KI Media: “Vat Phou temple's ancient history” plus 24 more

KI Media: “Vat Phou temple's ancient history” plus 24 more

Vat Phou temple's ancient history

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 04:50 PM PDT

UNDER THREAT: The ruins of Vat Phou in southern Laos hold secrets that are being destroyed by development. (TRISTAN SAVATIER/GETTY IMAGES)
18/10/2011
LEISA TYLER
Stuff.co.nz (New Zealand)
"Vat Phou or Wat Phu (Lao: ວັດພູ [wāt pʰúː] temple-mountain) is a ruined Khmer temple complex in southern Laos. It is located at the base of mount Phu Kao, some 6 km from the Mekong river in Champasak province. There was a temple on the site as early as the 5th century, but the surviving structures date from the 11th to 13th centuries. The temple has a unique structure, in which the elements lead to a shrine where a linga was bathed in water from a mountain spring. The site later became a centre of Theravada Buddhist worship, which it remains today." - Wikipedia
In the fifth century, Champasak was thought to be the centre of the Laotian universe. Today it's a drowsy one-car village clutching the western bank of the Mekong River in southern Laos and home to the tiny Hindu-built Vat Phou, which some archaeologists believe may have been the first Angkor temple ever built.

At a glance, Vat Phou doesn't seem like the kind of structure that would initiate an empire. A tiny prayer hall at the top of a precarious stone stairway, with two reception halls on the plains below, Vat Phou lacks the jaw-dropping awesomeness of temples in Cambodia's Angkor Archaeological Park. But as with the Angkor temples, its symbolism is extraordinary.

Tucked under the phallic-shaped mountain peak of Phu Kao - thought to represent Mount Meru, the sacred mountain at the centre of the Hindu cosmology - Vat Phou was worshipped as the embodiment of Shiva. The spring nearby was associated with Shiva's wife, the goddess Parvati. Water runs underground from Phu Kao's peak, rising through Parvati. From here, passing a series of barays (man-made dams) and linga (phallic statues), water flows into the Mekong, blessing everything on its journey south.

I learn this while poring over a satellite map with Daniel Davenport, an articulate but debated Australian archaeologist working in Champasak and author of the Vat Phou Guide: Following in the Footsteps of Angkor's Pilgrims, a tourist compendium on the area that Davenport is self publishing.

"Vat Phou could quite well have been the first, the pre-eminent, Angkor temple," he says, explaining that early worshippers took a piece of Vat Phou stone and placed it under every subsequent temple they built.

On the map, Davenport points out a well-defined line leading from one of the reception halls at Vat Phou to the temple of Angkor Wat. "This used to be a pilgrims' road during the Khmer Empire," he says, referring to the kingdom that reigned over much of south-east Asia between the ninth and thirteenth centuries and used the Angkor Archaelogical Park as the capital. "They had roadhouses every six miles (nine kilometres) with accommodation, food, shelter for the animals and hospitals; six miles being the average distance a bullock cart could travel in a day."

However, archaeologists at Vat Phou know a lot less than they would like to. "We have excavated about 5 per cent of the area," says Laurent Delfour, a French architect who has been working with UNESCO to manage the site for the past three-and-a-half years. "That translates as 5 per cent knowledge on the area. We believe that Vat Phou marked the beginning of the Angkor Empire but nothing is certain."

What is certain is the race against time Champasak's hidden treasures face. A new highway linking the town with the regional capital of Pakse and the Thai border post of Chong Mek, has already disturbed six ancient temples beneath the ground. Champasak was designated a World Heritage zone in 2001; building without assessments, and approval, is not permitted.

Ad Feedback
"The Laos Ministry of Information and Culture did a little research into the area where the road was going," says a long-term Champasak resident who requested anonymity. "But the findings were just pushed aside and work on the road accelerated."

The local government is hoping the road, which will extend to the Cambodian border, will bring in busloads of tourists.

Parcels of land on the road to Vat Phou have been partitioned for infrastructure such as entertainment complexes and restaurants.

At a glance, Champasak doesn't seem to have changed since my first visit in the late 1990s, when the trickle of visitors who made it this far south stayed in bamboo-built bungalows and getting to Pakse, 50 kilometres away, required crossing the Mekong by ferry, then negotiating a muddy trail into town.

Champasak's streets are still lined with gently decaying colonial buildings and shop-houses selling refreshments such as pho and tam mak hung - spicy papaya salad. The preferred mode of transport has been upgraded from bicycle to motorbike. There is also a clutch of recently opened boutique hotels. The Hotel Inthira Champanakone has 14 rooms set around a white colonial mansion that used to be a Chinese trading house. A few kilometres outside Champasak, a new River Resort is under construction. The 24-room La Folie Lodge on Don Daeng Island, on the opposite side of the river, has manicured gardens and a lovely pool.

Champasak even has a spa. Run by a French couple, Champa Spa offers Laotian-style massages from $US6 ($NZ7.84), in an old wooden house using home-made herbal oils.

The town's greatest find is more surreptitious. Frice & Lujanie, an unassuming two-table restaurant on the front porch of a 1950s bungalow, uses eighteenth and nineteenth century recipes drawn from northeast Italy's Friuli region. Everything from the pasta to the porchetta is home-made and, best of all, you can stuff yourself silly on a budget. My bill for two people, including several glasses French table wine, comes to less than $US25 (NZ$31).

From Champasak, you can take a long-tail wooden boat south to Si Phan Don, literally translated as "four thousand islands". Here the Mekong stretches its girth across 14 kilometres and splits into countless tributaries, forming an archipelago of islands and sand bars peppered with palm trees and fishermen's stilt-built villages. An hour or two east by car is the Bolaven Plateau, a cool, misty mountain range teeming with tracts of old-growth rainforest, waterfalls and coffee plantations.

Introduced by French colonists in the early twentieth century, coffee is southern Laos's biggest export. It has instigated a small tourism industry, with plantations opening on-site restaurants and hotels. A roadside cafe serving Laotian-style coffee means strong robusta beans ground and strained through a cotton sock, then mixed with a generous dollop of sweet condensed milk.

The region's greatest hit is still Vat Phou. Accessible via a set of 77 stone stairs that rise past old frangipani trees and deity statues, the tiny temple is as enchanting as its surrounds. Behind is a sheer cliff face; below stretches the moss-green plains that hold the riddles of ancient cities and civilisations.

At the heart of the temple, which barely measures five metres by three, is a towering stone Buddha (Buddhism replaced Hinduism here in the thirteenth century), crowded by three smaller statues and a spread of offerings: flowers, incense, garlands and a Sprite bottle, with straw. They have been left by the local caretakers and a trickle of visitors who still worship here. It's quiet, peaceful and absolutely captivating; for now.

Time to do a border deal

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 04:39 PM PDT

18/10/2011
Bangkok Post
EDITORIAL

The flood crisis notwithstanding, Thai-Cambodian relations remain one of the government's top priority issues. On the surface, everything changed right after the July 3 election. From high, dangerous tension, relations with our neighbour switched to sweetness and light. But that welcome switch masks several hard truths, arguably the most important of which is the sea boundary.

In addition to the predictable views of self-styled nationalists, important economic interests are at stake below the Gulf waters off Trat province. Emergency measures to fight the worst of the flood damage are more urgent, but the cabinet will have to come to grips with the Cambodian problem without delay.

The issue of the controversial Memorandum of Understanding was scheduled for cabinet discussion today. It is unlikely that the MoU will make it to the final agenda. But for certain the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will take it up without delay. Foreign Minister Surapong Towijakchaikul clearly understands the importance _ and the urgency _ of this problem.


The MoU is a polite understanding that keeps Thai-Cambodian relations on an even keel. But it does not address or solve the underlying problems. These include where the Thai-Cambodian border lies, and more helpfully how the countries can exploit the oil and gas deposits beneath the shallow waters.

Within days of taking office, Mr Surapong huddled with senior officials to discuss the MoU. He quickly won the backing of these foreign relations professionals to move ahead. The first problem is that the MoU itself is only a fragile basis. It was negotiated by the Chuan Leekpai government more than a decade ago and signed in 2001.

As they did with the Preah Vihear temple region and other border issues, nationalists flayed sitting governments for allegedly "giving in" to Cambodia. Rumours spread during the days of the Thaksin Shinawatra administration that Thaksin was somehow angling to give away Thai maritime territory in return for something _ an island resort, some claimed. The erstwhile government of Abhisit Vejjajiva effectively shelved the MoU when Prime Minister Hun Sen named Thaksin as Cambodia's economic adviser.

Now, according to Mr Surapong, Foreign Ministry bureaucrats insist the MoU is valid. This is good news. The ministry under Mr Surapong has set up a special committee to conduct negotiations with Cambodia. There are two aims here: one is to clearly demarcate the border so that everyone understands exactly where the frontier lies. The second is to establish a bilateral body to enable joint development of the natural resources.

Energy Minister Pichai Naripthaphan last week noted the reason these aims are important: "Thailand will run out of gas in 15 years." Without gas, Thailand cannot meet basic power demands by industries and consumers. The cheapest gas is locally supplied. More importantly, Thai gas is a matter of national security; the more home-grown the energy, the better the assurances that we will not run out.

The government must assure that Hun Sen's Cambodian authorities negotiate these issues in good faith. PM Yingluck must also assure that the anti-Cambodian nationalists who nearly derailed relations in 2008 and 2009, do not prevail. In recent years, politicians have not done a very good job of handling relations with our eastern neighbour. The prime minister should consider handing these technical problems over to foreign affairs professionals, to let them handle the negotiations.

[M'sian] Cops: No records of Cambodian maids murdered here [... so why are Cambodian maids dying in Malaysia?]

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 04:34 PM PDT

Charles Ramendran
The Sun Daily (Malaysia)

KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 17, 2011): Police rebutted claims in news reports that there were three cases of Cambodian maids murdered in Malaysia.

Federal Criminal Investigations Department director Commissioner Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin said today that police had not received any reports on cases involving the murder of Cambodian maids since 2004.

Mohd Bakri said there were only two cases of Cambodians killed here since 2004 and both died at the hands of their fellow countrymen.

He said in May 2004, a Cambodian woman died after being splashed with acid by another Cambodian woman in Ulu Tiram, Johor.


He said the attacker was the ex-wife of the victim's husband and the case is still under investigation as the perpetrator was still at large.

Mohd Bakri said in September last year, a Cambodian man was murdered by his fellow countryman because his handphone ringtone was too loud.

He said as for rape cases involving Cambodian women, police received 37 reports between 2009 until last month. Twenty-nine of the 37 cases involved maids of which 23 have been solved.

He said there has been no evidence of rape in the remaining eight cases, some of which are still being investigated.

On maid abuse cases involving Cambodians, Mohd Bakri said between 2009 and September 2011, nine cases were reported, of which three were solved.

"We have not received any murder reports involving Cambodian maids from the families or representatives of the Cambodian government.

"We do not take such cases involving foreign workers lightly, and we ensure action is taken against those involved in such crimes.

A Reuters report on Saturday stated that Cambodia had banned its citizens from working as maids in Malaysia following a series of horrific cases of assault, rape and murder.

Judge Resigns, Casting Doubt Over Khmer Rouge Trials

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 04:28 PM PDT

In this undated photo, a man cleans a skull near a mass grave at the Choeung Ek camp outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia — the best known of the killing fields run by the Khmer Rouge in the middle and late 1970s. Now, Cambodians are skeptical that a U.N.-backed tribunal will be able to deliver justice in the case of four remaining high-level Khmer Rouge officials. (Jeff Widener/AP)

October 17, 2011
By Anthony Kuhn
National Public Radio (NPR, USA)

Click the control below to listen to the audio program:


Long running and frequently delayed, the legal cases against former leaders of the Khmer Rouge are now in danger of being terminated before many of their victims get the justice they've sought.

A German judge resigned this month from the U.N.-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal. The judge, Siegfried Blunk, felt Cambodian officials were obstructing efforts to investigate the crimes of the Khmer Rouge, which is believed to have killed as many as 2 million of its own citizens between 1975 and 1979.

The resignation has triggered skepticism among Cambodians about the prospects for justice at the tribunal, and about the U.N.'s involvement in it.

The remaining four members of the Khmer Rouge's ruling Central Committee — Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Tirith — are all in their 70s or 80s, and the court is hurrying to put them on trial before they die.


Prime Minister Hun Sen, himself a former Khmer Rouge regimental commander, has spoken out publicly against any further prosecutions, saying they would be divisive and harmful to national security.

This further complicated the job of Judge Blunk, who was supposed to investigate cases before they went to trial.

But Blunk says he resisted the pressure and tried his best to remain impartial.

Court spokesman Lars Olsen says Blunk performed his duties "assuming that the reported statements by the prime minister last year about not allowing further cases to move forward was not reflective of the general Cambodian government's policy."

Critics accused Blunk of caving in to government pressure and dropping the tribunal's investigations. Several of his staff quit in protest. Blunk submitted his resignation to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Oct. 9. Olsen says the tribunal has a back-up judge who will take over.

Continuing Efforts To Mobilize Victims

Since its first hearings nearly four years ago, the tribunal has made judicial history by allowing victims to seek nominal reparations from Khmer Rouge leaders.

Earlier this month, activists traveled to central Kampong Chhnang province to conduct human rights training and hand out applications for more victims to participate, even though further cases may never go to trial.

High school teacher Kourn Ngourn, who lost his parents to the Khmer Rouge, was among those attending the event. He complains that victims are getting little help from the Cambodian government or the U.N.

"We see that the authorities are lax in their management," he says. "They have no arrangement to provide information to the victims. They're not helping them to apply to be civil parties at the tribunal."

American-trained lawyer Theary Seng, who was orphaned by the Khmer Rouge, conducted the training in Kampong Chhnang.

"I am making personal, direct charges" against the four remaining leaders, she says, "holding them responsible for the deaths of my father, of my mother, for the fact that they imprisoned me for five to six months as a child."

Seng is helping to organize fellow victims, but she says the government is excluding many civil parties from the tribunal and barring those who do participate from arguing their own cases. She says this has degraded the quality of the victims' participation.

"The quality of it has just spiraled downward to a quality where I have a hard time accepting whether I should continue to be in this process or not," she says.

Seng pointed to the abandoned Kampong Chhnang airport nearby. Cows placidly graze where she says the Khmer Rouge executed 20,000 to 30,000 people in the late 1970s. Until recently, the control tower was piled high with victims' skulls and bones. Seng is indignant that this crime site is being neither investigated nor protected.

On the other hand, the tribunal barely has the resources or time to investigate more than a few of Cambodia's 189 prisons, 380 killing fields and 19,403 mass graves, according to the Documentation Center of Cambodia.

Disappointment In Lack Of International Pressure

Nobody is disputing that the tribunal's scope must be limited. Its mandate, after all, is to only go after the most senior, most responsible Khmer Rouge leaders. What victims and their lawyers object to is that the government appears to be dictating those limits to the tribunal.

German lawyer Silke Studzinsky, who also represents Khmer Rouge victims, says that political interference in the tribunal is undermining efforts to establish the rule of law in Cambodia.

"How can this be a model for national courts, when a prime minister has the right to order a court?" she asks. "That is a very bad example for Cambodia and also for the legacy of this court."

Studzinsky adds that the tribunal has gradually chipped away at the procedural rights of lawyers representing Khmer Rouge victims, for example, depriving them of the right to cross-examine experts and character witnesses.

Theary Seng, the U.S.-trained lawyer, says that the Cambodian government has deftly outmaneuvered the U.N. and thereby put its authority in question. But she says it doesn't have to be that way.

"The international community has a lot of weight that it is not using out of, really, apathy, out of arrogance, out of just lack of concern," she laments.

After Vietnamese troops drove the Khmer Rouge from power in 1979, Cambodia was the site of a Cold War proxy battle. China, with U.S. backing, shielded the Khmer Rouge, while the Soviet Union and Vietnamese backed the National Salvation Front, including Hun Sen.

So while many Cambodians feel the U.N. and the international community bear some responsibility for their country's fate, they also wouldn't exactly be surprised if foreign powers turn a blind eye and let the remaining Khmer Rouge leaders off the hook.

Conference for Southeast Asian American education looks to future

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 04:13 PM PDT

Originally posted at http://bit.ly/nafea-2011

LONG BEACH, CA – The National Association for the Education and Advancement of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese Americans (NAFEA) held its annual national conference at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) on October 7th and 8th. The gathering was an opportunity for educators, community leaders, and other interested parties to share their various endeavors while focusing on the future of Southeast Asian American students in the new education era.

Dr. Channy Sak-Humphry, president of NAFEA and associate professor at theUniversity ofHawaii, Manoa, led the organizers of the conference. In a letter of welcome, she called upon those attending to unite in a "communication network [that] will help build and reinforce the best quality education for our generation and future generations." Indeed, sessions during the two days addressed a variety of relevant issues, such as funding sources for language education, policy recommendations, and even Cambodian-specific discussions–a forum specifically devoted to Cambodian issues/advocacy and an account of the process of achieving the official Cambodia Town designation just a few miles away from the conference site.

Sitting in during the Cambodian advocacy forum, titled "One Message, Many Voices: Strategizing for More Effective Community Advocacy," offered a lively conversation concerning topics education-related and beyond. The forum moderators were an accomplished set of Khmer professionals: Dr. Khatharya Um of UC Berkeley, Bouy Te of the National Education Association, Dr. Connie Mom Chhing of Clark County, Washington's Department of Community Services, and Dr. Vichet Chhuon of the University of Minnesota.


Dr. Khatharya opened the forum by introducing the nascent National Cambodian American Organization (NCAO), which she explained as an effort to increase Khmer representation and visibility in policy-making and other settings of influence. At the same time, she said, NCAO was formed out of frustration at the compartmentalization of so many efforts to better the community, which in isolation cannot be as effective. Dr. Chhing continued by inviting those present to speak out about issues that NCAO might take up, and the voices in the room did not fail to raise many resonant points.United Cambodian Community, Khmer Girls in Action, The Cambodian Family, Cambodia Town, and Pacific Asian Counseling Services were some of the local organizations represented, while the out-of-state representation included Seattle, San Antonio, and Washington,DC.

Among the litany of suggested issues:
  • healing from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (echoing a panel discussion chaired by CSULB's Dr. Leakhena Nou the previous day);
  • improving inter-generational relationships and attitudes toward higher education;
  • the rights of those sentenced to deportation for minor offenses;
  • having successful individuals return to work/live in the community rather than leave it behind;
  • productive ways to contribute to the community besides educational advancement;
  • the status of bilingual and dual immersion programs for Khmer speakers in elementary school;
  • creating a clearinghouse for research and data about the Khmer American population.
The challenge, as the forum's title alluded to, was to find a coherent message from this long list and determine what concrete actions could be taken next in support of that message. The two-hour session adjourned with the promise to continue the conversation through correspondence, and many business cards were warmly exchanged. One of the attendees was Sophea Seng, a master's student in Asian studies at CSULB, who said, "I think the discussion facilitated by Dr. Um was really helpful. I hadn't thought about all the different levels of activism, from community grassroots to the social research in universities, and how these could be better centralized."

Participating in the forum was a mix of academics, representatives of local community organizations, undergraduate and graduate students, and members of the general public, a cross-section that mirrored the demographics of the conference as a whole. Although it was clear that there remains much work to be done, all seemed to come away with a genuine appreciation for the event and the discussions it had generated.

"I wanted to attend the NAFEA conference this year to listen and try to better understand people in my community, advocates, and professionals from all different fields [in terms of] what they feel are profound issues affecting Southeast Asian and Asian Pacific Islander Americans communities today," said Darlene Ly, a CSULB student in the school counseling master's program. "I gained a greater sense of hope for the Cambodian American community walking into this conference than I had otherwise."
___
Eric Chuk attended the conference also to present a talk about Khmerican.com titled "Giving Voice to an Immigrant Community: The Importance of and Need for a National Media Outlet."

New England school marks 65th Khmer student group

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 03:50 PM PDT

Amy Ear (L, Treasurer), Patrick Lour (R, President)
Dan Vang, break dancing
Originally posted on http://bit.ly/uconn-camsa
MANSFIELD, CT– Home to the first silk mill in the United States and surrounded by protected parks and preserves, Storrs is a small community centered on life at the University of Connecticut. And in this unlikely environment stands a small but committed group of student leaders who want to bring Khmer culture to campus.

Leading this effort is 21-year-old senior Patrick Lour, who recently mobilized his fellow students to establish the Cambodian Student Association, or CamSA. In late August of 2011, after being inactive for eight years, CamSA became recognized once again in the university's student organization directory. Its registration marks the 65th Khmer-student organization (KSO) in the nation.

The first known KSO, however, was founded in the fall of 1969 on the campus of California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). Its inception was a result of the first wave of international students who began to arrive in the U.S. after Cambodia's independence from France. Before its lapse into inactivity, CamSA, like the Cambodian Student Society of CSULB, served and supported Khmer students and worked to raise cultural awareness among the campus community.


"I felt the need to create an organization that brought people together to learn more about their own [Khmer] culture," said Lour, CamSA president and chief operating officer. There were Cambodian students attending meetings run by the Vietnamese Student Association and Filipino American Student Association, but none for those that embrace Khmer culture."

Despite UConn's aggressive recruitment of students from underrepresented communities, Southeast Asian Americans, especially Cambodian Americans, have lacked visibility among the 30,000 students that comprise the six campuses. Overall, the university does boast a 9 percent Asian population among its enrollment.

"As an incoming freshman, I wondered why there was no Khmer student association," said Dan Vang, 20, now a senior in anthropology. To build his leadership skills, Vang resorted to joining the Japanese Student Association and founded a breakdancing collective, serving as events coordinator and president, respectively. "But I became part of CamSA because I wanted to help create a comfortable environment for other Khmer students to come together and share. It was a cure for my being homesick."

Vang grew up in Khmer-populated neighborhoods of Providence, Rhode Island and Bridgeport, Connecticut that remain deeply embedded in his psyche--from the sound of the Khmer language taught in local community centers, the scent of fresh beef skewers sold at markets, and the jubilant faces of colorfully-dressed locals celebrating New Year at the Buddhist pagodas. Those sensations filled his childhood but have been absent throughout his college experience.

But today CamSA consists of approximately 25 members and a faculty advisor who Vang hopes can all revive the organization, helping him and others to reconnect with their roots.

"It's important that we create CamSA to serve as a platform for education and dialogue," said junior and CamSA treasurer Amy Ear. A mathematics and education major, Ear is ethnic Chinese but grew up culturally Khmer, born and raised in Norwalk, CT. Her parents' combined numbers of siblings totaled 17, but half perished during the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1979. "It's been a great experience to see other Khmer students come together to learn from one another."

CamSA's first event will be a fundraiser selling spring rolls, on October 31st. Other activities planned for the academic year include a Khmer Pop Night that brings national acts such as praCh Ly and Tiny Toones, as well as doing outreach with other KSOs in the New England area.

"Easy does it"? - Op-Ed by James Sok

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 03:37 PM PDT

Srok Sre Sneh Kh-nhom "My lovely countryside" - Poem in Khmer Chhany Chham

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 01:42 PM PDT

1991 Paris Peace Agreement - Solidarity March & Rally in Ottawa, Canada

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 10:49 AM PDT

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

We encourage you all to participate to the ceremony of the 20th Anniversary of Paris Peace Accord at the temple Buddhasatharam in Montreal and the public demonstration at the Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Please note that the public demonstration is not only about politics, it is about freedom, about peace, and human rights in Kampuchea. In Canada we are lucky to have freedom and justice, why not helping Khmer people to reach that level. March for peace and freedom, march for reconvening the Paris Peace Accord of 1991. Please invite all your relatives and friends for this public demonstration. Get yourself ready, tell your boss you will take a day off, or tell your director that you will not attend class the 24th of October 2011. People will only respect you more when they see that you love your country and that you are doing this to help others.

Promote peace & freedom.


Organizer Committee

China paper warns India against Vietnam oil deal

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 09:51 AM PDT

Oct 16 (Reuters) - India is playing with fire by agreeing to explore for oil with Vietnam in the disputed South China Sea, a major Chinese newspaper said on Sunday, advising the Indian company to reconsider and pull out.

India's state-run explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp said on Wednesday its overseas investment arm had signed a three-year deal with PetroVietnam for developing long-term cooperation in the oil sector.

The news came as China and Vietnam signed an agreement seeking to contain a dispute over the South China Sea that has stoked tensions between the two Communist-ruled neighbours divided by a history of mistrust.

The China Energy News, published by Communist Party mouthpiece the People's Daily, said cooperation between India and Vietnam in these seas was a bad idea.


"India's energy strategy is slipping into an extremely dangerous whirlpool," it said in a front page commentary.

Both China and India have huge energy needs, which had led them to compete in some parts of the world and cooperate in others, it said.

"But oil companies must have a bottom line, which is to follow international law and respect the structure of international relations," the newspaper added.

"On the question of cooperation with Vietnam, the bottom line for Indian companies is that they must not enter into the disputed waters of the South China Sea," it said.

"Challenging the core interests of a large, rising country for unknown oil at the bottom of the sea will not only lead to a crushing defeat for the Indian oil company, but will most likely seriously harm India's whole energy security and interrupt its economic development.

"Indian oil company policy makers should consider the interests of their own country, and turn around at the soonest opportunity and leave the South China Sea," it said.

The pact between ONGC Videsh and Vietnam's oil and gas agency covers new investments and strengthening presence from drilling-to-dispensing in Vietnam, India, and other countries, ONGC said.

ONGC Videsh, along with TNK-BP and PetroVietnam, has a stake in a gas field in the Nam Con Son basin, off Vietnam's south coast. In 2006, Vietnam had awarded two exploration blocks -- 127 and 128 -- in Phu Kanh basin to ONGC Videsh.

Vietnam and China -- as well as the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan -- stake conflicting claims over parts of the South China Sea, a potentially oil and gas rich body of water spanned by key shipping lanes.

Last month, China's top official newspaper warned that a joint energy project between India and Vietnam in the sea infringed China's territorial claims.

In May and June, Vietnam accused Chinese vessels of harassing Vietnamese ships within Vietnam's exclusive economic zone. China denied its ships had done anything wrong.

Businessmen and diplomats say China has pressured foreign firms in deals with Vietnam not to develop oil blocks in the sea.

China and Vietnam have agreed to strengthen military cooperation, increase contacts between high-ranking officers and establish a hotline for the two defence ministries in a bid to cool tensions, Xinhua news agency said on Saturday.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Sally Huang, Editing by Don Durfee)

CEDAC asks people to not be overly concerned and stock rice

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 09:36 AM PDT

CEDAC is calling Cambodian people to not stock rice which could cause the price of rice to increase to an extremely high level.

CEDAC's President, Dr. Yang Saing Koma said that there are three main reasons why people do not to worry much about this.

For more details, please refer to the attached press release in Khmer.

Thanks and best regards,

Him Khortieth

........................
Communication Officer
Centre d'Etude et de Développement
AgricoleCambodgien (CEDAC)
No. 119,Street 257, Sangkat Toek Laak 1,
Khan ToulKork
B.P. 1118Phnom Penh
H/P:855-16-57-57-13
Tel : 855- 23-880-916
Fax :855-23-885-146

Five coup plotters freed by royal pardon

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 09:31 AM PDT

Hem Bunthoeun (Photo: SRP)
Monday, 17 October 2011
Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

Five men convicted in December, 2005 for their participation in an abortive coup attempt have been granted pardons by King Norodom Sihamoni, although only one of the five has been released.

The pardons for the five former members of the Sam Rainsy Party – sentenced to 15 years jail each for terrorism and creating an armed force – came via royal decree on September 22.

On November 24, 2000, a group of California-based Cambodian Freedom Fighters members armed with AK-47s, grenades and B-40 rockets launched an attack on several government buildings. The ensuing battle left eight dead.

Days later, five men were arrested on charges of aiding a CFF attempt to topple the ruling Cambodian People's Party.


"Samdech Aka Moha Senapakdey Techo Hun Sen, prime minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, must carry out this royal decree accomplishedly. This royal decree is in effect from the signature day on," the decree stated.

But although Seng Narin, 52, has already been released, Tomloab Mil, 52, Bun Chanto, 48, Hem Bunthoeun, 45, and Chan Bunkhen, 42, remain behind bars.

Ven Ra, the wife of Bun Chanto and a Pailin province council member, expressed surprise at the decision, saying the five convicts' families and the SRP had requested the King's pardon in 2009 and 2010 without success.

But although her husband remains imprisoned nearly a month after the royal decree, Ven Ra did not comment about the slow-moving process, saying only that she was waiting for her husband to be released.

Ven Ra said her husband had been the SRP deputy president in Pailin province and Hem Bunthoeun had been the provincial party president, adding that her family remained loyal to the SRP.

Seng Narin, Tomloab Mil and Chan Bunkhen had been soldiers before their arrest, but had always supported the SRP, she said.

Seng Narin could not be reached for comment, but his daughter Sor Davy told the Post yesterday she had received her father's pardon on Thursday.

He was subsequently released from Kampong Cham's Sre Klong prison, she said.

The official who delivered the royal decree told her the other four men would be released this week, she added.

SRP spokesman Yim Sovann expressed his thanks for the pardon, but said he regretted the delay in the release of the four men – whose arrests he claimed had been politically motivated – and criticised the court and prison officials for not implementing the decree with immediate effect.

Yim Sovann said the fact that only one man has been released since the decree was issued showed that court and prison officials had "abused human rights and looked down on the King's decision".

He added that the SRP would welcome the members' return to the party if they wanted to rejoin it.

Bunn Hunn, under-secretary of state for the Ministry of Justice, said the King's pardon was dependent on a decree that mandates convicts must serve two-thirds of their prison sentence and demonstrate to prison offic-ials that they had changed their attitude before the head of government could request a pardon from the King.

Cambodia's Rubber Exports up 67 Pct in 9 Months

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 09:23 AM PDT

2011-10-17
Xinhua

Cambodia has seen an increase of 67 percent in the exports of rubber latex in the first nine months of this year, compared with the same period a year ago, according to the statistics from the Commerce Ministry on Monday.

The data recorded that from January to September this year, the country had exported a total of 35,000 tons of rubber latex, 67 percent rise from 21,000 tons at the same period last year.

The country earned the total revenues of 160 million U.S. dollars during the first nine months of this year, 186 percent rise from 55.9 million U.S. dollars it earned within the same period last year, it added.


A ton of good quality rubber latex is about 4,100 U.S. dollars on Monday, said Heng Sreng, deputy director of Long Sreng International and president of the Boeung Keth Rubber Plantation in Kampong Cham province.

Cambodia's rubber latex has been exported to Malaysia, Vietnam, China and South Korea, he added.

Currently, the country has grown approximately 210,000 hectares of rubber plantations, most of them are young crops, which have not yet yielded, according to the statistics of the Agriculture Ministry's Rubber Department.

Rubber plantations are found grown mostly in the provinces of Kampong Cham, Kampong Thom, Mondulkiri, Ratanakiri, Kratie and Preah Vihear.

Vietnam is the leading country investing in rubber plantations in Cambodia with up to 100,000 hectares of concessional land from Cambodian government.

Cambodia seeks Kuwaiti aid for flood victims [-Begging season after flood?]

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 09:20 AM PDT

KUWAIT, Oct 17 (KUNA) -- Prospected Kuwaiti relief assistance for victims of the deadly floods in Cambodia was basic topic discussed on Monday by the top diplomat of the Asian nation and the number-one national relief official, Barjas Homoud Al-Barjas. Emerging from a meeting with Al-Barjas, the Chairman of the Kuwait Red Crescent Society, Lung Kim said the discussions dealt with prospected offering of relief assistance to his nation that have suffered from heavy losses and damage as a result of wide-scale floods.

The floods caused by torrential rainfall damaged many houses, infrastructural facilities, roads, schools, bridges and hospital, Lung said.

He praised the KRCS for its noticeable relief and humanitarian efforts worldwide, particularly in the Asian continent where most of the peoples have suffered from natural catastrophes.


Elaborating on the disastrous flooding in his country, he said the raging waters swamped more 15 towns, demolished main roads stretching 200 kilometers and ravaged 500,000 hectares of rice fields.

The Cambodian people are facing hard conditions that warrant rapid aid from international and regional authorities, the ambassador said, adding Kuwaiti aid for Cambodia would help in sparing lives and restoring normal livelihood for natives of the stricken regions.

For his part, Al-Barjas assured his eminent guest that the society would help the victims in his country and seek to improve their living conditions. He also affirmed the KRC standing policy of aiding all nations in need for such assistance.

According to official reports from Phnom Penh, more than 200 people have died in Cambodia's worst floods in over a decade.

Over 80 children were among those killed in two months of flooding caused by heavy rainfall that has seen the Mekong River burst its banks, according to the National Committee for Disaster Management. More than 270,000 families have seen their homes or livelihoods waterlogged by the floods, which have inundated 350,000 hectares (865,000 acres) of rice paddies across the country.

CAMBODIA: Worries about long-term flood fallout

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 09:17 AM PDT

More than 1 million people were affected and at least 247 lost their lives due to weeks of heavy flooding in October 2011. In Cambodia, Mekong River water levels continue to rise, resulting in difficulties to gain access to the affected communities in the rural areas (Photo: Brendan Brady/IRIN)
KRATIE PROVINCE, 17 October 2011 (IRIN) - Severe flooding across Cambodia poses serious risks to the country's food security, according to NGOs.

Flooding has spread across 17 of Cambodia's 24 provinces, killing 247 people, forcing the evacuation of more than 34,000 households, and destroying some 200,000 hectares of rice fields, which comprise nearly 10 percent of the country's harvest, according to the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), a government agency.

It said flood damage, including destruction of more than 1,000 schools and some 2,400km of roads, would exceed that caused by devastating floods in 2000, which cost US$161 million in damage.

Leh Smah, 62, said a third of residents in his community, Chhoer Teal Plun Village in Kratie Province in the northeast, had lost large parts or all of their rice harvest.


The 20kg rice sacks donated to affected families by the Red Cross will last a week, he said. "Soon they will be out of food again and will have to purchase food on credit unless they receive more aid."

More than 80,000 families have received aid, according to the NCDM.

Francis Perez, head of Oxfam in Cambodia, said flood relief varied by province, with robust assistance in most areas but there were still "huge pockets where emergency response has been very inadequate".

The southeastern province of Prey Vey in particular, he said, had received far less flood relief than other provinces and some communities were facing food shortages.

Recovery

The longer-term impact of the flooding remains uncertain but, says Rosaleen Martin, a spokesperson for the UN World Food Programme, there are widespread concerns over food security.

Prime Minister Hun Sen announced last week that the government would create a $100 million fund for relief and rehabilitation but no details have been given on how this money would be managed.

The Agriculture Ministry says it plans to distribute rice seeds to flood-affected communities to help offset losses from destroyed crops.

In a move to stabilize rice prices, which began to rise because of the flood, government authorities released 120MT of government-stocked milled rice on to the market on 16 October.

A spokesperson for the UN Disaster Management Team in Cambodia said the group was drafting a proposal for an emergency fund that would include assistance for emergency relief and the rehabilitation of destroyed fields.

Oxfam's Perez said that because of losses to their rice harvest, farmers would likely turn to borrowing, which is commonly done at usury rates "that drive people into a risky cycle".

Health risks

Health officials say the flooding had prolonged the dengue fever season: 54 children have died from the disease in the first nine months of this year, compared with 28 in 2010, according to the government's National Dengue Control Programme.

Dengue outbreaks are spurred by heavy rain, which forms pools that harbour the eggs of mosquitoes carrying the disease.

Other health risks associated with flooding include water-borne diseases spurred by damage to toilet and drinking water facilities, as well as respiratory infections and measles.

The UN and a number of NGOs were coordinating with government agencies to provide water purification tablets, ceramic water filters and jerry cans for safe water storage.

Nima Asgari, a public health specialist with the World Health Organization in Cambodia, said no signs had yet emerged of disease outbreaks in affected communities.

The main task for health officials is to restore emergency health services, including assisted birthing, to affected communities.

The UN Children's Fund is releasing funding for rural government health offices to form mobile teams to travel to families cut off from regular healthcare access because of the floods, said Richard Bridle, the group's country representative.

Assembly Approves Payment Guarantee for Power Plant

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 09:01 AM PDT

In the session on Monday, some opposition lawmakers disagreed with the plan.

Monday, 17 October 2011
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

Son Chhay, a lawmaker for the Sam Rainsy Party, said the deal could saddle the government with high electricity costs, or leave it open to pay even if "political crisis" somehow shut down the plant.
The National Assembly on Monday approved a government payment guarantee to a power company planning to build a coal-fired plant in Preah Sihanouk province.

The guarantee obliges the government to pay the Cambodia International Investment Development Group, which is owned by ruling party senator Lao Meng Khin, in case the state-owned Electrucite du Cambodge, fails to pay them for their power.

The development company plans to build a $181 million plant capable of producing 135 megawatts of electricity in Preah Sihanouk.

In the session on Monday, some opposition lawmakers disagreed with the plan.


Son Chhay, a lawmaker for the Sam Rainsy Party, said the deal could saddle the government with high electricity costs, or leave it open to pay even if "political crisis" somehow shut down the plant.

He called on the government to undertake an environmental assessment, saying a coal plant could pollute the popular tourist sites of the coastal province.

However, Cheam Yiep, a lawmaker for the ruling Cambodian People's Party, said the plant was "in the interest of the nation and the people."

Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy Suy Sem said the plant would provide power in the rainy and dry seasons. Cambodia's power demands called for a plant, he said.

"If we must use electricity, we must build a coal-fired power plant," he said.

Domestic Help Issue Will Be Discussed With Cambodia, Says [Malaysia] Dr Subramaniam

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 08:55 AM PDT

SHAH ALAM, Oct 17 (Bernama) -- Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said Malaysia will hold talks with Cambodia to resolve the ban the Cambodian government has imposed on the sending of domestic help to Malaysia.

He said the government was willing to hear views from the Cambodian government on ways to improve the welfare of Cambodian maids working in Malaysia.

"At my ministry level, we will look at all the processes to see how we can improve the existing system to improve supervision as to the welfare of foreign workers, specifically domestic help," he said in commenting on the ban imposed by the Cambodian government on Friday following reports of a few cases of abuse involving Cambodian maids working in Malaysia.


Dr Subramaniam said the abuse cases were a "one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel" situation because only about one per cent of registered maid employers in the country were found to have acted cruelly against their maids.

Earlier, he had handed over offer letters to 39 school leavers from around the Klang Valley to pursue studies under the ministry's MYSKILLS programme.

The progamme, launched in June, to date has provided study opportunities to 2,590 school leavers from throughout the peninsula.

Flags of convenience coming down

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 08:52 AM PDT

Oct 17, 2011
Lyudmila Morozova
RIA Novosti

Russia, Cambodia and Sierra Leone have decided to fight against poaching seriously. Owing to agreements concluded by the Russian Fishing Agency, the so-called "flags of convenience" under which the owners of ships of some countries sail their ships to reduce expenses have lessened. Cambodia and Sierra Leon agreed to include the trawlers registered under their flags in the international register. This means that sailing ships under the flags of these countries has ceased to be suitable for poaching.

Sailing ships under foreign flags is quite common among the owners of trawlers. This makes it possible for them to sell their catch without red tape and paying large sums in taxes and customs duties only at the ports in South-East Asia. Ships under "flags of convenience" basically sail towards these ports.

Until recently, the ship owners preferred to sail their ships under the flags of Cambodia, Sierra Leone, Belize or Panama. In fact this was not so costly. To register a ship under, say Cambodia or Sierra Leone flag costs from 3 to 5 thousand U.S. dollars. The package of registration documents can be acquired any where, including at Russian ports and even in Moscow.


Following is the procedure of the behaviour of ships at sea. A Russian trawler is fishing within the country's 200 kilometer economic zone, and a ship under a foreign flag, say Sierra Leon, sails close to the trawler. The catch is reloaded onto the ship, which will later sell it at the markets in South-East Asia. This causes significant economic damage to Russia. According to Russia's Federal Customs Service, in 2010, 2.5 times more sea products were siphoned off than the amount officially declared. Here is an opinion from Alexander Savelev, head of the Public Relations Centre at the Federal Fishing Agency:

"It's difficult to assess the damage caused by poachers since they do not give details of their work neither to Russian Fishing Agency nor any other body. However, experts estimate the damage caused by their criminal activity at one billion U.S. dollars or more a year. If we can shut down the poaching canals together with the colleagues from Cambodia, Sierra Leone and other countries, this sum will go to Russia's budget. This will make it possible to create new jobs and invest money in ship building," Alexander Savelev said.

However, an agreement with the two countries is insufficient to win over poaching because there are several other flags which are no less suitable for them. Among these countries are, Cook Islands, Bermuda, Honduras and even Georgia and Mongolia. Consequently, Russia's Fishing Agency plans to hold talks with other countries, especially with Panama and Belize. Moreover, it has already signed memorandums on fighting against poaching with Japan, North Korea and China. A new agreement is being worked out with Canada for signing shortly.

Despite Ban, Cambodian Maids Still Being Sent to Malaysia

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 08:48 AM PDT

October 17, 2011
Robert Carmichael | Phnom Penh
Voice of America

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen signed an order in recent days that bars recruitment firms from sending domestic workers to Malaysia after numerous reports of abuses.

But a prominent rights group says the ban was quickly violated when at least two firms sent more women abroad on Monday.

Rights groups have been pressuring Phnom Penh for months to combat the abuse of Cambodian maids working in Malaysia.

Last Friday Prime Minister Hun Sen promised to take action.

On Saturday he signed an order banning Cambodian recruitment firms from sending domestic workers to Malaysia.

Rights groups welcomed the ban. Maid placement agencies condemned it.

But on Monday, Naly Pilorge, the director of rights group LICADHO, says that two firms sent at least 25 young women to Malaysia on the early morning flight from Phnom Penh.


"I mean Friday and Saturday I was encouraged, but after my colleagues reported that at least 25 women were seen leaving to Malaysia this morning, it's clear to me that the authorities, the companies are defying this ban," said Pilorge. "So no, I'm not encouraged."

For months opposition legislators in Cambodia have highlighted serious abuses against domestic workers in Malaysia.

Pilorge believes the government has banned the flow of migrant workers now, in part, because officials worry that Washington may downgrade its human trafficking status, putting it at risk of losing U.S. foreign aid.

The 2011 State Department Trafficking in Persons report said that Cambodia has made no improvements to identify or protect trafficking victims.

Around 300,000 young people enter Cambodia's job market each year, but there is no paying work available locally for most.

That is why tens of thousands cross - legally and illegally - into Thailand and Malaysia each year seeking employment.

At least 30,000 Cambodian women are employed as domestic workers in Malaysia.

Many more men and women work or are trafficked into other jobs such as factories and plantations or suffer in slave-like conditions on fishing vessels and brothels.

Pilorge estimated around 3,000 Cambodian women aged 18-24 leave for Malaysia each month.

"What happens in reality is that documents are falsified, lies are said to families, to girls, recruiting agencies are detaining girls, indebting them - all these criminal acts just to meet the quota of being able to send 3,000 girls and women to Malaysia," said Pilorge.

Just last week Cambodian police raided a recruitment firm and freed 35 underage recruits. That firm has since been closed - the first time a Cambodian labor company has been stripped of its operating license.

Pilorge says the ban is a start, but only that.

"A ban is just a temporary bandage. What really needs to happen is that no Cambodian women are sent to Malaysia until proper safeguards and other mechanisms are put in place to protect domestic workers and other Cambodian workers," added Pilorge.

Late Monday, Malaysia's The Star newspaper quoted the Malaysian foreign minister as saying his country will offer Cambodia an apology should the allegations of torture and abuse be found true.

Aid Arrives for Flood-Swamped Thailand, Cambodia

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 08:45 AM PDT

Monday, 17 October 2011
VOA News | Washington, DC

Help is starting to pour into Thailand and other parts of Asia where rising floodwaters are swamping entire communities and threatening to overrun even more.

United States Marines arrived in Bangkok Saturday with equipment, sandbags and other relief supplies. The U.S. ambassador to Thailand, Kristie Kenney, said the Marines will work with the Thai military to battle floodwaters that have hit 61 of Thailand's 76 provinces.

Officials say almost 300 people have died in Thailand, most of them north of Bangkok, in and near the ancient temple city of Ayutthaya.


Much of Ayutthaya remained under water Saturday, driving some residents, and their pets, to the rooftops of homes to stay dry. In less affected areas, where water was only waist deep, relief crews in boats distributed supplies to stranded residents.

A Dutch volunteer, Edwin Wiek, said many people in Ayutthaya have no electricity, food or water; others are sick and have no means of getting out.

Workers at the Bang Pa-in industrial center in Ayutthaya province tried to keep out rising water but had to abandon the effort Saturday. News reports say the complex hosted more than 90 manufacturers of auto parts, electronics, garments and plastics.

Thais who doggedly stayed by their homes on Koh Kred Island tried to make their way through floodwaters that were chest- or neck-high.

Aid from China arrived Saturday in Cambodia, where flooding and landslides have killed 247 people. A Cambodian government spokesman said the relief supplies will go to hospitals in the hardest-hit areas.

Torrential rains and flooding are also being blamed for deaths in Vietnam and the Philippines.

Rice sector seen as more important than garments

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 08:43 AM PDT

Monday, October 17th, 2011
The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodians stand to gain a lot more wealth out of the development of efficient rice farming and milling, compared to the garment sector for example, according to one of the organisers of the Cambodia Rice Forum, rice consultant David Van.

Van conceptualised the Cambodia Rice Forum and launched it as a purely private-sector initiative to drive the rice sector further through an organisation called FASMEC (Federation of Associations of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises of Cambodia).

"Rice is very much the opposite of the garment sector. The garment sector today is doing most of the exporting, but what's the real benefit in terms of added value for the Cambodian people?" Van says.

"The major profit is for foreign-owned companies. The Cambodian only makes a salary," Van says.


"But for rice, it's different. The multinational firm that comes in to invest in a rice mill will create jobs for local people in the rice mills, upgrade the people's skills by bringing in modern equipment, and improving the farmers, who will learn how to use more efficient techniques of planting and harvesting."

Van's company, Synergy Capital Cambodia Co Ltd (SCC), is involved in rice brokerage and building capacity for rice mills through providing financial access and securing joint-venture partners.

"Everything is captured in-country. When you set up a modern rice mill, you need to contract with the farmers to plant the seeds you want, and teach them how to make use of modern equipment such as tractors and harvesters.

"This improves the skills of the farmers and at the same time improves their living standards."

Van says Cambodians need to think strategically and plant the varieties of rice the market demands.

"There are so many varieties of rice. The ministry of agriculture is trying to promote about ten varieties, but you have to first plant what the market requires," he says.

Van says the market demand today from international buyers is for three types of rice: premium (fragrant), mid-range and budget varieties.

"Cambodia is trying to promote 10 varieties, which is getting people very confused. In comparison, Vietnam has only one fragrant type, and it's selling like hotcakes. The international buyers have told me this.

"If I walk into a restaurant, I'm confused by 10 different kinds of orange juice."

Van says Cambodia is fast becoming as one of the world's biggest rice exporters.

"As of October, 2010, Cambodia was number 7 in the world as a rice exporter. By December, 2010, it was fifth in the world."

Although Cambodia exports an insignificant volume of milled rice, paddy that flowed to Thailand and Vietnam and was re-exported by those countries has been traced back as being "Cambodian" by DNA tests.

One of the big reasons why Cambodia is not exporting more tonnage is because of the informal cross-border trade of unmilled "paddy" rice to neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam.

Van says about a million tonnes was processed in Thailand last year and significant tonnage also to Vietnam. He says it's important to put Cambodians to work and get the value-added income by milling in Cambodia, which means building a lot more rice mills that meet international norms along with bigger storage facilities.

"From farm-gate price to FOB prices, the difference is huge, from 40 to 60 per cent. That's a $140-a-tonne loss of added value," he says.

Van says most of the rice basket of Cambodia is located in the northwestern part of the country in Batt-ambang, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap and Pursat, but other provinces – Kampong Thom, Kampong Cham, Prey Veng, Takeao and Kandal – produce substantial paddy.

If Cambodia is going to become a key player in rice exporting, Van says it will require a big investment in infrastructure in the three ways of transporting goods, the cheapest of which is waterways, followed by railways and trucking.

Van says that next year, when the new Phnom Penh river port opens, it will be able to double the capacity of vessels from 2,000 to 4,000 tonnes.

"Commodities people like to ship in big vessels to get critical mass. Commodities have to be moved in big quantities because it is low-cost, low-value. We need to invest in proper commodities port facilities in Cambodia. That's a bottleneck and things get stuck there."

Van adds that the Sihanoukville port needs to focus more on hand-ling commodities, as it was conceptualised only as a container port for the time being.

To improve the entire sector, Van says a whole series of interventions need to take place along the entire "value chain".

"We need to look at improving fertilising and farming techniques, modern mill equipment, better logistics, transport of goods, and better loading facilities.

"I want the Cambodian rice sector to improve in general, so Cambodia can take its place among the top global players.

"Cambodia used to be one of the leading rice exporters in the1960s. But, because of the war, we got some setbacks for at least 40 years, from 1970 until today.

"Now is the right time for Cambodia to reclaim a place as one of the key players in global rice exports.

"If you look at Thailand, they have a population of 80 million, and their production has reached the limit.

"Vietnam also has a big population, but it has less land for rice because it is much more mountainous. Vietnam has 90 million people that need to be fed."

With only 15 million people and a lot of under-utilised land, Cambodia is well placed to surge ahead in rice exports, Van says.

"In Cambodia we have a lousy yield: on average, 2.5 tonnes per hectare. We don't use much fertiliser, nor do we have proper modern farming techniques. With such a precarious situation we already ended up with a three-million-tonne rice surplus. Cambodia today can produce eight million tons of paddy, the surplus of which could turn easily into 1.5 million tonesns of milled rice for export.

"Today we have this surplus capacity. If we can improve commercial farming techniques to increase the yield, we'll definitely be able to increase our market share of global rice trading.

"The farmers have to sell the paddy to foreign collectors because the local millers don't have enough working capital to go and purchase paddy for their mills.

"Even if they have the money, there are not enough drying and storage facilities in Cambodia to handle a sudden influx of several million tonnes of paddy in such a short period of time during the post harvest months."

Such "rice bank" storage facilities will enable Cambodia to contribute more to the ASEAN Emergency Rice Reserve, Van says.

"The most critical point is that local millers and exporters need to embrace a paradigm shift and learn to collaborate with each other, as the supply capacity is very fragmented.

"Each mill and even each rice millers' association is working on a solo basis. Worse is that members of the same associations do not even co-operate with one another, hence true competitiveness of the rice sector could only come from a clustering concept as in the form of co-operatives."

Van has called for the creation of a more professional rice exporters' association.

1991 Paris Peace Agreements on Cambodia Rally in New York on 21 October 2011

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 08:27 AM PDT

Cambodian maids sent to M’sia despite ban

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 02:59 AM PDT

A human rights group claims that two labour recruitment companies in Cambodia had sent 24 domestic workers to Malaysia.

October 17, 2011
DPA

PHNOM PENH: A Cambodian human rights group said two labour recruitment companies sent at least 25 domestic workers to Malaysia early today, apparently breaching a ban signed over the weekend by Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Mathieu Pellerin, a consultant with the rights group LICADHO, said he had spoken with groups totalling 25 women at the Phnom Penh airport, adding that recruitment agents from the companies had confirmed their destination and work.

"It is shocking and very disappointing to see what these two companies have done," Pellerin said. "The ban is very clear: a suspension on recruitment and on sending domestic workers."

Hun Sen signed an order on Saturday that suspended sending maids to Malaysia after numerous reports of abuses. An estimated 15 percent of Malaysia's 320,000 domestic workers are Cambodian.


Senior officials from the Labour Ministry were not available to comment, but Phay Siphan, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers, confirmed Hun Sen's order was in effect.

LICADHO, which is the French acronym for the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights, said seven of the women were from Top Manpower, whose owner chairs the Association of Cambodian Recruitment Agencies, an industry body. The other 18 were from International Investment Service Co Ltd.

LICADHO said a staffer from Top Manpower claimed the seven women and all other trainees at the company were exempt from the ban because they had signed contracts prior to its enactment.

Pellerin said the incident also raised questions about immigration officers, given that the women were easily identifiable, wearing matching T-shirts with company logos.

Cambodian opposition parliamentarians have this year highlighted the abuse of domestic workers in Malaysia. Rights groups have long complained that foreign maids in Malaysia lack protection under labour laws, and last week, a police raid freed dozens of underage recruits at T&P Co Ltd, a Cambodian labour recruitment firm that has since been shut down.

The ban, which has been condemned by maid placement agencies, could exacerbate Malaysia's ongoing labour shortage. It came on the heels of a similar ban instituted by Indonesia two years ago.

Obama to visit the Kingdom of Extraordinary Wonder (KEW) next year

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 02:49 AM PDT

U.S. President to Visit Cambodia for First Time Next Year

2011-10-17
Xinhua

Cambodia is expected to welcome the visit of the incumbent President of the United States for the first time in history next year when the country chairs ASEAN, officials said.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong, minister of foreign affairs, on Monday, visiting Ambassador of the United States to ASEAN David Carden said the U.S. congratulated Cambodia for hosting the ASEAN next year and said the U.S. was ready to assist Cambodia to chair the ASEAN successfully.

"The U.S. fully supports ASEAN to establish an ASEAN community by 2015," he said. "Our president will be given the opportunity to attend the ASEAN-U.S. Summit and related meeting here next year."

Koy Kuong, the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the ASEAN-U.S. Summit will be held in late November, 2012 in Phnom Penh, and the U.S. presidential election will be held in early November 2012, so, probably, the incumbent U.S. President Barack Obama will take part in the summit as the new elected U.S. President in the next year's election will take office in December.


During the meeting, Hor Namhong asked the U.S. to accelerate its assistance to Lower Mekong countries including Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos under the framework of the Lower Mekong- U.S. cooperation on the sectors of environment, education, health and infrastructure.

"The U.S. plays a key role to help the four lower Mekong countries to develop connectivity. It is a part of ASEAN connectivity, " he said.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

David Carden arrived here on Sunday for a four-day visit. During the stay, he will meet Cambodia's ministers of education, environment, and commerce, and also pay a courtesy call on the Prime Minister Hun Sen.

ចម្ងល់ នាយ ឡេវ

Posted: 17 Oct 2011 02:38 AM PDT

បន្ទាប់ពីអានអទ្ថបទខាងក្រោមនេះមក នាយឡេវញុំឆ្ងល់ទែនមែនតែម៉ាដង៖
តើចិនមានផ្តល់ ក្រដាសចិនជួយ ផងឫទេ? សូមអភ៍យទោសនាយឡេវញុំផង ចេះតែឆ្ងល់ ព្រោះអី ចិនជួយសព្វជូយគ្រប់ ដូច្នេះ បើជួយ Printer ទាល់តែផ្តល់ ក្រដាសចិនជួយ ផង ទើបធើគ្រប់គ្រាន់ មិនថាអញ្ចឹងទេ សមមិត្ត តោហ៊ា? ហេ!ហេ!






ចិនផ្តល់ជំនួយសម្ភារៈការិយាល័យ ដល់ក្រសួងការបរទេសកម្ពុជា

១៧តុលា២០១១
CEN

ភ្នំពេញ: លោក ផាន គ័ងសៀ ឯកអគ្គរដ្ឋទូតប្រទេសចិន ប្រចាំនៅកម្ពុជា បានចុះហត្ថលេខា ជាមួយលោកឧបនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហោ ណាំហុង រដ្ឋមន្ត្រីក្រសួងការបរទេស កាលពីព្រឹកថ្ងៃទី១៧ ខែតុលា ឆ្នាំ២០១១ ស្តីពី ការផ្តល់សម្ភារៈការិយាល័យដល់ក្រសួងការបរទេសកម្ពុជា។


សម្ភារៈការិយាល័យ ដែលរដ្ឋាភិបាលចិន ផ្តល់ជូនក្រសួងការបរទេសកម្ពុជា រួមមាន ម៉ាស៊ីនកុំព្យូទ័រចំនួន ៣០ គ្រឿង ម៉ាស៊ីនកកុំព្យួទ័រលេបថប ចំនួន ៣០ គ្រឿង ម៉ាស៊ីនព្រីនធឺ ចំនួន ៣០ គ្រឿង ម៉ាស៊ីនហ្វូតូកូពីចំនួន ២ គ្រឿង និងទូរទស្សន៍ ម៉ាកអិលស៊ីឌី LCD ចំនួន ៣ គ្រឿង។

លោក ផាន គ័ងសៀ ឯកអគ្គរដ្ឋទូតចិនបានមានប្រសាសន៍បញ្ជាក់ថា ក្នុងនាមប្រទេស ជិតខាងកម្ពុជា ត្រូវតែជួយគ្នា ក្នុងគ្រាមានអាសន្ន និងអបអរដល់ប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ដែលនឹងក្លាយជាប្រធានអាស៊ាននៅឆ្នាំ២០១២ ខាងមុខ។

ចំណែកឯលោកឧបនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហោ ណាំហុង រដ្ឋមន្ត្រីក្រសួងការបរទេស បានមានប្រសាសន៍ថ្លែងអំណរគុណដល់ប្រទេសចិន ជាមិត្ត ដែលតែងតែយកចិត្តទុកដាក់ផ្តល់ជំនួយ ដល់ប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ជាបន្តបន្ទាប់ ដូចដែលសុភាសិតខ្មែរ មួយឃ្លារបានពោលថា "ជួយគ្នាក្នុងគ្រាមានអាសន្ន"។

លោកឧបនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហោ ណាំហុង ក៏បានបញ្ជាក់ដែរថា កម្ពុជានឹងធ្វើជាប្រធានអាស៊ាន នៅឆ្នាំក្រោយនេះ ដែលកម្ពុជានឹងរវល់ពេញ ១ឆ្នាំ៕

Leave a Reply

If you have some guts to join or have any secret to share, you can get it published directly to this blog by using this address meaning once you send your article to this email, it will soon appear in this blog after verifying that it is not just spam!