Cambodia is best known by travellers for Angkor Wat and the Killing Fields - but the country is also looking forward.

There has been a revival of traditional and contemporary arts across the country and Phnom Penh has become a hotbed of creativity and young talent. Michelle Jana Chan travelled to the capital to look at this resurgence.

Chhoeun Chanthan, Senate President Chea Sim's former chief bodyguard, was charged with four criminal offences yesterday at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and then sent to detention at the military court for possible questioning on a different offence.

BERNAMA, Malaysian National News Agency reported on 16 August that according to the Thai Minister of Culture Cambodia and Thailand "are seeking a joint registration of classical dances and grand shadow plays respectively as traditional cultures of both neighbouring countries with UNESCO".

Questions:

1) Has anyone seen similar information in Cambodian newspapers?

2) Is this action a precursor to Preah Vihear been registered jointly by Cambodia and Thailand?

Thank you for your feed back

Best regards

Julio A. Jeldres

--
From Ambassador Julio A. Jeldres
Official Biographer to H.M. the King Father, Samdech Preah Upayuvareach Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia

If an archetypal success story of a Cambodian American was to finish higher education from a top university, work for giant multinational companies in leadership positions - all against a backdrop of unprecedented hardships as a first generation immigrant - then Rada Nong's is that story.

Born into Cambodia's dark epoch of the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979), Nong experienced the full measure of sufferings meted out to him, as to all Cambodians subsisting under its brutal and genocidal reign lasting 3 years 8 months and 21 days.

Escaping genocide, Nong and family finally was given a chance to begin life anew in the United States, after spending several years in the Khao-I-Dang war refugee camp in Thailand.

"We came to the United States in 1983, residing first in Minnesota" said Nong, recalling his early days as a child of refugee parents. "Unlike what Cambodian Americans now enjoy in their communities, back then there were no such things as Khmer associations or organizations to help us navigate life in America. We couldn't speak English; my parents only knew French."

While adjusting to life in a new country, learning a new language and adapting to a culture so foreign and far removed from his native homeland was difficult, Nong succeeded in achieving a degree in International Trade and Development from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Immediately after graduation he was recruited to work for several global brands – e.g. Intel and Activision, quickly ascending to leadership roles.

Nong's lifelong interest in helping Cambodians thrive and become competitive globally compelled him to volunteer his time and energy mentoring young kids in his community, keeping them away from gang life and putting them on the right course to better, more productive lives while they were still young.

For those who fell through the cracks, he fought to help them through his activism work in stopping deportation.

Khmerican fittingly has become another avenue through which he can further this vision, to unite and build a better Khmer America. "The perfect time is now. Our community has matured and we can unite, with Khmerican acting as our bridge," said Nong.

Between work and his family, Nong keeps a blog where he writes commentaries on social issues and contemporary events. He now resides with his wife and three beautiful children in Central Valley, California.

The World Bank yesterday welcomed a government decision to offer on-site relocation to residents of Boeung Kak lake, following the international body's move to suspend all funding to Cambodia over the issue.

Country director for World Bank, Annette Dixon, said yesterday the move to award 12.44 hectares of land to families set to be evicted to make way for a Phnom Penh housing development "appears to be a positive development and we hope that it will lead to a good outcome for the residents of Boeung Kak Lake". She declined to confirm whether the bank would now release the suspended funds.

Despite wide-spread speculation that pressure from the international body led to the decision, government spokesman Phay Siphan said yesterday that, though lessons had been learned from the "challenging" dispute, the outcome had absolutely nothing to do with the World Bank.

"It was an independent decision from City Hall free from outside pressure," he said.

But Sia Phearum, secretariat director of the Housing Rights Task Force, said such claims were a government attempt to protect its image.

"They don't want to lose honour," he said, adding that the land grant was a step towards the bank resuming funding to the Kingdom.

The land offer, nevertheless, has been seen as a major development in the long-running dispute.

A press statement from the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions released yesterday said that a sub-decree which set out the offer signaled the "beginning of the end" of a long battle that had seen a cycle of evictions, protests and violence.

"It is likely the result of a number of factors including ongoing negotiations amongst the Municipality of Phnom Penh, community people, the World Bank, development partners and civil society," it said.

Two groups of villagers at the site – who have for years protested over the issue – are now considering how to divide the land and intend to negotiate with the government to find a solution that suits all.

Sia Phearum said that he favoured a plan proposed by the larger of the two Boeung Kak community groups in which the land would be divided equally amongst everyone into 4 by 16 metre plots, which would allow all families to build on the ground floor and enable them to sell goods.

Most of the families at Boeung Kak yesterday said they were overjoyed that the dispute with ruling party senator Lao Meng Khin's company Shukaku Inc had moved forward.

In a statement released yesterday, representatives of 756 families said the decision "proves the wise leadership" of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

But others expressed dismay that they had sold their houses to the developer just days before.

A home owner, who declined to be named, said yesterday she had nothing to celebrate because she sold her house to Shukaku Inc three days ago for $25,000 and would not now be eligible to relocate.

"I sold my house and land to the Shukaku company two days before the premier Hun Sen decided to cut the land in this area to provide for the people in Boeung Kak lake."

Shukaku was granted a 99-year lease at Boeung Kak in 2007 allowing them to fill in the lake to construct real estate developments on the reclaimed land and in surrounding areas, a project which Chinese firm Erdos Hong Jun Investment Company later took a 51-percent stake in.

Sam Vichith, 36, from Village 20, in Srah Chak commune

I think that Hun Sen has decided to give 12.44 hectares of land to us right now to appease the World Bank because they released a statement threatening to stop all funding for development projects in our country.

They need to make sure that the families who originally had bigger plots get two or three flats and the families who had smaller plots only receive one flat.

Noun Samuth, 40, from Village 23, in Srah Chak commune

We are so grateful after the premier's decision to provide us with the land. We know that his decision was made after the World Bank decided to stop their funding on all development projects in Cambodia, but this does not mean that he did this to appease the World Bank. He pitied his people and wanted to help them out of poverty.

Tep Chanthon, 45, from Village 1, in Srah Chak commune

I am not sure if Hun Sen was trying to satisfy the World Bank. I just understand that he was trying to give land to me and other people who were affected by the Boeung Kak development project. This is the reason that we voted for him before and we continue to support him as the prime minister.

Sin Samath, 55, from Village 21, in Srah Chak commune

My children, my husband and I have worried about being evicted from our home with only a small compensation. We always thought we would not have enough money to build a new home. But now, Premier Hun Sen has given hope to my family and others in the area. We will remain thankful and pay him back during the next national election.

Ly Nary, 39, from Village 1,

in Srah Chak commune I was very excited after I heard that Premier Hun Sen provided us with land in the Boeung Kak lake area. I hope that the necessary ministries and departments as well as the municipal authority will create the land titles and deliver them to us quickly. I thank the premier and his family and hope they remain healthy and prosperous.

COMFREL is please to release its press release on the result of workshop on voter's voice in remote areas; Sre Huy commune, Koh Nhek district, Mondulkiri province was held on August 12, 2011.

Please see the attached document for details.

FYI : If you need releases or articles related to workshop on voter's voices, elections reforms, democracy/political reforms, decentralisation and governance, please feel free to visit our website :

www.comfrel.org

For additional information, please click the link below:

Phnom Penh, August 14, 2011

On behalf of the peace loving people of Cambodia, I would like to congratulate the appointment of Mr Lobsang Sangay as the new Kalon Tripa of the Tibetan-in-exile government.

It is with great anticipation that we await the outcome of his leadership. We appreciate the efforts and sacrifice of His Holiness Dalai Lama who is and, will continue to be a great fighter and influence for freedom for his people and will remain their spiritual leader. His ability to adapt to the needs of his people and give up this traditional and powerful role should also be both acknowledged and congratulated.

In September 2010 it was with great pride that I personally sat with the Dalai Lama during its 50 year celebration of the Tibetan Democracy Day and the establishment of Tibetan Institutions in Exile and this unprecedented step through democratically elect a lay person to the political leadership position sends a powerful message not only to China, but to the world, that Tibet will meet its challenges and is prepared to make the necessary changes and sacrifice for its people.

China's hardline regime denies justice, dignity and freedom to the Tibetan people and threatens the very identity of this great People and Nation.

We will continue to support and be unified with you in your efforts to bring democracy to Tibet and bring it out of exile back to the country where it rightfully belongs.

17 August 2011 – Although compliance by Cambodian exporting garment factories with national and international labour standards is generally good, areas such as discrimination and occupational safety and health remain a concern, according to a new United Nations report.

The report on working conditions in Cambodia's Garment Sector was released today in the capital, Phnom Penh, by the UN International Labour Organization's (ILO) Better Factories Cambodia programme.

It reflects data compiled over a six-month period from November 2010 to April 2011 from 186 of the 276 factories registered with the programme, which was set up in 2001.

"Compliance levels generally remain high, although some areas of concern remain, particularly regarding discrimination, overtime, and occupational safety and health," stated a news release issued by the programme.

Monitors found no evidence of forced labour and no workers were confirmed to be below the legal working age of 15. Compliance with minimum wage requirements for regular workers is still high at 97 per cent, although this is down slightly from 99 per cent in the previous report.

Among the report's other findings is that 76 per cent of the factories monitored have at least one union, up three per cent from the previous report, and the percentage of factories that discriminated against workers is at 13 per cent, up from eight per cent in the last report.

In addition, compliance with maternity leave payments rose by 18 per cent, to 73 per cent, while compliance with paid sick leave dropped by two per cent, to 77 per cent.

Two per cent fewer employers provided their employees sufficient personal protective equipment, while eight per cent fewer workers had properly functioning needle guards on their sewing machines, according to the report.

Data from Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce shows that 324,476 workers were employed in 286 registered exporting garment factories from January to June 2011. Also, garment exports rose by 32 per cent in the first six months of 2011 compared with the same period of 2010.

Better Factories Cambodia monitors and reports on working conditions in Cambodian garment factories according to national and international standards, and helps factories to improve working conditions and productivity.

Vietnamese border guards are investigating a case in which a Vietnamese gambler is suspected of killing himself by jumping out of a window at a Cambodian casino where he was were kept by his lenders , Lao Dong newspaper reported.

Colonel Le Duc Hanh, deputy chief of Long An Province Border Guard Department, told Lao Dong that a man told border guards he had witnessed the death of the Vietnamese gambler in Casino Las Vegas in Bavet - an international border gate belonging to Svay Rieng province, Cambodia.

The man, who introduced himself as a gambler who had just escaped from the casino, had many bruises on his body, Hanh said.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the man said he came to the casino on August 2 and lost all of his money there.

The man was later detained in a room inside the casino, waiting for his family to pay ransom for him to be released.

He said six other Vietnamese – four men and two women – were detained in the same room.

The gamblers were frequently beaten up, with Do Thanh Cong, a 34-year-old man from Long An Province, suffering the most because he had been detained for the longest and his family had yet to pay the ransom, according to the man.

"Cong was beaten up several times a day, until he discharged blood from his mouth," the man said.

On the afternoon of August 9, after being severely beaten, Cong and another man named T. (from Vinh Long Province) resisted and broke a glass window with a chair to jump out of the room.

Cong fell off the ground and died on the spot, while T. had his arms and legs broken, according to the man.

Three days later, while being "escorted" to have lunch, the man ran away.

He managed to get back to Vietnam and visited Cong's house to inform his family of his death.

According to Colonel Hanh, the Long An Province Border Guard Department had contacted Svay Rieng province authorities, but they denied the death had occurred.

They said there was a Vietnamese gambler who jumped off an apartment at Casino Sato (not Las Vegas as claimed by the Vietnamese gambler) on August 7, but he was not dead.

They said the gambler named T. from Vietnam's Vinh Long Province had his arms and legs broken, according to Colonel Hanh.

They added that Cambodian casinos are under the authority of the central government, not provincial authorities, Colonel Hanh said.

"We will verify this case to bring Cong's body back home, if he is actually dead.

"Vietnamese loan sharks in Cambodian casinos may be involved."

On Monday, Lao Dong reporters visited Cong's house. His wife, Bui Thi Huong, said Cong was a xe om driver and occasionally went to Cambodia casinos for gambling.

On July 20, he came to a casino and called home three days later, asking Huong to bring $2,000 to the casino in exchange for his freedom.

Huong could not afford the ransom. On August 9, a strange man called her and said her husband would end up dead if she didn't pay the ransom.

Huong collected enough money but when she called back she could not reach her husband and the man.

Huong and Cong had five children, with the oldest being 12 years old.

"Since casinos opened near the Moc Bai border gate, my husband used all his money in gambling. He ignored all my advice," she said in tears.

Senior officials in the government yesterday tried to distance themselves from Thaksin's plan to visit Cambodia, saying the former prime minister was not a representative of the Thai government.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said Thaksin's trip to Cambodia was his private business, and he was not a representative of Thailand negotiating bilateral relations with Phnom Penh.

Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul said he was not even aware of Thaksin's plan to visit Cambodia. "I did not check about his trip and what he wants to do there," he said.

The visit is apparently to discuss a business deal on petroleum concession in the area of overlapping claims in the Gulf of Thailand and to help restore relations damaged by the conflict over Preah Vihear Temple with the previous government.

Thaksin's close aide Noppadon Pattama said there was no clarity yet on the visit's plan but if Thaksin does go to Phnom Penh, it would be to see his close friend Prime Minister Hun Sen.

"I can make an assurance that Thaksin has no personal business that is in conflict with Thailand's national interest. What he would do is help restore relations," Noppadon said.

Surapong, who entered his office at the Foreign Ministry for the first time yesterday, said he had not discussed Thaksin with ministry officials. He said they would work together to map out a strategy on Cambodia.

Prime Minister Yingluck has assigned him to prepare a strategy to restore relations with Phnom Penh as well as take a proper stance on the World Heritage Convention, which the previous government had decided to denounce.

Asked whether he would reactivate the 2001 memorandum of understanding on the maritime boundary in the Gulf of Thailand to enable negotiations on joint development of the area, Surapong said he would discuss the issue with officials at the Foreign Ministry.

Thaksin and two of his proxy governments under late Samak Sundaravej and Somchai Wongsawat were accused of exchanging support for Phnom Penh to list the Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage Site in return for interest in a petroleum concession in the Gulf of Thailand.

Thailand signed the MoU with Cambodia in 2001 to negotiate on the areas claimed by both sides in the gulf, which is believed to have abundant reserves of gas. The negotiations over the past years have never made any progress over profit-sharing in the joint development area.

The government under Abhisit Vejjajiva downgraded relations with Cambodia and announced the scrapping of the 2001 MoU in response to Hun Sen's appointment of Thaksin as an adviser to the Cambodian government and the decision to reject a request to extradite the fugitive ex-leader to face a prison sentence at home.

Thaksin was convicted and sentenced to two years' jail for abuse of authority by granting permission to his wife to buy a piece of land from a state agency while he was holding a political position.

Thaksin is always welcome in Cambodia and the current Thai government has no policy to block his movement abroad. But Thaksin and the new government will not be able to escape the accusation of conflict of interest. Although no one can prove, so far, Thaksin's business deal with Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand, it is politically incorrect for this government to associate Thaksin, who is the elder brother of Prime Minister Yingluck, with Thai-Cambodian relations.

Defence Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha is preparing to hold a meeting of the General Border Committee early next month to discuss military arrangements along the border areas after a series of clashes early this year.

Thaksin was said to be using his personal connections to help improve relations and also secure the release of two Thai nationalist activists - Veera Somkwamkidand and Ratree Pipattanapaiboon - who were jailed last December on the charge of espionage.

Surapong, who has not yet fixed the date for his visit to Cambodia, said he would try his best to negotiate with authorities in Phnom Penh to secure the release of the jailed Thai activists. He declined to say whether he would seek Thaksin's help on the matter.

Surapong's capability of serving as foreign minister has already been questioned because his connections with Thaksin. He was reportedly appointed to the post to facilitate Thaksin's travels abroad. His first job was to get a special visa for Thaksin to enter Japan. Surapong yesterday rejected the allegation, saying he just told Japan that his government had no policy to block Thaksin. He denied requesting a visa for him.

Surapong was widely criticised for serving Thaksin more than the country.

"I know it is said I'm the worst minister of Thailand but that reputation might be good for me, as it can't get any worse. I will do my best to improve my score," he said.

"I will prove myself that I work for the country."

Mismanagement of the problem could revive clashes and turn the public against the administratrion, NSC ex-chief warns

A chronic border conflict with Cambodia is a political time bomb that could threaten the government's stability, a former National Security Council chief warned yesterday.

Khajatpai Burutpat, who served as the NSC secretary-general from 1998 to 2002, said that mismanagement of the problem could lead to an eruption of border clashes similar to those that took place during the previous government's tenure.

The government's failure to protect the country's interest regarding the matter, particularly in the wake of a verdict by the International Court of Justice in a case filed by Cambodia, could result in an outburst of dissatisfaction among the Thais, Khajatpai warned.

"If the court rules in favour of Cambodia, Thai people may not accept the ruling. Many Thais are still upset with the World Court's verdict in 1962 [that gave the ancient temple of Preah Vihear to Cambodia]," he said.

Khajatpai was speaking during a seminar on "The Direction for Thailand on Security Issues" held at Miracle Grand Hotel. The event was co-hosted by the NSC and the Security Promotion Association of Thailand.

He said that despite positive responses from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen towards the new government, which is headed by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, in the long run the bilateral ties could turn sour again if the world court rules in favour of Cambodia.

"The conflict with Cambodia is a time bomb or a suicide bomb for the government. If the government mismanages this issue, there will be violence again, like it happened in the past," Khajatpai said.

He said that after Thailand and Cambodia signed a memorandum of understanding in 2000 to settle their border conflict, the bilateral ties remained good until 2005 when Cambodia sought a listing of Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage site unilaterally. Border clashes took place from time to time after that, he noted.

Khajatpai called on Cambodia to withdraw its latest case filed with the World Court asking the court for interpretation of its verdict in 1962. He said both countries should return to the negotiating table and refer to the MoU of 2000 in a bid to settle their border row bilaterally.

He said that the social conflict over the last five years also was a major security concern for Thailand. He said that protesters could take to the streets again if the government failed to please them or made some moves that anger them, such as amending the Constitution or issuing an amnesty law benefiting certain political figures.

He called for the government's sincerity in promoting reconciliation efforts with groups inside and outside Parliament. "The government must make it clear to the detractors and critics that they are sincere," he said.

Tomorrow, 18 August 2011, community members from Prey Lang will gather at Preah Ong shrine across from the Royal Palace to begin a daylong event titled "Pray Long for Prey Lang". As the name suggests, the event concerns the on-going deforestation and development in and around Prey Lang forest – the largest primary forest of its kind on the Indochinese peninsula and the source of livelihoods for about 200,000 mostly indigenous Kuy, people. The event in Phnom Penh will hopefully be attended by over 300 community members who will be dressed as "avatars", painted in blue and green, wearing hats made from leaves. The community members will pray at Preah Ong Shrine from 7am onwards together with supporters and members of other communities affected by land issues. The prayers will be followed by a press conference. The event will coincide with similar prayer events held in as many as 145 sites in 13 provinces throughout the country at which participants will pray for Prey Lang forest and for the management of Cambodia's land and resources.

--

As the sun sets over Ochheuteal beach, scores of children begin weaving their way through the cheap tables and cushioned chairs scattered in the sand in front of restaurants offering US$3 a plate barbecues and 50-cent beer to tourists.

But instead of selling sunglasses and bracelets the children offer to set off fireworks' displays in the thin strip of white sand between the edge of the tables and the incoming tide, for tourists to watch or photograph while they drink and dine.

It's a dangerous job, especially for a child, and the provincial government says it has been banned. "Children are not allowed to sell fireworks on beaches like Ochheuteal," deputy governor Sboung Sarath said yesterday.

However, the ban is not being enforced and children have been getting burned, according to owners of beachside restaurants. Staff at NGOs working with children who sell trinkets on the beach say they have either heard reports of children suffering burns from fireworks or warn that accidents are bound to happen.

Ev Sao Sarin, director of M'lop Tapang, said children buy the fireworks in the town's market, usually metre-long tubes called Roman candles that shoot multiple flashes about two to three metres in the air. They pay 2,000 to 3,000 riel (50 to 75 cents) for each tube, and sell them for about 5,000 riel apiece, he said.

"They are too little to handle fireworks," he says. "It is dangerous because they do not know how to keep safe."

Children also sell riskier types, including ground spinners and rockets, visits to the beach have found. When tourists pay them to place multiple shells in the sand, and then set off a fireworks' display, the children have to carefully time the lighting of each shell so that the first does not go off before the last fuse is lit.

"Sometimes there are delays [in fireworks going off] and sometimes they explode too quickly," Ev Sao Sarin said. "Children are getting burnt every night," said Aiden Griffin, who works with the Cambodian Children's Painting Project. The NGO provides children who work on the beach with an alternative to selling bracelets, sunglasses and fireworks. It assists their families and helps the children go to school.

He, along with staff at M'Lop Tabang, would like to see the fireworks business banned effectively by authorities.

But enforcing a ban when the provincial government appears to believe it is already in place may prove difficult. Restaurant owners, who asked not to be named, told The Post that the children were getting out of control. One said he had to use a stick to chase them away from customers.

Griffin said that this attitude was not universal, and that the owners and staff of some establishments were supportive of the children. He also disputed restaurant owner assertions that the number of children selling on the beach has risen. He says the number has plummeted over the past two years, partly due to the success of his NGO.

Despite its success, however, some of the children it helps are stealing. Last week a group stole a camera and $700 from tourists, Griffin said. The children were identified and police retrieved about $500 and the camera, he said. On Monday night, a group of children not associated with his organisation robbed another tourist of several hundred dollars, he said.

Maggie Eno, founder of M'Lop Tapang, agrees with the business owners who say the number of children selling on the beach has surged, and that it is becoming more dangerous. The organisation runs a hotline for children in distress and has two networks monitoring the beach: one has trained about 30 adult vendors in the Child Safe techniques developed by Friends International and another comprises of youths. The hotline receives from 80 to 100 calls a month, Eno says. Most of these report sick or injured children at the beach, or foreign tourists suspected of being paedophiles.

"The last two times I went to Ochheuteal I had to call our hotline myself," Eno said, stressing that the beach was becoming unsafe for children and unpleasant for tourists. She estimates that the number of children selling on the beach has tripled over the last two years. M'lop Tabang itself has seen its caseload rise from 2,000 to about 3,000 children and youths during the same period, she says.

Eno welcomes a ban on children selling anything on the beach, saying it is too dangerous for them to be there unsupervised, and that they should be in school. She says some children are reluctant to leave the beach because they can make as much as $20 a day. "When our social workers try to convince them to go to school, they reply by saying they make twice as much as our [social workers] do," she explains.

In the long term, however, the children grow up and tourists become less likely to buy bracelets and sunglasses from them. "By the time their 18 some can't even get a job in a restaurant because they don't know how to read and write," Eno explains, adding that this puts them at a higher risk of becoming sex workers. Sihanoukville's growth has been accompanied by a surge in the number of prostitution-related establishments, many just a stone's throw from Ochheuteal beach where children who should be in school are working double shifts: selling bracelets by day and fireworks at night.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Hok Pov had never been beaten and never known hunger until she came to work in Malaysia in April.

In the six weeks that she worked as a maid for a Malaysian family, she says she lost 22 pounds (10 kilograms) while toiling 20 hours a day with little to eat. Often she was slapped and punched by her employer, she says.

"I was so hungry that I even ate chicken bones," a sobbing Hok Pov, 31, told The Associated Press at the office of Malaysian rights' group Tenaganita that rescued her in June with the help of police.

"There was always lot of work to do and I had to suffer beatings. Once I was slapped so hard that my tooth fell off. Who can bear this?" Hok Pov said in her first media interview.

She is among 41 Cambodian maids rescued this year by the group, highlighting the frequent abuse and exploitation of foreign domestic workers due to inadequate laws in this wealthy Southeast Asian nation.

Concerns of abuse of Cambodian maids came under the public spotlight after a Cambodian maid was found dead last month outside the home where she worked, while another was rescued by Malaysian police after she was allegedly abused and had her head shaved bald by her employer

According to the embassies of Indonesia and Cambodia — which have supplied the bulk of more than 230,000 foreign maids in Malaysia — about 2,000 women come forward every year with complaints of abuse. Although that's a tiny fraction of the total number, rights groups say every instance of abuse shows Malaysia in poor light and emphasizes the government's uncaring attitude to the problem.

Malaysia's rising prosperity has meant that fewer locals want to do menial, low-paying jobs. The gap has been filled by foreigners, mostly Indonesians who can be seen on construction sites, palm plantations and in homes as maids.

But a string of high-profile abuse cases, including deaths, led Indonesia to ban its women in 2009 from working in Malaysia. The number of foreign maids fell from 280,000 three years ago to about 230,000 today. Some 50,000 of them are Cambodians, of which 30,000 came this year alone.

The government says it condemns abuse of maid but has not done anything to review the laws to protect them. Malaysian immigration officials in charge of foreign domestic workers couldn't be reached for comment on the issue, despite repeated attempts to contact them.

Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez said Wednesday that maids who come from poor countries are all vulnerable to abuse, except for Filipinos who are better protected by their government. She said abuse is institutionalized here as maids aren't allowed to retain their passports and get no days off in a week.

Hok Pov, who said her hair was cut short like a boy's, was promised a monthly salary of 650 ringgit ($218) — double her wage as a factory worker in Cambodia. She has not received any money from her employer.

"I just want my salary and get out of here. I don't ever want to come to Malaysia again," said Hok Pov, who is married and has an 8-year-old son.

"They are rich, educated and religious people but why don't they have any compassion for the poor like me? I have no one to turn to. Every night I cried myself to sleep. It was one and a half months in hell," she said.

Tenaganita official Liva Sreedhana said it was difficult to file criminal charges against Hok Pov's employer as she has no physical injury or scars to show, and only has her words. The group is now negotiating with the employer, who is refusing to give Hok Pov any money and is dodging meetings.

Men Chaveasna, who also lives in Tenaganita's shelter with Hok Pov, completed her 2-year work contract last August but never got her wages. Her Malaysian employer bought her a flight home and ditched her at the airport.

Chaveasna, 30, who came to Malaysia to work to support her farmer parents, won a case in the labor court this year to demand wages totaling 7,700 ringgit ($2,580) owed to her. But her employer appealed to the high court and the case is pending.

"It is better not to work in Malaysia because we may not get paid," she said. "There are many new factories in Cambodia and I can find jobs back home."

Cambodian Ambassador Norodom Arunrasmy told the AP on Wednesday that Malaysia is the only country that recruits Cambodian maids, giving the poor a lifeline.

She said the Cambodian government was in the process of drafting a new law to protect its maids, including screening the employer to ensure the girls would be properly housed and not overworked.

"To ban or not to ban would be up to the high decision of my government ... but they (the government) also know that our people need work and jobs in order to survive," Arunrasmy said in an email.

Chhoeun Chanthan, Senate President Chea Sim's former chief bodyguard, was charged with four criminal offences yesterday at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court and then sent to detention at the military court for possible questioning on a different offence.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court judge Sem Sakola questioned Chhoeun Chanthan for about four hours yesterday in relation to allegedly forged documents and the illegal possession of weapons.

Meas Chanpiseth, deputy prosecutor at the court, told journalists outside the courtroom that Chhoeun Chanthan had been charged with four criminal offences after two days of questioning: illegal possession of weapons, illegally issuing weapon licences, forging public documents and using forged public documents. If convicted on all four counts, Chhoeun Chanthan could face up to 25 years in prison and more than US$5,000 in fines.

Chhoeun Chanthan's defence attorney Hol Sina declined to comment on the case yesterday.

"Samdech Chea Sim decided to remove the position and rank of Mr Chhoeun Chanthan," Yim Leang said yesterday. "This case is in the hands of the court, so let the court make its investigation."

Yim Leang, whose father is Deputy Prime Minister Yim Chhay Li, did not say yesterday whether Chea Sim himself had also signed onto a complaint against his former head bodyguard. Nach Try, a lawyer representing plaintiffs in the case, said yesterday that Chhoeun Chanthan had committed additional "military offences" and would be sent for investigation at the military court.

"Mr Chhoeun Chanthan was sent to jail at the military court, because the suspect was also involved in a lot of other military offences," he said.

A source at the municipal court, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Chhoeun Chanthan would be questioned at the military court in relation to budget losses and missing vehicles belonging to the Ministry of Defence.

Military court president Ney Thol, who is also a sitting judge at the Khmer Rouge tribunal's Pre-Trial Chamber, said that case was now in the hands of the military court prosecutor, but he did not know when questioning would commence.

 

The cabinet yesterday assigned Foreign Minister Surapong Towijakchaikul to review the Thai World Heritage Committee's recommendation for Thailand to withdraw its membership from the World Heritage Convention.

Ampol Kitti-ampol, secretary-general to the cabinet, said the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration had made no decision on the recommendation, deciding instead to leave it to the next government.

Mr Ampol said the cabinet suggested Mr Surapong consult relevant government agencies and present his recommendation at the next cabinet meeting.

A government source said if the Thai government still wanted to withdraw from the WHC, it must send a letter of intent to Unesco director-general Irina Bokova.

The letter must be signed by either the prime minister or the foreign minister. Any withdrawal would come into effect one year from the date Ms Bokova received the letter.

But, during this year, Thailand would not be allowed to ask Unesco's World Heritage Committee to inscribe new heritage sites, the source said.

The source said existing World Heritage Sites would be unaffected.

However, if the government decides not to withdraw Thailand from the WHC, it has to inform Unesco of its decision in writing.

"It is likely that the Foreign Ministry will oppose the withdrawal as it sees no strong reasons to do so," said the source.

Meanwhile, Cambodia has suggested that the plan to deploy Indonesian observers in the Thai-Cambodian disputed areas be scrapped, Defence Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa said yesterday.

Gen Yutthasak said he had received an invitation from Gen Tea Banh, Cambodia's deputy prime minister and defence minister, to attend a Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee (GBC) meeting in Phnom Penh.

Gen Yutthasak said Phnom Penh had suggested that Thailand and Cambodia settle the border dispute through bilateral talks, adding that the two countries may inform the International Court of Justice that they do not need observers from a third country.

"I will call a meeting of representatives from relevant organisations on Aug 17," Gen Yutthasak said.

He has assigned Lt Gen Wissanu Sriyaphan, chief of the Department of Border Affairs at the Thai Armed Forces and Thai secretary of the GBC secretariat, to work with his Cambodian counterpart to prepare for the meeting.

The defence minister said he wanted the GBC meeting to be held as soon as possible, but other meetings needed to take place first.

The Thai-Cambodian secretariat will meet first, and then a Regional Border Committee meeting will follow in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Heavy rains pushed the Mekong River in Cambodia over its banks during the weekend, flooding 37 villages and damaging over 5,000 homes. Schools also were closed, and rice and cassava crops have been badly affected.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured the top image on August 13, 2011. For comparison, the bottom image shows the same region a year earlier, on August 16, 2010. Both images use a combination of visible and infrared light to increase contrast between water and land. Water ranges in color from electric blue to navy. Vegetation is green. Clouds are pale blue-green.

Despite cloud cover, significant changes are apparent along the Mekong River between 2010 and 2011. In 2010, the river is a thin blue line extending southward toward Phnum Penh (Phnom Penh). In 2011, flood water spans kilometers north of the city. Higher water is also apparent south of Phnum Penh, and around Tônlé Sab (Tonle Sap).

Friday of August 19, 2011, the residents of the National road #6 are going to gather in front of the Sangkat Chroy Changvar, Khan Ruseykeo, Phnom Penh for negotiation process.