KI Media: “Banned in Cambodia, Documentary to Screen in Long Beach” plus 10 more

KI Media: “Banned in Cambodia, Documentary to Screen in Long Beach” plus 10 more

Banned in Cambodia, Documentary to Screen in Long Beach

Posted: 16 Apr 2011 09:59 AM PDT

BANNED IN CAMBODIA, DOCUMENTARY TO SCREEN IN LONG BEACH

"A gripping account of a corrupt government's campaign to hold onto power at any cost ... deeply moving." -- The Huffington Post


Fresh off its triumph at the Paris International Human Rights Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize for Investigation and Reporting, the documentary Who Killed Chea Vichea? will screen in Long Beach, California on April 14 and 16.

This will be the first time this controversial film will be seen in Long Beach, home of the largest Cambodian community in the United States.

Screenings in Cambodia have been shut down by riot police. Officials in Cambodia have said that the film is forbidden and that any copies may be seized as an illegal import (see attached).

Rich Garella, one of the film's producers, lived in Cambodia for almost five years and worked with Chea Vichea. "There have been several excellent films about the Khmer Rouge period," Garella said. "We wanted to make a film about Cambodia as it is today and bring it to Cambodians all over the world. With the uprisings in Egypt, Libya and elsewhere it's more relevant now than ever."

The product of a five-year investigation by filmmaker Bradley Cox, Who Killed Chea Vichea? examines the 2004 assassination of Cambodian labor leader Chea Vichea and the arrest and conviction of two men despite their alibis. Through on-the-spot footage and hidden camera work, Cox exposes the methods of a regime that relies on aid from the US and other countries to survive, as well as the courage of those who dare to speak out against it.

"Ultimately the film is about a system of corruption and impunity that allows killings like Vichea's to happen with regularity," Cox said. "It's about a police force that kidnaps and murders people, a court system that sells justice to the highest bidder and a people that lives in constant fear of its government."

Navy Phim, a long-time resident of Long Beach, said the film is important to Cambodians here. "Whatever is going on in Cambodia affects us here too, because all of us have family in Cambodia and if they are being oppressed, we should know about it," she said.

Amnesty International - Top Ten Movies That Matter
United Nations Association Film Festival - Best Cinematography
Philadelphia Independent Film Festival - Best Political Film
Rhode Island International Film Festival - Grand Prize, Directorial Discovery

Who Killed Chea Vichea? is a co-production of Loud Mouth Films and the Independent Television Service, with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Public television broadcast is scheduled for May 2011.

Who Killed Chea Vichea? will screen on Thursday April 14, at 7:00pm at the Art Theatre of Long Beach and on Saturday April 16, at 1:00 pm at the Mark Twain Neighborhood Library. A discussion with producer Rich Garella will follow both screenings.

Screening information:
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Sweet Snippets of Motherhood

"17 Mesa 1975 T'ngai Tuk Thom" a Poem in Khmer by Heng Thal Savuth

Posted: 16 Apr 2011 07:31 AM PDT

Human Rights Defender in Cambodia (Video uploaded by Jendhamuni)

Posted: 16 Apr 2011 02:16 AM PDT


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW9Wu1f_Swg&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq5fO65luBk&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgqEsbgtm0g&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQlXfz4dyRs&feature=related

Cambodia’s Curse

Posted: 16 Apr 2011 12:50 AM PDT

Friday, April 15, 2011
WNYC Radio (USA)



Veteran New York Times reporter Joel Brinkley, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting in Cambodia on the fall of the Khmer Rouge discusses how that country is still haunted by its years of terror. In Cambodia's Curse: The Modern History of a Troubled Land, he looks at the results of efforts to pull the small nation out of the mire by making Cambodia a United Nations protectorate in 1992, and looks at the country, its people, and the deep historical roots of its modern-day behavior.

Guests: Joel Brinkley

ECCC Timeline

Posted: 16 Apr 2011 12:43 AM PDT

Click on the timeline to zoom in

Dedication of sand mountains to relieve sins

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 11:50 PM PDT


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3HLldDL_jk&feature=player_embedded

Women's Rights Champions Gather in Washington DC

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 11:43 PM PDT


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDchxcwgTiE&feature=player_embedded

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 11:41 PM PDT


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNqotBWB9k4

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was recognized as the Global Trailblazer: Voice of the Decade at the 2011 Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards. The Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards honor and celebrate women leaders who are working to strengthen democracy, increase economic opportunity and protect human rights around the world. In the face of over 50 years of military dictatorship in Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi has been a national and international symbol of justice, democracy and peace. Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, she continues to be a model of strength, determination and courage for her people and the world. Vital Voices honored Aung San Suu Kyi for her commitment to peace and democracy, and for her steadfast leadership.

From the archives – the Khmer Rouge’s debt to 1950s France

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 11:37 PM PDT

Friday, 15th April 2011
David Blackburn
The Spectator Blog (UK)

It is 13 years to the day since Pol Pot died in mysterious circumstances while in exile on Cambodia's remote western border with Thailand. Where did Pot and his maniacal fellow travellers acquire their politics. There are a number of candidates from the megalomania of the 20th Century, but Michael Sheridan, the Sunday Times' former Asia Editor, notes that France, or more exactly aspects of French culture at the end of the colonial era, played its part. He explained why to the Spectator.

Pol Pot and Chardonnay, Michael Sheridan, 21 September 1996

Not long ago, the Americans found in their archives in Washington a long-forgotten film about Cambodia, made by the United States Information Service at the beginning of the 1960s. The technicians converted the 16-millimetre cinefilm to video and flew a copy to Phnom Penh, where the American ambassador solemnly presented the tape to King Sihanouk. It is a curious fragment of fin-de-siecle history: the elderly God-King sitting in some gilded salon of his palace, watching the flickering images with Cambodia's ghosts flitting around him and the impoverished city hushed in darkness beyond the palace walls.

In its faded frames the film records a Phnom Penh where graceful girls cycled down fragrant boulevards lined with trees, where cafe life pursued a Gallic rhythm, where the cigarette smoke held a tang of Gauloise, and fresh baguettes appeared each morning at breakfast. The 1950s buildings boasted the curved balconies and facades that characterise similar late-colonial edifices still standing in Beirut and Algiers. In short, it was not so much Cambodia as Indochine, a tropical Aix-en-Provence with the extra attraction of exotic sex and the charms of the opium pipe.


The baguettes still appear at breakfast, even if the crust is a bit thick. But in the dilapidated streets of King Sihanouk's riverside capital only a few symbols remain of the presence of France. Long seasons of rain and decades of neglect have left but a faint patina of the painted signs that once proudly identified the premises of bistros and breweries. In the few oases of night life, the strains of the karaoke tape and ubiquitous Filipino bands playing American pop music entertain a hard-faced breed of Asian client. French culture, so intimately bound up with the splendours and evils of modern Cambodia, is in retreat.

Nobody could accuse the French government of surrendering without a fight. From Paris the orders have come for a rearguard action of splendid dignity: c'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre. An enormous new French embassy has been constructed, at least five times the size of the modest villa inhabited by Her Britannic Majesty's three representatives. But it is the BBC World Service, not Radio France International, that is listened to throughout the city on an FM relay. The French have poured millions of francs into the encouragement of francophone education through teaching and scholarships. But there is already open confrontation with young Cambodians who want to learn English, the universal business language in Asia. "Thais talk to Vietnamese in English and Chinese talk to Malaysians in English and Singaporeans talk to Japanese in English," says a local businessman.

In one unguarded moment the French ambassador is said to have permitted himself the rueful observation that Cambodia was never really a francophone country, a lapse into frankness that earned him a stiff rebuke from the Quai d'Orsay. Since one is informed with haughty politeness (if not the strictest truth) that "monsieur l'ambassadeur ne parle jamais aux journalistes", this gem is, alas, impossible to verify. Its entertainment value to the rest of Phnom Penh's small diplomatic corps, however, is indubitable.

Of course, tragedy runs beneath the vanishing of French Cambodia, but it is a tragedy with its roots in post-war France. The elimination of Cambodian intellectuals was the work of men and women christened by the francophone Sihanouk 'Les Khmers Rouges' and when these fearsome ideologues retreated to the jungles they were known at first as the maquis. They had imbibed their political theory on the Left Bank during its unyielding, existentialist period of the 1950s. The dictator Pol Pot, whose real name was Saloth Sar, studied radio electronics in France. Leng Sary, who played Molotov to Pol Pot's Stalin but has now broken from him, was educated there in commerce and politics. Khjeu Samphan, the movement's military commander, won a scholarship to Paris and submitted his thesis in 1959 on Cambodia's economy and industrial development. It was revolutionary, prescriptive and autarchic, no doubt winning plaudits from his teachers. The appalling Hu Nim, a craven figure who became the Khmer Rouge information minister, wrote a dissertation on economic organisation. Hu Nim was later 'crushed to death' at the torture centre of Tuol Sleng in one of Pol Pot's insane purges.

The common vehicle for the exiles was the Khmer Student Association in France. They used French freedom of expression, denied them at home in Sihanouk's languid kingdom, to imitate the French Communist Party. At that time the PCF was a thoroughly Stalinist body, steeped in overt hatred of the bourgeoisie, which preached the collectivisation of agriculture. In 1975, when these people conquered Phnom Penh, they applied such principles with a literal-minded intellectual rigour that even the Chinese premier Zhou Enlai found terrifying. Their latest, and possibly final, split is in the revolutionary tradition of personal factionalism and murderous rhetoric.

Thus France and Cambodia were bound together through colonialism and communism, the one playing down the years in counterpoint to the other. Just as the French established 19th-century Cambodia's borders against Thai and Vietnamese encroachment, so they practically invented the modern Khmer identity through that miraculous moment when Henri Mouhot rediscovered the temples of Angkor Wat in the 1860s. Then, the destruction of Cambodia was founded on a system taught, no doubt with Cartesian exactness, by French academics. It is a legacy of such ambiguity and menace that perhaps the only way for the French to cope with it is to pretend that none of the great issues ever happened.

So the pages of Cambodge Soir, a small daily paper published by a group with the evocative name of Editions du Mekong, report the dispatch to the Grand Palais in Paris of 27 precious statues from the lost Khmer epoch. French experts will restore the damaged pieces before they go on exhibition. Cambodge Soir concerns itself with such things as the anniversary of the death of Denis Diderot and a column instructing readers in the correct application of French vocabulary. In Phnom Penh's few bookshops one may find reprinted editions of the French classics of Indochina exploration. In the capital's most expensive hotel, a French chef prepares excellent magret de canard and crepes suzettes for wealthy local diners, most of whom look the sort of gentlemen who took lessons in civic probity from the former mayor of Nice.

Far from Phnom Penh, in the small provincial town of Siem Reap near Angkor, we were served a chilled bottle of chardonnay from the Ardeche for a mere $16. You have to admire the resilience of the finer things in French life. Perhaps M. Juppe, who is in search of public spending cuts, should bring home the cultural attaches and send out a few more crates of chardonnay.

Field mission reports - Transitional Justice in Cambodia by Alex Bates

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 10:30 PM PDT

Executive summary
  • The complex historical, political, cultural and social contexts make any accountability for the crimes of the Khmer Rouge extremely challenging.
  • The Agreement between the UN and the Royal Cambodian Government and the resulting Law on the Establishment of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia ("ECCC") was from the outset a compromise solution.
  • One of the most challenging aspects is the political environment within which the ECCC operates: domestically, Cambodia suffers from an underfunded and underdeveloped criminal justice system; there is little domestic respect for the rule of law; and corruption is prevalent in all areas of public life.
  • It is unsurprising that these influences have tainted the court's operation, reputation and credibility. Cambodian Government political interference threatens to compromise the integrity and independence of prosecutorial and judicial independence.
  • The internal structure of the court is complex, with a dual administrative system operated by the United Nations and the Royal Government of Cambodia respectively.
  • The judicial offices are similarly split – safeguards to prevent tactical voting or the blocking of prosecutions or investigations have only been partially successful.
  • The lack of a Registrar or Court President has compromised the effective functioning of the ECCC.
  • The ECCC's civil law procedure has not been fully understood by all parties. There has been conflict between staff from a civil and those from a common law tradition.
  • The funding of the tribunal by voluntary donations creates uncertainty and insecurity. Adequate and available funding should be the minimum acceptable standard.
  • The ECCC is likely to be one of the most expensive experiments of transitional justice ever, with the cost per indictee particularly high.
  • Notwithstanding the rhetoric of capacity building, it is unlikely that there will be any significant impact upon the domestic legal system given the lack of political will to improve it.
  • The first public trial was concluded successfully and according to appropriate international fair-trial standards. Observers considered that victim participation, although far from straightforward, added a meaningful dimension to the trial.
  • The Trial Chamber delivered a significant decision on the first accused's unlawful pre-trial detention by the Cambodian authorities – it remains to be seen if these principles will be argued in domestic courts.
  • There are considerable benefits from having the ECCC situated within Cambodia: it is more accessible to the affected population; victim participation at the tribunal has the potential to contribute to reconciliation; it has stimulated a nationwide inter-generational dialogue about the Khmer Rouge regime; and the population has begun to learn about its recent history.
  • Victim participation through Civil Party status has been hailed as groundbreaking at the ECCC. In reality, problems of still-developing procedure, insufficient funding, planning and Outreach have compromised the full exercise of rights of participation. The sheer number of potential victims for case file 002 has required a radical re-think of representation and it remains to be seen how this will operate.
  • Although the ECCC is a mechanism of retributive justice, the importance of coordinating the parallel restorative initiatives of civil society is critical to the success of the court.
  • The legacy of the ECCC is now being addressed - it is hoped that this will be carefully considered well before 2015 when the tribunal is currently scheduled to close.

Vandy Rattana's Bomb Ponds Exposes Cambodia's Secret Scars

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 10:10 PM PDT

04/15/11
Lauren Quinn
The Huffington Post

A note is scribbled over the pile of highlighted topographical maps: "A silence made from a mighty sound is still a sound."

Rattana Vandy knows silence well. He grew up during the era of Cambodia's silence, the deafening echo of that followed the Khmer Rouge regime.

Vandy's exhibition Bomb Ponds examines the remains of America's secret 2,756,941-ton bombing campaign in Cambodia during the Vietnam War: craters left in the countryside that, during the rainy season, fill with still-toxic water. In nine landscape photographs and a one-channel documentary, Vandy documents this unspoken history and challenges the culture of silence--both America's too-quiet recognition of the bombing and Cambodia's reluctance to educate its youth about their history.

Like most of the so-called "new generation," Vandy (b. 1980) grew up with little knowledge of his country's recent war history. Formal curricula about the Khmer Rouge was absent from Cambodian schools for some 30 years, leaving Vandy to piece together what he overheard from his parents and the facts read in the English- and French-language histories he personally sought out.

In 2008, a photographic assignment covering the country's rubber plantations took Vandy to an eastern province, abutting the border of Vietnam. As he photographed the landscape, he noticed a crater in the earth.

It struck him as strange: perfectly circular, meters wide, brimming with murky rainwater.


"What is that?" he asked a nearby villager.


"A bomb pond," the man replied casually.

The image returned with Vandy to Phnom Penh. He couldn't get it out of his head. The existence of these bomb ponds, physical evidence of a history kept silent, haunted him, and he resolved to seek out and document these bomb ponds.

It wasn't an easy task. "The bombings were done in secret, so there are no precise documents," Vandy says. "I started just blindly going out: looking at a map, thinking, 'There might be bomb ponds here,' going and talking to the old people.

"They all know. They pass by the bomb ponds everyday, and it seems like they've forgotten that they're there. But then you ask and they start talking, talking..." He waves his hands in the air, as though his fingers were words tumbling out of his own mouth.

Vandy hopes Bomb Ponds does more than document a silent history. "I want to inspire Cambodians to protest."

An exhibition of Bomb Ponds recently closed at Sa Sa Bassac, Phnom Penh's first independent art gallery. An upcoming exhibition opened April 14 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam at San Art.

DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Cambodian Government Reverses Controversial Decision to allow a Titanium Mine” plus 9 more

DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia: “Cambodian Government Reverses Controversial Decision to allow a Titanium Mine” plus 9 more

Cambodian Government Reverses Controversial Decision to allow a Titanium Mine

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 05:56 AM PDT

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, 12 APRIL, 2011-Wildlife Alliance on Tuesday celebrated the announcement, which will save one of the last remaining elephant corridors in Asia. Phnom Penh, April 10, 2011 - In a dramatic turnaround, the Cambodian government reversed its February decision to grant a concession to develop a titanium mine in the Southern Cardamom Protected Forest.

At a meeting of senior government officials Friday morning, April 8, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the 4,400 hectare titanium mine concession, given to United Khmer Group, would not be permitted to go ahead.  "Due to the concerns of the impact on the environment, biodiversity and local livelihoods [Prime Minister] Hun Sen has announced to not permit the titanium mining operation that is located in Koh Kong province," a government-issued press release read.

As well as being an important biodiversity corridor, the region is also an up-and-coming tourist destination. The corridor, home to Wildlife Alliance-sponsored ecotourism programs, has been featured in the New York Times and Sydney Morning Herald and called one of the Lonely Planet's Top Ten Regions to Visit for 2010. More than 70 endangered and vulnerable species live in the region. All that had been threatened by the possibility of the strip mine.

"We are elated by the decision of Prime Minister Hun Sen. It is incredibly encouraging to see that the prime minister has looked so deeply into this proposed titanium mine and taken the effort to weigh the consequences that this project would have on the rainforest and the local people," said Wildlife Alliance CEO Suwanna Gauntlett. "United Khmer Group had promised staggering revenues for the government, and we applaud the courageous decision of the prime minister to see the greater value of the forest as it currently stands."  

The fight against the mine began last summer, after bulldozers were discovered by villagers. United Khmer Group requested and received an initial concession from the government to undertake mining operations. They projected revenues of more than $1.3 billion a year, extraordinary numbers that did not have any scientific support. At no point did United Khmer Group engage in a comprehensive study to determine the size and concentration levels of the titanium ore deposit, and the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy publicly questioned the prospective yields.

Suwanna Gauntlett, Wildlife Alliance CEO, led the fight against the mine, representing the views of local communities and other environmental groups. Local villagers recognized the mine as a threat to the growing ecotourism industry, agricultural initiatives, forests, and a habitat for one of Cambodia's largest wild elephant populations.  Many villagers are now celebrating Friday's decision to protect their region and their livelihoods. Prime Minister Hun Sen's decision today is a major victory for conservation in one of the largest contiguous rainforests in Southeast Asia, but threats persist. Not too far away from the proposed mine, an Australian firm plans for a banana plantation that would sever the elephant corridor.

"We recognize that development is essential to Cambodia's future, but that development must be conducted in a coordinated matter that respects conservation initiatives," says Suwanna Gauntlett. "The prime minister's decision only reinforces the need to preserve this globally significant forest." Wildlife Alliance is a non-profit organization based in Cambodia and Washington, D.C., working directly with communities and governments to improve forest management and institute good governance to comprehensively address the devastation of ecosystems and combat the illegal wildlife trade. We actively empower local communities by promoting diversified agriculture, community-based ecotourism, and reforestation.

Football’s Senior official elected as ASEAN Football Federation Vice President

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 05:53 AM PDT

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, 12 APRIL, 2011-Brig Gen Khiev Sameth, Vice President of the Football Federation of Cambodia, was elected as Vice President of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) at the AFF 18th Congress held in Bangkok on 10th April 2011, a media release from Cambodian football federation obtained on April 12 said.

Francisco Kabualdi Lay from Timor Leste and Viphet Sihachakr from Laos were also elected as Vice Presidents. Duong Vu Lam from Vietnam retained his vice-presidency, while Ravy Khek from Cambodia and Pengiran Matusin Matasan from Brunei DS are no more AFF Vice Presidents.

HRH Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah from Malaysia is the new President of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) after he won the post uncontested at the Congress.

Tengku Tan Sri Ahmad Rithauddeen, Former AFF President, in his parting words, thanked the members for their support over the years. "I have enjoyed working with all of you and wish the new office bearers the very best." He was later appointed the Honorary President of the AFF.

FA of Thailand President, Dato' Worawi Makudi, who is also a FIFA Exco member, decided to withdraw from contesting the top post today.

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY CLINTON

Posted: 12 Apr 2011 04:21 AM PDT

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of the Kingdom of Cambodia as you celebrate the Khmer New Year in the coming days.  The Khmer New Year is an opportunity to gather with family, friends and neighbors to honor Cambodia's rich traditions and culture.

 During my visit to Cambodia last year, I was encouraged by the optimism of the next generation of leaders, the opportunities for our two countries to deepen and grow our relationship, and the enduring spirit of all Cambodian people.  Our two countries are already cooperating on a range of issues – from curbing public health concerns to expanding international peacekeeping efforts – and we remain committed to finding new ways to strengthening our partnership to benefit the people of both of our countries.

As you celebrate the new year, know that the United States is committed to the people of Cambodia and we extend our warmest wishes for a peaceful, prosperous, and happy New Year.

Cambodia’s Court delays Verdict for Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 07:18 AM PDT

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, 11 APRIL, 2011-Phnom Penh Court on Monday delayed to release the verdict for opposition leader Sam Rainsy for second times in defamation charges, filing the complaint by Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong.

"The verdict plans to announce today but it will delay until April 25 after the judge is so busy,"a clerk source of court said.

Sam Rainsy was charged by the court on April 2008 over the case of the defamation of the minister after  Sam Rainsy said publicly that Foreign minister Hor Nam Hong had worked as a chief of Beong Trabeng prison in Phnom Penh during Khmer Rouge regime.

Opposition leader was sentenced to two years in jail over rooting up the border markers between Cambodia and Vietnam at Svay Rieng province and also jailed for 10 years for disturbing the fake document. But Sam Rainsy has never served his prison terms, and he has still lived in exile in France. Sam used to lose two times already at French court over defamation of the minister.

United Kingdom Contributes £ 1,000,000 to UN- Cambodia Tribunal

Posted: 11 Apr 2011 07:09 AM PDT

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, 11 APRIL, 2011-The Government of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (United Kingdom) has confirmed a new contribution of £ 1,000,000 (approximately US$ 1.6 million) to the international component of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). With this latest contribution, the United Kingdom has provided financial assistance exceeding US$ 5.7 million to the ECCC.

"We are deeply grateful for this generous contribution and for the continuous support from the United Kingdom. This contribution comes at a crucial time for the ECCC where the court is preparing the delivery of the Supreme Court Chamber judgment in Case 001 and the commencement of the trial in Case 002", said Acting Director of the Office of Administration, H.E. Tony Kranh and Deputy Director Mr. Knut Rosandhaug in a statement.

The United Kingdom is one of the ECCC's key donors, and has been supporting the ECCC since the court's establishment in 2006.

OPINION: A TOTAL FIASCO FOR THAILAND DIPLOMATIC CULTURE OF DENIAL

Posted: 10 Apr 2011 08:31 PM PDT

Though it carries different name, the Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM) is a cluster bomb, as reported by CHANTAL ESCOTO of the Leaf-Chronicle published on 07 April 2003 during the Iraq war and posted on http://www.globalsecurity.org/. Thailand on Thursday 7 April 2011 admitted using this new type of cluster bomb discharged by 155mm howitzer shells, but insisted that by "Thai definition" the DPICM is not classified as a cluster bomb.

On 14 February 2011, in front of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting, Thailand did not come clean. Foreign Minister Kasit Pyromya under the recommendation of Thai military "junta" voiced an unqualified denial, thinking that the UNSC just need to hear Thailand's denial and that was enough for the UNSC. Kasit Pyromya said: "Thailand categorically denies the groundless accusation by Cambodia that Thailand used cluster munitions during the recent skirmishes." Thailand thought that the case was close, until 6 April when the Cluster Munitions Coalition (CMC), after careful investigation reported its conclusion that the Thai military had used cluster munitions over a wide area during the February 2011fighting, following the admission by Thai Ambassador to the UN in Geneva who confirmed during a meeting on 5 April that Thai used 155mm Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions (DPICM), which are cluster munitions according to CMC.

The admission is a total fiasco for Thailand diplomacy in the eyes of the UNSC members.

Both Thai Foreign Ministry and the military "junta" were scrambling for an admissible damage control campaign by playing with words and Thai own classification of DPICM. This has become known as "Thailand brand of diplomacy's shrewdness" that is to deny first and look for excuses later on. But Thailand's denial does not escape the notice and concern of the world community.

On 7 April 2011, Lao PDR's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister H.E Dr. Thongloun Sisoulith, President of the First Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Vientiane was seriously concerned over the use of cluster munitions by Thailand. He said: "The use of cluster munitions in recent border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia has been confirmed in a press statement issued by the Cluster Munitions Coalition. It is of serious concern to learn of that recent use, and in particular on South East Asian soil, already so heavily impacted by these horrific weapons. Due to their wide area effect and high rate of unexploded ordnance left behind, cluster munitions constitute a threat to peace, human security, the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, poverty eradication and social and economic development."

The CMC report offers a grim analysis reflecting the intention of Thailand to do harm to the Cambodian people for a long time to come, on these terms: "CMC analysis of the photographs indicates that the sub-munitions are M46-types, contained in NR-269 155mm artillery projectiles. Each projectile contains 56 sub-munitions, which are a copy of the United States M46 sub-munitions. Upon subsequent inquiries by CMC members, Thailand acknowledged possessing the NR-269 projectiles with M46-type sub-munitions. Unexploded M85 type sub-munitions with a self-destruct mechanism have also been found in an agricultural field next to the military camp. Atle Karlsen of Norwegian People's Aid said, "There are around 5,000 people living in Sen Chey village that are at risk from these unexploded weapons. Thailand must supply information to help clear affected areas and make them safe for civilians to return home." Sister Denise Coghlan, a CMC leader who took part in the first research mission said, "These cluster munitions have already robbed two men of their lives, two more have lost their arms and a further five were injured. The area must be cleared immediately to prevent more suffering. Cambodia must make every effort to ensure the safety of civilians."

True to his own Foreign Minister's line of denial, on 7 April 2011, acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn argued that the shells used by the Thai army against Cambodian forces were not the same as the cluster munitions mentioned by the CMC, meaning that the Thai army used a different type of cluster bomb. Is it more deadly than the ones mentioned?

Would the Foreign Minister of Thailand Kasit Pyromya, a member of the Thai "supposedly elected" government and the Thai military "junta" that is a "shadow institution" under the direct command of the office of the Privy Council feel shameful and embarrassed? Their concerted efforts of denial are the answers.

However CMC Director Laura Cheeseman condemned Thailand's use of DPICM cluster bomb in the following terms: "It's appalling that any country would resort to using cluster munitions after the international community banned them," and she added: "Thailand has been a leader in the global ban on antipersonnel mines, and it is unconscionable that it used banned weapons that indiscriminately kill and injure civilians in a similar manner."

As a matter of normal and reasonable human nature, the cruelty of Thailand's political and military leaders against the Cambodian people of Sen Chey village, Svay Chrum village and the World Heritage site of the Temple of Preah Vihear will remain as a reminder to the Cambodian people not to lower their guards in front of the silky but venomous smile of Thailand's political and military leaders for the longest time.

By: Prof. Pen Ngoeun

Senior advisor and member of the Academic Committee

Puthisastra University, Phnom Penh, Cambodia,

Former Dean and Professor of the Faculty of Business and Economics

Pannasastra University of Cambodia,

Former Assistant Controller at Phibro Inc.,

A subsidiary of Citigroup Inc., New York City, USA, until 2000

 

 

CAMBODIAN FOREIGN MINISTER HOR NAMHONG TOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE RESULTS OF THE BOGOR MEETING

Posted: 09 Apr 2011 09:06 PM PDT

In the (Bogor) discussion, there are three poor conditions.

First, Cambodia proposed to send a technical team to search the border pillars number 1 to 23 in the sector 5 of the border without delay. We can start immediately, without waiting for the approval by the Thai parliament. But Thailand refused. They demanded that the parliament has to approve the three agreed minutes of the three previous JBCs first before accepting to send technical team to search for the 23 border pillars.

The second point of this agreement was a autophoto map in order to identify the border pillars on the border. The Cambodian side also proposed that the operation of the autophoto map can be done immediately. No need to wait for the approval of the previous three agreed minutes that once again Thailand demanded to wait until the parliament of Thailand approves the three previous minutes to operate the autophoto map.

The third of these points of agreement was the role of Indonesia as ASEAN chair, including the next JBC meeting. You may know that ASEAN chair has received a mandate from the U.N. Security Council to ease the tension between Thailand and Cambodia to do social way to respect the permanent ceasefire. Therefore, we proposed that the next meeting of JBC should be left to Indonesia to propose the venue and the date for the next meeting. Thailand refused. They said the next meeting of JBC should be done by both sides through diplomatic channel without any role of Indonesia.

So, are you disappointed with Thailand's stance?

Really I do. We can not understand. If Thailand really wishes to have a ceasefire on the border, why should they hesitate to receive Indonesian observers. And everytime there are armed clashes, they always accuse Cambodia to start fighting. In such a case, why shouldn't they accept the role of Indonesia as mediator, why should they reject the Indonesian observers on the border. Secondly, if they really wishes to settle the problem on the border peacefully, amicably, bilaterally, why should reject the three points of this agreement I just mentioned to you.

I'll never be optimistic with Thailand. Frankly speaking, it's difficult to deal with them. On one hand, the foreign minister said one thing, on the other hand, the military, the defense minister said another thing. So, we don't know exactly who really has the right to negotiate.

I always trust Indonesia. Before, Indonesia had in the past, during the peace negotiations in Cambodia, Indonesia played a good role.

Frankly speaking, I don't know. Mr. Marty Natalegawa will try, but we never know if he can succeed in his efforts.

Cambodia welcomes $33 million Real Estate Investment from Hong Kong

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 07:56 AM PDT

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, 8 April, 2011-Cambodian's real estate investment agency on Friday expressed the satisfaction of the 33.6 million real estate investment in Siem Reap from Hong Kong land Limited company.

Soeung Bunna, head of real estate on Friday welcomed the investment on real estate market in Cambodia from Hong Kong. "This is a good sign for real estate in the country," he stresses.  

Hong Kong land limited invested $33.6 million on real estate investment in Cambodia.  According to the statement from the company, it also invested in land and real estate in other countries in Asia.

The company has invested, real estate, rent in Siem Reap province, hub of foreign tourist destination in the country.  . Robert Garman, CEO of Hong Kong Land Limited said:"it is a chance for us to expand our business and we belived the potential of real estate market in Cambodia,". The company said it also invested the real estate in Singapore.

ASEAN Tourism Forum attracts tourism stakeholders

Posted: 08 Apr 2011 07:52 AM PDT

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, 8 April, 2011- ATF 2012 TRAVEX boasts 20% more registrations from exhibitors, buyers and media as compared to the same time last year. The 2012 leisure travel trade event, showcasing the largest contingent of ASEAN destination products and services, have reported sales of more than 100 booths till date.

Some 200 buyers and close to 85 media have also submitted their registrations early in order to maximise their chances of getting one of the limited hosted places available. Earlier this year, Cambodia hosted the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2011 to turn the region to be a biggest destination.

Confirmed exhibitors include hotel chains such as Dusit International, the Sol Melia Group, Jakarta, Sunshine Borneo Tours and Travel, Dorsett International, Centara Hotels and Resorts, Oberoi Hotels and Resorts Indonesia, Eastin Hotel, Siam Kempinski Hotel and Vacation Singapore DMC. Among the 200 interested buyers are organisations like Select Vacations Australia, Big Tree Travels and Tours Malaysia, Optimal Travel Services UK, Tui Netherlands, Go Vacation Thailand and Hotelrooms Inc.

ATF TRAVEX Secretariat believes that much of the early interest can be attributed to a successful ATF 2011 that scored high among the over 2000 attending delegates. Delegates included more than 1,000 exhibitors representing more than 400 companies from the 10 ASEAN nations, more than 440 international buyers representing 55 countries, close to 150 media from across 32 countries and more than 400 NTOs.

Over 90% of Buyers rated the quality of exhibitors and their business appointments as Excellent or Good, reflecting the effectiveness of ATF TRAVEX as a choice business platform. Buyer, Rose Ann Shetty, CEO of Galavantor from UAE said: "It was very productive meeting suppliers of my niche products". The show provides excellent information".

More than 90% of exhibitors expect to receive orders over the next 6 to 12 months. Some 30% of exhibitors estimated their sales value to range from USD 50,000 to USD 250,000.  Exhibitor Mr. Subramaniam of Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council remarked that ATF is "A good platform to make contacts and explore business opportunities". Tran Thi Bich Thuy of Buffalo Tours, Vietnam agreed and added, "We look forward to continue getting good sales from ATF TRAVEX."

Said 2012 Exhibitor Mrs. Amornrat Boonwittaya, Director of Sales and Marketing of Zinc Invision Hospitality Co. Ltd, "We have a threefold objective for ATF 2012: 1. To strengthen business relationships with existing accounts and seek prospective clients, 2.To create product awareness and drive business volume within key selective markets and 3. To create awareness of new projects and forge new business relations."

Based on ATF's proven track record, she is confident that it is an effective platform to meet these objectives. Interested 2012 Buyer Mr Fong Chin Lim, Managing Director of Bigtree Travel & Tours Malaysia is also looking forward to ATF 2012. He says, "ATF TRAVEX is an excellent platform for us to meet with ASEAN suppliers and source new products."

ATF 2012 marks the event's 31st instalment. ASEAN member-nation Indonesia will host ATF 2012 in Manado from 9 to 15 January. ATF TRAVEX, the 3-day travel trade mart component of the event, will take place from 13 to 15 January at the newly constructed Golden Kawanua Convention Centre.

In a statement to the TRAVEX secretariat, His Excellency Ir. Jero Wacik, Minister of Culture and Tourism, Indonesia said, "The Golden Kawanua Convention Centre is just one of the many exciting efforts that Manado is making to contribute to a successful ATF 2012. The convention centre is just 10 minutes away from the Sam Ratulangi Airport, which is accessible from a host of international destinations."

The capital of the North Sulawesi province, Manado is a diver's paradise. Famous for its eco tourism efforts, Manado is home to dramatic and diverse landscapes and a treasure of flora and fauna. Indonesia hopes to introduce the world to Manado through ATF 2012. As always, ATF combines business appointments, an education component and numerous social functions. Held in a sprawling exhibition hall, the business appointments will encompass the majority of delegates' schedules over the three days.

The ASEAN Tourism Conference (ATC) – the educational component of ATF – will feature sessions by industry veterans, which will engage the audience through presentations and panel discussions on the major trends, and issues affecting ASEAN tourism today. The social and networking events at ATF will continue to offer delegates the opportunity to create new contacts within the industry in relaxed and unique settings such as the popular golf game, late night functions or the hosted luncheons and dinners. Pre-show city tours and post-show tours to popular destinations in and around Manado will also be a highlight for hosted buyer and media delegates.

Fourteenth Human Case of Avian Influenza H5N1 in Cambodia

Posted: 06 Apr 2011 04:08 AM PDT

Photo by DAP-NEWS

Khmerization ខែ្មរូបនីយកម្ម: “Cambodia’s Curse” plus 12 more

Khmerization ខែ្មរូបនីយកម្ម: “Cambodia’s Curse” plus 12 more

Cambodia’s Curse

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 11:58 PM PDT

Hun Sen Has Lung Cancer [reliable sources, but unconfirmed]

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 06:19 PM PDT

Hun Sen has lung cancer [in Khmer and English]

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 06:16 PM PDT

From the archives – the Khmer Rouge’s debt to 1950s France

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 06:12 PM PDT

A taste of CouchSurfing [in Phnom Penh]

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 06:05 PM PDT

Kicked off the streets [in Battambang]

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 05:59 PM PDT

New year makes nod to past [in Stockton]

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 05:50 PM PDT

Singer close to her Khmer roots

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 05:44 PM PDT

Vandy Rattana's Bomb Ponds Exposes Cambodia's Secret Scars

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 05:36 PM PDT

Long Beach Cambodians Hope Stories Heal Lasting Wounds From Khmer Rouge's Terror

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 05:27 PM PDT

Former Cambodian poacher turns gamekeeper

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 05:20 PM PDT

Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom – Add By Som Cheaty (Ti Amo)

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 04:33 PM PDT

ក្បួនដងែ្ហបុណ្យចូលឆ្នាំខែ្មរ ២០១១​Khmer/Cambodian New Year Parade 2011 in Long Beach, California.

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 04:33 PM PDT

Cambodia Home Heart & Soul: “Sacravatoons no 1977 : " A Lung Cancer "” plus 3 more

Cambodia Home Heart & Soul: “Sacravatoons no 1977 : " A Lung Cancer "” plus 3 more

Sacravatoons no 1977 : " A Lung Cancer "

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 04:38 PM PDT


BREAKING NEWS

Reliable sources in Beijing, Singapore and Phnom Penh indicate that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a heavy smoker, is suffering from fast-evolving lung cancer.

Sacravatoons no 1976 : " File 001 "

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 02:06 PM PDT

Sacravatoons no 1975 : " My Victory Day "

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 12:33 AM PDT



French Magazine,
Paris Match,no 1353,May 3,1975

French Magazine, Paris Match,no 1353,May 3,1975

Posted: 15 Apr 2011 12:31 AM PDT