A Change of Guard

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Monday 31 October 2011

A royalist military general arrested [Hun Sen applied a Khmer Rouge-style purge: Nhiek Bunchhay and Serei Kosal next?]

Serey Kosal (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)
Nhiek Bun Chhay (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

4 suspects arrested in drug raid: one suspect was a former PPenh deputy governor and former advisor to the ministry of Defense

31 Oct 2011
By Heng Seng Long
DAP-news

At 11:30AM on 31 October 2011, cops of the anti-drug trafficking department of the ministry of Interior raided a major drug trafficking center located in O’Deum area in Dangkao district. Four suspects were arrested, one of them is a Thai citizen.

Two of the suspects were identified as: (1) Maj-Gen. Lay Virak, a former royalist Funcinpec military general and former deputy governor of Phnom Penh and former advisor to the ministry of Defense, and (2) Maj-Gen. Khuon Sarun. The raid yielded 1 kg of drug and two AK-47 rifles. At 1PM, the operation has not ened yet.
Monday, 31 October 2011
Bridget Di Certo
111031_06
Photo by: Wildlife Conservation Society
The ‘Walston’s Tube-Nosed Bat’ was discovered in the Van Sai protected forest, in Ratanakkiri province, by Wildlife Conservation Society researchers.
Phnom Penh Post

Just in time for Halloween, a new bat has been discovered by Wildlife Conservation Society workers in Cambodia.

Colloquially named “Walston’s tube-nosed bat” after the mammal’s discoverer, biodiversity researcher Joe Walston, the species was discovered in the Veun Sai Protected Forests in Ratanakkiri province.

The Veun Sai Protected Forests are an important biodiversity conservation area and part of one of the Kingdom’s largest remaining blocks of forest.

Veun Sai is also home to Cambodian sun bears, the clouded leopard and the Kingdom’s national bird, the giant ibis – of which there are only 200 left – as well as the largest known population of gibbons in the lower Mekong.

“I am flattered and humbled to have this extremely rare species named after me,” Walston, who has worked in Cambodia for eight years, said via email.

“Important research like this confirms the richness of the region for biodiversity and increases the urgency to protect wild places while there is still time.”

Walston, the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Asia Program executive director, has studied bats for 17 years.

He worked with fellow researchers Csorba Gabor, of the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Nguyen Truong Son, of Vietnam’s Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Ith Saveng, of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, and Neil Furey, of Flora and Fauna International, in discovering the new species.

Ratanakkiri province, a hub for extractive industries and commercial plantation development in Cambodia, is particularly vulnerable to border development projects in Laos and Vietnam.

Return of the king

Monday, 31 October 2011
Vong Sokheng
Phnom Penh Post

111031_01
Photo by: Pha Lina
King Father Norodom Sihanouk greets the crowd yesterday during a speech at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh
Retired King Preah Norodom Sihanouk has come home – this time, for good. In his first public address since abdicating the throne in 2004, the King Father, who has spent much of the past several years living in Beijing, yesterday announced that he planned to reside in Cambodia indefinitely.

Speaking on the occasion of his 90th-birthday celebrations, the former king told a crowd of about 40,000 he would no longer travel outside the country but instead spend his remaining years supporting the ruling CPP government and national development in the Kingdom.

“I was born on October 31, 1922 . . . I will be 90 years old, so allow me to stay with you, beloved children and grandchildren,” the King Father told a crowd of government officials, diplomats, members of the Senate and National Assembly, civil servants, armed forces and citizens gathered outside the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh.

During his speech, which ran nearly half an hour, the former sovereign said his plan to stay exclus-ively in Cambodia would mean an end to his frequent medical treatment in Beijing.

Norodom Sihanouk was diagnosed with B-Cell lymphoma in his prostate in 1993. The cancer returned in his stomach in 2005, and another cancer was found in 2008.

He has been receiving medical treatment off and on in Beijing ever since.

“Even if my health is still a problem and I need to have Chinese doctors every day . . . we [King Father and Mother] have absolutely decided not to leave Cambodia,” Norodom Sihan-ouk said yesterday.

“We are happy to make this decis-ion, and when it is necessary to have our great friend China take care of my health, please send the Chinese doctors to Cambodia.”

The retired king’s 90th birthday coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords, which en-abled his return to the Kingdom from exile in 1991 after the collapse of the Khmer Rouge.

“All my great beloved . . . I appreciate your devotion to national development. We have a national unity, resolving all problems for the nation, such as for the poor. I am retired, but will remain with the government to help the nation’s development,” he said.

“We are happy, as it is the first time to have national unity, and no one can break [this national unity] or weaken it – for sure, we will be stronger and stronger.”

Speaking prior to the King Father, Prime Minister Hun Sen said the CPP was determined to pay strong attention to the protection of the monarchy, the Constitution, political stability and national reconciliation.

“The CPP and the government have always expressed high respect, love, gratitude and loyalty to the [King Father] as the father of unity and the national reconciliation,” Hun Sen said.

New carriers to service Kingdom

Monday, 31 October 2011
May Kunmakara
Phnom Penh Post

111031_07
Photo by: Sovan Philong
Ground crew signal an Air France flight shortly after it landed at Phnom Penh International Airport in March. Two new airlines aim to service Cambodia, beginning this winter travel season.
Two new Asian airlines will begin regular flights to Cambodia this winter in an airlines sector increasingly dominated by regional passengers, a Cambodia Airports official said on Friday.

Tiger Airways, a Singapore-based airline, will operate daily A320 flights between Singapore and Phnom Penh and Singapore and Siem Reap, Emmanuel Menanteau, Cambodia Airports CEO, said during a press briefing on the winter flight season, which began yesterday.

Korean-owned Eastar Jet also plans to operate four weekly flights during the winter season between Seoul and Siem Reap on 149-seat B-737 jets.

The number of passengers at Phnom Penh International Airport and Siem Reap International Airport rose 11 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively, during the first 10 months of 2011 compared to the same time last year, official airport statistics showed.

Some 1.5 million passengers passed through Phnom Penh International Airport and an additional 300,000 are estimated before the end of the year, according to the statistics. Siem Reap International Airport saw nearly 1.4 million passengers between January and October, and Cambodia Airports expects a total of 1.7 million passengers by the end of the year.

The company estimated that the passenger traffic at both airports should continues at its present pace.

“In 2012, we estimate traffic will remain steady. It’s continuing growth around 10 per cent,” said Menanteau. “We still estimate that in 2012, the [GDP] growth will definitely be there: 7 per cent.”

Most passengers were from Asian countries. As a result, economic slowdown in Western countries is not expected to stymie passenger growth, Menanteau said, although Cambodia Airports was watching carefully economic developments in the United States and the European Union.

“We’ve seen a large increase in Asian passengers. They’re coming from China, Korea and Japan. We think that in the winter season, these passengers will still be the strongest source of growth for the Kingdom. So the impact [of Western economic slowdown] will not be so important.”

Several other carriers will increase their flights in and out of the Kingdom as the tourist season approaches.

Asiana Airlines, China Southern Airlines and three other airlines will increase flights for the winter season, which ends March 24. Twenty-three airlines operate in the country.

King Father invites Rainsy to crash the party


Monday, 31 October 2011
Meas Sokchea
Phnom Penh Post

Self-exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy (pictured) has claimed an invitation from King Father Norodom Sihanouk to attend his birthday today is proof the royal family are at odds with the government over his criminal convictions.

The leader of the eponymous Sam Rainsy Party who lives in France said he received the invitation on Saturday to attend the annual celebration of Cambodia’s former leader, contradicting convictions against him in relation to disputed territory with Vietnam.

“[That] the King [Father] has the feeling to allow the Royal palace to send a letter to me means that the King [Father] regards me the same as other parliamentarians . . . without problems, as the government has accused,” he said yesterday.

Last year, Sam Rainsy was sentenced to a total of 12 years in prison in two separate cases. One set of charges – destroying public property, racial incitement, disinformation and falsifying public documents – followed a protest in which he uprooted a post demarcating Cambodia’s border with Vietnam and produced maps alleging territorial encroachment by the Kingdom’s eastern neighbour.

He was also found guilty of defaming Foreign Minister Hor Namhong for alleging he ran a prison under the Khmer Rouge.

Cheam Yeap, a Cambodian People’s Party lawmaker, said the King Father was within his rights to invite Sam Rainsy to the party, but added that the opposition leader would be arrested it he returned.
“It is the Prince’s royal rights. As the festival owner, who he invites is up to him – no problem,” Cheam Yeap said.

Last week, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, of which Cambodia is a member, issued a statement reaffirming its position that Sam Rainsy’s conviction for pulling out the border post was a political ruling that should be overturned in the interests of Cambodia’s democratic processes.

Cheam Yeap said, however, that although Cambodia was a member of the IPU, it had no authority over the Kingdom’s legal system.

There were only two ways Sam Rainsy could return to Cambodia: through a royal pardon requested by the prime minister or a parliamentary pardon, he added.

Villagers block national road

Monday, 31 October 2011
Sen David
Phnom Penh Post

Nearly 100 residents from about 50 families in Sihan-oukville town’s commune 1 blocked National Road 4 yesterday to protest aganist a Supreme Court verdict ordering their eviction on Friday in fav-our of a local official.

Resident Min Ya, 40, said yesterday that demonstrators were protesting against the court’s verdict in favour of Chan Kang, director of the petrol management office at Sihanoukville Port, following a 10-year dispute over 5.3 hectares of land.

“We request that authorities and the court help us. I have lived here for nearly 10 years,” she said. “The residents did not want to block the national road. It is breaking the law, but we need our homes.”

Another resident, 37-year-old Houn Chan Dara, said local authorities had refused to award residents land titles.

“We have lived here for a long time. The court ordered us to move on November 4 and, if not, the authorities will demolish our houses,” he said.

“Mr Chan Kang wants to sell our land.”

Chan Kang claimed yesterday he had had legal rights to the land since 1993, but that the provincial court and Appeal Court had initially ruled against him.

“The residents built homes on my land illegally,” he said.

Bun Narith, provincial co-ordinator for rights group Lic-adho, said the protest was non-violent, but had caused a traffic jam. “[Residents] are afraid of losing their homes,” he said.

Provincial police chief Tak Vantha said he had been told to maintain public order, and that residents were still blocking the road.

Cambodia to borrow more for flood damage, rice plans


Monday, Oct 31, 2011

PHNOM PENH (Reuters)- Cambodia could borrow US$1.1 billion (S$1.37 billion) from other countries in 2012, 75 per cent more than this year, to help repair infrastructure damaged in flooding and support efforts to increase rice exports to 1 million tonnes by 2015, a senior official said on Monday.

Cheam Yeap, chairman of the Finance Commission, said the borrowing, which has to be approved by parliament, would come in the form of concessionary, 40-year loans at low interest rates.

He declined to say which countries might offer the loans but said that of Cambodian's current debt of around $8 billion, some $6 billion was owed to its closest ally, China. Another $1.5 billion is owed to Russia and $317 million to the United States, he added.

Cheam Yeap said the draft 2012 budget, which also has to go before parliament, includes provisions for new spending of $2.69 billion, up from $2.4 billion this year.

As part of efforts to generate more revenue, the government in the poor Southeast Asian country intends to impose a tax on real estate and is looking at plans to start issuing bonds.

Cambodia is forecast to export 180,000 tonnes of rice in 2011, more than three times last year's volume.

The shaky foundations of Angelina Jolie’s charitable operations in Cambodia

PRSEA | Oct 31, 2011

Angelina Jolie, Hollywood actress and a high-profile philanthropist, seems to have made an error in judgement when she expanded her charitable operations in Cambodia.

In 2002, Jolie purchased two plots of land for her Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which is named after her adopted Cambodian son. The seller of the land in northwest Cambodia was Tim Tith who has been alleged to be a mass murderer by the prosecutors at the Khmer Rouge tribunal in Phnom Penh.

Tith was brought up on charges of crimes against humanity at the tribunal in 2009. As a senior Khmer Rouge leader, he oversaw purges of other party officials and “cleanings” of the general population. He was in position of authority during the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge regime under which an estimated 1.7 million people died of famine, torture and executions.

Although Jolie’s land deal with TIth precedes the tribunal’s existence, she has become under scrutiny by the international press, stating that although Jolie didn’t know the details about Tith’s past, he made her aware of the fact that he had held a senior position in the government of the communist leader Pol Pot.

The Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation was created in 2003, for the conservation of Cambodia’s northern territories biodiversity and has since then expanded to reforestation, community protected area, park management and integrated rural development projects.

Sihanouk: The great survivor turns 89

by Milton Osborne - 31 October 2011

There surely is no greater survivor among international political figures of the past and present centuries than Norodom Sihanouk, now titled the King Father of Cambodia, who turns 89 today, or 90 by Cambodian reckoning. He returned to Phnom Penh last week after three months of medical treatment in Beijing and vowed never to leave Cambodia again.

Over more than half a century Sihanouk has been king (he has abdicated twice), prime minister and chief of state of his country. Ousted in a coup in 1970, he became the nominal head of the Khmer Rouge-dominated National United Front of Kampuchea fighting against the Khmer Republic. He was then briefly chief of state of Pol Pot's Democratic Kampuchea.

Severing his ties with the Khmer Rouge after that regime's overthrow in 1979, he finally returned to mount the Cambodian throne again in 1993 after playing a predictably complex role in the negotiations that led to the settlement of the Cambodian problem. He abdicated for the second time in 2004.

Born into the Cambodian royal family in 1922, Sihanouk never expected to become king. He was plucked from relative obscurity as a student at a colonial lycee in Saigon by the French and placed on the throne in 1941 at a time of deep crisis in their colonial possessions in Indochina.

The French felt sure they could manipulate the shy 19 year-old and until almost the end of the Second World War the French were largely correct in their estimation. But from 1946 they found they were dealing with a different man. He proved to be, as a French general observed and Sihanouk has never ceased to quote, 'a madman of genius.'

I offered my own judgments on Sihanouk's career up to 1994 in an unauthorised biography published in 1994 (Sihanouk: Prince of Light Prince of Darkness), but on this notable occasion Sihanouk's unusually introspective judgment of himself in his memoir, Souvenirs Doux et Amers, published in 1981, is worth quoting:

It is true that I have been an authoritarian head of state, or more exactly a blend of Sukarno of Indonesia and Nasser of Egypt. But I have never been in the same class as Amin Dada of Uganda or Macias N'Guema of Equitorial Guinea, even less their undisputed master of cruelty, Pol Pot of Democratic Kampuchea. Neither have I been this insignificant and feckless 'little king' depicted by some right-wing French newspapers, which see me as a kind of 'negro king'...with yellow skin...Quite simply, I am a man. With his good points and his bad. I am neither more or less virtuous than my brother men, created in the words of 'Genesis', in the image of God, but having to assume the inheritance of original sin.

Photo by Flickr user patrickmloeff.

Sarah Drew, Booboo and Fivel Stewart at 2nd Annual Friends Without A Border Gala

Esteban Escobar's photo

, Hollywood Events Examiner
October 29, 2011

On Tuesday, October 25, 2011 The 2nd Annual Friends Without A Border Gala benefiting Angkor Hospital for Children of Cambodia was held at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel located at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, CA 90028 from 5:30pm to 1:00 am.

Sarah Drew Attends 2nd Annual Friends Without A Border Gala benefiting Angkor Hospital for ChildrenSarah Drew Attends 2nd Annual Friends Without A Border Gala benefiting Angkor Hospital for Children Credits: Courtesy of Diversity News Publications

Slideshow: The 2nd Annual Friends Without A Border Gala benefiting Angkor Hospital

The evening featured performances by the Khmer Arts Ensemble, a silent and live auctions, and an after-party with DJ Mia Moretti, including cocktails and hor d’oveuvres all night. Individual tickets for the Gala begin at $100 to $500.00 for VIP.

Among Booboo Stewart and Sarah Drew were Fivel Stewart, Rachel Boston, James Frain, Mia Moretti, Caitlin Moe and many more.

The evening committee were Devon Aoki, David Chang, Goodwin Gaw, Kenro Izu, and Jason Pomeranc.

About Boo Boo Stewart:
Boo Boo Stewart (born Nils Allen Stewart, Jr.; January 21, 1994) is an American singer,dancer, model, child actor, and martial artist.

Top U.S. Defense Official Appreciates Cooperation Ties Between Cambodia and China

AKP Phnom Penh, October 28, 2011 –U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia, Robert Scher (pictured) acknowledged and admired the cooperation ties between Cambodia and China.

His recognition and admiration were made in a press conference held here on Oct. 27 to conclude his two-day visit to Cambodia.

He said his visit is to boost the military-to-military relation between the two countries, support Cambodia as a chairmanship of ASEAN Summit in the near future and understand Cambodia being required to be a chairman of ASEAN.

It is better Cambodia has a cooperation relation with China and the U.S. still continues providing assistance to the country such as a recent military exercise, he said in response to questions raised by reporters in the press conference of China’s influence in the region and the deportation of Uygurs to China.

In his stay, he said he held meetings with Cambodian defense officials, in which the discussions focused on opportunities for future cooperation in the areas of peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and defense reform – topics of particular importance in light of Cambodia’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2012.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Scher visited the National Center for Peacekeeping Forces, Mines and Explosive Remnants of War Clearance.

By THOU Peou

Sunday 30 October 2011

ESCAPING ARREST BY THE HUN SEN POLICE, MR. KONG KIET IS NOW IN THE U.S.


By Sam Rainsy
October 30, 2011

After three years in hiding in a neighboring country to escape arrest by the Cambodian police, Mr. Kong Kiet, 51, his wife and their three children finally landed this week in the USA where they will be resettled as political refugees.

Three years ago, a few days after the July 27, 2008 national election that gave a “landslide victory” to the ruling CPP, I met for the first time with Mr. Kong Kiet who was a resident of Boeung Tumpun commune in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district.

Mr. Kong Kiet was not registered as a voter in his commune of residence. However, he was able to cast a ballot for the CPP. His story is not an isolated case but reflects the pattern of a massive
election trick that contributed nationwide to the CPP victory.

Cambodia marks anniversary of ex-king's return


Tens of thousands of people, waving Cambodian flags and portraits of Sihanouk (AFP, Khem Sovannara).

PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Tens of thousands of Cambodians thronged the streets of Phnom Penh on Sunday to mark the 20th anniversary of their beloved former king Norodom Sihanouk's return from exile.

Crowds of people waving Cambodian flags and portraits of Sihanouk -- who turns 89 on October 31 -- gathered outside the royal palace to see the ailing ex-monarch, who vowed to stay in his country despite health problems.

"I am very happy to inform all compatriots that from now on, even though I still have health problems... we have decided not to leave the country, but will stay with our compatriots in Cambodia forever," Sihanouk said.

The former king, who returned home on Thursday from Beijing where he spent nearly three months receiving medical treatment, said he would ask China to send doctors to look after him in Cambodia.

Twice exiled and twice returned to the throne during a life almost as turbulent as his country's history, Sihanouk abruptly abdicated in 2004 in favour of his son, King Norodom Sihamoni, citing old age and health problems.

Sihanouk was placed on the throne in 1941 at the age of 18 by French colonial authorities.

Twelve years later he gained Cambodia's independence and shortly after quit the throne for the first time in favour of his father Prince Norodom Suramarit to pursue a career in politics.

Sihanouk served as premier half a dozen times, repeatedly leaving the post with a characteristic flash of angry theatre over perceived slights, until finally becoming "head of state" following the death of his father in 1960.

He was toppled in a US-backed coup by one of his own generals, Lon Nol, in 1970.

Sihanouk aligned himself with communist guerrillas who later emerged as the Khmer Rouge and used him as a figurehead before putting him under house arrest in the royal palace with his family during their 1975-79 reign of terror.

He survived because China, a key backer of the Khmer Rouge, wanted him alive and fled to Beijing after the communist regime crumbled, living there and in North Korea -- another of the monarch's allies -- for the next 13 years.

Cambodia’s ailing former King Sihanouk vows to never leave his homeland again

Sihanouk making a speech marking the 2oth century of the Paris Peace Accords.

By Associated Press,
Updated: Sunday, October 30, 2011

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Cambodia’s ailing former king Norodom Sihanouk, his country’s dominant figure for half-a-century, vowed Sunday at a rare public appearance never to leave his homeland again.

Sihanouk, his son King Norodom Sihamoni and Prime Minister Hun Sen shared the podium at a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the former monarch’s return to his homeland after years of civil war.

The occasion may mark a last hurrah for Sihanouk, one of the giants of postwar Asian politics and the nonaligned movement of Third World countries.

In recent years, Sihanouk, who turns 89 on Monday, has suffered from colon cancer, diabetes and hypertension, and spent most of his time in China. He returned Thursday from his latest three months of medical treatment in Beijing.

The celebration of his Nov. 14, 1991 return was held Sunday in order to also mark his birthday Monday.

Tens of thousands of people turned out to attend the ceremony held in front of the royal palace in the capital, Phnom Penh. His picture and slogans were displayed there and along the city’s main streets.

“I have the great honor to inform our lovely compatriots that from now on, despite still having health problems and needing routine checkups by my Chinese medical team, I and my wife, the queen, have decided to stay forever with our compatriots inside our country,” Sihanouk said with a smile, eliciting cheers from the crowd. He said if the need arises, he would ask his Chinese doctors to come to Cambodia to attend him.

Sihanouk has a mixed legacy. He was admired for steering his small nation clear of the war in neighboring Vietnam for many years by deftly playing one side off against the other until he was overthrown by a U.S.-backed coup in 1970.

He then fatefully allied himself with the communist Khmer Rouge, who waged a bitter struggle for power against the U.S.-supported regime until taking over the country in 1975 and plunging it into the “Killing Fields” of bloody purges and misrule that left an estimated 1.7 million people dead.

Sihanouk’s support in the early stages won many adherents to the Khmer Rouge among ordinary Cambodians as well as diplomatic support

He became a mute prisoner in his own palace until a Vietnamese invasion ousted the Khmer Rouge in 1979. Appalled at what the Khmer Rouge did to his country, he still fell into an uneasy tacit alliance with them against the Vietnamese occupation, with a new round of civil war coming to a formal end only with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1991.

Sihanouk was still held in high regard by many Cambodians when he came back home again and seemed set to provide at least moral leadership as the country rebuilt itself.

But Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge who came to power with the backing of Vietnam and kept his position as prime minister after the peace accords, proved to be a tough and wily political rival.

He deftly sidelined Norodom Ranariddh, another son of Sihanouk who had been co-prime minister, and consolidated power in his own hands, marginalizing Sihanouk with threats to abolish the monarchy.

In 2004, Sihanouk abdicated in favor of son Sihamoni, a retiring reluctant monarch who posed no threat to Hun Sen. The prime minister maintains an iron grip over the country within a democratic framework while brooking no challengers.

Hun Sen on Sunday praised what he described as Sihanouk’s idea of national reconciliation.

“Under the former king’s leadership and along with the government, a win-win policy was implemented that has brought us full peace and national reconciliation,” Hun Sen said.

Bug spray hospitalizes garment factory workers

Agence France-Presse
October 30, 2011

Hundreds of workers were sent to hospital after falling ill this week at a Cambodian garment factory - the latest in a string of such incidents in the industry, police and union officials said.

Nearly 1,000 employees at the Anful Garments Factory (Cambodia) Ltd. in the southern province of Kampong Speu described feeling weak, nauseous and dizzy during their shift, labour leaders said.

Many reportedly lost consciousness in the incident, which happened after the plant had been sprayed with insecticide over the weekend.

Provincial police chief Keo Pisei confirmed that scores of workers at the factory had passed out, but he said the number was "less than one thousand".

It was not immediately clear which clothing brand the factory supplies.

There have been around a dozen reported incidents of mass fainting spells in Cambodian garment factories this year.

They are mostly blamed on workers' poor health, bad ventilation in the workplace or exposure to dangerous chemicals.

Entry for the Contest "Indochina in your eyes"!

By Deborah Chan
29th October, 2011
From: news.activetravelvietnam.com

The harsh realities of Cambodia stares me in the face. My second trip to this desolate country in a month has left an indelible mark in my throve of memories. Touching down in Siem Reap, we travelled four hours on a local bus to Battambang. Packed with over 40kgs of old clothes, medical supplies and a vague sense of what to expect, our team of a doctor and four medical students, 10 professionals and a little girl (Vanora) and set out to make medical aid possible for the rural village folk.

We met up with Pastor Sam of Legacy of Hope, an English language institute that offers quality education to children and youth. He brings us around the school, a few simple blocks of tiny classrooms with ceilings low enough to make you feel claustrophobic. Students stare at us intently offering welcoming smiles and respectful bows as we peeked in.

Prior to our arrival, Pastor Sam had organized the purchase of medicines and prepared a group of local translators to help us with the medical camp. We spent the rest of the day sorting, counting, packing and labeling medicines into the wee hours of the morning.

The next day, many questions still hung in the air as we travelled another hour into interiors of the country side– ‘How many people will come?’, ‘How will the response be?’, ‘What will we encounter?’, ‘Will we be able to cope with the numbers?’… To add to the sea of questions, it was the first time a medical team has visited this particular village.

A multitude of people were found waiting at the entrance of the school, the temporary ‘hospital’ for the next 2 days. Along the way as our van approached, groups of people were seen walking towards the school, some pulling wooden carts to ferry their children, others dragging their little ones by the finger in hope to get some medicines for their ailing bodies.

Children walked around with torn clothes, some half-naked and most of them without any shoes or slippers. Their hair streaked with a light tinge of blonde not from hair dye but as a result of severe malnutrition. Old women and men offer a smile to welcome us and I’m overcome by the sight of decaying and charcoal black teeth. I returned a smile with my best effort trying to hide the feelings that overcome me – feelings of empathy and despair.

In a place like Cambodia, cleanliness and hygiene is a concept hard to grasp or even understand. These people have so little to survive much less spare a few dollars to buy toothpaste or soap for bathing. They live on bare minimum, a shade above their head and enough to fill their stomachs. Finger nails packed with dirt are trimmed manually by biting on it. Water is a precious natural resource since it rains for 6 months and not even a drop for the next half of the year. And in those dry seasons, water is used for cooking rather than washing or cleaning.

Yet despite the poverty stricken conditions, nothing comes free. Parents still need to pay for their children’s education and medical aid is not covered by insurance or even subsidized by the government. In order to put food on the table, one has to work hard plowing and tilling their land in harsh weather conditions. Meat is a complete luxury for these rural folk since it costs USD12 for 1kg of chicken!

On the first day of the medical camp, we saw over 350 patients. Setting up stations to test their blood pressure, glucose level and finally meeting a doctor – we dispensed thousands of tablets, cleaned wounds, gave out vitamins and extended our hearts to these people. Children walked into the ‘hospital’ without parents, farmers miss a day of work just to get a basic medical health check, families streamed in and the hall was filled. The doctors didn’t have a minute to rest and the pharmacy buzzed with activity.

Cambodia celebrates 20th anniversary of ex-King's return

The signing the Paris Peace Accords in 1991.
Top:
R-L: Khieu Samphan, Ieng Mouly, Sihanouk, 4th person unidentified, Hun Sen and Hor Namhong.

Middle: Sihanouk, French FM Roland Dumas and Hun Sen.
Bottom: Hun Sen signed the Paris Peace Accords.

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Sunday celebrated the 20th anniversary of ailing former retired King Norodom Sihanouk's return from exile and his 89-year-old birthday turning to 90 on Oct. 31.

The auspicious ceremony was held in front of the Royal Palace with the high presence from King Norodom Sihamoni, Sihanouk's son, Senate acting-President Prince Sisowath Chivan Monirak, President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin, Prime Minister Hun Sen, and foreign diplomatic corps.

In his first public appearance since his abdication in October 2004 in favour of his son Norodom Sihamoni, the former King was warmly greeted by throng of about 40,000 people from all walks of life.

Traditional dance has been performed to bless the former King with good health and longevity.

In his remarks, Sihanouk said he was very happy to have an honor to address to his beloved compatriots and highly appreciated Prime Minister Hun Sen for his tireless efforts and achievements to develop the country.

"Also, I admire the government of Cambodia and the parliament for their joint efforts to develop the nation," he said in a speech and live televised by the state-owned National Television of Cambodia.

The former King and Queen returned to Cambodia on November 14, 1991 from their exile in China's Beijing at the invitation of the ruling Cambodian People's Party, said Prime Minister Hun Sen in a speech during the celebration.

He said the celebration was to reflect the sincere hearts of Cambodian people towards the former King Norodom Sihanouk and Queen Norodom Monineath for their tireless efforts and achievements in national construction.

"We, all Cambodian people, wish the king father for good health and longevity in order to stay as a cold shadow for peace, political stability and prosperity of Cambodia and Cambodian people," he said.

Hun Sen said in the history of Cambodian Kings, there have never had any ex-kings who had as long life as the former King Norodom Sihanouk.

"In the past and in the future, the government of Cambodia vows to protect monarchic regime, constitutional law, full peace, political stability and national unification," he said.

During the celebrations, there is an exhibition displaying former King Norodom Sihanouk's royal crusades and achievements in his efforts to develop the nation.

Also, at the night of Oct. 30, there will be fireworks and concerts.
Editor: Yamei Wang

Singer Huoy Meas, aka Comrade Lom, prior to her killing by the Khmer Rouge in Moung Russey, Battambang

A comrade of Houy Meas from Nehru on Vimeo.

Cambodia Past and Present Part



Thai soldiers detained over Mekong River killings

BBC News 29th October 2011
  
Nine Thai soldiers have been detained following a deadly attack on two cargo ships on the Mekong river near the Thai-Burma border.
                                                                 
Thirteen Chinese crew members died in the attack, which happened in early October, in an area notorious for drug production and smuggling. Their bodies were found floating in the river.
A police spokesman in Thailand said the soldiers had surrendered on Friday.
The Thai troops were working for an anti-drug task force.
According to media reports, some of the dead crew members had been bound and gagged, others had been blindfolded with tape and some had been shot.

Cambodia must choose America over China

By Tuk Tuk Driver

Re: US military engagement on rise

Cambodia plays a dangerous game again by not being decisive about their relationship between the two superpowers. Don't think for a moment that you can fool them or use them to gain benefit. When was the last time Cambodian gain something or win something from them?

Cambodia cannot pretend that nothing will happen to Cambodia. Look at the history closely when you are not decisive about which side you are on, especially the United States and China. You can have relationship with as many countries, but you've got to know and respect who is your boss and making sure your boss got your back. You cannot play around with the United States. You need to understand who is the world superpower and not putting Cambodian future at risk.

China is part of the Cambodian culture and its people is part of the Cambodian people, but we cannot pretend that China is a military superpower or the world leader. Cambodia needed to focus on who they wanted as a military backer. Don't dream about Vietnam beating the US again. Cambodia cannot pretend that China and the US will go to war because of Cambodia either. Don't dream that China will go to war with Vietnam for Cambodia either. The most likely thing to happen is Cambodia will get punished from both sides again. Remember the bombing? Remember the Khmer Rouge? Remember the Vietnamese invasion? Remember Gen. Lon Nol's overthrowing of the king [Sihanouk in 1970]? Why do you think these events happened? Who suffered?

The Cambodian government needs not be fooled by conflicting relationships. You cannot pretend to play your ball in both courts. I think Cambodia needed to be careful not to piss off the United States. The United States is the world leader, not China. I understand that China has a potential to be an economic power, but China is nowhere close to the United States military power and the world influences that the United States has. Don't throw away a real diamond and pick up a diamond from a pawn shop that you cannot tell if it is real or fake. Although China is part of the Cambodian culture and their people are part of the Cambodian people, let's not make any more mistakes of underestimating the United States power. The United States is the world leader, there is no if or but about it.

PETITION TO HIS EXCELLENCY MR BAN KI-MOON

The following is a Google translation of the French text which is also posted below:

His Excellency Mr. BAN KI-MOON
SECRETARY-GENERAL
UNITED NATIONS,
NEW YORK (United States)

PARIS (France), October 24, 2011

Mr. Secretary General,

Subject: Petition of Cambodians in France and the European countries to mark the 20th Anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords on Cambodia of 23 October 1991

Yesterday, October 23, 2011, gathered in the Plaza of Human Rights, Paris (France), more than five hundred persons of Cambodian representative associations based in France and other countries of Europe, to express their gratitude and continued support to the Paris Peace Accords on Cambodia of 23 October 1991.

The protesters also expressed their deep concern about the effective implementation of these agreements for twenty years by the Governments of Cambodia and Vietnam, to the detriment of the legitimate rights of the Cambodian people and the sovereignty of his country.

A petition was attached as drafted and approved by the protesters to request your high intervention, on the advisability of establishing an International Control Commission of the implementation of these agreements, whose mission will be to engage Governments of Cambodia, Vietnam, and other signatories of such agreements to implement fully the Paris Peace Agreement of 23 October 1991 on Cambodia, to help this country and its people out of a dangerous situation of annihilation, and restore peace, stability and security favorable to its development.

On behalf of the protesters and in the hope that our present approach is sure to meet your high and kind attention, I beg you to accept, Mr. Secretary General, the assurances of my highest consideration and respect.

DY Kareth

dykareth@yahoo.com
--------------------------------
PETITION A SON EXCELLENCE MONSIEUR BAN KI-MOON en Français et Khmer

A SON EXCELLENCE MONSIEUR BAN KI-MOON,
SECRETAIRE GENERAL,
ORGANISATION DES NATIONS UNIES,
A NEW YORK (USA)

PARIS (France), le 24 octobre 2011

MONSIEUR LE SECRETAIRE GENERAL,

Objet : PETITION des Cambodgiens de France et des Pays d’Europe à l’occasion du 20e Anniversaire des Accords de Paix de Paris sur le Cambodge du 23 octobre 1991

Hier, le 23 octobre 2011, se sont réunis à l’Esplanade des Droits de l’homme, à Paris (France), plus de cinq cents personnes d’origine cambodgienne représentant leurs associations basées en France et dans d’autres pays d’Europe, pour manifester leur gratitude et leur soutien renouvelé aux Accords de Paix de Paris sur le Cambodge du 23 octobre 1991.

Les manifestants ont également exprimé leurs profondes préoccupations quant à l’application effective de ces Accords depuis vingt ans par les Gouvernements du Cambodge et du Vietnam, au détriment des droits légitimes du Peuple cambodgien et de la souveraineté de son pays.

Une Pétition ci-jointe a été ainsi rédigée et approuvée par les manifestants pour solliciter votre haute intervention, sur l’opportunité de la création d’une Commission Internationale de Contrôle de l’Application de ces Accords, dont la mission sera d’engager les Gouvernements du Cambodge, du Viêtnam, et d’autres Etats signataires desdits Accords à respecter scrupuleusement les dispositions des Accords de Paix de Paris du 23 Octobre 1991 sur le Cambodge, afin d’aider ce pays et son peuple à sortir d’une situation dangereuse d’anéantissement, et à restaurer la paix, la stabilité et la sécurité propice à son développement.

Au nom des manifestants et dans l’espoir que notre présente démarche ne manquera pas de rencontrer votre haute et bienveillante attention, je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur le Secrétaire Général, les assurances de ma très haute et respectueuse considération.

DY Kareth

dykareth@yahoo.com

Robert Pattinson to help Cambodian charity

Video: Robert Pattinson Holding Private Breaking Dawn Part I Screening



Press Trust of India
Wednesday, October 26, 2011 (London)

Actor Robert Pattinson is reportedly auctioning off a private screening of the latest Twilight Saga movie, which he hopes will raise money to build a home for young girls in Cambodia.

Pattinson, 25, who stars as vampire Edward Cullen in the movie franchise, has organised a bidding war for a viewing of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 which will take place in Los Angeles on November 17, Femalefirst reported.

Profits from the sale of the private screening will go to the GO Campaign, which is raising money to build a permanent home for PAGE (Program Advancing girls Education). PAGE - which is run by Cambodian monks in Siem Reap - currently houses 12 girls in a rented facility and the new facility hopes to accommodate 20 girls.

Last year, Pattinson donated a set visit to Breaking Dawn to the same charity which raised USD 80,000.

Video: Cambodia holds first-ever fashion week


1st Fashion Week kicks off in Cambodia

Xinhua, October 29, 2011

Cambodia on Friday evening launched the first ever Fashion Week 2011, aimed at boosting the country's fledgling fashion industry, said Ellen Jones, the event' s public relation manager.

The Cambodia Fashion Week 2011, running until Saturday next week, would highlight global fashion trends, featuring international and national designers and introducing up and coming designers from Cambodia and across the region, providing designers with opportunities to network with buyers and potential investors, she said.

The event includes invitation-only runway shows, exclusive parties, a fashion exhibition and more, at selected venues across Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia.

The CFW 2011 is being hosted by the Cambodia Fashion Council. It will direct 10 percent of all proceeds to fund scholarships for Cambodian youth pursuing careers in the fashion industry, according to the press release.

It is expected to attract over 2,000 participants from across the Asia and South East Asia region, it will be by far the biggest fashion event to be held in the Kingdom, it added.

Em Riem, painter and designer at X-M Design-Cambodia, said, "it 's the largest and most impressive fashion show I have ever seen in Cambodia."

Cambodian village has disturbing reputation for child sex slavery


By Sara Sidner, CNN

SVAY PAK, Cambodia (CNN) -- Svay Pak has a disturbing reputation. The village outside Cambodia's capital of Phnom Penh is known as a place where little girls are openly sold to foreign predators looking for sex.
One of the girls who was sold into the sex trade told CNN that before she could read she was working in a brothel.
"I was about five or six years old," she said. "Thefirst man said to me, 'I want to have sex with you.' At the time I didn't know what to do. No one could help me."
Dozens of girls have had the same experience in her neighborhood.
She says she was approached by a man while playing outside. He asked her to come over and talk to him, and before she knew it she was alone and being asked for sex. Some of the girls were actually sold into the sex trade by their own parents.
Many were housed with other girls her age in what looked like a cell. The room was pink had thick walls and no windows and was about 7 feet long by 7 feet wide. There were several rooms just like it stuffed into a building that had a gate over the front door and bars on the bathroom window.The brothel she lived in specialized in pre-pubescent girls.
The young girls were sought after by the foreign men who came to the area for one reason: They knew they could find young girls for sale.

"At the beginning they talked to me gently but when they raped me, they also beat me up," the former sex slave said, her head bowed and tears rolling from her eyes uncontrollably.
She is now 18 and no longer trapped in a terrible and painful life. Three years ago she found a safe haven after Don Brewster and his wife moved into the neighborhood and began operating a rehabilitation center for child sex slaves.
"I really think it's an evil -- I mean there is no understanding it. The girls, I mean, they're in such pain and suffer so greatly and it is obvious to the man that's raping them," Brewster said.
Brewster says things have changed in Svay Pak in the past several years. It used to be girls who hung out in the open, beckoning from behind barred windows to the men who walked by. Pimps no longer descend on every foreign man who shows up in the neighborhood offering to sell them virgins.While the situation is changing, there is still a nasty underbelly in the area,but travelers have to go looking for it now. The sex trade has gone underground, but it is still there.
"If you just look on the surface you would say that doesn't happen but just yesterday we rescued a 5-year-old girl here in Svay Pak,"said Brewster, who works with Agape International Missions.
Now there is a place that provides a secure environment for children to just be children.

Golden Memories . . .


"Somleing Guitar" (Sound of Guitar) 1972


 Vocals by the late Ros Serei Sothea? I'm not too sure; well, not on this one!



Vijjara Dany - Screen Siren of pre-war Khmer Cinema with a smile and charm to capture a million hearts, mine among them!

(School of Vice - with apologies to Khmerization! )
----------------

"Doung Preah Chantrea"

by 

Sinn Sisamouth and Ros Serey Sothea

(Dedicated to the incurable Romantic in all of us!)

"Pngeur bomnong ler chan" - by Houy Meas 

Thanks to our readers for their kind clarifications. And I always thought Ms Houy Meas came to fame slightly after Ms Ros Serei Sothea! I often wonder if I have to choose between the voice of these two female artists which one would have to be my choice? Fortunately, it's just a silly question on my part! While Ms Ros remains the undisputed Queen of Khmer popular music of her generation, the honey-sweet, seductive (very seductive!) vocals of Ms Houy Meas will always win over the romantic in . . . well, many listeners!   
So here it is. Enjoy! (School of Voice!)

Holidays in Cambodia







The Stele of Preah Khan of Angkor, (1941) including transliteration, translation and inscription rubbing

Gentlemen,

Of the 23 Angkorian Khmer provinces/principalities listed in the Preah Khan inscription (of Javavarman VII), we can identify following: Svanpura is currently Suphanburi, Lavodayapura is Lopburi, Javarajapuri is Ratburi, Jayasimhapura is Muang Sinh (all in Thailand). Phisanolok (vishnu loka) is also an ancient placename of the current place/thai province, probably dated back to Angkor era. On the map by Simon de la Loubère (1693), it was misspelled as "perselouc".

Attached is G. Coedes, "Le Stele du Prah Khan d'Angkor", Bulletin E.F.E.O (1941), texts including transliteration, translation and inscription rubbing.

Regards Bora Touch
_____________________________________________________________________________

Dear Lok Bora Touch,

Thank you very much for enlightening us on the names of the former Khmer provinces in Thailand. May I request more:
1. All the names of the 23 provinces because it seems that not many people aware of this.
2. The province in Cambodia now is called ខេត្ត. What was it called during Taprom inscription?
3. Once I hear from someone who is quite well known in Phnom Penh that the Bayon temple consist of 54 summits which were represented the number of provinces of Khmer during that time. How this statement can be explained by evidence somewhere? Or just the imagination of an artist?
Thank you very much
Monychenda

Courtesy of camwatchblogs.blogspot.com.
Stele Du Prah Khan Angkor by Coedes 1941 A

Saturday 29 October 2011

The crowning of King Suramarit (Sihanouk's father) in 1956

RCAF Vows to Boost Relations with China’s PLA


AKP Phnom Penh, October 28, 2011 —Gen. Pol Saroeun (pictured), Commander-In-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) has vowed to boost Cambodian-Chinese bilateral military relations.

Gen. Pol Saroeun told a visiting Gen. Zhang Youxia, Commander of Sheng Yang military region of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) during a meeting here on Thursday.

During the meeting, the Cambodian commander-in-chief briefed Gen. Zhang Youxia on the remarkable progress of the RCAF under the cooperation and military assistance of the Chinese government and Army.

By OU Sokha

After UN Visit, Increased Stakes for Tribunal Credibility



Photo: by VOA Khmer
Andrew Cayley, the international prosecutor for the tribunal, who is currently in the US, spoke to VOA Khmer while giving a talk at Rutgers University, in New Jersey.

Friday, 28 October 2011
Washington, New Jersey | Reporters, VOA Khmer

“I wonder whether other countries will support a country, generally speaking, that does not respect international agreements.”

Following the visit of the UN’s top legal representative to Cambodia last week, the Khmer Rouge tribunal is facing increased pressure to regain its credibility, court observers say.

Patricia O’Brien, flew to Phnom Penh last week to warn Cambodian officials to refrain from speaking against two cases before the investigating judges.

The office of investigating judges is now facing accusations that its judges, Siegfried Blunk and You Bunleng, altered documents for controversial Case 003, among other irregularities. Tribunal officials have told local media that edits to court documents is a regular occurrence and not improper.

Blunk announced his resignation earlier this month, saying public statements by top Cambodian officials have made it impossible to do his job without perceived bias, and rights groups and others have called for You Bunleng to similarly step down.

Chhang Youk, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, said the office of investigating judges has had irregularities “that will seriously affect the court’s process, as well as its outcome.”

The widespread perception of political interference remains a problem, he said, one that the UN must work to solve.

The UN “projected a positive image” following O’Brien’s visit last week, he said, but that has been a distraction from issues facing the court. “This shows a UN weakness in providing leadership to ensure the court’s international standards.”

Long Panhavuth, a court monitor for the Cambodia Justice Initiative, said the UN was neglecting its role to ensure the court meets high standards.

The court has failed to conduct thorough investigations into alleged atrocity crimes by former Khmer Rouge leaders, he said, and the UN ignored early warnings of political interference through the public objections of Prime Minister Hun Sen and other senior officials to some cases at the court.

“It seems like the UN is only taking credit for success, not the failures, and once it doesn’t go well, they say this is a Cambodian issue,” he said. This goes against the requirement that both sides are responsible for the successes and failures of the court, he said.

Replacing Blunk with another UN judge and simply issuing a statement against government interference are not “real solutions,” he said.

“The UN must be bold in implementing the agreement” between it and the Cambodian government when the tribunal was established, said Lao Monghay, an independent political analyst.

UN spokesman Fahan Haq said the UN has urged all sides to refrain from interference in the court’s work.

O’Brien has “made clear her concern about recent developments at the court,” he said. “The UN continues to call on upon all people to respect and support integrity and independence of the [tribunal] and to support the judicial process. So that’s what her goals are.”

Lao Monghay said there is more at stake for Cambodia than the credibility of the tribunal. Cambodia is trying to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2013 and 2014. Whether Cambodia abides by its agreements with the tribunal could affect the way it is seen interacting with the Security Council, he said.

“Would it affect the credibility, dignity and the work of the UN Security Council if there is a member, even if it is non-permanent one, that does not respect its agreements with the UN?” he asked. “This is something that must be considered.”

“I wonder whether other countries will support a country, generally speaking, that does not respect international agreements,” he said.

Ouch Borith, secretary of state for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Cambodia is confident in its qualifications for a temporary seat on the council and has cooperated with the UN on the tribunal in the spirit of good will.

Chhang Youk said that Cambodia’s cooperation with the UN on the tribunal will factor into its council ambitions. But he recommended an investigation into the offices of the investigating judges to clear all doubts.

“This will restore confidence in the court at a time when it is now preparing for Case 002, and it will help Cambodia in its application as a [non-permanent] member of the Security Council,” he said.

Meanwhile, it remains unclear what the UN will do next about the tribunal.

Haq said O’Brien will discuss developments at the court with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other senior UN officials “to determine what the next steps are.”

Whatever the steps are, the court needs to restore its credibility, said Ou Virak, director of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.

“Investigations must be conducted by an independent UN institution over political interference, illegal backdating and other irregularities,” he said, as a guest on “Hello VOA” Thursday.

Latt Ky, a tribunal monitor for the rights group Adhoc, said victims who are civil parties in the tribunal to seek justice and the truth about crimes of the Khmer Rouge need to be better considered, too, if the court is to be seen as credible.

“A big mission of this tribunal is to rebuild human dignity, especially the victims of the Khmer Rouge regime, for them to be mentally healed and receive an international standard of justice,” he said. “Seeking the truth is very important in this court, where many Cambodians don’t understand the truth.”

Andrew Cayley, the international prosecutor for the tribunal, who is currently in the US, told VOA Khmer that the most important task before the court is Case 002—a trial for jailed leaders Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith.

“It’s very difficult for me to measure how much justice the victims actually require,” Cayley said in an interview. “That’s really a matter for the Cambodian people. I think the expectation is at least, at the moment, that Case 002 comes to some kind of conclusion. These are the most senior living members of the Khmer Rouge regime. These are the people who were the top of the power pyramid in the country.”

Cayley said the allegations of political interference have not directly affected him as the UN prosecutor.

“The government has never blocked any actions that I have wanted to take on cases,” he said. “I’ve always been able to carry out my duty. It’s been very stressful at times and very challenging, but I have always been able to do what I need to do and I consistently said I would follow the laws and rules. That’s my duty and I will do my duty.”