KI Media: “ទុក្ខព្រួយរបស់ខ្មែរកម្ពុជាក្រោម ដោយ ឆាំ ឆានី​ (The Tear of Khmer Krom by Chham Chhnay)” plus 20 more

KI Media: “ទុក្ខព្រួយរបស់ខ្មែរកម្ពុជាក្រោម ដោយ ឆាំ ឆានី​ (The Tear of Khmer Krom by Chham Chhnay)” plus 20 more

ទុក្ខព្រួយរបស់ខ្មែរកម្ពុជាក្រោម ដោយ ឆាំ ឆានី​ (The Tear of Khmer Krom by Chham Chhnay)

Posted: 13 Jul 2011 03:36 PM PDT

Ty Phsar Moul-bat - "CSX": Poem in Khmer by Spean Tep

Posted: 13 Jul 2011 01:41 PM PDT

Sihanouk and the commie thugs - Opinion by Uon Sim

Posted: 13 Jul 2011 01:20 PM PDT

Abhisit punished for his aggression - Op-Ed by Ven. Hok Savann

Posted: 13 Jul 2011 01:17 PM PDT

Vote for Cambodian-American Hong Net for Councilor at Large in Lynn, Massachusetts

Posted: 13 Jul 2011 01:08 PM PDT

For additional information on Hong Net, please click: http://votehong.net/home.html

Cambodian society wading across a dark period - Op-Ed by James Sok

Posted: 13 Jul 2011 01:02 PM PDT

Wikiquotes

Posted: 13 Jul 2011 10:10 AM PDT

Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Post Staff
The Phnom Penh

The Royal family

The Royal family
"Cambodia's royal family is a tragedy, comedy and melodrama all rolled into one that could have provided grist for at least a half dozen Shakespeare plays." May, 2006.

Hun Sen
"The thin-skinned Hun Sen has never abided what most consider fair comment about his government– a serious failing." Ambassador Carol Rodley, May, 2009

Outlawing adultery
''One CPP insider told the Embassy that the CPP has more mistresses than FUNCINPEC or any other party, and doubted the legislation would have any real impact." September, 2006Photo by: Heng Chivoan A portrait of Chea Vichea sits at a memorial in 2009.

Chea Vichea verdict
"This disappointing verdict demonstrates that Cambodia's culture of impunity and poor legal system persists." April, 2007

Mu Sochua defamation
"According to Mu, [appeal court prosecutor] Ouk did not take her case seriously and instead spent the time 'flirting' with her." October, 2009

Freedom of speech
"As Sok An told the Ambassador, whole subject areas such as Angkor Wat or the borders are off limits, as any criticism can lead to instability and 'anarchy'. " July, 2009.

House renovations
"The challenges faced by Cambodia in 2009 are of such a different nature from those 10 years ago that, as he [Hun Sen] joked, one of his biggest problems is how much longer it will take before the refurbishment of his house in Phnom Penh is completed.'' January, 2009

Whaling
"Because Japan is Cambodia's largest aid donor, Cambodia cannot risk offending on an issue it sees as critical." Official speaking before a Whaling Commission vote, May, 2007

Land in wildlife sanctuary awarded to private firms [-State property for sale by Hoon Xhen?]

Posted: 13 Jul 2011 10:01 AM PDT

Wednesday, 13 July 2011
May Titthara
The Phnom Penh Post

PRIME Minister Hun Sen has awarded more than 17,000 hectares inside Kampong Speu province's Phnom Oral Wildlife Sanctuary to unnamed private companies for agro-industrial development.

According to two sub-decrees signed by the premier on June 23, obtained by The Post yesterday, two concessions of 9,059 hectares and 8,591 hectares in the protected Phnom Oral Wildlife Sanctuary in Oral district's Trapaing Chor commune and Thpong district's Omlaing commune were awarded to the unnamed companies.

The government granted more than 55,000 hectares of land in the national park – which includes the wildlife sanctuary – to private companies for agricultural development, according to sub-decrees signed by Hun Sen and Council of Ministers officials between February and April this year.


The documents stated that the land had been deforested and would be used to replant trees and crops to "help the environment" and "develop the economy".

Thuk Kroeun Vutha, secretary of state at the Ministry of Environment, could not be reached for comment yesterday. However, he told the Post earlier this month that land previously granted to private companies in the area had been cleared some years ago by local residents who produced charcoal from the wood.

Ouch Leng, land programme officer for rights group Adhoc, said yesterday that the government has rushed to issue land concessions inside the wildlife sanctuary and national parks without considering the impact on local villagers.

"The government only pays attention to the poor in order to invest, and to transfer the people from the city to attempt to hide images of poverty," he said.

The Post reported last month that an economic land concession spanning 1,400 hectares inside Phnom Oral forest was reclassified for agro-industrial development in a sub-decree signed by the premier on May 24. In April, a 4,700-hectare concession was granted in Trapaing Chor commune, that also included part of Phnom Oral forest area.

Kampong Speu provincial deputy governor Tong Seng could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Thaksin oil deal interrupted

Posted: 13 Jul 2011 09:57 AM PDT

Hun Sen embraces Thaksin Shinawatra during a meeting in Phnom Penh in December 2009. (Photo by: Reuters)

Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Post Staff
The Phnom Penh Post
The leaked documents also shed light on the relationship between the ousted Thai prime minister – whose sister won a national election in Thailand this month – and Cambodia. In a cable in December 2009, a visit to Phnom Penh by Thaksin was seen by most observers as "a continuation of Hun Sen and Thaksin using each other for personal gain".
CAMBODIA and Thailand were nearing a resolution over the disputed oil blocks in the Gulf of Thailand just as Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted from office in 2006, a US embassy cable revealed yesterday.

The cable, dated May 15, 2007, details the visit of the US-ASEAN Business Council to Phnom Penh. During meetings with high-ranking officials, the cable states that representatives from US energy giant ConocoPhillips urged the government "to resolve the dispute with Thailand over the Overlapping Claims Area in the Gulf of Thailand. Noting that their firm has held a contract for exploitation of the area for nearly ten years".

During the meeting, however, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kao Kim Hourn told the company that "the two governments had come very close to settling the dispute just prior to the fall of the Thaksin government in Thailand," the leak stated.

"He said they had agreed on a formula for dividing the revenue: 80% for Thailand and 20% for Cambodia in the tier nearest Thailand, 50%-50% in the middle and 20% for Thailand and 80% for Cambodia in the area closest to Cambodia," it added.


"He thought that an additional six months of negotiations would have settled the matter," the document said.

The importance of the overlapping claims area for the future of the region was underlined in another leak released yesterday detailing a 2007 meeting with Chevron's General Manager for Exploration Gary Flaherty.

The cable said that Chevron, the developer of Cambodia's off-shore block A, was most interested in gaining rights to a block in the overlapping claims area with Flaherty saying that the OCA was "one of the best areas for exploration in the world" and it could "revolutionise Cambodia".

Block A, however, was "not significant enough to make exploitation of that block alone profitable".

Following Thaksin's removal, the issue of overlapping claims has made little progress and Thaksin's 2009 appointment as economic advisor to Cambodia caused further problems when the Thai cabinet moved to cancel a memorandum of understanding agreed with Cambodia in 2001, claiming that new role undermined Bangkok's negotiating position.

The leaked documents also shed light on the relationship between the ousted Thai prime minister – whose sister won a national election in Thailand this month – and Cambodia. In a cable in December 2009, a visit to Phnom Penh by Thaksin was seen by most observers as "a continuation of Hun Sen and Thaksin using each other for personal gain".

Men Den, deputy director of Cambodian National Petroleum Authority, said yesterday that: "I did not know about the agreement for dividing revenue of oil between Cambodia and Thailand and it is beyond my responsibility."

Keo Kim Hourn said that "he didn't remember".

Chevron declined to comment last night.

Collaborative effort help needed ... please

Posted: 13 Jul 2011 08:00 AM PDT

Dear Readers,

With the large amount of information released by Wikileaks on Cambodia, it is impossible for our minuscule team to go over all of them and be able to post the relevant information. Therefore, we are soliciting collaborative help from all our readers:

(1) should you read any release from Wikileaks and find something interesting, could you please copy and paste it to a Word file and highlight in red the most relevant section;

(2) then include the following information to the end of the release:
  • a link to that release, and
  • a one sentence summary of the relevant information include;
(3) save the file and e-mail to us at kiletters@gmail.com.

Please let us know if it is OK to include your name in the credit for sending us the release.

We thank you very much for any help you can provide.

Sincerely,

KI-Media team

ចោរ សែន ជោគជ័យ ដោយ​​ ឆាំ ឆានី ​(Sen the Successful Thieft by Chham Chhany)

Posted: 13 Jul 2011 02:32 AM PDT

Intrigue in ruling CPP detailed

Posted: 13 Jul 2011 01:24 AM PDT


Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Post Staff
The Phnom Penh Post

DIPLOMATIC cables made public by WikiLeaks yesterday reveal simmering tensions within the ruling Cambodian People's Party and revive long-standing suspicions over alleged government involvement in some of the Kingdom's most notorious political killings.

The cables repeatedly allude to alleged factionalism in the CPP, long denied by government officials, between camps allied with Prime Minister Hun Sen and with Interior Minister Sar Kheng and Senate president Chea Sim.

In a 1994 cable, Hun Sen reportedly says the faction rumours, which began circulating in the mid-1980s, "were not true then, nor are they true now".

Later communiqués, however, reveal potential fissures in the party.


Regarding an alleged coup attempt in 1994 headed by cabinet members Norodom Chakrapong and Sin Song, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong is said to reveal in a 1995 cable that Chea Sim "asked Namhong quietly late last summer to request Hun Sen not to pursue penalties for the coup plotters, a message Hor Namhong did not deliver".

Hun Sen showed "a near-obsession with his personal security" in the year that followed, according to a 1995 cable, which also notes that the premier had reportedly ordered Funcinpec co-Interior Minister You Hockry, rather than the CPP's Sar Kheng, to head an investigation into alleged death threats against him.

A March, 2006 cable quotes a senior Funcinpec official as saying that Hun Sen received assistance from current Funcinpec deputy prime minister Nhek Bun Chhay in pushing back the 1994 coup attempt.

The official also reportedly claims that Hun Sen began interfering more aggressively in Funcinpec affairs and allowed previously exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy to return to Cambodia in response to a rumour "that FUNCINPEC and the SRP planned to join forces with the Chea Sim/Sar Kheng faction of the CPP to oppose Hun Sen".

Despite these suspicions, in early 2006 the premier reportedly offered Sam Rainsy a post as deputy prime minister, "possibly with broad authority over various ministries", according to a Sam Rainsy Party source.

"Rainsy reportedly declined, telling the PM that such a move would be 'political suicide' for an opposition leader," according to the source.

"Instead, he suggested that Hun Sen appoint him to lead the anti-corruption commission that is to be established under pending legislation."

Even up to 2009, Hun Sen may have been concerned about the Chea Sim faction, one cable alleges, speculating that that year's crackdown on political speech was motivated in part by Hun Sen's need to appease the "conservative faction" of Chea Sim and National Assembly president Heng Samrin within the ruling party.

The cable laments the suppression of freedom of expression that came that year, putting it down in part to a pattern of post-election crackdowns.

"There is genuine fear among Cambodia's ruling party about the increasing joblessness among a large, youthful population and increased criminal activity because of the lack of other opportunities," US ambassador Carol Rodley added.

"We need to understand, and be responsive to, Cambodia's new reality, to listen intently to what the leadership is worrying about and to show that we have a relationship of trust."

The 2006 arrest of former Phnom Penh municipal police chief Heng Pov, sentenced in 2009 to more than 90 years in prison on a raft of charges including extortion, kidnapping and murder, exposed further rifts in the ruling party, the cables allege.

American diplomats put Heng Pov's downfall down in part to his rivalry with former National Police chief Hok Lundy.

Heng Pov fled the country that year and eluded capture for several months in Singapore, during which time he publicly accused senior government officials of drug trafficking, planning the deadly 1997 grenade attack on a Sam Rainsy Party rally and ordering the infamous 1999 killing of singer Piseth Pilika.

A 2006 American cable, however, noted that these claims "elicited little more than a shrug; sources claim that Pov's accusations reflect what most people already considered common knowledge".

Hun Sen, the cable adds, was reportedly furious with Hok Lundy for allowing Heng Pov to temporarily escape the Kingdom ahead of his capture in December, 2006.

"No matter how one examines this issue, Cambodia's government still looks bad when its top police officials are launching serious accusations and counter-charges against one another that go back more than a decade," the cable states.

"At the very least, the [government] looks bad for having such an incompetent and unprofessional police force – and not doing anything about it over these many years."

The cables also address the notorious 2004 killing of Free Trade Union leader Chea Vichea, which was followed by the killings of two more FTU activists in subsequent years and remains unsolved to this day.

"Two years after his murder, many questions continue to surround the death of Chea Vichea," a 2006 cable states, adding that while most rights groups agree that the men initially convicted of the crime were framed, the government "is unwilling to reopen a highly emotional case . . . that could become politically volatile".

Later on, the February, 2007 killing of Free Trade Union leader Hy Vuthy and the shooting of popular singer Pov Panhapich served as "a chilling reminder of past violent crimes that remain unsolved to this day", a cable from that year states.

Hy Vuthy's killing, the cable says, "follows the familiar pattern of gunmen on the backs of motorcycles shooting their victims with little fear of capture".

"FTU president Chea Mony accused a rival union of responsibility, but there is no evidence linking anyone to the crime," the cable states, calling this and other unsolved killings "a silent reminder of Cambodia's continuing culture of impunity".

The attack on Pov Panhapich, then-US ambassador Joseph Mussomeli writes, follows assaults on other popular singers including Piseth Pilika in 1999, Touch Srey Nich in 2003 and Tat Marina in 2000.

"Rumors suggest that the entertainer was romantically linked to a high-level government official, and National Police Commissioner Hok Lundy has been named as a possible love interest," the cable says of the Pov Panhapich attack, adding that it "may indeed involve a ranking [government] official".

"An adviser in the PM's cabinet told us Friday morning about the shooting, noting that he had been directly called upon … to facilitate the medical evacuation of the injured entertainer to Vietnam," Mussomeli notes.

Amid all this, there are nonetheless suggestions that Hun Sen feels some need to act against the Kingdom's endemic corruption and culture of impunity, but is hamstrung by political realities.

In an April, 2006 cable recounting a US meeting with Sam Rainsy, the opposition leader reportedly said he "believes Hun Sen realises the situation requires action, but does not understand how to tackle corruption without upsetting the very structure that keeps the PM in power".

More reports of KI-Media blocking in Cambodia

Posted: 13 Jul 2011 12:17 AM PDT

Dear Readers,

We are receiving more reports from our readers telling us that KI-Media is not accessible to them. However, these readers did not let us know what is the name of their Internet Service Providers (ISP). If you are facing KI-Media blocking, would you be kind enough to let us know by sending us an email to: kiletters@gmail.com. Please do tell us the name of your ISP.

Meanwhile, if you know anybody who faces KI-Media, blocking, please send them this link below that provides instructions on how to bypass blocking.


Thank you,


KI-Media team

Press freedom: Reporter complains of ‘beating’

Posted: 12 Jul 2011 11:40 PM PDT

Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Mom Kuntear and Daniel Sherrell
The Phnom Penh Post

Press freedom
A REPORTER at Resmey 7 Makara newspaper has accused a timber broker of beating him after he took pictures of the man's truck, which he believes was transporting illegal lumber.

Plong Reth said yesterday that he had filed a complaint against Hout Sophann to the police chief of Sra Nge commune, in Siem Reap town, on Sunday – two days after the alleged incident.

"I sued [the broker] for injuries he caused me, and demanded he pay US$2000 in compensation," he said.


Chet Saet, commune police chief, said he would send the complaint to the provincial police station today.

Hout Sophann, the accused, denied the allegations yesterday, saying he was preparing to file a complaint of his own against the reporter on charges of extortion.

"Maybe he is angry because I didn't pay the $100 he demanded when he pulled my truck over to the side of the road," he said.

The broker said he had a licence to transport the wood from Doung Srouch Company in Preah Vihear province to a warehouse in Banteay Meanchey province for distribution.

Representatives from Doung Srouch Company could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Fears for more lake projects [-More evictions and land-grabbings on the way in Nom Benh]

Posted: 12 Jul 2011 11:36 PM PDT

Boats float on Boeung Tompun lake near a row of stilt houses in Phnom Penh yesterday. (Photo by: Meng Kimlong)

Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post

AS city officials broke ground at the controversial Boeung Kak lake development project yesterday, Municipal Governor Kep Chuktema said the government had similar plans for Boeung Tompon and other lakes throughout the capital.

The comments raised the prospect that further mass evictions may be in store for city residents, with the Boeung Kak development already set to displace roughly 20,000 people, according to local rights groups.

The Boeung Tompun lake area borders Boeung Choueng Ek lake and covers roughly 2,600 hectares of land, including 520 hectares of surface water, in Meanchey district. It serves as one of the capital's largest holding sites for sewage water.

Villagers say roughly 700 families live on the lake or near the shoreline.


Despite the local and international condemnation that has dogged the Boeung Kak lake development, where thousands have been forced from their homes without proper compensation, Kep Chuktema said yesterday that the city was preparing to repeat the process at Boeung Tompun and elsewhere.

"In Phnom Penh, there are a number of lakes, particularly the giant lake, Boeung Tompun. We will have to develop Boeung Tompun," Kep Chuktema said.

He acknowledged problems that have dogged government-ordered evictions in recent years but called such issues an inevitable aspect of "development".

"We depend on the companies, which the government has determined will be the heads of the train that pulls Cambodia's economy," he said.

"Development is followed by problems, but we will resolve the problems in accordance with the procedure of existing laws in the Kingdom," he added.

During a speech in June of 2009, Kep Chuktema declared that the government had approved a joint-venture project between unnamed local and foreign firms to develop Boeung Tompun as a "satellite city".

Officials from the Council for the Development of Cambodia declined to comment on the proposal at the time and no details about the project have emerged in the two years since.

Villagers living on the lake said yesterday that hundreds of families living on or around the lake were worried about their potential displacement.

"We haven't been officially informed about anything yet, but we are concerned by rumours that have spread that about 700 families in the village will be impacted by development projects," 71-year-old Khim Sary said.

Chhorn Broh, 51, said he and other villagers were concerned that their potential eviction could follow the path of Boeung Kak.

"We are not opposed to the government's development projects, but the compensation has to be appropriate for us to buy land and build new houses," he said.

Meanchey district governor Kuch Chamroeun and Boeung Tompun commune chief Sous Sarin denied that any villagers lived on the lake and said none would be displaced if a development project was indeed implemented in the area. The officials said they were unaware of any development plan or the site.

"If there is a development plan that happens at the lake, I don't think there will be any impact because they aren't any people living on the lake," Sous Sarin said.

Sia Phearum, secretariat director of local NGO Housing Rights Task Force, said mass fill-ins of local lakes could affect drainage in the capital. He also called on the government to improve the resettlement process so that the problems at Boeung Kak are not repeated.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JAMES O'TOOLE AND KOUTH SOPHAK CHAKRYA

TOP 10 TYCOONS [-Hun Xen's CRONIES]

Posted: 12 Jul 2011 11:26 PM PDT

Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Post Staff
The Phnom Penh Post

Kith Meng - "Mr Rough Stuff"

Chairman and CEO of the Royal Group Kith Meng was described in the cable as a "relatively young and ruthless gangster".

He could not be reached for comment.

Ly Yong Phat - "The King of Koh Kong"
Ruling party senator Ly Yong Phat's nickname derives from his prominence in his home province. According to the cable, Ly Yong Phat has business interests in tobacco, electricity, casinos and resorts.

Lim Chhiv Ho - "The Gatekeeper"
The director of Attwood Export Import Co Ltd - a liquor distributor - Lim Chhiv Ho is "one of Cambodia's most well-connected women", according to the cable.

Kok An – "Gambling King Pin"
The senator, who could not be reached, has branched into fishing, tobacco and casinos. The cable states he reportedly helped to pay US$50 million compensation to Thailand for damage to the Thai embassy during 2003 riots.

Mong Reththy - "Hun Sen's Money Man"
Described in the cable as "likely the closest business tycoon and ally to Prime Minister Hun Sen", he said yesterday that he conducts business only in a legal way.

Sok Kong -"Mr Sokimex"
Sok Kong 's company Sokimex is one of the largest petroleum suppliers in the Kingdom. In 1999, Sokimex acquired ticketing rights to Angkor Wat, a deal which the cable says became embroiled in controversy amid claims that Sokimex underreported revenue from ticket sales.

Sok Kong could not be reached.

Yeay Phu and Lao Meng Khin – "Power Couple"
Described in the cable as "one of the most politically and economically connected couples in the country", Yeay Phu and CPP senator Lao Meng Khin are co-owners of local developer Pheapimex. Lao Meng Khin also now runs development firm Shukaku Inc and, according to the cable, the "dynamic duo" have a strong relationship with Hun Sen and his wife, Bun Rany.

Pung Kheav Se - "Banking pioneer"
He made a fortune in Canada before founding Canadia Bank: one of the country's largest banks. He also maintains close ties to Hun Sen and Bun Rany.

Sy Kong Triv – "Pacific Giant"
Described in the cable as one of the CPP's "main financiers", Sy Kong Triv is chairman of KT Pacific Group, a manufacturing and distribution group, and also owns a number of local businesses.

How a Sex Offender Evaded the System

Posted: 12 Jul 2011 10:59 PM PDT


American Pedophile Slips Through Cracks

July 12, 2011
By DAN HARRIS (@danbharris) 
ABC Nightline (USA)

Jaycee Dugard's horrific story of survival includes the failure of three separate governmental entities to properly supervise Phillip Garrido, the registered sex offender who repeatedly raped Dugard while he held her captive for 18 years.

The United States Parole Commission, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the local Contra Costa Sheriff's office all allegedly missed opportunities to stop Garrido's unspeakable abuse.

But of the more than 700,000 sex offenders in America right now supposedly under supervision, 100,000 are unaccounted for, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.


Another case that provides a blow-by-blow example of how easy it is for a convicted child sex offender to simply slip through the cracks, especially overseas, is the Michael Dodd case.

The FBI arrested Dodd in February 2010 and returned him to the United States from Cambodia, where he was serving time after being convicted of having sexual relations with a teenager, to stand trial. At the time, Dodd was facing a possible 30 more years in prison if convicted on new charges of traveling abroad to have sex with a minor.

"Nightline" tracked Dodd, 62, from the suburbs of Orlando, Fla., and upstate New York, to Cambodia last year before he was arrested.

We found him in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, where he was accused of attempting to arrange a marriage to a 14-year-old girl. At the time, Dodd was still on parole for abusing children in America, but got lost in the system.

Education Officials Halt Overseas Trip for Math Whizzes

Posted: 12 Jul 2011 10:14 PM PDT

Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

The Ministry of Education abruptly canceled a trip for six math students who had hoped to test their skills at an international competition in the Netherlands.

Ministry officials did not explain the reason for the cancelation, but Ou Eng, director of the ministry's evaluation department said the students would not be competing at the upcoming International Mathematical Olympiad.

High school math students from more than 100 countries are scheduled to attend the event later this month, meeting in a competition that was first held in 1959.


Sokon Rany, a 15-year-old student at Preah Sisowath high school and a potential competitor, said he and five other students had received word they would not be going.

He had expected to showcase years of math studies, but now he found his expectations "worthless."

Roeung Sophoan, who trained the six students for the competion, said the cancellation will cause some students to lose confidence in the educational system. With many countries offering aid and opportunities to Cambodia, he said, the country should take advantage of them.

Ministry Denies Bias in Draft Labor Law

Posted: 12 Jul 2011 10:07 PM PDT

The draft law is expected to move to the Council of Ministers for approval later this year. Union leaders say the draft of the law will tighten restrictions on organized labor and create harsh punishments for unionists.

Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
"This draft law, from Article 1 to Article 91, has many points to [restrict] the rights and freedoms of trade unions."
Union leaders say a draft law under consideration by the Ministry of Labor is skewed toward factory interests, but Labor Minister Vong Soth said at a forum on Tuesday the law was aimed to help all sides.

Cambodia's turbulent garment sector is also its main economic driver. Union leaders and workers say the low wages for factory labor has not kept up with the rising costs of living in the country. Government officials say the law is necessary to regulate a wide number of unions, but laborers say they worry the law will not allow them to operate.

At a workshop of union leaders, factory representatives and government officials on Tuesday, Vong Soth said he wanted "all concerned parties" to consider the law and to understand that "this law cannot satisfy 100 percent what the concerned parties have raised."


The draft law is expected to move to the Council of Ministers for approval later this year, he said.

However, union leaders say the draft of the law will tighten restrictions on organized labor and create harsh punishments for unionists.

"This draft law, from Article 1 to Article 91, has many points to [restrict] the rights and freedoms of trade unions," said Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Confederation of Unions.

Ath Thorn, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers, said the law calls for jail terms up to three years and fines up to $2,500 for labor leaders. It also allows the ministry or the courts to suspend or close down unions.

Despite the misgivings of the trade unions, factory representatives said they approve of the law.

"Employers welcome a trade union movement in Cambodia that is healthy, representative and consolidated," said Sandra D'amico, vice president of Cambodian Federation of Employer and Business Association.

Vong Soth said the ministry and other government institutions wanted a law to harmonize professional relationships in the industry while at the same time paying attention to the actual situation in Cambodia.

US on Thai claim of overlappin​g area at Preah Vihear as " irrelevant legally or morally"

Posted: 12 Jul 2011 09:20 PM PDT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PHNOM PENH 000581

Classified By: Ambassador Joseph A. Mussomeli, for reasons 1.4 (b) and
..
...
"2. (C) Comment and Action Request: Embassy Phnom Penh agrees
with Embassy Bangkok's assessment of the extraordinary
politicization of issues surrounding Cambodia's decision to
inscribe Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site and the
linked question of what the Thai describe as a nearby
overlapping claim. This assertion of an overlapping claim,
however, is irrelevant legally or morally. Cambodia has had
control of the territory in question for 46 years.
Historically, most border disputes that result in armed
conflict begin with an assertion of overlapping claims. We
believe that the U.S.'s overarching interest in maintaining
regional stability does not allow us the luxury of
indefinitely standing on the sidelines of this dispute. We
see the options as follows: (a) pursue balanced, quiet
diplomacy now to encourage both parties to defuse tensions
and work in a spirit of goodwill using solid existing
mechanisms including the upcoming GBC, (b) react when, almost
inevitably, tensions spark a incident, (c) accept that both
the Cambodians, who see international law as solidly on their
side, and the Thai military will perceive U.S. silence as
tacit approval, or (d) develop a position when the Cambodians
bring this into regional and multilateral fora. We believe
the two sides are paralyzed at the moment and need help. We
should continue to frame this as a mil-mil issue and believe
that a call from a senior U.S. military official to his Thai
and Cambodian counterparts would help to get both sides to
prepare seriously for the July 21 Border Committee meeting.
We would advocate the following points, building on Embassy
Bangkok's suggestions but shifting from "if asked" to a more
proactive approach:

-- URGING THAT ALL PARTIES WORK IN A SPIRIT OF GOOD WILL AND
COOPERATION TO RESOLVE THEIR CONCERNS PEACEFULLY AND
DIPLOMATICALLY,

-- ENCOURAGING THEM TO CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE IN WHICH EXISTING


MECHANISMS (SUCH AS THE UPCOMING MEETING OF THE GENERAL

PHNOM PENH 00000581 002 OF 003"

http://wikileaks.org/cable/2008/07/08PHNOMPENH581.html
................


VZCZCXRO0937
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHPF #0581/01 2001355
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 181355Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
INFO RUEKDIA/DIA WASH DC IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0086
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RUHUTRA/CDR 19AS TRAVIS AFB CA IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HI IMMEDIATE
RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0619
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN PRIORITYC O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PHNOM PENH 000581

SIPDIS

PARIS PLEASE PASS US MISSION TO UNESCO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2010
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNESCO SCUL MOPS PBTS TH CB
SUBJECT: PREAH VIHEAR: TENSION UNLIKELY TO DISSIPATE
WITHOUT CHANGE IN BILATERAL DYNAMIC

REF: A. BANGKOK 2207
¶B. PHNOM PENH 578
¶C. BANGKOK 2167

Classified By: Ambassador Joseph A. Mussomeli, for reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d)

See para two for action request.

¶1. (C) Summary: Reftel A provides a solid update on the
evolving situation along the Thai-Cambodian border near Preah
Vihear temple. Embassies Phnom Penh and Bangkok had a number
of good exchanges during the course of the day to
double-track information coming from Thai and Cambodian
sources. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An called
Ambassador late this afternoon to convey continued Cambodian
concerns that tensions in the area are high, with what the
Cambodians describe as a significant number of Thai troops
having moved into Cambodian-built structures in an area
awarded to Cambodia by a 1962 International Court of Justice
decision. During Sok An's conversation with the Ambassador,
the DPM took a call conveying information apparently passed
to Prime Minister Hun Sen from Prime Minister Samak. Sok An
said that Samak had been counseled by Thai military described
as being closer to the government that other Thai military
would follow orders if instructed to withdraw from the newly
occupied areas -- but would then use this as a pretext to
topple the government. Sok An said that the Cambodian
government (RGC) would continue its policy of patience and
peaceful, bilateral efforts to resolve the situation.
However, he expressed two concerns: (1) that the number of
Thai and Cambodian soldiers crowded into a small area
presented a volatile situation which could not continue
indefinitely without sparking, and (2) that the Thai
government's hands may be tied in dealing with its strong and
relatively independent military. Sok An was dubious that the
planned extraordinary meeting of the General Border Committee
July 21 would yield results. He noted that if these quiet,
bilateral efforts did not work, Cambodia contemplated taking
the issue to ASEAN, UNESCO and the UN Security Council -- to
pressure Thailand to withdraw its troops from Cambodian
territory and arrange some sort of international observation
in the border area. End Summary


¶2. (C) Comment and Action Request: Embassy Phnom Penh agrees
with Embassy Bangkok's assessment of the extraordinary
politicization of issues surrounding Cambodia's decision to
inscribe Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site and the
linked question of what the Thai describe as a nearby
overlapping claim. This assertion of an overlapping claim,
however, is irrelevant legally or morally. Cambodia has had
control of the territory in question for 46 years.
Historically, most border disputes that result in armed
conflict begin with an assertion of overlapping claims. We
believe that the U.S.'s overarching interest in maintaining
regional stability does not allow us the luxury of
indefinitely standing on the sidelines of this dispute. We
see the options as follows: (a) pursue balanced, quiet
diplomacy now to encourage both parties to defuse tensions
and work in a spirit of goodwill using solid existing
mechanisms including the upcoming GBC, (b) react when, almost
inevitably, tensions spark a incident, (c) accept that both
the Cambodians, who see international law as solidly on their
side, and the Thai military will perceive U.S. silence as
tacit approval, or (d) develop a position when the Cambodians
bring this into regional and multilateral fora. We believe
the two sides are paralyzed at the moment and need help. We
should continue to frame this as a mil-mil issue and believe
that a call from a senior U.S. military official to his Thai
and Cambodian counterparts would help to get both sides to
prepare seriously for the July 21 Border Committee meeting.
We would advocate the following points, building on Embassy
Bangkok's suggestions but shifting from "if asked" to a more
proactive approach:

-- URGING THAT ALL PARTIES WORK IN A SPIRIT OF GOOD WILL AND
COOPERATION TO RESOLVE THEIR CONCERNS PEACEFULLY AND
DIPLOMATICALLY,

-- ENCOURAGING THEM TO CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE IN WHICH EXISTING
MECHANISMS (SUCH AS THE UPCOMING MEETING OF THE GENERAL

PHNOM PENH 00000581 002 OF 003


BORDER COMMITTEE) TO RESOLVE BORDER ISSUES CAN FUNCTION,

-- REDUCING THE NUMBER OF SOLDIERS DEPLOYED INTO THE AREA AND
PULLING BACK TO POSITIONS HELD BEFORE JULY 14

End comment and action request.

¶3. (C) Deputy Prime Minister Sok An met the Ambassador late
in the day July 18 to provide an update on Cambodian-Thai
discussions about Preah Vihear. Sok An reviewed developments
since July 15, shared with the Ambassador photographs of Thai
military in and around the Cambodian-built Keo Sikha Kiri
Svara pagoda and a Cambodian police outpost, reviewed the
maps and import of the 1962 ICJ decision which awarded the
Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia and instructed Thai troops to
withdraw from the area (which they did), and shared Cambodian
thoughts on next steps to defuse this issue. During the
course of the conversation, Sok An stressed the RGC's
sympathy for the difficult position of the Samak government
and recognition that Preah Vihear had become excessively
politicized in Thailand. He said PM Hun Sen had counseled
patience repeatedly when approached by senior Cambodian
military and police insulted by what he described as Thai
rangers' occupation of a Cambodian-built pagoda approximately
1/2 kilometer within Cambodian territory.

¶4. (SBU) Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong
convened Phnom Penh-based Ambassadors for a briefing on Preah
Vihear. He opened by noting the July 7 inscription of the
sacred site of Preah Vihear temple by the World Heritage
Committee; the Thai government (RTG) had first supported and
then later, because of domestic opposition, withdrawn their
support for inscription. There had then been "a political
storm" in Thailand, stirred up by known figures. Cambodia
had never thought, however, that Thai soldiers would decide
to take possession of a pagoda within 300 meters of the
temple. Hor Namhong displayed copies of the French-Siam map
from the early 1900s, noting this map had been used in the
1962 International Court of Justice decision awarding Preah
Vihear temple to Cambodia. He asserted the pagoda in
question is clearly in Cambodian territory as per that map.
Hor Namhong also referred to Thailand's "unilateral"
development of a competing map and assertion that there is a
4.6 km square overlapping claim area.

¶5. (SBU) Hor Namhong said Cambodia did not know who was
behind the military decision to move troops into this area.
He did not/not think the Thai government was behind the
decision. However, the situation was tense with more than
1,000 Thai and Cambodian troops in the area. Cambodia
further understood that some 40-60 trucks had brought in Thai
protesters who were gathered in Thai territory with the
intent of protesting at the temple. In the face of this
provocative situation, Cambodia had maintained its self
restrain. PM Hun Sen,s phone call and letter to PM Samak
were efforts to solve the problem peacefully. Cambodia
wanted to solve the problem peacefully and bilaterally,
without foreign or international intervention. If they
cannot solve the problem peacefully and the Thai choose to
use force, Cambodia reserved the right to use force. First,
however, Cambodia envisions solving this politically and
diplomatically possibly be referring the matter to the UN
Security Council.

¶6. (SBU) On July 21, there will be a meeting of the General
Border Commission (GBC). Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh
will attend. Answering a question, Hor Namhong noted that PM
Samak is dual-hatted as Defense Minister, but was unlikely to
attend, probably instead sending Supreme Commander Boonsrang
Niumpradit. Responding to a German question about whether
ASEAN could play a mediating role, the FM noted that he would
be unable to attend the ASEAN FM's meeting, because of the
upcoming elections, and is sending MFA Secretary of State Kao
Kim Horn. Kao Kim Horn is instructed to inform ASEAN Foreign
Ministers about the situation. the FM concluded the meeting
saying that if the situation worsens, Cambodia may ask the
assembled Ambassadors if their countries could contribute to
helping solve the problem.

¶7. (SBU) Comment: Although well-spoken, intelligent and known
in ASEAN circles, we do not see Kao Kim Horn as somebody who

PHNOM PENH 00000581 003 OF 003


will be able to engage with ASEAN Foreign Ministers or use
the Singapore meeting to problem-solve. While the FM did
not/not seem eager to seek ASEAN mediation, it was clear
there were Ambassadors (in addition to Germany, Singapore,
Brunei and Malaysia were talking about this question) who
believe this issue is bound to come up during the ARF. We
learned earlier that the Cambodians have been in contact with
Vietnam, seeking what was described as "Vietnamese support"
-- we now suspect that may have been in the context of the
Vietnamese' position on the Security Council. Local papers
-- which are portraying tensions as having abated somewhat --
also describe Thai and Cambodian military units as
"face-to-face and side-by-side" in the small area. One
English language report describes one narrow alleyway of the
100 meter stretch leading up to the pagoda as "young and old
Thai and Cambodian troops standing and sitting cheek by jowl
and with a horrifying range of weaponry." From this
Embassy's perspective, this face-off generates a level of
tension which is likely to lead to an incident or accident
and should not be left to fester.

¶8. (SBU) Although tourists could in theory access Preah
Vihear temple in Cambodian territoy without passing through
the area of tension or nearing the Thai border checkpoint,
Post's EAC decided this morning also to issue a warden
message counseling American citizens to avoid the area until
tensions subside.
MUSSOMELI

វិបត្តិព្រំដែន កម្ពុជា-វៀតណាម ដោយ ម៉ែន ណាត​ (Khmer-Viet border crisis by Man Nath)

Posted: 12 Jul 2011 08:23 PM PDT

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