The Phnom Penh Post - ENGLISH: “Humans not rocks” plus 9 more

They are humans, not rocks …so they can escape when evacuated.

Cambodian director Rithy Panh's film The Missing Picture has been submitted for the 86th Academy Awards.

The movie, which tells Panh's autobiographical story of how his family members were killed during the Khmer Rouge genocide of the 1970s, has been selected as Cambodia's entry for the Oscars' Best Foreign Language Film category.

A shortlist of the 76 entries will be announced in January next year, followed by the final nominations and then the official winners in March.

Cambodia has previously submitted two films to the category, the first being the docudrama Rice People in 1994, also directed by Panh and depicting a rural family attempting to put their lives back together after the Khmer Rouge.

Lost Loves, a drama also dealing with the Khmer Rouge regime and directed by Chhay Bora, was submitted last year.

Panh, who escaped to Thailand following the Khmer Rouge and then to France where he learned filmmaking skills, was named Asian Filmmaker of the Year at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea last week.

Earlier this year, he won the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes International Film Festival.

The Missing Picture uses clay figures, previously unscreened archival footage of the Pol Pot era and narration to depict the plight of Panh's family.

Mariam Arthur, chairwoman of the Cambodia Oscar Selection Committee, which selected the film for submission, said the panel members were incredibly moved by the film.

"They felt that it told a story in a new way and in a very avant-garde cinematic way, and that it was worthy of representing Cambodia to the world," she said.

Cedric Eloy, CEO of the Cambodia Film Commission, said: "We are very happy that the film will compete with the best films of the world in the Academy competition.

"We are convinced that this film is very unique in its form and has a universal outreach.

"It summarises the work of a lifetime that Rithy Panh has pursued throughout his career."

He added: "An Academy Award nomination or award for The Missing Picture would mean very special visibility, but [even without this] Cambodian cinema has been on the way up in the last few years."

Anti-corruption Unit pre­sident Om Yentieng announced plans to arrest a tax official implicated in graft, but declined to offer specifics about the case yesterday.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day anti-corruption workshop two weeks after Prime Minister Hun Sen gave a speech focusing on reform, Yentieng promised to weed out corruption, but again declined to offer any specifics on how the agency – accused of being toothless by rights groups and the opposition – would accomplish this goal.

"Look at your image in mirrors, all of you," Yentieng said, promising that those who failed to reform would be arrested.

"If you find that you are wrong, correct yourself. No one must ask for money in hospitals, or markets, or on the roads," he added.

When reached later, Yentieng and ACU spokesman Keo Remy declined to comment further on the agency's plans.

But when asked by reporters at the event how many complaints had been filed to the ACU and how many had resulted in arrests, Yentieng again shied away from specifics, saying that about 30 complaints had been filed to the ACU in "the first term" of this year, and that two or three had been actively investigated.

However, Preap Kol, executive director of Transparency International Cambodia, which participated in the workshop, said the ACU had received many complaints since its 2010 inception.

"The current mechanism is not effective. We don't know the level of ACU officials' skills. As far as I know, more than 1,000 complaints have been filed to the Anti-Corruption Unit, but there is only a little bit of complaints investigated," Kol said, pegging the amount at about 30 per cent. "We are waiting to see at what level the [ACU] will enforce [the law]."

Meanwhile, Cambodia National Rescue Party spokesman Yim Sovann criticised the ACU for failing to take on corruption at leadership levels.

"As long as there is no change of [leaders], the leaders are still the same, so [corruption] is still the same," he said.

Seven years after a man convicted of murder requested an appeal hearing, his case was heard yesterday.

In 2006, Kheng Cheang, 28, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in Preah Sihanouk after assisting in a murder.

On November 29, 2005, Cheang allegedly held a stick used to beat a man unconscious in an attack that saw another man stabbed to death by one of five suspects.

In 2006, the court charged Cheang with intentional murder, sentencing him to 15 years in prison and ordering him to pay $1,500 compensation.

Cheang appealed the sentence, but was made to pay $9,000 to the victims' families.

In court yesterday, he claimed he did not know the victims and wished to be released.

"I have not committed the crime.... I have been in prison for seven years already, and I ask the court to please bring justice and free me," he said.

The Appeal Court will deliver a verdict on October 22.

Opposition attempts to collect supporters' thumbprints in public spaces across Phnom Penh have "endangered public order" and should be stopped, according to a letter from City Hall obtained yesterday.

But the Cambodia National Rescue Party yesterday vowed to continue its drive to collect "more than a million" thumbprints ahead of a planned October 23 rally.

Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Khoung Sreng wrote to the CNRP on Tuesday to request that the party restrict the gathering of thumbprints to its offices.

"For days, CNRP activists have gathered supporters' thumbprints in markets, public areas and houses in the capital," Khoung Sreng said in the letter. "It has [negatively] affected people's daily lives, disrupted their businesses, as well as affected people's feelings and endangered public order, especially [as the CNRP] did not ask for permission from the authorities."

The CNRP began the petition on Sunday following a party congress held in Freedom Park, which called for an investigation into the disputed July election.

Ho Vann, a CNRP parliamentarian and deputy chief of the party's Phnom Penh working group, said yesterday he had not received the letter but added that he saw the move as an illegal attempt to silence freedom of expression.

"The municipality's letter is illegal. [Khoung Sreng] has to recognise the rights of citizens to freedom of expression. I think it does not affect public order and there is no law [governing this], not even the Constitution," he said.

"We will not stop. We will still carry on until October 21 and on … October 23 we will submit them to the United Nations and foreign embassies that are signatories of the Paris Peace Accords."

The municipality did not specify what, if any, action might be taken if the request was ignored.

Srey Pov, 27, a food vendor in Meanchey district's Chbar Ampov market, said she was not afraid of giving her thumbprint to the CNRP, because she wants to see political change.

"There is injustice in society that the present government never tries to settle, so we want new leadership," she said, adding that if a ban was put into effect, the thumbprints would be gathered in secret.

Chan Soveth, senior monitor for rights group Adhoc, said the move was a further sign the authorities were ill-at-ease with people openly expressing their political opinions following the election.

"The government is worried, because it has only created a half-government, so they worry about people's expression," he said. "If one is not happy, they do not need to give their thumbprint, but they have no right to prevent anybody from giving theirs. If anyone prevents or intimidates someone for doing it, then it's illegal."

In August, the Cambodian People's Party was accused of intimidating voters in the capital into lending their thumbprints to letters supporting preliminary election results disputed by the CNRP.

Raw sewage spewed onto Street 105 from the antiquated discharge canal running parallel to it yesterday as heavy rains continued to create headaches in the capital.

The putrid water lipped homes and local business on the street in Chamkarmon's Boeung Trabek commune, alarming residents.

Pich Panha, 20, a local resident living about 17 metres from the open sewage canal, said the water had been steadily rising for two days.

"We're worried about getting dengue fever [from the mounting sitting water] so we're trying to be extra careful," Pich Panha said, against a backdrop of thigh-high sewage water brimming with floating trash and discarded bottles.

The city was pelted with heavy rain that began at about 3pm on Tuesday and continued until around 5:30pm, according to Touch Meas Snguon, a 38-year-old motorbike taxi driver renting a room dangerously close to the odorous overflow.

"I could not make money today. My motorbike is broken after I drove it through the water last night," Snguon said.

But Snguon noted that locals were accustomed to living around wastewater and rarely got sick, while repeatedly emphasising it was rainwater, not sewage, seeping onto the street.

Water levels at Boeung Trabek Pumping Station hit six metres on Monday night following heavy rain, up from the normal 3.6-metre mark, 71-year-old Em Sothat, an employee at the station, said.

"We usually use only three machines to pump water, but since Tuesday night, five more machines have been used," Sothat said, adding that the water hit peak levels this year during Tuesday's downpour.

Togo Uchida, a project formulation adviser in charge of environment and climate change at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), said the organisation has been working with City Hall since 1999 to repair and expand the city's existing drainage system.

"What I've heard unofficially is the pumping system [connected to Boeung Trabek Pumping Station] is manned by eight pipes. The issue with the open sewage channel, one which City Hall has been working to improve for many years, is maintaining the channel's cleanliness," Uchida said.

Wastewater travels through Phnom Penh's central piping through the open canals to Boeung Trabek.

It is then partially purified by morning glory and lotus growing in waters north of the station. Chreang Sophan, a deputy governor in the capital, cited climate change and a rapidly growing urban population as among the blockades slowing repair of citywide drainage systems.

"The population is growing very fast, [faster than] most of our drainage systems have expanded," Sophan said.

Both Uchida and Sophan highlighted how skyrocketing urban development is outpacing expansion of the city's drainage system, a key component in City Hall and JICA's frequently criticised execution of the project.

The number of tourists who have visited Preah Vihear temple so far this year dropped 30 per cent from the same nine-month period in 2012, according to official statistics.

You Sovan, deputy chief of the Preah Vihear provincial tourism department, said that while interest from foreigners was increasing, Cambodians aren't going as often as in recent years.

"The temple had been popular for many years with our local tourists. That's why now they don't want to visit it much like before. Moreover, now we have so many new tourist destinations nationwide, that is also causing the drop."

From January through September, some 54,000 tourists showed up at the temple located at the northern Thai border. Approximately 77,400 made the trip in the 2012 time frame. Domestic visits fell 36 per cent to 45,900, while foreign tourists accounted for a 54 per cent bump to 8,100.

The decrease occurred mainly during the last three months, reversing an upward trend in visits to the temple over the first half of 2013.

Preah Vihear is at the centre of an ongoing dispute between Cambodia and Thailand over 2.4 square kilometres of land that surrounds the temple.

Opinion

On this 10th of October, citizens of the world will acknowledge the progress made globally in human dignity and civilisation by celebrating the 11th World Day against the Death Penalty.

The death penalty undermines human dignity and is irreconcilable with human rights, in particular the most sacred of all human rights: the right to life. The death penalty invariably entails cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in violation of international law. The death penalty fails to provide deterrence to criminal behaviour, and its application is marred with opacity, inequity and discrimination. Any miscarriage of justice – inevitable in any legal system – is irreversible.

It is therefore encouraging that the global trend towards abolition continues to be positive. Over the last 20 years, the number of countries that have abolished the death penalty by law for all crimes has grown from 55 to 97. Today, more than 150 countries – more than two-thirds of the countries of the world – have abolished the death penalty or do not practice it. The United Nations General Assembly adopted for the fourth time last December a resolution on moratoriums on the use of the death penalty, aiming to abolish it, once again with an increased number of states voting in favour, including Cambodia.

But we cannot sit content with the progress. There are, also, worrying developments. Several states have resumed executions, including states with long-standing de facto moratoriums; others have reintroduced the use of the death penalty or extended its scope in their legislation.

It is in such context that the voice against the death penalty should always be stronger.

"It is crucial that leaders champion abolition, and encourage their neighbours and allies to follow the same path. Even though the great majority of states no longer apply the death penalty, this majority does not speak with a sufficiently strong and united voice," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay stressed at the 5th World Congress against the Death Penalty last June.

The Kingdom of Cambodia continues to be an example in the fight against the death penalty and can be legitimately proud of the way it has drawn on lessons from the past and became a respected regional abolitionist, both by law and by conviction. Cambodia is a country of deep civilisation and culture. It is one of only two countries to have abolished capital punishment in ASEAN and has the longest continuous period of abolition, having banned the death penalty for all crimes in 1989.

As such, the kingdom sets an example to the whole region. In recent years, the Royal Government of Cambodia has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to the abolition of the death penalty by consistently voting in favour of the four UN General Assembly resolutions on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty in 2007, 2008, 2010 and December 2012.

Both the European Union and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights would like to strongly commend Cambodia for this. We would also welcome Cambodia entrenching its stand against the death penalty, regionally and internationally, by becoming party to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, on the permanent abolition of the death penalty.

The EU holds a strong and principled position against the death penalty and its abolition worldwide represents one of the main objectives of its human rights policy. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Catherine Ashton declared in a speech in the European Parliament: "Looking ahead, I want to see what more we can do to support the abolition of the death penalty world-wide. I want to assure this house that work on abolishing the death penalty is a personal priority for me. And I will see to it that work advances both bilaterally and in multi-lateral fora, beginning with the UN in September."

Worldwide, the EU joins forces with other international organisations and multilateral bodies active in promoting the abolition of the death penalty, in particular the UN system. Both jointly and separately, the UN and the EU support efforts to restrict the use of, to establish a moratorium on, and to permanently abolish of the death penalty.

ASEAN countries regrettably maintain divergent policies when it comes to the death penalty. Half of its members have abolished it, either in law – Cambodia and the Philippines – or in practice – Myanmar, Laos and Brunei. But the other half is still retentionist, even though Singapore among them recently observed a short moratorium before introducing some restrictions on the use of the death penalty. More than ever, the EU and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia reiterate their appreciation for Cambodia's support for a global moratorium. We encourage the kingdom to be a leader in working towards a regional moratorium on the death penalty at ASEAN level.

Jean-François Cautain is the ambassador of the European Union to Cambodia. Wan-Hea Lee is the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights representative in Cambodia.

The Cambodian Swimming Federation is set to host a three-day competition at the Olympic Stadium pool of the National Sports Complex from October 17 to 19 as part of the national squad preparations for December's SEA Games in Myanmar, as well as marking the one-year anniversary of the death of King Father Norodom Sihanouk.

The meet, which has received $5,000 from sponsors FTB Bank towards running costs, will feature 50 male and 31 female participants from eight swimming clubs and associations.

"It's a good opportunity for our six national team swimmers, including two females, to warm up for the 27th SEA Games," CSF vice president Hem Chan Ly told the Post. Events over 50 and 100 metres in freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly strokes will be competed by over 16-year-old male and females, 12-16 males and females and U12 males and females. There will also be 4x100m relay races.

The death toll from flooding that has affected nearly all of Cambodia has hit 104, the National Committee of Disaster Management said yesterday. With more than 60,000 people having been evacuated, relief agencies are raising concerns over disease outbreak.

The most heavily hit province was Kampong Cham, where 26 people alone have died from flooding, NCDM vice chairman Nhim Vanda said.

"Now, we've completely tallied the reports from local authorities and can confirm that 104 people have died," he said.

A report by the Humanitarian Response Forum released on Monday expressed concern over insufficient sanitation and water in evacuated areas where the risk is high of disease outbreak and contaminated food.

Yesterday, 600 families were evacuated from the Banan district in Battambang before water released from the Kampong Pouy basin caused a flash flood, Buth Sambo, a police chief of Banan district, said. He denied rumors that the Kampong Pouy basin was broken or collapsing.

In Banteay Meanchey, 19 military doctors have been sent by the Defence Ministry to treat more than 500 families evacuated in Poipet town, Deputy District Governor Men Sophan said.

Though water has inundated the halls and reaches up to a metre high outside the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Prison complex, prison authorities have taken no steps to evacuate inmates.

The prison is known to flood every year, but rights organisations are calling this flooding the worst seen since the detention centre opened in 2009.

"We have not taken any moves to evacuate the prisoners, because we can control the situation," Banteay Meanchey prison director Hin Sophal said. "The water is creeping into the staff rooms, but it cannot go to the prisoners' rooms."

According to rights groups, with the building flooded, prisoners are not able to leave their overcrowded cells, leading to numerous sanitation and mental health concerns.

"We are concerned that if the water continues rising, the authorities will have to evacuate the prisoners to somewhere.…They are humans, not rocks …so they can escape when evacuated," Som Chankear, provincial coordinator for Adhoc, said.

Though the Ministry of Interior has said it plans to prevent the cells from flooding through sandbag banks and continuous water pumping, neither the ministry nor the prison had an idea of where the prisoners could be taken if necessary.

"It is normal, and where the prisoners stay is safe," Kuy Bun Sorn, director general of the department of prisons in the Ministry of Interior, said.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LAIGNEE BARRON