KI Media: “KI-Media service disruption this week!” plus 18 more

Due to personal and technical problems faced by several of our team members, updates of KI-Media will be done intermittently only between Monday 08 August 2011 (afternoon) and Wednesday 10 August 2011 (night). Between Thursday 11 August and Sunday 14 August 2011, postings on KI-Media will be very limited. All our team members will be back to normal operation again on Monday 15 August 2011 (Phnom Penh time).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS4XkQ2GDTI

Presenter: Bill Bainbridge

Speaker: Naly Pilorge, director of the Cambodian human rights group, Licadho

Keng Lao doesn't appear to tire as she scurries about Asia Bistro and Seafood along Vaughn Road in east Montgom­ery. The native of Cambodia busily serves customers with an ever-present smile.

Lao has been known for that cheerful and helpful attitude during the more than two dec­ades that she and husband Mieng have operated popular Chinese establishments in the Capital City.

Together they have raised five daughters and operated three successful restaurants. The third, the Bistro, is located at 7839 Vaughn Road across from Publix.

The couple owned the first, the Bamboo Garden, at Nor­mandale Mall. The reason they operated the restaurant was simple -- to make a living, ex­plained Mieng Lao. Keng Lao also loved to cook, he added.

The family moved their home addresses eastward fol­lowing changing restaurant lo­cations. From Narrow Lane Road the Laos moved to Green Acres when they started the Emperor's Garden in 1989 across from Montgomery Mall.

Now they live in Deer Creek near the popular Asia Bistro that they opened in 2006. As a cook, Keng Lao also has kept pace with the healthy eating push. Some selections for the calorie conscious include let­tuce wraps, almond chicken and Thai basil, which contains vegetables aplenty.

She still handles some of the cooking duties, and is quick to flash a smile at customers, many of whom she has known for well more than a decade, her husband said.

The couple, now in their early 60s, are not predicting that any of their children will take over the business.

The industry is hard with long hours and a lot of chal­lenges. And all their children are college graduates with the youngest daughter now in pharmacy school at Auburn University. But the restaurants have been good to the Laos, who both came to America from Cambodia. They are proud of their children's ac­complishments and know they have worked hard to provide them with good opportunities.

The grandmother of five girls shares more about almost three decades in the restaurant business in Montgomery:

Q: Do you cook different dishes at home than here at the restaurant?

A: I cook everything -- and some different things, like barbecue and fries.

What is your favorite dish to cook?

Curry -- it has eggplant, onions, potatoes, bell pep­pers, green beans and spices.

How has it been working at the three different locations?

We were very successful at the Bamboo Garden. We liked the Emperor's Garden for 10 years. The last five years were down. It's much better here on Vaughn Road.

Have your daughters helped in the business?

All of the girls have helped at one time or another. All of them grew up in the restau­rants and did their home­work in the restaurants.

What has been your big­gest challenge?

The most difficult part has been the last five years at Emperor's Garden.

Do you see a lot of the same faces at the restaurant now?

About half of our custom­ers are repeat customers who have been with us for a long time. About a third of our business is take-out.

How were you able to help run the restaurant with five children?

The older sisters helped raise their younger sisters. The children spent a lot of time with us on the weekends and on days off. We are very thankful that all of our daughters are very well-man­nered and have good work ethics. We are so proud of them, and they are all college graduates.

What is your favorite as­pect of the business?

The customers are my fa­vorite -- they are like family to me.

How many hours per week do you work?

We work from open to close. We are closed on Mon­days.

Cambodia on Monday hoisted the flag of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adjacent to its national flag at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to mark the 44th commemoration of the founding of the ASEAN.

The event was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh, Minister of Defense, and foreign diplomatic corps to Cambodia.

Speaking during the ASEAN flag hoisting ceremony, Hor Namhong said the official flag hoisting of ASEAN flag side-by-side with respective national flag have been held simultaneously on Aug. 8 in the ASEAN member-countries' embassies and consulates all over the world.

"The ASEAN flag hoisting is the historic and symbolic event to show our unity and solidarity in the ASEAN member countries toward building an ASEAN community by 2015," he said. "It is also to promote the awareness of ASEAN among international community."

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Cambodian tenor Hy Chanthavouth has the kind of voice that can change minds.

It may have played a role in changing the minds of high school administrators, who told him that he was too old to enrol when he arrived in Canada at 22.

Before he left the Kimberley school's office, a counsellor asked if he knew the song My Way by Frank Sinatra - it was his father's favourite. By the time Chanthavouth had reached the song's spirited climax, he had drawn a crowd.

"All the teachers just stopped working and came down to follow the voice," he said. "They didn't believe it was me."

Ultimately, they admitted him.

Since then, his voice has undoubtedly worked its magic a few more times, changing his teenage homestay brother's taste in music (he likes opera now) and others' ideas of what a tenor should look like - the slight 26-year-old is neither rotund nor Italian.

And if all goes as planned, he will alter Western perceptions of Cambodia.

"My goal here is to do my best, to finish school and to become well known for my country," said Chanthavouth, who works part-time in the kitchen at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. "I just want to be able to carry the Cambodian flag into the international stage and to show the world a new face of Cambodia."

As a goodwill ambassador for the Cambodia Support Group, halfway through a diploma program at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, he's doing well.

Chanthavouth will perform at Knox Presbyterian Church Monday at 7: 30 p.m. in a fundraising concert for the Cambodia Support Group, a Kimberleybased non-profit. He is joined by soprano Hillary Young and pianists Braden Young, Armand Saberi and Arne Sahlen. Admission is by donation.

It's that kind of goodwill that landed Chanthavouth in Canada in the first place. He met Sahlen, president of the Cambodia Support Group, in his home city of Phnom Penh, where he volunteered for everything from postering to translating for the group.

"Here was this man with an amazing voice," said Sahlen. "And more than that, a great passion to help make a difference."

The Cambodia Support Group, which sponsored Chanthavouth to come to Canada, has helped hundreds of refugees and immigrants adapt to life in Canada, in addition to undertaking development projects in Cambodia.

Now almost four years in B.C. - and just past his first anniversary in Victoria - Chanthavouth is miles away from his youth.

He fell in love with Western music after regularly passing a church in Phnom Penh and hearing the choir. "I used to walk by every Sunday morning and I'd stop and listen to the people in the choir and I just felt something unique," he said.

From there, he couldn't help but sing while doing the dishes, to his single mother's chagrin. He said he has always been the loudmouth among his four siblings, and ultimately persuaded his mother to enrol him in music school.

Besides changing Western ideas about Cambodia - often dominated by associations with the 1970s genocide - Chanthavouth hopes to also affect psyches within his country.

"After the genocide, we all, including my mom and her family, tend to be stuck in their past," he said. He hopes that his success will make them proud, even if Western music is still foreign to his family.

"Music like opera means nothing to the people in Cambodia, but perhaps it might mean something to them when I become well known."

Yingluck Shinawatra makes political history this week as she becomes the first woman premier of Thailand. Her Puea Thai Party won a decisive victory in last month's election, ending 32 months of the Abhisit Vejjajiva regime that were marked by violent conflict.

Public attention is now on Ms. Yingluck's vision for the country: Whom will she appoint to the cabinet and what policies will she implement? She is expected to reveal her ministers shortly. She has remained tight-lipped over her choices and has fended off criticism that her brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, is the real hand behind cabinet posts and policies.

Ms. Yingluck's primary task is bringing back stability. So she has to appoint a cabinet and implement such policies that both reward key patrons in the winning coalition and build a credible profile for the new government—one that doesn't lead the opposition to quickly cry foul.

Mr. Abhisit's Democrats are wary of the possible return of Mr. Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup. Hence the cabinet will probably consist of a mix of influential politicians with ties to Mr. Thaksin, as well as eminent technocrats and those successful in the private sector who aren't seen as close to him.

Experienced outsiders include the executive chairman of Siam Commercial Bank, the former president of the stock exchange and a former ambassador to the United Kingdom. Everyone understands the need for such nonpartisan figures, to enable the government to espouse detachment on key issues. According to a Puea Thai source quoted in the Bangkok Post, even Mr. Thaksin "wants those who can put up with criticism, who are certainly not 'hard core,' as ministers who will not incite violence and destroy the atmosphere of reconciliation."

Of course, picking outsiders won't make the cabinet lineup easy. Ms. Yingluck has faced immense pressure from factions in her own party and from other coalition partners who are infuriated about the appointment of outsiders. Red-shirt supporters think Puea Thai rode the wave of their powerful movement and are keen to see their leaders appointed to power. But this could taint the image of the government.

Ms. Yingluck will have to walk a tightrope here. She has a reputation for being patient, compromising and flexible; there's a good chance she could pull this act off.

But after this first act, there's a bigger task. Ms. Yingluck will be expected to tackle the country's pressing problems.

If her government implements three sets of policies wisely, she could see herself standing in good stead. These three are in the spheres of domestic economics, in addressing welfare programs; foreign policy, in being friendly to neighboring Cambodia; and in domestic politics, by promoting reconciliation among opposing political groups.

First, Ms. Yingluck will probably continue a number of populist economic policies that proved highly successful during the Thaksin years. She will move forward with a proposal to hike the minimum wage and also expand Mr. Thaksin's trademark healthcare scheme. Some red-shirt members already call her "Thailand's Evita" because of a populist platform that resembles that of Argentina's legendary female politician.

These moves are, among other factors, necessary for politics. This is what Puea Thai campaigned on, and Mr. Thaksin's cause of bringing mass prosperity to rural regions is what has broadened both political and economic power in the country. But Ms. Yingluck will have to be smart and balanced about the welfare schemes: She needs to further discuss them with state agencies and the private sector to prevent a possible backlash.

She should also go ahead with market reforms that will immediately better the standard of living. She has said that scrapping the Oil Fund, where the state pools money used for pumping fuel subsidies when international prices rise, was a crucial policy of her party. Because the Fund gains its resources through levies on different fuels, doing away with it would bring down the price of gasoline and diesel. Such reforms would increase public income and promote spending and investment.

Second, the new government should mend Thai-Cambodian relations. Cambodia, against whom Thailand has a border dispute, is the bogey different political groups in Thailand have exploited to stir jingoism. This has resulted in more clashes in the last few years. But now there are signs of rapprochement. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen just sent a congratulatory note to Ms. Yingluck on her premiership. Mr. Hun Sen's personal friendship with Mr. Thaksin will also prove useful in normalizing diplomacy.

Third, Ms. Yingluck should press ahead with national reconciliation. She should give the Truth for Reconciliation Commission a free hand to carry on with its efforts to determine the cause and chain of violence in April-May 2010 that left many red shirts dead. The truth, if arrived at without partisan strings, will provide much-needed justice to those aggrieved and could also heal political wounds.

Many Thais expect Ms. Yingluck to display her leadership and courage in addressing the difficult issue of social injustice and double standards, to heal the rift in their society. But there's a giant question mark about how she will shape her relationship with the military and the palace. The military earlier accused Mr. Thaksin of disrespecting the much-revered monarchy. Consequently, he was toppled.

If Ms. Yingluck comes across as a weak leader, she will be manipulated. If she becomes too popular, she could be eliminated like her brother. The trick will be to promote those persons, ideas and policies that attain maximum consensus and ensure all-round political and economic development in Thailand.

Visitors to the Kingdom's two international airports have increased 13 percent in the first six months compared year on year, according to Cambodia Airport statistics.

Key growth came from countries including Vietnam, South Korea, China, the USA, and Japan, officials said.

Ministry of Tourism Director of Statistics and Tourism Information Department Kong Sophearak said yesterday he welcomed the rising numbers, crediting government attempts to attract visitors as causing the increase.

"Cambodia has an open sky policy where we welcome visitors from every country," he said.

The statistics show Phnom Penh International Airports received 445,225 arrivals from January to June this year, a 9.9 percent increase on the same period in 2010.

Siem Reap International Airport recorded a 15.6 percent increase in the period to 444,602 visitors during the six-month period, the statistics show.

Some 30,726 and 36,987 people arrived on domestic flights in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh respectively in the first half of 2011, with the rest international arrivals.

The Tourism Ministry has previously forecasted 2.73 million visitors for 2011, and expects revenue from the sector to total $1.91 billion.

Visiting a foreign culture for the first time has to be one of life's greatest thrills. It evokes a feeling of trepidation, isolation and freedom. There is also a great sense of accomplishment in finally reaching your destination. Today, after months of waiting in anticipation, I touch down in Cambodia. For the next two months I will be living in the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh while reporting for the Phnom Penh Post, a daily newspaper printed in English and Khmer.

It will most likely be a time of stomach bugs, fleecings, harassment from beggars and mosquito bites. But it will also be a time to make new friends, learn new customs and grow as a person as I experience a country which has suffered and overcome some of the most horrific atrocities in recent history. The opportunity for this adventure was made possible by the Asia New Zealand Foundation, which awarded me a scholarship while I was studying at Massey University last year. AsiaNZ works to give kiwis the chance to foster relations in business, culture, education, media and research between Asian countries and New Zealand. I am also grateful to the Taranaki Daily News for giving the time to embark on this journey. Also a big thanks to my colleagues for looking after my round while I'm away. I will be keeping my eye out for stories to send home and if any breaking news with New Zealand relevance comes up I will be on the scene to report for Fairfax. If anyone knows any interesting stories or people to contact in South East Asia either

email me at john.anthony@dailynews.co.nz or tweet me @john_anthony_nz

Tweets will be posted regularly once I have connected to a local network. Following my stint in Cambodia I will travel for another six weeks through bordering countries before finishing up in India.

The Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), created in 2009, has largely failed to promote and protect human rights in the region in any meaningful way, many delegates to a civil society workshop in Jakarta have concluded.

The meeting, on strengthening AICHR's mandate on protection, was organised by a number of NGOs.

Problems with the commission included serious allegations that AICHR was becoming a shield for Asean to deflect world scrutiny from its troubling human rights record.

Other criticism ranged from most Asean government's choosing their own conservative people to be AICHR representatives, and the lack of a secretariat and budget.

While some believed AICHR should be done away with altogether to spend time on something more concrete, others said the nascent body should be given time to evolve in a positive manner.

In 2014, said Rafendi Djamin, Indonesia's representative and chair of AICHR, speaking as a national representative, the Terms of Reference of AICHR would be reviewed in order to strengthen the mandate to protect and promote human rights.

In the meantime, Djamin admitted many flaws existed. First, he said some national representatives to AICHR don't want to meet with civil society organisations - except those they think like them. Djamin said only he and Thailand's representative Sripapha Petchmesri had been trying to make AICHR more effective and credible.

"Until now, AICHR has never [held a] conference. Why? I cannot impose on AICHR members to meet the media [and will] leave it for others to judge."

Some states, said Djamin, do not want to hear AICHR use the term "female domestic workers" and insisted that AICHR look at them as part of a larger vulnerable group in order not to call attention to the issue.

Cambodia's NGO activist Nay Vanda alleged that in Malaysia, woman migrant workers from Cambodia are being "raped and forced to use drugs". Meanwhile, the human rights situation in Cambodia, according to Vanda, is such that the state "doesn't allow [people] to express their pain and sufferings", adding an ominous note that "I don't know if I can talk forever".

Singaporean political activist Sinapan Sammydorai from Think Centre said although freedom of expression is guaranteed by the Singaporean charter, the reality is different.

Sammydorai said a single person staging a protest in Singapore would be arrested. On the issue of foreign "maids", they are automatically expelled if found pregnant. "These are maids," he said, making a distinction between the word and that of 'domestic helpers'.

"They don't have a right to a day off, [people insist] they'll get pregnant [if given a day off]."

He also argued that when information about the Singaporean government becomes truly transparent, people will one day know where the corruption is.

In a larger context, Sammydorai recalled a statistic which stated that only 56 per cent of Asean workers are employed in the formal sector and thus have little or no job and social security, a "disgraceful" fact.

A Filipino participant expressed hope that some representatives to AICHR would change: "They are going to be tired of being window dressers for Asean. I am waiting for the time that AICHR representatives can recommend real recommendations."

Speakers said suggestions about AICHR's reform has become a small industry, complete with meetings and jargon incomprehensible to most educated people outside the circle. And there's no sign that it would end or change anytime soon.

Boonthan Veerawongse, from the Thai Working Group for Asean Human Rights Mechanism, suggested that a secretariat be created somewhere and that AICHR representatives not be under the authority of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Then some workshop participants went off to yet another international meeting on the issue, at yet another nice hotel located in Jakarta.

It's scary-real not to root for

you to get up safely

from your chairs during trail. You are so old.

I feel like I can reach out and take

you into my arms because

you are about my parents' age –

all frail and less able with the world

if they're alive today. Any good sense

people who'd survived

live to tell would've remembered – their deaths

demand loyalty from

me who is still here. Emotion drops

its veil before logics. Heart before head

head's doubled back in the old corner.

It's as if I had no choice but

to look past

ignoring my parents' images

passed love to feel

love I've lost

all these years. What good would family

bond be, if I can't be true

to the parents these people killed.

Traitor.

Traitor.