KI Media: “SRP MP Son Chhay’s interview on the delay of the donor countries’ meeting” plus 23 more

KI Media: “SRP MP Son Chhay’s interview on the delay of the donor countries’ meeting” plus 23 more

SRP MP Son Chhay’s interview on the delay of the donor countries’ meeting

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:18 PM PDT

SRP MP Son Chhay

01 Sept 2011
By Chivita
Radio Free Asia

SRP MP Son Chhay said that delay by the Cambodian government on the donor countries' meeting is a loss for Cambodia. Son Chhay said that the announcement of the delay in the donor countries' meeting is a tactical trick by Hun Xen's regime. Please listen to the interview of MP Son Chhay by RFA's Chivita.


Son Chhay's Interview on RFA on 01 Sept 2011 (Part 1)


Son Chhay's Interview on RFA on 01 Sept 2011 (Part 2)

Viet fishermen in Kampong Chhnang - Op-Ed and Photo by Anonynmous

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 02:52 PM PDT

Photos and Report on the Inauguration of Wat Khemara Rangsey in San Jose, California, on 26-27-28 August 2011

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 02:35 PM PDT

Buddha statue at Wat Khemara Rangsey
Ribbon cutting during the inauguration of Wat Khemara Rangsey
The Khmer Krom Federation (KKF) is flying high among the flags of Buddhism, Cambodia and the USA



VOKK Socheata's Report on the Inauguration of Wat Khemara Rangsey on 27 Aug 2011

Khmer World Radio report on Wat Khemara Rangsey (Part 1 of 4)

Khmer World Radio report on Wat Khemara Rangsey (Part 2 of 4)

Khmer World Radio report on Wat Khemara Rangsey (Part 3 of 4)

Khmer World Radio report on Wat Khemara Rangsey (Part 4 of 4)

Chheam Srek Sbek Hao - Op-Ed by Anonymous

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 01:42 PM PDT

Language Development a-la-Hun Xen

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 01:36 PM PDT

Cambodian, Thai defense officials to discuss troop pullout

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 11:57 AM PDT

PHNOM PENH, September 2 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian and Thai senior defense officials will meet here next week to discuss troop pullout from the demilitarized zone surrounding the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, said deputy Prime Minister Sok An on Friday.

The meeting is scheduled on September 7-8 in Phnom Penh.

"The issue of troop withdrawal will be discussed at the meeting," he told reporters at the Phnom Penh International Airport before his departure for the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) in China's Nanning.

"According to the information Cambodia has received, the Thai government led by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has already agreed to accept the Indonesian observers to be deployed in the provisional demilitarized zone," said Sok An.


Cambodia and Thailand have had sporadic border conflict over territorial dispute near Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple since the UNESCO listed the temple as a World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.

On July 18, the International Court of Justice ordered Cambodia and Thailand to immediately withdraw their military personnel from the provisional demilitarized zone on the disputed border near Preah Vihear temple and allow ASEAN observers access to the provisional demilitarized zone to monitor ceasefire.

The boder tension has eased since the opposition Pheu Thai Party, led by ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's youngest sister Yingluck, won a landslide victory in Thailand's lower house election on July 3.

Letter from the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs concerning opposition leader Sam Rainsy's case

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 11:51 AM PDT


Unofficial translation from French by KI-Media

[French] Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs

Political and Security General Office
Asia and Oceania Office
Paris, 26 August 2011

Sir,

Mr. Richard Mallié, the MP from Bouches du Rhone, submitted to the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs your letter dated 26 June 2011 concerning the situation of Cambodia's opposition party. Mr. Juppé [the minister of Foreign Affairs] has asked me to reply to you.

Mr. Sam Rainsy has lost his parliamentary immunity and has been brought to justice on numerous occasions. He is now sentenced to a total of fourteen years of jail time.

These sentences cannot leave us indifferent [to the situation]. Mindful of the rights of Cambodia's opposition, France insisted on numerous occasions the importance of ensuring the effective exercise of these rights, in particular in regards to parliamentarians. Our embassy in Phnom Penh, in conjunction with our EU partners, had taken every opportunity to remind the Cambodian authorities on our commitment to democratic debate.

In parallel, during the Universal Periodic Review of established by the Human Rights Council, we have called on the respect political pluralism and on freedom of expression in this country, and [we also] deplored the growing number of decisions aiming at lifting parliamentary immunity on opposition MPs.

Furthermore, I personally receive Mr. Sam Rainsy whenever he asks [to meet me].

I want to assure you that this Ministry will continue to monitor the situation of the Cambodian opposition MPs with utmost vigilance.

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Paul Jean-Ortiz

Khmer Rouge Tribunal Judge Criticizes Media Coverage

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 11:10 AM PDT

Foreign judge Agnieszka Klonowiecka-Milart takes an oath during the swearing in ceremony at the royal palace in Phnom Penh in this July 3, 2006 file photo. (Photo: REUTERS)

September 02, 2011
Daniel Schearf | Bangkok
Voice of America

"Arguments are being held in the fora of the media as opposed to the courtroom." Khmer Rouge tribunal judge Agnieszka Klonowiecka-Milart
A judge at the United Nations-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal in Cambodia has criticized media coverage of the ongoing war crimes trials after a series of reports that contained leaked confidential information.

A Supreme Court Chamber Judge for the Khmer Rouge tribunal in Cambodia had harsh words late Thursday for the media's coverage of its proceedings.

The tribunal last year sentenced one former Khmer Rouge leader for crimes committed in the late 1970s and is in the process of trying four most senior leaders in a second case.

But there is much debate over whether further leaders will stand trial in a potential third and fourth case, details of which were earlier this year leaked to the media.


Judge Agnieszka Klonowiecka-Milart lashed out at recent media reporting on potential new defendants whose names were revealed in the leaked court documents.

Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand in Bangkok, she said what should be a confidential investigation is being hijacked by the media.

"Arguments are being held in the fora of the media as opposed to the courtroom. And I think…oh, and that the confidential documents are being leaked, whether under the sanction of contempt or not, let's leave it aside, but it's ignoble," the judge said. "Even if it was already in the public domain it was wrong that it so happened. And, it's not a reason to put it again in the public domain."

The tribunal's Co-Investigating Judges this week instituted contempt proceedings against the Voice of America's Khmer service for quoting from one leaked document and broadcasting its image.

The court document was leaked earlier this year and its contents had already been revealed in other media reports, but the court only named VOA in its contempt proceedings.

VOA issued a statement of concern about the potential "chilling effect" the threat could have on media coverage of the tribunal.

Anne Heindel is a legal advisor for the Documentation Center of Cambodia, an organization that collects evidence of crimes committed during the Khmer Rouge era.

She also spoke at the FCCT and said the leaks are driven by the tribunal's practice of keeping information confidential throughout the investigations and trials, frustrating public awareness and adding to criticism of the court.

"Because people feel that cases three and four are not being adequately investigated, that there's… the national government has said they don't want these cases, the internationals really don't want to fund the cases, there's a feeling that they aren't going to happen for political reasons and not so much for legal reasons," Heindel said. "This has led to a lot of information coming out through irregular channels and not through the court."

Since the tribunal's founding, critics have accused it of being corrupt, too expensive and slow, as well as being vulnerable to political interference.

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, himself a former Khmer Rouge, has publicly stated there should be no further trials because they could divide the country and lead to civil war.

Led by Pol Pot, the ultra-communist Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. In its quest to form a rural utopia, as many as two million Cambodians, nearly a quarter of the population, were executed, starved, and worked to death.

Union complaint over gun

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 09:35 AM PDT

Friday, 02 September 2011
Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

The Free Trade Union yesterday called on the Ministry of Interior to launch an investigation into an incident in which a staff member of a rival union allegedly threatened striking shoe-factory workers with a gun in Kampong Speu province on Monday.

In a letter sent to Interior Minister Sar Kheng, FTU president Chea Mony claimed that Mok Sovann, a staff member for the Khmer Union Federation, had threatened five workers from the Shimano shoe factory who were striking on Monday.

"I would like to request His Excellency [Sar Kheng] please urge Kampong Speu province's police station to intervene, investigate and take legal action against Mok Sovann to defend legal interests and better preserve the safety of workers of the Shimano Company," the letter stated.


Chea Mony said hundreds of workers who witnessed the incident had thumb-printed a complaint filed with Kampong Speu police on Monday.

The Khmer Union Federation president is Chuon Mom Thol, who is an adviser to the Ministry of Interior.

Ministry of Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak claimed yesterday that although he had not yet seen the letter, Khmer Union Federation staff were permitted to carry guns.

"Their weapons are legal. Have a look at the law," Khieu Sopheak said.

At the time of the incident, Chea Mony claimed the Khmer Union Federation was not independent and was in the business of defending factories rather than workers.

Chuon Mom Thol declined to comment on the matter yesterday, saying he was busy with a meeting.

Inaugurati​on of Sam Rainsy Party Headquarte​r in Kompong Cham on 30 August 2011

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 09:31 AM PDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6QE7H5SKBA

SRP's Message to Voters

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 09:27 AM PDT

Friday, September 02, 2011
By Mu Sochua

In Cambodia, last chance for 470,000 to register to vote for the 2012 local elections kicked off 2 days ago.

The Sam Rainsy Party's machinery nationwide is in place. SRP party agents are present in each of the 1,601 commune offices.

SRP defends and protects the right to vote that starts with a registration process that is free and fair.

Elections in Cambodia since 1998 have been rated as below international standards, with major irregularities at each step of the electoral process.

The SRP message to voters;

Message to youth voters: Register to vote for a prosperous future.

Message to all voters: Register to vote to protect your land and well-being.

Brain Food

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 09:20 AM PDT

Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.

- John F. Kennedy



UN Convention Against Corruption

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 09:18 AM PDT

United Nations Convention Against Corruption

(UNCAC)

In accordance with article 68 (1) of resolution 58/4, the United Nations Convention against Corruption entered into force on 14 December 2005. A Conference of the States Parties is established to review implementation and facilitate activities required by the Convention.

Cambodia acceded to the UNCAC
on 5 September 2007

Article 14. Measures to prevent money-laundering

1. Each State Party shall:


(a) Institute a comprehensive domestic regulatory and supervisory regime for banks and non-bank financial institutions, including natural or legal persons that provide formal or informal services for the transmission of money or value and, where appropriate, other bodies particularly susceptible to money- laundering, within its competence, in order to deter and detect all forms of money-laundering, which regime shall emphasize requirements for customer and, where appropriate, beneficial owner identification, record-keeping and the reporting of suspicious transactions;

(b) Without prejudice to article 46 of this Convention, ensure that ad­ministrative, regulatory, law enforcement and other authorities dedicated to combating money-laundering (including, where appropriate under domestic law, judicial authorities) have the ability to cooperate and exchange information at the national and international levels within the conditions prescribed by its domestic law and, to that end, shall consider the establishment of a financial intelligence unit to serve as a national centre for the collection, analysis and dissemination of information regarding potential money-laundering.

2. States Parties shall consider implementing feasible measures to detect and monitor the movement of cash and appropriate negotiable instruments across their borders, subject to safeguards to ensure proper use of information and without impeding in any way the movement of legitimate capital. Such measures may include a requirement that individuals and businesses report the cross-border transfer of substantial quantities of cash and appropriate negotiable instruments.

3. States Parties shall consider implementing appropriate and feasible measures to require financial institutions, including money remitters:


(a) To include on forms for the electronic transfer of funds and related messages accurate and meaningful information on the originator;


(b) To maintain such information throughout the payment chain; and


(c) To apply enhanced scrutiny to transfers of funds that do not contain complete information on the originator.


4. In establishing a domestic regulatory and supervisory regime under the terms of this article, and without prejudice to any other article of this Conven­tion, States Parties are called upon to use as a guideline the relevant initiatives of regional, interregional and multilateral organizations against money-laundering.


5. States Parties shall endeavour to develop and promote global, regional, subregional and bilateral cooperation among judicial, law enforcement and financial regulatory authorities in order to combat money-laundering.

Brain Food

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 09:15 AM PDT

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

- William Shakespeare


Closing Order of Case 002 against Senior KR Leaders Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 09:12 AM PDT


In light of the start of trial hearings beginning on 27 June 2011 of Case 002 against the surviving Khmer Rouge senior leaders Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith, KI Media is posting installations of the public document of the Closing Order of Case 002.  The Closing Order of the Co-Investigating Judges forms thebasic document from which all the parties (Co-Prosecutors, Co-Lead Lawyers for all civil parties, Defense Lawyers) will be making their arguments before the Trial Chamber judges (one Cambodian President, 2 Cambodian Judges, 2 UN judges).  Up until now, the hearings involving these four surviving senior Khmer Rouge leaders have been in the Pre-Trial Chamber over issues of pre-trial detention and jurisdictional issues.  Beginning in June 2011, the Trial Chamber will hear the substantive arguments over the criminal charges (e.g. genocide, crimes against humanity, penal code of 1956).  Available in Khmer and French. Contact the ECCC for a free copy. 

 

CLOSING ORDER
of Co-Investigating Judges You Bunleng and Marcel Lemonde
15 September 2010


S-21



Operation
Organization and personnel
            During the meeting of 15 August 1975, Son Sen appointed Nat as Chairman of S-21 and Secretary of its Committee1823 and Duch as Vice-Chairman in charge of the group of interrogators.1824 The detainees were brought to the S-21 interrogation unit from the Ta Kmao Psychiatry Hospital, which In Lorn alias Nat, with his Division 703 staff, used as a detention centre.1825 In March 1976, Nat was appointed to a position at the General Staff and Duch replaced him as Chairman of S-21 and Secretary of the S-21 Committee.1826 Duch maintained Khim Vat alias Hor in the position of deputy in charge of the daily management of S-21. Nun Huy alias Huy Sre was the third member of the S-21 Committee; he was also in charge of S-
1827                                                                                                                                                                                    1828
24. As chairman, Duch was in charge of choosing personnel and provided training, particularly political training, for the staff.1829 Duch also taught S-21 personnel interrogation methods and techniques for executing detainees.1830
            Duch ran S-21 on the basis of a hierarchy and set up a sytem for transmitting information at all levels, thereby ensuring that his orders were immediately and precisely followed.1831 S-21
1832                                                                            1833
was divided into several units: the Interrogation Unit; the Documentation Unit (responsible for registering and maintining records);1834 the Defence Unit, which had two sub- units, the Guard Unit (responsible for guarding the detainees within the prison complex) and the Special Unit. The Special Unit had several duties: it received people who were sent to S- 21 or, in some cases, made arrests or transferred prisoners; it intervened in emergencies and escorted prisoners to Choeng Ek and carried out executions.1835
            S-21 was both a political and military establishment. Duch states that S-21 was an independent military regiment under the direct control of the General Staff as regards administrative functions, and other matters such as food production, personnel, and training, but was also under the control of the Standing Committee for its duties in regard to security.1836 Duch reiterated on numerous occasions that from March 1976 to 15 August 1977, his superior was Son Sen, who was replaced by Nuon Chea from that date until the regime ended. Relations between Duch and his superiors are set out in detail in the section of the Closing Order regarding Nuon Chea.

           S-21 was a very important security centre in Democratic Kampuchea: it was considered to be an organ of the Communist Party of Kampuchea ("CPK"); its management reported to the highest echelons of the Party; it conducted activities on a national scale, and senior-level cadres and important prisoners were held there.1837

Arrests and detentions

Composition of the Incarcerated Population

           According to the revised prisoners list, at least1838 12,273 persons are known to have been detained at S-21.1839 5,994 were reported to be male, 1,698 female and 89 children.

           The majority of prisoners were Cambodian. The most prominent group was former RAK members (5,609 entries in the revised prisoners list). The purges within the military often led to RAK members of all ranks being sent to S-21. Former RAK members detained at S-21 originated from Divisions 164, 170, 174, 290, 310, 450, 502, 503, 801 and 920, as well as from independent regiments 152, 377 and 488. Personnel from the General Staff were likewise sent to S-21.1841 The evidence also shows that 156 S-21 personnel were imprisoned at S-21. Furthermore, it appears that at least 47 S-24 personnel were sent to S-21.1842

           The second largest group of detainees was composed of CPK cadres (4,371 entries in the revised prisoners list).1843 It appears that the following zone secretaries were detained at S-21: Ruos Nheum (June 1978);1844 Men San alias Ya (September 1976);1845 and Klang Chap alias Se (August 1978). Members of the Standing Committee included: Vorn Vet (November 1978);1846 and Kung Sophal alias Keu alias Kan (November 197 8).1847 Finally, secretaries of autonomous sectors included: Bou Phat alias Hang (June 1978);1848 Born Nan alias Yi (June 1978);1849 Pa Phal alias Sot (February 1977);1850 and the former Minister of Propaganda, Hu Nim (April 1977).1851

            Within the group of former CPK cadres, at least 209 persons detained at S-21 came from Office 870 and S-71, as well as from the following sub-ordinate offices: the telegram operation unit, the Offices under S-71 with the code numbers K-1 to K-18 (and particularly from Ta Lei village, part of K-13), Yo10 (the military unit in charge of protecting CPK leaders) and Stoeng Meanchey and the former B-20. The first arrest was reported on 27 July 1976 and the last was reported on 19 December 1978.1852

            Before their arrest, at least 113 prisoners were directly under the authority of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including those who were at its M-1 Office at Chraing Chamres after having been recalled from DK embassies abroad1853 (the first arrest was dated September 1976 and the last on December 1978). At least 16 prisoners were arrested from Boeng Trabek and associated offices K-15 and K-17 (the first arrest was dated December 1975 and the last on June 19781854).

            Throughout the DK era, at least 482 prisoners were arrested from the Ministry of Commerce or from local or central commercial units attached to it, such as fisheries, clothing, government warehouses, transport and the Kampong Som Seaport.1855 The first reported arrest was on October 1975 and the last was reported on March 1978.

            116 detainees were former personnel of the Ministry of Social Affairs or its hospitals and sub- units, including Pha-1, Pha-2 at Chroy Changva, Pha-3 (Psah Cha), Pha 4, Po-17 (17 April Hospital), Po-1 (Calmette), Po-2, Po-3, Po-4 (later Po-6), Ph-5 and the Malaria eradication office. The first arrest was recorded in September 1976, and the last was recorded at the end of December 1978, with a peak in arrests in 1978.1856

            At least 84 detainees were arrested from the Ministry of Propaganda and Education and its sub-units, including offices codes K-25 to K-38, which designated printing presses, the DK radio station, performing arts troupes and journalist groups. The first recorded arrest was on 21 September 1976, and the last was dated 23 May 1978, with an increase in the number of arrests between February and May 1978.1857

            The CPK cadres and the members of the RAK who were arrested came from all zones and autonomous sectors of Cambodia. The numbers increased with the waves of purges, as arrests increasingly targeted higher-level cadres and military commanders. Thus, the number of prisoners coming from the former Central (Old North) Zone rose to 360 prisoners for the whole period, with more than 80 arrests in February 19771858 (the month after Koy Thuon's arrest1859). Sector 106 accounted for 75 arrests with a peak in March 1977.1860 Some of those

Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, National Road 4, Choam Chao, Dangkao Phnom Penh                            111

Mailing address: P.O. Box 11, Phnom Penh; Tel: +855(0)23 218914 Fax: +855(0) 23 218941.

arrested were mentioned by Koy Thuon in his confession in which he listed his "traitorous network".1861 Finally, for the East Zone, the number rose to 1,165 arrests with close to 500 arrests in the month of June 197 8,1862 which corresponds to the suicide of Sao Phim.

            In addition to the former members of the RAK and the former CPK cadres, other Cambodians appeared in the lists, in particular, former soldiers and cadres of the Khmer Republic or of FUNK (National United Front of Cambodia) 328 entries in the revised list,1863 teachers, professors, students, doctors, lawyers or engineers (279 entries),1864 people detained because of family ties (876 entries),1865 and a certain number of people whose origin could not be

established.1866

            A certain number of foreign nationals1867 were also detained at S-21, such as Thais, Laotians, Indians and "Westerners".1868 Amongst the foreigners, Vietnamese were the majority. The revised prisoners list mentions the names of at least 345 detainees described as Vietnamese, listing 122 soldiers and 144 "spies" (civilians or combatants). For the remaining 79 detainees (including women and children), who were probably civilians, there is no indication of their status.1869 The presence of Vietnamese at S-21 is similarly confirmed by witnesses,1870 confessions,1871 and photographs.1872 The first arrest of a person described as Vietnamese appears in the registrers on 7 February 1976. Duch states, however, that a small number of Vietnamese were sent to S-21 as early as 1975,1873 and specified that their numbers grew as the conflict with Vietnam escalated.

US broadcaster stands by its reporting in contempt of court row

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 07:46 AM PDT

Sep 2, 2011
DPA

Phnom Penh - US broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) on Friday shrugged off a contempt of court citation by judges at the Khmer Rouge tribunal, describing it as 'unwarranted.'

VOA added that it was concerned the citation could have a 'chilling effect' on coverage of the UN-backed court.

Investigating judges at the war crimes court said Wednesday that they had started proceedings against VOA after its Cambodian language service, VOA Khmer, quoted from a confidential court document and showed the document in two broadcasts in August.

The document, which was leaked this year, is the prosecution's file detailing crimes allegedly committed by three suspects in the tribunal's fourth case. The investigating judges are currently examining those allegations.

'The careful use of confidential sources and documents that provide important insight into critical issues is a well-established practice by independent journalists the world over,' VOA argued in a statement.


'Furthermore, the documents in question have been used by other news organizations,' the broadcaster said.

The court estimated that 1.7 million to 2.2 million people died during the Khmer Rouge's 1975-79 rule of Cambodia. The three suspects in case four are under investigation for their alleged roles in some of those deaths.

On Thursday, tribunal spokeswoman Yuko Maeda said the investigating judges would not disclose any details of the contempt investigation, but she said judges were pursuing VOA Khmer because 'they had already given a public warning in June [about quoting from the case four file, and VOA still quoted from that confidential document.'

Legal experts said this week that it was unclear how the court would proceed against VOA Khmer not least since the staff involved are based at VOA's headquarters in Washington.

The investigating judges office was widely criticized this year for closing its third case, which was against two former Khmer Rouge military officers, without interviewing the two suspects or investigating crime sites.

Its decision to close that case, which the international prosecutor has appealed, led to a number of foreign staff resigning from the office.

The investigating judges later denied accusations they were bending to the will of the Cambodian government, which has stated repeatedly it would not permit any prosecutions beyond case two. Observers said they fear case four would also be scuttled.

Case two, testimony in which was expected to start next year, sees the four surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The elderly defendants have denied all charges.

In its first case, the court last year sentenced the regime's security chief, Comrade Duch, to 30 years in prison after finding him guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Duch has appealed his conviction.

This week, the tribunal's Supreme Court chamber said it would try to rule on Duch's appeal by the end of this year.

Boeung Kak residents protest development

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:42 AM PDT


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG72uuyhpXU

Cabinet Approves Draft Law To Counter Acid Attacks

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:38 AM PDT

Nov Rey, 50, an acid attack victim, looks on as she waits to sing during a performance by traditional Cambodian musicians (AP file photo)

Thursday, 01 September 2011
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
"Motives of such attacks center around love triangles, money disputes or drunken aggression."
The Council of Ministers on Thursday approved a draft law to regulate acid, which is used in a number of disfiguring assaults for both men and women each year.

The attacks make use of hydrochloric or sulfuric acid and can be devastating for those who survive them, causing deep, permanent scars to the head, face and body. They can also be lethal.

While many of the cases that make headlines involve women, Chhum Chenda Sophea, a project manager for the Cambodian Acid Survivor Charity, said about half of the 350 victims she works with are men.


Motives of such attacks center around love triangles, money disputes or drunken aggression, she said. The organization has recorded 20 victims so far this year, Chhum Chenda said.

Am Sam Ath, lead investigator for the rights group Licadho, said the frequency of attacks continues with no sign of abatement.

"We see each year at least 30 cases made by acid attacks," he said.

The law, which will now move to the National Assembly for debate, seeks to regulate the production, sale and distribution of acid, which also has industrial and other uses. It contains punishment of up to five years in prison for the illegal sale of acid and from 15 years to life for convicted assailants.

Tribunal Hopes To Conclude Duch Verdict This Year

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:27 AM PDT

In this photo released by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, Kaing Guek Eav, also known as Duch, who ran the notorious Toul Sleng detention center, greets court officers during his appeal at the U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, March 29, 2011. The man who admitted to overseeing the torture and killing of 16,000 people as the Khmer Rouge's chief prison warden returned to the courtroom in Cambodia to appeal his 19-year prison sentence for war crimes and crimes against humanity. (Photo: AFP)

Thursday, 01 September 2011
Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
"By the end of the year, there will be a verdict."
The Supreme Court Chamber of the Khmer Rouge tribunal said Thursday it hopes to have a final verdict in the case of torture chief Duch by the end of the year.

Duch, whose real name is Kaing Kek Iev, underwent an atrocity crimes trial at the UN-backed court in 2009, and was later given a commuted sentence of 19 years for overseeing the torture and execution of more than 12,000 Cambodians at Tuol Sleng prison.

Prosecutors say they want that sentence—which upset many victims of the regime—increased to 45 years, while defense had appealed to have him released.


"The public will be informed about the date of the pronouncement of the judgment as soon as it is determined," the chamber said in a statement.

"By the end of the year, there will be a verdict," tribunal spokesman Dim Sovannarom said.

The trial of Duch, who admitted his guilt and asked for the forgiveness of his victims, was a first for the court, which was established in 2006 and has shouldered criticism for its slow pace, as jailed leaders and their victims advance in age.

The announcement came after a leading victim activist, Tuol Sleng survivor Vann Nath, fell into a coma after an apparent heart attack last week. He remains in that condition at a clinic in the capital.

Chum Mey, who also survived the prison and is the president of the Association of Democratic Kampuchea Victims, said he was "not yet happy" with the work of the court, which is now preparing a case against four more jailed regime leaders.

Sithi.org Wins an ISIF 2011 Award

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:19 AM PDT


The Cambodian Center for Human Rights is proud to announce that Cambodia's first online human rights portal www.sithi.org has won an Information Society Innovation Fund (ISIF) 2011 Award under the category of "Rights and Freedoms", granted by the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC). The ISIF 2011 Award has been granted in recognition of the role that the portal has played in advocating for social change and in promoting the civil and political rights of Cambodian citizens, using information communication technologies (ICT) in innovative ways.

The CCHR management committee, staff and project team would like thank all our donors whose generous support transformed an idea into a reality. We would also like to thank everyone that has contributed to the continued development of the Portal and everyone who has visited the website and used itin their research. Thank you to you all - we would not have won the award without your continued support.

In response to the award, Chor Chanthyda, the Portal Project Coordinator, commented:

" The Sithi team are proud to receive this reward in recognition for the hard work we are doing in promoting online platforms as an effective tool to share information on the situation of human rights in Cambodia. This reward will spur us to work harder, to constantly improve sithi.org in order to provide users with a valuable tool in their research and efforts to promote and protect human rights in Cambodia"

CCHR would finally like to thank APNIC for the recognition this award gives the Portal.

Please find attached a press release from APNIC outlining the presentation of the ISIF Awards 2011.

For more information please contact:

Ms Chor Chanthyda, Project Coordinator
Email: thyda@cchrcambodia.org
Phone: +85 (0) 12515506


http://www.box.net/shared/606zk8c8hf908zqx8v3o

Cut price latrine on design award shortlist

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:06 AM PDT

Shortlisted designs are being rolled out to rural populations in Cambodia


1 September 2011
Kounila Keo
SciDev.net

[PHNOM PENH] A toilet kit and a self-cleaning water filter are among the innovations shortlisted for a major award that recognises the importance of design in improving lives.

The Easy Latrine and Tulip Siphon Water Filter, both being rolled out in Cambodia, have reached the final round of the Denmark-based INDEX awards which have a top prize of €500,000 (US$711,000), and will be awarded later today.

The US$35 Easy Latrine is an affordable, all-in-one toilet kit aimed at the rural poor in Cambodia, where open defecation is common and 82 per cent of households do not have a toilet.


"Purchasing a latrine was prohibitively difficult for rural customers who source materials from various shops, organize transport, hire skilled labour to construct and install the latrine — they often pay more than US$100," said Yi Wei, water and sanitation advisor of International Development Enterprises (IDE), a non-profit organisation which commissioned the latrine together with the Cambodian Ministry of Rural Development and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The Easy Latrine can be assembled by villagers. It is locally produced from cheap materials such as concrete and rice husks.

The latrine project has established around 30 sustainable enterprises, most of which received training from IDE, and more than 11,500 latrines have been purchased from them over the past year, Wei said.

Another shortlisted design, the Tulip water filter, consists of a ceramic filter, a tube and a tap. Klaas van der Ven, owner of the manufacturing company Basic Water Needs India, which designed the filter, said that more than 170,000 have been sold and that there has been an explosive growth in demand.

"What's special about the water filter is its cleaning system, the fast flow of five litres per hour, and the small weight and volume."

The filters contain silver particles, which reduce the recontamination risk of stored filtered water, he said.

"The small size makes it easy for small hardware and general stores to keep it in stock, and to distribute it on a large scale for emergency situations," Klaas said.

Huy Dara, president of Ideas at Work — a social enterprise with offices in Cambodia and the Netherlands that is distributing the filter — said it costs US$16, and has been popular with the rural poor because it is easy to clean and very portable.

The filter is also being rolled out in other countries including India, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania.

Adam von Haffner Paulsen, news director at INDEX, said: "Design has a great role to play in science and technology innovation". He added that designers and scientists should work together from the start of the invention process to ensure the user-friendliness of technologies that can improve people's lives.

Court Wraps Up Fitness Hearing For Accused In Cambodia Genocide Trial

Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:01 AM PDT

Friday, September 02, 2011
By Peter Fowler

(Newsroom America) -- A United Nations-backed tribunal has wrapped up three days of hearings in the Cambodian capital to help determine whether two of the most senior surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime are fit enough to stand trial for alleged genocide and other war crimes.

The session held by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), sitting in Phnom Penh, ended yesterday after hearing an expert's findings regarding the health of former social affairs minister, Ieng Thirith, 79, and Nuon Chea, former deputy secretary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, 84.

The expert, Professor John Campbell, a geriatrician from New Zealand, said that Ieng Thirith is suffering from a serious form of progressive dementia, likely due to Alzheimer's. He said she has "severe cognitive impairment" and recommended her for further assessment by psychiatrists.


"There are a number of factors that may be contributing and I think that Alzheimer's is certainly one of those," he said, concluding that she would have difficulty instructing her counsel and participating fully in the trial proceedings.

The court decided that psychiatrists would shortly conduct a supplemental assessment on Ieng Thirith's mental health and that the assessment will be examined in due course.

Nuon Chea, meanwhile, was not found unfit to stand trial by Mr. Campbell in his assessment but contested his assessment and demanded that he be re-assessed by another expert.

"It's not that I don't believe Dr. Campbell, but my health conditions are getting worse and worse, both physically and emotionally as well as my intellectual ability," said the accused. Mr. Campbell repeatedly told the court that Nuon Chea displayed no evidence of health conditions that might prevent him from participating meaningfully in the proceedings, adding that his stroke in 1995 was minor and his cardiac conditions appear stable.

The two accused are standing trial along with Ieng Sary, 85, who is Ieng Thirith's husband and former foreign minister, and Khieu Samphan, 80, former head of State of Democratic Kampuchea, for crimes allegedly committed under the Pol Pot regime in the late 1970s.

The ECCC – an independent court using a mixture of Cambodian staff and judges and foreign personnel – was set up in 2006 under an agreement signed by the UN and Cambodia.

Special Khmer Rouge court starts contempt proceedings against VOA [-No time to investigate, but has time for contempt charge!!!]

Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:47 PM PDT

Thursday 1 September 2011.
Source: Reporters Without Borders

Reporters Without Borders is dismayed to learn that a UN-backed special tribunal that is trying former Khmer Rouge leaders for war crimes has started contempt of court proceedings against Voice of America's Khmer-language service for allegedly revealing confidential information about a new case against the Khmer Rouge.

"It is shocking to imagine that an international court supported by the United Nations, one that took more than 10 years to set up, could prosecute a news outlet that was just doing its best to cover its work," Reporters Without Borders said. "We urge the court to abandon these proceedings against Voice of America and to restrict itself to the mandate it received under the accords between the Cambodian government and the United Nations."

Voice of America Khmer quoted an official court document in an article and a video posted on its website on 10 August that were about the court's fourth and last case. VOA said the court was currently considering new allegations of mass killings by three Khmer Rouge officials between 1975 and 1979.

The court has issued several warnings in the past to news media and journalists that they could face contempt proceedings if they revealed confidential court information but, according to Agence France-Presse, this is the first time that the court has carried out its threat.

In a statement yesterday, VOA Khmer chief Chris Decherd said: VOA Khmer supports the work of the tribunal and helps to inform the Cambodian public by reporting about the court's work."

He added: "The role of VOA Khmer is to serve the 14 million citizens of Cambodia by reporting, producing and broadcasting news reports about the world, the US, Asia and Cambodia that are important and relevant to Cambodian citizens, who deserve and are well-served by objective and quality news reporting about issues and topics that impact and affect their daily lives."

U.S.-Cambodia looking for investment possibilities to boost economic ties

Posted: 01 Sep 2011 11:42 PM PDT

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A group of U.S. investors from the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council on Thursday visited Cambodia to observe investment opportunities and to boost trade and investment ties between U.S. and ASEAN member countries.

The group consisted of 11 U.S. firms led by Frances Zwenig, the Counselor of the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council.

During a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday afternoon, Frances Zwenig said the firms were in the businesses of oil and gas, manufacturing industries, automobile, financial industry, technologies, telecommunications and health.

"The visit will be a good opportunity for the U.S. investors to learn about Cambodia's potentials and it will also build stronger economic and trade relations between the U.S. and ASEAN member countries," she said.


During the first half of this year, the Council for the Development of Cambodia had reported that the U.S. investment projects in Cambodia was 142 million U.S. dollars, compared to the only 34.5 million U.S. dollars at the same period last year.

On the trade side, the two countries' bilateral trade was around one billion U.S. dollars in the first half of this year, mostly Cambodia's garment exports to the United States, according to the record of the Commerce Ministry.

Meanwhile, Hun Sen said Cambodia's economic growth was currently supported by garment industry, tourism, agriculture and real estate, and the government had been encouraging foreign investors to put their ventures in extractive industries including mining, oil and gas in order to boost the economic growth.

The premier also asked the U.S. investors to consider investing in agriculture by setting up processing plants of rice, corn, cassava and rubber.

Earlier in the day, the delegation met with the Minister of Finance Keat Chhon.

The delegation's visit to Cambodia was made just two weeks after the U.S. Export-Import Bank (Exim Bank) and Cambodia Chamber of Commerce inked deal on trade loan guarantees to boost trade between the two countries.

Under the agreement, Exim Bank will provide loan guarantees to underwrite the risk of nonpayment of medium- and long-term loans extended by commercial banks to Cambodian buyers of U.S. goods and services.

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