Penal Code and the Anti-Corruption Law.

The time is now for Cambodian people to unite against corruption! Every year until now hundreds of million of dollars has been embezzled by this government and its officials either through the process of collecting revenue, through government expenditure or through government concession policy. This money was intended to be used to better pay for genuine civil servants, teachers and soldiers and especially to allow for the sustainable development of our country.

We, the Members of Parliament of the Sam Rainsy Party can no longer accept what is really a token political gesture to "return" the stolen State funds. This does not go far enough to address what has become a systemic problem in our country – government corruption. We demand the following:

Corruption thrives in a climate of secrecy and impunity. Corruption threatens good governance sustainable, democratic process and fair business practices. More importantly corruption creates poverty and human rights abuses.

For further information contact: MP Son Chhay on sonchhay@yahoo.com or MP Mu Sochua on 012- 831040