No action on temple before [Thai] PM's visit

A plan for troop withdrawal from the Preah Vihear temple would be discussed in the National Security Council (NSC) and the Cabinet soon - but not before the visit to Cambodia of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Thursday, Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul said.

In July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Thailand and Cambodia to withdraw their military personnel from the court-determined demilitarised zone adjacent to the temple, pending interpretation of the 1962 judgement.

Cambodia announced it would fully comply with the court order but only when Indonesia dispatched its observer team to assess the situation and monitor the troop withdrawal.

Thailand, since the previous government under Abhisit Vejjajiva, has not made any decision on whether or how it would comply with the court's injunction.

Prime Minister Yingluck briefed Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during her visit to Jakarta on Monday that her government needed to be clear on the domestic legal process before making any decision on the matter, according to Surapong.

It remained unclear whether the troop withdrawal in accordance with the ICJ ruling required the Parliament's approval.

Yingluck will visit Cambodia on Thursday and the Preah Vihear issue will be among various topics to be discussed with Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen, a government official said.

Thailand and Cambodia have been at loggerheads over the temple for a long time, but the recent conflict erupted when Cambodia managed to list the Preah Vihear as a world heritage site in 2008.

The Preah Vihear, as ruled by the ICJ in 1962, is situated in territory under the sovereignty of Cambodia but Thailand argued its vicinity belongs to Thailand. Cambodia asked the court in April to clarify the 1962 judgement. The interpretation process is now going on.

Tension between the two countries eased after the victory of the Pheu Thai party in the July election which brought Yingluck to office.

The opposition Democrat Party yesterday demanded the government announce a clear stand over the border disputed area adjacent to the Preah Vihear, and in the Gulf of Thailand, before the visit to Cambodia of Prime Minister Yingluck.

No matter how good personal relations of Prime Minister Yingluck and her brother Thaksin Shinawatra with Cambodia, the government has to make clear that such relations would be useful for the national rather than personal interest, Democrat MP Attaporn Palabutr said.

Cambodia seeking royal pardon for Veera, Ratri [-Pardon for Thai citizens because of Hun Xen's link to the Shinawatras???]

Veera Somkwamkid

September 14, 2011
The Nation

The Cambodian government is seeking a royal pardon for the two Thai activists arrested and detained for illegal entry and spying.

A high-ranking source in the Cambodian government said Veera Somkwamkid and Ratri Pipattanaopaiboon should be released soon. Veera and Ratri, who are linked to the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy, were arrested at the Thai-Cambodian border early this year.

It is believed that they will be released during Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's visit to Cambodia tomorrow and are likely to return home as part of her entourage, the source said. [KI-Media: So much for Hun Xen's vow to keep them in jail for 2/3 of the sentence!]

Analysts See New Page in Upcoming Thai Visits

Thailand's first female Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra arrives for the first cabinet meeting at the Government House in Bangkok August 11, 2011. (Photo: Reuters)

Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

“I think Thaksin chose the same week as his sister’s visit to put himself in the limelight once again.”

The dual visits this week of Thailand’s new prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, and her brother, Thaksin, who was ousted from that position in 2006, could create an amicable environment for talks on a range of issues, analysts said Tuesday.

Yingluck, who was elected in July, is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, with Thaksin preparing for a weeklong trip starting Friday.

Between the two, talks over an ongoing military border stand-off, on maritime petroleum resources and on the release of two jailed Thai activists could all take place, analysts said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday he would not be holding political talks with Thaksin, a politically divisive figure who remains in exile from Thailand to avoid corruption charges there. However, his coming signals improved engagement with the new Thai government, which is led by his sister and former supporters.

Official talks are scheduled between Hun Sen and Yingluck only.

“First, I think talks will focus on reconciliation,” said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a policy and strategy analyst at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Such talks would likely focus on reconciliation of the border dispute near Preah Vihear temple, which flared in July 2008 and has cost a number of lives on both sides in skirmishes over the years.

“Second, the two sides could talk about shared development in the disputed maritime territories,” he said. “However, Yingluck will have to make sure that this process is transparent and will not be for the benefit of anyone in particular.”

“Third, it could mean the release of two Thais jailed last year in Cambodia,” he said, referring to the cases of Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, activists of the Thailand Patriot Network, who were allegedly caught on the Cambodian side of the border and charged with spying.

“I think this is a positive visit, and I believe that a positive outcome will come from these trips,” he said. “I think this is a new beginning of Thailand and Cambodia’s relationship.”

As for Thaksin’s visit, he said, “We will never know what kind of discussions there may be.” But he said Thaksin is fond of Cambodia, as it is close to his home, and that he may want to prove himself a “legitimate” leader for the Thais.

“I think Thaksin chose the same week as his sister’s visit to put himself in the limelight once again,” he said. “On the positive side, it seems that bilateral ties between the two countries are on the mend.”

Chheang Vannarith, executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, said the two visits will create a “multiplying effect.”

He too said top agenda items will be the border, maritime boundaries and the two jailed activists.

A more peaceful border will mean the return of “trade, tourism and investment,” he said. “This is a new page in Cambodian and Thai history.”

However, he warned caution in talks over oil in gas. “For Cambodia, we want an agreement, particularly in maritime issues, so that we can extract oil resources at the end of next year,” he said.

Land for victims granted to landgrabber while 100 residents cut out of deal ; INJUSTICE under Hun Xen

A Boeung Kak lake resident stokes a fire of burning tyres during a protest yesterday at the lakeside. Photo by: Meng Kimlong

Shukaku snaps up titles in relocation site

Tuesday, 13 September 2011 15:03
Khouth Sophak Chakrya The Phnom Penh Post

More than 20 plots of land within a relocation site at the Boeung Kak area awarded as compensation to villagers set to be evicted have been granted to the same company that is displacing them, owned by ruling party Senator Lao Meng Khin.

Authorities at the Srah Chak commune office revealed yesterday that the Senator’s Shukaku Inc had been granted land titles for 21 plots in a 12.44 hectare area awarded for the on-site relocation of 794 families in a sub-decree signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen on August 11.

But no land titles were issued yesterday to villagers affected by Shukaku’s 114.41 hectare development project, stirring outrage amongst some 70 families who protested over the decision of authorities to cut them out of the on-site relocation deal.

Heng Mom, 54, from village 22 of Daun Penh’s Srak Chork commune, said the hypocrisy of awarding land titles to Shukaku within the on-site relocation area while excluding villagers was intolerable and corrupt.

“Twenty-one papers for land titles only located in village 22 were issued to the Shukaku company owned by Lao Meng Khin and [his wife] Ching Sopheap, while 70 affected families including my own were brushed aside out of the land titling project,” she said.

The land titling process, which was overseen by the Urbanisation Committee and Daun Penh district authorities was “embedded with corruption”, exploiting affected residents, she added.

Villagers living on the 21 plots have previously said Shukaku effectively forced them to sell their land for US$8,490, an amount Phnom Penh City Hall ruled as one form of acceptable compensation before the on-site relocation offer was announced.

Shukaku, they alleged, threatening them that if they did not take the money they would be evicted with nothing and then gave them contracts for sale of the land, not compensation.

Representatives of Shukaku could not be reached for comment yesterday but Srah Chak deputy commune chief In Saphon said she regretted decisions to cut 70 families out of the on-site relocation area.

“In fact, we, the subordinates of local authorities, wanted to issue land titles for each family but it is not our responsibility,” she said, adding the final say lay with the municipality. She declined to explain why some 100 families had been cut out of the 12.44 hectare relocation area since the deal was made public on August 18, following a World Bank decision to suspend all funding for new projects in Cambodia until the dispute was adequately solved.

Boeung Kak representative Tep Vanny said the process of granting land titles had lacked transparency ever since the relocation deal was made public last month.

"The DC-Cam circus spins around" - Op-Ed by Anonymous

The circus is spinning at DC-CAM: after sitting down Him Huy, one of the brutal KR guards at S-21, with Tuol Sleng survivors at a reconciliation dinner, Chhang Youk, DC-CAM director, now issues a decree on the reconciliation between the children of the victims and children of the executioners. On 13 September 2011, DC-CAM organized a Pchum Ben meeting between Norng Chen Kimty, the daughter of former S-21 child survivor, and Huy Senghul, the daughter of S-21 prison guard.

By allowing DC-CAM to take these unbearable actions and by supporting it, the United States, through its massive funding for DC-CAM, is playing a very dangerous game indeed!

Norng Chen Kimty, the daughter of S-21 child survivor, and Huy Senghul, the daughter of S-21 prison guard, are seen praying together at a Pchum Ben event organized by DC-CAM on 13 Sept 2011 (Photo: DC-CAM)

Huy Senghul and Norng Chen Kimty seen leaving the event together (Photo: DC-CAM)

Who could be their fathers?

Him Huy, one of the KR torturer in S-21 (Photo: Seth Mydans, IHT)

Brothers Norng Channy and Norng Chanphal were child-survivors of S-21

Youth denied their constitutional rights in Phnom Penh

Register to Vote: Newsletter Two 
Monday 12 September 2011

Youth denied their constitutional rights in Phnom Penh
Every capable Cambodian citizen 18 years or older has the right to vote in elections. This is ensured in our constitution.
However, Cambodian youth have a challenge when taking voter registration information door-to-door to their peers, in the city of Phnom Penh on the 2nd week of the registration period. Local commune chiefs, district officials trailed by police prevented the youth and Mu Sochua of the Sam Rainsy party, an elected MP from providing information to voters, accusing them of unlawful activities and disturbing peace and security in the commune.

SRP youth president Soung Sophoan handing out voter information cards at the pagoda.

Sophoan and MP Mu Sochua confronted by local authorities minutes later for their actions.

Voter information cards were snatched and confiscated by the local authorities who went door to door, creating an atmosphere of fear. Such a violation of voters' rights, including right to information and political rights is part of the fear tactics of the ruling party through the use of local officials.
The Cambodia Daily newspaper reported on the 13th September 2011, “There were almost as many authorities as SRP members, which came in handy when the information card distribution began because it meant the authorities could grab back the cards as quickly as they were distributed to the public”.

A fan?  No, a member of the local authority taking pictures in an act of intimidation and harassment. He was part of the authority convoy trailing the party youth.

Voter registration is the first step to guaranty protection of voters' right to vote. The EU Electoral Observation Mission noted in its 2008 general election report that 19 per cent of polling stations reported voters complaints due to errors on the register on election-day. Domestic observers concurred with this finding, stating in their reports that incorrect voter registration was one of the key problems of the 2008 election process.
The Sam Rainsy Party is taking no chances by waiting for electoral reforms to take place. During the 45-day registration period, the SRP youth and all the party machinery is being used nationwide to ensure that the newly illegible voters have their right to vote.

The youth will not be intimidated and they continue to exercise their constitutional right to hand out the voter information cards

Training youth to go door-to-door is a must and a good exercise to train our youth to enter the field of politics and to defend our people's political rights. Any form of threat and intimidation must be stopped in order to ensure free and fair elections.

haksin to visit Cambodia on Friday: Hun Sen

Thaksin running to the embrace of Hun Xen?

Tuesday, Sep 13, 2011
The Nation/Asia News Network

THAILAND - Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will visit Cambodia on Friday to attend a conference on the Asian economy - not to negotiate petroleum resources in the countries' overlapping claims area in the Gulf of Thailand as speculated, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday.

"Thaksin's visit to Cambodia was scheduled before the official visit of newly elected Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who will visit Cambodia on [Thursday]," he said during a graduation ceremony of 4,100 students at the National University of Management in Phnom Penh.

"But the visit of Thaksin on [Friday] until Sept 24 is to join the Asian Economic Future Conference, organised by the Royal Academy of Cambodia, not to talk with Cambodia on oil and gas issues," Hun Sen was quoted as saying by China's state-owned Xinhua news agency.

Survivor created tortured art

Vann Nath, 1945-2011: Evil regime … Vann Nath depicted Tuol Sleng prison. Photo: AFP

September 13, 2011

The Sydney Morning Herald

Vann Nath's talent as an artist helped him survive Cambodia's most notorious prison during the Khmer Rouge's reign of terror in the 1970s and his later paintings bore witness to the prison's many horrors.

Groups urge UN to mull funding Cambodia NGO law

The shadows of two Cambodian children is visible on the dry land of a rice field in Kampong Spue province, 50km (31mile) west of Phnom Penh, December 7,2004. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

12 Sep 2011Source: alertnetBy Thin Lei Win

BANGKOK (AlertNet) – Ten  international human rightsgroups have raised concerns in  a letter about a draft law in Cambodia which they say will allow the government to shut down aid agencies.The letter addressed to the heads of 17 U.N. agencies, urged them to press the Cambodian government not to enact the law, which is being considered by the Council of Ministers, and to think about a funding freeze for programmes involving state agencies if the law is adopted in its current form.Cambodia relies on foreign aid to cover as much as 60 percent of its spending."As written, (the law) will allow the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) to intimidate and potentially shut down local, national, and foreign NGOs, associations, and informal groups that criticise the government or government officials," said the letter sent on Friday.

It was signed by groups including Global Witness, Human Rights Watch, Freedom House and Southeast Asian Press Alliance.

Some of the concerns about the proposed law relate to all the red tape it would create and expensive requirements that will make it difficult for grassroots organisations to register as non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

It will also make it more difficult for civil society groups to ensure transparency and accountability in government and donor-funded projects, the letter added.

"This draft law violates core human rights and will severely damage participatory, grassroots development efforts that are so critical for Cambodia's future," Phil Robertson, deputy director at Human Rights Watch Asia Division, said in a statement.

There has been growing tension in the Southeast Asian country between the government and a burgeoning civil society which has become openly critical of Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Last month the Phnom Penh Post reported that the Cambodian Foreign Affairs Ministry had warned an umbrella organisation of 88 NGOs over critical letters it sent to international donors funding a $142-million railway project.

The government also suspended a land rights NGO that signed the letter for allegedly inciting villagers to protest against the railway project and summoned another to meet with officials.

(Editing by Katie Nguyen)

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Posted by Khmerization at Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Cambodian premier says Thai ex-PM Thaksin to visit

Tuesday, 13 September 2011

 Thaksin Shinawatra will visit Phnom Penh this week for the first time since his sister took power in Thailand (AFP/File, Yoshikazu Tsuno)

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AFP)— Fugitive former Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra will visit Phnom Penh this week for the first time since his sister took power in Thailand, Cambodian premier Hun Sen said Monday.Thaksin will arrive in Cambodia on Friday, Hun Sen said, following Yingluck Shinawatra's one-day official visit on Thursday. A meeting between the siblings would risk inflaming Thailand's political divisions.

The controversial former Thai prime minister, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup, is due to play golf with the Cambodian leader and address the Asian Economic Future Conference during his trip.

"Apart from being a friend, I will officially host Thaksin as a guest speaker," Hun Sen said at a graduation ceremony.

Thai-Cambodian relations have appeared to stabilise since Yingluck took power, after an eruption of deadly military clashes on their shared border earlier this year.

Hun Sen, who has described Thaksin as his "eternal friend" said last month that the "nightmare" of strained ties with Thailand was over and vowed to work with Bangkok to resolve the row, which centres around a 900-year-old temple.

The Hague-based International Court of Justice in July asked both nations to withdraw military personnel from around the Preah Vihear temple complex, although neither side has pulled out yet.

Yingluck's rapid rise to victory in Thailand's July 3 election marks a comeback for her brother, who lives abroad to avoid a jail term for corruption and also faces terrorism charges over last year's political unrest in Bangkok.

The former telecoms tycoon is widely believed to wield influence over his sister's fledgling government, which has already drawn fire over opposition claims it helped him travel to Japan recently. The government denies intervening.

Thaksin is due to fly to the northwestern city of Siem Reap, Cambodia's popular tourist hub, on September 20.

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Posted by Khmerization at Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Dengue Fever in Cambodia Town in Long Beach

By Sarah Bennett Mon., Sep. 12 2011

 

Sarah Bennett

Dengue Fever

Sept. 9, 2011

Fingerprints Record Store, Long Beach

Friday should have been designated Dengue Fever Day by the City of Long Beach because the Cambodian psych-pop band's double dose of public appearances is the most the band has been seen in these parts since their latest album, Cannibal Courtship, was released in April.

But absence only makes the heart grow fonder, it seems. Early in the afternoon on a supposed workday, a diverse group of fans and cycling activists met up at the Homeland Cultural Center in Cambodia Town for a bike ride and lunch with members of the genre-bending outfit.

 

Sarah Bennett

The press event was organized by Long Beach's Bike-Friendly Business District program, which purchases bicycles for use by employees and patrons in the city's four designated districts. Though Cambodia Town is the last of the four to get its wheels--which include several commuter bikes and a people-holding cargo bike--it is probably the only one to have a band claim the neighborhood as the reason for its existence.

Cambodia Town's large community of émigrés is what attracted singer Chhom Nimol to move there from Cambodia more than a decade ago. And its reputation as a haven for Cambodian musicians and singers is what drew brothers Zac and Ethan Holtzman into Dragon House from Los Angeles the night they discovered Nimol's elevating vocals 10 years ago.

After the short group bike ride and a traditional Cambodian lunch at the Grand Paradise Restaurant (where Nimol has been known to still perform), the band members left to get ready for their next appearance on the list: an in-store performance at Fingerprints.

Scheduled to begin at 7p.m., the crowd was left standing outside of Fingerprints' East Village storefront until nearly 7:30 before being ushered into the dimly lit back room. Bass player Senon Williams and guitarist Zac Holtzman emerged in the same casual garb they'd been wearing on the bike ride earlier, but Nimol had undergone a glamorous update for the show. Dressed like a top-tier Cambodian pop star, her prismatic black cocktail dress with matching heels and sparkling diamond bangles stood in contrast to the band-dude dress of the others.

Her voice--silky and wraithlike--channeled through an exotic karaoke mic echo also set her apart from the aggressive noises that materialized out of the instruments on stage, which in the first few songs alone ranged from freestyle psych-organs to escalating proto-surf guitar riffs.

Starting in with "Genjer, Genjer"--a once-banned Indonesian protest song made into a sultry psychedelic space jam--the band played most of the Khmer-language songs off of Courtship including "Uku" with its extended acapalla intro sending shivers through the room.

Aside from the fact that every member of the band is a master of their respective crafts, the genre-blending nature of Dengue Fever is the most captivating thing about experiencing the band live. Even with knowledge of their song repertoire, their diverse influences--from Sinn Sisamouth to Mulatu Astatke--often take familiar numbers into unexpected directions, pouring tribal beats on top of Khmer chants as if Los Angeles was created to be a laboratory for such musical explorations.

At several points during the performance, Nimol was left smiling and dancing as her five bandmates spiraled into a seemingly improvisational frenzy of bebop saxophone and funky bass lines worthy of a pluralistic Blade Runner nightclub. Eventually, the chaos would return to Earth with Nimol's haunting vocals guiding it down the runway.

After 10 years as a band, Dengue Fever is no longer merely reviving Cambodian rock 'n' roll. As the in-store performance on Friday proves, they are delving even deeper into their own dizzying mixture of multicultural compositions, charting new territories in sound and showing the world what is possible when we take the time to explore the new worlds residing right next door.

Critic's Bias: I'm kind of obsessed with cultural mixture and Dengue Fever satisfies all of my cravings.

The Crowd: First-generation Cambodian teens, CSULB students, Bluff Park dads, white girls with bindis, the guy that tattooed Bradley Nowell's famous "Sublime" back piece.

Random Notebook Dump: Never had Cambodian food before and yum! Like Vietnamese or Thai but plus jalapeños, olives and pineapples. Where'd they get all those non-native ingredients?

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Posted by Khmerization at Tuesday, September 13, 2011

This Week in Lit: Records, Spelling Bees and Cambodian Grrrl...

Anne Elizabeth Moore at Elliott Bay Book Co.:

Anne Elizabeth Moore will be stopping in today to chat about her newest book, Cambodian Grrrl: Self-Publishing in Phnom Penh—the story of her trip to Cambodia! She had just planned on promoting the power of independent media through self-publishing zines—but she ended up experiencing a hell of a lot more. This longtime co-publisher of Punk Planet mixed with the second generation of Cambodian genocide survivors, and in doing so learned a little bit about political corruption and pain, but also about the hope that love can bring. And who knew just how much learning about self-published media could inspire a community.

Saturday, 5 p.m. // Elliott Bay Book Co. // Free [in Seattle]

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Posted by Khmerization at Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Photos from the SRP 5th Congress 11th Sept. 2011

 Read the congress resolution here.

Delegates attending the congress (All photos: SRP)

Delegates attending the congress

The party's central committee

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy, the re-elected SRP President, addressed the audience through video-conference

Foreign embassy personnel attending the congress

Kong Korm, the re-elected SRP Vice-President, addressing the audience

Delegates attending the congress

Ker Sovannroth, SRP secretary general, addressing the audience

A delegate addressing the audience

SRP MP Son Chhay addressing the audience

SRP MP Yim Sovann, SRP MP and spokesman, addressing the audience

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Posted by Khmerization at Sunday, September 11, 201

RESOLUTIONS OF THE FIFTH CONVENTION OF THE SAM RAINSY PARTY HELD IN PHNOM PENH ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

RESOLUTIONS OF THE FIFTH CONVENTION OF THE SAM

RAINSY PARTY HELD IN PHNOM PENH ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

The Fifth Convention of the Sam Rainsy Party held in Phnom Penh on September 11, 2011 with the participation of some 4,000 delegates representing all the provinces of Cambodia and also Cambodian communities abroad, resolved to:

I- Call on all patriotic forces to unite in order to save Cambodia from disaster. Stop the policy of the current government that is cutting Cambodia into pieces and selling our country bit by bit to foreign companies under the form of "concessions". Oppose this attempt to kill our farmers little by little by depriving them of land, forest and fish. Counter this insidious plan to make Cambodia vanish slowly but surely through losses of national territories, land grabbing, deforestation, destruction of fishing stocks, plunder of natural resources, systemic corruption, increasing poverty , unemployment, derelict state of public services such as the health system , despair, emigration of an increasing portion of the Khmer population compelled to seek work abroad, massive Vietnamese immigration with far-reaching demographic and political implications that are turning Cambodia into another Kampuchea Krom.

II- Approve and publicize the watchword of the SRP: "Give back to the Khmer people any assets stolen from them ". The future government led by the SRP will cancel all land, forest and mining concessions granted by the present government that were associated with land grabbing and eviction of the legitimate owners of the land. Our nation’s assets will be given back to our nation.

Rice fields and other farmland, forests and mountains, rivers and lakes, fishing zones, seashores and islands will be returned to their legitimate owners, meaning the Khmer people, or will be used as to serve the public interest and the needs of the entire population, especially the poorest segment of the population. Any individual or private company that forcibly seizes land or living areas belonging of the local population and deprives them of their livelihoods is considered as “enemy of the Khmer people” and will be punished accordingly. The people are the only owners and masters of the land.

III- Support the SRP’s appeal to foreign investors to come invest in Cambodia, especially to build and operate processing facilities. The type of investors we call on will buy natural products and raw materials from our farmers but not our farmers’ land. Legitimate investors are not involved in land speculation or money laundering. They focus on production units that process raw materials. By doing so, they provide commercial outlets for our farmers’ agricultural products and jobs for our population as a whole.

IV- Reject the type of "development" conceived by the current government, which is a fake and fallacious development carried out against the people and serving exclusively the interest of a small group of exploiters. The future government led by the SRP will carry out a genuine development for the people that will protect the people’s assets, serve the people’s interest and effectively improve the people’s living conditions.

V- Denounce the demagogic practices of the ruling party which, on the one hand, gives us small donations occasionally as an attempt to buy votes but, on the other hand, continuously strangles us by stealing our lands, depressing agricultural products prices and farmers’ income, compressing workers and civil servants’ salaries, levying increasing taxes, and making the price of staple goods on the market go up higher and higher. They steal us in millions through predatory corruption and give us back in pennies with their petty and deceitful donations.

VI- Require an immediate and significant increase in the salaries of workers and civil servants so as to ensure them decent living conditions, and also effective measures to lower prices of staple goods on the markets by reducing taxes and suppressing commercial monopolies.

VII- Approve the political platform and the action plan of the SRP intended to improve the living conditions of the population in three essential domains: agriculture, employment and healthcare. The concrete measures contained in the SRP platform will definitely improve the farmers’ income and living conditions, create jobs for the whole population especially the young, and ensure access to modern medical care for everybody especially the poorest segment of the population.

VIII- Support the draft laws prepared by SRP Members of Parliament regarding:

1) A minimum wage applicable to all occupations all over the country, to be periodically readjusted to reflect the evolution of consumer prices. As of today, a decent national minimum wage should not be less than 400,000 Riels (about US$100) per month.

2) The definition and the protection of the rights of tenants allowing those who don’t own the place where they live to secure a stable home on reasonable and acceptable terms and ensuring them a fair compensation in case of eviction by their landlords or the public authorities.

3) The implementation of a real political decentralization providing effective powers and an adequate budget to commune councils allowing them to democratically make decisions intended to improve the living conditions of the local population living in the concerned communes. These decisions could be related, for instance, to local infrastructures, social services and protection of the environment.

4) A term limit for any future Prime Minister who would not be allowed to stay in office for more than five years (one parliamentary term only).

IX- Approve the three-tier political strategy of the SRP aimed at liberating Cambodia from foreign domination, bringing down dictatorship, eliminating corruption and ensuring social justice:

1) Participation in the 2012 and 2013 polls while fighting election irregularities and unfairness according to our means;

2) Popular uprising inspired by the Arab Spring and other forms of People Power if the forthcoming elections remain fundamentally biased and continue to seriously distort the will of the people;

3) Filing of criminal lawsuits against those current leaders responsible for crimes against humanity (K5 Plan in the 1980s), war crimes (1997 coup d’état) and other heinous crimes (1997 grenade attack, 1998 repression) before international courts and independent courts in democratic countries.

X- Render justice to SRP President Sam Rainsy who only defended rice fields belonging to Cambodian farmers living along the border with Vietnam. Those rice fields belonging to Cambodian citizens are part of Cambodia’s territory that Vietnam is infringing on. Therefore Sam Rainsy’s case is not an individual’s case but represents a political issue of national interest requiring a political solution. From this viewpoint, all the parties involved should take into account recommendations from the UN Rapporteur for Cambodia, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the European Parliament and governments of many friendly countries that wish to see Sam Rainsy returning to Cambodia in time to take part in the 2012 and 2013 elections. Without the presence of the leader of the country’s largest opposition party those elections would be worthless and their results would not be recognized by the international community, which would neither recognize any government stemming from such worthless elections .

XI- Appeal to every Cambodian citizen to check their names on the voter lists and to register as voters before October 15, 2011 so as to have the right to cast their ballots at the 2011 and 2012 elections that will determine the future of our country and the fate of each one of us and that of our children.

XII- Ask all the signatory countries of the 1991 Paris Agreements on Cambodia to really and fully implement these Agreements on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of their signing on October 23, 2011. These Agreements guarantee for the Cambodian people fundamental rights and liberties as well as a political system based on liberal and pluralistic democracy. However such rights and liberties and democratic system have not materialized yet or have been totally perverted. The Paris Agreements also guarantee Cambodia’s territorial integrity, which is being violated by Thailand on the west and Vietnam on the east, as evidenced by recent border incidents causing sufferings for the Cambodian population. We call on the international community to help defend Cambodia’s territorial integrity, which is their obligation as stipulated in the Paris Agreements. Read the Khmer version here. And see pictures of the congress here.

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Posted by Khmerization at Sunday, September 11, 2011

Cambodia seeks to improve business ties with Turkey

 

Cambodia’s Trade Minister Cham Prasidh (C) has said he want to share Turkey’s experience in making new investments and to cooperate with Turkey in third markets.

11 September 2011, Sunday

RAMAZAN SOLAK ,

Today's Zaman, İSTANBUL

Cambodia expects to improve its current trade relations with Turkey and boost bilateral investments, the country’s trade minister, Cham Prasidh, told the Cihan news agency in İstanbul Saturday.

Prasidh was in Turkey to participate in the 80th İzmir International Fair (İEF). The minister met with members of the Association for Social and Economic Solidarity with Pacific Countries (PASİAD) in İstanbul on Saturday. Evaluating Cambodia’s business relations with Turkey, Prasidh said Cambodia wants to share Turkey’s experience in making new investments and to cooperate with Turkey in third markets.

“Turkey is one of the fastest-growing countries in the world, and Cambodia hopes to branch out into new markets. Both countries could help each other with joint investments in third markets.” The minister said his government is committed to offering the best conditions possible for new Turkish investments in the country.

Currently the largest Turkish-owned investment in Cambodia is the Turkish Zaman University in Phnom Penh, the first Turkish university in the Far East. The university was opened by Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç in February. Recalling Arınç’s visit to his country early in the year, Prasidh said Turkish investments in Cambodia are lower than he would like and that they should be increased. Businesspeople from the two countries met at a Turkish-Cambodian Trade and Investment Forum organized by the Turkish Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON) in February during Arınç’s visit.

Prasidh said Cambodia especially needs investment in its technological infrastructure and that Turkey could help in this regard. “We have the necessary raw materials and we need technical support to use them. Turkey and Cambodia could join forces to make this happen,” he said. Prasidh went on to say that opportunities exist for Turkish entrepreneurs in Cambodia’s home appliance, electronics and ready-wear sectors.

Turkey imported $24 million in goods from Cambodia last year and exported goods worth $3 million to the Southeast Asian country in the same period.

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Posted by Khmerization at Monday, September 12, 2011

[Stockton's]Tax evasion draws jail, 'lifetime of consequences'

By Jennie Rodriguez-Moore

Record Staff Writer

September 11, 2011

STOCKTON - A Manteca woman who federal investigators said took advantage of Cambodian immigrants through her real estate business was sentenced Thursday to four months in jail and five years' probation for not reporting her business income.

Helen Sotiriadis pleaded guilty to felony tax evasion in April.

On Thursday, she was ordered to pay back the cost of investigating her case at the state level - $6,049 - and additional restitution of about $400.

She also must file amended state returns, making her and her husband liable for back taxes, interest and penalties. Prosecutor Stephen Taylor estimated the liability to be more than $100,000, but the amount is still being decided.

Sotiriadis and her husband earned $972,229 between 2006 and 2008. They claimed only the husband's income: $17,444 for 2008 and less than $32,000 for other years.

An FBI report also said Sotiriadis targeted Cambodian clients who spoke limited English, and because she falsely overstated their qualifications, they often ended up with mortgage payments they couldn't afford.

Sotiriadis, 51, opened a real estate business several years ago with her daughter, Irene Sotiriadis, who has since relocated to Greece.

Husband John Sotiriadis, a truck driver, initially faced charges because the couple filed joint returns, but prosecutors later dropped the case against him. Charges also were dropped against the daughter.

"After getting to know Helen, it just seemed to be more reasonable that Helen was behind all this," Taylor said.

Sotiriadis never will be eligible for a state occupational license that requires trust from clients, Taylor said. Taylor said in many cases felony tax evasion convictions can later be turned into misdemeanors, but Sotiriadis pleaded to a charge that will not be changed after she completes her probation.

Thursday's proceedings did not include federal tax liability. That will likely be a separate case.

"Helen is going to have a lifetime of consequences for doing this. ... Her punishment is not just jail," Taylor said. "That's why people really should not do this."

Taylor said businesses that have understated their income in past returns can simply file amended returns before the situation worsens to avoid prosecution.

Sotiriadis is scheduled to report to jail in late October.

Contact reporter Jennie Rodriguez-Moore at (209) 943-8564 or jrodriguez@recordnet.com.

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Posted by Khmerization at Monday, September 12, 2011

Cambodia: commercial overload at Angkor Wat

A Cambodian boy cools off by jumping into the waters on the grounds of the Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia.  
(Paula Bronstein/AFP/Getty Images)

Conservationists say the temples are suffering serious damage from millions of tourists.

Patrick Winn

Global Post

September 11, 2011

SIEM REAP, Cambodia — Angkor Wat’s magnificence has endured nature, invading armies, artifact bandits and occupation by Khmer Rogue communist guerillas.But nearly a millennium after the 12th-century temple’s creation, it faces its greatest threat yet: millions of tourists marching upon its stones and pawing at its intricate stonework with greasy hands.

Tourism is exploding at Angkor Wat, a world of sandstone ruins considered mankind’s largest pre-industrial city. Jungled over for centuries, and more recently unreachable during Cambodia’s decades of war, the site now absorbs more than a million visitors each year.

But while preservationists cringe at the site’s commercial takeover, they might as well brace for more. The Disneyfication is just beginning.

“See that?” said Hyo-Soon Park, a South Korean developer, standing on a balcony outside his office in Cambodia. “You can see Angkor Wat from here.”

“If everybody goes and touches the Mona Lisa, it’s going to be worn out. That’s what is happening at Angkor.”~Jeff Morgan, director of the Global Heritage Fund

The temple’s tallest tower was visible, in the distance, as a finger of sandstone jutting above the tree line. “When all this is finished, guests will be able to stare at it from their hotel rooms,” Park said. “They’re going to love it.”

Park’s project, called “AngkorCoex,” is a 400-acre temple-themed sprawl of golf courses, hotel suites, duty-free shopping and a large convention center. Site plans also call for a wellness center and something described as a “Bohemian Island with Innovative Playground.” Completion is expected in a year or two.

“The point is this: how can we catch tourists, keep them in one place, here, where they spend all their money?” Park said.

After its long tourism twilight, Cambodia now expects 2.8 million arrivals throughout 2011. That’s double the number of arrivals in 2005 and it’s nearly 25 times more than the paltry 118,000 who visited in 1993.

Tour groups from Asia’s rising economies — not starry-eyed, dreadlocked thrill-seekers — are doing the most to drive Cambodia’s tourism figures up. Chinese tourists, according to Cambodia’s tourism ministry, have increased by 29 percent within the past year. Asian travelers are the demographic targeted by AngkorCoex, Park said.

The majority of those tourists will want to set foot inside Angkor Wat. But conservationists say the temples are suffering serious damage from all that traffic.

“You have to think of it like the Mona Lisa,” said Jeff Morgan, director of the Global Heritage Fund, a U.S.-based organization devoted to preserving historical sites in the developing world.

“If everybody goes and touches the Mona Lisa, it’s going to be worn out. That’s what is happening at Angkor,” he said. “You have millions of people climbing all over these sites.”

The temple was popularized in the West by a French naturist, Henri Mahout, who hacked through dense bramble to find the temples covered in vines. He later wrote that they were “grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome ... a sad contrast to the state of barbarism in which the nation is now plunged.”

That was 150 years ago. Today, a visit to Angkor Wat can resemble a Saturday at Six Flags. Visitors spill out of tour buses by the thousands, a noisy throng stampeding over stonework laid by servants of the long-dead King Suryavarman II.

All those sneakers wearing away priceless stone is unacceptable, Morgan said. His organization has advocated simple safeguards: wooden walkways, a per-day limitation on visitors and guards to stop tourists from scampering up temples.

“It’s not just tourists,” Morgan said. “It’s what the government does to cater to tourists.”

Edifices are sometimes restored with concrete and rebar, which causes “irreversible damage,” Morgan said. “They’re basing it off some sketches from a French exhibition in 1930. It’s unscientific,” he said.

A Global Heritage Fund team conserving a smaller temple called Banteay Chhmar has vowed not to repeat the mistakes made at Angkor Wat.

Damage to Angkor Wat is especially disconcerting given its profound significance to Cambodians, said Sotheara Vong, a Khmer historian with the Royal University of Phnom Penh.

The ruins are a sorely needed source of pride for a country still healing from centuries of foreign invasion, French colonial dominance and warfare. “It’s our historical magnet of consolidation and national pride,” Sotheara said. “It’s our identity.”

But for now, Cambodia’s tourism authorities show little willingness to stem the tide of tourists paying to enter Angkor Wat. And as foreign conservationists stream in to preserve the temples, so do foreign developers with new plans to capitalize on the tourism gold rush.

“This here, it’s going to be a square for Cambodian artists,” said Park, gesturing to point on his wall-sized master plan for AngkorCoex.

“The artists can show guests how to make ancient crafts from wood, stone or silk,” he said. “And then the guests can purchase it.”

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Posted by Khmerization at Monday, September 12, 2011

Cambodian boy suckles from cow to survive after parents leave to look for work in rural areas

Tha Sophat, a 20-month-old Cambodian boy, smile after suckling from a cow in Koak Roka village, Siem Reap province, Cambodia, Friday, Sept. 9, 2011. Tha Sophat started suckling the cow in July after he saw a calf do the same since his parents moved to Thailand in search of work, said his grandfather UmOeung. Photo: Heng Sinith / AP

Tha Sophat, a 20-month-old boy, suckles from a cow in Koak Roka village, Siem Reap province, Cambodia.

Tha Sophat, a 20-month-old Cambodian boy, suckles from a cow in Koak Roka village, Siem Reap province, Cambodia, Friday, Sept. 9, 2011. Tha Sophat started suckling the cow in July after he saw a calf do the same since his parents moved to Thailand in search of work, said his grandfather Um Oeung. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

Associated Press

A Cambodian man says his young grandson has lived partly on milk he suckles directly from a cow since the boy's parents left their rural village in search of work.

Um Oeung says 20-month-old Tha Sophat started suckling the cow in July after he saw a calf do the same.

Um Oeung told The Associated Press he pulled the boy away at first. He relented after his grandson protested loudly and the boy has suckled the cow's milk once or twice a day since then.

Tha Sophat has lived with his grandparents in Siem Reap province in northwest Cambodia since his parents moved to Thailand looking for work.

Um Oeung said Friday the cow doesn't mind the boy suckling but he is worried about his grandson's health if he continues. See more pictures here.

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Posted by Khmerization at Sunday, September 11, 2011

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's doesn't appear right. Ever thought about milking that cow first, before you drink its milk? There is nothing wrong with drinking milk from the cow but don't do it literally, geeezzzz...That kid is going to be well known in his village when he grows up.

11 September 2011 12:37 PM

Anonymous said...

Not only well know in his village, but around the world because this article has been published in many major newspapers around the world. But it is sort of sad, parents went away to seek work leaving him parentless and no milk to surive and need to survive of fresh cow milk like this.

11 September 2011 1:50 PM

Anonymous said...

at least he is smarter then his parent to stay alive.

11 September 2011 2:54 PM

Anonymous said...

Clever Kid, Perfectly normal to me, its only natural, This kid will be blessed with the world. as he has grown up with nothing.

11 September 2011 7:44 PM

Anonymous said...

In Germany´s leading Newspaper SPIEGEL the story is only published as a joke: "Look what an clever boy"

And it is mentioned that the small boy lives with his grandparents because his parents went to make money in Thailand, so the boy saw what the small cow baby did and just imitated that behaviour.

They told him not to drink from the cow, but he insisted to do so.

Very scary comments on KI-Media, by the way.

11 September 2011 10:47 PM

Anonymous said...

I am afraid of cow has infection or virus because its skin has never been clean or wash.

11 September 2011 11:52 PM

Anonymous said...

Why even publish this kind of stupid article anyway. This only bring more stigma on Cambodia ever impoverish images. Pol Pot, Killing Field, etc. There are many unusual and bullshit news similar to that of Cambodia in other countries, but they're not going to use that against their own images. Cambodian media need to be very mindful of what they're printing and exposing.

12 September 2011 12:46 AM

Anonymous said...

The picture above is real image of

poverty and deprivation of majority of Cambodian farmers in the rural area.It is sign of a social failure,uncared society. It is a picture of far cry contrast of rural people and the get rich quick elite in Phnom Penh.

Thousand of hectares of rubber plantation land have been sold to Hanoi. Hun said," it is good for the economy". Can't we grow them by our selves?

Cambodia have been reduced to nation that our people become slaves or refuges in our own country.

Now we have learned that one million Cambodian people have been working as slaves in Thailand and Malaysia,MANY WERE ABUSED AND EVEN KILLED.This is clearly a direct effect of Hun's politics COUNTRY FOR SALE. Cambodian people have been pushed to meet extreme poverty and Tha Sophat,little 20 months, boy's family is one among those millions that have been suffered by Hun's politics.

Is Cambodia still be called a golden country? A kingdom of wonder?

True Khmer

12 September 2011 3:41 AM

Anonymous said...

This boy will be strong like OX! He should name to...Preah KO!

Hun Sen's policy makes Cambodians become slaves in their own country

By True Khmer

Re: Cambodian boy suckles from cow to survive after parents leave to look for work in rural areas

The picture above is real image of poverty and deprivation of majority of Cambodian farmers in the rural areas. It is sign of a social failure, uncared society. It is a picture of far cry contrast of rural people and the get-rich-quick elite in Phnom Penh.

Thousand of hectares of rubber plantation land have been sold to Hanoi. Hun said,"it is good for the economy". Can't we grow them by our selves?

Cambodia have been reduced to nation that our people become slaves or refuges in our own country.

Now we have learned that one million Cambodian people have been working as slaves in Thailand and Malaysia. MANY WERE ABUSED AND EVEN KILLED. This is clearly a direct effect of Hun Sen's politics of "A COUNTRY FOR SALE". The Cambodian people have been pushed to meet extreme poverty and Tha Sophat's, little 20 months boy's, family is one among those millions that have been suffered by Hun Sen's politics.

Is Cambodia still be called a golden country? A kingdom of wonder?

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Posted by Khmerization at Monday, September 12, 2011

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

True Khmer. YOu are studid. This cute boy just enjou sucking milk cow when his mother away. It has nothing to do with golden country or kingdom of wonder

12 September 2011 5:36 PM

Anonymous said...

Did the old man suckle from the cow too "True Khmer?". If the old man can live off the solid food which he himself eat, don't you think that he can also feed the little boy too? The boy is 18 months old, and he can also walks on his feet. At that age, he is more than able to survive on the same solid food as his grandfather survive on. This is nothing more than publicity stunt; just another excuses to point a finger of blame at some body.

12 September 2011 5:58 PM

Anonymous said...

This is the reality when people are poor as a result of bad government policy that only looks after rich people. We can see that poor people are crying everyday because the government gives their land to the rich and foreign investors who in turn evict them from their land. This is called robbing from the poor to give to the rich.

12 September 2011 9:42 PM

Anonymous said...

To 9:42 PM:

I Personally knew of some Khmers who inherited lands form their parents and yet chose not to even farm it but went off trying to look for work somewhere else. Some got drunk; some beat their wives and kids, some spent their time with hookers and some gambled all of their hard earned money. Do you blame all of those ills on Hunsen too? Those who uses the excuses to blame others are "losers", they blamed the whole wide world for their problem " all except for themselves". Some of them, when give works; they flatly refused it because it hurts their pride to work.

13 September 2011 12:36 AM

Anonymous said...

Whatever the people want to do with their land is their choice. Whether, they just simply left it alone or farm it, that is not the point. The point is, government or authority can't just simply rob people of their land and resell to some corrupted business tycoons or some foreign invests who must have that piece of land. This is an epidemic in Cambodia. It's a disgrace. For the government, it's a failure to look after the people. That is not democracy. I assume Cambodia is a democratic state, no a communist dictatoship.

13 September 2011 3:33 AM

Anonymous said...

In Cambodia, if some body fort, they blam Hun Sen. Every country in this world has homeles, poor etc. In Cambodia, every issues we blame Hun Sen. There are homeless sleeping on the door step of the white house, why don't you blame president o'bama for that?

Warrior Blood

13 September 2011 4:34 AM

Anonymous said...

Poverty in America is nothing compare to Cambodia because America is rich and Cambodia is poor. Poverty in Cambodia involve government negligence, not people being lazy of not wanting to work or find works. There is a damn big different. Obama does get blame for everything that is not going right in America. As a leader you are a target of praise and criticism. If you make your country strong and your people happy, you are a good leader. If you're sucks at your job. You will hear from your people. As far as Hun Sen, he will get blame for many things as much as he gains from many things under his power. When Hun Sen fart, he didn't hear himself, when oppositions fart, he silence them. Warrior Blood, I hope you don't try to silence my fart.

C-clo Peddler

13 September 2011 5:51 AM

Anonymous said...

12:36 AM, that is called social ills and when there are social ills normally people and media blame the leaders. It is because of the poverty, social problems, lack of works, lack of medical care, that's why people are having social ills. If you live in the West, like America or the UK, when there are social ills where people committed crimes, drunk, having mental illness, become violent, people and the media blame it on the government for not doing enough for the country and the society. I don't believe you that people refused a job because job is the only mean for them to survive and there is not enough jobs around in Cambodia because of Hun Sen's negligence and incompetence, plus because of corruption and land evictions. Talking about people selling their ancestral land, it is true but you have to ask why did they sell off their land? It is because they are in debt. You have to know everything Cambodia is not free like in the West. Medical care, hospitalizations and so on cost heaps and people have to pay for all government services plus bribery to get things done. Everything you have to bribe the officials to get it done. This is why many people went bankrupt and have to sell their property. Also their houses and land have been confiscated so they have to sometimes mortgage their other assets to survive.

I'd like to see Warrior Blood return penniless to Cambodia and living under Hun Sen's rule for a few years and see how he experience it and to taste Hun Sen's rule that he has so long defended. It is easy for him to blame to the poor as lazy when he is enjoying his wealth created by America and its people for more than 300 years.

13 September 2011 8:29 AM

Anonymous said...

8:29 AM,

I use to read a poem which goes something like:

"I bargain with life for a penny

and life would pay no more

However I begged at evening

When I counted my scanty store

But life is a just employer

It gives you what you ask

But once you have set the wages

Why, you have to bear the task

I worked for a menial's hire,

Only to find dismayed

That any wage I had asked of life

Life would have gladly paid"

Poverty, from my experience in life is the result of a person's inability to have vision, to set specific goals and have proper plans on how to could achieve those goals. It has nothing to do with the government. It is what you ask of your life.

If one just sit and whinges all day, and blame other people all night and took no action to solve his or her own problem, you will face with poverty.

I was poor and destitute once; it was not the government who caused it; It was me. I wasted too much time not taking proper action to change my own lot in life.

There was a girl who's place burned down in Cambodia. She lost everything, and left with nothing but a pair of clothes on her hips. She crapped whatever she's got and started a small business selling Cambodian con-gee, on the street and now she had her family, a husband and children and a large house! She didn't sit and whinges about her lot in life, but took definite action to resolve her issues.

If you just sit and wait for your mother, your father, your husband, your wife or the government to change your lot in life, sure you're in for a disappointment. But if you start by doing something for yourself, then there will be no body to blame.

13 September 2011 9:36 AM

Anonymous said...

I think true Khmer used to suck cow mild. Please dont compare USA and Cambodia.