Phnom Penh

(Samdech Euv Norodom Sihanouk)

23-05-2007
Bosba PANH

Sacratoons no 1529 no : " Xcambodia's Family Trees "

The cartoon Created By Sacrava

Congressional Censure a Message of Solidarity: Official

By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer

Original report from Washington

16 October 2009

A recent congressional reproach of Cambodia’s corruption and political repression is not meant as an attack on the government, a US official says, but it is meant to demonstrate to the Cambodian people they are not alone.

Four US congressmen issued a House resolution earlier this month censuring pervasive corruption and continued human trafficking, a message government officials have dismissed.

“We, the United States government, are aware of what is going on within your borders; and while Cambodia is a sovereign country it is also part of the international community,” the office of Rep. Jim Moran, who was among those sponsoring the resolution, said in a statement to VOA Khmer explaining the resolution’s intent.

“We, the United States, cannot stand by idly when we see the people of Cambodia lack what we here in the US take for granted—the freedom to speak up, move around and live where we wish, without the danger of persecution and prosecution,” the statement said.

The resolution—introduced Oct. 8 by representatives Ed Royce, a Republican from California; Frank Wolf, a Republican from Virginia; Moran, a Democrat from Virginia; and Anh Josept Cao, a Republican from Louisiana—calls on the House of Representatives to condemn the repression of opposition candidates by the ruling party and calls on the Cambodian government to better combat the “worsening problem” of human trafficking.

Cheam Yiep, a parliamentarian for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, told VOA Khmer earlier this week the resolution was one-sided and not accepted by the government.

“Everything we do is based on our laws,” he said. “Our laws and those of the US are different. You, the sharp-nosed, live more than 1,000 kilometers away, and I live in Asia. I, as a lawmaker voted in by voters, make laws based on what my people need. I thank you for sharing your concern, but the concern is unthoughtful, without analysis, without estimation, and without clear checks and balances.”

“You’ve based [the resolution] on only one side,” he said, referring to testimony by an opposition lawmaker, a leading rights advocate, and a union representative to the House’s Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission last month. “This is inappropriate and unacceptable.”

In fact, sponsors of the resolution cited the rights commission testimonies and reports from the US State Department, Human Rights Watch, a UN special envoy for human rights, and the international environmental watchdog Global Witness, as cause for the censure.

Moran’s statement, issued Tuesday, said the congressmen’s “interest in Cambodia is not due to what the US can gain, but how the US can assist a country whose people strive for freedom of expression, thought and movement, but whose own government is knowingly preventing those functions from taking place.”

The resolution has moved to the House Committee for Foreign Affairs, officials said.

Hun Sen Flies to China for Talks on Trade, Aid

By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
15 October 2009

Prime Minister Hun Sen flew to China on Thursday, to attend a trade fair and seek agreements on infrastructure rehabilitation, officials said.

“Hun Sen will raise before his Chinese counterpart encouragement of more investors to come, especially investment in the agricultural sector, hydroelectricity and rice mills,” said Sri Thamrong, an adviser to Hun Sen who accompanied the delegation.

Hun Sen is expected to meet with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and pay a courtesy call on Liu Qibao, secretary of the Sichuan provincial committee of the Communist Party, Sri Thamrong said. Hun Sen will also give a speech at the opening ceremony of a trade fair on Friday morning, in the forum of international cooperation in a seminar on investment.

During the visit, the Cambodian delegation is expected to sign agreements for financial assistance on a road project between Kampong Thom and Preah Vihear provinces and irrigation in Battambang province.

Hun Sen traveled with Foreign Minister Hor Namhong and Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh.

China remains a strong partner in Cambodian development and is the country’s top donor. Its assistance includes development projects and military aid.

Yim Sovann, a lawmaker and spokesman for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, warned against encouraging too much investment and financial support from China.

Cambodian Lawmaker Addresses US Censure

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington
15 October 2009

A senior Cambodian official called a US congressional resolution condemning corruption in Cambodia “unacceptable” and counter to a system of checks and balances.

Responding to House Resolution 820, Cambodian People’s Party lawmaker Cheam Yiep said the four congressmen who drafted the resolution had taken only one side in their evaluation, the opposition.

The resolution—introduced Oct. 8 by representatives Ed Royce, a Republican from California; Frank Wolf, a Republican from Virginia; Jim Moran, a Democrat from Virginia; and Anh Josept Cao, a Republican from Louisiana—calls on the House of Representatives to condemn the repression of opposition candidates by the ruling party and calls on the Cambodian government to better combat the “worsening problem” of human trafficking.

“Please, evaluating congressmen, don’t listen to only one side and evaluate,” CPP National Assembly member Cheam Yiep told VOA Khmer. “It’s not right, and you can understand, in your language, ‘checks and balances,’ means that both [sides] are put out on the tray.”

“The condemnation that’s been raised is unacceptable,” he said, adding that opposition lawmakers had sought to cloud information about the situation in Cambodia.

(The resolution also cites reports from a UN rights envoy, the environmental watchdog Global Witness and the US State Department as cause for its censure.)

Cheam Yiep said the full House of Representatives was unlikely to follow the resolution.

“We are a developing country and cannot do like the US, a country that has developed for hundreds of years,” he said. “We’ve learned from experience and everything to develop the country.”

The government has not ignored human trafficking, he said, but “is trying to implement the law to crack down on human trafficking and sex trafficking.”

He also cited this week’s passage in the National Assembly of a national penal code as a gradual step to reduce corruption. Officials say the penal code was necessary before anti-corruption legislation can be passed.

He also defended the courts. “The system does not have the principle to allow corruption or commit injustices,” he said. Court corruption was undertaken by “a few individuals,” not the entire system, he said.

The Supreme Council of Magistracy has investigated and punished wrongdoing in the courts, he said.

“Raising the court system as corrupt and unjust, I can’t accept that,” he said. “If one says only some individuals in the system, I can accept that.”

FOCUS: Cambodia's Killing Fields, unfinished justice

KYODO

Oct. 14.2009

Thirty years after Cambodia's ''Killing Fields'' regime collapsed, and despite a Khmer Rouge trial process that began three years ago, bringing justice to hundreds of thousands of Cambodians is far from concluded.

Even though five former Khmer Rouge leaders are being tried for their roles in the deaths of at least 1.7 million Cambodians in the late 1970s, it remains hard, even for Khmer Rouge victims, to solemnly decide what is just.

And even now, with only Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, on trial no verdict on him is expected before next year and the actual proceedings against the four other aging leaders are unlikely to start until next year, or the year after.

The special U.N.-backed court trying the former leaders became operational in 2006, but it has already seen two critical budget shortfalls and many in Cambodia fear more trouble lies ahead.

In the previous shortfalls, only Japan was moved quickly to inject funds keep proceedings going ahead. It has been joined by other donors, but there is still no guarantee there will enough money, or enough will, to bring the trials to conclusion.

Budget aside, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia have struggled through a corruption scandal, many fear the aged Khmer Rouge leaders will die before they are brought to justice and even decisions on who to call as witnesses are fraught with controversy.

Many of Cambodia's current leaders have the taint of Khmer Rouge affiliation in their backgrounds and simply the idea of calling some of them to testify, or even prosecuting some of them, brings fears of recrimination and civil war that linger barely below the surface of the Cambodian psyche even today.

Yuko Maeda, spokeswoman for the ECCC, told Kyodo News that in principle, in accordance with the Cambodian law an the agreement made with the United Nations, only senior leaders and those the most responsible for the crimes committed during the Khmer Rouge's Democratic Kampuchea regime between 1975 and 1979 are to be tried.

Many interpret that to mean only the current five ''suspects'' are to ever face trial for the Khmer Rouge atrocities. And some trial monitors wonder, given the complex procedural, political, administrative and legal aspects of the cases, if the four yet to go on trial will be the prisoner's dock before 2011, if ever.

The four now charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity since late 2007 are Nuon Chea, better known as Brother No. 2 in the Khmer Rouge hierarchy after leader Pol Pot;, Khieu Samphan, who was head of state; Ieng Sary, the regime's foreign minister; and his wife Ieng Thirith, who was social affairs minister.

Duch, 66, was chief of Tuol Sleng Prison in central Phnom Penh, code named S-21, from early 1976 through 1979.

He has already admitted responsibility for 12,380 deaths.

Some scholars and historians believe Duch was responsible for the deaths of at least 14,000 prisoners.

Gathering evidence and prosecuting genocide of that scale -- and the other leaders are charged with being behind the deaths of many, many more Cambodians -- is turning out to be prohibitively expensive.

The initial ECCC budget, for three years from 2006 to 2009, was $56.3 million.

Maeda now says the ECCC will have spent about $85 million by the end of this year, and the court still needs funds for 2010 and 2011.

Assuming the money to continue is found, whether or not justice will be ultimately rendered is open to debate.

Chum Mey, one of three surviving victims from the S-21 torture center, said he is not expecting ''100 percent justice,'' but will be ''satisfied'' if after Duch and the other four are tried and convicted.

Chum Mey, 76, was jailed and tortured for more than three months from late 1978 until the Khmer Rouge regime collapsed on Jan. 7, 1979.

Independent political analyst Chea Vannath believes simply completing the five trials will be a ''big achievement and success if the current five people in the custody could have fair trials.''

There would be ''no need to extend, prolong any further,'' she added.

''The important message from the court is to alert all leaders that justice will take place. It does not matter when, where, and how late,'' she said.

Chhang Youk, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, a nonprofit organization that archives the Khmer Rouge atrocities, said for him ''the process is most important for all. It is a foundation for us all to decide what is just being done for us so that we can move on into the future.''

''Justice has been defined by the victims in many different ways...,'' he said.

He sees the court as having two distinct roles -- reaching final judgments on the accused and providing formal recognition of the crimes committed against the Cambodian people.

''Finally,'' he said, it is ''not about victory but reconciliation of a nation.''

For others, the question remains if more former Khmer Rouge leaders and cadres should also face trial.

The international co-prosecutor and co-investigating judge have both sought charges against at least five more suspects, but the Cambodian co-prosecutor and co-judge, as well as Cambodia's current political leadership, have resisted all attempts to expand the tribunal.

''If you try more suspects without taking account of national reconciliation and peace and if war recurs, killing 200,000 to 300,000 more people, who would be responsible?'' Prime Minister Hun Sen has asked on several occasions.

Pol Pot, mastermind of the ''Killing Fields,'' died in 1998 and several other Khmer Rouge leaders, including the ''Butcher'' Ta Mok and National Security Minister Son Sen, are also

dead.

Remaining possible suspects tend to be further down the Khmer Rouge pecking order, and some are very close to the current government, making deciding who to try and who to ignore an exercise in near futility politically.

Sok Samoeun, executive director of the Cambodian Defenders Project, a well-known Cambodian nongovernmental organization monitoring Khmer Rouge trial, said it is hard to assume justice for Cambodians none of the five current cases has reached conclusion.

''Duch is the only small figure, while the other four are bigger and more important. I'm wondering how they will handle the case of Ieng Sary. (He) was once pardoned and some of his people are in now power,'' Sok Samoeun said. ''I cannot expect justice, but it will help close a dark chapter of Cambodia's history.''

Thais reject ASEAN role in border row

Phnom Penh Post
Wednesday, 14 October 2009

Dispute with Cambodia must be solved bilaterally: Bangkok.THAILAND has rejected reports that it favours ASEAN intervention in its ongoing border dispute with Cambodia, one day after Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong sent a letter to his Thai counterpart, Kasit Piromya, supporting the idea.

Last Thursday, the Bangkok Post newspaper published an article in which Kasit was quoted as saying that he planned to propose the establishment of a “neutral organisation” to resolve disputes between ASEAN countries at the regional body’s upcoming summit in Hua Hin, Thailand, to be held October 23 to 25.

Such an organisation, Kasit was quoted as saying, “may provide an avenue for Thailand and Cambodia to settle the dispute” over the border area near Preah Vihear temple.

Hor Namhong cited this article in his letter to Kasit, proposing that ASEAN include the two countries’ border dispute in the agenda for its upcoming summit.

On Tuesday, however, an official from the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Bangkok Post had taken Kasit’s quotes out of context, and that Thailand continues to support bilateral negotiations under the auspices of the Joint Border Commission as the means of settling the dispute.

Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Tuesday that although officials in his ministry had yet to receive an official response regarding Hor Namhong’s letter, they were open to a variety of proposals for settling the two countries’ disagreement.

“Cambodia has said that the border issue should be solved bilaterally, peacefully and unequivocally” with Thailand, Koy Kuong said. “But if Thailand wants the border issues to be solved at the ASEAN level, Cambodia is happy to accept it.”

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political analyst at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University, was more cynical about Hor Namhong’s letter, however. He called the missive an example of “brinksmanship”, saying that Hor Namhong likely recognises the difficult position in which the border issue places Thailand.

“This would be a challenge to Thailand, as the host and chair of ASEAN, not to be able to solve the border dispute through the ASEAN framework,” he said, adding that Cambodia likely believes its case for the disputed territory would stand up well under international scrutiny.

Officials contacted at the ASEAN secretariat in Jakarta had not responded to a request for comment as of press time on Tuesday.

Cambodia to raise border issues with Thailand at ASEAN Summit: Cambodian FM

Xinhua
October 14, 2009

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will raise border issues with Thailand at area near the 11th century Khmer Preah Vihear temple at the forthcoming ASEAN summit, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said on Wednesday.

"We requested the Thai side (Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya) in my official letter to put the border issues between Cambodia and Thailand in the agenda of ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit but the Thai side so far has not replied to me officially," Hor told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Hor stressed that "border issues between Cambodia and Thailand are easy to settle and easy to plant the border markers if the Thai side respects international regulations" as the verdict of international court and border treaty in 1904 and 1907 and existing mechanism.

"It is the last choice that we will take the border issues with Thailand to international institutions," he said, adding that actually, "we want to deal with the issue through bilateral and peaceful deal."

Thailand will host ASEAN summit on Oct. 23-25.

Troops with heavy weapons from Cambodia and Thailand have conflicted on border at areas near Preah Vihear temple since July 15, 2008 after the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization approved Cambodia's sole bid to list the 11th century temple as a world heritage site.

But, the question of sovereignty over the land has never been clearly resolved as Thailand and Cambodia share a nearly 800-kilometer long common border.

The international court ruled the Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia more than 40 years ago, but border dispute over areas around the temple has remained a fuse in the two neighboring countries' relationship.

Armed clashed occurred two or three times and killed several soldiers from both sides.

ASEAN chief: Thai-Cambodian issue unlikely to be aired at ASEAN Summit

BANGKOK, Oct 14 (TNA) - ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan on Wednesday said he did not believe that Cambodia will raise the border conflict with its neighbour Thailand at the upcoming summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the end of this month.

The ASEAN chief commented after French news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) earlier quoted Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong as saying Prime Minister Hun Sen will raise the Thai border spat at an upcoming regional summit despite opposition from Thailand, which is hosting the meeting.

Mr Hor Namhong however said "Because there is no answer from Thailand to my official proposal, Cambodia still considers that Prime Minister Hun Sen can raise the dispute in the ASEAN summit."

He said that Cambodia is willing to raise the issue in other international bodies, including the United Nations Security Council, and accused Thailand of delaying the resolution of the dispute.
Thailand will host the 15th ASEAN Summit and its related summits in Phetchaburi's Cha-am district and Prachuab Khiri Khan's Hua Hin district October 23 to 25.

The ASEAN chief said that if any country member feels that the Thai-Cambodian border dispute affects ASEAN's image, the foreign ministers from other eight country members (except from Thailand and Cambodia) can raise the issue for discussion at the regional pact meeting.

"I know the Cambodian stance only from news report. I think that the border spat is the issue between the two countries which can be agreed at bilateral talks," said Mr Surin, "It should not be raised in the ASEAN Summit."

The ASEAN chief added that he is not worried that the summit will be overshadowed by the Thailand-Cambodia conflict, saying that ASEAN members are mature and willing to solve problems.

He said if anyone of either party raises this topic at the meeting, it will be a good opportunity to help find appropriate solutions to the conflict.

Tensions between the two neighbouring countries, renewed when Mr Hun Sen said he had ordered his troops to shoot any Thai stepping on Cambodian soil, after protesters of Thailand's yellow-shirted Peoples’ Alliance for Democracy (PAD) rallied in Si Sa Ket province last month opposing Cambodia's plan to build new structures in the contested 4.6 square kilometre zone surrounding Preah Vihear.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva shunned Mr Hun Sen's threat, saying it is his style to make international headlines and for his internal political benefit.

Cambodian Foreign minister said early this week that he wished to propose the dispute over the area around the ancient Preah Vihear temple be included in the agenda of the ASEAN summit and in other international meetings.

The Thai foreign affairs ministry however said the dispute should not be internationalised or raised at the regional pact meeting and Thailand will continue to seek a peaceful solution with Cambodia via a bilateral mechanism. (TNA)

S. Korean president to seek improved ties with ASEAN during three-nation trip

By Byun Duk-kunSEOUL,

Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korean

President Lee Myung-bak will leave for Southeast Asia next week to visit Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand for bilateral and regional summits, Lee's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Wednesday.

Lee will depart Tuesday for Vietnam, where he will meet with the country's President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

"President Lee and President Triet will review the progress in their countries' bilateral relations since their diplomatic normalization (in 1992) and consult on ways to strengthen cooperation in economic, trade, social and cultural sectors," Cheong Wa Dae said in a press release.

During his three-day visit to Hanoi, the South Korean president will also meet with Nong Duc Manh, secretary-general of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Lee will also seek ways to improve energy cooperation between the two countries, along with the increased participation of South Korean businesses in Vietnam's plant and infrastructure projects, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

Lee will arrive in Phnom Penh next Thursday for a bilateral summit with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on ways to further develop economic relations between the countries.

Bilateral trade between South Korea and Cambodia increased more than six-fold to over US$300 million in 2008 from $50 million in 1997, while investments rose from $30 million to nearly $2.5 billion during the same period, according to Seoul's presidential office.

"President Lee and Prime Minister Hun Sen are set to discuss ways to promote substantial cooperation between the countries in the agricultural sector and joint development of Cambodia's natural minerals," it said.

The leaders are expected to sign an extradition treaty and a revision to an agreement on the provision of Seoul's Economic Development Cooperation Fund during Lee's two-day trip. He will also meet with Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni.

Lee's trip will end in Thailand's Hua Hin where he will attend the annual regional summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). South Korea is a dialogue partner to ASEAN along with Japan and China.

"At the ASEAN Plus Three summit to be held Oct. 24, President Lee will discuss ways to increase the countries' cooperation in dealing with various regional and global issues, including the global financial crisis and food and energy security," Cheong Wa Dae said.

Lee will also attend the annual East Asia Summit that involves the ASEAN Plus Three and India, Australia and New Zealand, it said.

S Korean President to visit Cambodia next week

www.chinaview.cn

2009-10-14


PHNOM PENH, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will pay a two-day state visit to Cambodia next week at the invitation of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, according to a statement released Wednesday by Cambodia's Foreign Ministry.

The statement said Lee will arrive in Cambodia on Oct. 22-23 and will be received in the Royal Audience by His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni and will also receive courtesy calls by Chea Sim, president of the Senate and Heng Samrin, president of the National Assembly.

Lee Myung-bak is scheduled to hold bilateral talk with Hun Sen and will witness the signing of two agreements by Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong and his counterpart Yu Myung-hwan, minister of foreign affairs and trade of the Republic of Korea.

The two agreements are on extradition and framework arrangement concerning loans from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) for 2009-2012.

Also, during the visit, five other documents are expected to be singed: agreement on cooperation between the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce; agreement on co-production of broadcasting programs; MOU on cooperation for the field of mineral sector; MOU on cooperation for joint mineral exploration and MOU concerning the cooperation on investment in forest plantation and climate change.

At a round-table discussion organized Wednesday by Club of Cambodian Journalists, Lee Kyung-soo, South Korean ambassador to Cambodia told reporters that Republic of Korea has considered Cambodia as one of the main dialogue partners and one of the recipient countries of South Korean grants and loans in the form of ODA.

He said since Cambodia has tied diplomatic relation with South Korea in 1997, many forms of bilateral cooperation have been achieved including the investment, culture, economic and tourism.

Lee Myung-bak is expected to depart Tuesday for Vietnam, where he will meet with the country's President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

And after Cambodia, Lee will also attend the annual East Asia Summit to be held in Hua Hin, Thailand, back-to-back sessions of the 15th ASEAN Summit set on Oct. 23-25.

Cambodia approves law of non-proliferation of nuclear, chemical weapon
Xinhau

October 14, 2009

Cambodian National Assembly on Wednesday approved the law of non-proliferation of nuclear weapon, bio-chemical weapon, radioactive weapons and chemical weapon.

"This law bans on producing, recycling, transferring, transporting the kinds of these weapons in the country, and we will create authority for controlling and investigating the chemical substances as well as a laboratory for observing these substances in the country," said Tea Banh, deputy prime minister and minister of national defense. "We do not want to see these substances destroying our people's heath and lives," he added.

"We need peace and good environment in the country and we experienced the disaster of the weapons in the world," said Oeung Noeng, chairman of the committee of national defense, interior, investigation and clearance of the National Assembly.

"We have purpose to set up a region of ASEAN without the nuclear weapon," said Cheap Yeam, chairman of the audition, banking and finance. "When we have this kind of law, we will show other countries, United Nations, and IEAE (International Energy Agency) that we do not produce these weapons."

"We also show them that we are not the threat of regional security and the war monger," he said, adding that "our country is poor; we need the help from donor and other friend countries to develop the country and we do not have abilities to produce this kind of weapons."

He also expressed his concerns for some countries in the world that produced nuclear weapons because they could destroy the world and threaten security of the world. He added this law follows to Cambodian constitution in 1993 and ASEAN charter, and International Conventions that Cambodia is signatory state

Cambodian WMD Nonproliferation Law Approved

Grobal Security Newswire

Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009

Cambodian lawmakers today backed a law intended to deter proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the Xinhua News Agency reported (see GSN, March 20).

The law passed by the Cambodian National Assembly bans the production, recycling, transference and transportation of nuclear, biological, chemical and radioactive armaments.

Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh said Phnom Penh would move to create an authority for the controlling chemical materials "as well as a laboratory for observing these substances in the country.

"We do not want to see these substances destroying our people's health and lives," he said (Xinhua News Agency/People's Daily Online, Oct. 14).

Cambodia Persists in Asean Border Resolution

By Heng Reaksmey

VOA

14 October 2009

Cambodia’s foreign minister said Wednesday he would continue push to put Cambodia’s border dispute with Thailand on the Asean agenda, following reports in Thai media that Bangkok officials were misquoted in their desire to abandon bilateral solutions.

Both sides have attempted to resolve the dispute among themselves since July 2008, when troops amassed on the border amid heightening tensions. Little has come of a series of talks between military officials, diplomats and state leaders.

A Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman said this week his minister had been quoted out of context as saying Thailand would seek a “neutral” body to facilitate resolution, a statement that led Cambodia to push for the border dispute to be included on a summit agenda when Asean leaders meet later this month.

However, Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong told reporters Wednesday Cambodia was awaiting an official response from the Thais, not media reports, or Prime Minister Hun Sen would raise the border issue at the Oct. 23-25 Asean summit.

“The border issue is an important problem, and we cannot solve this issue following spokesmen or the press,” Hor Namhong said. “Cambodia has until now not received an official response from the Thai side. If the Thais don’t respond [officially], we will raise up this issue at the Asean summit.”

Panitan Watanayagorn, deputy secretary-general for the Thai prime minister, said from Bangkok the government would be sending an official response soon, and he encouraged more bilateral attempts solve the border issue.

Hundreds of Factory Workers Faint on Job

By Chiep Mony

VOA

14 October 2009

Chhuon Malay was still feeling shaky Tuesday night. She waited until the rain stopped before walking from her rented apartment in a Phnom Penh suburb to get a fruit shake—a luxury she said she can rarely afford but that she hoped would bolster her strength.

The 28-year-old garment worker still felt weak from Monday, when she and around 400 coworkers fainted on the job at the Willbes Cambodia Co., Ltd., garment factory in the capital’s Dangkor district.

“My health used to be strong, but at that time I fainted unexpectedly,” she told VOA Khmer, drinking her fruit shake. “I am afraid that my health would be weak in the future.”

The mass fainting—caused apparently by noxious fumigation chemicals—underscores an ongoing problem in Cambodia’s factories, a leading union representative said after the spell. As many as 30,000 workers have passed out on the job in factories in the last decade.

The weakened workers were sent to various state hospitals and private clinics in Phnom Penh. Chuon Malay found herself at the Samphup Angkor clinic, having lost consciousness for six hours.

She returned to her home later that night.

“I’m still tired until now,” she said.

The following day, the factory closed its doors. On Wednesday, it was open again, but dozens of workers walked off the job, claiming they were still too ill to work.

Willbes human resource manager Sem Sokunthea said the factory allowed ill workers a day off on Wednesday without a dock in pay, after doctors confirmed their ill health.

“We regret that unexpected event,” Sem Sokhunthea said. “We also regret that our company lost a lot.”

The fainting spell cost the factory thousands of dollars in lost production and wages, as well as medical treatment, she said.

The factory had employed an unnamed company to fumigate two weeks ago, she said, to prevent insects from damaging clothes.

Pok Vanthat, director of the Ministry of Labor’s health department, said the fumigations had caused the fainting. The company had agreed to renovate its factory to avoid further problems and will be fined if it fails, he said.

At least two other companies this year had fumigated, he said, and he urged companies to find ways to minimize harmful effects of pesticides and other chemicals.

“Now we are working on this,” he said. “The minister has taken care to disseminate this information to all of the factories, to understand the impact of chemicals.”

However, Chea Mony, head of the Free Trade Union of Workers in the Kingdom of Cambodia, said the problem is nothing new.

Between 20,000 and 30,000 workers have passed out on the job since 1997, he said.
“If the government doesn’t take care of the health of workers, we will lose our labor force,” he said.

Cambodia’s garment exports are a major economic driver, and the country’s 500-some factories employ more than 300,000 workers. Most are young women and earn a minimum monthly salary of $50.

Assembly Debates Law on Demonstrations

By Chun Sakada

VOA

14 October 2009

The National Assembly on Wednesday began debate on a draft law for demonstrations that critics warn marks another restriction on fundamental freedoms.

The legislative body passed a national penal code this week that included provisions making defamation a criminal act.

However, Khuon Sodary, a Cambodian People’s Party lawmaker and head of the Assembly’s Human Rights Commission, said the demonstration law could “prevent violence,” including armed conflict.

In fact, police often bar demonstrations counter to government interests on grounds of maintaining stability.

The draft law on demonstrations, 30 articles long, updates a 1991 law that proponents say is not equipped to handle the current democratic climate of Cambodia.

“This law is very important for the freedoms of expressions and assembly,” Khuon Sodary said. “This law provides real will in demonstrations to protest dislikes and disagreements over something. This law does not want that demonstrations become explosions of weapons and violence.”

In the Assembly session Nuth Sa An, secretary of state for the Ministry of Interior, said “peaceful demonstrations” were a necessity to “protect the rights and freedom of expression through demonstration.”

However, he said, “in exercising rights and freedoms, everyone must be within the limit of the law.”

“The restriction of rights and freedoms is to respect the rights and honor of others, as well as to defend national security, public order, health and public morals,” he said.

Opponents of the draft say it does not clarify definitions relating to national security, public order, health and public morality, the bases authorities currently use to prohibit demonstrations.
“We do not support this draft as long as it does not clarify these…definitions,” said Yim Sovann, spokesman for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party.

Human Rights Party President Kem Sokha said the law would allow authorities to bar demonstrations “just like in the past.”

Other practicalities of the law need revision, said Thun Saray, director of the rights group Adhoc.
“We request that the National Assembly not limit the number of demonstrators,” he said. “If we limit the number of participants, it is not good.”

Congressmen Condemn Cambodia’s ‘Pervasive Corruption’

By Men Kimseng,

VOA

14 October 2009

Four US congressmen have issued a resolution to the House of Representatives censuring the Cambodian government’s apparent political repression of dissent and “pervasive corruption.”

The resolution cites the killing of an opposition journalist last year, as well as reports from the US State Department, the United Nations and other watchdogs, as underpinnings for the resolution, which condemns “pervasive corruption of the Kingdom of Cambodia.”

Government and ruling party officials dismissed the resolution.

House Resolution 820 was introduced Oct. 8 by representatives Ed Royce, a Republican from California; Frank Wolf, a Republican from Virginia who is the co-chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission; Jim Moran, a Democrat from Virginia; and Anh Josept Cao, a Republican from Louisiana.

“The Cambodian government is often complicit in the sex trade industry, and endemic corruption has exacerbated the problem of human trafficking,” the resolution says, citing a 2009 State Department trafficking report that found pervasive corruption and collusion and indirect involvement by police and judicial officials in the trade.

The resolution calls on the House of Representatives to condemn the repression of opposition candidates by the ruling Cambodian People’s Party and “calls on the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia and international organizations to take concrete steps to combat the worsening problem of human trafficking in Cambodia.”

The resolution cites threatening tactics to curb political dissent; the killing of Khem Sambo, a journalist for Moneakseka Khmer newspaper, and his son, in July last year; Global Witness reports on an elite “kleptocracy”; reports by former Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General on Human Rights in Cambodia, Yash Gai; and testimony by Mu Sochua at the Tom Lantos commission on Sept. 10.

“This resolution shows that US Congress knows that human rights violations here are a concern for them,” said Mu Sochua, who represents the Sam Rainsy Party for Kampot province. “This is also a signal to the US government.”

(On Oct. 28 the Cambodian Appeals Court is scheduled to hold a hearing on a defamation suit brought by Prime Minister Hun Sen against Mu Sochua.)

“The Royal Government of Cambodia totally rejects this resolution, because it is partial, baseless, and based mainly on opposition sources,” Koy Kuong, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told VOA Khmer by phone.

Cheam Yiep, a veteran CPP lawmaker, called the resolution “unacceptable,” saying the congressmen should “try to understand more about rights issues in Cambodia.”

PM: Cambodia not allow any one to use Cambodia as shelter against other countries

Hinhua

October 13, 2009

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday said that his country does not allow foreigners and international organizations to use Cambodia as a stronghold to create illegal political and international organizations to oppose neighboring countries.

Hun Sen made the remarks at the celebration of the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Brigade 70 on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

"The government has followed a policy that does not allow any illegal political and military organizations which has the purposes of making turmoil in the country to use Cambodia as a stronghold to do activities to oppose the neighboring countries," Hun Sen said.

"We strongly opposed illegal political and military organizations to conduct subversion in the country and in neighboring countries," he added. "Our armed forces are playing a key role to fight against these activities," he noted. "Moreover, our armed forces also contribute to humanitarian mission and to fight against terrorism cooperated with international communities."

In 2003, Cambodia arrested Thai nationals including Muhammad Yalaluding and Abdul Azi Haji Chiming, both from Yala province and sentenced them to life in prison on charges of helping the regional terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) plot a terrorist attack against western embassies in Cambodia.

FMs propose ASEAN help with border row

Phnom Penh Post

October 13, 2009

Hor Namhong to raise issue at coming summit

MINISTER of Foreign Affairs Hor Namhong wrote to his Thai counterpart on Monday to propose that the ongoing border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia be placed on the agenda for this month’s ASEAN summit.

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya was quoted last week by the Bangkok Post newspaper as saying that at the ASEAN summit to be held from October 23 to 25 in the Thai resort town of Hua Hin, he would seek ASEAN’s approval in establishing a “neutral organisation” that “may provide an avenue for Thailand and Cambodia to settle the dispute” over their shared border near the Preah Vihear temple complex.

In a letter to Kasit dated Monday, Hor Namhong cited the Bangkok Post article in echoing his support for raising the border issue in Hua Hin.

Copies of the letter were also sent to the bloc’s secretary general, Surin Pitsuwan, and to the other foreign ministers of ASEAN nations.

Cambodia and Thailand have been working bilaterally to demarcate their border under the auspices of the Joint Border Commission.

Tensions rose at the border last month when 5,000 yellow-shirted protesters from the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) converged on Thailand’s Sisaket province to protest their government’s inaction regarding the border issue, saying that Cambodia had infringed on a 4.6-square-kilometre disputed area surrounding Preah Vihear temple.

Cambodian troops stationed at the border said Monday, however, that the situation there remains calm.

Thai FM denies wanting Asean involvement

The Nation/Asia News Network
Oct 13, 2009

Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said yesterday he would seek help from Asean countries to resolve the dispute with Thailand over the Preah Vihear temple during the Asean Summit late this month in Hua Hin/Cha-am.

He said he agreed with his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya to seek Asean approval for the establishment of a neutral mechanism to solve disputes among member countries.

However the Thai Foreign Ministry's deputy spokesman Thani Thongpakdi has denied Kasit ever proposed an Asean dispute settlement mechanism to solve the conflict over Preah Vihear.

The minister might have been quoted out of context in media reports, he said. The Thai government had reaffirmed its position that the border dispute must be solved bilaterally through the joint boundary commission.

Meanwhile, Thailand's chief of the joint boundary commission has warned political groups in the Kingdom not to politicise the border issue for their benefit, since it could jeopardise the boundary demarcation with Cambodia.

"The border issue is very sensitive. It could be a powerful political tool if used for political purposes," said Vasin Teeravechyan Co-chair of the Thai-Cambodia Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC).

"It is dangerous to politicise the issue for personal interests," he told a seminar at the Foreign Ministry yesterday.

The JBC was set up under a memorandum of understanding signed by Thailand and Cambodia in 2000 to demarcate the temple boundary. The disputed area is located near the Hindu temple where both sides claim the overlapping territory of 4.6 squares kilometres.

The issue has been politicised recently by the People's Alliance for Democracy and its New Politics Party to gain support from nationalists to attack the government.

The group alleged the JBC had cut a deal with Cambodia on provisional arrangements for the disputed area adjacent to the temple, and accepted a Cambodian map.

In fact, Vasin said, the JBC merely proposed Parliament's approval on three minutes from the JBC meetings, and a note on what the JBC had talked about that was neither a commitment nor an agreement.

The three minutes are pending Parliament's approval to enable the commission to move on.

Vasin said a map drawn originally by France was one of many documents included in the boundary negotiation. "Whether we like it or not, we cannot rule out the role of the map," he said.

Time for a Cultural Revolution

Bankkot Post
14/10/2009

Surin Pitsuwan has a dream. In his five-year term as Asean secretary-general, the former Thai foreign minister wants to unite a diverse region of some 570 million people along a common identity.

Unveiling this when he took up office in the 10-member regional grouping last year, Mr Surin intends to focus on Asean's hitherto ignored third pillar of being, the socio-cultural, as much as its other two, the economic and defence.

Of late though, his lofty dream is fast unravelling. Asean's unity is at stake as its member states find themselves embroiled in what has been dubbed as a "culture war," where bickering over cultural heritage have seen Asean leaders and its peoples engage in a state of continuing socio-political, even military, tension that is almost reminiscent of the Cold War.

In the Malay archipelago, Indonesians vied to wrest from Malaysia the cultural ownership of a fabric (the intricately-patterned "batik") and a dance (the mesmerising "pendet"). Meanwhile, Malaysia started a food fight after claiming its stake on popular regional dishes like "nasi lemak" (coconut cream rice) and "laksa" (spicy noodles soup).

Save for the "pendet" controversy which saw Indonesians forming armed vigilante groups to hunt down Malaysians in its capital Jakarta, the "culture war" in this part of Asean are largely proclamations of bravado. Even as Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Hassan put its national security forces on alert over an invasion threat by a motley group of Indonesians this week, ordinary Malaysians scoffed at this menace over the internet.

The same could not be said of the Indochina part of Asean where Thailand and Cambodia are disputing the ownership of the Preah Vihear temple located at their borders.

A Unesco decision last year to designate the temple as a World Heritage Site for Cambodia has irked a disgruntled Thailand. Clashes between their troops last October and this April left soldiers on both sides dead.

With no end in sight to this "culture war," is Mr Surin's dream utopian?

Not if Asean's leadership could instil a much-needed paradigm shift that will see its people no longer defining culture as a static phenomenon but one that is evolutionary. Instead of being fixated on a distinct dish, dress or dance, Southeast Asians have to start seeing culture from a socio-historical perspective.

That is, their region was once part of the Silk Road where traders from all over Asia moved freely between what are today Asean member-states.

When these traders intermingle or settle down in neighbouring foreign lands, they brought their way of life with them that includes not just clothing and dishes but also intellectual traditions and social values. Some of these get assimilated while others become hybridised. Only when such an interpretation of culture is entrenched in their psyche could Southeast Asians decry parochial views of national culture for the notion of interculturality.

This week's forum by historians from Malaysia and Indonesia to suss out common cultural links is thus laudable. This must surely be the foremost task of the Asean Secretariat if it wishes to stick to Mr Surin's deadline of building an Asean Socio-Cultural Community by 2015.

One way could be to develop an educational programme highlighting Asean's multiculturalism based on a sense of shared history that could be adapted by schools in the different member-states. This could help mitigate the seeding of cultural exclusivity in future generations.

Another way is to institutionalise an international summit on socio-cultural affairs that is akin in magnitude to the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit to be held in Singapore. Such a forum would be dedicated to reaching a resolution on difficult socio-cultural issues within the region such as religious extremism or human rights.

Yet Asean's "culture war" demands an immediacy of action. Here, Asean leaders should consider setting up a legal committee of cultural experts to rule on cultural disputes between member states.

The same committee could also advise the Unesco which had inadvertently fuelled Asean's "culture war" when it awarded Indonesia the exclusive rights to "batik" this year and recognised the Preah Vihear Temple as a World Heritage site for Cambodia last year.

But Mr Surin's dream of a united people is also hinged on one fundamental matter that may be outside his sphere of influence: the "culture war" within some of Asean's member states that has pit Muslims against Christians in the case of Indonesia, or Malays against Thais in the case of southern Thailand.

Lest he wishes for his dream to regress into a nightmare, Mr Surin may need to transcend Asean's sacred non-intervention policy, and intercede into the sphere of domestic politics.

The writer is an independent journalist from Singapore who is currently pursuing a doctoral degree.

Thailand rejects widening of Cambodia border dispute

AFP

October 13, 2009

BANGKOK — Thailand said Tuesday that its border dispute with Cambodia should be dealt with through bilateral negotiations, rather than being "internationalised" at an upcoming regional summit.

Cambodia on Monday proposed neighbouring Thailand put the dispute -- which has sparked deadly skirmishes between troops -- on the agenda when it hosts this month's summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

However, a spokesman for the Thai foreign affairs ministry said Cambodia's proposal was based on an inaccurate report in the Thai press.

Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya was reported to have said last week he would seek approval at the ASEAN meeting to establish a neutral body that would help settle the Thai-Cambodia dispute.

But this "stems from a misquote and something that was taken out of context" from a talk he gave earlier this month on the Thai-Cambodia issue, Thani Thongphakdi of the ministry said.
"Thailand will continue to seek a peaceful resolution of the problem through bilateral negotiations" under the framework of the Thai-Cambodian joint boundary commission, he told AFP.

"As such, we believe this issue should not be internationalised nor raised within the ASEAN framework."

The dispute focuses on an area of land around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, where clashes have killed seven soldiers since nationalist tensions between the neighbours flared last year.

Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over the land around Preah Vihear for decades, but tensions spilled over into violence in July last year when the temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.

The World Court ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia.

Soldiers from Cambodia and Thailand continue to patrol the area, with the last gun battle near the temple area in April leaving three people dead.

The border between the two countries has never been fully demarcated, partly because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia.

No Forced Confessions in Tribunal: Groups

By Chun Sakada and Heng Reaksmey,

VOA

13 October 2009

Three international rights and justice organizations on Tuesday urged judges at the Khmer Rogue tribunal not to use testimony or forced confessions of prisoners as it moves forward with trials of jailed leaders of the regime.

Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists and Redress Trust issued a joint statement saying the use of forced confessions was counter to UN conventions.

“The organizations urge the [tribunal] to ensure that its proceedings adhere to international law and standards, which would contribute to the Court’s credibility and ability to leave behind a positive and long-lasting legacy,” the groups said. “A failure to do so would run counter to the international community’s fundamental rejection of torture and refusal to provide it any legitimacy, and potentially undermine the integrity of the [tribunal] itself.”

Ang Udom, defense lawyer for Ieng Sary, said lawyers for the defense “absolutely oppose” statements of torture and confession.

Hong Kimsoun, the lawyer for civil parties, said statements made under torture should be raised in the courts “to debate for clarity.”

Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said the Pre-Trial Chamber of the UN-backed court had received the statement against torture confessions but had not yet made a decision.

Meanwhile, the defense team for jailed Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan joined a motion to have a French judge barred from an upcoming trial at the UN-backed court.

The request follows a motion by Ieng Sary's lawyers claiming investigating judge Marcel Lemonde is pursuing a biased case against four jailed leaders, who will be tried as Case No. 002 at the tribunal.

Thais Prefer Bilateral Border Talks: Official

By Pich Samnang,

VOA

13 October 2009

A Thai official said Tuesday the government would prefer to solve an ongoing border dispute with Cambodia through bilateral talks, a day after Phnom Penh proposed adding it to the agenda of an Asean meeting later this month.

Thailand would prefer not to see the issued “internationalized,” a spokesman for the Thai Foreign Ministry said.

Asean leaders are expected to meet in Thailand Oct. 23 through Oct. 25.

The Cambodian request followed alleged remarks by Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Phiromya the dispute over Preah Vihear temple could be solved through a third party.

“The minister might have been quoted out of context in media reports,” Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi told the English-language Nation on Tuesday.

Cambodian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Koy Koung declined to comment on the media report. The ministry was waiting for a formal response, he said.

Thai Embassy officials could not be reached for comment.

CAMBODIA: Alarming Maternal Deaths Require a Mix of Solution

ISP

By Robert Carmichael

October 12, 2009

Improving maternal health and access to health services is key to achieving the goal of reducing maternal mortality.

Credit:Robert Carmichael

PHNOM PENH, Oct 12 (IPS) - Early this year, heavily pregnant Vorn Yoeub, 37, arrived at a hospital in the western Cambodian border town of Pailin. The mother of seven other children died later that evening along with her unborn child after suffering complications from bleeding.

For most of this decade Cambodia has been trying to cut the number of deaths of women, who, like Vorn Yoeub, are the human face behind the country’s stubbornly high maternal mortality rate. The figure has been running at around 461 per 100,000 live births for 10 years, and is one of nine development objectives the country is trying to improve as part of its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

MDGs are development goals that the United Nations member states along with other international organisations have agreed to meet by 2015.

Progress on Cambodia’s nine goals is mixed: A conference in Phnom Penh late last month indicated that it would likely attain only three of them by 2015. And there are concerns that the global economic crisis could make attaining some of the remaining six MDGs much harder

Sherif Rushdy, a consultant for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), told attendees that on the positive front, Cambodia would probably meet its targets in cutting child mortality; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; and reducing to zero the number of casualties from landmines (which is specific to Cambodia).

But it will almost certainly miss another three: Reducing maternal mortality to 140 deaths per 100,000 live births; achieving universal nine-year education; and ensuring environmental sustainability.

"[These three goals] are flashing a red light, and the country is unlikely to reach its goals in these areas," he said.

Two other MDGs – eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; and promoting gender equality and empowering women – are also thought unlikely to be met unless Phnom Penh changes its approach. Rushdy told attendees that progress towards the final goal – developing a global partnership for development – could not be assessed since targets were not set.

Why such mixed results on two of the key healthcare goals: Little or no progress on reducing maternal mortality combined with "spectacular progress" – in the words of Rushdy – in cutting child and infant mortality? After all, they are closely linked.

In an interview with IPS, Dr Lo Veasnakiry, the Ministry of Health’s director of planning, said there are solid reasons behind the declines in death rates of infants and young children.

One is the government’s commitment to support the health sector financially despite the impact of the global financial crisis ripping through Cambodia’s economy. Another is its policy to improve access to child-based services and their availability.

"And thirdly, we have support from the health partners in terms of technical and financial services," he said. One of these is the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Malalay Ahmadzai, UNICEF’s mother and child health specialist, added several other factors to the success mix, among them the strategy to improve breastfeeding practices.

But improvements have also come from areas that at first sight appear to have little in common with health – primary education, for example. Mothers with some education have an improved understanding of health matters, she said. The strong economic growth of the past decade has also helped, as have better roads and quality of care in this predominantly rural society.

"Things are very much linked," Ahmadzai said.

This combination of improvements has helped lower the number of infant deaths to 60 per 1,000 live births, well on the way to meet the MDG of 50 per 1,000 live births.

Such factors have also driven down the number of under-fives dying, from 124 per 1,000 live births in 1998 to 83 per 1,000 currently. Rushdy told the conference that Cambodia should meet its goal of 65 per 1,000 live births.

Yet it still leaves the question of the country’s extremely high maternal mortality rate. One senior UNDP staff said statistical modelling of the data shows the true figure could be anywhere between 300 and 700 deaths per 100,000 births. But whatever the true figure, there is widespread agreement that the target of 140 will not be achieved.

Dr Veasnakiry cited a lack of money and insufficient technical expertise. And, he added, the initial target was set too high. He has proposed that the government revise upwards the target of 140 deaths per 100,000 live births to 250 deaths. He rejects the suggestion that this is simply shifting the goalposts. And, he points out, some progress is better than none.

"We think the [revised goal of] 250 is likely to be achieved," he said, citing gains in a number of the underlying indicators related to maternal or infant health. For example, this time last year, 79 of Cambodia’s 967 health centres lacked midwives.

"But by the middle of this year all the [remaining] 79 health centres are staffed with midwives." Another improvement is the government’s introduction of an incentive for midwives: Those who work in rural health facilities are paid 15 U.S. dollars for each baby born alive.

Those working at hospitals – in larger, urban areas – get 10 U.S. dollars. "This has produced a positive impact on the [successful number of] deliveries," he said. And while just one-third of births were attended by skilled health workers a decade ago, that number rose to 58 percent last year. The target for 2015 is 80 percent.

Pre-natal visits are also up from around 30 percent in 2000 to 80 percent last year while the number of Caesarean sections for births with complications has also increased – an indication that more women with problem births are getting appropriate medical intervention. All of this gives him cause for optimism. "We can use these proxies to look at the progress for the future," he said.

But if the true maternal mortality numbers remain opaque, the afflictions killing five Cambodian women a day in childbirth are clearer. A 2005 Japanese-funded study found more than half die from bleeding, while eclampsia kills another one in five.

"The complications [with maternal mortality] are unpredictable," said UNICEF’s Ahmadzai, "and the onset of complications can be very quick.

" She said rapid reaction is vital in addressing what health experts call "the three delays" behind the high death rate among women of reproductive age. The first delay is the decision by the family in this predominantly rural population whether or not to take the woman to the health clinic.

The second is access, or simply getting to the clinic, and financial aspects such as affordability. The third is the quality of care women get once they reach the clinic. "If any of these three delays exists, then the mother [who is bleeding] dies within an hour or two or three," she added.

The solution is a mix of improved resources and trained staff: "more skilled birth attendants, good supplies, quality improvement of services, and then improving access," said Ahmadzai.

Speaking to IPS, the UNDP’s Rushdy said the "stubbornly" high maternal mortality rate has other causes too. "This is a gender issue – girls and mothers continue to be neglected," he said. "Girls’ nutrition is the first to be cut when there are financial difficulties in households. So one root cause is a general bias against women.

" Another is the loss of skills in many areas such as health. Most of Cambodia’s educated people either died during the Khmer Rouge regime or fled overseas. Rushdy believes the MDG to eradicate poverty and hunger — which are inextricably linked to health, women’s in particular — will not be met unless Cambodia can shift economic growth away from its narrow urban base of garment manufacturing, tourism and construction.

He said the solution is to promote development in rural areas, where the majority of Cambodians live. "There are ways to mitigate the risks, such as providing free access to health care. Health problems are the ones that drive people into poverty," he said. (END/2009)

Cambodia asks border dispute with Thailand be on ASEAN summit agenda+

AP

October 12, 2009

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 12 (AP) - (Kyodo)—The Cambodian government proposed Monday that its border dispute with Thailand be on the agenda of summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders and their dialogue partners later this month in Hua Hin, Thailand.

The proposal was made in a letter to Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya from Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Namhong.

"I would like to propose the dispute between Cambodia and Thailand in the area of the Temple of Preah Vihear be included in the agenda of the ASEAN summit in Hua Hin, on 23-25 October 2009," he wrote.

Hor Namhong made the proposal four days after Bangkok Post Online published an article quoting Kasit as seeking ASEAN arbitration in setting up a neutral organization that may provide a venue for Thailand and Cambodia to settle the dispute.

The dispute between Cambodia and Thailand erupted last year after Cambodia's Preah Vihear Temple was listed as a World Heritage.

The dispute stems partly from the use of different border maps.

Two weeks ago, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said he will never have talks with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on the 4.6 sq. km area near the temple as long as his counterpart uses a map drawn up by Thailand.

The premier also alleged the border dispute was caused by internal problems in Thailand.
Since the border issue erupted, many rounds of talks at different levels, including the defense and foreign ministerial levels, have been held but a solution has proved elusive.

Cambodian youth to join Japanese movie contest

Kyodo News
Tuesday 13th October,

PHNOM PENH — The student makers of seven short films who won a contest in Cambodia on Monday against 13 other contestants will be invited to compete in a Japanese film festival in Kagoshima Prefecture, organizers said. The final-round judging for the contest winners from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam will be at the Asia International Youth Movie Festival in Ibusuki in December.

All the entrants make 3-minute films, which must avoid focusing on religion, politics or government criticism, to be chosen to compete in the contest that is among Japanese government events to commemorate Mekong-Japan Exchange Year 2009. Japanese actor and enka singer Ryotaro Sugi, who was among the nine-member panel of judges in Phnom Penh on Monday, originated the idea for the Asia International Youth Movie Festival, one of the organizers said.

Cambodia ready for its close-up

By Patrick Frater
Southeast Asian nation

Oct 12, 2009,

BUSAN, South Korea -- Location managers now have an additional choice in Southeast Asia, following the recent establishment of a film commission in Cambodia.

The new Cambodia Film Commission made its market debut Monday at BIFCOM.Established this year with finance from France's Agency for Overseas Development, the organization is headed by Cedric Eloy as CEO and Sovichea Cheap as director.

"This is real-low-cost Asia, but these days Cambodia has so much more to offer, too," Eloy said. "Regulation is done with a light touch. Our office acts as a filter for the ministry and can get shooting permits issued within a couple of weeks. Many of our locations could pass for other places in Asia.

"He said that the country is also improving other technical facilities such as lighting and grip equipment, trained operators and disused factories that have been used as studios by the BBC for four months.

"Natural landscapes are already one of our great strengths, but the government is looking to expand on that with the creation of a 'natural reserve for cinema' complete with jungle, seaside locations and facilities," Eloy said.

International films that have previously shot in Cambodia include "Tomb Raider," Korea's "R-Point" and the recent "Same, Same but Different," by German director Detlev Buck, which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and played at last month's Toronto festival.

Thai FM denies wanting Asean involvement

By Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

October 13, 2009

Cambodia's Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said yesterday he would seek help from Asean countries to resolve the dispute with Thailand over the Preah Vihear temple during the Asean Summit late this month in Hua Hin/Cha-am.

He said he agreed with his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya to seek Asean approval for the establishment of a neutral mechanism to solve disputes among member countries.

However the Thai Foreign Ministry's deputy spokesman Thani Thongpakdi has denied Kasit ever proposed an Asean dispute settlement mechanism to solve the conflict over Preah Vihear.

The minister might have been quoted out of context in media reports, he said. The Thai government had reaffirmed its position that the border dispute must be solved bilaterally through the joint boundary commission.

Meanwhile, Thailand's chief of the joint boundary commission has warned political groups in the Kingdom not to politicise the border issue for their benefit, since it could jeopardise the boundary demarcation with Cambodia.

"The border issue is very sensitive. It could be a powerful political tool if used for political purposes," said Vasin Teeravechyan Co-chair of the Thai-Cambodia Joint Commission on Demarcation for Land Boundary (JBC).

"It is dangerous to politicise the issue for personal interests," he told a seminar at the Foreign Ministry yesterday.

The JBC was set up under a memorandum of understanding signed by Thailand and Cambodia in 2000 to demarcate the temple boundary. The disputed area is located near the Hindu temple where both sides claim the overlapping territory of 4.6 squares kilometres.

The issue has been politicised recently by the People's Alliance for Democracy and its New Politics Party to gain support from nationalists to attack the government.

The group alleged the JBC had cut a deal with Cambodia on provisional arrangements for the disputed area adjacent to the temple, and accepted a Cambodian map.

In fact, Vasin said, the JBC merely proposed Parliament's approval on three minutes from the JBC meetings, and a note on what the JBC had talked about that was neither a commitment nor an agreement.

The three minutes are pending Parliament's approval to enable the commission to move on.

Vasin said a map drawn originally by France was one of many documents included in the boundary negotiation. "Whether we like it or not, we cannot rule out the role of the map," he said.

POST BAG From Cambodia with clarity

Bangkok Post
13/10/2009

Opinion

Re: "Hun Sen, Cambodia's agent provocateur?" (Bangkok Post, Oct 7) written by "pseudo scholar" Pavin Chachavalpong-pun. His article, which was written with ill will and malicious intent, contains many manipulative and baseless arguments against Samdech Techo Hun Sen, prime minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, as follows:

First, when the Thai soldiers entered Keo Sikha Kiri Svara Pagoda near Preah Vihear temple, Cambodia exercised maximum restraint and great tolerance because the country was about to hold elections. At the same time, Prime Minister Hun Sen wanted to avoid armed clashes between the two countries.

Second, undoubtedly Prime Minister Hun Sen is far from being an ''agent provocateur''. He is a statesman and a respected leader of Asean. He did not stir up nationalism, as the writer has wrongly accused. In fact, it was Thailand that initiated the problem and tried to exploit extreme nationalist sentiment in order to make political gains.

Third, if you know Prime Minister Hun Sen, he has never wanted to provoke an armed conflict with Thailand. There is, and has been, no reason whatsoever for him to engage in this act of provocation. The true reality is that Thailand was the one that started it all. No peace-loving nation on earth like Cambodia wants to make political gains by provoking armed conflict with its neighbours. Therefore, the recent tensions between the two countries began with the yellow-shirt protesters from Thailand who wanted to enter our Preah Vihear temple.

The Cambodian government simply wanted to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. With regard to the point of warning the Thais to stop ''trespassing on Cambodian land'', what Prime Minister Hun Sen really wanted was to protect Cambodia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and to avoid any armed clash between the two sides.

Fourth, Prime Minister Hun Sen never said that he wanted Thailand to give up its Asean chairmanship. Again, this is another factual error. What he really said at the time was whether Thailand would be able to host the Asean Summit and other related meetings, given its domestic situation then. Of course, later the Asean Summit and other meetings in Pattaya were cancelled, in April of this year. What Prime Minister Hun Sen said was proved absolutely right and no one can deny this fact.

Fifth, there was no need for Prime Minister Hun Sen to use the Preah Vihear temple issue to increase his popularity because he is already popular, and his Cambodian People's Party won the election with more than a two-thirds majority.

Sixth, after Thailand had destroyed the Cambodian market inside our territory, the Royal Government of Cambodia had to demand that the former pay compensation to the Cambodian people who were affected by the destruction of the market on Cambodian soil. This is a normal process, and Thailand should comply.

Seventh, we all know very well that the opposition party in any country in the world usually does not have any good things to say about the government in power. So, do you really want to join the opposition party in Cambodia against the Royal Government of Cambodia?
Finally, the issue of ''love-hate relations'' could only take place in Thailand, certainly not in Cambodia. Everyone in the world knows that the Preah Vihear temple belongs to Cambodia. Cambodia has no ''love-hate relations'' whatsoever.

Cambodia proposes Thai border talks at regional summit

AFP

2009-10-12

PHNOM PENH, Oct 12 (AFP) - Cambodia on Monday proposed neighbouring Thailand puts their border dispute on the agenda when it hosts this month's summit of Southeast Asian leaders, according to a diplomatic letter.

The summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and six dialogue partners -- China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand -- takes place in the coastal resort of Hua Hin on October 23-25.

In a letter to his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya, a copy of which was sent to AFP, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said the border dispute between the two countries should be included on the summit's agenda.

The move came after Kasit reportedly said last week he would seek approval at the meeting to establish a neutral organisation that would help settle the Thai-Cambodia dispute, which has sparked deadly skirmishes between troops.

"In this regard, I would like to propose that the dispute between Cambodia and Thailand in the area of the temple of Preah Vihear be included in the agenda of the ASEAN summit in Hua Hin," Hor Namhong said.

The focus of the border dispute has been an area of land around the 11th century Preah Vihear temple, where clashes have killed seven soldiers since nationalist tensions between the neighbours flared last year.

Cambodia and Thailand have been at loggerheads over the land around Preah Vihear for decades, but tensions spilled over into violence in July last year when the temple was granted UNESCO World Heritage status.

The World Court ruled in 1962 that it belonged to Cambodia.

Soldiers from Cambodia and Thailand continue to patrol the area, with the last gunbattle near the temple area in April leaving three people dead.

Cambodian premier Hun Sen last month said that he had ordered his troops to shoot anyone from neighbouring Thailand who crossed illegally on to land around Preah Vihear.

The border between the two countries has never been fully demarcated, in part because it is littered with landmines left over from decades of war in Cambodia. (AFP)

Some 500 Cambodian garment workers sent to hospitals for health problems

www.chinaview.cn
2009-10-12


PHNOM PENH, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Some 500 garment workers were sent to hospitals and clinics Monday for their bad health conditions, local officials said.

Police and other local officials told Xinhua that since 12:30 p.m. local time, some 500 workers have been sent to hospitals and clinics after they felt dizzy, pale, weak and even fainted at a Korean-owned factory.

It remains unclear about the cause of the incident, but many suggested it may be caused by the chemical exposure from clothes, water or foods.

The officials, however, said no one died from the incident and many have been recovered.

The factory is located about 10 kilometers in the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

The garment sector is one of Cambodia's main exporting products and it contributes a lot to the country's revenue.

Editor: Lin Zhi