KI Media: “Cambodia: ‘Avatar' Rally to Protect Country’s Forest” plus 24 more |
- Cambodia: ‘Avatar' Rally to Protect Country’s Forest
- Cambodia: Acts of intimidation and threats against human rights organisations
- Vietnam accused of using drug addicts for forced labor
- Cambodia introduces improved standards for children at risk
- Cambodian government moves to limit orphanage boom
- Out Of The Darkness: The Cambodian Space Project
- British National Convicted of Sex Crime in Cambodia
- Ex-adviser jailed over child sex
- MP Son Chhay's letter to Government to stop Prey Long destruction and Land Concession
- Women who have moved the world
- Sand drowning continues without any solution in Boeung Kak Lake
- Thank you message from SRP MP Nuth Romduol
- Opposition criticizes for the forcing of govt offcials to join the ruling party
- Sam Rainsy in Austria
- Armed police break up forum
- Rashes affect city residents
- Opinion: Tackling the literacy crisis
- Watchdog demands fair monitoring
- FTUWKC's Chea Mony will propose to send an official letter to National Anti Corruption Authority and other Stakeholder
- Three Cambodian workers killed in Songkhla factory accident
- Building on loose sands? Watch out!
- Govt official calls SRP-Europe’s appeal a trampling on the constitution [-When the truth hurts]
- Cambodia economy: Exposure to US economy is a concern
- Two Cambodian maids died in Kuala Lumpur
- A FOOLISH CPP who stole the People's Land to build on Sand
| Cambodia: ‘Avatar' Rally to Protect Country’s Forest Posted: 08 Sep 2011 04:58 PM PDT
By Sopheap Chak Global Voices Online Dressed like the Na'vi tribe from the film Avatar, Cambodian villagers protested the plan to clear the Prey Lang forest to make way for the establishment of plantations and mines. Prey Lang is the "largest primary lowland dry evergreen forest remaining both in Cambodia and on the Indochinese Peninsular." Prey Lang is arguably the largest intact area of indigenous land left in Cambodia. Located between the Mekong and Stung Sen Ricers, the forest straddles four provinces (Preah Vihear, Kampong Thom, Kratie, and Stung Treng.)
Aside from an online petition to save the forest, a blog was set-up to provide public updates on some of their activities like prayer ceremonies and leaflet distribution. In behalf of the Prey Lang Network, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights highlights the views of villagers who stand to suffer the most if Prey Lang forest is destroyed.
The protests have been generally peaceful but the recent activity of the Prey Lang 'Avatars' involving a Buddhist prayer ceremony and leaflet distribution was disrupted by Phnom Penh's local authorities. More than 100 individuals were briefly detained and questioned but they were released afterwards. The photos and videos of the arrest are available on a Cambodian human rights portal, Sithi. A documentary about Prey Lang, "One Forest, One Future", was produced by Jocelyn and Ben Pederick. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJHEiYmleVo&feature=player_embedded Those who support the struggle of the indigenous communities living in Prey Lang are encouraged to write to the government of Cambodia. Below is an excerpt of a sample letter addressed to Prime Minister Hun Sen Dear Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen,  | ||||||
| Cambodia: Acts of intimidation and threats against human rights organisations Posted: 08 Sep 2011 04:36 PM PDT
KHM 002 / 0911 / OBS 112 Threats / Acts of intimidation / Obstacle to peaceful assembly Cambodia September 8, 2011 The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Cambodia. Description of the situation: The Observatory has been informed by the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) about the acts of intimidation faced by their members and the members of the Natural Resource Protection Group (NRPG) during a human rights training event conducted by both organisations in Mean Rith commune, Sandan district, Kampong Thom Province. According to the information received, on September 7, 2011, staff members of the CCHR and the NRPG organised a human rights training event for the Mean Rith community members affected by the ongoing deforestation and other land conflicts in the area. Shortly after the venue was prepared, commune and district officials, as well as heavily armed police, intervened to disrupt the training event and threatened both organisation members with arrest if the event proceeded, claiming that the organisations had failed to satisfy notification requirements. However, these requirements do not exist as the Article 3 of the Law on Peaceful Demonstrations exempts organisers of notifying "education dissemination activities for social interests", including training events. In addition, the organisers had previously informed provincial authorities about the event. According to the same information, officials and the police took pictures of the participants, the organisers and the observers of the event, including members of the Cambodian League for Promotion and Defence of Human Rights (LICADHO) and the Community Legal Education Centre (CLEC). No one was arrested in the end and the event could eventually proceed after a discussion with a Sandan district council member. This event occurred one day after the publication of a media report in The Cambodia Daily in which Kampong Thom provincial police chief accused CCHR and NRPG of inciting people through the provision of human rights training and threatened both organisations with suspension should further training events be held. The Observatory expresses its concern about the intimidation faced by human rights organisations within the context of a shrinking space for civil society in Cambodia. Furthermore, the Observatory urges the Cambodian authorities to ensure the protection of human rights defenders and guarantee their right to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly. Actions requested: Please write to the Cambodian authorities and ask them to: i. Put an end to acts of intimidation against members of the CCHR, the NRPG, LICADHO, CLEC and all human rights defenders in Cambodia; ii. Conform in any circumstances with the provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted on December 9, 1998 by the United Nations General Assembly, and in particular :
iii. Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards and international instruments ratified by Cambodia. Addresses: - Mr. Hun Sen, Prime Minister, Office of the Prime Minister, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia, Fax: +855 23 36 06 66 / 855 23 88 06 24 (c/o Council of Ministers), Email: leewood_phu@nida.gov.kh - Mr. H.E. Ang Vong Vathna, Minister of Justice, No 240, Sothearos Blvd, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia, Fax: 023 364119. Email: moj@cambodia.gov.kh - Mr. Sar Kheng, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Ministry of Interior, 275 Norodom Blvd, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia, Fax: + 855 23 212708. Email: moi@interior.gov.kh - Mr. Hor Nam Hong, Minister of Foreign Affairs, 161 Preah Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia, Fax: + 855 23 21 61 44 / + 855 23 21 69 39. Email: mfaicasean@bigpond.com.kh - Ambassador Mr. Sun Suon, Permanent Mission of Cambodia to the United Nations in Geneva, Chemin de Taverney 3, Case postale 213, 1218 Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland, Fax: + 41 22 788 77 74. Email: cambodge@bluewin.ch Please also write to the diplomatic representations of Cambodia in your respective countries. *** Geneva-Paris, September 8, 2011 Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply. The Observatory, a OMCT and FIDH venture, is dedicated to the protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete support in their time of need. To contact the Observatory, call the emergency line: Email: Appeals@fidh-omct.org Tel and fax OMCT: + 41 22 809 49 39 / 41 22 809 49 29 Tel and fax FIDH: +33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18 / 01 43 55 18 80  | ||||||
| Vietnam accused of using drug addicts for forced labor Posted: 08 Sep 2011 04:21 PM PDT Sep 08, 2011 Jared Ferrie The Christian Science Monitor
Cashew lovers may be disappointed to hear that the snack could have decidedly distasteful origins. A new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) accuses Vietnam of imprisoning hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese drug addicts throughout the past decade without due process and forcing them to work long hours in detention centers processing cashew nuts and other items for sale by companies. The report also documents beatings and torture inside the centers, which increased in number from 56 in 2000 to 123 by early this year. The report puts a spotlight on human rights abuses against drug addicts across Southeast Asia. "This is an absolutely outrageous example of government-condoned forced labor using one of the most vulnerable and marginalized populations," says Joe Amon, HRW's director of health and human rights, in an interview. In a letter to HRW dated Sept. 5, Vietnam's Department of Social Ills Prevention's deputy director, Do Thi Ninh Xuan, denied such abuses, insisting that the compulsory detention of addicts is a "humanitarian measure" aimed at helping them escape drug dependency. Former detainees who spoke to HRW, however, painted a picture of life in detention as slave laborers, included working 10 hour days, six days a week. "First they beat my legs so that I couldn't run off again... [Then] they shocked me with an electric baton [and] kept me in the punishment room for a month," Quynh Luu, a former detainee who was caught trying to escape from one center, told HRW. Conditions in Vietnamese drug centers mirror those in neighboring countries that have also come under fire in recent years. China and Thailand, for example, both also force addicts into detention, a policy that many consider a violation of individual rights. China has hundreds of thousands of people in more than 100 mandatory treatment facilities, including some that employ forced labor, says Mr. Amon. Addicts in Thailand are not forced to work but endure a militarized approach to treatment, including drills and exercises, according to HRW. Rights groups were also alarmed when the country's new prime minister, Yingluk Shinawatra, pledged during her campaign to "eradicate" drugs within a year of being elected. Her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, launched a drug war in 2003 that saw thousands of extrajudicial killings and arbitrary arrests. In Cambodia, rights groups have documented torture and abuse in detention centers, but the use of forced labor is on a smaller scale and "ad hoc," Amon says, adding that HRW is paying attention to Cambodia's new plan to consolidate its centers with the help of Vietnam. Cambodia plans to close facilities around the country and instead send addicts to one large center, to be built in its port city of Sihanoukville. The land was donated by Mong Reththy, a Cambodian tycoon who also owns a port and a palm oil plantation, which both sit adjacent to the site. "We will provide jobs to all drug-addicted people who are willing to work, and I welcome all drug-addicted people because I have a lot of space for them," Mr. Mong told the Phnom Penh Post newspaper in December. Though Cambodian officials have not suggested that addicts will be forced to work without pay, activists worry that Cambodia will follow Vietnam's lead, where HRW found evidence that addicts are forced to work for free or for as little as 75 cents per month. The Vietnamese embassy in Phnom Penh issued a statement in 2009 promising to "meet any requests by Cambodia to help it prevent and combat drugs." And Vietnam has promised $2.5 million to help build Cambodia's center in Sihanoukville. Such promises have raised concern by HRW and other groups that Cambodia will follow the Vietnamese model and put business interests ahead of human rights. Vietnam's government meanwhile, defends its approach to drug treatment. In the Sept. 5 letter Do Thi Ninh Xuan said that labor at the centers "is not completely obliged but merely curative and a part of the drug addiction treatment." "The curative labor conducted at the centers is not for business. All products from their labor are used to better their own living at the facility," Do Thi Ninh Xuan wrote. HRW researchers found that some products manufactured at the centers were supplied to international companies, including Oregon-based Colombia Sportswear and a Swiss firm, Vestergaard Frandsen, which sourced mosquito nets from Vietnamese subcontractors. Both companies terminated their relationships with Vietnamese partners after HRW informed them that some of their products were being manufactured in detention centers. HRW has asked international donors to review their support for Vietnam's drug detention centers to make sure funding is not directed into programs that violate international human rights law. Donors include the UN, the World Bank, and the US government. The rights group has asked the Vietnamese government to close the detention centers, investigate abuses and forced labor, and compensate detainees for abuse suffered while in detention. "People who are dependent on drugs in Vietnam need access to community-based, voluntary treatment," Amon said in a statement. "Instead, the government is locking them up, private companies are exploiting their labor and international donors are turning a blind eye to the torture and abuses they face."  | ||||||
| Cambodia introduces improved standards for children at risk Posted: 08 Sep 2011 04:10 PM PDT Sep 8, 2011 DPA Phnom Penh - The Cambodian government said Thursday it had introduced improved standards to regulate how orphans and vulnerable children are assessed and cared for. The move followed concerns raised earlier this year by UN children's agency UNICEF that children in orphanages were at risk, in part from 'volunteer tourism.' In March, UNICEF said the number of orphanages in Cambodia had nearly doubled in six years to 269. Fewer than one in 10 was state-funded; the rest were predominantly overseas-funded and faith-based. During the same period the number of orphans rose from 5,751 to nearly 12,000. But nearly three-quarters of them had one surviving parent, which raised questions as to why so many children were being placed in institutions. The new standards, which take effect immediately, assess vulnerable children with the focus on them remaining safely within their families. Placing them in institutions would be a last resort. On Thursday, Ith Sam Heng, the minister for social affairs, said all organizations involved must use the new standards, which cover areas such as nutrition, health, education, shelter and emotional support. 'I hope that according to the standard we can help to improve orphans' and vulnerable children's living situation,' he said. The guidelines were developed after discussions between government and child rights organizations such as UNICEF and Save the Children. UNICEF's country representative Richard Bridle said the standards represented an advance for children's rights in Cambodia. 'It's important to have these guidelines that address the different types of vulnerabilities that children face,' he said. Earlier this year the government began inspecting all orphanages after admitting it had little idea how children were being treated. Child rights groups have long said putting children into care should be a last resort. UNICEF said studies showed care by a parent was far preferable to institutional care, and was also much cheaper. Rights groups fear some orphanages are simply thinly disguised businesses, allowing unscrupulous people to earn money from children by getting foreign tourists to pay to spend time helping them.  | ||||||
| Cambodian government moves to limit orphanage boom Posted: 08 Sep 2011 04:07 PM PDT Sep 8, 2011 PHNOM PENH (AFP) - The Cambodian government on Thursday introduced guidelines aiming to better protect orphans and vulnerable children after childcare experts voiced alarm over an unregulated boom in orphanages. The new standards emphasise that placing children in institutions should be 'a last resort', after Unicef said earlier this year that three quarters of the 12,000 children in Cambodia's orphanages had at least one living parent. 'At all times, efforts should be made to keep children in families or community-based care, with residential care as a last resort and a temporary arrangement,' the newly adopted Standards and Guidelines document states. Cambodian Social Affairs Minister Ith Sam Heng told AFP the guidelines, drafted with the help of Unicef and other children's rights groups, were 'very important' in helping to keep families together.  | ||||||
| Out Of The Darkness: The Cambodian Space Project Posted: 08 Sep 2011 04:05 PM PDT     Kevin E.G. Perry The Quietus Ahead of their performance at this weekend's Dancing Time, Kevin E.G. Perry speaks to The Cambodian Space Project on their difficult beginnings in the days of the Khmer Rouge In 2009, Tasmanian musician Julien Poulson walked into a karaoke bar in Phnom Penh and heard a lone female voice singing Peggy Lee's 'Johnny Guitar'. This struck him as odd. Ordinarily the bars in Cambodia's capital only allow singers to perform in groups of around a dozen, and youth and vacant stares seem to be favoured over musical talent. "They kinda look like the zombies in Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'," he says. As he listened to her he realised why she sang alone. A voice as naturally gifted as this is a rare find. Poulson invited the singer, Srey Thy, to start a band with him and together they formed the nucleus of what has become The Cambodian Space Project, a remarkable group who not only cover and preserve songs from the 'golden age' of 60s Cambodian pop but also write their own dazzlingly original Khmer psychedelic rock. They've now toured all over the world, from Texas to the End of the Road, but the shows they talk of with most pride are the ones they play in remote villages across Cambodia. To understand the importance of these shows, and their context, we have to go back to April 17th 1975: the day Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge seized power in Cambodia. As Poulson says, they "ripped out the heart and soul of Cambodian culture. Their very ill-conceived manifesto was a kind of fucked-up Maoist thing, to return society to agrarian utopia, which meant destroying and dismantling culture. The Khmer Rouge very successfully destroyed everything, along with almost two million Cambodian lives." The Khmer Rouge specifically targeted anybody that they regarded as professionals or intellectuals. This included the majority of Cambodian writers, artists and musicians, many of whom were taken to the Killing Fields. Cambodia today is littered with haunting reminders of the horrors of the regime. At Choeung Ek, about 17 km south of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh, there stands a stupa, a Buddhist monument, with glass sides. Inside there are more than 5,000 human skulls piled on top of one another. Many are cracked or smashed in. It was built as a memorial to the 17,000 people killed there between 1975 and 1979, and stands as an awful testament of man's inhumanity to man. All traces of the music, including the physical records, from the 60s 'golden era' of Cambodian pop were systematically wiped out, while Cambodia's most famous singers, Sinn Sisamouth, Ros Sereysothea, Pan Ron and Houy Meas were all murdered. Srey Thy tells me how Houy Meas was gang-raped and her body mutilated, and Poulson recounts the infamous story that Sinn Sisamouth was led in front of a firing squad and invited to sing one last song to the troops who would kill him. "We do a cover of 'House of the Rising Sun'," Poulson tells me. "In this country for a band it would be a very silly, overblown and obvious cover, but in the context of a female Cambodian singer, taking the lyrics from Sinn Sisamouth who did an astonishing version of it in the Sixties, it has an incredible power." One of the few Cambodian musicians to survive the Khmer Rouge was Master Kong Nay, who was forced to sing propaganda songs in order to save his own life. For Poulson, hearing Kong Nay demonstrated the depth of Cambodian music. "I met Master Kong Nay, the old, blind musician, and also Srey Thy's teacher. I heard his voice and saw him playing in a corrugated iron hut and I was just blown away. They call it the 'Mekong Delta blues'. They call him the Ray Charles of Phnom Penh, because he looks like Ray Charles, but really it's a misnomer. He's the Leadbelly of Phnom Penh, and just totally fucking cool." Srey Thy's parents lived under the Khmer Rouge, although her mother was forced to give up her own singing ambitions: "My mum sing very good, and she wanted to go to Phnom Penh. But when Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge come they kill her parents. She stopped singing. She cut her hair, same as boy. She make up black to put on face. If very beautiful, they want to kill. My mum was very young." The make-up she describes is a reference to the ethnic element to some of the violence, where darker-skinned Cambodians targeted their lighter-skinned countrymen. Vietnamese forces captured Phnom Penh and forced Pol Pot from power on January 7, 1979, although widespread fighting would continue for many years. There were some immediate changes in Cambodia, however, as Poulson explains: "It was the biggest baby boom in the world's history: 1979-1980. Srey Thy was born at the end of that. People weren't allowed to marry before, or celebrate. I guess we see the result of that now where they have their big Cambodian parties, everyone comes together and the music goes at full blast." Srey Thy loved music from a young age, whether it was listening to her mother singing while she worked, or the transistor radio that her father would listen to in his tank as he patrolled the frontlines. As Poulson explained: "Her father was a tank driver. There's an amazing photo which shows her semi-naked except for a handbag and some pants on. She's about this big. There's a table here, there's a transistor radio with its aerial up, there's Pa in his military uniform, a six gun slung around his hips, and the tank. They're moving around the country in a Soviet T-53 tank and listening to the radio. They were moving around the frontlines, as the war continued. This is post-Pol Pot times. What many people don't understand about Cambodian history is that war continued for a long time. The Khmer Rouge was supported by all the Western countries because they didn't want to support the Vietnamese occupying forces." Srey Thy adds that her mother's rediscovered love of singing was infectious: "Listen radio, listen my mum sing. I say 'Oh mum, you sing good.' We have parties, she sing. She work, she sing. She work, I work beside my mum. She make food, washing, she sing a lot. I sing beside my mum. My mum was my teacher. I didn't go to school, except for one week. When the teacher ask if anybody sing, I say 'Me! Me!' Everybody shy, me not shy!" Srey Thy has worked constantly since around the age of four or five. At first she began by planting rice, then cutting it. By the time she was nine she had moved on to work at a rubber plantation. At this point her family was targeted by the Royalist military forces, and she recalls having to help her pregnant mother flee from gunfire. As a teenager, she moved to Phnom Penh in search of a living and worked in a variety of shops and even as a builder's labourer. When she was 18, a girl promised her a job in a beauty parlour but it turned out to be a brutal deception. She was tied to a bed with electrical wire around her wrists and would have been sold to a sex trafficking ring if another woman hadn't managed to help her escape. She says now that she was targeted "because I young, no had boyfriend". She would fetch a higher price as a virgin. She began singing professionally at 19. Club owners told her that although she could sing, they did not think she was as pretty as the other girls so would pay her less. By 2005, Sry They was earning a good living as a singer. She had discovered that her talent could prove lucrative in terms of tips: "People say to me: 'Oh you sing good, old songs," she says. "Everybody loves old songs. Romantic." Then in 2009 she met Julien Poulson. "Very lucky for me," she smiles. "Same for me!" he replies. Poulson had been working in East Timor producing media for the country's truth and reconciliation commission. He had received a grant to work on a music project there but before he could start it up, war broke out. Unable to return to Dili he was granted permission to take the money to Cambodia, where he was looking for musicians who could revive the country's flagging music scene. After meeting Srey Thy, he didn't waste much time before putting together a show: "Our first gig was at a little swampy bar called the Alley Cat in Phnom Penh, and the other musicians blew in literally within ten or fifteen minutes of the first few songs. Scott Bywater, who is with us now, offered to play or bring some instruments down. He was the 'Bill Wyman' guy, which I can say because he's not around at the moment! We wanted him for his instruments at that time, but he's an incredible musician and such a big part of our creativity now." They later also added a drummer, the enigmatic Bong Sak: "Bong Sak was a soldier for a long time. It's sadly not uncommon in Cambodia. Right now he's finding it very hard to be here in London. He'd rather stay at home, on the farm, eat food routinely and ride a motorbike down to the gig when it's on." The momentum grew from that first gig. "From that moment on it's just been this Cambodian gypsy caravan where we all wanted to play music and go to disadvantaged communities, orphanages, schools and perform there, not necessarily with any view to doing anything beyond that but just because that was so important to do and so enriching. It was a big moment when Srey Thy said: 'Now, I think Cambodian Space Project should come to my village!' She's written a song, 'Whisky Cambodia', about that moment." In the song she describes the feast that is being prepared for the 'barang', the foreigners, who are visiting the village. She adds: "Everyone very happy that the barang came. We saw the barang dancing, making music, drinking whiskey Cambodia. Not had barang visitors before." Poulson explains how important rural Cambodia is to the band, but also the complicated issues that can arise: "It's remote, it really is. Srey Thy's family home is literally a thatched bamboo hut, but she's very attached to the place and it's very deep in her persona. She's steeped in the rice fields of Prey Veng. There are problems with the abject poverty, particularly for Srey Thy, because suddenly everyone there expects her to be rich or to be able to fix problems or to be different. Her grandparents love to look at her pictures from Paris or London, and they'll say, 'Now you are very different, very beautiful, you've changed!' She'll say thank you, and then they'll say, 'But never forget, you're one of us. Your bare feet are in our fields.' She will say, 'Yes, I never forget.'" Srey Thy's development as a songwriter was initially a surprise for the band, who began by covering the old favourites of Sinn Sisamouth, Ros Sereysothea and Pan Ron. "Fairly early on we tried to record some of the stuff that we'd got down. We went to a little recording studio and did some things which weren't that great, just demos. Then Srey Thy said 'I have something I want to sing. Original.' It was great, that's what we really wanted." Their debut album, 2011: A Space Odyssey, is "very much a party set" mainly made up of covers of 60s standards but with a couple of original Srey Thy songs thrown in. Their follow-up could be quite different: "This album was all recorded in Cambodia, which was very important. It was challenging but the results were pleasing. The next album we're hopefully going to do in Melbourne with Mick Harvey. He's interested and wants to do it. He did PJ Harvey's last album and worked with Anita Lane, so he's used to female vocalists, and that fact that ours sings in Khmer doesn't really make any difference if you're a soundscapey kind of character. Strangely, the darker Cambodian songs are kinda like the Bad Seeds: noir-ish karaoke that ends with murder in the rice paddies. They've got this kinda hypnotic groove to them." Srey Thy now tries to turn her experiences into positive and powerful stories, whether it is as a human rights advocate and a Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women's UNiTE, the campaign to end violence against women, or as a songwriter. I ask Srey Thy about her songwriting technique, and she explains that while she works hard to observe and write thoughtful songs, her best songs are stories that come from her own experience, and from her heart. "In my song I try to have three emotions: happy, sad and funny," she says, "'Not Easy, Rock & Roll', come from heart. 'Broken Flower', from heart, 'Have Visa, No Have Rice', from heart, 'You Go, I Come Too', from head, 'Whisky Cambodia', from head. From head, I see and I write, but write from heart not easy." The Cambodian Space Project play at Soundway's Dancing Time this Saturday, September 10th. There will also be a screening of the Black Goddess film and Quietus DJs. For more information and tickets, go here.  | ||||||
| British National Convicted of Sex Crime in Cambodia Posted: 08 Sep 2011 03:57 PM PDT Thursday, September 8th, 2011 Voice of America A Cambodian court has sentenced a British man to a 12-year prison sentence for sexually abusing three underage girls. Michael Julian Leach was arrested last September after he was discovered living with the three girls aged from 10 to 15 at a guest house on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. In addition to his jail sentence, the 51-year-old Leach has been ordered to pay at least $3,000 in compensation to each of the girls. Cambodia has launched a crackdown on sex offenders in recent years as it tries to overcome its reputation as a magnet for pedophiles.  | ||||||
| Ex-adviser jailed over child sex Posted: 08 Sep 2011 03:53 PM PDT Friday, September 09, 2011 UKPA A former Government policy adviser from London has been jailed in Cambodia for sex attacks on girls as young as 10. Paedophile Michael Julian Leach, 51, abused three children who lived with him at a guesthouse near the poverty-stricken capital of Phnom Penh. He previously worked as a telecommunications adviser for both the Department of Trade and Industry and communications watchdog Ofcom before moving to Asia, it is understood. Phnom Penh municipal court judge Oeung Seang jailed Leach for 12 years, ordering him to pay 12 million riel (£1,880) to one of his victims. Compensation had already been paid to the other two, according to police. Cambodia has targeted sex offenders in recent years but it remains a magnet for paedophiles because of poverty and poor law enforcement. Erica Hall, World Vision UK's child rights specialist, said Leach's conviction illustrated how important it was for Cambodian and British authorities to work together. Such convictions were "just the tip of the iceberg", she added. Registered sex offenders are still allowed to travel overseas without telling the UK authorities as long as they return within three days. Ofcom confirmed Leach worked for the regulator for three years until 2008 in "a very junior role advising on radio spectrum matters." A source close to the investigation said he worked for the Department of Trade and Industry, now the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, until 2005.  | ||||||
| MP Son Chhay's letter to Government to stop Prey Long destruction and Land Concession Posted: 08 Sep 2011 03:48 PM PDT Dear All, Here is the attached file of MP Son Chhay's letter sent to DPM Sok An to ask Prime Minister to stop the destruction of Prey Long and to Stop giving land concession to companies. Thanks http://www.box.net/shared/g51uuhclt19hz27zares  | ||||||
| Women who have moved the world Posted: 08 Sep 2011 03:41 PM PDT Women who have moved the world
Mrs. Mu is recognized nationally and internationally as one of the grassroots leader on violence against women and children. I say she is a founding mother of Cambodia against domestic violence and rights abuse. Her trails for justice and her courage have reverberating throughout the world. In short, she has given rise to the bright light of liberty in places where darkness has reign Cambodia for generations. For this, we all should offer our heartfelt thanks in her dignity to our nation. Thank you neak meng Sochua.!!! Originally posted on http://facebook.com/rossvisal  | ||||||
| Sand drowning continues without any solution in Boeung Kak Lake Posted: 08 Sep 2011 11:15 AM PDT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnZefkbvkJU&feature=player_embedded  | ||||||
| Thank you message from SRP MP Nuth Romduol Posted: 08 Sep 2011 11:01 AM PDT | ||||||
| Opposition criticizes for the forcing of govt offcials to join the ruling party Posted: 08 Sep 2011 10:51 AM PDT http://www.box.net/shared/k9zutn2cjrgj5uyjp61h Synopsis: Following the publication by KI-Media of CPP forms forcing govt officials to join the rank of the CPP, opposition parties criticize such move which is tantamount to the communist regime where state workers and state belong to the same political institution. Thursday, 08 September 2011 មាស សុខជា The Phnom Penh Post ភ្នំពេញៈ គណបក្សប្រឆាំង និងអង្គការសង្គមស៊ីវិល បានវាយប្រហារលើគណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា (CPP) ដែលកំពុងដឹកនាំប្រទេស ដោយចោទថា គណបក្សនេះ បានបង្ខំឲ្យមន្ត្រីរាជការ ចូលជាសមាជិកគណបក្សរបស់ខ្លួន ដែលផ្ទុយពីគោលការប្រជាធិបតេយ្យ។ ការរិះគន់ទាំងនេះធ្វើឡើងបន្ទាប់ពីមានឯកសារមួយលេចធ្លាយ ហើយត្រូវបានផ្សព្វផ្សាយ នៅលើគេហទំព័រ KI កាលពីម្សិលមិញ។ ឯកសារនោះ បង្ហាញពីទម្រង់ពាក្យសុំចូលជាសមាជិកដោយមានស្លាកសញ្ញាគណបក្ស ប្រជាជនដែលត្រូវបានគេចែកចាយនៅក្នុងក្រសួងអប់រំ។ មេដឹកនាំគណបក្សសិទ្ធិមនុស្ស និងគណបក្ស សម រង្ស៊ី បានលើកឡើងថា យុទ្ធសាស្ត្រ របស់គណបក្សប្រជាជនកំពុងដឹកនាំប្រទេសទៅរកប្រព័ន្ធកុម្មុយនិស្ត ដែលនាំឲ្យរដ្ឋនិងគណបក្សរួមបញ្ចូលគ្នាតែមួយ។ លោកកឹម សុខាមានប្រសាសន៍ថា៖«មន្ត្រីមួយចំនួនពុំមានឆន្ទៈពិតប្រាកដចូល រួមជាមួយគណបក្សប្រជាជនទេ ប៉ុន្តែពួកគេត្រូវបង្ខំចិត្តចូលរួមព្រោះមន្ត្រីគណបក្សប្រជាជន គឺជាមន្ត្រី ឬរដ្ឋមន្ត្រីនៃក្រសួង»។ លោកបានបន្ថែមថា ប្រព័ន្ធដឹកនាំបែបនេះ បើមន្ត្រីណា ពុំមានឈ្មោះក្នុងបញ្ជីគណបក្សប្រជាជនទេ តំណែងរបស់គាត់ ងាយនឹងបាត់បង់ណាស់នឹងរងការរើសអើង នៅក្នុងការងាររបស់ពួកគាត់។ លោក កឹម សុខា បានអះអាងថា លោកបានទទួលព័ត៌មានមួយចំនួនដែលមន្ត្រីគណបក្សប្រជាជនបាន ប្រើតំណែងរបស់ពួកគេក្នុងរដ្ឋាភិបាល ប្រើថវិការបស់រដ្ឋលាយឡំជាមួយការងាររបស់គណបក្ស។ លោកបន្ថែមថា គណបក្សប្រជាជន ត្រូវស្គាល់ឲ្យច្បាស់នូវរដ្ឋធម្មនុញ្ញ ដែលចែងពីប្រជាធិបតេយ្យសេរីពហុបក្ស។ លោកបន្តថា៖ «បក្សខុសពីរដ្ឋ។ [គណបក្សប្រជាជន]មិនត្រូវបង្ហាញថា គណបក្ស និងរដ្ឋគឺតែមួយនោះទេ»។ លោក គង់ គាំ ប្រធានស្តីទីគណបក្សសម រង្ស៊ី បានមានប្រសាសន៍ថា៖«មន្ត្រីសាធារណៈ និងគណបក្សខុសគ្នា។ ដូច្នេះ [គណបក្សប្រជាជន]ណែនាំ[បុគ្គលិក]ក្រសួងនានា ឲ្យចូលជាមួយគណបក្សដូច្នេះ ក្រសួងសាធារណៈ មិនមានឯករាជភាព...មិនអព្យាក្រឹតទេ»។ ទោះជាយ៉ាងណា លោក ទិត សុធា អ្នកនាំពាក្យអង្គភាពព័ត៌មាន និងប្រតិកម្មរហ័ស នៃទីស្តីការគណៈរដ្ឋមន្ត្រី បានច្រានចោលការចោទប្រកាន់នេះ ខណៈលោកពុំបានឃើញឯកសារនោះ។ ប៉ុន្តែលោកថ្លែងថា រាល់ឯកសារទាំងឡាយ ដែលលេចធ្លាយ ហើយត្រូវក្រុមគណបក្សប្រឆាំងយកទៅរិះគន់វាយប្រហារ គណបក្សកាន់អំណាចនោះ មិនអាចយកជាការបានទេដោយលោកអះអាងថា គណបក្សប្រជាជន ត្រូវបានចែកដាច់ពីកិច្ចការរដ្ឋាភិបាល។ លោកគូសបញ្ជាក់ថា៖«ដូច្នេះ ឯកសារមិនផ្លូវការបែបនេះ[យើង]ចាត់ទុកថា វាមិនមែនជាការចាត់ចែងប្រើប្រាស់ឯកសារផ្លូវការរបស់គណបក្ស ប្រជាជនទេ»។ លោកបានបន្ថែមថា៖«ហើយរដ្ឋាភិបាល ក៏មិនយកឯកសារនេះ ធ្វើជាឯកសារផ្លូវការសម្រាប់សេវានយោបាយរបស់រដ្ឋាភិបាលដែរ។ គណបក្សប្រឆាំង មិនគួរភ្ជាប់បញ្ហាមិនផ្លូវការដើម្បីកេងចំណេញនយោបាយឡើយ»។ លោករ៉ុង ឈុនប្រធានសមាគមគ្រូបង្រៀនកម្ពុជាឯករាជ្យ បានចាត់ទុកទង្វើរបស់គណបក្សប្រជាជន ជាការបង្ហាញថា ស្ថាប័នជាតិទាំងអស់ស្ថិតនៅក្រោមឥទ្ធិពលរបស់គណបក្សនេះ។ លោកបានគូសបញ្ជាក់ថា៖«នេះបង្ហាញថា គ្រប់ស្ថាប័នទាំងអស់របស់រដ្ឋពុំមានឯករាជភាព ហើយរងនូវឥទ្ធិពលពីគណបក្សកាន់អំណាច ជ្រៀតជ្រែកចូល[កិច្ចការរបស់ក្រសួងទាំងនោះ]យ៉ាងខ្លាំង»។ លោកបន្តថា៖«វាផ្ទុយនឹងច្បាប់ ព្រោះច្បាប់បានចែកវាដាច់ពីគ្នា។ គណបក្សគឺគណបក្ស ស្ថាប័នរដ្ឋដាច់ខាតមិនត្រូវលាយឡំជាមួយគណបក្សនោះទេ»៕  | ||||||
| Posted: 08 Sep 2011 10:39 AM PDT  8 September 2011 SAM RAINSY IN AUSTRIA SRP President Sam Rainsy will be in Austria from 9 to 12 September 2011. On 9 September he will be in Vienna to meet with Austrian Members of Parliament and government officials. The following day he will be in Linz where he will be welcomed by the relatively large Cambodian community living and working in that industrial city. It is also from Linz that he will preside over the SRP Fifth Convention on 11 September in Phnom Penh though video conference. On 12 September he will be visiting Graz before flying to Paris. SRP Cabinet  | ||||||
| Posted: 08 Sep 2011 10:35 AM PDT
Thursday, 08 September 2011 15:02 John Anthony and May Titthara The Phnom Penh Post Kampong Thom province - Police armed with AK-47s joined local authorities in breaking up a human rights training event in Kampong Thom's Sandan district yesterday. The event, organised by the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights and the Natural Resource Protection Group in Meanrith commune, had barely commenced when local officials arrived with about 30 armed police and military police. "This is my land, my area and my commune, and you need my approval to come here," said Chheum Khon, chief of Meanrith commune. Chhim Savuth, project co-ordinator at CCHR, said authorities threatened organisers and participants with arrest. "The reason they don't want villagers to meet with us is because they cut a lot of trees in this district, so they don't want the news to get out," he said. CCHR said in a statement that permission was not required for "education dissemination activities" under the Law on Peaceful Demonstrations. CCHR organised the training in response to tips from local community members that deforestation had accelerated in the area. About 30 local residents came to the event. Police photographed participants and organisers, and deputy district governor Div Hok asked for identity cards of everyone involved, CCHR said. Despite fearing for her safety, villager Prom Prin turned up to the event hoping to learn more about human rights and law. "This is teaching people human rights, not teaching people about drinking or how to kill each other," she shouted at the officials. Prom Prin said local residents witnessed illegal logging on a daily basis, with most illegal trafficking occurring at night. "We see it every day," she said. "It should be stopped to keep the natural environment for the next generation." Ouch Sam On, deputy governor of Kampong Thom province, said he did not allow the workshop to take place because CCHR and NRPG did not have offices in his province. "We cannot allow them to bring villagers from outside our province to come to meet together in my province, because it affects my province's security," he added. The training took place after a two-hour standoff. Ou Virak, president of CCHR, said the tactics of the authorities were "shocking". "Nevertheless, what I will remember most from today is not the school yard bully boy tactics deployed by the authorities, rather it is the defiance of the participants – ordinary people motivated by their desire to inform themselves of their human rights under Cambodian and international law facing-down armed police," he said. Also this week, a monk retracted permission he had given to CCHR and NRPG to conduct a workshop in Dang Kambit commune after warnings from the commune chief. Prey Lang, a massive forest that stretches perhaps 3,600-square kilometres across four provinces including Sandan district, lacks legal protection and has become a flashpoint between local residents and government officials who have approved numerous concessions to private companies.  | ||||||
| Posted: 08 Sep 2011 10:30 AM PDT
Thursday, 08 September 2011 May Titthara The Phnom Penh Post
A mysterious outbreak of nasty skin rashes among villagers living near a dump site in Phnom Penh's Stung Meanchey district has led to speculation the irritations have been caused by methane gas emanating from garbage or chemicals from a garment factory. Villagers said yesterday the skin irritations first flared up about four or five days ago when the wind blew towards them from the direction of the dump site and the nearby garment factory. "When the wind blew, we started to get itchy. We suspected it was from the dump site," 49-year-old villager Lai La said yesterday. But he said a Korean firm, Eco Cam, that bought the site in July and intended to harvest the trash to make electricity, had since covered the garbage with plastic, making him suspect the rashes were actually caused by chemicals from the garment factory. Old people and children in the area had been most severely affected by the rashes witch had predominantly broken out over their arms and legs, he said, adding that he would file a complaint to the commune chief. "If authorities do not take any measure to protect us, villagers' health will deteriorate further," he said. Choub Son, 31, who lives close to the dump site in Damnak Thom village said yesterday his two daughters had begun crying whenever the wind blew. "The authority should be take action on this problem to check the dump site and the factory in the village because everyone in the village has this problem – when the wind blows and touches our skin, it causes a skin rash and itches," he said. Seng Sanh, chief of Meanchey commune said yesterday he wasn't aware of the problem but added that it sounded peculiar. "How did they get these itches because they stopped to dropping garbage in that area along time ago?" he said. Eco Cam plans to generate around 1 megawatt of electricity from the former garbage dump, according to Phnom Penh Municipality's website. Contact information for Eco Cam could not be found yesterday. Sok Sokun, Director of Phnom Penh Municipal Health Department declined to comment yesterday.  | ||||||
| Opinion: Tackling the literacy crisis Posted: 08 Sep 2011 10:23 AM PDT
Thursday, 08 September 2011 Anne Lemaistre and Olivier Lermet The Phnom Penh Post Opinion LITERACY is an essential key to achieving Cambodia's development goals. It's difficult to imagine working effectively towards a basic education for all, the eradication of poverty, and peaceful and sustainable development without Cambodians having this vital tool to receive and impart information. International Literacy Day, celebrated on September 8 each year, provides a good opportunity to assess progress towards the provision of literacy opportunities for all and the challenges that lie ahead. This year, the global theme is Literacy for Peace and, in Cambodia, the government has decided to highlight the importance of literacy in addressing a specific development issue: combating drug abuse. Improving literacy in Cambodia is essential, because literacy equips citizens with the skills and confidence to seek out essential information and make informed choices that have a direct impact on their families and communities. Additionally, literacy programs strengthen mutual understanding by enabling people to share ideas and to express, preserve and develop their cultural iden-tity and diversity. This human development has an impact on the social, political, environmental, cultural and economic development of a country. It is for these reasons that the Cambodian government has chosen to link literacy with drug abuse. Increasing understanding of the dangers of drugs through education and literacy is critical to preventing drug abuse as well as sustaining drug treatment and service delivery, especially through community-based voluntary access to treatment options, as illustrated by the National Community Based Treatment Program, a unique initiative led by the Royal Government of Cambodia. The benefits of a fully literate society are obvious, but the challenges remain. According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 793 million adults around the world — the majority of them women _ lack min- imum literacy skills. A further 67 million child-ren of primary-school age are not in school, and 72 million adolescents of lower secondary school age are also missing out on their right to an education, running the risk of creating a new generation of illiterates. In Cambodia, the 2008 national census put the adult (15 years old and over) literacy rate at 77.6 per cent. The rate of functional literacy (a person who can read, write and calculate for his or her own, or their comm-unity's, development) is even more worrrying (37.1 per cent when it was last measured in 1999, compared with 67.3 per cent in the 1998 national census). Cambodia's literacy chall-enge also lies in reducing the disparities in literacy rates by gender (85.1 per cent among males, 70.9 per cent among females) and age group; between urban and rural populations (90.4 per cent and 74 per cent respectively); and among ethnic minorities and those members of the population who are most marginalised. In Ratanakiri province, home to a large number of indigenous people who do not speak Khmer, the adult literacy rate is just 45.9 per cent. What is even more worrying is that the improvement in literacy rates in Cambodia has been slowing. Part of the reason lies in the fact that most illiterate people belong to hard-to-reach groups such as remote-area populations, ethnic minorities, migrants or people with disabilities. These numbers should serve as an urgent call for the Cambodian government and its development partners to work harder together to improve levels of literacy in this country. So what are we doing to change all this? The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports recently approved a three-year national capacity development action plan for non-formal education and literacy under the Capacity Development for Education for All (CapEFA) program, which is supported by UNESCO. The CapEFA action plan includes activities to accelerate literacy improvement in Cambodia by identifying clear priorities and strategies aimed specifically at reaching marginalised groups. This program will map and analyse the illiterate populat-ion in terms of their geographical location, characteristics, needs and constraints, and match their literacy needs with the capacity of existing delivery mechanisms for literacy programs such as community learning centres. The analysis will be used for evidence-based planning for effective literacy improvement and the mobilisation of partnerships and support. Good practices of comm-unity learning centres to develop non-formal educat-ion and literacy activities will be collected and disseminated under the action plan. This new attempt to identify and address the literacy needs of marginalised groups in Cambodia will set an example for other developing countries as we approach the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals and Education for All targets. The UN in Cambodia, in collaboration with the government and development partners, is working towards achieving these goals.  | ||||||
| Watchdog demands fair monitoring Posted: 08 Sep 2011 10:19 AM PDT Thursday, 08 September 2011 Derek Stout The Penh Penh Post The Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia has called for immediate changes to the selection process and composition of election commissions ahead of upcoming elections in 2012, which they said allowed arbitrary government influence. A statement released by COMFREL yesterday called for sweeping reform across all levels of the selective procedure for the National Election Committee in order, "to have at least one member from each political party which has a seat in the National Assembly." "In Cambodia, the state's institutions, particularly the Electoral Management Body, is not independent and neutral even though there is existing law to ensure that they are," an unofficial translation of the statement read. In recent elections NEC members have been selected by the government's Ministry of Interior, and are then approved by the ruling party dominated National Assembly. Opposition parties have criticised this process as allowing the government to orchestrate elections. The COMFREL statement yesterday said the selection of the national election body must be decided by a new transparent and independent selective commission. Sam Rainsy Party spokesman, Yim Sovann, expressed concern yesterday about the current make-up of election commissions. "The CPP is the player and the referee," he said. "If we don't change the composition of the NEC, I don't think the election [2012 elections] will be organised freely or fairly." But Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, denied yesterday there was a need for all out reform but said participating members of election commissions needed to stringently follow laws and regulations. "I don't see the system as flawed, everyone needs to work together to improve its effectiveness. It doesn't matter who belongs to whose party, they all have to carry out what the law says," he said.  | ||||||
| Posted: 08 Sep 2011 10:07 AM PDT Dear All September 08,2011, 2.30pm - Supertex workers came to the FTU Office, they want Mr. Chea Mony to help intervene for them because Supertex misses their payment and remuneration and they also lost their name. The workers lost between 70$ to 100$. Mr. Chea Mony proposed to send an official letter to the National Anti-Corruption Authority and other Stakeholder tomorrow. For more information, please Contact Mr. Chea Mony Thanks FTU Official Lina -- Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC) Social Justice is the Foundation of Peace Address: House No.16A, Street 360, Sangkat Boeung Keng Kang 3, Khan Chamkar Mon, Phnom Penh Tel/Fax: +855 0 23 216 870 Mobile: +855 0 12 941 308 / +855 0 12 846 408  | ||||||
| Three Cambodian workers killed in Songkhla factory accident Posted: 08 Sep 2011 12:59 AM PDT  SONGKHLA, Sept 8 (MCOT online news) - Three Cambodian industrial workers were killed this morning by flying machine parts in a latex processing factory. The victims, two men and one woman, were migrant workers with legal work permits, identified as Zat In, 21, Chanhuan Seng, 26, and Sarit Sen, 26. Ten workers were working when the incident occurred, according to the initial police investigation. The process required removing parts of the machine for cleaning every two hours. The workers were hit when loose-fitting parts returned to the processing equipment flow off at high-speed, killing the three victims. The factory owner pledged to take responsibility and compensate the victims' families, including costs for the transfer of their bodies to their homes in Cambodia.  | ||||||
| Building on loose sands? Watch out! Posted: 08 Sep 2011 12:53 AM PDT Dear KI-Media Editor, I read with great interest Ms. Theary Seng's statement on building on sands in Boeung Kak Lake. In my line of work, there is a phenomenon call liquefaction when sand beds are subjected to very strong earthquake shaking.  The photo above shows the impact of liquefaction in Niigata, Japan in 1964 when a strong earthquake (EQ) took place. Some of the buildings sank while others were toppled. I believe that nobody died (Thank God!) in these damaged buildings during that EQ. However, residents had to climb out of their windows and proceeded down through the face of the building to reach safety.  Liquefaction takes place when loose sand are shook, in other word, it behaves like a card castle that collapses. Hopefully for future residents of Boeng Kak Lake, the Kingdom of Wonder will not become earthquake-prone. Anyway, all this to say that Ms. Seng gave a good analogy to her statement when she referred to buildings constructed on loose hydraulic filled sand as is the case of Boeung Kak Lake. Best regards L. U.  | ||||||
| Govt official calls SRP-Europe’s appeal a trampling on the constitution [-When the truth hurts] Posted: 08 Sep 2011 12:37 AM PDT
Free Press Magazine Online Translated from Khmer by Soch Click here to read the article in Khmer Yesterday, a government official said that the appeal issued by SRP-Europe for a mass demonstration "to save the Khmer Nation" is a trampling on [Cambodia's] constitution. (sic!) Tith Sothea, mouthpiece of the Press and Quick Reaction Unit (PQRU) of the Council of Minister, told local news media that the appeal by opposition leader Sam Rainsy, as well as that by overseas branches of the SRP, resulted from their lack of understanding of the Cambodian constitution and that these are intended to trample the constitution. He added that the action by the SRP is a scorn on the rights of the individual Hun Xen who is an elected country leader. He said that the issues raised by the SRP are inflammatory because it is confused. Recently, the SRP-Europe issued an appeal titled "Demonstration to save the Khmer Nation" where a demonstration is planned for 21 October 2011 at the UN plaza located in front of Wilson Palace in Geneva, Switzerland. The demonstration was staked for the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Agreements on Cambodia. The appeal indicated that, based on the spirit of the 23 October 1991 Paris Peace Agreements, in addition to ending the war, Cambodia is a country that must guarantee true plural democracy and it must also respect human rights. However, 20 years later, it can be concluded that armed clashes ended, but the majority of the Cambodian people still do not receive peace and justice yet. Quite to the contrary, various forms of violations still take place and they are getting more and more serious in nature. Land-grabbing is taking place by using the justice system as a tool for the rich and the powerful. Leadership in major national institutions, such as the Supreme Council of Magistracy, the national police force, the RCAF army, the judge council, the National Election Committee, etc… are occupied by CPP cadres, therefore, all that they are doing is to serve the ruling party only. The appeal added that the problem of millions of illegal immigrants and the problem of national sovereignty are being encroached upon both along the eastern and western borders in full disrespect of the Paris Peace Agreement. Therefore, in order to remind and to push the Cambodian government to take the right path, we have to remind the leaders of the 21 signatory countries that it is their duty to follow up and push the Cambodian government to abide by the conditions it had agreed to, in particular the stipulations of the 23 October 1991 Paris Peace Agreements. The appeal calls on all political movements, civil society organizations to participate in large number [to the demonstration which will take place on] Friday 21 October 2011 from 10AM to 05PM at the UN Plaza in Geneva, Switzerland.  | ||||||
| Cambodia economy: Exposure to US economy is a concern Posted: 07 Sep 2011 11:24 PM PDT September 6th 2011 FROM THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT As economic data coming out of the US continue to get worse, Cambodia's heavy exposure to the US economy represents a major risk to growth prospects. The US is Cambodia's most important export market by far—representing almost half of all receipts—and a US slowdown or descent into recession could substantially reduce Cambodian export revenue, with implications for the broader economy. It is a cliché that when America sneezes the rest of the world catches cold, but in Cambodia's case the statement is apt. The US imports more Cambodian goods than any other country, making sales of key products such as garments vulnerable to fluctuations in American demand. In 2010 Cambodia's merchandise exports to the US amounted to US$2.2bn, equivalent to 47.1% of its total export earnings, according to IMF figures. Exports to the EU's 27 member states stood at US$1bn. Together these two markets accounted for 69.6% of Cambodia's exports in 2010. Although Cambodia's exports to mainland China rose by nearly 430% last year, they still stood at only US$86.1m, equivalent to 1.9% of total exports. Cambodia is therefore substantially exposed, via the US and the EU, to the global economic cycle. It is little surprise that the 2008-09 global crisis took a heavy toll on Cambodia, which suggests that economic prospects could darken again if the US and/or the world head towards recession. The Cambodian government has tried to downplay the extent to which Cambodia was affected by the 2008-09 crisis—the Ministry of Economy and Finance maintains that the country escaped recession in 2009, stating that real GDP expanded by 0.1% in that year—but all other observers estimate that the economy contracted for the first time since records began in the early 1990s. The Economist Intelligence Unit estimates that GDP shrank by at least 1.5% in 2009 as garment exports collapsed and factories fired workers. The Asian Development Bank, the IMF and the World Bank all estimate contractions of 2% in 2009. It is impossible to be certain about the actual figure, as Cambodia's National Institute of Statistics has not published any national accounts data since 2008. In any case, Cambodia should be concerned about the possibility that global economic growth may be weaker than previously expected. Recent negative developments in the US are of particular relevance. After a tumultuous month for the world economy in August, in which Standard & Poor's, a ratings agency, stripped the US of its much-coveted AAA credit rating and stock indices fell sharply, we have substantially downgraded our forecasts for global growth in 2011-12. We have also revised down our US growth forecast to 1.7% for this year, from 2.4% previously, and to 2% in 2012, compared with 2.5% previously. In the coming weeks we are likely to reduce this forecast yet further in light of the latest downbeat US data. Furthermore, we believe that the risk of the world economy falling back into recession in 2011-12 has risen to more than 40%. Cambodia's economy is holding up well for the time being. So far this year exports have recorded double-digit rates of growth. In the first six months of 2011 US imports from Cambodia (a proxy for Cambodian exports to the US in the absence of reliable figures from local sources) rose by 24.3% year on year to US$1.3bn, according to the US Census Bureau. But there is no cause for complacency: in June US imports of Cambodian goods rose by only 1.9% year on year—the slowest pace of growth in 15 months. Exports to the EU have, admittedly, held up better so far this year. In January-May EU imports from Cambodia rose by 53.8% year on year to €432.5m (US$610m), according to the EU data office, Eurostat. Garment shipments have been boosted by relaxed rules of origin on preferential tariffs for imports from Cambodia and other least-developed economies that took effect on January 1st. But with the world economy again experiencing difficulties, Cambodia's recent rapid rates of export growth are unlikely to continue.  | ||||||
| Two Cambodian maids died in Kuala Lumpur Posted: 07 Sep 2011 11:18 PM PDT
By Silapol Free Press Magazine Online Translated from Khmer by Soch Click here to read the original article in Khmer Two Cambodian women working as maids were found dead in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The deaths were reported 3 days apart during the month of August. They are suspected of dying under torture and detention. 22-year Seng Dany was sent to Malaysia to work by the CLS employment agency and she was found dead at this agency's office in Kuala Lumpur on 29 August. Chhay Hok was another woman who was sent over to Malaysia by the Philimore agency and she was found dead on 26 August. Cambodian migrant workers could easily face accidents because of lack of responsibility from the part of agencies that send them out to work overseas. In March, a woman who was planned to be sent to work as maid by the P&T agency was found dead in the agency's center in Sen Sok district, Phnom Penh. The woman attempted to jump off the center where she was detained. In response to this problem, the ministry of Labor decided to allow the P&T agency to move its center to Kampong Chhnang instead. The move generated strong criticism on the ministry for its soft handed handling. SRP MP Mu Sochua once against issued an appeal to stop sending Cambodian women to work as maids in Malaysia until such time when there is a protection mechanism set in place beforehand.  | ||||||
| A FOOLISH CPP who stole the People's Land to build on Sand Posted: 07 Sep 2011 11:17 PM PDT  This photo taken July 11, 2011 shows an overview of Boeung Kak, Phnom Penh's largest lake full of sand where thousands of residents in the area face eviction. The World Bank on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011, suspended further loans to Cambodia until its government resolves a dispute over the evictions of thousands of poor landowners in the capital. (Photo: AP Heng Sinith) Less than two years ago, a large natural lake in the city center of Phnom Penh with tens of thousands of families living around and relying on it; now a sand desert with grand plans of skyscrapers. Let it not be said that the plundering thieves did not hear the warning of Jesus from two thousand years ago: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Originally posted on www.thearyseng.com and Theary Seng's Facebook)  |
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