Tuesday, 15 January 2008

U.N.-tribunal meets Khmer Rouge cadres

Ee Chhean, the governor of Pialin, gestures before a meeting of the local officials and residents in Pailin, a former Khmer Rouge stronghold in northwestern Cambodia Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008. Forging ahead with its work of prosecuting former Khmer Rouge leaders, Cambodia's U.N.-backed genocide tribunal has embarked on an unusual mission to win the hearts and minds — or at least the grudging cooperation — of the group's old loyalists.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)


Co-investigating judges of the "Killing Fields" tribunal, You Bunleng (R) and French Marcel Lemonde (C), attend their first meeting with former lower ranking of Khmer Rouge rebels at Pailin city hall in the northwestern province of Pailin January 15, 2008.REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Sok Kimsan (C) ,former khmer rouge soldier, talks to the media during their first meeting with co-investigating judges of the "Killing Fields" tribunal, You Bunleng and French Marcel Lemonde at Pailin city hall in the northwestern province of Pailin January 15 ,2008 REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Co-investigating judge of the "Killing Fields" tribunal, French Marcel Lemonde (C), attends their first meeting with former lower ranking of Khmer Rouge rebels at Pailin city hall in the northwestern province of Pailin January 15 ,2008 REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)


Co-investigating judges of the "Killing Fields" tribunal, You Bunleng (R) and French Marcel Lemonde (L) talk to the media before their first meeting with former lower ranking of Khmer Rouge rebels at Pailin city hall in the northwestern province of Pailin January 15 ,2008 REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea (CAMBODIA)

Check out this warning sign from a public toilet.

Check out this warning sign from a public toilet in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Obviously people in Cambodia are not used to Western toilets.

Laugh all you want, but these signs are actually pretty important. If Cambodians use their "traditional method" on this style of toilet, they can slip and hurt themselves.I wonder if they need to add a 2nd step to this diagram?

Khmer Rouge tribunal meets ex-rebels

AFP, PHNOM PENH
Tuesday, Jan 15, 2008

Top officials from Cambodia's Khmer Rouge tribunal traveled for the first time to the regime's former stronghold yesterday to allay fears of mass arrests of former rebels.

Judges investigating the murderous Khmer Rouge regime joined other court officials for the three-day visit to the western Pailin region to "meet and talk" with former rebels, tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said.

"The aim of the meetings is to explain to them about the role of tribunal and its mandate -- ?that this court will only try the most senior and the most responsible Khmer Rouge leaders, and the ordinary Khmer Rouge officials should not be worried," he said.

The visit also aimed to clear up misunderstandings about the joint Cambodian-UN tribunal in the hope of convincing many of the rebels to give evidence for the prosecution in upcoming trials, Reach Sambath said.

"We need cooperation from many of them because they could be key witnesses in order to assist the trials," he said.

Pailin, near the Thai border, was one of the final refuges of the brutal regime which was driven out of power in 1979, and many soldiers and officials fled to the remote region to regroup and try and battle the new government.

Up to two million people died of starvation, overwork or were executed under the Khmer Rouge, which emptied Cambodia's cities, exiling millions to vast collective farms in a bid to forge an agrarian Utopia.

The tribunal, established in July 2006 after nearly a decade of negotiations between Cambodia and the UN, seeks to prosecute crimes committed by senior Khmer Rouge leaders.

Five former top Khmer Rouge leaders have been detained to face charges for crimes committed during the regime's 1975 to 1979 rule. Trials are expected to begin in the middle of this year.

All the defendants claim to be suffering from serious health ailments, causing concern among those hoping to find justice before the alleged perpetrators die. This story has been viewed 84 times.

Cambodia's UN-backed tribunal seeks cooperation of former Khmer Rouge cadre

The Associated Press
Published: January 15, 2008

PAILIN: Cambodia's genocide tribunal embarked on an unusual mission Tuesday to win the hearts and minds — or at least the grudging cooperation — of old Khmer Rouge loyalists as the panel forges ahead with prosecuting the group's leaders.

Tribunal officials hope to dispel fears that low-ranking former Khmer Rouge will become targets of the court and thus gain their valuable help in investigating the alleged crimes of their leaders.

The effort this week in the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Pailin is the first activity of its kind conducted by the tribunal in the former guerrilla heartland.

It follows last year's arrests of five senior figures of the Khmer Rouge, whose radical policies led to the deaths of some 1.7 million of their countrymen in the late 1970s.

Kaing Guek Eav, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith and Khieu Samphan are being held in the tribunal's custom-built jail on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Their trials are expected to start later this year.

"Without your cooperation, this court will not be able to succeed," a tribunal judge You Bunleng said in opening remarks at a meeting of some 150 police and mid-level officials of the Pailin municipality.

The judges will be holding a town meeting Wednesday in an attempt to persuade Pailin's residents to help with the trials — and allay their fears.

"The mandate of this court is to try only the most senior and most responsible Khmer Rouge leaders, so the ordinary former Khmer Rouge should not be worried," said tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath.

But some in Pailin were reluctant and indifferent when they were earlier approached by Cambodian and U.N.-appointed investigating judges, he said, so it is necessary to explain to them how the tribunal works.

The arrests of the five figures — a former head of the Khmer Rouge's S-21 torture center, its chief ideologist, foreign minister, social affairs minister and head of state — were the strongest sign yet that justice might be done for atrocities carried out when the Khmer Rouge held power three decades ago.

Their detention "has really shifted public opinion," which had long been skeptical that the tribunal could accomplish anything, said Youk Chhang, director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, an independent center collecting evidence of Khmer Rouge crimes.

The arrests come under the category of "senior leaders" defined in the 2003 agreement between Cambodia and the U.N. that set up the joint hybrid court.

But the agreement also seeks to prosecute "those most responsible" for crimes committed during the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge regime. It is not clear how many defendants will be brought to stand trial.

The meaning of "those most responsible" has never been clearly defined and could be interpreted as including anybody in the lower rung of the Khmer Rouge, said Youk Chhang.

This has raised suspicion among former low-ranking Khmer Rouge that they may also be targeted for trial, he said.

"And because the leaders have been arrested, this has generated fears: 'Who will be next? Who will be the next level after the senior leaders?' " Youk Chhang added.

In negotiating the U.N. agreement, the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen — himself a former Khmer Rouge soldier — fought vigorously to limit the panel's scope for fear it could shake political stability by scaring the Khmer Rouge back into the jungle.

The group had carried on a guerrilla war for two decades after a 1979 Vietnamese invasion ousted it from power. Hun Sen allowed most of the guerrillas to surrender with no penalty, and absorbed some important commanders into the government and its military.

Many former Khmer Rouge members, including Ee Chhean, the Pailin governor, and his deputy, Ieng Vuth — who is Ieng Sary's son — are now serving in the government and members of Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party.

Neither man will attend the meetings with the tribunal's judges because they have other official affairs to attend to, Reach Sambath said.

The meetings drew little attention from ordinary residents of Pailin, located in northwestern Cambodia and buzzing with free-market activities once banned by the Khmer Rouge.

"The tribunal is a good thing for the new generation of people to know," said 49-year-old Meas Sothea, a former Khmer Rouge soldier. "But earning enough to feed my family is my biggest priority these days."

U.N.-Cambodian court allays old Khmer Rouge fears

Reuters
January 14, 2008
By Ek Madra

PAILIN, Cambodia (Reuters) - French and Cambodian judges of the U.N.-backed "Killing Fields" tribunal met former Khmer Rouge fighters in one of Pol Pot's final strongholds on Tuesday to allay their fears about the long-awaited trials.

Even though the $56 million court was set up to investigate only those "most responsible" for the deaths of the Khmer Rouge's estimated 1.7 million victims, many ageing former guerrillas are worried they will be sucked into the process.

However, French investigating judge Marcel Lemonde assured government officials in Pailin, a Khmer Rouge redoubt on the Thai border, this was not the case and asked for help in convicting five top cadres already charged with atrocities.

"The court cannot achieve its goal without participation from the local authorities and public," Lemonde said.

Sam Yet, a 49-year-old former black-shirted guerrilla, said he was ready to provide evidence against his former commanders, a rare expression of support for the court in a region where Pol Pot is still revered as a national hero.

"The leaders of the Khmer Rouge should be held accountable and punished for their roles," he told Reuters as he walked with his wife down the main street in Pailin, a wild border town under Khmer Rouge control until a 1997 surrender deal.

"Brother Number One" Pol Pot died in the final redoubt of Anlong Veng, also on the Thai border, in 1998, nearly two decades after his four-year ultra-Maoist regime was removed by a Vietnamese invasion.

However, his right-hand-man, Nuon Chea, as well as former President Khieu Samphan, former Foreign Minister Ieng Sary and his wife were charged with crimes against humanity or war crimes last year.

The other suspect in detention is Duch, commandant of the notorious "S-21" interrogation and torture centre in Phnom Penh's Tuol Sleng high school. Duch has already confessed to mass murder and implicated members of Pol Pot's inner circle.

Pailin governor Ee Chhean, one of Pol Pot's messengers during his time in the jungle, said he believed the trials would not stir up too much dirt in a region where all survivors have dark secrets.

"The government is not going to have a trial that causes social unrest," he said.

Tribunal seeks cooperation of ex-cadre

Heng Sinith
Cambodian local officials and residents sit as they attend a meeting in Pailin, a former Khmer Rouge stronghold, Cambodia, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008. Forging ahead with its work of prosecuting former Khmer Rouge leaders, Cambodia's U.N.-backed genocide tribunal has embarked on an unusual mission to win the hearts and minds or at least the grudging cooperation of the group's old loyalists.


Tue, Jan. 15, 2008
By KER MUNTHIT - Associated Press Writer --

PAILIN, Cambodia --Cambodia's genocide tribunal embarked on an unusual mission Tuesday to win the hearts and minds - or at least the grudging cooperation - of old Khmer Rouge loyalists as the panel forges ahead with prosecuting the group's leaders.

Tribunal officials hope to dispel fears that low-ranking former Khmer Rouge will become targets of the court and thus gain their valuable help in investigating the alleged crimes of their leaders.

The public meetings between this week involving judges, officials and local residents in the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Pailin are the first activity of its kind conducted by the tribunal in the former guerrilla heartland.

It follows last year's arrests of five senior figures of the Khmer Rouge, whose radical policies led to the deaths of some 1.7 million of their countrymen in the late 1970s.

Kaing Guek Eav, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith and Khieu Samphan are being held in the tribunal's custom-built jail on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Their trials are expected to start later this year.

"Without your cooperation, this court will not be able to succeed," a tribunal judge You Bunleng said in opening remarks at a meeting Tuesday of some 150 police and mid-level officials of the Pailin municipality.

The judges will be holding a town meeting Wednesday in an attempt to persuade Pailin's residents to help with the trials - and allay their fears.

"The mandate of this court is to try only the most senior and most responsible Khmer Rouge leaders, so the ordinary former Khmer Rouge should not be worried," said tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath.

But some in Pailin were reluctant and indifferent when they were earlier approached by Cambodian and U.N.-appointed investigating judges, he said, so it is necessary to explain to them how the tribunal works.

In negotiating the U.N. agreement, the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen - himself a former Khmer Rouge soldier - fought vigorously to limit the panel's scope for fear it could shake political stability by scaring the Khmer Rouge back into the jungle.

The group had carried on a guerrilla war for two decades after a 1979 Vietnamese invasion ousted it from power. Hun Sen allowed most of the guerrillas to surrender with no penalty, and absorbed some important commanders into the government and its military.

KRouge judges open first talks in former rebel stronghold

The town of Pailin, the former Khmer Rouge stronghold near the Thai border


PAILIN, Cambodia (AFP) — Judges from Cambodia's genocide tribunal met Tuesday for the first time with former Khmer Rouge rebels in one of their last strongholds to urge them to cooperate with the UN-backed court.

Although the court's mandate allows it to try only the most senior Khmer Rouge leaders, many lower-ranking cadres suspect they could be prosecuted for atrocities committed by the regime, which seized control of Cambodia in 1975.

"We hope our meeting will help clear up any misunderstanding about our mission in order to convince them to give evidence in future trials," said judge You Bunleng.

"The court cannot implement its task without their support and involvement," he said before meeting with government and security officials -- many of whom were once Khmer Rouge members -- in western Cambodia's Pailin region.

Pailin was one of the final refuges of the brutal regime which was driven out of power in 1979. Soldiers and officials fled to the remote region to regroup and try and battle the new government.

Judges and other tribunal officials will on Wednesday meet with villagers, many of whom were also members of the communist movement, at the end of their brief visit to the remote region.

Up to two million people died of starvation, disease and overwork, or were executed under the Khmer Rouge, which emptied Cambodia's cities, exiling millions to vast collective farms in a bid to forge an agrarian utopia.

Schools, religion and currency were also outlawed and the educated classes targeted for extermination by the communists.

Five regime heads have been detained so far on war crimes and crimes against humanity charges, and tribunal officials have not ruled out more arrests.

Pailin governor and former Khmer Rouge cadre Y Chhean said it would be up to individual ex-rebels whether to cooperate with the court's efforts to gather evidence.

The tribunal was established in July 2006 after nearly a decade of negotiations between Cambodia and the United Nations, with trials expected to begin in mid-2008.

Hun Sen endorsed as PM candidate for Cambodian elections

Radio Australia
15/01/2008

The Cambodian People Party has elected its current vice-president to run for prime minister in this year's election.

In a two-day meeting of the party's general assembly in Phnom Penh, Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is the current vice-president of the CPP, was unanimously elected to contest in the national election on July 27.

The meeting was attended by about 900 party faithful across the country, who want to see the CPP continue its close alliance with the Funcinpec party because they see it as a trustworthy polical partner in the coalition government.

Redundancy led to Cambodia dream for Philippa

WHEN 23-year-old Philippa Kettlewell took voluntary redundancy from work she could never have imagined she was about to embark upon the experience of a lifetime.

Philippa has returned from a six-week trip to Cambodia where she had been helping teach English to underprivileged schoolchildren.She was working for British charity Schools for Children of Cambodia which works with local communities to improve access and quality of basic education.

"The reason I chose Cambodia is because a lot of my friends have been to places like America and Australia and I wanted to do something different," said Philippa, of Ightenhill Park Lane, Burnley. "It was a fantastic experience and I am so glad I went.

"Philippa said: "I was amazed at how many people wanted to learn English. I was liter ally teaching people on the streets some days. A lot of the young people there want to go on to become tour guides and so learning English is a very important part of what they want to do."

Philippa managed to see many sights of a country that has undergone huge reconstruction since the brutality of the 1970s and 1980s.

"It really is a beautiful place," she said. "It's definitely something that I want to do again. I would like to go to South Africa and I'm looking at maybe going to Peru and doing some voluntary work out there. "I would love to go back to Cambodia one day but there are a number of other places I want to experience first."Anybody who would like to find out more about the charity can log on to the following: www.schools4cambodia.orgDon't miss tomorrow's Express for more on Philippa's story ...

Last Updated: 14 January 2008

Making Angkor's Tourism Sustainable

World Changing

Mara Hvistendahl
January 14, 2008

When UNESCO designated Angkor a World Heritage site in 1992, it aimed to protect the area –- once the capital of the Khmer empire -- from encroaching development. Cambodia was just emerging from decades of political strife during which restoration work had halted, and with the UNESCO designation the emphasis shifted back to conservation. But now, fifteen years later, Angkor has other problems. It's become a zoo.

In the early 1990s, Angkor drew a few thousand people a year. Today, a sign in Siem Reap, the town that borders the park, boasts that Angkor has reached the two million mark. Tour buses -- many of them labeled in Chinese and Korean, suggesting the boom is exacerbated by development in Cambodia's Asian neighbors -- clot the road outside the flagship temple of Angkor Wat. I witnessed people climbing temple facades to stage vanity shots. In some temples, carvings on the walls are shiny from touching (the apsaras' breasts are a particularly popular target). Some tourists go one step further and buy a ceramic pot or antique beads – fueling the looting of valuable sites. According to Heritage Watch, an organization that monitors the Cambodian trade in artifacts, nearly 20 percent of visitors to the country purchase an antiquity during their stay.

Even conscientious tourists leave their mark. As massive hotels with swimming pools sprout around the park, the water table is suffering. Cheaper guesthouses reportedly dump sewage directly into the Siem Reap River. In the chaos of rapid development, real estate ventures aren’t always carefully vetted; it appears a South Korean company started on a golf course inside the park before Cambodian authorities intervened. And while tourism dollars are benefiting many local residents, development is hardly evenly distributed. Siem Reap is thriving, its property values skyrocketing. But the surrounding area still contains some of the poorest villages in Cambodia.

These issues aren’t just a problem at Angkor, of course. Earlier this year, Christian Manhart of the World Heritage Center, which administers the World Heritage Fund, admitted to the London Telegraph that "conservation versus tourism has been an issue for a long time. Before, we slightly ignored it and it was a big, big problem for many sites.” Today, the World Heritage program has a sustainable tourism program. But many sites were designated for protection before these mechanisms were put into place. Now, the challenge is to stave off future damage.
So what can be done? The Cambodian government is apparently considering restricting access to certain temples. But a holistic approach that addresses the boom in Siem Reap is needed as well. Heritage Watch carries out campaigns to educate locals and tourists alike about looting and promotes sustainable tourism in Siem Reap and beyond. The organization also certifies local businesses as "heritage-friendly" -- a designation that indicates clean environmental policies, support for the local economy, and contributions toward preservation.

Such efforts are critical to the scattering of temples that still remain relatively untouched. A hundred miles north of Siem Reap lies Koh Ker, at one point the Angkorian capital. Because of their distance from other tourist attractions, Koh Ker's unrestored temples and towers get just a few dozen visitors a day.

That will soon change. With a new road in place, the drive from Siem Reap to Koh Ker is now down to two hours – short enough for tour buses to travel there and back in a day. Hopefully this time around the tourism the site attracts will be sustainable.

MOFA regrets Cambodia refusal of Taiwan office

Tuesday, January 15, 2008
CNA

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday that it regrets Cambodia's statement that it will not allow Taiwan to set up an office in Cambodia.

"We regret Cambodia Foreign Ministry's stance to make politics take precedence over all other matters," the MOFA's acting spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh said after Cambodia's media reported that the Cambodian Foreign Ministry issued a statement that the country abides by the "one-China" policy, and will not allow Taiwan to set up offices there.

The semi-official Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TETRA) had requested permission from Cambodia to set up an office in the country.

Yeh said that the plan to set up an office in countries that Taiwan has no diplomatic relations with aims at developing substantial and mutually beneficial relations, which has nothing to do with the countries' relations with China.

Officials Seek to Reassure Pailin Rebels


By Heng Reaksmey,
VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh
14 January 2008

Top officials of the Khmer Rouge tribunal arrived in the former stronghold of Pailin Monday to allay fears among low-level cadre they could share the fate of their arrested former leaders.

Five former top leaders are in tribunal custody, including Nuon Chea and Khieu Samphan, who both lived in Pailin until their arrest. The laws governing the tribunal do not include the prosecution of low- or mid-level cadre.

Tribunal investigating judges for three days will meet with former Khmer Rouge to explain the role of the courts and their mandate, tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said.

“We have come here to meet and chat with the people who are officials and local authorities in Pailin,” Reach Sambath said. “Among them are a number of people who are former separatists, and who joined the Cambodian government.”

The rebels will ask judges “some questions to quell misunderstandings and unclear ideas” about the tribunal, he said.

Hisham Moussar, a tribunal monitor for the rights group Adhoc, said the three-day forum in Pailin was “important” to show the tribunal has “two voices.”

“So at the time of prosecution, there will be uncontested justice,” he said.

Hun Sen Urges Caution on Explosives

By Chun Sakada,
VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh
14 January 2008

Listen Chun Sakada reports in Khmer

Prime Minister Hun Sen warned on Monday that terrorists could find their way to explosives from a newly opened cement factory if vigilance lapses.

Speaking at the opening of the $90-million factory in Kampot province, Hun Sen said terrorists needed explosives like those housed at the factory.

“The control of explosives must be carried out neatly, according to regulations,” he said.

His comments follow statements made by Cambodia’s national police chief that counterterrorism work with the FBI has been productive.

Cambodia has in recent years become a willing partner to the US in its counterterrorism efforts.

There are no known terrorist threats in Cambodia, although in 2003 it was discovered that a senior leader of the Islamic fundamentalist group Jemaah Islamiya had taken refuge in Cambodia before traveling to Thailand.

Farmers at Loss to Nationally Move Produce

By Kong Soth,
VOA Khmer Original report from Battambang province
14 January 2008

Listen Kong Soth reports in Khmer

In the ex-Khmer Rouge district of Kamrieng, in Battambang province, farmers say they have difficulty moving their produce inside Cambodia and are forced instead to sell to middlemen, who move the goods to Thailand.

Mam Van, a former Khmer Rouge guerrilla, said she is no longer a fighter, but farming in Battambang province is proving difficult.

There are no customers in her village, she told VOA Khmer, and it is difficult for her to find good roads to markets.

“I would like for all organizations and all parties help us find markets for villagers directly, so there would be more profit than the middlemen in neighboring countries,” she said.

Kuy San, a neighboring farmer, said villagers would like to sell the crops they grow, especially with the rising price of fuel.

“The roads for transportation are far and create problems,” he said. “So the middlemen take that into consideration.”

The price for potatoes is especially low, he said.

District officials say there is little business inside the country, and foreign vendors keep coming to buy the products. Farmers are left with little control of the price of their goods, officials said.

Bank Rating Promising for Financial Sector

By Sok Khemara,
VOA Khmer Washington
14 January 2008

Listen Sok Khemara hosts 'Hello VOA' in Khmer

Standard & Poor’s gave its first bank credit rating to a Cambodian bank last week, in a positive sign for Cambodia’s growing economy, though the country’s banks need to develop further.

The rating of B+/B for Acleda Bank, Cambodia’s third largest bank and largest micro-creditor, was still below investment grade, the Associated Press reported.

Channy Ung, director of the bank, said Monday the bank had the expertise to avoid fake money, a more pervasive problem in the past.

People should deal with businesses within the banking system to avoid fraud, he said, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”

Meanwhile, some people are concerned instability could lead to the collapse of banks.

Channy Ang said Acleda has insurance against such a scenario.

Bank Rating Promising for Financial Sector

By Sok Khemara,
VOA Khmer Washington
14 January 2008

Listen Sok Khemara hosts 'Hello VOA' in Khmer

Standard & Poor’s gave its first bank credit rating to a Cambodian bank last week, in a positive sign for Cambodia’s growing economy, though the country’s banks need to develop further.

The rating of B+/B for Acleda Bank, Cambodia’s third largest bank and largest micro-creditor, was still below investment grade, the Associated Press reported.

Channy Ung, director of the bank, said Monday the bank had the expertise to avoid fake money, a more pervasive problem in the past.

People should deal with businesses within the banking system to avoid fraud, he said, as a guest on “Hello VOA.”

Meanwhile, some people are concerned instability could lead to the collapse of banks.

Channy Ang said Acleda has insurance against such a scenario.

Dream for Darfur Highlights Genocide

By Sok Khemara,
VOA Khmer Original report from Washington
14 January 2008

Listen Sok Khemara reports in Khmer

The New-York based group Dream for Darfur will pass a symbolic torch to genocide survivors of the Khmer Rouge Sunday, in an effort to raise awareness of human rights abuses in Sudan.

The “Symbolic Olympic Torch Relay” will be passed in a ceremony at the former torture center of Tuol Sleng, organizers said.

“We know about genocide, that as it occurs people do not pay attention, and we do not think that’s how can we move in the future,” said Seng Theary, executive director of the Center for Social Development, which is helping organize the relay.

The relay is to raise awareness of ongoing killings in the Darfur region of Sudan, “a problem of everyday people around the world,” she said.

More than 200,000 people are estimated to have died in Darfur, due to hunger, disease and killings in ethnic fighting there.

More than 2 million have been displaced. Cambodia has sent 100 deminers to the country to help.

The Dream for Darfur group is urging the Chinese, as host of the 2008 Olympics and a strong ally of the Sudanese government, to intercede.

Cambodians understand genocide, and they understand how it feels when the world watches without notice, Seng Theary said.

“For the last 35 years, no one has cared about our issue, and now that we have had suffering, we have an opportunity to voice our support against the genocide in Darfur,” she said. “That is in the interest of Cambodians.”

Casino is behind Buddhist statues at the border town in Pailin

A Cambodian boy walks past a casino sign behind Buddhist statues at the border town in Pailin, a former Khmer Rouge stronghold in northwestern Cambodia, Monday, Jan. 14, 2008. The casino is one of several on the border town that are frequented by mostly gamblers from Thailand, where casinos are banned.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)


Cambodian workers are seen working on a new casino building behind Buddhist statues at the border town in Pailin, a former Khmer Rouge stronghold in northwestern Cambodia, Monday, Jan. 14, 2008. The casino is one of several on the border town that are frequented by mostly gamblers from Thailand, where casinos are banned.(AP Photo/Heng Sinith)


Brief News From Cambodia

KHMERNews.com
Monday, January 14, 2008

Gov’t Should Develop Homepage more

SRP parliamentarian Eng Chay Eang said that the government should develop its homepage more. The government’s website is lacking information that it makes students and researchers difficult to research for any information. General Secretary of Telecommunication and information Development Authorities Pu Lyvuth claim that updating of the state’s homepage is the task of each ministry. The government is trying to build up the country in many sectors so in some parts might not be controlled well.

One Die Three Seriously Injure

An unidentified man died instantly at the scene and other three seriously injured when a Spider motorcycle crashed Suzuki motorbike strongly. The incident occurred around 9:30pm along Russian Blv in north Porprok village, Sangkat Kakab, Phnom Penh. The unidentified man was about 20 years old, wore blue jean with red T-shirt and long hair. The collision happened when the Suzuki motor was crossing the road.

Phnom Penh Police Arrest no plate number modern motorbikes

Phnom Penh: More than 100 modern motorcycles with no plate number were detained, and checked by all seven district police, police said on 12 Jan 2008. The event followed some teenagers with no plate number motorbikes committed robberies around a few times in Phnom Penh city in 2008. After motorbikes were confiscated, the teenagers’ parents went to Phnom Penh Police Office in order to take their motors back. It was not known that whether the motorbike owners were found or educated.

Tractor Trailer Kills a man in Steng Meanchay

Phnom Penh: An unknown man was run over and killed by a tractor trailer in a shock traffic accident at 7pm on 11 Jan 2008 in Dom Nakthom village, Meanchay district’s Meanchay commune on Veng Sreng Road. The eyewitness said that the dead victim was driving on his motorbikes from ease to west in the same direction with the tractor trailer, drove like the wind. Arriving at the scene, the tractor hit the victim in the back, killing him instantly. The driver escaped after the accident. People nearby said that there was no electricity at the scene, it was dark.

Electric Factory was destroyed by Fire

Phnom Penh: Electric factory in Reussey Keo district was destroyed by fire at 2:15pm on 13 Jan 2008. The fire, caused by a worker burned dead grass near the generator, did not spread to other buildings nor did the people’s houses, but four private company generators were ruined, local authority said. 12 fire tucks intervened the incident. Phnom Penh police Chief Thoch Narong said at the scene that the generator governors were careless that caused the fire.

Three Masked Gunmen Rob Internet Shop

Phnom Penh: Masked teenagers with a gun robbed many internet users in an internet shop at 10:30am on 12 Jan 2008 in Chamkar Mon district’s Ou Lapic commune. Seven mobile phones, three rings, one of them is diamond one, were lost in the robbery, police said. On e of the victims said that the robbers maybe disguised themselves as the internet users before they committed the robbery because they knew the victims, who has modern phone, clearly. Police searched thee robbers by arresting no plate number motorbikes.

Police Detain 93 Imported pigs

Banteaymeanchay Province: Economic police arrested 93 pigs imported from Thailand at 2:45pm on 12 Jan 2008 in Sala Krahom village, Ou Chrov district’s Som Roan commune. The pig owners said that they had bought the pigs from Thailand without any authority. Provincial police officer Chab Sopharith said that according to the government order, any animal importing without authority from neighboring countries is not allowed. The pig owners added that they wanted to feed them because those are good breed.

Biggest, tallest buddha statute in town destroyed

In late December 2007, the authorities surreptitiously destroyed one of Cambodia's largest Buddha statutes which had been recently erected in the compound of a pagoda (Wat Nirot) in the southern part of Phnom Penh. The statute, built with donations from Cambodians living in the USA, was over 50 meters high. Its removal was necessary to widen National Road # 1 leading to Vietnam. Its destruction had to be surreptitious in order not to shock the population in this predominantly Buddhist nation.

No reconciliation without remembrance

Week 542 - 2008-01-13

The past year brought finally the beginning of the work of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia – the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. It is only natural that 7 January 2008 – a national holiday to remember the end of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979 - got more attention than in former years. But this attention has always been controversial.

The Cambodian People’s Party considered and considers this date as the beginning of a welcome new phase of history, after a time when about a fifth or a quarter of the population lost their lives – nobody will ever be able to establish the correct figures.

The president of the Cambodian People’s Party confirmed their position again some days ago at a commemorative meeting: that the cooperation of Cambodian people and of Vietnamese troops led to the attack and finally the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge regime.

Other sectors of society have put much more emphasis on considering January 1979 as the beginning of 10 years of Vietnamese presence in Cambodia – pointing mainly to negative aspects of this time. Among the Cambodian population in the border camps at the Thai border, many testified their conviction that they probably would not have survived without the Vietnamese intervention; other political movements acted parallel with the Khmer Rouge faction – some observers called it “battlefield cooperation” - against the new political structures in Cambodia.

The fact that for the first time the leader of the opposition party now reportedly “welcomed the 7 January as a holiday, when Cambodian people’s lives were saved and the country was liberated from the black-clad regime of mass killings,” received wide attention in the media.
Such comments were not always focused on the historical remembrance of this day, but some commentators claimed that the newly expressed position reflects only present political interests of the leader of this party.

It is appropriate to add here, however, that this expression of welcome was a qualified, restricted one, as one paper wrote: “Though Mr. Sam Rainsy, the president of the opposition party of Cambodia, recognized the importance of the 7 January 1979, he also considered the 7 January 1979 to be the day when a foreign country invaded Cambodia. He said, ‘If they entered to free us and then they would have gone back home, we would be grateful to them. But they overthrew the Khmer Rouge regime and then they continued to control Cambodia. This was not good.’ He explained that 7 January 1979 also made Cambodia lose its independence and sovereignty, and it was controlled by Vietnamese troops.”

I am a German citizen who had to come to an understanding and evaluation of Germany’s historical point of a new beginning with the end of the Second World War. Though any comparison of different historical situations has problems, I dare to state some facts of our history and how we dealt with it.

In May 1985, 40 years after the end of the Second World War in Europe, Richard von Weizsacker, at that time the president of West Germany – the Federaal Republic of Germany - spoke of the danger of not facing but forgetting and distorting history, and especially of the danger of disregarding that many German citizens had committed crimes. “There is no such thing as the guilt or innocence of an entire nation. Guilt is, like innocence, not collective but personal. There is discovered or concealed individual guilt. There is guilt which people acknowledge or deny… All of us, whether guilty or not, whether young or old, must accept the past. We are all affected by the consequences and liable for it… We Germans must look the truth straight in the eye - without embellishment and without distortion… There can be no reconciliation without remembrance.”

In his speech in the West German parliament during the ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of the end of war in Europe, he said:

“Many nations are today commemorating the date on which World War II ended in Europe.
Every nation is doing so with different feelings, depending on its fate. Be it victory or defeat, liberation from injustice and alien rule or transition to new dependence, division, new alliances, vast shifts of power - 8 May 1945 is a date of decisive historical importance for Europe…
For us, the 8th of May is above all a date to remember what people had to suffer. It is also a date to reflect on the course taken by our history. The greater honesty we show in commemorating this day, the freer we are to face the consequences with due responsibility…
For us Germans, 8 May is not a day of celebration. Those who actually witnessed that day in 1945 think back on highly personal and hence highly different experiences. Some returned home, others lost their homes. Some were liberated, whilst for others it was the start of captivity.

Some Germans felt bitterness about their shattered illusions, whilst others were grateful for the gift of a new start. It was difficult to find one’s bearings straight away. Uncertainty prevailed throughout the country. The military capitulation was unconditional, placing our destiny in the hands of our enemies…

Yet with every day something became clearer, and this must be stated on behalf of all of us today: the 8th of May was a day of liberation. It liberated all of us from the inhumanity and tyranny of the National-Socialist (Nazi) regime.”

Of course, that day was also the beginning of the military presence of the Allied Forces in Germany who had succeeded to defeat the tyrannical Nazi regime. The Allied Forces stayed in Germany for much longer than the 10 years of Vietnamese presence in Cambodia. There was no way to say that a new Germany could have been reconstructed if those who had entered and liberated Germany would have quickly gone back home.

The Khmer Rouge Tribunal has begun – but it has really only just begun. The new year will probably bring many challenges for society – to deal with the realities, dynamics, and responsibilities inherited from the years 1975 to 1979, as well as from the years before and after, as we had to do also in Germany. So far, there are not many records of dealing with the past, especially no such detailed ones as the German president had shared. No wonder, that his speech received a broad response not only in Germany itself – it was also translated and publicly discussed in neighboring countries in Europe. Furthermore, it was translated into Japanese and into Korean – and was used as reference to deal with the difficult historical heritage burdening the relations of these two countries. Maybe the considerations in this speech by the former German president can also help the necessary discussions in Cambodia.

Don't pave Cambodia's flawed path to justice

The tribunal to try ex-Khmer Rouge leaders needs reform, then funds.

By John A. Hall
from the January 15, 2008

Orange, Calif. - Five high-profile members of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge government are finally in detention awaiting trial. It's historic progress toward long-awaited justice for the brutal regime that caused the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians in the late-1970s.

The United Nations-backed tribunal set up in Cambodia to try these men is running out of money and is seeking additional funds from donor nations. The United States indicated last month that it may reverse policy and begin funding the court.

There remain, however, legitimate concerns about the potential for corruption and the lack of judicial independence in Cambodia. A shift in US policy would be premature.

The tribunal – established to bring to trial "senior leaders" and "those most responsible" for the country's massive death toll – has undoubtedly made significant progress. The symbolism of having five ex-leaders of the notorious Khmer Rouge is enormous in a country where impunity is the norm. Clint Williamson, US ambassador for war crimes, has noted that the tribunal "is making progress and moving in a very positive direction."

Not all the news from Phnom Penh is so good. In recent months the tribunal has been shaken by a series of scandals. Open Society Justice Initiative, a legal group, raised allegations last February of chronic mismanagement and indicated that the Cambodian staff – including the judges – have to kick back part of their salaries in exchange for their appointments.

An internal audit, made public in October only after portions of it were leaked, uncovered a raft of problems at the tribunal. These included: an inadequate oversight mechanism, Cambodian staff hired without meeting the minimum job requirements, artificially high pay scales, and hiring practices so flawed that the auditors recommended that every Cambodian hired at the tribunal be fired.

An expert report, also leaked from the tribunal, paints a similarly bleak picture. The split Cambodia/international tribunal structure is "divisive and unhelpful," claimed Robin Vincent, former registrar for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and Kevin St. Louis, chief of administration for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. They recommended that managerial responsibilities for the tribunal be transferred to the UN, and that crucial areas such as translation and witness protection be immediately assumed by the international staff.

Some positive but limited changes have taken place: There is now a written personnel manual that formalizes future recruitment procedures, a code of ethics, and an "anticorruption" pledge.
International managers are now allowed to participate in evaluations of their Cambodian staff.
While these may be promising signs, they fail to address the heart of the matter. The auditors' suggestion that the Cambodian staff be fired and new employees hired under careful UN supervision was simply dismissed. The artificially high pay scales remain. The flawed split-tribunal structure is unchanged.

As for the kickback allegations, which go to the crux of the court's credibility, there appears to be no political will at the tribunal or the UN to launch any genuine and thorough investigation. The UN may be reluctant to press this matter, fearing Prime Minister Hun Sen would pull the plug on the tribunal rather than permit an independent and thorough investigation that might implicate individuals within his government.

With the taint of political influence, corruption, and mismanagement continuing to surround the tribunal, why is the US now considering providing direct funding? The answer may be oil. Vast deposits have been discovered off the coast of Cambodia in recent years – perhaps as many as 2 billion barrels and a further 10 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Firms from China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Kuwait, Australia, and France are seeking permits to explore and develop Cambodia's energy riches. Beijing has recently provided Cambodia with hundreds of millions of dollars of aid. Washington does not want to be left out, and it is looking to improve diplomatic relations with Cambodia.

Ambassador Williamson has stated that the court must address allegations of mismanagement and corruption before the US will consider funding it. Washington should uphold that promise.

Meanwhile, it should also work aggressively with the UN to pressure the tribunal and the Cambodian government to agree to the reforms the auditors and experts deemed necessary. Only this will ensure that the tribunal can function honestly and efficiently.

• John A. Hall is a professor at Chapman University School of Law and director of the Center for Global Trade & Development.

Cambodia PP Draws Electoral Program

Phom Penh, January 14 (Prensa Latina) The ruling Cambodia's Popular Party (PPC) has devised here its electoral platform with a view to the coming general elections.

The PPC extraordinary congress held this weekend endorsed the PPC's development implications until 2013.

Nearly 900 delegates backed political reports that summarize the organization's procedures leading the Executive from 2003 to 2007, especially those regarding the country's stability and economic development.

Foreign press seems to consider that if PPC wins the coming elections Prime Minister hun Sen will continue at the head of the administration, which is considered essential for the Indochina nation's stability.

The majority Cambodian political force ratified the decision to continue allied with FUNCINPEC Monarchic party, which it considers a reliable opposing party, as stated in the documents.

By virtue of Constitution 1993, Cambodia is a parliamentary State, with monarchic representative democracy; the Prime minister is the government chief and King Norodom Sihamoni, and State Chief.

Over eight million Cambodians will attend summer elections in 2008.

Cambodia: PM Hun Sen nominated for next premiership term

Posted: 2008/01/14
From: Mathaba

Phnom Penh (VNA) – The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) has agreed to nominate its vice president, Prime Minister Hun Sen, as its candidate for the premiership post after the upcoming national assembly election.

The unanimity was reached at the CPP’s two-day extraordinary general assembly with the attendance of nearly 900 delegates across the country which ended on January 13.

The meeting discussed and adopted steps of action for canvassing the fourth National Assembly scheduled for July 27, in which the CPP sets for about 80 seats.

Participants also confirmed to continue the CPP’s coalition with the FUNCINPEC party, considering the party as a trust partner.

They passed the party’s political platform on national construction and development in the 2008-2013 period and an 11-point plan to concretise the CPP’s action platform in the coming years.