KI Media: “ស្រណោះដីស្រែនៅជាយដែន ដោយ ម៉ែន ណាត (Sro nors dei srae nov cheay daen by Men Nath)” plus 24 more |
- ស្រណោះដីស្រែនៅជាយដែន ដោយ ម៉ែន ណាត (Sro nors dei srae nov cheay daen by Men Nath)
- Speak Truth To Power (Courage Without Borders) Series in KI-Media - Bishop Wissa (Egypt) “Religious Freedom”
- Boss blames panic on alarm
- Cambodian rights group fears law could destroy civil society
- Viet Peal See Viet Peal ... by using Cambodia's Svay Rieng province as their base
- Statement by the International Co-Prosecutor Regarding Case File 004
- Brain Food for those in love
- Anti-government group imprisoned
- Cambodia’s GDP growth likely to exceed 8%
- COMFREL Release the Result of Workshop on Voter's Voice in Remote Areas; Beng, Banteay Ampil, Uddor Meanchey province
- Vichara Dany vs Virak Dara
- Stung Sanker and more ... by Auguste Pavie 1881
- One-woman program helps immigrants through the citizenship maze
- Mad 17-hour shift [-Abuse of Cambodian maid in Malaysia
- Cambodia And Laos Agree To Strengthen Cooperation On Controlling Cross-Border Drugs
- Yingluck elected prime minister [-When will Cambodia have a female PM to replace Hoon Xhen?]
- Cambodian Capital Modernizing Fast [-How many have to suffer from this?]
- ទឹកភ្នែកជនរងបាត់បង់ដីធ្លីភូមិករ ដោយ ម៉ែន ណាត (Tuek Phnaek Jun Rorng krours Bat Bong Phumkor by Men Nath) Men Nath)
- U.S. Assistance to Mekong Region Aimed at Preventing Cross Border Conflict
- Mekong Countries Move Toward More Integration
- "Chhkuot Buon" a Poem in Khmer by NhiekKiri
- Director Sees Potential in Wide Range of Cambodian Art
- KRT seeks to speed up trials [...after all these looong delay?]
- Cambodia’s Curse
- Convention on the Rights of the Child
| ស្រណោះដីស្រែនៅជាយដែន ដោយ ម៉ែន ណាត (Sro nors dei srae nov cheay daen by Men Nath) Posted: 05 Aug 2011 12:39 PM PDT   | ||||||
| Posted: 05 Aug 2011 10:00 AM PDT | ||||||
| Posted: 05 Aug 2011 09:51 AM PDT
Friday, 05 August 2011 Chhay Channyda and Sen David The Phnom Penh Post About 2,000 workers fled a garment factory on the outskirts of Phnom Penh and an estimated 30 workers fainted yesterday after sparks started flying from a generator and a fire alarm went off at 10:00am. Sen Sok district police chief Mok Hong said "workers panicked after hearing the fire alarm and rushed out the building". He said "the generator wasn't bursting into flames, but there was smoke and some workers fainted". "This is the first time I've fainted in the factory," said employee Khin Srey Pov, speaking from hospital. "When we saw so many factory girls fainting as we tried to escape with the crowd, more of us fainted." Her colleague So Ya said she panicked when she heard the fire alarm. "I think that we are all in good shape, but we were terrified. When I saw another factory worker faint, I fainted too," So Ya said. Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union, said the episode highlighted safety concerns at the facility. "Some of the factory workers ran into machines as they tried to escape. I think that the company should have safer exit procedures," he said. A manager at Zhen Tai Garment (Cambodia) Co Ltd, however, downplayed the incident, blaming it on the person who pulled the fire alarm. Zhen Tai's chief of administration Kea Cheakea said there had been no reason to pull it. "My factory doesn't have any safety issues," Kea Cheakea said. "There was no fire. The generator just got really hot and there were some sparks. Then, someone pulled the fire alarm and then everyone panicked." ADDITIONAL REPORTING KRISTIN LYNCH  | ||||||
| Cambodian rights group fears law could destroy civil society Posted: 05 Aug 2011 09:46 AM PDT Aug 5, 2011 DPA Phnom Penh - A leading Cambodian rights group warned Friday that a controversial draft law would mark the demise of civil society should it be approved in its current form. The draft Law on Associations and Non-Government Organizations, which is designed to regulate civil society, has been extensively criticized by NGOs and donors as unduly restrictive. This draft - the third so far - was sent to the Council of Ministers on July 29. Government spokesman Phay Siphan said the body would start reviewing it next week. Naly Pilorge, director of rights group LICADHO, said the main problem was that registration was compulsory for almost all associations and non-governmental organizations, which would have to provide financial and personal details beyond the capacity of many small groups. Pilorge said that would damage informal networks and associations 'particularly those advocating on issues that affect the country such as land grabbing, labour and wage issues.' 'I strongly believe those groups are the first target,' Pilorge said, adding that the law in its current form would spell 'the end of an independent, growing civil society.' Pilorge's comments followed statements released late Thursday by LICADHO and the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), in which they said the draft was flawed and unnecessary. CCHR said it was concerned that the law's purpose was 'to stifle popular movements and grassroots politics,' which it described as 'the backbone of civil society.' 'They should therefore be protected by legislation, rather than subjected to 'death by bureaucracy,' which could be the lasting legacy of the law,' CCHR said. It warned that time was running out to effect amendments, and said the government was 'showing a resolute determination to bring civil society - one of the last independent voices in Cambodia - under its control.' Government spokesman Phay Siphan said civil society could still funnel its concerns to the ministries of interior and foreign affairs, which drafted the law, despite earlier comments by one ministry spokesman that the door was closed. 'They still have an opportunity to challenge that law,' Phay Siphan said, adding that it was only entering the discussion phase at the Council of Ministers. 'Be patient and see what's going on.' On Friday, the US Embassy again urged Phnom Penh to consider the views of donors and civil society when drafting the law and to 'refrain from passing any new law that restricts, rather than enhances, the important role of civil society.'  | ||||||
| Viet Peal See Viet Peal ... by using Cambodia's Svay Rieng province as their base Posted: 05 Aug 2011 09:43 AM PDT Police rescue 2 gamblers from Cambodia loan shark 05/08/2011 VNN/VOV/VNS/Tuoi Tre Vietnamese police yesterday, Aug 4, rescued two people from a loan shark who had held them in Cambodia after they failed to repay her. With the assistance of the Cambodian police, they also arrested the loan shark, Pham Thi Kim Oanh, 37, a Vietnamese national from southern Tay Ninh Province, who was working for a casino in Bavet in Cambodia's border province of Svay Rieng. One of the two rescued people, Tran Thi Dieu, 49, of Ho Chi Minh City, lost VND12 million (US$584) gambling. She then borrowed $2,000 from Oanh at an exorbitant interest rate and lost it gambling too. The other, Nguyen Van Chien, 51, of Dong Nai Province, also borrowed $2,000 from Oanh after losing VND5 million gambling. Oanh admitted to the police that she lent money to gamblers at the casino at 20-30 percent interest per day. She and her people would then detain anyone who failed to repay until their relatives brought money from Vietnam, she said.  | ||||||
| Statement by the International Co-Prosecutor Regarding Case File 004 Posted: 05 Aug 2011 09:32 AM PDT   5 August 2011 PRESS RELEASE STATEMENT BY THE INTERNATIONAL CO-PROSECUTOR REGARDING CASE FILE 004 The International Co-Prosecutor, Andrew Cayley, makes this public statement pursuant to Article 12(2) of the ECCC Agreement and Internal Rules 21(c) and 54 to ensure that the public is duly informed about ongoing ECCC proceedings in Case 004, taking into consideration the interests of victims and witnesses, the rights of suspects and the requirements of the investigation. On 24 June 2011, in Case 002, the Pre-Trial Chamber ruled that the Co-Investigating Judges are legally obliged by ECCC Internal Rule 21(1)(c) to keep victims informed "throughout the proceedings" about the crimes under investigation; and that it is not sufficient merely to do so "before the end of the judicial investigation." As concluded by the Pre-Trial Chamber, in order for the "fundamental rights of the victims" to be "duly safeguarded," the Co-Investigating Judges must provide "proper and timely information … to the victims throughout the pre-trial phase." The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that victims have a reasonable opportunity to file civil party applications based on the specific crimes under investigation in a particular case. In accordance with the Pre-Trial Chamber's decision, the International Co-Prosecutor filed a request on 28 July 2011 respectfully asking the Co-Investigating Judges to issue a public statement by 5 August 2011 describing the crimes and offences under investigation in Case 004.  | ||||||
| Posted: 05 Aug 2011 02:47 AM PDT In true love, you attain freedom. - Thich Nhat Hanh  | ||||||
| Anti-government group imprisoned Posted: 05 Aug 2011 02:16 AM PDT Friday, 05 August 2011 Buth Reaksmey Kongkea The Phnom Penh Post Five men who distributedhundreds of leaflets critical of Prime Minister Hun Sen between the years 2008 and 2011 were sentenced to jail time yesterday by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. The leaflets accused the prime minister of selling Cambodian land to foreign countries, calling him a "traitor" and a "puppet of Vietnam", municipal court judge Sem Sak Kola said. She added that the leaflet referred to the ousting of the Khmer Rouge on January 7, 1979, as "the day Vietnam occupied Cambodia". The verdict, announced yesterday, found all five dissenters guilty of "inciting the people to commit serious crimes against Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Royal Government of Cambodia". Phon Sam Ath, a 26-year-old teacher and former student at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, was arrested on January 27, 2011, in Takeo Province, Sem Sak Kola said. She referred to him as the "mastermind" of the operation, adding that he had written and distributed hundreds of leaflets in both Battambang and Phnom Penh. Four others – So Khemarak, aged 25, Ngor Menghong, 21, Eang Samorn, 23, and Chem Bol, 27 – were arrested on February 29 in the capital. Phon Sam Ath and Eang Samorn were both sentenced to two years in prison, while their three collaborators each received 18 months, Sem Sak Kola said. All five were fined two million riel (US$487). In an interview yesterday, Ouk Syroeun, defence lawyer for So Khemarak, called the verdict "unjust". "My client did not commit the crimes he is being accused of…he did not break any laws," he said, adding that he was asking the court to drop all charges. Ouk Syroeun yesterday submitted an appeal to the Appeal Court in an effort to overturn the verdict and, he said, to "find justice for [So Khemarak]". The five convicted could not be reached for comment yesterday.  | ||||||
| Cambodia’s GDP growth likely to exceed 8% Posted: 05 Aug 2011 02:09 AM PDT August 04, 2011 Ebeling Hefferman Cambodia's GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is expected to grow over 8 % this year despite rising inflation, Cambodian Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh said Thursday. He said 3 of the country's four economic pillars, garment exports, tourism, agriculture and real estate, are expected to post strong increases this year. "Based on the figures in the first half of this year, the garment and textile exports rose up to 45%, tourism industry up by 13%, and agriculture is going well. I believe the country's economic growth this year will exceed 8%," the minister said at a press briefing after the conclusion of the 17th Greater Mekong Sub-region Ministerial Conference. Earlier this year, the government forecast this year's GDP growth at 6%. The commerce minister said the real estate and construction sector has also started to recover this year after it was hard hit by the global financial crisis since Y 2008. Despite the minister's optimism, Director-general of the National Bank of Cambodia Nguon Sokha warned that the country's inflation could reach as high as 8 percent this year, up from the previous prediction of 5 percent due to soaring prices of petroleum, food, and consuming products. Paul A. Ebeling, Jnr.  | ||||||
| Posted: 05 Aug 2011 02:04 AM PDT Dear all, COMFREL is please to release its press release on the result of workshop on voter's voice in remote areas; Beng commune, Banteay Ampil district, Uddor Meanchey province was held on July 25, 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 : Best regards, COMFREL http://www.box.net/shared/gxe9dzfyixmam2nru5tf  | ||||||
| Posted: 05 Aug 2011 01:44 AM PDT True, Vichara Dany was/is cute, but the sexiest one of the oldie movie stars was Virak Dara seen acting in "Orn euy srei Orn" - By Anonymous http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Ka7WhnnW0&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzeDFeRqIVM&feature=related  | ||||||
| Stung Sanker and more ... by Auguste Pavie 1881 Posted: 05 Aug 2011 01:33 AM PDT Here is the testament (photo) to the sacredness of the poetic Stung Sangker by Auguste Pavie in 1881. The photo was somewhere near Bakprea Prektrap. Look at the angel with the krama wrapped down through to her chest closely, a traditional fashion at the time.  
For additional photos of French Indochina (including Cambodia), click here  | ||||||
| One-woman program helps immigrants through the citizenship maze Posted: 05 Aug 2011 01:12 AM PDT
Newest citizens get helping hand from Catholic Charities Aug. 4, 2011 Written by Matt Hayes Ithaca Journal Faced with countless forms written in a second language and fees hard to afford -- plus the threat of a test at the conclusion -- many immigrants and refugees find the citizenship process daunting. For 13 of the 38 newest citizens sworn in Thursday afternoon at the Tompkins County Courthouse, however, the process became a bit easier thanks to the support of the Immigrant Services Program at Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga. The citizenship program, headed and run solely by director Sue Chaffee, provides guidance and encouragement to residents ready to become citizens. The process can be a scary one, from concerns about wading through the paperwork to paying the $638 application fee. "People have misconceptions of how horrible it is," Chaffee said. "Helping them understand the process, making them feel comfortable," is one of the biggest parts of her job, she said. She has heard from immigrants who wrongly think that accepting food stamps disqualifies them from citizenship. Low-income applicants may have the fee waived, something Chaffee has helped 65 percent of prospective citizens achieve. Bolstered by a five-year grant of $310,000 last October from New York State's Citizenship Initiative Program, Chaffee has helped file more than 60 citizenship applications, with more on the way. Administered by the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), the local Catholic Charities office was one of 12 non-profits to receive the grant and the only one in upstate New York. Marc Kaplan, director of public information at OTDA, explained that putting the money to work at the local level allows non-profits "to target to the need and the population," better than the state can. "We believe local organizations can determine effectively how to best provide service." For Cambodian refugee Sophana Oung, one of the county's newest citizens and a recipient of support from Catholic Charities, the program's success came in the form of hope after 27 years in the country. She fled the Cambodian killing fields in the 1970s and stayed four years in Thailand before gaining entrance to the U.S. Raising a family and working in car sales and food service at Cornell University left little time or money to begin the citizenship process. The paperwork, she said, seemed too demanding, the fee too expensive. Chaffee helped get the fee waived based on Oung's income level. Flashcards provided by the program helped Oung learn the facts for the test. And it was phone calls from Chaffee, reminding her of dates and lending encouragement, that made the process manageable and the thought of citizenship possible. "I realized I had lived here longer than I had anywhere," she said. It was when her daughter, Kimberly, who was born in United States and is an American citizen, told her about the help at Catholic Charities that she finally felt the push to get her citizenship. That, she said, and the longing of having watched members of her family travel to Cambodia, as citizenship now means a passport and the chance to start saving toward a trip to her old homeland that she hasn't seen in decades. With a rose pinned to her shirt and her official documents clutched in her hands, she struggled to articulate her emotions about her status as a new citizen. Perhaps she may have had more adjectives to use in her native language, but the words she managed summed up the pride at her achievement: "I'm just so happy," she said.  | ||||||
| Mad 17-hour shift [-Abuse of Cambodian maid in Malaysia Posted: 05 Aug 2011 12:08 AM PDT Overworked maid claims she was forced to clean two houses every day Friday, August 5th, 2011 THASHA JAYAMANOGARAN The Malay SENTUL: A maid from Cambodia, who was allegedly abused by a family of three, was reportedly forced to work about 17 hours a day to clean two houses. She told police she would first finish chores at her employer's apartment in Segambut before heading out to clean his second house in Sungai Buloh. Sentul deputy police chief Supt Othman Abu Bakar said the maid, Neak Bau, 25, worked from 8am till 8pm at the apartment and then sent to the second house to work from 8pm till 1am the next day. "Neak said it was her daily routine to clean the two houses resulting in her lack of rest." The maid alleged the family of three — a 52-year-old single dad and his two daughters, aged 20 and 23 — were all involved in assaulting her. Othman said the daughters had chopped off Neak's hair because she allegedly had kutu (lice). "This went against Neak's wishes but she had no control over it," Othman said. Neak had been working for her employer since May last year. Police are investigating if she was abused since then. While the maid's face was found to be swollen, police are waiting for a full medical report to see if there are further injuries on other parts of her body. On Wednesday afternoon, police sprung into action at the Segambut apartment after the Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) tipped them off about the alleged abuse. Police rescued the Cambodian maid and arrested the trio. The police were told the WAO had received a call from the trio's neighbour claiming they had heard the maid screaming for help. The maid claimed she had been kicked and hit with a back scratcher. The trio are remanded until next Wednesday to facilitate investigations. The maid is temporarily staying at a WAO shelter.  | ||||||
| Cambodia And Laos Agree To Strengthen Cooperation On Controlling Cross-Border Drugs Posted: 05 Aug 2011 12:02 AM PDT VIENTIANE, Aug 5 (Bernama) -- Cambodia and Laos have agreed to expand and further strengthen their bilateral relations and cooperation in controlling the cross-border drugs between both countries', reported Laotion news agency KPL on Friday. In the meeting between the chairman of the Lao National Commission for Drug Control and Supervision Soubanh Srithirath and Cambodia's national authority for combating drugs Kao Khon Dara, both leaders discussed five points including the implementation of a joint statement in the 10th tripartite/bilateral ministerial meeting on drug control cooperation between Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. The five points are the experience and information exchange for fighting against drug trafficking; establishing liaison offices in border provinces; organizing more meetings on the issue; conducting further foreign language training to fight against cross-border drug trafficking more effectively; and raising other drug-related issues. Khon Dara, who visited Lao province of Champasak from July 25 to 28, also visited Laos-Thailand border gate, to view vehicle equipped with modern equipment used for prevent drugs trafficking.  | ||||||
| Yingluck elected prime minister [-When will Cambodia have a female PM to replace Hoon Xhen?] Posted: 04 Aug 2011 11:55 PM PDT
5/08/2011 Bangkok Post Pheu Thai Party list MP Yingluck Shinawatra was elected Thailand's 28th prime minister by a majority vote in the House of Representatives on Friday morning. A total of 296 MPs voted in support of Ms Yingluck, the country's first female prime minister, while three Democrat MPs voted against her, with 197 abstentions - including Ms Yingluck, the new speaker and one of his deputies, and most members of the main opposition parties, the Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties, and lone wolf Chuwit Kamolvisit. The meeting to elect the new prime minister started about 10am, chaired by House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont. When the agenda moved to the election of the prime minister, Pheu Thai list MP Sanoh Thienthong proposed Ms Yingluck for the position. The nomination was supported by 294 MPs. She was the only candidate. The opposition did not nominate a candidate for the top job. "Ms Yingluck gained more than half of the votes, therefore I declare that Ms Yingluck has been voted in as the new prime minister by members of the House of Representatives," the speaker declared and announced the closure of the meeting. Mr Somsak will submit the result to His Majesty the King for royal appointment. Until then, Ms Yingluck remains prime minister-elect.  | ||||||
| Cambodian Capital Modernizing Fast [-How many have to suffer from this?] Posted: 04 Aug 2011 11:48 PM PDT
Robert Carmichael | Phnom Penh
Ten years ago, the infrastructure in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, was in poor condition. Power outages were frequent. Heavy rains and poor telecommunications slowed commerce and limited outside contacts. But in the past decade, new roads and high-rise buildings have changed the landscape. And in July, the nation's first stock exchange and a multiplex cinema opened. Phnom Penh has several active cinemas dating from the 1950s, but they mainly screen the small number of domestically produced films or translated Thai imports. Pirated DVDs have cut into their business, keeping people at home. Until July, the only way to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster in a theater was to catch a plane to Thailand or Vietnam. But now, for $6, one can go to the new air-conditioned, three-screen Legend cinema in central Phnom Penh, grab a box of popcorn and settle down to watch Kung-Fu Panda 2 in 3D (three dimensions). Michael Chai, a director at WesTec Media, which built the cinema, is aiming at a young, internet savvy Cambodian market. "If I look at Facebook for example, I've been looking at the numbers. In May 2010 there were only about 50,000 of them on Facebook. May 2011 we had almost 400,000. So that figure alone, that kind of growth, speaks a lot already. And most of them on Facebook are communicating to each other in English." While it would take most Cambodians several days to earn the price of the $6 ticket, the owners are betting that a growing middle-class will become regular customers. Prum Seila, a 24-year-old office worker, is in Chai's target demographic. Just a few weeks after the theater opened, Seila has visited twice. "I went there to see the Transformers 3. And I've never seen 3D in my life. I just saw the Transformers 3, and I know that in Transformers 3 there is a scene in Cambodia and [so] we should have seen it. And it is just kind of supporting stuff like that in Cambodia," Seila says. The growth in Phnom Penh has been fueled in part by garment factories, an economic pillar in Cambodia, that are located around the capital, drawing young workers to the city. The jobs and new technology are changing things quickly. A recent survey indicates more than 90 percent of young Cambodians have access to a mobile phone. Internet usage, though low, has doubled in a year to 6 percent. Prum Seila, the eager movie-goer, grew up in the capital. He says he and his friends now spend their free time hanging out in food halls, scores of gleaming new coffee shops and entertainment venues named Diamond Island and Dreamland, where you can sing karaoke. He says shopping is popular. "The people like me they have jobs, they have money," he says. "They save money to buy expensive brands like Apple, iPhone. Some of the girls they try to buy the clothes from internet, from Facebook." In July, officials opened the country's first stock exchange. Although no companies have yet listed, the government says three state-owned firms will do so later this year. Others are expected to follow. Stephen Higgins heads ANZ-Royal Bank, a joint venture between the Australian banking giant and a Cambodian firm. "Long-term the stock exchange will be a positive for Cambodia," Higgens says. "It will help raise funds for development. It provides a means for private equity firms to exit their investments, which is very important for them when they first decide to invest. But these things are going to take time. Anyone who has a short-term horizon with the stock exchange, they're going to be disappointed." Ten years ago only a handful of banks had the ability to dispense cash over the counter. Now there are hundreds of cash machines from around 30 local banks, and some offer electronic payment of utility bills. "Cambodia is coming from a long way back, in terms of its development generally but including financial services," says ANZ's Higgins. "It's catching up rapidly." Despite the changes in the capital, what happens here generally does not affect the 80 percent of Cambodians who live in rural areas. Income inequality has worsened in recent years as economic growth benefited the wealthy more than the poor. The country's hospitals and health clinics still offer poor quality healthcare; corruption is rampant; and the judiciary is woefully inadequate. Poverty hovers around 30 percent. But some changes do help: better roads and access to mobile phones, for instance, make a profound difference to the lives of the majority of the country who rely on agriculture for their livelihood. And the government hopes that the improvements that have come to the Phnom Penh will eventually ripple out across the rest of the country.  | ||||||
| Posted: 04 Aug 2011 11:42 PM PDT   | ||||||
| U.S. Assistance to Mekong Region Aimed at Preventing Cross Border Conflict Posted: 04 Aug 2011 11:26 PM PDT
Brian Padden, VOA | Jakarta
Although the dispute about conflicting claims in the South China Sea took center stage at the recent ASEAN security forum, U.S. officials also focused on addressing another potential conflict relating to Asia's growing energy needs. The Mekong River and its tributaries sustain tens of millions of people in Southeast Asia, but the river is also the site of several controversial new hydropower projects. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came to the recent security forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Bali to say the United States intends to remain engaged in the political and economic development of the region. As part of that effort, she talked about how Washington is fostering responsible development through a $221 million U.S. assistance program in the Lower Mekong River Basin. The money will used to fund education, environment, health and infrastructure programs in underdeveloped areas in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. The U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN David Carden says the United States is concerned about the impact of several large hydropower projects that some environmental groups have warned could seriously affect key waterways in the region. "The dams that are being proposed and some that have already been built have not at this juncture been fully vetted as to what their scientific impact is. And it is not only this region but indeed in the interest of the world for food security purposes, for environmental purposes, for peace and security purpose, for the development of the Lower Mekong to happen intelligently and consistent with the best science that can be brought to bear on it." More than 60 million people live in the Lower Mekong Basin, an area of more than 600,000 square kilometers. It is the world's largest inland fishery. Rice farmers also depend on water and sediment from the river to irrigate and fertilize their crops. But there is growing concern that the construction of hydroelectric dams in China and plans for more dams in Laos and Cambodia could cause significant environmental and economic damage in lower Mekong countries like Vietnam. Ambassador Carden says the U.S. assistance is broadly aimed at providing aid to help maintain peace and security in a region where there is a potential for cross border conflict. "I think that the simple truth is, whatever any motivations anybody wants to attribute to these efforts, I think it is clearly the case that the world, not just the region, the world recognizes the need for all of us to work together to address these border-less problems." But Milton Osborne, Southeast Asia analyst with Australia's Lowy Institute for International Policy says the U.S. engagement in Asia is motivated in large part by concern about China's growing influence. "The continuing rise of China in economic terms is clearly a concern for the United States and this is one, the Mekong initiative is one of several ways the United States is making clear that it is continuing to have a broad interest in this part of the world." Osborne says the aid money does not give U.S. officials access to negotiate in any Mekong delta development negotiations, but it shows the United States is committed to play a constructive role in Asia's future.  | ||||||
| Mekong Countries Move Toward More Integration Posted: 04 Aug 2011 11:20 PM PDT
Thursday, 04 August 2011 Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
The countries of the lower Mekong River are moving toward greater integration, but Cambodia's commerce minister said Thursday the country is ill prepared. Ministers from Burma, Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam met in Phnom Penh to discuss a second phase of economic cooperation under and Asian Development Bank program. The plan calls for an "economic corridor" linking the Greater Mekong countries and investment in urban and rural areas alike. However, Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh said at the meeting that Cambodia "faces challenges." "We have inadequate resources to develop a number of infrastructure projects," he said. "We need more money for infrastructure development, and we lack human resources." The six countries said in a statement they would "need to continue to innovate, to seek new frontiers of cooperation" and would cooperate "to address the challenges ahead."  | ||||||
| "Chhkuot Buon" a Poem in Khmer by NhiekKiri Posted: 04 Aug 2011 11:12 PM PDT   | ||||||
| Director Sees Potential in Wide Range of Cambodian Art Posted: 04 Aug 2011 11:02 PM PDT
Wednesday, 03 August 2011 Nuch Sarita, VOA Khmer | Washington
Suon Bunrith is the country director for Amrita Performing Arts and is now in his second year of a three-summer fellowship at the John F. Kennedy for the Performing Arts in Washington. The program gives attendees from 24 countries skills that help them improve the development of the arts at home, he told "Hello VOA" recently. Funded by major US donors and local businesses, Amrita was established in 2003 as an independent production company, which collaborates with the government and independent artists in the research and performance of traditional Cambodian performances. It also encourages artists to explore contemporary theater, dance and music through workshops, regional exchange programs and international tours. One of its latest initiatives is a traveling theater production called "Breaking the Silence," which encourages victims and perpetrators of Khmer Rouge atrocities to speak out about their experiences as a move toward national reconciliation. Suon Bunrith said the performance was a play about regaining hope and healing. "We perform onstage to show the real stories of people who survived the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, a time when people were divided by ruined lives, betrayals, guilt, abuse, illness, grief or stress," he said. "We do not want to see these stories continue to evolve today, and you are invited to imagine the future of the people in these stories." In November, the performance is expected to move to Rwanda, where an estimated 800,000 people were massacred in a 1994 genocide. Cambodia has wide range of performance art, he said, which Amrita tries to perpetuate. Shadow theater has seen a decline in popularity thanks to the advent of modern entertainment, he said. "We want to bring shadow theater, or 'nang sbek,' to show abroad," he said. "Nang sbek is an art that involves mime, song, music and having to dance, as well as narration to the accompaniment of the 'pinpeat' orchestra, and it is now a dying art form." Suon Bunrith graduated from the Royal University of Phnom Penh in 1995 and was a cultural specialist at Unesco. He has undertaken internships at New York's Dance Theater Workshop, Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art and Boston's Leveraging Investments in Creativity.  | ||||||
| KRT seeks to speed up trials [...after all these looong delay?] Posted: 04 Aug 2011 10:38 PM PDT
Thursday, 04 August 2011 Thomas Miller The Phnom Penh Post The Khmer Rouge tribunal yesterday amended its internal rules in an attempt to accelerate proceedings, sparking concern for the rights of accused, while the United Nations special envoy for the court called "speculation" about Case 003's outcome "inappropriate". The court said in a statement that one amendment adopted yesterday now requires the Supreme Court Chamber rule on "immediate appeals" of Trial Chamber decisions within three months, or in "exceptional circumstances" involving one kind of appeal, within four months. If the deadline or a super-majority cannot be met, the Trial Chamber decision would be final. Issues eligible for immediate appeal include detention and bail, measures to protect participants in court proceedings and interference with the administration of justice. Nisha Valabhji, officer in charge of the Defence Support Section at the tribunal, said in an email yesterday that the amendment "appears to negate the Accused's right to a decision on immediate appeal from the Trial Chamber's orders" concerning these issues when a supermajority is not reached at the Supreme Court Chamber. Valabhji also pointed out more generally that the court's rules do not allow the accused to lodge immediate appeals to the Supreme Court on decisions confirming the court's jurisdiction. "Instead, the parties must wait until after the Trial Chamber verdict to find out whether there were legal errors affecting the basis of the trial proceedings," she said. Meanwhile, Clint Williamson spoke to The Post yesterday on his last trip to the Kingdom in his current capacity as the UN special expert for the Khmer Rouge trials. Williamson said he would step down next month to take a position with the United States State Department in Brussels. When asked about the controversy surrounding the court's investigation into its third case, which apparently did not include the examination of crime sites or interviews with suspects or witnesses, Williamson said it was "inappropriate" for "anyone to speculate on what the final outcome of this is going to be". He said the decision by the court's co-investigating judges to end its investigation was "not the end", citing a pending appeal from international co-prosecutor Andrew Cayley. "I think we need to wait and see how this all plays out, and at the end of that... it's an open game. I think it's important for people to scrutinize the work of the court, and, if criticism is warranted, to level it," he said. Williamson also addressed concerns about fund raising for the court, noting that there were "no pledges" from donor countries for 2012. He said he was "quite confident that the US contribution of US$5 million will come relatively soon", and that that donation would carry the court through to the end of the year. US embassy spokesman Sean McIntosh said yesterday that "the 2011 contribution to the ECCC is working its way through standard appropriations processes".  | ||||||
| Posted: 04 Aug 2011 10:28 PM PDT Excerpt from: "Cambodia's Curse, Mexico's Manana, Reckless Endangerment Stateside" August 4th, 2011 By Carola Von Hoffmannstahl-Solomonoff Blogger News Network My summer reading this year kicked off with Cambodia's Curse: the Modern History of a Troubled Land by former New York Times reporter Joel Brinkley. Brinkley won a Pulitzer in 1980 for his coverage (at the Louisville Courier Journal) of the fall of the Khmer Rouge. The title Cambodia's Curse bugs me. Though cultures resistant to change create illusions of inevitability, and a genocidal past casts long shadows, no nation or people are truly cursed. Nor do I buy Brinkley's attempt to place partial blame for Cambodian acceptance of the Khmer Rouge on passivity engendered by the influence of Theravada Buddhism and Hinduism. First, it's a simplistic take on the two religions, both of which are practiced in numerous countries that never exterminated a quarter of their own people in an effort to create a communist utopia. Second, countries with far different religious heritages have also had totalitarian holocausts. Germany and the Soviet Union most notably, respectively representing the right and the left. As for Cambodian passivity, it must come and go– judging by the perpetual political turmoil of Cambodia in the 20th Century, and by the recent grass roots resistance to the land grabbing, population displacing, development policies of Prime Minister Hun Sen. Caveats aside, Curse author Joel Brinkley does a swell job nailing the crony-rich corruption of Cambodia's current government as headed by Hun Sen. Whose honorary title of "Samdech" (akin to "your excellency") was awarded him in 1993 by Cambodia's amazingly tenacious King Norodom Sihanouk. Easy to imagine the retired (sort of) Sihanouk doing Karaoke of I Will Survive. Dubbed the world's most versatile pol by the Guinness Book of Records, Sihanouk has surfed wave after wave of political change since 1941. Sometimes wearing his crown, sometimes not. Using his royal influence to legitimize the Khmer Rouge in one decade and deep-six them in another. Dancing with ideologies of all stripes, telling foreigners bearing aid and investment whatever they want to hear. Prime Minister Hun Sen is also a marvel of tenacity. In 1975, as a Khmer Rouge battalion commander, Hun Sen took part in the campaign in the eastern zone of Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia's name under the Khmer Rouge) that included the invasion of the capital city of Phnom Penh and the forced evacuation– aka death march– of its entire population to a rural paradise of forced labor. By the late 70's, Pol Pot and his pals in the upper echelons of the Khmer Rouge were imploding with paranoia. Hun Sen sensed the reaper was turning his way. When Vietnam, after a series of border disputes, invaded Cambodia in 1979 and overthrew the Khmer Rouge, Hun Sen rode in with them and was given a top spot in the government installed by the Vietnamese. Years of civil war followed. The Cold War shaped the conflict. The Soviet Union backed the repressive Vietnamese government; the USA and China supported the rebel remains of the murderous Khmer Rouge. Arms flowed from all sides. In the early 1990's, as the Soviet Union waned, the Vietnamese departed. The Khmer Rouge dwindled. Little dictator (compared to Pol Pot) Hun Sen remained in place as prime minister. To placate international good government types bearing financial aid, he was eventually forced to accept a toothless coalition government representing parties other than his own. Dissidents are still persecuted. An independent judiciary? Freedom of speech? Who needs the lies and distortions? Meanwhile, the handful of elderly Khmer Rouge leaders charged with crimes against humanity will probably keel over before their trials are allowed to conclude and the bureaucrats, speculators, and family members favored by Hun Sen continue to help themselves to Cambodia. As for Cambodia's established reformers, the go-to guys when foreign policy players from other countries require an anti-Hun Sen, they seem almost as seasoned, agenda-wise, as Sihanouk and his Samdech. An aside about my being a mental tourist in flailing states. Yeah, there's the appeal of the morbidly exotic. But there's also the illuminating shock of recognition. What past or present resident of a flailing post-industrial city in say, New Jersey or New York, hasn't seen similar political stasis? With old boys and hoary reformers as the fixed poles of political expression? Old boys rule; reformers wax profitably pious. Both sides (if the two ends of a continuum can be called "sides") claim revitalization is just around the next public-funded corner. They may squabble over who gets paid but always agree on the need for more more more. OK. Hun Sen and his cronies in Cambodia make our crowd seem like pikers. But to paraphrase George Bernard Shaw, we're just haggling over degree. For folks interested in U.S. urban policy (or in improving their looting skills) Cambodia's Curse is an instructive read.  | ||||||
| Convention on the Rights of the Child Posted: 04 Aug 2011 10:24 PM PDT |
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